#plus servers i usually stay in are either ones i joined when i was like 18-19 and then. uh actually that's it

[actualsunflower]

We saw you join the falloutwiki server after we invited you, but you left? We can't find you there anymore!

Im an incredibly skilled join-immediatly-leave-er in pretty much every server there is in the fallout fandom. Also we talked in person I know who you are whyd you send me an anon

I went on a slightly unrelated rant in the tags LMAO I already wrote it there's no going back

[voxofthevoid]

Hello! We haven't really interacted before but I reviewed a Bleach fanfiction of yours a while ago, and I've loved your stories for the fandom! I'm sad that you no longer write for Bleach, but you've shared some amazing work, so thank you for that.

Just wanted to ask if you have any tips on how to connect more with other readers and writers, as it seems your conversations with other people in your fandoms bring a lot of joy and inspiration! While I wrote fanfiction in my teenage years, I felt very much like a fandom hermit back then but I'm coming back to it now many years later and want to actively engage with more people. I've joined some discord servers and am posting much more to twitter and tumblr, but I'm still pretty shy about messaging people privately as I feel like I don't really know what to say. I know it will take time, but any advice on how to get the ball rolling would be much appreciated.

Good luck with the writing!

Hi! I'm very glad you like my Bleach fics, and hey, being missed isn't a bad thing either ❤

(I do have one 80%–finished grimmichi fic that I'll put up on Ao3 soon-ish. The last chapter won't ever be written, but there's still some 28k of fluff and porn that ends on a fairly conclusive note on the emotional end.)

You're right that interacting with my fellow fans is a large part of what makes fandom fun for me. The community aspect of fandom is something that comes up a lot in conversations about why people flock to fandom, why they stay, and why they leave, and although I'm an introvert bordering on a hermit, the social aspects of fandom are its greatest draw. I write because I need to or I'll burst, but I share for the people here with me. That's not an uncommon attitude or experience. YMMV, but many of us want to connect with people who share our interests, and the level of creativity and commitment fandom inspires often thrives in collaboration and community.

How to get that sense of community is a trickier matter though. You're already in Discord servers, which seems to be the main fandom social space(s) these days. You're also on social media platforms where people can reach out to you or vice versa. So that's the basics covered. After that, it's largely a matter of organically developing relationships. But I do understand the hesitance to just roll up into someone's DMs; even though I have no issues with people popping up in my DMs, I also find it harder to initiate.

Plus, I've found that some sort of existing rapport gives you a better foundation when you do take the step into private exchanges. This can be Ao3 comment sections, Tumblr notes, or Discord group chat spaces. I tend to avoid Discord servers these days, but back when I had more tolerance for group chats, the people I met there often became closer friends. Mostly though, my pocket friends are people I met via Ao3 and, less frequently, Tumblr—fellow authors and readers in a specific fandom.

I know my regulars, here and on Ao3, and I've been a regular many times. Discussions in comments usually start out limited to the specific fic, but they can also include general fandom/canon stuff or even personal talk. Many times, you build a degree of familiarity with a person that way, and if the conversation moves to more private channels, you already have a shared base to build further conversation on.

So my best advice to find friends and like-minded fandom folks is to be active in Ao3 comments and Tumblr notes (...and whatever the corresponding thing is over on Xitter):

Reply to the comments on your stories and try to really engage with what your readers are saying. This is very much a personal preference, but the reason I try to reply with more than a generic "thanks" for longer, more in-depth comments is that, like I said above, nerding out with fellow fans is a huge part of why I love fandom. If people are already expressing interest in your story and you have a shared interest in canon, there's a lot of room there for fun conversations, even if they never go beyond one-off exchanges.

Comment on stories you like, and if you find specific authors you really love, let them know without reservations what you like about their takes and why you like them. One of my favorite commenting methods when I'm well and truly in love with something is to read everything once, then reread and leave longass comments on every chapter/fic. It's time-intensive, but I've never seen the effort go unappreciated. I've also been on the receiving end of this many times, and that's how several of my fandom friendships were born; one of my closest friends is someone I virtually kidnapped because I loved their tags on my JJK fic posts so much.

The above habits can be applied to Tumblr/Twitter too. Plus, there are plenty of people on such sites who engage deeply with fandom outside of fic writing. Be loud and proud about what you love. Sending a DM is an intimidating step, and not everyone will be receptive anyway, but most people welcome encouragement and appreciation. There are a lot of people I'm friendly with and fond of whom I've never interacted with directly, only via Tumble notes or asks.

I think all of this narrows down to being pretty generous when it comes to expressing your love for fandom and fellow fans. Won't always work out for various reasons, but as long as you're having fun, it's not wasted effort or time.

[waywardmoeyy]

4am Food Coma

Dean Winchester x Sister!Reader

Word Count: 1,784

Warnings: insomnia, just some familial fluff. 

A/N: This is as much of a feel-good story as I can write late at night. Haha. I hope you all like it! 

My Master List

You sighed as you stared at the drab bunker ceiling. Your body was practically aching from exhaustion, but you mind was racing. Random, deep-rooted memories flashed through you, some causing your heart to pound with regret. This lifestyle had really been taking a toll on you lately, and you knew it was only going to get worse.

You pulled the scratchy, plaid blanket up to your chin and sighed. You could go back to your room, but Dean was snoring to heavily on the other side of the wall. You typically fell asleep before him, but tonight, you just couldn’t get your mind to shut off.

Grabbing your phone beside you, you unlocked the screen and checked the time. 3:34am.

“Well, shit,” you muttered to yourself with another sigh. There was no way you were going to get any sleep at this point. You had promised Sam that, in the morning, you would go with him to some outdoor clothing store a few towns over, and he was always up at the ass crack of dawn. So, that meant you probably only had an hour or so of time to get any sort of shut eye.

The tip-tap of heavy feet approached you from behind the couch. You turned toward the noise, sitting up a little to peer over the back of the couch. In the scarce light, you found your oldest brother approaching you.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing up, sweetheart?” Dean asked, shooting you a concerned look. You sighed and leaned back onto your makeshift pillow.  

“My mind has decided that now is a great time to replay every horrible thing that’s happened in every hunt I can remember. It’s making me nuts. You know me, I’m the one who is always saying that what’s in the past can’t be changed, just let it go. I’m not usually one to dwell, but here I am.” You watched Dean as he plopped down on the edge of the couch, lightly leaning against your feet.

“Sounds like a helluva nightmare, Y/N. Anything I can do to help?” That was a great question, and usually the one you were asking your brothers. You pursed your lips, then gently shook your head.

“I dunno. I think I just need some sort of distraction. I’ve tried watching TV, but my mind just drifts off into another world.” You rolled your eyes. “And I promised Sam I’d go to that store he loves. He wants to leave early. I’m going to be a zombie.”

Dean chuckled as he watched you, probably laughing at the dark rings that were undoubtedly plaguing your eyes. He patted your ankles and smiled.

“I have an idea. Grab a sweatshirt and meet me at the car.” You furrowed your brow as you watched him launch to his feet.

“Wha-wait. What? No. I’m not going out like this. Dean, it’s almost four in the morning! Where are we going?” You slid out from under your blanket. You were clad in baggy pajama pants covered in cat silhouettes, and a tank top that absolutely did not match. Not to mention the quarter sized hole under your right armpit.

“Relax, Bitz, no one’s going to care where were going. Just grab a sweatshirt and some shoes. You have five minutes.” You rolled your eyes at your big brother. He was always up to some sort of shenanigans. But, the two of you were a lot alike, so you usually trusted his crazy schemes.

“Fine, but I’m not going to say I’m excited until I know where we’re going.”

“Calm down, Bitz. You’ll like it.” Bitz, short for Itsy Bitsy, was the nickname Dean gave you when you were too young to talk. Since you were the youngest, and quite obviously the smallest, he thought it was funny. But over three decades later, he still called you by that nickname more than he ever used your real one.

One more unsure sigh left your lungs before you turned towards your room, in search of a jacket.

“I remember there was a place just like this in Omaha. We always stopped when we drove through. I totally forgot this place was here.” You peered down at the menu of the dodgy diner. Dean sat across from you, studying the same menu.

The two of you sat in the corner of the small eatery, only joined by an older man at the bar, obviously a trucker, and a homeless man drifting off on the other side of the building, still half-clutching a cup of coffee.

Dean smiled and nodded, peering up from his menu. “Yeah, it hasn’t changed a bit. It’s like they are all exactly the same. Still better than Biggerson’s, though.” You laughed.

“Yeah, definitely. Their milkshakes are the best! I’m hoping they still are.”

Dean grinned. “Well, let’s find out. I’m not going to eat a big meal then go back to sleep. But, I’ll never deny an Oreo milkshake.” Dean slammed his menu shut and nodded. “What’s your poison? No, wait, lemme guess. Mint chocolate chip?”

Your eyes lit up. You hadn’t had a mint chocolate chip milkshake in years. Most places in the middle of nowhere didn’t have that flavor. Vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry, you cold almost hear a waiter say in their ‘I don’t want to freaking be here’ tone. But this small chain in the center of the country had them, and they were heavenly.

“It’s like you know me or something!” you teased him, before closing your own menu.

Dean chuckled as he eyed the server as they approached your table. “It’s like we’re related.” He winked, before turning to the exhausted young man. He couldn’t have been older that twenty.

“What can I get you?” he droned, his eyes half open. You glanced over at your brother, then back to the young man.

“A mint chocolate chip milkshake please,” you beamed. You smiled, realizing that you were already starting to feel better. You watched as Dean ordered, feeling like you didn’t have a care in the world for the first time in a while.

You all had been hunting for months without any sort of real break. No wonder your mind was on the verge of exploding. You definitely needed to have more breaks and distractions to counterbalance the violent, crazy crap you dealt with day in and day out. But, your brothers were work horses, so that always proved a little difficult.

“Hey, do you think drinking a giant, sugary milkshake is going to be the solution to get me to sleep?” you realized, leaning back in your heavily cracked booth.

Dean shrugged. “Sugar actually helps in a weird way. You eat or drink a bunch of it, fill yourself with sugar, then crash and sleep. Or, the shear amount of food will put you in some type of food-induced coma.” You nodded slowly. It did make sense, weirdly enough.

“Do you think that’s the healthiest thing to do?”

“No, Bitz. But it doesn’t hurt every once in a while. It’s healthier than pulling an all-nighter, then running all around town the next day.” That was true. Plus, there was no way you were going to say no to sugar, whether it was just before sunrise, or sunset. You hadn’t hopped onto Sam’s kale salad bandwagon quite yet.

Within minutes, the server returned with your glorious milkshakes, and a full refill container. The moment your treat was placed down in front of you, you smiled up at your brother in thanks.

The next twenty minutes were quiet, other than the ravenous slurps that came from your straws. Dean finished a few minutes before you, instantly leaning back in his seat.

“Holy shit, that hit the spot.” He smiled as he closed his eyes, instantly in a food coma. You giggled.

“How you didn’t get a single brain freeze baffles me,” you teased, scooting your cup a little closer. A thin line of red light beamed along the horizon, reminding you that you had basically pulled an all-nighter. But, you didn’t care nearly as much as you did before. A sense of peace had enveloped you, or maybe it was the beginning of your own food coma. Either way, you felt a heck of a lot better.

“Thanks, Dean,” you whispered, offering a frozen smile. Dean returned the gesture and nodded.

“Hey, it worked when we were kids. I was sure it was going to work now.” You furrowed your brow.

“What?”

“Yeah, when we came to one of these as kids, Dad would let us order milkshakes. I know you remember. But, what you probably don’t remember is that once you got back in the car, you were out like a light. I don’t even know if the sugar ever got a chance to get to you. I think it was just the comfort food or somethin’.” Dean laughed.

Now that you thought of it, you didn’t really remember the ride afterwards. You just remember waking up just after sunrise, either in the car or arriving home. And, well, that would explain why.

You closed your eyes for a minute, feeling the intense fullness in your stomach. Maybe you were skipping the sugar high yet again, and satiety was leading you straight to real exhaustion.

“Wow, you’re a lightweight,” Dean poked as he lifted from his seat, tossing some money onto the table. You huffed out a chuckle, a little too tired to come up with a witty comeback. “C’mon kid, let’s get you home. You’re going to need some sleep if Sam is going to drag you all over hell tomorrow—uh, today.”

You nodded as you slowly slid out from behind the table. Your brother was already five steps ahead of you, stomping his way towards the door. You slowly followed behind, smiling as you watched him toss a five-dollar bill onto the sleeping homeless man’s table. Then, he opened the door, and waited for you to exit with him.

The moment you settled into your seat, you leaned your head back, resting your head on the top of the back rest. Your eyes were heavy, and your body was practically deadweight. Dean peered over at you as the engine roared to life. He patted your shoulder before putting the car in gear and heading for home.

A long, shuddered sigh left you as you settled into your seat. It was going to be a good twenty minutes or so before you were home. But, your eyes weren’t going to stay open for that long. So, you closed them as you yawned. Within moments, sleep slowly enveloped you, and you weren’t going to fight.

If you would like to be tagged in my works, please send me an ask! <3

*Due to many inactive/untaggable blogs, there have been changes to my tag lists.

Forever Tag List:

@sabsi2222 @beyond-the-nights-world @x-cassiopeia @meganwinchester1999 @cas-is-my-hero-blog1 @jenabean75  @emmii4 @akfonkin @fandom-princess-forevermore @deanwinchestersbitch-blog1 @chameleon-junkie @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @eideticindy

 SPN Only Tags:

@beanie-beebo​

[haworthiaace]

Magic Misfits AU

Ok so basically we made an au based off of the fact that Scar kept calling his village the village for magical misfits. Scar finds out that he somehow ended up on a server for magical misfits, and now he’s created a sort of safe haven within the server, so naturally they flock to it. Some hermits don’t surprise him, the ones that don’t really bother making an effort to hide their magic, or the ones who can’t hide it. But some hermits deeply confuse him. Chaos ensues. 

TLDR Scar becomes a magical therapist for the hermits

Scar is a wizard, he doesn’t really specialize in anything besides his crystals, which is why he’s able to help with a variety of magical issues. He ends up becoming the one entrusted with everyone’s secrets and problems, which makes him Stressed, but he enjoys helping his friends.

Both Xisuma and Evil Xisuma are shapeshifters, with the ability to change their appearance, but not their size. X keeps his appearance hidden from the hermits, which of course inspires wild theories ranging from eldritch abomination to biblical angels, but X won’t reveal if any theories are true. The only ones that know are Hypno (explained later) and Scar. Scar found out when Xisuma showed up hurt at his doorstep, without enough energy to keep another form. Scar was sworn to secrecy afterwards, and he deeply enjoys listening to other hermits pester him for answers. X actually just looks startlingly average, to the point that he’s unwilling to reveal himself solely because people expect him to be something a little more intimidating, and especially now with the ridiculous rumours the hermits have started.

EX doesn’t hide his true form (which is identical to X’s), but of course the hermits don’t believe him, thinking that it’s just another disguise, and EX won’t confirm or deny because he thinks it makes them more afraid of him. (It doesn’t) He’ll also frequently try to impersonate hermits to destroy the server from the inside out, but he is a terrible actor (so is X) and rarely gets far in his plans.

Mumbo and Grian are fairies, but they’re originally from different communities (courts? I really don’t know much about fairies) so they don’t know the other is a fairy until Grian’s hermit challenges initiation. They can shrink into a smaller form that has wings, but it takes quite a bit of effort to switch between forms. (also fun fact: if mumbo is a fairy that means hermit challenges is a magically binding contract)

Iskall is just. Completely human. His prosthetic eye is powered by magic, (and maintained by Scar!) but other than that he’s just a dude. However, he has very strange things happen to him all the time because he’s befriended not one, but two fairies, and he hasn’t noticed either one. He finds that he often has abnormally good luck, and his lost objects will mysteriously turn up as soon as he complains to his best friends about it. He asks Scar if he knows anything, but Scar, not wanting to break Mumbo or Grian’s trust, has to play dumb while also helping Iskall with his ‘problem’.

Now this might come as a shock but. Ren is a werewolf. It may not be unique but it is fitting. One full moon near the beginning of season 7, Ren showed up at the village around sunset, and frantically insisted that Scar let him stay the night in an unoccupied house. So Scar let him stay, and the next morning Ren explained his Situation. So now Scar helps Ren be as comfortable as possible on the night of his transformation and the day after they just chill together.

Stress has her potion brewery, and she’s the first one on the list to fall into the category of Not Having Frequent Magical Emergencies; she just goes to the village to hang out because hey why not? It’s cozy, plus Scar helps her brainstorm potion recipes over cookies and hot chocolate. Scar comes to her often needing a potion (usually of the healing variety) because someone Fucked Up.

Tango is also human, but at some point he was cursed, and his vision started to literally turn red until it was all he could see. The curse was halted thanks to Zed and Impulse, but the red eyes still remain. (Though thankfully his vision returned) They aren’t sure what the curse would have done if it wasn’t stopped, and they’d be happy to never find out.

Zed is an elf, and while he does have a little bit of magic, it wasn’t enough to stop whatever was afflicting Tango, so he turned to more demonic methods. When Tango’s sight got really bad, he summoned a demon (Impulse) and offered his soul in exchange for a cure to the curse. Impulse did the best he could, restoring Tango’s vision but leaving the red eyes, and then left with his price. Zed’s health slowly started declining: he had basically no energy or life due to the separation from his soul. So Tango summoned Impulse back and asked for Zed’s soul back, but it couldn’t be returned without reversing the deal, and Zed wasn’t willing to do that. So Tango ‘asked’ Impulse to stay with them for a while so Tango could convince Zed to back out of the deal. It turns out that being near his soul (kept by Impulse) returned Zed’s energy, and Impulse decided he liked these two so they became a trio, and joined hermitcraft soon after.

Quite often 2 members of team ZIT will wake up Scar in the middle of the night because they accidentally did something to the missing member (banished Impulse, sent Tango to the shadow realm, etc.) and they don’t know what to do. Scar has a ZIT protocol. It’s used far too often. They also constantly try to figure out what the more human looking hermits are. They do not often succeed.

At night, Bdubs turns into a sleep paralysis demon looking creature, and he (unwillingly) curses people to sleep for a completely random amount of time. After an Incident with Wels in season 6, (that’s the reason for his ‘nap’) he makes sure to sleep as early as possible every night. He thankfully isn’t affected by this while in the End or Nether.

Alright lads here’s the angsty one. Beef has the midas touch, meaning everything he touches turns to gold. It works much slower on living creatures than on inanimate objects, but it still works on living things so that’s Not Good. He makes sure to wear special enchanted gloves that block his curse while wearing them. At some point he goes to Scar in a panic because he accidentally touched Etho with his bare hands, (Etho handles this surprisingly well) and Scar helps him fix Etho. (It’s minecraft rules. They just cut his arm off and it comes back.) After that they put a curse of binding enchantment on Beef’s gloves.

Cleo is still a zombie, and she sometimes gets Scar to help her with Zombie Problems when Joe isn’t available. The first time she showed up outside Larry with her (severed) arm held in one hand Scar nearly jumped out of his robes, but he’s pretty used to it by now and will just go inside to grab a needle and thread.

Joe certainly is something! Nobody is quite sure, even Scar. All Scar knows is that Joe knows way too much about everything, and yet he keeps asking Scar to help him translate Galactic. (Joe is secretly trying to teach Scar the language because he feels that it’s important for magic users to know, especially ones so versatile like Scar) Joe is some kind of oracle who receives visions of the past, present, and future, which is why he knows so much, and he’s also at least dabbled in almost every kind of magic there is. He’s a bit of a cryptid.

The local mad scientist is Cub, who does all sorts of weird experiments, and makes inventions that combine magic and technology in disturbing yet wonderful ways. He also got cursed by his pyramid, so now he has comically bad luck. It doesn’t usually cause any serious harm, just shenanigans. He of course embraces this and finds it funny as hell.

On top of Doc’s regular strangeness, (creeper hybrid, cyborg, goat whisperer?) he also for some reason attracts a frankly unreasonable amount of kitsunes. Nobody knows why, but he can be seen in the shopping district being trailed by no less than two foxes with varying amounts of tails. It’s really very cute, and the mystery of it infuriates the more investigative hermits. (Cub and team ZIT mostly)

Etho is a demigod, although nobody knows what god he’s descended from. (including Etho) He has the fun ability to grant others’ wishes, but because of his personality he chooses to twist these wishes and turn them into fun little pranks that technically give the person what they want, but not without annoying them first. He also doesn’t reveal this ability to the others, leaving them even more confused whenever he uses it, which isn’t often because it does drain him quite a bit.

False, being the badass she is, is a valkyrie. She towers over most of the hermits, and between her height, wings, and blazing sword she’s quite intimidating. Despite this, she’s still very sweet, and would never seriously hurt her friends on purpose, but enemies are a whole different story.

Hypno at first seems totally human, but he actually comes from a world full of magic, each person having their own individual ability. Hypno’s ability is to absorb/ cancel out magic, which means that no magic can affect him, and he can also choose to stop any magic by touching the target of the magic. This got him exiled from his world, but he found a new family in the hermits. Because he isn’t affected by magic, he can see through Xisuma’s disguise, but he just assumes that he sees the same thing as everyone else. He hangs out with Beef when he needs comfort because he knows Beef can’t accidentally hurt him.

Jevin is,, slime. Not a minecraft slime, he’s just a pile of sentient slime held together by magic. (Necromancy? probably) Hypno likes to mess with him by touching small parts of him and disrupting the magic so a chunk of his arm falls off. Scar then has to fix it, but it’s still funny.

Keralis has the power of hypnotizing people by looking into his eyes. (Nothing but his eyes) He of course uses this power for mischief, although nothing actually bad. Usually uses it to ‘convince’ people to buy a book or seven. He also sometimes does it on accident, in which case he drops them off at Scar’s until they snap out of it. Team ZIT keeps asking him to hypnotize X so he’ll reveal his true form, but Keralis doesn’t want to force him to reveal that, plus he finds their attempts at figuring it out entertaining.

XB is an unfortunately forgetful selkie, and most of his visits to Scar are because he lost his coat in one of his shulker boxes again. On one memorable occasion he arrived in a panic after losing his coat again, and Scar had to spend about 5 minutes trying to suppress his laughter enough to tell XB that it was on him.

TFC doesn’t have magical crises, much to Scar’s relief. He’s just a humble earthbender living in the mines, occasionally coming out to the village to ask Scar for a crystal to help his back pain, or to give the poor man an afternoon of peace. In fact, Scar turns the tables by asking TFC for magical help with terraforming, which he’s glad to offer in exchange for all that Scar does for everyone.

Wels is a bard, which makes his sea shanties even more powerful than they already are. When Hermitgang came out, a hole was blown in the G team base, much to the surprise of everyone inside at that moment. Hels is also a bard, but he prefers rock music over sea shanties. Diabolical was an actual magical duel, and it probably looked sick as hell.

Bonus: Jellie is secretly a powerful eldritch being, and is the only one with magic that can affect Hypno. It’s a good thing she’s interested in getting pets and treats rather than destroying the server, because she probably could. She casually hops between worlds whenever Scar isn’t around, going on delightful little adventures. Scar takes quite a while to figure this out, and loses his shit when he does. When she got struck by lightning, she just turned up totally fine the next day and Scar didn’t question it too much.

I’d like to thank the discord for helping with ideas, ya’ll are so creative and i appreciate you all <3 ( @skywillsometimeswrite @bigbadantianti @justletmeplayminecraft @badtimeswithscar @aceacebaby12345 @litabattoir @icewolfstar @burntmagicc @dicerxll @dioritegang @cut-the-string @anntonka @shadeswift99

[maybedefinitely404]

Day 17: Royality

@tsshipmonth2020 (does this still count so late?)

What’s that? Ly creating content? Unbelievable. (I have writer’s block, leave me alooone /j)

Thanks to @marshymoop for suggestions and encouragment when making this bad boy! Love ya <3

Day 17 - Everyone has heterochromia, one eye is your natural color the other is your soulmate’s natural color. Once you meet all eyes return to natural color. 

Content warnings: food/drink mention, alcohol, mentions of hangover, vampires, referring to drinking blood as “eating”, non-explicit blood drinking, being chased. 

Word count: 6.9k

THE CITY OF DEWMORE WELCOMES YOU

Patton tapped his fingers on the steering wheel excitedly, nearly vibrating as he passed the weathered sign. Beyond it, beckoning him forward, stood a forest more densely packed and darker than he’d ever had the pleasure of exploring, the achingly tall pine trees swaying minutely in the breeze, their tips barely visible through the blanket of fog. Just imagining what could be held within those depths made his leg bounce; forgotten, moss-drenched stone paths, broken stumps of fallen trees that hadn’t made a sound upon impact, patches of mushrooms scattered in the shadows, and whispering creeks. It was the perfect way to spend his spring break, and one his photography teacher had wholeheartedly encouraged him to take. If he hadn’t had so many midterms to mark, Patton was almost sure the man would have tried to join him. 

Almost an anxious tic at this point, he ran his free hand over the photography bag in his passenger seat, as if to make sure it hadn’t disappeared in the three minutes since he’d last checked. The thing was his prized possession, given to him by the very same photography professor at his university. It had been the elder’s own, before he got his newest camera, and gifted the whole set to his favorite (but don’t tell the others) students. It was full of perfectly kept lenses and two miniature tripods, extra batteries and memory cards, speedlights, and most importantly, the camera tucked safely into the biggest pouch. It was more expensive than Patton would ever have dreamt to buy, so it was truly a gift he’d never forget. Now it was up to him to finally take some shots worthy of the thing. 

The forests continued to grow denser and thicker until, in almost a shocking snap, they disappeared to reveal a quaint city that he hadn’t quite expected. The first few buildings he passed looked like they may have stood there for hundreds of years, weather worn and faded. Their signs were either scratched to nothingness or blaringly new, shining metal names standing out against an ancient backdrop. He was looking for a motel, figuring there had to be one, even in a town of less than two thousand people. His backup plan was to just sleep in his car. He’d brought his sleeping back and extra blankets, so it wasn’t a huge concern, but he’d still prefer a bed. But whenever he’d tried finding anything online, he’d come up blank. 

A fog still covered the town, and though it created an air of calm and mystery that Patton was itching to capture, he also knew the area was surrounded by towering mountains that he also desired so badly. To his right, the buildings stopped abruptly, revealing a grey beach, all rocks and no sand, criss crossed with logs, opening to a dark lake. The other side wasn’t visible through the mist. 

The further he drove, he realized the buildings weren’t improving in their modernity, just giving way to more and more old infrastructure. One stood out, a grocery store, it’s lights piercing through the evening dim. Patton didn’t get a look inside before he passed, once again surrounded antique houses and shops, a post office to his left, and a tavern just across from that. A sign above the door read “Vacancy” in peeling white letters, and that was all the enticing Patton needed to pull his car into the gravel parking lot in front of the building. There was only one other vehicle there, a matte red pickup truck that he parked next to, and what appeared to only be three more parking spots. From the high placed windows, a soft orange light bled, and a round of raucous laughter filtered through the cracked open door. Patton smiled. The photographer inside him was going to have a field day here. 

He stepped up the concrete steps and ruffled his hair with one hand so it covered his eye, heaving a sigh in hopes to calm his nervous butterflies, and pulled the door open. 

All at once, the chatter inside died, and Patton internally shrank as every face in the tavern turned to look at the newcomer. There was a moment of tense silence as he tried his best for a smile and met the gaze of the men scrutinizing him, drinks forgotten on high wooden tables, jubilance halted. Patton waited with baited breath, for someone to do something, why were they all just staring, when a voice spoke from behind the bar.

“Don’t worry about them, sweetheart. We don’t get a lot of new people around here.”

And the lull was broken as suddenly as it started, the men now ignoring him in favor of joking over mugs of fizzing ale. Patton swallowed thickly and turned to the voice, shoving his quivering hands into his pockets and shaking his head again to assure the curls were safely covering his eye. As usual. 

The man standing before him, leaning on the bar with an easy smile, was almost enough to take Patton’s breath away. If he were a religious man, he’d go so far as to call him heavenly. Eyes as dark as the depths of the surrounding forests, auburn hair pushed back from his face in what he could only think to describe as an intentional bedhead. His skin was too flawless, teeth just a couple shades too white, everything perfect in a way that was almost…

Patton couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“What can I get you, newbie?”

“Uhm-” Patton took a cleansing breath and sat at one of the barstools, all of them empty seeing as the crowd seemed more drawn to the tables in the center of the room, “I don’t come to bars that often. I don’t know.”

The bartender hummed, pushing up his already rolled up white sleeves and giving Patton a once over, almost investigating him. “You drink?”

“I… I guess.”

“Been on the road for a while, tired?”

“Do I look that exhausted?” Patton breathed a laugh, suddenly aching to pop his spine. He’d been driving since before dawn for the past three days, barely hunkering down for a decent sleep before he was off again. He’d been really excited to get here, plus he didn’t want to waste more of his meager break driving. 

“I got just what you need, darling.” With a wink, the bartender straightened up and pulled down a series of bottles, cracking his knuckles with flourish before measuring them into a silver canister. “So what brings you to Dewmore?”

“I’m a photographer,” Patton said, “Or, a photography student. Down in Florida.”

The man whistled as he shoveled ice cubes into the mix, “Long drive for some pictures.”

“I’m… dedicated,” Patton laughed, scratching at his neck nervously. “My prof recommended it, said it might be a nice place to spend my break.”

“I assume you’re looking for a place to stay then, as well?” He plopped a cap on the canister and began to shake it above his shoulder, grinning widely, “These guys are always just like, ‘Gimme a beer’ this, ‘Gimme a beer’ that. It’s great to actually make fun drinks again.” With hands flying too fast for Patton to process, he grabbed a glass, popped the lid of the shaker, and poured the deep orange drink, tossing on a green sprig and sliding the drink over. “Enjoy.”

Patton took a cautious sip of the drink and had to fight not to sigh, the refreshing taste a welcome relief after three days of gas station Gatorade and hotel sink water. He could barely taste any alcohol, more focused on the ice cold sweet tartness at the back of his tongue. The bartender looked pleased, huffing a satisfied laugh and beginning to put away his bottles. He was taking another sip, satisfied with the backdrop of joyous chatter and clinking glasses, when he remembered why he’d come in. 

“Yes, I am. Uhm, looking for a place to stay, that is.”

The bartender looked at him over his shoulder, “We haven’t had visitors in… a while, at least. You’ve pretty much got your pick of the rooms.”

“Do you have anything facing the water?” He took another sip, the photo possibilities already flowing through his mind. One through the window, just far back enough to catch the flow of the curtains and the chipped wood of the window ledge, a monochromatic lakeshore in the bottom third, a barely visible mountain looming ahead… 

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Let me just finish this up, and I’ll get you on the ledger.”

“Patton.” He downed the rest of the drink and rested his elbow on the counter, chin in his palm, an easy smile playing on his lips. 

“Hm?”

“My name’s Patton.” 

“I’m Roman.” Tossing the towel over his shoulder, Roman gave him another wink before disappearing into the back room, coming back moments later with a thick black book. He was already thumbing through the pages, finally landing on the one he wanted, and spun a pen between his fingers.

“What’s your last name, sweetheart?” 

Patton spelled it out for him, and was surprised when the man clapped the book shut after the final letter. “That’s all you need?”

“Yup.”

“No… ID, or anything?” It was at that moment when it occurred to Patton that, although he was legal, his baby face often prompted bouncers and servers back home to ask for identification. Roman hadn’t even blinked before serving him.

“Got anything to hide?” 

“Uhm… no, I-”

“Good enough for me. It’s not like we’re a high traffic tourist spot. I don’t think we’ve had anyone take a room in, like, two years, and who knows how many before that. Frankly, I wouldn’t care if you were on the run for murder. Don’t kill me, and we’re solid.”

Patton blanched, unable to tell if the man was being sarcastic. Finally his expression cracked into a smirk and he brandished a key towards Patton, dangling it by the ring. “I’m messing with you. I mean, don’t kill me, that’s legit. Here you go, cutie. Let me know if you need anything.”

With that, he sashayed away with a tray of beers (when on Earth had he filled those?), and the men whooped loudly, startling Patton. 

“Easy, boys,” Roman purred, beginning to round the tables, and Patton hopped off the bar stool to get his things from his car. He couldn’t wait to pass out in bed with the knowledge that he could sleep in however late he wanted. 

-0-0-0-

But apparently sleep didn’t have the same ideas as him, because even after he was in comfortable clothes and tucked into the covers, he continued to toss and turn. Maybe it was the concept of being alone in a strange town, or the full moon shining through the thin curtains, or just plain excitement, but he suddenly felt wider awake then he had since he started this trip. 

There was a soft rattling somewhere across the room and, with begrudging acceptance that he wasn’t going to sleep any time soon, fumbled his glasses on to search for the offending sound. With a grumble, he threw off the blankets and padded across the room to the window and tossed back the curtains, giving the moon a scalding glare for shining so darn brightly. It was the window, fitted loosely in its frame, being shook by the gentle wind that was causing the noise. Patton gave it an experimental tug, followed by a more forceful yank, and found it didn’t budge down at all. Instead, it continued to rattle mockingly, in what sounded almost like whispered giggles as he crossed his arms across his chest. 

Fine. He turned his attention to the scenic view before him, letting out a minute shudder as a small gust of wind blew through his thin pajama shirt. Moonlit waves crashed against the rocky shore, tossing up silver spray against the dark backdrop of the forest. Patton took a breath, feeling an overwhelming sense of peace just staring at the silent town, the stone spires rising above the forest-

Wait, what?

Patton blinked sharply a couple times, leaning forward until his nose bumped the window and squinting through the glass. Those… things... definitely looked like manmade objects- the shape made it impossible for them to be natural- but you’d think he’d remember something that looked like a castle directly outside his window. In fact, he’d spent a significant amount of time upon first entering the room just admiring the view, and a castle one hundred percent would have been on his radar. Oh, if the thing was abandoned, imagine the photo opportunities, and even if it wasn’t he could totally just get some of the outside-

Yeah, there was no way he was sleeping now.

Before he’d even processed what he was doing, he’d slipped out of his pajamas and hurriedly pulled on the outfit he’d laid out on the desk chair, because there was no way he was digging through his suitcase to scrounge out more clothes. He threw a beige sweater over his white shirt, however, remembering the chill the night had brought and, after he’d adequate tucked them into his slacks, he threw his camera bag over his shoulder and trotted down the stairs.

Unsurprisingly, the first floor tavern was empty of all customers, overhead lights traded for softer electric lamps on the walls and the illuminated sign above the bar, where Roman was wiping down the counter, seemingly unbothered by the late hour. 

“Can’t sleep, sweetheart?” The bartender called out without turning around, tossing his rag across the counter and into a full soapy bucket behind the bar. 

“Uh, yeah, something like that,” Patton responded, shaking his bangs so they covered his eye. “I think I’m just too excited to start getting shots.”

“Mmm, you and me both.” He waggled his eyebrows and pulled a bottle of what looked like whiskey off the shelf. “What’s your poison?”

Patton snorted but shook his head, patting his camera bag, “I want to go out, and it’s probably not smart to drink before going out in a strange town at night.”

Roman shrugged before pouring himself a shot and downing it in one smooth motion.

“You’re allowed to drink on the job?”

The bartender hummed, replacing the bottle and locking the cabinet presumably for the night, “Once my tavern is empty, I consider myself off the clock. And I’m my own boss, so I hereby give myself the night off. I have a coffee machine in the back room, one of those Keurigs, if you want something fancy. Hasn’t been used in ages, but I’m sure if you wanted something, I-”

“No, it’s okay. Really.” Patton ducked his head and messed with his shirt, making sure the white collar stood above the neck of his sweater. He made his way over to the bar and took the same stool as before, leaning on the counter as Roman dumped out the dirty cleaning water into the sink. The clock above the bar, barely illuminated enough to see, revealed it was just after midnight. “Are there any old structures, like churches or anything, in the forest?”

Roman tilted his head, giving Patton a look over his shoulder he couldn’t quite understand. 

“There’s nothing there besides wolves and ticks, sweetheart,” he said slowly with an almost condescending smile, “Why? Hoping the little town in the middle of nowhere has a mystery?” He rinsed out the bucket and placed it in the cabinet under the sink.

Patton shrugged, scratching at his temple, “I saw something outside of my window.”

“Like a tree?” The rag was rinsed as well and draped over the faucet.

“No, definitely not.” He tried not to feel too offended that Roman was clearly teasing him, but he was certain what he’d seen hadn’t been a tree. They were too tall, too angular, and too symmetrically placed for that.

“Pattycake, I grew up hunting with my dad and partying in those woods, and I would know if something were there.” 

“Are you sure?” Patton implored, “There’s definitely something man made, could it be, like, an old castle, or something?”

There was a moment of silence between the two as Roman continued to look at Patton like he was crazy, the barest hints of an impish grin tugging at his lips, before he sucked in a sharp breath; as if he realized something. 

On a dime, Roman’s expression contorted into one of anger, eyes alight with fury as he leaned into Patton’s space. As he spoke, his voice almost reverberated, like a choir speaking in unison.

“There is nothing in those woods, Patton. Understand? Don’t go wandering into places you don’t belong, or you won’t like what you find.”

Patton reared back from the forceful words, hand coming up subconsciously to readjust the hair on his face. Roman leaned just a tad closer, growling out a warning, “Got it, sweetheart?” The electric lamps on the walls, once creating such a homey, soft environment, suddenly flickered and Patton flinched, whipping around to face the large room as it seemed to strobe under the malfunctioning lights. Goosebumps spread across his arms as the flashing grew faster and his hand clamped over the back of his neck when a shiver raced up his spine.

“What’s going on? Why are-”

And then the lights went out completely, an eerie quiet settling over the tavern. Roman was silent. Was he even still in the room? Could he have left so quickly? The only sound in the empty room were Patton’s shaky breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, as he fought down a scream. He wasn’t a fan of the dark.

A single street light barely shone through the window, too dim to even light up the tables near the glass, and Patton turned to focus on it. In through the nose, out through the mouth. In… out… in… out-

A silhouette appeared in the window. 

The lights were back to their original gleam before he could even open his mouth to scream, filling the room with a dull hum as if nothing had even happened. Blinking rapidly, Patton took a calming breath (it’s just old lights, it’s just old lights, relax) and swiveled back in his chair to find that Roman was smiling at him innocently, cleaning out a glass with a rag.

“Everything alright, sweetheart?”

“Didn’t you see that?” Patton asked incredulously.

“See what?”  The bartender placed the glass into the last space in a row of them, giving Patton that same condescending grin as before. 

Patton sighed and lifted his glasses to rub his eyes tiredly, shaking his head. “I think travelling for so long has me seeing things.” Careful as ever, in the same fashion he’d so masterfully perfected in elementary school, he shook his head to cover his eye- his stupid, left, ‘soulmate’ eye- before removing his hands and letting his glasses fall back into place. 

Other kids won’t like it, sweetie. I don’t think the teachers will either.

I know you can’t help it, my love. If I could take this burden from you, I would. But this is yours to handle until… well, you know.

I don’t know why, Patton. You’ll find them someday. And then you’ll understand. 

“Why do you do your hair like that?”

“Hmm?” Patton blinked.

Roman smirked, leaning casually on the counter in front of Patton, “Covering half of your face like that. You shouldn’t, you know. You’re a stunner.” With that, he reached forward, intent on moving that hair out of his face.

No.

“NO!” Patton yelled, stumbling off the barstool just as Roman’s hand made contact with his face. He ducked his head, roughly scraping his hair back in place with shaking hands, but the damage was done. A single cute guy compliments him and he forgets the habit he’s built up for years? How could he be so stupid-

“Everything alright? I’m sorry for scaring you, sweetheart.”

Was it possible he hadn’t seen it? Maybe Patton had moved fast enough, maybe the bartender had been too surprised to get a good look, maybe everything was fine. Roman didn’t seem horrified, or at all perturbed. Instead, he just looked… worried. 

Either way, after that reaction, Patton was aching to be left alone to stew in his embarrassment. His rented room held nothing for him that he wanted, and sleep felt farther than ever, so his only choice was outside. The promises of a maybe-crumbling ancient building, illuminated by a full moon, were far more tempting than anything inside had to offer. 

“Actually,” Patton said nervously, “A coffee would be great.”

Roman squinted at him, biting on the inside of his cheek before huffing a breathy laugh through his nose. “Alright, darling. Give me just a second to dust off the Keurig.”

The moment he disappeared behind the door to the backroom, Patton tightened his hold on the camera bag and sprinted from the tavern, into the grips of the cool night.

-0-0-0-

What would he say when he got back to the tavern? Would Roman make him leave the inn? Had he crossed a line he hadn’t known existed; would he have to cut his trip early because he couldn’t help his curiosity? Was bothering the only innkeeper in town really the smartest decision to make?

All wonderful questions that Patton wished he’d considered before running.

But if he did have to leave, and if this was his last night in this delightful and equally terrifying little town, he was going to make the most of it. At least, that’s what he’d thought he would do as he’d left the few city lights behind and treading deeper into the forest. He had a flashlight with him, thank goodness, so he wasn’t completely screwed, and he’d already gotten a few great shots. He stayed in the areas that the full moon could still shine through the trees, and some of the clouds had rolled away, so he was having the time of his life working with silhouettes against the star filled sky (thanks to the little to no light pollution Dewmore offered). 

The more prominent thought in his mind, however, were the spires steadily growing closer above the treeline. He couldn’t understand what Roman had been talking about. How could anyone living in this town not see whatever he was walking towards? 

(Admittedly, curiosity was also a huge reason he was chasing something he’d been warned to avoid. He’d never been that great at impulse control.)

It had to be nearly two in the morning when he came to an incline; a steep path constructed entirely of rocks fist-sized and larger. At the top, Patton could just barely see what looked to be the back of the castle, and he bounced slightly on his toes in excitement. He couldn’t tell from this distance the state it was in, or if it was possible anyone still lived there, but dang it if he wasn’t going to give it a go before he left. He’d walked all this way, after all.

The first few steps up the hill were the loudest thing he’d heard since he’d started his midnight adventure, and he cringed as they dropped away under his feet, knocking against each other as they fell to the ground.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Patton spun around, his flashlight slipping out of his hands. It rolled down between the rocks, casting split second light beams in every direction as it bounced towards the source of the voice, and stopped dead in the middle between the two of them. It settled on an indent created by Patton’s steps, aimed at the newcomer. Patton breathed a sigh of relief.

“Roman, goodness gracious! You scared the bejesus out of me,” Patton laid a hand on his chest and let out a huge gust of air. Roman didn’t move, and for the first time he noticed the absolute glare the bartender was giving him. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uhm… sorry about the… leaving. Thing. Are you mad?”

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Well, apparently they weren’t going to talk about it. “Oh- I’m sorry, is this private property? I didn’t see any signs, I’m- Wait, but look, Roman! See, that’s what I was talking-”

“You. Shouldn’t. Be. Here.”

Patton blinked at the harshness in his words, taken aback. How was this the same easy going bartender that he’d met earlier tonight? Whatever was beyond this hill, though, Roman obviously wasn’t going to allow Patton to see. Maybe it was dangerous, or something? Either way, he couldn’t deny his disappointment.  “Yeah. I’m sorry, I’ll leave-”          

“How did you get here?”

“I… um, walked?”

“No!” Roman hissed, finally stepping forward and plucking up the flashlight from the ground, “You shouldn’t be able to see the castle, or go near it, how the hell did you get here?!”

Before he could answer, the other man froze, whipping around as if he’d heard a noise from his left. And then Patton blinked, and Roman was in front of him, pulling him back down to solid ground. He dragged him by the arm to a fallen tree that was propped up against its own splintered stump, leaving it angled just a few feet off the ground.

“How did you- You were just over there, how-”

“Get down!”

“What?”

“Get. Down!” Roman shoved his shoulders and Patton had no choice but to collapse, blending into a pile of ferns beneath the bend of the tree. “Take off the backpack, put it in front of you. It blends in better than you do.” He yanked off the dark green camera bag as he spoke, situating it in front of Patton. “Don’t move, don’t make a sound, don’t fucking breathe, Patton, I swear.” The flashlight flicked off and thumped to the ground as Roman walked away, leaving him standing in the pale moonlight. Patton debated reaching for the flashlight, but that would mean exposing himself from the foliage he was tucked in and under, and Roman had seemed really scared. 

There was a rustle in the underbrush in front of Roman, and the photographer shoved his fist into his mouth before he could gasp. 

“Roman, it’s so nice to see you back home. It’s been far too long.”

“It’s been hardly a month, mother.”

The woman that emerged from the tree’s shadows wore a black cloak, nearly blending into the forest around her as the fabric swirled hypnotically by her ankles with each step. Silver embroidery made up the tight bodice and strung together the corset front, meeting at the bottom in an intricate knot and trailing almost down to the earth in two strands. How her intricate updo had stayed intact through a walk in the forest, Patton couldn’t understand. 

However, if this was Roman’s mother, he did understand where he got his looks. The only word that came to his mind was ethereal; all smooth pale skin, those same impossibly dark eyes, red lips curved in a constant, easy smile. She was beautiful, but she was terrifying, and Patton backed up more into his fern hiding spot. 

She lifted her flared sleeves towards Roman as she stepped into the moonlit opening and he pulled her hands towards himself, kissing both of her cheeks before releasing her. 

“A month is too long, darling,” She purred, letting the back of her hand trail down his cheek. “I don’t understand why you find it necessary to stay amongst those humans when you could be with your family.”

“Because I want more than just… lounging, and talking with my brothers. Do you have to bring this up every time I visit?” Despite his slightly aggravated tone, he leaned into her touch. 

“When you’re older, you’ll look back at these choices with embarrassment and resentment.”

“Maybe.” 

“I just don’t want you to blame me when you do.”

“I could never, I promise.”

She sighed heavily, “They miss you, Roman. We all do.”

“Which is why I’m here, mom. You act as if I’ve been gone a millenia.” 

“Worrying is what a mother does best,” She smiled fondly, tapping his cheek with her finger, “You’re home, darling. Drop the glamor? It must be tiring keeping it up constantly.”

There was a moment of hesitation, where Patton couldn’t help but tense up along with the man in front of him. Then the air shifted, like it had been holding a breath it could finally let out, and though there was nothing different that Patton could see from Roman’s back, a certain jolt of fear hit him out of nowhere. 

“There’s my boy.” The woman drew him in for a proper hug, one hand reaching around his back to rest on his head. She pressed a kiss to his hair when he wrapped his arms around her in turn. Suddenly her nose wrinkled and she pulled away, holding his shoulders at arm’s length. “Dearest, you smell like humans again.”

Roman chuckled, but there was a new quiver in his voice. “The only flaw in being surrounded by them so often. Let me change, and I’ll come meet you for dinner.”

She didn’t move, eyes narrowing as she watched his face. “No… it’s not you.”

“What? What else could it possibly-”

“There’s a human here.” Her voice was utterly calm, but she pushed Roman behind her resolutely. “There must be.”

“What?!” 

A low growl filled the air, and it took Patton a few moments to realize the sound was originating from her. She stepped past Roman, her dress flowing soundlessly along with her as she glared into the woods around them. 

Her eyes flashed red.

Once again, Patton shoved his fist into his mouth to hide a scream. That same alien jolt of fear returned as she moved closer to him, seemingly zeroing in on his location. 

“Mother, come now. You’re being silly. Humans can't even come near here, remember? You made sure of that yourself!”

Patton tore his eyes away from the advancing woman and his breath caught in his throat. Roman had followed his mother, trying to placate her gently with a hand on her arm, and in doing so, had turned towards Patton’s hiding spot.

When Patton opened his eyes shortly after being born, he was taken away from his mother, despite his parent’s strong objections and his wails. He was returned hours later, much to their relief. On his birth certificate, his right eye was labeled blue. His left eye, the side usually taken by the natural color of his soulmate’s, was labeled ‘Defective’.

When he was set to start school at six years old, his mother sat him down on his bed and taught him how to properly cover his left eye with his hair. They’d grown it out enough to do so. Patton had asked why it was necessary, and subsequently learned the truth that not all people were as accepting and loving as his parents. 

When he was ten, he returned home from school crying. He dropped into his mother’s arms and she held him until his sobs turned to sniffles, until he could explain between sharp breaths that a bully at school had revealed Patton’s eye while trying to force him into a fight, and… well, his classmates hadn’t taken it well. Those who weren’t downright afraid of him, refused to eat or sit with him anymore. But it wasn’t fair. He couldn’t help it!

His eye was labeled ‘Defective’, because never before had the doctor’s seen a child born with a red eye. Not the pale color that came with pinkeye, or an allergic reaction, but the iris itself was such a bold, blood red color that it had left the team scrambling for any record of such an incident. They were left with more questions than answers. But the world had yet to understand how soulmates worked in the first place, so they chalked it up to another universal mystery.

Every day for as long as he could remember, Patton had stared into a mirror first thing in the morning, greeted with calm, airy blue on one side, and fiery, almost electric red on the other. 

So it was jarring to see such a sight, yet reversed, on another person. But as Roman tugged again on his mother’s arm, there was no denying it; the man’s own color was a gleaming ruby, and the other was Patton’s very own blue. 

“Mother, look,” Roman blurted out, scooping up the discarded flashlight from the forest floor, “This is a human tool. I’m sure this is what you’re smelling.”

She ripped the device from his hand, shaking it in his face, “That is still far too close to home, Roman! Humans have been here, and I guarantee they are still nearby.”

“And you don’t know how many there are, Mom!” Roman insisted, taking her hands. “It doesn’t matter how they got here, or why they did,” A slow grin spread across his face, highlighting a pair of glinting fangs, “Why don’t you gather the family, and we can find them together? I can’t even remember the last time I really ate.”

The woman was satiated by this answer, though she still cast the forest cautious looks. “Stay put, Roman. We’ll be back shortly.” Her nose wrinkled again. “Along with a change of clothes for you.”

And then she was gone, the only remaining trace being the tiny cloud of dust she’d left behind. Roman was calm for a moment, making sure she was really gone, before his demeanor dropped. The cocky smirk was gone, and he no longer held the confidence he’d had, either as a bartender or in the presence of his mother. 

“We don’t have a lot of time, c’mon! Let’s go!” He crouched before the log, extending his hand to Patton.

“What the hell are you?!” Patton shrieked. Interesting, that those were the first words from his jumble of thoughts that came out.

“Oh, come on, do you really need to ask? I’m pretty sure you already know!” 

And yeah, Patton was pretty sure he knew. He wasn’t an idiot. He’d had a teen Twilight phase, so of course the obvious answer was there. It just… it wasn’t possible. His brain was scrambling for any kind of other solution, anything that made sense, but it all kept circling to the same answer. 

The cute bartender at the inn was a vampire. 

… 

Okay then.

Next problem.

“I… yeah. I think I got it.”

“Good! Now let’s go!” Roman grabbed Patton’s hand and yanked, effectively pulling him from his hiding place and nearly tearing the arm from it’s socket. Patton stumbled from the sudden movement and tripped on his camera bag, yelping as he crashed into Roman’s chest. 

The vampire’s hands instantly wrapped around his waist, steadying him as he found his footing. 

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m all good, I just-”

Roman was much taller than he’d thought; that was the initial thought that came to mind as he looked up at the man holding him. The second was, well, the fact that his jaw had dropped open upon seeing Patton’s eyes, and for the first time since they’d met, the guy was completely speechless. 

Patton felt his left eye began to tingle as they shifted into its own natural color. He ignored it.

“You really didn’t see it? At the bar?” Patton whispered.

“No, you moved too fast,” Roman murmured, bringing a hand up to Patton’s cheek. “You… you’re my-”

He must have sensed something, or heard something that was too quiet for Patton’s ears, because his head whipped towards the castle. 

“We need to go. Now.” Roman intertwined their fingers and pulled him into a run towards the town.

“Wait, no! My bag!” He tugged hard to try and get his hand free, but he was truly no match for Roman.

“Not important right now, sweetheart!”

 Without the aid of his flashlight, and enveloped by the darkness of the forest, Patton was totally blind, relying only on Roman’s grip to keep him from falling. Branches hit his face and roots reached up to trip him, but every time he stumbled, the hand tightened and pulled him back upright. 

A howl cut through the air. 

“What now, werewolves?!” Patton shrieked.

“Don’t be ridiculous, werewolves aren’t real!” Roman scoffed, “They’re normal wolves! What, you think just because we’re vampires, we’re unable to have pets?”

“Is this really a conversation we should be having at this exact moment?!” Patton shot back.

“You’re right, you’re right, okay.”

The howls were growing closer, and it was clear by Roman’s increased pace that this wasn’t about to be a friendly reunion.

“Can we outrun them?!”

“I take it you’ve never met a wolf!” 

Patton looked up at him desperately, already struggling to keep up the conversation and keep up with Roman. 

“I thought vampires had… like, super speed!”

“I wouldn’t be able to go for long, especially carrying you. Jump!”

Patton leapt blindly, feeling the side of a fallen log scrape the toes of his shoes. The landing was rough, sparks of pain shooting up his legs, but he was quickly pulled back upright. 

“I don’t have the energy! I haven’t eaten in months!”

There were more yowls, definitely closer this time, followed by the sound of multiple animals fighting, barely louder than a voice shouting (presumably) at the racket. Whether it was the wolves having a spat, or a prey animal that had gotten in the way of the hunt, Patton didn’t know. It drew out a small whimper from him either way.

He didn’t want to be next. 

“Do you trust me?” Roman suddenly gasped, holding his hand firmer. 

“What?!”

“Do. You. Trust. Me?!”

Patton didn’t exactly think he had a choice right now. His feet were aching, his lungs were burning, and he wasn’t sure he could run another minute without his legs giving out. “I- Yeah! Sure!”

“Good enough,” Roman grunted bitterly, screeching to a halt, and using his grip on the other’s arm to stop him too. Before Patton could even bring himself to complain, or scream at him, or just incoherently yell, the vampire was drawing him to his chest, puppeting his arms so they were around his shoulders.

“Hold on.”

Obediently, Patton tightened the grip. “Why-”

And then there was a sharp pain in his neck, and his eyes widened. The sting almost immediately morphed into a pleasant warmth, the distant howling being replaced by a faint humming, the buzzing of his own mind calming, becoming numb until the only thought in his head was Roman, Roman, Roman- 

He could feel Roman’s hand on his head, not restricting it, but cupping the back of it so he could lean against him as he stared up at the night sky, the full moon, and the slow blurring of the tops of the pine trees. His other arm was wrapped around his waist tightly, holding him up, and Patton was beyond grateful for the support as his legs began to turn to jelly. The last thing Patton felt was the vampire scooping up his legs and his head being cradled against the soft material of Roman’s shirt. 

Then everything went dark. 

-0-0-0-

Patton woke up slowly, squinting against the harsh sunlight streaming through his window. He dropped an arm across his eyes lazily, letting out a low groan at his pounding headache. There were voices downstairs in the tavern, and what sounded like dishes clanging, and he wondered if somehow this place was also a restaurant. How on earth could anybody run an establishment like that? It’s like the place never slept-

A wave of nausea pooled in his gut due to the speed of which he sat up but that wasn’t important, not right now. He flung his blankets back and… oh. He was dressed in his pajamas. Last he could remember, in the woods, running with Roman, he’d been in day clothes, in the sweater and shirt that was now draped on a chair across the room. His camera bag was... on the desk. His shoes were by the door, dirt free.

He raised his finger tips to his neck, expecting to feel a raised scab, or scar, any sign that he’d been bitten. There was nothing. 

He swung his legs over the sides of the beds and immediately shut his eyes, fighting off an explosion of dizziness induced sparks that shot across his vision. It sure felt as if he’d lost some blood. As much as he didn’t want to believe he had a hangover from one drink, that could also be an explanation. He’d always been a bit of a lightweight.

A dream. Was it all just… a dream?

A feeling of disappointment washed over him and he sighed, running his hands up through his hair. Something soft snagged on his fingers and he carefully detangled it from the curls, pulling it out curiously. He blinked at the fern leaf between his finger tips. That definitely hadn’t happened between his car, the tavern, or the room... So- 

He sucked in a breath sharply as his eyes locked with the mirror’s reflection in front of him, every thought coming to a halt.

Because staring back, for the first time ever, were two perfectly blue eyes.

I have a bunch of world building ideas that weren’t included in this fic, shoot me an ask if you have any lore questions!

General taglist:

@max-is-tired

@private-snippers

@joylessnightsky

[blushie14]

Language of Love [Skephalo]

You know, this was originally going to be a drawing, but I couldn't help myself! The scenario I thought of was too cute just to be a small comic! There are some sentences in French! All translations are at the bottom. Not gonna say anything else, just enjoy!

Zak was smiling like crazy as he hopped onto Minecraft. He spammed Darryl to get onto Teamspeak. He was impatient as he was fidgeting in his chair, giddy and nervous at the same time. I'm really going through with this huh?

*buddy joined your channel*

"MyEHHHH!" As soon as Darryl joined, the both of them start to greet each other back and forth in their usual manner for a little bit. "Yo!" "Skeppyyyy!" "Hi!" "Hey!" "Hiiii!" "What's up?" "Nothing much, just felt like talking to you. Can you also hop on to Minecraft?"

Darryl seemed happy to do so, since he wasn't doing much at the moment either. "Oh! Sure, what do you have in mind?" Zak thinks to himself. He only needed to talk to him so he didn't really plan anything specific to play. "Well I'm fine with whatever dude." "Hmm... Wanna go to wool wars then?" "Alright! Wool wars it is then, let's go!"

Zak already hopped on the server while Darryl was still logging in. "So, this isn't for a video, is it Skeppy?" Zak laughed, face turning a bit red. There was no way he would do this for a video, he'd die of embarrassment. "No! No, I just want to have some fun! Haha, why do you always think I'm recording?"

"Wha- Do y- What do you mean?! You always hide the fact that you're recording from me!" Zak giggles before continuing, "Dude! I'm not recording! I'm not recording, I swear!" Darryl rolled his eyes and smiled. He didn't fully believe him, but he decided to not push it any further. "Oh whatever you muffin head. Let's just start so that I can destroy you in a 1v1."

-

"aAAH! WAITWAIT NO!" Zak laughed and celebrated as Darryl screamed. He successfully knocked him off and won. "Three in a row! Bad, I'm crushing you!" Darryl growled in frustration. "I- No! You are cheating!" 

"WHAT?!" 

"You're a cheater cheater, pumpkin eater!" Zak bursts out in hysterics as the both of them bicker back and forth for a bit. "Oh my goodness, I hate you so much right now. ...Okay I don't really, but you're ticking me off!" 

Zak calmed down and laughed lightly. He sighed and mumbled, "Je t'aime." 

With help from Vincent, Zak may or may not have a list of words in French. A list of words that Zak is too scared to say to Darryl seriously upfront. So of course instead of letting Darryl know, Zak could say it out loud without having Darryl understand. Plus, he could impress him as well.

It was pretty sudden for Darryl at first. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Wait what? What did you say?" Zak giggles before he replied with a warm smile. "Je t'aime! Tu me rends tellement heureux."

Darryl's eyes lit up in awe. "Oooh! Are you speaking in French? Did a6d teach you few things?" Zak smiles and nods, "Oui~" Darryl can already feel himself burning up. Hearing Zak just simply speaking like that made him feel weird and fuzzy. He wanted to hear more and was very curious to what the previous words mean. "O... O-Okay then. So what did that mean in English?" 

"Oui means yes." "No, I already know that. I meant the words before that." Feeling sheepish, Zak nervously laughed and shook his head. "That's for me to know and for you to never find out." 

"What?!" Darryl exclaimed, a little hurt, "Why not?" "B-Because," Zak hesitated, "Tu comptes tant pour moi!" Darryl muttered under his breath, "Okay, no. I'm not gonna let you distract me. I am coming to kill you."

A few minutes into the next round and Zak sees Darryl building up in the distance. He giggles and throws an ender pearl towards him. "Tu es mingonne. Je t'aime." Darryl felt his face heat up again as he rolled his eyes. "Oh my goodnes can you sto- AHH! Skeppy no! NOO!" Zak grinned smugly as he managed to kill his opponent once again."Wow Bad, I thought you were good at Wool Wars."

"I AM good at Wool Wars! This is your fault because your fancy French talk distracted me!" Zak snickered and replied, "Je t'adore." Darryl covered his face and laughed a little. "Oh my goodness! Either stop talking French or tell me what you're saying!" 

"Ahaha! I don't want to!" Darryl huffs, "Fine! Keep being a ragamuffin." Darryl suddenly gets an idea that he should've thought of sooner. "Hang on Skeppy. I'll be right back. I'm gonna make a phone call."

"Okay, hurry back! Je t'aime!" Darryl muted his mic and picks up his phone. He dials a number and murmurs while he waits for someone to pick up, "If you won't tell me, then maybe he will."

-

Vincent ended his stream a few minutes ago and was planning on going to sleep. Before he could get up from his chair and head to bed, he heard his phone ring. He looked and sees that Darryl was calling him. He figured that it wouldn't hurt to talk to him, and picked up. "Yo Bad, what's up?"

"A6dddddd! Skeppy and I are playing Wool Wars right now. He is speaking in French and don't know what's he saying! What did you teach him to say?" There were a couple phrases that Vincent shared with many curious people that asked, especially Darryl. But since Vincent is a bit exhausted, he couldn't think of anything that he might've shared with Zak. "I'm not really sure what Skeppy is doing," Vincent yawned, "Can you at least give me an example of what he said so that I could translate?" 

"Oh my goodness, he already said a few things already though." They both stay silent for a moment until Darryl gets an idea. "Oh! If I continue talking to Skeppy, can you just tell me what he's saying if he speaks in French?" 

"Hmm... Okay, I guess I can do that." 

"Perfect! Yes, thank you. I'm on Teamspeak with him right now. I'm about to unmute my mic." He unmuted as Vincent was still on the phone, secretly listening to every word. "Hey! I'm back!" 

"Bonjour!" Vincent quietly laughed in the background as Darryl rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. "Oh my gosh, are you gonna continue speaking French the entire time we play wool wars?" 

"Hah, nope! Because I feel like playing bed wars now. Wanna team?" Darryl replied with enthusiasm "Ooh, okay!" Zak smiled at the fact that Darryl's frustration could simply vanish in an instance. He mumbled, "Je t'aime pour toujors." Before Darryl's face could burn up again, loud laughter can be heard on Darryl's phone. "Bad? Who is that?" Zak questioned, while Vincent gasps for air. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?" 

"Oh my good- LANGUAGE!" Zak's heart came to a stop for a split second, "Is that a6d?" Darryl couldn't answer before a6d continued, "I'm joining Teamspeak, hold on!" 

-

It took Darryl and Zak a moment to hop over to bed wars. Zak is slightly panicking while Darryl moved Vincent to their Teamspeak. As he joined, Vincent was internally freaking out, smiling widely. "Sooo Skeppy, is this the reason why you asked me how to say I lo-" Zak immediately cut him off with a scream. "Oh my goodness! How to say what?!" Vincent tried to speak again rolling his eyes, "I told Skeppy a few different ways to say I-" 

"NAANANA!! HANYA HAAAA!!" Skeppy interrupted again, thankful that no one can see how red his face is right now. "A6d, I will literally give you 50 dollars for you to shut your mouth!" Darryl couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Seriously?! You would pay a6d not to tell me what you're saying?!" Vincent smirked, "Send it to me on PayPal." Zak let out a sigh of relief while Darryl was not a happy camper. "Wait no! I wanna know whatever the heck 'Je tem' means!" 

"You wanna know what it means? It means Skeppy is a coward, THAT’S WHAT IT MEANS!" Zak felt his face heat up as he laughs, "SHUT UP DUDE!" Darryl, being oblivious as ever, asks "Wait, why are you calling yourself a coward Skeppy?" The other two started giggling. Vincent facepalms while Zak just tries to change the subject, "We have to protect our bed, Bad come on!" Darryl sighs and yelled, "Okay! Okay! I'm collecting emeralds!"

-

A few minutes go by, and the duo were doing a decent job protecting their bed. Everything was going fine until Zak tried to go back to their base while carrying 3 diamonds. Not paying attention as much, he slipped up and fell into the void. "Oh my goodness you fatty! Why did you die?! Now we can't get heal pool!" Zak chuckled, "Tu me rends gaga." Vincent laughed, finding the situation both amusing, a little embarrassing, but kind of cute. He is also slightly cringing at Zak's pronunciation. "Oh my goodness a6d, please tell me what he said. Did he call me stupid or something?" 

"Well... he didn’t call you stupid," he snickered. Zak laughed and continued. "Les mots no peuvent pas décrire mom amour pot toi~" Vincent swore a part of him died inside as he hides his face from second-hand embarrassment. The pronunciation was a little poor to him, but apparently pleasant for the other as his face was flushed red.

"Oh my gosh, how many things did you teach him?!" Vincent only laughed in response, still hiding his face in his hands. Darryl starts to do the same, "Finishing this is going to be impossible Skeppy!" He whined becoming flustered, "because you keep acting like a potato! Tell me what you're saying right now, or stop it!" 

"Bad, all he's doing is saying 'je t'aime' differently every time." 

"But what does je t'aime mean!?"

"Tu es mingonne! Je t'aime." Darryl couldn't take it anymore. His heart couldn't take it anymore. No longer caring about the bed wars game, Darryl decided to use a last resort to find out once and for all. Google translate. Thinking he heard it enough times to say it, he grabbed his phone and asked Google.

"What does je t'aime mean in French?" Miraculously, it managed to pick up his question correctly the first time.

Je t'aime means 'I love you' in French.

-

It's as if time froze when Darryl stared at his screen, wide-eyed. He felt his face heating up more and more, coming to the realization that Skeppy was saying 'I love you' in many different ways. He didn't even notice Zak suddenly disconnecting from Teamspeak and logging out of Minecraft. He only snapped back to reality when he heard Vincent cackling.

"I-... I-... Did Skeppy leave?!" Vincent nodded while he was still laughing and shouting in the background, "FINALLY!" Darryl puts his hands to his face in disbelief. His emotions have gone haywire and it felt like his heart was bouncing all over the place. "A6d, w-what.. just happened?"

Vincent cleared his throat, "To sum it up, Skeppy was.. basically flirting with you." Vincent laughed a little more before he continued, "I honestly didn't expect him to do it in French, but I guess it was effective in the end. I had a feeling that he really liked you." Darryl was still at a loss for words. He was still trying to calm down while still looking at the 'I love you' at his phone. ...He loves me. "Sooo, do you want me to tell you what I taught h-" 

"YES!" Darryl squeaked immediately, VERY eager to translate everything Zak said to him. "Okay, but you did NOT find out those translations from me. Alright?" Darryl instantly agreed. Grinning, Vincent continued.

"I think I can remember everything I taught him, but let's start off with what I heard. So this sentence he said was a bit off: 'Les mots no peuvent pas décrire mom amour pot toi.' It literally means 'words can't describe my love for you.'

Darryl burned up as covered his mouth with both hands to suppress a squeal. "aAWW!! That’s so adorable ohmygoodness." Vincent snickered, pretending that he didn't hear the other squee over their crush. Darryl cleared his throat, apologized, and asked Vincent to continue.

-

About half an hour went by after he left the Teamspeak. Zak couldn't pull himself together as he overthinks what Darryl is even doing or thinking about. What if he thinks I'm weird? What if we aren't friends anymore? What if-

*buddy joined your channel*

"Skeppy?" Zak panicked once he heard Darryl's voice, he blurted out "Do you hate me?!" Darryl blinked in surprise, "What?! Nonono, I don't!" Zak covered his face, still feeling a bit stressed from this. "Hey, muffin. Muffin calm down. I promise I don't hate you."

Zak slowly lowered his arms, "you don't?" Darryl had a toothy grin on his face and shook his head. "Of course not.." He nervously looks down on the floor, and attempts to say as best as he can, "Tu comptes tant pour moi." Zak was surprised for a moment. He wasn't exactly expecting Darryl to speak French afterwards. It was cute. Zak smiled as relief washed over him, his face was warm as he replied back.

"Tu me rends tellement hehreux."

[End]

DISCLAIMER: I do not know any French! I only did a little research! Here are the translations:

[sukirichi]

Heya Suki~ Im really really happy to hear that youre in a better place now and youre feeling better aswell!! About your writer block, just take it slow and like you said dont beat yourself over it, I saw that you were thinking about writing for jjk again that actually might help... Usually with me its by reading alot especially things from the authors I look up to (👉👈 youre one of them) but yeah! I hope your writer block will vanish soon~

Also! Its fine! You dont need to apologize for me ask to be lost in your asks 😅 I can resume it easily 😌 basically was me fangirling over the fact that you liked what I wrote cause lets be honest the way you have with words, how you can always make me feel everything the character is feeling, being it sadness, anger, happiness, whatever being the emotion you want to convey! I just always feel everything!

One of my favorite things is to imagine it all like im actually there and you just make it so easy for me to see it clear in my head thanks to how you beautifully put everything in words, even the tiniest details!

You mentioned Reckless and I swear I was never so invested in a series before... Maybe because Im biased and I absolutely love Satoru 👀👀👀👀 but the way you were writing made me feel so much for him I would reread each chapter a few times to hunt this or that detail just so I could defend him 😂😂😂

So it caught me by surprise how you liked what I wrote so much 👉👈 cause my way of writing compared to yours is just so simple and even so you liked it and I legit had a senpai noticed me moment xppppp

Oh and also I said I was hesitant about asking to join your discord cause I'm either really hyped and loud like Bokuto or just quiet in my corner like Kenma so I was afraid I would be either annoying or just way too quiet 😣

NOW! It seems like I missed your Chifuyu x reader super fluffy fic and HOW DID I MISS IT? I WAS SCREAMING?? LIKE OMFG DHFHFHDJDHDHSJSJD SUKI I DIDNT WANT TO SIMP FOR CHIFUYU WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME??? I WAS SENDING VOICE MESSAGES TO MY BEST FRIEND ABOUT IT AND MOST ARE JUST ME GOING: FHDHDJSKAPDJD HES SO ADORABLE!! DHDHDBFBVDBDB and how i wanted to beat Baji for making fun for us liking Chifuyu but not confessing...... And probably my best voice message was me going like: BESTFRIENDNAME I TAKE WHAT I SAID ABOUT BAJI!! BAJI PLS COME BACK AND HELP ME STOP CHIFUYU FROM GOING TO THIS DATE... Yooooo that 'im going on a date' part actually made my heart shatter a bit :) just a bit cause Mitsuya destroyed it entirely :) when I thought that i was healed from the "I cant marry you, cause I have a fiance" moment with Satoru in reckless Mitsuya comes to wreck me 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 oh and you're gonna write a mikey angst one........... Ill just stay with Chifuyu on the couch 8D its cozy and fluffy there... Happy 🛋️🏃‍♀️💨

Oh about Vampire Naoya 8D yes I have it here ill send it tomorrow tho if you dont mind? I was looking at it and I want to add a few things here and there, its nothing major but I guess it makes at least a little cleaner 😅

And since this rant is already huge.... LETS TALK ABOUT HOW I ALSO SCREAMED WHEN I SAW RINDOU TODAY AT THE ANIME AND IT WAS INVOLUNTARY!? LIKE IT JUST CAME OUT 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 also chifuyu was adorable as usual and mikey could ste- 🥵🥵🥵🥵

There rant over sorry for being huge pffft

KYA !! and aaah thank you sm for this 🥺

hmm i’m actually wondering if its actual writer’s block or it just so happens that i’m not too invested in the plots of what i write 🤔 like yeah i can finish them but i’m not very impressed with what i wrote so i don’t post them abskwlwlq. and aww thank you, i would like to read more fanfics actually !! and omg yeah yeah i can remember you telling me before that my writing always made you picture everything clearly as if you were there n i feel very honored to hear that 🥺 tbh i don’t think my writing is as good as i’d like to be but i also don’t wanna overthink so i just go shrug CLICK POST ,,, HOWEVER !! i feel like my naoya fics are the ones most well written like IDDDKKK maybe its my love for him, I’m just always a hundred times more passionate for him and I really enjoyed your Naoya vampire fic too !! I actually wanna write a vampire! naoya fic now just bcos i am thirsting for this man once more 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

OOOOH THATS OKAY, some people are quiet and some are noisy in the server and its honestly fine !! its a small server with close friends so you don’t have to feel scared, i promise everyone is super nice !! 💕 AND YES OMG CUPID BAJI PLS HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNEW THEIR FEELINGS AND DUDE WAS SO ANNOYED AT THEIR OBLIVIOUSNESS I LOVED BAJI IN THAT FIC 😭😭😭 and yes I’ve already posted the Mikey one but I don’t think its too angsty BAKSKWLQ

AND NAUUURRR HAITANI BROSSSS PLUS ADORBS CHIFUYU THEN FERAL MIKEY 😭 EVERYONE WAS SERVING LOOKS TODAY IN THE LATEST EP AND IM CRYING 😭

[leilabeaux]

Luck Be a Lady

Chapter One

Masterlist

Pairing: Alex x Reader

Word Count: 2999

Summary: Reader was looking forward to a simple girls trip to Vegas to celebrate her birthday but it looks like it may turn to something more.

Warnings: walking in 6-inch heels, drinking with strangers, getting in a car with a stranger (I’m just saying that you should use your situational awareness)

Author’s Note: I was going to post this tomorrow but I currently cannot sleep even though I need to be up in five hours. I should be fine, it’s only 12 hour shift. 😒 The plan is to have this be a 3 or 4 chapter story as long as the outline in my head doesn’t go missing. Enjoy!

----

Despite a string of your favorite songs being played and being treated to a few free drinks--the only plus to the ridiculous birthday tiara your best friend made you wear, you just weren’t having a good time. You leaned on the bar in an attempt to give your feet some relief from the six-inch heels that Bianca roped you into wearing. Replaying your previous conversation in your head when you even dared to suggest wearing a pair of flats for their night out...

“I just want to be comfortable, Bi”, you whined while trying to keep a steady hand on your cheek while applying your eyeliner. There was no need to ruin your near perfect wing over this.

“You can’t wear your converses with a freakum dress”, Bianca yelled out from the living area of your hotel suite.

You sighed and rolled your eyes. One: it wasn’t a crime to not wear heels with any dress and two: your friend is out of her mind if she thought you were going to wear that dress outside of this room. This trip to Vegas was supposed to be a stress free trip to celebrate the start of your dirty thirties by enjoying public drinking, losing a bit of money, and eating your feelings in all you can eat crab legs. Unfortunately, your friend decided you owed her at least one night out dancing.

“Maybe I’ll just stay here then,” you said quietly to yourself.

You looked back into the mirror only to see Bianca standing by the door behind you with a look of disgust on her usually gorgeous face. “You can’t go to Vegas and not go out to the club and dance! You’re turning thirty, not sixty! Next you’ll be telling me you want to be in bed by midnight!”

“Actually, I’d like to be in bed by ten at the latest. There’s this salt grotto yoga class that starts around nine a.m. that I really want to try.”

“Salt grotto yo--girl, you’re killing me. No, no, no. You need to spend time at the club, not yoga.”

And so here you were, three minutes after ten with no end in sight and trapped in a dress that Bianca claimed looked hot on you. You would never admit it but she was right. The golden sequin long sleeved mini dress looked perfect against your brown skin. It had a deeper v-neck than any dress you wore before so you trusted the double sided tape would do its job. You were feeling yourself a bit and may or may not have checked yourself out in every mirror you passed. When your friend caught you once, you claimed you were making sure all the goods were tucked in where it belonged.

Looking over your shoulder, you scanned the crowd to see if you could spot your friend. It took a few beats but you were able to spot the tall blonde who was currently busy giving a very lucky guy what was basically a free lap dance on the dance floor.

“Jesus, child’s gonna grind his dick off.” you laughed into your drink. You knew you didn’t have room to talk, some odd years ago that was you on the dance floor, attempting to find a Mr. Right out of a club full of fuck boys. Fiddling with your wedding band, you were fortunate you hadn’t had to deal with that for years now.

As you downed the rest of your drink and got ready to order another one (hopefully another free one), you were engulfed in a hug. Alarmed at first until you looked down and saw the familiar tattooed arms of your friend.

“Y/N, I found you!” Bianca said into your ear as she squeezed you in a hug.  “Come on, let’s go! This guy I met has a spot up in the VIP section!”

You turned your back against the bar to face your buzzed and possibly love struck friend. “Ugh, Bi. You know just being in the club is not my thing. I have no interest in being in the VIP either.”

“Please! I know it’s your birthday and all but this guy is so cute and his accent got me going like a water fountain.”

“I could have gone without the visual. Thanks.”

“Y/N, he has this friend--”

“Bi, no”

“Let me finish, just talk to him and keep him entertained.” Sensing that your stubborn self wasn’t going to budge, she decided to add “You know they have comfortable couches that you can sit on and get off your feet for a bit.”

“Well, why didn’t you lead with that?!” you yelled out.

Not allowing another moment to pass for you to change your mind, Bianca took your hand and led you to the other side of the club where the exclusive area was. You stumbled trying to keep your bearings while you tried to maneuver on the death traps she was on. You looked on and saw you were being led to a large black L-shaped couch occupied by two men who were in the middle of a conversation. Both of them stood up when they noticed you two approaching.

Well, I guess chivalry isn’t dead, you thought to yourself.

“Y/N, this is Marco,” she gestured toward the man next to her who now had his arm wrapped around her waist. “And this is his friend, Alex,” she said before mouthing out for you to be nice.

Alex took a step forward and held his hand out which you accepted. You quickly shifted your gaze up and down to take him in. He wasn’t bad to look at and if you were to be honest with yourself, he was fine as hell. The first thing you noticed, other than the fact that he towered over you which was not a rare thing with your short stature, was his smile. Beautiful, friendly and the warmth of it seemed to reach all the way to his blue eyes. A nice change from the predatory gazes and wolfish smiles you were getting while lingering at the bar.

“It’s nice to meet you”, he leaned down to say into your ear, aware that the booming music of the club making it hard to have a normal conversation. Your knees buckled slightly and you tried hard to convince yourself it was the shoes. If his friend sounded anything like him, then you had a complete understanding as to why Bianca was swooning so hard.

He motioned to the couch and stepped aside as you girls shuffled between the coffee table and couch to take a seat in the inner corner.

“So, how’s your guy’s night going?” Alex asked as he sat down next to you while Marco took his seat next to Bianca.

You were about to say that you were tired and ready to throw your shoes into the pits of hell but Biance beat you to the punch.

“We’re celebrating her birthday!” she shouted out.

“Birthday? How old are you?” questioned Marco as he draped his arm over Bianca’s shoulders.

Alex leaned toward his friend and gave him a light smack to the head, chastising him. At least it sounded like he was. You couldn’t even place what language he was speaking.

“I’m sorry for my friend he has no manners”, he apologized while flashing you a smile.

“I appreciate you defending my honor. It’s not that big of a deal to me. Now if he asked me how much I weighed, I might have to cut a bitch. But let’s see, I’m thirty years and…” you looked at your watch, “two days old now.”

Just as Alex seemed set to ask another question, the server returned with a round of drinks that were ordered while you were all taking your seats. You smirked to yourself as you observed her leaning over in an attempt to bring more attention to her plunging neckline. You couldn’t blame her. You were once a server in your past and wouldn’t hesitate to flirt or display your assets for extra tips but as she tried to make eyes with Alex, you had a feeling she was trying to get more than tips. Either the man was oblivious or just a courteous host who wanted to make sure you didn’t feel ignored.

A gesture you were very appreciative of since it seemed like your friend was currently occupied trying to get acquainted with Marco’s mouth. You turned your back towards them and raised your eyebrow at Alex after taking a sip of your drink. Both of you trying to ignore what your friends were upto.

“Are you having a good birthday at least?” he laid his arm across the back of the couch behind you. Smooth, you thought to yourself. It’s been over a decade since you were last in this position. Hope he doesn’t think he’s going to get lucky like his friend over there.

“It hasn’t been too bad. This night is more for Bianca than me since I’ll be ‘torturing’ her tomorrow with the cheesy things I want to do. If it was up to me, I’d probably be in bed by now.”

He laughed, “it’s not even midnight yet!”

“I know, I know!” you joined in with his laughter. “Bianca likes to say that I’m an official old lady but clubbing is not my scene anymore. I usually like to just stay home, catch up on my shows, and be in bed by eight at the latest.”

You went on to explain that, other than the fact the small city you lived in wasn’t known for it’s exciting nightlife, your early bedtime was mainly because you worked in a bakery. This led to him asking about all the sweets you could make him and you showing off all of your cake masterpieces you had saved on your phone. There was no moment where you felt like he was just humoring you, he seemed genuinely interested in what you deemed to be your craft.

“I just feel blessed to be doing something that I love,” you said as you put your phone away. “I’m sorry, I’m sure you didn’t want to spend your night talking about cakes and cookies.”

He shook his head, “Please, I don’t think you should ever apologize for talking about anything you’re passionate about.”

“Well, what about you? What do you do or what are you passionate about?”

“I am very passionate about being your potential cake tester,” he laughed as you rolled your eyes, “Just kidding. I am very passionate about photography.”

“Oh, so you’re a professional photographer?”

“I don’t know if I feel comfortable saying that I’m a professional yet, I’m still learning a few things,” he smiled coyly as he looked down toward his drink. “I just love trying to capture the beauty of the world in a way people don’t usually think of or getting those candid moments when someone doesn’t think anyone is looking. When they’re more open and have their guard down.”

“Well, remind me to not be around you and your camera. I like to be prepared for all pictures that are taken of me. Most candid shots make me look like a hot mess,” you joked. Those shots of you were thinking of were usually taken after you consumed multiple shots of alcohol.

“Oh, I really doubt that,” he said while he brought his gaze up and down, not even trying to hide what he was doing.

“Hey, Y/N!” Bianca shouted towards you, unknowingly interrupting the moment between you two, “It’s about eleven now but I’m feeling ready to go.”

Hallelujah, you thought. Although you were enjoying your conversation, there was a part of you who didn’t want to be further tempted by this man sitting in front of you.

You stood up to follow your friend and Marco as they both walked toward the exit hand in hand. Now you had no idea what exactly you stepped on but you cursed it and your shoes to hell as whatever it was caused you to stumble toward the ground. Luckily, a pair of arms wrapped around your torso, preventing your face from becoming close friends to the dirty club floor.

“Woah, are you okay there?” Alex said into your ear as he held you against him.

Good lord, he smells good, you thought to yourself. A part of you was enjoying the feel of his body against yours before you remembered he had asked you a question,“Yeah, I’m fine! Just fine!” you tried to steady yourself as you distanced yourself away from him. “These fucking shoes will be the death of me though.”

“Why wear them if they’re such a pain?”

“Apparently you can’t wear flats with a dress like this,” you brought your hand down your body to bring attention to the said dress.

Alex didn’t even try to stop his gaze from following your hand before he brought his eyes back to yours. “I don’t know. I think most people would be more distracted by the dress than what you’re wearing on your feet.” He ended his sentence with a bite of his bottom lip causing your cheeks to flush instantly.

You were grateful for the cool Vegas night air when you both stepped outside to meet up with your friends. Marco nodded his head over to the side, signaling to Alex to follow him.

Bianca grabbed your hand and pulled you closer to her.

“Okay, so a bit of a change of plans. I know you’re probably ready to go to sleep. So I’m just going to go with Marco to his hotel.”

“Mmhmm. Just leave me all by myself in our room. It’s only my birthday weekend but that’s fine if you want to spend it dicked down,” you gave a few fake sniffles to guilt Bianca over leaving you for some guy she met a couple hours ago. Honestly, you were happy for your friend but you never missed an opportunity to be a little shit.

“I mean, Marco’s friend isn’t too bad looking. Your fun-sized self could probably climb that man like a tree, I wouldn’t judge.”

You sighed and started twisting your ring around your finger. It was starting to become a nervous tick by now, “Bi, you know I ain’t doing that.”

“I know. I just think you should have nothing to feel guilty about if you wanted to try something new,” she said as she turned her gaze towards where Alex was standing. “I’m only saying this because I love you. You deserve better than what you have right now.”

“I love you too. But I just don’t know.” The two of you embraced as you tried to stop yourself from tearing up.

“You going to be okay, girl?” Bianca looked down at you and asked.

“I’ll be good,” you took a sharp inhale to stop any tears from falling, “Go on and have fun. Make sure you limber up though. Don’t want you pulling anything. I intend on taking you to that yoga class tomorrow.”

Bianca rolled her eyes as she pulled herself away from you and walked over to the Uber where Marco was waiting.

After ordering your own ride, you glanced over to watch on as your friend’s ride drove away and saw Alex sitting on the bench in the ride share area, hunched over trying to light a cigarette. You slowly walked over to him and took a seat next to him as you waited for your own ride to arrive.

“You decided not to go back with them and call it a night?”

“I don’t know, I’m not ancient like you,” he smirked at you as you pretended to be offended by his comment. “No, I didn’t feel like being a third wheel and I probably wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon. Marco’s not exactly quiet.”

“Yeah, I feel you on that one. Unfortunately, my poor ears have been exposed to sounds Bianca can make. Let's just say she’s a very enthusiastic performer,” you shivered both from the traumatic experience and from having more skin being exposed than you were used to.

“That’s great.” Alex took a drag of his cigarette. “I guess I can walk down the strip until the coast is clear.” He looked up and saw you trying your best to stay warm but failing. He stood up to take off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders before sitting back down.

“Thanks but you really don’t have to. My ride should be here soon,” you tried to protest but he just shook his head instead. You were sure he’d refuse to take his jacket back if you handed it to him.

You looked on toward the road, contemplating to yourself. You’re so close to a comfy bed and those million thread count sheets. You don’t owe this kid shit. Not your fault Bi got a hold of his friend and wants to ride his face raw. But it’s so sad for him to be wandering around by himself and making company with all the other lonely people on the strip. And he even gave you his coat. He can’t be that bad to be around. ARG! Fuck it.

“Hey, what is your stance on buffets because I don’t think I’ve had real food since lunch,” you offered, changing your original plans of just ordering room service.

“Honestly? They’re pretty much germ traps but it’s worth it if the food is good.”

“I knew we were on the same wavelength. Come on, I think that’s my Uber pulling up.” You said as you stood up and started walking toward the black sedan with Alex following close behind.

“Where are we going?”

“First stop is my room,” he raised an eyebrow at this statement, “where you will wait in the hallway while I change into some comfier clothes and shoes that won’t kill me.”

Next

End Notes: Do you think our dear Reader will force poor Alex to wait in the cold hallway? Or is she just ready to risk it all? What will they choose at the buffet? Do you enjoy dining at a buffet? All these questions may be answered...eventually.

[xhannahbananax03]

Second Home

Words: 1.3k

Chapter Warnings: Tiny bit of angst, fluff, mentions of being turned on, desperation

MASTERLIST

The drive to the diner was fun,  Jake and Dean cracking jokes at each other,  a couple of times they even brought you into it.

~ Memory~

"No,  I'm right.  Right ,(y/n)? " Dean asked you.  They were arguing over whether pineapple belongs on pizza or not.  Which it most definitely did.   "Actually I'd have to go with Jake on this one. " You replied holding in a laugh. "See,  pinap- wait what?! " He cut himself off realizing that you disagreed with him.  You couldn't hold it in anymore,  and started laughing,  soon enough Jake joined in,  while Dean pouted.  You became extremely distracted by his plump,  full lips,  pushing out into a pout. 

You leaned forward placing your hand on his shoulder,  and mustered up all your courage and whispered to him trying to be as sultry as possible,  "Don't worry Dean.  I still think your the best option,  but that stays between us. " You couldn't believe the things coming out of your mouth,  you would never say anything like that,  hell you are the preachers daughter.  You leaned back in your seat like nothing happened, Dean blushed hard causing you to smirk.  Luckily Jake didn't notice anything that just happened.

~End of Memory~

You were all sitting in the diner,  Jake by you and Dean across from both of you.  Your waitress walked over,  Sheryl was her name,  she was a girl from your school,  a year younger than you,  but she was very smart,  and you believed she would graduate before you.  She was shy but very pretty,  and that's no doubt why she had all of Dean's attention.  

"Hi,  my name is Sheryl,  I will be your server today.  Can I get you something to drink? " She asked,  you came here every day after school,  and got the same thing,  and she was your server every other day. 

"Hey Sherry, I'm gonna get the usual. " You said smiling up at her.  "Sure thing coming right up! " She smiled back at you. 

"And for you gentlemen? " She asked pointing her pen and Jake.  "Yeah I'll get the same as her. " Jake said pointing towards you.  "And you handsome? " She asked looking at Dean,  it surprised you a little that she said that,  that was something she would never say to anyone.  But then again,  Dean has that same power over you. 

"A bacon cheeseburger,  and a milkshake. " He said.  "Ok,  is that all? " She asked jotting down his order,  looking a little disappointed.  "Oh,  and your number! " Dean added flashing that million dollar smile.  She giggled and said,  "coming right up! " Before walking off. 

You looked down a little sad,  when you realized he wasn't interested in you like that.  Before either of them had time to notice you were feeling down,  you perked back up and smiled,  before saying,  "Hey Jake could you scoot out,  I need to use the restroom. " He just nodded,  and slid out,  before offering his hand to help you out,  you took it,  and stood up,  before walking to the bathroom.

~Deans POV~

Man,  I like (y/n)  a lot more than I should  but I can't date her,  I don't want to mess up the friendship I have with Jake.  God I shouldn't even feel that way about her,  she hasn't even graduated high school.  Why am I so stupid,  I should've never came here,  I don't want to hurt her,  but I don't her to think I'm interested,  she probably doesn't even like me.  And what happened in the car,  she probably does that to every guy,  she probably didn't mean anything by it.  Plus I have Megan and Sheryl's number.  I don't need (y/n),  I can distract myself from her,  right?

~Your POV~

Walking back from the bathroom,  I got distracted by some delicious looking pies,  freshly baked,  and calling my name,  sitting on the counter.  I made my way over to them,  there were so many different types it was hard to choose just one.  I finally decided on a cherry pie,  it would be perfect for later tonight.  As I was waiting to pay,  someone came up behind me and tapped on my shoulder,  when I turned around I recognized his face instantly,  "Sam! "

Authors note In this story Sam isn't Dean's brother.

He pulled you to him in a bone crushing hug,  which you gladly returned.  Sam and you ended things on ok terms.  He had to go to college and didn't want a long distance relationship so you agreed to end things.  

"I didn't even think,  your on summer break huh? " You asked looking up to him,  he was taller than anyone you've ever know,  let alone seen.  He was 6'4 when you were only 5'1. "Yeah,  I get 2 months. " He replied putting a strand of hair behind your ear,  causing you to blush and look down.  Then it dawned on you,  you weren't together anymore,  he wasn't aloud to do that to you.  "Sam... " You warned lightly.  "We can't. " You turned around focusing on your pie as the cashier told you how much it was and you payed.  Before you had time to return to your booth,  he stopped you by grabbing onto your arm,  what you didn't know was Dean had been watching this whole scene unfold, with jealousy clouding his vision,  why he was acting like this,  he didn't know,  you weren't his.  But still he was jealous,  and when you went to walk away from Sam and he grabbed you that alerted Dean,  causing him to completely walk away from Jake and his conversation.  Once Jake saw where he was going he didn't have a good feeling about what might happen. 

"Sam,  we can't,  we're not-" You started but immediately stopped after hearing a whiskey smooth voice right by you,  you looked over and saw Dean with his hands in his pockets,  not looking happy. "Everything ok here?" "We were just finishing up. " At that you pulled your arm away from Sam,  already missing the sensation it brought. "Wait!  (y/n)!  Let me take you to the party tonight.  It doesn't have to be a date or anything or maybe it can be? " He asked you looking down,  you looked at him and felt pity,  Dean stayed by you,  looking at you,  with what seemed like pleading eyes.  Sam slowly looked up waiting for your answer.  You smiled slightly at him before giving him your answer,  "I'll meet you there. " You said,  which instantly made him smile,  and instantly made Dean frown. 

You looked over to Dean before walking back to your booth,  once you sat you asked the question,  "Do you boys want to go to a party tonight?  Its at the lake... " You asked well almost pleaded,  not wanting to go with just Sam,  knowing you'd make some regrettable decisions. 

Jake nodded before you both looked to Dean,  you gave him the puppy dog eyes that Sam taught you and he gave in.  "Yay! " Ok so we better get going it starts at 5! " You said throwing some money on the table.  "Oh and do you guys have swimming trunks? " You asked,  and Dean instantly got nervous, he knew if he saw you in a swimsuit he might not be able to stop himself.  Jake was the first to answer stating a simple "no" You told them where they could go to get some,  after dropping you off at your house they left to go get what they needed.  You ran inside knowing you needed to look hot for both Sam and Dean,  you knew it wasn't good to want both of  them but you couldn't stop yourself,  so whoever took you home tonight,  would be your final decision.

[imtryingmyfuckingbe]

And If This Is It

Third chapter in a short series.

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Mentions: Jess, Sam, Charlie, Cas, Gabriel, Jo, Jules (OC)

Trigger warnings: Excessive alcohol consumption; puking

I am the sole author and reserve the rights to my work. However, I am not the owner of Supernatural as a franchise, or the characters including, but not limited to: Dean, Sam, Castiel, Gabriel, Jo, Jess, or Charlie.

CHAPTER THREE:

“Shots?!” Jules shouts over the deafening music.

He passes a tiny glass of clear alcohol to Y/N and Charlie. At this point, neither know if it’s tequila, gin, or vodka. At this point, neither truly care.

Carter’s, the hole-in-the-wall dive tucked between a pawn shop and convenience store, housed the trio every Wednesday night. When unable to convene outside of work any other time of the week, they at least have their sticky booth and cheap booze to fall back upon. If Y/N had half the mind to care, she could bet the shady owner had an unsavory side business that allowed for such decently priced alcohol. But she doesn’t have half the mind. The sharp air intoxicates her even before the first drink, drawing her attention elsewhere. Plus, Jules always arrives first to claim their usual seats, a round of drinks at the ready. Tonight, he focuses on shots.

They clink their glasses together, slam them on the grimy counter, and tip them back. Charlie cheers, her flushed cheeks pushed back in a sloppy, wide grin. Her laughter bellows into Y/N’s chest, forcing her to join in. The tribulations of the past seven days wash away with each new shot. Her mind only wanders as far as Jules across the table and Charlie next to her. Nothing mattered right now, not unrequited love or shitty jobs.

“So! So! Then I said, I said! I don’t care what those bitches think. I’m— I’m a good server, ya know? And I told James— “

“—Jason,” Jules supplies.

“—Yeah, that one. I told Jason to stick it!” Charlie slurs, recounting her meeting with their boss.

Y/N cocks her head at Charlie, who white knuckles the table to stay steady. “Did you really?” She speaks slowly, the words catching on her heavy tongue.

“No. But I thought it. So it counts.”

Jules and Y/N share a look. “Sure it does.”

Out of the three of them, Jules holds his liquor the best. He drinks anyone under the table, and still gets up for work without a grueling hangover. Y/N took Thursdays out of her availability because she doesn’t have his stamina. It took only two shifts filled with headaches and poor service for her to realize she cannot power through the dehydration and pain. Wednesday nights take it out of her, and the following morning includes a date with her toilet and a bottle of Pedialyte. Trying to keep up with Jules, which she foolishly does, is a signed, sealed, delivered death sentence.

She happily accepts it, for it means quality time with her friends.

“Listen, missy. You listen here! You don’t get to talk about— about thinking things and not saying them!” Charlie accuses. Y/N holds up a hand in protest. “No! I don’ wanna h-hear it.”

In just a few words, the thoughtless cocoon Y/N made shelter in crashes to the ground, bringing up debris and Dean’s face. His freckles. His lips. The things she wishes she could say— I love you, I want you, I need you— taunt her, dancing across her mind and scuffing up the floors. “Yeah? Well I don’t wanna talk about it!” She all but shouts.

Charlie huffs. “Fine.”

Jules says nothing, simply peering at his two best friends with mild concern in his glossed over eyes. Y/N avoids his gaze, instead choosing to watch the desolate street through the frosty glass. Charlie waves her hand to the waiter to call for another round.

With new shots in front of the respective drinkers, the tense silence dissipates quickly, easy conversation about what each other missed taking its place. Jules relays the details of his third date with Alice, a girl he served once. She left her number and on a whim he decided to text her. The thirty percent tip she left helped her case, too. The two get along great, from what he says. They share similar interests, including early morning trips to the gym and pretty much any physical activity. At the thought, Y/N shudders. She reserves her mornings for her bed and coffee.

As Jules carries on about the lovely Alice, Y/N finds herself thinking down a stark path. It travels away from Carter’s worn booths and blaring music, finding solace in scratching concrete and big hands. Some days, she truly wishes she could call Him her boyfriend. Some days, she only wishes to be near Him. Right now, it’s the latter. The too-loud conversations around her, the thick air, the heavy warmth in her belly; it makes breathing a chore.

Charlie grabs her wrist, pulling her over-worked thumb from her teeth. The crevice between her nail and skin bleeds. Out of her head now, she realizes her friends stare at her, conversation ceased. Jules’ eyes bore into hers, and she can feel Charlie staring at the side of her head.

She doesn’t have to ask what crosses their minds. Their faces paint light worry and their questions clearly. Y/N sighs, head dipping to focus on the empty glass before her. Neither of her friends say anything, allowing her to trudge through her hazy thoughts.

“I…” she starts, but shakes her head. Needing a something to center her, she throws back her head and swallows another shot. It burns, but it reminds her she is alive and well. Well enough, at least.

Charlie only knows what an inebriated Y/N shared once, and she assumes Charlie happily passed on the message. Even still, the words halt in her throat. Charlie interlocks their fingers, giving a squeeze. It’s okay, Y/N knows she wants to say. “I need some air.”

Not awaiting a response, she drops Charlie’s hand and alights from the booth. Concentrating on walking, Y/N works her way through the crowd to the door. The cooling air of the night caresses her cheeks, relieving some of the heat from her skin. The car-lined road before her, adorned by dim streetlights and neon store signs, appears in double. Cigarette smoke wafts to her nose.

She turns towards the scent. Sober Y/N would never smoke. The taste lingers on her tongue days after, plaguing anything she drinks or eats. However, Drunk Y/N, riddled with anxiety and one too many shots, craves it.

A woman clad in little clothing leans against the worn brick, cigarette balanced between her fore- and middle finger. Y/N stumbles the few feet to her, her body moving before her thoughts. The lady looks up. Her tired eyes trail over Y/N’s body, taking in the sight, ending at her face. Y/N tries to imagine how she looks.

“Can I bum a smoke?”

Wordless, the woman passes Y/N her pack of menthol and a lighter. Nodding in thanks, she lights the cigarette and draws a deep breath in. Sweet relief. She sighs contentedly, handing the pack and lighter back. In silence, Y/N joins the stranger in leaning against the wall. Drunken camaraderie over a bad habit makes the world feel smaller; friendlier.

Here she stands, a mess. And here some straggler stands, someone she’s never met, probably going through her own shit. People are small, in the grand scheme of things. The big picture. Everything feels silly, like a cosmic prank, wherein God will jump from the sky and yell, “Hahahah! Happiness is not a by product of existence, you simple minded fucks. I made you to suffer.”

She wouldn’t be surprised, not anymore. Some days, her heavy bones and even heavier head weigh her down so much, all she can do is suffer. Suffer through schooling; a dead end job; a wistful love; a bleak future. Perhaps God created her as suffering; not a person who could, but a person who is.

A long drag from the cigarette clears her mind. She reminds herself that her sidewalk existential philosophy is only wise by proxy of this night’s poison.

Flicking the cigarette, she nods her head in thanks. With a clearer head, the double vision subsides. Still, she sways as she walks back to the door of the bar. Bracing herself, she pushes it open. Music, this time a familiar song she can’t place, wraps its comforting fingers around her heart. This is where she is meant to be: sandwiched between the tacky wall and Charlie, sat across from Jules.

Charlie stands as Y/N comes into view, allowing her to take her seat once more. The conversation continues seamlessly, as if  Y/N never left. Jules and Charlie keep the side glances to minimum, instead focusing on another round— this time paired with glasses of water— and what Jules’ should do next with Alice. Deciding to solely focus on her friends before her, Y/N utilizes her remaining energy on keeping up with the conversation.

“I mean… she seems to like you a lot, dude. Who the hell… else would get up at five to go on hikes?” Y/N slurs, raising her voice.

“A crazy, person! She’s crazy.” Charlie whispers with a shake of her head.

Y/N laughs, downing another shot. “Yeah, well, either way, she likes it, ya’know? She likes it!”

They dissolve into a fit of body-rocking, soul-shaking laughter. As it peters out, the energy follows suit. Y/N hits a wall, her shoulders sagging with a sigh. “I’m— I’m gotta go, guys. My eyes are gonna fall out.”

“Wait! Just one more shot. C’mon, Y/N/N! One for the road,” implores Jules.

Ever the bad influence, Y/N agrees. In the back of her head, she hears her sober-self admonish her. She pushes it away while Jules waves his pointer finger for another round. Grace, the waitress, already has three ready. Used to their antics as their usual server, she also drops the bill.

Clink, slam, gulp.

Y/N slaps a twenty on the bill, knowing it covers her portion of drinks. Charlie scoots out of the booth again, staying standing to wrap Y/N in a bone-crushing hug. The scent of vodka and Daisy fills Y/N’s nose, covering every piece of her in Charlie. Jules envelopes her next. Her cheek rests against his chest, and he sets his chin on her head. They hold each other for a moment before pulling back.

Y/N leaves her friends to settle the rest of the bill. Escaping into the night, she embraces the cool air. However much she finds solace in Carter’s, the stuffy heat paired with the little room to move constricts her. Even on the now empty street, her chest refuses to loosen. The returned double vision surely doesn’t help.

“Walk,” she mumbles, commanding herself to just fucking go.

Normally, she would call a ride service right about now; or she’d stick around with Jules and Charlie to ride with them. But right now she needs the freedom of the seedy side streets and open sky above her. Four doors and a short roof would only further agitate her.

So, for the sake of her sanity, she makes her way down the street. Having walked these streets many times, Y/N’s feet carry her, rather than she commanding them. As she works her way towards the main road, the lights become brighter and cleaner; trash slowly dwindles in the gutters until they’re as clean as they can get in this part of the city.

At the intersection of Boulder and Hamilton, she stops. Going left would lead her home, a destination twenty minutes away. Going right would take her to Dean. Her body decides before her mind. Five minutes and a few turns, she stands on Dean’s stoop.

Her heavy fist raps against the wood while she leans her forehead against the cool service. Eyes closed, Y/N focuses on slowing her breathing. The edges of a panic attack creep into her mind. Why am I here? Why am I here? Why am I—

The door opens, taking from Y/N her support. Without it, she falls forward, preparing to meet the unfriendly catching of the floor. Instead, warm, bare arms wrap around her waist. “Y/N?” Dean asks in his deep, gruff tone.

God, I love your voice. The thought crosses her mind before she can stop it.

“Oh, do you, now?” Dean teases, righting her on her feet but keeping his hands on her shoulders.

Fuck.

“Shuddap,” she scolds.

“What are you doing here, Y/N/N?” He moves a hand from her shoulder to grasp her chin, pointing her face to look at him.

She leans into it. “Drunk.”

Dean chuckles, a warm sound that pushes any anxiety out of her mind. He has that way about him. “I can see that. Here, come inside so I can close the door.” She does as he asks, still leaning into his touch. He leads her to his couch, guiding her gently down onto the cushion. Resting on his knees in between her legs, he examines her face again.

She tries to look him in the eyes, she truly tries, but their overwhelming jade and the smell of his shampoo and his hands and that little grin and— and— and. The list goes on forever. In the dim room, lit by the outside lights and the paused TV, she wants to fall into him. Her fingers itch to grab his stupid stubbled cheeks and bring his stupid plump lips to her own. Her heart threatens to jump straight from her chest and into his hands. Her skin prickles where his forefinger and thumb hold her chin.

“Traitors,” she mumbles.

“Hm?”

Y/N shakes her head, causing Dean to release her chin. Dammit. “Nothing. I’m just— I’m so drunk, dude.”

He laughs again, sending a wave of peace over her body. “Yes, I know. Let’s get some water in you.”

Water sounds like a great idea, just the mention causes Y/N’s mouth to dry, readying for the coolness to coat her throat and fill her stomach. While Dean pours her a glass, she better settles against the sofa, shifting until her back rests against the arm and her legs splay out before her. The cold of the leather raises goosebumps, but it grounds her.

Dean returns with a stainless steel tumbler, placing it on the cushion by her hip. He lifts her legs and rests them upon his thighs as he too settles into the couch. Arm rested on the top of the couch and eyes caressing her flushed cheeks, he awaits for her to speak.

Every thought racing through her mind pleads to blurt out “I love you!” in some form or another. Taking a long, refreshing sip, she swallows the water and her heart. The hand gently kneading her calf provides almost enough courage to cast aside her inhibitions, but instead she listens to the voice in the back of her head. Why ruin something great? Why risk it?

Pussy, her warring side jabs.

Shaking her head, she removes her gaze from his and unto the television. “Die Hard?”

He waits a beat before he speaks, “Yes. How are you feeling?”

“Like there’s two John… John McClanes on the TV, which means two Hans Gru—bers, and I… I dunno if I can watch that.”

Glorious, golden, all-compassing laughter. “Well, I’m sure the McClanes will be fine; twice the firepower.”

Y/N can’t stop herself from returning to gazing at Dean. The lights from the kitchen silhouette his face, but she sees it, nonetheless. Knows it like its her own, for she sure has stared at him long enough. His seemingly perpetual little grin pushes his cheeks up the slightest bit. He looks so young.

With little thought or permission, she reaches a hand out to brush against his cheek. The barely present beard tickles her palm. Dean’s eyes flutter shut, and he nuzzles further into her hand. If only she could stay like this, legs across Dean’s, hand on his cheek, eyes closed.

“Dean…” she whispers, mostly for herself. Her heart will never get used to sitting so close to him, a beacon on her worst of days and a partner on her best.

“Hm?” he asks, still leaning into her touch.

It takes everything from her, her willpower, her bones, her chest, her lungs. She can’t stop herself for much longer, she knows. And, the thing is, her traitorous body doesn’t protest. Nothing in her says to stop; everything in her begs— no, screams at— her to grab him and hold him tight. To never let go.

As she leans forward, her left hand reaching for his other cheek, the tumbler clatters to the floor with an unforgiving clang. They both startle back, Y/N drawing her legs from his lap and Dean finally opening his eyes. The withering stare she casts at the stupid bottle should shatter it. Instead, it stays whole and mocking. She reaches down to right it, her knuckles white as she harshly slams it onto the floor.

The lights seem to bright, now. The throbbing in her head makes its presence better known, pulsing the picture of John McClane leaning over a sniper rifle. Bile rises in her throat.

“Fuck,” she barely gets out before bolting from her seat and running for the bathroom. Way to ruin the moment, you monkey.

Y/N grabs the edge of the toilet with one hand, gathering her hair into a mock ponytail with the other. At the sight of the bowl, her stomach instantly lurches. With the little she had to eat, mostly burning alcohol makes a return, accompanied by some nachos and fries.

A set of hands replace her’s in her hair, allowing her to better grasp the toilet. Dean settles behind her, bracing her sides with his thighs and whispering unintelligible comforting words in her ear. With his free hand he rubs her back, up and down her shoulder blades to her lower back.

No longer retching, she wipes her mouth toilet paper. Her body still shakes, skin clammy and hot. She crosses her arms over the seat, resting her forehead against her forearms. Dean continues to massage circles into her skin. “I’m sorry,” she mutters, to the bowl and to Dean.

He releases her hair, instead choosing to pull her from the toilet and into his chest. Together, limbs wrapped endlessly, Dean leans against the wall and she leans against Dean. “Nothing to be sorry for, Y/N/N. C’mon, you’ve seen me completely plastered.”

She tips her head to the side, resting it against his shoulder. “It’s gross. Not cute. At all.”

His chuckle rumbles against her back. “Nah, you’re always cute.” It’s barely a whisper, if she weren’t next to his mouth she’s sure she wouldn’t have heard it.

They sit in silence, breathing against each other. Y/N revels in the coolness of the ground and his arms around her waist.

“Why’d you drink so much, Y/N/N?”

Her sighs heaves her shoulders. “I dunno. Why do you drink, Dean?”

“Sometimes to forget things.” He keeps his voice level, but Y/N knows him well enough to see he worries for her. The implications of his statement do not go unnoticed.  

She shakes her head. “I just have a lot going on. Plus, it’s Wednesday. You know that’s my night with Jules and Charlie. We drink. It’s what we do.”

“Okay. Just checking. Let’s get you to bed, kid.”

[katelynn-a-fan]

Why We Do What We Do (3)

First | Previous | Next

Five hours earlier

“Here we are!” Patton piped up as Logan, Roman, Virgil and Patton arrived at the location of their FamILY dinner, as Patton called it.

This is the 3rd time we’ve been to an Italian restaurant this month and we’re not even 3 weeks into the year. Honestly the only thing that we agree on with this place is their pasta. But as long as we’re here, the pasta is going to be delicious! The boys love their pasta.

Patton rolled his eyes as they entered into the restaurant’s immaculate foyer, passing the line of people going out the door. 

“Wow! It’s really busy tonight! Wonder what so special about today!” exclaimed Roman, who surged up to where the hosts were waiting, getting a few side-eyes from the line they had just passed. Patton just gave them a subtly, almost cheeky smile, as if he didn’t understand why they were looking at him.. 

Luckily for the little group, they had made a reservation early enough to be seated within minutes whereas there was a line out the door for the unfortunate majority that did know about the online reservation system the restaurant had. But then again, coming to this restaurant in particular at least once every 2 weeks since they were kids, if not more often, would get you swiftly accustomed to their way of doing things. 

Their host’s eyes lit up as they had approached to confirm their reservation and Patton swore that she had done something to bump them up because with how quickly they had been seated and where they were seated, it should’ve been a quarter hour. 

“I’ve wondered when you boys would be coming back next, anything new to speak about?” their host, Kiki bubbled as they neared her podium.

“Nothing more notable than last time Kiki.” Virgil snarked playfully, but as he said it, a blush creeped up on his cheeks. Roman’s face also turned a similar shade of red at Virgil’s words.

“Oh, don’t get me started about last time! When you told me you and Roman had finally planned to go out as a couple, I was over the moon! I don’t know how you two were so clueless about each other’s feelings when you have spent every day since you both started high school together.” Kiki snarked back as she automatically grabbed the menus and steered them to what they had claimed as ‘their’ booth, a semi circular booth, the kind that made it impossible to get out of if you were in the middle.

The Death Trap. They had come to call it that after many friendly squabbles and refusals of whoever was on outside to relent to move out the way of another person. Patton himself didn’t remember who first coined the moniker, either Virgil or Roman, but had stuck and Patton couldn’t think of anything more fitting to call it.

“We don’t know either.” Logan replied as Patton felt Logan instinctively grab Patton’s arm, which Patton responded to by intertwining their arms together instead, earning a gentle, playful glare from Logan as they walked along. Patton felt Logan rub a finger over Patton left ring finger where their wedding band resided.

“Damn right! ...Wait, Don’t you have midnight lab today, Logan?” Kiki enquired as she instinctively weaved through the tables and servers, but her head turned looking at Logan. Impressive.

“Yes, but you know I can’t possibly pass up our bi-monthy escapade to our most delectable choice of cuisine when there is no reason to refuse as is a tradition not easily thwarted.” Logan articulated as Patton felt him subtly squeeze his hand, which then earned Logan a glare of his own from Patton. 

You lovable nerd.

“Nerd.” Patton mumbled loud enough for Logan to hear, but both Logan’s response and their impromptu glaring game came to an end as they finally reached their destination at The Death Trap.

“Well then, I must spread the message that our 4 favorite boys are here and to give them the best service they can.” Kiki affirmed with a wink as she placed the menus on the table and then walked briskly out of sight.

Everyone was seated in The Death Trap with Logan and Patton to the left, Roman and Virgil to the right. Logan and Roman being on outside.

All of them got their usual, which their server didn’t even have to ask each of them in turn, just uttering a short ”Y’alls usuals?” And when they answered in the affirmative, the server quickly picked up the menus that were still in the same pile that Kiki had brought them in, which made Patton wonder why Kiki bothered with giving them the menus every time they came in. They knew the menus forwards and backwards.

After they were seated with drinks, the meal became a blur. Appetizers, then main meal and then the check was suddenly on the table

 They were discussing the semantics of when jello became a solid, with Logan arguing the scientific side when the jello was uniformly under 0 degrees Celsius as a large component of jello was water (Logan had a large distaste for America’s measurement systems and refused to use Fahrenheit). Roman argued that it was only when it was at a certain consistency, which he could not define, but insisted on challenging Logan’s assertion with his own nonetheless. 

Patton was never one to argue like this, but he enjoyed seeing Roman and Logan’s mental sparing. It was an interesting, no, entertaining thing to watch. Like a metaphorical gladiator battle, only Logan was almost always the winner and there was no blood to be shed. ‘Almost always’ being something Logan would deny to this day, but a little after all 4 of them had met as a group of friends, they had gotten into a debate about the size of the universe. 

Roman, as stubborn as ever, had brought up that the universe was around 100 billion light years in diameter, smug that he knew a scientific fact that would make him right. Logan quickly shot back that it was only the observable universe that was referring to and that the complete universe was much bigger. Roman retorted something along the lines that there was no way to measure how big the universe really was, so by default, Roman was right.

“No! The physical limit of the speed of light and the fact that you know the limit of the observable universe does not change the fact that the universe is no doubt infinitesimally big, unlike your brain!” Logan had huffed in frustration. 

“Hey, that was uncalled for!” Roman had exclaimed before they both went silent glaring at each other in what Patton had learned was not malice, but a mutual respect of each other’s debating ability. Virgil had not yet figured that out so he was bug-eyed and trembling slightly at their increasing intensity.

Patton had let the silence permeate for a moment or two before he piped up with a “Wait, doesn’t infinitesimal mean really, really small, not really, really big?” along with his signature head tilt he used for when he didn’t understand.

Logan had paused in what he going to say as Patton interjected and then started again, “No, Patton, I know my wo-”, before he froze with a look of realization that turned him beet red, which Patton realized later he had found really cute (Flustered Logan was best Logan in Patton’s opinion). Logan had run off to escape embarrassment while Roman bragged to Patton and Virgil that the infallible Logan had lost to the magnanimous Roman, who was giving him mercy by not pursuing him after Roman’s victory.

Just Logan being Logan and Roman being Roman.

However, Patton was pulled from his reminiscing by Virgil chiming in with a third opinion, that jello was both and neither, it was like a cat. It could conform to any container it was placed in, but was a solid that didn’t run when it was freestanding.

Patton reeled back out of surprise from whatever position he had been while he had been spacing out and turned to his left to stare at Virgil.

In all his years, there had never been a third contender in the ring of debate, this was new and exciting territory. Patton waited almost pensively for the other’s responses.

“But it does that when it’s liquid! If you take the jello out it stays in the same shape, and plus something can’t be both phases!” Roman retorted without hesitation.

“Concur with both of you, I still believe it only becomes a solid once the optimum temperature is reached, but when it is in the process of cooling down, I would agree with Virgil.” Logan proposed with expression of surprise probably similar to Patton’s.

“But that doesn’t make sense, neither of you are right! Jello is solid when you can stick your finger in and your finger doesn’t come back covered in liquid jello, that’s a foolproof theory!” Roman interjected, which cause Logan to raise his eyebrows.

“No it’s like a cat!” Virgil restated with a fire Patton had never seen in his eyes.

Oh, that’s new.

“No it’s not, cat is a living thing and jello is a food! Why have you chosen now to  start debating with us? I would’ve understood joining us earlier, but Logan and I have been doing this for years ever since we’ve met. Why don’t you leave the debating to the professionals?” Roman snickered as he seemed to turn himself full force against Virgil.

Virgil’s froze for a second before his eyes bugged out, reminding Patton of that infamous argument Logan and Roman had.

“What?” Virgil growled, causing Patton’s heart to seize, this... this was something different. This argument was turning into something dangerous.

“What? I’m just saying that we’ve been doing this a whole lot longer than you have so you’re not going to win the first round on your first time out.” Roman declared with pride.

Abort! Abort! Abort!

Logan tried to say something, to defuse the rapidly escalating argument, but was interrupted by Virgil.

“Well I’ve been listening you two bicker for years, you think I’m dull enough to not pick something up from your silly show?!” Virgil scowled as Patton saw his hands morph into fists.

Patton gently grasped Virgil’s arm in an attempt to calm him down, but Virgil brushed him off with glare as he waited for Roman’s response with a  much harsher glare that Roman didn't seem to register at all.

Roman seemed unperturbed as he responded with “Our debates aren’t silly! What would make you say that?” and a sly smile.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say and do, as Virgil exploded past Roman and all but ran out of the restaurant, causing Roman to curse as Virgil squeezed past him uncomfortably. Roman shot a glance of confusion at Logan and Patton as he quickly followed after his boyfriend, careful not to make a scene of himself. 

Patton gestured for Logan to exit as well, but Logan shook his head. “Someone needs to pay the check, if you want to follow them you can, I can’t stop you, but I need to stay.” Patton squeezed Logan’s hand and nodded before scooting out the other direction and walking as briskly as he could to catch up with Virgil and Roman.

When he reached them in the parking lot, Roman was grabbing Virgil’s hand to stop him.

No Roman, no!

“Virgil, wait-”

Virgil pulled his hand back like Roman’s touch burned him, wheeling back to face Roman.

“Get the fuck away from me! I need some fucking time away from this bullshit!” Virgil snarled as his knuckles turned white from how much he was squeezing his hands into a fist. 

Roman made a strangled noise before retaliating, matching Virgil’s intensity in response. “Well, this bullshit is your fucking boyfriend Virgil! I don’t know what’s gotten you so worked up, but apparently I was wrong to let you into our debate at all if it’s going to make you this worked u-”

Roman was interrupted by Virgil punching him square in the jaw.

“Fuck you! You never did respect me. Your head’s always been too far up your ass to ever respect me like a proper boyfriend.” Virgil spat as Roman staggered back both from the punch and the surprise of Virgil hitting him and Virgil turned continuing back to his car. 

Patton held Roman’s shoulders for a beat as he had almost fallen, but Roman angrily shook him off. Patton’s heart dropped as he realized thing had gotten way out of hand.

Roman’s gaze quickly hardened into a fury matching Virgil’s, “Well when you get the balls enough to come back to me I can assure you that we are done!” Roman rose his voice to shout as Virgil opened the door to his car.

“Fine!” Virgil’s car door slammed.

“Fine!” Roman snarled as he stalked over to his own car, ignoring Patton’s pleas for him to stay. Only pausing to turn back to give a Patton a glimpse of the growing bruise on the left side of his face and Roman’s contemptuous expression. 

“Some best friends you are, I thought you would care enough to protect me, or at least do something.” Roman snapped as he got into his car and slammed the door.

Patton could swear he heard his heart break.

Patton felt helpless as he felt Logan’s hand settle onto his shoulder. Without hesitation, he turned to bury his face into Logan’s shoulder. Logan’s hand instinctively held the back of Patton’s head as he spoke.

“It’s going to be okay, Patton, they just need time to cool off. You know how we were when we were young, their tempers just need time to back down and let what they both said sink in. You know they love each other, this won’t stop them.” Logan consoled him as Patton trembled in his arms, shuddering but Patton was somehow to hold back his cries.

Distantly, he heard two engines start up and then go in opposite directions until he couldn’t hear them anymore over his shuddering breaths.

For both Roman and Virgil’s sakes, Patton hoped Logan was right.

Taglist:

@lefaystrent @ironwoman359 @delimeful @supersoftsupersleep @altruistic-skittles @007ardra @illogicalthinking 

[utopia-game]

Strategy Corner with FFW: Kingdom Setup

Strategy Corner by FFW: Picking Your Kingdom's Setup

Every start of the age, we go into discussions about what is the "best" setup. How do we truly define what the best is? We're joined by Dowla of Hipmunks, Smiles of Warbirds and myself FFW of Merciless in a forum of how to pick your kingdom's setup and be a more successful warring kingdom. We've also got a special guest Peetah who has co-led many kingdoms to numerous crowns over the ages. Let's talk about setups and is it truly important to have a setup? Peetah: Yes, this will help leadership to coordinate efforts to win the war. Running a lot of different races and pers will give leadership a hard time to make builds. Set certain times to “nuke” a prov with ops. Dowla: It is absolutely important to have a setup to achieve anything it is you want to achieve if it requires your kingdom to do well in the game. You can achieve screwing around without a setup. Smiles:Setups are make or break and a lot of things simply won't work well. That being said, all the things that do work, are pretty similar FFW: I think we can all agree that setups are important. All successful kingdoms will have a proper setup but not all kingdoms with a proper setup is successful. So let's go into the finer details of picking a setup. Before we even start talking setup, let's talk strategy. How important is it to think about the win conditions before even deciding what to pick? Peetah:There are different ways to win a war and a setup will make it a lot easier to achieve victory if it’s in line with your idea on win conditions. Par example with a smash setup you want to win at mintime. After that your chances of winning go down. While a setup based on econ can easily go war for a week. Do realize this will be a burden for leadership as well. You need to plan according to what you got available. Smiles: I don't think you have to be super specific about the strategy. A general idea is enough since there are lots of things to think about and some assumptions to make but the early age is pretty consistent FFW: Let's talk about the some assumptions in strategy for the age since you've brought it up Smiles. I normally like to assume that early advantages are the most awful for a successful warring kingdom since you want to be consistent through the age and not just win for the first 3 weeks and suck the next 6. Do you agree with this? For the record, I'm not saying you throw away the early age either. Smiles: For the most part the early strengths can let you steamroll certain things but generally you can assume some early easy wars, leverage your later age bonuses since most early advantages don't scale well but some do. FFW: What about you Dowla? I hear that you have got a unique perspective on this topic. Dowla: We do not pick a setup with a focused effort on selecting a win condition usually. We usually just go for a good setup that works for us.The base line is creating something that the enemy simply cannot control anymore. There are ages where win conditions are very important and there are ages where we want to do well all around. FFW: That's interesting Dowla, so you would rather pick a comfortable setup and then decide strategy on a war to war basis? Dowla: That's how we operate. We agree on a setup start of the age, and a general way of how we'd play it. The dynamic of warring changes every war. We pick what works for us and it's usually something we're comfortable with. Something that wars well. FFW:So would it be fair to say your strategic approach to setup picking is oriented around balance so you won't be too badly matched against anything the server throws at you? Dowla:Yes. That is exactly how we pick our setup. Something that works well and can work against anything. FFW: Let's talk about what worked for us in the past as to give examples What's your most successful strategy that you've run with thus far? Peetah:I think I played with most combos and won crowns with all. I’ve also seen all kind of setups win crowns and even multiple crowns in one age. Most kingdoms develop a style they seem fit and chose a setup accordingly. Smiles, Dowla and FFW can probably give more insight on what makes a certain setup a HM/Merciless/Warbirdies setup. Smiles: comfort strat, 2-4 pure mystic, 4 rogue 4 hybrid mystic synced core with the view of hybrid casters provide ET support and duration coverage of spells your TMs don't want to have to cast. They also work as a buffer where people might hit them instead of pure TM. The outcome is that you end up with more mana, more attackers. Dowla: Tried a few different ones, but what works best for us is hybrid turtles that become UB and then steamroll from there. FFW: I like having a big offensive fist so that core can create space for our TM to work a later war economic advantage and always assume you have to win on a 50% double networth win. Picking the racial and personality choices. What works and what order do you pick in? TMs first or Core first? FFW:I prefer picking core choices first since they are normally the majority in the kingdom, so it helps us to decide what our battering ram will be then decide what type of supporting actors we want to support the core. Peetah: First, you need to find your balance! How much TMs how much hitters and do you need support? Smashing setups want at least 16-18 hitters. Plus do you wanna run hybrids or just pure hitters and pure TMs. Smashing kingdoms want pure TMs as they need to cover all thievery and magic operations. Your hitters you want to build to make sure you can hit enemy TMs bring down the winning condition of your opponent. Going for the econ play you want provs that are able to hold out and sustain their off. While you work on creating land on UBs and slowly convert to hitters. UBs mostly are your TMs. Basically circle back to the strategy you've chosen to play for the age. Dowla:We usually agree on T/M choices rather quick and then keep on deciding on core picks until the last minute. First of all I want to say it's not me personally picking the setup. It's a group of us doing it. Usually the whole LS team decides on it. A few of us make a setup we'd play, then we all comment on each others setup and we work from there. So we incorporate a bit of everything or we create a totally different setup than anybody proposed. For T/Ms there are always a very limited amount of choices that are playable, and by this I mean combos that work the best. While for attackers it's much more complicated. A super heavy attacker can mean more T/Ms, an econ based attacker can mean less, do we want long wars or do we want to zerg rush, it all depends with them. So, we set the T/Ms and they set the dynamic. What kind of attackers we need and then we pick what works for that type of strategy. Or simply we're comfortable with this many T/Ms and this many attackers. That's our go to if we have troubles agreeing on what we want. Smiles: As stated before, in my head the most generic setup is: 4 mystics 4 rogues 2-4 paladin/cleric/PF caster depending on what the age needs. 15 synced core I usually start there ask, is it a heretic age? If heretics, what am I cutting to stay in that 8 Pure TM range FFW: There seems to be a lot of focus on picking the right TMs so let's talk about that next Picking Your Kingdom's TMs. What works? FFW: I see you didn't put much emphasis on heretics Smiles? What's up with that? Smiles: It's fine to have 1 heretic just for access to blizz/fg depending on the age but I don't think they're bad. I just rarely have that 1 tick sync for NM and I in general am not a fan of NM like I used to be. With the exception of high GS+WT+dpa tanks, I don't ever think you NEED NM because it just makes chains go deeper, rarely adds additional chains and rarely allows you to hit TM+Chain as is the classic desire for NM. So really you're trading significant TM mana just to take chains a little deeper. Deep chains don't matter as much anymore anyways. I chain to secure UB, if it doesn't go deep enough, but trims their offense, good enough for me FFW: What about you Dowla, what do you value in picking TMs? Dowla: Most usually it's bonuses in TPA/WPA. We value it over anything else as in the event of a dragged out war it allows us to try raining fire over enemy T/Ms with out own. Or in any war. T/M supremacy is what it's all about. FFW: I can relate to that. I love population bonus on my TMs since it leads to better raw numbers which leads to much better modified numbers to have TM supremacy late age. Smiles:Generally for TMs, all TMs my order of priorities >UB, Defense mostly >T defense >wpa>tpa>eco/offense. Recently, I prefer the safest easiest possible rogues. Since if a rogue every gets chained/massed out, they're basically unrecoverable although wpa and honor recovery isn't possible for the most part. Mystics, I like TOG paired with +1 mana but I am more willing to pick the mystic I expect to be strongest at its peak FFW: Before we close, what's the single most important advice we can give to aspiring war kingdoms out there? You go first Smiles Smiles: Pick a kingdom you admire or setup you think is strong and just copy. Add a small spin for what you like and don't be original. When Warbirds formed and we were ready to run a top tier setup for the first time, we essentially straight copied Hipmunks from the age before as we had warred them twice, lost twice. FFW: Dowla will be pretty happy to know Hipmunks inspired Warbirds to an extent. Let's hear from him next. Dowla: If you're unsure on how to play it and what exact setup to pick then pick something simple. Start with something simple as two types of T/Ms with 3-4 of each, 3-4 clerics and pick the rest as heavy attackers or ditch the clerics and everything else can go into attackers. Keep it simple until you start feeling comfortable with changing it and doing things a different way, a way that suits you. Do know that every single one of the best warring kingdoms has a usual way they pick setups and each one of those setups works for them because they've gotten good at playing with those setups. FFW: Be bold and brave. Don't hesitate to experiment with choices since all the best strategies and setups have been called retarded or silly once upon a time. Your new idea could be the next top strategy but be sure your entire kingdom is on board with it. Consensus is important. Editorial Section: Wrapping up this session, it is clear that there's no one best approach in picking your Kingdom's setup and strategy. What is truly important is that you choose a strategy that works for you and remember that mastery over a particular strategy would cement your place as a top warring kingdom. When it comes to the finer details of picking your race and personality choices, pick a combination that is most comfortable for what you want it to do. The key important takeaway is the concept of objectives and whatever combination you pick should conform with the objectives of your kingdom. PS: Dowla volunteers to help people struggling with choices if you PM his retired ass on discord since he inspired Warbirds. Link to his interview on his honor crown achievement below

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Avatar: The Last Airbender episode 3x18 ･:*:･ﾟ’☆

Oh boi we’ve gotten to the final batch of episodes. It feels like yesterday that I started the show. Oh man. I’m not ready.

Aang is having his firebending lessons with Zuko. “Now let me hear you roar like a tigerdillo! ...That sounded pathetic, I said roar!”

Awww it’s a small thing but Momo intimidated by Aang roaring hiding behind Zuko’s leg is the cutest thing. When the kitty trusts you that’s it, you’ve won.

Zuko is a hard teacher but everyone else decides to have a beach party and make sand sculptures. Awww Toph’s been working on sandbending!

“Zuko’s gone crazy! I made a sand sculpture of Suki and he destroyed it! ...Oh, and he’s attacking Aang.” Priorities XD

Zuko is bewildered that they’re wasting time when the comet is due in three days, but Aang has decided to wait to attack the Fire Lord after the comet, not feeling ready for the task yet. Everyone’s reasoning is that Aang needs more training and the Fire Nation’s already essentially won the war, so things can’t get any worse... but Zuko knows more than them. Oh, it’s about the famous war meeting that basically opened Zuko’s eyes about everything!

“The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong. They can endure anything as long as they have hope” “Yes, you’re right. We need to destroy their hope” “Well, that’s not exactly what I--” oh, muffin. It’s obviously poetic that everything comes down to the Earth Kingdom, which has been Zuko’s home after being thoroughly rejected from his own, where Zuko found a place and connected with the people, empathized with their struggles, genuinely saw them as actual humans. And of course the circular structure of it all, everything started when Zuko participated to a war meeting and spoke out in defense of people who’s be purposely sent to death. Now he participated to a second meeting, at this time with his father allowing him to speak and in fact asking for his opinion, and is also horrified by a plan that would mean a full genocide, but stays silent, endures the shame of that silence, but processes the meaning of it all and chooses to join the resistance.

Zuko’s character development is peculiar because he starts off as someone who has specifically selfish goals. Which in fact would normally be “bad”, because selfish goals are usually associated to being a bad thing, except that in his role selfish goals are actually a good thing, temporarily speaking, because of who he is, i.e. the son and heir of a genocidal dictator. He doesn’t go after the avatar to further the success and glory of his nation, but to go home, to acquire respect and love. He never really cares about his nation, even about his position as the heir to the throne; he only cares about regaining the respect of his father. And that’s the key to his salvation because he never is a cruel or violent person, but a compassionate person whose trauma closed him off into a shell of selfishness but that could slowly come out of that shell once he was forced to set his goal aside (in the Earth Kingdom). He temporarily regressed but of course that was necessary for him to fully realize how empty and meaningless that original goal was - the respect of his father means nothing because he’s a genocidal dictator. And his experience in the Earth Kingdom has allowed him to really grow into a compassionate person, because he lives among refugees and ordinary people, as a refugee and an ordinary person, instead of being a prince in a world of power.

He had a potential for empathy which his experience in the Earth Kingdom fully realized, and when Ozai decides to literally burn the Earth Kingdom away, that obliterates all the the value Zuko placed on his father’s respect. It obliterates all the respect he had for his father at all. He looks at him with the eyes of all the people he’s empathized with during his journey outside the Fire Nation, and sees the enemy.

And now he tells Aang that he might not be ready to save the world, but once the comet comes there won’t be a world to save anymore. He’d never told them about Ozai’s plan before because he was still under the assumption that the deadline was before the comet, and possibly he assumed that the rest of the gang had a full grasp of how evil the Fire Lord actually was. Funnily enough, the Fire Lord was always “the enemy” for the rest of them, but somewhat an idea, a concept, while Zuko’s experience of his father is very real and concrete. Heck, he carries it on his face.

Aang is distraught, but they tell him that they’re going to fight the Fire Lord as a group. They have a powerful bender for each element plus two weapon masters, their group as a collective has the full power of the avatar. Team Avatar indeed :)

“Get over here, Zuko. Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs.” Awwww <3

Zuko teaches Aang the technique to redirect lightning that Uncle Iroh invented and taught him. Zuko describes the experience of being passed through by lightning as “exhilarating but terrifying” because it’s so incredibly dangerous. Again, Aang is reminded that it’s either the Fire Lord’s life or his, but he’s obviously not okay with the idea of taking a life.

Meanwhile Sokka has come up with a plan to take down the Fire Lord. Or, in this case, the Melon Lord. They practice it--Toph has a great time playing the Melon Lord. If she were the avatar the Fire Lord would already be dust.

I mean, all due respect for Aang but sometimes people need to be physically eliminated, even if it doesn’t feel good. Then again, I’m not a monk or a particularly good person, so maybe it’s me. They have two days and no alternative...

It gets worse when Katara finds a picture of baby Ozai, which humanizes him even more.

They have a fight over it, and Aang mysteriously disappears into the sea... They decide to split up and look for him.

“I’m going with Zuko! What? Everyone else went on a life-changing field-trip with Zuko, now it’s my turn.”

Suki and Katara only find the actress!Aang...

Asdfghjkl Toph rants about her difficult childhood to Zuko but he’s not in the mood to listen XD

Aang is nowhere to be found...

“What should we do, Zuko?” “I don’t know. Why are you all looking at me?” “Well, you are kind of the expert on tracking Aang.” “Yeah, if anyone’s got experience hunting the avatar, it’s you.” when you have 2 experiences on your curriculum and one is tea server but the other is a highly specialized research that suddenly gets in demand.

Oooh Zuko indeed has an Idea(TM).

Meanwhile what I assume are the preparations for the arrival of the comet has begun.

Ooh. Azula was supposed to be with her father in the attack to the Earth Kingdom, but Ozai has decided that she’ll stay behind. She is upset at first, but he explains that her task is to watch over the Fire Nation... and she will be the new Fire Lord, as he becomes the king of the entire world. The Phoenix King in fact. Which is a really cool name, admittedly.

He’s already got a whole aesthetic ready. Damn, the dramatic gene is strong in the family.

Oh, Zuko’s idea is to recruit the bounty hunter from that other time!

Meanwhile Aang wakes up, with no memory of getting there...

[ikemenshakespeare]

Title: Deviled Eggs and Sandwiches

Fandom: Ikemen Revolution

Character(s): MC, Black Army, and mystery suitor. 😉

Warnings: N/A

Prompt: Valentines First.

Authors Note: A creativity contest is being held in one of the many discord servers I’ve joined into, and this is my entry! It was due today 2/24. So although it’s no longer Valentines Day, I still hope this was a little something cute to get ya through your day. Thank you for reading!

“No! No way!” My face burned with embarrassment.

“Oh c’mon MC, it could be fun! After all, it’ll be Valentines Day. It wouldn’t kill ya to be a little spontaneous for once” Fenrir’s grin was nothing short of mischievous.

“Listen, I know you get a kick out of teasing me but I’m not naive enough to believe in love at first bar meet. Especially not when I’d have you for a wingman.” His laughter in response was almost infuriating. “What’s so funny? I’m being serious.”

“Okay. I got a better idea.” Fenrir and better ideas were almost always anything but. Still, I waited expectantly for him to finish. “Why don’t you put an ad out in the paper? A lot of people do it to find dates. When we find a guy who seems suitable-”

“We?...”

“Okay, when you, then the two of you could write eachother back and fourth to set up a nice date you’d both enjoy. And BOOM, just like that you won’t be ms. lonely anymore.” I’ll admit, if this idea somehow does work it would be infinitely better then the last. Not only that, but theirs no promise anyone will actually respond in the first place. Plus it’s only a little over one week till Valentine’s Day actually arrives, which doesn’t give anyone much time to figure arrangements out.

“Fine. If that’s what it takes to get you off my back, I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Alright!” I smiled slightly but quickly frowned. Why do you care so much anyway? As if sensing my thoughts, Fenrir stopped his celebrating. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m gonna start dinner.” And with that I left the room in a hurry, no longer wanting to think of what scheme he had up his sleeve. I ran into Ray and Seth on the other side of the door.

“Alice?! What’s going on?” Seth squealed as my face smacked up against his chest.

“I don’t wanna talk about it. Ask Fenrir.” The sly smirk on Ray’s face gave me the sense he was ready to be filled in.

“Suit yourself.” A short second later they were both sitting next to Fenrir on the couch. “What’s MC going on about?” A tricky look appeared on Fenrir’s face.

“I have a master plan for MC’s first date night in cradle, and I’m gonna need your help.”

“ALICE?? My poor Alice?? Oh no no no, we absolutely will not-”

“Oh relax Seth! I’m sure you’ll approve of this one, just make sure not to tell Luka or the old man.” While Seth continued to worry over MC’s innocents, Ray had a devils smile to rival Fenrir’s.

“You can count on me.” A couple days passed by all to quickly, and there was only 7 days till MC’s first Valentines in Cradle...

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

“Come in!” I heard a knock at my door and sure as the sky was blue, Fenrir came yelling in his usual fashion.

“Mornin’! You ready to respond to your future boyfriend?” FUTURE WHAT??

“You’re telling me it worked??”

“Well of course it did. I’m the one who wrote it after all.” The cocky look on his face was already getting old.

“YOU wrote the ad?? And beyond that, I thought we discussed that I would be choosing the candidate- wait, why am I even taking this seriously??” I huffed. Even though I just woke up from an amazing sleep, I couldn’t help but throw myself back onto the mattress. I’m already tired from a couple minutes of talking to the black army’s very own maniac.

“Yeah, yeah, but we were running out of time and there was only one responce.”

“Wow, doesn’t that make me feel great?” I spoke sarcastically but I knew I was looking at him hopefully. Maybe it won’t be all that bad after all, it’s just one silly date. Fenrir wasted no time, as quickly as he had entered my room and shut the door, he began reading the response aloud.

“Dear MC, I’ve thought about it and I’d be extremely interested in meeting up, how about a late lunch date at the park in central quarter? Please respond to let me know.”

“That’s pretty vague, did he leave his name?”

“No, but I think it’s worth a shot.”

“Eh, I don’t know about that... but still, lunch at the park doesn’t really sound all that dangerous...” I went back and fourth with myself for a while until I finally came to a conclusion. “Alright! Let him know he’s on! BUT also let him know that we’re each responsible for cooking half of the meal, just Incase I get a bad feeling and it seems like he’s trying to poison me or something.”

“You worry to much, but now you’re talkin’!” And just like that Fenrir sat down next to me and we began brainstorming what to write in response. Just as before the next few days flew by, the air outside filled with love, the 14th of February had arrived.

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

Fenrir and Ray both got the day off to help assure things went to plan, a carriage headed toward the park in central quarter. It just so happened Sirius would be working in that same direction today, so all four of them rode together. Finally the ride came to a stop and MC jumped out nervously with the food she prepared in hand, she was already looking around curiously for the man writing her letters. But before the other two could follow her out, Sirius firm voice rose up.

“Before any of you get yourself into trouble, do you mind giving me a heads up of what’s really going on? Because all I could get out of Seth is that he absolutely would not participate in such a horrible act of indignity towards MC, but he promised not to say why.” Ray and Fenrir exchanged a glance.

“I guess since the plans already in full swing it wouldn’t hurt to tell him.” And so Ray did the honors.

“We tricked MC into thinking she’s going to be meeting a stranger here for lunch today. Truth is this man is no stranger, in fact she knows him quite well.” Sirius was one to keep his expressions under control but when he went wide eyed the two knew they’d got him good.

“But... that could only mean...”

LUKA?! Why does he have a blanket set up by beside the pond?? More importantly, the pond I’m supposed to be meeting my mystery date at. The facial response Luka gave back when he saw me standing there said the exact thing I was thinking.

“Angie?...” he started to stir around in his sitting position.

“What are you doing here?” I didn’t think things could get anymore awkward until Luka began to blush furiously.

“Honestly, I’d rather not say.” I just stared at him until finally he sighed in defeat. “Okay, Ray just wouldn’t leave me alone about needing to find some sort of Valentines Date. I guess you could say I gave in, and now I’m here waiting for her... if there even is anyone coming.” He hung his head low, and my heart broke just a little.

“You think you’re being stood up?”

“I think those two over there are playing a prank and now I just look stupid.” Off in the distance, standing on either side of a tree was Fenrir and Ray. They were laughing so hard, they were almost in tears. In unison they both shouted over to us a good luck and ran in the opposite direction. What a bunch of kids. I turned back to face Luka.

“I don’t think YOU look stupid, I think we both do. They set us up.” I splat down on the space next to him on the blanket, looking like a piece of old bumble gum on pavement. “How do we always get sucked into things with these two!” Luka wore a shocked expression, giving me a crooked eyebrow. I took the next thirty minutes to explain all that I assumed happened. When my story was over he looked grumpy.

“I see.” We stayed silent for a moment. Just listening to the sounds of the park around us. I closed my eyes and before I knew it I was opening them wide again. “But I guess if we’re already here we might as well finish our date- I mean...” he trailed off. I was the shocked one now, to see Luka wasn’t running away from me at full speed from embarrassment was already a surprise. Now he’s actually agreeing to go through with what I assumed would be his nightmare. A date, and with me? It only took a second before the wheels started turning in my head again. I gave him the softest smile I could muster.

“I guess you’re right. Here, I made some deviled eggs and brought some fruit. You can have some if you like.” I opened my basket to share and he gave a sheepish grin. He popped an egg in his mouth and the look of delight sent a small rush of happiness to my brain.

“Those are amazing! I decided to go pretty simple myself since I didn’t know what to expect, so if you want a sandwich have at it.” I looked at the array of different choices to choose from.

“This is supposed to be simple! Luka, you’re truly fantastic, thank you!” The rest of our afternoon was spent talking about our favorite foods and other things we liked to cook, we even took a stroll around the park. As it started getting darker Luka reached for my hand, holding it softly.

“It’s getting late, we should get on our way home.” The way he took my hand in his was so natural, it had me feeling like I could get used to this. As much as I didn’t want to admit thanks to Fenrir and all his shenanigans, I was really happy not to be Ms. Lonely, even if it was just for the day.

[autisticlalna]

atlanta

aka “shadoc sings go! child because i needed to write something NOT sad”

i have no idea what a guitar cover of atlanta would even sound like because i dont know anything about music asides from “ah yes sounds good” and how to play a single undertale song on guitar. so, like, please excuse my dumbassery.

ANYWAY the prophecy has come true and leo has written a shadoc fic where the worst that happens is “shadoc gets stage fright and then gets hugs”. murmur is here! solo is also here and i have no idea how to write him, send help

me pointing at myself with a knife: Let Shadoc Be Happy

-

    “No, really, your singing voice is great!” Solo nudged Shadoc with his elbow. The creeper shadow shied away from the contact and gave him a skeptical look; unperturbed, Solo kept smiling at him. “You’re a natural.” Murmur hummed in agreement from where he was sitting on the other side of Shadoc, effectively pinning him between two very supportive shadows.

    Shadoc wasn’t really sure how he’d ended up in this situation. Or, no, he did, but it didn’t make much sense to him.

    Stress had been happy to see him when Shadoc started going to the shadow daycare. The concept still made him feel a bit awkward— not really because of anything involving the daycare itself, but rather because of it reminding him of when he used to live with Stress. He supposed that this was just a natural evolution of that: her own shadow was rather docile as long as she was pacified with either ice or Iskall’s shadow, and although his stay with her had been rather bumpy (and there were still times he felt guilty for it) she’d done her best to take care of him. Plus, the shadows really needed somewhere they could go when they didn’t want to be around the hermits, and Solo especially had been all for the idea in hopes that it would allow everybody to bond.

    The other shadows still weren’t kind to Murmur, but he still badly wanted to make friends, so Shadoc had agreed to start going with him. Most of the time it ended in the two of them off in their own corner, although sometimes Phas would offer for them to join the “nap buddies” if they looked especially lonely.

    (It was weird seeing Phas not being a chaotic nuisance, but apparently she had a setting that wasn’t “knock everything off Cleo’s shelves because she’s jealous and wants attention”. Shadoc still wasn’t entirely sure what their friendship was, or how she saw him, but she got along with Murmur good enough and he was fine with that.)

    Anyway. As usual, Shadoc had dropped by the daycare with Murmur to see what everyone was up to. The nap buddies were in their usual spot, Russy and Badmin were playing a board game that Shadoc was pretty sure was using tokens from at least three other board games (apparently Russy had gotten into the Monopoly box and started hoarding the little house tokens from it), and Salsa was trying to climb on Trigger while Stress lectured him about no, you can’t bring TNT in here, I don’t care how many great ideas you have, if you want to build something dangerous do it outside. Business as usual.

    And then there was Solo. Ren’s shadow was one of the constant visitors alongside Burmese; despite the high amount of tension between a lot of the shadows, or maybe because of, the server’s first shadow was always happy to see everyone at least trying to get along. This time around, he’d been tuning his guitar in preparation for his next concert while listening to Shadoc and Murmur talk (or, more accurately, listening to Shadoc talk and glancing up occasionally to see Murmur sign a response). Shadoc had been laughing at a joke Murmur made— the kind of laugh that was more seen than heard, shoulders shaking as he hunched over and wheezed— when he heard Solo start strumming out a tune to check that everything was golden. It was something familiar, something Solo had played a couple of times, and without thinking Shadoc had started singing along. He didn’t know all of the lyrics, and stumbled a few times…

…and it took him a bit to realize Solo had stopped playing.

    When he looked up, both Solo and Murmur were staring at him. On instinct, he withdrew in on himself; Murmur had sidled up next to him, comforting as always, while Solo looked downright starstruck. “Dude,” Solo said, grinning from ear to ear, “you can sing?”

    A few minutes later, and here he was, sandwiched between Solo and Murmur while they both tried to convince him that yes, his singing voice was good, and yes, he’d done a good job. He shifted in his seat, visibly uncomfortable. It wasn’t like he didn’t appreciate the praise, it was just… weird. “I- It’s… it’s… it’s not that good,” he deflected, trying to ignore the feeling of his cheeks heating up as he blushed.

    I like it, Murmur countered. It sounded nice.

    “I d-don’t even know the words…“

    “Then I’ll teach you!” Solo’s enthusiasm was, unfortunately contagious. Shadoc watched with trepidation as he adjusted his sunglasses and started strumming the base chords. “Let’s start with the chorus, you had that part down already.” Head bobbing a little as he kept time, Solo hummed under his breath as he kept the melody up; when Shadoc didn’t do anything, he gave him an expectant look. Shadoc returned it with one of fearful alarm.

    Murmur rested his hand on Shadoc’s. “It’s okay,” he reassured. “Try?” When Shadoc still didn’t join in, Murmur gave him the best puppy-dog look he could manage; catching on, Solo leaned over (messing up the song a little as he adjusted the guitar with him) and joined in. Despite his best efforts, a smile cracked onto Shadoc’s face; he hid it with his hand, but that didn’t stop his giggling.

    Satisfied, Solo gave it another shot. This time he started off with the last couple lyrics before the first chorus: “So in this brand new day, though frightening for sure / I plan to make it something even more!”

    “I… can’t,” Shadoc started off, voice cracking; Murmur squeezed his hand reassuringly, and the anxious shadow closed his eyes. “I can’t believe it… I can’t believe that I’m alive~”

    Solo joined in as the lyrics repeated, “I can’t / I can’t believe it / I can’t believe that I’m alive!” Their voices mixed together, Shadoc’s more hesitant in contrast to Solo’s confidence; as they ran through the chorus a couple more times, though, Shadoc’s voice got louder as he grew more comfortable.

    “Said hello to someone new / What kind of luck I have that / I could meet anyone but I met you,” Solo sang. He tilted his head back with a smile on his face as the song continued. Shadoc did his best to sing along, despite slipping up a little on words and occasionally losing the melody. Every time he faltered, Murmur would encourage him to keep trying.

    Before long, they’d run through the entire song a couple of times. Shadoc had relaxed with a smile on his face as he sang, his voice starting to carrying through the daycare; he didn’t sense everyone’s attention on him, or even that he’d managed to wake up Burmese, instead being fully focused on the feeling of Murmur and Solo sitting next to him and the music in his ears. This was fun! He was having a good time. All of the anxiety and stage fright had drained out of him with the help of his friends, and now he just… felt safe and happy. Content.

    “I’m breathing, receiving / I know that this is true,” Shadoc sang. “How did I make it here alive?” He didn’t notice Solo’s voice quiet down to nothingness until it was just him singing, too focused on the words spilling out. “I’m feeling, I’m reeling / Look at this perfect view! / I can’t believe that I’m alive~”

    He was snapped out of his trance by the sound of applause. Shadoc’s eyes opened and he looked around to see everyone staring at him; Stress had started clapping, and it had rippled through the room as the shadows joined in with boundless enthusiasm. “I— I— Ah—“ Blushing brightly, Shadoc locked up, frozen in place like a statue. Concerned, Murmur put his arm around Shadoc’s shoulders; the embarrassed shadow hid his face, then dove down into the floor and fled. Solo and Murmur exchanged glances, then followed.

    He hadn’t gone far. Shadoc leaned against the outside wall of the daycare and steadied himself. The footsteps announcing Murmur and Solo’s arrival caused him to flinch, but this time he didn’t run as Murmur approached and hugged him. “Sorry,” he whispered into Murmur’s shoulder.

    “That was really good,” Solo said with a smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to go up on stage with me?”

    Shadoc shook his head vigorously. “N-No— I- I mean, I’m— I’m sure, I… I just… I don’t think I can deal with, um, people… people… people looking at me.” Solo gave him a sympathetic look and joined the hug.

    “How about we practice more?” Solo suggested. “Not right now— unless you want to?— but… You have a good voice! We can meet up at the hippie camp or something. Give it a go.”

    Shadoc hesitated. Murmur made an encouraging noise; Shadoc glanced at him, unsure, then smiled at Solo. “S-Sure, yeah, that… Okay. I can do that.”

[zallano]

The HereAfter, Chapter 11

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, read on AO3!

Make sure to join The HereAfter discord server!

The entire chapter is under the cut

---

The ticking was back.

Not the regular ticking from Mumbo’s clock. That had never left since that one time at night. Though, Mumbo was fairly certain now that he had just tuned out the ticking in a moment of panic. This ticking was the ticking he heard the day Tango left. It was just as loud as it was the first time, though, Mumbo didn’t feel very affected by it. Maybe that was because he had already felt the ticking and passed out. He didn’t know and he didn’t really care. He was able to ignore it so it was fine.

It was a clear sunny day in hermitcraft. Mumbo had spent his morning mining and was finally able to find a few diamonds. Now that he had diamonds, he wasn’t exactly sure what to do. He paced around the stone room of his underground base thinking. He could make more redstone contraptions and try to figure out more things. He glanced around. He could also decorate his base a bit better.

When he climbed to the surface, he was not surprised to see that no new trees had grown on his island. He also didn’t want to destroy his first base for the sake of wood. His eyes darted around to everything on his island. Redstone, sand, grass, a tree, more sand- a boat. He had docked his boat on the beach.

Mumbo walked over to his boat and didn’t hesitate before getting in. He was going to venture off to other places and find new types of wood and possibly more things to decorate with. He pushed himself off the shore and into the water. He swayed back and forth for a few seconds before taking out a shovel as a makeshift paddle and began to drift away.

His T-chat buzzed, signifying that someone was talking. He pulled the little device from his pocket and checked what was going on.

WelsKnight: anyone got coords for the shopping district? I went out a bit too far out in the opposite direction of Hermitville

Stressmonster101: I don’t but I have the ones for my base

WelsKnight: can I have them?

He didn’t really know Wels or Stress all that much so he put the T-Chat back into his pocket and began rowing again.

He didn’t even make it a few hundred blocks away into the ocean before he was stopped by a shout coming from the sky. He looked up and to no one’s surprise, he saw Grian. Grian dived down into the water next to him, causing a massive splash. Mumbo wasn’t sure how such a small person was able to make such a large splash- though he was more concerned about the water now filling his boat.

“Gah— Grian! Why-“ His boat was slowly sinking. Grian floated in the water and tutted. “I can’t take this no more,” He said. Mumbo looked at him confused. “Yeah? I can’t either. My shoes are soggy now.” Mumbo complained. Grian rolled his eyes. “Not that. Well not exactly- I’m talking about you taking your boat everywhere. It’s honestly quite sad. You need to learn how elytras work,” Grian laid over on his back in the water, his arms and legs spread wide so that he could float better. Mumbo shook his head. “Nope. Not doing that. Thanks.” He said. Grian chuckled.

“Nah, it’ll help you in the long run. Plus once you learn you can try out my elytra course! Only a diamond per every two tries!” He pointed out. Mumbo continued to shake his head. “I have a few elytras at my base. Head over there and we can learn to fly,” he smiled.

“No thanks. I’m staying here.” Mumbo replied. Grian shrugged. “Then I’ll stay here,” The waves pushed his body up and down and whatever Mumbo would say would cut off as his ears went under the water.

“And I'm okay with that. I wasn’t going anywhere anyway. I’m happy in my usually dry boat, thank you very much- Grian? Are you even listening to me-?” Mumbo leaned over and cupped water into his hands before tossing the water at Grian’s face. Grian coughed and rolled over, spitting out water in the process. “What was that for? I’m trying to help you!” He laughed.

“Will flying on an elytra actually be better?” Mumbo asked. He had to admit, as much as elytras scared him, it was cool seeing other hermits flying around with them. Grian nodded. “It’s so much better! It’s the best way of transportation in this time. They’re 100% better in the future though,”

Mumbo sighed. He had to make progress eventually. “Okay fine, I’ll put one on. Only put it on though. I’m not flying around with it.” He chuckled. Grian grinned and took out some fireworks, careful not to get them wet, and took off to the skies. Mumbo sighed and began rowing his still slowly sinking boat over to Grian’s base.

It didn’t take very long, considering Grian’s base was close. Mumbo jumped off of his boat and onto one of the bridges of the base. Grian leaned against one of the entrances and waved. “Hah! This was all a trick for you to figure out how to fix my farm!” He exclaimed once Mumbo had walked over.

Mumbo glanced over at the farm. “Really??” He shook his head, laughing. “Nah, but since you’re here, maybe you can check it out? Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing and every good redstoner is off doing something and don’t want me near redstone,” Grian huffed and tossed Mumbo a shulkerbox worth of redstone items.

Mumbo placed the shulkerbox and briefly took a look at the items and then back at the farm. Automatic farms felt oddly familiar- though he had never made one before. “I suppose I can try. What seems to be the problem?” He asked. “It isn’t producing any potatoes. They’re supposed to end up here-“ he pointed to a chest with a hopper on top of it. “-but they aren’t and I don't know what’s wrong.”

Mumbo hummed and walked over to the chest. He noticed a bunch of potatoes and carrots were resting on top of the hopper and not going in. He had learned that items usually go into hoppers- unless they were full. He looked inside the hopper and more vegetables were stored inside it. “Have you bothered checking your chest?” He asked, breaking the hopper in the process. Stacks upon stacks of vegetables flew everywhere, along with the hopper. Mumbo opened the chest and sighed. The chest was filled with eggs. “Huh, no wonder.” He said.

Grian walked over and looked inside the chest. “Oh, I do have more eggs! I thought I must’ve. I don’t usually run out of eggs, you see,” he began taking the eggs out of the chest and into his inventory for whatever reason. Mumbo replaced the hopper and watched as the carrots and potatoes began to fill the chest once again. “Well that was easy,” he chuckled.

“Now I feel stupid. Of course, the chest was full. Hmph.” Grian shook his head and emptied the eggs from his inventory into another shulkerbox. “I’ll make sure to come to you next time I need something redstone related fixed. You live so close by so it'll be great. Now, let’s get into the elytra, hm?” He looked over and smiled. “Oh, I thought we weren’t doing that-“

Before Mumbo was able to protest anymore, Grian tossed him a spare elytra and a few rockets. It took a few tries figuring out where the straps were, though, he found them and strapped the wings onto his back. “How does this thing even work?” He asked, picking up the rockets.

“You take some rockets and pull on this little string,” Grian grabbed his own rockets and pointed to a string that was dangling from the bottom. “Once you pull it, you want to jump, and then the rocket will fire. That’ll get you into the air. It may take a few rockets.” He explained. Grian tugged onto the string and then the bottom of the rocket shot off. He immediately jumped and was quickly shot into the air.

Mumbo watched in amazement as Grian glided around in circles above him before landing nearby. “Let’s see if you can do the same. Try and make it to the top up there!” He pointed through the center of his base to the very top.

“You don’t really expect me to do that, do you?” Mumbo looked over at Grian. He was nodding and smiling. Mumbo sighed. It couldn’t hurt to try.

He grabbed hold of the string of one of the rockets and tried pulling it. The string wouldn’t budge. “Oh, sometimes they do that, you just gotta pull harder.” Grian chimed in.

Mumbo pulled down the string as hard as he could manage and the rocket exploded into his face with a loud ‘pop!’ “What the?!” He stepped back in alarm. White smoke and rocket powder covered his face. Grian was laughing like a mad man. “Did you plan this??” Mumbo questioned.

”Ye-yeah, here’s some real rockets,” he said in between laughter and gave Mumbo some of his own rockets. Mumbo squinted his eyes and inspected the rockets. “Is everything a trick today?” He asked. Grian snickered. “No, but you have to admit, that was so funny.” He stepped back. “Oh ha ha, yes, soo funny.” Mumbo rolled his eyes and tried pulling the string again.

This time the bottom of the rocket fell off easily and Mumbo tried to time it by jumping. Before he knew it, he took off into the air. Although he didn’t get very far. The elytra didn’t open and he fell to the floor, tripping on his feet. “Ow-“ Mumbo fell over on the ground, the elytra sliding off his back in the process. Grian walked over. “You Okay?” He asked and helped him up. “You have to jump sooner,” he laughed.

“You really like helping me, huh?” Mumbo adjusted the straps of the elytra back to fit him. Grian shrugged. “I just like helping people. It’s what I used to do where I come from. Plus, it’s hilarious seeing your reactions to stuff,” Grian snickered. Mumbo huffed and ignored Grian’s laughter. So what if he didn’t fully understand anything that wasn’t redstone.

He took out a new rocket and tried doing the same thing again, this time, he jumped in unison when he pulled the string. The elytra decided it wanted to work this time and it opened, allowing Mumbo to glide.

Being in the air was a lot more fun than Mumbo had expected. He zoomed around on the first floor of the base, unable to get himself up through the hole in the center. Though, he didn’t mind. “I did it!!” He exclaimed and looked down at Grian. “I’m in the air!” He shouted. Grian waved his arms. “Great, but watch out!!” He yelled.

Mumbo looked back in front of him and saw that he was getting close to the walls. He quickly turned but was met with the giant glass wall of the farm he had previously fixed. He face-planted into the glass. The impact caused the elytra to close and for him to fall. Grian watched as his friend fell. “Mumbo, the rockets!” He tried to tell him but it was too late. Mumbo had no armor, and he especially didn’t have any feather falling boots.

MumboJumbo hit the ground too hard

The text flashed across the screen of everyone’s T-chat and Grian’s vision.

WelsKnight: rippp

JoeHillsSays: Ah yes first death. I remember my first death

Iskall85: LOL rip

Grian: I warned you to watch where you were going!

Iskall85: someone separate those two. Grian is a bad role model.

Grian: I warned him!

Xisumavoid: you literally died yesterday due to not watching where you were going lol

Grian: >:(

Mumbo woke up at spawn. He hadn’t checked his T-chat to see what the hermits were talking about. He wasn’t even aware he still had his t-chat in his pocket. Though he couldn’t think properly enough to check.

The ticking that he had been ignoring all day was louder than ever. It forced itself into his mind. His own clock was going insane. It was ticking in unison to the other, much louder, ticking. “Gah!” He covered his ears and tried to stand up but the sand was caving in into a large hole next to him.

Glancing into the hole, he saw another clock. Though, this one was different. It was blue as if the colors of a regular clock got inverted. What would normally be the sun, was a royal blue, and the sky was yellow. The clock seemed familiar- as if he had seen it before long ago. He felt the same familiarity he got from building complex redstone. It felt like one of the memories he could no longer remember. It seemed familiar... and he didn’t know why.

Mumbo moved back away from the clock in the hole and stood up. He finally checked his pockets and pulled out his T-chat. He didn’t question how it even got back into his pocket in the first place, especially since he died hundreds of blocks away and all his other stuff was there. He briefly looked over what everyone was saying, though the ticking made it difficult. Mumbo could see his vision slowly fading.

WelsKnight: Nice base, Stress! I can see it from here. I love castles

StressMonster101: haha yeah I can tell you’re dressed as a knight. Mind if I give you a tour? Been working really hard on this build

He didn’t read that much before typing out something of his own.

MumboJumbo: Hey guys, I found a weird blue clock

Almost instantly, Grian replied.

Grian: Where?? At spawn??

Mumbo quickly replied with ‘Yeah’ and waited. He glanced over at the clock. The ticking seemed to worsen when he was looking at it. He felt like his ears were bleeding. Despite the ticking hurting his head, he walked toward the clock, reaching out for it.

Before he could grab it, he heard fires of rockets. He glanced up, pulling his hands away. The ticking had worsened even more with the company of Grian and his clock. Grian quickly landed. “Where is it-“ his eyes looked in the hole. He darted over, nearly pushing Mumbo out of the way, and went to grab the clock for himself without saying a word.

Mumbo watched as Grian began to shake violently with the clock in his hands. “Grian!” He tried to reach for the clock to take it away. Grian shut his eyes, he still didn’t stop shaking. All three clocks were glowing now. The blue clock glowed the brightest.

Mumbo grabbed onto the blue clock, trying to pull it away. Though, touching the clock was a mistake.

—-

Stress was showing Wels around her base. “I love this project so much! I tried bringing some foxes here but I couldn’t find any in Hermitville.” She sighed. Wels nodded. “Oh, I’ve been exploring out in the new area a bit. I’m going out again so I’ll let you know if I find any,” He said. “Okay, thanks! I’ve also been exploring. I found something really cool in hermitville!” She led him down a hall. “What you find?” Wels asked but Stress kept walking until she made it to a room where the clock is hanging on a wall.

“What’s that?” Wels questioned. “A clock. I found it in the ground. It’s very pretty, isn’t it? I thought it would go perfect right there.” She smiled. Wels nodded and walked closer. He noticed how it was hung up by a string and not in an item frame. “It looks like some sort of necklace or amulet,” he pointed out. Stress nods. “Oh, it is, I put it on a few days ago but I wanted to put it up here,” she explained. “Mind if I put it on?” Wels asked. “Sure go ahead, just put it back please,”

Wels nodded and took the clock down from where it was hanging and put it over his head. “Look at me, I’m-“ he paused. “Do you hear that-?” He asked. A loud ticking came from all directions. He brought the clock next to his ear, trying to tell if that was what caused the loud noise. Though, the loud ticking wasn’t coming from the clock at all. “No-?” Stress shook her head. “I don’t hear anything,”

Wels fell silent. “Really? It’s this loud sound- this intense ticking. I swear it’s coming from all directions,” he spun around, listening and trying to find the source of the ticking. “You must be joking, you’re wearing a clock, of course, you’re going to hear ticking,” She giggled. Wels shook his head, “No- that isn’t it-“ he pulled the clock over his head, immediately the ticking stopped. “It’s gone,” he hung the clock back onto the wall. As soon as he said that, he heard the ticking again.

Stress shook her head. “Okay,” She laughed, she wasn’t taking him seriously. “Can I have my clock back? I think it’s messing with you,” she chuckled. “What-? I just put it-“ he looked down. The clock was back around his neck as if he had never taken it off. “What the-“ he took it off again and put it back on the wall. The clock appeared back around his neck seconds later. “I’m trying-“ he handed the clock to Stress. “Thanks,” she went to hang it up but it vanished out of her hands. “How-?” She stared at the clock on Wels, bewildered. Wels shrugged. “I’m not doing anything, I swear-“ he told her. “My goodness- the ticking- it’s so- I can’t-“ he covered his ears. The ticking was so painful. Before he knew it-

WelsKnight Has left the world

Stress’s eyes widened in horror. Her friend had just vanished right before her eyes. The clock appeared around her own neck. “No! Get off!” She panicked, pulling the necklace off and tossing it as far away as she could. It hit a wall and shattered. “Oh no-“ Stress looked down. The shattered clock was back. The ticking was violent. It seemed angry at her. She had made a mistake. A big one for that matter.

StressMonster101 has left the world