#no matter what happened afterward…there’s no need for you to dwell too much on the past (xingchen interacts)

[coreofgold]

@withinthem for a super late and random starter

"What do people like to put in baskets?" Xingchen asks. He makes the baskets but he's never sold them with anything in it. Perhaps if he added things in them he can sell more. It's an idea at least.

[coreofgold]

Xingchen bows his head. "You are quite welcome." He fixes the cloth wrapped around his eyes. "I take it you have just docked?" He asks

"oona sees," she replied, nodding , "i perhaps have some silver and bronze in my purse. many thanks."

[coreofgold]

@lavendaers for Xue Yang

"Excuse me? Can you please tell me which exhibit I'm in?" Xingchen wandered around. "I was looking for the Objects of Wonder."

[coreofgold]

@masqce for anyone!

"Will be honest with me if I show you a gift basket I made?" Xingchen asked. "It'll be better if I get someone else's perspective."

[iid-smile]

#04 ୨ৎ ⸝⸝ @yueliie ⋆

hi yueeeee! sakura was to be expected 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ and im so sorry this took so long!! 😣 no because i actually teared up reading the message at the end? sorry im a bit of a crybaby but that was actually one of the sweetest things ive ever had said to me (im tearing up again) 6, 19 and 24 are headcanons and 8 is a drabble 😄

#06 🍰 | proposal

sakura is SO shy when it comes to him proposing, and with your personality added onto that? he can barely get his words out

tries to pick the perfect place according to what you like. he takes everything into consideration. you don't like heights? nowhere in the mountains or higher areas. you don't like bugs? nowhere where flies, beetles or ants would like to dwell. he personally wouldn't want to do it somewhere public because the amount of eyes on him would be too much

honestly he might do it at home... one of those cute proposals where you open the front door and see petals leading up to the spot (not his idea, he was pressured)

he has his plan written out step by step, and his mind shuts off when something doesn't go according to it

you need to ease the words out for him, because once he reaches 'marry', it's like he glitches. he looks really cute when he does say it though

his hand shakes so much when he tries to put the ring on you as well, they'd be all clammy and he'd constantly be trying to wipe them dry

high chances of him crying. he's just overwhelmed with emotions, and it's most likely when you hug or comfort him afterwards

#08 🍓 | helping you with your insecurities

yes, you were the one who invited him out here to try some desserts, yet the lonely slice of cake remains untouched on your plate. your fingers fiddle with the spoon in your hand, gradually warming up the metal as you could only admire the sweet treat in front of you.

lately, all of your dates have been cafes or bakeries of some sort, so the side effects of having sugar so often were beginning to make you a little paranoid, physically and mentally.

"...hacchan?" you look up at him, analysing how he rests his chin on his knuckles, looking out at pedestrians crossing by on the sidewalk.

once he hears your voice only then does he turn his head, a natural scowl on his face that he isn't even aware of. "what do you want now?" he grumbles.

your lips swerve left and right over your lips as you stall at asking the question, now placing your elbows on the table. "can you eat this for me?"

he huffs and turns away from you again, a clear flush on his face. "no way. i already ate, i'm full."

"then..." you grin slyly at the scenario already starting to form in your head. you can picture the cute, little moment you'll get with him, him carefully cutting away at the cake, handing you bite sized pieces on the spoon and giggling like lovesick fools. "will you feed it to me? makes me feel guilty doing it myself..."

"h—hah?!" in surprise, his head moves back, but only a second later does he snatch the spoon out of your hand, moving the plate of cake closer to the center of the table. "you're the one who wanted it, so don't say stupid things like that!"

"but—"

if it's possible for bright red to get brighter, then that's what's happening now. "just eat it, yue! i don't care!" his teeth grit together, starting to shovel huge chunks straight into your mouth, barely leaving you enough time to chew. there's practically steam coming from his nostrils as he tries to bear with the heat.

you can only hum with delight, just the action of him feeding you managing to send you into such bliss that you ignore the amount of aggression. once you get the time to breathe, you use the tissues provided to wipe the crumbs on your face. meanwhile, sakura clearly went into overdrive, palms coming to hide his face as he tries to steady his breath.

he's trying his best. and he also loves you no matter what you eat.

#19 🍦 | random habits

looking behind him when he walks

this is your fault btw

he's gotten so used to you sneaking up on him from behind that he gets paranoid when it doesn't happen

hates it the most when you're the one walking in front, yet he still feels as if there's someone behind him

apparently, he has to have his shoulder pressed against yours, purely for the sake of being at ease

going out of his way to show that he cares in painfully obvious ways

i do believe that sakura used to be afraid of bugs, but he forced himself to get over it for your sake. it's clear when he's scared and when he's not anyways, so he's not hiding anything (he thinks he is)

he probably read romance mangas obsessively to see what you might like.

copies what he sees other couples do too, to the point where it looks really unnatural

holding onto your sleeve

okay, both of you need to hold on to each other

his temper is a little better than yours, but you're both very prone to getting riled up at minor inconveniences and interactions

he hates it when you get into trouble, especially tor his sake

trying to be the best partner he can and protect you from danger <3

speaking the same amount as you

simple. if you talk, he'll talk. if you're silent, he's silent

he isn't the best at reading people, and isn't too sure when your silence is normal or if you're upset

he wouldn't ask you about it either way unless he knows it's something bad, so it's up to you to reassure him that you're okay, or tell him something's up

#24 🍦 | when they're jealous

sakura realllyyyyy tries to hold it in. he wants to avoid conflict when he's around you, especially if he knows that said person he saw you with didn't mean to make any moves on you

you can 100% tell when he is jealous though. either he can't keep his eyes off you, or he avoids your gaze like crazy. red ears are also a dead giveaway, and closed off body language like crossed arms

if you ask him about it, it comes out like opening a dam for the first time in ages. once he starts, he can't stop

he already gets incredibly flustered by even the most simple things, so jealousy is also common

if there had to be a time where he got really jealous for a silly reason, it was probably a time in summer where taiga killed a bug that was crawling on you

one thing tumbled into another when you ask him about it, and starts rambling about how taiga's muscles are all for show, and he can crush bugs even better than him, things like that

he can sound so sulky about it too, mumbling, looking down at the ground and everything. imagine how puffy his cheeks would get!

gets really embarrassed afterwards about how unreasonable he was acting

event masterlist

[coreofgold]

@lcngliive for anyone for a Discord starter

"Excuse me? Do you have a charger I can use? My phone is dead and I need the GPS." Xingchen asked. He lives off of the Google maps

[yeowangies]

The Ceiling

❧

PAIRING: Goku/Reader RATING: Explicit CONTENTS: Explicit sexual content-cunnilingus. WARNINGS: Mentions of mental health issues, I don't go too deep into them. WORDCOUNT: 1520

Summary:

Maybe it actually didn’t matter how you were feeling before he showed up because everything was fading to nothing as his hands ran up and down your thighs...

Notes:

I'm going through some things and I wanted to write something short and comforting for me. I mention mental health issues, but I don't explicitly go in depth.

Goku is always comforting to write for me, he's Goku, you know? He makes me feel safe.

With your eyes tired of going over the same lines in the book in front of you, you sighed, giving up on reading for the night. Discarding it randomly on the bed, you laid back, stretching your legs and staring at the ceiling. 

It was often that you wondered if you were as smart as you believed you were. Or as you wanted to believe. Sometimes reading a simple book turned into the greatest epic journey, with words falling down the lines and taking different shapes, like creatures and monsters that you couldn’t believe even existed. At times, you had to wonder if it wasn’t something that only happened to you, even when logic told you that you weren’t really that special. 

A weakening sensation invaded like it usually did when you dwelled too much on that feeling, and you sighed loudly, squeezing your eyes shut for a second and running a hand down your face. 

It was almost time for dinner, and luckily you had prepared everything a while ago, the food already either over the stove or in the oven, waiting to be reheated. Goku was going to finish his usual sparring session with Vegeta soon, and he would pop up any second like he usually did. You took the time to appreciate the peace and quiet that momentarily dominated the house; you adored Goku and this place with him felt a lot less lonely, but sometimes you needed a second to relax. You knew you’d have to get up to get the table ready, and wash the dishes afterwards, so you reveled in the brief moment of serenity you had. 

Sighing again for the umpteenth time, you closed your eyes, trying to calm your own nerves. Having inevitably thought of Goku, your heart fluttered, a small bud of despair planted in your chest. It was unfair to think he would ever leave you if he knew how unsure of yourself you were; or if he ever found out how a task as simple as reading could be so extremely hard for you sometimes. 

Goku wasn’t the smartest person in the world, but he wasn’t a fool like everyone assumed he was. You knew him well, you got to see him alone, at home, with you. Only you. But the fear sometimes grew dark and heavy in your chest. Maybe he expected something different when he got together with you. Yes, he was smart, smart enough to know that you weren’t really worth it as much. 

That you not only weren’t that smart, but also not as cheerful, with your melancholia taking the form of a cloud of rain and thunder following closely behind you, threatening to come down any second.

You flinched instinctively when Goku suddenly popped up with a puff in the bedroom next to the bed. 

“Hey, honey!” He greeted you happily, chuckling softly when he noticed you looked taken aback by his sudden appearance. “Sorry, I scared you again!”

“You’d think I’d be used to it by now.” You replied with a small smile as you sat up. “How was training?”

“Great! Vegeta always gives me a hard time, so I’m beat!” 

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

Goku didn’t reply as he eyed you up and down, and you blushed under his gaze. He stared at you for longer than usual, and the color of your cheeks didn’t fade even when you noticed the slight frown on his face.

“What is it?” You asked, confused and self-conscious. 

Sitting down on the bed next to you, Goku kicked off his boots before lying down by your side. 

“You were relaxing, yeah? I’ll join ya.” He patted your side of the bed, signaling for you to lie down next to him again. 

“But I already have dinner ready.”

“We’ll eat later!”

“Are you sick?” It was your turn to frown, and you leaned over him to put your hand on his forehead. 

“No, I’m fine!” Goku chortled, grabbing your hand and tugging at it gently. “Lie down!”

Perplexed but not completely against his idea, you did as you were told, pressing closer to him when he wrapped one arm around your shoulder. 

Goku sighed loudly and contently as you both stared at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity, though it probably was only a couple of minutes. It was surprisingly quiet, and you could even hear his heart, beating in time with your own, completely synchronized.

You interrupted your staring session with the ceiling to turn to look at him. Goku was actually doing the same thing, submerged in his own thoughts, until he noticed you had your eyes on him. 

“What?” He asked with a smile. 

“What are we doing?” You countered, mimicking his smile. 

“Um, I dunno, what do you think we are doing?”

“Staring at the ceiling?”

“I guess that’s what we’re doing, then.”

You snorted, amused, and snuggled closer when Goku chortled, wrapping your arms around his torso and squeezing him tightly. Burying your face in his neck, you knew he wasn’t exactly clean, but you revel in his smell, earthy and musky, as warmth invaded your chest.

Planting a kiss on his jaw, you sighed contently when he turned to press a sweet kiss to your lips. It was innocent at first, but neither of you could keep it like that for so long, especially while you were lying on the bed. One of his hands soon started sliding down your back, caressing your hip before sneaking underneath your shirt. 

His lips glided over yours with enthusiasm, and you moaned quietly as you returned the affection, sliding your tongue against his once your lips parted. His touch burned every inch of your skin, and you shivered when Goku started to push your shirt up to reveal more of your body. 

Breaking the kiss and sitting up to take off your shirt and bra, you discarded them haphazardly before reaching for both of his shirts, and he grinned cheekily when he noticed your eagerness. 

Goku stopped you with a hand on your wrist when you tried to reach for his crotch. 

“What?” You asked, puzzled. 

“Lay back.”

It wasn’t a suggestion, and you were pressed back gently against the mattress as Goku leaned over you, planting a simple kiss to your lips before trailing his lips down your jaw and neck. 

You didn’t think too much into his actions, but you wondered if he could see right through you. After all, you knew how perceptive he was, even when he pretended not to be. 

Any thought on your head flew out the window when Goku wrapped his lips around one of your nipples, suckling softly, making you gasp. He kissed, licked and sucked as you arched your back, wanting even more of his touch, of his lips, on your skin. His eyes were trained on you when he switched to your other breast, giving it the same careful attention, licking and kissing your nipple gently before taking it into his mouth. 

You shuddered underneath him, small jolts of pleasure traveling through your body and landing on the skin between your legs. 

“You smell so good, honey.” Goku murmured against your skin as he kissed down your stomach, pressing his nose to your navel as he hooked his fingers over your pants and panties, sliding them down your legs and off.

Blushing and with a smile, you stared down at him, threading your fingers through his hair. As he settled in between your legs, he turned his gaze towards you, his eyes gleaming with obvious want and affection, and your heart fluttered in your chest. 

His eyes never left you as Goku darted out his tongue to lick at your entrance. Overwhelmed by different emotions all at once, your back arched as you gasped, closing your eyes when you felt his tongue press against your clit. He hummed cheerily as he nestled closer, wrapping his arms around your thighs before running his tongue over your folds, not leaving an inch of skin untouched. 

You couldn’t help the moans and whimpers that left your lips with each stroke of his tongue against your dripping entrance, and your body vibrated every time he licked at your clit with careful intent, leaving you in a haze.

Goku had always been good at giving head, and you were always more than thankful for it, in disbelief that such a man would be so eager to pleasure you like he was currently doing. It was easy to think that you were getting more than you deserved sometimes; you felt inadequate even when you weren’t doing anything particularly skillful. But he seemed to be so effortlessly in sync with you, with your emotions and your feelings, even both of your heartbeats seemed to be operating at the same time and rate. 

Maybe it actually didn’t matter how you were feeling before he showed up because everything was fading to nothing as his hands ran up and down your thighs, and his lips were gliding over your folds, and all you could think about was Goku.

Goku, Goku, Goku.

[coreofgold]

@lavendaers for anyone for a Discord starter

"Well, how do I look?" Xingchen was nervous. Heh doesn't know why he's nervous; It's just a date. It's like hanging out with Xue Yang but more romantically. This should be easy

[coreofgold]

"I am very much interested." This is the best day ever! "That certainly sounds fascinating. How big are the crystals? And how long are the candles."

"That would be something you'd be interested in?" That was good, he was worried that he would say no. "It's a magic shop." It sounded almost ridiculous saying it out loud, but with the strange goings on in the city he supposed it was a normal establishment. "Candles, crystals, herbs, various ephemera.... I'd bee looking at using the baskets for the candles and crystals mostly."

[iamthecomet]

Dewdrop is beautiful, we all know that, he knows that, his pack members know that and above all others see that.

And now imagine that the ghouls go to a bar together after a very successful ritual and dew, handsome as he is, is standing at the bar (alone) and some guy suddenly comes up to him, slaps him on the ass and starts flirting with him. What would a very protective Swiss do in that situation? Of course he would go up to him and slap the shit out of this guy's face.

And the others would just watch from a distance, Rain and Mountain just shake their heads with a slight grin, the girls just watch the spectacle silently and sip their drinks and Phantom/Aeon watches the action with big adoring eyes because swiss is some kind of role model for him.

Apart from the fact that Dew could have done it very well on his own, I like to imagine the situation exactly like that.

Do you think he would get in trouble for it afterwards? From Copia or sister?

I think a few things happen after this scenario plays out.

The first is that Dew would make fun of Swiss for his reaction. Dew can absolutely handle himself (he's a demon from hell!). And he thinks it's hysterical that Swiss lost his cool about it. He's not going to tell Swiss that he also thought him being possessive was kind of hot--he'll keep that secret locked up tight. But Dew isn't going to let Swiss get away with it. Definitely not going to thank him for it. He'll make fun of him for slapping the guy instead of punching him. Make fun of him for reacting at all. Feign irritation that Swiss thought Dew needed help. And, worse of all, he'll look at Swiss, eyes crinkling at the corners and say "how do you know I didn't want him? Maybe I wanted to fuck him and you fucked it all up!" It doesn't matter that it's a lie. And that Dew actually appreciates Swiss putting himself between the guy and Dew. The truth is less fun, and Dew doesn't particularly want to dwell on those parts. Secondly, when Copia hears about it he mostly just rolls his eyes in annoyance. He could discipline Swiss--but it really won't make any difference. And Dew's done a good enough job at that by the time Copia even finds out. Dew's never, ever going to let Swiss live this one down. So Copia sort of feels like he can just let it go and hope it doesn't end up all over the internet. And Imperator? Well, no one tells her about it. Copia keeps his mouth shut--of course it's his job to tell Sister when the ghouls misbehave, but it usually reflects back on him when he does. She'll lecture him--not the ghouls. Tell him it's his job to keep them in line when they're on the road. That he his in charge of them, their handler, they should be listening to every single word he says. And that he needs to toughen up if they aren't. She'll tell him he's too nice to them--has too much of a soft spot.

Frankly, he doesn't want to listen to it. So he pretends it didn't happen. And honestly, so does everyone else. Except for Rain. Who definitely has a video of it on his phone and only uses it for malicious purposes. (Like making Dew admit he thought it was hot as fuck, or humiliating Swiss when he needs to be taken down a peg). Aether also has a copy of the video, because Rain sent it to him seconds after it happened. He watches it when he needs a good chuckle.

[alterrune]

(Laurence is in the cafeteria, as he hasn't gotten much sleep, dwelling on the encounter he had previously last night.)

Laurence Burnway: Am I going crazy again? No, I'm just dwelling on something wrong entirely. It's just a fever dream... I just need a little rest.

(Laurence rests his head on the table and closes his eyes. Suddenly he is slapped across the face by someone)

Laurence Burnway: AH! If you had to wake me up, you could've-

(Laurence sees his Shadow Self staring at him smiling)

Shadow Laurence: Wakey wakey Laurence!

(Laurence promptly sits back up and steps away)

Laurence Burnway: No, why are you here again?!

Shadow Laurence: C'mon buddy! You think I'd leave you alone that easily, that we'd only encounter each other once? That isn't how it works Agent.

Laurence Burnway: What now huh?! You want to torment me again?!

Shadow Laurence: Oh? Jumping to conclusions now? You've lost your edge, Phoenix. Let me show you something.

(Laurence's shadow puts his arm around him and guides him to a one way mirror, showing a hospital room)

Laurence Burnway: What is this?

Shadow Laurence: You don't recognize this room? You've visited it a-lot... look who's in that bed, and who's next to it.

(Laurence see's that its Lily in the bed, and someone in a hospital gown with their head covered in bandages was looming over her)

Laurence Burnway: LILY?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER???

Shadow Laurence: Shhhh... you do know she's still asleep earlier... she can't see or hear us Laurence, one way mirror. What you're seeing is a place spawned off of your sisters true feelings, much like the Zulu Security base we are currently in. Now... listen.

(Lily wakes up, and she notices her surroundings are different. Lily is tied to the hospital bed by bandages)

Lily Burnway: Am I dreaming again? ... Oh my god, why am I in the same hospital room, why am I tied?!

(Lily see's the figure looking at her)

Lily Burnway: This is a nightmare, what is happening?!

???: You're concerned about that? What about your big brother?

(The figures voice was Lily's)

Lily Burnway: Who are you? Why do you sound like me?

???: Someone who stuck with you, no matter if you were Lily... of if you were Kynn. Tell me, have you been checking on Laurence recently, something is happening to him.

Lily Burnway: I... I've been spending time with him!

???: What about when you were sick? Your little heart began to function poorly, all because you went near the lake... you didn't see those substances. Now look what happened afterwards! You got deceased, Laurence worked himself to the bone to try and save you, and dad was grieving because... oh, right, mom died, while you were in the hospital.

Laurence Burnway: No, please, this is too horrible.

Lily Burnway: It can't have been my fault!

???: Oh? And look what happened to your family, dad became more focused on GEOGRAM, and Laurence? He was doing everything, so much, burying himself on duty just to get that money for your heart transplant! It's your fault... everything fell apart because of your existence. Deep down, you're just baggage.

Lily Burnway: What gives you the right to say all of this?! How do you know?!

???: I know every little detail about you... oh little Lily, scared of letting everyone down for failing, over and over.

(The figure begins unwrapping the bandages, revealing the figure as Lily, and just like Shadow Laurence, she has yellow eyes.)

Shadow Lily: I am a Shadow... The True Self.

(Lily was too stunned to say anything)

Shadow Laurence: I see... it would appear you and Lily share the same kind of mutual pain. Who would've thought that two siblings, still fighting their inner demons, would've gotten to the point that both realties you two created would cause this Zulu Security Base and the Hospital to both connect to each other.

(Laurence shoves his Shadow self away)

Laurence Burnway: I'm done with this! I've had enough you bastard!

Shadow Laurence: Losing your cool Agent, that's a sign that you're slipping. *Sigh* I can see, you're still very resentful of me, I understand, but you and Lily. aren't getting any better that's for sure. Ah, the clock is ticking, our time is up.

(Shadow Laurence shoots Laurence in the knee with a revolver, but Laurence can still see Lily from the one-way mirror. Laurence can see Lily's Shadow walking toward her)

Laurence Burnway: GET AWAY FROM HER!!!

Shadow Laurence: She can't hear you from this side, you would've known what thanks to academy training. Listen up, if this wasn't a dream, things would've ended differently for you and Lily, we might as well wake you both up. If you want to settle things for good... I suggest you look at a TV, and bring an Audience as well. Me and your Sisters Shadow will be patiently waiting until then.

(Shadow Laurence points the revolver at Laurence's head, with Shadow Lily preparing to cut the life support machine connected to Lily)

Shadow Laurence: We'll be waiting for you both, look forward to it along with your friends.

(Shadow Laurence shoots Laurence in the head, and Shadow Lily disconnecting Lily's life support machine, both at the same time. Laurence and Lily promptly wake up afterwards, only it was more frantic for both, as they are much more shaken this time)

NOW!

(Suddenly, a whole bunch of sprinklers on the ceiling go off, and Shadow Laurence is coated in green ink as he tries to leave. I quickly move in, landing a flying kick on him, and pin him down as hard as I can. The others, weapons aimed at him, move in as well.)

Like the sprinker system I hooked up? You can thank Deep Cut of Splatsville fame for hooking me up with the sprinklers I needed for that. I know I can't kill you, but beating you up is an option. And now you're roping Lily into this? You really are the bad parts of him. Now...explain.

"Oh...so the audience couldn't wait, could they? Well, I'm sorry, but you can't harm me. Not unless you have a Persona yourself."

(Suddenly, a strange card begins falling from the sky into my hand. A blue aura surrounds me, as I give Shadow Laurence a smug smirk.)

Careful what you wish for, pal...

(I crush the card in my hand and my own Persona, Magatsu-Izanagi, comes out from behind me in a blinding flash of blue light.)

...because you just might get it.

"WHAT?! How the hell do you---"

Magatsu-Izanagi, hit him with a Magatsu Mandala.

(Magatsu-Izanagi gives a monstrous, demonic roar before plunging his blade into the ground. Japanese symbols suddenly surround Shadow Laurence, spinning faster and faster until they explode, hitting him hard. Thankfully, he's still alive.)

Get up, asshole. I know you didn't die from that, Maggy-Izzy went SOFT on you there.

"Ugh...you're good. But I believe I will take my leave now...but mark my words, I am a part of him, and until he accepts that, I will never permanently leave him alone."

Good. We'd prefer it if you left Laurence alone for a bit before pulling this shit again.

Maybe after we're done celebrating Grand Festival? You'll have our full attention then.

If you want us to be your audience, then you aren't gonna get it now.

But rest assured, when we DO have your full attention, we will kick your ass into next week.

(Shadow Laurence dissappears into the shadows. The rest of the CSB, as well as Laurence and Lily, suddenly look at me with bewildered looks in their eyes.)

Dude. What the HELL was that thing you summoned?

And why the hell COULD you summon it?!

(I sigh. This is gonna be fun to explain to all of them. Hoo boy...)

Remeber how I was complaining that "it came back to bite us in the ass"? Well, the "it" I was referring to was awakening Magatsu-Izanagi. That big red ball of anger was my shadow at one point.

Maggy-Izzy (which, by the way, is my nickname for him) is the spirit of chaos and calamity. And Shadow Kyle essentially was a big ball of those feelings. He fought me with all the anger and chaos you can think of, and at the end of it all he pinned me to the ground and would've KILLED me...if I hadn't realized what he meant by "the true self". He wasn't just some weird doppelgänger of me. He was the parts of me that I wanted to lock away. After finally accepting him as a part of me instead of treating him like something that needed to be locked away, he turned into Maggy-Izzy.

I...see. And that thing isn't hostile?

Nope. Also, usually Personas can't be summoned in the real world, but I think things have gone a bit haywire now that we know Shadow Laurence is out and about.

Well, glad to know you have protection. What about Alter, Violet, Henry and Ellie?

Not possible. They have those spirits that essentially act as Personas all the same. I'm only different because Storyteller isn't some kind of living being like the others' are.

Well, glad to know you've got my back, Kyle.

Yeah. We were just lucky we had a trap ready to be sprung on Shadow Laurence. Me and Maggy-Izzy will help you again if you need it. And the same goes for Lily/Kynn, too.

Considering I'm now roped into this, I'm glad I have your help, Kyle.

[coreofgold]

@ofxscavengcrs for anyone

"Would you like some candy?" Xingchen pulled out the pouch full of them. "I always have quite a lot of them."

[coreofgold]

Xingchen felt the impact but didn't budge. "It's quite all right! I didn't see you." Xingchen smiled to himself at his own joke. "But are you okay?"

open starter @hiddenstarters​

when rosamund found the bow and quiver of arrows in the back of her closet a couple days ago, she was confused to say the least. she asked her roommates about it and they’d just shrugged, not knowing where it came from either. she set it in the corner of her room, where it taunted her until she finally decided to take it to the shooting range near her apartment. after practicing with it for a couple hours, she found that she was pretty good with it, to her surprise. it was like it came naturally. walking down the sidewalk back home, rosamund bumped into into someone, causing her to drop her quiver and the arrows going everywhere. “oh, i’m so sorry. i wasn’t paying attention.” she says, crouching to start picking them up.

[klondiketales]

Story Notes: Mordecai/Atlas (trigger warning for sexual abuse/murder/disturbing content/etc.)

This is the outline for another fic I might write. I was wondering if anyone would be interested or if I should scrap it and focus on something else. Thanks for reading!

*

Title: Vinter

Relationships: Mordecai/Atlas, Mordecai/Viktor, Mordecai/Rocky

Brief summary: Don’t be fooled by that humorless scowl and those icy green eyes. Deep down inside, Mordecai really just wants to be loved. There are a lot of reasons why he can never seem to succeed at that, but, at the moment, Atlas is, hands-down, reason number one.

Long summary/outline:

Mordecai and Atlas start seeing each other romantically. Mordecai is unwilling to do what Atlas wants him to do, often crying when he is pressured into it and then falling into long, miserable silences for days afterward. Because of this, Atlas loses interest, leaving Mordecai heartbroken, confused, and desperately pining. He starts to think that, because he has no interest in sex, there is something medically wrong with him. He wishes he were “normal” so that Atlas would love him.

Mordecai tries to forget Atlas, as there is no point dwelling on impossible desires. He has a one night stand with a younger man who is nice to him and treats him well. He enjoys the sex, learns to accept himself for who he is, and starts to move on from the “breakup.” When Atlas finds out, he has the man shot in front of the entire gang. He then tells Mordecai he has only himself to blame and reminds him “you belong to me.” Mordecai is horrified, but doesn’t get mad at Atlas; instead, he blames himself for being stupid enough to let it happen.

Mordecai begins to feel that he is hopelessly trapped. He decides he has no choice but to make the best of it. He convinces himself he deserved to be punished for his disloyalty and that he needs to make up for it. He tries to win back Atlas’s love and trust by allowing him to do whatever he wants to him in the bedroom. Atlas is pleased, apologizes for the murder, and starts being nice to Mordecai again. 

Mordecai falls deeply in love with Atlas. He is certain that no one else understands him and cares about him as much as Atlas does, and that no one else is as handsome, intelligent, strong, and altogether perfect as Atlas is. The very thought of ever losing him causes him to seriously contemplate suicide. 

Viktor expresses romantic interest in Mordecai. Apparently out of genuine concern, he explains to him that Atlas is abusing him and that he deserves better. Mordecai agrees that Atlas’s actions may qualify as abuse, but disagrees that he deserves better. He rejects Viktor’s advances not only because he wants to stay loyal to Atlas as a matter of principle, but it because he fears Atlas will have Viktor shot if they so much as touch each other.

Atlas stops paying as much attention to Mordecai after he marries Mitzi, although he still keeps him as his side piece and shows him just enough attention and affection to string him along. Mordecai feels depressed and wishes Mitzi had never showed up. Despite this, he tries to be nice to her because she is someone Atlas cares about. They just barely manage to get along. He rejects several more advances from Viktor, although he desperately longs to accept. He feels lonely, sad, and empty, but is totally ensared and unable to do anything about it.

Asa, a business partner of Atlas’s, shows interest in Mordecai. After his flirting is coldly rejected, Asa strikes a deal with Atlas. To Mordecai’s horror and dismay, Atlas essentially orders him to spend 24 hours with Asa and to do whatever he tells him to do. Mordecai is unhappy with this, as he is fully aware of Asa’s attraction to him, but is unable to say no. Asa takes him to a party, then brings him back to his hotel and forces him to get drunk ans have sex with not only him but several of his friends and colleagues, too. Mordecai is severely traumatized.

Atlas pampers Mordecai for a while after the incident. Mordecai forces himself to go through the motions of his daily life and, through sheer determination and willpower, slowly manages to recover somewhat. He tells himself it was worth it to endure “the incident” since it eventually resulted in him and Atlas bonding. They fall into a pleasant routine and become happier than ever, but then Atlas is gruesomely murdered, leaving Mordecai devastated and griefstricken. He blames Mitzi for what happened, but still can’t bring himself to completely hate her, as her actions seem reasonable and understandable to him, given her circumstances. 

Still, he doesn’t want to see her and swears that if she ever speaks to him or even appears in his lime of sight again, he’ll kill her. However, he soon starts to miss her, realizing that she is probably the closest thing to a friend he has left, as only the two of them know what really happened that night. He eventually breaks his promise, but still wishes she had never come between himself and the man he loved. Long after Atlas’s death, Mordecai is still desperately struggling to figure him out. He feels that if he doesn’t, he will lose his mind.

Mordecai learns that Rocky might (through sheer happenstance) have valuable information regarding Atlas’s true intentions. He kidnaps him in order to get answers. Rocky refuses (or perhaps simply tries and fails) to cooperate. Instead of answering the question posed to him, he rambles about poetry and philosophy for hours, then suddenly “accidentally” lets slip that Atlas is the reason Mordecai was forced to flee his original home in New York. He claims that Atlas arranged it on purpose, so that Mordecai would be grateful/loyal/indebted to him for “rescuing” him and, after committing murder, have no choice but to work for him instead…forever. 

Mordecai is unable to believe that Atlas intentionally forced him to abandon his family and his home. Rocky has no evidence to back up his claims, so Mordecai dismisses them and tries to redirect the interrogation. Rocky still refuses to answer even the most basic questions. Mordecai gradually realizes that Mitzi’s psychological hold on Rocky is similar to what he experienced with Atlas. He feels sorry for him and, instead of torturing him, gives him some time alone to think about his options. He later wonders how many times Atlas staged a rescue in order to get Mordecai to feel more indebted to him.

[impuretale]

Alright - Headcanon Asks yeah?

All of them! Every last one for a character in the Stand. Which character for each headcanon up to you.

Okay [cracks knuckles] I can try that! I may wind up going back to a few more than others but it just tells you which ones I do the most thinking on. Also by and large this is specific to the 2020 miniseries but will figure in wider canon sometimes.

SO

Headcanon meme ask list is here.

☾ - Larry Underwood's dreams and visions, even those alluding to Mother Abagail, are as disturbing as they are at the start of the series because he's still taking coke. Hence why his vision of her calling him to come and see her is intermixed with that of his dying mother.

★ - Joe/Leo Rockway still has dreams about both Larry and Mommy Nadine as he grows up.

☆ - Kojak the dog fathers puppies and lives a good, long dog life.

☠ - Lloyd Henreid's gold tooth that appears after arriving in Vegas, is not purely cosmetic. One of the first people who wound up on the telephone poles didn't understand the pecking order yet and thought he was an easy target to take a swing at, and while Lloyd scrapped back, Flagg finished the matter by establishing that he picks his soldiers and they are off limits.

✿ - Flagg is very accustomed to his partners passing out before the end and tends to hit such a devastatingly huge dip in adrenaline afterward that he could probably benefit from aftercare, which never happens because his partners are out. When your mind is open to the eldritch horrors and arriving leaves everything exposed and unguarded, you don't experience post-nut clarity so much as post-nut disparity. This is not a big enough deterrent to warn him off from the practice itself, but then it is very canon that he finds this kind of exposure necessary, even if unpleasant. Wizards, amirite?

■ - Glen Bateman tends to live in clutter. Where he puts something down is just where it lives which means his home dwelling can contain a lot of organized piles of stuff -- it looks like a mess and on occasion he will be very "shit I need to clean I'm out of surfaces" but he knows where everything is.

♡ - Lloyd Henreid is in love with Randall Flagg and doesn't really expect anything from it -- he isn't afraid of him as Julie thinks he is. What he's afraid of is the notion that Flagg only tolerates him. This leads to him trying too hard to be accommodating, on occasion.

♥ - Fran ignores or rebuffs Harold's romantic advances because even if her feelings go beyond "kid I used to babysit that I thought was annoying when I was a teenager" it is not romantic in origin -- she also projected a lot of her little brother onto him, who died when he was little. So him making it after Trips was bittersweetly important because he has always been the younger sibling that made it. Even if it is something she distanced herself from because childhood trauma is hard to deal with as a kid and a teenager, and her friendship with his sister made it a quietly kept secret. She recognizes that's unfair and not something he asked for, but she didn't ask to be the object of his unrequited affections either.

☮ - On the way to Boulder, Glen went fishing a few times with Stu, which seemed to relax him. They would usually catch things and Glen would joke, if they did not, that his loud speechifying scared the fish away.

♦ - Stu cannot play any instruments and his singing is for the shower and the radio only.

☯ - Harold loves PayDays (canon) but absolutely hates fruity candies. After trick or treating he and his sister would barter for their favorites and his willingness to let go of higher-value candy like chewing gum for chocolate meant it was a largely pleasant experience where neither sibling had much reason to steal from each other's stashes.

▼ - Fran hates swimming and can only do it because her parents made her take lessons when she was a kid.

∇ - Assuming my New Game+ theory re: the 2020 miniseries and Flagg holds water, Mother Abagail is also just as aware that events have transpired before and is less ruffled by Flagg because she's literally had these conversations with him multiple times.

♒ - Flagg has a sweet tooth (book/TDT canon) -- with a fully stocked kitchen and permission to fuck around and find out, Lloyd discovered this when he made deep fried oreos and then almost didn't get to have any.

☼ - Lloyd Henreid's XIX tattoo is an easter egg but he got it because it was his first tattoo, on his 19th birthday, and he couldn't think of anything else cool to get.

ൠ - Randall Flagg has no pop culture memories from after 1994. His car has a tape deck because it doesn't occur to him that cars wouldn't have one. He keys into new music pretty quick but all his favorites and the ones that get stuck in his head are from well before that and come from a variety of places.

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

Hi, no important tws I think.

I just saw the date and today, 9 years ago, I was released from psychiatry in which I had to endure medical abuse and got a trauma from it.

It's been bad the first years afterwards and a few months ago it started to come up again, and I realized, it really left a trauma.

Which is idk, one amongs others so it doesn't bother me too much. I just feel very embarassed. That's the bigger problem. I feel like it shouldn't have left such a mark, and it is embarrassing, that I remember so much of it and still think of it, although everyone I knew back then forgot me like 8 years ago probably. I feel like I should have overcome it by now, it feels like a childhood fear that stick, irrational and way to long ago to matter. Especially since it didn't feel too traumatic while it happened, in hindsight it was bad abuse but in a way it was better than being with my parents so, it was trauma and relieve at once.

It is complicated, I have a lot of complicated feelings about it, but mostly, embarrassment. That I look at the date and think "Shit. 9 years." and feel like it happened yesterday but also a million years ago.

Idk, that's all. A lot of feelings for a little date.

Hi anon,

I'm so sorry about what you've been through.

While your story is completely valid on its own, it may help to remember that you're not alone, and unfortunately there are many other people who have been traumatized in psychiatry. This may help put things into perspective and show that your experience is real, valid, and part of a larger problem.

You don't have to feel ashamed or embarrassed that healing from this experience is taking more time and effort than you may have anticipated. It's hard to predict how traumatizing an experience is going to be and how we will process it. But healing is meant to be done at a comfortable pace and there is absolutely no rush. It's okay if you still feel traumatized 9 years later. My trauma is coming up on 9 years ago so I can understand feeling like it's taking a long time to heal completely. Giving yourself the patience to heal is essential.

I resonate with feeling like what happened shouldn't have affected you as much as it is, and that people who were involved probably don't recall it with nearly as much clarity, or may not even remember at all. It can feel really invalidating to dwell on the ideas that people may have moved on from the same experience you cannot forget. But please know that what matters is that it was traumatizing for you, and it's important to honor that. When we acknowledge the severity of our trauma in it's fullest, we can begin the process of healing.

I also just want to say that it makes absolute sense why this experience feels so long ago and simultaneously like it happened yesterday, and I experience this as well. I'm not an expert but I'm pretty sure that traumatic experiences, especially ones that constantly replay in our heads, have a strengthened neural pathway, meaning that it maintains its clarity while things that may have happened after have decayed naturally over time. This is why it can feel like traumas happened more recently than what followed.

I hope I could help, Please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun