#logically I go for bet on forever first

[ghostbeam]

Having a moment rn where I want to write everything I’ve ever thought abt writing ever and I have no idea where to start

[littleplantfreak]

I can't go back to sleep until I write Umemiya pining after a girl who's busier than he is apparently so. I didn't really proofread sorry! :P

The first time he meets you, you literally fall into his arms. Not in the romantic way though, you're just running so fast that when you stumble, trying to skew your direction enough that you don't hurt him, he's fumbling to catch you. The box of books your trying to bring to the library donation box scatters and you're in the most awkward hold ever. "Sorry, really should've watched where I was going," you tell him, out of breath and sweaty. He tries to help you pick up the books but you wave his hand off, before saying a quick goodbye and heading off. He laughs about it later, remembering your hair completely disheveled from the fall and the way you went back to running to the library even though he's sure it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

He ends up asking more people about you, finding out more about you from them, than he's able to glean from his rare run-ins with you. You're as active in the community as he is, just in different ways. Walking a bunch of younger kids to school in the morning because they have to cross a busy street and the school hasn't been able to cover the crossing guard position just yet or helping run the fundraiser for a local shop's owner who's sick, your schedule is packed even when you don't plan for it to be.

Everyone can see him getting a stupidly goofy look on his face as he calls out a quick greeting seeing you on your way somewhere. The first time he sees you tired he's nervous immediately. It's totally normal, given how much you do, but the hunch in your shoulders and sluggish way you're eating the food at Pothos has his stomach turning. He's considering asking Hiragi for stomach medicine now. When you go to leave he's grabbing the fabric of your sleeve gently tugging, a little unsure if you'd be against him grabbing your hand. He's a gentle guy, but no one's seen him treat anyone that delicately before.

"I know you're busy, but could you make time for me?" He's asking, and you misunderstand his concern for you as him really needing help with something, shooting a text to the people you were supposed to meet. You agree and he leads you to the school rooftop, giving you a brief tour.

"What did you need help with again?" You ask, yawning into your hands.

"Ah..." He trails off because he didn't need help but he figures you must've thought that when he asked for your time. "Ya see this hammock over here? I'm trying to figure out if I need to get a new one! Could you try it out for me?" He figures trying to explain that he just wanted to spend time with you might go over your head, so making up an excuse is the best bet, not to mention he might be able to get you to rest.

You're not fazed in the slightest, having been asked weirder favors. "Yeah, it's not gonna fall over or anything, right?" It'd suck to lay down only to end up face first on concrete.

"No no! It's completely safe I promise!" And he's relieved when he finally sees you lie down. It's insanely comfortable too. You start melting into it, pretty sure at this point you're gonna be glued to it forever. "Comfy?" He smiles, knowing for a fact that it is.

"Mm," you mumbled a little out of it. If you don't get up soon you might just fall asleep.

"Think there's room for two? I heard checking that it can handle it's weight limit is important," He says nearly laughing at such an easily seen through excuse, knowing you're probably too tired to even register his logic. Patting the side, you scoot over a bit, waiting for him to lie down too. "O-oh no I was kidding-,"

"Umemiya," and the way you're saying his name, a little gruff from exhaustion has his hear pounding in his ears. You pat the side harder, punctuating your silent demand. It's a tight squeeze next to him, but not entirely uncomfortable, noting how big he actually is next to you. "Think you need a bigger one," you say practically in his neck due to your positions, setting his nerves on fire. Is it hot up here? He's sweating a little, feeling a flush climbing up his neck to his ears. You go quiet, and as he looks over you're fast asleep, starting to drool on his shoulder a bit, chest rising and falling softly.

He's the human equivalent of an exclamation point now, unable to actually move to get off unless he wants to wake you up, which is currently unthinkable. He's able to get his phone out though, and is texting Hiragi in incomprehensible strings of text all in caps, an excess of emojis flying into the chat. Thankfully, Hiragi's had years of experience translating what Ume's trying to say, and when he gets the gist he's thrilled. He hopes they stay up there all day, and his stomach eases reflexively at the though of his leader tied up and unable to cause any trouble. Umemiya gets a quick text back in acknowledgement saying Hiragi'll make sure no one comes up to the roof for the afternoon.

Eventually, after calming down his giddiness, he also end up passing out, getting the best, yet sweatiest sleep of his life. He also ends up with a nasty sunburn on his arm that fell into a patch of sunlight on the side of the hammock, but thinks it's very much worth it when you panic and start massaging aloe into it. Once you wake up, you realize his ply was to get you to rest all along and you're thankful for it asking if you could borrow his hammock again sometime. He's nearly tripping over himself trying to explain that you could come here every day and it wouldn't be a problem, in fact it'd be amazing if you did because he could show you how his garden is doing and introduce you to everyone and, and, and. He's got you giggling with the enthusiasm, before you shake your head saying once a week probably works better. "Maybe tuesdays?" you ask and he agrees, obviously please. "It's a date then." You say, grabbing your stuff before asking him to show you the way back to the front of the school.

He nearly has a heart attack at the word 'date' but for the rest of the week, he's so excited it's annoying, eventually a flustered Sakura yelling at Ume to "Shut up about your girlfriend" and he does. For about 1 minute.

[enden-agolor]

you really dont see potential with aidkas? what about as exes? or after aiden redemption?

No, I don't.

I really don't like the whole ex's trope because I really don't see Lukas and Aiden having that kind of relationship at all in the first couple episodes. It's very clear Aiden does not care about, or respect Lukas.

He ignored Lukas when Lukas said he wanted the team to focus on the build, but Aiden kept harassing Jesse and his friends. Honestly? I think Lukas blew up at him at the building competition because we end up seeing them all split off at Endercon. Then Lukas confesses he's not really sure he feels like he's picked the right team. In all honesty, I think that the Ocelots are just a building squad and not a devoted friend group.

If they were truly friends, and if Aiden actually cared about Lukas, then Aiden would have been relieved that Lukas was okay after staying with Jesse and his friends throughout the Witherstorm arc. Sending Lukas to go out alone when there's a world eating monster is reckless and wrong. Logically, his safest bet is to stay with the group, and if Aiden cared about Lukas' wellbeing, he would have acknowledged this and understood Lukas' decision making. Instead, we are shown how bitter Aiden is that Lukas felt comfortable enough with Jesse and his team to stick with them, even if you choose to go back for the Ocelots.

He's cocky and shows no remorse in kicking Lukas out of his own group because what? He made friends who actually care about him? That makes Aiden, Maya, and Gill hardly ever Lukas' friends to begin with if they were so willing to ditch him. Aiden insults him when he's not even around to hear it.

In all honesty, I think the reason Aiden is so damn jealous is not because Lukas stuck around Jesse more, but because Jesse and his friends became heroes. Because the people Aiden hated and harassed became heroes, and he didn't. You can tell this is the case by how obsessed Aiden is with taking down Jesse specifically. He doesn't see either of them as heroes. He sees them as obstacles getting in the way of his own ego.

That is pretty clear with how he showed absolutely no hesitation in pushing either of the two off Sky City. He had no idea there was ground down there. Aiden, in his mind, felt as though he were pushing Lukas and Jesse into the void to be lost forever. The dude is a straight up sociopath.

As for Aiden's "redemption". I think he needs to stay in Sky City and never interact with Lukas or Jesse again. Saying Lukas and him have potential to get together if Aiden apologizes absolutely destroys everything Lukas has worked up to being throughout the games. He found the friend group he needed. He found his own self worth. He found bravery. He found himself without Aiden. The only people who ever brought him down were Aiden, Maya, and Gill. Putting him with his abuser/bully is basically self sabotage. It would be horrible for Lukas. Lukas has moved on and is living his life happily in BeaconTown with Jesse. Aiden needs to move on and understand that the people he attempted to murder are not going to accept his apology. Who in their right mind would? Aiden needs to make up for what he did to Sky City, and I think starting a new life there without the people of his past who's lives he tried to destroy is the right direction to go.

[james-is-here]

(late) Halloween post bitches 😎✌🏼

Had to remake this but luckily I was just making the header and adding tags so I didn't lose too much 😁 and I'm proud that I posted a holiday fic 😌 I believe this fic shows how creative I am.

Spider divider by @adornedwithlight

Is there a pairing in this? I don't know, read and find out 😏

Special tag for @succubus-hansol 😁 I've had this in my docs for a few months now. 9k+ words 😲 Long but worth the read.

Blogs: @forever-atiny @lemon--shark @victorbutnotreally @leezanetheofficial @belladonna6-6-6 @heartbinn @yongbokkk @dontwannaexsist @tomorrowxtogather 

Tags: Vampires, Blood, fighting, abuse, fluff then angst then fluff, Vampire Mirror logic what's that?, should be implied that the boys are all together

Lmk if I forgot a tag or you want to be added to taglist :)

The sky was sparkling and the night was cool as the fluttering of wings flapped above an 18th century, two-floor house, a black roof and grey exterior walls, and a patio that wraps around to the left side. A courtyard with a fountain in the middle has a cobblestone path circling it, leading to the patio stairs in front of the front door. A fence with a gate around the whole lot.

The house resides on the outskirts of the town of humans. It's on a shallow hill, often used for dares. ‘Fifty bucks for the first one to reach the gate without backing out.’ 'I dare you to stand at the Shadowborne gate for five minutes without one of them noticing you.'

Shadowborne, that's the species that lived in the house, but it wasn't the entire species obviously. One clan resided in the house, the Stravian Kin Clan, and the human folk knew what they were, a couple of humans once tried to venture further than the gate one night which resulted in the law within the town that prohibited any residents from going into the forest after the clan leader left the trespassers worse for wear.

That never stopped the occasional rebellious teens from slipping through the fence to fulfill their bet or dare.

One night though, no humans trespassed or disturbed the land as a few bats flew and played around above the house, sometimes landing on the roof to settle down. Still, the playfulness continued with sneaky crawling before nipping at the victim and chirping happily at the reaction.

Two small bats were flying around while a slightly larger one sat on the roof when a fourth bat showed up, seemingly out of the clouds and the two smaller ones stopped flipping in the air to watch the new arrival above them before its wings stilled and it began to fall to the ground.

They watched as it fell to the ground before turning to the one on the roof. He chirped, flapping his wings to head for the balcony at the back right of the house on the second floor that leads to a large round room with bookshelves and pillows strewn about on a large cushion-like rug, covering the floor of the whole room.

The bats fly over to the balcony before three clouds of two deep red swirls twist around and up as full bodies are revealed before it dissipates and the now human-like forms take off in a run out of the room. They push through the doors and run to the right before coming to the wide opening of the stairs, dashing down the first staircase, turning on a flat section before coming to the last staircase and taking two at a time.

The taller one became impatient and grabbed the railing at the flat part before jumping over and landing on the first floor as the other two followed the stairs and continued the rest of the way, a few steps behind the taller one.

“Hyung!!” The one who jumped the stairs called out before he went to the front window and looked into the courtyard. “Hyung!!” One of the others, a blonde, ran to the right through the living room to the study as the other, a brunette, ran left towards the kitchen.

The “Hyung” in question appeared a second later, opening the study doors and the blonde collided with his chest with a ‘oof’. “Sorry! There's a bat! Th-They flew from the clouds before going limp and falling. Th-Their flight pattern was slow and staggered slightly, I think they're hurt.” “Did you recognize them?” “Uh…” If the blonde could blush, he would cause then he says with a chuckle, “Um, no. The…The moon was behind him…”

The older one huffed a smile before both were turning to the male at the window. “I can see him!” He yelled. “Him?” “Yeah! He's next to the fountain, he just reformed in a cloud of rust.” “Rust?” “Yeah, it was like a rust color.”

“Hyunjin, away from the window.” The tall vampire, Hyunjin, slouched away from the window and sat back on his shins with a small pout as he watched the older vampire open the door and walk out to the edge of the front deck.

He listened closely, watching the figure before he spun around when he heard another boot hit the wood porch. “No, back inside.” He scolds the blonde like a dog and he backs up before going over to Hyunjin and peaking through the curtain with him.

Chan slowly steps off the patio into the gravel. He slowly stalks forward, straining his enhanced hearing to the edges to listen to the figure as he circled the fountain. His inner protector senses the figure as a threat as he stalks forward and one more step has the figure turning his head before he's upright, trying to drag himself away from the taller, intimidating, clear leader of the territory he crashed into.

“I-I’m sorry! I-I’m sorry! P-Please have mercy…m-mercy, please. I-I w-won't bother y-you, sir, I-I’ll leave j-just please, I-I need-” He yelps and stops scooting back away from the other vampire when a twig from a dying bush from the garden surrounding the path stab into the wound on his side. He cries out painfully, falling onto his back with his eyes squeezed shut to not cry, to not be weak as he pushes the twig away from him and gripping his side.

“Why are you here, Emberborne?” Is all the leader says.

Emberborne. Like Shadowborne’s, their bat forms are a reddish-orange, living West of where Shadowborne’s inhabit. So why and how is one all the way East and by itself?

“I-I don't…I d-don't mean…harm...” The boy is panting heavily, eyes trained on the night sky and almost hyperventilating before he huffs out heavily a couple of times, his eyes fluttering shut while his hand lets go of his side and his head slowly falls to the side, unconscious.

The Shadowborne, Chan, steps closer until he crouches down next to the boys left side and gently moves his hand to look at the wounds on his side and stomach. The loose-fit shirt, frilly with large sleeve cuffs, typically what older generation vampires wore, was torn and bloody. On the boy's side were two large open wounds, but not as deep as a gash, almost like something grazed him and took the top layer on skin but when Chan grazed lightly over the middle wound on the side of the boys stomach to move the shirt, he hissed as his fingers suddenly stung slightly.

Moving the shirt out of the way, he sees a silver bullet. He moves to the right side of the Emberborne quickly, picking him up with an arm under his knees and his upper back then turning back to the house.

Hyunjin and the blonde were at the front door the moment Chan had stood up with the boy. “Go get Minho.” “Chan Hyung, he’s with Changbin to get the supplies from the forest border.” Hyunjin reminds him as Chan gently puts the boy on the couch so his wounded side is facing him.

Groaning, he sighs while removing the boy's top. “Okay. Hyunjin, in the study behind the desk, is an old black bag. Can you get it? Felix, go get one of Innie’s shirts and prepare a room. Where’s Jisung?” “He went to the kitchen to, I assume, look for you.” “Get him along with some blood packs.”

Hyunjin returned with the black bag as Felix went off. Opening it and digging around, Chan pulls out a small pair of medical tongs and a small glass jar. “Hyung, who is this?” “Don’t know. He’s an Emberborne and…” He drags out as he carefully uses the tongs to grab the silver bullet and carefully extract it, placing it in the small jar and then putting the lid back on. “...He must've been attacked. Eh, Don't touch that.” Though it was in a glass jar, it was still a silver bullet, so he quickly slapped Hyunjin’s hand away when he reached out to look at what Chan had just removed.

He pulls out gauze along with a bandage. “Come here, Jin.” He guides the young vampire to sit on the back of the couch while holding the unknown boy up so he can place the gauze and cotton along the wounds before wrapping the bandage around his torso. “His healing is gonna be slow until he wakes up and he can feed,” Chan explains when he sees the confusion on Hyunjin’s face as he sits on the couch with the boys head on his lap.

“What could an Emberborne even be doing here?” Hyunjin asked. “Ran away? Outcasted? Lost his clan? Who knows. We’ll just have to wait until he wakes up.” Chan mutters as he puts everything back in the back except the tongs and the jar.

Felix returns with Jisung and two other seemingly younger vampires behind him. “Okay, gotta get some of this into his system,” Chan mutters as he takes the pack of blood from Jisung and the shirt from Felix. From the front door, two vampires walk in as their reforming smoke dissipates behind them and they're carrying large bags on their shoulders. “Hey, We’re- Woah.” The last two clan members stop at the sight of the others surrounding what they think is a human on the couch.

At the sign of Minho about to hiss as he glared at the boy, Chan handed the bag that was dripping blood into the boy's mouth to Hyunjin, who continued the steady dripping, before standing up. “It's not a human, it's a vampire.” “How do you know?” “Well, his fangs, the slight burn marks on his wounds from a silver bullet-” “The fact that he was a bat and almost crashed into us.” Jisung cuts him off as he points between him and Felix then Hyunjin speaks up without looking away from feeding the unconscious vampire. “He reformed in a cloud of rust.”

“Okay, I got it.” Minho relaxed as Chan took the bag from him. “Oh, I tidied up the room next to the library for him.” “Thank you, Felix. Wanna take him up?” Felix nods before taking the half dripped pouch from Hyunjin and picking the boy up in a princess carry and taking him through the large foyer and up the stairs to the room he made up.

It's the size of a master bedroom, all of them are, and in the center against the right wall is a queen bed covered with a dark green quilt and matching canopy hanging from wooden posts.

Felix gently places the boy on the bed where he folded the blanket and sheet out of the way. As he tucks the boy in, he goes to walk away but stops and gently moving his hair away from his eyes. “You look so young.” He mutters to himself before taking his hand from under the blanket, looking at where an existing pulse point would've been.

Felix’s brows furrow before placing it back next to him and took his other wrist. “No mark?” “Emberborne’s aren’t like us, Lixie.” Felix jumps, turning to see Chan walk in and walk over to him to sit on the edge of the bed. “Right. I wasn't really taught about Emberborne’s…Before I found you, my old clan literally obliterated everything about Emberborne's.”

“Shadowborne's have been marking their offspring with their clan sigils for eternity, even in today’s evolved age. It's for protection and safety and forms when we grow into our vampire side. Unfortunately, with Emberborne's, they still have old ideations like us but believe they need to grow up and survive on their own, that they don't need protection of their family. They don't get any marks until they make their own family. An emberborne once lived to be three hundred and six before they got a sigil, finding their partner. They were the last of their birth family to get their own family sigil.” “Wow.”

Felix began to absentmindedly rub his thumb back and forth on the boy's knuckles, looking away from Chan to look down at his peaceful face. “What got him?” “I assume Hunters. Pulled a silver bullet out of one of the wounds.” “What? That's not cool.” “No, it's not. Oh…” Chan pulled something out of his pocket and moved to sit on the other side of the boy. “I noticed sun burn welts as you were bringing him up here.”

He gently moved the blanket away and moved the top part of his shirt. “Oh no.” Felix sat on the bed, watching Chan rub an ointment over red patches on the boy's chest. “Attacked during the day? He must've been chased out of wherever he was hiding.” Felix says as he hovers a finger over one of the burns. “There's no signs that show how old he is. Do they age slowly like us?” “They do. He may look the human age of nineteen but he may be one of our ages.” “Well, Hyunjin looks nineteen but he's like two hundred.” Chan snickers as he caps the ointment.

“You're really invested in this boy.” “I’m just worried about him and he looks interesting. You know me, I cried when we found Seungmin and he said a wolf got him.” “You do know that when he's awake and healed, we’ll have to send him off…right?” “Wha- But Hyung-” “We can't keep an Emberborne. Ember and Shadow don't mix.” “But…But you brought him in. You bandaged him up, you care about him.” “Felix!” Chan bared his fangs and his eyes flashed before closing his eyes the moment he saw Felix flinch and took a deep breath while looking away.

“I did what I did because I couldn't leave him with the bullet. Plus he begged for mercy, I couldn't-” He's silent for a moment. “Couldn't just leave him...” “Hyung…” Felix says softly as he watches Chan get off the bed and walk towards the door. “Come on. Let him rest.” Chan mutters as he stares at the floor, hand on the door.

Felix walked over to him, glancing back to the boy then to Chan. “Go.” Chan says firmly, tilting his head out the door to get Felix to walk out. Felix sighs, looking down at his hands and walking to the left to the library, probably to curl up in his corner Chan predicts.

Chan sighs, looking back at the boy on the bed before walking out.

Chan and his clan had long been asleep before the sun began to rise. He's buried under his dark red bedding with one of his younger vampires tucked in his arms who snuck in shortly after he fell asleep so he’s not sure who it is.

It had only been two hours, behind the thick curtains the sunrise peaked behind the clouds and lit the outside of the house with the new daylight but Chan suddenly jerks awake, looking around the dark room to figure out what was wrong.

Looking down, he notices the body in his arms was Felix. He's glad he didn't completely put off Felix from earlier.

Unwrapping his arms from the blonde, he slips out of bed, going to check the house just in case. Maybe his senses were detecting one of his vampires out of bed, possibly Changbin trying to sneak one of his pouches. Changbin was banned from the fridge during the day, their night time, after the last time he took one a day early and ended up having to wait an entire day before they could get their next month's supply. His feeding schedule was shit after that and they had to bribe their supplier for an extra pouch.

Their supplier being at the human towns hospital, an older doctor that they made a deal with after the human trespassing law was made. No humans in their forest for a month's worth of blood packs. The town didn't want anymore deaths so some of the residents donate blood simply for the vampires.

When Chan left his room, he was on the other side of the house from the library, he walked to the left towards the stairs, pausing at the other doors he passed by to hear the breathing of one or two of his clan, only passing the rooms who's doors were open.

Changbin’s door was closed with two sets of breathing, so that rules out Changbin sneaking blood and explains Hyunjin’s door being open as Hyunjin usually slept with Changbin. Seungmin’s door was closed but Jeongin’s was open and with Minho’s being closed and Jisung’s being open, and Felix with him, the two baby vamps were together and Ji was with Min or one baby was with Ji and the other with Min.

So what woke him up?

That's when a thought entered his head and he walked to the library. When he gets there, he freezes, lowering his body as he slowly stalks to the open bedroom. Peaking in, the blankets on the bed are thrown away and there's no longer a body, the blood pack Felix left behind now on the floor, empty. His thoughts are on overdrive as he dashes over to the rope hanging at the end of the hall and pulls, it was an old design feature that came with the house that triggers small bells that are in each room.

He hears a yelp near the stairs and runs over to it, finding the boy from before. “Wait, Don't move!” The boy looks up to the second floor balcony and Chan can see and hear his rapid breaths along with noticing the blooming red staining the shirt which means his bandages were soaked as well before the boy takes off in the direction of the living room. “Wait!” By that time, the others are out of bed, alert but mostly grumpy at being woken up so early into their sleep.

The sun just rose for crying out loud.

“Corner him, I think he's trying to leave.” He calls out when he can feel the others growing closer as he jumps over the railing and follows the boy.

He follows him through the living room and into the study. He runs behind the desk, cowering against the decommissioned fireplace behind it before glancing at the side door that leads to a passageway to the kitchen.

Chan lowers his height, hands outstretched to stop him. “Hold on, wait, it's okay, you're okay.” “I-I’m sorry, I don't-” “It's okay, calm down, we won't hurt you. What’s your name, fledgling?” The boy pants, glancing at the door then back to the person in front of him. “Don't, please. It's okay.” Chan slowly steps forward, crouching down lower to look less intimidating which shocks him himself but he chalks it up to just not wanting the boy to aggravate his wounds and dressings.

He barely gets another step when the boy takes off, pushing open the cracked door and running to the kitchen with Chan following.

In the kitchen, Changbin and Felix are waiting, listening, until Changbin is turning when he hears the running in the study’s hallway.

The boy was looking behind him, watching out over his shoulder for Chan before turning and stopping with a squeak when he noticed Changbin. He swerves, diverting the other way but is stopped by Felix and he runs back the other way, dropping to his knee and sliding past Changbin before standing back up, staggering and holding a hand to his side as he looks back at the other three before running again and Chan follows, Changbin and Felix joining as well shortly after.

The boy runs back to the foyer, through the empty room that used to be a dining room and to the stairs. Running up the stairs, he runs in the direction of the room he first left but Minho and Seungmin block him. He skids to a stop, going to run the other way but Jisung, Hyunjin, and Jeongin block him.

Breathing heavily, fear and panic washed over his face as he looked at each of the split groups, from the two on his left then the three on his right, then the three below him.

A window catches his eye, poised above the flat level of the stairs that conjoin the first level and second level staircase. A slight billow of the curtain pinned to the wall to still keep light out giving away that the window was open. “Wait! Wait! Don't do it!” Chan exclaims, noticing the boy glance at the window.

He shrinks back to the wall, looking to his left and right again to see the other strangers have gotten closer. “Stop him!” Chan yells at the two groups but the boy is already running the moment Minho dashes forward to grab him.

His transformation is quick, rust smoke envelopes his body and dissipates as a bat emerges and he’s trying to fly up to the window but with a weak chirp and pained squeak, his flying falters and he falls. “No!” Chan runs forward and catches the weakened Vampire in his hands.

The bat squeaks and chirps, flapping in Chan’s hands as the groups on the second floor have converged and looked over the railing the moment the bat began to fall.

“Shh, Shh, it's okay little fledgling, we won't hurt you. Settle down, it's okay.” Chan says in a hushed tone, a hand moving from underneath the bat to rest over his back and using his thumb to pet his head. “It's okay. You have to calm down little one. You almost got yourself burned.” Still panting and breathing heavily, the flapping has stopped, wings draped over Chan’s hand as he looks up at the male holding him. “It's daytime. You would've made your condition worse.”

Chan continued to pet his head as Felix and Changbin walked up next to him while the others still watched from above. “Are you calm enough? Wanna reform?” He watches the bat heave a few more breaths before his head falls flat on Chan’s palm like a dog draped over the arm of a chair, looking up at him and making Chan huff a small laugh. “Want me to set you down or do you need a toss?” He flicks his wings and Chan steps back towards the stairs, the other two walking back from him to give him space.

Chan tosses the bat gently in front of him before rust smoke is swirling around and the boy reforms then promptly falls to the floor, legs folded underneath as his hands hold him up on the floor. “I-I’m sorry..” He breathes out with an exhale, voice soft and gentle as he tries to catch his breath. “I-I didn't mean to…I’m sorry.” He whimpers and Chan carefully steps forward.

“It's okay. What’s your name?” “M-Mn…a-and I’m not a fledgling…I’m two hundred and fifteen.” “Sorry, I did that out of habit. You look young like Hyunjin.” You look up and back, eyes jumping from one vampire to the other before dropping your head back down. “I didn't mean to invade your territory…I-I was f-fleeing from hunters and they found me…I-I was so scared, I started running without reforming or thinking. Th-They chased me till dusk, one got me with his bullets. The trees barely covered me.”

Your right hand moved from the floor to absentmindedly touch your burns before a hand takes yours and you flinch. “Sorry, didn't want you to touch the ointment or the burn itself.” You gasp suddenly and your hand leaves his to go to your side. “The bullet. Where-” “I extracted it. Put it in a jar, might take it to the human town authorities so they could do something with it.”

You fall back, slowly scooting away. “H-Humans? Do you interact with humans?” Chan’s hand gently rests on your ankle. “No, we just have an alliance with them. The most interaction we do is with our blood supplier at the hospital. That's it.” “How…How do they trust you so easily?” “They made a law awhile back after I mauled two humans when they trespassed. Humans stay away from our property and we stay away from their town. Even our supplier stays away, just drops the bags at the edge of the forest.”

Your eyes water, glassy as you look up at Chan. “N-No humans?” “Yeah. Hey, don't cry. Are you hurt? Do you need anything?” “Wh-Why are you being so nice to me?” Chan hesitates, glancing at Felix next to him then back to the boy. “You begged for mercy…and I couldn't leave you with a silver bullet slowly killing you.” It's quiet for a moment other than the others moving to the second floor of the stairs and sitting along the banister. “The…Uh, the bullet is also blessed…M-Might want to take it to a priest as well…if the town has one.” You stare down at your fingers where the older vampire notices your burnt fingertips. “You tried to remove them.” “Yeah…the first two were painful and easy but the third one was too far.”

Shaking his head, he awkwardly looked around then back to the floor. “I, um, I’m sorry. I-I’ll be out tonight, I promise.” “You can stay until the silver effects wear out and you're replenished.” Looking at the grandfather clock next to the front door, it's eight in the morning and Chan giggles softly as he glances back at the others.

“Late night snack anyone?” “Me!” Changbin says first and gets up, already halfway to the kitchen and the others laugh and stand as well. “Come on. Let’s get some blood in you, might help get you closer to restoring your quick healing.” Chan helps you stand, supporting you as you stumble slightly then look over at Felix. “Hi…” “Hi.” Felix smiles. “Sorry I almost crashed into you and your friend.” “It's okay. Come on, let's go feed.” Felix gently holds your shoulder and helps guide you to the kitchen.

The others have already started to walk away before you and Felix except Minho who stands next to Chan, watching the two of you walk away. “What happened to Shadows not liking Embers?” “He's injured.” Chan shrugs, looking down at his hands. “Wouldn't be right, especially since...well y’know.” “Yeah, Yeah, begged for mercy.” “Silver doesn't take long to leave us so he should actually be good to leave tonight. Then he’ll be on his way.”

Minho scans Chan’s stance and listens to his tone of voice. “Why does it sound like you don't want him to leave?” “It's just the leader in me or something, feels wrong for him to be alone with no protection.” His thumb finds the mark on his left wrist, grazing over his Clan sigil, on his right wrist is his birth clan sigil. Minho takes his hand, replacing his thumb with his own. “He’ll get protection one day. That's how his species live. Now come on, Changbin might eat the whole stock.” That brings a small smile to Chan’s face, his fangs peaking through and Minho pokes his cheek while moving to take Chan's hand, lacing their fingers together. “Cute.” Chan swats him away, letting go of Minho’s hand then heads to the kitchen. “Chan! I’m just teasing!”

Chan was right when he said Mn would be okay by night. The remaining effects of the silver gone and plenty of blood had his quick healing restored as he slept. After everyone who wanted a pouch had one, everyone promptly went back to bed for the rest of the day.

Mn woke up first the moment he could hear the grandfather clock strike. Walking over to the window, Mn opened the curtain and watch the sky, the sun out of the way and leaving behind a beautiful night sky.

Mn sighs when he knows he’ll have to leave and go off flying again. He might as well leave now, Mn told them he'll be gone at night so he’ll be gone.

Wearing the youngest vampire’s shirt he was given, his boots in hand so as to not cause noise, he tiptoed his way next door, carefully opening the door then closing it and padding his way over to the balcony. He ties the curtain out of the way before carefully opening the window doors and walking out onto the patio.

Mn slipped on his boots and tie them before standing up, looking back into the house that he's felt the safest in ever before walking over to the stone railing and climbing up, jumping off before reforming and flying up. He hovers, taking one last look at the house before taking off into the clouds and away from the Shadowborne’s.

When Felix went to check on Mn when he woke, his whole body deflated at the open door before going to the library, deflating even more at the open terrace then going back to his room.

“Good evening, Felix.” Hyunjin greets with a yawn while rubbing his eyes, walking into his room and flopping on the bed next to him. “Mn’s gone.” Hyunjin drops his hand next to him and looks up at the male who's balled up on himself, arms wrapped around his knees as he stares at his blanket. “Well, of course he is. His quick healing must've kicked in while he was sleeping so he left like he said he would.” “Yeah, well…Kinda wanted him to stay around.” Felix mutters, turning away to bury half his face into his elbow. “He's an emberborne, Felix. The only reason he was here was to recover.” “I know…”

It was quiet for a while, Hyunjin rubbing his back before he shifts. “Um, I kinda want to be alone for a while. If you need me I’ll be on the living room ceiling.” “Oh…Okay Lixie.” The blonde reforms, swirl of deep red covering him before dissipating and Hyunjin watches the bat fly away towards the living room. “Oh Lix…” He says sadly as he gets up and leaves the boys room.

Walking downstairs, he looks up to find the boy curled up and huddled in the darkest corner of the ceiling, away from lights and candles. “Hyun?” He stood at the end of the living room in front of the study to look at Felix properly. “Whatcha looking at?” Chan asks, legs moving off the top of the desk as he puts his book down and joins the other. “A Felix.” Looking up as well, Chan spots him.

“Aw, why’s he in his corner?” “Mn’s gone.” Hyunjin answers simply and Chan sighs. “Sorry Lix.” The only reply he got was a small chirp before he looked down. “Good to know he's all better now.” He tells Hyunjin as he moves to the couch. “Yeah.” Hyunjin joins him, leaning into him.

“Hyung, I get that he begged for mercy and he was injured…but you seemed extra caring towards him. Even more than usual, as if he was a part of the clan like us.” “It was just the clan leader in me. He doesn't have his own family so he doesn't have a protective sigil.” “He doesn't? I knew they had to fend for themselves but they don't even have family sigils?” “Nope.” Chan took Hyunjin’s right hand to graze his thumb over his family mark. “They only get one, while we get a family…” he then reaches for Hyunjin’s other hand. “and clan marks, they only get family marks and only when they've found their partner.” “Like the three hundred year old Ember?” “Yeah.” “So…it could be even longer than that until an Ember finds it’s family? They go unprotected for that long?” Hyunjin’s voice was filled with concern, not exactly enjoying Emberborne traditions. “They do.”

They look up at the fluttering of wings to see Felix gently flutter his way down before landing on Chan who scoops him up and pets his head with his thumb, comforting his little bat. “We never asked why he was all the way over here. He's from the other side of the world.” “Yeah…but he’ll be fine on whatever journey he's on.” Chan replies and lifts Felix up as he tucks his wings to his sides. The older male gently kisses the top of Felix’s head and he chirps, relaxing in Chan’s hold.

The rest of the night, the others carried Felix around. When he's down he prefers to be small, to be coddled, and to be held. When he's small, they can hold him and he won't be in the way unlike his full form.

He was resting with his eyes closed on Chan’s shoulder, the older vampire walking around trying to find something to do when there was a knock on the front door.

“Jeez, what stupid humans decided to trespass this time. Gotta give it to them though, they've never gotten to the front door.” Chan mutters, mostly to himself but also for Felix to hear if he's awake.

Chan went into the empty dining room, which Jisung has been trying to convince everyone to make into a second living room, to peek out the window. When he sees an old style of suit, lace cuffs showing from under an old, seemingly Victorian suit coat, he shuts the curtain and walks over to the door to open it and finds an old face to fit the old fashion.

“Are you the leader of the Stravian Kin clan?” “Yes? What's this about? We don't normally get other vampiric guests.” He can feel Felix shift on his shoulder and nuzzle into his neck. “As a fairly recently formed clan, you and your brethren or consorts must attend the gathering of clans to form or reestablish alliances with other clans along with checking in with your family and friends.” The male hands Chan a rolled up scroll. “It’d also be best if you wear…less human clothes lest you stand out or draw attention.” Chan glances down at his boots, jeans, and t-shirt before looking up and nodding. “Yes, of course sir.” “and if you are a clan that has integrated into the more modern world, the shiny devices are prohibited.” “We aren't, that won't be a problem.”

The gentleman glances at Felix on Chan’s shoulder and smiles softly. “Do you mind?” He lifts his hand a little and Chan looks down at Felix who has been awake, now just flopped on the older male’s shoulder. Felix chirps and the man reaches up to gently pet his head. “My kin use to do this with me whenever I’m in my natural form. Not as much anymore due to them finding their own clans.” He pulls his hand away and Felix trills happily before snuggling back into Chan’s neck. “The gathering is…” He trails off before sighing. “Do you per chance have a clock?” “Yeah.” Chan steps back and looks towards the grandfather clock.

“It's eleven thirty five, sir.” “Thank you. The gathering is at two, in your scroll is a sigil. Simply run your fingers over it and your clan will be transported, saving you the long flight to Vesper Sanctum.” “Thank you, sir.” “Of course. Have a nice rest of your evening.”

Chan bows as the man turns around and leaves, shutting the door and sighing. “Great.”

“Do we really have to wear this?” Changbin complains. “Unfortunately.” “But I thought we wanted to be different and stick out?” Seungmin asks on the back of the couch, pulling at his collar.

Chan had to fly around the attic to find the old dress wear they used to wear before changing to more modern clothes. “Well, any other time, yes, but since we're a new clan and this is our first time doing something like this, I kinda don't want to make any bad impressions to future allying clans.” “About that, I think it's dumb. Why ask for alliance with some unknown clan of Shadowborne's when we're perfectly fine on our own. We have a deal with the human town, we're comfortable living here, why do all this?”

Chan sighs, moving from fixing Seungmin’s collar to standing in front of a frowning Minho to fix his shirt. “Protection, resources, friends? We're not the only new clan going, I’m sure. Plus every clan will be there, it's also a family reunion.”

“Will emberborne's be there?” Felix, having been coaxed out of his bat form by Jisung, asks quietly, voice soft and quiet as he fiddles with his frilly sleeves. “You didn't ask that man and he didn't mention it either.” Chan is silent for a moment then moves again to Felix who stands behind the couch. “I’m not sure.” He gently takes Felix’s hand to tuck the shirt sleeve into the coat sleeve. “But if they are…you can't run off.” Chan could feel it, feel Felix’s hope while also being able to see it in his eyes. Felix goes to protest, to explain why he's asking but he knows Chan knows why he's asking.

“Okay. I won't run off, but if…if he is there, and he comes over to us…what do we do?” Chan finishes tucking his sleeves, holding his hands gently yet tight. “Don't greet him like a friend. Greet him like any other clan associate.” Felix nods and Chan lets go of his hands, pulling him into a hug. “I’m sure he's okay, Felix.” “He just left though…he's probably not going to be there.” “We may be different but we're equally fast. And if you're right then I’ll hold your mopey little bat butt for as long as you need.” Chan says, hoping to make the younger laugh and it works, Felix pulling away with a light laugh and smile. “Thank you, Hyung.” “Always. Now let's get going, Bin looks like he's about to rip the lace.” “It's itchy.” The aforementioned male whines as the others laugh.

They gather around Chan as he opens the scroll to see his own sigil. Tracing the lines, it glows red and deep red smoke swirls around them from the ground and when it reaches their head and dissipates, they're stood in front of a castle, multiple clans walking through the front door and inside.

The scroll disappears in Chan's hand at the same time they hear hissing, looking up to see two women baring their fangs at each other. “Hyung, look.” Jeongin holds on to Chan’s arm and points to the ground.

Leading into the castle were two carpets, black on the left and red on the right. The two women stand in the middle where the carpets meet before two men split them apart and pull them inside. “I guess it's literally every clan.” Hyunjin mutters from behind Chan.

Taking a deep breath, he nods his head slightly then glances at the boys. “Come on.” He walks over to the black carpet with the others in tow, Jeongin still holding on to his arm as his gaze lingers along the red carpet they're walking away from.

When inside the large ballroom, Felix and Jeongin are immediately bombarded by their siblings from their family clan, hugs so tight both of the boys look like they're gonna suffocate if they weren’t already dead and didn't breath like normal humans.

Changbin’s sister soon appeared and eventually it was just him and the boys that didn't have siblings. He couldn't spot his family yet but when he did, he didn't leave Minho and Hyunjin behind.

Eventually they all returned back to Chan and he looked around to notice all the clans gathering together. He moves his to the wall out of the way of the others and as to not be in the center, too much attention for them.

A moment later, clans start walking around to other clans to begin mingling. “I think this is the alliance making part.” Minho whispers and Chan sighs. “Yeah…” “You okay?” “I honestly wanted to go home the moment after I saw my family.” Chan mutters, looking at the clans around him. “Now I’m tired.”

Minho takes his hand in one of his, patting it gently with the other before clasping it over their conjoined hands. “It's okay. Just focus on us for now.” He looks around to see his own clan talking to one another and smiles as he leans against the wall behind them. “Okay.”

They stood there for who knows how long, just in their own world in the back of the castle before Felix notices the edge of a dress in the corner of his eye and looks up. Emberborne's have begun mingling with some of the Shadowborne’s and the dress of one catches his eye. “You idiot, you trying to make the whole of this species hate us?” The woman screeched quietly as she drags another vampire by the ear next to them, a couple steps away.

“I meant what I said. Your idea of an arranged marriage to the opposite species of a clan I don't even care about is wrong.” The woman slaps him, an angry scowl on her face as the male clutches his cheek. “Mom-” “No. This is why you’ll never get a protection mark. You should be grateful we're even helping you get protection, you weakling. Couldn't even escape some hunters during your punishment. Should've just left the bullet in, save us the hassle.”

Suddenly a man is stomping over, moving the woman out of the way just to slap the male again. “You just lost us an eternity's worth of alliance with the oldest Shadowborne clan here. You're gonna go back over to them and agree to marry their daughter, you're gonna fix all of this.” “I don't even like their daughter.” Another slap, at this point, Felix is watching instead of listening, his silence drawing Seungmin’s attention as well as Jisung’s to the same sight.

“You're marrying her no matter what. You’ll be getting protection while also fixing the alliance you broke.” “No! I’m not gonna do it!” Chan and the others are now watching when they finally hear the fight not so far away from them.

“Don't make us force you to fly another world wide trip to learn your lesson. Maybe this time the sun will get you.” Chan’s hand tightens in Minho’s. He doesn't know who the kin is but just the sound of parents forcing their kin to fly across the world just to learn a lesson made him extremely angry.

“Do you want me to fix an alliance or do you want me dead, make up your fucking minds!” Another slap and now more clan’s have gathered to watch and listen, the Shadowborne’s looking worried while the Emberborne’s watch like the kin deserves whatever he's getting. Emberborne’s are so cruel to their unprotected kin, Chan thinks.

“You don't get to speak out like that.” The man finally moves, the woman and her dress originally blocking the vampire but now they could get a look at the abused vampire.

“MN!” Felix calls out before he can catch himself and he's shrinking in on himself as everyone turns to him and Chan steps forward, standing next to the blonde protectively. “How does he know your name?” The man, presumably Mn’s father, asks darkly, glaring at the boy. “They helped me after the hunters got me. They didn't leave me for dead with a blessed silver bullet stuck inside me. Cause I begged for mercy.” “They should've ignored it and let you die.” “Hey!”

They turn to Chan who stands in front of the others. “Just because you have different traditions doesn't mean you wish for your kin to be dead. And he has a point, you're making these comments about wanting him dead but you also want to force him to fix an alliance?” “Chan, don't-” His dad slapped him again, causing him to fall to the floor.

Chan doesn't know what came over him but in that moment all he wanted to do was protect. He dangerously bared his fangs to the Emberborne who turned towards him at the sound of Chan's low hiss. “N-No, Chan, please- Ah!” Mn’s mother kicked his side when he tried to get up, kicking him back to the floor as his father chuckled darkly. “You dare challenge me?” The older vampire smirks darkly, showing one of his fangs.

“Ch-Chan…don't do it…” Mn pleads softly from his spot on the floor, leaning on an elbow and looking up at the male and the others behind him.

“You want to challenge me, fine. Let's go outside.” Mn’s dad walks away and Mn tries to get up to follow them out but his mother steps on his back. “Dear, let him go. Since he’s the problem, he’ll be the prize.”

Mn’s mother lifts him up by the back of his coat, shoving him over to his father who grabs his jacket like the woman did and brings him outside. He throws Mn to the side as Chan stands on one side and he stands closer to the castle. They're a few feet apart, snarling at each other as they circle around.

“You win, you get Mn. I win, I get him and you’ll never see him again.” Mn’s dad declares before disappearing with speed to end up behind Chan and kick his back, knocking him down but he gets up and uses his speed as well, to try and knock his ankles out from under him but the other dodges and transforms in a rust cloud before flying away from Chan and reforming. No rules were established, Chan notes before transforming and darting out from his red cloud so fast that no one notices his small black form disappearing and curving to the right, reappearing at the other vampires left and reforming to kick him, destabilizing him and giving him the chance to swipe his foot and knock the other over before stepping back.

“Impressive.” The man complimented as he got up, gaze not leaving Chan. “But not enough.” He reforms again, flying to his left to circle Chan who watches, focusing on the bat circling him, spinning to his other side to continue following but there was no bat on his other side. He had tricked him but he couldn't turn fast enough before he was kicked to the ground again.

“Dad, please…” Chan hears Mn’s voice, looking up to see Mn’s mother holding him down, preventing him from intervening.

Suddenly, wave of energy crashed over Chan as his briefly red eyes meet Mn’s gold. Gasps and whispers start around them and it appears that Mn’s parents didn't notice what just happened.

Chan hasn't felt this since he first started his clan, since he first found his brethren before they became his consorts and their eyes quickly flash red.

Chan just bonded with an Emberborne.

He's got to win this, He's gotta beat Mn’s dad, He has to get to him. Who knows what title he’ll be given when he will claim Mn but he has to, has to take him from his wretched abusing family.

He pushes up, standing on his feet and turning to Mn’s dad who stands confidently in front of him with a cocky smirk. He reforms again, darting out of his smoke before it dissipates completely and he flies along the edge of the crowd before flying out and knocking his wing into Mn’s mother and disappears again.

“That little twerp.” The woman shouts as she looks around and Chan flies by her again and she yells in annoyance, trying to swat at him but Chan is already making another round and finally she does what he wanted her to do.

She stumbles back from stepping on Mn who’s quick to reform and fly away, blinding his mother with his smoke before it disappears and she's looking around for her son. “MN!”

Mn’s father looks around for Chan and his son, listening as best as he could for flapping wings before he's turning to the front of the castle. In front of the stone railing to the entrance stairs was Chan and Mn. “Can I bite you?” “What?” “Can I bite you? I can take you from your family, you can be with us.” “But I’m-” “Which Shadowborne would you prefer? Me or some random woman.” Mn gasps softly and Chan can see his eyes shine in the moonlight and the few flame lamps surrounding the yard. “Yes. Yes, you can, please, my family fucking sucks, please.”

“Stop this nonsense! No one has won, Mn move out of the way!” He turns to his father who's beginning to storm over to him. Chan stands behind him, his left hand grabbing and ripping the fabric of Mn’s suit out of the way as his right holds Mn’s waist and he leans down. “What are you doing!” “Winning my fight.” He smirks before leaning down and sinking his teeth into Mn’s exposed skin. Mn yelps out at the initial pain and intrusion before he groans, hand reaching up to Chan’s that rests on his shoulder.

The crowd gasps at Chan's actions, astonished that he matched and claimed an Ember so quickly and easily. Behind them, they could hear the rest of the clan cheer excitedly, especially Felix.

Chan was immensely comfortable where he was but still forced himself to pull back, pulling out his fangs as Mn moved his hand so they could both watch the Stravian Kin sigil almost burn into his skin but it really shows up as if someone was invisible and tattooing his wrist. It shined gold once it finished and Mn smiled.

They look away from the mark to Mn’s father who stares at them, practically gobsmacked. Chan smirks, leaning down and licking the blood off Mn’s shoulder without looking away from the older Vampire. “I win.”

Mn’s father huffs angrily, fisting his lapels and tugging them down, straightening his coat before transforming and flying away with Mn’s mother following shortly after.

Chan stands straight, watching them fly off and when he looks down, Mn is already looking at him. “You really want me in your clan?” “Well I can't take it back.” He lifts a hand and wipes a trail of blood off with his finger before licking it off. “And Felix probably won't let you leave again. Since you left, he was in his bat form until we had to get ready for this.” Before Mn could ask where he was, he saw someone jump over the railing next to them and turned in order to catch a blonde vampire.

“Mn! Are you okay? How are you? How’d you get here so fast? Did you miss us? I might've missed you. You paired with Hyung! How do you-” “Felix! Hey, calm down, I’m not going anywhere. Not anymore.” Felix removes himself from Mn and looks up at him before gasping. “Gold is really pretty on you.” Mn laughs and pulls Felix back into a hug before flinching and giggling as he pushes Felix away. “Okay, warn me before you lick me, please.” “Warning.” Chan cheekily mutters before cleaning the rest of his bite, Mn yelping at his voice suddenly being next to his ear. “Th-That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“Chan Hyung! Can we go home? I’m tired.” Changbin asks as he pulls at his collar. Chan looks around before spotting the man that invited him to this place. “Do we have to fly back?” “No, where's your sigil?” “It disappeared when we got here.” “Oh, that's not meant to happen. Here.” He walks back into the castle before emerging with another scroll and handing it to Chan. “Here's a new one.” “Thank you.” “Of course.”

Chan turns back to his clan and watches Mn look at the other boys with flashes of gold. Smiling, he walks over to them. “Let’s go home.” Felix holds Mn’s hand as smoke envelops all of them and they're all back in the living room.

“Finally!” Changbin cheers before quickly running off to his room to change. “Come on, Mn.” Felix gently tugs Mn’s arm and pulls him towards the stairs.

Mn goes to walk to the room he was put in before but Felix stops him, pulling him towards his room. “The others had to deal with my bat butt for most of the night before the gathering, it's only fair for you to do your part.” Mn laughs, letting him lead him the other way to his room.

Felix had dark blue blankets and a match canopy. On the wall across from the bed was a vanity with a mirror. “Oh shoot.” Felix quickly went over to the large window and pulled his curtains closed, tying and tucking them to block out any light. Mn goes to walk over to Felix as he goes into the closet but the mirror catches his eye.

Tilting his head more to bare his neck, he reaches up to the still visible teeth marks from Chan, his fingers gently touching the area around it as he smiles, straightening his neck as he looks down at the vanity surface, shy of his own reflection.

“My mom always said I’d never mark or be marked…” He speaks aloud, knowing Felix will hear him. “I feel so…happy to see this after constantly being told I don't deserve a mark, that I deserve to be alone and unprotected.”

Felix had slowed down on the knot he was tying on his curtains, looking over to Mn. He stares at the male for a moment, thinking something over before walking over to him. “Can…Can I show you something?” Mn looks up at Felix and nods. “Um, your- Our…sigil is on you but there's another part to it.” “What do you mean?” Felix hesitates. Should he really be first? Chan was the first for all of them but since he connected to Mn at the castle he's been wanting to kiss Mn. “I-I assume it was gold when it appeared?” “Yeah.” “Do…Do you trust me?” Felix whispered, stepping closer to Mn, so close that Mn gasps softly as his breath hitched. “Y-Yeah. I-I do.”

Felix admires Mn’s rusty eye color for a moment before speaking again. “Close your eyes.” He whispers and Mn listens. Felix hesitates again before gently pressing his lips to Mn’s. Mn gasped but didn't pull away. They were both hesitant and cautious but eventually they moved in sync. Felix carefully cradled Mn’s face, parting his lips to drag his fangs over Mn’s bottom lip. Mn automatically parted his own lips and did the same before Felix dragged his tongue over Mn’s fangs.

Felix’s arms moved around Mn’s neck when his hands finally found Felix’s waist. Felix’s fangs pierced Mn’s lip slightly and he proceeds to lick up the blood and Mn hisses before pulling back and looking down at his wrist, the sigil glowing a bright red and it stung slightly. “What…” Mn whispered in awe and confusion. Felix was about to tell him what he just did before an echo of a voice sounded from the first floor by the stairs.

“Felix, I know you didn't just do what I think you did!!” Mn looks out the open door then over to Felix, brows furrowing in deeper confusion and they walk out the room and down the hall to look over the banister to see Chan looking up with his hands on his hip. “What do you mean?” Felix played innocent and Mn looked between the two.

“You binded with him.” “Binded with me?” Mn asked, still confused but Chan spoke over him. “Felix, I can smell your arousal from the study, I’m not dumb.” “Sorry, Chan. Technically speaking you were the first to Bloodbind and bite him so all I’m really doing is going next before the others.” Watching Felix defend himself was adorable to Mn. He leans in, kissing Felix’s cheek and he stops mid sentence. “Can someone explain what Bloodbinding is?” “Y-You-” Felix blinked and shook his head. “Uh, Your parents didn't tell you? That's one of the things all vampires have in common.” “Felix, my parents didn't believe I’d ever find my own clan.” “Right, uh…”

He looks back down to Chan, the older vampire crossing his arms as he watches them, then back to Mn. “I’m gonna go see, Hyunjin, for a moment then I can-” “Felix, it's coming from him too.” Chan interrupted Felix, who's become flustered. “Well, I wasn't sure if- It's his first time doing this I didn't think-” Mn eventually understood what was going on and turned Felix towards him with a finger under his chin and pecked his lips. “I-I don't mind helping…” Mn muttered shyly and Felix stared at him with wide eyes before shakily nodding. “Y-Yeah, Yeah, okay.”

Chan shakes his head, a warm smile playing at the corners of his lips, as they step away from the banister and make their way back to Felix's room. He finds it both amusing and heartening that Felix is already captivated by Mn, almost as if the two were destined to connect. The ease with which Mn has also woven himself into the dynamics of their clan fills Chan with a sense of relief, knowing that this new bond has formed so effortlessly in their unique clan.

[huggywuggysuppy]

Obsessed with PICS (pearl/impulse/cleo/scott) and how absolutely dysfunctional they are. BEGGING to fall apart in the messiest breakup and make it everyone else’s problem.

Dissection on why:

Pearl is obviously suffering under scott/cleo’s usual pressure, especially their disregard for her side of the story. When she’s like “yeah double life was awful for me, it was a win at what cost” they just brush it off as character development. Impulse doesn’t back her up at all either. Soup Group for life, but not in Life Series. Logically, she knows she works well and lives long with these people, but it always costs her emotionally. She’s just not comfortable around any of them. In the breakup, Pearl would probably go to BigB, Gem, or Tango, as they’ve all treated her with constant kindness in the past. It’s only a matter of time before she leaves.

Impulse is in a weird place. Him and Scott were buds in Secret, but it was more of a coworker relationship held together by Gem. Impulse tried to cut him loose during tag, but Gem shot it down (“are you breaking up with me?!”) They were also spontaneously allied for a bit in Limited, and betrayed by Martyn together, but again that’s more coworkery than real bonded. Impulse has betrayed Cleo, who holds a grudge forever, and will have to spend the whole series trying to make up for that. He’s got a fondness for Pearl, but nothing concrete. He canonically doesn’t remember the other series while the other three (winners) do, so there’s that angle too. Impulse isn’t in danger, there’s just no real loyalty. If I had money on it: if he’s not taken in the divorce he ends up with Skizz again.

Cleo doesn’t want to be with Impulse and Pearl. Scott and Cleo are chosen soulmates and would probably stick together post divorce, but they are definitely beefing with the other two. Cleo has a clear and loud grudge against Impulse and wouldn’t mind cutting him off immediately. As for Pearl, Cleo is uncomfortable naming Pearl’s new wolf, as they understand just how much weight that carries. Cleo knows that PICS is almost certainly gonna fall apart, and is already dreading what they’ll have to do. They might even have to kill it themselves, as they’ve tried with many of Pearl’s other dogs. Others have pointed out and I repeat here: Pearl only kills Cleo when they’re not allied, Cleo kills Pearl when they are. If and when the breakup happens, Cleo will be the first to walk away, maybe dragging Scott with them.

Scott knows all of this. He’s perceptive and likes making power moves and will set up contingencies and alliances in preparation for the breakup, which will only speed up the process. More unconsciously, he hasn’t forgiven Pearl for double life either (ex: powdered snow comment). As I’ve mentioned, he and Impulse have some unresolved distrust from their professional coworker relationship in secret. Scott’s mostly chill with Cleo, but if they don’t officially stick together then all bets are off (ex: limited, secret). I expect him to struggle a bit post breakup, as he usually leans on strong day one alliances he can put his back to.

This is the interpretation from lore!! The actual creators are clearly having a blast with things. And honestly, that just makes it better. They are storytellers and I have faith they’ll pick the best one. Personally, I’m rooting for the breakup.

[miekasa]

What would satoru do in his son first's day of elementary school? I bet he would be crying in the car with Ijichi cause his baby is growing so fast :(

Satoru doesn’t cry when he’s dropping of his son. He takes way too many pictures and holds him for way too long—physically, in his arms, even as he’s made his way into the classroom, Satoru doesn’t want to set him down; walks around the whole room pointing out cool things, but it’s just to stall, just to keep his baby boy with him for as long as he can. He doesn’t cry or make a scene when it’s time to leave, other than give your son many many many kisses and tell him to have a super awesome day so he can hear about it later. He’s awfully cool, he’s smiling, your son is smiling, the teachers are smiling, hell even some of the other kids come up to Satoru because they always want a first day of school congratulatory fist bump. He’s Satoru—he’s the coolest in the room, and he keeps it together.

The second you’re off of school grounds though, he’s a mess. He freezes the second he sits down in the car. He doesn’t blink, he doesn’t move, he doesn’t even breathe when it finally hits him that he just dropped his kid off at school. That he’s old enough to be at school. Not daycare for half a day—this is school, it’s going to be eight whole hours before Satoru sees him again and his world physically stops. Ijichi asks him if he’s okay, and that’s when Satoru snaps out of it. He feels like crying, but he doesn’t; he doesn’t mask that he’s not really okay, for once, either. Ijichi can tell, and offers what comfort he can.

Satoru really loses it when he comes home. It’s quiet. It’s empty. There are not little footsteps, no bowls clanking together, no animated kids series playing on the TV, not even a stray stuffed animal. Only when he gets to the kitchen and sees those few spare cheese cubes that didn’t make it into his lunchbox is when Satoru really starts crying. His thoughts aren’t logical when he calls you to weep—“But—but, it’s the Muenster cheese he really likes and now he won’t have a balanced lunch and then he’ll be cranky and he won’t nap, and he might wake up the others and—oh, god, will he have enough energy to make it through the day? Baby, I have to—we should go give him more cheese. What if he wants more and he can’t have any because I’m not there for him and—”

And that fear of not being there for his son comes spiraling out and Satoru can’t stop it, and you have to remind him that it’s okay—that he’s Satoru’s son and he’ll always be okay, and that, “You’ve done this before, yeah? Megumi was a little older, but he was hard to let him go—but he turned out just fine because he always had you, Satoru. He still does.” Satoru just nods his head through sniffles. You literally have to coach him out of his fear but it's just :( he just loves his baby and he wants to take care of him forever.

And even though your kid is old enough to go to school on his own, that night all three of you end up cuddled together in your bedroom. Satoru in the middle with you on his left, and your son practically on top of him on his right, and he wouldn't rather be anywhere else in the world rn :( (Getting them to let go of each other is even worse the next day; you swear they share a single (empathetic, but single still) brain cell and that's how Satoru sends his dramatic feelings down to your son).

[random-fandom1984]

Hi welcome to tumblr for my first request can I get the tfp decepticons finding a pod and imagine their surprise when inside there is a bunch of sparklings I always head canon sparkling to look small and squishy looking like mashmellows and making beep and squeaky sounds I just love sparklings so much they are so cute

Coming right up!

Decepticons Meets Sparklings

●When coming across a signal, it was a medium-sized cylinder pod that reaches up to Megatron's *Clears throat* snatchable slutty waist- WOAH! Who said that? ●Anyways, a group of Vehicons managed to bring the pod back to the Nemesis before the Autobots could arrive. No one on the Nemesis knew what it could be, so the Vehicons made bets as to what it is. Is it a bomb? A shield that can stop an enemy from attacking? A sword that can control your opponents against their will for the rest of eternity? Definitely not 5t3v3's lame sparkling theory! ●When they opened it up, they found... 7 sparklings? 5t3v3 will forever and always rub it in the face plates of the Vehicons who doubted him. ●Some of the crew thought that this was a waste, but Megatron had an idea. If this war continues far longer than it should, they will have Younger Decepticons continuing their legacy, defeating the Autobots that have grown old, ensuring the Decepticons victory! ●So, the Decepticons were split among the crew.

Megatron

●Of course, he picked the one that was aggressive and looked the toughest out of the eight. He wasn't going to have an heir that was weak and pathetic. How he did this you ask? Simple. The one that bit Starscream's finger and wouldn't let go no matter how hard Starscream swung him around. ●Would definitely teach his sparkling how to swear, even having his kid's first word be a bad word. It's basically that one scene in Steven Universe where Peridot was trying to get Pumpkin to say "Clod". ●If he had somewhere to be, or just fight Optimus, he would let Soundwave babysit, he trusts his T.I.C. with anything. There's no way he's letting that incompetent seeker watch over his adopted child. ●He would name the sparkling Sunburst; a mighty name for his mighty sparkling to strike fear into his future enemies! ●Would teach his sparkling everything there is to know about fighting from his glory days in the Pits of Kaon as a gladiator

Starscream

●He would be last to choose, unfortunately, and get the runt of the litter. But that's fine, he can work with this. ●He would try to teach the sparkling to say "All hail Lord Starscream". The sparkling would end up calling him Sire. Starscream wouldn't act impressed in public, but in private, he would be squealing with joy; He's already, unintentionally grown attached to his sparkling. ●The bot he would allow to babysit his sparkling would be a Vehicon, mainly 5teve. ●The name he would give his sparkling would probably be Thundercracker or Skywarp, something to remind him of his old trine mates. ●Would try to push his sparkling to be better than Megatron, which would unknowingly put a strain in his relationship with his sparkling because, to his sparkling, nothing he does is ever good enough for his sire

Shockwave

●Finds Lord Megatron's reason to be... logical ●Would be the one to instantly find out which would be best for him. Don't question his methods ●Would name the sparkling Prodigy ●Will teach his sparkling all about the logics of science. Anything that his sparkling does that goes beyond the knowledge of science, proves something of his illogical, or both... he would be so proud. What is this emotion? Pride and joy? Logical. ●Would trust Predaking and or Soundwave to babysit his sparkling

Soundwave

●Others might not see it, but Soundwave would pick one that strangely looks similar to two of his old minicons Rumble and Frenzy. ●Would be the most overprotective of his sparkling. Sparkling gone from his quarters? He knows where he is; wandering the halls and is close by. His spark swells when he finds out that the reason for his sparkling's escapades is because the sparkling was looking for his sire: Soundwave! ●Would be recording and photographing his sparkling's milestones and accomplishments ●The sparkling's name would be Hightop ●Would trust Lord Megatron, Shockwave, or Knockout with babysitting his sparkling

Predaking

●This one was the closest to dying and required an Energon transfusion, and Predaking volunteered. Luckily, the sparkling survived, and because the sparkling now has Predaking's Energon, not only are they related by blood, as humans say, but now the sparkling has grown Predacon features. ●Predaking was glad to have a Predacon that wasn't made in a lab this time. He made sure his sparkling was by his side until it can do things on it's own. ●The sparkling's name would be Inferno because it can transform into something that was Phoenix shaped along with abilities. ●He will tear Starscream a new one if he'd dare lay servos on his sparkling. ●Predaking would trust Knockout, Breakdown, Shockwave, and/or Dreadwing to babysit

Knockout & Breakdown

●Knockout would pick one that was better looking than the others, and Breakdown had no say in this, but didn't complain. He knew better. ●Would act the most like real parents because they always wanted a sparkling. ●They would named the sparkling Wildbreak. ●Breakdown will trust Dreadwing to babysit his sparkling, and Knockout would trust the Vehicons. If anything bad happens to his sparkling, he wouldn't repair any Vehicons as punishment, his words not mine. ●Knockout and Breakdown will always take pictures and/or record milestones or adorable moments with their sparkling: His first words, first steps, first friend, first fight and won, etc. Next thing you know, he gets a Conjunx Endura-

5t3v3 & Other Vehicons

●Since he called it, he called dibs on being the sire ●Spends every waking moment hanging out with his sparkling, playing games, spending time together, worries that he isn't doing a good job, only for those thoughts to completely disappear when his sparkling's first word is sire, goes towards him when attempting to walk, always goes, and cries for him when the sparkling gets a nightmare. ●Would do anything for his sparkling to ensure it's safety ●When looking for a babysitter, 5t3v3 would have one of the sparkling's Vehicon Uncles take care of it if he's on duty. He wouldn't take them with him because what if the Autobots show up, kill him, and take his sparkling away? No. No way! ●The sparkling's name would be Meteoroid

[mari-lair]

Akane is not an enemy or an antagonist in this arc.

He has the key, he have power, and that is important, but his power is framed as a hope for Nene and Teru not an opposite force.

Akane doesn't hide anything about the situation, he is never antagonistic, or shows signs of wanting to trap them in the world: They are on the same side here. Kako was the one who changed the past, changed the timeline.

He is the one who called Nene and Teru to the student council. He planned to explain what is happening from the start.

Just compare him to Hanako, who was the antagonist in picture perfect: Hanako acts like he is right for trapping Nene, Akane is so unsure if he did the right thing he tries to reassure himself this future is better for everyone, regretting his decision when he learn no one is happy and not hesitating to put the key on the table when Teru asks why he went along with Kako plan. Hanako had broken the helpful brush the second it tried to say how to escape Mei's world. Akane said right away they have three days before their memories are overwriten, Hanako play the role of Amane, he wanted Kou and Nene to stay in the painting forever without even noticing they forgot their real lives.

Akane also genuinely doesn't know how to get back to the right time to move then back to the old timeline. Not for sure. He could just make things worse if he act reckless.

So as far as Nene and Teru are concerned, Akane is an asshole who didn't warn them about his very major duty, but who is still an ally, a ticket to get home.

But I'm sure you want to talk about the internal monologue that show he is reluctant to go to the original timeline despite all the issues in this one, which is likely the reason he wanted to convince himself and the crew that this is a better present in the first place.

And to this, I say: Anon he is right for being wary, he is not betraying anyone here, he is most likely saving their lives.

Yes, he wants to go back to his old world too, yes he doesn't like this new timeline and hates hurting his friends, but he is being logical. He is smart. If Teru and Nene or himself can't find a way to deal with the 'interference', this new and alien present will be better than their old present. Way better.

Do you remember why Kako resorted to such drastic measures in the first place?

Students are in serious danger, Nene will die in less than 1 year, Mitsuba was poisoned, the clock is broken, and MOST IMPORTANT the Yorishiros are being destroyed.

The Yorishiros are a big deal, their destruction literally means the world is unbalanced and at risk of collapsing into a mess where death and life no longer exist.

So if Akane joins the "let's dismiss the clock keepers and go back to EXACTLY how things were" train EVEN IF HE COULD, they would go to a timeline destined for destruction, which I would say is way worse than this new one. His search for Tsukasa is likely for two reasons: Make sure this new one also doesn't fall into chaos and hopefully find answers to help save their old timeline, if he can't save the old timeline at all, at least this one will have the treat eliminated.

I am confident if Nene and Teru find a way to fix their current timeline, you bet Akane will not get in the way, he'll go "how can i help?" as fast as he can.

He understands how dire the situation is, but he wants to help. He is clearly not on the keeper's side. I can kind of see him being placed in an antagonistic role depending on where the story goes with this setup, but he definitively isn't an enemy.

And it is indeed heavily implied if the 3 days deadline pass Akane will be the only one with memories. He'll be lonely. He'll have the worse fate of the group. But he has always been a self-sacrificial guy, so i am not surprised. I do still want to strangle him though.

[stardustsides]

we’ll all be here forever

content warnings: references to underage drinking, general anxiety about going away to college

pairings: romantic logicality

word count: 1357

surprise, a lil logicality oneshot i wrote a few months ago but never posted. enjoy !!!

~

“I thought I might find you here.”

Patton glanced up from his spot on his attic bedroom floor. He was sitting cross-legged on his shag carpet he’s had since childhood, the dying light from outside pooling around him soft as honey, yearbook open in his lap. The circular window above his head was cracked open, letting the early summer air mingle with the muted sounds of the graduation party in the backyard.

Logan stood in the doorway, wearing a red Harvard t-shirt and looking unsure of himself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you—“

“Not at all,” Patton replied, patting the spot beside him. “Come sit.”

After a moment, he did, stooping a bit to fit inside. Logan had had a major growth spurt back in the summer before junior year, and now could no longer stand at his full height in Patton’s bedroom without hitting his head on the slanted ceilings. He folded his limbs in carefully and sat next to him.

Once, Patton might have felt the need to grin at Logan, to wipe every trace of melancholy from his expression and eagerly fill the silence between them. But the silence was comfortable, and Patton was lately finding that around Logan, he had to pretend less and less. And so for a little while, the two flicked through the yearbook together, quietly laughing to themselves when a particularly bad picture of one of their friends came up, and recounting the memories of the past year. Of the past four.

“Aww,” Patton said suddenly, pointing to the two-page spread made for the annual school musical. “Roman was so good in that. He made me cry.”

Logan glanced at him, his mouth twisting into a wry smile. “It was Mamma Mia.”

Patton swatted him on the arm. “Mamma Mia has serious moments! I bet plenty of people teared up during ‘Slipping Through my Fingers’!”

Logan snorted, turning his attention back to the book. “Oh, there’s Janus at the mock trial.”

“He did so good!”

“He did. Though he is going to law school after college, so I doubt that his opponents were thrilled about facing off with him.”

Patton fell silent again, the statement settling over him like a weighted blanket. The pictures on the photo wall above his desk fluttered in the light breeze. He wanted to curl up beneath it and let this moment live forever.

“…Patton,” Logan asked carefully. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you down at the party?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Harvard-man,” Patton replied, but it didn’t come out as playful as he had hoped. The six of them—their tight-knit friend group since freshman year—had been planning the joint graduation party since they had gotten back from winter break. It had been decided that they would hold it at Patton’s house, because his house—which was actually a repurposed barn—had the biggest backyard. The others had come over at the crack of dawn to set up; now, fairy lights adorned the backyard, and streamers the colors of every college they had chosen cascaded around the perimeter.

It looked lovely, and yet as soon as the first guests had trickled in, Patton found that he just wanted to be alone.

Logan looked at him, a little furrow between his brows. Patton had often thought of that little furrow: if Logan knew it was there, what it would be like to press his thumb to it and smooth it out. He pushed those thoughts down, as he had gotten skilled at doing.

At last, he sighed. “I guess it’s just hitting me. That we’re all leaving.”

“…ah.”

“Yeah.”

Another bout of silence, punctuated by the faint sound of Remus beating Roman in a game of cornhole and crowing about his victory.

“You really don’t need to worry, Lo,” Patton said softly, offering him a wan smile. “I’ll be okay. Go down and enjoy the party.”

“You know that I have never been a party person.”

“You might be next year. I hear Harvard parties get crazy.”

“All the more reason for me not to go.”

“Yeah, well.” Patton sighed. “Who knows what next year will be like. Maybe we’ll all be different by then. We already are.”

A few weeks ago, they had rented a mountain house for a weekend, as per the “senior week” tradition. Roman had managed to smuggle a few boxes of hard seltzers and a bottle of vodka, and they had spent their Saturday night in various stages of drunkenness. It had all felt very grown up.

“Nothing has to change,” Logan started uncertainly.

“Logan,” he replied. “It already is.”

“That doesn’t mean that we won’t all still be close.”

“I know. But sometimes I wish that we could stop time, just for a little while.”

Another silence settled over them like a fresh layer of snow. Patton was thinking of what to say, of how to apologize for ruining the moment, when he felt Logan’s hand over his. He looked up in surprise—Logan was staring straight ahead, a muscle feathering in his jaw, as if he was trying to decide whether or not to speak.

Patton put his other hand on top of Logan’s and squeezed.

For a suspended moment, Patton’s world narrowed: the distant chatter outside, the early summer breeze, Logan’s hand between his, Logan’s breathing. He felt warm from the inside out, and all of his troubles suddenly seemed so very far away.

“Patton,” Logan began haltingly. “I—you know that I would never—that is, I could never—I could never let myself grow apart from you?”

Patton looked at him. Logan looked vaguely frustrated with himself, his cheeks daylily pink. He pushed his glasses further up his nose.

“I know,” Patton replied softly. “Me neither.”

Logan nodded faintly. “Good,” he said, almost to himself.

For a moment, Patton thought that that was it, and the comfortable silence would return. He turned his gaze back toward the window.

“Patton,” Logan said again, his voice taking on a strange timbre.

Patton looked at him again, and their eyes met. He felt a zing of something go down his spine, thrilling and terrifying. He suddenly had the distinct feeling of standing on the precipice of some great unknown, teetering precariously on the edge.

Logan, for the first time Patton could ever remember, was completely lost for words. He opened his mouth and closed it again, a short, nervous breath escaping him.

And then Patton leaned forward and kissed him.

Logan’s lips were slightly chapped, and he tasted a hint of vanilla frosting from the massive sheet cake downstairs; it was brief yet lingering, and when Patton drew back, Logan’s eyes looked starry behind his glasses.

And before Patton could even open his mouth to speak, Logan took his face in his hands and kissed him again, sweet and awkward and achingly tender. Their glasses clinked together. Patton could feel Logan’s nervous heartbeat through his chest, thumping in tandem with his own.

It felt like a puzzle piece had slid into place.

When Logan pulled away, there was a brief, suspended moment of pure wonder as they stared at each other. And then Patton started giggling. He felt giddy, like he was a can of soda that had been shaken and was now bubbling up everywhere. He was sparkling, fizzy.

Logan cracked a grin, shy and bashful but dazzling, and Patton’s heart felt so full.

“So,” he said, giggling.

“So.” Logan replied.

“Did I ever tell you you look cute in red?” Patton grinned, nodding at Logan’s Harvard shirt. Logan’s flush deepened.

“I don’t believe so.”

“I guess I better tell you more often, then.”

“I suppose you should.”

Later, Roman would burst into the room, reprimands about ditching the party dying on his tongue when he sees their joined hands. Later, they would have to endure endless teasing and scrutiny from their friends, various ‘I called it’-s and ‘I told you so’-s. Later, they would officially call themselves boyfriends, the word thrilling and new.

But for now, on the floor of his attic bedroom, Logan’s hand in his, Patton felt time stretch before him, golden and bright, and he found that he wasn’t scared at all.

[starrytether]

My take on ep 96

- Ashton and Orym made me cry my balls out during that long scene. And Fearne saying in the most delicate way "How can we help you", gosh it was so delicate. And how she gave Laudna her hand to come down the roof. I wished I had emotionally intelligent friends like them. Darn it I wish I was as emotionally intelligent

- Poor Marisha was in shambles, but totally broke when Imogen said "by to our cottage"

- We knew it was gonna happen. The moment this shit started we all bet on Laudna sacrificing herself. And that's what she wanna do, and no one will make her change her mind. Basically her logic is: I'm a dead end, there's no point for me to keep going living like this with this curse, and since the danger is so high, I might as well give in and help solve and that's it. I'm a dead end, but I want to decide my end, and I want my end to help the world. Poor Laudna. I'll love her forever.

- Imogen is not real. She was the most upset ever, but she kept touching Laudna. First her face, then taking her hands during the night even if Laudna tried to give her space. That woman's heart is the biggest. The situation she's now breaks my heart and heal it at the same time.

- I cracked at this tho: Laudna was basically like 75% Delilah in some moments of last week's episode and she touched her softly yet. But when Chetney was feeling bad after that psychometry she just slapped him 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

- The lore that's coming. It will be very juicy. And I quote Marisha: after a breach in each other trust nothing better than something that can possess your mind 🤣🤣🤣 and I'll add "SO NOW YOU CAN FEEL HOW IT IS" 🤣

- Of course it was Laudna hitting a nat 1 😅😅 Poor Laudna, ask for a blessing or something 😆 and i forgot! The new styles are so cool! Laudna style too, but it reminds me too much of Delilah and makes me uncomfortable. Imogen too, judging by Laura's face when Marisha was describing it

Is it Thursday yet?

[irlkokichiouma]

okay fine im making the fuckass rantaro aspd post because that boy is Not Normal like, just look at some of his sprites and the way he Talks To People like. this is a boy trying very hard to be normal and kind of failing

disclaimers before we go on: 1) "why aspd, why not something else?" because it intrigues me and the idea of a kid with aspd starting to travel to deal with the chronic boredom is very fun and cool to me, it also is thematic with rantaro keeping his distance from others and being just a little bit too fucking calm for the situation. maybe he's one of the pwaspd that doesn't feel fear that often. maybe he's used to blacking out and waking up in odd places. who knows? i like the idea of a kid with aspd being pragmatic and logical except rantaro's idea of pragmaticism absolutely says that keeping everyone alive is the right thing to do because if you can, then why not? i just am very fond of him going against his base instinct in order to deliberately care about other people, even if he's kind of creepy about it sometimes (see: "you have what it takes to win")

disclaimer 2: "wouldnt it be conduct disorder and not aspd since rantaro is under 18?" aspd is easier to type and better reflects his symptoms + i don't respect the dsm

anyway just go w it here its analysis thru the lens of a very sepcific headcanon just vibe w it dont worry. anyway anyway can we talk about how tsumugi exploited his aspd in order to kill him first

like. rantaro explores to deal with his chronic boredom so she gives him the map of the whole academy straight up. he's caged so there's nowhere to go and the scenery becomes mundane and boring super quick. he's alienated from his "classmates" because if any of them found out he's A Sociopath then a target is painted on his back and he might even be suspected of being the mastermind, just bc he has a mental illness people generally dont like. so its in his best interest to keep away from everyone lest he be Found Out, in addition to the stress of being in a killing game

and the thing about aspd and stress is that you Need intrigue. new things help.

and the survivor perk told rantaro that there is very much something he can do that no one else can. something that is new and intriguing- stopping the mastermind all on his own, a scuffle that gets his heart beating. he could end the game himself, no one has to die, it's new an fun and exciting. a gamble worth taking.

a gamble tsumugi knew he would go for.

if kaede didn't do her shotput plan, i bet she would've done something else in its place. rantaro is smart and calculating, ergo he's dangerous to the operation of the killing game. tsumugi knew what he was capable of because of the last killing game. he had to die.

maybe it was because tsumugi was inexperienced as a showrunner and couldn't handle him, so she took him out first. maybe she has a grudge because of something rantaro did during season 52. maybe she was just worried about how smart rantaro seemed and worried that he might be able to end the game early.

so she killed him and (inmypersonalopinion) exploited his mental illness to do it

anyway here, you can chew on this possibility if you want. or don't, im not your boss. aspd rantaro forever 4 me, my beautiful prince with a disorder <3

[ruhorih4ra]

Greetings fellas 🐏 so I was looking for some Replaced!au but I think I just read all of them? Sadly I can't write that level of Angst but I decided to do my own silly version.

It's not really a replaced!au tho, or is it? Nvm. It's meant to have more parts but then again, who knows?

It contains:

Gn!Mc

¿Cómo traduzco "majaderías"? JAJSJAJ

Bad words? A rude Mc? Swearing words?

Ambiguous relationships.

Aaah, Angst.

Violence against fingers.

Grammar mistakes. ♡⁠˖⁠꒰⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠⑅⁠꒱

Get out of my way 🌈

“No one it's perfect.” You declared, looking at the wonderful black-haired woman with a stunning smile and beautiful gray eyes. “She's gorgeous!!” The Little D. murmured, a tiny demon of wrath dressed in neon green.

“Appearance is not everything.” you replied, slightly lifting your chin. “Some people are nice to look at and ugly to be around, bet you didn’t know that uh?” Just then, the woman helped a cat out of a tree even though she gained an ugly scratch in return. “That doesn't prove anything.” you said quickly, the laughter of another Little D. with orange eyes got on your nerves. “Shut up!” you said gritting your teeth. “I'm hungry, Mc!!” Shouted a little demon of gluttony, crying loudly and tapping the table you were at.

You were sitting at a lonely and abandoned table, surrounded only by annoying Little D’s. “Yeah, me too.” you started thinking about Hell’s Burgers, Backstabbing Sandwich, Broiled Deathfish, Hell’s Burgers again. “Mc! Ugh! You're drooling!” It was turn of the Little D. of lust complaints. “Shut up!! Mc can do whatever they want! Mc! Mc! Gimme a Grimm, pleeeasee!” “You're a scumbag like everyone of your kind!” “Quiet all of you!”

You inhaled deeply before letting out a tired sigh. “How did I end up like this? Where did everything go wrong?!”

Right, the new exchange student.

It was the beginning of a new year when she arrived, Diavolo couldn’t be blamed for continuing with his plans. You couldn't be the new exchange student forever and, in fact, you were actually pretty old news, weren't you? Optimisticly now you were part of RAD, part of the Devildom even.

When you think about it, it's really funny. You were in the council room. You were standing on the opposite side of the place designed for the new exchange student summoning, and it brought back memories of your own arrival. “This time everything will be different, she won't be afraid like I was! I'll be here!” you thought. You had been so excited to show her around! You could even recall how you made a promise to yourself, “I won't let the brothers be mean to her.” you rolled your eyes with annoyance. “Silly you!”

You had helped with the decision when Lucifer chose her, so you already knew she was beautiful, but oh dear god, if you hadn't known better, you would have thought she was an angel. As hard evidence, Asmo was all over her in a matter of seconds, you had felt his lust blossoming through your pact. You could also remember how you had felt a hint of jealousy.

At first, Lucifer had asked Beelzebub to take the guardian role but then and much to your surprise, Mammon complained since, in his own words “I have way more experience in that!” Mammon, the one who had always complained about being your babysitter. That had definately hurt you, but it was logical, you have changed the way they look at humans and now they have the chance to prove it.

The first week was a whole battle against yourself, you felt like a 5 year old getting angry because there is another baby around. “Of course they would be more attentive to her! She's new here!” But then again, you had felt like a stranger ever since she arrived.

The subtle way Mammon would blush when he spoke to her, getting closer and closer. That picture of Levi kissing her hands that you can’t get ride of (after all, she help him win against the final boss). That adorable way Beelzebub’s eyes would shine when she was in charge of breakfast and, God only knows just how many photos of her Asmodeus has taken, apparently never enough. The lights in Satan’s room are always on, and without fail you can find books, cats and her. Does she have a name or can you call her “Belphie’s favorite pillow”? most of the time, she would nap with him. The sting in your chest when you saw her dancing with Lucifer, at least he won’t try to break her hand too.

“What an ugly feeling is this.” Your voice was barely audible.

“But it was kind of normal back then, right? I was jealous because normally they would give me their full attention.” you began to hum and, looking at the Little D. of envy, you asked. “When did you arrive?” The tiny demon struck your pose and, similar to Solomon, brought his small hand to his chin. “I think it was when the brothers chose her over you!” The color of your eyes immediately turned to a terrifying neon green and the right eye began to twitch. The Little D. hid behind the others small demons, reeking of fear. “They did NOT chose HER over ME.” “They did.” “No.” “Yes.” “No!!” “Yes!!!” “They just picked the movie she wanted!! It's not the same!!”

How could something so utterly simple and ridiculous be the start of this mess?

It had been raining all day when Levi proclaimed that it was a perfect opportunity to watch a movie. You went to your room, ready to bring some pillows and blankets. You even took a few more for everyone, but when you got to the room, everybody was already in their seats watching the movie. The one she had chosen, they didn't even wait for you. You sat alone in silence, trying to no avail to look at the movie, but the feeling of comfort never reached you.

Before the movie ended you had already left the room, walking slowly towards your own. As you made your way to your chamber, you wondered if they had noticed how you left.

There was an aching sensation in your chest, the same feeling you would have when you feel left out rather than replaced. You heard SC laugh and she sounded happy, relaxed. You were glad that she was having such a great time, but it's so not fair!

You stopped at once. What did you just say? “It's so not fair!” you turned around following the shrill voice. There, behind a vase, was something that looked like black cotton candy. “Who are you?!” you walked closer to the little thing and, the closer you got the more you could see. A pair of playful eyes looked at you, a big smile on his face and a very cute hat. Leviathan's colors! It was a mini Little D. of envy! “Oooww! How cute!!” you cupped his form in your hands, he was an exact replica of a Little D., no bigger than your hands.

“Why are you here, little one?” “I'll eat your soul!” you took him with one hand and started to pet him with the other, you replied to his threats with an overly sweet voice, the type that one would use with a dog. “Sure you will, of course you will! Who will eat my soul! Who will? You!” It happened so fast that for a moment you stood still, watching the blood sliding through your hand. “AH, WHa-OUCH!!” The Little D. bit your finger and didn’t let go, roughly sinking his fangs. “Ouch!! Ouch!! Let me go, you little son of a bitch!!”

You tried to force your finger free but the Little D.'s fangs wouldn’t budge and so, the skin started to rip off, more and more blood coming out of your finger. “LET ME GO NOW!!”

The little demon’s eyes filled with fear, disappearing from your sight as soon as he had appeared. Your breathing was erratic and you could barely contain the shaking of your hands, there was blood everywhere. You bit your lips, the pain in your hand was unbearable.

“Fuck” you took your injured hand with the healthy and trembling one, examining the wound. Horrible mistake, it was a miracle that you hadn't drop dead right there. “Is that my fucking bone?”

“Humans are so fragile...” there was that piece of shit again, you were going to kill him. “Come here, I won't hurt you.” The feral look in your eyes must had given you away because the small demon took a step back instead. “You want to hit me.” “Nah.” You tried to reach him but he disappeared.

You breathed through your teeth, walking towards your room at a slow pace, as if your feet were the wounded ones. You spent the whole night casting spells for your finger, slowly and quietly. You didn’t know the ruckus you caused outside the next morning, when the brothers woke up only to find big bloodstains, your blood. They immediately went to your room, all seven of them had burst into the room. You were sleeping soundly with your body intact, except maybe for the way you were holding on your hand for dear life. Except perhaps for the tears stains on your face.

Part 2. ಠ⁠‿⁠ಠ

As always, thanks for reading! (⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠━⁠☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ

[thatuselesshuman]

Caspers Guide to Social Events

(Specifically events where you don't really know anyone so you have to smile and make small talk)

Whether it be a baby shower, a wedding, or just some random ass get together, we've all been in that situation where you have no clue who anyone is except for the person that invited you but you're expected to not implode. No one likes it, but we all have to laugh and pretend we're not watching the clock, hoping enough time will pass that it's socially acceptable to leave.

You may be thinking that you're just resigned to this fate forever, cursed to make small talk you never really understood in the first place because you're autistic, but fear not! This very guide is here to help

Hopefully this makes those events at least go by faster, if not bearable

Without further adieu...

Step One: Dress for the Occasion

Most events you go to will have a dress code of some sort. If you're not sure what it is, ask whoever invited you. Usually, it'll be one of a few options: casual, Sunday/church wear, business casual, semi-formal, and formal. We'll go through each of these below.

Casual: This is exactly as it says, casual. Wear what you feel most comfortable in. Don't wear anything too dumpy though, like pj's or stained jeans. This one is very dependent on your personal style, so I'd say a good rule is to pick something you'd go to a nice restaurant in.

Sunday/church wear: Nicer clothing. A safe bet would be khakis and a polo for guys, and a sundress for girls. If you go to church, this one is pretty easy, as you literally would just wear what you'd wear to church.

Business casual: This one is the toughest in my opinion. I'd say a nice blouse and pants is a good approximation, but this one is where I'd ask my friend what they were wearing.

Semi-formal: Dress shirt and pants for guys, nice cocktail dresses for women. Don't wear anything too revealing or flashy.

Formal: Suit and tie for men, ankle/calf-length dresses for women. Nothing too poofy, but it's fine to have a bit of flare. Just once again, nothing revealing or too flashy. Showing your shoulders is fine, but I'd say limit your cleavage and no super high slits.

Step Two: Brainstorm Talking Points

Life is much easier when you have talking points. If you go in with a plan of attack, you won't be put on the spot so often. Below are some common events and usual conversation topics.

Wedding: The couple getting married, relation to the couple, basically just anything about the person getting married

Baby Shower: Baby name, relation to couple/mother, how cute the baby is going to be, if you're going to be an aunt/uncle/etc how excited you are

Work Get Together: Current project, your position, basically anything about work

Generally Good Topics: "cute outfit, where'd you get it", "The weather has been good/bad", "The food is delicious", "how are you"

Step Three: Getting to the Event

A good rule is the five minute rule. Either be 5 minutes early, on time, or 5 minutes late. For something like a wedding, on time or 5 minutes early is great. For a Baby Shower, on time or 5 minutes late is good. For a Work Get Together, 5 minutes late is acceptable. Basically, if it's formal be on time, if it's more casual you have some leeway.

Step Four: Have a Drink in Your Hand

This one may seem silly, but there's logic behind it. Having a drink in your hand makes you look less awkward, gives you something to do with your hands, and gives you an excuse not to talk to people. It doesn't have to be alcoholic (it's probably better if it's not tbh), I've done this with water. What matters is that you can take sips of it which gives you something to do. It also has the added bonus of helping you blend into the crowd as just another face.

Step Five: All Things Small Talk

The dreaded small talk. No one likes it, we all do it. Fear not, however, as I will personally walk you through some common small talk and explain it in a way even me, an autistic individual, would understand.

"How are you?": Unless you're really close, they aren't asking you how you're really doing. If you're doing great say great, if you're doing okay say good, if you're barely surviving say fine/okay. Once you answer, it's courteous to say "How about you?" back. Keep the conversation light.

"The weather is good/bad": Basically just talk about the weather. If it's decent, then say that. If you like cold weather better, say something like "It is pretty nice, but I personally would prefer if it cooled off a bit more. I'm not built for warm temperatures". If you like it warmer, say the inverse of the sentence above. Keep the conversation light.

"Cute outfit": Say thank you then find something about their outfit to compliment. If you can't find anything specific, you can just say "thanks! Your outfit is cute as well!"

"Cute outfit, where'd you get it?": Don't go through the list of where you got everything. Pick one or two of the biggest components and tell them that. "Oh I got this dress from target" "Oh I got this shirt from Anne Taylor". If they ask further, that's when you can add more details.

"How is school/work?": a joke or something would work wonderfully here. "Oh y'know how it is, I'm chugging along" "I'm surviving" "it's been alright" are all also good options. Once again, keep the conversation light.

Step Six: Leaving

Our favorite part, am I right? Now, to leave tactfully, there's some rules that'll make leaving seem alright. If one of the following occurrences is true, you are free to leave

Over half of the event has passed

Someone has already left

It's past 10 pm (assuming the event didn't start at 10 or later)

A lull in the event occurs (switching between areas, etc)

You have already informed people that you can't stay long

"Oh I have to get [person] home"

"I have a test to study for/a project to complete/something to do early tomorrow"

"I have [different event] to get to"

Any of the above accompanied by enough goodbyes and apologies (usually a "sorry i couldn't stay longer") will be seen as perfectly acceptable in most applications.

Now, that should be all you need to get through any social event life throws your way. Get out there and suck at small talk slightly less than before!

(If you have any extra questions I'm happy to answer them)

[mercillery]

hey there!! can you please do a part 2 about the zenon x cheating reader where zenon finally lets the reader out but reader does not love zenon anymore and eventually whispered the words, “I dont love you anymore…” to zenon.

I really love your writing style! ❤️💕

WARNINGS: GENDER NOT SPECIFIED + YANDERE THEMES + NOT PROOFREAD

NOTES: Although I’ve been unmotivated to write, I’m glad that I’m getting requests for the Zogratis siblings again. I missed writing for them. If you sent in a request or a message, super duper sorry that I’m responding late! Take care and have a nice day <3

In my cheating on Zenon with Dante post, I mentioned that the reader cheats on yandere Zenon with Dante, and I said that weeks would pass. So, let's assume Zenon finally decides to let you out of that soul-sucking, isolation chamber of a room after about a month. I mean, he’s not exactly known for his mercy, and you can bet he made sure you felt every second of those long, silent weeks.

The man probably left you with nothing but the bare minimum: a cold floor, dim lighting (because heaven forbid you feel comfortable), and enough food to keep you alive but never satisfied. And now, after what feels like an eternity, he lets you out, probably because he’s convinced you’ve learned your lesson. Classic Zenon logic: “I’ll break you down emotionally and physically, but hey, at least you’re free now... kind of. Not really. Not at all, actually.”

So when Zenon finally decides to let you out—let’s be real, you’re a total mess. You’re obviously traumatized and just barely holding it together. I mean, who wouldn’t be after spending all that time in a room so silent and lonely; it might as well be a sensory deprivation tank? The kind of silence that’s so loud it’s almost like it’s mocking you. Your only company for weeks was probably the sound of your own breathing, and even that started to feel too loud.

But then there’s the relief. Sweet, glorious relief. The moment the door opens, it’s like you’re seeing sunlight for the first time in forever, like you just stepped out of a cave and rediscovered the world. Your brain probably can’t even decide if you’re happy or just shocked that there’s more to life than four walls and Zenon’s twisted form of punishment. So yeah, traumatized because you’ve been isolated for what felt like years, but also ridiculously relieved to see the outside world again, even if it’s just the cold, dark castle of the Zogratis siblings.

When Zenon finally lets you leave that miserable room, the silence is so loud it feels like it’s practically screaming in your ears. It’s the kind of silence that makes you paranoid, like any little noise you make will set him off. And Zenon? He’s just standing there, not expecting you to say a single word. Not a “sorry,” not a “please forgive me”—nothing. He knows you’re probably too freaked out, too paranoid to even look in his direction, let alone speak. And honestly, he’s fine with that. He doesn’t need your words; in fact, he’d rather you stay quiet.

Because, yeah, he let you out of that room, but let’s not kid ourselves—he’s still holding a serious grudge. The whole “cheating with Dante” thing? That’s not going away anytime soon. In his mind, locking you up for weeks was the perfect way to drill into your head that cheating isn’t just off-limits—it’s unthinkable. If being in that prison of a room didn’t teach you that lesson, well, then you’ve got a serious problem.

So as long as you’ve learned not to even entertain the idea of cheating on him again, he’s content. But that doesn’t mean he’s forgiving you anytime soon. In fact, he’s probably hoping you stay quiet and small for a while because, yeah, he’s still mad. You’re out of the room, but you’re not out of the woods.

So even though Zenon’s already pretty sure the rest of the day is going to be one long, awkward, silent standoff between the two of you, you still manage to catch him just the tiniest bit off guard. Not by speaking—he expected you to break the silence at some point—but by what you choose to say. The words you let slip out of your mouth? Oh boy. They’re the kind of words that make him instantly regret not leaving you locked in that room for another month, just for good measure.

Because out of all the things you could’ve said—“I’m sorry,” “It’ll never happen again,” maybe even just a polite “hello”—what do you go with? “I don’t love you anymore.”

And oh, trust me, he’s definitely offended. You’d have to be out of your mind to think Zenon’s not insulted by that. But heartbroken? Nah. He’s not standing there, devastated, like, “No, please, I need you!” This isn’t some dramatic rom-com moment where he falls to his knees, clutching his chest in despair. No, this is Zenon, so he’s more like, “Oh, you don’t love me? Is that so?” in a tone that’s about as menacing as a horror movie villain’s monologue. You know the one.

It’s not that he’s shattered emotionally—more like offended on a whole new level. He’s almost amused in a twisted, dangerous way, as if your declaration of not loving him is just... funny to him. Like, “Oh, you don’t love me anymore? Well, let’s see how that works out for you.”

Honestly, what happens next? Your guess is as good as mine because Zenon could take this in a hundred different directions—and let’s just say none of them are pleasant. He could straight-up lock you back in that soul-crushing room before you even have a chance to get another word out, like, “Oh, you don’t love me? Well, guess what? You’re going back in time-out.”

Or, if he's feeling especially cruel and petty, he could make you say you love him—over and over—but not just casually. No, he’s going to force you to say it like you mean it, to the point where your voice cracks, you’re sobbing, and you can barely breathe between the words. He’s probably standing there with this icy, emotionless expression, just watching the tears roll down your face. You might feel like you’ve used up all your tears after this one.

And then, there’s always the chance he might snap just enough to resort to violence—not enough to kill you, of course (you’re too important for that), but enough to make you wish you’d kept quiet. He’s not going to slap you with his hand, though. Oh no, that would be too easy. Instead, he might bring out that dreaded bone magic of his, because why not use what he’s good at, right? And dang, do those bones hurt. It’s like getting smacked by a rock-hard skeleton fist that leaves you aching in places you didn’t even know could hurt. Whatever happens, though, one thing’s for sure: Zenon’s not going to just let that “I don’t love you” comment slide. You’re in for a rough time, one way or another.

Yeah, the second those words, “I don’t love you anymore,” left your mouth, you pretty much signed your own death warrant—or at least, walked right into Zenon’s emotional meat grinder. It’s like you willingly marched up to the guillotine and handed him the rope, except in this case, the guillotine is Zenon himself.

You’ve officially gone to the slaughter, and the butcher is Zenon with his bone magic at the ready. There’s no coming back from it. You may as well have waved a red flag in front of a bull, except this bull has bone weapons and a grudge the size of a mountain. 

[mlm-writer]

Survival First, Mourning Later (Tiran Kandros x GN!Reader)

Pairing:  Tiran Kandros x Gender Neutral Reader (relationship unspecified) Rating: Mature Words: 1753 POV: Second Summary: The Big Tober Day 15 - Last Words Note: Ssshhh I am totally not behind. Also all other characters are my OCs. Enjoy them. Tags: Major character death, explicit violence, action, gunfights with the Remnant and reader and Kandros are at least on physical touch level comfortable with each other.

You had a bad feeling the moment you stepped into the Renmant building, like a bug crawling over your bones. The metal vibrated under your feet, making you feel like the whole structure was alive. Maybe it was; you never knew with these damned robots. It had been eerily quiet, like there was no life after all. Kandros led the team of 6, including you and himself. You expected to find the scientists you were looking for dead, but director Tann was hopeful. Well, he pretended to be hopeful. You all knew he just did not want to admit he sent some scientists to their death.

“Can’t we just kill the fuckers above ground and steal their batteries? The things are ancient, so I bet we could power the Nexus with them for decades,” Logus Daemus whispered over the comm. It was a funny idea, but no one laughed, because no one was sure if Logus was serious or not. The Turian was a great shot, but his brawn was with a 100% certainty meant to compensate for his brain.

“And if we manage to find out what they charge those batteries with, the Nexus could be set forever,” Lalia Daemus mused. Being his sister, she really was the only one who could talk logic into the man without angering him.

“Quiet,” Kandros hissed. He was not against chatter, so when he said it, everyone froze. Surely, in the distance, one could hear the tell tale sounds of Remnant at work. Your grip on your weapon tightened. “Let’s try to avoid a fight,” Kandros whispered as he put a hand on your arm, making you relax. You couldn’t see his face well through his visor, but even without his eyes, he could make you feel more at ease. Kandros nodded towards a smaller hallway that led away from where the Remnant could be heard.

You followed Kandros close by, the rest of your team tailing behind you. Dai Lian was almost fused with your rear. You wondered why he was brought along. He was comfortable fighting exiles and Kett, but you knew the Remnant freaked him out. It was not like his biotics didn’t work against the Remnant, but you supposed he had some history with the Geth.

All went well, the hallway quiet, until Yalona, who was the tail of your group, stepped on something. She could feel it shift under her foot. Immediately, red lights surrounded you and a deep sound that reminded you of an alarm echoed through the hallway. “Get to cover!” Kandros hollered. There were some metal half-walls in the hallway. You took Dai Lian’s hand and dragged him with you to the shortest one. Being the only humans, you two were the smallest ones in the squad. To your left, Logus and Lalia were hiding behind a slightly taller half-wall. Behind you, Kandros and Yalona were watching your six. You heard Kandros shoot, before you saw the first Assembler turn around the corner from where you just came.

Your assault rifle vibrated in your hands as you fought - quite literally - for your life. Dai Lian made sure they didn’t get close, pushing them away or slowing them down with his biotics. “Need some backup over here,” Kandros’ voice came over the com.

“Logus, Lalia, I’m leaving Dai Lian here for support. Gonna help Kandros and Yalona.” The Turian siblings confirmed they heard you and you bolted out of cover to Kandros’ little half-wall. You didn’t really fit behind it with Yalona there too, especially not now the Salarian’s tech armour was making her bulkier. The way you were going got swarmed by Remnant. You shot the Breachers out of the air, the continuous stream leaving very little room to actually attack the Assemblers creating them.

“Running out of heatclips here,” Logus warned over the com. One moment you heard him. The next moment, there was a heavy explosion behind you. You allowed yourself a quick look over your shoulder. There were three Nullifiers lined up. Logus and Lalia would’ve been dead, were it not for Dai Lian’s quick reflexes. Lalia demanded Kandros to call for a retreat. You knew he knew, but just like everyone else, you were aware that you were surrounded.

“Yalona, do you see any shafts leading away from here?” Kandros yelled over the com as he finally managed to get rid of one of the Assemblers. Yalona had barely a word out, when she got interrupted by another heavy explosion behind you. You heard a brief scream over the com, but it was cut short. It was followed by a woeful cry from Dai Lian.

You turned your head just far enough to see the gaping hole in the floor where once Logus and Lalia were hiding. “Kandros, five ‘o clock, the Nullifiers shot a hole through the floor,” you called as you focused your gaze forward again to quickly shoot an Observer down.

“We escape through it, now!” You did not need to be told twice. You were bolting, picking up Dai Lian on the way and tumbling down the hole face first. You rolled onto your back and pointed your assault rifle up. Kandros was right behind you, dragging Yalona in much the same way you had dragged Dai Lian with you. Behind Kandros, you could see a Breacher trying to follow him. You shot it down, before it could hurt anyone. “Get up, we gotta run.” Kandros ordered as he pulled you to your feet. Dai Lian was already on his feet, moving a large crate with his biotics. He plugged the hole with it. You ran right behind Kandros, a second later realising Yalona was not catching up.

“Kandros! Yalona is injured.” The Turian paused and then ran back past you. He swung the Salarian over his shoulders with ease. Yalona muttered some thank yous, but did not say much else. That should’ve been a bad sign, but you were too occupied with finding a safe haven to think about it. “If the rest of the structure is like this, let’s count our scientists as dead. We already lost two people…”

“I know!” Kandros snapped at you. “We get out and we’ll retrieve the bodies, when we got backup.” You were unsure if he meant those of the scientists or those of the siblings. The latter were destroyed to nothing but ash, but Kandros probably could not accept that right away. You noticed how quiet Dai Lian was. When you looked over, he had tears in his eyes.

Kandros paused when he heard more Remnant approaching ahead of you. You spotted a side room and signalled everyone to get in. Yalona managed to hack the door in time and lock it behind you. She leaned against the wall next to the door, where Kandros was listening to what was going on in the hallway. You were in the back with Dai Lian; he sat on a crate, while you were crouched in front of him, one of your hands rubbing his knee. “I couldn’t protect them,” the other human whispered. He was trying hard not to cry, but even you couldn’t imagine the survivor's guilt he was feeling. “If I was just…”

You shushed him and leaned up to give him a hug. “We can’t have you spiralling right now. Survival first, mourning later,” you whispered to him. He sniffed into your shoulder, before giving you a small hum that indicated that he understood. After a brief moment, you let go of your fellow agent. You looked over your shoulder at Kandros and Yalona. You narrowed your eyes at the Salarian. She was slumped over, but no longer gasping for breath. “Yalona?” You closed the distance between you, but before you could touch her, Kandros had caught your wrist midair.

“She’s gone,” he whispered, ear still against the door and eyes avoiding yours. You swallowed a lump in your throat. You sighed and pulled your hand free, repeating the word you just told Dai Lian in your head for yourself. Survival first, mourning later.

You put Yalona in what looked like a more comfortable position; it was all you could do for her now. You made her a promise in your head. You would come back for her body. When you had the manpower, she would get her proper funeral. You were pulled from your thoughts by Dai Lian calling out your name. You got to your feet and turned to him. “Think we can make it through here?” Dai Lian asked as he revealed a grid that was hidden behind the crate he sat on earlier. With his biotics, he ripped the grid off. You crouched down next to him, looking at the shaft behind the grid.

“We will, but no way a full-grown Turian would fit thr…” You were cut off by the sound of lasers and explosions. The door rattled, the metal creaking under the onslaught.

“Go! I will hold them off your back for as long as I can.” Kandros ordered as he made sure his weapon had a fresh heatclip inside. You tried to argue with him, but even you knew the options were all dying here or you and Dai Lian possibly making it out of here alive. When the door started to crumble, you pushed Dai Lian into the shaft, following close by. “See you in the next adventure!” Kandros called after you. You liked to pretend those words were the last thing you heard from him. Everything you heard after that made you wanna turn around, but you couldn’t. Survival first, mourning later.

You and Dai Lian made it out, barely. You ran to the shuttle covered in machine fluid and blood from both you and Dai Lian. When you came back, some other big shot took over for Kandros, but no amount of respectable record could replace the man you trusted with your life. Especially not when said big shot refused to dispatch an APEX squad to retrieve the bodies. ‘Waste of resources’ your ass.

Eventually it was Ryder who went back in with a horde of volunteers from the APEX squads and their own team. Kandros just meant that much to the people he led. They found Kandros and Yalona, but there was nothing left of the Daemus siblings. Seeing his body was hard, but it was thanks to him that you were even there to see it. You survived that day and now came the time of later…

—————

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[missingn000]

I instantly popped onto discord the second I saw the words “missingn000” and “seraphim ace” pop up in my notifications. 1. It completely slipped my mind that you liked one piece! 2. Seraphim ace is something Ive desperately needed ever since seeing a particular piece of fanart and 3. The combo of YOUR writing + seraphim ace + a long fic makes me FROTH at the mouth, the second you post anything related to it I’m going all in

Also your seraphim ace concept? S-Flame (ugh love it)? S-flame having the same relationship with og ace that og ace had with Roger? Thinking about how og ace would feel if he knew that he was to someone else who Roger was to him? Losing my mind

I love kid ace so much, that’s my son and I really wonder how s-flame will turn out without a kid luffy and kid sabo to grow up with him. Also the heat-heat ability? LOVE IT, it shows even more that hes both extremely similar to ace yet completely different, like being seen as the younger sibling that’s just a worse/discount version of their older sibling. Living in their shadow forever and wanting both to BE them while also wanting to be recognized as your own person.

I wonder if the people who knew ace will meet s-flame and how that’ll go down. I can see Marco being mature about it and understanding that it’s a separate person but I bet that luffy will go through a crisis, knowing logically that it’s a different person but not FEELING like it’s a different person. If sabo meets him, that’ll be a COMPLETELY different reaction than both of them!! Sabo meets s-flame and KNOWS that that’s not ace but….. how? THATS HIM. Sabo doesn’t remember adult ace because he never met adult ace, but he has a clear image of kid ace in his head. It’s like being given the opportunity to see your brother again except that is just a kid that LOOKS like your brother and ACTS exactly like him and is BASED off him, but nooooo that’s not him.

Anyway sorry, I saw the notif and had to word vomit this out :)

NO NEED TO APOLOGIZE!! this message has me beaming,so you're all good (not to mention getting this from someone with an ace pfp has me like HELL YEAH, WE'RE REACHING THE TARGET AUDIENCE)

i'm so happy you like my seraphim ace concept!! he's something i've been cookin' for a while and have put a lot of thought into, and i hope it shows. i thought the idea of the heat-heat fruit was cool too (in my mind, vegapunk bribed big mom for oven's blood with a fuckton of candy) especially since it's both better and worse than ace's original fruit at the same time.

i love kid ace too ;_; he's so precious, i need to hug him and tell him how loved he is. the idea that s-flame & ace mirror ace & roger grabbed me in such a chokehold the moment it occurred to me, i just knew i had to inflict it on the world too

as you said, luffy and sabo are both gonna struggle immensely with s-flame's existence, especially without context. without prior knowledge as to what they are, the seraphim really look like angels, so that first reaction of "oh my god i'm looking at my dead brother's angel" hits them both like a truck. and you know what they say about first impressions: very hard to shake, even if they logically know s-flame isn't ace.

this reply got long, so more below cut:

you're so right to catch that sabo never knew adult ace, and only knew kid ace! he's kinda caught between a rock and a hard place here, because:

this is the only ace he's ever known and s-flame acts pretty much exactly like him

he knows better than ANYONE how much young, angry ace hated being compared to roger, so he'll know better than anyone how much s-flame would hate being compared to ace

and yet...how can he avoid it. same with luffy, since ace literally died in his arms. meanwhile, it's ingrained in s-flame's soul to love these two, and even though he doesn't want to be ace, he suddenly finds himself wanting to if only so luffy and sabo will love him. oughhhh ;__;

to answer your question: a ton of people who knew ace will meet s-flame in this story!! marco is there ofc, he's a major character, and you're right that he's more mature about it than most. s-flame's got a lotta people to learn from who once knew ace: yamato, tama, garp, shanks, makino, dadan, and more, plus new people who will have a strong reaction to his existence, like rayleigh and king. this really is quite the journey for everyone involved, and i'm so beyond thrilled you're gonna hop in for the ride :D thanks so much for your message!!!