#then they shoot beetles together

[thelaithlyworm]

ships ask meme: a ning/wu xie?

[asonofpeter]

Insanity

Pairing: Jaime Reyes x F!Reader

Summary: Your lack of sleep makes it seem like you're going insane, then again, your boyfriend has an alien inside of him...maybe insanity makes sense.

Warnings: reader has emotional distress, description of skin and flesh? mentions of sleep deprivation and male genitals, SPOILERS FOR BLUE BEETLE! there's also some light SMUT but it will be labeled by 🦋 so you can skip if you want and must be 18+ to read!

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Second part? Umm hell yeah! I gotta go see this movie again cause I wanna see Jaime wink wink. Thank you for all of those who reblogged the last part! If the smut confuses you, be aware that I'm a whore and my page mainly consists of smut. Please make sure you're 18+ when reading and enjoy! 💕💕💕

I don't consent to my work being copied, reposted, or translated.

“Where could he have possibly gone?!” you ran your fingers over your hair, tears streaming down your face as Miliagro tried to comfort you. “What the hell was that thing?” you shook your head, dumbfounded.

You had been standing, staring up at the hole in the ceiling for the last few minutes, completely dumbfounded that your boyfriend was somewhere up there. You were in hysterics compared to the rest of the family.

“Amá is calling the police, I’m sure we’ll find him,” she rubbed your shoulder, tears streaming down her face too.

A few moments later, your heart rate spiked up the moment a loud crash was heard in the dining room, the already collapsed table now housing your fainted boyfriend who was completely naked.

“Oh my god,” you gasped, hand over your mouth as you ran over to aid him but he awoke abruptly, incoherent words escaping his lips. About to stop him from moving to prevent any injury, you felt your face heat up when he stood up.

“His huevitos!” Rudy shouted, the rest of the family’s breaths hitching before Rocio and Nana started reminiscing about Jaime’s childhood. 

You stepped forward, trying to give Jaime some concealment but he pushed passed you, entirely dazed until he crashed on the couch.

“Ten, tapaló,” Rocio handed you a blanket and you quickly covered him. That’s when you all realized what was on his back. 

“That is the grossest thing I’ve ever seen,” Millie gagged beside you and you frowned at the sight of the bug fused into his back.

~

You sat at Jaime’s head on the couch, Nana waving the vapor rub in front of his nose. You combed your fingers through his hair, the smell, and your touch slowly coaxing him awake. 

His eyes opened, body jolting in shock to see all of you sitting around him. “Where?” his brows were furrowed and he stared down at himself, realization growing on him and being confirmed by a peek under the blanket. “Oh god,” he gaped, shooting up from the couch and keeping the blanket wrapped around him.

“Jaime, wait,” everyone called out, following him but he shrugged everyone off, going into his room.

“Follow him and tell him,” Millie pushed you forward and you got the message as you managed to slide into his room before he slammed the door shut.

“Jaime,” you called out, a smile forming on your face when you saw his bare ass, unable to help yourself. “You need to know something,” you wrung your fingers together, staring at the glowing blue fusion on his back. 

“Hang on, Y/N, I can explain everything. It’s all fine, this is all normal,” he struggled to put clothes on, mainly muttering to himself. “It’s all good,” he laughed, shirt in his hand as he walked over to you, a humorless laugh escaping him as he grabbed your shoulders. “I missed you,” he inhaled before leaning in and kissing you.

You were taken aback by the sudden gesture, but welcomed it nonetheless when you recalled how worried you’ve been about him. 

“Jaime,” you said when he pulled away, licking your lips as you opened your mouth to continue. “Look in the mirror,” you exhaled just as he pulled his shirt over his head.

He paused, doing as you said, his eyes widening when he got a look before a scream left his mouth.

“Just breathe, okay?” you hurried towards him before he panicked even more. “We’re gonna find a way to fix this, okay?” you grabbed his shoulders and he seemed to calm down a bit before you engulfed him in a hug.

“We’re gonna fix it,” he repeated, arms slowly wrapping around you. “I need to find Jenny”.

~

“That’s Cesar to you!” Rudy shouted at Jenny after she became the reason the Taco was ruined. 

You were all sat around the table after Jaime had driven off to go find Jenny to explain everything. You weren’t too pleased he left so suddenly, worry still raking through you from the day’s earlier event. You kept your anger under wraps, thankful to Rudy for laying it on them. 

A few moments later after hearing Rudy cry about the damage done to his truck, he came back in, fury still bubbling in his words. 

“I can’t believe you did that to my truck, after everything,” he cried. “This is all your fault,” he pointed at Jenny. “First, you put a bug inside my nephew and now my truck?!” he screamed, shaking his head.

“Wait, what’s he talking about?” Jenny darted her gaze around the table and Jaime sighed. 

“He means this,” he said, turning around and pulling his shirt over his head so she could see the blue and purple bug glowing along his spine, his flesh pink in the areas it fused to the creature.

“Oh my god,” the family shouted, Milagro gaging at the sight. You on the other hand had grown a quick immunity to the sight, your face straight as you stared at it.

“I’ve seen worse,” you and Rudy said at the same time and you shared a glance for a second before Millie butted in.

“Where?” she furrowed her brows. 

“You don’t want to know,” you said at the same time again, your gaze narrowing at him.

“What the hell is this thing?” Jaime pulled his shirt back down, leaning over the table between you and Jenny.

“It’s a scarab, given to my dad when I was a kid. It’s some type of world-destroying weapon,”  she shrugged, the sight of defeat written across her face aware that this news was not one taken well by the family.

“Great,” Jaime inhaled deeply, hands running through his hair as he walked into the kitchen.

“So did you know this was going to happen when you handed it to my brother?” Millie asked, shooting daggers at Jenny. 

“No! I swear I didn’t. The scarab isn’t activated by any person, it chooses you,” Jenny elaborated. “So that means it chose you,” she turned to Jaime, a look of disbelief on his face.

You were sitting silently beside everyone, arms crossed over your chest as you took in the information you were given. Emotions trickled through you, you were sure you’d experienced all of them at least once today, but hearing the words come out of her mouth, you couldn’t help but crack your stoic face and double over in laughter.

“That is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, you’re joking,” you managed between laughs, the family sparing glances at each other and Jaime placed a hand on your shoulder to check on you.

“Ignore her, she hasn’t slept since yesterday. Night shift,” Millie excused you.

“Are you sure she didn’t get the alien inside her? Seems like she’s going insane,” Rudy butted in, twirling his finger by his temple to say “cookoo”. 

“Ay, Rudy,” Rocio waved him off. “As you can see she’s a little out of it from the lack of sleep”.

At her statement, the laughing stopped and you straightened up, composing yourself with a clearing of your throat.

“I’m not out of it,” you defended. You were sure you slept a good hour this morning. “I’m just finding it a little hard to believe that there’s an alien inside my boyfriend’s body, bonding to him as we speak,” you exhaled. “It’s insane!”

“It’s okay,” Jaime reassured, his other hand coming up to massage your shoulder. “You said it chose me, so how do we make it unchose me?” he asked, turning back to Jenny who had a look of softness cross over her eyes as she stared at you two.

“I’m not sure. But if I can get access to the proper technology, we can figure out a way,” she claimed. “I just need a key. It’s located at Kord Industries though,” she said, face falling. 

“I have a way in,” Rudy said. “Come on, cabezon, we’re gonna get that thing outta you,” he pointed. 

“Okay, Jenny, Rudy, and I will go. You guys stay here,” Jaime said, mainly looking at you.

“Are you crazy? I’m going with you,” you shook your head, standing up to meet him.

“Y/N, you haven’t slept since yesterday. You should sleep,” he cupped your face.

“I’m not tired,” you pulled away from him. “You’re insane if you think I’m letting you go out on this without me,” you argued. “I don’t want to miss this,” you frowned. “You have god-knows-what inside you, I should be there,” you reaffirmed, glancing at the floor.

“She’s right, mijo,” Alberto sided with you and Jaime let out a defeated sigh. 

“Okay, let’s go,” he agreed.

~

The former Kord Estate was a magnificent abandoned haven. The secret passageway entering Jenny’s dad’s lab was insane and other-worldly. Nothing about this day made sense and you only hoped there was a cure so you could get on with your lives. 

After Jaime decided a better fit of clothes would be preferred, you followed him and Jenny upstairs. You were both shown into an empty bedroom, presumably a spare one seeing as it had no personal touches added to it. 

You were staring out the window while Jaime was in the bathroom when Jenny came back with a blue tracksuit be she left, a kind smile on her face as she departed. The door shut behind her as Jaime walked from the bathroom.

“I have accelerated healing,” he brushed his fingers over his cheek and you sent him a puzzled look. “Look,” he walked closer to you to show you his perfectly unbroken skin that was red and cut only a few moments ago.

“Hmm,” you hummed. “This is still too insane to believe,” you pressed a hand to your forehead, shaking out a laugh and your boyfriend smiled before pulling you in for a hug. “Does it hurt?” you asked, referring to the scarab.

“Not really,” he shrugged before he pulled off the muscle tee, leaving him shirtless in front of you. “It looks bad, but to be honest, it feels,” he paused for a second. “Normal”.

“That’s something then,” you wrung your fingers together, trying to sound as supportive as you could.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, alright? We’re going to get it out of me,” he rubbed your arms reassuringly and you sighed. “I love you, you know that?” he rubbed his thumb along your cheek and you nodded. 

“I love you too,” you recited. “It’s weird,” you added, glancing around the room. “The silence,” you tilted your head, able to hear nothing. “I’m now realizing I haven’t had a moment alone with you since you got back,” you chewed on your lip, cheeks heating up.

“I mean, we’re alone right now,” he suggested, a knowing look washing over his face.

“I want to savor it,” you nodded, staring into his beautiful brown eyes.

“You can do whatever you want, mi amor,” he traced patterns on your hip with his thumb. 

“I really do need the distraction,” you licked your lips, gaze falling to his lips. 

“Same here,” he swallowed. 

“I think we have time,” you added, hands coming up to wrap around his neck softly. 

“We definitely do,” he agreed, one of his hands sliding underneath your shirt. 

🦋

With that, you both leaned in, pressing your lips together in a soft gentle kiss, one filled with desperation but screamed all the reassurance you both needed.

You ran your fingers through his hair, his hand squeezing your hip as he pulled you closer.

Living with five other people in a small house wasn’t as fun as it usually was. You shared a room with your boyfriend’s sister, your boyfriend was in another city for four years previously, and now that he was back, your schedules never coincided with your night shift. To keep things quick, you and your boyfriend rarely have sex.

His hands ran over your back, one hand finding its place on your waist while the other snaked up to cup your jaw. Your moans vibrated against each other as you pressed your bodies together, closer than before.

You pulled away, guiding Jaime to sit on the closest chair before you straddled his lap. Your kiss resumed as his hands glided over your ass and under your thighs while you threaded your fingers through his hair, tugging on his curls. 

He made a move to take off your shirt and you followed through, leaving you in your bra until you got up quickly to shimmy your sweatpants off. 

“Fuck,” Jaime threw his head against the chair, frustration laced in his tone. 

“What?” you frowned, pausing in your movements. “Did you?” you led on, gaze dropping to his crotch. “It’s okay if-,” you shrugged, disappointment in your voice but his eyes shot open. 

“No! Not that,” his cheeks tinted with pink. “We don’t have a condom,” he explained, and you tilted your head up in realization. 

“Oh,” you said. “Well shit,” you exhaled. “So much for a distraction,” you bent down to pull your pants back up before you sat back in his lap, head resting against his shoulder. 

“Soon, baby, soon,” he mumbled into your hair as he placed a kiss.

🦋

You smiled, reaching up for a kiss before a knock on the door was interrupted. 

“It’s Rudy, I’m not coming in cause of last time, but we need y’all downstairs,” he shouted through the door and you couldn’t help but feel your face heat up at the thought of last time.

“We should go,” Jaime said once you heard Rudy’s steps fade away. 

You agreed, getting up to move and letting him change before you opened the door. Your boyfriend stopped you though, hand wrapped around your wrist, you glanced at him expectedly.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” he said and you grinned.

“Me too”. 

~

Reblogs are the best!

[kagscore]

𝜗𝜚 playing games with the boys

feat. isagi yoichi, nagi seishiro, itoshi rin note. this is self indulgent because i wanna play league with nagi i fear ૮꒰⸝⸝> <⸝⸝꒱ა i hope you enjoy ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

⊹˚. ᡣ𐭩.𖥔 ݁ ˖ playing rocket league with 𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐆𝐈 𝐘𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐈 looks like . . .

the two of you sitting in his bedroom, you curled up in his lap as you hold the controller. he holds your hands with his, moving the controller and pressing the buttons for you so you can get a grasp of the movements you need to know. slowly but surely, he lets you take full control and quietly cheers for you as you score goals and block them in his favorite game—car soccer. he's almost brimming with excitement at the idea of teaching you all sorts of tricks—flip resets, [insert other terminology]—anything so that eventually the two of you can play duos together and dominate the game. shows you how to decorate your car, the types of cars you can get and laughing when you ask if you could just drive a vw beetle instead. gets himself a second remote to play on his xbox when he thinks you’re finally starting to get the game and trying to cheer you up when you lose your first game duo’d together.

“you sure you wanna keep playing? i know it isn’t the easiest thing in the world…” “i think it’s so cute you wanna get good at this game baby, of course we can play when you come over again.”

⊹˚. ᡣ𐭩.𖥔 ݁ ˖ playing league of legends with 𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐎 looks like . . .

nagi absolutely tossing you in headfirst into aram, knowing that you won’t get kills or assists and will die a lot but absolutely sweating his balls off so that he can still carry you to a win. you ask a lot of questions about who you’re playing, who you’re playing against, your abilities and ultimates and just generally what to do and him answering every single question you ask with patience and a soft explanation. sometimes you do questionable things in game, but he just laughs and says it’s okay. congratulates when you finally figure out who you want to main, celebrates when you get your first kill, and even buys you that skin you want as a gift for taking the time to play a game with him and spend time with him. always rerolls his character in aram, trying to find someone you like and getting a bit teary eyed when you recognize his favorite character to play once.

“it’s your favorite character, babe, swap me for them.” “i know you’re new, but please stop dying to tower. i’ll even take us out for dinner, i’m begging.”

⊹˚. ᡣ𐭩.𖥔 ݁ ˖ playing valorant with 𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐒𝐇𝐈 𝐑𝐈𝐍 looks like . . .

rin trying his hardest every game you play together to be the top frag to impress you subtly, and him avenging you every time you die because how could he let his person die without killing the person that killed you? drops you his gun skins and even switches them when you guys wait in queue to skins you prefer—if he doesn’t have the skin you like, he always gives it to you when he finds and kills the person with it in a game. goes into deathmatches to one v. one you to try and help you learn the mechanics of the game and the shooting. if anyone is rude to you in a game, he’s immediately cursing and hexing their family and generational lineage in his head/in chat. he doesn’t like talking in game, but will if it means defending you against everyone else being mean because you’re bottom fragging. buys you your first skin after you get your first kill and periodically logging into your account to buy you more and surprise you sometimes.

“you should try a duelist if you want to get more kills, my love.” “now we just need to get you an ace, and we can do something special.”

[kaiijo]

PARALLELS — OIKAWA TOORU

pairing: oikawa tooru x reader content: gn! reader, long distance relationship, light angst, fluff

when the cherry blossoms bloom, you think of oikawa. of days spent hunting for beetles at the base of the trunk when you, he, and iwaizumi were kids. afternoons in middle school when oikawa would roll his eyes at you and repeat again: “parallel lines will never intersect” and ignore your “what if”s. the evening when oikawa pulled you aside during your three-way graduation party and kissed you under the canopy of brown branches and pink flowers.

“oi,” iwaizumi’s gruff voice breaks you from your memories and he asks, “thinking about him again?”

“missing him, more like it,” you say. you glance back at the cherry blossoms, petals translucent in the light of the setting sun. you breathe in the fresh scent. you loop your arm through iwaizumi’s and drag him close to you for a selfie. he offers a small smile to the camera, a dim contrast to your beaming grin.

“we’ve gotta hustle,” he says, checking his watch. “gonna be late for the team dinner.”

“right.”

iwaizumi has the two of you power-walking down the street, thought it’s more like a light jog for you given your friend’s long, steady strides. you pass a convenience store down the street and you do a double take, stopping to stare at the magazine display in the window.

your boyfriend’s face is plastered on the glossy cover, his argentina uniform fitting him in all the right places. he smiles up at you for the paper, the blurb next to him promising a tell-all interview with juicy details. your eyes lock in on the words “love life” and “latest fling” and you can’t help but frown, stomach flipping slightly.

you know all of it is tabloid fodder, nothing but eye-catching headlines, and you trust and love oikawa with everything in you. still, you can’t deny the jealousy you feel when you see him cozied up with a beautiful, leggy model for a photo shoot. jealous that she gets to be physically present with him and you’re halfway around the world.

you hear iwaizumi urge you to come and you quickly catch up with him, your boyfriend’s blindingly white smile flashing through your mind.

the beach makes oikawa think of you. when your parents would take you guys there and you’d all run off to the tidepools and gawk at the starfish and crabs inside. when you two buried iwaizumi up to his neck in sand. when he would scoop you up and dunk you in the salty water, despite the shrieking pleas you let out, begging him not to.

oikawa sighs heavily. he leans against the balcony that over looks the seaside, watching the crystalline water ebb and flow. his phone pings on the small, glass-topped table behind him and he picks it up.

a notification lights up his screen: @.officialhinatashoyo mentioned you in a comment: we’re coming for you @.oikawatooru!!

oikawa opens his phone and finds hinata’s comment underneath a photo of japan’s national volleyball team enjoying drinks and food together.

he swipes through the photos, a bunch of group shots with other players (bokuto and hoshiumi are notable making stupid faces in many of them). oikawa stares at the last picture. hinata’s got his arms thrown around your shoulders and he’s clearly said something that has you giggling right at it was taken.

hinata’s tagged you but he also mentions you in the caption, thanking you for taking these pictures and every other photo of them as the official photographer for the team.

oikawa tries to push down the hollowness spreading in his chest, zooming in on your face. you’re glowing — you always are — and he’s happy you’re happy, but there’s the undeniably envious part of him that wishes he was there. making you laugh and smile. maybe sneaking in a kiss or two in between.

he loves playing for argentina; he likes his teammates, the country, and is grateful for how he’s grown, but he’ll never stop missing you when you’re this far away.

oikawa thinks his thumb moves on its own, dialing your number with practiced ease. he memorized it right after you got your phone, begged his mother to let him get a phone so he could input your contact immediately.

you pick up on the first ring and oikawa can’t hear your very well. he assumes that you’re still out with the team, ears straining. you say, “wait, hold on, tooru.”

he thinks he hears atsumu in the background, “ooh! you’ve got a boyfriend! you’ve got a boyfriend!” and he definitely hears you reply, “this is why you get no bitches, ‘tsumu.”

your voice gets clearer as the background noises fades. “hi, love,” you say, and oikawa can’t help but grin at the words.

“hi, baby,” he says. “you picked up quick! you must really like me, huh?”

you chuckle, “something like that. everything okay?”

“yeah, i just wanted to hear your voice.”

“now who’s the one who likes who?” you tease.

his smile only grows. “you know it. i’m obsessed.”

“right back at you, love.” there’s a short lull in the conversation, but it’s not uncomfortable or awkward. it never is with you two.

oikawa’s alarm breaks the silence, the buzzing of the alert sending vibrations through his hand. he frowns. “i’m sorry, baby, i’ve got to get ready for practice.”

“alright. i miss you and love you, tooru. have a good practice. we need you in top form for internationals.”

he laughs. “yeah, you better tell the guys to watch out. especially ushiwaka and tobio.”

“i let them know.”

“i miss you and love you two.”

“we’ll talk later.”

“promise?”

“i promise.”

[fandomnerd9602]

The Gold Scarab

Jenny Kord x Male Reader

For @deafeningsharkslimeempath

How does one even begin to explain where you’ve been for the last two years? For you, Y/N L/N, proud cousin of Jamie Reyes, you were fighting crime with your girlfriend Jenny Kord.

Jamie had yet to graduate from Gotham Law while you were off playing superhero. Jenny worked as your gal in the chair, helping out you and the Scarab with support.

It was fun, no real qualms since the scarab could heal your wounds. Khaji G, as you found out, is a very reliable armor and friend.

You found yourself relaxing on the top of the Daily Planet, just shooting the breeze with the AI embedded in your back.

“So tomorrow we’re heading back to Palmera City.” You sigh.

“Jamie returning home?” Khaji asks in her robotic tone.

“Yep.” You answer, “it’s good cover for us to head back and investigate Kord Industries”

“Jenny doesn’t know?”

“She’d worry if we were helping her investigate her aunt. Something about you and the power blah blah blah”

“You love her so you’re going to disobey her?”

“It’s called reading between the lines, Khaji. Or something like that.”

The two of you powered up and took off into the night sky, heading to Palmera City.

Seeing your tios, tias and abuelita and the cousins you practically call your hermano and hermana.

Speaking of which, you were the first to welcome Jamie when he stepped off the plane.

“Jamie!” You hugged him tightly. He hugged you right back.

“Y/N good seeing you cuz”

What you didn’t see or feel was that Khaji was scanning Jamie and sending a signal to the very scarab that Jenny was trying to save.

“Potential scarab host acquired” The blue scarab sent in response.

“The two men of the hour” your uncle Rudy laughs as he sees you and Jamie walking to the rest of the family.

You spent the next few months going back and forth between Palmera City and your duty as the Gold Scarab.

Using your job as a hero for hire, you were able to send some money to the Reyes clan, helping them to keep the lights on at their homestead.

And then came the Blue Beetle. Your Khaji G just had to send Jamie as a potential host for Khaji D, the Blue Scarab.

You tried to intercept the scarab from Jenny. “What?! I told you to stay out of Palmera City!” Jenny practically screamed at you as you saved her from her hotel room that fateful night.

“And let those goons hurt you?!” You almost screamed back. “Where’s the Blue Scarab?”

“I gave it to Jamie,” Jenny explains.

“Wait what?”

Boom! a blue blur zooms past you and Jenny.

“Blue scarab spotted. Host: Jamie Reyes”

“What?! How?!” You ask.

“He seemed like a good host. Recommend.”

Oh great. How’s this gonna play out? You find yourself wondering.

“Recommendation: train him”

“Train him?”

“Train who?” Jenny looks at you in confusion.

“You’re gonna love this,” you try to explain.

Whatever the future may hold. For you. For Jamie. For Jenny. For the Khaji programs. You’ll stand together. Family is forever after all.

[entomolog-t]

I CRAVE a vaguely RomCom G/t story where the giant is a human model doing some shoot in a garden. A fairy sees them and is just immediately smitten. Like, little mermaid "i-dont-care-what-the-rules-say" I will absolutely wed that mf.

When they have a chance, they hide away in the models belongings, waiting until they're alone to make themselves known to the human- which takes a long time as they live quite far from the shoot location. Once alone the fairy confidently expresses their desire to court them.

The human?

Terrified.

What the hell was that thing??? Where did it come from? OH GOD- It SPOKE??

Maybe the human locks themselves in the bathroom, maybe the just fall back spooked out of their mind, but whatever they do it takes A LOT of coaxing from the fairy for them to calm down.

The human always imagined fairies to be stunning and ethereal beings not... insectoid.

The fairy is has 2 sets of arms, a partial exoskeleton, elytra, antennae, their feet look like a beetles, maybe they even have a spider-like mouth. In fairy culture, they are stunning, but to the model the are deeply unsettling.

Hell, they can't deal with regular insects. Now they're faced with something straight out of a horror movie.

Given the massive distance between their condo and the garden, they can't just send the fairy on their way or even easily take the fairy home, and are forced to awkwardly room together until the model has time to drop the fairy off.

The awkwardness of fear and unrequited love while living in close quarters???

Such comedic AND angst potential.

Two for one special

[goodolddumbbanana]

(Molten/Sun) - Honeytrap duo- A mix between dream and reality

TW: toture, depressed, self hated... It is Sun angsty, what are you expect? But for real, this chap maybe a littler uncomfortable, please be aware before you read it.

The overly cold and harsh white light of Moon’s lab no longer made him feel nervous like before.

The space was clean and silent as if it had been covered with a layer of powder, only the slow movement of the worn gears, too soft to become white noise buzzing in Sun’s ears.

The yellow animatronic sat down on the sofa, staring at the floating fire created by his magic. The color seemed unreal, too beautiful for nature, pure in liquid gold, like amber and honey mixed together into a dripping mess in a pot of lava, crumbling and crashing into each other like shooting stars falling down.

***

'Huff! Huff!' 

Sun ran in panic, trying to avoid the fiery arrows that were flying repeatedly at him. Darkness maliciously covered Sun's vision, only the lava lakes that were boiling and waiting for him to fall, has become a tool to guide Sun ironically, the high temperature was so harsh that he coughed.

"Come on Sun, you don't want to die again, do you?" The Creator's hateful voice rang out from The Thing mockingly, enough to make Sun, if he still had the strength to scream right now, he would have thrown the most vicious curses at that motherfucker's face.

*Swoosh!*

An arrow pierced Sun's left leg, the plastic pieces were torn apart, half of his endoskeleton was exposed and stuck to Sun's upper thigh before Sun's lack of vigilance made him fall into the waiting lava mouth.

***

It didn't really hurt to the point unbearable, Sun mused, even as the metal surface in his palm turned into a sooty black.

***

The pain hit him instantly, immediately overloading his system. It was too much, too hot. His insides were contracting and twisting together, brass flowing through Sun’s lenses. His vision was the first to go, as the heavy metallic liquid melted his entire plastic shell, igniting like New Year’s Eve fireworks. The smell of oil and tar mixed with smoke and fire, and patches of flame flew everywhere as he struggled to free himself from the pulsing lake.

He didn’t even get a chance to scream, as the terrifying heat melted his entire sensory system.

***

The sharp, merciless pain was enough to make Sun’s body weak and quiver, but it still kept his mechanical mind awake and gritting its teeth to endure. The cold, vague fear of letting things go too far crawled in Sun’s too-empty chest, but the inertia of Sun’s nature made him reluctant to move. A few fire alarms sounded in his system, as black spots began to move at the edges of Sun’s eyes like annoying beetles.

He should have thrown the fireball away, or let it burn out.

But Sun didn’t, just watched indifferently as his magic tore itself apart, pouring long streaks of fire through Sun’s hands like mist and smoke drifting through his endoskeletons.

It was a pointless act, using his own magic to destroy himself. Like trying to kill a beast with its own teeth, or letting a fish choke on water.

It was impossible, because the nature of magic was his to control.

Sure, it could get out of control. Sure, it could exhaust Sun.

Sure, it could get his hands bloody and cause Sun a year of trauma.

Kill one brother. Destroy another one…

But it could never hurt Sun himself. Not physically.

And if the pain he felt was fake, the product of what his bastard father left, who thought it was funny to simulate the human nervous system’s response, then why did Sun keep trying to trigger it?

***

“The two of you,always being so dramatic. Your body’s sensor system is burned out, and honestly, I didn’t even increase your pain sensitivity this time, but you still act like you’re about to die.” He clicked his tongue.

“So pathetic, Sun. What a waste of my sweat and effort in creating you. What a disappointment.”

It was strange that Sun was still conscious, forced to listen to even that bastard’s whining and scolding.

“I should have scrapped you when your rebellious phase appeared, but no, you had to be this useful.”

“It is sad that you can’t even obey or be obedient to your papa.”

“Oh well, guess whatever happens next, you only have yourself to blame, Sun…”

“Oh, what has your brother used to say? Oh right, I would make your life a living hell, Sun. Try to enjoy it this time, okay~~~” 

***

Sun didn’t know, honestly, he has become so tired and aching instinctively every time he continues to think too deeply about the nature of why his life was so terrible. It just went from one depression to another, never ending the cliche emptiness like a stone pressing down on Sun’s chest preventing him from breathing freely whenever he opened that can of worms.

So Sun closed it again. Put it away, packed away the horrible pathetic, unsolvable, unhelpful thought and sunk it deep into the deepest corners of Sun's mind and took a deep breath.

"Shut up."

He told that to himself. A rather bad but effective coping mechanism, something Sun had picked over time for whenever he had an 'episode'.

He would automatically empty his mind. Think of it like deleting the hard drive, or throwing everything that made him feel uncomfortable into the ocean.

The information, the data, the bad memories… would still be there, in Sun's little head, just out of reach, blurred at the edges enough that Sun felt he could look deeply into it and still feel comfortable.

Even though he knew that the empty writhing feeling wouldn't stop even if there was nothing left in Sun's brain, as if his mechanical body was trying to warn him that there was some serious wrong affect him mentally, Sun keeps continued to do this in stupid stubbornness as if to scream to the whole world to leave him alone.

***

“One finger, two fingers…” Sun gritted his teeth, refusing to scream as The Thing patiently broke each of his fingers. “I’ve been watching your channel, Sun. The game Ruin created is honestly pretty fun. Tell me Sun, how many more joints do I have to break before you’ll behave like a good son?”

“You son of a bitch, what the hell do you need answers for!” Sun screamed, wishing he could bite off the tendrils holding him to that chair and march over to The Thing. “You’re not even real!! You’re not even him!!!”

***

Earth would say it would hurt him in the long run, but his sister wasn’t here. And as much as he hated that it felt like he was betraying Earth by agreeing to the Nexus, Sun didn’t think his sister could heal him on this.

***

The red mist made the Thing's face look like a jumbled mess. But one of Sun's eyes, –Sun ignored the fact that the other had been pulled out, the wires still stuck in his sockets– could still see the virus's vaguely satisfied smile…

That motherfucker… Sun thought they were just viruses, but they actually enjoyed doing this…

“Does it matter if I'm not the Creator?” The Thing tilted his head, his slow, even voice speaking to Sun for the first time, his real voice.

***

Because Sun was fine. He wasn't lying. His problems were in fact too small compared to their lives that were always on the brink of danger. And honestly, if Sun ignored the feeling that sometimes made him want to rip out his internal wires or scratch away the metal webs that turned the gold to the original aluminum gray on his body long enough, it would feel like nothing was there.

A rattling noise from the attic made Sun blink.

The fire in Sun's hand disappeared, the embers hovering over Sun's shoulder like fireflies. The anxiety made his stomach churn.

Oh… He forgot he wasn't alone.

There were Moon and Solar in the basement leading to another lab, but that didn't count. The two of them were too busy with their research, especially when the biggest weight named Goliath was illegally residing down there, threatening to find a way to escape.

And don't mention Ruin… Sun groaned. The nakedness of handing the codes to Ruin still made Sun tremble. The nauseating fear, along with the anger and bitterness of not knowing what the killer had killed Solar has planned and a series of tons of danger around him keep coming up made Sun feel dirty and anxious.

He knew he should think positively, but his poor mind kept making assumptions about what would happen if Sun’s agreement would bite him in the ass in the future someday or if Goliath would break free.

Because Sun had been around long enough to realize there was a pattern going on around here. Whenever he felt the slightest bit of joy or peace, life would appear and crush that remnant of hope right before his eyes with a patient delight that was all too similar to his creator’s.

It was almost comical, like they were stuck in a never-ending show if it weren’t so sad.

***

“Can you stop whining, Sun. You keep blaming the world for the things that were your fault.” ‘Creator’ asked kindly, a pair of glasses perched on his oversized brain as a mockery of Earth’s therapy profession. “I wonder why Nexus has stuck that long with you before he realized the truth.” 

“That you are the problem.”

***

“Do you need help, Molten?”

The bear heaved another sheet of plastic up the stairs, his deep concentration reminding him of Funtime Freddy’s obsession with anime girls.

Perhaps this spectrum was part of Funtime Freddy’s code, just like how all Suns were obsessed with cleaning?

And how every Moons had a crazy phase?

‘Shut up, brain, not now.’ Sun muttered, feeling overly exposed as his brain had nothing to do other than occasionally think about some stupid things.

“No, I can do it myself, Sun.” Molten answered him seriously, but right after that, an awkward tearing sound rang out. The cardboard inside Molten’s hand had a piece of hair on the tip ripped out, and the bear’s claws had also pierced a pretty big hole in the anime cover’s shoulder.

***

“Hey Sun, if I pull you in two different directions, which part of you do you think will be left bigger? The left or the right one?” - The sunflower-colored animatronic had its arms and legs spread out, tightly wrapped in midair, a parody of how Spider-Man stopped the train with his web.

“Nevermind, Let’s check it out, shall we?” Sun only had time to hear the train roar before a huge force crashed heavily on the back of his face.

***

“Oh.” Molten looked regretfully, still holding the cover in his hand, the way Sun was all too familiar with the kids inside the daycare. This is the image of a child breaking his toy and not knowing what to do next.

“Uh— There are a lot of models here, you can choose another one, Molten.” Sun stuttered, pointing at the anime figures that were huddled together, something he still couldn’t figure out how they had appeared in Moon’s lab.

“But I just like this lady…”

Sun should have felt sorry for Molten’s loss, but it was quite funny. It made Sun take a deep breath to suppress the laughter that would escape Sun’s mouth and come up with another solution that would make Molten happier.

“Um… Do you want me to fix it for you? I’m pretty good at cutting and pasting…”

Needless to say, Molten’s admiring gaze made Sun feel a little embarrassed.

They all sat down at the table, glue and scissors strewn about in Molten’s rather quick hands. The bear tried to help by handing Sun some tape, but seeing Molten struggling in the pile of tape and scrap paper, Sun stopped asking the bear while trying not to giggle.

It was great, just sitting like this, without thinking about anything else. Sun unconsciously looked at Molten fondly, who was trying to fix the cardboard for himself without paying attention to anything around him.

The faint blue light in Molten’s eyes and the rustling sound of paper and cardboard made Sun’s nervousness subside quietly. He shouldn’t worry too much about… Ruin or Creator… Not when his brothers were still here… And Molten was getting better, developing to become his own person.

“Hey Molten… May I ask…Are you okay? I heard you were almost taken by Goliath…” Sun timidly looked down at the red ribbon wrapped around his arm.

He wasn’t good at starting heavy conversations like this, when his nature was to literally create for the entertainment of others.

Which was in fact the complete opposite. Sun was good at annoying and ruining other people’s lives, not providing peace of mind and trust.

That was more Moon’s thing…

“Oh… Yeah… But Goliath can’t do anything to me… Why do you ask, Sun?”

“Just worried.” Sun muttered. “And… you don’t… I mean… I know you don’t like fighting anymore…”

The image of Molten going crazy as he pinned Ruin to the ground, the uncontrolled excitement bordering on anger, reminded Sun of the first days when he met Molten. Sun couldn’t help it, he stood still and motionless, just like always…

***

“Since you’re so good at being useless, I have a little game for you, Sun.” Creator wore an orange helmet, a small whistle hovering beside him. The gloomy darkness was only illuminated by the moonlight that illuminated the skinny body of the clown animatronic, revealing a garbage pit littered with rats as big as human biceps.

“Stand still and don’t move.” Sun stiffened, trying his best not to tremble. Thousands of red eyes stared at Sun, their fanged mouths gaping around him. The suffocating smell of sewers triggered Sun’s cleaning instincts, the water sloshing and soaking the hems of his pants with the green-brown color of filthy mud. “You don’t want to be these beasts’ chew toys, do you?”

“Oops! I screwed up.” Creator chuckled as he poured a bucket of blood over Sun, as a signal for the rats to pounce into the poor robot.

The screeching was interspersed with the sound of metal and wire ripping. Some stood craning their necks and squealing in Sun’s eye sockets, others came out of his mouth. In this almost unreal, fantastical pain, Sun wondered if this nightmare would ever end.

***

“I like helping people, Sun…” Molten tilted his head to look at Sun. “And Ruin is the one who needs to be stopped…”

“But I mean… you don’t have to do that. You can just go far away, away from here, to a place where Creator can’t find you.” Sun’s hand rose unconsciously as if to pull his rays apart. “You don’t have to help us, especially when it could put you in danger again…”

Sun tried not to be too sentimental, but his voice grew rougher and quieter as he spoke. His mouth was full of gravel, and as Molten’s hand rose, the metallic light reflected off the wire, causing Sun instinctively recoiled.

“I don’t like hurting people,‌ Sun.” Molten’s soft, rusty voice rang out. His hands slowly turned down, so subtle without saying anything. “I don’t want to do that anymore.”

“But I still owe you guys. I owe Moon, I owe Solar, and you Sun. Without you guys, I’d still be like‌ Goliath, still blindly following some rotten code.”

“You helped me become who I am, so I want to return your favor.”

The silence was like wanting to drown Sun down.

“It’s okay Sun… I want to help.”

You don’t understand. The very thing you wanted to do would be the very first door leading you to hell. I know it because I have been through it.

Sun thought bitterly.‌ How long would it be before another unfortunate soul got tangled up in his family’s mess?

Like KC?

Or Evelyn?

Sun tried to ignore Nexus’s name that came out of his head.

“You don’t have to do what you don’t want to do, you know that, Molten?” Sun said in a low voice, the sound of water flowing steadily in his ears.

“Yeah… And neither do you,‌ Sun.”

The sharp blue eyes stared at Sun, forcing Sun to look away. He would rather focus on the greenery in the room than Molten’s face right now, a confusing combination of an old, profound mind and an innocent brain.

“Haha…‌ I have absolutely no idea what you mean, Molten.”

Sun's laugh was so barren, it reminded even Sun himself of broken glass or the howl of a dying animal.

***

“It’s sad you’ll forget everything when you wake up…” The Thing looked bored as it poked at Sun’s shattered body parts. “Although, with your numbskull brain, I guess you don’t even understand what’s going on even if you are aware of it…”

“See you in the next dream, my brother…”

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi, Steph. I'm hoping you can help me find a fic I read years ago. I'm pretty sure I read it before S3 came out.

It's an AU in a world where everyone has some sort of companion animal. John's companion is a friendly dog. Mycroft has a beetle he keeps in a metal tube welded shut in his pocket. He says she feels safe and secure that way (spoiler, that's a lie). And Sherlock just. doesn't. have. one.

This is super strange because everyone has one. If someone's companion animal ever dies, the person generally goes insane and dies too. John and his dog once in a field tries to see how far apart they could get from each other before it became unbearable.

Sherlock also talks to and touches John's dog. It's generally frowned upon to touch someone else's companion animal.

The only other things I remember are that there's a scene where Sherlock and John have cornered a suspect, and Sherlock shoots the suspect's companion animal. John is flabbergasted. And there's a big reveal about why Sherlock doesn't have a companion animal of his own.

Hi Lovely!

OH GOSH, this sounds SO familiar; I THINK it's a His Dark Materials or Daemons AU... Here is what I found doing a tag search on my MFL list, perhaps it's one of these?:

Asteroidea Series by etothepii (E, 16,253+ w. across 3 works || Series WiP || His Dark Materials Fusion || Daemon Sherlock, Untagged Stories) – In the pocket of his trousers, next to his phone, Mycroft carries the standard-issue steel capsule meant for protecting arthropod daemons. When people ask about it, he smiles and tells them she's not fond of the light, or of people other than himself. This is a lie.

Unsettled by AxeMeAboutAxinomancy (E, 33,879 w., 10 Ch. || HIs Dark Materials AU || Daemons, Dark Themes, Non-Con) – Sherlock's dæmon hadn't settled. Once John realised that, so much made sense. Though so much else didn't, because it practically wasn't possible. Part 1 of the The Utmost Edge of Hazard series

The Republic of Heaven Series by Blind_Author (E, 128,844+ w. across 3 works || Series WiP || His Dark Materials / Daemon AU || S1 Compliant, Witches, Bears, BAMF John, Mutual Pining, Oblivious John, Evil Moriarty) – John and his dæmon, Amarisa, have never quite fit in, largely because she settled as a wolfdog. Sherlock and Raniel are similarly isolated, mostly because the woman they call Mummy is a witch. These two men and their dæmons end up sharing a flat together and the rest, as they say, is history. And with a witch-clan out for John's blood and a man known as Moriarty emerging from the shadows, they're certainly not going to be bored.

=====

I haven't read any of these, but my money is on the "Asteroidea" series given the description mentions the stuff you're looking for!!

If anyone knows for SURE, let us know!!

I hope one of these are it, though, Lovely!

[ivys-garden]

So in the RWBY fandom they do their ship names by using words or phrases associated with both characters and using that as the ship name instead of just fusing names together, E.G Checkmate (Weiss X Blake) or Lucky Charms (Qrow X Clover) (I hope that's the right ones I've never seen the show)

I think the mlp fandom should also adopt this naming format because while some name fusion ship names work and sound good E. G Lyrabon or Moonlight (Moondancer x Twilight) others sound kinda bad and don't roll of the tounge, like PinkieDash or especially DitzyTop/DerpyTop and any combo of Tavi and Vinyls Names. So yeah, let's do it with words and phrases instead. Some Examples:

Pinkie X Rainbow Dash - Cloud Nine

Rarity X Applejack - Ranch Dressing

Lyra X Bon Bon - Sweet Symphony

Octavia X Vinyl - Mixed Melody

Starlight X Trixie - Sparkler

Flutter Shy X Treehugger - Weeping Willow

Ditzy X Carrot top - Carrot Muffin

Doctor Whooves X Ditzy - Time Bubble

Silver Spoon X Dinky - Teaspoon

Silver Spoon X Diamond Tiara - All That Glitters

Starlight X Twilight - Shooting Stars

Sunset X Twilight - New Dawn

Applebloom X Diamond Tiara - Golden Apple

Ditzy X Luna - Gloom Of Night

Cheerilee X Mac - Silent Wisdom

Luna X Chrysalis - Crescent Beetle

Celestia X Discord - Nebula Intent

Sweetie Belle X Button Mash - Rhythm Game

Sweetie Belle X Scootaloo - Pop Punk

Twilight X Tempest - Shadowed Sky

Twilight X Zecora - Magic Potion

Twilight X Trixie - Magic Mirror

Mac X Cheese Sandwich - Mac'N Cheese

Twilight X Moondancer - Moonlight (Keep it the same)

Raven X Cadence - Love Poem

Shining X Cadence - Ace Of Hearts

Applejack X Rainbow Dash - Zap Apple

Feel free to suggest your own (Or don't, I don't care :) )

[ezdotjpg]

Comic Paneling Process

to answer a question from @pluviatrix​, here’s a post detailing how I approach paneling!

The unhelpful answer is that it really depends on what kind of scene I’m trying to fit onto a page, because the energy and mood will dictate the kinds of shapes and layouts I gravitate towards. I usually start out with a short script, which for the last two bonus links updates looked like this:

Writing the script helps me visualize what needs to happen and gives me a good idea of how many pages it might take. There’s a few rules of thumb that I use to start:

angled panels = intensity. So do irregular panel shapes, but the more irregular the panels are the harder it is to balance other panels on the page, so that’s something to keep in mind

Lots of small, close together panels = fast-paced action, especially if the panels are angled. Larger, spaced out panels = a slower paced, even maybe a slow motion feel.

5 panels per page is the sweet spot. Sometimes it can be less if a moment is really important and I want to emphasize it, but I try not to have any more than 8, because any more and it starts to get overcrowded.

leave room for text bubbles!!!!!!! they need more room than you think!!!!!!!

Your goal is to lead the eye around. Because I make comics in english, that means that everything should be designed around zig-zagging from left to right, down, left to right. The eye will naturally do that, but helping it out leads to pages that feel smoother. If I’m going to break that form, I have to find a way to force the eye to go where I want it to go. 

That last one is the most important. There’s a few ways you can create this zig-zag: with the text boxes, with the poses, or with the panels themselves. Ideally it would be all 3. So for a basic 5 panel example:

option 1 is less visually clear than option 2, because the first two rows of panels don’t lead your eye smoothly. Generally speaking, whatever you choose for your first row of panels, the second row needs to contrast, unless you’re creating an even grid intentionally. Here’s an example of a page where I break the rules a little, but I make up for it by guiding the eye around:

Once again generally speaking putting two smaller panels next to one taller panel can be somewhat confusing as to which order you should read the panels in, but I tried to mitigate that with making those two small panels a pulled out shot and then a close-up of the same subject. Then, the use of that big text bubble coming from the horn forces the eye up to the top of the taller panel, which then draws ur eye down because of those two silver lizalfos at the bottom. The lizalfos in those two angled panels are posed facing the ways I want to lead the reader’s eye, and so is Beetle. And here are some notes on how I approached this action-heavy page: 

That middle row is all angles with things swinging in and out of frame to suggest quick, sudden movement. That close up of Loft is wedged in the middle like it’s chipping off the next panel, with Loft looking direct into the events of the next panel to communicate that he’s anticipated the Lizalfos’ movements. And to finish off, here’s what this most recent update looked like in sketch:

I start out making the panels themselves first and just treat it like a graphic design problem, trying to make sure it all feels balanced on the page. And then I fill them in and adjust as needed.

 And that’s about all I’ve got! I hope this was helpful lol and if anyone has like specific questions abt stuff feel free to shoot them my way! Of course, everything that I say here has an exception, and there are plenty of instances where you can break these ‘rules’ in service of the story you’re telling. That’s actually my biggest piece of advice- your panels are a part of the story! They’re another tool in ur arsenal to set the mood and feeling, so you should utilize them!

[worldserasingandcreatinginmymind]

Bloody Beetle | Part Seven

Summary: Layla's version of events

Pairing: none for this part

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: none really for this one

A/N: as always spelling and grammar are not my strongest skills so please be kind :)

Part Six | Series Masterlist

- - - - -

Layla’s POV

She felt her heart break when she heard that gunshot ring through the tomb, followed by the sound of your muffled screams. Then the second gunshot and she knew. 

Marc was dead. 

It took every drop of willpower not to run out and kill Harrow on the spot. But she knew she had to stay hidden. She crept around the edge of the tomb, staying hidden behind the stone pillars, to get a glimpse of what was happening. Tears fell from her eyes as she watched you break free from the person holding her and throw herself down at Marc’s side. She felt proud as she watched you argue with Harrow. 

“You’re not in your right mind.” Harrow patronised.

“Oh my mind is perfectly right!” You quipped back, standing your ground. 

‘You go girl’ she thought to herself. 

She thought about stepping in to help when they restrained you, but she couldn’t give herself away. It's clear Harrow wanted you alive for something, but he wouldn’t think twice about shooting her. Her best bet was to stay hidden while she comes up with a plan to help you. 

‘Get your hands off my husband’ she thought as she watched them search through Marc’s pockets. Even though they weren't together anymore, she still felt something for him. Protective of him. She hopes Marc was smart enough to hide the ushabti, but they find it. 

Aware that someone is snooping around close to her, Layla holds her breath, and as soon as they're within reach she strikes. She knocks the guy out and slowly drops his body to the ground. Careful not to make any noise.

What happens next surprises everyone. 

The girl from the tent, she thinks she heard you call her Maya, runs in frantically apologising to Harrow. He’s unnecessarily cold to her, which Layla thinks is an overreaction. But then he shoots her and Layla is reminded just how unhinged Harrow is. When he finally leaves the tomb, she sneaks out over to where Marc’s body is lying in the water.

“Marc? Marc!” She whispers, shaking him gently and cradling his face. She looks down his body at the two bleeding bullet holes in his chest. Between them lies the scarab beetle that started all this. Harrow must have left it there. Her breathing starts to get shaky. A part of her had hoped that Marc was just pretending. Or that Khonsu would somehow be able to save him. But he’s dead. Her husband is dead. What is she supposed to do now?

She allows herself a few moments to grieve, crying as she hugs Marc’s lifeless body. 

An idea hits her. She gives Marc a goodbye kiss on the forehead and takes the scarab before heading over to the body off the disciple she had knocked out. She changes into his clothes, pulling the hood over her head and scarf right up to just under her eyes then she heads out of the tomb to catch up with the rest of Harrow’s followers. As she takes the opportunity to mix herself in and get lost within the crowd, she sees you up ahead, still being dragged by some of the followers with Harrow right by your side. She keeps her head down. She can’t risk you recognising her and giving her away. If Harrow didn’t hesitate to kill Maya, one of his own followers, she hates to think what he’s do to her. 

— — — — 

Outside the tomb, Harrow and his followers went straight to work getting things ready and before long everyone was in vehicles heading out across the desert. Layla had managed to go undetected and snuck her way into the last of the line of cars. No one seemed interested in her at all, but still she kept her hood up just to be safe. Thankfully a lot of the other followers also had hoods up and scarves on their faces to keep the sand out so Layla didn’t look out of place. 

She didn’t know how long they’d been traveling for before they were stopped by the Egyptian patrol officers, and chaos ensued. Taking the ushabti seemed to make Harrow more powerful and he was able to simultaneously judge all the officers at once, killing most of them. If he’s this powerful now, what will he be able to do if he releases Ammit? 

The followers got straight to work moving the bodies while Harrow stood and watched. ‘This is my chance’ she thought. She jumped out the back of the vehicle, eyes set on Harrow as she pulled the knife from her belt. Slowly she started walking towards him, like a predator stalking prey. She kept close to the cars, carefully stepping over bodies of officers as she walked. 

“Don’t do it” she heard a voice and looked down. To her surprise one of the dead male officers was talking to her, but with the voice of a British woman? “Layla, wait! I am the goddess Taweret.”

She shook it off, continuing to walk. 

“Layla!” she heard again, looking over to see a different officer laying on the ground. “It’s Marc who’s telling you to stop.”

“What the hell is this?” She says quietly as the officer struggles to sit up “He’s dead!” 

“And I am talking to you through dead people right now. So what? Listen, Harrow is too powerful for you to stop him alone. If Marc… if he can return to life…”

“What do you mean return to life?” 

“He is going to need Khonshu. Break his ushabti. It’s in the chamber of the gods... And you can be my avatar! Marc says wonderful things about you.”

“No, no, no. I’ll fight him on my own.” 

Layla turns back to look at Harrow, but is distracted when she sees something move in the back of the car that he’s leaning against. It’s you. She sees you wave, mouthing something. You're asking her to help. She nods, gesturing for you to be quiet. She can’t risk you alerting Harrow. She takes a few more steps before she hears a follower shout “it's time to go!” and realises she’s out of time. 

“I’ll find you.” She mouths before quickly making her way back to the vehicle at the back, putting the knife back in her belt and letting out a sigh. Maybe Taweret is right. She does need help. 

— — — — 

Some time later the cars pull up at the base of the great pyramid of Giza and the disciples jump out the cars to begin climbing up the side of pyramid. Layla jumps out too but stops when she notices Harrow and you haven’t got out the car you’re in yet. She sees the driver get out and go to join the others, but Harrow doesn’t move. 

Layla gets into the back of the car that is directly behind the one you’re in and gets down low so no one can see her. She watches you through the rear window. Watches the two of you talk. She can’t see your face very well, but she can tell from body language this is an tense and emotional discussion. She sees you reach out to hold his hand. Then she see him lift his hand up and place it on your head. 

‘what is going on in there?’ She thinks to herself. Then she sees you collapse into Harrow and her heart sinks. Has he just killed you too? 

She watches as he gets out the car and bends down to kiss you before covering you with a blanket. He says something, then closes the door. He takes a moment and a deep breath as he shakes off whatever effect that conversation has just had, then goes to join the others. Layla waits till he’s far enough away before getting out the car and sneaking over to yours. She carefully opens the door, and if she hasn’t just watched Harrow she wouldn’t have known you were there. He’s hidden you well with the blanket. She pulls it back to reveal your face. 

“Please be alive” she whispers as she checks for a pulse, and is relieved when she finds one. Its weak, but its there. She shakes you gently. “Y/N, please wake up. Come on, Y/n!” 

You begin to stir. 

“Layla?”

Part Eight

Taglist :  @sleepylunarwolf / @ahookedheroespureheart / @sleepyamaya / @spicydonut25 / @kult6 / @uncle-eggy / @malaanii/ @toracainz / @pinkiestwinkie / @galacticstxrdust / @mateihavenoidea / @xmariakx / @oscarissac2099 / @whycantwebefriendz / @parkeepingparker

(If you want to be added/removed on the tag list please let me know, but note that I can’t reply to comments from this blog)

[silentcrowsilentravens]

Can’t leave these two out. Alternate versions of Ethan and Zoe's sections of this post.

(Gender ambiguous).

Warnings: violence, blood, mild gore.

Masterlists here!

Zoe Baker 

You and Zoe are so, so close to finishing the cures, to getting out of the hellhole that the Baker farm has become. You, Zoe, and Mia. Once you find out wherever the hell Jack moved her to, that is. All that’s needed is one more ingredient: Dahlia’s arm, which Zoe has told you that her mother might be keeping in the old house. Honestly, if there’s one place on the property that you were really not looking forward to visiting, it's the old house.

But here you are, sneaking across creaky floorboards, biting back a scream whenever one of Marguerite’s big ass bugs flies straight at your face, and smelling rot. Rot and something similar to what a stink bug releases when you crush it. It’s giving you a headache. 

Zoe places a hand on your shoulder and nods to the right. “This’ll be the way we want to go,” she whispers. You both seem to be alone aside from the insects, but it’s still best to keep quiet.

This isn’t the first time that your girlfriend’s accompanied you outside of the trailer, but it’s the first time in a while. Most often, it’s simply better to sneak around than fight, and it’s much easier to do that without company. 

There’s no telling how long it will be before Marguerite realizes that you took her lantern.

Zoe pulls the crow key out of the back pocket of her jeans. 

Both of you share a look.

You ready yourself to use your knife. If need be, that is. Although you’d much prefer your flamethrower or gun, you’re a bit short on burner fuel and ammo at the moment.

Zoe slips the key into the lock.

She slowly begins to push the door open...

...then stops when something on the other side prevents her from continuing. 

A bright eye appears between the door and its frame. “You thievin’ lil' shits!”

Marguerite snatches her lantern back and shoves Zoe. She staggers but manages to catch herself before she can tumble down the steps, aided by you reaching out your hand to help her.

You slam your blade into the gap, puncturing Marguerite's eyeball. She falls back, the door swinging open once she's out of the way. She starts writhing like an overturned beetle. You take the opportunity to grab the lantern and knife once more, turning back to Zoe with an expression that says one thing: Run.

Together, you both start moving as fast as your feet can carry you. You can't afford to mess this up. You can't.

There's an immediate right, then you're practically leaping up a short set of stairs.

Another right, a left, and you're at the scale that requires Marguerite's lantern. Another lantern already dangles from one end, moths flittering around it. You practically slam the stolen one onto the free hook.

The scale balances out. The locking mechanism on the door opens with a loud clunk!

"You have done nothin' but corrupt my daughter further..." She's back up. Her voice seems off. Distorted. A sharp chill trickles down your spine like ice water.

She's muffled but still seems far too close for comfort. Where the hell is she?

You and Zoe push into a musty child's play area. It's even darker than the rest of the house.

Without warning, the room's singular window shatters. Broken glass sprays across the room.

"Jesus!" Zoe yells in surprise.

An unnaturally long, spindly arm shoots through the frame, grabbing for you. "I'm gonna tear your fucking face off and eat your scrawny head!"

There's Marguerite.

Cold, dry fingers wrap around your ankle and, with a single sharp tug, topple you onto your back and start dragging. Your blade falls with a muted thud.

"Fuck!" you cry out. "Zoe, help me!"

The shock of it all is like a hard punch to the gut, knocking the wind straight out of Zoe and replacing it with fear.

She acts quickly, seizing you and getting her arms hooked under yours. Unfortunately, the carpeted floors don't offer much traction. She immediately begins to move with you. "Mama, no! Don't do this!"

Your free leg makes contact with the wall below the window. You do your best to press your foot against the wall, to grip the dusty carpet with all you have, to keep away from this monster that used to be your girlfriend's mother.

"This is for your own good, girl, y'hear me?!" Marguerite grabs a fistful of your shirt, yanking your upper half toward her face. A centipede protrudes from her mouth like a grotesque tongue, other insects spilling out from around it. You let out a panicked yelp as they begin to land on you.

Your hands shoot up, desperate to keep as much distance as possible.

Zoe continues to tug with all her might. "Let go!"

Since the start of this nightmare, she's seen a whole lot of death. She's worked with many of her family's victims to create this cure, only for them to meet a gruesome death.

She's seen her mother, father, and brother die, but because of Eveline's "gift", they always seem to get back up.

You, however, will not. And Zoe doesn't want to lose you. You mean too much to her. You're all she has in this hell. The two of you have spent nearly a year together in that trailer on the property, cuddled close on the small bed, sharing smokes across from each other at the booth, murmuring "I love you"s while those mold monsters wander outside. She refuses to lose you!

The centipede is close enough to brush your lips, which are twisted into a close-mouthed grimace.

Zoe's dark eyes dart all over, desperate for something to help get you out of her mother's grasp.

She spots your knife lying there. Releasing an arm, she reaches back and tries to get it. Her fingers graze the end of the handle, still not quite close enough to reach.

"I... I said..." She releases you completely. The gap between you and Marguerite closes by half, and your already wide eyes grow even wider in terror. You want nothing more than to scream, but you're afraid to open your mouth. The bugs have gone from landing on your shirt to your face, then start going down your shirt.

Zoe's fingers close around your weapon.

"Let go, goddamnit!" Her hand lands on your shoulder again.

Your knife slams into the top of Marguerite's skull. She lets out an awful shriek as her grip loosens on you.

Zoe yanks you free, shoving you back in the direction you both came in. You stumble a little before regaining your footing, continuing to move because her hands are on your back, forcing you to.

"Shit, shit, shit..." Your voice shakes as you brush the bugs off and shake them out of your clothes. Your skin refuses to stop crawling. "Wh-what about the cure?"

"We'll have to wait for a better opportunity, baby! You're my top priority right now!"

Zoe allows herself a shaky sigh only once you're back through the old house's gates, and traps you in a brief—yet tight—embrace back inside the trailer.

"That... That could've... gone better," you remark quietly.

"Yeah. It could've." But it also could've gone worse. Zoe is simply glad that you didn't meet the same fate so many others have. The relief she feels is immense. She gazes at you for a moment, fondness beginning to creep in before she looks away "...We'll have to gather more supplies. Better supplies. We'll get outta here together. I swear it."

Ethan Winters

“Ethan?” you call out. “E-than, I’m about to start making dinner. What are you in the mood for?”

No response.

"Ethan?"

You crack open the bedroom door.

Your boyfriend is sitting on the bed with his laptop, arms folded over his chest and his eyes closed.

Best not to disturb him. He already has enough trouble getting shut-eye as is. You close his laptop, set it aside, drape a blanket over him, and quietly close the door behind you as you leave.

Maybe you’ll try to make something new tonight. Ethan’s not a picky eater, and there are still a few things you haven’t made since you left the village... Hopefully, you can still remember those recipes. 

You step into the kitchen and after a bit more pondering, begin to pull out ingredients and supplies.

There's knocking at the front door. 

You pause.

Since you’ve started staying with Ethan, you’ve only heard knocking once. And it was after he accidentally locked himself out. 

The house is in a vaguely secluded location. There are no neighbors. No nothing. And he hasn't told you that someone would be stopping by.

“Who’s there?” you hesitantly approach the door.

...What if it’s someone like you? Someone without a destination to head to? Someone desperate to escape a bad situation? 

“My name is Maria.” The person sounds young and on the verge of tears. “I’m lost.” 

Biting the inside of your cheek, you place your fingers on the deadbolt.

Before you turn it, you think better of it. A bad feeling settles in your gut. 

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

“No!" Maria's voice raises sharply. You flinch. "You must let me inside! Please!”

“...Um... I will,” you say, heading for the stairs. “Just-just give me a moment.

The knocking turns into thunderous pounding. You freeze halfway up the steps, The intensity matches that of a Lycan attempting to force its way in. You fear the door might break.

No, wait.

The door is breaking.

It's audibly starting to splinter.

It's broken.

A figure you had hoped and prayed you would never see again is standing there, cloaked in black feathers with icy eyes staring you down from behind a gold mask.

This can't be happening. You thought you were safe!

As she crosses the threshold of the home, you finally snap out of it and practically launch yourself up the remaining steps.

What are you going to do?

What if she tries to hurt Ethan?

You throw open the bedroom door and promptly slam into him.

“Ethan,” you choke out, practically sobbing and breathing raggedly, “don’t go downstairs!”

He grasps your shoulders. “Whoa, hold on, why? What’s going on? What was all that noise?”

“I was a fool. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry! I should have known she would find me!”

“Who?” 

Almost as if on cue, Mother Miranda rounds the corner at the end of the hall and comes into view.

You visibly become more panicked. "She's going to kill me!"

Ethan still doesn't know what's going on or who the hell that is, but he does know that he isn't going to let anyone hurt you. He pulls out the pistol he got from under the bed and aims it at the intruder. "Stay back," he orders. "Stay back, or I'll shoot!"

Miranda doesn't stop, doesn't even pay his words any mind.

"Fine. Have it your way." Ethan pulls the trigger. A bullet hits Miranda in the shoulder. She jerks a bit but has no reaction otherwise.

Shit, Ethan thinks. This is like Louisiana all over again. He recalls the first time he shot Jack Baker, recalls how the man hardly even flinched. "That tickles, boy."

If Ethan could take that mold-ridden nutjob down not once but thrice, then he can handle this black-feathered figure. He tells you to get behind him and starts pumping her full of lead.

"Step aside." Miranda's voice is pure ice. It sends a sharp chill down your spine.

Ethan holds his ground, pulls back the hammer, and shoots her squarely in the face. She staggers this time. Properly staggers.

"Go. Get out of here. I'll hold her off."

"You can't—"

"Go!"

Gold talons seize Ethan by his throat, lifting him into the air with ease and slamming him into the wall beside the door. As he struggles, sputters, and gasps, he begins to turn red. "Go!" he just barely manages to get out.

"Leave him alone! Please! I'm the one you're here for, not him!"

There's an audible cracking sound. Miranda finally releases him. He falls to the floor, limp.

"No!" you all but wail. He's dead. He's dead, and it's all your fault!

She turns her attention toward you once more. Your brain screams at you to move, but you're completely frozen in place. She grabs you the same way she had grabbed Ethan, squeezing your neck.

No matter how hard you try, you can no longer draw in any air. Her hold is vice-like. Your panicked flailing and attempts to pry her off aren't accomplishing anything.

The edges of vision quickly begin to grow dark. You feel as though your head is going to explode.

You're going to die.

You're going to die!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

A load of blood and brain matter sprays out the side of Miranda's head. Her grip goes slack. Finally, you manage to get some fresh oxygen into your lungs. She collapses and you're dropped, landing in a pile on the floor.

"Are you okay?"

A pair of arms are wrapped around you, pulling you into a comfortable, safe hold. You return the hug, clinging as though the person will disappear if you let go.

"Ethan." You sob in relief. "I-I thought she killed you..."

"No. No, I'm fine." And you're safe now. Ethan is so, so glad. He can't imagine what he would do if he lost another partner, can't imagine what he would do if he lost you. You're the most important person in his life. "And she's dead now."

"No, you can't kill Mother Miranda," you insist. "The Black God has gifted her to be Its messenger, and she will always return to deliver Its word and... and divine punishment."

That...

Sounds concerning. And... and wild. But Ethan knows all too well that the dead don't always stay that way, so he can believe it.

If this Miranda gets back up, then he'll just have to take her down again. He'll do it as many times as he needs to.

He'll do whatever it takes if it means keeping you safe. That's a promise.

[aww-writing-no]

For @winterhawkbingo Round 5, Square O5: First Aid Done Poorly

Ao3 Link

Bandaid:

"Hawkeye, we need eyes at 3rd and Flagler," Steve called over the comms. "These things are swarming and we need a clear route to get the civilians into this parking garage." 

"Got it Cap," Clint said, abandoning his nest and taking off at a run. The intersection was two blocks over, but luckily the buildings in the Miami metropolitan area were relatively close together. He fired a grappling hook arrow and leapt off the roof, tucking his bow close to his chest and angling his body for a roll as he flew through the air. He rolled twice as he hit the neighboring roof, releasing the cable and using his remaining momentum to sprint across the roofs on this block. 

As he reached the end of the block, he fired another grappling hook arrow at the roof of the much taller building across the street. He pressed the button to retract the cable as he leapt, letting the mechanism carry him up. Unfortunately he hit the building before the cable finished retracting, but luckily he didn’t go through the window and was able to let the arrow bring him all the way to the top. 

Wrapping his fingers over the edge of the building, Clint flung himself the last couple of feet over the edge and dropped the cable. It would take too long to dislodge the grappling hook from the building, so he’d have to come back for that later. 

From there it was a straight shot across the block of buildings to reach 3rd and Flagler, so he didn't bother nocking another grappling hook arrow as he sprinted across the roofs. With just one more roof to go, Clint flung himself across the small gap between the buildings. 

"Oh shit," he had time to yelp as he realized this roof was about five stories lower than he'd expected. At least he hadn't been planning the same tuck and roll procedure he'd used earlier, he had time to think before landing. He let out an involuntary bark of pain as he felt his leg snap and sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. Well, it could have been worse. It could have been his neck.

"Hawkeye?" Steve's voice asked in his ear piece. "Are you all right?" 

"I'm good," Clint said with a probably unconvincing grunt, given the rapid string of Russian swear words coming over the comms. "I'll have eyes on 3rd and Flagler in a minute," he said, popping his bow into the staff position and using it to lever himself to his feet.

"Bucky, provide backup at Clint's location," Steve said when Natasha finished swearing. 

"I said I was good, Cap," Clint protested as he limped as fast as he could across the rooftop, using his bow-turned-staff as a crutch and forcing himself to ignore the shooting pain in his leg with every step. This was gonna suck as soon as the adrenaline wore off. 

"Nobody believes you, Hawkeye," Bucky said, sounding slightly winded. "I'll be there in five." 

*

By the time Bucky got to his rooftop, Clint had taken care of most of the swarm, picking off the beetle-bots that got a little too close to Steve or Natasha’s groups and letting them herd the panicked civilians into the parking garage. Clint wasn’t entirely sure why Cap had chosen a parking lot as shelter, but hey, he wasn’t the star-spangled man with the plan. He was just here to shoot things. 

“Hey Bucky,” Clint said as casually as he could manage, picking off another one of the beetle-bots before turning to glance at Bucky. 

“Hey Clint,” he answered with a frown, eyes flicking from Clint’s face, down to his leg, and back up to his face. “This your definition of ‘fine’?” 

Clint shrugged, trying to ignore the waves of pain radiating up his leg. “I’m still standing.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes, muttering “barely” as he leaned over the balustrade to scope out the situation. He fired a few shots from his rifle before turning back to Clint. “That should hold them for now,” he said, still frowning. “Let’s get you sitting before you fall over,” he said, holstering the rifle and reaching towards Clint. 

“I’m fine,” Clint insisted, mostly because the thought of moving sounded more painful. 

Bucky narrowed his eyes. “You’re white as a sheet and look like you’re about to pass out.”

“See, I’m fine,” Clint said with a grin that turned into a grimace when Bucky moved to pluck the bow out of his hands. 

“Ground, now,” Bucky said brusquely, placing Clint’s bow on the ground with a gentleness that felt out of place with his tone. When Clint didn’t move, he slipped his hands under Clint’s arms, lifting and pivoting Clint to lean his back against the balustrade. 

Clint got with the program then, doing his best to breathe slowly so Bucky wouldn’t realize how close he felt to actually passing out. Judging by the look he was giving Clint, he wasn’t doing a particularly good job of it, but with Bucky’s help he managed to end up seated on the ground with his left leg sticking out in front of him. Bucky frowned at the angle of Clint’s leg, shaking his head as he stood up and turned his attention back to the intersection. 

“Watch my back,” he said gruffly, unholstering his rifle and taking a few shots. 

When Clint leaned over to reach for his bow, a pair of handguns dropped into his lap. A few seconds later a box of ammunition followed. 

“They’re loaded, don’t shoot yourself,” Bucky said when Clint picked up the guns. 

“I do know basic firearm safety,” Clint snapped, checking to make sure the safeties were on. They were – Bucky hadn’t dropped a couple of live weapons in his lap. “And what’s wrong with my bow?” he asked petulantly, knowing full well he couldn’t get a good draw on the longbow at this angle. 

“You can’t get a good draw in that position, and if you don’t know that you need to give me back those guns.” 

“No, I know,” Clint sighed when Bucky looked down at him. 

“Good,” Bucky said, turning his attention back to the street and firing a couple of shots. “And do something about that leg before you pass out from shock.”  

*

A few minutes that felt approximately like four millennia later Steve gave the all clear over the comms. Clint took a second to scan the ring of dead beetle-bots surrounding them on the roof before he re-engaged the safeties on Bucky’s handguns and laid them on the ground, barrels facing away. He let his head slump back to bump the wall and let out a heavy sigh.

“How’re you doing?” Bucky asked, stepping over Clint to pick up his guns and tuck them away. He squatted next to Clint and gave him an assessing glance, frowning when his eyes reached Clint’s leg. “What is that?”

“You told me to take care of it,” Clint said with a halfhearted shrug. “I didn’t pass out from shock and successfully covered your rear. I took care of it.”  

“Clint,” Bucky said, expression slowly morphing into a dead-eyed stare that Clint suspected had been the last thing a lot of people saw before being murdered by the Winter Soldier, “that is a bandaid.” 

“Yep,” Clint confirmed, popping the ‘p’. “It’s a Dog Cops bandaid. Tony gave them to me.” 

Bucky ground his teeth and Clint wondered if he was about to get murdered.

“Clint, your leg is at an angle that human legs should not be at. When I told you to take care of it, I expected you to maybe, I don’t know, elevate it? Splint it with something? Not stick a Dog Cops bandaid on the outside of your pants!”

“Oh,” Clint said. That did actually make a lot more sense. “Well, you should have been more specific.” 

Bucky scrubbed his hand against his face. It sounded like he muttered “what am I going to do with you?” before he tapped his comms unit and barked out a request for Sam’s assistance. 

“We’ve got a lot of civilian injuries down here,” Sam replied, voice echoing between Bucky’s comms unit and Clint’s earpiece. “Can it wait until Natasha brings in the quinjet?” 

“Clint thought putting a bandaid on the outside of his pants would fix a broken leg,” Bucky said flatly. 

“I’ll be right there,” Sam said, raising his voice to be heard over the loud string of Russian curses.

“Maybe you could kiss it better,” Clint suggested to Bucky in the silence after Natasha finished her tirade.

Bucky rolled his eyes, but planted a soft kiss on Clint’s temple. “Better?” he asked. 

Clint smiled, tipping his head back to lean it against the wall and closing his eyes. “Definitely.” 

[doom-dreaming]

Do you think she said/he heard something funny enough that got him to smile/laugh and look away for a fraction of a second. Do you think she felt enamored and secretly tried to get him to laugh again. Because in midst of chaos she's never really seen him simply laugh and rarely seen him smile.

"You always take me to such nice places," she remarks. It's half-sarcastic (the body of the Jackal they'd ambushed is floating down the creek at the bottom of the ravine) but there's an undercurrent of sincerity to it - it is a nice little place. Leaf-filtered light dapples the grass under John's boots. High overhead, the glittering curve of Delta Halo's alien landscape fades into a cloudless blue sky. Her sensors pick up birdsong; she runs a quick comparison scan through her database...no match to a familiar species. Interesting. She files the call under a new entry.

A nice place indeed.

John shoots two more Jackal snipers off their perches, sending them sprawling limp against the rocks. Shouts echo up the cliff walls from somewhere beyond the range of both sight and sensors; Unggoy cries of alarm, silenced by a swift Sangheili command.

"Seems like we've crashed our own surprise party."

John drops from the ledge and hits the ground running, clearing a gap in the rocks around the waterfall with the effortless grace of a jungle cat. Cortana swears she can feel the mist swirling past his shields. He meets the oncoming Covenant as he always does, a wall of metallic green titanium, an unstoppable force and an immovable object all, somehow, rolled into one.

The next thirty seconds are a blur of bullets, brutality, and blood. Cortana wanders. A frog, an unremarkable little brown thing only a few inches long, launches itself from the bank of the creek, kicking through the water to the safety of a submerged rock. A dragonfly as dazzlingly blue as Cortana herself alights on the flowering stalk of a reed. A lizard with a brightly-colored tail three times the length of its body skitters up a nearby tree. A shiny black beetle, unperturbed by the chaos around it, trundles under a clump of fallen leaves.

This ring is alive in a way so different from the first, with an entirely separate ecosystem— "Wait." She folds in on herself, collapsing back into the confines of the Mjolnir, pressing at the barrier separating her—just barely—from the electrical storm inside his brain on the other side.

He stops.

"...I wonder if there are fish in that creek."

A mixture of amusement and confusion splashes up against the barrier, but he humors her curiosity without a word, picking his way over the rocks, deeper into the ravine.

Sure enough, there they are. Tiny silver things wriggling at the edges of stones and within the stands of reeds, breaking the surface tension to swallow up pinprick-small insects resting on the water, leaving behind perfectly round, glistening bubbles.

She relaxes again, swelling outward, soaking in everything she can touch. The rocks here are slick with waterfall mist; moss grows in the crevices, lush tracks of green and pink. Somewhere close, another frog croaks. Insects buzz. Leaves rattle in the breeze. There's no gunfire. No alien shrieking. No radio chatter. It's serene.

"Hard to believe these were built to be weapons," she muses, focusing on a miniscule spider as it climbs across a branch over their head. His head. She had to stop doing that. "...we should keep going. Regret has to be close. Sorry about the detour."

Calmness and nonchalant acceptance greet her from John's side of the neural barrier when she tucks herself back into the nooks and crannies of his armor. Part of her—a rather loud part of her—wants to stay and analyze the intricacies of this halo's flora and fauna and how it had all developed and fit together, but...they have work to do.

She can't resist one last quip as John navigates through the winding cavern out of the ravine. "On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate this date?" She's not expecting a response, but he surprises her. It's nothing more than a huff of air and a low sound in the back of his throat, but Cortana feels the chemical-electrical rush of amusement behind it and knows what it's supposed to be.

And in spite of the frogs and insects and birdsong, it's the sweetest sound she's heard since they landed.

[welcome-to-ratterrock]

I'm curious, if the cast have any hobbies they do in their free time or to relax?

(The world is too chaotic, hope they all have a peaceful day😔)

Thank you so much for sending this, the crew definitely needs those moments of relaxation and fun…

Locke loves playing his viola, playing music is very therapeutic for him, releasing the tension and giving voice to the emotions it is so very hard for him to speak about. Like the violin it’s an instrument that elicits haunting sounds and sadness, but it’s darker and richer in tone. He gets so ticked off when people mistake it for a violin. 

He likes reading nonfiction books, with the exception of a few novels, and also enjoys attending concerts where he can close his eyes and sink into the music like water…but because his work is so important to him, he doesn’t really make time for himself to do such things. 

Once upon a time, he loved playing chess with Regal. 

Regal plays the piano, a versatile instrument adept at both classic and contemporary music. Playing is very therapeutic for him, releasing tension and turmoil and allowing him a way to “speak” to the emotions so many would be horrified by. 

He loves to read a variety of different things, nonfiction and novels and plays and poetry and essays, and enjoys attending the theater as well. However, due to his work, he’s very busy and hasn’t had much time to himself. 

Once upon a time, he loved playing chess with Locke. 

Sorcha adores reading, and her absolute favorite book is “The Phantom of the Opera” - she’s very proud to have a first edition in her personal library! She is very much a patron of the arts in general, always looking for new art galleries and museums to explore, theaters and shows to attend. She also loves being wealthy enough to be able to shop at high fashion stores for all sorts of treasures to adorn herself with, and all the owners are thrilled that a beauty like her wears their wares…

Lorcan’s biggest passion is boxing, he’s an absolute legend in the ring and loves to lose himself in a good match, facing off with a worthy opponent. He also loves swimming as well but doesn’t get to do it too much, which is a shame as it really helps with his aches and pains. For quieter moments he likes to whittle and play cards. 

Rilla’s biggest passion is dancing, a love that her mother passed onto her, it is her joy and her escape from whatever weighs her down. She also LOVES designing and sketching dresses and clothing, and would love to bring her creations to life but she’s never been able to find someone to teach her how to sew. She also is known in her social circle to be a dab hand at crafting some stunning flower crowns. 

Lu loves to write, especially stories about magic and fantasy and girls finding themselves through challenges. She visits the library and bookshops whenever she can. She also enjoys watercolors, especially landscapes and flowers. 

Brig was taught to box by her father and she’s been a devoted boxer ever since, and is an absolute beast in the ring. She finds working out to be very relaxing as well, a good way to center herself and enjoy the burn of her body. 

Bogdan loves composing music, he’s very talented and likes to take his inspiration from the natural world. He’s also avid about charting the stars, and spends much of his time studying the skies.

Casimir will actually be gaining a hobby in the comic! But as for right now, he loves playing cards and gambling, especially when the stakes are high…

Clifford likes good old fashioned English hunting, shooting after crickets and beetles and birds (they aren’t sentient in this world). 

Thank you again for sending this! As we introduce more characters I’m gonna come back to this post and reblog it with their favorite hobbies, this was a wonderful character exploration exercise. And it doesn’t even touch on what the couples like to do together…

[rosefinch07]

The only thoughts going through my head rn are jason/jaime gay and dc characters playing genshin but i have hit writer's block so this is not going to be that coherent

Jaime stubbornly mains cyno and keeps going out into sumeru to get the scarabs and goes "i may be blue beetle but i cannot find scarabs for SHIT"

He is also a yanfei main, he loves his lawyer

jason is a navia and chevrus main, he switches to chevrus and an electro character while doing coop with jaime

Jaime will just be on his world and farming for scarabs and jason joins, runs off, and then immediate gunshots in the distance as he shoots down sumpter beasts w navia

Jaime and jason taking down domains together AAAAA

Jaime, at three in the morning playing genshin: jason why are you still online

Jason, also playing genshin at 3am: why are YOU online

They end up farming maracusse artifacts bc jason has lynette and lyney and jaime has a kuki and they all love to hurt themselves

Jaime is attatched to sumeru and jason is attatched to fontaine

The second jason gets wriosthley he LOVES icebridging suddenly

I could go on for decades

Literal decades