#kayla bates

[taesnix]

BACK from the void to present to you: Nico, who wears the most absolutely ridiculous socks ever because no one can see them.

Gods, he has so many.

Most of them are thick and warm for maximum comfort, and they go up to just under his knees with the stupidest little things and patterns on them. For summer, he has an equally impressive collection of crew socks that are still thick enough to not get easily worn out, but don't make him sweat buckets trudging under the sun.

Nico knows that he'll forever be a collector at heart but it's not like he wanted to choose socks of all things as his next prized possessions. He didn't wake up one day and decide "man, these things are pretty great, let's go amass an army's worth of SOCKS!" It just happened. He had no control over that. They just feel nice, okay. And perhaps the colour combos and sheer variety of everything makes him happy.

Is it kind of embarrassing? Yeah. Would he cease to exist if anyone found out? Holy shit, maybe. But it's not like anyone has been able to tell underneath his daily go-to of heavy jeans and combat boots, so he's been in the clear so far.

Until he gets distracted for a split second while sparring with Percy and riptide cuts a huge slash across his leg.

Nico's fast, so he's able to jump back just enough so that the sword barely catches any flesh, but his jeans unfortunately don't come out unscathed.

"Keep your head in the game, Neeks!" Percy teases with a grin. He's got an annoying glint in his eye to match and Nico just knows he's about to say something worse. "No matter who walks in."

And—shit. Nico feels his face flush scarlet despite him screaming internally at his body to not react. He pointedly does not look at the new blob of neon scrubs sitting next to Kayla in the stands. "Shut up, Jackson. Like you're any better when Annabeth so much as blinks at you."

Percy shrugs. "Hey man, at least I acknowledge it."

And—fine, he does. Nico will give him that. Jackson was peak levels of embarrassing about his girlfriend on a good day.

"I think you should go get that patched up," Percy smirks. He then makes a big show of squinting at the stands, pulling a similar face that Jason makes trying to read highway signs without his glasses. Basically, he looks really fucking stupid. "Impeccable timing, too! Whaddya know? There seems to be a free medic right there."

One day, Nico will kill him. It'll fix almost all of his problems, and gods know he'll always have too many at any given point in time. But he'll do it. Maybe Annabeth will even take pity and give him a pass.

Before Nico can even open his mouth and retort with something snarky, Percy raises his hands and hollers. "Hey, Will! The King here is in need of some dire medical attention!"

"No, I'm not!" Nico shouts when Will's eyes grow wider. "Nothing happened, I'm fine."

Percy snorts and claps him on the shoulder. "As if that's worked before. Good luck, little man. Same time tomorrow?"

And he doesn't wait for a response, just gives a one-handed salute and begins to make his way to the stands. Percy says something to Will as they pass by each other and Will's brows furrow.

One day.

"What happened?" Will asks as he jogs over. His blond curls rise and fall with every step and if you zeroed in on only them, the loose coils look like they're in zero gravity. Bouncing with an impossible grace as they get closer and closer.

Not that Nico was looking. Or that he'd even noticed at all. Man, is it getting hotter here? He should definitely drink some water soon.

"Nico?" Will waves a slow hand in front of his face. "You alright? Percy said his sword mostly caught your jeans, but you never know."

"Huh?" Nico chokes. Right, this is the dire medical attention part.

Will gives him a wobbly smile, like he's trying not to laugh but failing miserably. "Okaaay then. Can I check your leg?"

"Um, sure."

He's still so out of it that he doesn't hear his subconscious screaming at him why Will kneeling down to lift the denim is a terrible, horrible idea.

Nico feels the lithe fingers carefully cut down the fabric with scissors that have seemingly appeared from nowhere. He feels them gently peel back his jeans with a confident precision, minimizing the disturbance to the wound. He hears the faintest of gasps and he feels the other boy go completely still.

He tilts his head down to see what the issue is—surely Percy hadn't slashed him that bad—and then, like a statue, he freezes in place too.

In the most obnoxious shade of yellow possible, rows of mischievous rubber ducks beam back at both of them. He says mischievous because they've got annoying smirks and eyebrows strong enough to rival the Stoll brothers on the first of April. Which is quite a concerning amount. The smallest flecks of red from his cut take the whole "sinister menaces" thing to an unholy level.

Neither of them breathe for the next 30 seconds. Or maybe it's 30 years. Hell, if Nico knows now, his damn heart stopped working properly ages ago.

Then, either his saving grace or the final nail in his coffin, Will sucks in another shaky mouthful of air and clears his throat.

"You know," he starts, scarily neutral. Not a single waver in his voice. "I'm beginning to think Kayla's got a point."

Kayla talks a lot, running through an average 5 conversation topics in a record of 7 minutes with Nico himself, so that narrows it down by exactly nothing. "Uh, about what?"

Will doesn't reply, simply carrying on with cleaning and dressing his injury like he hadn't said anything. It drives Nico crazy, but he knows Will's priorities, so he holds his tongue. Will had drilled them into Nico's brain during his first infirmary stay; treat first, talk second.

So he waits. He lets Will dab the tiniest bit of nectar across the cut and wipe away blood. After a minute or two, his leg is wrapped neatly with a bandage, and suddenly, there's no more treating to be done.

"We're matching," Will finally says.

Nico blinks. Because—what.

"I mean, it's a slightly different shade, but eh, close enough to count."

Nico breaks out of his stupor when Will traces one of the ducks with his nail. Soft but accurate, light but impossible to ignore, like everything else he does.

"Yellow?" Nico whispers. He can't seem to muster up his voice to be louder than that.

Will looks up at him with a particular glint in his eye, and Nico's heart stops a second time.

"Mhm," he grins, dusting his knees as he stands up. He winks and it has no right to kickstart the thumping in Nico's chest. "Same wavelength."

"You're ridiculous," Nico lightly shoves at Will's shoulder and prays that his face isn't burning red.

Will just laughs and catches his hand, holding it in place. "Sure, but I'm also right."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are n—"

"Okay," Will interrupts, "I hate to break it to you, Neeks, but we're both wearing obnoxious shades of yellow. You've got the added bonus of sly rubber duckies, and my scrubs glow in the dark. Ergo, we're both ridiculous and both on the same wavelength."

Gods, who the hell says, "ergo". Why is Nico so enamoured with such an idiot.

"And how, exactly, does Kayla have a point here?" Nico sighs, ignoring that his hand is still on Will's shoulder and that Will is still holding it there. He'll take his silent wins as they come.

Now, Will's cheeks become a rosy red. It makes Nico want to trace a finger around his freckles to check if his skin has become warmer, too.

"Well..." He trails off. He glances down to Nico's leg again, where some of the damn ducks are peeking out behind his jeans.

With a grounding deep breath, Will shuts his eyes for a moment. When they open, he meets Nico's gaze head on, calm yet confident once more.

He's beautiful like this, like he always is.

Against his own will, Nico smiles. Will shines underneath the sun and his stupid blond curls are golden.

"She said we're soulmates. And I think she's right about that."

And Nico thinks she's right about that, too.

[stars-and-the-min]

☆ the wrong way to hard launch (12) | OP81

summary : oscar's girlfriend is a walking pr problem for literally everyone (including herself) social media au

pairing : oscar piastri x zhou!fem!singer!oc

a/n from miami, USA to sofia, bulgaria

bro miami gp was WILD i can't believe i slept thru it 😭

masterlist | last part | part 12 | next part

TWITTER

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h landoscar sitting so far apart from each other at the same miami heat game is incredibly funny to me ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h do they even talk 😭 do you think they knew the other was going?

oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 36m oscar sighting today vs lina sighting today

↳ oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 1h its like 25 degrees in miami and 10 degrees in sofia

INSTAGRAM

aidan_ebass Sofia, Bulgaria

liked by cameliazzz and 231,029 others

aidan_ebass a love letter to sofia tagged: cameliazzz and selinabui

lottie2418 EXCUSE ME SIR THAT LAST PHOTO???

2cami4lina aid posts once in a blue moon and it's always wild like who even took that photo

emptybottlos why are they whoring out aidan, gramps blink twice if ur being held at gunpoint ↳ aidan_ebass @emptybottlos 😐😑😐😑😐

TWITTER

EB Updates @emptybottles_news · 4h 🗨️| hey guys, recently a lot of my posts have been flooded with a bunch of lina hate. this is insanely unwarranted, if you don't like empty bottles or ANY of the members, please do not interact with my account. it's really disheartening to see so many people insult this incredibly hard-working woman that such a huge fanbase, including myself, adore and claiming to speak on behalf of her bandmates, friends and even boyfriend is absolutely vile. ↳ emme @flowersforcami · 4h admin i fear it's time to spam block bc i'm getting sick of it as well ↳ liv is SEEING EB LIVE!! @olivielina · 3h alright, start throwing hands. any tongue that rises against selina bui shall fall, we ride at dawn

kayla @luna_apocolypse · 27m i am begging BEGGING that the european leg isn't completely FUCKED by the hate train like PLS LINA return to giving no shits and flirt all you want ↳ pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 12m well like... maybe let's not overdo the flirting

INSTAGRAM

mclaren Hard Rock Stadium

liked by landonorris and 54,205 others

mclaren A little look into OP81's Miami media day shenanigans 👀 tagged: oscarpiastri

eb_jonno your joking we just got rid of the nfl guy ↳ oscarpiastri @eb_jonno My skills would never get me to the NFL so I think you're safe

pastry81 lina pls save this man and his wardrobe, go girl give us nothing

TWITTER

camilina gfs fr @ drummergf · 2h literally all of ebtwt waiting with bated breath over sofia n1 😭 ↳ camilina gfs fr @ drummergf · 2h i'm a camilina truther but if i do not see lukas remove selina's gloves on a grainy livestream I WILL CRY

kay ♡ @ blackcatluna · 1h THEY DID IT OH MY GOD THEY DID THE GLOVE MOVE I'M INCONSOLABLE ↳ kay ♡ @ blackcatluna · 1h @luna_apocolypse SLEEP WELL TWINSIE THOSE BITCHES ARE BACK TO BEING DERANGED ON STAGE

lina bui x2 grammy winner @urdaisea · 1h we must look so unhinged to locals, we look like a bunch of victorian ladies screaming over a guy removing a pair of gloves i can't- ↳ lina bui x2 grammy winner @urdaisea · 1h YES IT'S MASSIVE AND I'VE NEVER BEEN GLADER TO SEE THE RETURN OF THIS MOVE BUT HOLY SHIT WE'RE DYING OVER TWO BESTIES FAKE FLIRT

lukas 🔛🔝 @lukiepookie28 · 53m HE KISSED HER HAND OH WE'RE SO BACK LUKAS ZHANG YOU LITTLE FLIRT EFNSDJCNSDI

opal @pxastrixxx · 21m i've said it before and i'll say it again; you do not treat friends like that ↳ piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 16m do you genuinely not know what a performance is?

EB Updates @emptybottles_news · 3m Empty Bottles played Sofia (originally sung by @ clairo) as their audience selection song during the encore! ↳ amie <3 @mieflrs · 2m oh they understood the assignment this is EXACTLY the shit they should be getting lina to sing

MESSAGES

from the phone of oscar piastri

INSTAGRAM

emptybottles_official Arena Sofia

liked by chrisyamada and 328,375 others

emptybottles_official First stop of the European leg done and dusted! Sofia, you guys were a dream, we hope you had fun with us these past two nights ❤️

cami.png when the weather's so cold lina debuts a new minidress with sleeves 😭

eb_jonno why are you doing me dirty, i thought we were friends ↳ emptybottles_official @eb_jonno You signed off on this photo ↳ eb_jonno @emptybottles_official can i... change my mind?

mrslukaszhang they all look so good it's criminal

sofia.michaels good day to be named sofia 🥰

oscarpiastri Hard Rock Stadium

liked by quadlock and 209,486 others

oscarpiastri P6² in Miami

pi4str1 oscar, sweetie, i don't think that's how math works

opeightyone That gorgeous gorgeous helmet 😍

lukaszhang best of luck for the race tomorrow mate ↳ oscarpiastri @lukaszhang Thanks man

TWITTER

pookie piastri @op81ln4 · 2h WTF DID OSCAR HAVE THIS MORNING HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS SPECTACULAR

McLaren @ McLarenF1 · 2h OSCAR. JACK. PIASTRI!!!

piaa⁸¹ @ papayaeightyone · 1h carlos sainz when i get my hands on you...

oscalina real ?! @ emptyginbottles · 17m OH MY GOD OH MY GOD LANDO WIN???? LANDO NORRIS WINS???? ↳ 🕯️manifesting EB3 🕯️@ linabelles · 8m rip 'lando nowins', u were one of the funniest nicknames of the sport

clovie @ luvyouvie · 20m oscar p13, u were robbed my son, that was straight-up highway robbery

MESSAGES

from the phone of oscar piastri

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

taglist @ririyulife @ashy-kit @fionaschicken @namgification @cherry-piee @urfavsgf @eiaaasamantha @sp1rl @destinyg237

[911bts]

6x17 "Love Is In The Air" Synopsis

Athena and the 118 race to rescue when a wedding proposal tragically intersects with a bank robbery, and then when a princess bride is literally stuck on her way to the altar. Athena talks a victim thru her grief; Maddie takes matters into her own hands as Buck finds a surprise visitor on his doorstep in the all-new “Love Is In The Air”episode of 9-1-1 airing Monday, May 8 (8:00-9:01 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (NIN-617) (TV-14 D, L, S, V)

Cast: Angela Bassett as Athena Grant; Peter Krause as Bobby Nash; Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Buckley; Oliver Stark as Evan “Buck” Buckley; Kenneth Choi as Howie “Chimney” Han; Aisha Hinds as Henrietta “Hen” Wilson; Ryan Guzman as Eddie Diaz; Corinne Massiah as May Grant; Gavin McHugh as Christopher Diaz

Guest Cast: Tracie Thoms as Karen Wilson; Anirudh Pisharody as Ravi Panikkar; Bryan Safi as Josh Russo; Debra Christofferson as Sue Blevins; Chiquita Fuller as Linda Bates; Annelise Capero as Natalia Dollenmeyer; Chelsea Kane as Kameron; Edy Ganem as Marisol; Adrienne Barbeau as Luisa Falcon; Ben Lewis as Griffin Hodges; Kayla Ewell as Marina Dunning

[mariacallous]

From the second the message popped up on X, it had a familiar ring. Jools Lebron, the TikTok creator who went viral just a few weeks ago for a post discussing “very demure, very mindful” work looks, was upset that, seemingly, someone had attempted to trademark her viral phrase.

In a since-deleted video, Lebron lamented through tears that her future ability to sell demure-branded merchandise seemed in jeopardy. “I wanted this to do so much for my family, provide for my transition, and I just feel like I dropped the ball,” Lebron said, adding that “someone else has it now, and I don’t even know what I could have done better, because I didn’t have the resources.”

Lebron’s situation is echoed in the story of fellow Chicagoan Peaches Monroee. Back in the summer of 2014, the then-teenager posted a video on TikTok precursor Vine describing her eyebrows as “on fleek.” Her catchphrase caught on everywhere, from Nicki Minaj lyrics to Kim Kardashian posts. #Brands like Taco Bell hopped on the trend; Forever 21 made crop tops. Monroee, aka Kayla Lewis, reaped no rewards. Three years after the trend went viral, she launched a GoFundMe and raised just shy of $17,000, according to the campaign’s page.

Like “on fleek,” “demure” has attracted scores of admirers. Jennifer Lopez. The White House. Kim Kardashian (again). Earthquake survivors. The original video has nearly 50 million views, and Lebron’s follower count is now above 2 million. She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! while RuPaul was serving as guest host. But her ability to seize her moment of internet fame may not meet exactly the same fate as Lewis’. Despite the fact that a Washington resident named Jefferson A. Bates and the company Do or Drink both filed “demure” applications with the US Patent and Trademark office, Lebron posted a TikTok on Tuesday saying that it’s been “handled.” “Mama got a team now!” she exclaimed, smiling.

Exactly how it got handled is unclear—Bates didn’t respond to an email seeking comment, and representatives for Lebron and Do or Drink didn’t reply, either. Still, the tug-of-war marks something of a shift in how the internet understands the value of trends. Almost as soon as word of the “demure” trademarks surfaced, social media sprung into action decrying the fact that anyone other than Lebron would try to claim the phrase.

One lawyer on TikTok, who uses the handle @bellewoods, did a breakdown explaining that “Jools is going to be just fine” because of the intricacies of how the trademark system in the US works. Another TikTokker claimed to have filed her own trademark application with the intention of transferring ownership to Lebron. (Though, as a Washington Post story this week pointed out, transferring a trademark may not be so easy.) In the comments section of the “handled” TikTok, brands ranging from Ritz Crackers to Zillow weighed in with emoji-strewn affirmations.

All of this underscores that, unlike 10 or 15 years ago, there is now a greater understanding that “content creation is labor,” says Kate Miltner, a lecturer in data, AI, and society at the University of Sheffield’s Information School. “It is time-consuming and often poorly remunerated labor for the most part,” but far more people make entire careers out of being content creators than a decade ago, Miltner adds, “and it feels like an ethics of plagiarism, in addition to trademark/copyright, have come into play.”

Simply put, people get this shit now. A decade after “on fleek,” creators are much smarter when it comes to ownership of their creations. “A series of conversations and discourses about cultural appropriation and where a lot of contemporary (online) language comes from (Black communities, queer communities) have happened since Peaches Monroee,” Miltner says. Lebron may have felt like she dropped the ball because of a lack of resources, but the resources she did have were other creators who knew how to call out what had happened. She also had companies like Netflix, which—perhaps anticipating blowback for just hopping on a viral trend—just asked that Lebron curate a “Very Demure, Very Mindful” list.

Will this happen every time? No. Memes built from everyday language will always be hard to trademark—Miltner cites Fox Media’s unsuccessful attempt to trademark “OK Boomer” as an example. But now that even Hawk Tuah Girl has merch, the possibilities of getting credit for your meme, or even cash, don’t seem as unlikely as they did before. Might your meme get ingested and reinterpreted by an artificial intelligence bot? Yes. Will that bot be able to make a T-shirt? Er, well, that might happen, too. Creators, especially minority creators, will always have to fight to keep control of their works once they’ve been unleashed onto the world. Now, though, they have a few more coaches in their corner.

[fundieshaderoom]

Fundie and Adjacent Babies and Weddings in 2024

January (3 Weddings, 4 Babies):

Thomas Brooks Collingsworth "Brooks" was born to Phillip Jr. and Sharlanae on Jan 4.

Solomon Anderson and Chloe Miller wed on Jan 6.

Rebecca and Levi Moravek (Noyes) had their baby in January.

Julianna and James Staddon had their baby in January.

Josiah Shrader was born to Esther (Keller) and John Shrader on Jan 17.

Lev Bure and Elliott wed on Jan 27.

Gracie Geisel (Keilen) Gabe Hueber wed in Jan.

February (1 Wedding, 5 Babies):

Ivy Josephine was born to Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner on Feb 17.

Daniel Carson Cieslak was born to Elli (Perez) and Andy on Feb 19.

Myla Griffith and Ethan Seewald wed on Feb 24.

Brielle Grace was born to Hannah (Wissmann) and Jeremiah Duggar.

Miles Kelton was born to Josie (Bates) and Kelton Balka on Feb 21.

Brooks Michael was born to Emily (Haight) and Justus Stangl on Feb 27.

March (1 Wedding, 3 Babies):

Austin Dakota was born to Anna and Austin Wilson on Mar 22.

Sarah Waller and Brandon Richard Webster wed on Mar 23.

Amelia Sage Coates was born to Jessica (Seewald) and Joseph on Mar 26.

Lila Ann Jerred was born to Susanna (Wissmann) and Drew in March.

April (2 Weddings, 2 Babies):

Carver Bowers and Haley Paul wed on Apr 20.

Elias John was born to Jeanette (Willis) and Cory Piatt in April.

Carley Stone (Robertson) wed Joey Congemi on Apr 22.

Boone Lott was born to Britney and JD in April.

May (1 Wedding, 7 Babies):

Brooks Davis Keyes "Davis" was born to Gracie and Aaron on May 6.

Beckham Blue Labrant was born to Cole and Savannah Labrant.

Mirabella May Roloff was born to Audrey and Jeremy on May 23.

Lily Swanson and Cole Cwenar wed on May 24.

Nadia Star Patrick was born to Isabel (Trewhella) and Jake on May 29.

Weston Slade Smith was born to Tori (Bates) and Bobby on May 29.

Harrison Thomas was born to Julie and Grant in May.

Baby Boy Pelletier was born to Hannah (Paine) and Levi in May.

June (2 Weddings, 5 Babies):

Merritt Robertson and Tyler Metro wed on Jun 5.

Haven Claire Millsap was born to Tannan and Mitchell on Jun 10.

Caroline Marie Clark was born to Kristen (Baird) and Zach on Jun 14.

Hosanna Proell was born to Rochelle (Trewhella) and Nick on Jun 15.

Baby Girl Trego was born to Sophia (Trewhella) and Maxwell on Jun 19.

Baby Trewhella was born to Angellea and Jeremiah on Jun 19.

Georgia Brown and Ryan Williams wed on Jun 25.

July (1 Wedding, 6 Babies):

Judah Love Olligies was born to Morgan and Paul on Jul 1.

Kaptain Klay Kallschmidt was born to Mckayle and Max on Jul 3.

Naomi Christine Keller was born to Nurie (Rodrigues) and Nathan on Jul 14.

Desiree Hope Waller was born to Priscilla (Keller) and David on Jul 17.

William Daniel Bates was born to Tiffany (Espensen) and Lawson Bates on July 19.

Johnny Paine wed Maddie Henry on Jul 23.

Maya Jean Noble Bowers was born to Ahna (Cameron) and Austin on Jul 26.

August (1 Wedding, 7 Babies):

Frances Claudia Robertson was born to Brighton and Reed on Aug 9.

Jana Duggar and Stephen Wissmann wed on Aug 15.

Dietrich Johannes Anderson was born to Arti and Isaac on Aug 17.

Baby Girl Muckerheide was born to Darbs (Trewhella) and Isaiah in Aug.

Arrow Chosen was born to Karissa and Mandrae Collins on Aug 17.

Aurora Lei was born to Laura (Pearl) and Jadon on Aug 18.

Briggs Maverick was born to Sierra and Mark Dominguez on Aug 22.

Amelia Marie Helferich was born to Allison (Bontrager) and Jeremiah on Aug 28.

September (1 Wedding, 2 Babies):

Timothy Rodrigues and Heidi Coverett wed on Sep 14.

Ivy Elizabeth Hill was born to Matthew and Kayla on Sep 14.

Harvey Gray Clark was born to Katie (Bates) and Travis on Sep 30.

October (3 Weddings, 5 Babies):

Maddie Jones and Jason Duggar wed on Oct 3.

Graham Alan Bates was born to Esther (Keyes) and Nathan on Oct 4.

Kiersten Williamson and Austin Teodorovici wed on Oct 12.

Rayna Kay Thatcher was born to Makayla (Landrum) and Jonas on Oct 16.

Kristy Mae Cape was born to Ariana (Balka) and Joel on Oct 22.

Jeremiah Easling (Pearl) and Ashlynn Dixon wed on Oct 27.

Xander Reed Loflin was born to Rebecca (Robertson) and Reed on Oct 30.

Samuel Garcia was born to Maddie (Langdon) and Zach in Oct.

November (3 Weddings, 2 Babies):

Emily Keyes and Ethan Myers wed on Nov 2.

Chaney Kahle and Benjamin Tibbe wed on Nov 3.

Danielle Seewald and Lawson Howard wed on Nov 9.

Jane Aanaya Toto was born to Jennifer (Hartono) and Joshua on Nov 22.

Baby Girl Clayton was born to Emily (Reith) and Alex in Nov.

December (3 Babies):

Watson Joe Maxwell was born to Chelsy (Bontrager) and John on Dec 3.

Ezra Maxwell Silberman was born to Anastasia (Salyer) and James on Dec 6.

Baby Girl Williams was born to Paige and David in December.

Unknown Month (11 Babies):

Edelweiss Miracle Keller was born to Hannah (Reber) and David.

Henry Mershon was born to Laura and Tim (Baird) in Spring.

Baby Girl Noble was born to Hosanna (Plath) and Timothy.

Baby was born to Taylor and Susanna Bontrager.

Baby Girl was born to Brynn and Mitchell Bontrager in the Spring or Summer.

Kyle and Everly Trewell were born to Alexandra and Stephen Trewell in April or May.

Baby Girl Smith was born to Tori (Webster) and Daniel.

Coasten Levi Eisenmann was born to Sutton and Nate in either Aug or Sep.

Baby Girl Driscoll was born to Brisee and Calvin.

Riley Blaise Driscoll was born to Chloe and Zac Driscoll

Overall:

19 Weddings were held, 63 Babies were born, 54 Families I Follow Grew

By Family:

Robertson- 2 Weddings, 3 Babies

Trewhella- 5 Babies

Bates- 5 Babies

Keller- 4 Babies

Bontrager- 4 Babies

Duggar- 2 Weddings, 1 Baby

Seewald- 2 Weddings, 1 Baby

Wissmann- 1 Wedding, 2 Babies

Noyes/Rodrigues- 1 Wedding, 2 Babies

Keyes- 1 Wedding, 2 Babies

Perez- 3 Babies

Waller- 1 Wedding, 1 Baby

Pearl- 1 Wedding, 1 Baby

Paine- 1 Wedding, 1 Baby

Anderson- 1 Wedding, 1 Baby

Baird- 2 Babies

Balka- 2 Babies

Driscoll- 2 Babies

Keilen- 1 Wedding

Bowers- 1 Wedding

Bure- 1 Wedding

Swanson- 1 Wedding

Coverett- 1 Wedding

Williamson- 1 Wedding

Brown/Williams- 1 Wedding

Kahle- 1 Wedding

Jones- 1 Wedding

Collingsworth- 1 Baby

Langdon- 1 Baby

Millsap- 1 Baby

Willis- 1 Baby

Clark- 1 Baby

Staddon- 1 Baby

Anderson- 1 Baby

Webster- 1 Baby

Hill- 1 Baby

Plath- 1 Baby

Wilson- 1 Baby

Salyer- 1 Baby

Haight- 1 Baby

Roloff- 1 Baby

Reber- 1 Baby

Barrett- 1 Baby

Smith (Bobby)- 1 Baby

Hartono- 1 Baby

Williams- 1 Baby

Cameron- 1 Baby

Landrum- 1 Baby

Collins- 1 Baby

LaBrant- 1 Baby

Lott- 1 Baby

Reith- 1 Baby

Olligies- 1 Baby

Kallschmidt- 1 Baby

Dominguez- 1 Baby

Espensen- 1 Baby

Eisenmann- 1 Baby

By Month:

Unknown Month- 11 Babies

October- 3 Weddings, 5 Babies

June- 2 Weddings, 6 Babies

August- 1 Wedding, 7 Babies

May- 1 Wedding, 7 Babies

January- 3 Weddings, 4 Babies

July- 1 Wedding, 6 Babies

February- 1 Wedding, 5 Babies

November- 3 Weddings, 2 Babies

April- 2 Weddings, 2 Babies

March- 1 Wedding, 3 Babies

September- 1 Wedding, 2 Babies

December- 3 Babies

Families I Follow With No Known Growth:

Alexander

Andregg (growth projected for '25)

Brown (growth projected for '25)

Burnett

Caldwell

Copeland

Crane

Dillard (growth projected for '25)

Harris

Holt

Houston

Jenkins

Lentz

Locke

Maples (growth projected for '25)

McMurtry (growth projected for '25)

Meggs

Nakatsu (growth projected for '25)

Nelson (growth projected for '25)

Perry

Owens

Perkins

Peters

Prewitt (growth projected for '25)

Romeike (growth projected for '25)

Smith (Logan)

Spivey

Stewart

Stockdale

Vuolo (growth projected for '25)

Wells

Wikstrom (growth projected for '25)

[grantmentis]

PWHL player eligibility for the draft.

“All 268 eligible players officially declared for the draft prior to the Sept. 3 deadline. The group consists of 146 forwards, 78 defenders, and 44 goaltenders representing a total of 17 different countries. 237 of the players competed during the 2022-23 season including 98 players in the PHF, 63 players with the PWHPA, and 49 players at the NCAA and U SPORTS level.”

Some notable names not on the list who have not signed elsewhere this year: Rebecca Johnston, Amanda Kessel, Laura Fortino, Kacey Bellamy, Brigette Lacquette, Meghan Mikkelson, Jennifer Wakefield, Amanda Conway, Cassidy MacPherson, Anjelica Diffendal, Whitney Dove, Michaela Boyle, Katie Burt, Sarah Forster, Emilie Harley, Jenna Rheault (stated retirement), Lovisa Selander, Lauren Kelly, Kayla Friesen, Christina Putigna, Abbie Ives, Melissa Samoskevich, Hannah Bates (CORRECTION: she is playing in Germany), Mallory Souliotis, Emma Vlasic, Janine Weber, Sydney Baldwin, Emma Stauber, Maddie Rowe, Stephanie Anderson, Kristina Shanahan, Emily Fluke, Audra Richards, Reagan Rust (stated retirement), Lindsay Eastwood (stated retirement), Breanne Wilson-Bennett

Draft will be Monday the 18th at 1EST, steaming on CBC’s official app or webpage in Canada for free or for on CBC’s YouTube for international viewers. More information on the draft itself here

[ruindunburnit]

NoHoper Part I: LightBringer

Chapters: 30/30 [complete]

Fandoms: Death Note, House of Night - P.C. & Kristin Cast, myriad references

Rating: M - Mature

Warning: Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (see tags below)

Characters: Light Yagami, Zoey redbird, Damien Maslin, Shaunee Cole, Erin Bates, Jack Twist, Neferet, Aphrodite LaFont, Dragon Lankford, Anastasia Lankford, Lenobia, Penthesilea, Shekinah, Soichiro Yagami, Sachiko Yagami, Sayu Yagami, Yamamoto, Kayla Robinson, Stevie Rae Johnson, John Heffer, Patricia Nolan, Loren Blake, original characters, et al.

Additional Tags: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Magical Realism, Boarding School, Vampires, POV Alternating, Unreliable Narrator, Angst, Abuse of Authority, Codependency, Rape/Non-Con Elements, Victim Blaming, Dark, Body Horror, Blood & Gore, Canonical Character Death, Minor Character Death, Psychological Horror, Lovecraftian, Male Homosexuality, Female Homosexuality, Trans Male Character, Dubious Morality, Bigotry & Prejudice, Mad Science, Depression, Anxiety, Grief/Mourning, Trauma, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Chronic Illness, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Religious Fanaticism, Dissociation, Sexism, Misgendering, Homophobia, Racism, Fantastic Racism, Blood Drinking, Bullying, Broken Bones, References to Canon, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, References to Ancient Roman Religion & Lore, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Character Interpretation, Fix-It, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

---

In the wake of two professors’ murders and High Priestess Neferet’s threats to wage war, a crisis of power has the House of Night teetering into free-fall. Desperate to prove herself worthy to her friends, Zoey must finally do the unthinkable to complete her circle. Meanwhile, a research team on the precipice of discovery will pay any price in the fight against death. Welcome to the Tulsa House of Night: forget everything you think you know.

[wrestlekingdomhq]

REVAMPED GROUP!!!! LOTS OF PEOPLE STILL OPEN!!!!

WrestleKingdom HQ is a Discord based, BEHIND THE SCENES roleplay server. This is what happens in the lives of our favorite wrestlers as they navigate the ups and downs of working in this crazy business

-Group oriented roleplaying -Friendly and knowledgeable staff -OC friendly -Lots of muses available

This is NOT an E-Fed. We will NOT be doing any kind of in-ring action, this is purely behind the scenes!

Most wanted below the cut!

Gunther, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Rey Mysterio, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Ilja Dragnov, Tony D'Angelo, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, Noam Dar, Chad Gable, Drew McIntyre, Dexter Lumis, Johnny Gargano, Ludwig Kaiser, Shinsuke Nakamura, Austin Theory, Cameron Grimes, Dragon Lee, Santos Escobar, Baron Corbin, Tyler Bate, Butch, Orange Cassidy, The Acclaimed, Christian Cage, Adam Copeland, Adam Page, Austin Gunn, The Young Bucks, Brody King, The BCC.

Roxanne Perez, Candice Lerae, Indi Hartwell, Raquel Rodriguez, Samantha Irvin, Sonya Deville, Tegan Nox, Trish Stratus, Xia Li, Alba Fyre, Charlotte Flair, Kayla Braxton, Michin, Ava, Blair Davenport, Jakara Jackson, Lash Legend, Kelani Jordan, Lyra Valkyria, Athena, Lelia Grey, Penelope Ford, Jade Cargil, Ruby Soho, The Bunny, Willow Nightingale.

[gravechocada]

(lulu antariksa, cis-genero feminino, ela/dela) LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Acabamos de ver a correspondente da Chocada MAKAYLA LANDON entrando no backstage! Com seus 27 anos, ela é uma COLUNISTA DE FOFOCA conhecida por seus colegas de equipe por ser muito PERSPICAZ e ANIMADA, embora há quem diga que ela possa ser bastante WORKAHOLIC e FOFOQUEIRA. Você ouviu a fofoca que está rolando sobre ela aqui nos bastidores? Estão dizendo que ESTÁ ESPALHANDO FAKE NEWS SOBRE ARTISTAS! Será que isso é verdade? Hm… esperamos que isso não comprometa o seu trabalho, porque ela é essencial atrás das câmeras!

PROJETOS.

Jornalista do canal CAT (canal americano de televisão) onde apresentava o programa: Fofoquei. (2020)

Dona do Twitter de fofocas: CHOCADA! (2021—presente)

conexões × headcanons

Quem conhece Makayla desde a infância sabe bem que ela já dava sinais de como seria na vida adulta. Sempre curiosa, extremamente fuxiqueira e intrometida, a garota estava em todo momento pronta para descobrir algo novo... e passar para frente. Se ela aumentava um pouquinho a história, a culpa era da fonte que tinha lhe dado um conto sem muita profundidade e cabia à garota complementar para tornar o furo mais atrativo para o leitor.

Formou-se em jornalismo mas muitos dizem que enfiou a ética ensinada nas aulas bem no... lugar onde o sol não bate! Não existem barreiras que parem Kayla L! Portas fechadas? Ela abre. Sua língua afiada é ótima não só para contar as fofocas mas também para descobrir tudo o que as pessoas escondem. Ou quase tudo, já que sabe bem que existem segredos que esses famosinhos não contam. Uma pena.

Conhecida por ser dona do Twitter mais informativo dos últimos tempos. Chocada, a sua fonte de notícias mais rápida. Seu segundo trabalho de mais importância, já que o primeiro foi no CAT (canal americano de TV) no programa Fofoquei... que ela acabou perdendo por tentar ter um caso com uma das diretoras do programa. A emissora tão tradicional e conservadora não gostou nada disso e a demitiu. Kay é praticamente o terror dos famosos, o furacão dos sites de fofocas e das notícias vazadas, não poupa ninguém de virar seu alvo. Mas claro que ela também tem seus podres escondidos, só que prefere levar mil processos do que desenterrar algum desses.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

Black Femme Character Dependency Dark Skin Directory || Characters Masterlist Pt. 2 (K-M)

K

Kai Jones | Kali | Kanak | Karal | Karen Jenson | Karla Wilson | Karma House of the Dead | Kate SFAM | Kate Alen | Kate Sacker | Kayla Watts | Kazi | Keesha Franklin | Keisha Taylor 4400 | Keke Raymond | Kelly TWD | Kelly Curtis | Kelsey Phillips | Ketsu Onyo | Khadijah | Khessa | Kia Waterson Freddy VS Jason | Pizza | Kim Martinez | Kim Reese | Kira TI | Kitty | Koala Princess | Koki | Kory Anders | Kristin Shafe | Krystal Bailey | Kuasa | Kym Hawkins 

L

Labarbara Conrad | Ladonna Landry | Lady Fire | Layla Ellison | Layla Williamson | Leah Kerns | Leilani | Lena Abbott | Leota Adebayo | Leshawna | Libby Folfax | Liet Kynes | Linda Bates | Lisa Loveday | Livia Capulet | Lou Wright | Luand’r | Lunella Lafayette | Lynn Pierce/Stewart 

M

Ma Rainey | Mabel Wisbech | Madi | Mae Morton | Mae Turner | Margot Rivers | Mariah Dillard | Master Raven | Matar Kubileya Leader | Maura Lee Karupt | Maxine Shaw | May Day | Maya COTC | Maya Abeola | Maya Wilkes | Meeka | Meg | Mel Medarda | Melody Valentine | Melusi | Mercedes Jones | Mercedes Woodbine | Mia Vallens | Michonne | Mickey BAPS | Mika Macklin | Millie Morris | Millie NIckerson | Mina Okorafor | Minerva | Miranda Carroll | Miss Mississippi | Missouri Moseley | Mistress East | Misty Holloway | Misty Knight | Molly Carter | Mona | Monica Dawson | Monica Rambeau | Monie | Mozelle Batiste Delacroix

List will likely need to be broken down in the future as it has reached the maximum tags.

[cold-b-writing]

Thanatophobia: Chapter 19

Breonna rushed over to the debris pile, getting as much of it off as she could. “Please be okay…” she muttered to herself as she remained focused. As she kept pulling away at beams of wood that were torn apart, she eventually saw a hand stick out. Widening her eyes, her worry grew, and her pace picked up even faster.

The pieces from the wreck were flying in all directions and as they did so, more and more of Kayla continued to be uncovered. “Oh…” the fighter began to tear up as she saw that Kayla was impaled with a wooden beam through her stomach.

“Dear sister…” Kayla smiled tiredly. It was a miracle that she was still conscious, possessing more strength than any ordinary human should. “Please…help me up…”

“Y-yes of course!” Breonna stammered as she shot up. Taking the young woman by the hand, tearing up as she did so. “Gods Kayla, this is going to hurt…”

“I know…” Kayla nodded. “I have a plan, please just pull me up…” Breonna put all of her effort into getting Kayla off of that wooden post. It was now stained with a deep dark red, as blood poured out of the young woman. As she was being pulled up, the splinters of the wood continued to dig into her flesh and Kayla couldn’t help but cry out in pain as it happened. This made Breonna let go of her and stop what she was doing but Kayla shot her a look. “Please just do it.” She stated plainly.

Breonna grimaced and nodded her head, and as she grabbed Kayla once more, she began to put all of her strength into getting the young woman out of the debris. Kayla continued to scream in pain but she focused on just putting up with it. All she thought about was how close she was until she was finally few from the post that had impaled her and she eventually was able to slide free.

“Okay now what’s your plan?” Breonna asked with bated breath, watching as the blood pour out from the wound and end up all over the blue vest, her white sleeves now turned red.

“Simple…” Kayla coughed up blood and put one hand over her wound. The hand started to glow a distinct bright blue color and the woman did not say a word. Surprisingly enough, Breonna was able to watch as the splinters began sliding out from her flesh. The bleeding would stop and the wound would close. The young noblewoman took a deep breath and let out an exhausted sigh. “You take me to the best places…” Kayla chuckled to herself.

Right away the fighter pulled the woman into a hug. The heavy plated armor felt cold to the touch, but it didn’t seem to bother Kayla at all. She smiled plainly and wrapped her arms around the warrior.

Urenakk watched this from a distance and sighed. He looked up into the trees. Morqen who was standing beside him nudged the boy. “Are you alright?” the rogue asked.

“I don’t know if I’m being completely honest…” Urenakk turned his attention to the ground. “I mean, we put in so much work just to get here, find these bandits and put a stop to them. This was definitely and adventure, but I just have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind…”

“And what’s that?” Morqen asked.

“I wonder if this will be enough for my father…” Urenakk admitted. “The thing is that I just don’t know. I mean, the goal is that I am supposed to show that I can survive in the worst conditions, but I was also supposed to act as a leader. I know that Breonna said that she would let me take over for a bit if I had to, but I’ll be honest, I don’t know how I would have handled this.” He turned his head to look at the rogue. “I mean, I never took the opportunity to step up and take charge here, and I don’t think that is going to help my case at all.”

“You think that even after all of this, he’s still not going to accept you?” Morqen shook his head, not at all surprised if that is how events would play out. “I’ll be honest kid, I really don’t think anything would be able to make him happy.”

“I understand that much…” Urenakk shook his head. “I just don’t know what will happen when he decides that I’m still not ready. Is he going to give me another chance? What will happen if he decides  to not give me anymore chances?”

“Well let me tell you this…” Morqen pat the monk on the back. “If he still decides to be an ass about this. Then he can well and truly go home all by himself. Because we as a group have you, you have been a tremendous help since you joined us, kid. We don’t need to even ask the others, everyone in this group will have your back on this. So if he doesn’t see anything in you once more, fine, then fuck him. Because the truth of it is that you don’t need him…”

“But there’s still the people back at my home…” Urenakk sighed.

“Kid, those are people you never even met before.” Morqen argued. “They can keep their special little club they got going. They can do their own thing and we’ll be doing ours with you. Like I said kid, you are always going to have a place with us here. From the way I see it, this group is more of a home than that place you’ve never even been to.”

“I guess…” Urenakk smiled sadly. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it…”

The two decided to just find a comfortable place to sit down and relax. While this was happening, Pil looked over to Aryanna, hoping to find some time with her alone. However, as he started to move, Ancal stepped forward.

“My friend…” Ancal smiled and put an arm around he wizard’s shoulder. “Can we speak privately for a bit?”

“Uh-um sure…” Pil nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. The leader of the Roaring Banner pulled the wizard to a remote corner of the camp where the two of them would be able to speak freely without anyone else listening in on the conversation.

“So…” Ancal started. “I know that throughout this adventure our two groups were not able to really mesh together well.” The wizard was half ready to roll his eyes in response. Wondering just what the point of this conversation was going to be. “But I just want you to know that despite that, I still have my door open to you for anything. Whether if it’s learning how to become a better spell caster or just general advice, I’ll do what I can. I just wanted to make sure that you knew my door was still open.”

“Oh okay…” Pil nodded in response. “Thanks.” The wizard looked off into the distance, thinking about Loudwater and how the townsfolk treated his group throughout all of this time.

“Is something the matter?” Ancal pondered. “It looks like you’re thinking about something else…”

“I just don’t know what I’m doing here.” Pil stated plainly. “If I’m being honest, ever since I started adventuring with everyone it feels like everything has been well above what I can handle and I just don’t see what I bring to the table. I can become a better spell caster sure, but there’s already at least three other people who are better at that than I am…”

“I don’t know about that.” Ancal shook his head. “Sure, you might be just beginning to learn how to cast spells, from what you have told me before, you were totally self-taught as well. Which that by itself is extremely impressive, most people have to go to a school and need instruction to learn what you have.”

“I guess…” Pil shrugged. “It just feels like I spent a lot of time putting in the work and not much is paying off.”

“Ah yes, I see…” Ancal nodded in consideration, taking a moment to think before he gives his response. “Well, there’s one question that I think you should be asking yourself. Is there anything that is holding you back?”

“I don’t know…” Pil shook his head. “But I’ve been thinking about this for quite a long time and to be honest, I don’t know what else I can be doing. I could spend more time studying but that costs money. I mean, I’m sure we’ll be getting more of that soon so that shouldn’t be a problem. I can only spend so much time studying every day. Who knows if they’ll have books that I would find useful?”

“I imagine there would be a couple at least.” Ancal answered, trying to say as little as possible so that the wizard could go on with gathering his own thoughts.

“But that’s the thing…” Pil sighed. “Even if there were a lot of books. Even if there was an entire library dedicated to learning how to cast spells, there’s only so much time I could spend in there. I spend a lot of my time learning, yes, but who knows how soon our next adventure will be? I mean, let’s be honest…” Pil gestured towards the dead bandits. “These guys weren’t the only problem lurking around the town. There’s still more of these guys out there for one, but there’s also monsters, villains, and who know what else?”

“So how do you feel about that?” Ancal sat down, pulling out a small flask.

“I don’t know, worried I guess…” Pil sat down right next to the leader of the Roaring Banner. “I’m worried that we haven’t even seen the worst of what this place has to offer. There’s so much to do, and the town still needs to repair itself from all the damage caused nearby. I just don’t even know where to start.”

“Would it help if both our groups gave you the time you needed to study?” Ancal suggested. “If there was another contract, or another threat, we can just let you study all you need and then come with us when you feel ready?”

“I don’t think I can really afford to do that.” Pil looked up at the tall trees. Snowflakes started to descend from above, piling on top of the snow that was already on the ground.

“Why not?” Ancal asked. “I’m sure we would all be happy to give you the time you need.”

“Because I worry about everyone close too…” Pil held out a hand, catching some of the snowflakes absentmindedly. “I don’t think I will have enough time to study like that because of the threats that are always out there. How soon until the next big monster shows up and terrorizes the town? How soon until another group of villains come in and start destroying everything that Loudwater holds dear? How soon then until our groups would go after those guys as well? What if everyone really needed my help while they were all out there? Instead of being out there to help, I’d be back in town studying to become a better wizard, to try to catch up with everyone else. What if, because I wasn’t there to help, something awful happens, and then everyone I am close to ends up gone? I’d still be in town, studying for nothing, and I wouldn’t even have realized it yet…” the wizard started to clench his hand into a fist. “I don’t know if I would be able to live with myself if something like that were to occur. Not only would everyone be gone, but it would all have been my fault. I don’t think I can handle something like that. Not after everything we have all been through…”

“Well, I guess there are other ways to help you with this…” Ancal sighed. “You really do care about everyone that much…”

“Of course, I do…” Pil shrugged. “We have really been through so much and by this point, they understand me better than everyone else who is alive right now. It’s because of that…” Pil’s vision began to blur. “It’s because they know me for who I am, they have seen everything about me at this point and they still want me to be around with them. They know the kind of person I am, they know how much I can or can’t do compared to them. Despite everything that we have all been through, despite all of the fighting, the near-deaths, the arguing, the incessant harassment from everyone in town. We still treat each other like…like…”

“A family…” Ancal finished. As soon as the leader of the Roaring Banner said that, a chord had been struck with Pil. Now his blurred vision got even worse as tears started streaming down his cheeks.

“Yeah, I guess…” Pil wiped the tears away with his sleeve. “I mean, I don’t really have any other word for it. It’s just…these people have treated me way better than my own parents, my own family…I just, I don’t know what I’m saying anymore…”

“I think I do…” Ancal smiled sadly and put a hand on Pil’s shoulder. “You never got to know what having a family that cares about you feels like. At least, you didn’t know what that was like until you met this group of people. Now that you have them, and how after everything you all went through together, no matter how much you argued, those people still cared about you. You want to protect that at all costs. You would rather risk your life going out there to help these people, as far behind as you are, because these people are more precious to you than any spell you would learn to cast…”

“Yes, that’s exactly it…” Pil laughed as he wiped away more of his tears. “Gods, I would say it’s like you read my mind, but I didn’t even know how to put these thoughts together…”

“All I did was listen to what you had to say…” Ancal pat Pil on the back. He offered his flask to the wizard, and Pil graciously accepted it. Taking a swig, he could instantly taste the honey of the whiskey tantalize his tongue and as he would swallow, that sweetness would quickly transform into the bite of the alcohol as it would go down his throat. “I mean, I do want to help you with this, and I think I do have some ideas…”

“What are they?” Pil asked as he handed the flask back to the Dragonborn.

“We can spend some more time training you ourselves…” Ancal smiled. “I mean all of us who are also able to cast spells. You just grab whatever books you want to bring along with you, study that in some of your spare time, and while you are doing that, we will be there to show you what we know…”

“Thanks…” Pil smiled. “I know you guys would already do that for me, but it’s nice to hear…”

“Anytime…” Ancal started to stand up. “Let me know if you ever need to talk like this again. I’ll always be happy to just be someone to listen to you.”

The leader of the Roaring Banner soon returned to his group, checking in on his brother to make sure that the hulking brute was okay. Nayola was of course already with the two of them and they went to look for Corvoril.

Aryanna raised an eyebrow once that group had all gathered together and immediately made her way over to the wizard. She was worried about what might have happened during that conversation and hoped nothing awful happened to him. “How did it go?” she asked once she sat down next to him.

“To be honest, I don’t really know what I was expecting…” Pil shrugged, the warlock started to rest her head on his shoulder which made the man smile almost right away.

“What did you two end up talking about?” Aryanna looked up at him. “You seemed upset for a bit, but I wasn’t sure if I should have gotten involved or not.”

“I guess in a way, he got me to pour out how I felt and he helped me figure out what I want to do.” Pil admitted.

“In what way?” Aryanna took a deep breath. “What is it that you want to do?”

“I want to stay with all of you.” Pil sighed. “I wasn’t planning on leaving or anything, but I know that in terms of how…well…skilled everyone else is compared to me. Maybe skilled is the wrong word, I guess I should say it’s more along the lies of how far ahead everyone else is compared to me. I don’t know I just feel like I don’t really bring much to the table…”

Aryanna wanted to protest here, to argue with the man. To get it through his thick head that he wasn’t a burden to the team. He contributes a lot and he doesn’t even realize it. She wanted to tell him that they would never have gotten this far if he wasn’t here to stick around. But for now, she also thought about letting him speak his mind. As much as she wanted to let him know just how much he is truly loved and appreciated, for now she wanted to just let him know that he would be heard.

“Well, I mentioned all of that in the conversation, and I also mentioned how much all of you truly mean to me…” the wizard went on. “He offered up a solution which is pretty much something we have been doing already. I don’t know, I guess I was just being stupid.”

“Do you really think that?” Aryanna posed the question. Pil looked down at her confused and she cleared her throat. “I just want to ask you one simple question. You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to. Are you ready?”

“Sure…” Pil shrugged, not sure where this was going.

“I can’t read everyone else’s minds, but I for one think that you have done so much for the group already.” Aryanna started. “I just want to point out that so far, you were able to help a grieving woman with her sister, you were able to help fight off a creature that could have very easily killed us all, you were able to make friends with very questionable people who you have been thoroughly investigating to help save the town. Not only that, but in all of this time, as behind as you say you are, none of us would have been here today if you weren’t around. You of course have your own issues that you worry about and you started to care about people who you have risked your life for on multiple occasions as well as the other way around. But I trailed off for a bit…” Aryanna looked Pil in the eyes. “Do all of those things sound like the actions of a stupid person?”

“Guess not…” Pil admitted. “Not when it’s all put together like that.”

“You’re doing fine…” The warlock smiled once again.

“I guess…” Pil nodded his head. “But there I go again, making everything about me. I still haven’t done much to help you yet…”

“Well, you can start by keeping me company.” Aryanna looked up into the trees. “You can also start by finding a different place to mope with me, it’s far too cold out here.”

“Right…” Pil nodded, the two spellcasters started to get up, looking for a good place to rest. They would need it for the journey back to town.

Of course, despite the mess that both groups left in camp, they got to work to dispose of everything before deciding to rest. Nayola had decided to go around to perimeter setting up wards to detect if any undead were to enter camp. She would know right away and would wake everyone up. She seemed to have learned from her previous mistakes. Because the group would be ready for the action, and were somewhat anticipating it, they ironically were able to get a better rest. People would go out and patrol the camp in shifts, but overall it was an uneventful night. They needed this night of peace to save up energy for the journey back.

It of course, was not too long of a journey to make it back to Loudwater, going the other way around without having to worry about bandits made the trip much easier.

Breonna started to pick up the pace once she saw that Loudwater was not far away. She was the one who was carrying Zyrsius’ head. The two who were furthest behind were both Morqen and Urenakk.

The rogue had decided to take his mother’s body with him, wrapping her up in all of the cloth he could find within the camp. It was a struggle for him to see her like this. For most of his life, he had just thought that he would always be able to talk to her. Now, he could never have a conversation with her ever again, no matter how much he would have wanted one. He missed her already. That was another reason why he had covered her up in all of the cloth that he could find. By wrapping her up in the way that he did, he could just focus on the task of bringing the body with him to Loudwater and try not to think about how the person he was carrying was his own mother.

He thought about the circumstances of how he found her, and where. She was right along the edge of camp, where the bandits had decided to place her. He couldn’t help but think of how horrifying it must have been. To realize that her son was gone and now she was all alone inside of the camp, with no one to keep her company or to take care of her. That doesn’t even go to the part where Zyrsius likely went after her soon after to entertain himself.

It was a strange thought for Morqen, he was able to get revenge on his mother’s killer. But that didn’t change the fact that she was no longer with him. At this point, he didn’t really seem to care if Zyrsius would have been alive or dead today. He only wanted his mother back.

Urenakk could understand well just how much trouble his friend was going through. That was why he had offered to help carry the body for the rogue. He knew that if the situation were reversed, Morqen would not have hesitated to do the same. It still pained the monk, to see his friend, whom he pretty much looked up to like an older brother at this point. He wished he could just take the pain away somehow. If he could just will the rogue’s mother back to life, he would do so just so he could see Morqen be happy once again.

Urenakk watched as Breonna was getting ahead of the group, the head of the bull in her hand. He sighed, he knew that his father would likely hear about what happened. His father wouldn’t have cared about what happened with Morqen, or any other circumstances for that matter.

In the older Githzerai’s eyes, more than likely, Urenakk would have already failed to take leadership. The monk had mixed feelings at this point. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to still make his father happy, other than just the fact that it was his father. He wasn’t sure if he even cared if he was going to pass or fail the test, the only thing he seemed to be worried about was how his father would react in all of this. His father never explained what would happen if Urenakk were to fail his test or if he would even be able to try again at a later time.

The monk looked at the other Greyhawks. They were all just as lost as he was, maybe not in the same exact ways, but they all struggled. That was something he could have in common with all of them. He figured that was what they had all seen in him every time they wanted to help him. It was like a sense of kinship that brought them together.

Urenakk thought about what passing the test would be like. If he did end up passing his test anyway, that would not only mean that his father would finally be proud of him, but he could also finally go home as well. But he thought about what going home would really mean for someone like him. The Greyhawks, the people he was with now, they seemed a lot more like a family than any other people he met in his time traveling.

He came upon a realization, that realization was that even if he were to go to the home of his people. Even if he were to become some kind of leader figure for them. It was highly unlikely that he would ever find people back home that could relate to him on such a fundamental level like the group he was traveling with now. When he came upon this realization, he started to think about whether he truly wanted to make it back to his home. He knew that if he were to pass his test, he would have to say goodbye to the people he cared about. He would have to say goodbye to the Greyhawks.

Of course, as time went on and with each member lost in their own thoughts. Time was able to pass by relatively quickly, and it wasn’t long until they were really close to Loudwater.

At this point, the Greyhawks were pretty much expecting the usual treatment for when they would return to town. All with the townsfolk forgetting that they even exist and treating the members of the Roaring Banner as if they were the only heroes in town. Giving them all of the credit for the heroic work while the Greyhawks would often of course, be either ignored or treated like they were the scum of the world.

The Greyhawks were getting pretty tired of the same routine. They were hoping that with Kayla now among their ranks, they would finally get some kind of recognition and if not, Kayla could at least make amends with some kind of reward that they truly deserved.

“Here we fuckin’ go…” Vedetta rolled her eyes at the thought once more. Both groups were traveling together and stuck together throughout the entire trip. Making their way to the city walls, one of the guards spotted them and blew into a horn.

“It’s them!” he shouted out. “The Greyhawks, The Roaring Banner, both groups have safely returned!”

For a second, the rest of the Greyhawks were surprised. They were certain that they did not hear the guard properly.

“Huh?” Pil raised an eyebrow. “Did he just say-“ Before he could finish the doors to the village had drawn open as people in the town were eagerly awaiting the groups to return. There were crowds forming together watching the groups return and start to cheer.

“Look it’s the Greyhawks!” one of the villagers shouted. As soon as the villager shouted that, people started to cheer. Each member was just taken aback and all were looking at each other as if they didn’t know what to do at this point. They weren’t expecting for people to be excited to see them, yet here it was happening.

“Look!” another villager shouted, pointing at Ancal’s direction. “The Roaring Banner is with them as well!” The villagers started to cheer even louder as the groups both started to approach. The leader of the Banner couldn’t help but laugh at the praise he was receiving once more. But what surprised him was that Loudwater was receptive towards the other group as well this time.

Pil and Aryanna looked to each other, already speculating one why the villagers would ever be excited to see them. They were arrested convicts, helping the village out to serve their time. At least, that was what was happening with most of the members in the group. Could it be that the villagers heard that Kayla, a  member of one of the higher families in the town was now with them? That was a possibility, even though the woman spent a lot of time trying to conceal herself, people would still eventually find out.

Was it because the groups succeeded in going after the bandits? After all, Breonna was carrying the Bull’s head. But it was highly unlikely that everyone in the village would have known about the leader of the Bull’s Crew, even with that name.

Pil thought about all of the times that both groups would spend together as time would pass by. Ancal would never speak down about the Greyhawks, in fact, he looked down on these people more than anything. He revealed that to the wizard when they spoke privately. Though that would hardly matter, as the Dragonborn would not have made his true feelings known. Being on the good side of the town would certainly make the time spent here in Loudwater much easier.

It could have been any one of these reasons, it could have been all of them. Regardless, now the Greyhawks were finally getting some recognition for their work. For once, they were able to spend some time in the spotlight. Pil still couldn’t wrap what was happening around his head.

Ancal, however, saw this and put a hand on the wizard’s shoulder with a wide grin. “Are you ready my friend?” he asked. “You’re finally getting what you deserve, enjoy it while it lasts.”

“As ready as I would ever be I guess…” Pil shrugged. The crowd was growing closer as the two spoke.

“You did good…” Ancal smiled and grabbed the wizard’s hand. Lifting it high up in the air with his own. The crowd noticed the gesture and cheered loudly once more. Pil could hardly believe what was happening right in front of him, people were cheering for him, people were cheering for his group. For once in his life, people were excited to see him. It wasn’t that he always wanted fans, he was just always used to receiving so much scorn from everyone around him. He hardly even knew how to react once the opposite started to happen.

People from the crowd started to approach both groups, some people got involved with helping Morqen and Urenakk carry the body away. There were several suggestions on what Morqen could do for the reception, but that hardly mattered to him. What did matter was that his mother got to rest and that she was treated carefully.

One other character emerged from the crowd of people, a rather familiar face at that. It was Felix Castor, who was still proudly wearing his badge. The man in the long duster coat smiled at both groups. His hat was being worn by a small girl who was riding on top of his shoulders. “Daddy, can I shoot your crossbow?” the girl asked, pulling on his hair.

“Ask your mother later.” The man sighed tiredly; he reeled in pain as the girl kept pulling on his hair. As he approached the group, the girl had reached down and tugged on his beard. He turned his attention to Breonna. “So, you guys finally took care of them…” the Sheriff smiled. “It’s about time, despite all of the circumstances up to this point, I’m just happy that things worked out in the end.”

“Just happy to be of service…” Breonna nodded. “I doubt that was all of them, but this is without a doubt their leader.” She looked down at the head which was swaying back and forth in her grip, then turned her attention back to the leader of the guards. “They won’t be nearly as organized now as they once were.”

“It should be easy to send people out to pick off the rest of them…” Felix looked directly at one of the guards who approached Breonna. She gave him Zyrsius’ head.

“You’ve done this town a great service…” the guard stated before running off.

“We can worry about working again later.” Felix smiled once more. “For tonight, just enjoy yourselves. You earned it.” Breonna nodded, appreciating the gesture. The Sheriff disappeared back into the crowd of people. Likely in search of the girl’s mother so that he could rest for but a moment.

“Well…” Ancal smiled as he pat Pil on the back. “What do you say that we go for a round of drinks?”

“This early in the day?” Pil chuckled at the thought. “We’re really going to be mindless idiots by the time we go to bed…”

“Gods willing…” Ancal let out a sigh of relief. “Alright people, you can guess where we’re headed!” he called out to the crowd. The people started to cheer once they heard that, knowing exactly what the leader of the Banner was implying.

A lot of the events that would transpire afterwards would become a bit of a blur. The only people who didn’t follow the crowd to the bar were of course Morqen and Urenakk for obvious reasons and Kayla. The woman got Breonna’s attention quickly, as if she was in a hurry. “I’d like to enjoy the festivities, but I got to head back to the manor and check with things on my end.” She explained. “Meet me at my home tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Breonna nodded. “Don’t forget to have a glass of wine for yourself tonight, you earned this just as much as the rest of us.” Kayla smiled warmly, she had already been concealing herself with the cloak and she was hoping to leave before people would start to recognize her.  

People erupted with laughter as mugs were being smashed together, froth of ale flying in all directions. The lively band pounding away at the drums, stringing with the lute, and blowing into their flutes. People were trying to sing along with the beat of the song, but there were many failed attempts as the liquor had gotten to many of their heads.

However, that was not the only thing that was happening from within the tavern. The people had come there to spend time both with the members of the Roaring Banner along with the Greyhawks. Vedetta was one of the people trying to lead the crowd into singing along with the band, however she was already struggling to maintain her balance as she held onto one of the wooden beams supporting the room.  

Many of the larger customers would try to arm wrestle with Kelrac but he would just overpower each of them. Ancal was surprised as this was one of the few rare instances which Kelrac would put away the sour act and would just join in on the fun. Breonna was also joining in on that, and was having just as much of an easy time as the large Dragonborn. He couldn’t help but laugh, he turned his attention towards the bar where Nayola and Corvoril were already having a competition on who could drink the most. Both of them were lightweights, so it wouldn’t be long until they were both sloshed.

Ancal then turned his attention to the spellcasters who were both sitting at a circular table in one corner of the room. Aryanna was leaning over Pil’s shoulder and watching closely as the wizard put what was left of the money he had into the pot. He was going all in, but he made sure to keep calm. One of the players folded, figuring that the calls were getting too rich for him this round. The other players simply decided to match the amount that Pil had put in. Each of the players watched each other carefully, at this point, the river had finally been revealed.

Now, it was time for the players to reveal their hands, each of them having two cards. One of them was bluffing, as his hand had neither a straight nor a flush, of course he was out of the game already if the other two had anything decent. The other player revealed a pair of sixes in his hand, a hand that wasn’t necessarily bad, but it wasn’t particularly strong either. If there was anything the wizard was lucky in, it was in his games, as he revealed a pair of Kings. Pil leaned across the table, wearing a proud grin as he collected all of the chips.

The wizard collected his dues and promptly left the game, not wanting to push his luck any further. Aryanna kissed him on the cheek before breaking into a laugh. Ancal couldn’t help but smile as he watched this happening. The wizard really was happy to be with this group. But he also remembered the conversation they had before, where he was expressing his desire to improve as a caster. An idea spawned in the Dragonborn’s head and it caused him to stop what he was doing, making his way to the corner of the room and approach the couple who were enjoying themselves.

Ancal cleared his throat to get their attention, and both turned, awkwardly staring at the lizard as he smiled at them. “Hate to interrupt, but I just came upon a realization, I was wondering if I could borrow him for a second.” He pointed at Pil, while looking directly at the Warlock. “I promise I won’t take long.”

“Uh sure…” Aryanna nodded her head. Pulling out a cigarette and started attaching it to her extension, she looked at Pil. “I’ll be at the balcony…” she stated before wandering off.

Ancal pulled the wizard aside to a nearby window, as Pil looked out, he could still see the snowflakes slowly descending to the ground. It was just getting into the afternoon when the group first entered the tavern, but now as he looked out the window, he could see clearly now that it was dark outside.

“It’s beautiful out there…” Ancal looked up at the starry sky. “It almost makes it look like that’s where the snow is coming from, just a funny thought…”

“What was this realization of yours?” Pil wanted to get right to the point. He didn’t like that he was being pulled aside yet again, he was already having a good time with Aryanna and now he suddenly had to get right back to business.

“Well I thought about what you mentioned before…” the leader of the Roaring Banner started. “About how you want to improve as a caster and how we could mentor you while you pull whatever books you like out of the library. But another thought occurred to me…” Pil was waiting impatiently at this point and Ancal didn’t want to delay it any further. “Well, I was thinking maybe you could come with us. The Roaring Banner…”

“You want me to join you?” Pil raised an eyebrow. “But I also said I cared about everyone else in the Greyhawks, I can’t just leave them.”

“No, I mean that maybe we can have our groups merge…” Ancal went on. “The townsfolk are finally starting to give you the respect you deserve, and we all work well together. Think about it, we were all finally able to take down the Bull’s Crew and that is because we had all put our differences aside and worked together. Think of what else we could get done. We could potentially elevate everyone here to something greater, including ourselves. You would be able to learn from everyone for as much as you want, it would be a win-win…”

The wizard thought about the idea for a second. It would be a great way to finally get something solid on Ancal once and for all. Perhaps it would be much easier for him to find some kind of definitive proof that the leader of the Roaring Banner was up to no good. But at the same time, he also thought about all of the clashing personalities between both groups. They were hardly able to get along at all on the journey to take out Zyrsius. In fact, he remembered specifically the moment in which they were ready to kill each other, the moment that Morqen was discovered to have been lying about how much he was involved with the Crew.

He could only imagine how soon it would be until that would happen again. He wondered who it would be the next time around. Would it be Morqen yet again? Would it be Vedetta as the ranger would not be able to keep her mouth shut? Would they see how Urenakk’s father treats him and then start bullying the kid themselves? Who would the responsibility of leadership be handed down to? Would they even trust Breonna or Kayla with that? What if it was Aryanna that they would catch onto? Pil thought about everything she would tell him in secret during their time together. Everything that she revealed to him, he could only imagine what Ancal or Nayola would do in response. The wizard felt a chill at the thought of both groups merging. He wondered why Ancal would even voice such an idea.

“Maybe I should talk about it with everyone else first…” Pil suggested. “It’s only fair before we make a big decision like that…”

“Fair enough…” Ancal nodded, taking a swig from his mug. “Well, let me know when you all make your decision. Just remember how much we got done together…” Just like that, the leader of the Roaring Banner soon rejoined the rest of his group.

The wizard sighed, shaking his head, he wanted to shove that idea away to the back of his head as soon as he could. Making his way up the stairs, he went out to the balcony where Aryanna was smoking and looking out into the night sky as Xiaz kept her company.

The wizard approached the Warlock, Princess sitting on his shoulders, she smiled when she saw him. “So, what was his big idea?” She asked, rolling her eyes.

Pil shook his head. “Nothing that would turn out well.” He sighed. “I don’t even want to think about it right now…”

“What do you want to do?” Aryanna motioned for the wizard to join her, both were leaning onto the railing of the balcony, watching as people would come and go. The last time that Loudwater had been so lively was when the circus was in town.

“Laugh at all the drunk people who are tripping over themselves.” Pil shrugged. “Maybe pretend like I’m better than them, at least until it starts to feel like the world is spinning around me…”

The woman inched closer to the wizard, resting her head on his shoulder, giggling to herself as she looked out to the rest of the town. “I can think of worse ideas…”

________________________________________________________________

Almost everyone is having a good time. I promise, absolutely nothing is going on behind the scenes.

[antsyserpentine]

I’ve also been doing more practice with pallets and color work too

Have some more of my OCs, I love them very much

I still have a lot more design work to figure out for my long list of characters

[illusionswrites]

You called me a girl, but I am a portrait of the world on fire. You called me a girl, but I am a bruise that refuses to heal. You called me a girl, but I am a knife.

from Artemis Made Me Do It by Trista Mateer

[fortheloveofallthatsfundie]

Checking Evan’s old Instagram posts for something and I found this old dub smash he made with his sister. Y’all, I’m gonna need a minute to compose myself before I continue. What the fuck.

[fundieshaderoom]

Fundies and Adjacents I Follow: Marriages & Babies Born in 2023

January:

Genesis Laura Liberty Reber was born to Lemuel and Hannah on January 2.

Emily Haight and Justus Stangl married on January 14.

Valkyria Claudio was born to Darienne (Moravek) and Fredo on January 15.

Madeline Langdon and Zachary Garcia got married on January 16.

David Silas Robertson was born to Reed and Brighton on January 20.

Scottie June Love Weaver was born to Vanessa and Jeff on January 27.

February:

Hailey James Clark was born to Katie (Bates) and Travis on February 17.

March:

Phillipos Luke Papapostolou "Pippo" was born to Jenny and Elias on March 16.

Rhett Alan Webster was born to Alyssa (Bates) and John on March 18.

Hudson James Hill was born to Matthew and Kayla on March 19.

April:

Hannah (Paine) and Levi Pelletier welcomed a little girl sometime in April.

Charles Ervin Holt was born to Spencer and Hayley Holt on April 6.

Josiah Paine and Alyssa Nickles married on April 8.

Willie Robertson Jr. and Abby Hammond married on April 28.

May:

Brooklyn May Hoover was born to Ashley (Salyer) and Eric on May 1.

Kayson Clark Manaraze was born to Kayla (Clark) and Cameron on May 9.

Logan Smith and Lindsay Haight married on May 16.

Gunner James Forsyth was born to Joy (Duggar) and Austin on May 17.

Haven Belle Huff was born to Sadie (Robertson) and Christian on May 22.

Nora Kate Duggar was born to Jedidiah and Katey (Nakatsu) on May 24.

Haven Mae Kahle was born to Brance and Cherise on May 29.

Eliza Muckerheide was born to Darbs (Trewhella) and Isaiah.

June:

Ryan and Erin Alexander welcomed a little girl sometime in June.

David and Paige Williams welcomed a little boy sometime in June.

Lily Robertson and Austin Stalbaum married on June 5.

Owen Matthias Wissmann was born to Matthias and Michelle on June 17.

Benson William Blair was born to Brooklyn (Collingsworth) and William on June 30.

Haven Proell was born to Rochelle (Trewhell) and Nick.

July:

Susanna Wissmann and Drew Jarred married on July 1.

Gideon Daniel Hill was born to Kaylee (Rodrigues) and Jonathan on July 5.

Geneva Claire Silberman was born to Anastasia (Salyer) and James on July 9.

August:

Atlas Gray Hoover was born to Hannah (Salyer) and Luke on August 1.

Iliya Andrii Petrenko was born to Ellissa (Baird) and Andrii on August 2.

Matt Reith and Rachel Raylyanu married on August 4.

Theodore James Wissmann was born to Nathanael and Katrina on August 7.

Lincoln Bontrager and Susanna Helferich married on August 12.

Lily Jo Bates was born to Zach Bates and Whitney (Perkins) on August 15.

Rafe Alden Wikstrom was born to Lauren (Andregg) and Devin Wikstrom on August 21.

Baby Girl Trewhella was born to Talia and Matthew.

September:

Calvin Driscoll and Brisee Schnack married on September 1.

Margot Lea McDaniel was born to Emma Mae (Jenkins) and Joshua.

Sophia Trewhella and Maxwell Trego got married on September 10.

Ryker Cruise Bates was born to Lydia (Romeike) and Trace Bates on September 12.

Wells McEacharn Robertson was born to John Luke and Mary Kate on September 12.

Liberty Arabella Staddon was born to Robert and Kendalyn on September 19.

Indiana Levi Chase "Indy" was born to Ashley (Driscoll) and Landon Chase on September 23.

Audrey Ann Busenitz was born to Rachel (Wissmann) and Alan on September 26.

October:

Sailor and Skye Wilson were born to Jonah and Grace on October 4.

Denver Alan Patton was born to Gabrielle (Perez) and Andrew on October 8.

Emerson Wells and Jackson Bates married on October 14.

Mia Gayle Paine was born to Alyssa and Josiah on October 14.

Maverick James Young was born to Kristen Nicole and Justin on October 16.

Luca Charles Mauro was born to Christiana (Clark) and Michael on October 20.

Evie Mae Metz was born to Courtney (Collingsworth) and Michael on October 20.

Hayes Gerald Willis was born to Lexi and Jeremiah on October 24.

William Gage Paine was born to Erin (Bates) and Chad on October 30.

November:

James Ezra Schadt was born to Amber (Perez) and Levi on November 1.

Isla Jane Barger was born to Michelle (Seewald) and Elijah on November 3.

Isaiah Valiant Arakel Afarian was born to Rachelle (Waller) and Joseph on November 10.

Kimberleigh Noel Roberts was born to Sophia (Meggs) and Jacob Roberts on November 26.

December:

Dakota Rae Kenney was born to Cat (Smith) and Aaron on December 11.

Lydia Ballinger and Thomas Herring married on December 13.

Lilian Noelle Storms was born to Sara (Trewhella) and Jason on December 18.

George Augustine Seewald was born to Jessa (Duggar) and Ben Seewald on December 19.

Jonathan Hartono and Tannia Christy married.

This year, 50 babies were born and 14 weddings were held.

Top Families:

Bates- 5 babies born, 1 wedding held

Robertson- 4 babies born, 2 weddings held

Trewhella- 4 babies born, 1 wedding held

Paine- 3 babies born, 1 wedding held

Clark- 3 babies born

Salyer- 3 babies born

Wissmann- 2 babies born, 1 wedding held

Driscoll- 2 babies born, 1 wedding held

Noyes- 2 babies born

Duggar- 3 babies born

Hill- 2 babies born

Wilson- 2 babies born

Collingsworth- 2 babies born

Perez- 2 babies born

Seewald- 2 babies born

[sor-vette]

III. Lovers, Forever Cherished

• type: Jungkook x reader (+ ot7 x reader)

• genre: fantasy! & vampire! au, (sort of) exes to enemies/friends/annoyances/lovers it’s complicated and they’re stupid

• t/w: blood and blood-drinking, heavy violence and gore, murder, biting, near-death and main character sorta death (don't click off pls), brainwashing, please I sincerely apologize for the smut, this truly is not it but it had to be included..for reasons, smut (rough sex, fingering, creampie, overstimulation, fucking someone into near unconsciousness, oral (f & m receiving), facefucking, cumplay?, manhandling, stomach bulging)

• rating: explicit • w/c: 9.9k

• tagging: @introlxv; @pinkcherrybombs; @leannsw; @ilsan-seoul; @mageprincess7 • dedicated to @mayla548 (sincere apologies that this took way too long to finish)

• main masterlist • series masterlist

• a/n: this came to me suddenly and with a great effort, hope you enjoy, it was not really read through but ehh. You can now tip me on kofi which is not neccesary but is greatly appreciated :)

Keynan sat shivering on the library chair with a glaring Jungkook hovering not a metre away as you pushed the cup of tea towards him. He wrapped it with both hands, blowing shaky air at the steaming surface.

"Are you sure it was Matthias?" you ask.

"Of course, I'm sure. He... had been acting strange, ever since Kayla disappeared. We thought it was because they were hooking up, but this is, this is something else. That day when we..." he falls silent, throwing an anxious glance at Jungkook whose jaw was audibly grinding. "When we...went past you, he was furious. He started yelling, punching shit. He pushed me away and when Ethan stepped in he just started beating the shit out of him. I tried to pull him off, but he threw me against the wall. When I came to it, I heard screaming in the courtyard and Eugene..." he choked and folded in on himself.

"Matthias is no church boy but Jesus fucking Christ, he's lost his mind."

"Did you go to Kang? Or to anyone?"

"I gave an anonymous tip to the police but fuck all it did! They searched his room but they found nothing. I...I didn't try after that 'cause he kept staring at me like he knew I gave the tip, so I just kept quiet. I-I don't want to die."

"How noble of you," Jungkook hissed and Keynan shrunk in on himself.

"My mom's picking me up tomorrow. I ain't staying in this hellhole anymore!"

A sudden bang against the library's door has you all falling silent. Keynan nearly faints on the ground and you yourself barely keep your heart working in your chest and not in your mouth.

Jungkook lazily rises from the chair and traipses towards the doors with ease. The way he moves, languid like a panther and relaxed like nothing could hurt him, further cemented in your mind who exactly your impromptu friend truly was.

With bated breaths, you wait. He rips the door open, Keynan squeals!

Nothing. There's nothing on the other side.

"Unless you want to pee yourself, filth, stop spewing bullshit and get out of here," Jungkook warns, turning the side of the face so Keynan could see the irritated expression and without much discussion, he does so.

"Can I?" he only mutters to you, pointing at the thermos.

"Sure, knock yourself out."

Keynan swipes it and then limps with his crutch down the hallway, leaping every so often at the slightest noise.

"Boo!" Jungkook whispers in your ear, and you jump out of your skin before smacking him and closing the door behind.

"Everything has gone to shit, has it, Dearest," he mumbles, laughing, and you carefully look him over in the faint library light.

He looked extremely exhausted, blue bags hung underneath his eyes and his face had even fallen gaunter. There was almost a palpable sickness clinging around him.

"Staring again," he teased. "How do I look?"

"Terrible," you are quick to admit, and he snorts, fingers playing with the book spines.

"When was the last time you had blood?"

He freezes and the howling wind rattles louder against the window.

"Never as a normal human being," he lies, quite awfully at that.

You scoff.

"Normal human being, my ass."

He makes no indication of moving or stopping the ridiculous charade, so you stomp the library's window, library hinges creaking in protest when you yank it open. The library sat on the third floor, facing not a nice little patch of grass but a steep incline of a rocky hillside. Eyes widening in terror, Jungkook watches you get on the ledge.

"The fuck are you doing?" he bellows.

"Well, goodbye then, normal human being," and without further ado, you fall backwards.

For a second you wonder what would happen if you were wrong. Other than the fact that you would be in great agony, it'd actually be quite hilarious.

Your pondering doesn't last much longer as you hang suspended in the air, Jungkook grabbing you by the waist while his other dug into the wall. You give him a self-satisfied smirk and then find yourself with two feet firmly on the ground.

"Stop doing that!" he screams in your ear and your backside starts to sting. Around strike eight you realize it's because he was spanking you, like a disobedient child. Still, you can't help but bloom in a broad smile. Jungkook was still frowning when you throw your arms around his neck.

"Please, tell me it's you, please, tell me you've come to take me away!"

He stills in your hold then wraps his arms in return, squeezing ever so lightly as if you'd break at any given second.

"I'm back, my love, I'm back."

You sway in each other's hold as you breathe in his scent. Jungkook was, however, holding his breath.

After a moment he pushes you away, eyes closed and a deep wrinkle festering between his brows.

"When did you become certain it was me?"

"Oh, just now."

His eyes tore open.

"You didn't know, and you threw yourself off the roof?!"

"Well, I was convinced for twenty-five percent," you reason and Jungkook stares at you dumbfounded before whipping you around and laying a series of stern, echoing slaps against your ass.

"You're impossible," he grunts and upon any movement shoves you harder against the desk. When your legs start to wobble, at long last he relinquishes his death grip and pouting, you press your hands against the sore spot.

"It stings now," you whine, and he casts you a dark glance.

"Be grateful that's the only thing that hurts."

You want to tease him further but the way he suddenly collapses against the chair washes a wave of worry over you.

"When was the last time you fed?"

He glances sideways.

"I had...a squirrel a couple of hours ago."

"Can you even consume animals?"

He tosses another indecipherable glare.

"Jin sure did a number on your memory."

Hearing this, you gently smack him against the shoulder.

"Why did you make me forget, you assholes?"

"We didn't know Luara was your friend when she stormed the castle! Namjoon was worried that if you'd be taken hostage, they'd torture the information out of you. So he forced Jin to wipe your memories, so you'd be let go or at least would be classified as no use to the coup," Jungkook protested weakly. "Never did we imagine they'd drop you back here, outside our reach."

He shudders in contempt. You hum to yourself to fill the silence.

"What gave me away?" he suddenly asked, pushing a chair towards you.

"Seriously?" you arch an eyebrow, but Jungkook looks on as confused as he was.

"You show up from nowhere, you wear strange clothes," to illustrate the point you wave over the breezy white shirt he had tucked into his leather pants. "And also your habit of sniffing my clothes and my neck. Real subtle."

"I was trying," he grumbles.

"Were you?" you snort.

"Don't make me spank you again," he warns, and you throw him an evil smirk.

"Oh, no, how horrible that would be."

He momentarily smirks, but that is replaced by a pained grimace and he slumps heavily into the chair, jaw tightened.

"You need to eat something. Here," you push a wrist towards his nose

"No," he whimpers out, veins on his neck standing out black now.

"Oh, come on, you're starving yourself to death!"

He opens his eyes, and they stare bold red back at you. Mutely, he reaches to yank the neck of your sweater, tearing it slightly open. It reveals your shoulder on which there stood a patch of discoloured skin. It was jagged and deep and the tissue was elevated creating an ugly scar that would stay with you for the rest of your life.

Jungkook narrowed it down with a stormy expression.

"Who do you think did it?" he asks you, low, regretful. "It wasn't trolls or goblins or witches or any other filth rolling around the dark. It was us," he pushed the flats of his palms against his eyes. "It was us... If Jin did it, what will I do?"

You gently place a palm against his head, carding through his long hair.

"How about just a gulp? Like a teeny tiny little bit?"

He frowns up at you like you're insane.

"Woman, do you have no self-preservation skills?!"

Truth be told, you didn't. If you did, you wouldn't be so desperate to return to them, to stay in school where Matthias wanted you dead. In comparison, Jungkook to you seemed no more than an aggravated cat, growling but doing nothing to harm you.

"Not really," you shrug. "I hate my life here, might as well risk it for a better one."

In a blink, Jungkook's face is centimetres away from yours. Your teeth rattle as he shakes you, hard, face growing unrecognisable. Deep, black veins stretched underneath his skin and his eyes were completely obscured save for the red rings around the dark that was supposed to be his iris'.

"Shut up! Don't say it like your life means nothing!" he snarls. "Your life is precious! How-how dare you to throw it away like that?!"

'I'm not throwing it away, I'm offering it out of my own free will," you amend, staying as calm as possible. Paradoxically, you were not the one afraid.

Jungkook licks at his lips, fangs poking out. The longer his gaze grows fixated, the hazier his expression gets. You find yourself pushed not backwards but rather pulled towards.

"Just a bite, right?" he weakly utters, tone breaking. Sharp claws dig into the side of your arm. It brings back a sense of déjà vu.

He leans in, sneaking one arm to pull you by the hair while licking at your neck.

"Just a bite..."

And the world implodes.

Literally. The sturdy doors of the library shatter, raining down splinters all across the room. Your stolen thermos jangles on the ground as Keynan is thrown through the doors, his neck standing out at an abnormally sharp angle.

His mouth hangs open, and his eyes stare back at you unseeing.

But the worst of it stood on his forehead. Large, bleeding letters of "YOU'RE NEXT" carved into the skin and with a quickly rising bile, you realise that they were most likely created while he was still breathing.

Your exhale creates large white clouds as you're desperately trying to keep up with Jungkook's incessant pace. Your ears still rang when he had simply tucked you over his shoulder and leapt out the window down onto the cliff face. As you glanced back, windows one by one lighting up, like spreading fire, you realized now more than ever there was no going back. Thermos had your fingerprints and the sign would be interpreted as a threat to others, instead of what it actually was - a noose on your neck.

"Quit stalling," Jungkook growled and yanked you by the elbow. You blinked away a few tears and his expression unwound.

"Why are you crying?"

"No reason," you huffed back. "Let's just go."

And go you did but even in the distance you could hear the horrified screaming. Matthias had somehow managed to take even the very last that you had in this world. You now had nothing but the clothes on your back. Nothing. But also Jungkook.

As you gripped his hand tighter, you comfort yourself with that idea. Still, it was hard. The night was cold and the walk treacherous. The undergrowth of the forest often tripped you, hence slowing you down but it was nothing compared to Jungkook. He was slow and weak, breath growing more laboured with every kilometre put behind. In the end, you had to drag him along, support him on your shoulder while he whispered faint, barely audible directions.

Just when you thought your legs will give out, you finally found the obscured robust block of cement Jungkook was raving about. One of the twenty abandoned bomb shelters built during the Cold War, now laying in disrepair.

You laid Jungkook down on the snow, straining to open the metal doors with all the remaining strength you had. They thunked open with an incredibly loud boom that seemed to reverberate through your bones and throughout the whole forest. Uncannily making you think that if anyone was on your tail, you just gave them a clear cut location of your whereabouts. That knowledge pushed you into a frenzied state of terror. Unceremoniously you pushed Jungkook down the stairs and spot a white, rapidly moving blur rushing inside but more horrifyingly an elongated shadow following in its footsteps. You just barely close the door shut, when it thunks against it. You're left completely blind in the shelter with Jungkook not even breathing as you push him behind you, backing away from the door. But the dark only pronounces every sound to a new cataclysmic height. Every rattle of the door's bolt, every petrified squeak of Mr Red, every pause in which there was a pause and a sniffing noise, raised the hairs at the end of your neck. You gripped Jungkook tight, praying like never before. And to miraculous mercy, the creature stopped and soon there were no sounds but the woosh of the wind. You stand rooted to a spot for quite a while. Only when Mr Red nudges at your ankle with a wet nose, do you scream and then finally cautiously relax.

You pad your way blindly through the room. It was fairly small and after a few steps, you feel something soft, akin to a mattress. You push Jungkook on top of it, feeling sick at how lifeless his head lulled around and quickly try to find some source of lighting. Your fingers trace a lamp and more importantly the candlewick inside it. There are matches nearby and after a few attempts, in your shaky fingers there blooms a tentative light. It allows you to move faster and with more precision. Jungkook was laying drenched in sweat and not breathing. As a vampire, he may not need to breathe but he looked...lifeless. He didn't rouse at any of your attempts to shake him away, nor at the proddings of Mr Red. Not even when you pushed your wrist against his lips did he make any indication of movement. Tears began to stream down your neck, you looked around and upon seeing nothing sharp to cut your veins, you smashed one of the lanterns. Driving the glass shard deep into your wrist, you popped his mouth open and tried to pour as much as you could. When he didn't wake even then, you collapsed on his chest, pressing your bleeding wrist into his mouth.

"I gave it to you, of my own free will..." you sobbed. "How dare you reject your own life for the sake of mine?!"

Pain. Paralyzing pain erupted all over your hand as it was gripped and a pair of fangs stuck into your gaping wound. Terrifying, low snarls came from Jungkook's mouth as he fed with abandon.

"But I don't feel anything," you frowned, tenderly touching the rapidly healing bite mark on your shoulder. You sat on Jungkoo's lap, bathwater steaming all around. He reached to touch it as well, carefully prodding at the bite. You hissed at the sensation but it felt more like a paper cut than a serious wound.

"It's the venom," he explained, lazily leaning back onto the marble edge, broad expansive chest on show.

"It lulls you into not feeling any pain, in order to keep the victim subdued and increase the feeding time. The only time the venom doesn't course is in extreme cases."

"Such as?" you ask as tugs you closer, your breasts squeezing against his chest.

"Don't know, fatigue, starvation. Though don't need to worry about that, do we?" he wiggled his eyebrows and playfully nipped at your neck.

Didn't need to worry then, perhaps, but now... It wasn't the same pleasant haze that settled upon your senses like a heavy dose of anaesthesia that you were familiar with before even in the back of your mind. It felt every bit what it was, teeth like razors sinking into the soft of your wrist and blood being forcibly pulled out of it. You whimpered softly to yourself, braving the pain as best as you could. Becoming increasingly light-headed you tried to pull away. After all, you had offered for Jungkook to drink, seemed slightly silly to back away now but the gnawing worry persisted - the worry of was he even in there to stop when needed?

Feeling the slight struggle, Jungkook growled and preemptively tightened his hold. You tried to instead push his head away but he would not budge. The pitiful slaps of your hands did nothing, didn't even make him blink.

"You're going to kill me," you whispered laying your head down on the dusty mattress. You felt so weak, nausea and vertigo occupying every single thought in your brain. You just wanted to rest. As your mouth hung open, desperately pulling the air that seemed to be not present in the room, the pain abruptly ceased.

Your head lulled on the side and he caught it, eyes wide and unfocused chin dripping in your blood. But he was back, the fear on his face told you as much.

"See? I told you," you smile faintly, lying. "You wouldn't hurt me. Not all the way."

When you come to it, your head is caught in a vice, pounding away at every heartbeat. You clutch at it, trying to alleviate the pressure but to no avail.

"Give it minutes ten to fifteen," a quiet, seething voice orders. Jungkook's quiet and seething voice. He sits in the faint light of the lantern, situated by the table, wood creaking as from a slab or unrefined branch he was carving out a stake. His jaw was clenched, and he spared you not a single glance.

"You're alive," you sigh in relief, but Jungkook doesn't echo the same sentiment.

"And so are you," he snarls. "Miraculously."

"Don't start -"

The stake is thrown against the wall where it bounces back and rolls onto the floor. Mr Red, who previously had lied on your chest unperturbed, scurries off.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Do you know how close you were to dying?!"

"Or how were you?!" you yell back and for a second Jungkook seems almost startled; you never had yelled at him before.

"All this talk about how precious my life is, blah blah. What about yours, huh?! Why am I not allowed to feel appalled by you being in danger?! Why am I not allowed to help?!"

He stares at you back, eyes dark and reflecting the candlelight. He looked like a proverbial Devil, but you happened to love sin more than virtue.

"You're -"

"Human?" you interrupt before squeezing your eyes shut and lowering your pulsating head onto the mattress. "If you're going to keep saying dumb shit, then shut up."

He exhales, fuming but tempered like a bull trying to reign in his tantrum.

"You're the most precious thing in my life," he finishes at last, resolute.

"So are you," you mumble, "but I'm not allowed to show it."

You feel his hand on your head rather than hear his steps approaching near.

"Does it hurt a lot?" he questions, tone softening.

"What do you think, genius?"

A pregnant pause lingers in the air before Jungkook stretches a bleeding finger underneath your nose. You glare at him.

"What do you want me to do here?"

"Suck on it."

Your glare grows even more unamused. Jungkook sighs.

"You know what I mean."

You put his finger in your mouth, shuddering at the iron-like taste of blood but lo and behold, the headache does retreat.

"Are we safe?" you ask wiping your mouth clean and for the first time noticing that he too was clean, though his shirt remained stained with blood. It popped starkly against the white fabric.

"For now. The school is in an uproar but the Lycan is nowhere to be seen, and I couldn't smell anything."

You sit silently for a bit until you realise he was standing as far away as possible, nearly moulding himself into the wall.

“Are you…are you trying to get away from me?”

His eyes widen and he swallows.

“No,” he replies, clearly lying.

To rest out your theory, you get out of bed and take a step forward. He nearly bashes his own skull, desperately drawing back into space that did not exist.

“You are still hungry?” you ask, worried, but Jungkook avidly shakes his head.

“No. Not like that.”

“Then what?”

He glances away, lips thinning.

“Oh, you’re…excited.”

He breathes a deeply suffering exhale.

“You don’t have to sound so happy about it.”

“Whatever do you mean,” you purr, blooming into a broad smile. It is not reciprocated.

“I’ll have you know that it is a perfectly normal reaction to feeding.”

“Of course, it is.”

“And I’m not -”

You brush your hair away from your neck and stretch it to the side. His eyes remain glued there.

“- I’m not some kind of mindless beast,” he weakly continues.

“Whoever said that?”

He was subconsciously leaning forward, gripping the bunker wall for some restraint.

“I can control myself,” he wearily finishes, and you sagely nod along.

You agreed to wait until the break of dawn to leave and out of four remaining hours two had already passed. And Jungkook was suffering. This was hell, he imagined or better yet - purgatory. Cleansing him, taunting to sin. While the fear of losing it and killing you was still strong, thrumming with every pseudo beat of his dead heart, he had not lied when he told you about the natural reaction. It was, however, more of a causality of feeding on you specifically. He tried his best to summon the vilest and most unpleasant images he could muster, but his body, after nearly a hundred years of being deprived of your blood, was desperate for more. More blood, more pleasure, more you. He recalled you once laughing, saying that he’d Pavlov’d himself and while he did not understand what it meant, he figured he had.

You were sitting idly by, careless as ever, often tracing a lone finger down your neck that trailed lower and lower…Jungkook dared not to look.

“You okay?” you ask, full of mirth.

You’re laughing. He’s suffering and you’re laughing.

He wanted nothing more than to spank you immobile, driven up the literal wall, but he dared not. One would leave to two, two to three, and he’d be cock deep in you, forcing one high after another. There was an emergency at hand, and it would not do for him to be distracted. Even if the list of “why’s” was rapidly shrinking.

“I’m fine,” he growled through gritted teeth.

“You sure? You’re shaking.”

He was shaking. Slightly sweaty as well. Hold it, just hold it, he ordered himself, but the voice was too meek for his liking.

“I’m getting rather bored and lonely here,” theatrically, you sighed, accidentally sliding the jumper off one of your shoulders.

“Just wait until I get my hands on you,” Jungkook warned, squeezing his eyes shut though it did little damage. He had plenty of memories to seek inspiration from.

“And do what?” you dared and his nails sunk into the steel. “Can’t you control yourself?”

“I almost killed you, woman!”

“Almost doesn’t count,” you amend, smugly.

“I can’t stand you.”

“Sit then.”

His eyes wrench open and he finds you pulling the jumper even lower, revealing the slightest peek of your cleavage. Revealing but not displaying. And he was rather tired of it.

“I wonder how far I can go.”

He watches you adjust yourself to sit on your knees on that piss poor excuse of a mattress and slowly brush your fingers downward.

“Don’t you dare,” he growls, eyes turning darker and darker but it falls on deaf ears.

“Or what?” you slip them past the waistband and Jungkook stops breathing. If he stays away, he loses, if he bends you over and makes you regret your words in tears, he also, somehow, loses.

Shocked into a stupor he holds the wall with his dear life, shaking from head to toe. Even his fangs were again nipping at his bottom lip.

With a soft, keening moan you start to ride your own fingers and if he could produce tears, he’d wail like a newborn baby.

“Mmm…feels lame,” your face contorts into disappointment. “I’d ask for help but I guess you’re not my good boy anymore.”

He swallows hard and mind drawing a blank for a second, releases the wall. He feels himself walk forwards, licking at his itching fangs, mesmerized by the sight.

“I am. I’m still yours, Mistress.”

With eyes closed, your lips curl into a sharp, pleased smirk. Gentle monster, Namjoon called you and he was right.

“Hmm. But do you know what I want, Jungkook?”

“What?” he was a breath away from you, more than half resigned to the cruel fate. You open your eyes and pin him down with a coquettish glint.

“I want a really, really bad boy.”

Should he guess, Jungkook would say it��s your daring that broke the camel’s back but it could also be any number of thousand other things, none of which he cared about.

Gripping your hair, he pulled your face in for a harsh kiss. The skin of your lip breaks and it bleeds into his mouth. He lets out a prolonged moan.

Trembling all over and his skin feeling like a furnace, he grasped the neck of your jumper and ripped it open.

“Wait…no! That was my fav-!”

Fangs on display and eyes blown back into their regressed stage, he grasped your cheeks, snarling.

“Shut your mouth or I’m going to gag you with it.”

He thinks, he hopes this will put a stop to your nonsense, but it doesn't.

"Oh, as if you would," you whine petulantly. "You're too much of a good boy, my kind little vampiric bunny-"

He narrows his eyes at you, gripping your hair just a little bit tighter.

"Don't test me," he growls in your face and to his own exhaustion saw you literally bloom in happiness.

Oh, how much you enjoyed driving him into lunacy.

"Or what?"

He grips your jaw and brings it forth to his crotch.

"Pull it out on your own or I swear to every unholy thing on all existing worlds, I'll tie your hands behind your back and fuck your throat raw."

He actually could swear that for a moment you had the audacity to quirk your mouth upwards in a smile. Still, you complied and he hissed at the feeling of your hands grasping around his length. He allowed you a few quick breaths before hooking your mouth open and sliding it in. Immediately, your eyes closed as you frantically tried to breathe through your nose. Already the muscles in your jaw ached, gag reflex working in overdrive but slowly he slid it in.

"You can make this easy for yourself," he grunted, trying his hardest not to buck up into your mouth as he observed how your eyes watered at the intrusion. "We can go nice and slow-!"

Without warning you plunged your mouth forward, taking him all in and hollowing out your cheeks. Propelled into the high skies, he threw his head back and let out a long, starved moan, hands automatically coming to clutch your head to keep it in place.

Your throat was fighting and the feel of it fluttering around his cock had him shivering and abandoning all reason.

"I actually hate you," he muttered, pushing up into you and for the umpteenth time he could only marvel at your nerve - you simply put a thumbs up in reply, even as tears were streaming down your cheeks and you were gagging at his every movement.

He pushed your mouth further down his length, bobbing it and mindlessly chasing his own pleasure, whilst your nails ripped into the mattress, clawing at it from the lack of oxygen. He pulled himself out of your mouth and you gasped, precum sliding down your chin.

There was a vague faintness in your eyes like already he had fucked you out of all inhibitions.

"Baby-"

"No, you're baby," you counter, voice barely audible and rasping.

His jaw clenched, as his fingers pulled your hair back, forcing your head to tilt upwards.

"Insult or term of endearment?"

"Absolutely an insult."

This time he was significantly less regretful of the sounds you made as he fucked your throat. You yourself could swear you're going to pass out, body falling limp and jaw screaming from the way it was forced open but seeing him so out of control, made you, despite the position, feel good. They did nothing but drive you wild, mad, and all-around crazy, it was only fair you could ebb away at their decorum just a little bit.

Right on the cusp of losing consciousness, he pulled away and you panted large mouthfuls of air, throat screaming from what it was put through.

Jungkook slid your hand down his length, eyes hazed over and switching in between the masked and their true state.

"Open your mouth," he hissed and you did so, at the moment, not wanting any more punishment. He came on your tongue in large spurts and it dripped down your chin.

"Don't swallow."

"Don't?" you weakly echoed, still getting your bearings, battling a sudden bout of dizziness.

"I like the mess," he explained in a growl, watching you brace yourself on your arms, panting and spent, his cum dribbling down your tongue.

“Get on your back and spread your legs.”

You threw him an exhausted glance but the way his face stood stony and resolute, there was no arguing to be done. You hadn't just pushed his buttons, but broken them, smashed them into little pieces, threw those pieces out the window and let the earth consume them. You did as he ordered but for Jungkook, it was still too slow. Yanking you closer, he forced your legs open, diving in without hesitation.

“You’re…you’re being…too rough,” you chided.

“If you want this, you’ll get all of this,” he grunted back, simultaneously plunging his fingers in your pussy and his fangs into your inner thigh. Your walls were quivering, trying to somehow deal with the intrusion. As you tossed your head back, a broken whine leaving your mouth, his other hand tapped away. Five, he would go no more than five and then the feeding would stop. While incredibly hard to do so, he did pull himself back, licking at any stray droplets of blood, turning then back to suck on your clit. You crashed unexpectedly for both of them, walls squeezing his fingers, hands pulling at his hair whilst screaming into the pillow.

“Turn over,” he ordered and your eyes widened.

“Give me a hot second, Je-!”

His growl vibrated all the way to his chest and he flipped you over like a ragdoll.

“Now.”

You gulped. One was for certain, you will not walk ever again.

“You’re trying to rip me open here?” you half-joked and Jungkook tugged the hair out of your neck.

“Actually trying really hard not to,” he mumbled, laying a gentle kiss by your ear.

“Promises, promises,” you smiled as he tugged your shaking legs open again.

“You good with this?” he asked, frowning.

“Yeah…just remember that I’m still human.”

“Could have fooled me,” he breathed, pressing one last kiss to your neck before driving his fangs and his cock in. The numbing poison had kicked back in once the initial feeding was done and put you in a state of removed consciousness. Unable to think or move, you could just take and did Jungkook give.

Growling as he drank in a frenzied haze, he pushed all of himself in, forcing your legs apart and into the mattress. You screamed a half-choked sob, unable to cope with everything all at once. He smacked his hips against yours, the aged bed rattling with all its remaining life force.

Once five was counted, he unclenched his jaw, sinking his claws all the way into the metal springs. Soon enough you started shaking, your walls convulsing around him, stretched to the absolute limit.

“Hold on for me, okay, baby,” he pleaded, gently trying to ease the overstimulation by carding his fingers through your hair but it did not help. You twitched and thrashed underneath him, mouth open in incoherent moans.

“Just one more, just one,” he lied, biting in your shoulder again, sitting down on his legs and tugging you along with him. Completely caging you in his arms, he physically forced your body down his cock, harsher and harsher and harsher until his own mind and vision began to blur. You had tossed your head on his shoulder, eyes rolling back into your head, choking on a string of broken gasps. Seeing your stomach rhythmically bulge, he snuck his palm down to press against your stomach.

“Fuck, I can feel myself in you,” he groaned, delirious. “Look what you do to me. I’d do anything for you. Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.”

With a few brutal thrusts, he came inside, shivering and mouthing nonsense against your ear. You have grown still. Worryingly still.

Jungkook leaned over your shoulder, seeing you gasping for breath, saliva sliding down the corner of your mouth. He wiped it away.

“You’re not dead, are you?” he laughed nervously but checked your pulse nonetheless, gently cradling down your high.

“Dude, I nearly did,” you whispered, voice a mere whisper.

“Dude,” he snickered. “Only you would call someone dude who just broke your back.”

When he softened enough, he, as carefully as possible, pulled himself out. Nonetheless, you winced.

“Shit, does it hurt a lot?” he caressed your back, a fresh wave of guilt washing over him as you laid down on your side, trembling from the aftershock.

“Yeah, because you’re a beast.”

He bit the inside of his wrist and pushed it underneath your nose.

“Here,” he put a palm under your head, to help you get up.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but I don’t enjoy sipping on your veins like a Capri Sun,” you wrinkled your nose in disgust, eyes falling shut from exhaustion. Despite it, after a moment of contemplation, when one movement caused a sharp spike of pain flame throughout your spine, you put your lips against the wound, timidly drinking from it. While you fed, Jungkook tried to comb through your hair - unsuccessfully so.

You gagged and pulled your blood-stained mouth away.

“That is so gross,” you shuddered.

“Are you truly okay?” he fretted, worry etching even deeper as he examined the large bite marks left behind, painting your skin red and blue. “I was…I was too much…”

“Yeah but I kind of liked it,” you admitted in a whisper, head falling limp in his arms.

“You’re a freak,” Jungkook breathed out in faint wonder, nuzzling his nose into your cheek, keeping a finger on the pulse of your wrist.

“Says the blood-sucking beast from another reality.”

“So, you know it’s bad.”

Namjoon pulled Taehyung's head down as the blast decimated the part of the rock that previously served as their shield.

"I'm tentatively assuming they do not want us here," Taehyung yelled over the explosions.

Jimin slid to the ground, cowering from the blasts and crashing into Hoseok's legs.

"The gate -" he panted, "the gate is 60 kilometres that way."

The hand he threw encompassed both south and west and north for good measure.

"They're tightening the security because they got a Lycan clan also moving into the territory."

"What the hell is going on?" Yoongi cursed as he picked up a rock and threw it into the crowd, by the sounds of it managing to hit at least one bastard.

"Taehyung mentioned that he smelled a werewolf in his last letter," Jin recounted, deep in thought as shards of rock and pine rained over him. "But he also killed it?"

"There has to be more than one!" Jimin insisted, a worried frown pulling at his face. "The Lycan forces are moving in on the Gate to retrieve someone. Maybe... a master? Perhaps the wolf that Jungkook killed was just an underling."

"As nice as that theory is," Yoongi grunted, pushing Jin out of the blast zone, glaring back at Luara's imperial guard, advancing forth on their territory. "We can't sit here and discuss it further. We need to move!"

"If Jungkook and _____________ come through without our help the Lycans will rip them apart!" Taehyung fretted pulling Namjoon into a sprint.

That is if they're not killed already on the Other World, he thought grimly. As they ran bats scattered from high up the treetops and took a hasty flight.

"What do you mean no?" Jungkook asked, palming at his temples. He maybe not exactly alive anymore but he could swear you were capable of giving him a headache.

"I mean it in the most literal way. We have enough time to go meet professor Wilkins, get the evidence from the roof and then swiftly disappear through the Gate."

"Need I remind you there's still a werewolf roaming around," he hissed, wincing at the glare of the bright, dusking sun reflecting back from the gathered snow. "Quite possibly the same fucking prick that threatened you and you want to climb onto a roof?"

"Exactly. If Matthias is a werewolf who's to say he won't go on a killing spree from spite! He needs to be put away!"

Jungkook groans and rolls his eyes.

"Who cares about him? Let's just wait for the full moon, be safe and then go through!"

"You don't care that he could slaughter the entire school?"

"No? Am I supposed to?"

You glare at him. He glares back but after a few seconds relents.

"I should have fucked you harder. So you couldn't walk into stupid shit."

You smile wryly.

"You'd paralyze me in that case."

When you sneak into the courtyard, much to the help of Jungkook, professor Wilkins was coughing into a handkerchief.

"Ah, ________________ how good that you came! ....and you, young man," he greets Jungkook cordially who grunts into annoyance. The bare slivers of orange sun peeked over the forest and you look back to it, longingly, holding its light in your gaze foreseeably for the last time.

"So what is this evidence you want my Mistress to search for?" Jungkook snaps, crossing his arms over his chest. If Wilkins has any questions about the term, he does not express them, instead of sniffing into the handkerchief once more.

"I saw Matthias after Eugene's death limping past and part of his shirt was torn off. I presume that as the boys fought it was ripped off during the struggle. It could hold a DNA strand."

"All presumptions," Jungkook clenched his jaw and you elbowed him.

"He'll go take a look at the roof, bring the evidence and then professor Wilkins you have to make sure that Matthias is arrested. He's dangerous."

"Are you not planning on being here?" Wilkins raises his eyebrows, glancing toward Jungkook.

"We...have a place to return to," you explain and the last slip of light disappears over the horizon, plunging St. Augustine's into darkness. You shuddered and Jungkook's hand immediately covered your lower back, tracing soothing circles.

"Very well then," Wilkin's shrugged. "Let's go, we need to move quickly."

The path to the roof was extremely complicated. Every inch of every floor was covered with patrolling policemen. Briefly, you glanced at the stairs to the library and found them bearing smeared bloodstains. Jungkook turned your head away. It didn't help much that Wilkins' cough was getting progressively more dry and hacking. This man's lungs were practically coming out of his mouth.

"Perhaps you need to go rest, professor," you recommend with a frown but he merely presses a handkerchief against his lips, stifling the horrible sound, waving his hand.

"No, dear, thank you for worrying. This is quite normal."

How, you wanted to ask, but you were already nearing the roof and that pushed the worry for his wellbeing far away. Plunging the aged, large keys into the keyhole, the small doors up the rickety staircase were popped open, wafting with it a stench of mould and wet wood.

Jungkook tensed by your side.

"What is it?" you whispered as Wilkin's crawled up the stairs.

"Lycan," he muttered back, eyeing every part of the surroundings.

You pat his hand, trying partly to calm yourself down, and he offers a small incline of lips, that falls too terse to be of any comfort, whilst pressing a wooden stake in your hand, mutely gesturing for you to hide it into your jacket. Sensing the same oppressive aura of something evil skunking around, you obey him, just this once.

You, Jungkook and Wilkins reach up the large shaft that reaches the roof and he gestures for Jungkook to go up.

"Well, young man, you look spry and athletic, please go forth."

Jungkook eyes him darkly and then growls, voice edging to fall two octaves deeper.

"If anything happens to her, professor, I'll personally guide you to the gates of hell."

Wilkins grimaces but raises his hands, as though to say he won't. Jungkook tosses you an anxiety-ridden glance and then climbs up the small stairs through the hatchway. In the cramped, odorous space a single, flickering lightbulb is illuminating your way

The way it sways back and forth worries you. The entire atmosphere suddenly feels much too cold and without wanting your mind begins to wreck with anxiety.

Wilkins taps his foot, back slumped, against the ground, peering deep into its crack.

"So where do you need to return to?" he asks lightly but does not raise his head.

"Just a place," you evade. "One I used to call home."

Wilkins falls silent and the longer he does the tenser you become. The tension had become so thick your mouth is refusing to properly work.

"I also would return home."

You surreptitiously take a step back.

You're not quite certain why but it feels like the right thing to do.

"Is it far?" you question, trying to keep the conversation going while putting larger space between you and Wilkins. His numb staring at the floor is offputting even if physically he still looked like half a rodent.

"Very far," he muses dreamily. "So far, in fact, most people can't find it. So imagine my surprise when you and Luara did."

Your heart freezes and you take a bold step back, fingers brushing against the stake in your jacket. Wilkins raises his head and there's a new glint in his eyes. One of sneer and contempt. Never before you'd seen an expression like this on this sleep-deprived, mousy man's face.

"Which would be fine," he hissed, stretching abruptly a bit taller, whilst looking down on you. "If not for that bitch casting a prohibition spell on this gate. You came back a second time and funnily enough, you know, what I discovered? I couldn't go back. The gate now has to be opened from the other side and only on a full moon," as he spoke, his tone dropped lower and increased in confidence, vibrating through your ribcage.

"And because of your stupid vampiric lover, only one single chance is left to go through it while the prohibition spell is still standing. Your precious Luara made sure that people no longer could waltz back and forth."

Your back smacked against the small door leading up to the rooftop. You were almost relieved to be out of the small, enclosing space only for a sweaty arm link around your throat, pressing all air out of your lungs.

"Hoseok, it's not worth it!" Jin yelled, clawing his way out through the bloodied mass. Hoseok was snarling back at Ereghin. Without a doubt, both men recognised each other and especially how the former set the latter on fire during the invasion of their home.

Hoseok's lingering on Ereghin caused him to not see one of the bigger Lycan's lunging straight for him. Namjoon kicked his own enemy in the jaw, causing the neck to snap against the ground and quickly pulled the wolf off Hoseok, presenting its throat to Yoongi who ripped it out with his teeth.

It was a bloodbath.

The moon shone brightly above their heads in the everlasting night and all, Luara's private guard led by Marquis Ereghin, Lycans and vampires, were caught in a fierce battle for the gate that was glimmering to open. Like a crack in space and time, it stood some distance above a small rocky hill, waiting for who would be the person to come through.

Lycans rushed their way to achieve higher ground and guard it closer but Jimin and Taehyung were holding the front. Both drenched in blood and littered with claw marks they ripped to frenzied abandon. Jungkook one of their strongest had left. They remained six. Six against a pack of thirty Lycans and fifty-five Luara's men who were dropping like flies and dealt little damage to the wolf pack.

Bats scattered with loud cries across the battlefields, tearing at the eyes and escaping the snapping jaws of the wolves before diving through the gate, guided by Namjoon's signal.

As soon as Jungkook stepped on that ledge of the roof he knew he had made a colossal mistake. The stench was almost overpowering. No longer the slight saccharine stench lingering in the halls but potent. Potent and old. So old that no youngster like Kayla or Matthias could ever possess.

He heard your heart rage in fear downstairs but the hatchway for some reason did not budge even though he pulled it with all his might. It was bolted such with perhaps a rudimentary piece of magic, but one Jungkook being a vampire had no power to break.

"Please, sir," to your surprise Matthias whimpered. He sounded too scared for a man who was strangling you. Your nails dug into his skin, drawing blood but he paid it no attention. Only shaking and crying out but Wilkins' face remained unchanged.

"Please, sir, please, please, don't make me kill again, please!"

Dark spots were swimming in your vision as you clawed for your breath.

"Please, don't make me turn!"

"STOP SNIVELLING, BOY!" Wilkins' abruptly yelled and Matthias' flinched, covering himself behind you even as his hand tightened to the point you thought your head would snap off.

"I GAVE YOU SO MANY CHANCES AND YOU COULD NOT KILL A HUMAN TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!"

Matthias despite still squeezing your throat in a chokehold was taking slow steps backwards and upon seeing it Wilkins' launched into a new bout of rage.

"TURN, BOY, TURN! THIS IS AN ORDER!"

"No, please, no... it hurts, sir, it hurts..."

"TURN NOW!"

"Please...I don't want to kill anymore..."

"I SAID TURN!" Wilkins' eyes momentarily erupted in bright gold and Matthias' lurched forward, retching and shaking, a heavy layer of sweat covering his forehead. Released from his grasp, you fell against the wall, trying to regain both your breath and control over your shaking legs.

As Matthia's turned he was crying and pleading all the way and despite the misery, he had put you through, your heart ached at the sight of him begging for the pain to stop. His limbs broke and then stretched to unnatural degrees, fur begin to grow all over his skin and not long after instead of a boy, your classmate, stood an impossibly large wolf. His eyes were dull and you didn't dare to hope Matthias was there to have any say in what he was doing.

"Find the vampire," Wilkins ordered, "and kill him."

Matthias launched through the door, raining down shards of wood like he presumably had done that night at the library.

"And now back to you," Wilkins turned around once by the sounds of it Matthias had clawed his way to the roof.

With shaky knees, you pulled yourself upright and as Wilkins advanced forward you pulled the stake Jungkook had given you and stabbed it deep into his abdomen. He grunted in pain but other than that made no sign of being mortally wounded.

"Are you fucking braindead?" he growled, pushing you with one hand so impossibly hard it sent you flying down the hall. "You are supposed to stab it through the heart."

Upon the roof, Jungkook had managed to grasp around Matthias' throat, trying his hardest to sink his teeth into the wolf's artery but he was much stronger and much more delirious than Kayla had been and still partly starved Jungkook found himself quickly losing ground. A full moon shone upon the valleys of the St. Agustine's forest and in the distance, he spotted the betraying gleam of the Gate standing open against the ticking clock.

Using this minuscule moment of him being distracted, Matthias sunk his jaws deep into Jungkook's shoulder causing him to let out a pain-filled scream. The wolf tossed him down and Jungkook rolled down the roof, grabbing onto the ledge at the last possible second. As Matthias advanced ready to gnaw Jungkook's hand should he need to, a large, screeching shadow rose from the trees and rapidly flew towards the roof, like a black, unescapable mass, obscuring the moon. Bats. Namjoon's familiars.

They surrounded Matthias in an instant, nipping and clawing every place they could reach and it wasn't long before one of Matthias' eyes was gouged out. The young wolf howled against the moon.

"Thank you, Joon. Thank you so much," Jungkook whispered and proceeded to crawl himself upwards.

"Taehyung, to your left!" Jimin called out, but Taehyung was encircled at this point. Luara's men all but two had been slaughtered and there were twenty wolves against six vampires. Jimin was desperately trying to fight one whose breath was on his face, while Taehyung dodged the attacks of two.

Jin pushed himself in front as one of them delivered a swipe of bared claws. He took it to the chest, hissing in pain but managed to punch the wolf down the mound where Yoongi was swift to break its ribcage.

Ereghin was one of the last men standing, backing up into snarling Hoseok, forgetting that this too was no friend of his. Without much empathy, Hoseok laid his palm against the man's back and after enjoying the short-lived moment of the man's eyes widening in terror, he pushed him into the advancing wolf mass. They ripped him apart without a second thought and Hoseok used the opportunity to lead Namjoon and Yoongi up the cliff. Jin was cradling his chest, injured but alive and Jimin had managed to get his hands around the wolf's jaws wrenching them apart until Lycan's face split in two.

They all panted into the cold air, teeth bared and ready to fight until death for Jungkook's and your safety of coming home once more.

"Well, gentlemen," Jin heaved. "What a glorious life this has been."

As you hit the ground for the third time, tossed much like a ragdoll one of your ankles snapped, producing a sickly, wet crunch.

Despite his appearance, Wilkins was far from being an old sickly man though he could not turn or so you surmised.

He grabbed you by the hair, harshly pulling up and you screamed in pain, trashing in his hold.

"Youngsters these days," Wilkins sighed sounding almost bored. "They just have no brains. Kayla was so useless and honestly, I was glad that vampiric whore put her down but then Matthias? Not much better. All he did was cry about how he didn't want to kill his friends but how else would I have you desperate enough to be lured here. You would have gone through the gate and where would that leave me? Marooned here. Forever. No thank you," after saying that he put his wrinkled hands against your head and forcefully turned it to the side.

He was going to snap your neck.

Suddenly the horrible pain in your nape lessened and Wilkins screamed. You glanced back, blood seeping from your mouth and a white spot had jumped on top of Wilkins' face, clawing anywhere they could reach.

Mr Red had come to your aid.

On the roof, despite the injured shoulder Jungkook was faring much better than he did before. The bats did not stop screeching and tearing out chunks of Matthias' flesh. The wolf batted at them, striking some down, but each time he did, Jungkok was quick to dive in, deal damage to his vital areas and then flee out of the way. Overwhelmed, Matthias was blindly backing up to the very end of the roof, desperate to escape the clawing hands but in doing so he was nearing the large drop down into the other side of St. Augustine. Where the fall did not end in the courtyard but the large, rocky cliff-face Jungkook himself had barely managed to safely jump down upon. He waited until the right moment before ramming all of his weight into the wolf. Matthias' hind legs caught in the empty space and he began to slide down into the chasm. For a split second, Jungkook saw recognition in the wolve's dark eyes. Recognition and a twisted sense of peace. During the very last second, Matthias struggled no more and simply let his claws skate against the roof tiles before falling all the way down and out of sight.

"________________!" Jungkook breathed.

Mr Red squeaked as Wilkins got a hold of him, roughly tossing the rabbit against the wall. It fell down on the stone floor unmoving. With a sense of unsurmountable grief, you watched his small red eyes grow vacant.

Wilkins' face was gashed up into something frightful. He roared as he clutched at it and shaking from head to toe, you put forward all you had, squeezing the stake firmly in your hands.

Wilkins stumbled and shrieked, haphazardly clawing and hitting the air. You dodged his attacks and dived forth, wielding the stake and as he so kindly reminded you right into his chest. You overestimated your own strength and while it did push the wood through his chest, breaking bones and plunging into his heart it also staggered you against and through the window. Wilkin's was first to fall, most likely dead already. His body smacked against one of the sharp peaks of the small, decorative towers and his head cracked open, smearing the light brown stone in dark stains. You managed to catch onto the windowsill but with only one hand. Looking down, it was much higher than the fall before. You would die if you would let go.

You grunted and tried to crawl upwards but your strength was running out.

"______________! Don't let go!" Jungkook's voice could be heard from down the hall and even now you smiled upon hearing it. Your eyes watered. How will you explain to him that Mr Red was dead?

One by one your fingers slipped away from the windowsill. You felt the air rush against your skin as Jungkook ran forth but right at the second he reached for your hand, his shoulder flared up with pain and instead of grasping firmly by your hand, his fingers merely grazed against yours and you fell.

"Come on, ____________, what's the worst than could happen?"

You could only see Jungkook's scream and his big terrified eyes as he grew smaller into the distance. Your ears were full of rushing wind and Luara's faint teasing voice.

You both stood before a peculiar glowing circle, etched into the air like smudged paint.

"A magical glowing portrait appeared out of nowhere and you want to step through it?!" you scoffed and Luara laughed in response.

"Of course! Who knows, maybe you'll find someone who really loves you on the other side."

Jungkook, at last, had grown so small, you could not see him and as you hit the ground, you could no longer see anything.

They all trembled, barely standing on their legs, dead wolves littered all around. Hoseok supported Jin and Jimin tried to mend Yoongi's broken leg to the best of his abilities.

Namjoon stared at the gate, gnawing on his lips, hands shaking in fright.

"Come on, Jungkook," he whispered. "Come on, come through."

At the moment when they thought all hope was lost a curly head peeked through. At first, they pulled a deep breath of relief, but upon seeing Jungkook's tear-stained face, it was replaced with debilitating fear. He carried you in his hands as gently as he could, setting you down on the ground and then placing his head against your stomach.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, my love, I'm sorry."

They all perked their ears, to hear once more the delightful fluttering of your heart.

Only silence.

"No..." Jimin cried, hiding into Jin who could only stare, uncomprehending.

Namjoon's knees buckled and he fell beside you in the snow. In your death, you looked so small and vulnerable. He took a hold of your hand, pressing it against his forehead. Everyone gathered around, weeping.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, my love."

Namjoon exhaled, for the first time in his very long life, feeling helpless.

Something flicked against his forehead.

He wrenched his eyes open and stared at your face. He could not hear your heartbeat but your pinky was twitching.

"Jungkook, Jungkook!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Jungkook, sober up! Did you give her your blood?"

As they garnered no response, Taehyung yanked Jungkook's face upwards, shaking him.

"Did you give her your blood?"

A grimace of confusion passed his face as he tried to think of anything other than wanting to die along with you.

"Yes," at last, he croaked out. "A little bit in between..."

Yoongi kneeled next to Namjoon tossing him a terrified, albeit tentatively hopeful glance.

"Is...is a little bit enough?"

"It could be," Namjoon replied, voice shaking. With their breaths bated they could only wait and steadily, one by one your fingers began to twitch and then...you stirred.

Jimin rushed to your side, gently caressing your head.

"Hey," he forced through the tears. "Hey, angel, come on, wake up, you can do it..."

At the first crack of your eyes, they did not even know what to say.

"You're home again," Hoseok whispered in a faint, barely audible whisper.

Your lips parted and you pulled in a deep breath. It was very cold but you felt no pain.

"Finally," you exhaled into the wintery air of the Other World.

The moon dipped behind the horizon and the Gate closed with it.

THE END.

© sor-vette, 2022