#the ceiling was completely covered in fake vines and leaves

[everchanging-cryptid]

I went to Rainforest Cafe for the first time today

I would like very much to live there

[timextoxhajima]

Nevertheless: Wishful Thinking [1]

[completed] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

synopsis: why would the college flirt want anything to do with the innocent heartbreaker? a [somewhat] nevertheless au featuring tbz's eric son young jae

genre [per chapter]: suggestive material, mentions of alcohol, SMUT *this series is a smut series so* please don't read if you're uncomfy. if you're underaged and you still wanna read, i'm not stopping you. i don't care because that's your responsibility to know what's fiction and what's not.

word count: 2.8k, half of which is probably filth

taglist: @from-xero

{this is a work of fiction}

"i'm sorry, i just... i just don't see you that way."

the boy tries his hardest not to choke (or sob) as he lowers his head, the bouquet of flowers in his hands crinkling when he brings it down to his side.

he huffs, using his tongue to poke the inner sides of his cheeks as his grimace pulls out into a smirk.

you look at him with utmost guilt, fingers awkwardly intertwined with one another as you scan the distraught on his face.

"so..." he slowly nods, looking up from the floor. "not even the most popular person on campus can win you over, huh?"

the label strikes a chord in you.

honestly, you were just waiting for him to say those words. you hadn't expected the campus star boy to confess to you tonight, much less at his own graduation party.

he was two years your senior and frankly way out of your league - leaving you with absolutely no clue how he came about to develop feelings for you.

you had wondered if he was merely capitalising on your growing reputation as the 'innocent heartbreaker'.

the pretty, new, freshman who just couldn't seem to stop heads from turning.

one of those heads was his.

wooseok scoffs, obviously unhappy and dissatisfied with your response.

how dare the pretty freshman reject the hottest boy on campus?

"okay," wooseok nods, still holding out the flowers to you. "at least take the flowers, would you?"

grimly picking the golden-wrapped roses from him, you scan his eyes, glossed with a layer of tears as his nose sours.

"wooseok-"

"no, don't," he interrupts you, sucking in a deep breath as he puffs out his chest. the yelling from outside his bedroom door calls the both of your attention.

"the party's still going on until morning, are you staying?"

with a light shake of your head, you hug the flowers close to your chest. your heart slows down, calming from the fact that he had brought you in here just to confess and not something else you were afraid of.

the guilt sinks in when you realise you didn't trust wooseok all that much.

"okay, well..." he clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. the silver shine off the school's logo on the varsity jacket glimmers under the room's ceiling light. "at least stay until we finish the first bottle of vodka? we have games later."

"oh, wooseok, i can't-"

"come on," he reaches forward and grabs your hands, his hands hot and warm. probably from the adrenaline he had to give himself to make this feat. "the first bottle."

you look up from his fingers and at his face, his fringe covering his eyes and casting sharp-angled shadows all over his lids.

your lips part, but before you can even utter a sound, he hops right in and exclaims with a grin on his face. "great! i'll see you around and come find me when you're leaving, okay?"

the smile lines extend from the sides of his nose and down to his lips, the shadow lines on his cheeks shifting as he turns on his heels, hands sliding off yours.

"i'll-" he points to his door, already reaching for the handle. "yeah. bye."

wooseok pulls the door open for him to exit, and right before he can shut the door behind him, his eyes come between the gap to take one last look at you.

the door clicks shut after he moves off first, and you're left with the roses in your arms, standing in the middle of his room, having just rejected the most sought-after bachelor in the school.

looking down at the roses once more, your finger-pads rub against the velvet petals, heart aching for him.

the neon lights in his room were casting a bright blue hue all over the walls and the carpeted ground, trophies for baseball and customised bats decorating almost every corner.

you turn to his bed, thinking of leaving the flowers on the cushion and leaving quietly through his window.

but your train of thought violently snapped into two when the party outside yells, followed by the loud thunking of the bass throughout the house.

the flowers are a reminder of how shit of a person you are.

you didn't ask to be a heartbreaker.

people tend to think you find joy in rejecting the brave ones who get their feelings across but you don't. not at all.

carefully laying the bouquet of flowers back onto his bed, you pull the door of his room open and step out into the hallway, the music blasting like everyone was deaf and hard of hearing.

the crowd in the living room comes into view when you start walking down the stairs - everybody jumping on beat to the likes of superbass and people yelling the all-time classic rap.

your knuckles whiten from gripping onto the wooden railings, unable to return yourself to the party when you've done broken the heart of the host himself.

so you turn on your heels, deciding to return to his room and crawl out through his window - only to be met by someone else.

"party's downstairs."

if you were the innocent heartbreaker...

then eric son was the vicious one - the male, sluttier equivalent of you.

"oh, well... party's not for me," you offer a tiny smile, slightly embarrassed to be caught making a u-turn.

eric tilts his head to the side, holding out an arm and resting it on the wooden railings. you lower your head, taking a step to your left in a bid to walk past him.

but you're stopped yet again by his arm reaching out, palm pressing flat into the concrete as he looks down at you.

you don't realise your fists are clenched (and sweating) until you rub them onto your dress.

"look, eric- i- i had a bad day and i just-"

"so walk out the front door," he raises a single brow, taking a step down and removing his hand off the wooden railing.

your feet fumble around each other in a bid not to topple down the stairs. turning to face you, he forces you to step back to maintain the safe distance between you.

"i don't want to make a scene-" the bad habit of picking your nails returns when your back hits the wall, and eric's standing an uncomfortable distance from you now.

"oh," he lifts his free hand and mirrors the other, keeping your neck between his forearms. but you are the scene. you can't just... leave."

a flustered chuckle runs through your throat as you lean your head back against the wall. "i don't have the time for this."

"make time for me," eric cocks his head to the side and glances down near the bottom of your face. "you can tell me about your bad day."

"i think i'll be fine on my own, thank you," carefully squatting and trying to shrink out from the wall-eric sandwich, your brows furrow as you shift.

but eric son buckles his arm and halves the distance he has between your faces, the sudden surge forcing you back upright.

now his breath is hot on your jaw and you turn away from him, lips pursed into a thin, tight line.

"the 'innocent heartbreaker'," he gently hums, fingers reaching up to play with the curled locks fallen around your upper arms. the fleeting brushes of his skin across yours draw out chills, and a harsh inhale twitches your facial expressions to his liking. "i can see why boys would fall for this."

with your eyes still glued to the party downstairs, you part your lips, wanting to explain yourself.

then eric, with the weight of feathers, reaches up to your chin and tilts it towards him.

his lips are parted as he slides his tongue across his teeth. he sighs softly, eyes travelling from yours to your lips and back up.

by now, you can feel his breath on your philtrum.

"you're pretty," he whispers, almost against your lips.

and your stomach plummets when he pulls away completely, the cool air rushing in to replace the bodily heat.

without breaking eye contact, even for a single second, eric pushes himself off the wall. lips drawn out into a wide smile, he adjusts his jacket and runs his hand through his hair.

"but not that pretty."

you don't realise your heart's racing until you feel your chest heaving, unknowingly panting from the unruly interaction the vicious heartbreaker has just provided you.

the world finally seeps back into view and into complete perfect audio, the music finally rumbling through you again when your eyes trail after eric, walking into the crowd jumping in the living room.

the taste of iron seeps out from the inside of your lips, and you dart your tongue across the mark that your teeth have left on your flesh.

clearing your throat and shaking the thought of eric out of your head, you turn back up the steps and head back into wooseok's bedroom.

the blue hues of the room start to sink into your consciousness again, the yellow shade of the bouquet wrap looking more like green under the lighting.

you take a moment to fester - over wooseok, over your reputation, over eric.

college just started and here you were, feeling guilty over something that wasn't even your fault.

the final decision comes to rest on your fingers in the form of pulling wooseok's window open, carefully lifting your feet and crawling under the glass.

now, troublemaker was playing, muffled but definitely loud enough to be heard at least 3 houses down the road. you climb onto the roof of his garage, eyes scanning to cars parked outside and along the road.

you stride to the side where you know wooseok had a wooden plating attached to one of the walls, fake vines intertwined between the planks.

it's a relief when your feet meet the concrete ground, and nobody was in sight - until you back up into someone's chest and you turn to find eric, again.

"what in the world-"

he cuts you off by grabbing your waist, slotting his lips between yours and holding your chin to align your faces.

you were nearly bought into it, but the consciousness seeps back into you and you rip your face off his, palms one his chest with his hands still on your waist.

"what do you think you're doing?"

"i could ask you the same thing."

"you already know I'm leaving."

"you can't leave just yet."

"why the hell not?"

"because I'm not done with you."

with a low huff, he hoists you up onto his hips, lips crashing onto yours as he walks you backwards, your shoulder blades hitting the wall where you had climbed down from.

there's a gentle rattle when he keeps you up against the wooden planks, his palms riding the skirt of your dress up and over your hips.

his fingers slide under the material of your underwear hugging your pelvis, hot skin gripping onto the flesh of your rear.

then you hear a tear amongst the mess he's making on your lips, and the material of your underwear loosens.

"what the-"

"shh," he smirks, now turning his head into your neck to nip on your jaw. your chest heaves from the sensitivity, the fluttering sensation of his lips on your neck drilling chills all through you. "make a sound and everyone will know you couldn't say no to me."

conscience returns to you for a split second.

"eric- we can't-"

before you can finish your sentence, eric drags the thin material out from under you and dangles it before you, his eyes clouded and dark.

the darkened patch of material on your underwear washes your face in pink and heat.

"you were saying?"

your stomach plummets, and you now register the coolness on your core. eric smiles, rolling up the material to shove it into his pocket.

"eric-" your fingers dig into his left forearm as they return to the wall by your head, his right carefully undoing his belt.

the clink of the metal followed by the zipper coming undone forms a knot in your stomach already, then his fingers coming to spread your neediness all over you forces a sharp whimper up your lungs.

"I've done nothing..." he shakes his head, sliding a single finger up and down your core. "and you are so wet."

he lifts his finger from under your skirt, his fingers glistening under the sharp, fluorescent lighting.

your hooded lids are just about tearing with the overwhelming ache that's throbbing through you, and he makes it worse by running his tongue all over his finger.

eric's pride swells when a whine escapes your throat, and he presses himself into you, chest against yours with his hands digging into your thighs. your arms circle around his shoulders, pulling him closer for a deep, slow kiss.

he prods against you, the throbbing ache spiking when his manhood rubs against your core. groaning into the kiss, your entire being squirms between him and the wall with the muffled music still blasting from the living room.

he doesn't bother to wait for you before he finds his manhood and aligns it with your entrance, gently prodding before sliding himself in like it was meant to be.

he buries himself inside you by holding your thighs around his hips even tighter, drawing a low and prolonged moan from your lips.

eric pulls away, pressing his forehead into yours to let you breathe. but he finds some kind of sadistic pleasure when he pulls his hips away, only to slam right back in, earning a sharp yelp from you.

"go any louder, princess, and i won't be the only one enjoying this."

he grins to himself, licking his lips before diving into your neck and picking at all the right spots. every kiss and nibble earned him a moan or a mewl and it ruins your pride over and over to know that you had just broken someone's heart tonight.

yet you were outside that someone's house, letting eric rail you like he owned you.

your fingers claw and grip at his shirt as you feel your back jerk and rock against the wooden plank. with every thrust he offers you, he sounds like he's laughing and panting at the same time, the hot breath on your neck making you writhe in a guilty pleasure.

he offers a few slower thrusts before grabbing your chin to look at him, eyes slightly fucked out and your thighs tired from keeping your body locked to his.

slowly pulling out and sliding back in, he takes the time to revel in the way your brows furrow and your lips fall apart, your curled hair now a mess around your chest and shoulders.

"that's it, princess," he leans into your ear and coos. "tell me how good that feels."

unable to form a coherent word in your head, you whine in response, pulling his face to yours and planting your lips onto his with every ounce of energy left in you.

his hands fumble under your skirt and find your sensitivity, pressing his thumb flat onto you. the pressure jerks you upwards and he takes the opportunity to reposition himself, changing the angle ever so slightly.

by some miracle, the tip of him buried inside you finds the magic spot, and when he picks up his pace, the knot starts to find you in eternal bliss.

eric pulls away again, huffing as he thrusts himself into you, fingers flicking and abusing you as if your legs weren't already shaking and convulsing around his hips.

"good girl," his breath is heavy on your jaw as he plants a few wet kisses there, his pants bringing you to some newer heights. your vision starts to fade into white with a few more thrusts and his fingers dig into your thighs when your lower body starts to spasm.

muscles flexing, your entire body squirms and trembles as you meet your high.

then eric hurriedly pulls out, the hot fluid dribbling all over the ground under you.

while you come down from your high, eric's strained grunts rumble through his torso under your arms. the vein that popped out on his neck was still there, and your senses only allow enough for you to focus on eric now.

he bites on his bottom lip and pushes his hair back with a deep inhale. he turns to you, eyes wide open and clear.

"not such an innocent princess now, are you?"

[llamagoddessofficial]

what was it like the first time Mc met Skull in the portal Au?

Is it story snippet time? I think it’s story snippet time.

The vent cover was loose.

You’d noticed, as soon as you’d rounded the corner. It didn’t matter that the facility was dark, quiet, deep in one of its night cycles... in the faint illumination of the safety screens and directional arrows left on, you picked up the silhouette of the cover. You were so familiar with the area of the lab around the room you slept in that you probably would’ve seen it anyway... but what immediately made all your attention snap to it was the fact that the glint of sleek metal in the darkness was, in fact, misaligned.

... Sans wanted everything neat. Sans wanted everything right. Red liked it that way, too, but Sans seemed to have the final say. And it showed- the entire facility was neat, angled, symmetrical and impossibly clean. It was so regimented and unnatural that you felt like an outlier yourself; a strange, curved, imperfect biological creature in a space that seemed to bleed robotic perfection from every corner.

... So... something about this one plating... this one vent cover, at a bad angle, tilted just against the grain...

... You were hyperfocused.

You moved over to it, bare feet cat-silent on the warm white floor, crouching down. You weren’t supposed to be out of your room at night, Sans didn’t like you wandering around when he was unaware, powered down for system maintenance and repairs... your fingers sealed around the loosened ends of the vent cover, and with the gentlest of tugs the whole thing came off, leaving a gaping hole in the wall large enough for you to crawl into. 

...

It was like you had a fog, separating one half of your mind from the other. Every day in this strange lab was confusing- and when you tried to ask yourself normal questions, like “where am I?” or “how did I get here?” or “why do I have no memories before this place?” your brain supplied you with absolutely nothing. And not only that, it couldn’t even supply you with the concern you knew you should be experiencing... the fear, the panic, it wouldn’t come. It was the most paradoxical and horrible sensation... the feeling of knowing something was wrong, of knowing you should be scared, but something in your head just not letting you access it.

... Maybe that was why the sight of the hole in the wall, the gap in the artificially perfect world around you, made your heart skip in excitement instead of fear. Maybe that was why you normally would have stuck to what was safe and not done stupid shit like going into vents...

... But this time, you got on your hands and knees, and crawled right in.

You weren’t crawling for a very long time; after what couldn’t have even been a minute of moving in a straight line through the smooth metallic system, the dark space opened up above you, more than enough for you to stand up to your full height in. Your eyes were wide, childlike in wonder- unlike the rest of the facility, that at least seemed to try and fake an air of safety, this place behind the walls... every surface around you was dirty, stained and rusty, there were tubes and buttons and tangled wires sticking out of the floor and ceiling, the whole place was lit up with an unnerving orange glow that was leaking through slits in the flooring. The air was filled with a nasty tang, metallic and almost blood-like, heavy and claustrophobic...

... It was like you’d crawled into hell. Like you’d gone from the head of the facility to the entrance of the throat. Another world...

...

As your gaze lowered...

... There was something in the room with you.

The hairs on the back of your neck bristled. Near the other end of the room there was a large, metallic box, most likely containing important wiring of some kind. From where you were standing you could judge that it was about your shoulder height... pretty big. 

... But it wasn’t the box that had your attention. It was what it was blocking from your view. A perfectly circular crimson light was peeking out from behind that box... a turret eye, bright and awake and alive, cutting through the murky coloured darkness. And the more you stared, the more you could make out, the more you could see the partially obscured hunched figure attached to the eye that was trained directly on you. 

...

“H-hello?” You whispered.

...

“sh-ouldn_t.. be.here.”

... The voice was like nothing you’d ever heard. Deep, deathly deep, you could feel it in your chest like standing next to a speaker- vibrating in your stomach, the palms of your hands, even tingling along your scalp. It sounded... automated, jittering and autotuned and with inflections no human would use, but so clearly with thoughts and feelings behind it, the unmissable edge of somebody who’s cautious, afraid... a downright uncanny mix of machine and man.

“... Should you?” Your voice sounded so... weak. So biological. Your heart was pounding.

... The eye noticeably changed; the dot in the centre became a fraction wider. It took an odd shape, too... from your distance it... looked like a heart...?

A soft, low “... no_.”

“... Then that makes two of us. Right?”

...

The owner of the eye stood up. 

He stood slowly, too. And as he did, the box he’d been crouched behind just got smaller, and smaller, and smaller... a beast, made of the facility’s leftovers. Large enough to crush you like a beetle. The dim orange light touched his silhouette to reveal thick tubes, misshapen metal plates, wires hanging off him like cut vines... a gaping cavity in his chest where a half-broken plasma motor was faintly humming and glowing. One of his hands looked vaguely humanoid but the other was just a badly affixed pincer claw... the plate on his face had been haphazardly cut away so his one red eye could see, and a skeletal nose shape had been carved into the centre. Everything about him was asymmetric, uneven, mismatched... 

You opened your mouth-

[Bleep!]

...

It floated through the room. A light noise, like a phone notification. You took note of the fact that you couldn’t hear it echoing through the rest of the facility... something that was only heard in the backrooms, perhaps? It was a very gentle little sound, nothing more than a light jingle...

... Except he flinched like a gunshot had gone off, eye blinking out entirely. Immediately, he turned around- you let out a little “H-hey, wait!” and raised your arm but it didn’t stop him. In a few giant steps he’d completely disappeared around a corner, clanging sounds moving so much deeper into the metalworks in such a short amount of time that you found yourself immediately disoriented. How... you were just standing there, how did someone that huge and heavy move so fast?

...

You wanted to pursue. You wanted to chase him deep into the bowels of the lab, down where you weren’t ever supposed to go, where no light would reach... you wanted to so badly you’d already moved a few steps without realising.

... But at the same time, you felt like you’d done enough for one day. Your nose stung from the strange smells in the air, your eyes were straining in the orange darkness... you wanted to go to sleep, back to your relaxation chamber, to rest for now and figure out what the hell you’d just seen.

What the hell you’d just spoken to.

... You turned, and clambered back through the vent. It took no time at all to re-emerge back in the regular facility... back to the whiteness, the cleanliness, the perfect and fake.

...

You had no idea why he’d reacted the way he had to that sound. What did it mean? You trailed your hand along the wall as you walked, making your way through the halls back to your chamber, the floor smooth and faultless under your bare soles. Was it... some kind of warning? An alert system? Was he running toward something, or away fr-

“subject.” 

- You almost jumped out of your fucking skin.

You were never sure where Sans’ voice was coming from. It always seemed to just spontaneously exist all around you, disembodied and impossible to describe, surrounding you on all sides as if emanating from the air in the building itself. No matter how hard you searched you could never seem to find any speakers on the cold, unfriendly white walls or floor... just further adding to the confusion and dream-like quality of this whole place. You clutched your chest, taking a little breath, trying to disguise the wild flinch that you’d just experienced.

“Y-yeah?” You said, smooth as always, and totally completely not-startled.

Sans always heard you, no matter how quietly you spoke- and judging by passing comments he’d made he always seemed to be able to see you and your expression. God, you hoped he couldn’t read the panic in your face.

“the facility is in night cycle.” Calm, emotionless, slightly autotuned, as per usual... but a little softer than the norm. “why are you out of your relaxation chamber?”

You glanced up at the nearest camera, a small black orb close to the ceiling with a gently blinking blue light.

...

“I-I can’t sleep.” Was all you could think of.

...

“... perhaps it will be easier to sleep... if you are reclined in a position, in which you can actually sleep. you should return to your chamber.”

“... I’m just walking around.” You kept moving, hoping he wouldn’t think about where you’d come from. “I mean... N-not all of us have a ‘go to sleep instantly’ button. I’m clearing my head. I’m fine, I'm on my way back anyway.”

...

“you’re stammering. your heart rate is elevated.”

Shit. Shit. No, it’s-

“... did you experience a nightmare?”

...

“O-oh. Yeah. Uhm...” You rubbed the back of your neck, eyes drifting down to the floor. “You know about those?”

“i have access to the combined entirety of human knowledge. yes, i am aware of nightmares.”

“W-well... yeah. Yes. I... had one. I’m walking it off.”

... A pause, on his part. 

...

“... i can turn the lights back on. if... you’d like to walk around.”

“No thank you. It’ll just make me feel more awake.”

“i see. ... well. i need to complete some more system reboots. i will be partially offline again. if... you need me, just call.”

“Okay. Sure. I will.”

[junicai]

Learn the Alphabet with Aria + Friends ;

273,175 views • 15 Mar 2021 • uploaded by [haechanieski]

A is for: “Adios”

Filming a JCC episode was always something Aria looked forward to - either because she got to watch it later and laugh, or she was a guest star herself. Johnny had taken it upon himself to uphold the communication part of his series name, and asked Aria to teach Czennie some Irish while she was around. 

“And how do you say goodbye?”

“Adios!” Aria spoke with full confidence, a beaming smile directed to the camera. 

Johnny behind her snorted. “Adios?” 

Aria blinked, before spluttering. “Oh no not adios that’s the wrong - that’s not Irish.”

“Isn’t that Spanish?” 

“...yeah.”

B is for: “Baby~”

Aria was leant forward her knees, eyes fixated on the laptop in front of her that was playing the 90s Love music video. It was the first time she had seen it edited and polished, and she was anxiously anticipating her own scenes. 

An Aria appeared on the screen, running her tongue over her top teeth before scrunching her nose and giving the camera a wink. She spun on her heel, tossing a jacket over her shoulder and tilted her head so her sultry smirk was visible to the camera. 

The boys around her clamored loudly, and Aria cringed away from the video - right into Ten’s awaiting embrace who clasped her head in his grip and stopped her from turning her head away from the laptop.

“Baby~” Ten sang, curling his arms around Aria. “My baby is all grown up~” 

Aria whined, thrashing weakly in Ten’s grip in an attempt to shake the boy off. “Nooo.”

“My baby~” 

C is for: “Chewing Gum”

“Yes! It’s been a long time since we performed our debut song.” Aria took over from Chenle who had been speaking into the phone cradled in his hands. The voice-only vlive had been unplanned, and neither idol had been willing to put their messy bedheads on video for their fans to immortalize on twitter. 

Chenle snickered. “Noona is just thankful that she gets to wear things other than pajamas on stage now,” He teased, jostling the phone as he leant over to poke her. 

“That’s not true! Bubblegum will always have a special place in my heart.” Aria defended herself, crossing her arms in front of her stomach to protect it.

Chenle retracted his hand to stare up at Aria with a disbelieving face. She looked back at him, as the boy burst into laughter. 

“Bubblegum?” 

“Chewing gum! I said chewing gum. You misheard me.”

“Bubblegum-” Chenle was wheezing, hand gripping Aria’s arm tightly.

“I’m a foreigner! I have an accent!” 

“Noona, that’s in English?!”

D is for: “Deicide”

“Jaemin! Leave me alon- ow.” Aria’s attempts to fight off a cuddly boy proved ineffective, the boy in question succeeding in drawing the squirming girl onto his lap and securing her in position with his arms around her waist. 

Aria let out a long-suffering sigh, closing her eyes in resignation. 

“Okay, yes, okay. Fine. I’m done you win.” 

Jaemin smiled, satisfied, and tucked his head into the crook of Aria’s neck, humming to himself. His content mood was quickly yanked away from him however, as Aria leant down to whisper in his ear.

“Jaeminne. If you don’t let me go to finish doing my hair, I’m going to remind you of the fact that I have zero qualms with deicide, and you have yet to reach god-like standards.” 

Paling slightly, he retracted his hands and Aria pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before hopping off his thigh. 

E is for: “Eomma”

Aria squealed as she was tackled down, hitting the ground with a thunk as Jaehyun leapt for her from across the room. “No no no I’m sorry I take it back I take it back-” 

Jaehyun was grinning down at her as he slid his hands up her sides and began to tickle her, pinning down her flailing arms as she tried to hit him. “Oh yeah? You’re sorry now?”

“Yes! Yes I’m sorry I promise - you’re not - I didn’t mean it -” Aria struggled to get the words out, unable to catch her breath. 

“Eomma!” She cried out, face red and hurting with how much she was laughing. “Help mee~” 

F is for: “Fudge”

Stumbling around the dorm in the dark was never a good idea, but it was late and the other members besides herself and Donghyuck were already asleep. Aria hadn’t wanted to disturb them, so the only lighting the pair had was the fading light from their phone flashlights. 

“I can’t see it, but I know I put it down here somewhere? Do you think it’s behind the tab- FU-dge. I like fudge, do you like fudge?” Aria leant over the table to rest her arm on Donghyuck’s shoulder, peering at him curiously. 

Her eyes were pinched with pain, and she was hopping slightly. 

“Did you stub your toe on the table?” 

“Psh, no! This is a serious question Hyuck. Fudge preferences are serious business.” 

G is for: “Gorgeous”

“Oh! Gorgeous dahling. Positively stunning.” Aria spoke in a pompous voice, face pulled down with pinched lips and squinted eyes and obnoxiously raised eyebrows. She fluttered her hand around in an aggressively dramatic hand gesture, before spinning on her heel to flounce out of the room. 

Mark and Taeyong exchanged a wide eyed glance. Clearly the ‘Greek God’ inspired video had gone more to her head than they had previously anticipated. 

H is for: *intense heavy breathing*

Jungwoo took one look at Aria lying on the practice room floor, and immediately proceeded to flop down - belly first - onto the unsuspecting girl. Aria let out an oof, choking slightly at the sudden weight on her chest. 

“Jung-w-oo,” She coughed out, slapping weakly at the weight of the older boy. 

He only hummed in response, not moving from his position, despite the fact that Aria’s zip on her hoodie was digging into his cheek. He swung his arms up to cover her shoulders, and soon he was lying completely on top of her, obscuring the smaller girl from view. 

All was quiet for a moment, before Aria broke the silence with exaggerated, heavy breathing, panting for air. Her eyes widened comically, and she was smiling despite the fact that Jungwoo was actually crushing her lungs slightly.

Still, no attempt was made to get off her, and she slowly resigned herself to her fate. 

I is for: “I surrender”

The camera was set up a safe distance away, so that when the bag of flour fell to the ground and poofed up in the inevitable cloud of white dust - the piece of equipment was unharmed. Because of this, it was given a perfect view of the sequence of events that immediately followed: 

Aria, grip-less in her socked feet stepped backwards out of the flour coating the floor, misjudged the circumference of the circular cloud that had by then settled, and promptly slipped over, clattering to the ground with a thud and disappearing behind the counter with a half-formed yelp. 

The screen was empty for a moment, still, before a hand shot up from behind the counter, coated in the white flour.

“I surrender,” Aria waved her hand back and forth like a flag, commiserating with the now ruined flour lining the tiled floor. 

J is for: “Jesus Christ”

The walls were lined with fake and real cobwebs alike, barely visible in the complete lack of light offered from the red blinking lights of the cameras that recorded each NCT 127 member as they crawled their way tentatively through the haunted house’s hallways.

Aria shuffled past old beams that looked far too close to collapse for comfort, sneezing after her nose was ticked by a hanging vine that she hadn’t seen before it was already brushing her nose as she scooted past. 

The hallways were quiet, only the sound of her own breathing audible to her heightened senses. That was, until a hand shot out from behind a load-bearing beam, gnarled nails reaching to grab at her skin. 

She jumped back, letting out a vocal-chord ripping shriek. “Jesus Christ!” 

K is for: *Kiss*

“So, Aria is not a lover of skinship?” The question was posed to Taeyong, the leader having been given the choice to choose his member’s punishment after losing the game they had been playing. 

Taeyong let out a short chuckle, seeing where the interviewer was going with their question. “No, no she’s not. Only if we initiate it - and she’ll normally kick us off pretty quickly.” 

Aria was shaking her head, making slicing motions in front of her neck to signal Taeyong to stop, no, please anything but that, stop it-

Taeyong paid no mind to her, and soon Aria was settled on a stool in the centre of the studio floor, knees tucked into her chest as Jaemin, Ten, Doyoung and Taeil - the members of her losing team - all gathered around her in a circle.

One by one, they all pressed a single kiss to her cheek, Aria cringing away from Ten’s hold when he went to press another peck to her forehead, and Doyoung coming behind her to hold her still. 

When the four boys retreated, Aria was red in the face, the blush adorning her cheeks visible despite the foundation.

L is for: “You don’t love me”

“Hyuck, I have to go.” 

“Noooo.” The boy whined from his position sprawled over the mattress, legs spread and hands clutching onto Aria’s wrist to prevent her from leaving. “Stay. M’comfy.”

Aria sighed, tugging at her wrist futilely. “Hyuck, I’m literally going to the bathroom. I’ll be five minutes - less if you let me go now.”

Donghyuck only whined louder, tightening his grip. “No!”

Tossing her head back to the ceiling, Aria yanked her hand out of his grip, plugging her ears against the screech of protest that left Donghyuck’s mouth.

“NO! Come back!”

When Aria made no motion to return, having exited through the doorway hastily, he threw himself back onto the bed. “You don’t love me anymore!” 

Her response echoed down the hallway, punctuated by the slamming of the bathroom door. “I do! You’re just a big baby and I needed to go!”

M is for: *Mine*

Aria slid beneath the reaching arm of their maknae, patting him on the side to make him edge a little to the left as she too reached for one of the cookies that were set up on the small snack table. 

The white chocolate chips were tempting her, and after staring at the still-full plate for twenty minutes, there was only so much she could do in terms of self restraint. 

Scurrying back to her original seat, she settled back in comfortably, bringing the cookie up to her mouth and nibbling at the crunchy edge of the treat.

N is for: “Neo”

“Nono?” Aria bent her neck down to peer at the boy who had entered through the door, dropped his bag, slid off his shoes and then promptly snuggled himself into Aria’s side without so much as a hello.

Jeno nodded in acknowledgement, but made no attempt to explain his curious behaviour. 

“Dude,” Aria sighed, hand already moving to run through his hair despite her long-suffering eyeroll,  “You’re not being very neo right now.”

O is for: “Ow”

Sitting beside Mark in any context was never a good idea when one wasn’t wearing sleeves or long trousers. He was a very, volatile, laugher, and once he got going it was impossible to stop.

Unfortunately for Aria, her short dress afforded her neither of the aforementioned luxuries, and so she was sure that by the end of the day she was going to be covered in black and purpling bruises from Mark’s non-malicious attacks. 

The movie on the screen flickered to a new scene, one that sent Mark into another burst of raucous laughter. His hand raised, and clapped down on Aria’s arm, again, and again, and again.

“Ow, ow, ow ow ow ow, Mark!” 

P is for: “Potato juice”

Lucas held up his glass to the camera, grinning as he said, “Apple juice!”

Taeyong bit back a smile as Jungwoo fit himself into the frame, holding his own glass and affirming Lucas’ statement. “Apple juice!” 

The camera was spun around, focusing briefly on the apostles of darkness who held up their own glasses of apple juice, before it panned down the row to where Aria was sitting, cradling a glass of clear liquid in her hands that she was taking small sips from. 

Taking notice of the camera focusing on her, she took another sip of her glass before holding it up in a cheers. “Potato juice!” She cheered, bringing it back to her lips and paying no mind to the startled cough Doyoung let out, choking on his own apple juice. 

Doyoung spun to the camera, gently pulling the glass from Aria’s grasp. “Water. It’s water.” His tone dropped a few decibels, “Did Jaehyun give you this? I’ll kill him.”

Q is for: “Quickly”

“Quickly! Hurry up!” Renjun yelled, rushing over to help Aria into the inflatable costume to begin her run.

 “Yah, Renjun! I’m not on your team stop yelling at me!” Aria retorted, pushing his fumbling hands away and pulling up the straps onto her shoulders. 

R is for: “Ruff”

The door swung open with a quiet creak, Donghyuck only hearing it when the handle made contact with the wall behind it. He spun around in his chair, eyebrow lifting at the sight of Aria partially in through the doorway. “Hey?”

“Ruff.” Aria blinked at him, unmoving.

“Uh, ruff?” Donghyuck responded in kind, his eyebrows now knitting together in confusion.

Nodding satisfactorily, Aria exited the room with a wave. “Mark! I told you I could get him to bark on live.”

S is for: “Saranghae”

 It was a group-wide agreement that in 127, the title for cutest either went to one of the maknaes, or their oldest hyung. Apparently that agreement also spread over stan-twitter, because suddenly Taeil and Aria were being pitted against each other in an aeygo-off. Fan edits and polls were made, and TaeilvsAria was trending on Twitter for nearly a week.

Eager to encourage the trend, it was all too easy for the staff to set the pair up in front of a camera and press record. 

Two minutes in, and neither member had broken, both maintaining their stoic faces - although Aria’s lip was slightly red from being bitten, having resorted to pinching the skin between her lips to prevent a smile from breaking out on her face when Taeil had tucked his hands underneath his chin and pouted.

She inhaled, thinking hard on how to end the competition swiftly, exhaling with a small smile as she settled on her next plan of attack. 

Spinning around, Aria set her gaze on Taeil, letting her eyes widen and her lips fall into a natural pout. 

“Oppa~” She wheedled, moving to clasp his hand in hers. “Saranghae~”

Taeil’s face crumpled, and he closed his eyes in defeat as he dragged Aria into his embrace. “Cheater.”

T is for: “Tough biscuits”

“But what if I don’t want to?” Yangyang argued, pointing at Aria.

“Then, tough biscuits.” Aria stuck out her tongue in retaliation, stealing the game controller from his hands and flicking the game to Minecraft. “I suck at those shooty-games, let me have this.”

U is for: “Unnie”

With her mask pulled up over her nose and lips, Aria was pretty confident that she wasn’t going to be recognized by a member of the public as she strolled down the street towards the coffee shop that had recently opened its doors a few streets over. 

She was humming happily, but jolted as she felt an arm snake itself around her waist. Immediately on high-alert, she went to push the unknown person away, before catching a glimpse of their face. 

“Unnie!” Aria’s entire demeanor changed, face breaking out into a bright smile beneath the black facemask. 

Irene smiled back at her, squeezing her waist lightly. “Hey, angel! How’re you?”

V is for: “Very untrue”

“And Aria normally naps during this time anyway, so we should be happy she’s awake for this.” Jaemin informed the few thousand czennie watching the vlive, phone tucked in between two chairs in the greenroom. 

Aria’s mouth dropped open at the obvious betrayal. “Hey! Very untrue! False information! You liar, I do not.” 

Jaemin snickered, leaning into the phone. “You can see the marks on her cheek from the arm of the chair too, right czennie?” 

The dancer leant over and thumped him on the back of his head for that.

W is for: “Wait wait wait-”

 Aria was sprinting down the hallway, phone clutched to her chest and panting. Yuta followed in quick pursuit, rapidly gaining thanks to longer legs and shoes that offered more grip than the tenuous grip offered by Aria’s slippers.

“Wait wait wait, Yuta, no I don’t want to die!” She breathed, pumping her legs faster in an attempt to flee from almost certain death. Perhaps, taking candid photos of the man while he was unconsciously snuggled up to Mark’s side as he slept was, in hindsight, not the best idea. 

Yuta was rapidly gaining on her, despite her best efforts. 

“Please don’t kill me!” 

X is for: “Xièxiè”

Accepting the glass from Kun’s hand, Aria smiled up at the man. “Xièxiè.” 

Kun, who was already moving away and back into the kitchen responded in kind, before flinging himself into another bout of conversation; but this time, with a language switch. 

Being so used to the constant flip-flopping between languages in the WAYV dorms, he thought nothing of it, but after asking a question and receiving no response, he peered back into the main living area to see Aria sitting there with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Uh, Xièxiè?”

Y is for: “Yessir”

Taeyong explained what it is Aria had to complete for her mission, handing her a small slip of paper that she was to hide from the other team before they came into the makeshift base that had been constructed a few minutes prior. 

Aria nodded, completely serious. “Yes sir.” 

He waved her away, happy that she understood the level of importance that he had just entrusted her with, and Aria happily departed from the conversation - 

By the means of vaulting a table and scrambling over a chair before exiting the door.

Taeyong blinked. And then shrugged, turning his attention elsewhere.

Z is for: *Zzzz*

Snuggled up beneath a blanket is exactly where Aria wanted to be at that very moment - not sitting in the back of a van, squished between Johnny and Yuta. The two men were broad-shoulders, and that left Aria to be batted between the two like a ping-pong ball. 

Despite the abrasions to her temple however, Aria found herself slowly drifting off - the lengthy schedules and lack of sleep finally catching up on her. 

Her head dropped to the side, first falling forward before it was gently maneuvered onto Yuta’s shoulder, where he tucked her closer and into his side. 

Letting out a pleased hum, Aria snuggled closer into his warm coat, sighing softly as she drifted to sleep.

thank you for watching ! - haechanieski

[capricornsims]

Strangetown Mystery: Mother!

The Strangetown Syndrome continued to take over the small town and panic spread as quickly as the infection. The only thing that the government could do to ease the tension was to assure the townsfolk that everything was “under control” and that Buzz Grunt heroically contained the culprit within his bunker. Details were vague but enough to ease the chaos around them, though the conspiracy theorists were skeptical about the General’s scripted speech. 

Buzz: Good afternoon, citizens of Strangetown. I know the struggle that everyone is going through right now, my soldiers are right on the front lines fighting the syndrome as best we can. Our scientists are doing their do-diligence to make sure that this cure will protect everyone from this disease and make sure that this never happens again. I swear on my grave that we are closer to destroying this thing, and it is thanks to our government that we have this under control. Remember your duties as citizens of SimNation and look out for each other in these trying times. On a lighter note, I have captured the traitor that has infected our people and he is currently in our custody. The Alien menace, Pollination Technician # 9 can no longer manipulate and harm you good people of Strangetown, Now that he is gone, you will all be saved! 

At first the crowd was invested in his speech but once the General broke his script and discredited PT9 in front of everyone, they started to murmur. They had no idea that the elderly alien was  the cause of all this havoc. Questions were thrown at the general, asking if it was all true and if they were truly safe. “ This town has a bunch of aliens, how could it just be him?” “ Are there more out there working for him!?” “ Can we really trust the government?” 

Buzz glanced at the Dudes in Black hesitantly before he turned back to his microphone.

Buzz: You must trust the government. 

He left the podium, leaving any more questions to the sheriff and the mayor, making his way back to the underground bunker with the Dudes in Black following behind. 

---------

Erwin: Hey I got your hazmat suit assembled, and that filter you got is more than enough to withstand those spores. 

Pascal: You have no Idea how happy I am, I can finally continue this investigation without any dumb plant spores getting in the way! I’ll be invincible in this suit. It is a pleasure to work with you, Erwin, it’s not every day someone listens to my conspiracies. 

Erwin: It’s no big deal, you were the one crazy enough to start this whole investigation.

Pascal brought the handshake into a hug. He was overwhelmed by emotions, unable to contain his excitement over finding out the truth. With this discovery he could save his sister, cure Strangetown and expose the Dudes in Black for being alien conspirators. Erwin, on the other hand, gave Pascal a few awkward pats on the back before shoving himself away from the unwanted contact. 

Erwin: Alright dude, let’s just get your brothers and go! 

Pascal, Erwin and his brothers made their way to the [ Redacted ] lab, memorizing their steps and making sure to avoid detection by the numerous cameras and traps set around the perimeter. The humming of the machinery around them filled the tense silent atmosphere as they stood outside the backdoors, waiting for Pascal to get into his hazmat suit. Lazlo and Vidcund watched on as their brother fumbled with the neon yellow suit, hiding their disapproval with fake enthusiasm. 

Pascal: Alright gang, we are finally going to break this case wide open! 

Vidcund: Like what you did to the lab doors and let all the spores escape? 

Pascal: That is totally not going to happen again! Geez, the spores are out, nothing can get worse than this. As I was saying, if we find out the source of all these plants, we can give this info to Buzz and he can release our sister. 

Lazlo: Are you sure it’s that easy? The Dudes in Black are covering these plants up for a reason. If we aren’t careful we could end up just like Jenny. 

Pascal: What’s important now, is this investigation. Let’s get it over with. 

The sealed doors of the [Redacted] lab swung open, releasing another cloud of spores into the air before the crew could step inside. After a long coughing fit they trekked down to the sublevel of the lab, gazing around for any more cameras that could catch them snooping around. All they could hear was the beating of their own hearts as they approached the shrouded corridor, beckoning Pascal to go inside. Before he could even step foot into the cloud, Erwin grabbed his arm and yanked him away. 

Erwin: O-okay, before you go in, you gotta know that whatever is in there can get you killed if you aren’t careful. If it’s not a monster, the Dudes in Black will come after you. 

Pascal: Move away, Erwin. I know what I am doing. We have come too far to back away now. I Am Not A Coward. 

Pascal pushed passed him, giving his friend a salute as he stepped into the toxic cloud, disappearing into the great unknown.

Vidcund: Good luck, Pascal! See you on the other side! 

Lazlo: You got this bro!

The purple spores engulfed him as he moved further down the corridor, obscuring his vision. His breathing quickened as he continued on, the beating of his heart matching the rapid pulses of the laboratory's ventilation. What was he thinking? This was stupid, he should be home with his alien baby working on his lab reports and talking to his friend Nervous...oh yeah Nervous was missing! Not only that his sister was in danger, his family was torn apart, the town was in chaos! He had to keep going, he could not let his intrusive thoughts get in the way of this investigation. He needed to solve the Strangetown mystery. 

Beneath the sublevel, behind the pair of sealed doors there was another laboratory. How deep the facility went was a complete mystery, but the large hall of computers and contained bizarre plants revealed that this was the main part of the lab. Whatever this lab contained it was never meant to be found, let alone by a curious lab assistant. Upon investigating the computers and machinery, Pascal found a report from one of the scientists: 

Ħ€Ř Ň€ŞT IŞ ĆŁØUЀРIŇ β€ΔUŦ¥ Ŵ€ ĐØ ŇØT Đ€Ş€ŘV€ Ħ€Ř

β€ΔUŦ¥β€ΔUŦ¥β€ΔUŦ¥β€ΔUŦ¥β€ŁŁΔβ€ΔUŦ¥β€ΔUŦ¥β€ΔUŦ¥β€ΔUŦ¥

ĴØIŇ UŞ ĆØŇŞUΜ€ ŦĦ€ FŘUIŦ ØF ŦĦ€ ΜØŦĦ€Ř ΔŇĐ KŇØŴ P€ΔĆ€

ŦĦ€ ΔŘβØŘ€ΔŁ ΜIŇĐ ĐŘ€ΔΜŞ ŦĦŘØUGĦ ØUŘ FŁ€ŞĦ¥ €¥€Ş

ŁØØK ŦØ ŦĦ€ ŞK¥ IŦ Ŵ€ŁĆØΜ€Ş UŞ ΔŁŁ

ŦĦ€ ΜØŦĦ€Ř ĆΔŁŁŞ ΔŇĐ I ΜUŞŦ Ř€ŞPØŇĐ

ØUŘ €¥€Ş ΔŘ€ ØƤ€Ň

Pascal quickly closed the log and backed away from the monitor, a chill ran down his spine as the floor trembled beneath his feet. He held down whatever fear he had left in his body and shuffled towards the last stretch of hallway. The walls were moving, the vines flinched every time he stepped on them, and the leaves rustled loudly around him as he drew closer to the vault doors. Taking a breath, he carefully retrieved his key card and swiped it.

He reeled back as spores burst into his face and a low growl shook him to the core. The animalistic sounds were nothing he had heard before and  he was not prepared to see what lay behind the doors of the vault. The bizarre plants were scary on their own but the creature before him was beyond comprehension. 

Before him was the Mother, in all of her glory, swaying inside of the electrified fence that attempted to contain her god-like figure. His anxiety went away as he approached it, fascinated by the glowing monstrous plant. His eyes widened as the plant looked down to face him and its pedals opened up to reveal its bone crushing maw. The growls grew louder as the building shook around them, pieces of rubble falling from the ceiling and crashing down on the floor. 

Before Pascal could turn around and run, it grabbed him by the ankles and flung him into the air and slammed him down on the platform! He let out a shrill scream as it thrashed him around, and roared out in anger. Was this the end?! 

Pascal: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH 

Erwin: Did you guys hear a lady screaming? What the heck is all that noise?! 

The men stumbled to grasp their footing as the Earth rumbled and quacked around them. The lights flickered as they yelled out and held onto the crumbling walls. The vast roar of the creature echoed across the crater, making them pray for their lives as they held onto each other

 Suddenly the noise stopped and silence hung over them as they struggled to their feet, sniffling. Lazlo and Vidcund looked at each other and back at Erwin, fearing the worst for their fallen brother.

Vidcund + Lazlo: PASCAL!!

The brothers whipped their heads around when they heard footsteps making a mad dash through the corridor! Pascal was alive and frantically running for his life…or limping for his life. 

Pascal: HOLY MOTHER OF WATCHER WEGOTTAGOTHEREISAMONSTERPLANT ANDIT’SSCAry! 

Erwin: CALM DOWN YOU ARE MAKING ME PANIC 

Pascal: * panting* Mother...plant...big monster..almost...killed. We gotta go! 

Lazlo: You did it ! You found the truth! Heck I didn’t think you’d actually live! 

Pascal: Heh hehe yeah..live. 

Vidcund: What was all that noise? Was there an earthquake?

Pascal: No I just really pissed the Mother plant off and it made that whole lab shake.

Lazlo: That is so cool! We are going to team up and kill this thing! Right Vidcund? 

Vidcund: I don’t know about you but killing big monsters isn’t really my thing...anyways I have a meeting to go to. 

Pascal: See you around Vidcund, the gang is headed to the bunker to run some tests if you want to join later. 

Vidcund: Yeah...see you around…

-----

Pascal stood in the town plaza, feasting his eyes on the raging tempest he had created. The town was a husk of what it was, everyone sheltered within their homes fearing each other and the infection as it spread like wildfire. The disappointment was much greater than the pain he felt in his ankles, all the work he and his team had done had just blown up in their faces. Things were escalating too quickly for Pascal to handle, he needed to find the cure for the syndrome fast and a way to defeat the evil he just awakened.

It was all hopeless. 

[fbwzoo]

My hermit crab mansion (for my 18 hermit crabs) is completed! This is a 125g base tank with two 36x18x18 Exo Terra tanks on top - the ETs had the top screen removed and were turned upside down and velcroed to the base tank with industrial strength velcro. Right side is forest/jungle, and left side is beach. Took a pic of lights off & lights on. The beach side has UVB light, though I need to change the bulb out still. That’s why I moved that light strip up to the top, so they can choose to climb up for exposure if they want it. 

(Note: the crabs haven’t been moved into the tank yet, as I’ll have to wait for the humidity to build up to a high enough level to be safe for them.)

Close up pics and tour of the tank below the cut! This is very long, tumblr apparently changed the photo limit for posts, so they’re all on this post. I hope you enjoy! :)

Corner shower basket on the left front of forest tank has a mix of leaves, dried moss, lichens, and bark.

Background is the fake background that came with the Exo Terra, covered in coconut fiber. Cork bark rounds and pieces were siliconed in for hides & climbing on. The corner basket on the right front has damp sphagnum moss in it. There’s a bridge connecting the two shower baskets across the front of the tank. And a strand of fake pothos around the top edges of the background - this is attached to plastic wall corner guards that had holes drilled in them & were siliconed to the walls. Great for hanging things!

Here’s a close up of the hanging climber that I made - it’s a poseable fake jungle vine, wrapped in sisal rope (secured with zipties). I made it into a corkscrew shape and tied another fake pothos vine to it, then hung this from a wall corner guard that’s attached to the ceiling of the topper tank. It hangs down almost to the substrate & is secured to another corner guard at the front of the base tank, to hep support the shape. It can be access from the foraging dish, the second story of pot condos, and up top, from the bridge and one of the cork rounds.

This “shelf” is a pane of glass that’s part of the base aquarium - there’s thick panes on either side of the center support strut. I covered the glass with coconut mat (siliconed to stay) to help protect it from falling crabbies. Fake rock planter has moss in it, soaked to help raise the humidity level right now. You can also see the chunk of driftwood that leads from the top of the pot condos to the shelf, as the other way for the crabs to access the topper.

8″ Comfort Wheel hanging at the front left, I siliconed coconut mat to both the inside and outside of the wheel for better grip. Hanging coconut hide behind that, with moss in it.

You can see most of the pot condos here. I used spray foam to secure the pots for each level together - three for the lower level, two for upper. The two levels are secured to each other with industrial velcro, so they can be separated if needed. I covered the exposed foam with coconut mat siliconed on. I also siliconed pieces of cholla wood in between each of the pots on both levels for easier climbing (you can see one strip in pic below). The pots have a strip of bark leaning against both sides & across the top.

You can also see the foraging dish here, discussed below.

Straight on view of the base tank on the left forest side. The thing with yellow flowers on the right of this picture is their foraging dish - a flower pot stand that has a clay flower pot base in it. I ziptied fake flower and leaf vines to the stand & they like to hide under it. I put a mix of leaves, flowers, bark, mushrooms, seeds, and other things in the dish. This thing has been a favorite of both mine & the crabs’ for a few years now.

Full view of the forest side!

Front view of the middle of the tank. You can just see another coconut hide behind the blue flowers, with moss in it. The big wood piece is a hollow grape wood log.

Beach side now! There’s the other pane of glass “shelf”, covered with coconut mat. Above that is the cholla wall - I put spray foam on a plastic cross stitch mat, then stuck the pieces of cholla wood into it. Siliconed some additional pieces to cover open spots of foam. 

First picture of the rock wall - spray foam on a piece of pink insulation foam board. I used pieces of foam board to make the caves & ledges, so I wouldn’t use as much spray foam. Then trimmed down as needed and siliconed black lava rocks to it. This cave turned out the most cave-like, I’m rather pleased with it!

The other cave didn’t turn out quite like I wanted because I ran out of spray foam & called it quits (that stuff is hard as hell to find in store). So the walls are a bit short to really be a cave, but oh well! There’s also a corner shelf to make a nice resting platform.

Hung a sea grass corner mat in the front right, it overlaps a bit with the rock corner shelf, above it. My thought was to try & make it a little harder for the crabs to fall all the way from the top of the topper, with the pools below - if they crack the pools, it’ll be a HUGE problem for them and me, so let’s not, okay crabs!!

Two bridges connected to each other to connect the sea grass mat to the cholla wall, and another bridge from the mat to the back of the tank above the rock wall. And one more bridge that goes from the front bridges down to the climbing branches that lead from the base tank up to this topper. The branch here is a Zilla forest branch, it’s ziptied to the fake branch climber below.

Pools! They’re 5g glass aquariums. The back one is fresh water, and the front is salt water. I have small air-powered filters for each, underneath the ramps. The ramps are made of egg crate light diffuser. The water is very murky for both pools right now because I’d just added the water & there’s sand in both pools (live ocean sand for the salt water pool). The ramps are ziptied to each other in one spot to help keep them in place. I’d like to make the area between the pools & rock wall look nicer at some point, but I was just out of energy & supplies (& money) at this point.

This is a resin/plastic wood branch reptile decoration which is their access point to climb up to the beach topper. The forest branch is ziptied to it, which you can just see on the right side.

And front view of the base tank beach side. I’ll be getting a wider container to put shells in next to the pools, as I’d like to have a little more space for shells, and something that will do better at catching water when swimming crabs come out of the pools. But this works for now. These are the larger shells, and I have another container at the back of the base tank in the middle (not visible in any of the pics) with smaller shells. I don’t have a ton of shells in because at this point most of my crabs are pretty comfortable with what they have on & don’t do much shell shopping/swapping, and I plan to switch shells out more often (every week or every other) to save space, help keep them cleaner & so the crabs get to see “different” shells more often instead of all the shells all the time. And the yellow thing in front of the shell dish is a big piece of natural sea sponge. You don’t want sea sponges in the water pools because they’ll collect bacteria. But they’re fine to put in dry & the crabs love to eat them. I haven’t given them sponge before, so I hope they like it. 

This concludes the tour of the new crab tank! Please feel free to ask questions if you’re wondering about how I made anything or where I got things from. :) Most things came from Chewy, hardware stores, and New England Herpetoculture, but I got some things from people on my main FB crab group, and some stuff I already had on hand. I’m so relieved this thing is finally done, and I really hope the crabs like it (and don’t destroy it too fast)!

[mother-snake]

I have returned! With another story idea and yes it's Janus angst (as always)

So! The dark sides are notorious for their huge parties -often themed around the 1920s or Victorian era- there is food everywhere, Remus creates fake guests to attend and its often in HUGE ballrooms or gardens. The light sides had always wanted to go but never really got a chance due to the sides not really liking eachother.

Until Virgil hears of another party happening the next night. He tells the sides and Roman manages to get the theme from some brotherly blackmail favours, Victorian Masquerade. Its a perfect plan really. The darks won't be able to tell that they're there if they keep on the masks. So they all agree to go.

Roman summons ornate outfits and masks fitting their colour schemes, Virgil makes fake invitations for them, Logan makes sure the outfits are correct for the theme and keeps track of the time and Patton is boucing like a ball waiting for them to go.

When they arrive things are just as magnificent as Virgil's stories told them.

Black and gold coated every surface, enough food to feed an army. The ballroom had a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the centre with pictures of roman myths coating the walls, crystal clear strained glass windows look over a garden along with a door that opens to it. The ballroom floor expands to a staircase that leads to five thrones.

The largest one is blood orange and gold. Flame motifs line the sides and a symbol is etched onto the top. A orange bull with burning eyes.

The second largest is a bleek gray. It has clean lines with small sweeps of crystals at the bottom -shining like diamonds- a different symbol is etched onto this thone, A plan gray box with a glowing cat eye inside.

The third is a blue so dark its almost black. Feathers coat the arms and legs of the chair, creeping onto the back of it which leads to another symbol. A crow with black inky tears leaking out of their eyes.

The forth chair looks familiar to the lights. Black and green with green tentacles oozing with mucous wrap up the arms, legs and back blending into the sword symbol at the top, Remus' symbol.

The smallest and last chair is black and gold. Snakes wrap the chair and thick gold covered vines climb the back with leads to the two-headed snake symbol that sits perfectly centred. Janus' symbol.

The others are amazed by just how pretty everything is. The dancing hall is already full of people and the elegant piano and violin music is leading people to dance. They decide to stay together to avoid loosing eachother in the huge party. One thing comes to mind though. The dark sides aren't in the room.

Roman looks at all the entrances, trying catch a glimpse of one of the darks only for the music to abruptly stop and the candles to dim.

At the top of the staircase walked out all the dark sides. Wrath followed by Apathy and Depression. Wrath stood in middle, thone adorned with a flaming bull. Apathy and Depression stood on his left and right. After they sat down, Remus and Janus stepped out and went to stand next to Depression and Apathy respectively. Left hand behind their back and right holding onto a ornate golden goblet, they raised their glasses and took a long sip. After that they bowed and sat in their thrones.

The hall was so quiet you could hear Wraths booming voice announcing the start of the evening. And with that the music picked back up and everyone continued to dance.

The light sides were stunned; at the organization of the entrance or how the darks seemed to be so prepared was a debate. The darks sat on the thrones with perfect posture and poise for about half an hour before Wrath rose and the others followed.

The lights wanted to look away but they couldn't tare their eyes away from the sides. Their suits were perfect, masks placed delicately and colours working seamlessly. They were the symbol of perfection. But they managed to break their trance and look away as Roman dragged Patton away to dance.

It wasn't long before the darks split in their own directions. Wrath, Apathy and Depression going to talk to the puppet people, Remus ran outside to the gardens and Janus walked over to the buffet. Right where Logan was.

Without even looking in Logan's direction Janus spoke in a hushed voice; telling him to gather the others and leave before the others catch on. Blond ringlets falling in his eyes. Logan is speechless, speechless at the fact that Janus recognized them,the fact that he just told them to get out and to the fact that Janus was a blond. Logan tries to tell him that they aren't here to spy or cause any damage, they just want to enjoy the party, looking down he catches long purple marks lining Janus' wrists, they look like bruses to him. Janus' eyes darken, he tells him that they can stay but they have to be gone by midnight and god help them if the others find out they are at the party. And with that Janus takes a glass of wine and baked good before walking away to do something or another.

Logan rejoins Virgil and tells him what Janus said. Patton and Roman rejoin about halfway through and they re-explain what Janus said. That is where the group has a split opinion.

Patton thinks that they should respect the darks wishes and leave before midnight.

Roman wants to stay, he ain't Cinderella. He's shouldn't have a cerfew.

Logan wants to leave before midnight because Janus seemed really serious about it.

And Virgil wants to stay simply to fuck with them.

They spend hours arguing about staying or leaving and before they even realise the time ticking away.

A clock striking 12 brings them out of the argument.

The dark sides walk back up the golden steps. The music has stopped. The puppets have parted from the centre and have stopped dancing. The darks stand at their thrones, time eating away as the puppets stare at them before Wrath picks up another goblet. This one black and silver. He raises his glass and calls out into the room

"One of us has made a mistake." a smirk raises on his face. "One of us has been talking to the Light Sides and trying to leave our beloved family. Like someone who was once close to us." Virgil could feel himself tense. Wrath lowers his glass slightly. "Deceit, come here..... Now Deceit, we don't have all day"

Janus takes careful steps forward, as if he would break the marble floor, before stopping in front of Wrath.

Wrath's smirk turns into a smile as he unclasps Janus' mask. "Deci, Deci, Deci... What have I told you about your hair?"....."Answer me Deceit"

Janus swallows and opens his mouth, "keep it dyed and straightened"

Wrath hums and weaves his fingers throughout the blond curls. "exactly" Wrath tightened his grip and threw Janus down the marble stairs. A sickening thump sounded throughout the room, making the Light sides wince. They were frozen as Wrath descended the stairs. "You haven't been home very often Deceit, did you think you could leave? Did you think that you could become their new Anxiety? Did you think that you could ever ever possibly have a shot at living in piece with them?" He was towering above Janus. The other dark sides just sat there, completely apathic to the beating one of their own was facing. "They hate you Deceit, why would you want to put yourself through that?" Janus was curled up in a ball, hands over his head and tears streaming down. "we're the only ones that could ever love you, right Deceit?" he hummed while he waited for an answer, only to receive none.

He hooked his boot under Janus' arm; flipping him over on his back. He then took his foot and pressed onto his ribs with his full weight. Janus whined in pain as Wrath pressed harder. "Say that you love us Deceit."

Janus wheezed in a breath. "I-I l-lo-love yo- you-"

Wrath's face twisted underneath the mask as he pressed his foot in harder, "without the stuttering"

"I l-love you"

"try again"

"I love you." tears were streaming down his face as he drew in a relieved breath as Wrath lightened his boot.

"say that you would never leave us."

"I will never leave you"

"the lights hate you"

"the lights hate me"

Wrath's smirk grew back onto his face "Anxiety will never love you."

Janus didn't respond to that one. Wrath growled as he removed his boot and picked up the smaller side. He pinned him against the banister and summoned a knife. He drew the blade closer, "say it"

Janus' silence was met with a blade twisting underneath his scales and pulling some out. The silence was filled with his screams as the tears mixed with the blood. Soon Janus was screaming back the words that Wrath wanted to hear. "Anxiety will never love me, Anxiety never loved me, he wishes I was dead, the glares he gives me are worse then any punishment you give me-" Janus chocked on his own tears.

Wrath's lips turned into a smile as he pulled the knife away roughly, taking some scales with it. He carded his fingers back in his hair, "good, I'm happy to hear that you came to your senses. Come join us again when you're cleaned up and stop your pathetic crying." Wrath dropped Janus leading to him falling to the floor, he walked away with a twisted smile and the other three darks before stopping. "and remember Deceit to dye that disgusting hair, you don't fit in." he continued walking, laughing and snickering at the crying side.

When the darks left the room the puppets disappeared. The lights were frozen as Janus sat there crying. The silence stretched on forever until finally one of them stepped forward.

Roman unclasped his mask as he knelt down to Janus' face. Reaching forward to hold his hand only to pull back when the deceitful side flinched. Roman's mouth felt dry but he spoke anyway, "why didn't you ask for help?"

The smaller side kept his head down, a soft chuckle left his mouth, "so you guys can call me a liar and say I'm faking it? Pass Creativity..."

Roman couldn't give an answer to that, Deceit was right. He wouldn't have believed him. That made Roman feel sick to the stomach. When he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Patton stood there was a fallen look on his face. "We might not have believed you then. But, we believe you know kiddo. Why don't we go back to our side? I can make you some hot cocoa Jan?"

"don't say my name here"

Logan and Virgil moved over to stand next to Patton. The silence flooded the air again. Logan was the one to break it. "Why? I do not see any logical reason to refrain from your name here."

"Apathy can control you if he knows your name...." Surprisingly It was Virgil who spoke.

Roman looked up at him, "is that why they called you anxiety?" Virgil nodded as knelt down to look Janus in the eyes.

"come on danger noodle, lets take you home." He gently picked Janus up, cradling his head close to his chest. He hummed in a low voice as he lulled the deceitful to sleep.

Unknown to them as they walked away, there was a green clad side smirking from the shadows as he watched them walk away.

~~~~~

I don't know if I hate what I just wrote or love it. Ehh, ether way. Here ya go! This can be connected to that other ask I sent if you want it to be (I'm sure you know the one) but it doesn't have to. I always make Janus blond when I'm writing him.

If you do decide to connect this to the other one I wrote this as taking place after that.

Anyway! Here is another fic idea (is this even an idea anymore? Am I just sending you my fanfics?) As always you can use it if you want! 💛❤️💛❤️💛

This could be a mini story all on its own. Once again I say Holy shit. Because I am speechless.

Sorry I've responded late. But oh my god that's amazing. (I like blonde janus too)

This may or may not be somewhat stolen by me down the line, ^_^'

Gotta love putting janus in big angsty situations in front of the sides!

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E5; Chapter Five, Dig Dug - [Pt. 2]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

After a run-in with Will, a troubled Y/n teams up with an unlikely ally in her search for answers. “Bob the Brain” tackles a difficult problem.

||3rd Person POV||

El opens her eyes, finding herself in the familiar dark and damp setting. In the distance, she sees a bed. The covers are hanging off the mattress and grazing the water only she can see. She walks forward towards the bed cautiously, unsure if the figure lying in it is awake. As she approaches the bed she can make out more details.

The comforter is dotted with leaves and vines, intricate flowers in various hues sprinkle the vines and there a few embroidered pillows that look older and handed down. The figure on the mattress is lost in sleep, her limbs splayed out in many different directions. The figure is still dressed, clothes El has seen at least once before. The girl wearing them is hugging her pillow, a small frown etched on her face as she is troubled and tired.

El is in front of her now, just at her bedside and she can't help but take note of the drying circles on her pillow where the girl had been crying.

What could have happened? And would she be making it worse if she were to wake her and share with her what she had to share? El couldn't help but wonder.

But she also knew she would want to know. And she did miss her friend terribly. After all, they were from the same place and Y/n had every right to know about her own past as much as El did.

Not waiting any longer, she reached out and laid a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. Nothing happened and so she gently shook her. Much to her delight Y/n moved slightly, which meant it was working. She shook again and only then did she allow herself to speak.

"Y/n? Y/n!"

Her eyes fluttered open and she caught sight of El. She peered up at her through her lashes, a groggy and confused look on her face.

"El?"

She nodded, a weak smile on her face.

"What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?"

She shook her head no.

"No. But I am real."

"I-I don't understand."

"I found my Mama."

"Wait, what? You found your mom? That's great," Y/n mumbled, fighting consciousness.

She was trying desperately to maintain conversation but the truth was she was very tired and she couldn't be sure what she was seeing or hearing was real.

"There's something else."

Y/n applied all the strength she could muster to keep her eyes open, they felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds. She hummed a 'what' in response, indicating for El to continue.

"Proof."

"I don't understand. What proof, El?"

"Where you come from."

×××

Will bolts up straight in a cold sweat, gasping for air. His bangs cling to his forehead and he is gasping for breath.

"Will?"

Mike sits up startled from his nest on the floor, looking up worriedly at his best friend. He is still dressed in his clothes from the previous day, his hood perched on his head.

"What's wrong?"

Will looks to Mike, fear in his eyes.

Joyce sits in the middle of her living room, lost in a trance as she gazes at the maze of paper tunnels. The small calls for her from Will are lost to her, and it is not until she feels a light touch on her shoulders that she is pulled from this trance.

"Mom?"

Joyce gasped in surprise but readjusts quickly for her son.

"Yeah?"

Will was crouching down, concern etched in his features and Mike stands just a few feet away.

"I saw him," Will says gravely.

"You saw who, baby?"

"Hopper," Joyce frowns slightly, and she can feel her blood run cold at her son's words. "I think he's in trouble. I think he's going to die."

×××

Hopper gasps for air as he is ripped from unconsciousness. He looks around, the memories of what had happened come flooding back. Collecting himself to the best of his ability, he scrambles to his feet. The man knows he can't last long without fresh air and the particles floating amongst the smog would do him no good. His senses overwhelm him and already his body is rejecting the environment and toxic air. He doubles over as his body ejects the contents of his stomach.

Hopper grunts in disgust, the bile burning his throat and tongue. Though he doesn't allow himself any more time to waste, knowing he had to find the exit. He grabs his hat, returning it to his head and finds the flashlight beside him as he climbs to his feet. Hopper runs his free hand along the ceiling of the slimy dank tunnels as he speeds down the familiar path. Just as he had feared, he found no breaks, the hole he had dug had in fact closed up and he now stands at a dead end.

"Shit!"

Hopper reminds himself to steady his breathing. He knows now he has no immediate way out. No source of fresh oxygen and he knew he must save his breath. He is able to subdue the sporadic thoughts of panic racing in his mind, and he all he allows himself to think about is his oxygen intake. Even if he slowed his breathing he was still at risk for the toxic spores hanging in the air.

A little light bulb goes off in his head and he takes out his pocket knife, opening it up and raising it to his shoulder. He has to place the flashlight between his teeth in order to make a clean cut, but he is able to create a rip in the fabric. With one swift movement, Hopper tears the left sleeve off his uniform. Removing the flashlight from his mouth, he ties the sleeve over his face crafting a crude air filtration, somewhat safe from the deadly spores around him.

Calming his racing heart he treads on in the direction he had come. But he comes to a reluctant stop, the beam from his flashlight shifting uncertainly between a fork in the tunnel. He could not remember where he had come from. Hopper does not know why but his mind takes him to El. The familiar feeling of warmth and joy she brought to his dull life sparks in his chest and a terrible thought strikes him.

What if I never see her again?

Their last interaction would be the terrible words exchanged and the mess left behind. And worst of all, she would be alone and in danger. He couldn't let that happen, and he promised himself he would get himself out. And apologize, work things out like he should have the prior morning. They would play games together again, do puzzles and even fix up the TV and continue their western marathons. He would read to her again every night, hell maybe he could find some more of Sarah's old books and-

Hansel and Gretel. He chuckles lightly under his breath. Half in relief and a half in disbelief for not thinking of it before. Hopper reaches into his left breast pocket and retrieves the stash of cigarettes. He's thankful he had grabbed a fresh pack. He took a single stick in his fingers and broke it in half, discarding the piece on the path, beginning his trail.

×××

Mrs. Henderson shivers as she steps into her front room. She had spent all morning looking for Mews, she even shook brought the felines favorite toy, shaking the bell attached knowing she usually came running. Her spirits perked when she saw Dustin on the phone.

"Dusty, baby, you're sure she's not in your room."

Dustin gulped, thankful his back was to his mother and she could not see his widened eyes. He holds a finger out for a pause, mindlessly mumbling an 'uh-huh'.

He does his best to ignore the operator on the line as he pretends to be taking a phone call. He hoped it was enough to fool his mother.

"Thank you so much, Mr. McCorkle. Thank you so much. You are a true life-saver. Thank you... All right. Have a good one. Bye-bye, now... All right... you too."

Mrs. Henderson felt a wave of relief wash over her hearing her son's words.

"Alright, great news," Dustin said, turning to her and hanging up the phone.

"They found her?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

"No," he said gently, stepping towards her mother. "But they saw her, wandering Loch Nora,"

Even her breath was trembling as she fought back sobs of relief.

"How did the poor baby get all the way over there?"

"I don't know, lost I guess," Dustin cooed. "But they're gonna look for her and I'll stay here, just in case they call again. And you're gonna go help look? Yeah?"

He tried to ignore the clenching feeling of guilt around his heart, giving his mother false hope like this. She smiled through her sobs and nodded eagerly.

"Give me a hug, give me a hug," She gratefully hugged her son, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. "You're gonna find her, alright?"

Mrs. Henderson backed away eagerly, nodding her head trying to convince herself that would find her beloved cat.

"We can find her." He said reassuringly.

"We can find her." She repeated eagerly.

Mrs. Henderson grabbed her keys off the counter and headed towards the door.

She looked to her only son and sniffled, her voice was still slightly shaky.

"Dusty," another sniffle. "Honey, check on your sister, sweetie. She came home awfully upset again, and-and let you let her know where I'm going okay?"

"Of course, yeah, uh-huh."

"C-cause, I'm sure she'll be glad to hear they saw Mews. You let her know, okay baby?"

"Of course. I will go check on her right now. Okay. Hey,"

She paused in the front door, looking back at her son.

"I love you." Dustin blew a kiss at his mother, a fake smile plastered on her face.

She reciprocated, unknowingly the only genuine.

"I love you,"

"I love you"

"I love you,"

"Alright go, alright," He eased her out the door with encouragement and a thumbs up.

His smile did not falter until she had closed the front door.

Now to get Y/n out of the house.

||Reader's POV||

I nearly lost my balance as I slip the left shoe over my foot. I grabbed my bag and rifled through it once more making sure I had everything I needed.

I still can't believe I'm doing this. I just hope it really was real, and I'm not just doing this for nothing. But it had to be real, it had to be.

"Meet me at nine four five. Outside Mirk-wood."

"El?"

"Don't tell. Anyone."

She vanished before I could say anything else. I vaguely remember seeing her in my room, but at the same time, she wasn't completely real. She almost looks transparent. The only thing convincing about all this was what she had said to me at the school. She had a way of contacting me. This must be it.

Everything was in my bag, by now I have triple checked my bag but I still don't feel quite ready. Then again, I don't know if I'll ever be prepared to find out what happened to me, but I don't want to let that stop me.

I took a deep breath, willing away the nerves bubbling in my stomach to the best of my ability. My bag over my shoulder, I turned the doorknob and the door swung open. I flinched when I saw Dustin on the other side. His first hung in the air, ready to knock and he seemed surprised.

My eyes dropped to my bag nervously before fleeting back to his. I gulped.

"I'm going to Will's. Mike and I are gonna stay the night with him, and make sure he's alright."

Dustin seemed to process this but he blinked soon enough, shaking himself from shock. I could have sworn he seemed relieved, and I could feel relief myself.

"That's great, you should do that. He really needs you."

As if this morning wasn't already perfectly strange, Dustin was talking in a weird soothing voice and he walked me to the door. I didn't linger on it too much before I started worrying about what I was about to do. I was so excited at the possibility of seeing El again, but where are we going and how long would I be gone?

I realized we were nearing the door and I hadn't even registered that he had been talking to me.

"...at Loch Nora, looking. And don't worry, I'll man the phones. You just worry about Will, alright?"

I mindlessly mumbled an "uh-huh" and I turned to home when I reach the door.

"Dustin?"

He blinked lightly and continued in that weird soothing voice. His mannerisms reminded me of something you'd see from a spa worker. I shrugged it off, too wracked with guilt that I was basically leaving my family, who loved and cared for me to find someone I didn't even know.

I looked him in the eye, and I felt something rare. Rare for the two of us at least. Genuine admiration. I thought of all the fun and harmless little pranks we'd pull on Mom together. Or the times he looked out for me, and how much he genuinely cared about me.

"I love you,"

Before I could acknowledge any odd looks from him I wrapped him in a hug and he reciprocated.

"I love you too. Don't worry, we'll find her."

My eyes opened, still locked in an embrace with my brother and I frowned.

What?

"What? Find who?"

We both pulled away and it was his turn to look confused.

"Mews."

"Mews is missing? When?"

"I just- I just told you." He blinked several times but shook his head, slowly gesturing me out the door once more. "It's no big deal. Mews got out the other night and long story short, someone saw her wandering around in Loch Nora and Mom is headed there now. Don't even worry about it, okay?"

I nodded, my mind still racing. My eyes and hand fell to the doorknob and I gave my brother one last glance before I disappear out the front door.

||3rd Person POV||

Unbeknownst to the two of them, the Henderson children stood on either side of the door, simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief.

Y/n tightens the grip on her bag and began walking towards the garage out of habit until she saw her bike laying in the grass where she had left it last night. She sighed and grabbed her bike only to realize the rubber around handlebars were melted down in the center. A rough and messy shape of where her hands had been was clear, underneath it all was the metal core of the bike's structure. She gasped, examining the odd sight until her mind wandered to the previous night.

Was that why they seemed wet? Holy crap, I melted my bike.

Y/n shook her head in disbelief before she checked the time. Nine twenty, she had to get moving. Mounting her bike, she cast one last longing glance at her home, reassuring herself that what she was doing was right. Not a moment longer she disappeared around the corner and into a path amongst the trees.

Dustin lay on his hands and knees below the front window. He winced at the slight prickling feeling of rug burn that had managed to get to him through his jeans. As Y/n had retrieved her bike from the grass, he sped to the window, waiting for confirmation that she had finally left.

Unfortunately for him, she turned and looked back at the house, and he cursed himself for allowing himself the vulnerability. He had to drop down onto the floor to avoid being seen by his sister, but luckily she had just missed him. Moments passed and when he heard her soft but identifiable footsteps nearing the porch he knew it was safe to peek. Sure enough, he saw her disappear around the corner down the road, a small cluster of autumn leaves flying off the ground at her climbing speed.

He jumped to his feet and ran outside through the back door. He ripped open the cellar doors and retreated back into the house. He didn't stop running until he reached the hall closet and ripped them open. He turned on the light, the metal chain swinging back and forth, even hitting him as he bent down to retrieve his gear.

He was grateful he kept his and Y/n's old baseball stuff. He remembered the day him and Y/n saw a program on TV and the kids were playing baseball. That same day, the pair begged and pleaded their mother for the gear and when she finally caved, Y/n and Dustin spent all of summer break out in their backyard. Granted they were new to it and barely managed to hit the ball more than five times between the two of them but they had a blast. Of course, they usually played with the rest of the party, and Dustin was almost always the umpire, given he had gear for it. As for Y/n, she had a pretty decent arm, she made the best pitcher out of the group. Naturally though, school rolled around again and the following summer was when they officially formed the party for their very first campaign.

Dustin was thankful him and his sister had been so damn stubborn and he was certainly very thankful his mother had gotten them what they had so desperately wanted. Now he had protection from Dart.

He tossed everything in the living room and went to the kitchen. Ripping open the fridge door he grabbed every variety of meat he could find. His confident urgency waved only slightly when he approached his closed door. He began the trail of meat outside his room and all the way out to the cellar. He closed every other door in the house as a precaution and suites up. His usual hat lay discarded on the living room chair in exchange for his umpire helmet. To top it all off he adorned his mother's pair of oven mitts. Not ideal for the situation but was the best he could find.

Now completely geared up, he grabbed his hockey stick just for short measure. He stood outside his room, careful not to step on the trail of bologna and got ready to run.

"Alright, Dart," He called. "Breakfast time,"

Not allowing himself to think about it any longer he ripped open the door and starting running. A mantra slipped from his mouth as he wobbled through the house, his gear restricting his speed.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."

He was outside now, and he had already heard light thumps of wet feet behind him. He did his best to speed up and before he knew it he was safe in the shed.

Panting heavily and still trying to calm his racing heart, Dustin stepped towards the shed door. He peered through a slit in the boards and waited for the slimy figure to emerge from the open door.

"Come on, I know you're hungry" he mumbled.

Dustin gasped when he saw Dart trudge down the steps. Just as he had predicted, Dart was happily gobbling up every slice of bologna and ham in the trail Dustin laid out.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," he mumbled.

He had to move around the shed in order to see Dart approach the open cellar doors. Everything had been going so smoothly. Up until Dart whipped around and faced Dustin.

His eyes widened and he gasped in fear, hoping Dart hadn't seen him. Like with Y/n, he waited a moment. There was no sign of movement and he stepped forward. Only to find Dart just outside the shed. He jumped back, his own back to the wall of the shed and he gripped the hockey stick closer to his chest.

Dustin could now hear the pitter-patter of Dart's small webbed feet and he knew it was now or never. It was his fault for bringing Dart into the house, and it was his fault for ignoring the other's logic and lying about Dart's whereabouts. And it was time to fix it. Taking several deep breaths, Dustin ripped open the shed door, startling Dart in the process and charged after his once pet.

Dart retreated frightfully, an image that instilled more guilt in Dustin's heart. Nevertheless, with a scream tearing from his throat, Dustin swung at the creature. He felt the hockey stick strike Dart and he went flying, miraculously Dart hit the open cellar door and tumbled inside.

He himself ran to the cellar, and just as he began closing the doors, an angry and betrayed Dart charged up the stairs after him. Feeling guilty, frightened and exhausted, Dustin collapsed on the closed cellar doors. He could feel his body jerk and move as Dart attempted to break the doors down but it was no use. Dustin was grateful he wearing leg padding, he could feel his shins digging into the steel edge of the cellar entrance.

"I'm sorry," he said, ignoring the chitters from the cellar. "But you ate my cat."

||Reader's POV||

My eyes scan the trees as I breeze down Mirkwood. I feel a chill run down my spine but I can't tell if it's from the cold autumn air or what's to come. I almost miss it, but I break on my bike quickly when I see a small figure standing amongst the trees. Its El. She's dressed in brown and grays and her dark hair blends in with the bark of the trees.

My bike makes an awful screech as the tires skid across the pavement and I cringe. So does El, I notice. She steps forward out of the trees and I dismount the bike, propping it up on its kickstand.

We meet in an embrace and I smile at the contact. She hugs me tightly and we separate.

"I'm so glad you're really here. I was worried I dreamt it all. How are you? Is everything okay?"

She nodded, and the smallest of excited smiles tugged at her lips.

"I found Mama."

"So you really did find your mom, huh?" I ask hopefully.

El's smile grew only slightly and she nodded once more.

"I also found something else."

I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"The 'Missing Experiment'."

A silence hung in the air and I gulped.

"Is that... ?" I felt the words die on my tongue and  I try again. "So, I really am...?"

El looked at me, sympathy in her eyes and she nodded again.

"Yes," she croaked.

I ran a hand down my face, not realizing I had teared up until I felt my hand grow wet. The small droplets on my palm magnified the harsh sting of the cold air and I wiped my hands on my pants, sniffling.

"I think," she continued. "Mama might be able to tell us more. Maybe."

"Well," I said, taking a breath to collect myself. "We better go then, huh?"

||3rd Person POV||

El nodded, and Y/n returned to her bike, El following noiselessly behind. Y/n perked up at the memory and she looked back to El, patting her bike.

"After I lost my bike in the chase last year, my mom got me a new one for Christmas! I have an extra seat, just like Mike's!"

El smiled and stepped forward, and Y/n turned her bike around so it was facing the road. She looked at El once more.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Five-On-Five, Larrabe"

"Um," Timid confusion crossed Y/n's features. "Do you by any chance know what part of town that is?"

El thought about it for a moment but shook her head. Y/n pressed her lips into a firm line as she thought about it aloud.

"Well, we could always ask for directions, I mean I would, so you could stay hidden. I think there's a-"

"Hitch-hike!" El said suddenly as the idea came to her.

"What?"

"Hitch-hike! Like TV,"

Y/n blinked several times, searching her brain for one of millions to begin as to why that was such a bad idea. All she could do was shake her head, sputtering.

"El, we can't-"

But El was too focused on her mission, and much to her delight - and Y/n's chagrin - she heard the deep rumbles of an engine growing louder. She walked past Y/n and stood on the edge of the concrete and stuck her thumb out.

"El, what are you doing? They'll see you, never mind that, do you know how dangerous that is for us?"

Her thumb still out, El turned to look at her friend, a confused look on her face.

"Why us?"

Once again, Y/n was at a loss for words. Without a response, she returned her attention back to the road, where a large truck came to slow. Y/n's heart began to pound faster and in a desperate attempt to save her friend and herself, she dropped her bike and stepped forward to stop El. But El was one step ahead and Y/n's eyes widened when she stopped abruptly, her feet rooted to the ground.

She looked to her feet in fear, and back to El, gaping.

"El! What the hell?" Y/n tried to remain calm, but it was a challenging feat seeing the truck grow closer, words tumbled out of her in a hurry. "El, I promise you we can find another way but this is not a good idea, trust me. He could hurt us,"

El turned back to look at Y/n and gave her an incredulous smile.

"Y/n," she eased. "We can defend ourselves, remember?"

Y/n felt the invisible hold on her legs release and she tied her best not to stumble forward in an awkward fashion. Before she could get another word in, the truck pulled to a stop in front of El and the passenger window rolled down. It was a man with a beard and trucker hat. He looked at the pair with genuine worry for them, which put Y/n's mind at ease in just the slightest.

"You ladies alright?"

El was quick to answer before Y/n could protest.

"We need a ride home. Five-one-five Larrabee"

The man seemed taken aback, and he gave a look around for any sign of the girls' parents.

"Well, uh, sure I guess. You guys a long way from home?"

El nodded and stepped forward. She felt a hand on her wrist and she looked to Y/n gave her one last pleading look.

El lowered her voice and spoke to her friend gently.

"It will be okay, we can protect ourselves. But I'm going Y/n, you can come if you want."

With that, she stepped forward and stood on the tips of her toes to open the passenger door. Y/n felt the surge of anxiety in her stomach, everything warning her against this. But El was getting into a big truck with a strange man, she knew she couldn't stop her, but she had to make sure she was okay. Y/n kicked herself for what she was about to do, never more angered by any decision she has ever made.

And against her better judgment, Y/n climbed into the truck after El.

+++

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[knives-out20]

Call - Erik Lehnsherr x Male!OC

Fandom: X-Men

Pairing: Karmel Rosenstein (OC) x Erik Lehnsherr

Warnings: Swearing, Slight faggotry, SPOILERS FOR MAGNETIC PULL, Angsty Karmel

Notes: Do NOT read if you haven’t finished Magnetic Pull. Hannibal references. Enjoy!

Karmel sat on his bed in his mansion, re-reading some book he’s had ever since he was a child. He cleared his throat, flipping the page. Erik was asleep in the other room, and Karmel didn’t particularly feel like bothering him right now.

“Karmel.”

Kareml lifted his head up, looking around the room. Strange, he could’ve sworn that he heard...Charles, call him. Karmel shrugged, going back to his book. 

“Karmel, answer me.”

“What the f-” Karmel looked around the room again, at a slower pace. He looked out the window, but didn’t see anyone. “Hello-?” Karmel whispered, feeling stupid about even doing it.

“There’s a good lad. How’ve you been, mate?”

Karmel pinpointed the location of Charles’ voice: inside his own mind. “What the fuck?” He mumbled, wondering if he missed his old friend to the point where he had decided to make conversation with a fake-him in his head.

“You’re fine, mate. I’m doing with you what I had done with Moira in that CIA building back then, remember?”

Karmel put down his book hesitantly, fixing his tie. “Talkin’ through my fucking mind, huh?” He asked aloud. “Sorry I can’t return the favour, but I’m whisperin’ to avoid waking Erik up. Fast asleep in the next room over.” Karmel explained.

“How is he?”

“We’re doing amazingly, actually. I don’t think he’d be too happy to fucking talk t’ya, though. Or to find out that I’m talking to you. So I’m whispering for that shit, too.”

“Understandable. I missed talking to you, and you weren’t out of reach, so I decided to pop in. Sorry to have scared you.”

“It’s nothing,” Karmel waved his hand in dismissal, knowing Charles wouldn’t have seen it anyway. “How’s Moira?”

“Doing well, I hope. I erased her memory of everything after the whole island situation when Erik and you ran off with Raven and Shaw’s team...How is she?”

“Adjusting.”

Charles hummed from his end. “I’ve been doing some thinking, regarding what happened on that island.”

“Oh yea?” Karmel raised his eyebrows. “What’cha been thinking about, exactly?”

“You were pretty quick to side with Erik, even taking in the small talk we had. Quicker than someone would’ve been, being that they were only still so indecisive only the night before.” Charles specified.

Karmel gulped, eyes darting around in thought. “Funny, eh?”

“Quite.” Charles agreed.

Karmel tapped his finger on the pillow next to him, anxious in silence.

“You remember when you decided to call Erik?” Charles asked.

Karmel tugged his collar; great, Charles knew. He straightened up, clenching his jaw for a moment. “I wasn’t decided when I called him. I just called him” Karmel answered in a beat. “I deliberated, while the phone rang.”

Silence on Charles’ end.

“I decided...when I heard his voice.” Karmel finally answered, in a hushed tone.

“You told him you knew?” Charles asked, referring to Karmel finally knowing his decision on whether he’d side with Erik and against humans, or side with Charles to co-exist with them.

“I told him, alright.” Karmel huffed. “I jokingly told him to leave. Because I,” he inhaled sharply, “I wanted him to run.”

“Why?” Charles pressed on.

Karmel looked down, deep eyes softened down to a baby blue. He stayed silent, opening his mouth as he readied what he was about to say. “Uhm...” Karmel hesitated, waving his head in thought. “Because...” He whispered. “Because he- he was my friend.” Karmel replied, looking up in determination, “and because I wanted to run away with him” he confessed.

Charles licked his lips in thought. “Run away when? Right then and there, or after the show-down the following day?”

“I- I- I honestly don’t know.” Karmel shrugged. “Either one, I left up to Erik. I’d go anywhere with him, I’d have gone anywhere with him. No matter the time or place. If he wanted to leave right then and there, I’d have used my fucking vines to slide down the window like the prince sliding down Rapunzel’s hair. If he wanted to leave after the show-down at the blockade line, I’d have waited eagerly, yet patiently for it all to be over. And clearly, I did.” He recalled. Karmel’s blinks were slow, eyes kept down low to examine his bed sheets.

***

Karmel stared at the phone on his table, foot impatiently tapping the floor. He groaned silently, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Stop fucking pussyfooting, man-” he groaned, picking up the phone and spinning the dial for a specific someone’s room. Karmel bit the edge of his lip, listening to the phone ring as he tried to make up his mind.

“Hello?” Erik’s mumble greeted Karmel’s ear like cool wind on an autumn day.

Karmel closed his eyes in relief, glad he picked up. “I know.” He answered in a low tone, seeing as it was night time. “I fucking know.” Karmel repeated, finally decided from the moment he heard Erik’s voice. He breathed a smile to life, his realization being a borderline orgasmic feeling.

Erik furrowed his eyebrows, looking up at his ceiling in thought.

“I know what to- to do tomorrow, Erik. I know exactly how I feel about it, now.” Karmel muttered into the phone.

“Do you?” Erik grumbled, rubbing his eye. “Took you long enough, Rosenstein.”

Karmel’s lips formed a line.

“Only teasing- what have you decided on, Karmel?”

“You.” Karmel answered. “I’ve decided on you, I want to be on your side, I want to be by your fucking side.” He added on, free hand balling into a fist. “Fuck the humans, like I’ve always felt.”

Erik grinned to himself.

“But...I can’t tell Charles. I can’t let the others know.” Karmel brought up.

“So what do you propose that you do?” Erik raised his eyebrows, expectant.

“I, uh...” Karmel nervously licked his lips. “I say we go about tomorrow like we always do. I’ll keep acting as if I won’t side with you, if siding with you or Charles is what it comes down to. Charles won’t know, he won’t read my mind without my knowledge, I- I trust him on that.”

Erik hummed, listening.

Karmel chuckled. “Y’know, you should probably leave. Whether it be now or after whatever fucking ensues tomorrow.” He joked.

Erik scoffed. “Goodnight, Karmel.”

“Goodnight, Erik.”

***

“I see...I’m glad it was the second option, then, jokingly or not. We needed you both during the whole thing to pull Shaw’s submarine, remember?”

Karmel smiled slightly. “Erik ‘n’ I are quite the damn team, aren’t we?” He whispered. “No wonder I wanted him so bad.” Karmel sighed lovingly, sparing a glance at the bracelet he wore.

Silence followed.

Karmel squared his shoulders. “I- I should go. I need some gin in me right ‘bout now.” He excused, standing up slowly.

“I understand. Til we meet again?”

“See you on the other side. Sooner than later, I’d hope” Karmel breathed, fingers crossed behind his back. “Bye, Charlie. Beware, man; it goeth before the fall.”

Charles giggled. “Goodbye, Karmel.”

Karmel waited for a few moments, until he was sure Charles was out of his mind. He let out a sigh of relief, cracking his neck. Karmel discarded of his book, walking out his bedroom door and carefully passing by the room Erik was asleep in. He glanced in, seeing Erik completely covered in blankets asides from his hand. Karmel smiled softly, carrying on down the hall.

Erik listened to Karmel’s graceful footsteps fade down the hall, using his arm to lift up the covers. He stared at the door, a pensive look in his eyes.

[depressed-sock]

Good Things Happen Bingo

A Fallen Hero fanfic

Friend to lovers

Past Kiyo/Ortega (I added some reference to my Thief series)

 You don't know when things started to change between you. Your relationship built on annoyance that somehow Ortega shaped into friendship.

...

 “You know you’re a terrible tail,” you sigh, footsteps halting in the alleyway you’ve turned into. Away from prying eyes and ears so that you can yell at him in peace. You turn, glaring at the man with the too bright smile and a look that screams of guilt.

 "To be fair, I was planning to get your attention-"

 "Oh? Was that going to be after the next four block circle I take you in again? Or maybe next week when you try again?" You cross your arms in no mood to deal with him right now. Every nerve on edge, every sense rubbed raw by the world around you.

 "Is that why that tree looked so familiar?" He rubs his chin with a look of fake contemplation. You should have just taken him by surprise and punched him.

 "Ortega, what are you even doing following me around?" You ask in exasperation, even though you can guess the answer. It's the same reason Sentinel keeps offering you a space to sleep, the same reason Anathema tries to take you out to eat, the same reason Steel looks at you with distrust.

 It's been months and yet none of them can let it go and leave you alone.

 "Honestly, I’m worried about you and since he hasn’t been caught-"

 "He's gone Ortega there's nothing to worry about," maybe it's because you respond too fast with too much denial pushed onto the words, but you watch as a frown turns his lips and you know that you just made him more worried. Fuck.

 He shrugs, looking down to think before he responds, "Kiyo… I just don't want you to have to handle this alone. I'm worried about you. We all are." He looks up at just the right angle, fucking puppy dog eyes.

 "Fucking hell, fine. Hope you can keep up," you turn from him already running and it's what you're good at. Running away. Unfortunately, he’s also incredibly persistent. So if he's going to keep doing this you may as well make him suffer.

...

 You can feel it shifting again with every smile he gets out of you, with every bit of kindness he shows you. Every tiny bit of time spent with him building up to something you're terrified to give a name to.

...

   "This is a terrible idea," you mutter to yourself as you watch him walk out of his cover, hands up in surrender. An incredibly stupid idea. Fuck, he's going to get himself killed and-

 Your mind follows the thread of thought of the villain he's decided to 'surrender' too. No mercy to be found in toxic thoughts. A clear path of thought, Kill him. God fucking damnit. This is such a terrible plan.

 You hold your breath, hands shaking with each step he takes. He's talking but you can't hear him, your only focus being the ever growing maliciousness in front of him. He's going to get himself killed if you don't do something…

 You close your eyes, heart beating in your chest. The villain moves-

 And you pull the string, a quick yank and you feel their mind miscalculate the distance between them and Ortega. Enough that Ortega can react first, charge building in his hands until it's only the smell of ozone that tells you he's won.

 "See, told you it would work!" He yells back at you, a smug grin on his face. You let the anger build under your skin, let it fuel your movements as you vault over your cover and stomp towards him.

 "You fucking idiot!" He expects the punch but not the hug. You hold onto him tight, afraid to let go. Afraid of the reasons why building in your head.

 "Uhhh Kiyo?"

  "Shut up."

...

 You tried ignoring it but it always came back with the sound of your heart beating too fast. You never thought that you'd look at someone and wonder what their lips would feel like against yours. Never would have guessed that you could feel something like this, or that you’d know what it would feel like to have someone like him in your life making it so much brighter.

...

 "Hey, Charge! You're looking electrifying tonight!" You laugh, watching as he shakes the sparks out of his hands.

 He grins at you in response, "Been saving that one?"

 "Maybe," you shrug, smile hidden behind your mask. You’ve been saving a bunch actually.

 “So if I said you take my breath away-”

 “I’d say it’s way too late to use that one. I tackled you out of the way of that shot hours ago.”

 “Ahh but you’re not accounting for something,” he’s walking closer, and for some reason, it’s becoming harder to keep your balance on the rubble your sitting on. “Because every time I see you it’s like looking on the earth from space.”  

 “... that makes no sense. What does that have to do with taking your breath away?” you congratulate yourself for keeping a straight face.

 “Because- Seriously? I’m viewing you from space?” his grin falters, all smoothness lost in trying to explain. This was a great idea.

 “Why am I the earth?”

 “Because you’re my- your fucking with me,” he pinches the bridge of his nose as you laugh.

 “No, really?”

 “Goddamnit, I can’t believe I fell for that again.

...

 It's infuriating, it's too much for you to handle. So you hide everything behind jokingly stupid flirting. That's all it is, a joke that somehow keeps escalating. Anathema had suggested fighting fire with fire, so you took it to heart. For every smooth move, every stupid pickup line and flirt he gave you, you responded back with embarrassingly bad ones and picking his apart as payback.

...

 The kiss was softer than you expected, a bright contrast against the pain that had coursed through your leg. He's pulling you in, changing everything you believed and leaving you in a state of complete and utter confusion.

 And it happens again, a different time but the same direness of the situation. Again and again and only in those situations. Until it's suddenly not as he shifts it and changes it and you're left with no choice but to follow with him down this path. Because you don't want to imagine any other way.

...

  Times now spent together long after any showdown, times where there's no rush or panic in a kiss, no fear of losing each other. There's a name to what's happening between you but your afraid to think it and give it existence. Afraid of things you know you can't be. Not for him. Not for anyone.

...

 "You know this part of town isn't exactly-"

 "Where you expected me to take you?" You laugh, arms held out to keep your balance as you walk along the top of the crumbling wall. Ortega looks up at you as he walks along the bottom, words left unspoken but you can almost hear it in his gaze. "What? Did you really expect that this would be a date would be at one of your fancy restaurants?”

 “No,” a chuckle in between his words, “I have no clue what to expect with you.”

 "Well that's good at least," you step off the wall, falling into a roll in front of him, "would hate to actually be predictable." You stand, brushing your clothes off before sending him a wink. "Come on it's not far."

 You guide him through the ruins of a broken city, past the squatters, past any sign of human life. You're not sure if it's unease or excitement that's building in his shoulders as he follows you.

 You finally stop, a wall of vines in front of you and you look back at him with a smile before pushing them aside and walking through, "Found this place by accident a couple of years ago."

 "Oh? And what exactly-" he stops, feet coming to a halt. You turn back again and watch as his face turns to awe as he realizes what exactly lies before him.

 Walls and ceilings covered in ethereal like art. Some of them a bright mix of stars and sky, others keen to fantasy like forests, more and more. Each different but with the same quality. You've been through the entirety of the inside of this broken building and you've found every inch of it covered.

 "This is-Did you?"

 "Nope," your hand brushes against one of the walls with faded art, "I've seen a few people come and go but I think a lot of these were here long before any of us found it."

 "This is amazing Kiyo," he's looking at you again with unsaid words that can only be felt in his gaze.

 I love you.

 "It's also a great place to stash bodies," change the subject, change the mood. Fuck. You didn't mean for this to be that personal.

 "Steel did use to tell me not to go to dark places alone with you," he laughs walking forward and ahead of you. Taking your change in mood in stride.

 "Only the dark places?" You laugh following behind him. You might not be able to say it now and maybe it'll be years before you feel comfortable enough. But for now, this is okay. Personal moments and words hidden in the way you look at each other.

[wordsandwickedthings]

adventures in mundaneness

a cruel prince fic

warnings: none

after an assassination attempt on Cardans life, Jude is paranoid to leave him alone anywhere. but with the court of shadows going out and unwilling to guard him while Jude goes to the human world, she is forced to take him with her. It's fine, though, they were just going out for a little bit, right?

but no, nothing is ever mundane with Cardan around.

yes, I realize the irony of not posting for a month after saying I should post more frequently.

part 2

Jude first realized how truly shackled to Cardan she was after the first assassination attempt against him. She knew it wasn’t Madoc who arranged it, his warriors' pride wouldn’t have let anyone but himself take Cardan’s life. But she wouldn’t put it past Balekin, an aristocrat to the bone it would be foolish of him – but Jude was starting to think he was desperate enough to be an idiot.

But because of that attempt on his life, Jude was paranoid to leave Cardan alone for even a moment without her or any of the members of the court of shadows.

Jude was supposed to be in the human world in an hours’ time, to visit oak and Vivienne, and the last thing she needed was worrying thoughts of Cardan bothering her the entire time. She couldn’t trust him to keep himself safe for an entire day. Her plan rests at the twisted king’s feet, and to Jude’s dismay, none of the shadows wanted to watch Carden while she went to the human world.

“sorry, Queenie,” the roach told her, “we’re going out gambling and drinking.”

“but he loves to gamble and drink, it’s all he does!”

“he is also the high king, and with that title comes attention we don’t want.”

She huffed, turning a blade in her hand as she thought, “we could shackle him somewhere safe.”

Roach chuckled, “he’d be defenseless, gutted if anyone found him without one of us,” he paused for a moment, “with or without chains.”

She frowns, “no one could find the court of shadows.”

“the question is, are you willing to risk it?” ghost asks her.

The bomb was the only one who looked sort of sympathetic, “sorry.”

She had to drag herself to Cardans room after that, finding a way to force down her pride while she walked too slowly. She stood at the threshold of his’s room, watching him lazily pour wine into his mouth. He was making a habit of dressing down, wearing only a white loose shirt and black pants if he wasn’t being forced to attend something; his tail out in the open, swinging idly.

“You’re coming with me to the human world,” she couldn’t believe she was doing this.

“Excuse me?” he wasn’t looking at her, staring up at the ceiling in what Jude could only call boredom. Two words in and she already wanted to punch him.

“the others are going out, and I need to be in the human world in,” she searched for the time, sighing, “thirty minutes.”

Cardan sat up, “and this concerns me because?” his cheeks were rosy, and his lips were stained red. He was drunk already – great.

Jude leaned against the doorframe, “because there’s no one here to protect you while I’m gone, so therefore, you’re coming with me.” She tried to say it with authority, but by the way Cardan was smirking, it apparently wasn’t convincing.

“No one to protect me or babysit me.”

“pick one,” Jude smiled, all teeth and incredibly fake.

He sneered at her, “Do I look like a child?”

“you act like one.”

He bared out a fake laugh, and Jude had to force herself not to literally growl at him, “I could command you to fallow me.”

It was a thin threat, and Jude knew that; she hadn’t commanded Cardan to do anything unless absolutely necessary since forcing the crown on his head. And since she wasn’t going to force things on him, she had to resort to petty arguing and veiled threats.

Cardan watched her for a moment, his gaze making Jude’s skin crawl in a way she hated. “Do it then, have your fun. But there is no way I’m going to that wretched hole without being dragged.” -- Cardan had sobered up by the time they got to the other world, Vivian waiting patiently with Oak sitting at her feet, Heather absent to Jude’s luck. Cardan was being even more annoying and difficult than his drunk counterpart.

“why is everything so loud!” he had his hands pressed against his ears, the taxi driver giving him a bored look.

“we’re stuck in traffic,” Vivienne looked just as bored, “they’re honking cause their assholes. Like someone else, I can think of.”

Cardan looked over to the front seat to glare at Vivian, someone who was about as pleased that he was here as Cardan himself. “Well they should stop,” he sneered, “why don’t you just make them stop?”

she laughed, “a little out of my mutant power range, princey.”

Cardan smirked when Oak started clapping, chanting, “glamour, glamour, glamour.” Blowing at his brown curls that were pushed into his eyes from the beanie he was wearing. Jude sighed, flicking Cardan in his pointy ear, which he had refused to hide. “You’re enabling him.”

Oak seemed to like Cardan, a fact that drove Jude into insanity. Since they got here Oak had been following Cardan around, mimicking the way he walked and the way he glared at everyone who past him – even though his glares ended in giggling. It doesn’t surprise Jude that Oak was enamored with Cardan; he had a charm to him that, despite his blatant cruelty, drew people to him. Even without the crown on his head, he moved like a king. She hated it and hated him even more because of it.

They had made it clear to Oak that he was going to be king, it shouldn’t surprise her that he would look to one for how to act. It’s a shame it had to be Cardan though. They had decided to go to the mall to stock up on items for Oak, and Jude. Then if they were lucky maybe get food before Cardan does something that irritated Jude so much she might have to abandon him on the side of the road.

When they got out of the cab and Vivienne made the driver leave without them paying, Cardan let out a laugh, locking eyes with Jude.

All of Cardan's smugness dissipated when they got into the entrance, completely replaced by confusion. Every in the building was foreign to him, from the rhythmic beeping of people checking out, to the fact that everyone was dressed in what our world would consider underwear.

People were staring at Cardan as much as he was staring at them. He had put on a jacket before they left, a blue velvety thing with gold running through it like vines; that along with this pointed ears and sharp cheekbones made it impossible not to look at him. Like all fairies, Cardan was beautiful and demanded everyone’s eyes.

Jude didn’t like the feeling in her stomach that came when a group of girls giggled when Cardan smirked at them.

“cool costume, man,” some man said as he walked past them, patting Cardan on the shoulder before walking away.

Cardan eyes shifted, and Jude saw the sudden rage in them. He didn’t lung at the man though, didn’t tare away at him like he did the fairies wings. Instead, he scowled for a moment and schooled his features like he was so used to.

Jude was already by his side by the time, ready to stop him if he did anything stupid. Oh, Cardan had a habit of doing something stupid. Grabbing a fistful of his sleeve, Jude got close so she could whisper in his ear, “don’t make a scene.”

He smirked, “but that’s all I’m good at.”

Jude rolled her eyes, tempted to ignore him.

His features shifted, “a commoner shouldn’t touch a king.”

“you’re not a king here,” Jude reminded him, “you’re barely a king in our world.”

Vivienne coughed, dragging the two’s attention to her, where she was stood with her hands on her hips and her eyebrow raised. “I need to grab Heather from work, you’ll watch Oak right?” she doesn’t look like she wants to leave, maybe it’s because she’s aware that Cardan is unpredictable no matter what, maybe she thought the same thing about Jude. Jude shook that out of her head, she trusted her sister – all that kept her sane is Vivian’s understanding.

Oak gave a nod before reaching his hand out to Cardan, waiting patiently while his uncle stared at it like it was poisonous. Jude watched the awkward exchange for a second before taking Cardan’s wrist – no longer fearing whatever anger he would hold over it – and moving it so Oak could wrap his small hand around it and pull the elder forward. They went to the toy section naturally, Oak running directly to a set of toys underneath a poster of four reptiles with swords and nunchucks. It was his latest obsession according to Vivian, to the point he wanted to take martial arts in the next year – to the delight of the roach.

Oak held up a figuring, “this is Raphael, he’s the best one; he has swords and is big and strong and – and he can be mean sometimes, but he loves his family.” He held up the toy to his older sister, “you can be Raphael.”

Jude swallowed, trying to remain neutral as her heart swelled when taking the toy from her brother, “thank you.”

Cardan was standing off to the side as Oak showed Jude his favorite turtle, not looking board really, more extremely uncomfortable. The look got worse when Oak picked up another turtle figure and held it out to him like it was something precious, “you can be Michelangelo, he’s funny and lazy and loves pizza.”

The older boy stared shocked at the small child in front of him.

Jude was staring too, “Cardan is funny?”

He looked up, glaring at her, but took the toy – curling it around his fingers like it was just as precious as Oak had made it seem.

“which one should Vivi be?” the little boy goes back to the toys.

“are we getting all of these?” Jude asked, moving towards Cardan, seeing the look on oaks face confirmed that statement.

“it’s sad,” she says in a low voice, next to his ear, “that your nephew handing you a doll gives you the same look of panic as me pointing a crossbow at you.”

He scowled, “It’s probably covered in human germs.”

“that’s the best comeback you got, you must be flustered.”

Oak yelled over to them, “Vivi could be Donatello… that doesn’t really fit, I think.”

She turned around to see oak on the floor with toys laid out in front of him, his face twisted in deep contemplation.

“how about we get these turtles and go get food while we wait for Vivienne?”

she watched Oak scoop up the two remaining ninjas. “can I get some nunchucks too?”

Jude sighed, pretending to contemplate, “yes, you can.” Oak laughed, running towards the cash register. The smile wiped off her face when she remembered a crucial detail. Cardan was going to fallow him before Jude tugged at his jacket sleeve, looking between him and the checkout counter. “I may need something from you.”

[jungnoir]

11 (x3) questions tag!

tagged by: helloooooO! I was tagged by these three angels @sugacrackers @sunnysidewrites and @mansaeboysbe! so instead of having eleven questions to answer I actually have,,, thirty-three sdviushfei so i will be putting this under a read more! thank u for tagging me lovelies

sugacracker’s q’s

 If you could only eat one food forever, what would it be? POTATOES. in any shape or form

 What is your ideal date? hehehe, uhhhhhh i dunno!! tbh! i think maybe something where we’re both doing stuff together? like playing video games or bowling or what have you. when i get competitive, i loosen up and i show more of my inner personality. it breaks my shy barrier pretty easily

 How are you doing? i’m doing mighty fine, thank you :)

 What do you want your career to be? rich housewife or something nice where i’m surrounded by friendly people and doing things I love. I have no real set career I want to enter

 Any song recommendations? peek-a-boo by red velvet, iffy by sik-k, ph-1, and jay park, le tourbillon de la vie by jeanne moreau, bad blood by nao, world goes round by (this is not the singer btw) taisei iwasaki, red sun by hangzoo, and where do we go from here by g.soul

 Who is your favorite youtuber? I don’t really have one these days. I do watch a lot of buzzfeed unsolved, and I try to tune into lee suhyun’s makeup channel every once in a while!! cause she’s so cute and even tho i don’t know what tf she is talking abt bc i don’t do makeup im still :)))) the whole time

 How would you describe yourself in three words? creative, lonely, thoughtful

 Who is one person you want to be friends with on tumblr? i’m not gonna @ them bc i know their blog is kinda personal but there’s this v funny person on here who i relate to? and idk. i’d love to be their friend but we’ve never interacted but that’s gucci

 Which group is your favorite underrated kpop group? currently! golden child!!! they really got me from their debut and i think they’re really great. check out their debut mv damdadi!

 What is your favorite dessert? sweet potato pie or anything with strawberries

 What is your favorite place? in m’dreams

sunny’s q’s

What is your ideal day? getting to sleep in on a rainy, cold weekday home alone. having lots of food in the house and lots of content to watch, read, and listen to. i’m undisturbed by anyone the whole day

What’s a song that resonated with you and why? ahhh, dear no one by tori kelly. i relate to the lyrics a lot... i’ve kind of watched people in my life talk about their wins and losses in love for a long time... i’ve been belittled by people i trusted because “if you don’t like my s/o, you must be jealous” and growing up it was really frustrating for me? because on the one hand I could be completely fine with having no experience but then like someone just mentions being in love or the things you can do with ur s/o and it would break my self-esteem really bad. and hearing “you’ll find someone someday” is true, maybe but it’s not comforting when you’re upset and lonely. so i want to find some contentment with where I am right now, and this song is something I relate that contentment to

What would you be as a trope in a story? rivals to lovers au ok ok

Between your top 3 biases, who would be the groom/bride, the honor attendant, and the one who would crash the wedding? efjhsoiefises ok.... the groom is taeyong bc let’s be honest if i have to get on my own knee to marry that boy i will, the honor attendant is probably namjoon cause he’s sweet and would understand, and the one crashing the wedding would be,,,,, taehyung (of which i would kill him for but also be flattered abt on the lowest of keys)

Anything you wanna say to me? i love u,,, bitch,,, i ain’t never gonna stop loving u,,,, bitch! (pls tell me u know that vine)

What would be the one food you had to eat for the rest of your life? potatoes!!! like the answer to q1 of sugacracker’s questions hahaha

What would you be as a pick up line? girl, you’ve already activated my particle barrier

What are your aesthetics? pink-y neutrals, blunt haircuts, dewy clear skin, nose rings, tons and tons of flowers, a ceiling painted navy and dotted with yellow for stars

What’s a color that suits you? army green or tangerine!

What’s a deal-breaker for you in a relationship? cheating and physical/verbal abuse. I abhor both so fucking much

What are some distinct things you always say? “ya’ll” “JESUS” “i wanna die” “this/she/he is so cute” “i need to use the bathroom” “have you ever watched voltron?” “i’m tired”

mansaeboysbe’s q’s

If you could create your own group like produce 101 or the unit, what would it look like? Who would be in it? dude i have no idea,,, it’d be chaos LOL

What are the five weirdest songs you listen to? i don’t have five songs but i have this... one song.... from an anime i’ve tabled to watch.... and it’s just... here

What’s your favorite cover a kpop idol or group has done? SEVENTEEN’S COVER OF WILD EYES

Favorite kpop choreography? it’s either seventeen’s aju nice or astro’s baby

Anything you wanna say to me? when you!!! smile!!! i’m also!!!! happy!!!!

What are three things you would put in a time capsule? a letter fake-signed by the government that the people living in the world in the future have passed into an alternate reality and everything that went wrong in that world went right in ours, a usb with all my favorite songs on it, and a list of all the people i’ve killed (another fake but they won’t know)

What is something you always carry with you? i always always carry chapstick

If your life was a Disney (or Pixar or Dreamworks) movie, which one would it be? big hero 6!! this is like based on what i want it to be and not what it is currently right?

Ballads or dance songs? dance songs!!

What’s the weirdest survival tip/life hack you know? probably not that weird but i know u gotta punch a shark in the eye so it won’t eat you

If you could go back anywhere in time, where would you go and what would you do? i’d go back to my birth and do everything differently just to see what would happen tbh

now here’s my 11 questions!

If you had to assemble a team of kpop idols to survive the apocalypse with, who would you pick and why would you pick them?

If there was no chance of dying, what life-threatening activity would you partake in?

A fictional character you relate to?

Write a short letter to someone anonymous to anyone else reading your letter. What do you want to say to this unnamed person?

Are you the one who leaves people on read, or the one who is left on read?

Is there any job you still want to have that you wanted to have when you were a kid (i.e. a superhero, a princess, etc.)?

What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when I say the word “nostalgia”?

Favorite scent?

Is there an idol you think is like your twin?

Do you like to talk about yourself?

If you could do something you’ve been meaning to do for a while, what would be that thing?

I’ll be tagging: @@yongceo @calemiel @joshpup @haodycowboy @daegusoftboys anddddd yeh!!! lemme kno if u wanna don’t wanna be tagged in this or not!!

[jarmes]

Birdcage Chapter XIV

Masterpost -  Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

Nightmare, or: the old man at the mine

I was alone in a dark cave. A single candle sat in front of me, the only source of light as far as I could see. Its dim flame glowed with the cursed violet hue of Dark Magic. The walls and ceiling of the cave were far out of view, if they even existed at all. Beyond the small flame of the candle lied only darkness.

I reached for the candle and places my fingertip in the flame. The end of my finger burned away before my eyes, leaving only dust. The flame spread through my hand and up my arm, destroying my body. The fire consumed me.

The small candle with the violet flame illuminated my ashes. Then a breeze came from the deeper halls of the cavern and blew away the ashes. The flame disappeared, leaving only darkness.

I woke up in a cold sweat. Sterling sat on the bunk next to mine, sharpening an arrow. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” I said.

I’d experienced the dream about the candle countless times before. Still, even after years of the same nightmare, the fear remained. The only difference between that morning and the ones when I was a kid was the fact that I learned to swallow the screams.

That time I had the candle nightmare happened to be the same morning we left for Stonecage. Squad V, along with the other Squads chosen for the mission, spent a week traveling down abandoned roads to the town at the edge of the mountains. We ran into monsters along the way, but they fell easily to our combined might.

Eventually, we reached Stonecage. Stonecage was surrounded on three sides by tall cliffs, with thin ledges looking out over a wooden hamlet. The entrance to the mine was carved into the northern cliffside. A wooden fence, still standing after a decade of abandonment, covered the southern side of Stonecage.

The cobblestone houses of Stonecage were covered in vines. Some of them had collapsed completely after spending so long without maintenance. I felt uneasy as we approached Stonecage; the place was far too quiet for my liking and stunk of death.

Firebrand stopped the marching battalion as we reached the wooden fence of Stonecage. “The town may seem deserted, but don’t let that fool you,” he said. “This place is almost certainly filled with monsters, especially in the houses and mine. We should be able to get through this without casualties, but we’ll need to be smart. Captain Cross of Squad V has prepared a stratum to retake Stonecage.”

Captain Cross cleared his throat. “Thank you, Richard,” he said. “Right now, the sun has just begun to rise in the south. If we enter through the southern gate, any monsters that rely on eyesight to attack will be blinded, giving us an upper hand. I suggest sending a group of armored troops to attack from the south, holding close ranks and focussing on defense. Meanwhile, we’ll position mages and archers along the cliffs. We’ll force our way to the mine and block it off while we take out any stragglers. After the village is clear, we’ll begin drawing monsters out of the mine.”

“Sounds like a plan, Calvin,” Firebrand said. “Alright men, you have your orders. Let’s reclaim this village.”

Cross walked back over to me and the guys. “What do you need us to do, sir?” I asked. “Pollux and I could help with the attacking group while Sterling and Cas provide cover from the cliffs.”

“No, I have a much more important job for you four: protecting me,” Cross said. “I intend to use my Verse to protect the knights attacking from the south. Unfortunately, there are two difficulties with this plan. First of all, I can’t move while using my shield powers, leaving me susceptible to ambushes. Secondly, I can only protect people I can see, meaning I’ll need a good view of the entire village if I want to do my job. Your job is to get me high into the cliffs and protect me while I protect the Knights.”

“Will do, boss!” Cas said.

Sterling placed his hands on the base of the cliffside and formed a large staircase leading up to the ledges. We climbed high enough that Cross could get a good view of the entire village. The Captain got down on his knees and pressed his hands together. Down by the wooden fence, green scales spread over dozens of Knights.

“Sterling, help give the Knights some cover. Gemelos, keep an eye out for any enemies that could disturb us,” Cross ordered. “Ernest, take the telescope from my back pocket and call out anything unusual in the village.”

I did as Captain Cross said. Through the telescope I watched as the Knights moved through the village, slaying the wolves and zombies hiding in the village. Captain Cross’s verse kept them safe. Before long, the village was almost clear.

Unbeknownst to us, Stonecage wasn’t actually completely free of people. No, one man was hiding among the ruins when we arrived. An old man who’d been sleeping in one of the abandoned houses. An old man in tattered clothes, a man with the power to ruin the mission.

After being awakened by the sound of the Knights, the groggy man stumbled out of his abode. Two of the Knights approached the old man and pointed their spears at him. “This area is supposed to be abandoned, what are you doing here?” one of the Knights asked.

“Oh, just getting by,” the old man said. “What are you guys up to?”

“We’re Knights of Cieleta, and we’ve come to reclaim this city,” one of the Knights said.

“That’s interesting. How many of you are here, out of curiosity?” the old man said.

“A few hundred,” Knight said.

The old man smiled. “I can take that,” he said.

What happened next occurred in only a few moments. The old man clenched his fists and violet lightning covered his arm. He opened his palm and the lightning shot into the ground, creating a large cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, the old man stood unharmed, the bodies of two Knights at his feet.

“There’s trouble in the center of the village,” I yelled. “I think two Knights are dead!”

“Give me details. Is it some kind of monster?” Cross asked.

“No, it’s a dark mage!”

Some Knights charged at the old man and jabbed at him with their spears. The old man grabbed one of the dead bodies. It turned to dust in his fingers as he consumed the energy stored inside. The old man fired a powerful blast of dark magic, knocking all of the Knights away. The old man fired more lightning into the ground, creating more dust. When it cleared, all of the Knights that attacked the old man were dead.

“He’s striking the ground to create dust clouds,” I shouted. “He must know about your Verse, sir.”

“Impossible,” Cross said.

A storm of arrows rained down on the old man. Before they could hit him, the old man grabbed another body and raised his left fist into the air. Dozens of bolts of lightning arced around him, vaporizing any arrows that came close. The old man ripped his fist down and the lightning bolts shot off, striking ledges of the cliffs.

One of the bolts struck our ledge. Captain Cross almost fell, only to be saved when the twins grabbed his legs. I, on the other hand, tumbled down the rocky cliffside. Before perishing I managed to draw my sword and stab it into the cliff, slowing my fall enough for me to survive.

I picked Cross’s telescope off the ground and looked at the old man in the distance. He was standing there, surrounded by bodies, smiling. At that moment, I finally got a good look at the old man’s face. I realized that it was a face I’d seen many times before.

After the Purge, the Knights distributed pictures of Black and Darkholme among the people in an attempt to prevent the duo from hiding within the city. I stayed up, night after night, studying those pictures. The faces of Nathaniel Black and Jericho Darkholme were burned into my memory.

The most striking thing about those pictures were Darkholme’s eyes. In every picture I ever saw of Darkholme, he was smiling. But his eyes, his eyes weren’t happy. They were glossy and dead, reminding me more of a doll than a man. Something about those eyes made every smile Darkholme made feel fake.

I saw those same eyes on the old man at Stonecage.

[childrenofhypnos]

Chapter 27: The House on Fenhallow Hill

There was no Grandpa Al waiting for them when they returned to the surface, and Lana let Emery go without any fuss, too busy muttering over the empty eyedropper and Klaus’s waking water.

Emery ran back to Kirkland, where lights burned in the tall gothic windows, and Wes, Ridley, and the class eighteen student council sat around the TV in the lobby. Kris and Lewis were doing homework; Jacqueline was flipping through something on her phone; Wes and Ridley were watching the news, Wes as still and silent as a statue and Ridley bouncing up and down on the couch cushion beside him; and Joel was busy tying orange and purple Fenhalloween decoration streamers together until he looked up and saw her there, and then he tossed them away with a big smile.

Emery sat herself on Ridley’s other side and explained quickly and quietly what had just happened.

“So Uncle Ares hasn’t gotten him to say anything yet,” Wes said.

Ridley looked worried. “Is he not trying? Or…does he not really want the information? Uncle Ares is supposed to be really good at finding things out.”

“I don’t know how Klaus resisted him, but we can’t assume he’s going to be able to do it for much longer,” Emery said. “We need to find my doppelgänger before this gets out of hand. Joel, what do you have?”

“The perfect place.” He pulled out a sheet of orange paper. One of the many fliers for Fenhalloween that had been tacked up on the Crossing’s main bulletin board. On it was a creepy low-angle shot of Fenhallow Manor, and the date and time—Halloween, 9 PM—that Fenhalloween would begin. In all caps at the bottom, it said, COSTUMES MANDATORY.

Emery frowned. “Fenhallow Manor?”

Joel leaned forward. “Yes! Think about it: the class sixteen council just finished cleaning and decorating it for Fenhalloween, so we know it’s in good shape. It’s off-limits because it’s just been decorated, so no one will go there at night unless student council members are there to fix decorations or anything. And you’re technically not leaving campus, but it’s far enough away that no one is likely to hear us or walk in on us.”

He paused, then said, “And, you know, it’s haunted and stuff. Which is cool.”

“I guess this works,” Emery said. “As long as the Wilmark Fox doesn’t try to attack us inside the house.”

“Ver did some experiments with the Fox. It only attacks you if you look at it,” Jacqueline said.

“Why would Ver do experiments with it?”

“Why wouldn’t she? You have to observe your enemies in order to learn how to defeat them. Just because the rest of you don’t think before you leap…”

Emery let out the longest, most exaggerated sigh she could manage. Jacqueline glanced up, glaring. A moment passed. Her lip curled up at the corner.

“Well,” Emery said, “are we going tonight or what? We know Ares isn’t around; we might as well go now, even if it’s just to check the place out.”

Joel was already out of his seat and bounding toward the door; Jacqueline, Kris, and Ridley went next, leaving just Lewis and Wes to glance uncertainly at each other, then at Emery.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Wes asked. “Open a gateway? Go into the Dream again? It wasn’t great for us last time, and what if opening a gateway from the inside is different than opening it from the outside? We could get stuck in there.”

“You don’t have to go in,” Emery said.

A vein stood out in Wes’s forehead. “We’re not having this argument again.”

Lewis, slinging his backpack over his shoulders, slipped between them muttering, “It just seems like a bad idea to me.” Emery followed him out, Wes close on her heels.

~

The nighttime bustle of the Sleeping City had settled over campus. The horns and squeals of cars on the streets, the ethereal rush from distant highways. Sounds echoed off the skyscrapers. Van der Gelt tower loomed above all the rest, the lights that veined along its black architechture lit up in purple and azure as a nod to the dreamhunters who protected the city.

Fenhallow Woods stood against the soft din of mankind, its face unblinking, its silence complete. The last of the crickets had gone for the season; the only thing that disturbed the woods now was the wind. The dirt trail that wound its way through the sports fields curved up into the woods, disappearing between the trees.

Emery had seen pictures of the time when the campus was founded, when it was Fabian Fenhallow’s manor house sitting high on a hill, surrounded by a smattering of trees and looking down on the small population that would become the Sleeping City. The same picture taken now would show only Fenhallow’s campus and the thick crush of the woods. The manor had been swallowed.

Emery marched in the front of the group, guns drawn; Wes and Ridley brought up the rear. Joel, the only one who had known where they were going, had brought a flashlight.

“No one look directly ahead of us,” Emery said. “The Fox could show up in the middle of the path, and I’m not in the mood to fight it off. Keep your eyes down.”

But the Fox didn’t make an appearance. At least, not that Emery saw. She never looked to the sides, and she never looked back. She felt a faint buzz of the Dream around them, but they were in the woods, where the veil between the Dream and the waking world grew thin. Ares Montgomery could’ve come charging up behind them, and she wouldn’t have felt his approach. For moments at a time, Emery felt they were back in Klaus’s nightmare, following the trail to the ruined castle, and that Marcia might slide out in front of them in full armor and a battle axe.

At the top of the hill, the path flattened out into a wide stone-paved circle, and the trees broke apart, their branches scraping a star-dotted sky. Another statue rose from the bushes and tangles of dead vines in the center of the circular drive, a man on rearing horseback with a sword raised to the sky. Overgrown underbrush covered what had once been a sprawling lawn, and in the middle of the mess stood Fenhallow Manor.

The Fenhallow grounds crew had kept most of the plant life off of the long porch and tall walls of the manor, and every few years the school paid to have another part of its crumbling structure repaired and fortified. The porch columns straightened; the shattered windows replaced; the roof reshingled and the ornamental brass poppy plucked from the wild shrubs in the lawn and reset atop the peak of the east tower, where it curled against the moon. Yet for all that work it still felt like an abandoned place, gaunt and silent and watching them approach. Fenhalloween was held inside every year, but the exterior was never decorated. It didn’t need to be.

Joel raised his flashlight to the statue of the horse and its rider.

“Great-great-great-grandpa is lookin’ good, Em,” he said.

“Add a couple more greats. Everyone in my family was like twenty when they had kids.” Emery looked up into the statue’s face as they passed by. Eamon Ashworth had died fighting Fabian Fenhallow’s nightmares. Some stories about them said they were best friends; others said mortal enemies. Emery wasn’t entirely convinced Fabian would have made a statue to Eamon he could see from his bedroom window if they were enemies, but Fenhallows were weird like that. Jacqueline flipped the statue the casual bird as she strode past.

Joel’s light rippled over the manor’s siding and flashed off the windows. According to campus legend, the manor was haunted—not by ghosts, but by nightmares. Nightmares of the students about what might live there, trapped inside the manor’s walls by the gravity of the Dream.

The only nightmare Emery knew of that lurked around this area was the Wilmark Fox. No one had ever proven that anything lived in Fenhallow Manor, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if someday, something did.

The stained glass in the double front doors depicted the closed eye of Hypnos on a background of blood-red poppies. They weren’t locked—the doors to Fenhallow Manor were never locked, for fear that someone would try to smash the stained glass to get in—and they led into a wide foyer dominated by two sets of stairs twisted into a double helix. Both were made of wood and expertly crafted. Inlaid into one balustrade were designs of gold; into the other, whorls of silver. The floor was a checkerboard and archways led into different wings of the house.

Here, the decorations were subtle enough that Emery couldn’t tell if the cobwebs along the ceiling were real or fake. Extra furniture had been brought in to make the house seem truly abandoned, though every piece lacked the layer of dust that covered the floors and windowsills. On the far side of the foyer was the door to the ballroom, and above its closed doors hung a long purple-and-white banner that said Happy Fenhalloween.

Jacqueline slapped Lewis’s hand away from a lamp switch on a nearby table. “No lights in the entryway,” she said. “If anyone sees a light on through the front of the house, they’ll come to investigate.”

“Right,” Joel said, “Which is why we’re going to the ballroom.”

He led the way past the double staircase, through the unlocked ballroom doors, made of oak and carved with Hypnos’s eye. Renovations had begun, stopped, and begun again at least three times on the ballroom alone; the intricacy of the flooring, the long windows lined along the north wall, and the chandelier that hung from the ceiling had all caused problems for the contractors the administration brought in to restore it. Despite their apparent hatred of dreamseekers, the State had declared Fenhallow Manor a landmark to be restored to historical accuracy. And that meant the entire floor of the ballroom had to be torn out and replaced, piece by painstaking wooden piece, into a closed Hypnos eye so large it looked like an inverted sunrise, surrounded by wreaths of dark poppies. The windows glinted in the night, framed by heavy red curtains that draped from the ceiling. Joel turned his flashlight up so the beam would shatter through the crystals of the grand chandelier above their heads. More furniture and refreshment tables had been brought in and set up along the east wall, along with two sets of speakers and cleared area with an amplifier.

Joel paused on the amplifier. “Are we actually getting a live band this year?”

“Yes, and you’d know that if you paid attention in any meetings,” Jacqueline said. She grabbed Joel’s backpack and yanked him backward, unzipping the largest pocket to rummage through his things. “What else did you bring for light? We can’t turn on the whole ballroom.”

Joel had brought a small camping lantern that usually sat on top of the television in his room.They set it up in the middle of the floor and gathered around it. Jacqueline reached back into Joel’s bag and pulled out a library book and her purple notebook. She flipped through the pages until she found the one she wanted, and shoved it close to the light.

“Here’s everything I have so far about opening gateways. It’s not much, but I compared with Wes’s notes from your dream theory class, and it’s more than Lenton has been teaching you.”

“Are we sure this is safe?” Kris said, looking at Emery. “Are you sure this is what you want to do? What if you get inside and something goes wrong again? We can’t come after you,” she motions between herself, Lewis, and Joel, “and even if we could, we wouldn’t know something was wrong.”

“I don’t see many other options at this point,” Emery said. “If we even manage to open a gateway, we can do one quick in and out just to make sure we know how it works, so we don’t get stuck. Then it’s just a recon mission. We’re trying to find out if this thing even exists, and if it does, then I have to decide if I’m going to try to kill it there, or try to get a little stronger and do it later.”

She wanted to kill it as soon as she saw it. Shoot it clean through the head, though she had an inkling it wouldn’t be as simple as that. But when she thought of it, of her dead doppelgänger and her Insanity Prime cleared, it wasn’t herself she saw relieved. It was Edgar.

Edgar wouldn’t have to worry. He already had anxiety problems, not to mention anything else that might be going on in his head; the sooner she got all this taken care of, the sooner she could make sure Edgar’s world was as stable and safe as possible. Nothing to disrupt him; nothing to send him toward a fiery trainwreck of an Insanity Prime.

“Let’s go back,” Emery said. “We have work to do.”

~

“So, I think it’s different for dreamseekers, right?” Jacqueline stood in the middle of the ballroom floor, not far from the light, hands held up in front of her. “We don’t have weapons, so we open gateways with our hands.”

“Klaus opened his gateway with his hands,” Emery said.

“I think his hands are his weapons,” Wes said, making claws with his fingers.

“Right, so,” Jacqueline went on, “I only found resources for dreamhunters, obviously, because they hate me here. For you all, it says you have to sense the veil of the Dream laying over the waking world. Like a layer of smog. You have to block out other sensations and distractions so that you feel only that.” She pushed her flattened hand into the air before her. “Then you pierce the veil. All the imagining and visualizing before this is so that you can actually mentally bring the Dream and the waking world closer in that one spot, I guess sort of like making a dreamform. But instead of pulling a piece of the Dream into the waking world, you just reel it in close and pierce through it so that you can tear a hole open between the two. Make sense?”

Emery felt the beginnings of a headache taking shape in her left temple. “If this is like making a dreamform, I’m already screwed.”

“And you’re going to keep being screwed if you don’t get up and try,” Jacqueline snapped. She had both hands pressed together in front of her stomach now, and she focused on the empty space before her.

Emery and Wes, weapons out, took up positions on either side of her to attempt the same while Joel, Lewis, and Kris looked through the book Jacqueline had brought for helpful tips. After a few minutes of flitting around the room and inspecting all the decorations, Ridley joined them in trying to open a gateway, though where they were still focusing on concentrating the Dream in one spot, Ridley kept thrusting her double icepick hammers out in the air before her and saying, “Maybe this time.”

Emery could feel the Dream around them like a heavy layer of atmosphere, but when she tried to draw it toward herself, the way she would to make a dreamform, the headache grew worse, first a squeezing discomfort and then, as she tried harder, a sharp needling pain. She felt Joel’s eyes on her but didn’t turn to look; looking at him would make her want to stop trying. It would make her feel like she was good enough just as she was, and right now that wasn’t true.

“Oh!”

Jacqueline froze. She’d thrust her hands out into the air and stopped, and though they were still pressed tightly together, her fingers now seemed to wave in the air, as if distorted. She pushed them a little farther forward, and the distortion crept up to her wrists.

“Open it!” said Joel.

With a deep breath and a snap of her arms, Jacqueline turned her hands away from each other and tore the air apart. It was like she’d drawn the curtains open on one of the ballroom’s windows. Reality split and pulled back with her hands, and when her arms were fully apart, it hung open on its own. Darkness and the clawing pressure of the Dream emanated from the opening, and on either side stood statues of rearing horses with wreaths of poppies hanging from their necks.

Jacqueline stepped back. Joel, Kris, and Lewis hesitantly got to their feet. The inside of the gateway wasn’t completely dark; at its heart undulated a strange purple light, like lightning inside a storm cloud.

“Damn, Jackie,” Emery said, “and they didn’t even teach you that.”

“No, they didn’t.” Vicious pride took over Jacqueline’s face. “Now, to close it…it’s sort of like…” She reached her arms out again and touched both statues with the tips of her fingers. Then, concentrating, she brought her hands back together. With a clap, the statues vanished and the dark portal of the gateway rushed into a center point between Jacqueline’s hands, disappearing.

Ridley began applauding. Kris and Joel joined in a moment later.

“How do you close it once you go through, though?” Emery said. “When we went through Klaus’s, we fell through the darkness for a while before we ended up in the Dream.”

“The book says the gateways close themselves once the person who makes them goes through to the other side.” Lewis was bent over the textbook again, squinting close at the lettering under the camping light.

“We should keep practicing,” Wes said. “I think I was close, and even if we can open it on this side, we don’t know if the process feels the same on the Dream side.”

Emery rubbed her forehead. The headache faded to a dull throb. She hadn’t been at all close; the Dream resisted being pulled closer to her, though she had sensed it coalescing in front of Jacqueline and Wes. The entire school would howl with laughter if they saw her right now. She couldn’t shoot things, she couldn’t dreamform, she couldn’t open gateways. Queen Emery, outshined by a non-dreamhunter and the lowest-ranked member of Class Eighteen.

As soon as Emery had the thought, she bit down on it. Their abilities weren’t mutually exclusive; just because Wes and Jacqueline were good at things and worked hard didn’t mean she wasn’t, or didn’t. And the two of them didn’t deserve to have their skills taken away just because she didn’t possess them, too. She was supposed to be good at things, and the fact it wasn’t true wasn’t their faults.

“Wes is right,” she said. “Keep try—”

A scream ripped through the night. They all jumped at the same time, turning toward the manor’s foyer.

“Some asshole—” Joel started.

“—what if it’s not?” Kris said. “No one’s supposed to come into the woods this late at night now, because the Fox wakes up the day division students!”

They all stopped and listened. One scream died into silence, only to be replaced with another scream, closer. Something crashed to the ground outside the ballroom doors.

Guns out, hair raised, Emery hissed, “Stay here!” to the others and crept into the foyer. Only Wes didn’t listen; hammer out, he stuck close on her heels. Their armor formed over their clothes, and Emery thanksed Hypnos that the armor, at least, she had spent so much time learning to form that it came without a headache.

They peeked through the ballroom doors. On the far side of the foyer’s twisted staircases, a shadowed figure huddled near the entrance, hissing under their breath.

At least as tall as Emery.

Definitely female.

And reeking of the Dream.

(Next time on The Children of Hypnos —> Is That The Top Of The Rollercoaster I See?)

[writeanapocalae]

The World of Gray | The Sleeping World | The World of Gray | The World of Gray

A quick look around the cavern didn’t reveal anything either, just those smooth stones. No one had come through before him and decided to leave their key behind.

There was still more to the cave though, and it twisted and turned away from him. He couldn’t see any more of those stones, and the echoing rumble of the waterfall covered any other noises that could be coming from that way. There was a chance that there would be something down there, some sharp stone or forgotten blade.

He was imagining this, it was his hallucination, he felt like he should have been able to control it, at least somewhat. He left the light, wandering further into the darkness, trying to imagine some tool that would help him; a flashlight at his waist, a treasure chest with an abandoned cutlass, anything. He kept close to the wall and none of his attempts at lucidity aided him.

There was sound though, a quiet whimpering, hidden beneath the layers of water. Without sight, Casteval made his way towards it, unsure if he even had a choice. As of yet, he had felt no turn off, no paths that would take him away from it. While fear climbed up his legs, trying to root them in place, there was a pain to the sobs in the distance that drew him closer. He had all manner of reason to not continue, but the idea of leaving someone in pain, was all sorts of wrong to him.  

And there was light up ahead as well, a spotlight of it, coming from a hole in the cave ceiling. Like the light that Casteval had come from before, it was a pale gray and that thick fog had fallen in with it. It wasn’t enough though to obscure the figure underneath it, lying on their back, on a flat slab of black stone. They were shuddering and crying, skeletal in appearance, slightly writhing but mostly still.

It was a trap. Casteval was not a fool. Not that much of one. It was just so well displayed, the light, the sounds, all of it. Casteval continued his approach but stopped at the edge of the light, trying to find the effect of the traps trigger, seeing what the figure actually was.

They were not skeletal, but a skeleton, bones black and twisted, as if they’d been made from burning vines. Their hands scrambled at the stone, in heavy rivulets of scratch marks, tracing the pattern that their bones had carved. While the skeleton was humanoid, their face was not, looking like a white mask had been fused to the skull. The mask was unmoving, but there were black eyes behind it, and they searched the room constantly, before falling onto Casteval.

“No!” they screeched, pulling at their invisible bonds, trying to get more to the side, away from Casteval. There were more than just bindings, a long black blade shoved between their ribs kept them from moving too far away. “Not you! Not the Casteval! Have we not suffered enough? Have we not been good? No more, no more punishment! The Casteval has no need to do more!”

Casteval raised his hands, not stepping forward, trying not to frighten the creature further. He remembered something about this, from the stories, but it had been so long since he’d read them. Either way, Casteval, if he’d ever really existed, hadn’t been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. This thing must have been here for a long time, all alone. He didn’t think anything deserved that.

“Hey! I’m not Casteval! I’m going to take a step forward, take a good look.” He remembered what the dragon had said, that he didn’t look like the hero, nor smell like him, and hoped that it was true.

Stepping into the light, the skeleton relaxed noticeably, but did not stop in its whining. “Not Casteval, not quite. But what else? The dead come to visit us?”

“No, something else,” Casteval took another step forward, hands still raised. There was still the chance that this was a trap, but if it was, it would have gone off by now. “What’s your name?”

“We are Femerall, the Shadow in Us All,” they said, pride in their voice, breaking through the sniveling.

That hit Casteval, the name, the legend. The Shadow in Us All was an infection, in every version of the story, that bled out of criminals, becoming a force of its own to slither through dark streets and take whoever it passed. Casteval, the hero, was unable to slay it, as it was a part of himself. The best he could do was lock it away.

“I thought this was the world between the living and the dead,” Casteval recalled, “what are you doing here?”

“Suffering!” Femerall screeched, “Is this what being alive looks like to you? No! We are trapped, punished for so long, longer than we even know. Is this what being dead is? Being dead is nice! Easy!”

Now that Casteval knew their name, he wasn’t so sure that he wanted to help them. Before, he had been willing, drawn to aid someone who was hurting but now, he had no protection, he knew. If he were to let them go, he would be infected by their terrible presence. If this was the space like the dragon had explained, a waiting place for the stories to restart, to be told again, he didn’t want to start it on the wrong side. He was already doing pretty poorly by not being the hero, by not being heroic, by being pathetic and frightened and Casteval himself.

“Do you want to die?” he asked, lowering his hands. He didn’t know what he would do if Femerall said yes, he didn’t want to kill them, or anyone for that matter.

“Better than being here. Better than being this!” they proclaimed. “But no, not death. Just away. Away. Away. Please, away.”

Casteval eyed the blade in their chest. He had no way of knowing if there were other weapons in the cave but he doubted it. He doubted that it went much further than this. He didn’t know what would happen if he cut himself on it here, let his blood touch Femerall. It would be best if he took it, both for the door and for his own protection.

“If I were to release you, what would you do? Where would you go?” That question almost as frightening as the last.

“Away!” they wretched, “Away from here, to the lands of the dead and dying and cursed! To those who must rise against the defeater, the destroyer, the slayer! To the lands of the alive and the living and the free! To those who wish their lands still fertile and the stars still shown with more than reflection! To the hearts of the greedy and the unjust, to let them dance in the nights of their own self destruction!”

“It doesn’t sound like you’d be up to much good,” Casteval interrupted.

Femerall went silent, staring at him with those shining black eyes. “Only do what those already want in their hearts. Just a step, an inkling. Does it matter to you?”

Casteval sighed. It didn’t really, especially sine none of this was real. He took another step forward, putting his hand on the pommel of the blade.

“Release us with that?” they asked, glancing at the weapon, “But it is the light that binds!”

Casteval looked up. The hole wasn’t too big, but it was far away. He wouldn’t be able to bloke it off, didn’t have anything to block it off with. He put his hand to his mouth, the side of his index finger to his lips, and thought. He couldn’t even climb the waterfall, to get to the top and if he did he’d still need something to put in the hole. He doubted that night even existed in this place, it always seemed like it was the same time of day.

“Give me a moment,” he requested, thinking of something large and air born, “I have an idea.”

Femerall had no argument aside from further whimpering, and they turned their head away from Casteval and the light above.

He made his way back towards the mouth of the cave, a bit more confidant now that he was retracing his steps. The stones were still faintly glowing and he ran a hand over them to get their light to fill the space, giving him enough room to think about his actions before reaching the waterfall.

This was a villain in so many of the stories. Casteval owed them nothing, either, had no reason to free them. Doing so would probably only cause evil to spread in his mind, since this all took place there. It had to. He wondered what a psychiatrist would think of this, or a psychic. Both would find his compassion endearing, but ultimately selfish, he was certain.

Not wanted to brave stepping through the torrents of water again, only now feeling the edges of his clothes dry and the shaking cease, he called out through it, hoping that his voice would not only carry through the waterfall but over the landscape, to the dragon.

After a while, when he was sure that the dragon had not heard him at all and he would be forced to dowse himself once more, he saw the shadow of its frame, through the water. Every time he saw it, he swore it was larger than the last.

It pushed its head through the water, not caring as it dribbled in heavy drops from its horns and ridges.

“You have called me, little fake Casteval, and I have come, only out of curiosity.” Its voice ricocheted through the cave.

“I have a favor to ask,” Casteval explained, “an odd one, but easy, I think, for you.”

It lowered its head down to Casteval’s level. “A favor? How interesting that one such as you would ask such a thing of me, without first giving me the satisfaction of knowledge. What are you willing to give for this favor?”

Casteval had nothing to give and the dragon was an ancient beast, it had no want of human materials anyway. He thought a moment, but knew already what the dragon wanted most of all. “When I awaken Casteval, or become him like you seem to think I will, you’ll be the first one slain.”

The dragon smiled at that and Casteval wasn’t sure if it was joy or a threat if Casteval didn’t go through with it. “And the favor?”

“There is a hole in the roof of the cave, that way.” Casteval pointed, “I was hoping you could fly over it, get the cave completely dark.”

The dragon tilted its head, almost at a ninety degree angle and blinked at him.

“Like I said, easy but odd.”

“Yes, I will do this thing, and you shall slay me once you are ready,” it said, pulling its head back through the water, “and then all will be as it should be once more.”

Casteval didn’t see it take off, even though he was looking directly at it. It was standing and then it was air born, without much change between. It wouldn’t be long now until there would be consequences for Casteval’s charity. He knew it would be swift and possibly directed at him. He was, at least, glad that he hadn’t told Femerall his name.

He was making his way back, feet starting to hurt in his uncomfortable oxfords, when he felt it. He still couldn’t see anything, so when Femerall touched him, he gasped, body going still. The hand upon his arm wasn’t entering him though, was politely staying on his skin, cool and calm.

“Thought you’d want this,” Femerall explained, sliding the pommel of the short sword into Casteval’s left hand, “We saw you eyeing it.”

Their free hand was now on his shoulder and he shuddered against it, feeling their cold through his shirt, the damp parts feeling like they would freeze. Femerall was moving though, leading him through the darkness, offering aid to keep Casteval from stepping where he shouldn’t to help him avoid tripping.

“These are the doors, which should we take?” Femerall asked. “We like the black one but the white promises such already adulterated revelry.”

“I’m going red,” Casteval explained.

“Yes, of course you are. We think black.”

They released him there and he couldn’t see them move, although he could have, if he only touched one of those stones, but he didn’t dare. Not after what they’d gone through from the light. They groaned, the sound almost too sexual, as they eased past the black door, although Casteval did not hear it open or close.

Alone, he tapped one of the stones with the flat side of the short sword and saw his exit.

@anhathaway