#poor Judge probably doesn't even know what a tree is

[ask-the-puppet-and-the-puppeteer]

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[himbosandhardwear]

Steddie I Different First Meeting I NSFW I Public Indecency I 2.8k words

He's planted. Call him The White Tree of Gondor, he's so planted. Nothing and no one could move him from this spot.

He's going to have perfect line of sight to center stage, as long as no one over 6’3” stands in front of him. He's got his good boots on, giving him a solid three inch lift.

Some people come and go, not as dedicated to keeping their spot. Not Eddie. He's planted.

“You think he moved back?” Some chick yells behind him.

“Doubt it,” her companion yells back, “the point was to get closer.”

“Well I don't know if I can deal with closer. It's only going to get worse when the band goes on, and I'm at my limit for men touching me today.”

“I'm pretty sure there's beer in my hair.”

“A fate worse than death,” she mocks him, making Eddie chuckle. “You wanna bail? He can come find us after.”

“I don't know, Rob, he's just a kid. What if he gets scared?”

“Oh my god, he's sixteen.”

“He's short!” The guy yells shrilly, practically in Eddie's ear. “No way he can see over top everyone's head.”

“Okay, then you stay, dingus. I'm going to go pay $12 for a bottle of water. Come find me after.”

“Rob! C'mon, don't- Rob! Ah shit.”

Eddie almost turns to give the guy some reassurance but he can't, making friends in the crowd is how you end up getting pulled into another direction. He can't chance it. He's planted.

Not to mention his friend was right, the more time that passes, the more packed in they become. Once or twice the guy behind him gets jostled into Eddie's back, mumbling apologies each time. Eddie doesn't bother to reply.

He's determined to ignore the guy until suddenly they're pressed front to back, shoulder to calf, the guys massive hands wrapping solidly around Eddie's waist so they don't fall down, and he's fucked. Suddenly the guy behind him is all he's thinking about.

Of course this turn of events sends the poor guy into apology overdrive, hands ripped back immediately as he stutters his excuses.

Eddie waves it off, still not turning away from the front, but the urge is strong. He kind of needs to see if the guy is as hot as that ten second press against him would suggest. Christ on a bike, he even smells good. At least Eddie is pretty sure that's him, the pine/sugar/sweat combo.

A glance at his watch tells him they've got maybe another ten minutes until the show starts. Five minutes ago that would've been all he would've cared about but now he's got Hot Boy Brain Rot and can't focus.

Which is why the next time they get pushed together, Eddie does absolutely nothing to help correct, he lets the guy pull him back and very nearly fall flat on their asses. The only reason they don't is because they fall into the people pressing forward.

“I swear to god, I'm not doing this on purpose,” the guy says with a chuckle that warms Eddie’s already sweaty skin. He hasn't let go yet, his enormous hands hold Eddie upright, skin on skin where his shirt has been cropped.

He's lost his mind completely, because he puts his own hands on the ones circling his waist and squeeze, a soft acceptance of their predicament. It could mean nothing if the guy is straight - maybe, probably, he's not good at judging that sort of thing - but if the hot guy standing behind him is in any way interested, he'll understand.

And praise Dale, raise hell, he does! Long fingers tighten, slide, tighten, before letting go again. He's pretty sure the guy just stuck his thumbs into the indents at the top of his ass too.

Which is when he realizes there's a not zero percent chance the guy thinks Eddie is a girl.

He forgot he's wearing a kilt, which idiots seem to think is a skirt 70% of the time he has it on. Combining that with his hair being down and the fact that he hasn't turned around at all… Fuck.

You're 6’2” right now. Maybe that's enough of a hint. Or your hairy legs? No, it's way too dark to see that far down, no way he-

Eddie squeaks as the guy runs a finger tip along the edge of the kilt. Luckily, it's too loud for the sound to travel, that would've been devastating.

The guy leans forward and whisper/yells, “Is this okay?” into his ear.

Eddie nods, takes a miniscule step back, bringing himself closer. He's gonna take this as far as he can before they either get kicked out for indecent acts or the guy realizes what he's doing and bashes Eddie for ‘tricking him.’ The smart thing to do would be to fucking turn around and confirm his stupid gender but… it's nice feeling wanted for a moment. Nice enough for whatever the consequences are.

An arm snakes around his middle, a fucking nice arm, all sinewy and freckled and brown, causing a surge of giddiness. They're pressed together again, this time on purpose. The guy seems to instinctively know Eddie has this spot picked out because he doesn't let anyone push them or get between. He does, however, laugh every time they get jostled closer together. It's infectious too, makes him smile along every time he hears that giggle. If the guy doesn't stop being adorable soon, Eddie is gonna fall in love.

Whoops. Too late. There's an enormous cock pressed up against his ass; any semblance of control or ability to play it cool goes right out the window.

He's never been more proud of himself for taking up street hockey with Jeff and his cousins than this moment. Some asshole had said to him, years ago now, ‘No one wants a bottom with a flat ass,’ and Eddie let that settle into a deep seated neurosis that pushed him into sports. Casual sports, that actually turned out to be pretty fun, but still…

Anyway, he's got an ass worth pushing against now, which is doing fantastic things for the whole ‘accidently luring a stranger into simulating sex acts at a concert' thing he's got going on.

Good god are they playing with fire right now. Yeah everyone is distracted by the drum tech setting up but it's not like they're invisible here. The guy to Eddie's left is just as close as the one rubbing off against his ass, if he glances down he's gonna see what they're doing. That thought only brings Eddie closer to finishing, untouched, in his underwear. His own erection is being held down by his boxer briefs, which are always a good choice when wearing a kilt. Shit happens in the pit, he's never been keen on flashing his bare ass to everyone if he takes a header.

He's snaking a hand down, trying to be subtle, but he needs to squeeze his dick or he's going to start crying.

His new friend must catch the movement because his right hand follows the trajectory, sliding right along with Eddie’s, until they're both stalled out, cuping his hip instead of his erection. Eddie thinks about passing out, he's so turned on and terrified. Either the guy knows he's about to touch a human penis or he's about to get an unwelcome surprise.

Before Eddie's heart can explode and kill him, three things happen rapid fire:

The lights go completely dark, signifying the start of the show, which makes the already packed stadium lose its collective shit.

Then there's a call from behind, the dreaded, “Heads up!” Eddie only just manages not to burst into tears as his one true love has to let go to support the weight of the asshole crowd surfing above them. He makes sure to pinch the fucker as he takes the weight of his stupid leg as it goes by.

Then, immediately after, there's another crowd surge as the first lick of Blackened rings out around them. Adrenaline pumps through Eddie like a lava flow, two desires waring within him making it impossible to choose. Does he turn to find the man of his dreams or does he stay the course and watch the greatest metal show of all time?

Considering this is the third time he's seen Metallica live, he turns around.

He's gone. The only people behind him now are two chicks with their tits painted white and gold and a middle aged biker.

Awesome.

He keeps looking but no one near fits the right description, not even close. Why the fuck didn't he turn around and just look at the guy? At least then he'd know who to look for after the show.

It's not like his night is completely ruined or anything. He jumps in the closest pit and takes his disappointment on the poor bastards unlucky enough to crash into him, and he has a splendid time with that. It wasn't his original plan, he wanted to stay center stage and actually watch the show this time, but he's too keyed up to stand still now, better to shove his fellow man and get elbowed for his troubles.

By the time James is wailing out the final insane notes of Battery, Eddie is thoroughly beat. It's a slog getting to the back of the stadium but he's determined to beat the crowd to the pissers. The night was fun and all but he's ready to go. Ready to stick his hand down his pants(kilt), relive the oddest and hottest encounter he's ever experienced, and then forget it ever happened.

He's made it as far as the merch line when a familiar voice yells his name. He looks back and sure enough, Dustin Henderson is waving at him like a semaphore code operator. Goofy ass kid, Eddie loves him to death.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He asks after giving him a back slapping hug.

“Surprise early birthday gift, I didn't know until yesterday or I would've told you.” His whole body is thrumming with excitement. It must be his first metal show. You wouldn't know it to look at him, he's got a whole mini-Eddie thing happening, which is adorable.

“That's awesome, dude. You didn't want to stay till the end?”

“I already saw their setlist and calculated the timing just right to get in line before the crowd let out.” Of course he did. “What about you? Taking off?”

“Yeah, I've had…a weird night. Good but weird.”

“You wanna ditch in line? Looks like they still have plenty of T-shirts available.”

He laughs. “Nah, thanks though. I'm just gonna head home. I'll see you Saturday?”

“Totally, wouldn't miss it-”

“There you are! Jesus, Henderson, I thought I lost you. Your mom would kill me if something-”

The guy finally stops bitching but only because he's staring at Eddie like he's seen a ghost.

“Uhh,” Eddie drawls, confused.

“Steve! This is Eddie! You know, from Hellfire, at Tech.”

It would be appropriate for them to shake hands, he thinks, but the guy is just staring at him, going more and more red as the seconds pass. It's a good thing he's pretty because his social skills could use some work.

“Hey dingus, did the beer in your hair finally soak into your brain.” The woman standing to Steve's left knocks on his forehead with a knuckle, making him flinch.

“You guys okay?”

Eddie is too busy being strapped into a roller coaster of emotion to respond to Henderson’s quiry. It can't be this easy, fate has never been this kind or cruel to Eddie, not at the same time. His dream man can't be Dustin's babysitter/big brother Steve. That guy drives a BMW and listens to Supertramp, which he only knows because he followed Dustin out to the parking lot one night. Except, Steve is gorgeous and fun and a good dude who worries about his kids, and is smoking hot.

He knows Steve knows he knows now, his own face has gone beet red, and they're just staring at each other, like some kind of gorgon in a bathroom mirror situation.

“What is this? Why are you being weird?” Steve's girlfriend - Rob? - asks. “Wait, oh my god, is Dustin’s other dad, your imagined arch nemesis, the Guy in the Crowd? Holy shit, he totally is, what are the fucking odds!” She cackles.

Wait. He told her about that? And he knew I'm a guy? And he thought we were nemesis? That's so hot.

Dustin is going on about Steve's apparent low self esteem and how Steve needn't worry about his loyalty and how he loves them both equally, which is sweet, but he and Steve are still just staring at each other.

“I know a good diner around here,” he blurts out when Dustin finally shuts up. “They have all you can eat pancakes.”

Steve's eyes do something devastating, adjacent to cows touching grass for the first time. “I like pancakes.”

“Let's get pancakes.”

“Okay.”

They start walking away, dazed, until Dustin reminds them of his presence, loudly and with much insult. “Steve! You drove us here!”

“Shit.” He turns back. “Right. Sorry. C'mon, we're getting pancakes.”

Dustin looks to Rob, as if to say, ‘What the fuck is going on?’ She replies back with a sort of ‘I don't get paid enough to explain this to children’ and ‘I know, he's hopeless but we love him’ both kinda look.

“What?” Steve asks.

“I'm still in line, dude. I want a T-shirt.”

“But-”

“No buts!” Dustin screeches. “Pancakes can wait!”

Eddie wishes they would figure it out soon, he still has to piss.

Rob, bless her, she's Eddie's new best friend, takes Dustin under her arm and asks Eddie, “Where's the diner?”

“25th and Dudley Ave. Called Roxy's.”

“Got it. Go on, I'll bring your son after he's got his stupid shirt.”

Dustin is the epitome of disbelief. “What! No! Guys, don't leave me with Robin!” He yells, to which Robin responds by putting him in a headlock.

“Go! Run before he figures out what's going on.”

Steve doesn't need to be told twice, apparently, he grabs Eddie's wrist and yanks him toward the exit doors. It’s exciting, running away with Steve, even though they’re only running from Dustin. Still, it leaves them both breathless by the time they get to the end of the block, both laughing about how ridiculous it all is.

“God. Haven't run like that since…well the last time the cops were after me.”

Steve just grins, hands on his knees, looking like a former athlete, all deep breaths and physical therapy style stretching. Fucking hot jocks, ugh.

Eddie wants to mount him.

Which brings them up to the awkward part: acknowledging what happened.

Steve braves it first. “Hey, I, uh, I don't want you to think I go around doing shit like that.”

Eddie, ever the opportunistic asshole, says, “Shit like what?” When Steve's face falls to horror, perfectly timed, and Eddie loses it. “I'm kidding, sorry, I'm just fucking with you. It was definitely me.”

“Dick,” Steve says but he's laughing.

“Yeah, that's me.” They sort of instinctively move away from the street, closer to the less busy side storefronts. “In the interest of honesty, I should tell you, I wasn't entirely sure you knew I wasn't a girl, that's why I sort of hesitated right there at the end, before we got separated.”

Steve looks baffled. “Huh?”

“You know.” He waves at himself. “From the back I could be a tall chick. Cause of the kilt and the hair and everything.”

He shakes his head. “Dude, I saw you from like four rows back. Why do you think I stopped where I did?”

Fuck. Okay. That's…awesome. He jams a whole fistful of hair against his face.

“Also, even if you had turned out to be a tall chick, not a deal breaker. You're fucking hot either way.”

“Okay, Romeo, cool it with the compliments before I make you finish what you started right here.”

Jesus tap-dancing Christ, that smirk should be illegal.

“Right here against the jewelry shop window? I'm not opposed.” Eddie very seriously considers the pros and cons of that but before he finishes, Steve laughs. “Better not. I was promised pancakes. And Lord have mercy if Rob and Henderson get there before we do.”

He's right. God dammit.

“Fine but for the record, which I feel goes without saying, I do put out on the first date.”

Steve laughs. “Never would've guessed.”

By the time they get to Roxy's, Steve has his arm around Eddie's waist, pinkie tucked deep into his kilt.

[vashtijoy]

Hey there! First off, I wanted to thank you for all your analyses and thoughts on P5 - they've really helped deepen my appreciation of this monster of a game! Now, onto the question (why yes I did create a Tumblr just to ask this, ha) - when do you think Akiren was arrested? I'd guess late March from context clues (or a little earlier if he's from a warmer place), but a couple weeks seems like a really quick turnaround to be placed in Sojiro's care. Curious to know what your thoughts are!

Wow, thank you! That's really kind of you. Great journal name, BTW.

I don't think it will have been two weeks. IMO it will have been some time the previous year, most likely in the summer holiday. Ren is out after dark, and he and the woman are both lightly dressed. You can see green leaves on the trees in the background—this is not definitive by any means, but by September, leaves on trees in P5 tend to have faded to brown, while in March the trees tend to be pink and in blossom.

(Also, notice how built-up this area is, and how tall the buildings are. A lot of people think Ren is from somewhere like Inaba, but this scene makes it look like he's from somewhere more like a regional capital.)

Ren is what's known as a "Type 1 Juvenile" (p. 123)—he's been sentenced to probation by the family/juvenile court, for at most until his 20th birthday. After a year, he can be discharged from probation if he's behaved himself:

If the probationer has complied with their conditions and has led a sound life for at least a year, the Director of the Probation Office can permit an early discharge.

Note that "live a sound life". We see it quite often in the top right-hand corner, as "live an honest student life". And that period of a year that Sojiro keeps bringing up is important—Ren won't have been allowed to sit around waiting for the new school year; he's likely just been sentenced, and reported in short order to Leblanc.

How long was the trial process? Ohya mentions in her confidant that she looked into Ren's conviction and thought it was obviously unsafe: "I have to say though, the ruling made in your case was really odd. Some kind of deal must have gone down behind the scenes to make sure that was the end result."

So it was probably rushed through. But it's Japan—even a rushed trial is going to chew up a fair amount of time. The prosecutors have to investigate and compile reports that make them look good and not corrupt, the trial date has to be set, the judge has to read everyone's reports and make a decision (Japanese trials are often essentially conducted on paper). Then there's sentencing and appeal. Then Ren's professional probation officer in his hometown (Sojiro is a volunteer probation officer, or VPO) has to find a school that will take him and a place for him to stay and (technically) receive guidance.

Could it be seven months or so, August-ish to March? Probably easily, yeah.

why doesn't he repeat a year

So if Ren is arrested around August 2015, and started his first year of high school in April 2015, why doesn't he repeat the year?

Well, first of all, do we know Ren is 16? Could he have been in his second year in his home town? I think we would have heard about this, honestly—someone would mention that he looks too old, or Kamoshida would have mentioned that the terrible transfer student is Repeating A Year. Ren likely is the same age as the rest of his year group.

While it's almost unheard-of for children in Japanese elementary and middle schools to repeat years, it's quite common in high schools. You can repeat for not getting good enough grades, or for poor attendance. But repeating must be approved. If you're seen as having, say, a poor attitude? You're likely to be politely told to shove it, and move up with the rest of your year.

I don't think we can fairly say that post-conviction Ren is perceived as having a good attitude. He certainly is not at Shujin. I think Kobayakawa threw him into the second year not caring too much if he sank or swam.

Ren also may not have been expelled from his original school until he was convicted—which would mean, based on this timeline, that he did get most of his first year of high school.

[baronessblixen]

Magical

Yesterday I remembered that I wanted to do the Year of the OTP event. Only took me all of January, eh? So here's the first story. I used the prompts kiss, fake dating and snow.

Set in late season 6, fluff. Wc: 1,144

Tagging @today-in-fic

At first, it was beautiful: A soft, white blanket of snow covering the streets, the trees, and every roof in sight. It was quieter, too, with people smiling, despite the bitter bite of the cold winter air. Now, most of the snow is just slush, barely white, and quite frankly, annoying. At least today it is with Scully rushing towards the bar Mulder begged her to meet him.

It's late afternoon, the sun already set, and Scully just wants to go home. Take off her heels, put her feet in warm, fluffy socks, have dinner, and maybe go to bed at a reasonable time. Those were her plans. Mulder, apparently, has others. She couldn't ignore his texts, pleading with her. Asking her to hurry. If she's honest, she's a bit worried. Knowing Mulder, though, it's probably just a case or something he forgot to mention. But why can't it wait until tomorrow? Why didn't he just call her?

She enters the bar and is not at all surprised at how packed it is. She has to get on tiptoes to look for Mulder, but even then, she can't spot him. Just as she's about to take out her phone and call him, a hand touches her back. She knows it's Mulder before he leans close, his breath tickling her neck, whispering, "it's just me." Heat shoots through her body, making her sweat in her winter coat.

"I'm here," she says, sounding out of breath. "What's so important it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"You trust me, right?" The question throws her.

"Of course I do," she says.

"I will explain later, but... please just play along? Oh no, there she is again. Please?"

"Who?" Scully asks but doesn't get an answer, because Mulder puts his arm around her and pulls her close. He's wearing the fakest smile she's ever seen and it's directed at a tall brunette that's walking towards them. Scully gasps, briefly mistaking the woman for Diana. It's not her. For one, this woman is much younger.

"Fox," she says, touching his arm. "You can't just wander off!" She snickers but the sound dies on her lips when she notices Scully. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Dana," he says. "She's my girlfriend." Scully snaps her head in his direction. Their eyes meet and his are desperate. Please play along. Please, please, please. All his texts now make sense. Except... they don't. Isn't this woman exactly the kind of woman he's interested in?

"Richie didn't say anything about a girlfriend," the young woman says, crossing her arms. She narrows her eyes and observes Scully, who puts her hand on Mulder's arm, gently squeezing it.

"Richie didn't know," Scully says. She doesn't know who Richie is, but figures it doesn't matter. "We keep a low profile."

"Whatever," the woman whose name Scully doesn't know says. "He's boring, you know. What a waste of time." With that she stalks off and Mulder lets out a sigh of relief. He doesn't let go of her, his arm still around her.

"Thank you," he says.

"Who was that?"

"Natalie," Mulder explains. "Or Nats, as she introduced herself to me. Langly set this up."

"Richie," Scully says, putting two and two together.

"I didn't know he was going to do it. He's here with a date and neither Frohike nor Byers wanted to come. So he ambushed me."

"Poor Mulder," Scully says, biting her lip. It's no use, though, and she starts laughing. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," he says softly, smiling at her. Natalie is long gone but they're still holding each other.

"I owe you. How can I make it up to you?"

"Take me home," she says, much to Mulder's surprise, judging by his expression, "and get us some take-out."

"Done and done." His hand returns to the small of her back, leading her outside, back into the cold. But this time she isn’t cold. Mulder’s hand remains in its familiar place as they walk slowly toward Mulder’s car.

“Hey look,” he says. “It’s snowing again.” Scully lifts her head into the dark blue sky that’s tinged with orange hues. She takes a deep breath and lets the cold air revive her. She smiles when a snowflake lands on her lips. She catches it with her tongue, just like she used to do as a child. That’s when she notices Mulder watching her. She doesn’t know how she missed it. Or why she was surprised by what happened at the bar just now. It’s all in his eyes right now, right here.

“I always thought snow was magic,” Mulder says, his voice as gentle as the snowfall.

“You did?” She asks and he nods.

“If you think about it,” he says, turning to her, “it really is magic. So many conditions have to happen at the same exact time for it to snow. Wouldn’t you call that magic?”

“You know how I feel about magic,” she says.

“Fine, it’s not magic. But it does look magical, doesn’t it? Each snowflake is unique in its form. No two are the same and each is perfect and beautiful.”

“It does look magical,” she concedes. The snowfall is getting heavier, snowflakes catching in Mulder’s hair and his eyelashes. He looks beautiful and she considers telling him so. Instead, she just stares at him and watches him standing there in the snow. Right up until he catches her gazing at him and not the sky.

“Hi,” he says with a grin.

“Hi. So, um, Mulder… what happened in that bar was-”

“I know I should have warned you, but I was desperate.”

“Why?”

“Why?” She nods at him, needing to hear him spell it out. “I wasn’t interested in her.”

“She’s your type.”

“She’s not.”

“Pff, come on, Mulder.”

“Fine, she’s my type. But… looks aren’t everything. I wasn’t interested in her. I’m not interested in anyone who might be considered tall and brunette.” Despite the cold, her cheeks flush. “We were going to get food, right? I don’t want you to turn into an icicle. I think we’ve spent enough time in arctic temperatures.”

“You didn’t even kiss me,” she blurts out and Mulder stops walking again, turning to her.

“What?”

“I always thought that any fake relationship included kissing.” Her heart is thumping in her chest, but she knows she’s right, and she’s not shying away from her feelings, or from his. This time, he isn’t either. He grins at her and pulls her closer to him. Their bodies flush, she has to crane her head to look at him. It’s worth it.

“I hope you know that nothing about this is fake,” he says, lowering his head, his lips so close she can feel his breath against her own.

He steals her ‘I know’ from her tongue and they kiss and kiss and kiss.

It’s simply magical.

[hannahhook7744]

19 " Whatever's wrong with this family goes back a long ways " For The Badun Detective agency au ... Featuring Lampwick if you can squeeze him in !

Trigger warnings: Child death, dysfunctional families, murder, swearing, poor sleeping habits, etc.

——————————————————————————

“Uhh. What is wrong with this family?!” Jace growled in frustration, plopping down onto his sleeping bag in Carlos’ treehouse—where he and his cousin had been living since they were seven.

Harry just shrugged from his hammock, not looking up from the laptop he’d bribed Hunter de Vil into fixing. “I dunno. I suppose it depends on which family you’re talking about. The de vils or ours?”

The bigger boy gave him an unamused look. “ I mean ours.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know that? You could have been referring to either.”

“Stop being a smartass.”

“I would but I don’t think that that’s possible for me.”

Jace paused. Before groaning “You’re probably right about that. But that still doesn't answer my question.”

“Well, one thing’s for sure. Whatever’s wrong with this family goes back a looooooooong ways.” Harry replied, still not looking at him. 

“What makes you say that?”

Now it was time for Harry to give him an unamused look. “The fact that both our fathers’ see nothing wrong with the fact that Cruella has murdered every sibling and mother figure either of us have ever had, along with several other people and animals. Oh and the fact that two of our ancestors—Harlow and Jacob Badun—were good ol’ Judge Dimsdale de Vil’s lackeys before they were killed during the witch trials.”

“What. the. Fuck—”

“Oh and the fact that our grandmother—Jezebel Badun, ‘nee Rossi— huh, Rossi, isn’t that, that Lampwick guy’s last name, we should look into—”

“Harry, focus. What’d our grandma that I didn’t even know we had do?”

“Oh. She murdered her husband.”

“Again, I must ask, what the fuck—”

“Oh and apparently her husband’s brother’s cousin’s son was an axe murderer—”

Jace quickly jumped to his feet and took the laptop from  Harry.

“Hey!”

“Okay, that’s enough family tree researching for tonight and preferably forever.”

“But it was interesting—”

“No. It was horrifying and I, for one, do not want to hear anymore!”

“Not even about the time a pair of twin brothers married a pair of twin sisters and both had quintuplets who went on to murder each other as children in the 1700s?”

Jace grimaced. “ I especially do not want to know about that!”

“What about our great great twin aunts who were ladies of the night?”

“WHY WOULD I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THAT?!”

Harry, one again, just shrugged—causing Jace to narrow his eyes. 

“Harry. When was the last time you slept for more than an hour?”

“...”

“Harry.”

“Uh…. I don’t think you want me to answer that.”

“Go to bed.”

“Why would I do that when I can tell you all about our wonderfully odd ancestors—like Joldwin, servant of, King Iōánnēs de Vil, who—”

“HARRY!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll go to bed. Jeez, you’re no fun!”

[oblongblockofsteel]

On a small patch of wildflowers

Part Two

Bill confesses to Kieran, but the lad turns him down.

Trelawny comes in to talk to him, and Bill learns a lot more than he bargained for.

A/N - This story ran away from me, I'd intended a sweet 'first kiss' one shot and this came out. Still, I hope you all enjoy!

It's not that he's surprised, really. 

He never really expected someone as, well, sweet as Kieran Duffy to hook up with an old bastard like Bill Williamson. It didn't really stop him from trying, as stupid as that was. Everyone calls him stupid, and they're probably right. Asking a pretty lad who could have any girl he wanted to be his, that had to be real damned stupid. Who in their right mind would choose him: a big, dumb bastard, over anyone?

Currently, sat on a log far away from camp, he feels at least safe to wallow in the tepid waters of his emotions. The trees don't judge nor do they prod and poke. They've probably seen a great deal worse than a stupid man with a stupid crush. Heard more than confessions, rejections and subsequent acceptances under the veil of kindness. 

"I'm sorry mister, um, Bill. I just... don't feel that way about, um, you," he can still, even now, see those silvery eyes, wide and terrified shimmering in the summer sun. Watch those fine brows crumple into pity and feel that sting of rejection rushing up to meet his anger. He hadn't yelled.

That surprised him, too. He's always so goddamned angry. Kieran had been sweet about it, because of course he was. He's Kieran, sweetest lad on the bloomin earth. His heart agrees eagerly to the sentiment, almost beating with a need to tell him again, just to be sure. But Bill half-wishes Kieran had yelled, at least then he can have a reason to be angry about it. He knows how to handle anger. All he feels now is depressed.

Ugly, unwanted, pathetic.

All sentiments his heart seems to agree with, too.

The white petal crunches between his fingers, rolled up into a ball and tossed to the ground. Each one is ruined, the poor daisy turning into an ugly stalk. His fist curls, crushing it beneath a hand strong enough to break a man's neck. He'd once left a few daisies near Kieran's tent. He wonders if he's figured out it had been Bill. A wash of embarrassment slams his eyes shut and Bill grits his teeth. He hopes he doesn't. 

"Mr Williamson!"

The tension rushes out in a weary sigh. 

He looks up only to glare, to make his figurative tail rattle at the intruder. "What do you want Trelawny?" 

The magician is dressed less flashy today. His coat is missing, shirt sleeves rolled up, and sporting a deep blue cotton vest - a surprise as silk seems to be magnetized to his skin. But the shoes shimmer in the sunlight, and he can see the golden pocket watch catching the sun as he walks. Not overly simple either, but then Josiah Trelawny is not close to being simple or ordinary.

"Nothing, my dear boy!" he cries, walking over with a light spring in his step, "Honestly, I come here to think when I need to! I was simply surprised to find you here!" he pauses to look around, "It is a lovely area, isn't it?"

Bill glances around. The small hollow is protected by oak trees that groan with age, the leaves creating a canopy of green, streaks of golden sunlight spills down from above falling on a small patch of wildflowers made up of bright, vibrant colours. He knows it's beautiful, that's why he'd asked to meet Kieran here.

What a waste.

"Sorry," he mumbles, pushing to get up. "I'll get outta your way."

A firm hand grips his shoulder, and Bill startles, sitting back down hard and coming face to face with Trelawny who's expression has fallen into one of uncertainty.

"Mister..." he stops, "Bill, are you alright?"

The cold despondency is replaced by a whip of anger, and he yanks away, dislodging the hand.

"I'm fine, ya damned snake," he gets up, using his size and weight to loom over Trelawny who at least has the savvy to step away from him. It satisfies some primal urge raging within, and he moves in, forcing the man to step back again. "I might be dumb, but I aint stupid Josiah. Why the fuck are you here?" 

Josiah's eyes flick away for a moment, a flash of guilt cutting over his face, too quick to stay but clear enough to see, and like that the anger is unleashed. 

Bill steps forward, grabs him by his vest and slams him into the rough bark of the Oak Tree. Josiah winces, and it sends another pool of satisfaction down to his belly. "I should whip your ass for this, you fucking cockroach! Did ya come here to laugh? Get some shit for the boys ta make fun of me?"

"No!" Trelawny snaps, grabbing both his hands but his eyes are still wide with fear, "I only wanted to speak to you, Bill! I know -"

"I don't want to talk to you, Trelawny! I don't ever wanna talk to you!" he shoves him away, Josiah thuds into the tree again and he swiftly shakes his head, other than that he doesn't move. "He said no, ya fucking asshole, cause he don't care about me or how I feel! Ya fucking happy?"

Trelawny does not reply and remains pressed up against it, his hands splayed out against the bark, his body turned away slightly from him. Bill stares him down, ensuring the fucker doesn't try anything more before turning away with a sneer of disgust. As if that pansy ass slippery eel actually cared about anyone but himself -

"You know him."

Bill stops, turns and glares his anger still rumbling in his chest like a readymade volcano. "Yeah, I fucking know Kieran, so what?"

Josiah smiles, it's strained more of a grimace, and Bill instantly narrows his eyes, wondering where the slippery bastard is heading to. He likes to play with people, string them along, grabs what he wants and then disappears before you can figure out what he took. Bill shoots people in the head, he murders people in cold blood, but Trelawny and Hosea, their scams and cons? They can cause damage to entire towns. Leave it ruins for years. And all with words and papers. To be honest, it can be terrifying at times.

"Not, Mr Duffy, no," he clears his throat, and stands a little straighter. "The man that I... also care for."

It takes him a solid moment to figure out what he means, and by then Bill is vaguely aware of a rushing in his ears. The words don't sound right, they sound foreign - a different language all together. Trelawny is like him? He looks at men? Bill just never would have thought that he would....

Sure, he's a funny guy, a little queer, if he's honest, and here he is, roughed up, nervous and admitting that...

"You... like men?"

Trelawny smiles, like a crack in a rock's surface it feels too sudden and sharp. "Yes. One in particular, but ah... he doesn't know."

Some of the tension washes away, leaving Bill empty and a little confused. Hesitance is not something he can ever associate with the magician. Boisterous, confidence, arrogance, playfulness, certainty, but uncertainty or hesitance is as foreign on his person like cheap cotton. It feels wrong, almost alien in its implication. Like Trelawny isn't quite himself.

Maybe he isn't.

"You never told him?"

Here he laughs, a little closer to his normal voice and BIll relaxes a little, surprised to find that Trelawny's demeanor had even been stressing him out. 

"Oh no!" the smile softens, then sharpens again, almost like it's trying to hide something, "He thinks I'm a snake."

Bill snorts, "To be fair, everyone does."

Again, the smile sharpens, "True," Trelawny sighs and turns his head upwards to the canopy. Bill shifts, suddenly uncomfortable, and goes to lean his shoulder against a tree and crosses his arms. He's dumb not stupid and Trelawny has something more to say. So, he waits. Not because Trelawny is like him or because he feels safe around him, here hidden in the comfort of the trees. No, he just wants to hear what he has to say. That's all, he thinks, that's all.

"Essentially, I suppose, I know what you're going through," another pause, and Bill stays quiet for lack of anything better to do. "It's difficult, yes, but not impossible to ..." he shakes his head, "I'm not saying what I'm meaning to say."

A pocketknife appears in his hand in a slick twist of the wrist. It glitters in the sun and even from the short distance, Bill can see it's a fine make - silver and intricate. The blade is hidden, but he can bet the edge will be sharp and high quality. Trelawny doesn't buy cheap.

"I bought this for him when he'd needed one three years ago, I'd fancied the idea of giving it to him and declaring my undying love," he laughs, and Bill feels a wrench at the sound, too shattered and pained.

"Why didn't you?"

"Same reason as you, I suppose. Fear," he snorts. "That and he does not think very highly of me."

Bill thinks about that. No one at camp really thinks highly of Trelawny, bar maybe Strauss and Hosea. Strauss is a creepy little bastard, but Hosea? Everyone knows he's got a brilliant judge of character. And he likes Trelawny. Bill briefly considers his interactions with the magician. The man's mostly annoying, but sometimes, when he grows quiet and introspective, he can be quite soothing. Almost companionable. But getting to know Trelawny it's like pulling teeth. He rarely answers truthfully. The few times Bill has tried he's gotten answers that sound about as real as the Moon being made of cheese. 

But with Trelawny, you never really know.

"Does he know you?"

Trelawny frowns.

"Yer a hard man ta read, have you taken the time to let him get to know you?"

"A little," the knife is twirled between his fingers, catching the sun in shimmers. "Just enough to think ill, I suppose."

Bill snorts. "That's not the way it works. Ya can't say people don't like ya if they don't know ya! That's not exactly fair on them or you!"

"True," Trelawny is looking at him, eyes expectant and smile coy.

Oh.

Oh.

"I...." he looks down. He's never really given Kieran the chance to get to know him, has he? He's shuffled and hidden away, snapped and cut him down. But has he ever sat down and just spoken to him? Let Kieran get to know him, and Bill in turn learn more about the sweet lad? No, he thinks, never. He's too damned uncomfortable in himself to do that.

"So, you're saying I should let Kieran get to know me?"

"That's the general idea, yes."

But what if he finds out he doesn't like me?

"It's a risk we take, Bill."

He glances up, a burst of surprise making him frown and in turn, making another pulse of anger bubble. But Trelawny is shaking his hand, waving the animosity into the wind. 

"You're easy to read, and it's not difficult to see what you're thinking."

Bill shifts under the gaze, an intense vulnerability making his anger spike again. Damn that magician! 

They listen to the trees rustle, each lost to their own thoughts for a few moments. Then, Trelawny stands dusting himself off, not that there's much dusting needed. "Well, I hope the conversation helped you, at least Mr Williamson."

"Yeah... sure..."

"Good," with a flourish and a bow he starts for the treeline, but stops right next to Bill, "You can have this."

He holds up the small pocket knife, the silver almost magical in the discs of light. Bill makes to shake his head, but Trelawny rolls his eyes.

"Just take the damned thing, would you?"

But still he hesitates. It don't feel right, taking a token meant for another. It feels wrong.

"I don't know..."

Trelawny's smile goes soft, "I won't be needing it, dear boy. I'd appreciate it, to be honest. At least it will get some use, yes?"

Again he looks at the small knife, his hand feels heavier than usual as he lifts it and tentatively takes the small thing. It fits almost too snugly in his palm.

"Thanks..."

But Trelawny's walking away before he can say anything else. The knife is gorgeous, the silver is carved with a detailed image of a bear standing near the water, the eyes shining in the sunlight. The work must have cost a lot. A pang of sadness bites into his heart. Trelawny never even gave the man a chance. Three years, pining for three years, what a damned long time. Well, he thinks, tossing the knife between his hands, I'm not going to pine after Kieran for three years. I'm gonna be less of coward than Trelawny.

He flicks open the blade and freezes.

The initials B.W. are carved into the blade. 

Bill's heart practically stops.

[pain-suffering-even]

headcanons: Choi Jongin

so sorry about this being late... i know i promised it forever ago, but i've been really worried about whether or not people will like these headcanons until i realized it doesn't really matter lmao. though here's a disclaimer anyway: i've absolutely used my creative liberty with these characters, and you'll probably have one or two moments where you go "they would never fucking say that," or something along those lines. these are just. blorbos that have been rotting in my brain and i have finally given them their poor little meow meow backstories that have absolutely nothing to do with canon. so :) just keep this in mind with these headcanons, and any future ones i post. i'm just throwing my 2 cents into the fandom, even if they are a very niche 2 cents.

last thing. this is long. i've done my best to shorten it. rip to mobile users.

content warning for mention of drug abuse and attempted suicide.

Quick headcanons -

Name: Choi Jongin

Age: 28

Gender: Male

DOB/Place: May 3rd, 2032 in Seoul, South Korea 

Rank/Type: S Rank Mage

Guild/Occupation: Hunter’s Guild Leader

Past Occupation(s): Fiend Guild 

Skills: Fire go boom 

Weapons: Rings, Gauntlet

Family: Smith Seunghee (mom) (alive) 

Kang Donghyuk (biological dad) (unknown) 

Choi Jeonghan (stepdad) (alive) 

Core headcanons - 

Hidden talent: pencil/charcoal/oil pastel art

Favorite food: Deep fried chicken drumsticks 

What motivates them: Protecting those he loves, even if it means sacrificing himself + proving others wrong (others being Yoonho and Hwang Dongsuk) + giving his cat Kiwi a good life

Treasured possession: Jintao Brown’s red flannel jacket 

Deepest secret: He used to be addicted to ecstasy and has relapsed once already 

Best/Worst thing to happen to them: Lim Taegyu taking a chance on him/Getting sent to that boarding school 

Random memories: Finding Kiwi as in the rubble of Jeju and smuggling her home in his cape; having too realistic of a nightmare when he was a child and watching the sunrise from his window; Taegyu yelling at him for smoking inside his office; meeting Yoonho for the first time at the testing center, and the fight that followed; the first crush he had on a guy that was in his high school class; riding bikes with Jintao Brown to the track during the summer and having a picnic nearby as their weekly not-date-but-kinda-date;  

Best friend/Worst enemy: Lim Taegyu/Hwang Dongsuk

Good/Bad traits: Smart, dependable, funny/Competitive, arrogant, independent, distant, protective, 

Things they’ve done/like to do:Lit his kitchen on fire trying to make maruchan noodles, collects candles, 

Personality type: “Defender” ISFJ-A (22% extraverted, 78% introverted; 43% intuitive, 57% observant; 46% thinking, 54% feeling; 92% judging, 8% prospecting; 65% assertive, 35% turbulent) 

Nervous habit: Clenching his hands/teeth, twisting his rings, 

Things they’re afraid of: Sleeping, as he usually has nightmares, lighting his cat on fire,  

Things they want to accomplish: Building a cat tree for Kiwi his cat, learning to at least boil an egg with his powers, finish a decent portfolio of his oil pastel works, draw more portraiture of people around him (Taegyu, Haein, Jinchul, Yoonho unfortunately, etc) 

Additional headcanons -

Doesn't like kiwis because of their texture. Also, they are hairy 

Goes with maroon and blood orange, but that's because hes a fire mage - he actually likes blue

Has a habit of manually sharpening pencils from his artist days 

He really like dinosaurs, especially the brontosaurus 

Very interested in true crime, he was originally in college to be a forensic scientist

His fingers are usually dirty whenever he's stressed, as he draws when he can't sleep. He also smells a lot like pencil shavings and oil pastels 

Has tried to quit smoking 3 separate times but it never seems to work 

Their Timeline -

Age 12: leaves for boarding school 

2 years pass

Age 14: does ecstasy for the first time

Age 15: starts “dating” Jintao Brown

Age 16: learns he isn’t his stepdads son 

Age 17: unsuccessful suicide attempt + graduates 

Age 18: gets his rank + joins the Fiend Guild + attempts to sober up 

Age 19: his parents divorce 

Age 20: Taegyu confronts him about his addiction 

3 years pass

Age 23: fight with Hwang + sobers up 

Age 24: creates the Hunters Guild 

Age 25: first Jeju raid + gets Kiwi 

Age 26: second Jeju raid

Age 27: third Jeju raid

Age 28: now

[petrichoraline]

Northanger abbey!! I adore Cathrine, she's so fun and her intuition is on point, it's just that her imagination is a bit wild but then again she's young so she'd get better at placing her feelings eventually... My favorite thing about henry is his house lol from what I remember nice house surrounded by trees and dogs, away from everyone what's not to love, also he knows about fabrics and colors and novels so... He's funny so I can for give the obnoxiousness and he's responsible which is a trait austen loves in her leading men. I love how austen allows her heroines to be loud and wrong and still give them a happy ending, they have their flaws but they don't have to pay for them, they learn and correct and apologize. Sorry for ranting lol

the timing of this message couldn't be more perfect, i picked up my book and read for about an hour, got on here and i've been scrolling just thinking "gotta get back to it, gotta get back to ittt" 😂 so I'll be doing that once I answer (they're on their way to the abbey with catherine for the first time rn, exciting for both her and me lol)

I am so impressed with how smart she actually is because I was under the impression she might be too gullible. she, however, though a bit too good-natured and thinking the best of people at all times, knows what she likes and what she doesn't. she doesn't get swayed by the compliments of a guy she's decided sucks big time (unlike belle who turns her head in the direction of anyone willing to show her even a bit of attention)(im a bit more of an isabella than a catherine in that regard but we're working on it shh); catherine can be stubborn, she has a backbone, a strong moral compass (reminds me of fanny a bit) and she learns from her mistakes. follows her morals while still worrying about bringing pain upon her loved ones that she has to oppose - the thorpes and james trying to stop her from running and explaining herself to miss tinley after john lied without her permission?? oh I was boiling, the fact she stood her ground till the very end made me so happy and appreciative of her as a heroine and her worrying about their regard towards her afterwards made her that much more likeable, she's just so sweet and considerate even when met with the worst behaviour. sure, she can be too trusting and trying to resolve conflicts in an honest and direct way which is just not how things work in the world she's becoming a part of but she is a girl turning into a young woman. as far as I'm concerned, any mistakes she makes, I forgive.

"my favorite thing about henry is his house" what a valid take lmao i am yet to read a description of the abbey but henry so far is giving me mixed feelings, I checked the ages and they're 17 and 25? so I feel like I'm getting a bit of a condescending attitude from him? but I might be wrong. it would be natural, though, as catherine is a teenager and his brain is supposedly fully developed, that her more childish view of things would call for amused reactions on his side. I don't know, so far really my focus is on "where and how are things going to get messy" because in this book quite a lot of the time nothing is truly really..happening? hahah and I was promised drama from jane austen herself in the first chapters:

"It is now expedient to give some description of Mrs. Allen, that the reader may be able to judge, in what manner her actions will hereafter tend to promote the general distress of the work, and how she will, probably, contribute to reduce poor Catherine to all the desperate wretchedness of which a last volume is capable- whether by her imprudence, vulgarity, or jealousy - whether by intercepting her letters, ruining her character, or turning her out of doors."

I started this book quite a while ago but this has stuck with me and maybe I am misunderstanding and she is actually not going to do these things (I love all the sarcasm but sometimes I have trouble catching it cause, well, non-native english speaker) or I am supposed to be on the lookout the whole time lol but in any case I EXPECT ACTION. PLEASE. it's such a short novel, why are there boring parts 😔

responsible really seems to be the most desirable trait in an austen man but I get it and honestly it's a good thing to consider in dating nowadays as well 🤷‍♀️ as for Henry's other qualities, I forgot he understands fabrics!! thank you for reminding me. that guy has so much sensitivity about him so why must he be such a lil gremlin at times 😂

i agree with you completely <3 austen's heroines are just women being women and i love that though they share some noble qualities they're all easy to distinguish from each other (considering some plotlines are quite similar.) catherine might be, so far, the one most after my own heart out of all the girls.

I may update on how I feel about all of the characters and the story so I'll try to tag in case you're interested in my ranting 😊 would love to hear from you again, it's so exciting receiving a message about this, you have no idea, I usually only discuss shows so my liveblogging of reading the novel actually reaching someone and prompting an ask is such a delight, thank you so much for sending a message and a long one at that 🥰💓

[guzsdaily]

The factory must grow

Day 4 - Nov 09, 12.023

I'm addicted to Factorio, all the times I played it, the sense of time was completely lost to me. It is so addictive to see your factory grow over time, see each production line filling belts, see your research tree being completed. And yesterday, when I ended up being awake until 1 a.m. - and just went to bed because I started to search for mods to speed up the game time because I'm still in a "starter base" and ended up being a little frustrated that my resources were ending and my production slowing down and stalling the research tree - I ended up making an analogy which is what I thought could be the theme for today. This can end up felling very "gen z coach like", but whatever.

Playing creative mode

I never played Factorio in survival mode, the intended way to play it. "Why?" Because I didn't want to be through the grind and consume hours of my day in the slow passed gameplay of gathering resources, waiting to craft an item, walk slowly on the map to build a train line, etc. I always thought that just designing the factory itself would be more fun, "why pass all that when I can just install a mod and play with cheats? It's more fun to make a giant factory with perfect resource consumption and production!". Playing this way was cool and all, I always tried to make the most exaggerated production lines, train networks, furnace arrays, decorating and aligning everything, so in the map it always looked like a giant computer with so many parts.

But for some reason, I never stuck to a base, I never played for hours without feeling bored at some point. Most of the time, all the resource productions were in a brute force way, never actually planning and calculating how many items I needed or consumed. I tried installing modpacks which added more and more things, more resources, processing steps, etc., but it never fixed the problem for me. "I liked building in creative mode in Minecraft for years, why here would be different? It's just like when I'm trying to build Redstone contraptions or giant builds, no?". Because of it, I always stopped playing and had months length intervals of never opening the game.

Playing survival mode

Game design and development is something which really interest me, even knowing that now days I probably wouldn't develop any game, the programming for it is so out there compared to web development that I would need to re-watch all the video courses that introduced me to programming in general in the first place. But I still watch video essays, commentaries, devlogs about game dev and design from time to time, and one of the things that you always see around them is "designed progression", or how games show your progress to make you have fun and see how you're improving your skills and powers. This is even one of the reasons that I was convinced to play ULTRAKILL in the first place, because the flow of the game was so addicting and even being difficult, you see easily how you improve your movement, try different things, adapt and improvise in unexpected situations, etc. And knowing by the title of this section and this paragraph, you already know where this is going.

I tried to play Factorio in the intended way, started a new save called "RealFactorio", default settings, survival, with just Quality Of Life mods to add and fix some features which the developers already plans to do in the 2.0 version. And now I addicted to it, and I just played for some hours in the past three to four days, I pretty much end every day wanting to play at least a little, one hour or so, to progress my base. It all a spaguetti base, but from somewhere I heard, if you call it your "starter base", you can't be judged for it being ugly or poor planned. So here is my started base:

I'm addicted to seeing those belts fill up with science packs after creating a clumsy section just to be able to have the next shining new thing in the research tree. Even if it doesn't produce in big scale, even if most of the belts are empty because I didn't calculate enough resources and production time, even when I already died five times killing enemies to be able to expand the base in the future. It is ✨satisfactory✨, wait… that's another game.

"But why?" Well, it is kinda obvious seeing now. Seeing your progression after you actually battled and put energy into something is rewarding, it gives you dopamine, and all that talk you already know, yadda yadda… However, for me what more is interesting is the difference on how a game like Minecraft, which for me, can be fun in both creative or survival, while Factorio can't. And I think it can be explained in the difference of two words' meaning for me: "creative" and "design".

Creative: this would be the process or joy of creating something itself, expressing what you like, artwork in general. Personally, this is where something like Minecraft in creative mode, creating pixelart in Factorio - which I'm wasn't making - drawing a doddle in your notebook, etc. would be.

Design: this would be when you are creating something with a defined purpose or goal, trying to create something with some sort of pattern or thought behind. Where something like Minecraft survival, Factorio, drawing a new character, logo design, etc. would fall on. This also include the process of adapting a work to fit a limit or trying to create something efficiently. Yes, there's creativity in this process, but the overhaul picture is bigger than one work itself.

And my problem was that I was trying to be creative when I should be designing more. Admiring after how all that work and planning paid off when I saw my factory working with the limited resources it had. Because of this that I found joy on playing the game. That's even why I like to play Minecraft survival, because is both of them at the same time, you need to design farms and collect resources if you want to make your building to express yourself and be creative after.

The [obvious and convoluted] analogy

I have to admit that at this point of writing, the point of this entry made some many turns that I don't even want to rewrite any part of it. It already passed some hours since the start and I need to do something productive today yet. And to be honest, this entire post is just me trying to excuse the hours I spent on the game really.

You probably already heard of that talk about "gamifying your life", and I won't repeat it again here. I'm still learned and probably will add things like a progress bar to see how many tasks I've done one day, small things like that which helps you see your progress daily. And knowing my taste of games and how seeing a progress bar getting to 100% is somewhat satisfying to me, hopefully it would help.

What I want to talk about is on designing your life, and even more, trying to see what pieces to improve, what production line needs more resources and thought on. The same way it is good to break everything into small digestible pieces, if you never stop to see the bigger picture, you never end up seeing your whole progress and how much your factory has grown.

And the other thing to remember is that unfortunately, real life doesn't have a creative mode for most of the time and for most of the people, so resources are limited, and you don't have infinite energy, but would it be fun if it had?

---

Today's artists & creative things

Album/EP: Spare Hearts - by Exit Mouse - This is that album that you forget about, but when you remember it, you need to listen to it again and again. Exit Mouse I discovered because of Goulart (a Brazilian youtuber) which made a video about the online series Cat Ghost, and I simply fell love with the music. Highly recommend, favorite music of the album for me is "This is (Not) (feat. Caleb Hypes)", it just gives a feel of hope but also uneasiness[?] the entire album, and I love it.

Copyright (c) 2023-present Gustavo "Guz" L. de Mello  <contact.guz013@gmail.com>

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License

[newtonsheffield]

I'm sure Violet "overheard" the conversation about mates and is already preparing a wedding celebration 🤣🤣. Also question how many of Anthony's sibling are mated at this point?

Violet sitting upstairs activating the London Vampire phone tree like

"Hi, Does anyone know who Anthony has been spending time with??? He's asking about Mating bonds so I'm just wondering."

And she's very disappointed when her inquiries failed.

All of her other children are mated, and she worries about Anthony, who's been through so much more than the rest of them can even imagine. And she knows the boy he was, the young man he was. Open and honest and ready to laugh, the man who'd wanted to find his mate. The man who now says that no woman could ever be cursed enough to be meant for him.

So truly when she watches Anthony snapping and growling at his brothers, in front of a human girl who wears his mark on her neck, she doesn't feel anything but glad for him. Though she knows there are people who would scorn him, feel he has tainted their traditions, this the most sacred, by claiming her as his mate: Violet would fight every last one of them for the look on Anthony's face when he looks at this girl. Kate. For the gentle way he sits beside her, his arm around her waist, his face pressed against her neck.

"God, I forgot how disgusting people are when they're newly mated." Daphne sighed watching Anthony scenting Kate a little distastefully, rubbing his nose along her neck, a little purr rising in his chest as Kate tries to eat her dessert.

Violet sighed, "I don't... quite remember Gregory being this bad but I suppose it's been some... hundred years I might have forgotten-"

"Er, no I was never this bad. This is foul." Gregory said a little indignantly, humming to himself as he braided Lucy's hair.

"Gregory, you aren't the best judge of what's ridiculous and what's not." Daphne sighed. "But I agree this is a little... much."

"We should probably stop him so the poor girl can eat." Violet tutted, watching as Kate giggled, her spoon held halfway to her mouth as her lips brushed Anthony's.

"Not to mention, the fact we're all fucking drowning in his scent." Daphne hissed distastefully, and truly, she's not entirely wrong.

"Kate." Violet calls out, watching the poor girl freeze a little apprehensively, nodding as Anthony whispers proudly in her ear You are my mate, It is your right to sit here with them. "Why don't you sit by me, darling? You might be able to eat here."

And she watches as Anthony grumbles, trying to follow her.

"No, Anthony, you'll stay where you are. The poor girl's already drowning in your scent."

"She's my mate!" He said, pouting as Kate takes her seat awkwardly to Violet's right, the seat that belongs to her amongst their family, looking just as he had before he'd grown.

"Don't worry, Demon." Kate said lightly, a tiny smirk building on her lips. "I'll let you finish later."

"I'll want something else later." He says it so quickly, Violet's sure he hadn't meant to say it at all and she's even more sure it's not the first time he's said something of the sort from the way Kate rolls her eyes.

"Then you'll have to be a good boy, won't you Anthony?"

[linawritestwst]

Hey love 👋 it says on your rules that the ask box tells you if request are open but it doesn't say anything so if request are closed please ignore this if not

Can I request for Jamil and Leona where they find their girlfriend stuck up a tree and have to help her

Please

jamil and leona finding their s/o stuck up a tree and having to help her (fem!reader)

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

thank you so much for sending a request! also, huh, that's weird, when i click on the ask box (or just check my blog) it says that requests are open, maybe it looks different on the mobile version or something (i use desktop).. but my reqs are open right now!

(also it was so funny to think about this request like.. oh? you want a catgirl gf? well, she's stuck up a tree and can't get down. good luck helping her)

jamil viper.

♡ you and jamil were supposed to meet after class but for some reason he couldn't find you anywhere, so he started to get worried. you often got into all sorts of trouble and he was supposed to get used to it by now, but still. and no matter what, he was always there to help you, but in the end he made sure to tell you not to do *insert a random probably dangerous and probably stupid thing that you've done* ever again. did you listen to him though? well, only you know the answer. (come on, he has to take care both of you and kalim, give this poor guy a break)

♡ he went to search for you and he really hoped that you're okay. jamil had a lot of thoughts about what could happen and where could you be but.. he didn't expect to see you stuck up a tree and clinging to the branch, hoping that you won't fall. and he doesn't even know what to think and how to feel about it: you've exceeded his expectations because he definitely didn't think that he will see his own girlfriend up a tree, but at the same time he imagined all kinds of dangerous situations that you could be in and this one looks even kind of laughable in comparison. sure, you're not exactly safe, but this is nothing in comparison to what jamil thought of when he noticed your disappearance.

♡ you see him and you mentally prepare yourself because you already know what jamil is going to say and that he's not happy seeing you like this. "okay, listen, i can explain-" but before you can even finish your sentence, jamil calmly but in more of a "calm before the storm" way says: "i'm listening." it's just a very short sentence, it's basically two words, but you feel like a child that was caught misbehaving and is now being silently judged by their parents.

♡ but as he said, he's listening and you start explaining everything: "do you remember grim? you know, that raccoon.. wait, i meant to say, cat-like creature? so he was being his usual self and he didn't want to go to class, because "he already knows everything" and "he's too great for that". i tried to force him to go because he will be in trouble if he doesn't show up and i will also be guilty because i'm responsible for him. i don't want to admit it but he's faster than me and right when i almost caught him, he suddenly climbed up a tree and i followed him and.. well, here i am.". and you were telling the truth, you ended up here only because of grim and you just didn't notice how you climbed after him. but grim wasn't here anymore, of course, he ran away somewhere else. so grim is skipping his class anyway AND you're also stuck here. great.

♡ you know that it's most likely not gonna happen because, well, it's jamil, but you still expect at least some kind of pity from him. you just wanted grim to act like a good student and you wanted to help him learn more about magic, what's so bad about that? and jamil suddenly asks you: "i understand your situation and that you wanted only the best for him but.. are you sure that you're stuck here with absolutely no chance of getting down?" you have no idea what he means by that. he sighs and points at the branch that you're clinging onto. "you know that it's not that high up there, right?" you look down at the ground even though you don't really want to but he's right. you were just so scared, you didn't notice that your situation is actually not that bad. there was a moment when you climbed after grim and you stopped midway because he jumped to a different tree (honestly, you were expecting HIM to get stuck and not the other way around). but before you could follow him, you realized that you just climbed up a tree and you've never done that, so yeah, you were too shocked to even realize that you can get down yourself (and you also didn't like heights)

♡ you're still scared and you're not sure you're ready to let go of the branch. and jamil understands that you need his help this time too. he comes closer and simply says "just give me your hand". and well, it's not like you don't trust him, you definitely do, but.. what if you fall? what if something happens? what if you fall on him and you both fall? jamil notices how anxious you are (it's pretty much written on your face) and assures you that it'll all be fine. "i know that you're afraid, but i promise that nothing bad will happen and that i won't let you get hurt." and he intends to keep that promise. yes, jamil got worried because of you pretty often but he really does love you and he just wants you to be more careful. you're important to him, you know? so you take a breathe in, you extend your hand to him and..

♡ yay, your feet are finally back on the ground! you missed this feeling, honestly. so you aren't stuck up a tree anymore and you're also holding your boyfriend's hand. what could be better? you thank jamil and- wait, did he just smile right now?? that's too cute!! that smile lasted only for a moment though because he fulfilled his promise of not letting you get hurt and he's gonna make you promise him that you will be more careful from now on and at least TRY to not get into trouble that often. and you better keep it, jamil loves you but he just really wants a quiet moment of peace sometimes.

leona kingscholar

♡ leona literally just wanted to take a nap. but his plans got thrown out the window when he saw you up a tree, you even closed your eyes because you were that scared to look down. at first he was kinda annoyed because well, he can't just.. ignore you, that would be nice but he has some dignity. but when he thought of it a little longer, he realized that this situation is actually kind of funny, like his girlfriend is stuck up a tree and she's just hanging there?? you're definitely NOT having fun and he can see that but he is curious how exactly you ended up there.

♡ you heard someone's steps and decided to finally open your eyes (or at least one of them). when you saw that it's leona, you felt much calmer. he's definitely gonna help you! well, you hope so. "oh, leona, it's you! you have no idea how glad i am to see you!" "yeah, me too" he doesn't sound that happy tho. he quickly gets to the point (the sooner you come down, the sooner he'll be able to take a nap and not worry about such things as you being stuck up a tree) and he asks what happened.

♡ you tell him your story. "um, do you remember ace? ace from heartslabyul? we were just hanging out and talking about stuff and then we started arguing, but we weren't serious, we were just playing around! you know, "you're dumb", "no u" kind of thing. then it got pretty intense and ace lifted my notebook with his wind magic and.. yeah, it ended up on this very tree. we both hoped that it would just fall and i'll be able to take it but of course, it didn't. i assume that he actually felt kind of guilty about it and wanted to help me get it back but classes started and ace suddenly remembered about his responsibilities which is surprising and he left. so i had to do it myself and i climbed up.. " you wave your hand and show leona that you're holding your notebook. "i got it! but at what cost.. "

♡ leona thought that this situation can't get even more hilarious but he was wrong. this happened to you only because of your notebook? is it that important to you? "leona, this is serious, okay?" you're not standing next to leona so you don't see his face expression that well, but you just know that he's trying so hard not to laugh at you getting stuck up a tree because a guy threw your notebook too high and ran away when he got the chance. "this notebook has way too much information, i had to get it back!" honestly, leona starts to think that this is actually your secret diary. you sigh. "leona, please, i really need your help. i can't do this on my own."

♡ and then you see him walking closer to the tree. he IS going to help you! finally!.. but what you hear from him is completely different. "you were brave enough to climb up a tree even though we both know about your fear of heights so i'm sure you have some courage left for getting down." wait, what? where is he going? did he just- is he going to leave you like this?? "LEONA, DON'T GO! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME!" "why not? i know that you're strong enough to do this yourself." oh, so he's going to act like this, huh? "I- I'M GOING TO JUMP!" you scream. "good luck then, i believe in you" he knows really well that you're not going to do it because you're too scared and it's kind of dangerous. "fine, i lied, i obviously can't jump from this tree but still, can you help me? please, i promise that this won't happen again!" leona thinks that "this won't happen again!!" thing is way too cliche, it's totally gonna happen again at some point but.. "fine, i guess I'll give you a hand this time"

♡ leona sure loves teasing you like this but he really does care about you (and once again, the moment this is over, he can finally get his well-deserved break from.. something) so he agrees to help you get down on the ground. and the moment you extend your hand to him, you notice one thing. remember that notebook? you were holding him with one hand and you were also trying to not fall from the tree and holding the branch with the other hand. the branch wasn't that thin so you were okay but.. you accidentally let go of it when you wanted to let go of the notebook so that it'd fall down. you just used the wrong hand. so yeah, you started falling down. thankfully, leona caught you just in time, you haven't even realized what just happened! when you opened your eyes, leona (in a surprisingly gentle way) put you back on your feet. "um.. t-thank you." you felt your cheeks getting warmer. but not even a minute passed and leona got your notebook that fell on the ground anyway and.. opened it? "wait, what are you- what are you doing??" you tried to get your notebook back (AGAIN) but the guy was just too tall and it wasn't that easy. "all of this happened because of this thing and you're not even gonna let me read it? i wonder what could be so important written there." he never changes, does he? (oh and you also gotta have a nice talk with ace later. but you won't need leona's help this time)

[jinmukangwrites]

succumb (1/?)

Note: "?" because I don't know if I'm actually going to continue this. All I know is that I saw this post from Liccy and couldn't stop thinking about it (hopefully you don't mind me leeching a little off of your fantastic hc). I just had to write something or else I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it. Unless I decide to make more of this, I'll keep this just in Tumblr for now.

Summary: While collecting firewood after a harsh day of traveling, Wild and Hyrule find themselves ambushed and alone, facing a mysterious enemy that wants Hyrule for something Wild doesn't understand... or more specifically: they want Hyrule's blood.

Tws and warnings in tags

-o-o-o-o-

It’s a night filled with the chill of air fresh after rain. The damp grass and twigs lining the ground below the still dripping trees squish below Wild’s boots as he walks, his eyes sharp for anything that could be useful.

Today’s been a rather taxing day on his energy, and he can tell it’s been the same with the others. The constant rain has caused the paths to become slick with mud and the rivers too dangerous to cross. To top it all off, they don’t even know who’s world they are in; making it so that as they journey they don’t even know where they are going.

Wild hates the rain.

But luckily, he’s not assigned with the behemoth task of finding dry firewood alone. Hyrule walks beside him, his pants and tunic blotched with dark colors thanks to the puddle he had fallen into a few minutes before.

The quite literal stumbles here and there put aside… they’ve actually done a decent job at gathering firewood so far. A few hours into their search they both have arms cradling rather hefty loads of dry twigs and branches found in miracle spots hiding under rocks and undergrowth, untouched from the rain.

A cold win stirs, causing Wild to suppress a shiver as he straightens out of picking up another stick to add to his impressive collection. He probably should have worn a warmer tunic while heading out, but Wind was looking miserable in the cold and didn’t look used to this kind of chill, so he had lent his snowquill tunic and didn’t have the heart to take it back as the poor kid sat sniffling in the driest part of camp.

Wild mentally begins to make a list of things he has that could go in a warming soup once they have a fire going. If none of them have colds tomorrow morning, he will eat Legend’s hat.

“We should head back,” Wild calls towards his companion. Behind him, Hyrule straightens up from where he was quite hilariously resembling an old man squatting down to pick up a book they have dropped. His arms are overloaded with wood, and Wild’s sure if he bends any lower he would be struggling to pick up the sticks he will undoubtedly start dropping.

“You think we have enough?” Hyrule asks.

Wild hums and looks at the two armfuls they have gathered. They need enough to last them for dinner and through the night, and a little extra if the fire happens to go out from unpredictable rain storms through the night. It’s not like Wild’s scars would be able to help him tell the oncoming storms; they’ve been none-stop aching since they found themselves in this unfamiliar forest.

After a moment of sizing up their bundles, Wild nods. “Yeah, if we’re smart with it we shouldn’t have to worry.”

Hyrule snorts. “Smart with it? Tell that to the blacksmith. He’s the one that tried to light Vet’s hair on fire.”

“In his defense, Vet kinda deserved it.”

“He accidentally caught Wolfie’s tail on fire.”

Wild snorts. “To be fair, he kinda deserved it too.”

Hyrule gives an unimpressed look to which Wild responds with a grin and as much of a shrug he can manage without dropping anything. The wind brushes past them and through the leaves in the trees, reminding them both that the night is approaching and banter can perhaps wait until they’re warm at a fire.

“C’mon,” Wild says, “we should get going.”

Hyrule’s face splits into a grin and rushes to catch up with Wild as he begins to walk back towards the direction of camp. The sound of mud squelching beneath their boots accompanies his thoughts as they go. He hopes they’ve set up the pots and pans he needs to make dinner like he asked them to. He’d like to get something warm in his belly as soon as possible and it would be so much quicker if the others realized they could maybe help make dinner sometimes.

He’s in the middle of planning out his next moves once they’re back with the others when it happens. It’s achingly familiar too—the way the air seems to turn foul and the shadows of the trees grow within the blink of an eye. Through his travels alone… before he fought and defeated Calamity Ganon… things were hardly ever perfectly okay. Safety was always rare, and things could go sour quicker than what you would expect. Wild quickly trained himself to always be aware of the dangers around him, even if everything seemed happy and safe. It saved his back more times than what he could admit, even if the pressure of anxiety pressing down on his ribs was more constant than a place for him to spend the night.

He could sense everything about to go wrong a moment before it does. He’s not sure what’s made him aware of the change—whether it’s the quieting of crows or the darkening sky—but one thing is for sure, this time he’s not quick enough to stop it.

He sees Hyrule twitch besides him and drop all of the firewood in his arms right into the mud. His hands fly to his neck as Wild drops his load and pulls out his sword. He hears a zip and catches the flash of light just in time to jump out of the way of a flying arrow.

Immediately, Wild is in battle mode. With practiced movements that he doesn’t even think about anymore, his shield is off of his back and on his non-dominant hand just-in-the-nick-of-time to block two more arrows with an equal number of thunks. With rising adrenaline, Wild looks over at Hyrule and what he sees makes his stomach twist. There, just a few strides out of arm's reach, Hyrule stumbles and tugs his hands away from his neck; grasped in his fingers is a small, thin twig with a feather on one end and a metal glint on the other. It isn’t hard to guess what’s exactly going on as Hyrule stumbles again with fluttering eyelids.

This isn’t any old attack from monsters in the forest, Wild concludes as he begins to rush towards his poisoned friend.

This is an ambush.

Just before Wild can reach Hyrule, a form jumps down from the trees between them. Wild has a split-second to recognize the glint of misshapen armor bent to fit a large reptile's body before the Lizalfols is swinging a sharp boomerang right for his throat. Wild steps back and raises his shield before he could be hit, however he has to work hard to suppress a frustrated snarl as he’s forced to widen the distance between himself and the barely standing Hyrule. He can see the other hero struggling to pull out his sword as more figures emerge from the surrounding trees.

“Alright, ugly,” Wild hisses under his breath as he shoves his shield out with calculated power. He needs to finish this quickly before Hyrule gets himself more hurt so he can figure out what poison was used and if the others are okay.

The Lizalfos screeches and stumbles back, waving its weapon wildly. Wild takes its struggle to regain balance as an opportunity to rush forward and swing his sword right for the weak spots of its armor. The monster screams impossibly high with unhuman chords before falling limp on his sword, however Wild doesn’t have time to celebrate before claws dig into his shoulders. Stifling a cry of pain, Wild is forced to let go of his lodged sword to catch his fall on his hands and knees. The well-known shriek of a bokoblin reaches his ears as he throws his weight to the side to dislodge the thing. Luckily, he’s successful, ending up on his back with the perfect position to swing his shield at the exact right moment to hit the bokoblin right in the snout as it tries to jump at him again.

“Champ!” calls a shaky voice. Hyrule.

He doesn’t sound too good.

And judging how there are several more monsters here than what he remembered before ending up on the ground… neither of them will be too good soon if he doesn’t act.

He scrambles to his feet, barely noticing how soaked in rain and mud he is now, and grabs a stick on his way up that he had previously dropped. He swings it like a bat at the next closest bokoblin—mourning his sword and mentally kicking himself for getting it stuck in the corpse of a fucking lizard—but he only manages to slightly stun it for a moment before its running after him with pig-like gurgles quicker than what he can properly lift his shield. However, before the creature can hit him, there's the flash of a friendly blade, cutting the beast down mid-air. Before him stands Hyrule, looking very pale with beads of sweat trailing down from his hairline. Wild’s about to nod his thanks, but two things happen at once that makes everything go completely downhill.

Wild sees Hyrule’s eyes roll up to his skull right before the air is knocked out of him via a viscous swing of a tail to his ankles, resulting in him landing heavily on his back.

Monsters all around him squeal with glee as Wild attempts to catch his breath and struggle to his feet. However, before he can do so, the heavy body of the lizalfos responsible for taking him down lands on his back, expelling any of the air Wild had left in his lungs. For a horrifying second, Wild’s almost afraid his head is about to be removed from his body with the flash of a sharp boomerang.

Shockingly enough, that doesn’t happen. While he feels the blade slide right against his jaw, his skin does not break. With the tug of a clawed hand in his hair, he quickly finds this isn’t a kind of ambush that he’s used to. Most surprise monster attacks stay exactly as it appears to be: an all-out attack with no more intentions than to stab things and scream loudly.

This one however is proving itself to be a little different. They want something, something that they’d keep Wild pinned on the ground with a blade to his throat alive.

Thanks to the hand holding his head up by his hair—sending a rather vicious kink into his neck as he’s still stuck on his stomach—Wild can see Hyrule completely collapsed on the ground with a few monsters hovering over him with excited snorts and grunt.

He can’t believe the two of them have been bested by monsters as low in skill as these.

Something more has to be going on.

And, just as that thought crosses his mind, there’s the sound of booted feet approaching on the soggy ground. The new presence comes behind from where Wild is pinned, so he cannot see them. However, based on the even steps and the whoosh of cloth, he can at least infer that they’re not a monster… or at least something a bit more humanoid.

His suspicions are confirmed once the figure steps into view. They look the build of a Hylian; though below the cloak that covers their face and exposes nothing but the shadow of a pointed chin… they must be a rather tall Hylian.

Which definitely isn’t good. Monsters are one thing—creatures born out of hatred and greed—but a Hylian who’s born as pure as any other human and animal in the world choosing to work with monsters? Deal with wickedness? They’re always the bigger threat. If the Yiga clan alone isn’t proof enough that Hylia’s creations can inhibit more darkness than the lowest of beasts, then Wild would ask what shrine you've been sleeping in.

Not like he could ask that now, not as the cloaked figure steps right past Wild without sparing a single glance. Wild cannot help but feel his stomach twist in fear as the person kneels down by the unmoving and unarmed Hyrule. They place a pale hand on Hyrule’s forehead, making Wild’s skin crawl.

“Get away from him!” Wild snarls, digging his fingers into the mud and attempting to push the heavy lizalfos off from him, but all that does is cause the creature to hiss and tighten the blade.

The cloaked intruder doesn’t respond nor quit in their endeavors of getting too close to Hyrule for Wild’s comfort. In fact, Wild almost thinks they didn’t even hear him.

He’s about to shout out once again—angry with being ignored—but the breath leaving his lungs fall silent as the figure brushes back Hyrule’s hair with a verbal sigh. Then, to Wild’s horror, the figure pulls back to their cloak to bring out a small vial filled with a deep purple liquid.

“What is that?” Wild demands as the lid of the vial is popped off and lowered towards Hyrule’s pale lips. “Don’t you fucking dare-” suddenly the air is squeezed from his body, forcing his protests to cease, as the lizalfos leans more of it’s weight onto his back to press his face down into the mud.

He doesn’t see what happens next, but he can put two and two together when a few silent moments pass before those human footsteps begin to finally head Wild’s way. The clawed hand in his hair loosens ever so slightly as slim fingers slip under his chin. Next thing Wild knows, he’s blinking through dripping eyelashes at the shadowed face of the cloaked figure.

Wild, of course, takes the opportunity to spit a wad of mud at the face of his enemy thanks to his little face-meets-dirt session.

He’s pretty sure he hits his mark, because in a blink of an eye Wild is no longer pinned on the ground, but lifted into the air by his neck. His feet scramble for purchase when there is none as his hands fly to his throat. The pressure on his neck is so intense that he doesn’t think to try and look at the face of his attacker. He can only gulp for trapped air like a fish out of water. Then, just like that, the pressure on his throat is released as he finds himself thrown back into the waiting arms of various monsters. Before Wild can attempt to find his bearings, his wrists are twisted violently behind his back; the motion almost yanks his limbs from their sockets. After a few gasps, it's all Wild can do to stand there with their physical restraints of clawed hands and send a cold glare at the cloaked figure.

The cloaked figure radiates irritation from where they stand, but Wild spares only a moment to bare his teeth at them before glancing back to where he'd last seen Hyrule.

He can’t see Hyrule’s face, but he’s no longer laying prone on the floor. He’s currently sat up with his chin limply touching his chest as a pair of monsters work together to bind his wrists behind his back.

Knowing that villains don’t usually restrain corpses, Wild concludes that Hyrule is still alive and returns his anger at the cloaked figure.

Wild takes a deep breath and speaks through hissing teeth, “who are you?”

“I would watch your tongue, hero,” the figure says, their voice not distinct enough to be dubbed male or female. However, Wild can practically feel the annoyance in their tone traveling down his spine. “We don’t need both of you, and your small friend is not the expendable one.”

The words settle in Wild’s gut like moss covered stones. This really isn’t any normal attack or ambush… this was a targeted mission.

Hyrule is the target.

“What do you want with him?”

The figure chuckles, their shoulders bounce in such an undeniably human way that it makes Wild feel sick to his core. “It never fails to amuse me that none of you seem to truly understand just how much more powerful and important this one is compared to the rest of you.” The cloaked figure walks towards Wild with arms spread wide. “His blood alone is more powerful than any form of magic known to any sorcerer.”

“What are you talking about?” Wild spits, forcing his face to remain cold and angry despite the pool of confusion and fear that’s beginning to swell around those moss stones in his gut.

The figure hums and tilts their covered head. After another moment, they speak with an amused tone, walking slowly towards Wild. “That slate on your belt... you’re the hero from the far future, oh how convenient. Tell me, have you ever wondered why the monsters come back to life?”

Wild doesn’t get a chance to answer before the figure stops right in front of him. He hates that even though he cannot see their face, he can practically taste the smug victory radiating off from them.

“Don’t you wonder why the moon shines red with blood?”

Wild swallows. “What does that have to do with anything?” He looks over where Hyrule is placed. “What does that have to do with him?”

The figure chuckles and leans forward close enough that Wild can almost see an outline of a pointed nose. “Everything.”

Then, with a flick of their hand, something hard smacks against the back of Wild’s skull. The world spins and pain shoots through his head and into every speck of his body. He blinks, and suddenly he’s leaning bonelessly into the grasps of the monsters behind him, the corners of his vision going black.

The last thing he sees is the figure turning back towards Hyrule with a flick of their cloak.

Then, his eyes fall shut and he knows no more.

[holocene-sims]

Here's a barrage of questions for Grant, my poor sweet boy:

Ballet Shoes, Cactus, Christmas Tree LOL, Sunflower, Mushroom, Books, Headphones, Beach With Umbrella, Convenience Store, Night With Stars, Ringed Planet, Bandage, Love Letter, Heart On Fire, Revolving Hearts

have fun <3

AHAHAHAHAHA i love this omg 😭 thanks for the ask, bestie!! ✨ well, i guess i better get started

🩰 ballet shoes: can they dance? do they enjoy dancing even if they're bad at it?

can he? oh yes. can he dance well? not really. he's down for dancing at a party or a wedding, but that doesn't mean he's good. not terrible but not great. especially when it comes to partner dancing or like slow dancing...it becomes a whole awkward ass ordeal because let's be real, you don't want to slow dance a man who's like a foot taller than you 💀

idk if i ever stated this before but i really headcanon grant being freakishly tall. we're talking 6'7" tall. it makes for VERY clumsy dancing

🌵 cactus: what are some reasons someone might not like them? what are their personality flaws?

i think most people generally tend to like grant, you know, he's a sweet and likable guy, but if they do dislike him, it kind of all boils down to him being incredibly sensitive (...and traumatized...)

he can be a bit...much, if that makes sense. he feels every emotion very, very deeply. it's a good thing and bad thing. if he's super happy, he might annoy you to death with how cheerful he acts. if he loves you, you're probably going to hear it more than you want to. if he's not doing so hot, he's not going to take it out on you because he completely internalizes negative feelings, but he's going to go to the polar opposite end of the spectrum and the negative emotions can spiral him out of control

he's also very independent. it annoys people because you'll offer to help, like "oh hey, you're moving in next week? let me help you out," and he WON'T let you do it. he won't let anybody interfere in anything he's doing personally (we're excluding work-related scenarios) unless he's just destitute and desperate. you end up feeling like he's shutting you out or treating you like you aren't helpful in return when he's the FIRST person to offer YOU help when you need it...but really he's just terrified of asking for help and accepting it out of fear of being incompetent and useless. but this doesn't mean it's not a flaw of his, though

🎄 christmas tree: do they celebrate any holidays? how do they feel about holidays in general?

he does celebrate thanksgiving and christmas! "minor" holidays as well like new years and st. patrick's day (although...let's be real, for his family, this is NOT a minor holiday.) he has sort of mixed feelings about the holidays. he loves the celebration with his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and all his cousins. he adores his family and the social aspects of the holidays

BUT his holiday memories are often cemented in the days before his shitty mother (and at the time, also his dad) were excommunicated from the entire family. he likes the holidays now, but any holiday prior to, like, 2013 was awful. his mother always managed to come up with a new way to ruin the holidays every year

🌻 sunflower: do people generally tend to like them? what personality traits do they have that draw others in?

i would definitely agree that people generally tend to like him! he's very caring, reliable, helpful, sweet, and he's often very funny. people describe him as being "fun" or "like a giant teddy bear." he might be introverted, but he can strike up a conversation with anybody, and he has a way of making you feel comfortable. and you know if you need somebody or need help, you can count on him being the first person to lend a hand and you know he's never going to judge you

🍄 mushroom: would they ever experiment with psychedelics? how would it affect them?

oh boy...he's done a lot of experimenting and with a whole lot more (and worse) stuff than psychedelics 😬

buddy was doing some serious self-medicating in college ❄️❄️❄️

the sweet, giant, cuddly teddy bear you all know and love has done some WILD shit, let's just say that

📚 books: do they like to read? what kind of books do they like?

i would say that he doesn't read all that often. he's more of a video game/movie/TV show kind of guy. but i will say his comfort/favorite books are carl sagan's books 🚀 he does re-read those often just for fun

🎧 headphones: do they like listening to music? do they prefer going to live shows or listening to stuff prerecorded? do they make playlists?

music is absolutely his thing. he listens to music almost all the time when he's alone, and he has a playlist for EVERYTHING. sometimes the songs overlap but oh well. he has a driving playlist, a playlist for the gym, a playlist for just hanging out alone, playlists for different moods, playlists for parties, a playlist of all the irish language music his grandparents listened to so he can feel home again...

but tbh he's not a big concert guy. he feels very much like live music and shows get in the way of his own vibes. he just wants to chill and listen to music, not have a performance done for him that tells him how to feel and what to do

🏖️ beach with umbrella: what do they like to do while on vacation?

usually just chill or do some outdoors stuff, hiking or looking at scenery or walking around in downtown areas. he does like the beach but he's incredibly uncomfortable with wearing swimwear, so he feels awkward. other than that, definitely trying new foods is at the top of his list as well. he's not a picky eater, so he will eat literally anything and he both likes food and cooking, so it's a fun activity

🏪 convenience store: what would be their go-to convenience store snacks?

i meannnn the classic for him has got to be like a faygo, probably blueberry, and some sort of chips, probably like barbecue chips. m&ms are also a great convenience store snack

🌃 night with stars: do they like the night life? do they go clubbing or to bars?

he does and doesn't! with good friends or a good group to hang out with, most night life is fun, but you won't catch him dead in a club. just WAY too much going on for him. but a bar or a pub, definitely. he's down to hang out at a bar and just drink for a bit and chat, play some bar games

🪐 ringed planet: how do they feel about space? does it inspire them or make them feel lonely?

you have some insider knowledge to this question 😉 but no, space doesn't make him feel lonely at all. space is usually very comforting to him. also inspiring but he's currently getting his masters in astronomy and studied it in undergrad, so he sort of has to be inspired be it

🩹 bandage: what do they do when they’re sick or injured?

here i go writing about the effects of grant having a traumatic childhood...the body keeps the score, doesn't it?

at this point, he doesn't do anything, he keeps going. it used to be where he felt like he could afford the time to take care of himself when he's not well, but these days...no, he just keeps trucking. he feels like he has to because if he stopped and rested every day he felt less than stellar, it'd be every day. he has to live with how the body breaks down when it's under stress for too long, and this is his way of dealing with it

i'm not saying his logic is good but it's how he feels. he's especially stubborn about it after the fact that being treated finally for chronic pain lead him to be forced out of his previous job. it's another instance, to him, of "lost time" and that stresses him out

💌 love letter: how do they like expressing their love? do they like to be straightforward or are they more romantic?

he's very much both. i said before in another question that he's always overt about love. sometimes that's "hey, i made you coffee and your favorite food, enjoy!" and sometimes that's some really lovely romantic gesture.

in terms of the love languages theory, it's all about quality time and words of affirmation for him. he likes to make himself available and to have a lot of deep, meaningful experiences with his partner, but he also loves to just say i love you or tell them all the things he loves about them. he's a softie. also he's kind of touchy-feely. not in public but like at home, for sure

❤️‍🔥 heart on fire: what really gets them going? what’s their favorite thing for a significant other to do?

idk how to answer this at all because i am but a naive, innocent lass. however, i do feel like a good way to get THAT response from him is just for the partner to sit on his lap lmfaooooo. he's very much a thiccc thighs save lives dude 👀

but favorite thing for a partner to do? honestly he's such a softie that anything wins him over. you can just say, "hey, you look nice today," and he acts like it's the world's best compliment 😭 but really any form of words of affirmation does the trick, same as remembering his favorite things or tiny details about him

💞 revolving hearts: do they have a best friend? what’s their relationship like?

grant spent a ton of time growing up with his many cousins, so if you ask him about his besties, it's just a list of every person he's related to in his generation LMAO. and with his family, it's constant goofing off and shenanigans. his family are loud as FUCK at all times. and there is always some board game, card game, cards against humanity or something or other going on. it's always something with the cousins

(although admittedly, even though he's super close with everyone, his strongest/most impactful friendships are with his female cousins, especially my lovely queens, chelsea and shannon!! 💘 personality wise grant and his female cousins all match up really well)

outside of his family, his best friend is his childhood best friend, henry. they've known each other forever, they met on some random saturday at a park on the swingset, and they're still friends today. they have a much more chill, relaxed relationship. they're like "wanna go to dinner/a bar" kind of friends, and then they chat for hours and hours at a time, at which point they'll go hang out at one of their houses and play video games or watch some movies

(guess what? emotionally available, mutual male friendships are good!)

[slashbitch2]

Extra Complications PT3

Previous Chapter

"Don't bother coming back into work tomorrow."

Her words had been replaying in your mind since the final encounter, bouncing round like a taunting echo. It'd only been a week since you'd stopped working at Alchemex, yet had felt like a lifetime of boredom and fatigue. With no job or persistent villain to chase after, if you could even call Liv a villain anymore, there was no reason to get out of bed in the morning, nothing to stop you from moping around your apartment. The days blended into what felt like one long sick day, disregarding the occasional break to rescue a cat stuck in a tree.

Although, your only sickness was of the mind. Whenever you attempted to get some rest, your thoughts would inevitably drift to Liv; the cold, distanced tone to her voice, the look of betrayal in her eyes, how empty the week had felt without her. By the third night plagued with insomnia, you were starting to accept that your feelings towards her may be more than a simple crush. On the eighth night, you decided you ought to do something about it and began to formulate a plan.

Entering the building like you were still an employee would be almost impossible since anyone who left their job was rarely welcomed back with open arms. It'd also be better to avoid the security and CCTV cameras, which you'd learnt used face recognition technology. And finally, locating a security card would pose a potential problem, as walking round the facility until you happened to stumble across a janitor to steal from was unfortunately no longer a possibility. So, what was the solution to all your problems? Vents.

Which is how you found yourself scouring over blueprints like a cliched protagonist from a bygone age movie, but at least the irony hadn't escaped you, and thankfully laboratories generally required a great deal of ventilation, so you had multiple routes memorised by the time the bus had arrived at Alchemex. You'd spent the entire journey on edge, fearful that any fellow passenger might accost you for looking so suspicious. But apparently an agitated figure buried beneath a pile of blueprints wearing a spider-suit underneath a jumper was normal enough to be ignored.

Nonetheless, stepping onto the concrete ground of the car park was a relief which inspired a tad more optimism. Moreover, leaving the burdening stacks of blueprints behind further alleviated some of your anxiety. It felt like a final confirmation that this was your one and only chance, and you weren't about to mess it up. Even as the building loomed over you casting a shadow of uncertainty, nothing could discourage your determination.

There was the remarkable sense that you didn't belong here, though it was a familiar sensation. One that persuaded you to tug the mask over your head before darting toward the edge of the car park. It was your belief that as long as you stuck to the outskirts of the facility, few would pay you any attention while you were out in the open. Therefore allowing you to manoeuvre into position and take the quickest passage straight to Liv's office. Which is exactly what you did.

The first stretch of the vent system was a straight drop, a narrow plunge that went on for longer than anticipated. Like a slide with no angle of inclination and a lot less fun. You hit the metal base with an ungraceful clang, certain that your legs would've buckled upon impact had it not been for the lack of space to do so. Overall an uncomfortable start. The remainder of the journey was a lot of crawling and muscle cramps, your only incentive being the occasional grate to peer down which reassured you that your destination was drawing nearer. Everything was going to plan.

Until you heard her.

Olivia's voice rung clear as if from a dream. It stood out from the general ruckus, initially leading you to believe you were hallucinating, that it was some kind of audible mirage. Yet you refocused your senses and it didn't go away. She was almost directly below you, separated simply by a thin layer of metal. With renewed ambition, you crawled toward the nearest grate as quickly and quietly as possible, frantically lowering your head to find the perfect angle, all just to catch a glimpse of her.

"What do you mean the program hasn't worked?" Liv pinched the bridge of her nose, her words laced with an an uncharacteristic anger. You'd never known her to be an irritable person, she loved her job and every challenge that came with it. Was she uptight? Sure. Passionate? Undeniably. But never angry.

"I've tried rerunning and rewriting parts of the code. And it just doesn't work!" Some poor employee (Mark, if you remembered correctly) was fighting for his dignity below. You could see he was flushing, wildly flailing his hands around as he tried to justify his mistake.

"You've rewritten part of it?!" She repeated, volume rising in frustration.

"I- I thought I knew how to fix it."

"I told you not to mess with my work." She growled, stepping closer.

"With all due respect," He didn't back down, clearly caught off guard and unsure how to deal with an irritated Liv. "it's actually Y/N's work."

Upon hearing your name, you ducked out of view as if you'd been seen. Although, it was evident that this was not the case, so slowly you edged forward to peer down at them once more.

Liv's face had dropped at the mention of your name. But by the time you'd settled back in place, anger was already seeping into her expression, then was suddenly smoothed into disturbingly sweet smile. "Well, Y/N isn't here anymore. So I suggest you keep your incompetent hands off of things you don't understand."

Judging by her vague wording, you guessed she hadn't told anyone the real reason you'd been fired. A fond appreciation flooded your mind. Despite everything that had happened, she still respected your secret enough to keep it. You begun to consider that maybe Liv cared about you as much as you did her. Why else would she lie on your behalf?

Mark muttered an ashamed. "Ok." Then left to try and atone for his mistake.

Liv stayed where she was for another minute before taking a deep breath, shaking off her annoyance, and setting a determined path. You assumed she was heading for her office and were about to follow, but then paused. Was this really the best time for a reunion? She obviously wasn't in the best mood, and if you had to guess, it was likely due to your betrayal. Was it too soon to reappear in her life? You'd arrived here with the intention to apologise and make amends, however, you had no idea how Liv would react or what would happen after. If there would even be an after. She could attack you on first sight for all you knew.

No. You'd come too far to turn around now. You continued along the vent before you could overthink the decision. It would be foolish to turn around now: the end was in sight, and rapidly growing closer.

Reaching the final grate, you were greeted with the familiar yet new aerial view of Liv's office. It'd remained mainly the same since your departure. She hadn't even bothered to remove your lab coat, which was still carelessly thrown over the chair you'd frequented everyday. And Liv herself hadn't changed much either, disregarding the seemingly permanent anger lines upon her face. She was sitting at her desk, head in hand, mindlessly flipping through a folder. It occurred to you at that moment that she didn't look irritated, rather sad. Another unexpected emotion for her to display.

After a minute, she sighed, tossing the papers to one side and bringing her other hand up to crash forward into. She looked defeated, seeing her this way felt wrong. You honestly preferred the anger because it showed she'd maintained at least some of her usual intensity.

You sighed. It was time to fix this. With unsteady hands you delicately unscrewed the bolts holding the grate in place, careful to make as little noise as possible. It was as you were removing the final screw that you realised something: you had no idea what to say to her. No planned speech or prepared apology, you'd resigned to hoping for a spontaneous burst of thoughtfulness in the moment. You sat there for a minute, fidgeting with one of the screws while attempting to come up with what you would say. Should you start by apologising for breaking in, or for lying to her, or for applying to the job in the first place? You had a lot of things to apologise for.

And unfortunately, the chance to think it through any further was taken from you as the screw slipped out of your hand. You gasped watching it fall, hitting the ground with an faint thud. Although quiet enough for most people to ignore, you knew Liv was too thorough to not investigate. And as expected, following your sharp intake of breath was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, then footsteps gradually approaching.

Liv appeared below you, bending down to inspect the screw before glancing up. Her eyes locked with yours through the mask and widened in shock.

"Hey." The casual tone to your voice sounded forced and you grimaced. But rather than dwelling on it, you dropped from the exposed hiding place and pulled off your mask. You smiled awkwardly, eyes scanning and overanalysing her reaction.

Liv stepped back to lean on the desk for support. Her mouth was agape, but otherwise her face was worryingly blank.

"If this is a bad time I can come back later."

Still no response. The room was drowning in a tense silence.

"Well, actually I probably can't come back." With no social cues to interact with, you began to ramble aimlessly. "I'm guessing you'll find a way to patch that particular security breach." You gestured up to the gap in the ceiling and laughed lightly. "Sorry about that. I didn't know how else to-"

You're cut off as Liv moves impossibly fast, grabbing your shoulders and shoving you backwards against the wall. A thousand different thoughts run through your mind at once, all wondering what she's about to do. The majority are focused on the possibility that she's going to hurt you in some way, although, even if she did have the intention to cause harm, you wouldn't fight back. You were tired of conflict, especially when it involved Liv.

She was standing close, breathing heavily and saying nothing. You couldn't help but let your eyes flicker down to her lips, the temptation to kiss her becoming increasingly vehement. So instead you forced your attention up to her eyes, which held an air of confusion.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was deep, full of unvoiced emotions.

You licked your lips, glancing at her mouth one last time. "I came here to apologise. I didn't mean for any of this to go so far."

"You're lying." She backed away slightly and you immediately missed the proximity.

"I'm not! I just-" You stuttered, then admitted in a quieter voice. "I never meant to hurt you."

She inhaled shakily and swallowed, your eyes tracing the movement of her throat. "And?"

"And because I care about you too much to let you think I did any of this on purpose." You lowered your head, her invasive glare becoming overwhelming.

Soft fingers firmly gripped your chin, compelling you to look up. Her eyes displayed distrust, confusion which you suddenly feel the need to wipe away. You wanted to make your affection for her clear, but found yourself annoyingly speechless. All the recurring thoughts and confined confessions that had been plaguing you for a week suddenly gone from your mind. You were infuriatingly at a loss for words. Although, the warmth of her fingers against your skin reminded you that actions speak louder than words.

You leant in slowly, giving her sufficient time to stop you. She didn't move so you kissed her lightly at first, searingly next. Your arm shifted to wrap around her back tentatively and she moaned faintly in response. Although, it wasn't until you allowed her to take control that any remaining anger dissipated. At that point the kiss became bruising, her hold on you tightening as a wave of shared desperation rolled over the both of you. Before the desperation could reach its peak, however, you separated from her.

Liv was almost panting, her cheeks tinged pink and hair a mess. She promptly attempted to kiss you again, though you dodged the advance and she whined. Her mouth latched onto your neck, sucking at the skin there.

Your head fell back against the wall, dizzy from lust. "Does this mean I can have my job back?" You quipped, running a hand through your hair.

"Depends." She murmured in between kisses. "Do you have anymore secrets?"

"None that I can think of." You smiled, the prospect of returning to what you'd come to consider as normality was an appealing one. Of course there were things you would need to work through with Liv, and many, many extra complications alongside having a relationship with your boss. But nothing easy was ever worthwhile, and Liv was living proof of that.

"Alright. You're hired."

[buckysboobs]

Damaged Finds Damaged

chapter 1

warnings: none

There was tension building up in the room, with alarmed eyes and nervous smiles being exchanged. Damon was stood towards the back, arms crossed, the flames lighting up in the fireplace casting yellowish hues over the side of his face.

"No." he stated, hinting at it being the end of the conversation.

"What do you mean 'no'? Bonnie's still stuck there with some guy who tried to kill you guys and apparently sucks the magic out of people, we can't just leave her there!" Jeremy stood up to make a move towards the older Salvatore.

Stefan held him back, "That won't be necessary. We'll find a way."

"This doesn't feel right guys," Elena cried, shaking her head. "We need to get her out of there, who knows what kind of a person Kai is, what if he kills her before we can—"

"Quick to judge people, are we?" Sarah, (who had always been on the receiving side of the gang's poor judgement) decided to butt in, raising an eyebrow at her. She glanced at Damon. "From the sounds of it, he had many opportunities to kill you and Bonnie when you two were stuck in that prison but he didn't, so I think she'll be fine. She's smart. And if he's been all alone, he wouldn't want to lose the only company he has."

"Stubborn ol' Sarah coming to the rescue with her condescending remarks." Damon commented, gulping down a glass of Bourbon. "We don't need advice from a hybrid."

"Oh really?" Sarah snapped, getting up from the couch and turning to the door. "Well in that case i'll just take myself and my advice somewhere else-"

Stefan blinked tiredly and looked at Elena for help. They'd be luckier if they had Sarah as an ally rather than an enemy.

"Sarah please!" Elena called out.

The hybrid stopped, chuckled and went back to her seat on the couch, but not before throwing Damon a dirty look, receiving an eye roll in return.

"So what is this Gemini Coven thing? It can help us, right?" Jeremy asked hopefully, awaiting answers. Before Damon could open his mouth, Stefan spoke up, exasperated.

"It's nothing, guys. It does not exist. I searched all over Portland for it but all I came across was empty land."

"Let's try again, then." said Sarah.

"It's not that simple." Stefan replied.

"Guys—" Elena tried to interfere. Jeremy looked back at forth along with the conversation when Damon decided to speak up.

"Yes it is." He said. "Now that Elena mentioned it, I don't want to leave Bon-Bon with that maniac." Damon was the kind of person who would do anything against what Sarah had to say because he's petty, and he doesn't like her that much. If Sarah thought Bonnie will be fine, he believed she'll be the opposite. He pointed at Sarah, "You, me, Stefan and Alaric. We're going to Portland."

"Where we'll find nothing." Stefan sighed.

"Don't be so negative, Stefan." Elena said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

|||

They found nothing.

They walked into the empty, green land, Damon's hopeful eyes turning slightly hopeless again as Sarah walked past him and gazed across the ground.

"Like I said 3000 miles ago, it's not here." Stefan said, walking right up to her. "Can we go home now, please."

Damon dropped the bag he was carrying and Alaric spoke up, "You know what, check the GPS again. Just because we don't see anything doesn't mean it does not exist."

Damon's coping mechanism was sarcasm, which is why he tried to tease Stefan to ease the tension.

"Not unlike Caroline's feelings for Stefan." he said.

Sarah, who had been quiet for the majority of the time they spent together, snorted at his comment.

Stefan sighed, done with those remarks. "Hilarious, keep 'em coming."

Damon pulled out Miss Cuddles and did a passable imitation of a high pitched voice, wringing the teddy's stuffed arms. "Oh no, is Stefan feeling sensitive for ruining his friendship with Caroline?"

Stefan glared at him as he continued, "She really liked him and he broke her heart."

Sarah was thinking when she heard Alaric add "See, Stefan? Even the bear knew."

She held back a chuckle when Damon went on in his squeaky voice, "I saw that coming from a mile away and my brain is made of cotton—"

A thought crossed her mind "Guys I think something's—"

"Gimme that." Stefan snapped at the same time, grabbing the Miss Cuddles from him and kicking it hard. It flew across the sky and before they knew it, there was a house right before them.

"—cloaked." Sarah finished, shrugging as she looked back at them. "Well atleast we're not going back empty handed."

Damon happily skipped past her and stood on the porch as he picked up the teddy bear. "Miss Cuddles, one. Invisible creepy mansion, zero."

Alaric, Stefan and Sarah exchanged shocked glances and made their way towards the door.

"Did Miss Cuddles just help us reveal something that I missed?" Stefan asked, looking down at the teddy bear in Damon's possession.

Sarah clicks her tongue, "I should have known." When they responded with a puzzled expression, she gestured towards the teddy again, "She sent this back with her magic in it."

"Wait, Jo did tell me something about how she stored away her magic in some object." Alaric mused, snatching Miss Cuddles from Damon.

"But why would she send it back?" Stefan wondered.

Damon looked at them with a grim expression, "To prevent Kai from getting out."

"Damn. He must be really brutal, huh." Sarah commented, trying to get past the door when she was blocked by an invisible barrier.

"We gotta be invited in." Damon said, banging his hand against the barrier. "Which means the owner of this house is still alive."

Sarah looked at Alaric, "Looks like it's your time to shine."

With a sigh, Alaric walked in.

|||

"Jo lived here." He stated, passing them a couple of photographs and newspaper articles. "We have baby pictures, pictures of Jo as a kid, as a teenager.." Alaric shuffled through them one by one with trembling hands.

"Hold on a second." Damon jumped in all of a sudden, "Rewind." He grabbed a photograph from the pile and held it in front of them, "This is Kai from planet 1994."

It was a picture of the said boy and Jo together wearing red christmas sweaters, their faces beaming at the camera.

"He's cute." Sarah commented, earning an eye roll from Damon.

"Does this mean Jo is Kai's sister?" Stefan asked, and Alaric examined the rest of the photographs, looking for more evidence.

"Either that or they both have a thing for Cosby sweaters." Damon replied.

They heard a voice call out "Didn't realize I had guests."

They all turned back to see a skinny man with grey hair and stubble walking towards them. "You've met Kai?"

Damon's mouth twisted, "Met him? Watched him die. Watched him come back to life. Why, you know him?"

The man looked at them one by one, his gaze on Sarah lingering longer. He chuckled, "He's my son."

He extended his hand out, "I'm Joshua Parker."

Damon shook his hand without a moment of hesitation. "Damon Salvatore."

Joshua nodded, "Invisique."

"What the hell just happened?" Damon heard Stefan cry, and he turned around to see his companions shuffling around.

"What's up with you guys?"

"They can't see you anymore, Damon." Joshua said and Damon gave him a questioning look, "Which means they also can't see this."

Next thing Damon knew, he had earned himself an aneurysm and was crying out in pain before things went black.

|||

Around half an hour passed by and they still couldn't see another sign of the house. Stefan was on the call with Elena and Alaric was questioning Jo about Kai. Sarah was listening to both their conversations with vamp hearing.

From what she had gathered, Elena was trying to tell some random guy that she was a vampire, and Alaric was asking Jo about the ascendant which she actually had with her all along. Her dad was a coven leader who couldn't let Kai out no matter what, and was willing to 'retaliate' if things went south. Her evil twin is a murderer who killed almost his whole family, and was stuck in the prison world 1994 as punishment. They really had travelled 3000 miles for nothing, and Damon's life was probably in danger. Which she didn't worry about much, if she was honest.

She jumped slightly when she heard Jo let out a yelp, followed by a few thumps and bangs. Alaric asked what was going on, worry striking his voice. Stefan and Sarah both walked up to him.

"Jo? Jo what's going on?!"

Next thing they heard was Elena's voice on the other side of the phone, "It's her dad, he—he's trying to kill her!"

"What do we do?!" Alaric said, "How do we stop him?"

"We can't see the house and i'm not invited in," Stefan added, "Jo invite us in—"

"Come in! Come in!" She cried in pain, followed by more coughs. She sounded like she was choking.

"We still can't see the house!" Sarah said. Elena carried the message and she heard Jo's throaty voice respond, "Ask them if they see an old tree stump in the yard!"

It was right there and they ran towards it, shuffling through the pile of dried leaves before Alaric pulled out a knife.

"What's this?" Sarah wondered.

"This is probably Jo's version of Miss Cuddles." Alaric replied.

Stefan grabbed it and shot it right across the empty land, where it stabbed into the wooden porch pillar.

Next thing they know, Stefan was saving Damon from the grasp of Mr. Joshua Parker who thought it was incredibly normal to vanish into thin air.

"I did not sign up for this."

|||

"So Papa Kai just tried scrambling my brain like an egg and you three are looking like someone shoved a stick up your ass?" Damon said, walking towards the car. "I did not get undressed at the airport for this."

"Jo had the ascendant all along." Stefan told him.

"It was 5 minutes away from home. And we travelled 3000 miles. How fun." Sarah wailed, walking up behind them. "This was so useless."

"Stop complaining." Damon said, rolling his eyes at her again.

Jesus Christ, she thought. "You were literally complaining 30 seconds ago."

"Stop fighting, you two." Alaric jumped in, "Now there is obviously no way we're getting the ascendant or letting her brother out—"

"We could just kill him if he escapes!" Damon argued.

"No, Damon." Alaric snapped, "I'm not letting another maniac kill my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? You've been on like, 3 dates—"

"Shut up, Damon." Sarah and Stefan said in unison.

Damon however, didn't listen and decided to compel Alaric into stealing the ascendant.

"It's gonna come bite you in the ass." Sarah had told him, and he had flipped her off. Stefan had let him go with a disappointed shake of his head and that thing he did where his lips squeezed into a thin line to portray his disapproval.

Little did they know Kai was already out.

____________________

some of you really liked the prologue so here's the first chapter! please let me know if you like it heheheh.

[foreignobjecticus]

Top 5 Best & Worst Blake's 7 Episodes according to me because I've been meaning to arbitrarily rate the episodes forever

1.           2-11       Gambit

The best Avon & Vila bonding episode ever! I also love the hedonistic concept of Freedom City, as well as the primary plot with Docholli, and cowboy Travis is just the icing on the cake.

2.          4-11       Orbit

I love it. I hate it. I wish we had the uncut, Vila crying like a baby version that never made it to air. Egrorian is a pig and hammy as hell, but also the acting is amazing. This episode really made me think it was curtains, and elevated Vila to my favourite over Avon, the bastard.

3.          3-6        City at the Edge of the World

Vila gets the girl! I mean I wish he got the guy but we'll take what we can get. Also getting to see Vila in his element, a total expert, was such a lovely change from poor Vila being thought of as useless and bullied mercilessly. Suck it, Tarrant.

4.          3-8       Rumours of Death

Avon's Beautiful Suffering. From the very first FRAME, this episode hooks you in and doesn't let you go for 50 heart-wrenching minutes, and it totally turns the character of Avon on his head (though we had hints enough from Countdown which would be number 6 on this list).

5.          2-4        Horizon

Yeah, this is primarily on here because moobs; Blake's and Vila's. Plus the gayest scene EVER with Avon's eyebrows shooting off the top of his head at the sight of shirtless Blake. I mean come on. I also loved the characters of Ro and Selma, and the plot as a whole was nice. They'll always be welcome on Horizon.

-------

5.          4-3        Traitor

This made the bottom five primarily because I can hardly remember wtf happened in it. There was some scientist, a guy with an eyepatch, and not much else. I know it's probably a bit unfair to judge without even remembering, but so many other average episodes at least managed to stand out. This? Nah.

4.          1-8       Duel

Okay this is controversial as hell, but I have watched Duel twice now and I just can't really dig it. The premise to get them on the planet to fight seems weak, and it's just Blake and Jenna up one tree, Travis and his mutoid up the other. Unless they start throwing nuts at each other, I can't see this getting higher on my list. Sorry.

3.          4-7        Assassin

It could have been great. We had SLAVE AVON FFS. And we end up with this overacted whiny woman who I can hardly believe managed to even sick around, and then she turned into the worst, hammiest (in a bad way), overacted weirdo with the most ridiculous way of killing her victims. Take the script, scratch out everything after Servalan's line "I prefer that my slave address me as Mistress" or whatever, and rewrite.

2.          4-5       Animals

Another one where I don't really know what was going on exactly, but this one felt like they'd really dropped the budget more than usual with obviously bad effects, clunky audio repetition, and a weird sort of vibe for Dayna that didn't feel all that true to her character. Admittedly I'm due for a rewatch as I've only seen once, but I don't think this holds up very well at all.

1.          4-2         Power

Avon is a colossal sexist and everything is about how men will always be stronger than women and they need to subjugate themselves to men, yadda yadda Ben Steed. Points for the hot af line "oh it hurts" by Avon, but all points lost for the rest of his ooc bullshit.