#this is just one of those silly little bird things ya know

[girlbosscarwilde]

me personally,i would rather be blind *gouges eyes out and falls*

[stories-and-chaos]

Shrike: Angel Learns a Lesson

[Hazbin Hotel reader insert as Alastor’s “darling life and death partner” I did my best for an ace x ace relationship, based on personal experience. Both parties are moderately sex favorable. Silly one shot inspired by my brain saying ‘what if a Stolas-esque bleep fest was extremely clinical’]

[One shot, 1106 words, no warnings needed]

—————

“Okay toots, you an’ me gotta talk,” Angel Dust found you reading in the hotel parlor. The lanky spider demon had been itching to talk to you one on one since you moved into the hotel. You’d moved into Alastor’s suite, happy to finally have your husband back after his seven year ‘sabbatical.’ That meant you were mostly in the Radio Demon’s company. Angel had learned not to ask him about sex the hard way.

You looked much more approachable. You had the air of a delicate bird. A little shorter than Vaggie, you had the perfect amount of curves for an hourglass figure. The shimmering flapper dress you wore showed that off nicely. Even though your arms and legs were vividly red for ⅔ of their length, they weren’t too alarming. Even your talons looked delicate. The black mask across your eyes was striking but offset by the fluffy silver hair framing your face. Your wings didn’t have a sharpness like a bird of prey and were proportioned more like a songbird.

All in all, you looked sweet, cheerful, and non-threatening.

So on a day that Alastor was out while you remained at the hotel, Angel Dust got the perfect opportunity to get some of the goods about tall, dark, and spooky. “Oh! Angel! What can I help you with?”

“I gotta know sweet cheeks, what do you an’ Al get up to?” You made an inquiring noise as you tilted your head to one side. Even that motion was bird-like. The porn star stared at you, unsure if you were pranking him. But the silence stretched on and he realized you actually didn’t understand. “Wha…how…you…” he didn’t know how to talk about sex with someone who didn’t understand innuendo. “How do you and Smiles have sex?”

That just confused you more. “Angel, ma petite araignée, I thought you worked in the sex industry. Surely you know the mechanics.” You paused. “Though I suppose I wouldn’t put it past that lousy moth to keep you in the dark.”

“I know how banging works! Jeez, I can’t do this sober.” He ordered drinks from a Husk that was trying not to laugh. He drank one, got a refill and brought one back for you as well. “A’right. You and Alastor are both as thick as two short planks about anything sexy, so I wanna know how you guys ever do anything in bed. Besides sleeping,” he hastened to add.

“Ooooooooh, okay! Sure, I don’t mind talking. But you gotta explain all those innuendos we don’t understand, got it cher?”

“You got it toots. Now spill, start with how often you do the deed.”

You sipped your whiskey as you thought back over the last century. “Mm, anywhere from one to four times a year? It varies, but infrequently is a good way to put it.”

“You only have sex once a year?!”

“I didn’t say that. It’s usually just for the night but intercourse occurs more than once when we feel up to it. Multiple times usually,” you clarified with a chuckle.

“Okay, makes sense, ya got me there. So it’s just when you’re both in the mood then?”

“I suppose you could put it that way. It’s an enjoyable activity, just not something we need to do. Or want to do as much as most.”

“A’right, we got the scheduling figured out. I gotta know technique. Positions, toys, he into kinky shit? You into kinky shit?” He leaned on the couch back, thrilled that he got you talking.

“Well [redacted] is our usual position. We’ve tried [beep], [bleep], [what], [why]. Oh and [really?] but that was uncomfortable for Alastor. [redacted] and [redacted] were fun but we were so worn out the next day. I like [beeeeeeeeeeep] to mix things up. I don’t know if they count as kinky but [oh god], [nope], [beepbeep], [thats a thing?], [redacted], [please stop], [srsly], and [wow] are all things we’ve attempted over the years. I like some [bleeping all this] and [this too] personally while he enjoys [hide your eyes], [nope], [double nope]. Oh, I almost forgot [holy shit], we gave that a try before his sabbatical.” Angel and Husk both looked at you in disbelief as your list grew. Then you continued.

“As for toys…[don’t wanna know], [redacted], [dang girl], and [bleepbleepBLEEP] all see some use. I guess [redacted] also counts. We tried [no thanks] but I hated it. We’ve both agreed we never want to try [ew] or [gross]. [How even?] has been fun. Alastor has indulged me with [no more please] a few times. Of course I reciprocate with some [BEEPBLEEP] if he asks. But really it’s mostly [redacted] for us. I’m sure we’re terribly boring compared to what you’ve been up to, ma petite araignée.”

Angel blinked at you in a daze. He held his drink loosely in his hand before downing it in a desperate gulp. Husk was once again pulling his ears down in extreme embarrassment. “I wouldn’t say that toots.”

You brushed his mop of hair from his face. The poor thing looked dazed. “Angel, cher, I think you’ve had enough to drink for tonight. Husk, do you have any water for him?”

“Getting to know the guests my dear?” Alastor manifested from the shadows, making Angel jump and you smile.

“More the other way around darling.”

“So long as everyone is behaving themselves. I wanted to know if you’d like to go out to dinner tonight? I’ve come across a little place that claims to have authentic Cajun cuisine.”

“Mais oui! Although I’m surprised you’re willing to try after what happened to the last restaurant.”

“You cannot dump black pepper into sausage and rice and call it jambalaya. It’s a sin and a disgrace and the place deserved to burn for it.”

“Right you are, Alastor. Am I dressed well enough or shall I go change?” You stood up and twirled for his inspection.

“Hmm, lovely as always my dear.” He held out his arm for you. “Until later chums!”

“We’ll be back! Make sure you get some rest Angel,” you called as Alastor led you out.

Once the two of you were gone, Angel slumped over Husk’s bar. “I didn’t imagine that right? You heard her too, right?”

“Oooh yeah. I kept saying not to ask, but you just had to know.”

“Yeah well I learned my lesson. I’m gonna need another drink after that.”

“Nah, I think Y/N was right about you having enough for now.” Husk pushed a glass of water over to him, garnished with a lemon slice.

“Asshole.” Angel did drink the water though.

A/N: This is absolutely drawn from my being married for 10+ years and still not understanding innuendos. Doesn’t matter how many times we’ve done it, that’s not how I’m wired. I’m going with “you can’t be embarrassed if you don’t care” as to why Shrike is so frank with Angel btw. It’s as embarrassing as picking out her shoes for the day. Also when you’re approaching triple digits in how long you’ve been with a partner, I figure you’ve tried everything under the sun and beyond, purely out of curiosity. My count has roughly 600 instances from 150 evenings over their life- and death-time. Feel free to mad libs her bleeped portions, I honestly only filled in a third of them in my brain, and the canonicity is dubious anyway.

@edgyboi10000 @clearly-awkward @badatpunz @deafsignifcantother @whitewolfsoldat @ch3sire-blu3

[frogchiro]

imagine being taken care of by slasher graves. Like you got injured and now philip gets to nurse you back to health like a baby bird 😊. Philip is a little bit guilty that he hurt his darling but accidents happen all the time and seeing you rely on him makes it all worth it. (Plus as long as you never find out who injured you they’re should be nothing to worry about)

Slasher!Graves is obsessed with the idea of dependency, it's just the way he is. Ofc it's you who's dependent on him, it's that deeply ingrained instinct in him that the man of the house provides for his wife and kids, that he's the leader and that you should depend on him! What does working even give you huh? You could have it all if you just gave yourself to him!!

But you are such a strong independent young lady no? Living in that old empty house while old Marjorie is still recovering in the hospital, working your pretty little hands off, god forbid you injure yourself....Well would you look at that! You silly little goose, don't you know that you should be careful around ladders? These old rickety things sure can be faulty and now look where you are, all sniffy and teary-eyed as you nurse a sprained ankle and some bruises and scrapes. Philip guesses that now you obviously can't stay all alone here! It's much too dangerous especially now that you're injured!

And by God believe me when I say that Philip would pull out all the cards, you'd be literally drowning in luxury back in his huge, modern country ranch house with him fawning upon you like mother hen. Literally would hiss whenever a farmhand would even get near his home and if you tried to do anything by yourself like getting yourself a glass of water? Yeah no.

"Your ankle is still sprained darlin'! Don't you know that you should rest? Silly girl, I know that ya want to help 'n all, but I'm here now to take care of you sweets." The blonde man would purr out in a slightly patronizing tone. While yes, you getting hurt hurts him even more, especially when he was the one to loosen those old nails in the ladder, but it just had to be done. Now he gets to take care of you, feeding you like a little injured baby bird and gets to fawn all over you while you're left none the wiser, flustered but happy that Philip, who initially intimidated you, has such a big heart and just wants to help, right? <3

[nova-is-a-writer-now]

Hidden embers

Chapter 2

Chapter summary: Tensions rise during a church fundraiser, unexpected closeness with Joel begins to blur the lines between what’s right and wrong.

A/N: It took me so long to post this, school has been killing me lately, my sincerest apologies. This is a fun little chapter, wrote it a while back. I’m currently writing chapter 4 and I can’t wait for you guys to read that one. I hope you enjoy this 🤍

Warnings: No outbreak AU, Age gap, DBF!Joel, some accidental physical contact lol

Series masterlist

Two days after the barbeque, you’re woken up by the gentle touch of your dad stroking your hair.

“Hey, sweetheart.” he says almost in a whisper

You squint at the clock on your nightstand, its red numbers flashing in the dim morning light. The faint glow through your curtains barely illuminates your dad’s face. “Dad? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong, kiddo. Just wanted to let you know I’m off to that church fundraiser we told you about. They need me and Joel to help with setting up lights and whatnot. Didn’t know if you’d wanna come”

You groan, rolling onto your back and closing your eyes. “Dad, it's 6:30 a.m on a Sunday. The only thing I wanna do right now is burrow myself in this bed for at least three more hours.”

He chuckles softly, standing up from where he was crouching next to your bed. “Alright, you’ll have to help your mom with the baking then. She’s gonna be selling all those pastries today and I bet she could use a sous-chef”

Before he can make it any closer to the door, you sit up in your bed and rub your eyes “I’m up. Be down in 5”

You cradle a hot cup of coffee to your chest, the summer heat creeping in very slowly this early in the morning. Your first stop is Joel’s house and even the struggle to keep your eyes open doesn’t distract you from the nervous flutter in your stomach at the thought of seeing him again.

You've been doing mental gymnastics, trying your damn hardest to keep your mind off of him, convincing yourself this is just a silly fixation and will pass as soon as you get used to seeing him around. Just push through it, and eventually, your heart will get the memo.

Your dad pulls up to his driveway and parks right next to his truck. The front door is in your direct line of sight when Joel opens it, carrying a couple boxes and a toolbelt slung over his shoulder. You have to make a conscious effort to not stare at his arms, at how big they get whenever he carries heavy things around—that proves to be a lot harder when he’s walking in a straight line towards you.

Thankfully, your dad gets out of the car to help, sparing you from further gawking. You hear him ask if there are any boxes left inside and from the way he heads back towards the house, you guess the answer is yes.You roll your window down to ask if he needs any help just as those strong arms you were trying to ignore rest themselves on the window frame.

“You didn’t strike me as an early bird.” Joel says, his eyes now leveled with yours, much closer than you had been two days ago.

Your cheeks betray you, flushing a shade of red that now feels reserved for him. “Do I strike you as my mom’s baking assistant for the entire day?” you retort, a grin sneaking onto your face.

You’d be lying through your teeth if you said you weren’t trying to earn another one of those earth shattering chuckles with your comment. Turns out you’re pretty good at it, because a second later he’s dropping his head, a low rumbly chuckle escaping him. “I reckon you don’t.”

His eyes come back up to meet yours, holding for a beat longer than they probably should, like he’s giving you one more tiny bread crumb to follow the trail, to figure out the riddle. Or maybe you’re just losing your mind, which is entirely possible.

Just when the tension between you two is about to reach a breaking point, your dad reappears with more boxes.

“A little help, pal? It wouldn’t kill ya,” he calls out, breaking the spell.

As your dad parks the car in front of the church, you spot Mrs. Calloway, the lively old lady you spoke to at the barbecue, waving energetically. The early morning sun casts long shadows across the church’s lawn, the air carrying the faint smell of freshly-cut grass.

“Oh good, you’re here!” she greets the three of you as you step out of the car.

“Mornin’, Mrs. Calloway. How’s the day treatin’ you?” your dad asks, hauling open the truck's tailgate.

“Oh, busy, so much to do. I see you brought me an extra pair of hands here,” she says, sidling up to you and giving your arm a friendly squeeze.

“Yeah, he was very convincing, couldn’t refuse the invite,” you reply with a polite smile. You've taken a real liking to Mrs. Calloway. She never talks about your parents when she chats with you. Instead, she asks about your life or shares stories about her cats—which is a refreshing change of pace.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t, pumpkin. I have a bunch of decorations to put up inside.” She leans in closer and half-whispers, “And for all their virtues, I wouldn’t trust these ones with decorating if it was my last day on earth.”

You can’t help but giggle just as a voice comes from the back of the truck. “Heard that.”

You turn to see Joel balancing a couple boxes with practiced ease “Is she wrong?” you ask, a teasing smile on your lips.

He grins, shaking his head. “No, she’s very right.”

“Oh, Joel could help you out” Mrs. Calloway suggests. “There are some pretty big containers stuffed in the back of the storage room with everything you’ll need. Why don’t you go grab them while we start setting up the tables out here?”

“You got it,” you say, trying to wave away the thought of being alone with Joel again.

You walk into the church with Joel trailing just behind, his presence is a comforting warmth against the cool morning air. The quiet of the church envelops you both, the sound of your footsteps echoing softly. You spot a door in the back corner “That’s the one?”

“That’s the one.” Joel confirms, taking the lead as you reach the storage room.

Inside, you find a mountain of containers piled up against the wall, with big brown boxes and plastic bags teetering on top.

“So, how many of these do we need?” you ask, hoping to distract yourself from how close he is.

“Just a couple to start with,” Joel replies, handing you one of the containers. “We’ll come back if we need more.”

You both carry the containers out of the storage room, the clatter of plastic echoing through the empty church hall.

“Alright, let’s see what we’ve got here,” Joel says, setting his container down and opening it. You follow suit, pulling out strings of lights, banners, and a variety of festive decorations.

“I didn’t think we’d be doing arts and crafts today,” you joke, unfurling a particularly colorful garland.

Joel smiles. “Yeah, not exactly my forte, but we’ll make it work.”

You pick a banner out of the container, large enough to hang from one column to the other, and spot metal hooks screwed all the way up—clearly where it’s meant to go.

You notice a small ladder pushed against a corner and leave Joel’s side to fetch it.

He only seems to notice what you’re up to once he hears the ladder scraping against the column

“Leave it, I'll take care of that.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. I’m not a lady in distress, I can hang up a banner on my own, Joel.” You reply stepping up on the ladder trying to test out its stability with a little bounce

“I know you can darlin’, but I’d rather do it myself. That ladder—”

“The ladder is fine, Joel. Go back to untangling those lights.” You’re not quite sure what you’re trying to prove – maybe this was an attempt at stripping away that childish image he had of you.

He disregards your comment and walks right to your side, his hands slightly stretched out like he's preparing to catch you.

“You’re being so dramatic,” you say climbing to the highest point of the ladder.

Sure, it’s old but if it held up this long it could hold for a little bit longer. “See? I’m just fine, I just gotta hook this up here…”

As if on cue, the ladder starts creaking ominously just as you stretch your arm out to reach the hook. Not half a second later, the rusty metal piece that was holding all your weight up snaps and Joel’s arms wrap around your body, pulling you safely against his chest.

For the second time that day, you could say that was the closest to Joel you’ve ever been. His face just inches away from yours, both arms holding you securely, the woody, musky scent your brain had labeled as uniquely his, overwhelming your senses.

Words failed you as you stared into those deep brown eyes, and every part of you wanted to believe it was just the shock of the fall, but it was getting harder and harder to keep shamelessly lying to yourself.

When he finally breaks the silence, it’s pretty much a lost battle. “Will you stop being so stubborn and let me help you now?”

“Favorite color”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Joel chuckles once again, and at this point, you’ve lost count of how many times you’ve pulled that off. With Joel Miller, even a small chuckle feels like a major accomplishment.

After spending the entire morning decorating the inside of the church (most of which you spent explaining to him he couldn’t mix the red decorations with the green ones because it wasn’t christmas), you were both assigned raffle duty. You sold the tickets and Joel put them in the big raffle draw, using the lever to mix them up as he went.

The two of you sat behind a little stand, and in your best attempt to hear as much as you could of that sweet, caramel-y drawl, you convinced him to play twenty-questions. Each of you took turns asking the other whatever popped into your heads, and the other had to answer honestly.

Your questions ranged from what animal he would choose to turn into if he could shapeshift at will, to his favorite subjects back in high school, and even who in your family he would take to a deserted island if he knew he’d have to partner up to make it out alive. (He picked you, obviously. Your dad was terrible at functioning in high pressure situations). His questions on the other hand had been generic at best, deadly boring at worst.

You leaned back in your chair, the wooden slats creaking under your weight, and gave him a playful glare.

“You said any question that popped into my head,” he defends himself, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Oh and you’re dying to know my favorite color, are you?” you ask back, dripping with sarcasm.

“I’ll lose sleep over it if you don’t tell me” his voice gets low and serious in complete contrast to how ridiculous his statement is.

“Blue,” you admit, “but not the default shade of blue everyone thinks of, more like a ‘clear water lake’ kind of blue” you look back at him and he just kind of stares, like he's too distracted by you to even register the answer to his question. “What’s your’s?” you ask, pulling him out of his trance.

“Brown.”

You laugh at his answer.

“Something funny?” he asks

“Only you, Joel Miller, would have brown as your favorite color.”

“It’s a perfectly normal favorite color.” He says defensively, a little frown creasing his features.

“Joel, it’s the most boring of colors, it’s not even a color in itself, it's all the colors mushed together.” you giggle at the absurdity of the conversation, leaning in closer, enjoying the banter more than you care to admit.

“It’s practical, goes well with everything, looks good in any house—an easy, simple color.”

“But your favorite color isn’t supposed to be about practicality, it’s supposed to be about which one you like the most.” You argue back.

“You tryna tell me how to pick my own favorite color, kid?” he teases you, receiving only a death stare in return.The warmth in his eyes makes your heart skip. “Fine, it’s green.”

“See? That's a normal favorite color”

“Yeah, and you’re a piece a’ work.” he mutters, shaking his head, but there’s a smile tugging at his lips that tells you he’s enjoying this as much as you are.

Just like that, Joel Miller makes the rest of the day easy to get through. Even with the awkward feeling of being an outsider, looking through a window into a room full of people who’ve known each other their whole lives, he manages to ground you. He’s either pulling you into senseless conversation or letting you bask in a comfortable silence, and both feel like a lifeline.

By the end of the day, you walk around helping Ms. Calloway clear out the tables, throw all the empty cups and disposable plates into a trash back and group up the chairs so your dad can take them back inside.

During one of your ‘picking up leftover trash’ rounds, you see your mom standing next to Joel’s truck. He’s right beside her loadingback up the tools he’d brought with him this morning. You knew Joel was a lot colder and closed off with other people—that's what earned him his grump reputation in the first place—but in the short time you’ve been around him since you came back, you’ve never seen him be so stiff around anyone like he is with your mom.

That is certainly a rare sight, given your mom was one to charm any and everyone who crossed her path. Pageant queen, cheerleader, hair larger than life type—your mom is a sight for sore eyes, even you have to admit that. It was hard to engage in conversation with her and not be dazzled by her looks and also by her bubbly personality, or the persona she put on for others at least. It almost seemed like she hadn’t been told no once in her entire life.

But Joel seemed immune to it, no warm smile on his face, no polite small talk, not even gentleman-like behavior beyond the strictly necessary. In fact, something in his face told you he couldn’t wait to get on his truck and leave. He stands with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, every line of his body screaming discomfort.

You watch the two of them from a distance, your mom batting her eyelashes up at him, her body leaning towards him slightly, trying to close the gap he’s so obviously desperate to maintain. Meanwhile, Joel looks like he’s doing everything in his power to keep his distance, stepping closer and closer to his truck’s tailgate. His jaw is set like stone, eyes flicking to the side as if searching for an escape route, and you can almost see the tension radiating off him in waves.

Your mom leans in closer, her voice dropping to what she probably thinks is a conspiratorial whisper. Even from a distance, you can see Joel’s eyes narrow, a flicker of something like annoyance passing over his face before he schools his expression back to neutral.

An unshakable uneasiness tugs at your chest that won't allow you to walk away, against your best instincts you decide to barge in.

“Hey, Mom!” you chirp, sliding right up next to Joel. “I think Mrs. Calloway is looking for you. Something about the pies?”

Your mom turns to you with a bright smile, though there’s a flicker of irritation in her eyes that’s hard to miss. “Oh, I’m sure she can manage without me for a moment,” she says, but you can tell she’s not thrilled about being interrupted.

Joel gives you a grateful look, his eyes meeting yours with a silent thanks. You catch a slight relaxation in his shoulders, like he’s the one being thrown a lifeline this time.

“Actually, Mom, she seemed really insistent,” you retort, trying to sell the urgency of the situation. “You know… with the wrapping things up and all.”

Your mom hesitates, her gaze flicking between you and Joel. Finally, she relents with a sigh, though the look she gives you says this conversation is far from over. “Alright, I’ll go see what she needs. But we’re not done talking about this, Joel,” she says, her voice carrying an edge that makes your skin crawl, before turning on her heel and striding away.

As soon as she’s out of earshot, Joel exhales a long breath. He extends you one more polite nod and jumps into the truck without another word. You don’t like the feeling it gives you, not one bit.

Before you can dwell too much in your thoughts, you hear your mom’s voice calling your name, and you turn to see her motioning for you to join her. Here comes the earful.

With a resigned sigh, you make your way over to her, bracing for the inevitable.

“Sweetheart,” she begins in a voice that’s both sugar and vinegar, “you really shouldn’t interrupt when adults are talking. It’s important to know your place.”

You nod, biting back the retort on the tip of your tongue. “I know, Mom. I just thought you might want to check on Mrs. Calloway.”

She narrows her eyes, as if trying to read your mind. “If you go around behaving like a heathen, it reflects poorly on me. You’d do well to remember that.”

You stare back at her, head high and an unfaltering cool facade. She used to intimidate you, this tone used to make you feel so small and insignificant, but it doesn’t anymore. Hasn’t for a good while now. “Got it,” you reply, forcing a smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

[crazymadpassionatelove]

A little sneak peak of something in the works...

Oh look! Finished product here...

Dedicated to my fave blonde bombshell @ab4eva 🩷

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Elvis Presley Quietly Marries At Home

The man with the famous pelvis is now a married man! Colonel Parker confirmed that Elvis married Paramount actress Leona Grace at his home in Memphis on the nineteenth of March. The wedding comes on the heels of rumors that the new Mr. and Mrs. Presley are due for a visit from the stork. The Colonel’s response? “Those are questions for a different day”. The hush hush, spur of the moment wedding did not follow an engagement announcement and no pictures of the happy couple seem to exist beyond set outtake photos. The event reportedly took place in the evening with just family and close friends in attendance totaling about 50 people. A red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting was served for dessert and sources say that Elvis's own music was played late into the night as friends danced in the backyard of Presley's Graceland mansion.

“See ya in a bit, baby doll, gotta meet with the Colonel about some stuff,” his lips lingered on her skin while he eyed her in the mirror. Leona couldn't suppress the sour look that appeared on her face. 

“What sort of stuff?” she questioned cooly. 

“Some movie stuff, ain't nothing for you to worry that pretty head about,” his tone was casual yet dismissive. Those were fighting words for Leona, who stomped her foot like a child and demanded to know just exactly why he was allowed to make movies while she had been regulated to pick flowers in the garden with the dogs, lounge in the pool, and shop herself silly with Patsy. She felt like a bird in a cage, albeit a gold-plated diamond-studded cage. 

“Oh ya want me to start calling you my pretty little baby bird?” he teased, those long fingers, perfect for reaching all the right spots, were tickling at her ribs. Leona yanked away from his grasp and pouted. “Baby, you're a wife now, my wife, I'm gonna take care of things. No need for you to stress yourself and slave away to send money back home to your momma and granny, I had my daddy send a check two days ago,” Elvis explained, sliding on a pair of sunglasses that made him look utterly delectable as he shifted his weight from one leg to another in the doorway, seemingly unable to keep still. 

---

More to come soon....

[xerith-42]

Why Blaze is MyStreet's Most Failed Character

Blame the big bang discord for this post, I wasn't gonna write it until those fucks encouraged me.

Anyways here's an entire essay about why Blaze is the most wasted character in the entirety of MyStreet and I will literally fight Jessica and Jason Bravura with my bare hands.

To get us started on our harrowing tale of wasted potential and the best improviser Jessica ever hired, we need to go back a little. Back to Phoenix Drop High Season 2. We won't stay here long, I promise, I hate it more than you can possibly know. But the single saving grace of this absolute mess of a season is ya boi, Blaze. Introduced in the 18th episode of the season, airing on April 12, 2017, with the airing of Phoenix Drop High Season 2 Episode 18, Blaze was a character who started his brief tenure series with a bang!

Literally dude showed up and the first thing he ever did on screen as a character in a piece of media we can engage with is throw someone out of a window. We do not know this mans name yet and he's already left a lasting impression. Sure throwing people out of a window is common in werewolf culture, which I don't care what you say that's objectively funny, but it is bold to start a characters entire introduction with that. Blaze comes out of the gate swinging before he's said a single line.

And then after introducing himself he throws a dead bird at Aphmau to show off his hunting skills?? Okay so he's just that fucking weird and overly enthusiastic about things I guess! That's amazing! MyStreet always shines when it just lets it's characters be fucking weird without making a big deal out of it or talking them down for it. Dottie even says that it's romantic which is again just a great showing of Blaze's enthusiasm and lack of what might appear to be common social decorum because of said enthusiasm.

This is all punctuated and brought to a hilarious breaking point when Blaze's final showing of why he should be the new top dog at his school is when the crazy mother fucker rips his shirt off to literally flex about how he's one of the hottest guys in the school. And I'm going to be real with you, given Blaze's later characterization as a himbo, I'm pretty sure he doesn't actually care about this. He just says it because he thinks it'll boost his chances. Blaze is later shown to be a character willing to throw away his reputation for the things he cares about, but he does get a rather sincere moment with Aphmau, even if she's blushing the entire time.

It shows that Blaze is not only physically affectionate, but also weirdly comfortable with his shirt off. Because this is purely objective character analysis I will not be shoving my Blaze is autistic and has sensory problems with things touching his chest propaganda down your throats, but now that I've mentioned it once you won't stop thinking about it when this comes up.

The show admittedly fumbles the bag a little by having Blaze say in his internal monologue that he thinks Aphmau is cute and acts kind of like a tsundere, but this is Jesson writing so there's always bound to be a bit of That Shit. But in spite of that, Blaze is a character who has an instant impression that leaves a lot of room for comedy potential, and just good ol' fashion silliness. And while the werewolf plot of Season 2 is... bad, Blaze and the Werewolf Pups are stand out characters in the sense that their characterization leaves a lot of potential if they're in a different, better written story.

And even if the arc is bad, Blaze still is a quality part of it. His shallow but hilarious initial characterization gets built on in some really solid ways. Namely in how he acts as a force for good in Aphmau's life even if she doesn't realize or give him permission to do it. This entire season is about how the different men in Aphmau's life handle helping her in a crisis, and funnily enough, in a season centered around Aaron literally overthrowing Aphmau's new love interest, Blaze is the one who was consistently doing what was best for Aphmau.

Aaron fumbles the ball more than a few times, Ein is shown to be actively malicious, and Kai gets hate crimed. But Blaze, who's barely even a contender in this ship war, is constantly working to actually make things better while everyone else is pulling Aphmau away from what actively matters about her position. While Ein is manipulating her and Aaron is trying to prove that, Blaze throws caution to the wind and just does what he thinks is best to restore order.

But more important than that end conclusion is his true goal of standing up for Daniel. A wolf it is established he barely knew before this year, that Blaze is willing to throw his reputation and standing in a bull shit hierarchy because he's seeing how this hierarchy is hurting someone who doesn't deserve it. Blaze is the one who is baring his fangs and willing to throw hands when Daniel cowers away from bullies. By the end of the season Blaze has been given adequate screen time to not only show off his fun and maybe a tad out of touch side, but he's been given a real level of sincerity that's tied into the things he's enthusiastic about. He loves being a werewolf, and he extends that love to all the werewolves around him, until they start being dicks to other werewolves who are literally just sitting there.

At the center of Blaze is that inherent goofiness though. He's always cracking jokes, or the joke when he's on screen, and in a series that was originally pitched as a light hearted slice of life comedy in contrast to MCD's general misery, that sort of character is needed to keep the tone. Such is show in episode 22 when Blaze is reading a book on the Scientific Method to just learn more about science, but realizes the book is upside down.

But he actually understood it enough to properly apply the scientific method to this situation?? Iconic. It's played off as a joke of Blaze exploiting a loophole to get out of class, but even that's pretty smart honestly. Blaze may be a dumb ass but he's always willing to cheat an unfair system.

Episode 22 is basically a Blaze centric episode, which I did not expect, but now that I'm rewatching it for this post it might be the reason I love this character so dearly. It's not only the episode where Blaze manages to learn the Scientific Method upside down, but also stands up for Daniel in a really substantial way. Blaze is loud, enthusiastic, and strong, all traits that are celebrated by werewolf culture, and whether he realizes it or not, him just being around Daniel can do a lot to get bullies to back off. Everyone has seen Blaze toss a mother fucker through a window, they do not want to be on the receiving end of that.

He spends the rest of the episode trying to figure out what Ein's deal is when he hears that Ein went behind Aphmau's back on werewolf matters, landing Daniel in this situation. He hears Ein actively plotting against Daniel, but that is normal werewolf behavior. He concludes that he'll keep an eye on Ein. And this through line of "normal werewolf behavior" informs a lot of Blaze's decisions once he comes to the conclusion that Ein sucks and deserves to be undermined. He resorts to letting his actions speak louder than words and goes to violence after realizing that the wolves aren't listening to reason, they're listening to instinct.

He fights fire with fire, and while Aphmau might not approve, it's more effective than her soft rhetoric has been in getting people to be less of jackasses. This eventually lands him in hot water where he steps in for Daniel after Ein tries to get his goons to beat him up, and even if Blaze is fighting in a five v one, he still goes down swinging. And I'll say it, I think it's sweet that he calls Aaron after this happens. While it's clearly meant to be a thing of Blaze calling the last alpha because he's probably the only person who anyone will listen to, there's an important detail I think is easily overlooked.

He has Aaron's number.

He says he got it from the werewolf pups, but that means that Blaze went out of his way to make sure he could contact Aaron. He's the reason that Aaron even realizes Ein is playing all of them. Blaze is the catalyst for his undoing because unlike Aaron who's nearly imprisoned, heartbroken, and been hesitant to act in the plot as a result, Blaze doesn't actually care that much if Aphmau currently likes him because he's more worried about her physical and mental well being than whether she wants to kiss him or someone else.

How many Aphmau love interests can say that?

Can any of them say that?

Blaze can.

Blaze actually consistently shows a level of selflessness that's unfitting of how I've seen some people characterize him. He gives up his real chance to be Alpha because Daniel is so compassionate and earnest and genuinely deserves it. Blaze wants to believe in a future lead by people like Daniel and Aphmau where he might not have to keep fighting people to keep things sane. Blaze constantly gives up his pride, his power, his safety just to make sure that his friends are taken care of, or to effect real change in a school he's about to leave.

It wouldn't be long after Phoenix Drop High Season 2 ended that Blaze would make his debut in the main series My Street in the second episode of Season 5, airing only a few days after the end of Phoenix Drop High Season 2. Just like before he really shows up with a bang, literally throwing himself through the air between Lucinda and Kim just to catch a frisbee because Blaze is the most extra mother fucker ever, and then immediately proceeds to flirt with them. Iconic as ever. Short but sweet.

It's in episode 3 that it's revealed that Blaze and the werewolf pups kept Aaron company during his rehabilitation year. But from the way it's worded it sounds like Blaze was called in before anyone else by Aaron's parents. Based on the way they talked and actively planned together before, I wouldn't be surprised if Blaze was the first person who came to his mind when Aaron thought of a werewolf friend.

I think Aaron reached out to Blaze when he needed it.

And even though I've previously stated that I don't think Aaron's parents initially liked Blaze because by this era he's old enough to fully take on his persona as the cool stoner friend who's also a little insane in the most charming way possible, he has a good impact on Aaron. Aaron likes being around him, and maybe they smoke weed to help Aaron relieve some of the lasting pain when no one's looking.

Regardless of his methods, Blaze does an ultimate good in Aaron's life as a result of being there for him when he needed it. So much so that he was invited out to Starlight and is shown to be one of Aaron's main pillars of support. We are given scarcely little of this actual friendship, which is where the problem lies. While before Blaze was a surprisingly engaging part of an other wise terrible story, at least in season 5 the story is a lot slower and character focused. And Blaze can work in these moments, we saw him have real moments of sincerity before.

He gets some of it, but the issue is that Blaze isn't allowed to be alone anymore. The cast of MyStreet is huge, and Blaze is a character who is making his second major appearance, while some characters in the cast have been present since literally episode one. It's hard to justify giving him solo screen time when he's been in the series for such little time and we barely have enough time for certain significant characters to really have arcs (Lucinda). Most of Blaze's scenes are scenes with at least four other characters on screen, he's never allowed screen time without at least two other werewolf characters attached to him.

I don't object to Blaze hanging out with his friends, or even making new ones though out the season but... Would it kill the writers to let him have a scene with Aaron? Like. A single scene. Where it's just Blaze and Aaron. I mean just Blaze and Aaron without Aphmau there. They've done this before. They did it in the season Blaze showed up in. Just one scene where the two of them get to talk about literally anything would do so much. Even if they talk about Aphmau, it's better than nothing. It would strengthen both of their characters so much to be able to get a scene where they talk to each other not as conspirators who kinda know each other, but as real friends supporting one another.

Show that even though Blaze said Daniel was more compassionate than he was, Blaze still is a compassionate and even empathetic person. Show why Aaron was grateful to have him during his recovery. They have those scenes of Aaron at physical therapy, right? Why not have Blaze take him one time and just show how they interact then? The possibilities with this unrealized idea are endless, and that's genuinely upsetting. Opportunities like this present themselves every time Blaze makes an appearance, they even tease me by giving me scenes where Aaron is alone with a character he has little to no connection with, Maria.

Maria was a foil for Aphmau. And Ein was a foil for Aaron. And Blaze was a foil for Ein. There is no reason for Maria to really have a rapor that matters with Aaron. He doesn't really know her that well, she's clearly a friend by association, and it seems like an odd thing to focus on when Blaze is LITERALLY RIGHT THERE IN THE BACKGROUND OF THIS SCENE.

Why won't they let Blaze talk to Aaron? It's so infuriating. The closest we get is in episode 7 when Blaze attempts to calm down Aaron, but he's shown to be ineffective and it comes down to, of course, Aphmau being the one to talk him down. I swear to Hatsune the writers are making fun of me at this point. They're going "Oooooh you want Blaze to be an actually helpful and supportive figure in Aaron's life soooo bad." AND I DO!

I'm serious when I say the show is teasing me. I've been skimming through Season 5 and only watching the episodes when Blaze is on screen, and so far he has never been in a scene with less than 4 people in it. Never. And even in scenes where he gets to be at least a focal point, he's always limited because he has to share that moment in the spotlight with FOUR OTHER CHARACTERS.

Episode 14 is a great example of this. When the werewolf gang gets told they aren't allowed to eat at a restaurant because they're werewolves, Blaze makes it abundantly obvious that he's put up with this before and really doesn't feel like being hate crimed on his vacation. And he knows that actions speak louder than words and therefore joins Maria in saying they should "teach this establishment a lesson." Personally I think Blaze would've just thrown the manager through a window only to realize it's an outdoor establishment and throw him into the ocean. Which would be objectively funny and deserved because that owner was being cringe and racist.

I love the conversation that happens because it shows the unique way that Aaron sees things from passing as a human for most of his life. This has never happened, but he knows that further acts of violence as a result will only make it happen again. This is a great scene for Aaron. Not really good for Blaze, and the next scene makes him worse. I love the detail that Blaze is an instinctual person more than a planner, but it feels wrong that he doesn't even let Aaron consider planning. I know he wants Aaron to be more spontaneous but he should have more awareness of his friend and his habits and be able to accommodate it, not talk over it.

But it's Jesson, so misunderstanding even their simplest character is par for the course. At least episode 15 gives me Garroth and Blaze talking in the background, and I'm starved for good Blaze content, so I was eating this shit up. The problem with watching MyStreet this way is that Blaze... Just doesn't get a lot of moments... At all. There are some episodes where he doesn't even speak at all, and when he does get to talk in episodes, he gets a few lines in one giant ensemble scene.

I don't object to a show having an ensemble cast, or even a lot of characters with a few central ones, but it really is a detriment to the show that Aaron never gets a scene alone with any werewolf he isn't related to. Nana gets to talk to Blaze when she's having a crisis of her relationship history and experience, but it's just so Blaze can tell her the opposite of what she wants to hear. It's not a scene that feels like it was written for Blaze, because it wasn't. It was written for Nana.

And before some jack ass says it "Blaze is a side character he's not supposed to get a lot of focus" and I'm not asking for a lot. I watched every scene he's in in PDH to prove that it works

BECAUSE IT DID.

Blaze showed up officially in episode 18 out of 30, and he wasn't in every episode after his introduction. But the writers gave him a solid introduction, one good episode that spent most of its run time with him, and really good moments throughout the rest of his time in the series. All I'm asking is that Season 5 at least give me one of those things. Either a good episode where he and his relationship with Aaron is brought into focus, even if it's used as a vector to study Aaron's character, or just more sincere moments for him.

It feels like Blaze is a joke character now when he previously made it very clear he's far more than that.

And then they just forget about him. During the first part of the 3 part finale Blaze is there. He's the one who got everyone to gather at the docks because an mf wants to eat some scrumptious food. But when Aaron sees Ein and starts freaking out, Blaze is literally just not in the scene. At all. Not even as like a throwaway of someone who could've helped but failed, he just is not in the scene at all. It legitimately feels like the writers forgot about him entirely.

Blaze the minute the plot shows up:

He's there after Garroth gets turned and was apparently at Garroth's bedside trying to calm him down which I will be thinking about. A lot. I'll be thinking about how we deserved to see or at least hear some of it, about how the writers continue to tease me with an interesting scene that involves my favorite little fucker, about how heartbreaking it would have been to see Blaze and Melissa try to calm Garroth only for him to scream in pain and try to push them away only to reveal that Zane and Nana are able to hear the entire ordeal downstairs and Zane is panicking when he hears his brother screaming in pain. Just thinking about what we could've had if the writers actually cared about any of these characters.

And then after that he dies.

I'm not watching any of When Angels Fall because I know what's good for my health. I know what happens in Season 6 Episode 9 and that's all I need to know. It doesn't matter if the writers may have finally given Blaze an emotional scene, it doesn't matter if they finally gave him even a hint of character development, it doesn't matter if he made a connection in a real way. Because no matter what he did the result is the same. No matter what quality the writers might've pulled out of their ass, it would ultimately be in service of one end. From the start of this season these writers knew what they wanted to do. They wanted to up the stakes and add more drama to the show, and they wanted to do it by killing Blaze.

And I think I know why.

This is 100% a limited view, but I was on Aphmau Instagram at the time that this season was airing. And I ran a Blaze fan account. I talked to a lot of MyStreet fans during this time and I was constantly upset and disappointed that people didn't understand Blaze's character, or just didn't appreciate it as much as I do. Most people liked Blaze on a very surface level, or because he was attached to another character they liked. I found very few people who genuinely cared about him as an individual, probably because Blaze stopped getting scenes alone by the end of PDH, and because the Aphmau fandom (at the time) had more of a focus on shipping than character work and quality. Blaze was easily shippable with a number of characters, canonically shipped with Dottie a little, and had enough characterization that people cared about him, but not enough to get a large dedicated fanbase.

He was the perfect one to kill.

Enough people liked him because he was hard to hate, he was stapled onto Aaron's character with little regard for a story of his own, and his death could be eventually inconsequential. And it was! Blaze's method of dying is so bad it makes me physically angry!

I know the whole story for the last few seasons has been all about Forever Potions and turning people against each other, but just mind controlling Blaze and having him die while under mind control is such such a missed opportunity. There's been a disappointing lack of proper Aaron and Blaze friendship content, but they could have made up for it in this scene with just a few tweaks. Just have Blaze not be mind controlled at the end. He can still go on that rant about Aaron being the cause of all the bad that's happened, but then the words start to become... disjointed. Jilted. As if Blaze is struggling to say them because he knows that they're wrong. Aaron's his friend, there's no way he'd say that about him.

Have it break.

Have him look at his friend in a worse state than he's ever been in, and instead of approaching him with intent to harm, it's intent to heal. A final attempt at getting through to Aaron. And like the times before, it doesn't work. Aaron's angrier than ever and he isn't seeing or thinking straight thanks to Ein's bull shit. All he can see is an enemy in his way. Maybe he sees Blaze's eyes but Blaze's green eye is still Emerald Green, even if the control broke for a moment. Whatever reason, Aaron still attacks.

He doesn't realize that Blaze wasn't trying to hurt him until it's too late. Aaron's anger already ruined a friend's life, it already pulled all of them into the hell they're in, and now it's killed one of his best friends.

ONE CHANGE. THAT'S ALL IT TOOK. ONE SINGLE CHANGE TO MAKE BLAZE'S DEATH ACTUALLY MEAN SOMETHING.

Ideally I'd like it Blaze just didn't die at all, least of all before the finale, but if you're going to kill him off unceremoniously at least make it have some emotional weight. You've been neglecting him for an entire season and now you just kill him off? Just like that? Oh he gets to show up in heaven? How nice. Is it a scene where he gets to express regrets, remorse, or even give any insight into his feelings?

Of course it fucking isn't! Are you kidding me, that's not even close to what happens. I said i wouldn't watch When Angels Fall but

I LIED!!

I watched Blaze's death scene and his scene in heaven to make sure I knew well and good how badly they failed to kill off my favorite character! And man, the scene in heaven is just the worst! Blaze does a genuinely kind thing for Aphmau and decides to stay with her when she's alone because he doesn't want her to hurt. He saw how much pain Aaron was in without her. He just wants to fucking help her.

But Aphmau's too self absorbed to realize that and instead goes on a whole rant about how she always needs other people to take care of or protect her and how everyone else would be better off yadda yadda. What she doesn't realize and what Blaze eventually gets to tell her is that people were around her and took care of her because they just wanted to. Because she was nice to be around. And they never expected anything else, and never saw her as a burden.

And that's actually a really nice moment. Sort of. There's two major problems. First, Blaze gets cut off from telling Aphmau this at first because Irene has to go on a whole rant about Aphmau being selfish. And she is right in everything that she says, but it feels weird for Irene, who literally doesn't know her, to be making this judgement. This scene should have been Irene observing a conversation between Blaze and Aphmau were Blaze just tries to make her feel better.

And that would hopefully solve problem number two. Which is that what Blaze says is very genuine and heartfelt, but severely handicapped by the fact that he and Aphmau were only friends for a short period of time in High School, and an equally short period of time within the last few months. What Blaze says about why he likes being around her is true, but it would have a lot more weight if there was a chance for Blaze to have been around her as a friend more.

Fuck it, if you need Blaze to be on screen with at least two other characters, why was there never a scene of Blaze, Aaron and Aphmau just talking? Would a single scene of that fucking killed you? Just one scene would have made their friendships a lot more solid and therefore heartbreaking to lose when it gets torn apart.

Third problem, the scene ends with a focus on Irene. Blaze's words echo in her ears, and remind her of her friends. And I like that idea because I'm an absolute sucker for MCD, but it takes the scene away from the focus. This should be a scene about one of Aphmau's friends encouraging her to not give up even if it all seems lost. At least don't let her death be in vain by saying such awful things about her friends while they may be grieving. But Irene is brought into focus again because the show isn't about Blaze, or Aphmau apparently, I guess her Aphmau Main Character Powers overrides Aphmau's. She has more experience with them.

Blaze and Aphmau's very heartfelt dialogue is brought down by the fact that these two characters lives didn't intersect very directly out of high school. Through the course of Season 5 I never got the idea that Blaze was Aphmau's friend. Not to say they weren't friendly, I think Blaze adored her just as much as he did in high school, but as a viewer I was never shown that they cared particularly for one another. I believe that Blaze sincerely cared about her even after all this time, but that's not because of anything the writers did with him in these seasons. It's just because that's the kind of person Blaze is.

But their friendship not being strong really weakens the scene. This is a scene that I know for a fact worked as intended when I watched it as it was coming out. I was an overemotional mess of a 15 year old who hated how this series was going but kept watching it because it was almost over and I might as well get it done with. It pulled on my heartstrings and they sang and I cried. I cried a lot. This scene made me incredibly emotional, and it still got to me as an adult, but the devil is in the details.

Blaze and his arc might work on the surface. They work if you don't pay that close of attention to it. They work if you care more about the characters he's constantly around more than Blaze. And when I first watched Seasons 5&6, I still had a very deep attachment to a lot of these characters, especially Melissa, who he shares a lot of scenes with. So I felt... satisfied? I would've liked more, but I probably wouldn't have complained about what I got (his death scene not withstanding I always thought that was bad).

My my, how the times have changed.

If it wasn't obvious from the four thousand or so words you just read, Blaze is a rather unique case of these writers failing as writers. A rather unique case where the perfect character to fix a lot of problems with their show practically jumped up in the air waving his arms around and they still brushed past him to focus on a predetermined story he was shoved into. I don't think the writers ever really had a plan for where Blaze would go or what he would do.

A lot of Blaze's best character moments are when he isn't being written by Jesson. The reason I love the minigames so much is because there, Blaze's incredibly talented voice actor Jason Lord is actually really funny and pretty good at improv. Obviously some bits of the mini games are scripted, but a lot of them are just seeing how much voice actors can get into their characters, which he's fantastic at. A lot of Blaze's funniest moments come from this too, which is great when the writers turn him into a comedy character but the characters voice actor is funnier than they both are and is only a funny character when they don't have direct control of him. Lord is able to bring life to a character who may have been lacking it due to the simultaneously focused and unfocused way the series was written.

Blaze is proof of what happens when writers don't bother to develop their characters beyond the outline. The draft notes for PDH Season 2 said "there's going to be a wolf character who tries to become Alpha and instead stands up for Daniel when he's bullied." and then Blaze was born. The writers gave him some characterization as a treat to make the story work better, and then were done with it then and there. We fleshed him out enough, good character, time to put him in season 5 so people stop criticizing us for not giving Aaron enough friends.

But the problem wasn't a lack of quantity in friends, it was a lack of quality. It was a lack of scenes that let Aaron interact with other characters without Aphmau present. It was a lack of characters to point to that were real emotional connections Aaron had that weren't his last minute family or his girlfriend. It was a lack of attention given to the few characters that could've filled that role. Dante almost filled it in season 2, and Aaron and Garroth could have arguably become closer after everything in season 4, but at that point Aaron's entire arc became centered around Aphmau.

It was the fact that Blaze was one of the few people who ever directly reached out to Aaron and then was never given a scene alone again. It was because the writers wrote too many characters, tried to give the series a more direct focus, and then failed to account for the characters that were dragged along even if they didn't necessarily know what to do with them.

So when Season 6 came around and they decided to make the show super serious no really stop laughing, they needed characters to kill off to up the stakes. It's not like Blaze's character was going anywhere. It's not like they had a plan for him. Nothing was really being lost.

It's not like Blaze was one of the most sincere and dedicated characters in the series. It's not like he had one of the biggest potentials in regards to his relationship with Aphmau or Aaron. It's not like there was time spent proving that he could be a solid pillar of support in both of their lives even under dire circumstances. It's not like he was set up that way through individual scenes where he got to talk to each of them on a personal level. That definitely didn't happen.

TLDR: MyStreet peaked at season 2 and they fumbled the bag with the best chance to make it peak even higher and I'm forever bitter about it. Now get out of my house.

[eddiemunsons-stuff]

Lovesick

A/n sorry guys this is my first time writing anything like this so if I suck, l'm sorry :)

Background

Victoria 18 yrs old Steve's younger sister Parents aren't really in the picture so you and Steve have a place.

<3 word count 1k

September 18 Wednesday

You woke up to the sound of your blaring alarm clock as you grunt and reach over to turn it off. You lazily get out of bed as you go to pick out an outfit. You find a pair of ripped black jeans with a oversized Metallica shirt. You pack all your homework into your backpack, do your makeup, use the bathroom and brush your teeth as you rush downstairs to smell the sweet aroma of bacon and eggs sizzling on the stove as Steve looks over and smiles.

"Good morning sleepyhead" Steve sings

"Good morning mother Steve" you chuckle

You sit down at the table as you scarf down the food that Steve gave you. " is eddie dropping you off?" he asks. " yes. like every other day." "ok have fun love birds" he says as a horn honks, coming from the white van now outside your house. Eddie and you have been best friends since forever. You did everything together from sleepovers, to shopping, to passing notes in class.

Everybody thought you two were dating but you guys had always thought that was silly. Or so you thought.

Eddie's Pov

She looked so beautiful with her shoulder length dirty blonde hair, in her Metallica shirt, ripped black jeans, doc martins, and little accents of jewelry as she slung her backpack over her should and jumped in the car.

"woah slow down!" eddie said " sorry how late will we be?" Victoria asked. "only 5 minutes" eddie said. she chuckled and her nose scrunched like always, it was the cutest thing i'd ever seen, if only she knew how I felt about her.

Victorias Pov

"thanks" you said jumping out of the car. "anytime princess" eddie said intertwining his hand in yours. you didn't know why but it had given you butterflies, how weird was that. a paper ball had been thrown at eddie's head cutting you from ur thoughts. "hey freak" jason sneered with the other jocks. you just rolled you eyes and lead eddie inside.

"ughhh" you grunt realizing you have math, "what's wrong sweet heart" eddie asked "math" you say. but there it was again! the butterflies, what was happening? " well come on, i'll walk you there" "ok" you reply, as you arrive Eddie asks, "lunch at our spot?" "of course" you reply as you kiss his cheek.

"Heyyy!" Says a familiar voice behind you that makes you turn around. You met face to face with one of your favorite people, Robin. You'd been friends since the first day of kindergarten and had instantly clicked.

It was your first day of kindergarten as your mom walked you up to the classroom. You were super nervous that nobody would like you. Your mom pulled you into the room as you dragged your feet along.

"Hi! You must be Victoria! I'm Miss Rose! We are so excited to have you, you can put you backpack over by the cubbies and we've started working on our name tags to introduce ourselves!"

You put your backpack in an empty cubby as your mom started talking with the teacher. You chose to sit next to a strawberry blonde haired girl dressed in a pink shirt, white frilly skirt and sparkly pick high heels, and a brown haired boy with a plain blue shirt and khaki pants. Suddenly the girl starts speaking to you. "Hi! What's your name? I'm robin! Are you excited for school? I've never been so i'm a bit nervous but excited! Do you want help with your name tag? I think we also have to make another for our cubby. Oh, sorry for rambling i'm just really excited!

You were taken aback by all the information you were just given but happy that you could have a friend. You knew you guys would click instantly after her speaking. "Your ok, l'm Victoria, nice to meet you.

Let's make those name tags you were talking about!"

A hand waved in your face bringing you back to the present. "Hey, you ok?" asked Robin

"Oh ya sorry i'm fine. What were you saying?"

You replied. "I was saying that we have to hang out sometime cause we haven't for FOREVERRRR. Eddie's always stealing you away from me!" She says smirking at the end, you don't know why but she's always thought you 2 should be more than best friends.

"Oh ya that would be so fun! Also stop with the Eddie and me, never gonna happen."

"Sure, we all see the way he looks at you, like your the sun,moon, and stars all in one."

"Ok ya sure. Anyways catch you later a gotta run to class!"

You barely make it past all your classes, all you could think about was the butterflies you got from Eddie.

There couldn't possibly be anything going on. You couldn't like him, right? That would be weird.

The bell rings dismissing everybody from their classes on the way to lunch. You rush down the halls catching up with Gareth. You had also befriended Gareth the same day as Robin back in kindergarten.

Sitting next to your new friend, Robin, was that boy brown haired boy. You didn't wanna make him feel left out, so you introduced yourself. "Hi, I'm Victoria!

What's your name?" His face lit up, he never thought he was gonna make friends but here, this nice girl started talking to him. "Hi, Im Gareth!" He said with a big smile. And little did they know all the memories the trio would make in the years ahead.

"Hey!" you called to Gareth ahead.

"Hey." he replied back walking together into lunch getting ready to grab their trays to eat.

A/N

Hi guys! I hope that my writing isn't complete crap but here's the first chapter to Lovesick I'm rly excited to write this book bc i love Eddie!

[boygiwrites]

Harley D. Dixon 21

An amazing edit inspired by this story! (Cred to Cora_Line99) Harley D. Dixon's Pinterest Board! Harley D. Dixon's Playlist!

📖Chapter List.

Author's Note.

Another quick under 3,000 word update for you guys :) Enjoy!

When it's quiet, Carl and I go visit Sophia's grave together.

Under the low-hanging oak tree is a whole long line of graves, many more than the last time I stood here, all marked with their own wonky, homemade cross. Rings, necklaces, hand-written notes and little trinkets hang from each one, swaying gently in the afternoon breeze. I wonder which belongs to the one I killed the other night, which mound of dirt and death I'm responsible for. I wonder if they know I'm sorry.

I don't have to wonder which is Sophia's. I know already. It's the one with the Cherokee roses laying on it.

I step forward and carefully place Matilda against the white petals, making sure her yarn-hair is neat and her dress is as it should be, while Carl lays the Pokémon folder down next to it. When I promised Carol I'd return the doll to her someday, I never imagined it would be like this.

As we step back, I grab Carl's hand and tell the small grave, "Wherever you are, I hope you get to play again."

Thoughts and prayers, I think they say. I don't think they ever done any good to nobody. If God was listening to silly things like thoughts and prayers, this tree would be someplace we could play together, and not the graveyard it's turned into. Those roses would've worked. But it's like Shane said. Sophia was weak. Just 'cause it don't sound nice, don't mean it ain't true. She was weak, and she paid the price for it. I wish I could do more than just stand here and miss her, but maybe I can also learn from what she couldn't, be stronger, live what she didn't get to.

I ain't never seen much purpose in death, but maybe that's it. Maybe like scars, all they do is make us stronger.

"We'll miss you, Sophia." Carl utters, squeezing my fingers. "I'm sorry we couldn't find you."

When he starts sniffling, I feel even emptier than I already do. I should cry with him, but I can't. I don't know why. I've always been a bit of a crier. It was one of the things Merle hated most about me. If you're gonna be angry, be angry, but don't start cryin' too while yer at it. He used to need to shout at me and shake me by the shoulders to get me to dry up, but now I've dried up all on my own.

"She'd dead, Carl." I mumble, turning away. "Ain't no tears ever saved nobody."

When we make it back up to the gate where Dad's waiting for us, he doesn't mention my scowl. He kisses my hair and leads us up the path. When we get there, Carl drags me to the spot behind his family's tent, 'cause apparently he wants to show me something.

"You gotta promise not to tell." He warns as he pulls a gun from underneath a rock. "I stole it this morning from Dad."

My eyes go wide. I was not expecting a gun. Carl's more the type of person to steal a cookie before dessert, not guns.

I quickly duck down, glancing around to make sure none of the adults saw. "What the Hell, Carl?"

"You remember Shane was gonna take us for shooting lessons, right? Well, that's not happening anymore. We gotta do it ourselves."

"Are you serious? Your parents are gonna kill ya if they find out, you moron."

"Duh. That's why I'm not gonna tell 'em."

"Adults like to know where kids are." I scold him harshly. "You wanna end up like Sophia?"

"No," He says firmly. "I wanna end up like you. You know all about surviving. You know plants, and birds, and animals. I know nothing."

He's right, I suppose. He doesn't really know anything. He didn't grow up around hunters, didn't live by the woods, didn't get compasses and boots and BB guns for his birthdays. I bet he's never even killed before, neither. Not even a rat in the rafters. Just like Sophia, he knows nothing.

I would like to teach Carl what I know, but I've never done somethin' like this. Unsure, I grumble, "I don't like gettin' in trouble."

"It's fine. We'll be quick." He assures me. "And if we get caught, I'll just say the whole thing was my idea."

I pin him with a look. "It was your idea."

"Exactly. Besides, you got lost in the woods for two whole days and you were fine. I'll be in good hands. So you coming, or what?"

I sigh. "You're gonna go no matter what I say, ain't ya?"

"Mm-hmm."

I roll my eyes. Finally, someone as stubborn as I am. That settles it, then.

"Fine." I say. "I'll come."

He pumps his fist excitedly. "Yes!"

"But lemme grab somethin' first before we leave."

He tucks the gun into his pants line and follows after me as I make my way to mine and Dad's camp. When I stop in front of the motorcycle parked in the shade, he asks what I'm doing, but I wordlessly flip the saddlebag open and pull out a shiny, mean-lookin' Bowie knife.

He blanches at the sight of it as I strap the sheath to my belt loop. "That's the biggest knife I've ever seen."

"Used to be my Uncle Merle's." I say absentmindedly, before nodding him toward the treeline. "Let's go."

"For the record," Carl hums as we walk along the marshy creek, "I think the missing ear makes you look super badass."

I give him a light shove, making him stumble and giggle. "Keep talkin', and you'll be missin' yours in a minute."

"What? You don't think you look badass?"

"Not really."

"Well, I say you do. And I'm always right."

"No, you ain't. Hey, look. Mushrooms."

We skip across a toppled log laying in the water and leap onto the other side, approaching a cluster of brown mushrooms sprouting from the base of a fat tree. Morels, made obvious by their wrinkly, honey-comb caps. I pull him down with me and start plucking some.

"These are Morels." I explain, handing him a stubby, dark-colored stalk. "Here. You can eat 'em."

He takes it from me like it's a bomb. "Are you sure? How can you tell?"

I snap another off. "'Cause they're ugly and they smell like bread."

He grins in amazement as I pop it in my mouth without hesitation. Encouraged to do the same, he takes a little nibble of his.

I watch his eyes go wide. As expected, he seems to like it. "Tastes like nuts."

"The darker the cap, the more flavor ya get. Not that you'd be worryin' too much about that when you're dyin' in the woods, I guess."

"Still a cool fact, though." He takes my hand and stands up. "Let's go find some more stuff."

Happy to keep exploring, we wonder from tree to tree, bush to bush, rock to rock. I teach him which berries will make you froth at the mouth and die and which ones will taste like sour candies, how to tell poison oak from regular leaves, which mark on the ground means what.

I even teach him to make a whistle from a mottled wax-leaf, which he seems to find very fun.

He blows through it for a hundredth time, making the ringing in my ears turn piercingly loud.

"Quit that noise, dumbass." I complain, reaching to snatch it from him.

He comes to a sudden halt, leaf falling from his lips.

"What is it?" Frowning, I turn to what he's looking at.

There's a walker stood on the bank opposite us, its foot caught under the thick, gummy mud. It keeps trying to break free, but it's skinny as a twig and useless as a newborn deer, so it ain't gettin' outta there any time soon, which is good for us but bad for him, I guess.

Watching it flail around, Carl wonders, "Should we shoot it?"

It'd make an easy target, but I got no interest in killin' that thing. Might be the one that bit Sophia. It deserves to suffer.

"Nah." I sourly disagree, turning away. "Let's just leave it there. We can go shoot somethin' else."

He gives it one last glance before falling into step with me. "Okay. Like what?"

"Somethin' that's useful. Rabbit, maybe."

"Ooh, you can teach me to skin it. You ever done that before?"

Have I ever killed and skinned a rabbit?

Pssh. "That's funny, Carl."

He giggles at that.

We return to the farm about an hour later with a dead hare. I offered to carry it, but Carl says he likes having it slung over his shoulder 'cause it makes him feel like a strong caveman, whatever that means. I tracked it and taught him to shoot the thing, but I guess it was him that shot it dead so technically, it's his kill. His first ever kill. He didn't get squeamish or nothin', not even when I flayed its skin off with the knife.

"That was awesome," He exclaims, not caring that there's blood all over his shirt. "Where'd you even learn to shoot?"

Tall grass and laughter come to mind, but as we approach the gate, I settle on shrugging, "Doesn't matter."

"Well, I can't believe an eight-year-old got to learn to shoot before I did."

I unlatch it and open it for him, joking, "Maybe it's 'cause I'm better behaved."

"You know what," He lilts as he steps past, "You're probably right."

I lock it closed and follow him along the path back to camp, feeling more and more grateful that I'm behind him and can hide a little when I realize we weren't as sneaky as we thought we were, as Rick, Lori, Dad, and Dale jump out their seats at the sight of us approaching.

My stomach does a weird little flip at the angry look on Dad's face. I have to remind myself things are different now.

"Where were you?" Lori screeches, running to crouch in front of us. "You silly boy, where were you?"

"We just went out for a bit, Mom. We're fine." He seems to think showing her the hare won't make things ten times worse. "Look!"

Before she can lose her mind again, Dad snatches it off him. "What the Hell were y'all thinkin'?"

"I'm sorry, Dad." I tell him. "I just—"

"You disobeyed me, is what you did." He scolds. "'Stay where I can see ya.' Ain't that what I always say?"

"It's what we say, too." Rick frowns. "You know it's dangerous out there. There's a reason we have rules."

"And there's a reason we keep the gun bag away from children." Dale raises a brow. "We know there's a pistol missing, son."

Lori holds out her hand. He makes a big deal out of pulling the gun out and handing it over. 

"You too, Harley. Where'd you get that knife?"

"It's Merle's." Dad gruffly answers for me. He doesn't take it, but I can tell he's disappointed. Feels so wrong not gettin' belted for this.

"Guys, she didn't even wanna come at first." Carl says. "It was my idea. I asked her to. I thought it would be safer with the both of us."

"So, what you're saying is you not only stole from us and snuck out without permission," Chides Rick, "But you put Harley in danger, too."

"I— I didn't think I was."

"As the older child, you should've known better. You need to look out for her, Carl. This isn't a joke."

Dad scoffs, "Nah, she's more'un capable of followin' orders on her own. She knows not to sneak out."

"Tell you what, we can go shootin' sometime soon if that's somethin' you feel you wanna do, but you cannot do this again."

Lori adds, "Ever."

"Is that clear?"

I nod straight away, but Carl takes a little longer before he gives in. "Do we at least get to eat the rabbit?"

"If you promise you won't try gettin' another one for tomorrow's dinner."

He sighs moodily. "Fine. Okay."

"Glad we're finally on the same page."

As Lori leads Carl away to get him changed into a shirt that's not so blood-soaked, he throws me an apologetic look over his shoulder. He didn't mean for us to get in trouble. Rick leaves to replace the gun, Dale resumes watch duty, and Dad drags me back to our camp without another word. I don't bother saying sorry again. I know he don't appreciate being told the same thing twice, so I keep my mouth shut.

I half expect him to lay me over his knee the second we make it back, but all he does is sit me down on the stump.

"You sit here for however long I feel's right, and you think about how you done wrong."

As he walks off to start preparing the rabbit, I take great effort in keeping my jaw from dropping.

Time-out. I ain't ever been in time-out before. Usually, I just get whipped and that's it, but things really are different now.

I accept my punishment without complaint, watching him gut the hare and slice it into small strips, laying them out on the rocks around the crackling fire. I wonder if he's letting me keep the knife because I did a good job skinning. I hope so. He taught me how, after all.

Once the meat's cooked, which takes about ten short minutes, he beckons me off the stump with a nod of his head.

"Come get some food, chicken."

I hop off and approach him unconfidently, taking the mug of browned meat that he offers me.

"Carl was smart takin' you with him." He says. "Would'a fucked that poor animal up, otherwise."

I find myself trying not to smile. I think I like time-out.

"Are you still angry with me?"

"I don't like what you did, Harley. You went and did somethin' behind my back." I understand that. It wasn't right. "But you wanna start doin' some things on yer own, I'm more'un happy to let you, baby, you know that. Simple things, like havin' yer own knife. I'll allow that."

I perk up a little. "I can keep Merle's knife?"

"Yeah. A gun, though, we'll have to work up to. You got plenty people around here ready to protect you with guns, already. But it's important to know how to shoot one, anyway, so when Rick takes Carl, he can take you, too. Certified instructor, and all that."

That's more than fair. "Alright. Thank you, Dad."

"I'll show you how to use that thing properly later, but for now," He hands me another hot mug, "Go shut Carl up with some'a this."

I carry both mugs back to main camp and find Rick and Carl sitting together at the picnic table, having what looks like the serious conversation me and Dad just got done having. When they notice me, Rick finishes off what he was saying and scoots over so I can sit next to him.

"Dad cooked the hare." I tell him, passing it across the table. He takes it with an owlish look. "Might still be hot."

"I don't think you've ever eaten hare before, have you, buddy?"

"No. Had skunk, though." He pops a piece in his mouth. "Mm. That's pretty good."

"Now you got a taste of what you wanted, I expect you to reel it in a bit. Protection's important, but not if it ends up killing you."

"Rick, My Dad said I can come shooting with you and Carl, if that's okay."

"'Course, honey. I think I'm gonna ask some of the others if they wanna come, too. Start today, if you want."

Me and Carl share an excited glance. "Yes, please."

"Alright, then. Finish up that food and we'll see about leavin' soon."

Author's Note.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, everyone 💙

Some more intense things coming up in the next one.

[liliallowed]

Has Y/N met the Player yet in this "Bad End" Timeline?

Even if not, I feel like we as Y/N, (who seems slightly naive in this AU) would take pity on the little glowing red heart squirming in fear trapped in Sans' (Dust) hold. After all, it does seem oddly cute, maybe even squishable. It's so tiny too, what kind of Demon looks so tiny and harmless?

Since Y/N already seems to think lowly of Sans (Dust) in this timeline, if they ever even had a chance alone with the Player's soul while it's trapped, Y/N would free them and might come face to face with the player in their personally made vessel, the more demon looking one.

Yet the Player is still oddly non-threatening? What kind of demon is this?

At this point the "Bad End" timeline has been split in two due to Y/N's choice.

So it all depends on the Player now, what would they do after being freed from a near game over?

Sorry for rambling and if this made no sense lol I wanted to participate!

oh dust's gonna be PISSED hehehe

you had been here for months? days? years? it was hard to tell.

you could have quit and let the two love birds just... do whatever the hell they were up to but... you felt too stubborn to do so.

your obsession was a double edged sword and if it was one thing you were sure of... it was that you didn't know when to quit. hell, riding hood would have made an atomic battery of your determination if he wasn't so set or literally boring you to death.

you could spitefully wait AAAAAALLL ETERNITY-

you felt something click as light bled into your view. your soul, manifesting freely as a formless tether was reconnected... to your body... invisible string whipping around your heart shaped being as it manifested itself into existence.

you clenched your first... twisting your arm into a stretch... only to notice a familiar face.

your faceless head developed two red eyes staring at the human who had seemingly freed you.

they stared at you wish stubborn eyes that were looking for answers.

/oh. OH. this lil thing wants to know the whole truth does it? did those two have a fight? did he hide more from them? ooooh spicy dramaaaa!/

they smile at them with a knowing grin.

"ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck! " you yawn as you stretch your back aswell.

"t-ten THOUSAND!?" their eyes widen in shock.

"it's an Aladdin reference dummy. lighten up. I don't bite." you giggle.

"you're... wait you don't grant wishes fo you? is that why he keeps you here" they squint at you.

"mmmmaybeeee? maybe not! depends if I like ya!" you dangle your feet with a giddiness bubbling in your soul.

"can you actually revert time?" their squint turn into a glare.

"hmmm... well, yes. but not for those who forget. you guys are gonna experience time like... normally. once ya dead, ya dead." you make a silly double x eyes face with your tongue out.

"but that's not what you're asking is it? you wanna know the truth he's hiding right?"your eyes light up red with excitement.

"you're... a lot more... energetic than I thought."

...

...

"excuse me?"

"I mean I thought you'd have like... horns or... bat wings or a tail?"

"I can, if that's what you want actually. buuut I prefer keeping things simple. tails and props het in the way of... moving around" your soul hovers around her as your body shifts between different forms, all consistently in sync with the soul's movement.

"are you a demon?"

"aren't all demons just fallen angels in the end? what's the difference hehehehe"

"UGH WHY ARE YOU TWO SO FRUSTRATING!? JUST GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER!"

"awwww you think we're similar? I like you already! "

"I didn't... wait are you two similar? what is your deal with him?"

"he's an old friend. though... he doesn't see it that way."

"do you... eat souls or... like... what's the demon deal thing?"

"bold of you to assume it works that way."

"then tell me"

"don't wanna."

"UGHHHHHHHHH WHY ARE YOU TWO LIKE THIS I THOUGHT TALKING TO YOU WOULD FINALLY GET ME SOME ANSWERS!"

"you know the saying curiousity killed the cat? pretty sure you're biting of more than you can chew. I m g i v i n g y o u a n o u t."

"I'm already here. just tell me."

"oooh gutsy! and decisive. I like that! alright! I'll let you on about aaaaall the evil things me and your bone friend have been doing"

"HE'S NOT MY- WHY ARE YOU TWO SO ANNOYING!?? IS IT LIKE... YOUR JOB OE SOMETHING?"

"no but hearing your annoyed angry voice is almost as amusing as pissing off lver boy over there to stab me hehehehe"

"oh great you've also got loose screws."

"sure do! in fact I'd say I have more loose screws than him. not to brag but I am pretty good at being bad"

"if you're that evil then... why haven't you escaped? "

"... don't wanna."

"... you're scared of him aren't you"

"nuh-uh! IM STAYING HERE BY CHOICE."

"right. so if I leave you're not gonna possess me."

"nope. you're literally a bait he threw at me to catch me. I ain't falling for it."

"... he said you'd be a lot more violent."

"I can be! do you want me to be?"

"of course not! "

"psht. coward."

"I... I don't know what to do anymore it feels like no matter what I do I'm just a pawn in something else's game. I don't understand anything. WHY HIM, WHY ME. OR YOU. "

"... you're that desperate to know the truth? you might actually lose yourself you know. there's a reason he lies. he's trying to keep you safe."

"you wouldn't have said that if YOU were the thing he described."

"you don't know anything about me. stop pretending like you're some GRRRREAAAAT SAINT that has to save everyone. are you here to rub it in my face that you have his attention?"

"are... are you jealous? "

"NO! I'M... uh... I... no. you... uh... I.. "

"..."

"please put me back in the jar I think I want to die of shame."

[sunnydayaoe]

hello it's bird behavior asker again

What's unique about bird fresh and does his parasite self have wings idk like downy (think that's name) feathers or no wings?

Ahh ! yes yes I have been turning this one around in my brain thank you for asking again dear bird behavior anon :)!! Fresh hits me as a Cuculus canorus, or the comman cuckoo; he's a wonderful grey brown bird with some barred black stripes. These birds are verry fun! The aspects of this lovely bird I'm taking are mostly the parasitic aspects, you've heard me right, parasitic! These birds are known as something called "brood parasites" and will lay their eggs in other species nests, having their chicks be raised by unsuspecting adopted parents. Now, Fresh's whole persona is that he verry much does Not want to be seen as a horrible little parasite thing, so he dyes his wings a whole plethora of rainbow colors. Can't have everyone linking him to that horrid brood parasite, now can he? Another aspect I'm taking, though a more subtle nod to the avian inspiration, is in the way he holds his wings. A cuckoo, while singing or in the presence of a prospective mate, will hold their wings dropped down to their sides. Now I won't ever have Fresh interacting romantically with anyone [Ew!], I do have him consistently hold his wings farther down than any other bird; he holds his wings down to look less threatening. Another aspect, not Cuckoo related but more just Fresh himself, is the way he lands and takes off. I'm rather enamored with him having heelies/roller-skates [I just think they are the Cutest!] and I almost always draw him wearing them. I have him like long stretches of flat ground to take off or land, rolling forward to get more momentum or landing on his wheels like a plane. He doesn't need to, I just think it would be verry silly goofy [it looks nontheatening, nothing less Scary Threat Pay Attention than big goofy water bird failing to take off for a second.] [think large water bird [needing a large runway/streach of water to effectively get into the air] and [unrelated to the cuckoo aspects of his characterization [they are passerine birds and thus Extremely Good at fast take offs]]

Now, that's just Fresh when he has a host, Without one he's a bit more pathetic sad Thing. I haven't really gotten the clearest idea of what he'd look like at the moment aha. I don't think he'd have Real wings, as I'm having them be a representation of your soul/magic [Fresh, with little to no natural either of those, doesn't really have fully formed wings, ya' know? [and I also have it as, monsters may have wings, but Fresh isn't really a monster, so he might not naturally have them.]], though maybe he'd have a little fuzz. [the drawings I have presented are all, Iffy and just ideas. I don't really have a clear image of what he looks like bahaha]

[quinloki]

Ya know the biting thing SEEMED familiar but I couldn't remember from where. Makes sense that I saw it from your page xD

Damn that'd be good. I just wanna catch that bird off guard SOMEHOW. Also for him to yelp. Would be amazing and worth the payback

“Don’t worry, I have a PhD in Law, you’ll enjoy what I do to you.

I… Quin

I think that killed me I just laughed so hard but also like… oh my god. I feel like Sabo's little bit of silly would wash out Law's zero silly and it kills me

Gods I just have to sit here and think about this bc omg. Your brain.

Even if reader isn't a dom I think the dynamic would definitely have Sabo in control. Like Law thinks he's in control until he realizes that he's not, he's just going along with Sabo subtly.

I saw fanart of the two of them at one point (can't find it again tho sadly T_T) which is what initially put it in my brain honestly. Ace/Law is also another one that I >> at bc they're just so pretty in all the art I see of them

I guess the same dynamic I've seen in AU of ace/law would work, of law begrudgingly being luffy's friend and getting introduced to his brother and just having close proximity that way (or even having classes together after that)

You've given me some good things to think about, thank you Quin <333

Sabo likes to watch also killed me bc why does he give off those vibes I just can't get over that….

(Btw sorry if this sent twice tumblr is being weird..)

Ahhhhh - I had to take a break myself after that reaction from you.

I’m glad I could make you laugh.

And yeah, reader doesn’t have to be dom, I think with Sabo around they’d fill more of a switchy role, I don’t see him relinquishing control easily, except under certain circumstances.

Being outnumbered seems like it could happen for the reader (maybe that’s just gonna be a reused AU book title at this point xD) maybe they are a professional dom, but not really one behind closed doors.

But I like the idea/dynamic of Sabo and the Reader both just spoiling Law. He can’t hardly handle it either. Between the attention and care and pleasure and such he’s just drown in affection he’s been starved for for years.

Law starts smiling at work, Penguin and Shachi are having a minor crisis about it cause the doc NEVER smiles, but also it’s great to see him smiling.

I can dig it.

[astrxlfinale]

There should, maybe, have been a call of his name but if she had done so, where would the element of surprise be ? For as Guinaifen spotted the back of a familiar coat, she'd excuse herself from the group of people she had been hanging out with, sneaking her way over to Caelus as she'd, gently (not surprisingly) would place her hands on his shoulders in a light bap; " -- what'cha doing ?"

A teasing tone, one followed by a warm laughter as she'd step beside him, hands gliding off his shoulders. "Have someone requested help with their cranes again ? Those silly birds... machine ? Birdchines ? I don't know !" One hand off, the other seemed to take a moment longer to come off his shoulders.

"I was just about to head down to my costume contact and see about some new, sweet styles for my upcoming performance ! Would you like to join ? We could try matching costumes together and I could make a video out of it ! " Beaming, gold gaze would close as grin widened beside him. " It'd would look so cool !"

A return to life upon the Luofu held its goals. Primarily, being neck deep in the affairs that could be considered the class known as odd jobs, a realm where legends can intentionally and accidentally run across!

This is exactly why he had a momentarily scowl etched across his face. Just the mere idea of being surrounded by those damn mechanical herons was enough to make his mind scream in distaste. (No need to worry about how he ran to find three of those little bastards hiding away under the platform where the divine Matrix was held!) So to say he was a little hot blooded today would be an understatement.

Just a little bit grouchy.

So once that carefully positioned hand found itself capturing his shoulder, the tension hadn't worked into the muscle, yet his eyes were reflecting an entirely different story for someone who dared to have enough moxie to cross him now! Thus he'd come to turn, boiling vigor wholly prepped to give this person an appropriate greeting!

Wait. He knows that voice. Underneath the glory of this artificial sun, that once wildly angered look finds itself being inverted. Their golden gazes would once again connect, and within this moment, what Caelus believed he witnessed was a work of modern art. It was the sort that made sublime understanding be woven in the way his heart skips a beat.

Beautiful. In his Heart of Hearts, there truly was no better way to put it with the way Guinaifen was posed.

What exactly did he find himself so pissed about again? The essence of frustration found itself losing all hooks, and instead being consigned to a slippery slope once the flow of those strawberry pink tresses flowed within the breeze as her laughter served as a melodious chime. "Gui--" His voice begins, only to collapse once she takes the lead with a curious note. (As if he'd ever mind.) The mere thought her intuition managed to hit that nail on the head was amazing in itself. He once pictured it would've been a steaming tirade over those mechanical dumbasses that would've been the first thing roaring free.

Yet, here he was basking in an instant of laughter, the relieving sort that lets the boulders roll off. Her hands were simply much better instead.

"Alright mind reader! If ya need to know, that business been havin' their local pain in the asses doing their thing again. Tellin' ya, I'm starting to feel like one of those storysung super heroes more at the day. With the busy work." He adds in, giving a wriggle of his fingers for nonsensical emphasis. Inevitably, a smile situated upon Caelus's lips simply due to being in her presence again.

In the sunlight.

That leads into the interesting idea that found itself proposed. Some new outfits? Some new kicks? There was the silver lined measure that they'd be making a new impact upon the fashion scene together no less. While ol' reliable (what he's wearing) would always be near and dear, finding some shared rhythm was sounding more fun by the second. Being spontaneous in kind, within moments Guinaifen would find he makes a reach over his own, an intentional arm slung around her shoulders, settling securely in order to pull her taller frame down just a touch, closer to him.

"N' what? Go and get the world a lil more jealous in how we'd be having the red carpet rolled out wherever we go?" The smugness practically radiates, a gentle tap of the knuckles being made against her gut.

"Hell yeah I'd be down! Mind if we grab some drinks while on the way? I've been a lil thirsty."

On another note? The unspoken reason didn't have to be expressed in this moment of closeness.

A desire, to simply commit this particular smile to memory.

@avaere

[moonlight-tmd]

prowlbee fluff? if ya can :3

Bee and Prowl play Minecraft together at least once a week. They have a cool lil farmhouse and several resource farms.

They love to snuggle, be it to recharge or just because. The most comfy spot is Bee's berth cuz of so many pillows and plushies he got himself.

Bee will sit with Prowl when he meditates, he'll have his headphones on and game on his pocket-console while his back is leaning against Prowls. This guy needs physical contact.

If Prowl is feeling cuddly or needy for touch he'll adbuct Bee from wherever he is and cuddle.

They go on walks in the forest when autumn comes- Bee loves driving and jumping into the leaf piles and watch them fly around, it's so pretty.

Speaking of autumn- Bee would defo make Prowl do a couple costume. Beauty and The Beast: Bee would dress up as Belle and Prowl would have fake fur, claws and teeth be be the Beast. He's not much of a fan but he'll do it if it means Bee will be happy.

Bee would surprise kiss Prowl when he's angry cuz it throws him off to the point he's more flabbergasted/embarrased than angry and Bee has time to run away laughing.

Bee would give Prowl little flower-like constructs he made from wires, scraps and colored glass and Prowl loves them very much, he has a special stand that he can put the flowers in and they make a pretty little box-garden.

For this i headcanon that Bee and Prowl are almost the same size: Since Bee is physically stronger than Prowl, he can pick him up with ease- Prowl would be going on about his day then Bee would pick him up bridal style just beacuse and carry him around. Prowl uses speed and momentum to do most of what he does so he has a little trouble lifting Bee- it is a motorbike and a mini car, come on.

Turkeys are Bee and Prowl's favorite animals. They are just so funny.

I like to think Prowl would go cheesy-romantic all the way and write poems about Bee- and those are really good ones actually, proper love poems. He'd write them in forms of letters and leave them at Bee's berth with a rose- Bee would make him read them after cuz what is a love poem if you don't adress the one in it.

They go treasure hunting together- if you don't know, Bee has a fun activity/job where he digs around in the trash yards and finds cool stuff that can be fixed and he either keeps it for himself or sells them to the guy who runs a second-hand/antique shop. Prowl likes to help him, they find really cool stuff- once Bee found a really cool clay owl statue; it was only slightly chipped so he asked Bulk to fix it up and then he gifted it to Prowl.

I bet Bee once pulled a silly where he was acting suspicious towards Prowl cuz "he was a secret bird agent spying on them". Prowl was so confused until Bee said his name in a very specific way; "That's what a bird in disguise would say! You're not so clever, Pr-OWL." It was so stupid Prowl couldn't help but laugh.

I remember i wrote a thing where Sari gave Bee one of those animal-cloak costumes and it was bee-themed. She got Prowl a matching one with an owl theme. They all run around in them sometimes, Bee is his bee one, Prowl in his owl one and Sari in her dinosaur one. Of course the way Prowl got his own cloak-costume is because he stole Bee's one when he took it off for a moment.

Prowl has several plushies of animals in his room because of Bee. He's got a big goose plush that is kinda flat and he can use if as a pillow sometimes.

Bee and Prowl would sometimes join Bulkhead in painting and try to paint each other the best they can. Bee is good with crayons while Prowl prefers to paint with ink and color with watercolors.

Hope you are satisfied!

[rainbyotes]

Do you have any angst/whump headcanons for Greg? And possible some comfort ones, too?

Oh what a question, this kinda turned into a king essay but whatever let’s start with the angst stuff then do the comfort:

Besides the claustrophobia due to being captured by the hawks he also has nightmares a lot bc of it, not as much but like if smth triggers his ptsd then he’ll have nightmares. He has better days in terms of triggers but some of them include being in a tight cramped space, seeing shayera, and even just hearing like bird wings ruffle/ seeing a big bird in the sky (think vulture, bird of prey, crow), and if I’m feeling extra angsty just like being away from his friends or Justin since they “ground him” so to speak <- these are fun if you’re only going off of Greg in jlu

I feel like we as a society just decided to ignore the part where he got blown up and survived (move over Batman falling from space comic) and basically the entire city lights, prairie justice run, like not only did his sidekick that was like a little brother to him get murdered while he was out of town but the guy who murdered him blew him up like WHAT? Personally I love the fact that he got blown up (in terms of head canons) like yeah he’s mostly recovered from it but looking at old photos of him and stuff and even just talking about him can start Greg spiraling, and he doesn’t like bombs or using explosives on missions (ignore patriot act) bc ya know. He got blown up. He would definitely have nightmares about that and DEFINITELY blames himself for stuffs death so lotta guilt and self loathing <- love this one it’s just *chefs kiss*

also gives way to the hc that he absolutely hates Vegas and when asked why he says “me and the guy who founded it had some nasty business” which then leads to other people wondering how old he is

the relationship with the father (<- inception 2010 quote) he 100% has daddy issues, either from childhood trauma, not being there to stop his murder, or just his dad sucks. Considering he’s a wyomingite growing up couldn’t have been easy in the middle of nowhere, some times when he’s spiraling deep he’ll get thoughts like “if you didn’t want to be a silly musician your dad might still be alive” , and if I want to get REAL angsty I do the homophobic family card where Greg either got kicked out bc he was caught messing around with a boy or he came out as an adult and his family hates that so they stopped talking to each other <- also love this one it’s perfect for any Greg fic and ship

Another hc is that when he talks about where he’s from he gets really nervous and kinda self deprecating bc “he’s just a dumb hick and since he grew up in the country he has to be like super far right”, this one is kinda depressing bc it’s a thing I see it a lot (despite living in a suburb) so it’s kinda self projection but who’s to say

Ok now for comfort kinda

Loves simple meals like eggs and bacon, biscuits and gravy, cereal even bc they’re easy to make and it’s what he grew up on

He loves Clint Eastwood movies of course but I could also see him being a total horse girl and liking stuff that has horses in it like the movie spirit, also him just saying random horse facts

Along with horse facts greg is 100% an animal person and donates time and money to shelters, he also says like random animal facts like “did you know the basset hound is called that bc in the region of France it’s from basset means ‘close to the ground’?” He also owns many animals and a lot of dogs and cats

People make jokes about brokeback mountain to him a lot but jokes on them he read the original story when he was in high school/young adult (don’t worry about the timeline) and he was there opening weekend when the movie came out like people think he doesn’t know stuff but he knows so much stuff!! He’s a smart boy!!

Anyways those are all of the head canons for right now, sorry most of the angst one are just ideas I have but they kinda depend on what mood I’m in for angst (they’re basically just fic ideas I’ll probably never write) tysm for the ask!!

[scriptedstage]

Ahh I’m so glad you’re enjoying SRU stuff!! :D For oc headcannons— tell me about the oc you were reblogging before!! Do they have any pet peeves? What’s their favorite pastime? Have a good one :D

Of course! The lot of ya make some really good AUs! Not to mention the designs, writing, art, etc. are always so interesting and well done. The new game really sparked my interest in the series again, but the fan content and AUs are what really pulled me back into the fandom!

I already typed all this out, but Tumblr ate it, so I'm gonna try again. orz

The OC I was reblogging is (for the most part) Frederick Fourth, a character I originally made for a friends HL:VR-AI Circus AU, but he's since developed into more of a multipurpose sort of OC that I can just stick in verses and situations. For BATIM, I made him into a theatre technician/maintenance for the Cort Theatre that's mentioned in the books! He was there already when it was bought out by the Studio, and was just kept around because it was cheaper to keep him than to hire and train someone new.

This post got long, so the rest is below the cut!

Pet Peeves:

- Freddy cannot stand having a cluttered workspace. His apartment is another story, but at work he can't stand having things be disorganized or scattered. Papers, books, wires; Being unable to navigate his workspace is infuriating for him. - Noises like eating/chewing, swallowing, shoes squeaking, etc. drive Freddy up the wall. - Wet clothes. He loves to go over to the Studio to chat with the people there, but if there's any flooding from those damn pipes that are gonna give him wet socks? You couldn't pay him to go in there. - Heights. Less of a pet peeve and more of a fear, but he is terrified of having to climb up onto ladders and catwalks, and every time he does it he questions his career choices.

Pastimes:

- Freddy is really big on art! He wanted to be an artist or an actor as a kid, but as he got older he settled into a career that had a bit more stability. Not to mention, he's seen the Art Department. He knows better than to let Joey find out that he's an artist on the side. - Violin! Freddy is self taught, so he's not... great at it, but it's entertaining enough for him to keep up with it at home. - Photography is another hobby of Freddy's, albeit a little less often. - Just wandering, really. He enjoys going for walks and watching people, listening to birds, watching for flowers between the sidewalk, etc.

Here's some silly talksprites I was working on to try and figure out a style and his BATIM design, but I'll probably opt for just giving him a fullbody ref eventually.

[druugsinh3ll]

Silly fanfic jesssss

Spending a while where Neteyam just watches the human hum and write, so calm.

Neteyam remained distant from the human , the guy don't attack , He simply did not call his own to attack.

After asking what was Teotihuacán , the vrrtep answered 'a place where there are pyramids'. That left him more doubts, what was a pyramid, what did that mean and why did the human not attack? .

They were times of war, his father had sent him to recognize the area and attack the enemies. It was a war, death , lost, pain but here was the human, writing as as if none of that mattered, as if he were not one of those who killed his clan and harmed Eywa, just sitting there humming, ignoring the danger that Neteyam implied, ignoring the na'vi- vrrtep dynamic ,the na'vi protect and defend and the humans attack and harm.

Neteyam was lost, he knew that some humans they were kind and could be good like Norm and Max and the Hells Gate scientists,Grace and Trudy sacrificed themselves for them, even Spider was nice despite his demon blood. But the rest of the humans were ruthless killers, terrible enemies, predators and crazy ; They shot, they destroyed, they ended his grandfather's life , they burned the forests and kelutrual, they brought so much pain to his people and yet there was this little human writing a song without any weapon in sight, defenseless.

Neteyam should kill him, make his mother proud but there was something strange about him , his hair was long, tied up in a weird style that Neteyam had never seen on vrrtep or on his dad's friend ,the hair braided and wound it around their head like a crown, leaving a tail that fell behind then. Even their clothes were strange ,in the ears fell an earring of feathers from an unknown bird, bright and greenish blue , a thick necklace similar to his but the vrrtep's was full of gold , only shorts, no shoes or boots, a shawl covered the human's chest . How strange, so strange and intriguing.

His tail was swinging angrily, frustrated, this human is here and he was doing nothing ,that the human will not try anything that makes him restless.

Irritated by lack of understanding of the situation , Neteyam attacked, took the human's hands and lifted him up, with practiced skill he tied the human's arms to a tree, letting him hang. At all this the human simply looked at himself, confused but did not protest, he did nothing! , Hissing he looked at the human in annoyance.

"I'll ask you again vrrtep" he hiss " you demon, where are you from? " Neteyam tried to imitate his father's leader's voice, hoping that intimidation would help get answers. The human sighed "I already told you, from the Earth of a place called Teotihuacán, if you mean a clan or something like that, would it be Mexico? , I don't know, I'm not a scientist or a soldier to know how your world works." The human seemed to consider his words before laughing a little and saying " Mijo ya calmate " There was no fear in the human, he just seemed exasperated. "If you mean where I come from,i just come from my camp. I didn't think camping was a crime here ,cahuic chipilli ! " |Chill cry baby|

Neteyam stood still, thinking, the human was not a soldier and he was camping in his land . "What are you planning, you demon? , what do you want . " The human sighed again, his ears moving back in frustration, this vrrtep was so complicated.

"I don't know, just exist? You know, not all of us are terrorists or colonizers , I got tired of his mistreatment and racist comments so I took my things and left. Simple " The human frowned. " In fact many of us have been abandoning the RDA and trying to survive "

Neteyam was shocked, humans out there free doing who knows what, surviving and abandoning the RDA ? . Now curiosity invaded him again, he looked at the tied human noticing that there was a mark on his skin, near his heart there was a small bird with strange symbols. He breathed, trying to control himself, he was not a rookie. He was a warrior in training and had to take control of the situation.

"You left yours and now you're camping? , Are there more humans out there doing the same thing? " He asked after calming down.

"Sure, Jake Sully and friends fuck up company policies for blue furrys and now he is the leader of a rebellion and your people respect him , it would be stupid of us if we didn't do the same. Of course, removing the part that we do not have avatars and we are not fighting " The human responded now looking intrigued. "Can you untie me? , This is uncomfortable and I honestly don't want any problems, if you have questions just say them." Neteyam raised his ears at the mention of his father, his father did the right thing and now some demons imitate him? , curious . With his knife he cut the rope and let the human fall with a thud , hearing a murmur that was identify as a strange word 'aompanehuac' |stupid|.

Neteyam thought about what else to ask him- but the thought of something else stopped him- an obvious question. “A camp- how many humans are with you ? " The human snorted. " maybe thirty or forty humans ." The vrrtep was settling into the shawl again, covering the mark. "What are your intentions?" Neteyam asked, staring at the human .

"Few really wanted to attack, many tried to protest for the life of this planet but they were punished. The battle brought so much death, but it also gave freedom to us . We get tired of death, we get tired of being far from home and knowing that we will return in a box, we just want to survive and maybe find a new home ." The human's eyes closed for a few moments before opening them again and continuing. "When we deserted , we abandoned any intention of hurt Pandora or the Na'vi people . Now we don't carry weapons except knives for hunting and stuff like that."

Neteyam didn't know what to do with the new information. He stares- wanting to ask, but he wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

“That.. is very unusual..” he says, his voice a soft-natured whisper .

"Hey, if you're going to interrogate me and stuff, at least tell me by my name. My name is Balam .<báalam> |Jaguar |

Neteyam's ears twitched at the sound , that strange language again . "How can I trust your word? How do I know that this is not a trap to burn our home. How do I know I shouldn't kill you Balam." Calm returned to him, still unsure of the human.

"Well " Balam took a deep breath from his mask and lowered his head. "Some have left the RDA after the first great battle in which Toruk Makto defeated the 'demons', many decided to flee and settle in Pandora and live in relative peace , we hide from the na'vi and other humans . " Balam looked up and pointed to a big tree , curiously full of vines.

" If you follow that line of trees you will find a human camp , there is a cave that leads us to a kind of sediment . We really have more than sixteen years hidden and reconsidering , returning to who we were before the fight. In fact we were surprised when they returned , we thought that all the losses would have made them look for another planet to colonize but I guess we are nothing more than numbers in red . "

Neteyam found himself surprised .It was a lot to take in. Humans have come to setle and live? But weren’t they enemies- the invaders? They spent more than sixteen years simply camping, hidden from their clan and the rest of the demons. A part of him wanted to go investigate the camp- but another part of him was scared by the unknown. The humans were enemies. Were they , not?

"How is this possible, what kind of dirty lie is this? " Neteyam looked at Balam, wanting to tear off his mask to better observe his features and know if he was lying.

ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ_________________

Balam looked at the na'vi thoughtfully, looking for a way to make the na'vi understand that he was telling the truth and thus return home before James scolds him for straying so far from the camp . He looked at the notebook in his hands, his song was halfway done,It was a song for tonight's campfire, an idea arose in his mind. Their motives were complicated and each one had a reason. If this warrior wanted to learn, he should go to the camp.

"Well if I wanted to attack you or trick you, i wouldn't be standing here. And if I were the enemy I wouldn't tell you to follow me " He began to walk along the tree line, at a slow pace, listening to how the na'vi followed him. "There are more things you should know, there are actually many things... I know it's crazy that a group of humans have chosen to walk away but there is a deep reason for it..." His eyes water a little when he remembers, taking a breath from his mask he stopped in the middle of the road and looked at the na'vi .

" They decided to abandon everything, because RDA left them with nothing ." Balam felt nostalgic , his voice became sad. " They lived in a forest , something dry of course . Houses was a small cabin in a small village that was looted and burned with another cabins , people of my country protested and shouted but we could not do anything against their weapons.The RDA wins and took our lands left us homeless and to all the indigenous was sent to Pandora ." A pain in his chest made him put his hand on his heart, trying not to cry. The path became silent, and continued like this until they led to the cave.

𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏

The entrance of the cave was a large gaping hole hidden by an abundance of flowering vines, which had turned deep purple from the constant shade. A trail of flowers lead further into the rocky side of the mountain from the mouth of the cavern, where the ground was made up of rich moss, broken rock, and a few tiny pools of water from the damp air. The cave was silent and still, except for the quiet sounds of dripping water, which grew louder with every step into its dimly lit passages.

Balam still remembered the history about that day when his father got tired, along with his Mexican brothers , his people made a big protest before Sully's arrival, they made a massive protest to abandon Pandora or at least stop polluting and well , Selfridge was angry that night , many people were killed by SecOps and the bodies were cremated and used as a warning .His father was left without his family, he lost brothers , friends and his wife, with effort he was able to protect to some adolescents and young adults being the only thing left that bloody night. There was no trial, there was no report, all departments knew about it but preferred to remain silent and over time it remained a myth. His father, José, the current leader of the camp , wait for the right moment to escape with all the survivors , Jake Sully and his moment gave the perfect opportunity .

They stole equipment and masks, tools, seeds and other useful things. During the first battle they slipped away and started on their way, they walked and walked until one stumbled upon the cave .The sound of the fight had been left behind, but everyone was paranoid and tired so they entered the cave , guided by the sound of water they walked through the narrow hole and found a paradise .

A small crevice carved out of the mountain opened to reveal a crystal clear, crystal-colored waterfall. The water rushed over itself with the force of gravity down a steep incline, until it disappeared further into the cave. A few meters ahead of the crevice, there was a relatively flat section of land, where travelers could set up a small camp to refresh themselves. The cave continued even further, but the camp was the perfect place to hide. As time went by, the camp began to be 'home' , tents designed to be able to breathe without a mask were covered with wood and decorated with leaves , everything started as a way to remain hidden from the na'vi but little by little it became a kind of small vigalle . Roads began to be laid out, the bravest set up their cabins-tents on the tall flat rocks near the waterfall . A communal bonfire was set up in the middle of everything and after a few years of relative silence they were allowed to live here , decorations with flowers, they find that peels from the fruit of a tree could be used like a fiber and they began to create blankets and pennants, baskets, chairs,swings and other things .

The cave provided protection against predators and war, nature gave them food mainly fruits and vegetables that they later learned to plant, the waterfall gave them water for drinking, watering and bathing . They also discovered that during certain times fish fell through it and could obtain fish meat . When the crops prospered and they let go of the pain, some young people mated and began to have children, from twenty survivors there were twenty and five babies, and then some risked leaving the protection of their cave, encountering more people who left the RDA and they accepted them into their camp, with everyone's help they looted abandoned bases in search of useful things to prosper. And since then it had always been like that, they lived their best life dealing with the trauma in community, hunting only at certain times and fishing during "fish falls" , only when necessary did they go out in search of provisions but those times were rare.

The children, with their curiosity, tried to get away from the protection of their village, so during the bonfires the elders told them about the danger of going out, about the pain that is outside, the blue natives angry with humans, and that they should never go far or for long periods of time from the cave .

"The cave gives us what we need and no one leaves " That's what Jose used to tell Balam when he was little and asked why he couldn't explore more of the exit of the cave , his mother Nikté , when the paranoia of losing all restless the community, with her firm and sweet voice she said "We're safe and we're well provided by Eywa, we are not her children but Eywa know that we are children of Tonantzin and between mothers they share the unique bond of taking care of their own."

Balam sighed, preparing to be scolded when he and the Na'vi arrived at the communal bonfire. Those who saw them arrive were scared and they hide, the guards took their machetes and and they were placed at the entrances prepared. José and Nikte, both left their cabin looking disappointed at Balam , he had broken one of th rules that kept his village happy , safe and hidden .

_ "What does this mean Balam? " Nikté announced, looking at him and the na'vi. "Why is one of the in konetl yeliztli here? " _ His mother looked at him intently, there was doubt and confusion on her face.

_" Nonantsin , i was sitting near the north side of the forest writing a new melody for the village until this konetl yeliztli found me, he seemed intrigued and scared and he was also surprised that we left the xolopitli . " _ Balam approached his mother and took her hand, he approached the na'vi and took his hand . He put both hands on top of each other . "I thought that if he knew our history, maybe we could reach an agreement and... make alliances? "

Balam hoped with all his heart that his mother would understand and that the Na'vi would accept, if not, he would be in serious trouble.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ________________

The sound of rushing water grew louder as the trail turned to follow the fall. His ears drooped to try to identify the sound ,its water cascading down from a small crevice in the cliffs above, creating a small, secluded waterfall. As he followed the human leaving the cave behind , the birds were chittering all around, the rocks nearby being used by squirrels to keep themselves hidden with their nesting materials. A small encampment could be seen a few meters ahead of the small fall, tucked in amongst the trees and bushes at the edge of the stream.

As he approached what appeared to be a large bonfire he could see a small collection of cabins sat at the edge of the stream and on the high rocks, their walls fashioned from thin pieces of wood held together with a mix of sap and clay for waterproofing. The thatching for the roofs consisted of clumps of moss, leaves, and mud, while a series of crude logs made up the floors. They looked too primitive to be the work of RDA.

Neteyam didn't know what to expect, his decision to follow the demon had been as impulsive as if he were Lo'ak. Was it enemy territory? , he was not sure . There were no signs of suits or weapons, the guards only had large knives and nothing else, out of the corner of his eye he saw that one was holding a wet blanket. He stopped the impulse to activate his intercom, he didn't want to cause a confrontation , not when he was disadvantaged by the majority of humans. On the other hand, this demon named 'Balam' had told the truth about the camp and it was actually a beautiful place.

Neteyam remained alert at the sight of what appeared to be the leaders, an older brown-skinned man with long black hair dressed in shorts and a woman with equally brown skin , her hair It was tied in two thick braids that went up his skull and were pinned upwards , she was wearing a type skirt , and a loose white blouse . His ears twitched at the new words spoken by Balam and the woman ,he was surprised when Balam made him shake hands with the woman , her hand was warm, he could feel some calluses .

"So Balam, what is in konetl yeliztli names ? " The woman asked after analyzing neteyam's hand, looking a little less fearful.

"I am Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan , part of the Clan Omaticaya . " Neteyam responded, letting pride resonate in his words, he watched as the man closed his eyes and opened them moving his hands restlessly.

_ "Balam , nopitelontsin tell me why you you think it was right to bring him " _ The man exclaimed, he seemed quite distressed ,I didn't understand what they were saying but it seemed to be a serious matter from the tone of voice they used.

"Neteyam was curious and wanted to make sure that we were not enemies, noyolloh , notahtzin , notahtzin " Balam pointed it out to Neteyam " Don't you think it's time for us to open our doors and meet the na'vi? Let Neteyam understand us and maybe his clan will agree to reach an agreement where we do not bother them nor they bother us, this is their land and we are only here because of Eywa's generosity " Eywa's generosity? , what the demons were up to... how they talk about Eywa as if for them , she were nothing more than an all-powerful machine , why do they talk about her like their grandmother . His tail swung in uncertainty.

The man looked at Neteyam before looking at the woman, they seemed to be having a silent discussion like their parents did. "Good, but he will have to spend the mid night in the atlóztotl . Tonalli and Ollin they will watch him , guide him to the tletl . Neteyam you will hear the stories of the first group of refugees and your Balam , you are not allowed to leave the village for at least four weeks." Balaam nodded . What a peculiar group of humans.

𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘏

Two young men took him by his arms, regardless of the fact that Neteyam was taller than them, they escorted him to a bonfire further behind the first one , near of the branches of the trees that surrounded the land , they sat him on a piece of carved log in what looked like a chair and the two young men stood on his side, holding a rock knife. While waiting and as the humans approached , he noticed that most of the humans did not dress like the others or the scientists in Hells Gate , their torsos were naked and they were wearing shorts, some wore something similar to their loincloths , the women wore a long dress or long blouses, mainly in white or purple similar to the flowers that surrounded the cave , Their hair was long, braided or tied and even loose, blonde, black, brown and ashy , a variety of colors . They all wore some accessories that he never seen on humans , woven necklaces with basins and figures of animals that he could not identify , woven earrings with hints of what seemed to be unobtanium, rings and some wore feathers in their hairstyles .

The change in dynamics was strange, where the humans saw them with hatred and fury, here they looked so cautious and fearful , the humans were noisy and their machines did too much damage and instead these humans were silent and almost still as they took their place on other logs around the campfire. Even their exopags were as quiet as possible , the sound of the waterfall was the only thing that now filled the place.

Neteyam looked at the sky, the sunset was coming to an end and he should go home but this looked like a serious matter, so he turned off his intercom. His father and mother would yell at him for something so important but if he understood these humans, the information would be worth it .

When he looked down he noticed that the man from the beginning was now wearing a headdress of feathers and flowers, the woman had logs in her arms. Everyone greeted both humans, reaffirming their idea that the man and the woman were the leaders. The woman placed the logs in the circle of stones, other women approached and began to create fire.

" Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan , part of the Omaticaya, before knowing our history you must swear that no matter what you hear here, you will keep the secret of the location of our town . " The man's voice was strong and firm, he still stood holding a closed fist over his heart. The woman looked at him and made the same gesture "We know you came to find out, you can say whatever you want except the location. If you keep the location of our town to yourself, the doors will be opened to you and you will be able to get to know our tribu . " The woman's voice was just as sweet and warm as Balam's, but it had a more authoritative tone.

Neteyam imitated the gesture, assuming it was something similar to the 'pinky promise' that Spider liked to do with Tuk. A promise of deep meaning . " I will do it, I will not tell where they are hiding as long as they tell me the truth " The fire started, rose strong, illuminating the place with its powerful flames , The man and woman took seats in front of him.

" Long ago, before Jake Sully arrived, our people gathered in the operations center asking them to change some things, to move the waste somewhere else because we were infecting and polluting the earth .." The man's eyes closed and he clenched his fists. " We were one hundred workers from different areas, mainly cleaning and maintenance personnel, some engineers and mechanics... We got tired of seeing how they treated the planet and how they treated us, they were ignoring contracts from the earth that stipulated that they would be eco-friendly and respected the human rights of each worker regardless of what . We only stood in the center with banners, we were not violent or threatening, we only asked that they respect and fulfilled the agreements . "

Neteyam watched as the humans' faces contorted into grimaces or tears at the story, he swallowed, lowering his ears in understanding, preparing for the next part.

"Selfrige, that tzitzimitl order everyone to be killed. Just because he said we were inferior and were bothering . Flurries of gunfire followed us, like a strong storm with hard hail, hail that took the lives of many and left a trail of red spots and bodies . I and some of the youngest managed to escape the attack through the mercy of one of the military , of a hundred people we returned twenty . It was a massacre for asking for what was logical and necessary! . He ordered us to be killed as if we were nothing more than insects! " The previously distressed voice was filled with fury, the fire intensifying instead as if it were trying to show what they felt. " We lost friends, family, I lost my wife! to yólotl ! , the rest did nothing to help us. They just watched and stayed silent. Our loss meant nothing, the event was silenced until only rumors and the myth that Selfrige was the devil in person remained. The survivors knew that we couldn't stay there, if we couldn't stop the destruction, we weren't going to be part of it , We collect things little by little, we prepare for the moment where we would flee . It was a decision where it was either die with blood on your hands or die without blood on them. Jake Sully arrived and they began to have a new problem, the eyes of all the unjust were fixed on him and when the battle broke out, we slipped away and continued on our way. "

Neteyam was left speechless, taking in the similar pain and loss that humans had gone through, it was like listening to the songs of the people when the first battles were fought, so full of pain and unsafety .

"We spent days walking, dodging and hiding, I think it was three or two weeks before we reached our cave. our manahuia ,When we arrived we did not expect to be able to prosper, we just wanted to rest so we set up the cabin tents and so on. We were so tired that we may have slept for days , When we woke up we noticed the fruits and checked that they were safe, We eat fruit during that time, we plan what to do. Nikté was the one who took the initiative to make this place our home ." The man of the plume he pointed to the woman next to him, the one with the braids up .

"Unlike our brothers, I have always stayed close to Tonatzin and Tonatiuh, our gods , They gave me a sign that was repeated by Eywa to convince them that we should settle here .We began by arranging the tents and investigating, we explored and plotted, little by little very slowly, we began to try to heal the pain and loss by building something new from the ashes. And even though we build our homes we remain silent , until joy, fertility and the sun shone again in our souls and when the crops were strong, many were able to love and create new life, our tribe grew. What you see now is work of more than ten years, that brought tears like joy, pain and healing . " Nikté looked proud, affection in her voice as she pointed out the surroundings, the built cabins, the wooden path, the bonfire and the swings, all.

Humans were no longer demons in his eyes, Neteyam couldn't believe that <he could see> a human . Under his head he reflected, these humans were not direct enemies, they were just victims of other humans like his people.

" Oel ngati kameie ma tawtute . I understand you " He looked into the eyes of both leaders and could see the small smile between them, the rest of the tawtute they were hugging or reflecting in silence .

"Tlazohcamati miyac konetl yoliztli , thank you . Now I know that you must communicate with your clan but you must honor ours, if you swim behind the waterfall there is another cave where the ashes of those we lost are, their names, maybe that will tell you more about us. Ollin , Tonallin give him and Balam to tlacochcalli " Both young men nodded at the man's orders and escorted him through the seated humans, to the beginning of the stream, where I can see Balam sitting .

" Hey, do you know how to swim? " Balam asked from his place. Neteyam lowered her ears, she knew how to float but she had never swum. " No , I can only float and swim a little " He responded, Balam spent a moment thinking until he took a log wider and taller than him, pulled it to the beginning of the coil and let it fall.

" Use that to float, you'll have to kick hard so the current doesn't pull you back. " Balam got into the water and started swimming, Neteyam followed his example using the log. The water was warm and so bright and transparent , I could see the flora of the stream , small fish the size of human fingers swam calmly, they continued for a while until the current began to pull them back , A river connected the waterfall with the stream, the water became warm . With all his strength and holding the trunk even harder, he kicked and kicked until the current calmed down and they got even closer to the waterfall. The sound of running water was the only thing he could hear, a loud constant roar like a storm , Balam guided him through the curtain of water It was freezing cold and freezing his bones., thick drops fell on them wetting everything . He wondered how humans withstood the cold

When they crossed he noticed an entrance, a deep hole in the rock of the waterfall.

Both went into the hole illuminated a little by lanterns hanging from the cave, the sound of rushing water was replaced by the steady drip of water hitting a shallow pool. The walls made up the cavern were slick and coated in moss, with a series of small tunnels and openings carved into the rock. The ground beneath the shallow water was muddy and uneven, leading to the chance of someone slipping and falling into the pool below. A few criatures had made their home in the cave, their high-pitched chirping echoing off the slick walls, while in a few places, water seeped through the roof of the cavern.

The light dimmed with each step further into the dark abyss , Neteyam worried that it was a trap, but Balam seemed calm and respectful during the trip , they walked in the dark for a while until an intense orange illuminated the cave, the heat inside it increased .

"This is where they placed the ashes of the eighty people who died that night , José and Ikal decided that it was a perfect place where they could rest." Balam guided him to the cave, it was much larger than the one that gave the entrance to the village, with no exit in sight. Torches were placed in the corners, a bowl of fresh flowers was placed in different holes around, each hole had letters engraved below them. A large conch shell and a drum were placed on a flat rock .

" Here rest the ashes of those who have died, here begins their path to Mictlán . When someone dies, a ceremony is held where the conch and drum are played, providing a safe path to Mictlán."

Neteyam went blank, there was no doubt that the humans were being honest, he approached a hole and looked inside it. A wooden box was located at the bottom and there were traces of incense , the flowers in the bow were white and blue still fresh surrounded by a little water. " How do you read this ? " He asked when he saw the carved letters .

"Quiahuitzin ." Balam responded, Neteyam noded before walking away. There was too much to take in, the whole history, the people, the clothing, the behavior and this cave was something totally new. Something that he have never seen in humans "Your stories are real, you suffered at the hands of your own and now you found a refuge " His tail swung slowly as he saved the information, when he returned to his clan he should talk to his grandmother first, his mother would react very badly.

"Yes, well who would lie about something so sad? , When we met I was writing a song to celebrate the life we lead. " Balam approached him . "I hope your questions have been resolved."

Covered by the light and heat of the neteyam torches he looked at Balam, 'They have been resounded' he thought.

ㅤ— ¿ㅤ— ¿ㅤ— ¿ㅤ— ¿ㅤ— ¿ㅤ— ¿

The way back from the cave was silent, Neteyam was grateful for the silent, It allowed him to think as they crossed the tail of the waterfall again. The new information, history and places were enlightening ; This group of humans had nothing to do with the RDA , they intentions were peaceful. Also, it was something he had never seen in the demons, a community and celebrations, their way of dressing and their language , They were beautiful and intriguing. Neteyam should ask Norm or Max about that later.

After repeating the trip to the beginning of the rill he was received with a basket of purple fibers finely woven, inside it were ikran feathers and some others birds , a piece of wood surrounded by flowers and tied with more purple fiber, fruits and small figurines carved in amber.

'It's a tribute ' was what Nikté said when Neteyam asked about the basket . The same guards guided him to the exit of the village and reminded him of his promise to keep the place hidden. Balam said goodbye to him, promising to see him soon just from the harsh look he received from the leader and Nikte's tired look.

Night was over the sky by that time , bioluminescence and the stars of Alpha Centauri were in full bloom , it was midnight he assumed . Holding the basket he called his ikran seykarim , Neteyam noticed in the high sky the familiar green with yellow and brown stripes skin . Neteyam caress him with sweetness and realize tsaheylu , transmitting the new memories and feelings to Seykarim. They both took flight back to the clan .

The trip was slow, enjoying the luminosity of nature that surrounded him like an old friend. He hoped his dad wasn't disappointed of him.

The closer he got to High Camp , the more noise and the peaceful atmosphere disappeared , the warriors noticed him and gave notice, so he landed among the crowd and the anguished tears of his family ,he under his ears embarrassed for scaring them and not turning on his communicator . Closing his eyes for a few moments, he filled with courage and took the basket to announce out loud <" I have found a hidden human clan that has abandoned the enemies . I disappeared because they are too cautious and i was in a stranger territory "> He showed the basket with the objects inside to all the people around him, his parents were too quiet for his liking. <"They showed me where they bury their own and their motives, they have suffered at the hands of other humans and no longer wish to destroy this planet. These aliens are strange and unique, they wear feathers in their hair and jewelry made of amber , tattos and earings, their language and house ... everything about them is something I've never seen in demons. "> He searched in the basket and took out a figure carved in amber, a creature tilted in an attack position, a large open jaw with teeth and two sharp fangs , the ears back on alert with spots that looked like splashes painted with black on the amber. A beautiful figure and something that he had never seen . He took it in his hands and held it up for everyone to see <"This clan has given me this basket of gifts, proof of their existence and their intentions. , a tribute so that they preserve their peace "> His grandmother approached and took the figure from his hands, examining it before handing it to Norm's avatar. Norm seemed fascinated as he looked at the figure .

<"It seems that you have found an indigenous community from the earth , a place called Mexico has many different communities and some i couldn't even study. This looks like a Mayan carving, the figure of a jaguar, currently extinct on earth. "> Norm approached the basket and took out the rest of the carved figures, his grandmother took the flowers from the basket looking thoughtful. <" Wow ,a dog and a turkey , an ocelot . Definitely a Mayan community or at least descendants , you said they abandoned the RDA , rigth ? maybe it's that group that was attacked.. Grace told me about a group that was attacked for being Na'vi sympathizers and stopping a looting of urubatium , but she said they were imprisoned and returned to Earth >" Norm had all the figures in his hands, held as if they were toys while looking at Neteyam.

<"They lied, they killed their families during a peaceful protest against pollution , the leader lost his wife and the other humans also lost loved ones. They said they used the massacre to control those who were beginning to rebel, They were given ashes and more work, they gathered their forces after that and during the first battle they escaped . Its place is hidden in some caves but I can't say more, not yet. "> Neteyam wagged his tail as he faced the harsh gaze of his mother and father. <"They didn't even have weapons, only hunting knives and spears , They were scared when they saw me arrive and they hid. There was a young man who helped me connect with the leaders ">

The crowd was quiet, waiting for what their father would say. <" Neteyam, what you have done has been dangerous but useful, tomorrow we will go together , me and the Tsahìk to analyze your intentions. I promise you that we will thoroughly analyze the situation. "> The clan nodded and little by little the crowd dispersed, casting glances at the figures in Norm's hands.His family along with Spider stayed in the middle, his mother looked disturbed. His brothers approached the basket and took out the rest of the trinkets. Kiri held one of the purple flowers in her hands and began to whisper to Spider, Lo'ak seemed more interested in the feathers held on a string and Tuk approached to Norm to investigate the figures .

<" Neteyam what you have done is dangerous and you will not be in the air during the next missions , you are punished . Tomorrow you will take me and your grandmother to that clan. Your mom will also go to sky to support us "> His father took him by the arms and brought him close to his chest, hugging him, his mother still seemed conflicted.

<" You must believe me, they taught me something similar to the tree of souls, obviously in its human way . They seemed as hurt and tired as we were about the war, the guy who guided me seems like he got in trouble for it , they wanted to remain hidden and according to them they have been living there for more than 10 years. "> He hugged his father, closing his eyes while his mother caressed his hair. He loved his parents very much

<" Neteyam, my joy, it is difficult to believe that and we will have to kill them if they are dangerous, humans are all the same ."> When he opened his eyes he saw the grimace on Spider and Max's face , Kiri rolled her eyes and approached the mass of hugs . <" I want to go too, i want to observe them. I'll take Lo'ak and Spider if necessary, Tuk can stay with Ninat or one of his friends">

Before his parents refused, Neteyam responded softly <" Maybe later Kiri. I think that my presence, that of grandmother and dad will be enough. I've never seen humans scared like that before,i promise that i will order another basket with things for you."> He pointed to Spider and Lo'ak, who were beginning to conspire with each other. <"Don't even think about following us, if it's safe you can visit the clan later . Tuk will watch you . "> Lo'ak looked offended and Spider nodded. <" Okay, but then you'll take me there "> Kiri took Lo'ak and Spider to go with Tuk and Norm. During the talk, his parents seemed to be having a silent conversation, while his grandmother remained silent. <"Before going tomorrow I will ask Eywa, just to warn. These humans have already taken too much from us .Now everyone go rest, tomorrow will be an important day. ">