#this is what i mean guys its a nightmare and a miracle i can get anything done ever when i get distracted so easily

[xxplastic-cubexx]

i didnt plan to spend my sunday this way

[bookstantrash]

A/N: This took a while to post even though it had been written for quite some time lol sorry. It is also the last already written fic I had and the last RED TV titled one (for now, I’ll absolutely write more in the future, one day)

I have an Emerie centric fic that I hope I can finish writing soon now that I am on a break from uni, but I make no promises given my record track I also plan to start studying for my bar exam so there’s that

Anywaaaaays hope you guys enjoy some soft Nessian!

But I don't wanna dance (if I'm not dancing with you)

It had not escaped Nesta’s attention how her husband sometimes left their bed in the late nights. After their talk about his nightmares —  after how he had promised to wake her up and talk when he had a bad dream — his disappearances had become irregular and rare. But recently he had begun to take longer to go to bed, finding excuses to make her lay down before him, or even waking up before the sun had even risen. Nesta knew Cassian was used to waking up with the first rays of sunlight, while she preferred to sleep in — although the early morning training sessions with the Valkyries made her wake up a bit earlier then she would have preferred. However, now he was awake before even the sun had made an appearance and well, she would be lying if that did not bother her.

She had tried to wake up early with him to discover what he was up to, but that had proved to be impossible very quickly. She was not a morning person at all, and all it took was Cassian leaving some kisses on her neck and shoulder, whispering for her to go back to sleep and promising pancakes to make her burrow herself in the furs and mumble that “they better have chocolate chips or else”.

Nesta had also attempted to find where he disappeared to late in the night, something that was turning out to be more difficult than she had expected. Although the House was big and had more rooms than they would ever use, she had made sure to investigate each and every one of them whenever she had the time.

She found nothing. It was as if Cassian’s disappeared to a different dimension, making her reach one conclusion: the House was Cassian’s accomplice in whatever it was that he was up to.

The fact that the House —  who in nine out of ten cases sided with her — had decided to cover up whatever it was that her mate was doing left her puzzled. And, if she was being honest, a little shocked. And betrayed. But if Nesta Archeron was known for something it was for her cunning mind and ability to charmspeak her magical house with smutty books.

So she bid her time, waiting for Cassian to slip off of their bed at midnight while she pretended to be asleep, leaving a kiss on her temple. She waited for a few heartbeats, her Fae hearing making it possible to listen to his footsteps disappearing completely. When she was sure he had left, she threw back the covers and, opening her bedside table’s drawer, grabbed a wrapped package.

“I know that you and Cassian are hiding something from me” Nesta said to the House but all she got in response were the faelights flickering thrice.

“No? You don’t know what I mean?” she shrugged, waving the package around “And here I was, debating letting you read Sellyn Drake’s newest romance before me…”

That made the faelights turn on and shine brightly, and Nesta knew she had gotten Its attention. Having two younger sisters — one of them who liked to prove herself at every opportunity available  —  she knew exactly what to say to get what she wanted done. She didn’t even have to resort to the courtier techniques her awful mother had drilled into her since she learned how to talk.

Nesta could still remember when they lived at their mansion in the human lands, their mother and father gone for the weekend for some stupid engagement party of some even stupider high ranking noble family at their snobby generations old countryside manor.  By some small miracle their horrid grandmother was absent and the governess had gotten sick at the last minute, and with little time to hire someone, they had to make do with only the maids, who were less rigid and mean than what Nesta and her sisters were used to.

And they had enjoyed that weekend to the fullest. Nesta thought that had been the only time they had truly been able to be just children and enjoy themselves. And with that came a closeness and sisterly attitude that was usually lacking between the sisters.

Feyre had pulled pranks on them, hiding behind doors and jumping to scare them, or leaving fresh paint in Elain’s porcelain tea set, making her get her hands all dirty.

Elain had retaliated by baking Feyre’s favourite muffin — an indulgence reserved solely for her birthday, given that “ladies do not eat sweets all the time if they wanted to maintain a proper figure” — but using salt instead of sugar, adding a bit of some spice their father had brought back from one of his travels. Feyre had spit the muffin and chugged an entire glass of water to wash away the taste.

Nesta remembers the cook’s dejected face after seeing the mess Elain had left in his kitchen, having listened to Elain’s pleading eyes and letting her roam free in the otherwise forbidden space.

Meanwhile, Nesta had simply said to five year old Feyre that they “would play statue” and had gotten herself the rest of day to read in peace as her littlest sister was set on “winning the game”.

In conclusion, all she had to do was apply a similar tactic to the House.

“But well, if you insist that there is nothing going on…” she shrugged, opening the drawer and putting the book inside again.

Nesta was about to close the drawer when the book disappeared, the door to her room opening and the lights flashing, as if to say “follow me”.

Works every time, she thought with a sly smile, sliding her robe on as she left her room.

The House guided Nesta through the hallways, making her stop in front of an empty guest room she had previously checked.

“Are you sure Cassian’s in there?” she asked, for a second doubting whether the House knew where Cassian went or if It only wanted to read the smutty book first.

The fae lights outside flicked twice, and Nesta saw the door changing, becoming wider until it was a double door, definitely the kind that did not open to guest bedrooms.

“You glamoured yourself?” she said in disbelief, but the House merely opened a sliver of the door and flicked the fae lights again, as if to say ‘go on, I told you where your mate is now let me go back to my smutty book’.

Shaking her head, she approached the door, spying the room through that tiny crack, her eyes widening at the scene she saw.

Her husband and mate was dancing.

Nesta could see the Symphonia playing in the corner of the room while Cassian danced, stepping on glittering footsteps that showed what he should do and where he should go.

“I think I might be getting the hang of it,” he said with a small satisfied smile “But I don’t know about my arms… It is a bit weird to keep them in position without holding something…”

Pursing his lips, Cassian shook his head.

“Maybe I should have asked for a dummy to practise with…” he furrowed his brow “House, do you think you would be able to make it happen, please?”

However, the House had other plans. No sooner had Cassian spoken, the door suddenly opened all the way, making Nesta stumble into the room and come into her mate’s view.

“You little traitor!” Nesta hissed under breath.

“Nes? What are you doing here?” he arched an eyebrow “I thought the House was on my side for once, but I guess I was mistaken.”

“Well, It did end up bringing me a rehearsal partner so I suppose I am not completely upset at my surprise being ruined.” Cassian added with a lopsided smile, walking towards Nesta and grabbing her hand, bringing her closer with a slight tug on her waist.

The faelights inside the room flicked once, the door closing and the Symphonia starting a new tune. Nesta figured that was the way of the House saying ‘my job here is done, do not bother me until I am done with my book’.

With the Symphonia playing a new melody, Cassian pulled Nesta into the song with him.

“This is the first time you’ve led,” Nesta noted. Usually, she would be the one to take the lead and Cassian would follow her.

It was a bit unusual for the male partner to be the one following instead of being followed, but that had never bothered him. Cassian always let Nesta take the lead, not just when they danced. He knew her strengths and weaknesses. He knew she could take on her own fights and defend herself, but that did not mean that he left her all on her own. He was always there beside her, cheering her on, being there to support her but also give her a different perspective on things. Sure, they argued sometimes, just like every couple. However, they would not have gotten where they were and their relationship would not be what it was if they didn’t. At the end of the day, they always reached an understanding after voicing their opinions. And well, if that sometimes led to some makeup sex neither of them were complaining.

“Am I doing it well, Nes?” he asked, twirling her. 

“You are doing okay I guess,” she answered, trying not to fuel his already big ego even more. But Cassian was indeed dancing more smoothly than the other times. Now, it resembled like when he was lost in the dangerous and deadly dance of fighting he displayed in training. Like when Nesta had stood atop a little hill and watched silently as Cassian rained down upon Hybern’s armies.

“Liar,” he purred, spinning her so her back was against his chest, “I would like to think that I am doing it well after all that practising, but shadow dancing is definitely not the same when you dance properly with a partner.”

Nesta could not see his face, but she knew. She knew just from the way his voice trembled a little, some false bravado and swagger put on it. She knew from the way his end of the bond seemed to waver in uncertainty, just a bit. And she remembered the very first time they had danced together, when he had all but pushed Eris aside while asking for her next dance. At the time, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when she saw his hand trembling slightly but maybe… maybe it had not been her imagination.

Did Cassian also practise in secret before that day? Had he been nervous that maybe it had not been enough and that he would end up embarrassing himself in front of her? Had that been why he had seemed so unsure and anxious despite the brave face he portrayed?

“You are right, it is different to dance with someone in comparison to dancing alone.” Nesta said, turning around so she could look into the hazel eyes she loved so dearly “But you are my mate, so of course you are dancing well.”

That had Cassian opening one his brightest smiles, his end of the bond singing and shining.

“But why not ask the House for a dancing partner from the start? It is not the most impossible thing for It to do” she wondered, thinking about all the things the House had made out of thin air on other occasions.

“Well, I am a mated male now,” Cassian answered, dipping her in time with the last note of the song “I was hesitant to dance with anyone else”

“Cassian, it would not be a real partner” Nesta replied, rolling her eyes fondly at him.

He brought his face closer to hers, still holding her in the dipped position. But Nesta was not worried about falling. She knew that her mate's strong arms could hold her that way all day if she asked.

And she also knew that he would break her fall if he was to lose his balance somehow.

“What can I say?” he kissed her, smiling against her mouth “I don’t want to dance with anyone apart from my wife.”

And a month later when the Night Court went to a ball being held in Winter Court to celebrate the birth of Kallias and Viviane’s daughter, Cassian showed off the results of his practice, dancing with Nesta the entire night.

•

tag list: @sayosdreams @perseusannabeth @arinbelle @letstakethedawn @katekatpattywack @nestaarcheron @imagine-me @sv0430 @starryblueskies7 @live-the-fangirl-life @valkyriewarriors @readskk @wannawriteyouabook @imwritingthesewords @rainbowcheetah512 @moodymelanist @castielspelvis

[Reblogs/likes/comments are always welcomed!!]

[vulnonapixs-marvel-corner]

Uhh, hi… I have a request.

A chaiflower with gayatri (I forgot the name of their ship) where one of them notices miles has freckles and gushes at how cute they are.

(I really wish I can explain it further but my head is too full… <- I don’t wanna explaining this)

This is so adorable! I love it! Its, sad that i couldn't give it any honor. 😭

I also have another version that plays with the fact that Pavitir hadn't yet seen his face

"Can I see your face?"

Pavitr nearly choked on his spit and stared at his girlfriend in shock, as she leaned into Miles's space.

"I know that you have a secret identity and all, but I'd like to get to know the person who saved my dad. Pav can vouch for me."

They sat on the roof of a construction site, away from the eyes and ears of the world.

Just the three of them, after he had asked for the black-cladded Spiderman's help with dealing with his world's electro.

That little shit was an ashole to deal with and Miles just happened to be immune against any kind of electricity.

Fighting with him had made things a lot easier, even if he still felt as if he was made out of bruises.

Nothing that his healing factor and a few kisses from his girlfriend wouldn't fix and certainly better than the electric burns he would have gotten otherwise.

He let himself fall into her lap and gave his friend a cheerful smile.

"Don't worry about her! She is my woman in the chair and utterly trustworthy."

To make his case clear he nodded, as Gayatri leaned down and gave him a soft kiss on his nose.

It made him blush happily, as the pain all but disappeared

Telling her about Spiderman was truly the smartest thing he has done in his entire life.

He could practically feel the other boy roll his eyes at him in a good-natured way.

"I will choose to believe the guy that would destroy the universe for his beautiful girl. Sure~"

He drew the Sure out and it was clear that the boy was smiling as he said it.

Pavitr couldn't help the laugh bubbling from his chest.

"That's rich coming from you Mr. Daddy's boy! "

He truly did deserve the web hitting his face, as both Gayatri and Miles broke into laughter themselves.

It was a miracle that they could joke about what happened.

His Dimension was fine, the spot collapsed into himself, and Mr

Morales got away with a broken leg.

Sure, the HQ was in shambles and everyone was reorganizing and the trust he once held with his friends was broken, but nothing that time wouldn't heal.

It's what he hoped.

Even though he still wakes up from nightmares where he is cradling his beloved's cold body whilst Hobie and Gwen just watch.

Not that this mattered.

"YOU CRULE MONSTER! MY POOR HAIR!"

Their laughter became louder, as cold fingers gently detached the web.

Seems like Miles exhausted himself in the fight after all.

He should probably get him a blanket and some chai.

"Poor you... Everyone is being mean to you. "

He wanted to throw a comment at his friend's head, as his dark brown eyes were captured by honey brown ones.

Miles must have slipped down his mask after blinding him and it made his brain freeze.

It slowly occurred to him that he never really saw the other's face.

"Hey there!"

The other boy had freckles that littered his face like stars and a smile that seemed to shine like the sun.

It was unexpected.

Not that he expected anything at all.

"I hope that I am not all too disappointing!"

[howdy-folks-its-showtime]

April Update!

Howdy! Cobalt here, as many of your guys know It’s Showtime and its characters/story are gonna be turned into a horror game by the same title. So for both Gamejolt and this blog I am gonna start trying to do monthly updates on development. I think it’ll be a good way to put into perspective how much progress is being made each month and keep you guys in the know about how things are going. These are gonna be formatted with work made that month going first and then afterwards any other small announcements or thoughts we’d like to share on development. That or things that weren’t created that month that I basically keep stored in case we have months where progress is slow or I can’t show much behind the scenes stuff. These logs will likely contain personal stuff too, since with me and my partner being the main heads of the project. Our well-being or IRL goals are relevant to how much work is being done. Also while developing Showtime I intend to create other games similar to it, to sort of learn and test the waters + Since those ones aren’t tied to an IP I can actually make money off of them. Something I can’t [or at least not without Mike n Meatly’s permission I suppose] with Showtime or its characters.

April was sadly, not my month, I found out I was vitamin D deficient and got a slight fever. So I spent a lot of days tired and recovering from that. Progress has still been made though, mostly on learning 3D modeling more, I’m almost done with a model I’m making for someone else actually and while it is not perfect by any means… I think it looks really awesome for being my maybe fourth or third model and it’ll be my first truly finished model as well. I also have made good progress on writing both dialogue and summaries of Showtime’s story. I did particularly get ideas for a good chunk of Showy's campaign however, which involves a character I was on the fence about including in Encore!... Until very recently... Art wise not too much has been done specifically this month besides some concept art for cycle designs and some progress on textures for the studio. But that’s okay cause we’re not really at a spot where major progress can be made art wise yet. There’s so much more I want to share but I’ll be doing my best to space out those things out between updates. So no update is too long or too short with nothing interesting in there. Also sorry this is all so vague and non-specific I’m gonna try and get in the habit of actually documenting what work is being done on Showtime monthly from now on, so I’ll be able to be more specific about what parts are being chipped away at.

So onto something that didn’t happen this month but is important we have decided to switch to Unity instead of Unreal Engine 4. I’d like to take some time to explain why and also make sure nobodies too anxious over the change. For one thing, not a lot of progress was made on Unreal Engine, you could hear footsteps as you walked, use a buggy animation to enter a miracle station and the map was just a room full of lights. This is due to the fact while working in Unreal Engine was interesting and I learned quite a bit, I found myself often feeling it was not a good fit for Showtime and that trying to make it so was fighting against the engine as opposed to working with it. Unreal Engine seems to be built for realistic, open world or multiplayer FPS type games. That’s not to say you can’t make anything else with it, but finding tutorials for things I wanted to do was. Basically a nightmare because youtube was flooded with videos on how to make those games specifically. Another big aspect however was the general style. Unreal Engine is great if you want very realistic lighting and have a computer that can tank the sort of weight of that too. Neither is true for me however, Showtime’s characters are all very stylized, our humans are cartoony have clear shapes and most of all, I just want Showtime’s overall style to pay loving homage to 1930’s and general 2D Animation. I think both are really underappreciated and god do I love them. Also I’m making this on literally a laptop, a new one and not a janky one by any means, but still not a desktop. Unreal Engine works great for those who know how to use it and want to create the games it was optimized for, but it’s not ideal for my purposes, Godot seems promising but Unity is just great at specifically doing what I want to do with Showtime. It’s great for beginners to Game Development, has plenty of tutorials for all kinds of games and is very flexible in style. Sadly nothing is better at being Unity than Unity right now. I’m still mad about what the CEO did, and I’m glad for those who were able to switch engines to those with better management but it’s not really an option for us currently. Of course, this will put things back a bit but I’ve already been learning how to build a basic map in Unity and so far have only run into a few issues. Still I would love any advice on how to do this, esp from those who had made games similar to BATIM and other mascot horrors. [I have been thinking of building the maps inside Blender first and then importing them into Unity, to see if that’s easier or practical, but mostly I would love to hear what others commonly do to build such intricate interior design in Unity.] Either way while this month wasn’t terribly exciting by no means was no work done, just nothing too fun to show off yet.

[furballfaggot]

my buddy convinced me to make an animal jam play wild account since it actually still gets proper updates and so far my feelings have been. mixed. overall i havent done nearly as much as anyone else bc my account has existed for maybeee 2 or 3 hours? so this is just my first impressions. im also kinda biased bc ive been playing animal jam classic for years and years and YEARS. back when 9 + 10 = 21 was still unironically funny and every cool kid in class read warriors. might update this post with extra thoughts as i go along! all opinions below the cut bc this is an absurdly long post

ive only played a few levels of overflow (and it might be because i played on expert because i Definitely have no overbearing hubris casting a shadow upon my better judgement) but the gem payout being higher than AJC for each level you complete is a very welcome change (2 gems times X number, seemingly determined by how long your path is, vs AJPWs i think it was like 5 gems times X number determined by how long your path is? either that or like 10. idk i blew a whole half hour on overflow alone and it was almost 6 AM by the time i finished so my brains kinda muddled)

also, membership has become far less of an overbearing nightmare monster for AJPW in comparison to AJC! thats a good thing! personally i think that membership just Shouldn't but thats because i think any monetarily-accessed subscription anythings just Shouldn't especially in this day and age. i got to go to the clothing store and buy things i liked and i didnt just have to longingly stare at the paywalled options like a maiden gazing out to sea and it felt great

dont like how theres so many fewer options for shopping for Like Everything but its a far more ambitious game than AJC what with everything being 3d modeled, and its got a younger target demo and theyre usually happy with whatever looks cool, so it checks out. haha. funny pun that was intended definitely. whats there is also pretty great and the den item options you get started off with are both way more cool and way more More than classic in its hayday. idk about the ajc starting den items now though i dug my old account from the ashes of who i once was when i decided to pick classic up again. i dont actually remember if you start with any den items in ajc now that i think about it i might be misremembering. that still means play wild has that point against classic though. shame theres no water animals but they could maybe possibly be added in an update pretty please wildworks if by some miracle youre reading this i am begging and pleadi

really my main issue so far is with how many things cost real-world money. theres next to nothing that requires a membership to even be bought aside from one members-only map location my buddy warned me about beforehand -- which, as a reluctant f2p since literally like 5th grade, ive been playing this game for Far too long, i do genuinely appreciate -- but boy oh boy you can sure tell this was mainly developed as a mobile game. there is so much pay-real-money-for-trinkets stuff and you just Cannot disable that menu. at least let me get rid of the little button that tells me i can spend the hard-earned bucks on moms credit card to get 1/4th the amount of animals of AJC man thats all i ask of this part

also this is largely unrelated but can i just say i DESPISE how many things are like "hi heres a welcome bonus :) oh but you need to pay like 3 bucks for it. yeah its usually 5 but for a Special New Player Like You? its a steal!" like thats not a welcome bonus thats an entry fee. i know thats like a paltry amount of money compared to most things Just Ever but its also coming from a guy whos family usually has zero money to spare

[davidhatter]

Getting Into Knives || Hatfish

baenxietydad​:

`

“Ah, so they live close enough,” Mu-yeol noted aloud as he observed the kind of smile on the older man’s face. He was probably much older than at least some of his siblings; that smile was full of pride, like when you thought about your kids. “It’s not good to be too far away from your family for long if you can help it.”

He couldn’t help but feel quite jealous. It wasn’t fair that his big, tight-knit family had to be on the other side of the world. It was his own fault of course. He knew that. Nobody left anybody except for him. At the same time he knew leaving was the right choice for Nemo…or hoped it was anyway. Even if, in hindsight, leaving was the wrong choice for him.

Had Mu-yeol stayed in Korea and had his family and Soon-ja around to help him, perhaps his grief wouldn’t have unhinged its jaw and swallowed him whole and he would have come out the other side a battle ragged but still familiar version of himself. Had his siblings been around, maybe they would’ve woken up to his nightmares instead of his son and his never never would have felt burdened by him. With Soon-ja by his side, she would have been there to remind him not to shove this generational curse into his son’s hands. Maybe if he had his father, who suffered more than he ever would, who had lost even more than him, he could have learned to live again. If he had his home country, his language spoken all around him, maybe he wouldn’t feel like a space alien both in and out of the Hollow. And perhaps if he had his pixie community, the one he was born into, maybe he wouldn’t hate himself for the capital offense of being a fairy.

None of this was Mr. Hatter’s fault of course, so he did not bring any of this up. It would require telling him the truth about many things. About how So-yeon was murdered. About how he lied to his own son for his entire life because his grief chewed up his love for his late wife and spat it back out as paranoia, anxiety, and a burning hatred for the world. About how he let himself be consumed by his trauma for so long that it choked Nemo too.

None of these things would make him seem very likable.

“You and your sister are probably all the kids’ favorites,” Mu-yeol said. “It was always my one aunt that never had kids that we all favored. She gave the best presents, didn’t have her own kids to side with so she’d tell all of the cousins who was being the dumbass in a fight, and most importantly she’d cover for us when we’d sneak out of the Hollow  to go into human Daegu. Do you know how hard it is to sneak out and sneak back in when your father is Scout talent captain and every Scout fairy knows exactly whose kid you are? Aish, and everyone but my aunt and mother was afraid of my father so they’d snitch on us.” Mu-yeol said with a laugh through his nose.

Ah, wait. That sounded bad. Best clarify.

“Not that my dad – he isn’t scary in the ‘he’d a bad, awful man and everyone knows it’ sense. Scary in the ‘we all know what he did during the Occupation, I wouldn’t mess with him’ sense. He was an independence activist and guerrilla fighter. And I –” get my PTSD triggered by the Backstreet Boys because it was blaring from a bar close to where my wife got murder-stabbed “– read books and have too many feelings about The Mountain Goats.”

--

Close enough was a good way of putting it. Far enough to have made their own places to call home but not so far as to be out of reach. It hadn’t always seemed like it was going to be that way but they had all decided that they liked one another enough to keep in contact. There was no question as to whether they loved one another of course, but they were siblings who had lived on top of one another until they had the means to get out into the world themselves. It was a miracle they all still liked one another in Hatter’s opinion. Especially him, who’d had to be the bad guy most of the time.

All this to say, he couldn’t imagine being a whole half a world away from any of them.

He smiled and shook his head because, no. Sam was probably the kids’ favorite. He was good with them and had studied illusions when his dream of being a jock was hit with the reality of him being an academic. So while Hatter could give the kids food that they’d actually eat Sam was putting on the best game of pretend the street had seen. Enough to bring the whole block around to participate, kids getting to step into a brand new world that left them ready to sleep through the night and their parents grateful.

His eyebrows arched, higher and higher, the more Mr. Bae spoke about his families. About his father. He certainly sounded scary, but given the little explanation, he figured the man had reason to be. Occupation...sounded pretty serious.

“Eh, that’s for the best though. Parents are supposed to want to make sure their kids have it better than they did, right?” he asked. Genuinely. Coming from someone hadn’t had a parent for very long and who wasn’t a parent himself.

[prophxtslash]

Can we pretty please get David king, Dwight, Bill and and with their s/o both escaping the entities relam and what life is like after for them??

Sure! I love concepts like this! Slapped a read more on, bc i can't keep headcanons  for each of the guys under 300 words apparently 🤦🏻‍

Life Post-Entity

David King

Life following such a traumatic experience is most definitely…hard, for the both of you. There’s times where it almost seems like a trick, like a cruel prank where you’re waiting for the inevitable gotcha! moment to occur. This applies to David as well; you can’t count how many times you’ve woken up to find him at the door, his back pushed against the wood with a baseball bat across his lap as he sleeps, his head hung low. It’s almost laughable, the idea of stopping the Entity with something so mundane as a bat. Regardless, you curl up next to him, snuggling into his side as dragging him back to bed would be too much of a hassle.

The first few months following your escape are the worst, nightmares plaguing both you and David night after night after night. Exhaustion seeps through you both, and there are many times where one’ll find the other collapsed against the floor, the need to sleep trumping all else. The worst times are when you wake in a rush, your mind playing tricks as you see a hook above you, the ground below you sticky with blood. Your breath catches, eyes wide as David scoops you up in his arms, pulling you flush against his chest as he comforts you, soft whispers pressing into the top of your head as you weakly return his (albeit crushing) hug. Neither of you comment on the incident.

Yet, life goes on unfortunately, and you wouldn’t have expected how something so normal as going grocery shopping can turn into a nightmare. A too harsh of a scrape against metal, or the sound of a knife against a chopping board has you and David both tense, your body taut and ready should you need to escape. Yet, when you feel David hand in your own, his arm pulling you towards him, your heart beat slows, and the shivering subsides, if only a little. You don’t want to imagine what this would have been like if he wasn’t here with you.

Dwight Fairfield

Unlike David, Dwight cowers, his paranoia heightened tenfold the moment he returns back to the normal world. Loud sounds frighten him, his knuckles white against the black of his hair as he folds himself into the corner. He doesn't cry, doesn’t wail; he makes choking, gasping sounds, much like a fish out of water. He feels your hand against his forearm and he shakes, his eyes shut tightly as you duck under his arms, your hands rising to his cheeks. The two of you remain there for some time.

An experience as harrowing as the Realms reaps its own consequences when one returns to their regular life. It’s a miracle you and Dwight are both still (fairly speaking) functioning; neither one of you has once ventured back out of the apartment since your return. Everything is delivered, despite there being a store only a five minute walk away. Even interactions with others are non-existent, every transaction happening through the phone or mail. Too much can happen in such little time, especially in such a world where anyone is vulnerable at any given time. Yes, staying here is the safest and being together is survival.

You feel broken and scarred; everything scares you both. The ever looming threat of being sent back to that hell is always present, a prospect you and Dwight are more than well aware of. Life is no longer living; it’s a means of survival, as paranoia plagues your every thought, your every movement. You can’t remember how it was before, how it was to get up and just go in the morning. That person from before is no longer, a fact you mourn with each passing day. Yet, you’re relieved to not have to face these revelations alone. Dwight looks over, a small smile present despite his worried gaze. It could have been a lot worse.

Bill Overbeck

Bill was strong, is strong; life before the Realms had been incredibly hard as well, and as such, Bill is no stranger to trauma and the like. And yet, something about his experience in the Realms has him hesitating, has him changing. Quiet moments stress him out, his hands curled into fists as he struggles to shut out the smell of campfire, the couch beneath him beginning to feel akin to that of a tree log. He clenches the cigarette between his teeth, and his jaw tightens as he tries to focus on the tv, focus on anything but that awful place. Your hands drift to his shoulders, the touch seeping into his skin as he un-clenches his teeth, his eyes heavy as he turns towards you, raising a palm to caress your cheek.

You force yourselves to take daily walks around the neighborhood; rotting in the house all day would only make it worse, only heighten the memories. Even so, certain things that once had its charm before now only remind you of the Realms. A tree branch that looks too much like a clawed hand, a hooded person walking past a little too close for your liking, a mother humming a lullaby to her baby; the list is endless. Yet, with a clenched jaw and Bill’s hand in your own, you push through, forcing your mind to focus on the present, focus on here. You will get past this; you are stronger than you were before, and you must be ready, should this all disappear, should you be back in that hell.

Day by day it gets a little easier, and before you know it, the tree branch is a tree branch once more, the hooded teenager another passerby in the night, and the mother simply soothing her own with a comforting melody. Neither you nor Bill ever bring up the Realms, nor the people there. You hope against hope that your friends had made it out as well; that they too were able to return to some sense of normalcy, whatever that may look like for each of them. You refuse to dwell on the ones who plagued you, the ones who slaughtered you day in, day out, and you most certainly do not linger on the Entity, its tendrils creeping from the ground as it skewers you in your abdomen, the pain hot and immediate, a scream rising in your throat as you thrash and–

Bill’s in front of you, both of his hands pressed against the side of your face as he watches you, saying nothing as you nuzzle into the palm of his hand, your eyes shut close as a lump forms in your throat. Day by day, it gets a little easier, and one day, it’ll all be a distant memory.

[the-faces-and-voices-in-my-head]

A Miracle in September

Alright, let me give you a short explanation for what will happen next.

I am not a writer and I will never see myself as a writer.

However, I might have some ideas hidden deep down and they happen to float when they grow bigger than my brain and my heart to take.

You guys are the best place to share whatever you will read with.

You are more than welcome to love it, hate it, or ignore it.

But of course, If It is up to me, I hope it gives you a happy moment.

@i-am-no-body Since it was your request to write something, I did it now let's share whatever reactions we get together XD

It was a windy day, the leaves and thin branches were moving with the wind proving how strong it was; sitting in his wheelchair, Levi Ackerman watched the scene quietly from the large window in his room.

It started as a beautiful day of the autumn season.

Levi's favorite season.

He was lost in his thoughts until a tiny persistent sound forced him back to reality. He pushed the wheelchair closer to the window where he saw a cat struggling to stay balanced on the edge of another close window to his.

-Tch! what an idiot!

The cat made this long heart-wrenching sound as if she was screaming for help, Levi lived on the fifth floor and if she fell, it would be a deadly fall for sure. Levi watched her for a moment then moved his wheelchair again to get one of his crutches that he often uses when he has to move longer than the usual distance he can walk.

He supported the crutch while pushing its wide end to where the scared cat stood. He thought he might create a bridge for her to reach to his window and he will take her inside; the cat didn't disappoint him, she started moving carefully walking on the crutch until she reached Levi's window and jumped into his lap.

Levi caught her with one hand, pulled the crutch back, and closed the window with the other hand.

-Here...I got you...Don't be scared.

The cat's heart was beating faster than usual even for her, Levi checked if she was injured anywhere then decided to start by feeding her.

-Wait here, I will make you a tasty lunch.

Levi has always been kind to animals, stray cats were his closest friends in his childhood so he didn't try to hide his love and kindness towards them as he has always done among humans.

Levi got up slowly and went towards the kitchen.

-Captain Levi!

Falco ran after Levi trying to help him in whatever he needed to walk for.

-Bring me a clean bowl Falco.

Not knowing what for, Falco brought a bowl to Levi, White milk filled the bowl while Falco watched in confusion: Captain...Are you hungry?

-Tch, do you think I drink milk from a bowl, brat?

Falco raised his hand in defense: No...no...I thought you are preparing cereals...they are usually put in milk.

-Ce...What?

-Falcoooo, I found a cute cat in captain Levi's room!

Levi was one who responded: Why are you in my room in the first place Gabi?

Gabi came with a wide happy smile on her face holding the cat excitedly: We wanted to check on you captain...we missed you and planned to spend the day with you.

Levi knew why...and he was grateful to the two brats whom he considered as a family ever since the nightmare ended.

He was aware what day tomorrow is but they came earlier than he expected them to come.

The doorbell rang and quiet knocks followed.

-MR ONYANKOPON IS HERE CAPTAIN LEVI!

Gabi's voice rang in the house while Levi was walking to the living room where Gabi took the cat.

-Falco, how do you survive this noisy one without going deaf?

Falco smiled shyly: I got used to her, captain.

And Levi knew more than anyone how to live with a loud cheerful one.

-Oh, where did you find this beautiful one, Levi?

-She was stuck like an idiot on the edge of a near window.

Onyankopon smiled and said: then you saved her right?

Levi's slightly blushing face answered for him.

Onyankopon continued: Once a hero, always a hero.

-Shut up smart hat!

Onyankopon laughed knowing how Levi reacts to compliments yet he never stopped expressing his admiration and gratitude to the man who saved the world despite everything he lost...and everyone.

The cat jumped from Gabi's arm to Levi's lap again ignoring the food.

-Oh? the cat already chose her owner Gabi!

-Well, this just gives me more reasons to stay with Captain Levi.

Levi stroked the white fur lovingly and talked to the cat: what? not hungry? or you didn't like it?

The cat returned the kind gesture by touching Levi's fingers with her paw then jumped again to where the bowl is and started drinking the milk in a graceful manner.

-Levi! The cat is well behaved! I thought she is going to make a mess!

Levi watched her silently but the admiration was obvious on his handsome face.

Gabi said: I will prepare the lunch then, come with me, Falco!

Falco's blushing cheeks explained what he wanted so the two men nodded in approval.

Onyankopon smiled and said: Ah that young love.

Levi didn't respond, verbally at least but he raised his hand and touched the stitches on his face nodding in agreement quietly.

Onyankopon knew how Levi felt.

It was the afternoon of the 4th of September.

In reality, it was a reminder of the unforgettable one they lost almost a year ago and in a better world, it would be almost her birthday.

Onyankopon closed his eyes for a moment and whispered: Happy Birthday Commander Hange...

As if she was called, the cat returned to Levi's lap again with a graceful jump but this time she climbed his chest and with her little paw touched the stitches on his face.

Both of the men were surprised and confused.

Levi's eye on this side was no longer able to serve him but he still felt the cat's careful touch, she traced the stitches carefully and gently as if she knew how delicate and important these stitches are.

The awkward silence lasted for almost a minute then the cat looked up as if she was seeing something on the ceiling.

She started to purr in satisfaction.

Levi was surprised by what she did but he enjoyed it nonetheless: you are such a weird ball of fur.

Onyankopon picked the topic: what are you going to call her?

Levi seemed surprised by the question.

He never considered keeping the cat.

-I didn't say I am keeping this furball.

-But she is so smart, clean and polite and she likes you a lot.

-She will make a mess sooner or later...You can keep her if you want.

-I am not the one being licked, touched, and loved by her sadly.

The cat was awake and listening, she flipped on her back in an adorable way touching Levi's sleeves with two paws.

-Hahahaha, Is she flirting now?

-If she is then she is an idiot.

Onyankopon shook his head without commenting on what Levi said, he learned that these words are signs of affection from Levi.

-Come on Levi, Pick a name.

-I don't have one...I will call her cat.

-Oh for god's sake Levi, she is a cat, I said a name.

-Why the hell do I need to call a cat with a name in the first place? I haven't lost my mind yet.

-It does not mean you lost your mind, it means that you care about your pet...Think of something related to her, her appearance, your feelings about her...anything she made you feel.

-Idiot...She is an idiot one so I will call her "Idiot"...Happy?

The cat hit Levi's hand lightly with her paw before biting it softly, almost tickled him.

Onyankopon didn't try to hold his laughter: See? She didn't like it, Levi.

Levi carried her and looked into her blue eyes.

It was exactly like the sea he saw for the first time with her...

That day...

He didn't show it but what he felt was pure joy.

Hange's beautiful face.

Her cheerful laugh.

Her curious comments.

He felt it all even if nobody noticed.

The sea for him was a reminder of the pure joy he once felt.

He hesitated before saying in a low unsure tone: How about...Joy?

Onyankopon answered immediately: I love it.

The cat seemed to like it too.

Gabi and Falco finished cooking and started serving the lunch.

The hours passed quickly.

They talked, joked, and laughed.

At 10 PM, Levi decided to go to sleep.

Falco and Gabi decided to stay in the other room Levi prepared for them.

Onyankopon shyly asked to stay and he was ok with sleeping on the big sofa if Levi accepted.

Levi didn't have the courage to disappoint them...and didn't want to do it.

He was grateful for this kind of love he got from all of them.

He knew how having a family may feel.

He knew how having a trustworthy friend can be.

Far from fears of loss, blood, and destruction, these feelings were different from what he experienced in his life and he wanted to cherish them even if he could not express them clearly.

After he closed the door of his room, he noticed that the cat sneaked in.

-Tch, I will not let you sleep on the bed.

The cat jumped on the near chair and stayed there.

Levi was prepared for a short fight, he was even considering giving in to the cat's desire if she insisted.

-Well, Good.

He started taking off his clothes to wear something more comfortable but he stopped abruptly when he heard a feminine voice: Are you sure you want to do that while I am sitting here?

He raised his head instantly towards the direction of the voice.

What he saw was almost a hallucination...

A woman he knew very well was sitting there where Joy was.

Levi needed a few seconds to speak: Ma!!!

She got up and sat beside him on the bed: I...I am not your mother but I thought you would love to see her face after all these years...was it a bad idea?

Levi didn't find the words.

He was sure that it was a dream.

He was sure that none of this was real.

But if it was a dream why isn't she in it?

-Are you thinking about the smiling woman with glasses?

Her kind smile matched his mother's.

He could finally speak: How do you know both of them? and...Who are you?

She kept the kind smile: You named me Joy.

-Then I am dreaming? or...Am I dying?

She touched his face like his mother did in an old dream of his and shook her head: Neither...It is just that I owe you.

The question didn't leave Levi's head but she answered it: some cats are not only mere cats, we live in this world disguising ourselves in forms, cats are our favorite since humans love it and respect it, they even worshipped them.

-So...You are not a cat?

-I know you are new to this world and the concept of miracles is not a familiar one to you but I am one of god's creatures, powerful enough to repay your kindness.

-Can you bring back the dead?

Levi asked without thinking then he felt a mix of shame and sadness.

-I don't think I need to go that far.

Levi's widened eyes asked before he did: what do you mean?

His mother's face smiled kindly: Cats can see spirits, I tried to make you notice when I played with her.

Levi repeated in a hopeful voice: Her?

She nodded: The cheerful one with glasses? Don't you know she has been by your side all the time?

Levi was surprised beyond words.

He asked her to watch over him.

She never abandoned him once.

Even in death...He was her priority.

-You named me joy and saved me when you could ignore me and now I know how I will pay my debt. She didn't wait for Levi's confused question and said: She tied herself to you with a string of fate, with every stitch, it held a wish and a prayer to the one your new friend spoke of.

She was desperate to keep you alive so she put all her hopes in these wishes and entrusted the mighty creator to keep you safe.

Levi knew she was speaking about Hange.

She continued: Her spirit never abandoned you so all I need to do is to give her a form that your human senses can feel and that...I can do.

Levi knew it was a dream yet he didn't try to wake up.

He was afraid to wake up.

The kind dear face of his mother gave him the same loving look he remembers and said: You are a very good man Levi Ackerman and If we crossed paths again in this life or the next ones, I will make sure to keep this friendship...

Now, remember what I will say, I spared a life of my nine lives to your beloved, she shall live for as long as you will, you are tied with a string of fate and never-ending love. You will be her connection to the world of living this time when your life ends, her connection ends, and if you gave up on loving her...

Levi interrupted her with all the feelings swelling in his heart: Never!

Joy smiled as if she knew already: Wait for her rebirth Levi Ackerman, I hope you will find the joy you once felt with her in your remaining years. I shall take my leave.

Before he could ask about what she meant, a strong wind engulfed both of them while Joy's voice rang for the last time: May your life be blessed both of you.

---------------------------------------

Levi woke up feeling a heavy weight on his chest but he didn't open his eyes yet. He had this dream and he wished he could never wake up. He truely hoped for that rebirth the mysterious being spoke of.

A faint touch played with his hair.

It was so soft....so kind.

A dear voice followed it: Wake up Levi...

His eyes opened slowly.

He thought he was still dreaming though.

She could never be here for real...could she?

-I missed you clean freak.

His heartbeats doubled maybe tripled even.

He could barely say: This is a dream...

She smiled as he has always remembered: tough luck Levi, I think you are stuck with me for another round.

Levi didn't find the words at this moment but he did the one thing he regretted not doing all the past years.

He hugged Hange as if he was trying to keep her inside his chest.

She was surprised by what he did but she hugged him even tighter.

-I have been stalking you all the time.

Levi's hot tears fell on her shoulder, she felt them but she didn't want to leave his arms yet, she continued: I am happy you made it alive out of that hell Levi, I am proud of you, I have always been.

His body shook briefly as he let go of his pain, longing, and sadness while Hange kept stroking his hair and his back softly and lovingly.

They didn't know how long they stayed this way.

They felt pure happiness.

They felt pure bliss that night.

Hange could finally take a good look at Levi's face.

-You are still so damn handsome, Levi.

His eyes were still wet as he stroked her cheek tenderly.

-Say something Levi...

He looked into her hazel brown eyes: Don't Go Hange!

Her heart fluttered as she responded: Didn't you hear that you are my lifeline? I am alive again as long as you live, as long as you want me to be.

-Do you mean that...You can't die before I die?

Hange looked surprised then said: well, I think she meant normal death but not accidents, maybe we should tr...

Levi grabbed Hange's hair longingly forcing her closer to him: Shut up four eyes...Shut up...This time you will never go anywhere without me and whatever the reason that may take your life, I will be by your side...I am not making the same mistake again...Got it?

She touched his forehead with hers and whispered: Got it.

The large clock outside announced the time.

Levi's door was opened by Gabi who was calling his name as she opened: Captain Levi who are you talking t...huh?

Hange got up spreading her arms: Gabiiiii!

Falco and Onyankopon were no different from Gabi.

Onyankopon was the one who noticed that the cat was nowhere to be seen: Levi...Is it somehow related to Joy?

Levi nodded: I might be still dreaming.

Falco who was crying and yet trying to soothe the crying Gabi as well said: I...I can see you Hange San, we can't be dreaming at the same time...you...you really are here...it is like Christmas Miracle.

Onyankopon was the one who answered: God does not need a month to give us a miracle Falco then he held both of Hange's hands and kissed them happily: It is a blessing and we can only be grateful we witnessed it.

It was 12:05 am after midnight, the 5th of September, and a rebirth of a never-dying connection and a never-ending love.

[judyhopps934-mt-zd]

Thoughts on Truth

Warning: Spoilers and intense emotions. You have been warned.

So that's how you fix a broken miraculous. And once it's fixed, Duusu seems to be better and felt that she was living a nightmare. Okay, we see.

I never spoke about ShadowMoth's costume. It's okay. I just don't like how powerful he is now.

I guess since the Kwamis were never out of the Miracle Box, they don't know how to behave in the human world. Its funny to see how they behaved, but I also feel bad for Marinette who looked like a crazy person trying to get the kwamis under control.

Also, the Miracle Box reflects Marinette. Does that mean that Marinette is spontaneous or that she is willing to let the Kwamis out of the Miracle Box? I say its both.

Also, how did the writers let Marinette forget that the Kwamis live in their magical world??? (Did they forget about "Sandboy"???) Also, didn't Master Fu or Tikki ever tell her about the whole kwamis and technology thing??? Is Adrien the only one that knows??? Or do I have amnesia?

The girls thought Adrien was at her place??? Did anyone even tell them about the whole Adrien and Kagami thing? Or is that why they are shocked???

The goat kwami apparently did not know about the technology thing and called photos paintings. I get it though: photos are like paintings.

And they sent a photo of Adrien to Luka. Oh boy *facepalms*

...and when Marinette answers Luka's call (made by the goat kwami whose name I cannot recall), she mistakes him for Adrien. I wonder how long this will last (if it even lasts)

Being a guardian means many responsibilities... and forgetting many things, including having a date with Luka. I feel bad for both of them, especially since the date was yesterday. YESTERDAY! Also, forgetting what they were going to be doing and what they will see in the movies

I love Lukanette's chemistry (even though I am a Love Square stan as you all know). Their guessing game on the way to the movies was adorable and in line with couple goals.

The necklace as a gift theory was right! We did it peoples!

Marinette screaming the answer "Kiss me" was a whole mood. And so is the staring thing.

WE/I WERE/WAS RIGHT THAT THEIR KISS WOULD BE INTERRUPTED!!! AND THAT IT WAS AN AKUMA!!! Take it as you will, although they were both passed that there kiss was interrupted.

Ladybug yeeting Chat Noir off the roof only to pull him back, break an office window, Chat smiling about it, and Ladybug enjoying this moment while simultaneously being concerned is what I live for! My Ladynoir heart is satisfied.

IT IS CANNON THAT THEY HAVE PATROLS. Although, it was cannon ever since the IG accounts existed.

ShadowMoth and all these sentimonsters is bananas. How do Marinette and Adrien handle this????

Well, we know for Marinette is the excuses that sometimes make no sense. And the fact that we see Luka become more upset with the more excuses she makes hurts, to the point that he mentioned it at the performance.

LUKA HAS A CHARACTER PEOPLES! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

He had no idea who his father is and his mom would not tell him. This is why he has some form of trust issues and why he is very hurt when Marinette would not tell him anything (because that would mean that she has to tell him she's Ladybug and that could mean the end of the world).

Side note: He is still aware that she still likes Adrien.

Luka resisting the akuma and amok because he still trusts Marinette hurts and shows that they have a healthy relationship (or as healthy as it could be when your girlfriend is a superhero and cannot tell you). Also, how he tells Marinette to run before succumbing to ShadowMoth shows how much he really cares about her. Luka I owe you an apology

Love how everyone in Paris thinks that Marinette's secret is that she loves Adrien. Marinette, you got them all fooled. But if this is the case, then that means Adrien is really dense.

Truth spots his mom and gets her to say who his father is...

ITS BEEN JAGGED STONE ALL ALONG!!! WE WERE RIGHT PEOPLES! OUR HEADCANNONS BECAME CANNON BECAUSE WE ARE GENIUSES!!!

My first thought was "Holy chiz, we were right! We were freaking right!" I had to pause for a miniature victory dance.

Miniature victory dance break!

Anyways, he goes to Jagged Stone not before ShadowMoth yells at him and Truth yells back that he always tells the truth. Man this all hurts so much seeing Jagged's absence having an effect in Luka's thoughts about honesty.

Chat Noir saving Ladybug from saying who she is, giving her the oxygen mask, and saying how he won't force her to tell the identity is wholesome.

Luka is understandably angry at Jagged for leaving him and his mom as Truth. Understandable. I also get Jagged's perspective of the fears of being a horrible parent. But once you are a parent, you have to stay unless you are a danger to children. Jagged is not a danger to children and he should have stayed. Just saying.

People are being yeeted left to right in this episode like wha???

Now Truth heads for Marinette's house and attacks her parents. They also think her secret is about Adrien lol.

I love Tom. Even under the spell, he was willing to make sure Truth does not go up to her room. Too bad that wasn't enough though.

Just as he was about to open the place with the Miracle Box, they catch him! Now, the showdown starts.

Ladybug loves Chat's confidence, courage, and SENSE OF HUMOR!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!

Ladybug and Chat saving each other from revealing their secret identities is just wholesome!

It sucks being in a room that belongs to your soon to be ex (Note: Marinette is not his ex yet, so do not say ex until a certain point). And with photos of the one she loves. Yikes.

Ladybug and Chat's conversation is wholesome. They are safe in each other's company because they trust each other and such. And they like each other's company. But they will catch ShadowMoth no matter what his name has changed to.

Also, Adrien must have had a hard time in his civilian life to be excited about fighting akumas and sentimonsters. I mean why am I surprised this is the same guy that is excited about throwing himself to death get this kid some dang therapy!

The Lukanette break up. So they are taking a break because Marinette wants to be honest to Luka, but cannot be honest for now. Luka takes this surprisingly well and says that he will be waiting while Marinette is the one that appears to be hurt the most. It hurts me

Luka and Jagged Stone collab! I can't wait for it!!! Glad that Jagged and Luka will slowly bur surely mend their relationship.

It hurts me knowing that Marinette can't be with anyone as long as she is Ladybug (or at least until ShadowMoth is defeated) because of the responsibilities and secrets she holds. She is afraid that she is a danger to others and being a danger to others means that they are a danger to Ladybug and Chat Noir and that means the end of the world! My precious bean is 15/16 and she has the weight of the world on her shoulders and this is the first step to her eventual breakdown from the Gloob trailer. Like, can we not hurt Marinette FOR FIVE GOSH DARN MINUTES???????

At least being a guardian has some perks, like having all the Kwamis giving you a hug in exchange for the world on your shoulders. Glad that the kwamis are being understanding to this extent.

Also, can I have kwamis to hug me when I am sad/stressed??? Especially since I am going to college

Overall, this is a very heavy first episode and I am here for it! Luka has a backstory independent of Marinette and a lot of our headcannons are confirmed! Also, Ladynoir are very much alive in their platonic banter and I am here for it even if the rest of the Love Square is somewhat dead.

I have my two cents on Lukanette and that is even as a Love Square stan, they deserve better, at least for half the season, and allow Luka to heal, and Marinette to focus on herself and being a guardian.

I sort of see the impact of Chat Blanc in this episode, but I am not a very emotional person when it comes to watching TV and even though it did not make me cry, it was still emotionally heavy for me, so take it as you will.

Anyways, we are back on track my peoples and I will add on to this post once the English Dub comes to light. See you all soon!

[faeroviolet]

IMPORTANT NOTE:

I'm not in the mood to do this with the original characters. That's why I'm doing this with their versions of my AU: MargeantAU. So each work won't be just a art, but a plot part. Although this ship is not canon.

Day 1: "There’s a first time for everything"[FNK week(MG edit)]

Credit: challenge by @help-im-a-gay-fish Nightmare by jokublog Ccino by black-nyanko Killer by rahafwabas MargeantAU by me

Fluffynightkiller is not a canon, but it's cute.

Once... I'll write a fanfic about how they met. It will be such angsty blood angst, and I have already thought out its plot uwu

And for today's prompt, I have not only art, but a story to it.

(I want to warn you that I am not responsible in any way for what is written below. So read, don't read, I don't care. There may also be some mistakes here, because I wrote this right now.)

This is the story of how Nightmare and Killer decided to have a picnic for the shitty Ccino, who hasn't slept for a whole week. They should have kicked his ass for treating himself so badly, but his health is already bad, so they decided to scold him later. Now it was important to help him get some rest, maybe even he would get some sleep.

Interesting, but this will be their first time together after entering a relationship. Despite the fact that Killer and Nightmare were already in a relationship between each other, this didn't interfere with them. They were both madly in love with Ccino, he sunk into their souls. However, this wasn't so surprising considering who he is. Although his abilities didn't affect this. It was just love. Delicate and strong. Able to make them do anything for a fragile miracle.

Now they were just passing near the hometown of their beloved. They decided to have a picnic in here because it would be difficult and suspicious to do near Sunapple. Having found a suitable field and a place near the tree(so that there was a shade if it gets hotter), they began to unfold. Nightmare, who carried a purple velvet carpet with yellow fringes all the way, laid it out here. And Killer, waiting for him to finish, then put the basket on it.

You ask: why a carpet? It's just that nothing else was found in the castle. And Nightmare didn't want to ask Dream to help in this.

"Do you think he will like the food?" Killer asked, sitting down next to the basket.

"Hmm... maybe he'll eat the cheese and ham sandwiches." Nightmare said thoughtfully, leaning his elbows on a tree trunk. "As for souls, I don’t know. He rarely talks about this, as well as about his preferences, trying to avoid difficult topics."

"And that's true. But... we took different variations." Killer nodded. "I hope Horror won't be offended that we robbed him like that."

"He won't dare." Nightmare said seriously. "I am your 'patron' and you have no right to contradict me. So if he is unhappy, he will not be able to do anything."

Without answering, Killer only directed his gaze towards the forest. They have already informed their loved one that they will come. And oddly enough, he agreed to a meeting. Therefore, all that remained was to wait.

They didn't wait long: a familiar face appeared from the trunk. Although the face was familiar, this face only wished for the best. The huge gray spots didn't adorn this skeleton much. But the guys didn't know how to make him stop torturing himself like that, but they could only help to heal. Even so.

They went to meet Ccino, who decided to please them with his smile. Although with "something" under his eye sockets, this smile could hardly please them. But Nightmare and Killer weren't angry, they just took him and led him to their picnic area. When he was just grabbed and dragged to the tree, Ccino became a little embarrassed and covered with a faint blush.

"Here, Cсino, we brought sandwiches and some fruit." Nightmare said, pointing to a basket containing said foods. "Only... we didn't know what kind of soul you wanted..."

"S-soul?!" He roused himself, displaying horror on his face. Ccino didn’t like it, even though he was also a demon, but he didn’t like to feed on souls. After that, he always feels bad. Well, as if he didn't use them either. Such a tangled loop constantly comes out. "I...I...I..."

Cсino began to breathe quickly and covered his face with his hands, hiding the tears flowing from his eye sockets. And Nightmare, very frightened, just froze in place like a statue, not knowing what to do. Just not that - to upset him. He didn't expect that this is such... a deep and painful topic for him.

However, there was still a way out in this situation. And Killer found him. While Nightmare stood like an idol, he walked a little further into a field where many flowers grew. He collected a couple of flowers and weaved three wonderful wreaths. Yes, he could do it, and there was nothing surprising in it. After all, he learned this from his mother, whom he loved very much.

When he returned, Killer tried to bring the guys to his senses. First, he lifted Ccino, who didn't resist at all, but still was not fine. He brought Night out of his stupor by patting him on the shoulder.

"Wear." In a commanding tone, Killer turned to his Lord, holding out a flower decoration.

"A-are you... kidding me?!" Such insolence pissed off Nightmare. Forgetting about what was happening, he was ready to commit a rash act, but...

"For Ccino's sake."

Only this made the Lord of Dark senses, startled, to stop raging. He turned his gaze to Ccino, who was nearby, and gritting his teeth agreed.

"Okay." He took a cute little wreath and decorated his skull with it, blushing like a tomato, and then, pouting, sat down on the carpet. Oh, it was even cutier than the wreath itself! Was Nightmare so embarrassed by such simple gifts, Killer thought. But now is not about that. Ccino should have been reassured.

"Ccino, look at Nightmare." Killer shook him and looked into almost empty eyes. Still, Ccino paid attention and looked in the direction in which he was indicated. "Isn't he handsome? Especially in this wreath! Do you want the same? Do you like flowers?"

"The w-wreath?" He quietly raised his voice. "I love flowers, collecting them, they're beautiful. And, unfortunately, I don't know how to weave wreaths, and-"

"O! Then I can teach you later. Now... would you mind sitting next to that glowing mean bean, and I will reward you with the most beautiful crown in the world?"

"Umm... O-okay." Ccino staggered a little to the indicated place and settled down next to another skeleton.

Killer jumped up to him like a bunny, and he was already holding a wreath prepared especially for Ccino. He put it on a cute skeleton that blushed very hard in the process. It was amusing.

Killer didn't deprive himself either. Now all three were in flowers. Together. They will have something to remember. But the main thing was that Ccino liked it.

Это история о том, как Найтмер и Киллер решили устроить пикник для чертова Чино, который не спал уже целую неделю. Им бы следовало надрать ему задницу за такое плохое отношение к себе, но его здоровье и так плохое, поэтому они решили отругать его позже. Сейчас было важно помочь ему немного отдохнуть, может даже он и поспит хоть чуть-чуть.

Интересно, но это будет их первое времяпровождение вместе после вступления в отношения. Несмотря на то, что Киллер и Найтмер и так были в отношениях между друг другом, это не мешало им. Они оба безумно любили Чино, он запал им в душу. Однако это было не так удивительно, учитывая, кем он является. Хотя его способности на это и не влияли. Это была просто любовь. Нежная и крепкая. Способная заставить их сделать все ради хрупкого чуда.

Сейчас они как раз проходили около родного города их возлюбленного. Они решили устроить пикник в здесь, потому что это было бы сложно и подозрительно делать возле Санапли. Найдя подходящую полян��у и место возле дерева(чтобы был тенёк, если станет печь), они стали раскладываться. Найтмер, который всю дорогу нес фиолетовый бархатный ковер с желтой бахромой, разложил его здесь. А Киллер, ожидающий того, как тот закончит, потом положил на него корзинку.

Вы вот спросите: почему ковер? Просто в замке ничего более не нашлось. А просить Дрима в этом помочь Найтмер не желал.

- Как ты думаешь, а ему понравится еда? - спросил Киллер, усаживаясь рядом с корзиной.

- Хм... может сэндвичи с сыром и колбаcкой он съест - задумчиво проговорил Найтмер, облокотившись на ствол дерева. - А по поводу душ - не знаю. Он редко говорит об этом, как и о своих предпочтениях, пытаясь избежать тяжелых тем.

- И то верно. Но... мы же разные взяли - кивнул Киллер. - Надеюсь Хоррор не обидится, что мы его так обокрали.

- А он не посмеет - серьезно сказал Найтмер. - Я ваш "покровитель" и вы не имеете право перечить мне. Так что будь он недоволен - сделать ничего не сможет.

Не ответив, Киллер лишь направил свой взор в сторону леса. Они уже сообщили их любимому, что придут. И как ни странно, тот согласился на встречу. Поэтому оставалось лишь ждать.

Ждали они не долго: из ствола показалось знакомое личико. Хоть личико и было знакомым, но вид у этого личика желал лишь лучшего. Огромные такие серые следы не слишком украшали этого скелета. Но ребята не знали, как заставить того прекратить себя так истязать, но могли лишь помочь исцелиться. Хотя бы так.

Они пошли на встречу Чино, который решил их обрадовать своей улыбкой. Хотя с "кое-чем" под его глазницами эта улыбка вряд ли могла их обрадовать. Но Найтмер и Киллер не сердились, они просто взяли и повели его к их обустроенному для пикника месту. Когда того схватили просто так и потащили к дереву, Чино немного засмущался и покрылся слабым румянцем.

- Вот, Чино, мы принесли сэндвичи и некоторые фрукты - сказал Найтмер, указывая на корзинку, в которой хранятся указанные продукты. - Только... мы не знали, какие бы ты души хотел...

- Д-души?! - встрепенулся тот, отобразив на лице ужас. Чино не любил это, хоть он тоже был демоном, но он не любил питаться душ��ми. Ему поcле этого всегда плохо. Как и если бы он не употреблял их. Постоянно выходит такая запутанная петля. - Я... я... я...

Чино начал часто дышать и закрывать лицо руками, скрывая выступающие из глазниц слезы. А Найтмер, сильно перепугавшись, лишь застыл на месте как статуя, не зная, что и делать. Только этого не хватало - расстроить его. Это он совсем не ожидал, что это настолько... глубокая и больная тема для него.

Однако все же нашелся выход в этой ситуации. И нашел его Киллер. Пока Найтмер стоял как истукан, тот отошел чуть дальше на полянку где росло множество цветов. Насобирал парочку и сплел три чудесных венка. Да, он это умел, и в этом не было ничего удивительного. Ведь научился этому он от своей мама, которую очень любил.

Вернувшись, Киллер попытался привести ребят в себя. Сначала он поднял Чино, который совсем не сопротивлялся, но все ещё был не в порядке. Вывел из ступора Найта, похлопав того по плечу.

- Надень - приказным тоном Киллер обратился к своему повелителю, протягивая цветочное украшение.

- Т-ты что... издеваешься?! - такая дерзость вывела Найтмера из себя. Забывшись о происходящим, он был готов совершить опрометчивый поступок, но...

- Ради Чино.

Только это заставило Повелителя темных чувств, вздрогнув, прекратить бесится. Он перевел взгляд на Чино, который находился рядом, и, скрепя зубами, согласился.

- Ладно - он взял миленький веночек и украсил им свой череп, краснея при этом, как помидорка, а потом, надувшись, сел на ковер. О, да это было даже милее, чем сам венок! Неужели Найтмера так смущали такие простые подарки, подумал Киллер. Но сейчас не об этом. Надо было успокоить Чино.

- Чино, смотри на Найтмера - Киллер потряс того и заглянул в почти что пустые глаза. Но все же Чино обратил внимание и посмотрел в ту сторону, в которую ему указали. - Правда он красивый? Особенно в этом венке! Хочешь такой же? Тебе нравятся цветы?

- В-венок? - тихо подал голос тот. - Я люблю цветы, собирать их, они красивые. А венки я не умею, к сожалению, плести, и-

- О! Тогда я могу тебя по-позже научить. А сейчас... ты не против сесть рядом с вон той светящейся букой, и я тебя награжу красивейшей на свете корон��й?

- Аамм... л-ладно - Чино немного шатающиеся поплелся в указанное место и расположился рядом с другим скелетом.

Киллер прискакал за ним, как зайчик, и уже держал приготовленный специально для Чино венок. Он надел это на милого скелета, который очень сильно заливался румянцем в процессе. Это забавляло.

Киллер не обделил и себя. Теперь все трое были в цветах. Вместе. У них будет, что вспомнить. Но главное, что Чино понравилось.

[urlocalnctstan]

hihihi<3 can u do one for Renjun+angst and 'My Everything' as the song✨

Song : My Everything - NCT U

Genre : Angst mentions of toxic parents, mentions of underworld/mafia, mentions of a minor character death

wc : 1.6 K

December 28th, 2017

Renjun stood exactly 40 steps away from your shivering figure that sat on a red swing, the temperature of the night dropping as it got deeper. While he watched you waiting alone with a heavy heart, unbeknownst to his presence you rubbed your palms against one another to produce some friction as an attempt to allow you the bliss of warmth momentarily. You puff out a string of smog in annoyance, re-checking if your boyfriend actually agreed meeting up tonight.

you : tonight. 9 pm at the park. sharp or ill kill u

RJ: 9 pm it is.

You jumped in surprise at the sound of your own sneeze, quickly bringing out some tissues from the pocket of your jacket before your allergy worsens. It was already 10 pm, and you started you wonder if he would actually ever show up. You fix your woolen beanie, the one you have matching with Renjun, anxiously tapping your feet against the blanket of green beneath you. You squint your eyes, sensing the devious arrival of your migraine. What a great night it is indeed! You thought. 

Renjun took two steps towards you, hesitation holding back his legs from approaching any further; I should tell you, he thought. He did not want to drop a bomb on you out of the blue when you hear the news of his sudden disappearance. He wanted to come out clean, if not to all at least to you. You of everyone deserve an explanation. But fate had other plans for you both that day. Annoyed red, you harshly kick the swing you were previously seating on, swinging your bag on your back before speeding off back to your house. Renjun sighed, but he wasn’t sure if it was out of relief or because you were making too hard for him to say the truth.

“What do you mean?” You felt your heart drop at his words, a solemn expression sitting on his face. It held no regrets, no emotions; and you pondered if he was the same guy that you had been dating for the past 11 months. “Babe, what are you sa-”

“You heard me right, Y/N.” Renjun rubbed the temples of his forehead, an exasperated huff leaving his mouth. “Don’t wait for me. I’ll be leaving in three days. So its best we break up.” He was not even bothering to look you in the eyes, did all these months mean nothing to him at all?

You were too numb to answer him back, feeling as if a lightning directly ascended upon your existence. You stood in your position motionless, not even realizing how he had already disappeared from you line of sight. You wanted to cry and scream at him, but it was if your body was retaliating against you; unable to form any sort of sound. That night, you cried to your heart’s content; a very worried Jaemin comforting you throughout the whole night despite having his Valedictorian Speech rehearsal scheduled the next day. Without a word, he listened to your muffled cries and screams, sometimes letting out coos of ‘it’ll be okay’ or ‘i’m here for you’. For the first time in all your years of being friends with him you had actually listened to his words when he said, “Cry out, cry to your heart’s content tonight, but remember to never cry again for that dipshit after tonight.” Jaemin took your slowly calming sobs as an agreement to his prior wording, a deep sigh escaping his lips as he listened to another set of muffled sobs reverberating from his earphones.

December 28th, 2027

“Oh my God!” A very merry Sooyoung, you best friend who was also your colleague at the law firm you worked at chirped gleefully as you twirled around gracefully with your wedding dress. Yes, it was your wedding day. You blushed like every other bride as you glanced at your reflection on the mirror, slightly taken aback by this very different version of yourself. You looked ethereal, like those scenes in movies where a soft light from the windows falls upon the main lead with white curtains dancing in the back? Yeah, you felt similar to that. 

Giggling at your weird imaginations, you turn over to meet a teary Sooyoung, sniffing with the napkin clutched in her hands. You would hate to cry at this moment, it had barely been twenty minutes since you arrived in the waiting room. But most importantly, you would really despise the idea of getting your makeup ruined, not really adamant on spending another stash of dollars for a simple bridal makeover. However, your sobbing best friend was making it really hard for you. Your sweet moment was cut off by an urgent spree of knocks, the person standing on the other side being extremely impatient to even bother waiting for someone to twist the door knob open. 

The door opened to reveal a very unexpected person standing with a bouquet of fresh white orchids and white roses; your favorites. You had a shit eating grin on your face as he stepped inside the room, elegancy dripping with every movement he made. His dark brown hair was gelled back, making his already sharp features stand out even more. The jet black tuxedo was perfect on him, making his look like a walking prince. 

“Renjun,” you call out, barely above a whisper; his name feeling a bit foreign on tongue. “You’re here.”

“I am.” Renjun no longer held that poker face you had despised so much ever since your breakup, joyous grin adorning his face at the sight of you. You look so beautiful, so so beautiful, he thought grinning to himself. Renjun felt his heart squeeze against his ribs, half because of how ethereally beautiful you looked and half because how he wished that it was him you had dolled up for. With light steps he leans forward to your sitting figure, wearing a smile that looked more of a painful one as he placed you the bouquet of flowers he chose for you.

“I am really surprised how you still remembered.” Unlike him, you remained more composed; unfazed by the reunion with your past lover. Your fingertips caressed the white delicate petals that were slightly wet, admiring how beautiful the bunch looked. “Thank you so much, Renjun.” You say to the man, sincerity dripping with every syllables you let out. He was currently sat crouched on the ground, careful not to step on the white laces of your expensive wedding gown.

“Tsk, tsk. Don’t say thank you yet. I still have something else stored for you too.”

“Please give a big round of applause for the most beautiful bride!” Haechan exclaimed, his hands clapping as he motions Jisung to ask the caterers to position the light towards you. Audience stared in awe, you looked like a dream with the white lace dress, your veil trailing behind as the tiara glistened in the soft light. You were glowing.

“On the road that shines exceptionally,” a sweet honey-like voice catches you off guard, momentarily making you halt in your pace as you search for its owner. Renjun stood on the stage just beside the alter, your cousin Mark strumming his guitar while another one of your friends Chenle produced sweet melody on the pianoforte to muse with the vocals. You couldn’tt help but beam at the sight.

“Standing there, I am waiting for you” Just turn around, make me conquer my cowardice. Hold on to me instead of the cold metal chains of the red swing. Will you wait for me if I ask you? Will you wait until I return for you?

“What do you mean?”

Please don’t go yet Y/N, ask me to stay back. Just ask me once and I’ll do it.

“Babe, what are you sa-”

“You heard me right, Y/N.” Please this is not what I want, please see how much I am struggling to let go off you. Just when Renjun was just about to blurt out all his emtoions, his eyes widened at the sight of his father, gawking over him from the top of the stairs right behind you.

“It's not cold When you are in my arms, I can feel the warmth.”

Renjun remained silent, too scared to say something that might end up really fatal for him; for you. “That girl is a distraction for you.” Renjun’s father glowered at the younger, his grip tightening on the loaded pistol residing in his hand. “Cut her off, or I’ll do the favor for you.”

Renjun did what he thought was best. If your safety meant the sacrifice of his love, he would gladly comply so. It wasn’t long that the illegal empire built by his father collasped after his sudden demise; Renjun escaping his worst nightmare at the night of funeral. It was somewhat easy for him to start a new life since he was never exposed to the strings of underworld, fleeing back to China without any trace. He was able to have a fresh start with his desired career : a musician. 

Seeing you smile brightly as the luminescence shining from above created a halo around you, he felt as if he were witnessing an angel that had directly ascended from Heaven. Heavy heart filled with pain, a fresh pool of tears start to form at the corners of his eyes; how he wished it was him standing at the other side of the alter instead of Na Jaemin. 

“You're my everything I want to protect your days and nights You are a miracle to me, I wish you could see it Spreading all over me, a gift called you You’re my night and day Waiting for you in this street, drawing you again.”

this was long I hope i was able to meet a teeny tiny bit of your expectations love  @bluejaem

[yumgrapejuice]

An analysis on Ranboo’s lore playlist

okay y’all first of all, ranboo has a killer taste, i love him, and second, i couldn’t resist. i’m an analyst by nature. am i looking too deep into some things? did ranboo maybe choose some songs purely for the vibe? perhaps. do i care? no. let me have my fun.

I’m gonna drop my own analysis/interpretation based on these songs but feel free do use this yourself if you want!! And also feel free to disagree/correct me on anything!! I’m not a professional musical analyst lol and I did take some inspiration from already existing interpretations for the more lyrical songs.

here’s the playlist btw

“Introduction to the Snow”—introduction to the album. Fitting for the playlist’s beginning, seeing the tone. It’s mostly referencing (self-imposed) isolation.

“Dream Sweet in Sea Major”—this Miracle Music’s whole album is about dreams and reality, how they clash, loneliness and the wish to be close to someone, yet still remaining isolated. Very whimsical, metaphorical, melodic, and it has this vibe as if on the edge of consciousness. I’d say it fits quite well with c!Ranboo’s general vibe. This song in particular deals with sleepwalking(ha)/being in a dreamlike state, the line between what’s real and what’s not blurred.

“The Mind Electric”—oh this one fits Ranboo extremely well. First part is in reverse, the second in normal (mirroring), and it can get quite unsettling. Like you’re not sure what’s happening with the instrumentals, many different voices. Again, very metaphorical, but to put it shortly, the protagonist is being judged for a crime they’ve committed and, in their defence, they say: “Father, your honor, may I explain, my brain has claimed its glory over me; I’ve a good heart albeit insane”. They get “condemned to the infirmary” for that, where electric shock is used on them as a form of “therapy”. As a result, the protagonist loses grip on reality and themselves and truly does go insane. They beg for mercy and sympathy, but there’s no one to help them. “Someone help me; Understand what's going on inside my mind; Doctor I can't tell if I'm not me”—need I say more, really?

“Live and Let Die”—the phrase “live and let die” means to live your life how you wish and let others live how they wish without interfering. At first, you live by the phrase “live and let live”, meaning you have your ideals and you try to change the lives of others according to them, but as life progresses, you stop caring as much/try to distance yourself from others’ business.

“Turn the Lights Off”—dreams and nightmares. Mildly foreboding yet energetic. The actual meaning is about growing up (transition from childhood to adulthood), but we can take some other interpretations that’d fit with Ranboo’s character better. This Tally Hall’s album deals with differences, black and white, and how there shouldn’t be a divide between them. In this song, there are some noteworthy lines that I’d like to mention:

- “Bend the nightmare, you control it; Artful dodger, easy does it”—lucid dreaming, you have to be careful with it so as to not lose control.

- “Shut the closet, get under the covers”—you’re afraid of something and instead of facing it and seeing whether there even is something to be afraid of, you hide.

- “Turn the lights off”—confront your fears. It can also mean that in the dark, there’s no differences between people, going back to the album’s meaning.

- “And everybody wants to get evil tonight; But all good devils masquerade under the light”—this could mean that everyone has a darker part of themselves but those who actually indulge in their dark tendencies do so in plain sight by pretending to be someone else.

“Ruler of Everything”—the main theme here is time and how it’s the “ruler of everything”; time doesn’t matter about where it goes, and it will never stop. The second verse is most interesting to me—there are two singers, man and time, but for the sake of interpretation let’s just see it as two voices. One is obsessed about being liked, fitting in, constantly asking for reaffirmation (“Do you like how I walk? Do you like how I talk?”), while the second criticizes the first (“You practice your mannerisms into the wall”). They argue—”I’ve been you, I know you, your facade is scam; You know you’re making me cry, this is the way that I am”. The second is calling out the first for not being honest to himself. Tone is lighthearted but with an edge of unease.

“Merry-Go-Round of Life”—from Howl’s Moving Castle soundtrack. The title’s self-explanatory, I’d say.

“Killer Queen”—this one’s a harder one to interpret in regards to Ranboo lol. The song is about, based on an interview with Mercury, a high class woman that likes to indulge in her various desires (mostly sexual). I would doubt that’s what Ranboo was going for, so! Perhaps about a person that has no regards for their reputation and instead does whatever they feel like it? They have a certain image but still act however they like. Yeah, not too sure about this one :’) But that’s what I’ll go with for my later analysis.

“Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”—quite straightforward. A person that performs bad deeds has reasons for them. Not excuses, but explanations, and you can sympathize with it. We all do “bad” things for one reason or the other, and, in the end, we’re all just trying to get by. Once again, plays into the theme of there not being a clear distinction between good and bad.

“The Bidding”—another harder one to interpret. On the surface, it’s about an auction where men are trying to sell themselves to women. They all present themselves in different images, and it’s remarked that the women care less about the date and more about the prospect of it, the pretty words. The date, actually, ends up being disappointing. Could be about expectations. Some men outright admit they’re assholes so whoever chooses them should know that. People can tell you what their intentions are from the start so if you end up hurt, you have no one else to blame but yourself.

“A Mask of My Own Face”—another interesting one! Unusual instruments, strong beat. They’re singing about how they have a desire to pretend to be someone else while secretly still being themselves. “I’d rob my own apartment and I wouldn’t give a damn; I’d blame it on the person that nobody knows I am”—implying they have no regard for their own livelihood and are just out to have some fun. Plus, that no one would be aware it’s all an act. “I'd wear it on Thanksgiving and I'd laugh in the parade; At all the people hissing, knowing I'm the one they hate”—they take delight in the idea of upsetting others and them not knowing it’s actually the singer that they should be hissing. “And at the big finale I would tear my face away; And smile as they grip their own and try to do the same”—everyone wears masks, and this person implies that their mask and their true self is not different from each other while others’ are.

“Stardust Crusaders”—soundtrack from Jojo. Action-packed? idk never seen it sorry lol

“I Can’t Decide”—oh, this one’s a doozy! One of the ones that do not fit c!Ranboo at all, but that’s what makes it interesting. A classic, the singer is out to have fun, very lighthearted and yet they’re singing about murder. The protagonist here is clearly mentally unwell and they’re indecisive whether they should let their enemy/toy/(up to interpretation) live or not. Some curious lines:

- “It’s not easy having yourself a good time”—in the context of the song, that “good time” implies something wicked.

- “I’m not a gangster tonight, don’t wanna be the bad guy, I’m just a loner, baby, and now you’ve got in my way”—they don’t view themselves as “bad”, however, the next two lines are paradoxal—the singer says they’re alone and yet decide to “mess around” with whoever comes up in their life.

- “No wonder why my heart feels dead inside, it’s hard and cold and petrified”—signifying lack of empathy.

- “It’s a bitch convincing people to like you”—they don’t actually want to do that and see it as a bother.

“Stranded Lullaby”—back to Miracle Musical, back to the theme of isolation. Super lyrical, super musical. They talk about how their memories float around aimlessly in their head, a sea, and may sometimes get lost. The protagonist, a sailor, is losing touch with reality and can’t tell apart what’s a dream anymore and what’s not. They question what they’re going through and why.

“Hidden In The Sand”—a song about longing, in my eyes. The protagonist sings about how “you” love things and how he wishes to love the same things, in the end admitting that “all I’ve wanted was you”. They don’t wish to be separated, they wish to have someone in their life that they could love.

“Now I’m Here”—euphoric. They sing about how they’re alive again, thanks to one specific person. I’m not gonna go too much into this one (partly because it’s a more difficult one for me again, partly because it’s Queen and I don’t wanna uhh talk nonsense on accident lol), but what I got from it is that when one one else saw them, someone did, and they made them “live again”, and now as a result the protagonist is devoted to them.

“&”—really highlights Tally Hall’s album’s theme of black and white and that there shouldn’t be a divide. The repetition of comparing opposites is present throughout the entire song (Weak & Strong & Wet & Dry…) and it’s heavily implied we should “say goodnight” to this mindset. But people love to choose sides, put things into good or bad categories. By the line “They took a lesson from their fathers” it’s implied that people don’t develop this mindset by themselves and are rather influenced by others around them. The whole album is titled “Good & Evil” and Tally Hall examines and criticizes this idea. If we keep dividing people into good and bad, eventually, we’ll all destroy ourselves.

“I’m Gonna Win”—a song about someone who’s struggling to get by. “Sometimes it can seem like a merciless dream”—life can get really hard and the protagonist wonders “what’s really worthwhile”. In the chorus, whoever, they declare that they’re “gonna win” no matter what. They might get “bloody and bruised” but they won’t give up until they “won’t be abused” and until they’re “laughing alone”. No matter how hard life/others kick them down, they’ll keep going. By the lines “It’s hard to be charming and smart and disarming; It’s hard to pretend you’re the best; It’s hard to fulfill everyone’s expectations; It’s hard to keep up with the rest” it’s implied that they find it tiresome to keep up appearances and be liked. It’s challenging to always fit everyone’s expectations, but they’ll continue doing whatever they have to to “win”.

if ranboo ever adds more songs to his playlist, i may add them here too :) 

[7spaceace7]

These Thoughts We Carry

No one really knows about Sooga’s past. No one knows where he came from, or what burdens he carries. But Hylia damn them all, Master Kohga doesn’t let anybody go through that shit alone, especially when he knows what it’s like to deal with nightmares all the time. Especially when it’s the one he loves most.

 Master Kohga x Sooga hurt/comfort fic that I churned out after like two days and a bad set of nightmares. I hope you enjoy! I’ll post it on AO3 as well!

Warnings: Implied physical abuse 

Word count:  2387

In a desert, it is easy to forget that the sky can change. From early morning, it seems the sun is always burning down your back, clutching you in its comforting, yet suffocating, grasp. You almost forget that dusk is just hours away. The unclouded blue skies seem to go on forever. 

Though, every resident of Hyrule knows that the desert night is even more unforgiving than the daytime’s blistering heat. You are placed at a disadvantage amongst your foes. Lizalfos and bokoblins settle in for unsuspecting prey wandering about the sands. Anyone who has the wit about them could surprise you, if you are unlucky. And of course, the frozen winds bring a chill that digs deep into bone when just moments before you might have been begging for such relief. 

But none of those things were the reason Sooga hated the nights of Gerudo Desert. No, Sooga despised them for their unending silence. The vast emptiness. The endless searching for something besides your thoughts. Desert nights used this loneliness to stir up a past better left forgotten, and that is what Sooga hated most of all. 

He stood at the entrance of the Yiga Clan hideout, just before the land dipped and delved into its rugged formations of rock. The inverted eye statues stood through the whistling winds. Their cloth counterparts strung up above blew with a disheveled intensity. This nuisance of a noise was the only sound Sooga could hear rustling through the valley. Well, that and perhaps his restless mind. 

His thoughts were always loudest when he was trying to sleep, and often woke him up in the middle of the night. Tonight happened to be such a night where they were too loud to be kept inside the hideout. Certainly, they were too loud to continue resting next to Master Kohga, lest he wake him unnecessarily. Sooga would never dare to do this. Instead, he would resign himself to the chilled desert air at the beginning of the hideout when the memories became painful enough. If he could not sleep, at least he could be useful and take a nightwatch shift. His one good eye settled right on the valley’s opening.

Focus, Sooga. Do not let your mind drift. 

But his memories would not be silenced. He remembered a broken picture frame from his dream that night. The frame once held a family of three, but had broken into a family of only cracks after a bout of rage from a man he once called a father. It might have meant nothing to anyone else, but to Sooga...the screaming of the drunken bastard entered his ears at the simple sight of it. Sooga tried desperately to shake it from his mind, but his memories of the nightmare shoved through.

A broken picture frame, pieces splintered around thatchwood floor. A broken picture frame, having been thrown at his person when he hadn’t the skill to protect himself. A broken picture frame, among other airborne objects, that he narrowly avoided by the miracle of perhaps Hylia herself.

The Yiga warrior let a shaky breath escape his masked lips. Fists clenched tightly, as if that man would be right behind him if only he found courage to look. A quick glance told him nothing was there, but his heart was not at ease. 

Logically, Sooga knew there was nothing. He knew his father had left this world long ago. Sooga knew it so firmly because it was his own hands that finished him off. Simple strangulation, soon after he had only turned eighteen years of age. The warrior had made sure there was none of his father left in this world to haunt him ever again.

Yet here he was. Years later, still scared by ghosts he’d conjured up himself. The uniformed man sighed, and in a moment of weakness, pried off his white mask. Sooga was careful not to deepen the crack as his palm gingerly encased the object. Perhaps the cold air against his bare skin would be of use to his intruding thoughts. At least, he thought, it was nice to feel fresh air.

“There you are!” Came a familiar voice from behind his post. Sooga jumped and smacked the mask back onto his face in a panic. He blinked once from surprise, and once more from the shock he just gave his facial nerves.

“M-Master Kohga,” Sooga got to his feet and bowed automatically, hoping his pounding heartbeat wasn’t able to be heard by his superior. “I had not thought you were awake at this hour.”

“I wasn’t, but then I rolled over and realized you up and vanished,” Kohga yawned, scratching an itch at his neck. He was without his uniform, but still donned a type of mask. This one was specifically for sleep, and made of soft, red fabric that held a sewn pattern of the inverted eye, closed instead of open. For now, this mask rested atop his forehead. “Yunno, for a big guy, you’re real hard to find. Took me forever to figure out where you went.”

“My apologies, Master Kohga.” 

“Eh, don’t sweat it, I was only a little worried,” This of course was a blatant lie, as Master Kohga had quickly woken up in a cold sweat after his hand fell upon an empty spot next to him in bed. He had grabbed only his robe in his haste to find where Sooga had gone. But of course, a dignified leader such as he would never have done a thing like that. Kohga took a spot next to Sooga’s post and sat down. “So what’re you doin’ way out here so late?”

Sooga was silent for a moment as he sat down next to his master. He contemplated brushing off the comment with a vague answer, but...something compelled him to confide instead. 

“A dream demon made its attempt on my subconscious,” Sooga spoke. He hoped to retain at least a bit of dignity by acting professionally, but the facade was lost on Kohga. “I did not want to wake you with it.”

“Nightmares gettin’ to ya again, I see.” 

Again? Had Kohga somehow already known of his recent night difficulties?

“Don’t look so surprised, we’ve been sleeping toge-- er, bunking --for a while now, and you get kinda squirmy when you aren’t dreaming well.”

Sooga hadn’t any idea of this happening. Shame sat upon his masked features and settled its way down to his throat. His tongue searched for something to say. An apology, perhaps? That was all he knew to do in a moment like this. Apologize for the inconvenience, apologize for the worries he must have induced, apologize for the disturbance of his master’s rest, apologize, apologize, apolo-

“You don’t have to feel bad, Sooga, I know you put all that pressure on yourself,” Master Kohga said. Sooga’s head turned towards the unmasked man beside him in utter surprise. Had he suddenly learned a new technique for mind-reading? “Nightmares suck. Real bad. I get it.”

Rather than questioning how he knew such an appropriate response, Sooga nodded, and dared to ask a different question. 

“What...happens? When you are brought to notice I am not resting well, that is,” Sooga asked quietly, head turning away once more. It was no surprise that Sooga was soft-spoken, but that was out of his own self-discipline. His day-to-day tone was based on leadership and careful thought, but this...this was a tone Kohga had never heard from his friend before. This was laced with fear. 

“Well, ah,” Kohga started. His brown eyes softened as he recalled one night waking to Sooga thrashing about their shared covers, murmuring something like a cry for help. To another night where Sooga had begun shaking uncontrollably. To a night just last week when he unmistakably heard a pleading for someone to stop. Stop what, Kohga didn’t know, and he knew even less of who it could be about. Even his best attempts to wake his second-in-command went without fruition. “Sometimes you say stuff. Sleep-talker nonsense, yunno, I usually don’t have a clue what you’re going on about. But you always seem so...scared.”

I always hold you when they get bad like that, Kohga wanted to say. The words were right there, threatening to spill out of him all at once in a jumble of messy worries and care that the Yiga master so desperately wanted to confess. But this wasn’t the time. 

Kohga left out the part where he’d always wrap his arms around a nightmare-stricken Sooga to calm his shakes and trembles. He left out the part where he’d draped a hand across Sooga’s chest and gently adjusted his mask enough to wipe away the hidden tears. He left out the part where he’d discovered that nuzzling his face into Sooga’s neck would cause the larger man to remember he was safe and briefly find relief. At least, Kohga hoped he did.

“I am sorry you have seen me in such weakness, Master Kohga..” Sooga finally replied, bringing Kohga back to the present moment. Kohga was right next to him, but still, the man seemed so far away.

“Being afraid isn’t weakness. Everybody gets scared of stuff, even me,” Kohga nudged Sooga’s side in a lighthearted gesture, as they both knew just how terrified the ‘fearless leader of the Yiga Clan’ could really get. “This world’s full of some scary shit. You’re allowed to get scared, no matter how strong you are. And you’re, like, the strongest guy I know, besides me of course.”

“You truly believe that?”

“Course I do! I mean look atcha, you’re twice my size and a badass,  dual-wielding blademaster. There’s no one in the world cooler than you and me, big guy.”

Sooga cracked a smile at that.

“My point is,” Kohga continued, “You don’t have to save face with me. Dream demons get to me too, yunno, that’s why I’ve got my big strong bodyguard next to me every night. That’s what makes me not so scared anymore. I know that nothin’s gonna get to me because if it tries, I’ve got you.”

Kohga paused, eyes drifting over to where Sooga’s own eye would be. “So, I wanna help you feel protected from ‘em, too.”

“But that is my job-” Sooga tried to protest, turning back to face his master.

“You deserve to feel safe, too, Sooga.”

Sooga was silent at this. They sat in the silence for a while, just simply staring at each other. Master Kohga’s brow furrowed in the rare serious manner that it did. He was determined to get Sooga to see how much he cared. He would do anything to help him, if only Sooga would allow it.

The warrior next to him saw that determination in his chocolate brown eyes, paired with another feeling he couldn’t quite pin. Whatever it was, it was inviting. Sooga couldn’t help but want to see it more. He wanted to share moments like this more, where it was just the two of them and neither put on a show. Moments where he could see the bouncing curls that framed Kohga’s chubby cheeks up close, and feel the warmth from his gaze. Perhaps one day, even, Sooga could let go of his own mask.

Kohga sighed, which led to a loud, long yawn overtaking his features. The plump clan master gave a little stretch and sat back against the wall. If Sooga didn’t want to, he wouldn’t bring it up again.

“I’m not gonna force you or anything, I just-”

“I would like to feel safe with you,” The words tumbled out of Sooga’s mouth before he had the notion to stop them. Somewhere along the lines, his hand had grabbed Kohga’s and was now clutching it tight. He hardly knew what he was doing, but didn’t back down. It felt right. “There are many things I must atone for. I do not know how to achieve this peace just yet, but…”

Kohga squeezed his hand back, trying to ignore the blatant blush dusting his cheeks. If not for the dark, surely Sooga would have seen and fretted over his health, as he often did, but Kohga wouldn’t mind. He never minded. 

“I’ll be here the whole time,” He assured. And he meant it. Whatever Sooga needed, Kohga would offer help. It was obvious that the masked man was holding onto something painful, and Kohga would offer his support in any way that he could. Even if it interrupted his sleeping schedule.

Another yawn bubbled up from Kohga’s chest, and when he tried to stifle it, it forced out as a hiccup anyway. 

Way to ruin a moment, Kohga thought.

Cute, Sooga chuckled to himself.

“Perhaps we should return to bed, and continue this in the morning,” Sooga offered. Master Kohga’s shoulders visibly relaxed in relief as he slumped his face into Sooga’s chest. It felt like two muscular pillows smushing against his cheeks, a blessing from Hylia probably. Er, Ganon. Totally meant Ganon.

“Yes please,” He whined pitifully. Another chuckle rumbled through Sooga’s chest, vibrating Kohga’s whole head. 

This time, Sooga took to reading his master’s mind. His strong arms effortlessly picked up the stouter man and cradled him against his chest, as if Kohga were a bride. The night air brought a chill, after all, and Kohga had only dressed his robe over his undergarments. He looked down to the half-lidded face against him.

“I do appreciate your words, Master Kohga. I will always remember your kindness,” Sooga whispered above the wind. He looked down at the bundle of a man for a response, but only found soft snoring instead. 

The stupendous chief of the Yiga Clan was asleep before his sentence was finished. 

Sooga’s smile was soft. The winds of the desert night rolled behind him deep in the valley, and Sooga turned away from them feeling slightly freer. If any dream demons dared test his patience this night again, this time they would be answering to the courageous man in his arms.

[lord-radish]

I was writing a long set of tags and I ran out of them so I've gotta finish the story here. This is for @king-zigzag

In the tags I had to stop just as I was talking about PT - Metal Gear Solid 5 took a total of $80 million to make, and because of its lengthy development and colossal budget, Konami freaked the fuck out and nuked Kojima's career at the company.

Kojima was removed from the board of directors - because yes, he was one of the top executives at Konami - he lost creative control right at the end of development, his team's offices were relocated within the company and lost access to the internet, and the team basically had to staple the end of the game shut to make the final mandated shipping date of September 1, 2015.

Konami were PISSED about Metal Gear Solid 5. It went severely overbudget, as per Kojima's usual antics, and it missed deadline after deadline. Kojima was on Konami's shit list after the nightmare development of MGS5.

So PT comes along as a stealth demo for a new Silent Hill game - and it's made in the FOX engine they developed for Metal Gear Solid 5, Guillermo Del Toro is attached to the project (and Junji Ito as later revealed), and they've cast both the voice and likeness of Normal Reedus at the peak of his popularity.

This is right off the heels of:

Kojima being removed from the board of directors at Konami

His team being relegated to "contractor" status, meaning that after MGS5 was released, everyone there was gonna lose their jobs at Konami

The game taking 4+ years to develop and over $80 million to develop

Much like MGS5, Silent Hills had Hollywood talent. It would have a similar level of polish, if not moreso, than Metal Gear Solid 5. It bucked convention, it was very unorthodox and weird.

It was another AAA Kojima game. And the last one cost $80 million to produce.

Konami were done with Kojima, and they weren't going to fund another monster project after what they had just invested in MGS5. And hey, Kojima and his team have been made contractors, meaning they can let him go.

So they let him go. And PT became one of the best viral marketing stunts in the history of gaming, as well as one of the most infamous examples of an unrealised game concept becoming known to the public.

So here's the thing.

Konami make millions of dollars through Pachislots and health spas and stuff. Even back before MGS5, Konami were a Japanese corporation with their fingers in a lot of pies. Because of that, it could be argued that they could afford to fit the bill.

On the other - $80 million is a borderline unthinkable amount of money to spend on a single video game. To make a return on investment, to simply break even, you're talking about over $100 million in sales. You're talking about at least 3 million copies sold at $60 apiece. And frankly, the home console market in Japan had taken a massive hit during the PS3/X360 era of gaming, paving the way for portable and mobile gaming as Japan's predominant gaming market. 3 million copies in 2015 would be a miracle, and if MGS5 flopped, it could have been big enough to sink Konami in the fallout.

Now granted, Metal Gear Solid 5 made almost $200 million in 24 hours. But that was an insane gamble to take.

So imagine MGS5 - swapping out Kiefer Sutherland for Norman Reedus and Guillermo Del Toro (and Junji Ito). An auteur game developer renowned for going overbudget and over-schedule. A fully realised AAA game experience from the same guy who just spent a record-breaking amount of money on a single passion project.

I still think that Konami should have invested in Silent Hills, because for all its troubles, Metal Gear Solid 5 was a masterpiece and PT was an incredible piece of tech that caught the gaming world by storm. This isn't me justifying them cancelling the project. But having witnessed all the MGS5 drama, seeing Kojima getting ousted from the Konami board of directors and Kojima Productions losing their jobs after being made third-party contractors for the last year of development - I can definitely see why Silent Hills was cancelled.

The games industry isn't a meritocracy, it's a business. And Hideo Kojima got so severely shitcanned in the wake of Metal Gear Solid 5 that there was no way in hell that Konami were gonna give him anything close to Metal Gear's budget to make another multi-million dollar gamble. That's why PT never moved beyond PT, and the incredible cast, crew and tech never materialised into Silent Hills. Honor before reason on Konami's part, esp. since that $80 million MGS budget was partially to build the FOX engine from scratch and any future games would be providing a return on that investment, and frankly just a hard swerve on their part into the most petty, shitty corporate behavior imaginable. And bad blood - whether truly warranted or deserved, a river of bad blood between Kojima and Konami.

[emetkoto]

a heem heem... whimper (🤥😭☕️ annnd 🍰 for eme and k'oto?)

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

K'oto is usually a pretty open person so when he does have to lie he's kind of. pathetic! He has a really hard time controlling his like. ody language? His ears drooping or tail swishing and stuff like that..he be like "no" but his tail is wagging and his ears wiggling like who do you think youre fooling idiot!! its a miracle nobody figured out he was in love with emet selch sooner literally if they had just asked his body wouldve told the truth, kind of an oversight on their part. except yshtola she did ask but its not like she even needed to see to be able to tell smh

Eme is a little better if only bc her ears don't emote and her tail is too short to give any sort of tell unless you're looking right at it but she is kind of awkward and not good at making eye contact when she's lying so it's still pretty easy to tell, literally that scene from cloudy with a chance of meatballs where the dad is like "look me in the eyes and tell me that again" and the guy just fucking cant thats her

😭 CRYING - what makes them cry? do they cry easily?

K'oto has cried very few times in the story I can count it on my hands probably. Haurchefant. Estinien waking up at the end of HW. Probably once or twice during SB bc going home to doma and seeing the absolute state of everything was a nightmare. DYING GASP. Elpis. Having his memories restored by Hydealyn. Ultima Thule Estinien and G'raha. The Big One. so I'd say he's not much for crying unless it comes to like. extreme tragedy and things happening to the people he loves </3

Eme is. a pretty average crier I'd say? whatever that means honestly i know i said it but hgsjsd....she tends to cry when she's frustrated and will also tear up at cute/sweet things <3 she is very weak to romance stuff so whenever Urianger whips out some big show of affection she is absolutely going to be bringing the waterworks :)

☕️ HOT BEVERAGE - do they prefer hot or cold drinks? what is their favourite drink?

K'oto is not big on hot drinks at all...he may partake in hot tea if offered as a polite thing but he wont go out of his way to get it and coffee is just out of the question no matter how its made he can't stand it, it makes him feel sick and jumpy! He's a big fan of fruit juices and such, esp the tropical type stuff they have out in costa del sol

Eme loves hot tea! Esp more flowery tasting ones :) She's from Thavnair so she's had all kinds of fancy and exotic blends, it was a big bonding point for her and Urianger early on bc they would just make each other their favorite types of tea and enjoy it together <3 She is more into coffee than K'oto but its still not her favorite, she just isn't a fan really

🍰 CAKE SLICE - favourite cake flavour? are they specific about types of cakes?

K'oto likes angel food cake, usually with pineapple or coconut <3 he does not like chocolate cake at all and people give him so much hell about it as they damn well should, get his ass!!! he honestly cant eat a cake without some kind of fruit on it either, nerd

Eme likes all cake except for carrot cake and go ahead. tell her she should like it because shes a rabbit. youll get those big strong legs directly to the face <3 she is kinda picky about icing, she prefers lighter softer tasting stuff like whipped over the thicker super sweet stuff like buttercream

[geekgirles]

Your Heart

A centuries-long feud between two of the world's most mysterious and otherwordly species is put to a halt by a sudden crisis. Danny Phantom, unofficial protector of Amity Park and indisputable King of the Ghost Zone, seeing no other choice, must make a risky decision for the sake of his people and loved ones.

But can a ghost truly trust a witch given their people's history? Or will he fall under the spell of the hypnotising Queen of the Witches of Amity Park?

READ ON AO3

Word Count: 5725

CHAPTER 1 -- Desperate Measures

Neon green.

Neon green eyes. 

The same sight that has accompanied him ever since that fateful day when he was fourteen and he entered his parents’ portal to the Ghost Zone.

The very first time he looked himself in the mirror after the accident he was greeted by those very same eerily green eyes, coupled with no little amount of panic and anxiety. And how could he not be frightened at the sight? Not only his eyes had changed colour, he himself had drastically transformed, too. 

What once was a cascade of black hair falling down his face had become an avalanche of white strands. The black and white jumpsuit he’d worn as he entered the portal was still black and white, but the colour scheme was reversed. Surprisingly, instead of looking even paler than usual, his complexion gained a healthy tanーas soon as he learned what he had turned into, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the ridiculous notion of a dead guy having more flesh-coloured skin after dying. He couldn’t even recognise his own voice! And it wasn’t the typical “my voice sounds different now that I hear it recorded” type of different. No. There was a certain...echo to it. 

Just what had he turned into?

As that first excruciating month after the accident would prove, he’d become a half-ghost, half-human hybrid.

He, Danny Fenton, was a halfa, as the locals liked to call him. 

And by ‘locals’ he didn’t mean the people living in his hometown, Amity Park. He meant the ghosts living in the Ghost Zone. The parallel dimension to Earth that his parents had dedicated years to find, hence the creation of the Ghost Portal that led to the start of his rare condition. 

And no, he couldn’t say ‘unique’ because there was another halfa that had been around for twenty years prior to his own accident. But he wasn’t going to go in detail about that; thinking about the fruitloop always put him in a bad mood. And he already had enough on his plate as it was. 

To say his first year as a halfa was difficult would be an understatement, maybe as much of an understatement as it would be to call the sinking of the Titanic a midnight swim. 

His first year with ghost powers had been brutal. There was just too much to take into account when living a double life. And if having a secret of such magnitude could take its toll on an adult, then that was nothing compared to what it could do to the already delicate psyche of a teenager. Wait, psyche? He wondered to himself, Where did that come from? Maybe Tucker is right and I need to meet some new people… Psychological talks are always a tell-tale sign that I’ve been spending too much time with Jazz.

But it was true, wasn’t it? 

While his classmates at Casper High worried about pimples, or getting their first girlfriends or boyfriends, or fitting in with the A-listers, thoughts of his secret being discovered plagued his mind 24/7. It was a miracle he hadn’t outed himself the moment he got his powers, given how little control he used to have over them. 

And it wasn’t like he could just train his powers and figure out what to do from there in peace. Oh, no. That would’ve made things easy for him and, as he would come to learn over the years, the universe just loved making things unnecessarily difficult for him. He was the cosmos’ favourite chew toy. 

No, of course not. He had to learn to use his powers while countless mischievous ghosts set out to complete whatever crazy agenda they had or to pummel him to the ground materialised in Amity Park for the first time in...let’s see...ever?

He also met the fruitloop which, of course, always brought lots of pleasant memories of an obsessive psycho attacking him, mocking him, drooling and pointlessly flirting with his mum, trying to kill his dad, only to then do a complete 180 and try to convince him to abandon his ‘idiot father’ and join him as his own son… No, no! Not going there! He really couldn’t afford losing his temper at the moment. 

His only saving grace those first few months had been his best friend, Tucker Foley and, some time later, his older sister Jazz. 

Tucker was the first to know about his secret because he was there the day of the accident. Though not a fan of the paranormal, Tucker was really into technology; always had been. Unfortunately, that earned him the nickname of ‘Techno Geek’ back in their high school days. But it was precisely that interest in the crazy inventions his parents often came up with that had led them to checking out the, then busted, Ghost Portal. And it had been his friend’s conviction that the two of them could surely make it work that had led to his molecules getting rearranged. 

Jazz was a completely different case. 

Growing up with ghost-hunting parents, meaning they focused their inventions on the paranormal side of life (and that included ectoplasm-filled dinners), Jazz had taken it upon herself to be the ‘responsible, trustworthy, and caring’ (her words, not his) older sister. Since they were little, his sister wholeheartedly believed it was up to her to make sure her brother was safe and got the attention he needed, seeing as their parents could be scatterbrained, at best. 

It goes without saying that such a mindset, though appreciated as they grew up, turned her into a meddlesome know-it-all in the eyes of any younger sibling. But if the aforementioned younger sibling happened to have developed ghost powers just as he hit puberty...well, that made her a nightmare. 

The first few months Danny tried keeping his sister at arm’s length, much to her chagrin. But she eventually learned his secret anyway and kept it away from their parents, something her little brother could never thank her enough for. 

How did she learn his secret? According to her, she found out during Danny’s first encounter with the misery-inducing ghost known as Penelope Spectra. But she didn’t reveal that she knew until a certain turn of events.

Said turn of events?

In his shortsighted search for power, the fruitloop had freed Pariah Dark, the dreaded Ghost King, from his eternal slumber and imprisonment. And not only did he free an ancient, power hungry spectre, he also stole the Ring of Wrath, the powerful item Dark needed to gain infinite power alongside the Crown of Fire already in his possession, and took it with him to Amity Park, endangering everyone in the process. 

Pariah’s plans to conquer the Ghost Zone anew, only this time he coveted Earth as well, had led to many events in a surprisingly short amount of time. But the most surprising of them all was his ascension to the throne of the Ghost Zone. 

After an agonising battle where he risked his very life from merely trying to go toe to toe with the tyrannical spirit, his quick decision-making made a difference that day. Stealing the Ring of Wrath and the Crown of Fire from Pariah Dark in an attempt to keep such raw power away from his person, Danny finally succeeded and imprisoned him once and for all inside the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. 

That day, he saved both his world and the Ghost Zone. 

That day he became Danny Phantom; Amity Park’s greatest hero.

...until he, and everyone who had previously been celebrating him, found out that a link between him and the ring and crown had been formed after he defeated Pariah Dark, which made him the new ruler of the Ghost Zone. 

All at the tender age of fourteen.

At first, he tried bargaining with the Observants and Clockwork, ghosts who would act as his rule’s Council from them onwards; he tried convincing them of how unfitting he was to rule an entire dimension. And to this day, he still maintained that belief. Back then he was fourteen, he couldn’t even drive, let alone rule over an entire race he barely knew the basics of! Many of the Ghost Zone’s inhabitants were his enemies, on top of that. Just because they’d agreed to fighting by his side during Dark’s return didn't mean they would suddenly be okay with him being the boss of them! What’s more, many of them would surely challenge him for the throne; his rule would be forever accompanied by war and anarchy! And most importantly, he was half-human. How could someone like him, who had an entire life outside the Ghost Zone, ever be fit to be its king?

But the Observants and Clockwork would have none of it. 

The Ghost of Time took advantage of his “I know everything that could and will happen” powers to toy with his weakness: protecting his home and loved ones. Clockwork simply pointed out that, as the new Ghost King, he could actually keep a closer eye on his subjects than he did in the Human World, and use his position to protect Amity Park from ghosts by merely implementing some laws. Not to mention, that due to the sheer power he would possess, most of his adversaries would have to be complete morons to even entertain the thought of challenging him, meaning the amount of ghost attacks his hometown endured would decrease drastically just with him as their ruler. And, of course, there was the issue with Vlad… As Clockwork would helpfully remind him, if he didn’t accept his position as new king of the ghosts, then Plasmius was sure to take advantage of it to claim the Ring of Wrath and the Crown of Fire for himself. 

And a world ruled by Vlad Plasmius promised to be a thousand times worse than anything Pariah Dark could submit his subjects to. 

All of it, every single point in his favour, Clockwork said completely offhandedly. As if he were talking about his plans for the weekend instead of slowly but surely bending Danny’s decision to what he and the Observants believed was the best outcome. Every word was uttered as if he didn’t know the, then, ghost boy would do anything to prevent such a terrible future from happening. 

As if the choice was truly his to make. 

And that led him to where he was now, seven years since he accepted his newfound role. 

In some ways, he remained the same. 

His hair was still the same snow white mess falling down his face. His green eyes were still vibrant and alert, if perhaps filled with a maturity and sense of responsibility that weren’t always there. His skin was still the same tanned complexion he wished he could get after sunbathing, rather than the nasty burns he would easily get. And most importantly, he was still doing his best, dedicating every single minute of his life, to doing the right thing, to protecting the innocent, and to trying to balance his responsibilities as Danny Phantom, the Ghost King and unofficial protector of Amity Park, and Danny Fenton, an university student trying to get his degree in Astrophysics while keeping his parents and acquaintances in the dark when it came to his secret. 

He still loved space and, albeit harder to achieve, he still dreamed of eventually becoming an astronaut. His sharp wit and tongue had only been honed with the passage of time; his ability to outsmart and to get his opponents to lower their guards enough to defeat them had saved his butt countless times over the years. Deep down, he was still the same Danny. The kind, compassionate, and caring boy who wanted to ensure everyone was safe. Sometimes at the price of his own mental health. 

But for every single thing that had remained unchanged, many more evolved alongside the boy.

For starters, he no longer was a boy, but a man. At twenty-one, there was no trace of the baby fat that once adorned Danny’s face, having been replaced by a sharp jawline and sculpted muscles caused by several years of physical exertion. His once scrawny figure was now replaced by broad shoulders, defined pectorals and abs, and bulging biceps. With his jumpsuit accentuating every single sinew of his body. 

The jumpsuit itself had undergone minor yet noticeable changes. The white collar covering his neck  and collarbone had gradually extended until it reached his shoulders. His biceps were now adorned by two white bracelets each, and his white gloves included several bottoms which activated the different mechanisms he had scavenged from his parents’ trash and had Tucker include in his suit over the years. Just like he traded his old belt for a far more refined utility belt, which also held several surprises. And yet, the biggest change was the logo on his chest. Or rather, the fact that he now sported a logo at all. It was a rather simple, yet witty, design. A white ghost shaped to include both his alterego’s initials; ‘DP’. 

It was rather ingenious. 

He couldn’t claim the credit for himself, though. He hadn’t created the logo. It was the strangest experience and still, one of the most touching.

One day he was flying over Amity Park, patrolling to make sure everything was as it should, when, thanks to his enhanced senses, something caught his eye. Sitting on a bench in the park was a girl but, for once, he didn’t pay attention to her appearance. He couldn’t, for he was too entranced with what she was doodling on her notebook. Doodles. That was all there was to it, really, but amongst black cats, roses, and the occasional “spooky ghost”, her design for his logo stood out. 

He asked Tucker to add it to the latest update of his suit as soon as he went back home. 

That very same logo adorning his chest was also engraved on the verdigris medallions keeping his black and white cape on his shoulders. That cape, alongside the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Wrath, were his designated attire as the Ghost King. Jazz figured he could alter his appearance a little depending on the role he played at the moment in order to avoid making the citizens of Amity Park jittery. “We want them to accept you as their protector, Danny,” she once said, “the less you remind them that you’re the current king of the Ghost Zone, the better.”

That was him. The self-appointed protector of Amity Park, and the leader of the Ghost Zone, and his highest priority would always be to ensure everyone’s safety. 

Which was why he was about to do what he was going to do. 

“Great One,” Frostbite, the honorable, trustworthy leader of the Far Frozen, called out to him, “are you certain there is no other way?”

His King appraised him with a resigned look. Frostbite and his people were some of the first ghosts to accept and respect him, immediately declaring themselves at his service after he defeated Pariah Dark. His imposing appearance, that of a hairy snow monster with sharp teeth and claws and an almost unmatched proficiency in the art of cryokinesis, hid his noble, gentle, and wise interior. The leader of the Far Frozen was an ally, a mentor, a friend...But, unless he came up with an alternative of his own, he couldn’t be of much help at the moment. Sighing, Danny shook his head. 

“There probably is, Frostbite. But we’ve already lost enough time. If we don’t act soon, who knows what could happen.”

“I would.” A disembodied voice announced from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. If he were still fourteen, that trick would’ve made Danny jump a few feet high. But that was no longer the case, and he knew the owner of the voice all too well. “High chance, it wouldn’t be pretty.”

“Have you come here to offer an alternative, Clockwork?” Danny crossed his arms. A part of him knew it was futile to expect a straight answer from the Ghost of Time, his lips were sealed when it came to revealing the future. But, somehow, he still hoped he wouldn’t have to resort to, as of date, his most reckless decision. 

In a way, the ghost’s appearance seemed fitting. With his fluctuating age and his cloaked self, carrying a staff around, he resembled the Grim Reaper himself. Depending on his answer, he could either save or doom him. 

“I’m afraid not, boy. And even if I did, I most likely wouldn’t be allowed to tell you.” Clockwork shrugged, but the smile on his face somehow made the halfa suspect he didn’t lament anything. 

 Gesturing with a hand at the child-like ghost, Danny turned to address Frostbite. “There you have it. This seems to be our only hope.”

“But, sire,” Frostbite started, worry apparent on his canine features, “surely you are aware of the risks we will be taking ifー”

“I know,” his King interrupted him with a raised hand, “you don’t have to remind me. I was hoping things wouldn’t come to this but we can’t afford to lose any more time. You said it yourself, Frostbite. Aside from a very few ghosts like Wulf, who doesn’t even fully understand the workings behind his power, they are the only ones who know how the Ghost Zone’s portals work. If we want to put an end to our current problem, we have got to ask them for help.”

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Frostbite sighed, “I know, Great One. But I cannot help but fear they will either refuse to aid us in our time of need, or agree to it only to eventually betray us.” A low growl erupted from his throat. “These are extremely treacherous and unpredictable beings, my King.”

“I’m well aware of the risk, Frostbite.” The halfa reassured his friend, putting a hand on his furry shoulder. “But think about it this way: if they refuse, we can start looking for alternatives and avoid any unnecessary trouble from them; and if they accept with any sort of hidden motive, all we have to do is keep our guards up.” 

Now presenting himself as an old man, Clockwork nodded at Danny’s words, “It’s truly all we can do.”

Seeing as there truly was nothing else they could do, the leader of the Far Frozen could only pray his King’s noble, yet dangerous, decision wouldn’t become their downfall. Sighing, he finally nodded, silently expressing he and his people’s loyalty to their king, no matter what path he chose. 

The halfa smiled at his friend’s understanding nature, but it was short lived. Squaring his shoulders, he motioned to his companions to follow him. “Come on, we don’t have much time.”

The three ghosts made their way around the corridors of the king’s lair inside the Ghost Zone. The hallways and rooms were empty, for once, since the ruler had previously given orders to stay away from his lair that day. It was a day for deliberating his next move, the last thing he needed was to be distracted by his subjects. 

He was doing this for them, after all. 

Opening the gates, they stepped out into the island, where a green-skinned, ghostly postman was waiting for them. The irony was not lost on Danny: the same ghost Vlad had used to trick his mother and him all those years ago would now be essential for his plan. 

With Frostbite and Clockwork flanking him, the young king approached the spectre, a serious look on his face. Extending out his gloved hand, he handed him an envelope. “You know what to do with this.” He stated firmly. 

Bowing his head as a sign of respect and understanding, the postman took the envelope from his hand, flying away to the nearest portal. 

All that was left to do was wait. 

....................

Purple. 

Purple eyes. 

Once again, she was greeted by the very eyes that marked her fate. Just by having violet eyes, her fate was sealed and outlined for her the day she was born. For twenty-one years she had been greeted by the same sight: striking violet eyes, glossy raven hair framing her face, and fair skin that contrasted greatly with the rest of her features. And even to this day a part of her was still surprised that it was all happening to her. 

When she was a little girl, her mother and grandma would often warn her of the future that lay ahead of her, a future she wasn’t even sure she wanted. Whenever her mother spoke of what was expected of her, it all sounded far too difficult for her little mind to understand. And worst of all, far too boring. 

Why would she want to host parties and ceremonies? She was too young to even know what they were like! Whenever her mother started talking about the parties she would attend, a bubble of excitement grew inside of her. She was going to go to the grown-up parties instead of staying at home! She was going to have fun and do whatever it was the older girls did there!

...only for her mother to burst her little bubble, as always. 

The moment she felt the slightest excitement about the things her mother told her about, the woman would then go into a hundred details that sounded anything but fun. 

No, she wouldn’t be having fun at the parties, but tending to her guests. No, she couldn’t dress however she liked once she was older, there were expectations set on her. No, she couldn’t turn anyone she disliked into a frog; of course not!

And her younger self always found herself wondering: what’s the point in being a witch if you couldn’t do anything with your magic?

Thankfully, when her mother became too much to bear, her grandma was always near. Growing up, Grandma Ida had been her role model. She was fun and understanding when her mother was strict and unyielding. She was wise and the ideal mentor when Pamela acted hysterical or unreasonable. But above all else, her Grandma understood her when she was an outcast in her own society. 

Being an outcast among witches, how cruel could destiny be?

When she was a little girl she didn’t understand she was an outcast so much as she knew something was wrong with the other girls from her clan. They were never mean to her, per se, but they also never wanted to play with her. 

Not like she was ever allowed to play much, anyway. 

She spent most of her time awake listening to her mother’s lectures, or trying to pay attention during her governesses’ lessons, or, and this was her favourite part of the day, watching her Grandma in action. 

As she grew up, she started connecting the dots, understanding the reasons behind her sheltered and lonely upbringing. 

The other girls would never say a mean thing about her, nor would they get too close to her, because she was off-limits. If they ever disrespected her, their families might find themselves in a tight situation and fall from grace. But if they ever included her in their activities, making her feel like one of them, then she could be distracted and get sidetracked from her studies and her true purpose. 

Such was the life of the future Queen of the Witches. 

Growing up, she often tried to rebel against the role imposed on her since birth. A role she was forced to play ever since she opened her eyes for the first time and that forsaken violet colour appeared from behind her eyelids. 

Although a witch didn’t exactly become the queen of her people due to their genes. That is to say, the position wasn’t inherited; it depended on the most important asset a sorceress could ever possess. 

Her affinity to magic. 

Whoever had the strongest, and hence was the most powerful spellcaster among them, was destined to be her clan’s leader. But that didn’t necessarily mean anyone could be queen either. 

That popular belief among pop culture that spread the idea that anyone could do magic if sufficiently trained was absolutely ridiculous. You were either born with the ability to do magic, or you weren’t. Period. 

Another popular misinformation humans seemed to be suckers for was the idea that magic came from ancient artefacts or spellcasting. In reality, magic came from within every witch; from their anima. Their own essence. In truth, magic was the ability to channel their essence and project it into the physical realm with the added help of their knowledge of the secrets of life. 

Because when it came to magic, there was nothing more powerful than knowing the secrets of the universe. If you knew the secret to something, you knew how to master that something. 

Based on those principles, witches chose their queen according to the strength of her anima, and although the throne wasn’t supposed to be passed down from mother to daughter, it was worth mentioning that they did have a Royal family of some sort:

The Mansons. 

The family she, Samantha “Sam” Manson, belonged to. 

And what was it that turned the Mansons into the closest thing her people had to a Royal family? Their violet eyes. 

Their eyes were a tell-tale sign of a superior kind of anima. Just like their irises, it would manifest itself into purple energy; the only kind of energy that could survive dark magic without being corrupted. Sam’s own energy manifested itself in the form of a sparkly, purple mist, confirming her potential as her clan’s greatest spellcaster. 

Sam spent the first years of her life cursing her luck. She didn’t want to be queen! She wanted to have friends, to play, to see the world from beyond the clan’s manor’s windows...She...she wanted...she wanted to live. 

For years she hated her amethyst gaze, a cruel reminder of a fate that had already been outlined for her the moment she was born and from which she could not escape. But then, her Grandma Ida, the Witch Queen before her, died when she was fourteen, and Sam learned to value her unique eye colour. 

It was the only thing she had to remember her grandmother by, after all. 

Since Ida never had a daughter, but a son who would eventually marry Pamela, a lesser witch, the clan had seemingly fallen into anarchy. Several witches tried battling each other for control, while the members of the Council deliberated in search for a better solution than mindless duels that could massacrate the coven’s numbers. 

And it was during that time that Sam finally embraced what for years had been her greatest curse. 

Taking a stand, she casted a paralysing spell in the manor’s Grand Hall, forcing everyone present to stay put and listen to her. With that simple move, she achieved two things. Firstly, she got her people’s undivided attention, and secondly, she reminded them just who possessed the strongest anima. 

Although Sam would never admit it, having so many unwavering gazes looking down on her disturbed her a little, but she forced herself to go on with her plan before she lost her nerve. Using that newfound courage, she reminded everyone that, not only was she Ida’s only granddaughter, but she also had violet eyes and, as they’d just witnessed, the anima to match. She brought up the countless hours she’d spent studying to become their coven’s next queen, and she fought tooth and nail until they recognised her as the heiress to the throne. 

When the Head of the Council had reminded her of her age, still being too young to rule, Sam made a deal with them. The Council would act as her regents until her 18th birthday, when she became of age and would ascend to the throne as her Grandma, who was considered one of the best queens they’d ever had, would have wanted. In exchange, the girl promised she would dedicate those years to study and train to become the leader her people deserved. 

After much deliberation, the Council accepted her offer. 

Just as Sam kept her part of the deal. 

The four years she dedicated to her duties as future queen shaped Sam’s view on her lifelong duty. She always wanted to change the world for the better, now she had the means to do so. As Queen of the Witches of Amity Park, she would focus her efforts on diplomacy between the rest of the covens spread throughout the globe and hers. She would personally deal with any trespasser or crook who dared threaten her witches’ safety. She would focus her energy on rebuilding the link with nature her people used to profit from. 

But above all else, now that they were wandering freely around Amity Park, her coven’s home, she would protect her people from those traitors. 

No witch would suffer because of them ever again.

That was three years ago. Now at twenty-one, Sam was proud to call herself the Witch Queen, a duty and a privilege she was honoured to shoulder. 

Lost in thought, she gently stroked DeMilo’s head. The venus fly trap had been her familiar since her Rite of Passage back from her 14th birthday; it was the last ceremony Grandma Ida was able to attend. Unfortunately, the memory of her rite was tainted by a rather...unpleasant event, making it almost impossible to reminisce without the feeling of nausea creeping up on her. 

After their Rite of Passage, witches got their familiars, signalling they were finally full-fledged members of their birthclan. But while most young sorceresses got cats, or ravens, or any other animal ーsome animals being more stereotypically “witchy” than othersー, Sam got DeMilo. As unusual as getting a plant as her familiar was, it didn’t matter. The girl’s natural affinity to nature made it incredibly easier to harvest the herbs and plants they needed for their spells. 

And DeMilo was ten times more interesting than any house cat, anyways. And a hundred times more hygienic than a drooling dog. 

“You’ve been staring at the mirror for almost an hour now.” A heavily accented voice broke her out from her stupor. “And then they say I’m vain.”

Turning around, the queen found her lady-in-waiting, Paulina Sanchez, leaning against the door of her quarters, her arms crossed. At her feet lay several toiletries and different kinds of make-up. 

Avoiding her gaze, flustered, Sam apologised, “I...I’m sorry. I was waiting for you to come back with what you needed and I guess I got lost in thought.”

“No kidding,” Paulina snickered as she made her way to her Queen’s side. With a wave of her hand, she beckoned the items currently resting on the floor to float towards her, a soft pink glow enveloping them. “Is there, like, anything on your mind? Anything we should worry about? Because, last time I checked, everything was going smoothly for us. Except for that one nutcase still trying to hunt us, but nobody is taking her seriously anyway.” She shrugged, not feeling concerned in the slightest. 

Sam frowned a little at her words. She knew of the so-called witchhunter, and although Paulina was right that nobody seemed to take her seriously, it wouldn’t be unwise to keep an eye on her. The last thing they needed was another massacre like the one from The Great Burning. “No, no. Nothing like that, don’t worry.” She dismissed the idea with a motion of her hand. “I was just thinking about the past, that’s all.”

Paulina replied with a noncommittal sound as she started brushing her Queen’s hair. Normally, Sam limited herself to be pampered exclusively if she had an important meeting with the Council or the other clan leaders to attend, such as Coven Night, her people’s most sacred ceremony. But there was another reason why she had called Paulina to dress her up for. 

“Is there anything going on that I should know about?” she asked her lady-in-waiting, her eyes never leaving her reflection on the mirror. 

The Latina’s gaze hardened, “Harriet is trying to get more witches on her plan to get rid of them, but, so far, everyone seems to be loyal to you and your orders.”

“As they should.”

Unbeknownst to anyone, the Queen’s two handmaidens, Paulina and Star, were also her most trustworthy informants. They had eyes and ears all over the manor, without even using any surveillance spell. The other witches tended to look down on them due to their Valley Girl attitude, which often made them look far less capable than they really were. Which was perfect for them and Sam, because that way any possible conspirators would lower their guard around them. 

If anyone sneezed in the manor, they would tell her. 

Paulina was about to ask about what course of action they should take, when a shrill voice broke the quiet atmosphere, immediately drawing the attention from everyone present in the large house. 

Sam hastily stood up from her chair just as Star burst the doors open, surprise etched to her skin. Making eye contact with her queen, she hurriedly arrived next to her, doubling over and panting from racing all the way there. 

Concerned, Sam put a hand on her shoulder as she ordered Paulina to bring her friend some water, but the blonde stopped her with a wave of her hand. “No,” she breathed, “this...this is...too important.”

“Star, what’s wrong?” The violet-eyed girl asked. 

Instead of an answer from her handmaiden, she received a neon green envelope closed by a wax seal. If the colour of the envelope weren’t unusual enough, the seal was shaped after a glaringly familiar logo:

A ghost shaped to include two initials; ‘DP’.

In cursive, the envelope said it was directed to the ‘Witch Queen of Amity Park.’ And an array of red, capital letters was pressed against its green surface, reading:

URGENT

Sam couldn’t hold back her astonishment, a hand barely covering her gasping mouth. Absent-mindedly, as if under a spell, she took several tentative steps back, until her back collided with her vanity. She could not believe her own eyes.

The Ghost King was personally addressing her.