#the only au i want to see is ROTS going exactly the same but with the difference anakin doesn't get the suit and instead dies on Mustafar

[yanderestarangel]

did u delete a fic? i swear i saw a tio!miguel fic earlier today

a/n: hi angel! thank you for asking, in fact there was an age restriction and I decided to delete it, I'll take advantage of your comment and repost it. ✧⁠*ᜊ( ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ᜊ.

"TIO" MIGUEL O'HARA X FTM READER

𝐓𝐖: dark plot, toxic relationship, power play, non con, dub con, manipulation, age gap, step!incest (non-blood uncle), invasion of privacy, stalking, threat, dead dove, dark smut, latino ftm reader, femboy reader, jealousy, aggressive sex, recorded sex, dom!miguel, v!sex, blowjob, spanish nicknames, send nudes, degradation, objectification, AU, male x male, porn plot, long fic, brain rot, creampie, blackmail.

Family parties were normal for your family, getting together some close relatives and celebrating on any weekend, always with plenty of music and laughter filling your ears, was annoying at times, but you couldn't say 'no' to a tradition.

You felt the cold of the night breeze enter your skin, each hair left its place accompanied by a strange chill ── you were being watched, and you knew very well who it was... Tio Miguel.

Miguel O'Hara was a friend of your father, a mysterious and serious man, even though your family welcomed him as if he shared the same blood, he still had the same look of rigidity and seriousness ── no one knew much about his past, if he had some relationship or family before moving to your city years ago, but it was only said that he worked as a caretaker on some local farms ── which made him earn too much money for a simple caretaker, but that matter was not touched by no one in your family.

You obeyed the strict rule of calling him "Uncle" or "Tio", since when he arrived, when his eyes met yours, it was as if something awakened in his core ── a flame lost for years, now burning in his soul, and you it was the kerosene that made this fire worse.

Your attention returned to reality, seeing the tanned man go to the place where you were, sitting next to you; muscular legs crammed into the black jeans he always wore, with a weather-beaten dress shirt that had previously been white, now appeared to be a light vanilla shade, hugging the girth of his robust muscles. He had a cold, fresh can of beer in his right hand, while his left went towards his hair, arranging some loose strands that insisted on falling on his forehead, his lips formed a thin line, the corners turned down in disapproval ── The sight of you hiding from the celebration hurt him, a pang of possessiveness invaded his chest, soon remembering the things he had seen, however, before touching on the topic of rupture the words came out softly from his throat.

"What is wrong, carinõ?"

He asked softly, hand reaching out to take yours gently. His grip was firm but not unnecessarily tight, calloused skin warm against your own.

"You should be out there, dancing and laughing with your family... You seem thoughtful mi principito"

You sighed in response, quickly explaining that you weren't in a party mood, your hands went back to the cell phone that was previously in your pocket, making the Mexican's eyes narrow in response to such an act. O'Hara took a deep breath, feeling the air fill his lungs, then crushing the drink can in his hand and turning to you, he knew exactly what he wanted to know and he wanted the truth.

"Who was that boy, mi vida?”

He questioned, pulling you closer to his frame as the music swelled around you. His fingers traced idle patterns on your back, you felt the burn of heat on his body, the smell of expensive men's perfume and cheap alcoholic drink.

"You were speaking so intimately with him..."

His voice was a low purr, tinged with warning.

"This is our moment, just us... I dropped that phone." That was a threat, making you make a quick excuse ── after all, you knew exactly what he was talking about, you were going out with "Hobbie Brown", a friend from your college, but you didn't expect your uncle to have seen the two of you together (but it wasn't very difficult, you and the boy always clung to each other even if you didn't have anything officially. )

You moved away from Miguel's heat, before the sensation was still tolerable, but now it seemed like a violent flame and about to explode like a time bomb. Your mouth opened, speaking sweet lies, trying to mask the fact that you were going out with Hobbie ── you knew that the best way was to lie, even if it didn't do anything, you had already seen how your non-sanguine uncle acted like a crazy man when you were around people other than him. Miguel's eyebrows arched in disbelief, dark brows furrowing deeply. "Tell me, corazón, is there something you wish to confess to me?"

He asked, tilting his head curiously. His gauze lingered on your lips, as if he could taste the lie on them. "I see what happens around me, my heart."

He murmured, his voice low and dangerous.

"And I do not like it... Do not lie to me, mi angel, because the next lie I hear from your sweet lips, you'll regret it." The sound of his voice was a low rumble, like thunder on the horizon. He pulled you close again, his lips brushing your ear softly.

"You play with fire... Mi pequeño."

His voice was a whisper now, his breath warm against your skin.

"And one day, that fire will burn you."

He released you then, stepping back with a harsh exhale. His eyes were stormy, his features set in a hard line. Miguel stared at you for a moment, as if he could read your thoughts, as if he could feel your fear ── Finally, he sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"If I ever hear of another man touching you like that again... I will end him." He muttered, downing a large gulp of his drink before setting the bottle down on the table. You watched him leave, the loud footsteps on the raw cement floor were enough to tell you that he was angry. The rest of the party was strange, you felt tio Miguel's eyes on you, even though the atmosphere was pleasant for the other participants in your family, everything had gotten worse after the confrontation you had with the man ── you thought about telling about your uncle's strange behavior towards your father, but you knew it wouldn't help, they would just defend Miguel and say that you were exaggerating... But you felt like you weren't.

You went to your room, while you saw the tall man's shadow in the hallway, bumping into the walls because he was too drunk to think or stand on his feet ── you saw him leaning on your door frame, while you asked calmly if he needed some help. Miguel's eyes met his, his vision slightly blurred from the alcohol he had consumed. He licked his lips, his gaze roaming your body hungrily, but he didn't act, only a sob and a sad laugh left his lips, while he showed his white canines.

"You are mi ninõ. You always have been and always will be... There is no escaping your destiny."

He babbled, his words filled with drink, but he was serious, like he had never spoken before, you could see a mix of dark emotions that burned in his brown orbits, each word, no matter how slurred it was, carried a clear truth that could not be said aloud by several taboos.

His hands reached out, gripping your arms tightly. His fingers dug into your flesh, leaving small red marks.

"Don't forget this... You would never lie to your Uncle right? I will protect you... Incluso si es de ti mismo."

He leaned closer, his breathing heavy and laced with the smell of whiskey.

"But I will also punish you if you disobey me."

He let go of you then, frowning as he looked at the marks he had left on your arms.

"Go to bed now."

He mumbled, turning away from you and stumbling towards the door.

"Sleep well, my precious boy."

His voice was filled with alcohol, spite and a twisted desire ── the latter making his gaze linger on you for a moment longer, as he staggered out, ignoring everything and everyone around him, you tried to ignore the burning in your stomach, a mixture of fear and a bittersweet heat near your stomach, you were maybe just very tired... Right? You pushed away the thoughts that consumed your mind, trying to grab the fog of sleep that you tried to achieve, you hoped for a good day... But little did you know what fateful destiny had planned.

You woke up to your parents cleaning the house, it was a hot and irritating Sunday, you woke up sweaty and to the loud sounds of rooms being dragged from one place to another ── you really didn't want to be there, so your father told you to go to your uncle Miguel's house, even though you insisted on saying the opposite, that you could handle the chaos at home and help them, but your parent just repeated the phrase and sent you to keep O'Hara company at his house.

Everything would be better than facing him again.

You wore your most comfortable and cool dress for that sultry summer day ── your breasts bounced and you felt the coolness of the wind blowing beneath your legs, reaching your thighs and panties, an adorable boy, on the way to the wolf's house.

Walking under the sun until you saw Miguel's house in a rural area and away from the common neighborhood, you called his name, soon seeing the man come completely sweaty and shirtless, still wearing the same pants from yesterday, while drying his sweat of his brow, letting you into his comfort.

"Fine."

He grumbled, he turned around, taking you home without saying another word. The tension between the two of you was palpable, the air thick with unspoken words.

As you entered the house, you noticed a slight disorder. Miguel's usually immaculate house really needed some cleaning. He gestured for you to sit on the couch.

"Your father said you were coming..." He sighed with a hand on his hips as he looked at you steadily. "That's good, now we can continue our conversation from yesterday, okay? I want the truth my boy, give me your cell phone, unlocked... After all, you have nothing to hide from me right... You and Hobbie are just good friends... Right?" His voice carried that threatening and authoritarian tone again, you stuttered but when you saw your uncle's look you swallowed hard and accepted your fate, obviously you had spicy messages on your cell phone, but what could you do? Running unfortunately wasn't an option, neither was screaming, you were trapped in a spider's web, and in the possessive man's judgmental gaze.

"Now. Give it to me. Or else you know what I'm capable of."

He repeated as you handed him the electronic device ─ and it didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for... Miguel's eyes narrowed as he flipped through the messages on his phone. His grip tightened around the device, his knuckles turning white. A mixture of anger, jealousy and hurt crossed his face as he read the explicit messages and saw the intimate photos, you were really with that boy... You were doing everything behind his back.

"How dare you show your body to that piece of shit!"

His voice was laced with bitterness and disappointment. He threw the phone onto the table, the screen cracking on impact.

"Do you think you can send nudes to some random boy and get away with it?"

He took a step towards you, his expression darkening.

"Did he make you wet? Did he make you excited?" His words came out like venom, his hand shot out, grabbing your chin tightly, forcing you to look at him. Miguel's grip on his chin tightened, his fingers digging into his flesh. His angry eyes fixed on his, his expression filled with a mixture of possessiveness and pain.

"I expected everything... Except that, I'm tired, tired of just being seen as your fucking uncle... I can give you so much more than that boy ever could. I can make you scream, make you beg for more. But you need to understand that you are mine."

His voice was filled with a desperate need, a desire that was both warm and terrifying. He pressed his body against his, his erection evident through his jeans. You tried to protest again, in vain, you just felt O'Hara's thick lips on yours, it was strong, his tongue dominating his as he held you tightly. His hand guided your trembling hand to his hard, throbbing erection, pressing it against the fabric of his pants. He let out a low growl of pleasure, the sound vibrating against your lips.

"You always make me hard on boy... So fucking hard." He continued kissing you fiercely, your free hand moving to grip his waist, his fingers digging into your flesh. He pressed your body against his again, now the bulge of his pants rubbing against your thigh. The intensity of his touch and the raw desire in his eyes made your own body respond, despite the fear and confusion, it was so wrong, but it felt right at the same time.

"Do you think you can show yourself like that to anyone? Do you think there will be no consequences?"

He pushed you back, guiding you towards the couch again ─ his hands exploring your body with a hunger that bordered on desperation.

"Strip for me, baby boy. Show me that body you dared to share with someone else. Show me what only I should see."

His voice was commanding, his eyes burning of lust and anger. He watched as you hesitantly complied, removing your clothes piece by piece, revealing your naked form to him ── your dress was discarded somewhere in the room, your breasts bounced while your nipples became hard from contact with the air, your pussy was already wet, a simple kiss had done that to you.

He looks at you with admiration... All of that was for him, a banquet of the gods, he wasn't going to leave you in punishment, no matter how angelic you were, he was going to reduce you to a dumb and beautiful mess, totally broken for him.

"Look at you... So eager to please, so desperate for my touch. Did just one kiss from does your uncle get you this wet?"

A smile played at the corners of his lips as he took hold of his cell phone, opening the camera app with a sinister glint in his eyes.

"Well, since you were so willing to show yourself to that boy, I think it's only fair that I capture this moment. Don't you agree, my precious angelito?"

He positioned himself in front of you, his cock springing free from his pants. The sight of his naked arousal feels a mix of fear and excitement coursing through you. He pulled you down to your knees, his grip firm on the back of your head.

"Suck it," he commanded "Let the world see what a slut you've become."

You hesitated for a moment, the gravity of the situation sinking in. But the thought of defying him only fueled his anger further. With a mixture of trepidation and submission, you wrapped your lips around his throbbing length, your tongue swirling around his head. He groaned, his grip tightening in his hair as he began recording your submissive act.

"You look so fucking beautiful with my cock in your mouth. Such a good boy, taking it all in."

He continued to record, capturing each salacious moment as you eagerly pleasured him. The taste of his cock and the sound of his moans filled your senses, heightening your own pleasure. Your body responded, the tingling warmth between your legs growing more intense with each passing moment.

"No one else gets to taste you like this. You're my slutty boy, and I'm going to make sure everyone knows it."

He spoke as the fat and hot tip of his member hit your throat repeatedly, making you choke and connect your nose with his groin, the lack of air making you momentarily see stars as he let you breathe again.

As Miguel reached his climax, he grunted and released a hot jet of cum into your mouth. He groaned with satisfaction, feeling the pulsing sensation as he emptied himself into your mouth. The taste of his essence filled your senses, mixed with the bitter-sweet humiliation of the situation. Once he had finished, he withdrew his dick from your mouth, his grip firm on your face. He forced you to open your mouth wide, showing your dirty tongue, coated with his cum, to the camera. The sadistic glint in his eyes only intensified as he instructed you to swallow it all.

You obediently complied, gulping down his cum, heavy tears ran down your body, while his thumb pulled your cheek to show him even more of your oral cavity.

"Look at the camera....You look like a damn porn star... A filthy, little porn star."

You barely had time to react, then the man trapped you beneath him again ─ his thighs separated yours, while he looked at your cunt milking the air with so much excitement, making him laugh mockingly and dominantly ─ without prior warning, his thick cock entered your wet pussy, stretching you to your limits and causing a mixture of pain and pleasure to surge through your body. Your legs were draped over his shoulders, granting him unrestricted access to your most intimate parts.

As he thrust into you, Miguel focused the camera on your tear-streaked face, capturing every moment of your vulnerability and submission.

You were a mess of conflicting emotions, a beautiful sight to him as he reveled in his dominance over you, The desire makes you delirious, completely erasing your sense of right and wrong ── soon you find yourself thrusting your hips onto his cock, whimpering pathetically as you moan his name.

"Mmm, you're such a buen chico para mí.. such a good and beautiful pussy... You hid it from me for so long... But you showed it so easily to that bastard... You disappoint your uncle sometimes, boy."

His hand left the camera momentarily, his fingers finding your clit, caressing it in a way that made your moans intensify, he watched your reactions closely, moaning with lips parted, as he looked directly into your teary eyes.

"See, I knew you'd love this, aren't you? Oh, sí... Mierda- Eres tan apretado chico".

Then, with the peaks of moans and pounding of flesh on flesh, his grunts grew louder and more primal as he climaxed. With one final thrust, he released his hot sperm deep inside your pulsating pussy, filling you with his essence. When he pulled out, the camera captured the evidence of your intimate connection, showing the mixture of his cum and your own juices. Your pussy clenched and milked the air, aching for more even after he finished.

"You've taken all of my cum... Un buen chico para tu tio."

You couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction mixed with a tinge of shame as you watched your body respond to his touch.

He smiles at the video on his cell phone, while looking at you with a dangerous glare.

"Now you're going to be a good putito... After all, you don't want this to leak out to our family, do you?"

You had no choice, and maybe you didn't even want to... Miguel had broken you, as he always wanted, you were his now, only his.

© All rights reserved to @yanderestarangel on tumblr.

[girlrandomstuff]

Padme literally asked him to run away with him and be a father to their child after she saw him being a murderer twice, so no, she remains dead for goodness sake, Mace Windu in other hand, it would be great to see him do what Obi Wan wan couldn't, kill him on Mustafar, Obi Wan was pretty close but Mace wouldn't have left anything from Anakin

If any of Anakin's victims could go back in time after they died, who would you like to kill him?

Personally, I'm rooting for Mace Windu and Padme Amidala to do Darth Baby Killer in.

[wantingsobad]

escapism pt. 1 | c.bc x reader (a,f)

masterlist

pairing : bang chan x reader (y/n)

summary : a drunken night spent out with your friends leads to a half-conscious tumble into the arms of your close friend, chris. now what else is he supposed to do when you come to him in shambles except do his best to put you back together?

content : tears, drunk y/n, bff!chris, idol au, nothing wild yet

word count : 1.3k

"drunk calls, drunk texts, drunk tears, drunk sex

i was looking for a man who was on the same page"

The rough motion of the taxi cab cruising down the crumbling city streets was wild enough to make your stomach feel like flipping inside out.

The streetlights and convenience store signs passed by in a blur, adding to the incredible dizziness that made you want to just close your eyes and sleep it all away.

When fumbling for your phone, being utterly taken aback by the brightness of your screen, you give your friends who you'd been out with a quick incoherent text of where you are, mainly clarifying (or an attempt at least) that you had not been kidnapped.

y/n : guus donr worrry ab me im in s cab too see chruss. hve fun!

Well damn. You thought you could be more literate when drunk out of your mind. I guess not.

This night out had not been planned, but a sudden break-up with your boyfriend easily cleared you and your friends' schedules for a needed "girls' night" (aka getting wasted so you can forget).

You don't really know what prompted your boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend as of 7 hours ago, to break up with you, but you know damn well that you will not sit there and rot in your apartment.

You and your friends had then come to the conclusion that the best option for tonight's break-up-recovery plans was the clearest option.

Get drunk. Get laid. Think about it later.

Sadly, only part one of this master plan had been played out. You got so sick of the strobing lights and disgusting men at the clubs that you needed to get away from it all, but going back to the apartment you shared with your ex was also not an ideal place to stumble into, not knowing what side hoe he probably chose to bring over in your absence. So, you are now finally pulling up to the apartment of your closest guy friend, Chris, or Chan, as your friend group called him.

The exact rationale for choosing Chris's apartment as your safe place for the night is unknown to you. It might just be because his house was close to the bar, or that none of your other friends were home, or maybe the hope that he would care for you with hugs and cuddles.

Your relationship with Chris is interesting, to say the least. Many bystanders would be likely to think that you two are just mutual friends, but the inner members of your friend group see you two as inseparable when you are all together, acting as the mother and father of your children friends.

You two had some weird romantic tension when you were a few years younger, but after you got into your last relationship, it all seemed to instantly vanish, leaving you two as simply a platonic, dynamic duo. You don't exactly know why it hurt a little to feel that change in Chris' demeanour, but it did in the moment.

Maybe even a little pain still lingers now.

You grab the handful of items you had with you at the bar, including the pair of heels you were wearing that had now been ditched, leaving you barefoot and walking your way up the pavement to the inside of the apartments.

The walk to his front door is easy, only leaving you to stumble a few times when the carpet seemed to be bumped up in a few places, or maybe that was just your feet moving incorrectly. Who knows.

You leave a combination of knocks on his door, continuously knocking, letting it get heavier every time until the door swings open to show a confused Chan, who looks like he has been working on some music project as his headphones are still hung around his neck.

"Y/n? What are you doing here- are you okay?" Chan says at the immediate recognition of you not being a stranger at his door, ushering you inside as he looks over your figure for any signs as to why you are on his doorstep at a quarter till midnight.

"The lights were too bright at the clubs. Just wanna hang out," you manage to get out with no slurs in speech, but a little stumble you have when trying to get past him in hopes of laying on the sofa tells Chan that you are not sober right now.

He puts out his arm quickly to stop you from falling, circling it around your waist to help you safely get into the living room. You feel a burning surge through your body at his innocent touch, but it doesn't feel like the usual drunk heat.

"Just go lay down for a minute, yeah? I'll get you some water," he looks toward you as he talks, settling you into the couch surrounded by a big, comfy blanket. He then waits for you to give some sort of acknowledgement that you heard anything he said, earning a nod from you that makes him crack an endearing smile at how you looked so content, snuggling into the sofa.

You then sit with Chris on the couch after he quickly gets some water from the fridge, neither of you speaking as you take large gulps from the unnecessarily large bottle of water (like, who drinks this much water…)

You feel happy right now. You have everything you need right here. A couch, a blanket, and a Christopher. Except, you get hit with the reminder of your ex-boyfriend, stirring up those uncomfortable emotions that made you decide to drink them away tonight.

Apparently, that drinking away did not work very well, probably making this even worse because you start to cry, your body shaking as the pools of tears drain down your cheeks.

Chris takes immediate notice of the couch shaking beside him, reaching over to keep a tender arm across your shoulders. He hesitantly says, “Honey, what’s wrong? Did something happen tonight with your friends?”

His voice was nothing but comfort as you decided to just tell him everything.

“Chris, he broke up with me.”

Then, his face dropped not exactly to one of sympathy but to some twisted form of relief. Nonetheless, he held you into a tighter hug, letting you cry into his arms while leaving reassuring pats and shushes as you continued.

You finally regain some sort of composure to tell him the rest of the story, explaining how your boyfriend sprung this on you out of nowhere, pulling out the “it’s not you, it’s me” line, utterly tearing your self-esteem down to the lowest point because you know it’s because of you. Because you weren’t good enough, you didn’t show him enough, you didn’t sleep with him enough. The insecure thoughts are the only thing plaguing your mind after his cheap excuse for breaking up with you.

For this, you openly tell Chris in your drunken state, “Why doesn’t he just love me? I don’t understand what I did wrong. Why am I not good enough for him?”

“Stop it, Y/n.”

His suddenly stern voice piques your attention, raising your blotchy face up from where it was implanted into his shoulder. His face is suddenly stoic, a complete contrast from the comforting love he was just showing you. There is still love; it’s just a different kind.

“Do not ever say that about yourself. You are beyond perfect, and your boyfriend is a piece of shit for this. I mean, I have always kind of resented him, but the way he makes you feel like this out of the blue makes me more than angry. You are everything anyone could ask for, and I need you to understand that whatever his decision was, it wasn’t because of you.”

The tears aren’t able to start coming back down before you grab Chan into the strongest hug you can manage, now sobbing into his moistened shirt. The words of affirmation and care flood out of his mouth into your ears, crushing the self-deprecating terrors of before. His own reassurance and love for you outweighs whatever your shitty boyfriend showed you. Chan was the only person you wanted to care for you.

The only person you wanted to love.

But he can’t know that.

a/n : hey guys... sorry for being absolutely MIA for a month. i have been so swamped with work and classes that I lost my entire urge to write, but i am back and better than other. i have been working on this and the second part for it, also creating the full plot line for fangirl. requests are open as always and ily all - eb

[st0rmyskies]

who is your personal favorite pairing/couple out of all of st0rmyverse fics or do you have a ranking of favorites

My favorite pairing really depends on the day, honestly. I go to one or another when I'm really craving writing love and sex from a certain angle.

In LMTCOY/HSH...

WarrTime is my favorite toxic relationship turning legit. In the beginning they were using one another as a self-flagellation of sorts. Now, they've seen exactly what's wrong with the other and, shockingly, both of them have independently decided "I can fix him." The more I explore their relationship in (unpublished) work, they've become more of a stable, mature same-sex relationship, although the sex is still incendiary.

WildTime is always my go-to for "I want to rot my teeth out with fluff." Every time they have sex is like the first time, and Wild keeps Time undeniably young.

Twark is my "baby gay with infallible support from an unlikely source" pairing. Twi is curious and exploratory and is going to make some mistakes, and Dark is both going to enable him and going to be there to help catch him when he stumbles. I also just reaaaally really love writing Dark, no matter the AU.

Legend/Hyrule is good for exploring the comfort of commitment to another person, especially when it comes to exploring new and/or unlikely kinks.

Four/Shadow are honestly a pairing that is quietly dear to my heart. Shadow knows more about Four's past than anyone else, and he is a supportive rock who keeps Four's needs and boundaries at the forefront of their relationship. It might not seem like Shadow gets a lot back in return for this at first glance but, well, love is patient.

Champlight, once I really get going writing them, also goes through a sweet arc of mutual pining and questioning and considering one another from across a room crowded with friends and loved ones who are just like "Get ON WITH IT already!!!"

In the omegaverse series...

I literally cannot get enough of Sky/Time. I CANNOT. Sky is going through a period of intense rehabilitation and healing and learning to trust again, and who better than Time to gently guide him through it? Similarly...

Sky and Wild are such opposites in this AU that, naturally, they're going to attract. Wild might seem promiscuous and carefree, but his feelings toward Sky are stronger than he lets on. We'll see more of this in later chapters and stories.

And in this AU, Warrlight + Wild is probably my #1 for pairings where shit's about to get INTERESTING. And not only because Warriors and Twilight are about to turn hard and fast the wrong way down a one-way street.

And, of course, the poly boys Sky, Twi, and Warriors (+ Sun) are the best for gentle exploration and unconditional love. Their relationship, at its core, is so innocent and wholehearted that it's hard not to adore them. They're another one I turn to for tooth-rotting fluff.

[mrs-nightshade]

Harlequin and Harlequin Swap Au's by: @tadc-harlequin-au

Purple/Lilac by: @just-mary-ann

Honorable mention: @thore-lb

Introducing;

Scarlet

Pomni and Caine were in her office, Pomni was at her desk smoking and doing who knows what, honestly probably nothing. Caine couldn't bring himself to care though, his usual sharp demeanor dulled under the heavy scent of the smoke filling the room.

Since his incident Caine had, begrudgingly, become closer to the Puppeteer, though he'd deny it to all end if anyone asked him about it. Closing his eyes slowly before opening them, it took Caine a moment to notice the difference in the room.

"Is it clearer in here?" Caine asked to nobody in particular, looking across the small office to see Pomni absent from where she'd been a moment before.

"Probably, I assume the real room is full of smoke at the moment, yes?" A smooth, masculine voice rang out from the opposite side of the room to Pomni's desk.

Caine whipped around towards the sound to see his other self sitting on one of the armchairs, legs together and posture high as he stared towards him.

"You! I killed you!" Caine yelled at his, defiantly still alive, other personality.

"Mh... Killed is quite a strong word..." The other Caine slowly stood. "I'd say dispelled would be more accurate, I am a part of you, one that's not going away any time soon weather you like it or not." The other Caine shrugged softly.

"DIE!!!" Caine's eyes sparked with color as he wasted no time attacking his other self again. Though despite his speed and volatile movements the other Caine easily dodged and blocked his swings.

"HOW THE-" Caine bit down his words for a moment, he refused to stoop down to such improper language. "How, in the world, can you counter me so easily..."

"We share the same basic movement code, not to mention I can see your memories." The other Caine replied smoothly, stretching as he spoke.

"Yeah, I already got that last bit, considering the weird smoke-memory bomb you used last time..." Caine grumbled, not particularly enjoying the thought of his other self rifling through his memories.

"Yes, though it's sad how few fun memories you have with our dear Puppeteer, I mean, only a single kiss?" The other Caine rolled his eyes as he spoke, as if disappointed with how little Caine interacted with Pomni nicely.

"POMNI AND I'S RELATIONSHIP IS STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL! AND ALSO NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Caine yelled at his other self, ignoring the way his body heated up at the thought of his and Pomni's kiss.

The other Caine smirked and chuckled at Caine's denial before speaking again. "Well, how about we make a deal then? I've got an idea to appease both of us?~"

Caine growled for a moment before sighing. "Fine, I'll hear your idea... Anyways, what should I call you, "insolent glitch" doesn't exactly roll off the tounge..."

The other Caine scoffed at the originals nickname for him before talking. "How about Scarlet? The same shade of red as my eye?"

"Hah, isn't that a bit of a feminine name?" Caine taunted, chuckling at Scarlets glare before shaking his head and continuing. "Well, go ahead, give me your idea."

"It's quite simple really, I stop digging through your memories and you allow me control of the body occasionally to make some of my own." Scarlet said sweetly, almost too sweet, like the words themselves would make your teeth rot.

"No." Caine cut off Scarlet's idea bluntly. "Go ahead and rifle through my memories forever for all I care, I'm not giving you control of my body."

"Wha- B- but-! Oh come on! You barely even have any fun memories with our lovely Puppeteer!" Scarlet groaned out dramatically, clearly not scared of voicing his displeasure with Caine's decision.

"Well, too bad, so sad. This is MY body and I'll do what I want with it." Caine said, turning his back on Scarlet.

Scarlet sighed dramatically, almost tiredly, but there was something off with the sound... Caine felt calm, too calm for the current situation, he suddenly realized there was a smokey aspect to the mental room around him...

Caine and Scarlet fought each other for control over their physical body. Eyes, Head, Body, Limbs, Extremities...

Caine opened his eyes and looked across the office at Pomni, but she wasn't there in the empty room of his mind...

To be continued ;3

[moonpoolcat]

Looks to the Moon (Not safe version)

It's Moon with tits, I don't care who says it's weird, my drawing, my rules now hold this L.

Quick Backstory (Short version)

Lttm is a gen 1 iterator an current senior to the Twilight local group. After the death of SOS, Moon was left feeling compelled to pick up where she left off the best she could. In this timeline Moon would not collapse like in game but instead be saved by an iterator who's can that is the first of it's kind was mobile. Along with NSH and Hunter. She could forgive Pebbles desire to escape, but she could never forgive his act of purposely ignoring her please for mercy, therefore Pebbles was exiled from the local group till further notice for not only attempted murder but the infection of the rot towards himself but her apprentice Unparalleled Innocence was affected as well. Later on she was secretly relieved the both of them had been cured by SRS an was happy to find out her brother was being looked after by Chasing Winds. This event forever tarnish, destroying everything she had ever believed in her entire life.

With a new perspective LTTM began to suspect her local group members were working against her? At first she didn't want to believe such accusations were true until NSH had hacked into their private group chat revealing they were part of the anti sliverists orchestrated by an unknown admin. Someone had premeditated this... In retaliation Moon would gather up these traitors an behead them in front of thousands of iterators during gathering, setting an example for anyone else who dared to harm her again. But the admins were not safe either for it was also discovered they to had planned her downfall so they had met the same fate essentially turning this even into the blood moon genocide.

As if it couldn't get any worse. Her UI had been the one responsible for Pebbles rot. For that, she was beheaded as well then was forced to carry out the rest of Pebbles sentence as punishment. With the weight of being admin, her lover gone, her brother traumatized, and anti- sliverists at war with each other- Something within Moon snapped! She became forever cold, merciless, relentless, and vengeful showing no remorse for anyone. Not even her own local group is safe from this iterators eternal wrath. Those below an only loyal to Moon shall not have to fear the queens endless quest for vengeance. The only goal this Moon has is to be rid the planet of anti sliverists that threaten everything she an Sliver worked so hard to create vowing to hunt down her killer if it's the last thing she'll do. Even if it means hurting the ones she cares about. For the ones that tread on stained waters will be the first to drown.

Explanation behind the design:

Look I like pogo legs but I needed this au to make sense if I'm going to be able to explain everything else. There were exactly 3 redraws of her dress as I attempted to go for a regal look but it had failed so I went for an egyptian look instead to set myself apart from the other Moons. Someone said she looked like a genie so I just rolled with it. The antlers were my attempt at matriarchy as I felt that it fit her since she is the oldest of iterators. The tattoo on her face on the mini casual is just a mark that only appears when she's not walking around trying to look professional.

Relations

Five Pebbles: Cares very much for him. He is recovering from cycles of isolation. Is slightly traumatized from Moon beheading UI. Has forgiven SRS.

SRS: Moon has little to no trust in Suns, she denied him admin role because of their poor mental health after exiling their abusive mentor. To her he is merely used as a means of brute force during situations where she does not want to spill blood. But on the inside she cares deeply for them nonethless worried whenever they have an explosive episode or any form of metal psychosis.

NSH: They use to be lovers before she half collapsed. Annoying as he may be Sig is the only iterator who she had given admin privileges to. However does not accept him as her equal because of memory loss. His speed is useful in keeping tabs on all the territories so nothing goes unnoticed. His two face nature and super speed makes it perfect to infiltrate places an come out unscathed.

Chasing Winds: He was the apprentice to SOS. He left the group after she died. Moon doesn't get along with him because he does not enjoy her violent tendacies creating fear setting a bad influence on the younger group members.

UI: Moon wants nothing to do with her. A lost cause and a waste of time thinking she could ever raise an iterator to one day take her role as admin.

Enlightened overturned silk: Wants dead immediately. (Keep an eye on this guy he's important)

Other local groups

Oasis local group: Allies

Zodius local group: Allies

Jaded local group: Not on good terms. Moon would rather see them dead.

Stormfall local group: Neutral due to Chasing Winds being Admin Moon wants no conflict with them.

Sliverist group: The only group she trusts to protect Slivers can. She took it upon herself to train them personally into the most lethal local group in the area an heads to Moons calls as they trust her enough to obey orders only because she was with Sliver the longest.

Anti-Sliverists: Wanta dead at all cost. Anyone who spots one are to kill them on site with no hesitation. Failure to report an a siting or incident are to be reported to Moon immediately.

Extra

The colored pearls on her antlers are her way of keeping up with who's in her local group, they're personal keepsakes that she forbids anyone from touching.

Neuron flies will forever circle her when she is wearing clothing. Otherwise they vanish when taken off. She keeps them around in case something happens an it is a means of a last resort of staying alive. They can be used an shaped into a projectile and will take one minute to reproduce a new one.

Weapon of choice: Scythe; It carries the weight of 100 leviathans. Only SOS, SRS an NSH have been the only ones known to be able to lift it off the ground.

Moon ironically can camouflage when it's dark, the downside being the ability is most weak during the day.

Morph form: Should have been obvious it's a deer.

Moon has a sister named Illuminated diamond Twilight, they're cycles older than Pebbles. Funny that her local group was named after her. Not on good terms when mentioned though.

Her antlers can retract at will, although she has to take every pearl off which is time consuming but worth it since it's just used as presentation.

If angered for to long Moon will enter a wendigo like state an will not stop until whatever had angered is either dead or has fled the area. It is recommended to not annoy her at all.

Moons lore is out go read it.

[spotsandsocks]

🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️🧜🏻‍♂️

😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈

Hello my dear thanks for inspiring me, this is a lot of sentences and things may change but here we go…

🧜‍♂️ merman pirate au (the other one under cut) tagging those who also chose at least one of these @tizniz @jesuisici33 @eddiebabygirldiaz @dangerpronebuddie @sunflowerwemadeit also @dr-shortsighted-owl cos I think the mer title prompt was yours ‘time and tide’

Rules are not for him. Not anymore.

There’s nothing of him visible apart from the bridge of his nose, his eyes, the wet curls on his head.

The effect of him is more visible, but isn’t that always the way with him; the ripples on the surface of the ocean circle outwards from his body, caused by the slow but powerful movement of the muscles in his tail as it moves in circles. It’s a good tail, strong, powerful. Usually it keeps him moving, moving further and further away from there which is the best decision he ever made. Today it’s keeping him in one spot because he likes the view.

The ripples are a tiny risk, they wouldn’t even be visible if the sea wasn’t so calm and still today, but it is.

It doesn’t matter, there’s no one to see any part of him anyway. Unless of course there’s someone in the house that nestled on the side of the cliff top. Someone in that small, warm looking building, looking out in exactly the right direction at exact the right moment to see something small and inconsequential bobbing around in the middle of the sea, almost impossible to spot but there all the same.

Buck sometimes wonders if he wants to be spotted. Is that why he keeps coming back to this particular cove? He tells himself it’s because he likes the fresh air on his face, the wind in his hair. He tells himself he just likes the view. The cliffs are tall and majestic, they call to him, bobbing just under the waterline Buck wonders what it would be like to climb them. Maybe one day he might try. He’d like to look in the window of that house one day, see who lives there. One day, not today though. Not today. The eyes and the curls vanish, leaving only ripples behind and then not even them anymore.

*

The ripples are back. Eddie watches from the window. He’s seen them before, only on calm days like this it’s true but he thinks that maybe whatever causes them is there on stormy days too. He hopes so. Once he thinks he saw something more than ripples, a splash, a flash of blue, the light catching on something that shimmered. It must have been made by something large. Larger than a fish, maybe a seal, maybe a shark. Ta

😈 demon!Prince Eddie

He’s been petitioning for an early intervention programme up top. Try and improve things before it was too late, helping before the rot sunk in too deep. Try and do some good. The pilot project he wanted got approved a few centuries ago. He’d been allowed to visit an author in the early 19th century, England he thinks it was, he’d given him an idea for a book. Ghosts and the similar, a cautionary tale about hoarding wealth and miserly habits. He’d had high hopes for it. He’s heard It’s still quite popular, gets talked about in schools and then swiftly forgotten once people start earning money. Shame, but still there’s always hope, even after all this time. Who knows maybe he’ll get the approval to take it into the next stage at some point but he’s still waiting for approval to get through the right departments. Bureaucracy is something down here and up there have in common.

Feels like he’s been waiting forever. Maybe he has, but recently he’s been feeling it more. There’s a restlessness inside him and it’s growing. The last few days have been particularly peculiar, it’s like he’s forgotten something or lost it. He keeps looking over his shoulder expecting to see someone watching him. There’s never anyone there. Except that’s not quite true, once he thought he saw a figure, shimmering at the edge of his vision. He’d talked to Lena about it, thought maybe she’d sent one of the subdemons to keep an eye on him. She scowled back at him and said she was worried about him but not worried enough to waste a spy. He’d believed her, and he’d noted that she now looked even more worried than she had at the start of conversations. Admitting to seeing things that aren’t there is never a particularly comforting thing to hear, especially in Hell, where the line between bad and worse things is thin.

He’d claimed that he was probably just tired. There’d been an influx of ‘guests’ to his department recently, a super yacht had sunk in a (possibly) freak storm. After that a private jet had crashed, the pilot survived but the multi mega millionaire using the jet to pop back home for a party (a round trip of 70k ) had not. Before that some submarine had imploded. Weird times.

He keeps meaning to go check with the weather team. Apparently they have two new member of staff, in the natural disasters department. One of them appears to be called Chimney but Eddie’s not at all sure that can be right.

[findafight]

Just wanted to let you know that I have not been able to stop thinking about your Steve/Barb au it's so good!! and so interesting to think about how that would change things!! Idk rare pairs are so fun to think about!

Forgive me if this is not where you were going with this but I'm thinking about Barb surviving the demogorgons attack because she's not in the pool with a cut hand. Barb doesn't know where she is or what happened to her, but she's scared and she knows that /something/ is hunting her. Everything smells like rot and decay and all she's focused on is survival. Her glasses are broken and gone, and she's sprained an ankle, but she's alive. Steve's sweatshirt is warm and still smells like him. It's a comfort, she thinks, as she runs and hides in the woods behind Steve's house.

Topside Steve is getting sucked into the Upside down stuff way earlier because his sort of (they haven't made it official yet) girlfriend is missing after leaving his house and she wouldn't just dissapear like that. And he's scared but he has to do /something/.

After some time in the Upside Down, God knows how long, Barb hears something. And it doesn't sound like the monster that's hunting her. So she stays silent, grabs hold of a stick or something to make herself feel safer, and peeks. And it's a boy. Alive. Human. Trapped just like her. And then for a while it's her and Will Byers, growing weaker and trying so hard to stay alive and let people know they're there.

Eventually, they get out. And she's sick and barely holding on and traumatized but she's alive and in the hospital recovering. As soon as Steve's allowed to see her he's there. He's bought flowers and a fluffy teddy bear. He calls her Barbie because he knows she'll roll her eyes fondly at him. He kisses her forehead and holds her hand.

Sorry this isn't more coherent I'm just !!!!!! Thoughts!!!!!

Are you in my brain?? Because exactly. (I have been holding on to "steve is the only one allowed to call her barbie" for way too long. not even romantically just in "barb lives au" they deserve to be annoying friends to each other haha) In the show Barb almost got away, and possibly would have it weren't for the fact she was in the pool, so I don't think it's too far of a stretch for us to say she survives in this au (there is a version where she dies and it's just. Angst. But that's not this one!)

I think the potential for Nancy to suspect Steve of doing something (even when it was Jonathan who is officially the last person to see her) would lead her to Jonathan. Similar to the show, she sort of just...brushes off the creepy pictures (it's both easier and hard for her here because it's not her in the pictures so who cares...but it's Barb [and Steve] so she cares very much, actually) and they go monster hunting without Steve and see the deer and Nancy gets pulled in through the tree etc.

Steve, who's definitely freaking out that is (basically) girlfriend is missing and her best friend is mad at him and won't talk to him, uses his ninja skills to check on her to see if she's okay, and sees her with Jonathan. Nancy isn't his girlfriend so the only thing he's mad about is her hanging out with the perv who took pictures of him and Barb and specifically a picture of her almost in her car which they know she never got into. So he knocks on the window and they jump but let him in. And that's how Steve gets into monster hunting. (idk if Tommy and Carol also join...maybe Steve waves them off through the window, maybe he gestures for them to come to...idk. much to think about. Maybe they don't join the upside down gang but they remain friends with Steve and know Something Happened, but he can't tell them what)

blah blah blah it all basically goes the same except because no cheating allegations there's no graffiti or fight, Steve 100% gives a backhanded apology for breaking Jon's camera "Hey, man. I shouldn't have broken your camera like that even if you deserved it..." or something. The trio fight the demogrogon, even if Steve is a bit, ah, weary of leaving a bunch of twelve-year-olds who have proven that they don't listen to grown ups when they say to leave well enough alone even for their own safety...but leave them he does. Fight an interdimensional monster with a nailbat he does. Dies, he doesn't.

Meanwhile, now that our girl Barb has survived he initial confrontation with the monster with no face, she's wandering, hiding, around the woods behind Steve's house except...it's not actually Steve's house. It's some twisted up version, and it's dark and creepy and oh so scary. Her glasses are cracked through one lens but it's better than not being able to see at all or not feel the comforting weight on her nose, and Steve's sweatshirt is big, comfy, and smells like him. She holds onto these tiny bits of home as she tries to figure out how to get out of...wherever she is.

At some point, she hears shuffling in the woods, but not from the monster. It's definitely smaller, and...there's a voice. Singing. She walks over quietly, and says "hi". the little boy jumps and stares, wide-eyed. They stick together, she holds him close.

When all is said and done, she and Will end up sharing a hospital room, due to Upside Down convenience. She;s older and wasn't in it for as long, but she's still weak. Her parents are besides themselves, having been told it was a gas leak that led her to be disoriented and lost in the woods, only by grace of god did she find and help Will.

Steve is behind them, with scratches on his face and a haunted look in his eye, but he smiles a little, and wiggles his fingers at her. She wiggles hers back. Her parents shuffle around, and leave the room to talk to the doctor. He sits beside her and reaches out to gently fiddle with her fingers.

"Hey," she says.

His voice is soft, when he responds, "hey," and doesn't take his eyes off her face.

She squeezes his fingers a bit. "heard you fought an interdimensional monster with, like, a lot of teeth for me."

He shrugs, squeezes back. "also to get Will Byers back."

"He's a good kid." she flicks her eyes to where little Will is being smothered by his gaggle of friends who nearly died trying to get him back.

Steve blinks rapidly, and tucks his chin to his chest. "I was so worried, Barbie." the nickname usually annoys Barb, too baby-ish, too connected to the doll, too...a lot of things. But Steve says it like it's precious, like she's precious, and she thinks letting her boyfriend (because that's what he is, isn't he? What's a boy you kiss and who would fight monsters to find you?) can call her Barbie.

"I'm back. I'm okay now."

"Yeah. But. Christ, things could have gone so much worse." He pinches the bridge of his nose, squeezes his eyes shut.

"Hey." she rubs the back of his hand with her thumb. "Hey. It didn't though. The government goons will be on us, sure. But Will is safe. I'm safe. All those kids and Nancy and Jonathan are safe. You're safe. Okay? And, when I get out of here, you're taking me out for burgers and milkshakes."

He smiles, actually smiles all squinty-eyed and toothy, "Yeah. okay. It's a date."

"Yeah, it is. I've got high expectations, Harrington. Killing a monster for a girl really sets the bar high, you know."

He laughs, and presses a kiss to her cheek, smiling.

(later, he tells her everything that happened on the rightside up, and she tells Jonathan to burn the negatives and that her boyfriend has a nailbat he's pretty good with, so he better not try to trick her...)

and idk. i think they're cute. They bicker, and Steve chooses topics just to rile her up so she'll roll her eyes at him but then explain why exactly he's wrong in step-by-step detail, and he also scoops her up and twirls her around and kisses her in the halls. they're gross and in love. In s2, i think Nancy still wants to expose the lab (other people did die, those hunters? what happened to them?) and both steve and barb are like "they will kill us" (pragmatic duo) so that's why they both go to nancy's to try to talk to her about it, which is how dustin kidnaps them, etc.

s3 we get scoops troop except robin is just tallying how many times Steve sighs dreamily until his gf comes by and he turns into a golden retriever and robin is like. ew. straight people (they are not, actually. I have a coming out scene between starb (seriously i need to figure out a ship name for them haha) that involves barb telling steve she once had a crush on nancy and steve's like yes obviously everybody has crushes on their best friend of the same gender you just don't do anything about it...like buddy...do i have news for you...bi4bi starbara) anyways the five of them get stuck in the elevator, stobin still hold the door, get tortured, etc, but this time dustin and erica have Angry Protective GF on their side. They get out, steve and robin have bathroom confessionals, which involves robin asking if steve's ever been in love and then immediately realizing he's going to wax poetic about Barb and steve also being like "i wanna be your best friend sooo bad barb said i maybe have a crush on you but i don't i wanna be like, the best man at your wedding, y'know? you're so fun and make me laugh and I want you and Barb to get along because I love Barbie and omg you could be my kids' auntieeee..." and robin tells him that he doesn't know her, and if he did he wouldn't want her around any of his hypothetical future children, tells him about tammy, and they sing total eclipse of the heart when dustin erica and barb bust in, and steve is like "barbie, honey pie, robin is gonna be our kids' godmother." as though that makes any sense. everyone else is like ????

idk i just like monster fighting power couple barb/steve a lot i think theyre neat.

[waeirfaahl]

What Aku's arc should've been in 5 season

Okay, already for like 2 years I publish posts with deep and detailed analyzing of Aku, his core, his backstory, his tragedy, his biology, his ties and conflict with Jack, as well as the unexpected depth of "Birth of Evil". As well as for like 2 years I cover plot holes, logical holes, contradictions, various morbid moments, implications and aspects of 5 season and its bad writing (and how it could be easily avoided).

However, a few weeks ago I made posts of "Fix-It" format, how to fix 8, 9 and 10 episodes, making slightly better and less infuriating the direction 5 season chose. You could notice that 1-7 episodes and 8-10 episodes were like from two different worlds/stories, because they literally had opposite themes and messages (well, no wonder, since everything was made in 2015, while before this the crew had the idea with love-story and returning to the past and losing the love-interest at best) — in 1-7 the whole idea was in how Jack lost all hope and was near death, but returned the desire to live and to continue fighting for the future and its habitants, defeating own inner demons, guilt and despair, while 8-10 were literally bad fanfiction with the worst and the most mediocre cliches you can ever imagine (not to mention the immoral ending, which contradicts to everything what was before and devalues everything what was before). Also I previously covered the plot hole and logical hole of the idea with 50 years time skip and Aku's depression. So, now I want to share with my idea of what arc Aku could have in the same conditions of 5 season, if the crew really valued him as a character and as the second (after Jack) main character and made him active character that affects the story. Keep in mind, this concept is exactly with 1-7 episodes and my "Fix-It" of 8-10 episodes (sources to them see above). It is not for my AU of 5 season I can't publish yet, but have in mind already 2+ years. First of all, Jack's immortality could happen due to erasing any ties with his era (you know, time portals, which are exactly the gates to the rifts in time, are either destroyed or closed with some spell), and he really could choose to stay in the future and fight for his friends (and, well, all those, who suffered in the past, would be avenged).

Second, after several decades Aku could start to ignore Jack, i.e. he would stop to attack him. Instead, Aku would attack Jack differently — psychologically, so we'd have the idea in Jack's mind "Aku terrorizes own future only because of me, my presense and my existence" (exactly here his guilt and hallucinations would come from — if he can't save his friends and habitants of the future, the sacrifise of his parents and other habitants of the past will be pointless).

Yes, you get it right. 5 season could show real corruption and mass repressions, how during all these 50 years Aku and his minions, his robot and demonic armies have been tracking down and catching all those habitants rescued by Jack (i.e. Jack's friends). Exactly for this Aku started to burn down the forests, where they hide, to dry rivers and lakes and seas, where they hide, and he would either send them to the mines to rot for life, or kill them, at the same time terrorizing sympathizers to intimidate and stripping them to the skin — all their money would go for building more weapons and robot armies of Aku. Third, Aku's whole idea that consumed him during these 50 years would be "This world rejected and tried to kill me, when I only was born! I decide my own destiny and fate! I built this new world! I created this future! I am the future! So, I'm going to destroy it and re-build! The samurai and no one else will get this world! There is no future for them and for Jack's worthless kind!".

Yes, his pain and hatred toward Jack and especially his father has consumed him so much, so Aku himself started to destroy the beautiful (imperfect, but still beautiful) world he gave to mortals and alien and magical creatures for calming own inner emptyness and pain. If he suffers, he will force everybody to suffer, especially if he wants Jack "to pay for his pain of the past with his pain in the future".

That would show the desperation of Aku, his descent and falling into madness, how broken inside he is, where the "To smite the world!" from the punishment with a pinch of desire to still receive the love and respect of habitants of his planet turned into pure extermination and venting of anger from impossibility and powerlessness to change everything, and due to the inability to let go the past. I.e. Aku will die and destroy everything, rather than accept Jack's victory over own future, over the world, because it will mean the victory of Emperor, and… who will know something of Aku?

He was always alone. He is lost. No one knows.

[kimetsu-chan]

~Happy Birthday~

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST WATER BOY EVER- this is the Biological GiYuLo au :3 bc yes. This is featuring toddler!Milo, and holy crap is this long

Disclaimer ⚠️: GiYuLo is a family dynamic, not a ship. It does, however, contain Giyuna(Giyuu x Yuna) which is a romantic ship. Contains slight spoilers for Giyuu’s backstory? Maybe? It also got a little weak near the end, I hope it isn’t bad though 😥 Milo is not my oc, she belongs to my friend @larz-barz who has given me permission to use her in this fic. luv you pooks <3

TW: just tooth rotting fluff ☺️

Today was Giyuu’s birthday, February 8th. Normally, he wouldn’t do much. He didn’t see the point. He’d much rather stay home with his wife and kid and enjoy having the day off.

So that was exactly what Yuna was planning.

Tsutako was taking him and his best friend, Sabito out to lunch that day, giving Yuna the perfect distraction. What made it even more perfect, was that Giyuu was taking their daughter, Milo, with him. Not only because Tsutako wanted to see her niece, but the 2 year old was insistent on going with her daddy.

In other circumstances, Yuna would pull a fake, offended smile, but this was a blessing in disguise. She was going to make her husband’s favorite food, simmered salmon with chunks of daikon, and make sure to have his favorite desert too. She knew she could safely serve that for dinner because the restaurant he was going to didn’t serve that. Curtesy of her and Tsutako’s previous chats.

Yes, Tsutako was in on it too. So was Sabito. They were going to wear Giyuu out to a reasonable extent by taking him to a carnival as well, so that when he got back, he could enjoy the peace and quiet of being home.

Yuna did her best not to seem to anxious for him to leave. She was lost in thought getting her very distracted toddler dressed when there was a small knock on the doorway. She turned to see her husband peeking his head in and she smiled.

“She almost ready?”

Milo squealed and made grabby hands towards him and Yuna struggled to keep her still long enough to put her favorite bow in her hair. A small smile found its way onto Giyuu’s usually stoic face as he stepped into the room. He put one hand on his hip as he walked over to Milo. He pressed the index finger of his free hand to her nose with a playful tone to his voice.

“C’mon baby, you gotta stay still for mommy.”

Yuna smiled as the little girl tried to escape her grasp. Giyuu sat on the floor next to his two favorite people and Milo tried even harder to get to him. Yuna hooked her hands under Milo’s arms and lifted her over her leg and into Giyuu’s lap. The little girl let out another happy squeal along with a string of “dada”s. She stood in his lap and grabbed at his face as she babbled nonstop. Giyuu couldn’t hold the pure love and affection from his gaze as he rested his hand on her back so she wouldn’t fall over.

“I think she wants you to do it.”

He looked over at his wife and took the purple bow from her hands when she handed it to him. He looked back over to his daughter and ruffled her hair.

“Baby, can you turn around for me?”

Milo immediately complied and turned around, falling into a sitting position in the process. Yuna gasped and placed a hand over her heart in a dramatic gesture.

“I call favoritism.”

Giyuu chuckled as he fastened the bow into Milo’s hair. The goober definitely was more still for her dad than for her mom, with her just patting her knees over and over again.

Once Giyuu had finished getting the bow nice and neat, he lifted Milo so he could stand up. He and Yuna walked out of their daughter’s room and towards the front door. Giyuu held Milo still as Yuna slipped her bright pink tennis shoes on.

Yuna held the door open for her husband and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before doing the same to her daughter’s forehead. She waved after them as they made their way to the car.

“Bye! Have fun!”

Giyuu waved back and Yuna waited until she saw the car leave to start getting the house ready. She rushed to the kitchen to start the salmon. Having three younger siblings definitely helped her as she had experience with needing to cook or clean quickly. Once she set an alarm for when she needed to start cooking, she went upstairs to grab blankets. She ran them to the upstairs loft with multiple other items so the family could make a small fort later that evening.

It didn’t take Yuna very long to get everything ready for her mini surprise and she soon began her cooking. She wanted it to be perfect, but she knew Giyuu would be happy with anything.

Once preparations for the activity were ready, Yuna moved onto the food. The smell of salmon and daikon filled the house, but that wasn’t too abnormal since the family ate it a lot. Yuna also made a small portion of chicken udon in case Milo was feeling particularly picky that evening. Milo might not eat many things, but she’ll always eat chicken udon. Yuna liked to joke that it was because she craved it a lot during her pregnancy.

Yuna enjoyed her time cooking. She had music playing from her phone and everything just felt really warm and cozy.

She felt really lucky to have met someone as caring and supportive as her husband. This will have been the fifth birthday of his she has spent with him. Ever since the two got together in college, she’d made sure that his actual birthday was rather tame since the man didn’t like being around people for too long. Which was a huge blessing to her, since she didn’t have to organize huge parties often.

Here she was, married to him for three years, and together for five, and she was still like a schoolgirl when she thought about him.

She was shaken out of her lovesick thoughts when she heard the sound of the car parking. Perfect. The food was almost finished so they could eat almost immediately. She made sure the food was safe to be momentarily left alone before rushing towards the door. She opened it just as Giyuu and Milo were approaching the house. Milo was clinging to Giyuu with a content and tired smile on her cute little baby face.

She held the door open for them and was greeted with a high-pitched “mama!” She took Milo from Giyuu’s arms and peppered her baby’s face in kisses.

“Hi Milo! I missed you~! Was she good?”

Giyuu nodded with a smile. He nodded his head towards the kitchen with a questioning look.

“What’re you making?”

Yuna set their daughter on the floor and reached for a hug from her husband. She felt Milo tugging at her pants as if she wanted to be picked up again, so she didn’t make the hug last too long. She crouched down to pick her daughter up once more as she spoke.

“Oh nothing much, just your favorite.”

Giyuu’s smile grew a little, no matter how often he and that, he’d never get sick of it. He ruffled Milo’s hair gently before turning to his wife.

“Thank you hun.”

Yuna waved him off with an embarrassed smile. She looked towards the stairs for a few seconds as a playful smirk found its way onto her face.

“And I have supplies set up to make a fort upstairs, that something you’d be interested in?”

He nodded and pressed a kiss to Yuna’s forehead.

“Of course, I just wanna be surrounded by my favorite girls.”

Milo grabbed onto his shirt with one hand and patted her forehead with her other.

“Me too! Me too!”

Giyuu shook his head with a chuckle and moved her hair out of the way.

“Okay, you too.”

~Le Fin

A/N: omg that took a while 😭 I love them, they’re so cute. I had about 5 breakdowns bc Milo is too cute. I had to stop and take a breather

CRAP MY BABY FEVER IS COMING BACKKK

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

[littlesubbyflower]

Smoochy Kiss - E.M.

Modern AU Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary : You show Eddie a cute TikTok and he’s more than willing to recreate it with you

820 Words

Warnings - None? This is tooth rotting fluff. (if there are any warnings that you think should be added, please PM me and I will add them!!)

Author’s Note : I came up with this blurb out of spite over a legitimate TikTok that my boyfriend refuses to make with me even though I cried over it lmao. My fictional boyfriend Eddie would NEVER deny the simple pleasures of recreating TikToks. 

Thank you @myobmaya for always reading my ideas and helping me bring them to life! I am forever grateful and I love you always for it! 💖

— 🌻 — —🌻 — — 🌻 — 

The video started off simple, just a girl applying lipstick, smudging it a bit, and then her boyfriend’s hand comes into view and the camera pans to the left to bring him into view and he has kiss marks all over his face and he grins like an idiot. 

‘This is so cute, what the fuck?’ you think to yourself. 

“Hey Eddie!!” You call out, hoping he’d hear you from your spot on the couch. 

“Yes, sweetheart?” Eddie says, walking into the living room. 

“So, uh, I saw this video… and..” you look up at him while he’s now standing in front of you “Actually, never mind. It’s stupid, and you probably won’t want to. Sorry to interrupt whatever you were doing in the bedroom.” 

“No, no. Let me see it, baby.” He sits next to you and waits for you to show him the Tiktok you were previously watching. You unlock your phone and show him the video, and he gently takes your phone and watches the video three more times before he hands you your phone and bolts out of the room without a word. 

Moments later, he reappears with several different shades of your lipstick. 

“Do it. Let’s do it, please.” He shoves the lipsticks into your hands. 

“Really? You’d want to do this with me?” You ask, shyly. 

“Of course! If it’s something that will make you smile, I’ll do it.” He says seriously, kneeling in front of you. “Now get to smoochy-kissing, baby, those kiss marks aren’t going to appear themselves!” 

You laugh and pick up a pinkish shade, you apply it and kiss his forehead and his cheek. You pick up a darker shade and kiss his other cheek, his temple and his nose. He picks up his favorite shade, red, and applies it for you. You kiss his lips, his jaw and another on his neck. 

Eddie let out a groan, “Baby if you keep kissing my jaw and neck we will never finish this video.”

“Sorry. Ed’s, it’s just so tempting!” you giggle and kiss his jaw again. 

“Okay, perfect. Now, start the video and apply this shade like she did, and don’t forget to smudge it a little.” Eddie says, excitedly pushing your phone into your hands. You roll your eyes at his eagerness and start the video, doing exactly what the other girl had done. Eddie brings his ring clad hand up into the camera’s view and you pan the camera to him and he’s smiling like an idiot, looking at you with pure love in his eyes. You bring the camera back to your view and make a silly face before saving and drafting the video. 

“I’m going to screen record it and send it to the girls.” You say, doing just that. Once you send it to the group chat between Nancy, Robin and yourself, you just sit and wait for their reply. 

“I think this is the best Tikkok you’ve ever made.” 

“Sweetheart, this is the only TikTok I've ever made.” Eddie says laughing, and laying his head in your lap. 

“Oh, Robin is facetiming me!” you say as the phone starts ringing. 

“Hi Rob-”

You are interrupted by the sound of her gagging. 

“That video was so cute it was disgusting.” she gags again. 

“Post it! I thought it was sweet!” Nancy yells from somewhere in the background. 

Robin shushes her and looks back at the screen. “She’s right, it is sweet, but disgusting at the same time. Like, I'm gay and all, but that was next level gay and I would appreciate it if you did not subject me to that kind of content again.” She jokes. 

Eddie takes the phone out of your hands, flashes Robin a grin and pulls the phone back to be able to see his own face on the screen better. 

“You’re just mad Nance won’t let you do this with her!” Eddie teases. 

“You’re right, lover boy, she is mad that I won’t let her, how sad!” Nancy calls out from somewhere in the background again. 

“Well me and my darling here are going to hang up so we can post our disgusting video now!” Eddie laughs, earning a gag from Robin again before hanging up. 

“Hey! I didn’t even get to tell them bye!” you complain. 

Eddie shrugs his shoulders and purses his lips for a kiss. “I’d like an actual kiss now, m’lday!” 

“Let me post this video before I forget!” You add the necessary tags and music to the video before posting. “Okay, and done! It’s posted!” You lean down and press a quick peck to Eddie’s lips. 

“But I wanted a smoochy-kiss!” Eddie whines and pouts. You just laugh and push him off your lap and he falls to the floor with a light thud. 

“Sorry, not now, lover boy!” You say as you walk off to find the makeup remover and some cotton pads.

[seb-reads31]

Request - My brain overflowing with thoughts of dream world

Tw's - Kerano twisting her ankle, screaming child, alcohol, Kerano being left on Faithful's doorstep

Genre - Fluff

Type - head canons

Comments - I was obsessed with this and need to share it cause why not 🤷 feel free to give your thoughts!!

Dream World

☁️ So, my understanding of the dream world is that Albus is an actual paladin, and isn't considered a good for nothing bastard, and he actually has a good relationship with Devlin

☁️ Now, we all know Faithful wasn't exactly supposed to be there, but let's just say that the dream world is another timeline/au for my sake

☁️ And in this world, Albus isn't a bastard, he had a loving mother, older brother, as well as a father

☁️ I'm going to guess that they (Albus and Devlin) had different mothers still

☁️ So, in this world, perhaps Devlin's birth mom passed away due to an illness not long after he was born or when he was very young, and later on Knight Paladin York met Albus' mother, henceforth having him

☁️ (None of that was important, I just want to touch on all of the things that aren't really explained for reasons yeah but I was curious and came up with my own explanation. Cause my brain is everywhere for this one y'all.)

☁️ Now, like it mentioned in the video, Albus was trained by Devlin, as well as part of Devlin's group. Albus definitely admires his big brother, cause who wouldn't??

☁️ And now, cue dream world Faithful 🥰

☁️ I mentioned this in my Albus or Devlin brain rot, but Faithful is a painter

☁️ A traveling painter✨

☁️ She travels around painting the pretty scenery she finds, and sells her portraits along the way

☁️ She has a home that she shares with her precious baby, Kerano <33

☁️ Kerano showed up on Faithful's doorstep one chilly night, swaddled in a blanket with a note that said "This is Kerano, her birthday is [her birthday], please take care of her kind stranger."

☁️ Faithful quickly brought her inside and warmed her up a nice bottle of milk

☁️ As you travelled, so did Kerano

☁️ You can't exactly let that chaotic little gremlin stay home alone, and all of Faithful's relatives lived very far from her

☁️ But the travels are filled with learning experiences!

☁️ How Faithful and Albus met are a bit similar to the video, except Kerano had sprained her ankle while running around as Faithful painted

☁️ She didn't see the root and fell to the ground, letting out a shriek of pain

☁️ Faithful drops her paint palette and brush as she ran towards Kerano, not realizing that there are heavy footsteps heading the same direction as her

☁️ Faithful is reaching for Kerano and is asking what happened and what's hurting when Albus shows up, frazzled and ready to pull his sword out on some bandits trying to rob someone

☁️ Faithful whips around and asks him who he is, slightly frazzled in the whole situation

☁️ Albus explains as gently as he can that he's a knight, and ran over to the scream assuming that there was a bandit

☁️ He briskly walked over to Kerano, looking her over and seeing her now swelling ankle

☁️ "Twist your ankle kid?" He didn't wait for a response as he turned to Faithful, asking her something

☁️ "I can bring her to my brother's tavern nearby, he has some beds where you and the kid here can rest."

☁️ Faithful was nervous, and slightly hesitant about accepting his offer, but did so because he was a knight, and the knights here were well known for their hospitality

☁️ "O-okay, but I need to grab my equipment first, I-I was painting when she fell and if I leave it alone someone is sure to steal it."

☁️ Faithful runs quickly, haphazardly putting her paints into their box, tossing the brush she was using into its bag with the knowledge she'd have to clean the entire thing later, and quickly folds her easel down while grabbing the small canvas, only half of the stream she thought was so endearing was finished

☁️ As she started walking back, she heard a familiar giggle, one that belonged to Kerano

☁️ When she saw Albus and Kerano, she was on his back as he told a story about a thief around here who did the same thing she did, but while he was escaping from a pickpocket from the wrong person

☁️ Albus saw that Faithful was coming back, and started to walk in the direction of his brothers tavern

☁️ The walk wasn't too long, and you got to learn a little about Albus along the way

☁️ By the time you three arrived, the sun was setting, the tavern having a few people start to walk inside the doors

☁️ Albus walked up to the bar and spoke to a dirty blonde, who you assumed was the "Devlin" he spoke of during your walk

☁️ And that's how you, Albus, and Devlin met

☁️ Kerano is Devlin's pride and joy, even though she eggs Albus onto drink more than he should when he's supposed to be on patrol, she's a sweetheart

☁️ Albus is showing Kerano how to fight with swords in his free time

☁️ Why you might ask? Cause he can't resist her puppy eyes 🥺

☁️ So now, a good chunk of the time Kerano is training with Albus behind the tavern with some wooden swords that all knights start out with

☁️ After some talking between Faithful and Devlin, he learns that she's an artist and commissions her to do something with the walls

☁️ They're kinda.. bleak

☁️ There needs to be more color, more personality, more life in the building

☁️ Sometimes, when Albus is feeling a bit extra, he'll ask Faithful to paint some portraits for him in very, what's the word, extraordinary poses, convincing himself that he can hold it for as long as you need him to

☁️ Only for him to regret it within the first 20 minutes

☁️ Kerano and Devlin are making bets on how long Albus will stay still for before he decided he can't do it anymore

☁️ Whether you, as Faithful, choose Albus or Devlin is a sweet ending

☁️ They both love you and Kerano, she's a joy to have around!

☁️ However, they do have questions

☁️ Like, did she have a spouse that produced the child, did she get a sperm donation, or did Faithful steal her?? (Thank you Albus for the last two.)

☁️ And when Faithful explains they're surprised someone did that, but also understand that they had their reasonings and are happy she could give Kerano a good life and childhood

Notes - I'll probably add more onto this later on. If there's anything wrong in here or something doesn't make sense please let me know! 😓 I'm a tad bit tired as I'm writing this and it might not make sense to y'all.

[heartidylla]

if only i knew , part two // ???

leon kennedy × flreader ( my own au, real game plot will not mix)

summary: you and your partner run into a familiar face. you and leon begin to rekindle the spark you had that same day in the floral shop which hadn’t erased from either one of your minds. the fondness continues to grow as you both become much closer.

word count: 4.3k

pronouns: no usage of y/n [ you ]

warnings: none

speaking color coding

“” - leon

“” - you

“” - others

after that day, everything in your life went to shit at a rapid and unforgiving pace. though, you wouldn’t be the type of person who stuck around and watched the world burn or be a part of such distraughtness and panic. you had already been part of a tightly-knitted group. when the sick freaks started attacking the living and actually breathing people, you found yourself in the rare chance where fate actually had your back and you had been heavily supplied with weapons to protect yourself against the undead. you didn’t fully understand how everything went down, and why there were hordes of undead people who were killing others due to not being around when it had all escalated. to say you were freaked out would be an understatement. your first encounter with those horrid beasts had gone like this: you screamed bloody murder as only terror flushed through your veins.

you ran around the zombie for what seemed like an eternity of suffering, dodging the hostile beast hastily and efficiently as you hadn’t been bestowed the confidence of actually killing it just yet. your chest was rising and falling with a quicken pace which wasn’t normal and the longer you ran the more the burning sensation tortured you. the zombie you were put against were disfigured and grotesque looking. it’s skin had completely rotted, grayish toned as parts were only showing the muscles and tendons underneath. it had bloodshot eyes which stared at you with a sense of hunger. you didn’t want to kill the opponent due to them previously being a person. you had high morals, and you weren’t sure that you were ready to let this one go.

the exact moment you almost got bit by the untamed beast was a turning point in your views of taking upon this new adaptation necessary to continue living. you turned around and kicked the undead's kneecap, sending it falling to the floor. you had hastily matured to the stage where you stepped into your big girl shoes and took the zombie down by stomping on its head, crushing it as gushes of red seeped onto the ground. as the lifeless body laid on the floor, you were experiencing a massive surge of emotions. your eyes widened at your crimson red covered boot as you raised your hand into your eye’s view to see how horribly you were shaking. a part of you couldn’t even recognize who you were in that moment. you had gone from a simple florist who was living the calmest life to a “survivor” in the zombie apocalypse. part of you knew that this was the breakthrough that you had been prepping for since you were a kid and that you’d be perfectly fine, and the other side was scared shitless to watch those around you slowly decline in numbers.

everywhere you went, it was a sick reminder that the places you once spent so much time in had become bundles of rubble, destruction caused by the fearful, and post abandonment due to nobody wanting to stay and wait around for a customer who may or may not rip them into bits and pieces. the streets were littered with debris as those who were shitting their pants and bought the necessities within each store had dropped trash along their path. various buildings were in the deep stages of disrepair, some even had incurable holes within them from people losing control over their vehicles and crashing into them. the air that surrounds you was consistently thick with the smell of death and decay, and the seemingly nearby sounds of shuffling footsteps and moaning constantly kept you on your toes.

that was exactly the reason you heard screams coming from within the police station which you and your partner had been trying to get into. the moment those horrified and struggling sounds entered your ears, a sudden alarm went off inside your head that desired for you to start rushing towards the noises that had previously appeared. your body had been completely reacting on it’s own, because you knew better than to just tun absentmindedly towards danger without knowing exactly the situation. however, this felt completely different. it was like you were being pulled to assist with whatever may be going on, and there was nothing you could do to change that.

“where are you going?!” your partner’s annoyed shouting was directed towards you, but you didn’t pay them any spare part of your mind as it had oddly been solely focused on this one particular issue. the siren hadn’t gone off yet, and it only caused for your legs to run faster than they ever had before. your gun laid within your two palms as you scanned the area thoroughly as you traveled through it.

as the grunts got louder and more familiar, you were finally able to make out a person’s figure who was struggling to fend off one of the zombified canines that had roamed through the area. you pointed your pistol at the dog’s throat, and after precisely pulling the trigger with the utmost confidence you watched the canine fall to the ground which gave the man a much needed break. “hey—“ you spoke, and as the man’s head turned towards you, you were sent into complete shock as you recognized that face — that handsome face which had made it quite impossible for you to ever forget.

you pointed at him with your jaw dropped to the floor in disbelief, “leon?!” you shouted in shock, gun facing him as if he was going to pull something but you knew fully well he wouldn’t ever. you were just in a state of denial that he was truly in front of you and hadn’t thought about what exactly your body was doing.

he gestured his finger towards you with the same shocked expression as he also felt a sense of relief that you were still alive. he hadn’t seen you in awhile, and he’d never admit it due to his intense shyness but you were constantly a pressing thought within his mind.“you!?” his body began the motion of standing up in order to properly greet you, but you were already standing at his side. you offer your hand as an option to get up with a lovesick leer that sent a shock through his spine as his entire body began to burn at your admirational look directed solely on him. his parted lips curved into a small grin as he attached his hand to yours and let you assist him in lifting him up off the ground.

“long time no see, leon.” you stated, dusting your figure off as if he would judge you for looking dirty in this type of world. oddly enough, even with the hell that surrounded the two of you, the simple touch of helping him up still sent butterflies swarming within you, or maybe it was the soft, beaming expression which he had on his face as he took in your non-dead appearance. you gulped sharply, rubbing the back of your neck as an anxious tick of yours.

“too long.” he absentmindedly vocalized his inner feelings, which sent your gaze darting to his eyes to find any sign of unfaithfulness within them. even if you truly believe that this man couldn’t and wouldn’t ever lie, there is a defensive side of you which wants to protect your heart the best that it could. that dire fact alone caused such an interrogation on him to be withheld. he seemed to haven't caught what slipped from his lips moments ago as he tilted his head to the side slightly to the side in a confused manner at your silence, mirroring a curiously concerned puppy.

“oh — yes.” you awkwardly nodded your head in agreement to what he stated. even though you're certain he doesn’t know the intimate words which had slipped so easily from his lips. you wanted to keep the conversation going to not cause any unwanted awkward silence which had occurred previously between the two of you at your once maintained floral shop. you didn’t understand why being around him felt so … captivating, because if he wasn’t here you would’ve heard the clatter of heels nearing the two of you. the only reason why you were pulled out of you daze was because you were being nudged behind leon as he had taken a protective step in front of you with his gun raised into the abyss. he was protecting you, even though you two don’t really know each other. it made your heart feel cozy as your gaze softened at his back which had become tensed up at the unknown person who dared to interrupt your reunion.

“tell your guard dog to put down his weapons, ivy.” the womanly toned voice came into the lighting, revealing your partner in crime. she had used your code name which had been given to you shortly after joining. you had confided in your team that you had been a florist before, and they decided to call you ivy due to your invasive ways into people's hearts. they told you it was your secret weapon which could pack a deadly punch whenever you desired to use it.

you groaned in annoyance as leon turned his head around to look at you with a confused glance, which you quickly felt obligated to explain. “sorry about her leon, this is ada. a person who has zero sense of compassion.” you gestured your hand over to your friend who was leaning on one hip while resting her hand on the other. her sunglasses had covered up her entire face, but you could tell she had an unamused expression. her long detective coat had gone past her knees, but it still revealed the long lengthed heeled boots she was wearing. “ada, this is leon.” you introduced the man who was standing right beside you while putting a hand onto his upper arm. he glanced down at the exact spot where your touch connected with his body and let his guard down for a second, before returning his judgemental gaze back onto the mysterious woman in front of him. “ivy is my code name.” you were quick to clear up every misunderstanding which could possibly have collided between their meeting.

ada’s eyes lingered on leon’s facial expression as he had softened up after you had touched him. it intrigued her on the history which could ever possibly result in such a romantic exchange between two individuals. she knew for certain that you didn’t have any capability to withstand a relationship in your life at this point in time, and with whom you are obligated to work for now, ever. she pulled out a FBI card, which you silently snarled at. “i’m FBI, and she’s my bodyguard.” ada smirked while teasing you, hand hovering over her mouth as she let out a soft giggle at your furious face.

leon looked towards you once more, noticing your angered expression. “i’m not her bodyguard, but in a sense i do watch her back because we're supposed to be teammates.” she truthfully exposed their relationship with one another to leon, who she fully trusts without needing to know him for a duration of time. she knew how kind hearted he was, and that was worth more than finding gold these days. he put a supporting hand on her shoulder which had eased the tension within her face. that small detail didn’t go unnoticed by ada either as she unknowingly sent a glare your way. she didn’t understand how you could possibly ever let your guard down for a second while on a mission, especially knowing the consequences of such inconviences.

“FBI … so you know what’s going on here?” leon looked down to you as if you’re the only person in the room, or on a more fair note, the only person he cares about within it. you met his glance and pushed your lips together, eyebrows knitted as you decided which words to reply to him with.

as you opened your mouth to speak, ada cut you off. “that information is in fact classified.” ada’s stern voice spoke for you. now you were fully aware of the fact that she was keeping your words limited to leon as if you were leashed up by her and only able to speak your mind at times where it benefited her. your head turned towards her, once again your face fell. she stormed over to you and grabbed your arm. “we have places to be, and things to see.” she stated, pulling you away from leon’s presence which he didn’t seem to appreciate such an advancement towards you because he, too, grabbed your arm and tugged you backwards.

“she’s not going with you if she doesn’t want to.” leon tested her as his glare hardened onto her, looking past you and into her mist of her sunglasses. he was purposely posing as a challenge to her and this grand back and forth silent fight was all over the topic of whom you were to go with. he, obviously, didn’t want to leave your side since you two had magically rekindled once again and he certainly didn’t want you to go off with his person who would openly degrade you in front of others.

you stood in the middle between them as they continuously went back and forth, slightly tugging your arm in their direction with every exchange. ada’s gaze eventually landed on you, “order your dog to release you.” she demanded, tightening her grip around your arm. the message she was trying to send was as clear as day. leon’s eyebrows knitted together as the watched her hand begin to firmly wrap around your arm. he was more irritated with the fact that her hand were being so incredibly forceful with your delicate skin than him being associated as your guard dog.

“don’t minimize him to a guard dog, ada!” you resided yourself on leon’s side, taking a moment to stand up for him over the disrespectful title ada had bestowed upon him. you ripped your hand from out of her grip, massaging the place where her gloved handprint was tattooed onto your skin. “his name is leon, refer to him as such.” you spoke with great confidence, making sure to her that there is no denying such a simple request from you. she would give him respect, or you would come for her throat as you have … so healthily … done prior to this moment. you look over at leon, mumbling an apology for your partners actions which she so gracefully let you off the hook. his hand was still resting on you arm which you had become unaware of, almost as if him touching you felt natural in a sense.

“fine, leon, we have to go.” ada corrected herself which you were thankful for, but her point that you both had business to attend to still stood. a sudden disappointed feeling flushed through you since you didn’t want to leave leon’s side just yet; however, you knew for the sake of the mission at hand you had to depart at this moment in time. you caught his disapproving gaze, and he made it very obvious that he reciprocated your exact perspective on the idea of splitting up.

“yeah.” you slowly nodded your head in agreement. “we have some business to attend to.” you turned your body fully around to face him, looking into his worriedly eyes that made your heart set aflame within your chest. “leon, you have to get out of this station.” you advised him to depart from this intimidatingly rundown and dim area, knowing all about the horrid beasts that lay in the abyss awaiting to take a chunk out of him.

his oceanic eyes saddened as he looked down at you with a worryful glance, making his true emotions visible to everyone, “but … what about you?” he questioned, voice almost exiting as a whisper. his hands fled to the sides of your face, cupping them gently. the perturbation within him couldn’t be hidden whenever it came to you. he was always made out of glass, and he didn’t find himself ever wanting to keep anything from you either. it was surprising when he realized how close you had come to his heart, and exactly how much you took up from within it. ever since that first glance, he knew that you would torture him for the rest of his days: and you did exactly that. you had a firm grip on him. his entire mind consisted of thoughts of you; and now that you had appeared within his life once more, he wasn’t so willing to let you go and continue those rapid anxieties that begged to know your state.

“don’t worry about me, leon. i’ll be okay.” you softly reassure him of his fret, resting your hands on top of his own in order to return the concern. you let your eyes rest from staring at him for a moment while bathing in whatever warmth that his gloved palms gracefully offered you. he caught your lips curving into a smile, which caused a chain reaction to his own muscles.

“okay,” he finally acknowledged the reality that you both had to separate for the time being, and he knew that you’d come back to him in one piece. the moment you two separated, his hands didn’t leave your face. he never realized how natural it felt to touch you like this before, and even now when he’s simply looking down at you he can still feel the snug sensation piling up within his chest. “i’ll see you soon, yeah?” his voice slips from his lips in a much calmer tone as he had previously which brought you to peace knowing that he’s more at ease.

a dry “yeah.” flooded from your lips as you had suddenly felt a stinging sensation on the back of your neck, as if your own senses were tickling you to warn you about an upcoming event. your eyes drifted away from leon’s figure, and behind ada’s spiteful judgemental expression and into the abyss which exposed itself as a frightening threat to you. a glistening spark rose from the darkness, causing you two hastily twist your body around to face the source which had caused a disturbance in your physical state, gripping onto your gun as you directed it to ada’s head. both pairs of eyes widened in shock at your recent action, not understanding as to why you had a sudden murderous expression on your face. “get down!” you shouted an order to her, and she immediately obliged by ducking her head. the second you knew she was safe from harm's way, a loud burst was echoing throughout the parking garage.

there was a thump which had collided with the cold ground that dragged both of their attentions onto the victim: one of the undead. ada’s mouth had parted in disbelief since she should’ve heard the rotting son of a bitch coming up behind her; however, she was too busy judging you to take care of herself. she was lucky that you had some sort of sixth sense that had protected you and her multiple times. she was trying to control her heavy breaths, putting a hand over her heart to count her heartbeats. “thank you…” she thanked, looking at the grotesque undead body which now had a bullet lodged in its skull and then back to you. leon’s gaze shot back and forth between you and the body on the ground which you had taken out with ease. he’s never seen you in action before, and from that interaction alone he can tell that you’re very quick on your feet. if anything, it taught him to never get on your bad side.

“don’t thank me yet, there’s more!” you directed their attention to the dozen of undead who were closing in on them. leon and ada haven’t ever been so quick to pull out their guns and divert their attention onto a pressing matter before, but in this moment if they lacked in any sort of department it would cost them their life. you supported your aim by resting the pistol you were holding within your other palm, blasting the zombies heads which got increasingly closer to three of you.

“ada, to your left!” leon announced as he turned around to protect your blind spot. it seemed like they were circling the three of you which forced you all to constantly be twisting your heads around to not let a single detail go unmissed. she whipped her figure around, and took down the opponent with a single shot. even with the bickering which had occurred prior to this event, you all seemed to work as a perfect unit together: killing the undead for a second time, watching each other's backs to ensure the others safety, and most importantly the communication had flown out incredibly easily from everyone’s minds. as time went on, the number of walkers had decreased until there were no more but the hunched over and heavily breathing bodies of all three of you who just experienced the workout of their nightmares.

in between huffs, leon’s first instinct was to turn his head in order to take in your appearance. “are — are you okay?” he breathlessly questioned your state, straightening his posture and putting his hands on the sides of his hips to allow more oxygen to flow into his lungs. you nodded your head as your reply, not able to fully respond to him with words at this point in time. the moment he gained enough energy to make his way over to you, he did. he stood beside you and rested a hand on your shoulder, nudging your body to face him. “you're not hurt or anything, are you?”

you obliged to his request, allowing him to scan your body for any injuries; anything to ease his mind of the constant worry he held for you. though, as he ran the tip of his bare fingers down your arm to ensure there weren't any bite marks, you couldn’t help but feel the trail of the skin he delicately touched as if you were a rare porcelain doll collectible begin to smolder. heat prickled into your cheeks due to the pure intimacy within his actions. his eyes were scanning for anything — anything to be concerned about, even something as small as dirt would be considered a personally determined crime if it was laying on your skin. “i’m okay.” you reassured him, putting your hand along his forearm. you could feel the muscles beneath his layer of skin ease its tension which caused a relieving smile to form across your face. somehow, whenever you’re in his presence you always forget that the world is ending around you. it seems as if you’re back in your floral shop, meeting those glimmering icy eyes for the first time again and even if you’ve stared into them plenty of times before they always had the same everlasting effect on you.

the longer ada stared at the two of you, the more details she had come to notice. he seemed to always have a sense of needing to be touching you as if it was his battery source, and you’d always return that gesture. you both always found yourselves standing near one another, to the point where your skins were connecting and neither of you ever noticed that. the way you both looked deeply into one another like they were the only person left on this planet was outstandish to her. she had known everything about you for years now. the moment this random man she hasn’t ever come into contact with or have heard about, you’ve completely changed into someone she cannot recognize. you’ve always been titled a cold person, minus your demeanor within your previous floral shop which you resided in during the downtime of your actual job.

you had been chuckling at a comment which leon made about the irony of finding one another again when you felt someone’s stare onto you as you turned around mid-laugh, your eyes first landed on ada’s complexed expression which had been directed solely at you. then, when a shimmer from behind her appeared within your vision, your eyes quickly expanded. in this moment of realization, everything around you felt slow. you reacted timely by immediately pushing leon out of harms way. as his body connected with the floor, another bang went off within this parking garage. this time, instead of the zombies which still continued to lurk around the area for their next meal, it was you who was being served bullets.

everyone froze as they analyzed the astonished look which resided on your face, slowly everyone’s eyes drifted down to the worsening blood soaked cloth that had a hole through it where the bullet from the sniper rifle had eaten away at. you achingly lifted your hand to touch your wound, pulling it away to know just how much blood you were losing. your face shifted into a horrified one as the threatening amount of blood you were losing finally processed in your mind. your vision started to blur as if it was a flickering light begging to be turned off, in and out you could hear the terrified and panicked voices of your counterparts rushing to your side.

you’d never forget leon’s face when he took in your lifeless figure for the first time. his gaze held so much emotion within them: trauma, fury, realization, and worst of all endearment. it would forever haunt you; a sick reminder that you had done this to him. the way he was so quick to catch your falling figure due to the inability to keep yourself standing would take it’s piece out of your heart. the way he was crying your name and begging you to keep your eyes open for him would fiercely rip you apart like a eager dog with a new chew toy. the way that you couldn’t give him what he so desperately desired, and became a victim whom was slipping into the abyss of her aching need to close her eyes.

[nicoline1998enilocin]

Teachers Universe | Prologue

PAIRING | Teacher!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

WORD COUNT | 1.3K

SUMMARY | You just got out of your marriage to your ex-husband and now you're moving to the other side of the country with your son. Bucky finds out about the fact that he will have a new student in his class, and is excited to completely renovate his classroom.

WARNING(S) | This is your official trigger warning. Do not proceed if any of these topics upset you. Mentions of a messy divorce, swearing.

A/N | This one shot is part of my Teachers Universe AU, but can be read as part of the story, or a standalone one shot! 🖤

Likes and reblogs will be very much appreciated 💜

Main Masterlist | Bucky Barnes Masterlist | AU Masterlist

''I hope you rot in hell, you sick son a bitch!'' is the last thing you say before walking out the door, your divorce is officially finalized now, you're free. And it feels really good, a huge weight has been lifted off your chest and you can finally breathe again. You open the doors of the building and quickly walk away, in the hopes Steve won't follow you. Not that he'd want to, he was practically eye fucking your lawyer during this whole meeting. It wouldn't surprise you if he's got her bent over her desk right now, doing God knows what. You're glad you decided to move to the other side of the country, so you don't have to look at him again. Ever.

You get into your car, and that is where you break. All the tears you've kept in all this time, finally coming out in huge, long sobs, and you know you're not exactly looking pretty right now, but you don't care. Not even a single bit. All of the emotions are coming out and it just feels damn good. After a little while the sobs get softer, and turn into little sniffles, before you stop crying entirely. ''Oh my god, I look like shit…'' you say to yourself when you push down the mirror in your car, seeing your mascara all down your face, your entire make-up ruined now. It's a good thing you always have wipes in your car.

You take off all the make-up you were wearing and decide to go and get yourself an iced coffee before picking Luca up from school. Today is his last day in Sacramento, and tomorrow will be the first day on the road trip with you to New York. All the stuff you need has been packed, you just need to pack it into your car and drive off. Most of the stuff will stay behind, only packing enough clothes for both you and Luca to last yourselves a few weeks, and some sentimental items like photo albums and stuff like that. Everything else is for Steve to figure out what to do with. He can set fire to it for all you care. When you get to the drive-thru of Starbucks, you order your usual iced caramel macchiato and slowly make your way to Luca's school.

When you arrive, you get out of the car and walk towards the playground, to wait in the same spot where you wait every single day. You don't live far from school, but you enjoy the habit of talking to him about his day at school on the way home. ''Hi Mom!'' he says when he runs into your arms, ''Hey bubs, how was your day? Did you get to say goodbye to everyone?'' you ask and he nodded furiously that he did. ''I even got a goodbye present from everyone!'' he says and he wants to pull it out of his bag. ''Let's look at it when we're home okay? We need to get some stuff, and then we'll finally be going to New York,'' you tell him, and he's excited. Steve already said his goodbyes to Luca, but he wasn't happy with it.

Since you got full custody of him - Steve was deemed an unfit parent, he works too much and even though he can financially provide for him, the court has appointed you to be his legal guardian. This was a huge win for you, meaning you didn't have to see Steve anymore. On the drive home, you and Luca talk all about his day, the goodbyes to the class, and his teacher, Ms. Jones. They had a fun day, seeing that it was the last day of the school year, and he was officially on summer break, which was perfect for the road trip you had planned. You had planned to drive to New York and even though you could probably get there in about 3 or 4 days, you planned a week and a half to get there, so the both of you could do some sightseeing and stuff like that on the way.

When you arrive home, both you and Luca are getting all your stuff in the car, and you can see it does more to him than he is showing. ''Are you okay, bubs?'' you ask Luca, and he starts crying, he finds it hard to leave his dad behind. ''I'm gonna miss Dad so much, but I do like that you won't have to fight with him anymore,'' he says through soft sobs, and you grab him in your arms, his cheek flush to your belly when you hug him and softly sway back and forth to calm him down. ''I know it's hard and I know you will miss him, but it is better this way, for all three of us. But you can make new friends when we're in New York, and we will start our new life together,'' you tell him. He calms down when you offer to get him ice cream after dinner today. ''We will start driving to New York now, but for dinner, you can pick where we eat and have ice cream for dessert!'' you tell him, grabbing his face in your hands. ''Okay, Mom! I love you so much!'' he says and you kiss him on his forehead. ''I love you more, bubs,'' is all you say before getting in the car, and leaving your former life behind.

~ Meanwhile in New York ~

''Bucky, can we talk for a minute?'' Natasha asks when all the kids have gone home, their summer vacation has officially started now. ''Of course, something wrong?'' he said and turned his office chair around, facing her. He was finishing cleaning up his desk and seeing what stuff he would need for next year, and what he could throw away at this point. ''I just got informed that you will have an extra student in your class, Luca Y/L/N. He is transferring here from Sacramento since he is moving here during summer vacation. I don't know much about him, all I know is that because of this, he will start one week later,'' she says, and Bucky nods slowly. ''Okay, so I will have 28 students next year?'' he asks, and she confirms it. ''Thanks for letting me know, Nat,'' he says before she walks back to her office.

''Well, let's get this classroom ready for some new students in a few months!'' he said to himself, he is planning to entirely switch his classroom around, from the placement of his desk and the tables, all the way to the decor on the walls and everything in between. It has looked the same for a few years now, but he wanted to change it up this year. Something he has always liked is space, so everything will be space-themed next year. Right now, all he has to do is take the old decorations off and throw them away. ''Time for a fresh start,'' he huffs to himself when he takes the last corkboard off the wall, looking around the bare walls of his classroom. ''Can't wait to see what the next school year will bring,'' and with that, he turned off the lights in the room, ready to be decorated in a week or 2, after he enjoyed a well-deserved vacation to Mexico with Sam.

''So, you seeing anyone at the moment, Barnes?'' Sam asks when the both of them sit in a lounge chair by the pool, just relaxing for a bit. ''You know damn well I'm not interested in dating someone, Sam. I'm not ready, my ex messed me up and I'm done dating anyone for a long time,'' he says with a scowl on his face. ''Yeah yeah I know, I was just kidding!'' he says when he sees Bucky's face. Deep down, Sam hopes he will see his best friend happy with another woman, and start the family he always wanted. ''Who knows, maybe someone will walk into your life soon, and you will completely change your mind,'' he tried again, but the glare Bucky sent him was enough for him to drop the conversation with his hands in the air, ''I'm sorry!'' he chuckled lightly before talking about something else.

[scribblestatic]

Ding Ding Ding new COTL sads for the masses

I've been up all night with a migraine so it's time to make it y'all's problem by writing some angst I thought up.

I call this shit the Forsaken AU, because why not.

I may go into summary-drabble partway through this, but I'll probably fix it up or something when my brain stops trying to kill me via headache.

(Note: I wrote this stuff several hours ago. Finally went to sleep, so now I am Rested. Also, omg hit tweet. I'm glad y'all like the soft fluff! It's very good and I'm glad I thought of it and shared it so we could gush over the idea as a collective!

Time to show you sadness now uwu)

Warning for canon-typical violence.

-- -- --

The Lamb has done their duty. They have gathered an entire flock of followers, just for The One Who Waits. 30 souls—some found and indoctrinated, some born into the cult—all caged and waiting as the Lamb stands before their god. The One Who Waits grins down at their most successful vessel, freedom on the tip of his tongue.

And the Lamb, ever devoted, goes down on their knees without hesitation.

They take the crown off their head and look down at it solemnly. Of course the little one has grown attached to the power, Narinder thinks. He wonders, briefly, if he will have to wrestle the crown that is rightfully his back from the creature he only temporarily loaned it to.

But no.

After a few brief tears, and even thanks to the crown, the lamb lifts their hooved hands to their god, willingly relinquishing the crown's power back to its owner. Narinder can't help but smile. Now, the most successful vessel has become the nearly perfect one.

Narinder lifts the crown back onto his own head and feels its energy flow into his body. The already rotted chains fall away with a clattering shatter, and the cuffs that rubbed his skin raw fall to the ground with loud clunks.

The One Who Waits feels it all: the devotion, the power, the energy that flows through him once again. It has been so long since he felt so powerful. And now, without his wretched siblings in the way, he can truly enjoy the full extent of his godhood.

Yet, at the same time, he feels resentment.

Anger.

Because, for as much as the Lamb preached to the cult about his righteousness, about his return, the devotion he feels comes attached to the Lamb. The Lamb slayed not a single follower they indoctrinated. When food became scarce, they granted all the ability to enjoy the grass like they could—not that they needed to eat any longer anyway. Instead of fasting, they called for feasting. Instead of taking gold, they had rituals in which they gave it freely.

Even if it ran the Lamb ragged to provide everything the followers desired, they did so with the smile of a fool on their face. They decorated the crypts and mausoleums with camellias and candles, curtains and statues. They allowed their followers to indulge in drink and sex, spending time raising their offspring while the parents themselves worked to provide for the cult.

It was all soft. All unrestrained kindness. All sugar on which the followers glutted themselves until their teeth rotted. And now, the cult worships death with a face of fleece, not fur.

Moreover, his siblings. Not that he ever wanted even the slightest bit of mercy for those treacherous heathens. The Lamb slayed them in his name, and they got exactly what they deserved.

But Narinder could not slay them himself. He couldn't be the one to truly rend their hearts from their flesh. Although he was the one to land the first blows on them, he was not the one to land the last. And that bothers him immensely.

These two sins the Lamb has committed against him. And for these two sins, Narinder shall use them as an example.

The Lamb floats into the air with Narinder's restored power. They have their hooves laced, palms touching in what Narinder can now hear and see as prayer. Hopeful, tearful eyes gaze up at him, much like they had each time the Lamb died and each time they went back to continue their crusade.

Having seen each other so often, the Lamb must notice something in his expression. Their gaze shifts from hope to wariness, glancing between his three eyes.

A wide smile spreads on Narinder's face.

"You've done me a great service. You've fulfilled the prophecy that has called for my return. For that, one could praise you for doing as expected..."

His hand curve, squeezing on air as the Lamb's limbs begin pushing in closer under the pressure. They look around worriedly, like they can't understand.

"...But. You coveted what was not yours, little lamb. I saw what was in your heart, in your mind. You wished for more than you were to be given. You wanted not your due position, but to take my own."

The Lamb quickly gazes at him, eyes wide with shock. They try to speak, but their voice cuts off with a gurgle. Narinder doesn't want to hear anything the Lamb has to say. He knows what was true and what isn't. Tears build up in the Lamb's eyes once more as their head slides to the side just slightly, enough loosening to prevent them from speaking.

"For that, my sacrifice, you must suffer."

And suffer, he makes sure.

The Lamb's mouth opens in a silent scream, unable to bleat, as their arms and legs begin twisting, snapping, as Narinder pleases. He revels in the horrified gasps and cries from the caged followers as they watch the lamb's body contort and break, red blood falling from their body and onto the pale ground below. They choke deeper as their head slips further, tears turning pink with blood.

And, with a final crack, a final squelch, Narinder drops the Lamb's body in a wretched heap. Their head, once loosely attached to their neck, rolls away, stopping on its side.

Narinder takes a moment to stand there, looking down at the result of his anger. And oh, it was such a small bit of reprieve, but it would have to do. Once he was back out in the world, he could do so much more.

He steps forward then, raised to his full height, and he walks over the lamb's body.

"You all have faithfully worshiped Death. I am Death. If you remain faithful to me and not the false prophet which brought you here, I can assure you—thou shalt live under my protection. What say you?"

He gazes to the left, then to the right, quietly waiting.

Eventually, one of the followers, a fox, shakily bends down onto their knees and bows to him. He wears more ornate clothing than some of the others, so he is clearly an important figure. With the fox's supplication, the others stiltedly follow, until all 30 of the followers bow before him.

He feels the devotion to the crown shift, becoming thicker and rugged. Rough, indeed, but it is devotion to him, and not to the fuzzy usurper broken below him.

With a smile, he snaps his fingers, releasing them from their cages. They disappear from Limbo, the cage that held him for hundreds of years. Now, the only thing that will be left would be the corpse of a traitorous martyr.

Aym and Baal stand in awe of him, finally witnessing the true extent of his powers after having grown at his side for so long. As they follow him out of the place they too had known for so long, they do not spare a second glance at the ruined corpse. Eager to stretch their legs, they leave the space together, where only a pathetic lamb's body remains.

And that was exactly how Narinder intended it to be from the very start.

--- ---

The world outside was...incredibly vibrant.

Although Narinder had seen it all through the crown, it was quite different experiencing it. The grass felt strange against his fur, arms once again covered under flesh, though the markings from the cuffs would perhaps forever scar him. The stars twinkle brightly at night, creating kaleidoscope colors across the sky. Sand feels terrible between his toes, but he would stand in it for hours if it meant catching the delicious fish that hid within the depths of the salty water near it.

Nature was all-encompassing. Full of life that he could, in theory, make eternal. But everything was so teeming with it, at times, it could become overwhelming.

It didn't help that, despite having his grandiose form, he changed into something smaller—still larger than his closest disciples, but certainly not as towering as he was just a bit before. He temporarily feared that the crown was not in its best shape, his powers altered irrevocably by whatever strangeness the Lamb polluted it with. However, he could still feel the devotion from his followers, shaken, but constant.

The Lamb had, indeed, prepared the "flock" for their death. They made it clear that they were to die for the sake of Death's resurgence to the mortal realm. Perhaps he could've toned down the Lamb's punishment if they were all so attached to them...hah.

Not at all. The Lamb was treacherous and deserved what they received in return. It just startled the congregation, that was all, and their wavering and fear caused him to perhaps unconsciously attempt to assuage their worries. After all, their lives were his do do with as he pleased, but he knew that there was meaning and purpose in having a cult. Their belief and dedication to him was his power. So, he needed to cement it.

Narinder spent the next few hundred years doing just that—undoing all the hogwash nonsense that the Lamb instilled into them and replacing it with what he knew was right.

And goodness, wasn't that an entire chore? You change the rituals around a little bit, and despite being their god, they have it up in their heads to dissent! Oh boy, do they love to dissent! Over the smallest things, even!

You don't go get some measly flowers from the Darkwood for some rabbit to decorate her hut in remembrance of some sibling of hers? Suddenly, she's whispering about how he's the false god and the Lamb had been fooled!

You change the feasting ritual to fasting, and the next thing you know, seven followers are destroying buildings around the cult and cursing your name as though you couldn't kill them! And him forbid you actually do, then the entire cult has the audacity to threaten to disperse!

And they can't seem to do a damn thing for themselves either.

"My Lord, the stone mine has run out of stone. What else should I do for you?"

Find another mine. Shouldn't that be obvious?

"My Lord, we did not put any more fertilizer on the plants because we did not find any."

Then make fertilizer, fool.

"My Lord, I would like to eat a bowl of poop. Would you make it for me?"

Wh... Do I look like a personal chef to you?! And what the hell is wrong with you? Why would you even ask for that?!

Even after decades of teaching them the new rituals and practices around the cult, their demands were never-ending. They never understood that he was their god, and their lives were his to do with as he wished...

...At the same time, he would not have the same power he does without them.

Their belief and devotion fed his energy and ensured it never ran dry. Such was the curse of a god's existence—they were nothing powerful without their followers.

The previous 30 had since lowered over the years, dropping to a more reasonable 14. All were descendants of the Lamb's "flock," save for one that Narinder saw fit to resurrect as he pleased and needed.

The fox, Maon, who had bowed to him first upon his release.

Narinder had laughed about it many, many years back. To think! The first to bow to his power was the Lamb's husband of all things! He watched his spouse die in terrible fashion, and immediately bowed to the one who did it! Hilarious!

Narinder had praised him upon finding out, saying that he really was as wise and crafty as his species were known to be.

From the broken look on the fox's face, he hadn't taken his words as a compliment, but thanked his god for them all the same.

Through ups and downs, Maon served him well. Although not to the same level as his enforcers, Aym and Baal, he was efficient at his job, helping maintain order in the cult. The first generation, the one who knew the Lamb, called him a traitor, which carried over into the second generation as well. By the sixth generation, he was merely one who witnessed the great sacrifice that led to Death's release.

Maon's emotional state also shifted with time. He grew apathetic toward mentions of the Lamb and no longer seemed bothered when Narinder ribbed him about betraying the one he married. Eventually, he also took off the ring the Lamb gave him, his hands now bare.

He once considered that Maon would attempt to betray him, especially when three of the followers went missing under his watchful eye. But it came to nothing in the end, and the loyalty and devotion he felt coming from Maon was trumped only by Aym and Baal.

Old fox as he was now, he wore pale robes, living his remaining years until his next resurrection. That was, if Narinder decided it would be worth doing so.

While the fox helped keep things in order, the blood of the cult was growing stagnant. He did not rely on incestuous practices to keep a steady flow of new followers, but one could only pair the increasingly smaller amount of them so many times before you risk disease. Several of the remaining 14, save for Maon, were siblings or cousins. In some cases, Maon was somewhere in their bloodline.

Though he was loathe to admit it, traveling to the old lands of his "dearly" departed siblings would likely be necessary to spark new, positive change in the cult. However, going to the lands of the Old Faith would likely trigger an encounter with that loathsome seller.

After he had calmed his cult and reinstated his position of power, he had tried going to the old lands to acquire more resources, only for the Mystic Seller to appear before him. Back then, it spoke in that strange language he could not decipher before referring to him.

"I seek the god restored to his throne, the final of the five, forsaker of his chosen vessel. Confer with me."

Narinder growled at the titles forced upon him, but became even more enraged when the stranger had the audacity to demand he release his siblings from their torment. He knew very well that the Lamb did not have the full authority of the God of Death when they slayed them. No, that was Narinder's domain. And he refused to let their souls rest, forcing them to stay in a limbo so similar to the one they forced him into.

Release them? Absolutely not! They would suffer the consequences of their actions until he saw fit!

So, he sent his followers out to gather what the cult needed, with them returning with varying success. Food? Fine. Supplies, Occasionally successful. Yet, for some reason, even when he sent one of his most faithful as a missionary to any of his siblings' lands, they failed to return alive, if at all.

It had to be done by himself. It would be necessary for him to go to the land of the Old Faith and find new followers to indoctrinate. He would, at most, allow their numbers to swell to 20, but no more than that. Having made his decision, he left Aym and Baal to watch over the cult as he went to enter its gates.

For some reason, they gates to their realms were closed, unlike before. He began to read the inscriptions etched into them as he felt a shift in the energy near him.

As expected, the Mystic Seller appeared, eyes narrowed at him.

"We meet again, God of Death. How do you fare, neglecting your duties?"

Narinder sneered at the merchant. "I've neglected nothing of import. Their continued existence just happens to be a minor inconvenience. I've seen fit to relieve them of it."

"Is that so?" The Mystic Seller seemed strangely blasé despite how insistent it had been decades before. "You still think yourself of such importance despite your artless negligence. All you desire is to maintain your small circle of influence."

"Death's influence is not small," Narinder hissed, transcribing the text in the door and not liking what he was reading. "Perhaps you've forgotten that, lifeless as you are."

"Death's influence includes rest, which you have denied them. But in your absence, it only makes sense for someone else to fill the void."

The God of Death paused, then turned toward it.

"What do you mean by that? I am the one and only Ruler of the Red Crown."

The seller floated behind him, almost seeming to pace.

"I have dealt with Gods, and often pondered; does the Bearer wear the Crown, or the Crown the Bearer? In these last centuries, witnessing the wavering flow of the ether of this realm, I believe a conclusion has revealed itself. Its answer was novel."

"You speak without saying anything. Leave me be."

"...A fool once sought knowledge, and knowledge he obtained. Now the knowing one returns to foolishness willingly. But tell this merchant—was it not his pursuit of wisdom that made him so dangerous?"

Irritated by its continued bothering, Narinder whipped around, prepared to tell the Mystic Seller to leave again. However, it had already left, the cavern behind him empty save for the elements of the entrance. The statue of the red crown glowed with an eerie, never-ending light.

"...Hmmh."

Whatever. He would figure things out himself.

But first, he had to go back to the cult and find a suitable sacrifice. The door to Darkwood would not open without one.

[quicktimeeventfull]

Animal Games: A Lawlight Gone Girl AU (Part One) 1.8k words Read here or on AO3 L has moved his lovely, vile, and entirely batshit husband out of their beautiful Brooklyn brownstone into a Missouri suburb, then left him to his own devices. He is under the impression that this is going to end well. Thank you so much to @lightyaoigami for doing so much research and providing so much fascinating insight into New York and also America more broadly. Also thank you for being so encouraging about this!!

There was something deeply wrong with my husband.

I wasn’t sure precisely what it was. Or, rather, I knew exactly what it was, but it was difficult to explain to anyone else why it was a problem.

The issue was this: Light had become nice.

I know this sounds cruel. I know it sounds uncharitable. But Light is not a nice person. I didn’t marry him because I wanted someone nice — I married him because he was brilliant, scintillating, and occasionally vile. I liked the sealed locket quality of him. To the rest of the world, he was a pleasant and pretty thing, always smiling, always kind, practically kissing babies as he walked down the street.

But I knew what was inside. Something rotting. Something sharp and violent, something foul and real. I loved that. I could open him up any time and look.

He was like any animal, I suppose. Pleasant on the outside, bone and guts within. Meat you wouldn’t want to sink your hands into.

But I did. I was the only one allowed.

Figuratively. Of course. Let me be clear.

---

But anyway, returning to the point. I’d dragged him out of our lovely Brooklyn home for — and, oh, he hated this — a job I’d gotten in Missouri. This was the only logical course of action. He wrote quizzes, you see. It was a job you could do anywhere. This had all been cleared by his editors.

He didn’t even like the job. He complained about it all the time. He said it was beneath him, and he was right. I thought, stupidly, selfishly, that this might even be a good opportunity for him. He’d get away from our little shoebox apartment where he spent all day tucked up against the window, simmering as he scribbled down his little quizzes about what sorts of fruit best suited your personality and how your sex life was going. (Just fine, thanks.) I thought he might reconsider, and find something more suited to his person.

Mine was as a journalist. It was a proper job. Again, not polite to say, but true. It would pay the bills, and his would not. The circumstances left us with no other options. I thought he understood this.

Stupid. Absolutely idiotic. To treat him like a houseplant which could simply be picked up and moved to an equivalently sunny window, irrespective of the view; to believe him when he said it was just fine of course, don’t worry about me. The day we arrived at our brand-new home, I’d gestured him inside, moronically happy with this two-story building with its attached garage and its little dirt plot meant for flowers, unfilled.

I’d grown up in a series of foster homes, shifted around according to the unknowable whims of the state adoption system, and a clever little New York apartment simply didn’t have any appeal for me. I’d wanted something rooted. Ugly, if it needed to be; gauche was fine. Gauche was better, in fact. I just wanted it to be stuck very firmly in the ground, immobile, permanent. This was, I knew, contradictory to the person he liked me to be, but so it had to be — I couldn’t spend all my time darting around, catering to the concept of me he’d built up in my head. That clever and ethereal figure, a series of intricate moving parts instead of someone fundamentally boring and prone to both fits of childish, sulking collapse and long periods of mind-numbing depression. Where I’d failed was I thought he felt the same way. I thought he was also exhausted by all the movement and all the performance.

I’d looked over at him, very pleased with myself for fetching us this lovely place, and I’d seen his lip curled, his face twisted with what was unmistakably revulsion.

“You saw the pictures,” I’d said, irritated. “We looked at them together.”

“Oh,” he said, his voice sharp and high. It was the voice he used with strangers he particularly hated, sweet and bubble-gum bright. They never saw through it. He’d never used it with me. “Did we? Was that together? When I was peeking over your shoulder while you flicked through pictures on your tiny laptop?”

“Yes.” I was getting mad, now. It really had been. He was making it sound like he was just waltzing around in the back of the room while I looked at whatever I wanted to look at. In reality, he’d sat down right next to me with his head on my shoulder and his arm curled around my waist. He’d sat in my lap, at one point. He’d said all of his opinions. I thought we were having a nice time. And yes, this was more of a compromise for him than it was for me, but he’d still picked.

He was ruining the moment, I thought. This was what I’d always wanted, all of my life, and he was ruining it.

“Well, that’s just fine, then,” he said. “If I saw the pictures.” Then he walked away from me, his step quick, right into our brand new home. Without me. He didn’t look back. ---

So there is was. I had broken something — something in him, and something between us. I knew this, but I hadn’t yet grasped the extent of it.

I thought that whatever it was would be manageable. No, it was worse than that — I’d thought that I wouldn’t have to manage it. We could unpack the van and wash the dishes together and everything would be just as it was. Maybe we wouldn’t have to mention it at all. He would come to understand that this was what we were meant for. Our house in Missouri. Our flower plot. Children, someday, maybe, if the circumstances were right.

Our New York life had been nothing but a series of ephemeral things. The brownstone back in Cobble Hill, which we could afford only through the grace of my grandfather’s generosity; the friends we’d make then inevitably lose when they moved to less expensive cities; our paychecks spilt into the fleeting treasures you cherish when the future costs too much to buy, coffees with macadamia milk and shirts bought outside of the clearance rack; and his hand, pulling me half-drunk and half-starved and laughing from the pretty little wine bars he was so fond of, pulling me into the streetlights, the snow drifting around us, lit golden, melting on his eyelashes, which were now golden too, a Midas touch of a boy, his lips scarcely a breath from mine and hovering in the space between a desire and a kiss; those lips twisting upwards, carrying a smile cruel and adoring in turns, the barest hint of teeth behind them, my lovely violent animal — all those things were childish playthings to be cast away.

This was it. This was what we’d been working towards. I thought we were on the same page. The circumstances of our lives, I believed, were secondary to the union of us.

I had assumed that I was enough. ---

The night before our anniversary, which is to say the night before my he went missing, my husband slipped into our bed.

For months now he’d been sleeping on the far edge of our mattress, our covers shared but his pillows pulled so far away from mine that it would have been strange for me to draw close. This was the bargain that had been made for me — my cruel little husband had become kind, but he did not touch me. He spoke to me, but only barely. There was sweetness in it, but no warmth.

But tonight he curled beside me, the heat of his body so familiar and so long absent. He pulled my arms apart and crawled inside.

My husband smiled up at me. Gentle, harmless. He smelt like mint toothpaste and the fig soap I’d purchased for him at a fancy little boutique on my way home from work. It hadn’t been a New York fancy boutique, but it had been nice enough. There had been knitting and posters on the wall advertising hot yoga. He’d told me he’d liked it, his voice like sugar, but it had disappeared from the bathroom after that. I’d assumed he’d thrown it out, but apparently he’d stashed it somewhere in the house. This did not seem significant to me.

I reached to touch his hair, then pulled away. It had been so long since he’d let me. It felt like a dream. I was afraid of disturbing it by moving too quick towards what I wanted.

He took my hand. “Don’t be silly,” he said. Strange words, from this new and sweeter version of himself, but there was enough of that old grit in it that my breath caught. He cupped my hand around his jaw, the way he’d once liked me to touch him, then arched upwards and kissed me.

It was not chaste, but it was quick. I’d hardly slipped my hands around his waist before he pulled away. I thought he might leave altogether, but instead he pressed his body closer.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know I’ve been strange. Look. I understand, now, why we had to leave. I miss our old life, but this isn’t so awful.” He put his hand on mine, very lightly. The two of us lay there with our fingers hovering above the bone of his hip. I was having quite a bit of trouble keeping my breath even. “You know what’s important? It’s you. It’s that I have you.”

“Oh —“ I had wanted to hear that for a long time. A beat too late, I remembered what I was supposed to say in return. “And I have you. Of course.”

His eyes scanned across my face. He was looking for something, I thought, but I wasn’t sure what. After a moment he smiled again and kissed me one more time. “Things will be different now,” he said. “You’ll want to watch what happens next.”

It was a strange way to phrase what I assumed to be a promise of better things to come, but I wanted it so badly that I pretended it wasn’t. It was unlike me to push the truth of things aside, but I did it anyway; Light had always made me stupid in the moments I most needed to be otherwise.

He burrowed into my chest, and so I supposed the conversation was over. It was so nice to hold him. I kissed the top of his head and he laid his cheek against my collarbone. I cradled him like that until his breathing slowed and shallowed with sleep and then, idiotic with the thought of him, I simply looked, feeling the heat of his body against mine, allowing it to soothe the creeping horror I could not name, the way livestock curls against the farmer’s hand. [Continue to part two]