#it didn't give me nightmares lol but it IS still disturbing

[canadiancryptid]

Deer lord some of those first concepts for Queen are gonna give me nightmares why does she have so many teeth she's a robot

She looks like she walked out of one of a creepypasta, which concitering what we know about Noelle and her blog and the whole "universal mother" theory or whatever its called... if she looked like that while keeping the whole vaguely motherly aspects, that would have made it so much worse.

It IS interesting that her head was shaped like a spade...

[aesterblaster]

Sleepin Demons

How Blue Lock characters wake up from nightmares/How you can comfort them [Gender neutral reader]

Tropes: Reverse Comfort, Fluff/Angst, Established Relationship, and general warnings for some gore and mentions of flashbacks along with implied sexual harassment

Characters: Almost All Of Them Lol

Songs: Insecure - Bren Joy // Coffee for Dinner - Orion Sun // Broken Clocks - SZA

The Silent Type + Actual Memories

It's the same one again. He's right back where he started. Unloved, unknown, left out of everything. The pangs of hunger run through him like a freight train as he desperately runs from room to room in his childhood home...But there's no nourishment. Someone calls his name but all he feels is fear at being recognized, he cowers as a figure rounds the corner and says his name again. "You think you could get away from me? Huh?" It could be anyone, a parent, someone he used to owe money to, an old abusive coach, all he knows is what comes next is going to hurt. "Are you fucking crying? You're so pathetic, soon everyone else will see that just like I always have!" The floor begins to sag and give way, everything creases in on itself. His brain feels like it's going to explode.

When he wakes up- his brain still feels as if it's too big for his skull, pushing against the edges like it's trying to find its way out. But he doesn't groan in pain, and he doesn't move. You're next to him after all, breathing softly. The moonlight grounds him, your hand against his side grounds him, he is safe now. The best thing you can do is stay asleep. He isn't ready to talk and admit that he's weak (or even worse...the fact that it is okay to be weak sometimes), not yet. For now he just snuggles against you and quietly brushes away any residual tears, thanking everything he believes in that he's here with you now.

Kaiser, Hiori, Naruhaya, Noa, Lorenzo

The Silent Type + More Abstract Fears

Slow. Everything was moving so fucking slow around him. His body was falling apart. Every sinew, every cell, every fucking atom of his being was breaking down and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Was this what he was truly destined for, dust to dust? Strangely enough, it didn't hurt, everything was calm. He was dying, so what? Every star burns out. And then, as sharp as a clap of thunder, the pain arrived. In his heart, not his body. Images of friends, family, trophies, all the things he hadn't done yet and you surged through his head. No, he couldn't die, not yet! He gripped his arm, but it was already turning to dust. Irrelevant and forgotten.

He's almost surprised when he wakes up, remembers that that would be impossible. Wants to scoff at himself for being afraid of something that could never happen. But the truth is, he is going to die someday, no matter how big of a star he is. He watches you twitch in your sleep, obviously disturbed by how he jerked awake, and curls his arms around you. He presses his face to the top of your head and breathes you in, silently begging you to drift back into a deeper sleep. He just needs to savor every moment with you and stop worrying, he tells himself.

Snuffy, Nagi, Ego, Aryu, Reo, Kuon, Chris, Jin

Wakes Up Screaming + Needs Reassurance

Why was this happening? You were in his arms, covered in blood, he was covered in blood; It was everywhere. The cheering from the fans turned into screaming, that's when he should've stopped and had the damn sense to look around. Instead, he kept running and dribbling down the field, confused why nobody was stopping him. He didn't see you falling from the stands until you were right in front of him. Your arm twisted first, then your neck, the rest of you followed. Why was this happening? "No, no, no, no...(Y/N). Get help! What the fuck are you all standing around for?!" He took off his jersey and tried to stop the bleeding but it wasn't enough, you were already going cold. He was powerless.

"I said get help-!!" he roared. "Oh..oh fuck." He suddenly wasn't holding your limp body anymore, he was in his- your room. The smell of blood disappeared. He glanced over and made eye contact with you. "Are you okay? You're shaking like a leaf!" "No..can you, can you just come here?" He crushes you in a bear hug as soon as you do. Even when he lets up, he opts to hold your hand instead. He makes you tell him about your day, because he got in late when you were already asleep. He tells you how much he loves you and recounts the day you two met just to stop his heart from bursting. "S-sorry I woke you up, I just- I needed that."

Ness, Niko, Aoshi, Sendo, Gagumaru, Igaguri, Kurona

Wakes Up Screaming + Needs Some Space

The first thing he notices is that he can't breathe. The second thing he notices is that he is in a hospital. "No, I don't think he will ever be able to speak or move again." a voice he doesn't recognize claims. Someone is choking him and he can't stop them. It's himself, rabid, foaming at the mouth. The doppelganger realizes he's been caught and tightens his grip. "That's right, that's what you fucking get for ignoring yourself. You don't even fucking eat enough and you want to be a star, huh? You keep betraying yourself." His neck is lifted from the cold pillow. "And betraying yourself!" It's slammed back down. He wants to tell him to stop, to say anything, but he can't.

He wakes up like he's been jolted back to life by electricity, doesn't even realize he's screaming. "Baby, baby you're okay! It's okay." He feels your hands around him and feels ashamed instead of relieved. What the fuck was that?! "Just go back to sleep, I'll be back." You open your mouth to argue but he shakes his head. "Please." This is nothing you can help him with, he needs to take care of himself and he knows it. Can't keep relying on others to pull him out. He takes a cold shower and comes back to bed hours later, slipping next to you. "I'm sorry I scared you." is all he says as his hands glide over your back. It's best if you just accept his apology, you'll never fully understand the war he's having with himself.

Chigiri, Kenyu, Kunigami, Kira, Sae, Barou

You Wake Him Up + It's Not Okay

Of course he knows this is a fucking dream, how could it not be? The overwhelming lights, the strange woman putting her hands on his chest. He knows exactly what this is about too. The paparazzi have gotten way too comfortable following both you and him around, they keep asking invasive questions and posting up outside of your house. The lack of privacy should be illegal. "You're famous now, you should like this you ungrateful piece of shit." a voice hisses in his ear as another pair of hands massages his shoulders. He tenses and struggles, but more hands appear, grabbing at his clothes. They tear pieces away from him with no remorse and something deep inside of him wishes it could end- Scratch that, every part of him wishes this would end, the violation, the rumors, the-

"Hey! Are you alright? I think..I think that you were having a nightmare." He gasps, so the feeling of hands on his chest were yours. Everything that was tensed relaxes, it was just you. That doesn't stop all his feelings from welling up along with tears. "Can you not touch me right now?" God, he wishes you wouldn't look at him like that. "Are you crying?" "No." He slips out of bed and checks the curtains, he can't shake the feeling of foreign hands on every part of him, not just his chest. Disgust curls and uncurls in his stomach. Why couldn't he just fight back on his own in his own damn head? "There's no one out there-" "How do you know!? Huh?" he demands, a whole lot louder than he meant to. "Fuck wait..I'm sorry. This week has just been a lot." You two end up having a long and needed talk that night.

Lavinho, Reo, Oliver, Rin, Raichi, Tabito

You Wake Him Up + It's Okay

He has been walking in circles for hours. Each loop, though, something changes. At first it was funny, (someone's head would balloon to an impossible size or a sign would read a curse word instead of an actual street name, for example) but now he was just tired. He couldn't sit down though or this burning pain would shoot through him...Just like in the real world, if he ever stopped shining, if he ever stopped moving forward, he'd get this feeling like he wasn't doing enough. Even on vacations there would be a gnawing sense that he was running from his rightful title. All he needed was the spotlight, even if it took so much fucking effort to get there. Practicing the same kicks over and over again, walking in circles, looking for what would excite him next-

"Please stop kicking me..." you groan and he wakes up instantly. Honestly, he didn't realize how terrifying his dream was until he's lucid. "Was I kicking you? Sorry... I just had the weirdest dream, it was like I kept walking in circles and I couldn't stop." "Maybe that's your brain telling you to take a break and stop treating my shin like a soccer ball." You two continue to make light of it and the more he talks about it with you, the more relaxed he gets. He's going to be just fine, especially with you by his side. "Mnh, good night." you finally whisper, cuddling up against him and tangling your leg with his in a final attempt to prevent any future attacks. "Good night." He watches you fall asleep with love in his eyes and wonders how a job obsessed weirdo like him managed to land someone as perfect as you.

Bachira, Loki, Isagi, Shidou, Nanase, Otoya, Zantetsu,

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 2, Unspeakable - Pt. 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, mentions of alcohol, longing looks/touches, this part's mostly fluff, ngl.

Word Count: 1.1k

Previously On...: And from that night, you and Bucky became best friends. Because there are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and the stuff of your nightmares was one of them.

A/N: I thought the Harry Potter quote was appropriate to bastardize for the Previously On... Don't come for me, lol

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917

Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!)  @blackhawkfanatic @les-sel @marcswife21

From that night on, Bucky found every excuse he could to touch you. It was as though, after so many years of nothing but cold cruelty, he had become addicted to the warmth and softness of your skin. You didn't mind in the least; you liked the way he wrapped his arm around your stomach and rested his chin in the crook of your shoulder when he came up behind you, or the way he pulled your hand onto his thigh and traced the lines of your palm with his index finger while you watched TV in the common room, side by side.

One afternoon, you were standing in front of a monitor in your lab, lost in thought as the numbers from your latest algorithm trial ran across the screen. So immersed were you in the data that you didn't notice the form coming up behind you until two hands grabbed you by the waist, lifting you up and spinning you.

Without thinking, your years of training kicked in, like flipping on a switch. You stomped down, hard, on the top of your assailant's foot with your heel, while simultaneously throwing your elbow back into their solar plexus. The attacker let out a low "Oof" and released their hold on you, giving you the opportunity to drop your weight low and spin on your toes to face them.

Bucky stood stooped before you, one hand clutching his abdomen where your elbow had made contact, the other hand held up in surrender. The other hand?

"Jesus Christ, Buck!" you panted. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"I was trying to surprise you, you hell beast," Bucky said, though he was smiling. Rubbing the tender spot of nerves you had so artfully disturbed, he asked "Where'd you learn to fight so dirty?"

"Krav Maga," you beamed, pleased that you'd managed to get a hit on a super soldier, even if Bucky hadn't been actually attacking you. "Care to tell me how you managed to end up with two fucking arms?"

Now it was Buck's turn to beam at you as he held out his new left arm for your perusal. You took the hand, inspecting it. Black metal gleamed in the light of your lab. You turned the arm over, admiring the craftsmanship. "This is a thing of beauty, Buck," you murmured, trailing your fingers along the gold veins that ran through the metal. Bucky involuntarily shivered at your touch. "You can feel that?" you asked him, awestruck. He nodded, his face awash in delight.

You leaned in to examine it more closely. If you didn't know any better, you'd say it was... But, no, it couldn't be– "Bucky," you said in astonishment, looking up to meet his eye, "is this vibranium?"

Bucky grinned from ear to ear, looking like a little boy who had gotten just what he'd asked for for Christmas. "It was a gift. From the Wakandans, for helping them capture Helmut Zemo." Bucky seemed almost shy at revealing why the Wakandans had gifted him the arm, as though he was still uncomfortable with being acknowledged for doing good instead of being blamed for committing evil.

"This..." you started, at a loss for words. "Bucky, this is amazing! The Wakandans are the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. This makes the arm I've been working on look like a fucking stick."

Bucky cocked his head and studied you as you studied the vibranium appendage. "You were making me an arm, doll?" he asked, throat choked on emotion.

You looked up at him, a blush of color rising to your cheeks. "Well, I was trying to. I wasn't going to say anything until I knew it would work; I didn't want to get your hopes up, but this... this is worlds better than anything I could have manufactured."

Bucky gently pulled his metal arm from your hand and used it to cup your cheek, instead. You leaned into the cool, hard metal. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me," he murmured. You gave him a soft smile.

"You're one of my best friends, and you deserve all the good things," you told him with a shrug of your shoulder. "Including two functioning arms."

Bucky pulled you into a hug and you returned his embrace, relishing in the feeling of being completely held by him. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Pocket," he said into the top of your head.

You pulled back to look up at him. "Well, hopefully, you'll never have to find out." You stayed like that for a few moments longer, neither of you willing to be the first to let go. "You know what," you said, eventually pulling away from him, "we should celebrate."

Bucky looked down at you with a glint in his eye. "Celebrate, huh? What should we do?"

"Anything you want," you told him, moving out of the cage of his arms. Arms. You still couldn't believe it. "It's your arm we're celebrating."

He studied you for a moment, and there was a look in his eyes you couldn't quite decipher. As the heat of Bucky's gaze lingered on you, a shiver ran down your spine. There was something different about the way he looked at you now, something that made your heart race and your palms grow sweaty. It was as if every fiber of his being was focused solely on you, his eyes tracing every contour of your face with an almost alarming intensity.

"Can we start those Hobbit movies?" he asked.

"That's how you want to celebrate?" you smiled up at him. "You're such a fucking nerd. Yeah, we can absolutely do that. Oh, shit--" you remembered. "It's Girls' Night tonight. It’s fine– I can skip it."

"No," said Bucky, and the look he'd been giving you had vanished, leaving you to wonder if you'd simply imagined it to begin with, "go to Girls' Night. I know how much you look forward to those."

"I said we'd celebrate, and I want to celebrate," you insisted. "I can bow out of Girls' Night early. I'll just pop in, have one glass of wine, and then I'll be all yours; they can manage without me for a night."

Bucky hit you with his devil-charming grin. "All mine?" he asked, a mischievous lilt to his voice.

Rolling your eyes, you playfully slapped at his chest. "You know what I mean, asshat."

"Another dollar in the jar," he tsked.

"Get the fuck out of here and let me get back to work," you said with a laugh, shooing him away. You followed him with your eyes as he made his way to the door. Right before he went through, he turned around and looked back over at you, giving you a parting smile before walking off.

<- Previous Chapter / Next Part ->

[archer-kacey]

Secrets of the Machine (Bendysplaining)

(Full disclosure: both of the computers I have access to WILL NOT TRIGGER THE LIGHTNING CUTSCENE therefore making B:SOTM unplayable for me! Watched a couple walkthroughs to get the gist of things. I found ONE easter egg on my own lol.)

Secrets of the Machine is so out of place to me, seeming almost unpolished. I'll give it a fair shake and go over the pros and cons, but if you want a short Bendy game to play, PLEASE play Boris and the Dark Survival, not this.

Pros:

This very important bird that makes me well up inside with a positive emotion.

Ragtime Guffie. Cute character that I feel has a charm similar to the original Bendy cast. I wouldn't have been surprised to see this guy walking around in BATIM back in the day.

This screenshot I can use for memes:

This ONE scene/"jumpscare" was executed well:

The Goofy ahh can dispenser laugh

My personal favorite, this random ass arrow outside that you can follow into the darkness for about a minute until you're spat back out by the entrance arch (useless):

And last but not least, the inclusion of Gaskette and an insanely niche nod to Nightmare Run?

FIrst off, Gaskette looks killer (pun intended):

And secondly, there are at least a couple hands around the map that open and close when you click them in a very similar fashion to a hand that could be found on the menu of Nightmare Run. I was actually excited about this! (Why they didn't they just go full ham with the Nightmare Run characters for this game?)

Cons:

The first glaring issue I have is *checks watch* the FOUR Bendy advertisements thrown into the game??? What???

I'm not mad about hyping people up, but it is............LAZY?? What was the point of this? These ALL could've been Tweets!!

In fact, Lone Wolf's Announcement nearly WAS a Tweet!!

I would feel differently if the presentation was better, but you literally throw a can at some flippable....plates(?) around a screen at random and get still images. I understand that this game is meant to be small like BATDS, but BATDS was more polished, more fun, and didn't throw four adverts in as gameplay/easter eggs.

This is also gives me a Bad Feeling because if you're willing to make your smaller content into a glorified advertisement, what are you going to do with your mainline games? How are you going to treat your content? Are you going to let things cook or serve it to us raw?

ALSO...

Riley.

Riley's story itself is fine. Not amazing, not awful. Riley's parents die in a car accident when she's six. She starts drawing disturbing content, and the school counselor catches wind of this and brings it up to her guardian. Riley goes to work for JDS at the same age as Buddy (17), and is subsequently fired for drawing more disturbing material pertaining to the accident.

While it sounds cliché, the way it was presented in-game was fine. There are obviously things that could be improved, but the point here isn't the story itself.

Let me ask the audience of this post a question.

Where the hell is Lacie Benton?

Or, more broadly, why aren't M+M fleshing out characters that have been with us since *checks watch* 2017?

I'm struggling not to start doing the Macarena, because adding new characters and slowly abandoning the old ones works in direct contrast with "caring about the lore", AKA what this franchise was built on, and it's something M+M like to bring up. When you remove that backbone, everything else falls apart. When you neglect the old characters, you're neglecting the heart of the franchise.

Riley having her story isolated to one game seems to be a blessing in disguise, I'll admit. However, this is ALL just BATIM: Red Flags. Disappointed, but not surprised. Scared for the future of this franchise, but trying to stay optimistic.

[sunnydbeam]

I am honestly surprised by the interest of all of you. Thank you, hehe.

You see, that nightmare wasn't about them at all and they only appeared these versions for a few moments, BUT THEY GIVEN ME THE FUCK SCARY. I really wasn't able to capture how scary they both looked, but I gave it a shot, even if I left out a few details along the way.

Thanks @kandidandi for helping me tag this.

TW: BODY HORROR, DISTURBING UNDER CUT.

The first image recreates a scene from my dream, the only one in which they appear. They are apparently Mer! versions of Sun and Moon, but they are still robots. I have no idea what the point of that is, but they here apparently didn't work and had been there for many years, rusting away in a very dirty lake. The little information I got from them is as follows: There was no single Sun and Moon, and that they apparently became "extinct" because of a virus. A computer virus, I presume? Although it was mentioned that they also had organic parts. AUGH I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. Also, are their bodies waterproof, water resistant? Who knows, it was a dream ok.

I didn't get anything else because the dream continued and the whole thing was completely forgotten lol

Honestly, I was going to give them legs instead of keeping their Mer form, but I didn't want to replace my existing Nightmare!AU. Besides, I thought this was an interesting idea to explore, and I admit it was fun to draw.

I designed the rest of their bodies and defined the behaviors as potentially hostile, but with unknown intentions.

Ever since Y/N discovered that they were both, in fact, perfectly functional, Sun and Moon haven't stopped trying to hunt them down in the scariest ways possible. That lake seems to be cursed, but Y/N really needs to find out what the hell those things are and why they can't get near the shore without being brutally dragged away.

[dotieeee]

The Dream That Got Away

Chapter 15

Pairing: Dark!Morpheus x You (no Y/N!)

This is a multi-chapter fic — Weekly updates (either Saturday or Sunday) because I found a rhythm of sorts lol

(The entire fic has been outlined, so I will see this to the end, you have my word)

**********************************************************

Link to the Masterlist

Overall Warnings!! Take heed:

Morpheus is DARK – in canon, he changes for the better (or at least, tries to – but we don’t do canon lol, so he goes even more batshit crazy) cue obsession, manipulation, possessiveness, powerplay

18+ ONLY – explicit scenes will be present, some explicit language

DUB-CON and NON-CON scenes

Character death (sort of)

Creator vs Creation drama

And other dark stuff that may be added in the future

This chapter’s warnings:

graphic dub-con ahead - turn back now if this disturbs you :)

touch-starved Morpheus should be a warning of its own

no spoilers, so just read at your own risk lol

You have been warned!! Proceed with caution!!!

Link to the previous chapter

Chapter 15: Your King's Wish

"His name is Sumnio."

The Corinthian drains his cup and sets it back down. "He's a shapeshifter, just like you were, but he's brutal. Almost makes my time worthwhile," he muses quite gleefully.

You listen intently to what he has to say, seeing as it has been a long time since you've been in the sea of dreams yourself, and you miss it more than anything. Absent-mindedly, you pick up a sweet from the table and take a large bite, only to gag on it and spit it out.

"Ugh, cinnamon. Awful stuff. Continue, sorry," you mumble, placing the sweet back on your platter. "'Doubt', huh? What kind of doubt does he, uh, inspire?"

"All of it," he says, maintaining the same look of maniacal cheer. "But what I've seen…well, let's just say, his work has devastating effects. I know you'd appreciate good work when you see one. And boy, the damage he does is almost irreparable."

So it seems like he is having fun with the new Nightmare, he just doesn't want to admit it. Raising your eyebrows at the conclusion you've formed, you remark, "Glad to hear you still enjoy watching others suffer. So what is it about his work that gives you such a hard-on?"

"Well, he's been causing a ruckus lately. Nasty breakups," he says with a wide grin, slouching against his chair and lighting a cigarette. "So far, he's down to four, and with the same person, too."

"What the fuck?"

"Oh, it was a sight to behold," the Corinthian seems to recall fondly with a laugh.

Narrowing your arms, at him, you tease, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you fancied the nightmare, my dear old Nightmare, and friend."

He just shakes his head with a chuckle, wagging his finger at you and saying, "Now, don't go giving me any ideas." Straightening his glasses, he says, "And don't think you're out of the woods, either. So answer me this: how come you're still with that royal prick with a royal stick up his ass? What happened to your little fling?"

"What fling?" you ask offhandedly, turning your head to your left as you make out fast-approaching footsteps on the gravel.

"What the fu - you mean you don't -"

"M'lady, m'lady!"

The Corinthian is suddenly interrupted by Morwyn's frantic call. You see her sprint towards you, coming to an abrupt stop before you and the table and bowing before stating her piece.

"M'lady," she starts breathlessly, clutching her sides. "Your Majesty, the King of Dreams, requests your presence."

You and your nightmare friend share a look of understanding, before he cocks his head ever so slightly, urging you to give a response.

"Morwyn, I appreciate your effort," you finally respond to your attendant. "But, please tell my King that I must respectfully and politely decline."

Flashing Morwyn a wan smile, you quietly offer her a brownie from the feast on the table, which she shyly accepts with a tiny 'thank you.'

"But, m'lady, he'll be angry at me," she mutters before taking a tentative bite out of the brownie, adding, "He hasn't really been in a good mood lately."

The Corinthian gives you a gloating grin as he takes a drag out of his cigarette. It's a quiet challenge, and one you're not about to back down from.

"That is my doing, I'm afraid. And if he throws a fit, Morwyn, tell him he can come seek me, himself. I'll tell him the same, exact words, too."

But she doesn't make a move and stays standing there awkwardly, shuffling her feet in seeming nervousness.

"You'll be fine, Morwyn, you've done nothing wrong. Look, if it helps, you can say you tried to persuade me to come with you," you say in an assuring manner.

Nodding quietly, she whispers to herself, "Okay, I can do this, I can do this." She turns to you and excuses herself before running back to the palace to give the word to your master, who you imagine won't be too happy you turned him down.

Then again, he was never the type to take any kind of rejection lightly.

The Corinthian takes one final drag out of his cigarette before throwing it on the ground and stomping on it with his oxfords.

"Well, I better get going," he sighs as he gets on his feet. "Thanks for the coffee and the…fine spread you got there," he gestures to the half-finished sweets on the table.

"Where're you going?" you ask him with a pout as you lean on the table with one arm.

"I'm going back to work," he says with a cheeky grin as he straightens his coat. "And I wouldn't want to be caught in the eventual crossfire."

"Fine, go see that lovely little nightmare of yours," you say with just as much sass, suggestively wiggling your eyebrows in the process.

Turning his back, the Corinthian gives you the finger from behind him as he struts out of your sight.

Above you, the skies turn an ominous grey, signaling that Morywn has delivered your message with great success.

***

Dream was beside himself with anger when Morwyn came to him to tell of your rejection, and his foul mood had promptly manifested through a darkening of the skies in his realm, which later turned into a downpour.

He had given you what in his opinion was ample time for yourself and had even chosen to keep his distance, just so you could contemplate the gravity of your last exchange and come to terms with his decision. Obstinately, he stands by his word: he can never reinstate your dreaming abilities until he can fully trust you, which he knows could take time - at least until he's confident that the Chapman has been dealt with thoroughly.

He had been watching you through the eyes of Matthew share stories over coffee for the past few days. Based on the conversations he had overheard, you seemed to have developed some kind of bond with him, and within his heart, he felt jealousy start to slowly creep in; with his nightmare, you were chatty, you were laughing, and, dare he say, you were comfortable with him acting like yourself - something he selfishly wished he could have only to himself. Had he not given you enough reason to be more open around him that you had to always be hungry for the company of someone other than himself?

So, for days on end, he attempted to call upon you, sending your attendant to fetch you for himself, and he finds himself scorned each time, much to his chagrin.

He misses you. Sorely, terribly. He misses having to greet the Dreaming sunrise with your naked form in his arms; he misses kissing your lips and marking your skin; he misses the way you look at him with so much innocence in the presence of others, and how that look would transform to much more heated gazes in the privacy of his chambers; he misses the music you both make as you made love to each other into the wee hours of the night, and the gentle words you share as you bask in the afterglow. Even more so, he misses your wit and your fire, and even in those increasingly rare moments he sees your eyes light up in courage when you stand up to him. He misses you so much that his heart had started to wither away without so much as your presence; he had admittedly been quicker to anger at his subjects with each passing day without you, and now, as he sits on his throne, sulking, he hears once again of your refusal from a terrified Morwyn, whom he's slightly tempted to banish to the darkness just so he could get your attention. Instead, he sends her away without so much as a dark look - he knows it would displease you should you find out he had unmade your faithful attendant despite her innocence.

Once he's certain the throne room is empty save for himself, Dream of the Endless groans audibly in abject frustration. Through the eyes of his raven, he looks on at the scene in one of the palace rooms: his perfect nightmare, getting to his feet to return to his duties, and his perfect dream, you, waving a casual goodbye at your friend, huffing to yourself and donning on a morose expression at the loss of a conversation partner. This bubbling jealousy combined with his growing longing for you isn't doing him, his subjects, and his kingdom any favours. Huffing as you did, he severs his connection with Matthew and withdraws into himself further in deep thought.

You're bored, and he knows it; if you weren't in the library reading whatever books you could get your hands on or in the company of his nightmare, you were in your room by yourself, brooding. As much as he hates to admit it, he hadn't seen you in high spirits in a long time, and he is aware that the only way he could bring you back to your usual self is the one thing he has avoided giving you. One that you had pleaded with him for countless times and that he adamantly refused. Should he relent this time, how could he ensure you don't go seeking that mortal once your abilities are back at full strength? How could he orchestrate this in such a way that you'd be happy with your role and with him that you'd never have to chase your happiness from anyone else save from him?

His kingdom shakes ever-so-slightly at the resounding clap of thunder as Morpheus rubs his forehead in agitation. In need of a distraction, he steps away from his throne and descends the winding staircase, his thoughts drifting to that last time you had tried with your very best to entertain a dreamer who had wandered off that old castle. That child had somehow managed to single-handedly lift your mood when he could not so much as coax even the ghost of a smile from your lips then. Even before he witnessed the way you interacted with the child guests who found their way to your coronation party, he confirmed what he had always known: that you love children, and you have a way with them, just like a mother would.

Without meaning to, flashes of memories he had long since buried invade his thoughts, gnawing away at his cold exterior: that of joyous, ringing laughter echoing the halls of his palace; of a voice singing so wondrously to the tune of strings lovingly plucked from a harp; and of a face that so painfully reminded him of his.

Orpheus.

The mention alone of his son, now reduced to a mere talking head all because he, his own father, had denied him help when he had so desperately called to him, often pushed him into a sullen mood, but oddly enough, it doesn't have as much bite this time around. His imagination goes further, this time painting a picture of a child, a spitting image of him, down to the tufts of hair growing out of his tiny head, except his eyes, which light up the way yours do as his tiny fingers tug your hair with just as much stubbornness as his mother possesses; and you, a vision unlike anything he has ever seen, cuddling the child close to your heart as you lull him to sleep with a lullaby only you could sing.

Imaginary as the scene might be, he tucks it away in his heart and lets it warm him, and his realm, going along with him, rejoices in the first rays of sunlight it has seen in several days.

He had failed as a father once, and this time, redemption seems to call upon him, and with it, the hope of finally giving you the happiness and contentment you need to stay by his side for all time. With a child on the way, there would be no more doubt in your heart about where you truly belong. All you may need is persuasion.

***

With your nightmare friend, you find routine in the following days, chatting about all sorts of dreams and nightmares over coffee or tea, and sweets. Through the Corinthian, you lived your dream of one day being able to visit the sea of dreams again and form inspiration for the dreamers and be you, just as your creator had once intended.

He, too, had become part of this drill of yours. Your Lord, rudely enough in the middle of your conversation with your friend, would send your attendant to fetch you at his behest, and it had been part of your day to refuse the request with the most saccharin of tones. True, you and your company had to move from the gardens to one of the many parlours in the palace when it started raining; it had been a light shower at first, but the rain became heavier as your refusal to see him went on. It was clear he had wanted to give you the space you had needed for so long, but time apart from you seemed to sour his mood.

Not that you cared - as far as you were concerned, his royal moodiness could go fuck himself.

You let out a heavy sigh as you put down the book you've been reading. You've been at it since this late afternoon, having been refused flatly by Lucienne to help sort the new books. The colourful library windows then filtered the light of the setting sun, which somehow chose to appear just as you were beginning to read. Something had brightened your Lord's mood then, and whatever it was didn't seem to bode well for you.

The sun has now fully set, revealing the Dreaming skies' collection of glowing constellations. From your favourite couch, you get up, intent on going back to your chambers to call it a day, but a warning from the Voice makes you freeze in your spot.

Your Lord, in his pale countenance, emerges from among the library shelves with his hands behind his back and makes his way to you, his eyes never leaving yours.

"My dream."

You had expected to see him seething in anger given how you had been brushing him off for the past days, not to mention your last conversation which hadn't gone well, but to your surprise and suspicion, his expression is soft, his tone almost pained, as if something is ailing him and he's trying to hide it as best he could.

"I missed you," he whispers, his voice faltering a little with emotion. "It has been seven days since I have…last seen you.

"We need to talk," he adds, his tone begging in the way words couldn't.

You give him the smallest of nods, and his sand engulfs both your forms at once, and when you open your eyes, you're back in his chambers. He doesn't pounce on you as he's always wont to do the moment he gets you alone in his chambers. He simply stands a few feet from you, willing his sand to clear before he states his piece:

"I have decided to restore your dreaming abilities."

Immediately, your eyes shoot up to his starry-blue ones - you must've misheard him, it couldn't be this easy to make him grant your wish…

Right?

"My Lord…are you -?"

"Yes."

You don't know whether to be elated or perplexed, so you settle with both, not knowing what to make of his sudden change of heart.

"Why, my Lord? Why change your mind?" You ask softly with a slight burrowing of your brows.

"Because you will grant me a boon in return."

Your Lord's mysterious words turn resolute all of a sudden - you narrow your eyes in your increasing confusion, and yet his eyes never betray a single emotion except one of absolute staunchness.

"My Lord," you start, carefully choosing your words. "I'm not sure I can give anything you don't already have."

He grins lightly at your words like your answer was one he's expected.

"That is not true. In fact, you are the only one in the Dreaming, and in the universe, that I see fit to grant me my wish."

He takes a few steps closer to you, giving you a full view of those swirling galaxies trapped in his eyes, and like the mere subject you are, you await the words of the otherworldly, godly being before you, transfixed in his beauty.

"I wish for you to bear me life. A child."

And under that celestial gaze of his, you feel your world crumbling and sinking in your gut, and inwardly you fight the urge to be sick before the glow of his eyes.

"No…"

"I understand your hesitation, my dream. But, grant me this, I shall let you roam the sea of dreams once more, and you shall craft dreams of inspiration, just like before," he says with a soft tone, caressing your cheek with his palm in assurance.

Still reeling inwardly from the gravity of his request, you gape at him disbelievingly, letting a few tense moments pass before you find your words.

"My Lord, you didn't give me the capacity for life when you created me," you state, ignoring his other hand running up and down your waist.

But, the tiny smirk on his face tells you he had been expecting this response from you, too.

"You are of my creation, and I can make it so," he declares as he lifts your chin with his fingers. "Our child will inherit the best of you, my dream – your tenacity, your wit, and your passion for my realm. Bear me a child, a son, and I will make him the overseer of all my dreams and nightmares."

Clearly, your Lord and master has been giving this a great deal of thought.

He will use the child to bind you to him further.

But, could you do it? Could you grant him his wish, knowing the Voice is right, and an innocent life may well just be a tool he could use to manipulate you in ways you have yet to discover?

Your Dream Lord's words and his hands wandering to the small of your back and the back of your neck bring you to focus.

"Give me your word now, and I shall grant you what you have been pining for all these months."

"A-and, if…if I ref-refuse?" You stammer, feeling overwhelmed all of a sudden.

His grip on you tightens at your question - the hold he has on your back becomes more insistent, his hand behind your neck almost squeezing. You could see his eyes harden at your hypothetical rejection, once again displaying his inability to accept 'no' for an answer.

"You would deny me, and in turn, deny yourself what you've been yearning for?" He asks incredulously. "I have been watching you and the Corinthian talk about dreams, my Mera, and I sense nothing but longing in these conversations. Now, I will not ask again: bear my child, our child, and you shall be you once more."

But, being able to form dreams again, meeting new dreamers and helping them find their passion, and in turn, themselves - there will be a slew of Ethans and Carries who don't have to live their life an empty shell, and you'd be there to make a difference, no matter how small.

And you'd finally have a purpose besides spreading your legs for him when he pleases - it would be one you wouldn't mind fulfilling for the rest of your eternity in his kingdom.

What is it going to be, Mera?

Yet, your Lord knows he does not have to wait for a response - in fact, he fully encases you in an embrace and locks your lips in a bruising kiss to prove this point. His mouth probes inside yours hungrily, repeatedly rolling his tongue on yours as he lifts your body and makes you instinctively wrap your thighs around his midriff and your arms around his neck. He takes both your intertwined forms to his bed at once without wasting time, and in a flash, both your clothes dissolve into fine grains of sand, which too, disappears at his will. His hands roam your bare form with much urgency while his mouth sucks in your lower lip and gently nips it with his teeth.

He then starts attacking your neck with fervour, alternating between open-mouthed kisses and little bites that sting your skin but bring heat surging between your legs. Your breathing turns fast and shallow as his lips ghost over your ear.

"Seven days I was starved of you," he whispers, his hot breath fanning your ear and making you feel light-headed. "You will make up for it."

Promise or threat: with your Lord, it doesn't matter - he does as he wishes, as always - distracting you from your thoughts are the hands that squeeze your breasts with a force that makes your breath hitch. You could brush away those hands, even try to struggle against the body pressing on yours, but truth be told, you're getting exhausted trying to every time he forces to into bed with him, only for him to have his way in the end.

Is it still worth the struggle?

But you never find the answer - instead what you find is your Lord's finger parting the increasingly wet folds between your thighs as he bites your shoulder with surprising strength, earning a sharp cry from you. Perhaps he sensed your distraction; and no, he couldn't have that, never - not when he's taking you.

Panting heavily, you feel him insert a finger inside you, and your body accepts it readily, making a wet sound as it does. You begin moaning softly with the way his finger pumps in and out of you, and he pulls away to get a full view of you, falling apart in his power.

With a blazing look, he teases, "I have half a mind to let you starve as I did..."

He places a second finger inside your walls, brushing over your spot in the process. You buck your hips against his hand when his thumb presses on your clit, and your head falls back on the pillow.

"Just so I could hear you beg for mercy."

His skilful hands repeatedly brush over your spot while simultaneously massaging your clit, and your hips start meeting his, building up the pleasure, but just when you're almost at your peak, you feel his fingers withdraw.

"My Lord, please…" you sob into your pillow, your hands reaching up to him in despair.

"Eager, aren't we? Will you admit you were longing for my touch as well, my dream?"

With a whimper you look up at his face - he wears a smug expression as if he's found the answer to his question, but it was far from the truth and you know it in your heart.

"And from now on, you will call me by my name, especially in the confines of our chambers. Now tell me what it is you seek."

He parts your legs further with one hand while the other softly caresses your cheek, and once more a whimper passes through your lips. You feel him align his hardened length at your entrance, but he doesn't push.

But your body couldn't wait any longer.

"Please, Lord Morpheus, torture me no more," you beg softly, meeting his anxious eyes. "I want you inside me."

And without wasting time, he buries himself fully inside your core to the hilt, its suddenness making you release a strangled noise, but as he withdraws his cock and pushes it back in, you find relief, and in a daze, you start meeting his hips with yours just so you could feel him more. Your Lord takes your thighs and hooks them around his waist to deepen his thrusts, while he picks up a pace that makes you scream hoarsely it echoes in his chambers. You know the moment he starts hitting your sweet spot, you're done for. You meet his unforgiving thrusts as best as you can and he brings your bodies close, desperate to feel more of you while he captures your lips with his in a frenzy. You dig your nails into his back, leaving scratches on his pale skin. You moan in his mouth while your hand reaches to your folds to touch yourself for the first time, massaging and pressing on your clit to help find a quicker release.

But your Lord notices this - he pulls away from the kiss and harshly grabs your hands so he could pin them above your head.

"Do that again and I will deny you release for a week, just like you've done to me," he all but growls against your ear, his words sending shivers down your spine. "You will come when I command you so."

He continues pounding into you with a force that blurs the line between pain and pleasure, and in no time, you could feel yourself dissolving into bliss, reduced to nothing but sharp cries and desperate pleas.

"Lord M-Morpheus," you breathe amidst your wanton moans filling his chambers. "Please, I need…I need to…"

"Say it, little dream of mine."

"Morph-fuck, Morpheus, please, make me come, I beg you, please," you draw out raspily, not caring about your language or how you sound. You focus on your master, your creator, drawing out your suffering, until finally -

"Then, come for your King, little dream."

At his command, you shatter beneath him like glass exploding into a thousand pieces, unbearable pleasure coursing through your veins, and you scream his name like a prayer until your throat hurt - but unlike other gods, he's there, anchoring you to him and hearing your prayers, responding to them with a tender kiss to your lips.

You grow limp as your orgasm ebbs away, and your Lord effortlessly turns you to your stomach. You had been expecting this because he hasn't found his release yet, and, persistent with his goal, his hard cock finds itself inside you once again, his thrusts more forceful than the last. His body encloses yours, his chest touching your back, as his mouth lavishes the back of your neck. With his hands bringing your hips flush to his, you find yourself close to your second undoing in no time, mewling sinfully in sync with your Lord's grunts and the cacophony of flesh desperate to meet together.

"Perfect…you're so perfect for me, so tight for your King," he rasps against your reddened skin.

You're so close, but it's also starting to hurt, so you come for him the second he commands you, much more intense than the last, wishing you could take him with you, but it isn't to be, for he doesn't wait for you to catch your breath.

With his skilful manoeuvre of your bodies, you wind up facing him once more, your hands pinned above your head.

Your Lord, dipping his head so close your noses touch, whispers, his eyes containing blazing supernovas that engulf you:

"Once I am done with you, you will have life inside you - my son - you will be round with my child in months, and then you will truly accept your place with me. You are mine, mine alone - no one else can have you."

This time, he pulls your bodies ever closer, your nipples brushing against his chest with even the slightest movement. You could feel the warmth emanating from his body, and the scent of your union finally invading your senses. You could feel your blood pounding in your ears, the marks he left on your skin stinging more than ever before - and his hardened length being continuously slammed inside your increasingly numbing core - everything becomes too much all of a sudden, and like a veil lifted from your eyes, the haze from the lust is replaced by sheer panic.

You start sobbing heavily and thrashing against him, but like always, it's no use - and he takes, continues taking you, despite the pleas, the prayers you thought he'd heed; all you hear from is his groans of pleasure every time he pounds on you, and the word, one you've heard many times, but now being rubbed to your face anew:

Mine, mine, mine.

"Please, no, Lord Morpheus, please, stop, stopstopstop…"

But he doesn't; he never does, never will. You don't come anymore, and he no longer commands you to - in your distress, you couldn't anymore, and he knows it. When his orgasm hits him, you're actually hit with relief, but even that was short-lived: roaring into the night, he loses his rhythm, and as he fills you to the brim with his scorching hot seed, his erratic pumps send jolts of electricity invading your every nerve, and you lay there, limp and sobbing piteously, hurting everywhere, just taking it all I until he's done.

And you feel it - life burrowing inside you, swirling, barely perceptible, but it's there: your child, his child, clinging onto you for the very first time...

Your Lord doesn't pull out, not yet; bring your foreheads together, breath fanning your face, he says, ever-so-softly:

"Do you feel it, my love, my life, my dream? Our son, our heir, our proof of love?"

With a choked sob, you nod, reality hitting you like a sharp slap to the face. It's proving all too much for you and with a whisper only you could hear, the Voice gives you the gentlest of prompts:

Sleep.

And you do, but not before you feel a soft, feathery kiss on your forehead - your Lord, bidding you, and the life you both formed, a kiss good night.

***

You barely register the way your Lord stirs at the first rays of sunlight that enter his realm. Embracing you from behind, he plants a soft kiss on your exposed shoulder, then on your neck, before moving to your cheek, his hand ghosting over your abdomen. He bids you farewell for the day to attend to his duties, but after he leaves, you drift back to sleep, having been drained of energy from last night.

The next time you come to, Morwyn greets you with your usual tray of breakfast, except, aside from the coffee you're partial to, your tray holds a six-inch carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting, with the word 'congratulations' written in blue icing. She then smiles shyly at you, revealing the entire kingdom to be overjoyed at the coming of their little prince.

You smile at her, holding out your hand in thanks, which she takes, giggling excitedly.

"I'm going to finally have a little boy to dress up. I promise I'll make him look as princely as he can be," she says in a jovial tone, before excusing herself to draw your bath.

It takes every ounce of willpower in you not to scream yourself hoarse and heave on an empty stomach.

And you know you had to keep up the act too - you meet Mervyn the Pumpkinhead on your way downstairs, wiping the staircase railings. With a tip of his hat, he greets you in his usual fashion.

"It has been a while since we've seen little runts running about the halls causing a ruckus," he comments through the lit cigar lodged in his orange mouth. "Knowing you, kid, that child might just be the end of me."

He goes on cleaning the rest of the marble railing, whistling tunelessly, unaware of that inner storm brewing inside you. You start wishing you wouldn't meet anyone else on your way to the library, but of course, there's Lucienne, whose smile, as effervescent as ever, greets you the moment you reach your favourite reading place. But it isn't just her that's waiting - spread on your favourite coffee table, spilling all over the floor and across the leather sofas, are packages upon packages, some wrapped in dainty, intricate ribbons, some painted in shades of colour an artist would drool over, and letters, mountains of them, all addressed to you, and to the little prince who you had only conceived the night before.

But, why, and how?

Lucienne, ever the sharper one between the both of you, clarifies, "They're tokens, greeting cards - well-wishes to the princess and the little prince, sent from all over the universe, and I don't see them stopping anytime soon.

"Congratulations, my Lady," she says, her voice breaking up in unadulterated joy, clasping your hands in hers.

You both spend the rest of the morning opening them and sorting them out, and by the time your scheduled meeting with your nightmare friend comes around, you barely make a dent in all the presents and the cards.

When Morwyn arrives to fetch you and tell you that the garden has been set up, you're glad to finally get an excuse to break away from the sickening, celebratory air the presents brought about.

At least your next company would give you less bullshit.

And so you sit on the garden chair, with a sprawling feast of sweets you had no appetite for indulging in, downing coffee like it would somehow make everything feel better (it doesn't).

"I thought coffee was bad for you," your friend drawls as he makes his approach, sitting on the chair before you. He pours himself a cup of coffee from the porcelain kettle.

"Everything will be bad for me in a few months," you say flatly as you cross your arms and slouch on your seat. "How did you find out?"

"Word travels fast here, princess," he replies with a shrug. "You probably had enough of this by now, so I won't say 'congratulations.'"

It turns out that's all it takes for you to break.

You couldn't control the onslaught of tears that escape the corner of your eyes, and thankfully, your friend makes no mention of it, no matter how uncomfortably he squirms in his chair. For you, it seems, he endures the next few minutes with only your quiet sniffling to break the awkward silence.

Eventually, you find the words you wanted to say.

"I could've stopped him, but I didn't, and now I have him."

The Corinthian, cursing under his breath, lights up a cigarette, and responds, "I'm not good at this, I usually make them cry, not the other way around." With a grin that comes out more of a grimace, he continues, "But uh…if it makes you feel any better, princess, you couldn't have stopped him. No one can. His kingdom, his rules; and there's not a damn thing we can do about it."

You wipe your tears with the sleeve of your dress in a very unladylike-like manner before belatedly grabbing the napkin on your side of the table. "You're right, as always," you softly remark, finally willing your tears to stop.

"Hey, think of it this way; if that kid is anything like you, he'll give Morpheus one hell of a time."

Apparently, that's all it takes for you to lighten up, too.

He laughs along with you, while a scene plays out in your head: the image of a kid, hair as black as his father's, puking on the Dream King's shirt - it's a scene you gladly tuck away in the recesses of your mind.

"It's not like I got the short end of the stick," you comment in a lighter tone, deciding to sample one of the lemon bars on the spread. "I got my dreaming abilities back."

"Ah, so you are getting something out of this besides the sex."

You shoot him a half-hearted glare, but you end up shaking your head as your grin grows wider. "So, finally, I get to meet that nightmare you're fawning over, granted, you'll let me come with you."

"No one's fawning over anyone, princess, and I wouldn't want to be around to watch whatever cheesy shit you craft," he flippantly responds as he picks a chocolate truffle on the table and puts it in his mouth. Is that what it looks like when he eats eyeballs, you vaguely wonder to yourself.

He gets to his feet, stomping on the cigarette butt he throws on the ground. He makes a motion with his head, urging you to follow him.

Together, you walk a path you have been looking forward to walking along, and at the end of it, your most coveted prize:

The sea of dreams.

With a two-finger salute, the Corinthian dives ahead of you, presumably to meet with Sumnio. You take a second to yourself to look around the calm, blue waters, seeing nothing beneath it as you peek into the depths below. Satisfied with what you see, you dive headfirst, just like the first time you did so, except, this time, without the comforting hand that you no longer needed.

The waters are full of everything the dreamers have to offer, but unlike the first time, you don't get overwhelmed with the entire collective unconscious of the whole of humanity - with expertise, your senses hone in on a dreamer you had intended on helping even before you had gotten your powers back; a dreamer whose future you could finely sculpt now that your dream-forming abilities are back at full strength.

And you land, with the grace of the princess, on the fantasy world that Ethan had built. A few feet away from you is the Conqueror of Dragons and Commander of Legions, but he does not notice your arrival - he's busy fighting what looks like an ogre ten times his size with a long dagger, much likr the one you had once handed to him.

Cracking your knuckles delightedly, you get to work.

****************************** Link to the next chapter

Author notes on the Chapter:

Aside from the very busy sched lately, it's the smut here that got me stumped. Sorry for the delay and ILY all!!

******************************

Author's notes in general:

Thank you, THANK YOU for reading!!

Please engage, comment and reblog!! I love feedback from you guys :) This is my first ever fic, so kindness is truly appreciated!

Thank you to my queen @queenshelby @endlessdreamqueen3 for encouraging me to pen this, as well as to my fellow Dark!Morpheus writers whose work I have thoroughly enjoyed and keep rereading :)

Post date: 1/29/22

Edit date: 1/29/22

Taglist: Just lemme know please if you want to be added, too!

Tagging the following:

@wt-fxck

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[akasanata]

Draculatober day 1:

Drácula (1931)

Here's what happens and my disjointed thoughts as I watch:

Starting with some classic Swan Lake as soundtrack.

First scene is a carriage where the people are moving hilariously, à la Enterprise crashed against something. A lady gives us some exposition. A bit jarring to hear Spanish, but I'll get used to it.

Oh god, making the actor not conjugate verbs as a sign of 'this person is speaking Spanish as a second language' is Not Good.

Jonathan doesn't stay in town with the other carriage riders but asks to go on to the Borgo pass. He's warned that today is the day of Saint Walburga, google informs me that's April 30 and it's a celebration in Germany.

We cut to Dracula's castle, Dracula coming out of a coffin. The three weed smoking roommates. Spanish Dracula is surprisingly similar to Bela Lugosi.

Back to Jonathan. We are clearly shown the coachman who picks him up is the same man who came out the coffin.

The movie could do with a bit more music...

The castle is full of cobwebs everywhere, which Dracula seems to pass through without disturbing. I like that.

Some references to Renfield's chain of life.

Spaniard Spanish: "traer apetito". My mind immediately: "traer a Petito"

Okay, that Dracula is properly creepy as he watches Jonathan eat. Lol, Dracula asked Jonathan to keep the visit secret and Jonathan complied? What did he say back home? that he was going on vacation instead of visiting a client???

wait what Renfield????????? alskdjalskdja apparently it's not Jonathan, but Renfield 🤷

Renfield cuts his finger trying to cut bread of all things.

"Yo nunca bebo.... vino" oh I've seen this referenced before.

Apparently, Dracula is only taking three boxes and they're leaving together tomorrow.

Oooh the wine was poisoned! And the three weed smoking roommates munched on poor Renfield.

Dracula traumatizes the sailors of the Demeter just by coming out his coffin.

Nice

Oh it's not the Demeter, it's the Elsie.

Dracula arrives in London! Things are moving fast!

Dracula goes to ballet, for some reason he wants to speak to Dr Seward. Apparently this Dracula's mind control powers are quite strong. And Dr Seward's asylum is in Whitby and yet still neighbor with Dracula's newly acquired Carfax abbey.

Seward has a daughter (Evar?), there's another lady whose name I didn't understand, and finally! Jonathan! The other lady is Lucy Lucía, and she loves creepy poetry. She shows interest in Dracula, of course 🙄 ANSOEIJAOJSK I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED IT BUT JONATHAN IS JUAN LAKSDLASKJDLKAJS

So Eva is Mina with her name changed. But like, if they wanted them to have names in Spanish, Mina could have still been Mina, from Guillermina...

Creepy Dracula stalking Lucía. Apparently he can enter other people's houses no problem. Oh god he killed Lucía so fast. And there have been more victims.

For some reason Van Helsing, Seward and a bunch of men already know they're dealing with Transylvanian vampires.

Oh, somehow Renfield is alive and under Seward's care.

Mina Eva is depressed and scared of night. "Oh! Juan!"

Renfield was turned?

Renfield warns Seward his daughter is in danger.

Eva recounts a "nightmare" and they discover the mysterious marks in her neck.

Dracula comes visit and suddenly Eva is shown to be interested in him.... *sigh*

Van Helsing reveals Dracula's identity via a mirror, and yet Seward doesn't believe him.

Eva sneaks out of her room in a sexy dress to meet Dracula.

For some reason Van Helsing insists on Renfield revealing his "master"'s name even though they already know.

Oooh the Bloofer Lady! Thought she wouldn't appear. She had paid a visit to Eva :(

Eva confesses she's unable to disobey Dracula and ends things with Juan. Juan still doesn't believe in vampires.

Renfield tries to resist Dracula's mind control to protect Eva, but it's futile.

All of Van Helsing's protections are useless in the face of Dracula's mind control. Dracula tells Van Helsing he's already turned Eva, and Van Helsing promises to save her soul if not her life.

Eva almost eats Juan, so know Juan finally believes in vampires.

Van Helsing and Juan take care of the bloofer lady off screen. On their way back they discover Dracula trying to sneak off with an unconscious Eva. Believing Renfield guided them, Dracula kills Renfield. Van Helsing and Juan pursue Dracula, but the sun arrives first and they find him lying on his coffin. Van Helsing kills him and Eva is finally free.

All in all it wasn't that bad. The pacing was all over the place, Dr Seward and Juan didn't serve much purpose, Dracula's mind powers were too convenient, and it desperately needed music, but it was decent enough.

[evansbby]

BESTIE THE FUCKING DRABLE OMGGGGGG!!! I love how you wrote Steve as soft while also still keeping the arrogant alpha part of his character. I hope this makes sense sjsjsks. But here are some of my fav moments from the drabble!!

The smell was already taking you back… all you had to do was close your eyes and you were back at home, with all the yelling and screaming and hitting and–

Hmm, by now we know omega's past is traumatic, but I wonder what exactly happened that she's this traumatized and panicked.

“Hey. Come back to me.” Steve’s voice cuts through your racing thoughts, his warm hands cupping your cheeks and his potent scent helping you breathe. “Come back, omega. I’m right here.”

OKAY! This is so making me wanna sob??? Like Steve's being demanding and assertive like usual but there's also this softness and care in his voice???? And when he tells her that he's right there??? Hello??? That is literally just so chefs kiss bcs his presence and scent alone can calm her down. Like he's literally trying to calm her down and actually help her 😭 Soulmates much eh? Also he was so drunk and horny but still noticed her panicking??? awwww the bare minimum but we love a soft toxic king😍

Steve rips your dress in half

Miss Mam! This is some unholy shit right here. God who? Religion who? I literally gasped so fucking loud when I read this - Steve's so depraved lmao. J the thought of him ripping a dress make me so horny - the strength kink's coming out bestieee. But it was also lowkey funny and such a good way to distract her lmao - when I said that you perfectly portrayed both his soft and arrogant side, this is exactly what I mean!!! He's soft but he's still his usual depraved alpha self!! Love it. And when he gives her his own sweatshirt??? I'm absolutely devastated - like it clearly shows Steve has changed in some ways bcs dude literally hates her wearing hoodies and sweatshirt. Like growth baby growth, so proud. I mean we all know there was no way he'd let her leave naked.

“Your nightmare face.” Steve says matter-of-factly, wrapping his arms around you even tighter as your head snaps upwards. “My wh-what?” “Your nightmare face. You do it all the time in your sleep. You start frowning and whimpering.”

BESTIE ARE YOU TRYING TO FUCKING KILL ME? ISTG THIS IS TOO MUCH I CAN'T HANDLE THIS 😭. The fact that this bitch actually noticed??????? Hellow??? I think I just fell in love with him. And poor omega is clearly sooo traumatized and all steve's ever done is traumatize her more. Someone needs to give her the biggest cuddle and therapy of her life.

But then I just throw your toy at you and it seems to work because you calm down.”

Lmao this is sooo Steve. I'm pissed that he didn't like cuddle her or some shit like dude at least be a lil worried. But nah itz cool. Its not. Steve Jr is literally there for Omega all the time even when his dad isn't.

“I wish I knew what gets you so scared every night.” He whispers against your lips, cupping your face and holding you close. He takes a deep breath, his long lashes fanning his cheekbones as he strokes your cheeks. “I hope it’s not me.”

Okay I'm officially dead guys someone hold my funeral 😭. I just know that very deep deeeep down Steve is so disturbed/bothered and hates that he doesn't know what happened to her. And poor omega has these nightmares every night???? and ur telling me this 'I'm the alpha its my duty to protect my omega' dude doesn't do anything other than throw her a dam toy?? Fuck him lol. But his eyelash game is strong, I'm jealous😭. Plus, he's hoping that its not him?? Like he knows he scared her and is traumatizing her?? Bitch (not you, just steve lol). But its also makes my heart hurt bcs its the first time Steve's really opening up and we're getting to see that something majorly fucked up Omega and scared her for life. There something so heartbreaking about Steve wishing he isn't the one in her nightmares. Like kill me dude's so broken inside.

I am so sorry this is very very long but I had to fangirl!! While I loved the ENTIRE drabble, these are def my fav moments. I just cannot wait till we and Steve discover her past - cannot wait for Steve to realize that someone hurt his baby girl and him to just regret treating her badly and to just get soo angry bcs whotf hurt his bby. I'm totally rambling srry.

Omg bestie I was smiling throughout reading this!!! Thank you so much for such an amazing and detailed review!!! 😍😍🥰🥰

so about omega’s past! we will find out in detail about it in part 5 of poyt but a lot of it is your basic absentee mom with several alcoholic boyfriends 😔😔😔 our girl has been through a lot!

Also no bc him saying “I’m right here” made ME swoon too as I wrote it! Like YES MY LOVE YOU ARE HERE! Sometimes I love him 🙃😌

Omg and about Steve tossing Steve Jr at omega when she’s whimpering and having nightmares… it’s only bc Steve himself can’t cuddle with her bc he has to go! So Steve Jr is the next best option bc he smells like Steve and it calms her down! ALSO YES STEVE EYELASH GAME VERY STRONG YES YES

Hehehe thank you sm bestie ily!🥺💞

[soobrat]

cynics; jns

part v

masterlist

words; 4.7k

genre; angst

warnings; gross description of feces, graphic descriptions gore, mentions of non-con elements (not with johnny or mc), mentions of disturbing bullying, self-deprecating thoughts, let me know if I missed anything

preface; The whole Dream thing is a coincidence... not a reference. Should be 2-3 parts left now. Just an additional warning that this will not be an easy read. Even without the gore and shit, it's just a bit depressing lol. Also I hope that people don't hate mc-

Johnny was rigid with horror as he stared down at the feces in the toilet bowl. 

"This is- you can't!" Johnny blubbers through tears as Hyojong grips him firmly by his hair. His fingers are laced so tightly within his locks that he can hear a slight ripping sound. Johnny shudders, pleading with the boy pathetically. 

"Those should be happy tears." Hyojong rubs harshly at Johnny's cheek, "I could be stomping your brains into the pavement. Be happy I'm not." Hyojong pulls his head back so far that he feels a sharp pain in his spine. Johnny cries out.

"I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again! I promise!"

"You should've thought about that before you put your hands on my girlfriend."

The smell...

Johnny still remembers it vividly to this day. For about a month, he threw up at the thought of the incident. That was the day that solidified Johnny's fear of Kim Hyojong. Even after said incident, thinking about how all of that transpired still made Johnny burn with rage. Hyuna had forced you to follow her around like her pet. Johnny tried to snap you out of it but you were so happy to fit in. He couldn't get you to tell him exactly what happened, but he walked in on Hyuna fuming about something. Her kicking you in the stomach over and over. She must have been doing it for a while since when Johnny walked in, you coughed up blood. In a fit of rage, Johnny shoved Hyuna onto the floor and ran to your side. 

It would be a very long time before Johnny could forget about those two, if he ever would. Still, he hadn't had nightmares about them since sophomore year. He had no clue why they were back, but he decided to blame it on your interaction. Everything that happened yesterday didn't sit well with Johnny. After you accused him of being worse than Hyojong and Hyuna, the two people that abused you physically, mentally, and emotionally, he was already in the wrong mindset. Then he had to deal with YangYang and his dubious motives. Johnny even waited by your door until every single person funneled out of your house. It was hard to find an excuse, not that he was proud of feeling like he needed one. 

The way Mark looked at Johnny before he left made Johnny feel sick. 

"You didn't, did you?" He asked quietly, the fact that he even had to ask filled him with dismay. 

The words sat in Johnny's stomach like a brick. He'd like to think the shock from Mark's words was the reason he hesitated to deny that he took advantage of your vulnerable state. So bad, he wanted to. But deep down in the depths of his soul was a sordid, merciless, and demanding voice. 

Sacrifice it plead. Or risk regression.

"No. How could you even ask me that?" Johnny shouted, trying to block out those thoughts. 

Maybe the nightmares were a reminder. A reminder of what he sacrificed you for to escape.

-

How pathetic were you? You let them into your home, almost let YangYang have his way with you, and then Johnny? You wanted Johnny to feel pain so he could know what he put you through, but your stupid fucking heart was resentful. Over what? You refused to give it the time of day. You were already fucked up as it is.

"Did something happen? Did you talk to Taeyong?" Jisoo questions, growing impatient with your lack of urgency.

"Soo, I have it under control, I promise." You didn't mean for the exasperation to seep through in your voice. Before you could apologize she was shooting up from your couch.

"I'm not an idiot! Something happened, meaning you clearly don't have it under control!" Jisoo balls her fists, eyes sharp as she stares at you. It was beyond stressful for Jisoo to see you like this. You haven't spoken to her or Jungwoo in a week, you look like you've barely slept, and your house is a mess.

"If you truly think I'm not okay then why are you screaming at me right now?" You stand up as well, matching her volume.

"I just want you to talk to me about this! It's literally what I'm here for! I-" Jisoo cuts herself off with a defeated sigh. "I'm so worried about you I don't know what to do with myself. I'm so scared that they're gonna do something to you-"

"Oh please. They won't actually do anything other than talk shit." You say dismissively, waving your hand as a visual representation of how baseless you thought her claims were.

"Are we talking about the same people here? The same people who made you run to us sobbing because they were so awful? They put you through hell, and you're standing there trying to convince me they're harmless?"

Her words make you pause. You never considered how pathetic you must've looked to Jisoo and Jungwoo. "What, were you annoyed you had to help your friend through a hard time?" You ask, caution evident on your face despite how sturdy you tried to appear.

"We were annoyed at your carelessness." It wasn't easy for Jisoo to admit and it was even harder for you to swallow. "One day you'd be torn up over the horrible things they say to you and the next you'd happily show us a picture you took with them. As if nothing ever happened."

Embarrassed was one way to put it, but ashamed was more apt. Your crumbling confidence didn't deter Jisoo from adding salt to the wound.

"Think about it. We were just building you up so they could topple you over again like it was nothing. It was exhausting, ___." Jisoo's shoulder drop with a sigh. She didn't want to hurt you, but she couldn't deny how freeing it was to get that off her chest. You stand there, rigid as you contemplate how to respond.

"I'm gonna go, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I think you need to be alone for a while, including Taeyong and Mark. Everything happening all at once has to be overwhelming." 

Jisoo reluctantly turns to leave. She wants to stay with you and keep you company so she won't have to worry about those imbeciles taking advantage of you, but there's no doubt in her mind that you aren't very fond of her right now. A hurt smile stretches and distorts your features as your next words get caught in your throat.

"You think you know what's best for me? You must think you know everything, little miss perfect- hey!" Jisoo stares blankly at you as you chase after her, closing the door in your face. Her expression says it all. She wasn't affected by your words because of your pathetic state. What could a damaged, sad idiot like you say that was actually significant? You, the person whose only source of dick was a taken man who pitied her. Only friends were people who looked down on her or saw her as a nuisance. An undesirable chore.

All you needed was half an hour with Jungwoo to make you feel better. You weren't even going against Jisoo's advice to spite her. You might even take it, but all you need is for Jungwoo to sneak over and help distract you even for a little while.

Jungwoo: ___... I can't.

Jungwoo: I'll call you when I'm not so busy, yeah?

The dark thoughts jabbing at you for the past week were cackling. Splitting their sides as they pointed and mocked you. An undesirable chore.

Though you wouldn't dare bring those thoughts to the forefront or god forbid speak them out loud, a stubborn part of you was screaming 'Fuck Jisoo's advice'. When Mark came over the next day, you let him in without hesitation. The two of you played video games while you listened to him rant. About the boys.

"Nayeon constantly being around is bad enough. Don't get me wrong, she was pretty cool at first, but even she became unbearable around the other guys. They're just so negative all the time. Ugh! Now listen to me, whining like a little baby."

Jisoo had no clue what she was talking about. This was a great idea. 

"You're not, I understand exactly what you mean."

"And god forbid I speak for a second. They're constantly mocking me. Or even worse, biting my head off for interrupting their perv time. I looked over and Doyoung, Lucas, and YangYang were looking at pictures of naked girls. Doyoung even got a boner." Mark's face twists in disgust as his eyes flicker around your TV screen. "I just can't fight this feeling that they're up to no good. Planning something bad. Do me a favor and be careful around them. Especially Johnny."

Your eyes tear away from the game to gawk at Mark who kept his eyes trained on the TV. "Especially Johnny?"

Mark sighs, searching for the words to express his concerns. "He was getting better after the incident-that-shall-not-be-named... but I don't know." He looks troubled, all the fire snuffed out at the thought of the person he was closest to being malicious. "I-I just get this feeling."

Watching him, you couldn't stop feeling the deja vu. His passionate drive to protect you. A drive that only faltered when he thought about something that deeply worried him. It was all too familiar.

"I'll be careful, I promise."

Mark cheers when he wins after continuing to fight your defenseless character. He sets the controller down before raising his pinky toward you. "Pinky promise?"

You both smile as you wrap your pinky around his, pressing the pads of your thumbs together.

"Good, because I really want you to come to my friend's party. He's cool with YangYang, so all of them are probably coming. I was so bummed about you possibly not coming, but as long as you're aware of how creepy those four are acting, it should be fine." Mark sounds like he's convincing himself as he unlatched from your pinky.

A party couldn't hurt. You'd probably just drink and talk to Mark the whole time anyway. Jisoo would be fuming if she knew you accepted his invitation.

-

The cracked door window. The nightmares. His fucking pansies. Now this. His friends were over again, loud and obnoxious as he swept up the debris of his shattered air conditioner. His living room was as hot as sin, only adding to his sour mood. 

"Renjun's a really popular streamer, so a lot of famous creators will be there." YangYang raises his eyebrows with a silent implication. Lucas and Doyoung look up from their phones.

"D'you think that Naeun will be there?" Doyoung says quietly, leaning toward the other two.

"Who cares. She's so stuck up. The only games she plays are stupid. She's just there to nab a quick buck from sad saps stupid enough to fall for her schemes." Lucas spat, slouching further down on Johnny's couch.

"Aw, did she reject you, bro?" YangYang laughs as he nudges Lucas with his elbow.

"Who fucking cares. Is Johnny's girl coming or no?"

When Johnny looks up from the mess at the sound of his name, the three stooges were staring expectantly at him. "I dunno. She's not my girl."

"Who ___? She's coming. Little tiger invited her." Mark's eyes blow wide as Nayeon ruffles his hair.

"I-I don't know actually. She just texted me today saying she might have to cancel, so I wouldn't bet on it."

Johnny couldn't tell that Mark was lying, so he had the displeasure of feeling the hope draining from his chest. 

"Bummer." YangYang mutters.

"Why? I thought you hated her?" Nayeon asked in genuine confusion. 

"I dunno. I guess I might be warming up to her." YangYang shrugged with a smirk. Johnny didn't miss the way his eyes quickly flitted in his direction.

Whatever got into YangYang was a mystery, but it made him more antagonistic toward Johnny. He didn't have the energy for whatever he was up to. Everyone was always at his house and things keep going wrong. Now he has to worry about YangYang and his games.

-

"I didn't think you'd come since your girlfriend wasn't coming." YangYang approached Johnny from behind, muttering into his ear. Johnny rolls his eyes. He was already getting a headache from the loud music and the strong drink in his hand.

"My girlfriend? You're the one getting weirdly close to her."

"Weirdly? Aw, is little Johnny jealous?" YangYang's hands shaking Johnny's shoulders drew him ever so close to burning with rage.

"YangYang I'm not in the mood." He spat, shrugging his hands off. The shorter male gasps as he turns toward the door.

"You're gonna be in a minute." He turns Johnny's head toward the front door with hands on either side of it.

Before Johnny could blow a fuse, his eyes landed on you. You look as stunning as you could underneath the obvious distress. Eyes sporting dark circles that no amount of concealer could hide. Still, the long-sleeved black dress you were wearing hugged your body nicely. It had a bit of lace lining your collar and the end of the skirt. How could he possibly miss the slit on your left leg that your upper thigh peeked through? 

You were always so stylish, so it wasn't unusual to see how well you paired jewelry with your look. It's been a while since Johnny saw you dressed up like this.

"Go ahead. Go talk to her."

Johnny ripped his head out of YangYang's grasp. "No. Why would I?"

"Fine. Then I will." He pushes past him, in hot pursuit of you. He was walking too fast for Johnny to stop him without yelling across the room. Johnny had to do something. He started making his way toward you, but to his surprise, you were walking past YangYang in Johnny's direction. 

Johnny opens his mouth to greet you but you breeze right past him. He tightens his grip on his drink. 

-

"Hey! Guys, this is ___." Mark beams when he sees you, sporting freshly dyed blue hair. You wave at each of the six boys standing around him. You recognized all of them from Mark's streams. They called themselves the Dreamies and were gaining popularity fast. It was kind of intimidating to be in their presence. Them being potential Twitch celebrities and all.

"It's nice to finally see you in person." Renjun pushes forward and extends his hand toward you. You accept his hand with a smile. Jisoo was wrong again. This was going to be great.

The sheer number of boys bickering and cracking jokes was daunting at first, but by the time you migrated to Renjun's couch, everything felt a little more natural. 

"Let's ask the expert then, shall we?" Jaemin theatrically proposes, gesturing at you. You sit up, always up for talking about your favorite game. "Who is the best at being a survivor?" All of the boys look at you hopefully before they start chaotically pleading their case.

"I have never gotten hooked twice in my life!" Jeno announces.

"That's because your builds are toxic. I can run laps around any killer without crazy perks." Renjun explains.

"We've all seen how bad you are at looping. Let's not be silly, now." Jaemin condescends. "It's obviously me."

They begin to argue with each other about their strengths and weaknesses before you stop them with a loud 'Hey!'.

"From what I've seen on Mark's streams, Jeno is the best survivor."

Jeno smiles triumphantly as the boys all groan in protest. You get nervous for a moment. This is usually when people try to convince you that you don't know what you're talking about, despite being one of the best players in the country. It's very seldom that other streamers give you props instead of trying to tear you down to make themselves feel better.

"___... don't tell me you're about to defend toxic builds." Jaemin pinches his nose bridge.

"Never. But Jeno is very calculated. It's very interesting to watch him examine his surroundings and plan for the killer's arrival. I was shocked to find out he doesn't play often." You explain, trying to convince them that you're reasoning is sound.

"Alright, you guys heard her. She's better than all of you combined." says Haechan.

"Jeno's never going to let us forget this, is he?" Chenle sighs defeatedly.

"I don't think I would either." Jisung shrugs.

"Me either. We've got to play with her on stream one of these days."

Perhaps it's stupid, but you never ask anyone to stream with you. You always wait for them to ask first. It's probably the reason you're still not that big. The last thing you wanted was to seem like was a leech, but by avoiding that you've never streamed with anyone else but the boys. So the fact that the Dreamies were all nodding their head in agreement to let you stream with them made your eyes light up with excitement.

"Wait, really?" You sit forward, examining all the faces looking at you.

"I mean... yeah. I never get to stream with you because we don't play the same games. I think our audience would be excited to have someone so good." Mark suggests, checking his friend's reactions. "Why don't we start planning now?"

To say you were flattered would be a gross understatement. You knew you were good at all the games you played and had awards to prove it, but you never really got much recognition. It was finally happening. You paced back and forth in one of the bedrooms as you pressed your phone to your ear.

"Hello?" Jungwoo sounds slightly irritated when he picks up the phone.

"You'll never guess what just happened-"

"Where have you been? Is that music in the background?"

Your smile falters at the bite in his tone. "Uh, yeah. I'm at a party."

"I've been waiting at your house for ages now."

You got whiplash from the speed at which your emotions shifted. Why your stupid heart was filling with hope, you'd never understand. You shouldn't get your hopes up at the thought of him sneakily visiting you despite what Jisoo wanted. But dammit, it felt good. 

"When are you going to be back?"

Was he really going to keep you company against Jisoo's wishes? You wondered how many more surprises today had in store.

"I can come back now if that's what you need."

"That would be great, Jisoo said her bracelet might be here. She's really worried and I need help finding it."

Of course you thought as the crack in your ego broadened. You hung up, chest hurting as you desperately tried to distract yourself. You had just received great news. This would significantly bolster your career. Everything was fine. And the guys are so nice to you, this was going to be great.

They're only nice to you because they want something out of you.

No, that's not true. I can tell they're genuine.

I guess we'll see.

The voice bellowed at you, only getting louder as you visibly shrink.

Nobody actually loves you. When they've had their fill, they'll toss you to the side. 

"___?"

The nasty feeling brewing in the pit of your stomach only grows when your eyes land on YangYang. He watches you with a strange expression as he closes the door.

"I was looking for you."

"I'm not in the mood right now, YangYang."

He mutters something under his breath about getting deja vu before focusing back on you. "Why don't you tell me about it?"

"Look, that night I wasn't in my right mind. What we would've done was a mistake. A mistake I'm not looking to repeat tonight." You explain carefully, hoping you didn't have to expand on anything and he'd just leave.

"I saw you talking to the Dreamies. Seems like you were getting along."

"Yes, we were. They're kind and funny."

"They make you feel good, huh?" YangYang presses nearer with a lust-filled look on his face. You scoff, extending your hand to stop him from getting any closer.

"Funny how that works. You make someone feel good and they want to be around you."

He chuckles and you feel it rumble in his chest against your palm. "What's funny is how that's all it takes. Just a little flattery and you're all over them." The malice in his voice makes your smile fall. "Don't be like that, baby. You know I only tell you the truth to help you. To help you see the truth."

You marvel at the man before you. "Wow... you get the timing right and everything..." 

It was almost impressive, his ability to manipulate. As if he knew exactly what you were talking about, he smiles. But it's cold and uninviting. 

"If feeling good is your goal, I could make you feel good in a way that's actually beneficial." His voice felt like worms entering your ears and settling under your skin. You push against him with the hand that's still on his torso. "Come on baby. A little fun wouldn't hurt."

The female voice calling for YangYang was your knight in shining armor. 

"He's in here!" You shout. YangYang's attempt at an unassuming disposition ceases, the real him on full display as he scowls at you.

Lee Naeun opens the door and looks around before her eyes land on his annoyed face.

"Oh! There you are! I was looking for you everywhere. I was beginning to think Lucas was lying about you being here to get rid of me." She laughs awkwardly, her crooked brows expressing her embarrassment. 

"You were looking for me?" YangYang is already exiting the room and slowly shutting the door behind him. Before it fully shuts, Naeun's inviting facade drops for a moment to make way for worry as she looked at you. 

For a moment it felt good. You successfully avoided doing something incredibly stupid. But just like before, you were alone in a dark room.

-

Naeun flicked open her compact to reapply her lipstick. "You owe me one, Suh." She says, regretful over her actions.

"For sure. Let me know if you ever need anything." Johnny responds quickly. If it weren't for Taeyong, Naeun wouldn't even know he existed, and now they were acquainted enough to do favors for each other. He should be thankful for all the opportunities he's been given by his friends, but it just feels unfulfilling in a way he can't put his finger on.

"Nah, forget about it. I'm actually kind of glad I could help out. You're a pretty great guy, Johnny Suh." She punches his shoulder with an impressed smile. Johnny nods silently as she walks away. Though YangYang had seemingly been subdued, chatting in the corner contently with another girl, Johnny still felt uneasy. The bedroom door down the hall still hadn't opened. You were still in there.

As he made his way to the bedroom, he wondered if YangYang had already done something. Naeun said it didn't look like it so why were you still cooped up in there? That wasn't the only thing carrying him toward the door and he knew it. He found himself following you like a moth drawn to a flame, chasing your warmth in a time of frigid loneliness. 

"Hey." A stern voice causes Johnny to stop reaching for the door. He turns around to see Mark's disapproving glare. He looked at Johnny as if he caught him red-handed doing something nefarious. 

"I just want to check on her." Johnny wants to be annoyed with Mark, but he knows deep down that he has every reason to be suspicious. 

"I do too. Don't you think it's better if I do it?" Mark asks. Johnny could tell he felt shitty about not trusting him. There was regret behind his eyes. After a few moments of silence, Mark can't find it in him to look at Johnny's hurt expression anymore. He turns the doorknob and disappears behind the door.

That night after Johnny left the party, he had the worst nightmare he ever experienced. Johnny's face was hovering over the dreaded toilet bowl again, feeling his stomach turn. 

"Please Hyojong! I'm sorry!"

"Look at you, crying like a little baby. So pathetic. Have you no dignity?" Hyojong's voice was weird, it wasn't his at all. "Let's see just how pathetic you are. Repeat after me. I'm a waste of space and nobody loves me."

Johnny was suddenly watching himself being held over the toilet bowl. Except, it wasn't him. The person turns their head and horror fills Johnny's body as your eyes meet his. You look horrified as you plead with him to let you go. The words leave Johnny's mouth against his will.

"Say it or I swear to god, I'll bash your face against this fucking toilet." Pure venom poured from his lips. His heart was pounding in his ears. It was his hand gripping at your hair and holding your head in place.

"I'm a waste of space and nobody loves me." You sob, face soiled with tears, spit, and snot.

"Again!" His loud voice echoes, bouncing off every wall in the bathroom. The pain that filled his chest as you repeated it over and over again was unbearable. It felt like someone taking a dull knife and carving out his heart. You kept repeating it until all the emotion drained from your face. It felt like ages of Johnny sitting there. Pure torture. Your face was reminiscent of that night. Void of anything. Robotically repeating the phrase. Johnny's eyes sting with tears as a younger version of you stares back at him. 

"I'm a waste of space and nobody loves me."

The words claw at his heart as they're spoken in your smaller voice. Dried fluids distort your image as you peer up at him. "Good. Almost perfect." He spoke as if on autopilot, and he couldn't switch it off. He strengthens his grip on your hair. What was about to come next crossed his mind before it happened and he was screaming for it to stop. His mouth never moved, the words never came out. He just shouts in silence, no use for the dominant voice.

"Just one more thing." His face contorts into a wicked smile as he sends your head crashing into the porcelain. The viscera left only your mouth intact. Johnny watches in horror as you cough up blood. Blood, so much blood. Blood seeping through your shirt at your stomach that looked like it had caved in. To his horror, you began to speak calmly as if your face wasn't completely destroyed.

"Are you happy now?"

Johnny gasped violently, hands clenching his bed sheets as he shoots up from his pillows. He shouts your name, tears already coating his face. "No!" He cries as the image of your crushed skull was still vivid in his mind. He could see it in every dark corner of his room. The moonlight did little to soothe his frenzied state. His hands fumble along the neck of his lamp, rushing to flick it on. As light floods his room, Johnny heaves in silence. 

His phone rings and fills his empty mind. He looks over at his phone on his nightstand. It was Naeun calling at 4:18 am. He picks it up, voice wavering as he speaks. "H-hello?

"Were you fucking in on this?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! You're sick!" Naeun continues to loudly berate Johnny as he attempts to collect his thoughts.

"Naeun... what..."

"I can't believe you did this!" Naeun's voice cracks as she shouts before ending the call. Shaky hands open google and type in Naeun's name. Johnny looks numbly at the flood of articles. 

-

"Did..." You can't even finish your sentence. Partially because you'd be proving Jisoo right. Mostly because it made you sick to think about. You scrolled among countless articles with blurred pictures accompanying the headlines. 

"EXPLICIT PHOTO OF POPULAR TWITCH STREAMER EUNPRIL LEAKED ONLINE"

Passing so many articles with similar names, your mind kept flickering images of her worried look. Your heart ached for her.

"Poor girl."

"And you were there. Did YangYang try anything with you?" Jisoo asked, sitting on the edge of your bed. You grit your teeth as you lean further into your pillows.

You were sick of people asking you this. Naeun asked with just a look alone. Mark asked when he came into the room that night. Jungwoo asked you in a text when you woke up. Now Jisoo was asking you. If you were honest, you'd admit it was because you felt like an idiot. But the reality that this could've been you filled you with unease. 

"No. Nothing happened."

Plus, knowing Jisoo, she'd make it into a huge thing. That's the last thing you needed right now.

"Good, because look at this." Jisoo turns her phone toward you.

"ANONYMOUS SOURCE CLAIMS EUNPRIL'S PHOTO WAS LEAKED FROM AN EXPLICIT MATERIAL TRADING GROUP CHAT. A POLICE INVESTIGATION HAS COMMENCED"

"...I looked over and Doyoung, Lucas, and YangYang were looking at pictures of naked girls..."

There are more...

[depressedstressedlemonzest]

Hey Lem! I picked two numbers at random and landed on 79. Anger Born of Worry  & 95. Sleep Intimacy. Love to see what you can do lol 💛💛

Eeeeeeellllllllleeee!!!! Wonderful patient sweet @suchagallabitch

I'm sorry this took so long to get to.

But in an attempt to 1. get these done and 2. procrastinate writing new chapters to my WIPS.

I FINALLY have this for you!

Ian was wandering up and down the halls of their apartment, going from room to room.

He didn't want to wake Mickey, that much he knew.

So instead of getting on his phone or turning on the TV he just walked.

Up.

And Down.

Running his fingertips along the walls.

The feeling different than all those years ago.

At the psych ward.

The walls there were rough, hard, little grooves in between that his finger fit in perfectly.

The walls here were different, soft, decorated with pictures, posters, décor to move his hand around.

Carefully not to bump any of them.

Not wanting to disturb the already jilted norm of the night.

With his wandering, up and down.

This was the third night.

He wasn't sure why he wasn't able to sleep.

He'd lie down and drift off for a bit.

But then he'd wake up.

Try to go back to sleep.

And when it didn't work he'd slip out of the bed as carefully as he could, and walk up and down the halls.

He was on his third rotation when the bedroom door opened swiftly and the hall light flipped on, Ian's pupils constricting making him finch.

"Ian what the fuck?!" Mickey exclaimed jumping just slightly at the sight of his husband.

"What the fuck what?" Ian muttered rubbing his eyes.

"Why are you pacing the apartment for the third night in a row? You know when you don't sleep it can fuck with you." Mickey's tone was unaccusatory, more concerned.

"I can't sleep." Ian sighed looking up at Mickey feeling guilty.

Mickey's brow pulled into a worried expression, "Have you been taking your meds?" He asked gingerly.

(Read on Ao3 HERE)

Ian nodded, "Yeah, but I can't take the melatonin the doc prescribed Mick, it gives me nightmares and I can't-" Ian's voice broke.

"Hey hey, it's okay, c'mere." Mickey reached for Ian, who willingly fell into Mickey's arms, his face buried in his neck.

"I'm so fucking tired." Ian's voice was strained as he admitted this to his husband, not wanting to worry him, but also wanting to be honest with him.

"I know, don't worry, I'll help you sleep." Mickey led him back into their bedroom, flipping off the light as they passed and leading him to the bed in the dark, arms still wrapped around Ian.

Mickey and Ian crawled into the bed, Mickey's arms encircling Ian, Ian's face buried in Mickey's chest.

"Once upon a time," Mickey started.

Ian snorted, "You're gonna tell me a bedtime story?" Ian asked with a grin.

"Would you prefer a lullaby? Cuz I guarantee my singing will give you just as many nightmares as the melatonin." Mickey chuckled, but Ian was thoughtful, he liked Mickey's singing voice.

"Yeah, a lullaby would be nice." Ian looked up at Mickey even though the dark his his features.

He didn't need to be able to see Mickey to know he was rolling his eyes.

"Now I gotta think of some lullabies." Mickey muttered.

Ian giggled.

"Shh, alright, close your eyes," Mickey instructed.

Ian did as he was told even though Mickey couldn't see him.

Mickey kept Ian wrapped in his arms and started to trace soft feather light circles onto his back, Ian nuzzling his face into Mickey's chest.

Mickey took a gentle breath and started to softly sing to his husband, "Skinnamarinky dinky dink, Skinnamarinky do, I love you."

Ian couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Skinnamarinky dinky dink, Skinnamarinky do, I love you."

Ian felt the rising and falling of Mickey's chest, and the gentle hum as he sang reverberate through him.

"I love you in the morning, And in the afternoon, I love you in the evening, and Underneath the moon." Mickey's voice was soft and soothing, making Ian slowly drift into a sleep that he had been needing for days.

Mickey could tell when Ian fell asleep during the first lullaby he sang, but he didn't want to risk him waking up too soon, so he went through his collection of lullabies that he remembered from babysitting Franny and Freddie, then he remembered one that would soothe him and help him fall asleep no matter how hard he fought it.

He could barely remember the words, but when he began to murmur them into his husband's hair they began to come back, "Ой ходить сон, коло вікон, А дрімота коло плота, Питається сон дрімоти: "Де ж ми будем ночувати?""

He took a breath, remembering the sound of his mother as she sang this song to them.

"Де хатонька теплесенька, Де дитина малесенька, Туди підем ночувати, І дитинку колисати."

"Там ми будем спочивати, І дитинку присипляти: Спати, спати, соколятко, Спати, спати, голуб'ятко."

Ian hummed in his sleep, the lyrics soothing him do a deep slumber, the gentle steady breaths he exhaled, the warmth of him against his skin, his slumber secure enough for Mickey to join him in dreamland until they woke in the morning.

[m-aster-of-spinjitzu]

orange and gold

...I just need more Cole and Vania content, they seem like they'd be great friends.

Basically it's just 'Cole goes to visit her there, they almost burn down the kitchen, and make way too many puns', lol.

Set a few months after Master of the Mountain, but before Seabound or The Island.

Also yeah, I couldn't think of a better title, sue me- I just know that they wear one of the colours at some point, so... 🤦‍♀️😂

Trigger warnings: none I think? Huh-

Also, bingo!! I really need to learn better time management, dear freaking gosh- I hope I'm not too late though? I know it's like half a day late, eek- and I was supposed to post this earlier, but I ended up literally falling asleep while writing it😂

Thank you so much Fabro, for hosting such a cool event!:D Your comments on my fics literally never fail to make my day<3. And I'm so glad that I met so many awesome, really skilled people through this event too - it's been a lot of fun working alongside y'all:D, I wish I'd had more time to interact instead of posting stuff and vanishing lol, but exams be like:////

Prompt: cooking (does baking count as cooking? I realized too late lol-) from @ninjago-bingo 's warm board.

Word Count: 2497

---

Trying to escape from killer dire-bats hadn't been on Cole's to do list today - although the mountains were kind of beautiful.

It was a bit difficult to see them while he was being dragged to his death, but hey, didn't Jay always tell them to be more positive?

That was, until he made the mistake of looking down.

Miles of snowcapped mountains touched the pastel blue sky, but he was more focused on exactly how high he was from the ground.

Great.

Trying to swing back onto the Bounty, he didn't notice a golden-winged blur shoot past the bat, almost dropping their spear in haste.

"Let my friend go, or I'll-"

"Vania?"

She throws the spear at the bird, successfully knocking one of its wings.

Huh. She must've been practicing - throwing with accuracy while flying seemed kinda difficult.

"I'm so sorry!" she replies, grabbing his arm before he fell down too. She winces at the strain on her wings, almost dropping him onto the deck. "I was supposed to come earlier, but there was an issue with one of the mines, and it took forever to-"

"There ain't anything in this world that's managed to kill me yet," he replies jokingly, checking that the autopilot hadn't been damaged. "I doubt an angry bird is going to be the first."

"Didn't you mention that you became a ghost once? Pretty sure that means you were dead-"

"Shh, that's not an important detail," he jokes.

"If you say so," she replies with a grin. "Did I mention that Chompy's been tearing down the palace flower arrangements again?"

"Send my regards to the gardener-"

"Did you just make a pun?"

"Remind me why I decided to visit you again?"

"Because you love me?" she asks stepping onto the ground as the Bounty landed gently.

"I hereby crown you as my platonic soulmate," Cole deadpans, taking her hand. "Vania and Cole-"

"Destined to annoy each other for eternity," she giggles, swinging their hands up and down. "But seriously - thanks. I don't think I realized how much work being a queen was."

"What's it like?"

"I mean - I'm glad that people trust me, and they come to me if they have a problem, but the paperwork is a nightmare. I never get to go outside anymore, I swear."

"Paperwork? Also, you just invited me here for a week. I don't wanna disturb you?"

"Nah, I cleared my schedule, don't worry. And trust me, you don't want to know. Everything requires some sort of official written thing, and it's so boring-"

"Official? But you're the queen?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't really want to change something unless it benefits the people. Not after..."

Her smile dims, eyes straying to the palace walls.

Oh- oh.

"You're nothing like him," Cole says firmly, squeezing her hand. "I mean, if you need to take a break, or you can make your job a bit easier by cutting out something unnecessary, that's just gonna help you become a better queen. You've definitely got the interests of your people at heart, and that's the most important thing, you know? And well, uh, everything seems to be going great so far - you don't have to beat yourself up over someone else's mistakes."

"Thanks," she replies softly, her smile slowly returning. "Speaking of breaks, what do you think we should do this time?"

"You could show me around the city again?"

"You've already seen everything cool," Vania giggles, skipping ahead of him. "We don't renovate much - unlike you guys-"

"Hey, it's not our fault that our city gets destroyed every few months-"

"More like every few days," she teases, tying back her golden hair. "How about we find some dragons to adopt?"

"Tempting, but where would you keep them?"

"They could sleep in my room-"

She breaks off when she notices him laughing. "What?"

"N- nothing," Cole replies, in between laughs. "Jay and I just made a bet."

"On what?"

"How many dragons you've adopted. I bet at least six, he bet fifteen."

"Well, jokes on both of you - I'm pretty sure my advisor's going to throw a fit if I show up with another one," she starts, giggling. "We've got twenty living in the palace right now."

"Twenty dragons?"

"They're so cute! You just look into their adorable little eyes," Vania pauses for breath, continuing her animated gesturing, "and you can't help but wanna hug them!"

"Oh, Jay's going to be so mad."

"Aww, I'm sorry guys. They're just too adorable!"

"...Wanna hear a funny story?"

"Yeah, sure!"

"I actually used to be terrified of dragons-"

"No way!" Vania exclaims. "Y'all have been on a lot of adventures though, so-"

"Nah, we used to have our own dragons at first. They were pretty cool! I just- I'm a simple guy! Huge animals with wings are scary up close when you're barely a teenager."

"Or when you're really short-"

"We're the same height!" Cole exclaims, facepalming in a bit of a fondly exasperated way.

"I'm two years younger than you-"

---

"Ugh, whose idea was this?"

"Yours," Vania grins, sitting down on the kitchen counter.

"You were supposed to help me, not leave me high and dry!" Cole accuses jokingly, staring at all the appliances they'd found in the cupboards.

"'One must always be prepared for new adventures,'" she quotes seamlessly, waving one of- what was his name again? Mulch something? Oh! Clutch! Some explorer he was, leaving them to die in the pyramid - Clutch Powers' books in the air.

"Fine," he sighs, staring at the old recipe book she'd found in one of their back cupboards. "But you've gotta help me? I almost burned down-" "Woah, what? If you finish that sentence with 'kitchen'-" "In my defense, Kai was playing a prank on me-" "In my defense, I wouldn't like to explain how the queen of Shintaro burnt down the palace by teaching one of her friends to cook," she grins, flipping through the pages. "What do you wanna start with?" "Something simple?" "Have you ever tried baking bread before? It's a lot of fun!" "I haven't really had the time, but that sounds kinda interesting."

He skims the recipe, raising his eyebrows. "Wait, why does this take hours? I thought you said it was simple?"

"Trust me, it is," she laughs, adding, "besides, I still wanna hear about all your adventures!" "Uh... okay," Cole replies hesitantly, "but if this fails, I'm so sorry." "Give yourself some credit, you guys literally saved the world! Multiple times!" "Bold of y'all to assume we know how we did it," he laughs, only half-kidding. "Besides. I botched soup once."

"I've botched toast," she mock-sighs, smiling. "Pretty sure that makes us even."

"Lemme get this straight. You've messed up toasting bread, but you can bake it from scratch?"

"Trust me, I don't know either," she giggles, trying to open a brightly coloured packet of... something? Did flour come in packets that small?

"Uh, why are you opening something called 'feast'?" he asks, eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Feast," she echoes, trying to stifle her laughter. "Off to a... rocky start, aren't we?"

It took him a second.

"I already regret this," he jokes, facepalming. "But I'd say that your puns are, uh, gold."

"I've un- unleashed-" breaking off, she half-falls off the counter, laughing so hard her face starts to go red, "a monster."

---

"Uh, is it supposed to look like that?" Cole asks, frowning.

The mixture looked less like the dough he'd been expecting - more like one of Jay's inventions gone wrong.

Badly wrong, he thought, eyes widening at the goopy mess of foam that threatened to spill over the jug.

"The yeast?" Vania echoes, poking her head out of one of the cupboards. "Yeah, all good! It always looks a little gross, and you're gonna doubt ever eating bread again, but at least it doesn't taste like it's fermented-"

"It's what?"

"Yeah," she grimaces, exaggerating her disgust a bit. "If aliens ever fell from the sky, they'd think we were crazy for eating bread-"

"Aliens? I think we're a bit crazy!" Cole exclaims, trying not to laugh.

Vania smiles, then sighs, lugging a huge bag of flour onto the counter. "I can never open these bags properly," she starts, eyeing the the bag a bit warily, "and it always makes such a huge mess all over the kitchen. You'd think they'd make it easier for people to use, right? I swear-"

He jokingly puts his hands over his ears. "I can't hear you!" "But you know that I've sworn off swearing-" she replies, breaking off with a laugh. "Pun not intended - that actually made sense in my head. I swear!"

"No," Cole interjects with a grin, shaking his head. "You don't, remember?"

"See, this is why we're friends-"

"Friends? Is that all I am to you?"

"Oh, be quiet," she shoots back, exaggeratedly dragging a hand down her face. "I mean, sure, just because everyone thinks that we're dating doesn't mean that we-"

Wait. What?

"People think that we're dating?" he asks, clamping a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to muffle his laughter. "I- I- really?"

"I know, right?"

"Even my friends thought so at first," he confesses, dragging a hand down his face. "I mean, as much as I love you-"

"I love you too," Vania replies, completely seriously. "Even if you'll always be more like an annoying-"

"Hey-"

"Sibling to me than anything else," she finishes, grabbing a pair of scissors. Cole watches, a little alarmed, as she stabs them into the flour bag over and over.

"Is it... supposed to be this difficult to just open the bag? Seems kinda stupid-"

"Well, er, they have this piece of paper with glue that you're supposed to pull away from the rest of the bag, but it never works properly and I-"

"Well, we could always make our own flour," Cole interjects, laughing. "I mean, I've got a scythe? Let's go!"

"Uh, but we don't have wheat growing here. I don't think it'd suit the climate very well?"

"Wheat a shame," Cole sighs jokingly, measuring out the flour (which had, finally, escaped the bag).

"Oh my gosh," Vania deadpans, "you did not just-"

"Yep, I did."

"You're horrible," she giggles, "then again, I was the one who started this whole debacle, so I think we'll share the blame."

"Debacle? Where'd you pick that one up from? Sounds kinda cool-"

"Oh, it's from a book someone wrote about you guys," Vania says casually, pouring a cup of water into the bowl.

"Hey, uh-" Cole starts hesitantly, twisting his fingers back and forth, then breaks off. "Why'd you read all that stuff about us, anyways? Adventure books don't really seem like something you read a lot, since we have similar favorite books. I mean..."

"Well, um..." Vania trails off, clearly uncomfortable. "Uh- I guess, well, it sounds kinda stupid, but I'd never really met anyone my age who wasn't a royal or something. I... er, I didn't want to be left out, you know?"

Cole thinks back to a scroll; a quest, a sacrifice. One that his friends never seemed to really notice, unless it was with horror or flinches. Not that he blamed them, but - joking about how he was much more useful to the team when he was freaking dead than he was before he'd stumbled and fell in the temple?

That had been a bit far, even for his best friend. Locks could always be picked or something, he didn't need to be a ghost to provide some sort of value-

Well, that's not completely true, is it? a small voice questions, and he can't keep his hands from shaking a little.

"Jay here thinks you're the least valuable ninja."

Not enough to be a performer. Now, not good enough to even be a ninja, apparently.

Well, he reminds himself firmly, you don't have to be the best - just stand up to those who are cruel and unjust.

Nothing but a scar that glowed warm orange occasionally left of the whole Cursed Realm ordeal, sometimes it was all too easy to forget - or pretend - that it had never even happened in the first place.

Other times, like when he'd dropped a glass of water on the floor and his hands hadn't stopped shaking for hours, or when he woke up screaming, expecting to fall through his bed again, it still felt like he was trapped as a ghost. Literally - and maybe a little figuratively as well.

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

"Thanks for trusting me with that," he replies softly. "And I'm sorry. That sounds... horrible, but, honestly, you're a pretty cool person, and I ain't just saying that because we're friends. People can be awful, and they can- they can leave, but you don't need to pretend to be someone you're not for people to accept you. I kinda know what it's like, and it's... just, uh, not great."

"No, thank you," Vania says, rubbing her eyes. "You're pretty cool, too. And I'm glad that we become friends, even if wasn't in the- the, er, greatest circumstances."

"Right back at ya. The fall was pretty terrifying, though," Cole says casually, as if memories of that nightmarish plunge into the depths of earth don't still send shivers down his spine.

"No, definitely! I was so sure we were gonna splat onto the ground or something, thank gosh we didn't."

"Yeah..." Cole trails off, reading the recipe they'd been following. "Oh- do we just leave the bowl somewhere for a few hours now?"

"Oh, yeah," Vania answers. "Other than clean up the kitchen, what else do you wanna do?"

"That's kind of you, but, ah, I don't mind. You can choose something."

"I don't mind either," she replies, covering the bowl with a dishcloth. "Seriously, I don't."

"Same here though."

"Really, I don't mind-" Vania breaks off with a laugh, adding, "Well, actually, there is something."

She doesn't elaborate, thoughtfully gazing out the window.

"Well, what is it? Don't keep me in the dark."

"Ugh, it's kinda stupid-"

"I'm sure that it's not- well, unless you want to try to jump off a flying ship with a homemade parachute to prove a bet to someone-"

"Do I even wanna know?"

"...uh, probably not. We're way too crazy sometimes, our Master has a hard time keeping us in check. Your thing, though?"

"Can I give you a hug?"

Cole blinks for a second, expecting some sort of punchline.

"That's your thing?"

"Well, yeah- I mean, I said it was kinda stupid-"

"No no, that's not what I meant. You're so sweet - that's all."

"Well, not more than you-"

"Nah, you're sweeter-"

"Let's just call it a tie," Vania says with a smile, reaching over to give her friend a hug. "Thank you so much, I swear- well, no, I don't, but you know, anyways-"

"Yeah," Cole replies, laughing softly. "I know."

[wasflypaw]

This is all light-hearted, I'm putting this here cus I feel people think I get agressive when I go into topics like this lol.

So from last night's stream, while I agree that Techno's reaction was in character, I wanna comment on how it brings out how little regard for human life and suffering it paints Techno to have.

Like, Phil, felt the need to say something along the lines of "I promise you he has a heart", which to me reads as "haha what the fuck" to his reaction about hearing that a kid got brutally murdered to death. This isn't about betrayal or anything, I think anyone would be shocked to hear that someone got brutally murdered.

And this reminded me of another thing. Puffy, during the Egg stream, mentioned that the Egg made Sam eat his flesh. Now, you could argue Techno didn't give a shit because he doesn't know Sam... But still man, he heard about how this Eldritch nightmare made someone self-canibalise. And all he cares about when it comes to the Egg is that it's Government.

I may be overthinking this because I am an empathetic person and I don't wanna hear about the suffering of others, because it affects me, but if this characterisation is intentional for Techno, I wonder when it becomes too much for him. What is too much, enough to disturb him?

Honestly I'm unsure

C!Techno's reaction to c!Tommy's death has somehow made me more curious of his character than critical

I feel like this Syndicate plot is setting up for something? I feel like cc!Techno knows what he's doing... idk though