#that crab had crazy energy

[corneredcopia]

💃🕺 more dancing stobotnik 🕺💃

[sanguineterrain]

THE PT2 OF REPORTER! READER AND JASON OH.MY.GOD I LOVEEEED IT could you pleaaase do a pt3? 🙏 i need them to kiss already 😩 maybe someone from the batfam or even roy go to jason's house and be like ??????who are you????? to reader please💕 i love your writing, i hope you have a nice day💖

here it is! hope y'all enjoy :) part 1 | part 2

jason todd x gn!reporter!reader. tw: gunshot wounds, injured jason, nightwing cameo, patching up, kissing. almost 2.2k

****

You're being a snoop.

In your defense, you're a reporter with too much time on your hands in the Red Hood's apartment. It's impossible not to snoop.

It's also been four days since you moved in. You kind of feel like a crazy ex, hunting for proof that Hood's cheating on you.

So far, you've found nothing except for a worrying amount of hidden firearms. There's a handgun in the toaster. What the hell.

You've been trying to work on the case, but it's hard to investigate when you're in witness protection. Hood is out right now chasing a lead. He had said not to worry about it, but how can you not? How can you not worry about him?

You glance at the clock. 9:24. Hood was supposed to be home half an hour ago. He said he was chasing a lead. You didn't want him to go alone, but you're also pretty shit at avoiding assassins, so.

You've ordered Chinese food from the select list of restaurants Hood said you can order from. He left a wad of cash for you to use. When you paid, you had a moment's pause.

Is the Red Hood your sugar vigilante?

Hm. Not something you're willing to explore right now.

You chew a nail and pick at a crab rangoon. Hood miraculously (or, maybe not so much, considering his stalker tendencies) chose your favorite Chinese restaurant. Usually, you'd have gobbled up your dinner by now. But you can't stop looking at the clock.

The floorboards in the hall creak. You're up instantly, and you go to the door. You wait for Hood's confirmation text that it's him outside. It doesn't come.

There's hushed voices. You run back to the toaster and grab the gun. You have no idea how to use it, but it can't be that hard, right? Point and shoot?

The door opens. You aim the gun. Right in Nightwing's face.

"Whoa," he says, lifting his free arm. His other holds up Hood, who's bleeding from his shoulder and thigh. Holy fuck.

"Safety's on, smarty," Hood slurs, more than a little out of it. "We gotta fix y'posture."

"Oh my God," you say, dropping the gun and racing to help Hood.

Nightwing takes a step back. Hood grunts as he's dragged along.

"Uh, who are you?" Nightwing asks.

"Gotham Gazette," you say on instinct.

"They're w'me," Hood mumbles. "Pu' me down, Wing."

"Why do you have a civilian in your apartment?" Nightwing asks, helping Hood onto the couch.

You run into your bedroom and return with two pillows to support Hood's head.

"You got shot?" you ask, voice going high. "What the actual fuck, Red?!"

"Hood, why do you have a civilian in your apartment?"

Hood groans. "Can we save questions for th'end?"

"Jesus," Nightwing says. "You're ridiculous."

"That's what I said," you grumble, removing Hood's equipment.

"Great. There's two 'f ya. This is why I didn't wanna come here," Hood says. "My reporter gets nervous, Dickface."

"You coming home shot would make any reasonable person nervous, you jerk," you say, scowling.

"Oh my God," you whisper. "God, Red, what did you—"

You peel back Hood's jacket. His undershirt is sticky with blood and singed skin. Your first real, live gunshot wound.

"Wing's got it, sweet," Hood says. "Go on, y'don't gotta see this. 'S gross, I know."

"I'm not going anywhere," you say firmly. You look at Nightwing. "Do you have a problem with me being here?"

"Well, a civilian shouldn't—"

"Good. What do you need from me?"

"Go have a cup'a tea," Hood says.

You glare. "I wasn't talking to you, Helmet Boy."

"Ever hear'a bedside manner?"

"No. Hence why I'm a reporter."

Hood slumps against the couch. That worries you more—if he doesn't have the energy to fight back, his injuries must be bad.

Anxiously, you look at Nightwing. He presses his lips together and then makes a decision.

"Okay. I need hot water and the first aid kit under the microwave."

You nod. "Got it."

You fetch his requests and return. Nightwing gets to work on Hood's thigh first. You hover, finally settling near Hood's head. He's in his undershirt, his tactical pants, and his boots. You touch the side of his helmet. He turns his head to you.

"Didn't I tell ya t'beat it?" he asks.

"Can't get rid of me that easily." You look at Nightwing. "Is it bad?"

"His thigh isn't bad. Bullet missed anything major and went clean through. I'm just patching him up. Gave him some painkillers. Gonna be a bit before they kick in."

You watch Nightwing pull a needle through Hood's skin for half a second before you turn away. Hood grunts.

"Don't gotta stay," he says quietly. "Lotta blood."

"You're hurt," you say. You don't know what else to say, how to put your urgency into words. Physically, you can't leave Hood's side.

"'M tough," he mumbles. "Toughest guy on the block."

"Dumbest too," Nightwing says, cutting the thread.

"Look who's talkin'."

Their dynamic is odd. Not what you expected, considering how empty the outside of Hood's fridge is. You couldn't find any other photos of friends or family.

"Alright." Nightwing sighs and shifts over. "Now the shoulder. Hood, did it go through?"

"'Fraid not, Blue. Gonna hafta deep dive."

You make a weak noise in your throat. Nightwing pinches Hood's side. Hood winces.

"No, no. I was jokin'. Stupid joke. Sorry."

"I should've never let you go out alone," you say.

"Let me? 'M a stubborn man. Even the Bat can't make me do shit."

"Understatement of the century," Nightwing says, studying the wounds. "You're gonna need to take off your helmet for this one."

They both look at you. You puff up.

"I'm not—"

"Look," Nightwing says gently. "I know you're—"

"Blindfold! You can blindfold me." You get up and look around. "What can we use for a..."

"I think I have a black tie in the top middle drawer," Hood says.

You race to his room and race back with the tie. It smells like the same lavender detergent as your sheets. Nightwing and Hood are whispering when you return; they stop talking as soon as you enter. You pretend not to notice.

"'Kay. Nightwing?" You hand him the tie. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Weirdest patching up I've ever done," Nightwing says.

"I've had weirder," Hood says.

Nightwing ties the tie around your head. "Okay?"

You nod. "Good."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Hood asks.

You roll your eyes. "I don't know, Red."

"Don' roll ya eyes a'me."

You raise your brows. "How did you—"

"Magic. Do it, Wing."

There's some rustling, a click, and then you can hear Hood's breathing, just like you did a few nights ago.

"This is gonna hurt," Nightwing warns.

Hood hums. "Nothing I can't handle."

The sound of a bullet being dug out of flesh is one you never want to hear again. Hood's strangled groan is a million times worse.

"Almost done, Little Wing," Nightwing whispers. "I'm sorry. Almost done."

"Red?" You inch forward, searching for his hand. He takes it and squeezes.

"'M fi–ine," he says, sounding very much not fine. "Ah, shit. Ha-hate shoulder wounds."

You move closer, cradling his whole arm. Hood grunts. He strokes your knuckles with his thumb.

"'S okay," he says. "'M okay."

His breathing returns to normal after several minutes. You hold his hand the entire time. There's some rustling, and you hear Nightwing stand.

"He'll be okay. He just needs to rest."

"What can I do?" you ask, blindfold still on.

"Well—"

"Nothin'," Hood says. "I'm peachy. Just needa sleep it off."

You whip your head around. "You got shot!"

"Not my first bullet and won't be my last. Here, lemme put on my helmet—"

"Hood, no! My God, you're insane."

"You're realizing this now?" he asks. "'S fine, I can do it—"

"Okay!" Nightwing says loudly. "I'm gonna go. It was nice to meet you. I'm glad Hood has a..."

"Reporter," Hood finishes.

"...Right. A reporter who... cares so much about him. Uh-huh."

It's quiet for a moment. You know they're having a conversation, but you can't see them.

"Don't tell B," Hood says.

Nightwing laughs. "Oh, you're in the shit. A reporter in your apartment and two bullet wounds? You owe me big."

"We're working a case together, and I'm not trying to expose Hood," you say. "I don't even care who you two are."

That is a lie, but whatever. Vigilantes are a paranoid breed. You can relate.

Nightwing sighs. "Alright, okay. I won't say anything. Make sure he doesn't bleed out. If anything changes, call me on his phone."

"I will. Thank you for helping him."

"What I'm here for," Nightwing says, and he sounds like he means it. "Hood?"

"'M fine, Wing. Go home to your girl."

"Ahem. Right. Good night."

The window creaks and then it's just you and Hood. You make yourself comfortable on the floor next to the couch, blindfold still on. You don't mind the dark. Touching Hood, you feel safe.

"Red?"

"Hmm?"

"Oh. Thought you were asleep."

"No, but Wing's lecture had me gettin' there." He squeezes your hand. "Y'okay?"

"Yes."

You lace your fingers together. Hood's hand is cold. You hold it close and try to warm it up.

"Take that off," he says. "I'll put the helmet on."

"Don't be an idiot. You'll jostle your stitches."

"Bossy, bossy..."

You sigh. "Red, whatever you did tonight—"

"Y'know I won't let anything happen to you, right?" he says. "Right?"

"What if you'd died tonight, Hood?"

You eyes are damp. He squeezes your hand again.

"I wouldn't. Not goin' anywhere."

"You have no control over that, and making such promises is outrageous. Why wouldn't you get proper medical attention?" you ask.

"'Cause that requires Batman, and he and I had a tiff."

"A tiff."

"Mmhm."

It sounds like more than that, but you drop it.

"Red, I was so worried."

"Smarty, th' others would take care of ya if anything hap—"

"I was worried about you! I was worried you weren't coming back, Red."

Silence.

"I... I care about you. I mean, yeah, I care about the case, and I wanna bring in the bad guys, but shit, Red. Not at your expense."

He lets go of your hand. Then, a finger dances across your cheek. You gasp.

"Y'really trust me, huh?" he asks quietly.

"Of course." You swallow. "Hood, of course I trust you."

"Shit." A thumb on your lip. "Shit, smarty pie. Why y'trust me so easy?"

His accent is thick with exhaustion. You love it.

"You have a nice voice," you say unthinkingly.

"Goddamnit." He huffs. "You gotta go t'bed, sweetheart."

Your heart pounds. "Why?"

"'Cause otherwise I'm gonna kiss ya. And this whole thing is gonna go t'shit. And you're my favorite reporter."

You lean in. "Red—"

"No." He catches your cheek with his hand. "Bad reporter. Breach a' ethics."

"I'll let you," you say. "Do it, I won't stop you."

"This is the adrenaline talkin'. You were scared, that's why."

You shake your head. You've never been more sure of anything. But you have to make sure that he's sure.

You grab his wrist. "Are you thinking clearly? Are you high?"

"Wing gave me one painkiller, sweet. Takes at least three t'knock me out."

And that weighs you down for a moment, remembering that Hood isn't what you thought he was. He isn't a villain. He's a man who's known unfathomable amounts of pain. He's a man who's killed men. Who'd kill for you.

A man made of flesh and blood and scars and dark curls and a warm, warm neck and... and...

"Shit," Hood says.

And then he kisses you. For a second. Then he pulls back.

"Sorry," he whispers against your mouth. "Sorry, I—"

"No."

You pull him back, cupping the back of his neck. He makes a tiny noise. You start to speak, to worry, but Hood keeps you still with a hand on your arm.

His mouth is hot, a little uncoordinated, but sweet all the same. You're careful to follow his lead. His lips are chapped. He has a little scruff; you stroke his face. It suits him. Anything would.

You cannot turn away from this. From him. That is certain.

You pull away for breath and so you don't undo Nightwing's hard work. You listen to Hood's harsh breathing, pleased that you're the reason for it.

"Wait," he says. "Wait, l-lemme—"

Hood starts to pull off your blindfold. You grab it instantly.

"Red, no. Don't show me just because we kissed."

"But y'don't-don't even know what I look like. How d'you know I'm somebody y'wanna kiss?"

"Because I do. And I will kiss you in the dark for as long as you want me to. Don't do it just because you're afraid of losing me otherwise."

He draws circles on your cheek with his thumb. "Trusting me like that 's crazier than anything I've done, smarty."

"Well, don't we make quite the pair?"

"What, crazy?"

You smile. "I was thinking brave. But it is a fine line."

[merlucide]

PLEASEEEEE CAN YOU WRITE HEADCANONS WITH RIN, KAISER, SAE, OTOYA AND REO AND A SHYREADER WHOS SHY AROUND PEOPLE SHE DOESNT KNOW BUT CRAZZYYYY AROUND PEOPLE SHE DOES KNOW PLSSSSS

BLLK BOYS WITH A SHY BUT CRAZY S/O

Notes: OFC WIFEY. Also… this scenario, seems, a bit self insert don’t you think…. 👀 ALSO LMAO I MADE READER UNHINGED?? SO- SORRY LMAO?

characters: Rin, Sae, Kaiser, Otoya, Reo

wc: about 300ish each

warnings: nb reader, cursing, randomness + cringe lmao😭

ITOSHI RIN

Well tbh, y’all probably had to have been friends for a loooong time for him to ever considering dating you 😭😭

So Rin had a good understanding of your personality, as you had known each other pretty much since the beginning of time.

He never understood how your personality went from 0 to 1000 whenever you two are alone. 

He prob thinks ur on drugs tbh

He’ll be your voice for you if you can’t seem to communicate with strangers, though he might not be the friendliest no shit.

he thinks it’s dumb that you’re shy tbh

He’s small minded about these things okay 😭

He never ever will get used to your bursts of crazy energy.

he swears he’ll turn around and you’ll have a horse mask on with a tutu around your waist

ITOSHI SAE

lmao you give him terrible whiplash.

He too, also thinks you’re on drugs.

You and Sae would like be at the airport on the way to Japan, his manager would be going over the details and precautions for going to Japan (yk fans and press or whatever etc etc).

His manager looked over to you and asked if you were alright, since you literally hadn’t spoken a word since he introduced himself a two hours ago. 

You nodded and followed Sae and his manager onto the private jet(cus he’s rich-rich😌🤭)

Once y’all were settled, his manager closed you and Sae’s cabin door. 

Sae looked over to see if you were alright, since traveling and yadda yadda can be overwhelming.

You were fucking giggling like an underwater hyena (that’s a thing I bc I fucking said so bitch).

You grabbed his hands and pulled back and forth giggling about how stoked you were rn.

LMAO HE WAS TOTALLY LOOKING AT U LIKE THIS

KAISER MICHEAL

lmao he was disturbed at first 💀

like “wtf happens to my shy, sweet, s/o??”

He’ll like be getting a glass of water at night and in the corner of his eye, you hold a flashlight at your face with a blanket wrapped around you. Staring into his soul, inches behind singing.

“hello darkness my old frienddd~”

He just blinked at you for a while. 

“Y/N what the fuck is wrong with you.”

ANYWHOOO!

He thinks it’s funny af though

Like how nervous you get around his teammates and then when y’all are home you start cartwheeling.

You sure keep his life ✨spontaneous✨

OTOYA EITA

LMAO A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

YOUR RANDOM AF.

HES RANDOM AF.

= SOULMATES

he thinks it’s so cute how shy you are

He loves that bc ur shy around strangers you cling/stay close to him. He feels so sigma male bc he’s ’protecting’ you🐺🐺🔊🔊🗣️🗣️😏😏

Someone humble him please.

LMAO HE’LL GO LIKE:

“Babe watch this😏” and ninja pose really fast LIKE A LITTLE KID DABBING

And you’ll be like:

“Nah watch this😌” *does the worm*

Y’all T-pose at pidgend together 💕 #couplegoals

MIKAGE REO

LMAO HE’LL BE DAYDREAMING AND LIKE-

“My dearest Y/N! Oh they’re such an angel! They’re so pretty and kind and perfect! And amazing- is that them in a dinosaur inflatable doing the WAP in 6 inch heels?”

lmao kinda how it goes

He never really gets used to the switch up.

It makes him so happy that you feel comfortable to be yourself around him, even if that means painting yourself pink and putting googly-eyes on while blasting the Peppa Pig intro💗

He loves hearing people talk about you too.

“Oh y/n is really shy, but they’re nice I guess?” Like hah okay..

Pretty sure they weren’t crab walking in a tuxedo with a kazoo in their mouth playing Sinfonia N°9 Coral in D Minor, Op. 125: 1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso by Beethoven 🙄🙄

LMAO I HAD NO IDEA WERE I WAS GOING WITH THIS. I WAS LIKE “wtf am I gonna do😦”

made April 21st 2024

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

I was re reading your pool fic bc it’s one of my favourite and I wanted to ask ab how Vil would go over giving you a make over when he finds out you’re a girl or how Vil, Rook and Epel would be involved?

Would Epel finally be happy to not be the only one being tortured by Vil with his 20084 step skin care routine?

Would Vil take you shopping and go full MUA?

Would Rook stalk you so Vil can find our about your current beauty regimen?

Also I love your writing so much

Aforementioned Makeover | Yandere Pomefiore

The thing about the pool party is that everyone knew you were a girl 

You had told them straight up

But they either written it off or the time you casually mentioned it or it just wasn’t a priority

Rook most definitely already knew 

More than willing to share one of his extensive photo albums on you when Vil finally decides you are indeed in need  of a makeover

Whether it’s through Rook or forcefully making Epel ask or just interrogating you himself

He’ll go full steam ahead once he has an idea on your situation

But it gets tricky when he realizes Rook’s has a loooonggg list of things he notices and actively updates about your health and routine

It kind of makes him jealous

So he steps up his game a little and demands your presence in Pomefiore immediately

He might wait for exam season where everyone’s on edge 

And far too anxious to debate whatever craziness he’s imposing on the Ramshackle Prefect

“This is just for the time being, no need to lose your head. Focus on your exams and I’ll focus on you. Got that?”

He’s reworking your entire life routine to fit around and with him in the center

Because Rook get’s to openly patrol and monitor you he’s not upset

He also expected it’d turn out this way but that’s a discussion for another time+

Epel though is at first willing to excuse himself

Leaving you to the proverbial wolves until he realizes what this means

“After the fitting, we’ll polish their elegance training, and then after that we’ll have to do a hearty meal otherwise they’d whine all day–” “I agree!”

“But they told me that tomorrow we’d go to the racing derby together…”

“Hm, well we’ll have to cancel that then. (Y/n)’s incredibly short energy and requirements for tomorrow can’t have them waking up too early to go to that. We only have time for what we’ve planned.”

“Yup sorry, monsieur crab-apple! Now please continue Roi du Poison!” 

“...”

If he doesn’t actively include himself or remind Vil of his obsession with training him

He’s going to be left out

Lose more time to get close to you

Less chances for him to win you over

Not to mention the bonding and learning he gets from just aiding his upperclassmen in their endeavors

“Now this Epel is the perfect time to ask questions. In this condition their mental state is still intact, so any questions you ask isn’t immediately going to be met with mindless and incoherent blubbering.”

“But why would I want to ask questions? What good is talking to this piece’a crap gonna do?”

“Tsk Tsk pauvre malheureux you have so much to learn! Consider this prey the beginning of a larger scheme…a member of a conspiracy against notre chéri!” 

“I see…”

Unbeknownst to him he’s prepared to use it all against them when the perfect time strikes

But it’s not wise to underestimate your teachers 

Where do you think that urge came from?

“We at Pomefiore value beauty above most, consider it a privilege we want to highlight yours.” 

“Though the urge to lock it away is palpable; for my Roi du Poison I’ll stiffle my urges just a tad longer!”

“Don’t expect to get too far from me I’m mo’ than set onya heart.”

“Epel!”

“I know I know, geez.”

[angellesword]

BAGGAGE l JJK (02)

Summary: Drowning in debt and blood, Jeon Jungkook knows he's better off alone, lest he brings people down with him.

But one drunken night changes everything.

In a blink of an eye, Jungkook found himself drowning not only in debt and blood, but also in dirty diapers and judgmental stares from you, a.k.a his long-lost love and the guardian of the son he didn't even know existed.

Genre and warnings: best friends to lovers, co-parenting, idiots in love, slow burn—really slow burn, mutual pining, angst, fluff, implied smut, kissing, minor character death, slight getting back together, cursing, blood, stabbing, loan sharks, OC cusses excessively so watch out

Pairing: dad! Jungkook x adoptive mom!Reader

Word Count: 2.6k

←Previous Chapter (01) | Next Chapter (03) →

******

Eight Years Ago; 2015

Jungkook couldn’t lie. Life at Port Mafia was exhausting him down to the bones, but he felt an onslaught of energy rush through him when he saw you leaning on your car while waiting for him.

“Oho~ Perfect timing. My best friend is here to pick me up~.” Jungkook said in a sing-song voice as he happily skipped down your car. Unfortunately, you didn’t mirror Jungkook’s glowing mood.

“Yeah, I’m here to save your shitty ass from perishing. Here—” You pushed a paper bag into Jungkook’s chest before opening the passenger’s door and shoving him inside.

Normally, Jungkook whined about how roughly you treated him, but he couldn’t ignore the savory aroma wafting from the paper bag anymore. Jungkook had no time for drama when his stomach was growling this loud.

“Crazy bastard. When was the last time you ate!?” You scowled as soon as he entered the car.

Jungkook ignored your question. His eyes glistened with crystals when he saw a container full of crab spring rolls. His favorite! He happily uttered your name and asked, “Are these for me? Can I eat them all?”

A scoff escaped your lips when Jungkook stuffed five spring rolls in his mouth in one go. His question did not need a response, but you answered anyway: “You’re the only one I know who eats spring rolls like there’s no tomorrow. Of course, you can eat them all. I made them for you.”

“Aw, aren’t you a sweetheart~?” Jungkook licked his fingers before extending his arm to demand, “Now give me a drink.”

Room-temperature bottled water touched Jungkook’s hand.

“Huh?” Jungkook didn’t accept the water and looked at you with confusion. “Why are you giving me this bland drink? I want banana milk!”

“Shut your trap!” You unscrewed the bottle cap and forced Jungkook to drink it. “You don’t eat in time and even refuse to drink water. You really wanna die, huh?”

Jungkook’s lips puckered. He breathed, “I agree on the last part, but you got something wrong. I do drink water! I just prefer it with flavor. Jimin-hyung and I had coffee earlier. Although, it’s too bitter for my liking..”

A pause.

Jungkook shut his mouth when he noticed your frown deepen. There was a limit to his jokes, and Jungkook knew this. You and Jungkook had been friends since you were five. You might curse and beat him, but you cared for Jungkook. You really lived up to being his best friend.

“You haven’t eaten all day, and your precious hyung made you drink coffee? Very good,” you said sarcastically.

Jungkook let out a breath, “Hey, it’s not like that, okay? We were busy at the office all day. You know we’re a start-up business.”

Start-up, my ass. The words died down in your throat. Some things didn’t need to be voiced out for them to be valid. One look at Jungkook, and your chest tightened. The bags under Jungkook’s eyes were deep and black. If you argued now, Jungkook would be more exhausted. You didn’t have the heart to watch your best friend suffer. You just wanted to bring him home.

“Right.” You gulped and leaned closer to Jungkook to help him buckle his seatbelt. The move invaded Jungkook’s personal space. He could feel your hot breath on his neck.

You owned a secondhand car that Jungkook helped you pick. The previous owner said it was fully depreciated, but you thought it worked perfectly fine—except maybe the seatbelt. Jungkook always lost his temper every time he fastened this ridiculous thing.

You had to do it for him.

Normally, it took two seconds or less to fasten one’s seatbelt, but for some reason, you took a long time helping Jungkook buckle up, almost as if you wanted to stay in this position for the rest of your life.

“Take care of yourself, alright?” Click. The seatbelt was locked in place. You straightened your back and drove the car.

Present; 2023

Nostalgia hit Jungkook in the face like torrential rain.  As of the moment, you, although allowing Jungkook to sit in the passenger seat of your car, had no intention of getting close to him or whatever.

Jungkook heaved a deep sigh.

It was too cold inside your car. Everything had truly changed. Jungkook often complained about the broken air conditioning of your cheap vehicle back then. However, you were driving a top-of-the-line car now.

The atmosphere was awkward. If someone were to tell Jungkook that he’d one day sit inside your car in silence, he would surely call that person crazy.

There was never a dull moment when he was with you. Currently, the only sound that could be heard was the seatbelt warning signal.

Jungkook hadn’t fastened his seatbelt. It was unknown if he had forgotten about it or lost his mind, thinking he had traveled back to when you still fastened his seatbelt.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen again. The only thing you could do was remind him about it.

“Buckle up,” you clenched his jaw. ‘Buckle up’ was the second thing you had said to Jungkook after many years of not seeing each other. You two were at the facade of The Guild earlier. Jungkook was rooted on the ground for a long time, thinking he had gone insane to imagine you waiting for him just like before.

But when he returned to his senses, you were still standing before him, and then you opened your car door, gesturing for Jungkook to hop in.

Jungkook didn’t know what kind of demon (presumably the greedy one) had possessed him to enter your car.

Blame it on his brain that short-circuited, relying only on what happened years ago. He didn’t even hesitate. He just got the hell in, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

What was unnatural was how he tried to fasten his seatbelt. He was a bit drunk, after all. His brain was working slower than usual. Jungkook buckled up while wearing the thick yellow Ronald McDonald gloves.

It took him seven tries before realizing that he should remove the gloves, but before he could, you had already leaned closer, buckling the seatbelt for him.

So much for not helping Jungkook, huh?

Since you were close, your unfamiliar scent assaulted Jungkook’s nose. Gone was the soft fabric conditioner that usually stained your clothing. It was replaced by something expensive that seduced someone instead of overwhelming their senses.

Jungkook suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. In all honesty, it wasn’t just him. The strong smell of alcohol on Jungkook terrorized you—instantly turning your mood sour.

“You are drunk.” You moved away, focusing on driving once again. Your hand clenched the steering wheel tighter.

Jungkook didn’t speak. He knew how much you hated it when he drank. It brought you pain and memories from the past you’d rather forget.

Jungkook trembled just thinking about those harrowing memories. Meanwhile, despite your apparent anger, you still turned on the car’s heater when you noticed Jungkook shivering; this awakened another memory.

Once, Jungkook couldn’t stop complaining about how hot it was inside your old car, so you, completely crazy over him, brought out a folding fan to help Jungkook cool down.

It was ridiculous and sweet at the same time. Imagine driving with one hand while using the other to fan the annoying person in the passenger seat. Jungkook didn’t have the heart to see you suffer like this, so he snatched the folding fan from you and fanned himself. Besides, it was dangerous.

Looking back, you had always risked many things to make him happy. Jungkook’s heart throbbed at this realization.

So many years had passed, but you still found a way to care about him.

Jungkook found that he couldn’t take it. He wanted to get away right now. 

“Where are we going?” He asked. Only now did he realize how stupid he was to get into this car.

You opened your mouth to speak, then closed it again. You wanted to say something but changed your mind at the last minute.

“Where do you live? I will bring you home.”

“No need.” Jungkook turned you down in a heartbeat. Who would have thought you would clench your jaw and disagree?

“You are drunk. I am bringing you home.”

Jungkook inhaled sharply. There must be something wrong with his head when he wished to see you. Your relationship was severed years ago. You two no longer understood each other. Just look at you—even your way of speaking changed. Jungkook’s tooth ached while listening to you talk formally.

But in the end, Jungkook told you the way home—just not his exact address.

“I’ll be okay here. The streets going to my apartment are narrow. Your car won’t be able to get in.” This wasn’t a lie. Jungkook lived in the poorest area of the city. Going there would only burden you, especially because many gangs waited there. They did not appreciate newcomers. Besides, your car was too flashy. You might end up walking home with a stab wound.

Thinking about that ugly scene, Jungkook shivered again. “Seriously. Just drop me off here. I’m not that drunk, okay?”

It was meant to be a reassuring statement, but your face turned ashen upon hearing that. The rims of your eyes even went red.

Jungkook touched on a sensitive topic that made your heart beat like a drum. He expected you to lash out just like before, but contrary to Jungkook’s thoughts, you simply pursed your lips like you were enduring something painful.

And then you finally stopped the car.

“Contact me.” You handed a calling card to Jungkook. The latter hesitated to receive it because for what? Why did you two need to contact each other again?

You sensed his hesitation. Your grip on the calling card constricted. You almost pushed it to Jungkook’s chest.

“Give me yours,” you demanded as if you knew your former best friend would never call you.

Jungkook held his sneer. He didn’t have a business card. Nobody would want them, so what’s the purpose of printing?

“I’ll call you.” Jungkook snatched the business card and hastily opened the door. He got out in the blink of an eye.

You were stunned but didn’t stop him.

“Thank you for the ride. Happy New Year. See you around.” A lie. He would not see you ever again.

It was too embarrassing. Jungkook was not used to feeling his heart beat crazy again. He was an old man now. He couldn’t handle intense emotions.

Seeing you after a long separation opened wounds he thought had already healed.

He fooled himself. He was a clown.

Literally.

Jungkook went straight to the comfort room of his apartment. His system really knew how to cooperate, huh? He was only vomiting now that he was out of your judgmental stares.

But really, could he blame you? Jungkook also looked at his reflection in the mirror, judging his clown self. He wished the brown patches in the mirror could cover it whole.

He didn’t want to see his face—didn’t want to think that he really met you while wearing the Ronald McDonald mascot costume.

Jungkook: “...”

Jungkook punched the mirror. 

And then let out an animalistic groan.

Jungkook hated physical pain, but he had a rush of dopamine seeing his hand bleed.

His thought of wanting to die was unleashed. He suppressed his pain and anger for years but couldn’t hold on any longer.

Just for today, Jungkook wanted to let it out. It was New Year, after all. He swore this was the last time he’d cling to his past.

And so he punched the mirror one more time. It hurt. It hurt so much that he wanted to cry or die.

Jungkook collapsed on his bed, breathing heavily.

Breathed in.

A tear fell.

Breathed out.

More tears.

He couldn’t die, so he just cried until he fell asleep.

***

Jungkook was jolted awake the next day by the banging on his apartment door. The sound was piercing, perfectly and annoyingly matching his pounding head.

A groan escaped Jungkook’s lips. He had to drag his heavy body to open the door. His eyes were still bleary from having woken up, and before he could properly look at the person in front of him, a knife had already penetrated his skin.

“Good morning, Jungkook-ah. I’ve come collecting debts~” The person who stabbed Jungkook had a saccharine voice, but the killing intent mixed in it was apparent.

Jungkook touched his aching stomach, unable to pay attention to the intruder. He looked at his hand; two colors were mixed together, giving an illusion of something hopeless and terrifying: reddish-brown, the color of dried blood from punching the mirror last night, and now fresh red blood stained his fingers.

Jungkook had been stabbed and was pushed to the ground before he could groan in pain.

“Why the long face, Jungkook-ah? Aren’t you happy?” The intruder mocked.

Jungkook was familiar with this intruder. He was Lee Sung. This man collected debts on behalf of Jang Min, his master.

“Eh? You’re not answering me? Jungkook-ah, it’s New Year. Where’re your manners? Haven’t you learned anything?” Lee Sung sneered, hauling Jungkook to his feet only to slam him against the wall.

Jungkook cursed internally: Bastard, yes, it’s fucking New Year. Won’t you give me a break!? But as usual, he couldn’t voice out his indignation. He didn’t have the energy and power to do so.

Powerless people had no voice. If there was one thing Jungkook learned in life, it was to act according to what the one in power wanted. It would make his life easy because he didn’t see the point of fighting when he knew he would lose from the start.

“You promised to pay eleven thousand yen for this month’s interest. Where’s the money~?”

Jungkook screwed his eyes shut. He lost track of the amount of interest accumulating in his debt. He didn’t even know how much the principal amount was. How could he remember? He was drowning in debt. Would you care how many times the waves hit you? No, right? You would only think about surviving or grasping for a life jacket.

His current life jacket amounted to nine thousand yen, so that’s exactly what he said.

“I have ₩9000 with me,” Jungkook’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. Cold sweat slid down his spine. “Can I...pay the remaining amount next week? I swear I—”

Lee Sung slashed Jungkook’s exposed collarbone with a knife, possibly to get him to stop bargaining.

“Of course, Jungkook-ah. I’m a generous man, don’t you know?” The lunatic with a weapon slashed another layer of Jungkook’s skin. “But I’m afraid I must cut your skin twice. One for each won you cannot pay today. Seems fair?”

Without waiting for an answer, Lee Sung already hurt Jungkook. The latter didn’t fight back. By the time the intruder was done, he had spat on Jungkook’s face and then pushed him.

The wooden floor creaked as Jungkook’s trembling body fell down.

“See you next week. Prepare the money, or I’ll have to cut your throat the next time we meet.” And then Lee Sung was gone.

Jungkook gritted his teeth, clutching his bleeding stomach. He had to call for an emergency before he lost consciousness. Unfortunately, his phone was on the bed. He struggled to crawl just to reach for his phone.

Perhaps the universe saw how helpless he was that he was granted exceptional luck: he had managed to call for help before his hand lost all power, dropping his phone as darkness clouded his vision.

***

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A/N: Please leave a like or comment if you enjoy reading this fic. It motivates me to write faster. Thank you ~~

[storiesofsvu]

A Dangerous Game Ch 22

Emily Prentiss x reader warnings: language, alcohol, smut. Okay so i did say we were gonna wrap at 25 chapters but I'm smooshing things together cause I didn't have enough meat to fill out chapters and am getting lazy. SO! ONE more chapter after this one. Hopefully soon, but also I work the next two days so we'll see how that works out LOL. Plenty of other stuff in the wip pile otherwise and some bingo squares actually started on so you have content to look forward to, promise.

Both you and Emily were incredibly thankful when there was no last minute new case on Friday, leaving the two of you (and the rest of the team) free to head home right at five. You had enough time to wind down from work, shower and get ready before Emily was knocking at your door. She let out a quiet swear when you pulled open the door and you giggled, kissing her cheek gently before setting the alarm and locking the door. You were in a dusty pink casual yet flirty dress, the neckline enough to tease Emily while still being modest, the hem of the skirt flowing  across your mid thigh.

“You know I could’ve met you there.” You commented as you slid into the car, “less back tracking for you to do.”

“Yeah, but I figured I wanted to do this the right way.” She smiled softly at you, her hand naturally finding home on your thigh as she started the car, backing out of your driveway. “You look absolutely gorgeous by the way.”

“Thanks.” Your cheeks flushed, glancing over to her with a warm smile, “so do you.”

Emily hadn’t planned much, not wanting to go too crazy or come off overbearing, telling you just to dress nice but casual was fine. She’d made dinner reservations at Iron Gate Restaurant, a cute little place that was a prime spot for date nights that wasn’t too fancy but just fancy enough. It was warm enough outside that the two of you ended up at a corner table on their back patio, fairy lights strewn overtop of the gardens and candles on the tables to embrace the ambiance.

You started with a round of cocktails while you looked over the menu, the waiter offering wine suggestions when you placed your food orders. The table started with focaccia, cremini mushroom arancini and a citrus salad while the two of you gossiped about work that week, laughing over the stories that Emily had missed out on while trapped in her office.

“I can’t believe you told Morgan about the jet.” She laughed, taking another sip of her drink and you joined in on her laughter.

“Listen, I was hungover as fuck, I needed that couch.”

“Well now he’s insistent on bunking with you on trips to keep us apart.”

“Okay.” You shrugged with a grin, “never stopped us before. He can give us an hour for privacy or he can suffer. Or I’ll bribe Savannah. If he’s gonna cockblock us, I’ll cockblock him right back.”

“You’re cruel.” She chuckled.

“No.” You insisted, “I give back the same energy I’m given.”

“Ah, the changing of a few crucial words and you get away with it.”

“It’s worked so far.” You replied with a teasing shrug and she laughed again, her free hand sneaking across the table top to grab yours before laying a kiss on the back of it, fingers remaining tangled when they hit the table once again.

Wine and dinner came out shortly after that, Emily teasing you for your choice of seafood despite your absolute hatred of crab. You scoffed, pointing out that they were completely different tastes and textures, and that this would be delicious. The playful argument was completely unneeded, but the way it brought a spark to Emily’s eye when she looked at you was all the excuse you needed to dig into her when she ended up liking your choice of dinner better than her own.

You opted to take one of each desserts to go and Emily was obviously insistent on taking care of the cheque. You attempted to open your mouth to object and the look she shot you was enough alone to know she definitely wasn’t going to give in, no matter what you said. You thanked her, kissing the back of her hand before the two of you were gathering your things, making your way out of the restaurant hand in hand. She faltered in her step as you reached the back of the car, turning back to you with a smile on her face and you leant in, kissing her gently, lips lingering against hers a little longer than normal for being in public.

“Thank you for dinner.” You murmured, “it was really nice.”

“It was.” She smiled, pecking you lightly, “should do it again next week.”

“It’s a date.”

“Now��. Am I taking you back across the river?” She raised a brow at you and you laughed.

“We got dessert to go. What did you think? I was just gonna run off with it? Besides, Sergio’ll throw a fit if I don’t come say hi.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes about Sergio, considering you were completely correct and kissed your cheek softly before nudging you in the direction of the passenger side door.

*

The moment the elevator doors slid shut Emily had you against the wall in a bruising kiss, lips moving with fire against your own. Your arms quickly looped around her shoulders, fingers threading through her hair, your body relaxing into hers. A thigh found its way between your legs, pinning you to the wall and you let out a whine into the kiss when her hands grasped at your hips, grinding you down against her.

“That’s it angel…” she murmured, her breath hot on your skin as she kissed across your jaw, her muscle flexing under you and your head dropped back against the wall, “feel good?”

“Yes daddy…”

The elevator pinged and you barely had enough time to tear away from each other before the doors slid open and you fumbled your way down the short hallway to Emily’s apartment. Once the door was locked behind you Emily’s hands were on you again, shoes were kicked off and her lips found yours, tongue daring to slide into you mouth and you bit back a moan. Your hands slipped under her shirt, whimpering when she broke the kiss to pull the offending fabric over her head before kissing you again, a happy sigh escaping you that she swallowed down. You quickly got rid of her bra, tossing it to the floor and began squeezing at her chest, lips curving up into a grin at the way she practically melted into your touch. Emily’s hands wound around you to find the zipper of your dress, letting the clothing fall to the floor and she pulled back from the kiss, letting out a low swear when she saw the set you had on underneath.

“Christ princess….”

“Figured I should dress up for you.” You shrugged with a playful grin and she chuckled, her eyes darkening as they dragged up your body.

“You always look so pretty for me.” Her hand reached out, brushing a piece of loose hair behind your ear, “but this is… wow…”

“Yeah?” Grinning, your fingers curled into her belt loops, tugging her closer to you so you could kiss her, “I have a feeling it’d look even better on your bedroom floor.”

“Can’t argue with you there.” She smirked, hands ghosting up your sides to grope at your chest through the lace, pinching at your nipples and you sucked in a breath, your back arching towards the touch. Your hips ground against her and you gasped, a small laugh leaving your lips.

“Why am I not surprised you’re already strapped?”

“Didn’t want to waste any time.” She murmured back, her lips beginning to trail down your neck as her hands made quick work of your bra so you could let it fall from your body. Her hands pinched at your nipples as she bit into the crook of your neck, nudging you back onto the bed. “Good girl.”

She undid her pants, kicking them off, cock springing out before she leant over you, fingers in the waistband of your lace panties and she pulled them down your legs. Her hands smoothed back up them, spreading you open for her and her tongue darted out to wet her lips. The moment her mouth lapped at you, your head fell back into the pillows, a happy moan leaving your lips. One of her hands slid up your hip and your own quickly found it, fingers interlacing as she continued to eat you out. Her nose brushed against your clit and you gasped, your hips rocking up to the sensation as your free hand tangled into her hair, holding her gently to you.

Emily’s tongue darted out, pulling your juices into her mouth, groaning over the taste she adored so much, her free hand pressed down your thigh, spreading you even further open for her, just the way she liked. Her mouth sucked at you, moaning against your pussy, the vibrations shaking through you deep into your core. She shifted up, latching around your clit, letting her tongue trace patterns across it while two fingers slipped into your pussy. Her eyes flicked up so she could watch the way your body thrived against the bed, whimpers and whines escaping your lips while her fingers pumped and curled within you. Your pussy was soaked, fluttering around her with each brush of her fingers.

“Fuck… oh god daddy… feels so…so… fuckin good.”

She sucked harder on your clit, tongue pressing down heavily on it while her fingers curled right against the spongey spot inside of you and you cried out, coming undone, thighs shaking around her.

“Good girl.” She praised, kissing just above your clit before pulling her fingers from you. Before she could even blink, your hand wrapped around her wrist and you were sitting up, pulling her slicked fingers into your mouth, sucking them clean of your juices.

“Please fuck me daddy.” You mewled, nearly pouting as you did so and she swore again, knowing that you were likely going to be the death of her.

“Lie back princess.” She urged after stealing another kiss, watching the way your tits bounced when you did as she asked, spreading your legs even wider for her.

She ran the tip of her cock through your folds, smearing it with your juices and your eyes fluttered shut, breath catching in your throat. She lined the toy up, sinking into you inch by inch until she was completely buried within you and you let out a low moan when she circled her hips. She leant over you and your hands instantly wrapped around her, fingers digging into her skin as she began to move her hips. Her mouth wrapped around a nipple, sucking it into her mouth, teeth scraping against the sensitive skin as she set a steady rhythm. Each thrust her cock seemed to hit every inch of your pussy that you needed and you let out a whine, one of your legs wrapping around her to pull her even tighter to you.

“Harder…” you moaned, “please.”

She bit down harder in the same moment that her hips heavily rocked into yours and you gasped, your hands digging deeper into her skin, pulling a moan from her. She braced one of her hands on the bed, fucking deeper and harder with each thrust of her hips, your whimpers and whines getting louder and longer with each push of her cock. Your hips began to rock up to meet hers eagerly, begging for more,

“God… fuck…oh fuck!”

Emily’s teeth sunk into the curve of your breast, her tongue lapping out to soothe the burn but you both knew there’d be a mark for days to come. She licked across your collar bone, placing a kiss on it before making home in the crook of your neck, mouth licking, biting and sucking while she continued to fuck you.

You were a whimpering mess by now, your entire body on fire and completely consumed by her. Her cock filling you so precisely in only a way she could, her fingers pinching at your nipple, tracing patterns across your skin, your senses were overloaded with Emily, her perfume surging through you, bringing tingles to your skin with each inhale you took. She could feel the way your thighs were beginning to tremble around her, the shake in your breath and her lips formed a smirk on your skin.

“Gonna come for me angel? Come all over daddy’s cock?”

“S—so close.” You whimpered, gasping when her cock thrust heavily into you.

Emily’s hand vanished from your chest, sneaking down in between your bodies to find your clit, pinching it when she did so and your legs tightened around her, a loud moan leaving your lips. Her fingers began to rub in time with her thrusts, pressing harder and harder with each roll of her hips.

“That’s it princess… let go…” She husked into your ear, biting at the lobe and you cried out, shaking in her arms as your orgasm washed over you.

Your body shook, tensing around Emily, nails digging into her skin, burying yourself into the crook of her neck in an attempt to be fully absorbed by her, wanting to feel nothing but her in that moment of pleasure that continued to wash over you, wave after wave. You could hear her voice, but were completely unaware of what she was saying, everything was a haze until you could feel the drag of her cock in your pulsating pussy and let out a shuddering breath, letting go of her and collapsing down into the pillows with a sigh. She gazed down at you with a happy smile, her hips stilling against yours as her hand caressed at your cheek, thumb rubbing at your skin until she was certain you’d had enough of a chance to catch your breath. Leaning down she kissed you softly, lips moving with grace against yours and there was no place in the world either of you wanted to be in that moment. She slipped out of you, leaving the strap to be dealt with later and rolled onto her back, wrapping an arm around you in the warm embrace that you gladly accepted, curling around her body.

Your leg nestled between hers, head resting on her chest and your arm lazily strewn around her while you slowly came back down to earth. Emily’s hand came up to the back of your head, gently scratching at it, playing with your hair and she left a tender kiss on the top of your head. Everything felt right, felt peaceful, comfortable and despite the air cooling as the night wore on, a warmth was wrapped around the two of you that you knew wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. The silence took over the room, only the sound of your breathing and happy little hums as you simply basked in the embrace of each other.  

You let out a happy sigh, nuzzling into her body deeper, kissing at her bare skin and she hummed softly, kissing your head once again. A warmth bloomed throughout her as you nestled against her, pressing gentle kisses to her skin. Her eyes drifted down at the feeling of your finger tips on her skin and she caught the way they were softly tracing the pattern of the scar on her stomach, ghosting over the white lines and Derek’s words from the other day replayed through her head.

“Hey…” she whispered softly, gently squeezing at you.

“Hmm?” You replied without looking up.

“I wanna tell you something. Something that should help make sense of why I did things the way I did…”

“Okay..”

“Years ago…. I was the target for someone, someone who wanted to see me in pain before actually killing me. Meaning they were going after my team first and I decided to be dumb, I thought the only way to protect the people I cared about was to go take care of it myself, go straight to the source of the violence.” Your fingers stilled in their pattern, shifting off the scar as your head tilted up at her and she stalled in her words at the expression on your face.

“I know about Doyle.”

“What?” Her brow furrowed and you shrugged.

“It’s not every day an FBI agent comes back from the dead. Everybody knows about the legendary… or… reckless depending on you who ask, Agent Prentiss. I’d just never heard a first name or seen a picture. So yeah…”  you nuzzled back into her chest, letting out a happy sigh at the feeling, “I know the Dewald thing kinda just brought you right back there and you didn’t want to repeat history, especially with me in your place.”

Silence overtook you, your hand curled around her waist this time, thumb rubbing across her soft skin as you waited for her to absorb your words. She kissed your head, her lips lingering on you before she spoke once again,

“Is that why you never asked about the scar?” She felt her brow furrow and you shrugged.

“I’ve been in law enforcement long enough to know not to ask about scars. Hell, even before I started this job. You never know if it’s gonna bring up some super painful memory or if it’s from something like falling off the swings as a kid.”

“Hmm…” She replied and you could feel the wariness flowing off her, so you shifted up onto your elbow to look up at her again.

“Emily…” your voice was soft and hearing her name on your lips like that made her heart nearly stop, the adoring gaze in your eyes completely melting her. “We’re good. Okay? You don’t need to be constantly apologizing or explaining yourself or buying gifts. Give it another month and we’ll be arguing over something trivial like whose turn it is to take out the trash.” Your smile brought a laugh to her lips, worry washing away as the sparkle in her eye returned while you leaned up to kiss her. “We’re more than good. Okay?”

“Okay.” She smiled brightly, letting out a happy sigh when you nestled back into her chest, “as long as you know that I’m in this for the long haul, that I want it to really be something and mean something.

“I do.” You murmured.

“So much so that I may have mentioned something to the director earlier today.” She winced at the way your body tensed against her.

“And… what would that have been?”

“I didn’t specify things, I just brought up that something was… blooming and I wanted to get in front of it professionally.”

You propped up on your elbow again and Emily frowned at the worry wavering in your eyes, “are they gonna transfer me?”

“No!” Her hand shot out, cradling your cheek, “no baby, no. I didn’t even mention you by name. We’ll have to go in and sign some paperwork on Monday, there will be some situations where you report to the section chief or director directly instead of me. Any evals or performance reviews will be done by them instead, and they’ll likely keep a closer eye on us in the field for a bit, but we can do this.”

“Good.” You smiled, leaning in to kiss her, “because I really like this job. And I also really like the idea of not having to sneak around or be worried about it all the time.”

“And we won’t have to.” She kissed you softly, lips curving up against yours as she did.

“When do we tell the team?” You asked and she sighed heavily.

“Let’s give it a bit? If that’s okay with you?”

“Please, Morgan and Garcia are already having field days with it, let them get the major teases out before everyone’s in on it.”

“Knowing Garcia that’ll only take the rest of the week.” Emily chuckled and you laughed.

“Well then let’s make the week worth it.” You murmured as you leant in, your lips brushing her skin as you caged her into the bed and she let out a chuckle, eagerly accepting the kiss.

______________________

@mickey-gomez @momlifebehard @melindawarnersgf @itisdoctortoyousir @emilyprentiss4life @somethingimaginative17 @temilyrights @alexxavicry @daddy-heather-dunbar @aliensaurusrex @rustyzebra @ilovemycrayons @thegrantwater @leftoverenvy @kades95 @dextur @m00nkn1ghts @supercriminalbean @daffodil-heart @msvenablesbitch @its-soph-xx @going-gray @just-a-torn-up-masterpiece @hopelesslyfallenninlove @peanutbutterprincess @kdaghay @emilyprentisssluvr @lex13cm @awolfcsworld @zizzlekwum @emobabeyy @riveramorylunar @s1ut4nat @midnight-sapphic @scorpsik @prentiss-theorem @unsubologyy @strongsassysexysloane @svushots @overtrred28 @happenstnces @sapphicprentiss @heidss @geekyandgay98 @pagetboobstarcomments s @onmykneesformarvel @inlovewithemilyprentiss @aws-l

[thatskynews]

OK SO. Lore

Krills reside in Wasteland, the place currently experiencing constant cloud cover.

krill were not there before the cloud cover was there.

Krills also reside near the top of Eden Peak.

in-between wasteland and eden lies vault...

so why havent krills spread to vault?

In the crescent oasis, krills are seen in the final quest. when a storm is raging.

ok so. krill have bad eyesight. they kill creatures of light.

but when the krill try to attack something but realize it has the Krill Juice on it (krill repellent) they fly away. Crabs just so happen to produce Krill Juice. on their bodies.

perhaps crabs (their children) get mistaken for light creatures and get attacked, but the krill's antennae detect the pheromones (krill juice) and divert before any harm can be done.

Crabs have shells, their real bodies are exposed in the bottom thats why they pull their legs in when they get attacked but not flipped and also why they hate being flipped

krills have metal exoskeletons and their real bodies are inside and thats why krill are so clink clonk

So krill are adult crabs. but why dont krill exist in the kingdom before wasteland and eden were engulfed in storm?

ITS SIMPLE

crabs can only fully mature DURING A STORM OF THAT SIZE

THE STORM HAS DIED DOWN THATS WHY ALL THE CRABS IN WASTELAND ARENT KRILLS

crabs: forest, valley, wasteland, vault, eden

krill: wasteland, eden

the crabs are everywhere but the krill are only where there was once/ is a great storm

,... if i was a spirit in sky i would be the Crazy Krillologist

putting my answer under read more as it's long -ymir

Crabs are actually have signs of being native to the realms (see: the passive crabs from Sanctuary, that iirc don't shed darkness), and seem to actively be mostly corrupted by darkness (the crabs from the shard events having active darkness on them, leading them to become hyper aggressive and those passive crabs do not attack players).

Crabs are creatures of the dark, but it is likely from the fact they're suppose to show that darkness has always been in the realms and that before what wiped out the spirits it was very peaceful (mostly). Places like Hidden Forest were darkness mining sites, and it likely made many sickly and polluted the areas leading to the rain being worse. The bells used to call the rain away and to call for the rain likely was used to try and control the dangers of this build up, controlling when spirits would have to take cover most likely.

The description of Prairie's Elder pin also pushes at it being an agricultural center for the Realms, as hinted by its landscape as well. It is VERY likely the bells used also pushed away the pollutants from hitting Prairie as heavily (but it still hit the lower regions, seeing Sanctuary's large darkness plants and pollutants.)

Darkness affects Valley less due how high it is, but it still has gotten hit due to how close it is to the center of the factories. Golden Wastelands was where a good majority of the factories were (and mostly off to the side from the main path, but WERE linked and using pipes to move around darkness), and due to this, it had become highly polluted over time leading to the dangers and likely pushing for new solutions to lead away the creatures that were becoming a problem, as well as internal fights. Wastes HEAVILY hints to it being highly dangerous but made mostly to try and protect Vault from harm and protections against enemies (in some old concept art, there's some old details of other things that was planned originally to be some dangers, but most aren't much a concern to consider due to being scrapped). There's more things about vault that makes me curious, mostly the use of HOW the archival systems work likely using a mixture of darkness that reacts to light to produce energy (which we do see in places like the abyss areas iirc and no longer simply concept art). the use of darkness here likely also caused there to have some spills or leeching to allow darkness to affect any creatures inside as well. The Ghost light creatures inside are their own curiosity to me, but not of concern here too either.

but Eden? oh boy.

Eden obviously has architecture of a very important site to the culture of the spirits at least, and it's also very likely used to be a factory of it's own or at least some sort of possible experimental grounds. (there are hints of other things, but ya know, silly lil things :)!) Eventually the eye is shown to have occurred, and is possibly shown to have started to chip off as well.

why did I write down a good summary of the lore linking towards darkness in general?(skipping over some other seasonal stuff mostly) I think the krills can be from multiple things in origins in reality.

Krills are beings that hunt light, and can still be tricked from covering yourself in darkness. The potions of krill repellent likely use darkness to make it look like it would for their vision of crabs, darkness falling off of them. it's likely made to be far more safe for skykids though.

Krills- or dark dragons, could simply be mantas corrupted, whales as well, etc. They could easily be many species put into one. They're dark creatures caused by the pollution of darkness, typically pushed on by darkness taking over an entire area, suggesting that they're an entity of darkness as a whole. They react the same way dark crystals do as well, turning red and hurting light creatures. They're simply seemingly following the dark crystals and how they react. Blue dark crystals are ones that show that they are not longer active or have reached a neutral state (likely the state they were originally mined at and then refined away from), and the skykid statues you can not help on the path at the end of Eden before the Eye's storm have these blue crystals growing on them that no longer react to skykids and you can't revive these two skykids leading to the chance of them being from the mass explosion of energy of the Eye's start.

Storm clouds are a sign of darkness in Sky, its very likely rain from before was less dangerous. Crabs being thrown FROM the shards could be crabs grown from the darkness or originally in that sacred area that ate up the remaining light left over from light creatures going to be reborn, which could be a point of them simply originally being scavengers of sorts like some real crabs.

Krill horns likely do have their own use most likely than possibly being antennae, I believe personally them being mostly for the advantage of being able to still attack their prey: making it difficult for prey to escape from flying over the head due to the krill's head without the horns being in the way. Krills metallic sounds could also be possibly connected to the darkness within them since darkness is far more solid than fluid (darkness creatures typically having sharper edges or entirely like smoke, compared to light creatures having this fluidity to them even when complex like skykids.)

Dark dragons are a curiosity though, given how they're created either way.

-ymir

[creatchie8]

Because I keep seeing others post, I really wanna talk about seeing Lewis and Atta Boy in Chicago <3 Also so I can look back and reread and relive how exciting it was lol

First of all, I wanna explain how DEDICATED I was to see this man. I live in a tiny town in Idaho where the local airport takes two flights per day and both of them are directly to and from SLC. So I drove 3 1/2 hours to the biggest airport in Idaho. Then, I hopped on a 1 1/2 hour flight to Seattle where I had a two hour layover then on a 4 1/2 hour flight to Chicago.

I got a bloody nose on the plane to Chicago (then on the way back I got 2 more) :) So much fun.

We waited in a super short line outside for a while and I was hyper analyzing every person who walked past us in hopes it would be a member. The one time I had my head turned a woman walked past me and I was just watching her leave when she turned her head and it was EDEN! I could have died right then, she was gorgeous, seriously the prettiest woman I have seen.

About 10-15 minutes later I saw her walking towards the line (very preoccupied, she was listening to a voice note on her phone) and finally past all the waiting people and into the venue. (Side note, she had her vape in hand and was taking a hit of it as she walked past me-when I texted my friend she was saying how lucky I was to stand in Eden's vape cloud and it made me lol so hard).

When they finally let us into the venue me and my guy beelined it to the stage. I swear some higher power was on our side that day because we got the best spot right to where the drum set was in perfect view.

Me Like Bees was great, I was dancing around to their music and I have plans to add them to my Spotify playlist, their energy was crazy!

The lights went on again as they were taking the MLB stuff down and putting the AB stuff up, Freddy and Dashel were up there helping when this mysterious man brushed up against my guy and walked up the steps to the stage. My guy whispered in my ear, "I think that's Lewis." And all I could do was nod silently.

It felt like I touched a live wire or something, my whole body was buzzing like crazy as we watched him set up his drum set. I think in another life that man was an electrician or something because he was decked out in all Carhart lmao.

Eden sung beautifully, nothing would have ever prepared me for how good she sounded. Like imagine the recorded version but just 1 Million times better. I sung my heart out on Crab Park (best song imo) and teared up when she sang Madly.

I'm going to skip some of these next few parts because it was literally just me watching Lewis go around to the people waiting to talk to him and me admiring how incredibly handsome this guy is (no picture does him justice).

Lewis shook me and my guy's hand and we all introduced each other, all of a sudden my worry went away and talking to Lewis felt like talking to a friend. I told him how my mom loves him in Lessons in Chemistry (which I explained is crazy because she has two comfort shows she likes and she hates new things but seriously is in love with LinC and begs to watch it with me whenever I visit). Lewis thought that was absolutely hilarious and was happy my mom likes it so much.

I then told him that I adore The Starling Girl because his performance was so real and raw and there was absolutely no fluff. I then said something super cheesy like, "Your performance was phenomenal." Lewis told me that he was grateful I loved it so much because he loved working on it. So that made me smile and blush like crazy.

He asked where we were from and I told him about the crazy journey we endured and he seemed legit stunned that someone would travel that far to see him and his band.

We then took a few pics and I was too dumb to remember to give him something to sign so I pulled out a $5 bill and he signed the backside of it. I then asked if I could hug him and he laughed, saying yes if I don't mind that he's all sweaty. Best hug of my life btw.

We then said our farewells and I then proceeded to get so freaked out we left the venue entirely. Looking back now I would have stayed longer and got pics with Eden and some merch so I actually feel really upset about that. And in January of 2023 I got a bull skull tattoo mimicking Rhett's on my calf that I was dying to show Lewis but I forgot. But I am looking forward to the next time I get to see him!!!

[lovezbrownies]

Mr crabs I have an idea 🕊💡💡✨✨✨ sort of!..

I’m honestly just taking on what the previous anon said about Gen’s darling matching her energy but in a diff way. I’ve been thinking of it in general for some time but how about a yandere darling. BUT hold on. Not a yan.darling who’s crazy for their yandere but for someone else.

as I already see that going around tumblr and not nearly as much as a yandere darling who’s crazy for someone else and will kill the other yandere if they even so much as try to touch them/their darling. And I’m not talking about just crazy but high up in a power scale society wise like maybe the queens descendants like cousins and such. Since strength wise doesn’t compare to status in my eyes tbh

anyways take this as how you’ll like -🌪️ after a days long vacation

oomf... OOMF.. TORNADO OOMF. HOW I MISSED YOU AND YOUR ENLIGHTENMENTS 🙏🙏🙏🙏

oomf actually i was so excited hwne i read this sorry. your genius is one i will never be able to ever reach your level of intelligence oomf... I RLLY RLLY ENJOY THAT IDEA ACTUALLY. It would be so interesting to see the craziest oc of mine (Gen though i never had to clarify) react to their darling themselves being as crazy (but better) for someone else. Gen is crazy, and would be crazier in this scenario.

Youre just like her! just as obsessive, possessive, loving, and carign!!! likeee so obv you should obsess over her right? WRONG. you end up completely in love and obsessed with another lady of the court, a baroness who is unmarried and you know shes unmarried because guess what, you're a fucking royal, a bit low on the heir to the throne chain but a royal nonetheless! and a Chief at that! you have to do something with your life, you're only the queen's cousin nothin special!

As Chief of Noble Affairs, essentially overseeing all the nobles of Xelera, making sure they all do their jobs but also provide them with the materials to do their jobs so and so forth. Which led to you and Gen meeting, you never liked her, had an off feeling from the very beginning and tend to ignore her, an impossible feat as she consistently chases after you and tries to engage in inappropriate behavior whenever you two are alone.

You once reprimanded her at that point, using your power and position against her "Leave me alone Chief Gen, or dare I utter a word of this wonderful behavior to the Queen? Shall I show her how you act around your superiors? Back off and do not approach me from now on." Since then she did actually leave you alone for a while! But Gen did watch over you from afar trying to ensure your safety and other Gen-like acitivites.

Soon she witnesses you falling for a certain Baroness, Lady Naya of Hossenberg. Becoming overly obsessed, trying as hard as you could to make sure that Naya ends up in your embrace, going to so many different lengths so she'd reciprocate. Stalking Naya and bombarding her home with loving gifts and poems, you became insane over this simple woman!

What was so attractive about Naya? Gen is strong and hot, Gen has power, Gen has the titles, and Gen is infamous for her war strategies. And Naya is a girl Gen used to bully when she was younger! Weak and pathetic, and dare Gen try and threaten Naya? Somehow you'd know, and threaten Gen doubled, threatening everything under the sun for her to fear you. How silly, Gen fearing someone else, but she will back off, only because she doesn't want to be beheaded anytime soon. She will get you, one way or another.

[thelampisaflashlight]

Strangely Human Rewrite 2: Pretend

[Dew struggles behind closed doors. This one is a bit heavy as a heads up, and deals with the rougher part of Dew's transformation into a ghoul.] Below the cut.

It has been a little over a week since the ghouls decided that they'd had enough of Mountain and Dew's petty little... whatever you wanna call it.

At the very least, Mountain can't ignore Dew anymore, not with a section of their shared wall missing, and, try as he might to cover the hole, Dew lacks the motivation to do anything beyond hang up Mountain's stupid beaded curtain.

Which, admittedly, doesn't look too bad.

Dew's honestly not sure why he's even still mad at Mountain, or if he's just mad in general.

It's hard to distinguish what's genuine anger and just... him being in irritable from feeling sick.

Dew doesn't have the energy these days to unpack his suitcases -still set in the middle of his floor mocking him- let alone pick through his feelings.

Perhaps that has something to do with it.

His lethargy, the perpetual feeling of malaise... it's one thing to deal with it behind closed doors, but now he has Mountain, who isn't in his space per se, but within sight more often than not these days.

Who shifts noticeably in his sleep whenever Dew gets up in the middle of the night or glances through the partition if he lays in bed for too long.

Sometimes, Dew's heart will warm a little when he sees Mountain's face pop into view from around the corner.

He tries not to be obvious with his concern because they're sort of fighting, but kind of not.

But, at times, it's... it's too much to be seen when he's feeling bad, and he knows the guy means well, but Dew needs his alone time, and he hasn't been getting much of that lately, and not just because he and Mounty are roommates now.

None of the ghouls are leaving him be.

Not since Aether discovered the rough patches on his skin had begun to spread.

"I... I don't know what's happening." he admitted, brow creased with worry as he tried and failed to make the scaly skin smooth out again to no avail, "I don't know how to help."

What's worse, is that the patches have started to itch now.

The only thing that seems to soothe the persistent ache is water.

Not lotion or a cooling balm -they tried that and it had burned so bad soaking into his skin that Aether all but threw him into the shower to wash it off of him- just water.

He spends a lot of time in the bath, soaking, leaving the door open so he can talk to Mountain even though they're totally still fighting.

Totally.

Neither of them have really apologized to one another, but Dew can only go so long sitting in silence before he starts to go a little stir crazy, and being sick certainly brings out the worst in him in that regard.

That said, it's nearly impossible to force two unwilling individuals to share a room, especially two grown adults, so, perhaps, the fact that Mountain has not abandoned his room, and Dew hasn't returned to his old accommodations is their own stubborn way of saying sorry.

Who knows.

Any which way, as Dew lets the water run over him like a dehydrated houseplant, Mountain is sat with his back leaning against the edge of the tub, fiddling with one of the bath toys Sunny had happily tossed into Dew's bathroom that morning.

It's a light blue crab with its eyes poorly painted on, made of a soft, hollow rubber that squirts water when squeezed, and although Dew had been a little annoyed being given something clearly for toddlers... he did have to admit it made wasting his days soaking in the tub a lot less boring.

"Hey, Mount?" Dew asks, shoving a small red and yellow octopus beneath the water, releasing it so he can watch it pop above the surface and bobble about.

"Yes?"

"Do you think... Do you think I'm dying?"

The earth giant turns to him, letting his elbow slip over the edge into the water, fingers still worrying the toy and frowns.

"I don't." he says.

"Why not?"

And Mountain pauses then, arm drooping further beneath the soapy water as he breathes.

Green meets amber, and in a voice so painfully small, he says...

"Because I don't want you to."

.

.

.

"It is possible that the last ritual had some delayed side effects." Papa says, wincing as he sees Dew practically clawing at his own neck, scratching at the long, angry looking marks already drawn there.

If he weren't so preoccupied itching, Dew would make some kind of witty remark, but his throat is sore, so he just glares at him, bemused.

"Then does that mean Dew is becoming a ghoul? Or is he... is he cursed somehow?" Aether asks, hopeful that it's the former not the latter.

"We suspect that Dew is undergoing the transition gradually, as opposed to all at once as the ritual was meant to do." Papa explains, "However... it's unclear which..."

He breathes in.

"It's unclear which element his body is shifting into..."

Aether tenses, "Elaborate."

"They tried turning me into water first." Dew says, cutting into the conversation, still dragging his nails down his neck, "Then fire. Twice."

"How come it didn't work the first time?" Aether wonders, grabbing Dew's hand to stop him from tearing at his skin anymore, "How is that even possible?"

"Well..." Papa clears his throat and sighs, "...we don't know. One theory that has been proposed is that Dewdrop already has a demonic attachment, which would explain why the previous rituals did not take... and, perhaps, that entity, the one preventing his transition, is finally tapping into the magic from the ritual."

"How would I..." Dew holds up his hand, "How the fuck could I have already been possessed and not know it?"

"I did not say possessed, I said you might have an attachment. It's not quite the same thing." Papa says, "But that's just one theory. I am more inclined to believe the second one, being that you may have had an ancestor who laid with a demonic entity at some point, meaning you were already technically a demon, and the rituals made it more... pronounced."

"...I personally do not wanna imagine being a monster fucker is a familial trait-"

"I mean that IS how the original ghouls were made..." Papa trails off, "But I digress."

"I don't think it's too much of a digression to imply that rawing demons may have lead to my current predicament... Maybe I caught something from the ghouls?" Dew mumbles, "Some kinda weird demon STD...?"

Aether frowns, "Dude."

"What? We all fuck around. A LOT. I'm just saying-"

Papa coughs into his hand.

"At any rate, we will look into the cause more thoroughly soon enough. Until then, monitor your symptoms and report any notable changes."

Dew pouts the entire way back to the dorms.

"That was completely fucking useless." he complains, scratching at his neck again, leaving the skin raw underneath his nails.

"Dew-" Aether starts, then tenses, "Dew, stop scratching, you'll make yourself bleed at this rate."

"It fucking itches." Dew grouses, then adds in a tired voice, "...It fucking hurts."

Aether furrows his brow, "It's only going to get worse if you keep that up. C'mon, let's get you back in the t-"

"I don't want to get back in the fucking tub, Aeth, I want to be able to actually get shit done, but I can't, because it feels like someone fried me and ran my skin through a cheese grater..." He hisses, itching the dry patches on his arms now, "I can't even fucking sleep-"

"You haven't been sleeping?"

Dew mumbles something under his breath.

"What?"

"I said of course I fucking haven't!" Dew cries, "I'm either shredding myself to pieces or trying not to drown, and any time I DO get the chance to lay down, my spine feels like someone is pulling it out my ass!"

"...You didn't mention the spine part when we had our check-up earlier." Aether says, "I told you to tell me if there was anything new! You-"

"I-" Dew gives a frustrated shout and stomps his feet, "I'M TIRED OF EVERYONE BEING UP IN MY BUSINESS, OKAY?!"

"D-"

"Every fucking day. Every fucking day! Someone is asking me, 'Hey, are you alright?' or 'How are you feeling?' and you know what?! I FEEL LIKE SHIT!" he digs his hands into his hair, "I feel like shit, Aether, and it's not getting any better."

"It's not getting any better..."

"Dew, it will. It will get better, it's just going to take time." Aether tries, reaching out to pull Dew into a hug, but as soon as his fingers brush the other man's sides, Dew flinches.

Hard.

"Fuck!"

Dew curls into himself.

"Dew?!" Aether startles, placing his hands on Dew's shoulders, "What's wrong?!"

"Don't touch me!"

.

.

.

So yeah.

Yeah.

Dew's getting worse.

A lot worse.

Every day seems to drag on and on and on.

And he doesn't sleep.

Just lays awake, too tired to even think of raking his fingers across his skin.

Mountain keeps the others updated, lets Aether in to check on him, but no one else really visits anymore, because every time anyone starts to speak, Dew snaps at them.

Physically.

He's taken to biting anyone who gets too close.

Even poor Rain, who had just been trying to ease his symptoms with a bit of his magic met the painful bite of blunt teeth.

"You should apologize." Swiss tells him late one night, sat beside his bed, he sounds like he's angry, or trying to be.

But more than that, he just sounds worried.

"When you're better, you have to-"

"Swiss..."

"Yes?" the multi ghoul asks, feeling hopeful.

That hope fades quickly as Dew rolls over to face him in the darkness, replaced with grief.

Dew's entire face is flaking like ash, like he's one breath away from being reduced to nothing but dust.

"...I'm sorry."

[sk1nitobe]

Day 4

7am psych appt.

8am boxing class

10am showered and skincare and got ready for work

11am start work. Drank a Bloom sparkling energy drink for 10 calories

7pm ate a 45 calorie rice cake

Fun work stories:

Witnessed a slow speed chase on the highway. There was like 10 cops following him. Second chase I've seen in my life. It's crazy we pass people every day making the worst decision of their life and we're expected to just keep on going.

Panera was so slow today so I had to let the custumer know cuz like idk that's what ya do. And I did this like 3 times cuz there's not many restaurants in my area so it's like the same 5 restaurants all day. Anyway. All 3 times they thanked me for waiting. If that doesn't say Midwestern hospitality idk what does

Other then that a slow night but made good money. It averaged 16 an hour so not to bad for a weekday.

9pm had a sliced cumber with imitation crab, rice vinegar, purple olives 117 calories.

11pm scroll edblr

Total calories today: 172

Calories burned: 763

Net: -591

This was my best day. I did throw up after my class. Idk why. I've also been having muscle spasms which was weird. I am a little bit manic so I wasn't hungry or tired at all. Might as well use this mania to lose some weight while I wait for my med adjustment to work.

Love ya'll

[silken-threads-bah]

hihi! if ur comf with homestuck, could i request a longer template karkat alter? no specifications beyond that, go crazy

Sorry it took so long, college got crazy. Also, I don't know SHIT about homestuck so I just kinda went based off of vibes - K

Name: karkat, kylian, Kasey

Age: ageless (teen presenting)

Pronouns: he/it/they/ze (in that order of preference)

Gender(s): transmasc agender

Orientation: aroflux and gay

Source(s): homestuck

Role: Protector, but doesn't like to be defined by a role.

Personality: he's kind of like those stereotypical mean older brothers in the movies. Think rodrick from diary of a wimpy kid. He swears too much, drinks too much monster, and gatekeeps his favorite bands. He gets along with other edgy teens, oftentimes idolizing their bad decisions and trying desperately to conform to their actions and personalities despite saying he hates conformity. They do have a soft side though, it really enjoys watching kids shows and may find themself forced into tea parties or playing with stuffies with the littles in the system (if applicable). It'll try to say that he hates it, but he actually really likes it.

Interests: doing stick and poke tattoos (I don't recommend this.), learning electric guitar just so he can say he knows how to play, lowkey could get really into sewing and knitting.

Extra info: has a typing quirk, not sure what it is from his source but they still use that.

Likes: crabs (he finds them fascinating), bugs (only because they like to chase people around with them), guitar, monster energy drinks, cosplays

Dislikes: school, authority figures, the government

Emojis/signoff: ♋️🦀

Quirky/silly fact: ze has very sharp teeth and WILL bite. Has also bleached his hair once and patches of it fell out so ze had to get a buzz cut at one time.

Kins: this type of crab, vampires

Appearance: his source appearance, but with the addition of snakebites and gauges in zir ears.

Faceclaims:

The first is by ol1vrrs on X and the second is by idrawos on X

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

I am asking this only because I am genuinely curious-

You go back in time and somehow you get to change three things about Halo, be that narrative, stylization, or gameplay.

What do you pick?

Oh narrative right away. There's so many timelines we could do and stylization/gameplay has been talked to death already. I like the classic look and when the marines look more like Aliens(1986) rather than modern bootboys, but I also like what they're doing in the newer era. Gameplay is a dead horse and you asked the crab that chooses to suffer through the Halo 4 clunkiness for SpOps on purpose.

Narrative though, what if there was story in out video games. What if they did go Evil Cortana like they planned for CE? What if Halo 5 didn't just end there? What if they committed to telling stories in the universe they built?

ODST is a beloved favorite and does not have Chief in it. Reach showed them that bitches love their OCs and some rando schmucks. I'm the annoying fan who won't show up about Spartan Ops and Infinity Command. There's a fan for every side character. Comics, books, games, mobile games, animation, movies, shows - Halo has had it all and if we just had some more connective tissue or even crazy risks in smaller stories, I feel like we'd be away from the great gameplay/weak story of Halo Infinite (OPINION). Instead of wiping the slate clean and then sitting dead in the water at May 31st 2560 for 3 real world years, we could have the side stories of the Spirit of Fire/Gammas/Wherever the fucking Infinity is/Alpha Nine/ Blue Team/ Arbiter/ etc

TLDR - give me enough time and I will come around/ find positives about any and every halo game, I am cursed to want to replay the campaigns annually. As much as I critique Halo, I love it, I comment because I want more of it because its insane.

Where's Chief? Where is he?

I just want more Halo, if I had the brainpower/time/energy to change the narrative, it'd be posted in my writing tag. I'd finish my Infinite rewrite with Weapon as a baby and connect it to the wider Created Conflict since they handwaved the AI stuff away. #Halostopkillingyourwomenchallenge

[rhythmicmeow]

TIMING: Current LOCATION: The Magmacave PARTIES: Cass @magmahearts and Leticia @rhythmicmeow SUMMARY: Leticia follows her nose into Cass's cave. CONTENT WARNINGS: None!

It was one of those days. Energy thrumming under her skin, chaotic and wild, had her scampering through the Magmacave in a way that was a little more nymph than what she usually strove for. There was an anxiousness about her, an unease that clung to her. It was the kind of thing that was only ever made worse by the presence of nonfae, and she hated it. She hated the parts of herself that she shared with the people who’d cast her out and the way they went against the parts of herself she shared with the people whose approval she so desperately craved.

But she couldn’t get rid of it, either. And she couldn’t always fight it. Not when there was someone in her cave without her knowing it, without her inviting them inside. 

It felt like an itch running down her spine, like bugs crawling under her skin. Cass didn’t mean to do it; she rarely ever did. It just… happened. The rocks falling from the ceiling, closing off the passage and sealing off the entrance. But once those rocks all fell into place and the itch was scratched, all there was left to feel was…

Embarrassed. 

Cass looked out into the entry to the passageway, to the stranger she’d trapped there staring at the rocks in horror. Bad. Bad, bad, bad. This was bad. 

But she could fix it, right? She had to.

A little sheepishly, she stepped out of her place in the shadows and observed the rocks as if she hadn’t been the one to put them there. “Whoa,” she breathed. “That’s crazy. Are you, um, are you okay?”

—

Truely, she should have known better. Leticia had been out, forcing herself to get closer to those strange crabs and telling herself that it was so she could spend time with Elias more easily on their future explorations. The closer she got to the crabs, the more she watched them, the more uncomfortable she was. But as she edged away from them on the rocks, she smelled something familiar. And she knew better.

She didn’t bother to resist the temptation. It would help, Leticia told herself. There was a hint of catnip on the wind. A reward, she told herself. Something to take the edge off the fear and bring the balam back to temper. There were a thousand prewritten reasons she had to justify the want. Her mother had always scolded her for the impulse, but Leticia could never find a reason that was worth stopping for. It was relaxing and she was less likely to shift despite unstable emotions. There was no downside.

But there was a rockslide. 

Leticia had followed the scent towards warmth. It would have been a perfect pairing if the mouth of the cave didn’t start rumbling as soon as she stepped inside. Stumbling forward into the cave, she braced herself against the rocks and looked at the opening that was decidedly gone. “Oh, fuck me.” She took a step towards the displaced rocks and had been about to touch them before she heard someone shifting behind her. 

Jumping, she spun around to see a young woman standing nearby. “Oh.” Leticia cleared her throat and then looked at the rocks again, nodding. “Could have been worse, could have been a cold cave.” A joke that walked around the question. “Uh… do you have service out here?” Even if she could let the balam out here, she couldn’t be sure the spirit would have the strength to free them. And with someone else in here? Off the table entirely. 

—

She didn’t seem like a threat. Cass could tell that now, just looking at her. She hadn’t come in here to hurt anything, wasn’t looking to cause problems. She’d just… wandered in. And that made the rockslide all the more embarrassing. Would another nymph have acted so rashly here? Would someone else have let their subtle fear get the best of them so entirely? This woman looked cool and nice and fun and Cass had trapped her in a cave just because she was there. Stupid, stupid oread.

Letting out a little, mostly forced laugh at the statement, she nodded. “Yeah. It’s nice and warm in here.” Cass, of course, ran hot thanks to the magma bubbling under her skin, so she was rarely cold. And the Magmacave followed suit. There was no actual magma within it, but heat rose up from the crevices, came in through the cracks. Cass had never learned enough about what she was to know if she was the cause of that or if she’d unconsciously chosen this cave because it was already like that. She didn’t suppose it mattered much.

“There’s never any service in this part,” she replied, realizing belatedly that the words betrayed the fact that she spent an awful lot of time in this particular cave. Backtracking a little, she added, “But I had some a little ways back. Um, and I came in through a different entrance, so. I know another way out.” None of it was a lie; she had had cell service further back in the cave, both earlier today and throughout her tenure as the cave’s keeper. And she had come in through a different entrance when she’d come home last night. Twisting the truth as a fae was all about the vague details.

—

The scent was still there. No matter how Leticia shifted her posture or where she turned her head, she could still smell a hit of catnip and it was driving her crazy. A different, funnier thought occurred to her: even if she had let the spirit out to attempt to dislodge the fallen rocks, the balam would have likely followed the smell long before she focused on the matter at hand. She wiped at her nose, sniffling as she tried to dispel the scent. But nothing helped. And the warm floor was inviting too, it would have been a perfect place to relax and let the balam stretch. 

Her shoulders dipped slightly before her attention returned to the other, the concern about the cave in quickly replaced with a warm smile. Even if Leticia was worried, there was no reason to drag that across to the other. “Never?” She repeated, arching a brow before softening her expression as the other walked it back. Having never been more grateful to not have been a mother in this moment, Leticia barely contained a laugh. “So, you know of another way out?” She allowed the conversation to continue, not bothering to try and poke holes in the previous statement. “Is it… big enough for me, too?” 

If there was another way out, there was no reason to be worried, right? Another sniff and she wrinkled her nose. “Is it safe to assume you’ve been down here before?” Or for some time? Leticia almost provided the simple out. But the smell in the air was driving her nuts. “Have you seen any strange plants down here? It’d be like a… mint plant. But not mint. Completely different smell.” 

—

The whole town smelled pretty bad right now, but Cass didn’t think the Magmacave smelled worse than the rest of it. So why was this woman wiping at her nose and sniffing like this was her biggest problem? Shouldn’t she be more worried about being trapped in the cave, anyway? Cass found that she was a little offended at the reaction, though she knew it made little sense. It wasn’t really fair to trap someone in a cave and then be upset that their biggest concern seemed to be the smell. 

At least she seemed friendly enough. “Since I’ve been here,” she amended, which was still true. It was just that ‘since she’d been here’ was a little longer than the woman might assume. You learned quick, as a fae, to use the assumptions that people made to your advantage. Let them think what they think. You never had to confirm or deny it directly; you just had to say whatever truth would fit their existing vision. “Yeah, I know another way out.” She inspected the woman carefully at the second question, shrugging. “Should be, I think. You’re not very big.” Only a little bigger than Cass, really. 

Another sniff. Was she serious? The cave smelled fine! Better than other caves, even, on account of Cass’s scented candles! The oread was about to say something, because it was, like, super rude to go around literally turning your nose up at someone’s home, but the woman spoke before she could. Something about… plants? “I’ve been down here before,” she confirmed, another careful truth. “But, um… Plants? What kind of plant are you looking for? There are a lot down here.” 

—

Every reply came off more vague than the last, and Leticia was trying not to crack a smile. It felt familiar, like how she spoke to her parents when she was running around with her friends after school and not wanting to give up all the details. She could only imagine the gray hairs this young woman had given her parents. But whatever the truth was, it was clear she was more versed in this cave formation than Leticia was. One thin sliver lining that she wasn’t blindly trapped. 

Looking toward the cave in once more, she frowned again. Had there been any warning? Would the other person know? How many questions could she ask before the girl locked down completely and refused to speak? That’s what kids did, right? Worrying at her lip, she figured she might as well ask. “Did you hear anything before the cave in? Any warning at all?” Had Leticia missed something while following her nose? As distracted as she had been lately, it wouldn’t be surprising if there had been blaring sirens that were warning her about it and she had simply run past them in her search of relief. 

Pulling out her phone, she looked through her photos and pulled up one that she had of the plant. It was a cave, so it should be in its natural form. “It looks like this,” Leticia said, showing the other her phone. Pretending the SOS signal in the top right corner didn’t bother her as much as it did. “It’s kind of stinky… but tasty!” Maybe not for the other here, but she didn’t want them thinking she was an absolute nut. “You really don’t smell that?” 

—

She was asking about warning signs, and Cass shifted where she stood. How could she play this without admitting that she was the only warning sign in sight? She didn’t want to tell the woman that the cave-in was her doing. It wasn’t fear preventing the confession, though perhaps it should have been. She’d been told that anyone who wasn’t fae must mean her wrong in one way or another, even if she’d never quite believed it. Cass wasn’t afraid of the woman, just as she wasn’t afraid of anyone she met out in the world.

But she was a little embarrassed. 

After all, it was becoming clearer and clearer that the woman meant neither her nor the cave any kind of harm, so collapsing the entryway and blocking them off inside had been a bit of an overreaction. “I didn’t hear anything,” she replied, and it was technically true. She hadn’t heard anything because there was nothing to hear. She knew exactly what had caused the cave-in, but that wasn’t what the woman had asked. Answer only the questions placed in front of you. That was how you skirted around the truth when you couldn’t lie.

Leaning forward a little, she looked at the woman’s phone. She was glad for a change in subject, at least. “Oh!” She recognized the plant. “Yeah, I know where that grows. You eat it?” She wrinkled her nose a little bit, amused but a little grossed out. Who ate catnip other than, like, cats? That was totally weird. “No, I don’t smell it. Am I supposed to? I don’t think it smells that strong.”

—

“Well,” Leticia shrugged half-heartedly. “Shit happens, I guess.” There was no reason to think about it further, at least not to Leticia. She had been worried that it had been loose rocks outside that she had disturbed on the way inside, or that there had been some other kind of sign that she could have heard or seen before it all came down. 

There was a moment of horror that Leticia hoped that the other didn’t notice when they looked disgusted at the plant. She had hoped by showing what it looked like when it was growing that they wouldn't know that it was catnip. But luck was once again against her. First the cave-in, and now some teenager(?) looking at her like she was out of her mind. 

Pulling her phone back, Leticia pressed the screen to her shoulder and pulled a face. “Hey. I don’t need your judgment. We’re both hanging out in a cave, I don’t think you have a lot of room to talk here either.” It was more hostile than Letiica intended, but she was feeling a lot of unwarranted judgment. “I’ve always smelled it.” Which was the truth, but she had no idea if human noses worked the same way as hers. Most of them stumbled around in the dark and they rarely picked up the scents she did, but catnip smelt so distinct and good — how could she not smell it too? “And it’s better fresh… does it grow in here?”

—

The woman didn’t seem too concerned about her current situation, and Cass felt a profound relief at that. If she wasn’t asking questions, it meant Cass wouldn’t have to keep finding ways to dance around the truth. It always made her feel a little guilty doing that, especially when someone was nice. And this woman did seem nice.

“Oh, no, I wasn’t —- I didn’t mean to judge you.” It was stupid, the way panic clawed at her throat at that. She didn’t even know this woman, and she still needed, desperately, for her to like her. How pathetic was she that she couldn’t stand the thought of a complete stranger thinking she was rude or strange or otherwise undesirable? “I’m sorry. I don’t think it’s weird or anything.” The lie tasted like acid in her throat, but she still liked it better than the taste of rejection that it was replacing. 

It was also strange that this woman could smell the catnip, because no one had ever mentioned it before. But maybe it was one of those silly things that humans didn’t often talk about; maybe they all went around smelling plants and just didn’t say anything because they thought it was obvious. Cass carefully filed this thought away into her ‘potential human facts’ database. “It grows here,” she confirmed with a nod. “Do you, um… Do you want me to show you?” Maybe that would undo the bad first impression she’d given the woman by commenting on the ‘eating catnip’ thing, or make up for the cave-in that the stranger had no idea was her fault. “You could take it with you, if you want.” Even if the thought of letting someone take something from her cave made her feel nauseous. 

—

She was being polite, wasn’t she? It wasn’t the same manner as what people did back when she was in New York, trying to manipulate her into working with them — this was a different kind of polite. And Leticia wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. Calling it out felt wrong considering how young the other looked, but there was no part of her that believed that she hadn’t been judged. But part of that was her own fault. She should have just said she needed it for the cats she didn’t have, or use the same lame excuse about making tea to sleep. 

“It’s okay,” Leticia said with a shrug. “It’s a weird thing to eat.” For humans, at least. “But it does have some benefits — don’t knock it until you try it.” A poor cover, but there were some benefits. According to doctor Google at least. And thankfully there was hardly any internet in the cave so there was no way for her to Google it and find out how far she had to scroll to dig up that one fact. It had been a few pages deep, the guy who had asked her last time didn’t question it. So, with any luck, this would just be a random fact no one would care about later. 

“You seem to know a lot about these caves,” Leticia finally voiced her suspicions. Not directly enough to demand an answer. “Well, if you’re going to show me around, we should probably exchange names. I’m Leticia. More into music than cave diving but…” She shrugged. She had talked about doing that very thing with one of her friends, but true cave diving took a lot of resources. And effort. And closing your eyes and pretending there was no real danger.

— 

“I’ll try it,” Cass said, maybe a little too quickly. She’d eat stupid catnip if it meant this woman might like her. It wasn’t as if it would hurt her; at least, she didn’t think it would. Catnip clearly didn’t hurt humans, if this woman ate it, and she couldn’t think of any reason why it might hurt oreads. Her weaknesses were all tied to things that could hurt stone. Catnip didn’t make the list, as far as she was aware.

She shifted a little at the suspicious tone the woman’s voice seemed to take. Was she upset enough about the catnip to dig into the reasons behind Cass’s presence in the cave? Or was she willing to let it go? Desperately, Cass hoped for the latter. “I hang out here sometimes.” Again, not technically a lie. She was good at that, at saying things that weren’t lies but weren’t the whole truth, either. And that was a good thing. Cass wasn’t good at hiding the adverse effects that came with lying.

Exchange names. That was a dangerous phrasing, wasn’t it? Leticia was a pretty name, but Cass liked hers too much to ‘exchange’ it. “No,” she said quickly, “we should not exchange names. You keep yours and I’ll keep mine. But I can tell you what mine is. It’s Cass.” A little clunky, maybe, but better than having to figure out how to reverse an exchange of names. That would definitely out her; the response to the offer of an exchange didn’t necessarily. Deciding a quick pivot in subject matter was necessary, she jumped on to the next thing Leticia had said. “What kind of music are you into?”

—

There was a moment of pause where Leticia was scrambling for a reason that she shouldn’t eat the catnip along with her, but any reason she had would have negated everything she had said up until this point. They weren’t lies, Leticia reminded herself, but there was still some strain on the idea that she might reveal herself to be a bigger freak than she was if this got out. “I’ll make you some tea, if you’d like!” Shit. 

“There was a place like this back home, it got closed off though. Too many people were getting… well,” Leticia waved to the walls around them that had just come down. “Someone got trapped and it was flagged as too dangerous. But it was so pretty. Dinosaur caves, they called it. Carved out by the waves of the ocean.” Thinking of home came with a hint of sadness. Places that she’d never see again. This cave was nice, but it wasn’t the same. “This happen before?” Dangerously close to telling the other that maybe this might not be the best hang out spot if she could get hurt. Especially if the wall came down without warning. 

The phrasing was suspicious, Leticia couldn’t pretend that it didn’t pull away the innocent child image that she had in her mind. Then again, it could just be a kid who had dealt with the fae before. She chose to ignore it. It was for the best. Probably. Cass jumped on the music subject and Letiica was all too happy to talk about it. “Rock, mostly. Though lately it’s been ABBA. Think the entire town is on a kick actually,” she said, thinking about the upwards of fifty requests she had for Dancing Queen. “And Taylor Swift, guilty pleasure that I get a lot of shit for but eh.” She shrugged, following Cass through the cave, feeling strange as they moved. This wasn’t her element. (Maybe cave diving wasn’t for her at all.) 

—

Cass was, frankly, so excited about the prospect of someone making tea for her that she didn’t even care that it was going to be catnip tea. She didn’t even particularly like tea, but the idea of someone else going through the trouble to prepare it for her was so intoxicating that she’d drink as much of it as she was allowed anyway. “Really? You’ll make me tea? You promise?” It was a silly thing to bind someone over. Cass had never wanted to bind anyone more. 

“Really?” The interest was clear in her tone, fascination. It was unsurprising that the cave Leticia was referring to had been deemed ‘too dangerous’ for the general public. Most humans, Cass had found, had a tendency to overestimate their abilities when it came to spelunking. It was why there were a few scattered piles of bones in the Magmacave, why Cass sometimes had to forcibly turn people around to keep from adding to the piles. Humans were silly sometimes; they saw things out in nature, and they assumed that those things were there for them. It was never true. Nature existed only for itself. Caves weren’t for exploring. “A cave in?” She thought of the day with Leila and the others, the creature that had clawed its way through the cracks. “I’ve seen it before, yes.” 

There was something kind of funny about a fan of rock music stumbling upon an oread’s cave. Part of Cass wanted desperately to make a pun of some kind or another, but she didn’t want to out herself. Leticia seemed nice, and sometimes nice people were wary of fae. If she knew Cass was one, she might take back her offer to make tea, or realize that the cave in hadn’t just been nature doing what nature did. Cass didn’t want that. “I don’t think you should feel guilty for liking things,” she replied with a shrug. “Like what you like. Forget what other people say. Right?” It was something one of the many people she’d tried clinging to throughout her years of travel had said once, and it had stuck with her far longer than the person who’d said it had. “Do you just listen to music? Or do you ever play it? I always wanted to learn an instrument.”

—

It was a strange thing to ask for a promise over, so, Leticia figured it had to be harmless. As skittish as she had thought Cass had been in the moments earlier, this proved to her she was just some kid that happened to have a knack for getting into trouble. Nothing dangerous. “Sure, I promise. I’ll make you some tea.” Though she hoped at as soon as they parted ways, Cass forgot all about everything catnip related. (She had no idea if catnip tea was actually any good, too. Which would be an unfortunate surprise for later.) 

Leticia nodded her head. “Yeah, didn’t stop people from trying, of course.” Nothing stopped kids from doing anything. Leticia had been one of those very kids herself when she was younger. Funny how age had made her more cautious. “They have a staircase that is built on the side of a bluff to the beach below so you can get a better view of it. One of the most beautiful spots in California.” Her head tipped to the side at Cass’s comment. “Are they frequent here?” Maybe getting out should be the first priority. 

Cass was had a point, one that she had shared with others before but like most things, didn’t apply to herself. “Yeah.” But she didn’t look at Cass when she spoke this time. Not wanting to know if the other could see right through her quiet agreement and see someone who was constantly ready to support others, but refused it for herself. Leticia, this time, was happy for the change in subject. “I play - well, I played. Started with guitar but made the shift to vocals.” And then made the shift to nothing. “What stopped you from trying it out?” 

—

Pleased with herself, Cass bound Leticia to the promise in spite of the fact that it was largely simple and the fact that she wasn’t sure she even wanted catnip tea. There was something deeper to it, after all; in order to make her tea, Leticia would have to see her again. She might not be able to bind Leticia into a promise as bold as friendship right off the bat, but they could get there one bind at a time. Start with tea, go from there. Friendship was supposed to be a whole process, anyway.

“People are kind of dumb,” Cass replied with a shrug. She knew that, even if she liked people. At the mention of a staircase built into the side of a bluff, she bristled a little. The idea of someone damaging a rock structure in order to make it easier for humans to take in the view made her feel wrong, like something was crawling on her skin. Maybe it came with knowing that, if someone did something like that to her cave, it would hurt her. Had someone like her been hurt — or worse — by the decision to put those stairs in? The thought made her feel a little nauseous. “They should have just let people risk the climb the way it was. Putting in stairs was stupid.” No matter how pretty the view was. “They only happen sometimes.” Cass had never seen a cave-in here that she hadn’t been the unintentional cause of, and she wasn’t looking to cause another now that she’d decided Leticia was more friend than foe, but she wasn’t ready to say that just yet.

Guitar? She thought of the instrument she’d seen in Van’s house, of the music they’d listened to when they’d played cards. “I like the guitar. It sounds pretty, you know? And it fits into a lot of different songs. Not every instrument can do that. I bet you’re a good singer, though.” She seemed like she would be, based on nothing but Cass’s personal vibes. Shrugging, she looked down at her feet as she walked, leading Leticia through the cave. “I moved around a lot. It was hard to carry a lot of stuff with me, so I couldn’t carry an instrument.” And when you were living on the streets, there were other things to worry about. “I always thought maybe I’d learn the ukelele one day. But I don’t know. I probably wouldn’t be very good at it.”

—

There was something strange about the way that Cass spoke about the stairs in the cliff that reminded her of Teagan and the protectiveness she had for the lake. There was something nice about that trait being in a human too. Maybe if more of the kids were like her, there could be some friendships across the lines. She didn’t know how to tell her that there was beach access about a mile away, people just put in the stairs to avoid the long walk. Leticia put her hands in her pockets, and decided not to tell her. It was easier to stomach the destruction of mankind, not the laziness of it. 

“Stable then, usually? Even with all the weird shit with the mines?” She was surprised. And considerably unlucky considering one of the few cave-ins had happened around her. There was a black cat joke in there somewhere. And considering her most recent luck, she wasn’t about to look directly at what might be the common denominator here. 

“Guitar and piano are the best if you’re going to use just one instrument to create a full song.” Most everything could be played on either, but as much love as Leticia had for the craft, it would take a lot of convincing for her to take the drums and bass out of her music. Part of her was ready to talk Cass’s ear off about music and share everything she knew with her just for the one compliment, but she had already promised her tea. And maybe simple compliments that weren’t based on anything the other actually knew about her shouldn’t pull her in that direction. “Oh.” The single word slipped out and immediately, Leticia was looking at the ground too, ashamed that that was how she responded. “Do you still want to learn? I don’t have a ukulele at the shop, but I’ve got some used guitars.” Shrugging, Leticia continued to follow Cass, occasionally bracing herself against the cave wall. “There’s a say about that, actually. Sucking at something is the first step at being kinda good at something.” Her father had always been good at this, inspiring others to pick up an instrument or pull them out of their shells. Leticia had been good at listening. Not so much at pushing. 

—

“Probably not as stable as it was before the mining accident,” Cass replied, “but I wasn’t here as much then.” She could feel the scars from it, though, could feel them in the ground of her cave as intimately as she would have felt them in her own skin. And that made her angry, too, in that familiar ‘nymph’ kind of way that she hated to feel. What right did people have to dig around under the ground for pieces of the Earth that they had decided were valuable? What made them think they were allowed? Part of her wanted to stop it, somehow, but she knew it wasn’t really in the cards. She was one nymph, small and lonely and a little afraid, and she didn’t want to hurt anyone. She never really had.

It was easier said than done, some days. She still had those instincts, the ones that came with the magma glowing under her skin or the rocks that rested on top of it. Cass might not have been a particularly good nymph, but she was still a nymph. She did still harbor those age old instincts that told her to do anything she had to do to protect her domain. They were hard to quell, sometimes.

But she tried anyway. She led Leticia through the cave, she pretended she wasn’t the reason the opening the other woman had come through was gone now. “Have you ever written a song? You sound like you know what you’re talking about.” It wasn’t the words, really; it was the tone. The confidence, the way she said it without a hint of doubt. Turning around, she blinked. It sounded like an offer. “Do you think you could teach me?” If she learned the guitar, maybe it would give her one more thing to talk to Van about. They could play music together, and Cass would be harder to forget. Maybe other people would be interested in hearing her play it, too; Nora might like it. Or Metzli, or Thea, or even Ren. “Did you ever suck?”

—

“Makes sense, yeah.” Leticia didn’t know much about caves or the systems or much of anything when it came to the landscape. This had never been her domain. The balam didn’t care much for the underground, preferring the shade and brush that came with the forests. It felt more natural to run through that then through a dark system below the surface. This, of course, wasn’t as deep as most systems would go, but this was deep enough that it wasn’t natural for her. “What drew you here of all the places in town? It’s not exactly… central.” 

The further they went in, the less Leticia felt like they were finding an exit. She doubted that Cass was misleading her, but the balam was starting to stir. And how far would they have to go before the light started to bleed through the cracks? She inhaled deeply, deciding not to say anything, not wanting to put any more pressure on Cass than there already was. (She was just a kid but she moved with such confidence in the dark confines of the cave, there was no reason to worry, was there?)

“Huh?” It was a natural question when it came to discussing music, but Leticia always tripped over it in this town. “I, uh…” She scratched the back of her head, not wanting to lie to Cass but also not quite ready to show all of her cards. Mateo had told her she didn’t have to go back on stage to still be the person she was before, but she still felt strange claiming that fame when she was here now. It felt like a distant life. “Wrote a few, yeah,” she decided to admit. “I spent about 12 years in the music industry. So, yeah, I know a few things.” Stopping in her tracks when Cass turned towards her, Leticia offered a warm smile. “Only if you’re willing to work through the sort of sucking first part.” Bobbing her head to the side, Leticia eventually nodded. “Yeah. Music. I was all thumbs when I started. I could figure out how to match a note but carry a tune continuously? Nah, that came with practice. Lots of it.” 

—

Cass hummed at the question. Even for a fae, honesty was never the only option. You could mislead, you could withhold. Cass had gotten pretty good at it, over the years, knew how to say things that were true without answering the questions asked of her. But she didn’t see a reason to twist the truth here, so she only shrugged. “It’s near the mineral abnormality,” she replied. “I think it’s really cool.”

She continued leading Leticia through the cave, kicking her feet as she walked like a kid going on some great imaginary adventure on a playground. The exit wasn’t far, though getting to it did require them to venture further underground. But, at the moment, the exit wasn’t what Cass was leading Leti to; she’d said she wanted catnip. Cass knew where the catnip was. She didn’t communicate this. To her, it was obvious. It slipped her mind that, to Leticia, it probably wasn’t.

“Really? Anything I would know? That’s so cool.” Though she was more interested in visual media than she was in music, Cass was pretty familiar with the latter. There was music in shows, after all, soundtracks in movies. She wondered if any of the songs Leticia spoke had ever featured in either. The idea of it felt incredibly exciting. “I can work through that,” she said eagerly. “I can definitely work through that. Are thumbs a bad thing to have?” It was a little comforting, knowing that Leticia had sucked once, too. Cass hadn’t heard her play to know that she was better now, of course, but if she’d spent fifteen years in the industry, odds were she knew what she was doing. Slowing to a stop, Cass pointed to the ground. “Tada!” She announced, kneeling down to the catnip growing on the floor of the cave beneath a patch of sunlight streaming in through a crack far above. “See?”

—

That was fair, considering that Leticia’s first instinct was to want to explore the mines the second she was settled into town. It wasn’t strange to her in the slightest that other people might want to do the same. She wondered, absently, if Cass went to the local college or not—how passionate was she about these things? But she didn’t ask. Feeling as though she was already intruding enough on the young woman’s life, she didn’t need an adult needlessly prying further. 

Part of her wanted to say it outright, that yes she would have heard her music if she ever listened to the radio or if she had ever heard the Avengers soundtrack from the original movie—but part of her didn’t want to tell this kid anything. This time, not for the sake of keeping her identity secret, but because she knew that kids had a lot of opinions on music. And Cass seemed… nice. What if Cass’s opinion of her changed once she realized who she was? What if she hated her music? 

“Maybe,” Leticia decided on a middle ground. “Depends on what genre you listen to a lot. I was mostly in rock circles.” And now she was surrounded by rocks. Another thing that Leticia tried not to laugh about. “Thumbs aren’t a bad thing to have, as long as you have the usual amount. But like… say you want to do something delicate? You wouldn’t want to use your thumb, you’d likely pick a different finger for delicate work because you have more control over it,” she tried to explain. The smell got stronger before the single stream of light appeared in the otherwise dark cave, it was landing on a single crack in the cave, just enough to disturb the otherwise hard ground to reveal a patch of dirt. Leticia knelt down and touched the leaves, but didn’t pull any. “I feel kinda… bad,” she admitted, looking up at the light. How hard did the plant have to fight to grow here of all places? 

—

When Cass had first started venturing into the world of humans and heard that there was something called rock music, she’d been understandably excited. She’d wanted so badly to learn about the world, to fit into it, and the idea that there was an entire genre of music based around a subject that she arguably knew more about than most people could ever hope to achieve had felt like a sign that she could belong. Of course, the music wasn’t quite what she’d been expecting. There was little to do with actual rocks in the sound of it, and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t been a little disappointed as a result. But… it was still nice.

“I like rock music,” she said, glancing back to Leticia. “You should sing one, so I can tell if I know it. It’ll sound good in here. My friend says caves have good acoustics.” She liked the way the words didn’t come with the usual nausea that accompanied a lie, the way the lack of it meant that friend was the right word to use to refer to Van, at least to her. Believing something hard enough could often allow you to get away with saying it consequence-free even if it was a lie, but even just genuinely believing that she and Van were friends felt good.

Looking down at her thumbs, Cass bent them thoughtfully. “I guess that makes sense,” she agreed, putting them back to her side and hooking them through her belt loops as they stopped in front of the small beam of light. She leaned forward as Leticia admitted that she’d feel bad uprooting the plant, a feeling of respect flooding through her. “There’s more at the entrance,” she offered. “We could go there instead, and you could get some of that.” She seemed to really want the catnip, but Cass would prefer if it wasn’t taken from the cave, too.

—

“You know, I never have sung in a cave before.” Most of the places she sang when she was under contract had been larger—not that this didn’t have some beauty to it, but it wouldn’t hold as many attendees. It hadn’t mattered how pretty a location was or how badly Leticia wanted to visit, if the location didn’t have a number that was just as pretty to her manager, it was simply a no. “Maybe next time,” she offered. “Not sure how well I’d do acapella. It’s been a minute.” Though her heart was begging her to. “Besides, what if the cave disagrees and we encounter more falling rocks?” 

The friend playing music inside the cave though… There was a worry that was building that Leticia hid under her smile now. It had started out small, a vague picture of Cass in a cave and just happening to be here and exploring it sometimes. To another person added into the picture, coupled with her knowledge of the cave systems with dexterity that she would have expected from someone who studied this place more than just briefly. 

“It’ll make more sense once you start playing.” She stood up from her crouched position and leaned against the wall of the cave for a moment, looking up at the small gap that had allowed the light in. There was something poetic about it, something beautiful fighting for a chance of survival inside a place it was not meant to exist. Though, beauty might have been debated, it was beautiful to her. Disappointed, but satisfied in her own answer, Leticia nodded her head before looking at Cass again, with a new spark in her eyes. “There’s more?” Too excited, Leticia cleared her throat and then straightened up. “I mean, it’d just be a real shame, you know? It’s in very pretty lighting here.” 

—

“Really? They have venues, you know, in caves. Down south in some places, I think. But… I bet it’d be more fun like this. Somewhere where you don’t have to do it for anyone but you, right?” That was when most things felt the best, though Cass rarely let herself have such experiences. So much of her life had seen her existing for other people. Cutting herself into pieces so she could fit into whatever box might see her loved. But she was learning that there was some beauty in being you, too. She thought of Nora, who was always so unapologetically herself, who saw Cass as she was and liked her anyway. That felt better than being loved for being someone else. Maybe Leticia thought so, too. “I think the cave will love you if you’re kind to it.” Caves usually did. Before coming to Wicked’s Rest, they’d been the only ones who’d ever liked Cass for Cass.

And the cave would like Leticia, she decided, because Cass liked Leticia. The way she looked at the plant with such excitement and wonder, but refused to disturb it, the way she wanted to sing, the way she said she could help Cass learn the guitar. Leticia was kind, and kind people deserved to be rewarded for that kindness.

“Yeah,” she agreed, “it’d be a shame. The stuff at the entrance is probably better for tea, anyway. Come on. I’ll show you.”

[columbiafawn3]

I think I’ve become quite closed off from the world — retreated into myself. When people try to talk to me, I almost feel burdened by the conversation. It feels like I have such finite energy and resources that it just takes too much energy to engage in a conversation with someone I can pretty well assume will not enrich my life in any way. Maybe it’s a user mentality to think about people in terms of making my life better or worse, but I feel like there are few people who have the depth that I seek, and I don’t have infinite energy stores to engage with people at a net loss.

And I do keep people away. I look unfriendly. I don’t fully engage in conversations. I go silent, give short answers, don’t ask follow up questions. But there’s two ways out: either I open myself up to people who don’t understand me and find a way to be ok with that, or I continue to be shut off and build a bigger community of people who understand around me.

I just feel quite isolated in my little bubble. I live most of my days essentially alone — accompanied but alone if that makes sense. I feel like my way of seeing the world is so different from the people around me that we might as well have had two different experiences.

I’ve been saying it for a while now, but I think I’m in quite a receptive era of my life where things can easily affect me. So i feel a need to protect myself from outside influences until I decide that they’re safe.

I worry that I’m just stuck with this brain and I’ll drive myself crazy like Sylvia Plath. Twice as bright half as long.

I don’t feel as though I’m in an environment where I can be understood in the first place, so I sort of bunker down and just try to push through. At work I feel like I’m not fully embodying myself, at home I don’t feel like my life is being particularly enriched.

I said to mum a while ago that I feel like a hermit crab who has outgrown its current shell but has to stay in it until it can find the right shell to change into.

I mean, really, I’m just looking for a place to belong. No matter what window dressing I put on it, that’s the ongoing discussion: where do I belong?

And for the moment, the only place I belong feels like inside my own head. So, there I stay. But I would like to fully engage with the world and not feel so dissociated all the time.

I think I dial myself down to conserve my limited energy, because I know it’s a waste of time trying to explain myself. But also for safety. I can’t be my energetic self because the patriarchy would have something to say about it. People are uncomfortable with gay.

It’s funny because in Austria so far I don’t feel like I carry the burden of gay as a badge of difference. But maybe that’s because I just have another difference card: being Australian.

I do like the fact that with new languages I can become someone new. When I speak french I can dissociate myself from my normal life and zip into the French Nathan suit where I get to make up myself and present a new person. I feel so constrained by other people’s narrow perceptions of me.

But then there’s that thing « at 20 you care about what other people think; at 40 you stop caring; at 60 you realise no one was thinking about you in the first place. » I’m trying to keep that in mind when I find myself worrying about how I’m being perceived.

I think a lot of this has to do with fashion being my main creative outlet at the moment. I don’t feel like fashion is a particularly well accepted mode of expression for a man like me. I feel the ire of society bearing down upon me each time I leave the house wearing something that isn’t from the Universal store.

I feel so conspicuous when all I want is to blend in.

And in Vienna at least, I felt like I did blend in.

Im worried that in France I will still feel like there is a rigidity I will come up against and it will hold me back.

[cyberghost-scout]

OC Information: Phantasma

Name: Phantasma (CC- 120- 209)

Title Rank: Unemployed, former specter, former mini

Continuity Origins: Animated (2007) {Willingly go for multi-verse. It's a fun story for that one.}

Faction: Neutral

Sex: Femme

Height: 17 ft/ 5.1816 m

Sexuality: Lesbian

Family unit: Ghostwire (Baby sister)

Fedelis (adoptive father)

Flow (sister's best friend and fellow shit-stirrer when the two were left alone)

Unicron (Rust Emperor Crab that has the most rancid energy- her baby)

Function: Before reunited with Ghostwire- A dead, angry electric being

Post reunited- Online went through an angry mini-bot phase, now just some snarky little shit.

Post-regaining large body- Phantasma is slightly calmer than the mini-bot version. It can help out, but primarily snarky, shit-stirring civilians.

Frame-Type: Cold Construct experiment type.

Alt mode: 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback but blue and yellowish gold

Early life for her and Ghostwire: Nothing much. After being taken up first and seeing only a blur of colors. They mostly lived alone in this very creepy decrepit factory. Phantasma knew they were constructs left for dead- it is not a hidden fact, given the walls full of dormant rusting frames that look like yourself and your sister. Seeing a big room of unactive versions of yourself is hard to ignore—just her and her chosen sister, Ghostwire.

From that point, they stayed as their only known home. Despite being rusted on some parts of their bodies, there's enough fuel for the two—even Phantasma was the first to name herself after accidentally frying herself with exposed wires and turning the hologram on. Her most outstanding achievement was revving an old radio and camera- she felt proud.

Spoilers: The happiness did not last--Phantasma lost her head and became a furious electric specter for the rest of the war and then some. Scared and occasion barbecued from scavengers or very dumb bots.

Thanks to some crazy events with @ask-the-guardian-core Phantasma, she returned to life and reunited with her sister after years of separation.

Plasma Copies: This highly dangerous modification prototype is where Phantasma becomes OP if the femme is not killed the first time in her life. It is a short-medium range ability that uses a high plasma concentration that can fry or revive tech. Still, the central ability is to make copies of cybertronians- similar to Pepper's Ghost but more zappy. It's a great way to use this ability to lull everyone down before a surprise attack. But a more powerful variant is when it's a copy of herself. It is easier to control because you know more about yourself than a bunch of strangers.

After being left dead for Vorns to reunite, she finally realized her sister was still alive, and odd events returned to the living. Phantasma is currently freeloading but slowly finding herself to do something as the femme had nothing to do with the war-- except coming back from her death. So now she and the rest of this squad her sister Ghostwire had bonded with and a few pets traveled across the Universe and the occasionally Alternate Universe.