#it is emo cryptid hours

[seaofserene]

" ...He is like that of a black hole. Nothing escapes his gravity. Not light. Not me. "

[the-bleeding-weave]

Heres some miscellaneous tulpar crew headcanons :D

Anya

Shes 32 but gets mistaken for being older because she has dark circles under her eyes

She smokes regularly and its caused her voice to become deep and a little raspy, but still melodic and relaxing

Her favorite musicians are ethel cain, alex g, panchiko and neutral milk hotel. She loves atmospheric spooky music as well as melodramatic songs that have a story behind them.

Her favorite animals are bovines of any kind but she has a special love for bison

She grew up on a small farm in west virginia and has a soft spot in her heart for animals

She believes in some cryptids and swears up and down that shes seen a Not Deer in person. Growing up in Appalachia will do that to you

Daisuke loves listening to cryptid stories she knows

Shes seen some Freaky Shit while she was growing up, especially weird things with wildlife. She spent tons of her free time playing in the woods as a kid and has tons of creepy stories which caused her to become pretty superstitious

Shes half cherokee and japanese and likes engaging in her cultures a lot

One of her superstitions is that you cant whistle at night (she has 100% yelled at daisuke for doing it before)

She knows some navajo and a little bit of japanese

Her favorite movies are The Last Unicorn, Everything Everywhere all at Once, and Miss Peregrines home for Peculiar Children (she has a crush on miss peregrine)

She has a champagne colored 1999 toyota carolla that she loves dearly. His name is Frank and she regularly talks to him (mostly to keep herself from going insane from road rage but also just for fun)

Curly

His faceclaim is jensen ackles

Hes 35 years old and scouse/scottish

Hes a social drinker but only likes IPAs and indie craft beers, hes a tad pretentious about it but hes aware of it

He listens to a lot of dad rock and pop rock, like imagine dragons and aerosmith, but he also appreciates classic punk bands like rage against the machine. He has a guilty pleasure for Adele and his favorite song is "love in the dark" (he knows every single word to it by heart and sings it in the car)

He loves dramatic sappy love songs but hell never admit it

He had an emo phase in his teens that hes kinda embarrassed about. He got the classic swooped emo haircut and he repeatedly destroyed his curls with straighteners for YEARS. It took ages for his hair to recover

His favorite movies are The Green Mile and Interstellar

Hes intersex and hes very open about it, his pronouns are he/they but hell allow you to call him she/her if what youre gonna say is funny

He thrives on physical affection and LOVES giving hugs and patting people on the back. Hes very good at giving hugs too

He has a dark blue 2019 honda civic that he put a spoiler on just because it looks cool. He also got a sick sound system installed and loves just sitting in his car listening to music.

Jimmy (IF HE WAS A NORMAL PERSON AU)

Hes 34 and his face claim is Skeet Ulrich

He had an incel phase when he was an older teen/ in his 20s but grew out of it, now feels pretty embarassed about it but tries to teach other people how to avoid it

He has a modestly popular twitch channel where he plays games with guests (mostly curly and daisuke) and talks about life and mens issues, such as mental health awareness and self improvement (he hates the manosphere tho dont worry)

He likes debating right wing pundits and trolling the shit out of them

Him and anya are good friends even though he was an asshole to her in the past. He was super apologetic to her and since she saw he had changed a lot she accepted him back as a friend. (He did NOT assault her in this au he was just a misogynistic asshole)

He likes playing guitar and singing when hes alone

His favorite movies are the matrix and fight club and he will talk to you about breaking bad for HOURS

He has narcissistic personality disorder and tries to spread awareness about how its not just "The Disorder that Makes you Evil". Yes hes in therapy for it and tries to give tips to other people with npd about managing their disorder and being aware of how they treat other people

Hes able to do an eerily accurate impression of Dagoth Ur from Morrowind and loves saying out of pocket things with it

He has a red 2012 subaru forester that he pays no mind to. He has crashed 3 cars in the past tho, hes a terrible driver but refuses to admit it.

He never changes his oil, the check engine light has been on for months, and the rotors scream for mercy every time he so much as graces the brake pedal. Cars tremble in fear of this man.

Daisuke

Hes 22 years old, filipino, japanese, lao and mexican and takes a lot of pride in it

He was born in California but was raised with all of his cultures alongside american culture

Hes fluent in spanish and japanese but only partially fluent in vietnamese

He LOVES music and knows how to play guitar and the khaen

He listens to a lot of folk punk and takes inspiration from Harley Poe and Days n Daze. He makes his own songs but hes a little shy about playing them for people

He listens to tons of music genres but especially hyper pop, breakcore, jumpstyle, phonk, and parody stuff like lemon demon or weird al. He also has a special love for will wood (probably a small crush too)

He loves singing in groups and did it a ton on the tulpar, memorizing his favorite songs and playing them until the rest of the crew knew them too

It became a ritual that whenever daisuke was on his break hed get out his guitar and start up a song and anyone could join him in singing if they wanted. Anya and curly loved singing with him but jimmy only duetted the songs he really loved. Sometimes he would break out his own guitar to play with daisuke too

The favorite song to play for the whole crew was Psycho by harley poe and it even got swansea to join in as a backup baritone sometimes

They ended up really bonding over those duets and daisuke is really proud of that fact

Daisuke has a drivers license that he only recently got but he has no car

He loves getting stoned with anya and watching nature documentaries while they giggle at the stupidest things.

He cries pretty easily when he feels comfortable and safe with the people around him and hes trying to learn to be less afraid to show his emotions. Turns out, hes a VERY emotional person.

He cries easily if a song is especially beautiful and the one that never fails to jerk his tears is king park by la dispute, mainly the ending. He just adores the sheer power behind he vocals

His parents are really supportive but really want him to get out of the house and start his own life.

Swansea

Hes 60 years old and a proud italian new yorker/new jersey man

He sounds like a raspier tony soprano

He gambles causally but has a strict budget for himself

His favorite music is classic dad rock, some metal, jazz and blues but he especially likes frank Sinatra. Weirdly enough punk just isnt his thing

He has a wife named Andrea who he would literally kill for. Theyve been married for 30 years and they have 3 daughters

He drinks a lot of root beer. So much root beer.

He got arrested when he was 18 for punching a cop at a protest and beating the shit out of a nazi. He has his mugshot framed in his living room proudly.

He was a punk teen and he attended a lot of protests for queer rights and anti-police brutality. Now he doesnt really have the time for it but hes more than happy to give advice to young protesters and activists (wear a gas mask, conceal your identity, dont tell people youre going unless theyre going with you, and how to identity under cover cops)

His alcoholism started in his 20s and he got his shit together around his 30s but struggled on and off with addiction until finally going clean for 13 years straight

He loves white chocolate

He was actually like super model handsome when he was younger and is insecure about how alcoholism caused him to physically deteriorate (hes still handsome but he refuses to believe it)

Sopranos is his favorite show and he quotes it regularly

He has an old beat up 1997 ford f150 that he treats like a second wife and uses her to carry around his tools. He calls her bethany and gives her hood a pat before he gets in the driver seat every time.

[wild-grinders]

do you have any headcanons for goggles, jack knife or emo crys? im curious to hear about them!

all 3 characters hgrhrheggrgegegrhr gonna try (this is in the style of ye olde fandom and not like reader blogs)

Goggles

engineering science major (hes not a biologist, he doesnt mess around in chemicals), but boy loves complex math and building things that he's more of an engineering sciences

gay because he engages in anime, comics, and hes even touched fandom because hes's a real fan nerd (he learned that gay ships were a thing and it clicked for him why he wasnt interest in girls)

has a lot more money than you think, but he doesnt really boast about being rich (most of that money is always going into new materials for his family to upkeep the hyperfixations they have) and his actual house is like full minimalist modernism in canon

avid fan of hot cocoa + mini marshmallows (literally from one episode, but it's in my brain forever)

last member to meet the wild grinders, aside from Flip (this was the original intention back in the Ketterville canon but has been reworked to him being Lil' Rob's first friend for the Sprawl City today)

Jack Knife (theres a ton of info on his canon life, but thats another post for another day)

oppossum hugger, he will try to befriend any wildlife that visits his home, will even try to bring said animal to let his friends see

in Ketterville canon, hes actually homeless and his family moves around a lot and hinted that he could live in trailer parks, but personally like to think he has family all over the states and they welcome his family to stay from time to time, he currently stays in one place (his grandmas house) to be near his friends while his family decides to travel for the circus

the most failgirl of failgirls, but is actually a badass when it comes to knives and is skilled at tasks like wood carving and axe-throwing but will set the kitchen on fire he made lemonade

hes not at all a redneck or the american hillbilly stereotype that the Sprawl City canon makes him out to be, he's more of an Oregon lumberjack local whos a little confused, but he does his best to understand others

would cut tires though

he has one berserk button and it's extremely rare to see him angry, but when he is, he will not hesitate to fuck anyone up

but seriously hes the kindest character ever and doesnt care if anyone insults or smacks him around, but he DOES care when you hurt anyone he cares about

100% taurus

Emo Crys (this is my kin, not like a kinnie-way, but more of a 'thats my son!!' way)

failgirl #2, but hes living his best life being cringe and actually giving a fuck about others

in Ketterville canon, he used to just be straight up 'peace was never an option', but he mellowed out after meeting Lil' Rob and learned to not be snarky and sarcastic

the sprawl city canon wants him to be a brony, but really he loves a lot of animals and cares for all of them (but hed suck as a science major to be involved in animal care profession)

doesnt have a good relationship in his family and often sneaks off to be part of the wild grinders shenanigans (it's the reason why we cannot have him wear nail polish) he's doing his best to pass as a goth in his family situation

loves horror and monsters, would happily invite himself in the woods where Mothman is and walk outside at ungodly hours just to meet a cryptid or ghost

thrifts all of his clothes because hes sick of fast fashion and would rather tailor them to his style

scarf was given to him by Lil' Rob as a way of welcoming him to Ketterville (not even canon to the series, but Rob Dyrdek demanded hed have a cute gray scarf and even presented a gray scarf to Chris, the inspiration behind Emo).

secretly loves cats (and constantly gets scratched by the said stray cats)

[violetskies65]

The Mothman Festival '23

As a kid, I endured a bizarre cryptozoology phase. Looking back, sometimes it could be neat, other times cringey. Of course, I knew all the cryptids, and Mothman was the scariest to me, probably because I was a dumb kid and whole heartedly believed in everything I saw on the internet, and because it was a cryptid sighting and legend closest to me! Well, approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes from where I live. Of course I did some extra driving because I had to round up some good friends!

With me I had Sloan, and my childhood best friend Jennifer. I was glad to finally get to see her again and get out out of the house, although she was not fond of the crowd. i wasn't either.

We left pretty late. The festival lasts for two days, and on today, 9/17/23, it was set to close at 5. We ended up arriving at 2:40, but had to take an ungodly amount of time finding somewhere to park. As the festival website states, the festival takes place in the middle of the downtown area, and "parking is on you" We ended up parking at a local AutoZone and walking, but not without paying $10 first.

Usually, I don't mind getting places later. The parking situation was a bit annoying, but it was extremely crowded, with a lot of booths and food places. I stopped and got about two things of Shaved ice that was pretty good, but I was not interested in a lot of the food that was there, more or so the vendors and cute mothman merch.

Sloan got a magnet, I got a t-shirt and an absolutely adorable Mothman Plushie. Both $20 each, but like at other fairs and events, they run a tough bargain!

Overall, I was pretty happy with my trip, but the size of the town, parking options, and with the way the festival was sit up, I guess I can just say I felt crowded. Way more crowded in comparison to other WV events I've visited, such as the Ronceverte river festival. I do wish I got there earlier, and for those attending next year, please get there early so you can enjoy it and have much more fun! The day itself in Point Pleasant even had a mysterious feeling, due to the rain and atmosphere.

It's odd to say, but I'd say the town has an "alluring" element to it. Just that small town feel, but one of a town that can make you feel like yea, this place is small, and this place is cursed.

Unfortunately, I actually did not get a pic with the mothman statue! I was disappointed because that is probably what I wanted the most, especially with my friends. But that line was just too damn long, I'd rather go back another day and do it. I mean hell, I might even stop by if I make a quick visit to Gallipolis to marvel at their wonderful Christmas lights!

Like I said, always leave early for the festival, and BRING CASH! I'd argue that this place is a safe haven for those expressive with their identity, (goths and emos alike), cryptozoology fans and those into the supernatural and paranormal, and of course those intrigued with West Virginia history and culture! It is also pretty difficult to navigate through the small town of Point Pleasant, more so during the festival. If you have the patience to hunt for parking, you should also try out the Mothman Museum, and try eating at their local restaurants, as we did. Shoutout to Rio Bravo.

The stores and businesses outlining the festival are pretty nice, from restaurants to video game outlets blasting nostalgic music, it just feels like a fun place to explore and look at new things. I actually can't wait to go back through Point Pleasant, and see just what the town is all about!

[honeyboyfelix]

all my long term ttrpg characters.... this is what being uneployed does to a mf

wednesday game- dnd

campaign 1: Kai moth'man, they/them, wood elf rogue, absolutely head empty no thoughts, got the plague (incurable) but got better (long story), owns a bakery empire and maybe moonlights as this universes version of batman, never got married.... aroace king 😔✊

campaign 2: Eira (Thrax) Hellfire, she/her, half-elf sorcerer, yall know glinda from wicked? her if she became a god, shes gods favorite little princess (literally), worships? is besties with? the old god of darkness, kai is her like uncle (not blood related), married the emperors first son and had like 12+ kids....cause of the living forever god stuff you know how it is, did i mention her husband is a changeling? this may become relevant in later characters-

campaign 3: Eira's son, we havent played this one yet but i have been cooking him, ill back to this when ive finished cooking :)

wednesday game: space edition- homecooked system

(this game is set in the same universe as the other wed game but in the far future)

campaign 1: Chiyo, she/her, hard to explain because of the homebrew so bear with me and the funky alien stuff, imagine a tiefling but the horns were crystal, sniper, the government hates her!!!!! she is the gay agenda 🥰🏳️‍🌈, the second she was allowed out into the world she started committing treason and has not once looked back, but tbh if the gov didnt want her to commit treason they shouldnt have made the faction they hate so cool and sexy and powerful and accepting <3, has bug babys (yaknow just alien stuff) has a lesbian harem with multiple species (for turbo treason reasons) can turn into soup (this ones strange even for aliens but will never not be funny)

tuesday game: cyberpunk red

campaign 1: Iris Fox, she/her, world famous rockerboy, hates militech (very anti corpo in general but those fucks know what they did), ironically started a company with her bestie tonk, has metal bones, married her manager and childhood friend Clara, likes to punch things...preferably with her wolverine claws :), preformed on the moon

campaign 2: leilani fox, she/her, Iris's adopted daughter, has an adopted brother- jameel, both were found as children in the same raid and taken in by iris <3, techie bitch, makes horrible furby inspired creations including her personal guard mr. furbles who as of todays canon has a full muscular body a furby head and can turn invisible. thought her boyfriend died of cyberpsychosis and had a lot of trauma about it but thats what biotechnica wants you to think so actually he was alive and (mostly) well :) and now theyre married and make robots.....on the moon. did i mention his name is ben mothman? his family owns a cryptid themed bakery they spent an hour naming pastries for? my friends think theyre funny.

tuesday game: vamppunk- vampire the masquerade

campaign 1: Angel Vasquez, he/him, malkavian, blind, unironically just the manifestation of my love for emo, has a 'seeing eye ghost' who hates another party member for an unknown reason :), no one sees the blind man coming (ironically), very fucking good at what he does and what is that you may ask? crimes, has a gun, no one likes that he owns a gun, sometimes he blacks out and becomes 2x richer than he was before :) no one sees the blind man coming :), literally is just here for kicks i dont think he even has life goals beyond listen to podcast and taste new monster flavor (hes a vampire he does not gain anything from this but he refuses to stop) works at a true blood themed bar owned by his sire.... who is also blind.... and crazy.... you can imagine the chaos

friday game: dnd

campaign 1: Corrigan Belle, he/they, eladrin bladesinger wizard, born to be a sorcerer forced to be a knight 😔, does not yet know about the eladrin part because all he knows about his father is 'hes just like you' and 'that bastard', his mother is great :) and by great i mean imagine if those pageant moms really wanted you to do good in military school, ran away from military school to become a forest hippie wizard, is forest jesus and i will not be elaborating on that, if i had a nickle for every time i fell in love with a changeling....well 👀, this ones a necromancer tho for extra spice, imagine the seriousness of a knight if they were half fey trickster and that would be corri, my beloved son whom i think about and draw constantly

sunday game: call of the netherdeep- dnd

campaign 1: kaydence, they/ them, half tiefling/half elf bladesinger wizard, yes theres two of them leave me alone, a street performer who just wants to support their family :(, accidentally got sucked into a life changing adventure and realized this is what they wanna be doing with their life actually, "hey guys we should all talk about our feelings" doesnt talk about their own feelings, the most sibling friend to ever sibling.... probably on account of all their actual siblings at home, if i had a nickle for every time my nonbinary character contracted an incurable plague that we then cured....well..., "oh my homelands government is corrupt as hell..... would it like not to be 🥰🤺". obtained a knight from a deck of many things that is bound to their soul until they die..... and then went and fell in love with him 🥺, on hiatus cause my dm is going thru it rn but i miss them soooooooo fucking bad im biting at the bars of my cage fr

hmmm my friend asked me a question that made me look thru my dnd post tag and this has made me realize i have never properly explained any of my characters to you guys 🤔 i should do something about that

[sleepless-in-starbucks]

I keep coming across your fics on ao3, reading and loving them, and only realising you’re the author when I’m done and then freaking out because I think your amazing and I’m always so happy to see your fics anyway you’re so talented ok bye

Hey

Hey wait no

Emo-does-things come back

COME BACK AND LET ME LOVE YOU TOO-

[nightcase]

Tag yourself as:

Tag yourself as one of my personas/moods

*******

Oldest Sibling: Chaotic and unpredictable- chill one moment, irritable the next. You really need quiet, but you get loud in the rare times when it is. You can be really funny and witty, but are also very tired. You probably have gifted kid burnout syndrome. You usually have a mug of cold tea, and live in a comfortable yet aesthetically pleasing witch dress. Your siblings are easily annoyed by you, but also think you're really cool. They don't really *get* you and your quirks, but you don't really understand them either.

Leading man: Got casted as a main character of your opposite gender in the school play, and got hit by an *unexpected bout of gender identity crisis*. This was forgotten but left unresolved once the play eventually ended. You live in sweaters and trousers, with your hair tousled and your button down only partially tucked. You have probably ran into a public place with a prop sword, prepared to do...something, but you forgot what it was upon entering said public place. Now you look like a fool, but it's okay because you also look like a hot twink and hence have no fear or shame. You look and feel like someone's 'poor little meow meow', and you love it.

The Bone Witch: The reputation you were given by the straight people at school. They say you steal bones and haunt nightmares- you mostly aren't complaining. After all, your ears are pointed, and your canine teeth are indeed sharper than average, and your leather-bound journal does look like a spellbook...but you aren't really goth or emo, you're just...too anxious to speak, so the next best option is to look mysterious enough that people speak to you instead. You probably walk with your head held high and your lips pressed into a firm line- what else are you meant to do?

Somewhat Dipper: You are definitely not a child, but a welcomed bit of childhood clings on. You were the kid with the book about cryptids, with that boundless enthusiasm about finding a 'real live monster!'. Nowadays, you're a skeptic- after all, you never got that epic Gravity Falls summer, and you've lived in Oregon your whole life. But a part of you still hopes...and on summer nights, in your flannel, hiking boots, and pine tree hat, you can sit on the roof under the Big Dipper and let a part of yourself believe that the airplane in the sky is a UFO.

Ink stained hands: You stay up until ungodly hours on weeknights, working and working on a new passion project. It'll likely be set aside by sunrise, hated by afternoon, and completely forgotten by the next day. But it isn't about the project so much as the feeling- of an endless flow of ideas, of magic flowing through your veins and to your fingertips, manically sticking things to a map that's really a moodboard in your mind. The full moon seeps through your curtains as you work by candlelight, brought to life by this dreamlike shadowtime where anything is possible. The illogical is logical, the wrong is right, the ugly is beautiful. It's surreal, strange, and you hardly remember it come morning- but you know it happened, you can tell by your ink stained hands.

Manic pixie dream girl: This is not me, but it is what I've been mistaken for. Perhaps it is you. Perhaps you have curly hair, pretty but unconventional clothes, and bring perspectives no one considered. Perhaps you are impulsive and bold and do as you please. Perhaps a boy and a girl both fell in love with you, and perhaps you liked them back.

(I did not reciprocate, and hence became more like their manic-pixie-repressed-memory.)

*******

Might add on to this later, as there's a lot more

[thejadecount]

Fight! Wirt Headcanons

Y’all know from my reverse! Wirt Headcanons that I was gonna do one for Wirt in Fight! Falls

So here we go

He’s Wirt, but more emo and dark

His favorite poet/writer is Edgar Ellen Poe no doubt

His poems are constantly about death, nightmares, forests, ‘beasts’, and all that good stuff

Even Kill is kinda creeped out from them

He’s much more quiet and serious than regular and reverse Wirt

Like he barely talks

I’m talking a few yes’s and no’s and maybe a sentence or two each day like Ferb (Phineas & Ferb) shit

He wears much more darker colors and a lot more black

He has the classic e-boy aesthetic: dark t-shirts with a long sleeve under it, tight black ripped pants, occasionally dark camo pants instead, black plain turtleneck long sleeves, black long sleeves with a white collar

He has dark eyeliner and eyeshadow, a chain or two on his pants, maybe the occasional ring that has a skull or looks like a vine with leaves, a cross necklace or cross earrings, one bar earring on one ear.

He is a True Neutral. No one is more neutral than him. He cares about Kill, Tyrone, Gregory, Fight! Mabel and all of the rest too much. If you hurt them, he kills you. But otherwise you’re okay. He’s not going to get in a fight they’re (Kill, Gregory, Tyrone etc.) in unless they’re seriously injured.

He’s the peacemaker of the group and prevents them from all getting killed/caught by the police from their crazy schemes.

But not like peacemaker and prevents them from getting killed in a motherly, ‘don’t do that again way’

But more like *loads gun* “God damnit you little shits you know, I was having a good day why do I keep saving you little fuckers”….

A few hours later, currently shoveling dirt over the body: Seriously I should just let the cops get you by now, I was having a real good fucking day until you bitches had the audacity to ask me to help you AGAIN especially after since you still own me a favor after I saved your asses from the FBI last time….”

But everyone knows including him that he would kill himself before giving up them.

He regularly has a weapon on him. Some kind of weapon. A small gun, pocketknife, taser. And no, not several weapons and it’s that meme where it takes him forever to unload said weapons from his body (that’s Fight! Mabel and Tyrone, definitely) but the meme where he’ll a pull a weapon from somewhere that’s physically impossible to have one.

He regularly has to knock one of the twins (or both of them, in some cases) out to prevent them from following Kill into some crazy-ass suicidal plan.

If you need a body hidden or someone poisoned, he’s your guy. No one knows how Wirt knows so many poisons and ways to hide a body.

He’s very sarcastic and officially Tired With Everybody’s Shit™️

He has the miraculous ability to pass out on command, watch *his head proceeds to slam down on a table as he goes unconscious*

He needs approximately a gallon of coffee each morning to stay awake (no one knows how he’s still alive)

When was the last time he’s ate or drank water? No one also knows! (Seriously Fucking Kill is considering bringing this man to the doctor)

He’s a Fucking Cryptid™️

Does he sleep? No one knows!

This man needs help.

In a situation where him and the Gang is in prison or a dungeon or something he’ll suddenly pull a knife out of no where and he’s like, “Well no time like the present for a suicide pact, am I right guys?”

He isn’t suicidal. He would be, but 1) he doesn’t want everyone on Earth to suffer with Kill and the twins unleashing their chaos with no restraint such as him and 2) his family really didn’t like him that much and kinda thought he was gonna end himself so now he has to live just to spite them.

And he has to take care of Gregory of course.

And he likes Tyrone and Kill, so there’s that too.

But seriously how is this man still alive?!?!!!?????

Also in addition: He’s the dom of whatever relationship: pinescone, cipherpinescone, ciphercone

And I know that seems unrealistic because Kill is the most violent and aggressive of the three Ciphers but also: he’s a sadomasochist, and Wirt is constantly tired of his shit.

He’s always wearing steel-toe boots, high tops or doc martens.

Anyways, like the last one, reblog/reply with any headcanons of your own!

And if y’all see any of these as different or wrong I really want to know why because I like knowing people’s headcanons and the reasons why they do/don’t agree with others.

[emy-loves-you]

Sanders Sides AU-gust Day 3: Soulmates

Your shadow is the current silhouette of your soulmate. Only you and your soulmate can see your shadow. Shadows of animals and objects (non-humans basically) can be seen by everyone. Most people have human soulmates that grow up with a human shadow. Logan is not most people.

Logan POV, Intrulogical, Prinxiety and Moceit

Day 2 | Masterlist | Day 4

Logan was smart.

At just four years old, Logan could count to one thousand, tie his shoes, and knew how to read books meant for kids twice his age. Logan knew other things too. He knew that the earth moved around the sun, not the other way around. He knew that Mrs. Smith didn’t like Mr. Smith and that they were getting a ‘dee-vorce.’ He knew that rainbows were like giant water mirrors. And he knew what soulmates are.

Soulmates mean different things to different people. They appear as shadows, but your shadow is actually your soulmate’s shadow. Logan didn’t really understand how that worked, but he didn’t ask about it. Mama’s shadow disappeared when she was little, and she doesn’t like to talk about it. Logan didn’t understand why Papa married Mama if they weren’t soulmates, but he didn’t ask. Because Logan was smart, and he knew that if he asked about their soulmates, they would ask about his. And while Logan didn’t know a lot about soulmates, he knew that his shadow was different.

Logan’s soulmate was big. Bigger than Mama and Papa. Sometimes Logan would lay in bed and his soulmate’s shadow covered him like a blanket. It made him feel safe and protected. One time Logan was almost hurt by a big doggie, but the dog saw Logan’s shadow and ran away. Logan knew that big shadows weren’t good. He heard about how Susie from down the street had a ‘peddle-file’ for a soulmate. But Logan knew that his soulmate wouldn’t hurt him.

Sometimes the shadow would change into something smaller, closer to Papa’s height. Sometimes the shadow grew so big that Logan couldn’t see the end of it. But most of the time, Logan’s shadow stayed the same size and shape. Logan knew it wasn’t normal to have a soulmate that changed shape. He knew it wasn’t normal for his shadow to have long, spindly arms with pointed fingers. He knew that most shadows didn’t have long devil horns, or give off an aura that scared all animals and most humans away. Logan knew that Mama and Papa wouldn’t understand if he told them.

Because Logan was smart enough to know that his soulmate wasn’t human.

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

Logan was brave.

Most people wouldn’t see that at first glance. Logan was a 17-year-old nerd. He was such an oddball that even bullies steered clear of him (Logan never commented on that. He knew it was his soulmate’s aura scaring them away. Which was interesting since human shadows don’t have detectable auras). Logan always had his nose in a book. Most people expected him to be a teacher’s pet, but Logan never answered questions. He never reached out to others, and he never spoke unless he was spoken to, so most people didn’t know how brave Logan actually was.

Even those who considered themselves close to Logan didn’t see him as brave. In fact, most people saw him as emotionless. He rarely smiled or spoke out of turn. He was the perfect child in terms of behavior and intelligence, but he never showed signs of actually enjoying the world around him.

But there was something that Logan enjoyed: his shadow. While it was disappointing to have no one to talk to about his soulmate, Logan wouldn’t give his soulmate up for anything. It was fascinating to watch, and every time Logan interacted with his shadow he felt safe and loved. Most people would scream if their shadow’s jaw unhinged to impossible lengths, most likely to swallow something whole. Logan watched with rapt attention, itching to write it down. He never recorded anything about his soulmate, paranoid that someone would find it. Instead, he attempted to memorize every new detail on his soulmate. His soulmate was 8 feet tall exactly, with an extra four inches added for the horns. While his largest form was immeasurable, his smallest form stood at 6 ft 6 in with no horns to see. Logan assumed that this form was meant to mimic a human, though he had no other data to support that hypothesis. Logan’s soulmate was also extremely fast, occasionally moving its limbs at a speed that Logan couldn’t track with his eyes.

Logan participated in activities that made sense to him yet baffled others. He spent hours holed up in his room, his shadow comforting him as he read a book. He ran for an hour every afternoon, though he had no interest in joining any races. He also went to the gym every other day. Logan’s logic behind this was that he needed to be quick and strong in case his soulmate meant him harm (this was a lie and Logan knew it. Not only did Logan still believe that his soulmate wouldn’t harm him, he also doubted that he could physically run away from a creature that could potentially travel at inhuman speeds, much less fight one. The truth was that Logan wanted to have something vaguely in common with his soulmate). While Logan liked to read philosophy and chemistry books, he could also be seen reading books on soulmates, fairytales and cryptids. While Logan did not believe that humanity was aware that Logan’s soulmate existed, he hoped he would one day find something that would even slightly match his predicament.

Logan was actually reading another book about soulmates as he sat under the apple tree outside of the library. The tree’s shadow loomed over him, but Logan could still easily see his soulmate’s silhouette. He wasn’t sure if that was a soulmate-thing or a my-soulmate-isn’t-human-thing. That’s actually why he was reading this book: Everyday Occurrences for Soulmates. It was mainly a description of how soulmate customs were treated around the world, but Logan hoped that it would give him more insight into how human shadows should look and behave.

“Get back here, freak!” Logan’s head snapped up to see another teen run past him. Logan vaguely recognized the patchwork hoodie from his biology class. Virgil Storm, Logan’s memory supplied. Emo and social outcast. Logan watched as another group of teens chased after him. Virgil continued to run until he tripped and fell. Logan stood up as the gaggle of teenagers approached Virgil. This won’t do at all.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The teens looked afraid for a moment before they turned and saw Logan approaching.

The one in the middle laughed. “Run along, nerd, before you end up like this freak!” Micheal Scott, if Logan’s memory was correct (it always was). Senior, quarterback, was held back three times. 

Logan continued to step forward, ignoring the way his shadow lashed around his ankles. “Virgil has done nothing to warrant your ire, Micheal.” This was true; Virgil talked less than even Logan did. Other than being exceptionally talented in art, Virgil was essentially a nobody (and while Logan knew that looks could be deceiving, he- like everyone else- saw reason to interact with Virgil).

Micheal scoffed. “Of course he does! He’s a freak and he deserves to be put in his place-”

Now, Logan was very smart. He knew that acting violently would most likely result in negative consequences. But Logan also knew that Virgil didn’t deserve Micheal’s… anything, Micheal’s an asshole. But either way, Logan knew what it was like to be the odd-one-out. And while Logan was nervous of the consequences, when he heard Micheal call Virgila freak, Logan’s bravery shined through.

Logan was satisfied to feel Micheal’s nose break from under his fist. Those visits to the gym were actually useful. Huh. Logan watched impassively as Micheal fell down to his knees. Logan kneeled so that his face loomed just above Micheal’s. Micheal started shivering, and Logan couldn’t tell if it was him or his shadow that was causing him distress. He also didn’t care. “If you even look at me or Virgil the wrong way I will not hesitate to make your life a living hell. Understood?” Logan’s voice remained cold and emotionless. While his surge in confidence was making him slightly uncomfortable, it produced the intended outcome. Micheal blanched before scurrying away. It took only a look to get the other teens to do the same.

Logan knelt down next to the now safe teen. “Are you alright?” He held out his hand for Virgil to grab.

Virgil stared at the hand in shock, seemingly surprised that someone had stood up for him. “Yeah, thanks.” He took the offered hand, pulling himself up onto his feet. His sketchbook fell out of his hand, which Logan didn’t realize was even there. Logan bent down to grab the sketchbook for Virgil when he froze.

The sketch was of some kind of fae/eldritch horror combination. The creature’s face was youthful, appearing to be a man in his early twenties. Its arms were long and spindly, and his nails were sharpened to a point. It wore a white prince suit with a red sash. But what really grabbed Logan’s attention was the pair of devil horns that sat on top of its head.

Logan looked up at Virgil, who was suddenly pale and shaking. “Virgil, what was your inspiration behind this piece?”

Virgil grabbed the notebook and shook his head. “It’s nothing, just a nightmare I had. Nothing more.” He went to walk away.

Logan grabbed Virgil by the hoodie sleeve. “Please do not lie to me.” Virgil stared at Logan in horror. Logan stood there, feeling his desperation claw at him. “Please,” He whispered. “Please tell me I’m not alone.”

Because Logan was brave, and he didn’t want to be alone anymore.

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

Logan was observant.

While his observations didn’t help him in finding his soulmate, it did help him take care of his two new (and only) friends.

Virgil Storm apparently had a soulmate similar to Logan’s, as did Virgil’s best friend Patton Heart. Virgil also had a nightbond, a rare form of soulbond that allowed soulmates to visit each other in their dreams. Apparently, the creatures did not have a name for their species. Roman, Virgil’s soulmate, appeared to have very little knowledge on his species. While this did disappoint Logan, he was still grateful to have someone to share his findings with. After knowing each other for over a year, the trio were never seen apart, finally having friends who weren’t scared away by their shadow’s dark auras.

Virgil and Patton both had similar opinions to Logan on their inhuman soulmates, mainly that it was more fascinating than terrifying. Virgil was interested in the darker aspects of their soulmates, while Patton was just happy that he had a soulmate. Logan grew to care for the two teens. While Virgil was quiet and awkward around others, Logan learned that he was actually very snarky and cynical. Patton pretended that life was perfect, but Logan had seen enough to know that Patton only genuinely smiled when thinking about his soulmate. Logan had become quite protective of the two, as his shadow tended to scare off more potential threats than Virgil’s or Patton’s did.

Logan was currently running around the perimeter of the highschool as he waited for his friends to finish their activities. He had asked if they would like to join him, but Patton was asthematic and Virgil detested running. So, it had become a common occurrence for Logan to do his running while Patton and Virgil participated in their after school clubs.

Logan allowed his mind to wander as he completed another lap. He was disappointed that he’s so far unsuccessful in terms of meeting his soulmate. None of them had met their soulmates in person, even Virgil. According to Roman, the creatures had a much deeper connection to their souls compared to humans. He had also said that the creatures wouldn’t be found by their soulmates until “our loves are ready.” Ready for what, Logan didn’t know. But that didn’t stop him from exhausting every possible way to find his soulmate.

Logan saw a flash of yellow and almost tripped over his feet. Not stopping as to draw suspicion, he glanced towards the forest behind the school and saw something… odd.

Standing at the edge of the treeline was a man. He was tall and young, probably in his mid 20s. He wore an impeccable black suit with yellow accessories, which was odd since he appeared to have came from the forest. Logan followed his gaze and just as the gym doors opened. Patton sprinted out of the school, most likely grabbing something from his car. Logan watched as the man’s gaze followed Patton as he walked towards his car. Logan tsked as he darted into the treeline, attempting to not be spotted. The man was stalking Patton, and that was not acceptable. But Logan was observant, so he’d learn more about the man before making his move.

Logan had just reached where he’d last seen the man when he noticed something important: his shadow wasn’t moving. Any time Logan was heading towards potential danger, his shadow would move erratically around his feet, as if it was trying to stop him. Any time potential danger was heading towards him, Logan’s shadow would lash towards the danger, it’s natural aura deterring most creatures. But his shadow wasn’t moving. It was calm. Complacent.

Logan was so busy analyzing his shadow that he almost hadn’t realized that the man wasn’t there. Logan felt a chill go down his neck and he spun around, to find himself less than a foot away from the man. Logan stifled the urge to scream. His shadow wasn’t acting up, and Logan trusted his soulmate to protect him. But now that he was almost touching the man, Logan quickly realized something. How his smile was a hair too wide. How just standing close to him made Logan’s fight-or-flight reflexes go haywire.

Logan was observant, but it didn’t take much to realize that this man isn’t human.

Logan cleared his throat as he forced himself to articulate a response. “Hello. Might I ask why you’re trespassing into a high school to observe minors?”

The man looked guilty (bullshit) as he spoke. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met before.” He held out his hand, presumably for Logan to shake. “My name is Declan Brown. I was sent by the school board to observe the school’s management of extracurricular activities-”

“Stop.” Logan suddenly said, resisting the urge to physically shake his head. A part of him was already nodding along to what he said. It’s a perfectly reasonable assumption- Logan did his best to shove the thought away. The creature obviously had a talent in mental manipulation.

The (not)man gaped for a second. “Excuse me?” He seemed shocked. The thoughts became more intense and repetitive.

Logan started rambling, less focused on his words and more focused on getting Declan’s (that’s probably not his name) manipulations out of his head. “Stop lying to me. No member of the student board would support stalking a minor from the school’s perimeter. Check up on your human facts before stating such a bold lie. And will you shut up with the thoughts!” Before Logan could acknowledge what he had said, the thoughts ceased completely.

The creature looked at Logan with unguarded curiosity. “Who are you?”

Logan crossed his arms as he ignored how terrified he felt. “My name is unimportant for this conversation. Now I’ll ask again: Why are you stalking my friend?”

Logan’s shadow chose that moment to respond, shifting forward so it brushed against the creature’s ankles. Logan then realized that not only did he seem to acknowledge Logan’s shadow, he also didn’t have a shadow. Which means that he has a soulmate. The creature stared at the shadow before laughing. “Ah. That makes much more sense.”

Logan frowned. “Please answer my question.”

The creature’s smile seemed more genuine as he held out his hand again. “Call me Janus. I was sent by Roman to check on his soulmate. And I wanted to check on my soulmate at the same time.”

Logan blinked as he processed the information. The creature knew Roman, so it was most likely the same (or similar) species. And since it was staring at Patton…

Logan grabbed Janus’ hand, giving it his firmest shake. Logan was not submitting to this creature. “My name is Logan. I assume you are Patton’s soulmate, correct?” At Janus’ smirk, Logan tightened his grip. “If you harm him in any way- physically, emotionally, you name it- I will find a way to make the rest of your existence a living hell.”

Janus laughed as he also tightened his grip. “He’s gonna LOVE meeting you.” Logan remained impassive, knowing that a single sign of weakness could cause his end.

Because Logan was observant, and no way in hell was he letting his friend get hurt.

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

Logan was loved.

Logan never really realized that. Sure, his parents said that they loved him, but Logan never really depended on his parents the way most children did. When Logan had a question, he read a book. When Logan was scared, his shadow protected him. When Logan was hurt or lonely, his shadow would comfort him. Most people depended on their parents to raise them. Logan raised himself. Most people saw shadows as a way to find their soulmate. Logan saw his shadow as a friend.

Maybe that’s why at 21 years old Logan confidently (and drunkenly) states that he’s never felt true love. Sure, he’s felt kindness and support (Patton and Virgil) but he’s never felt love. Sure, some nights he has long conversations with his shadow and lets himself believe that the way it twists and turns means that his soulmate can hear him. Sure, he sees Janus a few times every year (Logan knows by this point that Janus is letting himself be seen. Logan never told Patton about meeting Janus and they have yet to officially meet. If Janus wanted to be seen by Patton or not seen by Logan he could) and every time he begs to learn more about his soulmate. But that’s not love (he never says that around Janus. The creature can smell lies like Logan smells Patton’s perfume).

Maybe that’s why he drunkenly kisses a stranger at his 21st birthday party, ignoring the fact that he’s too short and his hold doesn’t feel safe.

Maybe that’s why when he goes to visit Patton weeks later and sees only a note that says His name’s Janus he crumples it up and throws it away. Maybe that’s why when Virgil texts him the same day simply saying Found my soulmate TTYL, Logan lets hope claw its way through his chest. Maybe that’s why when the sun sets and Logan gets no sign from his soulmate he curls up in a ball and sobs. Maybe that’s why he decides that he can’t wait any longer and he leaves his shitty apartment in the middle of his shitty town and heads towards the shitty forest that he knows is empty but he has to try.

Maybe that’s why when Logan’s so deep in the forest that he can’t find his way out and the moon hangs high over his head and he hears wolves in the distance he doesn’t get scared or sad. No, Logan gets angry. Angry at the world for rejecting him because of his menacing shadow. Angry at Patton and Virgil for leaving him for their own soulmates. Angry at his soulmate for making him believe for 21 fucking years that he had a chance at being truly happy.

A wolf broke through the tree line, lowly growling as he approached Logan. Logan growled right back, his irritation and heartbreak and anger clouding his judgment. The wolf howled, and Logan screamed. It was an odd feeling. Logan hadn’t screamed in a long time. He trusted his shadow to protect him, so he never screamed in fear.  But the way his throat burned from his anger was exhilarating.

The wolf lunged, and it took Logan a few moments to realize that it never reached him. Logan heard a satisfying crunch as the wolf head landed inches from his feet. Logan looked up and saw a monster of nightmares.

It was at least 8 ft tall, with long, spindly limbs sharpened to a point. Green horns protruded form his head, and his eyes glowed acid green. His bloody teeth stretched into a too-wide grin, and Logan did not smile back.

Instead Logan screamed again. But it wasn’t out of fear (never out of fear). It was out of anger, and exhaustion, and relief, and something else that Logan couldn’t name. He lunged at the creature, wrapping his arms around the black and green tunic as he continued to scream. The creature continued to smile, using his too-sharp claws to hold onto Logan’s back. And Logan broke. He started to sob, losing the ability to stand as he leaned further into the creature’s chest.

They stayed there for almost an hour, Logan sobs being the only sound in the vicinity. Eventually, the creature spoke up. “It’s nice to finally hold you, Logan.” Logan continued to stay silent, burrowing his face into the creature’s chest. “My name is Remus. I know that it hurts, but you weren’t ready until now. I wanted to come get you the moment I saw your shadow, I swear. But I’ve always been there, even though ya couldn’t hear me. And I promise I won’t leave ya ever.”

Logan felt himself smile as he relaxed further into the creature’s his soulmate’s hold, listening to Remus babble out apologies and promises. Logan allowed himself to finally feel. 

Because even though this was the first time they touched, Logan knew this wasn’t the first time they’d met. Remus had always been there to support Logan, even if he was hiding in Logan’s shadow. He was always there, and even though Logan was hearing him for the first time, Logan knew that he was in love with Remus.

And as they separated and Remus asked if Logan was okay, Logan let himself admit it. “I love you.”

And Remus repeated him, with no doubts or uncertainty. Because even though Logan refused to believe it before now…

Logan was loved.

[yichens]

has anyone considered that maybe zhang qiling is just a local cryptid? like,,, maybe he just rises from a deep dark hole to live a bit (for wu xie. don't tell me it's not for wu xie)

The Lost Tomb (2015) | Xiao Ge First Appearance

[stillebesat]

Meeting Virgil (5x1) -Second Time

DECEMBER DRABBLES DAY 19 Sanders Shorts: Remy Sanders Sides: Virgil Blurb: A Special Delivery Prequel. -Five times Remy tried to give Virgil a child and the one time he succeeded. Inspiration: @book-of-charlie​ asked: What did Virgil mean by “the last 5 times?” Fic Type: STORK!AU, Winged!Remy Overall Fic Warnings: Bad Parenting implications, Injuries, Hitting, Spooky Themes  Taglist in Reblog. To Catch Up: First Time

Over the years Remy had found himself delivering children to their new parents in all sorts of places. In a variety of houses, the middle of camping trips, on cruise ships, and even one memorable moment on top of the Eiffel Tower. 

Remy grimaced as he ducked under yet another dripping branch of the millions in the forest he found himself in, the two month old baby boy, Henry, securely sheltered under his leather jacket to avoid getting soaked. 

At least the rain had let up an hour or so earlier, but he hated wandering through new growth forests like this. The trees and bushes were too close together for him to be able to effectively use his wings because the branches would snag them, slowing his already slow progress. 

He was vulnerable. And Remy didn’t like feeling vulnerable. Especially out here in a dark creepy forest.

“Who in their right mind would live in the middle of no---” An old dilapidated house suddenly appeared through the mists, like a creepy opening to a horror film. “--where.” Remy squeaked, eyes going wide, his wings wrapping around young Henry protectively as he hesitated on the edge of the trees. Was he about to encounter the Addams family or what?! 

But this is where the purple ribbon had lead, so it had to mean only good things would be found in that house. Right? It had to mean that the parents were--

A cold hand snaked out of the darkness slapping over Remy’s mouth muffling the scream that tore from his throat at the unexpected touch.

“Oh for the love of!” A familiar voice hissed in his ear as the hand dropped to his shoulder, brushing his wing as Remy was roughly turned around to see the glowering face of the Emo Edgelord who’d refused the baby girl back in NYC.

What the WHAT!? Of all the--

“What are you doing here?!” They both cried at the same time. 

The man growled, running a hand through his rain soaked hair. “I’m working, idiot, and heaven forbid if you’re the mysterious Mothman that’s been sighted I’m going to--”

Remy scoffed, pointing to himself. “Me? I just got here, genius.” His wings half spread before snapping shut. “I haven’t been in the backwoods of Virginia since the nineties!” And that had been a nightmare family vacation Remy would rather forget he had ever taken. 

“So what, you’re following me now?” The man demanded.

In retrospect...perhaps the purple line should have been an obvious sign, but how was Remy supposed to know it would be this guy when he chose the ribbon? 

Sure, he’d kept an eye out for purple ribbons to see if they would lead to him because Remy desperately wanted to prove his point that this Emo Nightmare would make an excellent dad.

But. 

He’d done over two hundred deliveries since their first encounter and while some of those ribbons had been purple and he may have followed every single one to see if they led to Mr. Rapunzel here--it wasn’t like he’d actively been seeking him out! 

Especially here. When they weren’t even in New York! 

Remy shook his head, scoffing. “Why in the world would I follow you---”

“Virge?” A distorted voice cracked over a walkie talkie at the man’s hip, interrupting them. “You still there, bud?” 

The man--Virge? Tensed, raising a warning finger. “Don’t say a word” He hissed as he grabbed the walkie, raising it to his mouth. He took a breath, voice getting slightly deeper as he spoke. “Still here, Mags, I haven’t died.” He glared at Remy releasing the button. “Yet.” He hooked the walkie back to his belt. “Why are you here ruining my investigation, Angel?” 

Remy rolled his eyes. “Not an Angel.” He smirked. “Nor the Mothman either.” Though if one of those was around he’d love to see this Mothman creature in person. 

“Riiight” Virge crossed his arms. “And your wings are white because…?” 

“I’m a S.T.O.R.K., Virge.” He pulled his black tipped wing to the side revealing the sleeping Henry. “Figured that one would be obvious to you.” From how he’d freaked out the last time, Remy doubted it would be something this guy would just forget. 

Virge tensed, going as pale as a vampire. “You brought a baby out here in the middle of nowhere?!” He hissed. “Are you crazy?! What if he catches a cold! Leather is hardly the warmest thing when it’s soaking wet and--”

Yadda yadda, Remy was well aware of the downsides to wearing leather. He’d been in his fair share of storms with that exact jacket afterall. “Well if you think you can do better.” He said holding little Henry out. “Then you take him, and wrap him in that grungy hoodie of yours. I’m sure that’s plenty warm.” 

Virge tensed but took a step forward, growling under his breath as he tugged at his hoodie, pulling it over his head. 

Huh. Was it really that easy? After how hard he had refused the baby girl, Remy had expected it to be more difficult to convince Sugarbee here to accept being a Dad--he flinched as the hoodie landed on his head.

“You shouldn’t be so smug.” Virge said tersely, rubbing his bare arms. “You look like a constipated cow. Now are you going to cover the kid or not?” 

A COW?!  

Remy let out his own growl of frustration, yanking the hoodie off to wrap it securely around Henry. He should have known. “Gurl! Why can’t you just take him?” He demanded. “I was led to you. You can’t deny that.” 

Red tinged the man’s cheeks as he glanced to the house, his grey eyes looking like the storm clouds swirling over their heads. “Oh sure, explain to my crew that I found a random baby in the middle of the woods while out looking for cryptids. That will go over real well.” Virge shook his head, taking three giant steps to the right, making a wide circle around Remy. “Get him to better parents than me, Eagle One, before he catches a cold.” 

Unbelievable. Remy whirled, wings spreading out. “He already has a good Dad, you Emo Nightmare, if you would just take him!” 

“Not a good Dad. I already told you.” Virge called back, the purple ribbon flashing to blue as he vanished deeper into the forest. 

Third Time

[brandstifter-sys]

15. “Hi, I’ve been subtle at hinting that I want your attention all day and you haven’t noticed once and now I’m pissed.” 💚💜 for duxiety?

Remus was oblivious. He knew he missed a lot of cues, it was just the curse of being a himbo. But his obliviousness also led to a lack of subtlety.

He tried everything to get Virgil to pay attention to him! He cuddled up to him on the couch, made suggestive comments, rambled endlessly about the cryptids and music that emo loved. And what did he get? Brushed off repeatedly as if Virgil had no idea that Remus wanted his attention specifically. It was maddening.

That's why he was here, fuming and slamming the door shut behind him. Virgil was on his bed with his computer on his lap. He jolted a little at the noise but smirked when he saw Remus.

"Hey, Pup."

"Hi, I've been subtle at hinting that I want your attention all day and you haven't noticed once and now I'm pissed!"

"Puppy," Virgil chuckled and set his computer aside, "Believe me I noticed. I was busy plotting."

"Plotting!? Without me!?" Remus growled. Now that stung. They were boyfriends! They didn't do everything together but plotting was their special bonding thing!

"Yeah, I can't really plot your surprise with you, that'd ruin it."

"I don't want a surprise!" Remus huffed and crossed his arms, "I want my boyfriend and I want to cuddle!"

"You know, you're so fucking cute when you're pissed," Virgil said and got up. He approached Remus almost smugly with his hands in his pockets.

"Then I'm the most gorgeous duke in existence," Remus hissed and stomped his foot. Virgil didn't seem bothered and dropped to a knee.

"Since you don't want a surprise, you don't have to be my boyfriend anymore–" he pulled a velvet box from his pocket, "–you can just be my fiance."

"What?"

"Since you don't want any fancy proposal, no surprises, I won't bother with a surprise. Do you want to marry me or not?" Virgil asked and glared at a stunned Remus. If he got rejected he would be throwing the duke out.

All that fear flew out the window when Remus tackled him to the ground.

"You are cuddling me tonight and tomorrow and the next day! I have to harass my fiance for the next 72 hours—since he ignored me all day!"

"Sure, but first let me get off the floor, Cuddlefish."

"Never!"

[thomasnookfanblog]

what your tma patron entity says about you

the buried: your worst fear is having to make small talk inside an elevator. specifically, making small talk in an elevator with more than one other person in it. 

the corruption: your room is either a fucking mess or immaculate beyond belief. you watched the movie holes as a kid and it’s a major point of nostalgia for you now.

the dark: you have one of those light-up salt crystals in your room because your curtains are always closed and you need to be able to see. black is a color and it’s your favorite. you were a goth kid in high school.

the desolation: you burned shit with a magnifying glass when you were a kid. you take joy in setting mousetraps and using a little bit too much raid to kill roaches. you made “potions” as a kid out of household cleaning supplies and shit you found in your backyard.

the end: you either were or are an mcr stan. where the dark was the goth kid, you were the emo kid. perhaps you still are. either way, it sits in you. waiting for the day when you finally let it out once again.

the eye: you say you don’t like to get involved with drama. you totally do. if you found tma with a large backlog, you consumed it like, all at once. now, you listen to every single episode the second it comes out. you watch far too much youtube. you like the sound of your own voice, but you don’t talk a lot.

the flesh: you like to watch makeup and sfx artists. or maybe you are one. you were one of the “let’s rp as vampires at recess” kids in middle school. because of this, you also probably read or watched twilight.

the hunt:  you’re one of those people who watches serial killer documentaries for hours on end. you like werewolves and other cryptids, like, a lot. you didn’t have a ton of friends growing up, but you would kill to protect the few that you had.

the lonely: you probably have depression or some other kind of mental illness. you own a lot of those little incense sticks. you’re a night owl. you enjoy the way neon signs reflect off of puddles. you follow sad simpsons accounts and stuff like that on instagram.

the slaughter: you watched people play call of duty on youtube as a kid. now, you watch long-form cooking videos like “how to slice every fruit.” it’s stereotypical, but you like the color red. specifically, deep, dark red. like you’d see in beets.

the stranger: you were a theatre kid. you like show tunes and billy joel. you watched salad fingers and don’t hug me i’m scared when you were younger. you were fascinated with creepypasta, especially early slenderman stuff.

the spiral: my friend, you are full-blown paranoid. and you know it. you know exactly where everything is in your house. you’re impeccably organized, until the day you’re not, because you’re just not feeling it. then everything falls apart. you listen to “hippie music,” so uh, take that for what you will.

the vast: you have either social anxiety or a god complex. you have, at minimum, three existential crises per day. but they come so frequently that by now, you’re used to them.

the web: you’re into knitting. you’re also terrifyingly alert and aware of your surroundings. you find humor in lying to people and waiting for them to figure it out. you like chess. you can solve a rubik’s cube with relative ease. and of course, you’re afraid of spiders.

the extinction: you like watching how it’s made, like, a lot. you like nature, and you follow a bunch of those “abandoned places” photos accounts on twitter. you subject yourself to horror movies, to the point where now, you’re completely desensitized to them.

[stained-brutal-crackpot]

*looks at the last ask you answered* TELL ME ABOUT UR SIGNUS HCS

This post might get long, which is pretty much standard for all my other headcanon dumps, so. Yeah

Okay so the standard stuff: what's canonically confirmed about Signus?

- They're some kinda void cryptid, no one knows where it came from

- They were worshiped by the Statigel clan until they all got Fuckin' Merked. This also included them deriving some of their weaponry & equipment from the power of Signus itself, which was pretty much lost once the whole place was destroyed. I haven't managed to find any information on what happened to it after this.

- Their next appearance in the Calamity timeline is when someone hired them to kill Yharim, but they weren't able to because DoG pulled a fucky wucky and trapped them in a pocket dimension for god knows how long

- After this, they had at least some hand in Statis's death, meaning that they switched sides before the rebellion leaders died

Alrighty so. Everything from this point forward is Very Non Canon and I'm being very careful here because Signus in particular does not leave as much room for lore expansion as some of the other chrs and I'm particularly interpreting them as being a lot more sympathetic than the "unga bunga I kill whoever you point me at" characterization that seems so popular these days. Got it? Good. Anyways moving on (take a shot every time I say 'anyways' or 'moving on')

- I have a lot of thoughts about Signus's exact origins but at risk of getting too far from canon I'm not going to talk about that here or possibly ever. We're starting off at their first known appearance: being worshiped by the Statigel clan.

- It's mentioned that the clan used its power to improve on and strengthen their equipment. The Statigel clan doesn't seem like the type to exploit their deity's power for their own ends (*cough* ANAHITA *cough*), and neither does it seem like Signus wouldn't know about what was happening, so they were probably fine with what the clan was doing. Plus, worship seems to be what strengthens gods in the Calamity universe, so the clan likely wasn't on Signus's bad side.

- Gonna digress a bit here with one little tidbit of a theory I have, and it's to do with the cosmic kunai. Yeah, that confusing ass knife I don't know how to draw. In the lore, Statis is reported as having received it from his clan's elders, which isn't unreasonable because as we've established, they've been drawing upon Signus's power for their weapons, right? But the thing is that the cosmic kunai can't be crafted— it drops directly from Signus. (And I know, you don't have to tell me, don't try to get lore from gameplay and all that, crafting recipes are non canon, etc etc. This is a theory and I'm not claiming it to be canon at all, I'm just reading way too deep into it.) I've taken this (probably incorrectly, but whatever, I'm too far gone by now) to mean that they were, at some point, directly given that weapon for one reason or another, implying that Signus was probably genuinely cool with the whole worshipping deal.

- Okay so everything is cool and dandy for maybe a couple hundred years until the unrest within the clan and outside of it due to the royal family's fuckery starts to happen. Signus likes these silly flesh bags enough to give them free shit, but not enough to go through the hassle of saving them from imminent destruction. They give their best equipment to some kid, unleash said kid upon the world to do some good ol' fashioned mass murdering, and then subsequently die.

- Whoops. No more worshipping perks. They're kinda bummed out about the slight loss of power, and they do check in on the sole survivor of the people who venerated them from time to time, but revolution and trying to take down tyrannical shitty governments is boring— frankly, this void cryptid has better things to do, and anyways the kid seems to be doing just fine on his own. It's basically the deific equivalent of putting your Sims on "care for self" and scrolling through your phone for three hours. Oh hey would you look at that, there's some new dude in town aiming to become Calamity's Next Top Tyrant. Huh.

- Moving on: as it turns out, this vengeful new upstart and his cute pet dragon are horrible, horrible people! Who would have guessed? Signus is kind of appalled but not nearly enough to take action. There's a growing rebellion too, which coincidentally just so happens to be located in the mountains where their old worshipers used to live! That's fun. They sit back with some popcorn for a bit and watch everything go down, but they're not gonna interfere unless someone asks them to.

- Shocker! Someone's asked them to interfere! Mr. Sole Survivor kid over here does some summoning ritual at one of the mountain shrines and hires them to do what they do best: murder! Signus is like "Yeah ofc I gotcha bro" and blips off to go do some tyrant murdering. It's an important job from a loyal customer, so they zip over to the Jungle Temple and get ready to rock.

- Oh, shit. Oh, fuck. This is not good. What the fuck is this spiky blue hotdog doing? They clocked in for another regularly-scheduled murder for hire and now they're trapped in a pocket dimension with this worm trying to kill them? They did not sign up for this. So now Signus, feeling pretty terrible now that they both A) have lost some of their power due to the worshiper situation and B) have failed their first and possibly most important contract ever, is decidedly not having such a good time. And when said worm offers them a job, they decide it's not like they've any other way to get out of there and accept, figuring that they'll just work out the failed contract another time. Maybe they'll offer a refund or something.

- This decision quickly proves to not be good, as later this kid shows up at the temple looking frighteningly dead inside, and then Signus has to kill the last remaining person with any sort of faith in them.

Whoops.

- So, having had the one thing they even marginally gave a shit about destroyed, they resign themself to working for this edgy teenage emo worm in exchange for more power and something to do to pass the time. Yay...?

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

The BNHA Group Chat Fic Nobody Asked For

Pairings: Todoroki Touya (Dabi)/Mr/ Compress (Sako Atsuhiro), Shimura Tenko (Shigaraki Tomura)/Chisaki Kai (Overhaul)/Kurono Hari (Chrono), Yamada Hizashi (Present Mic)/Aizawa Shouta (Eraserhead)/Shirakumo Oboro (Loud Cloud), Fukukado Emi (Ms. Joke)/Kayama Nemuri (Midnight)

Word Count: 1,088 Words

Summary: Todo-siblings, teacher shenanigans, the 1-A twins accidentally freeze out the fifth floor, and Kirishima is best boy.

Warnings: Cursing, Sleep Deprivation, Insomnia, Abuse Mention, Mensuration/Period Mentions, Caps, Food Mention, Half Blind Character, Deaf Characters, Anxiety Mention, Mostly Mute Character (due to a different medical issue), Selectively Mute Character, let me know if I should add anything else.

Note: Natsuo and Fuyumi's chat names are based on quirk headcanons I have for them. Natsuo's is because I headcanon him to have a quirk where he can manipulate and generate water like Shoto can with his ice and Fuyumi's because I headcanon her to have a thermal manipulation quirk. Touya's is 'wine' because white and red wine and his hair is red and white.

Usernames: We Are Number One™ Aizawa: Dadzawa, Aoyama: immafiringmahlaser, Ashido: princessbubblegumknockoff, Asui: Galvan, Iida: Emergency Exit, Uraraka: 9.8, Ojiro: tailfloof, Kaminari: Pichu, Kirishima: baby shark, Koda: youredoingamazingsweetie, Sato: GuyFieriIsGod, Shoji: Cthulhu, Jirou: Jack Skellington, Sero: Spider-Man, Tokoyami: EdgarAllanCrows, Todoroki: WHERE?, Hagakure: cena, Bakugo: WHAT?, Midoriya: SmolMight, Mineta: Mineta, Shinsou: exhausted, Yaoyorozu: TheGreatCreator, Kurono: stopwatch, Chisaki: donthugmeimscared, Yukimura: choticgaydisaster, Bubaigawara: shadowclonejutsu, Shimura: idontfeelsogood, Awase: illrememberyouallintherapy, Kaibara: IDOWHATIWANT, Kamakiri: scyther, Kuroiro: itsmeyaboy, Kendo: Akimichi, Kodai: deadinside, Komori: shroomgurl, Shiozaki: wElCoMeToBiBlEsTuDiEs, Shishida: furry, Shoda: cryptid, Tsunotori: mylittlepony, Tsubaraba: airbender, Tetsutetsu: Iron Man, Tokage: t-rex costume, Fukidashi: glorifiedtextbubble, Honenuki: Eren Jaeger/spookyscaryskeletons, Bondo: Slimer, Monoma: HopeSummers, Yanagi: iLiEdImDyInGiNsIdE, Rin: snek, Toga: mystique, Sako: lostmymarbles, Hikiishi: queenofmagnetism, Iguchi: eye gucci, Shinokanri: stardust

Usernames: Emos Anonymous Kaminari: blackcloakedbrides, Shoji: fryingpan, Jirou: greentwentyfourhours, Tokoyami: myscientificinfatuation, Todoroki: twentyoneplotpoints, Bakugo: immobileinwhite, Midoriya: falldownboy, Shinsou: stabtheveil, Kurono: inhalecarolina, Chisaki: plummetingininverse, Yukimura: anxietyintheclub, Shimura: nappingwithsirens, Kuroiro: thousandfootcane, Kodai: marianaspit, Monoma: entiretimelow, Yanagi: recentyearsday, Sako: halfminutetomars, Aizawa: hollywoodlivingdead, Shouji: fryingpan, Kurono: inhalecarolina, Aoyama: phantomtown, Honenuki: visualizedragon, Sako: halfminutetomars, Awase: distressparade, Shinokanri: simplestrategy

Usernames: UA Teachers Are Tired™ Eraserhead/Aizawa: grumpy scarf cat, Present Mic/Yamada: screeching cockatiel, Midnight/Nemuri: chaotic goth gay Ingenium/Iida: gotta go fast, AllMight/Toshinori: actual sunshine, Vlad King/Kan: bloody hell, Power Loader/Majima: speechtotext, Ectoplasm: needalegup?, Snipe: kazoo cowboy, Cementoss: concrete block, Blackmist/Kurogiri: goth portals

We Love A Good, Caring Dadzawa In This House-Chapter 3

11:38 PM

UA Teachers Are Tired™

chaotic goth gay: so anygay we ever gonna talk bout the fact that the twins in 1a plan to take a week home?

kazoo cowboy: no??? it's their personal life????

needalegup?: I say we leave the boys alone.

screeching cockatiel: they don't like being referred to at 'the twins' Nemuri. They're separate beings.

chaotic goth gay: okay, the two canadian flags of Shouta's 25 nearly adopted children.

grumpy scarf cat: you're right but why say it?

bloody hell: I thought his class was 26 students now like mine? who tf you forgetting Nemuri?

chaotic goth gay: no one I be leaving out that little grapist tho. hate him and so does Shouta

screeching cockatiel: OwO oh worm?

grumpy scarf cat: never again Hizashi. never again.

screeching cockatiel: OvO

grumpy scarf cat: i hate you.

screeching cockatiel: love you too babe uwu

grumpy scarf cat: well,

grumpy scarf cat: i'm gonna go yeet myself off the roof for that one.

screeching cockatiel: Nuuuuuuu, how will me Hitoshi and Ayane ever survive without you!?

grumpy scarf cat: tru tru

grumpy scarf cat: I'll take Hitoshi with me.

screeching cockatiel: you wouldn't dare!

grumpy scarf cat: again tru tru

2:24 AM

UA Teachers Are Tired™

grumpy scarf cat: yeet yeet bitch he finally asleep [pic of Hitoshi asleep against Aizawa's side with Ayane asleep between them]

chaotic goth gay: that's perfect.

chaotic goth gay has changed their name to yeet yeet bitch

yeet yeet bitch: thank boi me sleep now

yeet yeet bitch is offline

4:14 AM

We Are Number One™

WHERE?: so anyway I'm ready to yeet our dad into the sun but that's too good for him

chaoticdisastergay: oh worm???? same hat??? could stand to snow his eyes out first tho

immafirinmahlaser: why y'all puttin ur father on blast in the main chat?

WHERE?: wait, where? oh fuck wrong one Touya, wrong one! mayday mayday

SmolMight: I was summoned my the word mayday what happened

SmolMight: oh

SmolMight: well then

lostmymarbles: Dear? Please lay down? I was comfortable?

chaoticdisastergay: well, speaking of tmi, I thought it was just a bathroom run but turns out my monthly came a week early, Atsu. I'm coming back.

WHERE?: that was a long time in the bathroom but okay.

lostmymarbles: Yeah, almost an hour. I'm lonely, the bed feels cold without you, snowdrop!

chaoticdisastergay: I had to shower over in the 1a dorms too, calm down.

lostmymarbles: Kay, come back to bed, I wanna cuddle.

SmolMight: Such precious. Most pure. We have been blessed with witnessing this couple be cute.

WHERE?: so anNYway, Touya, you goin back to the family chat?

chaoticgaydisaster: yee

4:30 AM

Trauma? Yeet. Memes? Yoink.

vulpix: anygay. still wanna yeet our dad into the sun but it'd still be too good for him.

lapis: I??? feel that????? wtf???????

thermostat: oh? a mood? in this good household?

wine: i really just want to go back to sleep but the brain machine broke i'm woke

vulpix: oh worm?

thermostat: anyway gotta actually get outta bed soon, drop off your girls at daycare, get mine to school, and go to work.

lapis: fine, gonna go with ya

thermostat: mhmmmm sure you are, you're gonna fall asleep in 20 minutes Natsuo.

lapis: that may be but i'll at least try

thermostat: doubt

thermostat is offline

8:24 AM

We Are Number One™

cena: so anyway tea apparently shoto and touya are going home all next week

princessbubblegumknockoff: oh? drama?

WHERE?: family visit no drama

chaoticgaydisaster: just visiting our family

SmolMight: so anygay Aizawa told us we have someone special visiting a1 today for class!

Spider-Man: I wonder who it is!

Dadzawa: toshi cmon I gotta get to class and drop you off like a gay goth god of insomniac children

exhausted: hol up im eating still

exhausted is offline

Dadzawa is offline

cena: well, no answers from them i guess

Emergency Exit: Everyone, please get off your phones in class!

9:37 AM

We Are Number One™

itsmeyaboy: so who was it that came to your class?

TheGreatCreator: The Big Three of UA

itsmeyaboy: huh. we had Hawks, Ryukyu, and Mirko

Iron Man: The Three Greats of UA

HopeSummers: We win.

SmolMight: Meh, we both got good people to teach us.

HopeSummers: Valid, carry on.

2:28 PM

UA Teachers Are Tired™

gotta go fast: so anyway, am i ever gonna get told why there's someone named speechtotext in this chatroom and who all they are?

kazoo cowboy: That's Majima with the support course.

needalegup?: he couldn't figure out how to work his phone with his fingers when we first made this chat and he used speech to text a lot.

goth portals: we used to get a lot of text messages where Hatsume had spoken over him and it became too much of a meme so Nemuri changed his name to speechtotext.

gotta go fast: understandable, have a nice day.

7:24 AM

We Are Number One™

Spider-Man: um guys all of floor five is frozen what happened?

Galvan: the girls' side isn't but it's getting cold over here

GuyFieriIsGod: My door is frozen shut.

Spider-Man: Todoroki or Yukimura must have had a nightmare again

TheGreatCreator: Does this happen often?

Spider-Man: more than you'd believe.

GuyFieriIsGod: Does anyone have an ice pick?

Galvan: i'm going downstairs before it spreads

TheGreatCreator: That's a good idea, Tsu, we don't want you getting too cold and hibernating.

WHAT?: wow

Spider-Man: wow? just wow? dude, help us!

WHAT?: ...

WHAT?: perish.

baby shark: I'm coming!

7:45 AM

We Are Number One™

Spider-Man: KIRISHIMA IS A GODSEND

GuyFieriIsGod: He got us out.

TheGreatCreator: It was easier because Todoroki likely melted it.

GuyFieriIsGod: Anyway, now that we're free, I'm making breakfast if anyone wants any. 1b and Shinsou included

WHAT?: wow

cena: Is Bakugo okay?

SmolMight: Yeah, that's just his morning brain. That happens if he gets less than an hour of sleep. He kinda short circuits for about an hour.

Pichu: excellent. thank you for this knowledge.

princessbubblegumknockoff: sometimes I question if your have a death wish.

Pichu: a death wish to get him to hug me and tell me i'm cute dammit!

Pichu is offline

baby shark: a very pure death wish. we don't deserve you denki!

WHERE?: It's been made apparent to me that I froze the fifth floor and I'm sorry.

chaoticgaydisaster: and I made enough snow it was practically snowmen

princessbubblegumknockoff: THEY RISE!

WHERE?: too early for this i need a pot of coffee

chaoticgaydisaster: mood but also gimme half dammit

Taglist: @logan-sanders-enthusiast @luckyicekitsune @whippedbel @lgbtforeverything @pinecone-chomper @mikmacmoo @wasinotwantedatthisexactsecond @purplespiderstormcloud @stankyratman @king-of-the-oranges @headcannons-and-random-things @fear-ze-queer @turtleluv799 @ymmm-someone

[merrickwccd]

& if you find me, will you know me?

                                            will you take me ? or will you fall?

closed / self para involving merrick, @thehollyxwood, @incendiarious & the uncreated but still existing in fairvale ethan jenkins, soon to be brought in  when / shortly after logan finds merrick  what / as if the world hasn’t already crashed down enough, not just one ex but two has shown up while holly’s sick.  a/n / a lot of exposition, some background on these fucking four idiots & their time apart, and a lot emo bitch hours 

she can barely hold herself together. 

she had notebooks full of trauma and rages, tears and exhaustions. insecurities and confidences, things she’d never say aloud but needed to let out. for so long now, she had locked up her high school years tight, put them away in the recesses of her mind and refused to give them more than the arbitrary thought. nostalgia was a bitch - especially in times like this. it was a liar, a fool, made everything seem like it was good, even the bad. 

a week ago, she could have easily told you that nothing would make her fall to her knees in desperation, that there was no way she would ever let logan norris wrap his arms around her. that seeing ethan jenkins surely wouldn’t make her heart jump in her chest, that her first two loves were merely that, figments of the past that had colored her relationships going forward. 

first, there had been dallas. a near replica of logan - athletic and cocky, earnest and cute when they were alone but not one to hide who he was. they had met at intramural softball, each determined to out-pitch the other. taller than the others, she had spent afternoons walking around new york city arguing abotu which team was better - the yankees or the braves - bringing him to their summer home in maine to fish and home to meet her mother in georgia. her father had liked him enough, though she knew he had a soft spot for her former boys. 

she never brought him around ethan, and logan had already disappeared from her life by then. social media ‘likes’ on posts, she’d seen him in ohio looking happy - she was determined to be the same in new york. 

but dallas had his own best friend, and his own feelings for her, and the situation had felt so painstakingly familiar - she saw the way he looked at parker, the same way logan had once looked at holly, that she pulled herself free. two years to late, perhaps, but she’d never been good at avoiding collateral damage. 

in her weakness, she’d written an email that never got sent. an i miss you, i’m sorry, can we please start over? but her sister and her were finally on good terms, she was on her last year at nyu, and for all she knew, logan was finding love of his own in ohio. 

so it sat in her drafts until she deleted it six months later, unsent. 

she channeled her emotions into a sea of stories, submitting them to publishers around the country. young adult style romances, the kind that filled hero wn bedroom back home, the kind that made the reader root for the two to get together, despite the odds. despite the casualties. 

too many of her leading men had sandy hair or striking eyes, while the other half had curls that were untamed and toothy smiles. 

asher worked with her in boston - a quiet, unassuming tech support guy who she bonded with over a love of sea monsters and cryptids. the two traveled around massachusetts, visiting salem and other haunted homes and towns, laughing and scaring one another with late nights curled up on her couch. a few almost brushes, a kiss here and there, but nothing ever spoken. 

she had always had a weakness for boys who were too smug for their own good, or too afraid of the complications to admit their feelings. if there was no jump to hurdle, what was the point? 

but asher had left before the first rumors began circling, on his way to california and a new life, and merrick had been left alone once again. wondering what it was she did wrong, another email - this time to a different address, now defunct she was sure because ethan had never been great at technology when they were constantly buzzing and sending things to one another. 

and the world had ended. and merrick had faced the truth : she loved love, maybe too much, stifling and clinging to it so tight that it continued to wreck her. there had only been one person she needed to hold onto now anyways, and together they packed the sensible sedan their parents had gifted them upon merricks’ arrival in boston, claiming the sisters needed a way to get around the city but really pleased just to see them together once again. they found colette, they found a home, and merrick pushed away reminders of home. 

even while wearing lulu’s cheer shorts as she practiced her knife throwing in the backyard. even while sleeping in logan’s hoodie, now smelling more of herself than her first boyfriend. even wiping the sweat off her brow with ethan’s old football tee, his number and name on her back. she whispered to colette or holly some nights, wondering if they could find them, but never with any real hope. 

if they were out there, what were the chances? 

and then the world ended again, in the form of holly falling ill as if she didn’t have someone to survive for. and merrick knew, logistically, that holly would fight to get free - she would. but in the meantime, she let out all the anguish and misery, all the horrors and tears she’d never shed for so many reasons, breaking down until he returned to her. 

but he wasn’t alone. 

she wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it - curls matted down with sweat, shaking hands as he curled up on the steps of the library, her voice breaking out in a low cry - ethan ! that led her to scooping him in her arms. 

if logan had kept her intact, she had done so for ethan. where she needed logan, ethan needed her. 

sometimes the comparing and contrasting hurt too much to consider. 

he was a shell of a person - hollow eyes and barely able to register her more than a whisper of her name - “merrick?” but she didn’t bother giving him a moment to breath before she pulled him into a tight hug, just as logan had her. 

maybe this was how it was supposed to be, now. 

she had made herself a promise, lost in a journal sitting in her old bedroom back in riverside. if the world had ever given her a chance again, she’d fix it. make it right. 

holly could have logan. merrick would pretend she had no feelings, that their love had died away with time, that logan was merely an old friend. a brother. holly deserved him more, holly had had him first. merrick had been selfish, merrick had taken him, merrick would live the rest of her life filling guilt at the hurt on her sister’s face when she was with him, would bury her feelings until they disappeared. 

they would have to eventually, right? 

and ethan - he deserved more, deserved better. he deserved someone much more able to give him their whole heart. but he’d accepted when she’d given him then, and if he accepted it now, she would devote herself entirely. 

no one would ever need to be any wiser. 

“mer, she’s gone,” was ethan’s mumble into her hair, and her heart seized at the implications - there was only one ‘she’ between them that she’d be wondered about, her arms wrapping tighter around him. she didn’t want to know - didn’t want him to have to say - just kissed his cheeks, his forehead, his lips, grateful he was there, he was alive. 

“you’re okay,” she whispered, not caring what happened for the moment, what he’d been through. “you’re here now, i’ve got you.” words she’d echoed to him so long ago, and much like then he collapsed against her, weight heavy as she ran her fingers up an down his back. 

yes, this would be how it was. holly would be better, and she and logan - 

merrick had ethan. and ethan had merrick. and merrick would be grateful enough for what she did have and not once ask for more. not this time. 

not anymore.