#maybe ill make it a poll i actually got curious

[fairestwriting]

ok question. since theres an official tl thats been going around for some time and changed a lot of terms used in the game and im out of the loop. do you guys prefer using the official tl terms (like housewarden instead of dorm leader, calling chapters books etc) ?? or are we still using the words from before

[dilatorywriting]

hello ~ hello ~

Hope you're feeling better! I, personally, have been a bit dead to the world since late April. This past May was kinda odd, honestly. I think everyone I know and know of just. died for the month. Collectively. At once.

I actually wanted to slide in here and pick your brain about your ongoing Monster Mayhem stuff, if you're up for it? Just like a general status overview question, since I feel kinda out of the loop 😭 And also because I know that I tend to like talking about my feelings on my current wips, so I figured maybe you might too? If not, dw!

I'll put these in bullet points since it's kinda easier for me to organize my thoughts that way

Jack: I remember you saying awhile back that you expect Part 2 to be the final part. Is that still holding up, or does it feel like it'll be longer?

Rook: From the pacing, I'm getting the vibe that this one might be another 4 part story? mayhaps? Or maybe Rook isn't like the other girls TM and gets something different.

Vil: I haven't read this one yet, but I'm excited to sit down with it soon! What's the overall length/number of parts you're planning for at the moment?

I'm pretty sure this was asked at some point before, but what's your stance on epilogues? There has been... discussion. about a Leona epilogue before, I recall, but are you considering epilogues for all of them, or only specific characters?

What's like. your vibe, rn? With each of the stories? Like in terms of "I'm really feeling this, so I'm working on it and it might be posted in the nearish future, assuming no disasters" to like "I plan to continue this, but not rn. I've got a different worm chewing on the brain lettuce atm". Ik you literally just answered an ask similar to this, and said Leona part 4 & Vil part 2 are the one's you're focused on, so I guess this is more so geared towards the Jack and Rook ones? Or other stuff you're secretly planning. I have a vague memory of a "forgot your birthday" scenario that was on a poll a few months back

I'm honestly just curious, really. Back from the dead and wanted to catch up

Also I. have a third Monster Mayhem Azul brainrot. It's not a fluffy one. If I can wrangle it into something more coherent, I may send it your way. Not dissimilar to the fashion of throwing a pebble at someone's window to get their attention, but accidentally putting a hole through the glass, and taking off running.

-Reaper

I'm gonna put this all under a little cut thing just because I feel like there's quite a lot! So here we go~

Jack -- It would still only be two parts I think! I only had short plans for that going forward, and it's currently at the bottom of my bucket list so to speak, not for any big reason just because Jack isn't one of my favorites so he falls behind on what I actually want to write.

Rook -- Was a bit more up in the air in terms of what I wanted to do. Had started writing a third part for it, but Rook's in particular felt very like, episodic? If that makes sense? Rather than an overarching cohesive arc. So I could write so much more little random side stories! But aside from a bit I had sort of planned regarding Riddle, there wasn't too much specific I had in mind.

Vil -- Probably one or two more parts to wrap up what I wanted with him; most likely one of the same length as the first. But that one of all of them may get a separate little piece because I am such a sucker for mermaids/sirens soooo that may get some special love

Epilogues -- bit of a mish mash. Really depends how I'm feeling tbh. If I want to write something, I'll word vomit like no one's business, but if I'm not overly invested then I probably won't bother writing one. But again

Vibe Check -- I’m absolutely wiped. Not with these stories, because I do genuinely love them. But like, back to back tough placements on top of illness is a trip. So I’m a bit more tired and less motivated than I normally am, just because most of my brain is chewing on actual school work and case reports and trying to not make myself look like an idiot every time I’m asked for a diagnosis list and go “uuuuhhhhhhhh.” But! I have some brain worms. Right now — big thing I’m working on is the second half of a very long commission. Which is loads of fun but also there’s so much to chew over there, so that takes a lot of my brain. On the side, I was really also writing my Vil Siren Part 2. Because that’s also a lot on the brain and it’s very different Vibe to the commission, so like it’s a good one to go back and forth between depending on what mood I’m in. Jamil is also very On My Brain right now oddly enough. I think because I read a short little Naga piece a while ago and it reminded me how much I love them. So that's on my brain a lot. As for the others, Jack has sorta fallen to the wayside admittedly. Mostly because I adore him as a Bro, but he’d just not usually a character my brain swoons over, so he’s sort of just… existing. I also wasn’t entirely sure where I wanted to go with that other than just “oh wow we fixed it together!” And that’s a factor too. As for other things, the birthday one comes back and forth depending on my mood, but idk if that’ll ever go up. I have lots of it written, but not enough to post or really toss together straight away. If that makes sense

[sledgefuweek]

Each year we take a close look at the prompts for Sledgefu Week, for those who may be stuck for ideas or not quite sure about what the prompts could entail. Below the readmore are all seven prompts, as well as a short write-up exploring what they mean and some ideas to help get the creative juices going. Enjoy!!

Sickfic

This is a really popular and well-known fanfic trope that I feel probably needs little explanation, but I’ll write a little bit about it anyway! It essentially covers fic where one character is ill and the other cares for them -- it could encompass any kind of illness at all, (including chronic illnesses) and there’s a lot of room to get creative with it. You can go for angst, hurt/comfort, or fluff: it’s just a really good general prompt that I think works nicely to kick the week off!

It suits for Sledgefu pretty well, considering Snafu’s canon mild hypochondria, as well as the fact that Eugene’s dad is a doctor. It could be fun to lean into it: make Eugene play doctor for an actually-sick Snafu, and it could be just as fun to subvert it! There’s really endless options for canon fic: shrapnel wounds turned bad, heat-sickness, seasickness, illness from bad food or bad water or any kind of tropical disease you can think of (malaria is a big one!). You could make one of them (or both) a medic; you could genderswap them and write the gay field nurse fic this fandom sorely needs. And of course if you choose to branch out into modern AU you can begin to think of what might afflict them outside of a war setting: has Eugene been working too much and come down with a cold? Are they hungover, and need mutual care (and lots of takeout)? A lot of the time sickfic focuses on one character doing the comforting and the other character feeling unwell, but there’s nothing to say they can’t both be feeling shitty! I think we say this every year but there’s really no rules at all, you do whatever you feel inspired to do. With Sickfic, just be mindful to tag anything that others might be affected by eg. vomiting, blood, needles, etc.

Tarot

I feel like Tarot is pretty well-known to the Sledgefu fandom, or at least to those who like to write Snafu or his family a little witchy. In case you just have a vague idea of what Tarot actually is and what its purpose or origins are, I’ll explain it as concisely as I can! Tarot decks started life in Europe as playing cards, but eventually began to be used for divination. It’s made up of four suits, or the Minor Arcana, (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles) as well as a twenty-two card Major Arcana (the imagery of which you’re probably very familiar with). Commonly, tarot decks and tarot reading is used as a means of communicating with the higher self, deities, or with the universe. They can be used as a way to see the future, answer questions, or to give/receive advice. There are different ways of reading them too, depending on how one lays out the cards: I don’t want to make this too wordy, but if you’re curious I encourage you to check out this site to learn more!

For writers, there’s a lot of places this prompt could take you! Probably the most obvious will be fortune teller fic; a classic. Lean into Snafu’s Louisiana roots and have him telling fortunes in the depths of the French Quarter, or go against the grain and have Eugene reading cards and palms and tea leaves as a practice passed down through his family. Or maybe more casual: modern AU Sledgefu flirting through amateur tarot readings with a deck picked up from a junk shop. If you read Tarot and have a connection to it, you can express that through writing! It’s a pretty open-ended prompt, especially if you consider some of the meanings of the cards; you could even write a story inspired by that! The Hermit: Snafu withdrawing, leaving Eugene on the train to spend the next few months in solitude, working through things. The Moon: Snafu and Eugene hitting a rough patch, hiding things from each other. The opportunities really become endless once you start taking the readings of the cards into account! And for visual artists, this must be such a fun prompt: I feel like it’s so a visually rich, whether you’re re-drawing the cards to encompass Snafu and Eugene within them, or making a collage based around some of the things mentioned above: fortune tellers shops, witches cottages, etc.

Trinket

Every Sledgefu Week we tend to have a couple prompts that are a little more open to interpretation, and this year’s ‘Trinket’ is one of those. It might be difficult to try and think of something to base a whole fic or piece of art around, but we really encourage you to let your imagination run wild! There’s already some great trinkets in the show itself: Eugene’s ring, the lighter that Gunny Haney gave him, Snafu’s stolen gold teeth, or their dog tags. Think of small, special objects that you might have: what imbues them with comfort or meaning? What makes you love them? You could have Eugene giving Snafu his ring, or have Eugene musing over war and death and loss while smoking a cigarette lit by his lighter. If you’re into Modern AUs, how could these objects carry through to modern day? Once you start thinking about it, the ideas start rolling in. Feel free to invent special trinkets for them: or maybe trinkets that they hate and want to get rid of, trinkets that remind them of bad times. Trinkets that remind them of each other, or family, or war. So much meaning can be held in the things we own, and I think it’s such a lovely concept to explore!

Crossover

So this prompt was born from the sheer number of suggestions we had for various movie, TV, and book AUs. We didn’t want to put them all to the poll and risk a lot of you feeling disappointed over the one you wanted not being selected, so thought it’d work best to condense them into a ‘Crossover’ prompt so everyone could do whatever they liked. So this is a very very broad one! It would be impossible for me to really go through the prompt and highlight some things that you could do for it, because you can really do anything you want to! Anything! It encompasses movies, video games, TV, books, musicals... if something tells a story, you can do a crossover. So if there’s ever been a film/book/etc. AU you wanted to do for Sledgefu Week but couldn’t quite get it to match the prompts, now is the time!

Vacation

A pretty self explanatory prompt, and one that I think can appeal to people who prefer canonverse and those who like modern AU too! Do you want to send Snafu and Eugene on the holiday of their dreams, or are they gonna be bickering in a gas station over who gets control of the map? Is Snafu gonna drive across a couple states to surprise Eugene by visiting? Is Eugene gonna do the same? There’s a lot of scenarios you can apply to the backdrop of them vacationing, and a lot of emotional journeys you can take them through! And for the canonverse crowd, you have the extra addition of letting them go have fun on an R&R, or taking a road trip post-war, visiting 1950s Paris... you can really do whatever you like!

Historical

This was another prompt like ‘Crossover’ that came from a lot of various suggestions that all boiled down to a similar thing: different historical events or periods. So like Crossover, I won’t linger too long on it (this post is long enough already) except just to say again: do whatever you’re inspired to do! There’s no rules here, you could even take everyone out of the Pacific and put them over in Germany: give them a different experience of war. In fact, you can do that with any war if you wanted to! Wanna do a M*A*S*H AU but made something else for Crossover? You could do it here! Want to put them in the 1920s? You got it. In the 1850s? Yeehaw, they’re cowboys now. 1969, Summer of Love? 1600s, make Snafu a prince? Literally the world is your oyster!

Horror

Past Sledgefu Week prompts have included things that could come under the horror umbrella (Supernatural, for example) but didn’t necessarily have to be made 'horrific’. For the ‘Horror’ prompt this year, we want to see frightening! Disquieting, uncomfortable; creations that either cross over with existing horror franchises, or lean on horrific things you come up with yourself. Horror movies, or TV shows, or books or podcasts or pieces of art all seek to elicit a sense of fear: this can be done by tapping into common phobias, or nightmares, those things which are universally and almost instinctively scary. We want to see things which lean into that, in whatever way you want to do it! 

I’m no horror media expert (not by a long shot) but the opportunities for this prompt are really vast simply because horror has so many subgenres to work with. You could go gothic horror; Dracula, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights (a personal favourite AU -- Eugene soaked out on the moors, searching for Heathcliff-Snafu? Divine). Or you could go to the opposite end of the spectrum: Jennifer’s Body AU, Final Girl AU -- there’s no set way to do horror, in fact you could even bring horror into canonverse if you don’t like AUs. Think the Terror: some unknown beast lurking beyond the borders of their camp on Pavuvu, or Okinawa. Or you could even take the prompt entirely literally and explore the horrors of war and the toll it takes on them both. Please don’t feel stuck into needing to do Scary: horror is about fear and revulsion and dread, and these feelings don’t necessarily need to come from a haunting! (This is also a prompt ripe for monsterfucking, just FYI).

                                                - - - - - - - - - -

So that’s the prompts for this year! They’re all really really great, and have a lot of potential to make some fantastic stuff :~) And to reiterate something I said right at the start, there are no rules here! I think every year we normally get at least one person unsure whether their idea will be okay for the prompt they’d like to make it for, so I just wanna say here: don’t second-guess yourself! As long as it can be linked back to the prompt in some way or another (can literally be the vaguest way possible) you’ll be absolutely fine. We don’t vet submissions at all, especially not for their content relating to the prompts. All we ask is that you remember to stay respectful in what you’re writing, and when the time comes to post it, you tag and warn appropriately :~)

On the subject of writing respectfully, we’d like to just take a moment to link the document on mindful writing re: race and gender that was made last year. Please take a look at it, even if you read it last year! It’s always good to keep these things at the front of your mind, as fandom is a community sport and we want to keep it fun and safe for everyone involved! So thank you if you’ve made it this far through this whole post, check out the doc, and enjoy the rest of the run-up to Sledgefu Week!

[creatingflamecontent101]

Launch Your OnlyFans Account with a Bang

With most things in life, starting on the right track will make things easier down the line. Whilst mistakes and wrong directions can be valuable life lessons, wouldn’t it be great if you could launch your OnlyFans account with a bang and ride on that train of success? Here are some ways to do that.

Prepare, prepare

Yes, you do hear stories of people starting an OnlyFans on a whim and doing really well. However, for most, the secret to success is planning. Use our calculator to get an estimate on how much you could earn on OnlyFans and then think about how much time and resources you are willing to put into this. As an influencer, you are probably used to thinking of yourself as a business. Whilst spontaneous content can be wonderful, it’s probably a good idea to plan out most of your content in advance, at least to begin with. Try different types of content and different posting patterns and keep records of what works well, until you find your OnlyFans routine.

IN OTHER WORDS

YES, THERE ARE CREATORS WHO START WITH NO PLANNING WHATS SO EVER, BUT NOT ALWAYS! THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IS HAVING A PLAN SET IN STONE, MAYBE AN OUTLINE OR A TO-DO LIST TO CHECK OFF DAILY/WEEKLY. HAVE YOU EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU CAN MAKE IF YOU DID IT RIGHT? THEY HAVE A CALCULATOR YOU CAN USE TO CALCULATE HOW MUCH TIME, EFFORT AND RESOURCES YOU’RE WILLING AND ABLE TO PRODUCE AND PUT FOURTH AND ESTIMATE THE AMOUNT YOU’RE ABLE TO MAKE/ROUGHLY.( i have never used it but apparently it exists.) TO SUM UP THIS PARAGRAPH, YES IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACHEIVE SUCCESS WITH OUT A PLAN BUT TO BEGIN WITH ITS A GREAT IDEA, PLAN DIFFERENT THEMES OUT FOR EACH WEEK PERHAPS, PLAN DIFFERENT CONTENT FOR DIFFERENT DAYS OF THE WEEK AND SEE HOW YOUR FANS REACT! IF YOU PLAN IT OUT IN ADVANCE YOU HAVE TIME FOR TRIAL AND ERROR, IF THE FANS DONT LIKE IT YOU KNOW FOR NEXT TIME NOT TO USE THAT TYPE OF CONTENT! TRY DIFFERENT POSTING PATTERNS, THEY HAVE A SCHEDULE POST OPTION ON THE POST THAT CAN BE YOUR BFF WHILE PLANNING !

Know your audience

We often see between 1% and 5% of a creator’s followers on their free socials sign-up to OnlyFans. The people you’re catering to are likely to be your most dedicated fans, who want to interact with you and your content on a deeper level. Consider how you can sell your OnlyFans to these people.

One entrepreneurial mid-level creator did a poll on her Instagram asking her followers whether she should get an OnlyFans account. As well as planting the idea into the heads of everyone who watches her Instagram followers, many people responded to the story letting her know how much they would love to pay for exclusive content on OnlyFans. When this creator launched her account she messaged these people and they became her core subscribers and highest tippers.

BASICALLY

A CREATOR POSTED A POLL ON HER INSTAGRAM AND ASKED HER FOLLOWERS WHAT THEY THOUGHT ABOUT HER CREATING AN ONLYFANS, THE ONES WHO LIKED IT AND SAID YES SHE SHOULD, SHE ASKED IF THEY WOULD BUY HER EXPLICIT CONTENT AND WHEN AGREED, AND SHE LAUNCHED THOSE INDIVIDUALS BECAME HER BEST AND MAIN SUBSCRIBERS AND HIGHEST TIPPERS.

Promote

The easiest way is through to promote your OnlyFans is online. We recommend you place your OnlyFans profile link in the “About” fields of your social media profiles, share posts via Twitter or advertise your OnlyFans page anywhere you have followers. You can also get creative about promoting your OnlyFans offline – if you’re a performer you could hold a launch party to spread the word in the physical world. Many of our creators also find success launching OnlyFans with an introductory rate and then raising their price when they get more comfortable with the system.

IN REAL WORLD TERMS

PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE! PASTING YOUR ONLYFANS IN YOUR ABOUT SECTION OF EACH OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES AND SHARING YOUR LINK VIA PICTURE CAPTIONS(INSTA) POST IT IN YOUR STATUS ON FACEBOOK, STORY TOO . TWEET YOUR LINK AND ASK FOR RETWEETS! IF YOU ARE A PERFORMER OR CELEBRITY YOU COULD HOLD A LAUNCH PARTY TO GET WORD OUT IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD! MOST CREATORS FIND SUCCESS WITH STARTING WITH A PROMOTIONAL RATE AND THEN AFTER SAY 90 DAYS OR SO AFTER BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH THE SYSTEM AND HOW IT WORKS, RAISE THE PRICE SLOWLY!

Start with great content

A great way to launch your OnlyFans account with a bang is to use some exceptional content for its debut. If there’s a wonderful idea you’ve been sitting on for a while, now is the time. Let all your followers on your free platform know that this amazing piece of content is on your OnlyFans to create a sense of FOMO and encourage them to sign up.

IN OTHER WORDS:

A GREAT WAY TO LAUNCH YOUR PAGE IS TO POST SOME EXCEPTIONAL CONTENT FOR THE DEBUT (FOR THE BEGINNING/START OF YOUR PAGE!) GOT AN IDEA YOU’VE BEEN THINKING OF FOR A WHILE? WELL NOWS THE TIME SWEETHEART AND THERES NO BETTER TIME TO PUT IT INTO THE WORKS! TELL THE WORLD ON YOUR FREE SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES BY MAYBE CENSORING SOME CONTENT (ill post an example below) AND MAKING PEOPLE CURIOUS! LET THE PEOPLE KNOW WHERE TO SEE THE REAL PRODUCT ON YOUR FREE PROFILES AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO SIGN UP !

Be Bamboo

Like most entrepreneurial endeavours, success on OnlyFans requires you to be like bamboo; strong and flexible. This might seem in contrast to point one, but it’s not. It’s good to have a plan, but realistically there are unexpected factors that will come into play when you actually start your OnlyFans, and you need to be able to roll with the punches. For example, some creators have problems choosing an appropriate subscription price. If you’re not getting as many subscribers as you expected, you might want to consider lowering your price. If you’ve had a lot of people sign up and you can’t keep up with your inbox, maybe consider raising it. Ultimately, pay attention to what’s working and what’s not, be willing to adapt and enjoy the ride.

TO SUM IT UP:

YOU NEED TO BE A STRONG INDIVIDUAL (MENTALLY) AND FLEXIBLE (TIME WISE AND HAVE AN OPENMIND) THIS MAY SEEM IN CONTRAST WITH THE FIRST PARAGRAPH BUT IT ISN’T. ITS GOOD TO HAVE A PLAN BUT THERE ARE UNEXPECTED FACTORS THAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU START THE SITE AND YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO “ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES” EXAMPLE BEING THE PRICE; SOME CREATORS STRUGGLE WITH WHAT PRICE TO START WITH, IF YOU AREN’T GETTING AS MANY SUBSCRIBERS AS YOU EXPECTED TRY LOWERING IT (not too much because if people think it is too cheap they will be reluctant to buy it) NOW IF THE OPOSITE OCCURS AND YOURE UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH REPLIES IN YOUR INBOX AND ETC, TRY HIGHERING IT A LITTLE. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE THINGS YOU DO THAT ARE WORKING WELL AND CLOSER ATTENTION THO WHATS NOT WORKING! BE OPENMINDED AND ADAPT OR GO WITH THE FLOW AND ENJOY THE RIDE BABYGIRL!

PLEASE IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE THIS AND MANY OTHER BLOGS FEEEL FREE TO CHECK THE LINK OUT BELOW AND THEY’LL LEAD YOU RIGHT TOOO THEM!

[patton-croc-agenda]

A Dragon’s Treasure (WIP/Unfinshed)

A/N: Hey gang! So I made a poll about this and those who answered seemed to be interested in seeing this wip! I can’t guarantee I’ll finish it, but I got so much done I wanted to share at least what I had finished for now! Maybe I’ll pick it back up, but from the fact I don’t really have the motivation right now, to the fact I’m struggling to nail down an ending, to the fact some scenes I have planned kinda give me fae-t vibes idk how likely it is. I hope you enjoy what I have done?? It hasn’t been betaed or anything so sorry for any weirdness oops

Summary: Patton knew stealing from a dragon was a bad idea, but when he destroys said dragon’s crown jewel by mistake, he finds that he’ll have to pay the price.

Pairings (all heavily implied, but not stated): Logicality, past pining royality, prinxiety

Words: 10,424

Warnings: Illness, thievery, threats to one’s life, yelling

Patton’s hands ached from where they dug into the cliffside. The sharp stones dug into his palms, but that was better than reaching up and having his fingers touch nothing but smooth, unclimbable stone.

His arms quivered with effort as he reached his hand up for what felt like the millionth time, only now he felt the edge of a cliff. His pulse pounded in his throat as he shakily pulled himself onto the ledge, gasping for breath as he laid on his back and stared at the sky. It had been sunrise when he had first begun climbing, and now streaks of sunset were bleeding across his vision. He waited until his breathing finally evened out before he got onto jelly legs to face the yawning cave in front of him.

Wind whipped around him, pulling at his curls and clothes as he threw one last look over his shoulder. He could see the tiny dot of his village below, a patchwork of green fields and brown houses. If he looked a little further, he could see the King’s castle. He wondered if his old friend Prince Roman was doing well. Wondered if he’d ever see him again. Patton shook the thoughts from his head and inhaled deeply through his nose as he headed inside.

The darkness slowly encased him as he moved forward, footsteps echoing around him as he walked. He paused, pulling his boots off and setting them to the side. The stone under his bare feet felt unnaturally smooth- as if someone (or something) had gone through great pains to remove any sharp stones or bumps along the path. The thought made Patton’s throat dry, but he shoved it away in favor of a more positive outlook. Now he could be quiet, and not worry about his footsteps giving him away!

As he continued, the entrance disappeared completely- the light of the fading sun swallowed up by the darkness of the cave. Patton tried to ignore the feeling of being trapped as his breath echoed back at him. Instead, he thought about why he was doing this. Who he was doing this for. He almost laughed to himself, already hearing Virgil’s lecture in his mind. ‘Patton, you idiot! You can’t steal from a dragon, it’s a death sentence.’

It would be worth it, though. Patton would be able to use whatever he...borrowed...to help pay for Virgil’s medicine. The expensive kind; the kind only sold at the kingdom’s capital. Patton needed to get it, because Virgil’s condition was getting worse. It was a magical illness, and when Virgil had moved in with him all those years ago, he had warned Patton that this day would come. That he’d slowly wither away in his own body, with the only cure too expensive to ever truly be in reach. Patton had considered begging Roman for money, but he doubted the crown prince would recall a simple commoner such as himself.

After what felt like hours of walking, Patton saw a light at the end of the tunnel; quite literally. Golden light reflected off the stone walls and floor. Patton nearly broke into a giddy run, but restrained himself. He didn't want to get caught now, not when he was so close

Patton slunk into the light, peering ahead cautiously. He could finally see what was causing the glow, and it nearly caused his jaw to drop. Hundreds upon thousands of golden coins, jewels, and pearls. Patton entered the room on the same cautious feet as he had the entire way down the tunnel. He scanned the entire expansive area, but there was no dragon in sight. He couldn't believe his luck! He'd made it inside while the dragon was away. Patton hopped over a puddle that was forming by the entrance due to a steady drip drip dipping of a stalactite.

Actually breaking into a run, Patton laughed and grabbed fistfuls of coins, throwing them into the air. They showered down like drops of sunlight, though they did smack his head rather painfully on the way down. He grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, soothing the bump that was bound to grow there.

Patton clambered up on of the hills of gold, slipping and sliding as he did. He paused a moment as he noticed something strange. A book poked out from the pile of treasure, and when Patton pulled it free he was able to read looping golden words that marked the cover.

A Guide to Human Anatomy. Not what Patton imagined a dragon to choose as reading material, but who was he to judge? He gently set the book back down in the pile and continued to climb up and over. As he made it to the other side, he lost his footing and half slipped, half rolled, down the slope.

He let out an “Oof!” as he landed at the bottom on his back. He could see a few more stalactites, but what was more curious was a large, gaping hole in the ceiling. In through it shone bright sunlight, which must’ve been the source of the coins’ glow. Patton frowned thoughtfully to himself, trying to figure out if he’d been here long enough for the start of evening to already reach midday.

After a good moment of pondering, Patton decided that no- it didn’t make any sense, and he got to his feet, looking around. He seemed to have landed in a small indent in the treasure, as if the dragon had carefully scooped out the spot. Something shiny caught Patton’s eye, and he stared wide-eyed at the giant diamond that was on the other end of the indent. Patton looked around quickly, as if expecting the dragon to appear at any moment, and hurried over to scoop up the precious gem.

While walking, Patton accidentally kicked something. Another book, by the looks of it. Patton picked it up and looked at the cover, which read Logan and the Lonely Dragon. Patton hummed, his interest piqued, and placed the book under one arm until the diamond was safely procured and snugly placed into his bag.

Holding the book once more, Patton opened to the first page. The paper was decorated with beautiful, delicate watercolors. A dragon sat on a cliff overlooking a human village with smoke billowing from its nose. Patton read the text as he stumbled back up the hill of gold and jewels.

“Once there lived a dragon- who despite having all the riches he could ever want protected in his cave, still felt loneliness fluttering in his heart. He would watch the humans who lived below him with envy in his heart, and longing pressing onto his winged shoulders.”

Patton stopped at the top of the pile, sitting down and holding the book in his lap as he turned the page. The dragon had fury painted into his gaze, and Patton ran his finger across the careful details.

“I can not be lonely,” the dragon would say, “for I am a dragon, and am my own companion. I need only my horde to keep my heart content.” Despite his own self-assurances, the dragon did admit that perhaps a companion would be ideal. Perhaps another dragon to mate with, or a chick that he could care for?

Patton was about to turn the page once more when he heard the loud, whooshing sound of air. He froze, eyes darting to the hole in the ceiling as he watched a shadow pass over. Patton scrambled to his feet, sliding down the pile of treasure. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten distracted! He stumbled over his feet, the book tumbling from his hands and landing in the center of a puddle formed on the floor. Patton covered his mouth, pulse racing.

As the shadow passed over once more, Patton made a mad dash for the exit. However, as he felt the air around him whip with the movement of wingbeats, Patton realized he wouldn’t make it, so he did the next best thing. He flung himself behind a pile of gold and curled in on himself, trying to be as small as humanly possible.

There was the clinking of coins as the dragon landed heavily in the center of the room. Patton hardly let out a breath, not wanting to be heard. The dragon was rumbling to itself, but that rumble soon became a roar. Patton swallowed nervously and peaked out.

Brown eyes made contact with gold, and Patton knew he was (for lack of a better word) fucked.

A talon cast a shadow over the quivering young man as the dragon’s claws pinched the back of his tunic and yanked him up into the air. Patton squeaked, covering his face with his arms.

“PLEASE DON’T EAT ME,” Patton wailed desperately. The dragon growled low in its throat.

“Do not be ridiculous, humans taste appalling,” the dragon said. Patton peaked out hopefully from behind one arm, but upon seeing the angry fire in the dragon’s eyes, the hope dropped out of Patton like a stone.

“While I do not intend to eat you,” the dragon released Pattom causing him to tumble through the air and land painfully in a small pile of jewels, “you have stolen something that belongs to me.”

Patton laughed sheepishly and bit his lip to hide how it was shaking with fear as he slowly pulled the diamond from his bag. The dragon stared at it a moment before giving Patton an incredulous look. To Patton’s surprise, he batted the gemstone from his grasp and Patton watched it shatter across the cave floor.

“I couldn’t give a damn about that thing,” the dragon snarled, leaning in close. Patton wanted to back up, but couldn’t really gain a hold on the pile he was dropped into. “Now, where is my centerpiece- my book?” Patton felt his heart plument internally as he externally laughed the question off.

“There, uh, there are lot- lots of books here,” Patton babbled, but the dragon wasn’t buying it.

“Where. Is. It?” the dragon huffed, and a cloud of smoke overtook Patton’s senses momentarily. He coughed, blinking rapidly to stop the stinging in his eyes.

“I am- I am so, so, sorry it was an accident! I didn’t mean to drop it I was, I was just reading it and you surprised me so Idroppeditintoapuddle, and oh I’m so, so sorry. I wouldn’t have touched it if I knew it was your centerpiece,” Patton said, and it was true. Patton didn’t want to steal something the dragon would care about missing. He just needed something to help Virgil.

The dragon’s gaze went wide and it turned, seeing the once beautiful book soaking in a puddle. It tenderly lifted the damp thing up, flipping through its pages. A dark look crossed its face, and Patton tried to escape once more.

“I can no longer read the words, nor see the images. This book...it is completely ruined,” the dragon’s voice was even, but had a deadly edge and Patton swallowed nervously.

“I...I really am sorry.”

“Oh? Why should I believe that?” the dragon asked. “You broke into my home, stole my most valued treasure, ruined it, and were about to make off with another piece of my collection. Do all humans act so horridly, then tack on an ‘I’m sorry’ and expect things to work out?” Patton shrunk in on himself, feeling as if his mother were lecturing him.

“I didn't mean to ruin your book,” Patton said sadly, “I just needed something I could sell to afford medicine for my friend. He is...He’s really sick, sir- er...oh great dragon. It’s a magical illness, and all the medicine is too expensive for us to affor-”

“Enough grovelling,” the dragon growled, and Patton flinched. “I care not of you humans, nor your painfully short lifespans. You ruined the treasure that meant most to me, and for that you must pay. Any last words before I snuff out your miserable existence?” Patton gulped and peeked past the dragon’s now passive face at the sky. He wasn’t quite sure why- or how, but the words that came out were calm, curious.

“Why is it light outside when I came in at sunset?” The passive expression the dragon’s face flickered to one of curiosity as well as he faced the entrance in the cave ceiling.

“Really? Your final words in this world are you expressing curiosity about the cave you will die in?” The dragon was scanning Patton over with yellow eyes, practically slicing him open with his gaze. Patton swallowed past the lump in his throat.

“Um...yes?”

“Fascinating,” the dragon leaned in closer, and Patton tried to lean back and away from those golden eyes. Suddenly, the dragon’s tail wrapped around Patton’s middle and squeezed.

‘Welp, this is it. You had a good run Patton,’ Patton closed his eyes as his body lifted from the pile of jewels and the grip around him tightened even more. He felt his body turn in the air, which caused his spectacles to fall from where they were perched on his nose and for his eyes to pop back open. He was hanging upside down suspended in the air, the only thing stopping him from plummeting to his death was the dragon’s tail. The creature climbed over his piles of gold to the center, curling his tail with Patton still in it and lowering it close to the indent in the pile of jewels Patton had stolen the book and diamond from. The dragon released Patton, and he hit the gold and jewels. It hurt, but he was alive. More than he’d expected, honestly.

“Dragons are not inherently immortal creatures,” the dragon spoke, tail curling around Patton again, but not squeezing or lifting- more of a guard. To stop Patton from running, but not hurting him yet. Patton decided to play along. Though, this game might cost him his life.

“You aren’t?” Despite the urgency, the question was genuine. From what Patton had heard, all dragons were immortal unless slayed.

“No. We do possess a sort of magic that can stop time, though constantly generating it is tiring, Because of that, dragons typically cast their time magic across their nest and hoard, making them stuck in time. Anyone or anything will stop aging for as long as they remain within the confines of a dragon’s nest.” Patton stared at the dragon in awe, who looked wildly pleased with himself.

“So it was noon when you...set your nest?” Patton asked. The dragon nodded sagely.

“Indeed, though that was thousands of years ago…” The dragon trailed off, and silence filled the cave again. Patton knew he was going to run out of time at this rate, and the dragon would kill him. However, the dragon seemed to be interested in Patton’s curiosity (a trait many found annoying in him, oddly enough), so perhaps-

“So,” Patton said slowly, sliding slowly up into a crouch, “you like to collect books? I thought dragons only liked shiny things.” The dragon snorted, turning his snout up towards the ceiling.

“Many do, however there are also many dragons who collect things that pique their interest in other ways.” Patton slowly stood up straight. The dragon didn’t spare him a glance, and Patton slowly moved across the small circle of the dragon’s tail, trying not to shuffle the gold beneath his feet. “I, personally, have always found interest in books. While I usually do not care for humans, there are occasionally some that catch my interest. Whether it be them, or something they have created. Granted, the ones that often find their way into my nest are not interesting, nor accomplished in a way I find impressive.” The dragon huffed, a puff of smoke coiling from his nose.

Patton paused his escape attempt to turn and face the dragon. He was staring up at the sunlight with a thoughtful, almost human expression. Patton had always been good at reading expressions, but he wondered if the loneliness he read there was simply a miscommunication between species, or perhaps the slight blur the lack of spectacles caused. The dragon turned to look at him then, flicking golden eyes up and down Patton. His throat went dry as he realized he had one foot placed just outside the coil surrounding him- having found the tip thin enough to get a foot over.

“You, however,” the tail twined around one of his legs, and he was upside down in the air again. “You had a chance to run, just then, yet you did not take it. I threatened your life, and you asked me about mine. You are a strange, strange human being.”

“What can you say,” Patton laughed nervously, “guess curiosity really kills the Pat.” The dragon stared at him blankly.

“I am afraid I do not...understand your tone.” Patton grinned despite himself.

“I’m going out with a self-referential pun! My name is Patton, and my curiosity seems to be what’s gonna kill me,” his voice wavered a bit at the end, and the dragon stared at him.

“Well, as atrocious as that attempt at wordplay was, I think your curiosity has, in fact, saved you, Patton.” Patton felt his heartbeat nearly stop in his chest, rendering the entire conversation pointless.

“What?” A low, rumbling chuckle coursed through the dragon’s body, echoing across the walls of the cave. He lowered Patton to the ground and released him once more, not bothering to wrap his tail around Patton to guard him from leaving this time.

“I need a new centerpiece- a crown jewel if you will, for my horde. The dragon looked at Patton from the corner of his eyes. “It has been many, many years since I have interacted with man, and as much as I hate to admit it, you humans adapt and grow quite quickly. I’ll need a guide, and while my intentions were to kill you, I think you are my best option available. Do this for me, and I will not only consider the debt for your mistakes paid...but I will help you pay for the medication your friend requires.”

Patton’s heartbeat was in his throat as he stared up at the dragon. He suddenly launched forward, wrapping his arms around the creature’s foreleg. “Really? Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He didn’t notice the dragon tense, but he did feel the claws pinch the back of his tunic again, tugging him back. “Uh, but how will I show you around...exactly? I can’t exactly bring a dragon around when I go home. The dragon smirked.

Suddenly, his body shifted and changed: wings and horns retreated, scales welded together and turned from deep blue to tan, chestnut hair grew rapidly from his skull, sharp talons turned to delicate fingers. Patton gaped as what had once been a towering dragon was now a fairly average- if rather tall and handsome- man.

“I assume this form will suffice, yes?” Patton’s tried to shut his jaw, but it just fell open again. He hoped his face wasn’t as red as it appeared as the dragon flexed his new fingers before running them through his hair, smoothing it into place. “I attempted to make this human form appealing, though most of your species is quite hideous, so I am not sure how much I succeeded in that aspect,” the dragon shrugged.

“Yeah, that looks good- your disguise, that is!” Patton squeaked, faced flushed. He turned away from the dragon and began to climb up the blurry hills of gold. “Can we find my spectacles before we go, though? I kinda need them to see good.”

“Well,” the dragon replied, climbing after Patton with far more grace. “You need them to see well. But yes, I can help you find them.” Patton nodded, ignoring the ruthless grammar correction in favor of heading over to the spot the dragon had originally picked him up. He began pushing around jewels and coins, searching for his precious spectacles.

“Are these yours?” Patton looked up from his searching as the dragon dangled a pair of spectacles from one finger. Patton put them on and frowned.

“No, these are the type made for when you need to see things close up. Mine help me see far away.” He handed them back to the dragon, who squinted at them before sliding them onto his own nose.

“Oh, these are helpful,” the dragon stated as Patton finally found his (luckily undamaged) spectacles. His slide them on his own nose, and the distant blurriness came slightly more into focus. He giggled at the dragon as he blinked and adjusted his own spectacles with a slightly awed expression.

“Who woulda thunk it? A dragon who needs spectacles!” Patton laughed.

“Who would have thought,” the dragon huffed, pointing his nose up in the air dramatically. Patton snickered to himself a bit at the overreaction to his bad grammar, but bounced on his toes all the same.

“Well, let’s go then!” Patton was about to race out, but the dragon snagged the back of his tunic again, causing the poor man to tumble back into the dragon’s arms.

“Two more topics to discuss before we head out,” he rumbled, either not seeing Patton turning red, or not caring. “The first, we should probably collect some of my treasure to use as currency. Larger jewels and gold would be ideal, I assume.”

“Are you sure?” Patton hesitated. “I don’t wanna take your stuff, uh, minus- minus the one I was going to steal.” The dragon sighed and nodded. That was all it took for Patton to eagerly collect jewels and gold into his satchel until it was a nearly unbearably heavy weight at his side. The dragon was staring at him with now hazel eyes, but if you took a moment to really look, you would be able to see the bright golden fire of his true eyes. Perhaps his disguise was not as flawless as it seemed from the outside. Perhaps, despite trying to hold it together with all his might, cracks and fissures were flitting across that carefully crafted human skin.

“What was the other thing?” Patton shook himself from staring into those eyes. Wow, could he ever stop being distracted at the most inconvenient times? Probably not. The dragon rubbed the back of his head, flicking his eyes away. Almost as if he were nervous.

“I will need a...human alias,” the dragon admitted. “However, despite extensive reading, I am not sure what, or how, humans typically chose names…” Patton let out an excited gasp, clapping his hands in front of himself. The dragon winced, looking as if he already regretted all of the choices leading up to this moment. Patton ignored that look so hard (he got it enough from Virgil).

“You want me to help you choose a name?” Patton asked, eyes sparkling. The dragon closed his eyes and took a deep inhale through his nose.

“Yes…”

“Oh! This will be so fun,” Patton squealed. “I’ve always wanted a kid someday, so I’ve got tons of names!”

“Goodie,” the dragon deadpanned as Patton mentally pulled out a list.

“Nate?”

“No.”

“Steve?”

“Terrible.”

“Emile?”

“A good name, though I feel it does not...fit me.”

“Hm, fair,” Patton bit his lip thoughtfully, “Thomas?”

“No.”

“Okay, I have a friend named Thomas anyway, so that might be weird. Sparrow?”

“That is a bird.”

“Ugh fineeeee. Jack?” The dragon shuddered.

“No, no...that name sets me on edge for some reason.”

“Huh, me too. Weird,” Patton tapped his chin. He was running out of ideas, his mental list of names growing shorter and shorter. An idea suddenly popped into his head, and he prayed the dragon was going to keep his word and not kill Patton quite yet.

“...what about Logan?” The dragon looked at him with wide eyes and took a step back. “In honor of your treasure that uh, that’s gone.” Patton winced. The dragon looked a Patton with those too-yellow-hazel eyes, and Patton felt like he may very well be crushed under their scrutiny.

“Did you finish the book?” The dragon’s voice had an edge to it, not exactly dangerous, but not soothing either. Patton swallowed nervously.

“...no?” Patton could honestly tell that time did not truly move in that cave, for at that moment the dragon went incredibly still, and Patton swore he felt his heartbeat halt, felt his breathing catch. Everything was still.

Finally, the dragon moved forward, towards Patton, and the world was in motion again. Patton stumbled back- half expecting to be attacked, but instead the dragon strode past him into the entrance of the cave.

“Logan will be adequate,” he said.

Patton watched as he slunk down, getting swallowed up in the darkness of the cave’s exit.

“Logan it is then,” Patton said brightly as he headed after him. His bright voice echoed across the walls before hitting their mark. And Logan smiled.

-

“The sun appears to have risen roughly an hour ago, so it is best we hurry down as fast as possible. I want to try and find my new crown jewel as fast as possible,” Logan informed Patton as he left the cave and squinted at the bright, early morning light. He looked at Logan, then looked down at the soft blanket of his village. He wondered if anyone was awake other then the farmers going out to harvest their crops. He wondered if Virgil was up yet. Wondered if he saw the note left of their kitchen table. He secretly hoped he’d get back in time to remove it and tear it into tiny pieces to throw in the fire as kindling, so Virgil would never know of his stunt.

“It took me an entire day to get up here. I don’t know if we can climb down any faster, either,” Patton admitted, looking down at the cliff. He’d climbed enough in his life to know that going down was always worse then going up.

“Climbing?” Logan snorted. Patton turned to him, confusion clear in his expression.

“Yeah? How else do you expect us to get down, silly?” Patton laughed, getting down onto his stomach and shimmying backwards, finding those tiny foot and handholds so he could begin his journey. The sound Logan made radiated concern.

“You are going to get yourself killed that way.”

“That’s what I told myself when I went to try and take treasure from a dragon!” Patton said brightly. He began to oh-so slowly inch his way down the cliff-face. However, his bag now heavy with treasure, he miscalculated how  much he needed to lean to the left and missed a handhold, tumbling left with a shriek. He held on with the very tips of his fingers, staring up at Logan with utter terror.

The dragon peered down at him, his expression exasperated. “I told you.”

“You sure did, now, you wanna give me a hand?” Patton’s laugh was shrill with fear. Logan smirked and raised an eyebrow. Patton’s fingers began to slip, and he shot his panicked gaze from his hand to Logan.

“Logan, I’m slipping! I’m,” the tips of his fingers lost their hold, and Patton fell backwards through the air. The wind whipped around him, and he watched as the top of the cliff grew rapidly smaller and smaller. For the second time that day, Patton was ready to embrace death. He turned his gaze to watch the clouds as he continued to drop like a stone. The sky was a soft blue, his favorite color, and covered in tiny dots of puffy white clouds. Not the worst thing to die looking at.

There were hands gripping his shoulders, and his body jerked into an upright position as his he stopped falling. There as a loud whooshing sound next to his ears, and when Patton tilted his head back, he could see Logan looking at him with a neutral expression. His eyes were bright yellow once more, and, if the fact they were still airborne was any indication, his wings were back out. Patton let out a hysterical laugh, and the grip on his arms tightened.

“Careful, Patton. Humans are fragile creatures. A fall from that height would have shattered every bone in your pathetic body. Honestly, how did you even make it up to my cave without dying?” Logan’s voice had an almost concerned edge to it, despite his impassive exterior. Patton tried to shrug helplessly, but the grip on his arms was too tight. Logan sighed.

“Let us just land then, shall we?” Patton beamed at the dragon.

“Sounds good!” Patton looked down at his feet as trees passed under them, watching as the shadow of their combined forms (it looked like a weird blob with wings, honestly) got bigger the closer they got to the tree line. Patton laughed again, though this time out of giddiness more then hysteria.

“What?” Patton swore he could hear a smile in Logan’s voice. Patton shook his head.

“I’ve always wondered what it was like to fly,” Patton admitted. Logan didn’t reply, just approached the ground near the trees and lightly placing him down. Patton managed to put his feet under himself, but the second Logan released him, he collapsed onto his butt. Logan landed gracefully and folded his wings. Patton watched, mesmerized, as they seemed to melt into his tunic.

“Right, your village is that way, correct? I believe that would be the ideal place to start. We will retrieve your friend, then go purchase the medicine he requires before searching for a new crown jewel for my horde,” Logan said smoothly. Patton nodded slowly.

“Okay, but what are we gonna tell Virgil- my friend. Like, about you?” Logan snorted.

“Simply inform him you met me in the market and I offered to help you pay for his medication after hearing your pleas.”

“But,” Patton bit his lip nervously, “but that’s lying.” Logan scoffed and glanced at Patton before striding in the direction of the village.

“You are sneaking a dragon into your village in disguise, Patton. Yes, you will be required to lie.” Patton winced and followed close at Logan’s heels.

“But...lying is wrong! Especially lying to your friends,” Patton protested. Logan didn’t turn around or reply, simply kept moving. “Logan!”

“What do you want to tell him then? The truth? That the dragon you tried to steal from if accompanying you into a village- that is terrified of dragons, might I add- because you angered it and need to help find it a new centerpiece for its horde?” Patton took a step back as Logan ranted. The dragon-man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tell him what you like, Patton...but if push comes to shove and I am unable to find a crown jewel soon, then I will punish you for destroying my original one. And well- I can’t exactly let your friend tell anyone what I am in that scenario,” he fingers twitched, and Patton swallowed dryly at the implication.

“O-okay,” Patton stammered. Logan nodded once, sharply, then turned on his heel to continue their walk. Patton stumbled after, wondering what on earth he was going to tell Virgil.

~~~

Patton led Logan up to his and Virgil’s tiny cottage at the very end of the village. Behind it were sprawling fields of green, occasionally dotted with colorful splotches of wildflowers. Patton looked at Logan hopefully, “Would you consider a nice flower as your jewel?”

“Absolutely not,” he deadpanned. Patton huffed and crossed his arms. The door swung open suddenly with a loud BANG! Patton may have jumped into Logan’s arms, who looked at him unimpressed.

“PATTON WHAT THE FUCK?!” The shout was followed by a rapid series of coughs, and Patton looked at Virgil as he hunched over, wheezing.

“Oh, Patton, you were correct in telling me he was, ahem, ‘really sick’,” Logan said, setting Patton back on his feet. Virgil looked away from Patton, shoving to stand in front of his friend as if to guard him as he glared at Logan.

“And who the fuck are you?!” He attempted a snarl, but it was rather weak. Logan offered his hand smoothly.

“Logan Drake. I found Patton on his way and, after hearing about your condition, I agreed to supply funds so you may purchase proper medication. You’re welcome.” Virgil stared at Logan’s hand in shock a moment before slowly shaking his hand. Logan met Patton’s gaze, daring him to challenge the lie. Patton bit his tongue and looked at his feet.

“So he...didn’t end up stealing from a dragon?” Virgil asked cautiously. Logan looked away from Patton, nodding.

“Yes. Obviously to attempt such a task would be suicidal, so I persuaded him to seek out other means in order to gain money,” Virgil nodded slowly.

“Fine. You can come in,” he held open the door, and Logan slipped inside easily. Patton moved to follow, but Virgil gripped the back of his tunic.

“Oh no, I still have some very strong words for you, bud. Patton smiled sheepishly as Virgil closed the door and folded his arms, a glare that could kill more men painted onto his features. A breeze ruffled their hair, spreading gossip throughout the trees and lush meadow grass.

Virgil lunged forward suddenly, pulling Patton into a tight hug. Patton startled, wrapping his arms to rest loosely around Virgil in return.

“You idiot. Gods, do you know how scared I was when I saw your note? I thought I’d never see you again. You’re so stupid, I love you.” Patton laughed softly and cupped Virgil’s face, pressing a kiss to his forehead and wiping away a tear that trickled down with his thumb.

“I’m okay, Virge. Lo talked me out of going. I’m safe- and hopefully soon, you will be too. Okay?” Virgil nodded sniffing loudly and rubbing his nose on his sleeve.

“Okay. But if you pull this kinda shit again I might have to lock you in your room forever,” Patton laughed at Virgil’s attempt at a threat.

“Are you two done?” The pair whipped around in surprise to see Logan leaning against the doorframe. Virgil scowled, and Patton’s laugh turned nervous.

“For a guy generous to pay for expensive medicine for a stranger, you sure are rude,” Virgil snapped, but he did head inside. Patton followed, seeing Logan roll his eyes at the young man’s attitude. He made sure to elbow Logan in the ribs, which made a very dragon-like growl escape him. Virgil startled and turned back to look at them, and the pair jumped apart hurriedly.

Their cottage was small and cozy, decorated with a multitude of flowers and stones that Patton found pretty and would collect on his way home from the market. Sun shone through the window in their tiny kitchen as Virgil pulled out a chair for Logan. The dragon sat down carefully, folding his hands in his lap, and Virgil sat across from him. Patton hurried to set water on the stove to make tea. Virgil coughed, and spoke carefully.

“So...you’re going to pay for life-saving, expensive medicine,” Virgil said slowly, Logan nodded along, “for a stranger...because you, what, want to bribe me for Patton’s hand in marriage? Because buddy do I have news for you.” Patton was glad he had yet to put the kettle on the stove, because he dropped it and water splashed all over. Logan simply raised an eyebrow.

“Trust me, if I were interested in such a thing, I would not be seeking permission from you,” Patton crouched down and picked up the kettle, refilling it and setting it on the stove. “I am simply decided I need to try and be a more generous person. I am a wealthy merchant, and needn’t all the money I own.” Virgil eyed Logan suspiciously, and Patton held his breath.

Seconds ticked by, but Virgil finally let out a loud sigh. “Fine. When should we leave?” The kettle began to hiss and Patton took it off, grinning wildly and interrupting before Logan could speak.

“Right after we have tea,” He set down the cups and poured with a wild flourish. Logan actually leaned away, as if he were afraid Patton would splash him with scalding tea. Which, to be fair, nearly did happen. The three enjoyed their tea in tense silence- no one quite trusting anyone. Except Patton, who trusted Virgil knew he was lying, but that didn’t exactly help things.

When tea was done, Virgil pulled on his cloak- his sickness often gave him a chill, and along with that he liked to stay hidden from view, and the trio set out. The village itself was not particularly busy, just a few people here and there chatting or doing chores if they were not the type to work on the farm. They headed past the center of town, and began to follow the dusty path that would lead to the capital- where the most gracious and benevolent Queen Dani lived with her son Roman. The marketplace there had the finest goods in the kingdom, and Patton had seen multiple vendors there who sold medicines that claimed to heal magic-borne illness. Patton told Logan all of this as they walked, the sun climbing ever higher.

“You know,” Virgil quipped, “you’d think a merchant would already know about how the marketplace system works.” He sounded suspicious, and Patton and Logan shared a look.

“I’m a foreign merchant,” Logan said smoothly, slapping a hand over Patton’s mouth as he was about to give a rather poor excuse. Patton huffed and licked Logan’s hand, making him squawk indignantly. He wiped his hand on his trousers, glaring as Virgil and Patton snickered.

“I despise you both in equal measures,” he said- yet the malice in his voice was nearly nonexistent.

“Aw, you love us,” Patton teased. Logan scoffed at that.

“I’ve only just met you. Besides d- I can not feel ‘love’,” he hunched in on himself. Virgil snorted, earning him another glare.

“If you can feel contempt, you can feel love, buddy,” Virgil informed him. Logan snorted.

“Debatable.”

“Then let’s debate,” Virgil shot back.

And thus began the three hour debate between the two. Patton lost interest about halfway through, and began to look around as they continued their journey. They passed through a thin forest, in which Patton noticed Logan took a few steps closer to him for whatever reason, and then walked through a lush field. Only disturbed by the path worn out by travelers who walked before them for years. Virgil’s arguments got quieter and his coughing got louder, which was when Patton decided to call for a pitstop.

The trio sat down by a crystal stream, where Virgil drank as much as he could, as if he hadn’t seen water in decades. Logan watched with an expression Patton could only describe as concerned.

“Is he alright?” Logan rumbled in a whisper. Patton sighed and shook his head.

“He can’t do a lot of physical labor without straining himself. He says when he was little, before the illness set in, he loved to run and play with the other children. Now though…” Patton trailed off, and he and Logan watched Virgil take deep, gasping breaths before he sat up.

“So, who wants lunch?” Patton asked brightly, much different from the somber tone from a few moments prior. Logan looked surprised at how quick the change was, but his own expression smoothed out quickly.

“Very well.”

~~~

At last, the dirt path under their feet made way to cobblestone. Virgil and Logan had finally truced on their debate, having half forgotten what they were even debating, and instead were discussing their interest in stars and constellations. Patton didn’t really understand the fascination, but he was glad they were getting along. They began to pass more and more people, until they were practically swallowed up by a crowd. The marketplace. Patton grinned and took Virgil’s hand in his own, grabbing Logan’s with the other. Logan jolted in surprise.

“What are you doing?” He asked. Patton smiled at him, and the dragon’s brow became even more furrowed.

“It’s crowded. Don’t wanna lose either of you two,” Patton said. The confusion mostly dropped from Logan’s face, though a tiny bit remained. Patton considered asking, but decided not to. Instead, he temporarily released Logan’s hand and stood on his toes so he could try and smooth the wrinkles out with his thumb.

“Smile, it’s easier,” Patton said, taking his hand again and pulling the pair along before either could argue again- either with Patton or one another.

The crowd swallowed them, and Virgil instinctively ducked closer to Patton, hiding under his arm. Logan’s grip on Patton’s hand grew a bit tighter than was comfortable, but other then that he showed no open signs of discomfort. They wandered around for a bit, getting lost in the scents and the sounds and the bustling energy of the market, before Patton finally spotted something that got his hope up.

“Over here!” He said, bustling his boys over to the merchant. He smiled coyly at the trio, indicating his wares with the sweep of an arm. Crystals and shimmering vials and bottles hung from the top of his cart, and they chimed together whenever he moved. The sweet scent of lavender wafted from the cart. A good sign if Patton ever saw one. Logan and Virgil hung back suspiciously, as Patton bounded forward.

“Hello there!” Patton chirped as he ran his hands across the smooth, wooden edge of the cart. The salesman leaned forward on his elbows and arched his brow.

“Greetings, traveler,” he smoothly replied, “what ails you this day?” Patton’s face lit up even more, and he pulled Virgil forward. He tugged his hood further down his face.

“My friend has been struggling with a magical illness since he was five,” Patton explained. “It started out not too bad, but now he has trouble with moving too much without getting worn, and he has a constant cough and chill.” The man leaned closer to inspect Virgil, who shrank behind Patton.

“I have just the thing,” the man said, voice smooth as honey. He reached down into the depths of his cart and pulled forth a shimmering crystal bottle. The liquid inside swirled deep violet.

“One sip of this, and your illness will fall away within a week’s time,” the man assured. “Though the cost is hefty. Can you pay the fee?” He indicated the price inked onto a parchment hanging from his cart. Patton bit his lip and nodded, opening his bag and pulling out the gold and jewels. He placed them in front of the merchant, who eyed them greedily.

Suddenly, Patton felt Logan loom up behind him, he turned as the dragon lightly pushed Patton behind him. He snatched the vial from the merchant, who squawked in offense as Logan adjusted his spectacles and squinted at the vial. He uncorked it and smelled it, recoiling in disgust and throwing it. The liquid shimmered, in the light before it splattered against the merchant’s clothes like drops of rain.

“Logan!” Patton gasped in horror. Logan turned to Patton and snorted.

“It was fake.”

“Wh-what?” The merchant stammered, “I’ll have you know-”

“I’ll have you know,” Logan leaned forward ���that I know a thing or two about magic. That was just water and dye mixed with a bit of lavender. You’re more likely to poison this poor man then heal him.”

Patton and Virgil turned their gazes on the merchant, who was quick to defend himself. “This is simply untrue!” He hissed, “My father was a mage, and he taught me everything he knows about magical medicine.”

“Magic in your blood or not, that doesn’t change the fact you attempted to sell us a scam,” Logan growled. Patton put a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. His eyes were going yellow.

“What’s going on here?” A loud, booming voice asked. The group all turned to see a guard walking towards them. The merchant lit up gleefully for a moment, before his expression melted into one of faux fear.

“Good sir!” He cried, “This man is destroying my wares and scaring off my customers!” Logan looked annoyed as he turned towards the guard.

“I did no such thing. Granted, I did throw his own product in his face, but that is because he was trying to sell me a faulty remedy for my very ill companion.” The guard turned to Patton, and something about those warm brown eyes was...familiar; like the soft, cool fertilized soil he’d dig his fingers into as a child on hot days while he helped his family farm.

“Logan was just trying to help,” Patton said. The guard nodded and turned to Logan.

“What makes you say it was fake?” He asked. Logan scoffed and folded his hands to rest behind his back.

“I have magical origins myself. Along with that, I have spent many years reading about the subject, and know for a fact that all that was in that so called ‘potion’ was lavender, water, and dye- which, might I add, could potentially harm my companion.” The guard nodded thoughtfully and turned to the merchant.

“Sad, your innocence can not be proven nor denied unless you find a previous customer to backup your claims. I suggest you let them take their business, and their money, elsewhere.” The merchant’s face twisted into a scowl.

“But he destroyed-”

“He destroyed one of your wares. If I find you truly are selling products that are harmful, I think you’ll have bigger things to worry about,” the guard’s voice was low and threatening. The merchant’s face paled, and he scowled, glaring at Logan with a heat that could make the gods jealous.

“You’ve seen the last of me, Logan,” the merchant spat, taking the handles of his cart and wheeling it away to relocate. There was silence among them momentarily, before Patton turned to the guard.

“Tha-thank you for your help,” Patton said, finding himself getting lost in those eyes again as they met his own in sheer delight. The guard winked.

“No problem, Patton my perfect padre,” the guard winked. Patton blinked, and Logan stepped in front of Patton again, holding an arm out suspiciously.

“I do not believe we introduced ourselves. You would only have been able to pick up my name from what you overheard,” he accused. Patton saw mischief light up in those soft eyes and it suddenly hit him like a crashing wave. It hit him, why those eyes reminded him of childhood and warmth and protection and love.

“PRINCE ROMAN!?” Patton shrieked. Roman stiffened, ducking behind a wall as people looked over at him. Patton slapped a hand over his mouth, cheeks burning. “I mean, ah, sorry.” People quickly lost interest and went back about their business, and Roman returned from where he had hidden. He opened his arms, and Patton slipped from behind where Logan was still trying to shield him and lunged into Roman’s grasp. The prince picked him up and spun him, and they laughed together as Virgil padded up to stand next to Logan.

“I can’t believe you remember who I am,” Patton said as Roman placed him back down on his feet. Roman held a hand to his chest, offended, while one arm was still looped around Patton’s waist.

“How could you think so low of me? Not remembering my dearest childhood friend? In fact, it was you who did not recognize me- and I’m famous!” Patton giggled, and Virgil let out a very obviously fake cough- which shortly morphed into a real cough. Patton pulled away and gently rubbed soothing circles across his shoulders. Roman huffed in protest.

“Yes, well, now that all our happy introductions have been made- we still have a dying Virgil on our hands,” Logan said. He sounded almost bitter, and was glaring at Roman like he had personally offended him.

Roman turned to Virgil, who stiffened under the attention. He shrank away as Roman leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at Virgil. He ended up ducking behind Logan. “You said it was a magical illness?”

“Yeah,” Virgil’s voice sounded annoyed, but Patton could detect the tiniest hint of a waver; he was unsure of Roman.

“Well, I think I know someone who can help, then. Follow me!” Roman took off, and Patton and Logan shared a look before they followed. Virgil trailed behind with a hesitant grumbling.

The prince led the trio into the forest, veering off the path into the trees. Logan and Virgil grew a bit more hesitant, while Patton continued to follow valiantly. They ducked under branches and dodges around thorny plants until they came across a small clearing. Virgil sucked in wheezing breaths, and Logan awkwardly rubbed his back in a manner Patton had previously.

“Is that a cottage?” Patton asked. The other two looked up.

Indeed, in the center of the clearing was a delicate looking cottage surrounded by a vibrant garden. Roman smirked and swept an arm grandly.

“Welcome! To the home of-”

“Hi, Roman,” Roman shrieked and jumped into Logan’s arms as a teenager appeared out of seemingly nowhere. He had bright golden eyes and a smug smirk. Roman grunted as Logan dropped him.

“Oh, it’s you. Is Remy around?” Roman asked. The teenager shrugged indifferently.

“I dunno.”

“How do you not know?! He’s your mentor you stupid lizard!” Logan perked up at that, and looked from the teenager to Patton and back again.

“Yeah, but he’s also Remy. I’m gonna jet, though. I think he might be passed out on the floor, but no promises,” with that, the teenager waved and seemingly vanished into thin air once again. Roman grumbled in annoyance.

“Uh, who was that?” Virgil asked. Roman wrinkled his nose.

“Remy’s apprentice.”

“Aaaaand who’s Remy?” Virgil asked. Roman rolled his eyes.

“He’s the royal mage. You’ve never heard of him?” Patton lightly patted Roman’s arm.

“Not everyone has heard of your staff, Roman. Virgil and I live two towns away.” Roman flushed in embarrassment.

“Oh…” Virgil snorted and Roman rounded on him.

“What are you laughing at Lord Snorington?” Roman asked.

“You,” Virgil shot back. The two started to bicker fiercely while Logan took Patton by the hand and dragged him towards the cottage door. He shoved Patton in front of him and nodded towards the door.

“Knock,” he told Patton. Patton looked at him, confused, but shrugged and knocked. The door creaked open a crack, and the pair looked at each other before stepping inside. Dust danced in the light that streamed through dirty windows. The floor was a mess of dirty dishes, crumpled leaves, and a man who was laying facedown on the wood.

“Is he dead?” Patton squeaked. Logan walked over and nudged the man in the side. He groaned and rolled over.

“No,” Logan said. He proceeded to step on the man’s leg hard- and far too close to a certain area for Patton to be comfortable. The man shouted and jolted up. He had dark goggles covering his eyes, and what looked like grease stains all over. It was actually kind of disgusting.

“Are you Remy?” Logan asked. The man wheezed and sat up, rolling his shoulders.

“Bitch I might be, who’s askin?” He asked. Patton and Logan shared a look, and Patton gracefully took over.

“Friends of Prince Roman, sir,” Patton said politely.

“Sir? Mmmm no- no ma’am, not in my good magic cottage. Rem will do fine gurl,” Remy stood and kissed the back of Patton’s hand. Patton blushed and pulled his hand away, while Logan tensed. “How can I help y’all? And where is the royal brat anyway?”

“Don’t call him a brat!” Patton said.

“He is a bit of a brat, Patton,” Logan admitted, though he shut his mouth when Patton shot him a deathly glare- apparently forgetting he could literally kill Patton in one fell swoop if he wanted to; it was the power of the dad glare.

“Either way, he’s outside with our friend Virgil, the reason we came,” Patton explained, “You see, Virgil is sick- magically sick, and we need a magical cure. We were going to purchase one from the merchants in town-”

“But those honeys are faker than Roman’s confidence I gotchu babe,” Remy nodded sagely. He brushed off his shirt and readjusted his cloak before marching over to his desk. Patton watched in awe as Remy skillfully crushed leaves and poured liquids until he was holding a tiny vial full of green liquid. He held it up to the light, gave it a couple shakes, and then grinned and tossed the vial to Patton. The man stumbled, but did catch it.

“One sip of that a day until it’s gone and your man should be cleared up in no time,” Remy assured. Patton took the vial in his hands, cradling it like he might a bird. Logan snatched it up, much less kindly, and uncorked it to sniff at the liquid. His eyes narrowed, but instead of throwing it in Remy’s face like he had the merchant originally, he recorked the vial and set it back into Patton’s hands.

“It seems legit enough,” he said, almost bitterly. He took Patton’s bag and dumped the gold onto the desk. “Would this suffice as payment?” He asked, arching his eyebrow. Remy snorted.

“That should work, yeah,” he peered thoughtfully at a diamond. “Why not go give him that now, cutie?” Remy waved Patton towards the door. Patton nodded, and Logan moved to follow, but Remy stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait a sec, babe, I wanna talk to you real quick. Patty can handle himself, right?” Remy slipped an arm over Logan’s shoulders, making him tense. Patton looked at the pair of them worriedly before he nodded and slipped out the door. It shut with a firm click behind the man, and Logan immediately pushed Remy off with a glare.

“What is it you require of me?” Logan asked, his voice almost cold. Remy sighed, and motioned for Logan to follow him as he slipped into another room. Logan hesitated before he followed the mage into what appeared to be a living area. There was a cauldron hanging over the fire.

“Potions?” Logan asked, nodding to it. Remy snorted.

“Soup,” he picked up a poker to revive the dying embers before giving the soup a stir with his ladle. He took a long, obnoxious slurp and smirked at Logan, holding the ladle out to him as an offering. Logan politely declined.

“I know you’re a dragon,” Remy finally said, dipping the ladle back into the soup and stirring it slowly. Logan tensed again, feeling his fingers twitch and change until they were pointed claws.

“Relax, dragon boy,” Remy said, not looking up from his stirring, “my apprentice is part dragon.” Logan stared at his talons as he willed them to melt back into soft, human skin.

“Roman did call him a lizard,” Logan noted softly. “What is the story behind that? If you do not mind my asking?” Remy smiled almost fondly.

“Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you,” Remy set the ladle on the side of the cauldron and turned to walk over to a plush armchair. Logan sat across from him in an equally nice chair. “I’m gonna tell you a story, Sweetheart, so shut your pretty yapper and listen, m’kay?” Logan huffed, but didn’t protest.

“Gold from dragon hordes tend to have higher magical energy then regular gold. Probably due to the magical protection that freezes their nests in time or somethin,” Remy said, fiddling with his goggles. “So often times us magic folk will pay high prices for gold specifically from dragon nests. Usually we send knights or warriors to try and get it for us, since we’d rather not get fried to a crisp, y’know?”

“One day, though, a young witch decided to sneak into a dragon cave to gather her own materials for a rather complex spell. The dragon caught her, obviously, but he found her so beautiful that he decided to keep her as a piece of his horde.” Remy’s voice grew quiet, so all Logan could hear was the crackling of fire in the fireplace.

“Surprisingly enough, she loved the dragon just as much as he loved her. He took a human form, much like how you have now, temporarily so they could- ahem,” Remy made a particular hand gesture, and Logan nodded in understanding.

“Long story short, she got pregnant. However, her family wasn’t exactly happy with her being essentially kidnapped by a dragon- no ma’am. They came with a slew of castle guards and attacked the dragon. He was unable to fight back upon realizing they were the family of his love...so he was slain.” Remy pulled his goggles off to clean them with the bottom of his tunic.

“The witch realized that if her family found out the child’s origins, they’d be at risk of the same fate as their father. So she got in contact with an old friend- the royal mage,” Remy slipped his goggles back on, “and he agreed to take on the half dragon, half witch child as his apprentice. Didn’t expect him to be such a lil shit, but I guess he takes after me, huh?” Remy grinned, though there was a sadness in it. Logan was silent for a moment, resting his chin on folded hands.

“I recognize I asked, but you mentioned this is why you asked me to stay behind. Is there a particular reason you felt the need to tell me this story?” Logan inquired. Remy sighed loudly and flung himself into a much more dramatic position in his chair.

“Yooooou needa take a page from the book of dragoning. Y’know?”

“...No. I don’t follow,” Logan admitted, narrowing his eyes. Remy flailed his arms.

“You can’t get attached to a human is what I’m sayin!” Logan tensed at that, staring Remy down.

“I won’t. I don’t understand what gives you the idea that I would,” he said, voice almost dangerous. Remy didn’t take the warning- instead rolling his eyes and standing up.

“You got awful defensive over Patton when I flirted with him. Y’know, considering you aren’t at all attached to him,” Logan growled.

“I need him to help my find a new centerpiece for my horde, seeing as he destroyed my last one. Of course I’ll be defensive over your possible distractions!” He fired back, standing as well. He loomed over the other man, though he simply scoffed.

“Well sorry for tryin to look out for ya, babe. Don’t come crying to me when you’re tail over talons for him,” he folded his arms as Logan’s hands curled into fists.

“I won’t. Because I won’t fall in love with him! Or any human, for that matter!” He snarled. There was a tense silence, only broken by the door being thrown open.

“REMY HOLY FUCK!” His apprentice leaned in, “Those guys outside are freaking out because they think you stole their friend. I thought I told you to stop doing that.” Remy snorted and ruffled his hair affectionately.

“What can I say, babe, I just have that effect on people,” he winked and turned back to Logan,  “Well, you heard him,” Remy said, making a shooing motion. His apprentice grinned with sharp teeth.

“See ya soon, Logan.” Logan nodded and headed for the door, stepping outside. He paused and turned back.

“Wait...What do you mean soon?” The house was gone. Logan blinked and rubbed at his eyes, but the clearing stayed empty. Well, empty aside from Patton sprinting towards him. Logan froze as Patton threw his arms around his shoulders.

“There you are! I knew Remy wanted to talk to you, but I got worried after a while.” Patton fretted. Logan pushed Patton away.

“Yes, well- I am here now. Did Virgil take the potion?” Logan asked. Patton nodded.

“I made sure of it,” Roman agreed loudly. Virgil elbowed him in the ribs, and Roman squawked in surprise. Logan nodded.

“Right. Then I suppose we should take Virgil home, then,” Logan said, looking towards Patton.

“Yeah, sounds good to me!” Patton chimed in. He turned to Roman and gave a small bow. “It was...it was really great to see you again. Even if it was only for a while.” His gaze flicked back to Logan, who had gone to stand next to Virgil. “You guys ready?”

“W-wait!” Roman called, just as the three began to leave. They paused and turned to face the prince once more. He kicked at the grass almost sheepishly. “I don’t know if you know, but relations with the kingdom south of us are tense...so to help with relations my mother is hosting a ball. Citizens from both kingdoms are welcome to attend so...would you like to come?” Roman was looking directly at Patton, but he added “All of you- of course.”

“I would love to Roman! But…” Patton began. However, he didn’t get to finish, as Logan quickly cut in.

“But nothing. I think I can speak for all of us when I say we most certainly wish to join you, Roman.” Patton and Virgil both looked at Logan with surprise. Virgil tugged on the front of his hood and bit his lip.

“I dunno, Lo,” he commented softly. “Big crowds? Fancy clothes? Not really my scene.” Logan shook his head and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

“Trust me, Virgil, I think it will be fun,” he said smoothly. Patton noticed his eyes flash gold briefly, and the tension in Virgil’s shoulders seemed to melt away.

“Okay…” Virgil sighed hesitantly. Logan nodded.

“Excellent. Patton?” He turned to face the man.

“...Sure,” Patton said. Roman smiled warmly.

“Well then, come along! The ball isn’t until tomorrow, but you can all stay the night- there’s plenty of room!” Roman chattered excitedly as the other three followed. “Oh I’m so glad you agreed, my mother will be thrilled to see you, Patton. She was always quite fond of you,” Roman laughed. “So always urged me to snatch you up before you were taken by someone else.” Logan’s stride faltered for but a moment before it returned to normal. Patton wondered what that was about…

[starlightkun]

next ayakashi route?

this probably won’t actually affect what route i do bc my brain does what it wants but im curious so below r some snippets/outlines/general overview of possible ayakashi routes (members names r included so there r technically spoilers) and a link to a poll for which u wanna see next any input would b greatly appreciated (ig u could also vote without reading the snippets if u want)

taeyong

essentially a fake dating au!

“We need to come up with a story.”

“What?” Taeyong questioned, his newly appeared ears not even fazing you.

“As to who you are and why you live with me. For all the non-Ayakashi people I know. Like Jaemin, and my parents, and any normal human friends I have.”

“Oh. Yeah, you’re right.”

“Roommate would be a tough sell considering I have one bedroom.”

They leave it at that and reader is like “we’ll drive off that bridge when we get there”

And the bridge that they arrive at is when jaemin shows up unannounced and taeyong had just spilled sumn on his shirt and comes out of readers bedroom shirtless (thankfully in his human form) whining that he cant find another shirt and jaemins like 👁👄👁 “Oh u got some dick last night I see” and at first like hes down hell yeah good for you getting laid but then reader is like “uh taeyong check my closet” and that’s when Jaemin is like nice dude u got laid I love that for u and reader is just super embarrassed goes to help find taeyong a shirt and is like ‘jaemin thinks we slept together’ ‘what? Why?’ ‘uh maybe because he thinks youre actually just tama and not my catboy roommate and you came out of my bedroom shirtless’ ‘oh, I see’ ‘so youre gonna need to leave for a minute while I deal with Jaemin like go to lenticular and ill pick u up later ok’ and tyong like aight ig?? so reader walks him back out and Jaemin is watching them real smug, and reader sees him to the door and is like ‘alright nice seeing you have a good one buh-bye dude’ jaemins like… so….. what happened to his shirt ;)’ but then it all goes downhill bc readers panics and is like well im not getting rid of taeyong or Jaemin anytime soon ever so I have to make a conceivable lie for now as to why hes constantly here and whoops says theyre dating and livin together and it all goes downhill from there

johnny

strangers to friends to lovers ft. hot old man johnny what more could u want

- reader and Johnny spend like everyday together putting lenticular back together and they ~get big dumb crushes on each other~ and ~fall in love~

- johnny teaches reader how to cook!! Does the wrapping arms around n hands on top of others hand to help chop smth and readers like….. oh how smooth and Johnny’s like hey, old mans still got it

- “You’ve had a hundred years to practice flirting, I think I’m at a real disadvantage here.”

sicheng

supreme angst but also supreme hurt/comfort

- he has a Tragic Backstory abt his village being burned down by oni

-  “Sicheng almost killed Mark. All of us, actually. We tried to stop him from you know, killing Mark, and he just wouldn’t stop.” TY “Then how did—” YN “Jeno… but he had to injure him badly enough that he couldn’t keep trying. And he got pretty fucked up in the process too.” TY “How bad?” YN “Yuta could only heal so much at a time. Turns out, he doesn’t just stop people’s pain when he heals them, he transfers their pain to himself. He passed out just trying to patch up Johnny. Hence why I look like this.” TY points to a scrape/bruise “How bad was Johnny?” YN “He was one of the worst, the old man brought out the big guns. It was actually pretty awesome seeing him in action, his eyes did this cool thing, until…” TY “Until Sicheng.” YN “Y/N, you can’t be too mad at him. He loves you, and he was grieving, and pissed. We all were, we all really thought we had lost you.” TY “Everyone’s alive though, right?” YN

yuta

whoops more supreme angst but with a furry twist

- originally wanted to help n protect y/n bc they felt like the younger sibling that yuta wasn’t able to help n protect,,, but in his route it develops into something else

- y/n feels sister-zoned when yuta first tells her that, n he later has to clarify that at first he was doing it to make up for not being able to protect his brother, but he ended up falling for y/n anyway

ten

star crossed lovers p much

- ok so I’m thinking that smth happens to reader’s chem lab and they have to share ten’s research lab or smth and they get chatting or whatever

- “Y/N, go use one of the microscopes on the research side.” PROF “Oh, okay.” YN *using microscope peacefully, TN comes over with a sample on a slide* “Excuse me, Y/N, I need the microscope.” TN “I'll be done soon.” YN “I said, I need the microscope.” TN “And I said, I’ll be done soon. Wait your damn turn.” YN “Why isn’t it working?” TN “What?” YN “I can’t bewitch you.” TN “Bewitch?” YN “Watch. Mingyu?” TN “What?” MG *sounds annoyed* “Clearly doesn’t like me, right?” TN says to reader “Come here for a second.” *one of his colleagues comes over* “Yeah?” MG *sounds annoyed* “Could you please rip up your notes?” TN “Of course.” MG *grabs papers and prepares to rip them* “Oh my God stop!” YN *MG stops, blinks like he’s coming out of a trance* “Why was I… what just happened?” MG “You seem tired, Mingyu. Maybe you should get a cup of coffee or something.” YN “Yeah, probably.” MG *walks away* *TN is glaring at her, offended and bewildered* “So that was bewitching? You can make people do whatever you want?” YN “There’s some limits, can’t make anybody kill someone else or themselves. Things like that.” TN “Why are you looking at me like that?” YN “Not only can I not bewitch you, but you broke Mingyu out of it.” TN “Maybe it’s because I’m an Onmyoji?” YN “No, I can bewitch Onmyoji just fine. I can bewitch anybody, even other Jorogumo. And nobody can break it. Except you. Why?” TN “I don’t know.” YN

renjun

some angst but a happy ending i promise my heart is too weak to not have a happy ending

- I think there’s more of a conflict between love interest and taeyong over how taeyong acts around reader once they start dating mainly bc renjun is rlly jealous 1) hey that’s my gf why r u cuddling up to her so much and 2) he cant rlly be as physically affectionate as tyong bc of the whole ‘mind reading when u touch ppl’ thing hes got going on

- reader comes back from some dangerous mission or sumn and both tyong and renjun r waiting for her and tyong immediately runs up and buries his head in her neck and renjun cant do anything except stand and worry from afar and it’s a n g s t

vote here!

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

30+ Simple to Surprising Suggestions That Won't Cure Celiac Disease

New blog post! One of the very first things my doctor told me after my celiac disease was this: "Right now, there is no celiac disease cure...you can only manage your symptoms by sticking to a strict gluten free diet." And yet, over six years after that moment, I still regularly bump into people who say that they "used" to have celiac disease.

Yeah. The phrase "used to" boggles my mind just as much as it does yours! But thinking about these "past" celiacs (as well as this awesome post from Carb Counting Mama about mythical "cures" for Type 1 Diabetes) got me curious. I found myself asking: what are some of the most common "cures" that are suggested to people with celiac disease like me? And, even better, what are some of the weirdest? So I scoured gluten free Facebook support groups, Reddit and Quora threads, and polled my own Insta followers...and here's what I came up with! Keep in mind...as I wrote above, there is presently NO celiac disease cure (though there are some cures being tested in various research studies). All the celiac disease "cures" are listed below solely for entertainment purposes, as well as in hopes that they will serve as a reminder to take other people's advice - especially about your health! - with a grain of salt.

Let's begin with three of the MOST common incorrect celiac disease "cures":

1. You need to go gluten free to heal the intestinal damage initially caused by celiac disease...but once your antibodies test at a "normal" level, you're cured and can eat whatever you want! Cue the booing audience soundtrack, because this is definitely very false! Yes, you will test negative for celiac disease and not show any intestinal damage after going gluten free, but that's only because you're not eating gluten. As soon as you start, all that damage will come back...and "once again", you will have celiac!

2. Now, let's discuss "cure" number two: keeping or adding a little gluten back into your diet so that your body can slowly become more tolerant of it. This is a practice called oral immunotherapy, and it's becoming a more common treatment for people with food allergies. You can also read here about how injectable immunotherapy may be helpful for people with celiac disease in the (likely far) future. However, it is important to keep in mind that celiac disease is NOT the same thing as a food allergy, and exposing someone with celiac disease to low doses of gluten will not "improve their tolerance" of it. 3. And finally, the infamous, "Oh, I bet you'll grow out of it!" Beep. Wrong answer! When you're diagnosed with celiac disease, you have it for life. But maybe the friends or coworkers talking about how their aunt or cousin magically "healed" their celiac disease credits a different technique.

You know...something a little more alternative-medicine-like.

Here are just a couple of real-life suggestions people have gotten on how to cure their celiac disease:

"Heal your gut." Yes, working on creating a happy gut by eating probiotic-rich foods, avoiding foods that mess with your body, etc. may help you feel better in the long run...but it won't let you just magically go back to eating Papa John's pizza.

Use a detoxing diet protocol or product line...and I'm not gonna name any names, but if you've ever been in a Facebook group related to eating gluten free, you've probably seen at least a few posts talking about the latest miracle pill or juice line.

Do a parasite cleanse.

Clear up the yeast infection that caused celiac disease in the first place. Now, there are studies linking yeast infections or fungal infections and celiac disease, and some even suggest yeast overgrowth could be the trigger to celiac disease or the reason why some people with celiac disease don't feel 100% even after going gluten free. But the only site I found saying clearing up a yeast infection "fixed" someone with celiac was selling a yeast cleanse product...and repeatedly used "celiac" and "gluten intolerance" to mean the same thing. Sooo...do with that what you will.

Try Chinese acupuncture to "reset" your immune system. People in the comments did report their seasonal allergies had improved via acupuncture...but from what I've seen, no celiacs have yet been cured via needles.

And now, drum roll please....we get to the food. Currently, eating gluten free is the only science-backed treatment for celiac disease...but that doesn't keep other people from suggesting different or even more restrictive diets.

Dietary Choices That Can "Cure" Celiac Disease:

Eating gluten from Europe, since its different processing protocols or ingredients make it "safe" for people with celiac disease. Unfortunately, wheat is wheat...and all wheat, gluten and barley are dangerous for people with celiac.

That you actually just need to avoid pesticides covering food, not the food itself. I'm pretty sure pesticide-free wheat will still hurt me. And so far, one of the only studies linking pesticides with celiac disease (in a causal relationship) was later said to have made conclusions "not supported by the available scientific evidence."

Only eating organic fruits and veggies and free-range meats. Which is basically just one form of a gluten free diet, which doesn't "cure" celiac disease but does treat the symptoms.

Guzzling bone broth. 

Drinking celery juice on the daily. 

Eating allll the bananas. At least this celiac disease cure has history, considering that doctors first treated people with celiac disease by prescribing a banana-only diet.

Eating a plant-based diet. You can certainly eat a plant-based and gluten free diet, and you may even find eating plant-based makes you feel healthier overall...but it won't let you eat gluten again if you have celiac disease.

Avoiding GMOs. 

Only eating whole wheat versus refined flours. Because whole wheat is definitely what someone who can't tolerate gluten or wheat needs to heal? Yeah, I'm lost on this one.

This is when my research really started getting fun (in a twisted sort of way, I suppose). Because the more I searched, the more weeeeird celiac disease "cures" I discovered.

We'll start off pretty tame with just three "healthy living" hacks that are often suggested to pretty much anyone with a chronic illness.

Doing yoga. I can confirm that doing hot yoga regularly will not sweat out your inability to eat gluten.

Juicing. Unfortunately, I don't believe fruits and veggies can change our genes...

Drinking hot water every morning. Apparently, this is what everyone in Cambodia suggested one celiac traveler should try...

And then there are the countless things you can buy to "fix" your digestion, your mood and, of course, your autoimmune disease. Just to name a few examples, here are some marketable celiac disease "cures" many celiacs recall being pitched:

Essential oils...because what CAN'T essential oils do these days?!?

Probiotics. Taking probiotics has definitely transformed my gut health for the better, but there is a major limit to their "healing" powers.

Chinese medicine. Again...these cure everything, right?

Digestive enzymes. Possibly helpful when at risk for cross-contamination while eating out or if you have gluten intolerance. Not helpful for de-activating your celiac gene.

Activated charcoal. Sammmme as above.

And finally, the grand finale: a bunch of celiac disease cure suggestions that I saw on my computer screen and couldn't help but think:

"This is too weird to make up."

Get pregnant and your body will "magically" fix its celiac disease. Who knew we all just needed a bun in the oven to suddenly eat wheat?

Prayer. I know this is a touchy subject, and I don't include this "cure" in this grouping as an intentional attack on anyone who believes in the power of prayer. I agree that miracles can happen...but that it's also irresponsible to suggest that people with celiac disease can or should just pray about being able to eat gluten and still put their body in harm's way...

Meditating regularly and reducing stress. Definitely beneficial in helping you cope with the stress of having an autoimmune disease. But that's about it.

Exorcism?!? Yeah...I'll just leave that one here. (And note that the person who shared this story considers the wannabe celiac "exorcist" an ex-friend. Not surprising, I'd say!).

Thinking positively. 

Communion wafers that are made with gluten. As the commenter put it, "I know God loves me, but God's gluten wafer definitely doesn't."

Going to a psychologist or therapist. Celiac disease CAN have a psychological impact on the people who have it, but it's not rooted in our minds.

Waving vials of wheat near your body to "desensitize" it to gluten. A mom heard this tip from her daughter's doctor. Safe to say, they soon found a new practitioner to visit.

What I Hope You Take Away From This Post

At the end of the day, I would be ecstatic if there was a celiac disease cure...not necessarily even for me to use, but as a great option for my children, should they inherit my celiac disease. 

Right now, though, there is no cure for celiac disease - just eating gluten free to treat celiac's symptoms. 

I know that fact can be hard to accept, especially if you're newly diagnosed or struggling with celiac-related issues right now.

But also know this: over six years after my celiac diagnosis, I can honestly say that I'm living pretty dang happily while eating gluten free. And you can too.

So if friends or coworkers do suggest a less-than-scientific way to magically "fix" your celiac disease, I hope you can laugh off their suggestions and be grateful for everything you still can do, even while living with celiac disease.

Has someone ever told you they "cured" their celiac disease or know someone who did? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments! via Blogger https://ift.tt/2HSKFOk