#we're now right at the edge of the abyss

[uzurakis]

jjk men w gf who’s overly sensitive and they said something that hurt her feelings? ^___^

FALLING INTO ARGUMENTS?!

featuring: megumi fushiguro. gojo satoru. itadori yuuji. geto suguru.

n. nonnie, allow me to spice your req a bit by make them getting into arguments which hurts your feelings in the process. sorry it took a longer time to write this cause i really don’t want to mess their characterization on this one t—t you also didn’t say i need to end it with comfort so…

GOJO SATORU.

the atmosphere was heavy with tension, as if every breath you took stirred up a storm of unresolved emotions. the soft glow of the desk lamp cast long shadows across the room, accentuating the lines of frustration etched into gojo satoru’s face. his piercing gaze fixed into yours, a silent challenge hanging between both like a veil of uncertainty.

as you stood before him, the weight of his dismissive words bore down on you like a crushing weight. it was as if every syllable was a dagger aimed straight at your heart, each one leaving a deep, painful wound that threatened.

you cried out, "i can help, satoru," your voice quivering with a mix of hurt and desperation. "please, just let me help you."

however, his reply felt akin to a blow to the face. "i don’t need your help, alright?" he yelled, his voice snapping like a whip. "i've got this covered myself.”

the words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, filling the space between you guys with a palpable sense of defeat.

you begged, your voice almost audible, "but satoru, we're supposed to be in this together. i thought you trusted me. isn't that what relationships are built out of?”. nevertheless, his expression remained impassive, a mask of indifference that hid the pain lurking beneath the surface. “trust has nothing to do with it," he replied, voice colder than you had ever heard it before. "i do better alone."

with those comments, the abyss between you and gojo deepened, threatening to swallow both whole. then as you turned to leave his room, the weight of his rejection settled like a stone in your gut, leaving only a hollow ache and the bitter taste of regret.

the silence of the room was deafening, broken only by the soft hum of the air conditioning and the steady rhythm of his own heartbeat. every fiber of his being screamed for him to go after you, to swallow his pride and beg for your forgiveness, but something held him back, he didn’t want to pull you into his mess any further.

with a heavy sigh, gojo sank into his chair, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he let out a long, ragged breath. the weight of his actions settled on him like a leaden blanket, suffocating him with its suffocating embrace.

tears threatened to spill from his eyes, but he blinked them back, refusing to let himself break down in the face of his own weakness. he had always prided himself on his strength, on his ability to handle any situation with ease and confidence, but now, in the aftermath of this argument, he felt more vulnerable than ever before.

MEGUMI FUSHIGURO

"are you okay, megumi?" you asked softly as you reached out to touch his shoulder.

his usually calm demeanor was replaced by a tense energy that crackled in the air, setting your nerves on edge as he flinched away from your touch, his expression hardening as he turned to face you.

he snapped, "i'm fine," in a tone that was unlike anything you had ever heard. "stop asking me that."

the words were like a slap to the face, leaving you feeling with hurt and confusion. all you had wanted was to help him, to ease the burden he carried on his shoulders, but instead, you found myself faced with a wall of anger and resentment.

you tried to protest whilst trembling with suppressed emotions. "you know you can always talk to me, right? you don't have to go through this alone." yet he shook his head, his eyes dark with pain as he pushed you away. "i said i'm fine!” insisted, tone slightly went higher. "just leave me alone."

the tears threatened to spill over, but you just held it down and bit your lips. with a heavy heart, you turned and left his room.

as the door closed behind you, megumi let out a frustrated growl, the sound muffled by the empty room. he cursed himself silently, his hands clenching into fists at his sides as the weight of his harsh words settled heavily on his shoulders.

"damn it," he muttered under his breath, very much thick with regret. "fuck you, fushiguro.”

the memory of your hurt expression haunted him, a reminder of the pain he had caused with his thoughtless words. he had never meant to hurt you, never intended to push you away, but in his fear and uncertainty, he had lashed out without thinking, building walls around himself to keep you out.

now, as he stood alone in the quiet solitude of his room, he realized the magnitude of his mistake. he had pushed away the one person who had always been there for him, the one person who had never given up on him, and now he was left to face the consequences of his actions.

with a heavy sigh, the man sank onto his bed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to make sense of the mess he had created. he knew that he needed to apologize, to make things right, but the thought of facing you again filled him with a sense of dread.

ITADORI YUUJI

under the soft glow of streetlights, yuuji and you found yourselves standing at the edge of a heated argument that threatened to consume the bond between you. the cool night air was heavy with tension, each word you and he exchanged hanging in the air like a cloud of unresolved emotions.

"i just wish you would trust me, yuuji." you said, sounding frustrated as you looked for any indication that he might understand.

however, he shook his head, his expression stubborn and closed off. "i do trust you, but this is different. i need to handle this on my own, babe.”

his remarks pierce deeply. it seemed that he was shutting you down even though all you wanted to do was to help him. you looked at yuuji and said, "i can't just watch you struggle."

"just, give me some time alone, okay?”

the hurt in his voice mirrored your own. as you watched him walk away, the sting of his words lingered like a bitter taste in your mouth. just as you turned to leave, you heard him call out your name, his voice filled with panic and regret. "wait! baby, i'm sorry. i didn't mean it like that."

you turned back to face him, the ache in your chest easing slightly at the sight of his vulnerability. in that moment, you understood that beneath his tough exterior, he was just as scared and uncertain as you were.

"it's okay, yuuji," you calmed him down, reaching out to take his hand in yours. "we'll figure this out together."

GETO SUGURU

you couldn't stand idly by as suguru pushed himself into further depression from time and time again, and tonight, you had finally reached your breaking point.

"suguru, you need to take better care of yourself," you begged, tinged with frustration and concern. "you can't keep treating yourself like this."

“is there really nothing i can do to help you?”

only he scoffed at your worries, waving off your concerns with a dismissive gesture, expression stubborn and unyielding. "i'm fine, babe.” with a deep sigh, geto suguru pointed out, "and what would you know about my problems, huh?" he reacted with resentment.

those words cut deep, leaving you mourning with hurt and disbelief.

"suguru..” you claimed, “do you really think i would just stand there as you destroy yourself? when you mean so much to me?”

his eyes softened at your words, a flicker of regret passing over his features before he shook his head, expression hardening as he turned away from you. "i don't need your help," he spat.

“i can take care of myself."

the finality of his words hung in the air like a heavy weight, crushing the last vestiges of hope that lingered in.

"fuck, i'm sorry," he murmured right before you decided to walk away. "i didn't mean to worry you."

“i, i just don’t know what to do with myself. shit, i’m so sorry.”

you turned back to face him, tears welling in your eyes as he crossed the room to pull you into a tight embrace. his familiar arms curled around you, providing comfort and warmth despite the tension. you could feel his heartbeat against yours, a rhythm that expressed both guilt and tenderness. at last, words were unnecessary as you allowed the quiet to envelope both, saying more than any apology could.

@uzurakis — requests are open! <3

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Fall into the sky

Written for @astrangersummer, week 5 (shhhh, we're not talking about how this is super fucking late, it's fine!)

Prompt: Constellations

Words: 1,527 (also on AO3)

Rated: T

Relationship: Steve/Eddie

Tags: Magic AU; Thief Eddie; Guard Steve; Forbidden love; Jailbreak

Notes: Part of my Phantom Thief mini series (Previous part | Part 1)

The world is sound. The crackle of fire and the rush of wind and the thunder of crumbling stone. 

The world is color. The brilliant kaleidoscope of the sunset, stars emerging from the purple and pink backdrop of the sky. 

The world is touch. Hands in his hair and fingers on his face and warm breath tickling his skin as he is scooped into a pair of trembling arms. 

It crashes into Steve’s senses all at once, overwhelming and terrifying after the eternal white and the never-ending silence of his prison. It's too much. It's too beautiful. It can’t be real.

He's going insane.

He's been waiting to go insane for so long. 

Because if insanity is sound and color and touch and a name on his lips that he thought he'd never hear again, if this is all in his head, he never wants to leave. 

“Yes, sweetheart, it's me,” The vision murmurs, cradling his face in both hands. The gesture is comforting and soothing, and Steve realizes he's been babbling the name on repeat, an endless loop of Eddie Eddie Eddie. “I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm getting you outta here.” 

Steve laughs, high-pitched and hysterical. 

“You're-” he starts to say. His voice cracks. When he licks his lips, they taste like saltwater. “You're not really here. I've lost my mind, I'm imagining things.” 

“Don't think you are,” Eddie hums. He's covered in soot and bleeding from a hundred tiny cuts, but his smile is bright and brilliant as always. “Wouldn’t be able to do this if I wasn't real, would I?” 

His lips taste like ashes and magic. The ground shakes underneath them, and something crashes. Steve thinks that if the world broke apart around them right now, he'd happily stay in this kiss forever. 

“Don’t,” he pleads when Eddie pulls away. “Don't stop.” 

Eddie smiles, full of that grim determination that makes Steve’s stomach flutter. 

“I won't,” he says, and the constellations in the sky glint in those impossibly dark eyes of his. Another crash pierces the air, so loud that Steve can feel it in his bones. “I swear it, honey. I'll get you back down and to safety, where they can't ever find us. And then I'll never stop kissing you, for as long as we both live.” 

*

The world below the floating island is basked in dusk. Steve can see the shadows of clouds moving over the land, the sparkling bands of rivers weaving between forests and hills and cities. The ocean and the curve of the earth, far in the distance. He didn't see it when they brought him here. The view was obstructed by the giant tornado that surrounded this place, ready to tear everyone who dared approach it to shreds. 

There's no tornado now. 

Just like there are no griffins guarding the arched entryway of the fortress, no manticores prowling at the jagged edge of the island. 

“What did you do?” Steve breathes as they skid to a halt, inches from the abyss. Behind them, the pillars of the entryway crumble and collapse. “How did you-” 

“You know how they stay in power?” Eddie asks. He's ducked behind another pillar to retrieve a bundle of fabric and string, hidden out of sight. “Your family and their friends?” 

Steve blinks, floundering and disoriented by the question and the barrage of noise and colors. Eddie straightens up, strapping what looks like a giant backpack decked in wires and ropes to his back. 

“Magic,” he declares, throwing his arms out in an all-encompassing gesture. “This place, their splendid city, their fucking underwater prison, they all run on magic. Beautiful, isn't it? If it weren't for one tiny problem.” 

He pauses dramatically, like he's waiting for Steve to catch on. When he fails to do so, he throws back his head and cackles, dark curls whipping around him in a chaotic tangle.

“There’s not enough natural magic in the world to keep it all going. So what did they do, like the greedy little morons they are? They amplified it!” 

He laughs again, like it’s the best fucking joke in the entire world, grabbing Steve by the shoulders and pulling him in for a big, noisy smack on the mouth.

“Amulets and talismans and trinkets, Stevie! Dozens of them, all in the hands of the high and mighty, used to magnify their power. But take them away, and it all goes poof!” 

He throws his hands up in the air, miming an explosion, just in time for another thunderous boom to shake the island. The ground tilts, just a bit. 

“Do you know where they kept the most powerful one?” Eddie asks. This time, he doesn't wait for a reply. “Right here, Stevie. What better place than the big-ass, impenetrable, fucking sky vault to keep their biggest treasure, huh? They didn't think anyone would ever be insane enough to try and breach it. And you know what? I wouldn't have. They could've kept it, for all I fucking care, but they do not-” 

The ground trembles again, little fissures erupting from the rock under their feet like spiderwebs. Eddie pauses and swallows, and his eyes are like fire in the dusk.  

“They do not get to keep you.” 

His voice is pure, unbridled rage. Steve knows the feeling all too well. The powerless rage of knowing exactly where they have taken the man you love, and having to be patient. Having to wait for days and weeks and months until your plan finally falls into place, knowing all the while that every hour, every second in that wretched place is too much. The all-consuming want to tear through all the walls, all the chains, all the barriers they’ve put in place to keep you apart, to destroy all that might ever stand in your way again. 

Understanding comes slowly, but when it does, it punches the breath from his lungs with a hoarse wheeze. He is dizzy and his stomach swoops, but he isn't sure if it is from what he just realized or from the island breaking apart under their feet. 

“You destroyed it,” he whispers. “Eddie, you- … what did you do?” 

Eddie doesn’t answer. Instead, he pulls Steve closer, slipping a leather-and-rope harness over his shoulders to tether them both together. 

“This little baby is all mechanics,” he says, not looking up from his task. His face is nothing but grim concentration as he makes sure every buckle and every rope sits correctly. “I'd have been here sooner, but it took a while to put this together and make sure it would actually work, so-” 

“What about your magic?” Steve blurts. 

“Don't worry, it'll come back once the natural equilibrium is restored.” Eddie shrugs, walking them both to the ledge. “Some of it at least. I think.”

Steve gapes at him. Eddie looks up from where he's been securing the last of the straps, sees his dumbstruck face and smiles. 

“Stevie,” he says. He's too beautiful to be real. Beautiful and wild and untamed like the wind ripping at their clothes, like the sky stretching all around them. If they jumped now, they'd fall straight into its stars and constellations and never ever touch ground again. “It doesn't matter. There's no treasure in the world I wouldn't give up for you.” 

Steve opens his mouth to argue, but another tremor interrupts him. Large chunks of rock come loose from below their feet, tumbling into the depths. 

“Do you trust me?” Eddie asks. Steve doesn’t even think about it. It's like asking if water is wet. Eddie sees him nod and beams, delighted and a little smug. “Then let's get outta here.” 

He wraps an arm around Steve’s waist, claiming his lips again. And then, without breaking the kiss, he steps over the ledge and they plummet. 

The wind rips Steve’s scream straight from his mouth. His guts twist and his limbs go light with terror, but Eddie laughs. He yanks on one of the ropes, and something unfurls from his backpack in a ripple of cloth and wire. It snaps open somewhere over their heads, and Steve’s stomach lurches, and then, suddenly, they're no longer falling. 

They're gliding. 

Above them stretches what looks like a giant sail, stitched together from dozens and dozens colorful scraps of fabric. It carries them like a bird's wings, taking them away from the crumpling island, away from walls and chains and barriers, away from all that kept them apart. 

Eddie whoops into the night sky, loud and unrestrained. It takes Steve a second or two to recognize the voice that joins in as his own. His stomach is still light, like it's filled with a million beating wings, but he realizes that it's not from vertigo.

It's happiness. 

The sheer, overwhelming exhilaration of knowing Eddie made it, that they're both free and together and never parting again. Of knowing this is real. 

They soar through the clouds, with the constellations close enough to touch, the earth spanning far below them like something from a dream. And if they never touch ground again? Steve thinks he wouldn’t mind one tiny bit. 

To be continued ...

Tag list:

@sourw0lfs @bananahoneycomb @firefly-party @whoneedscanon @steddie-island

@sidekick-hero @theheadlessphilosopher @extra-transitional @penny00dreadful @medusapelagia

@mugloversonly @0happyeverafter0 @stevesbipanic @acingthecounts @sweetheartprincess28

@starryeyedjanai @sailing-through-hawkins @original-cypher @tinyplanet95 @n0-1-important

[ninibeingdelulu]

Both of them ??✧

Plot: They came to comfort you.

A/N: Suggestive??

The cramped cabin felt suffocatingly claustrophobic as you huddled trembling in the corner, tears streaking silently down your flushed cheeks.

Echoes of your fallen comrades' dying screams reverberated through your mind's frantic, panicked spiral.

Eren - that twisted embodiment of rage and hatred incarnate - unleashed untold horrors upon the world.

Countless dead beneath a merciless stampede of Titans set on rendering humanity extinct. All over some misguided bid for twisted vengeance.

And now, you teetered on the razor's edge of that genocidal abyss alongside your remaining friends.

One wrong move, one faltering of conviction...was all it would take to get swept over into that ravenous maw of obliteration right alongside Eren's monstrous ambitions.

Hot, stinging droplets splashed from beneath your tightly-squeezed lids as you buried your face in your knees.

Why?

Just...why had everything gone so horrifically awry?

A metallic groan heralded the cabin door swinging open with an ominous creak. You flinched instinctively, shoulders hunching defensively as those cloying shadows spilled across the floor towards your curled form.

Until two deeply familiar, gruff voices sliced through the keening misery ricocheting endlessly within your skull.

"Hey, kiddo. You alright over there?"

Steeling your composure through shuddering inhales, you dragged the heels of your palms across your cheeks before glancing up at the striking figures framed by the threshold's bleak lighting.

Jean and Reiner gazed down with matching masks of grim resolution - all taut jawlines squared with stubborn fortitude masking the softness simmering in those slate and honey irises.

A marked departure from the roguish, incandescent youths once hell-bent on proving themselves amidst those carefree military training days in the sun.

Lean muscle solidified by battlefields replacing wiry boyish forms, chiseled features sharpened by years of combat severity into something inhumanly statuesque.

Even the unkempt stubble misting matching jawlines lent some wild, rogue charm belying their hardened edges.

All at once, you registered a searing pang twist through your core quite differently from the anguish clenching it mere moments prior.

It smoldered hot and insistent, quickening your pulse until you felt dizzy and curiously feverish despite the chill swaddling the tiny cabin.

Whoa...when did they get so...?

Your mind faltered lamely through the haze of adrenaline and lust thrumming white-hot through your veins like heady liquor.

Heat blossomed undeniably in your cheeks as sordid thoughts scattered your reeling focus.

"I'm...I'm f-fine!" you squeaked, dropping your gaze with a violent shake of your head.

As if harboring notions that sordid involving two of your closest comrades wasn't depravity itself.

The very idea of pleasuring not one but both those towering, battle-hewn Adonic specimens spurred viscous, all-too-vivid fantasies to swamp your psyche.

Fevered daydreams where every lascivious hunger, every illicit friction, every indecent cry got magnified tenfold by the unholy prospect of being sandwiched between their bulging musculatures.

You silently reprimanded yourself through labored breaths, willing the sinful deluge corrupting your senses away through sheer force.

Until Reiner planted one massive paw squarely on your shoulder, fingertips sinking into the taut cords of muscle there.

"Don't give us that bullshit," the hulking warrior growled, blonde stubble swaying with the rippling motion of his voice. His honeyed irises lashed by pale lids bored into yours with blazing, unshakable intensity.

"We're way past hiding shit from each other."

"That's right," Jean chimed in, mirroring Reiner's steely countenance.

His slender fingers brushed the stray tendrils matted to your sweat-sheened brow with startling tenderness.

"So talk to us - either of us, or both. You know it's okay to unload on your fellow soldiers for once."

The simple weight of their voices - deep, gritty ravers caressing over every syllable with such unspoken affection and care - proved your undoing.

Unleashing a deluge of scorching, mortifying yearning pooling liquid-hot in your loins with a disconcerting pulse.

Oh Fuck...These sinful thoughts...how is this even possible right now? About them of all people. After everything we've been through?!

Yet as maddening lucidity trickled back into your lust-glazed eyes, confirming the lusty sparks mirrored amidst Jean and Reiner's equally molten expressions, you realized something profound.

You craved this unorthodox outlet. The ultimate intimate submission, the total escape into primitive bliss beyond reason or complication or crushing stakes.

To shatter apart completely in your beloved brothers' loving, capable hands like surrogate messiahs ferrying your shattered spirit into ecstasy's sanctum reprieve.

Mutely, you nodded before surging to your feet - backing away on wobbling legs until your shoulders bumped the cabin's reinforced wall.

Two pairs of searing gazes speared you to the spot, radiating the same furnace of scintillating energy that pulsed through your veins and ached between your thighs.

Heartbeats stampeding in your ears, a hyper-awareness sharpened your vision onto every tantalizing detail.

How Reiner's broad chest ballooned with undulating breaths, eyes glittering with primal promise.

How Jean dragged his tongue along the plush curvature of his lower lip, leaving it slicked and swollen in unconscious temptation.

Fuck. They want this too. Really, really want it.

Gasping aloud at the delicious epiphany, you watched blithe and expectant as both demigods surged forward - powerful strides unwavering and unbroken.

Gaits predatory yet betraying no urgency nor aggression, just the promise of total unhurried obliteration upon celestial impact.

Two behemoth silhouettes consumed you within their intersecting, heated eclipses, blotting out reality altogether.

Fingers splayed against your rain-slicked window of separation, breath quickening until the first feverish graze of Reiner's searching fingertips scorched across your jugular...only to freeze in tandem with Jean's insistent tug at your chin as a familiar voice echoed through the hall beyond.

"Hey guys? Where'd you all run off t-- oh, there you are! Got a second?"

Armin's curious tenor crashed through the thickened veil like a bucketful of ice water extinguishing smoldering embers.

All three of you snapped back with a violent, breathless jolt.

Gulping audibly, you averted your eyes and hastily mumbled some excuse about needing air before bolting from the oppressive cabin confines.

Footfalls ringing out against hollow steel, you fled the unbearable, unresolved tension blazing in your wake alongside the feverish maelstrom of unrequited, sinfully fervid hunger threatening to chew you asunder from within.

[elysiaheaven]

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲-𝟮𝟰-(The Fox's Wedding)

Mentions of beheading-( threats for now) ,etc,gore

Words:2489

Jiaoqiu sat beside you in the dim, cold cell, his hand still gently holding your trembling wrists. The silence between you was heavy, but it was only broken by your quiet sobs. He looked at you, his heart aching, desperate to understand the source of your pain. He couldn't stand seeing you like this—so broken, so lost in your own darkness.

"Y/N..." he whispered softly, his voice barely audible. "Tell me. Please, tell me what happened. I need to understand."

His question hit you like a blade, and suddenly, the walls you had built around your past began to crumble. Your hands shook as you gripped the edge of your torn clothes, feeling like they were suffocating you. You looked at him with wide, terror-filled eyes, shaking your head. "No... no... you don't want to know. I'm—I'm evil, Jiaoqiu," you choked out, your voice cracking as the words tore from your throat. "I'm a monster. I deserve this."

Jiaoqiu's eyes filled with sorrow and confusion. He couldn't understand how you could believe something so cruel about yourself. "What are you talking about? You're not evil, Y/N. How could you—"

"Stop!" you screamed, clutching your head as memories from the past surged like a flood, drowning you. "I killed... I killed them, Jiaoqiu!" Your voice cracked as you sobbed, shaking uncontrollably. "It's my fault... I deserve to die!"

Jiaoqiu's breath caught in his throat. "Killed who? What are you talking about? You... you protected people, didn't you? That'swhat he sounded like..." His voice faltered as he tried to piece it together.

But you were beyond reason now, lost in the twisted, painful echoes of your past. "It was me! I was supposed to save them! But I failed. I let them die, all of them. The village... everyone trusted me, and I couldn't do it. I couldn't save anyone. I killed his brother... I thought I was doing the right thing, but all I did was bring more death!"

Your voice rose in a raw, agonized scream. "I deserve this pain! I deserve to die, Jiaoqiu! Please, kill me... just end this. Save Feixiao. She deserves a life unlike me. You all do!"

Jiaoqiu's eyes widened in shock as he knelt in front of you, his hands on your shoulders, trying to calm your shaking form. "Y/N, listen to me!" he urged, his voice filled with desperation. "Feixiao, she...We all need you. You didn't kill anyone, not like that. You're not the monster you think you are. Please, don't say this. You're not alone in this."

But you couldn't stop the overwhelming tide of guilt and self-loathing that consumed you. You were trembling violently now, barely able to breathe. "You have to kill me, Jiaoqiu," you whispered, your voice breaking as fresh tears spilled down your cheeks. "Please, just... do it. Hoolay will keep hurting you. I don't deserve to live. You'll all be better off without me."

Jiaoqiu's grip on you tightened, and he pulled you into his chest, cradling you against him as you cried, his heart breaking with every sob that escaped you. "I'm not going to kill you, Y/N. Never. I won't let Hoolay's lies destroy you. You're stronger than this, stronger than him. I won't let you give up on yourself."

You cried harder, the weight of his words crashing over you like a tidal wave. He held you tightly, refusing to let you fall into the abyss of your despair. "We're getting out of this," Jiaoqiu whispered fiercely. "You're not dying here. Not today. Not ever. I won't let you."

You sat there, shaking, staring into nothingness as you began to tell Jiaoqiu the truth—the truth you had buried so deep inside, it had taken this nightmare with Hoolay to force it out. The cold of the prison walls seemed to disappear as you became lost in your memories, pulling at the tangled threads of a past you had almost forgotten.

"There was a village," you started, your voice hoarse, as if the words were choking you. "A hidden village, secret but known... One of the Luofu ships... They weren't supposed to be there, but people—spirits—they lived there anyway, helping other ships by trading goods. It was like... a place where the lost people, the forgotten souls, came together."

Jiaoqiu's hand tightened on yours as you spoke, but he remained silent, listening intently.

"There was a leader," you continued, your eyes glossing over as the images filled your mind. "A foxian with nine tails... Eiji. He was... beloved, the perfect leader. He was always around, laughing with everyone, eating with the villagers... no one questioned him. We were all spirits, or... we thought we were."

You paused, swallowing hard, feeling your heart pound painfully in your chest as the memories resurfaced. "No one remembered their past. Not me, not anyone. I was just... a baker. I ran a small restaurant where everyone came to eat, even the Cloud Knights. They'd come from other ships, and we'd feed them. It was... a happy life. Or so I thought."

Jiaoqiu was watching you closely now, his eyes darkening with concern, but you couldn't stop. The story had to come out.

"One day..." You faltered, your hand shaking as you reached for your stomach, as if you could still feel the pain. "I got burned. Just a small burn while cooking. But... spirits aren't supposed to get hurt. I didn't know what it meant, but I... I started to remember things. Little flashes. Pieces of something... someone else."

Your voice cracked, and Jiaoqiu gently squeezed your hand, his silent way of urging you to continue.

"Then, Hoolay's brother came. A monster," you whispered, your voice trembling. "He threatened us, demanded food, threatened our peace... Everyone believed they were safe because they were spirits. They thought nothing could hurt them. But Eiji... he knew. He knew the truth. He asked some of us—chefs like me—to cook for the monsters. To feed them so they wouldn't hurt us. But those chefs... they never came back."

You bit your lip hard, trying to hold back the tears. "I didn't understand why... but I had these memories. Flashes of talking to someone—a friend. I remembered... I was good at poisons. So I made a decision. I cooked the food, but I added the poison."

Jiaoqiu's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't interrupt.

"Hoolay's brother... he ate the food, and when he realized he was dying, he... he almost killed me. He slashed my stomach open." You gestured to your abdomen, the phantom pain making your breath hitch. "But... spirits don't get hurt."

"I blacked out. And when I did... I remembered everything."

Your voice broke as the weight of the truth crashed down on you. "I wasn't a spirit. None of us were. We were people... kidnapped, brainwashed by Eiji. He erased our pasts, gave us new lives, new stories, to fit his perfect little world. We were puppets, living in harmony... But it was all a lie. And I... I broke free of his spell."

Jiaoqiu's face was pale, his eyes filled with horror as the truth sank in. "You... you weren't just a chef," he murmured, more to himself than to you. "You were the one who stopped Hoolay's brother."

You nodded, tears falling freely now. "I killed him. I thought I was saving the village. But when Eiji realized I was no longer under his control, he spread rumors. He told everyone I was the one who aided the monsters. He made them believe I had betrayed them, that I was the one responsible for the deaths."

You broke down, burying your face in your hands. "I don't deserve to live, Jiaoqiu. I killed his brother... I betrayed the village... I'm a monster, just like them."

Jiaoqiu pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly as you sobbed against his chest. "No," he whispered fiercely. "You're not a monster. You were trying to protect them... you were manipulated, controlled... just like everyone else."

But the guilt and shame had wrapped themselves around your heart like chains, pulling you deeper into despair. "I deserve to die... for everything I've done."

The memories spilled out of you like a flood, the weight of the truth seemed almost unbearable. But there was one part of it that, as dark and twisted as it was, had given you a grim satisfaction. You wiped your tear-streaked face with trembling hands, and your voice turned cold as you began to speak again.

"Killing him... Hoolay's brother," you whispered, your voice hollow. "It was the best part."

Jiaoqiu looked at you, shocked, his arms still around you but tense now as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"He deserved it," you continued, your eyes distant, fixated on some invisible scene only you could see. "After all the pain he caused... the suffering... the torment, I didn't just poison him to stop him. When I knew he was dying, when I saw the life drain from his eyes, I didn't stop there."

You lifted your gaze to Jiaoqiu, your eyes filled with a mix of darkness and regret. "I beheaded him."

The words felt like venom on your tongue, bitter but true. "I wanted to make sure he could never come back. Never hurt anyone else. I watched him writhe in agony, watched him choke on his last breath. Then I took his head. It was... satisfying."

Jiaoqiu swallowed hard, his grip on you loosening as he processed your confession. His face was pale, but his eyes remained steady, filled with a mixture of shock and pain.

You let out a bitter laugh, one that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside you—somewhere dark. "That's how Hoolay would kill me if he wanted to. I know it. He would do it the same way I killed his brother. He'd take my head, and he'd enjoy every second of it."

Jiaoqiu's face twisted with sorrow as you spoke, his hands gently holding your shoulders as if trying to pull you back from the edge. "Y/n...," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You're not that person. You didn't have a choice."

Tears filled your eyes again, but this time it was not from guilt, but from the overwhelming weight of the truth. "But I did have a choice, Jiaoqiu. I could've stopped with the poison, but I wanted him to suffer. I wanted to be the one to end him, and I did. And now... Hoolay wants me to pay the same price. I deserve it."

"No." Jiaoqiu shook his head, his voice firm despite the pain in his eyes. "You don't deserve to die like that. What you did... it wasn't out of cruelty. It was survival. You were protecting them, protecting yourself. Don't let Hoolay convince you that you're the monster here. He's the one who deserves to pay."

"The monsters... they killed them all," you started, your voice hoarse. "Hoolay's brother was just the beginning. After I killed him, the rest of them came. The borisin—they wanted revenge, and when they couldn't find me... Eiji..." You choked on his name, your fists clenching. "Eiji handed over the entire village. All those people, the ones I thought were my family... he gave them away just to save himself."

Jiaoqiu's eyes were wide with disbelief, horror etched across his face. "Eiji? The village leader... he sacrificed them?"

You nodded, your body shaking with the weight of your confession. "He was a coward. He couldn't find me because I had hidden myself away after I killed Hoolay's brother. So, he made a deal—he gave the villagers to the monsters. All of them. They died believing the lie he had crafted for them, thinking they were spirits, that they couldn't be hurt. But as they died... they realized the truth. That everything they had ever known was fake, a fantasy created by Eiji. They had families, memories, lives outside the village... all stolen from them. And when they died, they knew."

The agony in your voice was almost unbearable as you recalled the sight of those innocent people falling, one after another, as the borisin ravaged the village. "I watched them die, Jiaoqiu. Every single one. I couldn't save them. I couldn't stop it."

"My daughter, I wanted to buy her..that kite! Why am I here!?"

"I promised my beloved...I would return...I can't die..Why did I forget about him?"

Jiaoqiu's hand reached for you, but you pushed him away, the guilt and horror too much to bear. "You don't understand. I found Eiji after that. I found him hiding, shaking, and begging for his life. He said... he said that he had done it to protect us. That the villagers would have died eventually, so there was no harm in what he did."

You spat the words, the anger and hatred still burning within you. "He said he just wanted a family, that he was a lonely spirit, just like the rest of us. He cursed me, Jiaoqiu. He cursed me to understand his pain. He said I would be just like him—forever alone, forever hated, a monster in the eyes of the world."

You shuddered, your fingers gripping your own arms so tightly they left marks. "And then... he tried to kill me. He had a sword, one that could hurt spirits, and he stabbed me with it. But I didn't die. All the curses, all the pain I had endured—it changed me. I became something else. Not a god, but something worse. A spirit of vengeance, a cursed existence."

Your voice cracked as you continued. "I killed him, Jiaoqiu. Slowly. I made him suffer. I tormented him until he couldn't even scream anymore. And when he was finally dead, I... I turned to stone. Locked away by the Luofu, forgotten by everyone except Jingliu."

Jiaoqiu's hand tightened on your shoulder, but you couldn't stop now. "Jingliu knew the truth. She wrote a letter to Jing Yuan, but Hoolay must have intercepted it, twisted the truth. Jing Yuan... he thinks I'm a monster. Just like everyone else."

You sobbed, your tears falling uncontrollably. "I failed. I couldn't save anyone. Not the village, not the children... They died right in front of me, and all I could do was watch."

Jiaoqiu's face was pale, his heart breaking as he listened to your story. "Y/n... I'm so sorry."

But his words couldn't reach you. The weight of the past, the endless pain and suffering, was too much. You couldn't stop the tears, the cries that escaped your throat as you clutched your chest, feeling like the world was collapsing around you.

"I killed them all, Jiaoqiu! I killed them with my weakness. I deserve to die. I deserve to suffer. I couldn't save them, I couldn't save anyone!"

"Why didn't you tell me?!" He shouted.

"If I did...?! You wouldn't killed me! You wouldn't have consider me an option My soul could cure! I thought If I remind as that person the history made me out to be..You would have killed me easily with no regrets..I wouldn't mind it.."

[catierambles]

"What do we got here, sweetheart?" Syverson asked as they approached the chasm, the depths murky with what looked like swirling sand. "This definitely wasn't here yesterday."

"Would account for the seismic activity your equipment read." She said and took out her own instrument. "It's an aetheric torrent of air and earth aspected aether." He went to peer over the edge but she pulled him back by his vest. "Stay away from the edge, Seth. We don't know how far down the bottom is and you wouldn't make it anyway, the aetheric energies would literally tear you apart if you fell in."

"Yep, got it, backin' away." He said, "So I'm guessin' the giant pit of horrible death probably wouldn't be safe to explore."

"Not without the proper protection." She said and put away her reader, heading back to the truck and taking her fishing pole from the back.

"I thought nothin' would survive in there."

"No, you wouldn't survive in there." She said, attached a lure to the hook. "To quote one of your movies, life finds a way." She cast it into the pit, tugging on the line and soon it went taught and she pulled, turning back on the reel. With a jerk backwards, the end of the line popped up, something attached to the lure.

"If I didn't know any better," He said as she removed the hook from it's mouth, "I would say that's a trout. Bit dusty, but it's got the markin's."

"Certainly does look like it." She said as she measured it before tossing it back.

"Not to your likin'?"

"Want something a bit bigger." She said as she cast her line back into the abyss.

"What do you think caused it?"

"Probably collapsed sandworm tunnels." She said, tugging on the line. "If too many make too many tunnels in aether rich areas, they tend to collapse and cause, well, this."

"We are by the mountains. You did say they like to burrow there." He said, hooking his thumbs in his vest. The ground started to shake under them, "Please don't tell me it's gonna widen." He started backing away from the chasm.

"Nope." She said, reeling her line in quickly, "Back in the truck, right now. I'm driving." He didn't question it, tossing her the keys as she threw her rod back in the bed of the truck, getting behind the wheel and starting the engine. He barely had the passenger door closed before she peeled away, kicking rocks and sand. There was what sounded like an explosion behind them and he looked back, seeing the massive creature twice the size of metro bus emerging from the sand, covered in spines with a gaping mouth full of rows of razor sharp teeth like a shark.

"Let me guess, sandworm?!" He asked, turning back around and holding onto the suicide handle as she tore off across the desert.

"A very angry one!" She said and jerked the wheel as it exploded out of the ground a few feet away, "That chasm was probably its' home!"

"What's your plan, doll?!"

"Keep driving! It'll give up eventually!" She said and he nearly ate dashboard a couple times from her maneuvers before he saw the worm give up in the side mirror, turning around and diving back into the sand dejectedly. She didn't let up until they drove back through the gates of the camp, screeching to a halt. "You okay?"

"I'm good." He said, relaxing back in the seat. "Next time we go out to one of those horrible death pits, we're bringin' a mounted gun with us."

[fadingdreamscape]

@whumpmasinjuly-archive day 27 - delirious

CW - non-con drugging

Character - whumper and whumpee

Whumper stood in the shadows, watching with a sinister satisfaction as Whumpee's head lolled forward, then snapped back up in a desperate bid for consciousness. "You're still fighting," Whumper's voice was a low, mocking drawl that cut through the fog in Whumpee's brain like a serrated knife.

"I... I can see them," Whumpee murmured, eyes wide and glassy.

Whumper stepped closer, the dim light casting a menacing glow on their face. "See what?" they asked, feigning curiosity. "What do you see, Whumpee?"

Whumpee's breath hitched, their vision blurring with spectral shapes that twisted and writhed in the corners of their eyes. "Shapes... shadows... they're everywhere."

Whumper's smile widened, a cruel glint in their eyes. "Hallucinations. How delightful." They reached out, gripping Whumpee's chin and forcing their gaze upward, staring intently into their unfocused eyes.

Whumpee shuddered as Whumper's cold fingers traced their jawline, a shiver running down their spine. "Please... make it stop," they whispered.

Whumper's grip tightened, their nails digging into Whumpee's flesh. "Oh, but we're just getting started," they crooned, leaning in close, "now, time to take your medication," they purred as they pulled a small vial it of their pocket and forced whumpees mouth open.

Whumpee tried to resist, but their limbs felt like lead, heavy and unresponsive. The bitter liquid from the vial burned as it slid down their throat, and they coughed, spluttering as they struggled to breathe.

Whumper's laughter echoed through the dimly lit room, a sound devoid of warmth or humanity. "There, there," they cooed mockingly, patting Whumpee's cheek with false gentleness. "You’ll feel better soon enough. Or perhaps worse... Depends if you're ready to embrace it yet."

Whumpee's vision swam, the room around them warping and twisting.

"You see them, don't you?" Whumper whispered, leaning down, their mouth next to Whumpees ear.

The shapes in Whumpee's vision shifted, the very air seemed to shimmer and dance.

"That's right," Whumper said, their voice now a soothing purr. "You're almost there."

The room twisted and pulsed in whumpees vision, their body slowly began to feel warm and weightless.

"You look so lost," Whumper mused, circling around Whumpee like a predator. "Does it feel good?"

Whumpee's breathing became ragged, their heart pounding erratically in their chest. "I don't... I can't..." They stammered, struggling to form coherent thoughts as the world around them dissolved into a kaleidoscope of course and shapes.

Whumper chuckled, a sound that dripped with malice. "Oh, but you can. You're just resisting. Let go, Whumpee. Let the delirium take you."

Whumper released their grip, shifting to run their fingers gently through whumpees hair, "You're so close now," they said, their tone a sick parody of encouragement.

The room seemed to spin gently, the walls melted as whumpees thoughts seemed to disintegrate. Trying to think felt like grasping smoke.

"Look at you," Whumper murmured, almost to themselves, "teetering on the edge. Isn't it beautiful?" They continued to gently stroke whumpees hair, encouraging them to no longer fight.

Whumpee's lips parted, but no sound emerged. The spectral shapes in their vision danced with a macabre elegance, and somewhere in the distance, a voice—a memory perhaps—whispered words they couldn't quite understand.

Whumpee's head lolled to the side, their eyes losing focus, the figures in their vision danced and twisted, pulling them deeper into the abyss.

Whumper's hand continued its slow, rhythmic motion through Whumpee's hair, a grotesque parody of comfort. "That's it," they crooned. "Just let go."

Whumpee's lips moved soundlessly, their mind fracturing under the relentless assault. The whispers grew louder, a cacophony of disjointed voices that spoke in a language they couldn't comprehend, but which filled them with a deep, primal dread.

Whumper leaned closer, their breath hot against Whumpee's ear. "You see, this is freedom," they murmured. "No more pain, no more fear. Just... surrender." Their fingers traced lazy patterns across Whumpee's scalp, "You're almost there," they whispered.

Whumpee's eyes fluttered, half-lidded and unseeing. The world around them had become an undulating sea of colors and shadows, the once familiar shapes now alien and terrifying. Each breath felt like a struggle against the current, pulling them deeper into the chaotic abyss.

Whumpee's head lolled back, their eyes flickering with fleeting lucidity. They tried to grasp onto a memory, a sliver of who they were, they grasped onto Whumpers words, onto the sensation of their hand in their hair, unsure whatelse was real.

Whumpee's head lolled forward, their eyes glazing over as they teetered on the edge of consciousness.

Whumper smiled, pulling whumpee forwards into an embrace, letting their head rest on their shoulder, "well done Whumpee," they murmured.

Whumpee's body went limp in Whumper's arms, the fight draining out of them entirely. They hung there, suspended between wakefulness and oblivion, the phantom shapes in their vision dancing a sinister ballet.

Whumper's fingers continued to stroke Whumpee's hair, their touch deceptively gentle. "That's it," they whispered, their voice a silken thread weaving through Whumpee's fractured thoughts. "No more resistance. Just let go."

[geotjwrs]

Risk

Pairings ; Gracie Abrams x Male!Reader

Warning ; none

The night was cloaked in silence as Gracie sat on the edge of her bed, the soft glow of her bedside lamp casting shadows on the walls. She glanced at the clock—2:00 AM. Sleep had been elusive, slipping through her fingers like grains of sand. Her mind was a storm of thoughts and emotions, each one pulling her deeper into the abyss of uncertainty.

Her phone buzzed, breaking the stillness. She picked it up, heart racing as Y/N's name flashed on the screen. She hesitated for a moment before answering, her voice barely a whisper.

"Hey."

"Hey," Y/N replied, his voice equally soft, laden with the weight of their shared history. "Can we talk?"

Gracie nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Yeah, we need to."

Moments later, Y/N stood at her door, looking just as lost as she felt. She stepped aside to let him in, the air between them thick with unspoken words. They moved to the living room, each step heavy with the risk they were about to take.

"Gracie, I've been thinking..." Y/N began, his voice trailing off as he struggled to find the right words. "About us, about everything."

Gracie's heart clenched. She knew this conversation was inevitable, yet she wasn't prepared for it. "Me too," she admitted. "I don't know where we went wrong, but I miss what we had."

Y/N nodded, his eyes meeting hers with a mixture of pain and longing. "I miss it too. But it's like we're on different paths now, and I don't know how to bring us back together."

Tears welled up in Gracie's eyes, but she blinked them away. "We've been through so much. Maybe we were too reckless, too eager to jump in without thinking about the consequences."

"Maybe," Y/N agreed. "But I don't regret any of it. Even now, with everything falling apart, I can't bring myself to regret us."

Gracie took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. "Then why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like we're tearing each other apart?"

"Because we care," Y/N said simply. "Because we're afraid of losing something that means so much to us."

Silence enveloped them, each lost in their own thoughts. Gracie knew he was right.

The risk they had taken by opening up to each other, by loving so deeply, had brought them to this point. It was a gamble, one that now seemed to be slipping away from them.

"Do you think we can fix this?" Gracie asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," Y/N admitted. "But I think it's worth trying. If we both want it, if we're both willing to fight for it."

Gracie looked at him, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes. The risk was still there, hanging over them like a dark cloud. But maybe, just maybe, it was a risk worth taking.

"Okay," she whispered. "Let's try. But we have to be honest with each other, no more hiding, no more pretending."

Y/N nodded, relief washing over his face. "Agreed. No more walls."

Gracie couldn't help but reflect on how it all began. Meeting Y/N felt like a breath of fresh air in her otherwise predictable life.

His charm, his wit, the way he looked at her like she was the only person in the world—it was intoxicating. They had fallen fast and hard, swept up in a whirlwind romance that seemed destined to defy the odds.

But as quickly as they fell in love, cracks began to show. The very things that drew them together became sources of tension.

Y/N's spontaneity clashed with Gracie's need for stability. Her career demands pulled her in one direction while his dreams tugged him in another. The late-night arguments, the missed calls, the unspoken resentments—it all piled up, creating a chasm they struggled to bridge.

Gracie remembered a particular night when everything seemed to fall apart. They had been at a party, surrounded by friends, but she felt a million miles away from him.

Y/N had been distant, lost in his thoughts, and she couldn't shake the feeling that they were drifting apart. On the drive home, their simmering tensions erupted into a heated argument.

"Why can't you just be present, Y/N?" Gracie had snapped, her voice tinged with frustration and hurt. "I feel like I'm always competing for your attention."

"And I feel like I'm always walking on eggshells around you," Y/N had shot back. "Nothing I do is ever good enough. You're always so damn critical."

The words had cut deep, each one a reminder of the growing divide between them. That night, Gracie had cried herself to sleep, wondering if they were doomed to repeat the same painful cycle.

As the days turned into weeks, Gracie and Y/N struggled to navigate the rocky terrain of their relationship.

They tried to communicate, to understand each other's perspectives, but it often felt like they were speaking different languages. The love was still there, but it was buried beneath layers of hurt and misunderstanding.

One evening, Gracie found herself alone in their apartment, scrolling through old photos of happier times. She stumbled upon a picture of them at the beach, smiling and carefree, the sun setting behind them. It was a stark contrast to the tension that now hung over them like a dark cloud.

Y/N walked in, noticing the photo in her hand. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I miss those days," he admitted, his voice heavy with regret.

"Me too," Gracie whispered, her eyes meeting his. "I don't know how we got here, Y/N. It feels like we're lost."

"Maybe we need to take a step back," Y/N suggested, sitting down beside her. "Think of what we want, what we're willing to risk for this relationship."

Gracie nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope. "I want to fight for us, Y/N. But we have to be on the same page. We have to be willing to put in the work."

"I know," Y/N said softly. "And I am. I just...I don't want to lose you, Gracie. I don't want us to become strangers."

They decided to take a break, to give each other space to reflect and heal. It was a difficult decision, but one they hoped would give them the clarity they needed.

During this time, Gracie focused on herself, on rediscovering the things that brought her joy. She reconnected with old friends, took up painting again, and spent time reflecting on her own needs and desires.

Y/N, too, took this time to evaluate his own life and priorities. He threw himself into his work, finding solace in his music.

He wrote songs, pouring his heart and soul into the lyrics, using them as a means to process his emotions. Each note, each word, was a step towards understanding himself and the love he still held for Gracie.

Months passed, and slowly but surely, they began to find their way back to each other. It wasn't easy, and there were setbacks along the way. But they were both committed to rebuilding their relationship, brick by brick.

One evening, Gracie invited Y/N to her apartment. He arrived, nervous but hopeful, and she greeted him with a warm smile. "I have something for you," she said, leading him to the living room where her guitar sat.

She began to play, the familiar chords filling the room. Y/N recognized the song immediately—it was "Risk," one of her originals, a melody that held so many memories.

As Gracie sang, her voice steady and filled with emotion, Y/N felt tears welling up in his eyes. The lyrics spoke of love, loss, and the risks they were willing to take for a second chance.

When the song ended, Gracie looked at Y/N, her eyes filled with vulnerability. "I wrote this for us," she said softly. "It's about everything we've been through, about the risks we've taken and the love we still hold onto. I want you to know that I'm willing to risk it all for us, Y/N. I love you, and I believe we can make this work."

Y/N was speechless, his heart swelling with emotion. He took a step towards her, his hand reaching out to touch hers. "I love you too, Gracie," he whispered. "And I'm willing to take that risk with you."

They moved forward cautiously, rebuilding their trust one day at a time. As they rekindled their relationship, they couldn't help but recall the early days of their love—how it had felt both exhilarating and terrifying.

One night, sitting on the roof of Gracie's apartment building, they watched the city lights twinkle below. The air was cool, carrying the promise of new beginnings.

Gracie turned to Y/N, her eyes searching his.

"Do you remember the first time we said 'I love you'?" she asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

Y/N chuckled, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "Yeah, I do. It was right here, wasn't it?"

Gracie nodded, her heart warming at the memory. "Yeah, it was. We were sitting just like this, looking out at the city, and you turned to me and said, 'Gracie, I think it's too soon to tell you I love you, but I can't help it. I love you.'"

Y/N laughed softly, his eyes meeting hers. "And you said, 'It's too soon for me too, but I love you, Y/N.'"

They shared a moment of silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Then Gracie leaned in, her forehead resting against his. "I still love you, Y/N. Even after everything, I still love you."

"I love you too," Y/N whispered, his hand gently cupping her cheek. "And I'm willing to risk everything to keep that love alive."

As they sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, Gracie and Y/N knew that the journey ahead wouldn't be easy. But they were ready to face it together, knowing that their love was worth every risk.

[silvercap]

Hi hi for the whump drabble game could I get some hurt Chris with either dangling or perhaps painkillers? No worries if not ❤️❤️❤️

For sure!! (From this prompt list)

Dangling/Painkillers

Chris's arm trembles with the effort it takes to cling to the cliff face, gloved fingers already slipping even as he forces himself to dig deep into the mud and rock in the desperate hope that it will save him. Below, the ocean thrashes at the vicious spires of rock reaching upwards like ragged claws, rain and wind lashing the frothing surf into a roil. He gasps for air, left arm stretched taut where Jill hangs below him, her limp, unconscious form held up only by Chris's hand around her thin wrist. Above them, BOWs growl audibly over the rush of the storm, scenting the blood that pours down Chris's side in hot rivulets despite being too dumb to tell where it's coming from.

Chris blinks rain from his eyes, gritting his teeth with a groan when an attempt to haul Jill higher leaves his head spinning. Below, the waves lap hungrily at the rocky cliff edge as if sensing his growing weakness, eager to swallow them up into oblivion. Chris growls. What a stupid fucking way to die--knocked over the edge of a cliff he should've seen, bleeding out and unable to reach his radio. There's no way he's letting Jill die here like this.

He clings to the rock, eyelids fluttering. No giving up, no matter what.

Chris isn't sure how long it is before the sound of gunfire and squealing bioweapons filters in over the ringing in his ears, arms burning from the endless, intolerable strain that's becoming too much to bear. He's so tired. Rainwater freezes the back of his neck in icy sheets, hair slicked to his forehead as he gasps in defeat. He doesn't even have the strength to call out.

"Captain!"

He doesn't have to, though, because one of the men who'd been part of their backup team--he can't tell who over the rain--is staring down at him wide-eyed, two measly feet above where Chris is clinging to his crumbling lifeline. The man reaches down as another soldier appears behind him, already wrapping his hand around Chris's wrist.

"No," Chris snaps raggedly, unable to hold back a cry as he drags Jill to his chest with a sudden burst of superhuman strength. His heart is pounding, vision flickering, but all he knows is that he needs to save her. "Jill first."

The men bicker amongst themselves as they do as they're told, taking Jill's weight a split-second before Chris's arms fail entirely. He whimpers as his grip slides further, left arm useless as his right hand aches from the effort it takes to hold himself in place.

"Captain!" He hears someone shout, and then the cliff is breaking apart under his fingers, solid earth giving way to open air and the drop of free fall in his stomach. His eyes widen, and then he's slamming into the dark abyss of the boiling sea, and Chris knows no more.

He comes to to the sound of shouting and helicopter rotors, rain dotting his face as the sky above him swims. He's moving, he recognizes vaguely, a blurry sillhouette holding something plastic over his mouth and nose. Chris frowns, shifting--only to meet resistance over his chest and hips, a strangled noise of protest escaping him.

"Can you hear me, Captain Redfield?" The figure slowly squeezes the plastic thing as air floods Chris's lungs, leaning down to reveal the concerned face of a medic. "You're alright, we're just taking you to the emergency chopper. Captain Valentine is safe."

Safe. Something warms blooms to life in Chris's veins, tension he didn't know he'd been holding slipping away as his muscles go limp. Well, more limp.

"Hang on a little longer, Captain, you're doing great. Those pain meds should be kicking in right about now."

Chris is too far away to respond, eyelids fluttering closed with the hazy warmth that swallows him into oblivion.

[oliolioxenfreewrites]

An excerpt from the horror story series I’ll be posting tomorrow morning!

The Retreat

8 months ago…

It was supposed to be a celebratory hike. David had just landed a major distributor for his athleisure wear brand, and they decided to mark the occasion with a challenging trail they had been meaning to try. The weather in Maryland was perfect this time of year—cool and crisp, with a median level heat ideal for a long excursion.

They set out early, with the morning mist still clinging to the mountains. Monique felt on top of the world, hand in hand with David, their laughter echoing through the trees.

About two hours in, they reached a fork in the trail. The left path was well-maintained and led to a popular viewpoint. The right fork was overgrown and marked with a faded sign warning of unstable terrain.

"Let's take the next right," Monique suggested eagerly.

She began to stretch and lifted the back of her coily red-brown hair, which shimmered in the sunlight and tied it into a messy bun, preparing for the next segment of the trail. Her husband's face was filled with nothing, but apprehension.

David gazed skeptically at the ominous path ahead and asked, “Are you sure about this?”

“Oh, c'mon! Where's your sense of adventure, baby?” she teased, a mischievous glint in her eye.

David hesitated. “I don't know, Momo. That sign looks pretty serious.”

But Monique was insistent. “Trust me, it'll be fine. We're experienced hikers. Plus, imagine the view without all the tourists.”

Reluctantly, David agreed, knowing it would make Monique happy. And for the first mile, everything seemed fine; the path was rough but manageable. Then—they reached the cliffside portion...

The trail narrowed dramatically, hugging a sheer rock face with a dizzying drop to the right. Monique led the way with steady, confident strides, her resolve unwavering despite the precarious path. She glanced back periodically to check on David, noticing his forehead crinkle in that way she found endearingly adorable. It always amused her that this 6’2” muscular Italian, so strong and charismatic, could be unnerved by heights.

A twinge of remorse washed over her as she remembered how she had convinced him to come along on this adventure, despite his apprehension. She hoped the stunning views and sense of victory would eventually outrank his current anxiety.

“Momo, we seriously should turn back,” David called out, lagging behind his enthusiastic wife.

“Don’t worry, babe, we’re almost through,” Monique replied, seeing the clearing just a few steps ahead. “Just a little further.”

Those four words would haunt her forever.

A few steps later, she heard a sickening crumble, a sound that now echoes in her mind whenever she closes her eyes or feels anxious. The next thirty seconds shattered her world; the path beneath David's feet gave way. As Monique spun around in horror, she couldn’t even process the scene before her.

“David!” she shouted, reaching out desperately, but she was too far ahead. Their fingertips brushed, and their eyes locked for a split second before her husband plummeted into the abyss. It was the last time she touched or saw her college sweetheart.

The world seemed to slow down as Monique watched David disappear into the void. Her scream echoed through the mountains, a sound of pure anguish that was swallowed by the vast, indifferent wilderness. She fell to her knees, the weight of what had just happened crashing down on her. She could barely breathe, her chest tightening with a mix of shock and terror.

Minutes felt like hours as she scrambled to the edge, hoping against hope to see David clinging to something, anything. But there was nothing—just the sheer drop and the distant sound of rocks tumbling into the chasm below. The reality of the situation began to sink in, and with it came a flood of guilt and regret.

“Why had I convinced him to take this path? How could I have been so careless?!”

The next hours were a blur of frantic calls for help, rescue helicopters, and devastating news. Monique sat there, feeling detached from her body as they asked her all their typical questions; all she could hear was static. Despite the best efforts of the rescue teams, the news came that David hadn't survived the fall. Friends and family were notified, and the reality of the loss began to sink in as everyone tried to come to terms with the sudden tragedy.

In the days and weeks following the funeral, Monique was overwhelmed not only by all-consuming grief but also by a crippling sense of guilt. She found herself trapped in a storm of emotions, unable to escape the constant reminders of his loss and the nagging voice in her head that kept repeating, “If only I had listened to David, if only I had been more cautious, if only I could have saved him.”

Every moment without him felt like a lifetime, and the burden of her guilt grew heavier with each passing day. She often found herself either lost in a bottle of whatever she could find in their extensive stash to avoid leaving the house or endlessly, hopelessly, scrolling through ten years of memories in the darkness of their shared apartment in downtown Maryland. Her photos app mocked her every time she picked up her phone, thanks to the new and taunting 'Featured' section that adorns our technology today. She hadn’t worked or touched her art in months. Unless her twin brother Marcus, or her best friend Ashleigh brought her food—she wouldn’t even eat. She was constantly surrounded by the hall of fame of their love. The awards he won for the prosperity of his athleisure wear business, which she signed over to his family out of respect, still adorned the shelves. His clothes hung in the closet, and his shoes sat by the door as if waiting for him to come home.

It took Ashleigh planning this trip to wake her from her grief-ridden daze; she owed her friend her entire future.

Now, lying in bed in the dark cabin, Monique felt the weight of her actions more acutely than ever. She had come here seeking healing but was now confronting her deepest regrets in the most terrifying way possible. The shadows of the room seemed to press in around her, and the sounds of the forest outside took on an eerie, almost whispering quality.

She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. The image of David’s fall played over and over in her mind, a relentless loop of her greatest nightmare. She clutched the blanket tightly, as if it could shield her from the torment within her own mind.

As dawn began to break, the faint light filtering through the curtains, Monique made a decision. She would confront whatever was taunting her—whether it was the memory of David, her own guilt, or something more sinister lurking in the woods. She needed to face it, to find some semblance of peace.

She owed David that much.

Monique opened her eyes with a deep breath and stared at the ceiling, feeling the first rays of sunlight touch her face. The journey ahead was still uncertain, but she felt a spark of determination for the first time in a long while. The path to healing would be painfully difficult, but she was finally ready to take the first step.

@drchenquill @illarian-rambling @kaylinalexanderbooks @leahpardo-pa-potato @slenders1ckn3ss @somethingclevermahogony @inky-duchess @sassystyl @rotting-moon-writes @highlycosmic @avaseofpeonies @oc-atelier @ceph-the-ghost-writer @paeliae-occasionally @davycoquette @unforgettable-sensations @hissorrow22 @boredwritergirl @scorpiothesaint @thewrathoffemaleragem @spookyceph @enne-uni if interested in joining or being removed, just let me know! :)

[mettywiththenotes]

Talking about an au

This is one that has been on my mind since 419 and tbh I thought for sure it could happen

Remember when Tomura shed his skin during the Floating UA battle? Well I wondered if a similar thing would happen again in Mount Fuji

Picture it. In the void, AFO eats Tomura. He's dying as he's told everything about AFO's involvement in his life. AFO takes over his body, hand formed over mouth and all. It looks pretty bad. All the stuff happens with Izuku getting his arms back, the heroes coming to his aid etc. Izuku punches AFO (end of 422, beginning of 423). Here's where it diverges from canon:

Izuku punches AFO and he starts crumbling slowly, from his gut (where the impact was) to the rest of him. Except before it even reaches his chest, his face starts to crack open. Visually we can see this crack isn't the same as the crumbling of his body. It's one we've seen before, across his face in the middle of a battle. A parallel back to this

Except within the crack is Tomura's face. Tomura inside Tomura's body. Tomuraception

What happened? Well, the power of Izuku's will to stop AFO (the punch) allowed the vestiges that got thrown into the body to reawaken and bring Tomura's soul back. At the same time, minutes before, Tomura, slowly dying in the void, began to think. About everything AFO told him, how he was doomed before he was even born. How much that angered him, the rage coursing through his soul. He already had a strong will before, but now he really can't accept what has happened and he can't accept AFO getting away with it. Even if AFO's fate is to die, he'd rather be the one on the other end of it, alive and watching him. Better yet, being the hand that ultimately brings about his end

As a visual representation, it's like Tomura reaches out, desperate to climb out of the abyss he is slowly dying in, and he is met with several hands reaching back, taking his hand and pulling him out and back to the world. The vestiges, who have been reawakened by Izuku

Before, Tomura has not been able to die or stay dead. So why should this not be the same? With the power of rage, spite, his hero and some ghostly relatives, he lives on. He twists his own fate by accepting the hands that reach out and climbing out of the hole AFO threw him in

AFO's Tomura face cracks open. Tomura forces AFO's vessel apart from the head, almost like a butterfly climbing out of its cocoon, almost like he is actively prying his own cage open and escaping for good

AFO had been crumbling and was ripped open, but in a desperate attempt to stay together and stay alive (also fueled by anger at being pushed to the edge like this + Tomura somehow coming back from the dead), he uses his quirks (mostly drills) to keep his body intact for now (this is already shown in 423)

Also, I guess it depends on what you would like to believe, but the way I see it, Tomura could come back either with just his decay OR with the vestiges choosing another vessel for what little power they can give left and so backing Tomura up with the last of OFA. Aka 10th user Tomura. It's not as powerful as it was with Izuku but it still adds a lot, just enough to pack a real punch. Personally I think if we're already throwing away "what is realistic" then I might as well go big or go home and go with 10th user Tomura my beloved

It's from this point that he and Izuku begin to work together to kill the old body. As you can imagine, it's probably not an immediate bonding of friendship or whatever, but it's more or less teamwork formed with the general statement of "we still have things to work out, hero, but I don't care about that right now. I hate him more than anyone else on this damn mountain and I can't stand the thought of letting anyone else kill him but me" etc but then progresses as they fight

[lovebillyhargrove]

A follow up to Six kinds of silence

***

That Billy fucking Hargrove. Classic heartbreaker move. Wait till the girl is in love with you, head over heels, and then

Leave.

You aren't even original, Billy.

Do you hear me, Hargrove? You aren't even original!

Steve's slamming the fridge door angrily.

Motherfucker.

No, you can't hear me. Because you're fuck knows where.

Steve is the girl if anyone's wondering.

That morning when Steve wakes up alone and understands that Billy has taken off in an unknown direction, he still has to live his life and go to work. How can a guy actually juggle having a job, dealing with a live car that isn't to be messed with, saving a bro from the evil dimension, falling in love with the said bro, breaking the dead dad news to him and on top of that having his heart this close to shattering?

Because the fucking bro just runs off. No explanation.

And yes, that's how Steve's feeling now. Close to being blown to pieces.

Kissing Billy, him taking Steve's hand and them sleeping in one bed so near each other .. standing on the edge of a high cliff looking down at the white foam of crashing waves, and imagining falling into the abyss, headfirst

but not like in a desperate way, no, in an amazing way, like you have wings and you know you're gonna soar and oh-my-god-is-it-really-happening, the thrill, the ebullience .. but now?

Oh, and the thing is, Hargrove didn't push him away, Hargrove actually said it out loud and left a written evidence that he liked Steve, he wanted this, he wanted to .. fall together with Steve.

Now what?

Now Steve still has to be at Family Video at 9 sharp. And he will come back to an empty house in the evening.

That morning when he goes out of the house, he is in for another surprise. Not just Billy's gone, Harrington's own car is nowhere to be seen as well. Normally, it has to be seen right here, in the driveway, but it's not there, so apparently, Billy has taken Steve's beamer. Driven off into the sunrise. Well, isn't that just fantastic. It doesn't go against the logic though. Billy was mad at his car, still is, will he ever be not mad?

Will he ever come back?

So he has taken the beamer. Okay. Steve drove the camaro for most of the fall anyways. He slides the garage door up and gets into the car. Turns the key, but the car isn't starting. Turns it again. Nothing.

Like, nothing.

Fucking great.

Fucking awesome.

"Hey, I know you're sad. But that's Billy, you know him better than anyone, what did you expect?"

"Okay, that sounded harsh, I'm sorry. To be honest, I didn't expect him to just up and go. And I'm already missing him. It sucks. It also sucks that he left you. But he left me too. We're in this together. Come on, help me out here. I'm kinda getting late for work."

Steve tries again and again but the camaro just

Damn it!

Won't start.

The hell is he supposed to do now?

Steve's getting out of the car. He's looking at it and shaking his head in disappointment.

"Not cool, dude. Not cool."

No Billy, no beamer, and no camaro. He's in not just for one surprise, oh no, it's a triple. Steve's looking around and his eyes fall on his long forgotten bike.

Seriously?

He's already dangerously late, so fuck his life, he has no choice. He's kinda pinned up against the wall here.

Steve is taking the bike and checking its tires. They need pumping, of course they do, he hasn't ridden it in ages.

Steve finds the pump and gets down to business. He sometimes looks up at the camaro

"Like. Really??? Look what you're making me do. I'm gonna ride a fucking bike to work. A bike! Are you happy with that?"

The camaro doesn't look happy. It looks abandoned, it looks frozen, it looks like it wants to be back at the junkyard again.

Fucking heartbreaker.

Steve pumps the tires and is ready to go.

"Hey, I get it, how you're feeling."

"I'm gonna lock the garage. Be back in the evening. Please, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He taps the hood, closes the door and gets on the bike.

***

Robin is amused, Keith is angry but Steve doesn't give a shit.

He wants to crawl in his bed and smell Billy on his sheets, what's left of him.

Robin actually sees something is up and shifts from being amused to wanting to be supportive.

"What's going on, Steve? Is everything okay?"

And Steve just wants to put his head on her shoulder and cry.

Because he feels like a dumb teenager in love, oh wait, he is a teenager in love, and he wants to .. he just wants to be close to him, and he can't.

"Yeah."

"Maybe you wanna tell me?"

"Maybe during lunch break. Keith is watching me like a hawk now."

So he does tell Robin later. Almost everything. He leaves out the camaro coming alive part, tells her they managed to make it from the upside down on their own, tells her that Billy got so upset over his father's death that he just ran away, god knows where. Left a note, clarifying absolutely nothing.

Tells her, he's having feelings for the guy.

Robin just listens, tries not to make any comments, just asks questions to follow the story, and Steve's grateful for that.

"He took off, took my car, his car won't start for some reason .. that's why I'm on the bike, Rob. Well, to be fair, he didn't know his car had some .. issues, so it's kinda not his fault I'm without wheels now. But .. Anyway. Everything sucks."

Robin crunches up her nose and sighs in agreement.

***

It's been two and a half weeks of biking to and from work, and biking or walking to the grocery store.

It's been two and a half weeks of the camaro being just .. dead. It's been standing in the garage like a ghost, cold and distant.

Steve thought about taking it to Old Joe's place again, but decided not to do it. He knows the problem is not in the engine. He knows the problem is in the heart.

It's been two and a half weeks of feeling his own heart hollowed out.

***

Steve's on the couch in the living room, flicking through TV channels. There's nothing interesting on. Or he doesn't want to watch anything. He just wants Hargrove to sit on the couch near him. And then everything would be good.

Life's a joke. Love is a bitch.

Steve's getting up and going to take a shower when the telephone rings.

***

To be continued, ofc

[gloomth-and-wanderings]

I guess there's no better day to drop my silly little les mis playlists! e/R playlist under the cut for length, since I've added relevant lyrics.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears for Fears

There’s a room where the light won’t find you / holding hands while the walls come tumbling down / when they do I’ll be right behind you / so glad we almost made it

(planning an animatic for this one once I learn how to animate! This song is so them coded)

The Secret Garden by The Divine Comedy

So much time and so little to do / I furnish my mind with pictures of you / Fading portraits, peculiar names / Replaced by your face in a big golden frame

Golden fragments of moments in time / Tarnished with guilt for an innocent crime

The Rise and Fall by The Divine Comedy

(Basically all the lyrics but especially the chorus:) Hold me in your arms / Hold me till you kill me / Hold me till you break my will / And passion fills my heart

Ignorance is Bliss by The Divine Comedy

You rely upon my charity to survive / I deny myself to keep this world alive / You walk headlong off the edge of the abyss / I oppose the motion / Ignorance is bliss

Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie

This is our last dance / This is our last dance / This is ourselves / Under Pressure

Your Daddy’s Car by The Divine Comedy

Can you feel the sadness in our love? / It's the only kind we're worthy of / And can you feel the madness in our hearts?

Timewatching by The Divine Comedy

If I fall in love it could be forever / So I'll never fall in love / But the moment I can feel that you feel that way too / Is when I might fall in love with you

I Will Follow You Into The Dark (Obviously)

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered jazz standard)

Lost my heart, but what of it / He is cold, I agree / He can laugh, but I love it / Although the laugh's on me

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by the Smiths

To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die […] To die by your side, well, the pleasure, the privilege is mine

And in the darkened underpass / I thought "Oh God, my chance has come at last” / But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask

Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by the Smiths

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour / But heaven knows I'm miserable nowTwo lovers entwined pass me by / And heaven knows I'm miserable now

How Soon Is Now by the Smiths

You shut your mouth, how can you say / I go about things the wrong way? / I am human and I need to be loved / Just like everybody else does

(I think of this one as the switch from outer words to inner feelings)

It’s the End of the World as We Know It by R.E.M.

World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleedYou vitriolic, patriotic, slam fight, bright light / Feeling pretty psyched / It's the end of the world as we know it / It's the end of the world as we know it / It's the end of the world as we know it / And I feel fine

Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives / And I decline / It's the end of the world as we know it / It’s the end of the world as we know it / It's the end of the world as we know it / And I feel fine

You Take My Breath Away by Queen

Every time you make a move, you destroy my mind / And the way you touch / I lose control and shiver deep insideI could give up all my life for just one kiss / I would surely die

So please don't go / Don't leave me here all by myself / I get ever so lonely from time to time / I will find you anywhere you go / I’ll be right behind you / Right until the ends of the earth

Watch What Happens by Michel Legrand

Let someone start believing in you / Let him hold out his hand / Let him touch you and watch what happens

Falling in Love With Love by Carmen McRae

Falling in love with love is falling for make believe / Falling in love with love is playing the fool / Caring too much is such a juvenile fancy / Learning to trust is just for children in school / I fell in love with love one night when the moon was full / I was unwise with eyes unable to see / I fell in love with love, with love everlasting / But love fell out with me

Born With a Broken Heart by the Divine Comedy (I actually don’t like this song very much but it gives such Grantaire vibes especially with the loser recorder solo so I actually like it)

Basically all the lyrics buckaroo it’s a Grantaire song

Hallelujah (assorted versions but I didn't think about it till I saw the George Blagden version)

Well baby I've been here before / I know this room and I've walked this floor / I used to live alone before I knew ya / I've seen your flag on the marble arch / But love is not a victory march / It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Also I forget if he does this verse but:

Maybe there's a God above / But all I've ever learned from love / Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you / And it's not a cry that you hear at night / It's not somebody who's seen the light / It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

I Wanna Hold Your Hand by the Beatles (I’m so sorry)Oh, yeah, I'll tell you something / I think you'll understand / When I'll say that something / I wanna hold your hand [something = long live the revolution! I belong to it]

All That Jazz by Echo and the Bunnymen

Where the hell have you been / We've been waiting with our best suits on […] See you at the barricades babe / See you when the lights go low, Joe / Hear you when the wheels turn round / Someday when the sky turns black

You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi

Shot through the heart / And you're to blame / Darling, you give love a bad name / An angel's smile is what you sellYour very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye / Oh, oh, you're a loaded gun / Oh, oh, there's nowhere to run / No one can save me / The damage is done

When Did You Leave Heaven (jazz standard)

If I kissed you would it be a sin? / I am only human but you are so divine / When did you leave Heaven, angel mine?

Maid of Orleans (the Joan of Arc Waltz) by Orchestral Manuevers in the Dark

(Basically all the lyrics)

ETA:

Electric Blue by Icehouse

Are you hiding somewhere behind those eyes? / I just freeze / Every time you see through me / And it's all over you / Electric blue

Thank you for bearing with me through this awfully disorganized list! Happy Barricade Day Part II!

[thefairylights]

Starting off Kinktober 2023 @vampirefest with a playlist! Sexy songs for sexy prompts of many types. No set ship so we vibe with every pairing. Whatever feels right, is right. ❤️🖤❤️

No more sunlight. The moon awaits us. ⚰️

Now, on to your knees to click that link, my companion heart.

31 tracks for 31 days.

one: mack loren/if i didn’t know better

I take my time and study your face

Thinking of a different place for it to be while you keep

One hand on my waist, you grip my thigh

Heart starts to race

Like you could taste what I'm tryna hide

two: zolita/holy

I can fight but the devil wins

And I will fall like a saint who sins

Forgive me Father, I am weak

And it's not forgiveness that I seek

three: the marias/hush

Don't think you've made it under my skin

Could never get in

Forget about it

Don't talk so much

Your tongue is burning up

I've had enough

four: elley duhe/middle of the night

These burning flames, these crashing waves

Wash over me like a hurricane

I'll captivate, you're hypnotized

Feel powerful, but it's me again

Come, lay me down

'Cause I know this

'Cause I know this sound

five: saint mesa/lion

You burn everything you see

Gold are your fingers

Leaving traces everywhere you go

Diamonds in your skin

My blood flows

six: chloe adams/dirty thoughts

I'm frustrated

Do you really look good naked

And I know that it ain't that holy

But Lord I need this one night only

The more that I push 'em away

The more that you're stuck in my brain

The more I mentally undress

I confess

seven: king mala/she calls me daddy

She's a little bit psycho

But she follows

When I call in the middle of the night

She's got you wrapped around her finger

You try to linger

But she's already on her way to mine

eight: hey violet/unholy

Say your name while our tongues are tied

Getting shivers all down my spine

We're in bed, we're embedded in my mind

nine: hozier/eat your young

I'm starving, darling

Let me put my lips to something

Let me wrap my teeth around the world

Start carving, darling

I wanna smell the dinner cooking

I wanna feel the edges start to burn

ten: chandler leighton/when you say my name

Does it scare you

That I already know what you're into?

You can say less, I bet I can guess

That'll you say whatever to get me undressed

Double dare you, tell me two lies

Don't need no truths

'Cause I can see right through you

You're no good at pretend

I'm using your tricks that you use with your friends

eleven: dezi/sinner

Lead us not into temptation

Your touch is feeling like salvation

If you're down for misbehaving

If you're liking this sensation

Pin me on your wall like an icon

And I pray that you leave the lights on

twelve: banks/fuck with myself

You're in the corner waiting for my love

I put two walls behind you just to lean on

Kinda need 'em 'cause I stood you up

'Cause I fuck with myself more than anybody else

thirteen: dove cameron/breakfast

I'm sick, yeah, I'm sick

And honestly, I'm getting high off it

Do you wanna see a magic trick?

'Cause you don't know what you don't know

But I know

fourteen: lana del rey/freak

Flames so hot that they turn blue

Palms reflecting in your eyes, like an endless summer

That's the way I feel for you

If time stood still I'd take this moment

Make it last forever

fifteen: ari abdul/taste

I'm begging you, untie this noose

Want your hands 'round my neck

I'm begging you, come be my muse

You're all that I have left

sixteen: ag/terrible thing

Oh honey, you're so cold

I lose my self-control

seventeen: jesse joe stark/fire of love

Your kiss rips through the shadows

Lipstick poisons this black rose

Haunted and torn from the heavens

You pull the petals from my mouth

They fall and tenderly black out

Baby, it's been so lonely

eighteen: zaryah/deep dive

Deep dive into my lips

Heat of your breath takes me into your abyss

Hold tight, I'll fulfil every need

Head up, you got me down on my knees

nineteen: lana del rey/gods & monsters

In the land of Gods and Monsters

I was an angel looking to get fucked hard

twenty: darren hayes/insatiable

Breathe in breathe out, there is no sound

We move together up and down

We levitate our bodies soar

Our feet don't even touch the floor

twenty-one: melanie martinez/high school sweethearts

If you can't handle a heart like mine

Don't waste your time with me

If you're not down to bleed, no, oh

If you can't handle the choking, the biting

The loving, the smothering

'Til you can't handle it no more, no more

Go home

twenty-two: ramsey/daddy

Baby, you're divine, I leave my body

Suckin' on your tongue, gold teeth, come find love

twenty-three: massive attack/paradise circus

Love is like a sin, my love

For the ones that feel it the most

Look at her with her eyes like a flame

She will love you like a fly will never love you again

twenty-four: aeseaes/desire

I'm an old

Desire

Sleeping in your skin

I'll take you over

And let you hide

And let you hide

twenty-five: natalia kills/problem

Sweat, dripping down your chest

Thinking 'bout your tattooed knuckles

On my thigh boy boy boy

Cold shower... you got no power to control

How I make you my toy toy toy

My hips rocking

As we keep lip locking

Got the neighbors screaming

Even louder louder

twenty-six: the pretty reckless/going to hell

Gettin' heavy with the devil, you can hear the wedding bells

twenty-seven: meg myers/desire

Baby, I wanna fuck you

I wanna feel you in my bones

Boy, I'm gonna love you

I'm gonna tear into your soul

twenty-eight: soap&skin/me and the devil

And I said hello Satan, ah

I believe it is time to go

Me and the devil walkin' side by side

twenty-nine: chymes/gity

You can trust in me, no, you don't have to hide

Have anything you want, just tell me what you like

Bring out the devil in you, it can't hide

I feel the fire trapped inside

thirty: banks/gimme

At the rock bottom baby crawl, crawl

I let you lick it from the ground, ground

'Cause I've been drippin' for your love, love

You can call me that bitch

thirty-one: nine inch nails/closer

I wanna fuck you like an animal

I wanna feel you from the inside

I wanna fuck you like an animal

My whole existence is flawed

You get me closer to God

You just have to nod your beautiful head and say yes 🩸🩸🩸

[xerith-42]

Garrance Week Day Two! Dreams/Illusion

(Just as a heads up for most of my posts during this, unless explicitly stated, this is Minecraft Diaries, not My Street) (also also I rename Aphmau to Irena in my rewrites so that's the name I'll usually use for her)

"Just breathe, Laurance. It'll all be over soon." Pain seared through every part of Laurance's barely alive body. Barely. But there was that awful part of him that remained mortal. In spite of all the swords that had stabbed through his chest, he was still alive. He was still breathing. It made him wish he was dead.

"NO! LET ME GO!" Laurance's screams fell on deaf ears as a burning sensation crept through his veins, his entire body seized with the feeling. "IRENA!!"

More pain. Even worse this time. His entire body died, his heart stopped, his blood stopped flowing, he could feel himself going cold and yet that burning continued to travel through him. Laurance thrashed against his restraints stubbornly despite the fact that it shouldn't be physically possible. Anything. Anything to get back to her. Anything to see her smile again.

"She left you. Like you deserve. There's nobody to save you now, Laurance."

"NO!!" Laurance shot up, his hand reaching out as he came to. His breathing was fast and shaky, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust. He blinked and the awful vision of that hell faded back to the closest thing he had to home anymore. His empty suit of armor at the end of the room stared back at him.

Right. The guard station. A tear forced its way down Laurance's face. Two more followed. He was home, but at what cost? Ungrith was dead just for him to be here. Laurance was seconds away from breaking down crying. No, keep it together--

The sound of knocking on his door was enough to make the poor man nearly jump out of his skin, in spite of how quiet it was.

"Laurance?" Garroth's voice was painfully soft, barely above a whisper. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine, Garroth," Laurance replied, running a nervous hand through his hair. "Go back to bed."

"I think you're lying to me."

"Please--" For once, Garroth didn't listen. Laurance's door opened, making him jerk his head up. Okay maybe that wasn't the best way to convince Garroth that he was "fine". Garroth took in the appearance of the man before him. Bloodshot eyes with bags under them, shaky hands, and the faint sight of tears. Sure he was fine.

Garroth didn't say anything at first, instead closing the door behind him and taking a seat on his bed. Normally Laurance's armor covered most of his body, but in this state, he was only wearing a loose undershirt that didn't fully cover his arms. Garroth could see the tracing of scars on his dark skin, including some that peeked from under the low collar. Those weren't present before.

"I've heard you before, you know," Garroth confessed. "I know you keep dreaming about what happened there."

"I'm sorry," Laurance whispered.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I didn't mean to wake you. I feel worse that I've made you worry about me."

"We're guards. Worrying is what we do best."

"Worrying about our lord. Not each other." Garroth chuckled, and Irene help him, the sound was so soothing to Laurance. An assurance that he really was safe.

"You and I both know guards worry for everyone around them, not just our lord." Garroth offered his hand. "Care to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Laurance, I know you won't speak to Lady Irena about this."

"I don't want to worry her."

"So I'm asking you to be honest with me." Laurance sighed, pulling his legs out from under his blanket and adjusting so he was sitting next to Garroth on the edge of his bed. "Please." Laurance took a careful breath, before finally taking Garroth's hand.

"Shadow Knights aren't supposed to be made the way I was. Normally they take a still warm corpse to the abyss and start there. Most people aren't unfortunate enough to get trapped there."

"Did you not...?"

"No. Despite being stabbed straight through the chest, I managed to survive. And yet... Yet they still turned me." Laurance's hand squeezed down on Garroth's as he held in a noise of pain. "I-I can't-- I can't do this Garroth. I can't." He pulled his hand away, placing both of them on his head. "I can still hear them. It's like they're still in my head, taunting me..."

"Laurance..." Garroth took his now empty hand and wrapped it around Laurance's shoulder. "It's okay. I'm here to protect you."

It's like those words were magic. The second they left Garroth's mouth, the moment his arm made contact, Laurance broke. The waterfall of tears he had been holding in for weeks suddenly burst, and he was helplessly sobbing into Garroth's arms. He couldn't really form words at first, just collapse into the embrace of the man sitting next to him. And Garroth easily supported him, holding Laurance close and letting him release everything. It was the least he could do.

"It was so awful down there," Laurance finally whispered through his sobs. "It was so painful. All I could do was scream, keep screaming, keep screaming for days and days on end." Another fit of sobs broke up Laurance's ramblings at the memory. His throat started to burn like it did before. "And they kept taunting me. They kept reminding me that I was abandoned. That I was left. That I deserved it--"

"You weren't," Garroth reminded him, which only served to make Laurance sob more. "You know you weren't."

"I know! But I couldn't do anything! I couldn't fight them! I couldn't argue! All I could do was just hope, keep hoping, keep praying to Irene that she was safe. That you were keeping her safe. It's all I could do..." Laurance stopped talking, instead resigning himself to his tears as he leaned onto Garroth for support even further.

"It's okay. You're here now. You're alive, I'm alive, and she's alive. That's what matters, right?" He nodded. "Good. I'm grateful that you were strong enough to survive that. You're stronger than I am." Laurance opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. Instead he buried his head into Garroth's chest and listened desperately to the sound of his beating heart. He missed his own. "You're so strong, Laurance."

Even if he didn't feel very strong, Laurance believed him. Garroth was always hard to get through, always hard to force him to open up. But he was stupidly sincere. He wasn't capable of lying about something like this. He meant every word and Laurance knew it. And he was alive. Laurance worried about his safety almost as much as Irena's. As if Garroth would disappear while he was gone. But he was alive, and here, and he was so warm. So so warm as he held Laurance.

"Thank you," Laurance finally whispered. Garroth never quite knew why, but that was the moment. That was the moment he realized he was in love. Hearing Laurance's soft, broken, tear filled voice thanking him was what it took for the pieces to finally click into place for him. He wasn't just worried about Laurance because he was a friend and a fellow guard. It was because he was in love with him. Oh Irene, wasn't that a thought?

"You're welcome," Garroth said back, fighting the urge to press a kiss to Laurance's wavy brown hair. When he said that he knew there was something else he was trying to say. Three little words that died on his tongue. Not the time. "I'm always here for you, Laurance."

Remember when I said I was gonna write more and that said statement was a lie? I lied twice.

[c6jpg]

dainsleif quest

the lore drops. fucking impeccable. but also i feel edged the fuck on. like we learned a liiiiiiiitle but also get 10 thousand unanswered questions as well

that's pretty standard for dainsleif quests though ig

the quest itself. can we even call that a quest it was so anticlimatic ajkdfladjsf like just content-wise i think that genuinely might have been our worst dainsleif quest the lore was CARRYING this shit and all we got was more questions and it felt SO short

as an aside its also criminal how long apart these quests are bc i honestly already kinda forgot what happened in the previous one (caribert) and i had to like. really use my brain to remember the lore we got then

DAINSLEIF BROTHER????????????

just in general like. my mind was exploding when we were talking about the five sinners of khaenri'ah. i want to learn more about them so bad

"i'll tell you all you want to know" YOU'RE NOT TELLING US ENOUGH DAINSLEIF ELABORATE

WE DESERVED A PROPER DAINSLEIF VS ABYSS TWIN ANIMATED FIGHT CUTSCENE. HOW DARE YOU JUST FADE TO BLACK ARE YOU KIDDINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

ngl when we first saw caribert i actually thought this might be dainsleif's brother and i was like NOOOOOOOOOO THEY CAN'T NPC DAIN'S BRO

i just KNOWWW his brother is gonna be so sexy whenever they reveal him. sorry i had to say it. anyways.

caribert man... his whole deal honestly felt like a sidequest within the quest but that was sad :(

not to be a #scarastan but i was just thinking so hard about the parallels between caribert and scara, implanting vs removing oneself from the memories of the world. both doing it to bring comfort to others, even if futile. i'm not smart enough to expand on this but i'm sure yall know what i mean

anyways okay. so the loom of fate can weave ley lines, that name makes sense now. now can literally anybody please explain what the fuck yall want to do with it

honestly the twin reunion scene felt kinda. idk. flat? like i was more hyped about the abyss twin vs dainsleif part kadjlsflds (speaking of which the way dain clenched his fist lmaooooooo i was just thinking of that one arthur meme)

i do love the detail that the twins call each other by their canon names though

was kind of 🙄 when we got hit with the "yeah btw you won't remember any of this once we're out of here." okay plot convenience

actually is it even plot convenience? like literally what harm would there have been of the traveler remembering???? what are they gonna do???? the only actionable thing of substance we learned was that the loom of fate was completed which dainsleif should have figured out anyways since he got the eye taken from him????????

actually i think it was great that dainsleif got bamboozled though. dude has been carried by plot armor for too long

sea of flowers mention interesting (i have no thoughts on this just interesting esp since i'm pretty sure that's the place shown in the teyvat trailer)

so basically confirmed the heavenly principles are asleep/inactive for some reason. idr if it was explicitly mentioned before. i actually DID wonder why we didn't get some celestia nail action smiting after all the shit that happened in fontaine, a lot of people thought that was gonna happen too with the whole celestia is floating right over fontaine

and then we wake up and the quest just ends??? LET ME TALK TO DAIN HELLO

also like. why did dain want to confront the abyss twin again??? maybe it was mentioned in an earlier quest and if so i forgot but either way i don't understand wtf dain was up to by luring the abyss twin out

no literally that felt like half a quest

objectively i think that quest kinda sucked but i will forgive it solely because of the lore drops no matter how tiny they were and bc i did really like caribert's story

[askdannysroleswapau]

>> The Portal Manuscript

here's chapter 2! we're little less than halfway there. this one is a LOT longer than the previous lol. hope you guys like it!

missed chapter 1? click here

It must have been a few minutes before Gumball said anything.

“So... what are you doing now?” he asked, slowly walking over to Rob. Despite all of the buzzing fans, the area around the portal was strangely hot. 

“Gathering information,” Rob said. 

“Uh-huh. Okay.” Gumball looked into the swirling abyss of static fearfully. “On what, exactly?”

“What's on the other side of this portal,” Rob answered, as though it should have been obvious. Gumball watched over his shoulder as he moved the ruler around in the portal, sweeping it back and forth in slow, methodic movements. 

“I... I’m sorry, I'm really confused right now.” Gumball was only now noticing all of the other strange machines in the warehouse. “What's all of this for?” 

“Well, the worlds gonna end in a couple weeks, so I'm working on a way to save everybody.”

“...sorry, I don't think I heard that right. WHAT?!”

“Y’know, reality collapsing in on itself, all of us are probably gonna die, yadda yadda yadda.” Rob didn't even look up. “I thought you would have figured it out by now.”

“WHAT?!” Gumball cried. Feelings of panic and dread swelled in his chest, stronger than he’d ever felt them before. “Y-you're messing with me, right? This is for a bit? It's for a bit. You're joking. Please tell me you’re joking!” 

“No, I’m not.”

Gumball, staggered back with his paws over his ears, feeling lightheaded. Scratch that actually, he felt like his head was about to explode. He was feeling such distress and terror at a force that would have been literally inconceivable to him half an hour ago. Gumball felt like he might throw up and he had this horrible, sinking feeling he was never supposed to find out about this, which was NOT HELPING with everything else AT ALL. 

And then he heard Rob mutter, “What the..?”

Gumball willed himself to look back over at Rob. The end of the ruler abruptly jerked closer and closer to the edge of the portal. 

“Wh- Hey!” Rob exclaimed, standing up and trying to pull the ruler back out. 

“What is going on now?!” Gumball pulled on his ears in distress.

“Something on the other side has the camera!” Rob said, straining to keep hold of the yardstick. He struggled for a moment, then glanced over at Gumball. “What are you doing? Come on, help me!”

At a loss for what to do, Gumball joined in the onset game of tug-o’-war, wrapping his arms around Rob’s midsection and pulling as hard as he could. Somehow, whatever was on the other end seemed to be matching their strength. Now, that wasn't such a big deal for Gumball, seeing as he had wimpy noodle arms, but for Rob it was incredibly concerning. 

The back end of the camcorder started to peek through the portal. Gumball glimpsed the blurry outline of something on the display screen, but didn't have much time to process it before there was a sudden release on the other side--and they both fell backwards onto the concrete floor. 

Rob clutched the camcorder to his chest and checked to make sure it hadn't been damaged. Sighing in relief, he sat up and removed the camera off of the yardstick.

Gumball’s chest heaved as he sat up and shakily got to his feet. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he still hadn't recovered from the world-shattering revelation that his world was actually about to shatter. 

Then something began reaching out from the other side of the portal.

“Uhh, Rob?” Gumball patted Rob on the arm repeatedly, his eyes locked on the hand.

Rob looked up from what he was doing. “What?”

Gumball pointed at the hand, all of his fur standing up. Rob’s eye went wide and he pointed the camera at the portal, zooming in. 

The hand was small, short, and blocky; colored a dark bluish-gray. The static arm it was attached to was almost invisible among the rest of the buzzing white and black. It felt around in the air, looking for something to grab onto, until it brushed up against the doorframe. Then the hand gripped the edge tightly—hooked polygons bursting out from its fingertips like claws and digging into the metal. Gumball took a startled step back. Rob stood up, pointing the camera in both wonder and fear as the hand began to pull the rest of itself through. 

When they finally emerged, Gumball and Rob were both at a loss for words. 

They were small, with an off-white sphere for a head. Not a full sphere, it looked like a slice had been taken off of the upper left side of it and the flat, empty space was covered by static. A pool of it was spilling down over where their left eye should have been, covering it completely. Their right eye was yellow and wide with awe, the pupil doubled in an ‘8’ shape. A crooked, red triangle-shaped nose rested above their mouth, connected from the bottom down by a single line. A pair of uneven, pyramid-shaped polygons hovered above their head; cat-like and colored the same gray as their face. The left ear had a nick in it.

Their torso was warped, like two cylinders cut in half at an angle and then put back together wrong; it was colored a light beige, with an almost heart-shaped hole on the right side. Connected to their torso by a static midsection was a short, wide sphere that was colored a lighter blue-gray, with hollow columns stretching out from it and stopping just above the knees--sort of like pants. Their arms and legs were made from static, with scattered stripes of color that were hard to make out in the backlight of the portal. One of their feet was boxy, the same bluish gray as their hand, while the other was nothing more than a hollow, yellow wireframe. What was most perplexing was their right hand, which was a blue paw. 

“Oh my gosh…” The stranger cheered, pumping their fist in the air. “My portal worked!” 

“Who are you?!” Gumball screamed, cowering behind Rob.

“And what do you mean ‘your portal?’” Rob said skeptically.

“I didn't think the machine would work, but it did!” They said excitedly, ignoring the questions. They bounced up and down giddily. “Hahaha!! I'm in an alternate universe!!” They turned back towards the portal and pointed at it gloatingly. “In your face!”

“So my portal worked, then...” Rob muttered in awe.

“What? No, MY portal worked,” they said, turning back around to correct him. 

“No, MY portal—wait a second.” Rob lowered the camcorder.  “Did we both build portal machines?”

“It looks like it,” they said, scratching at where their chin might have been. “I guess they must have linked up somehow. Weird. Say, what's your name?”

Rob glanced down at Gumball with a “see?” look, then back to the stranger. “I’m Rob. What about you?” 

“Wait, seriously?” The stranger looked Rob up and down a few times, looking more baffled by the second. “Ho-ly…”

Suddenly, something else began reaching out of the portal. It was a long arm, colored mostly blue with a pink hand. 

The stranger turned around and their eye widened. “Oh no no no no! Not him!” They scrambled over to the control panel. “How do you turn this thing off?!” They started trying to push the lever back up. 

“No!” Rob ran over and pulled their hands off it. “Are you crazy?! You’ll chop his arm off!”

“Augh, you're right!” they face-palmed. The stranger turned to look at the hand, which was grabbing onto the edge of the door. “What do we do?!”

“We don't have a choice!” Rob said. “We’ll just have to let him through.”

The stranger nodded, then shuddered. “Hough... This is BAD.” They took several steps away from the portal, fidgeting nervously with their hands as the arm pulled the rest of itself through. 

Gumball couldn't believe what he saw. 

Rob emerged from the portal. 

But it wasn't Rob—it couldn't have been. Rob was right next to him-- and Rob hadn’t looked like this in a long, long time. 

Long arms and legs, wearing a yellow shirt and red shorts. Blue skin with splotches of pink skin on various parts of his body and freckles on his face. The only thing that distinguished him from what Rob used to look like was his hair, which was in a low ponytail.  

And boy, did he look ticked off.

“You!“ Not-Rob poked a finger at the stranger, not even paying attention to the other two people in the room. “I knew you were up to something!”

“Hey, buddy!” the stranger said, scrambling back a few steps as Not-Rob advanced on them. They held their hands up in surrender. “Long time no see, ey? Now, I know this looks bad, but if you just let me explain, I-”

“Are you kidding me?” Not-Rob said, seething. “Last time I saw you, you’d kidnapped Banana Joe’s mom! And now-” he let out a scornful laugh. “NOW you're building freaky machines in an abandoned warehouse!”

“Trust me, this is in your best interest,” the stranger said in a low voice.

“Oh, right, like that time you tried to blow up a school bus?” Not-Rob sneered.

They rolled their eye at him and crossed their arms. “You just won't let that go, will you?” 

“I'm surprised you CAN let that go,” Not-Rob scoffed. “Now, I don't know what you're doing, but I know nothing about it is good, so we are leaving.” He picked up the stranger by the scruff of their neck (did they have a neck??) and turned back towards the portal. 

“Hey! Is this any way to treat your nemesis?!” the stranger squawked in offense, kicking and squirming. 

“Nemesis…?” Gumball muttered.

It was then that the mechanism powering the machine whizzed out of its chamber and hit the nearby wall with a loud clang! There wasn't much time to prepare before there was a loud BANG! and everything went black.

[End of Chapter 2]

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