#look i almost joined two cults I don’t need another

[we-re-always-alright]

I have so much knitting to do (and knitting I am avoiding) but I found out I have to go to Salt Lake City (🤢) for a conference (conveniently in the middle of every Mormon landmark 🤢🤢) so I am making some very nice mittens and a headband I will wear while in a terrible place so I can at least look cute while there

[gigabyte-flare]

The Devil is Real (Part 2)

Part 1

Summary: You sense there's something not right about Los Iluminados and you're determined to get to the bottom of it.

Word Count: 3.5k

Pairing: plagas!Leon Kennedy x fem!reader (afab)

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Actions depicted in this story are not condoned in real life. You are responsible for your own content consumption. If any of the following warnings trigger you, please read at your own risk. Minors do not interact, this story is 18+ only.

Warnings: drug abuse mention, abusive household mention, religious cult, religious trauma, body horror, noncon, dubcon, unprotected p in v, creampie, oral (m and f receiving), masturbation, kidnapping, yandere tendencies, somno, extreme violence and gore, human sacrifice, murder, blood play/kink, breeding kink, pregnancy, pet names, stockholm syndrome, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT [More warnings may be added in future parts]

Your eyes slowly open to find the sun pouring into the window over by the head of the stairs. You let out a loud yawn as you sit up, stretching your arms over your head before swinging your feet over the side of the bed. Heading downstairs, you find Vince already up and making breakfast. You walk up and stand next to him.

“Anything I can help with?” you ask, leaning in to see what he’s making.

“Nah I’m good,” he replies, playfully shoving you away, “you must have been exhausted. You were already asleep when I got back to the house.”

“The jet lag finally caught up to me as soon as my head hit the pillow,” you explain as you sit at the table, “you spoke to Father Méndez I take it?”

“I did. Hopefully it helps. I don’t want you to feel unwelcome here. I know Leon is just doing his job but… you’re my sister. Making sure you’re comfortable here is my top priority.”

Vince finishes making breakfast, once again bringing two plates to the table before sitting across from me. 

You speak up once more while you’re eating, “so, what’s on the agenda today?”

“I have to help out on the farm, that’s usually what I do most days. You’re more than welcome to join me, but if you don’t, I understand.”

You nod, thinking back to your time spent living with your grandparents. They had lived on a large farm and your grandfather made the two of you do almost all the upkeep. Your brother would take care of the livestock and farm maintenance while you would tend to the garden, it was brutal work for children. Regardless of the unpleasant memories, you weren’t about to sit back and let your brother do all the work.

“Sure, I’ll help out, just let me know what needs to be done.”

Within the hour, the two of you had made your way to the farm. It is a ways away from the village, requiring another short hike to get there. Once getting there, Vince is tasked with repairing some of the farm equipment while you helped feed and groom some of the livestock. You’re in the middle of wrangling up the pigs to feed them when out of the corner of your eye, you see someone approach your brother. You recognize the cargo pants and the tight fitting black athletic t-shirt immediately and that can only mean one thing:

It’s Leon.

You avert your eyes, bringing your focus back to pouring the feed into the trough, however, you steal quick glances at Leon and your brother as they speak to each other. Leon has short blonde hair and obviously takes very good care of himself; even you could see the way the sleeve of his t-shirt forms over his biceps.

“Hey Sis, come ‘ere!” Vince calls, beckoning you to join him with a motion of his hand.

You put down the bag of feed, silently cursing to yourself before walking over, standing close to your brother when you approach. Now that Leon isn’t wearing that black cloak he had on yesterday, you’re able to get a better look at him and, holy hell, were you not prepared. Leon is incredibly handsome, easily the most handsome man you have ever laid eyes on. You found yourself unconsciously squeezing your thighs together as your eyes rake over him; taking in the way the straps of his gun harness and various belts hug his thighs, how his pectoral muscles strain against that tight shirt. And, of course, those gorgeous blue eyes.

Oh no… you think to yourself, he’s hot…

“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable yesterday,” Leon begins as he holds out his gloved hand; you don’t hesitate to shake it, “I’m Leon Kennedy; I’m in charge of making sure the community is a safe place for everyone.”

His voice is as smooth as whiskey, causing your heart to race in your chest as you tell him your name, “it’s very nice to meet you Leon.”

Leon gives you a half smile which makes your heart swoon; this man is way too attractive for his own good. He must realize it because he gives you a playful wink which, thankfully, your brother missed. 

“Likewise,” Leon continues, giving your hand one more squeeze before letting go and looking to your brother “I also came over because Manuel just came in with a haul of fish from the lake, he needs help unloading the boat.”

“Of course, I’ll be right over,” Vince replies, setting down his tools.

“Is it alright if I come along?” you ask, shoving your hands in your pockets as you shift on your feet.

“Yeah of course,” Vince replies, “the dock isn’t far from here; I’d love for you to come see the lake.”

Just as your brother walks away to go to the dock, Leon gives you a pat on the side of your shoulder, giving you another playful wink as he whispers, “I’ll see you around, little bird.”

Your breath hitches in your throat as you watch Leon walk away. The nickname he had given you goes straight to your core, causing you to clench your hands as your fingers tingle.

“Sis, are you coming or not?” Vince calls out to you some ways away from the archway leading out of the farm.

“Sorry Vince! I’m coming!” you shout as you jog over to your brother, joining him as you both make your way to the lake.

By the time you two get to the dock, several other men from the village are also there helping Manuel unload the haul from his fishing trip. Vince quickly joins them as you stand at the head of the dock. As your eyes scan over the vast lake, the sights, sounds and smells once again take you back to your childhood. To the times when you and your brother would go down to a small pond that was on your grandparents’ property to have some semblance of fun. The sound of a door opening behind you causes you to draw your attention away from the lake. 

You watch two men come out of what you can only assume is Manuel’s house carrying what appears to be a very large sack. Your gaze tracks them as they walk across the property, stopping at a cave opening that’s blocked off by a large gate. They stop at the gate as one of them goes to unlock the gate. You quickly realize that the large sack is moving violently. Once they get the gate open, they carry the sack inside, shutting and locking it behind them before disappearing into the darkness of the cave. You swallow hard as you draw your attention back to the lake, an uneasy feeling settling in your stomach.

Something is very wrong about this place and you feel whatever it is, it’s behind that gate.

“Will you be ok here at the house tonight?” Vince asks over dinner.

“Yeah, why?” you ask as you take a bite out of your meal.

“We have a community gathering tonight. It will likely go well into the night. I just want to make sure you’ll be ok here by yourself.”

You look up at Vince, raising an eyebrow, “I can’t come with you?”

Vince shakes his head, “not this time. This is for members of the Los Iluminados community only.”

This only serves to unsettle you even more, especially after seeing that large sack get brought into that cave earlier that day. Not wanting to upset your brother, however, you simply swallow hard and shrug it off.

“No problem, I’ll be fine, Vince.”

“Good, thank you Sis.”

Your brother leaves the house after cleaning up, leaving you alone in the house. You take that opportunity to go up to the bedroom, settling yourself onto the bed. As you lay there, your mind wanders back to Leon and you find yourself quickly becoming hot and bothered. Taking off your jeans so that you’re just in your shirt and underwear, your hand slips under the hem of your panties, your fingers gently rubbing your clit as you lay your head back against the pillow, closing your eyes. You picture Leon perfectly, imagining it is his fingers rubbing your clit, imagining his hot breath on your ear as he leans over you.

“That’s it, little bird. Doesn’t that feel good?”

A soft whimper escapes your lips as you hear the words your mind has conjured; who would have thought a silly nickname would get you so riled up. You pick up the pace of your fingers, your hips bucking up into your hand as you chase your release. You softly moan his name over and over as your pussy walls clench around nothing, secretly wishing he was buried inside you. You then move your fingers in a circular motion rapidly and within minutes you come undone, practically screaming Leon’s name as your body convulses. In the heat of the moment, your elbow crashes into the small bedside table, causing it to tip over, causing the contents of a small drawer to spill all over the floor.

The abrupt crash immediately snaps you out of your fantasy. You sit up in the bed and stand up, picking up the items that had fallen out of the bedside table. A crudely made leather bound book catches your attention; you sit down onto the side of the bed and open it. The text inside is handwritten and you quickly realize once you start reading it that it’s your brother’s journal. You know you shouldn’t be reading it, but a part of you is hoping that it reveals what exactly is going on in this community. 

March? 2006

I’ve completely lost track of time since Josh and I were brought here. I found this notebook inside the building they brought us in, so I figured I’d use it to chronicle what’s been going on in case someone else finds it. It was Josh’s idea to go backpacking across Europe. I regret not telling my sister where I was going; she must be worried sick! 

This group, called Los Iluminados, promised us a paradise on Earth. A place for us to disconnect from the world and detox and it doesn’t take a genius to know I definitely need that. They didn’t seem very bothered by the fact that Josh is my boyfriend despite being a religious group, so that was refreshing.

You stop reading for a moment, absorbing the information you just learned. Your brother is gay. It came as a complete shock to you, however upon looking back, it’s a wonder you hadn’t realized it sooner. It certainly explains why your grandfather was especially hard on Vince. Why didn’t he tell you? You can’t help but feel hurt by the fact your brother wasn’t comfortable enough telling you. You set aside these emotions for the time being and continue to read.

They injected both of us with something, said it would help us with the detox process. And then they brought us into the basement of one of the houses. It’s almost pitch black down here, the only indication of time passing is from the faint streaks of light coming down from the floorboards. It’s a miracle I can even see what I’m writing. I feel ok, but Josh on the other hand isn’t looking good at all. He’s broken out into a rash and he won’t stop sweating. He keeps saying everything hurts. What the fuck did they inject us with?

March… Maybe April? 2006

It’s been a few days since they first locked us into this basement. I keep coughing up blood and having weird dreams, but otherwise I don’t feel too bad. Josh on the other hand isn’t doing well at all, he’s been violently convulsing and hacking up way more blood than I have. I don’t think he’s going to make it.

April 2006

They came down into the basement and took Josh, he had gotten worse from when I had written earlier. They came back later and examined my eyes, saying my blood had accepted the gift, whatever that means. They led me out of the basement and gave me one of the houses. They say I’m part of the community now. I don’t know what happened to Josh.

There are no new entries in the journal after that. You’re completely overwhelmed with emotions, both from what you learned about your brother and the implications of what happened to his boyfriend Josh. All of this just further cemented the fact that you had to find out what lies beyond that gate you saw them bring that sack into.

After picking up the mess and tucking the journal safely back inside the bedside table, you go to bed where your mind enters the realm of dreams which have been invaded by thoughts of Leon.

The next morning, your brother informs you that the two of you will be going over to Father Méndez’s house to have dinner. The house itself is grandiose, we’re immediately greeted with the large dining room table already laid out with food and drinks. The dinner itself is largely uneventful, Father Méndez asks you a lot of questions about living in the United States and how you’re liking your stay with the community. As the dinner wears on, you realize that this is a golden opportunity to try to find some answers. 

You abruptly stand up, “sorry I need to excuse myself for a moment. Where’s the bathroom, Father?”

Father Méndez motions to the archway over to the left, “through there, sweetheart.”

You smile at him and nod in acknowledgement, “thank you Father, if you excuse me…”

You walk through the archway, finding a set of stairs going up to the second floor of the house. You look over at the dinner table, waiting until Father Méndez is completely focused on your brother before silently ascending the stairs. At the top is another hallway. You carefully walk to the end of it, finding what you guess is the master bedroom, a large four poster bed immediately to your right, a dresser to the left and a small desk next to the window ahead of you.

You slowly walk up to the desk, which is covered in various papers that have words written in Spanish on them. You then open up one of the drawers and you suck in a breath at what you find. It’s an ornate key, embellished with the same weird cross symbol that you saw back at the church and, now that you think about it, the gate by the dock also had this same symbol. This key has to go to that gate, you’re sure of it. You softly close the drawer, tucking the key into your pocket.

“What are you doing in here?” you hear Father Méndez ask.

You jump as you turn around, placing your hand over your racing heart, “Father I’m so sorry! I got lost looking for the bathroom.”

He raises an eyebrow at you, but then smiles at you warmly, “that’s quite alright, I wasn’t clear in my direction. It’s downstairs, the door on the right just before the back door, follow me and I can show you.”

You allow Father Méndez to lead you to the bathroom, which is quite literally a hole in a raised part of the floor. The smell coming out of it almost knocks you out. Despite this, you spend a couple minutes in there to make it convincing before you return to the dinner table, all the while fiddling with the key in your pocket.

You and your brother finish up dinner with Father Méndez, getting back home just before it gets dark. You excuse yourself and go to bed early, claiming to be exhausted from socializing. You sit on the side of the bed, twirling the key you found in your fingers as you examine it as you listen for confirmation that your brother is asleep. It takes a couple hours, but you hear the telltale signs of your brother’s snoring. Getting up from the bed, you walk over to the window over by the stairs, carefully opening it and climbing out. It leads you outside on some crude scaffolding, you quickly find a ladder to climb down. 

The waxing moon casts a gentle glow throughout the village, which you use to your advantage as you make your way to the dock area. You walk crouched, trying to use the environment to mask your movements, hoping to not draw anyone’s attention. You eventually make it to the gate, looking around before digging the key out of your pocket, putting it into the keyhole and turning. As you suspected, the key unlocks the gate with ease and you push on it gently, the gate letting out a soft squeak as it swings open. You shut the gate behind you, making your way inside the cave. 

Once you get to the back of the cave, you come across another gate, pushing it open to find a furnished room filled with various root vegetables and supplies. Upon stepping in, you’re overwhelmed by the smell of decay, bringing your shirt up over your nose to mask the smell. It doesn’t take long for you to find the source. To your right, there is a person on their knees, held up by their wrists on a rope. You hesitantly approach, finding that it’s a young woman, her skin pitch black in decay and that weird cross symbol painted on her face with blood. You fight back the bile building up in your mouth.

“I fucking knew it,” you say to yourself, “this is a fucking cult.”

You take another look around, spotting a ladder leading upwards through the floor in the back. You hesitantly approach it and begin climbing up. As you ascend to the top, you are greeted by another horror; an altar with another young woman laid onto it, her blood completely covering it. You see her hands are tied behind her back. You walk around the altar to face her. She has that same symbol painted onto her face. Her skin still has color to it, suggesting that she hasn’t been dead for very long. You begin to suspect that this woman was in that sack that you saw carried into the cave. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” you hear Father Méndez’s voice boom from behind you.

You spin around and face him, he’s standing straight with his hands neatly folded in front of him.

“What the hell kind of operation do you have here?!” you shout, balling your fists, “I knew something wasn’t right about this place. I’m taking my brother, we’re leaving and reporting you to the authorities!”

A low chuckle comes out of Father Méndez, “her blood did not accept the gift. You, however, may have better luck.”

Méndez brings one hand up, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, two men that had been standing behind you grab you by your arms, twisting them behind your back as you struggle as hard as you can. You watch as Father Méndez reaches into his coat pocket, producing a large hypodermic needle. As you struggle, Father Méndez begins to approach you. Your gaze shifts to the figure standing just behind him, seeing that Leon is standing there, watching, back to wearing that large black cloak, the hood mostly obscuring his face. All you can see is a menacing smirk that is on his lips. 

“Sis calm down, it’s going to be ok!” you hear your brother, quickly realizing he is one of the men that is restraining you, “my blood accepted the gift, I’m certain yours will, too.”

“Vince!” you cry out, turning to him, “do you hear yourself? This is insane!”

Father Méndez looms in front of you, grabbing the side of your head and pushing it to expose your neck, wasting no time inserting the needle into your skin, injecting the strange liquid into your body. Whatever it is, it burns. You feel it spread across your neck as you continue to struggle, tears now flowing down your face. 

“Bring her to the holding area,” Father Méndez commands.

Without any hesitation, your brother and the man helping to restrain you bring you back down through the hole you had come up out of, carrying you out of the cave as you kick and scream. They bring you to Manuel’s house, carrying you inside. In the back of the house, there is a trap door. The other man retraining you kicks the trap door open before he and your brother gently lower you inside. Once on the ground, you scramble to your feet and stare up at the opening, seeing your brother stare down at you, only, there’s something very off about him. Black veins cover his skin and his eyes are glowing red.

“Vince, you can’t do this! You need to get me out of here!”

“I’m sorry, Sis,” he says softly before slamming the trap door shut. 

You stand there in utter shock as you hear the door being locked, trapping you in the pitch black darkness.

Part 3

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

Midsommar vs SPOP: Cults and Religious Trauma

i watched Midsommar recently and was struck by how subtle and nuanced the Hårga were, in comparison to the Intergalactic Horde. of course, i don’t expect SPOP to show the kind of brutal gore that Midsommar did, but what i’m talking about is the way these cults indoctrinated members.

Horde Prime just mind controlled everyone to follow his orders and praise him, and it just felt so immature, especially compared to the way SPOP handled some of the other deeper topics. you’re telling me they wrote an actually good manipulator in the form of Shadow Weaver, but couldn’t do the same for Horde Prime? cult leaders are supposed to be manipulative. they don’t just force you to join their cults because it’s so much easier to break out of it. no, what they do is they convince you that this is for your own good. they promise you support, community, happiness, peace. they especially target emotionally vulnerable individuals, because they are a lot likely to accept help from a large community who is seemingly just looking out for them and trying to help them out.

and this is what happens in Midsommar. Dani recently lost her entire family to a murder-suicide, and her boyfriend had fallen out of love with her at this point and he often manipulates and guilt-trips her whenever she points out his mistakes. she was overall extremely lonely and depressed, trying hard to repress her emotions for everyone else’s sake. this is the kind of person the Hårga were looking for. a lot of the audience didn’t even realize that Dani was being indoctrinated into a cult or that joining said cult was going to be very unhealthy for her. that’s how convincing the Hårga were.

Pelle especially seems like the warm, comforting figure that Dani needed, letting her open up about her feelings and listening to her, in contrast to Christian, Dani’s boyfriend, who was often preoccupied with other things, and didn’t even bother to remember Dani’s birthday. you almost root for Pelle and Dani to end up together, until you realize that he is also part of the cult and all of his empathy and compassion is just a clever way to manipulate Dani into trusting the Hårga.

the scariest thing about the Hårga is that they weren’t large, imposing figures with a god complex. they didn’t have a leader who ruled them with an iron fist. they were just a seemingly normal community with seemingly normal people who had fun rituals and celebrations, and seemingly supported and cared for one another. even after seeing two people die brutally, Dani was still manipulated into joining the Hårga because they took advantage of her trauma and her loneliness. she desperately needed actual support and a shoulder to lean on, something her boyfriend didn’t provide. so when the Hårga offered her that support, it was easy for her to believe that this community was exactly what she needed.

and i think SPOP could have pulled something like this off, especially with Catra. if they really wanted us to believe that Catra felt guilty about her actions, they could have gone a more interesting route. i mentioned this in a previous post but instead of Horde Prime chipping Catra, they could have shown him manipulate her and promise her that she can be absolved of all her sins if she joined him. instead of being all like “teehee i know you have a crush on adora, you gay kitty”, they could have shown him feed on her insecurities and loneliness, and promise her a happier future of she joined him, playing on her need for validation and affection.

and in a moment of desperation, Catra believes him. she has lost everyone at this point, so she accepts what little comfort is offered to her. and then it’s the writers’ choice whether to redeem Catra by having her come to the realization that worshipping a genocidal tyrant with a god complex is actually not going to help her become a better person, and that she was just repressing her guilt and convincing herself that this is the best option; or to have her stay and face a tragic ending of sorts. either way, i think it would have been better than what we got.

i know that Nate apparently struggled with religious trauma and guilt (according to a few posts i saw, at least) and i’m not trying to say that i know his experience better than he does. i just think the execution with Horde Prime was really off, and he was almost like a funny caricature of a cult leader, rather than a representation of an actual cult leader.

[yuan4i]

19. tall, blonde and gorgeous

“yo yn! over here!” you heard kaveh call. “sorry, did i make you wait?” you asked, walking towards him. “nahh, actually, i just got here haha-” “hey yn! where are you and kaveh going?” you heard someone else call. it was dehya, coming out of the main building. 

“oh! kaveh and i are going out for lunch! wanna join us?” dehya eyed the situation then gave a smug smile. “no no, i’m good. i wouldn’t want to interrupt your date.” she said, then walked away, giggling. there was an awkward silence for a moment. date? no, this isn’t a date… right? “erm. i’m so sorry about dehya, she’s normally like that… i mean, i’m sorry if she made you uncomfortable by calling this a date- unless you want it to be one! you know like-” 

“kaveh, calm down. don’t worry, you don’t need to apologize for anything! i don’t mind, kaveh.” another moment of awkward silence. you honestly didn’t know why you said you didn’t mind. didn’t mind the date or didn’t mind dehya? 

“a-anyways, yn, since haitham isn’t joining us today is there someplace you want to go?” 

“mmm i have class in about 2 hours, let’s go somewhere close! like… mcdonalds!” “ah, okay. follow me!” you followed him, not saying anything. it was honestly really impressive that kaveh knows everywhere around campus… typically, kaveh and you are like two peas in a pod, getting along really well but seeing him after such a long time… it feels as if you two grew apart. again, for the third time… awkward silence. the silence was so loud. 

“so how have you and haitham been? you two still close?” you asked, trying to break the ice. “… things are different now. um, he and i have been arguing more after, well, after… actually, it’s not my story to tell. but we often argue. it’s not anything serious, just light fighting.” he nervously replied, trying to laugh. 

“oh! sorry, i didn’t know it was bad. moving on, how long until we get there?”

“actually… we just arrived,” he said, looking at the building. “what do want to eat?” “ehh i’ll just have [food of choice] and a [drink of choice]. i’ll pay-!” “no no, i’m treating you to this meal. lemme pay.” “kavehhhhh, don’t worry. i have some extra cash on me.” you whined. “okay okay if you insist…”

“what do you think haitham would like?” you asked him, looking at the menu screen. “oh shit- i almost forgot about him! uhh i’ll get him a big mac and iced coffee or something. i swear, he needs to eat more! he works out so much, he might as well become a bodybuilder ha!” he laughed. “i honestly never expected haitham to look so… muscular and built?” you commented to where kaveh laughed, “right! he works out while reading. really impressive in my opinion.” 

CULT OF DIONYSUS ❀ prev ✿ masterlist ✿ next

al haitham x reader x kaveh SYNOPSIS kaveh, al haitham and you are close friends and went to the same high school. but after your junior year, you left them and sumeru behind for liyue’s 2 year med school exchange program. now you’re back in sumeru for a class reunion and attending sumeru akademiya.

[formulapookie]

💚💛

Sweet sound of you -> Under the cut franky/mig, 2.9k words smut

It’s been a long day.

Really fucking long day.

There were problems with a location for a concert, they didn’t want them to perform no more after their last show at Wembley Stadium, where Diggia decided bringing on an italian flag with written on it “It’s coming ROME” was the perfect idea in front of the british public.

God he’s gonna kill him.

One day he’s gonna kill all of them for all the headaches they cause him.

Bez and his stupid cult-like friends, Pecco with his “I’m not good enough if I don’t get the song right at the first try”, Enea and Diggia - he doesn’t even want to begin listing all the trouble they put him through, 

The only decently calm and collected ones were Cele and Luca.

Until they fucking decided to come out to the world as a couple without telling him first and he had to manage the situation.

As the manager of the band he was always overwhelmed with problems and issues coming from everywhere.

“Mig you need to book one more date” “Mig you need to order new instruments Bez smashed the last two guitars”

“Mig we need you to book better hotels these are shitty”

“Mig put me in the room with him, not with the other”

Blah blah blah.

All fucking day and night.

Now he finally has some time to himself.

Note really himself cause he’s sharing the room with his boyfriend but still close enough.

He wants, and needs to relax and he knows nothing gets him more relaxed than having a weed-powered orgasm, and dating a weed-smoker guitarist comes with a few pros in that field.

Mig drops his backpack next to the entrance, says hi to the cats and takes off his shoes.

The jacket gets unceremoniously thrown to the ground next to the backpack, he’ll think about it later.

He needs a shower.

As if God finally decided to listen to him, he hears the faucet opening, Franky must be getting ready to shower as well.

What convenient timing.

He almost trips over the guitar he left laying around as fucking always, and actually walks over some music sheets he’ll have to approve of later that week.

Last time he didn’t look at the song it was basically a porno, obviously Diggia had written it, God knows for who, and it fucking described a blowie.

“Franky? I’m back”

“Oh be careful with the guitar eh” “Yeah yeah I know”

Mig is taking off his cap and rings, doesn’t like to get 'em wet under the shower.

When he opens the bathroom door to shoot his shot and flirt his way into the shower he fails miserably, staring mouth agape and probably drooling even at the sight before him.

Franky, completely naked, which yeah, makes sense if he wants to take a shower, already half soaked from the water, hair loosely around and fucking drenched, a joint hanging between those lips who made him scream so much under the covers, hands fidgeting with the lighter they bought in Miami and he could just have a peek of what he needed more in that moment.

Franky sees him and smirks, managing to flick the lighter on and light the joint.

He always manages to get excellent weed somehow.

“Care to join me Andre?”

“Yes”

It’s pathetic? Yes He’s impossibly needy right now and just needs that dick inside him? Also yes Franky’s gonna tease him about it for years? Yes

“Hurry or I’ll finish the joint myself bimbo”

God he hated that pet name, just because he was a bit - ok no a lot - shorter they all messed with him.

“I’m - fuck come on come off - almost done”

He’s struggling with taking his shirt off, it got stuck in his necklace, he’s scrambling to get it off.

Suddenly there’s another body near him, pulling the shirt up without breaking the necklace and throwing it on the bed.

Mig lets out a small whimper when he sees Franky looking right at him.

“Hi” “Hi”

“Want a drag?”

“Yes please I almost killed myself today”

“Let’s not ok? Still need my favorite manager with me”

Mig blushes, because Franky might seem calm and shy and all those things, but as soon as they’re behind closed doors he shifts to this and he surely can’t complain.

He takes the joint and takes a few drags, the smoke hanging heavily in the stiff air of the room.

“Come on, get naked and join me in the shower”

“Can be a bit nicer about it”

“You like nice? Since when?”

And Mig blushes again, and takes another drag as he takes off jeans and boxers.

He leaves the joint in the ashtray and gets in the shower.

He barely makes it inside that Franky is already kissing him, warm water running down his back as he gets backed up against the wall, cold blue tiles in contrast with the heat’s pooling in his stomach.

“I love you”

“Mh love you too”

Franky moves so so slowly Mig thinks this could be torture, and gets into kissing his neck, soft plump lips against his skin, and it’s boiling hot at this point.

“Can I?”

“Yeah go on go on”

Franky always asks for permission to leave marks, especially if on his neck, he’d never want to do something which could upset the younger.

The only thing that could upset Mig now tho would be them not fucking, because he really needs a release and knows Franky probably does too, it’s been a week full of rehearsals for the Tour, and Franky has also been working on a few new songs.

“You smell nice”

“It’s the cologne you bought me”

“Yeah I know, that’s why you smell nice”

“You smell like weed”

“Mh you don’t like it?”

“Oh no I love it”

Franky smiles against his neck, kissing it again, before letting his hands wander all over Mig’s body, pressing his thumb right on the hickey he left on the younger’s hipbone in the morning.

“Don’t - fuck - not there”

“Why? It gets you horny”

“It gets you horny”

“You want me to stop?”

“Don’t you dare Franky”

He presses his thumb on the bruise once more before pulling Mig closer to him, their cocks brushing against each other at the move, making both of them moan.

“Can’t” Franky smashes their lips together again, moving a hand behind Mig’s thigh and pulling it up “stop wanting to kiss you”

“Please don’t”

They make out for another good five minutes, during which Mig gets shamelessly hard and his need just multiplies. 

“Do you think you need lube or are you still ok from this morning?” “I’m ok I’m ready Franky just fuck me. I need it”

“As you wish”

Franky lifts Mig up, it’s no big deal, like at all, not because Mig is not muscled or something, but he’s definitely smaller in height and frame, and it’s really easy for Franky to pick him up whenever.

And Mig fucking loves this. He’s always felt like being shorter and smaller was a disadvantage, something to be ashamed of, but with Franky he just felt protected by their difference, and he honestly couldn’t hide it was hot how Franky could basically lift him up with one arm.

The older pushes his dick inside, slowly, he knows despite going in the morning already Mig always needs some more stretch before actually getting fucked.

He feels so good, he’s basically built for him.

“Fuck”“Ok? Can I keep going?” “Yesyesyes please”

Franky thrusts up, it’s not comfortable per se as a position, but he knows Mig loves when he holds him there like he weighs nothing and just fucks him stupid.

Mig moans and to him it’s more beautiful than any music he can make with his guitar.

They kiss again, Franky picks up the pace and in a matter of minutes the only thing they can hear are each other’s moans, their skin slapping and the water running warm on Franky’s back.

“You’re big fuck”

“You never complain”

Mig laughs, and it gets interrupted by a louder moan once Franky moves to suck a hickey on his neck, marking him more than he did in the morning when he left marks all over his hips and thighs.

“I love -fuck- love how you get my mind off things” Mig’s breath is hot against his skin, hotter than the water dripping down his back, he’s got his arms thrown around his neck, hands holding on his back, trying to not slip away from the hold Franky has on him.

“You’d look sick with a tattoo on your back, you know that? Or if you actually got up the courage to pierce your dick. I’d suck you off every fucking day for eternity, you’d be so fucking hot”

“So I should get my dick pierced just because you’re a needy little boy and you need my dick to keep you happy?”

Mig whimpers at the words, he can feel Franky inside him and it’s so good, he never wants this to end.

Wants to get pinned to the bed as soon as they get out of here and get fucked again, he wants to forget all about work and the problems he’s got and just get fucked by him to an inch of his life.

“Please yes” “You know I’d do anything for you”

They’re kissing again, much more passion this time, much more raw need, much more excitement.

It’s not easy or practical to fuck like this, they both know, that’s why Mig would very much like for them to somehow have enough brain to at least move out the shower so Franky could bend him over the sink and fuck him there.

But right now none of the two is willing to separate, not even for a millisecond to breathe in some oxygen, they’re both running solely on lust and need.

“Don’t hold back Andre, I love how tight you get when you’re close, makes me go fucking crazy”

“Harder. Harder please”

Franky doesn’t wait to hear it a second time, he’s thrusting deeper, touching spots inside him that make Mig see stars.

He bites at Mig’s collarbone and draws out a satisfied moan, which just gets to his brain as a signal to keep going, harderdeeperfaster.

Mig’s hands move from his back to tangle in his hair, tug at them, play with his curls as he gets louder and louder with his moans.

God how he loves Franky’s hair.

When he cut them off two years ago he wanted to kill him.

He wants to have something to play with, needs to have them through his fingers when he gets fucked to an inch of his life, or when they lay in bed smoking and chatting.

He knows he’s close, he always gets there before Franky, but that just means Franky can still fuck him after he has came, and he wants that to happen so fucking bad.

“Close Franky so close fuck” “I know baby I feel it, what do you say I keep fucking you on the bed after you cum now?” “yes”

Franky smiles again, fucking into him enough to tip him over the edge, making him come all over both their abs with a chocked scream from Mig.

They untangle, Mig letting his leg slip down, his feet touching the ground and for a second he limps, he can feel his thighs shake, but he manages to gain back control immediately, starting to walk out the shower.

“Can you reach it on your own? Or do I have to help you?” “Not made of glass I can walk”

“I was just making sure I didn’t fuck you too hard”

The motherfucker is smiling, moving a hand on the small of his back and slightly pushing him towards the bedroom.

“You’re too nice to actually fuck me that hard” Franky raises an eyebrow in surprise, he’s never made Mig actually unable to walk because he doesn’t want to embaraìrass him in front of the others.

But if he asks. Who is he to say no?

“I wouldn’t talk like that if I were you, I just fucked you in a shower and you were already moaning like a bitch in heat”

“You can’t do any better? Fuck me properly until I can barely say your name?”

They’re close to the edge of the bed, Mig knows perfectly what game he’s playing, and honestly Franky doesn’t have time to play it, he just wants to fuck his boyfriend until he can’t speak anymore.

“Come on big guy you want to do something?”

“Get on the bed”

“Make me”

The half ounce of self control Franky still had in him gets ripped from his body as he not so gently throws Mig on the bed making him squirm.

He kisses the younger with force, almost imposing himself in a way he doesn’t usually do because he fears it’s too much.

But the way Mig acted earlier made him send his thoughts to hell and actually act on his wants.

And what he wants right now is Mig moaning and being completely helpless under him.

“Come on fuck me” it’s the only thing Mig manages to say in between kisses, or more precisely whatever they’re doing, Franky is basically eating his face and he’s just whining and complying.

Franky doesn’t even ask, he just brakes away from the kiss and flips Mig so he’s laying on his stomach, he does it as if Mig doesn’t fucking weighs more than a feather and it gets the younger lightheaded.

He feels a hand lifting up just his ass and knows he’s in for a really hard fuck.

Maybe he’ll get stupid enough he’ll actually forget about his problems.

Mig barely manages to realize the position he’s in that Franky is already pushing his dick inside him, they’re still wet from the shower, the sheets will be drenched with water but neither cares right now, they both want the same thing.

Mig whimpers at the sensation, and starts to moan right away as Franky moves, setting a deep and fast pace from the start, holding Mig’s hips up with both his hands.

The younger loves to feel smaller but god does the other love feeling bigger, broader, basically towering over Mig, who’s currently moaning at every thrust Franky does, hitting his prostate everytime.

“Mo-re please”

If Mig is still able to talk it means he isn’t doing a good enough job of keeping his mind from running around like a pinball, so he thrusts harder, tightens the grip on his hips.

He’s gonna leave a mark for sure, both there and everywhere he kissed before.

He moves a hand so it goes to rest on Mig’s nape, and at first just leaves it there, a warning he can do whatever he wants to him and he better be careful.

“Is it enough? Or you want more? You need me to fuck you more?”

The only answer he gets is a mess of moans and whimpers, meaning he’s doing great, but he still wants to remind Mig he shouldn’t disrespect him like that, and that in the end he’s the one getting fucked, not the other way around.

So he pushes Mig’s face onto the mattress, letting him just enough freedom to turn his head and breathe, before fucking him like a man possessed.

The only thing Mig can feel is pure pleasure and that slight side of pain that comes with Franky being big even once he’s stretched properly.

He can just moan and hope this goes on as long as possible, he wants the others to know Franky is with him, they all stare a bit too much when he takes off his shirt, they need to know he’s his, only he gets fucked like this by him.

He wants the marks to last forever, like tattoos on his skin, he wants to feel this sensation for days, going around knowing he made Franky snap and finally fuck him as he wanted him to.

He knows his boyfriend is getting closer to the edge, he can feel it in his moans, in the way his thrusts become irregular, understands it because Franky lowered himself to suck at the skin on his shoulder blade, and is grunting in his ears.

Mig is close too, so fucking much, he’d just need to hear Franky’s voice and he’d cum on the spot.

And that’s just what happens, as soon as FRanky gets closer to his ears and whispers the words “beautiful”, he’s coming, he’s barely got any voice left to moan properly, he just whimpers at teh release, and clenches around FRanky, who simply can’t hold back anymore, and comes buried deep inside Mig, still holding him face against the mattress as his mind clears in the post sex clarity.

He lets go of him, sees the mark he’s left.

It’s fucking red.

“sorry baby I didn’t mean to hurt you” “you didn’t - ah - you didn’t hurt me, you made me see fucking starts”

Mig sits up, turns towards Franky and he thinks he’s just fallen in love once again.

There’s a moment where they just look into each other's eyes, before kissing once more, sweetly this time, slowly.

“I love you” “Love you too”

[caniaska-question]

I’ve just started playing cult of the lamb, and I already have an au for it.

Au where, before everything and back in the time of old gods, there were two gods of death. One was Narinder , god of quick, violent death. However, the other was a god of slow deaths. Natural, yes, but also long, suffering deaths from illness or starvation.

These two gods bring lost souls to the after life, either gently or dragging. They’re seen as almost a pair. It’s best to pray to both of them, for a long, happy life, and again for a peaceful afterlife.

Then, in the wars between Gods, the Shepard was killed. They’re weren’t made to be a violent God. And the Hunter was left in charge of all death. He tried, for some time, helped by his siblings, to cover all death, but he’s one half of a pair, and he knows he can’t continue forever. He gets desperate, he doesn’t know how to peacefully help the dead. The dead start to genuinely fear him, and it becomes a rumour that, no matter what, your death will be violent and painful.

Narinder obviously hates this. He was fine with his work with a companion, someone to gentle his hand when he needed it. He doesn’t try to reverse death for his own gain. He wants his Shepard back. And then his siblings trap him, in the place that belonged to the two of them once.

The Shepard fades. Stories of Narinder’s cruelty take over any other myths from before . The bishops don’t speak of him at all. And Narinder, in his prison, loses the memories of his companion, as is his punishment. He only remembers parts of it, a sheep that accompanied him for some time. A vague feeling of only being half of a whole. He chalks it up to his chains, and searches for a lamb to free him.

Once Narinder is betrayed and made to join a cult in another’s name, he finds parts of his power coming back. Not enough to challenge the Lamb, but enough to be his equal. His siblings have also been introduced to the rest of the cult, and the strange look they give him when he forgets himself and enjoys his time with lamb unnerve him.

They don’t know how to tell him how much more himself he is now, with his other half back. They’ve half forgotten the stories themselves. They’re sure he’ll remember his Shepard, eventually.

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Make It Through Another Day (one-shot)

Regulus Black AU 

Summary: You find out that Regulus has said yes to Voldemort.

Pairings: Slytherin Reader x Regulus Black

Rating: Teen

______

“Stay away from Regulus, Y/n.”

You looked up from the book that was resting on your lap. James stood in front of you with a very depressed Sirius behind him. Raising an eyebrow, you wondered what fresh hell your brother had come up with today. He had a problem with you dating Regulus from day one of the relationships. Over the course of the past few years, you had heard some grand tales of stupid from your older brother.

“And today’s reason?”

You asked, sounding a little bored. At first, you had been amused with the jackassery that James created. Now, it was getting annoying. Now, you were ready to tell your brother to get fucked.

James didn’t realize that Regulus was perfect for you and you were perfect for him. In addition to also being a Slytherin, Regulus and yourself just clicked. Everything was perfect. Your “big-headed” older brother would not mess things up for you either.

“Because he’s a death eater now. He took the mark. You don’t need to be around any of that. Just because you’re a Slytherin doesn’t mean that you are going to join the snake cult. So, say goodbye to your little boyfriend and do us all a favor. “

James wasn’t surprised when you only stared at him before closing your book. You stood up and tossed the book to the ground before moving to look around the Hogwarts campus.

“Yeah, don’t count your chickens before they hatch, James.”

You commented before heading off toward the castle. James remained behind you yelling about Regulus getting you killed.

“Bye James!”

You called over your shoulder before disappearing into the castle without another word. You had other things to worry about than your brother at the moment.

Regulus was your worry. The man that you had fallen in love with was what you cared about. It was no secret to you that Voldemort had been trying to recruit Regulus for some time. The dark lord had been almost shameless in his pursuit of Regulus. You assumed that it had to do with the prominence of the Black family.

Stepping into the Slytherin dungeons, Barty and Evan immediately stood up seeing you. Judging by the expression on their faces, you knew James was right.

“Where is he?”

You asked. Barty motioned to the room the three boys shared. You gave your friends a nod before going off in the direction of the room. Evan reached out and grabbed your arm. He looked down at you with sympathy in his eyes.

“I think he needs you more than ever.”

You gave Evan’s hand a squeeze before turning and walking into the room. Regulus sat cradling his left arm, which was still shaking from the pain. It only took one look at your lover to know that he had been crying. Whether it be the realization of what he just did or the pain from the dark mark being burnt through his flesh…Regulus was miserable.

“Reggie.”

He looked up hearing your voice. His grey eyes watched every move that you made as you sunk down beside him.

“I know you’re disappointed.”

Regulus whispered in a hoarse from crying voice. In all of the years that you had known Regulus, you had never seen him cry. None of Walburga’s abuse or Siruis leaving made Regulus cry. This, however, this was huge and you understood his tears.

“I’m not disappointed, Regulus. I understand why you did this. Between Voldemort and your family, if you didn’t say yes…I would be afraid to know what would happen. You can only so no to the death eaters so many times.”

Regulus was quiet a moment.

“I understand if you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

You reached out and took Regulus’ chin in your hands. Turning his face to yours, you looked at him feeling tears welling in your own eyes.

“I will not let you do this alone.”

Regulus reached out and pulled you into his arms. The two of you sunk down against the wall. Regulus pressed his face into your chest breathing in your scent. He felt comforted For the first time in days, Regulus felt somewhat better. Knowing that you weren’t about to abandon him gave him some hope. Regulus had something to live for.

Your voice pulled Regulus from his thoughts.

“I will not let you die alone.”

The tone in your voice let Regulus know that you weren’t joking.

“If we can just get through this…make it through another day…we’ll run as soon as we can.”

Regulus whispered. You tightened your hold on Regulus.

We’ll make it through another day…we have to.

You thought hugging him tightly.

“We’ll make it through another day.”

______

@amelie-black @jessyballet @knreidy1 @georgeweasleydumbhoe @justfinishthis @fific7 @mimisparkle12 @teletubiswszpilkach @criminalyetminimal @siriuslyceleste @goldendustwoman @littleshadow17 @livshifts @ell0ra-br3kk3r @jsjcue @bxcndd @stelleduarte @millies0bsimp @coffeeaddictednymph @readtomeregulus @saramaple @missgorldafirst @i-love-scott-mccall @s-we-e-t-t-ea @taylor-will-be-the-death-of-me @buttercup-beeee @f4iryluvy @panpride @bennyberry @gugggu6gvai @jag9000 @mentally-unstable-hoe @yousmellllikecaca @quinis @haroldpotterson @daddyslittlevillain @goldensunshineshit @aurorasnape12 @ad-astra-again @dumybitch @marichromatic @melaninnbarbie @ravenhood2792 @play-morezeppelin @spideyxalmighty @lucasfilms77 @rubyroscoe1 @lostarc24 @brokencasbutt67-writer @authoressskr @moldy-old-boot @hankypranky @summer-novak @emiwrites3reads @shaylybaby2032 @knight-of-gleefulness @deanwherescas @untoldshortsofthefandoms @li0nh34rt @tas898 @sprnaturallover @wontlookaway @shitfaceddaniel-blog @mycuddlycorner @padf00ts-l0ver @un-lovesherself 

[queer-whatchamacallit]

Here’s my observations of 1x03 - Brigade of my beloved, The Bear!!

When Carm’s at the beach, there’s a “let it rip, Buddy” which I’m pretty sure is our very first let it rip

Carm takes “the chemistry needs to change” and “just try to keep my side of the street clean” and absorbs it

I think I’ve counted 4 pepto and tums stashes? The office, the bathroom, the locker room, and his bedroom

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Carm sleeps with socks on

In the Al-Anon pamphlet, under the DO (as opposed to DON’T) section was “take it easy— tension is harmful”

Manny, Angel, and Marcus are all definitely there before Carm. Marcus said Carmy was early, but he came in at the same time as Syd, so might be able to assume she comes in before him normally

We get to see a little bit of Carm’s purer passion for cooking. Him just deciding to teach Marcus about the plum thing because he has that knowledge to share. The Carm-Marcus mentor relationship is so superior

Also he says Har-EE-bo which threw me off. I always say HARE-ih-bo

Carm starts the French brigade to keep his side of the street clean and change what he can, but there’s also the layer where Carm likes consciously or subconsciously reliving his traumas, but in a situation he has more control over. Carmy is trying to remake New York here, except he’s the Executive Chef, but he’s not going to be overbearing like his Chef was

“Ebra: I was in a brigade once. Tina: What happened? Ebra: Many people died. Tina: See, Jeff? Carmy: It’s gonna be different” is such a good back and forth, Ebra is easily the funniest person here

Carmy parrots, “They keep their side of the street clean,” and you can almost tell he’s been rolling those words over and over in his head all day

We get Ebra’s first “I accept” !!!

After the call from Niko, it’s like Carm either doesn’t hear Richie the first time he asks, “What was that?” Or he just can’t get words to come out of his mouth. Carm’s voice goes kinda small and quiet. Richie asks if he blew a fuse, and I could imagine that’s exactly what it felt like

“I just felt like Michael was alive for a second.” Carm wasn’t there for the funeral, it’s hard to tell how it was long after Mikey died when he moved back from New York, he never grieved with anyone. He knows Michael’s dead, he can say it without a second thought, he jokes with the “I’ll ask him when he’s not dead” in 1x06, but the deepest proof he has is word of mouth. There’s bound to be some part of him that’s in denial about Mikey’s death

He hears, “I want to set this place on fuckin fire,” in his head, same as after the nightmare in 1x08, so did he know about the failing fire suppression stuff? Did Mikey say that to him at some point? Idk this is just a weird quote, some good s1 unreality tho

As Carm runs from wherever he was to out the door, you can hear shit being knocked over behind him, but he doesn’t look back. He’s pretty okay with telling people when something is wrong, but actually having them be there for him is a different story. The second he crosses the threshold into panic, he bolts, so no one can see it. When he gets off the call with Niko, he never turned around to face Richie and just waited until Richie walked out before he let himself press a hand into his chest and sit down

No matter how pissed Tina is with Syd, she’ll still ask, “What happened? Let me see” when she cuts her finger <3

Tina goes up to Sweeps and Marcus who both have the blue aprons and there’s such a good bit I forgot about, “Tina: You two look like you joined a dumbass cult. Sweeps and Marcus in unison: Thank you”

Another good Ebra bit: “Syd: Well, it’s not good, so Ebra: You betrayed me!”

When Syd goes out front looking for her onions, Richie is talking to Crooked John from 1x06 !!!

There’s a bench outside no one ever seems to use after this (that I’ve noticed), but I guess whenever we see someone go out back, they’re probably either nervously pacing (Carm) or too sad to feel like they deserve a bench (Marcus)

Even after the hellish half day she just had, it takes a little prompting from Carmy to open up about it, and when she does, it feels almost straightforward, I told you this would be bad, you didn’t listen to me, and that isn’t the job I came for, you suddenly gave me this responsibility then left, and it didn’t go well, etc. She also gains a little bit of revenge by fucking with Carmy and lightening the mood. She may not be super comfortable with explaining this stuff to others, but she seems to have a good bit of emotional intelligence (especially compared to Carm) to pinpoint everything that bothered her

Ah, the classic “fuck brunch” <33

And after all that, Carmy snuck out again at sunset to go to the beach and feel painful emotions about it being Mikey’s birthday

I think the first 2 eps introduced external and internal conflict respectively, so now, we could start getting into some recurring stuff. It starts planting the seeds for the season 2 Carmy ditching the restaurant for what he thinks will be healthier arc. And Syd gets her shit rocked, and that’s so rude because she deserves the world

Anyway! Ep 3 boom done!!

[a-witch-in-endor]

Three Jewish Commonwealths: Reflections on Religion

Today has been Yom Ha’atzma’ut, or Israel’s Independence Day. I’ve been thinking about what it means to live within a historical period while able to reflect on past time periods, and my “thinking out loud” (or: via tumblr post) on that has turned into this slightly unhinged text on the history of religious development in the three Jewish Commonwealths. I have no excuse. Just lots of thoughts. Feel free to join me on a meandering path through religious history...

Please note: my expertise is religious studies, not in modern politics. If you have a unique perspective or expertise in politics, I’m generally happy to chat (recently met a previous head of the Shin Bet; it was intense; I was interested and frightened), but at this point I have learned Too Much and it is all falling out of my ears, so I won’t be engaging much with political discussions. 

The First Jewish Commonwealth: ???? BCE - 586 BCE 

When and how did the First Jewish Commonwealth come about? The truth is: we don’t really know. 

The earliest potential reference to Israel is the Merneptah Stele (1213 BCE - 1203 BCE). It’s absolutely gorgeous! Behold!

https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9384/stele-of-merenptah/

Does it refer to Israel? Maybe. I’d err on the side of “probably”. The hieroglyphs do lend to being read as “Israel”, and the context would make sense. But there are alternative readings, and it’s an unusually early reference. For comparison, David (second king of United Israel, after what the Bible reports to be a long period of “Judges” [read: tribal chieftans]) looks to be around at 1000 BCE. 

And here is the recent discovery at Mount Ebal in Hebrew, which parallels almost absurdly well with a Torah story, which is dated to around 1200 BCE.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/mt_ebal_inscription/

So let’s assume that we’re unsure about the stele but happy with the tablets. The tablets tell us a few things: worship of the God of Israel was already in place (note: it does not tell us the extent, just the existence); Hebrew literacy had begun; the Torah story of the curses of Mt Ebal have some kind of historical basis. 

The Jewish cultural narrative is that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, escaped with Divine aid, spent 40 years in the wilderness, and ended up in the Holy Land (where some of their ancestors had previously been but had left due to famine). It’s a great story. In terms of its historicity, it’s unclear. Until recently, archaeologists were tending toward being minimalists and stating that basically nothing was historically accurate up to, really, the reign of King David. It turns out, some hats do need to be eaten (due to things like the stele and tablets above), but they can keep some of their hats.

In terms of historical evidence outside archaeology, there are some fun linguistic and historical-social reasons to assume that at least some of the people who would come to call themselves Israelites had an experience of slavery in Egypt. For more on this, I recommend Richard Elliot Freidman’s “The Exodus” (biblical scholar; thesis: a small group went through slavery and came to Israel, introduced their monotheism/monolatry, and the story became part of the cultural narrative) and Jan Assman’s “Moses the Egyptian: the Memory of Egypt in Western Monotheism” (egyptologist; thesis: the short-lived monotheistic/monolatric cult of Pharaoh Akhenaten influenced Jewish, and therefore monotheistic, history). 

(Also, by-the-by, they’re both wonderful guys as well as fascinating scholars.) 

What we do know is: there was a monotheistic cult (or perhaps a monolatric cult) who worshipped what we now recognise as “God” with a capital G. There was a certain amount of theological messiness with Canaanite polytheism (inasmuch as polytheism really exists, which is a rant for another day). The lines between the two are very blurry indeed, which indicates that much of what we now think of as “Israelite” religion was really a development within “Canaanite” religion. Genetically speaking, we know that “Israelites” and “Canaanites” were really the same people. So it’s a safe assumption, when one adds the archaeology and the genetics and the linguistics all together, to see the development of the Israelite religion as internal to the Land of Canaan/Israel, as well as pondering how/when/to whom an exodus from Egypt really occurred. 

That’s a short note on the origins of Israel. By the time we get to King David, we’re more comfortably in Israelite history, though how united his reign really was remains unclear. But we do know that, however united it might have been under his son King Solomon, it was not destined to remain that way. 

The Time of Two Kingdoms: The Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah

The good news is that we’re in more solid territory, archaeologically speaking. 

The bad news is that the kingdom split asunder. The Southern Kingdom had, in Jerusalem, the Holy Temple (known herein as the First Temple, which is spoiler-y, I suppose). The First Temple was the central place of worship for the monotheistic cult, but it was in constant battle with bamot, or “high places”, where Israelites would worship God (with a capital G) in ways that were, um, a little idolatrous according to the Temple cult. 

In the Northern Kingdom, more bamot were built. According to the biblical narrative (which, at this point in biblical literature, is mostly dry history with a good helping of Polemic Against the North), King Jeroboam I (first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel) built two particular sanctuaries at Beth El and Dan, in which he placed two golden calves for worship. Cows were certainly an important religious symbol, and golden calves have an, um, historical... thread... in Israelite religion, so it’s entirely possible it played out this way. I’ve been to the ruins of Dan and the sanctuary there, which fit pretty well with what the biblical narrative describes. Beth El is a lot trickier to identify, and if it has been found (which is arguable), it doesn’t really seem to align as well. 

The Southern Kingdom fluctuates in terms of religious practice, but seems to stick more clearly to what we would recognise from biblical literature. However, to be clear, this is because the Southern Kingdom of Judah is where most of the biblical literature gets written, and even when it doesn’t get written there, it usually gets edited there. So take its aspersion on the North with a grain of kosher salt. 

The North Falls: 722 BCE

The Northern Kingdom eventually falls to the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The entire land was divided into tribal settlements even when it was “United”. The North consists of Ten Tribes. The South is mostly just Judah, which is where it got its name. Therefore, when the Northern Kingdom of Israel was dispersed, we mostly lost ten whole tribes. It’s a huge upset to Israelite history, and certainly to the history of religious development in the area. The Southern relationship with the Temple tightens. Whatever was going on in the North, religiously, is understood by the Southern Kingdom to have been their downfall. 

(Note: some groups claim to be part of the Ten Northern Tribes. Most famously, Ethiopian Jews have an oral history of descent from the Tribe of Dan. While we don’t know the historicity of that claim, the Ethiopian Jewish community is old af, with whispers of their existence reaching the mainstream Jewish community as early as the 9th Century CE, so it’s certainly plausible. Most Ethiopian Jews now live in the Modern State of Israel, having arrived under the Law of Return after fleeing persecution. Their experience is a mixed bag; better than Ethiopia, and with much love of the Holy Land, but Israel retains a racism problem that is having a significant impact on their ability to thrive.)

The First Exile: 586ish BCE - 538ish BCE

We’re in safer hands now, historically speaking. Israel is enough of an entity that not only are they popping up everywhere archaeologically, but the story of the exile itself is recorded (above is a pretty cuneiform tablet referencing the exile, from 580ish BCE, in the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin). 

The Babylonian Exile began and ended in stages, which means that while we do know when things occurred, it’s harder to define when the exile actually began and ended. For the Israelites, this meant life without access to a) the Holy Land, which the entire religion was built on, and b) the Holy Temple, where worship occurred. In this time, we see the first seedlings of religious practice being community-based in a way that wasn’t, um, arguably idolatrous according to the Temple cult. We might call this the beginning of the era of synagogues. 

The seeds of messianic redemption are born in a pre-exile world, and probably sustain the Jews through the First Exile. The idea is messy and contradictory, but it boils down to: God will bring us home. Jeremiah tells the exiles to pray for the country in which they reside (which is the basis of the Prayer for the Country that Jews still do in synagogues today). 

Why did this exile happen (historically) and why did the exiles think it happened? Largely, the First Exile was due to a game of politics. The kingdoms were small and needed to make allies, and variously become vassals of other states, and sometimes made decisions that were obviously poor in the grand scheme of history but weren’t so obviously poor at the time. The story retained in the South would be mixed explanations about turning against God: idolatry, lack of trust, trying to play games with empires instead of just trusting that God would protect, etc.

But what really bothers me about it is: if the North and South had managed to be consistent allies with one another, or perhaps not split in the first place, they probably would have been in a much stronger position. But it seems they were constantly squabbling with one another, including (but not limited to) royal assassinations. And in a sea filled with bigger, more dangerous fish, it probably doomed them more than a little. 

Return From Exile (Thanks to Cyrus the Messiah): 538ish BCE

Big picture history: the Neo-Assyrian Empire went caput, giving a brief period of terrifying political vacuum (at which point the Southern Kingdom of Judah kept changing its mind on allies and betting on the wrong horses), leading to the rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The Assyrians had scattered the Northern Kingdom of Israel (722 BCE). The Babylonians then exiled the Southern Kingdom of Judah (destruction of the First Temple was 586 BCE). Then the Babylonians fell to the Persians, and we came to the reign of the only non-Jewish king referred to as a moshiach (messiah) in biblical literature: Cyrus the Great. 

We love him. Why? Because Cyrus had some weirdly forward-thinking views about religion, and he sent the Jews home and supported the rebuilding of the Holy Temple.

The Cyrus Cylinder details how Cyrus was in the practice of sending peoples home and restored shrines. We stan one (1) Achaemenidian Emperor. 

The Second Jewish Commonwealth: 586ish BCE - 70 CE

Second Temple Judaism was a slightly different creature. The Israelites had now survived being uprooted from the sacred land and had to deal with what it meant to, well, replant themselves on it. This is the period in which the prophets of old drew their last breaths and a more textual Judaism came to be. 

Some scholars argue that this is when the religion developed from monolatry (the worship of one god, but the belief that many exist) to monotheism (the belief that there is only one God). Honestly, I am decreasingly convinced that any of these labels reflect religious reality anyway, so take what you want from that. However, the idea that the experience of being away from the land belonging to the local god could develop into the concept that there truly is only One God is, in itself, fascinating as a development. 

Our expectations, when an indigenous religion is uprooted from the land, might be that the development is a) defensive (a scramble to keep the culture and practices alive, sometimes to the point of adapting in opposition to the surrounding culture), b) inwardly assimilative (not always deliberately, the beliefs/culture/practices of the surroundings become part of the indigenous religion), and c) outwardly assimilative (not always deliberately, the beliefs/culture/practices of the indigenous group become part of the surroundings). If we agree with the scholars who claim that monotheism was a development of exile, we have quite a bizarre example of religious development which fits under none of those categories. 

(Super interested in examples of other indigenous cultures developing in exile in a way that doesn’t fit a, b, or c. Do reach out if you know of any.)

But the newly-returned exiles aren’t safe. Yehud/Judea is still a teeny thing without much political power. It goes through phases of vassalhood, independence, and occupation (famously by the Greeks, who then got booted out in a rebellion, which you might know as the Story of Chanukah). 

The Second Temple Mark I was a bit plain compared to the First Temple, but became absolutely glorious when restructured under the reign of Herod. However, it never quite gains complete centrality. The reason now is less to do with alternative worship (such as the bamot of old), but rather to do with groups like the Pharisees (a group devoted to the working classes, interested in literacy and learning, and... you know, law and stuff, we stan) and the Essenes (who say “fuck it, everything’s corrupt, let’s go to the wilderness and not have babies for some reason”). 

Messianism/redemption theology continues to develop, now utilising the previous exile-and-return as a model for what will happen in the future, too. Various messianic figures pop up, famously including Bar Kokhba (a military leader who led a rebellion aimed at Jewish independence from Roman occupation). He turns out to be one of the most influential messianic figures, because the failure of his great revolt led to...

The Second Exile: 70 CE - 1948 CE?

The Romans eventually got tired of the people they were occupying fighting back and decided to squash all future rebellion through... well, murder, destruction, and exile. The Second Temple was destroyed. Due to the seeds planted by the Pharisees (regarding Jewish practice of individuals and communities being able to exist outside of the Temple-based system), Rabbinic Judaism is able to grow from the ashes of the Temple. It was not a guarantee that Judaism could survive at all, but thanks to the rabbinic movement and the fact that the Jews had survived one exile, Judaism struggled forward. 

Why did this exile happen and how was it understood? Historically, we can point to the constant occupations and empires. But the rabbis have woven different narratives alongside the politics: it happened because of sinat chinam, they said; “baseless hatred” between Jews. Or it happened because leaders were so interested in harsh justice and forgot that mercy has always been a part of the law. Either way, the surviving story is less interested in the evil of the Roman Empire and more interested in how our values and actions on an individual level spin out of control and affect the whole world. It’s a slightly less theological explanation. While the First Exile was due to “God is punishing us”, the Second Exile is understood more along the lines of “we caused this with our actions and values”. 

The Second Exile stretches long and far. Empires fall, as they are wont to, and other empires colonise and capture and conflict with one another. Jews spread out farther than ever before, but whenever they set down roots anywhere, expulsion is a constant threat. 

Christianity develops out of a mixture of Judaism and Hellenism, based on the cult following of a messianic figure, and crawls to a position of power and then starts running in the way it spreads. Islam is birthed by a single central leader with inspiration from both Christianity and Judaism and is immediately on the move and spreading. Christian and Islamic political entities conflict with one another. Things are generally worse for Jews in Christendom and pogroms are a semi-constant threat. Ashkenazi Jews, as a result, become more religiously defensive (see point a above) and develop a firmer view of the law. Rule under Islamic empires is usually better, but maintains a level of hostility, such as special taxes being levied and not being allowed to be physically “above Muslims”. 

The messianic dream continues to develop; the idea that “God will take us home” remains a deep and important thread in Jewish religion and liturgy. Jewish languages develop out of Hebrew and relationship with the outside world, such as Judeo-Arabic and Yiddish. Jews suspicious of the outside world tend to be more entrenched in messianic ideals. 

The Enlightenment seems like a positive thing for Jewish life in exile; many Jews get increasingly comfortable with life in exile. Some are more suspicious, due to events such as the Dreyfus Affair, and start to deliberately move the messianic dream into a potential political reality, now referred to as Zionism. The messianic dream becomes a political goal to end exile. 

Big picture history: The land is captured and colonised and recaptured time and time again. For a very brief version, it goes (deep breath): Roman Empire into Byzantine Empire, conquered by the Arab Caliphate (7th Century), conquered by the Fatimid Caliphate (10th Century), some skirmishes with the Byzantines wanting things back, into the Crusades where it went back and forth for centuries (no fun at all, do not recommend, zero stars), then the Mongols turned up and were ultimately defeated by the Egyptian Mamluks (13th Century), who were then conquered by the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire (16th Century), who were then defeated by the British (20th Century). Phew.

In this time, the holy site of the Temple (”Temple Mount”, or Mount Moriah) has been the site of the First Temple (destroyed by the Babylonians), the site of the Second Temple (destroyed by the Romans), the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque / the Dome of the Rock (still there), and, briefly, an Augustinian Church (I admittedly do not know how they did this, but I imagine they just turned up and said “this is a church now”). 

Back to the exile itself: one third of all Jews were murdered in the 20th Century in the Sho’ah. (We’ve just about recovered those raw numbers at this point, but the world population has gone from 2 billion to 8 billion in that time - so in reality, we’re a quarter of what we should be.) The British were occupying a land with some significant violence occurring and no living empire to give it back to, and they overpromised to get allies. A mess was made. The UN made a half-hearted suggestion about trying to fulfill two promises at once, and we get to...

The Third Jewish Commonwealth (1948 CE - present)

I’m going to make an assumption here that you know some of this story already, and we’re treading into “modern politics” land, which is neither my forte nor my interest. In short: Everything was a mess when the British left. Israel declared independence. The Nakba. The war, then another war, then another war. There have been small glimmers of hope and then everything has crashed back to being terrible again. 

Religiously, the establishment of the Third Jewish Commonwealth has had a really interesting impact on self-definition. Did exile end with 1948? Some say yes; we’re now in diaspora rather than exile. Some say no; there might be a Law of Return, but with the state of the State, it’s hardly true that all Jews feel safe returning, and there’s no reason to think of diaspora as meaningfully different to exile. This brings up questions of Jewish identity worldwide. Are we a people exiled or a people redeemed? Is it possible to be neither of those things? Do we understand the establishment of the State in the kind of theological terms we understood the return from Babylonian Exile, or does the fact that we ultimately drew our understanding of the Second Exile from naturalistic/value-based/human causes mean that we see the “end of the exile” in the same ways?

There are no good answers to the above questions. Communities and individuals are split. On the one hand, it’s miraculous. On the other hand, it’s really, really not. 

In general, something that I think is religiously fascinating about Take Three is that the Jewish population is split between the very religious and the very secular. The middle path, what I might call Mainstream Judaism (from mainstream Orthodoxy through to Reform Judaism) barely exists at all. But what divides the Chareidim (ultra-religious) from the Chilonim (secular) is not a matter of Jewish identity or relationship with the land; it’s just a difference in whether or not religion matters. The answers appear to be “absolutely yes” and “absolutely no”, without much room for anything between. There is a kind of symbiotic relationship between the two sides, but they are very much two sides.

That there is such secularism is of course partly due to living in the modern world. But it also tells of a whole new relationship to the land. Chilonim still identify with the ancestral homeland, still see it as sacred in a sense, but don’t tie this sanctity to God. 

Why is the middle missing? Why has mainstream Judaism failed to get a foothold in the Third Jewish Commonwealth? It’s not for lack of trying. I’m at a bit of a loss as to why this would be the case. Looking back to Take One and Take Two, I can see how the development in the area led to the religious/political groups, but I’m at a loss for this one. Perhaps it’s about the impact of politics requiring people to take more extreme stances. Perhaps the trend is toward secularism, but the Chareidim just have so many babies that it bucks the trend. Perhaps middle-of-the-road Judaism is only appealing in exile/diaspora. 

And that brings me to the end of my musings. This has been on my mind because Israel’s democracy is currently under internal threat, which I find interesting in comparison to the First and Second Jewish Commonwealths. As Kohelet would say: there’s nothing new under the sun. 

[vampire-the-askerade]

Nines Rodriguez x Reader

[content warning: arguments, slightly risky at the end but not totally nsfw]

[not proof read, sorry. Just had one of those, “wait a minute I love him” moments and had to write something]

The rain was finally starting to let up. While you were thankful for the extra cover it gave earlier, it was nice to not have to worry about getting totally soaked on your way to the Last Round. It didn’t really bother you really as even while it was still raining on you , you felt so proud of yourself that not much could bother you.

There were rumors of another group like the Brotherhood of the 9th Circle was popping up again. Remembering how much trouble they caused you were all resolved to find out where they were, if the rumors were true, and stopping them before such a big risk to the masquerade occurs again.

Something else you knew from the last time they were around was that if this truly was the 9th Circle or even something similar, they weren’t something to be taken lightly. After the bits and pieces that Damsel had seen herself, the aftermath the others saw when they were making sure that the group was truly gone for good, and what you had witnessed and dealt with firsthand, most everyone agreed that dealing with this new group was at least a two person job. Even if it was just some petty, copycat group, it was better to be safe than sorry.

That was, everyone except you.

You insisted that you could handle at least getting information about the group by yourself, then simply get help for fighting them off, if that was even necessary. After all, you had handled the first situation almost completely by yourself.

This was an idea that Nines shut down immediately. Now that Camarilla in the area were a bit more scrambled and unorganized than they once were, he had more time and attention to actually focus on some other things. Learning what he had about the whole 9th Circle incident, it was one of the only things he actually regretted not putting more of his attention into at the time. A single vampire spreading disease can be a pain; a whole cult devoted to it was dangerous. Things could have turned out much worse if that group was a little more organized. That was something that he was not going to risk this time.

As much as they would verbally deny it, around the Round, what Nines said was practically law. So, when he straight out forbade you from doing anything yet, everyone else just assumed that was the end of that. Afterwards, Nines watched you like a hawk as he knew how stubborn you could be, every so often giving you a glare that silently said, “Don’t even think about it.”

You were patient if nothing else and waited a few night after your disagreement for him to let his guard down. Earlier tonight, instead of joining him as he made his way to the bar you had told him that you had some things that you needed to do beforehand. Nines gave you the look once more and warned, “Behave yourself,” before going his way.

Of course once you were sure that he wasn’t going to turn back and check on you, you went straight to where the rumors said the strange group had last been sighted. You weren’t concerned about being cornered or anything like that as it seemed to be in a pretty well known park, and it was still early enough in the night that there were plenty of humans still awake, meaning that even if there were members of the cult there they either wouldn’t attack with that many witnesses around or they might not even realize you weren’t just someone out for an evening stroll.

While it wasn’t impossible for them to be involved with a group of kindred, it wasn’t as likely. Even if they were, there was no way that they would give any of you much trouble if push came to shove. Without wanting to act without more information, as well as not totally going against what Nines had said, you decide to head back to the Last Round. The thought that Nines was going to be at least a bit upset with you did cross your mind, but you figured that getting information would help cool his temper.

It didn’t take long to find this supposed group’s hide out: a stereotypical abandoned bathroom covered in graffiti. You risked taking a peek inside one of the small windows at the top of the little building. What you saw made you have to hold back a laugh. It was just a group of kids, if they were out of high school it must have just happened this past school year. From the little looks you could risk without getting caught or slipping on the little ledge slick with rainfall you were standing on, it just looked like they were hiding out here to sneak whatever delinquency they could think to try.

Things seemed normal when you got to the Round; hardly anyone even noted you coming in a few hours past when you usually did. It made sense as you all had things that you had to get done most nights, so they all must have assumed that you were off on some sort of job or another. You checked in with Damsel and Skelter to let them know you had gotten there, before heading upstairs. It seemed like Nines wasn’t there at first, but you eventually saw him brooding in a corner table. It seemed something put him in a bad mood… better save your confession for later.

Later wouldn’t come, however, as the moment that he saw you his eyes narrowed and he nodded his head toward the chair next to him to tell you to come over and sit down. Hoping to do anything to put him in a better mood for the sake of everyone else here, you complied and started thinking about ways to cheer him up. You sat and rested your arms on the table. Nines was quick to grab one of your hands, an attention getting action rather than a romantic one.

“Where were you?” He asked firmly.

You shrugged off the question like it wasn’t serious. “I just had something I wanted to do earlier.”

His hold tightened on your hand in warning. “Where were you?” He asked once more, not really needing you to answer, but giving you the chance to; his Bruja temper looking like it was about to boil over any second.

He knew. You knew that he knew. There was rarely a time where he would be pushy with you, and that you would avoid giving him a direct answer. Both of your reactions to each other said it loud and clear: you did exactly what Nines had asked you not to.

“Home. Now!” He growled into your ear as he stood you both up with a firm hold on your shoulders and practically dragged you through the bar and out the door. All the others didn’t get in his path- they didn’t even try to ask where the two of you were going. His anger was radiating so hotly off of him that anyone could feel it from a mile away.

Though he was by no means running, the two of you seemed to get back to your apartment faster than usual. Probably didn’t get caught in much foot traffic as everyone else was avoiding him for the same reasons the other Anarchs were. His hands only left your shoulders when he unlocked the door and slammed it shut behind you both. He didn’t look at you for a good few minutes, only standing where he was after slamming the door, heaving breaths tensing his chest and shoulders.

“Nines, I-“

“No!” He snaps. “You keep your mouth shut!”

In the back of his mind he knows that he will regret being so harsh later, but at the moment his anger, his disappointment was winning out. Not wanting to have this discussion by the front door where anyone could hear it, he lead you back to the bedroom.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Nines scolded. “We had decided not to do anything yet!”

“You had decided not to do anything.” You interjected, you own anger growing by this point.

“And, everyone else agreed! You don’t get to just run around and do whatever the fuck you want!” He yelled, causing you to dig in your heels.

“And, you don’t get to control my whole life!” You replied in kind.

The was an almost animalistic growl in his chest. “I’m not trying to control you!” Nines corrected. “I’m trying to keep you from getting hurt, or worse killed! You should know by now our kinda world doesn’t fuck around!”

You scoffed at him acting like you were still green and unable to fend for yourself. “Well, aren’t you the brave hero!” You sneer. “It was just a bunch of kids doing drugs! I’ve handled far worse!”

Nines eyes narrowed as he asked, “Yeah? And, what if it wasn’t?” His rage turning into a quiet one.

“Like I just said, I’ve handled worse. I took care of the 9th Circle perfectly fine by myself! It wouldn’t have been different this time!”

“You got lucky then!” He scolded once more. “There was so much that could have happened to you back then! What if it did? What if-“ Nines gave a frustrated huff and sat almost dejectedly on the bed, “What if something happened to you tonight?”

You knew from the somber tone his voice shifted to that even though he might be upset with you he was also upset with himself for not stopping you from trying something potentially dangerous. In a similar way, you were upset with him, but also with yourself for breaking his trust.

You walked over to the bed and sat next to him, resting you head on his chest. Nines was quick to wrap his arms around you and pull you closer. You both sat there like that, you being soothed by his familiar scents from his clothes and cologne, and him grounding himself to the reality that you were fine by resting head on yours and placing the odd kiss or two every few minutes.

“Nines, I’m sorry.” You sigh out eventually when the silence and your conscience got too heavy to bear anymore.

“Me too, babe.” He hummed and placed another kiss to the top of your head. “Just never do something that stupid again, alright?”

You nodded your head and snuggled more into his chest. “I love you.” You breathed out more than spoke, relieved that this argument was over.

“I love you too.” Nines assured you, but then disquieted you by adding, “which is why…”

You were suddenly pushed belly-down onto the bed, Nines sitting by your side and using one of his hands to press on your back and hold you down.

“I can’t let you get away with being a brat.” He finished his thought from before he manhandled you. His other hand started to smooth up you leg as he continued. “A brat that needs to get a reminder to show me respect.”

You knew exactly what you were in for when his wandering hand stopped at the top of your upper thigh. Nines confirmed it when he leaned down, nipped the top of your ear, and then promised in a husky whisper, “By the time I’m done with you tonight, your ass is going to be so raw you won’t be able to sit right for a week.”

You shutter in nervous anticipation. Nines placed a kiss to your jaw and asked, “Hand or belt?”

[peanut-tyrug]

Pink City AU: Hunt for the Boxman

Chapter 2 - Breaking Boundaries

The idol-hunting trio tries to find out how to reach the Pink City’s outer plane. Only along the way do they begin to break the fundamentals of their own lives and world’s rules…

—

NOTICE: This AU is partially based on my ideas/interpretation. If anything appears to be inaccurate, I apologize. I tried to work with what little I had to make smth. I also took a few artistic liberties.

Another thing: THE PINK CITY AND IT’S CHARACTERS DO NOT BELONG TO ME!! IT BELONGS TO GOOSEWORX!! Some canon lore for The Pink City has also been implemented in this story. This is just an AU/story I made based on it. If you’d like to check out The Pink City series itself, check it out here!

—

TRIGGER WARNING: This fic contains flashbacks/callbacks to traumatic experiences, panicking, a split personality, mentions of drugs, grieving, mentions of rituals/speaking to the dead, organ removal, a cult, caps, and swearing. If you aren’t comfortable with these things, please don’t read this.

Hoonis, Elain, and Dento walk down the street, discussing what they could do to find the Elders… more so Dento and Hoonis are discussing it.

…Elain is too busy being stuck in her head…

She can’t help but think about meeting the Elders again…

…Don’t think about it…

“…Maybe some kind of ritual?” Hoonis suggests.

Dento shakes his head. He and Elain are committed to doing good and helping the general public, but not to the point that they’d sell their souls for it. They’re young and have lives to live.

“How about one of the ghost board things?” Hoonis suggests again.

Dento shakes his head. He’s heard those things are fake. They’re also for speaking to the dead, not unfathomable horrors that they aren’t capable enough to properly comprehend.

“A seance?”

Again, Dento shakes his head. Seances are also for speaking to the dead. It’s not what they need.

“Then what are we to do?” Hoonis asks.

Elain is snapped out of her head when she hears the question. She taps Hoonis’ shoulder.

Hoonis turns to face Elain. “Hm? Do you have something in mind?”

Elain nods. She then pretends to open a book. She looks to Hoonis, trying to see if he’ll get it.

“…A book?” Hoonis questions. “A— a library?”

Elain nods.

“…Hm.” Hoonis hums. “We could give it a shot. There could be something on these beings there, right?”

Elain nods.

As the trio walks, Dento checks his phone. He notices the time.

It’s 3:00 am.

They need sleep.

Dento taps Hoonis’ arm. Hoonis looks to Dento. “What is it?” He asks.

Dento shows Hoonis the time. His eyes widen in shock. “Oh! We need sleep!” Says Hoonis. “You two can head back to your apartment, if you want.”

Elain then taps her phone screen. Hoonis notices.

She wants his number.

Hoonis looks over to Elain. “You want my number? I’d be glad to give it to you! We can be more in touch!”

Elain nods. Hoonis and Elain exchange phone numbers. Dento does the same.

The trio then seperates, heading to their homes.

—

Elain sits her room, dressed and ready for bed.

Although, she isn’t really wanting to get in bed just yet. She’s texting Dento.

'You doing okay?' Dento asks.

'Yea' Elain responds.

'You sure?' Dento asks.

'Yes' Elain responds.

Think happy thoughts…

Doing good for the city, going out to the beach, getting boba with Dento…

…Dento…

…When you hurt, I hurt…

No. Stop thinking about all that.

You’ll be okay.

'Alr, let me know if you need anything' Says Dento.

'I will' Says Elain.

'Gn Elain' Says Dento.

'Gn to you too Den' Says Elain.

Elain sets her phone down and gets herself in bed. She sets her head down on her pillow and closes her eyes…

…Darkness…

…Peaceful, terrifying darkness…

It’s almost agonizing.

As Elain begins to drift off, she can’t help but hear something…

…Whispers…

…All too familiar whispers…

“JOIN THE CREED.”

“JOIN THE CREED.”

“JOIN THE CREED.”

They become more and more prominent.

She can’t see a thing.

She can only hear the whispers.

…Calling to her…

Elain jolts awake. Her breathing quickens. She sits in her bed, staring into the darkness.

…Oh, no…

It’s gonna be a long night…

Elain lies back down.

…Think happy thoughts… think happy things…

…Then it’ll all go away…

~~~

Hoonis lays in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling.

…He wonders how Bep is doing.

How she feels after that show…

…All of what she said…

…Darles wasn’t like that, was he? Hoonis refused to believe it…

…No way in hell was he an unloving father who wanted nothing to do with his own kids… a father who never supported his kids… a father who…

…Hoonis’ mind had trailed off.

…He could never help but think of his own father…

His unloving, uncaring father…

…No way in hell…

—

Hoonis slowly wakes up, blinking a bit. He rises up in his bed and stretches. He spots his phone and picks it up. It’s 12:00 pm. He decides to text Elain.

'Hi!' Hoonis texts. 'Are you ready for our adventure today?'

He waits a bit.

…No response.

Maybe she’s still asleep.

Hoonis exits his messages and stares at his Home Screen for a bit.

…He could give Bep a call.

He opens his contacts and taps the contact for Bep he had left there. He never deleted it.

His phone rings. He waits for an answer.

The ringing continues.

Keeps going…

Until it stops.

Bep didn’t pick up.

Hoonis sighs in disappointment… then his phone buzzes.

It’s a text. From Bep.

'Leave me alone' The text reads.

Hoonis stares at the text, full of guilt.

…He lays on his back and sighs before getting up.

—

It’s the next day.

Elain slept okay.

…Eventually.

She picks up her phone and looks at the time.

…It’s 2:00 pm.

She also sees texts from Dento.

'Hey' Says Dento. 'You gotta get up'

She also spots some texts from Hoonis.

'Hi!' Says Hoonis. ‘Are you ready for our adventure today?'

…Shit.

She overslept.

…It’s not really unusual for Elain. She’s not very good at being organized or having a routine.

Her eyes widen. She rushes out of bed, not even giving herself time to stretch. She smacks open her door, and hurries to prepare herself for the day.

After scurrying out of the bathroom, she heads back to her room and slaps her Bounty Hunting gear on and grabs her phone. After that, she almost slips into a small kitchen.

She stops.

She sees Dento sitting at the dining table. He had been waiting for her.

Along with some food he had cooked. He made breakfast.

Dento looks to his phone. He types.

Elain’s phone buzzes. A text from Dento.

'I heard all that noise' Reads the text. 'We aren’t really in a rush'

'Sry' Elain responds.

'You’re okay' Says Dento. 'Now eat. Don’t want your breakfast getting cold'

Elain sets herself down next to Dento. As she prepares to eat, Dento taps her shoulder. She looks over to him.

Dento looks to Elain and turns his head. Are you okay?

Elain thinks…

She nods.

Think happy thoughts. Happy things.

Dento nods back.

He almost feels as if he doesn’t need to ask her that as much as he does, since she’s so insistent that she’s okay.

However, that’s what friends do.

You keep an eye on each other.

They make a good team.

—

Elain and Dento walk over to Hoonis’ apartment. It’s not far off from their own, they found out after Hoonis spilled his address to them through text.

As the duo approaches the door and Elain prepares to knock, Hoonis suddenly swings open his door, almost smacking Elain across the face.

“Good morning, good people!” Says Hoonis. He quickly takes notice of the duo in front of his door. “Hello! Are you ready?”

Elain and Dento nod, not really displaying the same kind of enthusiasm Hoonis is.

“Great!” Says Hoonis. “I’ll be leading us to the library! It’s a long way away! Come on!”

Hoonis quickly steps past the Bounty Hunters and makes his way downstairs. Elain and Dento quickly follow suit.

—

It’s been a few hours since the trio had set off. A bit longer than Hoonis expected.

It’s 5:00 pm.

Yet, they’re still walking.

“I didn’t realize it would take this long.” Says Hoonis. “I thought we’d be there by 4 at most!”

The three continue to walk, not really certain of how to keep on with the conversation.

As they walk, Hoonis’ phone buzzes. A text from Elain.

'Hru?' Reads the text.

“Oh!” Says Hoonis. “I’m good! How’ve you two been today?”

Hoonis’ phone buzzes again.

'Good' Reads a text from Dento.

'👍' Reads the text from Elain.

“Wonderful!” Says Hoonis, not looking up from his screen.

As he walks, Hoonis suddenly bumps into someone.

“Ah!” Hoonis yelps as he stumbles back.

The other slips back a little. He almost falls. “Watch where you going!” He says. “If you young people weren’t always on your DAMN PHONES, you’d see where you’re going!”

“I’m sorry, sir!” Says Hoonis.

“Malarkey, that’s what it is!” Says the man. “How about you good read a book every once in awhile! Your local librarian is losing money out here!”

Before Hoonis can speak up again, realization hits the three of them.

…This man is a librarian.

As the librarian begins to walk off, Hoonis speaks up.

“Wait!” He says. “We’re actually heading for the library!”

The librarian turns his head. “…Really?” He asks.

“Yes!” Says Hoonis. “…Are you on break?”

“…I don’t have to be.” Says the librarian. “Is there any particular book you’re looking for?”

Hoonis looks around before whispering to the librarian. “…Do you have any books on Gods?”

“…Hmm. I may have something piled up.” Says the librarian. “I think I remember someone dropping a book discussing such things. I’ve kept it since.”

“Oh! Good!” Says Hoonis. “Do you mind finding it for us?”

“I most certainly can!” Says the librarian. “Follow me.”

The librarian then leads the trio to the library, which really wasn’t very far from where they just were.

“I didn’t realize we were that close…” Says Hoonis.

“I was just preparing to leave when I had met you three.” Says the librarian. “But I’m perfectly fine with helping those who desire knowledge from the printed word!”

The librarian heads up a small staircase leading to the library’s entrance. He opens the door, allowing the trio to peak inside.

The library’s interior appears to be slightly run down. Cob webs are scattered on the floor and roof. Chandeliers light up the area, making it dimly lit.

“Ooh.” Says Hoonis. “Fancy!”

“Shh!” The librarian hushes.

“…Sorry.” Hoonis whispers.

The Bounty Hunters glance around. Elain is amazed by it. Dento, on the other hand, is slightly weirded out by it.

“Let me lead you to my counter.” Says the librarian in a whispering. “I have that book locked up tight back there.”

The librarian leads the trio to his counter. As they walk, the trio glances at the long and large book shelves. Various colors and and covers catch their eyes.

“Here we are.” Says the librarian as they approach the counter. “Wait here.” He walks behind the counter and into a backroom.

The three wait. Dento looks around a bit. He takes a peek behind the librarian’s desk.

“What’re you doing there?” Whispers Hoonis.

Dento looks back. He takes out his phone and types. He’s texting Hoonis.

Hoonis’ phone buzzes. Dento’s text.

'I don’t entirely trust him' Reads the text. ‘He’s got an air to him I don’t like'

“He seems like an innocent man.” Whispers Hoonis.

'Not to me he doesn’t' Responds Dento.

Before Hoonis can retort, the librarian returns. “Here.” He says, handing Hoonis the book they needed. “Let me know if you need anything.” He then walks back to his desk.

“Thank you.” Says Hoonis. The trio heads to a table nearby.

Dento looks over to the librarian. He glares at him. The librarian doesn’t appear to be paying attention.

…His evildoer senses are tingling…

…Although, he seems innocent enough…

But every bad guy is like that. Bounty or not.

Elain and Hoonis look at the book’s cover as Dento eyes the librarian.

“'Ghosts and Gods: A Book on the Unfathomable'.” Says Hoonis. “That’s an interesting title.”

Elain nods. She looks over to Dento. He’s still eyeing the librarian.

As Dento continues to look on at the librarian, his phone buzzes.

'You don’t trust him' Says a text from Elain.

'No' Says Dento.

'You think that man is an evildoer?'

'Yes' Says Dento. 'He’s got an untrustworthy air. And we know every bounty is like that'

'You’ve got a point' Says Elain. 'But he hasn’t acted too weird or anything. Maybe just keep an eye on him?'

'Sure' Says Dento. He turns back to the librarian while Elain looks back to Hoonis, who is soaring through the book.

“I’ve heard of most of these.” Says Hoonis. “I think I’ve covered some…” He turns to Elain. “Have you ever seen Ghost of the Year?”

Elain shakes her head, a no.

“That’s a shame. You should!” Hoonis says in a whisper. “It’s a good show, and I host it!”

Hoonis continues to look through the book. Many ghosts, ghouls, and other beings catch their eyes.

Eventually, Hoonis stops at a particular page. “Aha!” He whispers. “Here!”

The heading on the page reads: 'The Elders of Lost Eyes'.

Elain stares at the page, eyes wide.

…Keep your mind off it.

“Look at this!” Says Hoonis. He begins to read the paragraph underneath the artist depiction of the creatures, long dark pillars with various eyes. Among other depictions, such as more 'human' looking creatures with heads, shoulders, and a single pair of eyes on each head.

Just like the creatures Thlouretta saw.

'Not much is know about these beings, as there aren’t many witnesses. Although, from the few who have allegedly seen or heard these creatures amongst odd whispers, these creatures appear to show interest in expanding their 'Creed'. We would know more, but with each new witness of these beings comes a new disappearance. We may never know more about these Elders if more witnesses keep suddenly falling into a missing status.'

“…Odd.” Says Hoonis. “…There doesn’t appear to be any information on how we can see them, though…”

Elain can’t help but stare.

Suddenly, a sharp pain enters her head. She feels the back of her head.

…Somsthing’s impaled it.

She takes out what’s stabbed her.

…A dart.

…A tranquilizer dart…

She quickly begins to feel dizzy. She looks over the the librarian’s desk.

He’s still there.

…If it wasn’t the librarian who shot at her…

…Then who…?

Before she can even get up to warn the others, Elain begins to pass out. Her head slams onto the table, snapping Hoonis out of his reading and Dento away from the librarian.

“Elain?” He asks. He looks over to see Elain with her head down, unconscious.

“Excuse me.” Says a voice from behind.

Hoonis turns. “Hm?” He hums. Dento also turns back.

They look on in shock.

They see a two cloaked figures behind them, each of them have a bat in hand.

“I thought there wasn’t supposed to be any noise in a library.” Says one figure.

Suddenly…

*WHACK*

…Darkness.

—

…

…The trio slowly comes to.

They look up to see large trees covering up the sky. The sun has set. Each of them attempt to look over to each other. They all appear to be lying down. Tied up.

“…W-where are we?” Hoonis asks.

The trio looks around. Torches are scattered around a small clearing.

They’re in the woods.

Suddenly, rustling is heard from nearby shrubs. The trio tries to look over to spot the cause of the sound.

From the bushes, a cloaked and hooded figure emerges, holding his hands up in the air. “Friends!” He shouts. “They have awoken!”

From the bushes, more cloaked figures emerge, all talking amongst each other. They circle around the tied up trio and look down upon them.

The tied up idol hunters face the supposed leader. “Where are we!? What happened!?” Hoonis asks.

“It appears you don’t remember.” Says the leader. “Unfortunate. Perhaps they hit you too hard…”

Dento listens in on the voice… it’s familiar…

…Too familiar…

The leader then brings down his hood to reveal a familiar face.

The librarian.

“You!?” Hoonis shouts. Elain looks in shock.

Even though Dento, anticipated something was up with the man, he still was in shock. He didn’t know that man was a—

…Oh.

The librarian then puts his hood back up. “Never mind introductions, my dear sheep!” He says. “They require sacrifices— can I get an amen?”

“Amen.” The cult says in unison.

“…Dear, God…” Says Hoonis. “A cult leader!”

Besides that…

…Who was this 'They'…?

“…They will be pleased with your arrival.” Says the librarian. “Especially you.” He looks over to Elain.

Elain begins to panic again.

…No.

Don’t think about it.

…Don’t…

“Friends!” Says the librarian. “Bring them to the World’s Edge! The Elders shall ask, and they shall receive!”

The cult members then huddle and pick up the captives and carry them through the woods.

…Elain continues to keep her mind off things…

Don’t think about it.

Don’t think about it.

Do. Not. Think. About. It.

…But, it’s difficult.

The thoughts plague her mind. She can’t seem to shake them off this time. No matter how hard she tries…

The thought of it all…

The drugs. The Elders. The eyes. The pain. The confusion.

…Everything…

It feels so fresh in her mind, just as it was when it first happened.

Just thinking about seeing those eyes again is driving her nuts. She wants to forget it ever happened… although, she can’t.

Dento looks over to Elain, concern glossing his eyes.

Don’t think about it.

You’ll be fine as long as it’s not constantly on your mind. Eating at your mind like termites. Slapping your very soul across the face until it’s bleeding.

You don’t have to tell him as long as you aren’t thinking about it.

You’ll be okay.

Stay optimistic.

Elain nods to Dento.

…Dento almost feels uncertain about Elain.

Suddenly, the trio begins to fall.

They’ve been thrown over a cliff.

They fall. Hoonis’ shrills of terror smacking their heads like a ball in a pinball machine.

As they fall, however…

They rise.

They shoot past the cliff they had been dropped from and into the sky…

Into the atmosphere.

Into the stars.

Into the great beyond.

Hoonis’ screams become inaudible once they reach the outer limits of the world.

Past various lights and voids, all of them a terrifying sight to behold. They pass by planets, asteroids, solar systems with no sun. All of what the world hasn’t explored shoved into a few a minute trip.

The trio then enters a small hole with a large court house in the middle of it.

Elain begins to panic even more…

…You’ll be fine…

Stop thinking about it.

The trio enters the court house. Hoonis’ screams also become audible again. As they pass large white pillars and deeper into the court house, Dento kicks Hoonis’ leg, getting him to stop screaming.

“Ow! What’s the big idea!?” Says Hoonis. “Is that not a natural reaction to getting shot through space!?”

Suddenly, a loud buzzer goes off.

The rope tied around the trio unravels. Dento and Hoonis get sent downward.

Oh, no…

Hoonis and Dento stand next to each other. “What’s happening!?” Hoonis questions.

Two mouse cursors appears. They hover over the men’s bodies and click them. The cursors pull…

And the top layer of their bodies pop off, revealing their internal organs. Each one not an organic organ, but a shape one. Like something out of a cartoon.

“…AAAAAAAAAAHH!!” Hoonis shouts.

The cursors hover over the organs until stopping on their hearts and clicking it. The hearts are removed and odd creature appears off to side. It gobbles up their hearts in one bite. Their covers are then slapped back onto their bodies.

Hoonis and Dento are then brought back up to Elain’s level. Both are terrified. Hoonis especially.

The trio then begins to hover forward.

They enter a large void-like room. Large, shadowy pillars coated with colorful eyes look upon them. Above the pillars appear three eyes, which slowly open as the trio enters. The eyes look down upon them. The trio takes in the sight.

The Elders of Lost Eyes.

The trio is horrified.

…Elain especially.

…Don’t think about it…

“THEY ARE HERE.” Says the pillars. “SHE IS HERE.”

“THEY SEEK HIM.” They say again. “SHE SEEKS HIM. HE SEEKS HER.”

“BRING THEM TO HIM.” They say, echoing.

The phrase repeats.

“BRING THEM TO HIM.”

“BRING THEM TO HIM.”

“BRING THEM TO HIM.”

The trio then blasts upward. They shoot past the Elders and into another dark room. They’re all set down, and are able to stand. There’s a floor here.

…Silence.

Then…

“Hey, there!” Says a peppy, high pitched voice. “You seem confused! Allow me to introduce myself!”

Out from the shadows, clacking footsteps are heard.

The trio looks into the shadows.

Out from the shadows, a very familiar man emerges.

…Or, at least, a man who is very familiar to Hoonis.

A spindly man dressed in a magenta suit, paired with a teal bow tie and yellow undershirt comes out of the shadows.

And the most defining feature he has…

Elain looks in shock.

…A cube head…

…No, a box head…

“I am Darly Boxman!” Says Darly. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance! We’ve been waiting for you!”

Elain and Dento are completely frozen in shock.

Hoonis, on the other hand…

He looks on in utter excitement and shock. He begins to tremble as excitement takes over his brain and body.

He couldn’t help but squeal.

“AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAH!!!” Hoonis laughs maniacally. “I’VE BEEN WAITING TO MEET YOU ALL MY LIFE, DARLES NEMENI!!”

As Hoonis races toward Darly, The boxman lifts an arm into the air. Hoonis is brought into the air. He looks on at the other man in confusion.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Says Darly. “I don’t go by that anymore! Call me Darly!”

“I never knew you could be so committed to your character!” Says Hoonis. “But why don’t you go by Dar—“

Darly pulls Hoonis close and shushes him. “That’s not important.” He says. “Anyway, thank you!”

“Y-you’re welcome!” Says Hoonis.

Darly then looks back over to the Bounty Hunters. “Oh, interesting outfits!” He says. “That reminds me, I wonder how the times have changed down there. He hasn’t been there in years, not like he needs to.” He chuckles.

…What does that mean?

Elain and Dento are suddenly lifted into the air and paired with Hoonis.

“Look at you all!” Says Darly. “So moldable! I could just completely alter your code to fit my own image!”

The trio are suddenly coated in a bright blue aura. Their forms begin to alter and break apart. The aura eventually fades, revealing the trio now with different body types or limbs.

Darly continues to repeat this process of change.

Each time getting more and more painful. Each time Hoonis’ shrills gettting worse and worse.

Elain can’t help but think of the sheer pain she had to experience…

…Stop it… stop thinking about it…

Darly eventually lets go of the trio and sets them down. They fall to their knees and take a breather.

Hoonis looks up to Darly. “What was that for!?” He asks, still trying to recover and catch his breath.

“Oh, I just like doing that!” Says Darly. “Why not do it when you’re a God?”

…A God…?

“…What…?” Hoonis questions. “…I never found anything like that in my research…”

“That’s because that old, burnt out coot went missing!” Says Darly. “…It appears you all have some catching up to do!”

Shadowy tendrils rise up from the ground and stab the eyes of the trio, causing them to see visions…

Elain isn’t liking it one bit…

…No. Don’t think it…

'The man who you know as Darles was a desperate man, willing to do anything to make himself popular.' Darly narrates as a depiction of Darles on his knees begging appears. 'Even make a deal with the Devil.'

Eyes begin appearing around Darles. The vision fades.

'The Elder’s interest in the man piqued, and they helped him.' Says Darly. 'They gave him success. He got power. Fame. Ascension. All of what he wanted… All for a price…'

A new vision appears: Darles surrounded by eyes within a dark mass looking upon him.

'If they helped him, he had to join them…' Says Darly. 'And such a hungry man took the bait.'

The mass surrounds Darles, trapping him within it.

'And now, Darles and Darly have become one.' Says Darly.

Darles pops out of the mass, a box now replacing his dual-triangle head.

'He had achieved God-hood, he ascended, just as he wished.' Says Darly.

The tendrils then pop out of the trio’s eyes. They each fall to the ground.

'Now look at him! Look at me!” Says Darly, floating in the air. “He can do anything! He HAS everything! Just as he had wished for!”

“But what about his friends? His family?” Hoonis asks.

“…What?” Darly asks.

“Thlouretta? Bep?” Hoonis asks. “What about them? Does he miss them?”

“Why would that matter?” Darly asks. “He has everything he wanted!”

“But they loved him.” Says Hoonis. “They miss him… well, maybe Bep doesn’t miss him outwardly— but still, doesn’t he still love them too?”

“As Darly Boxman went on, he became hellbent on it!” Says Darly. “All he wanted was to ascend! For his show to succeed! He didn’t care about them!”

“There must be more to it! Thlouretta spoke of how kind and caring he was! He was never like this until work on his show started!” Says Hoonis. “…And I remember hearing a voice one night, someone calling for help… it sounded like Darles… he’s still in there… in your head.”

Darly isn’t sure of how to continue.

“…Tell me, Darles.” Says Hoonis. “Tell me you loved Bep like your daughter. Tell me that you were a kind and caring man. Tell me that you aren’t a piece of shit father.”

Elain and Dento look to each other. They’re surprised that Hoonis is acting so stern about this. He spoke with such passion they had never heard from him.

Darly pauses.

“…Please.” Says Hoonis, desperately.

…Darly hesitates…

…He then begins to float back down to the ground. He tries to pry the box off of his head.

It takes some time, but the box is removed.

…Darles looks up, pain in his eyes.

Hoonis looks back, desperately anticipating the truth.

“…I loved Bep with my life.” Says Darles.

Hoonis’ eyes widen a bit. Elain and Dento rise to their feet, surprise in their eyes.

“…I-I was a good man. Thlouretta and I were great friends… and I… I let it all go.” Says Darles. “…I threw it all away for a stupid show, for fame… I ruined my life, and for what? To be in constant suffering with this parasite clinging to my head…?”

The trio stares at the man as he vents.

“I never wanted this… I didn’t want those who I cherished to leave me— I didn’t…” Says Darles as he falls to knees. “…What in God’s name did I do to myself…?”

Faint sobs can be heard as Darles lowers his head. Before anyone can approach him, he lifts his head to the box he had set down.

Darles then proceeds to pick up the box. He squeezes it slightly.

“My STUPID lust for YOU, GOT ME HERE!!” Says Darles. “I AM HERE BECAUSE I JUST HAD TO WANT FAME!! I LOST WHAT I LOVE BECAUSE OF MY STUPID ACTIONS!! …I FUCKING HATE YOU!!!”

Darles then proceeds to stand back up and throw the box into the void next to him. He falls to his knees again and begins to sob.

Hoonis then tries to approach the sobbing man, only for Elain and Dento to restrain Hoonis and pull him away.

“Wait!” Says Hoonis. “We can help him!”

The duo pulls Hoonis back further.

There isn’t a point in helping a man that’s lost his mind.

Hoonis struggles to escape the duo’s grip, but they’ve got a tight hold on him. He tries his hardest to pull away from them, until he eventually pops out of their hold. He rushes over to Darles and begins to hesitate…

…After a bit, Hoonis gets down on his knees and sits beside the sobbing man.

“…I’m a horrible friend…” Says Darles through his sobs. “…I’m a terrible father…”

“…I don’t think you are one.” Says Hoonis.

“…Why not?” Darles asks. “I sacrificed who I loved for this. I hurt people. People I cherished. And now look at me… I’m broken man. Why try to waste your time with me when I can just send you all home?”

“Because I want to help you.” Says Hoonis.

“What about what I just said do you not get?” Darles asks. “There isn’t anything you nor I could do about this… I’m stuck here, and I can’t leave. I took the bait, and this is my punishment.”

“…I can try. We can try.” Says Hoonis. “We can help you become a better man.”

“No.” Says Darles. “I doubt I can change. I’ve ruined so much… just leave me be…”

Nearby, a small portal opens on the ground. It leads back to the Pink City.

“You can change! We can get you back home, help you let this go!” Says Hoonis desperately.

“You can’t break a contract with the Devil just like that.” Says Darles.

“But, I don’t want to leave you!” Says Hoonis. “I’ve wanted to learn from you all my life!”

“Are you dense?” Darles asks. “Why learn from a man who ruined his life chasing after fame? …Just leave.”

Elain and Dento step to Hoonis and pick him up. They drag him toward the portal.

Hoonis desperately tries to escape the duo’s grasp, but to no avail. Darles keeps his head to the ground.

The trio eventually trips into the portal. Hoonis yelps as they fall.

Once the trio is gone, the portal in the floor closes.

Darles sits there, alone, and on his knees.

“…I am nothing…” Says Darles. “Nothing but a puppet…”

…Darles then begins to chuckle a bit.

“…Hehehe… he is nothing… you are nothing…” Says Darles… or really, Darly. “…Is this not what you wanted, Darles? You wanted fame, so why don’t you embrace it?”

“…You stay away from me, you fucking leech.” Says Darles, sounding more like himself.

…He and Darly are in a predicament…

“Oh, no, that won’t do!” Says Darly. “I thought we were friends!”

“We may have been, but we aren’t anymore.” Says Darles. “I want you to leave me alone.”

“Why?” Darly asks. “You made that deal, now you’re stuck with me! It’s like you said, you can’t break the Devil’s contract just like that!”

“…Leave me alone, you wretched piece of shit…” Says Darles.

“Oh, dear!” Says Darly. “…I think you need a helping hand!”

Suddenly, approaching clicking sounds are heard. Darles looks up.

He sees his box head, covered in a dark ooze. It’s crawling with it’s six shadowy, spider-like limbs.

It’s quickly approaching Darles.

Before Darles can even react, the box head lunges onto Darles’ face, trying to attach itself to him.

Darles screams and quickly rises to his feet. He attempts to pull the box off of his head, but to no avail.

“GET OFF OF ME, YOU FUCKING PARASITE!!” Darles screams, his hands mounted to his head, trying to remove the creature from him.

“You know I can’t do that!” Says Darly.

Darles continues to struggle with the beast as it slowly crawls it’s way onto his head, attaching to it like a leech.

Darles falls to his knees again and struggles to combat the creature’s hold on him, both mentally and physically.

From the center face of the box, seven vibrant eyes sprout and slowly open.

Darly begins taking hold of the poor man’s body. He takes a look at his hands and slowly rises to his feet.

“I think you need this, don’t you think?” Darly asks himself. “What else do you need, I wonder…?”

Darly begins thinking to himself… before something comes to mind.

“…I know!” Says Darly. “You need a refresher just to show you what great power they gave you!”

—

The trio falls plummets from the sky, Hoonis still squirming in Elain and Dento’s arms.

“I could’ve helped him!” Says Hoonis as the trio falls.

The hunters eventually slam into the pavement. The citizens walking around jump and quickly take notice of the large hole made in the road. They all begin grouping around the hole and gazing upon the still bodies within it.

The three slowly rise and massage their temples. Hoonis looks up to the sky and no longer sees a way back to Darles.

“…I could’ve helped…” Says Hoonis. “He can change…”

Dento looks to Hoonis and pats his back. He then looks over to Elain.

…She doesn’t look well.

Elain knows he’s looking at her.

…Stop thinking about it.

You’ll be fine.

Dento reaches an arm over to her.

Before, he can reach her though…

*BANG*

Dento stops. Everyone looks around.

*BANG*

Nothing is around them. Nothing.

…The only place they haven’t looked…

…Up.

Everyone looks up to the sky.

…Not much happens.

Until…

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

The sky explodes apart. A large hole in the sky appears. And oddly enough, it begins to bug and glitch out…

The civilians begin to panic and run away. The trio remains in the hole, not moving a muscle.

From the hole in the sky hovers an approaching figure. The figure quickly approaches the Pink City, and stops right in front of the hole in the road.

The trio stares in disbelief.

Darly.

Although, his box head is covered in a black, dripping substance. At the sides of the box, spider-like legs remain. And for the man’s face; vibrant, multicolored eyes. They could bring utter fear to anyone who dared to look upon them.

“Hey there, everybody!” Says Darly. “Welcome back to the show! Did you miss me?”

No one seems to answer. Only screams are heard as the civilians scramble to their homes.

“I’m sorry for my sudden intrusion, but it’s come to my attention that a friend of mine needs a lesson in being grateful for the power they’ve been given!” Says Darly. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to show you all what a REAL God looks like!”

Darly raises his hands, and out from the hole in the sky, shadowy tendrils shoot out and charge toward any unsuspecting civilians. The tendrils attack and hit at the civilians. Many are shot around against walls or slammed into the road.

The more the civilians are attacked, the more 'glitched out' they become. Slowly becoming horribly distorted and broken.

Darly then looks down into the trio still stuck in the hole.

“Oh, look at the menagerie!” Says Darly. “I’ve seen you before! You look like you’d be fun to play with! Especially YOU!”

Tendrils shoot toward Elain and grab her wrists and ankles. She begins to get dragged back. Dento grabs onto her. Both of them quickly get dragged out of the hole and toward Darly.

Dento pulls at Elain, trying to free her from the tendrils. He looks to Elain, she looks back.

Dento’s expression shows that of desperation.

'Don’t you let go!'

Hoonis then begins to struggle out of the hole to reach the Bounty Hunters. He can barely get back up.

Dento’s feet dig into the pavement as Elain gets dragged back. Both ends are tugging so hard, that Elain feels her body could be snapped in half.

“Ooh! We’ve got a fighter!” Says Darly.

The tendrils then begin to tug at Elain even harder. So much so, that Dento can barely hold on anymore.

In a snap, Dento’s hands give out, no longer able to hold on to Elain. Elain is shot up into the sky, completely disappearing from Dento’s view in a matter of a seconds.

Dento can’t help but watch as his dear friend is sent into the sky.

Lord knows if she’ll ever return.

Dento remains on his knees. He lays his head down as tears fall from his eyes. He silently sobs, his chest heaving, even if no audible sound is heard from him.

Hoonis is eventually able to climb out of the hole in the road. He spots Dento sitting alone, Elain nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Elain?” Hoonis asks as he approaches the sobbing man.

Dento doesn’t answer.

“…I’m sorry.” Says Hoonis. “You don’t have to tell me.”

Hoonis looks up to the sky. Dento does the same.

…Tendrils shoot out from the sky hole and quickly launch themselves toward the city.

Toward the duo that watches the sky above.

Hoonis and Dento spring up and quickly try to evade the approaching tendrils, trying to pass the hole in the road without falling in.

Once they pass the hole, the two stay fairly far apart. They run off, trying to find somewhere to hide.

As Dento runs, the sound of something approaching him catches his attention.

Too late, however.

A tendril smacks Dento on the back of his head. The force of the hit slams him into a nearby wall.

He falls unconscious before he even hits the floor.

~~~

Dento slowly begins to come to. He blinks a bit before slowly rising up.

He looks around.

Nothing.

Nothing but darkness.

As he turns his head, he spots someone.

Someone familiar.

Elain.

Elain sits alone, head down. She looks as if she’s ashamed.

Dento quickly gets to his feet and rushes toward his partner. As he approaches her… he hears something…

“SHE WAS NOT READY.” Says an unknown voice.

Dento stands nearby his friend, confused. He glances around, looking for the source of the voice.

“SHE WAS NEVER OKAY.” The voice says again.

Suddenly, out from Elain’s head, a vapor appears. From the vapor emerges a collage of shapes. Shapes and colors…

Shapes and colors that would remind one of stress. Of anxiety. Of fear. Of something underlying that is left without acknowledgement.

The collage takes up the void. Only Elain and Dento remain.

“HER MIND WAS NOT READY.” Says the voice again. “SHE IS CURSED WITH A TERRIBLE BLINDNESS.”

“A BLINDNESS YOU FELL FOR.”

“A BLINDNESS SHE FELL FOR.”

“NEITHER OF YOU…”

“NEITHER OF YOU ARE SAFE FROM WHAT SHE CAUSED TO HAPPEN TO HERSELF.”

As Dento glances around, he begins to hear a different voice…

'I’ll be okay.'

'I’ll be fine.'

'I’m okay.'

'Stay optimistic.'

'Stay optimistic.'

'Stay optimistic.'

The phrase, 'Stay optimistic', continuously lingering within the void.

“HER OPTIMISM IS A CURSE.” Says the other voice.

“A CURSE YOU BOTH MUST BEAR WITNESS TO.”

Dento glances around again.

…Was this true…?

…Or some kind of trick…?

As he glances, he notices Elain slowly raising her head. She stares at Dento with horribly desperate eyes.

He stares back.

…A new phrase lingers.

'I’m sorry.'

'I’m sorry.'

'I am so, so sorry…'

…Elain.

She’s speaking through her thoughts.

…Those thoughts of desperate optimism…

…They were hers…

And she never said a word…

Leaving both of them in the dark…

If she had said something…

She wouldn’t be stuck in the sky. The city wouldn’t have been put in danger…

…He should’ve known she’d be this ignorant.

Dento suddenly feels himself being pulled away. He quickly exits the colorful amalgamation of stress, barely able to hear Elain’s thoughts.

~~~

Dento jolts awake. He quickly rises. He glances around.

…He’s in his home. On the couch.

…Someone took him home…

“Dento?” Calls a voice from a nearby hall. “You okay?”

Dento turns over to the hall. He sees his sister, Danina, peer out from the hall. She notices her awakened brother and rushes toward him.

“Oh, thank God, you’re okay!” Says Danina, hugging her brother. “Some guy was carrying you, we just got you and took you home… what even happened?”

Dento thinks about who the hell could’ve been carrying him…

Hoonis.

…He’s grateful for him.

Dento can only hope Hoonis is okay.

Dento then begins to think about how to answer Danina’s question.

“…It’s a long story, isn’t it?” Danina asks.

Dento nods.

“Alright. Oh, also, I want to make sure,” Danina begins. “You aren’t hurt, are you? Mom looked at you, but I want to hear from you.”

Dento thinks…

…Not exactly…

Not only did he lose his friend, he’s had to learn about how she functions. Her ignorance. His ignorance…

…Sometimes, he hates how Elain works…

—

Elain sits alone. Alone within a dark void. Stuck in the sky. Unable to leave.

Not certain of how to leave.

…She feels awful.

…If only she had said something…

Realized how ignorant she was…

She didn’t want any of this.

She had set out to be a Bounty Hunter to bring good to the city. Bring down ne'er-do-wells and serve them sweet justice. All she wanted was to do good… not bring the city down to destruction and ashes…

All of this. All of it…

Is it not all her fault?

If she hadn’t decided to go on this goose chase. If she had said something. If she had taken better consideration into the inner workings of her head…

The city wouldn’t be crumbling.

People wouldn’t have been getting hurt.

A practical God (hopefully) wouldn’t have been unveiled unto the city.

Dento wouldn’t have—

Dento…

He wouldn’t have been hurt…

Mentally hurt…

…When you hurt, I hurt…

…

…What has she done…?

“Oh, dear!” Says a voice.

Elain turns her head, glancing around. She quickly rises to her feet.

…It’s familiar…

…Darly.

“Over here, dear!”

Elain turns.

Darly hovers behind Elain, staring down upon her with his seven vibrant eyes. His look paralyzes her, freaks her out.

…He looked awful.

Darly then bends down a bit. His box head hovers off of his shoulders and toward Elain. It stares into her eyes and pierces her soul.

“You’re tired, aren’t you?” Darly asks.

The box head slams back into its rightful place on Darly’s shoulders. He continues to stare Elain down.

“Have you thought of an answer yet?” Darly asks.

Elain thinks…

She was tired.

Tired of these thoughts. Tired of the guilt. Tired of the stress

She nods.

“I thought so!” Says Darly. “…Why don’t I lend you a hand?” He puts out a hand.

Elain stares at Darly in disbelief.

…Why would she make a deal with him?

“…Hmm…” Darly hums. “Perhaps you need a refresher!”

Suddenly, familiar visions and whispers fill Elain’s head.

“JOIN THE CREED.” The whispers yell. Over and over. The phrase echos.

Visions of what she’s seen. What she’s experienced. What she’s faced. All of it hits Elain like dodgeballs.

Elain curls up into a ball and wraps her arms around her head.

She wants it to go away. That’s all she wants.

…But it appears she can’t get it to go away on her own anymore.

“You want this all to go away, yes?” Darly asks. “Then why not make a deal?”

The whispers are unending. The visions are infinite.

“I need an answer!” Says Darly.

…Why not make a deal, when you can no longer face these issues on your own?

Elain looks up to Darly. She stares into his eyes before slowly and hesitantly bringing out a hand.

“There we are!” Says Darly.

Darly takes Elain’s hand. The visions and whispers quickly fade.

Nothing happens for a moment.

…Until Elain starts feeling a buzzing sensation on her hand.

She stares at the hand Darly had taken. The buzzing feeling doesn’t go away. The feeling travels up her body. She begins to feel numb…

Not only that.

…Her head feels fuzzy…

She can’t think straight.

Her thoughts become indescribable. Her consciousness feels as if it’s slipping.

…She almost feels dead…

Her body and mind are numb. She can barely think cognitively.

Almost like some kind of zombie.

Elain’s body has become that of a glitchy, buggy mess. Her body can’t keep a proper shape, as it often bugs out and loses a proper form. Her eyes void of sentience, glistening in a bright blue.

Darly chuckles. “Haha! Look!” He says. “You’re like me now!”

Powerful.

Exactly what Darles wanted.

A hungry person very easily and quickly takes the bait.

- END -

Next Chapter:

Previous Chapter:

[c0ntr0lledchaos]

Febuwhump day 5: Rope Burns

 The front door squeaked slightly as Elio opened it and the three housemates filed inside. Rye immediately made his way to the couch, flopping down face first onto the cushions. His clothes were slightly singed from almost falling into a bonfire but he didn’t seem to be burned luckily. Celta followed him, sitting down heavily on the stool next to the couch, wings slouching behind her. She was in about the same condition, disheveled but mostly unharmed. Elio made sure the front door was locked before sighing, finally relaxing a little now that they were home.

 The three of them had just spend the better part of the night and almost all day escaping from what Elio could only assume was a cult that did not like outsiders. Out of all the places they could have landed in, Elio continued to have the worst luck. They looked over at their two tired housemates, watching as Rye mumbled something into the cushion that they didn’t even try to decipher. Rye and Celta had nearly been sacrificed to whatever god the cult worshiped and Elio had nearly gotten their head chopped off trying to save them.

 “Don’t fall asleep yet,” Elio said, earning a groan from both of them, “You can sleep after I treat your wounds.”

 “What wounds? I’m fine,” Rye protested, rolling over on his side.

 Elio gestured to his wrists before heading towards the bathroom, earning a small ‘oh’ from the preteen as he noticed the red rings of irritated skin. Their hands had been tied together after they were captured and both Rye and Celta were sporting rope burns on their wrists. Elio called out for them to follow and went into the bathroom, starting to grab the items they needed from the medical cabinet. They mentally went over the things they needed for rope burns, not having treated an injury like that in some time. Rope burns weren’t that different from regular burns but Elio needed to keep an eye out for any rope fibers that were imbedded in the skin.

 After a moment the two of them joined Elio in the bathroom. Elio noticed the dark circles starting to form under their eyes and knew they probably looked just as bad.

 “Ok, youngest first,” Elio said, earning another groan from Rye as Celta took a seat on the edge of the tub to wait her turn. Elio knew that Rye probably didn’t even think this was necessary but was too tired to protest more. Elio finished washing their hands and gently took both of Rye’s as he stepped up to the sink. “This is going to sting a bit.”

 Rye nodded and Elio started gently washing off his wrists. He winced a little but otherwise let Elio work in silence. They gently cleaned the wounds and picked out a few fibers that were stuck like splinters in Rye’s skin. Even through Elio’s exhaustion they moved quickly and efficiently, confident in their ability to properly treat the wound. They gently dried Rye’s wrists off before applying some burn gel onto the area, earning another wince as the cold gel touched the irritated area. Luckily the rope burns were not to bad, having only injured the first layer of skin. The injury would hurt for awhile but the likelihood of it getting infected was low. They wrapped the wound with some gauze and bandages before finally sending Rye away to crash on the couch.

 As Rye left the bathroom, Elio washed their hands again and Celta approached the sink for her turn. Celta was older than Rye, only a little younger than Elio themselves and could probably be find treating their own wounds but Elio liked doing things like this themselves to make sure it was done right. The last thing they needed was for the wound to become infected and for Elio to have to deal with a bigger mess later.

 “You have a lot of medical knowledge,” Celta commented.

 Elio glanced up at her before returning their gaze to her wrists as they plucked a few rope fibers out of the wound. “My father was a doctor. He wanted me to be one too.”

 “I thought you said you lived on a farm?”

 “I did. The office my father worked for was shut down when I was little. My mother inherited my grandparents old farm not to long after and we moved there. It was to far from any town for my father to find work so we became farmers,” Elio explained, starting to gently dry Celta’s wrists off.

 Elio brushed their thumb over the back of Celta’s hand, absentmindedly noting how soft the back of her hand was compared to the callused palm and fingers. If Celta noticed the pause, she didn’t mention it.

 “Did you used to take care of your siblings when they got hurt?” Celta asked, causing Elio to stiffen up a bit. “I saw the family picture of you guys in the hall.”

 That picture haunted Elio every day and even though they could not ignore it, the thought of others seeing it and putting the pieces that was Elio’s past together completely slipped their mind.

 Elio grabbed the burn gel, biting the inside of their cheek for a moment as they decided if they wanted to continue this conversation or not. “I was the second oldest... My older brother and I took care of the younger ones whenever they got hurt.”

 Celta nodded, watching as Elio applied the gel, rubbing it in before starting to apply the bandages. Once the bandages were securely in place Celta looked up at them and smiled. “They were lucky to have someone like you caring for them.”

 One of Celta’s hands moved up to Elio’s chin, causing their face to heat up as she tilted their head to the side. It took an embarrassingly long time for Elio to realize Celta was looking at something on their neck and not at their face. “Wh-What are you looking at?”

 Celta smirked a little at hearing Elio stutter but didn’t comment on it. “You’ve got a cut on your neck.”

 Elio blinked and turned slightly to look in the mirror. Sure enough, they had a cut on their on their neck, just below their jaw. It was shallow and had stopped bleeding but the side of their neck and vest color were stained with blood. The sight of the executioner’s blade swinging down towards them came to mind. They had managed to dodge it but in the heat of the moment they didn’t even realize it had nicked them.

 They flinched slightly as a wet washcloth touched their neck, not having seen Celta preparing to clean the cut. They blinked before reaching up to stop her hands.

 “I can take care of this,” They said, looking back at her. Celta pursed her lips together and gave Elio a stern look.

 “I can tell you are tired. Let me do this for you,” She said softly but sternly, leaving no room to argue.

 Elio hesitated before nodding slowly. They sat down on the closed toilet lid, hoping Celta couldn’t see the blush on their face as she cleaned the dried blood off their neck.

Characters from my WIP: Dimension Traveling and Other Mistakes

[thathermitweirdo]

More songs I think fit with The Silver Sun because I actually did update a chapter of my Grumbo vampire AU and now I want to feed into the brainrot of TSS

Also, another huge thank you to @sweetest-honeybee ! First, they clarified a TON on the song lyrics of ‘Evelyn’ by Kim Tillman and Silent Films because my brain was far too tired to examine it in detail and point out everything. And a SECOND huge thank you to them because uh they drew MORE TSS art (like how do I deserve this I feel like a creepy stalker cause I have all the art you did for TSS saved in my phone 😭) but please if you haven’t already, GO FOLLOW AND SUBSCRIBE TO THEM ON EVERY PLATFORM YOU CAN GOGOGO

Alright now to the actual songs

Hello World - Louie Zong

The first half of the song feels like Xisuma at the start of his life, when he was dropped off on the Hermitcraft server with nothing and no one (besides Ex but let’s be honest he isn’t much help for existential crises)

The second half, referencing the ‘creator’ feels more like Xisuma arguing with himself before eventually giving in to his mother’s will, giving himself up to join the cult of the silver sun.

Two Time - Jack Stauber

The first bit of the song really just feels like Xisuma in the beginning of the book. “We could leave the lights on, sun tan” haha you get it because it’s the silver sun, and it’s the sun, and..ha..ha….yeah okay moving on.

“Something bugs me ‘bout the way you lick your envelopes” The hermits start to realize something is wrong with X, something isn’t right. Like he’s hiding something.

“So hopped up that I can’t pretend” he’s terrified for the server, his friends, family, making it hard to pretend things are okay.

“Whose heart could I break today?” Feels like Sylvia almost taunting X, this line mostly reminds me about the scene when Xisuma rushes to Ex, who put on the mask and was now brainwashed, before sobbing in his brother’s arms.

I can go on, but I’ll stop here for now

Fighter - Jack Stauber

The first time the chorus plays, I imagine Ex is the fighter, as he’s the first to be brainwashed. Xisuma is referred to as the ‘lover’ (not in that way) as he prefers not to fight his only family member. Of course the next line ‘And maybe then you’ll feel some control’ refers to Sylvia/the watcher and her control over Ex.

Then the next time the chorus comes around, the two siblings have switched. Now Xisuma is the fighter, on his mother’s side, willing to kill his brother. While Ex is now the ‘lover’ (still not in that way) and must find a way to save his brother.

Icicles - The Scary Jokes

Another song reminding me of the lovely silver Xisuma. The first part of the song sounds like his mother singing to him, praising him as her perfect creation. “Get in your zone, don't even look at them at all. Their shallow observations will only stall the transformation. You've become art, how could they even start to see. Beyond your presentation when they've got no imagination?”

The next part is Xisuma singing to his brother as they fight. “But I admit it would be easier to be relieved of all this shame and not have to wear it on my sleeve. I imagine it's quite nice for you To have so many chances, oh-so-many ways To be redeemed.”

I don’t want to write out this whole song, but I highly suggest you listen to it. I believe this one might be one of the lesser known songs on this list, so you kinda need to hear it to see the vision-

Separate Ways - CentaurWorld

I can’t believe I forgot this one in my original list, but this is actually what inspired the ending of TSS! Yeah. An original Netflix musical series about a war horse and colorful centaurs. Inspired a fanfiction ending.

Mostly the lines “I was searching for you, and now, I am afraid, I have a purpose here, And we must go our separate ways

But I have faith in you” mostly this is Xisuma talking to his brother, telling Ex he needs to stay behind to help the other players who have been freed from the cult. And he has faith that Ex will be able to lead the hermits in the meantime

Two Birds - Regina Spektor

I think this one doesn’t need any comments lol

Alien Blues - Vundabar

It’s the entire song. I can’t even describe it. It’s just. It’s TSS. And also the line “the sun is fun” gET IT CAUSE ITS THE SILVER SUN

Okay I’ll stop

But seriously, it just feels like the perfect mix between Ex and Xisuma in the song lyrics. It’s hard to truly point out, because it’s a very short song with about eight lines of lyrics, but it’s still there.

Turn the lights off - Tally Hall

“To see how bright the fire inside of us burns” woah do you get it because of fire and there’s silver fire

I’m sorry, I will actually stop. That’s just my two last brain cells laughing at anything with sun, silver, or fire now because TSS broke me

“But all good devils masquerade under the light” this line reflects how Sylvia presents herself as a god, a savior to players, when in truth she is very much evil

There’s not much that reminds me of TSS in this song, but I still really like it lmao

Alright, now it’s your turn! I wanna hear any songs you all think fit with TSS, and your explanations! Truthfully if the song just has the word ‘silver’ in it, it’s good with me 👍

I would love to expand my music taste and see some of your suggestions, so go right ahead!

[enokvirkow]

rebelichor​:

Ariadne and Vergil already huddled together. Those car lights… both of them had the same thought. That the cult was already on their heels, and they were there to collect them. There was a conflicted feeling that they had to run, and that they had to run back.

And the other man attempted to promise them sweet things. That they were safe from harm.

If there were any arguments on the twins lips it died when he lifted his layers and revealed a secret mark. He once was tattooed with Eden’s cross too. But it had been burned away. And his back… the flames had not been kind.

Briefly he would feel the pad of Ariadne’s finger on his back. Touching over the beginning of that tattoo. As if to check it wasn’t a trick. That he hadn’t somehow painted it on. When he turned he would see her checking over her hand. She almost didn’t hear the sound of the church steps creaking.

Vergil clung to her and she startled a bit. Two others had joined them. Two strangers. From that moment on, the twins became mute — it was better to remain silent, it was better to appear smaller. If they drew attention to Hope, they would be in even more trouble.

Aerith’s smile faded and her eyes widened at the scene they walked into. Somnus didn’t have to say a word, but she could feel his thoughts. He didn’t like this. To be honest, neither did she. It wasn’t the first time that someone had been found wild-eyed inside this building and it gave rise to more concerns. After all. He had been covered in burns and struggling against an infection that could have claimed his life.

“… James?” she spoke softly, quietly, mindful of the dirtied and wild-eyed teens ‘hidden’ behind him. “If someone is hurt, we should take them to the hospital. Is someone hurt?”

Mrs Gainsburough's questions were genuine. And they were logical. But Enok could only answer them with a soft shake of his head and a pleading look. She knew they couldn't do that. It wasn't for lack of need. This girl. Ariadne, she needed professional help probably. With the cuts on er back - and those on her soul, too. Like her brother. But they couldn't bring them to a hospital.

Because that would mean questions. Names. Addresses. Guardians. Backgrounds.

Way too risky for them right now.

Enok had gotten rid of his true name, even. James. James Smith. That was, who he was now. And the twins would have to do the same. With how they looked, they might even do well dyeing their hair.

"They would not understand what is happening. And I fear they can't have the authority's attention on them right now. This is a church... and churches grant sanctuary. They have to stay here."

One could see that the man at Mrs Gainsborough's side was narrowing his eyes in distrust. But he just gave Aerith a small look, before stating that he would get the car's emergency kit.

It made Enok sigh out the breath he had been holding. He gave Aerith another apologetic look, before turning to the twins behind him.

They looked so young, cowered together, clinging to each other, averting eyes and staying silent. Like children. They weren't much more. The cult had whipped any free will and opinion from them. Carefully Enok crouched down again and lifted his hands to show he wouldn't grab them suddenly.

"Hey... we have to take care of the wound on your back. You must be in pain. And if we don't treat it, it could get infected."

They just had this window of opportunity. Later the drugs wearing off would make her probably way less compliant. Now she still was lulled enough. Slowly pointing towards the half opened wooden door behind the altar, Enok smiled.

"There is a back room. It's all yours. I have some food there. And water. We can take care of your back in there. And then, if you want to, you can listen to what story from the bible we will look at today. And what we sing. All my family will come here - but don’t be afraid, they are good people. And tehy won’t see you back there. It’s your safe haven."

[mrskurono]

title: Baby Fever a/n: ok you know what I’ll admit it, all I’ve been thinking about lately is Geto. He’s on my mind constantly. Should I be working on something else, yes. Is Geto the first jjk character I really had a crush on, maybe. I just....fucking Geto ok this has taken me four times to right jfc word count: 1.7k tags: no sub/dom dynamics, romantic sex, established relationship, manga spoilers, fingering, multiple female orgasms (not overstim though) breeding kink, needy Geto, creampie, unprotected sex, pregnancy mention, body worship, really just soft sex ok, unedited character(s): Geto Suguru (jjk)

They had grown. 

Both girls that was. 

Into wonderful adolescences that brought a set of different challenges. Geto was ready for that be it blindly. And he loved every part of it times two. Each time he looked at either of the kids though he could vividly remembered rounder cheeks, rosier faces and goofier smiles. It left him reminiscing over that more and more now.

You noticed it in the most subtle ways. Geto wanting more. More of those days even though he wouldn’t outright ask.

A trace of his fingers along your collar bone drew you away from what was in your lap. For the most part you’d ignored him once he came to bed but it grew almost impossible when the sorcerer had his lips pressed to the conjunction of your head and neck while a light touch traced down your chest. Not irritated in the slightly, you still give a playful sigh as you put your book down.

“Can I help you?” You can’t even turn your head to see him. Geto’s face is pressed to you with a trail of peppered kisses following suit.

With a firm grip he slipped his fingers against your thigh to give it a playful squeeze. Geto pulled out of the crook of your neck enough to finally look at you with that off brand smirk of his, “Mayhaps.”

You grin just to lean down and catch his lips on yours. Instead though you pull away just as he was going to lean into you. Earning your own smirk to play on your lips, “Mayhaps if you ask nicely Mr. Suguru.”

The hand on your thigh tightened. Pulling you towards him in a meager attempt but for the most part you stayed rooted where you were. Only slightly letting your legs fall open as your smirk grew into a full blown smile. He was awfully soft for a man on the run orchestrating a death cult. 

Geto slipped his fingers up along the crotch of your bottoms. Nudging his forehead against yours like he’d done every night this week. An eye roll that held no merit you grab his face and kiss him deeply. There isn’t a second in hesitation as you lean into him. Geto’s fingers moving up to help you wiggle out of your bottoms. A similar scene playing out just like the previous nights but you didn’t mind in the slightest with his attention fully on you.

“You’re so wet.” He commented against your lips the second his index finger dipped between your folds.

“And you’re already hard.” You toss back to him when your palm presses up against the stark hardness hidden under his robes, “Why don’t we help each other out?”

A nod and he didn’t stop to push back into the kiss. Geto hovering above you but it was your teeth nipping playfully at his bottom lip. Leaving the man to groan as his fingertips danced on either side of your clit. Your hips coming up to join in the motion of his fingers rubbing against you. Only for a few moments though because once they were soaked enough Geto couldn’t keep them from slipping inside you.

“Fuck...you’re so needy,” You moan against Geto’s lips as he curls his fingers in on you. He wouldn’t hesitate to make you cum like this before the main event even started.

Lips back to your neck, Geto hummed something but then nodded and mumbled against the softness of your ear, “I need you.”

Reaching down to grip his forearm as Geto’s fingering picked up in it’s urgency. You regretted the moan when his fingertips brushed over your g-spot. Within seconds he was back at it. Not leaving your sensitive spot alone as your cunt twitched and tightened around him with the impending orgasm. He was gonna get one from you with not much more than a snide remark on your part.

“F-Fuck...” Lip taut with tension as you bit down, fighting it wasn’t in your best interest, “S-Suguru- I- I’m gonna-”

“Cum-” His voice almost desperate, hot breath against your neck, fingers not letting up on their assault, “Please cum- Please I need you to cum- Please-”

The want in his voice too much. Just the way he wouldn’t stop after your orgasm tipped itself over. Fingers pulling a toe curling orgasm out of you as you clutched onto his robes and felt every fiber in your body tingle with hopelessness for him.

Fingers slowing, Geto simply wiggling them around in you and feeling the slickness covering his knuckles. It was when you snagged him for a long drawn out lazy kiss. Just to follow it by an order that he get undressed already, meant the man had no choice but to listen.

Rid of his clothes and between your legs before you knew it. You look down to see him swiping his cock up through the drool of your cunt. What wasn’t on his fingers previously now coated his cock with a beautiful glisten. Geto more than enthralled seeing his cock slip between your cunt lips. Each movement of his length grinding into your sensitive nub sent a shiver up your spine. Either he was too into watching or he was teasing you. A few more swipes and you demand he get on with the main course already.

One push and Geto’s cock slipped down to the hilt with ease. Stretched thoroughly from the nightly fucking all week. Today was no different. Juices squelching around his cock Geto pushed himself down to his base. Feeling his cock bottom out in you no problem. Leaving the man to hover over you. Caged in by both his arms on either side of you. And his hair tickling your face when you looked up at him.

“You’re beautiful.”

“You’re handsome.”

Geto stalled a moment. Savoring the way his hips felt snug in yours. The residual feeling of your walls twitching around him. Not a day would go by where he didn’t swear you were made for him. 

“I love you.” His words clear and concise. You looked up at Geto once more.

What smirk you had early softened into a smile. Bringing his face down to yours for a kiss, “I love you t- fuck-” Before he let you finish Geto grinned against your lips and thrusted into you without warning. Just to watch you convulse and loose yourself on his cock. Just as beautiful as ever. He felt himself unable to control himself all over again.

Each snap of his hips into your core left you breathless. He wasn’t rough. Never was he rough. Geto’s cock curved in the right way that left you rolling your hips up to meet his thrusts. Even if it felt like he was going to split you in half, you still wanted more.

Orgasm or not Geto was bringing you right back to the edge. He always did. As you showered his face in breathless kisses. Some of those met with his own lips. Others spared on his neck and collar bone as you watched with a dazed look at where your bodies met. Geto buried inside you with each thrust. His hands hooked into your hips with your legs slightly elevated so he could defile your deepest parts. Every night this week he’d fuck you like this. In the drunken pleasurer of it all you might have thought he was trying to breed you.

“Please-” Geto’s voice peeled you away, “Please cum-”

Thinking he wanted you to cum on him again you half ass nod, “Yes- Fuck yes I’ll-”

“No-” He groaned more of a gasp. Geto putting his forehead against yours even with the dew accumulating on it, “Please- Please can I cum- Cum in you- I just-”

More than surprised. Of course he’d done so more than once before. Now he was asking you? 

“Love why ask just-”

“I want another baby-” Geto broke your question up, his hips still a mind of their own. His breath ragged against your lips and sweat making his hair cling to him, “With you- Another one- Just one- Let me fill you up- Let me fuck a baby in you- Please- I- I love you so much and-”

“Yes.”

Geto’s turn to be surprised.

“Yes please, god fuck yes- Fuck a baby inside me-” You grab Geto’s face. Caring less if you cum at this point and more for the warmth of his release. Lips smashing onto his you don’t hesitate to moan into the fevered kiss.

Geto pulling you down on him with each thrust. Driving his cock in you as deep as he could. Quicker than before like he was desperate for it. Even while your legs twitched and curled, knowing he was breeding in you, something snapped in you.

The way you can on him. Scream only muffled by the fact Geto wouldn’t move his lips from yours. Each rippling twitch of your cunt around him was maddening. Hearing and feeling you craving him sent him into a tizzy until it was simply too late. With the way he snapped his hips into. A rumbling moan emanating up from his chest. It was far too obvious when the first gush of warmth overwhelmed you.

Full well past just what oozed out of you. The mixture of cum and juices soaked the two of you as Geto’s arms waivered a little. A moment of uncertainty if he was going to pull out and waste the gift he just gave you. Instead you yank him down on you. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders and loosely with your legs around his hips. Making it very obvious he was to stay in place on and in you.

Hand drawn down his back you ignore the sweat between his shoulder blades. Instead engrossed in the feeling of Geto’s cock still inside you and the heat of his chest against yours. Sighing softly to lay a kiss against his cheek you hug him a little tighter, “...you could have just said something you know.”

Exhausted and without a real witty reply. Geto had been saving this all week and now he was a little spent. Mumbling something but you didn’t hear.

The idea of being pregnant, with his child, making you smile more and more with each passing second. Even as cum dripped out of you. It was right away that you kissed the side of his head, “Looks like we gotta keep trying until you succeed huh.”

No question to it there was a twitch of excitement in all of his body. You knew neither of you would be happy now until Geto got what he asked for.

[randynova]

Poor Petal, she must have had a panic attack when she found out she was pregnant for the first time.

She was downright terrified.

She broke down crying, screaming into her pillow, refusing to let Doma hold or console her. Surprisingly, he left her alone, letting her deal with her emotions on her own.

The only words he left her was, "Oh, [Name], I'm so happy. Soon, we're going to be parents, my sweet pretty petal!"

[Name] just couldn't understand how this happened. She was careful, so diligent in taking the tea every night. She began racking her mind, trying to make sense of it all, and search for a possibility why this small mistake occurred.

Until she recalled two months prior, where Doma's insatiable hunger for his wife consumed him. Like an animal in heat, he forced himself on her, ignoring her pleas to stop, releasing his fertile seed deep into her womb. Over and over again, he made sure every night she was filled with his cum, having the sole mission to make her bear his children.

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

Doma had to travel southward for demon duties and he felt this was the perfect opportunity for you both to get closer. A whole week together, all alone while he was free from his duties, a chance to finally have some quality bonding time without his cult. It was a dream come true.

However, this place was in the middle of nowhere, hardly any villages, let alone stores, around. All the sources you used to protect yourself from Doma were gone, the foods and teas you consumed to prevent a pregnancy out of reach.

The only people around were fellow upper moons, who stayed far away from your husband, especially you.

Thus, you were forced to endure his doting behavior, forced to play his dangerous games, and forced to let him breed you.

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

"Pretty petal. So pretty, so beautiful. You're taking me so well, hah," Doma laughs, snapping his hips harshly, thick balls slapping against your skin. You bounced with every thrust, mewling and whimpering, begging him to slow down. It only stirred him on to go faster. "No, no, no, this is the best way to ensure maximum success with fertilizing you. I have to make sure my seed is as deep as possible inside you, my petal!"

The aching between your legs grew, arching your back as an orgasm washes over you once again. Your juices release over his thick cock, eyes rolling to the back of your head as your velvet walls constrict around him. "Ah! Ah, D-Doma!"

"Mm, hngh! P-petal! Petal! Petal! " Doma whines out, biting his bottom lip, grinning like a madman as the sweet relief of climax fast approaches him. His thrusts turn sloppy and his hips stutter. Quickly, he pulls out and leaves you feeling empty for a few seconds. He grabs your legs, hooking his arms around your knees, and pushes your thighs to your chest, claws digging into your plush skin as he starts to hammer into you. "So-so good! Such a good girl! You'll be such a good mother, sweet petal! Just you wait! I'll make you a mommy, ok? Just- fuck!"

He releases long, thick ropes of cum, painting your womb white with his fertile seed once more. He thrusts weakly, head falling back as he gasps. "Mm, ah-ah, [N-Name]...!" You squeeze your eyes shut, looking to the side, swallowing bitterly as he fills you to the brim, cum leaking out as he slides in and out. It drips onto the bed, staining the pristine, red cotton sheets.

"Oh, petal, please don't look away. I want to see you," Doma croons, pulling out with a shaky breath and looking down at the mess between your legs with a grin. White painted the sheets below like a puddle. He pulls out with a groan. Seeing the way your pussy gushes out his cum, flexing around nothing, it makes him want to take you all over again. He slides two fingers up across your folds, gathering his seed, and pushing it back into your sopping hole with his fingertips. He hums whilsts you whine, rocking your hips at the weird sensation. "Such a pretty sight, you took me so well, petal. I'm so proud of you!"

He's met with silence. Though, it doesn't bother him as he already fulfilled his task for the night. After five long rounds, he believes its enough for the day and he'll repeat the process tomorrow. For now, both of you need rest, we'll, mainly you if you're going to stay awake during the whole ordeal.

You were in a daze as Doma cleaned both you and himself up, changing the sheets into soft clean ones, and covering your body with the blankets, tucking it in.

"Good night, my pretty wife," Doma whispers, taking his spot beside you, his arms slithering around your frame and pulling you close. His chest pressed against your nude back, his legs tangling in yours, and he buried his face in your hair, taking a deep breath of your sweet aroma. "I love you..."

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

Immediately after coming back from your journey, Doma became busy, his schedule packed to the brim with orders from his master. It irritated him, saddened him even, that he would be apart from you for a while.

As much as he loved ravishing your body every night, he had to focus on completing every task with precise accuracy. He doesn't want to disappoint his master after all.

But before he left you alone the first night back, he replaced your assigned follower with a different one. One that reported back to him and carried out his orders, their loyalty to the demon overriding their morals to protect you.

He wasn't stupid. It didn't take long for him to figure out the tea you drank prevented you from becoming pregnant, a huge change to the tea he got to make you fertile. The news did upset him, but he hid the discovery and played along with your little antics. It made him try to come up with a solution, where he disguised the tea you drank to better fit his wishes.

Like an unsuspecting mouse, you walked right into the cat's claws.

Anyone who tried helping you was either eaten by Doma or killed by him in another manner. If the actions of a stupid, disloyal follower was keeping him away from his dream of having a family, the demon won't hesitate to get rid of them. They should know better.

Doma's dreams are his followers' orders.

If he says he dreamt of eating a hundred virgins, his followers should offer him the bountiful feast of meat from a hundred virgins.

If he says he dreamt of growing his cult, his followers should go out and recruit people to join them.

Now, if he says he dreams of a child with his wife, his followers should offer their help and make sure he gets his child.

By god, did they live up to his expectations for once. Everyone - from the ones who prepared your meals to the new members who brought you gifts - made sure every small action built up to the final wish of their leader's plan.

Every food and drink you consumed had been carefully chosen to help make you plump and help the baby grow. Every bath had been filled with excotic herbs to soothe your changing body. Every offering had slowly been gearing towards a human smaller than you. Yet, you never really paid attention to the small differences.

Doma noticed how tired you seem lately, how you complained to the follower assigned to you about the tenderness of your breast and the pain of your abdominal and pelvis area, and even how different you looked, almost glowing.

At first, he didn't put the pieces together. Surely all women were like this, right? Yet, that wasn't the case.

He found himself always wondering why your emotions were easily more unhinged, why you ate the foods he hand-fed you more easily, or why you were napping in the afternoon. Yes, he liked these changes and welcomed them eagerly, believing you were finally warming up to him. But why?

After nearly six weeks, you were worried why your period didn't come. You speculated the stress could have been a prominent factor in causing your late cycle, sometimes occurring in your youth. You seem bloated lately as well, you note, or it could've been weight gain due to the food you have been eating lately. Thus you brushed it off.

It'll come soon, you just know it. Afterall, you're still a human and change is a part of life.

In another area of the temple, a different situation was unfolding. When the trusted follower reported to Doma about your very late menstrual cycle, he clapped with joy like a child being entertained. Of course! How slow can he be?! You finally are carrying his child! The hormonal changes affected how you behaved with him and the sudden weight gain explained it all.

Oh, he just couldn't wait for the day to come!

However...

He had to make sure you did nothing irresponsible to push back his dream.

Doma became more strict and possessive with you. He didn't let you go anywhere alone. Even if you were in the privacy of your room, someone had to be there.

The days where you spent waiting for him in your bedroom were now spent at his side. He forced you to sit on his lap like before, feeding you more than you're used to. Any question concerning his increase of doting behavior was met with a laugh and a kiss to your cheek. "I just love you so much, I want you to be healthy!"

Doma isn't stupid. He knew the moment he mentioned, or even insinuated, you were pregnant, you would break down and possibly affect the baby negatively. He didn't know if you were capable of taking drastic measures of getting rid of it this far along, but he didn't want to find out.

With careful, watchful eyes, Doma made sure everyday you were fed well, that you were always protected, and made sure nothing upset you. He went the extra mile to find medicine and herbs incase you ever fell ill. The demon made sure your attention was always occupied to keep from noticing your changing body.

To say it worked was an understatement.

By the fifth month, you realized despite your growing stomach, you weren't gaining weight anywhere else. Most of your clothes fit like a glove except around your abdomen.

Your heart began to race as you wracked your mind of the events for the past few months.

When was the last time you had gotten your period?

You don't recall changing your sheets every month because you stained it, nor do you recall dealing with the hassle of keeping yourself clean. Come to think of it, you felt at ease these past few months, the usual cramps and cravings you felt no longer bothering you like before.

Ridding yourself of your clothes, slipping your kimono off until you're left in your undergarments of hadajyuban and susuyoke. You undid your sash and revealed your stomach. You're met with the sight of your bulging tummy and tender breasts. Pressing a finger pad to the skin of your stomach, it seemed firm instead of soft and plush. With a shaky breath, you pressed your palms against your stomach and...

Kick. Kick.

You removed your hands immediately, face falling. No...

No. No! No! No!

How didn't you notice it before!?

Your chest fell and rose quickly with every breath you took, hyperventilating as the situation dawned on you. You were pregnant. Actually pregnant with that damn demon's child. A bellowing scream ripped from your throat, the high-pitch intensity resonating like shattering glass throughout the temple.

Doma raced to your bedroom, fearing the worse as he heard his wife scream. He ran into the bedroom, only to be met with your form bawling on the floor, hunched over as sobs wracked your body. Followers tried to console you, yet you ignored them.

Doma approached you carefully and crouched down, but the moment he put a hand on your back, you whipped your head and cracked your hand across his face like a whip. He fell back, catching himself, shock etched into his features. You... You hit him? He paid no mind to the followers who raced to his side, asking him if he was okay. He was more surprised you dared slap him.

The stinging of his cheek didn't hurt , but it caught him off guard. He looked up and leered at you with wide eyes. Yet he clashed with the burning, sorrowful gaze you held.

"Fuck you! Goddamnit, leave me alone, you monster! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!!" You screech, standing up and burying your face in your hands. Tears slipped through your fingers and dripped to the floor.

Doma smiled, finally understanding why you were reacting the way you were. He began chuckling, then giggling, and then he broke into a fit of laughter. He stood up and held a hand to his face, looking at you with a crazed, delighted expression on his face. Gleefully, he spoke, "Oh, petal! You finally caught on!"

You shake your head and begin crying louder, turning your back to the demon. "No, no, no...," you whimper.

"We're going to be parents...," Doma croons, taking small, quiet steps towards you. Like before, he tries pulling you close but you brush him off.

"Please... Please, just leave me alone...!"

"Oh, [Name], you'll see. Once our baby is here, you'll love being a mommy. Just like I'll love being a papa...!"

"No... I didn't want this...."

"But I did! I told you for so long...," Doma whispers, uncomfortably close to you. He lets out a breathy laugh. "And now that you're finally with child, I'm going to make sure I see my baby no matter what."

You could only stand in horror, listening to his voice. The panic crawled up your throat, fear taking hold of you as you froze up. With bated breath, you wait for him to leave. But his next words made your heart drop and blood run cold.

"I'm willing to do anything for our child, [Name]. Even if it means I may have to hurt you to guarantee their safe arrival."

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

Doma is not submissive and breedable. He is dominant and fertile.

He finally has his wish of having a family with the woman he loves.

And he'll do anything to make it come true.

Even if it means he has to become the monster and hurt you to get it.

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦

©𝚛𝚊𝚗���𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚊 || 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍 || 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚝𝚜, 𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚝𝚌. 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚌𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚞𝚖𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜,

✦✦✦ ✦✦✦