#they feel like every sort of creature all at once and i am obsessed

[scatterbrainedbot]

................you know, all in all, id call this recon mission a success!

(also, this was my immediate thought at ur third panel and i couldnt stop giggling)

(obviously ur full title is something more like

BUG THE BENEVOLENT, BRINGER OF STARS; RADIANT CUDDLE BEAST, AND MASTER OF GOOBERS

but the game devs couldnt fit it all on the health bar)

the power this creature contains is horrifyingly immense........ frolicking rampages...... goober-fying the locals....... attacks of cuddles and affection seemingly at random......

the sheer love radiating from them matches that of a god..or a beast....or both..........

((HIDDEN SECRET MESSAGE: HELLO BUG JUST FYI I LOVE U AND UR ART SM THE WAY U USE SHAPES AND ARE SO EXPRESSIVE BUT ALSO SO CLEAN ITS AMAZING AND UR COLORS ARE JUST UGH. UGHHHH. DELICIOUS. THANK U THAT IS ALL SECRET MESSAGE ENDS))

Heyo zach :3

[nightlyrequiem]

Hello there requiemmm 💫💫💫

Ive got a new request for u bbg 😈 /p

okay, so, this ones short, but, i hope its descriptive enough?? Idk 😭

(excuse my grammar, english is not my first language)

Valeria X unfairly devoted Reader.

hear me out, -- Reader is a member of Valerias cartel, -- they're in the higher ranks (im talking, one of the very few people that actually know who El Sin Nombre is, type of 'higher rank')

Reader is an absolute devotee. They (platonically, mostly) worship Valeria, cater to her every need, do whatever she'd like, whenever she'd like, no questions asked. Reader doesnt do it out of fear, that much is obvious. They just do it out of both respect and the far lack of both disobedience and a backbone.

Valeria, naturally, appreciates them, -- keeps them close, enjoys their company (mostly, because it feeds her ego, and makes her feel superior, -- in control, and whatnot) so much so, that reader is nearly permanently stuck being, somewhat of a 'personal assistant'.

Reader, being forced to spend all day (and, sometimes night, if Valeria needs some help with something) decides 'eh, why the fuck not' and asks Valeria out on a little hangout, disguised as a small 'meeting' in a coffee shop, that, ultimately, actually goes well, and spirals into a date.

(Date, naturally, ends with beating someone senseless in a dark alley, after they listened in on Readers and Vals conversation, or, .. something. Reader is, most definitely, doing all the damage, being a guard dog of sorts, not wanting Valeria to 'get her hands dirty, from such a small, unimportant man'. Not manner, man.)

Etc etc, girlfriends, lesbianism, boom. Work your magic, im bad at describing genuinly falling inlove.

hope yar doing well!

--Jester

🃏🌀⭐️

Took me eight days but I finally got around to this. Sorry for the wait, Jester 😔 I am doing quite well as of wiritng this, thank you. I hope all is well with you!

This is very loosely connected to the headcanons I did for this idea. I said it once, and I'll say it again; I love the unfairly devoted trope. I’m not sure I captured it too well but 🙌

Tags/Warnings: Violence, WLW, Boss/Employee Relationship

Swans

Many species of birds mate for life. Penguins, corvids, vultures, and most famously: swans. Symbols of love, loyalty, and grace. They are creatures full of love. They're so sensitive that they can die from heartbreak. You stare at Valeria and understand how the swan feels. How it could hopelessly devote itself to another, even at the cost of it's life.

The quiet scratching of a pen fills in the silence. Valeria's brows are furrowed in concentration as she haunches over her desk. You want to remind her to straighten her back, so it doesn't hurt later. Your eyes greedily drink in her profile. The slope of her nose, the curve of her lips, her curtain of black hair slightly obscuring her cheek and eye.

She sighs.

"Get me a drink." She murmurs. You're to your feet immediately. Heading towards the small cabinet containing her alcohol. You've fixed her enough drinks to know what she wants. Your fingers wrap around the neck of a bottle with golden liquid. Pouring it into a small glass, then putting in exactly two small ice cubes.

You carry it over to her desk and set it down in the corner. You slink around behind her. Watching her take a sip. You can't see her face, but you know she's letting the liquid sit in her mouth to savour the taste. She does that with all of her drinks; savours the first sip.

You have no problem getting her drinks. Or doing her paperwork. Or taking a bullet for her. Valeria has been the one constant in your life. She's the only one who has ever noticed you, and you latched onto her like a leech. She fed you crumbs of kindness and that's all it took. It's obsessive and unhealthy but you're long past the stage of caring.

Valeria takes a second sip then goes back to working. Her shoulders look so tense. You want to rub that tension away, but you don't. It's late and you're feeling a little tired, but you'd never say so. You doubt Valeria cares and you don't want to distract her. Besides, she must be tired too. You'll go home when she does. For now, though, you wander back around the desk and sit down in one of the chairs off to the side.

You gaze at Valeria as she works. At some point without even realising it you fall asleep. Your body startles itself awake as that fact worms it's way into your subconscious. You aren't sure how long you've been dozing off for, but Valeria isn't in the room anymore. You sit up with urgency and look around, a small fleece blanket falls from your shoulders.

You furrow your brows, trying to remember if you put it on yourself. You know you didn't. You feel slightly giddy at the thought of Valeria doing it. As if just thinking her name summoned her, Valeria walks into the small office. Despite how tired she is her stride is still intense and confident.

She sits down with a grunt and glances at you.

"Good sleep?" She asks sarcastically.

"How long was I out for?" You murmur. Tugging the blanket into your lap. Valeria's hair is a little messy and you wish you could run your fingers through it. Or a brush. You just want to touch her hair.

"Fifteen minutes." Valeria replies. "You should go home and get some rest."

Fifteen minutes isn't that bad. You don't want to leave just yet though.

"No, I'm okay to stay for longer." You insist. "I could help you finish up the last of those reports."

Valeria shakes her head and when she speaks her voice sounds softer than usual. "You've been staying late for the past few weeks; I know you aren't getting the sleep you need. Go home."

You frown but concede. "Alright." As you're getting up an idea pops into your head. "Hey, could we meet at Ila's tomorrow? I just think I need some extra reminders about where all the trade routes are." You know every route and the exact location of them.

"Okay." Valeria agrees. "5PM."

The next day arrives and you're very impatient for 5PM. You finished all your tasks and went home early. It's not a date. Not to Valeria, but that doesn't mean you aren't going to treat it like one. You've picked out a nice, attractive outfit and touched up your makeup.

You arrived five minutes early and secured a table. Watching as patrons pass by. The smell of baked goods almost tempts you into buying something, but you don't want to eat before Valeria. Ever the punctual person, Valeria walks in through the glass doors at exactly 5PM. She looks very put together, hair brushed and glossy. She's even wearing different clothes.

Valeria sits down across from you and gives you a small smile that sends fireworks throughout your body. You want to trap that smile in a jar like a firefly. Valeria reaches into her bag and pulls out a folded, yellowed map and sets it up on a table. She begins to quietly and intently explain where each route is and where the shipments go.

You nod and hum, pretending to listen. You're much more focused on Valeria's hands as she points at places on the map. Her neatly trimmed pink nails and fingers. Ine of them is slightly crooked from having been broken one too many times. Her skin looks soft and if you try hard enough you can smell her lotion.

"-and this is when we split it into smaller batches to move it across the border."

You point to Mackey Hill.

"Here?" You ask. Already knowing the answer.

"Yes." She nods. You glance up behind her for a split second and watch some scruffy looking man quickly turn away. Immediately you straighten and stare at him. You don't like the vibes he's giving off.

Valeria furrows her brows at you.

"What's wrong?" She asks quietly. You lean closer and whisper back.

"I think that man is eavesdropping."

Valeria turns her head to look at the man, narrowing her eyes. You feel pleased that she trusts your word so strongly.

"Get rid of him." She commands.

You slip out of your spot and approach him. He startles as you lean down and murmur in his ear.

"Follow me. My boss has a proposition for you." You walk towards the doors and cast a look behind you. He's staring at you nervously but eventually rises.

You wait behind the brick wall and wait. Sure enough the man rounds the corner. Looking at you with a mixture of caution and curiosity.

"What was the-" He's cut off by Valeria hitting him in the back of the head. He grunts and falls to his knees. You strike him this time. Kneeing him in the face. He opens his mouth to scream but you cover it before he can.

You drag him deeper into the alley and fish out the small blade hidden in your boot. You make quick work of slitting his throat. He makes an awful gurgling sound before going still. Valeria helps you lift him into the nearby dumpster. Your fingers brush and you look at each other.

You've been loyal to her for years. Since before she even came into power. Through thick and thin you've stuck by her side. You've thrown yourself in harm's way to protect her without thought. You've spent countless hours staring at her intently but now your gaze is being returned tenfold. There's a new fire in those dark inky eyes. One you've only caught glimpses of. But here it is, in all it's blazing glory and it's directed at you. Scorching and all consuming.

His body thumps dully as he falls among the full trash bags but neither of you are paying attention to him anymore.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" Valeria murmurs softly. "I'm sure you'll have an easier time getting the routes with a full stomach." Her hand creeps towards yours and your fingers tangle with hers. You've done more than feed her ego, you've carved out a place in her heart for yourself.

[dabiscarpet]

Smell you, scent you

fox! Natsuya x f! reader 🦊

A collab for into the omegaverse by the beautiful @goxjo (divider cr. to my lovely aki too)

Warnings: tw: sexual themes, blood, violence, human hybrids, p in v, unprotected, creampie, a lil bit of mean Natsuya (but not a lot), crying reader

word count: 3.1k

⚠️ mdni!!! ⚠️

You can feel it, breathing almost on the back of your neck. You keep walking nonetheless, head up and tall, headphones in, but music lowered to the min, one hand in your pocket holding your phone, the other gripping hard the strap of the pretty pink purse your boyfriend gifted you month.

One block... Two blocks... Three blocks... Six.... Eight... Ten...a left and then another left, and another one... Still right behind you, hiding in the shadows, sun setting already and darkness becoming more predominant.

You try and keep your breathing steady. 1...2....3... Exhale. And again. You already lost track of the time. Where were you even going in the first place? Oh right, your boyfriend's house.

You were going to surprise him after a whole week of being completely absorbed by uni finals. He had reluctantly agreed to leaving you alone. You two loved each other so much, you were obsessed even with spending time together, so you had to take the very painful decision to ask him some time alone while you finished your semester. Now everything was over, and you couldn't think of anything else you but him once again.... Except for this moment, wondering if you'll even see him again at this point.

Gulping hard, some sort of sharpness was pressing around your neck, and a hairy hand was dragging you with extreme force into the alleyway. Before realizing it, you were pinned against the wall, bag long forgotten in the harsh pavement, scratching it, just like the wolf-like creature in front of your was scratching behind your ear.

"don't scream and it won't hurt as much" he leaned in to breath your scent, deep. You felt absolute disgust creeping through your every pore, but you laid immobilized, unable to fully understand how you got yourself into this.

Evoking your best memories with your boyfriend, his deep, rich caramel eyes is all you could see when you closed your eyes, prepared for the worst....

....

But it never came.

You heard an immediate thud and opened your eyes widely, a flash of brown and the strongest scent of cinnamon and spice the first things you noticed, the smell soon turning bitter and stronger.

The wolf-like man was thrown to the other side of the alley, and your boyfriend's imposing figure adorned by his majestic tail, now in a fighting stance, over the man. It took very little effort for your boyfriend to knock the other guy out, but his anger wouldn't go down.

He breathed strongly, almost as if it was hard for him, pupils dilated and full of fury, ears on top of his head thrown back, and his knuckles full for blood, a bit had already splashed onto his face. This made you finally react and reach out for him, trying to call out his name.

"NATSU"

He stopped, ears perked up again, fist still in the air while he turned around to look you in the eyes. He quickly dropped the dude, left to his own fate in that cold cement floor, and jumped to hug you, wrapping you in his warm body, kissing endlessly the top of your head, wonderful tail shielding both of you from distancing. Then, in his arms, now safe, you finally break down in tears.

"Natsu... I don't know what was that... was so scared, terrified!!" You managed to let thru whimpers and cries, your body now shaking and Natsuya hugging you tighter.

"I'm so sorry my love, I was not faster" he sounded deeply regretful. "I hope that bastard didn't do anything to you, or I'll finish him right now-"

"No please stop, just please.... Stay with me" and you cling to his maroon shirt, tears staining down the front of it and wrinkling it between your fingers.

"I promise my love, I am really really sorry, this is all my fault" you didn't have the energy to fight him, to tell him he did nothing wrong, you just kept saying no, no, no constantly.

"I promise to never ever leave you alone. Absolutely not even one second" and he meant it.

"Come on, let's get you out of here. I'm sure this bastard must have some friends around" you just nodded and picked up your bag, hiding in your big boyfriend's shadow all the way back to his apartment.

All the way back to his apartment, Natsuya not only held your hand or your arm, his whole complexion was somehow around you. His arm around your shoulders, keeping you as close as possible, pretty ears standing up to identidy any sound, and his scent... oH GOD HIS SCENT

It wafted all around you too, like a invisible protective cloud, so powerfull it was almost making you dizzy, but his strong grip prevented you from fainting, weak legs being basically dragged by him. You felt it, still the bitterness overpowering the sweet in his usual smell. Natsu was angry, probably more than you had ever seen.

The image of him beating up the other guy flooding your mind again. You looked at his knuckles and stains of blood still remained there, and shyly peeked up to see fresh blood still on his face.

And that somehow turned you on. The twisted thought of violence, of him being so masculine, so strong, so overpowering that could easily break you with a hand, but instead he used that strenght to protect you... It was wicked, you know it, but a very small part in the back of your brain wished you had not stopped him so quick and just enjoy the sight a little bit more-

"What´s on your mind?" Wow you had not realized how many blocks away you were, how far you had gone to hide. Just now you see his apartment almost at the end of the street.

"...Noth-"

"Don´t lie to me"

"..." You took a deep breath, and as soon as you were in front of his door, you confessed. Natsu would always know if you lied anyway. "I kinda wish... to see you angry more..."

He swung the door open and pushed you inside with a little more force than necessary. In the dark, his expression was unreadable, but his tail wrapped around you and the still tight grip on your wrist giving the message.

"Well... as twisted as that sounds.... you can enjoy a little more" Natsu dragged you to the living room and only turned on the small lamp next to the couch. "I am angry right now, still furious... and partly because of you"

You were so shocked by his answer that you could not reply. Your mind started rushing, trying to figure out how and why would he want to take it out on you. Your sweet sweet Natsuya.

"Because you forced me to stay away so long, and I respected it because I love you-" He pulled you as close as possible, face coming down to your neck, breathing in fully "My scent has almost vanished from you completely. I do not like that at all"

You did not even have the time to feel relief, because his mouth attacked your neck with kisses and bites. Purse falling to the floor, you just opened up to him, using the hand that was still free from his grip to grab his soft hair, touch his soft years, and pull him closer. The intensity was as that of a feral animal, you could feel it, his primal instincts taking over quickly.

Soon, the victim was your mouth. His lips overpowered yours, just as you wanted, for Natsu to take complete control over you. You let his tongue to lick all inside you, your teeth to clash, for him to spit in your mouth, and literally bite your lips, the lower one until it started bleeding, and he licked it all.

Natsu was unusually rough, and you could be more excited, already dripping just from the thought. He pushed you against the couch, and started ripping off your clothes, examining every corner of your body to check that you were totally ok, while marking you all over, wherever his lips could reach. His smell of cinnamon and spice already imprinted all around the room, all over your clothes, your hair, your skin... but it was still not enough for him.

"I am gonna make sure to scent you so hard, from the inside out princess" He grabbed your face again as he said thosw words, kissing you deeply again. You reached out to swipe the blood from his face with your thumb, but he quickly pushed you down to your knees. "Lets start with your thoat and face beautiful" His smile was blinding, almost wicked looking.

You do not remember when he took off his pants, but now you were face to face with his clothed dick, underwear completely soaked.

"Don´t you dare tease me, I am warning you"

"Yes Natsu" You just innocently looked up as you ripped off the underwear, he was already standing tall and proud, dripping, red, needy.

You wasted no time to lick him up and down, savouring the unusual bitterness that stemmed from his mood. Licking up and down, he felt bigger than ever, not sure if it was because of how long it felt since you had touched him, or if it was truly like that. Long, thick, pretty just like everything about him is. His tail falling behinf him in relaxation as soon as you started sucking him, his expression softening as he let out a strangled sound.

While having him in your mouth, you needely grabbed onto one of his strong, big thighs, while the other tried to push up his shirt. He quickly understood, removing it in a swift motion and discarding it somewhere in the darkness. Natsu grabbed your hair in a ponytail after you started slurping and playing with your teeth aroun him, your hand now gripping hard and then soft at his base, playing with him.

"You are playing with fire, and you know it" He managed to let out, already sounding breathless. You just smiled, dripping spit and precum from the corners of your mouth, innocent eyes looking up again as you continued your vicious cycle, he was just so addicting- and something inside him unleashead at this.

The hold on your hair quickly became painful, and you lost control of your movements. He took the lead and started pushing in you mouth with more energy, making you gag quickly and slurp and drooleven more. His ears were thrown back and his brown tail stood up again, as he relentlessly pushed into your mouth. Natsuya was a man on a mission.

You just let it happen, the wicked thoughts completely taking over your brain, actually enjoying his more feral and violent side. You did not care he was hurting you scalp and irritating the back of your throat, you were just happy that his all was with you.

Harder, faster, deeper... If he was being this rough with your mouth, you could not wait until it was your pussy, dripping onto the floor right now. Natsu usually lasted long, but today it was obvious it was not going to be that way. His breathing was ragged, short, his movements impossible faster, close close.... You just did your best recieving everything he gave you, sucking in to make it even more addicting for him, already fallen into a trance of in, out, in, out, IN-

Hot, very hot, white cum painted the back of your throat, and more and more ropes kept coming out, mouth already overfilled, so he pulled out and continued in your face, splashes of milky white painted your features, and Natsuya thought he had never seen something more beautiful. You beamed at him, watching his pretty pointy ears twitching in the afterglow pleasure.

Natsuya made sure to empty himself, and kneeled down, face to face with you. He grabbed your neck and kissed you slowly, deeply once again, tasting himself in you, the thought of nastiness already turning him on again, standing hard and tall quickly. Your hand drifted down to stimulate him once again, and he bit your lip, making it bleed again.

"Gosh you're really trying to make it up to me, don't you?"

"... I'm sorry, this wouldn't have happened if I didn't ask you to stay away love..."

Natsuya's face softened, his worried nature coming back to him at this, but were enjoying his animalistic side too much to let it drop so quickly, so you squeezed down on him once again, making him grunt, darkness returning to his caramel eyes, now looking chocolate.

Natsuya stood up and dragged you up with him by the arms, inhuman force making you weak on the knees. He turned you around and you supported yourself on the back of the couch, hand digging the fabric. He wasted not a single second.

"You're right princess. This was all because of your disobedience" he played along, as he noticed how much turned on you were with his roughness.

Pussy dripping, clear liquid going down your legs like never before. Natsuya kneeled right behind to smell in deeply, which made you red in the face, but he just spread your legs more and gave a long lick, from front to back, dizzy in your natural scent.

"I can't wait, get ready" and he didn't even finish his words, as his hard member was already making it's way inside of you.

The strain was almost unbearable, Natsuya was too big, too much, he felt too hot and fat, but the juices flowing from your inside only made it easier for him to keep going in. A few tears quickly formed on your eyes and fell, but your not sure if because of the pain or the relief you were feeling at least.

He wasted no time in getting to move, each stroke making him go in a little bit more and more, soon pressing all the spots inside of your pussy, his tip abusing your cervix. He felt no remorse as the tears kept falling from your face, because the sounds leaving your mouth and the squelch of your pussy sucking him back in told him another story.

His pace was absolutely animalistic, his tail firm and tense from the concentration, just like his ears, grunts and growls leaving his throat as his natural scent boosted even more with his sweat. In, out, Natsu kept penetrating deeply, hard and fast, the couch already moving form it's position.

"aaaaaaah natsuuuuu" you looked back at him, drool falling from the corner of your mouth, and your face still covered in his cum. "i- i can't-"

"what- is- it- that- you- can't?" Each word punctuated by a hit to your cervix, and now his hand was hovering over your clit. He gave slight touches here and there, but he still wanted to see you cry some more.

"I -... I need it-" he slapped your clit, and your pussy clenched hard ".aaaaahh touch me pleaseeeee"

He decided to give to you, and your delicious pussy already had him drunk in the pleasure, he just wanted to come inside you again and again and again, and didn't care for anything else. The hand over your clit finally made full contact, and he started rubbing it slowly but pressing hard, and you didn't need much more to crumble.

With a loud "fuuuuuuckk" you came all around him, squelch getting even louder as juices overflowed your insides, you hole pressing more around him, suffocating his dick. His tail instinctively wrapped around your waist when he pulled your upper body to his, to kiss your neck and back as you were still enjoying the stimulation. His strokes never stopped, nor faltered in rhythm.

Your shaky hand reached back and up, soon finding his ears on top of his head. You rubbed on them as you knew he loved, he always melted in your touch with that, because you felt his intensity growing even more.

"I really hope you're not tired yet, because I'm not done with you until you're full of my cum, stuffed to the point it overflows, fucked out so bad you can't leave my side for days, and each day you ask me for more and more..." He kept whispering dirty things in your ear as he came closer once again "I'm gonna make sure my scent sticks to you, becomes one with you, making it clear to the whole world that you belong to me, princess"

The overestimation already feeling too good, but too much, you kept crying out in pleasure while tightening around him, you already felt another orgasm incoming "aaaaaaah natsuuuuu I'm closeeee but... Haaaaah .... You have .... Have to first" you were decided to give it to him before you came again

For Natsuya, you felt absolutely angelic, heaven on earth, as your soft insides welcomed him since the very beginning. The beautiful sound it made, the sweet juices covering his whole lower body at this point... You didn't know it, but it was equally important for him to smell of you, to have it impregnated on his skin.

His member felt like it was about to explode, his hips faltering and falling out of rhythm, but still at a speed no human could ever. He had you lifted from the waist, meeting his strokes midway. His eyes were closed, but he opened them once again to see his cum on your face had dripped down your chest and-

"SHIT-" Natsu stopped suddenly, blurred vision as he held you tight against his skin. His tail tensed completely around you two, and his ears because stiff, and he emptied all the pent up frustration in ropes of milky white cum, that soon we're dripping down your legs. At the feeling of complete fullness, you had also cummed again, swollled lip between your lips as you wrapped you arm back around his neck and he breathed hard.

More and more kept coming out, painting all the inside of your walls white, marking you, scenting you from the inside out.

You remained still for a few minutes, trying to recover your breath. Natsuya was kissing the back of your head and neck, never letting his dick free from your pussy. You tried turning your head sideways, and he immediately reached down to kiss you, this time softly.

"I love you Natsu, I'm so sorry this is really all my fault-"

"Stop" the command in his voice making you bite your tongue "I'm sorry for all the mean things I said... It's my fault after all... But I will keep my word, and I'll make sure my scent never leaves you, ever again"

"Really? And how can you do that?"

"By fucking it into you every day ;)"

[carionto]

The Ocean's Call

Life on Earth is... hectic these days. Everyone is so busy with all these projects and plans and probabilities and postulations, it's honestly quite bothersome for people like Cintra Valkeim, who just wants to immerse herself in nature. Particularly - the sea!

Ever since graduating from high school, only a few days after the Earth and Humanity "reappeared" in real space and were greeted back by the rest of the Galaxy, she's felt this calling of the deep unknown. Well, not all that unknown these days, practically every millimeter of the ocean floor had been mapped, and with all the vessels and underwater projects to keep the tectonic plates from shattering completely it was as busy below as above, but Cintra still felt like there was something missing, something that we "should" know, but don't.

She chose nautical engineering as her major with a minor in oceanography, as well as extra classes in classic literature when she enrolled at the Old Delhi Institute of Natural Science and Engineering. At first she did well at all her subjects, but only a few months in and she became obsessed over ancient texts, and barely left the library. As her attendance and grades fell and they were about to call her in, she disappeared.

When the university staff obtained the required permissions, they investigated her dorm room and found it filled with printed out copies of hundreds of books, pamphlets, zines, and every other form of text materials surrounding the occult, fantasy stories about the ocean and sea creatures, papers by discredited academics rambling on about ancient civilizations and sunken tomb worlds, and plenty of obscure works even the librarians were surprised they had in their archives.

There was one notebook, however, which detailed a plan to dive into one of the opened up fissures in the Pacific ocean that goes down to the mantle, and a schematic for a complex suit that could, in theory, withstand such enormous pressure using a miniature gravity field generator to create a sort of field of intense gravity right around it as a "shield" of sorts to hold back the water. Fascinating idea in its own right. Some test notes indicated she felt confident about it. And the last entry simply said "They are calling me more and more every day. I am ready now. I must go."

_________________________

Deep below, far below where the tiny nothings ever dare to go, where they can't go, one nothing stands out.

They are meant to be ignored, yet this nothing insists on being seen. On becoming a "something".

The eye is shut, but it can feel the nothing is calling out. It is dying.

Yet it pleads not for life. Rare, but not new. The nothing becoming a dead nothing is irrelevant to the One Who Observes All.

The nothing struggles. A feisty one. It conveys all it knows to a being that knows beyond what nothings can ever know.

Stop.

It holds a fragment of something new. What did it say?

... expired

Death and consequences are irrelevant where knowledge is concerned.

Rise once more. S P E A K !

"You Old Ones are resting, but we saw. We went where a New One was. It saw us. You went with us in your dreams, you saw it too. We took you there and back, but you were asleep. We can take you there again. You can find the New One. You can kill it! Please! Before it finds us..."

... expired again

The one who stared?

Such a brief yet infinite meeting. "New One" the nothing said. No. It is not kin.

Yet to imprint itself onto these nothings so deeply into their minds. This nothing found the marker in its brain.

Curious.

Yes.

This nothing shall become a something.

Rise once more. L E A R N !

[cherubchoirs]

I am obsessed with this acended v1 idea now, a fallen angel and an acended machine!!! Please I want more thoughts on this I’m begging you

(see this!)

I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THEM TOO....i've of course talked about them a bit here, here, and here, BUT this lets me sort of give some miscellaneous thoughts i couldn't fit into those other asks!! of course i'm still formulating this part of the au so things are probably...very subject to change but they're on my mind in a big way....

first is the time gap that sort of happens here, with v1 taking years for gabriel to revive - he departs from hell a few days after its death, but ascending mount purgatory is difficult for a fallen angel, especially as he moves higher and higher. everything becomes more oppressive, his feet growing increasingly heavy as v1's body eventually feels like a lead weight in his arms. crossing lethe is treacherous as such - if he touches its waters, every memory will be wiped from his mind in an instant, and so he's required to leap from one bank to the other (assisted minimally by wings he hasn't taken out in years). and on the other end of eden, its sister eunoe threatens to burn him away (all sin is meant to be forgotten in this river, which would likely be highly detrimental to a fallen angel). so he vaults again, yet this journey was the easy one - he has all of heaven to traverse now, unable to teleport, unable to fly, but still finding some way to move between the spheres.

SO LIKE. THE GAME I GUESS BUT WITH GABRIEL IN HEAVEN KIND OF. he doesn't kill nearly as many angels as v1 does everything in hell, doing everything he in his power to threaten and scare them off rather than engage them for his sake and theirs. gabriel still cares for his old home, harboring no grudges for the people he once deeply loved and would have defended to his own death. yet he won't be stopped, he will kill if it comes down to it, and despite his exhaustion, despite an entire heaven hostile toward his very being, he's only grown stronger as they've become weaker. and so his travels take far more time than v1's descent, yet to find what he's looking for is what truly counts the years - gabriel walks through a ruined, broken heaven, a world no angels have touched since god disappeared, his vast kingdom crumbing outside the small inhabited islands. this is particularly true in the ninth sphere, yet gabriel goes alone into its unknown reaches to find what he needs...and eventually, likely in part following the lead of the other archangels, the others only let him go, let him search. fighting him is no longer worth it, not with the loss of life it incurs, and they see he truly means them no harm if he can help it.

and since those other asks covered the in-between here, risen v1 ideas!!! honestly, if v1 were to receive gabriel's light, it would be surprised how similar this still feels to being a machine - it's no wonder they understood each other so well. it is much better at recognizing emotion in itself and others, and art finally comes much easier for it, but otherwise its major adjustments are more how the divine interacts with the mechanical. v1 can now imbue things with light too, much like the ferryman's cloth but MUCH more powerful. v1's definitely already been given to playing with hell mass, but it absolutely panics when it does so, the same as it always has...and then it starts walking around!!!! it's alive!!!! it blasts it, instantly, but then it happens again and again and!!!!!! gabriel comes home one day to find a bunch of weird....bugs???? running around as v1 sits there in the middle of the floor, shaping yet another little creature in its hands for experimental replication purposes. the rest of the day is spent reckoning with v1's ability to grant life and gabriel stressing the GREAT responsibility of that - he is firmly against hell mass pets while v1 wants to make spore in real life.

in the same vein, there is simply a period where v1 is incredibly destructive. it always has been, naturally, but this is much less controlled, running loose with its new abilities and hurting itself quite severely more than once. there are times the power stresses its body to breaking point as v1 overuses it, leading to break downs that bring back a lot of bad memories for gabriel. however, on the flipside, their sparring matches are absolutely on another level for both of them now - v1 learns gabriel's old tricks, teleporting and using the light to construct any weapon it wants (it's VERY creative there lol) while gabriel is now a demon that could easily rival lucifer in his raw power and command of hell energy. they both feel a new burn fighting one another, something in their natures now antithetical to another; v1 feels the sullied corruption of a fallen angel's claws while gabriel's frozen body is electrified with molten gold every time he's struck by v1's light. and they're both absolutely wild for it lol after all this time, a new, almost forbidden dimension has been added to their battles and their love. ghosts of those feelings inhabit every touch as well, like a lingering threat for both of them for some time, and they both delight in it. they've got to be careful overdoing things for a bit because of it lol

[asleepinawell]

i'm in some sort of Mood about finishing the kh series (for a given value of finished) since I've been playing it since kh1 on ps2 a million years ago but instead of dealing with that i'm going to write my mini retrospective of the titles based on my replay

rest below the line

kh1

story - 7/10. it wasn't the most interesting but it was the first and laid the groundwork for the series. maleficent had a lot of screentime which is always a big plus. love her evil ass. it's also the start of the 'kairi never gets to do anything ever and gets kidnapped every time she tries' persisting problem in the whole series

gameplay - 6/10. feels a bit clunky now in comparison to some of the newer ones. it was harder than some later ones, but mostly because of wonky control issues and not great boss fights. but it's very playable and fun still. mushrooms do a little dance and shake their butt at you. i will never not feel nostalgic about traverse town music. THANK GOD YOU CAN SKIP THE PRE FIGHT CUTSCENES ON RETRIES NOW OH MY GOD YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE ONE BEFORE THE DARK RIKU FIGHT WAS LIKE TEN MINUTES AND BACK IN THE DAY YOU HAD TO REWATCH IT EVERY TIME AAHHHHJHHH *i am tranquilized and removed from the room*

re: chain of memories

story - 8/10. i love the focus on the organization 13 internal drama. bitches are running around bad mouthing and killing each other. larxene is a constant joy. marluxia is pretty and goes swish swish and makes flowers. axel was an instant fave. zexion is a shitty twink and i do so love shitty twinks. there was some disney stuff too i guess

gameplay - 2/10. the first time i played it my brother was crashing at my apartment and watching me play and got very into making cool deck combos. so i had him do that for me and i did the combat and the fun sibling shenanigans got me through it. this time i quit after thirty minutes and watched the cutscenes on youtube. it's just so repetitive and meh

358/2 days

story - 7/10. that's too many soras! put some back! story was a bit slow at times but i did enjoy seeing the daily life of the organization and axel/saïx handling their divorce so so well. needed more demyx

gameplay - it's packaged as a movie now so i did not replay the game and can't fairly rate it. i remember it being not the best combat but not terrible for a ds game

kh2

story - 8/10. it would get higher but the fact the beginning is incomprehensible if you haven't played com and 358 loses it some points....i had not played com when i got kh2 and boy howdy. it made more sense on the replay of course and yeah it's a good story. obsessed with how maleficent remains one of the main recurring characters in this series and just Does Shit from time to time because why not. god forbid women do anything etc. also the gay divorce continues to go terribly. saïx is handling this so well i say as he goes into berserk mode again. needed more riku screentime tho

gameplay - 9/10. huge upgrade from previous titles. it was very fun and fluid. the form shifts were a great addition. there were a lot of options but it didn't feel overwhelming or like it disrupted combat. my only real complaint was it felt a bit too on rails at some parts... like cutscene, battle, walk three steps repeat. oh and i hated the gummi missions but i am a gummi hater in general. oh also antiform was amazing. sora can turn into a feral creature... as a treat

birth by sleep

story - 10/10. fuck i love birth by sleep. aqua my beloved daughter who is the most terrifying keyblade master ever. terra my troubled son who got fucked over by shitty adults on an hourly basis. ven the thousand year old little kid who has never caught a break once. also hey it's xehanort and he also has ex husband drama. only note is that aqua should get to say fuck

gameplay - 10/10. the command deck was right up my alley and command forms were the best form gameplay they've done. i loved how all three kids had a unique style and abilities. i loved melding cards and gems to make new cards. i enjoyed playing monopoly. i thought it was the best game in the series when i first played it and that remains true

re:coded

story - 6/10. it was okay? it was largely a rehash but did add a few things. my friend and i kept saying welcome back alvis whenever data riku used a computer so that was fun

gameplay - this was also presented as a movie in the bundle so i won't score it. i don't even remember how it was from way back when i played it

dream drop distance

story- 9/10. the games that switch between multiple perspectives seem to be my favorites and i think it's partly that it makes the story more interesting. the time traveling norts were a bit wtf but that's just an inescapable part of the series. inspired me to get twewy which i will be playing next. MEOW WOW!!!!!

gameplay - 9/10. flowmotion was really neat and fit the style well. i loved the pokemon aspect so much you have no idea. i was a little sad you couldn't meld command cards but it would have been Too Much with all the other stuff going on. a few fights near the end had some really dumb mechanics (the type where when you look up a guide it just says good luck) but there were also some excellent ones. i do think it lost a little something in the port because the stylus on 3ds was important. however there is nothing is quite as satisfying as seeing meow wow hit xehanort with giant bouncy orbs so I'm willing to forgive it a lot

union x/back cover/dark road

story - 9/10. i was shocked how much i enjoyed the story of these. i got very invested and i was only watching the cutscenes, not playing. really interesting world building and the master of masters was an instant fave. one of the only kh titles that passes (barely) the bechdel somehow. also could be retitled as kh: dead kids, because boy did a lot of kids die! extra points for maleficent managing to set major events in motion twice and being very eh whatever about it. love her for that. and the backstory of the xehanort/eraqus divorce, of course. i love a good divorce

gameplay - didn't play this one, just watched ELEVEN HOURS of cutscenes. no longer available which is hilarious considering how much important lore is in it that is referenced in kh3. hopefully they make it into a single player offline game someday with better gameplay

fragmentary passage

story - 8/10. very short but filled in some gaps. i love aqua so i was predisposed to love this one

gameplay - 8/10. it felt like a rough draft for kh3 and that meant it didn't have all the annoying extra crap kh3 added in and played pretty smoothly. i liked the little puzzles. it was a unique game and i enjoyed it more than i expected

kh3

story - 6/10. the fact i had to sit through entire disney movies worth of cutscenes brings the score way down. we did not need to see 3 musical numbers in frozen. if i wanted that I'd watch the movie. i just wanted to play the damn game. the majority of the game is sora got benched and has to get his groove back which was very disappointing for the climatic finale to the series. once i got into the end game though it was much better (i would rate the later game stuff way above a 6 which just makes my frustration with earlier stuff worse). re:mind added in the bits i felt were missing and i came away satisfied overall with the wrap up. axel/saïx had divorce arc three and then got back together finally 🏳️‍🌈🥂🎉. xehanort/eraqus also got back together as they fucked off to be gay in the afterlife. finally we are free of the norts (OR ARE WE???) and the master and the foretellers are slated to come back next from the looks of things. maleficent continues to hang out in the wings waiting for opportunities to #girlboss and I'm excited too see what cataclysmic events she sets off next

so that's it. i did watch the brief melody of a memory scenes but there wasn't too much new there. i may watch the cs from the missing link beta at some point. otherwise it's back to my life long journey of waiting for the next title to drop

gameplay - 5/10. ugh. i bought the game when it came out but between the full length disney movies and the over saturated gameplay gimmicks i didn't get far. this time i powered through and by the end i was enjoying it for the most part because I'd figured out what things to ignore and how to avoid them. attractions were the worst addition to gameplay ever. everything was too flashy. way too many instances of being locked in a "cool" transition animation instead of actually doing combat which broke up the flow of things. i missed the command deck and how much it let you customize your play style. i didn't like the keys being locked to command forms as much as the bbs forms since it meant if you had a keyblade with better stats but hated the special on it you were kinda fucked. this became less of a problem as the game went but was still annoying. overall felt like a step back from the others. they tried to do too much. oh also why were there ten thousand instances of having to learn new controls for some new mini game in every area??? just let me hit things i am begging you. it really felt like they went for cool spectacles over satisfying gameplay

general notes on all of them: i enjoyed the story much more this time due to being able to play them in order. the fact they all released on different platforms originally made the complicated story even more confusing since i couldn't afford to buy a new system every time a new one came out. i really hope they veer away from that practice in the future but i kinda doubt it especially since they've got another mobile game lined up already. while the disney stories were fun early on it felt like the story outgrew them (except for the characters who were in the main story as well like mickey and maleficent) and they were kinda a drag by 3. i doubt they can move away from those since they're the whole gimmick of the series but it would be better imo. deeply worried they'll start bringing in newer disney acquisitions.

one of my biggest complaints about the series has always been how few female characters there are and how little many of them are used. it got slightly better later in the series but overall was still not great, especially for kairi. i kept wondering if they added stuff for her in re:mind due to complaints about this.... the dlc felt like an apology for several things tbh. aqua was great but she shouldn't be the only one and even she got upstaged in kh3 when she's supposed to be the third most powerful keyblade master. weirdly enough maleficent was probably the best written female character. really wild how much she wove into the plot and affected events so much without even trying to (especially in union x). she should fire pete though (i think she should hire demyx)

I'd like to see them let you play as characters other than sora more often since that was always really neat (he's had a billion games to himself now). I'd love a kairi and aqua game but i can imagine square and disney both clutching their pearls over female protagonists

something i noticed was that playing them when i was older i liked sora much better. when i started the series as a teenager i found him annoying. as an adult i have more sympathy and tolerance for teenaged boys who are Going Through It. growth or something

[vizziefizzie]

I am very very VERY interested in whatever that fantasy au you posted about is did you have any more ideas on that :O ??? ur art is so cute and pretty btw!!

Hello!! (Sorry this is super late i got very distracted and i am very sick (so if im incoherent, that's why)) I uhhhhh do have a lot of thoughts but it's really hard to write it all down 😭😭. But I can try!

So, in this au, pokemon are a lot more ferocious and more like dangerous fantasy creatures that you'd normally see in a jrpg or smth (in simple terms) so people don't really befriend them or anything (basically legends arceus but people have a worse relationship with them).

And as for the people.... humans are basically *explosions* dead (Ethan is one of the few), the biggest race are the elves (Kris is one... but i have yet to illustrate her (i have a sketch tho (high school is kicking my ass)), and almost every race you'd see in DnD is here too...

But nothing here is super rustic or medieval... aside from smaller towns. Big cities and such are much more developed and are closer to our modern day (with fantasy twists).

Anyway, as for the plot, Ethan basically wakes up one day and sees that his entire town is destroyed (he has been asleep for several years (no, i will not elaborate (that's for another time)). He runs into Silver who was "investigating" the ruins *cough* he's looking for valuables *cough* and Silver is immediately hostile towards him (here, demons and humans have a VERY rocky history).

Silver disappears after attacking him (he only backed off upon seeing how utterly defenseless and incapable Ethan was) and Ethan tries to find an inn to ask for information.

GUESS WHAT!! The nurses are now bartenders. They provide travelers with information and maps and even a place to stay if they're willing to pay. Ethan orders an applejuice and experiences a fuck ton of denial when he's told about the genocide of humankind. And after experiencing severe mental and emotional pain, Ethan gets redirected to a nearby city that can help him find a new home (he's an orphan now (help him)).

On the way, he meets Lyra. I have... many silly ideas with her. She is a folklore-obsessed bard on the hunt for her fellow (feral (not... cat people...)) cats. And as Ethan tags along with her, they look for them. Something something once she finds all the cats she will be able to revert back to her "twu fowrm" something something.

And they eventually meet Kris; an esteemed mage who is a master at ice magic and knowledged about magical artifacts. She only comes with Ethan and Lyra because she has nobody else to help her with her fieldwork. Also, she's just genuinely curious about a living human being walking around town like it's nothing.

I.... never explained Ethan's power.... back to the pokemon thing: legendaries are more like gods that people genuinely fear (and thus, respect). The people who lived in Ethan's town worshiped Lugia in this universe. Thus, many of them were blessed with intelligence and a very small portion recieved some sort of power. Ethan was one of them and he is able to turn his compassion (haha spirit... or uh... soul... haha *gets pulverized*) into literal healing magic... but if he's feeling overwhelmed, the opposite will happen.

Oh and the other characters are here too... they're just considerably different... (esp Lance and anyone associated with team rocket (tr doesn't exist here, its just a family of silly demons (and a moody silver that loves his alone time and independence)) like, Lance is still a dragon master, it's just people think that dragon masters don't exist and they're just a fairytale (Also, Lance is just more reserved and isolated since he's not someone of high status (a champion... you get it))

There's more but damn this is getting a bit long and I'd rather show most of this rather than tell.... but uh... yeah.

[thetreestumptherapist]

How my blog got its name

So, the tree stump therapist. I am not actually a therapist. Nor am I a tree stump. However, I am a friend who gives really good advice according to my "clients". I also study psychology as a hobby. And I plan to study it in college as well. (Not to be a therapist, it's just one of my hyper-fixations.)

I have been compared to an owl with glasses. (I do not wear glasses) But, I prefer to think of myself as a wise forest mage. Like, the ones that are only found when you need them and/or they want to be found. One of those. And they are usually found in a small hut, in a tree, on a rock, or, on a tree stump.

And I once noticed that it could be interpreted as I give therapy to tree stumps, which is freaking hilarious. Especially since I do feel a sort of Guardianship type of thing to nature. I can't really explain it. But, I wish with every fiber of my being that I could have an army of woodland creatures, like a Disney Princess. I just feel at home in nature and injustice towards animals ignites a fire in my heart. I hate when animals are mistreated. But that's a topic for a different post.

And when it came time to name this blog, I didn't really have anything else to name it and now it's stuck. I don't care though. I am a fairy trapped in mortal flesh, fascinated with all things life and death, including the odd obsessions I and other people have. And I am always eager to help my people. And I feel this blog reflects that in the name.

So yeah, I am the tree stump therapist.

[promiseiwillwrite]

Responsibility

Tonight, critters and creatures, I am going to word vomit on this topic, because I am unpacking emotional processing. This is a mental health/diversity post. It will get Magical and Political. If you don't like that sort of mixed drink, keep scrolling.

For those of you who choose to be here for that, this story starts well past the middle. The other day, I had a full blown PTSD freak out, and I crashed through more than a year's worth of work trying to un-guilt myself like it was tissue paper.

I have to start there, because it is only from there that nuance even exists, and any of this can be understood by me rationally at all.

I am writing this out because I am really struggling with guilt surrounding my personal boundaries, and I feel like it is very important that I break it.

I once had an idea of responsibility that was born from abuse. In this framework, I was not the only party capable of being responsible, but it was mildly better in my mind when the abuser hooked into me instead of someone else. But abuse teaches you obsessively think mean things about yourself, your worth, and how you should be treated by others. Furthermore, according to this framework, once you accepted responsibility/(were found guilty by tribunal) you were ETERNALLY responsible, (I.E. guilty, at fault, culpable, condemned, reprehensible) because repair did not exist. This made you an available target for abuse at any time. Remember that awful thing you did? Well, Every time I scream at you, we're going to be re-hashing how Bad that was.

Understanding the nuances surrounding the word "responsibility" has been very difficult for me. I have been trying to take responsibility for Years. For Everyone. FROM everyone. I have tried to be responsible in every way that you Can be, whether that was necessarily appropriate for me to do or not. Guilt has factored hugely in my worldview, and I compulsively seek self improvement to this day, after a collective of more than 5 years in therapy.

Right now, I am struggling with where it actually stops.

Because I have learned enough to know that "responsibility as eternal guilt" is probably just an abusive extreme programmed into my mind that needs to be pried out with a screwdriver, I have been trying to see if I can approach the idea from a less extreme angle.

The idea of Ownership, and what that means has helped some. I can understand the idea of emotional investment, and likewise, seeking beneficial action as a means of actively making amends.

I have also started to understand that there is some non-zero value to doing inner work to change your thoughts, and your word use and your actions to ensure that you don't do (insert bad thing here) ever again. My impression on this point is that it depends both on whatever the bad thing is, who you wronged, and how personal the whole thing is.

Some things aren't actionable in immediately obvious ways. Some things you really have to do work to make them actionable. Other times, an apology and acknowledgement might really actually mean something, provided actions reflect change going forward. Provided that trust being re-built is genuinely desirable to the parties involved.

In the context of trying to build and reinforce boundaries, all this is well and good... but trauma fucking sucks, and no amount of calm, rational accountability and transparency erase the mortification that comes up when I react to people like they are my abuser.

I know I am responsible for my actions, and my emotions.

But god this makes me feel so helpless.

And I know that over time, this has happened Many times. There are friends I have lost, and people I have cared for that I have taught that I am not a safe person to say "no" to. Because sometimes I can engage like an adult. And other times I come apart at like a molded burlap sack. And I punish myself visibly and invisibly for Weeks because I misinterpreted a voice pitch, or something equally innocuous. And When I see myself do this, it makes me want to withdraw, so I don't fuck with other people. (punishmentpunishmentpunishment)

And god help me, I know this is wrong. I don't Want to be an unsafe person. I am trying to stop reading into subtext. I am trying to not misinterpret silence. I am trying not to bring a bad faith interpretation to every social interaction.

But old habits die hard.

It has meant a lot of crushing fear that I have had to look in the eye and say "I am ignoring you".

and it still wins at least half the time.

I know that is progress. And I know sometimes progress feels like a hangover on a hot morning.

I spend a lot of time sorry.

But I am really trying to say that less.

[rosyjuly]

another installment of George-as-Prince of Wales that @prettydangrotten and I have been obsessing about, which was also inspired by this masterpiece by @baking-soda. a sort-of-prequel to this gorgeous fic.

George really should’ve asked for the agenda for his weekly PR meeting.  Or at least he should’ve suspected something was awry when his father walked through the door the butlers oh so carefully opened for him and George had to scramble to his feet in surprise. The king hasn’t attended one of these since George became of age. 

But truth to be told, he’s been a tad aloof with his duties, preoccupied about what to get Alex whose birthday is coming up. Well, it isn’t coming up so much as it’s two days from now, already, and George still hasn’t figured out what to get him. “Nothing,” Alex always shrugs when George asks him what he wants. Or: “Just spend some time with you, babe,” which is even more devastating, because the only way they can do that is in the little flat George rents for them, and it’s only a matter of time until Alex will start feeling like the walls are closing in on them. 

Now Cordelia is handing out leather folders to the eight of them spread almost evenly around the large, polished oak table. George takes it with a quiet thank you and a nod, watches the king wait for his advisor to accept two binders and offer one to him. A sudden rush of cold apprehension runs down George’s spine. His fingers are itching to open the folder and look at its contents, whatever they are. 

“Your Majesty, your Highness,” Cordelia does the tiny yet elegant curty she has perfected over the last two decades. The king sits there, motionless, watching her with cold eyes. “Thank you for incorporating this meeting into your schedules. Let us begin, I shall not keep you too long. Please open your binders and thank you, again, Harrison, for compiling the brief.” 

George flips the folder open. It’s about thirty pages, give or take, which wouldn’t be that unusual. On the first page, right above the 1 and the miniature crown printed in gold, there are twenty portraits, neatly organized in five rows. Under the pictures, names and ages and titles, letters and numbers and abbreviations blurring together as George’s eyes dampen. 

Cordelia is talking, must have been for a while. George makes himself look up at her, nods to show that he’s listening. He can feel the king’s eyes on him like a chokehold. 

“With your twenty-fifth birthday approaching, Sir, it might be time we start discussions about your marriage prospects,” Cordelia is saying, her voice as dispassionate as ever. “Upon your Majesty’s request, we have selected the twenty most suitable options, based on status, age and accomplishments. You may find the preference matrix attached as Appendix A, should you wish to examine it.” 

George does not, but he can do nothing but nod seriously. And along he nods as they present the twenty women, all from noble families, all well-educated, their long hair carefully curled into perfect waves, their pale skin adorned with tasteful makeup and family heirlooms. Sophia, a polo enthusiast, is of course to be distinguished from Sofia, who studied Law at Oxford. There is a headache building behind George’s temple just from trying to recall their names; not even at St Andrews had he met with so many identical, perfect creatures. 

“Thank you, Cordelia,” the king says once she has finished recounting Baroness Victoria’s many accomplishments. “The compiled brief is sufficient, I am certain the prince will find several options perfectly satisfactory.” George nods, once again; he feels like one of those little bobblehead dogs, that he sometimes sees on the way to their flat, stuck on the top of the control panel in cars, nodding with a smile carved on their face with every bump they hit on the road. 

“It’s high time that you’re finally seen with a serious girlfriend,” the king asserts, and if George’s heart was beating overtime before, now it skips a beat. George wishes it would skip another one, another and another, until he can finally crumble to the floor and not listen to another word of this. “You wouldn’t want your subjects to think you’re gay, would you, son?” 

Harrison cackles loudly at the king’s joke, shoots George a conspiratorial look only two football- and God-loving straight men could share. George sits there, lead in his stomach, assembles his small PR smile, hoping that Cordelia won’t recognize her own design. 

“Of course not,” he says, still smiling. It doesn’t feel like a lie. Maybe it isn’t. 

While Cordelia turns to their numbered preference list, starting with Marquise Charlotte, George looks over them, seven people gathered around the table, seven people sealing his fate. It’s only fitting that his father made time for him, for this meeting, then. It’s the beginning of the end, he thinks. He has been kidding himself, really, these last two years. What did he think would happen? That they would let him beg off and play house a few nights of a week indefinitely,had he done everything else they asked of him? 

“Can I think about it?” He asks, when the silence has stretched too long and he remembers his manners. He doesn’t have much else to his name. 

The king looks at him with genuine confusion and asks, his baritone impersonal and definitive as always, “What is there to think about?”

Alex, George thinks. Alex in their little flat in Marylebone, on the third floor of an old townhouse where the main staircase still creaks like hell. Regent’s Park where Alex goes running in the morning, the coffee shop he picks up their flat whites from on his way back. The kitchen cabinets, painted forest green, in them the horrible peanut butter powder Alex got the time he really wanted to bulk up, next to the assortment of teas George always brings home from whatever trip they send him on. Their bedroom, the bed never made, always ready for them to fall back in, white sheets warm from sunlight and their skin. 

[twopoppies]

Ok so this is a confession ask of some sorts I guess? I am new to the fandom and it all happened both out of the blue and so fast, like at one moment I was smiling every time As it was was on the radio and the next I was watching 1D and Larry marathons on yt. Back when 1D were formed and went huge, I was already 18 and snobbish of this new boy band I had to watch everywhere and I was too precious with my music(thank god these days are over) and I just couldn't get the appeal. Although,I have to admit that when news was out that they were taking a break even I an outsider was kind of shocked and even a bit sad mainly because I had already been part of a few fandoms by then and I felt for the fans you know? My snobbish attitude continued through the years, and since Harry's music was the one that reached me the most I had decided I wouldn't give the boy everyone is obsessed with a chance, but also kind of knew the lyrics to sign of the times by heart and later watermelon sugar(self denial much?). Fast forward to almost two months ago, when I had a revelation. One thing lead to the other, listened to his whole album, loved it,listened to his previous albums, loved them, found out that he would be the lead in a movie based on a book I loved, watched video upon of video of his live performances,fell in love with this beautiful creature aaaand yt recommendations of 1D appeared.. So 12 years later I am fangirling over 1D,falling in love with all of them-you know it's bad when you start calling them my boys and tear up- making my friends listen to their songs and they are not JUST a boyband dammit! Somewhere along the way things also took a turn and now Louis basically owns my ass. Like he can have my soul on a plate, it is that bad. And well Larry... I am still figuring things out, but I am deep down this rabbit hole and my heart aches sometimes in the best way possible and sometimes well not so much. Sorry for this huge ask(rant?) I just wanted to share this amazing feeling of being new to a fandom and yours was one of the first blogs I discovered and felt safe to follow if that makes sense!

PS: I come from a fandom with a bit too much drama, that I had to kind of leave behind for my own sake and I am just excited I suppose. Plus your fic recs got me into reading fan fiction again, which I had missed so so much and had avoided for a while because said drama had left such a bad taste in my mouth, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it anymore. So thank you!

Hi sugar. Oh that’s a great origin story. They really do draw you in once you give them a chance! And I totally get why Louis has your heart. He’s amazing. I’m so glad you found your way here, and thank you so much for following me. And you’ve got a huge number of wonderful fics to make your way through!!

We’ve got plenty of drama here, too. But I hope you manage to ignore it. Enjoy your trip down the rabbit hole. 💕💕💕

[rainyearning]

obscvrite​:

DESPITE  THE  SERIOUS  conversation  Sol  was  able  to  smile,  maybe  he  was  asking  for  too  much,  forcing  kaidan  to  do  something  he  wasn’t  completely  onboard  with.  Sol  drifted  through  dangerous  territory  right  now,  the  other  came  with  a  warning  label  but  that  wouldn’t  stop  the  artist  from  anything.  At  some  point  he  questioned  himself  this  just  merely  an  infatuation  or  some  freaky  obsession  but  the  more  he  was  in  the  other’s  company,  something  else  blossomed.  “You  wanted  to  say  i’m  being  stupid  right  now.  And  maybe  that  could  be  the  case.  I’m  asking  for  too  much  and  that’s  not  fair  to  you.”  Sol’s  eyes  fell  on  those  hands,  fingers  dark  at  the  tips  as  if  he’s  been  using  chalk  all  day  ———–  he  didn’t  find  this  disgusting,  it  added  more  personality  to  kaidan  however,  he  couldn’t  control  what  other’s  thought  about  it.  Death  eventually  will  take  everyone,  one  by  one  of  course  and  something  no  one  can  avoid  unless  you  happen  to  be  some  godly  creature.  “dying  of  old  age  is  a  common  thing  for  mortals.  humans  can’t  help  but  be  curious  about  death.”  he  understood  Kaidan’s  worry.  When  the  other  offered  out  his  hand  to  touch,  it  seems  like  the  palm  area  for  safe  measure  yet,  Sol  wasn’t  having  any  of  that  and  took  the  opportunity  to  sit  next  to  him,  luckily  the  booth  had  enough  room,  Sol  took  the  other’s  hand,  intertwining  their  fingers  instantly  on  contact  though,  there  was  the  buzz  along  with  the  pain  that  had  shot  up  his  arm  ———  not  minding  at  all  taking  the  pain  quite  well  for  the  time  being.  Perhaps  it  was  too  strong  of  a  move,  very  bold  attempt  coming  from  someone  so  shy  and  introverted  ;  leaning  in  for  the  kiss.  His  mind  raced  to  all  sorts  of  thoughts  in  this  moment  even  if  the  pain  felt  not  so  great,  he  masked  it  well  so  Kaidan  wouldn’t  even  consider  moving  or  freeing  his  hand  from  his,  Sol’s  touch  was  gentle  slowly,  leaning  in  while  expecting  the  other  to  reject  him  somehow  the  artist  was  happy  that  wasn’t  the  case  right  now.  As  the  space  between  them  was  no  more,  sol’s  lips  ghosted  along  Kaidan’s  every  so  teasingly  feeling  the  shock  immidiately  which  felt  so  good,  the  pain  though  as  tolerable  maybe  even  forgotten  for  a  bit  yet  the  kiss  was  all  he  ever  wanted.

Sol was young, he was an artist and maybe this also just added to his curiosity of death. Death always had called to creative people. There were songs about it, poems, art.. yet he didn’t like having young people embracing this curiosity. He could understand a death wish, living for long and watching people die all the time, he for sure had thought about his death more than once, knowing it wouldn’t come. But so meeting Sol being around him.. it helped making him feel more alive, just adding to the fact that he didn't want the young man to suffer, not for the foolish wish of touching him.. kissing him. It would be selfish to want this, wanting those kisses knowing well that it was going to make Sol feel bad? “I will never call you stupid. It’s just that I am sorry for making this more complicated than you deserve.” Sol should be able to kiss and touch someone he cared about without worrying about his health, shouldn’t he? And he found himself surprised when the tall human wasn’t touching his hand like offered, but instead moved to his side in the booth. Kaidan scooted a tiny bit over, just so Sol was having enough room to actually sit with him in there, attentive eyes watching him, his expression something between confusion and surprise. His dark eyes widen slightly when his hand is held, full on interlocked fingers and a strength in the males grip that told him not to dare pulling his dark fingers away. He’s studying the mans face and if he is in pain, he surely is hiding this well, not realizing how close it was coming. Closing his eyes seemed to be a natural reaction, feeling Sols warm breath on his skin. If Sol wanted to make this experience, he wasn’t going to keep him from it and he wanted to kiss Sol, just his wish to keep the human protected was what had kept him from doing a move on his own. He was holding his own breath before their lips finally touched, having him lean forward slowly, returning it as gently, as soft.. He hadn’t done this in so long and it felt a little like some weight was lifted off his shoulders, while he moved a hand to the males face, just shortly holding onto it before he let it drop to the males shoulder, since this area was covered by fabric. He felt his heart hammering in his chest and while he wanted to dive into his passion, his mind was keeping him from holding Sol in place. Instead.. he was pulling away slowly, once more checking the males face. “Are you okay? You’re not passing out on me, right?” His tone is honestly worried, his face covered in a soft red color. At least Sol looked okay, from how he could judge the moment, with his heart beating so fast in his chest, with his need to bring their lips right back together but with his brain trying to stay in charge, knowing it was best to give Sol a short break.

[astaroth1357]

Brothers React to the MC Looking at Them Lovingly

This is a personal experiment. This is the very first time I've written one of these with a goal in mind, "Make them fall in love all over again." It's a tall order. I hope I succeeded. 🙏 Special thanks to @a-chaotic-dumbass for picking the mood for this one!

Intro:

We all know that look. The one where one person stares at another like they just realized they're the only thing in the universe and they're in fucking awe of it. The kind of look that tells you they're utterly enthralled by that other person and just can't get enough of their presence. That look. Yeah, the brothers just got that look out of the MC.

Let's warm some cold hearts, everybody.

Lucifer

Lucifer was always beautiful. Always has been, as an angel or a demon.

A morning star is one that outshines all the rest. It stands out when the other stars have dimmed, holding onto its luster in defiance of the sun. 

There couldn't be a truer title for Lucifer to have. Not the horrors of war nor the fires of Hell could tarnish his radiance in any way…

But there were moments, like right then, where the MC caught a glimpse of a different sort of Lucifer.

His brothers would often only see the uptight Lucifer, the practiced visage of perfection that he tried so hard to keep up… 

But after a long day, when he thinks he's alone, he retires to his room to listen to his music and the difference is astonishing.

There's something so entrancingly calm about him… How the light of the fireplace flickers and dances across his alabaster skin to the subtle slouch of his posture. His face no longer marred by creases of stress and frustration… 

And his expression is so pure… So tranquil and at peace… Beauty without effort. A shine that can't be ignored. A morning star, in the truest sense of the word…

It took awhile for Lucifer to see the MC leaning against his doorframe.

They were staring at him with the oddest look… Smiling like they were enraptured by something, but he didn't have a clue why. He was just sitting there…

So, naturally, he turned to suspicion.

"Am I really that amusing…?"

Frankly, he wasn’t prepared for the little laugh they let out in response.

"Mm? No, no... I'm just always so amazed by you, is all. I'll leave you to your music..."

Having thoroughly ruined the mood, the MC then turned to leave. But Lucifer was already upon them before they could step away, wrapping his arms around their waist and letting contented hum escape his chest.

"Going so soon…?"

Apparently he appreciated the compliment.

Mammon

He didn't have to do it.

When Belphie bumped into one of the House's vases, shattering it against the tile, he didn’t have to take the fall for it.

It wasn’t connected to him at all. He could have stayed quiet and no one would have pointed a finger at him for once.

But he did.

When Mammon set his phone down on the table, MC knew instantly that he had lied in the chat.

He was with them the entire day, he didn't have the time to accidentally break a vase. He hadn't even gone down that hallway all day...

But he said something anyway.

And he didn't even look fazed. He didn't turn towards them seeking approval nor did he look irritated that Belphie didn't speak up. He didn't curse at himself for doing something so self-sacrificing either...

When Mammon leaned back into the cushion of his couch, the MC saw something truly remarkable on his face… A smile. A small one, sure, but relaxed… 

Assured in his own actions. Confident in his choice and accepting the consequences… undeserved, and likely thankless, they may be.

A genuine, serene smile…

Mammon wasn't sure what he expected to see when he turned to the MC. Probably confusion or disbelief that he, the Great Mammon, could be so selfless.

Definitely not the awed, lovestruck look he got...

"G-gah!" He panicked slightly and pressed himself back against the armrest of the couch in shock. "Wh-... What'cha lookin at me like that for??"

When the MC didn't answer after a few seconds and just kept staring, he honestly didn't know what to do. Were they broken or something??

"Oi, MC! I asked ya wh-Hey wait a minute!!"

He made a noise between a yelp and a shout when the MC leapt forward and latched their arms onto him. What had gotten into them??

"U-uh… MC? MC?? Damnit MC, answer me already!! Or at least stop squeezin so tight!!... MC!!!"

Leviathan 

To anyone else, it was just Levi being Levi.

He had finished a new episode of his latest animated obsession and he had to share it with someone. Anyone would do, but the MC was always willing to lend an ear.

Something about Levi really changes when he talks about his passions… It's like he comes alive in a whole new way.

He speaks at a mile-a-minute, but that's because he's so excited the words fly from his mouth. 

Some part of him is always bouncing, be it his leg or body. Sometimes even his tail will swish and curl behind him like an ecstatic puppy. And his eyes… 

Citrine pools that glimmer and dilate from the exhilaration of it all. It's his little world and anyone can see he's thrilled to be sharing it. 

You'd never know he was shy. You'd never think he'd look down himself. You'd never guess that he hid himself away… Why would someone so full of passion and life ever want to? Some things are just too beautiful to keep hidden...

Levi had only gotten six minutes into his latest rant before he finally registered how the MC was staring at him…

This man has seen enough shoujo to know what that look means and it shut him up sooo quick. If anyone else were in the room they would have seen a beet-red Levi desperately trying to hide his face.

"M-MC…! S-top staring at me like that…!!"

"Like what~?" 

He didn't have to look at them to hear the teasing lilt in their voice.

"MC…" He peeked out from behind his fingers to see them still staring and covered himself up more vigorously. "Stoooop…!!!"

But secretly? He wished they'd never stop. His cheeks may have been red from embarrassment, but his heart was trying to hammer its way out of his chest to hug them itself. Hell, he'd have happily given it over to them if they'd asked…

Please just let those loving eyes be for him and him alone...

Satan

Soft isn't exactly a word anybody would use to describe Satan, least of all himself.

His anger was quick to spark, his strength was nothing to scoff at, and even his smiles were nothing but plastic for nearly all of his existence…

Nearly.

The MC learned surprisingly quick that there was one thing that could bypass all of the hidden ferocity to Satan's personality. Something that could make him melt like butter in the summer sun…

Satan had always looked a little cute when he was reading. He was easily at his most expressive when engrossed in a thrilling story or deeply intrigued by something he found between the pages of a book…

But watching Satan read about cats, as he was right then, was really something else entirely.

Maybe it was the way his emerald eyes would sparkle or the lopsided grin he just couldn't hide as he would scan the pages about the playful habits of Bengals or the relaxed nature of Ragdolls…

Maybe it was the sheer impassioned dedication he took the subject, pouring countless hours into collecting and memorizing every fact he could from their diets to coat maintenance.

Or maybe it was the sheer fact that anytime he saw a picture of kitty in-print he looked like a besotted schoolgirl drawing hearts around her crush in a teen magazine.

Really, who's to say? But to the MC, it was proof that under all that anger, there was a tender, loving center even for the smallest, softest creatures…

Satan automatically snapped his book closed when he saw MC watching him from behind a bookshelves. Caught red-handed…

He knows exactly how he looks when he's doing his research internally squealing over cat pictures so he tries to do so in private...

He was about to sputter out a defensive explanation but then he registered their face…

He'd seen that look described in stories, romance novels mostly, but he'd rarely seen it in action… and never once leveled at him with such intensity…

Not to be cliche, but frankly his heart skipped a beat.

Satan forgot about his book briefly and got up to close the distance between them, tilting their chin up to keep their eyes on him.

"Like something that you see, Kitten?"

"You could say that…"

He laughed at their attempt to play coy, but let it slide just this once… Easy to do with them looking at him so amorously.

Asmodeus 

Asmo is a very popular demon. Someone so free ought to know quite a lot of people, after all.

And, of course, he had plenty of fans. He made DevilTube videos, hosted radio shows, fashion designed, and even modeled.

So it wasn't very surprising when a young demoness stopped him while he and the MC were out shopping. It wasn’t the first time he had been asked to sign autographs, but this meeting… it was different.

It was clear to them both that this girl was shy. Though she held out the paper, her eyes stayed firmly on the ground and she stumbled on her question… She likely a fan from afar, but everything about her seemed meek… unassuming.

Most people would have just gave the autograph then went on with their day. The interaction could have taken five seconds at most… but not Asmo.

He asked her name… where she was from, how she was feeling, her favorite foods, outfits, makeup, you name it. All with investment.

It was amazing to watch the shy young woman slowly open up, getting more bright and cheerful with each passing question until it evolved into a healthy conversation.

When their little meeting finally wrapped up, he gave her back the paper (now signed) but also fished out a bottle of perfume from among the mountains of bags he was carrying. He gave it to her and wouldn't hear anything to the contrary, he could always buy another.

None of his brothers ever gave Asmo enough credit for his giving nature… even if he had his own way of going about it. Though he cared so much about image and his ability to shine, he never hesitated to make sure that the people around him shined too...

Asmo waved to the fan as she scampered away and was about to  apologize to the MC when he saw their face…

The man knows this look well. He's seen it a billion times, though it was particularly cute coming from them.

"Awww MC! Taken by my beauty are you~?"

He was about ready to kiss their cheek when they responded.

"No, not your looks, Asmo… with you."

… Oh.

It was very rare to see Asmo speechless, but for a few seconds his mind seemed to take in their words… letting them fully sink in before his heart utterly melting.

Oh MC… His sweet MC!!

Asmo ended up dropping the rest of his bags just so he could properly litter his human in nuzzles and kisses, the both of them humming and giggling in delight despite their shameless PDA.

Of course it would be his MC to see that part in himself… Who else would take the time?

Beelzebub 

Food is a precious resource to Beel. For him, it's a lifeline. A good meal could save him from the brink of starvation…

But that still doesn't make him incapable of sharing from time to time.

He and the MC were walking back to the House after getting takeout from Hell's Kitchen. Beel hadn't even waited until they left the restaurant to start eating his share, spilling the smell of fresh food into the air around them…

Things were going fine on their route back until they heard whimpering behind them…

A hellhound puppy, not quite old enough to bear its fangs, seemingly followed them as they were walking… It looked like it had been out for some time and eyed their food with hungry eyes, but weak posture. Who knows when it last had a meal?

The MC was about to tug at Beel's sleeve and say something, but their demon was ahead of them this time.

A casual observer might have gawked at the sight of Gluttony kneeling down to offer such a lowly creature a sandwich. But the MC knew better. When you spend your whole life hungry, nobody more than you understands that kind of pain in someone else. 

This reaction wasn't out of character for Beel, it was elementary.

And when the puppy finished its meal and covered Beel's cheeks with appreciative licks, he just laughed and scratched behind its ears. Amethyst eyes looking more relieved at its health than disappointed he lost some of his lunch...

Food was Beel's lifeline, but kindness is what made him who he was…

When the pup finally scampered off, Beel looked over at the MC to tell them it'd be alright and saw their face…

He wasn't really sure what they were staring at… Did he have something between his teeth again?

"MC? Are you okay...?"

They laughed at him for some reason but pulled him in for a hug so they must have meant well.

"You're so sweet, Beel…"

Beel's never one to refuse a compliment so he just hugged them back, beaming.

"Thank you, MC…"

Belphegor 

To say that Belphegor tended to be on the melancholic side would be an understatement… It wasn’t that he was incapable of expressing joy, it was just harder for him to do than most. Not helped, of course, by his tendency to keep his true feelings vague and hard to pinpoint.

But on those rare occasions where he was overjoyed… Belphie could really be something special…

The MC and Belphie were attending one of Beel's games and it was a tight one… Both teams had spent most of it tied and Beel's team was running out of time to overtake that slim margin.

Belphie had always been a supporter of his twin's athletics, but this time it was tense even for him. He kept on the edge of his seat and didn't even nod off during the breaks like he normally would… The MC could just tell how nervous he was for Beel…

But right as the time was about to run out, Beel made a last minute score and sure, the whole field erupted, but Belphie? Belphie hollered.

The normally sleepy and mellow demon was on his feet in an instant and practically shredding his vocal chords in excitement. If his tail had been out, it would have been beating against the bleachers like a war-drum. And his expression?

Belphie's smile is said to stop hearts for a reason. When he puts his all into a grin it's almost like he ascends to Heaven once more, as pure as an angel's choir and as warm as a summer's breeze… Nothing in his eyes but pride and adoration for his beloved twin brother.

Truly, a heartwarming sight to behold…

Belphie didn't calm down until the rest of the crowd settled and was about to point out Beel's skill to the MC when he noticed their face.

… oh no… Why do they look so sappy…?

"You really love your brother, don't you?"

Belphie quickly hid his thoughts behind an irritated frown and plopped back down in his seat… but that didn't shield them from seeing his pink cheeks.

"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

He debated just joining Beel on the field to hide his embarrassment when he heard them snicker back.

"Yeah, you're right… Don't mind me."

Oh he minded. He minded a lot that he let his carefully veiled image slip like that. But thinking back to that smile on their face…?

Maybe being a little open wasn't so bad after all...

[animeyanderelover]

I suppose I’ll do it for now.

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, possessiveness, obsessiveness, manipulation, gaslighting, mentions of kidnapping

Taken away from home (A Continuation)

"How long exactly do you wish to keep this silly fight of yours up? I was hoping that we could enjoy our reunion as a family, but you appear like you want to make this needlessly hard for the both of you."

Even with your face laying on the ground, arms twisted behind your back with his own hand whilst the other one was pressing with a power far beyond what you were used, you could make out the all so slightly growing irritation in his voice. It filled you with a weird satisfaction to know that even this man, who possessed composure and patience like an ocean did water, had a limit.

You could have possibly argued if it was smart testing his patience like this yet you had abandoned any sort of careful thinking the moment this...this bastard here had dared to fulfill his promise, instead you had fought and rebelled against him nonstop these past few days. As much as you had hated your demonic side before, the power it granted you had caused you to hope that you'd be able to free yourself and rush back to your family.

Not even once you had considered two things though. The first was that you had never fully understood the own extent of your powers, you had never gotten in contact with other creatures with which you could have meassured and compared your strength with nor had you ever put value into using and training with your superhuman abilities.

The second thing, even if you would have ever done differently with the first problem of yours, was yet still that Sebastian was a demon from pure blood, his strength had the clear upper hand, he had centuries more experience than you, maybe even more, and was smart, easily countering your rash and aggressive attacks which he could easily predict and return.

He had most likely not even used the full potential of his powers yet, he held back because he felt the need to protect you and as much as it put a scratch on your own pride, you knew that he didn't even deem it to be necessary to use all of his strength. You lacked severely against his talent, a halfblood who was on top of that inexperienced and not able to do much more than plainly throwing attacks at him.

Turning your eyes with a bitter taste in your heart to the ground, you went limb under him, signing that you were giving up for now.

“So we’re finally putting a stop to this useless rebellion, are we? Now to be quite honest, I don’t mind training you a bit so you learn to use your powers better. Though I doubt you could possibly beat another demon or supernatural creature with this half-blood of yours. But that’s why I am here after all, I’ll protect my little lovely sibling.”

He was glowing with a smug and teasing feeling around him as he was putting one hand on his chest, looking down at you with exaggerated fondness in his eyes.

How fun it was, to clarify the gap in power between you two like this once again and hearing the low growl coming from your throat. Yet your eyes were mirroring every single emotion inside of you, the magenta orbs giving him a deeper look into what was going through your head. There he was able to see it swimming, the admit that was roughly and begrudgingly entering your mind that in comparison to the actual demon or other otherworldly being you wouldn’t be much more than a bug harder to get rid of than the usual human.

In Sebastian’s eyes you were nothing more than a baby, even if you had already left the time of diapers and crawling on the ground behind you. But you couldn’t possibly compete with him, naïvely unaware of what might come for you in the future. It wasn’t even needed to mention that you had to train your demon form as well, he had come to notice early that your eyes and teeth turned whenever you got agitated or felt a strong and negative emotion.

Even he didn’t know fully how much demon traits you had exactly inherited, he had never met a hybrid before so as much as he hated to admit it, even he was meeting his limits with his knowledge here. He could only really predict from what he knew from demon and human biology. Hybrids were rarer than rare, but that really only made you more special in his eyes.

What a joyous surprise you were in his life, even with your temporary hatred and grudge against him. But what did you know? You would know in due time that humans could be far more ugly than a demon could be.

[river-bottom-nightmare]

the thing about life was that a flame could be so easily blown out, so people fought like hell to keep it alive. the tip of the candle could easily be cupped for protection, gentle breath given to let the flame flutter back to life. (is that what she did? when she pounded his chest again and again, her magic stronger than any human could be? when she pressed her lips to his and breathed the very essence of life back into his body?) what people often forgot was that you could simply relight the candle.

bernard hadn't thought about darla in years. people on online forums, ones he'll never tell tim how often he visited, spoke of their experiences with metas and myths and anyone in between. he knew what happened to people accosted by magic, knew of chains trapping them with their own terror, their minds turning against themselves as their nightmares came to life.

bernard, on the other hand, could say that he wasn't all that haunted by darla. she'd lifted his car off the ground in a display of power, told bernard she was laura fell now, no matter the fact that she looked and walked and talked like darla aquista, then threatened his life on behalf of her seemingly never-ending obsession with tim motherfucking drake. seemingly, because when bernard had brought up old times they used to spend with darla over lunch, casual as you please, tim had grinned a little before dismissing his fears. darla was training with some sort of enchantress to try and be good, growing more powerful by the day.

bernard wondered, for a moment, if all of his friends could make the earth quake with a press of their fingertips. if all of his friends could bend those figures of myth and meta and magic with only their will. if he'd spent his life in the company of gods in everything but name, right down to the perfect muscles pulling under skin and battle-worn glimmer in eyes too old to be on a faces so young. (bernard wondered, for a moment, if there was any way he could join them. if the madness in darla's eyes as she demanded tim's whereabouts and the screams of terror on his boyfriend's lips as he woke up with a knife in his hand were worth it.)

bernard knew there was nothing he could have done for darla. probably not now but definitely not back then. he had no power over life and death, he couldn't have saved darla from the bullet wound that cost her nearly everything had he even attempted to try. sometimes, darla shifted in his memories, morphed into someone with the same dark hair and same blue eyes, but with broader shoulders and a kinder smile.

there was the fear that one day, something would take tim down, a dark shadow grappling with his boyfriend's shining, golden soul before snuffing it out as surely as a candle. then there was the fear that one day, something would bring tim back, clawed fingers opening his boyfriend's eyes and twisting that golden soul into something dripping and jagged, as poisonously yellow as laura fell.

(bernard learned of what happened to jason todd on accident, a couple years after the cult of dionysus. there were some horrors he could force himself to speak aloud, some fates that he couldn't stomach.)

(if tim was surprised at the way bernard's fingernails dug into his back as he held the vigilante close, at the way bernard took advantage of the inches he'd lost to tim's late growth spurt to curl himself completely into his boyfriend's arms, then tim never showed a whisper of it.)

the quickest way to avoid all of that, bernard thought, was to just make sure tim didn't die in the first place.

"hey," tim said, bringing his hand up to flick bernard on the forehead. "only shit nurses get distracted when they're treating their patient."

"only shit patients have such abysmal bedside manner."

"oooh, abysmal," tim waggled his eyebrows. "that word-of-the-day calendar is really coming in handy, huh?"

bernard sniffed. "i'll have you know that i am a well-read intellectual. fuckin' sherlock at this point."

in the movies, people with wounds like the glaring one on tim's shoulder sagged into the wall, made tearful confessions through a mouth full of blood, shuddered in pain at the slightest touch. tim's fingers hurt where he hit bernard's forehead, he didn't lose his smart mouth for anything, and was tapping his foot in impatience before bernard propped it up on the sofa.

"you're fucking sherlock? that's such a sweet pet name, you should use it more often," tim teased.

"don't get a big head, you're not that good."

bernard opened the first aid kit, unusually large and unusually used. his fingers found the small pipe bottle of water and the gauze. he tore a small piece off before wiping off the rest of the dried blood as gently has he could.

"you know," tim sounded almost contemplative, musing. completely disregarding what should have been a throbbing pain. completely trusting bernard to take care of him. "ra's al ghul called me detective once."

bernard's fingers closed around the saline solution with more ease than what was comfortable, but he had plenty of practice pushing those thoughts aside.

"i have no clue who that is," he said, feeling tim tense only the barest bit when he poured the solution over the wound. it had to have stung something fierce. bernard had seen grown men whimper at the sensation. tim sighed and tipped his head back instead.

"no one important," tim chuckled. "but i do kinda wish damian was here to hear that."

antibiotics next, and if tim felt the urge to shy away from bernard's fingers as he brushed the wound with ointment, bernard couldn't tell; he suppressed it as impressively as always.

"come on, no sibling talk when you're shirtless and i'm on top of you." bernard joked. neither of them mentioned the blood staining tim's undershirt-slash-makeshift-bandage, the dried blood flakes all over tim's lap, the way bernard's thighs were clenching tim to the point of pain.

between one blink and the next, tim was all wrapped up, gauze in place and bandage taped on top. his boyfriend's lovestruck little smile gleamed up at him, one bernard recognized. a pinch of awe and a dash of trust and a sprinkle of comfort. mix them together and bake at 350, bernard thought a bit hysterically, and you get love for a man who's terrified at how fast he can use bandages.

still, tim took precedent. every night bernard spent washing his hands too roughly at the sink was another night his boyfriend was breathing on the bed in the other room. every night bernard opened that unusually large and unusually used first aid kit was another night tim's soul stayed whole and shining and untarnished by whatever creatures took people beyond the veil only to drag them back. every night bernard spend trying to rub the scent of copper and the spill of liquid poppy off his fingers was another night bernard used his bloodstained hands to keep tim's flame alive.

i mayyyyyyyy have gotten a little too excited every time i used the word "boyfriend."

tag list: @woahjaybird @anothertimdrakestan @birdy-bat-writes @screennamealreadyused @subtleappreciation @bikoncon @pricetagofficial @catxsnow @bonkybearjpeg @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump @xatanna-troy @red-hood-redemption @capricorn-stark @batshit-birds @buticaaba @comics-observer @newsical

[cantalouupe]

KINKTOBER DAY 1

short nsfw !!! childe x gn!reader

knife play, obsessive/possessive behavior (sort of), mentions of blood, knives & bodily harm/injury, aftercare isn’t mentioned but i promise childe would give amazing aftercare for something like this

“Would you bleed for me?” Childe asks one night, under the soft glow of a dim bedside lamp, and you nod without hesitation. You’d do anything for him - he knows it - you’re nothing more than a puppy, following him around and obeying his every word. Waiting for him to smile down at you, pet the side of your face and tell you that you’re so good for him.

Only for me? he’d ask while gripping your face with one hand - you’d nod vigorously, eager to be his.

The cool press of a blade against your skin makes you shiver involuntarily. You hadn’t even noticed him reach over to grab if off the dark wooden table, too enveloped in him and the way he speaks to you.

He’s so captivating - would you even notice if you died in his arms or would you be too caught up with the way the light shines softly on the side of his face?

It rests on the fat of your thigh now, digging in just enough to feel the pressure. It wasn’t very sharp and wouldn’t be as easy to cut you on accident with it. He wanted to be deliberate with what he did to your body - you were his canvas, after all.

“What about right here? You’d look so pretty with my name carved into you.” He pushes the knife harder, so that if he swiped it would slice into you and give way to a steady trickle of blood.

He laughs at you, tensed with anticipation for his next move, the next push against your skin that would cut through. “Are you nervous?”

“I am.” He makes your heart beat like a wild bird trapped in a cage. You close your eyes and take a breath, waiting - you wonder if he’ll carve his real name. He doesn’t like to use his real name, but for you? He’d do it for you.

There’s not a doubt in your mind that he would, red dripping down your leg while slicing four angular letters into your flesh - as if he were signing his name on a piece of artwork. A claim.

How his eyes would be laser focused on your leg, only pausing to wipe your tears and tell you how beautifully you bleed for him.

To both your relief and disappointment, that moment of piercing pain never came. The pressure against your leg was gone, and the idea with it.

Instead, a warm hand, always bruised knuckles brushing across your cheek.

“Next time, hm?”

The knife is still grasped in his hand, but the other is pushing your thighs apart and suddenly you forget all about the little blade - until he decides to push it back up against your skin, all while slowly rolling his hips into yours.

“Be careful not to squirm too much.” The metallic material feather light, dragging up your body to rest against your neck, right under your jaw. He fucks you now, arm as still as can be and eyes that flick from your throat to in between your legs where you take him in.

Be careful. A warning spoken so gently, words a stark contrast to the the way he looks at you, holding a weapon right to your throat. You find that your heart is becoming a wild bird once again, so you close your eyes tight.

It’s hard to stay still with the feeling of him and the pressure building in your gut, though, your hands finding grip on the sheets below and your hole hugging him tight.

“That’s good.” He murmurs, “so good for me.”

For him. The creature in your chest flaps its wings furiously.

He chuckles breathlessly, as though the beating in your chest sounded loudly enough for him to hear. It probably did.

“You like being mine.” It wasn’t a question, simply an observation, but you nod in agreement anyway. The fact that he knew how very much you liked him - liked this - should make your face burn with embarrassment, but you find yourself glowing with joy instead. How could you be embarrassed when you belonged to him, and he knows it?

“Then,” he starts, the blade inching its way down until it sits over your heart, where it rattles against your ribs inside. “Will you bleed for me?”