#kinda dukeceit

[quackkaz]

Remus, teasingly : Come ooooooon, I'm one of the most responsible people you know!

Janus : I agree. Usually, when something happens, you're the one responsible.

[orbch]

i follow you for tss and you randomly reblogging art of two characters making out, one with a green color pallette and a mustache, and the other with a red color pallette, SCARED ME.

OH MY GODDDD HOLY SHIT i didnt even think about that NOOOOOOOO!!!! GUYS THATS WAS WORSTTHRUST!!!! this is my worst nightmare GUYYSSSS!!!! ITS BRANDON ROGERS!!!!!!!!! NOOOO!!!!!!

[naminethewriter]

How It All Began

Chapter Four: A New Deal

Masterpost | First | Previous | Next | Ao3

Story Summary: Remus, son of a simple fisherman, had worked hard to become the captain of his own pirate ship. And in his humble opinion, it was going great! His crew was small but reliable and they had just stolen something that could them some nice cash from a military vessel they happened to cross on the open sea. They just needed to hide it somewhere until it was safe to sell. How lucky for them that they come across a nice, uninhabited island.

Little did Remus know just who he would find on that little piece of land and how it would change his life entirely.

Content Warning: Clay Construct that fails to emulate human anatomy, References to past Abuse, Riddles

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Logan was quite nervous. Janus had returned a few days after their last conversation to inform him that his patron wanted to speak to him in person about the request he made for Remus. She would arrive on the island the next day when the sun was at its apex to speak to him. It was just about time and Logan was pacing up and down his campsite. He was confident in Remus’ sincerity when making the request, he was unsure of whether he could properly convey as much to his patron.

Yes, he had talked with Lady Ala many times before but that still didn’t change her intimidating presence when he did. She was on the Council of Elemental Spirits for Nature’s sake! He could never meet her completely relaxed.

A rumble shook him out of his thoughts. No more time for worrying. She was here.

The ground under him vibrated as a mound of earth formed on the other side of the fire pit. It grew taller and taller, about seven feet before it formed humanoid features, a head with long hair and kind eyes on a slender body, smooth as the clay it was formed from. The limbs were just a bit too long and didn’t bend quite right which, along with the sheer height, made for an unsettling sight.

“Logan,” a melodic voice spilled past freshly formed lips that moved but didn’t have a mouth to conceal. “I hope you have been well.” Logan shook himself from his stupor and bowed. He had seen this process a few times before already, but it never failed to stun him.

“Yes, Your Grace. I haven’t been lacking.”

“Good. Good.” She smiled, her lips stretching too far along her face to seem human. “I am pleased to hear you make a request of us. I am always willing to hear you out, you know?”

“Yes, of course.” Logan did know that. Lady Ala had made it clear early on in their partnership that she wanted him to be comfortable in his new life since he had proven himself worthy of it. Still, Logan struggled with asking for more than the bare minimum he needed. His moss bed was something he had only been comfortable asking for after around fifty years of serving her.

“Though, this request isn’t technically for you, correct?”

“Indeed. It is for a… friend of mine.”

“You do not sound sure of using that title for him.” Her voice was as serene as before, but Logan felt like there was an edge to it. It must just be his nerves talking.

“We only briefly met but I do believe he is sincere. He spent a lot of time asking me questions about my… situation and was very forthcoming with personal information.”

“You spend such brief time together and yet he asked something so important of you?”

“It was a rare opportunity. There are few like me out there and there was no guarantee that we would meet again.”

“Is that what he told you or what you simple believe to be truth?”

Logan faltered. “He… did not tell me so outright but he implied as much before. And I do believe his intentions to be sincere. He does not wish to exploit you.”

“How are you so sure, my dear Logan? In such short time it is hard to find a person’s true character.”

“With all due respect, Lady Ala, but I am well acquainted with the sort of man who would seek you out solely to satisfy their greed.” Logan looked up at the clay construct that his patron had chosen to speak through. “I spent three years as their prisoner, unable to leave their ship. I know their eyes, the words they speak, the way they twist their words to present themselves in a better light. I know the ones that try to act like they pity me, that try to fool me into trusting them to get what they want. I spend three long years suffering under their hands. Remus is not like them. He is honest in his curiosity. He does not hide his blemishes. He has embraced who he is and forges his own path no matter what others say. He does not wish you harm or seek to exploit you. He is simply curious.”

Lady Ala was silent for a long moment, watching him from her high vantage point but Logan didn’t shrink under her gaze.

“You speak very highly of this person.”

“Yes, he is one of the most impressive people I have ever met. I think he deserves a chance to prove himself to you as well.”

“Very well. I will grant him a chance.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

“How could I not be intrigued by a man that you chose to put your trust into, my dear Logan? I was worried you were growing lonely recently.” She watched him attentively. Logan knew she saw him as one of her ‘children’ and that she cared about him more than his research, even if not everyone on the Council shared that sentiment. But he couldn’t see her in that light at all. She was superior to him, a being higher than himself, he couldn’t familiarize himself with her in that way. And she respected that, thankfully.

“I am very satisfied with my living conditions here, Your Grace. Janus and Virgil are companionship enough for me.”

“If you say so, I shall believe it.” She nodded her head and straightened her posture, towing at her full height over him. “Now then. In regard to the trial the human you call Remus shall face, along with those he travels with, I will leave it to Janus to deliver the quest. He will be his last judge. You will relocate as planned. You are not to provide aid to this human.”

“How could I aid him if I am away from here? I will be gone before he returns.”

“Indeed. However, I shall share with you the details of his quest. You are not to leave aid for him here when you leave.”

Logan frowned slightly but nodded. “Understood.”

“Good. Then listen.”

~~~

Two hours later, Logan walked across the island, following along the creek upstream. From what Lady Ala had told him, the trial Remus had to overcome to prove his worth wasn’t all that complicated, even if he knew that the instructions themselves would be presented in a riddle. Still, Remus was an intelligent man, Logan had no doubt that he would be able to figure out what he was meant to do. But there was one part of the trial that he supposed Remus could use some advice on. Lady Ala had forbidden him from aiding Remus in his quest, but Logan was sure he could leave a simple book recommendation behind for the pirate to find, right? He arrived at a familiar cliff and stuffed a ripped page from his notebook into his pocket and started climbing.

Once he returned to camp it was time to start packing. His time here was up. He just hoped he would encounter Remus again on another island somewhere out there.

~~~

Almost half a year. Remus hated that it took them almost half a year to return to Logan’s island. The damned navy wouldn’t give up controlling ships entering harbors in order to find the seal until last month. Being a pirate in general during those months had kinda been a pain, but they managed just fine. And now the whole thing had passed, and they should be able to smuggle the seal to a good buyer without much problem. Not that Remus cared that much about it anymore, he just wanted to see Logan again. The man had been haunting his dreams and maybe not just because he was an Immortal.

Maybe Remus just thought his eyes were pretty.

He was gay, fucking sue him.

Anyway, they were approaching their destination at a steady pace and should arrive there before noon the next day. Remus was so excited he considered not sleeping for the whole night. Which was a stupid plan, especially since he had already been sleeping less these past few days due to being too excited. He suspected that his crew knew they weren’t only returning to grab the seal but none of them had asked him any questions. He and Patton hadn’t told them anything about Logan so far and Remus didn’t want to share with them more until he was sure they would actually get the chance to prove themselves to the Elemental Spirits themselves.

A knock on his door pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Come in!”

His door opened but a crack before Patton’s voice floated over to him, “You’re decent, right, Captain?”

Remus snorted. “Yes, Pat. I got all my clothes on, don’t worry.” The cook peeked inside, only stepping across the threshold when he saw that Remus hadn’t lied.

“We’ll be at our destination about two hours after sunrise according to Corbin,” Patton reported with a small smile.

“Good.”

“The others are wondering how long we’re going to be docking there this time.”

“I have no idea, Pat. I guess it depends on what Logan’s got for us. If it’s just a straight up ‘no’ then I guess we would stay for like a day or two to chat, maybe introduce him to the rest of the crew if he’s chill with it. If it’s a ‘yes’ though… Well, then there’s no telling where it will lead us. As Logan said, we’ll have to prove ourselves worthy to meet the Council and whatever we have to do to do so? We’ll do it.”

“I understand. So, I’m telling the others to be ready to take off again whenever?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Okay, got it.” Patton nodded while fiddling with his sleeves. “Are you really sure about this, Remus?” He asked quietly, almost too quiet for Remus to hear. He knew Patton had his doubts – well, he still had his doubts about their whole profession, but this was another other level of danger. Him using his name instead of his title just stressed how much it was on his mind.

“I’m super certain, Pat. If you don’t want to come along then I understand, of course. We’ll set you off at a good harbor.”

Immediately, Patton shook his head. “No, I promised I would stick with you, no matter what and I meant it! You saved my life, I’m staying.”

“Patton, I…”

“No, I know. You don’t see it as a debt and neither do I, I just want to help you.”

Remus sighed. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t want you to force yourself into danger for my sake.”

“I’m not. I want to meet the Spirits, too. I’m just worried what will happen if things go wrong.”

“Oh, I’m sure they will!” Remus laughed, winking at Patton. “But whatever happens, I’m sure we can handle it. We always managed before, haven’t we?”

“I wish I had your confidence,” Patton chuckled weakly. “But okay, I’ll give your orders to the crew. Try to sleep, Captain. Tomorrow is going to be a lot.”

“Yeah, I know. I promise, I’ll try to sleep. Goodnight, Pat.”

“Goodnight, Captain.”

~~~

True to Corbin’s word, they anchored by Logan’s island a little over two hours after sunrise. Remus and Patton were the only ones to set off towards land this time and the captain was determined to meet Logan on his own for now. Patton respected his choice and waited on the beach. Remus entered the jungle alone and thankfully he had a good memory and a trusty compass that guided him in the right direction towards Logan’s camp quickly.

He found the path he had traversed with Logan back then, but it was different than before. More overgrown. As if nobody had walked along it for a while. A bad feeling spread through Remus’ chest and he quickened his steps. Maybe he was just imagining it. Maybe Logan just hadn’t had a reason to come this way recently. Yeah, he was sure the nerd was fine. He had to be.

Still, the sense of dread wouldn’t leave him alone the entire way to Logan’s camp. His eyes flitted around without rest, hyperaware of every movement around him, though it was mostly leaves being swayed by the rather strong winds of the day. Remus tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down but that was kinda hard to do while powerwalking along an uneven path.

Ten minutes later he broke through the line of trees into the clearing that contained Logan’s camp.

And his heart sank.

There was nothing there.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. The indent of the fireplace was still there but it was empty. As was the space under the stone awning that had previously held Logan’s bed and belongings.

No trace of the Immortal was left.

Remus gripped the locket on his chest through his shirt as his heartbeat picked up.

He panicked.

He began to run, calling out Logan’s name in the hopes that he was mistaken. He had to be on the island somewhere, right? Maybe he had just moved his camp for some reason. That was the only explanation Remus could think of.

Well, that wasn’t true, but it was the only positive explanation he could think of.

He forced himself to not think about the possibility that his request could have led to Logan suffering the consequences. That the Council had rescinded their blessing because he had been too greedy.

Remus ran, calling and calling, but he didn’t receive an answer.

He ran around like a headless chicken for about ten minutes until he broke through the tree line again onto a beach. Not the beach where Patton was waiting with the rowboat but a small bay that was quite hidden between two cliffsides. There, Remus stopped, gasping for breath. He leaned on his knees, staring at the sand beneath him as he tried to force air back into his lungs.

“You’re quite a loud one,” a voice commented. It wasn’t one Remus had heard before, but he was sure it was just in his head, after all, no one else but him and Patton were here. And Logan. Hopefully.

“I gotta…” He heaved for air. “I gotta find him.” Why was he talking to a voice in his head? Because he needed to sort his thoughts and talking out loud helped him with that.

“Why?”

“Because I told him I’d come back.”

“Well, he’s not here.”

“He has to be. If he’s not here then… where is he?”

“If this is about your meeting with the Council, I am here to speak with you about that.” Remus head snapped up. Maybe this wasn’t a voice in his head after all.

His green eyes met gleaming gold. A Siren sat on a stone jutting out of the sea in front of him, the tail disappearing under the waves lapping at the rock. The sun caused his scales to sparkle, and his long hair flowed in the wind like some sort of goddess paintings he had seen in the few temples he had visited.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” Remus breathed. Apparently loud enough for the siren to hear because he raised a brow. “Sorry, you caught me off guard.”

“Yes, I noticed. So, the deal.” The siren opened his mouth to continue but Remus cut him off.

“Wait, what about Logan?”

“Why do you care? I’ll give you your task, that’s what you want, right?” His voice was cold, and Remus remembered Logan mentioning that both of the siren’s he made regular contact with weren’t fond of humans. This was probably one of them.

“I mean, I can’t say I don’t want it but I also wanna know if Logie’s okay. He’s my friend and if my asking him for an audience with the Council got him in trouble, I don’t want to meet them.” The siren looked at him skeptically, taking his time deliberating his words.

He seemed to deem him sincere after a few moments because he reassured him, “Logan’s fine. He just moved to another isle.”

“Why? Did I do something?” Again, the siren looked surprised.

“No. His relocation was decided long before you came here. It just happened to coincide with your appearance and request.”

“So I can go see him then? Wherever he is now? You know, right?”

“I do. But I’m not going to tell you.” The siren said it with a grin, showing off his sharp teeth. Remus scowled.

“Why not?”

“Because it would make this thing rather pointless, wouldn’t it?” From behind his back, the mer pulled a glass bottle into view. From the distance Remus could see it contained a role of paper. “This holds your instructions to prove yourself worthy of being considered for an audience, as you call it.” Remus watched as he played with the bottle, suspicious of the siren’s intentions.

“What’s the catch? And what does it have to do with me meeting Logan again?”

“If you do this correctly, then it will lead you to Logan’s new home and if you make it there in one piece, you will be allowed to take on the real tests to prove your honest intentions towards the Council. A trial run, I believe you humans call it.”

“Then give it here.” Remus held out his hand, ready to catch the bottle if thrown but the siren just smiled coyly and placed it back behind him.

“Not yet, I think.”

“Why?” The pirate grit his teeth in irritation. The mer was burning daylight, he wanted to get going, to figure out where Logan went.

“Because I’m not willing to acknowledge you as a candidate yet. Logan says he trusts you, but I don’t buy it. You two met three times and one of those you killed him. And yet he wants to give you a chance to meet the entities he has sworn to protect and serve? It doesn’t add up.” The siren stared at him with piercing eyes full of mistrust. Fine, he wanted to play this game? Remus would oblige.

“What do you want me to do then? To earn your trust?”

“I have questions for you. Answer them and I might give you the bottle. And don’t try to lie to me, I can tell when you do.”

With a sign, Remus let himself fall on his butt in the sand. “Shoot.”

~~~

Remus let himself be interrogated for hours. He answered the siren’s questions, no matter how private. At least the ones about himself. The mer also tried to get detail about his crew but Remus refused to offer up their information without their consent. He figured he did the right thing there when the siren didn’t push him further. Eventually the questions stopped and they simply stared at each other for a while. Remus didn’t speak up, daring the siren to continue badgering him.

“Fine. I have to admit, Logan’s seems like a better judge of character than I thought,” the mer sighed and threw the bottle in Remus’ direction. It landed a few feet to his left with a dull thud. Remus didn’t reach for it right away, watching the siren. “What are you waiting for, pirate?”

“What’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I just want to know. Logan told me about two sirens that visit him and I think I know which one you are.”

“Oh, really?” the other asked, brows raised again. “Enlighten me then.”

“Janus, right?”

“Correct.” The siren looked like he had bit into something bitter as his name left Remus’ lips. “You have quite the memory.”

“I tend to remember things I find interesting. And I’ve always wanted to meet a siren.”

“You didn’t look so happy to meet me a few hours ago.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I was worried about Logan more. You promise he’s alright?”

“Yes. He is fine and doing his research like he’s supposed to.” Remus glanced at the bottle before meeting Janus’ gaze again.

“And if I manage to clear your trial, I can see him again.”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Remus got up, shaking the sand off his pants before finally going over to grab the glass container and looking inside. It indeed was a rolled-up piece of paper. He put the bottle in his satchel to look at when he was back on the ship. “Thank you,” he said to the siren that looked surprised at his words.

“Why thank me? I kept you here and made you humor me.”

“Yeah, and that was kinda a dick move, but you also gave me a way to meet my friend again, so I’ll take it.”

“You’re strange, human.”

“So I’ve heard. Can I go now?” The siren waved his arm as if to shoo him off and with an eye roll, Remus walked back into the jungle. Behind him he heard the splash of Janus diving back into the water. He really hoped that one day he could bombard the siren with his own questions, but for now he had a seal to collect, a crew to return to and a piece of paper to pull out of a bottle and decipher. He pulled out his compass. Time to find his way back to the creek.

~~~

Around two hours later, Remus pulled Patton into his quarters. He had told his crew to set sail towards the harbor where he hoped to sell the seal. Meanwhile, he and Patton would see what was given to them by Janus.

“And you’re sure Logan’s fine?” Patton asked for the third time after Remus pulled the door shut behind him.

“I think we can trust the siren’s words, yeah.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Me neither, but there’s nothing else we can do. This—“ He held up the glass bottle. “—is the only clue we have, so let’s concentrate on that.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I just worry,” Patton sighed, sitting down in a chair in front of Remus’ desk while the captain sat behind it.

“I know, Pat. Let’s get you distracted.” With a grin, Remus held up the bottle, fully intending to smash it against the desk to break it open.

“STOP!” Patton all but screamed, eyes wide. “Captain, that’s a horrible idea! The shards would be everywhere. They will hit us!”

“Oh, right. Oops?” The other glared at Remus but didn’t say more. Instead, he took the bottle from Remus and inspected the neck and contents.

“I think the paper is wrapped tightly enough that it will just slip out if we pull the cork.”

“Boring!”

“Want me to get Emile so he can lecture you about safety procedures again?”

“Don’t threaten me, Pat, this is my fucking ship.” Despite his words, Remus’ tone was more akin to a whine than actual annoyance.

“Then don’t put yourself in harm’s way over a stupid message in a bottle.” Patton pulled out a corkscrew out of his pocket – he really carried that around with him? – and gently shook the paper out. It fell into his hands, and he handed it over to Remus who eagerly pulled away the piece of twine keeping it rolled up. It wasn’t very big and only a few lines were written on it. He read it out:

“To find where you need to go, visit the roaring mountain lying between the Mouth of the Ocean and the Ever-Frozen Isle. Offer your precious to the heart of the temple standing on the mountain’s side and then the stars shall guide you to your destiny.”

Both of them were quiet for a moment, trying to process the words. Remus read the note over and over while Patton stared at the ceiling in thought.

“I think I know what they mean by ‘Ever-Frozen Isle’,” Remus muttered, squinting at the paper in his hand, “but what the hell is a ‘roaring mountain’ supposed to be?”

“Couldn’t that mean a volcano?” Patton questioned. “I don’t know a lot about sea legends apart from what you told me since they weren’t common where I come from, but we did have some about volcano outbreaks. And in those there would be verses like ‘the mountains roared and the flames followed’ or something along those lines.”

“Hm, makes sense, I guess,” Remus hummed. “Then what is the ‘Mouth of the Ocean’?”

“I never heard of it. What do you think the ‘Ever-Frozen Isle’ is?”

“It’s a common legend about an Island in the south seas where it’s always winter. It’s supposed to be super beautiful but getting there requires sailing through quite a few hazards, not to mention that you need to be prepared for the freezing temperatures once there, so there aren’t many records about it.”

“Fascinating!” Patton was on the edge of his seat listening to Remus. “I would love to see it; I’ve never even seen snow!”

Remus laughed. “Maybe someday we’ll go there if we can find some stuff to protect us from the cold.” The other beamed. “Anyway, this will require research, I think. We’ll ask the others if they can think what any of this means but even if they do, we’ll likely need more precise coordinates and maps.” They’d most likely need to visit a library. Remus hated places that forced quietness. Patton looked at him empathetically.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad. Let’s see what the others think first? How much are we telling them anyway?”

“Just that we got something interesting going on and that they’ll get the details later. I don’t want to get their hopes up.”

“I understand,” Patton smiled weakly. He didn’t like secrets, but those were his captain’s orders, so he would stay quiet on the subject. He was about to stand and make his way to the door to gather the crew but suddenly stopped short. “Did you get the seal?”

Oh right. Over all of Patton’s worrying over Logan, he had forgotten to check the box he had retrieved from the hiding place the Immortal had shown them. He pulled the wooden container out of the satchel and placed it on the desk in front of him. Patton leaned closer to peek inside. Remus opened the lid to find the seal where he had left it, as well as a piece of paper that hadn’t been there before. He pulled it out, unfolded it and began to read.

Dear Remus (and Patton),

I apologize that I am not there to greet you, but I must to continue my research elsewhere.

This has been planned for a while and I cannot stall it any longer, nor do I truly want to.

If you are serious about your request, I am sure we will meet again soon.

Speaking of which, I was told not to aid you and I shall refrain from doing so, however, I wanted to share with you a rumor I heard while still at court before my time with the Spirits.

Back then there was talk of a book, written by a rather well-known researcher on the subject of Sirens and their culture. The man, Frederick van Woodsworth was his name, I believe, had been believed to been lost at sea for many years before he miraculously returned one day. He spoke of having been saved by a siren and living alongside them for a long period of time. Of course, he was deemed insane for his claims, after all, it was widely believed back then that Sirens are nothing but bloodthirsty creatures out to kill humans. Woodsworth was ridiculed and cast out.

He wrote his experiences down in a book and attempted to publish it but was detained for treason. The copies of his book should still exist, however. I heard of one of them being kept in the library of Marblerock Port, not far from here. It’s probably not accessible to the public, however.

I hope you find use in this tale.

Until we meet again,

Logan

Remus stared at the letter with a raised brow.

“What the fuck is he trying to say with this?!”

“I’m not sure,” Patton hummed, suddenly standing behind him and reading over his shoulder. “Maybe he just thought you might find it interesting since you told him you’d like to meet a siren one day?”

“I don’t know. I feel like he’s trying to tell me something, but I have no clue what.” Remus squinted at the letters, trying to will them to reveal their secrets to him. Nothing happened, sadly. “I don’t have the patience for riddles! And now I have two!” he groaned. Patton pat him on the shoulder.

“Let’s look on the bright side! You and I already have some leads on two parts of the riddle and I’m sure the others have something to contribute, too. And if we need to do some research anyway, going to this specific library works just as well as going to any other, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. Let’s see if the others can prove to me that it’s beneficial to keep them around.”

“That’s not nice!” Patton protested, but Remus was already moving past him.

“Relax, Pat. It’s just a joke. They could all break a leg tomorrow and I would let them stay, you know that. Hell, they can haunt me if they want, I still wouldn’t want to get rid of them.”

“Yes, I know,” Patton giggled, following his captain out of the room and up on deck.

“Okay, chucklefucks!” Remus called out loudly. “I’ve got a riddle for you and if you can help me figure it out, we can go on the adventure of our lifetime!”

[pheonix-inside]

Guys guys guys. I have an idea for a Sanders Sides hero/vigilante/villain fic. With the characters, their arcs, and the basic plot all figured out.

I got this idea yesterday at like 2 am. I think I was given magic.

Anyway time to write about teen vigilante Roman realizing that being a superhero isn't actually as wonderful as the thought, and learning more about his family than he ever thought he would. Yippee.

[halfhissandwich]

Ok I legitimately made myself curious with my own post of Roman writing analogical fanfiction, so this is what we’re doing: if the sides were aware of the ships of themselves, what would they ship? (Ft too much analysis from yours truly)

Logan: I like imagining that every side in the moralogince trio ships the other duo that’s not them, so that would mean Logan would ship royality (which makes sense, he’d probably think “what dorks, they would be a nice couple”). I also think he is the only side who would ship Moceit just because he can see the progression and he thinks it’s sweet. I also see him shipping Dukexiety for literally no reason other than “spooky.” He also has this weird thing: “I don’t want to date Janus, but I would ship loceit”

Roman: Oh you know analogical is his otp. He shipped logicality (to go along with the moralogince thing) until Accepting Anxiety, and then he claimed his title as the number one analogical shipper. I can’t really see him shipping anything else, maybe dukeceit since they’re both “villains” in Roman’s eyes

Patton: Logince, he wants them to be married. Patton just… ships everyone with himself. I can kind of see him shipping loceit since both of them are more serious and smart, I also see him casually shipping analogical but nowhere near as much as Roman does. Basically uh, Patton likes Logan ships.

Virgil: I will never forget the livestream where Virgil wrote a Dukeceit fanfic. Virgil ships Dukeceit—it’s the only Janus ship he will ever tolerate. He also might ship Intrulogical just because Remus and Logan can kinda have mad scientist vibes but Virgil’s not really big on shipping Janus or Remus with anyone really, besides each other. (Also I think he ships logince but I have no reasoning to back this one up)

Janus: Hot take, Janus would die for royality. He loves royality as much as Roman loves analogical. He chills in his room, everyone thinks he’s plotting something evil, no. He stole Roman and Patton plushies and he’s making them kiss. He also kinda likes prinxiety because he thinks it’s fun how much they hate him, but his main ship is royality, he loves the cute besties to lovers thing and he will never ever admit it

Remus: … yeah you all saw this coming, he definitely ships roceit. His brother and his best friend, Remus definitely ships them just because they’re the ones he likes the most. Plus, the ✨drama✨. I also think he ships anxceit bc damn he wants his friends to kiss and make up.

[ax3-e0ns]

What's the bitularity au? The one in the dukeceit hair post?

Heyo, sorry for taking forever to answer this; but outside of that I'm glad you asked! Okay the basic concept of Bitularity AU includes the characters of Sanders Sides, Inside Out, and Slay the Princess all coexisting within one world.

(I've yet to decide if I'm gonna give all the characters their own names or if I'm gonna just stick to source on this specifically)

However! There is a twist! The world itself functions as a cross between Soul Eater and Steven Universe. This specifically refers to characters both being able to summon their own weapon, and be able to shapeshift. This works really well for characters like The Thorn, who now has an additional level to being able to summon her own knife.

Or characters like The Razor, who can just become the knives. This opens the flood gates for characters designs of all sorts... and gives me free reign to give Janus multiple arms as often as I want-

I do need to kinda throw myself under the bus on this, though. The hair image brought up is this post. Unfortunately this post isn't really cannon to the Bitularity universe anymore.

This is because, prior to adding Slay the Princess and Inside Out to the mix, the AU was reworked by that point where all the characters would be in a polycule. But by the time I added additional properties to the mix I decided to go back to the original concept of the main relationship focus being on Patton Sanders and Remus Sanders, as by adding the additional bits of inspiration I had two options: either make the main focus one property and everything else as just set dressing (which I am not the biggest fan of doing tbh) or go back to an earlier set of plans that can have the issues in there be ironed out with these additional characters? I basically chose to kill one darling and then revived another one.

(I ultimately feel that this is for the best since this way I can have fun with expanding the narrative and create some character interactions I think would be really enjoyable.)

This also means I can work with having an antagonist that would absolutely work way better than whatever main villain I was trying to cook up, the Narrator.

So yeah, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[oatmealdaydreams]

The Gay Returns!

I totally didn't forget about my playlist series, nooo-

A Reminder: these playlists are my own. They're just songs that remind me of the Sides + other characters. Not their actual/official playlists.

I included all pairings that have at least 1 song. Most of them have very few or only one song. Some of them have more, but that's only a few pairings.

[virgil-my-emo-son]

Lavender and Rosemary

Dukeceit Week 2024 Day 3, Cats!

Dukeceit Week 2024 is run by @imnotgrimimjustagrumpyreaper ! Also tagging @dukeceitweek ! Day three!!!

This one is a bit heavier than yesterday, trigger warning, Remus is just coming out of a hypomanic episode. Nothing serious has happened except for him impulsively jumping in a river which I imagine to be the Ohio River because I grew up by the Ohio River and it scares me lol. Remus's experiences are heavily based on my own experiences with hypomania.

However it is still quite fluffy, more hurt comfort than anything focused on the actual hypomanic experience! Their dynamic is once again very heavily inspired by TMDORG by Grim!

Ao3

Remus hit Janus’s doorbell and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, hyper aware of the water dripping off of him and pooling by his feet.

Janus opened the door and looked him up and down. “It’s March.”

“Yeah.”

“You went swimming?”

Remus shrugged. “Yeah.”

Janus opened the door. “Come in.”

Remus came in. He’d never actually been to Janus’s apartment. While they’d been hanging out in the same small circle of six people since high school, Remus had never been as close with Janus as he had with the others.

Which is exactly why he’d tracked him down on the Find My iPhone app.

Remus had already made a promise in some manner or another to all their other friends that he’d tell them if he was having a hypomanic episode, no matter how brief. And he was scared to tell them that it had been four days, four days that he hadn’t talked to them, and he was finally beginning to crash.

Remus had been so immersed in his thoughts that didn’t even realize Janus had walked out of the room until he was walking back in with a towel and a matching fluffy robe.

“Here.” Janus held them out to him.

“Thanks.” Remus gave a small smile, then glanced around for the bathroom.

“That way.” Janus motioned his head to the left. Remus nodded and walked over to the door, which did indeed lead to a bathroom.

“Do you mind if I take a shower?”

“Not at all.” Janus offered a small smile.

“Thank you, Jan.”

“Of course.”

As Remus stood under the water he’d turned on so hot it was nearly burning his skin, he was thinking about what he’d say to Janus when he went back out. He ran through a few things in his mind before he decided he didn’t like any of them and that he’d just vibe it.

He looked for a moment at Janus’s assortment of colorful bottles on the corner ledge. He saw at least three which looked like some version of body wash, so he opened the top of each one and smelled them. He decided on a rosemary and lavender scented gel in an appropriately purple bottle.

He closed his eyes as he tilted his head back into the water, letting it wash the bubbles off his skin.

Remus slipped on the robe once he’d dried off. It was deep grey and soft, with a small snake emblem embroidered on the left breast.

Janus raised his eyebrows when Remus walked back out. “You look like a cooked lobster.”

“Do I?” Remus waggled his own eyebrows. “Good enough to eat?”

Janus rolled his eyes. “Sure.” He patted the couch beside him. “Sit.”

Remus climbed over the arm of the couch to sit where Janus had indicated, hugging his knees against his chest.

 “Uncurl.”

Remus fixed him with a suspicious look. “Why should I?”

“Because I made you hot chocolate, and I’ll only give it to you if you open up and tell me what’s going on.”

Remus sighed, eyeing the black mug in Janus’s hand. He made a grabbing motion, and Janus handed it to him as he let his feet fall to the floor. He held it between his palms, looking down at the mini marshmallows.

“I had an episode. That’s why I was all wet, I had this impulsive thought to jump in the river.”

“The river?” Janus’s eyes widened. “The river’s gross. How did you not get eaten by a giant catfish or something?”

Remus shrugged. “Beats me. The water was so cold, though… it kinda snapped me out of my head. I was like, ‘what am I doing?’ Usually, I don’t have those sorta self-aware moments, but today… I guess it was just different.”

Janus only nodded, encouraging Remus to continue, so Remus continued.

“I don’t know, I told everyone I’d tell them if I needed anything, or if I got manic, or I suppose hypomanic. And I didn’t. And I was worried they’d get all mad at me, so I figured I’d go to the one person I hadn’t made that deal with.”

Janus nodded again. “I see. I’m really glad you came, Remus.” He gave a gentle smile. “I’m glad a catfish didn’t get you.”

Remus laughed. “I am too, Janus.”

“Do you want to talk more, or do you want to do something else?”

Remus considered for a moment. “I’m really tired… can I just have a pillow or something for the couch?”

“My bed’s a queen.” Janus tilted his head. “That’s definitely big enough for two.”

“Jan, I don’t want to encroach—”

“You’re not encroaching. I’m offering.”

Remus examined his face for a moment, looking for a hint of hesitation he couldn’t find. “Then, yes. I accept your offer.”

Janus smiled. “Come on.”

Remus trailed behind him into his bedroom, which was neat and tidy and yellow and black. It looked exactly like what Remus expected Janus’s bedroom to look like.

“Here, let me get you a T-shirt and some shorts, and I’ll brush my teeth, and we can get to sleep.”

Remus changed in the bedroom as Janus was in the bathroom. It all felt so domestic, getting changed from a robe into pajamas. Getting ready to sleep in a bed together.

Remus felt like he could get used to this.

Janus walked back in, pulling his long hair back into a ponytail and looking past him to the bed. “Get out of there, Python.”

Remus turned to see a dark grey cat leap off the bed, looking at him with wide yellow eyes before disappearing.

“Python? Like the snake?”

“Like the programming language.” Janus grinned. “You know I’m a STEM guy.”

“God, you are such a nerd.” Remus pulled back the grey striped comforter, getting into the left side of the bed while Janus climbed into the right.

“Can… how do you want to do this?” Janus asked.

“Um… I…” Remus swallowed. “Do you mind holding my hand?”

“All night?”

“You don’t have to.”

Janus’s hand found his, warm, stable, comforting. “Anything that will make you feel better.”

“Thank you.” Remus whispered as Janus’s other hand clicked off the bedside table light.

“Of course, Remus.” Janus whispered back into the darkness. “Do I smell… did you use my body wash? The lavender rosemary?”

“I did. I hope that’s—”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Janus squeezed his hand. “I don’t mind. Just was wondering.”

“Okay.” Remus squeezed back. “You always smell nice, I wanted to smell nice, too.”

“I smell nice, do I?”

“You do.” Remus scooted infinitesimally closer to him.

“Mm. Thank you.” Janus hummed, and Remus could’ve sworn he shifted a bit towards him, too.

[tulipanthousa]

So Tumblr is being weird and not letting me send an ask from my nsfw blog for some reason. I was wondering, for any of your verses, what are some terms that characters in relationships use for each other that don't leave the bedroom (if you know what I mean)?

-Kytia

you cant send an ask from sideblogs, only your main, an issue we've been complaining about for ten years

Pieces verse

Logicality - theyre very switchy and they do this kind of teasing, sweetly condescending brand of degradation. Logan's not a slut he's PATTON'S adorable slut who he loves very much, and vice versa. however Logan would absolutely never use or enjoy these outside the bedroom (even if patton wouldnt care, he cares about logans boundaries)

prinxiety - okay so Roman does get in bratty moods for Virgil sometimes but its so aksjhaskjdh just precious kinda of bratting. pouty boy. feet stomper. the worst he ever gets is a "brat" dripping with fondness, and its saved for when theyre alone.

Dukeceit - most of them lol. they both talk a big game about exhibitionism but Janus is mortified by the actual vulnerability of it, so they are always at least mostly alone/at most will be overheard.

LAOFT

okay so the thing about dirty talk in laoft is that roleplay and degradation are a bit difficult for virgil and logan, who cant lie. Virgil first heard most deragatory names used during sex by humans in the context of people flinging it in slur form at greta, which pretty much irrevocably stored them in the "insults" part of his brain, so he's a no-go Logan is a little more complicated, because he knows they dont have to be insults, but he could still never manage to say them because he believes they're insult, mostly do his own hang-ups about being polyamourous leftover from when they were teenagers.

however i do have like 15% of an idea where io and remus (who have none of the above stated hangups) joking call each other whores all the time (because the entire reason io exists is because me and remus have the same sense of humor lol) and logan and virgil are Scandalized but it makes them re-examine their positions

and also so i can write the silver foxes fucking nasty

[emoprincey]

dukeceit and prinxiety for the ask game?

Ty for the ask!!

Dukeceit - ship it

1. What made you ship it?

They're literally husbands, what more do I have to say /j. No but fr tho, I think it was just... their potential dynamic??? The fact that they're both over-the-top villains and I thought they'd be really good together right from the start. Also fan content, there's so much amazing dukeceit content in this fandom XD

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

So many things... they just have an unparalleled aesthetic, I kinda see them as having a Gomez and Morticia vibe.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Speaking of the Gomez and Morticia vibe, I like to think they give compliments in the same kinda weird way. In the kind of "you look like death" "aw thanks babe" kinda way (this goes for anxceitmus too btw).

The unpopular opinion part of this has to do with the evil twin comment. I think Janus and Remus call themselves evil and such things as a joke, so I don't think he'd be too bothered about it really.

Prinxiety - Ship it

1. What made you ship it?

Prinxiety was the first Sanders Sides ship that I actually shipped, and I was really into it for all of one week lol (I do still like them now, there r just other ships I prefer). I think it's because Roman and Virgil had the most fun dynamic right from the start. Roman was the first character Virgil interacted with (unless you count C!Thomas) and I do love enemies to lovers!

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

I think mostly how far they've come from where the used to be. They used to despise each other, but now they're besties and they helped set Thomas up with Nico together.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Idk if this counts as unpopular, but I kinda prefer their platonic dynamic to actually shipping them?? If I think of them being in a relationship, it's more like best friends who make out sometimes

[dystopiagnome]

Haha funny shitpost for Stardew Valley AU and what festivals they thrive in too hard.

[quackkaz]

Remus : *glaring at Virgil for being mean to Janus*

Virgil : Don’t look at me like that.

Remus : *grins and bites bottom lip*

Virgil : Don’t look at me like that either.

[imnotgrimimjustagrumpyreaper]

Rociet shippers are my siblings with bad taste who I still love, prinxiety shippers are my coworkers who I gossip with by the coffee maker, logince shippers are that one cousin at family gatherings that I vibe with really hard, loceit shippers are someone in a public space having a conversation I'm not a part of and I'm like "Yeah I agree with you" and then I never think about them again, intrulogical shippers are that one bitch who's vibes were RANCID when I first met them but the more time I spend around them the more I respect them and Moceit shippers are my mortal enemies ( but respectfully).

[pheonix-inside]

OH SHIT YOU ALSO ASKED ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS LMAO I MISSED THAT

Ok so I made a post answering a separate ask about Dukeceit so I'll spare that (also I don't wanna retype it all)

But the gist of is that the AU is endgame LAMP, but it takes a minute to get there because they are all Very Stupid.

Roman has a big fat crush on Patton. Has forever. He thinks of Patton as his soulmate, the prince to his charming, etc etc.

Logan has had feelings for Roman ever since they deemed each other their best friend, but he refuses to even humor the idea of doing something about it, because of how besotted Roman is for Patton. And he understands why Roman likes Patton, maybe a little too well, because Patton is perfect, he's pretty and kind and funny and all sorts of other adjectives for amazing that Logan can think of. And that's obviously just objective fact, there's no way Logan has any sort of bias on that, none at all.

Patton, meanwhile, is the only one aware that he's definitely got some non-platonic feelings for the both of them. And he's kinda got bigger things to worry about at home (👀 ask me ask me ask me) so he just kinda figures they'll blow over. Besides, he can see how much Logan loves Roman and Roman clearly feels the same, even if he apparently doesn't realize it, so there's no need to mess with it. But he does really want to shower them all with love sometimes, especially when he catches Logan making such fond expressions at him and Roman play-flirts.

And then Virgil shows up, and all three are pretty quickly enamored. He and Roman exchange witty quips and debate over silly topics, with Logan he can relax and share interests with, and with Patton he can be silly and affectionate without getting too anxious. Pretty quickly they've all got crushes on Virgil.

And things get more complicated when Roman realizes that he likes Virgil and Patton, bc wait what. How's that possible. Does he have to choose. How does that work. Poor boy's never heard of polyamory.

And then he sees Logan all dressed up for some fancy hero party (his parents are heroes, and the organization sometimes has stuffy events where everyone is treated like they just push papers or smth, and kids can tag along) and realizes oh no he's hot.

Virgil meanwhile is sitting here just happy to have friends in the first place, finding all of them attractive but recognizing they clearly have some kind of weird triangle going on, so he just won't mess with it. But they're so determined to help him despite the fact that he's the one who caused all of his problems in the first place (in his opinion at least) that he can't help but want to kiss them all. And it doesn't help that they all look at him like he's some wonderful thing.

So yeah they're all stupid as hell.

um excuse me I have an order here for *checks tags* an explanation of the relationships in Roman Pryce: Teenage Superhero and two questions

does anyone ever call Virgil "gay-le"

have you posted this anywhere I could read or is its existence confined to one specific corner of your brain and I will consequently have to continuously bother you about it if I want more details? (or a secret third option idk)

(i lied the amount of questions has grown) exactly how many crises does Roman have?

how does Janus fit into this?

so. Virgil is Not Okay, right? and Remus (and presumably Janus) are part of his Tragic Backstory. I don’t actually know how to phrase this as a question, but it is one. see below.

how much are you willing to say about this AU?

:D

ok ok oKAY WOO

so 1. I did not think of that but now somebody definitely called him "gay-le."

2. It currently just resides in my brain, I came up with the idea less than 48 hours ago and within an hour of existing it already had a fully fledged plot and character development and all that, but i plan to write it as soon as i wrangle my adhd to work with me.

3. counting them all, i think Roman has 3 romantic crises, 2 familial crises, 2 moral crises, and 1 identity crisis. So he has a total of 8 crises. Oof.

4. Janus is another villain, working alongside Remus. And also is Remus' best friend, handler, and moral compass. I'm completely abnormal about them.

5. Virgil's tragic backstory is mostly separate from Jan and Remus, but they Know About It, and are tied to a less tragic, more shameful (at least for Virgil) part of his backstory. Gale wasn't always viewed as purely a force of good :) (But yeah, Virgil is Not Okay, though he gets better once the gang finds out the details about his Tragic Backstory)

6. Other than spoilers for like Big Moments in the plot or Big Reveals, I'm willing to say a lot, because this thing already takes up so much space in my brain and the more hyped i get about it the more motivated I am to write, so pls ask me more about it, it sparks So Much Joy

[halfhissandwich]

Hey! Noticed your complaint about Janus ship name similarities in the tags of the rociet, and I came up with a few alternatives that are combinations of thing linked to them rather than just their names!

For example:

Rociet = RoyalSerpent? (Self explanitory)

Lociet = MindBending? (Like bending the truth)

Mociet = HiddenHeart? (Like how Jan hides stuff from Thomas)

Those are just my ideas but they're definetly more unique and distinct from one another. Feel free to come up with your own if you wanna!

Wait omg that’s so cool actually! It kinda reminds me of how some people call logicality Glasses Gays and call dukeceit Trashnoodle, that’s so cute!

I don’t really have any myself, unless you count crack ship names that make me laugh. I’ve called moceit Discount Narumitsu once or twice. I do it out of love <3

[thecrowslullaby]

How about...

21. Dystopian AU & 74. Huddling for warmth with Dukeceit?

Also imagine I give you a blanket and some tea, hope you feel better soon 😊🫖💙

Thank you for the blankets. I drank tea and I'm doing okeyish

Pairing: Dukeceit (more platonic than romantic I think)

Tags: Swearing, suprisingly wholesome Remus, gun?

Word count: 633

Of fucking course the shit in the hole would have fucking Levianth minions lurking around.

It was supposed to be just a quick in and out mission from their boss. Gather supplies and be back to base but the minute Janus and he stepped through the door it shut behind them, locking them both in the freezer.

They should have suspected something was up. It was far too cold inside when Logan disassembled the electronic lock. Guess you could always count on good old mutant AI trying to destroy humanity.

From the sound of gunshots from the other side of the door Remus concluded it wasn't peachy on the other side either. Classic. Trap those you can and eliminate the rest with minions.

Remus plopped down on the ground. There was nothing Janus or him could do. The door was locked from the other side so they had to wait for Logan to open it once again.

There was a chattering sound behind him. Remus grabbed his gun and snapped his torso around, only to come aim at a surprised Janus, who was rubbing furiously at his arms.

"Are you cold?"

"Oh not at all Remus" he sneered. "I'm just as peachy as back home in sunny Mississippi. I just thought I’d compose a melody."

Remus snorted, patting the spot on the ground to his right.

"What?"

"Sit"

"Yes Remus, sitting on the frozen ground is exactly what I need right now."

"You can sit on my lap if you want to," he wiggled his eyebrows. I assure you it's much warmer than the ground."

“Hard pass” Janus responded sitting down.. As soon as he did Remus shrugged off his jacket and laid it over his friend. Despite Janus being slightly taller than him it still hung loosely on him, no wonder he was cold. Remus wrapped his arm around his friend, pulling him closer, so his scaled side could rest against him. He captured all of Janus' bony fingers with his other hand. The scales were cold to the touch.

"Wow, Logan wasn't kidding when he said you're cold blooded, rattlesnake."

"When is Logan ever kidding, Remus?"

Remus snorted.

"Yeah. I just wasn't aware it could get this bad so quickly."

Janus shrugged.

"Comes with the good looks" Remus snorted. He remembered all the times Janus’ ��good looks’ have gotten them into trouble. It was a close call far too many times and there were five of them now. He can’t imagine what it must have been like for Janus before he and Logan joined their rag tag team. He doubted he'd ever find out, not how secretative the two of them were about it.

He was brought out of his thoughts as Janus teeth chattering got louder.

"I promise not to make any dirty jokes if you want to sit in my lap" Janus raised his eyebrow "Alright. I'm going to make one dirty joke but you're fucking cold and I don't want you to freeze."

To his surprise Janus stood up, awkwardly slipping onto Remus lap. He shifted the jacket to the front, pressing his back against Remus. Oh he really was cold. The bulkier man slipped his arms under the jacket, grabbing Janus’ hands.

"Oh you’re warm.” The taller man said, relaxing slightly.

“Warm?” Remus grinned. “I should be offended. I’m fucking hot, man.” Janus snorted, arching his head awkwardly to look down at Remus.

Before the taller man had any chance to respond, the door burst open, Roman’s grinning face popping into the room.

"The hero is here to save you both" Roman’s eyes went wide as they landed on Remus and Janus, but he quickly recovered, a devious grin breaking out on his face.

"Do you want us to lock you two in for two more minutes?"