#oh and. you know how he can turn into a bird? yeah ash can do that too! he's the king of the hawks and she's the queen!

[silverselfshippingchaos]

when i tell you this man is SO FINE!!!

[commandershepardvasfuckit]

M!Minotaur x reader

Will eventually be a full nsfw series (reader being courted by Ahanu and another minotaur who are constantly trying to one up each other for the reader’s attention).

————

You sniffled as you held the little bird. It had only hatched a few weeks ago but fell from the nest and died. You had been checking on the nest almost daily once you had seen an egg in it, excited to see it hatch and grow up.

Maybe it was silly how upset you were over the bird. Back at home you were often teased for being too soft, for crying too easily, for always taking everything so hard, but you could not help it.

It felt wrong just to leave it on the ground, the little thing deserved more dignity than that. You set it back down and started to dig a hole with your bare hands next to the tree, figuring that was the best you could do for it.

You did not hear the footsteps approaching, nearly jumping out of your skin when suddenly there came a voice.

“And what is it that you’re up to out here on your own?” It was Ahanu, a minotaur hunter here in the village.

He looked over your shoulder, surveying your dirty hands, the hole, and the little bird. “Oh, from the nest you’ve been watching.”

You turned to face him and started wailing and he immediately pulled you into a hug while you waited for him to tell you that you were overreacting.

He was soft and warm, and you melted into his embrace, his steady heartbeat was comforting as you pressed your face against him.

You took a deep breath to steady yourself before speaking, “I know it’s silly, circle of life and all that, it’s just a bird.”

“It’s not silly. You were so excited about it, and a loss of life is always sad, no matter how small” he reassured you. “Instead of burying it why don’t we make a pyre?”

You nodded against his chest. Humans buried their dead, but minotaurs believed that the spirit was trapped on this plane until the body completely returned to the earth, wrapping and burning their dead before spreading the ashes.

“I can gather some wood” you said.

“Why don’t we do this the right way, yeah? It meant a lot to you so why not give it a full funeral?” Ahanu asked.

“That’s too much just for a bird” you muttered.

“No it’s not, this bird meant a lot to you, it deserves to be laid to rest with care.”

Ahanu helped you to your feet and carefully carried the bird back to the village to the earth speaker. You felt embarrassed as he explained to the earth speaker that you needed funerary cloth for a bird, though the speaker treated it solemnly like any other death and without judgement.

Once outside Ahanu lead you to where the pyres were built at the edge of the village and began digging through the wood pile to find enough small sticks to built it. You watched as he took great care choosing the sticks and binding them together to make the little raised platform for the funeral. Once he was satisfied with it he carefully wrapped the bird in the cloth, tucking in the ends and making sure everything was tidy and just so.

The two of you sat on the ground as he finished preparing everything, finally placing the bird on the pyre.

“Great mother of the earth, welcome this spirit back into your embrace, let its ashes return to the earth and nourish those who still live, and bring comfort to those who will miss it. May this fire cleanse any regrets and light the way.”

At this point you were wailing again as he lit the pyre, equal parts for the bird and over the kindness he was showing for you.

He softly rubbed you back as he sat next to you on the ground, never once trying to rush you, just patiently letting you cry it out.

You leaned against him, eyes stinging from crying and nose running. He leaned his head against the top of yours and hugged you, just being a reassuring presence.

“Whenever you’re ready we can gather the ashes, but there is no hurry” he said.

You nodded against his chest, too stuffy and out of breath to really speak.

He helped you spread the ashes around the tree where the nest was, hugging onto you while you cried again.

“Why don’t you come over for lunch?” he offered.

“Thank you, but I’m not hungry” you said.

“That’s just the sadness talking, and you always like my cooking when I bring you food. Come keep me company while I make lunch, it’ll help keep your mind busy.”

You nodded. He was right on all accounts, it did sound nicer to not be alone right now.

[upn-the-sky]

General Kratos (no-ashes OOAK, part 2)

What's going on here?

Part 1 - Head

Poor me, it's been a while. Lasted autumn was a hard time for me, but I tried to find time and strength to continue making this OOAK anyway.

Here could be a scream like" NEVER AGAIN!!", but it won't be here, because it is a lie, yeah? Yeah.

Of course I knew that making Kratos's Dominus armor is going to be difficult even with the experience I had with Ares (❤). And it was! Kratos's outfit turned out more layered, had more elements, more different textures. I am just afraid that photos can have a so-so quality, i am sorry..

Well, come on under the cut.

When I made Ares, I've already said that I wanted to be as close to the gow1 design as it possible. Not a simple task, there is only one cutscene in gow1, where you can see this armor's details closely, and also I found a couple of early concepts.

Dominus armor was also made as a custom skin for the gow3 and I used a couple of screenshots from there for the shin panels, but somehow gow3 variation of this outfit has a little different... mood.. I don't know. More bitchy vibe maybe?

Well, anyway everything starts with the cuirass.

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

Cuirass

I decided to make a cuirass differently this time, taking into account that Kratos's torso should not be scratched anyhow while taking the armor on and off, because of his body art.

In some way his outfit is more realistic, I mean, at this screenshot you can see that he wears chiton under the armor. Bad news for the future-me, I thought then, but it solved a problem with scratches.

As we can see, his cuirass is a classic Lorica musculata, and I was going to made it the same way I made Ares's armor, using linen fabric and CVA glue. I wanted his cuirass be a single piece, wearing over the head, with fasteners on the sides, so I changed a pattern since the last time and started to glue.

After separating a base from the body, I started to sculpt a relief of the pectoral, abdominal and back muscles. I've had a couple of tries actually, because i needed to be sure that the relief won't crack during bending armor in shoulderstraps. After curing I sended a sculpt, put layer of a patch, and the base is ready.

Well it was an easy part. Here was a huge timeskip in real life, because I sat there and brainstormed how to make these "birds" over the chest. At screenshot you can see that their claws also forms a line of a diaphragm. An obvious option was just to sculpt these birds, but I was afraid of material cracking near the collar and armholes. So there was no other option, but to make these bas-reliefs also of the thick fabric.

Nothing scary, right? Just draw a bird, move the pattern, cut it and glue it over the cuirass.

After that I've just needed to seal all the edges with silky cord and paint everything with acrillic paints.

Oh, and sew hooks-fasteners.

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

Skirt and belts

After the cuirass I went south. Because I was afraid of a rectangular piece of fabric, which could end my whole career. (I mean chiton... I wasn't ready for it. And then I still didn't have a right fabric for it.)

Okay, as a General Kratos doesn't wear pteruges, he wears skirt with two long plate belts with relief and some chain-mail piece. Same as Ares has, or I'd say, same as Freya has, yeah. Looks more like her chain-mail, also made from tiny round plates.

Skirt was an easy thing to do. I used a simple dark-brown leather with the silky golden cord over the edge.

Chain-mail is more interesting. Of course I could make my life difficult and make it by myself, but for such miniature when you can find an already perfect piece of material, it is much better. Small, weaved, metallic round plates.. with smooth surface.. I used earrings for this. Just torn them with plyers in a right way and painted with acryllics, and sewed to the skirt.

Long belts also needed to be made of metallic plates, but I sculpted them, glued to the knitted base for the realistic movability and painted also with the acryllics.

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

Chiton and wraps (and bracers)

Okay, maybe one more little rant won't hurt anyone. Do you know what's the most wrecking thing you deal with while working with a rectangular pieces of fabric? You should find not only the right color, but a right feeling.

Maybe it is just me, but I think, when you make an ancient warrior doll, you can't use fabric which feels too.. modern, when you look at it or touch it. Even if Kratos was hm quite wealthy as a general, Spartans themselves were very ascetic people, they used simple fabrics with rough textures. But at the same time it should not be too rough to the body and it shouldn't be too thick, because it is underwear.

Long story short, muslin is my friend now. But sewing process is not my friend. How I am glad that all greek clothes is a differently sized rectangulars. I know I am not making chiton right, it should be wearing around the body and pierced over the shoulders. But you can't be absolutely realistic everytime. Besides, it is still an underwear, it's main goal is preventing scratches of the body.

Bracers were easy. Just a glued fabric again with the cotton cords at the edges and a schematic golden depictions of goddess Nika standing on the globe. (I discovered this today lol..).

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

Sandals and shin panels

Muslin is still my friend here and sewing is not, because I needed to start with preparing wraps again, which covers legs from the toes to the knees. Hm, smart..

Design of the sandals and shin panels I took from the gow3 variant of this armor. I pretend that they are a single pieces too...

I've already had a good pair of the leather soles so I glued wraps to them and started to make a base for the shin panels. Same way I did them for Ares. Fasteners of the panels and sandals stripes are also from the cotton cords.

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

And... Prepare your spirits, General is here.

Fuf. And this is it. Dominus armor is complete. But is this the end???????

No.

Because Kratos is not a whole person without the most important thing in his life. Yeah yeah, the reason this entire project took almost a year is because I was made Lysandra and Calliope at the same time with Kratos. And they are finished too at this moment. I'll try to write posts for both of them soon, but now, at the Christmas Eve I wish you have a good time with your families.

Merry Christmas, my dears, and Happy upcoming New Year!

See ya very very soon and thank you for watching.

[hopeintheashes]

He’s not actually sure why Chim facetimed him rather than texting. As far as he can tell, there was nothing particularly pressing that Chim needed to ask him; but really, they hadn’t gotten that far. He’d answered, and Chim had taken one look at him and asked if he was okay. Buck had shaken his head, meaning don’t ask, but Chim’s eyes had gone even more worried than before and he’d said, “Come over for dinner,” and Buck had been too overwhelmed to do anything other than nod.

Dinner helped, being with Jee, center of attention and light of the room, but now she’s in bed listening to Maddie read her a story and Buck’s head is pounding with the heartbeat of never, never, never again.

“Spill.”

Buck blinks up at Chim from his spot on the couch.

“You didn’t bring baked goods, which means whatever's wrong isn't about Tommy. So, I repeat: Spill.”

Buck opens his mouth to protest and closes it again. Chim raises his eyebrows expectantly.

“It’s… a secret,” Buck says finally, which certainly doesn’t make Chim’s eyebrows go down.

“What’s a secret?” Maddie turns off the hallway light behind her and comes through into the living room. Sits down beside him on the couch.

“Why Buck looks like the world’s about to end.”

Maddie’s eyes go soft. “Hey, you’re keeping our secret. We can keep yours.”

“It’s not mine.” Eyes down. Watching his hands shake. Wondering when that started. Eddie’s kitchen, probably. And then just never stopped.

“Buck…” Maddie slides closer on the couch, a hand on his shoulder. So gentle it’s going to shatter him.

“Eddie’s moving to Texas.” He says it fast, like that will make it hurt less. Like it will make up for the fact that he’s pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to tell. “Effective immediately.” He swallows. His mouth is dry. Tastes like ash. “And he’s probably never coming back.”

“He’s…” Chim, trying to catch up. “Oh. Fuck.”

“Evan,” Maddie whispers, and that’s what breaks him. He's angrily swiping away tears because this isn’t– he shouldn’t–

Maddie pulls him into a hug, and he turns his face into her sweater and sobs.

. . .

Later, Maddie leads him to the guest bedroom and sits on top of the covers and strokes his hair like she did when he was little. He doesn't have any tears left, just a pins-and-needles numbness that covers him like an extra blanket in the dark. “Sleep,” she says, and Chim nods in agreement from the door.

. . .

He wakes up aching. The dark outside the windows is just starting to lift into pre-dawn light, the birds starting to sing. They shouldn’t be singing. They should know that there's a chasm growing by the moment, somewhere in the desert between here and Texas, and that it's going to swallow him whole.

His head is splitting but he has to pee, so he stumbles out of the warmth of bed into the freezing air outside the covers. When he comes out of the bathroom, Chim is leaning in the hall, comfortable in short sleeves even as Buck shivers inside his thick hoodie, completely unable to get warm.

Buck blinks at him in confusion and pain, and Chim sighs and presses the backs of his fingers to Buck’s forehead; slips a hand under his hood to feel the back of Buck’s neck. “Yeah, I was afraid of that,” Chim says, but it’s more to himself than anything else, and he presses his palm against Buck’s shoulder blades and leads him back to the guest room.

“How…” Buck whispers, and Chim gently pushes him back toward his bed.

“Maddie told me,” Chim says, and god, this family and secrets, “but also, I’ve known you a long time, Buck. You get a feeling for these things.”

He'd googled it, once. Whether stress fevers were a real thing. Eddie had laughed a little; had ghosted a hand over his hair and rearranged the blanket draped over him where he was lying on Eddie’s couch. Not sure what you’d call this if it’s not real, he’d said, and Buck had replied, Just being broken, I guess. He’d kinda-sorta meant it as a joke but it didn’t land, Eddie working his lip between his teeth with worried eyes, and Buck had shivered and closed his eyes and Eddie had worked his fingers into Buck’s curls and sat next to him on the couch until he’d fallen asleep.

Eddie’s not gone yet, but he’s getting on a plane in the morning. Making a long weekend of it, using a personal day for the one shift he’s going to miss.

And maybe he'll come back and say goodbye, but then he’ll be gone forever.

He wonders whether they've invented a surgery yet for this kind of hole in your heart.

“It’s not forever,” Chim says quietly, sitting on the side of his bed like Maddie had done last night. Like he can read his mind.

“You don’t know that.” He’s trembling, fever chills and the effort of trying to hold them back, jaw clenched to keep his teeth from chattering, wrapped in blankets and freezing cold.

“But I know Eddie. And I sure as hell know you.” Chim watches him for a moment, and then sighs again, quiet, and tells him to scootch over, and lays down beside him, on top of the covers on the bed.

He wonders, sometimes, what it would have been like if Daniel had lived. What having an older brother would have been like.

Maybe like this.

Maybe not.

They lie there until the first true light filters in and little feet come running down the hall. Jee barrels in and Chim sweeps her up onto the bed to take his place. “Keep your uncle Buck company, I’m gonna make some coffee.”

“Okay.” Jee wriggles around like an inchworm until she’s under the covers as well and kicks her feet happily in the warmth.

He hears the coffee start, and Chim reappears with water and painkillers. “What do you think, Jee, should we keep Buck for today?”

“We should keep him forever!” Jee says, feet kicking again.

“We’ve got you,” Chim says. Maddie appears behind him and wraps her arms around his waist, chin on his shoulder.

“Got you,” Jee echoes, snuggling into his side.

He can’t speak, but he nods, swallows, blinks, and nods again.

The sun slips further into the room. The birds are singing, and he can't stop it no matter how hard he tries.

Chim and Maddie go into the kitchen to pour their coffee, and Jee wraps both of her arms around one of his.

“Got you,” she says again.

He swallows, and nods, and kisses her hair. A bird perches on their window, silhouetted for a moment, and flies off into the day.  

. . .

. . .

[ashers-wife93]

The Cook off

this was the most awesome idea I had turned into a fic to go with the last one. Hope you enjoy!

Milo and Sweetheart walked up to David's door to help him and Angel set up for the party. David opens the door with his signature half- smile and invites the pair inside. "So David, where's your mate at?" Milo asks. "She's upstairs getting ready for the party later." Milo nods in understanding and sits on the couch. "So a little bird told me a few months back that you think you're the only one that knows how to cook a decent meal." David looks unbothered, a hint of competition in his eyes. "Maybe I did. Ash can't cook to save his life and the 'little bird' you heard that from, is probably right." David says with a chuckle. "Oh really?" Milo says, his competitive side slowly creeping in, "Or are you just jealous cause you lost the first time?" David looks Milo dead in the eye. "Why don't we get the viewing public involved then? I have 2 grills out back and need some 'assistance' in finishing the cheeseburgers for tonight. We'll make a small batch and invite ash and his mate over to vote. Whoever wins, gets to make the rest of the cheeseburgers for tonight. Loser gets thrown in the pool." David says as he extends his hand. "You in?" Milo takes his hand and shakes it. "Prepare to lose again David." They both go into the backyard and sweetheart and Angel give them the ingredients necessary for the recipe they've chosen. "Good luck to both of you!" Angel says. "On your mark, get set, go!" Sweetheart calls.

After about an hour, the 2 boys have finished cooking and walk back inside where, Angel, Babe, sweetheart, and Asher are waiting for them. The 4 on the couch rise and walk over to the table where the dinner is waiting for them. All 4 cut pieces off of David's first like one of those cooking shows and then did the same thing to Milo's. "That's really good Milo." Ash says. "But in all honesty, David's is better." Milo nods in understanding. "I'm gonna have to agree," Angel says, I'm not being biased or anything it was really good but David's was some kind of professional type stuff." David smiles at his mates reply. "I agree with the previous 2," Sweetheart says "Milo I love you with all my heart I truly do but in all honesty David's was just... Better." Sweetheart smiles at Milo apologetically. "I guess Milo lost then," Babe says, "cause I agree with them. Granted Milo can cook a decent meal don't get me wrong but David's is just, as Angel said 'professional level'. I've never tasted anything so good before but you both really brought it today." The other 3 giggle at Babe's words. She was so in character at this moment it was impossible not to laugh. Without another word, David smirks and picks Milo up over his shoulder. "Now for the best part," Sweetheart says "he gets thrown into the pool." The 4 follow David outside and he drops Milo into the pool laughing with the rest of them. "Happy 4th of July, Milo." David says. "Yeah,yeah." Milo says as he rolls his eyes "Happy 4th of July to you too buddy."

[proelio-procusi-a]

mini   character   playlist   :   share   at   least   five   songs   that   remind   you   of   your   muse,   or   that   you   associate   with   your   muse's   character   arc.   including   lyrics   is   optional.

Vax'ildan

1 Running up that Hill - Samuel Kim cover

Say, if I only could \ I'd make a deal with God / And I'd get Him to swap our places / I'd be runnin' up that road / Be runnin' up that hill / With no problems

2 This is Gospel - Panic at the Disco

Don't try to sleep through the end of the world / And bury me alive / Cause I won't give up without a fight / If you love me let me go

3 Death is a Bird Flying - Dominik Zingler, Nicolette Stewart & Port Sulphur Band

Death is no man / Death is no wraith / Death is a bird / Flying

4 Far From Home - Sam Tinnez

I'm sending a raven / With blood on its wings / Hoping it reaches you in time / And you know what it means

5 Hey Brother - Avicii

What if I lose it all? / Oh sister, I will help you out / Oh, if the sky comes falling down / For you / There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

Mollymauk

1 Empty - Chase Atlantic

Tell me why the fuck I feel so empty / This might be the reason that she left me / Mama, what's the reason I feel empty? / I might pop another, please don't tempt me / Tell me why the fuck I feel so empty

2 Freak Show - Dead Posey

One for the money, two for the freak show / Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh / Three gettin' ready, four 'cause you never know / Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh

3 Afraid - The Neighborhood

When I wake up, I'm afraid / Somebody else might take my place / When I wake up, I'm afraid / Somebody else might end up being me

4 Cast the Bronze - Raynes

Make me bleed if you need to confirm that it's something I can do / And I'll paint it red / If you're still unsure, let me lie for a day / Before they formally announce me dead / When I'm gone, cast the bronze for the bust of my head / To be displayed in the library / Engrave that I gave my consent / To be anything that anyone prefer I be

5 I'm Still Here - Cover by Colm R. McGuinness

And I want a moment to be real / Wanna touch things I don't feel / Wanna hold on and feel I belong / And how can the world want me to change? / They're the ones that stay the same / They don't know me 'cause I'm not here

Weylyn

1 I Did Something Bad - Taylor Swift

I never trust a narcissist / But they love me / So I play 'em like a violin / And I make it look oh so easy / 'Cause for every lie I tell them / They tell me three

2 Devilish - The Phantoms

Revenge, my favourite dish / Your sins falling from your lips / Lights out, time to make a wish / Oh oh oh, so devilish / So devilish / Oh so devilish

3 Sinners - Barns County

Dancing on cold feet / Marching on cobble streets / Oh sinners come down, yeah-eh-eh / Yeaaah, I must be good for something / Yeaaah, yeaaah, yeah

4 Warriors - Imagine Dragons

In youth, you'd lay awake at night and scheme / Of all the things that you would change / But it was just a dream

5 The King - Rosendale

The father decreed / The new rule of law / His son to be banished outside of the walls / But the son had a plan / And his heart was convinced / There'd never be room for both king and a prince

Caleb

1 The Man who Can't Forget - Bart Zeal and Karliene

He saw his whole world breaking / That tortured soul I met / In a prison of his making / The man who can’t forget

2 Turn Out the Lights - Crane Wives

You don't have to believe every single thought / That tumbles through your head / Just 'cause it sounds like you talking / Sometimes all you can do / Is say goodnight and tuck your demons into bed / 'Cause they're not worth fighting

3 Ember - Katherine McNamara

You'd hold me (hold me) / Control me (control me) / You stole me (stole me) / Your plan almost broke me / Ashes remind me / Just who am I / I am ember / 'Bout to start a wildfire (wildfire, wildfire) / I am ember / Burning down your empire / Glowing brighter than the darkness inside of you / Can't escape the flame no matter what you do

4 Angel on Fire - Halsey

And I'm fading away, you know I used to be on fire / I'm standing in the ashes of who I used to be / But I'm fading away, you know I used to be on fire / You know I used to be on fire

5 Waving Through a Window - Cast of Dear Evan Hansen

Give them no reason to stare / No slipping up if you slip away / So I got nothing to share / No, I got nothing to say

tagged by : @astraltouch tagging: @notyetfixed @infernaliscor @aschcregen @xbadnews @arcanecast @cupcaketrickster

[m1ckeyb3rry]

BOYTOY no that’s exactly what I was going for thank you for providing this information

Miraverse crack>>> actually just miraverse in general LMAOO

THATS WHAT IM SAYING like why are you suddenly reviving a character per chapter hello?? But iirc i think gege does have some sort of pressure from the editor (s??) and has had some to just prolong the story in general so maybe it was actually meant to end closer to Shibuya but

Ok wait i was also expecting a LOT more from Lorenzo what happened?? We saw him shine for like two chapters and that was it like what was the point of adding him atp (back to our point of how ng11 shouldn’t have been introduced yet) trust me i will definitely be translating those!! Stop imagine we get updated profiles too and we finally find out how many valentines gifts Barou got….ok time to drop all the manifestations in here I’ll start SHOW ME CANON YAYOI AND SEIKO

OH ok also wasn’t aware of the breeding only acquisition

I’m laughing so hard at the way you described it but it’s literally so accurate like yeah let me risk my life and go mediate the fight between some gods with beef in the underworld space time continuum ok

Ash misty and Brock the iconic trio Lowk they were so unhinged and so funny

No because the first evolution/base evolutions are all cute like horsea shinx amaura ducklett nidoran (Lowk nidoran girl looks like it would bite but I’m imagining the usual pokemon official like poster design of it so I’m sure she’s got cute moments) and beldum (it’s cute in a weird way ig but I mean I wouldn’t say intimidating so) I can imagine Otoya trying to build his team and he goes to hunt specifically for cool looking pokemon but instead finds all the cute ones instead and with a mix of “this will get me girls” and “wait it’s cute I kinda vibe with it” he takes them in instead LMAOO

LMAOOO WAIT DROP THE WEBSITE??? I’m gonna reference that from now on but DONPHAN SUPREMACY

Ness would fr track him down and try to scare him into stopping his business (as if gagamaru couldn’t beat him up if he wanted to but he won’t) I can imagine ness tweaking like he did in that one panel after kaisers watching Isagi on the monitor and ness is like biting his lip questionably gripping his hands except this time it’s “I’ll show you that my poffins reign supreme…….”

the “uhh yeah only for the plot yk” is sending me LMAOOO

LMAOAAOAO I KNOW EXACTLY WHICH AUDIO YOURE TALKING ABOUT HAHAHAHA BUT FR when you first mentioned the Karasu beef that’s how I imagined the exchange going too it’s so funny (someone needs to tally how many times I say ‘so funny’ in a response I need more creative ways to say that I’m laughing my ass off because every other word is just LMAOOO)

Oh shit I did not even realize that um HAHA yes turn away we will not acknowledge that

LOLLL Karasu fr like “bro do you know how much time it took me to train these other birds wtf”

STOPPP NOT THE SWANNA AND BAROU BESTIES IN HELL GOODBYE. Wait this is lowk reminding me of one episode that almost exclusively features the pokemon with no trainers or humans and we see them interacting and talking to each other napoleon complex galvantula is hilarious but hey i mean if it’s sweeping the floor with Barou’s team LOL wait baby magikarp complex gyarados is a dynamic I didn’t know I needed I actually love that

I’m crying I’m gonna be sobbing reading this if/when it gets formally written out the reader Barou houndoom^2 ideas have me in my feels

The way I’d always get rid of rain dance because id think “this shit does nothing!!! If it’s not damage I don’t want it” LMAOO sending gyarados out just to set up rain dance is so funny also kinda brutal I’d imagine gyarados returns to its ball like “damn ok then.”

That’s funny because that’s probably the one spelling I’ve never seen before LMAOOO (I alr struggled sm trying not to repeat pokemon when I thought of my own team ideas for just the more main characters so I feel you) OUUU WAIT I forgot/didn’t think about it but I think you’re right?? I definitely remember the earlier gyms not having a full team and it gradually increases kinda….i remember the first or second gyms having like two to three pokemon max iirc

ADAM BLAKE WITH A PURUGLY IS SO REAL I randomly picked him earlier while reading our convo just trying to see what pokemon immediately vibes with him and the first thought i had was Persian but i knew something was missing because it almost didn’t seem sassy/snooty enough purugly is perfect

MALAMAR MENTION wait id totally imagine anri raising a little inkay!!! On that note I think its really funny that (iirc) to evolve inkay you have to hold your ds upside down LMFAO

Based off ashs hawlucha id say it also gave me yayoi vibes LOL wait also why does roserade give luna…like some of these vibes just match up too well but I can’t explain why

VOLCARONA MENTION TOO Lowk one of my fav bug types also pause Chris’ entire team gives such prince vibes like especially so even more than everyone else and their teams like I look at the pokemon itself and I can say with confidence like “yup it’s giving Chris this reminds me of Chris” LMFAO also scrafty with snuffy is giving me Lorenzo vibes LOL Noel noa having a Klefki is also sending me but I see the vision

- Karasu anon

NFJDJJS he was a very goofy little guy…he was a mini horse so the size of like a great dane and he was lowkey an npc he didn’t really do anything 😭 but he was cute and his name was funny KDJDSJJS whenever i would put him in his field it felt like i was walking a dog but an evil one with feet made of iron

it’s so random and also why are they just monologuing about the previous fight?? like we were all there…we all read it already…there’s literally like two chapters left right?? or is it three??? either way it doesn’t feel like nearly enough to wrap things up 😭 but ig we will see how it goes

no yeah lorenzo is specifically who i was referring to when i said ng11s shouldn’t have been introduced yet like yeah okay kaiser and isagi having a rivalry is a little far-fetched given how good kaiser should be BUT LORENZO?? bro barely did anything and now people rank him as the worst ng11 even though he’s canonically been able to completely shut kaiser down which by “feats” or wtvr power scaling lingo should put him above kaiser?? it would’ve been much much better if aiku was just given lorenzo’s NEL role completely and maybe snuffy mentions a ng11 defensive player that he knows of that would put even aiku to shame (aka lorenzo) which gives aiku a reason to strive to be even better so snuffy will eventually acknowledge him too (#egodevelopmentasf)

you know what i want to see is BABY NAGI AND HIS PARENTS mr and mrs nagi are my literal opps they’re lowkey insane?? i will never be over the way they straight up left him behind and treat him like a friend instead of their child to the point that they literally haven’t even had background panels or mentions in the manga…KANESHIRO SHOW ME MY ENEMIES IN THE EGOIST BIBLE 👁️👁️ AND MY LIFE IS YOURS

tbh the original few seasons of the pokémon anime (everything before brock left ig) were lowkey so unhinged like upon rewatch it’s crazy how much you missed as a kid 😭 truly a show which holds up to the test of time!!

hiori definitely thinks he’s going to have all cutesy pokémon given how adorable all of the babies are and then they evolve and are sooo scary and intimidating (except swanna who’s ironically the only one of the six that’s actually mean) HAHAHA omg otoya’s team acquisitions are so funny in the au i crack up thinking abt them…obviously froakie he just gets because it’s his starter and he’s from a ninja clan but then with ampharos it’s just because reader and co went to a farm for some reason?? and one of the mareeps was so obsessed with otoya that the farm was like “just take it” and otoya’s like “bro i don’t want it i can’t be seen with this 😟” but then the mareep is like “🥺💛🩵” and tullia’s like “yo don’t be a douche anyways it’ll evolve into an ampharos that’s strong” so otoya’s just like FINE I GUESS 😭 after that he’s given a happiny by a nurse joy that he rizzed up…he thinks it’s proof of rizz but apparently karasu overheard the nurse joy saying the owner abandoned the happiny because taking care of a baby pokémon is too much work so she gave it to otoya since he seemed trustworthy enough (her first choice was tullia but tullia already has a full team from the start so she wouldn’t be able to manage it) and he tells otoya and otoya (who was about to release the happiny lowkey) is immediately like “😱 bitch i’m a mother 😤 no drama 🤩” even though he lowkey makes tullia and karasu’s talonflame do most of the work of taking care of happiny 😩 then while they’re at yayoi’s gym otoya has a MASSIVE crush on yayoi so while tullia’s battling her (reader and karasu already have their badges so karasu stays to watch tullia and reader accompanies otoya) he goes to find a flying type to impress yayoi but it can’t be just ANY flying type it has to be a special one so he searches high and low until he finally finds a swablu which is pretty rare so he figures it works…however yayoi does not care whatsoever so now he just has a swablu on his team 😭 he gets the vulpix by buying one of chris prince’s online courses that come with a free egg for the top tier subscribes and he’s so excited because he thinks the egg will hatch into a magby (so he can eventually have a magmortar) or a torchic (so he can eventually have a blaziken) but then it hatches into a VULPIX and he reads the fine print and realizes that it says the eggs will hatch into random fire-type pokémon but not any of chris’s main pokémon so he’s FUMING that he wasted his money and he has one sided beef w chris prince now 😓 finally sylveon he’s SOOOO HYPE because he catches and eevee and he’s like “let’s go i’m going to get an umbreon” so tullia tells him he has to have a high friendship with his eevee and battle with it at night to achieve that so he brings eevee EVERYWHERE to ensure the friendship is maxed out…however by in-game mechanics and therefore in-verse laws sylveon takes precedence over espeon and umbreon 😰 so he’s just battling one evening with reader or something and then his eevee starts to glow and he’s like FINALLY but then it finishes evolving and turns out to be a sylveon and he just gives up

this is the website it’s super easy to use and intuitive as it also provides all of the pokémon there so you don’t have to keep googling online 🤩 i rlly liked using it to build everyone’s teams even though i didn’t use the analysis function as much with anyone but reader

THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS PICTURING like amidst all of the corruption and fighting and anarchy there’s also just randomly a market war going on between ness and gagamaru but it’s completely one sided because gagamaru is perfectly content with the 5 customers he currently has 😭

see reader and nagi have such an insane slow burn that even by the aegislash arc they’re still only marginally friendly rivals that save each other’s asses but aren’t really close (of mc trio and reader&co the only ones that actually are good friends are tullia + chigiri…otoya and karasu think mc trio are all goofy so they just bully them and whenever mc trio pulls up reader is always busy with nagi so she never becomes friends w the other two) so the “in order to escape this world we just have to be in love i suppose” is their rationalization for why they are a littleeee too eager to live out the plot line 😭

HELP POKÉMON AU KARASU FR IS JUST ALWAYS CATCHING STRAYS THOUGH like nagi innocently suggests that he might be dating reader and reader tweaks out, two-thirds of his team is just pokémon his sister rejected, and this random kid from his hometown would probably beat him in a battle if he ever cared enough to do so

I KNOW WHICH EP YOU MEAN that one was so cute…i feel like galvantula especially as a joltik just rode around on reader’s should and chattered angrily when people made fun of it LMAOAO it’s such a babyyyy but honestly it deserves to be sassy considering the work it puts in for the team 😓 plsss whenever reader releases gyarados the first thing it does is try to tackle her in a hug because it loves her sm and she has to be like “no baby you’re the size of a school bus please get off” it’s very uncharacteristic because most gyarados are very mean and angry but reader was so kind to it as a magikarp and never did anything to hurt it/put it in danger just for the sake of its evolution (since she basically gave up on it every evolving based on tullia’s and karasu’s advice) that her gyarados LOVES her

okay but i was on tik tok earlier and i saw this video and tbh the video itself is kinda irrelevant but the song??? (full audio apparently from a satosugu edit but hot take idgaf abt satosugu 😓) and i was like. reader and barou. IT’S READER AND BAROU. HE LOOKS LIKE THE REAL THING 😭😭😭😭😭😭

tbh i always got rid of moves that didn’t do damage in the game but according to the anime’s logic pokémon can learn more than four moves so gyarados can keep rain dance KFJDJS i can imagine gyarados doing the rain dance like “yay 😄 i’m helping y/n 🕺🏻” meanwhile the opposing pokémon is about to cry because a happy gyarados is so rare that they think her gyarados is just a new level of insanely mad 😭 also apparently gyarados can learn thunderbolt, thunder, and flamethrower (ostensibly because it’s supposed to be a sea serpent that brings storms and whatnot) so galvantula doesn’t have to carry COMPLETELY since gyarados can also use some electric attacks 🤩 that would be a really cool battle in the conference like maybe substitutions aren’t allowed so when reader sends out her gyarados against and sets up a rain dance her opponent (who’s possibly a water type trainer) is like “that won’t work this time 😌 rain dance makes my pokémon stronger too 😏 and you can’t switch out for your galvantula 🤓☝🏻” since they’ve studied her and seen her use that combo in past battles but instead of panicking reader’s just like “lol okay gyarados use thunder” and that’s the end of that 🥶

yeahh the first few gyms only have a couple of pokémon each i tried to distribute so it’s kinda even and moves up with the reader’s power scaling?? so the first gym has two, second and third have three, fourth and fifth have four, sixth and seventh have five, and the eighth and e4 have a full team of 6 (in the game only the champion and possibly your rival have full teams of 6 but given how good reader is + the different stakes of the world it made more sense for the final gym and e4 to have full teams)

i literally looked up a list of all normal types while picking his team and as SOON as i saw purugly i was like oh this is perfect…reo already has a persian so i couldn’t give one to adam blake sadly 😓 some of the repetitions had me tweaking i really wanted the ace of loki’s team to be a zebstrika in reference to his speed but chigiri already has one so now loki’s ace is his emolga!!

anri with an inkay and a little espurr (before they evolve) is such a cute image to me 🥹 inkay is such a random pokémon for the upside down thing too i wonder how the first person to get a malamar figured that specific mechanic out

honestly if the karasus weren’t so obviously bird themed i would’ve made yayoi a fighting type gym leader and snuffy the flying type e4 member (since his aura or symbol or whatever is an eagle i think) but hawlucha truly is sooo yayoi coded FJSKSKS and omg wait originally i was really set on chris prince being a fighting type specialist and luna was the fire type gym leader but then i couldn’t think of a type for snuffy and i was like “well ig fighting types fit with his whole discipline thing” so he got the fighting type designation…then i had to come up w smth for chris prince and the only types that were rlly left were ones that didn’t really fit him so i was like ok sorry luna but chris prince will be the fire type specialist!! and then i had to come up with the new type for luna and the first one i thought of was poison…i didn’t think it fit him too well but then when i started assigning pokémon i was like wait this COOKS like roserade tentacruel and scolipede especially have very strong luna vibes

DARMANITAN LOWKEY HAS THE SAME EXPRESSION AS PRINCE TOO maybe that’s why it fits so well same with simisear…tbh outside of the starters there are very few fire types and of the ones that exist i already couldn’t use half (reader/barou have houndooms, nagi had an arcanine, isagi has a charizard, tullia has an infernape, chigiri has a rapidash and a pyroar, otoya has a ninetales, karasu has a talonflame, ego has a chandelure, and lavinho has a volcarona) so i was STRUGGLING coming up with his team (and also loki’s there are very few electric types and most of them were also already in use by other characters) but i honestly ended up loving it!! agreed it has very chris prince vibes to it

DNDJSJS scrafty actually does give strong lorenzo energy maybe that’s why snuffy caught it /j 😭 tbh i just liked its typing (it’s technically 4x weak to fairy but reader doesn’t have any fairy types so she’s in the clear in terms of no easy sweeps of the e4) and i was also trying to come up with fighting types that were cool and hadn’t been taken (cough isagi and his machamp cough reo and his gallade cough tullia and her infernape/hitmonchan cough lavinho and his heracross cough yayoi and her hawlucha cough chris prince and his blaziken cough barou and his pangoro cough yukimiya and his breloom cough)

LMAOOOOO noel noa having a klefki truly is so random but i was also out of steel types (reo has mawile already, lavinho has scizor, reader has aegislash, hiori has metagross, loki has magnezone, yukimiya has steelix, and yayoi has skarmory) so we had to make do 😩 technically klefki does have rlly good typing since fairy is only weak to steel and poison but steel types are immune to poison so all of the fairy-type weakness are negated 🤩 maybe noel noa decided to be rational and just train the damn klefki for the type advantage LMAOAOA king for that tbh

[bleachanimefan1]

The Midnight Masquerade Part 7

His Butler, Chance Encounter,

It was in the afternoon and Cassandra decided to go to the park to think. She was sitting on the bench, watching the birds and watching the sunset. Then Cassandra heard footsteps slowly approaching closer to her and a voice spoke to her.

"Cassandra?" She turned and saw Grell standing a few feet from her, and he started to walk over to her.

"Grell? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure that you were alright." He smiled and took a seat next to her, sitting a few inches away. "I've noticed that you've been kind of quiet since last night at the Viscount place. Did anything happen?"

"I'm fine. Maybe a little shaken up and a little angry that I got shot at. All of that for nothing. The murder is still out there." Cassandra told him. Grell's eyes widen.

"You got shot!?" He exclaimed.

"But I'm alright. The bullet missed, luckily." Cassandra assured him.

"That's good."

"Yeah." Cassandra smiled and the two sat with each for a few moments in silence. Then Cassandra glanced over at Grell. "So other than the color red, tell me something else about you?"

"I like poetry and theatrical arts." He told her.

"That sounds interesting. So, you like romantic stuff?" Cassandra asked him. Grell made a small smile.

"You can say that. What about you? How did you end up with a crazy guy like the Undertaker? What about your parents? You never really talk about them." Grell asked her then he noticed Cassandra eyes drop a little.

"I'm sorry! If you don't want to talk about it-"

"No, it's okay. You asked, didn't you? It's fair since I asked you a lot of questions." Cassandra told him and continued.

"It's not a day that I'd like to remember. It happened ten years ago. It was late in the night; my parents had tucked me in. A loud noise woke me up and I went to go wake my parents. Someone had broken into the house. I didn't get to see who it was. I don't know why they attacked. My parents never done anything to anyone. All I remember, there was blood everywhere and smoke. I heard my mother screaming and my father telling me to run. So, I did. I heard my parents screams as they were killed.

I ran and never looked back until I collapsed in an alley. The next morning, I heard footsteps coming closer towards me. I grabbed a sharp piece of glass and lunged at them thinking it was the person who attacked our home. It was Undertaker.

He told me that my parent's had been burned down and my mother and father were killed. I didn't want to believe him, but I went to see it for myself. The house was gone and so were my parents. There was nothing but ash. So, Undertaker took me in. He's the only one close to family that I have left."

Grell, listened, silently, processing the whole story. It was almost similar to the Phantomhive brat. This can't be a coincidence. He looked at her, sadly. "Cassandra, I'm sorry."

"It happened a long time ago. I don't really know what to feel. But the main thing is that I'm alive. My parents died for that, and I won't let that go to waste. And also, I got to meet you." Cassandra spoke and smiled and slowly started to slide her hand over towards Grell's. Grell quickly pulled away and cleared his throat and quickly got up, avoiding his gaze from hers. "I'm sorry I got to go. There's some business that I need to attend to."

"Oh, okay. We'll talk later then." Cassandra nodded, smiling a little.

"Sure." Grell smiled and he left, and Cassandra waved goodbye to him as he did. Once Grell was gone, Cassandra's smile dropped a little.

"I'm so dumb. Why did I think he would like me."

It was late in the middle of the night, Ciel and Sebastian and Cassandra were waiting near an alley to a building of the latest victim the killer was most likely going to strike next. Every now and then it was drizzling rain. Cassandra shivered a little from the cold air.

"I still think this is a bad idea to let you come." Ciel muttered.

"I'm not going to get shot for nothing and not know who the killer is." Cassandra retorted. They have been standing guard to the only entrance to the house and waiting for several hours and nobody had passed by. 

"You're sure this is the place, right, Sebastian?" Ciel questioned.

"Yes. I've told you many times. I haven't gotten it wrong." Sebastian spoke.

"I've realized the prostitutes have other things in common besides their missing organs. Why go through the trouble of killing them?" Ciel wondered.

"Such pretty black fur..." Sebastian murmured. Cassandra blinked in confusion. Fur? She turned her head and saw Sebastian hugging a cat. Ciel saw as well, staring at Sebastian, angrily.

"Sebastian! Are you even listening to me!?"

"I couldn't help it. She was so beautiful." Sebastian replied.

"We are not keeping it! Now let it go!" Ciel shouted.

"I apologize, master, she's so soft."

Then a blood curdling scream pierced the air. "How could they have gotten past us!?"

"But this is the only entrance, isn't it? There's no way..." Cassandra questioned as well. Ciel quickly ran heading towards the door and busted it open. Sebastian and Cassandra followed behind him. Cassandra saw Ciel immediately stop.

"Ciel, why'd you stop? What's wrong?"

Sebastian quickly stopped her before grabbing Ciel, covering his eyes and quickly pulled him away from the door. Cassandra's eyes widen when she saw Ciel threw up.

"Ciel!? What did you see?" She asked about to walk towards the door, but Sebastian stopped her.

"Do not go in there." He warned her. Cassandra stopped and looked at Ciel in worry before turning her head towards the door when she heard footsteps coming towards them.

"You've made quite a bloody mess of things in there, Jack the Ripper, or rather, Grell Sutcliff."

Cassandra's eyes widen as she saw Grell step out of the house. He was covered from head to toe in blood.

"N-No, you're mistaken! I-I heard a scream and rushed to help!" Grell cried out before he glanced over at Cassandra for some help. "Cassandra, tell them!"

"Sebastian, Grell couldn't have done this. He...he couldn't..." Cassandra spoke before Sebastian cut her off.

"You can drop the innocent act, Grell. It's over. You know this is the first time I've actually met someone like you in the human world. You've played the role of helpless butler well. You're act almost had everybody completely fooled." Sebastian smirked. Cassandra looked at Sebastian, confused. Someone like you? Human world?

"Sebastian, what are you talking about?"

Then Cassandra heard Grell chuckle. "Really? You think so? How kind." Grell smiled and his teeth became razor sharp. Cassandra felt her the world shattered around her as she stared at the man, she cared about deeply, becoming less human by the second, in shock. Grell undid the bow holding his long hair and it flowed down to his waist then he pulled out a comb washing away the brown dye, revealing strikingly red hair.

"After all, I am an actress and quite a good one at that." She put on some false eye lashes. "Of course, you're not really Sebastian, either, are you?"

"Sebastian is the name my master has given me." Sebastian answered. "So that is who I am, for now."

"So, you're playing the faithful dog. Well, you're handsome enough to get away with it." Grell switched out her glasses for a pair of red spectacles with a long chain and skulls on each end. She pushed her glasses up, smiling at them. "Anyway, here we are, Sebastian, no, I'll call you Bassy! Let me introduce myself. The Burnett butler, Grell Sutcliff at your service." She blew a kiss over to Sebastian, who cringed in disgust.

"You're a crossdresser?" Cassandra stammered.

"I hated having to hide my red hair and dressing in such dull colored clothes. This is the real me." Grell said before looking at Sebastian. "Although, I'm very surprised to see someone like you. I've never met a demon playing a butler."

Cassandra's eyes widen at Grell's words. Demon? Sebastian wasn't even a human. No human could do the things he could do.

"Well, that explains so much." Cassandra murmured, softly. Sebastian glanced over at her a little in surprise before looking at Grell.

"I should say the same thing about you. I've never thought I would see one of your kind playing the role of butler, either. You're supposed to be an intermediary between man and God. A Grim Reaper." He smirked.

Cassandra's eyes widen. Grell was a grim reaper?

"Why would a divine being like you pretend to be a human?" Sebastian questioned.

"Let's just say, it was out of love for a certain woman." Grell smiled.

"And that would be-"

"Do you really need to ask?" Madame Red spoke and stepped out of the building. Cassandra's eyes widen in shock.

"I knew it was you!"

"I hadn't counted on this. I didn't think anyone would be able to tell who Grell truly is."

"Naturally, you were on the suspect list from the very beginning. But all of your alibi seemed flawless." Ciel spoke.

"You mean, you've actually suspected your own aunt."

"I was looking for a murder. Degree of relation to me does not matter." Ciel answered. "None of the humans on the suspect list could have been responsible for all the murders. But if one of them had an inhuman accomplice, then that would change the game entirely. It had to be someone who could enter and leave the room without being noticed. Someone who could travel from the Viscount's home to the east end, instantaneously. In the end, you two were the only ones who could be Jack the Ripper. You, Madame Red, and Grell Sutcliff. The victims also had something else in common besides prostitution. I've noticed that they've all undergone a certain surgery at the hospital that you work. We've made a list of all the persons, one, who was still alive was a woman by the name of Mary Kelly. We knew if we waited for the right moment, you would have come for her eventually. But we were too late."

"My darling nephew, how unfortunate this turned out to be. If you had let it go, we would have played chess again. But now...You have taken everything!" She screamed, furiously. There was a sudden roar and Sebastian quickly grabbed Cassandra and Ciel moving them out of the way when Grell lunged out wielding a chainsaw. Sebastian tossed them aside and quickly grabbed Grell's chainsaw with his bare hands when Grell attacked again and knocked her back.

"What is that?" Ciel asked.

"Grim reapers use a tool to harvest the souls of the living. That is his reaper scythe." Sebastian explained.

"Don't you dare call it that! It is so much more than a scythe! I've worked very hard to customize it!" Grell shouted. "This is a death scythe of my own design. It can hack anyone into tiny pieces. I've been far too well behaved. I'm getting out of shape. I would like to exercise my skills, so shall we play?" Grell teased.

"You should be more respectful of my position. I'm on duty after all." Sebastian frowned.

"What a stoic man you are! That makes you even more irresistible!" Grell smiled. "You know, red is my favorite color. It's perfect for hair, clothes, lipstick, so I've painted all those women with pretty red blood. So, Bassy, now I'll make you even better looking than you already are! I'll tear you up from the inside out and trust me I'll make you like it! You'll be lovely as scattered rose petals!" she winked.

"You're a grim reaper. Your job is required to harvest the souls of the dying. As a butler, your job is to follow your master like a shadow. You have violated both of these expectations and quite frankly, I've find it sickening." Sebastian glared at her. Grell smirked.

"Bassy, you wound me! You know, I'm more deadly efficient than I seem!"

"In my name and that of the queen, I order you Sebastian, put an end to them!" Ciel told Sebastian.

"Indeed, my lord." Sebastian smirked and Cassandra saw Sebastian's eyes glow red. Grell charged at Sebastian and the two started to clash with each other. Grell managed to pin Sebastian against the brick wall as he tried to hold back Grell's chainsaw. Cassandra watched still in shock and in disbelief. This all can't be real. This was a dream. This was all just a horrible dream!

"Cass, get out of here. This is your final warning." Ciel told her.

"You're not going anywhere!" Madame Red shouted, charging at Ciel and Cassandra with a knife. Ciel pushed Cassandra, knocking her out of the way. Cassandra fell to the ground and Madame Red slashed at Ciel, slicing his arm.

"You're a doctor! How could you do it!?" Ciel demanded.

"You wouldn't understand, if I told you! You're just a child!" Madame Red grabbed Ciel by the throat and slammed him against the wall, getting ready to stab him. "You shouldn't have been born in the first place!"

"Ciel!" Cassandra shouted.

"Master!" Sebastian shouted.

Then Madame Red stopped once she gazed at Ciel's face, trembling in shock. "S-Sister!" She gasped, stepping back a little. There was a sickening crunch, and Cassandra saw Sebastian flash by her, standing behind Madame Red getting ready to strike.

"Stop, Sebastian! Don't kill her!" Ciel shouted. Sebastian immediately stopped, pulling his arm back and held onto his injured shoulder that Grell sliced with her chainsaw.

"Sebastian, your arm." Ciel spoke, looking at him a little concerned, shocked to see that he was hurt.

"How sweet you are, Bassy! Really, what a prince. Sacrificing your own poor limb to save that kid. On the other hand, you are a disappointment, Madame Red. Come now, hurry up and kill the brat, already!" Grell shouted.

"I can't..." Madame Red spoke, softly. Cassandra saw that she was crying. "I loved my sister. I loved her husband. I loved their child. I can't...I can't kill him. I can't kill their beloved son."

"Really? You're getting soft hearted on me all of a sudden, after all those deaths? If you don't end him, he'll end you!"

"He's their son." Madame Red said and turned to Grell. "This child is my-!"

Grell's chainsaw plunged into Madame's Red's chest, slicing into it. Blood spurted out. Cassandra's eyes widen in horror, and she covered in her mouth. Ciel and Sebastian were shocked as well.

"Too late for that! How disappointing! What use do I have for you, if you're just another woman!" Grell shouted, tossing Madame Red to the ground. Then multiple ribbon like strands began to come out of Madame Red.

"What is that?" Cassandra asked.

"I don't see anything. Do you see something?" Ciel asked her.

"Oh?" Cassandra tensed up when she saw Grell turn to her, looking at her a little in surprise. "You can see it? How unusual."

"Is that the-" Sebastian spoke, knowing what it was.

"A part of the reaper's job is to replay and examine the memories of those who are on the to die list. From that, we determine what kind of person they were. We see from their own perspective what kind of life they lived. And we decide on whether they should live or die." Grell explained.

"Their lives flash right before their eyes." Sebastian replied.

"Oh, that's such a pedestrian term. This is so much more than that. This is the reaper's true power, the cinematic record."

Then Cassandra slowly began to reach out about to touch one of the flowing ribbons. Grell's eyes widen, slightly panicking, as she saw what Cassandra was about to do.

"Are you crazy!? Don't touch that!" She snapped. Cassandra quickly pulled her hand back.

"Why? What would happen?" She asked, frowning at her.

"Nothing that concerns you." Grell remarked. "But, if you wish to, then go right ahead. It won't be pretty; I'll tell you that much." She smirked. Cassandra glared at her.

The cinematic record began to play flashing through Madame Red's life.

Her real name was Angelina Dallas. She had always hated the color red, especially the red hair she had inherited from her father, while her sister got her blond hair from their mother. She fell in love with Ciel's father, Vincent Phantomhive, when he complimented her red hair. But in the end, he chose to marry her sister and Ciel's mother, Rachel. Eventually, Anne got married and settled down with her husband were about to have a child together. However, it didn't end the way she wanted. She lost her husband in a carriage accident and in order to save her life, the doctors had to remove her uterus and her unborn child. She could never have children again. Several years later, the Phantomhive estate was set ablaze and burned down to the ground. She had lost the man that she loved and her sister all in one day but was relieved to find that their child had survived. Ann eventually went into the medical field and became a doctor. She had several prostitutes as her clients wanting an abortion so a child wouldn't' get in the way of their work. That was all it took to break Anne. She started murdering them until one night she encountered Grell. Having the same interests, the color red and both wanting to carry a child of their own, the two teamed up together.

The record stopped and Madame Red fell to the ground with a thud, dead. Grell stepped over to her and ripped the coat off from Madame Red.

"You don't have what it takes to wear red." she spatted out disappointed and put the coat on draping over her elbows. "This is the end. Goodbye."

Cassandra stared down at Madame Red, feeling bad for her. She didn't deserve anything bad that had happened to her in life. All she wanted was a family of her own. But, then again, when was life ever fair? Then Cassandra turned to Grell as she started to walk away to leave. Cassandra slowly stood up while Ciel closed his aunt's eyes. His eyes widened as he saw Cassandra made a charge at Grell.

"Sebastian! Stop her!"

Before Sebastian could move, to Ciel's and Sebastian's surprise, Cassandra kicked Grell hard in the butt, knocking Grell forward with enough force and sending her falling flat on her face. Just right after she kicked her, Cassandra could have sworn she heard Grell let out a moan but ignored it. Grell sat up, looking at Cassandra in shock.

"How dare you!" She sputtered.

"That's for lying to me!" Cassandra shouted, angrily.

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that." Grell growled, getting up and brushing herself off.

[stellar-waves]

staring down the sun [12] *

⏯ chapter index

⚠ warnings: mentions of canon-typical violence, mentions of witnessed past sa

. . .

god's grace lost and the devil is proud

. . .

The flame flicks up from his hand, lighting the word tattooed along his left index finger. Veritas…truth. Not something either one of them was particularly good at, she’s realized. She wouldn’t call it lying…more like refraining, holding the truth in. Sometimes, it means protecting the other person from the truth. 

Elena inhales the fire into her cigarette as Connor steadies the lighter in front of her face. They stand behind the church, leaning against the brick wall as they watch Murphy, Dolly, and Duffy take turns shooting at cans and bottles with a .22 rifle in the field beyond the gravel drive. 

She doesn’t smoke often, as she usually aligns it with drinking or following some extraordinarily stressful situation. Now, it’s just something to do with Connor while the other guys kill time. 

Connor takes a drag off his cigarette, blowing the smoke out slowly as he narrows his eyes toward Elena. “So are ye ever going to tell me how’d ye ended up working with Smecker?”

She smiles and exhales. Since returning from New York, Elena had successfully dodged Connor’s (and Murphy’s) prying questions in the past few days. “He arrested me in an FBI raid.” 

Connor’s eyes go wide, somehow in both belief and disbelief. Hell, if she’s going to tell him the truth, she might as well have some fun, like Bloom always says. She strings him along as she explains how she was undercover with the Russian crime syndicate, piquing his curiosity as he asks, “Russians? Where? When?”

“New York. Not long before your run-in with them on St. Patty’s.”

Lifting the cigarette to his lips again, Connor lets the information settle in his mind. Elena can’t help but notice the faint scar around his wrist, knowing full well how he got that. He pulls his head back a bit. “And Smecker was there?”

Her lips curl up as she describes what happened, how Smecker used her code name to signal that everything would be okay.

Connor raises his eyebrows. “Code name?”

Elena hesitates. “Guess you can know what it is now.” The feeling that there’s no going back now weighs heavy in her chest again. No matter how much she wanted to fight it, she’s a part of this now…she’s with the Saints, and there’s no going back to the CIA ever again. “My code name is Sparrow. But Smecker said it in Russian.”

His smile is bright as he chuckles. “Oh, as in vorobey?” 

“Exactly. And the phrase he’d used was, ‘A little bird tells me it’s—‘”

But Connor’s laugh interrupts, and he covers his face in embarrassment. Elena looks at him with both worry and annoyance until he clarifies, “Ye know the last time I saw ye in prison, yeah?” He doesn’t wait for her to answer; just smiles and shakes his head. “‘A little bird’ was the code Duffy had written on a postcard to us.” Elena is still confused, wondering what Connor is trying to get at. He takes a breath and gestures towards his ears. “When I saw yer sparrow earrings, I panicked. Thought ye were part of our escape plan.”

Her cheeks blush as she touches one of the small gold birds on her earlobes. She had no idea, and she feels like such a fool for being so God damn blind in that moment, for not reading Connor’s reaction better. “Well, I was, indirectly.” She twists her lips, still feeling embarrassed and sad at the same time. “They just kept me in the dark about when and how exactly they would break you out.” 

The laugh lines around his eyes are still creased from smiling. “And ye had to keep yer cover,” he reminds her. “It’s okay, lass,” he starts as he takes another drag. “I still like yer earrings.” 

God damn Connor MacManus charm.

He flicks ash off the cigarette, looking down at his feet. “So what happened with the Russians?” 

The question feels so out of place, and the answer really unimportant. Elena attempts to sound nonchalant as she recalls the memory. “Most of them were arrested in that raid. Except Nikolai.” She looks down, watching the smoke swirl from around her fingers and instantly regretting saying the motherfucker’s name. 

She feels Connor’s eyes sharpen on her. “Who’s Nikolai?”

Another drag, still not looking at him. “He had given me a nice shiner on my cheek right before the raid, all because I refused to fuck him. He always got rough with the girls…even raped some of them. ” 

Those poor girls and their cries still haunt Elena. She blinks hard and lifts her head to see Connor twisting his face into anger. 

“Not me. No, I pissed him off enough that all he wanted to do was beat me up. He took off right before the FBI came, and the other agents were dragging their feet in finding him. He was a low-level boss, not someone with real teeth in the operation. But he was still one evil motherfucker. So Smecker helped me track him down…and I killed him.”

Connor stares at her, studying her. He wavers, lowering his voice as he asks, “Had ye killed anyone before?” 

She pauses again, afraid to tell him the truth yet wanting to tell him everything so badly. “I had. But this was the first one I went rogue for…off the record.” 

Veritas.

He doesn’t really react; he just takes another drag off his cigarette. “And Smecker helped ye?”

Smiling softly, she takes a beat. “He was the only one I knew I could trust.” 

Elena wonders if Connor’s silence means he’s piecing together the timeline, if he’s figuring out that there’s some overlap between her story and his. And she wonders if she should tell him that it’s because of the evidence gathered at Copley Plaza in 1999 that led her and Smecker to find Nikolai. 

Maybe someday. Not today. Not yet.

“Mind if I ask how did ye kill him?” Connor speaks up cautiously. He shrugs when she looks at him. “Call it morbid curiosity.”

She stamps out her cigarette under her foot and steps closer to Connor, dropping her volume so no one else can hear. “Three shots to his chest. It was just the two of us in the room, so I pulled his gun out and planted it in his hand. Made it look like whoever killed him did so out of self-defense.” 

“Fuck, that’s savage,” Connor exhales. Elena knows he means brilliant. Growing up, she would have to explain to her friends why her mother would say savage whenever it seemed out of place, that it’s what they say in Ireland to mean something is fantastic or amazing. She had to admit that it sometimes made her mother sound like a badass. And here, Connor using it makes Elena feel like a badass.

The sounds of Murphy arguing with Dolly about God knows what breaks her attention, and Elena quickly steps back, realizing just how close she had actually been standing next to Connor. 

“Bullshit!” Dolly exclaims as the trio climbs the steps. “You did not hit both bottles with one bullet! Ain’t no fucking way!”

Murphy scoffs at the detective and argues that the bullet ricocheted off the first bottle, thus hitting the second bottle. “Duffy, ye saw it, yeah?”

“I’m staying neutral, boys,” the other detective raises his hands in surrender. 

Connor flicks his cigarette to the ground and runs his hand through his hair, his eyes landing back on Elena as the three men walk between them. She sees the disappointment on his face, feeling her own features reflect the same sense of defeat. 

The door opens just as Murphy reaches for it, and Bloom sticks her head out, her jaw chomping wildly on a piece of gum. “I think we have something,” she explains, stepping aside to let the group walk in. Dolly and Duffy seamlessly switch back into detective mode, ready to work out whatever plans are needed for the Saints’ next move. 

“This about the Lombardos?” Connor inquires as Bloom joins them, walking to Smecker’s office downstairs. 

She chews on her gum with a smile. “Oh, you know it. Bastardos are running more than drugs these days.”

Elena slows her steps, her stomach sinking as Murphy asks what the hell that means. Connor looks over his shoulder, concern wiping across his face when he sees that Elena has stopped entirely. She watches him get the attention of Bloom and his brother, but the cries of those Russian girls echo in her ears. Connor walks up to her, and his Irish accent saying her name breaks her out of the memory. 

She blinks, now feeling anger bubbling in her throat. Her eyes dart between Connor and Murphy, then focus on Bloom, whose smile had faded into a solemn frown. Elena swallows hard, confirming her gut feeling. “You mean human trafficking.”

. . .

. . .

⏮ [11]

[13] ⏭

[celticsorcerer1]

Aisling McKeen Vs Exhibition

—-

Roxanne “Roxie” Richter and her girlfriend, Aisling McKeen were strolling through downtown Toronto hand-in-hand. Roxy squeezed Aisling’s hand gently. “Talk to your folks yet?”

Aisling nodded. “They were upset at first that I just up and left without a word and disappeared for two months, but I was expecting that,” she blushed. “What I didn't expect was how proud they were when I told them I was gay and that I was dating this cute half-ninja.”

Roxie beamed. “See, honey? Told you there was nothing to worry about!”

Aisling chuckled. “I wouldn't say that…they, um, want to come over to meet you tomorrow night.”

Roxie grinned wider. “Perfect timing! I have an art show tomorrow night. Why don't you and your parents meet me there? That way, they can see my artistic side before they learn about my… past issues.”

“Oh, Roxie Rose…” Aisling hugged her. “I don't hold your past against you. My parents won't either. Promise.”

Roxie hugged back. “You’re the best, Aisling. No matter what happens, I hope you know that.”

“Speaking of things to know,” Aisling pulled back and eyed Roxie with a raised eyebrow. “You paint? Like, for galleries?”

Roxie chuckled. “Well, yeah. Being a half-ninja doesn't exactly pay the bills. I make good money doing art.”

“The more I learn about you, the more I love you,” Aisling admitted, her cheeks flushed.

“Love you too,” Roxie pulled Aisling close. “And for the record, I'm excited to meet your parents. Your brother was a decent guy, you’re a sweetheart who stays true to her convictions, they must be a riot.”

“I hope so…” Aisling whispered.

—

The following evening, Aisling walked up to the Abbozzo Gallery as the sun sank low on the horizon. She wore a sky-blue evening gown and black pumps. She’d applied light rouge and a coat of wine-red lipstick, which was more than she usually did, but it was a special occasion. And Roxie was a special girl.

As Aisling neared the Gallery entrance, she saw a shimmer of golden light just at the edge of her field of vision on the right side. Turning, she saw a column of golden light erupt in front of her. When it subsided, two Clerics stood there. One was a tall, broad-shouldered man with close-cropped dazzling white hair, the other a beautiful woman with a graceful figure. Both wore the white tunics that marked them as members of the Order of Clerics, complete with the Nova Scotia flag clasped at their shoulders.

Aisling rolled her eyes. “You two and Matthew have a dramatic flair for entrances, yet I'm the gay one?”

Colin McKeen laughed heartily as he held out his arms. “Stay that silver tongue and hug your dear old Dad, Aisling!”

Asking happily ran into her father’s arms and hugged him tight. “I missed you so much, Daddy… I’m sorry I left…”

Colm kissed the top of her head. “I knew my baby bird was going to leave the nest eventually, love. I just would have appreciated a heads up.”

Tara McKeen hugged her husband and daughter. “It’s in the past, my dears. Let’s look to the future. Or, better yet, the present.”

Colm stepped back. “Yes, of course. The reason we’re here.” with a wave of their hands, the elder McKeens’ tunics were replaced with more appropriate attire. Colm, his white hair fading to a deep chestnut color, was dressed in a dark blue sweater vest, a white dress shirt, black slacks, and black loafers.

Tara, her long braided hair as red as her daughter’s, wore a beautiful white dress and matching stilettos.

Aisling linked arms with them both. “You both look fabulous. Now, come meet my Roxie.” She led her parents inside and almost immediately spotted Roxie in front of two canvases covered in tarps, one sitting horizontal, the other vertical.

Roxie was dressed in a knee-length strapless red dress that hugged her curvaceous figure. She wore her combat boots and fishnet stockings with it, but it worked for her.

Then again, Aisling was a little biased. She strolled over to Roxie and hugged her. “You look stunning, Roxie.”

“Look who’s talking, Ash,” Roxie looked her girlfriend up and down. “God, I want to kiss you like crazy, but I’ll hold off, as I assume that the couple giving us a little space is the folks.”

Aisling looked behind her. Sure enough, her parents were a few feet away. She smiled and motioned for them to come over. “Mom, Dad, this is my awesome half-ninja girlfriend, Roxie Richter. Roxie, may I introduce my father, Chief Cleric Colm McKeen, and my mother, Tara, Headmistress of the Cleric Academy.”

Roxie smiled and bowed. “A pleasure to meet you both. Welcome to my showcase.”

Colm and Tara inclined their heads. “Thank you, Roxie. And thank you for being there for our Aisling.” the former said warmly.

Colm hugged his daughter. “She’s our baby, you know. Last to leave the nest.”

“Dad!” Aisling complained, blushing.

Roxie beamed. “No thanks necessary, Chief. Wouldn't your religious teachings tell you this was part of God’s plan for her?”

“True,” Colm smiled. “Matthew was right about you, Roxie. You have a good heart. Though neither you nor Aisling need it, you two have our blessing to date.”

Roxie’s face turned as red as her dress. “I mean… it’s still nice to hear. Thank you.” Clearing her throat, Roxie checked her watch and smiled. “Show’s about to start. Enjoy.” She snapped her fingers and all the lights, save for the two right above the blanketed canvases, dimmed. “Hello, art fanatics and critics alike! My name’s Roxie Ritcher and I welcome you to my showcase. This first piece I’d like to show off is symbolic of change, specifically in my own life,” she glanced towards the McKeens. Taking a deep breath, she took the plunge. “For the longest time, I held onto some negative emotions that led me down a horrible path. I was part of a bad crowd. I did things I regret,” she smiled warmly as she looked at Aisling. “But at the end of that dark path, there was a light. And, so, I give you the first piece of the night: Hard Walk Worthwhile.” she ripped the tarp off the horizontal canvas. It was completely splattered with red paint. A steady line of pudgy bare white footprints started from the lower left corner and traveled upward until they reached a golden heart at the top right of the canvas, also consisting of pudgy footprints.

A thin woman dressed to the nines eyed the piece. “However did you create such realistic footprints?”

Roxie laughed. “Easy. After covering my canvas in red paint, I set it on the floor and walked barefoot across it. Then, once it had dried, I painted my soles and toes gold and created the heart. It tickled.”

“And the heart is gold because…?” someone else asked.

“It represents all the good in my life now that I’ve turned my life around,” Roxie replied. She turned her attention to Aisling and winked.

Aisling blushed. I love her, I love her, I love her!

Colm chuckled. “She is a unique and talented artist. Maybe the Order could commission her to paint a few pieces for the Meeting Hall.”

“If she draws this sort of crowd, we probably can’t afford her.” Tara joked.

“Hard Walk Worthwhile will be available for online auction next Sunday, starting at 6 pm local time. The starting bid will be $500 Canadian. And now, for the next piece. This one, I’m particularly proud of. Some artists spend years looking for their muse. I found mine just a few weeks ago, completely by accident. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she was the one,” She ripped the tarp off the other canvas. “I present My Vision.”

Aisling’s jaw dropped as she saw… herself standing on the banks of the Mira River. And yet, Roxie had somehow made her look almost angelic. It reminded her of the images of the saints and angels she had seen in stained glass windows growing up.

The Aisling in the painting had her luminous blue eyes pointing heavenward, her short white hair swaying as if a light breeze was blowing past her. She was wrapped in the flag of Nova Scotia, one hand holding it to her bosom, the other aloft, holding a white birch branch. A katana lay shattered at her bare feet.

Tara smiled as she raised her hand. “I notice that your… muse stands on the banks of the Mira and is wrapped in the flag of Nova Scotia. Why is that?”

Roxie blushed. “Well, my muse hails from that province… and I thought, if I was going to paint her anywhere, it would be at home.

“Why the shattered katana at her feet?” an onlooker asked.

Roxie smiled. “She’s more than my muse for my art. She is a symbol of the good things in my life. She… helps me be better than I was. That shattered katana represents my dark past and how my muse helped me move past it."

Aisling had been blushing red-hot since the portrait had been revealed. She hid her face behind her hands, praying that no one made the connection between her and Roxie’s muse. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. How could it be possible to fall more and more in love with Roxie than she already was? Inwardly, she promised herself that the moment the opportunity arose, she would kiss her girlfriend silly,

“My Vision will go online alongside Hard Walk Worthwhile but the starting bid will be $1000 Canadian. Until the auction, though, they’ll hang right here for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.” Roxie vanished in a cloud of smoke, eliciting awe from most of the spectators.

Aisling just rolled her eyes. “That’s my Roxie.”

Colm grinned. “Well, I like her! Bring her to Cape Breton one of these days. Let us show her the hospitality she deserves.”

Tara nodded. “Perhaps she can be a guest teacher for my Primary Grade Art class.”

In a puff of smoke, Roxie appeared beside Aisling. “Well, I’ve never really taught anyone, but that sounds like fun,” she looked at Aisling. “That is, Ash, if you wouldn’t mind showing me around CBI.”

Aisling wordlessly nodded, still blushing.

“I think your wonderful showcase was too much for her, Rox.” Colm teased.

Roxie smiled warmly and placed a hand on Aisling’s cheek. “Did you like my pieces… my muse?”

Her answer came exactly one heartbeat later when Aisling grabbed her shoulders and kissed Roxie with more passion than she ever had before.

While surprised at first, Roxie soon melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Aisling’s shoulders.

The kiss soon parted. Aisling rested her forehead against Roxie’s. “Am I really that pretty to you?”

“Honey, no painting can capture what you mean to me. Heck, I did two paintings with that in mind and it’s still not enough,” Roxie replied. “You’re not the first girl I’ve gotten close to, but you’re the first I really, truly love. I want to spend my life with you. No matter what that looks like.”

Tara sniffled. “Oh, how beautiful…”

Roxie turned her attention to Aisling’s parents. “And don’t worry, I may not be Catholic, but I respect that Aisling is and will abide by whatever boundaries she sets.”

Aisling rolled her eyes again. “Except the boundary of “leave me alone, I’m not into girls”, anyway.”

“Well, petal, to be fair, you were lying to yourself then. Jesus wanted you to be more honest with yourself,” Tara pointed out. “And here you are.”

Aisling opened her mouth to argue but closed it a moment later. “Touche.”

Roxie rested her head on Aisling’s shoulder. “Anyone hungry? Dinner’s on me.”

“Thank you for the offer, Roxie, but we should head back. The Order can’t run itself,” Colm smiled at the young couple. “You two take care of each other. And don’t be afraid to bring Roxie to Cape Breton, Aisling. You know that no matter what, your family has your back.”

“I know, Daddy. And we will visit… someday. I miss home… but I’m still… figuring myself out.” Aisling admitted.

“I’ll be there every step of the way, honey,” Roxie promised.

Aisling squeezed her hand. “I’ll hold you to that.”

A golden portal appeared behind the elder McKeens.

Colm sighed. “That’s our cue.”

Aisling hugged her parents tight. “I love you both so much. Thank you for being…”

“Your loving parents? Perfectly happy for you?” Tara offered.

“So cool with Roxie. I know some in the Order might not be as accepting as you are, so it’s a load off my mind that you like her.”

“Oh, darling, we love her,” Colm kissed her forehead. “And we love you. Always.”

—

Aisling offered to escort Roxie home, which the young artist accepted. As they walked through the heart of the city, Aisling looked at Roxie. “So… you really walked across a wet canvas barefoot?”

“Yup! And it was fun!” Roxie smirked. “You know, I could use your help with a similar piece. Here’s what I’m thinking. From one end of the canvas, a set of red footprints. From the opposite end, a set of blue. They meet in the center and form a purple heart.”

Aisling blushed. “The two of us… walking in paint…barefoot?”

“It feels great. And painting your soles tickles too. C’mon, it’ll be a blast!” Roxie encouraged.

“I’ll… think about it.”

[sweetestgrethan]

Underbelly

Tags: Slice of life, face fucking, holiday season

Hi! I’m obsessed with this au so here’s part 4 even though I just posted one lol. Time skipped a couple more years, to their 30th bday! Enjoy!

WC: 2611

————

Ethan took a slow drag from the cigarette between his fingers, exhaling towards the sky, hoping it would make the smell less noticeable. He was sitting on his and Grayson’s porch, on the steps that led up to their front door, arms wrapped around his knees.

Ethan could feel the way the air was shifting already, spring turning into another burning hot summer. It was still cool enough to enjoy the weather, so Ethan tried to take advantage as much as possible. He liked watching the neighborhood pass by as they lived their lives, watching cars drive past and squirrels climb up trees, birds swooping by and neighbors offering polite smiles on their daily walks.

Ethan didn’t startle when he heard the door behind him open, feeling the floorboards under him creaking under Grayson’s weight.

“You know I don’t like it when you smoke,” Grayson scolded softly, smiling anyway, reaching down to pet the top of Ethan’s head before he joined him on the steps, sitting right beside him.

“I was feeling rebellious,” Ethan explained, returning the smile and watching Grayson settle.

“There are better ways to act out,” Grayson smirked and went to grab the cigarette from Ethan’s hand, taking a drag for himself.

Ethan watched Grayson fondly, admiring the way his lips curled around it, how the smoke bellowed out of him unceremoniously. “I was thinking..” Ethan trailed off, still staring.

“Uh oh,” Grayson joked, handing the cigarette back to Ethan.

Ethan laughed softly before he continued, ashing the cigarette on the step below them. “I want to move. California is so… I don’t know. I’m done with it, you know?” He said honestly, finishing off the cigarette before he threw it on the bottom step, crushing it under the heel of his shoe. “I wanna be somewhere quiet. And beautiful. Where no one will bother us.”

Grayson smiled at Ethan as he spoke, nodding along. “I agree,” Grayson murmured, wanting to touch, to place a hand on Ethan’s thigh or kiss his cheek to show some form of support, but he was keenly aware that anyone could see them on their stoop, that any neighbor could pop out and see the twins doing unsavory things if they weren’t careful. So, he refrained, kept his distance and his hands to himself. “Jersey?” Grayson suggested, still staring at his brother’s face.

“I considered it,” Ethan admitted. “I wish we could move back in with mom sometimes. That house is perfect,” he chuckled.

Grayson laughed too, because he had the same thought. Their childhood home was everything they wanted, with the unwelcome prying eyes of their mother. “We can look at something close to her, yeah? Our own piece of land. We can make it our own.”

Ethan nodded eagerly. “That sounds nice,” he hummed, ignoring their rule, the one about not being too obvious in public, snaking his hand onto Grayson’s thigh and squeezing it gently.

————

“3, 2, 1!”

The family of four all struck a pose as the flash of the camera went off, bursting into fits of laughter after the photo was taken.

Although the weather in LA wasn’t exactly fit for sweaters, they each had on a matching ugly sweater, something their mom had insisted on, for the sake of the holiday spirit.

“Grayson, your eyes are closed again!” Cameron guffawed as she looked at the photo they had just taken, turning the phone around to show it to the twins.

“Shit,” Grayson laughed, giving Cameron an awkward smile in return. “I’m sorry, I have to blink,” he insisted.

Ethan came up beside him to look at the picture too, shaking his head playfully. “I think it’ll make a great postcard,” he assured through a laugh.

It was a strange feeling, although exciting, to have their mom and sister here to celebrate their birthday and Christmas, in the home where Ethan and Grayson had grown so much, both as people and in their relationship. Ethan had been quite nervous about it at first, the premise of having to act normal around them for the next two weeks, but Grayson had assured him that they’d done it their whole lives, it wouldn’t be any different this time around.

Ethan had noticed a change in their mother coming up to this trip, in the way she talked about them. They’d grown used to her asking about girlfriends, boyfriends, family plans, about when they were going to move away from each other. Now, she rarely asked about any of that, in favor of asking how they’d been, what they were up to, how work was. Ethan didn’t want to assume she knew about them, but it made him a bit queasy to ponder her new acceptance of their relationship as it was, two brothers who were content to live side by side their whole lives, unimpeded by spouses. They were turning 30 in a few days, the age where they should’ve been thinking seriously about starting families and settling down, but they couldn’t deny what they really wanted, which was to be together, just the two of them.

It’s just Grayson and Cameron one morning, up quite a bit earlier than Ethan or their mom could ever bother to be up. Grayson had made them both eggs and blueberry pancakes, to Cameron’s surprise.

“Ethan’s not much of a cook, so one of us has to be able to feed us,” Grayson explained with a smile, eyes downcast at the imperfect pancakes he was cutting into.

Cameron smiled softly at that, watching Grayson curiously. She’d been wanting to ask about that, about Grayson and Ethan. How they worked, how neither of them had any intention to separate from each other anytime soon. Cameron had only ever passively cared about what her brothers got up to, never really caring to look too deep into their bond. It was different now, all of them were much older and much more mature. She’d wondered for years if there was anything more, if their closeness was just on the surface level.

“I bet you still do all the laundry and handle the finances too,” Cameron quipped back, taking a bite of her eggs as she watched Grayson laugh.

“Actually, he’s gotten better at the finances part. Can’t say he does much laundry, though,” Grayson hummed and took a sip from his water. “We have a good system. We try to trade off on the chores and stuff.”

Cameron is slightly shocked that Grayson didn’t deny that part, the part about them sharing money, like a couple. She itches to ask what she really wants to ask. It all sounds so domestic in a way she can’t quite wrap her head around. “You’re better than most married couples,” she commented, offhandedly, though she realized too late what she was implying.

Grayson paused for a moment, only taking a second to gather his thoughts before he continued eating. No way, he thought. There’s no way. “We fight like a married couple, too,” he tacked on, trying his best to dissolve the cloud of tension that settled over them.

Cameron looked Grayson’s way again, narrowing her eyes at him, like she was trying to figure it all out. “Be honest with me, Gray. Like, really honest,” she finally said, setting her utensils down to give him her undivided attention.

Grayson looked up at Cameron with a carefully practiced expression, furrowing his brows as if he was confused. He knew the day would come when she would ask, he’d practiced for this exact scenario. “About what?” Grayson replied easily and shoved another piece of pancake in his mouth. He wasn’t going to be honest at all, as long as he could help it.

“You and Ethan. It’s.. It’s more than you’re letting on. I see it, Gray, the way you look at each other. Living together this long. Not one mention of other people,” Cameron watched as Grayson broke eye contact with her, looking down at his plate with an almost guilty expression. Cameron remembers that look from when they were little, when she’d catch them getting up to no good. Grayson doesn’t need to say anything in return, but she wants to hear it from him so she’d have some peace of mind.

Grayson isn’t exactly sure how to proceed. He never expected his sister to be so adamant about the topic. It seemed like her thoughts were set, that Grayson could probably do little to convince her otherwise. Grayson shrugged, returning her intense gaze and letting out a breath through his nose. “Why do you care?” Grayson countered. He hadn’t meant to sound sassy, or rude, but it was a genuine question. Why did it matter? Why was it so bad that he and Ethan loved each other so deeply?

Cameron finally seemed to relax at Grayson’s answer. It was all the answer she needed. Truly, she’d been coming to terms with their relationship their whole lives, so it was barely shocking to her anymore. She couldn’t say she was exactly in favor of her twin brothers being together in this way, but she also knew she could do nothing to pull them apart, even if she really wanted to.

“I don't,” Cameron said after clearing her throat, back to eating her food like before. “It’s sweet. Built-in soulmate,” she concluded, offering the smallest smile, trying to ease the stressed expression on Grayson’s face.

Grayson found himself speechless again. This wasn’t how he thought this morning would go, unintentionally revealing themselves to their sister. “We’re good together. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of him,” Grayson mused. He thought, if he could prove that it was blissful, that he wouldn’t want it any other way, then any of Cameron’s preconceptions could be proven wrong.

Cameron finished off the last bite of her pancake, leaning back in her seat to take Grayson in, arms crossing over her chest. “No nieces and nephews for me to spoil, then?” She teased.

Grayson tried his best to let his guard down, to just be normal about this, to accept that Cameron wasn’t saying any of this maliciously. “We’re trying,” he admitted. “I’m not too into the idea of him, uh, carrying, but we’re looking into some other options. Adoption, surrogacy.”

Cameron nodded. She couldn’t help but feel herself growing embarrassed, almost uncomfortable. It was a natural reaction to hearing any mention of her siblings’ sex lives. “He’d be such a wimp about it, anyway,” Cameron laughed. “He can’t even handle having a cold.”

Grayson laughed, too, feeling like it was okay to do so, to about this with her. “Yeah, I guess so,” he smirked.

————

Ethan giggled as Grayson pushed at his shoulder, the older twin dropping to his knees obediently. He looked up at Grayson with big, shiny eyes, glistening with his intoxication. He could still feel the warmth of the rum he had earlier blooming through his chest as he gently tugged down Grayson’s sweats, only enough to take him out of his boxers.

It was Christmas Eve, and the house was quiet, save for the sound of the air conditioning, and the low hum of the abandoned Christmas movie in the living room. They had all wanted to stay up and watch it together, as a family, but both Cameron and their mom had bowed out in favor of sleep. Ethan and Grayson didn’t mind, of course.

Ethan was never subtle when he was drunk, so it had been hard to keep his distance until they had left. He’d followed Grayson into the kitchen when he said he wanted to grab some snacks, having other things in mind.

“I can trust you to be quiet, right?” Grayson purred as he watched Ethan pull his boxers down, revealing his already hard cock, bobbing a few inches from his face.

Ethan nodded eagerly, a hand wrapping around the base so he could stroke the length of it. This was extremely stupid, doing this in the kitchen where they could very easily be found, but Ethan didn’t really care at the moment. He’d spent the whole week sleeping alone, with only stolen kisses here and there, and he could barely function without the excessively close contact he was used to.

“Shut me up,” Ethan challenged and leaned down, spitting on Grayson’s dick so his hand would glide more smoothly, opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out, inviting Grayson in.

Grayson was certain he wouldn’t last very long, not at this rate, with Ethan being as effortlessly sexy as he was. Grayson wordlessly took a fistful of Ethan’s soft hair in his hand, using the grip to steady himself as he slowly pushed himself down Ethan’s throat. Ethan was always so good at this, pliant and soft and wet, no gag reflex to get in the way of Grayson wrecking him.

Ethan let out a silky noise around Grayson as he slowly started a pace, eyes closing as he concentrated on relaxing his throat. Grayson was already pushing him all the way down, forcing his lips to press against the base, nose buried in the patch of pubes above it. If only Grayson could see how wet he was, how he felt like he was soaking through every layer he was wearing. He didn’t dare touch himself, not wanting to stop the pleasant ache or the slick that never ceased to spill out of him. He clenched around nothing, desperate to feel Grayson’s cock inside him.

Grayson tried not to make a sound as he fucked into Ethan's mouth, letting out shaky breaths that threatened to turn into soft noises. "Missed you,” he groaned softly, pressing Ethan all the way down and keeping him there for a few moments, able to feel the way his gag reflex flexed around him. Grayson used his free hand to feel along the length of Ethan’s neck, squeezing his fingers around him so he could feel the outline of himself there, making his cock jolt in his mouth.

Ethan hummed again, flattening his tongue out to make more space, drooling down his chin and making a mess of his shirt. If he could come untouched, he would’ve been shaking from the gentle squeeze of his neck, Grayson admiring the way he fit inside of his throat. He made sure to keep his hands folded in his lap, knowing Grayson liked having full control of him, with no roaming hands to deal with.

"You're so good, just for me," Grayson purred and pushed his hips forward, on the verge of his orgasm as he thrusted into Ethan's mouth. His twin was perfect in every way conceivable, so receptive to him and what he needed, even if it happened to be in the middle of their kitchen, while the rest of their family slept just down the hall. "You want my load down your throat, E?" he growled and tugged his hair harder, watching Ethan's face scrunch up, trying desperately to tell him yes, please, I need all of it.

When Grayson did come, Ethan stayed impaled on the girthy length, letting his throat muscles work around him as he swallowed, not pulling off until he was certain he'd gotten all of it. The room seemed to spin a little more after he finished, pressing lazy kisses to Grayson's tummy as he pulled his sweats back up. "I need more," Ethan whined, knowing it wasn't likely that they'd be able to fuck properly, even though his body ached for it, needed it to function.

"I know. Me too," Grayson hummed, still sucking in slow breaths, recovering from his orgasm as he leaned back against the counter.

————

I know it’s going a bit slow. I do like writing in this style though, just little blips of their life. Hope you liked it :-) lmk your thoughts in my ask box! 🩵🩷

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

[intrawebs]

A list of misc. Hermitcraft/Life Series fics from someone who loves AUs

There is no smut on this list

❤️ = Angst  💜 = Fluff 💛 = Fic I recently added

No Romance and Romance Optional

❤️Hermit Hybrids (In Progress Series) by Flickersprout - "Loosely connected fantasy AU with background dystopian elements. Mostly exploring the Hermits as a magic found family and all their different ways of being nonhuman." Can be read in any order! I'd suggest starting with The Colors of Friendship cause it's the earliest chronologically, ZombieCleo's great, and it's a good introduction to the world.

❤️the sanctity of the mundane (Completed Series) by crabbunch - “Snippets of life on the Double Life server; mundanity can reveal the most interesting things about people, after all.” This series makes me crazy. The only happy pairs are Boat Boys and Ranchers hell yeah

From the Archives (Completed Series) by Sixteenthdays and zeph - “A collection of statements from the archives of the Void Institute.” A Hermitcraft/Life Series Magnus Archives AU with Grian as the Head Archivist and Pearl, Mumbo, Scar, and Impulse as his assistants. Can be read with no knowledge of the Magnus Archives.

Interlude From Another Reality: Peacock's Eye by Sixteenthdays and zeph - “‘My assistant,’ announced Scar Goodtimes, newly-promoted Head Archivist of the Peacock's-Eye Institute, to nobody in particular except maybe the paused audio recording software on his laptop, or perhaps the small pile of tape recorders his predecessor'd left piled on a shelf in the corner, or arguably the little peacock-feather eye logo that dotted the office as haphazardly as it did the entire Institute, ‘is weird.’

(In which Scar is Grian's Archivist, and Grian is Scar's assistant.)” Sort of an AU of the Magnus Archives AU? Haha. But it’s completely divorced from the canon and can definitely be read stand alone.

❤️Shining and Polished (But Never to Plan) by SaltyServal - “A cough makes Grian freeze in his tracks, shakes him to his core. Despite all the signs, of all the things he was expecting to find in this cave, a truly sentient creature was not one of them. That’s what scares him the most.

He turns, grabbing his dagger and pointing it at the newcomer, who simply smiles at him, fangs and all.

‘Why hello there.’

tldr; Grian is an avian desperate to keep his wings, and he'll do whatever it takes to save himself. Even if it means stealing from a dragon.

(It turns out there's more to the dragon then he thought).” A fantasy AU with bird!Grian and dragon!Scar

oh captain (let's make a deal) by birrdie - “No one on these shores knew Scar’s name. Aside from Tango, of course. No one feared the humble, white-sailed ship docked on the south side of the port. This, like the tides, would eventually change with time. They would know his name soon enough. The greatest pirates all rose from humble beginnings like a phoenix from ashes. Scar was no different from them; that much he was sure of. And it would not take him long to prove it.

Or; Scar is a Captain of a humble pirate crew of one. That is, until a discovery on the shore shakes things up a bit.” A heaping helping of greedy pirate Scar and mysterious crewmate Grian, with evil Boat Boys and innocent Solidaritek as a garnish.

❤️starry eyes stare through me by whatcaniwriteinthis - "'You know,' he says. 'Gotta have a good show: high stakes, violence—' He nods at the room, at the 24 children learning how to use weapons, how to start a fire, how to find food that won’t kill them.

'An unlikely allyship,' Scar finishes, smiling a little. Grian smirks back.

–

Grian is this year's male tribute from District 9. Clearly, the odds are already not in his favor. But he has to get home to his sister and to do that he has to play the Games. Give them a show. Stay alive. Remember to step out of line is to threaten Pearl. Don't get too attached to the Career that agrees to be his ally, but not to put a damn shirt on." Angst without a happy ending. Made me cry

❤️Stained Glass Sunlight (In Progress Series) by Cosmic_Retribution - “The Watchers had seemed so nice, is the thing. So… disarmingly hospitable.

When they’d set out for the ruins, they’d gone in search of some magical beasts reportedly plaguing the area, according to the flyer they’d taken. What they’d found instead was an empty city and a group of mages and scholars studying… something. They’d been cagey about what. Certainly not the history of the place— the Watchers arrived long after the fall of Dogwarts, content to live and work inside the city’s corpse with no special reverence for the grave it lay ruined in. They had no stake in its fall, or its future, or the preservation of its once-hallowed legacy— but its bones, certainly, served as protection enough for their studies.

The beasts were the only thing troubling the Watchers’ work, or so they’d said. Strange, then, that Grian and his party never once saw a trace of them.

How long after, until his friends realized Grian was gone? That they weren’t safe?

—

Two decades ago, the city of Dogwarts met its demise. Today, a traveler meets god wearing the mask of a merchant, looking for a miracle.

These two things are not as unconnected as they appear.” Grian and Scar’s version of the lamplight AU(below). Featuring bored god Scar and oblivious paladin Grian.

Lamplight (In Progress Series) by skelew - “Welcome to Lamplight, a DnD/Fantasy Third/Last Life Renchanting AU. Ren is a god stuck in the form of living fire. Martyn is his sole follower. Martyn and Ren help free one another from imprisonment by the Watchers and are now traveling the world on a two-man adventure of fond companionship and occasional arson.” There’s angst but really just in the first fic. The main series has no shipping but skelew has written some treebark one shots that are also in the collection.

❤️dandelion wishing by skelew - “The white lily is known to symbolize purity, innocence. It is also a symbol of mourning, a popular choice to decorate the casket at a funeral. This is due to their beauty, yes, as well as the fact their smell can cover up the scent of a decaying body. Dandelions are best known for their magic, but no dandelion survives a wish.

The King of Dogwarts is not dead.” A Martyn and Ren centric fic about coming back from the dead.

❤️Wooden Mausoleum by skelew - “‘To take the life of one you love an agony Martyn understands far too well. It’s not something he’d wish on anyone—not on his worst enemy, and certainly not on his dearest friends.

Least of all would he wish it on Ren.’

Or, for the Red King, there are fates worse than death. How fortunate he is that his Hand will never let him meet them.” Dogwarts makes it to the end of 3rd Life but Martyn has a betrayal arc.

💜Performance Evaluations by glossyblue - “From The Desk Of His Majesty’s Most Private Of Areas: A True And Accurate Evaluation Of Growth Opportunities For The Knights Of The Square Table, The Loyal Court of Ren the King, As Suggested By The HR Department. (Note to self: when did we acquire an HR department? Ask Bdubs.)” Super cute and funny performance evaluations of the knights from the King Ren Hermitcraft arc.

The H.T.G.Y. Files by glossyblue - "Research scientist Cub didn't intend to make a person. He just came up with the plans. But when a competing team looking to make a supersoldier gets hold of the genome he invented, Cub is pulled in to stop them screwing up—and whatever he expected to find, it wasn't someone like Scar." This is part of a series called Lab Escape but the other fic has a ship that's not in this list so I can't put it in. But I really recommend the whole series!

💛Welcome to the NHO by glossyblue - “Vexes Cub and Scar have been terrorizing Hermit City for years when the governing NHO captures and forces them into a pact: work for the government as hitmen, assassins and general problem-solvers, or rot in jail. But if there's anything worse than freelance Cub and Scar, it might be a Cub and Scar with employee passes, not enough coffee, and absolutely no intention of completing the Ethics Training eLearning Module.”

💛[HOTGUY!] HAS ONE NEW MAIL! by glossyblue - “Hotguy's new PR agent Cub inherits an email inbox overflowing with questions from heroes, fans, cops, journalists, and an increasingly frustrated Cuteguy out on a mission. Luckily Cub has an auto-responder, a long list of cool facts about space, and a complete lack of concern for the police.”

💜The Government Institute for Ghost Supervision (G.I.G.S.) by glossyblue - “HIGHLY SENSITIVE: G.I.G.S CLASSIFIED. Audio logs for a team of supernatural agents investigating reports of a ghost at a local high school.GRIAN: Yeah, Skizz, why did you let Scar set something on fire? Pretty irresponsible.

SKIZZ: [noise of incoherent outrage] You try stopping him, buddy.” Goofy GIGS story

fixed and dilated by iamsolarflare - “Anything waterdwelling knows from bait.

---

Or: xBCrafted deals with the people around him, and a secret he's been keeping for one hell of a long time. Not the ‘old enemies hunting him down’ type, no - this should be fine, as long as nobody pries. It's the way you should deal with secrets like this, really, just don't let people know. No questions, no answers.

Hypno never got that memo, apparently.” An xB and Hypno fic where neither are human and neither wants to talk about it. Even if you don’t watch them I recommend it.

on the getaway mile by Odaigahara - “‘You want me to do what?’ the civilian asked disbelievingly, and Scar’s body language shifted to that of an impatient trainer, one whose fuse was running short. It was a precursor to bad things, like being tased or forced onto a treadmill for hours; Mumbo flinched even knowing it was an act, and the civilian cut off with a squeak, so Mumbo knew he felt the same way.

Or possibly that was the gun. Scar having a gun seemed more likely as an explanation, now that Mumbo thought of it.

Stealing the car would be better, but they had no idea where they were going, and neither of them was familiar with road laws. What if they hit a person while driving? What if there was some sort of kill switch in the car that the owner could flip to blow it up with them inside? Anti-villain tech had to be wild, from what the Foundation had on hand– and they were villains now for sure. Not just for defying the Foundation, but for this. Heroes didn’t take the actions he and Scar were taking.” Heroes Villains Scar and Mumbo take civilian Grian hostage for a road trip! It's not as bad as it sounds

counterclock by scarabies - “When it’s over, Impulse finds him in the throne room.

(or, Bdubs and Impulse chat after a rebellion ends. Can be read as either platonic or romantic.)”

💜Tangotek Evil Incorporated by onawhimsicot - “As the supervillain Dr. Blaze, Tango has a fondness for oddly named "ificators" and stylistic flair. He spends his days trying to take over the city, shaming superheroes for their basic costume designs, and then sending said heroes home with better equipment that actually matches their aesthetic because clearly, if he wants a cool fight scene to happen, he's got to do everything around here himself.

For some reason, not many people think he’s evil. On the bright side, the superhero Canary, does and has made it his personal mission to bring down Dr. Blaze! But when he suddenly goes missing, Canary's partner, Parrot, is convinced that Tango is at fault. Seeing as this is not true at all (kidnapping is so gauche), Tango is offended that someone is trying to steal his nemesis right from under his nose. If Tango wants to get his nemesis back, he'll have to work together with Parrot to find and rescue Canary from whatever danger he's got himself into this time.

Because, after all, what's a supervillain without a nemesis?” A very fun modified Phineas and Ferb AU with Tango as Doofenshmirtz and Jimmy as Perry the Platypus

💛❤️Break Like An Artist by SlashMagpie - “There is a plague sweeping Pearl's hometown.

One by one, she watches as her friends fall to the infection, the colour and life drained out of them and leaving hollow, apathetic husks behind. Even with the devastating loss of her friends, her village, and her regular life, the worst part of this situation is not the infection.

It's that Pearl knows that Gem is the one spreading it.”

Scarian

Through the Sky-Blue Cracks (In Progress Series) by Amethystfairy1 - “This is a compilation of all the pieces that take place within my Over-City/Under-City AU, which is also a Hot Guy/Cute Guy Superhero AU, though that's not the only thing that'll be going on!”

❤️coliseum by artanogon - "Grian is on a mission: kill the Red King of the Third Precinct. Unfortunately, when he travels to the capital where the king resides, he lands in a spot of trouble with a local merchant when he accidentally destroys the merchant’s shop. After he enters into a contract to help pay off the damages, he discovers that there might be another side to Scar under the silver-tongued salesman— and that he’s not the only one who wants the Red King dead." This one made me cry. Bittersweet ending and it gets worse before it gets better.

Picture Perfect, Trapped in Eternity by CloudySkyFlight - “Grian's an architecture major in college, minoring in art history, and when the largest, and supposedly most haunted, collection of royal portraits in the world is displayed in a museum only a few hours away from his dorm, he gets up early to go see it.

Scar's been dead for centuries, living in a royal portrait he cursed to hold his memories and soul, waiting for the moment his best friend would come back to him. Several centuries later, he wakes up to see a brunette that has the looks and soul of his friend, and Scar knows that he cannot let Grian leave without him.” Starts out with Scar sort of kidnapping Grian? But the mood quickly lifts from there

and everything is you by eastwards - “‘Oh my gosh. I’ve got paint on your face.’

Grian moved to wipe the paint off, but Scar shook his head, ‘No the other side, here let me-’

He held Grian’s head steady with one hand, the other carefully brushing across his jaw. With an affirming noise, Scar nodded and bid Grian farewell, as he wandered back to his station in the studio. Grian held his hand up to where he had touched him, feeling his head begin to warm. How troublesome.

–

artist au w/ scarian wooo”

somewhere between the surface and the seabed by LovesickPrince - "It's a classic tale of love: Grian, a mer from the depths of the sea, makes a deal with a sea witch to exchange his voice for a pair of legs and go visit the human whose life he had saved. Only in this case, Grian is more interested in the sea witch than the human.

(If only someone had bothered to tell Scar, the sea witch in question, about this divergence)."

💜Dead Heat by glossyblue - “Jimmy's having a meltdown, Ren and Martyn are flirting outrageously, Tango gets cruelly betrayed and Grian and Scar are being unrepentantly weird about each other in every shot. It's the nation's favourite no-holds-barred elimination game. It is, of course, the Great British Bake Off.”

A Certain Je Ne Sais What by glossyblue - “Literally any one of Grian’s friends would be a better soulmate than Scar, and Grian is going to prove this scientifically.

Grian’s already felt it, a pinprick in his thumb. He’s familiar—he’s so painfully, unforgettably familiar—with the way Scar sees something and is already reaching out to touch it before he’s asked questions like 'what is this' and 'is it bad news' and 'is it going to hurt me, Scar, and by extension the unwilling bystander my physical sensations are now linked to'. Scar just immediately reaches out.” Grian tries to convince himself that anyone else would be a better soulmate than Scar while proving that Scar is the best soulmate for him.

❤️wait the worst is yet to come by glossyblue - “‘Grian is smirking at him. ‘I know, Grian, I know,’ Scar says. ‘Trade by name and trade by nature–okay, Scar by name but still trade by nature–we are going to be in business, opening soon, special rates for favorite customers of course–’

‘But have you done it yet,’ says Grian.

‘No?’ Scar says. ‘We only just started.’

Grian bounces on the balls of his feet, delighted. ‘Okay. Okay, okay, so. You need to know how it works, then, don’t you? Kiss me.’” Scar centric Last Life AU where you transfer lives by making out. There’s a sex scene but it’s not smut. Angst without a happy ending.

heart under your sleeve by Anonymous - “Scar was easy to love, as mortifying as that was to think. Grian didn’t think he was in love with the artist, it was far too soon for that, but he knew it would be easy for anyone to love him.

In the back of his mind, he wondered if Scar had met his soulmate, then shook his head to dispel the thought before it could fully form.

“Look, we can’t bring in a live panda, but if you want, we can try and connect with a zoo in the area so that they can set up a live stream of their panda exhibits,” Grian compromised and Scar brightened again. He ignored the sweeping feeling of relief in his chest as he opened his laptop, typing in a quick search for nearby panda exhibits. “Maybe we can even get one of their handlers in to give a talk about pandas.”

“Perfect!” Scar agreed, putting on a bright grin. Grian smiled to himself in turn.

—

Soulmate AU: You are born with a birthmark, similar to a tattoo, that is shared by your soulmate. Grian is a curator for an art museum. Scar is an eccentric artist who is just as attractive as he is infuriating to work with. Everything goes sideways when Grian realizes they're soulmates.”

💜If you like it… by GoodTimesWithScar - “‘Hello,’ slurs Scar, ‘you wouldn’t happen to know where a man such as myself… would find… an eligible bachelor to spend a little bit of time with?’

Grian blinks. ‘Oh, you are plastered.’

or, the ‘you got so drunk you asked your husband if he was single’ trope, but with added mumbo being 100% done with this nonsense.”

💜Well It’s Not Quite Narnia, But- by Raichett - “It’s just past seven in the morning when Grian opens his built-in wardrobe door to find a man dressed in something close to a green and gold matador outfit standing inside.

---

Or: Grian is not giving up this dirt-cheap rent flat for anything, not even the strange (if fun) goings on around the place and the elven king coming in through his closet.”

Dispossessed by Raichett - “Grian's - kind of, sort of, maybe - a living doll, made of fabric and stuffing. Or, at least, that's what he is to the naked eye. Scar wants to know the truth of the matter. He's also maybe working through some feelings, but that's a whole other thing.

—

Or: Scar contemplates the enigma that is Grian, unknowing that sometimes when one watches, one invites being watched in turn.”

my ever after / is holding you by LovesickPrince - “Grian has been many things.

A servant of a respected noble family. A survivor, with bruises on his skin and hidden wings tied down to his back. A rebel, sneaking away for a night of wonder in the heart of the kingdom - and a curiosity, gawked at by all as the King himself swept him into his arms and spent hours by his side.

When Scar spent days tracking Grian down and helping him escape the cruel grasp of the Watchers, Grian thought his life couldn’t surprise him anymore. Pledging his life to serve Scar was all he could do to thank his King.

Of course, being the personal servant of the King comes with its' own risks - and now Grian could add ‘hostage’ to his list of titles.

Or; someone decides kidnapping King Scar’s beloved servant was a good idea. It really wasn’t.”

❤️Bread and Butterflies by Anonymous - “‘You do this thing,’ Mumbo began awkwardly. 'Where when you get worried, you start stalking people.’

‘I don’t stalk people,’ Grian denied immediately.

Or, after the events of 3rd life, Grian finds himself lingering outside Scar’s base.”

❤️a little victimless crime by definitelynotshouting - “On a technical level, the rite he’s performing is paltry compared to what he executed all those heady months back– chalk-powder in concentric circles, a matchbook, the potential for flame. Simple. Too simple; any of his old professors (Academy-trained, tried, and true) would have failed him for presenting such a stripped summoning spell. But half the magic lies in intent– with enough bull-headed, scrabbling belief, you can claw anything into a shape of your choosing.

Grian had taught him that.

One breath. Two. No room for doubt– no room for second chances. Scar strikes the match and, with a deft flick of his hand, tosses it into the chalk-powder.”

i live in a hologram with you by remrose - “‘Anyone in there would be lucky to be graced with your company.’ Scar told him. His face was calm but at his sides, his hands tightened and knuckles went white.

‘Stop trying to sweet talk me, I've already caught you fleeing.’ Grian stalked another pace forward, eyes alight with mischief and excitement. ‘Where are you going?’” Scar’s bad end in the treesekai AU (which you need to have read to understand).

Treebark

💜love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books (In Progress Series) by GoodTimesWithScar - “treebark theatre kids au, with ren as the male lead and martyn as the very distracted spotlight operator!”

Through the Sky-Blue Cracks (In Progress Series) by Amethystfairy1 - “This is a compilation of all the pieces that take place within my Over-City/Under-City AU, which is also a Hot Guy/Cute Guy Superhero AU, though that's not the only thing that'll be going on!” The first treebark fic is quite a ways down (It’s called Dagger and Rose), but I believe in yalls ability to figure out the setting through context clues.

❤️Sgt. Pepper’s Broken Hearts Club Band by harpydora - “The sign next to the door just reads, ‘Support Group,’ which frankly doesn't leave a great impression for the gathering inside. Martyn double-checks the Facebook event on his phone, but he's unfortunately certain he's in the right place: a support group for people whose soulmates are no longer with them.” The double life broken hearts club in a modern AU.

wild things can't get comfortable by donnerstag - "Ren and Martyn steal what small moments of comfort they can get.

Several loosely-connected scenes from Dogwarts as Ren struggles with his feelings towards the Hand of the King."

Scribbling the lines (from you to me) by Siri_Spy - “Martyn and Cleo are soulmates… but what exactly does that mean for them? And with Martyn starting to fall for the over-the-top president of his RPG club, and Cleo starting to realize that they might be a little late to the ‘disgustingly in love’ phase… something needs to change.

What will that something be? Well don’t look at me, I’m the one who wrote it. Look at yourself, and ask yourself: Why don’t I know?

Exactly. That’s what I’ve been wondering. Anyway, what are you still doing here? Go read!” A really sweet modern AU about Cleo and Martyn.

not the ghost by csillagvizsgalo - “Martyn tags along with his friends on a ghost hunting trip (he has seen people who had weirder hobbies anyways) for fun in an old run-down castle museum that has definitely not been kept properly. It's all fun and games, and he definitely doesn't believe in the supernatural, so it's not scary at all, until he starts noticing things lying around in areas that nobody has been to in ages, that remind him of memories of events that he never experienced, hundreds of years ago. The voices aren't helping. Well, the one Voice.

The Not Ghost of the Castle (he is a very dedicated cosplayer, thank you very much) takes a liking, and possibly some recognition, to Martyn, and while he spends the night terrorising Martyn's friends, the two of them build an unlikely bond and friendship.

The Red King just wants to rest, and so does Martyn. But not everything is as easy as it first seems.” Ren pulls out all the stops to try and intimidate Martyn but Martyn is a little rude to him and completely ruins it.

Wild Life: A Conservation Podcast by donnerstag - “Ren and Martyn, hosts of a popular little nature and conservation podcast, go camping together as part of a season finale special; discussions of the future, for both the show and themselves, ensue. Featuring: a campfire! innuendos! and even a little bit of kissy, perhaps?”

💜Dead Heat by glossyblue - “Jimmy's having a meltdown, Ren and Martyn are flirting outrageously, Tango gets cruelly betrayed and Grian and Scar are being unrepentantly weird about each other in every shot. It's the nation's favourite no-holds-barred elimination game. It is, of course, the Great British Bake Off.”

A Romance Route For The Doomed Villain?!? by skelew - “These days, Martyn doesn’t really have a lot going on. This is where the dating sim comes in.

Granted, if Martyn knew he was going to die so soon, he maybe would have tried a little harder at, like, holding down a job. Or maybe not. It's not like he has a lot of time to think about it.

Or, Treebark Isekai Romance Parody Which I Spent Far Too Much Time On.”

❤️I Think I’ve Seen This Film Before by GoodTimesWithScar - “In which Martyn fails to get the guy - but he doesn't let that stop him for long.” Set in the treesekai AU (the fic above), which you need to read to understand.

💜I should’ve known it would be you - water/woods by theorionsound - “Martyn sort of expected to fall in love with Ren eventually.

—

On their bi-annual hiking trip, Ren and Martyn get lost in thought. Mainly about eachother.”

❤️To Sit in Hell With You by dirtybinary - "Ren pulled Martyn close, breathing in the smell of soot and cinders still clinging to his clothes. 'You never kept secrets from me, back at Dogwarts.'

'Sure.' There was something knife-bright in Martyn’s eyes. 'And I’m a good little Southlander now.'

Martyn's playing every side in the death game. He's a loose cannon, he's a wild card, he's a selfish bastard who's going to betray everyone in the end, even Ren. Probably. Most likely. Any minute now."

Solidaritek

💜Red Bandit AU (In Progress Series) by scribblingdragon - “A Empires Season 2 AU with Jimmy as the Sheriff of Tumble Town, and Tango as a local bandit that is slowly, forcefully, being domesticated. Shenanigans ensue from there.”

❤️💜Hels To Pay AU (In Progress Series) by aquaquadrant and lunarcrown - “Angsty Tango-centric Hermitcraft/Double Life SMP AU”

❤️The Highwayman by EnvelopedByOblivion - “Fate walks many paths - but for each person, it only wears one face. Sheriff Jimmy Solidarity’s fate is a handsome red-eyed highwayman who saves Jimmy from a group of bandits. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, something keeps bringing them together, tangible as gravity and inevitable as death.

Which will get to them first? What will win out – a growing relationship between them, or their obligations to the life they’ve chosen for themselves?”

💜Tangotek Evil Incorporated’s Masterful Schemes (for wooing the Canary) by Tiny_Minecraft_Rabbit - “Dr. Blaze, like all good supervillains, has a nemesis. One that he hates, of course. The Canary is always meddling in his plans to be evil after all! Supervillains don't like their nemeses. Except, for some reason, no one believes him that he despies the guy! Sure the Canary takes him seriously when no one else does and laughs at his jokes and has these bright brown eyes that light up when he figures out how to escape Tango's traps and... and Tango might, just maybe, like the Canary more than he thought.

Well, now he has a new problem: confessing those feelings.”

💜Let Me Show You Everything I Know by MassiveWaffle - "Jimmy Solidarity is an ordinary guy. He goes to his grad school classes during the day, works at the campus library in the evenings, and neglects his friendships a little too much. Then, engineering student Tango enters the library for some help, and Jimmy finds his friend group growing, and his life inexplicably changed."

A Nestcommunication by YacintheMorning - “Tango just wants to make the ranch a home for both him and his avian soulmate. Unfortunately, he knows almost nothing about avians. But the least he can do is try, right?” In which Tango is accidentally way too forward.

💜A Lesson in Listening by YacintheMorning - "Grian's brother is moving to town and staying with him while he house hunts. While introducing him to his friend, however, Jimmy and Tango seem to make quite a connection. Determined not to suffer through the pining, Grian and Impulse attempt to play matchmaker."

💜He loves that horse by ThatTallQueerBassist - “Tango uses his horse training knowledge to get Oreo back in shape after all the drama of being stolen back and forth.

Unfortunately, this panicked Jimmy at first.

He quickly calms down once he finds Tango training Oreo just outside the walls of their ranch.

They chat, and everything is well in the world again.”

SmallEtho

❤️The Best Soulmate by BlocksRuinedMe - “‘But everyone else didn’t know that - it was possible even Bdubs didn’t know that - and yet he carried on like that, all the time. All about Joel’s soulmate. Bdubs didn’t respect Joel, and fuck that.

Fuck that.

Joel had been fantasizing about killing Bdubs for weeks.’

—

The Boat Boys have made it to the end of Double Life, standing with Impulse and Bdubs, watching the divorce quartet crumble. Joel has a plan to make Etho win Double Life, whether Etho likes it or not.” Joel being an unreliable narrator because rage clouds his thinking is really something I wish there was more of. You definitely want to read the tags before diving into this one btw.

Holy Father, judge my sins by giddyfenix - "Joel and Etho as the seven deadly sins. After all, what were they if not corrupted?" The lust chapter has a sexual scene, obvs, so skip that if you so wish.

A list of facts and problems by giddyfenix - “Joel had never realized it was possible to feel someone in your bones until Etho came along.”

Amores anacrónicos by giddyfenix - “Don’t be further than 10 blocks from Etho for 10 minutes. One attempt only.”

You held his hands, it felt like flying by Prudent_seer - “Etho doesn't believe in soulmates. Doesn't believe in fate, destiny or an invisible little string tying two people together indefinitely. It was ridiculous, maddening even to think of two people who were made for one another; made perfect for each other by the "universe's almighty will". With that being said, he had someone in mind that was pretty damn close. So when Grian threw them in a world where these soulbounds did in fact exist in a tangible form, where health and pain was shared with someone else, he sought out the person whom he thought was his match. Only to literally fall into the life of his actual soulbound.

It was Joel. And with that Etho cursed the universe for its twisted sense of humour.

//

Creative rewrite of double life through the eyes of Etho, who learns to love his soulmate.” There’s sex but it’s not smut, you know what I mean?

when everything burns, they burn together by TheYesterdayShow - “No one for Joel because he's always been a loner. For as long as he can remember he's been on his own in these games—in the first one he had his cottage on the hill (so long ago that he can barely remember what it looked like, he can only remember it burning and the flames licking up at him and melting his skin and the smell of his hair and he has to put it out—), and in the games since, he's been alone. Alliances that last little more than a week, here and there, and somehow he always ends up at Grian's side at the end of things, but he's never actually teamed up with anyone else.

He doesn't want a soulmate.”

etho has said parkour tag! by panch_owo - “Neither Cyan or Aqua make it to finals, which means the rest of the event is unimportant!

And instead of dwelling on their non-team, they go on another round of tag because it's them.” No smut but a lot of innuendo and tension

More Powerful Than Fear Itself Is The Will To Win by smoothlikebutter - "After a devastating crash ends Etho’s racing career with the McLaren Formula One team, he’s forced to take significant time off to recover. While his fans are eager to see him again soon, what they don’t know is that Etho’s crash was worse than reported; he had to re-learn how to walk and talk before he could even think about racing again. But the desire to get back in a racing car is a strong motivation, so Etho pushes himself to his limits… However, his team couldn’t wait forever. His replacement is talented and the endless competition of motorsports is ruthless. Now Etho has to prove to his old team— and to the whole world— that they were too quick to forget about him. And what better place than the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

ConCorp is eager to snap up a big name like Etho. They’re entering under the Garage 56 innovative category this year, and their CEOs aren’t interested in much more than publicity so the pressure is low. But they’ve also signed Joel, a ruthless pro endurance racer who isn’t about to settle for anything less than the top step of the podium and a champagne shower at the end of the race. And honestly? That’s exactly the kind of teammate that Etho needs." Had me dancing around my room with excitement. Etho's character arc is amazing.

We're a Couple of Freaks by smoothlikebutter - "Joel is a weapon. Etho is also a weapon. They're professional monster hunters, and they've got a job to do tonight: clear out a ton of undead from an abandoned old mansion. Simple, right? This could only possibly go wonderfully well.” Epic Smalletho Souleater AU

❤️Blurring The Lines by FountainPenguin - “Dad always goes overboard with presents. They're never something traditional that a kid would ask for, either. It's always something he had left over in the back of his truck after a project or something stupid he bought after sipping a few too many potions and regretted sober.

One year for Scar's birthday, when he and his cousin Grian were playing in the sandbox out back, Dad and his friends arrived unannounced with four oak saplings. Dad didn't grab his arm or anything (Dad basically never touched him except on rare occasion to brush sand from his hair before loading him in the car; he always said it would make Mom mad), but he used words and praise and empty promises to drag Scar away from his and Grian's game to plant them right away.

Maybe Dad gave so many gifts because he was never around in summer. As early as April, he spent every weekend out fishing with his cousin on his houseboat...

AKA - That Scar-centric standalone piece about the Clocker family in contemporary suburbia.”

And goodness you’re bleeding (What a wonderful feeling) by knightinshiningarmor - “When the relationship burns, Etho feels an intense burst of emotions that leads to a revelation.”

[wild-stray-renegade]

Gathering

A dysfunctional family gathers around for a Granny-level dinner. Word Count: 2453 TW: None

Dude, you’re more family to me than my own family is.” I let my shoulders drop as I sighed and looked over at Luca from atop my high-rise throne. My legs loosely swung back and forth with no control as I was just short enough not to reach the kitchen stool below them. He pointed to my chest with a snort. A drop of chocolate chip cookie dough—my favorite, Gran knew me so well—was sitting on my chest as if it was trying to tattle on me for my sweet snack. 

In my defense, Granny Prickett did give me the spatula to lick when she was done mixin' the dough, plus Luca and Mavry got to lick the spoons so I wasn’t the only one that ate the raw cookie dough. It didn't matter as long as no one told Momma Bird though.

I swiped it off with my finger and glanced back over at my brother, sneaking it into my mouth before I continued our conversation. “You can relate more than anyone else here; y’all are the only siblings I’ve ever known. Granted, you have three years of a lead on me but still.”

Luca’s gaze shot down to the tiled floor. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.” His gaze made its way over to meet Mavry’s as if he was begging them for the words to say in response, while they just shrugged in response. “Mavry not as much, but they can sympathize at least.” 

He was adopted by Granny Prickett and Momma Bird like I was, but he was in a vastly different scenario. Mine was more tame whereas Mav told me he had lost everything in a forest fire when he was younger, including his blood family. Mavry found him nearby covered in burns and ash, complete with a big ol' serving of trauma cooked up by the whole incident. They spared me the gory details as they said they didn’t wanna “traumatize” me as well, but I think it was really they didn’t want to think about that night. Said neither of them would ever forget that moment as it formed the sibling-like bond they shared. 

I’m honestly jealous of their bond. I don’t think I could have anything like they have and it sucks. I see the crazy acts they manage to pull off, all of the things they can do when they put their minds together and yet—  

The sound of cracking eggs shook me from my thoughts as Gran broke two eggs into a large mixing bowl, then tossed the shells into the compost bin. “Little Feather, something you will learn as you grow to be like your siblings is that family isn’t just limited to what's in our veins or even on our birth certificate. We all are family to one another here and only three of us are by blood.” She peered over the rim of her glasses as she smiled, the expression adding to her welcoming appearance. “Just because you weren’t born into our last name like Little Raven was doesn’t mean you aren’t part of the family, and sometimes the family you create is the family you need to grow and learn to fly.”

Momma Bird walked into the kitchen as her furrowed brow shadowed her eyes. Her curly hair bounced behind her in a rhythmic pattern, every bounce matching her own footsteps. “Have any of you seen my knittin’ pack? I can’t seem to find it an’ I want to work on Charlotte’s tiger stuffie. I must’ve sat it down somewhere last time I used it.” Her eyes scanned the room in a determined search for the small pouch as we all turned their heads to look for it to no avail.

“Oh gods; like all of your other things Mama? I swear, sometimes I wonder how you still have a mountain of things in your room when you leave everything lying around everywhere else in the cabin, not to mention how much of it is consumed by the void." Mav jeered as they pushed themself off of the wall to help look. “Here, lemme help. It has to be around here somewhere; unless one of the littles stole it and bolted like they did with your last one.”

I couldn’t help but look over at Luca as we both snickered. They weren’t wrong one bit. A bell-like laugh echoed through the hall from the playroom as the noises of the two younger children suddenly became more obvious to me. Rudy’s laugh rang out clear as day, her cadences comparable to that of a songbird on a sweet summer’s day. Kini’s was more tense and lower in pitch; the register lower overall. They were both brought in from the after school system as they had nowhere to turn to as well; Kini had an emotionally abusive single mother that neglected her while Rudy’s father physically abused them. Since being brought to the cabin however, they’ve matured exponentially in all aspects.

Momma Bird slouched with a resigned sigh. “I’ll go look in their toy box again...if it’s in there I’mma lock it up though. You can stay here, little raven, keep Granny Prickett and the little ones company. ” With that and a swish of her skirt, she swayed out of the kitchen as Luca scoffed in offense.

“Hey! I’m not "little"! I’m older than Mav is! This is blasphemy— treason of the highest order!” His voice transitioned to his dramatic, theatrical tones as it carried through the room. He bit back a laugh as a grin started to break through his offended frown. He pouted with a hmph and crossed his arms, looking away and peeking to see if anyone was paying attention. Mavry smacked their forehead with their hand while I fought back a giggle fit, Luca proceeding to ‘stew’ as he rolled their eyes. 

Mav proceeded to cross their arms to hug their sides with a smug look plastered on their face. “Careful, brother. You don’t want to show you care too much now.”

 A scoff answered in response as Luca’s head whipped back around to look at them. “Hey! I can show I care! That’s not illegal!” 

The two teens started to playfully fight as I shook my head with a chuckle. Breaking my gaze from the rather amusing fight in front of me, I looked down and noticed the stack of mail resting on the counter. On top was a letter from the elementary school that Rudy and Kini attended. Half unfolded, I could make out the first half of the letter.

 The school was closing? Why? What could've brought this on? “Hey Gran?” She looked over to me and tilted her head. “Yes, little one?”

I looked at the note, picking it up and glancing at her.. “How long have we known about the school closing? What’s gonna happen to Rudy and Kini?”

She sighed in response. “We’re…going to try and adopt them legally. At least Rudy.”

“Oh.” I looked back down at the text. They’ve only been here a year and they’re already being adopted? They adopted Luca and Mav was born here. It’s been four years and they haven’t even considered adopting me…

"Little Feather?" Gran's voice broke through my thoughts as she mixed the dough for the rolls. "What has you lost in the storm?"

I twisted back towards her and flashed a grin. "Oh, nothing! Just was thinkin' about stuff is all. Y’know, with finals comin’ up an’ everything. I’m okay though.”

This decision was a mistake however; Gran was one of the best lie detectors of the century. Nothing could make it past her. 

"Mhm. Okay but what's going through that little stormlock of yours? I can see it in your eyes, you're not slick." 

Luca's cackling echoed around the kitchen as they kept arguing.  I looked at the floor, unable to make eye contact with her in fear.“I’m…" How do I word this without coming off as childish or weak? C'mon Koda, you're fifteen now, think! "I've always been… cautious, I guess you could say? of showing I care too much or showing if I’ve been affected by something— I’ve always been told I’m weak for it or it’s always gotten me into some serious trouble. Is that…true?”

Granny set the dough down slowly as she looked over to me. She cleared her throat quietly; however it was enough to snag my attention and lock eyes with me. “Being strong doesn’t mean never asking for help, little feather; nor does it mean you should hide what you’re truly feeling behind a mask of false emotions— despite you always wearing some form of animal mask."

 She pointed at the bluebird that I was currently wearing. It covered only the top half of my face and I could still clearly see through it (and vice versa) so no one mentioned anything about it. I was wearing a fox one the previous week but it needed some glue on one of the ears so it had to retire for a little while as it was repaired. 

Granny continued. “Strong is admitting you’re in need of help and accepting it. Overcoming those boundaries and becoming a better person due to things that get in your way helps you grow as a person.”

She dried off her hands on the red plaid kitchen towel hanging on the stove. As she reached for the spices, she continued. “A lot of people hear ‘strong’ and immediately think about physical strength; a valid type of strength but it’s not the only type of strength to exist.” She paused to relish in the scent of the cinnamon, sweet spice and the orange peel, the combination of the scents relaxing to her. “Mmm, comfortin’...anywho, where was I? Oh! Yeah!” Her eyes lit up as she recalled where her train of thought was originally going, a quiet laugh dancing around the room as windchimes on a late summer day. “Strength isn’t about how much physical weight you can carry or how much force you can physically push back against. The smallest, skinniest twig that could barely carry a bag o’ beans could be carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, however all we see is the beans he carries. We don’t see what hidden pain, turmoils, struggles or burdens our fellow friends carry— so how would we know what strength truly is?”

I nodded, my shadowed eyes hidden behind the mask. I wasn't sure how to exactly respond to that; frankly I've never had any parental figure give me a talk like this; even when she’s given her speeches it was to someone else. I can definitely see why the character in the movies feels so awkward in these situations now. "I never ask for help because I'm not sure I know…how to. I’ve always kept to myself— you remember how I was when you found me?"

Granny nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. You seemed so disconnected that day outside the schoolhouse with Mav and Luca." As if on cue, Mav's cackling broke through their conversation as the two playfought in the corner. 

I shook my head with a snirk. "Dorks. But anyways." I cleared my throat quietly; I needed to get this ball down somehow. "I was afraid of showing any sort of emotion because I felt I was…broken." My voice decided to quit with the end of the sentence, my energy slowly starting to tank as I began to overthink everything that I've done; everything I've accomplished to get to this point before realizing that it wasn’t a lot. The wheels in my head began to spiral as they kicked into overdrive before I was softly jolted from my trance by a soft touch on my shoulder. I panicked, bewildered eyes met with a pair of sunset golden eyes, the familiar sense of belonging and care giving me something to focus on as she spoke.

"Hey, hey, focus on me, little one. It's okay to feel broken. It's okay to take time to heal. We all are wounded at some point in our lives- it's a matter of how we take those attacks, bandage them up and let them heal so we can grow from them." She gently pulled me into her embrace as I gripped onto her to ground myself, my breathing slowly leveling out. I could feel her head move to look at the now-quiet Luca and Mav beside us. “I’m proud of you. All three of you. You’ve all come so far in your lives and who you are. I’ve watched you grow from, well, Little Raven I’ve known since you were born. Little Hawk, I’ve known since you were but a young child and Little Feather I’ve known since you were just a wee baby.” She laughed softly. “I’m surprised you all haven’t caused issues yet but here we are!" Her giggles rumbled throughout her body in a comforting manner. I begrudgingly pulled away once she was done and smiled weakly at her, her smiling back.

"With all of that being said, who wants to help Ol' Gran carry the food out to the table?”

We all nodded in excitement and each grabbed a dish (or three in Luca's case) to carry out to the table; Momma Bird had already set it up earlier with the tablecloth and plates so the dishes had their places already set up and ready to go. The food was placed and a shrill whistle followed, summoning everyone to the table quickly as a horde descended upon the room. 

Mavry slid into their worn out seat with grace while Luca flopped into his, the wood creaking in complaint. I hopped up onto my tower of pillows so that I could actually reach the table because, despite only being three years younger than Mavry, I'm a lot shorter than the other two. Rudy and Kini were helped into their chairs and Momma Bird took her seat at the other side of the table. The smells of the feast wafted around the room— soft buttered rolls, dark tan roast turkey, light yellow mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables of all kinds, Gran's infamous five-cheese macaroni and cheese and the multitude of fresh pies, cookies and pudding was splayed in front of the group.

Granny Prickett looked around at everyone with the warmest smile on her jolly face. The sight of her family together brought a smile on her face and warmed her heart more than words could express. I wanted to capture this moment and relive it forever; a common feeling that I experience every year during the holidays and I'm sure she was feeling it tenfold. 

“Okay children, who’s hungry?”

[herehavesomeheadcanons]

Black Butler x reader headcanons, but it’s only the characters I think deserve more attention.

Ash Landers

🤍💜 If you managed to get Ash to fall for you, good job. This angel is SO PICKY when it comes to a s/o. I doubt anyone but the purest of heart could turn his pretty head. Seriously. He’s like a unicorn or something.

🤍💜 Absolutely devoted to his s/o. If you’re looking for a loyal doormat, Ash is your angel. He will cook, clean, and do basically whatever you need him to. Seriously, all you have to do is ask.

🤍💜 Definitely takes everything way too seriously, so avoid joking requests like, oh, i dunno, “could you light London on fire for me?” He will. Don’t test him.

🤍💜 I feel like his favorite dates would be either sitting at home and chatting over a cup of tea, or someplace high up. He’s an Angel, after all. He likes to be near the sky.

🤍💜 Yes, he will fly you around. Unless you’re scared of heights.

🤍💜 Can and will fight anyone who even looks at you wrong. You might want to keep hold of his arm so he doesn’t get himself charged with arson and murder.

🤍💜 Very gentle, and shy with physical affection. He doesn’t want to taint such a pure being! You are going to have to just tackle him. He will NEVER admit it, but he loves physical affection more than anything. He also loves complements and praise. 

🤍💜 Overall, a wonderful catch of a man- well, angel. He will definitely treat you right :)

Snake

🤍💛 Oh he’s such a cute little shy bean! All you’d have to do was give him a singular complement and he’d be head over heels for you. If you like snakes, even better! His friends will love you too :)

🤍💛 rarely speaks for himself. You might have to try behavior training to get him to tell you what HE says, instead of what his snakes are saying. Not that he ever really disagrees with his snakes, but still.

🤍💛 Yeah his snakes do a lot of the flirting for him, and they all have WILDLY different ways of going about it. Wordsworth, as the refined gentleman he is, gives very good complements. Emily likes to be in charge of planning dates. Goethe is very friendly and will ask how your day’s been (even if he just asked the same question five minutes ago!). Oscar is the problem snake. He’s a lil naughty noodle. More often than not, his comments are not translated (”Oscar! He can’t say THAT! Says emily”).

🤍💛 Very very shy about physical affection, but if you give it to him he will be addicted. Like, very addicted. He’s particularly fond of cuddling. He likes to be warm :)

🤍💛 Oh gosh if you complement his scales he will melt. He’s so self conscious and probably always worried that people with judge you harshly if he’s seen with you. 

🤍💛 Defend him from bullies and you’ll have his loyalty forever. He will. Not. Leave. Your. Side. (Is that really such a bad thing? He’s so cute-)

🤍💛 Oh gosh please be gentle with him he’s such a fragile little noodle- Always speak with a gentle tone. He’s very sensitive to criticism.

🤍💛 Yes, you can hold his snakes. Yes, you can boop their little snoots. Just be gentle.

Charles Grey

🤍💙 Just don’t be a boring, beige colored, saltine cracker of a person and he’ll love you. By that I mean, actually have a personality. Be funny! Challenge him! Keep things interesting!

🤍💙 This man is a five year old trapped in a grown man’s body. Just look at that smug face. Does he look like a mature adult to you? He’d probably go to a carnival with you if you asked him. AND he’d win you all the prizes. He’s just that good.

🤍💙 Buys you lots of expensive gifts. He’s filthy stinking rich, after all. Will also take you on the most extravagant dates. I hope you like fancy food (and lots of it!) :)

🤍💙 He already knows how awesome he is, but tell him anyway. Are you just feeding his already over-large ego? Yes. Should you stop? Absolutely not. The way he puffs out his chest and shows off is just the cutest thing!  Like one of those funny birds of paradise.

🤍💙 Being best friends with Phipps is a requirement. They’re a packaged deal. Which is funny, considering they’re polar opposites. Phipps has been dealing with Charlie’s shit for years now, he’s happy to have you around to lighten the load.

🤍💙 Boundaries? What are those? This little shit is all up in your business 24/7 and hates when you don’t pay attention to him. Absolutely loves physical affection. Not even the slightest bit shy about it. Prepare to be absolutely smothered with affection.

🤍💙 Would you like to learn fencing? He’d be delighted to teach you! Even more so if you happen to be good at it. This bastard loves a challenge!

🤍💙 He’s scared of ghosts and snakes, and you can DEFINITELY use that to your advantage. He will deny his fears till the day he dies, but it’s pretty obvious how terrified he is. You can get some pretty funny reactions out of him with a well-placed rubber snake! He’ll pout about it for a while, but after a bit he’ll come right back. Be warned: if you give him a particularly good scare he might end up in your bed that night. (He’s TOTALLY not scared, he just wants to make sure you’re ok!)

Aleister Chambers

✨❤️ Buckle up, buttercup. If you’re actually here for this man, i applaud your unique tastes. Not everyone can handle this bastard.

✨❤️ If you have a female body, congrats! You’re his type! Hope you didn’t want to get rid of him any time soon, because you will be stuck with his dramatic ass from the first time he lays eyes on you. And he has plot armor. 

✨❤️ Yes. He is very, very, very dramatic. If you’re reading this, you’ve likely seen the show and you know EXACTLY how he acts. If you say even ONE insulting thing to him, he will act like you’ve stabbed him with a sword and flop onto the nearest piece of furniture, moaning about how you’ve wounded his feelings. It’s really funny, actually.

✨❤️ Will spoil you with extravagant gifts. He’s rich, what did you expect? He has SCARY good tastes, and will pick the best outfits for you. Don’t ask how he found out your size for… well, anything.

✨❤️ Oh he’s so clingy. Constantly wants your attention. I really don’t know what else to say, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he is NOT shy with physical affection. If physical affection is your love language, you’ll be in heaven with this man.

✨❤️ Get ready for some WEIRD pet names. Hands up, who’s surprised? Nobody? Thought so. Sure, he COULD use normal pet names, but it’s much more fun to come up with his own. If you give him a weird pet name, he’ll be absolutely delighted. Go ahead, see who can come up with the strangest nickname. It’ll be fun.

✨❤️ Honestly it’s worth it to endure him just for the free entertainment. His natural personality is so over-the-top extravagant that even just sitting at home with him is like watching a comedy skit. He gets way too excited about absolutely everything, and will randomly start spinning like he’s a glitched video game character.

✨❤️ He loves to dance! And throw extravagant parties where he can show you off to everyone. 

✨❤️ Over all, is he a creep? Yes. But he’s also funny, pretty, and rich. So in all actuality, he’s a pretty decent catch.

Drossel Keinz

🧡💙 If you’re here for this man- er- puppet, congratulations, you are one of the only groups with more unique tastes than the Aleister simps. I’m honestly just writing him because he’s funny and i like his funky, jerky movements.

🧡💙 Achievement get! Acquire stalker (provoke any kind of positive feelings from the creepy puppet man)

🧡💙 Yeah he’s gonna stalk you for a while. He might not even approach you at all. He’s just curious about these ‘feelings’.

🧡💙 If he does approach you, it’s gonna be awkward as fuck. Seriously. He has no idea how to properly socialize, much less flirt. (Haha relatable)

🧡💙 every time he’s confused he does his little 90 degree head tilt. He’s confused a lot. He’s trying his best, ok? He quite literally has straw for brains.

🧡💙 If you’re artistic, he’d love to do art things with you. He’d also really love to show you his puppet collection. Hope you didn’t like sleeping :)

🧡💙 He’s not great at affection in general, but he tries. Sometimes his complements come off as creepy. Awkward head pats. So many awkward head pats. His skin feels like wood, and he smells like sawdust.

🧡💙 Be patient and explain things to him. He’s not great at feelings yet. Also very bad at even recognizing his feelings. Talking through feelings stuff with him is a great way to bond.

Gregory Violet

🖤💜 Anime onlys buckle up because some of the characters you only see in the manga are the best. Case in point, this art goth. 

🖤💜 I feel like he would go for a more introverted s/o. Especially someone who’s artistic, like him. Not certain how two introverts get together, but whatever.

🖤💜 He’s a little eccentric, but that’s just part of his charm. Where else are you gonna find a cutie that likes to blow bubbles in his tea? 

🖤💜 Unlike with other people, if he says he’s gonna draw you, he’ll actually draw you. He won’t make you stay posed for five hours while he draws everything BUT you (rip Greenhill).

🖤💜 You want to draw him? He’s a little shy, but i’m sure you can convince him to pose for you. He wants you to be happy, after all.

🖤💜 Café dates!! And art museum dates!! You should definitely attend his concerts as well. Make sure to complement his dancing afterwards! He’s a little embarrassed about having to dance in front of crowds. Remember, he doesn’t like dancing to begin with.

🖤💜 You might have to pester him for a bit, but he will give you private performances. Will it be the whole P4? Probably not. He wouldn’t want to bother his friends with something so silly. Besides, you’re his, not theirs. 

🖤💜 He sings wonderfully. I imagine him having a low baritone kind of voice. The songs he sings for concerts often get stuck in his head (much to his annoyance), so sometimes you can hear him singing in the shower. 

🖤💜 Unlike literally everybody else on this list, Violet is not clingly. He’ll give you your space when you need it. He needs his space too.

🖤💜 Not very physically affectionate. He’s pretty strictly traditional and what not, so you might have to beg him for kisses. Unfortunately, his lipstick doesn’t really taste like anything.

🖤💜 He’s actually really low maintenance and pretty self sufficient. Probably one of the best picks on this list, if i’m being completely honest.

[callmemeelah]

SPONGE CAKE AND A DUSTING DUST

⸙┆Format : Drabble

⸙┆Pairing(s) : Bad sanses x S/O

⸙┆Warnings [tw/cw] : Mentions of food, injured ash (nothing serious) and a jokingly hurt reader (smach on the back of the head.)

⸙┆Creator note : Hi, I love posting one every blue moon <3 reminder: nightmare= pesadilla, dust=ash, horror= Axe, Error= Strings, Cross= X

⸙┆Word count : 795 words, 4310 characters.

It was a peaceful morning, the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, it was the perfect day for a nap, The sun rays felt very calming, and i was at peace, sleeping...or you wish it was. There we're a lot of things going through your mind, and you felt really sick, your mind was spinning and everything was piling up, you swore you couldn't take it anymore, so you decided to just take a nap! Maybe your headache would be gone when you woke up..right?

"Ugh.." you groaned, slowly opening your eyelids to turn off your alarm, it was 2:34 P.M..a 2 hour nap, well, that's nice at least.

You turn off your alarm, and put a hand to your head, feeling the headache slowly coming back..you had the feeling that this one was going to be worse than before. You get up, put on your sandals and your pants, and got downstairs.

In the living room, there was Axe, he had a worried look on his face as he was muttering something under his breath.

"Hey Axe" you said, your voice a bit groggy thanks to the nap you just had; His heads turns in your direction and he smiles a little.

"Oh..there you are! I was..worried." He said, looking more relaxed than before, his clothes were dirty since he just got back from a mission with the others.

"Huh? Why? Did something happened?" You said, staring to worry a little, now that you think of it, where were the other guys? They should be here..right?

"It's nuthin'.. Ash got injured and the others..are taking care......of him." He says, he dusted his clothes off and went to the kitchen.

"Wait..what do you mean by "Ash got injured"? Is he in a stable condition?"

"Yeah, he just got send flying...and facepalmed the floor." He said, trying to hide his chuckle. your face showed many emotions at the same time, but in the end you just sighed and went to the side of Axe

"What are you making?" You looked inside the bowl that was on the counter, in was all just dough.

"I dunno..pudding I think" You slowly looked at him with a "what do you mean by that" written all over your face, you looked through the counter, noticing the premix box of sponge cake. "Oh, I can help you with that, I know how to do it" you said, eager to help, "did you put the 3 eggs, 1/4 of oil and 1 cup of milk?" He nodded, paying attention to you. You continue to guide him through the process, and at the end, you both had a nice and warm sponge cake.

It was around 4 p.m when Pesadilla, Killer, X and Ash showed up, they all were chatting about different things, Ash had some band aids on his face and killer was poking fun at him.

They all went to the kitchen, but stopped when they saw you and Axe eating the sponge cake and drinking tea, you both looked at them and at each other. You stood up and walked over to Ash, giving him a hug "are you alright? Nothing to bad happened, right?" He looked at you and hugged you back, "nah. Just some minor scratches, nuthin' to bad. Didn't loose much HP." "Hey, I want a hug too.." killer said, pushing one of dust arms out and hugging you. "Group hug? Awesome." X said, hugging you too, Axe stood up and hugged everyone.

Pesadilla went to the table and grabbed a slice of the sponge cake, holding the plate with his tentacles and eating it. "Who made this?" He asked "Axe." "You helped.." "you did it." You bicker back and forth, lovingly of course. "You should make more of these..they taste pretty good." "Probably because it was a premix" you said, Axe smacked the back of your head slightly "I'm not saying you're a bad cook!" You rubbed the back of your head, everyone when to where Pesadilla was, and grabbed a slice of sponge cake, they all complimented both, you and Axe. "You both make a good cooking group." X said, about to grab another slice, but pesadilla pushed his hand away with his tentacle, saying that "that slice is for Strings." X rolled his eyes and drank some chocolate milk he prepared.

Since that day, Axe prepared the meals, while you prepared the pastries. Sometimes he helped you, even tho you didn't need help. He loved helping you. He's such a loving dork.

The slice that was saved for Strings didn't get eaten by them, but by X. Later that day X was hanging upside down, being held by blue strings, while Strings was enjoying a whole Sponge cake, while looking at him.

© Callmemeelah. Do not repost, steal, or translate the content that i make.

[chaoslynx]

1 for fluff prompts Eiji steals Ash’s shirt and refuses to give it back

Anonymous: Prompt 1 for the prompt list?

1. “Is that my shirt?” “You mean our shirt?”

Ash steps out into the living room, still half asleep. Eiji is already cooking breakfast, and has probably been awake for, like, three years. How he manages to get up before the sunrise, Ash will never understand.

There's the smell of eggs permeating the air, and Ash follows the scent into the kitchen, half stumbling. Fuck, he's still tired. At least Eiji let him sleep in this time, instead of dragging his ass out of bed like he does sometimes. Dick.

But—wait a second. Wait a fucking second.

"Good morning, sunshine," Eiji teases, spinning to face Ash. And, yeah, that confirms it.

Ash narrows his eyes. "Is that my shirt?"

Eiji grins, a playful glint in his eyes. "You mean our shirt?"

"No the fuck I do not," Ash says. "That—that's my shirt, right?"

Eiji's grin doesn't fade in the slightest. He knows—trusts, probably—that Ash isn't actually mad. Everything's playful with them, now that they're never in any real danger anymore.

Ash laughs. "You thief!"

"You've been wearing my NoriNori merch since back in the condo downtown! This is only fair," Eiji huffs.

"It's different," Ash insists. "Your NoriNori stuff is, like, embarrassing to wear. Me putting that shit on is basically just self deprecation, which makes sense for me."

"Hey!" Eiji protests. "Like your rich boy aesthetic is any better?"

Ash pouts. Eiji is wearing one of Ash's sweaters from when he was posing as Christopher Winston, and it does look good on him. But everything looks good on Eiji, so that doesn't count.

"At least I have a sense of style that doesn't involve a cartoon character," Ash counters.

They frown at each other, but it only lasts a few seconds before they both devolve into laughter. Giggles, really.

"You know this is the start of a war, right?" Ash asks. "It's all fair game, now."

"You were already stealing my shirts!" Eiji insists.

"Yeah, but it's about to get so much worse."

"I'm going to take a picture of you in a NoriNori shirt, then."

"Oh my god," Ash groans. "You would not."

"I absolutely would, and I absolutely will. Wear at your own risk."

"It's not fair! I can pull off anything, except the stupid bird merch."

Eiji gasps overdramatically, holding a hand to his chest. "Aslan Jade 'Ash Lynx' Callenreese! You take that back right now!"

Ash grins. "Never. The bird merch is so dumb!"

"And you look great in it!" Eiji insists. "You think I can pull it off, right?"

Ash hums. "Well ..." he teases.

Eiji glares at him. "Right?" he presses.

"Fine," Ash concedes. "But only you. And you look good in everything, so that doesn't even count."

"You know you love NoriNori."

"And you know you love Christopher Winston," Ash says with a sly smile.

Eiji frowns. "Aslan Jade 'Ash Lynx' 'Christopher Winston' Callenreese!" he says.

"Are you going to just keep adding my aliases on?" Ash asks. "There's, like, a lot more than that."

"Only the ones I know."

"I can tell you more, if you'd like?" Ash smirks.

Eiji holds a hand up. "The point is, Ash Lynx, you have been stealing my clothing for years now. It was about time for me to turn it around on you."

"You're going to regret this declaration of war," Ash warns.

Eiji squawks. "You literally started it!"

"And I'm going to end it."

— — —

Things escalate quickly. Eiji finds out that he and Ash are a similar shoe size, which results in him stealing Ash's Converse All Stars. A bold move. It continues up until the point when Ash digs far enough in their shared closet to find the fucking Chinatown outfit, as he had heard it called many times, and he's honestly disappointed he never got to see Eiji in it.

Anyway, the game ends when Eiji finds Ash seated on the couch, complete with the shirt hanging off of one shoulder, pink sunglasses, and short shorts.

Eiji almost faints at the sight, and they call a truce.

Fluff prompts!