#there's a reason i think he'd work especially well with hunted

[birdmitosis]

Since a minor theme for today's posts seems to be Voice of the Opportunist thoughts... You know, I actually quite like the guy. He's nowhere near the top of my list of fave Voices -- in fact, he'd probably be in my bottom three -- but I've grown to sincerely love all of them in their own ways.

Paranoid

Cold

Contrarian

Hunted

Hero

Cheated

Skeptic

Broken

Opportunist

Stubborn

Smitten

Like, that's probably my rough order of Voices? But I really love Stubborn and Smitten too at this point, like a lot. And Opportunist... really interests me. I don't feel as bad about him as I think a lot of people do. (Thoughts under the cut!)

I think what gets me about Opportunist is that, while he can come across very badly for sure, I think there are two main things he wants that drive all of his (very bad) ideas: He very badly wants to be liked, but that's secondary to the fact that he wants to survive. He's just geared strongly towards survival in a way that's more... social than physical. He wants to side with the people he thinks are the most powerful without actually upsetting anyone, until he gets to a point where he feels like we have enough power to be able to wield it. And as one of the Voices, he is actually very "we"-focused -- he talks about looking out for number one, yes, but you're all kind of a collective "number one" and he maybe makes that most clear in The Wraith chapter, where he never wavers from vocally trying to make the situation better for himself and Hero and Paranoid. He never threatens any of the other Voices either -- and not even, iirc, the Narrator, though he does turn his back on the Narrator when it becomes clear he's something of a paper tiger -- just the Princess, in situations where she has proven how dangerous she is, and not even always then. (Again, in The Wraith, he's not even pleased to have overpowered her if you decide to toss her into a bottomless pit.) He does want to be liked, too, that much is clear and seems to be completely sincere. He likes traveling (or at least the idea of it) because he thinks it makes him "relatable." He totally unnecessarily tries to smooth everything over with you and the other Voices in a way that doesn't always, to me, feel like him just being mealy-mouthed in a self-serving way; the example of this that stands out to me is in The Moment of Clarity, when Stubborn and Contrarian are tired of Skeptic's philosophizing and he jumps in to reassure, "They're good questions. Great questions, even. But they don't have any answers," and there's something oddly... gentle/reassuring about the delivery. The way you get him usually shows how he's geared to your (collective) survival and why he doesn't trust the Princess: In the first chapter, if you don't take the blade but then use it to kill her, that's your only chance to get him. But you get him in one of two ways: Go back upstairs for the blade after talking to her, in which case the Protagonist has probably legitimately decided that things aren't adding up and she's actually secretly more dangerous than she's letting on (and because she is "a creature of perception" she then reveals that to be true!), or trying to kill her after the Narrator possesses you, in which case there's that clear "hierarchy" of "the Narrator is too powerful if he can just choose to control us" (and also makes his trying to appease the Narrator in the later chapters make sense). And he is like the Witch, and honestly, in some ways I think it's understandable that he's resistant to changing even when she does. She is the one who changes based on our perception, and if I'm at all right that the Voices are the pieces that break off of us because we can't change like that but they represent her perception of us, well. The Protagonist and the Witch can choose to change and break the cycle in a way the Opportunist has a harder time with. But he is much like her: "This dangerous person killed me last time, we need to maneuver this situation in a way where we can kill her without her killing us again." And a big problem with him is that he is 100% wired into that survival instinct even when it's not necessary! He wants to betray the Thorn even after she hands us the blade back! But he also just came from a chapter in which we handed her the blade trustingly and she immediately stabbed us, which doesn't excuse it but does I think explain why when he talks about slaying her right then and there he says something along the lines of "we have power right now and we may never get this chance again" -- he's still expecting this to go very badly for us.

The other ways you get him in the various Chapter IIIs also back this up, I think: In The Razor, you try to "appeal to her better nature" after she's already killed you twice (and maybe a lot more!), which is again just him trying to survive long enough to turn the tables on a threat. To get him in The Wild, the Beast first has to eat you alive, but then you stab her to death instead of letting her escape or just killing yourself, taking advantage of being close to vulnerable organs to take her down with you. (And I will say, while I adore Contrarian, I find him much more obnoxious to have in The Wild chapter.) To get him in The Wraith, you have to take the blade in The Nightmare chapter but agree to free her, then slay her either at the door when the Narrator locks it on you (again, the Narrator showing he's more powerful than he should be) or after Paranoid straight-up says "if I absolutely had to choose I slightly prefer that we kill her" -- and then, oddly, he does spend the entire Wraith chapter trying to soothe her and get her to forgive and hire/protect not just himself but the Protagonist, Hero, and Paranoid (and is actually like "this was a bad decision, there's going to be no way to smooth this over" if you do choose to toss yourself into the void with her). And in The Moment of Clarity, he is oddly gentle with the other Voices for the most part and also advises just letting her out because it'll all be okay for them if they do. All of this is just to say that, like... Yeah, he can be mealy-mouthed and backstabbing and obnoxious. But I also don't think he's a backstabber for fun. He wants to be either at the top when it comes to "who's the most powerful," or at the right hand of whoever is at the top, but at the same time I think that stems from him just wanting to feel safe -- and what's safer than no one else having power over you? Especially when that power's been used to steal your autonomy or kill you so, so many times? In some ways he's low-key like Hunted and Paranoid: "What will keep us alive?" and "I don't trust anyone but us (unless I feel like I have to)" are kind of an undercurrent to everything he says and does. ...That also means that if he got his own body I think he'd be in an interesting position. He might have some issues at first with being more "look out for number one now means me and not us," or at least having some instinctive feelings in that direction -- but at the same time he might feel more at ease having complete control over his own body, since the Protagonist losing that control seemed to low-key freak him out more than once in the Construct and his smooth-talking might have had a lot to do with how he felt his words were the only power he had since he wasn't in control of the body. So there's a chance he'd struggle with staying quite as group-oriented at first, but there's also a chance that he might be able to relax at least a bit.

[krispycreamcake]

Kanato Sakamaki bf headcanons𖤐𖤐

🧸- This is so random and probably not the best way to start things off, but he frequently dresses your hair

🧸- It literally doesn't matter if you're male or female or even a woolly mamoth, you're never seeing the inside of a salon/barber again

🧸- While it's generally fun for him to do his s/o hair, he also uses it to his advantage to essentially groom you to his likings and preferences (no not that kind of groom get out)

🧸- If you have a stuffed animal or a collection of the sort, they will be invited to his tea parties and he'll even teach you how to sew little outfits for them

🧸- Honestly as childish as Kanato is, I think the reason he acts like this is because he feels emotions very intensely

🧸- I have a similar issue and people will often undermine it as just having a "dramatic" or "childish" personality, when in reality the poor guy just feels things 10x more than your average Joe

🧸- And because of this, I think one of the main issues that'll present themselves in your relationship is that you might unknowingly hurt his feelings

🧸- Let me elaborate. Basically calling him "cute" for making a mistake, or let's say even just brushing off his tantrums by saying "that's just how he acts and I'll need to get used to it" is essentially babying him

🧸- The uh easiest way to fix this would be by letting him know you're there for him and ready to work at whatever the issue is, together

🧸- Ok I lied, it's not going to be easy when it comes to Kanato or any diaboy honestly, but I promise you it'll be worth it

🧸- Treat him like his own person while still retaining your compassion and sympathy for him and you'll be rewarded immensely in your relationship

🧸- In my opinion, Kanato seems like his love language is gift giving and quality time

🧸- Now I'm not saying you have to spend a pound and a crown to get him the fanciest Dubai chocolate or crumbl cookie box, I'm talking on a sentimental value level

🧸- So for example, he mentioned how he needed a new hat for teddy but couldn't find one that was right for him, what you would do in that scenario is go on YouTube, look up a tutorial on how to make shit with felt, fail like once or twice and THEN give him the gift of his lifetime

🧸- Now let's say you aren't the artsy type, pay attention to his wants and likes and even if it's a tiny cute little keychain from the dollar store, once he likes it, he'll cherish it forever

🧸- Ok I realized that I'm talking a loooot about the whole gift giving thing, so I'll just write a bit on quality time to even things out

🧸- Graveyard picnic dates, watching the stars on top the roof, 90s horror film night, you reading to him something from the Grimm Brothers, tea parties in the dungeon

🧸- When thinking Kanato, think "wow this is kinda fucked up but it strangely doesn't feel that way when I'm with this person"

🧸- I'm so dumb, I talked about his love language and didn't mention what he'd do for YOU💀

🧸- Well for starters, he's the type of guy to not say I love you a lot but instead write you songs and serenade you

🧸- Clothes galore with this guy. He's always making or buying some kind of outfit for you

🧸- If he knows you like a certain collection of an item (ie. Books, tea sets, stuffed animals, dolls) he'll get them for you, trust

🧸- He LOVES going bone hunting with you, literally loves it so much

🧸- Date night is a regular Friday night occurrence so do NOT miss it

🧸- Oh right, his favourite time of the year is Halloween and he LOOOOVES making you do creepy couple costumes, baking fall/halloween themed cookies with you, carving pumpkins. It's especially his favourite time of the year to take long strolls through the cemetery

🧸- He loves tracing the veins on your wrist with his nails

🧸- Speaking of nails, I imagine he has medium length nails and keeps them rounded but just a tad bit sharp and he likes to pierce your flesh with them if he's in the mood

🧸- Do you know that whole "would you still love me if I was a worm?" Thing? Yeah, that's him but replace worm with decomposing corpse that has lost all its beauty

🧸- His favourite spots to bite you are your lips and your hips

[puppyplayhouse]

Since my freak can be matched here I'll leave you with this

Let's say the reader has been feeling lonely lately and after thinking it over for awhile decides to adopt a hybrid since after looking online every one says it's helped them so much

Goes through the process of finding the best match and someone does pop up

It's a hybrid and his name is Jisung( I see him as a puppy hybrid especially after all of skz said he loves getting attention) but he ticks all the boxes couldn't have been a more perfect match, scrolling down his page only to find he's a bonded pair with a kitty hybrid called Minho

It says they can't be separated and will only be homed together

So the reader thinks about looking again but they matched so well and they can't just let that go, seeing their picture and them being so cute maybe it's not such a bad idea to adopt the pair so when she's gone to work they can keep each other company while she's away most of the day

Then comes the day of meeting, there brought into a room to get to know each other and Hannie is bouncing he's so excited he can't believe someone is considering the two of them and he talks about how it's a little bit more difficult for them since they can't be separate even tho he wouldn't change a thing

And off to the side is kitty Minho who's just watching because it feels too good to be true, he's thinking of every possible way for this to go wrong as they've gotten their hopes up so many times and he's the logic one as Han gets so caught up in the Idea of a new life

Getting to know Min in these sessions are harder since he's more stand off-ish and the reader is told that's one of the many reasons they can't go there seperate ways Han makes Min more comfortable, relaxed more at ease since he doesn't have to take charge of socializing

After meeting a few times and really thinking it over the reader decides to adopt the pair and the journey of settling in to the new environment begins

As anticipated Hannie has a much easier time, loving the attention and having someone new to talk to, the evening walks he gets to take now, getting praised for simply being too cute

On the other end of things is Minho, for the first few days he rarely left his room, he would only eat if Han was there so he'd be a bit more relaxed and it's making the reader panic maybe she's not the right home for them what if she can't help him settle, she starts to over think does he not like his toys she got him?is his scratching post not up to standard? Maybe it's his room so she let him redecorate it himself, what if she's working too much what if he thinks she's home too much, is it her cooking he doesn't like

After confessing these insecurities to Han hoping to get some help to make Min feel more at home the house begins to change to make him feel more comfortable

Now there is an arm chair facing out the main window where Min can now watch birds and people watch and just be nosey (nobody is allowed on this chair he takes his role as guard very seriously) and this is where his love for cooking is discovered as he's a cat and there's always a standard and it's not that he didn't like the original cooking he just thought that since some days the reader came home empty handed Min thought they were a bad hunter and struggled to bring food back (I love that cats think humans can't hunt properly and I think some of that would still follow over into hybrids)

After a couple of months of this routine comes a new problem, there's a lack of affection on Minho's side

It's not that the reader isn't trying there just worried about making him uncomfortable as getting too close makes him freeze up sometimes he even runs out the room

What if Min thinks they are playing favourites since Hannie is always all over them and is met with the same energy back, some nights Han even spends in bed with them while Min is in his room and there's this feeling of guilt because how do they not seem so over baring with him, they are aware his love language might be different since they aren't the same hybrid

This all comes to a halt when they start going into heat, at first the reader leaves them to themselves and if they need any help to just ask of course Han breaks first don't get him wrong he loves that he can rely on Min at times like these but he's craving something different this time and there's an ich that he just can't get rid of and explained this to the reader and that's when during Hannies heat he goes back and forth between the two of them

During Minho's first heat he wouldn't even let Han near him he just wasn't that comfortable in his new home yet, it takes a bit for him to let Han back in during this time but eventually came back around to it

But during one of Min's heats he just couldn't reach that he was looking so hard for he couldn't shake it no matter what he did, he tried over and over again but nothing and becomes so frustrated

As a good owner the reader steps in to ask Min if there is anything they can do to help but he's so embarrassed how can he ask for help with something like this but theres only so much the kitty can handle before he's knocking on there bedroom door one night desperate for something he's so sensitive that he'd probably cum if a breeze brushed past him

At first they think something is wrong and start asking questions, mid ramble they hear a whimper and everything just goes quiet because there's no way her shy little kitten is at her door blush sitting so pretty over the tops of his cheeks waiting for anything to be done

After getting him to sit on the bed petting the top of his head asking him to explain what he wants and all he can do is moan he's too far gone he can't think for himself and begs for them to do something, make him stop thinking to help with this feeling he just can't get rid of

And it goes the whole night there is such a build up of want and desire after not getting to be near him since they first started living together and Min is desperate he spends most the night mumbling all his wants and needs not believing that there all being met

Wet kisses all over his body being praised and degraded at the time not having to lift a paw since the reader is doing everything they can to make him feel the most pleasure his ever felt and he's having a crisis what was he thinking not going to them sooner

It's so messy and wet Min is covering the reader in scratches and bits marks because it just feels too good, he discovers his oral fixation he LOVES it being between there legs eating pussy for his pleasure to, kneeding at there stomach and thighs even into there ass

The next morning after they both had one of the best sleeps they've had in a long time the reader is worried that now it's all calmed down that Minho is uncomfortable but it's the complete opposite he's so cuddly and affectionate he just can't help himself

Starts the morning licking and grooming the reader to show how thankfully he is because he can finally think straight now that his heat has passed over even goes above and beyond and makes them breakfast in bed, runs into the next room to drag Hannie to bed with them so he's not left out only this starts a whole other round between the tree of them

They spend the next few days stuck to each other's hip and the harmony in the house is so much more relaxed and everyone is so much more comfortable they now gently rub their back as they pass by each other, Min now can't sit unless his legs are thrown over Hans while the reader plays with his hair and he's purring to his hearts content

It went from them all having individual rooms to shopping for a bigger bed so they can sleep together nearly every night and there so integrated in one another's routine and wouldn't have it any other way and they're just so thankful for each other

I apologise for the ramble I got carried away this has been rotten my brain for awhile now also I'm sorry if it doesn't make any sense or if it's not that good I've never written anything before 😅

The audacity of you to come on to MY BLOG and ANONYMOUSLY write the BEST FIC I HAVE EVER READ and then APOLOGISE????? HAND IN MARRIAGE RIGHT NOW. THIS IS ART. I AM ALWAYS ON MY MINSUNG SHIT AND YOU HAVE BROKEN ME. I AM HOWLING.

[courtlyharlequin]

Can you do vil, rook, and epel with a s/o who has tattoos because they used to be in a gang please ?

Permanent Ink

A/N: I hope you don't mind that I slightly changed your request to just the reader having a tattoo. The origin is unknown. To be frank, I don't know anything about gangs and I'm a little hesitant to research about them for fear of coming across anything triggering (T⌓T)

Vil Schoenheit:

He's the type of person that thinks that tattoo sleeves are tacky. Too much of anything especially in beauty, fashion and aesthetics is going to come off as tacky. Too much makeup can make your face look cake-y. Too much crystals on a wedding dress will take away from the fabric's beauty. Things like that. So, tattoo sleeves are a no-no for him, but that's just him personally.

If you have a sleeve, cool. That's how you express yourself and if you feel confident with it then good for you. Vil won't make you feel bad about it– especially if there's meaning behind it.

If you just have one, two, or a few tattoos spread out on your body, he'd probably like that more in terms of artistic taste. Vil is fond of the smaller tattoos like wings on your back, a ring of ink around your fingers or some writing on your rib. They're discreet, but they're enough to make a statement

The first time Vil ever saw your tattoos, he was a bit surprised. He never expected you to have any for some reason. Perhaps it was because he never saw them so he just assumed you never had any.

He'll ask questions right off the bat. What's the meaning? Or did you simply like the design?

Don't hesitate to ask him for thoughts on a design or even help making one! Though he's not a tattoo artist, he can work with a pen and paper and give you some ideas

Rook Hunt

He would... stare and your tattoo(s) the first time he sees it. No questions just examining the details, the lines, the curves, and the colors. Whether how obvious it is depends on how observant you are.

But if you did catch him, Rook would tell you that they were just so mesmerizing that he couldn't help himself. Then, you could welcome the basic questions people usually ask about tattoos: "did it hurt?", "what's the meaning?", etc.

But what shocks you even more is when he starts asking about which parlor or artist did it? He's quite knowledgeable about tattoos, leading you to asking him if he's had any... a question that he skillfully dodges.

If you had a small tattoo on somewhere discreet like your collarbone or wrist, Rook would kiss your tattoos there. He would also absentmindedly trace along the lines of the ink whenever he's deep in thought, sending shivers down your spine with his dexterous and light touch.

One day, out of the blue, he might even coin an idea of getting matching tattoos. It could be your initials or something symbolic like two turtle doves that make a heart when you put your hands next to each other's.

"It's romantic, isn't it?"

Epel Felmeir

Epel would be the most vocal reaction out of the Pomefiore trio when it comes to finding out you have a tattoo. Something like "WOAH!"

If you have a sleeve or colored tattoos, his reaction will be even louder. He had always assumed tattoos only came in one color.

It's honestly a really cute reaction. He asks if he can touch it and spends a good amount of time examining your skin. He then asks if he can try something then unironically does a Chinese burn on your forearm to see how the ink holds. And surprise... the ink is still there! It didn't rub off! But your wrist is a little sore...

In general, he's just super curious and inquisitive about your tattoos. His grandmother never allowed to even think about getting one... but yes he wants one. Just a tiny one.

Maybe one that his grandmother can't find so easily. Epel hasn't really thought of the design yet, but maybe you can help since yours is so well thought out? Making tattoos designs together seems like a cute date idea!

He'll even go with you to a tattoo parlor to check things out if you ever invite him or decide to get another tattoo. He wants to watch and see how it's done!

[crystalrabbit246912]

Winged NRC Students

Imagine Twisted Wonderland being a world where everyone has wings. I like to think that everyone has bird wings, but you can imagine insect or bat wings if you'd like.

Heartslabyul

I imagine Riddle would have flamingo wings because flamingos are in Heartslabyul for croquet matches and it seems fitting. If not, some species of bird with red wings seem to fit best.

Ace would likely be a parrot or a macaw since he seems like a tropical bird would fit best. Such birds have bright colors and parrots are sometimes seen as annoying, especially in media portrayals, isn't that fitting for Ace?

Deuce seems kind of like a swallow, which, if you didn't know, are small birds with dark blue wings. As such, his wings would match his hair which is mainly what I'm going for.

I could see Cater as a peacock or similarly flashy species of bird considering what he's like. If not a peacock, I'd say a tropical bird since those often have bright colors.

If I think of Trey with wings, I think of him with brown wings for whatever reason, so we're going to roll with it. He could be a tawny owl, maybe. It could work.

Savanaclaw

Leona, and Savanaclaw as a whole, is largely associated with muted, warm colors such as dark orange and brown. There aren't many birds with dark orange wings, though, so we're going with mostly brown and potentially gray here. Leona seems like he'd have falcon or eagle wings.

Ruggie grew up in the slums and gray is a color often associated with such things. Being in such a hopeless environment would have leeched the color out of anyone's wings, no? Perhaps dove or mockingbird wings could work for him.

Jack, meanwhile grew up in a cold environment, so he could potentially have white wings because snow often falls on cold days. Additionally, he could still have brown or gray wings, it's hard to pick just one. Swans don't trust outsiders often, which would be fitting for Jack's lone-wolf attitude. Perhaps he could be a black swan, though white would fit better with his hair.

Octavinelle

I can see Azul with either snowy owl or vulture wings. Snowy owls because owls are associated with wisdom and learning and Vulture because vultures could be seen as bad omens which would work well with Azul's backstory.

Jade and Floyd would probably have the same type of wings, being twins and all. They would likely have brightly colored wings, like kingfisher wings that are usually teal with white dots and orange underwings. Such colors suit them, don't you think?

Scarabia

For thematic purposes, I want Kalim and Jamil's wings to be basically mirror images of each other.

Kalim's could be a pure white crane or swan wings. I'm leaning toward swan here because their wings are long and perfect for long-distance soaring which Kalim would love to do.

Jamil, meanwhile, would likely have much shorter, crow wings. The black not only matches his hair but symbolizes the shadow that's always cast on him unknowingly by Kalim. Having short wings helps him fit into other places to do his work, though everything around Kalim is set to accommodate his much larger wings.

Pomefiore

Vil seems suited toward either mockingbird or flamingo wings. Mockingbird because he's an actor and mockingbirds are good at imitating others and flamingo because they're wings are suited for acrobatic flight and it seems fitting. If he does have flamingo wings, they would be a vastly different shade than Riddle's. He would also push proper wingcare tips and supplies onto his Dorm, which Epel doesn't actually mind since he likes his wings.

Rook is very flamboyant at first glance, so a tropical bird seems to fit him, but he's also a hunter. He's an expert at remaining unseen, and bright wings wouldn't help him with that. He wouldn't let that hinder him, but I lean more toward him having hawk wings since hawks have good eyesight. Additionally, he comes from a family of hunters and I don't think they would do well at hunting with such bright, noticeable wings.

Epel would have short wings since I imagine those with longer wings build big cities that a lot of people live in while those with short wings tend to live in small farming villages like Harveston. So he could either have woodpecker, robin, finch, or sparrow wings. I'm leaning toward woodpecker or sparrow personally.

Ignihyde

Idia would have phoenix wings, but instead of burning with red fire, they would have bright blue fire like the Shroud brothers' hair. Of course, he can turn the fire off or make it harmless, but just imagine Idia with blue fire wings.

Ortho, being... well, how he is, doesn't have physical wings. Idia was able to make him capable of simulating flight with wings similar to his hair, which I assume is a projection of fake fire. As such, Ortho can change his 'wings' but likes to keep them how they are because he likes to match with Idia.

Diasomnia

Malleus seems like no one can tell what species his wings are and everyone's too scared to ask him. If you do, he'll tell you that no one can tell what his or his grandmother's wings are. The wings have a mysterious feel to them and are probably black or something similar.

Lilia would have bat wings because he's a bat but would disguise them with an illusion of crow, vulture, or potentially some tropical bird wings because bat wings are restricted to only bat fae, and not many people have ever seen a bat fae in person.

Silver, being the only pure human among the Diasomnia crew, has pure white wings. Likely crane wings, so they're white with a bit of black on the tips. He uses them to help his balance while using his sword, so they flare out when he falls asleep so he doesn't topple over.

Sebek, being half-human, would have normal wings that have a sort of 'mystical' feel to them. I think he would have quetzal wings, which are green with gold highlights because they would match his hair and he would be ecstatic to have wings that match his liege's signature color.

Ramshackle

Being a different species, Grim wouldn't have wings, but the ghosts would have ghostly wings that no one can quite tell what they are because they don't have color anymore and the ghosts like not telling to keep it a mystery.

I like to think of Yuu as either having no wings because they came from a different world or gaining/previously having hummingbird wings. Hummingbirds in the TWST world would traditionally be messengers, which feels fitting for some reason.

[arenabreadandbiscuits]

Vox x Alastor || Tell Me Who Did This, Now.

So I know I know, commission work yes yes I'm getting to it BUT! I wrote a little blurb for that little comic @milariro drew for radiostatic which is literally like my favorite ship I think. 👀

Anyway hope y'all like it! ÙwÚ

Word Count: 2k

Rating: PG(?), maybe PG-13. Mostly angsty ish feel?

-

It isn't the first time he's lost track of him somewhere but every time it happens Alastor hopes it's the last. 

He hasn't seen Vox in days and considering how close they are… it's strange, worrisome. 

Vox usually keeps up with him, taking the time to send messages and letters and pop up at the most sudden of times and Alastor always responds. Life in hell has been growing on the two of them, Vox has been so excited recently… so eager to announce that he had a dream, one where he could publicize the two of them, where they could happily pursue their goals… together and Alastor both loved… and despised the very idea. 

Really he himself is fine with his little following; those few sinners, Vox included, who seemed to always tune in but he'd be a liar if he told himself that he didn't see this …new behavior that seemed to jump out of his friend. Vox was a big dreamer, they had spent many long hours talking to each other, laughing and joking while also spewing their deepest hopes and dreams…well usually it was Vox who did so while Alastor listened and encouraged him but he couldn't help but want to stop the other at the same time.

To tell him that he didn't need to go out there and get big and famous or whatever because Alastor likes the way Vox already is but his friend, his silly friend had his hopes for their pitiful, shameful lives down here so who would Alastor really be to stop him?

To put it lightly, Alastor is anxious over the other demon who was still just hardly taller than Alastor's own shoulder. He's worried that something might have happened to his friend considering how long he's been missing now. After all, Alastor had noticed the way they seemed to draw more attention these days when they were out together… the sneaky glances and judging gazes the other sinners would give them.

Alastor doesn't care, couldn't care less especially considering how easy most demons are to get rid of but… Vox had seemed to grow rather conscious of his presence outside because of it all. 

There's been times where he's even mentioned it, brought it up when it was just him and Alastor together.. Alastor could never forget it, the first time it was ever brought up… the way that Vox seemed to look over his shoulder and double check locks and doors with the excuse of making sure they were ‘safe’. 

It angers Alastor. 

Annoys him so bad to the point that he'd kill them, split their skulls and the ground they walked and before Vox’s very own feet but… for some reason whenever Alastor gets to that point… the point of nearly no return, Vox will lightly brush his hand against his own and while that kind, warm smile and tell Alastor that it was okay. 

That they didn't matter. 

That he didn't care. 

And so on and so forth. 

Alastor moves through the room now, annoyance dripping into the air around him as he seems to get ready to go somewhere… to go look for him because after everything they've been through so far he could admit that he didn't… like it when he couldn't keep tabs on Vox. When they weren't together so Alastor could defend him if needed. When he couldn't hover around Vox like a hawk threatening to peck out anyone's eyes who dared to even spill a drop of liquor on his shoes. He's smiling but he's anything but happy as he gets dressed to go out and hunt down Vox himself..

It's not until he's all ready, a clawed hand reaching out to his front door when his ears suddenly perk as the sound of knocking from the other side fills the room. 

Alastor freezes for a moment, his mind simply going blank in that very moment except for the thought of Vox that lingered and as he shifted gears and continued to reach out and turn the door before another knock could be heard, Alastor found himself faced with Vox. 

Immediately there's a surge of electricity that rushes through his body at being faced with his friend. 

He's relieved, for starters, just seeing him but then that turns into confusion, then slowly into unbridled rage when he takes in the sight of the other more closely. 

“Al..” Vox chuckles softly, that little chuckle that Alastor had grown rather fond of over their time of knowing each other even in those moments when he did it after telling some stupid joke or when it happened when they seemed to press close to each other in the moments when they could. He usually loves hearing it but this time he does not. 

Especially because it's glitchy, corrupted from what he can see. 

Not while Vox stands before him looking like a stray, beaten dog who practically limped its way back to its owner.

“I know I'm later than I said I'd be but hey, I'm here now yeah?” Vox starts off, or at least attempts to through riggidy default settings and his scratchy voice box though Alastor seems to understand him anyway. 

He doesn't want to though. 

He doesn't want to be faced by him when he's like this and all Alastor manages to do is let out a glitchy sound himself though unlike Vox he's not tired or worn, he's energized, livid. 

His eyes move over Vox's form; looking at his heavily dirtied and wrinkled shirt that seemed to be missing a few buttons then they look at the way Vox seems to cradle one of his arms and of course Alastor takes in his screen which seemed shattered, clearly punched in. 

Rightfully so, Vox seems to grow self conscious as the way Alastor hasn't responded yet. He knew that appearing like this at such a late hour would be one thing for the man but it's so strange to see Alastor so… serious. Vox laughs a little, lowering his gaze as if shy, unwilling to show his face as he slowly looks down to his shoes.

A moment of silence washes over them and Vox can't help but rub his already sore arm.

Maybe he shouldn't have come after all? Perhaps Alastor was even angry with him for doing so after already being hours late… Vox knew he shouldn't have come, should have just dealt with this on his own like he preferred to do so but they both knew Alastor would have come looking for him if he hadn't shown up because that's just who Alastor was when it came to Vox. 

His rushing thoughts come in bundles, so much so that the silence becomes deafening and Vox can't help the way his body wants to just naturally step back and walk away as if he never came to begin with, and maybe that was for the best? He hates bothering Alastor, hated not being strong enough to always hold his ground or to scare others away like Alastor so easily seemed to do and maybe it makes him feel inferior, unworthy of being with the other man which always makes his heart ache when he comes down to such a conclusion. He has so many dreams for them but at times much like these ones he wondered if he was just getting reality messed up with said dreams. 

It's not until a finger slips under his screen and lifts it to make Vox's gaze focus on Alastor's once more but this time… Vox seemed to freeze at what he saw on the other's face, his functioning eye growing wider at the scene as he finds himself suddenly holding his breath. 

He's distorted, glitching and reversing, sigils forming in the air behind him as his eyes look into Vox's. His neck twisted over to the side and eyes big, red, and ticking in a way that makes it seem that Alastor is just barely clinging to patience… like he could burst at any moment in a fit of claws and teeth and as Vox stares up at him, shocked, he can feel shivers run up his back as Alastor continues to hold his head in place. He's gentle but firm, refusing to let this go which was something Vox would also say to him..

To just forget it and move on but no, nonono.

Alastor refused not to be pissed and as far as he knew, he had worked to do..

People to punish, bitches to burn. 

“Who… Did this.. to you?” He says and with the way the room seems to shake it's clear that Alastor is not in fact asking but instead demanding to know. Vox can feel the bloodlust leaking off of the other demon, the fury he carries and Vox was sure that if he was anyone else in hell in that very moment that Alastor probably…wouldn't have hesitated to spill his blood and the ground he stood on. 

Vox recognized the look, his eyes slowly lowering again now while Alastor shifts his hand to caress the side of Vox's face, running his thumb over the undamaged side and though it's a kind gesture Vox can feel the way Alastor's hand seems to lightly shake. 

Vox makes a soft sound, something that he didn't make often and closes the gap between the two of them, wrapping his arms around Alastor and clinging to him and at first the taller of the two freezes at the reaction before slowly but surely… calming, at least as much as he could right now. 

It takes a moment for Alastor to immediately respond but Vox doesn't mind, not when he can feel how warm Alastor was and smell his scent so closely and after everything it seems to take some pressure off the TV demon. When Alastor does hug him back his hold is a bit firmer, a bit tighter, like he may get upset if Vox dares to pull away from him now. 

“Alastor, please…” Vox sighs softly,  brokenly and though Vox's voice box is fucked Alastor still makes out those words and the gentle way Vox seems to speak to him. 

“Please just…just leave it.” He says next, moving to bury his head in Alastor's chest and stepping in closer only to tumble forward onto a knee making Alastor jolt and quickly grip him closer before he finds himself in both of them. “Please let it go… I'll be okay, I'll recover. I always do don't I?” he says, practically begging the other man and Alastor feels his face twitch and he's never before more angry at his own curse for not being able to show just how upset he is right now. Yes of course he was sure Vox would be okay but he despised the idea of the other growing used to being treated this way by others...

“I'll be okay see?” Vox tries to convince the other or maybe… he's trying to convince himself now as he lifts his head and gives Alastor that silly, stupid smile again and it both annoys the deer demon but also convinces him enough to not leave right now and go hunt down however did this for there was all the time in the world to do such later. 

Vox had come to him at this time for a reason and even if the reason was simply because Vox had no one else Alastor didn't care. He'd help him just like he always did… and so with a huff Alastor looks down to Vox with that everlasting smile though it does seem strained. 

“Come inside… I'll take care of you.” He says and though Vox still feels guilty for showing up and possibly ruining Alastor's day with his appearance he also feels… grateful knowing Alastor was there just like he always was. So Vox gives in, sighing and nodding softly, gathering himself and getting to his feet and as Alastor holds the door wide open for him he trails in before the door closes back and snaps shut behind the two of them now allowing them to be alone together, where they were always guaranteed safety from the hellish world around them. 

Where Alastor could continue to keep a close eye on him for just a while longer. 

~

[according2thelore]

I'm rusty on my supernatural lore,

But what would you imagine Dean [and Sam's] life would have been if Dean stayed and grew up ay Sonnys?

anon!!!! ANON!!!!

WHAT THE FUCKKK!!! this has sent me into an absolute spiral. oh god. let's discuss!!!!!!!

i don't see john winchester leaving dean there permanently, even though he was angry enough to leave him there for a few months, so i'm sure some kind of law enforcement had to be involved, or CPS once they find the repeated knife marks on dean's forearm from shifter tests.

i also can't see dean leaving sam with john by himself, especially since sam is younger. i think if dean was raised by sonny, he'd try to run away a few times, until it's made clear to him that if CPS finds out john has another--even younger--kid with him, sammy'll end up in the system.

dean's life changes pretty drastically. about six months in, he starts getting antsy. he's made efforts to make friends/get prom dates/form a group at this school, but when they stay in his life beyond a certain time, he doesn't really know what to do with himself. he doesn't know how to maintain long-term friendships or relationships outside of sam, and with sam it was effortless. he's not good at purposefully socializing, and breaks a lot of friendships due to unintentional cruelty. it takes him a while to get used to having people that know him, and i imagine the first time his friends celebrate his birthday, dean kind of freaks out, bc his job is to be unknown, a face in the crowd that disappears in a month.

i think dean would be pretty popular in school, even if it's in an infamous way. he doesn't have any qualms about breaking into classrooms after school hours, he fixes a car in shop by hot wiring it, and when michael f.'s ankle gets broken in gym, dean's splinted it before the teacher can run back to the room and call the office.

sonny notices dean getting antsy and jittery, and recommends he join the football team, or the basketball team, or the baseball team. dean is like "woah, no, i'm not built for team activities." but he probably ends up enrolling for a season just to get sonny to shut up. he loves it. he loves the automatic surface-level friendships built in, he loves getting to miss class, and he loves the inherent status that comes with it.

dean's not used to being able to have and afford things, and sonny gets called into the high school because dean's been skipping gym for a week. when sonny's like "hey kid, wtf?" dean shrugs and is a little shit about it, but it turns out his sneakers have completely fallen apart. he tried a mixture of gluing/sewing them back together, and it worked for a month, but now they're irreparable. sonny starts asking dean once a month if he needs anything. he's not wealthy, mind you, but when dean shyly asks for new jeans, he and sonny are in goodwill THAT DAY getting dean jeans he doesn't have to hold up with a belt.

dean does well in english, does well in foreign language (he takes spanish), does REALLY well in shop, but has to get after-school tutoring in math.

dean misses sam more than the air in his lungs. he has nightmares nightly about sam dying, and dean is too far away to help. when he's seventeen, one of the younger kids introduces dean as his older brother to one of his school friends, and dean has a panic attack in the bathroom. he's real sweet on the younger kids, and the only time he gets in trouble for fighting at school is when the smallest one gets his head shoved in a toilet.

dean treats sonny like a coworker instead of an authority figure, which is pretty typical for kids like this. younger kids come to him with problems, and the only reason dean actually goes to after school math tutoring is so he can help the younger ones with their math homework when they ask.

when dean turns eighteen, sonny offers him the chance to stay. dean knows he's gotta find sammy. but while he takes weekend roadtrips to hunt down john and sam, he funds these trips with working at a car wash and takes mechanic trade school classes during the week.

now sammy...his life changes. a lot. john didn't take him on many hunts before, since he had dean to come with him, but now sam is going on almost every hunt, at age twelve.

his childhood was long-since over, but sam gets thrust into full hunting before his voice drops. he tries to run away from john to get to dean monthly. john starts disassembling the door handles at each motel they stay at, until sam learns how to put them back together. sam wants them both to be raised by sonny, because he's catastrophically lonely now.

john doesn't tell him the truth. in S9E7 when we get introduced to sonny, sam has no idea that dean was in a boys' home. i think john tries to lie as long as possible, saying dean's lost on a hunt, then that dean's at bobby's, then finally admitting that dean got in some hot water with the state and is at a boys' home. he never tells sam about the full truth though, with the money and the stealing, and by the time john ended his "punishment" and went to pick him up, the state was involved.

john blames himself for dean being taken away, and even though he knows dean is safer away from them, he's heartbroken he doesn't get to watch his son become an adult.

for the hunts that are too dangerous for sam to accompany john on, sam sits shivering under a motel blanket, terrified out of his mind. if john's dead, sam's completely alone in the world. he has no idea how to drive the car to get to dean. hitch-hiking would get him kidnapped or killed or worse. he doesn't know how to run the credit card scams. every time john comes back alive and mostly in one piece, sam stifles tears into his pillow, relief too big to name.

when john doesn't take him on hunts, sam is up all night researching. he's the primary researcher now, and he needs two cups of coffee to wake up in the morning by the time he's thirteen.

he and john fight. constantly. there's not a mediator anymore, and with puberty making sam a concentrated ball of rage, john has no idea how to handle him. dean was obedient. sam is furious. when they fight, john ends up storming out, sometimes for days on end, because there's not someone to calm him down or tell him sam didn't mean it.

sam writes letters to dean, but doesn't know their address ahead of time enough to let dean write back. when john finds out, he's furious. not only does it risk sam also getting taken, he knows it stresses dean out and risks dean getting surrendered to the state instead of sonny's if he runs away when he hears about the hunts sam gets taken on. he cuts off their communication. that time, sam runs away for two and a half weeks. john finds him in a bus stop in indiana, curled asleep against the wall with a hand-written sign that says rides to new york.

sam's only refuge is at school, and even though he loves his dad, has very little guilt about attending college fairs at sixteen.

when john and sam finally show up to sonny's a few months after dean's eighteenth birthday, sam gets out of the car before it even stops moving and slams with both fists on the front door like he's trying to escape instead of enter the door. sonny opens it, and sam's practically frothing at the mouth to get dean back. some of the younger kids that are out of school for the day are like "what do u want with our brother?? 🤨" and sam loses his SHIT. because what the fuck do you MEAN?

dean comes home from the garage when sonny calls him, and dean shows up breathless and sweaty and streaked in grease because he ran because waiting for the bus would take too long.

sam is only an inch shorter than him now at fourteen, as he hurls himself out of the house and takes dean to the ground. they both cry but pretend they don't. the hug lasts so long, dean petting through sam's hair, and sam's eyes closed tightly, nose buried in dean's sweaty collarbone that everyone looks around awkwardly. i'm talking minutes.

THIS PROMPT MAKES ME CRAZY!!!! ANON!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SENDING IT IN!!!! your mind is so big...so huge...i had SO much fun thinking about it!!!! thank you sm!!! mwah mwah mwah!

-lizzy

[lets-try-some-writing]

Implications

Jazz liked to think he was pretty smart and capable of standing his ground. He'd been a spy for almost every big political player, gotten involved with the army, and messed around in pretty much every under the table association. When Orion asked him to join up and support the war effort, Jazz saw no reason to decline. He knew his friend... until he didn't.

Since the new guy came in, Jazz decided he values his life more than honesty.

Previous part here.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

Jazz was always a mech who lived by the rule of knowing everything so that he could act in response to anything. He liked to present himself as if he were ignorant or uncaring of the situation through the use of cheerful tones, but that was largely just to blend in. He was no fool. He knew the moment Orion was named Prime that things were going to go to slag. So he prepared, he cleared his history, pulled up his contracts, and got ready to fight or flee. He only chose to stay because Orion asked him to. How could he ever say no to his dear friend? Especially when peace seemed to be somewhere on the horizon in light of agreeable peace treaties beginning to form in spite of the Senate's efforts to continue the war.

Things were looking up despite the fact that the war still raged. There was light at the end of the tunnel, and Orion even seemed to be truly hopeful. But of course, that was when everything had to fall apart. Jazz was dutiful in his work, but someone was even better than he was at breaking and entering. How else would Orion have been stolen from his berth without so much as a whiff of where he had vanished to? The Autobots of course panicked, Ultra Magnus did what he could to keep the army in line, and the Decepticons pushed their advantage in light of Orion's disappearance. Jazz did all he could to hunt down his missing leader and friend, but to no avail. Wherever Orion was, he had completely dropped off the map.

Then Orion came back and promptly fell to pieces. Jazz was hardly able to see his friend before he was shipped off to containment to ensure whatever was happening to him didn't spread. But what Jazz saw was enough for him to know that Orion was not well... and he likely wouldn't be ever again. He was only able to sneak in to see Orion a few times, but that was all he needed.

"Hey Rion... are you in there buddy?"

"Jazz? Are you here with us?"

"Yeah I'm here. Is there somebody else in the room I should know about?"

"The voice... it speaks, questioning, asking. It wants answers. I try to answer, but I am not fast enough. It takes what I don't tell it."

"Is the voice what is making you like this?"

"I... do not know. It is curious, callous. It wants something, it wants all of me. But it does not seem to be malicious."

"Can we get rid of it?"

"No. It is already too late. It is here, burrowed deep. We will both die if you try."

"There's gotta be something we can do Rion. I am not letting you die here."

"There is... no choice. Either it lives, or we both die. It is too deep, too close to finishing its work. It does not have many questions left..."

"..."

"Once the questions end, it will have no need of me... I don't want to die in this room, alone with its voice in my mind."

"..."

"When it is time... will you let me die out of this place?"

"Yeah... I can do that Rion. I can do that."

Jazz came a few more times over the following deca-cycles. He snuck in through the vents in the dead of most mecha's recharge cycles and sat by Orion's side as his friend deteriorated. He got thinner, sickly, and more lifeless with every passing cycle. Eventually he stopped being able to talk much, only murmuring about how much it hurt. Jazz did make attempts to understand what exactly was afflicting his friend, if only so that he might have some comfort when Orion did offline. He never got anything of note aside from the pain being contributed to 'the voice'. It reached a breaking point when Orion sat up for the first time on the edge of his berth, his optics unfocused and fluid dripping from his vents.

Jazz knew what he needed to do. He had a promise to keep.

Without informing anyone, he used what authority he had to have the facility cleared. At that point, he gently took Orion's stick thin servo in his own and laced their digits together. No words were spoken as he guided his unsteady friend through hallways and rooms until they exited the bunker Orion was being kept in. They left Autobot territory and Jazz guided Orion toward the only place he could think of where his leader would possibly appreciate his final resting place to be. Jazz had every intention of guiding Orion deep into the last standing spire forest and remaining nearby so that the former archivist could rest in peace. However halfway through the journey, Orion stopped, and for the first time in deca-cycles, he seemed focused.

"Rion?"

"I don't want you to watch. I don't want you to see what we will become."

"I am your friend, Rion. I'm not about to leave you alone out here. You deserve to have someone nearby when-"

"Please. I do not wish for you to see the voice finish its work."

Jazz was unable to object as Orion wobbled past him, dragging himself in the general direction of the forest. Jazz grieved, but he did not show it as he stayed put, watching Orion's spark signature on his radar and waiting for it to go out. The moment it did, he allowed himself a klik to lament before he gathered himself and returned to the Autobots. He took his time, and when he arrived, he and the others who loved their leader grieved together. It was a rough few stellar cycles, but Ultra Magnus kept the army together and the Decepticons were even being somewhat amicable in ongoing peace arrangements. The loss of Orion Pax was still brutal and ached horribly, but Jazz, Ratchet, and the others were finally beginning to get themselves together again when someone far too familiar looking crossed the border.

Whoever it was looked like Orion if he were pumped full of protomatter and cranked up on battle protocols. The mech was huge and looked deadly even from a distance. Yet, he had Orion's face, his colors, and his voice. The mech came forward and called himself Optimus Prime, quickly presenting the Matrix of leadership. He explained in perfect almost clinical Iaconian that the reason he was presumed dead was due to the Matrix reforging him. He tried to write all of the oddities off as the Matrix doing its work and the process of being remade taking a great deal out of him, hence his slow arrival. The Autobots as a whole were skeptical, but the Matrix combined with the newcomer's almost immediate skill and his memory which matched Orion's had them accepting him quickly.

Jazz was not among that number.

He saw Orion's state, he escorted Orion to the middle of nowhere to die for Primus's sake. There was no way Orion hauled himself down to Primus's core to get the Matrix. It was impossible, not to mention the tallest tale Jazz had ever heard. The results and spectacular leadership the Prime presented were undeniable, but Jazz knew that whoever he was... he was not Orion. Optimus was quick to pick up on that fact, and the moment the Prime realized that Jazz, Ratchet, and a few select others did not fully buy his story, he became... unsettling. He held his persona with godly expertise around all others, but with Jazz and Ratchet, the two who doubted... he seemed to let himself go a bit. At first it was small, but those things grew larger with time.

Optimus's ability to blend in matched that of a master spy. He always performed perfectly in public or any area that was not checked for security by the Prime himself. He was dutiful, always keeping a kind smile or a stern expression plastered on his stolen face. His voice never wavered and he forever held himself with a complete air of calm... one that felt so fake to Jazz as to almost be suffocating. Optimus's EM field was chilled, static in a way. There was emotion there, but it was strange, unreadable, and largely left those who bothered to feel it on edge. Most chalked it up to Optimus being a Prime, but Jazz knew better. It certainly did not ease Jazz at all when Optimus purposefully extended his field when they were together. It almost felt like he was being tested with how closely Optimus watched him during those moments.

There was also the matter of how the Prime held himself. He was highly calculating, so much so that Jazz doubted he had any actual emotion in him at all. The Prime moved with determination wherever he went, but his motives were totally alien. Every action was carefully selected, and poor responses to things Optimus did always had the Prime adapting at record speed. It did not take much for the Autobots to accept him, especially when Optimus led them to war. But of course, around Jazz and Ratchet, Optimus purposefully did things that should have been beyond the bounds of normal. He twisted in ways which shouldn't have been possible just to gauge their reactions. He would poke and prod, clawing at their plating to watch their reactions. There was always a new and somewhat malicious test for him to run whenever he returned from war. Jazz came back to find Ratchet warding off the Prime with a scalpel once. And there was even an occasion were Optimus purposefully dug a blade into Jazz's leg just to watch him try to act normal around the others.

No one else suffered Optimus's abuse. No one else had to deal with the oddities. Outside of Ratchet and Jazz, Optimus was the perfect leader they needed. Well, mostly. Megatron seemed to know that Optimus was no Orion Pax, and the warlord threw away any idea relating to peace in response. He was dead set on killing the Prime, and honestly, Jazz couldn't blame him. He didn't know what Optimus was, but he most certainly was not any brand of Cybertronian Jazz was familiar with. But whatever the case, things were tolerable, and Optimus seemed to have some goal that aligned with Cybertron being brought to a peaceful state. So Jazz let him be and followed orders.

Then Optimus brought back a sparkling.

It was so out of left field that he and Ratchet were flabbergasted by the whole thing. More so when they took one look at the sparkling and knew he was just. like. Optimus. The little one acted just like his Sire for his first few vorns of life, always listening, always watching. It was frightening for Jazz to walk in to see Optimus glaring at Bumblebee with what almost seemed to be anger or hatred. Then whenever Bee cried, Optimus would tell him to quiet and Bee would stop immediately. It was terrifying to witness, even more so when Optimus brought back suspicious vials for Bee to feed from and began taking the sparkling out to the battlefield to do things Jazz did not want to know about. Optimus was focused on his creation to the point of attention falling away from Jazz and Ratchet nearly entirely. It was a small mercy, but it hurt to watch Bumblebee begin to act like a regular Cybertronian and express genuine emotions only to then suffer Optimus's treatment. The Prime treated his sparkling horribly by any standard.

Always uttering angered words, always glaring, never offering physical affection or words of affirmation, never so much as praising Bumblebee for performing well. It was as if Bumblebee was expected to succeed. Not only that, but the few times Bumblebee acted out of sorts, Optimus would beat or otherwise hurt the poor youngling until he returned to himself. More than once Ratchet did his best to stand up to the Prime in Bumblebee's defense. But Ratchet did not see the coldness in Bee's optics that Jazz did. Bumblebee was most certainly more normal than his Sire and far less monstrous, but he was still Optimus's sparkling. He never cried at the abuse, he never even seemed upset about it. The youngling accepted it all with grace, and that seemed to be what caused Ratchet to break.

The medic tolerated Optimus for his work, but seeing Bee hurt so often seemed to be a sore spot for Ratchet. Eventually, he tried to take Bee away. Jazz watched it all but did nothing to intervene. It was not his place, and he had long ago decided he enjoyed living. That belief was only confirmed when Optimus dropped out of the fragging celling as Ratchet tried to grab Bee and flee. Jazz did not stay to watch, but his horror only grew when Ratchet began to get sick mere cycles later.

When they locked optics, they both knew. Green fluid, voices in the processing units... Whatever had been done to Orion was now being inflicted on Ratchet. The medic couldn't even end his own life, not with Optimus hovering around him at all times under the guise of 'caring for his oldest friend'. Even Bee did not seem concerned. If anything, Bumblebee looked happy with every passing cycle. Still, Jazz lingered, hoping beyond hope that Optimus wasn't as bad as he seemed to be. That somehow this was all just a bad situation that would come to an end... it had to... right?

It did not.

Six stellar cycles after it began, Ratchet vanished off the face of Cybertron while the sickness was at its worst. Jazz hunted him down, but he wished he hadn't. The thing that he saw barely looked like Ratchet as it fed on raw energon like an animal. Scattered plating and organs were strewn about, and Bee eagerly seemed to be bringing over more crystals for the thing to consume Standing beside it was the one and only Optimus Prime who observed with what could have been glee as the thing's mandibles crushed through crystalized energon shards. That was when Jazz knew.

These were monsters. Optimus Prime was not the only one, and he had proven he could spread. It didn't matter what cause he fought for or how good a Prime he was. This was unnatural. And so Jazz did the only thing he could think of. He ran toward the one mech on the planet who knew what Optimus was and hated him enough to possibly put him down.

He ran to Megatron.

"MEGATRON! This is Jazz! Special operations agent for the Autobots! I need immediate evac!"

"Why would I ever help and Autobot?"

"It's Optimus! He's SPREADING!"

"Soundwave, get that mech on board the Nemesis, no matter the cost!"

If there was one mech who could save their kind from whatever Optimus was, it would be Megatron. Jazz had to believe that Megatron could.

Ratchet was already gone. How many more would follow?

[chronurgy]

I made a post earlier talking about three directions I thought wyll's quest might take in at the end of act 1/early act 2 and I wanted to elaborate on it a little bit. The three directions I considered were a focus on monster hunting and what that meant, a focus on his disdain for politics, and a focus on his relationship with his father. I didn't particularly consider any one more likely than the other, they all just sort of arose out of what I saw as "points of tension" in wyll's character. I'm also not trying to say that these are the only options or the best options, I'm just laying out what I personally thought might happen and how it was going to work.

Focusing on the monster hunter thing - was karlach the first innocent person he had been sent to hunt? What does it mean to be a monster hunter in a world where many monsters have human intelligence? Especially because of what happened with Karlach, I thought this might become a throughline in his quest and tie further into the ways devils twist words and contracts to use and manipulate people. What they call a "bloodthirsty rampaging monster" might have understandable reasons for attacking a village that had, say, stolen its eggs to sell as spell ingredients. Or even if they didn't have such a sympathetic reason, it's absolutely possible that they could be reasoned with and asked to stop. With wyll's already existing sympathy for karlach and astarion, I thought that creating sympathy for less human looking "monsters" might be the next step.

I actually still think this would have been a pretty interesting questline. His act two quest could have centered around a monster he'd been sent to kill at the edge of the shadow-cursed lands, returning to that area and meeting there a mate, sibling, or child that had possibly changed its ways (great durge parallel here!). There could be a lot of questions about whether or not someone can change their nature, about what redemption means, about who is afforded second chances, all of that. I think by nature Wyll would lean towards letting them live, but a player character could push him down a darker path (a la Shadowheart). This would also feed well into Wyll making choices about his pact with mizora - if he kills the mate or sibling, leaning into the monster hunter and no hope of redemption thing then he would choose to keep his pact, saying that it gives him the power to protect people from monsters while perhaps also believing that there's no way for him to be saved, but if he chooses to let them live and broadens his mind and understanding he would choose to break his pact with mizora, citing the fact that she's lied to him repeatedly and how he doesn't want to bring more harm on innocents.

Focusing on the politics thing - wyll's comment about how "a Duke shakes hands with more monsters than he slays" is really fascinating because Duke is a political job and the "monsters" he's talking about are people. He was the son of a grand duke and was intended to follow in his footsteps, but this is the view he has of politics? That's kinda wild to me! I assumed we'd get some sort of politically involved quest once we got to the city where Wyll would have to get over his distaste for politics and challenge his view of other people as monsters and overall examine what it means to run a city or something along those lines.

Like I said, I assumed any quest line would focus on a situation where Wyll would either overcome his distaste for politics and learn to appreciate the difficulties of running a city when your opponents are people you can't just kill when they get in your way or have a "bad end" where he decided that he didn't care and was happy to use force on political opponents. (interestingly I think you can see some potential remnants of this in his speech about becoming grand duke where he says something along the lines of "no one could stand against him")

Focusing on his father - I felt like there was obviously a lot going on in that relationship and that it had to come back up! Wyll acted so sanguine and understanding about the whole banishment thing even though it seemed obvious (to me at least) that he was deeply hurt by it and in denial about it. I thought for sure that would come to a confrontation where Wyll would accept that he was actually hurt by this and that his father had done him wrong. This was further reinforced through act 1 and 2 by the repeated references to how terrible the flaming fist were and how they weren't what they used to be. Since Ulder was their commamder, I assumed that this was also meant to be a reflection on him and that he wasn't the perfect and heroic man Wyll idealized him as. Act 3 actually reinforced this for me with its constant examples of just how corrupt and incompetent the fist were. I really thought we were going to see some emotional payoff and reckoning here right up until we actually rescued ulder and it didn't happen.

I wasn't really sure what form this quest would take but I was very convinced it would happen. Like I said, all the comments about the fist in acts 1 and 2 had me convinced! There's so clearly tension there, with ulder having been unwilling to show any sense of understanding to his 17 year old son. I assumed that the quest might involve puncturing the "myth" of Ulder for Wyll and him starting to see his father as a human with flaws instead of idolizing him. I also really thought that there would be a dramatic confrontation!

So there we have it - places I thought Wyll's quest might go based on what I'd seen in act 1 and early act 2. I was very wrong indeed - two of the three things I thought might be main drivers never came up at all, and one of them ended up being straight up ignored. Ah well!

[imtrashraccoon]

Ooh could you perhaps write something for cross? Like an X reader? I haven't seen many of those- like- at all, and it's incredibly sad because the boy deserves love :c

Feel free to ignore this if you don't wanna do it <3

I'm so sorry for the wait, Anon! I didn't realize it had been almost a month since I received this! In my defense it took me like two weeks to figure out what I wanted to write in the first place. I hope this doesn't disappoint because it's way longer than I intended it to be...

A Gentle Soldier

Cross!Sans x Gender Neutral Reader

Word Count: 4,875

You were simple person, just doing what you could to get by in the world. It wasn't an easy or comfortable life but you made the best of it.

After your father passed away, you were left with the cabin he'd built that had been your childhood home. It was a small one room building with a loft for sleeping and a fireplace set into one wall, which was especially nice in the Winter when the stone bricks it was built from radiated the heat throughout the entire cabin.

You kept a small vegetable and herb garden out back and regularly hunted or trapped animals for meat year round. You also preserved anything extra for the cold months when you might not be able to leave the cabin during bad storms for several days. Other than the occasional trip into the nearby village for rifle ammo and a few other things that you couldn't make yourself, you were self sufficient and almost never interacted with anyone.

Maybe one day you'd meet someone and start a family, but they'd have to be adaptable because you weren't about to just abandon the life you'd worked so hard to build for yourself. You liked to think that you were a reasonable sort but there were some things that you wouldn't compromise on. Moving back into the village was one of them, so unless you had no other options, you were going to hang on dearly to your little piece of paradise.

Today was a bit of a gloomy one, but despite the heavy rainfall the previous night, many dark clouds still remained overhead. There was a cool breeze as well, but you figured the inclement weather would hold off for a few hours at least, which was enough time to check your traps.

After putting on a thick coat for warmth and in case you were wrong about the rain, you shouldered a rucksack which held extra traps and some small tools. You also slung your father's hunting rifle over your shoulder, which while you didn't think you'd need it, there was always the possibility of running into a hungry bear or wolf this time of year. You were a decent shot, but hopefully if you did end up missing, the loud noise would be enough to scare them away.

While checking each of your traps, you thought it was strange how quiet the forest seemed today. Not even the occasional birdsong interrupted the silence and none of the traps had even been touched. That was disappointing, but you still had some meat you'd smoked previously and you had enough flour to make some bread so you wouldn't go hungry tonight at least.

You were on your way home again when you heard a loud noise.

It was like several trees had been knocked over or like a landslide had been triggered.

That wasn't something an animal could do.

You checked that your rifle was loaded but kept the safety on for now as you carefully made your way towards the strange noise. You only wanted to take a peek, just in case someone had gotten hurt. Although, it soon became apparent that whatever or whomever had caused the disturbance was still in the area and, as you drew closer, you began to hear people shouting as if they were in the middle of a fight.

You stopped at the crest of a hill and peered down into the little valley below.

There were at least four monsters below you, three of which were seemingly working together to attack the fourth. They all looked like skeleton monsters, however there were some anatomical differences between them and human skeletons. They were dressed completely different from both each other and from any monsters you'd ever seen before too.

The first was a skeleton whose outfit was rather intricate but it was also completely black and white. It was hard to describe with all the layers of clothing, but the basics of his outfit seemed to be a white parka with a fluffy hood, a narrow white cape with black edges, and a pair of black shorts with white stripes that were shaped like an X. He had twin bone daggers with hollow blades and even from here you could tell that he was quite experienced with them.

The second skeleton was wearing a metal chestplate, a light blue bandana tied around his neck with matching gloves and boots, and sturdy looking jeans. He kind of looked like a warrior from an RPG to you and the large maul he was wielding only solidified that thought in your mind.

The third skeleton was a bit shorter than the others and he seemingly flitted about like a leprechaun with what looked like a giant paintbrush. His outfit was mostly brown but some of the straps holding it together were bright yellow and green. He also had on a pair of fingerless gloves and sported a very long brown scarf that somehow didn't impede his movements at all.

Their outfit choices seemed to be representative of their personalities since you couldn't think of any other reason for the variety on display. The first struck you as the strong and silent type, with the second seeming like he was dependable, and the third looked almost carefree and yet also rather bubbly at the same time.

Their opponent though, just looking at him seemed to fill you with dread, and while you had limited experience with people, even you knew he was bad news.

He was several inches taller than the three, not counting the numerous black tentacles protruding from his back. His bones and clothing also seemed to be completely black, in such a way that gave him the appearance of having been dipped in ink, except it didn't seem to leave a mess everywhere. Speaking of clothing, while it was hard to differentiate where his bones ended and clothes began, his outfit looked like it consisted of a fancy overcoat and you could see that he was wearing a gold circlet and several rings on his phalanges. He seemed to only have one working eye socket, which had a piercing cyan eyelight, if the way he kept guarding his right side was any indication, but other than the uncountable number of tentacles, he didn't appear to have any weapons of his own, not that it seemed to be a problem for him.

You knew in your heart that you shouldn't be sticking around and risk being caught in the crossfire, but at the same time, you couldn't help but want to continue watching. It was almost mesmerizing with how fluid their movements were and even though each had their own techniques, they all seemed to work flawlessly together. Their opponent seemed frustrated in comparison and yet he was managing to hold his own against all three at once. You didn't know what the stakes were or how the fight had even started, but you couldn't help but silently cheer for the three skeletons to win.

The monochromatic skeleton was suddenly grabbed by a tendril and sent flying until he collided with a nearby tree. You watched in horror as his body slumped to the ground and when he didn't move for several long seconds, you felt the sickly feeling of dread beginning to pool in your stomach.

The other two skeletons were too busy to check on their compatriot and you could tell the nightmarish looking one would send each of them flying as well if they lost focus for even a second.

You had to see if he was hurt and how badly.

Not caring if you were seen anymore, you scrambled down the steep incline, scattering loose stones and dirt under your boots in a mini landslide as you did so. Somehow you didn't lose your footing but it certainly did slow you down.

Although, before you could reach the fallen skeleton, there was a flash of bright light and another one appeared by his side.

This skeleton was a bit taller than the others, but still shorter than the scary one, and you almost had to squint to even look at him. His presence almost seemed to warm up the immediate area and, rather confusingly, just seeing him made you feel calm and like you should be happy. Considering the situation, it also felt unnerving but you couldn't place exactly why that was.

Somehow, he was dressed even more fanciful than any of the others. Over a form fitting black body suit, he had a loose white outfit that kind of resembled a tunic with bright yellow accents. The best way to describe it was like he'd stepped out of an ancient Egyptian mural, only he was somehow more beautiful.

This new skeleton knelt down by the first and placed his gloved hands on his still crumpled form. A soft yellow glow flickered from between his fingers before the monochromatic skeleton's body jolted awake. The bright one then stood up and said something you didn't quite hear, which the other nodded in response to.

He summoned a gorgeous longbow with a string made of glowing blue energy. Then, he appeared to notch a similarly glowing arrow and turned as if to join the fight, before his gaze locked with your own.

You were completely awestruck and for a moment you found yourself lost in his golden eyelights. You felt like you should be overjoyed that he'd noticed you but the disinterested look on his skull quickly quelled those thoughts. He looked like he was about to say something to you, when a shout from the nightmarish skeleton interrupted him.

"Dream! So you've resorted to collecting pawns now?!" his voice thundered across the little valley.

The bright skeleton, whose name was apparently Dream, let out a tired sigh and turned to face the antagonizing one. "I'm tired of fighting, brother. So I'm here to finish this once and for all," he responded in a tone that, while much calmer, still held a certain level of venom and he'd notably ignored the accusations.

The two brothers practically leaped at each other and their resounding blows echoed throughout the surrounding area. Dream was far more agile than you'd expected and his arrows seemed to burst like a firecracker as they found their mark. His brother seemed to transform into a form that struck so much more fear into you than his first had, so much so that you couldn't bear to watch them any further.

"hey, are you alright?"

You startled and glanced to your left to find the monochromatic skeleton had hauled himself to his feet and apparently had also noticed you.

He looked rather banged up but fortunately didn't seem to have any broken bones or other obvious injuries. Although, there were several tears in his jacket, which you could now see was actually short sleeved and that he was wearing a long sleeved shirt underneath. The ends of his cape were also frayed but you could tell they were already like that before he'd been whipped into a tree.

However, the most striking details about him were his white eyelights, that almost seemed to have a soft purple glow at the center, and an old jagged red scar under his right eye socket. He seemed genuinely concerned about you too, which was a little odd since you were the one who'd originally been concerned about him.

"Yeah, I'm okay, I think..." you managed to respond.

His bonebrows knit together in a way that seemed to suggest that he didn't fully believe you. He didn't choose to press you further though and instead retrieved his daggers from the ground where he'd dropped them earlier.

"okay then, but you should probably try to get as far away from here as you can. as you can see, things get messy fast when these two meet."

"You don't need to tell me twice."

With one last glance to make sure you really were okay, he charged back into the fray again, leaving you to figure out how you were going to get back up the hill. The rain had left the already steep slope much softer than usual and even if you crawled up on your hands and knees, there was no way you'd make it without sliding back down.

Which meant you'd have to find another way.

While you were trying not to focus on the terrifying fight going on, you couldn't ignore it completely. Still, you did your best to make as little noise as possible and hoped that they were all too occupied to notice you.

Just as you'd found a place with decent looking handholds to haul yourself up, you heard someone shout a warning from behind you.

As you turned to see what was going on, your vision was engulfed in a bright blue light.

You heard something impact the rocks behind you.

Then you heard a crumbling sound and felt some small stones hit your head.

[...]

When you came to, you were lying on your back staring up at the grey sky. You could still hear fighting so you must've only been out for a few minutes. You started to sit up but a firm hand on your shoulder kept you from doing so.

"easy there." The monochromatic skeleton was leaning over you now and he still looked rather concerned. His pale eyelights flitted over your face looking for injuries before focusing on a spot just above your right temple.

Your head was throbbing in such a way that you knew you'd get a headache later and when you gingerly ran your fingers over your scalp, you discovered that you were bleeding. Whatever had knocked you out had apparently been sharp enough to give you what seemed to be a nasty cut.

As soon as you'd registered this, the skeleton quickly tore off a section from his cape and wrapped it around your head to serve as a makeshift bandage. He also applied a firm but gentle pressure in an attempt to stem the bleeding. You couldn't help but admire how calm he was as anyone else would probably be a little panicked in this situation. It was almost like he had done this many times before.

"What happened?" you finally asked.

His cool demeanor faltered for a moment to be replaced with a tight frown. "you were spotted by nightmare and he tried to grab you, but dream stopped him..."

You noticed his phalanges twitch as if he wanted to clench his fists before stopping himself and continuing to try to patch you up. Sensing that there was something else that he wasn't saying out loud, you tried to press him further.

"I'm grateful of course, but what's bothering you about it?"

"he was careless and if his aim had been off just a bit more, he could've actually hit you," he grumbled under his breath.

He closed his eyes and took a long-suffering breath. When he seemed to have calmed down some, he made eye contact with you again.

"are you alright otherwise? does anything else hurt?" he asked.

You took a second to flex each of your limbs, but other than a few aches that would probably just become bruises, you didn't seem to have any other injuries.

"No, I think I'm fine. A bit shaken up but that's pretty normal in these situations, right?"

He raised a bonebrow and was about to respond when a sound that sounded like a mix between a harsh hiss and a deep growl interrupted him. He whirled in the direction it had come from, simultaneously drawing his daggers that he must've sheathed earlier when he had stopped to help you.

Two shadows wielding battleaxes had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and they started advancing on the two of you. With the black armour they were wearing and the way they easily dwarfed everyone else on the battlefield, you knew these guys were bad news. Other than the glow of their cyan eyelights, they were entirely black and while it was hard to tell, save for their sharp teeth and claws, they also appeared to be skeletons.

Your rescuer didn't hesitate for a second before basically launching himself at them. When they responded to his assault by swinging their heavy weapons, you half expected him to get knocked back, but he ducked under one and sidestepped the other.

He moved so quickly that you could barely keep track of him with your eyes but it seemed that he was using his smaller stature to his advantage. He wasn't wearing heavy armour either which meant he could dodge pretty much every blow with relatively little effort.

In the blink of an eye, he sliced clean through one's torso and simultaneously beheaded the other.

The bodies of the shadowy skeletons seemed to flicker before dissolving into thin air.

He'd won!

"Wow..." you gasped. "I could tell you were good but I didn't know you were that good..."

He nodded and took a cursory glance around the area before letting himself relax again. He was breathing quite heavily after all that, but there was a small glimmer of relief in his pale eyelights when he looked back at you.

"thanks." He seemed to study you for a moment before approaching and holding out his hand. "do you think you can walk?"

"Yeah..." As he helped you to your feet, you felt your cheeks grow slightly warm and you were certain that you were blushing.

What was this day? You'd never seen any skeleton monsters before now and when one of them had showed this much concern for your well-being, you were reduced to nothing but a flustered mess, as if you were a grade schooler with a crush all of the sudden.

He held onto your hand for a few seconds longer than he probably should've but when he realized, he quickly dropped it like he'd been burned. Even though he looked away immediately afterwards, you thought you saw a soft purple glow flicker across his cheekbones.

In that moment, you were struck with the realization that he looked kinda cute. Unfortunately, he seemed a bit unsure of himself all of the sudden, despite how confident he'd been fighting moments prior. It was...rather endearing actually.

"Hey, um, thanks for stopping to help and...for just saving my life too."

He smiled and, while it was a small one, you could almost feel how genuinely glad he was. He let out a soft chuckle and fiddled with the wrapped handle of one of his daggers as that same purple glow coloured his zygomatic arch again.

"yeah...of course. i couldn't just ignore you, especially when you had no part in this," he muttered.

You introduced yourself before asking the one question that had been on your mind from the moment you had first seen him. "What's your name?"

He opened his mouth to answer when a bright light from the still ongoing battle grabbed your attention.

While his clothes had been slightly torn and dirtied, Dream stood tall with his bow drawn, ready to fire the notched golden arrow at his brother. He'd only been using blue energy arrows before, but this one seemed much more powerful, if the magic that was pouring from it like a hungry flame was any indication.

In contrast, Nightmare was in a combat ready position with his tentacles poised to strike. His clothing seemed relatively untouched, but the inky substance covering him had either served to protect him or at the very least hide any damage he'd incurred.

While both skeletons were breathing heavily, Nightmare definitely seemed like he was much more worn out than his brother. Which was probably why Dream had brought the others along in the first place now that you thought about it.

Time seemed to stand still as the golden skeleton let the arrow fly.

The world was instantly bathed in an explosion of light.

The nightmarish one let out an anguished scream and clutched his chest as he fell to his knees.

The edges of his form seemed to blur together and for a moment you wondered if he would disappear like the dark skeletons had earlier.

Then the ground suddenly erupted around the golden skeleton.

He was abruptly run through with several black tentacles.

Your hands flew to your mouth in shock as he collapsed as well.

The monochromatic skeleton next to you seemed frozen in shock but in the few seconds that he hesitated, the other two reached Dream first. They seem to briefly examine him before the one in blue gingerly picked up the injured skeleton.

The skeleton in brown swung his large paintbrush which summoned a swirling golden vortex in mid air.

"Cross! We have to go now!" the blue skeleton shouted.

That seemed to spur the skeleton by your side into action and he started to hurry towards them, but stopped himself and glanced back at you. He had a conflicted expression on his skull, as if he knew that he should go with his colleagues but he also looked like he didn't want to leave just yet.

"Cross? Is that your name?" you asked.

He nodded firmly, "yeah..."

"You should probably go with them. I'll be fine, okay?"

He hesitated for a moment longer before his skull took on a determined expression. "stay safe then," he said before sprinting across the valley to the others.

They disappeared into the portal and silence blanketed the forest once more and for the second time today, you shouldered your bag and rifle, neither of which seemed to have been damaged from the debris that had hit you.

Just before you climbed back up the hill, you glanced around the little valley. While a couple of trees had been knocked over, no lasting damage seemed to have been caused by the conflict. There wasn't even any bodies that you'd have to think about burying.

[...]

Time passed as it always did. Summer came and went without anything else out of the ordinary happening and you began preparing for Winter.

You couldn't stop thinking about the kind skeleton that had saved your life. His skills were impressive and you'd never met anyone who actually knew how to fight like he did since it really wasn't necessary nowadays. Oddly enough though, you began to realize that you also found him...handsome.

You'd never heard or met any other skeletons before him and you certainly hadn't since. Maybe they were very rare or maybe there just weren't any living in the area. Either way, it was probably because you'd never found actual skeletons scary. You never would've imagined actually being attracted to one though, monster or not.

You wished you could see him again.

But you didn't know where he was from or really anything else about him besides his name.

So you tried to it put out of your mind and focus on stockpiling food and fuel for Winter.

Today you were chopping up some firewood. You'd been doing a little at a time over the past few weeks so as to not overwork yourself and by now you'd managed to stockpile just about two month's worth. You estimated that you were probably almost halfway done but you wanted to be sure you had enough just in case.

Just as you cleaved yet another log in half, you heard someone approaching from the forest. With your trusty axe still in hand, you turned to see who or what was intruding on your little piece of rustic paradise.

To your shock, Cross was standing only a few paces away from you. He looked much the same as he did before, although his uniform had since been mended.

"uh, hey again," he said in a quiet tone of voice.

For a moment, you were tongue-tied but quickly tried to recover. "H-hey! Um, what...brings you out here in the middle of nowhere?"

A purple glow flickered across his cheekbones and he rubbed the back of his cerebral vertebrae. "i wanted...to come check on you..." he muttered. "i hope this doesn't sound weird, but i just had to see you again..."

You leaned your axe against the chopping block so as to not risk dropping it on your toes. Running a hand over your face, you couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"No, it's not weird. I was actually hoping we'd see each other again."

His eye sockets widened in surprise and his pale eyelights quickly scanned your face as if he didn't believe what he'd heard. After a few moments, he grinned, although his cheekbones were still flushed that beautiful purple which you thought was adorable.

"really? you don't mind that i just showed up? i mean, i would've called first but..." He glanced away from you as he trailed off.

"Well, I don't exactly get cell service out here so you couldn't have anyways," you responded with a chuckle.

Cross chuckled as well as he moved closer to you. "on another note, did you need any help here?" he asked as he motioned to the pile of wood.

"I think I'm done for now but if you don't mind, you could help me carry all this back to the cabin," you suggested and began to scoop up an armful.

He nodded and started to pick up what was left of the pile. You walked around to the front door and propped it open to make it easier to bring the firewood inside. By the time you'd unloaded your armful in the large stack you had been steadily building, Cross appeared in the doorway with a much larger armful of wood. He didn't seem to be struggling with the weight but he also didn't have a free hand to unload.

You couldn't help but smile at the sight of him and wondered how he'd even managed to pick up such a large amount in the first place. Still, you took pity on him and started taking off a couple of the pieces from the top of his armful.

"You didn't just bring all of the firewood in at once, did you?" you teased.

He smirked but shrugged his shoulders as his hands were still occupied. "well, it wouldn't make sense to go back and forth if we didn't have to, right?"

You shook your head and just continued helping him. He was right in a way. If he hadn't offered to help, you would've had to make probably a dozen trips, which would have been pretty tiring.

Your fingers brushed against his hand by accident and you quickly pulled back. Although, Cross didn't seem to notice your embarrassment and he finished stacking the remaining pieces of wood he had been holding.

Clearing your throat, you tried to distract yourself from what had just happened. "So, how are you doing?"

"i'm doing alright, i suppose," he hummed. "what about you? did your injuries heal properly?"

You nodded, "Yeah, I don't even think it left a scar but if it did, my hair covers everything anyways."

His expression turned into one of relief. "that's good, i'm really sorry that i had to leave abruptly like that."

"No, I completely understand!" You hesitated for a second before asking, "Was...Dream okay...?"

His eye sockets narrowed and he seemed to grow more serious for a moment. "yeah, he's fine."

"Oh, that's great to hear."

A bit of an awkward silence settled between both of you. Since he seemed like he wasn't going to expound on what had happened further, you decided to try to lighten the mood and motioned for him to sit down on the couch by the fireplace. He sat down gratefully but his posture seemed a bit stiff.

"Can I tell you something?"

He tilted his skull and gave you a curious look. "what's up?"

Rather than answer immediately, you reached over and placed your hand on his. He briefly glanced down but when he didn't pull away, you took that as a signal that he was okay with the contact for the time being.

"This sounds weird, but I haven't been able to get you out of my head for months."

One of his bonebrows twitched but his expression otherwise remained neutral.

You took a deep breath and continued. "Cross... I really like you."

He placed his other hand on top of yours and smiled. "well, that does sound weird...but i really like you too." His cheekbones flushed with purple as he spoke but he didn't look away from you this time.

You couldn't help but laugh. This conversation felt like it'd come straight from a fairytale and yet it was real. Your heart swelled with joy and while you were certain your cheeks had turned bright red, you couldn't care less right now.

Cross chuckled softly and, to your surprise, he reached over to wrap an arm around your shoulders. This brought you closer together but not uncomfortably so. Even like this, it seemed he was still being considerate of your feelings.

"does this mean i can come over again to see you?" he asked in a quiet voice.

You nodded vigorously, "For sure!"

[airyravenmaid]

As someone who's been secretly teetering around the SAGAU (that's "Self-Aware Genshin AU" for those who aren't aware 🥁) tag and works while thoroughly enjoying a lot of them, I think today's finally the day I put my own two cents in on it. Particularly, my two cents about how a certain redheaded owl stud would act in that verse. By all means, no hate to anybody who's written him any differently in their SAGAU stuff-- we're all here to have fun and junk; this is just how I personally think he'd be. You are free to disagree with any and everything I have to say under the cut, but I will have no badmouthing or the like.

Being perfectly honest, I haven't really seen much of Diluc in a ton of SAGAU works outside of him either being part of the "get the 'Imposter'" mob or individually attacking us if he comes across us solo and isn't in the know that we the reader are the real deal. Basically, he's more or less just kinda lumped in with the other highly devoted followers of the Creator without really standing out much in the plot. And, nothing particularly wrong with that, no, no, no, but here's where my hee-ho funny hot take comes in:

I don't actually think Diluc would really worship the Creator. In fact, I don't think he'd even like us at first. *Sojiro voice* Let me explain!

Diluc Ragnvindr is, in every sense of the word, a disenchanted young man. Now, we know he wasn't born as such, but we have the Knights of Favonius disgracing Crepus' death while the wound was still fresh and the falling out between Diluc and Kaeya upon the latter's revelation as a Khaenri'ahn spy to blame for that. Blah, blah, blah, that's right, we heard the story, over and over again, so, where does this tie into my personal interpretation of his thoughts on the Creator, you may ask? Well!

In the happier, more idealistic years before all hell broke loose on his 18th birthday, Diluc most likely did worship and revere the Creator per his upbringing since I think Crepus also worshipped them like a good chunk of Mondstadt does. No problems there. But, where was the "all-powerful, ever-benevolent" God of Teyvat when he'd lost his father and brother on that same, horrible night in different ways? What did they do when the Knights of Favonius openly spat on his father's name just to save their undeserved reputation? What did they give him during that four-year suicide mission he spent indiscriminately hunting Fatui agents before promptly getting the ban of a lifetime from the entire Nation of Cryo?

Nowhere, nothing, and radio silence.

Just another unreliable let-down added to the list, and another knife to his back.

(Imposter AU-wise) So, come present day, when the Great Big Phony™ drops and takes a throne that very much does not belong to them, everybody's over the moon and pulling out all the stops for their beloved God... except Diluc. Now, he's not so stupid that he openly badmouths the apparent Creator since that would get him some pretty unpleasant looks and land him in rather hot water, so instead, he shows no open reaction while rolling his eyes and scoffing at them wherever people can't see or hear. And, if we're going with the traditional portrayal of the Imposter being an uncaring tyrant, his already diminished opinion of the Creator's image is only further soured. He does nothing to damper or criticize anybody's faith since it's far from his place to, but they certainly won't see him joining in any day of the week, either.

And then comes the "Imposter", who's actually the true Creator that's been jiffy-popped into Genshin's world from the real one. Now, while he thinks it's beyond ridiculous that the people of Mondstadt and the Knights of Favonius (though, not as much surprise for the latter-- always so inefficient...) find it just to hunt down and torture somebody solely for looking like the Creator especially since nobody in town gives a shit that Venti and Barbatos look disturbingly alike for reasons only he (plus Jean and maybe Kaeya, if his Hangout implies anything) knows without actually presenting themselves as an active threat to humanity like, say, the Abyss Order or the Fatui, Diluc still can't help but secretly hand it to the alleged Imposter for being the first to have the guts to knock that "divine do-nothing" down a peg in some way, even if it is considered quite the risky move.

Should he encounter us while we're running for our lives worse for the wear for the above reason (and truly confirming that we mean no real harm and are just a victim of very unfortunate circumstance), Diluc is open to helping us get away safely under the radar and giving false info to the KoF like he did in his Story Quest since getting caught helping Teyvat's most wanted by the mob would not end well for him, either. And, he's pretty amicable when patching us up... but then he sees the dried gold blood and scars all over our body and realizes exactly who we really are. No, he doesn't do a full 180 and start blastin', but Diluc sure is now a lot colder towards us than he already is in general. Still helps us out, but we can taste the sudden mood drop. At some point, we discover his resent towards us for (from his perspective; can't exactly explain that we didn't actually make any of the characters' backstories since we're not HoYoverse and whatnot bc that wouldn't make sense to anyone in Genshin within the confines of the Creator!Reader AU without us sounding completely crazy) being seemingly nowhere to be seen around his and others' suffering despite being the God of All Gods capable of doing literally anything to help it, but simply choosing not to. Even if the Reader rightfully says they didn't do anything, Diluc's cold rebuttal is something along the lines of "No. You didn't.", and it's not the least bit reassuring.

If he were to stick around with us a bit longer during our escape from Mondstadt/whirlwind journey, then Diluc would come to understand that we really weren't as in control of everything bad happening to him or the world as he initially believed, especially if in his misguided blaming, it causes Reader to develop one HELL of a guilt complex feeling like they are responsible for fixing everything if it means putting an end to all the nonsense and abuse some of their once-beloved characters/acolytes are putting them through. Granted, the actual Imposter does have to be stopped and dethroned for all the shit they're pulling, but that's really all that falls on us as the unfortunate hero.

Other than that condition, though, we basically have someone that's thankfully not looking to hunt us down for absurd reasons and even helps us in our need, but at the same time curses us for letting him and many others down by not acting in some way when it mattered most.

[moonmeg]

Heeey! I've always adored your comics. They're even the reason that I'm into the Wittobane Fandom! Anwayyy, I wanna know how Caleb's different viewpoint on some subjects from Evelyn and his lack of organic magic might affect his dynamic with his family in the au in which he does live

Will Caleb struggle to manage the life of a Dad, especially when his kids are a mix of another being AND a different culture? Do you think he'll keep his past a secret? I'm sure he'll try his best to be a great dad and protect his kids, but will that mean telling them of their origin (of being relater to both witch hunters and witches)? Or let them grow up with the belief a lie, something like "he's an orphan with no family or connection of any sort" since that is half true..

Ah! Caleb's dynamic with characters is always so interesting!! I'd love to know your thoughts :)

Heyyy! I'm so happy and flattered to hear you enjoy my silly little comic! Seriously, no idea what I'm doing but it seems to work lmao

As for your question: there is a comic where Caleb voices thoughts of guilt he'd have if Evelyn's and his child would turn out more human than witch. Be it appearance wise or related to magic abilities. He's scared others will put it at too high a pedestal and be mocking or excluding. Much like is actually the case with Robyn and his school yard taunt.

But he wouldn't keep part of their identity from them. They are half human, and they deserve to know that. If they'd ask him to tell more about the human realm, he'd answer their every question. Well... almost every question. He wouldn't speak much about his past, and especially when they are younger, he would keep the fact he participated in witch hunts unspoken, but he will tell them once they're able to grasp it better. Before that happens, though, most of the time, he simply says he has made many terrible mistakes in his youth.

That aspect is among the only things that might affect his relationship with his children negatively. He's trying his absolute best to be a good father overall, and he's quite successful with that. His children love him, they seek comfort in him, they love and want to spend time with him, they trust him. That is so sacred to him because it lets him know he's doing something right in his fatherly role and that essentially, he is better than his own father.

He is so scared of staining his darlings' adoration and trust in him by telling them what a horrible person he used to be. A liar, a thief*, an accomplice to murderers. Evelyn and his children are his everything. They are his world, his heartbeat and the air that he breathes. Evelyn forgave him. But will his children? This fear they may not, the fear that after they know the truth, their relationship will never be the same again, eats him alive. His only comfort is his wife's embrace and her reassuring words.

He does eventually tell them. He's met with different reactions initially, and some father-child bonds need longer to heal again than others, but if the Clawthorne kids inherited one thing from their mother, it's her forgiving and understanding nature.

[bubble-popping]

day 39 with more (but not as much) of the recent drunz au. i jumped around a lot with what I wrote for the au so expect continuity to fall off pretty soon XD

Two days would pass before Punz decided to find out exactly that. Luckily, no one interrupted their travels during that time, and at the end of the day they uncovered a well-hidden cave to spend the night. Dream made a fire for warmth and to heat some of the meat he'd 'borrowed' in a village they passed through. (Punz tried to reason they could just pay for it, that stealing would cause unwanted attention, but Dream was insistent on it. Some excuse of 'not owing Punz anything' as he discretely sneaked a cut from the stall while the butcher was distracted with a customer.)

The flames flickered, casting long shadows on the stone wall and dancing across Dream's high cheekbones, catching in the golden waves of his hair.

"I want to renegotiate the terms," Punz said over the sizzle of cooking meat. They watched Dream pause, green eyes flicking to meet theirs. Bright and pinning like the glint of a dagger.

"What terms? You have a very simple job."

"But for how long? Do you expect me to just follow you around forever?"

"For as long as I pay you, yes."

Now came the part where Dream's lack of blinking really unnerved them. Devoid of emotion, cold and calculating. Daring Punz to argue, and already forming rebuttals to anything they could possibly say.

"Where are we headed, Dream?"

"North, I told you that."

"Towards what?"

"That doesn't matter. I'll no longer need your services once we get close."

"And how long is that gonna take?"

"I dunno. Could take weeks, could take months." Finally, Dream looked away to tend to the steak. Punz closed their eyes, felt them sting as the tears ducts struggled to moisten them.

"If you're having second thoughts, you're more than welcome to leave. I'm sure I could find someone else."

And ruin their carefully constructed reputation? Not a chance. Punz had never failed a mission. Giving up was just as bad, worse even.

"Would you offer them the same kind of payment?"

"Naturally. Why do you think I steal?"

The image of Dream giving himself away to another was... it had something akin to jealousy flaring in their chest, like a needle worming around in their heart. They thought they'd gotten control over these basic canine tendencies...

"Why are you being hunted?" They asked to change the topic.

"Why do you care all of the sudden? You take any client, regardless of their background. Why does it matter now?"

"Call me curious." Punz shrugged.

Dream smirked with a bit of a laugh, tilting his head lazily to the side. "I know you're a wolf and all, but curiosity does kill. Especially in your line of work."

"Fair," Punz chuckled humorlessly, "that's fair."

"Now, if you're done with your interrogation, the food is done." Dream handed them a plate. Fresh steam wafted off the meat and made their stomach growl.

Soon enough, both plates were empty, the fire was extinguished, and the pair settled into their unspoken sleeping arrangement. Since the night of the payment, and Punz saw how Dream shivered on his own, they mutually decided cuddling was the best position, specifically with Dream's back to their chest and their arms around his torso. Or at least, Punz decided it and Dream didn't complain or push them away, which was about as good they supposed.

[johnny-slaughter-me]

— “ 𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭. ” | Johnny Slaughter x Female Reader.

Headcanon. My take on a nsfw alphabet with Johnny.

Notes. English isn't my native language so typos and grammar issues are likely.

Warnings. This fic is nsfw, minors dni please. Canon gore and cannibalism mentioned.

Enjoy. I hope you enjoy the content. Much love, Cherry. 🍒

- A. Aftercare, what are they like after sex?

On rare occasions will he cuddle or hold you. After quickies he'll give you a peck on your face or slap your ass and tell you that you've "been a good girl and should go back to your other chores". Or if its after proper sex he might just fall asleep.

- B. Body part, what is their favorite body part on their partner and themselves.

Johnny takes pride in just how strong he is, his arms are probably his favorite part. Especially since he can use them to hold or choke you. His favorite body part of yours is your thighs, he goes wild for them. Also he loves your ass.

- C. Cum, anything to do with cum.

Johnny likes to cum in you, on you, or have you swallow his cum. Depends on his mood. Though no matter where he cums, he likes to make a little show of it and appreciate his own work.

- D. Dirty secret, what's a dirty secret of theirs?

Not the dirtiest of secrets; Johnny could and have had his twisted fantasies come to life before with victims, but he truly likes it when you get all suggestive trying to initiate intimacy or suggest new things to try (usually he is the one telling you he's horny). He wouldn't let a soul know that he enjoys that side of you though.

- E. Experience, how much experience they have?

Johnny has experience sleeping with girls, but they are usually victims he fucks for his own pleasure before slaughtering them for supper, so he isn't very good at first with making you feel good about the sex.

- F. Favorite position, what is their favorite position?

Johnny is always in the dominating position. He likes the power he feels over you. He's top position would be the "low doggy style".

- G. Goofy, are they more serious in the moment or are they more humorous?

Johnny's pretty serious in bed and outside of it. However if something funny happens he won't hold back. However usually the only laugh you'll hear from him during sex is a mocking one whilst he talks nothing but filth to your ears.

- H. Hair, how well groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drape?

Johnny has a bush that he trims for maintenance and some hair creeps up towards his lower belly. The hair is thick and as dark, matching the hair he features on his head and other body parts.

- I. Intimacy, how romantic are they during the moment.

Johnny is selfish, he mostly thinks of his own pleasure and he is overall very rough and fast. Sometimes he tries to be a little more giving and romantic towards you with some role play and directing the attention towards your pleasure.

- J. Jack off, masturbation headcanon.

Since he now has you he's prefer to do you instead of jacking himself off but if he can't have you for any reason he has no problem to jack off and relief himself.

- K. Kink, one or more of their kinks.

Johnny is a man of many kinks, here are to name a few; light age play (likes to be called daddy by you and in return nickname you baby girl), bondages and blindfolds, dominating, humiliating and dirty talks, knife play, and public & outdoor sex (the thrill of getting caught makes him feral).

- L. Location, favorite places to fo it.

As long as the family isn't at risk of seeing the two of you he'd fuck you anywhere. I'd still say his shed and his truck- which no one else is allowed to use, are his favorite places as he just feel even more so that you belong to him.

- M. Motive, what turns them on.

He gets turned on pretty easily, he strikes me as a generally horny guy. Usually by the end of a hunt or execution he'd get all worked up and would try and seek you out to help him. If you wore some nicer clothes he'd get turn on seeing you all pampered up. Or if you are acting a bit needy he gets turned on. Y/N has no problem turning this guy on.

- N. No, what is a turn off and absolute no?

Johnny will never let you dominate him or for him to be submissive to you in any way, shape, or form. Also Johnny won't share you.

- O. Oral, oral headcanon.

Johnny loves receiving more than giving. Sometime a blow job in the middle of his work day can energize him and help him focus more on the hunts or chores he does for the rest of the day. He isn't a huge fan of eating you out simply because he always puts himself first, including his pleasure. He will eat you out during special occasions, and will make sure you are overstimulated and that you'll be a good girl and cum for him a few times on those nights.

- P. Pace, do they go rough and fast, or slow and sensual?

Johnny can't be gentle nor slow. It's not who he is. He likes to go fast and hard. Every now and then he'd slow down for some rougher trusts but he'd go back to a faster pace not faster after. They only time he slows down is when you give him a blow job, even then he might just up the pace and fuck your brains out.

- Q. Quickie, their opinion on quickies, how often, etc.

Johnny honestly enjoys quickies, depending on what chores he has to do that day, he'd more often than not seek you out in the middle of his day for either a quickie or a blow job. Quickies, however, don't come at the expense of a good, full on session, they are a bonus.

- R. Risk, are they game to experiment? Do they take risks?

Johnny doesn't mind risks or experimenting new things as long as it doesn't involve the family or give you any form of power over him.

- S. Stamina, how long do they last and how many rounds can they go for?

Johnny can go for hours, it depends on his mood and the environment. But when he fully goes at it it lasts for at least an hour or so, he can also go for multiple rounds.

- T. Toys, do they own any? and how do they feel about them.

Johnny doesn't own any toys, and since you didn't plan to be captured by the slaughter family on your way to your camping trip, you didn't bring with you any- that's if you had some. Johnny however isn't necessarily against them, he doesn't particularly need them and stealing them when he visits the city for necessities is not worth it for him.

- U. Unfair, how much do they like to tease?

Johnny likes to tease you in and out of bed- he's pretty unfair but he just likes how you react to him teasing you.

- V. Volume, how loud are they, what kind of sounds do they make?

Johnny does not keep quiet, and with how good he does you you can't really keep quiet either. He groans a lot more than he moans, and he laces a lot of dirty talking with his bedroom sounds.

- W. Wild card, a random headcanon for this character.

Johnny isn't a fan of condoms. He usually goes in raw and needed to ask Sissy for help a few times to craft you from her flower and botany knowledge a knockoff plan b.

- X. X-Ray, headcanon for what's under their clothes.

Johnny is packing, probably around 7 inches, fairly thick and kinda veiny. Not to forget he is also packing in his rear side *wink wink*.

- Y. Yearning, how high is their sex drive?

Johnny's sex drive is pretty high, but he can also hold back if he needs to.

- Z. Zzz, how fast are they to fall asleep afterwards.

After a quickie Johnny gets a boost of energy from the sexual relief, but after a proper session- which he can just go at for hours, he fairly quickly falls asleep. Sleep after sex is some of the best sleep he experiences.

[whimsicalmeerkat]

WIP Wednesday Game Fills

It’s a heavy day, but I’m trying to write so I can at least feel like I’ve pushed back in some way against the people who want to snuff out the things and people they don’t like. Sometimes that’s just doing something they would hate.

This very long set of sentences is from all of this can be broken, which has the working title ‘violence and gore’. People who requested the sentences below. These requests span three weeks. Putting the sentences behind a cut because there’s a whole bunch of them and they’re talking about incest.

@wizisbored x 2 @somefishycat x 2 @violet-prism-creatively x 2 @twyrewolf x 2 @auburnlaughter

@kalira @asha10100101010 @sourb0i x 2 @eriquin @circus-complex

@aparticularbandit @tiercell

They might be in a backwater, but despite the overgrown nature of the path they took to get here, the house Daemon leads Lucivar to is well-maintained. It's small, but everything is clean and in good repair. Lucivar isn't sure he would have noticed if it was a hovel, though. Not with the drugs coursing through his veins. They're starting to make it hard for him to think. Well, to think about anything beyond how restless he is.

He isn't expecting it when Daemon slams him against the door as soon as they cross the threshold and it swings shut behind them. He instinctively reaches for Daemon to change their position, but Daemon uses tendrils of psychic energy to bind Lucivar to the door. He's seen Daemon do this before, but never felt it. He wonders if it always feels like a caress, or if that is unique to them and the current situation. If it is unique, he wonders if it takes specific effort for Daemon to achieve the effect.

"You need to fuck," Daemon says, "and even if you wanted me to, I can't fuck you."

Lucivar stares at him for a moment, wondering why Daemon brought him to this out of the way place if he's just going to refuse to help him. Then Daemon's true meaning penetrates the haze.

"You mean--"

"You'll have to fuck me," Daemon says.

"Have you--" Lucivar starts to ask, before stopping. He doesn't need to finish that sentence to know the answer. Daemon would never have allowed himself to be that vulnerable. Lucivar can't quite believe he's suggesting it even now.

"Don't worry," Daemon says. "It might be my first time, but I won't ask you to be gentle, Prick."

Lucivar swallows, the idea appealing to him more the longer he thinks about it. It shouldn't. He knows it shouldn't. He and Daemon might not have been raised together like brothers, but that doesn't change that they are. He finds he doesn't care about that as much as he thinks he probably should. And fuck, he'd be lying if he said he'd never wondered what Daemon is like in bed. He'd never be so foolish as to ask, but that doesn't mean he hasn't wondered.

None of that makes it OK, though. Oh, not because of their blood relationship. No, Lucivar finds himself incredibly loathe to force Daemon to do anything he doesn't already want to do, and he's given no indication he actually wants to get fucked. Why would he? 

"Stop thinking so hard," Daemon says. "Do you really think this will be such a hardship compared to all of the things we've both had to do?"

"I don't want to do anything you'll regret," Lucivar says. "I especially don't want to do anything you'll regret doing with me."

"This isn't the hunting camps and I'm not a boy," Daemon says evenly.

Well, Lucivar can't really argue with that. He can't even argue that he wasn't thinking about his own experiences when he said that. He hates the mere thought of ever being like those men, but if Daemon is to be believed, he's the only one worried about that.

There's no reason for him to not believe Daemon on the matter. He certainly  has no reason to lie. He's also being unusually sincere. He's still poised, but he doesn't seem as polished as normal.

"Come on, Prick," Daemon says, "are you really going to tell me you'd rather risk death than fuck me?"

"Are you threatening to let me die instead of fighting me, Bastard?"

Daemon laughs. It's so unexpected, Lucivar finds himself staring, cock aching more than ever. Lucivar doesn't think he's ever seen Daemon genuinely, truly laugh.

"No," Daemon says. "I won't ever let you die if I can help it, but you know a fight between us could never be fair, don't you?"

Daemon watches Lucivar, wondering if he'll confirm Daemon's suspicions. He'll have to pick up on his meaning first, but Daemon doesn't think that will be a problem. Lucivar is intelligence in a way that makes people underestimate him, but Daemon has never made that mistake.

"You mean because of--" Lucivar says, eyes flicking to Daemon's right hand, then back to his face.

[charles-leclerc-official]

I know you're a Ferrari blog but I've been thinking about RB and how they fucked themselves over with toro rosso/alphatauri/whatever the hell is their name now for ages now! I've got loads of thoughts! They've historically mismanaged the fuck out of that team and drivers but 2023 and this season it feels glaringly obvious. Nyck being out of a seat so early into last season was a bit sketchy, but if they really felt it wasn't working out, it was their prerogative to find another driver to put in that seat. Choosing Danny Ric to fill that seat was not a smart move, personally, because the whole objective of a junior/sister team is to develop younger drivers. They should've put Liam in that seat last year, and the repercussions of that wrong choice will haunt the team for years to come. (They're already haunted by it) Danny, sad as it is, no way he's getting a seat in a top team ever again. Checo is doing his best, but his best is not enough if RB wants to compete against Ferrari lineups, both this year and next. RB won't even consider Yuki (criminal, given how well he's doing) because he's a Honda pick. They're also fucked because other potential drivers were either a) booted from Toro Rosso/alphatauri or b) historically haven't gone along with Max. In short, a masterclass on how to win in the short term and lose long-term! (I still believe they should've signed up Hulk because he's doing well + he's friendly with Max). Sorry for the ramble and feel free to add your thoughts!

First, this may be a Ferrari blog, but it is also just an F1 blog, I am interested in talking about any driver and any team that are doing interesting things in the sport. Now I am not as informed of the in depth goings of teams that aren't Ferrari(like I know the general things going on at Sauber, but I am not a wealth of knowledge about all the car issues and personnel over there), but I know the top teams very well.

My very long way of saying any F1 questions about any team are encouraged around here <3

Now on to your question. I have been having very similar thoughts. I think Red Bull are about to fumble two of their talented young drivers in Yuki and Liam because of their unwillingness to actually use that team and have faith in their younger drivers. Yuki isn't going to just be in VCARB his entire career, and Liam is not going to keep buying that if he waits long enough he'll get a seat. Other teams are going to swoop in and steal them eventually.

And no shade to Danny, he's certainly a skilled driver. However yes, his placement in the junior team is odd. I get they want him around for marketing etc, but he could just be a brand ambassador right? He'd be great in that role.

If Danny were pulling the performance that Yuki has been this year Red Bull would have almost assuredly signed him. Which is insane to me that they have Yuki and refuse to use the talent they have been building up for years. They are going to lose him if it's made clear he has no shot at the top team.

Red Bull have had seat issues for years. They also seem to be very quick to discard drivers, we saw this when they were on the hunt for a new teammate for Max. I do think Checo is a good compliment to Max in many ways. I think one reason they want to keep Checo is that he is a known quantity and he gets along well with Max, 2024 is already more competitive than expected, and 2025 will be more so, especially with the new Ferrari lineup. The constructor's is going to be a battle for sure. They don't want to risk someone new in that seat during a year like that. But honestly I think Yuki would be able to do it.

I will say that Checo is a better driver than a lot of people give him credit for. Max makes those Red Bulls look easy to drive. But they are really challenging, sensitive and Checo has been able to drive those cars and get good results. I don't think a good half of the grid would be able to drive that car to the same results as Checo. Yes his results have been mixed, and probably are not going to be enough for the constructors unless they get that car figured out. But I just wanted to note that because he is better than most people give him credit for, is he perfect? No. But, his skill in wrestling that rocketship often is invisible.

If I were Mercedes I'd be stealing Yuki in a heartbeat. And Liam will likely go to any team that offers him a seat, he wants to be in a car, he doesn't want to waste years on a maybe.

I hadn't considered a Max - Hulk lineup, but that is pretty solid now that you mentioned it. I'd personally be going Yuki-Max, but I can see that Hulk-Max would be good as well. Very interesting.

And where does this leave them. As you said they are fumbling both their young talents and they don't seem to care. But in a few more years when they need those young drivers they won't have them, and then what?

I think that Max being such a strong winning bullet for so many years now has made them hesitant to change things. But things are changing around them, and one driver cannot carry a team forever.