#vioqueenofmushrooms

[jdragsky]

My mom got me Wanderhome for my birthday and I'm reading through the book now and I'm really loving the gorgeous art and reading about the world you created!! I can already tell my family is going to love playing with me

i'm so touched to hear that! i hope you all enjoy :D

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

The Deep and Dark Blue, Niki Smith. LumberJanes, hard to credit since it's a comic series but the first issue is credited to ND Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Gus Allen, Maarta Laiho, and Aubrey Aiese, and wikipedia says the creators are Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Gus Allen, and ND Stevenson

Hi, thank you for these submissions, I added them to the list :)

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

It's not as hard as it sounds, I think. Most people watching the movie will be less affected by any of the more graphic moments than the average person is by things like blood or death or anything like that.

A number of people I've met have seen a lot of "cringy" movies with that sort of plot (or one that is superficially similar) and still enjoyed them and found it a great experience.

It may be hard, or it may not be. You've put your mind to it; all I can suggest is do it if you want -- I've got no particular preference as to whether you watch it or not.

(Also, it's not actually that scary in the sense of having a number of jumpscares, but just "kind of tense," and there's no gore/nudity, except maybe the brief shot of Goncharov's knife hand and the back side of his body as he's stabbed in the locker)

Thinking about watching Goncharov with my sister, but I'm not really sure if she could handle it? She's kind of sensitive but if I'm being honest, less sensitive than I was at her age. I think I'll probably just have cover her eyes during the Icepick Joe scene? But I know she'll adore Katya so I think she deserves to see it, and plus it's just had such a big cultural impact I think it'll be good for her to have that awareness

[silver-ink-iron-words]

“Please,” the protagonist said. “If you actually love me like you say, please don’t do this.”

The royal lifted the protagonist into the carriage, and onto their lap.

“What was that, my dear?” they said with a smirk.

The protagonist scrambled off their lap and onto the opposite seats.

The royal laughed. “You should have seen this coming, darling. I did say, after all, that I would choose the most beautiful of my noblemen’s children.”

The protagonist glared at them. “I’m not going to marry you.”

The royal raised an amused brow. “You overestimate your own choice in the matter.”

“You will need me to say ‘I do’ in the chapel.” It was a struggle to keep their voice even. “I refuse to utter the words.”

“Do you have a lover? Is that it?” The royal’s tone remained jovial, but something dangerous lurked behind their eyes.

“No,” the protagonist said, and the royal’s expression brightened. But it was not the good news the royal thought it was.

“I don’t fall in love,” the protagonist went on. “And I never will. Not with you, not with anyone. I will never wed.”

The protagonist had braced for anger, maybe even threats or violence. The royal’s smug look was somehow worse.

“I know you have a prickly heart, darling,” they said. “I’ve witnessed it plenty of times in my own court. But once you’ve been shown proper love, you’ll change your mind.”

“That is a bold assumption.”

“Which is why it will be so satisfying when I am proven right. Now come here.” The royal patted their lap with a smile.

The protagonist stiffened, but the royal’s gaze left no room for compromise. Limbs heavy, they rose and climbed onto the royal’s lap.

The protagonist stared out the window, as the carriage continued on. The royal played with their clothes, and their hair, blathering on about some nonsense while the protagonist watched their home drift away into the distance. 

Eventually, the protagonist turned to the royal. They held their chin high with the confidence of a decision made. “You know what? Alright.”

The royal grinned. “Oh?”

“If you insist. Then fine, I’ll marry you. In sickness and in health.” A plan was beginning to form. They donned the convincing imitation of a warm smile. “Until death do us part.”

-----

A-spec stories taglist:

@feline17ff , @piept , @doublericenobeans , @vioqueenofmushrooms , @pigeonwhumps , @thelazywitchphotographer , @taramacgay 

[missmistborn]

Ok but. Lightweaving would be so nice and I've already got the trauma down

(By the wonderful and beautiful @vioqueenofmushrooms )

[jaysfishpit]

@vioqueenofmushrooms it’s this fic! it’s lovely, “lessons in tea making” by aloneintherain, based on this post!

AU where Zuko realises very early into his banishment that he’s been sent on a hopeless goose chase and, actually, he doesn’t want to return to the oppressive Fire Nation and his abusive father. And he sticks with this decision even after Aang wakes up from the iceberg

Except then Aang meets Zuko - probably when Zuko jumps in to save someone, because his sense of justice is too strong to just sit back while someone is hurt, even if he is trying to remain apolitical - and his brain goes “!!!!” Because that’s a good firebender. They do exist. And now Aang knows someone who can teach him firebending without trying to kill him

Except Zuko wants nothing to do with the Avatar. He especially doesn’t want to get entangled with his father’s war. So the rest of the season is about Zuko running from the Avatar, and Aang and co trying to capture the reluctant ex-Prince of the Fire Nation so he can be Aang’s firebending teacher

[silver-ink-iron-words]

hey, could you please expand this story? Bambi - asexual & sapphic

i really loved it being ace and sapphic is amazing

if not thats okay

Hi there, really glad you liked it 😊

---

Part 1

Bambi, Part 2

“Are you avoiding me?”

Ann looked up in surprise.

Camila had found her in her favorite hiding spot – a tiny courtyard sheltered by ancient emerald willows and the academy’s Victorian red-brick buildings.

“No,” Ann lied, hoping her voice didn’t quaver.

Camila ran a hand through her dark hair. “Listen, I’m not trying to crowd you. But you missed first period today, and – ” She cast a sidelong glance. “Did I make you uncomfortable, yesterday?”

Ann’s brows rose. “Of course not.”

“You can tell me, if I did. I wouldn’t be offended or anything.”

Ann opened her mouth, but faltered. How could she explain that she’d avoided Camila because of how nervous the other girl made her? Or that she’d missed first period because she’d accidentally slept in, after staying up all night too excited to sleep?

God, she hoped Camila hadn’t noticed her eyebags.

“Look,” Camila said, after Ann took too long to answer. “I really like you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t control myself. If I crossed a line yesterday, I can back off.”

Ann stared. Camila was regarding her with those big brown eyes and those rich full lips that turned ever so slightly downwards whenever she had a difficult problem to solve. She sat on the hard stone bench, curled inwards, just a little bit. It was a subtle shift away from her typical easygoing and confident stance. She –

“Say something, Ann.”

“You really like me?”

Camila hesitated. “I thought it was obvious.”

Ann couldn’t respond. She’d gotten stuck somewhere over the moon.

“This was a bad idea,” Camila said, rising from the bench. “Maybe we should talk some other time. I – ”

“Do you want to hold my hand?”

Camila paused.

“We live in similar directions.” She held out her hand. “You can hold it, if you want.”

Camila looked at her upturned palm with uncertainty.

Ann saw the issue. Her stomach turning, she took in a breath, and mustered up her courage. “I’d like you to hold it. If you want to.”

Camila’s hand was warm in her own the entire walk home.

---

A-spec stories taglist:

@feline17ff , @piept , @doublericenobeans , @vioqueenofmushrooms , @pigeonwhumps , @thelazywitchphotographer , @taramacgay

[missmistborn]

girl who says girl who because of the girl who said girl who a bunch @vioqueenofmushrooms

[missmistborn]

me and @vioqueenofmushrooms except it's just the actual superposition of we're totally both into it but not "like that"™️

[silver-ink-iron-words]

CW - Blood, gore

-----

“So, [Villain],” the hero began. “About this backup you hired . . .”

“Aren’t they great?”

The hero glanced to the villain. “They’re a bit different from what I expected.”

“What, really? Why?”

“Well, um, didn’t you mention that they’re ace?”

“Yeah. And what of it?”

“Aren’t aces supposed to be, I don’t know . . . innocent?”

The hero and villain watched on as blood sprayed in the air like fountain water.

“Look, [Hero], you said you wanted someone effective. Well, you can’t get more effective than [Delinquent].”

The delinquent was completely enthralled in their work. Their joyful laughter was nearly drowned out by the screams of the hero’s and villain’s enemies.

“Where did you even find them?” the hero asked.

“Oh now that’s a funny story. You see, it all started at Chuck E Cheese – ”

The hero and villain’s conversation paused when a disembodied head flew between them. The villain raised their eyebrows; the hero leapt back and swore.

“Please try to keep things from getting too messy!” the villain called over.

“Sorry boss!” the delinquent called back.

“No worries, hun! You’re doing great!”

“[Villain], I’m really not sure about this person.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you went making assumptions based on people’s sexualities. Really, this is on you.”

“Hey boss,” the delinquent said. “Can I disembowel them too, or are you against that?”

The villain held up a hand. “Sweetheart, you do whatever you think is best. I have complete faith in you.”

The delinquent grinned wide. “Thanks boss!”

Then they merrily returned to their hacking.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” the hero said. They hurried off in search of a bathroom.

The villain watched them go, and sighed. Some people could just never be satisfied.  

----

A-spec stories tag-list:

@feline17ff , @piept , @doublericenobeans , @vioqueenofmushrooms , @pigeonwhumps , @thelazywitchphotographer 

[silver-ink-iron-words]

Aloha, mon amigo!

I have returned from the depths!

Not really, the depths are difficult and slippery to get out of, but I'm trying!

Anyway, I humbly request a continuation of "Dating" — it's positively adorable!

I give you this emoji as payment if you accept my request: 💝

Please and thank you! 💖💖💖

Hi friend, hope things are starting to go better. Glad you found another wholesome series you like :)

----

Part 1, Part 2

Dating, Part 3

Avery closed their fists and tried to swallow their racing pulse, as they strolled down the forest trail. They were going to finally do it.

They were going to ask Shiloh out on a date.

They opened their mouth. They took in a breath. They –

“Hey, would it be okay if I kissed you?” Shiloh asked.

Avery tripped, and went sprawling into the gravel and mud.

“Avery!” Shiloh cried. They grabbed their friend’s shoulders to help them back up. “Oh jeez, I’m sorry. Fuck. I shouldn’t ask weird things like that without warning.”

“It’s” – Avery tried to remember how to breathe – “It’s quite alright.”

“God, I feel so dumb right now.” Shiloh brushed little rocks off their jacket. “Just forget I said anything.”

“Hold on,” Avery said. “I, um – where is this coming from?”

“It’s stupid.” Shiloh pulled their hands back, and looked to the side. “It’s just . . . I’ve never really dated before. You know, being aro and all. And I thought, well. If I’m going to start now, it’d be nice to have a little experience.”

“Oh.”

“It’s okay though. I realize it’s a really weird thing to ask of a friend.”

“I think it’s a good idea.”

Shiloh paused, and slowly met Avery’s eyes. “Yeah?”

“Your, uh, your logic tracks. And since you’re already comfortable with me, might as well . . .”

Shiloh raised their brows, and smiled. “You’d really do that?”

God that smile was cute. “Sure.”

The two of them stood there for a moment, and laughed awkwardly when they realized in unison that someone was going to have to make the first move.

With a small (nervous?) breath, Shiloh stepped forward. Angled Avery’s chin.

They bent down, and lit Avery’s blood on fire.

When they pulled away, Avery wanted to snatch their face back and never let go. “That was . . .”

“Yeah.” Shiloh beamed. “Really interesting.”

Avery blinked. “Just interesting?”

“Ah, don’t get me wrong, you’re great at it.” Shiloh stretched their arms, looking relaxed. “It was actually pretty close to what I’d imagined. Something . . . pleasant. And comforting. Don’t you think?”

Pleasant?

Could Shiloh seriously not feel the molten lava that was currently coursing through Avery’s veins?

But no. Of course not. All the little crush symptoms that Avery had harbored for months – the butterflies, the endless daydreaming, the nervous exhilaration at just thinking about them. Shiloh might never share in those things.

Avery knew what it meant that Shiloh was aro, in the abstract. But in practice?

Am I really, truly okay with dating someone who doesn’t love me the same way I love them?

“Do you want to do it again?” Shiloh asked.

They flashed that adorable grin, and it was paired with that intoxicating look of adventure in their eyes.

Avery closed their fists once again. “Yes.”

Because if the someone in question was Shiloh, then Avery’s answer would always be yes.

Part 4

----

A-spec stories taglist:

@feline17ff , @piept , @doublericenobeans , @vioqueenofmushrooms , @pigeonwhumps , @thelazywitchphotographer 

[dollsahoy]

(also @businesstiramisu @beezelbubbles @vioqueenofmushrooms )

That's because they are completely interchangeable! Both carousel and merry go round mean the mechanized devices--no matter which direction they rotate or what's on them or any of the other reasons people give for differentiation--and the things on a playground that are moved by person power.

I suspect that a lot of people think "there are two different terms, so that must mean there are two different things," but there being two different terms is merely a function of English being such a hodgepodge of a language--a lot of other languages have a single term for all of them, using context to clarify which is being discussed.

And I made the original post because the site going out of its way to "clarify" seemed like a protest against accusations no-one was making, especially after I went to the site of the company that makes the rides they manage (Bertazzon) and saw that the manufacturer uses both terms interchangeably, even within the same product listing.

just saw this on the website of a company that manages carousels in malls

This is a Carousel because it revolves counter clockwise, whereas Merry Go Rounds revolve clockwise.

and that sure feels like the very edge of some Big Unseen Discourse

[whumpsday]

taglist part 1 (sorry in advance for having to reblog this a bunch, tumblr only lets you add so many tags to a post)

catharsis taglist:

@sowhumpshaped

@cupcakes-and-pain

@taterswhump

@softvampirewhump

@whumpspicelatte

-

@ladyblogofficialreporter

@whumpwillow

@not-a-space-alien

@a-crumb-of-whump

@lilac-and-lemon-whumps

-

@t0rture-me

@whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump

@pigeonwhumps

@the-scrapegoat

@whumpycries

-

@lonesome--hunter

@whumpy-wyrms

@alextries

@echo-goes-aaa

@morning-star-whump

-

@bitchaknso

@befuddled-calico-whump

@snakebites-and-ink

@deluxewhump

@whatwhump

-

@thorstomp

@vioqueenofmushrooms

@skinofafish

@whumped-by-glitter

@strugglingpedestrian

-

@oddsconvert

@wolfeyedwitch

@whumpalicious-fruitfly

@fleur-a-whump

@paperprinxe

-

@starfields08000

@maenr

@demetercabingreen-thumb

@clickerflight

@kira-the-whump-enthusiast

Kane & Jim x Catharsis - Kane & Luan

K&J chronological masterlist / K&J writing order masterlist

Catharsis masterlist

content: vampire whumpee, escape, begging, starvation, caretaking, dubious caretaker, whumpee turned caretaker, death wish, suicide attempt, recapture, torture, gore, burns, rescue, brief self-harm for vampire feeding purposes, side robot whumpee

Whumpmas in July Day 15: A Soft Reprieve

the first time i've ever done a crossover between two different series of mine! this one's been living in my brain rent-free. massive props to @sowhumpshaped for inspiration!

-

Luan’s heart practically stopped when he looked through the doorbell camera to find a vampire.

The camera  wouldn’t matter if it was a vampire. The door wouldn’t matter if it was a vampire. He would be taken, again, this time manhandled from his own apartment. The fact that he couldn’t sleep all night was the only reason he had this last moment of freedom.

“Stay back,” he said through the speaker, trying not to let his voice shake like his hands as he clumsily looked up the number for the local hunters. There was no way they’d get here in time, not even with their base just down the road. Not with a vampire’s speed.

“Please,” the vampire whimpered, kneeling on his doormat. “Please help me, I beg of you. I’m not a threat, I promise, please don’t call the hunters, I’ll do anything!”

Now that Luan really looked, he could see beyond the bright-red of his eyes and the intimidating fangs: the figure at his door was… not well. Clearly emaciated, a feeling Luan knew all too well. He could see what looked like burns, and what were definitely cuts. Tears tracked from terrified, desperate eyes.

“What do you want?” Luan snapped, thumb hovering over the dial button.

“Please, please, sir, I can’t find anything to end myself, the sun is coming, they’re going to find me, please, mercy, I can’t go back, please help me!” the vampire begged, weeping into his hands. “I can’t use persuasion, I promise, I wouldn’t even if I could!”

It was objectively stupid. It was going to get him killed or worse. If Luan opened this door, that would be the end of it. The vampire would take one look at him, use persuasion, and his freedom would be gone again, just like that.

There was no faking the way his stomach turned inward like that, worse than Luan had ever been. If Luan had ever starved that badly, he suspected he would have died.

Would there be any point to a vampire going to these lengths just to trick him, when he could have just used persuasion from the first moment?

“One minute. Stay there.” He dashed to find something, ending up with a ruler he hasn’t dug out in years. Sawing at it with a kitchen knife made something resembling a stake, though he knew in his heart that it likely wasn’t strong enough to get through flesh. He just had to hope it would be intimidating enough.

Luan hesitated. Was he really going to do this? Let a starving vampire into his home?

He looked through the camera again, at the pitiful man collapsed on his porch.

He opened the door, makeshift stake in hand. “Get inside.”

The vampire scrambled in, crouching like a cornered animal on his floor, panting hard. “Th-thank you, sir. Thank you so much. Please don’t call them, please, I just–”

“You can stay the daytime and that’s it.” It wouldn’t be the first time Luan had stayed awake a full 24 hours. He could do it again. “At sunset, you leave, and you don’t come back. You never take a human. Agreed?” He pointed the stake at the vampire with both hands. “Try anything and it’s the stake.”

What Luan wasn’t expecting was for the vampire to look up at him with utter adoration. “Yes, sir! Thank you, sir! I’ll be good, I promise, thank you so much! You can kill me if you’d like, I don’t mind, I won’t resist. Whatever you want.”

Luan slowly lowered the stake. “That’s… probably not necessary.” A look around the room. The sun would start rising in a few minutes, he had to act fast if he was really offering this vampire refuge. “Go wait in the bathroom,” he pointed, “There’s no windows in there.”

“Yes, sir!” The vampire started to run, but tumbled over himself, collapsing to the floor. Before Luan could react, he picked himself up to his hands and knees, crawling quickly to the bathroom and closing the door.

“Jesus,” Luan muttered. The blinds were already closed, always closed, but he knew some light could trickle in through the gaps.

What to do next? He knew what he wanted next when he was rescued. To feel safe, to feel free, to feel in control, to know Cyrus couldn’t hurt him anymore. Food, water, blankets, a fucking warm shower. Home.

What had even happened to the vampire to make him like this?

In the end, he gathered up some sweats and sneakers he wouldn’t miss–he wasn’t going to make the vampire run home half-naked and barefoot when sunset came–and a blanket, then knocked on the door, stake stowed in his pocket. “Hey.”

“Yes?” the vampire called back.

Luan opened the door, finding the vampire huddled in the bathtub. “Brought you some stuff. You can use the bath and whatever too if you want, you know.”

The vampire’s eyes widened as Luan set the bundle down on the edge of the sink. “Thank you, sir! That’s so kind of you! Thank you so much!”

“Mm-hm.” It felt good to be the one in control. Safe, somehow, even with a vampire.

He wanted to ask what happened to him, but he hated when people asked for details. Those fucking true crime junkies. If the vampire wanted to talk, he would talk.

“I’m Luan,” he offered. “You?”

“M-my name is Kane. No one’s asked me that in a very long time.” The vampire stared at him like some kind of divine being.

“Alright, Kane. Glad this isn’t going to shit immediately. I’ll be… out there. Knock if you need anything, I guess.”

“Yes, sir!”

With that, Luan let him be. The vampire did not return, staying locked in there well after his shower ended. As the hours ticked by, he couldn’t keep his mind off the vampire in the bathroom. How could he?

Food. He was probably hungry. Starving, if his appearance was anything to go by. Luan knew that feeling, the never-satisfied clawing in his gut.

He pinched at his skin. He had blood to go around, didn’t he? Just once.

Luan knocked at the door. “Kane? You doing okay in there?”

“Yes, sir,” came the vampire’s muffled voice, “Do you need something?”

“You need something,” Luan corrected. “I’m gonna feed you some blood. Open up.”

The door opened fast, Kane’s wide, red eyes greeting him. “You would give me blood?” he asked in a hushed whisper, the blanket still wrapped around him.

“Yeah. Here.” Luan held out his arm. That’s where they did blood draws at the doctor’s, right? “I know you’re hungry. Go ahead.”

Kane burst into a huge, fanged grin. “Thank you, sir!” He took Luan’s arm gingerly, with a gentleness he wouldn’t have expected from a monster of the night. Deciding on the wrist, he bit in slowly, carefully at first.

As soon as he broke the skin, all that gentleness disappeared.

The vampire bit in hard, making Luan wince at the pain of it. But he’d expected pain. It was a goddamn vampire bite, of course it was gonna hurt. He grit his teeth and bore it. He’d had worse.

“Okay, that’s enough,” he announced as he started to feel woozy. “I get you’re hungry, I wanna help, but I’m not a buffet.”

Kane paid him no mind, continuing to gulp down mouthfuls of blood, eyes wild.

Luan’s heart began to race, either from the depleting blood or the sudden terror or both. Suddenly, he wasn’t in control anymore, and that meant the vampire could do anything to him. It wasn’t like with the robot, who had to follow his orders. This was a vampire. What was he in comparison to that? He was powerless. He was–

No. Not again. He would not be that helpless thing again.

Luan hit the vampire as hard as he could, bringing his fist down on the back of his head. “I said stop!”

Kane reeled back, his bloody fangs tearing from skin, the blow jerking him back to reality. Landing clumsily on the floor, he looked up in horror as he realized what he had just done.

“I’m sorry!” he cried. “I’m s-so sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to, I swear, I was just so hungry I couldn’t control myself, I’m sorry!”

His eyes grew watery, his breaths quick and panicked. Kane backed away on the floor, cowering against the tub. “Please just k-kill me, please kill me, I’ll be good, I won’t resist, please, please, I’m sorry, I can’t, please kill me!”

Luan clutched his bleeding arm, staring at the pathetic creature before him. Was that what he’d looked like?

“You’re fine. Just don’t do it again or it’s the stake,” he said firmly. He was in control again. He got to make the rules.

“Please don’t call them,” Kane begged. “I’ll do anything, sir.”

“You’re fine,” Luan repeated. He picked the blanket up off the floor, having fallen in the chaos, and draped it back over the vampire. He instantly clung to it, his shaky hands curling tight in the fabric.

“Th-thank you, sir.” Kane gasped. “Thank you, thank you, I’m sorry.”

“Good.” Luan grabbed a box of bandages out of the cabinet and left, closing the door behind him. He was sure the both of them would feel better that way.

-

Luan woke up to insistent knocking at his door.

He wasn’t supposed to fall asleep. There was a fucking vampire in his apartment. As soon as his head was clear enough to realize, he bolted upright, looking to the still-closed bathroom door, then to the window.

The evening sun still filtered through the blinds: it was still daylight, at least for a few hours more.

“Who is it?” he asked, unlocking his phone. An emergency alert from hours ago plastered the screen before he could check his doorbell camera: VAMPIRE IN AREA.

“I’m with the local vampire hunters. We just wanted to ask some questions,” the man at the door said.

Not a sound came from the bathroom.

It would be more suspicious if he didn’t answer the door, right? Luan opened it. “What questions?”

“We were holding a vampire in the base a few streets down when it escaped last night. This one can’t hypnotize you, and we had it pretty weakened, but it’s still dangerous–caught it before it could take anyone, thankfully. We know it couldn’t have gotten far, already combed outside. It has to have snuck into someone’s home, so we’ve been making the rounds before it can escape come nightfall. Have you seen anything suspicious?”

“...Take anyone?” Luan asked, the floor falling out from under him.

“Yep,” the hunter nodded, “When we caught it, it already had someone. Almost got away with her, too. If that thing managed to get her over the border, that’d be it. Last thing we want is for that to happen again. Luckily, we’ve got the sun on our side.”

How could he have been so stupid? Of course a vampire wouldn’t be in human territory for any good reason. Kane had already gotten a taste for his blood. He was just a few hours away from being lured into captivity again, and this time, there’d be no one to save him.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Luan grit his teeth, chest tight. Cyrus would never let him hear the end of it if he knew. “He–he tricked me,” he mumbled. “He’s in the bathroom.”

“Fuck. Least we caught it before sundown. Read up some on vampire safety,” the hunter instructed him, strolling inside.

The bathroom was no longer silent.

A sob accompanied the frantic scratching of nails against wood for only a moment before the hunter yanked the door open, the shitty lock giving way on only the third try.

“No! No, please, I was out!” Kane screamed, clawing at the sink cabinet ever-harder. “Please, please, mercy! I can’t! I was out!”

“Behave yourself,” the hunter spat, and Kane and Luan both flinched. He grabbed the vampire by the hair. “Come quietly and you get a tarp, not that you deserve that much after the stunt you fucking pulled today. Make a fuss and it’s the sun.”

Kane wailed, a cry of anguish so long and deep Luan thought it might never end. When it did, a shaking Kane wrapped his arms around himself. “I’ll be good, sir,” he whispered, eyes distant.

He offered no resistance as the hunter dragged him away, only tears.

Alone once more, Luan knew he’d made the only choice he could to protect himself, but the tightness in his chest didn’t go away.

-

In the coming weeks, Luan couldn’t get the vampire out of his mind.

Even taking it out on the robot didn’t help, not that it ever really did. He found himself turning it on less and less, leaving it in the closet. Seeing Cyrus’s face just made him feel worse.

The hunters had to have killed Kane, right? That would be fine. Humanity would be safe from him if they did that, and Kane had been begging for it, anyway. What reason would they have to keep him alive?

Luan knew the answer to that better than most.

One call to the hunters confirmed it: the vampire was alive, though they promised ‘improved security’.

“Can I see him?” he blurted out.

It took some convincing, but Luan was able to secure himself an appointment.

-

“Keep away from the bars,” the hunter leading him downstairs instructed. Down, down, down. Concrete walls, concrete floor. Luan fought the urge to run. “You can talk with it for five minutes. Get some closure on whatever it was doing in your place. I’ll escort you back up later.”

“Mm-hm,” Luan agreed.

At the bottom of the stairs was a cell, and in the cell was a metal trunk. Luan dug his nails into his palm.

“It might look a little gnarly, but remember, these things aren’t human. They heal like that.” The hunter snapped his fingers. “Wait here.”

The hunter unlocked the cell, then the trunk. “Out.”

The lid flung open, a skinny, burnt hand retracting as soon as it appeared. Kane climbed out of the trunk, landing in a mess on the floor.

He was much worse-off than Luan remembered him. In only six weeks, the clothes he’d given him had become so torn and bloodstained as to be practically unrecognizable. Nearly all the skin he could see was burnt, his face a mess of severe welts. He looked to Luan with utter terror in his eyes, far more than the robot could ever hope to mimic.

“H-hello, sir,” Kane stammered.

Luan had to run. He knew he was safe, he wasn’t a vampire, but the danger emanating from every crack of this place was far greater than any he’d felt with a vampire cowering in his bathtub.

He didn’t move. He didn’t speak.

“I’m s-sorry,” Kane continued, clutching at his shirt. “Please, please, I’m so sorry.”

“What?” Luan asked. “Why are–”

“Please don’t take the clothes away! I’ll do anything!” Kane bowed his head, trembling. “Anything, anything, p-please, I need them, I’m so sorry, please! They’re the only thing protecting me from the silver!”

He picked his head up to look back at the trunk and then Luan with a sob. “Please, I know I don’t d-deserve it, I’m sorry, but please, please, I’m trying. I won’t run again, I’m sorry!”

“They’re yours,” Luan assured him quickly. “I’m not… taking them. That’s not why I’m here.”

Kane let out a massive, shaky exhale, the grip on his shirt still tight. “Thank you for your m-mercy, sir. Thank you for letting me keep them. Thank you for giving me one good day. I treasure it, sir. It–it was the best day I ever had. What can I do for you?” He looked up, eyes shining and watery.

Luan turned and ran.

-

He brought the robot out that night. No one else had the guts to tell him what a piece of shit he was. No one else who wasn’t in prison.

Luan didn’t tell Russ what happened. He didn’t need to. The robot did its job, and by the time he was done, his knuckles hurt. The robot winced as Luan reached down to switch it off, then fell limp.

He called the cops. They didn’t care. It wasn’t a crime to hurt a vampire.

Luan thought about moving, but he didn’t. Instead, he did the opposite, took long walks out to the hunters’ base with his hand on the unused pepper spray in his pocket. It was just a building, as far as he could see, but he knew Kane was in there. Someone had to know.

Until one day, Kane was outside.

He was strapped to a propped-up metal board, baking in the sun, the clothes Luan had given him gone. It was the least human he’d ever looked: his skin boiled like sugar syrup on a stovetop in some places, crisped like burnt marshmallow in others.

There was no one else out there.

He ran home, came back even quicker with his car, and hopped the fence. Barbed wire tore at his skin, but didn’t slow him down. Kane writhed, pulling at his bound wrists.

“I’m getting you out of here,” Luan whispered, taking bolt cutters to his shackles. Kane fell to the ground, letting out a muffled shriek as his yet-untouched back set ablaze.

He didn’t have time to be careful. He hauled Kane up–he hardly weighed anything–and threw him over the fence, following quickly.

Tossing the vampire into his trunk, he added, “Don’t say you’re sorry if you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry. You’re going home.”

Kane’s mangled face was unreadable, but Luan could have swore he saw him relax just a little amid the pain.

-

Luan drove. He couldn’t go home yet, that much he knew. They’d find him in a heartbeat. He drove as far away from that place as he could get, the cargo in his trunk surprisingly quiet.

When he’d gotten a few hours away, he found a secluded corner of a parking garage and popped the trunk.

“Easy, it’s me,” Luan shushed when Kane started to cower. “We’re far away. Here.”

Kane’s mouth was sealed shut, his lips fused together by the heat of the sun. It took some prying, but he managed to get them unfused. Kane didn’t seem to mind, not even when his skin tore and bled.

There were no fangs in his mouth.

Whatever. That wouldn’t stop him. He grabbed his pocketknife from the glove compartment and slashed his palm open. Kane writhed again, a desperate whine dragged from his throat, but stopped when Luan made a fist over his waiting mouth and squeezed.

“Drink up,” he encouraged. He kept going for a while, eventually bringing his hand to Kane’s mouth to let him lick the excess blood from it. His hand left scabbed over, as if it had been healing for hours rather than minutes.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” Kane rasped, his voice hoarse. “Thank you, I’ll b-be good this time. Thank you for giving me another chance.”

Oh, he’d screwed this guy up bad. Another achievement in his worthless fucking life.

“Who should I contact about getting you home?” he asked. Time to get straight to the point. “Any vampire who could come here when it’s night and get you?”

Kane was silent for a moment. “Bellamy Verta,” he said eventually. “S-safe. Safe for humans.”

The guy wasn’t hard to find, and from what his profile said, he sure seemed to live up to safe for humans. His profile linked to a website that looked like PETA for vampires.

“I’m sending a DM. He’s probably asleep right now, but he’ll probably see it when he wakes up,” Luan reported.

Kane wept, blubbering gratitudes.

-

Luan cleared the area an hour before Verta was set to arrive. No matter how innocent his page looked, he wasn’t taking any chances. He left the trunk closed so no one would find Kane besides the one who was supposed to, not that he expected vampire hunters to be prowling an unpopulated parking garage in the middle of the night. Not exactly prime vampire ground. He was sure Verta would be able to figure out opening it.

He didn’t go back to the car until he got an emoji-filled DM back from Verta with a picture of what looked like Kane’s attempt at a smile.

His trunk had a hand-shaped dent in it, not that he really gave a shit. By the time he got home, it was almost sunrise. He really had to do something about his sleeping before Monday.

Luan stared blearily at the closet.

He opened it, turned on the robot. Russ flinched back at his touch, looking up at him with a harsh glare. “What?” he spat.

Luan unplugged the charger and shoved it into Russ’s hands before backing away. “You can go.”

Russ opened his mouth, then closed it, the glare melting from his face. He turned and ran through the door without a word, off into the sunrise.

It felt better than any time Luan had hit him.

taglist in reblogs

event: @whumpmasinjuly

[tenebrius-excellium]

@catkin-morgs-kookaburralover @vioqueenofmushrooms sorry for the late reply lol and thanks so much for your answers! I just realized that I pretty much have made a post just like this before, asking the exact same question, and that made me feel a little embarrassed.

All it shows is that I'm still stumbling over the phrase, or I forgot what people said about it last time. It's because the moment of suspense that it is said in is sooooo very important to the plot!!! Pheris is witnessing Godgenides and he's terrified, and we're supposed to be terrified, yet root for Gen and hope that he makes everything awful about the war just magically and murderously go away....!!!

And it's raining, and it's thrilling, and Pheris (and I) are hanging on every little action Eugenides is performing, and we're listening intently to every little word he is saying, and then the text goes that his face looked like an open grave and I'm just finding myself disrupted in the reading flow and going ??? wait sorry what.

I haven't watched Lockwood & Co. so I can't relate to that... do explain?

To me, all I can imagine the expression to be like is a sort of grimace... if Eugenides is SMILING while he is killing, you know that something is very, very wrong. If he feels satisfaction while he is slaughtering his enemies, that's not what we wanted for his character, nor is it what he wanted for himself. He is dangerous because he HAS to kill to defend his claim of Annux and to get even for the massacre on the ridge which cost so many lives, but no one knows if he secretly slipped into true bloodlust somewhere Pheris didn't see. Somewhere that he will let NO ONE ever see. Somewhere where he was tired and afraid and a future father and a trained killer and a soldier's son, and a sulky, spoiled prince of Eddis and frustrated about being a one-handed Thief. Only he knows his darkest parts and what necessity may have turned into because he could. Because the powers lay at his feet and the barons were at his mercy and they were his responsibility too and maybe he snapped at some point. And so the look on his face is hard, bitter, smiling, grieving, impenetrable.

If I were him, I'd miss my innocent youth. Gen is afraid of what the Gods made of him, he's afraid of what he has become, and what he could become if he continues like this, and he should be.

So doom, gloom, murder and the fear of death, huh.

Face like an open grave.

What does "face like an open grave" mean guys. Is that. Positive. Negative? It sounds creepy as heck tbh

(plus he smiles after)

[yetanothergreyjedi]

@jesus-camp-the-sequel @agirlandagraveyard @jaytriesstuff @rosecinnamonbun @tired-yet-awaken @aro-in-danyl @lesbian-not-american27 @samgirl98

@notanartificialintelligence @chronicallyonline-fandomwh0r3 @rainbowbunny0159 @nerdypaintbrush @memesanddoritos @andaspoonfulofangst-whoops @jotaroslooseeyebrowhair @0nerd @idkmrpianoman @thegatorsgoose @icecweme @escelia @crazylittlemunchkin @dannyphantomphan69 @hetalia-lover-is-here @justwannabecat @chaoticchange @sarcastic-yami @theamazingfox @depuffstuff @rhynereads @mysticsoulgirl @chrysanthemum9484 @thefearfullone @phantomskeep @promptingwips @booklover223 @echoednonny

@liandrin @thefanficcup @learning-to-fly-on-my-own @dragon-dancer16 @itsloveleo @the-quasar-system @nanepet @xye-chan @introvert-even-on-the-internet @cankoking @frogs-are-pretty-awesom @taniaundertaleau @crystalqueertea @saraphinedemort @phoenixdemonqueen @shyrebeldonutpickle @goodnamesarehardtocomeupwith @ballzfrog @creatorcaeli @vioqueenofmushrooms @the-legal-shipper @swoodoo @meltedgallium

Ghosts of Our Pasts: pt 12

DP x DC crossover

Damian Wayne and Danny Fenton Sibling AU

Ao3

Masterpost Previous

---

Mistakes a Mother Shouldn't Make

-

Oh Dears, you didn't think I was going to immediately tell you what's happening with Danny and Dami, did you? Sorry not sorry

---

Talia was looking for her children. They hadn't appeared yet this morning, which meant they were likely finding mischief. Fine as long as they weren't late for lessons, fine as long as it did not intrude on anything of importance.

It was too early for training, yet they were not in their beds and the halls were quiet. She had been searching for several minutes and still no trace of them. Not that that was particularly alarming, children trained for stealth tended to be skilled at it. They had the advantage of their size and the fact that most did not look down when anticipating threats. Add to the fact that they knew the methods for changing the guard and they could disappear as effectively as any assassin.

Her guards had not seen them. They had not come when she called. She hoped they hadn't fallen asleep in a crawl space again, it might be hours before they woke and realized they needed to return, and Father had been keeping a close eye lately. Dany was already in a dangerous position, if he believed her eldest was stunting Damian's potential...

She was worried about Danyal. He was growing... unsettled. His progress had stagnated for seemingly no reason, and it wasn't out of limitation. She knew what Dany looked like when he'd reached his limits, when he'd reached past them. This felt deliberate. Of course she had no way to prove he'd been aiming off center, or that he'd misstepped on purpose, or that he failed to see an opening he'd see without fail every single time they'd tested it last year.

Ras was not close enough to see the choice. This was a good thing. She did not know what punishment would exist for her son if her Father knew.

Then there were the pranks.

If this was truly the height of Danyal's progress, Ras would find it disappointing, but the League would still have gained from it. But Disloyalty? That would not stand.

Perhaps it was time, she had always considered sending her sons to her Beloved. Part of her loathed the choice. Bruce would not encourage loyalty to the league and his presence held the very real threat of defection. But if Danyal had already made that decision...

Then her beloved was the only one who could save him.

This was the last thought before the wall clicked. She had her weapon drawn before she processed the opening, the passage. She hadn’t known this one existed. Seams she had never recognized opened into a door, and out stepped her youngest.

She registered the blood and dust and tear tracks down his face before any true thoughts could form.

1.) Check behind him. No threats made themselves immediately known. Nothing in the secret hall, no footsteps giving chase.

2.) She knelt, quickly scanning Damian for injuries. Nothing immediately visible.

"Are you hurt?" She demanded.

Damian hiccuped another sob, but shook his head. What he did say, however, was, "D-dany,"

If her blood was cold before, now it was liquid nitrogen. "Damian, where is your akhi?"

---

Maddie couldn't remember the last time her cooking had made herself this sick.

Between Jazz recognizing when something was too far gone, the food coming to life then escaping, and her own iron stomach, the last actual case of food poisoning hadn't been since the portal. This being the thing that caused it... it didn't make sense.

The meal had been prepared with fresh foods, smelled delicious, and had not a hint of undead twitching. There was only one thing that could've caused it, one that didn't by any accounts make sense.

Ectouranium, despite its frightening name, was perfectly safe for human consumption. Should've been perfectly safe for them. Yet here she was, standing over the toilet just like Jack had done an hour ago.

Hoping the worst had passed, she rinsed her mouth from the sink. The water had the ever so slight taste of electrified old pennies, and Maddie knew why her attempts to decontaminate the kitchen had failed; because even the tap water tasted like ectoplasm, and she suddenly craved it. She flushed the toilet with a sigh, she should've known. Of course they were too contaminated for a simple fix, Danny had been registering as a ghost on every scanner—Danny.

Danny had eaten dinner with them.

She practically flew down the stairs to a star dappled bedroom, empty. And that wasn't surprising, she could only hope that he hadn't decided to disappear again tonight.

She checked the bathroom next. Its door was still ajar. The relief she felt that he had stayed home was squashed by the way Danny huddled on the floor. He was gasping for air in short pained starts, pressed into the corner where the wall met the tub as if trying to melt into it.

"Danny!" She ran to him, and her heart broke as he tried to shuffle away from her despite the fact that there was nowhere to go. Instincts from his past or something else, she didn't know. It didn't matter, the movement turned ragged breathing into deep chest coughs that had Maddie reaching to call an ambulance before she saw the blood.

But her phone wasn't here, it was still plugged in on the bedside table where she'd left it. And Jack would be asleep with his earmuffs and—

"Mom?" A bleary-eyed Jazz said, "what are you..."

"Jazz, call an ambulance!"

---

Talia stalked through passages she only half knew. She was equal parts proud and dismayed that the trail the boys had left was so subtle. She was equal parts relieved and terrified that the unused halls were too dusty to leave no trace. She moved as quickly as she dared, unwilling to misread the subtle signs.

Until the signs were less subtle. Her eldest's struggle was painted clear crimson for a hallway, and then it stopped. And it was clear what had happened, even if the illuminating green had faded like a dull cracked glowstick.

Dany was no longer in danger of that death, but the deaths that would no doubt follow behind her were still as real as before. There were six drying bootprints before her son had realized and taken measures to prevent them. Thus Danyal's mind was clear. Good, even if the trail became harder to follow. Not perfect, the hard stone became dirt and hiding footprints was nearly impossible. He'd doubled back at least twice, intentionally or because he'd taken a wrong turn?

Pride and betrayal and fear and hope all swirled in her heart but now was not the time to dwell on them.

The end of the tunnels came and went, the wilderness stretched in front of her until it gave way to civilization and the trail went cold. Perhaps she did not check all the places a child could hide that an adult could. Perhaps she overlooked a camera's blindspot.

She had no way of knowing if the assassins her father sent would know to not to do the same.

She did not find her son.

No one told her if anyone else had either.

---

Maddie cradled her son in her arms, encouraging him to keep fighting for breath. Jazz had disappeared a moment, an eternity, exactly fifty three stuttering wet gasps and 5 lung tearing coughs ago.

Then she returned, not talking urgently with an operator, but holding a beaker full of electric green-white.

"Jazz, no."

"It is not poison for the dying, or the dead." Her daughter quotes her son.

"It's still—"

Jazz silences her with a glare, her eyes reflect the eerie light. She doesn't need to say it, Maddie knows that it's Jazz who's memorized Danny's contingency plans, who knows his rules for when the hospital is and isn't an acceptable risk.

"Okay," Maddie shifts to let Jazz take her place by Danny's side. She tips the glass and he drinks what should be poison.

He improves but does not heal and Maddie tells Jazz why. That this amount of ectoplasm can only counter ectouranium so far, that she had forgotten that the 'contamination' was what kept her youngest alive.

Jazz did not lecture her this time, it felt worse than when she did.

They brought Danny down to the lab and Jazz sat them down next to the open portal. It was a chill down her spine and an ache in her bones but neither of her children seemed to fear it, and she would not leave them now.

Danny's breathing had gone quieter after the ectoplasm, so she hadn’t exactly noticed when it stopped. He turned and looked at her with eyes that were not reflecting the portal. How many times had she tricked herself into believing they were?

"Danny?"

"Mom," He breathed in after saying the word, but did not exhale. She wasn't sure he needed too.

"I'm sorry," She whispered.

He huffed a laugh, "Not the first time I've been poisoned,"

Jazz facepalmed behind him.

"For more than that," Maddie said, because Danny had never seemed less human than this moment, and she couldn't apologize and ask at the same time.

He dropped his head on her shoulder, he was cold as ice, but Jazz was at his other side and would've said something if it was a problem.

"Just don't do it again," he requests, meaning more than just adding things to her cooking.

"I won't," Maddie promised, and felt the weight of something binding in her own words. It wouldn’t matter. She intended to keep her word.

So perhaps the FentonWorks ghost security was dismantled and destroyed by the end of the week. Perhaps symbols drawn by teenagers proved more effective. Perhaps their son would sometimes pass through the front door instead of opening it.

Some questions don't need to be asked.

Some questions shouldn't be.

---

Talia was often grateful that her son was a public figure. It meant that instead of wasting manpower on a subtle check up, (and that would be made more complicated of course, her beloved would not allow it), all she had to do was a quick search of his name to find out anything the public might know.

It wasn’t always enough to feel comfortable, particularly when Robin was reported to be injured, but it was far better than if the Wayne's had been just another face in the crowd.

Drama was the usual, but she was surprised to see some of it focusing on Damian instead of the other family members... Apparently someone had run from him, he had given chase and the details devolved into theories from there. It didn't sound like something Damian would do in her opinion, but with every passing year the Damian she remembered existed less and less.

She scrolled through the comments wondering if they had simply misattributed the action of one of the others. Damian running through the streets shouting after them? Her son would know better ways than that. But then her eyes fell onto another comment.

"I saw him," The person with a pink cat for a profile picture said. "He was yelling 'Daniel'."

The world seemed to stop. Not Daniel, Damian had been yelling after Danyal.

-

-

-

Notes:

There are a lot of reasons you shouldn't train small children as assassins, most of those reasons are ethical. But I'm stuck on the idea of giving stealth training to small children… bring them into one(1) department store and POOF they gone!

Tag list pt1

@spectralstardustandphantomnights @avelnfear @idfk-man10 @blackroserelina @candeartist422 @mur-ururu @luer-mirin @insufferablecatenthusiast @skulld3mort-1fan @alonedustspeck @voidbornposts @meira-3919 @marshmello @aethernorwood @mimilikey @undead-essence @cloudminder @markus209 @everything163 @latheevening226 @roman4517 @moobloomrights @battybatbat @lumosfeather18581 @werv @ahyesanerd @pyramaniac @lexdamo @princessbelix @bun-fish @deeannthepan @edgyboi10000 @thatrandomsarahchick @busterkeel @aconitewolfsbane @spoopyspoony @bright-shade @spidey29phangirl @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @keimiwolf @u-a-wizard-jamie @gay-puff @bicerise @itshype @blackfoxsposts @icanneverdecide @lolottes @chubbypotato @jovialherringtacoghost @saltyladynightmare

[razzberry-pi]

thanks for the tag!

imagine the hair is bigger tho

@poplarblue @vioqueenofmushrooms

Thanks for the tag @fromagony. Here’s my attempt…

Tagging @rainhalydia @fineosaur @lemndrps @luna13e-blog @st-clements-steps @theapocryphaofantares @siriuslythatbitch @ybbag777 @just-like-that-butmakeitgay

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