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ramsayboltonsmuse · 5 years ago

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Imagine Ramsay Bolton and The Joker (Heath Ledger) fighting over you....PART 2

Summary: I’m bringing Ledger!Joker to Westeros! My two favorite villains in a smutty little multi-part imagine that ends in them fighting over The Reader.

You are Cersei Lannister’s oldest daughter and have been betrothed to Ramsay Bolton, a match devised by your grandfather Tywin Lannister to secure the alliance between The Boltons (who are now The Wardens of the North) and the Capital.

What happens when you throw in a chance encounter with J in the woods? Lots of violence, angst, fluff and smut that’s what!

Links to other parts: Part 1, Part 3

Ao3 link

You were having a nightmare. You knew it too, knew that you were in a dream, but you couldn’t wake yourself up. Instead, you were forced to experience the horror, frozen while completely conscious and made to endure the mentally induced physical pain and fear in terrible waves.

You were strapped to the cross deep in The Dreadfort dungeons, a hooded man standing before your naked body and making incision after incision, causing warm wet rivulets of blood to drip down your skinny frame. You couldn’t see his face.

You felt the temperature of the blood as if it were really real, and the precise sting of the sharp blade each time it cut into your skin. You didn’t scream though, steeling yourself against the onslaught of pain as he nicked your arms, thighs and chest with the knife.

The man didn’t make any sound, but you could tell from his body language that he was frustrated at your lack of reaction. The next incision he made was to your little finger, and it was far deeper than the ones before. You managed not to cry out, until suddenly he grasped the skin and started peeling it away from the muscle causing you to emit a blood curdling scream.

As your voice hit notes you didn’t know were possible, he was suddenly leaning into your neck and you could hear his voice cool and clear resounding in your ears and vibrating through your entire body. The voice was unmistakably Ramsay’s.

“I told you, you were mine.”

Panting and soaked in a cold sweat, you woke up in near complete darkness to the sound of your own voice still screaming. Frantically, you swept your eyes around your surroundings and made a move to sit up before realizing that your hands were completely bound.

With difficulty, you managed to shift from lying down into a sitting position as your eyes combed through the blackness around you, making out the dark shadows of four walls and a roof above. You were clearly in a small hut of some sort, though you couldn’t remember how you got here.

Trying to steady your breathing, your heart still beating out of your chest from the dream, you continued your visual sweep, squinting as you tried to make out shapes in the darkness. You realized you were sitting on a small mattress thrown directly on top of a hard dirt floor.

It began slowly coming back to you.

J hadn’t hauled you off more than 100 feet before reality hit you full force and you started kicking and screaming bloody murder for him to put you down. You still had no idea why your defensive forces had just given out upon initially meeting this strange man. You chalked it up to shock. You certainly had never had an interaction with anyone like J, especially not a commoner.

When you hadn’t obeyed his command of ‘zip it dollface’, he had dropped you to the ground and landed a decisive blow to your head that knocked you unconscious immediately. Apparently, he had carried you off to wherever this shack was.

Suddenly, as if forming themselves out the darkness itself, you saw two obsidian eyes staring intently at you. You felt your heart rate pick up again. The eyes seemed blacker than the darkness itself.

As your vision adjusted, a silhouette around those two eyes started to take shape of a man sitting upright and leaning against the wall directly opposite you, his head tilted back and observing you with a keen interest. You swallowed.

“Hello?” Your voice came out huffed and frightened.

“Hello.” The voice that answered you was menacingly deep and absolutely terrifying. It sounded like what you imagined a black dragon would sound like if it spoke, or a fire demon from somewhere deep deep beneath the ground.

You heard the sound of flint hitting rock and braced your eyes for light. When the fire appeared, it was inside a small lantern that immediately illuminated the room in a warm glow, casting long dark shadows on the walls and lighting up the somehow equally handsome and terrifying face staring at you. You yelped.

“It’s, uh, only me doll.” His voice shifted to take on a gravely, almost nasal, edge. It shocked you how easily it could change.

J stood and walked the few feet over to the mattress, carrying the lantern with him and setting it down in the center of the room. He proceeded to sit down on the edge of the mattress, causing you to pull your legs into your chest in an attempt to create more distance between you and your captor.

He didn’t seem to notice, staring intently into the lantern which illuminated his black eyes as they caught the reflection of the licking flames. In a split second, he snapped his gaze onto you.

“Had a bad dream-ah?” J considered you with his dark eyes.

“Tell me,” His hand shot out and he was upon you, closing the space between your two bodies in a matter of a second and causing you to cry out in surprise. He grabbed your chin turning your head side to side and regarding your expression as a devious smile spread across his face.

“What do a, uh, princess’s nightmares look like?” He let out a sharp laugh in your face and stood up, apparently no longer interested in you. It bothered you that he went from focusing on you as if you were seemingly the only thing in the universe to ignoring you completely.

You got the sense J got bored easily. And you refused to be considered boring. Your voice came out quiet but steady.

“I dreamt I was being flayed living.”

J turned on his heel and swung his body back down to crouch beside you, pushing his hair back with his hand, his voice low.

“Well, uh, sweetheart-ah, that’s not very original. You know, with your, uh, engagement to Lord Flay-ah.”

You looked him coolly in the eyes. Here it was again. This strange confidence. A sudden desire to push the confines of your current predicament, to do something risky. You had no actual idea who this man was, but you couldn’t deny that being around him made you want to do something rebellious. Be something rebellious.

If you were smart, you would be quiet and play along with his rules. If you were smart, you would wait patiently for Ramsay to show up and kill him, likely in some horrific way. If you were smart… But J didn’t make you want to be smart. He made you want to be something else entirely.

“Being flayed isn’t what scared me.” Your voice came out confident. “It’s that I liked it.”

J leaned back from you, regarding you almost clinically, his eyes devouring every part of your body and facial expressions. He seemed to be calculating something very carefully, looking for discrepancies.

“Hmmm.” He hummed.

****

Ramsay was furious.

He was standing around the table in the Great Hall with Roose and 10 of the Bolton guard, gathered to discuss the next course of action. The icy fire in his eyes alone could have skinned something alive.

Someone had taken what was his. The question was, who had the audacity to steal from him.

When you hadn’t returned that evening, he immediately suspected outside interference, knowing there was absolutely no chance you would have left The Dreadfort of your own accord.

He was that certain of his power over you.

And he was right. You wouldn’t have. Ramsay had you lock and key under his control, building his complete dominance over you with every little interaction. You knew you belonged to him. And yet, unbeknownst to him, you were currently under the influence of a very different kind of power.

Equally strong, the powers of lawful evil and chaotic evil were pulling at your core.

“You let her go into the woods alone.” Roose’s cold voice sliced through the air.

Ramsay met his eyes.

“No one would dare touch her.”

Roose moved closer to stand in front of Ramsay. The room was silent as he spoke.

“You’re over-confident about your position.” He paused. “To many of the men outside these walls, you’re still just a bastard.”

Ramsay’s hands clenched into fists, but he said nothing in response. Roose regarded him cooly, reading what was in his eyes. “You want to release the hounds.”

Ramsay straightened up. “My hounds will find her, Father, and the fool who took her. I’ll bring him back and make an example of him for all the North to see.”

Roose looked him over, considering.

“No.” Vivid anger flashed in Ramsay’s eyes as Roose spoke. “I can see now how foolish I was to give you the Lannister girl. I clearly should have taken the opportunity myself, seeing how you’ve squandered it so senselessly.”

Ramsay’s fists clenched tighter.

“I’ll go after her myself. And when we return, I’m going to reconsider your position. Perhaps a change of engagement is in order.”

It happened in the span of a second.

Ramsay drove the blade of his dagger deep into Roose’s chest. The Bolton guard standing around the table made to step forward and aid their dying Lord, but one look at Ramsay’s eyes had them frozen in place.

“No, Father, that simply won’t do.” Ramsay gripped Roose’s shoulder as he twisted the blade deeper. “I have grand plans for House Bolton. For my house.” Ramsay withdrew the blade, Roose immediately falling to the ground, bleeding out.

“You murdered Lord Bolton!” Regaining his confidence, one of the guards ran at Ramsay, only to be met with a dagger straight through his eye, crumpling to the ground.

Ramsay stepped back, spreading his arms wide, a dagger in each.

“Does anyone else have anything to say?” Some of the guards looked at Ramsay with a burning hatred, but their expressions began to change rather quickly as they made out the shapes of Skinner, Damon, Grunt and Allyn approaching the center of the room from out of the shadows.

“Nice of you to make an appearance boys!” Ramsay’s signature sadistic grin spread wickedly across his face as The Bastard’s Boys surrounded the guards.

Damon, a tall broad shouldered brunette famous for his love of whipping things, and Ramsay’s right hand man, stepped to stand beside him. He crossed his muscular arms and looked at the guards.“Men, show some respect. This is Lord Bolton now.” Damon grinned.

The Bastards Boys plunged their knives into the few guards who still looked shaken over Roose’s death, killing any who would even think of opposing the new Lord Bolton.

The remaining five guards latched their eyes onto Ramsay, who stood at the head of the table now, looking every inch like a dark and terrible god. One guard stepped forward and spoke.

“What would you command Lord Bolton?”

Ramsay smirked, his bright blue eyes lighting up maliciously.

“Release the hounds.”

NEXT PART: Part 3

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slashingdisneypasta · 5 years ago

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Can i get a hoyt x reader smut pls...(this message was brought to u by an awkward ass person)

This is what the Hoyt x Wife!Reader on my other blog was supposed to be but at that point I was still felt iffy about writing smut but as I have unlocked it now, we can do this ^^ I hope you like it!

Warnings: Super smutty, guys. Angry sex, course language (Terrible language). Also, this is Hoyt so he will say some horrible things. Suggested rape, etc. Not fluffy

Smut under the cut of course.

You know what? I think, weeks after the transformation. I’ve tried everything to get this man’s attention back from himself, and I’m his wife, so it shouldn’t be so hard.

But the only times he looks at me, pays me any mind, is when he’s pissed or he’s playing boss. And I just want him to look at me like Charlie, like my husband.

So, fine, Hoyt. We’ll do it your way.

By making you really, really mad. Then you’ll look at me, wont you?

It’s been weeks since my husband went missing. And in his place was left a sorry, evil pantomime in uniform called Sheriff Hoyt.

God, he thinks he’s cool in that uniform. Even though the hat looks goofy as hell, and gives him hat hair. Anger stirs in my chest just thinking about my dilemma. I can’t get through to the dumbass bastard wearing Charlies tattoo’s and sleeping in his bed. My bed. Glancing spitefully at him across from me at the dinner table, I consider kicking him like I did, ‘accidentally’ in the middle of the night last night. He was deeply asleep, snoring and dreaming and I found it wholly unfair that he got to rest like that and I was still up, confined by myself to the left side of the bed away from him, and had just done it. Totally bitterly, but it felt good.

Luckily, he believed me when I said I had had a nightmare and sleep kicked, but alas. I don’t think that excuse will work here.

I’m just, immaturely wondering how I can aim a piece of lettuce at his face and blame it on arthritis when Luda Mae starts up a conversation for the table, successfully causing me too look up her instead of darkly at my fork. I must have really been looking darkly at my fork, too, because Luda Mae looks pointedly at me as if she knows what I was thinking and Monty, beside me subtly shakes his head at me. I look at Thomas and Hoyt, next, and luckily neither of them were paying much attention.

Sighing in defeat, I turn my attention to the conversation, turning my knees slightly to face Luda Mae and Monty. “I don’t really have plans tomorrow, thanks! Monty and I were thinking about chess, since its been a while, but… “I shrug, looking pleasantly at her and trying to ignore the fiery fury still beating in my chest.

The effort becomes redundant when Hoyt speaks up and I can no longer keep it at bay. “Well, you won’t be doing that.” I watch him chew for a moment, feeling my rage levels rise dangerously high seeing him not even lift his head when he’s trying to control me. This is 2003, Sheriff! Not the freaken middle ages, I don’t obey you!

“Actually, yes.” I spit, venomously, looking straight at his forehead and just daring him to look up back at me. I drop my fork with a clatter, and get half the way out of my seat, alerting Thomas that something out of the ordinary is happening. “We will be. In fact, Uncle Monty, let’s go play right now- “

He raises his head to dare an connect eye contact with me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?? Sit back down, we’re eating a fucking dinner.”

“I’m not hungry anymore.” I revel in the furious way he looks at me. It’s better than being ignored, anyway. I may have gone insane, but it feels really good to make ‘Sheriff Hoyt’ feel that way. I get the rest of the way out of my seat and nod with a smile to Luda Mae. “Thanks for dinner, Luda. Goodnight everyone- except you, Charlie!” He’ll have a bad night, because either he’s going to going to get a crick in his back from sleeping on the couch to avoid my crazy ass, or I’m not going to let him get any sleep in our room.

“You call me Hoyt, woman- Argh.” As I disappear up the stairs to our room, I hear Hoyt shout after me and realise I’m not listening, and drop his own fork in favour of violently pushing off the table and after me. I faintly hear Luda Mae sigh and say something shamelessly about kicking us out of her home. I throw the bedroom door open and barge in, slamming it spitefully behind me so Hoyt has to open it himself.

When he does, I’m sitting curtly, stiffly in the armchair by his side of the bed with a book tight in my hands, knuckles white from anger. He looks frustratedly as hell at me and points vaguely toward the dining room. “The fuck was that??”

“Nothing,” I hiss, acting uncooperative on purpose. “What are you talking about?”

“You know goddamn well what I’m talking about, Y/N.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to fight in front of them.”

“Why are we fighting in the first place? I’m lost as fuck, and you need to catch me up.” He looks at me with his hands on his hips and his eyebrows raised all the way up his forehead, frustratingly expectant.

I’m tempted to give him more lip and say that no, I don’t need to catch him up. In fact, I’d love to leave him in the dark and just go to bed. It would drive him mad, and make me feel a thousand times better, but I figure my immaturity has reached its pique for the night. Instead, I try to relax my shoulders and my fingers and look up, seriously at Hoyt. More level-headed. “I miss Charlie.” He looks irritated immediately, and sighs deeply, looking around the room like a huge eyeroll with his head. When he stills again, he’s cleaning the bottom set of teeth with his tongue, squinting one eye at me. Hands still on his hips, patronising me. Oooh, how I’d love to smack that look off his face. But, I’m elegant.

… ignoring the kicking him in the middle of the night and the attempt I made on him at dinner with the lettuce.

“Y/N, Charlie’s dead. We’ve been through this. When are you gonna get it through your head- “

“Well then I want a divorce!” I exclaim, getting up from the chair. His eyes darken, but the corner of his lips quirk up, and shakes his head. Calming down, he pulls the stupid hat off his head and runs a hand through his hair to fix it, turning his back on me and turning to start getting ready for bed.

“Don’t interrupt a man of the law when he’s talking, darling, and no. You don’t.”

That’s rich! He can sure parade himself around like a real sheriff with victims if he likes but that is a moot point, with family. “Man of the law?? Man of the la- You’re a murdering cannibal!”

“So’s Tommy, gonna get mad at him?”

“I’m not married to Tommy.” I watch his movements, heart sinking. Is he losing interest again? It’s a weird feeling, wanting the argument to be over but simultaneously being afraid it is. “And you made him that way.”

“Yeah? Well, this households never been better.”

Oh. No, that’s it. I drop the book down on the bed, nearly flinging it actually, and cross the room in 2 fast steps to slap him.

He… he grabs my wrist before I can. “Goddamnit, let go of me. Bastard.” Slowly, I look across from his hand on my wrist to his face, or more specifically his eyes. They twitch, like he’s thinking, and I watch as he looks from my eyes to the rest of me. Assessing the situation with self-taught reliability.

“Honey,” His voice is dark now, familiarly husky and terrifying. Well, to anyone but me it might be terrifying. “You weren’t about to do what I think you were,” He lifts his chin and looks down at me. He raises his eyebrows. “Were you?”

If he thinks he’s scaring me he really is an idiot. I straighten myself, squaring up. “I sure was.”

“Now, see. That won’t work for me.”

“Well, then. To the couch with y- “The rude ass bastard cuts off my sentence, with his mouth on mine and strong, greedy fingers scraping at my waist. It takes me 2 seconds to think about, decide and agree to the new medium for my anger, and part my lips hungrily for a deeper connection to curb my anger at him but he pulls back and sets my face with a mischievous look like he thinks he’s in control here. I narrow my eyes. “What?”

“I’m gonna show you who’s wife you are. Its been too long.”

One, that’s not my fault. Two, “Shut up.”

“Gladly.” He growls, and puts his mouth on mine again, drawing a begrudgingly salacious moan from me. What? Its been a long time, since my husband has touched me. To further things situation-wise, I tilt my head slowly to the side against him and tug him closer by the front of his uniform. Hoyt can’t help himself, can’t just stand and kiss me for a few minutes before taking more, and I know it because I feel his fingers creep up my sides, under my shirt and god are they hot. How his skin stays so warm all the time, I have no idea, but as long as it serves me, I don’t care. They feel really good inside me, and oh. They will be inside me before this is over and the bastards out of kick.

Switching tact, because I can’t say I don’t want more then this also -you can’t be married to a pervert like him for as long as I have and be happy with just some kisses when you can have more,- , I turn him around and push him, not at all carefully onto the bed. Honestly, if he falls off, I don’t mind.

He doesn’t, but he does sit up immediately on the edge, knees apart and yanks me down by the arm to him again, causing a yelp to come from me. “You- “A weirdly soft kiss is put on my lips, before the look in his eyes turns completely dark and puts my hand on the tent in his pants. “Feels good.” I tell him, then let go and make like I’m going to leave.

“Oh no you don’t- “He yanks me back and onto the bed, shut me in with his body. I shift, to get comfortable, but get distracted by the way he’s looking at me. “Hmmm,” Looking me over, a lude grin finds its way to his mouth. “I would force your pretty mouth over my cock, darling, god knows you’re good at that, don’t we. But, later. Right now, I’m gonna screw you, my Y/N.” Momentarily slipping in my resolve, I lean into his touch when he strokes the side of my face, twisting some of my hair around a finger.

Ughhhh, fuck! What was it, the rape threat or the basically calling me a whore that did that to you, Y/N? Fucks sake. Let’s just do this. Get your head in the game, Y/N. “Shut up Charlie, fuck me.”

He chuckles and buckles his belt. “Yes ma’am.” Avoiding his eyes and feeling slick and impatient, I undo my own bottoms and wriggle out of them. With a final sigh, and a squish sound, Hoyt fills me up in one satisfying thrust. “Ohhh,” A stutter groan escapes him, before he berries his face in my neck and hides there. I, on the other hand, am a dangerous, mewling mess under him. Having his stiff, thick cock sinking into me feels a wicked kind of heaven. Familiar of a better time, yet wrong. Mostly though just really, really pleasureful.

I lay there with my mouth half open, breathy moans coming out of me as a arch, and frustratedly meet him at every thrust. It’s not enough! “It’s not enou- oh~” As I tried to talk, his hand traced down my body and touched my clit, began rubbing to add to the pleasure. “Oh my god, that’ll do. Ahh,”

Against my neck, he chuckles breathily. The hand not on my clit come up, and wraps around my throat. Doesn’t squeeze, doesn’t hurt. Just holds it, enough to feel my pulse.

As the knot in more core pleasure becomes unbearable, my breaths become short and I get so close to orgasming all over the shaft between my folds. Desperate for more, I wrap my calf’s around him and pull myself as flush to his pelvis as possible in one last, delicious buck. A deep, guttural groan escapes him and when I squeeze my walls around him, he explodes.

The hot cum, just his fingers explodes in me and that does me in. With a slow slide off of him and back down onto the bed, unlocking my legs from him, I sigh and cum in climax, feeling exhausted.

That was the most, frantic exercises I’ve done weeks, of course I’m tired. I watch him sigh, and stand back up. Bluffing me and trying to make me think he isn’t just as tired as he tucks himself away and buttons his pants back up. “Sweetheart, thank you… You stay here and rest up. I’ll be back.”

“Uhuh… “ I sigh, ready to take a nap.

“You look beautiful like that.”

“Go get us new sheets, Hoyt.”

“I love you, too.”

#Smut #Sheriff Hoyt #Charlie Hewitt #Request

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lil-meow-meow-goes-rawr · 5 years ago

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Tragedy Strikes

⚔︎ Previous Chapters: Trouble Brews, Illusions

⚔︎ Pairing: Jungkook x OC

⚔︎ Genre: Medieval Fantasy, Knight!Jungkook, Knight!Hoseok, Wizard!Yoongi, King!Namjoon, Prince!Taehyung, Prince!Jimin, Brothers!Yoonjin

⚔︎ Warnings: major character death, mentions of blood, large wounds, mentions of minor character deaths

⚔︎ Rating: 13+

⚔︎ Synopsis: Despite losing Jungkook, Emelyn is able to locate the wizard, Yoongi. He agrees to help her find and cure the knight, but things take a dark turn when fate intervenes.

⚔︎ Word Count: 10.1K

⚔︎ Masterlist

Perhaps it was the sinking sun, or the razor-sharp wind on my back which gave way to my foul mood. My day had been spent searching, yet there had been no sign of Jungkook or the moon dragon. As the moon rose to take the sun’s place in the sky, I began to feel discouraged. Where would a dragon go to avoid being found? Why was it so difficult to find something so large?

I blew out a frustrated breath as I sat beside the small fire I had managed to light. Another day had come and gone. Another day in which I had not been able to locate Jungkook and my family had been left to fight for their lives. I could not keep riding in circles. It was clear the dragon did not wish to be found. I would need to acquire some assistance.

Glancing up at the mountain in the distance, I felt my heart begin to race at the mere thought of traveling there alone. The idea of braving Blood Mountain with Jungkook beside me had not seemed such a daunting task. Yet now I was forced to face it alone. I knew every tale, every horror that was ever told about the mountain. I was there the night it received its name. Some of the bravest and most skilled knights had attempted to cross over the mountain, yet only a few managed to complete the journey alive.

Taehyung would often recount the tales he had heard from the knights. Tales of horror and misery. Stories which kept me on the edge of my seat, yet they had been nothing more than a fairytale to me. Sitting here now, staring up at the mountain looming over me, the stories became so very real.

“Emelyn,” Taehyung giggled, sliding onto the bench beside me, “I overheard the most thrilling tale last night while the cooks prepared our meal. It seems another knight was granted a quest.”

“Blood Mountain?” I guessed, my eyes glowing with anticipation as I leaned in further, soaking up every word the boy spoke.

Taehyung’s grin grew. “Yes! One of Father’s knights was given a quest to cross over the mountain. He made his return only yesterday.”

“He survived?”

“I do not believe anyone expected him to. It has only been one month since he has joined our knights. Two weeks ago, he was sent on his own to face the horrors of the mountain.”

“Did he tell you what he saw?”

Taehyung shook his head sadly. “He has not said much since his return, I’m afraid. It was the servant assigned to him who finally managed to garner a few words about his journey. The magic, Emelyn, it is unlike anything we have ever seen. Ryia’s magic would appear to be mere child’s play if put against it. The knight spoke of an unforgiving wind. One which penetrates to your bones and never ceases. If you are to remain out in the wind, you will not survive for more than a day.”

I leaned in closer still, crossing my legs under me and resting my chin on the palm of my hand. I had heard the stories told of the mountain before, yet they never once ceased to draw me in. I could not get enough. Though the tales sent a cold shiver of fear down my spine, and I would most likely not sleep the night through, I wanted to hear everything. Taehyung knew of my interest in the mountain and would always humor me with more stories he had heard.

“Blood Mountain, just as we have imagined, is a place of sorcery. The blood of those slain on the night the mountain first received its name, cries out for vengeance. Even the creatures that live there are not to be trifled with. The knight spoke of pixies and the many harmless pranks which they pulled on him. Yet he also spoke of more terrifying creatures, such as the basilisk.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. Snakes had always been a creature I feared, the basilisk being the most feared of all. One bite from a basilisk’s fangs would kill a full-grown man within days. The poison moved through the body slowly and painfully until it finally claimed the heart, sometimes so much as weeks after the initial bite. There was no known cure for the poison. If a man were unlucky enough to encounter a basilisk, he would not expect to live on for much longer.

When I returned my attention to Taehyung, I noticed he had become much more somber. He had gotten lost in his own thoughts and from the look on his face, they were not pleasant.

“Do you remember that night?” Taehyung asked, his voice growing unnaturally quiet.

I bit my lip as I finally sat straight once more.

“I still do not understand why magic had to be outlawed. What harm was it doing to anyone?”

“Magic killed the King’s daughter.” I reminded him.

“Yes, but magic has also saved many lives. Just as there is in everything else, magic is made up of good and evil.”

“Magic is not evil.” I corrected. “It is the people who use the magic which create the evil. Evil lies in the hearts of man.”

Taehyung shook his head sadly. “All those people hunted down and slaughtered, simply because they were born with the ability to wield a power not all of us were given. The king did not even allow them the chance to leave. I can still hear the cries from when the knights chased them up to the mountain.”

“And now it is that blood which gives the mountain its power.”

“Do you think anyone will ever restore the mountain to its natural wonder?”

I sighed as I stood from the bench. Turning to Taehyung, I offered him a sad smile. “I do hope so, Tae. I truly do hope so.”

Memories plagued my dreams that night. Memories of children screaming and mothers wailing; swords being drawn and villagers crying out in protest to the slaughter. After the death of the King’s daughter, it had not taken more than a day for the ban on magic to be announced. No one had been prepared for it. Those who could, ceased their practice immediately, fearing what the King may do to them if they did not. For those who had been born into magic and had no say in whether they kept it or not, the day became a nightmare.

The next morning, I began the harsh journey up into the mountain. The further I rode, the denser the trees became and the colder the wind blew. Never once had I imagined myself, forced to live out the same tales in which Taehyung and I had spent hours amusing ourselves with.

Beneath me, my horse trembled. This had not been an easy journey for her. I could not force her to go on much further without stopping to rest, yet everywhere I turned, the shadows seemed to move, daring me to stop and wait among them.

My horse heard it before I did. The mare had never attempted to throw me before, yet with one sudden spin and a bolt in the opposite direction, I found myself sprawled on the ground, left to watch helplessly as my horse galloped back the way we’d come.

“Why?” I called after her, my fear turning to a sudden bout of anger. “What possessed you to do that?”

The mare disappeared through the trees, taking my sword and my chance of survival with her. A shaky breath escaped my lips as I slowly turned to take in my surroundings. Everywhere I turned, it all seemed to look the same. There was no sign of human life anywhere. Perhaps Ryia’s tale of the wizard was simply that - a tale. Who’s to say I had not journeyed all this way only to find that the wizard did not truly live here, or even exist?

Grumbling slightly, I pushed myself up from the ground and brushed the dead leaves from my dress. Whether Yoongi lived here or not, my top priority became finding a place to make camp. It was beginning to grow dark and I knew I would not be able to survive in the night if I were to keep going.

It was then that I heard it. A low, angry hissing sounded from the small bush beside my foot, a few mere inches from where my head had just been. Slowly, I turned toward the sound. Barely visible beneath the lowest branches, curled up tightly against the roots with its crown on full display, sat one of the most feared creatures known to man – a basilisk. I choked out a strangled noise as I stared at it. The large yellow eyes regarded me with an anger that was just barely controlled. I had disturbed its nest, and it was not pleased to see me.

Swallowing hard, I slowly began backing away, but quickly froze again when it snapped at the movement. Hardly longer than my foot, the snake’s size was not so intimidating. Yet what it lacked in size, it made up for in speed.

A part of me knew I was not going to survive this situation. No one was around. Jungkook was still missing and I had no idea as to where Yoongi resided. I was left on my own, face to face with possibly the last creature I would ever see. Still, I wasn’t about to simply give in. I would not just stand there frozen, waiting for someone to appear. There had to be something I could do.

The creature quickly grew impatient, its anger only growing the longer I remained in its space. Faster than I could blink, it sprang out from beneath the branches. Its tiny jaws unhinging as it latched onto my ankle.

A scream clawed its way up my throat as I attempted to kick it off me. Yet the more I kicked at it, the tighter its grip became. A fire blazed at my ankle but quickly moved up into my leg and I crashed to the ground, my chin connecting with a large stone. With my free foot, I began kicking mercilessly at the creature’s head yet even that did not seem to deter it.

A blast of deep purple light suddenly blasted the basilisk squarely on the head. I froze, watching in shock as the snake released my ankle and began writhing around on the ground. After a moment, the creature went limp, its body lying motionless beside me. I stared at it, unsure of what had just transpired. Was it dead?

I nearly screamed when it suddenly sprang to life again and quickly slithered away, only to return to its original position beneath the bush.

A sigh of relief fell from my lips as my head hit the ground with a light thud and I hissed at the searing pain in my ankle when I attempted to move it. The basilisk may have left, but in the end it did not matter. The large, red wounds on my ankle proved my demise.

“That bite looks bad.”

I yelped and scrambled back at the sudden voice beside me. My head shot up only to find a young man staring at me in shock. Except his eyes weren’t looking at me, they were trained on the two puncture wounds which now adorned my ankle.

“Who are you?” I demanded, using every bit of self-control I had to keep from screaming in pain as I retreated.

For a moment, the man didn’t answer. He continued to stare at the spot my ankle had been just seconds ago. His eyes glazed over as he got lost inside his own thoughts. It wasn’t until I cleared my throat that he returned to the present.

“My apologies,” he quickly crouched down to my level, so as to be a bit less intimidating, “I heard someone scream and came to see what was happening.”

“Who are you?” I repeated.

With a shy smile, he bowed his head slightly in greeting. “My name is Yoongi. I live just through the trees there.”

I nearly choked as I took in the man before me. He was nothing quite like how I imagined him to be. Not much older than I was, the man did not seem like someone who would practice dragon magic. The word which came to mind as I took in his presence was ‘delicate’. Soft, dark curls fell just above a pair of the kindest eyes I had ever seen. His lips seemed to be drawn in a permanent pout and his cheek reminded me of Jimin’s young cousin. There was a simple boyish charm to him, yet his eyes reflected wisdom far past his years.

“You are Yoongi? The wizard known for using dragon magic?”

He cringed. “I am still learning.”

“But you do know it?”

“To an extent, yes. Although I have spent years studying it, one can never truly improve without first putting their skills into practice. That is not an easy task when there are no means in which to do so. Magic that powerful cannot be used for any mundane thing.”

“I need your help.” I blurted, worried he may leave before I got the chance to ask.

“I can see that. Basilisk bites are a nasty business. One cannot treat it on their own. It takes a certain type of skill.”

I shook my head. “No, not me. It is my friend. He is in dire need of your help.”

“But your ankle . . .”

“Please, your magic is the only thing that may save him.”

“So, you do not wish for me to help you treat your wound?”

“Pardon?”

“The basilisk bite,” he motioned to where my ankle was now tucked beneath my dress, “you do not wish for me to treat it?”

I scoffed and gently removed the bit of fabric which now covered it, wincing as I did. The wound had already become inflamed. I could hardly feel my leg and my ankle was slowly turning an odd shade of yellow. “What good would it do? I am as good as dead. It is not I who requires your skills in this moment.”

Yoongi eyed me curiously, as if he thought perhaps I was jesting. Perhaps he thought the poison had gone to my head, for when he spoke, his words were slow and enunciated. “That bite is still new. There is a chance you may live to see tomorrow if you would allow me to help. After I have seen to your wounds, I shall help you with your friend.”

“You’re willing to help Jungkook?”

He cocked a brow. “That is what you drew from what I just told you?” Shaking his head, he sat back on his heels. “Would you like my assistance or not?”

Deciding that I truly had nothing left to lose, I agreed with a small nod.

A large, endearing smile spread across his features. “Seokjin may not be pleased about visitors arriving unannounced, but I believe he can make an exception just this once.”

Though I had tried desperately to do it myself, my ankle simply would not allow me to stand, much less walk with him. Yoongi did not seem at all surprised when I crumbled to the ground after my third attempt to stand.

A small, shy smile graced his lips as he asked if I would allow him to carry me. As I did not have much of a choice, I granted him my consent. I worried he may struggle under my weight, as he was not much taller than I was, and he did not appear to be quite as strong as any of the knights, yet he lifted me with relative ease.

Yoongi did not take to the path as I expected him too, instead veering off into the thick of the trees. My heart began to pound furiously inside my chest. Other than his name, I knew nothing of this man, yet I had handed him my full trust willingly. In that moment, as we travelled further into the densely packed forest and all light seemed to be blocked out, I wondered if that had been the right decision. Yoongi was a powerful wizard, a man of great strength who lived in the most dangerous of all places. Ryia had warned me against him. In my desperate state, I had not heeded her words. Namjoon once told me my carelessness would get me killed someday and I was beginning to believe he had been right.

After walking in silence for several tense moments, I decided to voice my concern. “Where are we-”

The words died in my throat as Yoongi approached a large tree. My eyes immediately trailed up to the branches above us, as if I were expecting to find house among them. To my disappointment, they stood empty of any such thing.

Carefully setting me down, Yoongi hurried to remove a loose piece of bark, revealing a small nob in the trunk of the tree which he carefully pushed in and twisted. Immediately, an opening appeared, revealing what appeared to be a lovely little cottage.

He turned to me, his shy grin returning. “Welcome to my home.”

“You live . . .” my eyes darted between the wizard and the large opening, “in a tree?”

“Not quite. The tree is simply a disguise. In case you have not noticed, I do not live amongst friendly neighbors. The only way to survive, is to stay hidden.”

“I never would have found you on my own.” I breathed disbelievingly.

He chuckled as he crouched down next to me. “Most people do not even come looking for me. I am considered dangerous for what I do.” Offering me his hand, he smiled encouragingly. “I’ll help you, but the door’s not wide enough for me to carry you through, so you will need to walk. Can you manage?”

Somewhat reluctantly, I took his offered hand and carefully balanced myself on my good foot.

“Just take it slow. I promise the magic door will not close unless I tell it to.”

“Who’s to say you will not close it once I start passing through?”

He cocked a brow. “I suppose you’re just going to have to trust me.”

“Can I?”

“How badly do you need my help?”

I glared, “Fine.”

Letting out a slow breath, I hobbled toward the opening. The edges shimmered in a dull purple and a warm heat radiated from it. I hesitated a moment, swaying precariously on my good foot.

“It won’t bite.”

Stealing my nerves, I closed my eyes and hopped through. A warm sensation ran through my body, but it did not last for more than a second. When I opened my eyes again, Yoongi had returned to my side, his arm looping through mine to offer his support. We were standing in a small room with nothing more than a small bench present. Through another doorway, I could see the flickering of a candle’s light. The heavenly scent wafting through the small home nearly knocked me off my feet.

“Yoongi!” A loud voice called out from the other room.

Yoongi flinched beside me and muttered a curse under his breath.

“You better not have come empty handed again. I swear if I do not have those herbs on my table in the next few minutes you are going to-” A large man stepped around the corner and froze, his eyes widening in surprise when they landed on me. He was stunning; his appearance rivaling that of any man I had ever seen, and I could not help but stare.

A nervous chuckle escaped Yoongi’s lips. “Seokjin, I have returned.”

The tall man, Seokjin, pinched the bridge of his nose with a disappointed sigh. “When I told you not to come home empty-handed, this is not what I meant.”

Yoongi grinned sheepishly. “She needed my help.”

“Yoongi, we’ve been through this. You cannot help every person you come across.”

“But she got into a fight with Flower and she would have died if I had left her on her own.”

Seokjin raised an eyebrow as his eyes darted back to me. “What on Earth possessed you to anger a basilisk?”

“You named the basilisk Flower?” I asked, perplexed.

“Yes,” Yoongi nodded fervently, “because when she puts her full crown up, she resembles that of the sunflowers which used to grow back home. The ground here is too coarse to grow them, so Flower is the closest we will ever get to seeing one. I wanted to call her Sunflower, but Seokjin would not let me.”

I began to wonder just what sort of men I had found myself amongst. A basilisk had no right to a name, yet they spoke of it as if it were a pet.

“How did you become tangled up in a fight with Flower?” Seokjin asked. “She has a nasty temper.”

“I did not mean to. My horse threw me, and I landed next to the bush which she was occupying. It was not my intention to anger a basilisk.”

Seokjin frowned slightly as he took in my appearance. “You are from the royal family.”

I was confused by the sudden accusation but still I nodded, “That is correct.”

“What is someone of your stature doing all the way up here on Blood Mountain?”

Yoongi bit his lip nervously, glancing between Seokjin and myself. “Jin, not now.”

Seokjin ignored him. “Do you not have knights to do your bidding?”

“Pardon?”

“What need does someone from the royal family have to be this far into Blood Mountain? Wouldn’t it have been safer to send one of the knights?”

“Seokjin,” Yoongi scolded, “stop it. Now is not the time.”

I pushed myself away from Yoongi to stand on my own, making certain my head was held high. “I do not understand, nor do I care to know why you seem to hate me so much. It is of no concern to me whether or not you do, for it is not your help I seek.”

“Well then, what is it you need my brother to do?”

��A friend of mine is in dire need of your brother’s magical abilities.” I answered simply.

“Seokjin,” Yoongi interrupted before the other could speak, “gather some henbane. I must treat her wound before it festers any further.”

Grumbling to himself, Seokjin shot me one last glare before turning back into the room he’d appeared from earlier.

“Sorry about him,” Yoongi said, his voice small. “He’s not usually quite so demurring.”

“Why does he seem to hate my family?”

Yoongi hesitated while carefully helping me onto the bench. Motioning toward my ankle, he silently asked permission before rolling the bottom of my dress back. “Do not take it personally. My brother blames the royal family for what happened to our parents. He has never truly been able to move on. The memories have haunted him since the night our mother was executed.”

“Oh,” my heart broke for the man. I knew first-hand what it was like to lose a parent, for I had lost both of my own as well. It was a wound one could never truly heal from. It was of no surprise that he disliked me, even if I was not from a direct royal line.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice quiet.

“I fear it is not my place to tell you. If you truly wish to know, you are welcome to ask my brother, though I would advise against it. It is clear he already dislikes you.”

I nodded solemnly, resting my cheek on the palm of my hand. “Why is it that you do not despise my family?”

His shoulder lifted into a slight shrug as he observed the snake’s bite. “I do not blame anyone for what happened. It was tragic, but it would be far more tragic if I were to place the blame on someone innocent. It all happened with the ban on magic. King Namjoon was not even on the throne at the time. Why would I blame him for something he did not do?”

“You’re a good man.”

“No,” his smile was empty as he glanced up, “I am far from being a good man.”

“So you say, and yet you are helping me when you do not even know my name.”

“Emelyn.”

My eyes widened in shock. “How did you-”

“Just because I live at the top of a magical mountain does not mean I do not know the family who rules over us. Blood Mountain rests on your kingdom. Namjoon is as much my king as he is yours.”

Just then, Seokjin marched into the room. Without a word to me, he left the herbs on the end of the bench before striding back out.

Yoongi sighed. “Give him some time. He will not hold this grudge against you for long. Once he takes a moment to realize that you are not even of direct line to the King’s family, he will return to be the friendly man he usually is.”

“I do not hold it against him. I know what it is like . . . losing your family. Never once have I ever gone through anything quite as horrible.”

“Your own parents?”

I shook my head lightly.

Yoongi nodded his understanding and returned his full attention to the wound on my ankle. The longer he looked at it, the bleaker his expression became.

I swallowed hard and tore my eyes away from him. I knew it was of no use to try and treat it. The basilisk had not only bitten me, but she had held on for a while as well. The poison that now ran through my veins was great. I would not have put much faith into healing it, yet Yoongi had been insistent. Even now, he set his shoulders back determinedly and gently spread the herbal paste across the wound. I hissed in pain and bit my lip to keep from crying out.

Yoongi flinched. “Sorry. Did I not mention it was going to burn?”

“No,” I spoke through clenched teeth, “you failed to mention that.”

“I hoped you would have assumed it would burn. A wound like this won’t be treated without pain.”

I groaned and stuffed my face into the crook of my arm. Before long, Yoongi came to kneel next to my head, having done all he could for the ankle.

“You may look now. The worst is over, for now.”

“For now?” I said, gingerly sitting back up.

He nodded with a small hum. “It was only last month that Seokjin got himself bitten by Flower as well. I used the last of the poison’s remedy on him. The new batch is still being made, though it should be done in a few days. For now, the herbal remedy I gave you will help with the pain and work to contain the poison to one area of your body.”

Crossing his legs, he sat himself down and simply stared at me for a while. The curiosity in his eyes was evident. It was clear he wasn’t used to interacting with anyone other than his brother. Yoongi was nice enough, but his way with other people left something to be desired.

Fidgeting somewhat beneath his gaze, I broke the awkward silence. “Did you mean what you said? About helping my friend?”

“You talk a lot about your friend. This person must be truly special.”

I hummed in agreement. Jungkook was more than special. He was the only hope I had of saving my kingdom, but he was also so much more than that. Jungkook had one of the biggest hearts I had ever seen. He was someone to be admired. Never had I had the pleasure of meeting anyone quite like him.

“You are smiling.” Yoongi pointed out with a grin of his own.

“What?” I snapped my head around to look at him before quickly turning away again in an attempt to hide the blush that was coloring my cheeks.

“This friend of yours, he is more than a friend?”

My eyes grew large as I quickly shook my head. “No! No, nothing like that.”

“Why the strong denial? Simply by observing the way in which you think about him, it is clear that he is special to you.”

“I have only just met him. It would be far from appropriate to assume such things.”

Yoongi lifted a shoulder with a knowing smile. “The heart does not understand what is considered correct or inappropriate. This friend of yours has charmed your heart, whether you have yet to see it or not.” His tone, though light, held no room for argument. “Why is it your friend is not with you? If it is he who needs my magic, why would you come alone?”

“I-” I hesitated. How was I meant to tell Yoongi I had managed to lose Jungkook somewhere along the way and haven’t been able to locate him on my own? “I do not know where he is at the moment.”

“I’m afraid I cannot help him if he is not here.”

“I was hoping you would be able to help me find him. See, Jungkook is a dragon.”

Yoongi’s eyes shot open wide as he leaned in closer. I had piqued his interest. “Did you just say a dragon?”

“Well, part dragon I suppose. He was cursed when he was very young. Since then he has been forced to shift into the dragon with the rise of every moon.”

“Yes well, very few dragons were not part man. The dragons died out several centuries ago. Most of the creatures you hear about nowadays are much like your friend.” Yoongi explained excitedly. The passion he felt for this topic was evident. This was his entire life and he was more than happy to share any information he could. “What is it he needs my help with?”

“Recently he has been losing control of himself even as the sun shines brightly overhead. That is why he is not here with me now. We were attacked and it caused him to shift. He flew away and I have not been able to find him since. I was hoping you would be able to help me.”

“You lost a dragon?” Seokjin stepped back into the room, wiping his hands on the end of his tunic.

I looked up to find him watching me incredulously. “I can assure you it was not my intention to do so. Jungkook is my last hope. If I am not able to return with him to my kingdom soon, we will all surely perish.”

Yoongi frowned in confusion. “Why would we perish? Namjoon is a wonderful king.”

“While that is true, there are many who wish to take his throne. If it had not been for Jungkook’s protection, we would have faced war years ago. As it is, with Jungkook unable to control the dragon, he has been unable to offer his protection. King Merek has taken advantage of his absence and has declared war on our kingdom.”

Seokjin raised a brow. “This dragon friend of yours has been protecting the kingdom?”

“Virtus Invicta,” Yoongi breathed.

“Pardon?”

Looking between Seokjin and I, Yoongi let out a slow breath of realization. “Virtus Invicta. Jungkook is the Phantom Knight.”

Seokjin groaned. Turning on his heels, he marched from the room once more, muttering to himself. “This is not happening to us. We are not getting mixed up in that mess.”

“You know?” I asked Yoongi once Seokjin was fully out of sight.

“It is the only thing which makes any sense.” Jumping to his feet, Yoongi began pacing, his excitement bubbling. “I should have seen it before. It’s been right there, staring me in the face the entire time.”

“What has?”

“Virtus Invicta,” Yoongi repeated the words as if I should know what they mean, “it is a powerful incantation. One that even I would not be able to recreate.”

I stared at him blankly, still not seeing how any of this was at all connected.

“The incantation is ancient. In the times when the dragons were becoming extinct, the ones who practiced magic created the spell in order to preserve the race. Before they were hunted, the dragons used to do what your Phantom Knight does now. They were our protectors. All it took was one dragon to go rogue and the humans turned on them. After the rogue dragon nearly burned down the east village, the king declared the banishment on dragons. From there, dragon hunting became a game of sorts. Their hides could be sold for large sums of gold, and the oils on their skin were excellent for healing potions. Powerful sorcerers used the people’s greed to their advantage. The people would pay large sums to have the dragons hunted down. It was not long before nearly all the dragons were gone.”

“That is truly horrible.”

Yoongi hummed in agreement. “Those who wished to preserve the dragons created the incantation. It allowed the dragons to live on, while offering them a disguise in a human body. It worked for a while, until the people began realizing what was happening. The incantation was outlawed and soon it was looked on as a curse rather than a blessing.”

“It was never a blessing.” Seokjin called out from the other room.

Yoongi rolled his eyes. “My brother is a bit more skeptical.”

“I’m not skeptical,” Seokjin stepped back into the room, “I simply do not refuse to see all the facts.”

“What facts?” I asked, my curiosity spiked.

“Oh, the incantation certainly helped to preserve the dragons for a while, but there is a reason it was outlawed shortly after. Once a person’s life has been morphed with that of a dragon, they lose a part of themselves. When in their dragon form, they no longer act as human. The instinct to protect, which once lived inside every dragon, did not live inside these newly formed beasts. The dragons created from this curse were monsters. Killers.”

Yoongi scrunched his nose at Seokjin’s choice of words. “I would not call them killers.”

“Whatever you call them, it was clear they were not the same creatures we had grown to admire.”

“Is there a cure?” I asked, dreading what the answer may be.

Seokjin shook his head sadly. “There was never one that could be found. Whether the original creators of the curse also created a cure was never known.”

“I’m sure there is one out there somewhere.” Yoongi said.

“Even if there isn’t,” Seokjin gave him a soft smile, “if anyone could create one, it would be you.”

I smiled as I watched the exchange. It was clear that Seokjin held great pride in his brother. I had to wonder just what they were doing so far up on the mountain. I knew Yoongi needed to be away to practice his magic, but why had they remained so secluded? Something told me there was more to their story than Yoongi had let on earlier.

Just then, there was a loud bang at the door which drew everyone’s attention, quickly followed by another. Yoongi scrambled to his feet and both brothers came to loop their arms through mine, guiding me to my feet.

“What’s going-”

I was cut off by Seokjin slapping a hand over my mouth. He gave me a sharp look and shook his head once. The message to remain quiet, rang clear.

The pounding only grew to a higher intensity as Yoongi motioned toward the back room and the three of us quickly made our way there. Without a word, Yoongi marched directly over to the far wall and tapped it once. Immediately, it opened up to reveal a dark passage. I could not be sure, but it appeared as though it was underground, which did not make much sense, as we were technically still inside a tree.

Seokjin prodded me to move forward. The banging on the door continued and though the passage did not look overly inviting, it was a better option than facing whatever was outside. I followed Yoongi inside.

Once we had all made it through, the opening closed, trapping us in a blinding darkness. I swallowed hard, my hand reaching out to grip onto the back of Yoongi’s tunic. I could not see my own hand when I held it up in front of my face. How were we meant to navigate this tunnel?

“Do not worry.” Seokjin’s voice sounded beside my ear, causing me to jump. “Trust in my brother. Do not let go of him and he will lead you out.”

“How?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly. “He cannot see.”

“I would not be so sure.”

When Yoongi began slowly moving forward, my grip on his tunic tightened. I shuffled along behind him, giving everything I had to keep my feet under me. The medicine Yoongi had spread on my ankle allowed me just enough freedom to use the foot without collapsing with every step. Though the fire which erupted up my leg with each step was unpleasant, I was simply grateful I was able to remain standing.

“Almost there.” Yoongi said, his voice low.

My foot caught on what I assumed to be a root in the ground, causing me to fall forward onto Yoongi’s back. A string of apologies left my lips as I scrambled to pick myself back up.

I could hear the laughter in his voice as he turned to help me. “You are clumsier than even I am. What on earth did you trip on? The path has been clear.”

I shook my head with a frown, though I knew no one would be able to see it. “My foot caught on a root.”

“There is no root here.” Seokjin spoke from behind me. I could hear him lightly tapping the surrounding path with his foot. “The ground is smooth.”

“Then what did my foot catch on?”

A small orb of light suddenly flickered into view, the light purple glow emanating from Yoongi’s hand. He held it up to illuminate the area around us and I heard his breath catch. Somewhat reluctantly, I turned my head to follow his line of sight. What I saw confused me. The tunnel we had just come through had been completely taken over by dense foliage. Vines and roots extended from every inch of the dirt walls, completely blocking the way in which we came, and I realized with a growing terror that it was slowly reaching out towards us.

Yoongi cursed under his breath. “They’ve found the tunnel.”

“Who?” I asked, dreading the answer.

Both men ignored my question.

“We need to get out of here.” Seokjin said, as if that weren’t the most obvious solution. “How much further?”

“A few yards maybe?”

I spun back around and began pushing him along. “Then let’s go.”

Yoongi nodded in agreement and extinguished the light. With one quick demand for Seokjin to grab my hand, Yoongi took my other and together we raced forward. I did my best to keep up, hobbling along as fast as I could. Seokjin helped, eventually bending down a bit to offer more support, allowing me to wrap my arm around his shoulder.

“Yoongi!” Seokjin shouted, his voice laced with panic. “The exit!”

“I’m working on it!” Yoongi shot back.

It was then I felt it too. The vines and roots behind us were growing faster, the ends reaching out to begin wrapping around my feet and legs.

A strangled noise sounded from the back of my throat as I leapt out of the vine’s reach. “Why are there vines chasing us?”

Seokjin groaned. “Ogres.”

“Ogres?”

“Annoying little creatures.” Yoongi sighed.

“That’s putting it lightly.” Seokjin said.

“I did not believe they even existed.” I admitted, feeling rather foolish.

“Perhaps it is time you start believing in things you cannot always see.”

“But ogres are simple creatures. They are not capable of magic.”

“What the stories tell and what is actually true are not always the same.” Yoongi corrected. “Ogres are indeed capable of magic. In fact, they wield a highly powerful earth magic. One which rivals even that of a dragon master.”

“So, what you are saying, is-”

“-if we do not hurry and find the exit to the tunnel, we will all become dinner for the ogres.” Seokjin interrupted.

“Why exactly are there ogres chasing us?” I panted, only barely having managed to catch myself after tripping over another vine.

“I suppose you would not know,” Yoongi replied, “ogres enjoy hunting humans. Preferably smaller ones such as children or infants, though they will eat any they find. Since there are not many people to be found on Blood Mountain, once they catch our scent, it is difficult to shake them off our trail.”

“They’re trying to eat us?”

“I would assume so, yes,” Seokjin grumbled, “and unless you plan on sticking around to find out for sure, I would suggest we continue moving ahead as quickly as possible.”

“The exit!” Yoongi cried, suddenly surging forward.

I yelped as he dragged me forward, my hand having still been securely wrapped in his tunic. Seokjin kicked a particularly close vine out of the way and quickly followed after us. We raced forward blindly, Seokjin and I placing all our trust in Yoongi to lead us safely out.

“Here.”

I froze at the sound of Yoongi’s voice. I heard him shuffle around for a moment, before I was suddenly blinded by the light that came flooding into the tunnel. I blinked several times, allowing my eyes to adjust. Yoongi wore a proud smile as he ushered us through, and I sighed in relief.

The sun’s rays blinded me as I stepped out into the open and my heart skipped a beat when I looked behind me, for the exit to the tunnel had vanished. There was nothing apart from an open field. Yet that could not be right. I had just left the tunnel. It had been right behind me.

“Mind your step!”

I reeled back at the sudden cry from Yoongi, my eyes dropping down to where I heard his voice. The tunnel’s entrance stared up at me, ready to swallow me back in if I were to take one more step. Seokjin marched straight up the side of the tunnel, his feet sticking to the walls as if they had been molded together. He came to stand directly beside me after fully righting himself.

“You should try closing your mouth. The birds may try to build a nest there if you do not.” He said with a smirk.

I immediately snapped my mouth shut, though my eyes remained wide as I stared between Yoongi, who was still inside the tunnel, and his brother. “How did-”

“Do not think too deeply about my brother’s magic. It will only serve to make your headache.”

Frowning, I backed away from the hole as Yoongi made his way up. I was not fond of the way in which Seokjin continually interrupted my words. It was rather rude.

It struck me as strange as I took in my surroundings, that not a single blade of grass was wet. Hadn’t it been raining when we’d left the brothers’ house? Surely it could not have dried so quickly. I blinked up at the sun, searching for any signs of the massive clouds which had ruled the sky just moments ago.

“The weather changes dramatically from one end of the mountain to the other.” Seokjin said, coming to stand beside me.

I peered up at him, confused. “How did you-”

“You were staring up at the sky as if you were questioning your own sanity.”

“Seokjin!” Yoongi’s shout drew both our attention.

Seokjin’s eyes grew wide and he immediately rushed to help his brother. I was confused at first. Nothing seemed to be out of place initially. The vines and roots had not grown past the tunnel’s exit. We were all safely back on the ground, standing upright. It was not until I caught the first glimpse of the hideous creature that I understood their panic.

No one knew much about the ogre. Most assumed they were not real, claiming them to be a creature formed by the imaginations of those who had survived Blood Mountain. Until that moment, I had not believed in them either. Perhaps Seokjin was right. It was time to start believing that there was some truth behind every tale.

The first ogre protruded its ugly head from the opening, just as Yoongi began to close it. Seokjin jabbed his foot into its face, sending the creature careening back down into the hole. Yoongi squeezed his eyes shut, doing everything he could to keep his concentration as he worked on closing the exit. I did not understand why he would not simply seal it like he had the other side, but then I suppose the ogre’s magic could have been preventing him from doing so.

My ankle throbbed as I began searching for anything that may help. There was nothing around us for miles. I could just make out a tree line in the distance, but it was nowhere near close enough to offer any help. At my feet, I noticed a particularly large stone and quickly snatched it up. Struggling under its weight, I hobbled over and shoved Seokjin aside. Ignoring his cry of protest, I let the stone fall. It connected with three different ogres, pinning them all down to the ground below. They were scrawny creatures. Nothing at all like how I had imagined them to be. Each one shorter than I was, and each had an ugly scraggly mass of hair on top their heads. Their greyish skin stretched thin across their heads and hands yet was saggy and wrinkly over the rest of their bodies. With heads larger than their chests, the creatures were surely the sight of nightmares. A greenish mucus was built up around their eyes and they squinted as if unable to see clearly because of it.

“So, what is the plan?” I asked as I began picking up and hurling every stone I could get my hands on into the hole.

“Yoongi has to close the exit, but the ogres are using their magic against him.” Seokjin said, glancing up worriedly at Yoongi. “There must be dozens of the horrid creatures down there. Alone, their magic is enough to battle Yoongi’s, but together it appears they are a bit overwhelming.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

“All we can do is try to keep them away from Yoongi until he’s managed to close it.”

“You do not possess any magic?” I asked, tossing another particularly large stone at an approaching ogre.

Seokjin’s eyes grew dark and he angrily shoved his hand inside the bag at Yoongi’s waist. “Only Yoongi was blessed with the gift of magic. He alone is our hope of survival.”

I swallowed hard and stole a glance at the wizard. Sweat beaded his forehead and his eyes were kept tightly closed. His hands balled into fists at his side as he chanted words I could not understand.

Seokjin shoved a few small, glowing orbs into my hands.

I recoiled at the slimy texture and wrinkled my nose at the odd scent wafting off them. “What is this?”

“Toss them at the ogres,” Seokjin said, “they shall work far better than the stones.”

I was about to ask how a bundle of glass orbs was going to help us, when Seokjin threw the first one at the nearest ogre. A loud popping sound reverberated through the air and the ogre was thrown back. The creature didn’t move after having been hit squarely in the head with what appeared to be a small explosion.

“You are suggesting we blow them up?”

Seokjin shrugged and threw another orb at an approaching ogre, sending it flying back into the tunnel. “It is worth a try, is it not?”

Deciding it was a better alternative to being devoured by one of the ugly creatures, I joined the man in his endeavor to protect his brother. Though the strategy worked for a time, it was not long before we began running out of orbs, yet still more ogres made their way out of the tunnel.

“Yoongi, it is of no use.” Seokjin said, racing over to shake his brother out of his concentration. “We must run.”

“We would never outrun them.” Yoongi shouted back, anger and frustration brewing in his words.

“Yet we cannot remain here! They will not stop their assault until they have acquired at least one of us. It is clear that their magic combined cannot be overcome with your own. It is time we made our escape. We make for the trees. If we can reach that, we will be able to get away.”

Before Yoongi could respond any further, a scream fell from my lips as I fell forward, my leg having been yanked out from under me. I clawed desperately at the ground, as the creature latched onto my ankle and began pulling me down.

“Emelyn!” The brothers shouted in unison.

Yoongi dove for my hand and Seokjin ran to try and peel the ogre’s hand off my leg. I clung to Yoongi’s arm yet all that managed to accomplish was having us both dragged back toward the opening. Seokjin managed to beat the ogre back until it finally released its hold on me and the three of us scrambled out of reach.

“Run!” Seokjin shouted, helping to lift me to my feet before taking off in the direction of the tree line.

I followed closely behind with Yoongi on my heels. Behind us, I heard the angry screeching of the ogres as they began emerging from the tunnel.

“We’re never going to make it.” Yoongi panted, clutching at his side as he ran. It was clear using his magic was draining. I noticed how his legs shook beneath him as he forced them to keep moving.

“Try to look on the bright side,” Seokjin quipped, “we survived the tunnel. We can survive this.”

Stealing a glance over my shoulder, I saw a hoard of ogres surging toward us. Some carried clubs, others wielding small swords while some came at us with nothing but their magic. Each pursued us with a hungry cry and an evil glint in their eyes.

Yoongi was right. It appeared as though our chances of surviving this encounter were minimal. I rested my gaze on the man in front of me. It was my own doing which had brought on the ogre attack. Whether it was due to the fresh scent of human flesh on the mountain which drew them in, or the ruckus I caused with the basilisk, I knew the brothers would not be running for their lives if I had simply not shown up at their doorstep.

Looking to the sky, I wished again that Jungkook was with us. Perhaps he would have had a few ideas on how to stop the gruesome creatures.

The first vine shot up two feet from Yoongi’s face. He yelped, skidding to a halt before skirting around it. I glanced behind us once more to find the ogres advancing. They may have been small and disproportioned, but they were fast.

Another root shot up and tangled itself around Seokjin’s foot, sending him crashing to the ground. I dove to help but Yoongi was quicker. He shot a beam of purple light at the root and it shriveled away back into the ground. Seokjin scrambled to his feet once more and we continued our retreat.

“We’re not going to make it!” Seokjin shouted, leaping to the side to avoid another shooting vine.

“We have to!” I shouted in return, determined I was not about to become an ogre’s meal.

A strangled scream escaped my lips when the vine shot up beside me and wrapped securely around my waist, sending me crashing to the ground. My hands clawed at the plant as it began dragging me back. Distantly, I heard the others shout after me, but my focus was held entirely on escaping. Tears clouded my vision as I struggled against its hold. Blinking rapidly, I craned my neck to look across my shoulder, only to wish that I hadn’t. The ogre whose magic was holding me, stood only a few feet away. A gruesome smile stretched across its face.

My head snapped back around when I felt two pairs of hands wrap around both my legs. Seokjin and Yoongi both began pulling me away from the approaching ogre. I screamed as the vine’s hold on my waist grew tighter and I began struggling to breathe. Still, the struggle continued. My fingers clawed viciously at the plant, yet the effort was pointless.

Yet another root shot from the ground then, wrapping itself around Seokjin’s neck. Yoongi screamed and immediately tackled his brother, fighting against the root as Seokjin’s face grew redder with every passing second.

I froze, watching with bated breath. Yoongi’s magic wasn’t working against it and brute strength was not going to work either. Something had to be done, but what? My arm scraped against a rough surface and I hissed in pain, frowning as I peered down to see what it was. My eyes grew wide when I saw it. One of the ogre’s clubs lay abandoned and forgotten in the tall grass. Scrambling to snatch it up, I twisted around and threw every ounce of strength I had into bashing the approaching ogre over the head. It swayed for a moment before crumpling to the ground, the vine immediately releasing its grip on me once the ogre was out.

Leaping to my feet, I rushed to Yoongi’s aid. Seokjin had long since lost consciousness, his face unnaturally red. He was not breathing. My chest ached as I thought of the worst. I did not want to believe it, but my gut told me one of us would not be surviving the night.

Large tears trailed down Yoongi’s cheeks as he fought with the root. Dropping down beside him, I snatched the bag at his waist and dug inside.

“Yoongi! Do you have any more of those odd smelling orbs?”

“What?” He snapped, not bothering to cease his efforts to free his brother.

“Never mind,” my hand wrapped around a familiar slimy orb and I pulled it out triumphantly.

Yoongi’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “What are you doing? That will kill him.”

“It is not for your brother,” I nodded toward the ogre drawing closer, “it’s for him.”

With as much force as I could muster, I threw the orb at the creature. It connected with the ogre’s chest, sending him flying back. Seconds later, the root around Seokjin’s neck went slack.

Yoongi ripped it off and began shaking his brother, trying to wake him.

I laid a hand on his shoulder; my attention being drawn to the mass of ugly creatures coming toward us. “Yoongi, we need to leave.”

“Wake up, Seokjin. I cannot lift you on my own. Wake up!” Yoongi’s voice shook as he pleaded with an unconscious Seokjin.

“I will help.” I said, reaching down to loop one of Seokjin’s arms around my neck. “But we must hurry.”

Yoongi nodded, jumping to his feet.

We carried Seokjin between us, his feet dragging across the ground as we raced for the tree line.

The ogres were growing tired of the chase. They wanted their meal and it was escaping. The ground beneath us began to tremble and Yoongi suddenly froze in his tracks. His voice shook when he screamed for me to get down. Before I could so much as blink, we were surrounded by a haze of soft purple light. An explosion of light shook the earth and the ringing in my ears forced my hands up to cover them. Ducking my head, I fell to the ground beside Seokjin, praying for it to be over quickly.

As the ground finally stopped shaking and the ringing in my ears faded, I slowly raised my head. The world was hazy and spun around me. Sounds were muffled causing me to become disoriented as I searched for Yoongi, my eyes eventually coming to rest on a hazy figure which I assumed to be the wizard. What I did not understand was why he seemed to be moving away from where Seokjin and I were. Glancing down, I realized with a shock that Seokjin wasn’t there. Snapping my head back up, I blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear my vision. Yoongi was chasing after a group of ogres as they carried a large floppy lump between them.

“No,” I breathed as my vision finally returned to full focus. It was Seokjin.

Scrambling to my feet, I nearly fell back to the ground as the world continued to spin madly. My feet stumbled forward, chasing after them. I was not sure what had transpired just moments ago, yet most of the ogres had gone. The few who remained were the ones carting Yoongi’s brother away.

Yoongi tripped, crashing to the ground in a heap, yet he did not remain there for long. Pushing himself back to his feet, he chased after them again. Anguished cries left his lips as he desperately tried to awaken his brother. Cries which fell on deaf ears.

The ogres disappeared back into the hole which they’d crawled out of, sealing off the entrance as they did. Yoongi shouted after them, dropping to the ground where the exit had been. His hands tore at the ground with uncontrolled desperation, sending grass and dirt flying in every direction. Sobs wracked his body as I slowly approached. I was not sure what to say or do. My heart ached for Yoongi as I silently watched him tear apart the earth. I had acted much the same way when my mother was taken. After having been suspected of using magic, my father and I had been forced to watch as she was carried away. I had spent the next several days at the doors of the prison. My hands had become bloodied and bruised from the constant attempts to open the door. It had only been a few days later when she was publicly executed, as an example of what would come to anyone who practiced magic.

Dropping to my knees beside him, I gently wrapped my arms around Yoongi’s shaking shoulders. He tried to throw me off only twice before falling into my embrace. His shook his head as he cried into my shoulder, his hands wrapped securely in the fabric of my dress.

We remained that way for a little while. Yoongi’s sobs eventually calming and his breathing became a bit steadier. I held him tightly. I knew there was nothing I could say which would ease his pain. There was nothing I could do to bring his brother back to him. The most I could do was remind him that he was not alone.

After a while, Yoongi sat back and wiped at his eyes, which had glazed over as he stared at the place his brother had disappeared.

Reaching over, I took his hand in mine, gently rubbing my thumb across his skin. Glancing over, his eyes dropped to our hands before rising back up to meet my eyes. “He was my best friend.”

Those five words shattered my heart. No one would ever be able to replace what he’d lost. Squeezing his hand, I let him know he wasn’t alone. I may not have been able to change things, but I was not going to leave him on his own.

Looking at Yoongi then, I wondered if I was truly doing the right thing. I had left my family behind to fight for our kingdom. Jungkook was lost because I had sent us out on an impossible journey, and now Seokjin was gone as well. It seemed everywhere I went, I brought destruction with me. Perhaps if I had simply stayed locked in my room, none of this would have happened. If I had only accepted Taehyung’s offer in marriage, Seokjin would still be alive. I had vowed to make things right when I left the castle, yet all I had managed to do was make those around me suffer in unimaginable ways. Would I truly be able to restore peace to my kingdom? I was no longer sure I could.

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metamorphicrocky · 5 years ago

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these asks all kinda fit into one idea I already had that I wanted to write, so hope that's okay!!! so here's some nightmares and angst

The dark, looming figure stalks forward, a sinister growl growing louder as he approaches. Little Cato shakes, one arm desperately clutching at Gary. He can't feel a pulse, and he's kneeling in a pool of blood that just continues to expand. The gun trembles in his hand, not being able to tear his eyes away from his dad, his eyes glowing and enraged.

"Please, don't do this!" Little Cato cries, holding Gary's head closer to his chest.

His father just snarls, tightening the grip on his gun as he keeps moving.

Little Cato can feel the tears streaming down his face, and he can't do this. He can't shoot his dad. The blood continues to spread.

"If you're in there, stop this!"

Avocato doesn't stop. "I would never father something so weak!"

His chest heaves as the sky darkens, and the ground is just blood blood blood that threatens to swallow him up whole, forcing his legs to be submerged as his father wades through a crimson sea. The warmth of the red brings the striking difference between it and Gary's skin into frightening clarity.

"Dad, please, come on!" Little Cato sobs, choking on his words as he tries to protect Gary's corpse—because that's what he is now, just a corpse floating in a flood of scarlet—and keep his gun straight. "This isn't you! Fight it!"

Avocato stops, and now he's directly in front of his son, pointing a gun to the boy's forehead. Little Cato is frozen as he stares up at his father, who's eyes are no longer glowing but manage to be filled with even more anger. He blinks, and—

He doesn't see his dad anymore. He sees the Lord Commander's right hand, the uniform fitting his form like he was meant to wear it. The glower on his face is replaced with a cruel smirk, and he shoves the gun up against Little Cato's head as he laughs.

Little Cato knows that he's going to die right now, and his gun drops from his grip and splashes into the blood beneath him, sinking into unknown depths. The young Ventrexian just holds Gary's head tighter, his body trembling against the dead weight.

"Please," Little Cato pleads, a last attempt to reason with his father.

His father laughs sinisterly again, and all the noise of the planet around him disappears, plunging them into an icy silence. Avocato tilts his head, and his voice is clear and loud yet quiet and confusing all at once as he says with spite, "Oh, but this is me."

Little Cato's eyes widen as the trigger pulls, the shot ringing out as his body falls into the endless red of Gary's blood.

----

Little Cato shoots up in his bed, pushing his hands onto his mouth and forcing it to stay shut to avoid screaming out. His chest is heaving, warm tears spilling down his face. Sobs threaten to break free, so he scrambles down the ladder and out into the hallway before he can wake up Fox. Tears blur his vision as he runs barefooted, somehow managing to end up on the bridge.

He wipes away the tears on his face as he jumps up into the pilot's seat, landing on a lump of clothing. The boy looks down to see Gary's jacket, and he doesn't hesitate to slip it on as he curls up into a miserable ball. His sobs make him tremble violently, choking on his tears as the nightmare plays over and over again in his head.

His dad, not possessed by a horrifying evil, but himself, shooting him in cold blood and enjoying it. He's absolutely terrified. His hands scramble to wrap themselves around his torso in his sad attempt to calm himself down.

Little Cato just lays there and sobs, until all of a sudden a hand touches his shoulder. The kid's eyes fly open, and he shoves the hand away immediately and scrambles to find his gun because he knows he has it and he's in danger and oh god he's going to be killed by his dad and—

"Woah, woah, Spidercat! Hey, hey, it's okay. It's Gary! It's just Gary, okay, buddy?"

Little Cato stops in his panic and whips his head up to see...Gary. His shoulders deflate in slight relief at seeing the familiar face, but then his eyes drift from Gary's concerned face to his chest. His bare chest, with three circular scars.

He blinks, and blood pours from two of the now gaping holes in his torso. All of the breath leaves Little Cato's body in a rush, then he screams, loud and raw and terribly frightened.

His hands rush to Gary's chest and start pressing down on one wound but then the other just keeps bleeding and bleeding and oh god he can't breathe but that doesn't matter when Gary is dying and he can't stop it! He's going to die and it'll be his fault and he can't breathe but the blood, oh the blood, there's so much—

"No no no no!" Little Cato screams, panting as his throat constricts around a sob as even more wet and hot tears pour from his eyes. His hands are covered in blood, but Gary continues to stand there as he tries to keep him alive. "NO! COME ON, NO NO NO!"

All of a sudden, someone seizes his shaking arms and tears the jacket off of him. Little Cato can't resist the action because there's nothing he can do to stop Gary from dying, even though he's trying so hard and why can't he just keep one person alive?!

He collapses on the ground and lays there, screaming and sobbing in his grief because Gary is dead, and it's all his fault, always his fault—

He barely registers a warm hand touching his face until another, one made of metal, gently shakes him, so he opens his eyes to see the figure of Gary moving him up into a sitting position against a seat.

Little Cato shoots up and wipes the tears away as best as he can, and he's met with the sight of Gary, who is very much alive. He's wearing his jacket now, and it's zipped up almost the whole way.

Little Cato hiccups. "What?" he whispers confusedly.

Gary's frown deepens, and he strokes the kid's head. "You were having a panic attack or something similar, buddy," he starts gently. "You saw my scars and started pressing down on them like you were trying to stop them from bleeding...."

"But you were!" Little Cato shouts.

The man shakes his head. "It was all in your head; those wounds are all healed up now, remember?"

The kid looks down at his hands to see them completely free of any blood, so he turns them over and over again to check. He finds nothing.

"All in my head...," he trails off in a whisper.

He gently pushes Gary's hand away from his face and stands just to sit down in the pilot's seat, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his cheek on his arm. His tears are a more slow trickle now, but he continues to hiccup and sob.

He can hear Gary moving over to sit in front of the seat, but he refuses to look at him again until the image of gunshot wounds recedes from his mind.

"Spidercat?" Gary whispers, and Little Cato can hear how worried he is. The Ventrexian shakes his head, and Gary's approaching hand retreats. "Is it okay if I sit here?" Little Cato quickly glances at him and nods.

They sit there in silence as Little Cato tries to collect himself and remind himself of what's real and what isn't. It is much harder than he wants it to be.

After maybe minutes or hours, Little Cato finally runs out of the most of his tears. He doesn't think they'll fully stop, but it's manageable for now. He turns his head towards Gary, who's aimlessly staring at his blank phone screen, probably just needing something to distract himself.

Carefully, Little Cato places a hand on Gary's shoulder to gain his attention. The blond sets his phone on the ground and turns around to look at the kid, a tired yet comforting smile on his face.

"Hey, buddy," Gary says, softly carding his hand through the fur of the kid's cheek. Little Cato leans into the touch. "Do you think you could tell me what upset you?"

Little Cato shuffles around to face Gary, and he looks him directly in the eyes as he whispers, "He killed you. Then he killed me."

Gary's eyes widen, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion and worry. "Avocato?"

Little Cato nods.

Gary swears under his breath. "Damn, no wonder you panicked so badly when you saw me. Was that all there was to the nightmare?"

Little Cato shakes his head, but he stays silent. He doesn't know how to tell Gary what he's feeling. How even after all this time of trying to reason that his father would never do that, he still worries about it anyways.

"Take all the time you need, kiddo."

Oh man. Little Cato starts tearing up again, and he tries to wipe it away. Gary is so nice and caring, and he's so conflicted about everything right now.

"Do you–do you think...my dad...was a good person?"

Gary's nose scrunches up in confusion over the question. "Where is this coming from?"

"Because when he shot me, he wasn't possessed." Little Cato sobs again. "He was in that damn uniform, and he was happy to do it. I told him to fight it and he just—said that this was him."

"Hey, that was just a nightmare. You know your dad would never—!"

"But he almost did!" Little Cato shouted frantically, finally uncurling from his previous position. "He didn't just refuse to kill me when the Lord Commander first gave the order. He brought me all the way down there to kill me, and he didn't try to stop it until after everyone else's kids were dead."

Gary pauses at that for a moment. "But he didn't kill you, and he spent the next three years searching for you. He died for you," he says emphatically.

"Would you have done it?" Little Cato says quietly. "Would you have even considered it?"

The man stays silent, and Little Cato knows that it isn't because he has to think about the answer—but because Gary knows that the Ventrexian won't like the implications of it. Little Cato sighs as more tears brim his eyes.

"You knew him better than me, so tell me. And be honest about it, okay?" the kid pleads.

Gary rubs a tired hand across his face. "I only knew him for a few weeks, bud. And I never found out about the whole Lord Commander thing until we went to rescue you."

Little Cato's mouth drops open in shock. "What? But, you were best friends!"

His dad scratches the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, I kinda just befriended the first person who would talk to me without killing me first. He was still my best friend, but I just don't know much about him before we met. You know him the best, Spidercat."

"I only know the guy who killed over four billion people," Little Cato cries quietly.

The tears start making their way down Little Cato's ridiculously wet face, and his shoulders start to tremble. He watches as Gary stands up from where he's been sitting on the floor, and he's surprised when Gary picks up him out of the seat and hugs him, sitting back down with the kid in his lap. Little Cato hugs back tightly, burying his face into Gary's shoulder. These are the moments when he's hit by how different his two dads are.

Gary rubs a hand up and down his back to comfort him, so Little Cato pipes up, "He never did things like this with me."

"Like what?"

The boy shrugs. "Listen to me talk, or be affectionate all the time like you are. He wasn't around too much."

Gary pulls away from the hug with a frown. "Do you want me to stop doing it? It's okay if you do, I don't want to replace Avocato or—"

Little Cato grabs his dad's hand in shock and shakes his head. "No! Never, I like it a lot. And I'm really glad that you're my dad! I'm just...not used to it."

"Do you wish that Avocato did it more?" Gary asks, scratching the kid's sweet spot behind his ear to comfort him.

Does he wish that his father was there more? Well, yeah. And is he kind of upset about never hearing him say that he loves him when Gary has said it too many times to count? Okay, he's more than sort of upset about that part.

He nods his head guiltily.

"Hey, that's okay, buddy," Gary soothes. "He wasn't the best father he could've been, and he knows that. You're more than allowed to be upset about it."

Little Cato lifts his head up to look at his dad pleadingly. "Was he a good person, though?"

The blond stares at Little Cato seriously, trying to come up with an answer. He sighs heavily and shrugs. "I don't know. I think he wants to be better though, so it's all up to him. And especially you, okay? How you feel is important, Spidercat."

Little Cato nods, and Gary wipes away some more of the kid's tears and ruffles his hair.

"This sucks," the kid says matter-of-factly.

"Yeah it does. But we'll get through it together. As a team."

"As a squad," Little Cato recites.

They both look at each other with small smiles, and they finish it off unison, "As a team squad."

The Ventrexian laughs quietly and wraps his arms around his dad again, listening to his heartbeat just to reassure himself that he is definitely alive and not bleeding everywhere. He stares out into the deep expanse of space, the stars shining bright all around them. Sometimes, staring at the nothingness terrifies him, reminding him of a time when there was nothing but him, but right now, he might be okay.

"It's pretty," he whispers.

He feels Gary nod. "Yeah. Now try to get some sleep. Nothing'll happen to me."

Little Cato gets comfortable and starts to trace constellations in his head. Of course he's still scared, but they're both alive for now, and they have each other. Maybe, just once, everything might be alright in the end.

#haha I put this boy through so much #final space #final space season 2 #gary goodspeed #little cato #avocato #dadspeed #fs fics

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thebigladjake · 4 years ago

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AX3001: Oddyssey - TV Show Research and Development: Giygas and the Intrigue of having an unexplainable villain

When it came to making a TV Show, I always had an idea for an Earthbound spiritual successor since 2018 and over this last Summer when we were briefed to make three TV Shows. I had to really think about what ideas I wanted to do. However, during my downtime, I suddenly remembered one specific thing about my Earthbound experience...

Giygas

The Embodiment of Evil, the Universal Cosmic Destroyer or the Almighty Idiot according to who you ask, Giygas is the main antagonist of Earthbound and appropriately serves as the game’s final boss before your adventure comes to a close. Granted, him being the very last thing you fight leads to you leaving with that boss fresh on your mind. But, I hadn’t played Earthbound for a few years... And Giygas just suddenly popped into my head. And a lot of the questions were “Why is he like this? This cute and friendly game has a boss that looks like a nightmare?” I was absolutely fascinated by this boss and it led to my second playthrough of the game.

Onett, the start of the Adventure

This is the hometown of our main character, Ness and effectively our window into the world of this game. We see the town he lives in, it’s so bright and colourful with all the town essentials! A burger shop, a town hall, an arcade, hospital, police station and library, it’s familiar to us as our hometowns most likely have similar locations. The vibrant colours of all the buildings is eye-catching and welcoming!

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The music is also worth noting as it’s very peppy and upbeat, it feels like the theme of a small town with a nice community. Most of the music follows this formula.

Most of the towns in the game follow this design and it does feel like you’re exploring more and more of the world, like you’ve ventured further than you have ever gone before and you’re not going to stop because this world is so interesting and welcoming!

Some towns deviate from the formula, but the good people in the towns help to established the same welcoming energy that we’re used to.

Now, let’s take a look at the final map before Giygas’ lair...

The Cave of the Past, the end of the Adventure

Complete contrast to what has been established this entire game. There are absolutely no colours, there are no buildings, no operations of Giygas’ in the background. It’s just a path to the end of the journey and it’s so simple... But, it’s super effective! The lack of colour helps to make it feel otherworldly, makes it feel alien to the world that you’re used to and that’s exactly what Giygas is, he’s not from the world.

Even our main cast of heroes could not be transported back in time without being transferred into robot bodies, all of their colour is gone too. All except Ness’ hat, showing a small bit of colour almost as if it’s that one bit of hope of beating Giygas.

At the end of games, usually going to the final boss’ lair will be some huge event where you see all of their plans, what they’ve built over time and will be accompanied by some epic score. Earthbound does things differently.

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Just give that a listen, it’s a eerie, droning piece that doesn’t sound like a great confrontation theme. It sounds like ambience more than a score to me and I think that makes it scarier, like you are in the positions of the kids who are probably incredibly scared of what they are going to have to face once inside that cave. It’s so incredible and it’s a sample of the Beach Boys song, ‘Deirdre’.

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It’s the opening note and I find it amazing how a single sample can do so much! There is another Earthbound track that I will link here which features a sample of the trumpet in the intro of the Beatles song, ‘All you need is Love’ and again, it sets up so much with just a tiny little sample.

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This is used just before going to the Cave of the Past, instead being the Cave of the Present. It’s technically just two notes with a reverb, but the sample adds so much and it just feels uncomfortable. However, we don’t need to talk about this for long, let’s go right to Giygas’ lair!

Giygas Lair, the true contrast to Earthbound’s style!

I apologise for the size of the image, but it’s pretty much a straight path but LOOK AT THIS! A trail of organs and entrails twisting and turning through this dark void until you find this uncanny monstrosity of a machine made of the same organic material you were walking on. This. This is what made me come back, it’s such a disturbing idea.

This is open to interpretation, but the way caves are represented in Earthbound is to only make sprites of the ground and walls. All the stuff you can’t see is black, just like how a cave should be. Giygas’ lair has this same motif, but there doesn’t really appear to be any walls around. So depending on your view, they’re either walking through a tunnel or entrails or walking through the void as previously stated. Personally, I think both are terrifically terrifying but I definitely see the void more.

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The organs pulse as you walk up them, the only noise complimenting the atmosphere is the clanking of robo-feet and the breathing of Giygas which is what I feel gives it the whole void feeling. It’s so unnerving that this is the final confrontation, but the fact that it is actually puts us in Ness and his friends shoes.

Getting to the Machine causes everything to stop, the ambience vanishes. Giygas’ intro music plays as the Machine changes to show the robots a picture of Ness’ face. Ness was prophesied to be the one who brings down Giygas and the first thing we see from the Machine is Ness, already suggesting to us that Giygas knows that we’re here...

Pokey, Ness’ childhood friend and eventual enemy over the course of the game, descends in a Spider Mech and just like that the Final Battle is about to begin!

The Final Fight

Of course, the final boss begins with Pokey standing before you with Giygas’ number one thought right now... Ness is here and he’s come to defeat me. This is a pretty standard affair for a boss, only Pokey can be harmed and he is much more a threat in this Spider Mech than he was previously in battle.

Giygas has a shield that is impervious to any kind of physical or psychic attacks and cannot be destroyed or disabled. He attacks using the special power that only Ness knows ‘PSI Rockin’’. His shield will always reflect your shots back at the character who attacks him and even when they have shield themselves, they will get hit regardless. The Machine is what keeps Giygas stable and alive, making him completely invincible...

However... He has one big idiot on his side...

Pokey can be damaged and the strategy of the fight is to focus on him and avoid any attacks that hit the both of them. Pokey, like the main cast, is a kid and he’s incredibly immature. So as soon as his mech is defeated, he taunts the main gang and turns off the Devil’s Machine... The one thing preventing Giygas’ defeat...

Giygas Released

Once released, Pokey explains that Giygas isn’t even himself anymore. He became so powerful that his body was destroyed and had to be contained into a machine in order to maintain some sort of grasp on his thoughts. Without that machine, the four heroes are taken into a dimension of Giygas’ thoughts and since we play as Ness we hear his thoughts directed towards us the player.

He reaches out with such thoughts as repeating Ness’ (The player’s) name, saying “I feel... Sad.” or “It feels good.” and added upon these thoughts Giygas’ attacks cannot be comprehended by our characters. It really helps to add a sense of hopelessness because we have no idea what is truly going on and we can’t fight what we don’t know.

An Unconventional Resolution

Attacks don’t work, defending won’t work either, you can’t heal or save yourself. All hopes seem lost until you notice a certain act that Paula can do. Pray.

When Paula prays, she reaches out to the world she left behind and the folks that are waiting for their return get the feeling that something bad is happening. So, they too pray from the bottom of their hearts...

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=320&end=374

If you watch the small clip above, once he feels the support from the Earth. The sound cue to signify that Giygas has been damaged and that Giygas is not okay.

Onward to his next form.

Now I would like you to take a close look at this image, I’ve asked a few people about this and sometimes they get it without me saying anything and others don’t. So, just take a moment to find an image amongst the Giygas’.

Got it or have you given up? In the realm of Giygas, here in the black void is a pretty damn distinct shape of a baby. And this is what fascinated me about Giygas, there is a theory that this is symbolism for abortion as you go back in time to kill Giygas but that theory has been disproven by Shigesato Itoi, the game’s creator. There’s evidence that goes against this theory anyway, but this fetus imagery always stuck out to me.

It’s said to be a coincidence that the Super Nintendo generated these sprites and in this pattern. But, it’s such a definite shape of a baby and I find it absolutely mental that it’s just a coincidence. And that curiosity is what brought me back to Earthbound, just this happy go lucky game where you make friends with a little monkey that chews bubblegum, make friends with a man who converts himself into a huge dungeon man and at the very end, you’re faced with this.

It’s not only impactful imagewise, but storywise it’s just as impactful for the opposite reasons. As Giygas can now be damaged by feeling the love and support coming from the friends Ness has made across the world. Each time Giygas is hit, it gets worse, but the moment he really breaks down is when Ness’ Mother wakes up in the middle of the night and rushes downstairs with Ness’ little sister and their dog. They all feel uneasy and begin to pray for the safety of Ness and his friends.

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=702&end=738

This is the moment Giygas truly breaks down, feeling the support of a loving Mother looking out for her son is a feeling he had long since buried. It’s about time I talk about the backstory of Giygas, while it’s not touched upon in Earthbound/Mother 2, in Earthbound Beginnings/Mother we see Giygas as an alien and we learn about how he came to be.

Giygas and Trauma

Giygas was an alien that was raised by Maria and George, a couple that was abducted by the other members of Giygas’ race. Maria adopted Giygas and looked after him while George studied their powers without their approval and eventually escaped with this knowledge, never being seen again. Once Giygas grows up, he was instructed to ensure that no human is capable of using PSI powers and not wanting to betray the people who raised him, he forcefully detached himself from Maria to prepare for the invasion.

Maria was sent back to Earth, but with amnesia and once the Eight Melodies are obtained, she regains her memory and explains that it was a song she used to sing to Giygas when he was young. This is very important.

Giygas’ first attempt to take over the world. He comes down, looking upon the gang and the battle begins. Starting the trend of Mother/Earthbound games having a unusual way of defeating the final boss. This time, the group begins to sing the Eight Melodies which brings up emotions in Giygas that he thought he had long since repressed or even got over. Giygas has a complete mental breakdown and recalls his forces, swearing revenge on the planet and that he will return.

In Earthbound, Giygas has worked on himself and made sure that what brought him down before cannot bring him down again. However, he didn’t do enough since the feeling of a loving Mother reaching out to her son in his time of need still hurts him severely and it’s at this point where Giygas can hardly do anything. His sprite starts contorting, the colours shift and the audio turns into a droning whirring noise.

Ness’ Mothers love is one thing, but it’s not enough. Giygas is wounded, but he is still fighting. Paula keeps praying for one more person and with a few more attempts, that person is you. There’s a moment in the game where the fourth wall is broken and asks you to enter your name. It can even be your full name, my name is pretty long and my name fits into it perfectly. It’s emotionally engaging since it includes you and you feel like in a way you are defeating him rather than Giygas being defeated by the world of the game.

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=838&end=938

After this Giygas loses control, the whirring increases, his sprite distorts further to the point where he is unrecognisable, the visuals cutting in with static occassionally. Static that appears at the very beginning of the game, suggesting the approach of Giygas and showing pictures of the invasion, and at the end of the game it suggest that he’s retreating, he’s getting out of reach and eventually he is gone.

And after all of that craziness, the robots are outside of Giygas’ lair. Everything is quiet, “The War against Giygas is over.”

What was Shigesato Itoi thinking?

Shigesato Itoi drew inspiration from an event of his childhood, where he had walked into the wrong screen at the theatre. He walked in on a murder scene which as a kid he mistook for a rape scene which had such a potent effect on him. He drew inspiration from it for Giygas’ final battle and some of the things Giygas says.

In an interview, Itoi claims that there was a scene where a guy grabbed a woman’s breast which distorted it into a ball shape. He said “It all hit me really hard. It was a direct attack on my brain.” despite the fact that this doesn’t actually happen in the movie, which Itoi admits that his memories are a little fuzzy. It’s probably because it all happened so fast and his child brain may have created false memories or just failed to understand it. Itoi also goes onto say, "this sense of terror having atrocity and eroticism side-by-side, and that’s what Giygas's lines at the end are. During the end, he says, “It hurts,” right? That's... her breast. It’s like, how do I put it, a “living-being” sensation." and the purpose of the scene is to get the player’s mind working.

Another interesting part of this interview is when Itoi talks about typical villains and says this, “Well, you know, having a villain there who simply goes, “Wahahaha!” and the like would clearly be bad. But, actually, when I think about it, having villains go, “Wahahaha!” is a really intriguing pattern. But there’s no point in wondering all by yourself for days on end what it means for a bad guy to go, “Wahahaha!” at the climax of a game, you know? I get the feeling that there aren’t many people in the game industry who would do that sort of thing, though.” Which is something important to consider, Earthbound is such a colourful game bursting with personality, so having it end with just a standard final boss affair probably wouldn’t feel satisfying.

What the Earthbound/Mother series taught me about final confrontations?

Giygas’ character and what it taught me that even “Universal Cosmic Destroyers” can have trauma that they are trying to avoid and bury. It humanises them in a way and it can make the final confrontation that more powerful as it’s a problem we can all relate to. They’re not all evil for the sake of being evil, sometimes they don’t have a choice.

I think this is a good thing to take on board and I have already begun planning on my main antagonist’s motivations on Oddyssey. It might be changed since it’s a sensitive topic for me right now, but these motivations won’t be brought up in Season 1 anyway

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artificialqueens · 5 years ago

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(I Can Still Recall) Our Last Summer - Chapter Six (Group Fic) - pureCAMP

A/N - so here we go! as u might remember, a phrase coined from mean queens several aeons ago…. welcome to the fuckening. from here on out, it will be disastrous because thats just how we do things these days

im going on holiday for a week now so here’s ur update!! will be back soon with more and potentially some shillam and shalaska <3

“Mommy! Mommy, look!”

The little girl, her hair in messy pigtails around her face, was playing with her younger brother. She couldn’t have been any more than five years old. Sharon smiled, nodding intently to show her daughter that she was paying attention. It was one of those lazy summer days, most of which had been spent lying on a towel, watching her beautiful children play as she soaked up the sun. Next to her, Justin was watching too, his gaze filled with adoration.

“We’re so lucky,” Justin breathed, his voice low. His hands ghosted over Sharon’s sun-warmed skin, a tender display of affection.

The little girl attempted a somersault, and they both clapped. When she righted herself, she was beaming.

“Yeah. We are.” She agreed, burying her face in his shoulder. She allowed herself a moment of clarity, to just take in his scent as he watched the kids. Everything was perfect.

The warm sensation soon faded, and as Sharon lifted her head, she was filled with an icy shock. Her face was no longer buried in Justin’s shoulders. He wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He was no longer watching the kids, and they were screaming - crying out desperately as an unseen force dragged them into the sea. Their tiny fingers left lines in the sand as they tried to anchor themselves to the shore.

Soon she found herself running, ignoring how the beach had transitioned from idyllic and peaceful to grey and violent. The wind whipped at her as she tried to run at her children, biting at her skin and forcing her back. The last she saw of her children, their screams were being swallowed by the monstrous waves that were cannibalizing the beach.

Sharon sat bolt upright, panting. She was covered in a sheen of cold sweat, having awoken in a sheer panic from her nightmare.

They had been happening for five nights in a row now, and she didn’t know what to make of them.

It wasn’t always children. Sometimes she was on stage, performing as usual, and one energetic jump would lead to the stage collapsing, and she would fall into an abyss, screaming. Other times, she was arguing with her mother, who would then pull out a knife and carve a grisly crucifixion onto her stomach. Whatever the dream, it was always harrowing, and she awoke the same way - in the peak of her terror, sweating and shaking.

She leant back, breathing heavily as she tried to relax. If this dream was textbook - following the pattern of all her others - then soon enough, she would be suffering with the more physical effects of her tormented mind.

Sure enough, like clockwork, the nausea within her rose quickly. It was a race against time, and Sharon was briefly grateful to be in the house she hated so much, as the bathroom was just a few feet from her bedroom door. Thankfully, she made it in good time, and ended up crouched over the toilet bowl, retching and spewing what little she had consumed.

Sharon had done everything she could think of to find the root of her weird dreams and sickness. Cutting out alcohol had been the first and most obvious one, but it seemed that a string of terrible hangovers hadn’t been causing her morning misery. She tried to eat better and move more, but nothing helped. After that, she’d been pretty stumped for causes.

The whole ordeal usually lasted about an hour, although she spent at least half of the day feeling sick and wobbly. She assumed, grimly, that that would be the case for as long as the illness lasted. In the meantime, she wasn’t going to let that stop her. With not so long left until her friends headed off into Europe to pursue their further education, Sharon wanted to spend every moment of her time with Jinkx and Raja.

Once she was sure that everything she had eaten had come back up, she cleaned herself up and got dressed, leaving as quickly as she could. There was a narrow window of time during which her mother would be out, pottering to do errands for the church, so she needed to take it to avoid a confrontation. It was the safest option to just avoid her as much as possible.

The state of her family life was depressing. Sharon closed the front door behind her and tried not to think about it.

Before heading to Raja’s, Sharon made a quick trip to the store near her house. It was her go-to - maybe because she could buy anything she wanted without fear of it being traced back to her mother. Despite Jinkx always claiming she was paranoid, Sharon knew her mother had eyes everywhere. Once, she had attempted to buy a magazine that had been deemed ‘inappropriate’ by her mother’s standards, and three different people had reported back to her mother. She knew most of them through church, and there was no shortage of religious fanatics working in and around the local shops. Sharon much preferred the safety of the shops near Raja, where no one she knew would frequent.

Her goodbye gifts already picked out, Sharon decided to just wander a little, mostly searching for the cider Raja had been begging her to get and hoping her nausea would calm down. She was just reaching for the third can when somebody bumped into her.

“Ooh, sorry!” A soft voice said. Sharon looked up, making eye contact with a gentle-looking woman. She was blushing with embarrassment, and gesturing apologetically towards her swollen stomach.

“I’m still figuring out how to manoeuver myself with this one! Sorry, sweetheart.” The woman continued. She patted Sharon’s shoulder before continuing on her way, the mishap already forgotten in her mind.

In complete contrast to the kindly woman, Sharon felt as though a cold fist had squeezed her heart into a vice grip. It was as if sense had slapped her straight in the face, and she was reeling from the sting of the revelation.

Feeling sicker than ever, she tossed the drinks into her bag and walked to the opposite corner of the store. A burning shame permeated her whole body as she scanned the aisle, overwhelmed with choice. It made her beyond angry that her supposed faith, something she didn’t believe in and never would, could still condition her to feel so disgusting.

The innocent white boxes lined the aisle from top to bottom, wall to wall. Some of them had smiling babies on, with big blue eyes and no teeth. Some had large, rounded bumps, as though the idiot models really needed that purchase just to make sure. Some of them were just plain and simple. Some of them showed couples embracing together, their loving expressions mocking her. We’re married, financially-stable adults planning a family. You’re a slut.

She snatched the closest one from the shelf and left, her cheeks flaming.

The cashier, of course, said nothing. He had no reason to care about the anxieties of a seventeen year old, despite Sharon’s worry that everyone was judging her. He didn’t even blink when she snatched up the offending box and buried it underneath the rest of her purchases, trying to pretend it wasn’t there.

At Raja’s house, it was all she could think about. The three cans of cider - which were, admittedly, amazing - had been poured into glasses, but she felt too nauseous to have much more than a sip of her own. It took all that she had to try and look normal, to mask the sickness and the anxiety that wrestled in the pit of her potentially-pregnant stomach.

It was terrifying.

Whenever she spaced out, becoming entrapped in her own thoughts, she laughed herself out of it, pretending to Raja and Jinkx that she was just feeling a little dreamy.

“It’s probably sex-withdrawal.” Raja laughed. “I get all spacey when I haven’t fucked in too long. It’s been forever since we ran into asshole Justin for the first time. You haven’t been fucked in at least a month. It’s so bad when you get the bug for it. Go and find a man, it’ll drive you crazy if you don’t.”

Jinkx clinked their glasses together, clearly in agreement. “Or I’ll do it. Girls know what girls like.”

Sharon forced out a laugh. “Ha, maybe. I’m just gonna use the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”

Her mind was fixated on that evil box, still sitting at the bottom of her bag. If she didn’t do it now, she would never have the courage to find out. Her bubbling apprehension wouldn’t be able to stay simmering long enough to play the waiting game. She had to find out, if only to put her mind at rest.

She practically tore through the box, gulping as the little stick fell into her hands. It was a clean slate, waiting to predict her future. Reading the instructions on how to make the plastic fortune-teller work, she sat and wished the damn thing would just stay blank. She needed to know, but knew she couldn’t face it.

“If sufficient levels of HCG are present then…” Sharon mumbled under her breath, reading the label. She almost tossed it onto the floor when she reached the end.

How obnoxious. If she was pregnant, two lines would appear, and the little smiley face already at the end of the stick would smile at her, reflecting the happiness that all new mothers should feel. To most people who bought it, it was a sweet memory to look back on. To Sharon, it would be a garish joker, taunting her of her stupidity.

In order to avoid arousing suspicion, she activated the test and then shoved it deep into her pocket. As a decoy, she flushed the toilet, washed her hands and headed out, making a show of looking calm and casual. Her cider glass was empty, and the mischievous grins of her friends told her exactly where the drink had gone.

“You snooze, you lose.” Jinkx told her triumphantly. “Sorry. Did you buy any more?”

“No. I didn’t buy anything else.” Sharon said, a little too quickly. “It’s okay, anyway. You guys like it more than I do.”

Any conversation she tried to make was pointless, and every fibre of her being just wanted to burst into tears. It would be a while until she saw Raja and Jinkx again, after they’d left, and she didn’t want them to remember her as depressed and dull, a shell of the lively girl they knew her as. That was how she’d been ever since Justin left, even with her distractions on the side, but now it was worse than ever. The worry was killing her.

All she needed was to see one line, and the smiley face would look kindly, reminding her that even though her luck was terrible, somebody up there was on her side. Surely, someone up there had seen how her heart had been broken three times by lovers, about to be broken a fourth by her friends, and would cut her some slack. There was no way she was that unlucky.

Whilst Raja and Jinkx started discussing their plans for the future, Sharon held her breath and started to count.

“I wonder how many hot French boys there’ll be in Paris.”

One, two, three, four, five, six… What happens if there’s a positive? What if it’s a false?

“Apparently the place is like, rife with lesbians. There’s an infestation. Sounds like my kinda place.”

Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen… Could I really be pregnant?

“My dad paid for the nicest accommodation ever, I’m so excited. You two have to visit me there!”

Twenty eight, twenty nine, thirty, thirty one, thirty two, thirty three… How will I pay for a baby? I’ll need to get a job and find somewhere to live…

“My halls have this huge auditorium! We could put on a concert there!”

Forty two, forty three, forty four, forty five, forty six, forty seven… Would I be a good mom? What do you even do?

“I’m gonna miss you so much, Sharon. You gotta come and visit.”

Fifty five.

“Yeah! Same here. I wish you could come too.”

Fifty six. I’ll be fine. It’s gonna be fine.

“I can’t believe our last show is next weekend. It’s all happening so fast.”

Fifty seven. Fuck, it’s not going fast enough.

“This summer has been the best one ever. I’ll never forget it.”

Fifty eight. This has been the longest minute of my life.

“Me neither. I feel like everything has changed this summer. It’s completely unforgettable.”

Fifty nine. Oh god, I can’t look.

“God, I love you girls so much.”

Sixty.

She looked.

“Are you crying?”

Sharon wiped her eyes with her sleeve, chuckling weakly. “Oh, ignore me, seventeen and crying over my friends. I’m just thinking about how much I’m gonna miss us! I’m nothing without you two, my best friends.”

Raja softened. “Aww, sweetheart! You’re a strong, fiercely independent woman, whether we’re here or not. I’m gonna miss you every day!”

“I think we need a hug, no more tears.” Jinkx insisted. “Hugs fix everything.”

Sharon laughed once again, sniffing as she buried herself into her friend’s embrace. Hugs fix everything, except for when you have an unfixable problem growing inside you.

Two little lines stared back at her.

Justin had cheated; Jaremi had run away; Willam had gone home. Her two best friends - her only friends - were leaving: Raja for Paris and Jinkx for Amsterdam.

And Sharon was pregnant.

It wasn’t going away. Normally, if she tried hard enough, she could simply ignore the problem and it would go away. It would disappear and float away into the ether, and she would wonder why she had ever worried about something so obsolete.

It wasn’t working this time.

For one, it never left her mind. Her dreams were cursed with visions of shrieking babies and boyfriends who would flit in and out, breaking up with her in various ways. During the day, her mind was haunted in the same way - the vision of that positive swirling in the back of all of her thoughts. She had an aversion to the fish in the marketplace and thought, absentmindedly, it was probably to do with that. She saw babies being carried by their sweet, caring mothers and wondered if she really had it in her to be a mom, or whether she had to take some kind of action to end it.

Secondly, her sickness only worsened. In order to avoid her mother noticing, she had been leaving the house early; she rose before five just so she could go out and be sick somewhere else. The nausea didn’t seem to want to leave her, either. It hung around all day, jolting her stomach at the slightest scent it didn’t agree with. Two nights ago, at the taverna, the heady scent of beer had set her off, leading to Raja and Jinkx performing without her as she retched in the dressing room toilet. All she had to do was say she had a bug, and they left it at that. Even when she seemed fine, they didn’t ask. Sharon was glad for that. When she flat-out refused to perform the next night, they shrugged and assumed she was still wobbly.

And last - but worst of all - it wasn’t physically going away. The damned thing was slowly becoming more visible, and she had begun to notice it.

The final Supermodels show had come upon them, and Sharon decided she couldn’t miss it for the world. It was a Saturday; in just four short days, her friends would be jetting off to begin the next chapter of their lives, leaving her to figure out how she would handle the next chapter of her own. Despite her anxiety and nausea, Sharon was resolute. She was going to do the show.

A full length mirror stood before her. They had decided, for their grand ‘going away’ performance, they would break out the showy little number they reserved for special occasions. Each of them had a specific colour dress - Sharon in blue, Raja in orange and Jinkx in green - which reached about mid-thigh and clung tight. There was a zip at the back and sequins bedazzling the entire outfit. It was beautiful.

It was also too small.

Sharon had always been slim. Growing up with her strict mother, who was always the type to belittle her for eating too much, she had been spindly and wiry for most of her childhood. As she’d gotten older, she’d grown a little curvier - not as curvy as Jinkx, but not as skinny as Raja. Either way, she had always been a slim girl. But now she was changing, and rapidly.

“Damn, girl! You could take somebody’s eyes out with those!” Jinkx had joked earlier that evening, gesturing at Sharon’s chest. That was worrying enough, but it only increased when she tried the fucking dress on.

It would not zip. The tiny zip went over her thighs, just towards her hips, and then stopped. No amount of force could tug it upwards, no matter how hard she tried. The little tell-tale tummy she’d acquired was making sure of that. Against her better judgement, she tried to suck it in, but to no avail. The curve of her tummy remained, the zip stayed stuck.

Examining herself in the mirror, Sharon frowned. Her chest felt tight. Her own body felt alien, as though it didn’t belong to her. Instead it belonged to that thing, the thing taking up residence inside her.

Sharon mustered as much courage as she could simply to open her mouth. It took a few seconds for the words to follow.

“Hey I… I don’t think I’m gonna do the show tonight. You girls go ahead without me.”

It was pathetic, how shaky and unsure she sounded. Raja and Jinkx’s fluid conversation about whether they should ever switch up the colour scheme silenced immediately, and Sharon cursed herself. It was the last show the girls might ever get to do in their current states, their final goodbye to this part of their lives. They couldn’t just do it without her.

Jinkx sounded hurt. “We’re a trio! We can’t be The Supermodels if we’re a duo!”

“Just do it!” Sharon snapped, her voice shrill. Reality was falling onto her shoulders, crushing her beneath its weight, and the fear of change had encapsulated her heart. If they carried on asking questions, she would have to tell them, and if she had to tell them then she had to acknowledge that it was happening, and she really really really was not ready to acknowledge what was happening.

At her tone, Raja’s voice softened. “Still not feeling good, darling?” She asked. She sounded almost motherly, tinged with the care and love Sharon knew she wouldn’t get from her own mother. “It’ll pass, I promise.”

Sharon sighed. “Yeah. B-But it’s not just that.”

“What else is stopping you?” She pressed, gently.

All at once, everything that was stopping her seemed to form an avalanche of emotion, crushing her chest and squeezing her ribcage until she could do nothing but break. Tears began brimming in Sharon’s eyes, slowly enough that it gave Jinkx and Raja time to edge forwards until they were just behind her screen.

“My… my dress. It doesn’t… fit, anymore.” Sharon sniffed, trying to hold back the steadily increasing stream of her tears with little success. Every fibre of her being didn’t want to tell them, didn’t want to have to acknowledge it, but there was no avoiding it now.

Sharon covered her face as they joined her, all three staring into the same mirror. Her vision was blurred from the tears, and she felt Raja’s hand on her exposed back, where the dress should’ve been zipped. Each of them just stared, not sure what to say, not wanting to assume the obvious.

“Take it off, sweetie,” Jinkx instructed softly, moving to assist Raja in unzipping the dress and letting Sharon step out of it. “That’s it, you’re okay.”

In just her underwear, Sharon felt more exposed than ever. There was no hiding her secret from her friends anymore, no convenient bags or flowy shirts to obscure it from sight. The tears slowed a little, allowing her a shaky view of herself in the mirror. Jinkx and Raja clung to her as if trying to keep her in one piece, seeming to sense how close she was to collapsing.

“Fucking Justin.” Raja cursed, quietly. “He did this to you.”

Sharon pushed down the doubts in her mind, the subtle suggestion that maybe this wasn’t him. She knew it was likely, but she knew there were two other candidates who she could never mention.

“I know,” She breathed. “I don’t know what to do.”

Jinkx bit her lip. “You can either keep it or… not.”

“I’m not ready to make that choice.”

“You shouldn’t have to be.” Raja butted in, her tone fierce and her eyes flaming. “He should’ve been more careful, he shouldn’t have let this fucking happen to you!”

“It takes two, Raj!” Sharon found herself almost shouting. “It wasn’t just him! This isn’t his fault.”

In a moment of confusing, blind anger, Sharon stormed away from her friends to gather her regular clothes, tired of feeling vulnerable and naked. The tension in the dressing room had quickly become thick enough to cut, as it became clear that neither of the three girls knew how to react to the situation they were confronted with.

“Why are you defending him? You should be furious. This is huge.” Raja changed her tone, suddenly solemn and serious.

Sharon sighed. “Don’t you see? I have nothing to be furious at. Justin’s gone, he doesn’t know anything about this. I can’t get mad at him for something he knows nothing about.” She paused. “And… I don’t know. It doesn’t seem fair to get mad at…”

Her throat closed up. Jinkx, her eyes welling up with tears, rushed over and nearly toppled her with the force of her bear hug.

“The baby.” She supplied, tearfully saying what Sharon didn’t seem to be able to do. “You can’t be furious at a baby.”

Immediately after, the mood of the room seemed to shift. Everything was out in the open now. Jinkx had delivered the bomb they were all waiting for, and now they had to discuss the fallout.

“The baby,” Raja repeated, seemingly awestruck. “Oh my god, there’s a baby.”

Sharon wrapped her arms around her stomach, as if to hide it. “There’s a baby.”

She told them as much as she could bear; the nights with Justin, the bouts of sickness and the strange dreams, how she had taken the test in Raja’s house and kept up the smiles as her world crashed down at her feet. Now that she was confessing it all to her friends, she felt bad for being so secretive. Part of her knew she should tell them about the other potential fathers, but for the sake of her own dignity she decided against it. They, of course, would never shame her, but she saw no sense in naming the two men that her friends would never meet. It was best not to overcomplicate things. After all, it was difficult enough with a baby.

“It’s okay, though,” Raja was saying, back to business as usual. “I’ll book you in with my doctor, darling, she’s fantastic. She does confidentiality like it’s nobody’s business, literally. Never told a soul when I had that STI test. Which, by the way, was negative because I’m clean.”

Her intelligent, abrupt nature was already doing wonders for Sharon’s peace of mind. Raja was always good at sorting through the bullshit - sometimes lacking in tact, but with a kind heart determined to fix each and every problem she encountered.

“I can’t afford your doctor, Raj.” Sharon told her. “I don’t have any money of my own. And there’s no way my mom can pay without asking what it’s for and then finding out.”

Raja rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, Needles. I’m paying for the doctor, shut up.”

“You don’t ha-”

“Bitch, I said shut up. I’m paying for it. It’s not an offer or an obligation, I’m just doing it.”

She blew a kiss and stepped out of the dressing room as Sharon giggled weakly. Jinkx kissed her temple.

“Whatever decision you make, we’re with you the whole way.” She promised. “And we would be great aunties.”

Sharon nodded. “I don’t know what I’ll choose yet. Maybe I should just… give the thing up for adoption. I’d be a terrible mother. I don’t exactly have the best role model.”

Jinkx scoffed. “Be your own role model.” She shrugged. “If you decide to keep the baby, who’s to say you’d be a bad mom? I think you’d be amazing. It’s about love, not being perfect. And I know you have a lot of love in you.”

In some ways, Sharon appreciated Jinkx’s gentle, caring instincts more than her sly sense of humour. It was a relief to have a friend that she could laugh with and cry with, who would hold her tightly and work through her emotions until she could stand on her own two feet again. She had a feeling that, depending on the choice she made, their support would be all that she had to keep herself going.

Raja reappeared. “I cancelled the show. Let’s get you out of here.”

Two major changes had taken over Sharon’s life, and she finally felt prepared to face them. The morning, as she knew, would be difficult - she would be seeing off her friends in their brand new beginning and then getting ready to face her own. None of her decisions had been easy, but she felt that they were the best ones she could make.

Surprisingly, as she lingered at the top of the staircase, trying to fill herself with the confidence to walk past her mom and out of the door, she found that the old fear that used to gnaw at her was ebbing away. The heavily-adorned crosses all over the walls judged her and she judged them back, wondering how a woman who believed so deeply in a man dying for their sins could be so against love and acceptance. The so-called mother she had grown up with was nothing more than a bully using the cover of religion as a defense, and Sharon wasn’t going to be afraid of her anymore.

She headed downstairs.

“I’m going out,” She called into the kitchen. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to dash from the kitchen to the front door, and her mom soon confronted her.

“No you’re not, young lady.” She admonished. Her hands were covered in flour, leaving white marks all over her sensible floral dress. “The church bake sale is today and I told them we would be there to help sell everything. You’ve been slacking again, Sharon, and I won’t have it.”

All of her confidence gathered from moments ago deflated like a sad balloon. Still, Sharon stood fast. “Well, you’re gonna have to tell them they’re down a member, because I’m not going.”

Her mom narrowed her eyes. “Don’t argue with me. You know what I can do.”

“You can’t do shit to me.” Sharon bit back. “I’m going to see off Raja and Jinkx, they’re leaving today. That’s that.”

“It’s always about you, isn’t it?” Her mom replied, taking a step closer. Instinctively, Sharon took one back. “I slave away to make sure you have a home, food, a good Christian upbringing and a decent education, and what do I get in return? I get your rudeness, your attitude.”

Sharon tried to interject, but there was no stopping her.

“I give you a home, you’re never here. I feed you, you don’t eat it. I diligently take you to church and you swear and sin like a heathen, purposely embarrassing me when all I do is try and do my best for you. You didn’t try at school, and now you’re wasting your time on sin and recreation even when I try to offer alternatives. So I have to discipline you, and then you think I’m evil. I’m not evil, I’m not disgraceful. You are. You’re a selfish daughter.”

Already, Sharon could tell things were going to go from bad to worse. The morning had barely started and they were already getting into a heavy argument that she knew would end in disaster.

“I’m selfish? Because you like to hit me?” She asked, in disbelief. “Do you think I enjoyed telling my teachers that my bruises were from me being some kind of fucking idiot, because you told me you’d do it again if I told them the truth? Because I didn’t fucking enjoy that, mother.”

“Don’t use that vile language, Sharon. It’s unbecoming of a young lady, as far from one as you might be.” Her mom hissed. “I don’t enjoy hitting you. I do what’s necessary to keep you in line. Our Lord told us to discipline our children. All I ever try to do is his bidding. All you care about are disgusting words and disgusting sins.”

All at once, a surge of white-hot anger lacerated Sharon’s body, releasing the boldness that Raja and Jinkx had always urged her to use. “Oh, fuck you and your shitty religion. Fuck you, fuck God, fuck Dad for never being here. His shitty missionary activism means nothing. All you care about is that everyone follows your fucking Bible and you focus so much on the lives of innocent strangers that you don’t even notice the shit happening right in front of your own eyes!”

She was pacing now, trying to rid herself of the all-consuming frenetic energy. “Fuck you. I’m not the selfish one, you are.”

Her outburst would not go unpunished. As she had seen many times before, her mom’s eyes flashed dangerously. It was as if all at once, her kindly Christian mother facade had melted away, flickering back to reveal her twisted reality. Though physically, nothing changed besides the clenched jaw and closed fist, Sharon suddenly saw her through the lens of her childhood fears. She was eight feet tall, laughing maliciously, her hands slowly raising upwards as she prepared to deliver a menacing blow. It would leave bruises that she should be ashamed of, for the abusive monster had won again and again.

Not again.

“Don’t you fucking dare touch me!” Sharon yelled. Her eyes were filled with furious tears. “I will never let you treat me like a doormat ever again. I will never let you abuse me in the name of your fucking God. This isn’t just about me anymore, which you would know if you fucking paid attention to the child you pretend to love.”

Without even realising, Sharon cupped her hands over her stomach. Somewhere in there, tucked away in the small bump she could feel beneath her fingers, she knew her baby was rooting for her.

“You disgust me.”

Her mom’s tone was much quieter, the fiery, destructive anger replaced with the slow black smoke that lingered afterwards. It was tinged with loathing, telling of her honest reaction to the news. Somewhat calmed - unbelievably - by the feeling of the bump in her hands, Sharon closed her eyes.

“Mom, please.”

Anything else she wanted to say to defend herself dissipated. Her mom’s sheer hatred silenced her before she could even process her own thoughts.

“Seventeen?!” She exclaimed, incensed, and threw her hands up in the air. “And I did everything right, too. I was a good Catholic mother. Lord, what did I do to deserve a slut for a daughter?!”

Despite everything, it still felt like a punch in the gut to hear such scathing words from the only person who was supposed to love her unconditionally. Sharon had known she would react explosively, but it hurt more than she wanted to admit.

“Mom, I-”

The woman stood before her pursed her lips, perfectly still. Her gaze was livid, her body stiff with rage. She looked at Sharon as though she were scum, a piece of dirt, a blight on her picture perfect life.

“I didn’t raise you to be like this.”

“You didn’t raise me at all!” Sharon bit back. “You were never here for me. You’re a shitty mother!”

“I’m not your mother.” She delivered the final blow in a low voice. “No daughter of mine would turn out to be a whore. A slut. You’re on your own.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sharon raised her chin as high as she could. “Good riddance. This is the last time you’ll ever see me.”

“Get out of my house.”

Carrying only an old diary and an album full of photos with her, Sharon crossed the threshold of her front door for the last time, and heard it slam behind her. There was no going back now.

“We’re gonna be okay, you and me,” She whispered, her head hung low. “We’ll build a life together. I’ll be a good mom, I swear. I’ll show you just how much I love you, every day.”

#rpdr fanfiction #purecamp #our last summer #sharon needles #raja gemini #jinkx monsoon #alaska thunderfuck #submission #m/f au #mamma mia au

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monstersdownthepath · 6 years ago

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Monster Spotlight: The Whisperer

CR 20

Neutral Evil Large Fey

Pathfinder Bestiary 6, pg. 276~277

While the inspiration for this creature is obvious when you read its page, the picture unfortunately doesn’t properly convey what this being is. It’s described as a “luminous shape” where “a pale light shines where its face should be,” rather than a naked Not-So-Slender Man. Still, though, this creature is Pathfinder’s answer to Slender Man, and has the potential to be both the subtle, corrupting presence the original story set him up to be, and the outright brutal horror movie villain he eventually became, depending on the needs of the party.

The Whisperer is a fey, an old fey, one of the most alien of all the fey, and it lays claim to stretches of primeval wilderness up to 10 miles in diameter each time it emerges into the Material Plane. In this Primeval Landscape, navigation becomes effectively impossible as Survival checks made to find your way through increase by 20. Not to 20, by 20, more or less shutting out anyone that didn’t specifically build themselves around the Survival skill. Even magical navigation of the highest level must succeed a caster level check with a DC of 31, or the magic instead leads the victim directly to the Whisperer instead. We’ll get into why that’s awful in just a bit, but we’re not quite done with the dangers of the Primeval Landscape, which is a big part of why the Whisperer is such a threat.

The spell Supreme Curse Terrain is rarely used by players, but it’s lethal in the hands of DMs. The Primeval Landscape is always under the effects of Supreme Curse Terrain, and is thus capable of playing host to up to 7 environmental hazards at a time, each up to CR 17 by themselves. What’s a hazard? Going into each of them would stretch this article longer than I have the will or power to write (and I can already tell this is gonna be a long one), but take a look for yourself (that’s three different links!). MAN that’s a lot of danger! Bottomless pits, magic-eating plants, negative energy fields, insect swarms, and grasping vines are just a small sampling of the horrors you can find wandering in the Whisperer’s domain, and even if you defeat or destroy the source of the danger, the fey automatically replaces them 24 hours later (either resetting the hazard or creating an entirely new one). And this isn’t getting into the wildlife; the Whisperer attracts malevolence from the Material Plane and the First World alike, assuring that each landscape it invades gets filled with nasty, bloodthirsty encounters to keep even high level parties on their toes.

And finally, there’s the hallucinations. The Primeval Landscape isn’t healthy to remain inside for very long, anyone spending 24 hours inside forced to make a DC 30(!) Will save or have their mind driven further towards the edge of breaking. There is a five-step “track” or “ladder” system in play concerning the type of madness a character suffers, with each failed saving throw moving a victim down the ladder, and each day outside of the cursed landscape moving a victim up the ladder.

Stage 1: The world becomes just a bit darker. The victim begins to feel unsettled by otherwise mundane events, which seem ominous or hostile to them, and become sickened.

Stage 2: In addition to being sickened, the landscape seems to twist and warp between eyeblinks, allies and enemies shrouded by impossible shadows and impenetrable whispers. All of their movement speeds are halved and they treat all creatures as if they had concealment.

Stage 3: The hallucinations overtake the real world, and it becomes difficult for the victim to sort out what’s real and what’s not. In addition to the previous debuffs, the victim is also staggered.

Stage 4: Everything becomes too much. Paranoia and pain become so overwhelming that the victim is nauseated.

Stage 5: The victim is slain, their body and mind broken.

Yeah. You have five days to get out of the Primeval Landscape before you straight up die, though those with hardier minds and beefier Will saves can last a bit longer, provided they don’t mind dealing with their increasingly-useless allies. Thankfully, the use of Greater Restoration and Psychic Surgery can move someone a step up the ladder (provided they aren’t dead), and Wish/Miracle moves someone off the ladder entirely. In a vacuum, this seems almost pathetically easy to overcome. In practice? It’s difficult to get a good night’s sleep to recharge your spells when you’re surrounded on all sides by danger. Hope you remembered to pack Tiny Hut or Magnificent Mansion.

Though the Whisperer has ways around even that, and I don’t just mean its at-will Greater Dispel Magic, though that plays a significant part of it. The fey is Unsuspected when not being viewed directly, all of its rolls made in secret, out of sight or earshot of the players. This is to make sure the players don’t know they’ve been targeted by the fey, not until it’s far too late. Its Compel Sacrifice is especially insidious in this regard; it can use Triggered Suggestion at will, planting a Suggestion in the victim’s consciousness that they don’t remember or recall up until a specific condition is met, at which point the Suggestion triggers and compels them to carry it out. With Compel Sacrifice, the Whisperer can bypass the usual restriction on Suggestion and force the victim to perform self-destructive actions, the book helpfully giving an example in “the next time you speak to a loved one, you tell them how much you hate them and then try and drown yourself.” Since it can use Triggered Suggestion at will, it can silently follow behind an adventuring party, Unsuspected as it weaves instructions into their minds to kill each other and then themselves at the moment they’re at their weakest.

Unsuspected also means their 3/day Quickened Confusion can seem like a sudden stress-induced breakdown in those who fail the save against it, further dividing up the group until the horror can seek them out one at a time to dispatch them. The Whisperer is not a being that kills quickly, as suggested by its Primeval Landscape‘s 5-day funtime plan. It takes things slowly, carefully, carving pieces from its targets one chunk at a time before retreating with its at-will Etherealness, Transport Via Plants, or Wind Walk. It can reach out with up to six winding, misty tendrils, impossible to distinguish from true fog, their merest touch dealing 3d10 damage to the victim from up to 20ft away while bypassing hardness and damage reduction. The wounds inflicted by these tendrils are Cursed Wounds; not true scars or tears, but deep, bloodless craters in the victim’s flesh that never heal on their own and require anyone trying to heal them to perform a DC 31 caster level check or their attempt fails completely. They can heal through Fast Healing or Regeneration, but any attempt at a magical cure will be met with that fat caster level roadblock.

While it has many spell-likes and powers that can make anyone traveling through its Primeval Landscape miserable, including at-will Control Weather, Dream and Nightmare, and 1/day Earthquake, the worst thing a Whisperer can do is place someone in an Inescapable Curse. If you thought circling helplessly through a cursed land was bad, once per day the Whisperer can curse someone to be unable to leave its domain even if they manage to find their way out. Someone so cursed will become dangerously obsessed with remaining in the domain even as it slowly kills them, refusing all attempts to actually leave and even attacking people who try to make them. If they’re removed from the Primeval Landscape, they automatically become sickened... and then get pulled back in the next time they close their eyes to rest, as if by Greater Teleport.

The Whisperer views civilization itself as a contamination, one to be scrubbed away. It will rarely leave its domain except to find a new one, but like the Slender Man it can take agents to do its bidding, creating servants to aid it with the destruction of the civilized world. Though it can implant suggestions, the Whisperer has no ability to magically control a victim (aside from wild beasts with its Dominate Animals), but it can suspend or remove the cumulative effects of its Primeval Landscape from those who willingly serve it (or those it wishes to savor). It can break its victims over days or even weeks with its hit-and-run tactics, whittling them down until they either die or supplicate themselves before the fey, ready to follow its orders and its many Suggestions.

The Whisperer can be a terrifying foe if played right, or a frustratingly uninteractive encounter if used incorrectly. Even if the party manages to pull it into a pitched battle, its Aura of Whispers means that everyone within 120ft of it must make the DC 30 Will save to avoid moving down the track of the Primeval Domain’s lethal hallucinations every round instead of every day, letting it quickly snuff out the weak-willed and cripple those with stronger Will saves and imposing an incredibly harsh time limit to its fights. It’s not a creature to just introduce into your campaign as a one-shot villain; It’s a self-contained horror campaign with a potential built-in plot hook (rescuing a victim or an ally who got hit with the Inescapable Curse), and it can potentially carry a whole multi-session adventure by itself.

It’s one of the most complex creatures across all six bestiaries, as evidence by this enormous page I’ve written out (and there’s STILL a lot I haven’t covered), and a DM wishing to use it should carefully design a campaign around it rather than including it for the sake of letting the party encounter the Slender Man.

You can read a whole lot more about it here.

#Monster Spotlight #CR 16 to 20 #Pathfinder #Dungeons and Dragons

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wildflowerwlw · 6 years ago

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someone remind me to put a page break after like the first paragraph it’s 11 pm rn and ima go to sleep remind me in like,,;; a few hours thanks lol

As long as Ella has known Delyth, Delyth has talked about people she’s interested in. It’s not anything new or exciting. But, when she talks about people she is interested in it has always been a certain type of people. Boys. Then one day, she tells Ella about someone else. A girl. As usual, Delyth moved on fairly quickly and eventually ran out of things to say and has left Ella to her thoughts. Ella is sure Delyth considers this to be comfortable silence. It’s not comfortable to Ella who’s found herself overthinking every little thing as of late.Ella is almost convinced she imagined it, but she hasn’t. It was the same stuff she’s said a thousand times about a hundred different boys but with the “he’s” changed to “she’s”. She probably imagined it. It wouldn’t be the first time Ella’s brain has tried to convince her of something like that. So maybe she’s caught Delyth staring in her direction for a few seconds too long on a few occasions, maybe Delyth’s hand finds here’s too many times to seem normal, and maybe they share the bed more often than most friends should. There’s always something to explain it off though, she thanks her brain for that at least. Maybe Delyth is looking at something behind her that she finds particularly interesting, maybe every completely heterosexual teenage girl enjoys physical contact with her best friend that much, and, of course, maybe, as Delyth had suggested to her one night, sleeping in the same bed as someone else makes the nightmares she sometimes gets go away.

This girl who’s found herself the object of Delyth’s affections seems to be the only thing Ella’s brain can’t explain away into a completely normal and completely heterosexual activity.

“Let’s play with the Ouija board,” Delyth says out of nowhere. Ella’s stomach sinks for a different reason now.

“No. Absolutely not,” Ella shuts her down. Ella has always been skittish with the supernatural. It just wasn’t something she wanted to think about or mess with.

Nothing was sacred or off limits when it came to Delyth. She feared nothing and respected no boundaries when it came to being uneasy about dangerous activities. She was reckless with everything she did (which ironically enough has lead to multiple wrecked cars) and pushed Ella to be the same constantly. Usually Ella appreciated this quality in Delyth, it made her have treasured experiences she wouldn’t have otherwise gotten. However, she really did not appreciate it when it came to fucking with demons she didn’t want to have anything to do with.

“Great, we’re doing it,” Deylth says.

And that’s how the girls end up sitting on the floor of Delyth’s bedroom floor, leaning over a scary demon communication board with their fingers dangerously close on a planchette.

“I hate you so much,” Ella whispers to Delyth, as if trying to be quiet so the demons don’t hear her and think she’s talking to them.

Delyth adjusts her sitting position and moves so their thighs are pressed together. Ella contemplates moving so that the space between them returns but realizes that’s stupid. She’s being ridiculous. She’s almost an adult, she can handle being next to a girl without breaking down, even if that girl is her straight best friend who has no idea of her sexual orientation or pressing romantic feelings towards her. Ella decides to put the thought to the back of her mind and attempts to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Her feelings for Delyth seem to be scarier to her than the incoming threat of actual demons.

“Wait give me a sec,” Delyth says, taking her fingers off the plancette and moving back to put her curly brown hair into her scrunchie. Ella is almost sad to have Delyth’s leg removed from her’s before she panics.

“Oh my god, Delyth!” She screeches, “You can’t take your hand off the plancette that’s against like half of the rules!”

Delyth scuffs at her. Actually scuffs. “Its fine the demons want me to look cute for them,” Delyth says as she looks at her reflection in her phone to check her hair.

“You always look cute-” Ella says. Her face goes red but Delyth seems unphased. Straight girls always compliment each other. Delyth doesn’t know that Ella is not a straight girl.

Ella has always meant to tell her. They’ve known each other since they were kids, their mothers always such close friends. Delyth has stuck by her side all through her parents divorce and her father’s remarrying to a evil witch Ella doesn’t want to think about now. Or ever. Delyth knows everything about her, besides anything to do with the lesbianism part, which just happens to include her being desperately in love with her best friend of most of her life. Ella isn’t really sure why she has kept this a secret from Delyth, but she likes to think that it’s because she doesn’t want to ruin the most important friendship she’s ever had. Delyth means everything to her, and she’ll take her in anyway she can get her. It’s so much better to have her as a best friend than not have her at all, and anytime she tries to tell her true feelings that pesky truth return to add to the weight on her shoulders.

Delyth puts her fingers back on the plancette and Ella notices how short her nails are. Ella is sure her nails were longer last time she looked at them. Delyth always kept her nails long, even getting fake ones put on every few weeks. It’s odd to Ella to see Delyth’s nails that short and clear of nail polish, but she kind of likes it.

“Did you cut your nails?” Ella asks, curiosity getting the best of her. She swears she sees Delyth smile out of the corner of her mouth and the butterflies in her stomach flutter a little harder.

“Yeah, long nails are overrated,” Delyth’s voice sounds softer than usual, or maybe Ella’s brain is just loosing oxygen from all of the anxiety squeezing her lungs.

“It’s cute,” Ella blurts. Her face goes red.

“Anything is cute on me,” Delyth says. She’s always had a habit of being cocky and arrogant for show and Ella has always been shamelessly attracted to it.

“Yeah,” Ella doesn’t let herself stress over that response spilling out of her. She doesn’t have time to anyway because, as always, Delyth moves on quickly.

“Let’s get started,” Delyth says, starting to move the planncette in circles around the board.

Never once in Ella’s life as she ever wanted to mess with the paranormal. It’s never tickled her fancy. Meanwhile, Delyth, being the fearless absolute idiot that she is, has always been interested in anything and everything she shouldn’t mess with. It wasn’t just paranormal, it was literally anything that shouldn’t be messed with. Bee hives, particularly climable trees, abandoned buildings, dead rodents-you name it, Delyth has fucked with it. Quite offten Ella, being the sweet and supportive best friend that she is, gets pulled into Delyth’s schemes. Ella’s hair is still recovering from the bangs Delyth insisted on cutting for her last year.

“What are we doing right now?” Ella asks.

“Giving energy,” There’s a pause and the room is silent except for the scraping of wood on wood. “Okay that’s enough.”

“I don’t like giving demons my energy,” Ella says.

“Stop being selfish they deserve it,” Delyth has probably never been serious for more than three seconds consecutively in her entire life.

“Okay demons, is there anyone there?” Delyth asks the void.

The void doesn’t seem to feel like answering because the girls go through every question in the book and then some before deciding that the whole thing is stupid and this board is stupid.

“Don’t call the demons stupid they can hear you,” Ella says.

“I doubt the demons are going to take much offense, Ella dear,” Delyth is teasing when she says it but it still makes Ella’s heart stop.

The girls say goodbye and throw the board back into the depths of Delyth’s closet. Ella vocializes her hopes to never see the thing ever again. Her heart still hasn’t calmed down and she’s scared of glancing at the windows on the off chance that there’s a ghastly face looking back at her.

“Are you saying the night?” Delyth asks. Ella knows that Delyth’s parents wouldn’t mind and also that technically three in the morning isn’t the best time for her to drive home. Especially when there’s too many backroads she’d have to take. Alone. Late at night. While she’s terrified of seeing demons. There was also a cornfield somewhere on one of those streets and Delyth has forced into watching one too many horror movies for that to ever be not traumatizing. She doesn’t even really need to think about it.

“Yes,”

“You look paler than usually, are you okay?” Delyth says, genuine concern in her eyes. Ella feels her heart swell. Delyth may be an actual idiot on the best of days, but she’s always a good person.

“I’m fine, just traumatized,” Ella says with a small smile. Delyth reaches out and pushes some of Ella’s not-quite-bangs out of her face. Ella is convinced she’s going to drop dead right here and now.

“Sorry, t’was bothering me,” Delyth says, pulling back right away as if she just crossed a line she wanted to get back on the right side of as soon as possible. Ella didn’t blame her.

“Okay I’m going to go get ready for bed,” Ella says quickly. She whips around to hide her blush and heads to Delyth’s bathroom.

“Okay, love you!” Delyth calls after her, considerablely too loud when her entire family is asleep in the same house.

“Love you too,” Ella feels her heart break a little more.

Ella is standing at her locker after third period, quickly switching her books and trying to keep it at least decently organized. Messy lockers have always annoyed her. Messy anything annoys her. She’s just got done organizing and is in the process of shutting her locker when she feels a hand on her arm. She almost yelps, but she decides to look first. She’s relieved when she sees a familiar brown hand gripping onto her arm but then it starts dragging her into the direction of the girls bathroom nearest to her locker. She holds her books closely to her chest with her free hand.

“Delyth what are you-“ Ella chooses to cut herself off. She knows that reason is pointless with Delyth. Delyth just does things sometimes.

The bathroom is empty. Of course it is. This bathroom just happens to be the most disgusting one in the entire school. There was dirt on the ceiling, how was that even possible?

“Look!” Delyth says excitedly. She lets go of Ella’s arm to use both of her hands to pull up her shirt.

Ella thinks she’s going to vomit from nerves. She’s so caught up in looking at her best friend’s skin that she almost doesn’t notice the reason that skin is being presented to her. Three red scratch marks extend from Delyth’s right hip bone to the left side of her ribs.

“What did you do this time?” Ella asks, forcing her eyes up from Delyth’s stomach before she completely looses her mind.

“I didn’t do anything,” Delyth says. “Don’t you know what three scratches mean?”

“I literally have no idea,” Ella confesses. Delyth let’s her shirt fall down and even though Ella was trying not to look she feels kind of disappointed.

“It’s demons!” Delyth sounds proud. Ella almost has a heart attack.

“Why are you happy about that?!” Ella asks.

Delyth just shrugs in response. She doesn’t seem concerned about it at all. That’s another trait Ella has always admired about Delyth, her ability to not only throw caution to the wind and do whatever she wants whenever she wants but her ability to look at the consequences of her actions (which are usually unfavorable) and smile. However, when it comes to her best friend being attacked by a demon, Ella is uneasy.

“Okay I’m going to class now so you don’t make me late,” Ella says. As she’s leaving she adds something almost like an afterthought, “I love you, call me after school so I know you’re not dead.”

“Okay, I love you!” Delyth calls after her. Ella’s stomach will never get used to Delyth saying that, even after over a decade of hearing it daily.

Delyth does call Ella after school, and she does it with fingers shaking and on the verge of tears. Delyth can look at most horrible decisions and be fine. However, facing this partial task seems way more difficult than any bad move she’s ever made. Maybe it’s a good move though, Delyth can’t say for sure just yet. Ella is her best friend, she’ll understand. Ella’s understood when she got her period and ruined her bedsheets in fith grade, she understood when Delyth snapped at her after a hard day at work and she even understood when Delyth called her crying at three in the morning that night after spending hours feeling guilty. Ella is a good friend. Ella is good, period. She’ll understand.

Delyth spends far longer with her finger hovering over the call button on Ella’s contact than she’d care to admit to any human being. No matter how hard she tries, she just can’t seem to jump into the fire and make the call.

Ella is her best friend. Ella knows her better than any human being ever. Ella is the best person Delyth has ever known, and she’s confident in that. She wants to tell her. She just doesn’t know if she’s ready.

Ella will understand. Ella will understand why Delyth couldn’t tell her before, and if Delyth can’t even tell her now, Ella will understand that too.

Delyth takes a deep breath and pushes the call button. Ella picks up after two rings. Delyth knows she’s been expecting this, hell, she asked her to do it. She just doesn’t know what Delyth is about to say. Honestly, Delyth doesn’t even know what she’s about to say.

“I think I’m bisexual, bye!” Delyth hangs up the phone and throws it at her bed and walks out of the room. She’s shaking even more now than she was a few moments ago.

Delyth could have said literally anything. Perhaps gone into a speech about how this won’t change anything and how she loves Ella and how she’s known for a while and it’s not that she doesn’t trust Ella it’s just that it took a while to get the confidence to tell anyone, even her bestest friend in the whole world. But no. Delyth always makes the stupidest choices and is prepared to deal with the consequences. Today, however, she doesn’t think she can. She could loose Ella forever. Well, no, she really can’t at this point. She could tell Ella she’s a serial killer and Ella would be fine with it but regardless, she’s nervous.

When she finally gets the courage to walk back into her room she’s got six missed calls and countless texts from Ella.

Ella (5:56 pm): ???

Ella: (5:56 pm): bitch

Ella (5:57 pm): ily but answer me

Ella (5:57 pm): !

Ella (5:59 pm): Delyth ily with my whole heart and I understand this is a lot for you but you have to answer me I’m a worried grandma

Ella (6:01 pm): I love you call me when you can

Delyth calls her back right away before she can talk herself out of it. Usually Ella is the stressed one who freaks out over nothing and Delyth is the strong one. Delyth has a feeling Ella will be strong for her right now.

“Hi,” Ella says softly.

“Hi,” Delyth repeats. She hopes her smile translates through her voice, but she thinks that’s only how it works in Hollywood movies.

“Can I tell you something?” Ella asks after a minute of silence.

“No never were supposed to be talking about me right now,” Delyth puts so much sarcasm into her voice not even the most dense person would get that she’s joking. Ella isn’t dense though, and Delyth knows that she will get it.

“We could talk about you forever and I’d be happy,”

“Was that your something?” Delyth asks quietly, as if they were telling secrets on the playground at recess again. This feels like a secret.

“Yeah, kinda,” Ella says with a breathy laugh.

“Good, it’s kinda my something too,” Delyth replies.

“Good,”

Nothing has really changed, but both Delyth and Ella feel like it’s a start. The butterflies in the stomachs seem to agree. Maybe the demons agree too, but neither of them mess with them again so they never really know.

#ella #wlw

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caseymalone · 7 years ago

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Top 10 Games 2017

Here are my top 10 games for 2017! Minor spoilers for a few of them, but nothing major. You’ve been warned!

10. Resident Evil 7: BioHazard

There have been 27 Resident Evil games, including remakes, remasters, 3DS releases but excluding pachinko machines and Tiger Electronics handhelds. Of those near thirty games, Resident Evil 7 brings the total I’ve enjoyed to… two. I guess this is my way of saying that between being a huge scaredy cat and irked by the stuffy, smothering control scheme of the originals, there’s no nostalgia weighing me down whenever Capcom reinvents Resident Evil, first with Resident Evil 4, now again with 7.

But where Resident Evil 4 took the fantasy of being a special agent in a world full of monsters further than ever before, Resident Evil 7 drops it completely. In it, I’m a wimp, a nerd with a camera at the whims of this family of maniacs, trapped on their grounds by a drive to find my wife, who is changing into… something. Capcom smothers me with a pervasive sense of helplessness playing RE7, forcing me into a desperate scramble to escape the unstoppable Daddy (side note: “The Unstoppable Daddy” was my nickname in college). Filling me with absolute dread when the disgusting creature Marguerite becomes clambers through holes and onto walls. And forcing me to freeze up and take a deep breath at the sinking realization that my next goal is all the way across the grounds.with god knows what between me and it. Even the change to a first-person view means your helpless doesn’t stop at your ability to fight - you don’t even know what’s around you. Resident Evil 7 left me terrified and anxious throughout, which is saying something since played it on Easy.

9. Gorogoa

It’s now an annual event that, despite a perception that Adventure Games are dead, someone releases a labor of love whose beauty and finesse showcase the best the genre has to offer. Gorogoa asks you to interact in the simplest terms - zoom in and out, or drag and drop. What makes Gorogoa special is that when I do those things, it feels like I’ve changed fundamental ways that I think. My perspective on the world has shifted about ten degrees to the left and all the rules are new. That combined with hand-drawn visuals, stark sound design and desolate narrative made Gorogoa a brief yet crucial experience for anyone looking to see games as more than loot-box dispensers.

8. Star Wars: Force Arena

Oops, speaking of Loot Boxes. Well, card packs? Is there a difference? Where have we come down on this? The conversation around gaming in 2017 has been dominated by a debate about the ethics of selling random pulls at cards, skins, characters, horses, buggies, whatever, and I’m going to level with all of you - my perspective is skewed. I make mobile free-to-play games, which use this mechanic, and I’ve been playing collectible card games since the Revised core set for Magic: The Gathering came out in 1994. So one way to look at my opinion is that I don’t have a problem with this way of selling people games, and a much less charitable one is that I’m fully indoctrinated. Either way, being able to get emotionally side-step this entire debate has lent me the clarity of mind to tell you all that Star Wars: Force Arena is good as hell.

Force Arena is the real-time, head-to-head gameplay of Clash Royale, but with direct control of a Hero, MOBA-style, then Star Wars’ed all the way up. Every system is implemented in a smartly and cleanly, facilitating my ability to get into the game and getting out of my so I can let people know my Han Solo deck is not to be flexed with. The whole thing is catnip for Ol’ Maloney over here, and I am straight rolling.

7. Star Wars: Imperial Assault - Legends of the Alliance

Is spaghetti a sandwich? Is Chewbacca a dog? Is Matt Kessler a mongoose? Is Legends of the Alliance, an app for Star Wars: Imperial Assault, a video game with physical components or a board game with a digital accessory? The line between board games and video games is get blurrier, as outstanding digital components have begun to take the place of cumbersome bookkeeping, or allow designers to add elements that would be impossible to achieve otherwise. Or, in the case of Legends of the Alliance, replacing the Imperial Player entirely.

Traditionally played as a team of rebels against a monolithic Imperial player, Legends of the Alliance turns Imperial Assault into a fully cooperative experience, running the campaign as a virtual dungeon master, setting up your next level and directing Imperial enemies to attack your heroes. But more than simply emulating a now missing player, Legends of the Alliance takes this chance to add something to the experience.

Without the app you bounce from one XCOM-esque tactical mission to the next, but now… now you go on non-combat missions. You make friends in the world. You feel a real sense of betrayal when you learn not all the Rebels are working for the greater good, and you deal with the emotional aftermath with other characters when the Empire manages to grind you under their heel. These things weren’t in the box of plastic and cards I bought years back - they were exclusively part of Legends of the Alliance, and creating new memories and experience while justifying asking you to bring your laptop to your tabletop.

6. Horizon Zero Dawn

There’s a vital sincerity to Horizon Zero Dawn. After borrowing mechanics liberally from Far Cry/Assassin’s Creed, adding giant robot dinosaurs, and then putting the voice actress behind Borderlands 2’s (in my opinion, brutally irritating) Tiny Tina front and center, it would have been so easy for Guerrilla Games to smarmy one-liner their way through this post-post-apocalypse adventure. Instead they cast that all aside to carefully bring you into a world without even a hint of irony.

At the center of the game is Ashly Burch’s Aloy, full of wounded confidence and strength tinged with kindness, a performance so natural yet thoughtful that Aloy stands above any other character in games this year. That sincerity doesn’t make Horizon a serious or grim affair - there’s jokes, and boy howdy is there a lot of flirting - but it serves to draw the player into the world, rather than establish a safe ironic distance from which both the player and the game can remain “cool.” Every choice shows that Guerrilla Games truly wants me to care about Aloy and the world of Horizon. It turns out I do.

5. HQ

For me, 2017 was a year of shared gaming experiences. I’ll get to the other two big ones below, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this nightmare of a Black Mirror episode, this scheduled dose of Quiz Daddy Scott Rogowski, this twice daily car crash with a cash payout, HQ.

For months at 3 PM, I’d jump into Discord with my friends and join in the collective hypnosis of a new game of HQ. We were beyond captivated. We had a million questions - who is Scott? Why does he vamp with the intensity of someone hosting at gunpoint? Where is he broadcasting this from? And when he’s not there, where the hell is Scott? Who is this rando who claims to be ‘Scott’s Boy’? How does the player count keep growing, and how does this thing make money? It was a mystery wrapped in tech startup poppiness and a screaming man in a suit, and we wanted to know everything about it.

Like any mystery, as we’ve learned more about Scott and HQ, our interest has waned and my friends have fallen off the Trivia Train. But for months, once a day we’d simultaneously drop everything and delve into it. Something nothing else in games or television has gotten us to do for years. Also, uh...

…

I’m playing a game called HQ Trivia. You should play too. Use my code “caseymalone” to sign up.

4. Super Mario Odyssey

In late October 2017, was there anything I needed more than some unabashed joy? A full-on celebration of bright colors, silly characters and bizarre hats? Super Mario Odyssey would be an incredible game at any time in history, but the timing of its release felt like more than just a game; it felt like a balm. A warm weighted blanket sewn from my old t-shirts, taking nostalgia and making it into something new, something calling me to come back and crawl under it all day, every day. A game that rewarded me for just being in the world, asking me to challenge myself at your own pace, issuing pats on the head and individually wrapped chocolates as a reward for just wandering around and doing my thing. 2017 was a year where Nintendo was dedicated to challenging what people expect from them with their hardware, their mobile ports, and another of their major franchises. When it came to Mario, though, Nintendo clearly just wanted to make people happy. And I’m so, so grateful for that.

3. Destiny 2 & 2. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Destiny and Battlegrounds seem like pretty starkly different experiences, but what I got out of them in 2017 was the same - time with some of my best friends. Friends who live in Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, England, San Francisco; people I never get to see, people I don’t even get to talk to that often. But those friendships got actually stronger this year through these games.

That wouldn’t be possible if the underlying games weren’t outstanding - Destiny 2’s shooting feels incredible, and its endless list of chores made sure there was always a mission for me to suck friends into, or a goal for me to help them out with. There aren’t (currently) many Strikes for us to go on, but honestly that helped - when you know all the beats, a zen-like state takes over and you can enjoy the lock-on and kickback of hand cannons without worry. All the while catching up, making goofs, or ranting about the state of the world without the game getting in the way.

Destiny 2’s not perfect - a lot of the changes made from Destiny to Destiny 2 to make it smoother and more welcoming turned solo play into a dull shade of its predecessor. But as a part of a Strike Team, Destiny 2 hums with efficiency, getting out of my way and letting me and my friends have fun.

And it would be second to none this year if wasn’t for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Battlegrounds is insane, it’s a fun-time mess-around machine paired with an intensely hardcore military shooter, a game that’s thirty minutes of a goofy chatroom capped off with two minutes of a game-ending firefight. Except for when that fire-fight lasts for twenty minutes and it’s the most intense experience of my life. I’ve had as much fun losing PUBG as I’ve had winning (the few times I’ve managed to snag a chicken dinner), and I’ve had even more fun when I die and get to stay in voice-chat to cheer on the rest of my squad, spectating through to the end.

While I don’t get much out of watching strangers stream on Twitch, I’ve been lucky that enough of my friends stream this game, for a while on an almost daily basis, that I had just as much fun watching them as actually playing it. I laughed so hard when friends would get motorcycles trapped in a tree, cheered when they’d have from-behind victories, and feel heartbreak when the squad’s last hope would get shotgunned from behind after escaping tough spot after tough spot. Somehow all these feelings were just as strong as when I was behind the controls myself. There’s magic in this game, which boggles the mind, because with its bugs and frankly generic style, it could not possibly look less magical.

I cannot fucking believe I’m typing this but it turns out the real game of the year was the friends I made along the way.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Just kidding, game of the year is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

I always have less to say when I get to the top item on my list because what could I possibly say about Breath of the Wild that hasn’t been covered already? Nintendo stripped so much out of the Zelda series that honestly when I started playing it, I felt uncomfortable and exposed - what do you mean my weapons break? Wait, I don’t have to buy bombs, I just HAVE them? When are the DUNGEONS going to show up, what are these shines? I don’t like this at all. But as I bristled against those, I was slowly filling with wonder. Every canyon I walked out of, every corner I turned, every hole I climbed out of revealed a field with towns and caverns, or small forests full of unknown treasures and monsters.

Lots of games do open worlds, but where Skyrim feels like I could get lost in it, the Hyrule of Breath of the Wild feels like I am conquering it. In Skyrim I feel like I’m exploring the map - in Breath of the Wild, I’m making it.

I remember so clearly, late at night, climbing to the top of a bridge that crosses Lake Hylia. I don’t know why I was there, or what I thought might be at the top of the tower, but Nintendo put it there, so maybe. Maybe there was something. I climbed to the top and there wasn’t anything for me to take, but as I looked over towards the horizon, Hyrule stretched on forever. I felt overwhelmed with the possibility of disappointment - that I would feel the need to climb it all, that there wouldn’t be a thing for me at the top of most of those towers, under those rocks. And as I thought about that the music changed. From the water of the lake emerged Farosh, the lightning dragon, soaring, completely oblivious to me. He was beautiful, powerful, made me forget about any of my goals or collectibles and forced me to take in his majesty. Forced me to realize there were no rupees or arrows up there because this moment was my reward. And that there would be moments like this all throughout Hyrule. I just needed to go looking for them.

Near Misses: Injustice 2, Everybody’s Golf, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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cryptidofthekeys · 7 years ago

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B̴͜ ̡R̶͠͡ ̷҉O̵ ̴͢͞K̀͜ ̸̧͡E҉̸ ̵̸͠N̕͟ ̵̴́S͠ ͘P̷̛ ́́Ì̡̢ ͜͜Ŗ̶ ͏̴͟I͏͟ ͜T̛͟͞.͏.҉̵.̷((Gore Warning!))

((I just want peeps to know so they dont get scarred, there IS gore in this, so if that makes you uncomfy then you dont HAVE to read)) Chase was fast asleep in his bed, however he didn't seem to be sleeping all that peacefully, he tossed and turned and let out small whimpers as if he were having some form of nightmare.

"̮͚̻͇̖̀ͫͨ̍ͪ̐́̕C̗̺̣͝h̯̫̬̮̘͕͕ͩ͑̒ͩ̀ạ̝̬̮̤̰̩̏͗̉̋̾̇͟a̰͉̠͕̗̣͆̂ą͛ͪs̖̝̜e͗̀̓̔̇͘ͅe͈ͫ̾̃̔̍͊~͠.͋̽͏.͉̥̤͍̬̆ͭͣ͐͟.̟͎̤͇̺̟̗̍ ̫̙̤̭Ò̠̖̞̻̽͆ͥh̆͑͐͋̐̾ͨĥ̗̺̗̤̕ ̝̯͚͎̪̀C̫͔͈̒̑h̺̓̊ͣ̊ͣͯͯa͈̹̲ͦ̈́s̳̖̮̩͑͑ͬ̚͢e̟͓̯̯̔̇̀̌̐ͤ̌e̜̳̺̥̣̩͒ͭ͠y̼̗͎̻̼̫̩ͧ́ͨ̓̈̌͠y̜̒̿͑̅-̰͕b̽ͯ҉̗͔o̻̼͑y̱̻̞̟̠͍͔͗͑̆y̼̗̯͇̳ͮͬͫ̈ͭ͒͌͘y̼̞̖̝~̰̓!̯̜̮͕͇̠ͨ͊̇̊ͦ̕"

A familiar and rather distorted voice called out, Chase's eyes widened, he knew E X A C T L Y who was calling for him "A...Anti... Go away! L-Leave me alone!"

Anti sneered at the other, twirling his knife around rather carelessly

"̭͕̲̗̜͉̅͆̊ͯ͋͆ͪ͝Ã̺ͨn̹͖̯̐̍ͅ ̥͂̆̊́ͯ͢j̘ͬͯ̇ȕ̮͔̯͉̐̋ͦ̎͠s̼͇ͅt͉̥̺̜̊̐̾̽ ̼̙̼̞̠͎̭̔̓̋w̢͕ͦ͑ͥ͊̂ͅh̦͑ͩͅͅÿ̵̙̳̥̥̲̱̣́͊̒̃ͤ ̜̲ͮ͛ŵ̙̞̼̭̼̎ͪo̢͉̺̗̺͈̎̾̑̏̑͑̑u̡͔̣̹̩̙̒̆͂ͤl̸̞͖͙͕̹̝̙ͩ̓̆͂ͣ̄́d̫̰̹̐͂̔ͥ͜ ̫͖͙̦̻͔̽ͣͣ̇̅̊̚I̻͈ ̵̯̰̿́d͙͎̮ͦ̒ͩͩ̍̅͑̕o̗̝̬͇͇̮̽͜ ̛̲̪̟͍͍̜̘ͮ̏̊̔s͏̳̬̮̹̮̳o̎ͯ̒͢m͓̺͋ͪ́̉ͭe̥͉͕̗̫̔ͥͮt͔̯͙̅̿̇ͮ'̠͕̰̤͓̭̘i̝ͣ͐͗̔ͪ̚n̸̺̥ ̻̪ͦl̢̬̝ͧ̋ͤ͒ͣ̌ͧi̊k͍̰̲̭̄̇eͭ̽ ̞̞̞͚t̷͇̗̫̒̍̊̆̃͒̎h͔̗̬̭̬̽̍͑̓͘ă̩̼͍̝̎ͩͤ̓̚͜t̼̙̙̬̳͉̎̒̂́?̢̿͗́̾ͦ ͎̩̬H̞͗̂ͬ̾m̴̤͚̰͖̐ͨ̔?͚̞̺̺̯̖̫ͤ̓ͫͤ̉ͪ~"

He paused just to give Chase a terrifying grin "͞A͟҉ft͏̡ȩ̀͞ŕ̴ ̕a̵͢l҉ļ͟, ̵̢m̛'̴͢ ̵̨͝p̛r̵̕e̶t҉t̛y̶̨ ͟͝s̴͠͏u̧ŕe ͝y҉͘ę̸r͢͜ ǵ͜u̸͝n̵̕̕ņ̢͠a ̛w̛͞a͢͡nn͡a̷ ͏̸h͜͜e͠a̴̵r̴ ͟͟҉ẃ̨h̸̴ą͡t̢ ͘I̷͟͞ '͜҉ą̴͝v͞e t̷̵͡a̷͢ ̡sa͢y̢~͏̵ ̧̕Unl͘e̶͏ś̵s͝ ̢҉o͜f̨͠҉ ̵͞co͘҉u҉̢ŕ͞͠s̡͠e.͏͡.̶͝.̨͡ ̡Y̨͠e̸͜ ̷̨́wa͘n͜͞t̵̢ ̕y̸̨e̛r̛͟ ̷͞͡p̀̕͜r̷̡͡e̴͝cį̢͟o͘͞҉ưs͘ ̢k͜͜i̴dd̵͠i̛ę̵̸s͝ ̶t̵͟҉'̡͞ d͝i̷̵͘e~̶͜"̡͝

Chase's eyes were wide with terror at the mention of his precious kiddos dying, he bit his lip and shook his head "N-No please! Anything b-but them, okay, okay I'll... I'll listen."

Anti chuckled darkly, walking up to Chase and gripping the man's chin harshly "̢̡͟Go̴͟o̸͞d̕͘ ̛̀b̴o̸͟͟y̨~ ̷͜҉N͟o͟͡w҉,̛͟ ̢͘l̵͜ȩ̸͠t̨'̸̀s͢ ̀̕͡gȩ͜͢t͝ ̛̀ḑ͘o҉wņ̵̢ ͏̧͠t̡͟'͘ ̵̧͞b͠u͘s͠i͢ņ̴͠ę͘s҉s҉̷,̕͜ ̨̛͠ý͏e̡͠r͘ gunn̶̛͜á̧ ͢d̀̀͞o̕ ̀s҉̡o̷҉̕m̕͜͜e͡.̵̡.̧.͞ ͢'̧͢'̴w̕͠o̸̢r̶̷k̵'̨̡͠'͟͢ ̴̧҉f̶ȩr̶̢͟ ̢͝m̧͢e̵̴̕, ͟thínk̶͡ ̴́o̷f̷̛͟ ͠y̸͘͢e҉̷r̀͏͟s̴͜͞el̛͜f͏ ̀as̸̡͠ ́́͘à͢ ̧͟ḿ̧e͘r̸҉e̡ ̡͟p̢u̶̶p̸̧p̸͟e͞t̷͜ ̷͘f͏̷͘e̵r̨̀͡ ͏͏͞m͠y͘ ̛ámú̷̸s͝͏͏e̵͘͟m҉e͘͝͏n҉t̷͘, ̀͞j̨͢͜u̷̶̡s̷̵t ̷l͞ik̸͟͝e̸͞ ̵̀t̸h̸́à̶t͝ ̢́͝P ̶̧A ̀T̶́ ͜H ̧E̛͞ ̶͡T͘͢ I͞ ̨C ͡éx̶̢c͝u̡ş̵̨e̶ ͝f͟͝͏e̵r ͝͞a ̶͝͞do͞c̢̧t̵̸o҉r͝~̴"

Chase gasped and shook his head "I-I.... N-No! I'm not gonna be your damn puppet! And leave Schneeplestein and my children alone!" He glared at the other, however he began struggling when he felt Anti grip his throat harshly.

The demon gave a warning growl, his eyes flickering to black in an instant as he held his knife up "I̡͜͡ ̡͢c͝͞ą̧ņ͟ ̴̡s̸e̷̛͟e̷͢ ̵y̧͢e̶͠͝r͡͡ n͟o̷t̡ ҉̧g̨u͢͡n̶̵n͞a̸ b̢͘e ̶̛͠v̨er̷͝y̵ ob̡̛͟e̶̡͘d̡i̧̛͜e͟n͠͝t̴͞͏ ̡͝f̷e͘͡r̴̷̴ ́͜m̷̢͏ę ̴̧͞h͞ư̷̸h̨͟,̀ ́͝I ͟͡͠'҉͝ave͜ m͠͏'̧ ̀w̷̕͢a̸y͠͏s̶..҉.͞ ̧́I̵͡'̷͡͡l̛̛̕l̷ ̷B̢̨ ͝R͝ ́E ̕A ̵K̛ ̡̧́y̷a̸̛ ̛̕j͏́͟u̴͞şt̵͡ ́ĺi̛k҉ȩ̸̀ ̵̕I'̡̧l̶̶͝l̷ ́́b̸͜r̀e͡a҉͘k͞ t̛̀h҉ȩ̸̛ ͟r̶̢̀ès҉̕t҉ ̢͠o҉f̴̛ ̷t̕h̛o̸͜s̴e͞҉͞ ̢͏P͝ A̧͏ ͟͏Ţ͝ ̀̕H ̵E̢̧̧ ̶͘T͡ ̷̴͡I͜͠ ͞C̀ W͘ ̢̛E͏͢ ̡̡A̧ ̀K ̛̀L ͢͜I̸̧͟ ̕҉N̴ ͜G̷̡̀ ̸̀S.̧.̶͟.̴̕͠!͜͢"

Chase let out an agonized scream when he felt Anti's knife began carving into him, this had caused him to jolt awake finally, looking around rapidly, he now noticed he had fallen on the floor "O-Oh god..." He whimpered, his breathing was shaky and heavy as he glanced around frantically.

Seeing no signs of Anti, he decided to let out a sigh of relief, he winced however when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm, he looked down and froze at what he saw... A large cut...

Chase's eyes widened as he quickly got up and proceeded to run to his kids bedroom, however there was something strange... The hallway seemed endless now, the door to the childrens bedroom was right there but it seemed as if it were drifting away.

Suddenly, a loud echoing cackle sounded "͞R̵͟u͢n,̶̶ ́͘r̷̵un̵̷ ̧̨́a̡s͢͡ ͘͞͠f̷̨a̡͢҉st á̶̕s̷͞ ͏̢y̡a ̸́͏c̷͡͞an̛ ̛Cḩ͡a̧͏̡s̴͟e~ Y̸̡͠e̴̕r̛ ͢n̸͠ev͞é̸r͡҉ ̡́g̵̛u͟n͝n͠a ҉g̡͡ę̷t ̧͘҉t͝͏ḩe̵͞r͘͢e͜͡ ̡̡in͝ ̀͞t̀i̢m̶҉e, ͝y̧e͜͟r̢̀ ̴n̛e̵̷v̴er҉͢ ́͢g͏ù̷͝n̛n͘a̛̕ ̡͡S̛̀ A͟͠ ̷̧͏V ͢É́ ͞T̵ ̕H E̷̢ ͡͡M.̕͘.̴̶͜." Anti's voice rung out in his ears along with the screams of his children, they were screaming, crying and pleading for help.

It broke Chase's heart to hear his kids scream and cry, tears welled in his own eyes, his one fear not being able to protect them, not being able to keep his precious babies from harm, suddenly, everything went dark...

((Potential Gore warning! Its p fucked up so if your uncomfy with this you don't HAVE to read this part whatsoever))

Chase awoke with a gasp, he looked around frantically, he noticed something however... ...Oh god it was... blood, blood everywhere... He felt something drip on top of his head as he looked above, what he saw next absolutely horrified him...

His children, his precious little babies, dead, they were hung up by they're intestines, they're arms and legs torn off, eyes gouged out and multiple stab wounds, along with slit throats... Chase's eyes filled with tears as he hugged himself tightly, however he felt something strange on his hands.

....On his hands were... Blood... Lots and lots of blood, his eyes widened as he looked in the mirror, seeing himself covered in blood, holding that same knife... That same fucking knife Anti had.

It was too much for the father to handle, he knew now what had happened... Anti, that bastard... He took the one thing that was nearest and dearest to him, what's worse...Anti... He forced Chase to do it with his own hands.

Chase had killed HIS own children, he killed his precious kiddos that he held so near and dear, Chase began sobbing and hiccuping as he hugged himself, he was slowly but surely breaking down... How could he live with himself after this? He took his own children's life, HE did it... HE was to blame...

Finally, the bastard himself, Anti showed up, a large smirk in play "͢A̶r̷̡̀é̛ ͞͠ỳa ͝r̴̶̨ȩa͜͡d̴͏̵ý̛ t͞'̀ b̧̧e͝ ̸̀m̡'҉̶ ͠ob̴̢e̶d́͝i̷͜͢ęn̨͡͏t̸̀ ̀p̧u͡p҉p͞͡e̕͝t̸̢ C͞h̡a҉͘s͏҉͜eỳ-̸̛͠b͏̸o͜ý̕͠?͞~" The demon's smirk turned into a large grin upon hearing the other sob and cry, watching as he nodded his head.

"̛͝I͜f̶̢ yo̴͜u̸'͡d ̷̢'av͜e̵̛ ̷b́͞ee͝n̢ ̢͟ǫ́b̡̢̕e͝d̨i̷e҉̸҉n̷̡̢t ̸̵͡th̨͘͞'̴͘ ̀͞͡f̶͝i̵͟rs̕ţ́͠ ̧͘͢t̷̴͘i̛͜͠m̀͜͡è̷ ͠͠t̶͟h̶e͟͝n҉̶͠ ͝m҉͟a̡̡y̸b̨̛e̛ ҉̧yer̷ ̛́͜p̀a̴̕ţ̸͜h͘͝e̢t͝i͠͞c̷ ͜҉b̡̛r̛̛͠a̸͜t̡s͜͡ co͏̷̀u̴̕l̵͝d̷̨a҉́ ̶͜li̕̕v҉̨e̴̕d̵ ̵a̶ b̴̶͝i͡t lo̧͢n̴̡ǵ̢e̴҉ŕ̴̢ ̸̵҉y͏a̸͢ ̧̕͡ķ̀n҉̡ów͡~̧̡ ҉̷͠H͘o̡͜w͘͞ ̀͘͞d̀ó͡e͟͟҉s ̴̛͠įt f̴͝͏eeļ̶͞.͟.̧.̡̀͢ ̀͝H̴̛͘o̸̢͡w̷͝ ̸́҉d̢͘͝o͞és̡͝͞ ̡́́i͏͝t̸ ̀͢f̨̕͢e͢e̶̛͜l̀҉ t͘a̸̡͞ ̨k̵͠ń͞o̵̡w̛͞ Y̢ ̷O ̷U.̀͘.̀́͢. ̨͡T̛̀H҉̀A̧T ͠Y ̡O̵̡ ҉́U͞͞͏ ̛͠K̸̡IL̨̕L̴̡̕ĘD͞͞ ̢Y̢O͟U̸Ŕ͡͠ O͢ ̢Ẁ͘ N̢̡ ̀͞C͠H̡͞Í̕L͞͡D͢Ŗ̶̀È͢͡N̷͟.͘͝.҉̛͝.̶ ͏̛P̛ơo͏͘ŕ҉ ͏'̨t̴ì̛n͘g͠s̸̕.̨͘.̶͘͝. ̸͠T҉h͝͞e͏y͞'ŕ̴̡e͡ ̧̨as̸̕͠k͡͞i͏̵̕n̷'̛͜ ̷t̶h̴̡͘ems̕ȩ͠ĺ͞͝v͏͟es ͢w̧h̡y͢͠,͏ ̷̛͜w̛h͡y ̸̕ẁ͝o̴͢u̴̡ld̵͞ ̴͢d͟a͞d̷͢d̵̨y͠ ̵ḱi̧l̴l ̷̵us?͠͡~̴ Did͏ ̵͘̕h҉͢e҉.͡.͟. ̶n͡ǫt̵̸̡ ̕l͝o̡͜v̴é ̡u̵͝s̀̕?~҉҉" Anti spat, walking over and picking Chase up by the shirt, his eyes flickering dangerously.

Chase's body racked with sobs, he stared down at Anti, his eyes showing hardly any emotion, however his head turned along with Anti's when the pair heard a soft gasp.

Stacy.... Chase's wife was standing in the doorway, looking absolutely mortified by the sight before her.

Anti's eyes were sparkling with evil intent, a sick and twisted grin on his face as he looked Stacy straight in the eye, then back at Chase, dropping him and pointing to Stacy "̢́͟Kį̨͞l̛͘͠l͘ ͠͏h͏̵éŕ ͟͡͠C͡h̵a͡s҉e͘,́ ̢̢͢k̸̡͞il͘ĺ̀͝ h̡èŕ͡ ̸͢n͏͠o̴̢ẁ̶.͢..̶̶ ̸̀Sh͡e̶͜'̶̀́l̸l͏̵̕ ̷̀͝b̵̕l̡̀́a̴̡͟m͡e̴҉ ̛͢͞a̸͢l̸҉͢l̨̧ ̀t͡h̛is̷̡͠ ̨̨͘o̡͡n̶̶ ỳ͢͜a҉̵.̵͠.̡.̶.̸ ́She̴'l̢̡̡l̢ ҉g̴̷͘e͡҉t ͢͞y̸̸̨a ąrre҉͏́şţ̕e̴d̛͠͠ f̴͞͡eŗ ̢̀͟m͡ ̨͘u͏̨́ r͢ ̨̨d͘ ̧̧e͘͞ ́͞r̶̀͜.͢.̨͢͞.̶̴̶ ̵̴T̵̕͝h̡̢̕' ̛͘͠b̵͢҉lo̷҉od͢'͠͏s҉͝ ͞o͢͝n ̀͡y͏e̸̕r h͡an̸͡͡ḑs̷̡ s̢̛͟o̕͞ w͏o̶̧͜n'̸t̨͠ ́b̷̶͟é ̧҉m̷u̧͘c̛h̷͟ ͜҉t̢o͟ ͡i̶t͏.̵͞.̛͡.̡ K̶̡ ̸Į ͘L҉҉ ͢͏̴L̸ ̢͟H̡̀͏ ̨̧E̡̨ ҉͜R̵̵..."

Chase's eyes were void of any emotion now, he looked completely broken as he took the knife, slowly walking towards Stacy "I'm sorry.... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." before she could even comprehend what was happening, Chase dashed up and slit her throat, killing her instantly.

"I'm...sorry.... I'm a horrible father... a horrible person... I.... I..." Chase blamed himself for everything that's happened, his children were dead because of him, his wife too, he could hear they're voices... His children's screams, his wife's cries... The voices were too much for him to handle, he was completely broken...

Anti walked up, cackling maniacally as he reached and took the knife from Chase, placing a hand on the man's shoulder and spinning him around "̧͡G̴͢o̸͡o͝d͜ ̕͡b͜oy͏.̶̡͘.̧͝.̛ ҉Ş̸́o̵͜ ̵̕͘obe̕d̵ie͜͢nt̴̸ ͝n̢o͟w̕ t̛͟h̨̀at̵ ̕͢ý͢͏e̷͝͠r̷̡̢ ҉̵̧b̸͡ ͞͡r̵̛ ̛o͢ ͏k̶͟͝ ̧̛́e͟͡ ̛n̡.̢́.̸̕͢.͘ T̨͘͝ęl̛͟͡l̷̵ ҉̢mè́ ̸̶͟C ̀h҉͝ ̛a҉̡ ̸͏s͞ ̷͢e y̨ ̢̕b҉̢ o ̢y̶.̶̷.̡.̴ ̧͝W̛h̴͡o̵̕ ͞d͢o̡͏̵ ͜y̕͟͠'̷͠ ͟b͏èlóng̷ ͡҉ţ̸'҉̧?͏̀͘"̛͝

Chase looked at Anti's, glassy and dull eyes locking with the demon's black ones "I'm yours... I belong to Anti..." His voice was now monotone as well, this however made Anti chuckle with absolute delight.

"Ģ̛͘o̧̨o̴̧͠d͟͝ ͝͞b́́o̵͟y̵͘.̵̢.̨.͠ C̸'͡҉͠mo̕n͡ ́n̵ow͝~͟͞ L̵̸e͢t̢̨́'̢͠s̛͏̸ ̕͝g̵o ͟s̸͡h̸͘ow̸̵̨ ͘e̢̨͡v̕͢e̢͡r̶͢y͜ò́n͘͢͟è̕̕ ̷a͏t́͜͜ ̵w͜há̛͝t̨ ̧̀I͡'̨v҉̡e͠ ̸d̵̕o̵̷̢n͠e ͘͞t͘'́͘͟ ̴̢͢y͏̶ą͘~͞ ́͞Ì̢͢ ͜c̛̕a͡n̷ ̨͘͜s̢h̵̸o͝w̸ ͞͞t҉͡h̴͘em̛ ̡͞ḩ͠͡o҉w̛͜ ͠mù͘c҉͟͟h͟ ỳ̛͠e̴'͜ve.͘.͢͜.̀ ̡̧̛'͝͡'̀͟I͜͜͠m̕̕pr̕ǫ͏̕v͡͏ed̵̷'͢'͠.͠.̨.̕.͡~" He sneered, while Chase just nodded, following the demon or better yet his new 'master' like an obedient puppy, the boy was now broken beyond repair, there would be no s a v i n g him this time...

Such a B̛̥͐̂̈́̑͗͌́̿ ͙̭̼̊ͤ̆̾̎ͅR̛̫̭͇͔͇͈͍ͯ̍̇ͮ̋ ̟ͥ̏ͨͤ̓͠O̷̯ͯ̂ͭ̎̍ͫ͘ ̨̠̞̒̈́͟ͅK̥͕̲̪͚̠̬̙͂͑͜͜ ̧̫̼̦̳̤̩̳̗̌̀Ḛ̸̡͎̫̬̙̘̪̝̘͋̂̃ͫ̒ ̶͚͔͎̞̌͒͗N̤̯͉͔̹͈̙ͤ̎͋ͭ͐̽̒ͮ̋́͢ ̶̱̅͑̾̍̔͒̂̓S̴̤̖̝͍̐ͪ̈ͤ̚ ̡̡̮͚̙̉͆̇̍̏̔P̢̪̙̮͔͚͉ͪͥ̂͡ͅ ͑̐̐̊̓͏̤͎̥̯͘I̵̢͈̗̗͋̇̂ͨͥ̋̏ͨ͠ ̶̴̪̝̏̈́ͫ̚͟R̷̨̩̹̻̘̱̭̳͛̒͊̉̒̉̀ͅ ̡̻̦͚̃ͬ̾̾̈́͠I̠̩͔͗̇ͧ́ͫ͂͠ͅ ̴̹͍̬͕ͯͪ͂͘T͓̖̖̺̘͈͖̗̣ͯ̑͆͡.̯̭̩͍͖̠͔̹ͪ̄ͯ͑̀.̡̧͉̥̰̯͓̦̝ͪ̊͗͒ͫ̉̈.̡͙̮̻̘͖͇̈́ͮ̚ Wouldn't you all agree?

((So yee, Anti basically used Chase as a vessel, killed the kiddies while in his body then you know the story, basic possession, vessels, etc. Its kinda-- I guess m not too proud of this one cause it was short but I’ve lost my writing mood-- so sorry, anyways @chase-brody-protection-squad take some feels and horror))

#antisepticeye #chase bro average #chase brody #dr schneeplestein #jse community #jse egos #GORE WARNING #I͢'̴͜m̸͝ ̷ş̸̷or̵̕͝r҉̵y ̕͠C̴͜hà͠͞sè.̨̡.҉̷.#My Story

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g0ldpainted · 7 years ago

Note

What would the bros think of Eddie Gluskin from Outlast?

Hello Anon! :)

I am so incredibly sorry that this took forever. At first, I didn’t know how to do this, then watched all Eddie scenes to refresh my memory and then my job got in the way.

I wrote this as a scenario. It’s technically one story. Noctis leads to Prompto which leads to Gladio and Ignis (while the last two technically play at the same time).

But in short:

Noctis thinks Eddie is utterly disturbing. At first, he thinks it’s just a weird guy.. but then his disgust for him grows steadily. In short, he hates him.

Prompto is completely terrified of him. Any- and every time he sees Eddie, he feels shivers running down his spine. This guy is coming straight out of his nightmares.

Gladiolus doesn’t really care at first. It just seems like any other antagonist to him. Eventually, he’s fed up about Eddie. To him, he’s unworthy of living and absolutely disgusting.

Ignis tries to analyze the antagonist.. but in this case, he gave up. In his eyes, Eddie is so fucked up there’s no turning back or saving him. However, he does like Eddie’s clothes.

Words: 4780+

Genre: Fun ^^

Spoiler: For outlast! Other than that these scenarios play pre-game.

Noctis:

“What’re you playing?” the dark-haired male wondered as he entered the room after an exhausting round of training with Gladiolus.

“Oh hey!” his significant other proclaimed, turning their head away from the screen for a split second to show him their wonderful smile, “This is Outlast, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it.”

“Outlast?” Noctis wondered, stepping closer to them while rubbing a towel along his neck.

“Yeah. How about you take a quick shower and then join me?” his s/o suggested, “Doesn’t cuddles and games sound great to you?“

"It actually does, ” he chuckled.

“Great! So hurry up otherwise you’ll miss the best parts,” his s/o urged him while they turned their head back towards the screen in front of them.

“Alright, alright - I’ll be right back,” he shook his head in disbelief, a soft smile spread across his lips, though.

So while their boyfriend went to conquer the bacteria and sweat on his body, they shrieked at every possible scary part, followed by a heartfelt laughter. Gaming was something the couple enjoyed greatly. May it be a round of King’s Knight or a round of Singstar - they enjoyed it all. Together, any and every game was fun. They either bashed the games, made fun of how bad they were, or were both following the story - if one existed - eagerly. Playing Kingdom Hearts was their nightly ritual: before bed, they always played an hour of it. And sometimes, most times, that hour became four and they stayed up all night. While his s/o could sleep throughout the day, Noctis, unfortunately, had royal chores to do. But at the end of the day, he always stayed awake for his precious lover that he adored more than anything. They better appreciate that prince sleepy head sacrifices his sleep for them. However, napping together was another one of their favorite activities.Little did the Prince of Dreamland know that he wouldn’t be up for any sleep tonight.After he took the long-awaited hot shower, he hopped into his sleepwear and cuddled up beside his S/O on the bed. Then their gaming evening began. Chapters one could finish in no time suddenly took forever. The controller flew around their bed whenever they reacted to a jumpscare, sometimes even hit the floor but luckily never broke. It was all, rather cruel, fun and games until a certain character came into the scene. Eddie Gluskin. From his appearance to the way he acted, he had a creepy vibe the second he showed up. While Noctis’ S/O managed to compliment his clothing, Noctis saw a pure danger. Nonetheless, they didn’t bother all too much. Until that weirdo actually attempted to women-ify the male protagonist. Not only did Noctis imagine the possible pain this different type of castration could’ve caused, he also shrieked when the saw was turned on.A loud exhale and a tap onto the Playstation-Home-Button followed right after. He. Was. Done.

“What type of freak is that?! Gross” he exclaimed, staring at his s/o in disbelief, “What went wrong in his head to try to turn guys into girls - his dream wife even?! And he even did it to others before?! But they were never good enough - what the fuck?!"

"Calm down, Noct. It’s just a game” his S/O tried to shrug it off although they were disgusted too.

“I just thought he was one of those innocent, sick in the head dudes that wouldn’t hurt a fly but have a cruel imagination - but really, he’s just the impersonation of evil and disgusting” Noctis argued, “I knew he’d be problematic but this is so not what I expected."

"He’s probably been through a lot” his S/O returned.

“So what? Doesn’t mean he can go around harming people like that purely for his entertainment” Noctis groaned, entering the game again, “I swear if he shows up again, I’ll delete this game asap and ban it in Insomnia."

"Noct you’re acting like he almost chopped your… eeh, little friend off - it’s just a game” his S/O continued to try to calm him down.

“This doesn’t change how disgusting this truly is. I don’t even want to begin to imagine people getting inspired by this - what if this happens in Insomnia?! We have to get rid of this game” he groaned, angrily moving the joystick around to make the protagonist walk.

Laughing, his S/O took the controller out of his hands: “Maybe you should let me play, otherwise you’re gonna break this controller.” Without hesitation, he handed the controller over to his beloved one, pouting right after though.

“Typical King, always looking out for his folk” his s/o joked, nudging their elbow into his sides playfully.

“Stupid game” Noctis groaned in return.

“Scared this might happen to you?” his s/o continued to tease him.

He didn’t even have to answer, they say it in his face: he was.And so his s/o had to play through to the very end of their gaming session. Noctis stayed quiet, only jumped every now and then. There was only one part in which he spoke up.

“Serves you right, you dumbfuck!” he shouted as Eddie experienced his last moments, a grin spread so widely across his face that he almost seemed insane.

Although the almighty dismemberer passed away, Noctis kept dreaming about the horrible sequence, cursing the game even days after.Little did anyone know that he wasn’t quite as tough as he usually pretended to be during horror movies and games. While he couldn’t ban the game, it was his dad ruining the fun. King Regis overheard his son venting to his best friend, the sunshine boy Prompto, and after hearing the summary, he instantly filled a contract to get it banned. He wouldn’t let any other humans get influenced by this. However, Noctis wasn’t done venting and now that it was a rare gem, he wanted to show his other friends the trouble he went through.

Prompto:

The second Noctis mentioned a cruel, gory and jumpscare filled game, he just wanted to run away and hide. While Prompto certainly didn’t hate horror related themes, simply preferred cute movies, he hated what Noctis told him about that game. But he finally gave in when Noctis forced him into watching the scene again - he still had the copy at his place, might as well show his best friend the cruel scene. So after an evening full of Prompto shrieking, maids coming in to check on them and his dad suspecting they were doing the do, they finally reached the gruesome chapter.

“Look at it!” Noctis ordered, followed by a grunt, “Open your eyes, Prompt!” Glancing over at the blonde, Noctis saw how he used his hands to block his eyes, only peaked through his fingers.

“C'mon, I haven’t played this far for you to chicken out” he groaned, using his free hand to tug on his hands.

“No! This is disgusting!” Prompto insisted, shutting his eyes.

“Chicken, you should appreciate me showing this game to you - it’s banned! I’m risking my dad freaking out on me only to show you that Gluskin guy” Noctis murmured, pressing the pause button before putting the controller down and crossing his arms.

Feeling his insecurities kick in, Prompto immediately opened his eyes: “You don’t have to be so mean.."

Before the Prince even said another word, he resumed the cutscene, resulting in Prompto shrieking again, his expression changing drastically.

"Why would you play this?!” the blonde complained, watching the scene in horror.

“My lover played it” he shrugged.

Just to tease his best friend, Noctis continued playing the game further and further. Prompto was in no way able to complain, the poor sunshine boy just grabbed a pillow and buried his face in it. There was no way he was going to watch all of this. While Noctis suddenly seemed to enjoy himself, Prompto was struggling big time. The game utterly terrified him. That shy cinnamon roll wasn’t prepared, not at all. And when Noctis passed the controller to him, forcing him to play the next part, and another jumpscare happened, the controller flew right through the room. It broke.At first, Prompto wanted to celebrate - finally, they’d be done playing this horrible game - but no, Noctis got a spare. The gaming went on. Eventually, Prompto was so scared, he started shaking.

“Prompt, it’s 2am, you should go home by now” Noctis bribed him, already preparing himself for bed.

While the second playthrough didn’t upset Noctis nearly as much, the blonde was scarred.

“Can’t I stay t-the night?” he suggested, clutching onto the pillow in his hands.

“No, the maids will think we’re dating.. And I can’t have them think I cheat on my precious s/o” Noctis explained, holding his hand out to the little blonde mass of fear sitting on the ground.

“Eh.. Just a little longer?” Prompto murmured, not wanting to get up anytime soon.. In face, not wanting to get up at all.

He was so horrified, he didn’t even want to leave the place because that’d mean he’d have to walk through the dark street - all on his own, too.

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible” Noctis groaned, reaching out to his friend to lift him up on his feet.

Overpowering him wasn’t hard; much to Prompto’s dismay, Noctis had him on his feet in no time. With shaking legs, trembling lips and widened eyes he stared at the future king, silently pleading him to leave him alone.

“Prompt, it’s late, c'mon” Noctis rolled with his eyes, getting more impatient by the second, “You know (s/o) will come over tomorrow.”

This time, the blonde just stayed silent, didn’t speak a word. In the end, he would only plead his best friend to let him stay the night so he wouldn’t have to walk through the dark alleyways to his home.Sighing, Noctis resigned and pulled out his phone - he wasn’t going to let him stay the night.. But at least he wouldn’t let his scared friend walk home on his own.

“I’ll call (Y/N) over..” he murmured, searching through the contacts on his phone.

Feeling shame wash over him, Prompto started staring at the floor. He usually stayed away from horror related things - unless his significant other would ask him to watch or play something with him. But aside from that, it simply wasn’t his cup of tea. And playing on his own just made it worse.

“Hey (Y/N), yeah, sorry for waking you. I- uh.. Prompto is here and he’s having a situation.. Uhm.. You have a car right?” Noctis briefly explained, trying hard to not embarrass his best friend - it was his fault he was struggling, not embarrassing him in front of his significant other was the least thing he could do.

“Awesome, we’re at the citadel. I’ll pick you up from the stairs so the guards won’t cause trouble” he continued to elaborate, watching the blonde quiver in front of him.

“Thanks, see you in a bit” he said his goodbyes before hanging up, “Heads up Prompt, your lover will be here in a bit.”

Hearing that was both terrifying and reassuring to him - he was scared to seem like a wimp, yet happy he wouldn’t have to walk on his own. He was sure his s/o would gladly care for him.. But still he felt ashamed of his behavior. His fear was stronger than his will to seem strong, though.

The following minutes went by in a flash. Noctis brought his best friend some tea while daggers were sent at him from numerous guards. It was late, the prince was supposed to be in bed. He had rules to obey to - that was one of them. But Prompto was more important. Sneaking down the stairs wasn’t all too easy either, guards had already approached Prompto’s S/O and prepared to take them away, thinking they were a threat. The prince himself had to announce they were innocent and coming for a visit - which made those guards even more suspicious.

The prince having a visitor late at night? That surely was a taboo. Prompto was fine - but a female? Eeh. Even sneaking his girl in was difficult and required a long talk with his dad about his duties as king and.. The sex talk. Yup.Regardless, while Prompto was sipping his tea and sitting on Nocits’ bed, his S/O entered the room.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” they immediately said, approaching him with open arms, ready to pull him into a hug.

“We played Outlast.. He got scared” Noctis scoffed, teasing his friend.

“It was a horrible scene” Prompto complained, “I didn’t want to see that."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?” his s/o wondered, sitting down beside him to embrace his shaking frame.

“Some crazy guy wanted to castrate the protagonist and he’s generally insane - now Prompt is too scared to walk home on his own” Noctis continued to tease him, hurting his friends ego quite a bit.

“It was gross” he murmured in response.

“That does sound disgusting, why’d you show this to him if he asked you not to?” Prompto’s s/o spoke up for him.

Noctis just shrugged to that, unsure of what to say as he took his smartphone out.

“Wanna go to my place?” Prompto’s s/o suggested, squeezing him gently.

“I’d love to” he proclaimed with a shaky voice.

“Alright, I’m here with my car.. Don’t worry about having to walk” they announced.

“Sounds good” the blonde quietly replied.

“Already leaving?” Noctis asked, typing away on his phone.

“Yes” they firmly replied, helping their boyfriend stand on his feet.

“Alright, I’ll guide you outside” the future king announced, tugging his phone away and heading back to the entrance.

They followed right behind him, waved their goodbyes and climbed into the car. Again, the guards were keeping a close eye on them.. But most were relieved the female left - they’d have to report that to the king himself. Especially if it was someone other than Noctis’ official girlfriend. Even in the car, Prompto was still shaking but his s/o’s near made him feel secure. He treasured them greatly, loved them do no end. And thankfully, they were so kind not to mock him. They understood and supported him. And for that, he loved them greatly.

“I’m sure he’s going to tell Gladio and Ignis..” Prompto groaned, fastening the seatbelt.

“He better not” his s/o murmured.

Oh boy, he did.

Gladiolus:

“Hey babe” the muscular man greeted his s/o after a sweaty workout.

“Oh, hey” they replied, continuously chopping food for lunch, only sending a short smile his way.

“How’s it going?” he asked, wrapping his arms around his s/o from behind and resting his head on their shoulder, “Looks good - one of your special salads?"

"Mmh” they hummed in agreement, turning their head to place a tender kiss on his cheek.

“Noct just told me about a sleepover he’s having later. It’s a bit sudden but he asked us to join.. Are you interested?” Gladio wondered, kissing his s/o’s neck, “I mean.. We could also rattle the bed a little."

"Gladdy, stop” they giggled, shaking their head to make him stop, “You smell."

"Awh.. Guess that means I’ll take a quick shower” he fake-pouted, slowly letting go of his s/o pretending to be walking off.

“Yup” they simply replied, still chipping some vegetables.

Catching them off guard, Gladiolus brushed their hair aside and kissed their nape softly followed by a gentle bite: “Or how about you joining me?"

"Gladdy, no” they bit their lip hard, still denying him, though.

“Fiiine” he groaned, giving in, “I’ll head to the shower.”

“Also, the sleepover is on - text him we’ll be there” his s/o announced.

“You really wanna go? I was hoping for some alone time with you” the broad man argued, sounding quite disappointed, “It’s our only day off.”

“It’s your friend and it’s a rare occasion that he invites his friends and their partners.. So yes, we’ll go and see what he’s up to” they reasoned, “Also, hurry up, food is almost ready.”

“Alright, you win” he chuckled, raising his hands up in surrender.

There was only one person that Gladio chose not to argue with, and that was his s/o. They were clever, too clever and they had a strong will. Convincing them was insanely hard. But he loved that they were someone that didn’t succumb to what he said. They weren’t scared of him, they just were themselves and Gladio greatly treasured that. Of course, sometimes they did argue or even end up fighting. Tears were shed, every now and then pillows flew through the room but he was usually just as emotional as his s/o. If one cried, the other cried. They couldn’t stay mad at each other for long, it was simply impossible.

Once the prince’s shield finished showering and they ate lunch, they prepared for their night at the citadel. Together, they packed two bags containing clothes and some simple toiletries. You bet Gladaddy kept trying to get in their pants but nope, they were not having it. They were already excited for what was to come. A night at the citadel, probably a dinner sponsored by the King himself and beds so unbearably soft got them in patiently excited. Oh, and of course a fun time with the Prince and his friends.. And their partners.

It didn’t take long before they arrived at the sleepover. Just to seem kind they brought chips and soda. Little did they know that their appetite would die down in the next hours. What started off as a nice evening, some drinks here and there - thank God the King didn’t know and Ignis was good at making them - and a huge ass dinner, soon turned into a nightmare. Prompto abruptly left with his s/o, something he’d usually never do. No one understood until Noctis wiped out a copy of Outlast.

“Guys, we have to play this game” he proclaimed.

Noctis’ s/o was already burying their head in shame; they were the reason he wanted to play this… Again.

“Isnt that the forbidden game? Didn’t the King ban it just recently?” Ignis asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“10 points to Iggy!” Noctis chuckled as he shouted, putting the CD in his console.

“Is that a horror game?” Gladio’s s/o asked their boyfriend.

“I think so” he replied, shrugging.

The first few minutes were fine, it was a little scary, but didn’t have enough action for Gladio just yet. Needlessly to say, he was bored. His eyes were merely paying attention to the screen, instead, they often wandered towards his s/o, intently watching every move they made. They seemed to be engulfed by the events shown on Noctis’ huge TV. To comfort them, he wrapped one of his arms around their shoulders and pulled them closer.

“It’s just a ga-” Gladio was about to whisper into their ear but a squeal from them made him shut up and frown instead.

His eardrum might as well have cracked in that exact moment. Glancing at the screen, he only saw some kind of fighting scene. Well, it ended up being a lot crueler than he expected it to be.

“Does he..” he whispered in disbelief, immediately covering his s/o’s eyes to spare them

“Oh yeah” Noctis exclaimed, sounding oddly proud of showing this scene to everyone.

“That’s just gross” Glado scoffed in return, “I didn’t come here to see video game dic-"

"Just shush and watch” Noctis shut him up, “Prompto was scared shitless.”

“Why would you show this to Prompto anyway” he returned, growling a tiny bit as he was getting pissed off with Noctis’ attitude, “You know he’s easily scared.”

“It was fun” he argued.

“Oh c'mon, I’m done with this” Gladiolus rolled his eyes, getting up in one swift motion, pulling his s/o up as well, “I thought we were having a fun night instead of playing some bullshit horror game."

"I was expecting more” his s/o quietly admitted, pouting lightly.

“Babe, we should go home. I refuse to watch this dude -"

"His name’s Eddie Gluskin” Noctis’ s/o informed him.

“I don’t care. This is childish horror stuff meant to scar people. It’s not even scary it’s just gore -” Gladio complained, “And this antagonist is utterly ridiculous."

"He’s been through a lot, all his actions make sense if you analy-” Noctis’ s/o was about to throw in, only to be cut off by the prince’s shield.

“Bullshit!”

“Calm down” Gladiolus s/o urged him, “You’re overreacting.”

“Ugh, you’re right.. I’m wasting my energy on this. We should head home” he reasoned in return, agreeing to his s/o, “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Without wasting another minute at the citadel, Gladiolus and his s/o headed out. Well. Weeeell. They did head out but they didn’t go home just yet. It didn’t take long before his precious s/o started freaking out at the slightest noise - even just some guard repositioning himself to standing straight. Taking them home through the darkness would only resort in emotional stress that Gladio didn’t want to put them through. Instead, he had another idea.Naughty as he couldn’t help himself to be, he led them to the training room. That was the only room he had unlimited access too. And of course, being the genius he sometimes was, he brought the keys with him.

“Hey, ssh, it’s okay babe” he whispered to his s/o, slowly guiding them into the room.

Looking at his s/o so shaken up and tense, all he wanted to do was make them feel good. Very good.

“You bet I’ll make him train extra hard for that” he assured them, slowly trailing kisses around their face, “Just try to relax for a bit.”

And so they ended up enjoying the night probably the most of them all. It was just a little unfortunate that the King himself walked up on them the next morning.

Ignis:

What was meant to be a fairly fun evening, turned out to be a catastrophe. Noctis abruptly made Ignis stay longer, asked him to buy ingredients for certain cocktails and sneak them up. That was easier said than done - most guards were suspiciously looking him up and down. Those 3 bags couldn’t only contain casual food, could they? Luckily, he got away without any trouble. However, it was then that Noctis asked him to invite his s/o, claiming that his own s/o would show up as well and that even Gladiolus and his partner were invited. He said he wanted this to be a big party.. Yet only with close friends.

Believing in the good of him, Ignis didn’t think much of it and gladly invited his beloved s/o that he got to spend such little time with. Every minute with them was dear to him. Wasting even a single second upset him greatly. They were busy with educating themselves, he was busy working for his best friend. They only met on weekends due to distance as well. It was mere luck that Noctis informed the advisor early enough for his s/o to actually catch the last train. Ignis originally planned on visiting them but Noctis’ party changed that plan entirely.Ignis sincerely thought this was going to be a pleasant evening. And although he didn’t agree to getting drunk, he didn’t mind taking a few drinks. All he cared about was seeing his s/o. They were actually the first one to show up.

While Noctis was roaming around the room, obviously looking for something but the couple couldn’t care less. They were completely engaged in talking, caressing each other lovingly and sweetly.

“I’m glad you could make it” the advisor softly spoke to his lover, “I feared we wouldn’t get to see each other this week since the prince had more duties for me."

"Yeah, the last train was a little delayed - it was pure luck” they admitted, gently leaning against their boyfriend’s body who held them in his embrace.

“I missed you” he whispered into their ear, not wanting Noctis to hear all too much of their private talk.

“I missed you, too” they replied, listening to his soothing heartbeat.

“Specs, have you seen my Outlast disk?” Noctis suddenly asked, tearing their little romantic moment apart with his loud voice.

“Your.. What?” he wondered, carefully letting go of his s/o so they wouldn’t be embarrassed because Noctis saw their intimacy.

“Outlast disk” Noctis impatiently replied, “The game."

"I fear not. Isn’t that the game your majesty banned?” Ignis asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose before he started preparing some simple snacks - another task Noctis randomly threw at him.

“Exactly. We’re gonna play that tonight” the prince announced, lifting some books up off the ground, desperately looking for it, “Last time you cleaned up, did you by any chance see it?”

“I just told you - no” the advisor repeated.

“You’re.. Cleaning for him?” his s/o asked, surprised by what their boyfriend does as job.

“Indeed, it’s part of my duty to look after him.. If he’s feeling especially lazy but this room is a mess, I help him” he explained to them, making sure to hold eye contact for as long as possible - simply because he missed those gorgeous eyes.

“I’m not lazy!” Noctis complained from afar.

“Yes he is” Ignis quietly mumbled to his s/o, smiling at them.

Once all crownsguard members and their partners had arrived, Noctis grew impatient. He couldn’t wait to play the game, it was written all over his face - even though he was the one who initially hated it. Drinks and laughs were shared, jokes were yelled through the room and even funny party games were played. It was all fun and games until Noctis started up the game.

As educated as Ignis was, he had never heard of this game. He only knew it was banned so he prepared for something terrible. While everyone fed on the snacks he prepared, Ignis just clutched onto the bottle of vodka he bought for a cocktail. The first minutes already bothered him, the entire setting didn’t seem appealing to him. While the game mechanics still interested him, the asylum theme highly concerned him. That was a strong sign that they weren’t going to play some easy kindergarten spooky game. Oh hell no.

It didn’t take long before his s/o cuddled up in his arms so they could hide their face whenever something scary happened. While Prompto left hours ago, Gladiolus was pissed off and Noctis’ s/o laid passed out on his bed, moving every now and then.. Ignis was casually drinking on. He didn’t really mean to but the urge of playing a drinking game suddenly got to him. Each time a jump scare occurred, he took a sip. By the time they reached Noctis’ favorite scene, his vision was already blurred. Usually, he would’ve tried to understand the story and the antagonists’ actions but.. he was to hammered.

“Oh my god..” his s/o whispered, burying her face in his torso.

Blinking a few times, Ignis slowly saw the scene unfold. It was then that he took not of the person attacking the protagonist: Eddie Gluskin.

“Admittedly, he has a good taste in clothing” Ignis proclaimed, “He’s dressing nicely."

Shocked by the only thing their boyfriend had to say about this scene, they glared up at him, his drunken glance meeting their sober ones. By the time they reached the ending - which didn’t take all to long thanks to Noctis’ good memory - Ignis was still sipping on his bottle, his s/o was shaking and Noctis happily finished the game. Gladio had left hours ago with his s/o. Ignis was the only one still around.. More or less.

"Specs what did you think of him?” the curious prince wondered, “It was intense right?"

"He wears nice clothes.. Is a little insane.. Kills innocent people.. But his taste in clothing is good” Ignis repeated, slurring on almost every word, “It’s a bad guy, we should stay away from him.”

If only Ignis hadn’t been drinking too much, perhaps he’d have other views of him. The only reason he even took that bottle was his own silent fear. The advisor was way too proud to share how gross this game was to him and that all characters highly disgusted him. From head to toe, he wanted to bathe them in shampoo and potion. The only thing he could actively recall at this point were Eddie’s fine clothes. Too bad his s/o witnessed it all and was ready to bother him all night with it.

Masterlist

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