#rambling about birds while on the clock

[aroguexenolith]

Ducking in to bring some bird ramblings--

It's been very cold, and I'm very happy that I can work from home instead of having to deal with ice on the road and Atlanta drivers driving with ice on the road.

The cold has been bringing so many good birds to the balcony! There's of course the cardinal pair that lives here and has patronized our business for the last two years as well as the usual house finches (though I think maybe the regular house finch pair invited over all their extended family). We've had them in past years too, but we currently have a whole flock of ten goldfinches coming to the feeders all day. The local family of bluebirds (which is somewhere between four to six birds) has been rounding out our bird primary colors and also being the best bird poofs around.

Some of our rare--but not unusal--bird visitors are chickadees, tufted titmice, and the very rare mourning dove.

But we've also had some pretty unexpected visitors! Spring migration must be starting, because I've seen yellow-rumped warblers and a pine warbler. The pine warbler seems to almost flock with the goldfinches. Both birds are yellow with black bars on their wings, but the pine warbler has a vivid yellow belly that makes it pretty easy to tell them apart.

There's been a phoebe coming around! When I first glanced out the window and saw it, I couldn't believe it at first even though I know them very well and their tail wags are really distinctive. But phoebes aren't supposed to be seed eaters who visit bird feeders! They hang around water and swoop in to get insects. What on earth was this bird doing hopping on the balcony floor picking up seeds?

Then, just this morning, I went to see what bird Peppermint was stalking through the balcony door window. It was a ruby-crowned kinglet! Despite having ruby in their name, these birds are actually very small (ping-pong ball sized?) and almost olive green-ish. But why is it here??? I'm so ecstatic to see it, but kinglets stay up in the tree canopy and don't visit feeders (though don't tell the kinglet at my mom's house that).

I'm not in a dense urban area in that there are a good number of trees around, not a ton of tall buildings, and most homes are still single homes, but this is still unquestionably an urban area. The variety of birds is really exciting to me and also distracting me from my work all day. We're up on the third floor by the tops of some trees, so maybe that makes our balcony count as "canopy."

Still holding out for more bird friends....would love to have regular chickadee, titmice, and dove visitors. Once or twice before I've seen a downy woodpecker at the balcony, but not for a long time. I'm most hoping for nuthatches to appear, as they're my favorite birds. Maybe we'll get some more interesting migrants? One year a huge flock of cedar waxwings spent a few days in the trees right outside my window, and another year I spotted black and white warblers not far away from here.

[roxygen22]

Bus Stop (Part 4)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Nic: Good morning

You grabbed your phone from your nightstand before you had even fully blinked the sleep from your eyes. A message from Nic was waiting for you. You giggled and kicked your feet in excitement as you held your phone to your chest. Last night wasn't just a dream, after all.

You: Morning!

Your fingers typed wildly.

You: You're quite the early bird.

Relunctantly tossing the warm covers away from your body, you got out of bed to start your morning routine, bringing your phone along so as to not miss anything. As you leaned over the sink to brush your teeth, you felt it vibrate on the tile counter. Just seeing his name on the screen made your heart beat a little faster.

Nic: I try to start the day with a run or bike ride. Just got back inside. Gotta hop in the shower and get ready for class. What time is your lunch break?

Blood rushed to your cheeks at the thought of him being soaked in sweat or lathered up in soap. Too soon, you cautioned yourself. Thank goodness he couldn't see you.

You: Usually at noon, unless a mtg runs long.

Nic: K. I'll give you a call on my way to the station, if that's OK?

You bit your lip. How to sound positive but not TOO eager...

You: Yes, please :)

The morning crawled and meetings droned on and on. Several times you caught yourself daydreaming, staring out the window or drawing abstract shapes on your paper instead of taking notes. As the clock ticked closer to noon, your knee bounced under your desk in nervous excitement, impatiently waiting for your phone to light up.

Like clockwork, your phone buzzed in your hand at 12:00 on the dot as you ran out to the rear courtyard for a semi-private spot to talk.

"You are quite punctual," you answered. Nic chuckled.

"I've been holding my phone in my hand just staring at it for a solid two minutes waiting for the right time. How has your day been?"

"Oh, [nervous laughter] I'm not exactly sure. I spent most of the morning off in la-la-land. I had a little trouble paying attention."

"Funny you should say that. I had the same problem in class."

"Oh, yeah? What were you thinking about?"

"You first," he teased.

"No, you."

"Alright, since we're not in person to settle this with rock-paper-scissors like mature adults, how about we both say it on three?"

You laughed. "Ok. I can appreciate a good compromise. 1...2...3..."

"You."/"Last night."

"Really?"/"Really?"

There was an awkward pause that was probably not as long as it felt. You broke the silence.

"I was stoked to see your message this morning. Confirmation that I didn't dream the whole thing up," you admitted.

"I haven't had a fun evening out like that in ages. I...I felt like- like you were just so easy to talk to."

"I had fun, too," you replied. "I, uh...I dreamed about that kiss. It's been - a while - since I've been kissed like that."

"Me, too."

"Dream or a long time since the last?"

"Both."

"Awwwww!" you vocalized. "Well, you don't have to wait that long again." Your boldness startled you, so you started backtracking in a panic. "I mean, if, uh, that's what you want. Because that's what I want. I mean...," you trailed off and groaned as you smacked your forehead with your palm. "I'm going to shut up now."

"Please don't," Nic replied. "It's adorable when you ramble when you're flustered."

"You do seem to have that effect on me." The tops of your ears burned with embarrassment at your admission.

He chuckled. "So I've noticed."

After a beat of silence, you asked, "So, just curious, how long has it been for you? It's been just over two years for me."

"Almost four years. I've been trying to work on feeling whole on my own before getting involved with someone again."

"Kudos for putting in that work on yourself. My ex did not. He projected a lot of pent-up baggage onto me. I've been on a break since. It was toxic and lasted longer than it should have, and I've been in no rush to get mixed up with the wrong person again.

"But now?" Nic eagerly implored.

"Nowwwwww I think I could be persuaded by the right person," you hinted.

"Ah, I see." He paused. "[Y/N], I...," he cleared his throat. "Do you like Italian food?"

Somewhat taken aback by the jarring transition, you stuttered, "Y-yeah, I love Italian." You worried that you threw him off by mentioning your ex. Maybe it was too much too soon?

"There's this great place near the bus stop where I usually get on at Lexington and 1st. I was thinking we could go get a bite to eat tomorrow after work?"

Whew. Maybe you didn't scare him off after all. "That sounds delicious. I'd love that."

"Great! I'll meet you at the bus stop and walk you over. But for now, you should probably actually eat something on your lunch break. I just made it to the news station and need to go get settled in."

You pulled the phone away from your face to check the time. You only had about 10 minutes left. "Alas, responsibilities befall us all. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow. Bye, [Y/N]."

"Bye, Nic."

You ended the call and stared down at the dark phone screen in your hand. The fading excitement felt like you were crashing from a sugar rush. You slowly got up from the bench and shuffled back inside to get your food.

Your coworkers were standing at the ready to interrogate you. They knew you generally hated talking on the phone, but this time, you were all smiles.

"Tell us all about him, honey," the receptionist, Henrietta, demanded. "We need some excitement around here."

"What? How did you...."

"Dear, you have lovesick written all over your face!"

You blushed hard. Before you knew it, you were encircled by colleagues rolling over in their desk chairs as you recounted spotting Nic on the bus and working up the courage to say hello, and how magical that first unexpected date and kiss were last night. Once they were done peppering you with questions and chairs were rolled back to desks, Henrietta came up to you and gave you a hug.

"I'm glad you are finally putting yourself back out there after that jerk, Matt. You deserve to find love again, and he sounds like a wholesome guy."

"Thanks, Etta." You patted her arm and gently squeezed. "Time for me to come down out of the clouds and get back to work, I guess."

Small text exchanges throught the rest of the day kept you going, but you craved to hear Nic's voice again. Tomorrow felt like forever away. You knew you'd need to distract yourself with a rare visit to the gym that evening to pass the time and wear yourself out.

You were walking to the bus stop after work when you felt your phone buzz in your bag. It was a long, repeated vibration - someone was calling you. You fumbled through the main section of the bag, cursing yourself for not putting your phone in the pocket it belonged for quick access. Once in hand, you stared at the screen. Nic?

"Hello?"

"Is now a bad time?"

"No, not at all. I just wasn't expecting to get to talk to you again today. I'm off work and walking to the bus. How was the rest of your day?"

"Not bad, but I have to say it definitely peaked at lunchtime. I wanted to hear your voice again."

You chuckled. "Same here. Sounds like you are walking, too."

"The meeting isn't far from the station, so I like to get more steps in if weather permits."

"Maybe your habits will rub off on me."

He didn't respond, but you could hear him breathing on the other end of the line.

"Getting up early routinely and going for a run, walking instead of taking the bus or taxi. I have a gym membership, but I'm the worst about actually going," you added.

"Oh," he replied, followed by anxious laughter. "Hey, I made it to the meeting spot. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"Ok. Have a good night!"

"Bye, [Y/N]."

<><><><><>

There was no message waiting for you the next morning. Trying not to think anything of it, despite the strange end to the last two conversations, and to keep things balanced, you decided to send one yourself to start things off.

You: Morning!

You had already made it to work and started on your case load before Nic responded with a simple "good morning" in return three hours later. You were elbow deep in paperwork and couldn't break away to message again until lunch, which was later than usual.

No additional texts. And no call. Desperately trying not to overthink, you reminded yourself that he said he would talk to you later, so there had to be at least some intent to make contact. He had given you no reason not to trust his word, but you couldn't take it any longer.

You: Sorry for the radio silence. It's been a busy day prepping for a case.

Nic: No worries. At work, too.

You: Still on for dinner? I should be at your stop about 5:40

Nic: Yep, see you soon

You chalked his stilted, near transactional messages up to being busy at work. For once, you were grateful for the hectic pace at work to keep your brain from spiraling. At the end of the day, you gathered your things and took a deep breath before leaving the office. You reminded yourself that you were beyond capable of handling whatever the evening threw at you.

You boarded the bus and mindlessly watched the scrolling marquee of upcoming cross streets. Your heart rate surged with each stop that brought you closer to Nic. What if he wasn't there? What if he was acting strange because he's planning to cut things off?

The next stop was yours. You stepped off and looked around once you cleared the bus and breathed a sigh of relief to see Nic leaning against a nearby pole. One worry down. He walked over toward you.

"Hi," you said, trying to sound chipper.

"Hey." He bent down and gave you a small peck of a kiss on your cheek. He looked...sad. Not the greeting you had hoped for. "Ready to eat?"

Truthfully, no. But you weren't going to fill him in on your anxieties yet, so you just nodded and walked alongside as he led the way to the restaurant in silence. Something was obviously up. You could see an Italian restaurant sign up the street, but he paused before you made it there.

Nic stepped over to a nearby bench and gestured for you to sit beside him. You did so nervously, clutching your bag in your lap so he couldn't see your hands shake.

"Hey, listen," he started. "Before we, uh, go in, I...I need to tell you something. I owe it to you and to myself."

Your eyes widened. "Oh, God. You're not, like, still married or something, are you?" Your voice raised, garnering attention from passersby.

"What? No, oh, no no, not that." Nic reached out as if he wanted to hold your hand, but hesitated before pulling it back to his leg. He looked around to see if anyone was still paying attention and took a deep breath before locking eyes with you. "[Y/N], I am a recovering addict. I have been sober for about three years now."

That is not what you expected. Your brain churned through a thousand different responses, trying to figure out the right thing to say to such big news. Before you could say anything, he continued.

"I go to NA meetings every Wednesday evening. They reminded me that... that...if we are going to get to know each other, I need you to know me. Who I am. That is part of my identity and daily challenge to continue to be my best self." His shoulders fell as he looked down at the sidewalk away from you. "I also...I wanted to give you a chance to end this early if that is too much. You deserve to be with the right person, and I understand that that may not be me."

Nic jumped slightly when you hooked your finger under his chin to lift his head up, where you met him with a soft smile.

"That is nothing to be ashamed of," you replied slowly. "Thank you for sharing. I know that couldn't have been easy, but at least now I better understand why you weren't talking much today. I thought...I thought maybe I said something wrong yesterday."

"What?! No! Oh no, I'm so sorry that I made you think that." He pulled your hand up to his lips to kiss it. "You- you're a breath of fresh air. A fresh start with someone who isn't stuck on the image of the old me."

You released a deep breath you didn't even know you had been holding. "I must admit that I can't even begin to know what your journey has been like. Or will be like. But I'm willing to take things one day at a time to find out."

"One day at a time is all I can ask for." Nic gently leaned his forehead against yours. "Thank you."

You were enjoying the closeness until your stomach betrayed you with a loud grumble. Now that your worries had eased, you were terribly famished. Nic sat up and wiped a tear off his cheek, laughing as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He stood and held his hand out to you.

"Hungry?"

"Starved," you replied as you stood and followed him toward the restaurant once again. "So what's good here?"

"Well, I prefer their spaghetti over their penne..."

<><><><><>

The End

<><><><><>

Masterlist

Tag List:

@croatianprincess @bluizh @groovy-lady @pmak2002 @itshonestlynotme @parkbabyj @genesis-margarita @superlegend216 @crypticslytherin

[vampworks]

Surely, you want me back

Pairing: Stu Macher x reader 

Word Count: 1.6k

no use of Y/N

Warnings: comfort, crying, pet names, cheating, language, physical intimacy, unwanted touching (not from Stu), walking alone at night

Summary: Stu comforts the reader(referred to as bunny) who had a bad date experience. She then sleeps over and they both realize they want more than just friendship. (fem pronouns)

"Dammit, I hate that jerk!" She whined and shivered in the cool night air turning to shoot the bird to the speeding truck behind her. "I only just met him a week ago but I'm a boring prude for not putting out for common decency." She hissed in annoyance. The sound of her strapped heels made a clicking sound as she walked across the long paved roads. Her eyes constantly darted across the cookie-cutter house all around her. The walk home was far too long from the old diner her date had taken her to be considered safe. She had been all but shoved out of his old truck. "He could have at least taken me home." Her tone was laced with acid now as she muttered. It was all a show of just how little he cared about her. 'Just another pretty face' she thought kicking at a rock in her path. The small stone skips before landing its new resting place in someone's yard. After a while, a bright green street sign reflects in the distance. Her brows furrowed as she squinted as she read out 'Palmer's lane'. A small smile brightens her face as she finally knows where the suburban hell she is. Stu's house on Turner wasn't far from here. The sound of her heels grows louder under her as she begins to walk faster towards the large house she knew at the end of the lane. 

After another 5 minutes of walking as if she's in a horror film, she arrives at her destination. The girl sneaks around the house only to stand beneath Stu's bedroom widow. She climbed up the heavy metal ladder Stu had propped against it, She decided against asking questions about it as it was far too cold out here to do so. The girl shivers before cupping her hands to peer into the glass. The one in question sprawled across the couch in front of his TV. His long limp hangs off the sides of the small loveseat and grazes the carpet beneath him. 'Typcial stu' she mutters shaking her head. She attempts to softly knock on the glass. 

Lights beam from the TV still showing the gory details he'd seen too many times before. The main villain runs after their victim as they scramble to escape. A muted blood-curdling scream sounds from the device.

A heavy thud causes the boy to shoot up from his sleep. Sharp blue eyes widen in search of the sound. They soften into a confused squint as they meet the girl outside. "Bunny?" He lazily questions. She gives a wave and points down the lock expectedly. Stu turns back to the TV to squint at the small analog clock sitting above the TV as it flashes 1:46 AM. He drags himself off the couch towards the window with a loud groan. The girl wastes no time latching onto his shoulder and crawls inside to escape the cold autumn air. "Ugh thanks, man. Do you remember the asshat I went out with tonight? I know you said he was a dick from the start and even Tatum said it too. Well, I didn't listen" Stu only responds with a snicker while grabbing a throw blanket from his bed and wrapping it around her shivering form. 

Her rambling is fast and barely coherent but she continues away. "I wanted to go home but then he started touching me in the car even after I told him to stop so I cursed him out but it only pissed him off even more. The soft smile on Stu's face slowly falls as she continues. "What did he do, Bunny." He tries his best to steady his voice but fails as anger sweeps through. He holds a tight grip on the couch cushion beneath him til his knuckles turn a pale white in another poor attempt to restrain himself. She began with a sniff "he pushed me out of his truck a couple blocks from here. She began with a sniff. I didn't know where else to go." Tears threaten to roll down her cheek as she speaks while long arms wrapped around her waist. She let out a small gasp as he swooped her up into the air quickly as he stood only to take off in a sprint to the bed. “It’ll all be alright, Bunny. You're way too good for that creep anyway”. He whispered into her ear in a soft tone. He hides a tight fist behind her back while debating leaving her here and following the guy who hurt her. It slowly moves to rest on her dress's fabric at her waist as he cradles her beneath the sheets. 

Anger soon turns to bliss as she pulls herself into his chest. Her right-hand takes hold of his shirt while her left caresses the nape of his neck.

He knew it would only end in a disaster but wanted to be hers so bad it wasn’t funny anymore. He wanted to know what it felt like to meet her eyes as that idiot got too desperately. The warmth she had wasn’t like the others, definitely not Tatum or Casey. Neither of them stood a chance compared to his ‘Bunny’. Yeah, she was flighty and naive but she was all his and it showed in her eyes and how she melted into his touch. 

Those bright eyes beamed at each quip and tore apart by the hurt he spoke. Billy could buzz off for all he cared, this girl would know just how much he loved her even if it was the last thing he did. Sure, they're going insane, but she's the closest thing to a home they've ever had since they were kids. 

 Nothing really had to change for Billy’s plan but no one was hurting their little ‘doll’. He would just have to deal with it. His girl would definitely understand if they would just explain it all, she deserved the world let alone that much. Maybe then, he could finally be with her. It was the only thing his parents agreed with him. Tatum was too much in their opinion but She was different. In their eyes, she would keep him grounded and above water. He knew she'd help him run the old Macher company into the ground if he only asked. It was one of the dreams they had spent the long nights talking about. 

 “Stu…stuey,” she said just above a whisper. It drew him from his thoughts and she looked up to meet his blue eyes. “Yes Bunny,” he said, drawing out his words almost in song. "Can I borrow one of your shirts for the night?" She asked as she pulled at the hem of her dress. He stares at her blankly for a moment. "I mean if it's alright" His stare turns to a smile then a loud moan combined with an eye roll. "Ugh, I thought you'd never ask." She shushes him with widened eyes and a few soft punches to his chest. "Oh my god Stu, shut up" She laughs. He's gone in a flash to the closet to retrieve his favorite Hellraiser shirt and a pair of boxers a second later.  

 Light from the TV cast the room in a soft blue glow. The screams of camper running from their demise long since muted as technicolor danced across the screen. The girl watches the blue light cast upon his features as he returns with her eyes half-lidded. 

"Keep undressing me with your eyes, girl and I'll catch a cold. He flirts with a wide grin while handing over the clothes bringing her out of her daze. "Whatever, don't miss me too much while I'm gone" She calls in a low tone on her way to the bathroom. "Ugh, I'm already in shambles." He pretends to faint with a hand to his forehead. After changing, she stops in the mirror and stares at her figure in the clothes much too big for her. She imagines him standing behind her. He would lean down to rest his head in the crook of her neck pressing soft kisses on it. His hands slowly slip beneath the fabric and down her stomach. Her eyes flutter close as a ghost of his large hands toy with the waistband of the briefs. She quickly shakes her head to dispel the thoughts. 

This was no time to be thinking of him like this, he's with Tatum, she thought. He flirts with everyone and I'm no different. With a final look at his shirt draped over her form, she exits the bathroom with a deep exhale only to be greeted by Stu's wide-struck eyes. "God, you're trying to kill me, arentcha bunny?" She only giggles in response. She made her way to him in a slow stride only to land in his lap without thinking. The thoughts of restraint are long forgotten from them both as their eyes meet in a haze as the room darkens from the credits rolling on the screen. She raises a hand to graze his lips and pulls him in with a hand on his shoulder. His larger ones rest on her waist again as if they always belonged there. He closes the distance with a kiss on her lips as her hand slides to trance the curve of his jaw. The kiss quickly deepens as his hand travels up her spine to tangle his fingers in her hair. She moans into his mouth but pulls away slowly. "We shouldn't..but.." She says breathlessly after a moment but neither of them let go of their hold on the other. Sharp Blue eyes stare half-lidded into her own. "Tell me you want me too and I'm all yours.'' He says in a hoarse whisper. Her spine shivers under his touch. " Fuck, kiss me" She mutters then licks her bottom lip. "Please."  

[stoutguts]

My own personal Hybrid AU??? (Also, Omegaverse). Chock full of my own personal headcanons and ideas. Unorganized/kind of rambling, really just trying to put all my thoughts to paper.

PART 4 (Last part!)

(wish I could include everything I wrote in one post, but I yapped too much—)

Gaz has the same problem as Simon, when it comes to a very high prey drive. (Somehow, it’s even worse than Ghost’s). Kyle will become completely zoned in on something, instincts completely taking over as his pupils dilate. He’s been known to even go after a rodent of some kind or a bird on missions. They literally can’t control themselves, and Price tries to avoid putting them on missions that involve being in the great outdoors as much as he can. In fact, Gaz is the member of the 1-4-1 who has his instincts in check the least. The wild cat in him being much too strong for his own good. They like to destroy shit that they get their claws on, using just about everything as a scratching post. The cherry on top, of course, is that as an omega, his heats often like to come around at the worst times possible. Their heats always coming on incredibly strong, to the point where it borderline incapacitates them. He would’ve been fired by now and discharged due to medical reasons, if it weren’t for the fact that Roach has got the stamina of a rabbit. Sleeping the majority of the day due to their internal clock, it’s best to leave them to something that’s later in the day. Otherwise, he ends up all pissy from a lack of sleep, (he’s not a morning person by any means). Though, their temper isn’t nearly as bad as Ghost’s,—they’re just very passive aggressive. It isn’t too much different from his usual sarcastic demeanor and personality,—the only thing is that he’s not joking. Though, they can equally be as indifferent or stoic. His sleek, black coat is perfect camouflage for hiding in amongst the shadows. They are a highly skilled swimmer, their also non-porous coat allowing them to glide smoothly through the water. Simon and Gaz making the perfect team for stealth missions. The most agile of the 1-4-1, has a great sense of balance, and is a fantastic climber. His reflexes are also astounding, he rivals Soap in hand-to-hand (or hand-to-paw) combat. Excellent hand-to-eye coordination. Not to mention, their reflexes are so quick, that they hardly ever get injured while out in the field and/or is never truly caught off-guard. (Even if he does end up wounded or something manages to get to him, it’s rarely serious). Kyle’s feline form is massive, almost competing with Yuri for being the biggest and baddest. They have the cutest most innocent meows and purrs, yet the most ferocious yowls, growls, and hisses.

Roach…well..they don’t really do anything. (At least on their own). When they’re in trouble, it’s almost always them getting roped into the other member’s shit. (Especially, when it comes to Gaz). (They do have a hunting/prey instinct, though it’s not even close to how strong it is in Kyle or Ghost). Though they don’t complain,—it makes things more interesting after all. Their personality being the exact opposite of their partner’s, which only serves to make things even more chaotic. Probably the friendliest and most levelheaded person in the 1-4-1. Besides that however, despite also being the smallest in the 1-4-1, they are mighty. They actually use their size to their advantage, being able to slip through someone’s grasp or dodge easier. They fight smart, but they also fight dirty. They’ll resort to just about anything or any tactic, if it means a victory for them or if it saves their skin. Perhaps their downfall is being a sore loser, and their survival instinct being so strong. After all, they had unintentionally caused Gaz serious harm, when a sparring match between them went horribly wrong. (Being the behind the claw marks on his back and chest). They have extremely strong legs and huge paws, which not only makes them quite agile, but allows them to scale buildings and other structures with incredible ease. Being the most skilled climber in the 1-4-1. Thrives more the harsher the conditions, and also specializes in guerrilla warfare (like Simon). Their muscular legs and large paws, also help in taking down enemies or overpowering them. Gary is certainly not to be underestimated in terms of strength that’s for sure. Their coat serves them well as camouflage in certain settings or environments, (particularly admist rocky terrain or in forests, which only proves their climbing capabilities to be even more formidable). They also nearly compete with Soap for having the best hearing. Unfortunately, due to Roach’s missing vocal cords, they don’t purr, meow, yowl, or growl. They’re only really capable of hissing. Their silence does help in sneaking up on unsuspecting tangos, however.

Despite Price having his work more than cut out for him, he loves his boys. Wouldn’t trade them for anything. After all, the 1-4-1 is the really the best of the best at what they do. (Apart from the occasional mishaps).

I definitely wanna expand upon/write more regarding this AU in the future, but for now, I just have the ground work! I think these ideas have got a lot of potential for future works! :3 I also would be HONORED, if someone wrote about this particular AU or made fanart,—I could die happy. <3

[playbucky]

Celebrate.

You and Ritchie had been a couple for a while, you had always been the bridge between him and Carm and now you and the Berzatto’s are opening The Bear. Characters – Reader x Ritchie, Carmen, Sydney. Word Count – 1k. 

‘God Damon Richie, you’ve been keeping this from us?’ You said when you were greeted by Richie in the black suit, the black on black looked good on him. He smiled widely when he saw your eyes run up and down him. ‘You tryna flirt with me?’ Richie quizzed, he wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer. ‘No baby, if I was I would say I’d look forward to seeing it on my bedroom floor.’ You said, he smiled down at you before he placed a peck on your lips. ‘Might let you take it off me later.’ He commented lowly, you arched an eyebrow. ‘Really?’ You quizzed. ‘Mmm.’ He hummed. ‘Let’s just get through this, huh?’ You said, you patted his back and separated.     ‘Yeah.’ He sighed, you knew his nerves were bouncing around under his calm exterior. ‘Oh, come on love birds.’ Sydney said, you smiled at Richie as you noticed him stand taller. ‘What about it Syd?’ You challenged her as you turned, the lovesick smile on your face made you less threatening. ‘We’ve got prep to do.’ She said, you sighed but knew she was right. ‘Alright,’ you turned to Richie, ‘I’ll see you on the flip side.’ You said, he nodded and leaned into the kiss you pressed on his cheek, just missing his lips. ‘Carm in yet?’ You asked, the new chefs were listening to Tina. ‘No -,’ he pushed the door open, ‘he’s here.’ She said, Richie walked past him and into the front as you managed to spare him on last smile. ‘You’re late.’ You commented. ‘By thirty seconds.’ He looked at the clock that you were sure ticked louder when everyone was in a rush. ‘Still late.’ You told him, he shook his head. ‘God you’re becoming Richie.’ Carm commented, you scoffed and moved to allow him into the lockers. ‘No sweetie, you know I’ve been like this forever.’ You said, he chucked his rucksack into the locker and nodded. ‘Yeah, it’s such a shame.’ He replied, you stuck your tongue out at him. ‘Move it jackass.’ You pushed his shoulder, he stumbled slightly but listened to you. ‘Marry me.’ Richie said, you pulled back from him with wide eyes, his warm hands found their way to you neck. His thumb brushed over your jawline and he gazed down at you. ‘What?’ You questioned, unsure if you heard him correctly. ‘Marry me.’ He repeated, ‘I mean I don’t have a ring or anything but I can take you shopping tomorrow and put one on it.’ Richie continued, he was starting to ramble. ‘Yes.’ You said, he opened his mouth to continue before he froze. ‘What?’ He asked this time, you lifted a hand and cupped his face, the stubble tickled the palm of your hand. ‘I’ll marry you, baby.’ You told him, a wide smile took over his face. ‘Yeah?’ ‘Yeah.’ You agreed, he surged forward and captured your lips. His fingers found their way to the hair at the base of your neck and pulled you closer, your hand wrapped around his back, the pair of you tried to get closer which was impossible. Richie broke the kiss, he gasped for air before he leaned forward and pecked your lips a couple of times, you slowly opened your eyes and you smiled at him. ‘First thing tomorrow, you and me at the jewellers.’ He said, his nose brushed against yours, you were sure you had both gone crossed eyes but you didn’t care. ‘First thing?’ You reacted, he nodded, ‘Cause I was hoping that maybe this could stay on the floor longer. Y’know so we can celebrate.’ You played with the lapels of his suit jacket, he let out a low groan. ‘Fine, first thing on Monday.’ He amended his statement.

[rose-pearls]

The Era's tour

Summary: a quiet morning leads to a fun night at the Era's tour. (Phoenix x !female!reader, background Floydsinshaw)

Natasha ‘Phoenix’ Trace had arrived in your life like a tornado and somehow you wouldn’t have it any other way. She had arrived at the same time as you at Top Gun and as the two only two female pilots between all male pilots who thought they were the best you definitely stayed together. 

It hadn’t been that much of a surprise, falling for her. She was smart, beautiful, and one of the best pilots you had ever seen. You still wondered sometimes how you won the Top Gun trophy that year and she didn’t. 

However, you would always be grateful for it, you had tried to tell her how she should’ve won it but the only thing she did was tell you to shut up and kiss her. Who were you to refuse her? 

You still remember it, the feeling of her lips against yours, far too much smiling but you felt like you were home as she brought you closer. Hangman had whistled and you knew that Phoenix had given him the middle finger, while still rocking your world.

It wasn’t easy to be apart, having to go from mission to mission, sometimes six months or more apart but you made it work. Until one mission brought you together, a deadly one but still you had Phoenix by your side, and you could watch her back.

You hadn’t been surprised when she had gotten picked for the mission and smiled at her reassuringly as she looked at you sadly, having been named spare dagger two. She had taken you in a separate room to say your goodbye and as you held her close you couldn’t help but pray that she would survive this, even if deep down you never believed in god. 

Now, as you look at her in the morning light, quiet snores leaving her mouth and a peaceful smile you couldn’t help but think that she looked beautiful.

“I can feel you staring at me.”, you hear her mumble, and you can’t help but blush at having been caught staring at her.

“Couldn’t help it, you look beautiful.”, you whisper, and Phoenix opens her eyes, her brown eyes are filled with love, and you enjoy basking in the warmth of her love.

“Come here you flirt.”, this makes you laugh, and you can’t help but smile as she brings you into a lazy morning kiss, still half asleep. 

She opens her eyes once again to look at you and you just enjoy the time you have to just look at each other before you need to get up. Phoenix brushes a strand of hair and smiles lovingly.

“I can’t believe we get to do this every day.”, she whispers, slightly in disbelief and you kiss her softly in response, bringing her closer to you.

“Hope you are ready to be stuck with me now.”, you say teasingly and Phoenix chuckles softly and nuzzles her nose against yours, looking at you.

“I would like nothing more than that.”, she says softly and the two of you stay there, enjoying the birds chirping outside before your phone rings and the both of you groan.

“Who is calling at-”, she is ready to say this early in the morning but as you look at the clock it’s nearing ten.

The picture coming up on your phone is a picture of Bob and you at your first pride when you were eighteen, the two of you with pink cowboy hats and grinning widely at the camera.

“Good morning!”, you hear on the other of the line and you can’t help but smile at your brother’s excitement. 

“Good morning, Bobby, slept well?”, you ask him, Phoenix muttering under her breath about her WSO and you couldn’t help but smile at her pout.

“Good, couldn’t really sleep much due to the excitement.”, he tells you and you can practically feel him buzzing from here.

“Can’t believe it’s tonight already.”, you whisper in disbelief and Bob starts rambling about how you had been waiting for this your whole life and you enjoy hearing him talk while Phoenix moves to lay her head on your chest and closing her eyes as you start brushing your hand through her hair.

“So, what time are you boys arriving?”, you ask, and Bob seems to talk to one of the two idiots he is with before turning back to you.

“Is four pm good for you?”, he asks unsure, and you smile softly, feeling Phoenix nod her head against your chest.

“That’s perfect Bobby, tell Jake and Bradley to not get too distracted and be here on time.”, you tell him teasingly and Bob mumbles under his breath making you laugh.

“That was one time!”, you hum in answer and Bob sighs dramatically.

“Plus, they are grounded so no action for the next three days.”, you can hear Jake and Bradley arguing in the background and manage to hold your laughter until you hear Phoenix trying to hold her giggles.

“What did they do now?”, you can’t help but ask and you know Bob is rolling his eyes and glaring at the two men.

“They tried to steal a vending machine because it had all my favorite snacks in it but they got caught by the police and I had to pick them up at three in the morning at the station.”, this makes you laugh hard, imagining the two of them looking at Bob with puppy dog eyes.

“God I can’t breathe.”, you hear Phoenix say before she starts laughing again and you are barely able to stop.

“I’m sorry but that is pure comedy.”, Bob grumbles but you know that he is smiling.

“Yeah well, now they are punished until Monday.”, he says, and you hear the two others starting to argue again and you can’t help but snort.

“You are a hard man, Robert.”, you tell him teasingly and Bob snorts in answer.

“We will see you at four.”, you tell him goodbye before turning to a beet red Phoenix who seems like she is finally able to catch her breath.

“I just want to see a picture of their faces when they got caught and Bob arrived.”, you tell her mischievously and that makes her laugh again.

The two of you spent the majority of the day in bed before you need to get up and prepare yourselves.

“Alright what do you think?”, she asks, and you can’t help but look in awe as she appears in a red outfit.

“If my brother wasn’t coming in thirty minutes it would be on the ground.”, Phoenix smirks in answer and kisses you quickly.

“Perfect!”, she says and turns around to get her make up on and you turn around to use the bathroom to get dressed but you are interrupted during your make up to Phoenix coming in.

“Everything alright?”, you ask her softly and she looks at you up and down before sending you a downright filthy look.

“When we are getting back, I am getting you out of that outfit and we are not going to sleep until I’m done with you.”, she whispers in your ear as she gets closer, and you fell a shiver go down your body.

“It’s mean to tease Nat.”, you whisper, breathless and she just kisses your neck in response, leaving red lips on your skin due to her red lipstick.

The doorbell rings and the two of you get your passes before opening the door to find the three boys looking at you with smirks.

“Who is ready for Taylor Swift?!”, Jake shouts and you can’t help but laugh in answer, seeing his costume. He is dressed as the tennis player from ‘The Man’ videoclip and you can’t think of anything better.

Bob has a shirt with ‘Karma is my boyfriend’ written on it and Rooster is dressed in a red fit with ‘Heartbreak prince’ written on it.

“You all look amazing”, you can’t help but say while laughing at Jake playing with his tennis racket. 

“Ready for this?”, Bob whispers softly and you look at him with a bright smile, putting your arm around his shoulder and watching Rooster and Phoenix arguing about which era the best is.

“Never been more ready. Plus, Taylor Swift during pride month.”, you can’t help but say while smiling and Bob smiles widely.

“Bobby come tell Nat that ‘You’re losing me’ is the best song written yet.”, Jake whines and you can’t help but laugh at Bob’s exasperated smile.

“So, you cracked?”, you ask him teasingly and Bob glares at you before turning around towards a pouting Jake.

“I cracked.”, you laugh and before you know it you are all in the car putting the music as loud as you are able to.

The stadium is already filling up pretty quickly and you can’t help but smile in disbelief as you look around.

“Ready for this?”, Phoenix asks, and you look at her with a loving grin.

“Definitely ready for this.”, she grins and before the two of you can say anything else you hear Bradley screaming.

“Is that Maverick and Ice in the celebrity box?!”

[purgatory-is-life]

Mechtober Day 14/prompt 14-Alternate Universe

if i need to single handedly populate this fandom with urban fantasy aus by the gods i will

@mechtober-2024

An Average Day 'Round Here, Really - Reality666Rift999 - The Mechanisms (Band) [Archive of Our Own]

tw, my poor attempts at using british vernacular with my very limited knowledge of it as an american, cursing, arguing (mostly jokingly), mentioned alcohol, implied alcohol consumption, blood, blood consumption, non-con blood drinking, minor unnamed character death, probably more, feel free to ask me to tag something!!

Brian woke with a groan, and something heavy on top of him. He cracked an eye open, glaring at whichever one of his flatmates it was that decided to wake him up this time. It turned out to be Raphaella. He glanced at his clock–eleven AM. Too early, by his standards, but he did have some classes that day, so he would’ve had to get up at some point.

“What do you want, Raph?” He asked, voice thick with sleep.

“Do you have the chem notes from Friday?” she asked, staring up at him with wide, unblinking eyes. His still freshly-woken up and foggy mind thought she looked a lot like a bird, like one of those falcon’s Tim’s constantly sending pictures of.

Brian stared back at her. “Raph. You couldn’t wait for two hours for me to wake up with my alarm to ask that?”

“My chem lab is at noon!” She defended. “And you almost never get up before noon.” She poked him on the nose. “It was much easier to wake you up, insomniac. You need to work on your sleep schedule.”

“I at least get a consistent amount of sleep,” Brian grumbled, “how much have you slept recently?”

Raphaella quickly turned her head, waving her hand dismissively. “Not important! My chem lab is in an hour, do you have the notes or not?”

Brian curled up further under his sheets, humming quietly and closing his eyes again as if he’d be able to get any more sleep. “In the yellow notebook, on my desk. Hundredth page in.”

“Ah! Thank you, dearest,” Raph kissed his forehead and jumped off him, scurrying towards his desk.

“Mhm…”

Raphaella grabbed the notebook, and left the room. There was a brief moment where Brian could almost fool himself that he was asleep, before Raph came back into his room. “Do you… want me to turn your light on to help you wake up or…?”

Brian groaned, and pulled one of his pillows over his head. “Please let me at least try to get my last two hours of rest!”

“Okay, sorry!” And then Raphaella actually left him alone to get some more sleep.

—-- By the time his alarm went off, Brian had been playing a random game on his phone for at least an hour and a half. At some point in his attempts to get back to sleep, he’d given up and began playing on his phone. However, with his phone vibrating aggressively and playing one of Toy’s newer songs loudly, he couldn’t get away with hiding any longer, and he forced himself to get up.

He sat up, stretching his arms, back popping as he did so. He swung his legs, testing his knees. Finding they didn’t ache as much as usual, he decided to venture out into the living area of the apartment without his cane. As he entered the living room, it was just as he expected–chaotic. And loud, he was honestly surprised he hadn’t noticed before, while he was still hiding in his room.

Everyone in their friend group was there– while Brian, Marius and Raph were technically the only ones on the lease, it was admittedly more unusual if there weren’t at least six people in their flat at once. Typically, all nine of them were in at once, but Raph had a few labs on Monday’s and Nastya had one of her computer science classes in the afternoon on Mondays, so it was only the seven of them on Monday afternoons. Eight, if Marius convinced Lyfrassir to come around, or they’d stayed the night. Nine, at most and if they were lucky, and Bertie was visiting from his campus.

Currently, Jonny was laying on top of Ashes while rambling about something from his creative writing class, maybe something about his teacher who he hated. Apparently, he was kind of a jackass, but it was Jonny, and Jonny was prone to exaggeration, so he could’ve been fine. Toy and Marius were playing chopsticks while debating something in German, Ivy was reading a book while sitting upside down on the couch, and Gunpowder was cooking something.

Ashes was the first to notice his emergence, as he made a beeline for the coffee pot. “Morning, doll,” Ashes called, smirking. Brian rolled his eyes at them.

“It’s afternoon,” Brian pointed out, “that’s the point. I don’t like getting up early.”

“It’s still fun to bother you about,” Ashes said. He could hear the grin in their voice. Brian rolled his eyes again, and set about making his coffee, being careful to move around Tim while he-they?-continued cooking.

“Pronouns?” Brian asked, starting his cup.

“She/he, thanks,” Gunpowder smiled, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “So you’re finally awake?”

“Oh, you can’t talk, Timopher,” Brian flicked the other on the head. She groaned at that.

“Not you too! I’m going to kill Jonny for getting you all started on that!”

Brian grinned, but didn’t say anything more. Tim pouted, but returned to his cookery. The smell of bacon hit Brian’s nose as something started sizzling on a pan, and his stomach growled at him. Gunpowder noticed, and tilted his head at him as Brian grabbed a mug from one of the cabinets. “D’you want some of this? I can make more, it’s just eggs, some toast, and bacon.”

Brian shook his head as he poured his cup of coffee. “No, thank you. I was planning on getting something on my way to my anatomy class.”

Tim raised an eyebrow, glancing at him over his glasses. “Your anatomy class is at three. It’s almost one-fifteen. You have time to eat a proper breakfast.” Brian waved her off as he took a sip of his coffee. Tim wrinkled his nose. “Brian. One-coffee isn’t breakfast. Two-black coffee? Seriously?”

Brian shrugged. “It’s better than coffee ice cream for breakfast.”

Gunpowder rolled her eyes, pinching her nose. “It’s not- I’m not doing this. And besides, that was one time during finals last year. I don’t think any of us had a consistent amount of sleep or a consistent amount of food in our stomachs.”

“The woes of being a college student,” Brian said, taking another sip of his coffee and walking towards the adjoining living room.

“Yea- wait I’m not done lecturing you–!”

But Brian was already sitting down next to Ivy and ignoring her complaints. “Good afternoon, Brian. Did you sleep well?”

“Would’ve slept better if Raph didn’t wake me up, but mostly, yeah.”

Ivy nodded. “I apologize, I was the one to tell Raphaella to ask you for the notes. I forgot how much you dislike being woken up early.” She turned another page in her book.

“It’s fine, Ivy, I’ll just try and go to bed a bit early tonight.”

“I believe it’s a misnomer to say you sleep at night–you go to bed most often at four AM.”

Brian–couldn’t deny her there. “Is it comfortable, sitting upside down like that?” he asked instead.

“It is plenty comfortable for me. Thank you for your concern, though.”

Brian nodded, and took another sip of his coffee. The still-scalding liquid burned in his throat, and behind it a thirst he’d been doing his best to ignore burned as well. He’d have to do something about it soon–the… thirst? Hunger? He still wasn’t sure what to call it, nearly two years later–either way, he’d have to do something about it soon, it was getting hard to ignore.

Gunpowder came into the room with a plate of food, flopping onto the couch next to (almost on top of) Ashes. “Oh, by the way,” she started, “I’m going to be visiting Bertie over the next few days, I’m heading out a bit later, so I might not be able to make it to band practice on Thursday.”

“Have fun,” Jonny said, reaching over to Tim’s paper plate and taking some of the bacon for himself.

Tim swatted at Jonny’s hand, sticking his tongue out at the other. Jonny stuck his tongue out at her. Brian smiled at his friends' shenanigans–not quite dumbassery, but a very similar brand of chaos. Though, dumbassery usually ended with someone injured and an argument about whether or not a trip to A&E was necessary. And a kidnapping to take someone to A&E, but that was neither here nor there.

“Tell Bertie we say hello,” Ivy said, as Brian glanced over at Marius and Toy, who were still completely absorbed in their game and debate.

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll know,” Tim shrugged as Jonny–successfully, this time–stole some of Gunpowder’s bacon.

Tim didn’t notice at first, but when she did, she immediately turned on Jonny. The other grinned, which only annoyed Tim more. Brian decided that was a good moment to down the rest of his scalding coffee, and get up to get dressed. “Do you think I can get away with not wearing my binder today without my chem lab supervisor misgendering me?”

Ivy glanced up from her book and raised an eyebrow at him.

“…Yeah, fair enough…” Brian sighed. He didn’t really care one way or the other about wearing his binder or how people perceived him, but sometimes it got tiring getting misgendered by people around him. Oh well, he wouldn’t have to wear it all day. Brian glanced back at Gunpowder and Jonny, and saw that Tim had completely ditched his breakfast, and was now wrestling with Jonny while Ashes took her bacon. All in all, a normal day, really.

—--

Brian hated the sun. Without a doubt, he hated the sun. It was hot, it was bright and hurt his eyes, and it made him tired. Really, besides it providing light for the rose bushes he’d been trying to grow out of his flat’s window box, he had no reason to like the sun. Except for the fact that most of his friends were awake when the sun was up, but most of his friends had absolutely god awful sleep schedules, and Brian was half certain Raphaella was more willing to do hard drugs than sleep when she could be ‘science-ing’. So, really, other than the roses needing sunlight to grow, he really didn’t have any reason to appreciate the sun. So, naturally, with such a hatred of the sun, he did his best to avoid it, but sometimes he was forced to face the burning ball of hydrogen gas and plasma.

The latest anatomy class he could get was at three, and thus he was forced to face the sun at least twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays (for his bio-chem class, which was at two-thirty) if he wanted to actually gain that pre-med he’d been working towards since Secondary. At the very least, with the weather changing and slipping more into the icy chill of fall and winter, the amount of time he’d have to face the sun was lessened. Which he was grateful for, even though the sun had long since begun to set as he made his way home from his last monday class (he also had a chem lab on mondays, but it was at a different time than Raphaella’s) at six in the evening.

When he returned to the flat, placing his bag by the door and tossing his jacket on the coat wrack. With a quick glance around the flat’s living room, he noted that everyone was there with the exception of Gunpowder. She must’ve already headed off to Bertie’s campus. Lyf was there, sitting on the couch braiding Raphaella’s hair while she braided Marius’s hair, and Marius scribbled something down while Nastya played her viola. Jonny and Ashes were cooking something, though he could hear Jonny saying he was gonna head out once the food was done. Toy was laying on the floor on top of Ivy, both of whom were reading different books. Toy was reading a book that appeared to be about different species of frogs, and Ivy seemed to be reading something about mice. Which did nothing to narrow down what she was reading.

Lyf glanced up from their work, briefly, and nodded at him as he entered. Brian smiled and waved, continuing his walk to his room.

“Brian!” Ashes called, peaking leaning on the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen. “You gonna want any o’ this, doll?”

“Oh!” Brian hummed. “No, probably shouldn’t–I told Galahad I’d go out for drinks with him and some of his friends.”

“The Pendragons, again?” Ashes raised an eyebrow as Jonny pouted, turning to face him as well.

“Yeah,” Brian nodded. He glanced at Jonny and smirked at him. “What’s with the pout, dear?”

Jonny scoffed, face turning a bright red. “Fuck off! I put in all this work and you ain’t even gonna try any?”

Brian’s smirk softened. “Yeah, sorry, I didn’t realize you were making dinner for us tonight. Save some for me?”

Jonny huffed and nodded, turning back to his cooking and waving him off. Brian glanced into the pot, trying to decipher what it was that he and Ashes were cooking. It looked like some kind of stew. With that mystery kind-of solved, Brian headed to his bedroom to change into something a bit more bar-appropriate.

He did have somewhere to be, afterall. While the night was young.

—--

Brian, along with the sun, hated bars. Their smell was rancid, there were always too many people and they were always too close, Brian hated bars. More specifically, he hated getting hit on at bars. And yet, here he was, in a back alley behind a bar making out with some random drunk person. They were-probably a man? And definitely older than him, but Brian wasn’t picky with his snacks.

Though, in times like these, he found himself often missing his friends–“the Crew”, as Jonny sometimes called them.

Their relationship was… Well, it was something. He could probably write a philosophy thesis on it, actually. And it wouldn’t be fair to say they weren’t open, by no means were whatever-they-were a closed relationship. But maybe it wasn’t fair to say whatever they had was open, either? Since it wasn’t exactly defined in most areas.

Tim and Bertie were something, though Gunpowder refused to elaborate further. Tim and Jonny were dating(?)–that’s literally how they described it, too–Jonny was willing to have sex with most of them except Nastya (for obvious reasons. Ew), whereas Marius was usually the opposite, he’d take everyone out on dates and plan elaborate dinners or lunches or breakfasts or brunches, whatever meal it was, but sex was a very inconsistent desire for him. Brian was generally the same way, though a bit less… dramatic, about it. His planned dates were always much less extravagant than Marius’s. Nastya was exclusive with her long-distance girlfriend, but she and Brian kissed sometimes, and he knows that she and Ivy also do the same on occasion. Toy was odd, but it was always sweet and it was involved in the relationship chaos in all the ways that mattered, it deserved a place in this train of thought. It didn’t exactly feel romantic or sexual attraction, but had expressed that it loved the Crew all deeply and truly, and always tried to help and show its care in whatever ways it deemed to be effective.

Ashes had something with everyone, but it looked different depending who of the Crew they were with, Raph and Ivy were dating, Marius was starting to date Lyffrassir, which actually seemed to be going pretty well compared to previous romantic exploits outside the Crew of his, Marius, Ivy, and Raphaella were dating, and all of them were just… generally pretty touchy feel-y? It was always weird to see one of the Crew and not see at least two others nearby. And dating or being fuckbuddies with one of them generally meant having to share with the rest at least, and if not, being roped up a lot more tightly in their web of weirdness (as Lyf had once called it). Lyf was still new, but they seemed to get along with everyone pretty well, and had even made out with Brian on a few occasions, and he’d definitely seen them leaving Raph’s room with tousled clothes and hair in the early morning while he was still awake, shortly followed by Ivy or Raph–or both.

All that to say, there were about nine other people that Brian could be kissing that he’d much rather be snogging behind a dingy bar. The probably-a-man reached up and curled a lock of his hair around their finger. “You’ve got such pretty hair, doll,” they said, breaking the kiss.

The stench of whiskey was heavy on their breath–it was amazing they were coherent at all–and Brian was hit with two twin pangs of longing, one with an equal measure of anger. Only Ashes got to call him doll. Brian would have to try and finish this quickly, even if he didn’t really want to hurt them. They hadn’t done anything yet. Except– well, except agreeing to makeout with a college student in a back alley. Brian had to force himself to not wrinkle his nose at the whiskey smell that came with each of their heavy breaths–that was a scent that was only kinda sexy on Jonny–there was no way he wasn’t going to be at least a little tipsy after everything was over. Which–might sell his excuse about going out for drinks with Galahad and the Pendragon Polycule better than coming home sober.

“Thanks,” Brian replied quietly, “a friend of mine does it for me.” Ivy had been dying her hair forever, and was therefore the most apt member of the Crew to aid in taking care of everyone’s hair when they were too Tired to do it themselves for one reason or another. It was always relaxing, her hands running through his hair as she washed it for him in either the bathroom sink or the flat’s tub–he had a lot of hair and was very inconsistent about cutting it to various lengths. It seemed to make his joints stop hurting and his head less achey. She’d probably say something about endorphins and serotonin and relaxing–or maybe Raph would, no telling who.

“Oh?” they responded, clearly uninterested.

“Mhm,” Brian nodded. “Hey, did you know that the scales of most sharks, placoid scales, are made up of largely the same enamel as what makes up teeth? So some people call their scales teeth scales.” Brian knew approximately four people who called them that, and one of them was studying marine biology. And the other three were Raph, Galahad, and Jonny. Actually, he’d heard Marius call them teeth scales before– or, no, he’d called them teeth skin. That still counted, he supposed. So, five people, on a technicality, probably six soon once Toy picks it up. He was surprised it hadn’t already, actually. “I’ve even heard some people call them teeth skin. Although they don’t eat with their skin, like some animals.”

Whatever direction the probably-a-man expected this conversation to go, this was certainly not it. They stared at him in confusion, pausing in twirling his hair in their hand. Well, that was what he was wanting, confusion and surprise. He was running out of odd animal facts though–Toy hadn’t given him any new bug facts in a while and it was more focused on trying to find frog facts that none of the Crew had heard before (which was harder than it seemed) and Lyffrassir was just generally hesitant to start infodumping about marine biology around anyone other than Marius it seemed. All this to say, Brian was thinking about getting a better method to throw people off their game.

He was overthinking this innocuous piece of information, he knew. Stalling. The confusion wouldn’t last long, the person’s inebriated mind probably already forgetting why they’re confused in the first place. He was hesitating, but god or gods above, his stomach ached with want. And yet, he was hesitating. He should really be used to this by now–he’s been doing this for two years at this point. Just– stop thinking, and do it.

“Well–” the person started, but didn’t get to finish as Brian lunged for their throat, sharp fangs easily piercing the delicate, human flesh. Their words, and their scream, died in their throat as he did so. They thrashed and tried to push him away, but being the inhuman thing he was, he was stronger and was able to hold them in place until they stopped trying to fight, as he drained their lifeblood through the gaping, gushing wound in their neck.

He always hated it, hated feeding off of and killing people. But if he didn’t, he could starve, and starving looked much worse than killing one or two people a month–he’d tested it. At least twice.

It was several minutes until the person fully went limp, but there was still blood and Brian was still hungry, even if he knew he was overindulging and going to feel sick and even more achey than usual later. Eventually though, as the now-corpse was starting to run dry (some part of himself, the part that was a starving, ravenous thing, wanted to drain as much as he could, and knew that there was surely more blood in the body that was just harder to get too–he ignored that part vehemently), Brian let the corpse drop and stepped back, staring blankly at the corpse.

He did this every time, taking a second to stare at the mess he left. Take a minute to revel in how awful he was.

A voice snapped him out of his post-feeding haze. “Oh~ I know that smell~!” Brian’s head snapped up to the end of the alley, eyes widening and body freezing in place. “What do we have– Brian?”

Jonny stared at him with glowing, red eyes, confusion written on his face.

Shit.

[cursed-iris]

please infodump about jatcch i beg i beg i beg 🙏🙏

👀 omg, omg ok SO i'm sorry in advance for my ravings because they are not going to make any sense,,

most people know about the jatcch movie ending, which is my favorite interpretation, but there's also the 2007 novel that the movie is based on and a lot of fans don't know about the 2005 dionysos album "monsters in love."

spoiler warning for the book below the cut because i be rambling-

basically, in the book jack doesn't die after kissing miss acacia. in fact, it's confirmed that there was actually nothing necessarily wrong with his heart and the three rules were just nonsense madeleine came up with to keep him dependent on her,,, which is... Not Great obviously. if i recall correctly, it's been a while since i've read it, he gets into this argument with miss acacia over joe and jack, like a total dumbass (with all due respect), starts ripping his heart out of his chest. this sends him into a coma for about three years. when he wakes up, he learns a few things:

a) méliès wrote a book about him and his heart (not important to this post per say, but that is where he learns he never needed a cuckoo clock heart in the first place, so yikes amiright?)

b) he looks different

c) everyone thinks he's dead and miss acacia is married to joe now

so, like, he's shit out of luck, but he tries to reacquaint himself with miss acacia anyway, who goes on about how she's unhappily married and how she's actually in love with this dude who died three years ago. jack's like, "omg girlie, that's me" and he gives her his old cuckoo clock heart.

instead of being happy that he's alive, miss acacia is PISSED. she's like, "dude, i thought you were dead, i'm in a loveless marriage, and i put flowers on your grave every day for the past few years. fuck you actually." she leaves and never speaks to him again, so jack returns to edinburgh as a phantom of his former self. really great stuff.

anyway, if monsters in love is canon to the jatcch storyline, it takes place directly after the end of the novel and technically makes the novel a prequel considering the album came first. anyway, i don't know exactly how much time has passed between the end of the book and the first song in the tracklist "giant jack" (banger song btw), but my guy's been through some things. he's godzilla-sized now and he's terrorizing scotland because,,,

reasons.

also, the song tes lacets sont des fées has a music video featuring jack, acacia, and what i assume is the "broken bird" (another song from the tracklist). it's weird as hell, but it does allude to the fact that maybe miss acacia returned to edinburgh at one point to perform and encountered jack, who is not doing it great let's be real. and she does not care about him tbh, which,, given whatever is going on in the music video, is valid.

we're not gonna ask questions, it's dionysos we're talking about. like i could rant all about my headcanons on what all the other songs mean and the fact that joe is probably mister chat, but this post is already long enough 😭

[bigmeandragonlady]

Finally finished the dossier template, few other things of note:

Pretty handy with a knife as well as the bow.

Can process seafood really quickly

Prefers to be at a REASONABLE height with the sky above her

If you want to know her exact birthday, you'll have to figure it out on your own or hassle her enough

Scars: a small cut on her chin, stab scar on her stomach (she fell out of a tree and impaled herself, okay), inside of her bicep, across the outside of her right wrist to her thumb, palm side of her left thumb

Tattoos: Ket tattoo on the inside of the wrist, floral sleeve on her left arm, anchor + rope + birds on one of her ankles

I kept rambling and found it hard to summarize the relationships so I've expanded under the cut. There are def rumors that she's dating or sleeping with at least half of them

Blade: they get along weirdly well. Recruits in particular are always surprised to find them casually walking together- they find her softer demeanor an odd juxtaposition to how Blade... is. Also! He is fun to tease. thinks how much she'd like to hear him whimper. It's a miracle they don't butt heads more often, considering her beef with authority. He hates when she gets together with Trouble and Chase b/c she joins them in being a group menace.

Romance: I could see it but Blade would have to make the first move and bridge that gap, as she's convinced herself she's not meant for a relationship. One of the biggest issues i would see them having is Blade's protectiveness would make her feel like she was being smothered and coddled at times.

Trouble: They get on like a house on fire. Her first friend in the order and i'm still deciding if they get arrested together or she pulls Trouble away. Very casual with physical affection and he's a personal space heater. Not a lot to say here b/c it's pretty straight forward!

Romance: Absolutely could see it happening but this would involve a third party kicking Trouble in the ass b/c he's dense as a brick. But it could very well fall apart b/c of her whole romantic relationship = bad, thing. She would realize 'i have feelings for him, but he doesn't have any idea yet' and probably distance herself which would cause confusion and hurt for Trouble, he might confide in someone and they just "she has feelings for you, dipshit"

Tallys: A little more complicated- Aelyn bounces and feeds off other ppl's personalities to interact so the cool, calm, detached thing is kind of weird sometimes b/c she's.... not that. It gets better as she eases out of survival mode. Tallys has given her a lot of tips when it comes to archery (flirting, unnecessary touching, ect included), they go on nature walks, and they do talk often.

Romance: Maybe. While they work as friends with benefits... idk if it would go beyond that. Speaking of: Tallys is absolutely the one to break that arrangement off b/c she's the first one to clock Aelyn being in deep for Chase (or just... between tallys and chase, idk how she has any energy). this is how i see it happening anyway, since aelyn is in denial and idk how willing tallys would be to be in the middle of... that. Of course, how these two fwb route interact can absolutely change things

Shery: She loves Shery. Like if she was more comfortable with casual affection Aelyn would give a hug and kiss on the head when they met up. Borderline cute aggression (I could see Aelyn getting drunk, holding onto Shery, saying "you're so adorable, what the fuck"). Shery does a good job of making her feel cared about w/o being coddled. Has loved helping her be a little more assertive

Romance: I think Shery would be too timid to kick things off and that's what Aelyn needs. I would see this being Shery falling and not saying anything.... forever. There's also the "and they were both bottoms" lol.

Riel: They get along but I wouldn't call them good friends? They respect each other but if they had no work related reason to see each other, both would be okay with that. Even if he was romanceable for a fem MC, it would not happen. Man won't even share his food.

Chase: This is hard b/c my brain kind of turns to static when I think about them. But they got on very quickly. Not as quickly as say, Trouble, but when she said 'We're square' she genuinely meant it. she got points right off the bat for tracking him down and busting into the guild solo and not really giving a shit that they're the thieves guild. He gets points for being so easy to get a long with and leading a life that would make him a huge hypocrite for judging her past choices.

Romance: He's her main romance so- It's such a fucking mess and i love mess. Fuck buddies who have caught feelings and are stupid about it b/c they don't want them. They've managed to worm past each others walls on accident and it's going to get worse before it gets better. At this point in the game, the thought of losing him or even turning down the dial on whatever they have going on is devastating, which scares her. Honestly, just how relationship avoidant I make her ultimately depends on how the torpedo + subsequent reconciliation happens.

Red: He caught her scoping the library and offered her a tour, gaining immediate friendship points. She's envious of his education but he's so open with his knowledge and resources she can't resent him. they talk about nerdy magic shit all the time and Blade is 🙄 when they start bouncing off each other.

Romance: Such a close runner up to Chase it's almost tragic. The biggest tipping point is that she met chase first. I think he would be patient enough to get past her walls and mature enough to just fucking... talk to her. There's obviously chemistry and something there that would make him pursue her. this would be overall healthier and wouldn't explode (as badly). she'd be terrified of meeting his family though.

Ayla: They're pretty protective of each other pretty quickly, they see the similarities they have and they get a long well. Aelyn makes an active effort to remind Ayla she has a place here and people she can trust. Teases her until she gets punched in the ribs.

Romance: No matter what I do I can't see them in a relationship. :| She's the only one out of the romacables (for fem MC) that I'm like hmmm no.

Halek: They get along very well and he seems to take her flirting in stride. I can see them cooking together (assuming Halek isn't one of those 'get out of my kitchen' people)- cooking and eating together is a significant bonding activity for her. She feels like Halek is a big judgment free zone so that's big friendship points for her.

Romance: Yes, if only to make a lifelong enemy of Moonsilk. I think they're compatible but I also don't know if I know his character well enough to say definitely. If he ever wants to 'hang out' she's down to clown.

Briony: Once she realized Briony was genuinely on the same side as her in the arena they were buds. She fascinated by Briony's sword and jokes that Red's blatant curiosity is rubbing off on her. Right there with Ayla with 'hey you want us to 'talk' to them 🤜' they like to walk around, arms linked, and GOSSIP

Romance: I- maybe? I could see it. Possibly. Though, apparently she and Lavinet's type is similar sooo maybe not. I don't think it would be.... great. My biggest fear is that Aelyn would actively sabotage this relationship and create a lasting wound for Briony (although tbh this is a fear for pretty much all the ROs)

Lavinet: They hold each other in high regard and their relationship is warmer then Aelyn and Riel's but but there's still a distance there. Lavinet operates very differently then she does and it throws Aelyn off. I'm not sure how true it is but Aelyn is pretty sure Lavinet would judge the shit out of her for some of the things she's done in the past. They bond over riding and girls nights though. Like Riel: even if romancable, it wouldn't happen.

Mimir: It's complicated. On one hand she does like Mimir as Mimir, loves how weird she can be. On the other, the whole god(s) thing? don't like that. She's resentful and tries real hard not to direct it at Mimir

[thevoidofwinter]

this is SUPER late bc its been A Time lately and i also kinda forgot for a while oops. BUT. a little bit of rambling about my cccc/hms designs + interpretation as requested by @keruukat :]

so first off, all three of them in my "main" designs for them are incredibly creature coded. this is literally just because i wanted to and enjoy that type of theme. mind is dragon themed, heart is... bird creature thing. themed. and soul is cockatrice themed which was actually not my idea and a big brain suggestion my friend @atticustimestwo came up with (thank you forever atticus btw. probably never would have thought of that myself sLJFKSL) !!! as a result of this, they're all incredibly instinct driven and highly reactionary. yes mind hates this.

side note, i also have different names i like using for them! mind is helios, heart is lunaris, and soul is anularis. this was mostly just to separate them when doing rps with friends but i've come to really enjoy these names :]

but with that out of the way! i'll start with my mind design bc i'm biased towards blue and dragons oops.

originally, he started out being the least creature coded of the three, both in terms how i was messing around with design and actually in how i read the "timeline" of the album, as it were. in character wise, he absolutely hated being "inferior" to the other two. he didn't have any claws to speak of, no scales, no feathers. he was the most human looking and he didnt like that. so what does he do? oh yknow.

design wise, i realized i liked leaning more into the robotic theming like a lot of people do bc idk! it's fun. why not. and then my dragon bias hit when i heard that One Line in RoE while drawing one day and the gears started turning. i still haven't ironed it out 100% drawing wise, but here's what i have so far:

a good part of the left side of his face is a screen! its default is just an eye, though it can be just about anything. it definitely turns to a clock during RoE and i do imagine it becoming super animated during TME. also glitchy from Be Born into TME as well.

his floating crown is a hologram he keeps up at most times, but the sun halo is just kind of. always there.

there's a lot of metal. like. a LOT. his neck is plated + his modulator is built into that. his entire spine is reinforced with metal. metal arms, probably some metal patches elsewhere too. and yknow the robotic dragon tail

he glows ominously in the dark. you can see that here- just kind of an aura type thing along with the glowy robotic bits on him.

he has irises and pupils, though most of the time they aren't visible bc he is. Tired. they snap into visibility when he's focused or angry though. (i have a very vivid mental image of them snapping into focus during the intro of TME)

he has mechanical wings! they're retractable and mostly are just there because, again, he couldn't bear to be "inferior" to heart and soul, who both also have wings. he can fly with them, though most of the time they're literally just for threat display. also yes, there are slits in the back of his jacket for the wings i just forget to draw them lol

he has an innate need to Be The Tallest. they're literally all the same height but this bitch wears heeled boots with metal on the soles to make himself taller.

the sun patch on his right jacket sleeve was put there by heart; the crown on the left he did himself.

he kinda??? has electricity abilities that he gained over the process of turning himself more robotic. this is important to note for a later note with soul :)

...that's all i can think of for now but i'm sure there's more i'm forgetting. its fine! onto heart :D

heart has always been the most creature coded to me, as the representation of emotion. and yknow. emotions can be pretty damn innate, instinctual, and visceral. or maybe that's just my take on it cause mine sure are lfsdkjhdfjk

i couldn't choose between black and white wings so his are both! a gradient from white into black with white speckles and purple heart-shaped markings on a few of the primary feathers :] he also has a lot of feathers in other places, such as covering his ears, his neck, chest, arms, legs, and of course tail.

his eyes aren't actually physically damaged! his near-blindness and extreme light sensitivity are actually a result of mind glowing blindingly bright (something something don't stare at the sun) after the shot, and then later the harsh red glow of soul's trident when he got the scars on his face.

his halo is a crescent moon most of the time, though it can change to different phases either on command or in reaction to his emotions. i haven't quite decided which phase stands for what yet, i'll figure it out eventually...

he loves loves loves putting patches on things, especially different textured ones. the heart patch on his hoodie sleeve is soft!

his blindfold has the phases of the moon on it! they weren't initially there as the blindfold was given to him by soul, but mind later embroidered the phases onto it during a concord loop.

his tail is actually kinda prehensile and really strong- he can totally use it to hang onto stuff and even hang off a branch upside down.

he used to be able to fly easily, but after getting his wings broken one too many times in scuffles, it's a lot more difficult to do so now. theoretically he still could with enough adrenaline, though.

he slouches a lot because of his wings, so he usually appears to be the shortest of the group. he can and will stand up straight for threat displays, though.

guy really doesn't like wearing shoes most of the time. socks it is.

aaand i think that's all i have for heart atm!

soooo, soul moment :] soul is such an intriguing guy to me. we really don't see (or hear, ig) a lot of him for a good part of the album, so tbh even to me he's still kinda an enigma. i do adore him a lot though. this guy is SO tired and done with heart and mind's shit, please let him have one (1) nap.

i went back and forth on this guy's design a whole lot before atticus suggested the cockatrice idea, and even a little bit after that i debated it for a while. should he be the most human, or appear so far disconnected that he's barely recognizable? WELL. turns out i went kinda midline with that lmao.

he has both scales and feathers to mirror heart and mind's respective features. i love a symbolism

he has a mane of feathers going down his spine, though it's usually only visible on his tail cause. yknow. clothes.

his wings are summonable, and he doesn't usually have them out cause they're HEAVY. they're a mix of draconic and feathered wings as well. he can also fly with them, though it's usually too much effort for him to even consider.

he has four red diamond-shaped lights hovering above his head at all times, like heart and mind have their respective permanent halos.

when under extreme stress/emotions, he has three light horns that manifest, reminiscent of his trident. he also glitches the fuck out

^ the visual glitching is actually a result of mind. what happened during the shot was that heart shot at mind (and missed, but the fact that heart even tried was the problem) -> when he finds out, soul unintentionally snaps and freaks the fuck out, attacking heart and mind -> mind panics and absolutely electrocutes soul, causing his form to glitch and go black and white -> ever since then, extreme emotions causes him to start glitching again!

the shadow half of him is also reactive to his emotions, though is there more often and easier than the glitching. it's pretty much his default, especially during cacophony. (i have a pretty vivid mental image of it fading into view during dream)

the back of his jacket has a trident, crown, and heart embroidered on it, something that all three of them worked on together :]

this is literally just for comedy reasons, but soul's shirt is usually a basic t-shirt, but sometimes it has text on it and the text can change at will

also have a few misc notes that i think are fun :]

while i do adore these creature-esque designs, i also want to do more abstract designs (that they're probably liable to shift to under extreme stress/it being their "true" forms), as well as closer to human designs :]

same thing with clothing designs. i'm so indecisive help. i think im gonna do all of one or two color designs, and then some alt designs where they mix and match colors some!

i do like to imagine heart is physically the strongest out of the three, mind mentally the strongest, and soul the strongest overall. just in relation to each other, of course.

...and i think that's all! at least all that i can remember right now lol, i'm likely to come back and edit this or reblog with additions when i think of more things. it's kinda intimidating to finally be posting this bc im usually so quiet on this front, but i hope whoever manages to read this giant wall of text enjoys! :D

[s-t-a-c-y-y-y]

Dog of Chaos - Part 1

Chikn stared into the void, processing everything that had happened within the last few hours. His anger from being rejected by his friends led him to transform everyone and everything into abstract, incomprehensible shapes. There wasn't a single ounce of joy left inside of the deity, and the only emotions that remained were guilt, shame, and an endless supply of dread. The whimsical music that once filled his world was now replaced with pure silence. The silence was so deafening to Chikn that it pierced his long ears like needles.

Suddenly, out of the silence, Chikn heard a familiar giggle. It was Bezel, the embodiment of time and the seemingly innocent Clock-faced being that he was naive enough to view as a guardian.

"Ha! Look what you've done, my friend!" Bezel jeered. "Oh boy, you should've seen the look on your face! The drama! The chaos! Oh my, it was beautiful!"

Chikn didn't respond, nor did he even look at Bezel. He continued staring into the void, pretending that Bezel wasn't even there. Still, Bezel approached the dog-like god, not even caring much about his emotions.

"Oh, don't be sad, buddy!" Bezel said to Chikn while stroking his head. "Maybe this will cheer you up!" Out of nowhere, Bezel grabbed out a half-empty bag of popcorn. He had been eating out of it while he watched Chikn unleash his wrath upon the world. "I've got leftovers!" Bezel giggled as he waved a piece of popcorn in front of Chikn's face.

Still, Chikn didn't respond.

Bezel started to get frustrated. "Listen, Chikn. You should be happy that this happened! You should be glad that you finally got to use your godly powers to your biggest potential! You should be PROUD!" Bezel tried to sound as motivational as possible.

"Proud?" Chikn said in an enraged tone. "I should be PROUD?"

"Woah, there, buddy!" Bezel yelped. "There's no need to bark at me like that! How rude!"

Chikn was looking directly at Bezel's face. Bezel had seen Chikn angry before, but this was the first time the anger was directed at him. It was truly terrifying. Still, Bezel tried not to show his fear to the deity. After all, dogs can detect fear. Well, that's what Bezel thought. Despite being the god of time itself, Bezel was about as bright as a digital watch with a broken screen.

"I'm not proud!" Chikn roared. "I ruined my friend's lives without them even knowing it! I destroyed everything and everyone that I've ever loved and ever known! I'm NOT proud! I'm ashamed of myself! I'm a LOSER!" Chikn's anger had led to a ring of fire developing around him and Bezel.

Bezel turned his back to Chikn. "You don't understand, do you?" Bezel whispered to Chikn. "I set this up! Your world was so boring before! It was just the same jokes repeated over and over and over again! You can only laugh at the same jokes so many times! It was HORRIBLE! I HATED IT!"

Chikn couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'You hated seeing me happy?" Chikn asked.

"Not just that, bird-dog!" Bezel hollered. "I realized how un-special everything was. I wished there was a way to fix it, and then it hit me!" Bezel continued rambling on, pacing back and forth in front of the confused and irate Chikn. "I came to your world to get you and everyone else in your world into finally doing something interesting for once, and guess what? IT WORKED! I finally enjoyed it, and so many others behind the fourth dimension did as well! It was a spectacle! The trauma, the drama, the horror, everything about it was great! You became so much better than your boring old self! That's why you should be proud!"

Chikn was trembling with rage. He loved the way life was before Bezel arrived, and apparently, people hated that. How was that a bad thing? He didn't understand. He just couldn't help but let out the loudest, most anguished scream he had ever let out. He roared as his body transformed into an abstract mess of shapes and colors. It was so unbelievable that even Bezel didn't want to look at it.

What happened after? Well, stay tuned...

[abbyslev]

𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑬 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑴𝑬- 𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬 𝑿 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹

A/N: hello my angels! i am currently working on 5 request, so i promise i am getting those done!! i was in an angsty mood, so i made this. something small!! i hope you all enjoy!

WARNINGS: character death, all angst and lightly proofread!

WC: 749

     You ran up the hill, panting and small beads of sweat forming at your forehead.

       Your shoe got stuck on the tree, making you fall. You grunt, picking yourself up quickly. “Fuck,” You mutter, collecting the books and paper that flew out of your bag. You look back up at the tower clock, wiping your knees quickly before continuing to run back up the hill. 

       You finally reached the tree, chest heaving and wiping your forehead against the sleeve of your Scout trench coat. Somewhat yours, it was Hange’s, but you wore it all the time. You set down the basket, sitting under the shade. 

       “Sorry I’m late. Stupid thing tripped me and the kids wanted me to do some stuff before I came up here.” You laugh, scratching your neck. “Anyway, Armin got me this super cool book, and it’s about some plants. I think you’d like this one.” You open your book, turning to the Venus Flytrap. “This one eats flies.”

       You push your hair behind your ear, squinting to see the words better. “It eats flies. Whatever those are, but basically the fly goes into its mouth and it shuts it and drowns it at a super deadly speed. How cool is that? I tried to look more into it, but that’s the basic rundown.” You flip the page, arm digging into the basket again. 

      You take out a sandwich, taking one part for yourself. You set the other one down in front of the headstone, chewing the sandwich slowly. “This one is good, last week’s sandwich  was bitter. Mikasa said she’s making strawberry jam tomorrow, so I'll be sure to bring some next time.” You scoot in front of the stone, sighing. 

        Your fingers trace the engraved letters, humming a small tune Jeans baby had gotten stuck in your head. ‘H-A-N-G-E  Z-O-E’

       Those are the letters you traced every week, the same thoughts running through your head. “I miss you.” You repeat for what feels like the thousandth time that day. “I wanted to come by earlier and read you this, but you know how busy it gets around here.” You adjust yourself,  laying on the floor, head beside the stone. 

        You read all the stories about the plants, even going on rambles of your own. You explained how you’d love to grow these plants with Hange, talking about how cool it would be to have your home filled with these strange vines and have food grow from the trees in your backyard.

        After hours went by, the sun went down and the stars appeared in the sky. The bright moon reflected against your skin, and soft snores filled the quiet air. The book laid softly against your chest, hair sprawled beneath you. The quiet, cold air swayed the grass, and the birds no longer sang.

       “Hey,” Someone shook your shoulders. Your eyes opened, sitting up. The book fell with a muted thud. “Wake up.” They helped you sit up, patting your back. It was Mikasa. “Oh, hey. Sorry, I fell asleep.” You yawned. “Don’t worry, it’s alright. Levi was looking for you, and I assumed you’d be here.” “What time is it?” You closed the book, setting it in the basket.

      “Ten. You should be in bed, c’mon I’ll walk you home.” Mikasa helped you pick up your belongings, carrying the basket. “Goodnight.” You kiss the top of the stone head before standing up. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep, I guess it’s just been a long week.” You fixed your clothes. Mikasa stared at the stone, noticing the food and the small origami flowers scattering near it.  You had visited Hange every week, never failing to leave them a gift and food. 

        Mikasa’s heart hurt. Her heart hurt for you, for the fact you watched your love die before you. Who begged Hange to stay, who clung on to Levi for hours, eyes in a distant place while tears poured form your eyes. Mikasa wrapped an arm around your waist, helping you down the hill. 

      “Let’s get you some dinner, yeah?” Mikasa smiled. She still noticed you had that sad look in your eyes, even after years. “Yeah, I could go for some soup.” You smile, leaning your head into hers. At least she had someone to love. She watched you stand next to Levi, pushing him around, laughing and poking fun at him, but everyone could sense something was missing. Part of you was missing. 

      But yet, Hange was somehow always with you. 

[genieswishes]

Qualifiers (Challengers Rip-off) ft. Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime

pairing: Oikawa Tooru x reader x Iwaizumi Hajime

cw: explicit language

word count: 792

summary: Nicknamed as the [up-and-coming] queen of volleyball, you live the reputation of being undefeated in junior league competitions and recruitments from top universities, all while bearing the expectation of becoming the prodigy of Japan’s Women Volleyball. In come Aoba Johsai’s top players, Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime. Ever since watching you play during the preliminary qualifiers, they’ve been interested in getting to know you. And they do.

a/n: lolol nothing to add really. enjoy.

chapter two

INTERHIGH PRELIMINARY QUALIFIERS, MIYAGI – 2012

“I heard massaging your boobs helps them grow bigger.”

“Maiko, you seriously have to get better at starting conversations.”

You laugh at the two girls next to you. Locker room talk always helped with releasing anxiety.

“No, Maiko’s right. I heard that’s why the Captain wears a D-cup.” You joke to Kanoka, jabbing at her arm. She only swats at you, shaking her head. She’s smiling though, so ball up top.

“Why do I hear my name over there?”

All three girls immediately stop their school girl giggling, answering a quick “no reason!” before closing their lockers. Niiyama finally got to the preliminary finals; after the loss that the team faced last year, coming this far only meant you needed to push yourself even further. With nationals just around the corner, there was no room for slacking off. Not to you, there wasn’t.

The cadenced tick-tock of the clock made itself known as you lace together your beaten-up court shoes. Sure, ASICS wanted to show you off as the walking advertisement for their company, but you weren’t taking any chances of losing your rhythm. You’re so used to being light on your feet that it’s become a recurring joke within the team about how often you fly out of position. Not a bad thing considering it helps you as the opposite hitter.

“Alright, girls, it’s almost time to head out!” Coach calls, knocking from outside of the room. She pokes her head inside, eyes wandering around, clearly looking for someone. You feel a chill crawl down your spine as you hear your name called out. “Step out right now.”

A murmur of ooh reverberates against the lockers, and you can only wonder how you got with some of the most immature members. For someone with light feet, your footsteps fall heavily and before you leave, you stop in front of the door dramatically. You wait for a few seconds before uttering out, “I will never forget how none of you are coming with me in support right now.”

“Get the fuck out.” is all you hear from your captain before you scutter out the door.

All you can think as you walk towards your coach is how the wind breathes some coolness against your skin, and the sun kisses you sweetly. Even better is the beautiful song that can be heard from the birds, especially how it meshes so well with the sounds of nature and the incessant ramblings that are your coach’s way of giving you life lessons.

“-And don’t let the pressure get to you, I know you say you’re fine but-”

“Coach, breathe,” You gesture to calm her nerves.

“I really do not like all these commercial vultures treating you like some dress-up doll.”

“It’s fine,” You begin to say, changing up your tune when you see the exasperated expression on her face. “Okay, I just mean that, like, it doesn’t change anything for me.”

You continue. “I barely even use any of their brand deals and stuff, just like only when it's in the contract.”

“But that’s what I mean,” Her face softened. “Volleyball should not have to be this…”

She waves around her hands in a big gesture.

“… huge thing. You’re still only in high school.”

“I know, coach… Look, I’m not even messing around with my shoes! I swear on my heart, I won’t let any of the fame and popularity mess with my game.” You dramatically cross your heart, adding a quick, “Or my head.”

Your coach only rolls her eyes, but a smile tugging at her lips and you know you got to her. She has always looked out for you, especially considering she was the one who recruited you after watching you at your junior high track event. Volleyball was never even contemplated up until that point, and had you never sought her out during the freshman club promotions, you couldn’t even imagine what it would be like. There’d certainly be less chocolates on your desk, that’s for sure.

You have a lot to thank her for, but she always refuses the many gifts your parents wrap up, except the free udon your mom serves whenever she comes to visit your family restaurant. You find that you show your appreciation best through the different matches you carry to success. So you must have thanked her… huh, you suppose you don’t have enough fingers for that.

Your teammates start to shuffle out of the locker room, and you head their way as well.

“I better see you on your best behavior today.”

A turn on your heels, and you face your coach with a salute before blurting out, “Yes My Lord!”

And all you hear in the background is the shout of your name.

[dreamspace24]

Waiting...

A/N: And now, here is part 2 of my 2-parter fic, this time from Sara's perspective! Part 1 is already up here, so please read that first! Once again thank you to Rikki for being subjected to the torture of both hearing my long-winded ramblings about this idea, and also getting to read the product before anyone else did. Your suffering helped to create this /silly I hope you enjoy!

It was quiet where she was.

It was to be expected, of course. She was alone, it seemed, entirely. But it wasn’t an awful sort of quiet. Quite nice, actually. The type of quiet where time stilled and there was nothing to think about, leaving you to just rest and listen to the sound of your heart beat. If she listened really closely, she swore that she could hear one. Or maybe she was hearing the sound of someone breathing, or maybe she heard nothing at all. 

It didn’t matter. That peace didn’t last forever. Soon, she would get up out of bed, one much too large for only one person, and start a routine she set for herself.

First, breakfast. She’d make slow movements to the kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers, figuring out as she went just what to eat. Not that she really ever felt hunger anymore, but it passed the time. And given she never got the chance to learn until now, she might as well practice cooking for him. 

She decides on simple eggs and toast. She cracks eggs and listens to the fire sizzle, pops toast into a toaster, and works the little bit of magic she knows. And if she closed her eyes, she swore she could feel hands around her waist, holding her steady. She could feel eyes watching her work in curiosity. And for a moment, she believes there is, until the toaster goes off, and she turns to see no one.

The breakfast comes out perfect, but tastes less so.

Her movements stay slow as she puts dishes in the sink and cleans them immediately, not wanting to let them pile up by waiting for later to come. When that’s done, she makes her way back upstairs, heading into the shower with towels and some nice clothes to change into. 

The water is perfectly warm. The air fills with strawberries as she cleans herself, water running down her hair. If she closed her eyes, she swore she could hear noises from outside the room. Muffled, but distinct enough to soothe her heart. The sound of a voice she loves to hear. Maybe teasing her for taking so long, or humming while he cleaned up their bedsheets.

But as she steps out of the bathroom, now clean and dressed, she sees an unmade bed.

The time it takes to make it isn’t any faster.

When that’s all done, no time has passed. Or maybe it has. The sun has risen farther in the sky, but there’s no clock to be sure of exactly what that translates to. She pays it no mind though, shuffling towards the backyard while pulling her green jacket tighter around herself. She feels no cold, but a chill still runs through her as her eyes sweep through the empty rooms. 

There’s no sound but her own footsteps and soft breaths.

No smells but the sweetness of her strawberry soap.

The only feeling she has is the fabric pressed against her fingers.

This was the worst part of waiting. The quiet.

But she made a promise.

Finally pushing the door open, she steps outside. New sounds fill the air; wind blowing through trees, birds chirping, an occasional bee buzzing by. She doesn’t jump when they come by anymore. There’s no arms for her to jump into; no one to protect her from a sting. She just waits until it’s given her a greeting and moves on. 

She walks up to the garden near the back, close to the fence, passing by a large tree. Roses, Lavenders, Marigolds, Foxgloves, Gardenias- Her eyes land on Eucalyptus and it’s the first time she’s smiled all morning. 

Kneeling in front of it, she begins to care for it. Making sure the water from before has properly drained and the soil has dried before watering again. Pruning the leaves, making it look nice and pretty for when he arrives. 

As she works, she hums old songs; the crisp smell bringing back memories. How she could always pick up mint whenever her head was pressed against his chest, no matter how long it had been. How he’d always give her his sweater when she got cold. How he’d find ways to keep her smiling, even if it was as simple as letting her throw a snowball at him, when she thought he wasn’t looking.

She wonders if she’ll get the chance to make more. 

Or if the waiting will eventually be for nothing.

It just couldn’t be possible, right? Something clearly changed- or she wouldn’t be here.

The red that stained all the snow. The way the light was caught in the ice. The image of his back turning away from her, so collected and calm. All before it blurred together and she fell asleep.

And she woke up here, without them. Without him. 

Something had changed. But just for her? It couldn’t be possible. She didn’t want to consider otherwise.

Either way, she made a promise, and so did he. She just had to wait. Even if the waiting was long and lonely. Even if it meant forever. She’d take the time to prepare everything for his arrival. Learn new skills. Prep the garden to his liking; make the house a home. It’s all she could do in the end. 

Having finished with the Eucalyptus, she moves onto the next batch of flowers that need her care. Her movements never speed up. There’s no need to. 

It would be another quiet day without him.

[odysseys-blood]

ive been having fun looking through the cards on the intimacy page and seeing what all i can understand/intepret from them and i just wanna ramble a bit about each so thats going under the cut (currently i have owyn, delos, xiel, mishe and heigl so just them until i get the others. also a little bit spoilery ofc)

no particular order so starting w/ mishe

his has the most obvious pieces i think. cityscape with a clock tower when he was raised in one after being taken in by his grandfather. books on shelves surrounding him because thats how he preferred to live etc etc. i think the stars in the inner circle could represent the sky that he loved to watch at the top of the tower during the evenings dotted with stars with everything still and calm. * i think what im most interested in is the outer ring (w/ the zodiac symbols) bc it looks a little like a magic circle and might be a nod to where he was originally from also hes got a very calm and neutral pose but i dont think theres much to glean from that

even with how much time has passed and heigl knowing his wife is dead and gone it still looks like hes waiting for her. which is funny considering her name which i have been ao sad about for days. If you didnt know, her name was Laica (which im sure is supposed to be said like laika. yknow the dog that was sent to space on a one way trip) and she left one day (on their anniversary no less) and didnt come home. but hes still there and he looks like hes thinking hard, probably about all the time he missed spending with her in favor of work. theres ofc also the gravestones at the bottom and the candles for a vigil. also did a quick look because i noticed the roses in his hand and scattered around the edges, and 3 (in his hand) can mean "i love you" and 8 (around the borders) can be a symbol of appreciation. also the roses in the border look like theyre on textile and from his backstory laica seemed to enjoy sewing and knitting.

ok from here i have a bit less to say/its a lot less concrete continuing:

owyn's looks the most peaceful to me tbh. out of all of the ones ive seen hes the only one thats smiling and seemingly content. what i will point out though are two things: one being the eagle, which im wondering is just a bird he might know or if its the one that was the messenger between helsinf and whoever it was that was warning him about people pursuing beastmen like owyn, and the other being the flowers in the border. unlike with heigl's theyre kind og hidden behind the border designs which feels to me like it represents his past with experimentation (and from what i can tell it was probably experiments eith the vialis curse). i wonder if he still thinks about it at all

i think the first thing i noticed is just how. empty delos' feels. like its still just as elaborate as the others so i dont mean that it LOOKS empty..but it FEELS like it is. despite how confidently he appears for the most part in the actual story here it looks like hes trying to hide. he doesn't want to be seen and i think its a mix of not wanting to take on his father's duty as the zarketh yet (mix of not feeling worthy of the role as well as feeling that if he takes it then its the same as writing off his father as dead which u see in the current event) plus feeling shame for not being the protector he swore he would be even if nothing that happened to his family is his fault. because at the end of the day he was supposed to be there for them no ifs ands or buts. and while the ocean is an important part of zarcove and a symbol of it i think you could also take it for the feeling of him drowning in his own insecurities and grief and lonliness

i forgot who i saw point it out or if it was on here or twit ill look late but i really didnt notice at first that he isnt smiling. i guess bc it looks so close to his actual sprite and he has a small smile there but it rly is a blink-and-you-miss-it detail i like. honestly to me his feels a bit empty like delos' just instead that "emptiness" is filled w/ a pretty background that screams opulence but like. it means little to him because thats just what he was expected to inherit. honestly while it has a church look to it (which i wouldnt understand much rn how that would fit in anyways i havent unlocked his last room) it does also remind me of a bird cage a little and i wonder if the floating pages have anything to do with all of the books and general entertainment he just couldn't have while growing up

[compassmili]

Miscellaneous Sinner things... Under the cut because of how long it is. Faust wrote these all out and I'm just pasting them here

Q: Do you have any ships with your OC, canonical to their story or otherwise?

John was previously with a woman of the name of Myra. In the present, she is canonically in a "situationship" with Outis, as well as Hermine. Non-canonically, she is shipped with Balladyna and Nameless. Although non-canonical, these are just as important

Gaia has a dead girlfriend from her past, and after her Canto, canonically gets together with Don Quixote. Faust is unaware if there are any noncanonical ships.

Esther had a partner previously, Dietrich. They have since parted ways, although he continues to haunt her.

Q: If your OC distorted, what would be design, name and description of their distortion?

Gaia is the only one out of ours who Distorts. The name is undecided as of yet, however it has a focus on birds and time. Her face is obscured, a gaping hole in her chest. A clock serves as her halo. She gains harpy legs rather than human ones, and her forearms become covered with feathers, hands and nails turned to unsightly talons. It needs to be workshopped, as it's still a bit too human.

It is undecided as to if Turtle Dove will distort. If she were to, the name "Grus Cantus [α]" is a possibility. Reap would turn into a skeletal bird, specifically with traits of cranes and doves. Reap would move in awkward motions, as if noise was a puppet.

Q: Do any of our OCs actually HAVE birthdays?

Gaia's is October 31st, Turtle Dove's is January 1st, Esther's is November 26th, One's is August 1st, and Kainé's is August 7th.

Q: What’s your OCs’ speech patterns?

John's speaking patterns are not portrayed accurately within the chatroom. John, when not spewing a simple insult, has a tendency to go on long rambles, saying everything that goes through her mind. She is well educated, having graduated from what the City equivalent of an Ivy League would be (Harvard, Faust believes, it was in the source book.) and it shows in her speech. She refuses to use the word "God", as well, as she vehemently denies his existence. Even by using the word, she speaks Him into existence, and validifies Him.

Gaia... It is hard for Faust to describe. She is not formal, just straightforward, but there is still a sense of authority as to how she speaks. Rather than simply saying "God" in her expressions, she will refer to "Gods" or "The Twelve." She also often mentions the idea of "darkness", and has a heavy focus on time. She will comment on the time often, as a lot of her life revolves around it.

Amanda speaks infrequently, but she's bitter and to the point whenever she does. Truly, the best example of her speaking patterns is the quote, "Yeah, and why don't we get him some corticosteroids! Why don't you tell me something I don't know, you stupid cunt!"

Turtle Dove, before her Canto, is expressionless and without much to say. If prompted for a response, she will give the most neutral and effective one. After her Canto, she voices worry and concern for others often. Reap hums and mentions "Reapers", "The Producer", "The Composer", etc, often. Reap also refers to and treats her stuffed animal as a living being, which is shown in how she talks to/about it.

Before his Canto, One does not speak. He does not have a reason to. Afterwards, his speech is a bit stilted, but his well meaning demeanor shows. He may mumble prayers on occasion, or express a wish to atone.

Kainé is... Ah, she's wildly vulgar. A lot of what she says is not appropiate for this server. She is violent and swears often, seemingly threatening others every other sentence. Kainé often makes the "tch" sound, as well, and groans in frustration often. She will drag out her words, such as, "Shut the fuckkkkkkkkkk uppppppppppp!" rather than simply, "Shut the fuck up."

Esther is typically very polite in her speech, although she is short tempered. While fighting, she still shows her enemy some respect in how she talks to them. She speaks of God often, and can be found praying. Refers to people with... Ah, what are they called? What a pain English is. Titles? No, that isn't it. In any case, she refers to others as Madam, Miss, Sir, etc.