#urban fantasy type au

[mobblespsycho100]

laios in the curses & coffins au is so funny btw bro is literally working for thistle not even for a paycheck but for some nebulous promise of having his greatest wish (getting turned into a werewolf) granted lmao

[eli-writes-sometimes]

tell me why i've done more worldbuilding for my freaking silly little fmb paranormal investigators au than i have for most of the original world

[blueishspace]

Ok, ok...

Au where the multiverse is a library where every universe is a book and the mcyters are embodyiments of either tropes/styles/types of universes/fanfiction tags/ecc...

Like, the main tone quartet:

Mumbo - Fluff.

Grian - Angst.

Scar - Hurt/Confort.

Martyn - Humour.

The secondary style deities:

Bdubs - Cartoony.

Etho - Noir.

Ren - Political Intrigue.

Pearl - Horror.

BigB - Psychological horror.

Cleo - Thriller.

Oli - Crack.

Joe Hills - Poetic / Philosofical.

Or the setting six:

Scott - High Fantasy.

Jimmy - Urban fantasy.

Tango - Historical/Steam punk.

Impulse - Futuristic/Sci-fi.

Skizz - Modern.

Zed - Superhero.

Perhaps the rulers of pairing:

Gem - F/F

Sausage - M/M

Lizzie - F/M

Joel - Multi.

Keralis - Queer platonic relationships.

Jevin - Friendship.

[luckyarchivist]

Touchstarved LIs and Fanfiction AUs They Should Be In

Haven't been able to stop thinking about the people who said Ais is "always the tattoo artist in tattoo shop/flower shop AU". I don't even like tattoo shop/flower shop like that but it was such a correct thing to say and I have to acknowledge that. So here's that plus AUs I've seen that I think the LIs should be in.

Ais

Flower shop/tattoo shop, as mentioned. This one is TOO good. Come ON. Ais as the hot-ass owner of the local tattoo shop? Him listening to your idea for a tattoo and then smoothly and easily inking it into your skin and telling you you're good when you don't cry? I don't even need to explain this one. It makes sense in like every way.

NASCAR/Formula One AU. The idea of him getting out of that car sweaty as hell in the full racing suit after crushing a track record? Like, taking off the helmet and shaking his hair out and looking like he couldn't give less of a shit about winning first place? Yeah. I am not immune to vroom vroom

Mermaid AU but he's a bull shark or an octopus, not a fish. IDK if I want his claspers or his tentacles more, but either way he should be lurking in the briny deep and protecting me from the real ocean monsters and threatening to eat me even though he probably doesn't mean it, probably.

Vere

Magic/Witches AU. - C'monnnn, he's already so witchy! He's got the sleeves and everything. And yes I know TS already has magic in it, but you know what I mean. He, like, lives in the spooky forest and the people of the village are deathly afraid of him, but you need his magical help, so against the wishes of family and friends you seek him out. And he forces you through a series of dangerous illusions as a trial and, when you successfully pass them, finally agrees to help you for a price...

Royalty AU as either the capricious king of a powerful nation or that king's advisor, formal or informal (smart concubine). I've never seen Game of Thrones but that kind of castle politics, shadowy backstabbing shit seems right up his alley.

Modern AU as an artist: I already talked about this with Vere as an artist and game dev, but I think it'd be so funny if Vere was just sitting in a coffee shop (local, Starbucks is below him) trying to finish his commissions in peace because his roommate(s) are annoying and/or distracting. Honestly, Vere would also rock as a modern AU witch, like urban fantasy type.

Leander

Barista/Bartender AU. He's so extroverted and congenial I have to put him in a drink service AU. He definitely has a "time to mix drinks and save lives" type of work ethic behind the counter. He remembers regular customers and their drink orders, he is LIBERAL with discounts, and he leaves little notes to the people he thinks are cute.

Serial killer AU. I am so basic and even though I have no desire to watch or listen to true crime now, I was raised on the Investigation Discovery Channel and I've never lost that. Look at his fucking face. He's asking for it to be covered in blood. Even better if this is combined with the above AU and he's a sweet server by day and a ruthless murderer by night but he keeps the same wide, pleasant, and genuine smile on because both things are things he loves to do. Even BETTER if he has an obsession with one of his regulars and starts killing people around them in an attempt to get closer with them.

Theatre AU. Siiiighs. Yeah, I'm a theatre kid. And I just know this guy would be one of those actors who wants to be a mentor/older brother figure for any new troupe-members. He's walking you through all the vocal warmups. He's offering to help you run lines. He's driving you home after rehearsals. He is a triple threat, but he doesn't prefer musicals because he doesn't like singing in front of an audience (even though he's an amazing singer). And I just know props absolutely hates him because he keeps touching shit that isn't his.

Kuras

Hospital AU and Angels/Demons AU is too easy. Instead, I'm giving him the flower shop owner in flower shop/tattoo shop AU. Anyone here like KurAis? Anyways, I think it would be sweet to have him be the super-tall, kind but a little awkward and very knowledgeable owner of a flower shop. He probably enjoys crafting bouquets that have meaning in flower language. And yes, he knows about the nice meanings and the rude meanings, so you can get a "fuck you" bouquet from Kuras.

Detroit Become Human AU as an android. I barely remember D:BH but it was one of the first things that occurred to me when thinking about AUs for Kuras. Maybe because he'd be the kind of android who was like, "Don't worry, I'm not a real person, it's okay if I get shot repeatedly," and wouldn't understand why someone would be concerned about him anyways.

Elementary school teacher/single parent AU but I don't know if I want him to be the teacher or the parent. Do I want him to look after a group of children, making efforts to understand their silly little words and communicate with them so they learn and feel cared for? Or do I want him to be the struggling single parent who is so happy to see their child finally getting the attention they deserve outside the house? IDK, but I'd be happy either way.

Mhin

Superhero AU. They're kinda already halfway to superhero gear with the hood and the cape and the tight pants, but I think it be cool for them to dart from rooftop to rooftop, saving civilians and fighting crime. IDK if it'd be cooler if they were half-hero half-villain (controlled by their bird-monster side and wreaking havoc) or if it'd just be nice to have a crow hero motif. Anyway they save me and I'm a reporter who uses my reporter contacts to try and track them down not knowing they're actually my upstairs neighbor who I bring shepherd's pie and strawberry cupcakes to sometimes.

The other tattoo artist in tattoo shop/flower shop. You know how there's always some other character working in one or both of the shops? Ayeah that's Mhin. Number one, I think it'd be hot if they had tattoos. But even if they don't they're still hot when they give the tattoo because focus and skill are attractive. They're talented enough that Ais keeps them around even though they hate him. They never talk to him even though he's their boss. Over the course of the fic Mhin and Ais get closer b/c Kuras is friends with both of them and he wants them to like each other.

Angel/Demon AU as an angel because I want them to be corrupted :) I want them to be forced to submit to their own worst impulses :) and eventually realize that being evil makes them feel good and more importantly liberated and in control :) also maybe they can get wrecked by a demon please :)

Aaaand the DLC cast gets one as a treat!

Sen

Pacific Rim AU but PLEASE don't ask me why. I don't even REMEMBER Pacific Rim. But the clarity with which I could imagine Sen in a Pacific Rim AU is startling. She's gruff and she doesn't want to partner up with you, a rookie, but somehow you have perfect chemistry in the mech she doesn't want to acknowledge. She's too reckless out of disregard for her life, and you reel her in; you're inexperienced, and she fixes your mistakes. Then one day she starts to notice that she's guarding her own life more fiercely than ever before...because of you.

If that's not what Pacific Rim is about shhhh don't correct me /j

Elyon

Easy answer is pornstar/industry AU or camming AU but I'll never take the easy way out. And I know we don't know shit about the guy but I think reincarnation AU would kinda hit with him. His promo talks about wanting things money can't buy? Like possibly the ability to save his soulmate from dying and forgetting him over and over while he retains the memories of every life they've both shared and lived separately, as friends, lovers, enemies, and strangers? That would go hard imo.

If you read all of that, thanks! I hope you enjoyed~

[artbyblastweave]

Years and years and years back, I was tinkering with a concept that, at the time, I hadn't seen done before, which was to do a Fables or Once Upon A Time-style mass-fairy-tale-retelling in a soft-sci-fi space opera/planetary romance setting. I remember a couple of overarching concepts. One was that the classic Fairy Tales being remixed with increasingly outlandish genres was an actual metaphysical conceit of the setting; the big bad was going to be King Arthur, who, due to his nature as the one who cyclically dies and returns, had become cognizant of all the times he'd lived through the same shitshow but with a wild west veneer or an urban-fantasy veneer or a mad-max veneer or a coffee-shop-AU veneer, and on this-go around, he'd decided to use the planet-shattering imperial might of space!camelot to attempt a suicide run against the entire universe in the hopes of deviating from the script strongly enough to break the cycle. (Note that all of this came from a place of total ignorance of Arthurian lore, which is in part why I never pulled the trigger on it- I felt I had reading to do.) The other character concept that stuck in my head was that there was this tertiary character who was the classic space-western gunslinger- constantly swooping in at the last minute to bail the heroes out, rugged and squinty-eyed, effortlessly laying waste to vastly superior opponents with nary a thought. Through context clues (such as his ability to fly in outer space under his own power) it was eventually going to be made clear that this was supposed to be the setting's version of Peter Pan. Prior to the Space Opera cycle, Neverland’s conceptual gravity as a place that fundamentally does not change allowed it to avoid being reset at the end of each cycle; Peter's cavalier attitude towards life and death was informed by the fact that no matter how many times Hook dies, no matter how many times the Darlings visited and departed, they'd always eventually come back, albeit with mannerisms informed by whatever conceit was currently dominating the rest of the universe outside Neverland. Unfortunately, for the space-opera cycle Hook showed up as the captain of a star-destroyer-type thing and unceremoniously glassed Neverland from orbit, ending the party for good. Peter then finally took the plunge into quote-unquote "adulthood" in order to adopt a vengeful-pursuer role- indeed, he stakes a lot of his present identity on the idea that he was finally "forced to grow up"- but it's of course obvious to anyone who gets remotely close to him that he's only become "more mature" in the way that the gratuitous blood-and-guts Liefeldian anti-heroes of the 90s positioned themselves as a mature alternative to the cornball antics of the silver age; all he's done is trade up to a slightly more involved Juvenile power fantasy, still equally divorced from adulthood even if he looks 35.

[crimson-veil-rpg]

C R I M S O N . V E I L forum rpg urban fantasy de type créatures et gangs avec concept de doubles identités secrètes (tw : violence, sang, chasse) ¨:·. .·:¨ ¨:·. ☾ .·:¨ ¨:·. .·:¨ ¨:·. .·:¨ ¨:·. ☾ .·:¨ ¨:·. .·:¨ Scarborough. Il y a quelque chose dans ce nom qui écorche la langue en y laissant sa marque, raclant la gargue pour s'extirper presque douloureusement des lèvres. Ici, les apparences sont trompeuses, se fardant d'un monticule de faux semblants au cœur de la station balnéaire britanique. Les jours d'été sont doucereux, idéaux pour flâner naïvement le temps d'un après-midi à sombrer dans l'oisiveté. Puis, il y a la sorgue qui tombe, ne laisse qu'un empire des lueurs artificielles devenues floues sous une brume dominante, sertie d'une âcre fragrance d'iode.

Alors les ombres sortent, sournoises chimères aux babines avides dégueulant de crocs affutés qui entament leur ballet nocturne. Les masques tombent jusqu'à l'aube naissante et plus rien ne paraît alors rassurant. Les bêtes grouillent, se dévoilent, se croisent à l’abri des mires aveugles d’êtres humains pour qui elles ne sont que des histoires fantaisistes que l'on conte aux bambins. Les griffes se ferment sur les chairs et les disparitions vont bon train. Enfin jusqu'à-ce que les projectiles filent, tentant de protéger les pauvres égaré.es de leurs funestes étreintes. Parce qu'il y a toujours eu les proies, toujours eu les traqueurs en un jeu sempiternel. Si bien qu'on ne sait plus vraiment qui sont les prédateurs et qui sont les proies.

Peut-être que dans tout ça votre charmante voisine vous offrant d'alléchantes pâtisseries n'est autre qu'une chasseuse de monstres aguerrie une fois le crépuscule tombé, que votre collègue de bureau se révèle être un bestiau assassin faisant bonne figure afin de mieux se fondre dans la masse, que cet aimable facteur fait partie d'un organisme secret mettant à mal l'humanité lorsqu'il ne livre pas le courrier.

Et vous, au fond, qui êtes-vous réellement ? ¨:·. .·:¨ ¨:·. ☾ .·:¨ ¨:·. .·:¨ ¨:·. .·:¨ ¨:·. ☾ .·:¨ ¨:·. .·:¨

Encore un énième univers porté sur les bestioles et pourtant, Crimson Veil vous proposera quelque chose en plus pour pimenter le jeu. Le forum possèdera un concept d’identités secrètes, où seul le staff connaîtra la véritable espèce ou rôle au sein des organisations de chaque personnage. Le but sera évidemment de jouer le jeu, d’en dévoiler le moins possible, laisser des indices s’échapper de temps à autre et dissimuler les crasses sous quelques balises hide bien placées. Les membres d’une même organisation ou d’une même espèce, pourront se reconnaître entre eux bien entendu, à comploter paisiblement à l’abri des regards dans des zones secrètes. Bien sûr, le forum demande pas mal d’aménagements pratiques afin que les mystères soient viables au maximum, les réponses quant à l’organisation des choses arriveront en temps voulu.

Et ça ne risque pas de vriller city tout ça ? Et bien mon petit Philibert, le jeu sera agrémenté de plusieurs espèces non jouables sous forme de PNJ capables de semer le trouble et donner du rebondissement entre les diverses intrigues. Même les créatures les plus hostiles pourront se faire croquer par plus gros qu’elles.

Le nom de Scarborough, petite ville côtière du Yorkshire, en Angleterre, vous est peut-être familier. En effet, une partie de l’univers reprendra le lore et quelques petites choses à son forum grand frère, Noctivagus, ouvert en septembre 2020 et qui a fermé ses portes en 2023. De nombreuses choses seront cependant intégralement revues et adaptées (nombre et types de créatures, gangs, système de jeu, codage et design, etc.). Reprendre cette base et réhabiliter ce forum sous une toute nouvelle forme permettra également de gagner en temps et en énergie durant la construction (big brain mouve). À bientôt donc pour une toute nouvelle aventure.

[channieskies]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕴𝕴𝕴: 𝕺𝖚𝖙𝖗𝖊́

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader, Jeong(Jung) Jaehyun x Reader (Fem/AFAB/Curvy/Plus sized)

Genre: Smut (eventual), Angst, Supernatural Romance, Urban Fantasy

AU: Supernatural AU, Vampire Au, Werewolf AU, Witch AU

Word count: 6520 [Reading time: 27 Minutes ]

Networks: @neverendingdreams-net & @mirohs-aurora-society

Synopsis: You get the shock of your life, finding out just who and what you are. The veil is peeled back and thing start to become a little too clear for you.

CHAPTER INDEX

The back patio door swung open hard, pulling you both from the intense staring contest you were unwittingly having to see who had barged into your space. You mom stood at the threshold, her eyes as wide as saucers. “What have you done?” She shook with something akin to both anger and disappointment. “Y/N! Why did you do it?? Why?” She yelled, shocking both you and Chris. You stood and backed away, walking further down the steps and away from her wrath. You’d never seen her this angry before. She was normally the calmest person you knew, easing her way through even the toughest situations. “Why didn’t you wait for me? It’s my duty to take care of them! Now you-” She heaved the heaviest frustrated sigh. “God, what have you done?!” She dropped her head, her fingers tangling in her rust colored hair. “I guess it’s time to give you the talk I’ve been dreading since the day you were born......"

A.N: Please reblog and leave a comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to @palindrome969 and @therhythmafterthesummer for reading over this for me. I could never thank you enough. Dividers by @saradika-graphics

Disclaimer: This story does not reflect the real lives or personalities of Stray Kids or NCT. I do not know them personally. This is purely a work of fiction.

Warnings: MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. This chapter contains use of explicit language.

Last night felt like a fever dream. There was no way that your date-that-was-not-a-date with Chris unfolded like that. A kiss? A kiss shouldn’t have had that type of hold on you. The type of hold that had you touching your smiling lips just at the thought of it. You felt your bed dip ever so slightly, eyes traveling down to the intrusion. It was that damn cat again. What was it with that cat in your room? Did your mom make it chill in here while you were away or something? Socks came up to you, and put her paw on your hand, making you lower it. She then proceeded to boop your lips with her nose. “Was… was that a kiss?” She didn’t respond in the usual way she did, she just snuggled up to you, her cute face tucked into the crook of your arm. She must have really taken a liking to you, being that she was being affectionate with a complete stranger. Well, maybe not a complete stranger, you did introduce yourself yesterday. You stayed in bed, cuddled with your mother’s boss's cat, just petting her silky fur as she purred against you.

Just like the day before, there was a soft knock on your door before you mom peeked her head in. “Are you ready? I’ll be leaving in an hour or so for work.” She sighed looking at your form, still under the covers, still in pajamas. “You owe me, remember? You know this is important to me. So please, don’t disappoint me and say you aren’t going. ” Was it Sunday already? Gosh the weekend flew by in the blink of an eye. Your eyes flashed to the wolves you encountered the night before, your heartbeat quickening at the thought of the way it looked at you. You shuddered at the thought, wanting to push the memory as far down as you could get it. “You’re meeting my boss, so dress nice. Nothing with weird slogans or holes in it. Just.. just dress appropriately, okay?” She called for Socks, who quickly moved away from you and off the bed to your mom. “You've got an hour, young lady. Not a second more!” A hefty sigh passed your lips as you will yourself to get up and get out of bed. As a child, you would spend your weekends reading to other children in the pediatric ward of the hospital. You continued that tradition even in college, up until you left town abruptly.

It took you fifteen minutes less of the allotted time to get ready to go with your mother. You’d settled on just a plain, beige top and some army green cargo pants, so not to ‘embarrass’ your mother. As a matter of fact, she was the one cutting close to the hour she’d specifically told you that you had. “Okay, I know. I know.” Her large pink framed glasses sat on the edge of her nose as she searched the living room for something. Your mother was known around the hospital for her eccentricities. She kept her hair short and often colored a rusty color. Her glasses changed with whatever outfit she had on that day. So today they were pink, matching the yellow and pink Hello Kitty scrubs she planned for today, with her bright yellow crocs. She spoke, pulling her keys from the bowl she kept near the front door. “Grab Socks and let’s go, I don’t want to be late. Even though I’d blame it on you anyways.” All you could do was chuckle and shake your head, you knew she would absolutely blame it on you if she was late. She swung the door open and headed out to the car in her usual dramatic fashion, while you collected Socks from where she was lounging around. 

Your mother drove like a bat out of hell to make sure she could find a good parking space at the always crowded city hospital. The last time you were here, your grandfather took his last breath, leaving you with a small hole in your heart from losing him. Guess it goes to show that all the men in your life eventually leave. If not by death, then by peacing the fuck out like you were some kind of leper they didn’t want to catch a case of doom and gloom from. With Socks in her carrier, you followed your mom in. After getting your visitors pass, you made your rounds, saying hello to old faces you hadn’t seen in months, even meeting some people who were new to you, but seemed to know everything about you. Your mom really had a knack of talking a little too much about you. Especially when you received several, ‘I feel like I know you’s’ from people you’d never met. You and her would have to have a chat about that later. As per usual, you were on volunteer duty. Your mom had found the perfect job for you to do while she waited for ‘Dr. Jay’, as she affectionately called him, to finish his first set of rounds.

With Socks on her leash, you perused the pediatric ward, looking for any child that needed  ‘Kitty Care.’ According to one of the second-level nurses, Dr. Jay coined the phrase after Socks had made her first great escape from his office. She found her way to the playroom, where several children took turns playing with her. He noticed that after the kids spent time with Socks, some of their labs were better. So he brought her in twice a week to do her kitty nurse duties. Even when he was out of town, your mom took on the role of bringing Socks and taking her around. You guessed that it gave her something to do, other than work in her garden or do volunteer work. 

You swear those were the only things that woman did, besides gossip about you, of course. You sat in the much too small chair as the children gathered around to play with the sweet cat. She must’ve loved her job, you could feel her purring in your lap, vibrating her calm energy into both you and the kids. They had been telling you how long they had been in the hospital and what they were in for. Some even went as far as to tell you their favorite things, some of which you’d never heard of. But then again, you were probably old enough to be their mother at this point. Especially taking in consideration that your baby would be the same age as the youngest in the room if he or she would have survived.

You probably wouldn't admit it, but it was nice to be around people, albeit little people, who had such a positive outlook on life. They were happy, despite whatever circumstances put them in this awful place. “It’s Dr. Jay!” One of the little girls said, her perfectly round little cheeks tinting with blush. You and Socks’ captive audience dispersed one by one, each of them heading on the other side of the hand painted partition. You put Socks down, so she could run off and greet her owner and proceeded to follow behind closely. You heard his deep chuckles before you saw his face. You were expecting, hell, you didn’t know what exactly you were expecting, but it wasn’t the man who greeted you. He was kneeling, talking to the smallest of the children when his eyes met yours. He looked up slowly and you stopped in your tracks. 

This was Dr. Jay? You assumed he would be like any of the other bosses your mother had over the years. You thought he’d be some old man who had been a doctor for over half of his life. This man didn’t look a day over twenty-five, how the hell was he a practicing doctor? With his trendy gold rimless glasses, jeans far baggier than any doctor you'd ever seen before, and a graphic tee to blend his not a doctor look together under his white lab coat. This is the person your mom wanted you to dress up for? He ran his fingers through his thick hair, pushing it back just for it to fall back in his flawless face.“Dr. Jay, this lady had Socks with her! She's really nice! She's nurse Jenny's daughter.” He broke the searing eye contact he held with you for longer than he should have, with a chuckle, showing off his deep dimples.

Yes, that's what this man needed, dimples. He had to be God’s favorite, if you believed in that type of thing. He stood to his full height, which towered over both you and the children. “Ah, you must be Y/N. Your mother talks about you frequently. I feel as if I know you.” That makes him and everyone else in this damn hospital. His voice was unsuspectingly deep, and very smooth. You could listen to him talk in absolute gibberish or list off whatever medical jargon he knew and not have a problem with it. There was something about his eyes that pulled you towards him, you didn’t even notice you moved until one of the children pulled on your shirt. You looked down shocked, you could have sworn you were a few feet back from them and not in the little half circle they had formed around the doctor . “It’s nice to finally meet the woman behind all the stories your mother tells us.” 

You were enraptured by his stunning beauty. What was with this place importing all this beauty after you left town? Christopher was one of the few attractive men you knew. By few, you mean, just him. There weren’t too many other people you were physically attracted to. You fell for your exes because of personality, as hard as that was to believe now that things had ended horribly. “I’m Jaehyun, or Dr. Jay, whichever you want to call me, is fine.” He extended his hand for you to shake and that's when you noticed you hadn’t said a word to this poor man. So much for making a good impression on your mom’s boss. No wonder she told you not to embarrass her, you were downright shamefully staring at this man.

“Wait- You're her boss? I thought you’d be much… um… older and much less handsome. She really omitted that part entirely.” You laughed, feeling that embarrassing heat creep up your neck to your face. Smooth. Real smooth. Sometimes your thoughts escape their mind prison through your mouth, unfortunately. “I mean- It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Jay.” You took his warm hand in yours, trying to avoid speaking again. As soon as your fingers grazed him, you had this overwhelming feeling of deja vu, like being caught in a never ending knot, intertwined like the interlaced branches that held together your handed down, moonstone necklace. When his hand enveloped yours, scenes flashed past your briefly closed eyelids like someone fast forwarding through a movie. Cultures and languages you didn’t know or understand, moments you'd never been a part of, people you didn’t know, all of it was foreign to you, but you were seeing it as if it was through your own eyes. As if you were the main character of whatever period piece you were being compelled to witness.

Have you known this man? Tears lined your eyes as you watched all that could have been.  Or what was? You didn’t know, you didn’t remember any of this, this was the first time you were seeing anything of it. At least the first time in your lifetime. The last thing you saw was him crying at the bedside of whom you assumed was someone he deeply cared for, as the surroundings faded to darkness, dressed in clothes from a time period you didn’t recognize. You pulled your hand away quickly, rattled. What the fuck was that? You shook your head, trying to erase the fragmented realities that just passed your mind. But you felt dizzy with all of the information buzzing about in your brain. You felt lightheaded, overwhelmed with the information overload.

You snatched your hand back, afraid of what would come next if you continued skin to skin contact with the handsome doctor. “Are you okay?” He reached his hand out to check on you, but you quickly moved back. You couldn’t manage many of your mental faculties, so you just nodded in response. Did he see what you saw? Was he plagued with the same visions of what looked like the past as you had been? What in the empath hell had just happened to you?  You could have sworn shit like that only happens on Charmed. You wanted to know if he saw or felt the same things you did, but at the same time, you didn’t want to stick around and find out, just in case you were tangled in some weird destined red string of fate type situation. Fate was laughable, especially when it came to the love bit of it. You wanted no parts of that.

You said your goodbyes to the kids, telling them you’d come back another time and left both the doctor and Socks in there with them. You could feel eyes on you as you passed by the large windows that surrounded the playroom. But when you looked back, no one was watching you, they all seemed preoccupied with Socks to even notice your existence. You booked it to where you last saw your mother. You waited until she finished with a patient before you informed her that you weren’t feeling well and would head back home on your own. She didn’t argue, shockingly, and actually told you to take the car. You declined, you knew how late her shift ran, and didn’t want her stranded here until you came to get her. Plus, it was only a thirty minute walk back home.

An hour had passed and you still couldn’t shake the fragments of a past you shared with Dr. Jay. Or someone's past with Dr. Jay. The concept in itself was strange. Past lives? Your grandmother had mentioned it a few times, but you could have sworn that the lady was a little senile with the crazy things she used to say. Witches, vampires, werewolves, hybrids, magic, you name it, she believed in it. She once told you a tale of how your family came to be, that you were cursed to be the caretakers of mythical creatures. What a sham, right? Clearly that couldn't be true, you'd volunteered plenty of time throughout your life and never once met anyone out of the ordinary. 

Just regular people needing regular ass help. According to family lore, your ancestor, Enid something-another, was a witch. She owed a blood debt to someone who saved her from capture and a life of servitude. She’d told you that was the reason that the first born daughter was rooted and grounded to New Orleans once she inherited her powers and was taught how to wield them from her mother (or whatever power holder was before her). Your grandmother had broken the mold by having twin daughters, which was unheard of in your family, she often commented how she taught them both, but when the oldest twin died, she had to pass the torch to your mother.

Your mother. Your mother and all her Mrs. Frizzle like glory. That lady was many things, a witch she was not. Well, unless she cut you off in traffic, then yes, she was exactly that. No, your mother had been a mother, a nurse, a saint, a sister, a daughter, a lover, even a sort of botanist with her love of ugly plants. But there would never be a word that described her less. Witch. Ha, fat chance. Your grandmother, okay. Maybe you could justify that. With all her weird home remedies that she brewed over the open fire of your fireplace. The weird charms and crystals that decorated what is now your room. 

The strange incantations she would  say and the talismans she used to stuff in the seams of your clothes and other items to keep you safe, yes, your grandmother could have very well been a witch. But that's as far as you would have taken it in this family. So that bit of lore, you took with a grain of salt. You’d just chalk whatever you’d just experienced up to something weird going on with your hormones, and get past the weird feeling that lingered in your chest. You decided the best way to get over it would be to sleep yourself over it. You closed your eyes, hoping to drift off to lala land on a magic carpet or cloud, whatever got you there fast enough. But as soon as your eyes closed you started to hear the spookiest sound. It was like someone was scratching at the wall or the wood of a coffin.

Why was this happening to you all of a sudden? This town had its share of ghost stories, but why did it seem that you were being haunted? You closed your eyes tighter, straining to keep them that way. Gosh you wish you’d unpacked your white noise machine, you’d drown out that stupid sound with soothing rain at the highest volume. Then came the knocking. WTF? Your body shot up, glancing towards your door. The noise was inside the house. The noise was coming from outside your door. Was this how it ended for you? Being patient number two in the zombie apocalypse? You didn’t believe in vampires or werewolves, but zombies? Very plausible in your opinion. 

You couldn’t be concerned about how the thought of zombies made no sense, blood suckers and moonlight making humans change into wolves was something you couldn’t wrap your head around. It sounded chimerical, like some writer's delusions being taken seriously and spread all over the world. Against your better judgment, you climbed out of the comfort of your canopy bed and stalked over to the door. You didn’t dare open it, that would be full of stupidity on your part. Why risk getting your face bit off?

You sank to your knees, then laid on the floor. You peeped past the small gap under your door to see who or what was outside of your door, just to be greeted by white paws that looked like little socks. You opened the door to be greeted by the cutest little head tilt and meow from none other that Socks herself. “I left you with your papa, ho-how did you get all the way here?” You scooped her into your arms, and she nuzzled into your embrace. “Did you walk all the way here pretty girl?” She meows loudly, confirming. “You are brave, you know that right?” You stood to your feet and headed to the bed, laying across it and snuggling up to the cat. “I saw Something when I touched your papa. Like.. flashbacks? I guess- I honestly don't know what to call them.” You explained while she watched you and simultaneously groomed herself. “It was weird, honestly. I hope I didn’t freak him out. I was trying my best to remain at least kind of calm, but that was a hard ask…” You trailed off, wondering why the heck you were explaining all of this to a cat who just walked miles to get to your mom’s house of all places. Like she lived here and not in whatever expensive place the doctor lived in.

“You must really like it here with momma if you walked all the way here.” You laid on your arm as you stared at the beautifully unique black and white kitty with heterochromatic eyes. “Does momma treat you well?” You smiled, knowing that she did. She wasn’t unkind to anyone, that included animals just as much as humans. You always admired her love for people, knowing that you didn’t share the same love. Hurt and trauma tended to do that to a person. You used to be like her, but after your father’s tragic passing, and the way it was swept under the rug just because the person who caused that was in the mayor’s family, you’d lost faith in humanity. After falling in and out of love over and over, you’d lost faith in that as well. You were out here on this lonely island, expecting no one would ever find you and rescue you from the secluded hell you’d been living in for the last few months. Your phone buzzed on your bedside table, you turned around to answer the text that had come in.

|Christopher: You up for a late night drive or something, later?

Your brows creased. After last night? Did he forget the kiss you shared? It was still fresh on your mind as if it had been a few minutes and not almost a full twenty-four hours ago. You mustered up the courage to reply, you couldn't just leave him on read.

|You: Depends. Where do you plan on taking me and what are your intentions?

It took him a few minutes to reply, the chat bubble appearing and disappearing again and again.

|Christopher: Someplace I’ve never taken you before. And as for my intentions…… 

|I’ll pick you up around 9 pm

One thing a man would always have was the audacity. Even your dear friend Christopher at the end of the day, was a man. But you couldn’t help but smile at his obvious avoidance of your question. Guess you’d just have to wait and see.

You waited for Chris on your porch, taking in the sights and sounds of your street as it bathed in moonlight. The streetlight on the corner flickered on and off, it had been that way even before you left town. It’s amazing how some things change while others remain the same. You rocked on your great-grandmother's rocking chair, the one she had made herself. One that you hoped your mother would pass on to you, because of the beautiful marking she had all over it. Your mother had once told you they were protection runes. There were little things carved all over your house into the wood of the doors and windows. Apparently your great-grandmother was very paranoid when it came to demonic possession or something. Because what else would she need protection from? You checked your phone, it was well past nine and Christopher was nowhere to be found. That was unlike him in every sense of the word. He hated being a burden to people around him, so being on time was one way to make sure he wasn’t inconveniencing people. Even with all these years of knowing him, he was always either early or right on time, you don’t think he was ever late on his own accord.

You checked your phone again, to make sure he hadn’t called or text and you just missed it, but nothing. You were starting to get worried. What if something happened to him and he couldn’t call? You shook off sending yourself into a spiral and just called him. It rang and rang, before he picked up on the last of them. “Y/N, I-I’m so sorry..” His background sounded noisy, chaotic. People were yelling in what seemed to be panic. “I.. don’t think I’ll make it-” Someone shouted for him in the background, alarm was evident in their shaky voice. “Is your mom home?” He was apologizing for not being able to make the date that he planned, while also asking if your mom was home? What the entire fuck was going on with him? The hurt and disappointment that started to swirl in your chest was causing tears to brim your eyes. 

“You stood me up and you’re asking about my mom? Christopher- What the fuck?” He sighed, you could hear him shuffling, but he didn’t reply at first. You were starting to replace all the other feelings with anger. What was his problem? “I thought you were over me leaving… Why are you being like this to me? I apologized time and time again.. Why would you turn around-” He cut you off.

“Is she home? I need… we need her help.” His worry was evident and as sad as it was to say, but it helped to quell that anger that was starting to suffocate you slowly. “Jeongin.. He’s hurt and I don’t know who else to call, she said she’d always help-” Jeongin? The youngest of his roommates? The kind but blunt little cutie that you wanted to take for yourself? How was he hurt? Now your mind really started to wonder just what he had gotten into with his friend instead of getting ready for his planned late night drive with you. He choked out a sob and it was like your call to action. Hearing him this sad squeezed at something deep inside you, made you hate hearing him in pain.

“Where are you?” There was more shuffling, like he was looking for a street name or something.

“A few blocks from your place.”

“Bring him. I’ll see what I can do.” Your mom used to patch you, your neighborhood friends, and random strangers up. You had watched her so many times, you were sure you could recreate the steps with ease. Anything to help.

“Thank you…” He hung up and it only took a few minutes for your silent street to be drenched in the grumble of his truck. How eight people fit into the bed and cab of it, you had no clue. Must have been a magic trick or something. They were loud as they shuffled past the wrought iron gate that led to your porch. Christopher carried Jeongin in his arms bridal style. He was carrying a full grown man in his arms and making it look extremely easy. But you couldn’t focus on that right now, the boy's life was in danger. There was blood everywhere. You got a glimpse of the wounds as the street light flickered on in the distance. You gasped. He needed a hospital, not a nurse or the nurse's incompetent daughter. You opened the door to the house, letting them in. Crowding the small home, the boys rushed to toss all your mothers nicknacks off the table and Chris laid Jeongin down on it. Seeing the gaping hole in the boy's stomach made you freeze in place. How could someone do this to such a sweet boy? He groaned and writhed on the table in pain. It felt like the oxygen and sound had been sucked out of the room as well as the sound as you took in the sight of him. All of the boys were lined up around the table, looking at you expectantly. You could feel their panic and it caused you to do so in turn. You swallowed hard, your heart picking up its pace, palms getting sweaty from the thought of fucking the boy with the gaping wound even more. 

What if you couldn't help? What if your hands were connected to death instead of life like your mother’s? You had lost your baby. Clearly nurturing something to fruition wasn’t in the cards for you. Your vision blurred even more as someone stepped into your field of view. Warm hands settled on your shoulders before a forehead was pressed to your own. “Please, Y/N, just try. Please… I.. don’t want him to die. None of us do. We know you will try your best, yeah?” His muffled voice slowly brought the sound back with each word he spoke. You nodded, eyes focused on him as he looked down at you. He pressed his lips to your forehead in chaste kiss. “What do you need me to do?” Taking a deep breath in, you started to delegate things for each of them to do. You scrubbed your hands and found the closest thing to surgical gloves you could, black kitchen grade ones would have to do for now. Towels, several bottles of distilled water, saline solution, a pillow, and pain medication from the medicine cabinet. You, on the other hand, took to your mothers herbal cabinet where she kept all her home remedies. You’d seen her in here plenty of times, but being the one in here felt oddly familiar. It was like she was guiding you to grab the things that you’d need, sage, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, calendula, centella asiatica, boswellia, manuka honey, and lamb ear. You grabbed the mortar and pestle and took it to the table, you began breaking and grinding the plants and herbs together into a paste. 

“Someone bring the palo santo candle off of the living room table, it will help to get rid of whatever bad energy is holding this wound.” You took a bottle of water and poured it over a towel, you handed it to Minho so that he could clean the space around Jeongin’s gaping wound. You were normally too scatterbrained to multitask, but you were doing it now as if it was second nature. Like you were born to handle situations like this. “Okay, some of you are going to have to leave. Sit in the backyard or on the front porch if you want. But I need space. Chris and Minho can stay.” You centered yourself in the moment as the rest of the boys reluctantly evacuated the tiny house with groans of disappointment. It was just you and your two helpers and a currently unconscious Jeongin. “Chris, hold his arms, Minho gets his legs. This might be unpleasant.” You chewed on the inside of your cheek as you gathered the macerated herbs, honey and flowerlet mixture into your hands. You were going to have to pack to wound with the mixture before placing the lamb ear over it and actual bandage wraps over that to keep everything in place. Minho and Chris shared a look and took their positions as told. “Ready?”

It was a fight to get Jeongin to stay still as you tried your hand at helping his wound. But miraculously, Chris and Minho did a fantastic job at keeping him stationary. He was now resting in your bed, while the rest of the boys were littered around your house, doing their own thing while they waited for him to come to. You were perched on the back steps, looking up at the waxing crescent moon, a glass of whiskey in your shaky hand to calm your very frazzled nerves. You just did dining room surgery without a medical license, and you had no idea if the boy would survive because of you or die because of you.  You raked your fingers through your hair and sighed. You needed a cigarette, just to take the edge off of these sharp ass feelings you were currently being overwhelmed with. You were even tolerating the cool night air, glad to be out of the suffocating house. How did he even end up like that? It wasn’t normal. His wound didn’t look like a knife made it, not even the most jagged of knives could have ripped him open like that. It looked like someone tore into him with… claws of all things. Your mind drifted back to that night on the road on the way back from Chris’s place and the large wolves that crossed the road that night. Could that have been what happened to Jeongin? Wolves got him? A shiver went down your spine, just to be replaced by the warmth of someone's hand. You startled. “My gosh- Christopher, you can’t sneak up on me like that!” He chuckled lightly, his feelings seeming a little lighter than they did earlier.

“I thought you would have heard the screen door.” He took a seat right next to you and pulled you into him for a comforting hug. His hand found yours, fingers wrapping around it, easing the tremors that caused it to quake. He was the epitome of comfort, always finding a way to give solace to your turbulent mind and heart. “Jeongin just woke up.” He kissed the top of your head as a way to express his gratitude. “Thank you for fighting for him so fiercely. I don’t think he could have waited for your mom’s shift to finish.” He sighed, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. You could always tell when there was something on his mind, even now. “I think I should tell you what happened… I owe you that at least.” You pulled away to look at him, missing the warmth from his body almost immediately. You nodded for him to continue. “He was attacked. Hunted… really.” Your head snapped to his face to make sure you didn’t hear that wrong. “Jeongin and Seungmin went into town to see a movie.. But after it ended, they were confronted by this.. Pac- gang. They were asked to join them, but when they declined..” Your face morphed into one of horror while he remained calm. “They went for the one they knew would put up the biggest fight. They had more people than they boys thought… and they ended up pinning Seungmin while they.. Cl- cut into Jeongin. Telling them to take this as a message and a warning. Follow or die.” How could he be so calm about this? You had steam coming out of your ears. You were seeing red, Jeongin just wanted to see a movie with his friend and this is the outcome? You grit your teeth, trying to hold in your anger. “They beat Seungmin up after doing that to Innie. We found them in the alley behind the theater about an hour after they didn’t check in.”

You were seething. All this just because they wouldn’t join whatever gang of idiots did this to them? How was that even an incentive? That would make anyone more fearful of what they had in store for them if they did join. “Do I need to get my uncle to find out who they are? I can make a few calls and have their info to you within the hour or…” He stopped you, a soft smile facing his plump lips. 

“We’ll get it taken care of, don’t worry. Changbin is gathering intel as we speak.” You were glad that Christopher had finally found his people. He struggled after coming here from Australia, even with him being the friendliest person you’d ever met, he still had people that didn’t like him. (Shocking, I know.) He’d even had beef with a rugby player, a violent mother fucker who you also couldn’t stand, Vaiden. That dude always acted like he had the biggest cock known to man and anyone should be thankful he was offering it to them. When he pushed up on you at a party after you ignored his advances, Chris fought for your honor. It was brutal, they pummeled each other on the concrete of the fraternity row. You still to this day can’t tell who won, because they were equally matched despite Vaiden being much taller and having at least a good fifty pounds on your dear friend. If it wasn’t for the cops being called, you were sure they would have killed each other. Him and his friends tried their best to make it hard for Chris, but he always persevered somehow. So with him now finding some other friends, besides the likes of you, was nice to see. He seemed at home with the boys. Like he was finally able to be himself out in the open instead of in the confines of yours or his dorm room. “We’ll take him home tonight, to make sure both you and him get a good night's sleep. You worked hard and you deserve to sleep in your own bed, with clean sheets of course.” You shook your head. His hand found yours once again, his fingers drawing patterns on your skin. It was probably as comforting to him as it was soothing to you.

“Jeongin can stay as long as he needs to. I just want him to get better. Plus, he needs to get all the rest he can while he recovers. I can sleep with my mom or take the pullout if need be.” He smiled at you fondly for reasons you wouldn’t understand. “If you want, I have my old sleeping bag, you can stay and use that.” It wasn’t like it would have been the first time he’d used it, he’d slept over a few times for the holidays since traveling back to Australia was a big hassle. Plus there was almost never enough time in a holiday for him to get there, have a good time, and get back. So most of the time was spent with you and your mom in this cramped little house. You smiled thinking about all the good times you shared with Chris. It didn’t matter if you were both too broke to afford food and had to go halfsies on a meal from McDonalds, you had each other through the hard times. You missed being in the trenches with your best friend. “It’s up to you, Chris. I’ll go with whatever you want.” He looked at you then, only to notice your eyes were already on him. He looked at you deeply as if something in your eyes would give him the answers he needed.

The back patio door swung open hard, pulling you both from the intense staring contest you were unwittingly having to see who had barged into your space. You mom stood at the threshold, her eyes as wide as saucers. “What have you done?” She shook with something akin to both anger and disappointment. “Y/N! Why did you do it?? Why?” She yelled, shocking both you and Chris. You stood and backed away, walking further down the steps and away from her wrath. You’d never seen her this angry before. She was normally the calmest person you knew, easing her way through even the toughest situations. “Why didn’t you wait for me? It’s my duty to take care of them! Now you-” She heaved the heaviest frustrated sigh. “God, what have you done?!” She dropped her head, her fingers tangling in her rust colored hair. “I guess it’s time to give you the talk I’ve been dreading since the day you were born. Christopher, unless you want to be involved, I suggest you and your friends take your leave. Jeongin is up and walking around, so it’s safe for him to travel.” She turned her back to you, shaking her head, disappearing into the house leaving you there in awe of what just happened. 

“Wait- did she just say Jeongin was up and walking?” Your head snapped in Chris’ direction as he looked at you sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“About that…”

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© ✐Channieskies 『MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. Please leave a like, comment, and reblog if you enjoyed this story.』

[wreath-of-leon]

me realizing i can just infodump and repost about my ocs and world on here without worrying cuz my posts only get three likes each time, ALSO I FORGOT TO DRAW HER FRECKLES IN THE FIRST PICTURE IM SORRY:

Svetanya

Svetanya, long for Sveta, is a deer satyr. She's pansexual, her pronouns are she / her, and she's trans (specifically identifying as transfemme, and probably deer-related xenos in a modern!AU). If you really wanna get specific, I think she socially transitioned at a very early age (probably 7 or 8), but doesn't want to medically (or magically) transition. (of course I added magic transition, queer fantasy is supposed to be fun!). In these pictures, she's around her late twenties.

Satyrs often live in very communal environments—lack of an enforced hierarchy, individualism, large, ambiguous family units—the whole shebang. Unlike Atlanticians (Merfolk / Seafolk) and harpies, who get along based on similar hierarchical societies, satyrs do not get along with either on the same basis. Sveta, however, is unique in the sense she was not raised in a communal satyr circle.

Although living amongst satyrs is considerably ideal for a lot of humans, satyrs are often targeted by predator animals like bears or wolves as if they were actually animals. The communal living style, similar to herding behaviors, is useful to avoiding attacks, but not full proof. Not only this but the primarily rural lifestyle relies on the environment, of which several factors can decrease crop yields and production. As a result, living in a satyr herd can be quite difficult and challenging.

Sveta's parents, who acknowledged this significant challenge, were tired of predation. So, as a solution, they decided to integrate into a more urban, human-centric society.

Sveta, growing up within a rigid class structure, adapted personality traits and behaviors unlike any other satyrs. She can be arrogant, ignorant, sardonic, and sometimes vain and self-important. Though not only are these traits informed by her upbringing, but by the people she surrounds herself with. She was taken up by a certain human noble, Aylin Ernheim, impressed with her eye for fashion, and gave her a job as a tailor. Something both her parents were weary about, but allowed.

Aylin, in his neglectfulness, allows Sveta to face the brunt of abuse from other vain, self-important nobles. Although on the outside, she parades herself as bold, confident, and snarky, she's only really kept around as upholstery. She's deeply aware of her class, and thinks of herself as someone who exploited others to get where she is. In other words, a bit of imposter syndrome. Despite her sometimes rude honesty and lack of a filter, she knows where the boundary is because it's made implicitly clear.

Sveta also struggles with objectification. She cares a lot about appearances, and can unhealthily fixate on her body (fur, height, face, hair, antlers, clothes) due to her lack of self-esteem. When stripped of the exterior, she's overwhelmingly quiet, observant, and introspective. A type of quiet that'd make you think she was judging you, but she's really wondering if you're judging her.

Kinda went hard into all the negative aspects of her but she has positive aspects too guys, I promise!!!

Because she feels obligated to do stuff for others, she's very supportive, caring, and sensitive. Even if she's kind of being a brat to you while she does it. She's also witty. Satyrs are usually taught more practical skills in agriculture but her intelligence is purely based on word form rather than movement (also because she's just not strong enough for farm work, VERY fragile in terms of super heavy physical labor like that, and especially because of her antlers which are her pride and joy).

Because of her body image issues, she gets bouts of depression—sort of like seasonal depression—when her antlers annually shed (like real deer!). I wanna draw her when her regrown antlers are short and velvety, i think it'd be cute.

[call-me-strega]

Ghost Selkie au Pelt Poll Results!

THE MASSES HAVE SPOKEN HERE ARE THE TOP THREE RESULTS:

HOODIE/SWEATSHIRT WON

I got a couple of good suggestions in the comments and reblogs that I decided I liked as well so I’m gonna drop a few inspiration/reference photos below about styles I’m considering before I make my final decisions for the au

[kaiakaevents]

Crimson Clover Week From February 7th to 14th. [2025]

PROMPTS.

1. Medieval Fantasy / Urban Fantasy*.

2. Legacy / Moon.

3. Flowers / Jewels.

4. Movies [AU] / City Pop*.

5. Immortality / Necromancy.

6. Famous AU / Partners in Crime.

7. Valentine's Day / Bad Luck.

Explanation of [*]

Urban fantasy is a genre that mixes fantasy elements, such as magic or supernatural creatures (vampires, wizards, fairies), with modern or urban settings. Unlike medieval fantasy, where everything happens in an ancient world full of castles, urban fantasy takes place in contemporary cities, such as New York or London. In these types of stories, magic coexists with technology and everyday life, sometimes in a secret or hidden way. A good example of urban fantasy would be Harry Potter when wizards live in London and use magic while others don't notice. City pop is a musical genre that emerged in Japan in the late 1970s and rose to popularity in the 1980s. It is a mix of pop, funk, jazz, disco and soft rock, creating a fresh and relaxed sound, inspired by urban life and the modern lifestyle of that time, especially related to big cities and the idea of ​​enjoying luxury and leisure. Visually, city pop is associated with a retro aesthetic that reflects 80s culture, bright colors, neon lights, sports cars, cityscapes, beaches and fashion from that decade. The images evoke a nostalgic feeling, like eternal summer, in an atmosphere of urban glamour.

RULES.

You can include other couples, but the main focus should always be Akako x Kaito.

Platonic fanworks are welcome.

Don't forget to put the corresponding tags and warnings on your works.

You are free to interpret the instructions as you want, you don't have to take it completely literally.

You can mix all the themes, not do some, do all of them or do just one, it doesn't matter, we accept any contribution for the AkaKai community.

We will be working with the following tags: #CrimsonWeek2025 #CrimsonWeek #AkaKaiWeek and #AkaKaiWeek2025.

You can send a message or write in the comments if you have any doubts or questions! It's always a pleasure to help.

[blueberrymffn]

A fic for @the-centennial-husbands-bigbang I had the pleasure of working with @temporary-lover for the art on this fic! Pairing: Dream/Hob

Rating: E Word Count: 48k Tags: Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Soul Marks, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Eventual Happy Ending, Hob Gadling POV, Soul Mates.

Read On Ao3 or Dreamwidth Summary:

When Hob Gadling made a drunken deal with a mysterious man in a pub, he didn’t expect anything to come of it. Waking up the following morning with a golden mark on his wrist was a shock, though less than finding out that he couldn’t die. Who had he made a deal with, and what did he want? His Stranger was far from forthcoming, so he’d have to figure it out himself. That his mark was not just a passkey to an underworld of supernatural beings but the sign that he wasn’t meant to spend eternity alone was enough to send him down paths he never knew existed and ask more questions than were answered. Who, or more importantly what was his Stranger, and did the mysterious man know who Hob was destined for?

(An AU where only immortals have soulmarks that mark their species/type as well as their partner, and Hob has something no one has seen before) Chapter 1 below

When Hob Gadling had woken up, hungover and sore, sleeping in the straw of the White Horse’s stable he had thought nothing of it, save that he’d drunk through all his coin again, or his friends had. The memories of the night were slow enough to return, but the central focus of them had been the mysterious lord who had taken his boasting and jest with great seriousness. The man hadn’t batted an eye when he’d promised to meet him 1489, as if it were entirely normal. A fool, clearly, as most of the gentry were, or having him on. It didn’t matter, in any case. They’d both be in the ground by then, try as he might to avoid it.

It wasn’t until hours later, having bartered a ride on the back of an ox cart headed toward his family’s stead, that he noticed the mark on his wrist - and only then because it glinted in the sun. He squinted against the brightness, turning his arm so the mark was in shadow. The thin skin over the veins of his left wrist now bore a strange, twisted mark that he couldn’t identify. He thought perhaps it was a letter, one he didn’t recognise - not like any brand for thieving or darker deeds, and in the wrong place besides. Plus it didn’t hurt; it looked painted on, like gold accents in church art. Scratching at it had no effect whatsoever, though he tried more than once during the hours in the cart.

Not until the glint of it in the flam of a candle caught his eye again at home that evening did he put this strange design and the strange lord together as a possibility. Had he sworn some service to the man that he was too drunk to remember, was this a mark of a bondsman, somehow wrought in gold? Had the man somehow been serious about meeting again?

Had he even been a man at all, and did he now bear the devil’s mark?

Sleep came uneasily that night and for many more after. Hob took to tying a strip of fabric around his wrist to hide the mark but in the course of heavy labour it dislodged often enough. He needn’t have worried; long hours spent in the sun tanned his skin and bronzed the strange little sigil until its glittering dimmed and none would look askance at it, if ever they noticed it was even there.

In time he forgot about it entirely, until one sleepless night somewhere in France in the stinking war camp of an idiot king, he realised with a start that he’d been to and from this war for far too long. The way the mind wandered when sleep threatened illuminated many things, and he thought about the young man who’d been rationing out bread. Familiar, he was, so Hob had asked his name and the lad gave it and his town. At the time it had meant nothing, his mind had accepted that knowledge without incident until now when he realised that the John Hooper who’d come all the way from Ipswich to sell his sword had looked like that… decades ago.

Somehow the understanding that the strange lord had not spoken in jest did not feel like a sudden recognition, rather something to which Hob’s innermost self simply reacted with ‘well, that does explain a few things’.

That devil’s mark protected him through to the end of the Hundred Years’ War.

Luckily in the times that followed, the fashions of the day hid the golden mark from the world. It was for his eyes only; a gift from the stranger he had now seen thrice and of whom he knew little more than at the start. Hob had stopped thinking of it as a mark of Satan, as the devil itself seemed a strange concept when you were immortal. What threat was damnation when you’d never pass under the earth? Fae then, perhaps, or some god or power he did not yet understand. It mattered not, and was a constant reminder in the mornings when he dressed of how immensely lucky he was.

Until he was not.

London never seemed so positively dreary and constantly sopping wet when Hob had seen it all from the inside of a carriage. He had looked down these narrow, dark alleys with disdain from his high horse and gave no thought to those that scrabbled for their very existence amongst society's dregs. Would that he had known of their plight, done something for them, when he was a man of means. It was difficult to see how he ever could be again, having pawned the last of his precious belongings, stolen from the Gadlen estate, nearly a year ago. The warm cloak he had bought with that money had been stolen from him by two young, strong lads not a fortnight past. Tonight it would have been a blessing.

Hob was soaked to the bone, curled up with his knees to his chest against a brick wall that seemed warmer than others that he’d made his bed against these last few years. A kitchen was on its other side, or a good hot fireplace. Oh what he would give for mere moments beside a crackling fire - but he had nothing left to give. No one on this street had, they only clustered here because the overhanging roofs above the alley offered some small semblance of shelter from the downpours of this most rainy summer.

Sharp, angry voice hollered from where the alley met a larger way, echoing on the stone and brick but not going far through the dampness of the air. Drunkards, seeking a short way home. Brave ones, to walk where angels feared to tread. He heard laughter, closer, and then the panicked begging of a man he knew by voice more than sight; old Nathaniel was mad as a hatter and twice as daft. His unintelligible protests ended in a strangled cry, followed by silence broken only by the pattering rain. Then footsteps, coming closer.

There was hardly any light in the alley, most of the moon’s glow dampened and bare candles near windows did not much at all. Even so the darkness became darker still as two men emerged from the gloom, looming over him. Fighter though he had long been, Hob hadn’t eaten in four days, drunk clean water in half again as many, and even the idea of trying to fight off robbers or murderers or drunkards looking for sport filled him with a bone-deep weariness and a deeper apathy.

One of the men forcibly hauled him up by front of his ratty, soaking wet shirt and hissed something to his compatriot in a language Hob didn’t understand. The other man laughed and Hob belayed whatever action the start of his movement implied by raising his hands to cover his face. He’d been beaten before for what he now was, he could take it again, but he had half a mind to keep his face intact.

The second man gasped and said something to his fellow in a hushed tone. He grabbed Hob’s forearm with a grip like iron that made him gasp and held him up, high enough to strain his shoulder. They conferred together for a moment and then simply released him, dropping him back to the ground and hurrying on their way.

Hob collapsed back against the wall, panting in relief, and felt over his arm for signs of a break. There were none, his bones seemed sturdy enough, but the flesh was tender and already bruising though he couldn’t see it in the dark. He could see the sigil on his wrist, however, visible to the naked eye despite the gloom even though it bore nothing so sinister as a light of its own. Had they seen it? More intriguingly, had they known it?”

Questions kept him up until morning came and with it a stop to the rain. Hob gathered himself up to head off and seek food, or work, or anything really besides sitting alone with his sorrows. A new place to sleep was paramount, as this one was no longer safe. Mad Nathaniel’s old, skinny body was discarded on the cobbles near the mouth of the alley, his face unnaturally pale with more than death although signs of blood or injury had long since washed away in the night. There was nothing he could do for the man except ponder the nature of mortality, and the value of his gift.

Hob spent weeks trying to find work to no avail, too weak for manual labour and none believing him when he spoke desperately of education or skills. The night of his meeting with the stranger approached steadily and in this year of 1689 the White Horse was no tawdry establishment; it boasted fine foods and foreign wines for finer, foreign guests. It was no tavern where a homeless lout could buy a penny ale. His only hope was to catch his stranger outside and, failing that, sneak in through the kitchens.

He had not expected his stranger to stand up for him, to command that he be unhanded and allowed to stay. The coldness in the mysterious man’s eyes seemed to have settled into something less distant even as he listened to Hob’s tale of woe with similar detachment as always. Nonetheless, every time a barmaid passed by he raised his hand and politely asked for more food for his guest. 

Their meeting was over as swiftly as ever and with it the warmth and safety of a roof over Hob’s head for the first time in near thirty years. He stood as his stranger did and made to follow, to slink back out into the darkness. The stranger stopped him, grabbing his wrist and pushing him back into his seat with a strength Hob had not expected from the lithe, little man.

“You will stay, and recover. None will assail you,” he said curtly, “Dream well tonight, Hob Gadling.”

Then he was gone, and Hob sat in abject confusion. His wrist ached like he’d been stung by a bee and he wondered perhaps if some strange magic had passed between them, from his stranger to that strange mark. It occupied his thoughts until the barmaid returned with a pasty and another mug of ale. She seemed to look right through him although her words were polite and serviceable enough. So he stayed, until the crowd thinned and the innkeepers began cleaning up around him. The same woman who still seemed to look over his shoulder at nothing bid him follow and, to his astonishment, showed him to room above without question of payment. Hob was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, no matter how mysterious, and he learned again two of life’s simplest pleasures; a hot bath and a good night’s rest.

He resolved to ask his stranger by what means he had arranged such courtesies when next they met. As years passed he became ever more thankful for them. Something so simple as clothes washed and a good shave had opened the opportunity again for hiring, allowed him the ability to rise back up from the mud and put all that he had learned before to work rebuilding his life and better planning for the future.

It also granted him the gift of boldness for their next meeting. Hob was centuries old, he should by now be so inured to life that the ghostly memory of the stranger’s touch on his wrist did not drive him to madness in the dark and quiet moments before sleep. Yet it did. Nearly every night, it did, and when he was alone and not dressed to the standard of the day he would roll up his sleeve and stare at the golden sigil on his wrist. The nature of it still eluded him, save that it was something of a protection, or luck - maybe it was the source of his immortality itself. Yet another question to ask of his mysterious stranger.

As all good plans of men, his machinations had swiftly gone awry. Hob left the White Horse with all due haste after the confrontation with Lady Johanna’s men, quick on the heels of his stranger who had said neither yes nor no to finding a new venue. Their banter had never had chance to give way to his tales of the century, or anything deeper. So many questions still unanswered in a meeting cut short to minutes rather than hours. That could not be all he had for a century, it couldn’t. Yet when he exited the tavern mere seconds after his stranger, the man in black was nowhere to be found.

He cursed a string of oaths so foul and befuddled by lifetimes of vocabulary as to make a sailor blush in any century. 

But he was not one to be deterred by hardship, not by a long shot, and the stranger’s words as always weighed heavily on his mind. All of them had, both of a personal nature and not. Liquidating his assets in the shipping business was one matter and more than a handful of his peers thought he’d gone mad - perhaps he had, but not for the reasons they presumed. If his stranger would deign to give him advice, he would by all means take it. If his stranger would bid him take caution, he most certainly would do just that.

Having Lady Constantine investigated was a simple matter when one had the means. Both would-be detectives and scoundrels were easily hired in scads about London these days and he had the money to invest in both quantity and quality. Hers was a storied family it seemed, if troubled, and Lady Johanna was the most vicious of the lot in generations, if rumours held a grain of truth.

Hob had long since sought to ignore the supernatural, a fool’s errand for an immortal, perhaps - but barest hint of witchcraft about him had him tied to a millstone and breathing pond water for days. That amorphous time until he became used to the suffering, the fading into nothingness and rising to awareness over and over, enough to shred the rope upon the stone between deaths was as real to him now as it had been over a century ago - enough so he had never taken to sea on any of his own ships, nor crossed the channel recently, and the very memory brought a cold chill with it. Such things were enough to dull a man’s interest in what lay beyond the mortal realm.

Now it seemed the realm of witches and witch-hunters had come for him.

That was how he had found himself in the plainest clothes he owned in a disreputable area where he was still well-dressed enough to catch the eyes of those he’d rather not. Being shanked in a dark alley was not in his plans for the day but seeming more and more likely by the moment. 

His surveillance upon Lady Johanna and her cohorts had lead him to several strange places and stranger people; a madwoman who crowed about gods and demons but nonetheless knew more than she let on, a vicar who swore upon all that was holy that angels existed and he had witnessed the glory of god - of little use, in the end. Lastly, a man who sold goods he claimed were not of this world and asked for ephemeral things in exchange; concepts and thoughts and hopes for the future. Hob gave him nothing but his time for asking questions, as time was something of which he had no shortage.

In the end it had been Lady Johanna himself who had led him where he needed to go; a storefront that looked surprisingly well-kept for the area but equally well shuttered. His spy had assured him here was no password or secret sign. The Lady Johanna had merely knocked and been let in with hushed words and secretive looks, and all other comers had been passing strange as the urchin had put it. Hob had passed it a few times since, he was nothing if not patience, and never seen anyone about the place - it looked like no one had done business here for years, but then so did the entire street. If rumours were true, this was the centre of all occult practice in London. Hob would have thought they could do much better.

The third time was the charm and he had finally worked up his nerve to knock upon the heavy oaken door. It seemed to dampen the noise enough he hardly thought he’d been heard and was about to try again when the metallic dragging noise of a deadbolt sounded from anon and the door creeped open a hand’s span, held to the jam by a heavy bronze chain to keep it from opening wider. Whoever stood beyond, a proprietor perhaps, remained to the side of the door out of view and it took every fibre of Hob’s being not to lean in and try to catch a glimpse of them.

“Your hand, sir,” A woman’s voice said sharply from within.

He hesitated only a moment, before reaching his right hand in to the open space as if to shake hands with the woman. That earned him an exasperated noise in response.

“Your other hand, numbskull,” she snapped.

Hob, chastened and feeling entirely out of his element, offered the other hand instead. It was grabbed from within the shadows and his sleeve pulled up to bare the wrist. The mark on his skin had faded with the genteel and indoor nature of his work these days and stood golden and glimmering against paler flesh than usual. 

The woman made a soft hum as if she were considering what she saw. “Well that is a strange one indeed,” she said and, with no further warning, dashed a tiny silver blade across his wrist. 

It wasn’t deep enough to hurt and hardly drew blood, no deeper than a papercut, but he yanked his hand back in shock. 

“Bloody hell, are you out of your mind?” he exclaimed, yanking the cuff of his sleeve down.

“Can’t be too careful these days. Come through, then,” she replied, nearly closing the door so she could unhook the chain to let him in. 

The door was bolted and barred behind him which was none too comforting. Inside the shop belied its exterior entirely. It was not well-lit but was well-appointed with cases of curios and weapons that would not be out of place at the British Museum among the pharaonic masks. Part drawing room, part exhibit hall the place was immaculate and high-ceilinged - the floor above having been gutted for height and left with only a narrow balcony encircling the edges of the room. He was the only one there.

A sharp throat clearing noise brought his attention back to his erstwhile host. She was younger than he had expected; plump and dour and none too impressed with his existence. Her clothing was far more rich than the neighbourhood outside would imply, but he figured now little here was as it seemed.

“What are ya, then?” she asked, the lilt of her accent catching him off guard now; it had shifted to something older that he hadn’t heard in a good minute. Or century, perhaps.

“Uh… Name’s Robert,” he answered - stupidly, he realised, even as he said it and she gave him a nonplussed look.

“Nay. I mean, what are you,” she replied, “Your blood’s wrong, but the mark’s real.”

“I beg your pardon?” Now he was really feeling out of his depth.

“What turned you, and sent you here,” she said slowly, like he was a bit daft and he was starting to think he might be, “Cause it’s not a vampire, or a wolf, and your sigil doesn’t have traits of anything I bloody know.”

“No one sent me, I uhm… I found you through a mutual acquaintance, as it were,” he replied, trying to regain some of his composure and deciding not to name drop the Lady Johanna in case the two were friends, or something worse.

“Ah, so… You’re new, and you have no bloody idea. Wonderful,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, “I’m Marie LaFontaine, and I’m not fucking French.”

“I didn’t think you were,” Hob said, eyeing her curiously. It had taken a moment but he had placed the accent and it shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did, given the strange words that had so recently come out of her mouth. “York, mid-1500s?”

Marie’s obvious appraisal of him grew in consideration at that. “So you’re older than you look, then,” she replied, nodding her head.

“Much.”

“And you’ve just now decided to drop by?” she asked, “Must be nice.”

“It has been, sometimes, yes. Sometimes, not so much,” Hob replied with a smirk, starting to enjoy this little back and forth now that he was reasonably certain he was not going to be shanked in an alley or anything else even cruder. By this point in his life he was at the very least a good judge of people.

“Why seek us out now, if it’s going so well sometimes,” she said dryly.

“Because I was… accosted, as it were, by some sort of witch-hunter,” Hob replied, feeling it was best to leave his stranger out of it, “So I have been looking for answers, of a sort. Or at least information on such things. I have no desire to be caught in a jar and studied like a bug.”

“Man after my own heart,” she said, leaning back against a long counter that looked equal parts apothecary and bar top, “Constantine?”

“You know her?”

“Yes, she hardly knows me,” Marie replied, “And I like to keep it that way; Constantines have been a thorn in our side for centuries, for some more than others.”

“Right. You keep saying ‘our’ and I fear I really don’t know who you are,” Hob admitted, “Pretend like I am new, and just sent to you, like you thought; and explain to me as such. You… you knew what my mark was.”

“Well, I don’t know what your mark is,” Marie corrected him, “Bit singular, that. Usually they’ve got a signature to them that’ll at least tell me what you’re meant for, you know, angelic, demonic, fae, vampire, they’ve all got their little quirks.”

“I apologise, meant for?” Hob asked, blinking rather stupidly at her while simultaneously annoyed by her nonchalance. 

Clearly she had the answers to questions he had pondered for millennia and they were so simple to her that she had no idea how to break the concept down for the uninitiated. The result was like pulling teeth.

“It’s your soulmark, idiot. You weren’t born immortal, were you?” she asked, and it sounded more like an accusation.

“No.”

“Then that cropped up one day, and you just never questioned what it was for?”

“Of course I questioned it, but I can ask myself in the mirror all I want and it won’t give me the bloody answers!” Hob snapped, exasperated by the back and forth.

“Whoever turned you is a right prick.”

“Yes, well… He’s a bit of an odd duck,” Hob said, rubbing sheepishly at the back of his neck. Somehow her calm answer made him feel even more of a mess, but he wasn’t about to apologise for snapping at her. “Are you going to tell me what it’s for?”

“Well, practically speaking; gets you in where mortals fear to tread. They can’t be proper faked, you see,” she said, “Show it to another of our kind and the old laws say to help you, or at the very least they can’t hurt you.”

Hob thought then back over a century to a night spent shivering in the rain, and those men he’d thought drunken youths. They had backed off, upon seeing his arm. The beggar man, whose name he misremembered now, had not been so lucky. Had they been immortals too? Hunting for something perhaps, if what Marie hinted at was true and there really were vampires or demons or god knew what skulking about London after dark.

“So others, like us… they’d show mercy on seeing it?” he asked curiously, “Stop what they were doing.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and he did not grant the unspoken request for details. It was long enough ago that he had none, in any case. Immortality had not granted him the ability to see in the dark; he wouldn’t have been able to describe the men even the morning after.

“They certainly should,” Marie answered, “Especially if they don’t recognise the mark; if you were bound to some house they had quarrel with, perhaps not.”

“Bound?” he asked, automatically looking down at his wrist, “I’m not bound to anything, that I know of that is.” His stranger had always made it very clear that it was Hob’s choice to live, and nothing more.

“More’s the pity, I hope you find them,” Marie replied, pushing off from the counter to head around behind it. She drew out a rolled up piece of what looked like parchment, tied with twine, from beneath it and rolled it out on the counter. “Come on then, I don’t bite.”

Hob approached and looked down at the scroll. Whatever it was he had expected, it wasn’t a map of London - and seemingly an updated one at that.

“Take a proper gander, memorise the red marks. Those are all places your mark gains you admittance, and aid if you seek it, with the promise that you’d do the same,” she said, glancing up at his face, “Maybe you’ll find your match there if you look around a bit.”

“My match?” he asked, focused intently on the map. He was a fair hand at memorising things, but it was a lot.

“Aye, do you really think you’ll face the slings and arrows of this world alone for eternity?” Marie asked incredulously, “None could. Someone out there has a mark like yours, or at least something like it. You’ll know it when you see it, or when they touch you.”

“Right…” Hob said slowly, nodding as if what she had said wasn’t completely insane, “And they’re meant to be what, exactly?”

Marie now clearly thought he was an idiot, and likely unworthy of his immortality, if the look she were giving him was any indication. She gave a longsuffering sigh and began rolling the map back up despite him having hardly gotten a look at it, but he knew a few of the red marks and committed them to memory - the one by King’s Cross was, he was reasonably certain, a rather exclusive gentleman’s club that never solicited new members. Apparently this was why; it was full of… of what? Immortals? He couldn’t imagine that everyone was like him, human and a bit blessed with longevity, because now every rumour and old wive’s tale of vampires, werewolves, and the bloody fae were crowding in his mind.

“Your soulmate, of a sort,” she said eventually once she realised he wasn’t just having her on and was legitimately out of his depth, “Usually romantic, sometimes not - more’s the pity for them folks, then.”

“Ah… Would’ve liked to know that a few centuries back,” he replied, those rumours and tales pushed out of his mind immediately by the thought of Eleanor, and their son.

“Yes, well, like I said; whoever as turned you is a right prick.”

“Or maybe, maybe he’s simply not around much?” Hob offered, unsure if he was on to something there or if he was going to sound like a numpty again, “I only see him every hundred years and he wants to know about… society, I suppose. Is there somewhere else he could be?”

“Aye, could be a fae save that your mark isn’t any of the high courts. A demon, but your mark isn’t that either,” Marie replied with a shrug, “There’s probably other things, but I’m no scholar. Look, we got a vested interest in protectin’ our own. Politics are a bit shite and all, but you made it this long you’ve got some sense. Muck about a bit, you might find someone as knows more than me. Doubt it, though.”

“A glowing recommendation of your own superiority,” Hob said dryly, some measure of wits returning to him at last as things began to slot into place in his worldview.

“Indeed. You know where to find me.” Hob knew a dismissal when he heard one, but hadn’t been given one that felt so final since Queen Elizabeth last sent him from court. With a jaunty wave, he slipped out of the building and couldn’t help but look over his shoulder as he took a circuitous route through the disreputable part of town. The world had grown quite a lot larger all of the sudden and with so many unknowns swirling about it, his security in his own safety was a bit shaken. His stranger, his maker, he corrected himself with the now more appropriate term had been very clear ‘you can be hurt, or captured’. It had seemed long odds when he was one man dithering about and becoming his own son but with a whole secret society, or underbelly of London, full of those like himself, perhaps exponentially older than himself, he had bigger things than the Constantines to worry about.

Read more on Ao3

[ladytauria]

Pairing: Tim Drake/Jason Todd Words: 2.5k Tags: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Demons, Demon AU, Incubus Jason Todd, Getting Together, Kissing, Psychic Bond, Fluff

Tim doesn’t let Jason touch him.

semi-inspired by SalParadiseLost’s Demon!AU.

the first draft of this was written to comfort myself around a pretty negative anniversary. it helped a little <3 since then it’s just been waiting for me to wrap a cohesive narrative around it, which i think (hope) i’ve finally done.

title comes from work song by hozier, which i’ve listened to a totally normal amount of times <3

Tim doesn’t let Jason touch him.

It’s true he’s not the most overtly tactile person, but he’s open with his affection to those who want it. He soaks up Dick’s hugs like a flower soaks up sunshine. Duke receives his fair share of hugs and shoulder pats—and Damian will take a post patrol fist-bump these days… or a hair ruffle, if he’s in a particularly good mood. Even Bruce gets a hug or, more often, their shoulders and arms end up pressed together as they work on cases. 

As for Steph and Cass—well. The three of them seem to disregard the idea of personal space when together, piling atop each other like kittens.

The only exception is… Jason.

He knows he has no right to be bothered by it, especially since outside of that, their relationship is great. When Jason was first integrated into the patrol schedule, Tim was among the first to volunteer to pair with him. He never hesitates to work cases with him or rely on him for back-up—at least, not that Jason has ever seen. He banters with Jason, over comms and over dinner; includes him in conversations, no matter how trivial. He’ll even call or text Jason, randomly, just to chat; to vent about his day or ask Jason’s opinion on some stupid argument he’s having with one of his friends.

They’re close, in all ways except physical.

It’s more than he deserves.

[nerdraging4point0]

Blood of Eden // Part Four // Noah Sebastian Urban Fantasy AU Fic

Tropes and Tags: MM, MF, MFM, MFM, instalove, too much sex, tattooed men, polyverse, shapeshifters.

CW: 18+ only minors DNI. Urban Fantasy romance, Smut. Angst. Fluff (ish), Story includes D/S themes, mentions of blood and gore, mentions of drug use and distribution, mentions of prostitution, unprotected sex, male receiving oral sex, female receiving oral sex, cuckolding, P/A sex, P/V sex.

This work below is fictionalized ideas and stories involving real people but does not directly reflect their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Please keep in mind that this is a work of fiction.

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"You've helped enough."

She snapped, getting up from the floor. 

Noah turned the key in the lock, slowly pushing open her apartment door; she walked under his arm like a bridge, not even bothering to look at him. Watching her cradle her wounded limb to her chest as she walked by, he hung his head shamefully.

"Sorry about that." 

He wasn't sure she had heard him as she disappeared into her tiny space to a room down the hall, muttering something to herself the entire way. Noah took notice of the mixed-matched furniture, the dark blue loveseat, the cream couch with burnt orange and dark green pillows, and a glass coffee table sitting in the center of the room on top of a worn argyle green area rug.

Scattered along her walls were pieces of eclectic art, large frames filled with a collage of smiling faces of what he presumed were friends and family; it seemed her life had been busy between trips to the beach, theme parks, nights in the clubs, at the bar, graduations and birthdays. The guilt in his chest made him incapable of looking at the pictures anymore; if she'd died on that roof, he would have been responsible for all those people missing her.

He could hear her cursing under her breath, tape ripping, and then the whimpering. He would have offered more help, but she didn't seem thrilled the first time, so he shut his mouth. Propping himself against the wall next to her kitchen, he had a perfect view down the hall and was in the ideal position to defend her front door. 

She came out of the room in a new set of clothes, struggling to put her arm through the sleeve of her khaki hoodie. 

"Oh," she sounded disappointed. Her face was pale, barely capable of keeping her eyelids open as she shuffled her way down the hall. "You're still here." 

He stood by as she entered her kitchen, searching her counters before opening the fridge. It was practically empty, but she didn't seem bothered. Jolly always kept their fridge stocked with Noah's favorite things; he was always curious when Jolly found the time.

"I need a shot," she mumbled. 

"You shouldn't drink. Your blood tastes terrible." Noah offered.

She paused. The fridge door hung open before closing it, slowly shaking her head. She opened a cabinet above her sink and pulled down a large teal plastic box. Noah stepped closer, watching her pull supplies from the old container: a few gauze pads, a wipe, some type of blue elastic, and a syringe full of a neon purple liquid.  

"What's that?" he asked.

"Something that's going to make you go away." He could hear the tears in her voice. The beast inside him whimpered. She turned around and jumped back, nearly dropping the syringe on the floor. 

"What?" he stepped back, startled by her reaction. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"It's PTSD. PTSD and hallucinations. It's not real. Go sit down." Noah got the sense she wasn't talking to him. Grabbing the syringe and her supplies, she stepped past, avoiding him, to sit on her couch. Rolling up her sleeve, she expertly secured the elastic around her arm without even opening her eyes. Noah took a seat on the couch next to her, watching as she felt around in the crook of her arm, grabbing the syringe and lining the needle with her pulsing vein. 

"Why do you do this?" he asked.

"To survive." she sighed, letting the needle pierce her skin and drain the fluid in her veins. He felt the urge to put his head in her lap, have her stroke his hair, and find ways to comfort her. 

 Removing the needle and setting it on the table, she teetered a bit before slowly lying on her left side, pulling one of the pillows under her head.

He watched as she fell asleep with little effort, the soft snores evidently meaning she was exhausted. Noah picked up the syringe, unscrewed the needle, and brought the contraption to his nose. 

He recoiled instantly at the smell, a toxic earthy scent; this is what is making her blood taste so bad. What could she possibly need it for? 

Picking himself off the couch, he wasn't sure what to do, his feet drawn to the box still sitting on the kitchen counter; looking into her box, he saw two other syringes with that purple concoction at the bottom. A small stack of bills was folded in half in the side pocket. Was she dealing or just buying?

Turning to the sleeping beauty on the couch, she looked nothing like the photos on her walls. Sure, her hair was longer, but it was dull; she was obviously curvy, maybe voluptuous; now, as she lay on her couch, she looked like a shell of her former self. Looking at her face, he could tell it had been a while since she smiled. Deep grooves under her eyes from lack of sleep and stress make the lids heavy over her brilliant-colored eyes. As the hours passed and he watched her sleep, the drive and urge to be near her faded; he missed Jolly and wanted to go home. 

He dropped her keys on the table, locking her door on his way out. He took a leisurely stroll on his way back home. He wanted to go home, but something was driving him to go back; passing a corner vendor selling tacos, he stopped to pick up a few. Sitting at the makeshift bench, the taco truck had set out, he enjoyed his lunch, taking down the eight tacos without a breath. He was famished between the morning's distractions and a frustrated state of mind; he'd skipped breakfast.

His phone buzzed, and he pulled out the black device; its thin body barely fit in his hand as he slid open the screen to reveal his texts.

Where'd you run off to?

Jolly's text was declamatory. Noah slipped a finger through the ring of his collar. Jolly knew where he was, and he always would. Collars were equipped with the finest tracking system in the city; not even underground trams interfered with their transmission. 

Needed a walk. And food.

West 42nd seems like a long walk for food.

Noah hadn't realized how far her apartment was from home; as he turned around, he discovered he couldn't even see the skyscraper through the surrounding buildings. Shocker. 

Had to clear my head.

Oh, pet. Was I harsh?

Harsh? No, it was well deserved; Noah disobeyed the rules. Seemed fair he would be punished for it. 

No, not at all

Have you been following Rule #3?

Noah could feel the twitch in his pants, the blood rushing between his thighs, reminded of the way he'd been left this morning. Again, Jolly would know if Noah had tried. The collar tracked his vitals, offering a full report to his master every six hours.

Yes, master.

Good boy. Come home. I work late tonight, but I will take care of you.

Noah never got up and tossed away his trash so fast. 

Jolly straightened up in his office chair, resting his elbows on the clutter surrounding his desk. It was late. Noah had left on duty hours ago, and their home was quiet. Noah was constantly pacing the house, blasting his music, and maybe even watching TV in two rooms simultaneously. Jolly would often sleep when he was out on duty, but he'd been hard at work tonight. His vision blurred; when he closed his eyes and rubbed the corners, he could still see the spreadsheets of costs, budget, inventory, and plans for the lab experiments all over his desktop screen. 

He was sick of working the numbers for the fourth time today. Something wasn't adding up; it hadn't been for two months now; it was minuscule at best, a few hundred here, a few hundred there. But without getting to the root of the problem, it continued to grow, and soon, they would be overrun in debt if it didn't get managed. Against his better judgment, he'd used money from his own account to balance out the difference, hoping it wouldn't bite him in the ass later. 

A new window popped up on his screen, a red dot pulsing on a grid he recognized as the city. 

Noah.

He opened the new screen, seeing the subtle alert that Noah had left his post. He'd crossed over to the next block and was still going; Jolly clicked open the tab holding the city's main alerts, observing the bank security; no breach. Jolly clicked into Noah's tracker, reviewing his vitals in real-time. He could see his heart rate increasing and his oxygen steady, with no log of wounds. 

"Where are you going?" he whispered to himself. 

When the red dot stopped at the corner, Jolly pulled up his phone, dialing Jethro's number. Two rings and the security man answered. 

"Get me all the angles for 24th and Woodman." Jolly barked, and a few loud tappings on the other end of the line came through the receiver as Jethro worked his magic. 

"Sharing." 

One large image cut into a grid of four different angles popped up on Jolly's screen. He threw his phone on the desk, lacing his fingers together to rest under his chin as he watched. 

She was climbing into a horticulture shop, disappearing behind their chain link fence. And there was Noah at the corner. Patiently sitting on his haunches, his head tilted as he watched her. Jolly punched in a few codes, just a few things that Jethro had taught him. He wasn't a tech man but a quick learner when he needed something and didn't want to bother anyone. 

The codes rewound the security footage, zooming in on the girl climbing the fence. Long dark red waves tied back into a ponytail, dark jeans, and a hoodie with a backpack hanging off her shoulders. He watched as she winced each time she used her right arm to scale the fence, rubbing her shoulder as she jumped to the ground again. 

"Well, aren't you a pretty one?" Jolly hummed to himself. 

He let the footage play out, maybe twenty-five minutes before she was back, scaling the fence again to leap down onto the sidewalk as before. 

She lost her footing, falling back onto her ass. Off his haunches in an instant, Noah closed the distance between them; she panicked, scotting herself back till she was caged in by the fence she'd just climbed. Jolly watched as Noah approached her, his head hung low, ears up; when she scrambled again, he lowered onto his front paws, bowing in front of her as he scooted closer. 

She remained still, watching Noah with intense eyes. He was close enough that if he lashed out a paw, he'd scratch her face. Instead, he dropped his head into her lap. They stayed still for several minutes, Noah's tail slowly swishing from side to side. Jolly watched as her hand reached up, hesitating over his head. 

"That's it, pretty one. He likes his ears scratched."

She obviously didn't hear him, her hand slowly lowering onto his pet's head anyway, touching Noah's ears, giving them a tentative scratch. Jolly watched Noah's vitals, his heart rate lowering and his breathing steady. His tail wagged as he leaned into her touch. 

Suddenly, Noah was on his feet, turning to look behind him. Another hunter had come around the corner; Jolly's monitors showed Noah's heart rate skyrocket and his adrenaline surge. 

Noah followed his fellow hunter as they scurried back to their posts, turning once to look over his shoulder before darting off. Jolly's eyes remained fixed on the girl still sitting on the ground, zooming in on her face. 

"What a mystery you are, sunshine." 

[steviestits]

Steviestits's Masterpost

General Info

Name: Alex Age: 36 Pronouns: They/Them Prompt Guidelines: Accepted Subjects Ao3 Account: LouderSwine Icon & Banner Credit: BoneBoyBird

(Complete Tag and Masterlist under cut)

General Tag List

Answered Asks

Text Posts

WIP Wednesday

My Fics

My Bad MS Paint Art

WIP Wednesday Tag List

WIP Snippets

Fantasy Prompts

Fic Naming

MerMay Prompts

Steddie Fics Masterlist

By The Pricking of My Thumb

After Jonathan bashed Steve's head into the pavement, Steve remembered he had powers, setting off a chain reaction from Nancy breaking up with him early to certain enemies showing up sooner than expected.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #sevensteveau Rating: Teen Trigger Warnings: Canon Typical Violence

The Heart Of Loch Nora

Kas aka Eddie takes over Prince Steve's kingdom and keeps Steve captive before brainwashing him into being his mate.

Status: Completed Ao3 Link: Click here Tumblr Tag: #heart of loch nora (includes art for fic) Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Extremely Dubious Consent, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Brainwashing, Gaslighting, Stockholm Syndrome, Mind Manipulation, Mind Control, Forced Feminization, Body Modification, Blood Drinking, Mild Gore, Additional Warnings In Author's Note

I Move the Stars For No One

Labyrinth inspired, but they share zero plot points. Steve becomes King Edward's possession after stumbling onto a fairy circle.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: (Coming after completion of first chapter) Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #starsfornoone Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Child abuse, Feminization, Mating Rituals, Heats/Ruts but not the Omegaverse kind

In The Family Way

Addams Family Values au set in the Omegaverse after the events of the movie with Steve as Debbie and Eddie as Fester.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: Click Here Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #inthefamilyway Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Attempted Murder as a love language

I’ve Seen My Future, And You’re It

Before Stevie met Mr. Henderson, a science teacher at her school, her life was simple. She was a teenage boy living in the year 2024 and didn’t care about all this science crap, but not only has she turned into a girl, she’s traveled back in time to the year 1986 and is now stuck there!

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: (Coming after completion of first chapter) Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #futureyoureit Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Genderbend, Brainwashing, Electric Stimulation, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Gaslighting, Feminization

My God Longs For Me

Horror story where Steve was abducted by a cult and meets his future husband, Eddie, only for them to be separated when the police break-up the cult. Years later on a camping trip, Steve's friends begin to be murdered, which somehow has to do with the cult from his past.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: (Coming after completion of first chapter) Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #mygodlongsforme Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Feminization, Brainwashing, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Ritual Sacrifices, Gore, Mpreg, Body Horror, Monster Fucking

Siren's Call, Sailor's Fall

Lost Boys Au but with mermaids instead of vampires, and the mermaids win.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: Click Here Masterpost Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #lostmerau Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Hypnosis, Extremely Dubious Consent, Feminization in the Clownfish type of way, Mermaid Transformation, Bad Guys Win

System Hacked

Eddie hacks into Steve's terminal and alters Steve's body and mind to his liking.

Status: Completed Ao3 Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #system hacked Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Mind Manipulation, Brainwashing, Stalking, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Extremely Dubious Consent, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Forced Feminization

Urban Legend

Legend has it that there's a monster that stalks the campus of Hawkins University, who devours those careless enough to wander into its grasp. Not mentioned, however, is that monster is looking for a mate and has set its sights on Steve.

Status: Ongoing Ao3 Link: Click Here Tumblr Tag: #urbanlegend Rating: Explicit Trigger Warnings: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Mind Manipulation, Brainwashing, Stalking, Obsessive Behavior, Possessive Behavior, Extremely Dubious Consent, Body Modification, Forced Feminization, Additional Warnings In Author's Note

Divider borders by Saradika

[monroeknoxwrites]

spiderdads urban fantasy au

"You've gotta learn how to take it easy," Peter said on a laugh, lanky arm flung high over Miguel's shoulder.

He should've flung it right back off again. He didn't.

"There's hasn't been any monster activity in the city for the past week. None. Don't you find that suspicious?"

Peter shrugged, a little less effective when he was stretched to match Miguel's towering height.

"Monsters need a break too?"

Miguel shot him a black look.

"Oh don't be that way." Peter hauled him down by the neck, kissing him on the cheek. "You're incredibly hot when you're mad but decidedly less hot when you drive yourself to exhaustion worrying about this stuff."

"This stuff?" Miguel growled.

"Oh here we go–"

"I'm the head of the order! Who else is going to worry about 'this stuff' but me?"

"And whose going to worry about you but me, Miggy? Cause it's not gonna be you."

To his shock, Miguel's feet left the ground, hands typing away at his computer moved out of range. He glared at Peter easily holding him in his arms bridal style. His elevated heart rate was due to anger of course.

"Put. Me. Down."

Peter made a show if thinking about it then smirked. "Nah. No can do big guy."

Turning them about face, Peter hoisted Miguel over one shoulder while his free hand cast the webslinging spell.

Miguel seethed a few curses in Spanish, dug his claws into Peter's backside, but did little else to dislodge himself.

"Easy back there, babe! We're not even home yet."

With one final curse of his name, Peter sailed out the window of the order headquarters, Miguel begrudgingly along for the ride.