#look at me branching out into other characters

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Been an awful good girl

Warnings: non/dubcon, cheating, and other dark elements. Not all kinks or triggers are tagged. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Summary: Your roommate brings you along to a holiday gathering without much cheer.

Character: Steve Kemp

Day Sixteen of the December Daze Challenge.

Prompt - I'm your present.

Note: As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

“I don’t know about this. I don’t really know them as well as you,” you say as Lindy's thumb flicks on the steering wheel to hit the ‘next track’ button. 

“How so? We hang out all the time,” she snorts. 

“No, you hang out with them all the time. I’m just... a hanger on.” 

“Bull shit. Everyone loves you. Besides, what were young going to do? Sit home alone and mope.” 

“Yes,” you huff. “I really appreciate you inviting me but it seems very... intimate.” 

“Boo,” she rolls her eyes as she follows the subtle curve of the country road. “Really, it’s no big deal. Steve’s place is huge. Really, I told you to come in the summer.” 

“Some of us work.” 

“I work. Sometimes,” she giggles. 

“Sorry, I didn't mean...” 

“Oh, I know exactly how spoiled I am. Don't worry. It’ll be fine. Everyone’s going to be drinking anyway.” She sighs, “honestly, would you really rather be going home to face your stuffy family? Definitely not me.” 

“Yeah, you’re right,” you drone. “I don’t know. I was kind of looking forward to a Christmas alone.” 

“Pfft,” she blows a raspberry. “Well it’s too bad, because I know who drew you in the gift swap and it wouldn’t be very courteous to ghost.” 

“I’m here,” you whine. 

“Because you’re a good girl,” she sticks her tongue out as she peeks over at you. “You ever think that people like having you around because of that? You’re the perfect contrast to me. The Mufasa to my Scar, the Woody to my Buzz, the uh... Gandalf to my Saruman.” 

“Wow, a Tolkien reference, I’m impressed,” you snicker. 

“You remember that guy, Jensen. Aside from crying when he cums, he loves that shit,” she scoffs. “It was endearing but the tears weren’t.” 

“Ew, wow, uh, thanks for that information.” 

“Anytime, sweetie,” she trills. 

She drives on, into the dark sentinels and grim back roads. As the evening falls, the silver moon shines through the branches and needles. Despite the beaming saucer, the sky hangs like a dark sheet of satin. 

There are lights ahead. Windows aglow with life within. Other vehicles litter the large lot. You must be the last ones to get there. You’re not surprised. Lindy is always late. 

She parks without much concern for the other vehicles. You’re patient as she takes her time getting out. You don’t want to take the lead on this one. You follow her to the trunk to grab your bag and she takes hers, nearly shutting the lid on you. 

You head towards the cabin. You nearly trip up the steps as the only lights are those inside and the sole bulb beside the door. As you clatter up, you hear a strange creak. You wince and look over at the shadow that stands from the porch swing, the back knocking against the house siding. 

“Hey, was starting to think you weren’t coming,” Steve says as he steps into the yellow sheen of the porch light. The creases and angles of his face swallow the shadows perfectly.  

“Huh, oh, hey,” Lindy has one hand on the door. “Whatcha doin’ out here? Waiting for us?” 

“Sure,” he chuckles, “was getting a bit warm inside. Plus, Ransom’s been into the tequila.” 

“That sounds fun,” she giggles. 

“Maybe for you,” Steve sniffs.  

“Oh Steve, once I get some in me, I can be a whole lotta fun two,” she purrs. “And once I’m not standing out in the cold.” 

“Door’s open,” he says. “Hey, good to see you.” 

You meet his eyes, you think. His face is mostly hidden. You try to smile but it feels more like a grimace. “You too.” 

“You bring something for the gift swap?” 

“Course we did!” Lindy tosses over her should as she pushes down the lever of the door handle. 

“Uh, yeah,” you pat the strap of your bag. 

“Here, let me get those,” he offers. He grabs your napsack by the handle on top then slips between you and Lindy to take her D&G bag. “I’ll put them in your rooms. If you make it to yours, Lin.” 

“And we’ll see if you make it back to yours,” she snipes back. “Come on, sweetie,” she grabs your hand, “let’s go bug the others.” 

“Um, thanks, Steve,” you say. "Um, one second.” You reach for the zipper on your bag and undo it. You take out the paper gift bag then tug the tab back. “Thanks.” 

He smiles as he hooks your bag over his shoulder. He wears a deep blue sweater, his usual look, and his hair is floppy around his chiseled square face. You wonder about Lindy’s joke. Steve’s married to Ann, isn’t he? 

You Lindy her drag you away after you hang your coat. The rabble of voices beckons you into the front room where a fire crackles in the large fireplace. A table is draped in plaid and bowls and platters line the top. Ann is there, scooping sauce with a spoon onto a small saucer with crackers and cheese. 

“There they are,” she beams. “Girls. We’re finally balanced.” 

You tilt your head and look around. There’s three men in the room; Ransom, Charles, and Andrew. Four if you count Steve, and there’s one other woman besides Ann; Juliette. That would make four men and four women. Not that it really matters. 

“Don’t forget to put your gifts beneath the tree,” she points to the artificial fir. 

You put your bag underneath with the wrapped gifts and Lindy follows. She searches her pockets and pulls out a plastic gift card. Whoever she got will be drinking a lot of specialty coffees. She tosses it on the biggest box there. 

“Come, have some cider!” Juliet insists, “we added whiskey.” 

“Don’t get too wild, girls,” Andrew intones. 

It’s a bit awkward to refer to thirtysomethings as girls but you don’t pay it much mind. He doesn’t seem like he’s in a great mood. You wonder if it has anything to do with his wife Lori, being absent. 

Juliet hands you a crystal mug of cider. You sip it tentatively but Lindy eagerly guzzles it down. She leaves you without a word as she heads over to Ransom. He sits in a chair with a bottle of Tito’s in one hand and a cup of soda in the other. 

You peer around awkwardly and sway. Great. It’s not that you don’t get along with these people, you just find it hard to relate. Now that you’re here, that big question rings in your head. Why did you come? You’ve known these people as long as Lindy and yet, they are her friends, not yours. Still, you can’t name a single thing they’ve done that could justify you hating any of them. They more so inspire indifference, if not dejection. 

“You still working at the college?” Andrew startles you as he approaches with his short tumbler of dark liquor. You didn’t think he drank. He was always telling Lori to slow down. 

“Um, yeah,” you turn to him and run a finger nervously behind your ear. “How’s the, uh, attorney-ing going?” 

He shrugs, “thinking of starting a private practice. Maybe. Might have to relocate...” 

“Oh, that sounds like a big change.” 

“Lots of those,” he grumbles. You have a feeling you shouldn’t ask about his wife. 

“Yeah, I’ve been looking for a new gig. College is nice but a bit stagnant.” 

“Oh yeah? I could use an exec assistant if I do go to a firm,” he says. 

“Wow, really, uh, well, I guess that would be a big if,” you push your shoulders up. 

“Andy,” Steve appears, “don’t tell me you’re bringing her down with your sad sack schtick. We’ve all had enough.” 

“No, I was actually offering her a job. Possibly. What do you want? To annoy us with your slimy schtick? Go bug your wife.” 

“Woah, buddy, nothing meant by it. Just a joke. Thought maybe I could cheer you up. But I see why you went with this one,” Steve gestures to you. “She’s a sweetheart.” 

“Uh, oh, thanks,” you mutter into your cup. “Um, you know, we drove quite a ways. Could I use the bathroom?” 

“Sure thing,” Steve puts his hand on your shoulder and points back to the doorway, “down that hallway and to the right. Let me know if you get lost.” 

“Thanks, er, I’ll be back,” you sidle away and set your cup down on the table. You flee without looking back. You still can’t think of a good reason why you came. Not aside from the favour to Lindy. Sometimes, you think even she finds them too much. 

🎀

“I think all the gifts are under the tree so everyone can grab theirs whenever. You have to guess who got you by breakfast tomorrow!” Ann declares. 

The din doesn’t break. There are nods in her direction but most are unconcerned. Of course. You feel a bit dumb for spending so much time trying to find something for Ransom. He isn’t easy to buy for with his expensive tastes. He’s not even in the room... nor is Lindy. 

You don’t really care about yours. You really just want to go to bed. You wait and watch. No one else goes toward the tree. Sigh. You don’t want to seem like a vulture waiting to take your share of the carrion. 

After a while, Ann wanders over. She bends and moves around some of the presents. She picks up the gift card with sharpie on it. She rolls her eyes. She has that drunken wobble in her head as she stands and curls her lip at the gift. You feel bad for her. Lindy really didn’t try very hard. You even think she regifted that. 

Charles and Juliet go together. Both have more substantive prizes. They chatter as they return to the sofa. You get up and glance around. Everyone seems distracted; by each other or by their phones. You tiptoe over.  

You read each tag. You count the presents and tally up only seven total, including those already taken. You crane back and forth as you try to see if there’s a stray one around the back. You nod and back away, trying not to show your disappointment. 

You’re not surprised. You don’t know that whoever got you forgot so much as they didn’t both. You told Lindy, you’re the odd one out. You’re only invited because you’re roommates. To be honest, it’s mostly because she’s clingy. 

You yawn and check the time. You don’t care about a gift. You peek around. Steve is standing at the window, staring out at the moon. The eerie light gives his features an odd glow. 

You approach him, “uh, hey, can you show me what room is mine? I’m pretty beat.” 

He sets his glass on the window ledge and turns to you with a grin, “gladly.” 

He leads you away from the window, the darkness solid and thick. You walk out of the front room and he takes you around the staircase. 

“I hope you don’t mind. I gave you the room down here. The rest are upstairs...” he explains. 

“It’s fine. I appreciate you thinking of me.” 

“Oh yeah? Why’s that? You don’t think people do?” 

“No, I didn’t mean—I just... It was nice of you to invite me.” 

“Of course. You’re a nice girl. Lindy isn’t,” he chuckles, “you even her out.” 

“She’s not that bad,” you argue unconvincingly. 

“Sure. She can be... sweet when she wants something.” 

“Hm,” you hum. 

He stops outside a door and taps on it, “this is you.” He turns to face you, “I know what you’re thinking. Why are we friends if we don’t like each other? Sometimes, you just can’t get rid of people.” 

You nod awkwardly. You don’t want to be involved. You never really thought they hated each other, you just thought that was normal for them. That they were all a little bit abrasive. 

“So, the gift swap. You got Ransom, I see.” 

“How...” 

“I shouldn’t have been a snoop but I did see the tag when you took the bag out,” he smirks. “Oops.” 

“Uh, yeah, well, I don’t even think he’ll like it. It’s just socks. The only thing I could afford from the designer.” 

“Like he’d know the difference between a knock-off and the real thing. He’s new money,” he turns the knob and pushes the door open. “Bag’s on the bed for you.” 

“Thanks. Again,” you step past him as he flips on the light. “This is a really nice cabin. Must be nice in the summer.” 

“Maybe you’ll see next year,” he says. “So what about you? What do you think of your gift?” 

“Ummm,” you draw out as you shuffle into the room, “I...” 

The door clicks and you turn to face him. He’s just inside, standing in front of it, in almost a sinister way. Filling the frame so you couldn’t get past him if you tried. 

“Well,” he puts his hands on his hips. 

“What?” You blink. 

“Your present. I'm your present,” he tilts his head, “Merry Christmas.” 

“But... Ann?” You utter. 

“Ann what? You think she cares? She might if she wasn’t on her phone sexting the anesthesiologist from my office. Wonder if he puts her under before they... you know?” 

You shake your head, “oh, I’m sorry--” 

“Look, I don’t wanna worry about all that. I’m your secret santa,” he opens his arms as he comes closer, “guess I shoulda put a bow on me.” 

“I... Steve, I’m not... I’m sorry but I can’t--” 

He stops before you and presses his finger to your lips, hushing you. 

“It’s not polite to turn away a gift someone put a lot of thought into. You’re a good girl, aren’t you?” He drawls. You squeak as he drags his fingertips down and turns his hand to cradle your chin. “Plus, if Ann was so concerned and she came in to find you seducing her husband, well, I’m not sure she’d let you stay.” 

“Steve,” your eyes tinge hotly. “Why?” 

“Why what?” He bites his lip and hooks his arm around you, bringing you flush against him. “I’m giving you exactly what you need, honey.” 

[thedissonantverses]

I saw a post circulating with common nonlethal injuries then I remembered I know medical stuff and like to do dangerous activities in the wilderness. Here’s some environmental hazards for your writing. This is for fiction purposes only and not real medical advice. I’m throwing more realistic but fun conditions that you commonly see if you hang out outside a lot. This got long and I talk gross medical stuff in a humorous way under the cut so ya know. Self-select.

Altitude Sickness- Causes dizziness, difficulty breathing, confusion, nausea, headache and fatigue. You treat by bringing this person back out of elevation and hydrating them. Can be caused easily above 6,000 feet of elevation or 1.83 km so if you characters are on a mountain it’s something that can be fun to take into consideration.

Dehydration or its cousin Hyponatremia- Essentially dehydration is cause by too little fluid and Hyponatremia is caused by too little salt. They have similar symptoms such as nausea, headache, dizziness, confusion. But the latter is caused by drinking way too much water and you need to eat salt to treat it. So uh don’t confuse the two…anyways if you’re mean you can mix and match with altitude sickness. (I don’t know if people still do this but don’t drink your own urine for any reason)

Snakes! Did you know snakes can either kill you really fast or….they’ll just really, really suck. Also don’t have your characters suck the venom out it does not work and that’s how we get infections. If it’s something like a pit viper you want antivenom and a doctor(or your fantasy equivalent)

Lightning-Causes fire in droughts and electrocution in wet. The safest place to stand in a storm is not in a cave if the floor is wet. The lightning will ricochet! Also tree shrapnel is a thing. Trees explode when hit by lightning. It’s cool when you’re not standing next to it.

Stinging nettle- This one’s fun because it’s a plant made of silica that breaks off in your skin. Causes a rash. It hurts. But if you break it right it makes tea.

My nemesis, poison oak(or ivy or sumac): This is an evil devil plant that most of us are allergic to but other animals can eat. Its Latin name means plant of many forms because it is everywhere all the time. It cannot be contained. What the fuck nature. It probably won’t kill you but it does need steroids when it’s on mucous membranes. Causes a rash and the oil cannot be washed off without soap. It itches like a motherfucker and if you get it in a cut or inhale it by accidentally burning it, it will cause a systemic reaction. Seek help.

Hypothermia-So like I know cuddling naked in a sleeping bag but really what needs to happen is feed this person a lot of calories and get them to exercise. Ya know. Depending on the tone. Mix and match with altitude sickness(I mean I’ve tried it don’t recommend but ya know it’s way more fun if it’s a fictional character)

Stinging/Biting insects- A lot of stings and bites are non-lethal if you don’t live in like fucking Australia. Scorpions tend not to kill, are just really painful and like to sleep in boots, and they glow in the dark. One time I dug into a hornet’s nest and got stung in the neck and ow ow ow but like I was fine but ow. There’s these insane insects in the Southeast U.S. that bur-you know what…

Unclean drinking water- Do you know what it’s like to not have clean drinking water? Do you know what horrors lurk below the surface? I do! Pathogens. They cause GI upset. Boil or filter your characters’ water. Or they get dehydrated(see above)

Trees: No joke the thing that actually scares me the most in the back country, far more than cougars or bears, are trees. They can drop branches as big as other trees called widowmakers(you can guess why). I’ve seen what looked like a perfectly healthy 70 ft tree come down and almost hit someone’s tent from a light breeze. One widowmaker was quite rude and hit my tent while I was sleeping.

Feral Horses: I am so serious. Horses are assholes. Like other ungulates they’re large and stupid and don’t have to give a damn because they’re bigger than you. They’re not majestic. Don’t pet them. I’m serious put your hand back in your pocket.

Rodents: I saw a raccoon steal a whole backpack of art supplies and squirrels eat through the wires in car engines cause the hoods were closed. Prairie dog fleas carry the bubonic plague. Turns out it’s easily treatable with modern antibiotics. All adorable. All insane.

Again, NOT SOUND MEDICAL ADVICE, I made way too many dumb jokes. If you’re curious go get some WFA training they’ll cover most of this. Some of it was found out the hard way.

[evervigilantnightshade]

The Line - Part 11

Reader and John have always straddled the line between playful flirting and taking things further. However when they are forced into a safe house and a secret comes out will they be able to save what they were heading for or is all lost.

Reader x John Price, Ghost, Soap, Gaz, Laswell, Original characters.

MDNI

Warnings: Angst, violence towards reader, reader attacked by men, a pup gets hurt (but don't worry he's ok) Blood, fluff, flirting, Death and killing on missions, Father of reader's death mentioned. Eventual smut.

MASTERLIST

The dinner was lively, everyone laughing, and telling stories. John was sitting next to Y/N and he kept looking over at her, watching as she interacted with her family. She was gorgeous and despite her tears only moments ago she had a smile on her face as they all told stories. 

John wasn’t paying attention to anything other than Y/N until he saw her face turn red and she  groaned from embarrassment. He turned his attention to the table and Charlie started telling them about Skijoring. 

“What the hell is Skijoring?” Kyle asked 

Down the table Freya squealed. “Swear jar!” 

Simon laughed and raised his eyebrows towards Kyle as if saying I told you so. He then tossed Kyle a loonie and Kyle handed it directly to Freya which caused her and Edie to argue over who should get the dollar. 

“Skijoring is where you have one person riding a horse towing another person behind them on either skis or a snowboard.” Charlie explained. “What can I say, small town folks gotta find a way to pass the time. We had told Simon about it and he was determined to try it.” 

“Wait did ya?” Johnny asked, looking over at Simon.

“We did.” Simon said hesitantly. 

“And?” 

“It was great, a lot of fun and hilarious. We even set up little jumps. Everything was great. Until…:” 

Simon refused to say what happened so Charlie jumped in. 

“Until Brooke went a little too fast while towing Y/N on her snowboard and she launched her hard off a jump.Y/N came down on her arm the wrong way and broke it.” 

“Mom was pissed.” Emma laughed 

“Swear jar!” 

Another loonie was passed to the twins

“Yeah well you were grown. I shouldn't have to watch over you twenty four hours a day to make sure you don’t do dumb shit.” Momma Lynn said while simultaneously handing Edie a loonie.  

“Wait, how old were you?” Kyle asked. 

“About, what?” Y/N looked over at Simon. “Twenty nine?” 

“Yeah about that.” 

“Old enough to know better.” Momma Lynn said with a frown, but couldn’t help it and started laughing. “They tried to pretend like she just fell off a horse while they were riding. Acting like we couldn’t see them in the field from the window. It was such a terrible excuse. Y/N wouldn’t get on a horse to save her life.”

“You don’t like riding horses?” John looked at her amused. 

”Don’t like horses in general. I get it, they’re majestic, gorgeous creatures. But I had a childhood experience that made me scared of them for life.” 

“You’re so dramatic.” Momma Lynn laughed. 

“That horse nearly broke my back trying to go under a low hanging branch. Then it took off running full speed home with me on its back.” 

“I told you to pull on the reins, it’s not my fault you didn’t listen.” Momma Lynn shrugged

“I was eight! That’s three years older than the twins are now!” 

Brooke rolled her eyes. “They’ve been riding for a year.” 

Y/N looked shocked. 

“Really?” 

“Yeah nana takes us for horsey rides all the time.” 

She really had missed a lot. 

“Well, it doesn't change my opinion, horses are scary.” 

Johnny laughed. “Can’t believe you are scared of anything, let alone a horse.” 

“Well we’ll put you on one tomorrow and we’ll see how you do. How about that?” 

“Can we do Skijoring?” Ky asked excitedly. 

“NO!” 

“Absolutely.” 

Charlie and Y/N said at the same time. Charlie shot her a warning glare. 

“Come on mom, you gotta do it? Why can’t we?” Ky asked 

“Yeah mommy, can we please do it?” Johnny said in a low voice. 

Charlie’s cheeks blushed and she smirked at him. All of a sudden a dinner roll hit Johnny in the face and he looked up to see Simon glaring at him. 

“That's your second warning. You won’t get a third.” 

John chuckled and then felt something press against his leg. He looked down to see Chewy standing on his hind legs, his front legs against John’s legs, looking up at him with the saddest eyes he’s ever seen. John looked at his plate for something to sneak him under the table but Y/N put her hand on his. 

“That’s how he gets you. He makes you think he’s starving and so sad. But he’s really not. That's why he’s so chunky.” She laughed and moved Chewy off John’s leg. 

Chewy huffed and moved on to his next victim. 

“Alright kids, dinners over go up to your rooms and play, the adults have to talk.” Simon said and there was a chorus of protests. 

“That’s enough of that.” Momma Lynn said firmly and the twins and Meadow got up from their seats and made their way out of the room. 

Charlie looked at Ky and motioned for him to leave too. 

“Mom, I'm eighteen now, I should be able to stay.” 

She looked over at Y/N who shrugged “Technically he’s an adult now.” 

“Fine but you listen to the rules, and you keep your mouth shut.” 

Ky nodded excitedly. 

Momma Lynn put a basket in the middle of the table. Simon and the girls all tossed their phones and any other electronics into it. The team caught on and did the same. Charlie looked at Ky and he reluctantly put his phone in. 

“The watch too.” She instructed. 

Once he put it in Charlie took the basket into the other room and came back empty handed. 

“Alright, what’s going on? Why’d we have to drop everything and come out here for an unknown amount of time? And why can’t I speak to my husband about it?” Brooke crossed her arms over her chest. 

“I saw Adam, told him what I’m telling you now so don’t worry.” Y/N explained and Brooke looked shocked. 

“When?” 

“We were in Sweden right before coming here. I made a stop to see him. He wasn’t thrilled but preferred the idea of the three of you being here rather than being at home. We have protection watching over him.” 

“I didn’t know you went to see Adam.” Simon said annoyance in his voice. 

“With Keegan when I went to run errands.” She then turned to Brooke “He couldn’t tell you he saw me because of the no discussing over the phone rule.” 

“So what’s the reason?” Emma asked, looking concerned. 

“We’ve been after a top level target for quite a long time now. We finally tracked him down and thought we got him but it was a trap. He’s identified us and said he has all our information. We don’t know where he is and because he’s so dangerous we’ve had to be cautious and hide out for a bit while Overwatch tracks him down. We worried because if he knew us he would somehow be able to track down our families. So we figured this was the best place for everyone.” 

“What are the chances of this guy finding us?” Charlie asked, glancing over at Ky, regretting letting him stay for this based on the look he had on his face. 

“Enough we made the call to be here, but not enough to stay in lock down.” Simon referred to the house security system. 

“What about the kids?” Ava asked and Simon wrapped his arm around her protectively. 

“I would never let anything happen to them.” He assured her. 

“If anything were to happen we would all protect you.” John added 

Y/N instantly put her hand on his thigh and squeezed as a sign of thank you. 

“We’ll make sure everyone remembers the drills your dad used to put us through and stock the safe room. We’ve prepared for this, it was just a different situation than we thought it would be.” Momma Lynn said, her face serious. “You girls know enough to protect yourself and you spent your whole lives training for situations like this.” 

“I know it’s just a little different when it’s actually happening.” Emma said and Kyle looked over at her. 

“I wouldn’t want to come face to face with all you girls. You’re badasses.” 

His words made Emma smile, a blush creeping up her cheeks. 

“Keep an eye out. If you see something out of the ordinary, tell us. Someone should always be with the kids. Don’t leave the farm by yourself.” Simon listed out the rules. “We’ll be ok as long as we stay vigilant.” 

Everyone sat there looking concerned but nodded in agreement. 

“I know this is frightening, and we thought this would be the best place to be. But if it would make you feel better we can relocate.” Y/N didn’t want them to be scared because they were there.

“Not a chance in hell” Momma Lynn said angrily. “The best place for you to be is here, and we’re safer having you all here as well. There’s no way you’re leaving.” 

The sisters all spoke up with agreement but Brooke stood up suddenly and Y/N looked over at her. 

“I’m going to check on the girls. Don’t be ridiculous about leaving. Obviously having you all here is the best solution.” 

With that she left the room and Y/N looked over at Charlie who just shrugged and smiled. 

“Best you’re gonna get.” 

“True.” 

“Is she the oldest?” Kyle asked suddenly and Y/N chuckled. 

“Do you think she is?” 

Kyle nodded his head and then she looked at Johnny. “What about you?” 

“Definitely, she has tha’ older sis sassiness to her.”

Y/N then looked at John tilted her head. He could see a slight smirk on her lips and he had a feeling they were wrong. He looked around the table and thought about the girls and then thought about Y/N’s age. He came up with an answer that he figured was safe.

“Has to be Charlie.” 

“Well you’re all wrong.” Charlie said standing up and grabbing some plates from the table. 

“Who is then?” Kyle asked. 

Charlie motioned her head towards Y/N and Kyle laughed 

“No way!” 

“By like 3 minutes.” 

“Still older.” Charlie smirked. 

Y/N shrugged and then looked over at Ky who still looked a little shell shocked. 

“Got any questions bud?” 

“Are you sure we’re safe?” He looked at her and her heart melted 

“I’m sure, bud. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” 

She got up and went over to him and gave him a big hug from behind. He squeezed her forearm and then straightened up as if trying to prove he could handle this. 

“Ok. I’m not scared or anything, just wanted to make sure.” He said and Y/N swore his voice was an octave lower causing her to smile. 

“Of course.” 

They all then proceeded to clear the table as Momma Lynn made coffee. They spent the next few hours talking and laughing, the stress of their situation from earlier fading. Eventually everyone started yawning and they collectively agreed to head to bed. It had been a long day for everyone. 

John and Y/N made their way to her bedroom, Chewy and Odin following directly behind them. When they closed the door, leaving them alone again Y/N felt nervous. Chewy went to sit on his bed in the corner of the room but Odin pawed at her leg to pick him up. She sat down on the bed with her legs crossed placing Odin on the bed and he instantly went and curled up by her pillow. John sat on the bed next to her. 

“Are you still planning on sleeping on the couch? Or have you changed your mind?” 

“I still think it’s best if I sleep on the couch.” 

He looked deflated but nodded his head in understanding. 

“I thought a lot about what you said earlier.” He leaned over to make sure she was making eye contact with him. 

Y/N took a deep breath, preparing for the worst and then met his eyes. 

“This is salvageable, this is worth fighting for. I know you. Yes I didn’t know about your family but I know so much about you. I know you like horror movies but they scare you so badly you have to sleep with a lamp on. I know you love music and your choice reflects your current mood. I know you read the classics but you also love Harry Potter and those weird ‘spicy’ books Johnny teases you about. I also know that when you’re reading those spicy books you twirl your hair and have a constant smirk on your face that has made me have to leave the room more than once to hide my excitement knowing that you’re definitely enjoying what you’re reading. I know you like to get up early and take a moment to drink your coffee by yourself in the mornings. I know that you need to decompress after a mission but won’t walk away if someone wants to chat. I know you’re constantly trying to better yourself and will push yourself to the limit to prove to yourself you can do anything you want to do. I know you have a massive heart that can’t stand to see anyone in pain, including animals. Especially animals. I know you take a man out from eighty yards and be fine but if you see a commercial with an old couple in love you cry. I know you love fiercely. And I know this,” John pulled her hand over and put it on his chest “isn’t lying when it tells me I love you and I will fight for this. Please fight with me.” 

Once again Y/N was left in tears. 

“It’ll be hard. We’ll have to take a step back. Rebuild what we once had. Are you willing to do that?” 

“I’ll do anything. If you need to start over I’ll do that. I will never hurt you again. I promise. Please Y/N, you’re all I want. 

She knew what to say, she knew it the moment her heart broke thinking John was done with this. Now hearing him say all this to her she knew she wanted to fight too.

“You’re all I want too.”  

John pulled her into his arms and held her so tightly she almost couldn’t breathe. She didn’t care though, she squeezed him just as tightly. He pulled her into his lap and held her, his hand rubbing up and down her back. They stayed like that for quite a while until she pulled away and stood up. 

“I still think it’s best if I sleep on the couch. I’m still not ready to share a bed with you.” 

“I understand. Although I wish it was me sleeping on the couch, I understand your reasoning.” 

Y/N nodded and went and got ready for bed, washing her face and brushing her teeth. She had thrown on a pair of loose sweatpants and a hoodie and then walked over to the closet to grab a blanket and an extra pillow. 

She stood by the door and John was still sitting on the edge of the bed. 

“Alright, goodnight.” 

“Goodnight, beautiful.” 

She felt her stomach flutter and she smiled.

“Chewy, Odin, let's go.” 

Chewy instantly got up and walked over to her and huffed, annoyed his sleep was being disrupted. Odin however lifted his head, looked at her and then put his head back down on the bed. 

“I think he wants to stay with you.” 

“Well of course he does, we’re buddies.” John laid back up the bed on his side and propped himself up on his forearm as he gave him a small pat on his head causing Y/N to chuckle. 

For some reason she was finding it difficult to leave the room. Seeing John laying on her bed stirred something in her but she was trying to force it back down. She wanted the space, needed it; but for some reason her body was having a hard time accepting that. She could see his tanned skin where his shirt had lifted up slightly and the top of his boxer briefs peeking out from his pants. Yeah her body was definitely not communicating with her mind. She shifted her body trying to discreetly ease her core. She had to get out of here before she gave in. 

“Alright well if you need anything, you know where I’ll be.” 

He nodded and she quickly turned around and left the room, shutting the door behind her. She shook her head and then looked down at herself. 

“Really need you to get on board with the rest of us here.” She mumbled to her burning core.  

[benkeibear]

⛧°。 ⋆༺ 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆 𝐌𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 ༻⋆。 °⛧

𝐻𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 (𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠)

𝐷𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 (𝐴𝑠 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟)

༺ synopsis: during a seemingly idyllic weekend getaway with your fiancé, you find yourself irresistibly drawn to a mysterious lake of blood. As you plunge into its depths, you're rescued by a stranger whose presence is slightly unsettling but it marks the beginning of your new life.

༺ character: Choso

༺ reader: female | AFAB

༺ wc: 4757

༺ cw: implied hunting and blood drinking, description of drowning (but no one actually drowns)

༺ notes: I'm a little nervous posting this first chapter if we're being quite honest but here we go! I sincerely hope you guys enjoy this ride as much as I do - please let me know what you're thinking as well as theorize 🫶

MASTERLIST // -> Next chapter (coming soon) // Taglist

You've never experienced the feeling of coming home before setting foot onto the cobblestone ground of your weekend hideout, away from civilization - a beautiful small castle in the outskirts of a quiet village. Shaking the feeling off, you enter the bedroom with a small smile, the feeling now wrapping around you like a blanket and unable to ignore any longer.

"Is something wrong?" Your fiancé asked curiously, having seen the little shiver of your body upon crossing the threshold.

"A déjà vu, I think," you answered nonchalantly - perhaps a long forgotten childhood memory, you thought to yourself right after, but you've never been this far from home.

“A Déjà-vu?” Your lover questioned with one of his thin brows raised before his hand reached out to take your bag from you. It wasn't like your bag was heavy, but he couldn't bear to let the love of his life, his soon to be wife, carry anything more than the grace she emitted in every step.

“You know, I took it from you on the way up here for a reason, I don't need a man to do these things for me.” Your voice sounded playful, but your words were sharp, a small reminder of how he will share the rest of his life with a woman who is in no need of a man to provide for her, seeing a partner as not much more than a fun addition to her life. Yet this is what he wanted, to serve you, to make you happy and help you fulfill the dreams ahead of you in no regards to his own. You were simply the center of his universe, his own sun that he was circulating around.

“I know, love, but am I not allowed to spoil you rotten?” He asked and a coy smile formed on his lips, lashes batting as if he’s trying to convince you, that yes, this is indeed necessary. A small chuckle bubbled past your lips and you shook your head in defeat.

“I won't complain about getting spoiled a little,” you admitted and the smile lingered on your lips when you looked around the beautiful room like a curious cat.

“Is that a tree?!” You heard your fiancé exclaim excited, yet confused from the bathroom before you followed him into the tiny space to see what exactly he meant.

“Yeah, I think it is,” you mumbled as you looked at the huge branch of a tree that grew into the sturdy walls and out again on the other side of the corner. It looked like some of the stones had been removed to make this all possible and it made you smile some more before you went back to the bedroom of your little weekend suite. Plopping down on the bed, your face scrunched up upon hearing the unpleasant squeak of the mattress and were reminded of the luxury of your own bed back at home.

A little flyer on the bedside table caught your attention when you moved your head to the side on the scratchy pillow. With a curious expression, you picked up the piece of paper and flipped it around to get a quick look at it before starting to read about what this little castle has to offer. It was a typical tourist information, letting you know about the sights nearby as well as on the castle grounds.

“A botanical garden,” your fiancé's voice startled you out of your trance-like state.

“Hm?” You raised one eyebrow and turned the piece of paper in your hand to see what he was looking at - pictures of a tiny greenhouse next to a small lake caught your attention.

“Botanical garden?” You snorted amused, the greenhouse was barely big enough to fit more than four people, perhaps, but the lake was what's interesting - the water seemed to be blood red.

Rising up into a sitting position, you handed the paper to your fiancé, your eyes urgent as they found his.

“We need to go there!” You say almost serious, but the excitement was evident, which made him chuckle.

“Calm down. It's most likely just some bacteria that caused it to look red,” he tried to reason, not seeing why you're suddenly so invested in nature's goods.

“And? I could swim in blood!” You retort amused as you got up from the bed, the old mattress squeaking once again.

“You shouldn't. If it's a bacteria causing this, you might get sick or god knows - even worse,” he immediately said in a serious tone, the urgency ringing in every word of his, but you could only roll your eyes.

“Calm down. I'm not gonna swim in some random lake anyways,” your words came out defeated and you sat back down onto the bed, almost pouting like a little child.

“We can still look at it and the great botanical garden,” he offered with a silly smirk, his fingers forming quotation marks when he talked about the botanical garden. You only rolled your eyes, feigning annoyance at his words, but nodded before pulling him down to join you on the squeaking bed, a laugh erupting from you when he only winced at the noise.

“Is this bed trying to tell us to lose weight or what's the deal?” He asked amused, the old springs almost poking his spine.

“Not entirely sure, but I'll be using you as my makeshift bed while we're here,” you mused and jabbed his chest with a single finger of yours.

“Poke me any harder and one of these springs might impale me,” your fiancé joked as he caught your finger right before another poke hit his defined chest.

The both of you stayed like this for a moment longer, eyes slowly tracing along the length of the thin veil of tulle that covered the bed like a canopy. It made you wonder if the ceiling might crumble down dust and small rocks whenever someone on the ground above was walking over it, but you quickly moved over to marvel at the details in the ceiling, cracks and ridges made you sink deeper into the daydream of what life here must have been like many decades ago.

“We should head out to the lake soon if you want to spend some time there before dinner,” your fiancé suggested as he slowly rose into a sitting position, elbows holding up his weight. It was his voice that pulled you out of a daydream, your brain buffering for a moment to fully comprehend his words before giving him the smallest of nods.

As you rose up from the old mattress, you could hear your back crunch in protest but paid no further attention to it when you held your hand out to your fiancé to help him stand up - not that he needed it, but it was just a kind gesture.

As he reached for your hand, he suddenly pulled you back down and on top of him, both of you erupting in a fit of laughter that seemed to bounce off the cold castle walls, making it even harder for you two to stop. It took a kiss to finally cease the seemingly endless fit of giggles, but as the kiss deepened, you forced yourself to pull away and shake your head.

Fuck, he looks so beautiful like this, you thought to yourself. His black hair against the white sheets like a black halo and his cheeks the softest shade of pink as his chest rose at a fastened pace. It was moments like these that took your breath away - just everyday, small domestic moments with him that had you topple over and fall in love all over again. It felt like a trance when you simply stared down at him, and he looked up at you with these dark puppy eyes as if you were the only star in his entire universe… but his lips were moving.

“What?” you asked confused, your vision slowly focusing back to reality and shifting out of your thoughts. You sounded so lost and almost dorky with the way your little what was half slurred, half squeaked. Your lover shook his head with a smile, a small chuckle breaking through.

“I asked if you trust me, my little daydreamer,” he mused and gently moved to hold both your hands as you still sat on top of him, playing around with them.

“Of course I do, why do you even have to ask?” You were almost hurt by that question, but he discarded it and pushed you off of him in a gentle, yet playful manner that had you bouncing and the bed squeaking. He didn't deem it necessary to explain anything as he rose to stand on top of the squeaky mattress, pulling you up with him.

“What are you doing?” You asked, having a hard time holding back a laugh when he started bouncing on the bed like a little child, holding onto your hands in hopes it would animate you to join him in his shenanigans - and it did.

Both of you were giggling and bouncing on the bed to make it squeak when he suddenly started moaning obnoxiously loud and far too pretentious, but you couldn't help but join in. It felt good to just fool around like this, swearing to yourself that yes, you're an adult in this moment, but once you two were out of breath, he helped you get off the bed and made sure you were steady and standing properly before letting go of your hands.

“What was that for?” you asked amused as you still tried your best to catch your breath.

“People should know that we're here on our pre-honeymoon, don't you think?” He asked with a boyish grin and gently combed his fingers through his shoulder length hair in an effort to detangle it from your previous activities. An overly exaggerated gasp left you and you gently hit his chest.

“Hand holding and eye contact before our marriage? Scandalous!” You exclaimed in amusement and shook your head in disbelief as both of you moved to get dressed to go outside into the crisp fall air. Just as you left, one of the maids walked past you, unable to look any of you in the eyes as she blushed and giggled. You didn't want to know what exactly she was thinking, given your pretentious little show just mere minutes ago. It left you feeling a little guilty and you too could feel the heat creeping up your neck as your lover only smiled proudly at the poor elderly lady.

“I don't even want to know what she was thinking,” you mumble on your way out of the small castle as you hold onto the biceps of your lover, hiding your face in his arm for a second or two in a shy manner.

“Probably that we're two young lovers who enjoy love and showing it to each other on a rather… physical level,” he explained with a grin, trying to sound nonchalant.

“You can just say - she was thinking that we just fucked - you know?” You retorted with a small jab to his ribs to make him laugh, which he did.

“But I would never simply fuck you. You deserve to be worshipped and made love to. Fucking is for wild animals,” he reflected and leaned into you so he could kiss your temple as you two slowly walked on the cobblestoned path away from the castle and towards the small, private forest area. You shouldn't think too much about his words, but it made you feel a certain way, the heat rising up inside of you as you thought back to all the times you were intimate with each other. He indeed never simply fucked you, he always made sure to put you before him and to make you feel valued, loved and well taken care of.

The path to the little greenhouse, or what they lovingly called it, the “botanical garden” was rather short and uneventful, cobblestones slowly turning into gravel until it was nothing but a mix of a few stray stones and packed mud.

“M'lady,” he exclaimed jokingly as he held open the glass door of the greenhouse so you may enter first. You smiled at him and gave him your best curtsy before ducking under his arm to enter the cramped space.

“Such a gentleman,” you teased him when he entered right after you, the air so moist it hit you like a wall. Both of you had to look around the colorful variety of flowers, herbs and greenery before actually walking around in the rather small space. As you marveled at the beautiful vines hanging down from the ceiling to your right, you were suddenly startled by a gasp and whipped your head around, clutching your chest in shock.

“I can't believe they have Kadupul flowers here!” Your lover exclaimed excitedly as he pointed at what looked to you like a bush of wavy, green leaves, which left you more confused than before.

“Kadu what flowers? It's just leaves?” You ask as you carefully walk over to where he was standing to get a closer look at the bush of leaves; perhaps the flowers were just so small you couldn't see them from five steps away. Yet, when you closed the small distance, there were still no flowers to be seen and you gave your fiancé a quizzical look, so he got his phone out.

“Kadupul flowers, Epiphyllum oxypetalum, also called Queen of the night,” he explained and showed you pictures of a beautiful white flower. The thin, white petals surrounding bigger petals that looked like they were forming a star in the middle looked quite dramatic but enchantingly beautiful to you. It made you take another look at the green bush in front of you.

“It's not in bloom right now. Actually, it's rare to ever witness the flower bloom,” he explained and marveled at the plant a while longer like a boy in a candy store.

“It only blooms at night and withers at dawn when the first rays of sunshine hit it,” he then continued and turned away from the plant with a heavy sigh that sounded more like he just went through heartbreak. Of course a flower this beautiful had such a dramatic blooming story, you thought to yourself and went to hold his hand, squeezing it a little.

“Maybe we could get one, then you can witness it in bloom,” you try to cheer him up with a small smile, but he only shook his head in return.

“It's one of the most expensive flowers to exist, it's almost priceless,” he mumbled and the sad look in his eyes signaled that he doesn't want to ponder on it much longer, so you let the topic go and slowly led him out of the possibly tiniest botanical garden you'll ever see.

“Let's go to the blood lake!” You quipped and dragged him towards where you assumed it would be, but he ripped his arm out of your grasp.

“Actually… it's that way,” he retorted and you simply stomped back and past him, grabbing his arm once again to drag him along, but in the right direction this time. After what seemed like an eternity due to your excitement, you finally arrived at a beautiful clearing. The grass was luscious with small daisies and clovers growing all over the clearing, and a small stone bench was perched up right next to the lake as well - it made you wonder if someone used to sit here and ponder over the world and what it had to offer.

“The statues look eerie,” your lover's voice ripped you out of your thoughts yet again and upon looking at the two statues at each side of the slim lakebed, you agreed to his conclusion.

Two huge gargoyle statues stood there, looking at each other as if they're making sure that those who dare to come close to, or go into the lake know that they're being watched.

“I feel a little bad… Who knows how long they've spent their days unloved and forgotten about?” You wonder out loud as you take a closer look at one of the two moss covered stone statues, your nose scrunching up at the amount of bird poop you discover once you were closer.

“You talk like these are graves… It's just statues, and I figure cleaning them in a forest isn't going to last long,” your fiancé tried to speak some sense into you, but you couldn't help the pang of guilt creeping up your heart. It simply felt wrong to see them neglected like this and you almost took offense to it. But he was right, you shouldn't get upset about these little things when you could instead bask in the beauty of the blood red lake right in front of you. The pictures truly weren't lying, the water looked dark red, as if hundreds of people had given their lives just to fill this pool for two bloodthirsty gargoyles.

“Do you think the gargoyles bled out humans to make the water look this red?” You turned around with a grin on your face as if you were telling a scary story at a campfire, which made the black haired man shake his head and laugh at your childish antics.

“I believe so, yes. Maybe you'll find their bones if you dive deep enough,” he mused back at you, encouraging your little storytelling, which made you gasp and giggle.

“I really want to look for them… but I'd probably end up as one of them. Who knows what bacteria lives in there,” you laughed softly and waved your hand in front of your face in a disgusted manner to get the air to freshen up. The water smelled horrendous, pungent and almost rotten - which only worked in favor of your little story. But as the old lanterns slowly flickered on, illuminating the gargoyles in a menacing glow that made you shiver, you decided it was time to head back inside, it was dinner time after all.

When you finally arrived at the dining hall of the little castle, you only ordered a small dish for yourself, the feeling of hunger ceasing more with every passing minute, a weird feeling of sadness spread inside of you and chased away any other feeling. It was a slow process, but you could feel it deep inside you like a small tree growing bigger and bigger - the seed of sadness was planted and should ruin your first evening here.

“Are you feeling sick?” Your fiancé asked concerned when you were only eating like a bird, picking around in your food and taking the smallest bites possible.

Not wanting to ruin his evening with the weird feeling that appeared out of nowhere, you simply nodded.

“I think it's the smell of that lake, my stomach feels funny,” you lie convincingly as you gently shove your plate across the table and towards him. Barely any food was missing and you gave him a sad smile.

“I'll excuse myself and go up already, yes? You asked and didn't wait for an answer before you rose to your feet and kissed his temple before almost speedwalking out of the dining hall and into your room, where you brushed your teeth and took a shower in hopes of shaking this feeling off.

The water was almost boiling hot, yet not hot enough as you aggressively lathered the soap on your body with the fresh loofah the hotel provided. Get clean. Get rid of this feeling. The urge to step outside of your skin grew as the water slowly lost its temperature, causing a string of curses to leave your lips while you shut it off entirely. Disgust, pain and homesickness. You were able to name the emotions blooming inside of you, which no longer felt like a seed, more like vines growing over your rib cage and making it harder to breathe every time your lungs let go of oxygen.

By the time you left the bathroom, your fiancé was back in the room and sat on the bed, a cloud of steam leaving the bathroom with you.

“You really don't look too well. Come here,” he offered lovingly and patted the mattress right next to where he sat.

“I'll play with your hair until you fall asleep, how does that sound?” He asked and sat further up on the bed so he could rest his back against the headboard while you got comfortable next to him, your head resting on his lap.

A small “thank you” left your lips when you wrapped one arm around his waist, holding onto his soft sweater as if he'd disappear any moment. With a sigh you finally closed your eyes, allowing yourself to rest with the hope of waking up in the morning and this weird feeling disappearing magically overnight.

However, waking up wasn't as peaceful as you hoped, suddenly raising yourself into a sitting position with a gasp of pure shock. Your heart was beating like a war drum, your ears blocking out almost all the noise except for the steady thumping of our heartbeat, your vision pulsating with every beat. The adrenaline fueled your body as memories of your restless dream appeared, the gargoyles watching your every move, and even now you couldn't shake this feeling.

Shaking hands reached for your lover, who fell asleep in his sitting position, but no amount of shaking got him to wake up, light snores assuring you that he is alive but sleeping far too deeply to help you calm down.

“Get a damn grip on yourself,” you mumbled more to yourself than anything else as you pulled his soft sweater over your head. The smell was intoxicating and grounded you, drowning you in the feeling of safety and home, but you needed to clear your head from the nightmare that woke you up.

You weren't even thinking as your feet walked you outside, no path in mind, perhaps rounding the tiny castle once or twice to let the cool air deep into your system to clear your mind from all these horrid images flooding your brain from the previous dream.

“What? Who's there?” You were scared when you heard your name getting called, hoping it was your lover who woke up in your absence and went looking for you, but you found absolutely no one.

The feeling of paranoia wouldn't shake, feeling like someone is watching over your shoulder and there it was again - your name. It sounded like someone was longing for you, needing you to come help them, to save them from whatever misery they felt. Bare feet now padded over the cobblestone path and then the gravel, which slowly turned to a muddy path as your speed picked up. Were you running towards the voice or away from it? You weren't sure since it sounded like it came from everywhere at once, its desperation growing with each call.

You didn't feel real in the moment, your body as light as a feather, yet your head seemed to weigh a hundred pounds when your heart beat drowned out everything - everything but that damn call of your name, which now turned into a luring whisper, one that dragged you closer and closer. It wasn't fear coursing through you, it felt hot instead, like you were getting closer to something you longed for ever since you remembered and your body seemed to move out of muscle memory, following a path you've walked a thousand times.

Wet. Was it the grass that felt cold against your feet, or was the morning dew kissing your skin? It couldn't be. It didn't make sense that the feeling spread through your body as if the sky decided to pour over you, drenching you to your bones in ice cold water… until breathing became harder, the feeling of vines growing over your rib cage returned once again, but this time the oxygen was leaving your lungs with no way of returning there.

It was water that replaced the air in your lungs with each breath and your vision unblurred, seeing seaweed sway gently next to your body, a single skull to your right on the sandy ground…

“I was right about the lake… There are bodies on the ground." Your thought almost amused you, feeling no threat despite your vision turning black when all oxygen disappeared from your lungs…

“What do we have here?” Your eyes fluttered open when you heard a familiar voice, yet it sounded foreign.

The full moon was bright, your eyes slowly looking at the man who held you at arm's length, a death grip on both your upper arms as he looked at you with hunger.

“Don't you know that swimming at night can be quite dangerous? Just floating in my lake,” he mused and his eyes raked over your body.

In the state of confusion, you didn't even notice how miserable you must have looked, your clothes soaked thoroughly with pungent lake water, yet he looked like he was about to take a bite out of you should you move too fast.

“Your lake?” you asked with a meek voice, croaking the words out, which amused him.

“Silly little girl, you don't even know what danger you put yourself in… I give you one chance to run,” he mused and let go of your arms, which only toppled you over.

The dew of the grass felt almost warm compared to the clothes you were wearing while you sat on the ground after falling so graciously onto your ass, trying to understand his words. The stranger spoke your language, but it felt like he was speaking an alien language. Run from what? I have a room in the castle just a few walking minutes from here. Your brain was racing through many scenarios in a split second until the sense of danger caught up to your tired brain. This man wasn't joking, he will hurt you. RUN!

Your legs felt like jelly, the effects of almost drowning you thought as you ran as fast as these unsteady legs would carry you. “HELP!” you screamed from the top of your lungs despite your throat straining, hoping someone would hear you and help you, but when you looked back to where the man stood, he was gone.

*Thump!* You got knocked back onto the ground after colliding with what you thought was a tree until you looked up, the fear spreading through every fiber upon gazing at this eerie smile.

“Got you,” the man hummed and pulled you back to your feet, causing you to freeze, paralyzing you entirely as you braced for whatever was about to happen.

He only chuckled as he moved one hand into your hair to grab a fist full, yanking your head to the side with force that felt like he was about to break your neck.

“Has no one told you that it's not safe out in the woods for pretty little women like you?” His voice was smooth like honey as he leaned in, his breath fanning over the skin of your neck, and he inhaled your scent.

His pupils dilated when your scent hit his nostrils, it was familiar, something he knew from a long time ago, so he hesitated. Sharp fangs rested on your skin instead of piercing it to drain you from your life essence.

With your eyes shut tight, you balled your hands into fists, mentally preparing yourself to get bitten by what you assumed to be either a weird pervert or a cannibal - nothing good either way, but that stinging feeling never came. Instead, his looming presence disappeared and once you opened your eyes, the sight was almost comical, if the situation wouldn't have been this dangerous.

A blonde man, much taller than the creep who wanted to take a bite out of you, held him by the neck like a soggy kitten before the blonde man threw him against a tree, causing the tree to fall over…what? You were perplexed upon seeing the other man stand up like he didn't just get thrown against a tree so hard, the huge tree trunk snapped.

“What are you waiting for? Run!” The blonde man called out to you quite angrily, snapping you out of the shell shock, but your legs barely carried you, letting you stumble away from the scene…

Networks: @pixelcafe-network @interstellar-inn @houseofsolisoccasum

[salty-an-disco]

here's this silly little thing with Quiet's character progression throughout their loops in my Heathens AU

Originally, was gonna do 3 confirmed loops (as in, the ones I'm gonna go in detail about for my AU, they could be looping indefinitely and never even know, but these are the ones that matter for the story), but decided to go with 4 cuz it fits better for the character arc I have in mind for Quiet

expanded thoughts under the cut

So, I've been roleplaying the Heathens route in my own game as a way to help me flesh out my thoughts on Gary and the routes themselves, and it really helped me solidify my thoughts on their character.

For the first loop, the main idea was just that: 'Baby's First Slaying'

This is Quiet's first time in these woods (that they can remember). They don't know anything else about the world or themselves, only that there's a task they have to fulfill. And while it sounds a bit weird, 'saving the world' sounds like an important thing and maybe something they should try to do.

For the 1st Loop, the routes went as such–

Adversary -> Eye of the Needle: Welp, might as well try to slay this princess!! Unfortunately, Quiet couldn't help talking a little bit, and ended up giving the princess time to retaliate. He didn't back down tho, and gave it his all to slay her.

When he came back, very weirded out by everything, he thought he'd just have to slay the princess again, but no, things are different! The princess is different, she's so much taller and has different things to say! He is honestly fascinated and wants nothing more than to talk to this princess and get to know her more. Unfortunately, that's not what she wants, and the disappointment is almost more hurtful than her crushing his skull.

Witch -> Connected Wild: For whatever reason, the hero really wanted to just save this princess. Forgoing the blade completely and immediately going in to rescue her. He was honestly so excited to meet her, and the door shutting on his face only strengthened his resolve. Then– she began chewing her own arm like a rabid animal. It was like getting hit by a tree branch while sprinting at full speed, and before he could even realize it, he was already stabbing her. Now it's do or don't, he either finishes this or he dies.

He appears back with a weird taste on his mouth and the sudden thought that maybe the princess was always bad news and he just didn't realize it– he still wanna talk things out, see if maybe it wasn't all just a misunderstanding. He still took the knife this time around tho, just in case– The princess seems as suspicious and cautious as he is, and it's obvious she intends on hurting him no matter what he chooses, so might as well go out swing. So you attack. Fighting dirty the same way she is, full of resentment and fear the same way she is, and the two of you get crushed together by the cabin's wilds. When you come back, you do everything you can to not go back to those feelings, and even manage a look into something beautiful–

Next few routes:

Empty Cup: He tried to go through with slaying her this time. He didn't succeed.

Spectre: He did succeed this time! Annnnd that's the reward? Seeing and talking to the princess is much more fun than this, so he helps her out this time.

Happily Ever After: He successfully saved her this time, but this princess was just so…… shallow? Uninteresting? He tried to probe for more but it just seemed to break her, so he suggested staying in the cabin instead, where they both can feel safe. And it worked! Now they can just sit together and eat and play games and not kill each other forever!! So what if they both feel hollow inside? As long as they keep the flames going it's fine, right? ………Right?

Loop 2

The hero is on a path in the woods. But there's something…… dreadful, about this whole thing– a fear he just can't seem to shake off. That no matter what, things will just get worse the more he tries–

While Quiet completely forgets previous loops, there's always a lingering feeling that follows him from previous loops. And the feeling ends up tainting their choices and the routes they go through. For this loop, which I fondly nicknamed it The Dread™️, it's a feeling of fear and paranoia that sticks with him, so of course the first route he gets this time around is–

Nightmare -> Moment of Clarity: He tried to ignore the feeling of dread as much as he could, even ignoring the blade offered to him, he wouldn't let this weird feeling cloud his judgement– and he thought he was doing a pretty good job at it, even refusing to kill or save the princess until he had more information, but theeeeennnnn things started going awry really quickly. He still didn't want to give him to this fear even as he stared down His Nightmare, with his organs just barely holding on, and continued to refuse to make a choice either way till he couldn't anymore.

Next few routes:

The Stranger: Nope. Not even engaging with this cabin–

Wraith from Spectre: OK, fine, let's slay this princess– Oh, you gotta to be kidding me!! (tried to leave Spectre once he saw it was just a ghost, getting Wraith with Paranoid and proceeding to throw her in the pit)

Burned Grey: The Dread™️ didn't leave even in this perfect-looking fairy tale, and is what pushed him to stab her even as she didn't fight it at all.

Wounded Wild from Beast: It was only when looking at what remained of the monster that hurt him, with her heart exposed for everyone to see that he realized– she's just a person. She's been just a person all this time– and he kept hurting her out of a fear of what she could become, not realizing it was him turning her into someone who could only lash out. As he sees all the paths he took in reverse order, he feels empty and remorseful.

Loop 3

That remorse turns into a want to figure out what exactly is going on and how to best help each other in this next loop. He's much more cynical and questioning here, doubting every word the Narrator says, but also not quite able to fully trust the princess just yet. This leads to spiraling routes that only seem to revolve around an endless cycle–

First few routes:

The Cage: I mean– how could he not lol. So intent on puzzling everything out he just traps himself and her all the tighter on this narrative neither of them chose.

Wraith from Nightmare: In his quest to figure things out so that he can do right by her, he only end up re-walking a similar path– the scenery is a bit different, but the destination is the same endless pit.

The Den (with Skeptic): He wanted so badly to reach out to her, to give her a chance to prove his instincts wrong, but the doubts in his mind only trapped them both underneath the earth where they starved.

The Fury from Tower: He tried another already walked path, and was forced to raise the blade to her. The overwhelming divinity he found in the basement by the next time was so difficult to talk through, he felt like he had no choice but to fight against her.

and last, but not least–

The Witch -> The Thorn: once again they were walking towards the basement door, and when Narrator took control of his body, he didn't even bother to look for a way to defy him this time–

Seemed like things were going another eerily familiar path. He kills her, earning her distrust, so they both keep trying to kill each other– till he decided 'no, we're not doing this–' and threw the knife at her feet. It was hard to believe things could really be just as simple as trusting one another to leave the cabin for good, but after everything he's been through, he can only feel relieve drowning out any more doubts he might have.

Final Loop

The Stranger: He can't help it, he still tries to avoid the cabin one last time.

The Damsel: He puts his entire faith and trust on her, and is rewarded by the ability to leave (somehow, it both surprises him and also not at all).

The Witch: He still tried and failed to save her a second time. He's not even all that upset when she shuts the door on his face, and can only smirk at seeing her surprised face when it disappears.

The Spectre: He expected the reward to be lackluster, and already knew he'd be freeing her before even getting to the cabin that second time.

The Prisoner: He couldn't help one small remaining curiosity and went to check the second shackle– patience still rewarded him in the end though.

Then Contrarian is in the final cabin this time, and Quiet throws the blade out the window instead of taking it with him again, "just in case", and they finally break the cycle for good!!! :D

[whateverisbeautiful]

Are u going to do a Richonne in Retrospect for TOWL? How do you feel about the show breaking up the friendship with Michonne and Maggie? How do you think Richonne would react to Daryl leaving to find them? What do you think about a TWD season 12?

Thanks for these questions! I hadn’t thought about doing Richonne in Retrospect for TOWL. I’m really looking forward to rewatching TOWL when it comes to Nextflix next month tho and since it’s been a minute since my last rewatch I know watching it again will stir up even more thoughts and observations than the hundreds I’ve already had. Depending on what additional thoughts come to me I know I probably won’t be able to resist putting it in writing and sharing it here. 😊 Wrote out my response to the rest of the questions below ⬇️💗:

How do you feel about the show breaking up the friendship with Michonne and Maggie?

When it comes to Michonne and Maggie, I think it was definitely sad to see the sour note that ended on because they did seem to have a sweet friendship at one point. They could have been a real support system to each other as they navigated raising sons who both (at the time) weren’t getting to have their fathers in their lives.

However, when some of us say that team family sorta stopped feeling like family at some point, I think Maggie is an example of that as someone who still loved the group but definitely branched off into other territories. Which is fine, it’s just sad thatshe didn’t even want to inform Michonne about her going off to establish community elsewhere and that their friendship remained fractured.

I stand by thinking that Maggie had every right to feel hurt that Rick made the executive decision to spare Negan. Where Maggie loses me tho, is in how she went about navigating her hurt by going behind Rick and Michonne’s back. If Maggie had stayed post-Rick’s departure, I’d be curious how Michonne and Maggie would or wouldn’t reconcile their friendship after everything that went down.

How do you think Richonne would react to Daryl leaving to find them?

I might be wrong but I think I saw some people clarify that Daryl hadn’t left at the end of TWD with the primary goal of looking for Rick and Michonne but instead was on some mission from Maggie? And during his travels, he told Judith he’ll be on the lookout for her parents as well? I only saw the series finale once and none of the other spin-offs so I really don’t know the specifics with that. But either way, I believe Daryl was hoping to potentially locate them while he was out and I think Rick and Michonne would appreciate that Daryl wanted to find them.

I think if he’s been gone for a lot longer than expected, they’d worry about him and they’d want him to come back home. But Rick and Michonne would know that they need to stay home with their kids and they’d probably trust that Carol will be successful in finding him. Maybe someone can fill me in - when Carol reunites with Daryl in their show do they at all imply that she knows Rick and Michonne are back home? 

What do you think about a TWD season 12?

I wouldn't be crazy about a TWD Season 12. I would watch for Rick and Michonne but I personally think it would be a better idea to wrap everything up with a TOWL Season 2 instead. And I don’t just think that cuz I'm biased about Richonne even tho I am biased about Richonne. 😋

I think TWD already has such a reputation as neverending and a lot of people are weary about this franchise not knowing when to hang it up. A Season 12 will attract the most loyal in their fanbase but would likely be viewed negatively overall. Especially if they just repeat some of the bad habits new TWD developed.

But if they did a TOWL Season 2 where they maybe make it 8-10 eps instead of 6 and they keep Rick and Michonne the main characters at the forefront while including familiar faces from the TWD cast, that could have a more successful result imo. Rather than feel like a stale continuation, TOWL was a refreshing improvement and promoting a season 2 that incorporates important TWD characters could feel more fresh and exciting than stale and drawn out.

As talented as the TWD ensemble is and has been since the start, Rick Grimes is the franchise’s ultimate protagonist and so ensuring that the season is still built around him and Michonne will keep the story focused and grounded. That'd be key - TOWL season 2 still should be Rick and Michonne's and the cast shouldn’t be bloated with a hodgepodge of characters and storylines. I know expanding and continuing the TWDU has become the network’s priority so I doubt that they’d want to wrap everything up or even be able to wrap everything up in a TOWL season 2 now that timelines and locations are so widespread. But in my mind that'd be a good way to close out the franchise. Let Rick and Michonne band with their family to take on one last major threat (a threat that should feel unique and not just a rehashing of former big bads) and save the world one last time.

If they can do that in a way that includes tight compelling storytelling from beginning to end, I’d want that. Especially just to be able to know for certain that this story is officially closed and the actors can get their flowers for playing roles that saw a confirmed beginning, middle, and end (and end doesn’t mean death, I gotta just make sure I put that out there lol. Cuz I only want Rick and Michonne to return if they get to both live long lives). But if not, then TOWL Season One’s final note is great as is. 👌🏽

[notartisticdraw]

POOKUMS TUMBLER HAS BEEN HIDING YOUR ART FROM ME IM SO SORRY!!!!!!! bites you

I FORGIVE YOU, BEAUTIFUL HOT SEXY. i only expect you to reblog and severely compliment all my art for the next few months to make up for it *bites back sexily*

here pookie, your favorite deltarune characters and def not mine. good thing they're your top characters and nobody else. nobody. ESPECIALLy nobody who lives in a dungeon or something.

also god i need to stop limiting my art abilities to sans making out with himself. I'm playing deltarune chapter 2 rn and holy balls I forgot how good the whole REST of the game is instead of hyper-focusing on one very specific sub-genre in the fandom

also also this isnt the first time I've drawn roulxs kaard. i drew one wayyy back for this undertale musical thingy I somehow wound up in, so basically I didn't have a choice. at this time too, I didn't know how to draw anything other than sanses, so instead of attempting to branch out my art style comfortably and referencing others work, I drew this shiddy picture and URGGG IT LOOKS SO BAD

the picture above is just the first time I've drawn him and Lancer by choice >;)

(i drew this in like 2019 lmaoaoao)

[royaltea000]

trying to learn how to draw this dude

credit to @/transparentalia for the ref images :)

[solar-nightengale]

And finally... PLEASE spare a Grace? Spare a Grace with 16?

HEYYYY ngl you had me laughing when I saw the song this number (and character) corresponded to BFGJHDFKVYTIU

Taking a shot at a moodboard this time around so without further ado:

spotify wrapped game: send me a number from 1-100, optionally with a ship or character, for a moodboard based on the song it corresponds to!

16. The Fairy is Grown Up - Dario Marianelli

[space-spring]

Denam is slowly going insane from survivor's guilt and meanwhile Catiua's going insane because Denam keeps throwing himself into harm's way for the sake of strangers and I'm feeling really normal about it

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent game related things .. hrmm...

[c0rpsedemon]

.

[abimee]

sorry if this is sappy but i follow your twitter from a private account and have done for a while because i thoroughly enjoy your art and what you make. the piece thats always stood out the most to me is the one you did of hyth and the caterpillar and digestive tract, i have it saved to my phone so i can look at it when im experiencing emotions. your art feels so well lived in and loved (and i hope its not weird to say but it reminds me of l ike. a very hearty stew. like with potatoes and carrots), your anatomy feels so impactful and has a physicality and weight that i just adore it's like. (explosion sfx). have a lovely evening

i really like this ask cause whenever people describe my art in like positive and Warm tones i get this tingle in my arms cause i think for the lonest time my art used to not be considered these kind words, people often would tell me my art had a rather sad and upsetting feeling to it and nowadays I can see where they came from because both I Was Really Sad when making it, and i think even when i was trying to draw something Sweet it felt lacking in a way i didnt know how to bring forth. Because at that point in time I was just barely branching out into the idea of altering character's appearances and maybe going for something with thinner lines, but i'd flip flop between high and low effort art because being Sad and being told your art made other people Sad was sort of not very good for the productivity of your art and often made me put in as little effort as i could, since i didnt see a reason to really Do A Lot if people were just going to react negatively to it

amnd while i dont personally think my art is like, where it Could be for how long ive been drawing (12+ years now. ACK) whenever I hear that people actually like my art now and they see nice things in it and that it gives them positive funny emotions instead of negative ones, it really like makes me recognize that maybe I have developed and maybe whats best isn't to have the most like, ''developed'' style in terms of like, doing all the Cool Artist tricks like rendering and cool color palettes and these epic emotional comics with paneling that rival professional comic makers.

I think i can be happy with where I am now simply by knowing that i no longer have to hear the words ''your art is depressing'' as the highest compliment I can get, and instead hear things like this where my art has a positive influence on another person in some way. It's very small, but words like this really do mean above and beyond for me, and this response sort of rambled away from the topic but im saying all of this to say a big thank you anon for enjoying my work and for being very kind about it, your words will stick with me for a very long time

[softersinned]

i'm gonna be real with y'all i do wish there was more backlash to erasing a character's canonical bisexuality than there currently is? like even if you're doing it to write a character as gay it's still shitty. if a character is acknowledged explicitly as bisexual in the text itself and you erase that to write them as "fully gay" as if bisexuality is a half-measure, that's shitty! it really is!

[lycorogue]

[ID:

Screenshot of a Facebook comment by Haldir Tleilaxian. It reads:

I once ran a VtM game. One dude signed up. I explained the setting, available clans: the game took place in Kazakhstan, modern days, explained the political powers, which clans controlled what. He said he understood everything. Then sends me his character - an elf druid.

/end ID]

Imagine a person who only consumes Batman-related media. That is, they only watch movies and TV shows that have Batman in them, only read books that are novelisations of Batman media, only play licensed Batman video games, and so forth. This is not so absurd an idea; Batman-related media is sufficiently popular, varied and widespread that restricting one's media consumption in this way is completely feasible. However, I trust we can agree that if you actually do this, you will be left with very strange ideas about what popular media looks like.

The next step in this analogy is undestanding that if the only tabletop RPG you're acquainted with is Dungeons & Dragons, you have the same grasp of the tabletop roleplaying hobby as our hypothetical Batman Guy has of popular media.

[thehmn]

Just read a perfectly fine fanfiction that took place in Germany but something that stood out to me was a chapter where the characters walk across a field and is approached by the farmer yelling at them to get off his land.

I’ve come across this plot point a few times and I feel like it’s worth telling writers that most of Europe has some version of Right To Roam. The laws aren’t the same in every country but generally you’re allowed to walk and rest on private property like fields and forests so long as you don’t destroy crops or leave trash, but not gardens or fenced in areas. Depending on the country you also have the right to pick mushrooms, berries, nuts and other edible things in forests but without chopping trees down or breaking branches. The owner of the land might put up a sign asking you to follow certain guidelines like no horses or keeping your dog on a leash but but there’s no real repercussions to not following the rules besides the owner eventually fencing the area off so people can’t enjoy it anymore.

I’ve personally walked around on a field while the farmer was harvesting potatoes with his big ass machine and collected the leftovers while my dog was trotting calmly besides me and he looked straight at me and didn’t care one bit because Denmark also has an old tradition of letting people collect what’s left as a form of charity (for my fellow Danes, that’s what “rev vi marken let, det er gammel ret, fuglen og den fattige skal også være mæt” means in the song Marken Er Mejet) This is just a tradition and not a law however so it depends on the farmer.

The very north of Europe like Norway and Sweden even give people the right to put up tents and camp on other people’s private land (except gardens and such). Again, the laws vary from country to country but as a rule of thumb you have more right to roam the further north you go and less the further south but if you want to write in a specific country look up the laws there.