#i’m going to keep the tags short since the post is already this long but man they sure got all the good stuff huh????

[beritybaker]

Somebody To Kiss It Better 💖

Rating: T | Word Count: 2,561 | CW: Injury, Language | Tags: Pre-Steddie, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Flirting, Post-Vecna | ao3 For @steddiesportsau week two. Prompt: Sports Injury.

“Oh my god. Oh my god.”

“It’s not funny, Robin,” Steve grumbles.

“You’re right. It’s hilarious,” she says, leaning across the counter at Family Video to get a good look at the stupid mask strapped to his face.

He shoves her away. “My broken nose is hilarious?”

Clearly struggling to contain her giggles, Robin attempts a more serious expression. “Right. Okay. So it’s not funny you broke your nose. But you have to admit that the circumstances are a fucking riot.”

“What, that I tripped over my own feet and fell flat on my face?” He was thinking a better descriptor for his situation might be mortifying.

“That, and the fact that you face-planted because Eddie—”

“For the last time, Rob, stop trying. It’s never gonna happen,” he interrupts, though he can feel his face heating up under his nose guard.

She scoffs. “Only because you’re a huge wuss.” With a smirk, she goes on, “He’s into you, too. I bet if you went over to his place right now and told him what happened, he’d ask you out just because he feels bad.”

“I don’t want a pity date!” Steve snaps. 

“It’s not a pity date if he’s wanted to do it since March.”

“I still don’t get why you’re so sure he likes me.”

“Uh, because I have eyes?” Robin snorts. “And Dustin said so, too—he told me Eddie keeps putting characters in his campaign that sound like super horned-up versions of you.”

“Yeah, well, Dustin doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” Steve counters. He’s aware it’s a weak argument, considering the kid somehow managed to clock his crushes on both Robin and Eddie within a couple days of seeing him interact with either of them, but he’s not about to let Robin gain any ground in this discussion.

“Well, regardless…are you at least gonna admit to me that you were distracted, and that’s why you fell?”

Steve glares. “No, I’m not.” He doesn’t need to admit it; she knows the truth already. She just heard from his own mouth that he happened to look over and see Eddie, and that the next moment his legs tangled up under him and his face hit the court. He’d landed on his racket, too, bending it beyond repair and giving himself a nasty bruise on his hip.

He knows now that he shouldn’t have mentioned the detail about seeing Eddie, because Robin’s never going to let it go, and it’ll be added to her list of reasons he should just buck up and go for it (her own Vickie-based hypocrisy be damned). But what he’ll definitely, absolutely, never in his life admit is that what had really caught him off guard was Eddie in shorts.

It makes sense. Obviously he would be wearing shorts. It’s mid-July, and this week’s been a scorcher. But Steve is a simple man, with simple desires, and for months, one of those desires has been to see a little more skin from Eddie Munson. The fact that he happened to see it while he was playing tennis at the park with his dad was just unfortunate timing.

He’ll never forget that moment as long as he lives. It’s bound to be the most embarrassing thing that happens to him in his entire life, seared into his memory as a series of snapshots.

The hollow thwap of the ball against his racket as he returns the serve. His eyes instinctively darting to the parking lot at the short blast of a car horn. Doing a double-take as he recognizes a mop of hair and a brilliant smile a couple feet above a pair of denim cutoffs. And then…

Another thwap. A wide-eyed dive. A painful crunch.

The only blessing is that Eddie didn’t see it. He was ducking into Jeff’s car by the time Steve’s dad called out his name and rushed over. Eddie definitely didn’t hear it, because even if Steve isn’t about to agree that his crush is reciprocated, he knows by now that they’re good friends. If Eddie had noticed Steve wiping out and subsequently bleeding all over the place from a crooked nose, he would’ve sprinted right over, too.

“You’re impossible,” Robin scoffs, turning away from the counter to browse.

“And you’re annoying,” Steve counters. “Even on your day off, I can’t get away from you. Weren’t you and Nance supposed to have a sleepover?”

“I have to find something to watch! She needs an education, and she doesn’t have the privilege of getting one on the job.”

“So you’re holding her hostage now, too? And she’s not even getting paid for it?”

Robin makes a childish face at him. It’s one she knows he can’t return at the moment, wrinkling her nose and sticking out her tongue. He just rolls his eyes and goes back to sorting returns.

That’s where they stay for a few minutes. Both of them are silently absorbed in their tasks, until the bell chimes to signal someone else entering the store.

Steve automatically looks up. And just like he did at the park, he does a double-take.

“Hey, Eddie,” Robin calls from the thriller section.

Steve glances her way. Her eyes meet his, and even seeing only the top of her head, he can tell that god-awful smirk is back.

“Hey, Buckley! Thought you were off tonight,” Eddie replies.

“I am. Just here for the goods,” she explains, raising a couple tapes and waving them where he can see. “And keeping Stevie company.”

“But of course. There’s no separating you two,” he chuckles. Then he turns to Steve and freezes at the sight of him. “Oh, damn. Holy shit.”

Steve tries not to close his eyes, forcing himself to meet Eddie’s concerned gaze. It adds insult to literal injury that he’s wearing those goddamn cutoffs again—and they show off even more thigh than Steve remembers.

“What the fuck happened to you?”

“Broke my nose,” he mutters.

“Holy shit,” Eddie repeats. “How?”

“Fell.”

“You…fell? That’s it?”

“Yep. That’s it,” Steve says. He shoots a warning look at Robin when he hears a derisive snort. She disappears behind the shelf.

“Man, that blows. How long do you have to wear that thing on your face?”

Steve shrugs. “Couple weeks. Doctor wants to make sure nothing knocks my nose out of place while it heals.”

Eddie lets out a low whistle. “Oof. Sorry, man.”

Don’t apologize, Steve thinks, biting back the actual words. It’s not like I fell because you didn’t measure the inseam before you took scissors to your old jeans, or that your legs are way more toned than I imagined they would be, or that I want you to throw me up against the wall like you did in Reefer Rick’s boathouse, or—

“So, what’s new?” Eddie asks, cutting through Steve’s thought spiral. “Other than the broken nose.”

Steve clears his throat. “Not much.”

“Same here,” Eddie sighs. He approaches the counter and slumps against it, leaning forward on his elbows. Pursing his lips, he goes on, “What time are you off? You wanna hang out later?”

“I’m closing.”

“Isn’t Wednesday usually Keith’s night?”

“He’s busy, apparently. Asked me to switch.”

Robin reappears at Eddie’s elbow. She puts a few tapes on the counter and says, “He’s got a date.”

Eddie raises his eyebrows. “Seriously? Good for him.”

“Yeah. At least somebody around here can get one,” she jokes. Then, with a significant look, she adds, “Right, Steve?”

He glares back at her. “Yeah. Lucky guy.”

“I don’t understand how you’re free, Harrington,” Eddie muses. “You got more natural charm in your pinkie finger than I’ve ever seen from Keith. You should be taking somebody out every goddamn night.”

Robin snorts. “You should’ve seen him when we worked at Scoops. He was striking out left and right. It was so bad, I kept a running tally every day of how many girls rejected him. The record was twenty-two.”

This time, Steve is exasperated enough that he does close his eyes for a moment. He’s not sure what’s worse: Robin making pointed comments around Eddie or recounting past misadventures to him.

“Oh, there’s no way.” Eddie turns to him with wide eyes and an even wider smile. “You were striking out?”

“The hat covered up my best feature,” Steve huffs, vaguely gesturing at his own head.

“Oh, in that case,” Eddie says, rolling his eyes. His smile remains, and it even softens after a moment. “Well, those girls didn’t know what they were missing.”

Steve’s lungs seize up. Once again, Robin catches his eye, her brows so high on her forehead they’ve disappeared behind her bangs. He narrows his eyes at her—a nonverbal warning to shut the fuck up—then turns to the computer to add her rentals to her account.

Out loud, he says, “I’ll take the hat over this damn thing.” He doesn’t have to point at his nose guard; he’s learned over the past few days that it’s the only thing anyone sees as long as he’s in the room.

Eddie tilts his head and shoots him a sympathetic grimace. “It’s not that bad.”

“No, it definitely is,” Steve says. His deadpan delivery draws a laugh from Eddie that makes his heart flutter in his chest.

“Look on the bright side. Wearing that thing should keep your face lookin’ as pretty as ever, right?”

“Oh my god,” Robin mumbles. It sounds involuntary.

“What’s wrong?” Eddie asks, interpreting her frustrated outburst as some startled realization.

She confirms that she hadn’t meant to say anything by turning to Steve in a panic and stammering, “I’m…gonna be late! I said I would meet Nancy at six-thirty, and it’s almost”—she looks at her watch and deflates a little—“a quarter to six.”

Eddie’s brow furrows. He glances at Steve in clear is she okay? amusement, then says, “You got forty-five minutes, and you’re worried about being late? Where are you s’posed to meet her, Timbuktu?”

“Ah, no. Her house.” Robin lets out a nervous chuckle. “I just, uh…I have to pick up snacks, too! See you guys.” She’s already halfway out the door before the words are out of her mouth.

Eddie stares after her, looking bewildered. “What the hell was all that about?”

“No idea,” Steve lies.

There’s a quiet moment, where the only sound is the computer’s keyboard clacking under his fingertips. He figures Eddie must be lost in thought, because after spending enough time with him, he’s noticed that those are the only moments where Eddie stops talking—and sometimes not even then. Like with Robin, he finds it endearing. More than once, he’s caught himself grinning like an idiot as Eddie rambled about D&D classes or a Judas Priest album.

When Eddie does eventually speak, he says the last thing Steve expects. “You know, you kinda pull it off.”

Blinking rapidly, Steve looks up from the computer. He slowly turns to look at Eddie. “What?”

“The nose thing. It’s weirdly cute on you.” He sighs a laugh and shakes his head. “Listen to me. ’Course it is—you’re Steve Harrington. You could be wearing a goddamn bunny suit and you’d be able to make it work.”

Steve stares at him for another moment, at a loss for what to say. “Thank you?” he tries.

“It still sucks, though.” Eddie pauses. He’s leaning on the counter again, though now he has his hands splayed across it, fingers drumming idly. “Did they tell you how long it might take for the bruising to clear up, too?”

Shaking his head a bit to clear it, Steve stammers, “Uh, y-yeah. Few days, apparently.” He goes back to sorting tapes, desperate for something to distract him from the ongoing butterfly swarm in his stomach.

“Hm.” Another pause. “Think it’d heal faster if you had somebody to kiss it better?”

Steve fumbles with a small stack of tapes, dropping a couple. He has to take a deep breath to recover before he can lean down to retrieve them.

In that second, though, Eddie has already leapt over the counter. “Whoops! Allow me.” He squats and starts picking them up, and…

Holy mother of god.

This is too much. It’s too much for Steve to handle, having Eddie crouched on the floor in those fucking shorts, right in front of him, with his skin taut over his quads and the denim hugging his crotch, leaving very little to the imagination. All Steve can do is stare as his breath becomes hopelessly shallow.

Eddie doesn’t notice until he lifts his arm to hand the tapes over. When he does, his eyebrows pinch together in concern. “Whoa. Stevie. You doin’ alright?”

Steve swallows, trying to summon an answer.

“Um. Earth to Harrington,” Eddie says with an anxious smile. He waves the tapes across Steve’s field of vision. “You okay, man?”

“I saw you at the park,” Steve blurts. He isn’t sure why. The ER doc told him he didn’t have a concussion, but maybe his brain got a little banged around, after all.

Looking outright worried now, Eddie rises and sets aside the tapes.

“The other day. I was playing tennis with my dad at the park and I saw you.”

“Okay…”

“That’s why I fell and broke my nose.”

Eddie blinks and shakes his head in a startled little expression. “Okay, Stevie. You lost me.”

Finally, Steve has reached his breaking point. He whirls around and starts pacing away from Eddie, raising his hands to tangle in his own hair. “It’s those goddamn shorts.” He turns on his heel to face Eddie again, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “Why the hell do you have to wear those things?”

Eddie puts his hands up defensively. “What’s wrong with my shorts?”

“‘What’s wrong?’ You look too good in ’em, that’s what’s wrong!”

Instantly, Eddie’s confused look melts into one of total understanding. A gradual smirk stretches his lips. “Let me get this straight. You’re telling me you fell on your face…broke your nose…because you saw me walk by in shorts?”

“Yes,” Steve hisses.

Eddie lifts both his gaze and his hands to the sky, as if overcome with religious passion, and cries out, “Holy fucking shit, finally!”

“What the fuck do you mean, ‘finally’?”

“Steve. Stevie. Harrington.” Eddie walks over and lowers his hands to rest on Steve’s shoulders. “I’ve been tryin’ to get you to admit to checking me out for weeks. Gonna be honest, I was starting to think your stubborn ass was never gonna cop to it.”

“You—what?”

“Christ. I was worried I was gonna have to break down and ask you out before you did.”

Steve stares for another moment before demanding, “Why the hell didn’t you?!”

Eddie falters. His smirk morphs into a sheepish grimace. “I, uh…I may have bet Henderson that I could hold out until you admitted it.”

Steve closes his eyes and shakes his head. But he’s smiling. “I’m gonna kill that little creep.”

“At least let him pay up first,” Eddie says. Then he clears his throat, which gets Steve to open his eyes. “That said, through…you free tomorrow night?”

Steve meets his gaze, skeptical. “You wanna take me out looking like this?”

Eddie giggles and nods. “Technically it’s my fault. I gotta make it up to you somehow.”

[ittybittyfanblog]

Error 404: Spin-off

Summary: A LADS self-aware!AU featuring Sylus and a player. Update: Sylus went ahead and got himself mortalized (That's it, that's the plot). Tags: player!reader x sylus, fem!reader x sylus, reader x lads, self-aware!au, suggestive language, slight crack (literally. lmao, you’ll see), FLUFF! A/N: Finally starting the spin-off! Hello again 🙂‍↕️🫶🏼 I’ve got a rough outline for the flow and a few key chapters mapped out, but I’m keeping it flexible for the most part. This isn’t gonna be a full structured story, so think more like vignettes of their life, w/ some world-building here and there (laying some groundwork for future chapters hehe). Come thru if you wanna see what error!Sylus and our lil player are up to post-reality jump 🙂‍↕️🙏🏼 Also: no posting schedule! I’m treating this like a chill side project I can pick up whenever, so not every part’s gonna be lengthy/that polished hehe. Mostly short snippets, unless the chapter calls for a longer one. (P.S. Just send a DM if you want to be taken off the taglist lol. I just assumed you guys would still want to follow along, but no pressure at all if you don’t! 💕)

(main series) - Pt 1

You keep waiting to wake up.

For the sound of your phone alarm to blare somewhere beneath the covers, forcing you to fish it out at seven-thirty-something in the morning. For this absolutely wonderful, absolute mindfuck of a dream, to end—and for the real world to set in. 

For another uneventful day to begin, the way it usually does after a short reprieve from the hustle and the bustle of life.

From behind the bathroom door, the sound of the shower cuts off.

You scramble to open the cupboard overhead, grabbing the pepper shaker from the first shelf. You do four rotations over the half-cooked omelette before flipping it over with a rubber spatula, trying not to lose your cool. Or what’s left of it.

Three days. It’s been three days since it dawned on you that Sylus has actually managed to cross the threshold – through a tiny, impossible fissure in the fabric of reality – just to get to this dimension. Your dimension.

Three days since you locked eyes with the other half of your soul from across a room, no screen separating the two of you for once. No physical barrier to stop him from catching you as you ran toward him past the counter, just as twilight kissed the sky goodnight, sobbing at the first touch of his skin—electric against yours. The taste of his lips, the bittersweet notes of extant longing and pure bliss blooming on your tongue as he captured your mouth in his; the two of you lost in each other, uncaring of anything beyond that precious, shared moment. 

And three days for your mind to finally catch up to the sheer impossibility of it all.

As far as your Sundays go, you’d say this one takes the cake.

He’s been staying in a modest little rental just a couple of blocks away from you. Nothing extravagant – just a transient house he’s leased for the week. Not that you’ve technically been inside to know; he only pointed it out once, the single-storey residential from across the main street, as the two of you were heading back home—your home. To your little studio apartment.

Him. Sylus. In your condo. You can’t even begin to wrap your head around it.

You know that he’d just arrived in town two days before that fateful encounter at the bistro. That he’d already done his research to know exactly where you were going to be during that hour, and that he’s been here, on Earth, for quite some time now. Even before meeting you.

But past this knowledge, you haven’t actually covered much of anything, really. Just this little awkward dancing around you’ve been doing since you’ve been together.

And you know you should ask, probe, have him break down the hows of his existence to you, a clearer timeline of exactly when he popped into this world, what he’s been up to in all the time he’s been here… and why he’s even waited so long to come to you directly.

You’re painfully aware that it’s just you who’s keeping yourself from getting the answers you want. You’re the one making this harder than it needs to be. You can’t help it.

There’s no manual to tell you how to deal with your emotions when your virtual lover appears in front of you, in the flesh, miraculously defying all laws of physics in the process. No handbook telling you what to do next when something you’ve been wishing for every night before going to bed – for the past two years – actually manifests into being. 

Someone you’ve always longed for, staked deep within the confines of your heart, but never truly imagined the consequences of until your wishful thinking bled into reality.

And now he’s here.

All things considered, you think you’ve done an okay job at acting like everything’s normal. Mostly. Probably.

(You haven’t.)

The day after he showed up at your proverbial doorstep, you almost couldn’t believe everything that had transpired a mere twenty hours ago was even real. That maybe your brain had just gotten creative enough to invent a Hallmark-worthy scene to win you a one-way trip to your therapist—and that, maybe, you’d conjured him up simply because you missed him and you’re so down bad, your mind decided to start playing tricks on you.

...which nearly had your soul catapulting out of your body at the sight of the—extremely corporeal, extremely attractive—raven-haired (!) man moving through your kitchen the first morning he stayed over, wearing a black V-neck and a pair of grey sweatpants, ambling barefoot like he already knew the place by heart.

You suppose he does, you allow cautiously, an odd sort of warmth blooming in your chest at the thought. Of course he would. 

Still. It didn’t erase the surrealness of seeing Sylus, the Sylus—mortal, perfect, wonderfully alive—brewing you a cup of coffee at nine in the morning, your brain failing to fully comprehend the image of his towering figure working your faulty, secondhand De’Longhi like a pro.

"Are you," he started, eyes zooming in on the spot between your thumb and forefinger, mouth twitching like he's trying not to laugh, "pinching yourself?"

You had quickly withdrawn your hand, schooling your face into a poor attempt at nonchalance as you reached for the steaming blue mug he was holding out to you. "...No."

You can't help but hover around him, like some weird satellite desperate for orbit. You find yourself sneaking glances every five seconds—and more often than not, he meets your gaze with a wayward look of his own.

He never calls you out on it; he just gives you an infuriatingly impish smirk that sends your heart into overdrive, making you feel younger than you are. 

You’re still stewing over the events of the past few days, absentmindedly worrying whether the eggs needed more salt, when you hear the bathroom door open.

You whip your head around, and all systems crash to a stop.

Oh god. Oh fuck. 

He’s standing there—all six-foot-five of pure, lean muscle, like sin sculpted out of marble and left to walk your unvacuumed parquet wood floor without so much as a care for the cluttered little living space he’s in, looking completely at ease. Fresh from the shower, steam rising lazily from every inch of bare skin laid out in front of you, and it’s like The Neuron™ in your brain activates. The towel slung low across his hips leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination, reducing your thoughts monosyllabic, like some half-evolved primate ready for mating season or whatever. Hot man. Hot man shirtless. Involuntarily, your eyes track a stray rivulet sliding down; right where the faintest suggestion of a happy trail (!!!) begins and ends… and you’re gone. Lost in some kind of trance. 

Utterly hypnotised, you watch as it soaks into the edge of the borrowed sage green terry cotton, faintly wondering if what’s beneath it could soak you the same way, shit—

A strangled noise slips past your lips. 

It’s terrible. You sound like a dying cow. Hot man’s fault. Bad.  

A snort breaks you out of your shameless ogling. 

Your head jerks up like you’ve been caught red-handed doing something you're not supposed to, guiltily meeting his eyes. You see Sylus already watching you wryly, the heavy drag of his half-lidded stare rooting you in place. 

Your face starts to flush red with embarrassment, heat climbing all the way up to your ears. 

He’s leaning a shoulder against the doorframe; arms crossed loosely over his chest, completely relaxed, and clearly getting a kick out of whatever expression you’ve got at the moment. His gaze doesn't waver, stuck on you like glue, drinking in every flustered reaction with quiet amusement. 

You swallow nervously. His eyes flicker down, tracing the movement of your throat, and his lips tug up into a semblance of a smile.

Fuuuuck.

"You already started on breakfast without me, sweetie?" He tuts in mock-disapproval. "I told you it’d take me less than twenty minutes to shower."

You don’t manage much in response, just a dumb, garbled, "mhm, s’okay."

You're completely blanked out at this point—bluescreen dead if you will—except for one panicked thought flashing through your brain: Holy shit, he's practically naked. Sylus Qin from Love and Deepspace is practically naked in my house. 

Then, not long after, a chorus of, “oh my god oh my god oh my god” starts looping in your head, overriding what little composure you had left like some raunchy PSA warning you about the dangerous rise of moisture down south.  

Sylus cocks his head slightly, sending you a sly, knowing look—one that says he knows exactly what's going on in that overstimulated little brain of yours.

Slowly, he pushes himself off and saunters closer to where you are, taking his time crossing the distance with easy, measured steps. As if he’s in no rush at all to get to you. As if he’s merely curious whether you’ll combust just from him shortening the proximity between your bodies. 

(You think you just might.)

And when he’s standing barely a few inches away – close enough for you to feel the heat radiating off him – Sylus leans down, effectively trapping you between the counter and the solid wall of his chest. Between granite and sinew. 

You lose all capacity to speak.

Without breaking eye contact, he reaches out a hand to shut off the burner stove behind you with an easy flick of his wrist, the brief brush of his arm sending a shiver down your spine. Then, with maddening tenderness, he pinches your cheek between two fingers—his thumb caressing the spot right after.

In a voice filled with faux sympathy, he coos, “What’s got you all distracted, poppet?”

He’s teasing. You know he’s teasing. 

He’s done nothing but tease you with his devastatingly good looks, his overwhelming presence, and syrupy words spoken so sinfully in that low cadence of his voice, ever since he arrived. And, oh, you’re not sure whether to scream or kiss the smug look off his face silly.

You’re so bad at being subtle. You always have been, especially when it comes to him. And you know you can’t hide anything from Sylus – from the smallest flicker of microexpression on your face, down to the shortness of your breath. Both of you know this. Both of you painfully aware of the effect he has on you.

And just as much, you know he’s been holding himself back—that no matter how flirtatious he gets, he’s still keeping enough control to pull away whenever you start to get too overwhelmed.

Despite his provocations, Sylus never pushes. He waits, patiently. Giving you the space to volley back if you want to. And if you don’t, he backs off in a second, with the same effortless ease he uses to tease you. Leaving you room to breathe again. 

Rinse, repeat. 

It’s almost as if you two are playing a game with poorly drawn rules. You don’t know who’s winning.

The little spell breaks when you feel a disgruntled meow against your shin; it's immediately followed by a cat headbutting you, twice in succession, with a surprising amount of aggression.

"Not used to sharing your mother, are you?" Sylus sighs, pulling back from where he’d been caging you in—his movements slow, reluctant. 

A warning hiss rises from below. He raises his hands in mock surrender, stepping back to a safer distance, just out of swiping range. 

"Yes, yes. You win,” he grumbles in acquiescence at the testy feline, a comically put-upon look on his face. “For now.”  

You pull your eyes away from his bicep—look, you're just a girl, okay—to blink down at the temperamental little creature who’s now self-appointed himself as your personal foot guard. 

He’s making some vague, cryptic noises, something between a purr and a growl, while keeping his eyes locked firmly on Sylus’ leg. 

"He–um, he might just be hungry," you manage to mutter. A quick glance at the food bowl says otherwise. "...or not."

Sylus huffs under his breath, a low sound, equal parts understanding and mildly affronted. He tilts his head – eyes narrowing at the untouched kibble, then to the small furry menace claiming your feet like a jilted lover.

Unfortunately, Maru’s reception to the new person has been... less than cordial.

From the moment Sylus walked in the apartment, Maru had hissed at him as if to say: There is no reason for a Man to be here, before darting beneath the coffee table – tail lashing with all the theatrics of a petulant child. The churlish product of a mother who's been single for far too long, that he’s decided he’s the only boy she’ll ever need. 

It strikes you as a little odd. He never usually gets antsy around guests, and you'd even thought he and Sylus got along—or at least, back when the man in question was confined to mere pixels on screen. 

Maybe you shouldn’t have counted on that.

Sylus, to his credit, hasn't once tried to close the distance or force a peace treaty. Amused, definitely; the way his eyes glint whenever Maru glares at him could almost qualify as charmed. But since stepping into your home, he’s been mindful about giving the creature a wide berth, moving with the quiet understanding that respect here is sacrosanct, something to be earned. That he’s the one imposing, and the truce between him and the (true) man of the house is a fragile, delicate thing. 

You honestly haven’t decided if Maru’s behaviour is because he’s protective... or just pissed that someone else is hogging your attention.

"It’s alright, sweetie," Sylus—your son’s chosen rival—soothed you reassuringly; his hand rubbing a slow, comforting circle over the small of your back when he caught the slightly crestfallen look on your face. "He’s just feeling territorial about his space right now. Give it some time."

“I’ll get dressed,” Sylus murmurs. “Don’t start on the coffee without me.” He presses a kiss to your forehead, then another between your brows; the casual, freely-given affection leaves you warm and gooey inside. He turns toward your vanity, where his black duffel bag rests on the small plastic saddle chair.

You watch his retreating figure for a few seconds—long enough for him to glance back over his shoulder, one brow lifted in lazy inquiry. And the look is so familiar; so painfully reminiscent of the one he gives you in-game, right after you’d deliver a ‘slap’ to his ass, that it knocks you a little off-kilter. 

… Which might explain why you don’t react fast enough when his eyes flash with mischief, and he casually undoes the knot of his towel.

The fabric drops.

You catch a glimpse—more than a glimpse, hello—of the perkiest butt you’ve ever seen in your life, and you spin around so fast you slam your elbow into something undoubtedly solid in the process.

A half-pained, half-mortified wheeze escapes your throat.

"Careful," he calls out to you—and though amusement colors his voice, there's a real thread of worry beneath it, enough to make you want to slam your head against the counter for some inexplicable reason. "Don’t feel the need to grant me modesty on my behalf, kitten."

"Kitten’s about to kill herself," you lament with a whine. 

It earns you an unimpressed scoff.

“I just got here, my love,” he deadpans without missing a beat. “Daddy’s gonna have to ask you to hold on a little longer.”

You choke on nothing but air. Critical system failure. 

Buffering… buffering… buffering…

You inhale sharply.

"Okay, pause," you beg, a slightly hysterical edge to your tone as you claw your way back from a full-blown breakdown. In an attempt to divert the topic, “D’you–uh, do you want anything on your eggs? I’ve got ketchup, hot sauce... barbecue sauce..."

"A proper chef now, are you?" And oh, the next thing you know, he’s right behind you again. Close enough that you can feel the warmth of him through the thin fabric of your shirt. 

He smells faintly like your body wash, like Dove nourishing coconut and your calendula shampoo, a heady mix of something sweet and herbal.

The thought of him—of the both of you—smelling the same, actually makes you feel giddy. 

What a stupidly trivial, novel thing to find joy in. 

Snap the fuck out of it, it’s just soap, you chide to yourself. 

You don’t even notice you’re trembling until Sylus curls a large hand around yours; steadying the shaky fingers reaching for the bottle of Cholula on the condiment tray, while his other hand gently cradles your hurt elbow. 

Your breath hitches when he presses a kiss to your temple.

"Oh, sweetie," he murmurs, and it’s the way he says it—low and unbearably fond—that loosens some of the tension on your shoulders. "You’ve wound yourself up."

"I'm good," you mumble, though your voice betrays you, thinner than you mean it to sound.

"It's just me," he says, his tone as gentle as the breeze slipping through the open window, ruffling the choppy bangs that frame your face. "Nothing so different from how it’s always been, hmm?"

And you know he’s right. It's just him. Just Sylus. Your Sylus. No different from the one from two years ago.

"I know," you sigh, finally turning to face him, having to crane your neck slightly to meet his eyes. 

His expression is softer now, the type of softness reserved solely for you, something that never fails to make you ache. The teasing is gone, tucked away for the time being. 

"I just need a little time to wrap my head around this," you admit, voice quieter now. "Is that... is that okay?"

The greys of his eyes melt into something silvery, moonlit—impossibly tender. 

In one smooth motion, he lifts you onto the kitchen counter and steps between your legs, closing what little space remains between you. You yelp in surprise, but before you can react, he’s already leaning in, stealing a kiss from your lips. Just a quick one, like he couldn’t help himself, like he needed a taste to hold him over. He chuckles when he sees your wide-eyed look.

"Of course, my love," he says, voice wrought with promise—in love with the way your lips part, bitten pink and unsure, as he lifts your hand to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of it. "We’ll go as slow as you want. Forever, if that’s what you need." Forever, as what you two have. 

… 

For over a year, you’ve learned how to enjoy the small things alone. And you did—enjoy it, you mean. Once, almost a lifetime ago, you took for granted the quiet joys of a slower life. But you learned to take it day by day. One hour at a time, minute after minute. 

It made room for reflection, and it moulded you into something stronger, and softer, all at once.  

But this—with him—brings you back to another time. A sweeter time; the dog-day summer of your life. 

The morning hums with a kind of quiet normalcy you’ve grown accustomed to. You’re used to the sunlight spilling through the linen curtains, lining the floor with streaks of honey-gold, soft as a happy memory. Used to the noise of the outside world bleeding through the walls, a constant presence you’ve long since accepted as a permanent fixture in this tiny apartment, like a second heartbeat.

He’s right, in a way. 

This isn’t so different from the mornings you once shared with the same man—back when he wore a different face and led an extraordinarily polarized life, completely at odds with yours. The ones spent laughing into a screen, your fingers ghosting across glass, desperate to grasp something you never could. 

That life feels like it belonged to someone else now. Someone lonelier. 

So, no. Maybe not quite the same – maybe not even close.

–

You finally allow yourself to give in; to sink into the warmth of him, folding yourself smaller in his embrace like a tired bird nestling into a safer sky, your heart fluttering wild and restless against your ribs. Too big for your body, too full to contain. Here – tangled together in this sliver of morning light – everything that has hurt you feels small in comparison. You were never alone to begin with. But with Sylus in your arms, the world feels brighter than you ever remembered it could be.

Tagging: @xxfaithlynxx @browneyedgirl22 @yournextdoorhousewitch @sunsethw4 @stxrrielle @mangooes @hrts4hanniehae @buggs-1 @michiluvddr @ssetsuka @imm0rtalbutterfly @the-golden-jhope @beomluvrr @bookfreakk @ally-the-artistic-turtle @sapphic-daze @sarahthemage @cchiiwinkle @madam8 @slownoise @raendarkfaerie @sylusdarling @luminaaaz @greeenbeean @vvhira @issamomma @blueberrysquire @lovely-hani @fiyori @peachystea @aeanya @sylus-crow @queen-serena88 @xthefuckerysquaredx @rayvensblog @poptrim @goldenbirdiee @amerti @angstylittleb1tch @reiofsuns2001 @j4mergy @touya-apologist @gladiolus-mamacitia @btszn @wrimaira @writingmyladsdelusions @borkunlimited @magnoliaswriteatsunset

[thewickwheat]

I'm going to a post full details under the cut, but a short run down:

I've sort of vaguely mentioned this here and there but this year I'm forcing myself to go on a long hiatus. Its been something in the plans for years now, but I can't put it off any longer because 2024 was the worst wrist pain I've dealt with and I don't want to risk permanently damaging myself if I haven't already.

If you're waiting on a comm, don't worry! My hiatus won't officially start until I've finished them all up (estimating April-May to finish up everything), so just bare with me!

Character Sheet comms are staying open

If you're able and willing to support me during this break, please check out my shops or my Patreon!

Ko-Fi - Physical/Digital Merch + Donations

INPRNT - Physical Prints

Patreon - Process Videos and WiPs

Full details and extra info under the cut

So this has been a long time coming but this year I’ll be taking a long hiatus. This is something I’ve wanted to do for years but I can’t put it off any longer due to how bad my wrist pain was in 2024. I’m feeling incredibly burnt out as well and my turn around times growing longer and longer is a very clear sign of it. It also means I’ve had a growing anxiety that if I continue at this pace I will end up doing permanent damage to my body, if I haven’t already. Creating art is the one thing I know I want to do for the rest of my life, be that drawing for myself or helping other people see their visions come to life, and I don’t want to put that at risk.  

So I can’t put my hiatus off any longer and I’m making this year the start. If you are still waiting on a commission from me, don’t worry! I am going to keep working on them and my official hiatus time won’t start until everything has been finished up. I’m estimating April to May to get everything cleared off the table since I’m going to work at a steady pace. Character sheet commissions are going to remain open, they are not in high demand and I can put them in a queue and so should anyone have interest in one during my hiatus, it could be something I pick up when I need the extra cash. However all other types of commissions are going to be unavailable for the foreseeable future. 

I am aiming for a 6 month long hiatus at the least. If I can go longer I will aim for a full year break. Freelance and commission work has been my main source of income for over 10 years now, so during this time I may also look into getting a part time job so I don't have to rely so heavily on art, which will also affect how much I’ll be able to take on in the future. I’m not quitting art during this hiatus, I do want to keep drawing and creating! But I will be working at a slower pace, creating for myself, experimenting and trying other projects. I also have more merch ideas on the list to work on! I’ve got some plush designs I want to have made,namely a new Zenos plush that will have doll fiber hair that can be brushed and styled.

I will also design more tag style keychains with more XIV characters (like the Scions and other major NPCs), since people have really liked those a lot! I’ll also plan out some other ideas and maybe design some original design plushies or other merch. We’ll see!

If anyone enjoys my work and wants to help support me during my hiatus, please check out my available merch. I have prints on INPRNT, and a variety of items on Ko-Fi (limited prints, artbooks both physical and digital, keychains, stickers, etc.), I also have a patreon where I post process videos of illustrations. You can also drop donations of my Ko-Fi. I will be adding a goal that I’ll set at a high amount I don't expect to reach, just because I personally want a visual of donations or purchases during my break. Even small donations would mean a lot. If only 10% of my followers on twitter or tumblr bought a single Ko-Fi donation, it would be a substantial amount of money. I say this not to guilt folks into donating, but to point out small donations can still have a lot of power. And so I appreciate any support at all!

Thank you so much if you read this entire message. It means a lot to me and I hope a good long break means when I’m  able to get back to commission and freelance I’ll approach them with much more vigor and skill!

[autumnmatt]

𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

summary: it was the first official day of summer and you and your boyfriend chris decided to spend the day at the beach

classification: fluff

warnings: kissing, pet names, use of y/n, not proof read

it was the first day of summer at 3pm, y/n was sitting in her room scrolling through her phone. Suddenly her boyfriend Chris sent her a message which immediately caught her attention.

CHRIS 🤍

3:11 pm

Chris: hi babyyy so I was thinking since it’s the first day of summer maybe you’d want to go to the beach with me, like have a cute little date?

y/n: yesss of course meet me there at 4:30 and wear something super sexy 😏

read 3:17 pm

you were now going through your closet to find something to wear. After frantically searching for some time you landed on a cute white bikini and threw some denim shorts over it.

it was now 4:14 and you grab all the stuff you needed before heading out the door and going to your car. You opened a text message from Chris saying “omw”

you arrived at the beach and started looking for your boyfriend and after minutes of looking around there he was, he looked very cute ( like always )

you ran up to him and jumped into his arms forcing him to keep you up, “i missed you.” You said kissing his very sweaty forehead. “I missed you too beautiful.” He said with the biggest smile on his face.

after a while of chatting about how your days were going so far you two went down the dock to the beach. The sun was already starting to set.

you threw your bagged off of your shoulder and pulled a blanket you brought from home to lay out on the sand. “Oh so you came prepared?” Chris said. “Always.” You responded, laying the blanket on the sand.

about an hour went by and you and Chris were just admiring the last minutes of sun and the waves of the water. Your head was rested in his lap while he was sitting criss cross applesauce.

“I could stay forever.” You said looking up at him. “You and me both” he said reaching his head down to kiss you on the lips.

The rest of the night was filled with jokes and laughs before you both decided to call it a night and go to the triplets house to get some rest.

a/n: omg I’m soooo sorry for not posting for so long but school is kicking my ass right now, this is lowkey short asf but this is my first chris fic on here so I hoped you enjoyed :)

respond to this post to be on my tag list <3

[mistyresolve]

| Valentines Day - Simon “Ghost” Riley X Reader

Word Count - 1.7K

Summary - What a valentines with Simon might look like.

Tags/Warnings - Established relations, Mentions of the narsty and some heavy petting, interrupted

A/N - welp...it was supposed to be a valentines post but uhhh...I got busy

Masterlist  ❤︎ 

You and Simon had a routine for the mornings. There was an unspoken agreement that the first person to get out of bed was to make breakfast. Since you were both early risers, it was usually a 50/50 chance that you’d be the one making breakfast. Although, you liked it more when Simon cooked. He would die if you told the rest of the 141, but he was a good cook. It was never anything fancy or over the top, but everything he made was delicious. His go-to was the regular bacon, eggs, and toast. He made your eggs just how you liked them—Crispy around the edges and the yolk runny enough to dip your toast into it.    

The clock on your bedside table read 07:17. It was later than you usually woke up, but you and Simon were up late the night before. An “early Valentine's gift,” he had said, before he took you into the bedroom and worshiped your body. Made you a quivering mess beneath him.  

Looking at his sleeping form, you could tell he put his all into it. Into you. 

You couldn’t help the soft smile from your mouth as you brushed his hair back from his face. It was the longest you’d ever seen it, curling at the tips of his ears and furling down his neck. There was no real reason for him to follow the mandatory military cut since no one ever saw it. Although, he claimed he preferred it short because it was more comfortable underneath the mask. 

He looked so calm when he was asleep. Younger even. The worries and stresses that drew lines between his brows didn’t follow him into sleep. Not tonight, anyway. However, no amount of rest would ever be able to erase the dark shadows under his eyes, a permanent mark of exhaustion.        

You slid out from his embrace with utmost care to not stir him awake. He huffed a sigh and shoved his now-empty hand underneath the pillow, subconsciously searching for a new source of warmth, but he didn't wake. You tip-toed into the ensuite, clicking the door shut behind you to quiet the noises of you getting ready for the day. You had a quick shower, washing away the remnants of last night, albeit reluctantly. 

By the time you entered the room again, Simon was sitting over the edge of the bed. Still half asleep and only managing to keep one eye open. He must have opened the curtains at some point because the room was now basking in the morning light. The sunlight climbed up the bed and warmed the sheets. 

“Good morning,” you said as you made your way to stand in front of him. He immediately reached out for you, pulling you between his legs and letting his face rest on your chest. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and cradled his head into you. With nimble fingers, you combed into his hair. He breathed deeply, groaning, inhaling your fresh, clean scent. 

You stayed like that for a while. Long enough to think he fell back asleep like this, with his arms wrapped around you. You scratched playfully at his scalp to get his attention, “What are you wanting for breakfast?”   

He looked up at you with bleary eyes and shook his head, “I’ll cook this morning. It’s valentines.”      

You leaned back to get a better look at him. “I got up first, and you’ve already given me my gift.”

“Mhm,” he straightened and came to life at the hint of a dispute, “That wasn’t all I was intending to give you.” 

You rolled your eyes at him, “I’m serious–” 

He stood and put a hand over your mouth to keep you from arguing further, “I’m serious.”

You pulled your head from his grasp. “Okay,” you said, searching for a compromise he would accept. “What if you make the food and I make the coffee?” 

He played with the still-wet strands of your hair, twirling it around his finger and letting it fall into a curl, “Hmm, sure.” 

You padded after him into the kitchen, oogling his bare, muscled back all the way. Noting the symmetrical red lines that were etched into his back. Something akin to pride burned in your chest, and you bit your lip to keep a smile from spreading across your face. 

You press a single button on the coffee machine and let it run. Then, you sit at the island and watch as Simon starts breakfast. 

He moved with the same grace he did with everything. Every move was thoughtful and calculated, even for something as simple as cracking an egg. 

A devious idea popped into your head. You weren’t that hungry for food.       

“I love it when you moan,” you sighed, pretending the statement was innocent. 

He froze at the stove before spinning on a heel to look at you. His eyes were wide with shock and confusion, “Pardon me?” he said incredulously. 

“You know when my legs are wrapped around your waist, and you're pounding into me,” you slid off the chair and walked around the island, his dark eyes following you, “When you say the dirtiest thing to me, and I tighten around you.”

His graze flashed from you to the stove, then back to you, and narrowed, “What are you doing?”

You took a step forward, locked your fingers behind your back, and pushed your chest up towards him. “I can stop,” you said, tilting your head up to him. He was so tall, and you loved it. If you could climb this man like a tree, you would. 

You could practically see his resolve disintegrating, and he fought to keep his eyes drifting from yours. 

With fingers chilled from the morning air, you slid them up this barren skin. The corded muscle of his abs tightened under your touch, and he tried to cover up his surprise with a chuckle. Only it came out more nervous than he had intended it to. 

He responded to your advances with an enthusiasm that knocked your breath from your lungs. He had his fingers wrapped around the back of your knees, making a noise to signal you to jump up. He gracefully placed you on the island and nestled his hips between yours. With an experimental roll of your hips, you felt his arousal.  

His mouth slanted over yours, and he pulled the hair at the base of your neck to maneuver your head how he needed to. He nipped at your bottom lip before working his way down your neck. You sighed in bliss at the feel of him.   

Behind him, a familiar smell of char wafted from the pan. You were so engrossed in each other that you missed the first few signs of burning food. At the same time, you looked over his shoulder as flames from the propane stove started to lick up the side of the pan. 

Faster than you’d ever seen him move, he was flicking on the fan above the stove and pulling the pan from the heat. You were jumping off the counter and rushing to open the patio door for him. Without a doubt, you were going to brag to everyone who would listen, the scary calm demeanour with which he placed the pan on the concrete stairs.  

He straightened and stared down at the pan. His face was unreadable, and his hands resting on his waist was a comedic scene. He was still shirtless, and his shorts sat low enough on his hips that you could see the waistband of his briefs underneath. 

“Baby,” you said slowly, trying to hide the humour. You walk to stand in front of him and obscure the view on the pan.  “It’s okay. I didn’t really want eggs anyway.”  

The pan had followed you and been by your side throughout your college days. It had been the only pan you had for years after. A go-to. It made perfectly crispy chicken and the most incredible sauces. 

“It’s okay,” you patted his chest and pressed a chaste kiss to one of the myriad scars that scattered across his skin. “We’ve got leftovers." You couldn’t help but smile at him. 

As you reach the fridge, the tips of his ears turn bright red—a telltale sign of embarrassment, rare as it is. You pause, your suspicions rising at his reaction. “What?” 

He just shook his head and pursed his mouth, gesturing with his hand for you to open the fridge. 

Confused, you slowly opened the door, the light from inside flipping on. 

A bouquet. A very large bouquet that took up half of the bottom shelf. You noticed he must have had to shift the shelves above it to fit it in there without damaging any stems or petals. It was a breathtaking arrangement of white and light purple flowers and an assortment of greenery.

”Simon,” you whispered in awe, reaching for the vase.

”I-uhh,” he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, “Yesterday was the only time I could pick it up. But I wanted to have something to give you today, so the florist told me to find a fridge to put them in to keep them as fresh as possible. I was going to give them to you after breakfast was done. " He jerked his chin to the patio. Well, it is done. I done it to death, actually.” 

You set them out on the island, and the sun crawling across the marble made the colours pop. You clamped your mouth shut, realizing you were gapping. You had never received such a large bouquet before. Spinning the vase to fully examine the flowers, you found the card nestled into the greenery.  

A little card, and all he had written on it was ‘Simon’

Not ‘Love, Simon’ or ‘Happy Valentin’s’. 

Just ‘Simon’

You turned back to him and grabbed his face before diving in for one last kiss, “My god, I love you.” 

Masterlist

A/N - Happy late valentines

[prettylittledollswork]

Hello!! I have a request for you!

Malleus x fem reader where he takes her to Briar Valley and he shows her different rooms in the castle until they stumble upon an empty ballroom. As reader is looking around she subconsciously starts humming and Malleus takes her hands and starts waltzing with her!!!!

You’re wonderful! Feel free to ignore this if you so choose!

This sounds awesome 🙏 i tried to keep it a drabble or so since i’m going through writers block. not my gif btw! okay this turned out WAY longer than i had expected… it was going to be a short drabble but became a short 1 shot. also, 2 posts within an day? what the flip!

Midnight Waltz - Malleus Draconia x Reader one shot!

extra tags: pre-established relationship, mentions of reader being not as strong as Malleus, rushed a bit too, overall fluff and adorable malleus coming your way!! (he’s a bit of a yapper in this one… not proofread, might have a grammar mistake or two) but of oc! malleus (mb..) reader is yuu, comes from Earth, i couldn’t help myself😞 gn! reader but reader does dance the female counterpart to a waltz(?) don’t know what it’s called but malleus takes the lead with a hand on your hip and another on your hand. over usage of as, i’m sorry i love the word. Enjoy!!!

Malleus was ecstatic—no, beyond ecstatic! when you agreed to visit his castle and his home in Briar Valley. He was nervous, unsure if you were going to like it or not. He wanted to teleport you there but first decided to show you around the town, so he decided on a carriage. It was going to be a long drive, you thought to yourself. 

“This was one of my favorite places to visit when I was younger; I snuck off a lot out of the palace.” You could see a slight,  dumb smile plastered on his face. You listened along, enjoying the lively view. You could truly see the light in his eyes, figuratively and physically. 

By the time you arrived, it was pretty dark already, but neither yours nor Malleus’s excitement faded. Therefore, you two decided to explore it, whether it was extremely dark or not. He first wanted to make sure, though; after all, you were so weak. Compared to him,. 

“Are you sure you don’t need a nap? We can do it tomorrow.” Malleus suggested, worried about your health as it was the top priority, well, to him at least. You simply nodded, ecstatic to look around. 

He waited for the carriage to come to a full stop, with a butler opening the carriage door as he stepped out, and then dismissed the butler. He put his hand out, smiling at you and gesturing for you to take it. You smile back at him, taking it as he waits for you to get off. With your hand in his, he uses his other to point to a few key, important parts of the structure. 

“That is a three-headed gargoyle; it was added here to protect the castle gates.” He smiles, leading you deeper inside. “Where do you want to look first?” Malleus breaks the silence, staring at you as you stare at the magnificent structure. It was just like a Gothic-victorian-style cathedral back on Earth. You stare back, “Let’s explore your favorite spots first!” He smiles at your response, almost as if he were proud. 

Malleus continues leading you in, showing you around, and suddenly, you find yourself in the middle of a ballroom. You had caught a glimpse of it, and it gave such a There was such an enchanting vibe that you just felt compelled to go. You hummed to yourself, a tune you didn’t know. Wait, why were you humming? And a tune you didn’t know? 

It was dark, the only form of light being a large window that seemed to suck in the moonlight and enchant the middle of the room, right where you were dancing. It felt as if you were possessed, in a good way. You smiled, staring at Malleus with his hair flowing gracefully, just like his moves in the ballroom. You were glad he took the initiative. You both get more confident step by step, beat by beat, with the dance concluding with a graceful spin and you stepping back as both you and him stoop down out of respect.

“I never knew you knew such an old folk dance.” The green-eyed fae chuckles, “I didn’t.” You respond as both you and him walk as he concludes his tour. He doesn’t question it, maybe too tired to; he simply smiles. Deciding not to question the wonders of the world.

[rafesbabygirlx]

Hi angels (this is gonna be long)

I ramble because when I feel big feels I don't think straight, but please read 🤍

I'm posting this now because I just need to get it out. This has been weighing heavily on me. But I doubt anyone will read it hahah

This is really hard for me to say, but after a lot of thought, I’ve decided to wrap up some things I have left, complete some more requests and step back from writing anything new—at least for now.

I’ve been contemplating this for a while, trying to push past the feeling, but I’ve reached a point where I can’t ignore it anymore. Writing has been such a joy for me, and I’ve loved being part of this little community. You all welcomed me with open arms, and I can’t express how much that means to me.

Honestly, I don’t think I’m in the right mental space for it right now. As much as I love creating, I’ve found myself constantly doubting my work, comparing my writing to others and thinking that I can do so much better, and overthinking every detail. It’s a cycle I’ve fallen into on my own, and it’s taken a toll. On top of that, I feel like my blog has lost some of its spark, and my writing isn’t going anywhere and not growing. I’ve also gotten some nasty anons the past few weeks that I ignore but they still haven’t helped with my thoughts. 🫠

With my final semester of college also weighing on me, everything feels like it’s piling up. So, I think I just need a short break. Ew I feel like I sound so insecure. I think I’m just too hard on myself, especially when I get overwhelmed and burnt out.

I feel really guilty stepping away after working so hard to build this space and gaining so much support. The last thing I want is to let anyone down. But right now, this is what I need.

Please stick with me and don't forget me.

That said, I truly love being here, and I don’t think I can stay away for too long. Honestly, I might still post every now and then if I feel inspired. I also won’t be going completely dark - I want to stay engaged and continue supporting the amazing people I’ve met here. I’d love for my moots to keep me updated on their posts, and I’ll still be around to chat.

Sorry if none of this makes sense. I really hate that I've gotten to this point. I still have some things I want to complete and then I plan to take some time off from writing. But I will be around. We can still interact. I don't want to completely lose what I have here. 🤍

I want to go through some more requests and I have a couple of parts left of The Pen Pal. I like to finish what I’ve started and I’m committed to that. I'm posting this and I have a couple of drafts ready to post tonight and then going to take a break for a day or 2 after posting this (because I feel awful and I want to avoid it)

I’m hoping that this will bring me some relaxation but I’m also hoping it will bring me some inspiration too. I have a series I’d love to restart and a lovely anon gave me a great idea for a JJ AU I’d love to do at some point. I hope those ideas would excite you just as much too.

I think right now it will just be a couple of weeks off just from writing. To refresh, heal my mind, and finally breathe. I’ve already expressed it slightly in some posts but I’ve been really thinking about it.

I already can’t wait to be back because this community has been so good to me. I appreciate every single one of you. What’s that corny saying? It’s not goodbye it’s see you later? I love you guys, and I’ll make another post when I officially take my break.

I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE. IT ALL DOES IN MY HEAD. JUST A LITTLE BAD AT EXPRESSING MYSELF.

I wanna thank everyone who has supported my writings and I LOVE every single one of you.

I also wanna thank some of my moots! You all have helped me incredibly since I've joined. You're all so kind hearted and probably the best group of people I've ever connected with on the internet. I’m still here so please don’t stop tagging me or reaching out, I’ll still support all of you when I’m on a break. Forgive me if I'm forgetting anyone- not really thinking right now. But this goes for all my moots. 🤍

@rafesheaven @cameronsprincess @inthelibrarybtw @littlelamy @leather-n-velvet @writingroom21 @ivysprophecy @maybejj @rafescokewhore @nemesyaaa @rafescvntyclubgf @angelicameron @tanjamikaelson @starkeynation @quinnsbabygirl @frankoceanluvr11 @httpsdrewstarkey @v3n1ce-bxtch @zyafics @whytheylosttheirminds @rafesbuzzcutseason @maybankslover

[essycogany]

Amy’s Eye Color

Since I couldn’t get this off my mind I’ve decided to dive deep into the abyss of character design. I’ll mostly add on to what I said in my tags in the, “What Eye Color Looks Good On Amy Rose,” voting post and elaborate.

Short History

Amy’s eye color from the start of her redesign in Sonic Adventure has always been the same as Sonic’s. A warm green that use to be apart of Amy’s classic dress. Which is a nice detail in my opinion. The pink hedgehog’s eyes has been somewhat consistent with Sonic’s from official art, 3D models, to the comics.

It almost always been that way aside from Sonic X. Where her eyes are on the cooler side then Sonic’s. Jade or Emerald to be specific. Her eyes are closer to the color of jewelry. While Sonic has a warmer grassier colored green. I like jade or emerald on Amy’s eyes as well, but I want to keep the topic consistent and less complicated then it already is.

Anyways, I think the minor inconsistencies was done for artistic vision or whenever the lighting would change in the comics. To be honest I’ve noticed color inconsistencies all the time when it comes to Sonic characters. Which isn’t a bad thing. It just shows how much variety you can have when it comes to these characters.

My Thoughts On Amy’s Eye Color

I don’t mind Amy’s eyes being the same as Sonic’s. It doesn’t look bad on her and is one of the reasons her design is as iconic as it is. Especially since it’s been a part of her for so long.

But let’s get into why I personally prefer teal.

I’m no color theory expert, but I’ll do my best. Also, not every Sonic character or cartoon character period, follows these rules. Just a good majority of them do.

Sonic: Blue is a primary color and green is a secondary color. Because green complements blue Sonic’s eyes stands out. Not to mention they symbolize his energy and love for nature.

Blaze: Purple is a secondary color and gold is a primary color. Her purple fur works amazingly with her harsh gold eyes. Symbolizing her fire powers. Also I’ve noticed a few artist add a bit of a reddish orange to her and Silvers eyes and I think they look lovely.

Amy: She’s a bit complicated. Since her red dress takes up most of her design I’ll use it as Amy’s primary color. I believe teal would be a better secondary color for Amy because it stands out a bit better and is less harsh then green. It gives Amy a softer look too.

Teal and pink is also a wonderful combination in general because they balance each other out. With pink’s warmth and energy going with the teal’s calm and coolness. Giving off a more enchanted and mystical feeling to Amy’s eyes. It perfectly compliments her personality too because she’s an energetic character with a soft and sweet nature.

Here are some characters with similar color tones:

They’re not all similar characteristically, but what most of them have in common is they’re kind natured and they’ll protect the people they care about. Just like a certain pink hedgehog.

See how the eyes are the first thing you notice?

These are around what I have in mind( jade/emerald are cooler greens so they work too):

The main reason I prefer Amy’s eyes to be teal is due to a lot of amazing fan-artist. I won’t give out names, (because there’s a bunch of them) but they are so brilliant and I appreciate what they bring to the Sonic feast of wonderful art.

I’ve seen it so much to the point when I think “Amy Rose,” I see her with teal eyes. I know it’s silly, but that’s genuinely what I feel works for her. Besides I enjoy talking about weird topics like these. It keeps the mind turning, you know.

I appreciate the official artist and 3D models as well. Even if Amy’s eyes are barely ever teal, she still looks wonderful without them because of those talented people.

Conclusion

Will Amy’s eyes ever be teal? Probably not. Does any of this matter? No.

Teal eyes or not Amy Rose is a wonderful Sonic character. I hope you had fun with me on exploring this wild world of colors and character design.

Stay Creative! 💜

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Screaming at an Empty Room -

Reintroduction/Update

Hello everyone! Probably too late to do an intro, given that I've been writing on this blog since 2017, but since I've returned after a few years away from writing, I wanted the opportunity to talk about my blog and projects completed and my upcoming plans!

I go by Avaleon everywhere else on the internet, but respond to pretty much anything, including Screaming, hey you, etc! Started this blog in my mid 20s, and aged normally into the early 30s from there. I love writing, have always loved it, but between work and life, it's definitely something that I mostly do late at night and on weekends. I love hearing from people, but I usually answer asks in bunches, and typically right before I post writing. Love hearing about other people's projects as well!

I write short stories, novellas, and occasional full length novels. I am not published, but actively working on self-publishing some of my full length works. Everything I write is posted online, I enjoy sharing my work. The main reason to self publish for me is to have physical copies for myself or anyone who might want one!

My short stories can be found under the #writing tag on my blog. As for the long completed stories, I'll post them below the cut!

Love you Tumblr, happy to be back!

A. Full Length Novels (100,000+ words)

Please Fix the Story!

Description:

I don’t know who I am. I don’t know why I’m trapped in this never ending cycle of rebirth. All I know is that I wake up inside the worlds of unfinished stories, with a mission to accomplish the author’s wishes and stabilize the worlds now headed for destruction. I do my best, hoping, praying that maybe if I complete enough missions, I’ll be able to remember my past and return to my home.

It’s just fixing stories, it should be simple enough.

So can someone explain who this random villain is who keeps following me to each world?

Masterpost linked here

2. I Can’t Eat Love

Description:

Lenora did not have a wonderful life. After her engagement to Prince Ronan is broken, she loses everything… her reputation, her home and her family. Starving on the streets, she dies angry and bitter at how her life unfolded… only to wake up in her old bed, fifteen again, five years before her death. 

Now she must struggle to change her fate, and the fate of the around her. This time she won’t trust in something as flimsy or changeable as love. No, this time she’ll have the power and the money she needs to protect herself. 

Lenora has already lost everything once. She’s not going to lose again. 

No matter the cost. 

Masterpost Linked Here

B. Novellas

I Refuse to be a Named Character

Description:

I woke up inside the world of one of the best selling fantasy book series “Deadly Crown.” Intrigue, handsome heroes, adventure… sounds great, right? Just one problem: all the named characters except the main hero and villain die, are replaced and their replacements die. Being important in this story is a death sentence, so I plan to move to the middle of nowhere, and avoid the plot! 

It should be a fool proof plan, so why do the main characters keep dragging me into the story?

Masterpost Linked Here

2. Living in a Rewrite of my Own Book World

Description:

This is the story about an author who gets hit by a car right before she can finish her bestselling book series. Trapped in the role of a terrible side character antagonist, she must find a way to change the story’s ending. Not just for her own survival, but for the characters that seem just a little too real to be fiction. (30K words)

Masterpost Linked Here

3.Baby’s First Revenge!

Description:

When Charlotte is betrayed and killed by the friend she sacrificed everything for, she thought it was the end. Instead, she found herself reborn as a baby, with her killer still enjoying the fame of stealing her work. Now, she's coming after him, and plans to make him pay... But first, nap time.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7

4. The Supervillain’s Daughter

The story of Erica, a girl who finds out that her brother is the kidnapped child of superheroes, and that her parents are villains. Years later she is the best agent in the Villain Suppression Unit, and hates everything to do with superheroes. So of course she isn’t pleased when she is paired with the strongest man alive, especially because she knows him. But with even darker parts of her past surfacing again, she will have no choice but to join forces and save the world. 

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

Other smaller works and the incomplete ones can be found on this page

Thanks everyone!

[helpimhyperfixating]

Family is who you choose

This is not a Jotaro x reader for once. It’s Jotaro being a good dad. You’re Jolyne’s best friend and come to her house for comfort. (I dunno how to tag it differently tho, sorry :()

This is unfinished, but I didn’t really plan on finishing it and it has enough meat so I might as well post it :3

Word Count: 1783

Knocking on the door, you had a hard time suppressing your emotions, simply keeping your quivering lips pressed together tightly as the details of the wood faded into blurs.

The lights inside the house were on so you knew someone was home as you waited, pulling your own jacket sleeves down until it felt like they would split at the seams.

“….o-“

“Yeah, yeah!”

Jolyne’s voice was heard from inside as she yelled to whoever was talking to her, all the while she approached the door on the other side. Hearing that, your heart thudded as you tried to compose yourself, sniffling as you tried to prepare for what you were going to say.

Before you knew it, the door was pulled open and before you stood your best- and childhood friend, Jolyne.

“Y/N! What are you doing here, you- Are you okay?” Her confusion instantly turned to concern as she took notice of your appearance.

Looking up at her, her genuine and worried expression caused your brittle wall to crumble as your face screwed up, a choked sob leaving you as you frantically shook your head no.

“Come in, come inside.” Instantly wrapping her arm around your shoulders, with her left she held your hands as she led you inside. “Dad!” Shouting out for the older man, you looked up to see him sitting at the dining table across the room, plates of half-finished food set up on it while he got up from the table, a frown on his face.

It was clear you had caught the Kujo family during one of their late-night dinners.

Having long since been a familiar face to the man in purple, seeing the state you were in he instantly went into concern mode, similarly to his daughter.

“Y/N? What’s going on?”

“I-“ You started, trying hard not to make any actual noise while the tears kept blurring your vision, both the ravens around you taking notice.

“Dad, can you-?” Jolyne didn’t even have to finish her sentence as Jotaro already nodded, humming a short hum as he walked out of the room and into the kitchen while Jolyne led you over to the table and sat you at the head.

“I’m sorry.” You whimpered, rubbing at your eyes as you tried to calm yourself.

“No, it’s okay. Tell me what happened.” Her voice was soft as she once more grabbed your hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze that made a pitiful sob-chuckle leave you.

“It’s him, what else?” Your throat felt thick and your voice nasal as you spoke, pulling one hand out of your friend’s hold to instead burrow into your jacket pocket.

“I swear to god I’m going to smash his face into concrete - no offence.” Jolyne brazenly huffed before looking down at you, not wanting to upset you further.

“None taken.” You chuckled wetly again, sniffling after as you pulled out your phone, clicking it on and typing in your password. “You remember how he never showed up for my graduation? No explanation, nothing?”

“I do.” Jolyne nodded a little tentatively and you turned your phone around, handing it to her with the messenger app open.

“I decided ‘Why not stick up for myself for once?‘” You mumbled, watching as the girl took your phone, her eyes starting to skim the texts.

“What the fuck?” Jolyne’s voice was an angry whisper, her brows furrowing. “He’s blaming you?!”

“What’s going on?”

Walking out of the kitchen, carrying three mugs, Jotaro came over, placing them down in front of their designated spots one by one and sliding away the plates of food while he looked between the two of you.

“Her father is blaming her!”

Furrowing his brows in confusion, the man slowly sat down, looking at the phone his daughter was waving around before looking at you, a silent ask for permission. You nodded and motioned for him to go ahead while you slid the cup he just put down closer to yourself, seeing the large mug filled to the brim with hot cocoa.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your dinner.” You mumbled, looking at the half-eaten plates of curry.

“Don’t worry, you couldn’t know dad was being an ass and working late again.” Jolyne smiled, bumping her shoulder into yours, which earned her a half-hearted glare from Jotaro.

“I was in my study. You could just as easily have notified me or made dinner yourself.”

“Nuh-uh, it’s your day to cook. I ain’t touching that kitchen on a Thursday.” Jolyne huffed, pulling up her nose to which Jotaro deadpanned.

“Jolyne, you barely cook the others days.”

Sputtering a bit, the girl pulled your chair closer to her, as if in an attempt to get you on her side, both physically as well as in the mock fight. “I cook at least once a week!”

“And I six times, where is your point.” Jotaro hummed, finishing reading the texts as he then put your phone down on the table, upside down.

“Y/N loves it when I cook.” Jolyne huffed, engulfing you in her arms and hugging your head into her chest, giving you no choice but to let her, a fond smile spreading on your face.

You knew they were probably bantering like this on purpose to get your mind off of things, but you also didn’t care. It was working.

With how often you came to the Kujo residence, this had become like a second home to you, and seeing how the father-and-daughter-duo squabbled always worked to make you smile.

“Y/N, have you eaten yet?”

The deep baritone breaking through your thoughts, you looked up from Jolyne’s chokehold to see Jotaro’s eyes on you, soft and calm.

“Well.. no but I’m not really hungry, it’s alright.”

The man nodded softly before shoving your mug a bit closer to you. “Here, take this with you. Go take a shower, kid. Decompress. You can talk to us after.”

“Hot cocoa in the shower? You have gone soft, old man.” Jolyne teased and the marine biologist sighed.

“No, they can drink it while you get some spare clothes.” Jotaro clarified, raising an eyebrow.

Narrowing her eyes, Jolyne looked at her father for a moment before getting up, taking you with her as she turned around and walked towards the stairs, looking back and sticking her tongue out at the older man one last time as if that was supposed to make her win their stand off.

Looking back as well, Jotaro’s eyes crossed with yours and you waved at him while Jolyne dragged you along, him putting his hand up as well as he shook his head with an amused huff at his daughter’s pettiness.

-

Stretching a bit, Jotaro cracked his neck a little before looking down. Your phone was still on the table from when he placed it there. Reaching out, he took hold of it and turned it around, touching the screen that had gone a shade darker to prevent it from shutting off as his eyes once more glid over the texts between you and your father.

For years you and him had been on thin ice, Jolyne having ranted about the stupid shit that asshole - in Jotaro’s eyes - did to you. Not to mention the few times you’d actually come to him to talk as well.

Having known you for coming close to two decades now, having watched you grow up, Jotaro held a fondness for you similar to what he felt for his own daughter. And thus, reading these texts, he felt his blood boil.

Back when you were still a child, somewhere under the age of ten - he couldn’t remember - your parents got divorced. He’d never truly liked your father yet after the divorce resulting from him cheating, the man showed his true colours. Every time he came to pick you up from Jotaro’s house, he ignored the marine biologist and his daughter other than a ‘thanks’ or ‘good evening’. It never failed to make Jotaro want to throttle him, especially seeing how reluctant you always were to go.

As the years passed, reluctance turned to fear until eventually there was a fallout and you decided to stop living with your dad altogether.

Sighing, Jotaro absentmindedly scrolled through the texts again, only to furrow his brow when he scrolled a little too far up. It was a bit of a breach of privacy but he couldn’t help it as he saw the texts that caused you to speak out against your father in the first place.

‘Hey, dad. Did you stop paying my monthly allowance?’

‘Yes, I did.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you graduated and are over 18.’

‘But you can’t do that… You and mom settled on it in the divorce contract. Until I’ve graduated college you can’t just stop.’

‘I don’t want to talk about this over text.’

Gritting his teeth, Jotaro put down your phone right as Jolyne came walking back in.

“What’s up, dad?” She asked, her brows furrowing.

Waving his hand a bit, Jotaro grunted in dismissal. “I’ll discuss it once Y/N is back down.”

Nodding softly, Jolyne then slid the mug in front of her closer, looking inside before softly chuckling. “Hot cocoa while we eat curry, really?”

“Oh shut it.” Jotaro huffed as he looked to the side, a blush appearing on his face. “It is Y/N’s comfort drink.”

Smiling softly, Jolyne then reached out, grabbing onto the man’s arm. “I know. Thank you, dad.”

Looking back, he nodded softly, placing his hand over hers and giving it a small squeeze.

It took about twenty minutes for you to calm down enough that you felt presentable and wouldn’t break down at the first mention, dressed in a mix of Jolyne’s and Jotaro’s clothes - Jolyne having forgotten to properly do her laundry, causing in a shortage of clean clothes and forcing her to borrow from her dad’s closet for you.

Walking inside the living room, you were met with the Kujo’s sitting at the table, plates of food in front of themselves while they were quietly talking, all the while a third plate sat at the head of the table, waiting for you.

“Ohh.. you really didn’t have to, I’m really not hungry.” You smiled awkwardly as you walked over, yet the both of them just looked at you while Jotaro pushed your chair out with his foot.

“Sit. You need to eat, c’mon.”

Chewing the inside of your cheek you nodded and just sat down. You had to admit, it smelled absolutely divine. Jotaro never failed to make something delicious whenever he cooked and it was always something you looked forward to whenever you stayed for a sleepover.

-

That’s all I had. But given the title you can guess how this was gonna end :3

[wackymaci]

HIIIII SECRET ACCOUNT FOLLOWERS.

I have a new target goal!

GATHER ROUND for three announcements, ALL TEN OF YOU

1: okay first of all…… lol. 🫠 LISTEN maybe one day I’ll actually complete my now formally hiatus’d forever wiki but as it turns out my inability to be concise in, oh say, a Wikipedia style summary format, is..,,,, a fatal flaw when one is attempting to make a… Wikipedia… style…. Summary.,,.. 100,000 words literally of an incompleted Maci-POV-Only-Article-Half later before losing interest here we are! UMM!! (I’m keeping the website and every so often I poke at it so it doesn’t get deleted for inactivity but! hmm!) You see this is why I couldn’t make a public announcement I KNEW I would do this. MOVING ON - MAYBE REVISIT IN THE FUTURE (I wont) - BUT IM SO SORRY….

But anyway, 2!! Currently;

I,, have finally found someone looking for website building commissions. and what do you know I have been in need of a cute website to be built, whining into the atmosphere about it in fact, and 🤝 several emails later, THIS is now hopefully going to be happening instead. (Not set in stone yet but - I’m excited and so Lemme ramble again here about projects that may or may not happen as long as it’s secret!!) My biggest and only real goal is to use this as an art gallery archive!!! Literally the same as the @welcometoelysiumm blog or say…. My art tag….. but MINE, as my anxiety over spontaneously losing any of my many social medias OR PARTICULARLY TUMBLR increases in these modern times….

i ideally want to Reaupload my entire art pile, which dates from 2013 to current, WHILE PRESERVING THE CAPTIONS AND ESSAYS TETHERED TO EACH. it’s the context of my own commentary that matters the most to me because I have all my actual art backed up, so not being able t preserve POSTS is the reason I can’t make an even shift to like, Bsky. So! Website building process is going to be starting soon. cute homepage, FAQ, me n’ Fenixe’s castlist bios like on the Elysium blog, and then 900 postdated drawings. then I’lll be in a playful hell environment for a while to go through 900 drawings to Re upload while trying not to get sucked down memory lane and crazy distracted

And THEN!!!

3: my new shifted shortterm goal, in lieu of wiki project, if I can do this very feasible thing, is to resume and actually complete the complete Elysium Timeline Bullet Point List of Events. In fact I posted the two parts [ONE!!!] [TWO!!!] I’d already done right on this blog! (Merely OoC the real-life-years of 2009-2012)

Sure it’s not very detailed but it’s a concise fun SUMMARY SUMMARY SUMMARY ITS ACTUALLYYYYY A SUMMARY of our canon and. since I still have no intention ever of doing anything with Elysium besides from what i am and have always been doing, maybe THIS is the answer to have some THING to read up on as content short of publishing our Canon Convos which I won’t EVER do lmaooo aaaaaaaa

once I get settled down with potential website progress I’m going to start trying to revisit the timeline I’ve already written and perhaps resume where I paused (I had written a little from Loki’s entrance but paused right where the artist-formally-known-as-Giselle enters - because we were mid retcon - we have FINISHED that retcon so I can now go back there!). and honestly,,, it was a relatively low effort list to write other than the massive cross-checking research I got lost in to make sure everything was exactly right because I’m neurotic

. So!! Fingers crossed I can do this!!! I think I can do at this barest minimum.,, this!!!

but! just in case NONE of this comes to fruition!! secret blog only it is….. shhhh:)))

anywayyyyyy. thanks ganggang

[hollow-lime-green]

AO3 Wrapped (hana's version)

Since I just did the fanfic writer interview post a while back, this will be short (although I love to yap so send me asks if there's anything you want to hear me yap about RE my writing this year). I'm going to keep it short - something I've never done before! New Year New Me.

Words Written: 139.8k (about 3 great gatsbies, I think)

Works Published: 5! All in the FIYM verse!

Fastest Work (per word): string theory

Slowest Work (per word): 2sorcs chapter 12, probably

Number of WIPs I'm Taking into 2025:

1 posted (2sorcs) I really really really wanted to finish 2sorcs this year, but alas, I did not. But then I'll be able to say I've been writing 2sorcs for two years!

4 in the drafts, also all for the FIYM-verse (man I should write other things)

Favorite Character to Write: Nanami!

I use him sparingly because his narration will get old if I overdo it, but it's such a delight to write him sometimes. As the straight man of 2sorcs, he gets to be an outlet for me to say "look, I know this inconcievably gay situation has jumped the shark multiple times, I know this is ridiculous."

Favorite Moment(s) I've Written:

"The Mario Bros Bully Sailor Satoru"

Kenjaku Reveal

Malevolent Kitchen as a real cooking show (based on Cutthroat Kitchen, which is my Roman Empire)

Hardest Thing I've Written:

The missions in 2sorcs, not even close. Oh my goodness that was such a bitch to write. I just wasn't happy with it for such a long time, until finally it clicked for me and I figured out what I wanted to do.

Some of my Favorite Lines and Jokes:

From string theory -

“...You’re self-conscious?” Suguru stares at him like he’s grown a second head. But Satoru feels like he isn’t even working with one functioning brain at this point, let alone two. I know I’m not the shape of someone you could love. “I…” Satoru bites his lip. He shrinks back as Suguru settles next to him on the bed. Please don’t hate me for wanting to pretend.

From 2sorcs -

“Maybe,” Suguru shrugged. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” “Mmmm. Very panopticon of you.” Panopticon? Suguru considered himself bisexual, but he was kind of fluid with labels.

also

You see, Kenjaku was not an artist, Kenjaku was a patron of the arts. Best to let the real artist work his craft. Of course, Kenjaku had theories about the plot. Multiple theories, in fact. These ‘anime-onlies’ (so to speak) were so invested in what would happen to their precious Starks, while true manga fans (in a sense) like Kenjaku were already well into arguing (on online forums) about the identity of Azor Ahai, The Warrior of Light, The Son of Fire, wielder of Lightbringer, the Prince That Was Promised. Anyway, if the old man didn’t get his shit together, Kenjaku would have to take steps. They had connections. All it would take would be a few galas, a donation here and there, and they’d be in the writers’ room by Season 7.

From relativity (I just posted this yesterday, so check it out if you haven't) -

Because every top in gay porn is some muscle hunk with a buzz cut, twenty tribal tattoos, and enough oil on their bodies that George W. Bush would accuse them of hiding WMDs in their pants. (And he’d be right).

This list is mostly inspired by @fushiglow's wrapped post! (Also thanks for the tag @marichild - since I have only really been writing in one ship/fandom this year, that set of question/answers wouldn't have been super interesting to read for my stats, probably).

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki Drama CD - Shimabara Disturbance Track 2 English translation

Heya, I know this is late... but my eye problems continued until the symptoms got better last Tuesday, on April 2nd. Long story short, I had difficulties keeping my eyes physically open without them feeling irritated or hurting after 6pm, which really cut away my time to translate for the past two weeks as I normally translate in the evenings, which didn’t help when I was actively cutting back on my screen time while that happened. Overall, my symptoms seemed to have cleared up for the most part since I started using Hypochlorous acid as recommended by my optometrist and I have thankfully stopped needing to walk around with a damp towel everywhere for relief. 

Anyway, I decided to post these as soon as I finish them to make up for the post-less March... I’m about a quarter way through track 3 (it and track 4 are over 10min), but I already have 5 and 6 done so it hopefully won’t take too long? I’m really sorry bout that!

Also, for various reasons, I've decided not to tag the characters for the rest of this drama for the time being. I'll tag them a week after I post the last track... if I remember to. 

Anyway, enjoy! 

Hakuoki Drama CD - Shimabara Disturbance Track 2: How to use reward money

Translation by KumoriYami

(pacing footsteps)

Saito: There's no need to worry about this myself, I'll just ask Yukimura directly. Thinking this, I came to her room... 

But, how do I say this? Isn't it strange to suddenly ask “do you want a a woman’s kimono?” Or should I indirectly ask about what can be done to make her feel happy? No, but not only that there’s....

(door opens)

Saito: Ah! Yu-Yukimura! No, I wasn't doing anything. Anyway, can I have some of your time? There's something I wanted to tell you...

Saito: Nn, then, excuse me.

(door closes)

Saito: Yukimura, um, ermhm... What I'm going to say isn't important, no, not only is it a trivial matter that doesn't matter at all... Um.... 

(footsteps from outside)

Harada: Hey, Chizuru, you there?

(Door opens)

Harada: Fu... Sorry, looks like you already have a guest? 

Saito: No, it's fine, you have something to speak about?

Harada: Ah, yeah, just now, what was her name? That girl named Sen came to visit. I'm sorry, Saito, can you bring Chizuru to see her? I have to go on patrol next.

Saito: I understand. Yukimura, let’s go.

..................

Sen: Chizuru-chan, long time no see! But it actually hasn't been that long. I wanted to see Chizuru-chan quite a bit. The Shinsengumi haven't been bullying you, right? Are you okay?

Saito:....

Sen: Everyone's been treating you well? Really? You're not saying that because of this person next to you?

Saito: I’m sorry, I can’t leave.

Sen: I know that, I just wanted to hear her honest words.

Saito: Uh, hn....  

Sen: In any case, Chizuru-chan can't lie. I still remember when you came to Shimabara. Truly, you're really someone who shines the more you get polished! It was really trough after that time. There were a lot of people asking who that geisha was. Hey, would you like to come again? Kimigiku would also like to see you again, you can wear a beautiful kimono again!

Saito: A beautiful kimono... 

[recalling]

(Heisuke:  If I had a lot of money, I would give Chizuru a beautiful kimono. She was very happy!)

Saito: Sure enough, Yukimura, she...

Sen: Well, please think it about it! You're always welcome!... Now that I've seen Chizuru-can's smile, I should be going back soon. 

Saito: Ah, uh... is that okay?

Sen: Yes, although I am a bit reluctant to, I really just came to see her today. Next time, let's go out for tea and chat! See you, Chizuru-chan!

(Sen gets up[?])

Saito: Wait, it's dangerous for a woman to go/leave alone. I'll accompany you.

Sen:, No it's okay. I grew up and Kyoto and will be taking a safe road/route back. 

Saito: I have something I'd like to talk to you about. Could I please escort you? 

Sen: Something to say to me?  I understand. Then, let’s go. 

..............

(walking on a road)

Sen: How long will it be before you are all willing to let Chizuru-chan go/When will you be releasing Chizuru-chan?

Saito: That’s abrupt. 

Sen: She's confined at your headquarters from morning til night, day after day, and even though she's a young woman, she can't even dress up, She's obviously worried about her father's situation but can't go looking for him. She must be feeling very anxious.

Saito:.....

Sen: Do you understand how cruel you all are to her?

Saito; We have our own circumstances. 

Sen:....

Saito: But, what you say is understandable. 

Sen: Eh.

Saito: I did say that I wanted to speak to you. I just want Yukimura to be able to dress in a beautiful kimono/I want Yukimura to wear a beautiful kimono [can be interpreted either way]. Would it be possible to borrow a room at Shimabara? If she goes there, she’ll be able to act as a woman as she wishes to

Sen: Ah, Chizuru-chan will definitely be happy! Then, leave all the preparations to me! I'll bring out our most beautiful kimono! I also have to tell Kimigiku about this too!

Saito: No, you don't have to go to that extent. Just prepare a room...

Sen: Just escort me here. I have to go back and start preparing...!

Saito: Hey, wait... listen to what I have to say... 

(their voices fade)

Kazama: I see. It looks like this will be very interesting...

----------

My personal bias says that Saito never lets go of Chizuru cuz they get married. xD

[starlightlangdon]

Summer Of Fun - Xavier Plympton x Montana Duke x Reader | 18+ to read

Let me know if you would like to be tagged in future posts!

( warnings: smut!!, threesome, degradation?, edging!, blue balls, bisexual!fem!reader)

You were practically seeing stars, and not just the ones staring down at you from the sky. It’s your first night at camp redwood. Everyone is still inside the girls cabin, drinking the beer that Trevor brought and enjoying one of the few nights at camp where the campers won’t be here.

First it was Montana that snuck you out of the group.

“I’m going to go down to the bathrooms. Y/n, why don’t you come with? Us girls gotta stick together! Especially at night with night stalkers lurking around.” Montana teases that last part for Brooke’s sake, making Brooke huff.

Montana had such a charming way of speaking, as if her motives were purely innocent with wanting you to come with her. But it was anything but innocent.

“Uhm. Yeah. Okay. Probably safer to go in pairs since it’s dark.”

That’s what you convinced yourself. You were just being safe… helpful. But you knew as soon as she got you alone, you were done for.

Montana smiles as you stand up, her arm linking with yours.

“Exactly. Isn’t she great, Xav?” She pulls you a little closer to her. “So glad you’re here with us this summer.”

Xavier smirks, a knowing look in his eye. “Yeah. We could use all the help we could get here.” He chuckles, a few of the others joining in. No one was really here for the campers, they were either escaping something or just looking for a good time.

Xavier was the one who invited you to join them this summer. You didn’t really know anyone else besides Xavier and Montana, and you aren’t a huge fan of kids, but something told you to come. Something practically begged you to come.

You have to bite the inside of your lip to stop the blush that’s threatening to make an appearance on your face. “Yeah. It’ll be fun…”

You had no idea just how fun it would be though.

You never made it to the bathrooms. Montana took you on a little detour, using the excuse that she wanted to show them to you since you were a little late on the tour and didn’t get to see them when everyone else did.

You believed the excuse. Or maybe you just convinced yourself that it was innocent enough while deep down knowing it wasn’t true. You didn’t care. Montana had a hold on you that you weren’t sure you wanted to escape from.

So did Xavier.

Xavier conveniently showed up at the showers, saying he was looking for what was taking you two so long. Innocent enough, right? Nice of him.

Those excuses quickly came crumbling down as you got into one of the shower stalls. You’re sandwiched between Xavier and Montana. You’re all half naked, none of you having wasted any time to strip down. Xavier’s shorts have been forgotten, tossed on the shower floor beside you. Montana’s top and bra are beside Xavier’s shorts, along with your own shorts and panties.

Xavier is behind you, his left hand digging into your hip slightly to keep you bent over in the perfect position for them. He is deep inside you, rocking back and forth slowly. For now at least. While his other hand is wrapped loosely around your throat.

Montana is standing in front of you, her eyes burning with an intoxicating mixture of excitement and desire. Her fingers are working away at your clit, making you buck and whine even more than you already are for Xavier. Her touch is gentle but with the added stimulation of Xavier inside you, it feels so overwhelming.

Your lips are on Montana’s breasts, sucking hungrily on her nipples. Your whines are a little muffled with your lips wrapped around her but they’re making sure that you’re loud enough for their liking.

“Mm..” “Xavier moans. As lust floods his senses, his tone is clearly strained as he fights the urge to be rougher with you. “What a naughty girl… letting anyone walk by and see you like this.” The reminder of the non existent privacy the outdoor showers offer makes your cheeks grow an even brighter shade red. “You want everyone to see, don’t you? You want everyone to see how desperate you are…”

Montana chuckles, her tone low and seductive as she speaks close to your ear. “No shame… no dignity. Just a pretty girl making use of that pretty mouth…” She hums, pleased. She starts working your clit a little more, making you whine even more. “I did always love seeing you smile… imagining what else your lips could do if they only had the chance..”

You’re getting closer and closer to an orgasm. They can tell by how your legs start shaking beneath you.

Xavier’s lips start to attack your neck, leaving sloppy kisses and love bites that you were going to have to hide tomorrow. “What a good girl.” He practically growls the praise against your skin. “Who’s our good girl?”

You pull away from Montana’s chest just enough to say, “M-me” , before Montana is pushing you back where you belong. Xavier’s fingers press a little more into your throat, not enough to hurt but just enough to constantly remind you that he’s there.

Xavier can feel you clench around him as he squeezes your neck. His smirk grows, sounding a little cocky now. “Oh? That feel good, y/n..? Pretty baby clenching around me.. “ He practically purrs. He squeezes your throat a little more. “you desperate for me?”

You pull away from Montana’s chest again to whine at them. “Yes… both of you. I- both of you.”

They are more than satisfied with that response. “Good girl” They say in unison. Xavier’s tone is more lustful, while Montana almost sounds a little proud of you.

“Hm”, Montana hums, a little smile on her face. She almost looks like she’s about to reward you. Her free hand reaches up and tilts your chin to look at her. She takes a moment to admire the sight of your exhausted, needy gaze. Then… her fingers leave your clit, making you whimper from the loss of contact. “Turn around”

Xavier pulls out of you, making your eyes widen. You were so close to the edge… just a little more. But you listen to Montana in hopes that their touch will continue. Xavier lowers his hand from your neck and you turn around to see him smirking at you, eyeing you up and down. Proudly observing the mess they’ve made out of you.

Without warning, Xavier turns on the shower, making you gasp loudly as the shower head rains cold water down on all of you.

“Let us clean you up…. make you look a little more presentable so we can get back to the party in the girls cabin.”

You glare a little now, your thighs clenching together slightly as you try to cope with the ache in between your legs. The ache for more of them.

“What..? I-.. we’re done?”

Montana chuckles. “No sweetie..” She says as if what you said was cute. “We have all summer to do things to you”

Xavier grins and gives a little smack to your ass. Thankfully this time you can blame the blush on your face for the shower starting to warm up.

“Come on…”

The rest of the night is spent with you longing for more.

That is, until Xavier sneaks into the girls cabin that night.

They weren’t done with you.

Not by a long shot.

[scienceoftheidiot]

Tag game for fanfiction authors !

I was tagged by both @the-blue-eyed-firebender and @lassusog, thank you so much to both of you !!

The story you're proudest of: 

I have two in mind, but I will be talking about the other one later, and I want to talk about a finished one. I’m incredibly proud of us, @qs63 and myself, for “My own worst friend and my own closest enemy” (does it surprise anyone that I am the one who chose the title? BTW fun fact, it comes from the same song as my username). I’m proud of us for  writing a four hands fic relatively seamlessly, and managing to get to the end of it in a relatively short time. It was a blast from start to finish, and I’m also glad it seems to still get love a year after we finished publishing. Bonus, it’s still very fun to re-read for me because I only wrote 50% of it so I don’t remember everything and I get surprised every time haha. We managed to make a fic that also delves into character study for both BH and 03 Roy and Riza, and that was INCREDIBLY FUN. Best time. 

Your story that's gotten the most love online:

We don’t talk about failures Murdocks Never Quit in this house so let’s talk about one I’m actually proud of (at least I did learn from my mistakes). Besides, it seems to have gotten that much insane love without me even knowing or being told it so uh. Nevermind. That just couldn't work, could it.

Of course since it’s a very long fic with multiple chapters the one which has received the most love is All the hope (not that people read more long fics but statistically more people are exposed to it thanks to the new chapters updates), which I am very proud and insanely happy about, because at first I wasn’t even planning to publish it. And now I’m gladly on the way to finish this monster of a fic and already planning the second part. Go figure XD but I am so so grateful for everyone who has given a chance to it and for those who keep on reading. Extra bonus for you who leave all these detailed comments at each chapters, all of you, you have no idea how you’ve kept me afloat all year. And kept/keep me writing. All the love for you. Thank you so much. 

Tease a current WIP or idea you're working on: 

I’m already thinking of what I could do once I’m done publishing All the hope, and I have some WIPs lying around. The most developed one has already been partially written, and I’m considering trying to start posting it with a long delay between chapters, to allow me to work on multiple things at once. Not sure it’s a good idea, though. This one, some of my followers might know about, has for working name “1923”, and explores the lives of the Roy and Riza of OUR universe that we don’t get to see in Conqueror of Shamballa. I couldn’t NOT have fun with sending Roy into WW1, I mean, ME. SENDING CHARACTERS INTO WW1? HOW SURPRISING. I even managed to find a historically accurate way to send Riza to war without making a nurse out of her (which. No. No nurse Riza for me, unless you count her nursing Roy back to health)(of course, who do you think I am, you know what I write). There’s of course all the other characters that pop up here and there. And yes of course this is 100% Royai lol (UPDATE : I don't know what possessed me. It's a Royai fic alright. However. There are surprises in it. If I don't mention that I know someone will come and kill me with her bare hands. Lol. Royai with a twist I guess?)

Your top 3 fandoms:

I don’t know if I can count FMA 03 and Brotherhood/manga as different fandoms lol so FMA, Daredevil (comics or show, but they ARE different characters)(I'm more of a comics Matt lover, to everyone's surprise), and Ripper Street (everyone watch Ripper Street please and you will thank me after wanting to kill me). 

Your top 3 ships:

Royai, Havoroyai (didn’t specify I can’t have OT3), Havoroy yes there is a pattern here.

Wait was I supposed to talk about different fandoms? Then Matt/Karen and Edmund/his hat (and anyone who would be willing to give some love to this disaster of a man). 

Rec someone else's fic:

Your Warmth Against My Scars by @lassusog. Just. It’s just so good. Perfect angst, perfect characterisation, and so, so, so good on all parts I just can’t seem to find the words and it makes me insane. Read it if you haven’t already, re-read it if you have, which is what I’m planning to do. 

Pick one!

Fluff or Angst (or both, they gotta earn the fluff)

Oneshots or longfics

Canon compliance or canon divergence

AO3 or FF.net

I tag @qs63, @wellbehaveddolphin, I think all the other royai people have been tagged already ? My memory is Swiss cheese so if you haven't and you see this, please do it. And I'll extend to @mabonetsamhain, @residentdormouse, @littleragondin and @riotbrrrd :)

[lolaswips]

I wrote this WIP while HS2 was still releasing, this was based on a theory I still have regarding Vicky/MC. Initially I thought I might add it as a part of my long Malbonte fic, but by the time I get to this point in the story I’ll be 100 at the rate I’m going.

I tried to tie it up as a one-shot but it’s pretty obvious there was meant to be more after this concludes. Maybe I’ll post that as a continuation someday.

This is a rewrite of the scene where MC (in this case, Antigone) tries to flee when on Earth with Leeloo and Dino.

Book: Heaven’s Secret 2

Female Main Character: Antigone Walker

Pairing: F!MC x Malbonte

Word Count: 3500

Rating: M (suicide, mentions of torture and cruelty)

Warnings: suicide attempt, mentions (brief and vague) of torture and starvation.

Tag: @rc-catalog

Antigone

Antigone knew she only had one chance to get away, one chance to be free of the literal chains she carried around her neck. She quickly glanced over to Leeloo and Dino who were still arguing a few metres away. They wouldn’t immediately notice her absence. It could be enough time to escape… In any event she had to try, she may not ever get another opportunity, if she didn’t try now she may never get to again.

She ran, hiding in a nearby alley with a direct view of the sky. Antigone looked up, ready to spread her wings when she felt his energy and a sense of dread filled her core.

Malbonte. How did he know?

He landed in front of her, the pavement cracking under his feet and his gaze murderous. Dino and Leeloo, feeling Malbonte’s overwhelming energy and noticing Antigone's absence ran to the entrance of the alley, stopping short under Malbonte’s angry stare.

”Where do you think you’re going?”

Malbonte’s tone was nothing like Antigone remembered how he used to speak to her. He was furious, and his palpable anger rolled off his energy in thick, overpowering waves.

”I just have to get out of here… I have to go…” Antigone mumbled nervously, her anxious gaze darting back and forth between Malbonte and the sky. She knew he was faster and even before she’d been stripped of his energy, far more powerful than she could ever dream of being but if she could just get past him, maybe…

“Do you think you can escape? Like a bug trying to slip between the fingers of the hand about to crush it?”

Malbonte’s voice was poison on Antigone’s already crushed heart as he interrupted her thoughts. Where was the man she loved for the last ten years? Where were the traces of Bont she knew so well in him? This was the first time since she met him that Antigone saw Malbonte the same way everyone else did, heartless, cold… a monster.

”I’m trying to do something! Am I supposed to just kneel like the rest of you pathetic cowards?!" Antigone‘s voice was shrill and defeated. ”I won’t be Lucifer’s pet! The last time I spoke to him, I was breaking his heart to leave him for you. He hates me.“

Antigone paused and looked at Malbonte for a moment, studying him.

“And you’re just going to let him keep me on a leash? Is that all I am to you? A dog who has to be obedient? After everything we’ve been through, that’s how you think of me?”

Malbonte’s eyes flashed with a fury Antigone had never seen directed at herself before and she knew in that moment that the man she loved was gone. Or perhaps he never existed in the first place. Antigone swallowed the lump beginning to form in her throat.

"Shut up, or you'll get a muzzle to go with your leash."

Antigone couldn't hide the horror in her features at his angry words and Malbonte seized on the moment to approach her quickly.

”We’re going back.”

Malbonte grabbed Antigone’s arm roughly as he spoke, pulling her toward himself. He was surprised when, with the very little strength she had left, Antigone shoved him angrily.

”Over my dead body.”

Malbonte scowled at her and stepped toward her menacingly.

”That can be arranged.”

Antigone felt the last of her hope shatter with every word he just uttered. She looked at him with all the contempt she could muster and stepped back, her eyes blazing with challenge.

“Then do it. I won’t let you take me back there Malbonte. I will make you kill me before I ever have to look at Plague's face again.”

Antigone found herself grateful when Malbonte lazily waved his hand, putting up a protective shield around them as though he were preparing for a real fight. They both knew it was pointless, that with a simple gesture Malbonte could destroy her and not even break a sweat but him offering her the decency of pretending she was a valid opponent was enough to feel grateful, as pathetic as her gratitude made her feel.

When Malbonte sent a wave of dark energy at her, Antigone ducked, letting his power crash into the protective bubble behind her with a loud thud. Antigone could hear Dino from beyond the wall, pleading with Malbonte to let him take her back to the Academy safely but his yells went ignored. Malbonte stepped toward Antigone, never taking his eyes off hers as he spoke.

"There can be no other power in you but mine. You were born as a vessel for the darkness that runs in my veins, but you were deprived of that. From now on, you shouldn't hope to find any other power within yourself. What do you hope to accomplish here, Antigone?"

Antigone scowled at her former lover angrily, ignoring his question she replied.

"Do you know what humans see as real power? Willpower, strength, resilience, and belief in a person, even when he tries time and time again to show me it isn't worth it!"

Malbonte didn’t stop, he didn’t hesitate as he stepped toward her to grab her. Antigone knew he knew she had no power so he wouldn’t have to defend himself. He clearly didn’t expect her next act though.

Antigone, noticing a rusty old knife lying on the ground in the alley just a couple steps away from herself picked it up off the ground and threw it at Malbonte as hard as she could. It landed exactly where she expected, with a dull thud in his shoulder. He glanced at it lazily before grabbing her again, not even bothering to remove the knife.

That would turn out to be a fatal mistake.

Antigone steeled herself. She had a plan, but worst case scenario non-existence was better than anything waiting for her at the Academy. That's why she pulled the knife from Malbonte's shoulder when he pulled her against him again and plunged it deep into her own heart. Malbonte, still holding her arm, moved to hold her in his arms not hiding the shock on his face.

"Anything is better than going back there. I love you, even now."

Antigone barely recognized the sound of her own voice as she muttered her final words to Malbonte.

She felt Malbonte freeze momentarily before he pulled the knife from her in a quick motion. She heard Dino and Leeloo cry out in surprise as she started to slip into blissful oblivion. The last thing she saw before her eyes fell closed was the face of her love, for the first time in months displaying something other than cold indifference. His fear, his regret, his hurt. Malbonte put his hand on her chest and let out a stream of dark energy, and then... there was nothing but darkness. No more pain, no more heartache, just… nothing.

Lucifer

Lucifer was with Plague when Dino and Leeloo returned from the mission, notably without Antigone. He was about to ask where she was when Plague beat him to it.

"Dino, my boy, whatever has got you feeling so... deliciously anguished?" Plague lilted at the angel as he arrived, feasting on his energy as it powered her. Dino didn't answer, instead making eye contact with Lucifer.

"Antigone tried to flee. Malbonte... killed her.”

Leeloo answered for Dino, her tone lifeless as she spoke.

Lucifer staggered, catching himself in time before he fell to his knees. He couldn't have heard Leeloo right. Malbonte was an asshole, a monster, cruel and ruthless, but Antigone had always been the exception to that. He must have misheard the angel, he had to of. There was no way Malbonte would have done such a thing, not after…

"What?!" Plague spit the word in angry surprise, interrupting Lucifer’s thoughts before composing herself and shaking her head. Lucifer watched as the Horsewoman approached Dino and grabbed his chin to enter his subconscious. Lucifer clenched his jaw as he watched Plague’s face morph into a relaxed smile, clearly getting something out of Dino she was seeking while Dino’s eyes flooded with unshed tears.

No! No, no, no, no, no.

It didn’t make any sense. Just the day before Malbonte had told Lucifer to volunteer to take Antigone when the Unclaimed were being auctioned off as slaves; an unspoken agreement between the two that Lucifer would ensure Antigone would remain as unharmed as she could be considering their circumstance. Why would he turn around and kill her the next day? What could she have possibly done to change Malbonte’s attitude toward her so quickly? Antigone was defenceless against anyone let alone Malbonte, so it wouldn’t have been self defence. Leeloo and Dino had to be mistaken, they just had to.

"What a shame, she was so much fun. But I guess now you know what happens when you don't follow the rules."

Plague’s voice grated on his nerves as she interrupted Lucifer’s train of thought once again, draining any of the remaining hope he had from his heart as she confirmed what Dino had seen earlier that day from his memories. As strong as he was, Dino wasn’t able to manipulate his memories and hide the truth from Plague, which could only mean one thing.

Antigone really was dead.

Lucifer steeled himself. When the time came, he would personally kill Malbonte and take great pleasure in it. He let his heart fill with anger and hatred, determined to let him fuel him until the time was right and he could avenge her.

Malbonte

He hadn't seen any trace of what she did in her mind at all. Malbonte knew Antigone was impulsive, it was one of the many things he admired about her, but he never, ever expected her to give up. Ever.

He tried to save her, but her aim was impeccable and with the shackles around her neck she was drained of so much of her immortality that she was practically human. He pulled the knife from her and sent his energy to her heart in an effort to heal her but it had already stopped and now he didn't know what to do.

"Antigone!"

Dino's anguished cry snapped Malbonte to the present. He looked at Dino coldly, and without a word flew away with Antigone in his arms ignoring Dino and the other angel as he flew away. To his relief they didn’t try to follow, he likely would have killed them if they had; he needed the quiet to figure out what to do next.

First, he brought Antigone to her father’s house on Earth, hoping to find where the mortal man was buried so Antigone could be next to him. Unfortunately, in the chaos of the impending Apocalypse, nobody had noticed her father’s death yet and he hadn't been buried. His decaying body sat where it had in the living room where Lucifer ended his life days before, staring back at Malbonte in condemnation as he carried the corpse’s dead daughter into the room.

Malbonte frowned to himself. Should he bury Antigone’s father too? He'd have to come back, it wouldn't be long before Plague came looking for him and first he had to ensure Plague couldn’t get to Antigone. Still carrying her, he went to the back of the house and found a shovel. He gently placed Antigone on the ground as he tied it to his belt, securing it tightly before picking her up again and taking off.

Next, he brought Antigone to an island as far away from the Academy as he could find. He was determined to at least fulfill her final wish, to give her the freedom from Plague she sought so desperately she ended her own life over it. He couldn't be there for her the way she needed him to be, and now because of him, the only person other than his parents who ever cared for him was gone forever.

When he found a suitable island he brought her beneath a huge willow tree and sat for a while with her head in his lap. He brushed her hair out of her face and studied it carefully. She looked peaceful, if he hadn't felt her heart stop and their connection cease he would believe she was sleeping. It was the first time since Plague's arrival he had a chance to really look at Antigone. She lost a lot of weight while she was kept in her prison, and her beautiful skin was smattered in bruises and scrapes that were unusual to see on an immortal. The shackles around her neck left a dark bruise that seemed to taunt him. In one swift motion, Malbonte removed the chain from Antigone's throat and threw it off the side of the island.

He didn't know how long he sat there with her, absent-mindedly stroking her hair as he contemplated how things turned out this way. He was grateful at least, that Shephamalum's whispers were notably absent so he could grieve her in peace. Malbonte wasn't a sentimental man, several thousand years of systemic torture had sufficiently destroyed any part of him that was capable of affection, but Antigone was his exception, his only exception. He knew the Bont side of him was worried what he'd do without her. She was the only thing that kept his darkness in check and now she's gone, and it’s all his fault. He could have protected her better, he could have tried to shield her, he could have not followed through with his plans… so many things he could have done and now it was too late.

Finally, after several hours of just... sitting with her, Malbonte got up and started digging. He could just shift the earth with his powers, but there was something more... intimate about him doing it the human way. A tribute to who Antigone was, the most remarkable Unclaimed to have ever existed. In his opinion, the most remarkable person. She had been his everything, the light to his darkness, the kindness to his evil and now…

He kept digging, far longer than he needed to as he let the repetitive motion distract him from the rage and despair building up inside of him. This feeling was somehow both familiar and foreign to Malbonte, it had been a very long time since he had someone to grieve, and while he’d known since the moment they met when he was still Bont that he loved her he couldn’t even deny it to himself anymore. It was more than their connection, Antigone was everything warm and light in his otherwise dark and cold life, and without her he had nothing left.

"What... are you doing?"

Malbonte froze. He hadn't even registered in his anguish, but suddenly his entire body was flooded with relief and... connection. He turned slowly from his place in the hole he’d dug to face her, unable to hide the surprise on his face.

"You're.. awake?"

He couldn’t bring himself to say the words he was really thinking.

Alive. She’s alive. How?

Antigone was sitting on the ground where he left her, watching him with curiosity.

"Where are we?"

She left his question unanswered, asking her own instead. Malbonte dropped the shovel in the hole he was burying and rushed over to her, ignoring her flinch when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She froze in his embrace for only a moment before melting in his arms the way she always did and burying her face in his chest. He felt her anguish and relief from his embrace as he held her close.

He was confused, he knew without a doubt that she was dead. Their connection had snapped within him like a dry twig the moment her heart stopped and her energy had completely ceased to exist. Yet here she was in his arms, speaking to him as though she had only taken a nap. Their connection intact, her energy brightening his own like it always had.

"I'm not sure," he finally answered her question.

He felt Antigone's confusion and surprise and had no doubt she could sense his own.

How is this even possible? Did Shephamalum have something to do with it?

Malbonte knew the god of darkness would be able to, He had brought Malbonte back from death countless times. It didn't seem likely though, not unless He needed Antigone for something that Malbonte was not yet aware of. Malbonte dismissed the thought for now, but he'd come back to it later. In this moment he didn’t want to think about anything, anything but the woman in his arms whose tears were dampening his jacket as he held her tightly.

It was then Antigone seemed to notice her chain was gone. She put her hand up to her throat gingerly, her hands shaking as though she couldn't believe it.

"Did you... free me?"

Malbonte continued to hold her, not willing to let her go in that moment. She was warm, she was breathing and alive and he wanted nothing more in that moment to bask in her warmth, in her life and light and everything in between.

"You died."

He finally found the words to admit it. Antigone looked up at him from his arms, studying his face closely.

"I intended to.”

Her voice was quiet and without regret.

"I didn't expect you to... give up,"

He studied her face carefully as he spoke, trying to piece together what was going on. She intended to die. She really was dead. Had he gone mad? Was she a figment of his sick brain and he finally snapped?

"That's because I didn't."

He could feel the amusement in her energy as she spoke, and if he wasn’t so fucking relieved to be speaking to her again it would have angered him. Instead, he tilted his head in curiosity.

"You're not making a lot of sense."

"It's not so fun being on that side of things, is it?" Antigone chuckled dryly. She sighed heavily and stepped back from Malbonte, looking at his hands still holding her arms. "Are you going to bring me back there?"

Malbonte shook his head.

"They think you're dead. Let it stay that way."

"Malbonte..." Antigone started. "I'm not going to stay in hiding if that's what you're implying."

"It's better than killing yourself”

His tone was cold, reflecting the anger he felt toward her careless and in his opinion, selfish action. To his surprise, Antigone laughed.

"I didn't think I had any secrets from you," she replied casually.

Malbonte only blinked, looking at her strangely.

"You... don't..."

He studied Antigone carefully as he spoke, surprised to find her mind mysteriously silent. Had she figured out how to block him from her thoughts?

"Hm"

Malbonte looked Antigone up and down carefully supressing the urge to chuckle at her defiant stare.

"You knew you'd come back." He said finally.

Antigone laughed again and shook her head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Malbonte was confused. Antigone really didn't have any secrets from him, he could read her mind more easily than his own, but there was nothing but silence in that moment.

Are you trying to read my thoughts?

Finally, her voice entered his mind again. Malbonte smirked.

I don't think you'll find what you're looking for.

Malbonte continued to study the woman in front of him carefully. Finally, he spoke.

"Where will you go?"

Antigone shrugged. "I'm not sure I should tell you that."

Malbonte chuckled as a picture of a small house on the edge of a cliff on Earth came to his mind from her memories. Clearly, she was planning to go there.

"You won't be safe with humans," he said carefully, chuckling at Antigone's huff of indignation.

"It'd be nice if I could hide this stuff from you too."

"You won't be safe," he repeated.

"I'll be safer than I was with you."

Malbonte couldn't argue that. He did his best to keep her out of harm’s way, and the only reason she was alive as long as she had been was because he convinced Plague not to kill her. Still, he knew things hadn’t been easy for Antigone, she’d been tortured and starved in the dungeons for months and when she was finally released tortured some more. Malbonte clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the self-hatred bubbling through his veins.

It’s all my fault.

"There's... a resistance," he started quietly, interrupting his own thoughts, he’d have plenty of time for his self-hatred later. "I don't know where they are, but Lucifer is working with them. I'll send him to you at the humans, he'll tell you how to find them."

Antigone turned to Malbonte, her brow furrowed in frustration.

"Malbonte, you could just tell me what you're up to. Maybe I want to help you."

"No."

Antigone huffed angrily.

"How do you keep doing this? Why do you keep pushing me away?"

Malbonte sighed heavily and dropped his head.

"Because I don't want you on my path of darkness with me.”

"Is that up to you to decide?" Antigone asked him, unable to hide the contempt in her voice. There was a pause where he considered her words. Of course it wasn’t up to him but…

"No," he answered finally. "But I won't let you anyway. You're better than this."

"So are you." Antigone looked at Malbonte with sad eyes, shaking her head when he chuckled. "So. Are. You."

"You see something in me that isn't there, Antigone." he said finally. "I'll send Lucifer to find you. He'll make sure you're safe."

"Lucifer who kept me on a leash and called me his pet a few hours ago? I'd prefer if you didn't."

"Lucifer won't hurt you,"

He was confident, and when he finally convinced her to wait for the demon he breathed a sigh of relief.

This was for the best. Selfishly, he’d miss her but he knew he couldn’t make her stay at the academy and risk losing her forever. Just because she came back once doesn’t mean she would again. Besides, as much as he hated himself for it, he needed her to fulfill his plan, even if he couldn’t tell her what it was; even if she would hate him in the end anyway.

He’d handle it, as long as she was alive to brighten the world, he would handle it.