#more aus b/c i cannot be stopped

[authoratmidnight]

Thinking about how Hunter is so empathetic and kind and, what if he didn't land in Arachnian lands when he fell into the Inner World? What if Corona wasn't the first person he met?

What if this kind boy, who just wants to help people, was found by the Invectids first?

Hunter lands in or near the Invectid lands and is found by some troops who, having no idea what do with this human catch him and take him back to Mantid (Hunter just goes along with it b/c, not like he can fight).

At first they naturally think that he's a spy, but after a lot of questioning it soon becomes very clear that no this little human is not a spy, in fact he knows basically nothing about the Invectids, the war, the Inner World. In fact he swears he's from the Outer World. Obviously they don't believe him at first but between Mantid and Aqune they manage to confirm that he, in fact, telling the truth.

And oh, oh this is so perfect for Mantid. Hunter is a clean slate and such a bleeding heart.

And like, if a Hunter Steele who had been fighting the Invectids could be swayed be hearing the Invectid's plight and Mantid's lies, then imagine what that would do to a Hunter fresh into the Inner World?

So that's what he does, he allows Hunter to wander the Invectid lands, tho not without Aqune as an escort, and he feeds him his twisted version of the truth; that the Oracle Sun took her light away, how the Invectids have lived in darkness and just want the sun back. And like, it's not like he's (completely) lying, Hunter can see that the land is shrouded darkness and that they're suffering. And the longer he spends there, among the Invectids, among the civilians, the more sympathetic he grows towards them (even if some of them, like Buguese do not like him). He wants to help them, they deserve the sunlight as well after all.

Mantid is smart though, he keeps Hunter close to him, because Hunter is also sharp and he knows that if he lets him loose to early he could lose this valuable pawn. So he just, keeps filling his head with half truths, and Aqune and Hunter's own eyes being able to back up what he says only further convinces Hunter.

Ofc Hunter asks a lot of questions, like, have they tried just asking the humans? Or explaining their plight? Surely if they knew how bad it was they would help?

And naturally, Mantid has all the right answers. Of course they've tried asking, but humans have never liked Invectids so they refuse to share, they chase them away. They're so cruel to them, they don't care what happens to them. That's why they have to resort to stealing from them, even though they don't like it.

Hunter is smart though and does begin to think that something is off about all this, and that maybe the Oracle didn't willingly take her light away, but something or someone drove her away. He doesn't necessarily think it's Mantid (yet). He does bring this up to Aqune once, tho Buguese, who's always close by, takes this a slight against Mantid and how dare he speak of Mantid like that. Even though Hunter never mentioned Mantid and wasn't even thinking about him. Like dang Buguese what does that say about what YOU think of him?? He's not happy to have this pointed out and drops the subject fast haha.

Shadow- Hunter does eventually get Shadow. He is a Spider Rider so he needs a spider. Since Mantid keeps him in the Invectid lands for a while it is a bit before he gets his spider. I'm leaning towards the idea of him finding Shadow wounded either near the Invectid lands or on a rare trip out with Aqune and Buguese (Buguese being stuck babysitting these humans is too funny to me). Aqune shows him how to recall a spider into his manacle and they bring Shadow back to have his wounds tended too. So basically, Hunter kinda sorta kidnapped his spider (oops). Shadow spends most of his time inside the manacle, and learning about things via Hunter. He is shocked to see another Battle Spider and rider, but it does lend credibility to what Hunter says.

Obviously this would all, ultimately, culminate in Hunter realizing that Mantid has lied to them and him and is partly responsible for the Oracle's light vanishing and having to escape him and the Invectid lands to Arachna and hopefully plead his case and convince the humans to trust him.

Which is a whole nother thing for a whole nother post i think.

[somerandomdudelmao]

sitting on my hands, silently screaming because I can't stop thinking about the connection between Casey and Raph and about Casey discovering said connection and So, to temper my hype, I decided to try and find as many Casey-Raph parallels and possible Raph-sourced influences on Casey: (forgive my formatting I am not used to Tumblr) 1. Casey being able to easily mimic Raph's growls, despite having no memory of learning (note: more obvious b/c it happened so recent. though, based on the fact that the other turtles were surprised by Casey making the noise... did Raph teach him?)

2. Honestly, just Casey's protective nature in general? Casey works so hard to protect his family (learning how to carry his much-bigger-uncles, caring to their needs when their vulnerable without question (i.e. tot Leo and Donnie), literally any time he's concerned with the turtle's health))

3. (Slightly-iffy BUT:) Being very conscious of his strength/fragility of others - - which might be a tad silly to say when all his family is bigger and stronger than him, and there is already another connection in that to Leo, but I cannot get Raph ever admitting "I'm the strong one, the big brother, so I need to protect and take care of you guys!!" so I'm calling it a mix of both Raph and Leo

4. The way they hold/cradel the tinies is very similar (note: there might be more reflections of this category but I honestly can't tell b/c most characters are bigger then Casey)

5. Another different, fun pose where they mirror each other pt.3 (except its very obvious)

6. Krang-ified Casey looks a lot like Krang-ified Raph; from the right eye (our left) to the tentacle right arm (our left) to the clawed left arm (our right) to the spikes. too many similarities for me not to at least point it out.

7. Casey and Raph being attacked by (proportionally the same size to them) Tiny Donnies and getting absolutely bodied.

8. This specific expression - - a possible common trait in just adoring cute things? (note: need more data to find this out, cus I did find a similar expression on Donnie, and we can't really see sparkles in Robot!Raph's eyes, but there was one from the show that's rather close.)

... did I over look into some traits that can maybe be explained other ways? probably. did I miss some parallels? definitely, this series is littered with them. but this AU has me by the throat and we are getting backstory on MY favorite of the turtles, so I need to cope somehow. (This is also my first ask. Idk if I'm did it right. I hope it goes through, and at least someone sees it.) (Message to anyone who sees this: HYDRATE OR DIEDRATE, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DONATELLO WHO WILL REVIVE YOU.)

What a wonderful research

[zarnzarn]

About the Reverse Odyssey AU (love it btw), do you think any of the Ithacans start praying to Hephastus? Just in case they can't get Odysseus back to human form, at least they can ask the God of inventing how to build a new palace that's half underwater.

oh god I have to continue that.... i have 3000 wips that ive gotten inspo for all at once are descending on me guys plus I am actively getting a master's degree bear w me for a few days

also OMG fuck yes!!! Ithaka is much more involved in this than in canon since a. they r not down 600 people who are immensely loyal to odysseus b. their king made a direct sacrifice FOR THEM literally no one else would have done this no other king would ever let himself be cursed to save his kingdom c. it's been 10 years and they all find it unjust because they'd all seen him weep as he left and know he and Penelope missed each other like crazy.

(plus he was very young when he took the throne! imagine a 13 year old telling u what to do and then being right. the people of Ithaka must have been very fond of him and most would have seen him as son-adjacent)

so one person has this idea one day, and they take it to the architects, who take it to the blacksmiths, who take it to the ruler of Ithaka. She pursues her lips as she looks at it, teeth grinding at the assumption that they would succeed but not overcome the curse, but allows them to do it.

So they start.

It is harder than their initial ideas demanded. First there is the matter of structures that do not stay down long enough to stick together, then there is the matter of how to secure them. Their dreams of beautiful underwater sculptures fall through as they struggle to conjure up even a basic shelter, even in the summer calm of the waters.

So, desperate and frustrated, they pray to Hephastus.

Ithaka is famous for its dedication to the goddess Athena, most of its temples under the king's ten-year rule being lovingly dedicated to the wisdom goddess. A separate group of smaller temples honors the other gods in the main town; but the main palace and most houses are painted blue and owl feathers and trinkets and sculptures are sold in the main market- the most beautiful of artistry is reserved for Pallas Athene alone.

But the blacksmiths and architects work together to build a small shrine worthy of the inventor god; with hidden catches and rotating idols and the best of their tools and ideas burnt at the fire kept burning at the base of it.

And after a few weeks- Hephaestus blesses them.

(He cannot make up for what he tried to do to Athena in his drunkenness and on Posiedon's inescapable goading. He was young and stupid and hurt and proud and drugged- he thinks she knows this, and has long since let it pass enough to stand beside him without a second thought; but will never be able to get over his shame- so the least he can do is this.)

But Ithaka's artists wake up with the same idea in mind and rush to the shrine in the early hours of the morning to give their thanks. Then they start building- floating large stones down at the far end to mark the range, until they have raised the wall enough to drain out the waters for them to work inside. They work fast, laying down the walls within days, until it joins to where the courtyard of the main palace creeps down the side of the cliff. From the palace itself, a tunnel is dug in the main room, wrapping around the mountain through the softer rock deposits, then travelling down to the sea.

They have the blueprints Odysseus himself had commissioned for his palace, and try to add in the carvings and structures accordingly. They dare not risk more than the smallest of owls carved into the stone entrance, wary of Posiedon's wrath at his rival. They work hard, encouraged by the people, helped by the Trojan heroes themselves- and strangely, their hands never feel tired and the ideas never stop coming.

The first test comes at the start of the monsoons.

The storms roll in angry and strong, battering against the island of Ithaka as furiously as always. When it is done, the architects are dismayed to find their hard-made palace flooded and destroyed, stone displaced or missing, with one collapse of the outside barrier causing three more within.

Dejected, they burn their tools at the temple forge once more, and then go to bed.

That next morning, the youngest of them wakes up with the thought- what if we used metal to hold them together?

The royal family gives them funding once more, and they commission for marble pillars to be sent from the mainland in exchange for their raw materials; these they sink to the bottom and drain the water once more. These pillars are erected and melted into the shifting sand with hot liquid metal, until they fuse into the rock. The roofed ceiling is replaced with live kelp and seaweed, attached to the top of the pillars and bound together. The walls are rebuilt quicker- with more labour coming in when they look closer to success than before, men with guilty eyes and stubborn determination ready to do the back-breaking, risky work.

The whole island holds its breath this time, as the monsoon rolls in and the ships return. The storms roll in and-

The wall has fallen completely, leaving the surroundings unsuitable for them to put it back up, letting the water back in.

But the building stands.

The celebration lasts all day and night, with all the workers being given a place of honor at the palace table itself for dinner. Even the royal family themselves are happy, for all the disappointment of another year of failure, and are grateful in a way that satisfies them more than the money ever could.

Yet there is still the second test- the tunnel to connect to the palace.

The main digging is complete; but as they reach the end they realize they do not know how they will open it to the sea without losing men to the outburst of the sea pouring back in. The Queen twists her lips when they go to her with the problem, thinking.

"This is such a bad idea," One of the men whispers.

"Shh," Eurylochus says, striking another spear into the final barrier. Two men come forward with hammers and push it in further, and they wait until the call comes in from the surface far above from the diver outside that the spear has gone through. "Don't tempt fate."

"You are such a nice, sane man, Eurylochus," One of the men moans despairingly, and he smiles, small. "Why are our royals all mad?"

He laughs, remembering a similar conversation from many years ago. He slips the rope around the loop at the end of the spear, and feels the nostalgia twist into sorrow once more, missing his captain, his general, his brother, his king, his friend. If only he had never kept that cursed bag. If only he had the courage to step forward first, not frozen in fear and shouldered the cost instead like a soldier should for their king, for Odysseus. Had not made mistake after mistake further, ordering Odysseus out of their reach in his panic to get him to the water, not being prepared with a net to catch him both times they'd seen him after.

He kept one on his belt now, at all times.

But until the skies and seas cleared, there was nothing to do except make sure Ody had a home to return to; that he could reach.

"Let's go," Eurylochus exhales, and they all grab the ropes attached to the dozens of spears and make their way back up the winding tunnel as slowly as they can, careful not to step on even one rope or pull too hard, and risk spelling doom for them all. Hearts pounding as they walk in the eerily silent tunnel, the dark taunting them, urging them to run. But they hold their nerve and come out at the pool created inside the main court.

Eurylochus climbs out last from the pool, and smiles up at Ctimene. She looks beautiful in the Ithakan jewels once more, holding herself with more grace and confidence than much richer princesses ever had, anklets tinkling.

She nods and then turns to the rest. "PULL!"

As one, the ropes spring up tight, straining until the spears come loose and men go falling to the floor with shouts. For a second nothing happens.

Then they hear the roaring.

He knows it's water, Eurylochus knows it has to be water- but it still sounds like a hoard of monsters, the shouting of a battlefield, the cyclops when he stole the lives of their friends in his fury. He can't help grabbing his wife and pulling her back, shouting for a retreat as the water rushes through the tunnel and bursts out in a terrible din into the pool, filling it to the top and then overspilling off the sides immediately.

For a heart-stopping moment, Eurylochus watches the water catch onto the feet of the people around, rising and rising, and he remembers Poseidon's cruel smile as he crippled and cursed Eurylochus' brother and thinks it's going to drown us all-

And then the tide recedes, and the water crawls back with it.

The plan worked. The palace of Ithaka now creeps down into the sea, enticing their wayward king to find his way back home, swim back to them and be happy, even if they never solved his curse.

All they have to do now is wait.

[eloquent-edits]

Hello!!!!

I'm writing a rivals to lovers office AU and am in need of some inspiration. Can you please do a list of office AU prompts? I don't mind if they get suggestive.

Absolutely! (Also thank you for being the first person to request prompts :3)

Character A and character B have issues with their work computers at the same time, and the poor IT guy has to deal with their bickering while fixing the computers

The printer is constantly breaking and A can’t help but snidely remark on B’s struggle every time it happens

B critiques A’s work whenever they get the chance, claiming A needs to do better if they want to get up to B’s level (the criticism is actually kind of helpful, just poorly worded)

B’s desk is across from A’s, leading to stare-downs when the other seems to be slacking on work and eyebrow raises when personal calls are taken

A leaves anonymous sticky notes on B’s desk about office drama, rumors, and random news stories to see what sort of conversations B likes (B usually looks at these with confusion, throwing them away buT THEY KEEP SHOWING UP WHY)

In the company project group chat, A and B don’t acknowledge each other outside of emoji reactions unless it is necessary

They are forced to work together on a major project with much longer hours than they expected, leading to sleep deprived A actually being nice to B in the mornings (they share a quiet moment at the coffee machine)

B’s ex comes into the office as another company’s assistant, and A can’t help but be concerned at the grimace and pain in B’s eyes

A starts using the printer incidents to ask about B’s history and get to know them better

A celebration at work includes a happy hour, so B dresses up just a little more than usual and A cannot stop staring

B notices A is lingering around their desk more and teases them about wanting to take their spot (A definitely wants to take them in a fight right?)

A’s car won’t start in the parking lot, so B offers to jump it… it’s the first time seeing B less professional (let’s get those sleeves rolled up and a couple buttons loosened from the button-down)

The AC breaks while only a couple people are in office, meaning it’s up to A and B to try and fix it while waiting on maintenance, leading to B on a ladder and A most definitely trying to not stare at their butt

C, an older friend at the office, retires and throws a massive party where A and B get a little too drunk, and B accidentally compliments A instead of criticizing them (A doesn’t know how to process it and B refuses to acknowledge this ever happened)

After A openly disagrees with one of B’s ideas, B confronts them privately, getting a little too close as A is stubborn and standing firm (give me that tension you can cut with a knife, give me that turn away because otherwise one of them will do something they regret)

B finds A asleep at their desk one morning and can’t decide whether to wake them up for the meeting or to let them sleep longer because this is definitely not normal for A

Turns out A worked their ass off to get a major promotion, one that B was eyeing for a while, which makes B jealous and get a little snappy

A is shifted to another area of the office and an annoying coworker, C, takes over the old spot. B finds the change welcoming and unsettling (“They’re not here to bother me anymore…” “That’s a good thing!” “… Yes. I suppose you’re right.”)

B is called into A’s office to discuss another coworkers’ weird behavior, which gives A the opportunity to call B out on their behavior around A

“It’s like on day one of me working here, you put a note in your calendar that said to torment me whenever you could.”

“You’ve gone from criticizing everything I do to actually being somewhat nice and helpful and then right back to being an absolute prick! I don’t understand it at all. What changed? You still seem to hate me, so why be so kind? Why?”

B doesn’t respond with words, just by slowly reaching out to touch A’s hand and swiftly pulling them into a kiss (ideally B would explain more later but that’s up to you hehe)

[crescenthistory]

silly little prompt list

as my requests are open (to any characters i have written for + others in the same or similar fandoms), i thought to compile a longer prompt list to request from ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

send me a letter, number and character(s), as well as any additional details you'd like<3 mwah

nb! prompts in italics have already been chosen and written. you can request it again in another context, but i’m less likely to use it

a. sassy:

"how great that we have you to fix the world"

"thrilled to be blessed by your presence"

"i'll hear you out when you actually have something to say"

"well done, i would never have thought of that"

"how delightful"

"aren't you just a sweetheart"

"i'm sure you're not the only one"

"i'm sure you are the only one"

"how thoughtful of you"

"who would have thought"

"and?"

"in other news, the sky is blue"

"please do us all the favour of shutting up"

"i'd like nothing more"

"you forgot that i just don't care"

b. fluffy:

"i require at least a thousand kisses to make up for it"

"how are you so soft?"

"you occupy my every thought"

"kiss me again"

"you think (x) would kill us if we just eloped?"

"are you falling asleep on me?" "..." "alright then"

"may i have this dance?"

"it will always be you"

"i didn't know it was possible for you to be more beautiful"

"you changed my life"

"come back to bed"

"nothing matters but you"

"when did you realise you love me/her/him?"

"i can't imagine loving you more"

"how are you so cute right now?"

c. hurt/comfort:

"i want nothing more than to kiss away all your pain"

"maybe this will make it okay"

"who made you think all of this?"

"i didn't know it could hurt this much to be in love"

"there will not be a day where i am not there for you"

"i don't know, it just happened"

"they never left your side"

"you would have thought they were the injured one, the way they were acting"

"it pains me to see you like this"

"i'll get you out of there"

"you're okay, you're okay"

"i can't believe i did this"

"hold on, this might sting"

"i don't think i can take it, not this"

"i'm sorry, i know, i'm sorry"

d. angsty:

"how did you expect me to take it?"

"i just can't trust you anymore"

"well, i am terribly sorry for inconveniencing you"

"did you expect me to be more digestible?"

"but do you love me?"

"how could you expect me not to be angry with you after this"

"don't you have someone to take care of right now?"

"where is she?"

"it hurts like hell because you are everything to me"

"what a shame, they were so beautiful together"

"i never expected you to lie to me"

"what was i supposed to do?"

"i never hated you!"

"oh, stop with the tears"

"i can't do this anymore"

e. steamy:

"loosen up a little"

"let me distract you"

"turn around"

"kiss me, coward"

"tell me to stop"

"shut up"

"make me"

"it's more than want"

"use your words, sweetheart"

"i don't like to share"

"i want to see you"

"let's make this quick"

"is this okay?"

"tell me i'm yours"

"this is wrong"

f. ambiguous:

"well, fuck, i wasn't expecting my morning to go like this"

"you look like you want to read my mind"

"are we friends?"

"you woke me up for this?"

"tonight we're drinking straight from the bottle"

"pity"

"i cannot stand you two anymore"

"get over yourselves"

"do you realise you slam every door you close?"

"why would you do that?"

"can we please talk about this?"

"i'll ruin you"

"i'm so glad i was wrong about you"

"fine, keep acting like you hate me"

"i'm not drunk enough for this"

bonus: tropes (pair with a dialogue)

there's only one bed

bandmates

meet the family

near death experience

mutual pining believed to be unrequited

fake dating

temporary truce

accidental confession

secret relationship

firsts

soulmate au

arranged marriage

enemies/rivalry to lovers

trapped

sunshine x grump

[tgmsunmontue]

What to write weekend...?

Same time, same place... Let's get this writing started. If your curious about wordcounts etc. I have a spreadsheet here.

Explanation on how "What to Write Weekend" works and fic descriptions under the read more because it's long... Once you know you know though.

NUMBERS:

Sagas of Solitude 8/? - IceMav with side Hangster AU - angsty Nepo!Baby

Season to Taste 0/? - Professional and Famous Chef Bradley and Naval Aviator Jake Seresin. (Building on this).

CURRENT LETTERS:

A, B, C, D, E, H, I, J, K, L, M

--- --- --- --- --- ---

If you need it, here's an explanation of how it works:

You pick 1-3 of the above and either:

reply

Message

Send an ask (Anon is on)

with the letters/Numbers of the fic/s you wish would hurry up and get finished/posted already. (Yes, you can pick the same one three times - some of these fics are that close to getting parts/chapters finished that would be enough to tip them over, you also don't have to pick more than one).

--- --- --- --- --- ---

I WILL WRITE AT LEAST 250 WORDS for each one you pick. I reply to let you know when it is done. I've also started tracking it in a spreadsheet.

--- --- --- --- --- ---

Numbers indicate fics I am consciously working on updating/completing, and likely have a completion date in mind.

Letters are fics that are often getting completed because people ask for me to work on them through things like this. (I usually do this every weekend).

Doing this keeps me on task and makes me accountable. It stops me from procrastinating and I really appreciate people providing their numbers.

THANK YOU!

--- --- --- --- --- ---

A) Upon which our souls touch - 3/? - Hangster TGM AU involving dragon riders and shape shifters and fantasy... Seriously, I wouldn't vote for this one because my kids ask about it almost daily so... it gets attention regardless.

B) I'd know you anywhere 2/4?- Bradshaw Twins - Hangster (Tumblr post)

C) To wake, perchance to dream - 3/? - Hangster Jake wakes up in the future, gets a glimpse of what their life could be and then wakes up back right before being called back to Top Gun for the special detachment (e.g. TGM). (Tumblr post and the beginning of the fic)

D) Together or not at all... (SEQUEL) - Hangster - years after Javy/Nat get together they think their best friends (Hangman and Rooster) could maybe try dating each other. It'll either end in disaster or not.

E) Cyclone/Maverick - Cyclone is struggling to deal with being attracted to the most annoying person he's ever met. Why does he like him so much?

H) From the top - 1/? - an Ice/Mav epistolary fic where Jake and Bradley matchmake them, not realising exactly who it is they've matched together.

I) Life is too short to waste time matching socks... 3/? The peach and eggplant socks as an anonymous gift as an incredibly unsubtle hint that someone would like to fuck them. (tumblr idea unspooling here...)

J) Barista Jake who cannot spell Bradley's name. (HERE)

K) Caring, Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide - 5/?Transformers cross-over.

L) Hangster Soulmates, Bodyguard (leftover from the Bingo...)

M) IceMav Florist/Undercover Agent AU (also leftover from Bingo)

[sansloii]

had this sent to me when I was having a little moment this past weekend and

I have more thoughts on the answer i gave this weekend. More thoughts I wish to now expand upon

The short answer was that Death follows Mikah wherever they go. They're not running from it but it follows them regardless--like a shadow over their shoulder. It is a constant in their life.

Now the long answer is that Death only follows Mikah so closely because they cheat Death constantly. In the main verse, it's very obvious--they die and then resurrect in a matter of minutes depending on how they were killed. Even if some spectre of the afterlife were to latch onto them, they'd be pulled right back into the land of the living without incident. It irritates them here because they're young and they do experience phantom pains from each death--enough to where they try to actively avoid things that will get them killed.

Same goes for their fantasy/royal au. They can die but they will come right back. No fanfare, no scare--they just... do. It's a little more thoughtless because it's just... their reality at that point and they're "older" ( in that they've been deathless for a while ) so there isn't much of a thought given to their deaths aside from some... resigned sigh when it happens. Phantom pains still occur but they've learned to ignore it now.

their god au is a little different so it doesn't exactly apply... but the alnst au follows the same trend, to some extent with some limitations because they're human. they've only got the one life... and yet, even then, they're weasel their way out of alnst b/c of a specific event that just... mentally takes them out it. it breaks them and they leave before they can suffer the same fate

And I'm going to get to that but first, I'm gonna float the idea of what happens if you cheat death. There is a space there... that needs to be filled... yes?

It can't just sit empty... right?

Thus comes Mikah's motivation.

In the main verse, Mikah cannot die... so their girlfriend, Cassandra, does. That is their fault. Later on, Evan also dies because of Mikah's actions. Both times, it should've been them as their actions directly lead to the death of both individuals.. but they live. They're injured, for sure, but... not dead.

In the fantasy/royal au, mikah ( unbeknownst to anyone ) is very cursed. However, because they cannot die, whatever deal their noble parents made comes back at them. It's not Mikah's fault, no, but they are still blamed for it. It was supposed to be them, people would say, and that does wonders for their psyche.

In the alnst au, they are not supposed to win. I personally love their voice and their vocal ability but I put a lot of thought into Evan's voice from the get go for a reason. I wanted him to have a lot of range because out of the two of them, Evan should be the one that comes out on top. but he doesn't. He chooses not to... for Mikah. So they don't die. It should've been them.

All of this is to say that Mikah is a person/being whose existence is meant to dodge responsibility and cheat consequences. death is a companion to them intentionally, because it's meant to show them that if it's not them, it's going to be someone else--someone close to them. someone often not deserving of it. that punishment always passes them over and effects someone else.

And Mikah is very aware of this. Some part of them knows and refuses to accept it. Another part of them is... content with it. A third part has accepted that as just the way things are, whether they like it or not. As unfair as it is, the only option to stop that would be to stay away from everyone...

...and Mikah, bless their heart, is too selfish for that. Their lonely heart would not be able to withstand that.

[sandiavolo]

AshNa'vi!Spider AU Ch. 3

I write this at midnight b/c I finally pushed myself into completing my revision for the next chapter of 'As the Ash Cloud Passes Over'!

The forest arc continues, as we gain an idea of the consequences Lo'ak suffers when he goes toe to toe with none other than an honorary member of the Ash Clan. In the end, he bites off way more than he can chew, but a new player makes themselves known.

I never stopped thinking about this story when I went back to college a few weeks ago. There were times I tried to push myself, but it was really all the likes I got on my posts for the Ash Spider AU that gave me the determination. So I want to say, with all my soul, thank you to everyone who stuck/sticks around. You are all the reason I do this.

I cannot promise any further dates for publishing but I can promise that this story will go on as long as it possibly can💙💙💙

[ngmn2002]

This thing has always fascinated me... especially the part "Likes the blood of cute girls, but it would be a pity if they dried up completely. So just a tiny bit is enough."

This gives me the impression that… let's say… for your blood to be wanted by vampire Hanako, you should be… A) A girl. B) A "cute" girl (to him). And since Hanako is a… nice vampire... should I call it? He will feel bad if he ended up harming his targets or killing them… so, just a tiny bit of their blood is enough to satisfy him… or so he says.

Now… to the part I want to get into… There are 2 persons Hanako… let's say tried doing that to them, as far as I know.

Let's start with…

Nene.

-I wonder what happened with her after that... did she become a vampire Like Hanako or something...?-

She is….

A) A girl. ✓ B) A "cute" girl. ✓ And l will add this "special feature" too… C) She is Nene. ✓✓✓

Everything is going great until this point.

The second person is…

"But in the past, he misjudged the amount of blood he drank. And accidentally killed someone."

Someone… as in…

Tsukasa.

What an adorable little ghost. -where is your other hand by the way...? If you're covering it with your sleeve, then it's good.-

Now, the description from before started falling apart a bit...

Is Tsukasa...

A) A girl. X  B) A "cute" girl. The "cute" part is ✓, the girl part is X. Now, I will also add this here as well: C) He is Tsukasa. ✓✓✓

He is a special case, a special exception.

Now, let's say what makes vampire Hanako want your blood a lot depends on your cuteness. The cuter you are to him, the more Hanako will feel the need for your blood.

Nene is of course so cute to him.

Tsukasa…

Let me get back to the that little sentence for a moment… here it is…

"But in the past, he misjudged the amount of blood he drank. And accidentally killed someone. (Tsukasa)"

Vampire Hanako "misjudged the amount of blood he drank". It seems the amount of Tsukasa's cuteness in his eyes is way too high, although he sees it as "it would be a pity if they dried up completely. So just a tiny bit is enough". It seems with Tsukasa… he couldn't control himself, Tsukasa is super cute to him, his blood is so sweet to him it seems, that he couldn't help it, kept going because he couldn't have enough, a "tiny bit" is not enough, and…  couldn't stop, until Tsukasa… ended up dying. And Hanako accidentally killed Tsukasa.

I think that is how it went?

Well… maybe…

I wonder if that was the only time Hanako tried doing it to Tsukasa… or if there were other times before… and he managed to hold back, but in this one time he lost control and couldn't stop.

Anyway, if it happened for multiple times or only one time, it seems Tsukasa is not bothered by that at all. Ghost him is all happy and I believe when he was alive, he was still feeling the same way, he is happy to try helping Hanako get the blood he needs, and maybe… dying in Hanako's arms is not bad at all to him. Dying for "his good big brother" Hanako is worth it to him.

Let's pretend Tsukasa from this AU said that. They had the same sort of experience after all.

And here… such a sweet big brother, doing all that for your beloved, "cute" little brother. How caring and sweet.

Also, the fact that Tsukasa's grave isn't with the other graves in the graveyard, and is "alone" and there in the forest some distance away from the other graves, shows how special Tsukasa is to Hanako, right? A way to give Tsukasa's grave more sanctity. His grave is treated with all the care and attention by Hanako. And also, maybe Hanako wanted for it to be private, and wanted to have more privacy in general with his "cute, dear little brother".

*********

Now, I will add this short part...

What was said about Tsukasa...

Hmm... "cannot sleep without his favourite pillow", this is so cute, but why? I always like to go and say it's a present from Hanako, and therefore Tsukasa feels comfortable when it's with him. It's even still with him as a ghost, it must be so dear to him.

"Even among the employees, it seems there are those who can see him, and those who can't." ........... "why is that so?" That's what I want to know.

At least we know Nene can see him, since they interacted with each other, but... what about Hanako? Maybe he does too? But still likes to decorate and take care of his "cute" and dear little brother's grave. A way to show his love and care even more.

********

Anyway, I had these thoughts in mind for so long. It's time to let them out. Hopefully, I will do the same with the rest remaining thoughts someday.

Thanks to whoever read my random little thoughts until here, I hope you enjoyed them.

[curiouslavellan]

1, 4, 7 (SOULMATE AU???? 👀👀👀👀), 13, 20, 55 and 72 pls! 💜💛❤💙🧡💚💗🧡💚💜

1 was already answered!

4. How do you choose which fics to write?

Whichever character possesses me lmao. Honestly though it really is down to motivation at the time. I try to stay on See Fire somewhat regularly because that's my dedicated long fic, and then hop between shorter ones at will

7. Post a snippet from a wip.

Soulmate AU as requested ❤️ this is from the first scene when the twins are kids and Ariel is a teenager

Bethany’s face is blotchy and wet, and Ariel uses a sleeve to wipe at her cheeks until Bethany pushes it away.  “It’s not fair,” she says. “Why does Carver get a soulmate?”  “He just does,” Ariel replies simply. “Now some poor girl out there has to spend her whole life with his handwriting stuck on her. I wish her luck.”  Bethany laughs a little, which Ariel was hoping for, but it’s so weak and short-lived it barely counts. She falls right back into the same pensive frown once it's dead. “Sister Catharine says the Maker gives people the marks. That He only gives them to good people, who deserve them. ”  She doesn’t raise her chin, but she does look up then, so Ariel can only see her reddened eyes through her lashes. “Do you think it’s ‘cause we’re...” 

13. Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what have you been listening to recently?

I have playlists for all my characters but I absolutely cannot listen to music with lyrics while writing, so I just put on those hour long youtube "fantasy writing music" compilations

20. Do you prefer writing AUs or canon fics?

I usually work in canon or canon-divergence. I've tried a couple full scale AUs and while they're fun to think about, they're not something I'll actually write

55. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

I have a particular little thing where I list improperly to make things sound more dramatic or funny. I say "A and B and C" instead of "A, B, and C". I'm not gonna stop doing this any time soon but it is funny because I work as a writing tutor at a college and I have to tell students to stop doing this all the time!

72. What’s your favorite writing compliment you’ve gotten?

I have a friend who said something like they never used to cry at fiction until they read my taz ghost fic and that was really up there

[twicethetrouble]

Late night realization:

Didn’t Simmons work with Tex at MOI? He was clean up with her. Have they ever talked? There’s so much potential there!

Ref: Runaway freelancer Simmons AU

Also how much better does Simmons thinks Sarge is as a father figure? Leaps and Bounds better?

How vague was Carolina when she gave Grif the shovel talk?

Oh god, Wash stumbling across the helmet Simmons wore at MOI and yeeting it at his head and demanding where got it (fearfully).

Something like that. Omg Simmons, Wash, and Carolina teaming up or doing some secretive shady skulking around when they aren’t actually up to anything.

Or wash gets a random nightmare about the demolition expert one night after seeing Simmons face.

Him getting fatherly for some reason because of Epsilon’s memories. Like a pat on the shoulder and the urge to threaten Grif. That’d probably be too silly to be real though.

….Grif getting jealous Simmons is hanging out with Wash and Carolina and not telling him what they’re doing or talking about.

Well they are married so there’s no way it’s anything that’d take his husband a way from him. He’s not even into Simmons like that so it doesn’t matter either way. Why does Simmons laughing and smiling with other people make him angry? Nah, can’t be him. Can’t be….. He needs a cigarette.

“Where did you even get that? I thought you ran out of cigarettes?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what you’re doing with those blues?”

“They’re not blues, Grif! They’re freelancers, empathize on free.”

“Just like I’m free not to tell you where I got these.”

“So there’s more than one?”

“What does that matter?”

“…”

“…”

Simmons and Grif then wrestled for the cigarette pack he’s hidden on his body. Carolina walks in. They stop.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“….Get…. THE FXCK OFF HIM!”

“It’s not what it looks like!”

“Protect me lamp!”

-Yeah! Simmons did work with Tex on occasion, mostly for, as you said, clean up/demolition work. I don't think they talked much while he was on the MOI, at least not outside the mission. I think they both recognized each other in Blood Gulch, but kinda pretended they didn't. Simmons b/c he didn't want to bring attention to himself, while Tex was like "oh, That's South Carolina. Is he trying to be covert?... I'll let him think he's being covert. I have bigger issues than a run away demolition tech."

-As for sarge, Simmons probably thinks he's like the best father figure ever lol. (then again, the only thing he has to compare to is the Director, who was very much a dick to him, so even a half-crazy old man obsessed with war is loads better than that.)

-Carolina probably wasn't very vague about her shovel talk lol. She's not exactly the subtlest when it comes to, well, anything. She probably gave him a very detailed list of what she'd do to him if he so much as thought of hurting her brother. One that would have Grif terrified of even looking the dude's way for the next week lol.

-That would be hilarious! Unfortunately Simmons blew up his old armor as a sort of 'resignation letter' when he left the MOI. So not entirely possible.

-But wash being vaguely reminded of Demolition Tech whenever he's around simmons would be funny. Like he's just sitting there half-panicking like ''Why does this guy remind me of the demoition tech. is it because he knows a lot about explosives and once mocked me for needing to use c4 to blow up a suit of armor? I know he somehow knows how to explode armor with just an alarm clock but that doesn't match Demolition Tech's skillset. Does it???" He finds out later that Simmons and Demolition Tech are the same and he's just like "That's why?! I wasn't going crazy!" lol : )

and lol!! : ) Poor Grif cannot catch a break with Carolina around. He just wants to hang out with his husband and it is not working out at all lol.

Thank you!

[elis-corner]

So I tried binding with tape for the first time (unsafe situation edition).

If you want to hear about how I'm getting away with it and my experiences, look below the cut <3

Before I begin, if you're looking for advice, I live in Australia, have limited income, and am typically an AU B or C in terms of bra size and don't compress well. A lot of my advice will be specific to my environment and physicality, so keep that in mind.

I (transmasc) currently live in a context where I have to maintain a somewhat feminine appearance (for my interests, religion, education, etc.), and am financially dependant on people who are wholly against queerness.

SPORTS BRAS: Almost a year after I realised I wasn't cis, and that just dressing in masculine-ish women's clothes wasn't going to stop my dysphoria, I started getting sports bras, as I heard they could compress your chest. This is what they DIDN'T tell me:

remove. the. cups. They're just extra padding and will not help you look flat.

Not any sports bra will cut it. You don't want a low impact one; get a medium to high impact one. I currently use ones from Target/Kmart since I'm broke. I've found that, out of what I've tried, the "Active Everlast Womens Square Crop Top" from Kmart works best for me.

Either size down one, or double layer. Don't do both, you won't be able to breathe.

Try them on in store with a shirt over it and see how you look. Try double-layering them under the shirt, too. Don't forget to take the pads out when you try them.

Don't wear two if it's cold. You're gonna layer for the weather anyway so you'll already look smaller, plus you might struggle to breathe.

TAPING: I should probably preface with this: don't tape all the way around your body, don't tape with anything not meant for skin, and cover those nips if you don't want to feel the worst regret of your life (you can use covers, cotton, tissue, whatever).

TransTape is not an option, due to my living situation, so what I did was I got one of my friends (who does sport and therefore owns a ton of sports tape) to give me some rolls. This is a good and safe alternative, HOWEVER:

The strips are often thinner, so I recommend sticking them together into a thicker strip before putting it on yourself.

Remember to rub to activate adhesive.

Put test strips on your chest (underarms or sternum) for 12-24 hours to see if your chest will react negatively to the adhesive or materials.

With a larger chest, you might want to lie down and see what gravity does to you. If this doesn't work, do it the mirror, and look at how your body moves when you pull it BEFORE YOU PUT THE TAPE ON.

If you're cool with it, maybe get someone you trust to help you for the first time or two.

THERE ARE TUTORIALS. USE THEM.

WHERE TO BUY THINGS IN AUSTRALIA (if you can afford/are safe): In Sydney, there is a store called Sock Drawer Heroes (SDH) which ships around AU and NZ. They are a queer-owned business which sells gender-affirming products for people of all genders. Their shipping has discreet packaging, too.

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS, but I know people who do and are satisfied with their purchases.

In terms of transmasc stuff, they sell:

Binders of different colours and lengths (their own brand and Underworks)

Tape

Packers

"Adult" products

Their binders: - Range from AUD$64-92 (the full length ones are more costly, and the most expensive are the swimwear options) - Come in full and half lengths - Is a swimwear option - Different colours, however as a small business they only have a few shades (which are lighter skin tones, black, and white) - There used to be a binder donation, I don't know what the deal is with it now. - Returns are possible. The binder cannot have been worn (tried on is fine), and it must be 30 days within the date of purchase.

Their tape: - Wider skin tone range than the binders (including black, white, and vivid colours if you wanna have fun). - Costs AUD$20-24

Their packers: - Pouches, prosthetics, underwear, straps - Again, limited shade range (about 4-5 per model) - AUD$16-159 (depends on what you want, of course) - I do not pack, so I can't really talk about much here.

I hope this will help someone out there, what with the lack of queer resources there are for aussies. Lots of love and stay safe! <3

[brittlebutch]

Number 4 for the fic writer asks? (A story idea you haven’t written yet)

so many lol - i have a lot of little ideas rotting around in my skull at all times. the big one has been a werewolf!mh AU because the parallels between werewolves and the operator struck me like lightning one day and i haven't been able to stop thinking about it since (such as Unwanted Transformations, violence that cannot be controlled, memory loss, etc.) which i haven't written past vague outlines because i'm Torn on whether i want it to be set entirely in the college era like Bleed More was or if I wanted to take it down a route that bled more into the canon timeline ie) the fic plot Picks Up a few years after events that took place in college;

another one was a fic where Evan went home with one of his friends for some break from school which would be a deep dive into a) evan's burgeoning relationship with his passengers (because it's an arc that resonates SO strongly with me, as seen in Taxidermy Bird lol) and also importantly b) the way other people perceive him and the way he perceives himself through their eyes (another deeply schizoautistic spectrum Vibe because evan just bleeds that energy) and c) a kind of reflection on having to modulate yourself in a way you haven't in a while because you're switching from a period of profound isolation into being surrounded by people who are aware of you And want to interact with you

[justwritingscenarios]

SCENARIOS (characters done in green and coming in purple)

continuously denying others who think they are together (Izo)

"no we are not together" "…at least not yet" (Law)

ice skating and one is super bad at it so you need to hold hands

having to share a bed and accidentally end up cuddling (Law)

watching a movie and falling asleep on each other's shoulder

them talking about you to their friends and they make him/her realise they are lovely interested (Koby)

they find you wearing one of their clothes

A: Oh my gosh, this dog is so cute ! B: You say cute, I say absolute demon. A: Hey! Things can be cute and absolute demons. Just take you for example. B, blushing: Y-you think I'm cute?

"I can come yet but you can sit on my lap until I'm done working."

"Shh, you're safe. I'm not letting you go." (Sabo, Crocodile, Corazon coming soon)

"I'm think I'm in love with you and I'm terrified."

"It's not a double date. We're just third and fourth wheeling."

a quick forehead kiss while they rush for "work"

palm kiss (after a injury ?)

"You said you liked (something), so I bought this for you."

tracing their scars/birthmarks/tattoes

"How do I know if I have a crush on someone ?" "Well, you can't stop thinking about them, you feel strange when they're around, and then you want to- why are you looking at me like that ?" (Limejuice coming)

"This sounds like you're flirting with me." "… I have been trying to do that for X years now. Thanks for noticing."

holding hands during a stressful situation

intertwining fingers

"I just feel safe when I'm with you. Like nothing bad can happen."

"This marriage was supposed to be a scam but, but listen," (Yonji)

pick-up line "okay so sleeping it off didn't work. let me consult my list. hypnotism, no. meditation, certainly not. well something has to work because I simply cannot be in love with you."

"This is all your fault. If only you weren’t so fucking beautiful and smart and funny and perfect, I might not have fallen for you."

B exists A :"I might be going a little crazy thinking about B." C raises an eyebrow. A:"Fine. Maybe a lot more than a little"

"You love them, don’t you?" "How did you know? I told [friend] not to say anything." "They didn’t have to say anything."

Mistake the adress and ringing the wrong neighbour

He's always frowning and you put your finger on the winkle between his eyebrows (Limejuice coming)

you catch them doing something cute (petting a kitten/puppy, smelling a flower, eating a candy)

beach episode

they're your enemy/captain/crewmate and you crush on them

"If you keep undressing me with your eyes, I'll catch a cold."

modern au : your neighbour is loud and you write them a note, they send you flowers for apologise

natsu matsuri : you saw them in a very chest-opened-yukata because of the heat

you're sent to help them out of a prison

modern au : the waiter at the restaurant is very cute/sexy but you're too shy to ask for their number

they were supposed to meet up with someone else that didn't show up and since you have started talking, you spend the night together

in the train, they got the wrong sit and sit in front of you

they pick a flower and nonchalantly give it to you (Yonji coming)

people mistake the situation and think you're having a date

Robin notices all of your discreet glances for them/the way you look at them (Robin POV?) (Sabo)

[luckyfinch]

Chapter 5: Swap’s Rescue Party

look at this post for chapter one, warnings, and info

It had been more than a week since he’d disappeared.

At first, they had no reason to be worried. He’d always had a flair for the dramatics, so it hadn’t been the first time Swap made a scene and loudly announced his departure. But he’d never be gone for this long unless something had happened. 

“Dream, i’m telling you, Error has to be hiding him!” Ink groans frustratedly, trailing behind the guardian. “why are we poking around AUs when we can just go to the anti-void and find him??” 

Dream stopped, sighing. “We’ve already looked there enough. Besides, Error has no reason to kidnap Swap this time. It’s got to be something else.” 

“what about Nightmare, then?” 

“He.. Nightmare has never taken anyone prisoner before, and there’s still no reason to take Swap. If anyone, he’d have taken you.”

Ink crosses his arms, eye lights flickering rapidly while he thinks. “doesn’t he, though? Swap could have some information he wants, and it’d be much easier for him to kidnap Swap than me. if Swap was out in any AU on his own, Nightmare could’ve done that feely-locate thing you do, and just.. grabbed him.”

“But we have no way of locating them! My brother’s lair is somewhere my power cannot reach.”

“...Error probably knows where it is.”

---

Error was getting pretty sick of people showing up uninvited in his anti-void.

You help one skeleton with directions, and suddenly the whole multiverse starts bothering you!

Sure, maybe he knew exactly where the little Underswap Sans was, but was he going to tell Dream or the Squid that? No! Still, with all the annoying pestering from them, he was tempted--just to get them to leave him alone.

“Error!”

Sigh. He already felt a headache forming. Strings shoot down and apprehend the nuisance before he even turns to look at him. He forces himself up from his beanbag and walks over to where Ink is now upside-down and a foot off the ground, arms pinned to his sides and head level with Error’s. 

“WhAt Do YoU wA-aNt NoW, s-SqUiD?” 

Unbothered as always, a stupid smile appears on Ink’s face. “you know where Nightmare’s lair is, right?”

“s-S-sO wHaT?”

“we need help finding it!!”

“‘wE?’”

Suddenly, Error is made aware of another presence in his anti-void. He jumps back, a hand raising to command his strings. A second skeleton joins Ink, held aloft and upside-down. His headache increases.

“Sorry.” Dream smiles apologetically. 

“w-W-wO-wOw. I-i DiDn’T eXpEcT y-YoU tO b-BeC-cOmE a NuIsIaNcE tOo.” His eyes narrow at his own stuttering, glitching voice as he fights to get the words out. Through the errors that started filling his vision as Dream startled him, he can barely make out the golden blob held up by his strings. “..I-i-I’m NoT tElLiNg YoU aB-b-BoUt ThE c-Cas-StLe.”

Ink groans dramatically. “Error! we need to know!! c’mon, i’ll even promise not to bother you for.. a whole week!”

Pausing, Error considers this. He didn’t really want to deal with an angry Nightmare, but... “A yEaR.”

“what?!” Ink shouts indignantly, “no way! three weeks.”

“tHrEe MoNtHs.”

“four weeks!”

“OnE mOnTh!”

“fine!”

“FiNe!”

Ink grumbles under his breath, but holds out a hand that he somehow weaseled free from his confinements.

The glitching skeleton hesitates, though grabs Ink’s hand to seal the deal. He shudders, pulling his hand back immediately as error signs fill his vision once more and the uncomfortable feeling of glitching out travels from his hand up his arm. 

As Error freezes, a crash overtaking him and a “rebooting” bar glitching into place just above his head, Ink turns to Dream with a growing smirk.

“your welcome.”

Dream sighs exasperatedly. 

A loading sign appears at Error’s head for a moment, flickering out as his eyes clear and he jolts back to awareness. He mutters under his breath, swiping at the air and letting Dream and Ink fall to the floor.

“DoN’t B-bR-bReAk ThE d-D-dEaL.”

With another swipe of his hand, a glitchy portal opens under their feet. The Star’s fall through, landing on their backs in a dark, gloomy feeling hallway. Ink glances up, seeing Error laughing as the portal closes, leaving behind no trace.

“Error..” Ink growls, annoyed. 

Dream shushes him, pushing himself up and looking around warily. He offers a hand to his companion, pulling him to his feet as well. “Keep your voice quiet. My brother cannot feel for your soul, but he might be able to feel my aura already. I can feel his magic radiating from the walls. We must be careful.”

“see if you can sense Swap in here. We’ll grab him, and get out.” 

Eye sockets sliding closed, the guardian reaches out his magic, searching for Swap’s familiar aura. He inwardly gasps as he feels it, forcing himself to keep focused to pinpoint the location. 

“He’s here. There’s.. two others with him, one feels--muted?” He frowns, taking a deep breath as he tries to concentrate on the other two souls. “I think one is Killer, and-” Cross.

His eyes snap open, and he flinches back at the closeness of Ink, who had leaned into his personal space with two bright question-mark shaped eye lights. 

“Ink!” Dream whisper-shouts, gaze hardening. “Personal space, remember?” 

“sorry!” Ink smiles, leaning back. He didn’t look very sorry to Dream.

“We need to move quickly.” Dream puts effort into keeping his steps quiet as he heads down the hall. Ink hurried after, steps effortlessly silent.

The two move quietly through the castle, alert. They determine Nightmare absent as Dream pauses to feel for the others, and can only sense the two with Swap. Nightmare must have taken Horror and Dust out on a mission, causing damage that Dream and Ink were not present to combat. Dream felt a little guilty at the thought.

As Dream held a hand up, Ink came to a halt behind him. Ahead of them were a series of doors on either side of the hall. They continued forward slowly, Dream careful to pinpoint the exact room Swap was in.

“Here.” Dream whispered, pointing at a door with an odd paper taped to it; a crude drawing of a.. blueberry? Ink had to choke down the snort threatening to come out as he saw it.

They took a moment to prepare for the coming fight and rescue, Ink securing broomie in his hands and Dream forming two machetes with his magic, rather than the usual bow he’d use against Nightmare.

Dream held up three fingers, counting down. When he’d lowered all of them, the two rammed into the door, bringing it down with a loud thud. They both bounced back up in seconds, weapons at the ready. The yelled demand for his friend’s releasement died in his throat, though, as he took in the scene in front of him.

Killer had jumped up immediately, knife in hand. Cross slid off the bed, summoning his weapon only as he realized who’d broken in—he was without his usual get-up, his jacket missing. Swap was sitting in the center of the bed, cape on but missing his battle-body and boots. His eyes were wide and upset, but his gaze was locked onto the splintered door that Ink and Dream stood on, not them or his captors.

“MY DOOR!” He exclaimed loudly, distraught. His gaze raised, only then realizing who had broken it down. If even possible, his voice raised an octave as he exclaimed again, somehow louder, “INK AND DREAM?!” 

Dream frowned, weapons lowering slightly in his confusion for his friend’s reaction. Ink, on the other hand, did not stay quiet.

“Swap! we have come to rescue you, don’t worry!!” The artist ran at Killer as he spoke (yelled), his brush swiping at Killer and covering him in paint in seconds. The captor fell to the ground, paint hardening into restraints.

Killer clenched his teeth in his annoyance. “stupid bastard. every time!”

Swap rolled off the bed, falling into a battle stance and summoning two bones in his hands, his sockets narrowing.

The movement spurred Dream into action, rushing at Cross, who met him halfway. Cross slashed at his middle with his large, red blade, and Dream just barely dodged it as he flinched back. He blocked another attempted blow, both his blades up and facing forward as Cross pressed his weapon into Dreams’, forcing him back. He struggled under the pressure, not really wanting to harm Cross, until his back hit solid wall and his arms were pressing uncomfortably to his chest, straining to keep hold of his machete. He heard clashing from behind Cross, but his vision was obscured too much to see what was happening. 

“What are you doing here?!” Cross growled, eyes hard. “How dare you come here!”

Dream’s weapons shook with his efforts of holding back Cross’. “We’re just here for our friend.”

“Swap isn’t going anywhere with you!” 

With his shout, Cross tilted his blade and Dream’s machetes to the side, throwing his weapon away and forcing Dreams’ to go with it. Before the guardian had time to react, Cross grabbed his wrists and slammed him into the wall. 

“I won’t leave him behind.” Dream choked out, gritting his teeth.

Cross glared at him with a fierceness that Dream hadn’t seen before. He adjusted his grip on Dream’s wrists to restrain him with one hand, using the other to grab at his chin harshly. He stepped to the side, forcing Dream’s head in the direction of the others’ fight. “Does he look like he wants to be ‘rescued’?”

Dream prepares to retort, but falls silent as his mind comprehends the scene. 

He’d assumed the sounds of fighting were because Killer had freed himself from his painted restraints, but he remained on the ground, shouting profanities at Ink. Ink was fighting Swap. Their friend, their teammate—with an unfamiliar glare and tense posture, Swap fought valiantly against Ink, a sharpened bone in each hand that he methodically aimed at the artist, side-stepping and dodging the attempted blows from Ink’s brush. 

As Ink swung the end of broomie towards Swap’s legs, the taller faltered, unable to get out of the way in time. Swept off his feet, he fell back. Ink quickly pounced, brush dropping to the side as he fell forward onto Swap, straddling his waist and holding his forearms to the ground. 

Cross drops his hand from Dream’s face, taking half a step towards the others before Swap shouts wordlessly, bringing his head up and slamming his skull into Ink’s jaw. The effect is immediate, Ink wincing and releasing Swap’s arms on reflex. He shoots his hands forward as soon as they’re released, grabbing onto Ink’s wrists and shoving him backward, flipping the scenario around.

Ink stares up at Swap, expression conveying more confusion than hurt. “Swap..? i don’t understand- we’re here to rescue you.”

“I Don’t NEED To Be Rescued.” Swap bites out, voice tight.

“...you’re betraying us.” The moment of realization is obvious, as Ink’s eye lights hesitate on exclamation-points, then begin to change rapidly again. 

Swap’s expression softens slightly. “I Suppose I Am.” He keeps his grip in Ink’s wrists firm, but stands, pulling the shorter up too. He glances up at Cross.

The monochrome skeleton gives Dream a final look, and Dream is shocked at the burst of indecipherable emotion suddenly coming off of him. Cross pulls Dream forward, letting go and shoving him towards Ink. Swap releases the artist, stepping back. 

“I’m Sorry.” 

Feeling Swap’s emotions, he knows that his.. old friend, means it. Dream frowns, a hurt expression overtaking his features. He thinks back on old interactions with Swap, wondering what would lead him to wanting to work for Nightmare, or to even leave. Deep down, though, he understands why. He can feel the emotion radiating off of Swap. He just doesn’t want to accept the reasons. 

He refuses to meet Swap’s eyes, placing a hand on Ink’s shoulder and focusing on the positivity from their base’s universe to teleport to.

As they disappear, Killer’s restraints fall and disintegrate. He’s up and across the room in a second, halting his cursing at Ink. Cross hurries over to Swap as well, grabbing onto his shoulders as Swap falls to his knees, head hanging limply. Cross pulls him into his side, glancing up at Killer.

“He’s passed out. Did you see him get hurt at all?”

Killer frowns, “he took a hit to the head, i think. didn’t look too bad.”

Cross nods, sighing. He crouches, pulling Swap up to get his legs out from under him, then lowers him again to reach an arm under his knees and an arm around his back. Standing, he carefully adjusts his grip, then he and Killer wordlessly leave the room and head for the infirmary. 

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[mrdrhenwardhykle]

I was in a silly goofy mood, so here’s a Bad End/Goons Dragon’s Lair AU +drawings c:

(Body horror, blood, rotting flesh, +kinda sad tw ig)

Idk, this may be set up like partially disorganized DND stats

Hollow:

Alrightly, so the first one we're talking about is more of a remake/redesign on an established character in the franchise. 'Hollow' is a character from the possibly non-canon 3D game, and is like the evil Dirk or something (idk-I tried to look into it, but looking at this game for too long makes me cringe)

Yeah, this guy.

But instead of just being a recolor and a copy of whatever Space Ace did that one time, in my version he's just Dirk from an alternate timeline.

So basically, in this timeline either a. this follows one of the deaths where it doesn't fully show him die/just shows him fail and get stuck somewhere, or b. a timeline where Mordroc and his goons take another route and attack him all at once when he first enters

Anyways, Mordroc (with intention of getting another servant to his castle) gets to Dirk and places an amulet over his neck, explaining he just gave him the 'gift' of immortality; confusing Dirk, wondering why he just did that in the first place. In a turn of events Mordroc stands back and allows his goons to tear Dirk's eyes out and throw him in a random room.

With the amulet, the victim cannot remove it themselves- but have to rely one someone else taking it off for them. You can gain fatal injuries with the amulet and not die, but the injury will likely never heal (other than maybe bleeding stopping), and the one who wears the amulet will never have the pain ease.

'Hollow', as the inhabitants of the Dragon's Lair have come to name him, isn't inherently evil; nor has any forced villainy caused by the amulet, and is still just normal Dirk- but cannot hear or see, and is thriving off of desperation to leave the castle without adding anything else to his anguish. Having a good intuition at first, he has forced himself to concentrate enough so his instincts can help him 'survive'. But no matter who you may be, good or bad, Hollow takes no chances and swings first.

To survive, remember to be smooth and agile in your movements if you see freshly killed goons/knights, smell old blood and rotting flesh approaching, or hear a man crying, screaming in anguish, or calling out 'Daphne' or help. Remember that harming him only makes him more desperate and hostile. If you have his well being in mind, avoid harming him at all costs and just sneak and dodge- and barricade the nearest door if possible.

If you don't care and just need to get closer to saving the princess, just disarm him by cutting off his arms and/or legs but that's pretty cruel. It's actually frowned upon to do that and should only be the last resort.

You can actually befriend Hollow, and it's one of the most recommended routes (other than taking the amulet off yourself). To do this, you need to dodge his attacks, and reassure through some way of touch or presence to show you are a friend or to reassure that he's safe. Show though grabbing his hand or arm that you're going to be guiding him, and just stay in literal touch or out of range when enemies are near-and he should take care of the issue. If you are able to lead him out, let him know he's safe and comfortable before paying your debt by taking the amulet off.

It's unclear if you can save Hollow, as taking off the amulet will just let his fatal wounds catch up to him and instantly kill him (Aka the amulet keeps him alive). Asking most guides, they would just tell you that yanking the amulet off is the best you can do, as he's 'cheating' death and won't suffer any longer- but there may be a 1% in reversing it. That is, to begin the route; take Hollow out and find the best healing mange you can. It's hard to say if healing magic or medical attention can actually 100% help him out, as there's plenty of issues causing him anguish, and either magic or medical care can miss that. And that being said, it's likely difficult to find a good mange in the kingdom, and an even better mange to cure full blown missing eyeballs and other organs- and he might still live with difficulty. This isn't the most recommended route to deal with Hollow, but taking the chance is by no means frowned upon.

Any time Hollow gets close to the exit, a goon is sent to pull him back to another room to screw him up again. It's unknown if they would do this if he got close to the gold room. They've lost a few goons while doing this, but Mordroc insists in keeping him as a guard and a good selection to his 'collection' of knights.

Anyways, ignore the quality of my horrible colored pencil drawings

The Banshee Princess:

After Dirk's 'failure' to save her, Daphne officially became another new 'toy' to Mordroc's collection. Mordroc basically went through the same ritual as seen in the second game, and casted the Banshee curse on her through marriage. The Banshee curse itself forms out of loss and grief, and being that Daphne was in a slightly different position of grief (Aka, no children or husband to lose-but rather just a whole kingdom and boyfriend((?)) ) her form composed into a different and lesser variation.

After she was let out of the bubble, she claimed Singe's room-even to the point of becoming to agitated with him to the point that she killed him by eating him from the inside-out while he was sleeping.

This rendition of the banshee is smaller and more agile like a lizard; and can be found mostly at the back end of the castle. She can crawl on walls, and uses that to her advantage to sneak on her prey. While she can attack goons, she mainly aims for and lives off of knights (as Mordroc won't announce her change to the kingdom and also won't bother to come close enough to feed her).

Her scream is loud and shrill enough that it instantly paralyzes her victims- however she only does this at a very close perimeter.

Look for signs of the Banshee once you enter this area. Keep alert if you feel like your eyes are making up something crawling on the wall beside you. Don't follow if you hear a woman's voice crying out anything like 'help me!', 'save me!', 'mom!' or 'Dirk!'.

Unlike Hollow, there's more of a chance to save Daphne from this fate (albeit she will revert back due to fatal injuries). The one and only cure is a kiss of true love (maybe where befriending Hollow comes in,, but you can try if you wanted to ig)- but the issue with that would be in getting her to remember who she was before so she could stop attacking. Memories are quite rare to get, but it's at least worth the try. Memories are also quite temporary, and she'll just quickly revert back to her animalistic instinct if you're not quick enough to communicate to her.

The ring is no longer there, and the deadline for the ring to enact the curse is long past due. She ripped it off herself while she still had a little bit of control at some point.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the random angst

:3