#my Thoughts posts keep getting way longer than originally intended...

[finalgirlminamurray]

religious horror is kind of having a moment, isn't it? last year we had a new exorcist film (it was not very good but we had it) with religion as an explicit theme, as well as another "based on a true story" exorcism movie with the pope's exorcist (i did not see this one). this year alone we've had two "novitiate nun births the antichrist" movies with the first omen and immaculate (i liked them both), as well as longlegs having a demonology-based twist (my feelings on this would be a separate post). there was a rosemary's baby prequel i'm not sure anyone saw. we had late night with the devil (which i really liked). even maxxxine had the satanic panic and religious hysteria as a central theme (it could have been done better). and now heretic.

i'm generally pretty over most religious horror as a subgenre, because a lot of it boils down to "demons and satan are 100% real and the catholic church is right", which is not a theme i'm too into for clear reasons. i am not religious myself in the slightest - i guess i'm more agnostic than anything because my belief is that if we literally have no way of knowing something like what happens to our consciousness after we die or if there is intelligent life outside of our planet, i can't have any strongly held beliefs about it. not being raised with any religion probably helps because i was never taught there was any one true interpretation.

to be clear i am grateful for this. i would never look down on anyone for being religious or being raised religious or even choosing to raise their own children in their religion. i understand why it is important to so many people and that it is often strongly tied to cultural identity. regardless of your own beliefs it's not generally good or progressive to be anti-religion.

but living in this us sure does give you some associations with christianity in particular. my family is basically culturally christian in that we celebrate christmas and easter in very secularized ways - we put up a tree and got presents on christmas, we painted eggs and got candy baskets on easter, we get together with the extended family on both holidays - but we never went to church or learned about the bible. i don't think i knew anything about what christians actually believed until i was like, eight. fortunately i never had any classmates who told me i was going to hell or otherwise harassed me for not being christian so i don't have any negative associations formed then, it's just that learning about how some people grew up later in life led me to think "yikes! glad that wasn't me."

so seeing all the myriad horror films out there where the main threat is The Devil is kind of a weird experience. i often feel like because i never grew up believing that hell and the devil were real and a threat to us in our daily lives that there's something in these films i'm not getting. the mere mention of the devil does not automatically evoke a reaction in me of "oh shit! bad news! we have to stop this!" this isn't a case of "i don't believe in ghosts so i can't take any movie seriously where ghosts are real" - i'm a skeptic on a lot of things but i'm able to suspend my disbelief for fiction. it's just that religious horror where christian demons are real is like...maybe it's the implied assumption that the audience shares the creators' cultural christianity and knows exactly what the deal is? maybe it's the possibility that the creator really does believe this stuff is real and wants us to agree? (maybe this is why i don't love the exorcist as much as so many other horror fans do. if a horror film or novel is "based on a true story" i'm already suspicious but if it's about demons specifically i do not trust it one bit.) maybe it's just the knowledge of real-life cases where this belief has harmed people - the satanic panic, any case of abuse by religious fundamentalists, the belief that a child behaving "badly" means they're possessed and/or a literal demon you have to hurt or outright kill to banish it... (the omen was scary to me for probably the wrong reasons.) i don't think all stories like this are bad but they have to work harder for me to appreciate them, is the thing.

so all that aside i really did like heretic. it's religious horror in the way the wicker man is religious horror - it's About religion instead of positing that one religion is true. it's about protagonists you probably wouldn't be inclined to sympathize with if you're like me, although the fact that they're vulnerable young women being sent out by a powerful institution into a situation where they're guaranteed to encounter hostility intended to further convince them that the outside world is against them and the church is the only safe place - that does a lot to get me on their side even if the concept of missionary work is fundamentally evil. (though again, it's a little less sinister to be asking around in your community and probably leaving people alone if they're not interested, instead of going to countries in the global south to offer "help" that's contingent on them converting to your faith.) i noticed right away in the trailers that the protagonists were almost certainly mormons but the trailer was trying to hide this for some reason, cutting off when they said "the church of jesus christ--" before they said "--of latter-day saints." don't know if this was to avoid protests by the mormon church or what but the movie itself makes it clear what they're affiliated with right off the bat so it doesn't even matter. i was interested anyway.

the film isn't about whether the main characters' beliefs are right or justified, or about proving them wrong. you could say it's about a man looking for an excuse to torment a couple of naive and vulnerable young women who turned up on his doorstep without question. you could say it's about asking the audience to sympathize with people in a religious cult who fervently believe its teachings. you could say it's about a crisis of faith. you could say it's about exactly what churches like this want their young followers to think will happen if they engage with a non-believer, taken to an extreme. you could say it's just an exploitation movie that asks some broad philosophical questions so it looks like it has themes, but i'd give it more credit than that.

i've seen some good posts on my dash analyzing it so i might reblog those later. i think i made the right choice in seeing this in the theater over smile 2.

[muqingslover]

[ Sooooo, happy easter my pookies! 🐰 So sorry about being dead for a bit I was hospitalized LMFAO!? I'll be going through requests soon! Dw guys, I see you and I hear you!!

In any case, what better way to kick back and relax than to write about the LADS boys jorking it ]

For personal enjoyment only I believe Sylus has a rut cycle. I mean, c'mon who hasn't thought about this at least once? Bc I sure have and I could make a whole post about thi— *gunshots*

Now, if I'm honest, he doesn't feel the NEED to masturbate like, ever. Nor does he really enjoy it.

His libido (and attraction in general) is directly connected to you so, if you're not actively riling him up or hanging around, he's just chilling.

Except during his cycles when his hand is forced (literally) and he'd rather blow his load than blow his own brains out.

Sylus is a growler! Though the low, almost rumbling sounds that escape his throat are not stemmed from desire, but from genuine frustration.

Why so angry, you may ask? That is because he knows it would be so much more enjoyable if you were there with him and it feels meaningless to do it by himself.

" He is rutting his sore, dripping cock against a pillow on the bed, bath robe sloppily slipping down his shoulders as he lets out another low, breathy groan. His hand grips the headboard of the bed tightly, nails digging into the wood hard enough to leave claw marks behind. His jaw is tight and sweat trickles down his forehead, each thrust into the soft cotton doing very little to soothe the hot, bubbling frustration in his gut.

'Help me, please.' He asks in his thoughts again. Will you hear his prayers this time? "

Xavier however doesn't need you physically present to get worked up.

Not particularly ashamed about it either. You're welcome to watch him anytime if you want.

He enjoys masturbating a normal amount but it's done veery sporadically. Usually he has to be in the right mood and have the right circumstances presented to him.

It happens when he's feeling lonely and needy for your presence next to him. You have been gone for longer than originally intended and now he is like a dying bunny starving for attention.

During sex Xavier is usually a quiet groaner or more of a "soft breaths" type of guy, but when he's alone? WHINY AS HELL.

" 'Mhn-mn...' He agreed softly, though his mind didn't register a single word that came out of your mouth besides the fact your voice sounded so close to his ear. He swears this hadn't been his intention when he came over to nap on your bed, but that raspy, tired edge to your tone began to make him feel tingly and before he knew he had his face buried into your fuzzy blanket while his free hand stroke his poor, messy cock. His other hand is busy covering his own lips to muffle his whiny moans, only letting go to answer when you ask if he had fallen asleep.

'Please keep talking..'

It's needless to say he enjoys the post-orgasm sleep.

I see him as the type that feels guilty about his sexual desires.

Zayne knows it's a chemical bodily reaction, but he just feels so....shameful. Especially since the reason for said "reaction" in his pants is you.

He does it quickly and quietly somewhere no one will see or interrupt him such as in the bathroom or his (locked) bedroom.

He's so quiet. I wish I was joking. Besides his heavy breathing there are no other real sounds from Zayne.

The only exception is right when he cums because then a strained, gasped moan escapes him without fail.

" 'Damnit...' He cursed under his breath. His glasses slip to the very tip of his nose as he pants, shirt trapped between his lips to muffle himself as an extra precaution and his hands work fast up and down his length. He can feel himself boarding so close to the edge and he knows just what he could do to achieve that bliss, but his moral compass holds him back from letting his imagination further any more into his fantasies. "

The post-nut clarity hits him like a damn truck exactly ten seconds later and he goes on a cleaning spree like there's no tomorrow.

This guy canonically went into heat. I rest my case.

Fine fine, since you insist let's push that aside and talk about just him feeling perky.

Rafayel is the type to masturbate after you do something that turned him on without meaning to.

Originally, the intention was to take a loooong, cool bath to calm himself down but in my twisted little mind being in the water makes him 10X hornier.

His voice is lower and quieter when he's excited. A moaner through and through, and occasionally will let out a curse or two.

" His knees fall further apart, spreading himself on the large bathtub as he comfortably leans against the edge. His eyebrows are furrowed in a way that makes him look almost angry, one of his fangs digging into his own lip as the sensitive scales on his skin react to the small ripples in the water around him, sending mind numbing tugs directly to his boner.

'Fuck...mn..' He murmured to himself, his thumb pressing against the pink, swollen tip and causing his head to tilt back in pleasure. "

A wise person (me) once said: Life is hard, but Caleb is always harder.

Pookies how many times have we been over this? He has his hand on his stiff ladies and gentlemen ! He's not a pilot for no reason ! ! And he's a FREAK about it ! ! !

His self-restraint is GOD given but his horny meter is also through the charts. Those pent up needs have to be released one way or another.

During teen years Caleb would use your clothes, his imagination and whatever else he could get his sticky little claws on to make his fantasies a bit more palpable.

Now that he's older though he barely has any time for himself and just kinda forgets about such things.

Or well, that was the case until you walked through the gates.

" The door to his office was locked, but if anyone was to pay a bit more attention they'd be able to hear to quiet grunts coming from the other side. The dog tag between his teeth did nothing to muffle the pathetic sounds leaving his throat, his sweaty forehead softly thudding against the metal when he leaned forward, one hand clenching the doorknob while the other moved quickly on his aching cock. 'Please, please please—' He begged between raspy whimpers, making a mess on the floor in front of him less than a minute after.

[falseficus]

I read a physical copy of monstrous regiment soon after listening to the audiobook, and I noticed two tiny discrepancies between the two editions that make an absolute world of difference. when I found out that these discrepancies existed (you’ll find reddit posts backing me up about them), I felt cheated that my first experience of the book had portrayed a less cohesive arc than pratchett intended

if you’re looking to buy or read monstrous regiment, I strongly recommend the doubleday 2003 version or the corgi 2004 version, which iirc contain the original text. The harper collins publications and audiobook both contain these changes, which imo are confusing and severely undercut the themes the book is trying to get across. if anyone knows the status of other editions of the book pls feel free to add on

obviously the audiobooks and ebooks are more accessible than physical books to some people, so if you read one of those just know that the original text is different in some key ways. I still recommend you read the book because it’s crazy good :)

the changes I noticed, beneath the cut to avoid some serious spoilers:

firstly, the last line of Jackrum’s last scene. in the Doubleday version, this line reads:

“Jackrum had turned her chair to the fire, and had settled back. Around him, the kitchen worked.”

in the harpercollins version, the line reads:

“Jackrum had turned her chair the the fire, and had settled back. Around her, the kitchen worked.”

this pronoun change is actually has huge implications. in the scene in question, jackrum, a transgender man, reveals that he joined the army in disguise. he is referred to as “she” throughout his background reveal. however, he then considers where his future will take him, and in the final line of the scene his pronoun reverts back to “he.” jackrum’s pronoun goes from he->she->he, encapsulating the gendery arc of the scene. however, in the altered he->she->she version of the scene, half of that circle is erased. the neat tie-up of jackrum’s journey is left confusingly unresolved, and the importance of his gender to the book’s overarching themes goes underemphasized

the second change I noticed is how maladict appears in the book’s ending:

in the Doubleday version, maladict appears “in full uniform.”

in the harpercollins version, maladict appears “in full female uniform.”

maladict is the last soldier to reveal [their] true gender, keeping up a masc/ambiguous presentation far after all the rest of the squad has come forward as women. “in full uniform” maintains this ambiguity, allowing the reader to decide for themself whether maladict comes forward and presents as fully female or continues to dress masculinely despite the fact that circumstances no longer require it (in fact I believe that the latter is more likely, as maladict says “thought I’d try again,” which could mean dressing in male uniform again). “in full female uniform” removes that ambiguity, and brings maladict’s arc to a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion. it eliminates the possibility of maladict as transgender or gender-non-conforming, and I’m left wondering, “if maladict presents as female so readily, why make such a fuss of it before now?”

both changes undermine the book’s message by eliminating its space for non-cisnormative identity… which is kinda crucial to the whole idea. im honestly really disappointed that these changes were made in any version of the book, because whoever made them clearly didn’t get the point

[mephistostwin]

Away from Him

SYLUS X NON-MC! READER PT. 3

Part 1 Part 2

WARNING:

Mentions of blood and violence

A lot of weird and unrealistic things

Read at your own risk

MC is insane (this is not her real personality in the game)

REMINDERS:

I do not own the characters, this is simply a story that I made up inside my head.

I added things (supernatural or not) here that are not originally in the game/story so please do not take it seriously.

Sylus is a very green forest guy, his attitude here is very different to his real personality.

I'm not a professional in medical topics and the medical terms that I used are just based on my research.

The plot and story line does not follow the events in the game.

MC, Sylus, and other characters' personality and behavior here are not the same as what's in the game.

I'm a first-time writer so please be understanding with the wrong grammars and misspelled words.

Expect that I probably did not use tumblr correctly because this is the first time that I will post an au here.

If this is not your type of story, please scroll up and ignore this post.

Some scenes that are like the scenes from other works are pure coincidence. I never intended to copy anyone's hard work and this is based on my imaginations alone.

Please differentiate real life and the real lore of the game from this fanfic.

Open for constructive criticism but be mindful of your words.

- One week after -

You already got discharged from the hospital. You grew closer to Rafayel because he is always there for you. He accompany and invites you to amazing places to distract your mind from Sylus. The café that you both visit together became you and Rafayel’s favorite. It somehow feels like home when you go there at night and spend time together, talking about amazing things that makes you forget Sylus for a short period of time.

You feel like you are finally starting to heal. Life in Linkon is going well, it is still unfamiliar but you are slowly accepting your new start here. You are starting to feel the joy of life, especially when Rafayel is there to be with you.

Meanwhile, in Onychinus base, Sylus is still there, waiting for someone— waiting for you rather.

His relationship with MC right now is beginning to take a down turn. MC is furious when she found out that Sylus was secretly doing his way to make you come back. Knowing that the twins are helping Sylus in making you come back doesn't help her ego either.

Sylus’ usual calm, good mannered, and disciplined behavior changed. He already tracked your location in Linkon and he already know about Rafayel. But he did not make a move yet, he wants you to come back on your own. He thinks that you won't last long there... you can't live without him before, remember? he expect for you to come back on your own— or so he thought...

He sent Mephisto and his men to keep an eye on you as he fixed his relationship with MC. 𝐻𝑒'𝑠 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑒𝑙, 𝑖𝑠𝑛'𝑡 ℎ𝑒?

The twins can no longer wait for the signal to make you come back. They can't be around MC any longer, it makes them uncomfortable. Especially now that MC found out they're the one in action to find you... MC won't let them finish their job and they know it.

~

Time check: It's already 4:34 pm.

You have a dinner date with Rafayel at 6:30 pm. You still have less than two hours to get ready but you did not want to waste time. You are so excited so you did your routine and put a fit shiny (fave color) dress that perfectly hugs and enhances your curves, (fave color) heels, and some jewelry that really complimented your body and skin.

It took you more than one hour to finally finish dressing up. You can say that you really gave an effort for this outfit.

You scrolled to your phone while you sat in your bed, waiting for the time that you and Rafayel will finally go. Somehow, you felt uneasy. You checked everything inside your apartment but you cannot seem to find anything wrong or suspicious. You feel like you are being watched...

But no... it does not feel like the suspicious energy is from Sylus. You know his presence very well...

You searched for signs of Mephisto nearby but you cannot see the bird. You are so focused on the anxious feeling that you did not realize that one hour had passed. Rafayel is now at your door knocking when you only get back to your senses.

"Hey, is everything alright? You look like you are not in the mood to talk to people... Do you want to move the date of our dinner?" Rafayel asked in a concerned tone. He caresses your shoulders to give you comfort.

"Ah, no! I'm totally fine, It's just that.... it doesn't matter, it's nothing. I promise..." You nervously chuckled. Rafayel did not seem convinced by your reason.

"Ok... Just stay right beside me, hmm?... If you're feeling uneasy, tell me and we will head right back home... or somewhere you want..." Rafayel can sense that something is wrong again. For the past few days that you have gone somewhere else with him, you never acted like that. You were always smiling and excited.

Both of you went to Rafayel's car. Your car did not arrive yet, it keeps on getting delayed and it frustrates you. Rafayel puts on some classical music during the drive, it adds up to the calming vibe of the scenery outside the car. The buildings slowly disappeared as the car entered a high area where expensive diners for wealthy people are located.

"Enjoying the scenery, cutie? Careful, you might get your eyes glued to the view." Rafayel joked, making both of you chuckle.

"Hey, you keep on teasing me lately... I'm gonna report your social media accounts if you keep doing that..." You joked back at him, making you both giggle more.

Rafayel sighed, "We're both childish when we're together... I love.. these moments." he sounded so hesitant yet caring. The dim light of the car made it impossible for you to notice the redness that is forming in his cheeks and ears.

You smiled at him as a response. For a moment, you forgot the eerie and suspicious feeling that surrounds you earlier in your apartment.

"Yeah, I love these moments too... but with you, Raf." You replied, making Rafayel's face even redder because of blushing..

The drive went well with the both of you teasing each other endlessly. After almost an hour of driving, you reached your destination. Rafayel parked his car, the parking lot looks simple yet fancy.

"The parking lot alone says that wealthy people go here." Rafayel murmured and you side-eyed him.

"Don't be so humble, you're literally a wealthy man that hides inside an apartment for no reason." You rolled your eyes at him and he laughed then shrugged it off.

Rafayel went outside the car but before you could open the door, he already did it for you. "Acting so gentleman lately, huh..." you smiled.

"Only for the precious lady." He said as he offers you his hand for you to hold it. "Gosh, stop teasing me, Raf!" You lightly hit his arm while your other hand tried to cover your blushing face.

He made you lock your arm in his arm as you both walked towards the grand entrance of the fine diner. Everything felt surreal. Other people might view you as ignorant but this is the first time that you actually paid attention to the place that you are in. This is not your first time to visit a diner for wealthy people due to Sylus' dinner meetings with his business partners but you were really just focused on work before, you do not mind the appearance of places that you go to.

Besides, the person that you are with right now also makes the situation more precious.

You entered the diner with Rafayel. He already reserved a table online for the two of you. The table is on the rooftop, allowing both of you to see the beauty of buildings at Linkon City.

Both of you sat at your chairs, waiting for the food that Rafayel also ordered when he reserved the table online.

"Y/N, you look so pretty." Rafayel complimented you with a smile. You arched your brow at him in a playful manner with a grin.

"Aww, does Raf have a crush on me?" You teased him. He arched his brow back at you and you laughed. "Such a sassy king..." you murmured that made Rafayel roll his eyes like a baddie. Both of you continued to giggle at each other.

"Kidding aside, you're so handsome, Raf!" You energetically told him. He looked so handsome with the suit that he wore, it fits the design of the diner.

"Let's take a pic!" You initiated. Both of you took out your phones at the same time. You looked at each other, confused on whose phone you will use. But you put your phone down at the table, telling him that you should use his phone.

"Ahh.... ok..." Rafayel looked hesitant to give you his phone but he still did. You gently took the phone from his hand and opened the camera.

You saw the thumbnail preview of his phone's camera. There was a photo of you smiling. The photo was taken at the sea side where Rafayel took you for a walk two days ago.

The thought of Rafayel capturing a candid photo of you while you are smiling made you feel something weird in your stomach. You are blushing like a tocino and you cannot hide it because your whole face is literally red.

"You probably saw the pic... I'm sorry for taking a photo of you without your permission... you just look so cute when you smile..." Rafayel cannot look directly into your eyes as he spoke. It made him cuter than he already is.

"I'm not mad, Raf. I just feel like I'm someone that special when you do things like this." You are speaking in such a low and shy tone while also looking down at your lap, afraid to show Rafayel the blushing in your face that does not seem to disappear.

"Let us just take a photo." Rafayel shyly spoke, his face is also red. Just like earlier, you look like a tocino but Rafayel looks like a tomato now.

You nodded at him and positioned the camera where both of you can be seen in the photo. You sweetly smiled and so did Rafayel.

Rafayel took quick glances at you but you did not notice it. He secretly admired your smile as you looked at the camera.

"How can someone treat you like that Sylus guy did? You're too precious for anyone..." Rafayel secretly thought in his mind while lost in your smile.

You took a lot of photos with Rafayel and the view of city lights below the night sky. The location of the diner is up in the mountains so the whole city can be easily seen from here. Rafayel also took photos of you. He moved the photos in the album that he has in his phone gallery that you did not know. He said that he made the album last week so he can easily find the memories that both of you kept as a photo.

Rafayel also currently made a solo album of you in his gallery. He took candid photos of you that are surprisingly amazing. You still look beautiful in the photos even though you are smiling widely.

Shortly after you took photos with Rafayel, the food arrived. He actually ordered a lot of dishes and you do not know if both of you can finish all of it in one sitting.

"I ordered a lot of food on purpose because I want you to enjoy it after what happened to you last week. Also, you are such a food lover, I know you will love it here." Rafayel smiled at you.

"Hey... the price of the food here is so expensive, you never have to treat me with so much food..." You really love his treatment but you feel guilty because he is always the one that is spending money for you when you guys go out. He never lets you spend even a single penny.

"Money is not an issue for me... You and your happiness are what really matters to me." Rafayel spoke softly. His voice is so soothing and comforting. It is like you are in the clouds.

"Thank you for being such a kind friend, Raf! I never expected that I'll have a companion here in Linkon..." You genuinely love him as your friend, not just for what he does for you.

"You deserve the best." Rafayel smiled as he drank his wine. You smiled back at him. Both of you are always smiling at each other a hundred times when you guys are together.

You and Rafayel surprisingly finished all the food at the table. You are too full to stand up but you have to.

"Aww, I look so bloated now..." You pouted, making Rafayel chuckle at how cute you look. "That's normal. Besides, you still look pretty no matter what you look like." He replied.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better..." You scoffed. Rafayel touched his chest, acting like you offended him.

"For your information, Miss beautiful, I never fake the compliments that I give." He winked with and pouted.

You end up teasing each other on your way out of the diner. Laughing together like other people does not exist. For him, you are the only one that matters and you feel the same for him— but you are not ready to admit it to yourself yet. You are still confused about what you feel.

You just met him in less than a month, there is no way you are going to fall easily for a guy. But he is different from others— he is different from Sylus...

But Sylus also acted like Rafayel before... What if Rafayel will also turn out to be the same as him? No, Rafayel feels entirely different from him... far more different.

You suddenly felt uncomfortable as both of you went to the exit door. You feel like you want to retouch your make up even when you guys are about to head home now. Well, you are really a self-conscious woman when you are around Rafayel. You hate to think about it that way but you know deep down to yourself that you are acting like that when you go out together— because you are with him.

"Hey, Raf! Just need to go to the bathroom to retouch... Wait for me here, ok?" You gripped your purse, feeling a bit shy.

"Yeah, sure! I'll wait right here. Take your time!" You waved your hand at him and walked as fast as you could to the comfort room.

You felt those stupid butterflies in your stomach again...

When you entered the ladies comfort room, you quickly went to the hand wash area with a mirror. You placed your purse at the side of the sink. You wash your hands first, like what you always do before you touch your face. You started to touch up your makeup. You stayed there for minutes until you felt satisfied with your look.

“There! I look so pretty!” You admired yourself in front of the mirror. You love to think that you really want to look good for yourself, but you also know that you want to look pretty for Rafayel too.

You are ready to get out of the comfort room but as you stepped outside the door, someone grabbed your hair and placed their hand at your mouth to muffle your screams as they dragged you at the back door.

The person then pulled you by your dress to the dark area of the parking lot before yanking your hair again. You bit their hand that was covering your mouth, making them yelp.

You know that voice... you will never forget that annoying voice.

You quickly turned around so the person will not have a chance to grab you by the hair again. You are shocked to see the person that did this to you.

MC was standing there, her eyes are furiously piercing your soul.

So that is the reason why you felt uneasy earlier at your apartment... She is following you.

“What the actual fuck? What do you want from me? Why are you freaking here?” You groaned in pain and frustration.

“Oh, me? I’m here to kill the precious friend of Sylus... You know, we were never like before after you left. He's slowly changing again... The only solution that I know for that is of course, to kill what bothers my Sylus' mind.” She smiled creepily like she is someone straight from a horror movie.

“Come on, I left the N109 zone so you could live your life happily ever after with Sylus. Then you're just gonna follow me here to tell me something nonsense and pure of bullshit? Gosh, why can't I live in peace...” You massaged your temple due to frustration.

“I won't let you live in peace. After you became friends with him, he never acted like he was in our first life. Yeah, I forgot about him for a moment but I still remembered. I remember how he makes me feel like I'm the only one that will get his attention... But you? you came into the picture... It's obvious that you want to be in my shoes... You want to have him for yourself!” She slowly raised her voice and it makes you think if Rafayel has heard her already.

“You're being so delusional, you can probably write a story script with that...” You insulted her on purpose. You know that fighting back to her childish behavior will not do anything or something good but you are just really going for that satisfaction when you see her getting much irritated.

“Yeah, I'll probably write a script using your blood as ink.” She pulled out a dagger from her back pocket, making you gulp.

Fuck, you never really studied self defense because you rarely went out of the base and you often have the twins to defend you... and of course, Sylus.

“Shit!” You ran as she went after you in a fast motion. You know that even when you run, she can still kill you by throwing that dagger at you. After all, she is still a skilled hunter— that is why she got the Miss Hunter as a nickname.

You ran somewhere in the dark and you do not know where you are going but you are aware that you are getting far away from the diner. Trees are slowly engulfing your sight. “I'm so fucking stupid, why the heck did I run this way... arghh nevermind, I will probably get stabbed faster if I try to run back to the diner...”

And you were right— she threw her dagger at you, followed by another dagger that she also pulled out from her back pocket. The two daggers pierced the muscles of your left thigh. You quickly dropped to your knees. You pressed your palms to your now-stabbed thigh, trying to prevent the blood from leaking— obviously it just slightly helps because there are two daggers at your wound.

It is so dark in the woods. You still can see the lights of the diner but it is already far away. You cannot help but to curse Sylus for being in your life— now you have to face the wrath of his crazy soulmate.

“Fuck you, Sy... I hate you so much!” You mumbled under your breath.

“Y/N~ You won't be able to run away from me and you know that~” You shivered at the cold breeze of the air and her creepy voice.

“Argh!” You suddenly screamed when your hair was pulled. The bitch caught you.

“You thought you could run away from me, hmm? Not so fast, honey...” She chuckled. Her voice makes you sick. You want to curse at the fate that tied her with Sylus.

“Seriously? you're Sylus’ soulmate? so fucking embarrassing— argh!” You yelped as she twisted the two daggers at your thigh.

“Keep talking and I'll let you suffer more before you die!” Her voice echoed to the woods but you doubt that someone can still hear her, considering that you are now a little far away from the diner.

She twisted the daggers a lot of times for minutes, making you cry in pain. You are now getting weak but you refuse to let her see you in your fragile state.

- Back at the diner -

Rafayel is now panicking. You are missing for almost an hour now. He checked all the comfort rooms at the diner but you were nowhere to be seen. He knows that something bad is up because his chest is already tightening— he only feels this when you are in danger.

He went back to the exit door and as soon as he stepped outside, he saw two men dressed in all black with masks on their face. The two men ran to the dark back part of the parking lot. He does not know them because they never saw them here in Linkon but he suddenly felt the urge to follow the guys— maybe they are involved in what happened to you.

He feels that something is up in those guys. They never dined at the diner earlier, they just appeared out of nowhere.

So with no hesitation, he secretly and quietly followed the guys. He felt a heavy weight on his chest as he walked behind the two. His breath hitched as the guys suddenly stopped midway and slowly turned back at him.

Rafayel got ready to defend himself because the guys might attack him. But to his surprise, the two guys calmly walked at him and their presence did not feel like a threat to him.

“You’re Rafayel, right?” The other guy asked. Rafayel nodded as a response even though he did not know how the guy knew his name, still not wanting to have a close interaction with them despite their calm behavior.

“Follow us, Y/N is in danger...” The other guy on the left said, making Rafayel’s heart clench even harder.

The three of them went back on running towards the dark path to the depths of the woods that now surround them. The air felt cold and silence is now ringing in their ears. Rafayel still felt suspicious about the two guys until he heard a terrific scream— your scream.

Their hearts clenched with nervousness but they tried to move calmly so their action will all be calculated.

- Back to you and MC -

You are now losing a lot of blood— not just from your thighs, but also from all over your body. She is serious when she says that she will not let you die quickly. She has been torturing you with cuts all over your body. All you can think and hope for now is for Rafayel— or any other people— to come and get this maniac bitch away from you.

She has been laughing since she started cutting your body earlier. Your dress is now a mess— your whole body is now a mess. You cannot do anything to fight her back because aside from your painful wounds, she also tied you in a tree using a thick rope that you do not know can fit in her freaking pocket.

You tried to fight and stop your throat from letting out the noise of pain to not satisfy her crazy desire to make you suffer but everything was just too painful.

“Aww, I’m already getting bored of torturing you... Might as well kill you now!” She then bursted laughing again. Her sweat and your blood dripped down in her hands together.

The sight of you makes you want to vomit but your body is so weak to even do that. You do not even know why your body is still fighting death— you do not know why you are still conscious after all the bruises and wounds that she gave you with her daggers.

You accepted your fate— you already accepted that you are now going to die in the hands of this crazy delulu bitch. All you can think of as of now is Rafayel. You swear that when you guys meet again, you will confess your growing feelings to him already.

MC screamed as she aimed to stab your heart. You shut your eyes and waited for the dagger to finally put you to rest— but nothing even more painful came. Instead, you heard her scream from frustration.

“Let go of me! You masked freak!” She yelled.

Masked? You know no one else with a mask that is also connected to MC other than those two...

You slowly opened your eyes. Tears that you are holding for a while finally streamed down to your cheeks.

The twins are here...

You sighed in relief at what you saw. Kieran was carrying MC from behind as he threw all her daggers and other weapons away. Luke ran to you quickly and immediately cut the rope that was keeping you close to the tree. You hugged Luke as you cried.

Your eyes roamed around the area— and there, you saw a purple-haired guy dashing towards you with tears in his eyes. Rafayel also came— he came for you.

Luke moved aside, allowing Rafayel to hug you. He was gentle and careful not to touch your wounds. The sight of you hurts his heart.

He did not speak a word and just let you caress his hair as both of you sobbed. His beautiful suit is now soaked in your tears and your blood but he does not mind it, what matters now is you are still alive. And he is not willing to waste any second. He carefully picked you up in bridal style.

Kieran and Luke looked at him and nodded, as a sign that he can now bring you back for your treatment. As soon as Rafayel started walking, MC suddenly got out of Kieran's grip and quickly picked up one of her daggers. The twins cursed at her action. But luckily, Rafayel’s evol caught her dagger. His quick reflexes was a life saver.

The twin quickly ran to Rafayel’s side to help him protect you from MC's daggers.

“MC, we know that you are someone special for our boss...” Luke spoke. It still kind of hurts to hear that MC is someone special for Sylus but you brushed that feeling off.

“But we won't think twice to disobey him and kill you if you don't stop trying to kill Y/N.” Luke continued between his gasps for air.

Kieran secretly took something out of his pocket— a mini injection with a red liquid inside. MC did not see it but you did. Luke ran towards MC and aimed to fight her so she could be distracted. Once MC’s mind was focused on Luke, Kieran grabbed the chance and ran on MC’s side. Kieran injected the red liquid to MC and she immediately lost consciousness. Before she could hit the ground, Kieran held her body.

He adjusted her body into a bridal style also. Her hands are on her side so she will not do something weird and harmful if ever that she wakes up while Kieran is walking.

Rafayel started walking faster again with the twins behind him. The cold air hits your wounds and you cannot help but groan from the pain. Rafayel noticed it and became more careful.

No one spoke and the silence is giving you peace. Rafayel wants to speed up but he can't because he might hurt you so you try your best to stay awake as much as possible.

Finally, you reached the back of the parking lot of the diner. You felt some relief when you finally saw the lights.

Zayne’s sudden appearance shocked you. He walked towards Rafayel. He looked at you with a hint of worry in his eyes.

“You are badly injured, you need immediate care. But the hospital is far from here, you might lose a lot of blood during the drive. I guess, I have no choice but to do the other treatment...” He examined your body while Rafayel is still holding you.

The twins are just behind you, still careful not to wake MC so soon.

“Why are you here?” You asked Zayne. Your voice is so low, a sign of your exhaustion and pain.

“Rafayel called me. I can barely understand what he was saying because he was running so fast but luckily, I still did. Now, don't waste your energy on talking and stay still...” Zayne motioned for Rafayel to get on his knees. Zayne also got on his knees after Rafayel, it is like he is going to do some ritual on your wounds.

You suddenly felt a tight and cold yet comforting force all over your body. You want to look at it but your neck cannot move because of the force. You just stayed still and waited for it to be over.

After the force was gone, the wounds in your body also completely disappeared like it was never there in the first place. Rafayel and Zayne slowly stand up. They also guided your body so you can stand.

The parts on your body where the wounds once sat earlier are still a little sore but it is now more bearable. The two of them helped you walk towards the area where Rafayel’s car was parked. The twins quietly follow behind the three of you while Kieran was still carrying MC.

When you guys reached Rafayel’s car, Rafayel suddenly stopped on his tracks and turned back around to the twins.

“Thank you so much for helping me find Y/N.” He said in a low voice, just enough for the twins to hear.

“No need to say thank you. Y/N is our friend, we can't risk to lose her.” Luke replied with a calm tone. Rafayel nodded and slightly smiled at them.

“Just promise us to take care of her. Don't treat her badly, she already suffered enough from her past... Don't make the same mistake with her.” Kieran’s voice was full of care and softness. Rafayel and Zayne are not aware of who is speaking but you know every detail of the twin— you can tell their difference.

“We are loyal to our boss but when it comes to Y/N, we trust you more for her. Take good care of her... She’s like our little sister.” Luke spoke again with tenderness and adoration in his voice.

You melt at their words. You really miss those times where three of you will pull pranks at each other and end up laughing all day.

“I promise to take care of her. You can count on me.” Rafayel smiled at them again.

“Wait, how did you guys know that we were here? Why are you guys even here?” You interrupted their conversation. The twin tilted their head in sync. They were nervous to answer your question.

Just as they are about to speak, a familiar sound of footsteps interrupted them.

Him, the one that you hated the most as for this moment.

Sylus...

You frowned as you saw him walking towards you and Rafayel— already looking at you. You do not understand the look in his eyes though...

He looks like he is concerned, worried, sad... you do not actually know but one thing is for sure— he is not happy.

“What are you doing here, Sylus?” You asked him. You grilled Rafayel’s arms tightly like Sylus is about to get you alive. Rafayel and Zayne can sense the tension so they try to cover you from Sylus’ gaze. Rafayel also tensed up when he heard Sylus’ name. He remembered the things that you said about him and what he did.

Sylus ignored your question and turned to MC that is carried by Kieran. Damn, that kinda hurts...

“She brought her own car here. Find it and take her inside. ” Sylus ordered the twin but they refused to move. Sylus was shocked but he quickly hid his shocked expression and replaced it with a bored one.

The twins can sense that Sylus is up to something, “Boss we are always obeying you but what are you planning to do right now? Please leave Y/N alone...”

The twins really want to be with you again at N109 Zone but if it costs you your peace and freedom, they are willing to hurt their own feelings and desire to be with you just so you can live a life that you want— even if it means that they are going to disobey Sylus’ order.

“Don’t worry, I just want to talk to my... friend.” His voice does not seem to be threatening, it somewhat feels genuine. But you are still hesitant after everything that he caused you.

“Why do you want to talk to her?” Rafayel’s voice is full of protectiveness. He hid you behind his back.

“It’s none of your business. Now, move.” Sylus tried to grab your hand away from Rafayel’s grip but Rafayel, Zayne, and Luke covered you. What shocked you the most was Luke. He never got on Sylus’ way before— he always obeyed him, and so was Kieran.

Zayne and Rafayel bickered with Sylus for minutes until you decided to interrupt them. You know that Sylus will make his way to get what he wants and there is no point in fighting back.

“Fine, Sylus. We can talk but you're not allowed to touch me. We can only talk for 15 minutes.” You suddenly blurted out, making the guys around you freeze in their spots.

Rafayel and Zayne looked at you with disappointment in their eyes. You gave them a reassuring smile and stepped out from their backs.

“Don’t worry guys, I will be alright.” You said. You know that Sylus is not a crazy bitch like his soulmate. The only thing that he will probably hurt you with is his words.

“Boss, don't hurt her... even verbally.” Kieran pleaded.

“I won't. Get MC to her car and drive it back to where she came from.” Sylus replied while the twins nodded. The twins left with a hesitant look but they have to obey Sylus this time.

Sylus gestured for you to follow him. You were hesitant at first but you want this to finally be over and head back home. You gave Rafayel and Zayne a smile and followed Sylus. Rafayel and Zayne will make sure that Sylus will not be able to hurt you.

After a lot of steps that you took at the parking lot, you finally reached Sylus’ car. He suddenly froze in his spot, making you almost bump to his back. He turned to you with an arched brow.

“Why did you leave?” He asked, making you gulp. You know the answer but you cannot get it out of your throat for some reason— it was probably his gaze that scares you.

“Why do you care?” You asked him back sarcastically. His gaze became more intense.

“You left a lot of work. New secretaries that we hired failed to do your job. Come back to the company.” He said seriously. You do not know if you are hallucinating but you caught a glimpse of pleading in his eyes.

“I won't. I'm already happy here. Besides, you're the one who told me to resign.” You quickly said. You are now in a battle of pride with Sylus.

“Stop being dramatic and learn how to take jokes... Or you just don't want to go back to the N109 zone so you can spend time with your Rafayel?” He smirked at you. You got hurt when he called you dramatic but you do not want to feed his ego.

“First, sensitivity is not being dramatic. Second, yes— I'm happy with Rafayel... Wait, how did you know his name?” You were confused on why the twins are here but it is starting to make sense.

“I have my ways, stop asking.” He sounded like he is mocking you and it is getting on your nerves. You really want to punch his guts right now.

“Rafayel hmm.... Is it fun to be on a date with him?” He asked again like he is interrogating you.

“Yes, super fun unlike you.” You said in a serious tone. Sylus felt his heart clenched at your words but he did not want to show it.

“Come back to the company. You know that you cannot escape me, Y/N... I'm your friend right?... You belong to me.” He moved towards you, closing the gap between the two of you until your back hit the door of his car.

“Correction, you're already my ex-friend and I'm not a thing that you own. And no, I won't come back to the company. I'm happy here at Linkon. I have Rafayel and Zayne as my companions— so please, leave me alone and forget the years that we spent together.” You said while avoiding his gaze. You are so nervous as heck right now.

You are hurting Sylus’ feelings with what you said but you do not know it— yet...

“Forget the ten years? Is that easy for you? Does that Rafayel guy brainwash you already?” His gaze darkened, making your chest feel more tight. But you also got offended with the way that he talks about Rafayel.

“Rafayel did not brainwash me, he's not that type of guy. What I said is simply my own decision.” You had the urge to look into his eyes and you did— just to find anger in his red eyes.

You waited for him to speak but he did not so you took the opportunity to say what you want to say long before you flew to Linkon.

“You are already tied to MC. Ever since she came back, you treated me like I did not stay with you through ups and downs. You insulted me and stabbed my feelings with those sharp words of yours. And now that you see me finally happy with my new life in Linkon, you'll decide to follow me and make me come back as if we are still on good terms? I hate swearing at others— especially you.... but you know what? fuck you for being so insensitive!” Tears poured from your eyes, making Sylus take a step back.

“Don’t bring MC into this conversation, she has nothing to do with this.” That is what he said. The only sentence that he said before you hit his chest with your palms. He did not fight back or stop you, he just watched as your tears fell down.

“Why not? Don't you know what that girl did to me earlier?” You laughed pathetically as you looked down on your feet. Your hands are trembling as you speak.

“What did she do?” Since MC came back, this is the first time that you heard him speak to you with such concern.

“She tried to kill me. She tortured me for minutes. Luckily, the twins and Rafayel found me before she could stab my heart. Zayne was also there, he healed me... That's why you can't see any wounds and bruises from me now. But look at the dress that I'm wearing... see? she's insane... totally insane...” You placed your palms in your eyes as you sobbed more. Sylus stayed quiet like he is still waiting for you to speak more.

“And it's all because of you... she did this because she feels like you're drifting away from her because of my departure. Now, do you still think that she doesn't have something to do with this conversation?” You want to punch him but your hands are now starting to get weak.

“I- I didn't know this...” Sylus’ voice was trembling. You do not know what to feel about his reaction right now because of the anger inside you.

“You never cared about me since she came so why would you know?” You chuckled but it turned into a sob.

“Excuse me, I have to go home. It's been more than 15 minutes.” You tried to go past him but he grabbed your wrist and hugged your waist from behind.

“Please come back, don't leave me... I'm sorry... I wanted to take you back because I already realized what you mean to me, not just because of your work... About MC, I realized that I don't love her like I did before in our past life.... You're the one I truly need right now.... Please Y/N, let me make it up to you....” He rested his chin on your shoulder and buried his face on your neck. His voice and cry makes you weak. This is the first time you saw him in this state. You admit that seeing him this vulnerable still hurts your heart— but you are a woman of value... You do not listen to your emotions alone.

“Stop being an asshole... You already have MC, don't be so greedy for love. And you are also tied by fate. Trying to fight it will only hurt you.” You tried to break free from his grip but he was just so strong.

“No, I will make a way to be free from this fate... I promise... Just don't leave me, please?” He sobbed harder. Your neck is now wet from his tears.

“Sylus... no. I already suffered enough from you, it will be hard to make things back to how it was before.” He loosened his grip and you took the chance to walk away.

You heard him calling for you but you did your best to ignore it. Tears ran down your cheeks again as you walked back to Rafayel’s car.

On your way back, you bumped into Rafayel and Zayne. It seems like they followed you secretly but you are too weak and blank to care right now.

“Raf, let's go home...” You tugged at his arm. Rafayel nodded and led you to his car. Zayne went to his own car and started to drive. Rafayel followed behind Zayne’s car.

You were silent during the drive and so was Rafayel. Zayne parted ways from you when you reached the buildings of Linkon City.

You reached your apartment and Rafayel supported your body with his arm as you both went to your apartments. Both of you did not mind the stares of the people that are around you as you guys walked.

“Thank you for the help, Raf. I'm sorry that everything didn't go well because of me...” You looked down, feeling embarrassed.

“It’s not your fault, cutie. Let's just be glad that you are safe now...” Rafayel was really concerned about your situation right now.

“I have to sleep, Raf... good night.” You tiredly speak. Rafayel nodded with a slight smile and let you enter your apartment before he entered his.

When you get inside, you tiredly do your routine. You might be exhausted but you do not want to sleep with a dirty body.

After your routine, you plopped yourself to your bed. You grabbed your phone to text Rafayel quickly.

“Hey, Raf! If you're free tomorrow, let's spend the afternoon here in my apartment... Let's watch some movies with the projector you got me and eat some snacks. :>” You waited for his reply that followed shortly after you sent your message.

“Sure, cutie! I still have drinks and snacks in my fridge, we can eat those!” You smiled at his reply. You are too tired to reply back so you just reacted a heart to his message and went to sleep.

This day started as amazing but ended up with so much chaos...

- Time skip -

It is already 2:49 pm. Rafayel brought the snacks and drinks from his apartment just like what he told you in the chat last night. Everything felt heavy this morning but Rafayel’s presence helped you to soothe your mind.

You picked a funny movie because you do not want to be sad all over again. You are already getting tired of feeling depressed.

The two of you filled your bedroom with laughter as the main characters from the movie did funny stunts and faces. Rafayel cannot help but to capture the moment again with his phone and you are now aware of it but you do not mind it now. You actually enjoy it.

The movie ended with a last funny stunt and you bursted laughing with Rafayel again like there is no tomorrow. You are really grateful that you have him in your life. He makes you forget anything else that bothers your mind and replaces it with something that you will treasure in your entire lifetime.

Rafayel helped you clean up the mess. Containers that are scattered on the floor are now cleaned up— thanks to him. After your bedroom was neat again, you sat on your bed. Rafayel sat beside you without speaking any words. The silence is not like last night, it is not comforting.

This is comforting— just the two of you together.

You want to tell him what you feel right now. Because, who knows? you might now get the same chance in another time. You fought your nervousness and started to speak.

“Raf, I really want to tell you something that has been bothering me for days now...” You sighed. Rafayel looked at you with confusion in his eyes. He did not speak— he only listened like what he usually does. He waited for you to speak again.

“I know that we only met for a very short period of time, but I can't explain why I feel so different when I'm with you... You make me love myself and see my value more. I hate to admit that I easily fell for you, but I'm really genuine about how I feel towards you. I don't force you to feel the same but I hope that this confession will not change our bond with each other.” You said it smoothly like you had memorized a script before you talked to Rafayel.

“Y/N... I actually feel the same. I'm also confused because I had friends before— there are also girls, but I never acted and felt this way. I'm actually scared that you will distance yourself from me if you knew that's why I was nervous last night when you saw the photo of you that I took...” Rafayel also confessed, making you blush and shocked.

“But I don't want to take things further yet. I want to know you more and I want you to be sure of me before committing things... I'm ready to wait and pursue you until you're ready, Y/N.” He added. His thoughtfulness makes you fall for him harder.

You smiled at each other. You embraced him into a hug and buried your face to his chest, feeling his warmth.

“You’re so cute when you confess, Raf...” You whispered, teasing him. He giggled and patted your head.

“Only for you, cutie...” You smiled at his response.

The comforting sound of your breaths and his heartbeat are the only things that you can hear now— and it is more than enough.

The peaceful moment engulfed the two of you. Both of you are not wanting to let go of each other just yet. You are hoping that this will start something much more peaceful than your past.

But everything needs a proper closure— Sylus badly needs it.

I listened to Multo by Cup of Joe while writing this hihi

(This is not the end yet, this is still not angsty enough hehe) + Part 4 will be probably focused on Sylus, MC, and the twins at the Onychinus base

[crumpetz]

a little update on the progress of The Big Road Home

it has been so long since i made a post that i had to figure out what to click on all over again lol. this week it hit me that ppl follow me specifically for fic upates and it just slipped my mind that i could be saying more. i have, like, internet social anxiety, and just default to never saying anything most of the time.

anyway, i'm really happy to report that progress on the fic has really moved along recently. for anyone who doesn't know, i have long covid and the brain fog has really interfered with my writing process. i originally taught myself to write using a certain system where i kept a lot of things in my head at once, and since losing that ability, i've been relearning how to write in a way my current self can do. which especially has sucked for the fic and where it left off, because the part i stopped at was actually a huge group of scenes scattered through multiple otherwise completed chapters that i was saving for later (before i got long covid). because even in my peak condition with my brain capable of keeping all the details straight, those scenes were still so challenging and important to get right that i wanted to wait until i was feeling extra sharp lol. so yeah, i've been basically having to reread my entire fic over and over every time i wanna figure out how to add in like one small part of all the things i've gotta cover (and thanks to the brain fog, on average, i'm capable of thinking thru all that maybe three days out of every month if i'm lucky?)

so, all that rereading and getting the details and characters consistent finally has been paying off, because i reached the stage this past week where i could finally bring it all together. the final product is going to be less seamless than what i'd originally intended, but that's just a given now that my brain is different. and, full disclosure, the stuff that i'm talking about is exposition. which i think for most ppl reading my fic is more like information they just want to know and less something that needs to feel seamless in delivery, unlike character interactions and emotional arcs. so, the reality is that the exposition in the next handful of chapters is gonna be a little clunky, but the non-exposition stuff will all be like normal, with the same amount of care i usually work toward.

i don't want to assume when everything will be ready. final tweaks always take me longer than i'm expecting. but to put it into perspective, i spent the last 2-3 yrs (i forget how long it's been oh no) getting thru like 20 percent of what needed to be done. and then i just spent a few days last week getting through 60 percent. i'm gonna wait until the full set of chapters i'm working on is complete because i want to be able to post them without a long wait in between, and i want to take the time to really get the emotional beats right. but i guess if i had to say anything for sure, it would be that for the first time since i got long covid, i'm truly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for this fic.

my final note is that the next set of chapters isn't the end of The Big Road Home btw. i forget if i ever mentioned this, but from the start, The Big Road Home was going to be three main parts. the first part with jason and tim being street kids together, then this part we're in with tim living with the Wayne's is part 2. there's gonna be a whole 3rd part coming. idk how long it'll be, lol. it's the only part i haven't written a single word of because i've kind of been saving it as a treat.

thanks for your patience and encouragement all this time. as i said, i have pretty awful social anxiety on the internet and don't reply to ppl who reach out nearly as often as i want to. but every kind word or fanart or playlist or thoughtful comment on stuff you noticed etc etc has really carried me through the past few yrs. i can't tell you how many times i was spiraling, feeling like i might not be able to figure out how to write the next part with my current limitations, and one of you said something so lovely and encouraging, and i'd just suddenly have it in me to give it another try.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Why did they change Fellow’s and Gidel’s name for EN but not Rollo’s? So weird you’d think they’d at least be consistent and change all the names or none at all.

[Referencing this post!]

hchfxbjsbajCgwhq Deep breaths, everyone 😅 Deeeeeeep breaths…

I know a lot of us might be displeased with the name changes (moreso with Fellow’s than with Gidel’s) but let’s remember that, at the end of the day, they’re just names. They’re not erasing the original names, they’re not changing the context of the event story, and no one will force you to use the new names if you don’t want to. Your feelings are valid, but please be mindful about how you express them (because unfortunately I fear it can very easily veer into insulting or talking down to the localization/the localization team or fans who don’t mind/actually like the name changes 💦 It is partly for this reason that I did not include the other asks I received on this topic, as they could be needlessly inflammatory).

That being said, here are my thoughts on the matter: initially, I didn’t like the names. My automatic thought was that they sound like a corny 4Kids dub where they changed the Obviously Japanese Name (ex: Ichigo) to something Very Western (ex: Zoey). However, I’ll also be the first to admit that I also initially found the Japanese names odd because who names their kid FELLOW?? It’s like naming someone Person. I’m used to it now, but it definitely took me weeks and weeks to consider “Fellow Honest” a full name.

I’ve seen some people say that Fellow and Gidel’s names are meant to be silly sounding (and so the localized names are actually fitting), but I don’t agree with that sentiment. To my knowledge, no one in-universe ever laughs at their names or says they’re out of place. If the names were intended to be perceived as silly, there would be remarks indicating this. For example, “Tsunotaro”/“Hornton” IS silly because characters make explicit mention of how strange the nickname is. This is not true of Fellow and Gidel, so I don’t believe their names are supposed to be unserious.

I’ve also seen a lot of people poking fun at “Ernesto Foulworth” because “it sounds like such an obvious name for a scammer”. And yeah, maybe that’s true depending on who’s looking at it. I get where people are coming from. Buuut to play devil’s advocate, “Fellow Honest” invokes similar vibes. Both names have that element of honesty/earnest, but “Fellow” is more of a “John Doe” or generic name whereas “FOULworth” sounds bad since we associate the word foul with negativity. Essentially, both names are shady in their own ways but “Ernesto Foulworth” gets more flack because foul triggers an automatic negative association whereas fellow is more neutral.

So then I sat with the localized names for a little longer and the changes started to make a little more sense. To me, both sound very Italian, which fits given that Pinocchio has Italian origins. Additionally, “Ernesto” looks and sounds like “earnest”, which refers to being truthful. His surname, “Foulworth”, may be a reference to Honest John’s full name? Worthington Foulfellow. (I have no insights for Gino, unfortunately… other than making him “match” Fellow’s name better since they’re a pair?)

In all honesty (heh) though, I still don’t really like the new names even considering that context. I’ll probably keep calling them by their Japanese ones. I’ll never be a fan of any name changes because it means I have to go back and edit the tags on ALL my related posts, lol

Side note: shoutout to all the folks saying the names sound Ace Attorney-esque, how you think of Ernesto de la Cruz from Coco, and/or joking about how the EN names are Fellow and Gidel’s fake identities/aliases while they’re on the run from the cops 😭 I laughed too hard reading those comments cbwhebjzbwiwhwlek

Now, I’m not sure why the names were changed considering that names prior have largely been unchanged (Cheka, Marja, Najma, Rollo, etc.), save for maybe some spelling changes (Meleanor -> Maleanor, Baul -> Baur, Farena -> Falena, Leven -> Raverne, etc.). The only huge exception to this is Kifaji, who became Neji in EN. Here’s some theories and speculation going around in the fandom about Fellow and Gidel’s changes:

Copyright issues???? For example, you can’t really trademark “Fellow” and “Honest”, but you could maybe trademark “Ernesto Foulworth”. (This doesn’t explain Gino’s name or why they couldn’t trademark “Fellow Honest”.)

Another interpretation of copyright issues theory is that there’s weird legal stuff happening between Aniplex and Disney (international), which forced the name changes. (I think this one assumes a lot of tight regulations and hinges on how litigious big corpos and especially Disney are when it comes to “protecting” their brand and properties.)

Some have suggested that “Fellow Honest” is noun-adjective word order, which is uncommon in English. In “Ernesto Foulworth”, the first name looks and sounds like the adjective “earnest”, meaning the adjective(s) come first, which is more common in English. (This theory is a little incomplete though; there is no noun in the localized name to complete the thought. Additionally, Japanese also usually goes with the adjective-noun rule, so “Fellow Honest” would be an unusual name for JP too. And again, no explanation for Gino.)

… ITALIAn REP BABY 🇮🇹

[luxcuriousao3]

Dove: A Zombie Ghost Story (Chapter Eight)

Summary: His dove had hugged him. It had been more wonderful than he’d ever imagined. Her warmth and softness and sweet scent had surrounded him, finally chasing away the ever-present chill that lived deep in his bones. While he had been in her arms, he was at peace. No longer an undead monster, or even a tormented, damaged soldier, he’d simply been a man, seeking comfort and absolution in the light of an angel. Word Count: 2968 Warnings: still no smut, vaguely mentioned past abuse, animal death (a zombie's gotta eat), Johnny is STILL haunting the narrative Notes: We have new dividers for this fic! All were made by @/sweetmelodygraphics (original post here). The zombie divider indicates the text below is Ghost's POV, the dove divider inidcates Lelia's POV. The combined dove and zombie divider represents a time skip but not a POV change. I still have no beta for this fic so all SPAG and consistency errors are my own, feel free to point them out. Comments and reblogs are highly appreciated! AO3, Masterlist

Ghost didn’t stay in the study long, ever worried about getting too hungry and doing something unforgivable, but he was in a daze as he left the house and headed for the woods. Lelia had hugged him.

His dove had hugged him.

It had been more wonderful than he’d ever imagined. Her warmth and softness and sweet scent had surrounded him, finally chasing away the ever-present chill that lived deep in his bones. While he had been in her arms, he was at peace. No longer an undead monster, or even a tormented, damaged soldier, he’d simply been a man, seeking comfort and absolution in the light of an angel.

Pulling away had been the hardest thing he’d ever done, in this life and the last, he was sure. Even if he couldn't really remember. The only way it could have possibly been harder was if he didn't intend to go back.

But he would. He would always return to his dove, his angel, his salvation.

His Lelia.

Hunting took longer than usual, on account of Ghost being distracted by the memory of Lelia's arms wrapped around him. Nonetheless, he still made sure to put his prey out of its misery quickly before eating it, for her sake. He didn't have to. He could lie to her without much effort, just nod his head if she asked him again—it was unlikely she'd be able to tell, and she certainly wasn't here to see if he’d done otherwise. But her sensitivity was infectious, it seemed, because he actually felt a bit bad when he feasted on a tawny owl not yet fully grown. Not bad enough to stop him, though. He would still choose to eat a fluffy baby creature over Lelia any day.

He carefully plucked a couple of its prettiest feathers after killing it, tucking them into his pocket before beginning to tear the bird apart to eat it. He figured his dove would like them. She enjoyed soft, beautiful things, he'd learned. It made sense, since she was one herself.

Manually stimulating his jaw in order to chew was always slow going, but tonight, it was especially annoying. He couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d rather be wrapped in Lelia’s arms right then. He even thought about ending his meal before he was finished, like a picky toddler, but he knew that was just asking for trouble. So he forced himself to keep going until the owl’s fragile little bones were picked clean. He had a moment of unpleasantness when he thought about how his dove was just as frail, and he picked up the pace on his way back to her, knowing he'd been gone for longer than usual.

When he got back to the house, he quietly approached her door, able to hear from downstairs that her heartbeat was slow with sleep. He was disappointed, since she usually waited up for him so she could help clean him, but he knew that was on him for getting distracted. So he just settled into his usual spot outside her door, and whiled away the small hours thinking of her.

“Yer whipped, mate,” Johnny’s voice in his head said. It didn’t sound teasing like usual, though. Just sad. Once again, Ghost wondered exactly who Johnny was—and why he was the only person he remembered even a little bit. “Ye always did fall hard. Good luck tae the li’l lass in gettin’ rid o’ ye now.”

Never, Simon thought back, fists clenching just at the idea. Not even death can take me from the ones I love. I’ll always find my way back to them.

When Lelia woke, she realized two things. First: it was morning.

And second: Simon hadn’t come back last night.

She sat straight up, a gasp falling from her lips as she looked around wildly. She never went to bed before Simon came back—but she had been so exhausted yesterday, and he was taking far longer than usual. She must have fallen asleep without realizing.

“Simon!” She yelled, panicked. She jumped out of bed and stumbled over to the door, throwing it open. “Simon!”

There her zombie stood, looking concerned and bloodier than usual. Uncaring of the mess, Lelia launched herself at him with a sob of relief, arms wrapping tightly around his waist. She could tell that she’d shocked him, as he hesitated for a few seconds before hugging her back and holding her close, the same way she had held him yesterday.

“Oh my days,” she breathed, face pressed against his tactical vest as she studiously ignored the smell of death that clung to him, including the rusty metallic scent of blood from his last kill. “Don’t do that! I thought something had happened to you…”

Simon gurgled what she thought was supposed to be a soothing noise, and she pulled back enough to glare up at him, pointing a finger in his face.

“I’m serious, Mister! Don’t do that again. Just wake me up if you get back late—I'd rather lose a little sleep than wake in a panic like I did just now.”

Simon’s eyes were crinkled a little at the corners, and she could tell her attempt at being stern was amusing to him. She huffed, crossing her arms over chest and glaring.

“Toilet, now. We need to get you cleaned up. Oh, this is going to be so difficult now that the stains have had time to set in! This is why you should’ve woken me right away…”

Ghost followed after his dove a few paces behind as she continued to scold him like an overprotective mum. It was precious. She was precious. She was everything. God she made him soft.

When she’d woken up screaming his name, he'd startled from the almost meditative state he tended to fall into during long periods of inactivity. They used to last weeks, sometimes, but since meeting Lelia, they only ever lasted a few hours at most. Time passed differently, during them. So his first thought upon hearing her yell out for him, terror in her voice, was that he’d somehow gone dormant for far longer than he’d meant to.

Then she was there, and she was clinging onto him like a stubborn koala bear. He'd been so shocked he hadn’t known what to do for a moment, going still as a statue. But then her warmth had reached him, and he’d tugged her closer, savoring the feeling of her in his arms. She’d fit perfectly, like they were made for her.

He could’ve stayed like that forever, but letting her clean him was nice too—it meant he got to feel her hands on his ruin of a face. That she was willing to touch it at all, even with the mask hiding part of it, would never cease to amaze him.

He sat down on the toilet lid as his dove began to carefully wipe his face with a wet rag, holding his broken jaw with such gentleness he couldn’t stop the low, contented growl from escaping him. She just smiled, cupping his cheek in her hand for a brief moment before resuming her task.

He let his eyes fall shut as she brushed his teeth, and if he could fall asleep, he would have right then and there.

All too soon, she was finished, having done her best to work the stains out of his gear, grumbling good naturedly the whole while. He didn’t dare laugh, no matter how funny he found it.

With newly clean hands, he fished the feathers out of his pocket. One had broken, and he grunted in dismay, tossing it in the bin next to the toilet. The other was still in perfect condition, though, and he waited until his dove was finished brushing her own teeth before presenting it to her. He couldn’t quite meet her eyes, suddenly sure she would find it stupid.

“Ooh, pretty! Is that a feather?”

He risked a glance up, grunting affirmatively and then holding his hand out a little further, close to her. She blinked, and then her eyes got big and round, her lips parting in shock.

“For me?” She whispered, voice tiny and shaking a little bit. Ghost grunted again, the feather fluttering as his own hand trembled slightly. Tears filled his dove’s eyes, and he let out a small gurgle of alarm, worried he’d fucked up—was she upset at the reminder he’d killed an animal? Shite, of bloody course she was, what had he been thinking?—but then she accepted the feather, holding it reverently as she examined it every which way.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, a wide smile spreading across her face. She brushed the soft edge of the feather over the inside of her wrist, giggling at the sensation. “Simon… thank you. I’ll treasure it.”

Simon stared at her, at her bright grin and the way she’d been moved to tears by such a simple gesture. It wasn’t a fancy piece of jewelry or new shoes, things she had undoubtedly been used to receiving as gifts, back before. It wasn't even something useful, like food or water. It was a damn feather. And yet she treated it like something precious. She thanked him like he’d just given her a diamond ring. Acted like it, too. And for a second, he could’ve sworn he felt his heart start beating again.

They managed to figure out how to read the map together—it involved a lot of frustrated pointing on Ghost’s part and reading things aloud on Lelia’s—and then they were off. They hadn’t been able to find a working car in all their searching, but they couldn't delay any longer. With a few days of hard walking, though, they should make it to the tiny, isolated village around 120 kilometers away. He only hoped that his dove would be up for the trip—and that they’d beat the first snow of the season.

The longer it took for them to find what they needed, the more he had begun to seriously reconsider staying in the town for the winter, or even going back to the cabin with the wood burning stove—but both locations were simply too close to the military base Lelia had escaped from. No matter the heat the cabin would offer, or the potential to find supplies that the town did, he couldn’t justify the risks.

So, with him toting the wagon along behind them, and his dove bundled up in several layers they'd accumulated over the last couple of weeks, they set out on their journey.

As always, it didn’t take long for her to fill the silence.

“How many people do you think are still alive?” She asked him before they'd even reached the woods again. “In Britain, I mean. We haven’t run into anyone in almost a month, and there were only a few hundred survivors on the base I came from. They started turning people away not long after we got there. The soldiers said there wasn’t enough supplies to go around.”

Ghost knew that she didn’t actually expect him to answer most of her questions. He couldn’t, not unless they were yes or no. But he always listened attentively, responding with a groan or a gesture to show that he was. She smiled at him every time he did, and he knew she appreciated it.

Right now, he growled at what she was saying, pissed. With everything he learned about the base she’d been on and the soldiers that ran it, the more he hated them. He knew he’d been far from a saint when he was alive, that he’d done some truly terrible things, even if he couldn’t remember all the details. But the cruelties his dove hinted at—never going into detail, always carefully vague—made his cold, stagnant blood boil.

“I know,” Lelia said quietly, sadly. “It was awful… but they were proud of it, of leaving people out here to die. They used to brag about it while they—”

She abruptly cut off, sucking in a sharp breath. Ghost looked at her worriedly. She’d stopped walking, going scarily still, and there was a distant look on her face—the same one she’d gotten the day they’d found the leather jacket.

He reached out with the hand not holding onto the wagon handle—his fingers were still stiff and clumsy, but with practice, he’d gotten better at gripping things—and brushed it against the back of her own. She jumped, looking startled and afraid—but then settled when she saw him, taking his hand in her own for a moment and squeezing gratefully before letting go.

“Anyway, I imagine there's not many people left,” she continued, beginning to walk again. Ghost followed her after a moment, wishing then more than ever that he could speak. “It makes me wonder if I’ll ever see any again.”

She looked back at him, giving him a sheepish, slightly apologetic smile.

“Living people, I mean,” she clarified unnecessarily. Ghost wasn’t really a person anymore, was he? Even he still felt like one, now that she’d come into his life-after-death and replaced all the greys with vibrant colors. “I… I don’t think I’m disappointed about that, though. Never seeing anyone else again. Is that bad?”

Ghost was caught off guard by her words. Surely, she would prefer to be with people like her. Warm blooded, living people. People who didn't constantly smell of death. Why wouldn't she?

Because they hurt her, and I don’t, Simon thought.

Ghost shook his head, a delayed response to her question. It was horrid, that people had hurt her so bad she felt safer with a fucking zombie. It made him want to kill someone.

It also made him relieved.

She didn't want to leave him. She wanted to stay with him, would choose him over other humans. The weight of his worry abruptly lifted off his shoulders. The only person who he would let take his little dove from him didn't want to.

She smiled at him, and Simon stared unabashedly. Her cheeks and nose were red from the cold, eyes bright and happy. Beautiful. She smiled wider, but her brows furrowed as she gave him a quizzical look.

“What?” She asked, adjusting her knit hat, patting the pom-pom on top with mitten-covered hands. “Don’t tell me I’ve got a cone head again? I swear, that’s why I hate these hats, fashion disasters, the lot of them…”

As much as his dove complained about his terrible taste in fashion, she always wore what he told her to, knowing he had a much better idea of what would keep her alive. Sometimes, he thought that she started complaining more when she realized it amused him. The little side eye she shot him to see if he was still watching her confirmed it, and a rumbling chuckle escaped him, deep and genuine.

They both froze.

“Did you— did you just laugh?” His dove asked, awed. Ghost, just as shocked, couldn’t bring himself to answer.

It wasn't that he never laughed—in fact, he was pretty sure he’d laughed more in these last weeks with his dove than he had in his entire life. But they were huffs or harsh exhales, maybe a groan if something she did or said was particularly funny, a gurgle if he wasn’t expecting it. The sound he’d just made wasn’t any of those. It was an honest to God chuckle, and somehow, he just knew it was the exact way he’d laughed before. Before he’d been bit. Before he’d died. And before he’d come back wrong.

“Always did love tha’ laugh, LT,” Johnny’s voice in his head said fondly. “Feckin’ hard as Hell tae get it outta ye, though. Props tae the li’l lass fer managin’.”

(Ghost knew he should probably worry about the voice in his head that wasn’t his own—but so far, it hadn't impeded his ability to keep his dove safe, so he didn’t.

Besides. He liked this Johnny fellow, whoever he was.)

“Simon,” Lelia spoke again, sounding both disbelieving and excited. She bounced towards him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tight. He let go of the wagon immediately to hug her back. “You laughed! You actually laughed! Oh my Days!

“What does this mean?” Lelia continued, pulling back just enough to look up at him. “Do you think— do you think you’d be able to speak? If your jaw weren’t…”

She gestured at his broken face, a flicker of sadness in her eyes. He shrugged at her question, the movement stiff. He had no idea what it meant—and what did it matter, really? His jaw was fucked, so even if his vocal chords were somehow healing, he still couldn’t talk. He still couldn’t give her everything she deserved. Couldn't give her everything he wanted to, not in this decayed body that didn't even have lips to kiss her with. And he wanted to kiss her. Wanted to love on her in every possible way. How could he not, when she’d freed him from his cursed, lonely existence?

But she would never want him back, not in a million years. Not in this life, and not in the last. But maybe… Maybe he’d be luckier in the next one. Maybe he’d be a better man. Maybe she would want him, and maybe he’d deserve her.

Ghost still didn't know if he believed in all that. But it was nice to hope.

And in the meantime, he’d keep her safe in this life. He’d play the role of protector, friend, anything and everything she wanted from him. And he’d consider himself the luckiest undead bastard in the world, just because he got to be around her. Got to see her smile and make her laugh. That was enough.

It would have to be.

[yukidragon]

Sunny Day Jack - Coming Clean Teaser

It's my birthday so I've been spoiling myself with treats. I've decided to share one such treat with all of you, which involves shameless self-indulgence with my OTP. It's inspired by a certain spicy audio drama from a while back that I got the green light to make fanfiction for.

Content Warning: Although this story isn't graphic (yet), it centers around the topic of sex, horny urges, and nudity, so it's definitely NSFW.

I originally intended to wait until this fun tale of spice was finished before posting it, but it's been sitting in my WIP pile for far too long, and I want to share it already. So here's the unpolished and unfinished teaser for a story about Jack being desperately horny for his sunshine. Meanwhile, Alice contemplates her own horny thoughts about him... and what she should do about them.

I hope you enjoy this spicy snippet. Please consider leaving a comment on this or any of my other stories if you do. Nice comments always make my day, and they also make fantastic birthday gifts. ;3

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

Oh, as a bonus, I used this picrew maker to make a pic that fits the mood of the story. It was fun throwing in a picrew themed around my recent NSFW post about Joseph and Mary, so I decided to do it again.

The picture might not be 100% accurate to how Alice and Jack look, but at least I edited in some blue for his hair, hahaha.

...

Jack sighed in contentment as he entered the bedroom - their bedroom. Being here always brought him such peace. It was a place of rest to cuddle with his beloved sunshine and hold her all night long to ensure that the two of them would only have the sweetest dreams. Now that he and Alice were finally, finally officially together as a real couple at long last, he no longer felt like a guest in this room. He was no longer merely a friend keeping her company at night to chase the nightmares away while she slept.

The thought brought Jack back to the other night when he carried Alice to the bed after she finally confessed her love for him. He vividly remembered the heat of her body in his arms, the way he felt her heartbeat thrumming hard and fast against his chest as he held her so close against him.

Jack wanted to make love to her then and there. He wanted to finally become one with her so, so badly. They came close, so close; he could still feel the warmth of her soft body pinned beneath him on the bed and the excitement that she stirred in him with every kiss they shared. Unfortunately, her hesitation and overwhelmed nerves stopped them from going further than kisses and some tender touches despite how badly he wanted more.

Soon, Jack reassured himself with another, much more wistful sigh. They were together now. Alice finally admitted her love for him. He was her boyfriend, her partner, her lover, her one and only, forever. Eventually, she would be ready for them to use the bed they shared for more than just sleep and cuddle time. Soon, my love…

That very bed that Jack had so dutifully made that morning was now marred by the sight of a colorful uniform strewn across it carelessly, with pants drooping off the bed and halfway to turning into a messy puddle on the floor. He was taken aback that he failed to notice the mess sooner before letting out a rueful little laugh as he wryly shook his head. “Always leaving a trail of clothes behind, aren’t you?”

Jack gathered up the discarded clothes before sparing a fond look towards the bathroom door with a gentle smile. The sound of running water told him that Alice was getting cleaned up after a long day at work. “It’s okay,” he chuckled, his voice soft with affection. “I know you’re tired.” He held her discarded shirt close to his chest. “That’s why I’m here. As long as I’m with you, I’ll take care of you in every way.”

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Jack could swear that he felt a lingering trace of his sunshine’s warmth in her clothes. He caught the delicious scent of sugar cookies and vanilla cupcakes that he came to associate with Alice, filling him with a perverse temptation.

Jack cast a more furtive look towards the bathroom door this time. “You wouldn’t mind if I took a little whiff, would you?” he whispered, as if just the act of saying the words out loud might make what he wanted to do just a little less… naughty. “Just a little… please?”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh weakly at himself. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t help it. He brought the shirt to his face and breathed it in. The sugary scents of cookies and cupcakes filled his lungs along with an even sweeter scent that he couldn’t readily name, but he knew it more intimately than anything. It was the same as the flavor he tasted whenever he kissed Alice.

The hints of her warmth and smell washed over Jack, and he moaned as memories of her soft body pinned beneath him filled his mind and caused heat to pool in his belly. He vividly remembered the taste of her lips, those sweet tentative initial kisses they shared that soon grew wet and hot. He loved to drink deeply of her flavor once he coaxed her into parting her lips for him and allowed him inside. The scent of Alice mingled with the confectionary perfume reminded him of the taste of her skin when he moved on to show love to her neck next. He wanted to know how she tasted all over, but he only just made it past her collarbone, barely enough to start exploring the soft hint of her cleavage with his lips, before things came to a maddening halt.

“Alice…,” Jack moaned before he breathed in deep again, his body burning from her scent and the memory. He could still vividly remember the way her body melded just perfectly with his, how his hardness pressed into the plush softness of her thighs. His excitement betrayed him and overwhelmed her that night when she noticed how hard he was for her.

What Jack wouldn’t have given for things to have gone differently that night. “You smell so sweet, Sunshine…” A shuddering breath escaped him in a near whimper. He had been so close… so close and yet so far. “You don’t know what you do to me.” He breathed her in again, wishing that he was holding Alice instead of her clothes at that moment. “Just your very scent teases me so much…”

Jack turned a longing gaze to the bathroom door as a sigh escaped him, looking to all the world like a lonely puppy waiting for his master to return home. He wished that they could go back to that night and try again. He couldn’t, wouldn’t have rushed Alice into anything that she wasn’t comfortable with, but maybe he could have done better. He could’ve made smarter decisions that night, gone slower… helped relax those fears that made her so intimidated by something that he knew would be nothing short of beautiful for both of them. She had been so excited that night, just like he had been, just like he was now, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the whirlwind of fears whipping through her mind so fast that he could only catch a few snippets of them at the time.

Fortunately, Alice didn’t keep Jack at a distance after things ended so abruptly that night. If anything, she was scared that wanting to stop would make her lose him and their newfound closeness. The very idea that his love for her could be so fragile was absurd, but her fears were anything but funny. He remembered the relief she radiated when he reassured her that it was okay to stop at any time, that he would still love her no matter what they did or didn’t do…

…That her comfort and needs mattered more than his lustful desires.

They hadn’t gone further since that night, but they touched each other more often, kissed more. Jack loved every moment, adored every sweet gesture Alice made to show that she loved him as more than a friend, even if the idea of making love intimidated her. It was especially sweet when she initiated contact with him, even surprising him with quick stolen kisses that he was only too eager to turn into something much deeper and more lingering.

Alice was as sweet as the scent of her that was driving him crazy at that very moment.

No matter how badly Jack ached to feel her naked body against his, no matter how desperate he was to be inside of her, he would wait for Alice to be ready to take every bit of his love… no matter how long it took.

No matter how crazy the wait drove him.

That didn’t mean that it was easy though, especially not when Jack felt ready to burst, as the sweet scent of Alice left his mind reeling with thoughts of her and just how delicious she tasted. He couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped him, and he buried the needy sound in the soft fabric of her shirt as he breathed her in again. He shifted uncomfortably in place, his pants now unbearably tight as they strained to contain his arousal. “I wish I could be there in the shower with you…”

��

Alice sighed in frustration. Showers were supposed to be relaxing after a hard day at work, but it had been barely a minute before the heat started to get to her… and it wasn’t because of the temperature of the water.

It was her own fault, Alice supposed. With a roommate like Jack around, the only place she could reliably masturbate in private was in the shower, which she had been doing with increasing frequency as the two of them had gotten closer and their relationship deepened into something much more significant.

Thoughts of Jack made the heat worse. Alice thought about how wonderful it was when he took her in his embrace, his large body completely surrounding her with heat and love. He was so strong, she could feel the power in his muscles, yet he was so gentle and tender with her. He was so careful not to hurt her.

When Alice noticed that she was stroking her arms in a pale imitation of his caress, she immediately stopped and let out a frustrated sigh. Touching herself like that only made her longing for Jack worse. It also made her feel guilty. She knew that it was wrong to think about a real person while masturbating. It was shameful. She could only imagine how Jack would feel if he found out that she thought about him touching her naked body and…

The absurdity of the thought struck Alice hard, along with the memory of the other night. The heat got worse as she vividly remembered the feeling of Jack on top of her, pinning her to the bed, while a part of him was so unmistakably excited. He couldn’t hold back those feelings… because of her.

Why would Jack be upset if Alice had horny thoughts about him? He certainly had them about her! She felt the proof herself! She was the one who pumped the brakes when his engines were revved up and ready to go.

They were in a relationship now. Jack… Jack was her boyfriend now. Jack loved her. At times, Allice could barely believe it, but she could feel that it was true every time he told her. Every tender look and touch he gave her resonated with his love. He desired her, but was holding back for her sake.

Why the hell was Alice trying so desperately to avoid thinking sexy thoughts about Jack when she could just… invite him to join her?

The idea was as tempting as it was intimidating. Doubts crept in to challenge her horny urges, but Alice remembered how gentle Jack was with her. He stopped when she was uncomfortable and reassured her when he noticed that she felt guilty for it. Stopping didn’t ruin things between them.

 Jack was always so gentle with her. He always treated Alice with so much care, so much love. Sometimes she wondered what she had done to deserve someone so sweet and attentive to her needs. He had been so eager that night, she could practically feel how badly he ached for her, yet he didn’t force her to take responsibility for his urges. He didn’t beg her or make her feel guilty for hesitating.

He didn’t make her feel like a shitty partner for not being ready to get fucked.

“It’s okay if we stop here tonight,” Jack reassured her before kissing her forehead soothingly. “Don’t worry, I’m not upset. There are plenty of ways to show someone you love them, and stopping when you’re not ready to go further is just another way for me to show you just how much I love you, Sunshine.”

The memory of his soothing words resonated through Alice and steeled her nerves. She twisted the knob to shut off the water and stepped out of the shower before she could waver in her resolve. She reached for a towel, only to realize it was silly to cover up if she was really going through with this.

After taking a deep breath to brace herself, Alice opened the door just enough to peer out through the crack. To her surprise, she spotted Jack already standing in her bedroom, hastily stuffing clothes into her laundry hamper. “Jack?”

The sound of Alice’s voice made Jack jolt, though he was quick to hide the reaction behind a cheerful smile that he threw her way. “S-sunshine!” He tried to act calm despite the slight hitch to his breathless voice. He had only just unzipped his pants when he heard the water turn off, which forced him into a mad scramble to make himself look presentable. Presentable in this case meaning looking like he had been doing just about anything else besides getting ready to jerk off while sniffing her shirt. He made sure to stand at an angle where she couldn’t see the tent in his pants as he tried to will his body to calm down. “F-finished so soon? Did…” He paused to take a breath and attempted to speak more naturally. “Did you forget something?”

Alice blinked in confusion at his strange behavior. “Um… no. Are you okay, or…?”

“Oh, I’m fine and dandy lemon candy!” Jack said quickly before a nervous chuckle escaped him. “Don’t worry, I was just cleaning up a bit. You left your clothes all strewn across the bed. I didn’t want you to come back to a messy room.” He had to pause for a moment to clear the dryness from his throat. “Only the best for my beloved.”

The pet name sent a flutter through Alice’s chest, turning her cheeks a flushed shade of pink. Jack really was so thoughtful, always thinking of her and taking care of her. It helped her feel a little more certain about her decision. “Thank you, Jack, but you don’t have to do that.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Jack said as he flashed her another smile. “It’s what I’m here for after all. I’m here to take care of you. I’ll take care of anything you need, just say the word.”

Alice felt that was as good of a lead in as she was going to get. “In that case, do you mind helping me… ah w-wash my hair?”

Though she tried to keep her tone casual to keep her nerves from getting the better of her, her voice shook a little in spite of herself, and she felt silly for phrasing the invitation that way.

Jack stared at Alice with wide, incredulous eyes, and for a moment he was convinced that he must have misheard her. “Helping you…” His heart began to race as his earlier excitement came rushing back once more along with a euphoric sense of elation. “You want me to join you in the shower?”

“Y-yeah,” Alice said as her eyes struggled not to dart away from his blushing face. “If you want to, I mean.”

“Of course!” Jack answered without hesitation. “I’d love to take a bath with you, Sunshine.”

Alice clutched the doorknob a little tighter as Jack quickly closed the distance between them until only the door separated them.  “U-um… Just… just so you know, I don’t think I’m ready to go… all the way yet, b-but if you’re okay with that we can, you know…” Her voice cracked a bit with nerves as her face burned a bright red. “T-take care of each other?”

Jack was too excited by the invitation to be disappointed by the limitation. Instead he offered Alice a tender, understanding smile. This time, he was going to do things right and soothe any fears and worries that held her back from embracing all of his love. “I’d love that, Alice,” he said gently. “We can do whatever you want, and we can stop whenever you need to. All I want to do is show you just how much I love you in whatever way makes you feel loved.”

Alice felt like her heart was ready to burst out of her chest at that gentle reassurance coupled with the tender look in those warm brown eyes of his that practically glowed with all the love and understanding in the world. She had to close her eyes to not feel overwhelmed by the sight of them. After taking another steadying breath, she gathered her courage to step back and open the door, inviting Jack inside.

She could only hope that he wouldn’t be disappointed when he finally saw for himself just what she had to offer him.

Everything was happening so quickly - Jack never expected Alice to invite him so soon without some prompting on his part - so seeing her waiting for him without even a towel to cover her modesty was a surprise, though a very, very welcome one. He went still as soon as the door opened, unable to do anything but stare at her with wide eyes to drink in every detail of the glorious sight she presented to him. She was all soft curves with pale skin occasionally accented with pink, the most prominent of being the blush that painted her cheeks.

Only one word could describe the sight before Jack. “Beautiful,” he breathed, not hiding the awe in his voice. “You’re so beautiful, Alice.”

For a moment, Alice couldn’t speak, caught breathless with too many emotions to name. His reaction sent her heart racing out of control and made the heat in her body grow, pooling in her core. She couldn’t remain still, shifting in place and needing desperately to do something with her hands as she fought the urge to cover herself. One hand fluttered by her side like the wings of a bird caught in a snare while the other reached for the towel hanging on the rack beside her to grope at the textured cloth. “Y… you don’t have to say that,” she finally managed to say, her voice coming out weak.

Jack caught her insecurities immediately. “Yes I do,” he insisted as he drew in closer. “You’re beautiful, Alice.” He gently took her restless hands in his, wordlessly inviting her to hold onto him instead to ground herself. “I’ve never met anyone as beautiful as you are… both inside and out.”

Reflexively, a part of Alice tried to deny it - the part of her that had been repeatedly reminded by the world practically her whole life that she wasn’t beautiful, sexy, or anything even close to worthy of the admiration she saw in those gentle brown eyes of his. The look Jack gave her wasn’t one of someone who saw past her body to see her inner beauty, but of someone who found beauty in her body as well, regardless of how flawed she felt. His tenderness couldn’t mask the hunger in his gaze that constantly strayed from her face to admire every inch of her naked body.

Alice shivered as Jack touched her cheek. He bent down closer to her, and she felt his warm breath dance across her lips when he spoke.

“Alice,” Jack breathed, his husky voice sending a shiver through her. His dark eyes met hers, smoldering with love and desire. “You’re perfect.”

The words were punctuated with a kiss that made Alice jolt a little in surprise, but she soon melted into him. It took every ounce of willpower for Jack to hold back the urge to pin her against the wall and allow his mouth and hands to roam across every sumptuous inch of her voluptuous body.

No, this was Jack’s second chance to do things right. He would take it slowly, as slow as Alice needed him to go so that she wouldn’t get overwhelmed again.

[littlepeakydevil]

New Blog Username, New Me

This got long so if you don't want to read all my ramblings and just get to the point of this post, you can scroll to the bottom to find a summary of the changes I'm making.

Oh, boy.

Over the last few weeks I've been really re-evaluating how I go about participating in fandom and my own writing. And I've come to the conclusion that a lot of the habits and expectations that I've been putting on myself are not healthy and have been causing me a lot more stress than I even realized.

Originally I was going to start a whole new blog, but decided that I can't be bothered to go through all the headaches that would most likely entail. But I am going to be changing my username.

Of course I still plan to interact with everyone's fics and OC postings. None of that is likely to change. Regarding Lucy and my fics, that's another topic...

There are some changes that I want to make to Lucy and her story. I started writing fics with her years ago, and at the time I did not expect her to become my primary OC. And now, I fully expect that I probably won't have another leading OC again, because I can't imagine ever letting her go. The stories I work on will likely always center her (and Tommy since they're a package deal) in one way or another.

However. There are a few adjustments I desperately want to make to her, but have avoided doing so because I felt like I couldn't for one reason or another.

Most of the changes won't impact what you all overall know about her. I need to whittle down and reorganize her family tree because it's a mess and way too large for me to handle. But generally I'm not changing her story in the fics I've already posted. Though I will tweak a few things here and there.

But the big thing I want to change about her is her name.

When I first created her, I thought I would just do the Love Me Where I'm Most Ruined series (though not nearly as big as it ended up being) and that would be it. So I just slapped a placeholder name on her and then somehow I never got around to changing it. And then didn't change it because I felt like I was "locked in" to using it.

This is something that has been bugging me for over a year, and it will continue to bug me for forever if I don't change it. I want to make it clear that I don't at all expect anyone to go back and change her name if you've used her in any of your own fics. And if you prefer to keep referring to her as Lucy in your stories, you are more than welcome to keep doing so.

As of right now, I'm planning to repost the rewritten versions of my fics to both here and AO3. So please bear with me while I do that, as it may take a while. I plan to keep up the older versions of the fics--at least until the rewritten ones are all up.

Good grief, this post ended up a LOT longer than intended, so I'll wrap things up here, and if anyone has any questions about any of this, feel free to leave them for me in the comments/reblogs or my askbox.

Love you all, and thank you for your support, always. 🖤

So, the gist is:

Username changed from @mischievouslittlecreature → @littlepeakydevil

Lucy Winters name change to → Lily Callaghan

Was I using the name penname Lily to try to trick my brain into being okay with it not being her name? Maybe. 🤭

My penname → Lauren

Tagging some of my moots who will probably want to be made aware of all of this: @shelbydelrey @moral-terpitude @zablife @call-sign-shark @cillmequick @runnning-outof-time @peakyswritings @brummiereader @justrainandcoffee @evita-shelby @lunarubra @toms-cherry-trees

[crispyanonartnsfw]

sorry, still no new art, work has me tired af and I can't keep posting rushed sketches that I'm gonna end up hating (I'm SSSO tempted to delete some stuff lmao) but I have lots of wips and I'll be patient with myself and concentrate on those !! anyway-

Today I'm here to blabber about one thing that I've basically already storyboarded but Idk if it will ever see the light of day: a Sambastian coming of age(?) comic. I'm just going to put this idea into the world..

Mind you, it's really nothing crazy, but it's long enough to require a lot of commitment - that would mean not drawing anything else for a while, and idk if I'm able to do that while having the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to drawing only one thing at a time.

I could post page by page as I finish them, but my original (maybe too ambitious) idea was to make a Sambastian-centric fanzine to publish all at once, with the various chapters interspersed by some miscellaneous content. I looove the idea of creating an old-style printable zine, I'm just a big nerd for these things and I like printed paper. Realistically thought, the single-page posts are more accessible.

Technically it's an AU because it diverges slightly from the canon SDV universe, mostly in the timeline of the various families moving to Pelican Town. Also it adds to the relationships that all characters have with each other, to what school/uni they attended and stuff like that - which aren't as in-depth within the game.

The story per se is very simple: it follows Sebastian and Sam going from teenagers to adults, their struggles, the ups and downs in their friendship and eventually their romantic relationship. Basically it's the lead-up to Older!Sambastian. It also features other SDV characters such as Alex and Abigail (I would love to have them all if I ever expand on it). It's obviously SFW until they are adults, even if their experiences get mentioned and questioned...just know there is some Seb/Alex and Sam/Penny action lol. It's also quite different from what I've done up until now because this story it's angsty, like, very much so. TW worthy. Uncharted territory fr.

By the way I know I said it's long but it's not actually THAT long for now (15 pages?). The story is made up of snippets from different moments, like little windows in their life (for example there are a couple of scenes set in their first year of high school, but the following one it's set in their third year - some jumps are longer than others). At the same time this type of narration allows me to go back and add missing moments very easily if I ever actually finish this comic and wish to further expand on it.

I don't even know if anyone would be interested in this - except for me and like three darling mutuals who tolerate my ideas - but it would be such a cool thing to dooo ughh 😩😩😩 anyone who volunteers to be my benefactor so I can focus on fictional characters like god intended?? Maybe on a beach with a Campari?? I don't ask of much tbh

[nomsfaultau]

Make origins smp fic now🫵

Welp I found this in my notes and expanded it. Think I sent chunks of it to sharada once? Idk.

Techno, having nowhere else to go, tries to sneak into a hybrid community. He knows he'll get kicked out at best if they know he's human. So, he disguises himself as a hybrid that's rare and not super known about and prays it lasts long enough that he can get into a better position and escape before they figure out (or at least with minimal damage). Say a...bunny? Sure, sure, that sounds safe and not dangerous, so he can probably pass off his lack of abilities super easy. Where are his ears and tail? Uhhhh. Humans cut 'em off, yeah, don't worry about it stop asking questions. (Why are they asking questions? Can’t they mind their business?  Are they suspicious of him? What’s with that horror on their faces?)

Small problem: he intended to keep his head down the whole time, but actually a lot of them are super friendly and curious (and worried, what the hell? He must be so traumatized) about the new comer. Techno is a little startled, because getting attached to the residents hadn't crossed his mind even once. And while logically he knows it's a really bad idea...Techno is starved for connection with people. Uh. I mean, he can probably use their trust to get stuff from them. Yeah. That sounds good. The closer he gets to them the more complicated and convoluted the lie becomes, because suddenly he cares less about avoiding notice and more about them liking him.

So he scrapes by trying to explain away all his lack of abilities, slowly realizing that leaving is going to be a lot harder than he thought, and is cursing some of his earlier, not thought through lies, such as only being able to eat carrots or having to hide his human ears or constantly re-dye his hair. But it works. It works, he has a home in a way he’s never had before. He has people who like him, who care, and ask about how he’s doing. And maybe somewhere in there when creating lies about his Tragic Hybrid backstory, the truth bleeds in. And maybe the only way Techno can be emotional vulnerable is if he filters it through the lens of a lie in his head. Tells himself he’s just saying stuff to survive. Accepting help because to resist would blow his cover. It’s just for the lie, just for a little while. He planned to bounce the moment he got back on his feet, but thanks to the hybrid community his standard for doing okay isn’t barely swaying on his feet anymore. And as Techno really learns what being okay looks like, that goal post moves further and further back. Excuses, maybe, so he can stay a little longer. But it works, so what does it matter?

Or it does, until one day, when Philza slams down an old tome he found. Because he was worried about his friend, and wanted to know more about his species' needs to help him have an easier time in the community. Only to find out there was no possible way for Techno to be mistaken for a bunny born. Techno scrambles for a lie, desperate to keep his friends, but can't think of one, falling silent as Philza lays out all the lies, all the impossibilities. 

“So what are you?” Philza hisses, like he doesn’t already know. His dark wings flare out, imposing for all the times Techno tucked into them to avoid the rain or cold. And all Techno can look at is the old scars carved into him from the monsters after an elytrian trophy 

“….I’m your friend, Phil,” he offers weakly. 

“You’re a human.” 

Maybe it should surprise him, the depths of seething hatred and betrayal in his once friend’s eyes. But at heart, Techno’s a pessimist. More than that, he’s a prepper. And he’s done this a dozen times, ingrained instinct. So the sword is already in Techno’s hand before he’s thinking of it, lunging across the table and forcing Philza back. Pressing relentlessly, driving him back until suddenly slamming a hidden button and causing a weighted net to ensnare the elytrian. It dug into old scars. Don’t think about it. 

Even as Philza’s eyes dilate and he shrinks back, cornered in his own memories of hunters, Techno immediately flips and echoes his own. But his house has never been so full before, belongings scattered. Relaxed he never should have gotten so relaxed. Why had he ever let himself grow out of what he could grab from a stache and run? Because now he was panicking about what he’d leave behind. The cloak of feathers Phil gave him to keep warm in the heights of the Pube. His friends. The strange glass contraption Niki made so he could breathe under water, and all the memories he spent with his breath still hitched in awe at her underwater buildings. His friends. A pen of chickens Tommy had rounded up, each with the most ridiculous name he could come up since he’d only accept the ones that made Techno laugh until he was wheezing. His friends. His friends. His friends. 

“You’re a human spy, aren’t you? Infiltrating our community to tear it down from the inside,” Philza accuses. And that’s what grinds his preparations to a halt, even when each second is critical. Because what can he do? Deny it? Why would Philza believe him now? Ever again?

Techno doesn’t have time to cry. And that wouldn’t have been a thought he had before, because as many times as Techno’s been sent running from the ruins of an ephemeral refuge, it’s never hurt this much. Before the hybrids he wouldn’t have even allowed himself that grief, but with his emotional walls slowly and lovingly lowered it suddenly hits just how much he hates never having a home for long. Never having a community. And maybe, just maybe, Techno had thought the hybrids would understand. They’re shoved out of society and reviled. Isn’t he just like them? 

But he doesn’t have time to cry. None of it matters. Once again, all Techno has on his back is a bag of essentials. He has no need for cloaks and diving helmets and pets where he’s going. (Where is he going? Where is there left? This was his last chance.)

Panicking, Techno bolts, and suddenly all of his friends are hunting him down. No where is safe, not the air or water or nether. All of them are desperate to capture him, some furious for his deception, others terrified he's going to destroy their community.

And Techno...wasn't he already planning to ditch this place from day one? It's fine, right, this was part of the plan. For months he'd been fighting the impulse to show them his real self, and now he knows that instinct is correct. They didn't like Techno, only the guy he pretended to be. So why does it still hurt so much to leave? They despise him, don't they? And don't they have every right to?

[dreaming-marchling]

2024 Fic Round Up

Tagged by @princessfbi (thank you! so thrilled to have discovered your work this year!)

2024 Word Count: 661,417

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

Safe In Certainty Started in 2023, Completed in Feb 2024 | Fast & Furious | Marked in Trust Series | 223,657k

Part four finished! Still stunned to be here story after story with the most amazing commenters I could have ever asked for. Not bad for a story I had never intended to share!

MARCH

Marked in Faith 10 chapters posted in 2024 | Fast & Furious | Marked in Trust Series | Roughly 60k posted in 2024

I'm putting this in for March because this is the month I began posting one story a month until Reckless in Devotion started. Some of those babies are longer than my oneshots, lol. Forever love exploring other POVs in the Marked in Trust world!

APRIL

MAY

The Ex 911 | Bucktommy | 17.5k

My first 911 story! My first Bucktommy story! Buck as a character totally captured me this year. I haven't been taken by a new fandom in so long so this was so exciting! Of course I beat the crap out of Buck right in my first fic for him :)

JUNE

Eyes On Me 911 | Bucktommy | 18k

Post lightning strike cataracts, I had so much fun with this one. I constantly think about extending it or maybe doing a Buddie version of it, I just loved the storyline so much and other scenes popped into my head after I posted

Doctor/Warlock Confidentiality Shadowhunters | Magnus-Centric | 17k

My first Shadowhunters of the year! Magnus Bane gets therapy against his wishes. I felt very clever for the title, lol

Heart & Universe 911 | Buddie | 6.8k

My first Buddie story! Why be stuck in a ship war when you can have BOTH?? I love writing them realizing they're in love :)

JULY

The King of the Dark Storm Shadowhunters | Malec & Chairman Meow | 5.8k

I've had this stray headcanon about Chairman being an old god trapped as a cat floating around in my head for fun for so long and finally I wrote it!

Not Sexy 911 | Bucktommy | 7k

Listen, I need more fics about Buck using sex in unhealthy ways. It's catnip for me. Tommy got a glimpse behind that particularly miserable door in this one

Invasion 911 | Buddie | 10k

Nakedperil!Buck and protective!Eddie - a match made in heaven, in my opinion

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

Over the Cliff 911 | Gen 118 Fam | 6k

This was originally supposed to be how Buck got injured in Not Sexy but I was having way too much fun with the cliff rescue which wasn't even the point of Not Sexy so I chopped them in half to make a gen 118 family/Buck whump story and gave a much more to the point explanation for Buck's injuries in Not Sexy

Away From Us 911 | Buddie | 76k

My first 911 multichapter story! A presumed dead lawsuit era story full of angst. I fully anticipate more lawsuit era angst in my future, lol

OCTOBER

Art Class and Earthquakes 911 | HenRen/Gen Buck & Karen | 5.5k

Karen Wilson is awesome and needs more stories

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Reckless in Devotion Fast & Furious | Brian/Dom | 33k posted in 2024

The 5th installment in Marked in Trust series!! This took me so much longer than I thought it would but it's finally up and running and I am so excited for everyone to see what's to come :)

To Be Bonded Shadowhunters | Malec & Parabatai | 30k posted in 2024

I still literally cannot believe that this is finally being shared. I started this story in 2019 - I know I keep saying that but like this thing took me 5 years. It is my nemesis, finally vanquished. And people are enjoying it??? What? I've been cursing its name and people are now enjoying it. Wild. Wonderful

2024 has been kind of a crappy year for me irl but in fic it as been wonderful. A new fandom, so many words shared and, best of all, such amazing support and kindness from readers. You're all so wonderful and you have truly been one of the brightest pieces of my year. I cannot thank you all enough.

Tagging: You know the drill, if you saw this and thought "I wanna do that" then you're tagged. Literally @ me so I can read yours, that's how tagged you are.

[auroraescritora]

SITTER'S LOVE - Nico!Babysitter, Percy!Teacher-father - Masterpost

Hi, how are you? As I promised, I'm here with a new story. I mean, it's not new, but I've never posted it here. However, I already have some chapters posted elsewhere, on Tapas and Patreon in portuguese, in their original versions. They're going to be short chapters, but I still wanted to share them with you, especially in case plagiarism shows up. (Someone came along with a sad story trying to use my story and my words, you know? So I'll bring other stories here too, for documentation purposes)

We have a portuguese verson too. Right here.

This story started because I wanted to tackle something different, something very cliché, something quick that turned out to be longer and more in-depth than I wanted (I was trying to overcome the blockage of another story). Sometimes the life story of the characters speaks louder, and so the story was born. A father who's trying his best and a boy who's scraping together money to get into a top college.

As always, the characters are very OOC, quite out of character with the canon, although I've tried to keep their essence. So, consider the story more of an original than a fanfic. I decided to focus on character and world building that sounded realistic. I thought about how Percy would act and what his personality would be if he was raised in a strict and demanding way, among incredibly wealthy people and educated to be the CEO of one of the most important companies in one of the most important metropolises in the world. Nico, on the other hand, comes from a humble background, his father being involved with political figures in a small town just a few hours from the big city, raised to conform to whatever his father decided was right, but wanting more of life than to marry whoever his father told him, more than to conform to a small town life.

Basically, that's the premise of this story. Now, how these two people meet is the mystery that will soon turn into something more than pure attraction. So far I have two narrative arcs ready, the story currently at 95,000 words. There is no sex in the first 40,000 words, although there is some innuendo that sounded more interesting to me than the sex itself.

The first chapter is slightly slow, but I promise that from the second onwards things will get more interesting. The chapters are short because the monetization platform requires the chapters to be short, so I strutured the chapters this way. So every three parts would be what I usually put in a chapter. If you could read it and give me some honest feedback, I'd appreciate it. I'm thinking of deleting the entire first chapter, so your opinion might help me decide that.

Now, on to the official information:

I have two covers for this story, although I usually use the second one.

Synopsis: Okay, he told himself. Nothing personal. Sure. No big deal, just another job where Nico would stay for a few months, make some money and move on to the next job until he had enough for college. He took a few steps towards the door and climbed the few steps, these made of white and gray marble. Soon after, he rang the doorbell before his nerves got the better of him. Impatient and overcome by anxiety, Nico rang the doorbell again, pressing the button harder than he intended at the exact moment the door opened, revealing a tall man, almost seven feet tall, with messy black hair and intense green eyes that stared at him with disinterest. Okay, nothing personal.

Nico!Babysitter, Percy!Teacher-father

This is a story about a student who, in order to have money for college, becomes a babysitter, meets the children's father and develops feelings/lust for him. From then on, fantasies begin to emerge and everything becomes complicated between them.

Summary: Nico, a twenty-year-old boy, works to pay for college when he is fired from his current job. In search of another, he meets Percy Jackson, a businessman and university professor, the father of the children he will be taking care of for the next few months. From then on, Nico becomes more involved with the Jackson family than he expected.

Fandom Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan

Ship Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson past Will Solace/Nico di Angelo

Personagens Percy Jackson Nico di Angelo Annabeth Chase Jason Grace Hazel Levesque Will Solace Hades Alice Jackson Logan Jackson

Tags Friendship Love Anguish Alternative universe Nico!Babysitter Percy!Teacher Original characters D/s elements Age difference

The first chapter will be out in a few minutes.

[pedrocomicreviews]

Lightning Round 9

I read a lot of comics every week but don't have it in me to write a small dissertation about each one, so here's some thoughts about a few books! This time it's Iron Man, Exceptional X-Men, Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu and DC x Sonic the Hedgehog. This is the big post for the week of May 21 2025.

Iron Man #8

Tony deals with a strike at the factory he intends to use to undermine Doom’s world at some point. Aside from the ridiculously funny idea that Melinda really figured out a way to make a SHIELD-style acronym with fucking S.T.R.I.K.E.B.R.E.A.K.E.R.S., there’s a lot going on with the discussions about Tony’s actual role in this world, Doom or not. The characterization of Tony as a guy who will threaten to automate a factory to the face of a union leader, but then turn around and promise them seats on the board, is a little bipolar but it fits the situation fine enough.

I did kind of want Natasha to actually engage with what the story is about, instead of just threatening to call the Avengers on Tony if he keeps his plans up. I guess Bucky’s lack of nuance is contagious and she’s spending too much time with him, but still, it’s a weirdly simplistic take on the character that no one else in the book can really compare to. 

I would also like everyone to enshrine this specific panel in a crystalline box so that we can all look at Tony Stark saying “we can’t free the world from Doom and go back to the status quo” in six months. 

Exceptional X-Men #9 

Incredible issue for all the new mutants. They finally feel like a unit and they’re finally working together and bouncing off each other in the middle of fights very well. More than that, Melee’s invisibility makes her distinct enough from Kate that it no longer feels like she’s redundant, and everyone’s ultimate showdown with Mister Sinister was a joy to read.

Although, is it really that obvious an assumption that the clone melted because of bad Krakoan genes…? That felt very off and it felt like Kitty could have just found out about Essex with the context clues she already had. Everything about Resurrection-Linked Degenerative Sickness is bad and should go away, but this example specifically felt like it didn’t even make sense. You didn’t have to connect these stories like that.

This is also probably my favorite Emma Frost issue ever since Fall of X ended. Incredible stuff, can’t wait for the next one. Very excited that she finally has a catchphrase that always feels earned. 

Superior Avengers #2

So, wait, how long were the Avengers banished by Dormammu for…? Reading the main book it feels like it was just for the time they were fighting; maybe an hour or so, and then they came back. It literally happens over the course of an issue. In this, it’s implied they’ve been away for a while. Long enough that the Superior Avengers are the only team around. 

That’s… not right, yeah? That can’t be right? That doesn’t feel right. Either way, the original premise is elaborated upon and it turns out to be a little more complex than just “Doom is incredibly bad actually”, but we do keep getting these confirmations that his reign will eventually degrade into a terrine dystopia. We just don’t get to know why yet. Here’s hoping for that reveal, I guess.

Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #8

God damn I keep forgetting I love this book, look at this ART man holy SHIT.

Me losing my mind about Pramanik and Rosenberg’s collaboration for the nth time aside, the arc continues strong. Very cool issue with an interesting twist, and a chance to get my beloved Midnight Mission back! If God is real and we have been good, it might happen!

There’s never much to say aside from “please read Moon Knight”, and this is gonna be one of those times.

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #3

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I remember you mentioning A court of Thorns and roses in your posts once when talking about malleus character archetype. Have you read acotar series? If so I really want to know what you think about it. Your post is how I found out this series. It's pretty meh 😕 to me but I would really like to read your thoughts on it 😊. Also are non twst related ask allowed? If not I'm truly sorry😥. You can just ignore this ask

Oh god 😅 That was such a long time ago that I can’t even locate the original post where I made that comment…

To summarize what I said then, I had expressed that the way Malleus is presented to us reminds me of the bad boy supernatural love interests in romantasy novels. I believe the online book community colloquially refers to these characters as “Shadow Daddies” and I find that hilarious. To clarify, I do NOT mean to say that Malleus is Yuu’s “canon” love interest or anything like that. When I say that Malleus is “like” a Shadow Daddy, it’s just in the tropes they share. (For example, being overpowered, brooding, and misunderstood as a “bad guy” when, in actuality, he has a heart of gold and is just lonely.)

… I’ve actually seen multiple posts comparing Malleus and Rhysand, if you can believe that 💀

The rest of my response isn’t really TWST related, so I’ll put it under the cut for ya ^^ I tried to keep my thoughts concise and free of spoilers.

But to your question! Yes, I actually have read the first three books of ACOTAR but not the novella (A Court of Frost and Starlight) or the sequel, A Court of Silver Flames. I got into the series because it was highly recommended within its genre, but I came out of it really disappointed. I continued reading hoping that it would get better, but it really did not.

Maas has this really melodramatic and yet simultaneously juvenile way of writing dialogue that does not mesh well with what I’m looking for in a romantasy read. She’ll have characters give exposition or speeches that go on for like 10 pages straight and also have supposedly wise ancient fae cracking potty jokes like a middle schooler trying to impress their friends. It makes the books a lot longer than they have to be. In actuality, the plot involves a lot of running around and having all the right questions answered by conveniently placed chess pieces. I also did not enjoy the vague world building (like several side characters are never given proper names and instead are always referred to by title) and the near-constant mention of mating bonds. What I did like was how Maas wrote action scenes and descriptions (even if they often veer into purple prose). She also comes up with some unique concepts—but the execution of those concepts isn’t great, so the ideas are left sort of shallow and floating there waiting to be fully realized.

Romantasy and fairy tale retellings are some of my favorite things to read, so I was sad that I didn’t think that highly of this beloved series. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book I’ve been able to seriously get immersed in 😔 ACOTAR’s explosive popularity has led to many other authors trying to replicate Maas’s success, which has flooded the market with horni fae books and even similar titles (“A [noun] of [nouns] and [nouns]”). (And as someone who does NOT find Malleus attractive at all, you can imagine I’m not thrilled.) I have really mixed feelings about that… While of course I don’t mind if people enjoy ACOTAR or ACOTAR-adjacent books, I dislike that it makes up the bulk of what is marketed to me. It makes it a lot harder to find something that’s more suited to my tastes.

If anyone seeing this post is interested in trying out ACOTAR, I caution you that it is a “new adult” book, meaning it is intended for older teens (I would recommend 18+, honestly). There is a lot of violence and… explicit intimate scenes… in the series.

[yaya-imposition]

Who wins

I realize my entire struggle of my life. It was all twisted. In my head, there were many forces and reasons and gods and civilizations, and I patiently listened to them all. It was all so real.

I only survive by saying the first thing that comes to my mind. I'm a leader and an extrovert. It's all so twisted. I can't do anything else. It doesn't work. If you're ever around somebody's family, you can't survive off thought alone, because light is twisted. They sniff out your thought complexes and it becomes awkward too fast to not just say what's off the top of your head as an extrovert. Because the light considers introverts all to be twisted, since history has proven they all were.

Light was so twisted in the ancient times, classical times, medieval times all the way to now. Every century got more twisted because of application of light. They just hoped their daggers of hate would dance on the event horizon and never slip because they placed them all right, but it's twisted even if it had any speck of truth. Usually you find that your heart was vindicated, and that makes it even more twisted.

You must have the light and the dark, or else each gets too twisted. In that, you find that it is real. Without both, you have soulless light or unenlightened hedonism, which I love.

Without both, we get nightmares from higher realities and it looks uncanny. Creepy. Out of place. So right, yet so wrong. Yet, sometimes to accept this is more mad than either, because people can't handle having both. They abuse power the more they try to dance on having both dark and light when conventionally you can't.

Consent and intent was key. Respectfulness, and you can say anything. If there's no intent, you can get away with calling someone a pig, but if you intend to correct them you can't call them a sage. There needed to be some key principle to correct both the angels and demons.

I have centuries, thousands of years of spiritual wealth from capturing it in my mind and hearing the inner worlds of both. I had to be the most human to go the most insane.

I love the mundane. I'm a photographer. In my mind, I visit larger above larger world forever, and it became so automatic that now I can blink and I hear responses back from the void about what I saw. I hear rumors spread between worlds, and every day my voice grows quieter because that disturbs the art of capturing what's so special about it. So I'm in a spiritual sink of darkness, not because I am degrading, but because I am capturing and gaining control. Every day I grew more hypocritical, but I also had the most fun. In embracing both light and dark, I found both were twisted. Because I had the most will, I saw the most worlds.

Now I get why. It was because I was so twisted myself for doing it, I love pain. However, I found it was the light that was twisting me the whole time because that's how they keep lower dimensions in order. They were punishing me, both intentionally and by forcing me to live in their design. Nobody ever has a right to trap you in any system, but it doesn't have to be cheap.

Hence the more truth you threw into this well of capitalism the worse both sides looked. Hence why the light said not to pursue dark. Hence why the dark only laughed back. Hence why no man dared to commit to my madness. Hence why no man wants to be a leader or pursue truth by cutting off an arm at the same time. They are opposite poles in a way. They thought you had to choose between bitches and glory. One day, they will no longer ask how much pain they want to go through in order to catch up to the masters. It will be a marketplace of pure creativity with no more appetite for twisting.

Each day in my mind these forces lower themselves to further and further moving the goal posts and I only invite them in more. There's no bottom. Both sides were twisted. Now I bask in the infinite implications. Originally it was infinite stress and pain due to chi designs. Nobody realized wise men would land on this same strip of airport eternally to prove an already proven point. It's like watching somebody fly a flock of geese into a skyscraper and after the first one they watch in horror. Is this what it means to be God? There's no greater pleasure for a man than to watch eons of men fail to move an immovable throne. First by will, then as their millions of neurons collide in harmonic failure.

Now I get why the dream says I have a had a higher score than God. The chi is literally being twisted into pain both ways, and no intelligence could capture it because that is geometry. One is literal pain the other is cringe. I think in geometry now because of prophantasia and see the twisting. No amount of philosophy could capture it, because that was just moving points. Finally, finally I label it twisting of chi and I'm released from that feeling of steel strings of pain through my body. I entertained them all. It was pain.

They said "life is twisted, get used to it" so you don't complain about being beneath the masters. Yet, if you're twisted enough you can surpass them just by saying "OK boomer." The internet is great like that.