#if it has to be a creature i think the mystery is better kept if it's a separate creature

[blendereels]

I'm going to try to make my own designs for all the creatures in asoue/atwq. Here's my interpretation of The Great Unknown :)

design notes ↓

[mr-yuugo]

Find Out For Yourself

-Lilia Vanrouge x Reader [Gender Neutral]-

Words: 1,597

Summary: After a few frights, the reader finds out that Lilia really isn't a girl.

Posted this on my AO3 account as well as Wattpad!

Rain poured down from the thundering sky. You, Grim, and the two heartslabyul freshmen ran to the ramshackle dorm. "Myah! Henchman hurry up!" Grim growled in your arms. You were currently carrying him, shielding him as best you could from the rain. Beside you, Ace scowled. "Shut it Grim! Or I'll make the prefect put you down!"

At Ace's words, Grim shut up only letting a few grumbles leave his mouth. Finally arriving at the dorm's porch, Deuce was quick to open the door. You all hurried inside. "Augh finally out of the rain." Ace cheered. You nodded your head putting Grim down on the floor. "You boys stay here I'll go get towels for you to dry off."

Heading to your bathroom you reached for the towels you would need and quickly headed back to the lounge. You saw them taking off their coats and placing them messily on the floor. Handing them the towels you took the liberty of drying grim off before doing so yourself.

After you were all dry you all sat in the lounge. A sigh left Ace's lips as he pouted. "Great now we're stuck here..." Grim simply rolled his eyes. "You saying you rather be outside in the rain? Be my guest!" Grim said sticking out his tongue.

"Calm down you two." You groaned in annoyance, Deuce nodding his head. "Do calm down, I'm sure Y/N wouldn't care to throw both of you out if you kept being annoying." Deuce grinned.

"You wouldn't do that right Y/N..?" Ace mumbled as he slowly turned to you. Chuckling you hummed. "Who knows? Keep it up and I just might have to." Ace shivered at your words, deep down knowing you could if you really wanted to.

...

Thunderstruck as all of you talked in the lounge. Grim in your lap as you both shared a blanket. You and Grim had your backs turned to the window, sitting on the carpet resting your hands on the table in front of you.

Deuce and Ace shared another blanket as they sat on the couch. You all took turns telling scary stories. "Okay okay, have you heard about the ghost that haunts diasomnia?" Ace whispered to which Grim let out an annoyed grumble. "Please ghost stories? I thought you could do better than that. Me and Y/N literally live with them!"

"Hear me out, have you guys even been to their dorm?" Ace asked, you all shook your head from left to right. "Well, they say that when you first get sorted into diasomnia you always have trouble sleeping the first night..."

"Why is that?" Deuce spoke his voice quiet as he clung to the warmth the blanket gave him. "Well, there is a mysterious figure that watches them from the windows. Watching their every step to ensure they're fit to join diasomnia. And well you know how diasomnia is, it's so creepy and dark."

Thunderstruck once more as Grim jumped slightly in your lap. Grinning you spoke, "So do you think this ghost might terrorize other dorms?" You asked. "Eeek! Don't even say such a thing!" Grim scolded you as he clung to you. Ace laughed creepily as he nodded slowly. "I'm sure Y/N! I remember you saying that you would sometimes wake up to see stuff in your mirror right?"

You nodded and Deuce sat up straight. "You don't think it has something to do with the diasomnia ghost do you..?" Ace raised a brow, a teasing smirk on his face. "Is Deucey scared?" Deuce furrowed his brows. "Am not!" He said angrily. "Anyway, they say the creature appears upside down, almost like a bat. Just like tonight, thunder strikes causing a very small light to shine on the creature."

When Ace said that, your mind drifted. "Upside down like a bat..." You hummed. "Ah, that reminds me of that vice house warden..." You mumbled. Grim's ears perked up. "What vice house warden?" He asked.

"I'm not sure you remember but I first encountered them when we came back to the dorm after the whole scarabia showdown. They appeared out of nowhere, floating upside down. I believe their name was Lilia." Deuce let out a hum "Oh that is the name for diasomnia's vice house warden right?" Your memory came back to you as you eagerly nodded your head. "Yeah, that's it! Actually, I wanted to ask if-" An exceptionally loud thunderbolt halted your words.

Deuce's eyes widened as he nudged Ace. "D-did you see that?" He asked with his eyes going wide. "See what Deuce?" You asked him. You saw him nervously gulp. "On the window! I saw something floating around and I'm already telling you it was no bird or animal!" Grim crossed his paws, an annoyed look on his face. "Did the story really mess you up that bad?"

"No! I swear I saw someone! Did you see it, Ace?" Deuce asked. "No, I didn't stop messing around Deuce," Ace grumbled. "I promise I am not-"

BANG

Grim shrieked at the sound. "What was that?!" He yelled out, his claws going into your skin. Wincing you scolded him. "Stop it Grim! And Deuce it was probably nothing how about we all just calm down?" You saw something from the corner of your eye. Leaning your body back slightly you notice the previously closed door to the lounge is now open.

"Wasn't the door closed?" You asked as you got up from your spot on the carpet. Carrying Grim in your hands you left the blanket on the floor. "Oh please Y/N not you too. I swear it's probably nothing like you said." Ace rolled his eyes.

Getting closer to the door Grim clung to you tightly. "Why are you investigating it!? Haven't you seen the movies?" You stood in front of the open doors, looking to your right you quickly glanced up the stairs. Noticing nothing you walked through the hallway that led to the front door of the lounge.

"Y/N wait up! Don't leave me behind!" Deuce hurried up and began walking next to you. Ace also coming to walk with the three of you. "Look! The front door is open." Grim shrieked. Giving Grim to Ace you slowly walked up to the door and opened it fully. "Weird...there is no one here." You quietly said.

Deuce let out a sigh of relief. Turning your body to walk back to the lounge you came face to face with someone. "Hey there!" You heard the voice in front of you speak. "Ahh!" You all screamed as you put a hand on your racing heart. Floating upside down was the dripping wet house warden. "You did it again!" You yelled as you calmed down.

You heard Lilia laugh as he floated down landing feet first onto the wooden floor. "Mind if I stay here to dry?" He asked you, an innocent smile on his face. "Sure you're more than welcome too." You smiled at him as you began to look him up and down. "They really do look like a girl...but that voice says different." You thought with a sigh. "Well, it's useless to think about it."

"I'll get you a dry towel." You told him before turning to the boys who looked kinda of nervous. "Mind taking Lilia to the lounge? I'll be right back."

...

Lilia was now dry and you were both enjoying some late-night snacks. The rain hadn't given up as you smiled at seeing the sleeping figures of Ace and Deuce sleeping comfortably on the couch. Grim had already retired to your shared room as it was just you and the fae talking quietly while eating your snacks.

"Didn't you teleport last time we met? I'm sure you could have made your way to the mirror chamber just fine." You raised your brow in suspicion. Lilia chuckled and slowly nodded his head. "I suppose I could but I just happened to see you all having so much fun, I wanted to join in too."

"Ah, so Deuce wasn't going crazy..." Giggling quietly you looked at Lilia from the corner of your eye. Your eyes wandered around his figure almost as if you were analyzing him. His eyes met yours, catching your attention.

"Hm? What is this? What is it that you hope to do by undressing me with your eyes?" He said, sending you a teasing smirk. You blushed in embarrassment, "I'm sorry it's just that you look so much like a girl. You're very pretty you know?"

Lilia's eyes widened for a second before closing, the teasing smirk finding its place on his lips once more. "I suppose I am huh? Well, it's all just part of my innocent look." He stopped talking for a second before he turned his body fully to you. "Would you like to find out for yourself?" He asked. You tilted your head in confusion. "What do you mean?

Lilia reached for your hand, an innocent smile on his face. You saw him slowly bring your hand up placing it on his chest. His palm was on the back of your hand as he moved it around in a circular motion. You gasped in shock but didn't dare move away.

You heard Lilia let out a pleased hum. "So?" He asked as he let you pull your hand back onto your lap. You stared at him, no words leaving your lips. You're face turning redder than a tomato.

He just sent you a cocky grin as he watched steam blow out from your ears.

[jinisnuggets]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐀 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬

ᴾᵃⁱʳⁱⁿᵍˢ: ˢⁱʳᵉⁿ!ᴶᵘⁿᵍʷᵒⁿ ˣ ᴺᵒᵇˡᵉ!ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

ᴳᵉⁿʳᵉ: ᴬᵘ, ᴬⁿᵍˢᵗ

ᵂᵒʳᵈ ᶜᵒᵘⁿᵗ: ⁵.³ᵏ

ᵂᵃʳⁿⁱⁿᵍˢ: ᴹʸᵗʰⁱᶜᵃˡ ᶜʳᵉᵃᵗᵘʳᵉ ᵗᵃˡᵏ, ᵃⁿᵗⁱ-ᵇᵉˡⁱᵉᵛᵉʳ (ᵒᶠ ᵐʸᵗʰⁱᶜᵃˡ ᶜʳᵉᵃᵗᵘʳᵉ), ˢʷᵉᵃʳ ʷᵒʳᵈˢ, ᵗʰᵉᶠᵗ, ᵖᵃˢᵗ ˡⁱᶠᵉ ᵈⁱˢᶜᵘˢˢⁱᵒⁿ, ᴬˡˡᵘʳⁱⁿᵍ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵉᵈᵘᶜᵗⁱᵛᵉ ᵈᵉᵖⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᵒᶠ ˢⁱʳᵉⁿˢ, ᵐᵃⁿⁱᵖᵘˡᵃᵗⁱⁿᵍ?, ᵐᵉⁿᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᵒᶠ ᵉˣᵉᶜᵘᵗⁱᵒⁿ

ᴺᵉᵗʷᵒʳᵏ: @starlit-network

ᴬ/ⁿ: ᵀᴴᴵˢ ᵀᴼᴼᴷ ᴹᵉ ˢᴼ ᴸᴼᴺᴳ ᵀᴼ ᶠᴵᴺᴵˢᴴ!! ᴮᵘᵗ ᵖˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᶜʰᵉᶜᵏ ᵐʸ ᶠⁱᶜ ᶜʳᵉᵈⁱᵗˢ ᵗᵒ ˢᵉᵉ ᵃˡˡ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒⁿᵈᵉʳᶠᵘˡ ᵖᵉᵒᵖˡᵉ ʷʰᵒ ʰᵉˡᵖᵉᵈ ᵐᵉ ᶜʰᵉᶜᵏ ᵒᵛᵉʳ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵖᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗ ⁱᵗ

The ocean was full of mysteries and secrets that no one has, nor should ever be discovered… the big body of water that was so beautiful yet so terrifying.

You, a regular Victorian girl who enjoyed reading novels under the big tree which sat next to a normal river, finding joy in being able to put yourself into the characters that you read in the book. Feeling as if you were the main character, growing a connection with those around you.

“Y/n, you tend to isolate yourself too much dear… wouldn't you like to spend more time with us? Your family?” Your mother found herself asking, looking directly at you as if she expected you to answer enthusiastically.

Truthfully, no. You were fine being alone and it was when you felt at your best. Being alone in the comfort of your books and imagination.

“If I'm being honest, mother, I do not think that being alone is a burden, as I quite enjoy the silence of going into the forest alone.”

Your mother and sister stared at you, unknowing of what to respond with. You hated the look of pity that they showed towards you, as if enjoying the company of one's self was something that should be looked down upon. The opinion of those older could never be the same as someone younger. The mind was simply at different levels of development, causing disagreements between the two quite regularly.

Looking around at the family who sat around the table, picking yourself up from the chair and grabbing your book from your lap to prevent it from falling.

“I believe I have some important manners to take care of…” you completed, beginning to make your way out of the dining room.

“Y/n, before you go you must be aware of something.” Your dad spoke, catching your attention and causing you to turn around to face him.

“What's wrong?” You responded, somewhat intrigued.

“Because me and your mother have been speaking about a better career opportunity for our company. I wanted to make you aware that next month we'll be moving over to a different town. Not far at most.”

You despised moving… however this time, it would be near an ocean. Meaning you would be capable of observing the same water that your current book, ‘A Hidden Atlantis’ was referencing. The same town and ocean that had been where the novel had taken place.

A Hidden Atlantis was a one of a kind book, you'd truthfully never read anything like it before. The topic of humanoid creatures whose legs resembled that of a fish was always interesting to you.

Something like that could never exist in the real world… could it?

It would only ever be real in paintings, books and imagination. It's place was not the real ocean that was full of mysterious creatures.

However… in the low chance possibility that something like a half human half fish existed. It'd be so beautiful yet terrifying. The same way its habitat was.

Your obsession with these types of mythical chapter books started when you found a ring on the floor of your new (now old) house. You were young, so the red ruby that sat brightly inside the ring wasn't something that appeared valuable to you, it was only ever stunning.

You kept it, never sold it for money… even though it would probably be worth a fortune. You always felt some sort of odd connection to it, causing you to never be capable of selling it. It was too special for you, despite the mystery that could've been a curse that attracted you to it and it's red gem

___

They told you to stay inside, but you found a way out nevertheless. They were silly if they didn't know you well enough to see it coming.

This was the very ocean right outside of your new home. The very ocean that the book described, it was right in front of you along with the same town and streets that the book’s main character walked on before in the history of the novel.

Sirens didn't exist, but maybe you could catch a glimpse of something that slightly resembled that of the mythical creature throughout your stay. It would make sense wouldn't it? Possibly if you were a believer.. but unfortunately you weren't.

Even so, you still enthusiastically made your way to the sandy beach located right under the cliff which your house sat over, finding a comfortable rock to sit on as you opened your book and lit up a candle

The young girl, Sharon left everything behind. From her friends and belongings to her town, all due to financial struggles between her parents. However the kind girl looked at things in another light, becoming understanding of her parents' situation and avoiding internal conflicts between herself and her family.

She took out the box which carried the old jewel inside. Seeing the gem glow bright red, reflecting off the same color as that of her eyes. Staring into the piece made her confident in the color of red, it was a beautiful color that many people associated with the wrong things. It was a treasure, and it made her feel the same connection and reassurance that she had felt since the start… since the first ever day she laid eyes on the ring.

She slipped the ring onto her hand, feeling the jewel slide off of her small fingers. However, she kept it on as she made her way to the dark waters that almost felt as if they awaited her.

She walked the path down the forest, catching a glimpse of the bright moon illuminating the cold ocean. It looked beautiful, almost magical as she walked near. Sitting on a rock and brushing her feet against the water, feeling as if it had been bringing her skin smoothness and youth.

“Beautiful night,” The young girl found herself whispering, as she looked far up into the distance to see the figure of a sunken ship, located right behind a chapped rock.

It’s boards and wood sinking down and dissolving into the water as it overflowed.

The news of the sinking ship was everywhere:

“Ship sank under unidentified circumstances.”

“Ship mysteriously begins sinking in the middle of the sea.”

“An unidentified ship reappears on the shores of...”

It was all over the newspapers, disaster would always be destined to happen.

The light of the fire which illuminated the candle flicker off, the strong winds didn't allow it to keep the fire. It was time to head back home and continue reading inside your room, where the wind couldn't get to you despite your delicate windows. It seemed as if a storm was approaching.

You smiled looking up and at the direct spot that the book described, not spotting a single sunken ship. Even if it was there at one point in history, the likelihood that it was actually the fault of a group of sirens and their enchanting voices and illusions was little to none.

As much as you wanted to believe, you knew something like that could only stay in your imagination. The same way dragons and vampires did. They could never exist in the real world, it would just be too dangerous.

Picking yourself up from the rock, you carefully climbed your way down and allowed the light from your barely lit candle to lead you back.

This ocean was close enough to your house that you were able to see the lights turned on in specific rooms. Best get going now if you hoped to not get caught sneaking out like you were strictly told not to.

Walking on the light sand before feeling your shoe step on something hard…

A rock maybe?

You tilted your head to look below you, bending your knees to get a better look at the object.

It was a ring… a blue diamond ring, washed away on the shore of the ocean. It must've been left behind by some tourist or someone who happened to be traveling the water’s. And really you didn't care to find out, as it was left behind and far too valuable to ignore.

You'd simply treasure it. The same way you did with the red ruby ring that you found in your old house when moving in.

“Y/n!” A young boy called out, running over to hug you tightly, almost as if you hadn't seen each other in a long time.

Turning around, you came face to face with a pretty young boy, beautiful cat shaped eyes that glowed as brightly as the day.

“Jungwon? What are you doing here..!?”

He smiled brightly and picked out a bright yellow dandelion from the grass, gently shoving your hair behind your ear and placing it right in between.

“I came to say hello to a friend,” He responded enthusiastically.

You shook your head and looked up, happier than ever.

“I understand but shouldn't you be with a doctor!?” You questioned to which he responded with a giggle and smirked at you.

“They told me that I should be outside a lot and have fun! So I'm following their instructions!”

Face palming yourself, you looked back up softly and picked up a bright yellow dandelion, mimicking his acts and placing it on his hair right above his ear.

He kept his gaze fixed on you, that was until you picked yourself up from the ground and began running around in the small garden right in front of a noble looking home.

Being a kid himself, he followed and chased you across the garden.

You looked happy… excited… like children…

Finally, your brain snapped back to reality.

“What the hell was that…?” You muttered to yourself, being unable to comprehend the vision that gave you more than just deja vu.

You looked into the dark and gloomy ocean, spotting a figure of a young man looking in your direction. His bright brown eyes which seemed to illuminate more than the moon pierced straight through your soul in an almost terrifying manner.

Shaking your head and rubbing your eyes… you convinced yourself to be seeing things.

You looked back in a panic and there was nothing… no figure… no eyes… simply nothing..

“Of course… I must be lacking sleep…” you managed to stutter, snapping back up to your senses and running back home. After all, not getting caught was your main priority right now.

***

And so the kind girl Sharon ran back home, stumbling upon an object which appeared to be a gem, closely resembling that of her own. The young girl picked up the ring and placed it in her pocket, she couldn't just leave it behind. She'd collect it.

Upon looking into the distance, she found herself staring directly into the eyes of a creature in the ocean.

Her kind heart forced her to yell, “Are you alright dear sailor, do you need assistance?”

However, she received no response…

Chills ran down her spine as he stared at her intensely, not even blinking once throughout the entire process… Sharon, upon feeling uneasy decided to run and make someone aware along the way of a possible sailor that could've been in danger.

Little did she know that she had stared into the eyes of that of the most dangerous…

All because she touched what was his… and you should never touch anything that belongs to a siren…

____

“Jungwon. For dear god’s sake, why are we doing this?”

Jungwon turned around once again and sighed, “For the 100th thousand millionth time, it's because that young lady took my ring. So I'm returning for it.”

“Indeed but this is a bother. Someone's going to find out one way or another and we'll be dead… Why can't we return to the shore and find you another identical ring? There's plenty in the ocean-”

He froze mid sentence upon seeing the eyes of his little brother staring at him. Despite being older, Jungwon intimidated him and he couldn't deny it. Jungwon’s strong point was his eyes and he fully took advantage of that.

“Jake- if you would like to return you can always do so… I didn't need you to come either way-” Jungwon managed to mutter softly.

Jake frowned, “I'll stay with you. I don't want you out here in the human world alone with absolutely no one supervising you.”

Jungwon smiled and nodded, “Alright then, let's make this fast.”

Jake followed his little brother. He had always doubted the connection that Jungwon claimed to have with his ring up until now; more like up until a year ago. Whereas Jungwon dropped his ring while traveling in the oceans at night and was somehow able to find it immediately after he noticed. Retracing his steps and locating the small object in the depths of the massive ocean. Jake was sure that he had a tracker on that thing because that would've been otherwise impossible.

And right now was no exception, in fact it was only convincing Jake furthermore that there must've been a hidden tracker somewhere within the tiny corners of that small ring.

Jake’s frown only turned into an annoyed stare as he watched Jungwon get ahead of himself, leading them to who the heck knew where. “Do you even know what she looked like?”

Jungwon shook his head, still keeping his gaze forward, “Absolutely not.”

Jake sighed, “Why did I expect that… with that keen eyesight of yours I really would've expected you to at least see her hair color.”

“It was dark hyung-” Jungwon completed, noticing Jake nod in agreement.

“I know but for some reason you can spot everything about a person at night except for the thief of your ring… and what if she sold it already?”

Jungwon sighed and shook his head, “I’d rather not think about it but in that case scenario then we'd have to purchase it again-”

Jake stared at Jungwon, “You can't be serious.”

Jungwon turned around, “Should I rephrase that? I'd rather say- I'd have to purchase it again.”

“There's dozens of trade shops on land- how are you gonna locate the exact one!?” Jake asked, almost yelling to which Jungwon backed away nervously and blinked a couple of times before answering.

“I'll find it, don't worry.”

Jake was upset but he wanted to support his brother. That ring was special to Jungwon ever since infancy and he didn't want to say anything rude or careless, let alone both.

“By the way, lower your voice because other people are going to hear you and will suspect us. You're going to throw us both under the bus with your yelling-”

Jake bowed to his little brother and apologized repeatedly, “I'm sorry, it's a little complicated to contain my emotions to a certain volume.”

Jungwon shook his head in denial. “It’d be quite alright if you hadn’t told me earlier that being on land was far too risky. I know just as much as you do so you have to keep in mind that one wrong move could land in us having our heads chopped off,” he expressed, to which Jake simply put his palm up to his forehead.

“Don’t even mention it.”

Suddenly, Jake crashed into a woman who had been walking the same streets they had been, maybe around her early 20’s. Despite the cloak that had been covering her face she looked quite beautiful. Long hair neatly put up in a ponytail and perfectly arranged across her shoulder.

“Oh, I beg your pardon as I was distracted-” Jake stuttered out nervously, noticing her turn around and bow in apology.

Jungwon’s gaze swiftly shifted onto her eyes, his alert up high.

“I apologize- I was a little careless myself.” You chuckled. Jake froze in silence, ultimately overcome by the beauty that he never knew could belong to a human.

Jungwon smiled, “I excuse my older brother- nevertheless what is such a beautiful young woman doing around here alone? Not to mention you yourself look quite of noble status. Is there a reason behind this?”

Suddenly becoming nervous, you began fidgeting with your fingers. “Haha- was it obvious that i’m a noble?” you muttered, to which Jungwon nodded.

“Your clothes and form of speech give it away.”

You laughed ever so slightly and nodded. “You see, I’m actually new to this area and happened to grow curious about exploring the town as the views are spectacular.”

Jungwon looked over to where you turned; the ocean that he himself had belonged to. The cold ocean that had belonged to him and many others who were just like him.

“I see that you are drawn by the landscape?” Jungwon turned over to you, seeing you nod in approval.

“Correct. I don’t come from a very green place like this one, so this feels almost like a wonderland… like those types of forest or villages that you read in fairytales.”

Bingo.

That was all he needed to know… this was her… the girl who had visited the ocean the other day late at night… the thief of his ring that was so very beloved to him.

“I happen to notice that you have a specific love for reading?” Jungwon questioned, noticing your eyes light up as you looked back up at him.

“You seem to be very good at guessing- yes, I very much do love reading books and novels.” you blinked, a little taken aback by how well this stranger seemed to know you.

“I’m glad. I happen to enjoy reading myself.”

You felt some type of odd aura about him.. You were unsure if it was just you overthinking or if this was actually something that you should’ve been concerned about. From the moment he spoke you felt nothing but comfort, you felt safe. Which wasn’t something an ordinary human could’ve made you feel,

~~~

Walking up to a fruit stand, the lady in front smiled at you.

“I’ve never seen you around before, are you new around here?” she asked, making you nod in agreement.

“You’d be correct, I’m not from here, I hope that is alright,” you responded, seeing her nod repeatedly in reassurance to your doubts.

You looked back at the ocean that you felt attracted to for some odd reason. It wasn’t clear to you whether you only felt that way because of your book or because there was actually something magical about it… not to mention the eyes… those eyes that glowed brighter than the moonlight..

“I happen to notice that you really like our water’s?” She smiled, to which you flinched as you didn’t notice her staring.

“I do… may I ask why no families are down there constantly?” you questioned, noticing her give you a confused glance making you panic in case you asked the wrong question. “I’m a little confused because normally there would be a couple of swimmers, no?” you added, your nerves making you unable to say the sentence correctly.

Luckily, she understood you and waved her hand in dismissal.

“Oh dear, it’s prohibited to swim in any waters around here.”

You stayed silent, confused yet amused. “May I ask why…?”

She turned back to look at you, “Oh dear, haven’t you heard? It became banned around the late 1850’s due to the amount of siren spotting there had been. Not to mention the amount of ships that went missing in such a short period of time around this area recently. I feel so poorly for all the families of those navigators..”

Thoughts began circulating in your mind. That wasn’t possible… After all siren’s weren’t real.. They have never been real. They were mythical creatures.

“By the way dear, be very careful with who you trust on this land. Siren’s are very alluring creatures who roam around this town just as freely as regular citizens. Don’t get confident just because we're not in the sea.”

“Wait- siren’s can shapeshift and blend into humanity too?” You exclaimed, almost yelling in surprise before you caught yourself and covered your mouth, lowering your voice to a lower volume.

The woman chuckled, “Why, of course they can.”

“How can I spot a siren…? Among all these humans…?”

She looked around and signaled you to come closer, you followed her orders and leaned in.

“Siren’s will always have attractive and manipulating eyes… never forget that as it may save your life one day.”

~~~

His eyes were gorgeous… almost hypnotizing to look at, you've never seen eyes so gorgeous like his, they seemed almost unreal.

Face to face with a pretty young man, beautiful cat shaped eyes that glowed as brightly as the day.

Face perfect and screaming off the sense of innocence. Almost making you think that this was in fact the reincarnation of the word itself. Which in itself was odd enough,

But you couldn't judge a book by it's cover. After all you weren't even a believer- just a little frightened by something a woman had said earlier. You needed proof of sirens before you actually believed in them, even though there was no way of explaining what you had happened to see down in the shore the other night.

However, his eyes were that of something supernatural and you felt it.

___

You found yourself walking late at night alone in the streets of the town; surrounded by people and their terrified whispers.

“What time did you say sirens come out again?”

“I think I may have just run into a siren- it's eyes look surreal-”

Sirens, surreal looking eyes. Put together it made sense.

Something not human could never fully shapeshift or become a human. There will always be something that gives it away.

However, this was going too far.

“Hey, we meet again.” A voice from behind you called, snatching the magazine from your grip and rolling it up in between his hands.

“Oh- good afternoon..?”

“It would be good night as of right now.” He smiled. You'd be lying if you said you didn't get flustered the moment he did so, seeing him smile with such a handsome face. There was no way you couldn't react.

Smiling back, a bit of pink flushing over your cheeks. “Yes, I apologize. I happened to be making my way back home right now; I hope you can excuse me.”

His face became a small smirk, almost teasing as he looked back at you. “From what I can see, you don't happen to be accompanied by anyone?” He asked, despite your guard going up high, there was no use in lying, you had run into this same man earlier and you had been alone, so you simply nodded.

“Would you like me to come with? Better not get tricked by any sirens.”

You felt your cheeks warm up again, flustered by this man and his alluring personality.

“What did you say your name was again?” You asked, realizing you had never gotten his name in the first place. Unconsciously beginning to walk, making your way back home.

This almost felt familiar….

Sharon walked her way back home with the claimed stranger which she had seen earlier that day.

Questions arose from the young girl's mouth, not anything wrong, at least not to the ears of something so magical and mythical like a siren.

“What was your name again?” Sharon asked in a low pitched muffle.

“I couldn't catch that.” His eyes glew in the dark as his mouth spoke. Something about this man was so alluring and she couldn't catch a grip of what it might've been.

Maybe his attractiveness? His eyes? Seductive and teasing nature perhaps? Everything about him seemed surreal, the way his words were able to manipulate her to make decisions that she wouldn't have made otherwise. It almost seemed effortless.

Sharon smiled nervously, “Your name. I didn't manage to catch it.”

He grinned, “Edward.”

One of the rules about a siren, they only ever said their first names in an introduction, never their last. They didn't have a last name to give, at least not now.

Sharon looked back at the man who walked behind her, his eyes locking on hers as she kept the eye contact for a hot moment. It wasn't willingly, because something about his eyes felt as if there was some type of rope connecting and bonding their souls, as she was unable to look away.

“You have beautiful eyes Edward.” She smiled, noticing him nod knowingly.

“I've been told before, young Sharon.”

It felt odd, they were both young, around each other's age perhaps. It was likely a form of speech however it was still off putting. Sharon could never get used to being called young by someone who looked so young themselves.

“Alright then; Edward, how old are you.”

It was a forbidden question and she knew it. Sirens didn't have an age, at least not that they were aware of. Normally becoming unable to answer the question properly, ending up in them executing their plans earlier than expected, causing a scene that would be far too messy to clean up afterwards.

“Not sure. I was abandoned at a young age and have no idea of when something so basic like my birthday is.” He responded, voice lowering as he turned to his side.

Good answer, Sharon thought. Looking back at the young man and smiling.

“You look fairly young. Edward.”

He was taken aback, he normally disliked the mention of just his first name because of how disrespectful it sounded, and this… this had been the third time she directed him by his first name solely.

He looked at her sharply, “If you could, I'd really appreciate a title in the beginning like Mr before my name.”

The young girl turned around enthusiastically, still skipping towards the direction of her house rapidly as she laughed softly. Her face giving off nothing but innocence.

“But why? Edward is a pretty name. A last name like … would suit you impeccably!” She exclaimed.

“Jungwon.” He answered.

Walking up the pathway which sat on the hill that led up to your house, grass awaiting you at the top.

“Well then, Jungwon do you believe in sirens?” You asked, almost testing him for an unknown reason that not even you knew.

It seemed like he had caught onto this, as he half sighed, half chuckled. “You really can't believe nor not believe in something you haven't seen before. There will always be those who claim to have seen other worldly creatures, you can't believe them, but you can't proclaim them as liars either.” He smiled.

Good answer, you thought.

“Say, Jungwon, how old are you?” You grinned, noticing him do the same.

It's a test, he thought to himself, unable to think of the correct answer if there even was one. As a siren one of their biggest pet pieves was lying. He couldn't even make up something to protect himself unless if he wanted to be looked down on.

“Not sure, I don't even know something so simple like my birthday.” He frowned. You looked back, sincere nostalgia hitting you the moment those words came out from his mouth, however you were unable to pinpoint why or where it was coming from.

“I see,” you added, turning around and looking at him directly.

Unable to hold back, you looked back at him and sighed.

“Do you believe sirens are as evil as humans depict them to be?” You found yourself asking, continuing to walk forward even if the answer he'd give held you anxious.

He grinned and kept his gaze on you, despite not looking at him you could feel his eyes pierced through your skin.

“I think it's similar to humans. There's bad people out there and there's good. I don't see why something so similar should be any different. Sirens are technically human, that's why they don't have too much trouble blending into humanity, they can pull it off rather easily in a matter of fact.”

Your shoulders fell in relief, not even noticing the way they had been so tense.

“I'm glad to hear that,” You smiled, “It’s better to not take guesses about creatures we have never seen or met before.”

He nodded.

“She's different.”

“Well, Jungwon, it looks like we've arrived.”

He nodded and peaked his attention to the house he found himself at.

He had forgotten completely, he was here for a reason and he was going to leave with that one reason fulfilled. He didn't need any doubts.

“It has been an honor my lady.” He leaned down, asking for your hand.

You gave it to him, and he landed a singular kiss on the tip. It was a regular gentleman act at the time, however your cheeks could help but rose and warm up, it was a little shameful to have fallen head over heels for a stranger.

“Yang Jungwon?”

Snapping, he immediately looked up at you.

Yang Jungwon, Yang Jungwon, Yang Jungwon

That name rang in his ear like a bell, repeatedly. What was this? Why did it sound so familiar to him?

“I'll hope to see you another day.” You smiled.

He simply smiled back and waved, nodding in response regarding your statement that had been said a little unexpectedly.

Tears rolled down your cheeks, as you looked at the bed with the pale kid who was at once a healthy boy... your friend.

“I would like to give you this.” He handed the hand which had been clenched shut, holding onto the piece tightly. “I unfortunately don't have much time left, however I would like to give you this. That way if we ever reincarnate again, I'll find you.”

You couldn't contain your emotions, the tears streamed down your face and a wave of emotions hit you.

You entered your home, closing the door behind you while holding your fingers and making your way upstairs to your room. You wanted to take a cold shower before heading off to bed.

Slipping off the coat and relocating it onto a chair that sat in front of your desk. Looking down at your fingers and noticing the bright blue ring missing. Only being left with your original red ruby ring.

You looked everywhere in a panic. Had you dropped it on your way back? It would've been possible as it slipped off of your tiny fingers constantly. It was far too oversized for you.

Suddenly the memory overcame you. He kissed your wrist, in contact with your hand and fingers directly.

Looking out the window, seeing the moon glowing bright blue with a tint of red on a few corners of it. The water in the ocean splashed as if something or someone had just went back in. Enough time has passed, the ring was his priority

Yang Jungwon, who are you?

It was about time, Sharon thought.

There was always going to be different habitats for every living organism. Humans would locate on land, you'd find them there if you ever found yourself searching. Maraine animals would be found in the water, and wild animals would be in the depths of the trees.

Just like marine animals don't belong on land, humans don't belong in the water. The same was wild animals wouldn't belong in the ocean, they wouldn't survive.

It was the same way that the world worked, it was cycle.

Sharon wrote furiously onto the sheets of paper, many stacked up on the side and many scattered on the floor, it was unavoidable to anyone who experienced the same that she had.

The main message the young girl left for anyone and everyone who dared to pick up and look at the contents of this novel which started out as a diary.

History repeats itself. Never doubt it.

[factual-fantasy]

29 asksss

Yes

@britneyt

Aw! Thank you! :DD

@gilbertsphotography

The elven style ears are meant to make them look less human and to match the Wario bros. :0 My AU's Peach and Daisy are these tall elf like creatures, not humans. They are the same species as the Wario bros.

Jangles would prepare himself for this brutal duel in "put em up" type battle stance. Ready to give this fight his all.

Only to be squashed by Jangle. Alas, he is made of plastic <XDD

@pinkpenguin88888

XDD Thought that was a bunny at first-

:DD Thank you! But hey, nothing's stopping you from book marking the post or saving the link to it somewhere :0

@whereismycupofcoffee

Honestly I have no hope. I'm thinking its gonna bomb like the Ruin DLC did, lore wise. Calling it now there's gonna be a character named VANESSA and her nickname is VANNY even though this movie is about the first game and has NOTHING TO DO WITH VANESSA. There's gonna be a kid named Cassidy, another kid named Gregory, circus baby is gonna come out of nowhere, there's gonna be a nightmare animatronic reference, one kid is gonna look like the crying child for no reason, Springtrap is gonna talk a lot and take away the horror- its gonna be a mess. The lore will be a terrible. mess.

Horror wise it might be awesome but I am NOT looking forward to all the crap they're gonna mix in with the lore. Its soooo simple, just make a spooky movie that captures the terror that the first game created. Recreate the mystery and horror. Bonnie disappearing, Foxy running down the hall. Freddy's music. Maybe Golden Freddy?? Hints of a darker past with dead kids. It would be awesome. They don't gotta complicate the lore by adding all the other games into it but I know they will-

@palettepainter :DD Thank you!!

@randox-talore Nope! The flowers don't make them bigger. They just give the bros ice/fire powers :}

@devastatorst

Pretty much XDD

@andysalleyway

:DDD Thank you so much!! Honestly I'm surprised by the number of my followers that are into the same fandoms I'm into. Sounds like I've found my people! XDD

Thanks, I'm hoping it finally gets through to people and they'll just leave me alone..

It is! But ya gotta DM me for it so I can sus out your blog :x

I need to have some idea of who I'm letting in-

:DD Thank you so much! Also sorry, I don't take requests :/

@montygatorshusband

THANK YOU! I don't support any ships from any fandoms, I just personally don't like them. So having people harp on me and my AU because a "canon ship" isn't in it was really annoying.. 😓

Glamrock Bonnie and Foxy would be thinking "Wow, they look different/great! :00"

Glamrock Freddy and Chica are like "WHY IS BONNIE SO LARGE"

Oooo that would be cool! All my versions of Bonnie are slow, so having him throw things at Gregory would be terrifying-

@ocinstituterep

The reason why I haven't drawn any classic mermaids like that is because it felt kind'a weird to add a half human creature into the Octonauts universe. Considering humans don't exist in it.. Now that post with the mermaid thing actually has the creature looking humanoid for sure. Because it would look more alien if it was human. But I kept the scales because a straight up half human mermaid would just feel out of place-

@mashmellowy

Firealpaca! :}}

@oddesto

XD Thank you!! Also my WHOLE BLOG?? Dang. I apologize for all the Gravity falls cringe you had to see-

XD Factual Fanta, that's great 🤣🤣

@citrusfruitman

I think those people are just salty because they wanna draw my stuff but I wont let them. My true fans will have basic human respect and just not draw fanart without sending me hate and rude comments.

@danman22ful

Monty is much more mellow and kind in the Partial swap. Although he still can be a bit of a grump sometimes. The way Bonnie is treating everyone (mostly Foxy) really angers/upsets him.

Roxy hasn't changed a whole lot tbh. Full of grief and self loathing. Except I don't think she'd have this "I'm better than you" attitude. Her thinking that Freddy's death was her fault would crush her. Just like Monty was crushed in the OG au.

:DDD Thank you!! Also really? :00 Wow, great minds do think alike! XD

Aw, I'm sorry that you relate to Bonnie's struggles, <:(

I was thinking he would do 1 of 2 things.

Either this bombshell that his late friends of 10 years are alive, would be so emotionally overwhelming that he would completely shut down. Literally. They would break into his room and Bonnie is collapsed on the floor. And cannot be reactivated. And when he does eventually reactivate, he absolutely refuses to acknowledge or speak to anyone in anyway..

OR, hearing that Chica and Freddy are alive, would completely drown out any other feeling. They're alive, he would rush out of his room to go see them. All of his stress, all of his anger would be swept away in favor of his anxiousness to see his friends again. And finally, he would talk to people again somewhat. Every day would get easier knowing that once its over he can go see Freddy and Chica again.

I haven't decided which one is better <XD

@burningmusicfunnygiant (Post in question)

Oh a whole mix of emotions. Mostly joy and sadness though.. Joy to see them alive after all these years. But sadness too see the horrible states they're in.. Mostly Freddy's state-

<XD Don't worry I wont. I know some of the angsty bits of Bluey but not enough to draw stuff and traumatize you all-

You are spared this time! XDD

[ithaqualovers]

The Heart is Torn And Blood is Spilt

Tw: Self-esteem, Dacryphilia, Blood, Gore, Slight-smut, Mother-issues, PTSD.

((GUYS I DELETED THE OTHER ONE I POSTED BECAUSE I DECIDED TO FINISH IT ON ONE. XC... Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it because this is literally a LOT of writing xd || I reached 7.8k word count skdksk... Anyway, enjoy-)

While walking through the cold woods you hear the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. You can see your breath in the air, and you can feel the chill of the winter air. The scenery is breathtaking, and you pause for a moment to take it all in. You can hear the distant chirping of birds, and the crunch of snow under your feet. This place is so cold that you even wonder why it is so cold here. The season of spring has just begun, and it is not even the beginning of winter yet. Welp, welcome to the Plateau of Leng. It's known for its cold climate and mysterious atmosphere. It's a place like no other.  

You continued your exploration of the Plateau of Leng, and you can feel the chill in the air. People here have adapted to the cold, and you can see them wearing thick clothing and furs. Even the animals of the Plateau have evolved to survive the cold temperatures. Even heard of the great old ones said to live in the depths of the Plateau of Leng, Ithaqua. They were said to be as old as the Plateau of Leng itself, and they were feared by the locals. But, meh. Ithaqua is nothing but a myth, a bedtime story parents tell their children to scare them into behaving.  

As you went deeper into the Plateau of Leng, you started to understand why they were so afraid. The strange creatures, the eerie howls, and the sheer sense of dread that seemed to hang in the air. It was enough to make you think that maybe Ithaqua might not be just a myth after all. You started humming a song about Ithaqua, trying to distract yourself from the fear. “Ithaqua is not real! Ithaqua is just a story they tell! Nothing but a figment of our imagination.” You kept repeating the words to yourself, trying to make yourself feel better. But deep down, you weren't so sure.   

Then a sudden gust of wind blew, pushing you back as if something unseen was passing by. You turned, looking for the source of the wind, but there was nothing there. You started to shiver, feeling a chill run down your spine. “.... Calm yourself, Y/n...” You took a few deep breaths, trying to steady your racing heart. You closed your eyes for a moment, and when you opened them again, all was still. You were alone, and the wind had passed. The terrifying trees around you rustled, the birds had all flown away, and the sun had disappeared behind the clouds.  

A whistle that sounds like a bird is coming from behind the tall trees. You heard the noise and quickly spun around to find the source of the sound. "... Who's there?" Peering through the dense trees, you saw a silhouette in the distance. Fear gripped your heart as you took a step back, your eyes wide with terror. A chuckle and giggle echoed through the woods, followed by a faint whisper. “Don't fret. I promise I will not hurt you.”  

The creature giggled and stepped out from behind the trees, revealing his horrifying appearance. He stares at your eyes with pale blue orbs behind the white mask. His long fingers beckoned you closer, and the faint smell of death hung in the air. “You have nothing to fear from me,” he said softly. You stepped back, fear coursing through your veins. You don't trust him, and your instincts tell you to run.   

The creature smiled behind his mask and stepped closer. He giggled, a sinister sound that sent a chill up your spine. You turned and ran, not daring to look back until you were safely away. He watched you, a bemused expression on his face. “Someone help!” You yelled, but there was no one around. You stumbled and fell, your heart pounding as you looked back and saw the creature still watching you. You scrambled to your feet and ran faster.  

"... I guess I have to chase you down." He sighed. Then the figure started chasing you. He was laughing like a maniac. His long slender hands pulled your hair tightly, making you fall to the snow-covered ground. You felt the cold snow against your skin as you tried to get away. He continued to laugh, a chilling sound that echoed around you, but he pinned your leg down using the large metallic blades that were bound to his legs. You screamed in terror as you felt the blade piercing your skin. Blood started to pour out of the wound as you tried to break free from his grip. You felt the coldness of the snow and the terror of the situation overwhelm you.  

“You shouldn't have come here. These are my woods. I guard this forest.” He growled, pushing the blade deeper. You winced in pain, screaming out. He went closer to your face and snarled, “You should have thought twice before trespassing. You should have known better than to come here.” You looked up at his angry face and managed to squeak out a few words. “My apologies for trespassing into your forest! I was only here to explore the beauty of nature... I am sorry...”  

He stopped pushing the blade. He seemed to calm down. He scratched the back of his hood and slowly raised his head, looking into the forest. But while you were pinned down and helpless beneath his blade, you remembered that this creature was the Ithaqua who had taken the lives of so many of the people. This figure was the one who the town feared most. “You are Ithaqua...?” You asked, your voice barely audible. The figure paused for a moment before nodding. “That's what they call me. Ithaqua, Wind-Walker, Death-Walker, I had been called by many names.” He looked down at you.  

You weren't sure what to do. The figure seemed powerful and intimidating, and you were filled with fear. "You know... Some of you humans even worship me." He said with a laugh. “Hehehe.... And some of them tried to hunt me down.” You were left speechless, unsure of how to respond. “Hey? You there? Why so silent? Scared to talk to me?” He tilted his head. You were frozen in fear, unable to move or reply. He smiled behind the mask, and the air around him seemed to grow colder. “Come on, I'm not that scary,” he said, in a more sinister tone.  

You were still pinned down, and you felt the blood slowly dripping down your leg and the pain increasing. He laughed and leaned in closer, his breath hot on your face. You could feel his presence looming over you, and it felt like your entire body was paralyzed. “You are interesting.” He stood up and pulled the blade from your leg. You winced in pain again as you felt the blade leave your leg.  

“Can't get up?” He chuckled and said, “Let me take care of you.” He grabbed your arm and dragged you. Blood spilled on the snowy ground as he pulled you along. You were taken to a pond where the ice was slowly melting. He placed his ice axe on the ground and released your arm, then he sat down on the cold ground. He removed the bandages that are around the metallic stilts. After removing his stilts, he pulled your leg to the pond's edge and submerged it in the cold water.  

You felt the cold sensation and immediately your leg was numb. You cried out in pain, but he ignored it and kept your leg in the water. You felt a sharp pain in your leg and then it subsided. He then removed your foot from the water and began to wrap it in bandages that were used on his stilts before. “There... All done! Hehe... You feel better now?” he asked. You nodded, still in shock from the pain. “I will be back; I'm just going to remove the blood from my blade.” He turned and walked away, leaving you to process the pain. You lay there, feeling a dull ache in your leg and trying to make sense of what had just happened.  

Meanwhile, Ithaqua removed the blood stain from the large metallic blade from the pond. He had used the pond to cleanse the blade of your blood. Suddenly, something came into his mind, and he stared at the pond. He saw the reflection of a figure in the pond. It was himself, standing with the large metallic blade in his hands. He slowly removed his mask and looked deep into the reflection. His pale face, his pale eyes, and his pale locks flowed in the wind.  

You were watching him from the other side of the pond. Looking down at the pond and appearing to be in deep thought, as if he were debating something in his head, you don't understand what he was doing. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him." You could hear him muttering. He was shaking his head as he continued to repeat the words. His jaw was clenching, and his eyes filled with tears. The grip on the blade in his hand was so tight. He raised his arm and hurled the blade into the pond with all his might. The ripples spread across the surface of the pond.  

He slumped onto the ground, breathing heavily. His face was pale, and he was trembling. He sat there motionless, watching the ripples slowly fading away. You looked at him, wondering what had just happened. He seemed to be in shock, and you could see fear in his eyes. The hood of Ithaqua came down as his hands gripped his hair tightly. His breathing began to slow, and his trembling stopped. He looked up at you, his eyes wide with terror. “What are you looking at?” he whispered. When you saw the creature's face for the first time, he wasn't even a beast after all. You could see his humanity in his eyes, and you knew he was no monster. He was just broken, a victim of circumstance.  

Even though he hurt your leg, you couldn't help but feel pity for him. “... Is there something wrong...?” You asked with your voice slightly trembling from the cold. In the middle of a pond on the other side of the lake, while you two sat there staring at each other in silence. As the cold winter forest surrounded the two of you, the tall trees swayed in the wind. You could feel the chill of the air. The only sound you could hear was the rustling of the leaves.  

He slowly opened his mouth and said, “It's nothing.” He looked away, and you could see a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Is there something bothering you?” You asked. He shook his head, refusing to meet your gaze. “Nothing is bothering me.” He glared at you. You sighed and looked away. You knew he was lying, but you didn't want to push him. You decided to give him some space and not press the issue.  

“....” He slowly put his mask back on. He stood up and began to walk towards you. He stopped in front of you and looked you in the eyes. Then he grabbed his ice axe which was beside you. You looked at him nervously, not knowing what to expect. The wound on your leg, which was wrapped in a bandage. He carefully examined it before looking back at you again. “You are really interesting...” He put his ice axe on his shoulder and then leaned in closer. “You look pitiful...” He whispered and smiled behind the mask. “Feeling so pity for me...”  

He giggled. “You do not have to feel pity for me.” He gently brushed his fingers against the bandage. “In fact,” he said, “you are the one who needs pity.” He stood up and said, “You are hurt and helpless... Cannot stand very well." He chuckled and laughed as he was mocking you. You looked away, embarrassed, but he didn't seem to notice. He continued, “Hehe... You can't do much, can you?” He smiled, amused by your discomfort. “You know what? I'll just keep you here with me, that way I won't have to fret about you running away again.” You felt a chill run down your spine as his words hit you.  

“Keep me?” You asked, feeling a wave of panic wash over you. He chuckled, the sound sending shivers down your spine. A sinister glint lit his eyes behind the mask as he replied, “Yes, keep you as mine.” He moved closer to you, his breathing heavy as he towered over you. “You will stay with me forever.” He said, his voice a low growl. You shook your head, trying to move away from him but he was too close. You felt your heart pounding in your chest and fear taking over as you realized that you were trapped. He reached out his hand and grabbed your arm while his other arm carried the two large blades, a cruel smirk behind the white mask.  

“I am going to keep you as my company.” He started dragging you again. “No, no, no!” You started struggling, trying to break free from his grasp, but his grip was too strong. You screamed for help, but no one was there to hear you. And of course, you are in the middle of the forest. He started to laugh, a menacing laugh. You felt your heart racing as he dragged you away, not knowing what was in store for you. You were terrified. "I guess I just found myself a little friend, aren't we?” He glanced at you while dragging you deeper into the woods.  

He stopped in front of a broken-down cabin, opened the door and pushed you in. You stumbled and fell onto the ground.  

“Stay here, and I will be back.” Before he shut the door you suddenly spoke.  

“W..Where are you going...?”  

“That's none of your concern.”  

He slammed the door shut and you heard him laughing as he walked away. You lay there, shaking, as you heard him walking further away. 

As Ithaqua locked you up in a broken-down cabin, you never found a way out of this place. Instead, you crawl on top of a mattress infested with bugs. You lay there in the dark, unable to move, feeling the bugs crawling on your skin. The wind outside howls like a ghost, and you start to hear scratching and gnawing from below. You sleep fitfully, not knowing what horrors this day will bring. 

A few hours later, a sudden thud came outside. The door creaks open, and someone enters the room. You woke up and heard the voice of a male that took you, “Fret not. It's just me, Ithaqua.” He said his voice like a distant whisper. A blood stain covered his outfit and blood dripped down the chin of the mask he was wearing. A gory intestine hung from the sharp blade of his long weapon. A scream escaped your lips as you shrieked in fear. “DON'T KILL ME!” You trembled in fear, unable to move. Ithaqua chuckled. “My word, you really fear the sight of blood, do you not?” He moved forward, dragging the severed arm and intestines through the broken-down door, leaving pieces and blood behind on the floor. The sharp, metallic smell reached your nostrils. He held the arm and intestines in front of your eyes, forcing you to stare at them. “Does this bother you?” You couldn't take your eyes away, shaking with fear as tears streamed down your face.

You could feel yourself going into shock as Ithaqua continued to laugh at your terror. “W-What is this...? Who are these people you've killed...?” You asked. Ithaqua tilted his head, still smiling. But his eyes were hidden behind his featureless mask. In fact, there was something unsettling in his entire demeanor, perhaps because of the brutality of the situation. “I don't normally kill people at all,” he replied in a flat tone of voice. “These must've been foolish travelers who entered my barbaric forest without permission.” He gestured around him, his gloved hand gesturing towards the torn-up inside of the cabin.  

Blood was dripping down from the ceiling above. You looked up at the ceiling in horror. Your mind feels like it's spinning, trying to comprehend what exactly happened here. These corpses must have been his victims and were hidden in this cabin. No wonder it stinks here. You shivered at the thought and looked back at him. “So... These people... you killed-” Suddenly your words stopped when he spoke so suddenly “They must've been foolish enough to enter my forest without permission.” His expression became serious, his tone shifting to one of deadly seriousness. “I must have no witnesses to my presence. No one can be allowed to leave here alive. These people have already gotten too close.” He stepped closer, kneeling down so his eyes were level with yours.  

“But you... you were unlucky, but not foolish. What is your name?” You paused, looking into his icy-blue irises pupils. Then you spoke. “My name is... Y/n” you said hesitantly. Ithaqua kept looking into your eyes, studying your expression. Then, he reached your hand, moving your hair out of your face and tucking it behind your ear. His finger lightly brushed your jawline. “A unique name. But your name is not necessary for now. From now on, you are my captive, and I will be your keeper.” His voice was quiet and calm, but it made your skin crawl.

You were too scared to move, so you just stayed rooted to the spot, your breath coming in shallow gasps. You felt a chill go down your spine when he touched you, and you closed your eyes, trying to suppress the fear. Ithaqua smiled. The mask he wore, painted with two, cold, unblinking, almond-shaped eyes, almost looked friendly when he did this. You felt a sudden wave of calm wash over you. “Don't fear me. I would not hurt you.” His breath brushed your hairline. You opened your eyes, meeting Ithaqua's gaze. You weren't even so sure if you should trust him. He's creepy yet something's wrong with him.  

You spoke softly, “What are you going to do to me?” Ithaqua laughed. The sound was harsh and loud, like the wind howling outside. “How could you even ask such a thing? I will keep you. As my captive. No one will ever touch you, let alone see you. You will be mine and mine alone.” He got closer. The stench of blood was faint on his clothes. He wrapped a hand around your chin, cradling it. “You look... quite pretty, I must say.” He chuckled again. His grip tightened your chin, as the nails of his gloves digging into your skin. You muffled a cry of pain, not wanting to make a sound.

You felt your heart racing, fear coursing through your veins. Ithaqua chuckled again, his hand squeezing your chin as the nails pierced your skin. You felt pain, but no blood could be seen on his gloves. It was as if he were trying to hurt you yet doing no damage at all. “Such a frail little thing, you are. Just looking at you brings forth an urge to destroy you, in order to watch you crumble.” His tone was serious. You felt his fingers tighten further. “But... you are far too precious to be destroyed. At least, not yet.” He released your chin, and the pain subsided.  

You put your hand to your chin, feeling the pain he had caused. Breathlessly, looked up into his eyes, feeling the intensity of his gaze. The tears in your eyes were cold on your hot cheeks. Ithaqua laughed, his harsh, cold voice echoing through the small room. You were still unable to move, and he came even closer, his gloved hand caressing the side of your face. “Such a sweet little cry you made,” he whispered. “And such beautiful eyes, Y/n.” He let his fingers trace the pattern of your tear tracks. His touch sent shivers down your spine. You wanted to pull away, but you were held in place by his gaze.

Suddenly, something changed Ithaqua's mind, and he pulled away from you. The way you cried out for help had an effect on him and he stepped away. He had a moment of hesitation, as if he remembered something in his past. His mother's face flashed in his mind, and he knew he had to let go. Ithaqua seemed deep in thought. His hand slowly retreated, leaving you alone and free to move again. 

His eyes flickered with memories of his past. A sense of loss was evident in his expression. He was holding onto a memory. Of a moment when he felt love for the very first time. His mother's eyes were filled with worry and sadness. You saw him for the first time. Not the monster. But something else. Human. Your body shook with fear, but you could not look away. There was something about him that you didn't understand. Why was he silent all of a sudden? You wanted to ask him what was wrong, but you couldn't find the words. You just sat there on the mattress, looking at his pale blue pupils. Ithaqua, for the first time, felt his facade crack.  

The mask he hid his real face behind was faltering. He felt something at that moment that he hadn't felt in countless centuries. A sense of compassion. A sense of love. And it scared him. Of course, he has felt love in the past. The kind of love only a mother can feel for a child. "I-" He cleared his throat. "I believe I've made a mistake. You are not one of the fools." He walked towards the doorway, turning his back on you. But what does he mean that “You are not one of the fools”? What was he talking about? “Huh?” It is the only word you managed to say. “You are precious to me. You remind me of her...” He opened the door, letting the cold wind enter and sweep through the cabin. But instead of leaving you, he walked towards you. His expression was filled with emotions, hard to decipher. Your eyes widened in surprise. Who is her? You thought about asking but you were too afraid. You were confused and scared, yet you felt a strange warmth in your chest. Ithaqua slowly crouched, putting a finger on your face.  

You felt the rough leather of his glove. You felt his touch on your skin. The sense of warmth only increased. He looked at you, seemingly studying your every curve and detail. At that moment, you felt loved. “You remind me... of my mother.” He spoke softly. His tone was quiet and gentle. “Your innocence was just like hers.” You blinked, too surprised and overwhelmed to respond. Eyes narrowed as you looked away from him, not knowing what to say or do. You were still scared due to the gory scene and his bloody appearance, and the severed arm on the floor was still... there... Ithaqua saw your still-scared expression, and he noticed that. He reached towards the severed limb, picking it up without looking at your deadened face. With a quick motion, he threw the arm outside through the doorway, shutting the door immediately after. Then he turned back to you, his body almost touching yours and his expression serious. “I’m sorry, Y/n.” He leaned in closer, looking deep into your eyes. “My behavior was inexcusable..” You felt the sense of love overwhelming you.  

What was happening? Was he trying to be gentle? You hadn't felt this before. You never understood why, but you couldn't help but feel drawn to him at that moment. His sudden change was confusing to you. You remembered when the two of you were at the pond where he was staring at himself on the water, and a sudden act that he had taken that you didn't understand. He was like a mystery to you. Ithaqua smiled. It wasn't the same cruel smile he had worn before. His gaze lowered to your hair, then to your face. He seemed sad. He reached out a hand towards you, caressing your skin with the back of his fingers. “Come...” Ithaqua's voice was soft and gentle. “I have something to show you.” He held out a hand towards you as if asking you to follow. You hesitated, looking at him before looking down at your leg which was wrapped in bandages, yet you can't even be able to walk. 

“You see that I cannot walk...” You spoke, “Are you going to drag me again like a ragdoll?” Ithaqua raised an eyebrow. “You're quite dramatic, aren't you? No worries, I'll just lift you up, and we'll be off.” He sounded a bit annoyed with your words, but his expression was calm again. “It's not like I'll kill you or anything. At least, not now.” With that, he picked you up as if you were a sack of potatoes. He was strong. Well... Even though he has bony arms. You felt a little embarrassed and ashamed of your outburst, but it was too late. You wrapped your arms around his hood, and he started walking with you in tow. “Where are you taking me?” You asked.  

Are you always this naïve? A gust of strong wind opened the door as he went outside with you carrying you in his arms. His boots crunched against the snow as he walked with you in the cold forest. But you felt a strange warmth and comfort in his arms as he carried you. He didn't respond to your question, instead, he kept walking for miles until he stopped in front of a large log. Beside the log, you saw two snowmen. The big snowman had two red feathers on its head and pieces of green fruits hanging on its face and it seemed like it was hugging the little snowman. Ithaqua walked with you in his arms, your weight on his hands. The cold wind was brushing against your bare legs, but his body provided warmth and comfort. Ithaqua eventually stopped, setting you down next to the large log.  

You looked up at the snowmen, which you hadn't noticed before. "What are those snowmen?" You asked curiously, staring at both the large snowman with the two red feathers and the smaller snowman. They seemed to have embraced each other. Their eyes closed like they were happy together. It was almost poetic. A smile spread across Ithaqua's face as you admired the snowmen. He was thinking about his mother. A sense of guilt and sorrow was evident in his eyes. “These... these are snowmen I made a long time ago, when I still lived with my mother.” He seemed nostalgic. He knelt in front of the snowmen, slowly stroking the large one's face. You watched silently, trying to imagine what it must have been like for him. “I am sorry for your lost.” You whispered, trying to give him some comfort. Ithaqua looked up at you, smiling softly behind the featureless mask.  

You felt the sense of warmth coming from him. The grief was still evident on his face, even though years had passed since his mother's death. “I would give up everything... just to experience the same affection again.” He whispered. He looked at both snowmen, stroking their faces and wiping the snow from their eyes. “I miss my mother... I wish... things were different...” You could hear the heartbreak and sorrow in his voice.  

You really felt for him. You wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, but you didn't. You just stayed there, in silence, and let him grieve. Ithaqua stayed that way, grieving and remembering the only person he had felt love for. Your sense of compassion and empathy was surprising to you. Ithaqua, the cold and cruel killer? The creature of the night, with no emotions? It was strange to see this side of him. And you wanted to feel this kind of love from him. You didn't know why. But you wanted it. His eyes were still filled with grief as he looked at the snowmen. He seemed to remember their faces, their smiles, and most importantly, the love his mother felt for him.  

After a few moments, he stood back up. His gaze was serious again as if returning to his usual demeanor. “Shall I carry you back to the cabin?” he asked politely, looking down at you. You nodded, “... Sure.” You looked up at him. You felt a deep connection to him and his pain. Now, you understood what it was like to be without love, and you wanted to be able to give it to him. Ithaqua kneeled once again, picking you up with ease. Your legs dangled beneath his arms as he stood up. The wind brushed against both of you, but you felt the heat emanating from him. “Come.” He spoke. His tone had changed again, from soft and calm to harsh and cold again. “We must not dawdle.” He turned around, carrying you, and started heading back to the cabin.

The snow crunched in every step he took. You were too scared to say anything, so you stayed quiet and did as he said. He soon arrived at the broken cabin and entered. There was no warm and inviting fire, no comforting smell of food, only a chill in the air and the sound of the wind outside and the smell of blood.  

Your mind was filled with uneasiness. The cabin was filled with silence, apart from the howling of the outside wind and the crunching of the snow beneath Ithaqua's feet. You couldn't see as he entered with you in his arms. The cabin was cold. But the sense of warmth was everywhere. You could feel it coming from Ithaqua. You heard Ithaqua place you on a bed, and then he sat on the foot of it. His body emanated a feeling of warmth and you felt yourself relaxed a bit, your uneasiness slowly fading away.

You narrowed your eyes as you looked at his white bloody mask. “Why are you wearing your mask even when you're alone with me?” you asked. “Is there something that really bothers you? You've been acting so strangely like a while ago when we were at the pond... And I heard you muttering about... someone. Who was he?” Ithaqua turned his head to you, his mask facing you.  

Your question seemed to surprise him, the expression on his face changing. Ithaqua's body tensed, and you could feel the heat emanating from him disappear immediately. “That was... nothing,” Ithaqua whispered. “As for why I wear my mask... it is a part of me. I feel incomplete without it.” His voice was cold again. He stared you down, his tone stern and harsh. "It would be in your best interest not to ask about things that do not concern you, Y/n." You didn't heed his warning at all. “I am curious,” you said, your voice unwavering. “Who is he?” Ithaqua’s eyes widened, and his jaw clenched.

Without another word, he grabbed his long weapon, the ice axe, and pointed the blade at you. “We DO NOT speak about HIM. He's a fool, nothing but a devil WHO WORE MY FACE.” He spat out the words, his fury radiating in the air. “And this? This mask you're talking about? I keep my ugly face to be hidden. DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ME?” An unexpected surge of rage came over him. His eyes were wild, and his expression was menacing behind the mask. He was trembling with rage, and he seemed ready to strike. His past had been a hard one and this was a reminder of it.  

Ithaqua's rage was evident. His body was shaking as he tightened his grip on his axe. Ithaqua's voice was loud and aggressive, his mask hiding his expression. You felt his anger like a heavy weight on you, as he stood up, his body moving towards the foot of your bed while he pointed his axe at you. Your heart was pumping, as his rage seemed to grow with every angry word he spoke. It was like he became a different person. “WHY must you provoke me, by bringing up HE WHO SHALL NOT BE MENTIONED?!” His voice was loud, and you trembled in fear. You had no idea what was going to happen next - it felt like your life was on the line. “My apologies... I should not let my curiosity get in the way”, you replied timidly. “I am sorry.” You looked away, tears streaming down your face. Ithaqua doesn't want to talk about the man that you were curious about. His past seemed to have caught up with him, and the air was tense. 

Ithaqua remembered that day when that man led a mob to his house and took away his mother. Ithaqua could feel his heart racing, as he was reminded of the pain he faced. He saw your tears and looked at you. The anger was still prevalent on his mask, as his expression remained cold. Your uneasiness returned as you looked at him. You could see his body trembling in rage. He held the axe tightly as if he would use it any time now. He seemed to calm down. His mask made it difficult to read his expressions. “This is the last time I'm going to warn you. Don't mention him. Ever.” His voice was like a whisper.  

He seemed serious, and his rage was still evident under his breath. You nodded, not wanting to provoke him further. You moved away slowly, the insects on the mattress swarming around you. Fear crept up your spine as you removed your gaze from him. You didn't mind the insects crawling on you. Ithaqua calmed down even more. His rage settled as he stared at you, his hands gripping the axe. You could see a hint of sadness in his body. As if he was thinking about something. But what? You could see the emotions slowly creeping up on Ithaqua's mask, as he seemed calm but not completely relaxed. He was trying to regain himself. The insects on the bed seemed to be moving around your body. The insects swarmed around your feet.  

You didn't mind their presence, as they didn't harm you. The sense of uneasiness returned. Ithaqua's grip on the axe loosened and he stepped back, his gaze softening. He sighed, and his shoulders slumped in resignation. He set the axe down and removed his cloak, letting it fall into the cold ground. He only kept the white mask on his face, turning to look at you. He sat down on the mattress next to you as he reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from your face. His touch was cold like ice and yet gentle. Ithaqua seemed much calmer now. His body was no longer trembling in anger. His gaze was still solemn, but not filled with cold rage. His touch was gentle and soft, and the warmth was coming back. It was as if he was regaining his usual demeanor. He looked you in the eyes, his mask hiding his expression. Ithaqua was gentle as he brushed your hair away. “My mother always used to do this to... comfort me.” He slowly sat on the bed, looking at you. His mask hid the sorrow in his eyes. He had a distant look on his face as if reminiscing about a distant past.  

You glanced at him; his eyes were filled with sadness. Then you suddenly placed your hand on his head, patting him gently. “... Do you want to lay your head on my lap?” You asked as you turned to look back into his pale blue eyes. Ithaqua was surprised by your question. He seemed taken aback as he felt your hand patting his head. He slowly nodded. “Yes... if that's okay.” He turned his head as you gently placed his head on your lap. He felt your hand stroking his mask. Ithaqua remembered the past and all he and his mother had to endure. His mind flashed, a memory of his mother brushing his hair and patting his head, comforting him. He could almost feel his mother again. You smiled warmly at him, but you never felt so close being with the male who held you as a captive. He just wanted someone to love him again.  

Slowly, you take off the white bloody mask from his face, revealing his pale face, his cold lips, and his icy-blue eyes as you pull it off from his face. He was quite shocked to see you taking off the mask. You then gently stroke his wavy platinum hair to comfort him. Ithaqua was surprised by your action. You were the first one to see his true face. It was the first time you saw his beauty. He was handsome, despite the cold expression on his face. Ithaqua's eyes widened as he looked at you, his pale blue eyes staring intently at you. “What... You...” The words struggled to come out of his mouth as he was breathless. “You are beautiful.” You finally admitted as you whispered softly and smiled, “even with or without the mask.” You moved your hand away from his hair and placed it on his cheek. Ithaqua's cheeks turned red.  

A sense of embarrassment came over him as he felt your hands on his face. He never felt anyone's touch other than his mother's touch. “You shouldn't... see this...” He whispered as he tried to reach for the mask you took off. The joy and embarrassment in his voice were evident. There was even a hint of shyness in his tone and words. You could see his eyes light up again. You smiled at him and reassured him that it was alright. “No, it is alright. I wanted to see the real you,” you said. “You are a beautiful man. You shouldn't fear who you are.” Ithaqua's face was filled with joy, happiness, and love. He blushed a bit, as he looked at you. His eyes filled with light. “I... I shouldn't hide behind this mask. It's not who I am...” He took your hand that was on his cheek, holding it in his hand and caressing your hand. “Thanks anyway...” You could just hear his voice filled with emotions. Joy and love. You felt his heart beating, and you felt his heat emanating from his chest. You looked into his eyes, and you both knew.  

You felt the connection between you two. You moved closer to his face. “You are welcome.” His heart was beating faster, as the feelings were mutual. He moved closer to you, putting away his mask, and placing it down on the mattress so his lips were close to yours. He was holding your hand, as he caressed your cheek gently. “I have never felt like this before..” He whispered. His warm breath brushed your skin, as he gave you a slight gaze. You felt a sense of affection emanating from him. He gently placed his other hand on your neck, his fingers caressing your skin. It was like he was trying to comfort you. He was blushing a bit and smiling with his eyes closed. His voice was soft and gentle, like a whisper in the night. You could feel your heart racing, as you started to blush too. You leaned in and suddenly kissed him. His lips were cold, but your warmth spread through them. Ithaqua closed his eyes, as you kissed him. His lips were soft and cold against your lips. You could feel the affection radiating from him and your warmth spread through his lips. As you broke the kiss, you could see both of you breathing heavily.  

A sense of affection and happiness had spread across both of you. Ithaqua placed his hand on your cheek again, as you both stared at each other. “You made me feel so alive...” He whispered, smiling a bit. His eyes twinkled as he said those words. You smiled back, as you intertwined your hands with his. He stood up and pulled you closer and kissed you again. His lips were gentle yet firm. Your touch sent a shiver through his body, as a wave of passion rushed through his blood. Ithaqua's arms wrapped around your waist, as he pulled you close in kiss again. His lips were firm, with a tender and gentle touch. His hands caressed your cheeks softly, as he kissed you with love and passion. “You're so beautiful...” He whispered. “Please, never leave me... I'm sorry..”  

The words of desperation slipped from his mouth. Your touch was heavenly. You embraced him tightly, feeling his heart beating against your chest. You whispered back, "I am here, I am not going anywhere. I will stay with you always." You smiled. He let out a sigh of relief and smiled back, burying his face in the crook of your neck. You held him close, giving him the comfort, he needed. He then started kissing and gently biting your neck. You felt his love and warmth radiating through you, and you melted into his embrace. Ithaqua's heart was racing, as you melted into his embrace. His body was shaking, and your love was so warm and passionate. He had never felt love, kindness, or affection for so long. Ithaqua's teeth lightly trailed along your neck, as he kissed and gently bit them. His slender hands caressed your hips, as he hugged you tightly. He was like a man starving for affection, and you were his first meal. He didn't want to let you go.  

You looked into his eyes and saw the longing he had. He slowly pushed you onto the mattress and leaned closer to you. You ran your hands through his wavy white locks and kissed him deeply. His lips were cold but sweet, with a touch of passion in them. He was almost like a hungry animal, as his hands caressed and held your hips. He looked at you passionately, like a man thirsting for compassion and love. A touch, a caress, and a hug that he hadn't had for so long. Ithaqua's lips touched you, as you both gave in to passion and love. His eyes closed tightly as he gave you a tight hug, as his hands went up your body, caressing your thighs. Your body quivered in pleasure as his touch sent a shiver down your spine. You could feel his heart beating quickly against your chest as you embraced each other. He continued to caress you, as your warmth was spread across his body. He gave you a gentle kiss, before pulling himself towards you. The sound of his heartbeat sounded like a drum in your ears. He ran his hands through your hair, his arms wrapped around you. He wanted you to know how loved you were, and to caress every inch of you. 

You could feel his fingers running up and down along your thighs and stomach. “Y/n...” He whispered with a hint of lust. His breath was hot against your neck as he lightly kissed it. His hands moved lower until they were resting just above your clothes. You could feel the anticipation building as he looked into your eyes. His fingers lightly traced the edge of your clothes, as his mouth was still caressing your neck slightly. His breath was hot, and his touch sent a shiver across your body. You could feel anticipation in his body, as his touch was getting more aggressive. He then broke the kiss, and his icy eyes met yours with a look of lust. His hands moved lower and started taking off your clothes. He then pushed them off your body, and you felt a wave of pleasure as his hands moved over your skin. His mouth followed, trailing kisses across your body. His hands moved around your body, exploring and caressing as he whispered sweet nothings in your ear. You felt yourself getting lost in the moment, lost in the sensation of his touch. You felt like you were about to cry from his touch, yet you did. As your tears fell, he got even more excited.  

Ithaqua's touch was addictive, as his hands caressed and touched you more. He was slowly discovering your body, your curves, and your sensitive spots as he kissed and caressed your body. You were like heaven to his touch... He could feel his heart racing and his passion rising up inside him. As your tears dropped, his hand caressed your face as he looked deeply into your eyes. He was trying to be gentle with you. You felt the tears slowly drop from your eyes. He then kissed your eyes and kissed away your tears. Is this what love felt like? You felt overwhelmed with emotion, and you embraced him tightly. He felt his heart swell with emotion and held you close. You knew this moment was special and would never forget it. You both knew that this was the beginning of something beautiful. His heart was beating out of his chest. A wave of emotions was flowing through his veins as you held him close.  

As he felt your hands embrace him, it was all he needed at that moment. He wanted it to stay that way forever. His mouth slowly traced your neck and shoulders. His touch was light, as his tongue danced along your skin. Ithaqua's hands caressed your face again... your cheeks, your nose, your lips... as his love and passion were growing for you. Did you really have fallen in love with a man-killing beast? You looked into his eyes and could feel the love radiating from them. You knew you had fallen in love with him. You wanted to comfort him, to tell him that you would always be there for him. Now, you understand him. He was an abominable snowman, the beast who lurked on the Plateau of Leng, yet you felt a connection between the two of you. He was no longer a monster, but a loved one. Ithaqua was losing his inhibitions. He let go of his fears, his demons and his darkness, all to be with you. He had been loved finally, by someone. He wanted to comfort you, to hold you, to hug you and never let you go. You were like a Lenten Rose, a wildflower that grows in the snow. Every minute spent with you felt like an eternity. 

“I'm sorry for being harsh and for hurting you earlier,” he said. He held you tightly, as tears started streaming down his face. His heart was filled with love, and he knew he never wanted to let go. “Promise me, Y/n. That you will stay with me.” He gazed into your eyes, his own filled with regret and sorrow. “I do not want to lose you like I lose her.” 

[sugudoe]

hi there cutie i hope you’re well! i was hoping i could get a jjk match-up? PRETTY PLEASE AND THANK YOU ❤️

- i’m pretty short, 155cm 🫣 and on the curvier side. i like to wear heels for this reason lmaoo

- i’ve always wanted to be one of those mysterious girlies who have an intense aura and makes others wonder what’s going on inside their head, but i’m too loud, bubbly and expressive to be anything like that 😔

- i’m not a shy person by any means, i love meeting new people and making friends always came easy to me. i can talk someone’s ear off about any and everything, even i’ve only known them for 5 minutes 😭 i’d like to be more reserved in that sense but ITS SO HARD bc i like to say what’s on my mind and always feel the need to put my 2cents in every topic even if no one asked.

- i make myself giggle with my own jokes.

- have been told that being around me can feel like such a ‘rush’ due to how lively and chirpy i am. i try to hold myself back bc i don’t like overwhelming people.

- really into makeup and fashion, and in general just always making sure i look my best. i’ve been told my hair and eyes are my best features.

- i can be a bit of an airhead sometimes, most of the time. i trip over air, have butterfingers, i could be looking for something only for that thing to have been in my hand the whole time, that sort of stuff 😪

- i like collecting plushies, especially cute foodie ones!

- i’m a violinist. when i play, it’s the only time i feel like i have my shit together 🤩

- i love anything taro flavoured; drinks, steamed buns, cakes, etc..

- i buy fresh flowers every week bc they’re pretty and bring life into any room/space 🌸

THATS ENOUGH IM SORRY super keen to see who you pair me with me! 🙈💕

OHH, HIII!! i’ve been waiting to do yours since the ask you send me, yayyyy!!!

•⁀➷ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. . . ﹫ 𝘨𝘰𝘫𝘰 ៹ ༉‧₊˚

everyone in jujutsu tech knew that the universe was against them, not because they are sorceress and their life will be short, is more for the fact that you and gojo satoru met, and it became everyone’s problem.

the moment gojo sat by your side, he a second year and you a first, he barely introduced himself before shifting his attention to your heels as part of your uniform.

“how do you run from a curse with this shoes?” he asks.

“i’ll show you.” you got up from the bench and started to run. he was impressed, but thought he could do better.

few hours later, returning from a shopping spree sponsored by the gojo clan, you both are running in stilettos on school ground. sorry to say it, but he won the race.

you can try to be a mysterious girl, and it can work the first few minutes with your friends and strangers, but never with satoru. one look at you, and he knows what you’re thinking. both of you develop this head and eye signs to understand each other, and it creeps geto and nanami a lot.

satoru loves to have you rambling whatever it’s on your mind. you read a newspaper about a random topic, such as the eldest animal alive, and somehow you will start to talk as if you personally knew the creature. gojo, always enchanted, will encourage it.

if no one asks, he does.

gojo knew he had to have you, and so he did. now, years later, when adulthood has reached, the male is still as devoted to you and your babbling as he was before.

you don’t think there has been a day you held yourself back from talking. on your first week living together in a penthouse, gojo came home tired from a mission, you kept yourself quiet while hugging him, until he tugged you along to the bathroom.

“talk to me.” he says while starting his shower, you sat on the floor while whispering of your week, and when gojo was drying himself you were already explosive yapping about anything and him mimicking you.

you’re his energy.

gojo loves to see you walking around barefoot, he is reminded of his first time seeing it. how short you became right away, how he laughed at your cuteness. you told him that it’s not big deal, he is taller than anyone no matter what. but, it’s you — his favorite person in the world, barely reaching his chest.

when you play violin and he is at the house, you know he will drop anything to come your way and sit, staring at you until your cheeks grow red and you have to pause your playing to beg him to stop.

“i’m not doing anything.” he raises his hand, innocent eyes and devilish smirk. “just appreciating the show.

so, you will play again, not daring to look at him but feeling all his six eyes on you. devoted.

a good word to express satoru’s love for you — it’s always for you, always has been and will be.

──── 𓇼 ° ⋆ FUN FACTS ᵎᵎ

۫ ּ ﹗satoru loves that he knows you better than no one, and the best way he found to prove that to himself, others and you is by spoiling. he randomly picks you up from your job and takes you to the mall, anything you stare for more than five seconds will be bought. usually those things are high heels, clothes and makeup.

۫ ּ ﹗you both know he doesn’t need you that to buy it, he knows you’d style and what compliments you the most, and vice versa as well. whenever you both go out to a fancy place, all eyes are on you. two pretty bad bitches.

۫ ּ ﹗weekly dates are a requirement, they aren’t usually fancy, because you both rather be somewhere allowed to be a little weird and loud. so, cute bakeries and picnics are a must. he always buys you the taro flavored, he also likes to ask to taste only to say it sucks.

۫ ּ ﹗you and gojo have a little play fight every week, both coming home with bouquets and trying to out-stand the other. satoru mostly looses, but every month he comes home with the flowers, a taro drink and a new plushie to your collection, so he wins.

۫ ּ ﹗he is a little shit with your antics. you trip over something and he is there to catch you, saying “did you fall for me?” yes, idiot. and if you are looking for something in your hand, he won’t tell you, he will indulge in it, searching with you. such a bitch.

[sanyu-thewitch05]

This came into my mind like a couple of minutes ago and I needed to get it down before I forget it.

Twisted Wonderland Fairytale AU

You, Yuu, are a princess.

A special princess considering your existence is a mystery

One day the king and queen were on a trip with their son, Kalim, and their advisor’s son, Jamil. When they returned, a baby (Yuu) was inside the castle wandering on the tile floors.

No one knows how you got in.

No one knows who brought you here.

But you were there and were immediately added as part of the royal family.

Due to your mysterious circumstances, you grew up a sheltered child. Leaving you with your royal friends, Leona and Riddle, your noble friends, Azul, Jade, Floyd, Idia, and Ortho. Along with your mutual villager friends, Cater, Ace, Deuce, Jack, Ruggie, Trey. But let’s not forget the kingdom celebrities like Vil and the famous hunter Rook.

Yeah, it’s a lot of people but a girl has limits

And so, you turned to a girl’s best friend: Books.

Books were your everything.

As you grew up, your tastes in books did as well.

You went from children’s books to material that would land you in an asylum for thinking a dark wizard or monster was attractive to spell books for every want.

It was quite the variety, but you kept the mature stuff carefully hidden.

But those books deluded shaped you

Now at the age of 17, you had the mindset of “Princesses just want to have fun!”

Plus you didn’t want to look at pictures of suitors anymore.

So, one night, during one of Kalim’s lavish parties for all, you snuck away through the hidden tunnels underneath the castle and went on your merry way into the woods.

Everything was going swell until you found the most beautiful valley of roses you’ve seen.

Blue, green, pink, red, and white. The valley had every color. You wanted to pick one, just one as a souvenir of your adventure.

You reached down and touched the flower’s stem.

You prick your finger on a thorn, and suddenly you hear a creature from the mountain above breathe like it’s been disturbed.

Your blood drops on the rose and it roars.

You run through the valley but it seems like the rose’s thorns are wrapping around your feet and ankles. Cutting them and letting more blood spill onto their petals and roots.

You slow down from the pain, and fall to the ground.

That’s when you see your attacker.

It’s a large dragon with purple and black coloring over its scales.

Its feet stomp over to you and a singular claw draws near your face.

Its eyes are green like emeralds and they stare at you like you’re prey.

The claw goes into the ground near your right cheek, and it makes a tight grip around your body.

You scream and scream in terror as you go higher into the sky, and eventually enter the mountain.

It puts you onto a pile of gold coins, and walks away before transforming into a tall, slender, and pale young man with horns.

“Someone finally came to see me! So, what’s the occasion? Is it another party?” The dragon rambles.

“Uh, I am so sorry. I just stumbled onto the valley,” You respond.

“Even better! Why don’t you stay for dinner?!” The dragon man proposes, holding your hands.

“Oh, sure. I suppose one meal with you couldn’t hurt,” You reply, making the dragon man ecstatic.

If only you knew the trouble you had just gotten into.

[sitp-recs]

Do you know Drarry fics, where Harry is overworked and/or exhausted by his posr war life and Draco is the one who is instrumental in helping Harry? Xo

Hi anon! Sure, these are some of my favorites - I expanded your ask to also include anxious/apathetic/depressed Harry, hope that’s ok :)

Unseen by astolat (M, 11k)

When he wasn’t wearing it, he got jumpy, always waiting for someone to come at him wanting something—and now they did it even more urgently, if they ever saw him, because most of the time, nobody did.

Poor Unfortunate Souls by DoubleApple (E, 19k)

Draco is a potioneer. Harry is trying to save his sex-challenged marriage. Everything is a mess, but at least there's an octopus in the lobby.

Fearful Trill by Vukovich (E, 29k)

Harry should have come out and met someone when he was younger. He should have seen a doctor about the pain in his hip while youth was still on his side. Now, he's made his peace with dying young, but maybe not with dying alone.

This is Never Happening Again by hpleems (M, 32k)

“Potter,” Malfoy said, shaking his head. “Do I look like I care about your holiday plans? Trust me: this is *never* happening again.”

Open For Repairs by FeelsForBreakfast (M, 35k)

After the war, Draco works at a tv repair shop and Harry breaks things.

Touch by bixgirl1 (E, 45k)

When Harry is referred to a professional cuddler for the soothing power of touch, he’s dubious — even more so when the Cuddler who shows up turns out to be Malfoy. But in the years since the war, Malfoy’s changed, and over the next several days Harry is confronted by how much he still doesn’t know about this new version of his old enemy — and by how much he wants to learn.

In The Red by bixgirl1 (E, 45k)

When Harry goes looking for a vampire at a Creature club, the second-to-last thing Harry expects is to find Malfoy working there.

Unseen by Jackvbriefs (T, 47k)

Harry Potter finally has the chance to leave England and its expectations for The Chosen One behind for good. All he has to do is survive one Auror training conference overseas with Draco Sodding Malfoy.

Here's The Pencil, Make It Work by ignatiustrout (M, 49k)

Harry thinks "Why is Malfoy working in a coffee shop in muggle London?" is a much simpler question than, "Are you going to accept that auror offer and, if you don't, what will you do?"

Meet Me at Midnight by thestarryknight (T, 57k)

Harry was beginning to wonder if he’d ever make anything again when Malfoy stormed through the door of Harry’s furniture shop. Now Harry’s got an impossible Ministry commission to finish, and even less energy than ever to deal with his elusive muse. That is, until he stumbles upon the surreal and beautiful world of a mysterious fae creature…

Modern Love by tackytiger (E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

The Way Down by lettered (T, 65k)

Harry is overwhelmed by his own power and fame and angst, so he's become a hermit. Draco Malfoy is tired of the melodrama.

Harry Potter and the elusive day off by pleasebekidding (E, 71k)

Auror Potter needs a fucking break. He is wiped. He is exhausted. He probably didn't intend to put himself into a magical coma but these things happen. And who cares, really? He is comfortable in a house where he has hidden away all the shit he can't deal with.

Kept in Cages by sweet_s0rr0w and art by ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm (E, 76k)

Deep in the heart of the Ministry lies the Beast Division: a hidden room where ancient beasts roam, and winged creatures soar, and grumpy giant ferrets eat all your biscuits unless you keep them well hidden. Draco Malfoy would know – he’s been working there for five years now, after all.

I Am Not Who I Became by mab_di (E, 93k)

Draco left England after the trials and has travelled the world meeting wizards and Muggles from different cultures and with vastly different relationships to magic, each other, and the natural world. Now he's a fisherman in Finland on commercial vessels. Harry has been struggling since the war and has become a recluse while trying to write his autobiography. An invitation to the Hogwarts class of 1998's 15th reunion isn't welcomed by either of them, but neither could predict how the night, and their reunion, will upend their lives.

The Liars Department by DorthyAnn (T, 103k)

This is a story about Harry meeting up with Draco Malfoy four years after the war. And a story about Harry, well, not hating his job per say, but it's not like he has much to compare it to and it seemed fine. His whole life seemed fine. Then Malfoy came along with and his flashy suits and fast car making everything seem dull in comparison, and Harry... Harry couldn't just leave well enough alone.

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym (M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

Any Instrument by dicta_contrion (E, 131k)

Draco Malfoy wouldn't go back to England for anything less than an exceptional case. Being asked to figure out why Harry Potter can't control his magic might be exceptional enough to qualify.

where all the veins meet by eight_of_wands (E, 146k)

It's the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now?

[perseidlion]

Cat and Ghost (39371 words) by perseid_lion Chapters: 15/15 Fandom: Dead Boy Detectives (TV), The Sandman (Comics), The Sandman (TV 2022) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: The Cat King | Thomas/Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne & Charles Rowland Characters: The Cat King | Thomas, Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, Charles Rowland (DCU), Crystal Palace (DCU), Desire of the Endless, Death of the Endless Additional Tags: Touch-Starved Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne, Edwin Paine | Edwin Payne Loves Charles Rowland, the cat king - Freeform, Seduction, Teasing, Flirting, Magic, Touch-Starved, Forehead Touching, Touching, Overstimulation, Guilty Pleasures, Canon Compliant, Post-Season/Series 01, First Kiss, Slow Burn, Dating, Boys Kissing, Gentle Kissing, Case Fic, Secrets, Secret Relationship, Catwin - Freeform, First Time, Non-Graphic Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Minor Crystal Palace/Charles Rowland, Coming Out, First Relationship, Detectives, supernatural mystery, cat king's name is not Thomas in this because it's not canon and I don't think it suits him, Jealousy, Cat's background in this is about 85 percent my own creation, Started off writing a cute story and whups suddenly a lot of plot, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Behavior, Platonic Soulmates Series: Part 1 of Perseid_Lion's Dead Boy Detectives, Part 1 of The Ballad of Edwin and Cat - Catwin Continity Summary:

A few months after their return to London from Port Townsend, the Cat King shows back up in Edwin’s life. He’s bent on courting Edwin, and has somehow acquired a magical collar that allows them to properly feel each other. Edwin meets him in secret, unsure of whether he’s ready to tell Charles about the relationship.

In the meantime, business at the Dead Boy Detective Agency continues. They receive a case where a woman is trapped between life and death, tethered between the mortal realm and the beyond by a cursed sorcerer.

But there may be more going on than meets the eye, and an Endless pulling strings from the shadows…

---

Part Edwin/Cat courtship, part casefic. Now complete!

Chapter 1

The night was thick with fog and drizzle as the remnants of a storm made its way out of Port Townsend.

Detective Edwin Payne made his way down the dock toward the throne of The Cat King. The large colony of said King’s subjects that milled around kept a wary eye on the ghost detective, but neither spoke nor approached. They did keep a wary eye on him, dozens of furry faces following him as he walked.

Edwin worried the invitation printed on rough stationery between his fingers. The invite had come through Dead Mail from the Cat King himself. He’d debated answering it, but when he’d mentioned it to Charles, he said he’d come along. It was a good opportunity to stock up on a few things from Tragic Mick, whose prices were far better than shops in London for certain items.

Edwin suspected Charles simply missed Port Townsend, or perhaps he didn’t trust the Cat King. Not that he could blame him. The feline spirit was as difficult to pin down in motive and allegiance as the creatures he ruled. That mystery intrigued the scholar in Edwin, even though his abundance of caution told him that he was bad news and likely to get him into trouble.

But, as much as he tried to deny it, Edwin found he missed the attention of the admittedly very attractive Cat King. As a ghost, he didn’t sleep and therefore didn’t dream, but he did find himself daydreaming about a gently predatory smile, split pupils, and bared calves and thighs in kilts and skirts. 

No matter how attracted he was to some other men, the bulk of his affections would always remain with his best mate. Charles had taken his love confession with all the kindness and understanding that had made him fall in love with him in the first place. Things had been…a little awkward since returning to London, but the pile of cases waiting for them had kept them busy. They had grown closer now that the air had cleared, but there was an awkwardness there as well. Charles didn’t say he returned Edwin’s affections, but he hadn’t said he didn’t reciprocate, either. 

Edwin thought it best to give his best mate some time rather than push him for any kind of answer. 

But then, the letter and its intriguing invitation came, sprawled in inky handwriting as if written with a quill and inkwell, which Edwin read again.

I have a surprise for you. You know where to find me.

And then a pawprint dipped in the same ink. 

For a moment, Edwin considered fleeing and finding Charles at Mick’s shop. His curiosity and a newfound surge of confidence after escaping Hell a second time made him straighten up (which, considering his posture was always immaculate, was a feat) and he passed spectrally through the door to the empty warehouse.

The space, which was usually dilapidated, decaying, and full of the scent of fish guts and damp wood, was barely recognizable. It had been transformed with fairy lights and draped fabric. Wooden palettes had been artfully arranged, and the space almost looked…clean. The most obvious new addition was a bed made out of wooden palettes on the platform where the Cat King’s throne normally stood. 

If Edwin still had a heart that beat, it would be thundering in his ears. He swept his eyes around the space. More cats milled in and out of the shadows, but all kept a distance that almost felt…respectful.

“You came.”

Edwin spun around to find the Cat King standing there with a Cheshire grin. 

He was shirtless and bekilted, with a fur-collared long sweeping coat made of what looked like patched-together deer hide. He was short enough that the coat dragged along the floor as he stepped up to Edwin and lifted his chin. 

One corner of the Cat King’s mouth curled up in a half-grin, and for the first time, Edwin noticed that his canines were subtly pointed. 

“I did. I received your invitation,” Edwin held up the piece of paper that he was still holding. 

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.” The Cat King prowled around him, sweeping his slitted yellow eyes up and down Edwin’s body with absolutely no shame or attempt to hide it. “I’ve missed you. How’s London? Damp?”

“We’re in the Pacific Northwest, the absolute gold-standard for damp and rain,” said Edwin as he tugged down the edges of his tweed coat. “London is practically the Sahara by comparison.” 

“Ahh, that’s that English wit. I’ve missed it,” drawled the Cat King. He held up his arms and gestured around. “Well?”

“I like what you’ve done to the place,” said Edwin in a manner that came out far more sarcastic and dry than he’d intended. “Is your home renovation the surprise I’ve come all this way for?”

The Cat King was not a creature to stay still. He kept moving, at first in a circle around Edwin, then forward and back again with slinky steps. “Not quite.”

Edwin opened his mouth to say something, stopped, re-thought it, and then got the words out. He managed to say them confidently despite the sudden bundle of nerves in his stomach. “I’ve been wondering what to call you. The Cat King is quite a mouthful. And Your Majesty seems quite pretentious and unequal.” 

The question seemed to please the spirit, who sauntered back and slinked within Edwin’s personal space. He slid a finger along his collar and gave it a gentle tug. “Well, that seems quite hypocritical for someone whose country is holding onto the monarchy like it’s a liferaft.” He tilted his head, lifted his eyebrows, then said, “Why don’t you just call me Cat?”

“Cat,” said Edwin as he tested the name. He wobbled his head. “All right. Cat it is.” 

Cat sauntered back toward his throne-turned-bed and sat on the end of it, arms splayed out, legs apart. Only the length of his kilt kept the pose from being wholly indecent. His body was an invitation, and Edwin’s name was sprawled on every inch of it. “I won’t bite. Or scratch. Unless you ask me to. Come closer.” 

Edwin took a few mincing steps forward.

Cat looked at him expectantly.

Edwin summoned courage and got closer. He had spent so much of his life and a good chunk of his death denying how he felt about other men. But recent events and confessions and his second brush with Hell had made him face those parts of himself. “I’m…not quite sure why I’m here. Do you have a case?”

Cat slid a box from behind him. It was wooden and engraved and looked quite old. “No, no case. This is strictly a social call. But I think you know that.” He stood up again and stepped down toward Edwin. He opened the box and swung it around for him to see.

Inside was a leather collar that looked quite old but in excellent condition. The leather had been recently conditioned and it was shiny and full of character. It had brass finishes, and in place of studs were a series of white gems. It was also fixed with a small brass bell that tinkled in a deep, almost meditative chime. 

Cat pulled it out and with a wave of his fingers, the box vanished in blue light. He unfastened it and then held it up against his neck expectantly.

Edwin swallowed as he realized Cat was inviting him to fasten it around his neck. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but his curiosity burned deep in his gut. Now it was his turn to circle behind his host. He slid the leather strap into its space on the loosest hole.

“Tighter,” purred Cat. 

Edwin, ghostly fingers shaking, did as he was told and fastened it until there was only a finger of space between the collar and Cat’s neck. As he was finishing the job, his fingers brushed the back of his neck. The sensation that trickled up his fingers made him pull back in alarm and stagger to the point where he fell back against the bed. 

Cat spun around, hip cocked, golden eyes full of cat-got-the-canary pleasure. 

“I…I…” Edwin stammered. He looked at his fingers, then at Cat. “I felt you!”

“Neat, isn’t it? Took me forever to source the stones. Then I had them set into this collar. I got that from somewhere else. Felt it needed to be a bit extra. Just for you.” Cat slid his fingers over the gems, then braced his hands on either side of Edwin’s hips and leaned in. He didn’t touch, but it was clear that he was inviting Edwin to do the touching.

Edwin stared in disbelief. Ghosts could interact with the world around them, but they couldn’t feel the world. But when he’d been fastening the collar, he’d felt the warmth of Cat’s skin and the tiny hairs on the back of his neck. “How?”

“You’re the detective. You know that just about anything can be found with a little tenacity and the right connections.” Cat shifted forward and the bell sounded again. “Besides…” he sucked air between his teeth. “I felt like I needed to make it up to you. When Esther had you, your friends came to me for help.”

“They mentioned,” said Edwin, who was barely able to contain himself. But he dug deep into his well of English decorum and did his best to school his face and body into one of control. “You turned them down.”

“I…” Cat balled up his fists and punched the ends of the makeshift bed. His temper surged. “She’d just beaten me to death and threatened to do it again. I’ve only got so many lives, you know.” Then he pulled himself back and forced his tone into something softer. “But I gave them information that helped them. That’s got to count for something, right?”

“It does. Not a lot, but there’s a reason I haven’t cut you out. And…why…” Edwin lifted his chin, “...why I’ve come here now. How did you find those gems? They must be magical in nature. Something that taps into another plane, or a simulacra of skin-to-skin touch. It’s utterly fascinating. I haven’t even read of such a thing.”

Cat slid his fingers over the collar, “I’m not sure how it works. I’m sure with that big brain and all those books, you could figure it out. But that doesn’t matter to me. All that matters from my perspective is that it does.” He sat back and reached out to take Edwin’s hand. He sandwiched it between his own and rubbed slowly and gently. When he spoke again, his voice was quite low and intimate. “I thought you deserved to feel something other than pain for the first time in a hundred years.” And then he gently kissed his fingertips while keeping eye contact. 

Edwin closed his eyes to savor the sensation of warm hands and soft lips. When he did, he also realized he was able to feel the heat thrown off by Cat’s body. After a moment of eyes closed, he opened them and stared as he continued to kiss his hand and sandwich it, creating warm currents of sensation that skipped down his arm and through the rest of his spectral body. Slowly, he shifted back to sit more properly on the end of the bed. 

Cat gently nudged Edwin’s knees apart with his legs, then stood between them, gazing down at him with radiant affection. He slowly guided the hand he was holding up to his face. “Go on.”

Fascinated, Edwin set his hand on Cat’s cheek. He slowly caressed, feeling a series of fine hairs that weren’t even visible. His fingertips trickled up to his hairline, then along the side of it. The texture was not human, but instead like the thick fur of a black cat. It had once been more ginger and wavy, but his reincarnation after Esther’s attack had changed it. His other hand then joined the first, cupping Cat’s face. He bent his fingers under and slid them around the curve of his jaw and the planes of his face, picking up all the information his fingers had forgotten they could gather. He could feel a pulse thrumming beneath his fingers. 

“I’ve been missing so much,” said Edwin breathlessly.

Cat rolled his shoulders back and dropped the fur-collared coat off his broad shoulders, putting his fit and lean body on full display. He pressed his thumb against Edwin’s bottom lip, then touched it to his own. He licked the edge of his finger, then slid it along Edwin’s jaw.

The slick of saliva might have seemed a move of pure kink, but what it did was change the temperature of Edwin’s skin, revealing that the collar’s power was affecting them both. 

Edwin found himself deeply overwhelmed. Every part of him, including his scholar’s mind, urged him to explore more directly, to touch Cat and to feel and to be felt. The ache of existing with attraction to other men had been tempered by decades of pain and the barrier between the living and the dead. But now, it came rushing back to him, and for a moment he almost felt alive again. 

“I know. It’s a lot,” Cat lifted his hand and then gently slid his fingers through Edwin’s hair in a soft stroking motion. He trickled gentle touches along his temple, but also occasionally tugged his hair to prove that all levels of sensation were now available to them. “I had to turn in a lot of favours and a fair bit of cash to find this little trinket. But what can I say?” he leaned in and whispered right into Edwin’s ear, “I’m a sucker for good boys.” 

Edwin felt Cat’s breath hot against his ear and heard the long, almost moaned exhale. He looked down at his torso, at the sculpted pecs and abs. He summoned courage and flattened his palm against his chest, pressing firmly, feeling the tension of muscle and the yielding bits of soft flesh. He felt the gentle pulsing of his heartbeat deep in his ribcage. 

Cat lingered near his neck and pressed a soft kiss just below his earlobe. Then he nibbled the ear itself and extended his tongue to slide around the base of it. He kissed again, moving around his jaw, then he cupped his face and looked him in the eye. “I find it’s very sexy to check in on your partner. So…how are you feeling, champ?” 

“Overwhelmed, if I’m being honest,” stammered Edwin. “But you will note that I am still here.” 

“Yes, yes you are,” said Cat as he smiled with feline delight. “You’re being very brave. I commend you.” He slid a hand up his own knee and pulled up the bottom of his kilt, revealing a thigh just as well-muscled as his torso. 

Edwin had a moment of panic a second before Cat’s motions would reveal just what he was packing between his legs. He reached out and grabbed his wrist, then pulled it down, head dipping and breath he didn’t actually need to inhale suddenly ragged in what felt like lungs. It was all suddenly far too real and too powerful. His mind didn’t know how to process the flood of sensations that had been unavailable to him for so long.

“Ah, I see,” said Cat after a moment. “Not quite ready for the unwrapping, are you?” He sighed dramatically. “Fiiine. I can be patient.” He dropped the edge of his kilt and stepped backward. He walked away a few steps, then spun on the spot. “Maybe next time.”

Edwin sat there on the end of the bed, his hair ruffled and his bowtie askew. His whole body was tingling from just being near Cat, and the parts he touched were still exploding with sensation. “I’m sorry, I…I…”

“No no, no need to explain. It’s been a long time for you. I get it.” Cat smiled. “I’ll give you a little time.”

Edwin scrambled to his feet and tried to close the distance between them. Now that he’d touched and felt, he was like a man in the desert who’d forgotten what water tasted like. A drop had hit his tongue and now he was dying of thirst. “Wait. I was just, I needed a moment, that’s all.”

Cat swung around, his kilt’s many pleats flaring out around his legs before slapping heavily against his knees. “This is my fault. I should have started a little bit slower. I’d imagine it’s sort of like jumping into cold water on a hot summer’s day. Too much sensation all at once. Overwhelming. Or so I imagine.” 

Edwin realized then that Cat was toying with him, and he knew the power the collar had given over him. He had realized that the teasing was a form of payback for not returning his affections all those months ago. “Cat. Are you really going to leave it like this?”

Cat looked Edwin over, tapped his foot, then leaned his head back and whuffed in annoyance. “God! Why do you have to be so handsome and adorable and…” he made a face, then bit his fist. He spun around again, then marched with purpose up to Edwin. 

Before Edwin could fully process what was happening, Cat had an exceptionally strong arm wrapped around his waist, and the other braced against his cheek. He pulled him in for a deep, soft kiss and rocked side to side. For all his pent-up feline energy, the kiss was surprisingly sweet. 

Edwin had only kissed Monty, and that was quick and without sensation. In contrast, he tasted Cat, and felt the warmth and wetness of his mouth. He felt his body as they pressed against each other, each muscle flexing and relaxing as he moved and changed positions. It took him a moment to understand the rhythm of a kiss, but then he returned it with absolutely no experience but plenty of enthusiasm. 

Cat pulled back and grinned. His strange eyes glinted in the ambient light, his normally split pupils much more saucer-like. He looked utterly pleased with himself. “Happy now?”

Edwin, who had gotten up the courage to rest his hands against Cat’s hips, nodded. 

“Good.” Cat rested a hand against Edwin’s collarbone, then tweaked his chin. “That’s still all you get for now. I want you to daydream about me. And about what we could do together. I don’t want you rushing into this because you’re all high on new sensations. I want this to be real for you, not just the byproduct of magic.”

“Oh do not worry. It feels quite real to me,” said Edwin in a droll manner.

Cat bit his lip and lifted his chin up at the much taller Edwin. “Still.” He pushed off his chest, bell collar tinkling as he moved. “You know where I’ll be when you’re ready for round two.” 

Edwin reached out toward Cat, trying to catch his shoulder, to feel one more time. But before he could, he disappeared in a ripple of blue energy, leaving him alone in the warehouse with not even cats for company. He stood there for a long moment, mind racing, cataloging the shape and hue of the stones, searching his memory for mentions of similar gems. That academic exercise was a distraction from the powerful feelings Cat’s kiss and his touch had unearthed in him. 

Finally, Edwin smoothed his hair back into place and passed through the wall of the warehouse back onto the docks. He was startled to see the shape of Charles up ahead, who was flipping a coin, backlit by the streetlight. He cut a handsome, lean figure.

“Oi, mate. I was wondering how long you’d be in there for. What did old whiskers want, anyway?” 

“That’s not your business,” said Edwin defensively. He straightened himself once more. “Why are you waiting out here? We were supposed to meet at the remains of Jenny’s shop.” His words were slightly stammered and he was struggling to put himself back into the box where he’d spent so many years.

“All right, all right. No sense getting your knickers in a twist,” said Charles as he held up his hands. “Just thought it might be related to a case, is all.”

“No case,” said Edwin as he marched past Charles. “Let’s get home, shall we? We didn’t pick up any work here, but there are plenty of cases at home that need our attention. I trust your trip to Mick’s was fruitful?”

Charles hefted his infinitely expanding backpack on his shoulder and pointed to it. “Loaded for bear. We should be good for quite a while. Didn’t have a few things on him, but said he’d ask around. So we’ve got a reason to come back later.” His eyebrows lifted as he fell into step beside Edwin. 

Edwin stole a look at Charles’ grinning face. He had to look away immediately, lest his mind go places that would distract him from walking, let alone holding a conversation. “Well. Good. Better to support a small business than to give money to the magic cartels of London after all.”

As enticing and intoxicating as the interaction with the Cat King had been, Edwin couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if one of them wore the gems. Could he feel Charles? Could he caress his cheek? Could he hold him as a storm raged outside? Could they feel the things they missed out on in life with one another? 

The thought had already begun to haunt Edwin, and pierce his guts with guilt. Guilt for wanting more from Charles. Guilt for wanting less from Cat. Guilt for wanting them both for different reasons and in different ways.

As they reached an old mirror tucked into an alleyway ready to be hauled away for trash, Charles cast a look back toward the dock. He caught sight of Cat standing there before he disappeared in a roll of fog. 

“C’mon,” Charles beckoned and held out his hand, part of his body inside the mirror.

Edwin reached out and gripped Charles’ hand. When he did, he felt nothing. 

And everything. 

Continue reading.

[thefirstknife]

Speaking of lightfall being good actually, my biggest gripe with people going “but but but the radial mast!” Is that it’s called out as a light artifact. We already know of the duality of light and dark, especially after learning about the veil. And furthermore, if they’ve played previous campaigns and stuff we know the witness has used out ghost to communicate (a thing of the light accessed through the dark) and it even happens again during lightfall!

And don’t get me started on “why don’t we just grab/shoot ghost?”

People were genuinely going CinemaSins over Lightfall and that's what infuriated me the most. Some comments about Lightfall were identical to people being like "Why didn't they just fly the eagles to Mordor?" The amount of nitpicking I've seen was also bizarre to me because I know most of those people never cared about Destiny story and lore (this is mostly about all the content creators and their fans who were spreading the worst negativity; I know for a fact that y'all have never been interested in the story because I used to watch your content).

The Radial Mast thing is also something that made perfect sense on replays which made it more enjoyable for me to actually get through the story again because I kept discovering new things! People were so focused on obsessing over what it is when that doesn't matter at all. It's a Light artifact; that's all that matters. The whole point of the Radial Mast is to tell us that the Witness needs something made of Light to "interact" with the Veil. At first we think that the Witness wants to destroy it because that's what it says so we believe that it needs a Light artifact to destroy the Veil.

But in truth, it needs something made of Light to connect the Veil and the Traveler. This is a hint that it will later use our Ghost! The Radial Mast is an adequate substitute for our Ghost, but the Witness wants it to be a Ghost. Like, it could've done it with the Radial Mast, but it's much better if the connection is done with a Ghost, a creature created by the Traveler, but also capable of being manipulated by the Witness.

This is also super interesting because it's brought up later in the final Veil Log where Osiris wonders about Ghosts and the ability of the Witness to talk through them. It's an active mystery that we're meant to be discussing and wondering about! It's something exciting to keep us on our toes as we're waiting for the final act in the story! Lightfall and this whole year is a cliffhanger, giving us pieces of the story slowly over time to keep us engaged. This has genuinely been my favourite and most engaging year overall, rivalled only by the BL year because of the ongoing plotline about Savathun impersonating Osiris.

[eye-of-the-phoenix]

I want to like CRY so much

I just finished replaying it and I have so many opinions, as always. This game is unique for me in that I WANT to like it so badly but it just doesn't quite work. However, I stubbornly replay it and ponder what it could have been because I wish I liked it more. I especially feel this way because I live in New Orleans and its just so CLOSE to being good!

More thoughts under the cut.

PROS:

I actually think they did a great job with the setting. It's raining so hard that the power goes out and the streets are too flooded for cabs? There are weird creatures and bugs around every corner, some of which are messing with your belongings? The best food is from some sketchy stand served by some random Shorty person? Accurate, welcome to New Orleans. I can even forgive Bess for eating crawfish with the shells on with a spoon.

The characters are also good. Lamont is completely underutilized to where I'd never believe he was the culprit, but I can imagine running into all of these people throughout my day and it makes sense that they would all also interact with each other off-screen.

The core mystery is really interesting. It's the classic Nancy-gets-sucked-in-to-a-case-on-vacation scenario, but she really does stumble into the situation by accident in this one and has a personal stake because she gets attacked by the skeleton man. The progression is believable as she starts to unravel the skull mystery and discovers that Bruno's death was actually kind of suspicious.

My favorite ND trope, secret room/hideout/study revealed midgame, with a lot of things to look at and click on, is present.

CONS

The music is kind of a miss. It's not bad, but it should have been so much better. It has this boring CLK old-timey feel and they kind of missed the mark in my opinion. I think a more upbeat track with some brass, maybe something bluesy, maybe something modern would have added more variety.

The puzzles. THE PUZZLES ARE SO TEDIOUS. I hate that we find this book Bruno wrote and it's just a walkthrough to getting a bunch of eyeballs through various boring puzzles for the sake of padding the game. I use a walkthrough for like half of this game every time because I don't find the puzzles fun. My least favorites are the sneeze contraption because there is ZERO confirmation as to whether you're on the right track when you do it, and the tombstone pun puzzle because walking back and forth around the cemetery is SO TEDIOUS and it has zero replay value.

Bruno's house doesn't make sense because it's fairly spacious and kept up on the bottom story and the top floor that we can access is just two horrible moldy rooms. Bruno, you dropped dead from breathing in black mold in your own house, not a heart attack. Trust me when I say I know it's humid and wet here, but there's just no reason for the upstairs to be that uninhabitable indoors.

On a related note, I wish there was more to explore, and no, the cemetery doesn't count. There should be more rooms for Nancy to snoop through (where is Henry sleeping?) and like one more place for Bess to go. Or more things to do and click on in Zeke's aside from just looking at that one box a million times. Or the option to poke around Renee's table when she's away. NOT nearly enough snooping for me.

It's so dark. It's too dark. It could have been like 10% lighter or had a partial daytime element so that I could actually see what I was doing even a tiny bit.

[spooky-something]

WARNING;

we're about to seriously yap and put out some hot fucking takes about Phantom of the Opera, so if you're sensitive to that/don't wanna hear that, scroll.

We finally finished POTO, and what I can say; hot take; This is a fucking nightmare that just DOESN'T deserve the fame it has. It's awful . /Hj The writing itself is okay, it can be really good at times, but I hate the way it's framed; having Leroux litteraly self insert himself as the narrator, which could've worked, but for me, it just doesn't. It would've been great, had that narrator not litteraly been himself, but because it's him, it not only takes away from the realism he tried to built via this, but also comes ass as SUPER, SUPER annoying at times. The story itself is just cluttered, way too cluttered; the unnecessary details, events, attempts at shifting narratives that could've been better done/explained quickly and more efficiently, it's a lot. Some examples are the "Rat Catcher"; entirely unnecessary additional, why the fuck was he even there (It was so bad, we started cackling mid class because it was so fucking random)???? Or the random "apparition" added, again, for no reason. None of these were mentioned before, nor explained whatsoever; the "apparition" litteraly being wrote off by LEROUX HIMSELF as "something I cannot explain". Which, in my opinion, is extremely stupid. I don't care if it's for the "mystery factor", because, considering there was already far too much going on, and plenty of OTHER mystery elements, adding something just because with no purpose was and IS obnoxious. All it does it make the story you're trying to tell more convoluted, which was exactly what we felt while reading. Yet, the MAIN issue, the characters, and by extension, the message Leroux is so DESPERATELY trying to convey with them. I am going to say the hottest fucking take known to man; I fucking DESPISE Erik, and litteraly, ONLY kept reading because of the fact I knew he'd die at the end, and I wanted that satisfaction (was so disappointed his death was so vague and lame...). I understand why people can feel bad, at least, PARTIALLY, but the amount of fucking love and DEFENDING I see for him is ACTUALLY INSANE. Erik is

A. A fucking murderer

B. A stalker

C. An abuser

D. A manipulator (And, gaslighter, by extension)

E. A thief

F. An (ALMOST) terrorist (litteraly tried to blow up the entire opera)

G. A liar

H. A kidnapper

And

I (This stands for:). An incel (This one's more of a "joke", as the rest are all litteraly book canon, but he is literally an incel; he checks all the boxes), and yet, people out pour him with support; the amount of apologists is crazy. I've even seen people compare him to THE CREATURE (Frankenstein) which is just NOT CORRECT AT ALL???? They have similarities, yeah, but the amount of differences is insane.

1. Erik is a litteral millionaire (Yeah, I did the math for the amount of francs he got then for American dollars, now, and it was at LEAST, like 2 million...)

2. Erik IS human, biologically; yeah, he was treated differently, but he still had the COMFORT of knowing he was a human, that he was, in at least some form compared to the Creature "natural"

3. Erik was raised by his family (yes, they were abusive, and I'm not saying they weren't, but he HAD PARENTS, AND AN EDUCATION; I think, idar if he was educated or not, but my point still stands: he had a family)

4. Erik, despite the novel trying so hard to say otherwise, was HIGHLY respected; HE LITERALLY WORKED WITH ROYALTY????

5. Erik HAD FRIENDS???? Once more, not only did he work with royalty, he had the Persian/Daroga, which, again, despite how much the novel tries to say otherwise, was very clearly a friend; very clearly someone who DID care about him (if he didn't, why would he save his life even AFTER LITTERALY TORTURING PEOPLE???)

6. Erik, AGAIN, is denied humanity nearly as much as it's painted; he litteraly mentions how he wanted to be normal, and so, applied for a normal ass construction job at the Opera, AND GOT IT NO QUESTIONS ASKED???

[artist-issues]

Birds do it, bees do it, educated fleas do it,

let’s do it, let’s 

REMAKE THE LIGHT FURY

Toothless used to be a realistic creature, designed to balance on the visual knife blade’s edge between appealing and terrifying. He borrowed his coloration from panthers and manta rays and his movement from cats because they are real animals that master that cute-fierce combo, too. He could look menacing and then loveable at the drop of a hat. 

Then in HTTYD 2 somebody hit him with the Puppy Stick. I haven’t seen any better explanation of the visual problems with Toothless from HTTYD 1 to HTTYD 3 other than this Reddit user’s, so we’re just going to skip trying. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/httyd/comments/qasmwo/toothless_head_comparison_by_durkishdragon/

Read that. Anyway. Let’s move on to the Light Fury.  Everyone’s talked over and over the problems with the Light Fury’s design. So I don’t think I need to go into depth with that, either. Suffice to say, I believe that the way a character is designed should reflect their purpose in the story. She was never meant to be a species that was exciting to learn more about, unlike the Bewilderbeast or the Night Fury. She was just meant for cute interactions with Toothless. I think her design, sad as it is, reflects that lazy story direction. 

BUT NOT OUR REDESIGNS. And mine is no exception! If I’m going to change the story structure of HTTYD 3 (and I am) then the Light Fury has to change, big time. 

First we’ll talk about the species. 

We all know there are more than one Light Fury visible in the third film, and that’s the idea I hinged my little “fix it” re-write of HTTYD3 on in this post. I’m not going to restate it, but a lot of it focuses on Hiccup and Toothless discovering a whole Fury Flock who has migrated out of distant, hostile lands and is resting near Berk on their way to the Hidden World.

This way, instead of the Love Interest Fury just serving as Catnip that makes Toothless act dippy and cuddly, they actually have a purpose—because they’re tied to a mystery. They’re the whole plot. This way, instead of Toothless waking through the woods and happening upon a single personality-bland version of himself with no build-up, the Light Furies are a whole community and species that the story spends as much time on as they did the Night Fury in the first film.  Anyway. So while our heroes are uncovering all the interesting quirks and hierarchy of the Fury Flock, we’ll do the same!

So without further ado—bum-ba-da-dum, let me introduce you to—

The Sky Fury! 

(Click for better view)

Yeah, okay, I know it’s a different name and not too terribly different a design, but hear me out below the cut

I don’t think that just because Toothless, is straight black with faintly darker markings (basically only visible in the first movie) that means every other Fury has to be one solid color either. And why should it be white? Most white animals in the wild who don’t live in snowy environments straight up die because of their lack of pigmentation. It makes them a target and it lets reptiles get sunburnt.

But we all know that white contrasted with Toothless’ black has a certain appeal. It’s more visually interesting than a samey-same color pairing between him and any would-be Love Interest. So I kept the white, like most re-designers do.

And then I thought, well, why would Furies have to worry about being spotted by enemies—they’re up in the sky all the time anyway. So instead of having the Furies be completely black and only able to blend in with shadows and the night sky, our Furies will be mottled.

Their markings will be more visible to let them camouflage against cloudscapes in the daytime—and just like black panthers are simply leopards with overwhelming black in their coats, Sky Furies are kind of like what Night Furies might look like if you could fade back some of that intense black and see the patterns underneath. 

 So our Sky Furies are mostly white, but with hints of blue and stormy gray underneath. The youngest Sky Furies are sky-blue around their horns—which, yes, they have horns and spiny spikes, not just smooth aquatic ridges.  I basically leaned into what the original design for the Light Fury was supposed to be; rougher like an axolotl, with influences from a naturally-pale master of camouflage in the wild like the Snow Leopard or Clouded Leopard. We keep all the potential for cuteness without losing the fierceness.

Because you can’t tell me this:

Is nailing the fierce-end of the spectrum as perfectly as THIS DID: 

So the Sky Furies are called Sky Furies because one, Light Fury is a dumb name. It sounds super made-up. Like they were really just trying to rhyme with “Night.” But “Sky” Fury indicates that there’s more to know about this type of Fury besides the fact that they’re associated with Toothless. 

A few things about the Sky Fury Species:

- Only their two largest ear-flaps can move.

- They are better swimmers than Night Furies.

- They can camouflage, but they can’t echolocate.

- They communicate by clicking more often than roaring or other vocalizations. This is why their Old Night Fury leader calls to them by clicking his back spines together, open and shut.

- They have a complex social hierarchy. In one Flock, the leader’s rule is always obeyed; unlike other Dragon species, Furies aren’t susceptible to being “controlled” by an alpha. (This explains why Toothless was able to block out the Bewilderbeast in HTTYD 2. And we can just say he just needed some practice doing it, since he didn’t grow up with his own kind.) They just obey the leader in charge.

- Sky Furies must migrate from the Hidden World to Grimmel’s Land every thirty years. It is an instinctual urge, like Sea Turtles going on land to give birth or Manta Rays migrating. Theory has it their first nesting grounds were on the land Grimmel’s people built their village on top of. Ever since then, Sky Furies and Grimmel’s Tribe have been at intense war. This leaves them with no tolerance at all for humans—in fact, they’ve begun viewing people as a particularly impressive part of their food chain.

- Sky Furies are strategic, team hunters. Rarely do they set out to hunt alone. Part of their social hierarchy is that the first Fury to strike prey (being the fastest) is generally the first to eat. If a Fury is eating alone, it is because that Fury is being punished or outcasted by the others. 

- Sky Furies have almost always been led by Night Furies, because Night Furies can echolocate and sense the underground routes to the Hidden World. In return for this, Sky Furies often hunt for their leader during the daytime hours, the same way lionesses hunt while male lions protects the group.  - Sky Furies sing! This is the only way they use their vocalization abilities, and they only do it when they feel safe. That’s all I’ve got for now. More art to come—more on the specific Love Interest Fury, too.

[rougepancake]

Long forgotten

Ajax (Tartaglia/Childe) x Gn!Adeptus!Reader

A/N: Not proofread. Just a sweet little thingy my brain cell came up with. Don’t read if you have a fear of Ed Sheeran 😉. Mentions of minor character death. (also here’s a little soundtrack for you-)

Summary: Deep in Jueyun Karst far away from the modern world, there lives a mysterious adeptus. A beautiful creature that has been long forgotten by the residents of Liyue, yet there is one who remembers.

The first time you had encountered Ajax was when he placed an offering at the entrance to your abode. You had been sitting on a nearby cliff top and watched him place the dish on the steps. The man said nothing and just bowed his head down in a silent prayer, offering his sins up to you shamelessly.

He stayed there for quite some time, probably enjoying the peaceful silence the area around him provided. You had continued to watch him eat a meal he brought for himself, occasionally speaking to you, though he didn’t know you were around to listen.

You didn’t think he cared though, because he kept spilling out his secrets one by one, laying them all unto you. And while you did listen to his tales intently, you had many questions that you wanted to ask him. What was a fatui harbinger doing out here in Liyue? How did he come across your lonely little shrine?

With a sigh you watched him leave, allowing you to hop down from your spot and investigate what the ginger had left you.

It was an elegant picnic basket, carrying the only human food you had ever really cared for, Universal Peace. The dish was cooked to perfection, each bite proving to be better than the last, but you found the situation odd.

The last time anyone had ever left you an offering of any sort was three hundred year ago, and the person that had left it didn’t even have the right adeptus, they were looking for the great Mountain Shaper.

When you had finished your meal you noticed that there was a note at the bottom of the basket, written with neat, beautiful handwriting. You had expected the letter to be addressed to someone like Cloud Retainer, but your name was clearly written on it. It read,

“Dearest Wish Granter,

You are probably confused, which is indeed fair. I found your name mentioned quite a bit in a book that dates back to when Liyue was first founded by the Geo Archon. I had never heard your name mentioned before and was very curious as to why, so I wound up doing my own research and finding you all the way out here. Though I’m sure we’ll never meet in person, I hope I can remind Liyue of your existence. Plus I just find it great to have someone listen to me for once, so I appreciate you sitting around and listening to my thoughts. Maybe one day the people of Liyue will tell both our stories. And if not mine, I hope they tell yours for as long as you shall live.

- Anonymous”

You found yourself in awe of the stranger, his wish for you to be remembered bringing tears to your eyes. It was a bitter reminder of why the people of Liyue didn’t speak of you to begin with, a choice that you yourself had made when you were a young adeptus, saying it would be for the best.

You held the note close to your chest and sat in silence until it was dark out. And even after the sun had set you didn’t feel like moving, but you forced yourself to open up the doors to your abode, taking the gifts of Ajax with you.

The second time you encountered Ajax was much unlike the first. You saw him arrive once again, setting down yet another elegant picnic basket before praying to you. You found yourself so curious and anxious to meet him, so you took on a new form and knelt down beside him, joining him in prayer.

You could feel his eyes on you, making you incredibly nervous since you hadn’t dealt with a mortal in a long time. When you finished your prayer, you looked up at him, smiling softly.

Ajax returned the smile and handed you the picnic basket, saying that you looked incredibly starved.

“But isn’t this an offering for Wish Granter?” You questioned, staring into his blue eyes curiously.

He laughed, placing his hand on his cheek as he observed you. “Is that not who you are? Or am I mistaken?”

You couldn’t help your jaw nearly falling to the ground, which caused Ajax to laugh again. “I suppose I’m not.” He patted your head lightheartedly before leaning back and staring up at the sky.

“Can I ask you something?” You asked sheepishly, joining him in his cloud watching.

“Of course, Wish Granter. Who would I be to deny an adeptus of asking a question?” His tone was so sweet that it sent you back to the days of your adeptal youth, when you were still young and reckless.

“Why come to me? If I have been forgotten by the people of Liyue, then why come and find me?” With a sigh you looked away, your ears burning with embarrassment and your heart aching with confusion. You grabbed your clothing and with a deep breath, reverted back to your true form, hoping to not frighten your new friend.

Ajax watched you closely, observing the horns that appeared on your head and the tail that flowed from behind you. You were a beautiful creature, elegant and pure. It was evident that you hadn’t interacted with a human in a long time, but he didn’t care. He was awestruck by your form, with how gracefully you moved and how humble you seemed. It was perfect.

You were perfect.

“In the book that I was reading, it named each adeptus’ grand abilities, and yours was being able to grant wishes. I got curious, so I came to find you, even though I don’t really have a wish for you do grant.” He laughed nervously, shrugging off the question.

“I’m glad you don’t have a wish,” you smiled, letting out a sigh before continuing with your story. “In the past, people would come to me with wishes and I would grant them with my power, but whenever they came to me, I had the misfortune of telling them that in order for them to get their wish, they would have to sacrifice something important to them. I don’t know why it’s like that, but it is. I find it incredibly unfair, and it always hurt me to watch them suffer so.”

Ajax listened intently, blushing slightly when you made eye contact with him once more. “You seem like a nice young man, I would really hate to see something bad happen to you because of a wish.” He nervously shifted in his place before you, now avoiding your stare.

He looked back up at the sky and then back at you before rising to his feet. “I’m afraid I must go now, but I will be back, don’t worry.” He smiled, helping you to your feet.

“W-wait.” You let out a nervous giggle, placing your hands behind your back. “What do I call you?”

“Please, call me Ajax.” He waved goodbye and then disappeared off into Jueyun Carst.

You stood there, holding the vision that was in the center of your chest and stared out into the horizon in awe. You wiped a tear from your eye and thanked Rex Lapis for finally providing you with a friend.

Your anemo vision glowed in the dark, shining through your hand as you clutched it.

For the first time in centuries, you felt a mixture of happiness and hope dwell in your heart.

The third time you encountered Ajax was much more beautiful than the last.

It had been a week or two since you had last physically seen him, but you knew he was still returning because of the various gifts he had left you and the multiple times you had heard him utter your name while praying to you.

You had been two shy to come out since the last time, so you would just sit in your abode and listen to his every word. He would tell you stories of Snezhnaya and the other harbingers. Stories if his family and his younger brother Teucer. Vast and wonderful stories about his travels and the various friends he had made along the way, along with the enemies that followed. You listened to all of it.

There was something about every time he came to visit you that made you giddy like a child who during the Lantern Rite. You couldn’t help the way you smiled when he told jokes, or cry when he spoke of his childhood. He truly made you feel like a young adeptus again, and you loved it.

“Wish Granter! I’ve returned!” Ajax smiled, knowing that you weren’t likely to show yourself, but still happy to feel your presence.

“That’s wonderful!” He turned around at the sound of your voice, his eyes lighting up when he spotted your smiling face. “What stories do you have for me today?”

“Actually, I was wondering if you would be willing to share some stories with me instead.” You nodded enthusiastically and walked over to where he was sitting.

“Of course I can, now what would you like to hear?” You sat beside him, resting your hands in your lap as you waited for a response.

“Could you tell me why Liyue doesn’t celebrate you?” His question was genuine, and you could tell he meant no harm by it, but it still caused your smile to falter slightly.

“Yes, but I’ll warn you that this story does not have a happy undertone.” You made sure you were comfortable before speaking again, making sure it wasn’t obvious that you were stalling.

“Long ago, there were many adepti. Each adeptus had their own strengths and weaknesses, and each was given a godlike power. They all had their own domains along with specialties. During the time of the adepti, the world was truly a beautiful place. However, during the archon war, many adepti were lost in battle, including one of my very good friends, Sea Gazer.

He was slain before my own eyes, and in a frenzy, I found myself fighting harder than I could ever possibly imagine. But I was foolish, and upon unleashing my powers carelessly, I had killed innocent people. After that, I banished myself to Jueyun Carst, refusing to hear out anyone. The fear that was in their eyes as they watched my outburst will be forever ingrained in my memory, along with their screams.

In time I found myself losing followers until I no longer had any. The people that had once loved me so had turned to other adepti and soon forgot about me. The villages that I used to watch over and visit regularly ceased to have as much life as they once did, because they lived in fear of the adeptus who murdered innocent people. I miss them greatly, but there is no way now that I can return to a village that sees me as a stranger.”

You shook your head, wiping a tear off your cheek with slight resentment. “And that is why Liyue no longer celebrates my name, because I made myself forgettable.”

You sighed, looking up at Ajax with the hope that he wouldn’t judge you, but he just sat there in silence, still processing your story.

Nervously, you shifted in your spot, doing your best to fight the urge to run away and hide in your domain.

“You are very brave for sharing your story with me.” He admitted, his tone much more serious than you would have expected. To your surprise, he reached out and grabbed your hand, squeezing it gently as he looked into your eyes. “Your situation reminds me much of my own, which only makes me feel sorry that a beautiful creature like you would have to experience such things.”

Ajax sighed, breaking eye contact as he mumbled something about how cruel the world is. “How long has it been since you’ve last spoken to Rex Lapis?”

“Since that day. I don’t even know if he would speak to me now.” You admitted, blushing when you felt Ajax’s thumb brush over the back of your hand softly.

“I think you’re being too hard on yourself.” Ajax’s words made you stiffen. “I’m sure the God of Contracts would be forgiving of you. If anything, I think he would be happy to see you again.”

A wistful smile graced your lips as you thought about seeing your fellow adepti again. “I hope your right. Maybe some day I’ll meet them again.” Your wistful smile turned into a bright one, reminding Ajax that you were a pure being despite your history.

“Wish Granter-“

“Please,” you placed your hand on top of his. “Call me Y/N, it’s what all my friends used to call me, so it’d be unfair to not let you do the same.”

Ajax smiled, “Y/N… I am truly glad that you and I met. I’ll make sure to tell everyone in Liyue of the wonderful adeptus Wish Granter.”

“Thank you, Ajax. I’m happy that you found me.”

He pulled you into a hug. It was a strange gesture for the both of you, so it was quite awkward, but it was incredibly comforting.

It only made your hopeful happiness grow.

It was at the Lantern Rite that you decided to leave the beautiful Jueyun Carst and be seen in Liyue once again. You were incredibly nervous, but were also excited to meet up with Ajax to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere together.

You had yet to run into anyone who recognized you, which you were thankful for. It allowed you some peace still to avoid your problems on a beautiful night like this.

When you reached the Northland Bank, you were greeted with the smiling face of Ajax, who entertained his arm with yours as you walked together.

“It’s been so long since I’ve experienced something like this.” You smiled, looking around with a giant smile on your lips. “Thank you for convincing me to come out here.”

“No problem! I’m just glad you decided to come!” Ajax returned your smile and continued to walk around the well lit Liyue Harbor with you. “Though, there is someone I would like you to meet. If you’re okay with it of course.”

“Yes yes, I would love to meet them!” Ajax chuckled at your enthusiasm as he led you to a nearby tea house.

There you saw a man with long black hair fading into a bronze color sitting at a table enjoying a cup of tea. You felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn’t put your finger on it. You actually found it to be odd how closely he resembled a face of your past.

“Y/N, this is Mr. Zhongli, the head of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Mr. Zhongli, this is my good friend Y/N, I’m sure the two of you will get along well.” He sat down beside Zhongli as you stood there, staring at the man with wide eyes.

“M-Mor-“

“Oh my, I’m sorry you two but something has just come up at the Northland Bank, I’ll be back shortly! Mr, Zhongli, I hope you’ll keep Y/N here great company!” Ajax quickly waved goodbye and began speed walking in the direction of the Northland Bank, leaving you alone with Zhongli.

“Y/N. It’s been so long,” Zhongli smiled softly, taking a sip of his tea. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Morax, I-“ You stopped, looking away. “I’m so sorry… it’s just- I didn’t know what to do…. And I swear I didn’t know….” You were talking so fast that all your words began to sound like one jumbled mess, but thankfully Zhongli understood you.

“None of that matters now, and it didn’t matter to begin with. All that matters is that you’re still alive and well after so long. Plus, I’m sure the other adepti would be glad to see you again.” Zhongli took another sip of his tea, watching you process his words.

A waitress came over and sat your tea gently onto the table, to which you paid no mind as you were stunned into silence.

“S-So… I can return?” You asked, nervously reaching out for your tea.

“Of course you can Y/N.”

In that moment, you felt a rush of every emotion known to man. It was all incredibly overwhelming and you didn’t know how to react to this. So you just sat there, your silence saying all.

“Though I do have one question…” Zhongli said, looking at you with what looked like a smirk. “What’s going on between you and Childe?”

You choked on your tea so hard you thought you were going to die.

[avampyone]

Prompt #26: Camouflage

Characters: Hemlocke , Amaranth Vyse, mention of Ange.

Synopsis: Hemlocke continues to track the elusive Ange and the mystery that follows him.

Setting: Thanalan, Ul'dah.

Warning - Piercings

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

Upon opening the double door of the bath, a cloud of heavy mist enveloped the Hemlocke’s chambers to such an extent that he had undoubtedly kept those waters at an elevated temperature during the duration of his bath. His own tall lanky strode forth shortly after, currently only clad in silken black robe lazily tied about his waist and a fluffy towel lay haphazardly atop his head.

He occasionally patted to capture the stray droplets of water from long black and ombre dark red locks. The soft strands were neatly gathered to one side over his shoulder with the lingering scent of lavender and sage purposely following him. The more everything lay hidden and masked- even his own natural scent, the better off they would be that night.

Stepping into his house slippers, Hemlocke settled himself at the apothecary’s desk laden with white candles that stood flickering from above high on brass prickets. With one smooth leg crossing over the other, a tired sigh escaped Hemlocke, hand lightly brushing past his features to hook a few stray strands behind one long pointed ear before he turned his attention to the desk’s surface.

The surface lay covered in a multitude of different piles of notes detailing dates of specific nights, the events that occurred, and the names of those who had been involved. If Hemlocke was able to learn their names at all – Ange’s people were quite the secretive bunch.

Leaning an elbow against the solid wood surface, Hemlocke leaned his cheek into his open palm with black sharp clawlike nails tapping gently against his smooth skin when he peered down to his latest set of notes. Nearby the desk propped up on the wall, there stood a world map pinned to a board with specific locations marked on the world marked by a singular pin from Sharlayan to Ishgard, Gridania and even as far as Gangos.

There were small sketches he had drawn of the faces of those he had seen close to Ange – like the silver haired elezen woman as well as some outlines of horrific batlike creatures and demons. These were all linked together by strings with small additional notes gathered up to make a list of all the locations where unusual incidents occurred. It was no small task that this evidence board had been constructed and added to over time.

Hemlocke’s free hand reached for his sharp quill to dip liberty into the open jar of ink and gently tap away any excess before he started to write again:

'Although my initial thought lie in ‘M’ was targeting the Black Shroud specifically around the ruins of Amdapor, I suspect now that they may be setting their sights on Ul’dah – The Coliseum. I have heard rumors of gladiators going missing and invitations being passed to high performers to attend private parties. I have confirmed the bodies of two missing and one still alive in observation. Vyse thinks it is likely that corruption has spread in the survivor. These bodies were found shortly after the opening of the new and popular venue, Hellfyr’ We begin our initial investigation into the venue tonight to see if our suspicions of their involvement are correct.'

After signing off the date, Hemlocke set the metal quill down near the bottle of ink as he lifted that hand to brush against the back of his neck to pause and stare up to the many connections made, “To think I only believed him to be some vampire casanova. But with every new connection uncovered reveals another mystery and clues to follow…” He whispered a loud to himself like it might ease a growing anxiety. As clear as it was that something darker lay hidden under all this, he could not be sure how deep these mysteries went nor how long they had been kept hidden from sight.

Sitting up a little, Hemlocke peered over to the time on past the broken glass face on his pocket watch – It would not be too much longer before Amaranth arrived. He stood from his spot, undoing the tie at his waist with one swift pull to let the silky black robe pool along the ground. It was time to get dressed.

A brief time later the pale haired veena viera entered the chambers after Hemlocke called him to come downstairs. He took a few short steps within just in time to see Hemlocke carefully pulling up the zipper of a fitted black corset that cinched about his abdomen in a too tight black matte material that fit him like a second skin.

The gleam of silver studs stood out on his chest from his pink buds of rounded pecs on display that he likely chose to only do for tonight’s outing. To complete the look, he wore low fitted hip hugging trousers of the same material, a fitted black bolero, and tall black boots.

Hemlocke hardly looked like himself at all – His natural hair lay hidden underneath a dark purple nearly black wig with a naturally tousled look to the longer bangs that helped to cover his eyes alongside the dark shadow and purple rounded shades.

Lastly, he wasted no time in seeking to hide the silver dagger he always kept on his person along the inner edge of one boot. There were a few small thin ordinary daggers he strapped underneath his bolero and along his wrists underneath his longer sleeves just in case.

Wearing a typical black leather jacket and trousers, Amaranth sought not to look too closely at his comrade and huffed out as if to cover any oncoming embarrassment in such, “It is all necessary? Could at least have a ruffle or somethin’ over..you know.”

He motioned over his front to convey his message with a low chuckle from Hemlocke to follow, “Absolutely necessary. Anything that aids to distract is an advantage to us and worth using to exploit any weak points. Unless you want to play the distraction...? And did you bring the vials?” As playful as his tone was, it was still more prompt and business like than usual.

“I guess I have seen others wear far less in those places… But, no no, I’ll pass! As a priest, it’s already enough to have to step inside..” Amaranth shook his head vehemently to the idea, tossing Hemlocke a few vials all the while. It appeared to only be water at first glance.

He pocketed a few and smiled at the viera in appreciation, “I doubt we shall need these, but it never hurts. Tonight, a quick assessment of all who run the venue before we reconvene another night to discuss our findings. How does that sound?” With a quick pass of his gloved hands over to check all weapons were in place, Hemlocke strode towards the door, “Are you ready then?”

Amaranth nodded even if his stern features were a touch glum at the situation, “Mn, that seems the best. We have no more leads to go off otherwise. Ange and his people are skilled at covering their tracks..Let’s head out while the night’s still young.”

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 7 Minagoroshi pt. Final

“Read the entire series over again.” I wonder how many people actually did that between chapters as they were coming out?

So, since there was that one spoiler I saw from the manga version of events, and this is otherworldly voice is in fact Frederica Bernkastel I guess that does a serious number on the theory that Rika and Bernkastel are the same character. Or so it would seem to me, there’s still all of Matsuribayashi to go through to confirm or kill that particular theory. I admit that I may be operating from a faulty premise. After all, the manga came out how long after the visual novels?

This is kind of an unrelated thought, but I don’t know if I ever shared aloud the way I thought you were meant to read Umineko. Before I started that series I had the thought in my head that you were meant to read the first chapter, then jump to the first chapter of the Answer Arcs. And then proceed that way through the rest of the series, 2 then 6, and so on. Now I know this is a very silly way to think the series was meant to be done, and I admit that this particular line of reasoning didn’t live past its formation for very long. But at the time I thought that’s how it was meant to be read. I am curious though to wonder how long he had originally wanted the mystery to hang until this one came out. Ha, could you imagine if he did that? Release the first game in a series and then not release the second part for four years, despite it apparently being done a while ago?

Where's literally any information on Silent Hill F Konami?

It’s the journey not the destination. He said sarcastically. Also this reminds me of something I had read somewhere along the way that Ryukishi07 was saddened by the less than positive reception that Tsumihoroboshi received. I kind of wonder how different angry Japanese gamers are in comparison to American ones, same shit, different language?

Yeah, you didn’t exactly paint them in the most flattering light there Ryukishi. I don’t know where I read it, but I do recall reading somewhere along the line that at one point he had considered releasing this as just one singular story. Which makes me wonder what that would’ve been like. Would people have been willing to sit through the entire hundred plus hour long storyline for the entire length of it? Or was splitting it up the smarter option? For whatever my opinion’s worth on the matter of this visual novel series that was written twenty years ago, I think splitting it up was the better option. Although a part of me does wonder what the story would’ve been like as one continuous narrative. Just going from one chapter to the next, how would that have played out?

I’ve mentioned it elsewhere but there was an entirely new Higurashi storyline released about four months after Matsuribayashi. Higurashi Hou Rei. I’m given to understand that one’s not exactly the best around. Then again from what little I’ve heard, apparently chapter eight didn’t exactly delight the fan base either.

Just for funsies, around the time I was writing this part I looked at some of the later events of Minagoroshi in the manga version.

I didn’t read the whole thing, but here are some pages of Hanyuu that I thought were interesting. Primarily because I thought it was a nice change of pace seeing her with facial expressions that aren’t just sad creature.

I thought it was interesting how the manga just spells it out plainly that Ooishi had found out that Takano was alive. Whereas the visual novel kept Rika in the dark about what Ooishi had found out in Gifu. It hinted at her fate, but it never just said point blank “yeah she’s alive” like it does here in the manga.

I don’t wish to drag this out for much longer (I have over fifty screencaps from the manga saved in a folder on my desktop), but there are a couple of ones I think are worth sharing.

Kumagai still gets taken out by the Mountain Dogs sniper, but I thought this was an interesting variation, however slight, of Ooishi’s death scene.

I didn’t know this little mini-comic existed, but I’m delighted it does.

It’s canon.

Also canon.

I hope I don’t seem too hyperbolic in my praise of Minagoroshi. But this is genuinely the best written, and so far the absolute best chapter of this entire series so far. Even though I mentioned that I found the section regarding Satoko’s life with her uncle to be an absolute slog to go through. With a mention that the segments regarding this pretty firmly slammed on the brakes grinding the story to a halt I’m willing to tolerate that because the sheer strength of writing for the rest of the chapter more than makes up for it. Much as I disliked that entire section I don’t know what I would cut from it to make it a more palatable read, because despite my complaining it is rather vital to the overall narrative.

I enjoyed this chapter a lot more than I did any of the others because this chapter more than the rest started giving me what I want from the narrative. It started explaining some of the more mystical elements of the overarching plot. Much as it started doubling down on the parasites explanation it started doing so in a way that is better than just a handwave of “alien magic.” The explanation of Oyashiro, Rika in the timeloop (even though I have the theory it’s actually Hanyuu in the timeloop, and Rika’s just an unfortunate passenger to this fate), the very existence of Hanyuu herself. It handles it all extremely better than it did during the entirety of Tsumihoroboshi.

This chapter was a much-needed shot in the arm to improve the trajectory of the entire series. It’s all too easy to imagine a hypothetical scenario where it just continued its downward spiral, and just kept being worse than Tsumihoroboshi. But despite the odds it completely averted that, and came out much stronger for it. You could probably argue that my high opinion of the chapter is only because I went into it with such low expectations. I don’t think that’s the case however. I grant you that I didn’t go in to Minagoroshi with high hopes, but I don’t think I went in expecting it to be an actively miserable time.

In terms of it as a mystery I don’t know if it’s an exceptionally good one. Despite my enjoyment of mystery novels, games, and so on, I don’t feel that I have a good handle on what makes one good or not. Maybe it would’ve been a better mystery if it didn’t immediately cut to Takano injecting Tomitake with H173 and setting up all the stuff for Operation Doomsday. If we just stuck with Rika up until the reveal about Ooishi’s investigation in Gifu, or hell even later with Keiichi’s death.

As it is, however I think that Minagoroshi is far and away the absolute strongest of all of the chapters so far in the Answer Arcs. Possibly even the series as a whole. There was such a wide variety of interesting things happening that except for the plotline about Satoko it kept the story moving at a very brisk pace. I’m very excited to see if the final chapter* Matsuribayashi can keep the streak going.

I love these silly comics.