#which is alarmingly not threatening

[painsandconfusion]

oh for the ask game since anon's off now i'll just do it off anon: phobia whumper is my favorite because of all the unique whumping ideas :)

He's so smug in my head right now XD

[sanemistar]

Hi! Would you write a one shot with Obanai x wife!reader but he sees her sparing with Sanemi and gets the wrong idea? He’s been watching them for a while, he thinks there’s something going on but he’s not sure (there’s not) but he finally snaps when Sanemi ends up on top of her (innocently) whilst sparring and she’s laughing so he confronts both of them. Turns out she was just talking with Sanemi so much to get closer to him because she knows how much obanai respects him. Flufff at the end pls and thank yoooou

one and only — obanai iguro

pairing: obanai x wife!reader

genre: fluff

wc: 1.2k+

warnings: heavy fluff lol, slightly suggestive at some part if you squint your eyes really hard but dw nothing too crazy

a/n: thank you for requesting <3 i had a lot of fun writing jealous obanai and i hope u enjoy it too !!

it was no secret to everyone in the demon slayer corps that obanai was overly jealous and overprotective of you, especially after your marriage. when it came down to you, his wife, he lost all his rationality, everyone knew that he was crazy over you from the moment you stepped foot into the corps. he’d hardly allow you to be near any other male, and would threaten them to stay away from you, he'd put a hand around your waist almost all the time, showing them that you had already been taken by him. you two had been married for quite a while, and his jealousy never really bothered you, actually, you felt happy whenever he expressed it.

the only exception to his jealousy was none other than the wind hashira, his best friend, sanemi, whom he trusted the most out of all the male hashiras. obanai introduced you to him on your wedding day and the two of you had become good friends ever since, although he didn't seem that friendly at first due to his angry face and harsh demeanor. you’d occasionally enjoy having small conversations with him here and there, most of them were about your husband, though. since he didn't talk much about himself, and you wanted to know more about him in hopes of getting even closer to him. you were fully aware of how much obanai respected him, so sanemi was your go to person.

obanai took notice of you spending more time with sanemi than he thought you would, and he noticed that you were always laughing and giggling around him more than you should, which wasn’t really to his liking. your beautiful smile should be reserved to him only, he knew that neither of you would never cross any lines, yet he had a slight suspension that there was something going on between the two of you. however, he kept his mouth shut and left things the way they were.

that was, until one day sanemi saw asked if you could spar with him for practice purposes, to which you agreed. he was getting ready for a long mission, so he wanted to be sure he was fully prepared to fight, and you were happy to help. you told your husband about it, and he felt hesitant at first. knowing how sanemi could be rough and harsh when it came to sparring with strong opponents no matter their gender, but eventually he agreed. it was going to be just a normal sparring session between two strong hashiras, nothing to worry about, or so he thought.

it was when he saw sanemi right on top of you, cornering your small body with his big arms. your faces and bodies were so alarmingly close, and you were giggling beneath him. the unpleasant sight made obanai’s stomach turn upside down as he was seething in sheer anger. that was his breaking point. he couldn’t take it anymore, he finally reached his limit. all the negative thoughts furiously raced inside his head, why were you laughing like that around sanemi and not him, what if you got tired of him, what if you no longer loved him and were planning to leave. his mind was going crazy.

the serpent hashira couldn't stand still and watch the two of you in this position any longer, so he automatically rushed to where you both were and had pushed sanemi on the soft grass before he grabbed your hand and pulled you back up with one swift move.

“care to explain what happened here? and how you two ended up like that?” obanai confronted both of you, his tone was firm and demanding for answers as his gaze on both you and sanemi fell sharp, so sharp that it made your heart clench painfully, your heart was beating so fast you felt as if it was about to jump out of your ribcage, and words stuck in your throat as if they were forming a big lump that kept you from talking. you were used to his jealousy by now, but this time was different.

on the other hand, sanemi felt a little frantic. he never wanted obanai to get the wrong idea when all you two had been doing was just friendly sparring and it was all an accident on his part, so he quickly began explaining what happened in detail to your angry husband.

"we were sparrin' as usual when i lost my balance and fell on top of y/n. i'm tellin' the truth, i swear!" obanai knew sanemi was never one to lie, but he still couldn't help get rid of that irritating feeling in his chest. he turned his gaze from sanemi and solely focused it on you, waiting to hear your side of the story. you took a deep breath and began to explain.

"yes, what shinazugawa-kun was true. we were just sparring. nothing more, nothing less." you confirmed sanemi's statement, and you felt him begin to cool off a little as the tense look on his face became more relaxed, but a part of you felt like that wasn't the end of it.

"and what about all the laughing and talking with shinazugawa, hm? what the hell do you talk about that makes you spend so much time with him?" you had a feeling obanai was going to bring this topic up eventually. in fact, you were surprised he managed to stay quiet about it for that long. you wanted to clear the tension in the air, so you decided to mess around with him a little.

"hmm.. we do talk about a very interesting person, who happens to also be my husband.” you playfully teased the serpent hashira with a silly grin spread across your face as you placed a hand around his arm.

"what the heck? you really thought there was somethin' going on between me and your wife? dude, she's head over heels for you." you couldn't help but blush upon hearing sanemi's announcement out loud, as it came very unexpectedly.

you weren't the only one blushing though, obanai was also blushing and it was so obvious that you could see it underneath his mask. he hated to admit, but he was so jealous of sanemi at that very particular moment, but thankfully that turned out to be just a misunderstanding.

you were very happy that the issue was solved quickly and began to giggle loudly, the sound of your laughter rang in the serpent hashira's ears like a sweet melody. making him entirely forget about his anger from earlier, he smiled softly while admiring your beautiful face.

"i love you, obanai-kun." you softly whispered in his ears, and now the top of his ears were burning red thanks to your sudden love confession.

"i love you too, my dear." obanai replied and took your hand, placing gentle kisses onto it. you felt your heart melting the moment his lips met your skin, it was as if you were falling for him all over again. the two of you were all lovey-dovey with each other, almost completely forgetting that sanemi was still standing there.

"go get a room, yeah?" sanemi suggested sarcastically which had earned him a smack from obanai before he disappeared from your line of sight, leaving you and your husband all alone.

"you heard shinazugawa, shall we go home and pick up from where we left?" his words took you by surprise and now you were completely flustered, but no objections were heard from you. you could never say no to some quality time with your husband. obanai grabbed your hand and the two of you walked away, heading back to his estate.

your husband's jealousy was strong and fierce, but you wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, he was the one and only one for you.

[kitkatscabinet]

Always been you

Pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x f! childhood friend reader

Summary: From the moment you first smiled at him as children Simon knew it would always be you.

Word count: 2k

Warnings: some nsfw content so minors keep scrolling

It starts like this, he’s 9 years old feet listlessly guiding himself to the rundown park desperate to be somewhere, anywhere that wasn’t the oppressive confines of home. The weather, as was typical of Manchester, wasn’t exactly cooperating. A dreary grey drizzle that served to keep most of the general populace indoors. Few parents were willing to stand outside and supervise their rowdy children. 

That’s not to say the area was completely devoid of activity and for a while Simon was content to sit idly on the swing set and people watch. Trying desperately to ignore the clench in his chest and the sting of tears in the corner of his eyes as he watched the loving interactions between child and parent. Bitterness and wanting in equal parts threatened to consume him. 

A voice from the side quickly pulls him from the harrowing thoughts, though he quickly thinks maybe they’d be easier to deal with. It’s a boy, around his age, maybe a little older and he’s boring like Simon’s deeply offended him. 

“Get off the swing, I want a turn.” The demand leaves Simon more than a little flabbergasted. Apparently, he takes too long to not follow the sudden command as the boy's face twists in even more displeasure. 

“I said, move!” He’s taller, and maybe it's because Simon had already been scared by Tommy that morning but he freezes. 

Or maybe it’s just because he’s pathetic, his father’s voice whispers traitorously in his mind. 

Thankfully, the thought doesn’t get to stick around for long as a new voice enters the fray. “Hey! Fuck off!” Both boys whirl around with wide eyes at the newcomer, neither sure how to respond to the loudly swearing girl. However, when the boy responds with what Simon assumes to be your name it becomes clear that you already know each other. 

“I don’t have to listen a girl.” That proves to be exactly the wrong thing to say, Righteous indignation lights up your face and before Simon can even blink the would-be bully is on the ground, clutching his nose with a cry. You’d punched him, hard enough that Simon could see the blood spilling out from over the crying boy’s hands and down his chin. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, Simon had let you pull on his hand, keeping it in a deceptively strong grip as you marched the two of them away. When you make it far enough from the crime scene you turn to him with a toothy grin, introducing yourself and promptly claiming the title of his new best friend. 

It’s not quite love at first sight, but years down the line Simon will recognise it as something close. 

The fourth time you meet at the park, not even two weeks from the initial greeting, you ask after his parents. It wasn’t unusual that Simon didn’t talk much, content to listen to you chatter away but you must have noticed something different in that instance of silence. You were alarmingly perceptive like that when it came to him, your eyes feeling as if they were staring directly into his soul, seeing all the shattered hurt he tried to hide. Nodding to yourself you grabbed his hand, an occurrence that he hadn’t quite gotten used to yet - your gentle touch, and tugged him along. You walk him all the way to your house, open the door with an excited bang and march straight up to your parents. 

“This is my best friend, Simon, he’s gonna sleep over tonight!” Your parents are rightfully not amused but their protests quickly die down. He has no idea what convinced them in the end, but from then on he’d somehow become a permanent fixture in your home. Dinners became a regular thing which often became sleepovers as you attempted to keep him out of the house that had caused him so much fear and pain. It was about as subtle as a brick to the face but Simon never complained, especially if it meant you’d pull him into your bed as often as possible to sleep. 

He hadn’t minded the first two ‘boyfriends’, they had been nothing serious, silly childhood infatuations. Because at the end of the day, it was always him that you returned to. Crawling through his window late at night and pouting that you couldn’t sleep without your favourite pillow, because somehow, despite his protests you always wrestled him into being the little spoon. 

No, it isn’t until he’s 17 and more than aware of how painfully in love with you he is that the boyfriends finally become a problem. Simon wasn’t a violent person, didn’t want to be, not like his father was. But as he holds you in his arms after you’d climbed through the window in tears, cuddling up to him under the blanket covering his bed that he swears for the first time in his life he could kill somebody. He offers too, you simply laugh and tell him he’s the best friend you could ever have. You think he’s joking, Simon’s not entirely sure he is. 

You’re his first kiss, something that had only occurred at your aghast knowledge that he’d never kissed anyone at all. He’s not sure why you’re surprised, you’re the only person he ever lets near him let alone touch him. It’s simultaneously the best and worst moment of his life because now he actually knows what it feels like to kiss you. Knows that nobody will ever live up to you. 

It’s then he realises that you’re his first everything really, first friend, first crush, first and only love. 

He reads some of your smutty books, the ones you giggle at, a secret he’ll take to the grave, just to learn what you like. It comes about after a drunken confession on your part, liquor loosening your lips just a tad too much as you detail how much your last boyfriend sucked in bed. It’s a mistake, because now every time he looks at you he can’t help but imagine the way you’d taste. How you’d sound begging so prettily for him. 

His decision to join the military was not made lightly, you’d gotten accepted into some fancy university and it’s then Simon starts to realise just how much his entire life has started to revolve around you. As much as he wants to follow, he knows that life isn’t for him, and he knows how much you want him to flourish in whatever path he chooses. 

Training isn’t easy, but it’s far from the hardest thing he’d ever done. That title was reserved for telling you about his chosen career path. 

“Promise me you’ll always come back home to me” you demand, parting just slightly from your hug to look into his eyes. Simon knows he shouldn’t, after all there’s never any guarantee that he will, but as has been the case since you were both 12 he can’t bare to say no to you. 

“I promise love” it’s barely a whisper but you still hear it, your fingers clutching at the back of his shirt starting to shake a little. 

He wants to kiss you, he always does, but standing before him now, eyes glassy from the tears you’re trying to hold back, Simon swears you’ve never looked more ethereal. As much as he wants to lean down and finally taste your lips he doesn’t, it wouldn’t be fair. Not to you or to him, so instead he presses a soft kiss to your hairline, keeping you held tightly against him. 

You send him more care packages than he can count, photos, letters and little trinkets he kept tucked safely away in his bunk or on his person when he could get away with it. He gets teased for it but Simon couldn’t give less of a fuck about their poorly hidden jealousy, not when you cared for him so deeply. Not when he gets to fall asleep with your words in his head and faint scent rubbing off on him. 

He’d thought that perhaps the distance would do him some good, would finally douse the blazing flames of his love for you. He really should have known better because as the day's drone on you start to consume his every thought both waking and asleep. His life becomes a series of training and missions that only serve as a way to pass the time until he gets to see you again. Because no matter how much blood stains his hands he knows you’ll always be there to wash it away. He’s aware how selfish it is, to place the brunt of his longing and emotional baggage that only continues to grow in your careful hands, but Simon’s never claimed to be a good man. 

Some of the darkness slips out one night, after his brother's wedding, after the revelry had died down and it was just the two of you lying on the grass and looking up at the stars at your insistence. He’ll forever blame it on the alcohol, descriptions of the violence he’d tried so desperately to keep from you pouring from his lips in confession. He can’t bear to look at you, heart roaring in his ears as he waits for the moment you’ll run, the moment you’ll finally realise what a monster he is. That moment never comes, instead, you ensnare him in your protective grip, hands cradling him far more softly than he deserves. It’s that moment that finally cements the fact that you’re never leaving in his mind. You’re never leaving so it’s up to him to pull away before he tarnishes your light, but Simon is weak and so he stays. 

It happens after his third tour, the one where he’d had too close a call, the one he’d thought for a few moments he wasn’t coming home from. In those moments he’d thought of you, of your smile and god he regretted. He regretted never telling you how he felt. 

It feels like he’s barely off the plane, eyes searching desperately for you before he hears the shout of his name. He spins just in time for you to launch yourself at his chest, gripping desperately onto him. You’ve always tried to keep your affection for him private, knowing he wasn’t entirely comfortable with people staring. Neither of you cared in that moment though and Simon’s already dropped his bags, engulfing you in a near-crushing grip. 

It’s an eternity before you pull away, but it’s still too soon. He briefly glimpses the tears in your eyes before he leans down and kisses you. Something in the back of his mind is screaming at him, but he doesn’t really care to listen. At first, you don’t respond and Simon finally panics as the consequences of his actions set in. You don’t give him the chance to run away though, hands grasping his face and keeping him in place. 

When you pull away you don’t say anything, simply taking his hand in yours and tugging him out to your car. The drive to your apartment is silent, but not uncomfortable. It isn’t until you’ve pulled him into your bed, in a mirror image of your younger years that you finally break the silence. 

“I never thought you felt the same.” The same? The implications of your words seared into the forefront of his mind. 

“Silly girl, why would I ever even look at somebody else when you exist?” You let out an adorably embarrassed squawk at his words, lightly hitting him on the chest as you bury your burning face against his neck.“It’s always been you” he murmurs, the confession settling over you like a wave. 

For a split second, he fears your relapse into silence means he’d pushed too far too fast. Years of pining bubbling up and over the surface at the slightest bit of reciprocation. You’re quick to shut down his internal spiral with another earth-shattering kiss, pulling away and resting your chin on his chest. 

“Yeah, you’ve always been it for me too Si. From the moment I pulled you from that swing." It's a little embarrassing, how fast his heart races at the confession. Tears build in the corners of his eyes as he finally, finally lets himself fully succumb to your love. You're quick to wipe them away though, because you would always take care of your Simon.

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

The Misconception of Fandom and Saying Jiang Cheng is a "Good Uncle" and Jin Ling's Initiative to Begin Thinking for Himself

1. Jiang Cheng does not care to exhibit good ethics for Jin Ling and is the one to have set up nets, threatens and intimidates to impede fellow hunters at Dafan Mountain just so Jin Ling can "win":

He didn’t expect the journey to be this unlucky. Originally, he came to help Jin Ling out. Jin Ling would be turning fifteen this year, the age of which he should already be making his debut and starting to compete with the juniors of other clans. Jiang Cheng considered the decision carefully before choosing Dafan Mountain as the location of the hunt. He also set up nets everywhere and threatened the cultivators of other clans, showing them the consequences so that they would retreat, in order to let Jin Ling take the top prize without anyone fighting against him.

Although four hundred deity-binding nets were a whopping price, it wasn’t too much for the YunmengJiang Sect. Nonetheless, losing the nets were a small matter, but losing face was not. With Lan WangJi’s actions, Jiang Cheng felt a whirlpool of anger at the bottom of his heart, rising higher by every second. He narrowed his eyes, his left hand casually stroking the ring on his right hand’s index finger.

(ExR)

2. Jiang Cheng does give Jin Ling ultimatums to curry his favor just as Madam Yu did with him with impossible expectations:

Why are you still standing there? Waiting for the prey to come and throw itself onto your sword? If, today, you don’t catch the creature hunting Dafan Mountain, don’t come to me ever again!”

(ExR)

3.Jin Ling was never shown affection by Jiang Cheng and never described in softer terms by Jin Ling and is noted in novel to show any goodwill and what "happiness" he expresses is violent:

Jin Ling stood on the side, seeming as if he wanted to say a few things, but was too shocked to do so. Jiang Cheng glowered at him, “I’ll take care of you later. Stay here!”

From the beginning of his memory until now, Jin Ling had never seen such a look on Jiang Cheng’s face before: This uncle of his who led the prominent YunmengJiang Sect ever since a young age had always been cold and dark. When he spoke, he was willing to neither show mercy nor do good. Yet, right now, although he was trying hard to suppress unnecessary facial expressions, his eyes were alarmingly intense.

Although his face had always been clouded, marked with arrogance and satire, it seemed as if every corner of it had come alive. It was difficult to determine whether it was vengeful wrath, fathomless hatred, or raving ecstasy.

(ExR)

4. Jiang Cheng has no positive interest in Fairy other than to use a dog to emotionally distress Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling himself is hesitant about this until he is intimidated by Jiang Cheng:

Jiang Cheng added, “Lend me your dog.”

Jin Ling pulled himself out of the daze. He hesitated for a moment and only whistled after Jiang Cheng shot him two lightning-sharp beams from his eyes. The dog dashed over in just a few leaps. Wei WuXian, body as stiff as an iron board, could only be dragged forward, walking one step at a time.

(ExR)

5: Jin Ling is aware of Jiang Cheng torturing and killing people based on his paranoia and proceeds to help Wei Wuxian escape due to his own dislike of needless killings beginning to show, regardless of his opinion on "Mo Xuanyu":

Jin Ling, “It’s not the first time my uncle did such a thing. He has never let any of them go, even if it was possible that he caught the wrong ones. But, if Zidian couldn’t draw out your spirit, I’m just gonna trust that you’re not.

(ExR)

6. Due to his involvement with letting Wei Wuxian escape Jin Ling is pulled into the case of Yi City when he was traveling alone to Lanling Jin, and to the safety of his other Uncle as he knew Jiang Cheng would be volatile and didn't want to be faced alone with him at any point and relies on Jin Guanyao's reputation of being kjown for conflict management to deter Jiang Cheng's attentions:

Jin Ling followed Jin GuangYao out here. He still didn’t dare meet Jiang Cheng alone. Hiding behind Jin GuangYao’s back, he mumbled, “Uncle.”

Jiang Cheng replied harshly, “So you still know that I’m your uncle!”

Jin Ling quickly tugged at the back hems of Jin GuangYao’s robe. Jin GuangYao seemed as though he had been born to resolve conflicts, “Now, Sect Leader Jiang, A-Ling realized his mistake a long time ago. During the past few days, he’s been so scared you’d punish him that he hasn’t even been eating well. Children just like to make mischief. I know you love him the most. Let’s not bother him about it so much.”

(ExR)

7. Again, Jiang Cheng does not show active care for Jin Ling, who wants confirmation that he is cared for when the threat of corpses is on them during the second siege of the Burial Mounds:

A few sect leaders clutched onto their sons, cautioning them, “When the corpses rush inside all at once, protect yourself and try to get out. Stay alive no matter what! You understand?!”

As Jin Ling heard this, he felt himself cringe, but somewhere deep down he hoped that his uncle would say something similar as well. He waited for a while, but nothing came from Jiang Cheng, so he couldn’t help but glare at him. He glared for too long, and Jiang Cheng finally turned to him.

He seemed a bit less gloomy, but he frowned,

"What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“…” Jin Ling was quite annoyed, “Nothing!”

8. Which then extends to Jin Ling joining the other juniors, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in fending off corpses, despite Jiang Cheng trying to hand him Zidian, Jin Ling takes the initiative to protect not only himself but the others desperate to survive the attack at the front of the cave:

1.

Jin Ling had never seen so many fierce corpses before, much less at such a close distance. He could feel his scalp tingle, clenching the sword hilt of Suihua. Yet, suddenly, his fist was peeled open, and a cold object was stuffed inside. He looked down in surprise, “Uncle?”

Jiang Cheng propped himself up with Sandu, which had lost its spiritual energy. His figure wavered slightly, "Try losing Zidian and see what happens!”

2.

Lan SiZhui was wielding his blade swiftly when he heard a loud clang from behind him. Somebody blocked an attack that came for his back.

Lan SiZhui exclaimed, “Young Master Jin, why are you here too?”

When Jin Ling saw that all of the people around his age had rushed over, he couldn’t hold himself back either. When Jiang Cheng was unaware, he stuffed Zidian’s ring back into his hand and sprinted toward the crowd, all the way up to the most dangerous area before the mouth of the cave.

The most attentive Jiang Cheng can be said to be is when he leads Jin Ling into their boat cabin, yet what he says is only another veiled insult to a child in retaliation and potentially veiled threats:

Jiang Cheng lowered his chin slightly, “Sect Leader OuYang.”

Having been named, Sect Leader OuYang could feel his eyelids throb the way his heart did. He heard Jiang Cheng icily continue, “If I remember correctly, the one who spoke is your son, isn’t he? He sure has a silver tongue.”

Sect Leader OuYang hurried, “ZiZhen! Come back, come over to Dad!”

OuYang ZiZhen was confused, “Dad, weren’t you the one who told me to get on this boat so that I didn’t annoy you guys?”

Sect Leader OuYang wiped at a few beads of sweat, “Enough! Haven’t you shown off enough times today? Come here right now!” His sect was located at Baling, close to Yunmeng but incomparable in power. Naturally, he didn’t want Jiang Cheng to bear a grudge against his son just because he spoke up a couple of times for Wei WuXian.

Jiang Cheng glared at Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi one last time before he returned to the cabin, arm wrapped around Jin Ling’s shoulders. Sect Leader OuYang sighed in relief.

(ExR)

This later all culminates to Jin Ling yelling at Jiang Cheng for chasing off Wei Wuxian once again and leads Jin Ling to try finding Wei Wuxian to speak with him once more leading to Guanyin Temple's confrontation and Jin Ling in the difficult position of turmoil of hate but not wanting to act upon the violence that has been instilled as righteously just to exhibit because it does not make him feel any better or avenged, and ironically is made to learn the lesson Wei Wuxian, learned from Wen Qing of the family hated of the Jianghu, had first told him when he had saved him from Jiang Cheng's torture:

Wei WuXian put his hands behind his back and walked over, “Young man, there are two cringe worthy phrases in one’s life that must be said, no matter what.”

Jin Ling asked, “Which two?”

Wei WuXian replied, “‘Thank you’, and ‘I’m sorry��.”

(ExR)

[gumnut-logic]

“So, Virgil, all reports have you as the kindest and I quote ‘squishiest’ rescue operative in International Rescue. Your followers would like to know…” Kat peered down at her tablet. “How many kittens have you rescued from trees?”

The big man just stared at her. She had to admit, it wasn’t an every day question, but that was Tumblr for you.

“Umm…”

Alan snickered.

Scott frowned.

Gordon had a grin on his face fit to outshine the sun.

John rolled his eyes. “58.”

“Hey!” Virgil glared at his brother.

“Someone has to keep count.”

“Well, you’re wrong.”

The astronaut straightened in his seat, obviously affronted. “What?”

“It’s 86.”

“What?!”

“Not every one was on the clock, John. What was I supposed to do, leave them meowing?”

Scott facepalmed.

“Eos, you were told to monitor.” John frowned at his suddenly glowing watch.

A female voice snarked through the timepiece. “I have my reasons.”

“Reasons?”

“Virgil does do our supply runs, you know.”

John’s jaw dropped and Kat was hard up trying to keep a straight face.

Gordon wasn’t helping with all the giggling either.

“Virgil, I thought we had that under control.” Scott’s voice was ever so tolerant.

“I do! That is over ten years. That is only eight point six cats per year.”

Gordon snorted. “How do you save point six of a cat, Virg? Wouldn’t call that a successful rescue, bro.”

“On average. And besides, sometimes it was the same cat.”

All four of his brothers were staring at him.

Virgil squirmed where he sat. “Mr Fluffy got stuck several times.”

“Mr Fluffy!”

“I repeat, what was I supposed to do? He’s Parker’s cat.”

Scott facepalmed again as Gordon cracked up laughing enough to almost fall off his chair. John appeared to be arguing with his watch, and Alan was tennis-spectating between each of his bothers apparently not really sure how to react at all.

Kat couldn’t help but smile.

This was an interview of a lifetime and would make her career, but she had to admit it went beyond all that. The five brothers were being alarmingly candid and she was concerned that the interview wouldn’t make it past IR security.

Kayo had seemed nice enough on the ranch, but here in the studio…the woman’s eyes tracked everything. She had a team in the building, who knew where, and as a group they were nothing short of terrifying.

A little bit overkill, Kat thought.

It wasn’t like they could be overheard.

The Tracys had decided to attend the studio, but under the rigorous eye of their security…which had scoured the place clean. Only Kat, her tablet, and two holorecorders were allowed in the soundproof room. And all recording would be reviewed by that same security.

If Kat was attempting to gut the Tracys like she had originally threatened to, this might have been a problem, but as hinted on the ranch, they were not who she had thought they were, and their answers only drew her closer to the idea that perhaps the world didn’t really deserve this amazing family.

“Okay, Fish, you think I’m hilarious. How many times have we had to stop on the way home to save some sea life? Not that I begrudge you, life is life, but….hey, what is the difference between fish and cats?”

Wow, Virgil knew how to frown when riled up.

Gordon grinned, unrepentant. “Probably the tree part.”

Virgil folded his arms and totally grumped.

“Gordon?” Scott’s voice had an edge to it Kat had heard in the field.

Uh-oh.

“Yes, Scott?” Gordon appeared oblivious, but John had looked up from his watch and was frowning as much as Virgil.

“How much sea life are we talking about?”

Gordon blinked and maybe picked up on the eyebrows aimed at him. “Umm…”

Scott straightened in his seat. “Thunderbird Five, report.”

John rolled his eyes again. “We’ve spoken about this.”

“Are we including Tracy Island wildlife in this equation?” The pert young female voice spoke from John’s watch again. Really, it appeared to be a Rolex, as expected for a billionaire, but it was obviously something else.

“I want everything, Thunderbird Five.”

“Six thousand, four hundred and twenty-three, with a margin of error equal to several schools of tuna and one mola-mola.”

“Hey, I saved that mola-mola.”

“The mola-mola didn’t think so. It bit you.”

“Mola molas don’t bite.” But Gordon had his arms folded, much like Virgil now.

“I beg to differ. That was three stitches.” Virgil’s frown almost split his face in half.

“You’ve been injured?!” Scott was at full glare.

“I was doing my job!”

“Your job is to save lives, Gordon. We don’t have the resources to-”

Gordon waved an arm and nearly hit Virgil in the head. “A life is a life, Scott!”

“We can’t save everyone!”

Gordon shot to his feet. “But we can try. You’ve said it yourself many times.”

“Gordon-“ Scott rose to his feet.

Which prompted Virgil to stand up, one hand going to Gordon’s chest, the other to his advancing big brother. “C’mon, guys.”

Scott’s eyes darted to Kat and she stared wide-eyed up at him.

Gordon continued to glare as Virgil hustled him back to his seat.

“We will discuss this later.” Scott was pointing a very pointed finger at his aquanaut brother.

“Sit down, Scott.” Virgil turned his eyebrows on his eldest brother and the man backed off. He obeyed, but was still glaring, this time at Virgil.

Kat had no doubt that there would be an extended discussion on this subject in their future.

She also made a note to check on the mola mola issue. Could be something of value in that angle. Perhaps a one-on-one interview with Gordon and saving sea life.

The men settled down under the glare of Virgil in the middle. At this point, Kat was grateful she had set the chairs up the way she did. Scott was on her left, followed by John – who was glaring and mumbling at his watch again – Virgil, Gordon and Alan.

Alan appeared to be stuck on the outside of this little circus.

Maybe she could fix that.

“So, Alan, your fans are a rather active bunch.”

The young man startled, his eyes widening like he was stuck in a spotlight. “I have fans?” It came out an octave higher than she expected.

She smiled. “You most certainly do. A very active and solid group actually. We have a number of questions from them.”

“Oh, um, fire away.” His smile was brave at least.

Kat was ever so aware of the eyes of his four eldest brothers now currently targeting her.

She got the message. Be kind to the kid.

Or else.

“Okay. You are known as the astro brother.” She could have said ‘astro boy’ but her survival instincts nipped it in the bud. “Several people would like to know which star is your favourite?”

“Oh, that’s easy. Mom’s star.”

The room froze.

Not that anything actually changed. No one moved or said anything. But...

Something walked across Kat’s skin, raising her hackles.

She knew the Tracy’s had lost their mother early on. It didn’t take much to confirm that, it was public knowledge. Alan had been one at the time. He couldn’t possibly remember her.

“Which star is your mother’s star?”

It was John who answered. “Vega.”

Alan blinked in his direction and frowned. “I can talk about Mom’s Star, can’t I?”

There was silence for a moment.

“Yes, you can.” It was Scott and his voice was emotionless.

Scott had been sixteen. He most definitely remembered his mother.

“John used to take me up onto the roof of the farmhouse and we would stare at the stars for hours. Did you know that Vega has five confirmed planets?” And Alan started talking astronomy – the star’s distance from Earth, its gravity, spin, the whole bit. Alan obviously knew his stars well.

But Kat was stuck on those five planets and she couldn’t help but glance at the other four brothers, all of whom would have been affected by the loss of their mother.

They all had their professional faces on and she knew she had lost the relaxed atmosphere. She needed to get back to a lighter topic or risk losing this interview completely.

She glanced at her tablet and scrolled through the many questions awaiting an answer.

She grabbed one. “Do you ever wish on any stars?”

Alan blinked at her. “Uh…” But then he frowned, turning to Virgil. “Hey, how can 86 cats be over ten years, Eos has only been with us for three!”

Virgil’s eyes widened. “Uh…”

“Yeah, I see what’s happening here. And you!” He pointed at Gordon. “That means…”

Gordon glared at his little brother. “That means I’m doing my job.”

There was an uneasy silence after that. Scott had his eyes on her. Blue lasering her every movement.

Kat swallowed. She was a professional. She had handled presidents and prime ministers…

Electric blue reminded her of exactly who she was talking to now.

She looked away and down at her notes. “Okay, onto another topic.” She forced a smile. “Many of these questions relate to your love lives.”

All the brothers sat us straighter, shuffling in their seats.

Scott’s gaze redirected like the high beam it was, directly onto each individual brother.

She straightened her shoulders. “You’re listed as the five most eligible bachelors on the planet. Any lucky prospective partners?”

The silence was a gaping hole in the room.

“Scotty’s had a few.” Of course, it was Gordon.

Every brother glared at him.

He held up his hands in an attempt at total innocence. “Hey, I’ve been there! Virg, too!” He elbowed the heavy lifter in the ribs. “You said he asked that pilot lady out while hanging off a cliff.”

Virgil was frowning again.

Gordon rolled his eyes. “Johnny! You have to have numbers on that. How many phone numbers does he have in his little black book?”

“Gordon!” Scott, Virgil and John were almost symphonic.

That quirky female voice piped up again from John’s watch. “53.”

“Eos! Stand down.” The Commander’s voice struck out.

There was a high pitched ‘hmph’ from John’s watch and light from the device died.

Kat was hard pushed to ignore the flush on Scott’s face. Was that a touch of embarrassment?

But it was Virgil who spoke. “Ms Kavanaugh, certain sacrifices are made to do what we do. I would appreciate some understanding.” He elbowed Gordon in the ribs, obviously in revenge and a touch harder than friendly. “My brother knows this.”

Maybe there was a reason why this family hadn’t done a proper interview together before. Alan was staring at his brothers again, this time with something akin to fear on his face.

It was Gordon’s turn to frown and fold his arms across his chest.

Virgil glared at him. “Not funny, fish.”

“Just trying to help.”

Kat began to wonder if there was any footage that could be saved from this interview. At this rate she had nothing other than rescuing cats from trees.

“So why do you do it?” The question tumbled from her mouth without thought, not without a little exasperation.

All five brothers sat up straighter.

Scott. “Because when you-“

John. “-call for help-”

Virgil. “-you deserve to know-”

Gordon. “-somebody is out there-“

Alan. “-listening.”

They spoke together, over each other, but all with the same words. The passion in the room was a living thing and Kat could feel the purpose.

“This obviously means a great deal to all of you.”

A single nod from the Commander. The soft smiling big brother she had witnessed earlier was gone and what replaced him was ever so formidable.

The brothers may play around, but underneath it all were five men determined in their mission. Five of the richest men on the planet willing to devote that wealth, and their lives, to helping others.

Those blue eyes glistened.

Kat found her heart beating ever so fast.

Someone cleared their throat.

She blinked and found it was Virgil. He had the smallest of smirks on his face and his eyes were dancing in the lighting. “Do you have any further questions?”

And she found herself blushing. “Uh, yes.” She fiddled with her tablet as she gathered her thoughts.

“John, there are a number of questions for you regarding the capabilities of Thunderbird Five, ranging from ‘seeing me waving at you from my backyard’, all the way up to playing the stock market and accusations of espionage.” She drew in a breath. “Do you have any comments?”

John was the quiet and serious one. Red hair and the most gorgeous green-blue eyes she had ever see on a man. Actually, come to think of it, all the Tracy men had fantastic eyes.

The Commander’s blue were still trained on her.

She kept her attention on John.

He was a bit of a mystery as the least seen in the media. He was the Voice Who Answers, the Eye in the Sky. She wondered how much he actually saw and heard.

The man was unruffled under her full attention. “I see and hear what I need to.”

She blinked. That was very precise wording.

“Do you miss being at the centre of the action?”

“What do you mean?”

“You live on Thunderbird Five, don’t you?”

“Yes. Some of the time.”

“You often have to watch your brothers step into dangerous situations. Do you ever want to join them?”

“I do join them when necessary, Ms Kavanaugh. I am as much a first responder as any of my brothers.”

Kat held up a hand. “I know that, John. Your speciality is space. But you often have to watch from afar. How do you cope with that?”

Alan bounced up in his seat, almost jumping to his feet. “John is with us all the time. Without him, there would be no rescues.”

“But he is stuck up on Thunderbird Five-“

Scott cut her off. “John is our communications expert. He works just as hard as any of us, sometimes harder. It is not an easy job.” His eyes flicked to his younger brother. “But John is the master of it.”

“But don’t you feel helpless being so far away, only able to watch?”

Alan snorted. “John does so much more than watch.”

She targeted the youngest. “Like what?”

“He helps all the time, he-“

“Alan.” It was a single word from the Commander that had her missing that big brother persona all the more.

“But he does!”

“Alan.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll shut up.” And boy, the youngest could throw a pout better than any of the brothers so far today.

She ignored it and focussed on John. “Your thoughts?”

“Ms Kavanaugh, I do what I need to do.”

“And what do you need to do?”

“What is necessary.”

“To save lives?”

The was the briefest of hesitations. Another journalist may never have noticed.

But she did.

His answer was simple. “Yes.”

“I have a Tumblr user who claims you reprogrammed his tablet from space and now it will only play nursery rhymes.”

Those green-blue eyes darted to his right. “Perhaps you should ask him why I did it.”

“Aw, c’mon, John, it’s been six years!” Gordon’s voice was a whine. “You mess up every new tablet I buy. I said I’m sorry.”

Virgil frowned at Gordon. Virgil apparently frowned a lot. “What are you doing on Tumblr?”

Gordon switched from John to Virgil. “Well, derr, it’s the only decent blogging platform left.”

Kat scribbled a note that @gordonthesquid was actually Gordon Tracy. Thinking about it, it was pretty obvious.

She turned back to John. “How many times have you done that?”

“As many times as it takes to stop Gordon from messing with my possessions.”

“Six years, bro!”

“You’re a slow learner.”

“Ass.” The aquanaut crossed his legs and arms and turned his back on John.

Between the two of them, Virgil sighed.

Kat made a mental note never to piss off John Tracy.

Those blue eyes still hadn’t left her.

Note to self: never piss off any Tracy.

Perhaps it was fate that broke both her legs and prevented her from screening her attack on the Tracys.

She had the strongest feeling that she would never have seen him coming and no-one would have found the bodies much less counted them.

John emanated quiet confidence…and power…as he held her gaze.

Perhaps she had better wrap up the interview.

“I have many other questions to ask, but I know it has been a long day for all of you, so one last question.” She drew in a breath. “Is it worth it?”

“Yes.”

“God, yeah.”

“Of course.”

“Always.”

Scott was watching each of his brothers as they spoke, but stared at them a moment longer before answering himself…ever so quietly.

“I hope so.”

-o-o-o-

[wholoveseggs]

The sled bet

{Masterlist}

~Five days of Fluffmas~

You decide to go sledding with Klaus and Kol and things get out of control very quickly.

1k words - No warnings, no smut! just pure fluff.

Your fingers were numb, your cheeks red, sweating heavily underneath your winter jacket. You gripped the ropes of your sled, your heart beating in your chest as you looked down the alarmingly steep hill. Everything seemed frozen in time, only the fogginess of your own breath appeared to be moving in the light of the hazy winter sun. The adrenaline and nerves within your system threatened to poison you.

"Don't worry, if you crack your skull open, I'll heal you," Klaus teased, a stupid shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

You flipped him off, pressing your heels into the snow. This was either going to go horribly, or wonderfully... or not at all. A sled race had seemed like a really, really good idea a few minutes ago, but now... you weren't so sure.

"Who's up for a little wager?" Kol asked, sliding his feet on the ground and rocking his sled from side to side so he could shuffle down a few inches of the slope.

"What do you have in mind?" Klaus asked, an amused expression on his face, mirroring his younger brother's actions.

"Whoever gets to the bottom first gets to take y/n out on a date," the youngest Mikaelson declared.

You scoffed, looking between the two of them. "And what if I win? Do I take myself out?"

"Then I won't tell Elijah about all the naughty dreams you've been having about him," Kol replied teasingly, an impish smirk on his face.

You looked away quickly, not letting him see the red rising to your cheeks as you muttered, "I don't have naughty dreams about him."

But Kol wasn't lying; you had, multiple times.

"Sure," Klaus teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, fuck off, both of you!" You cried, throwing a handful of snow at the hybrid. "This is so unfair; both of you have the advantage of being immortal, and now there is blackmail involved," you pointed out.

Kol smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "All is fair in love and war, my dear."

You rolled your eyes. "If I don't die today, I'm going to kill both of you," you grumbled.

"Ready..." Klaus started, gripping the rope of the sled.

"Set..." Kol continued, a smug expression on his face.

"Go!" Klaus cried, kicking off with his feet and shooting down the hill at an alarming speed.

"Son of a bitch," you cried, pushing yourself down the slope, the wind rushing against your face and stinging your skin. You could see the back of Klaus's sled in front of you, and Kol was coming up on your other side.

You pushed yourself, trying to pick up as much speed as you could, and suddenly, you felt yourself lifting into the air. "Ahh!" You screamed as your sled launched off a ramp.

The wind rushed around you, gleeful laughter falling from your lips as you flew through the air. That was before you landed, crashing onto the hard-packed snow, which had turned into ice after days of below-freezing temperatures. You went skidding, the sled flipping over, and you were launched onto the ground.

The wind was knocked out of you, and the world went spinning as you tumbled down the remainder of the slope.

"Y/n!"

You groaned, opening your eyes, the sky and the trees spinning above you, before everything came to a stop, and the world righted itself.

"Are you okay?"

You let out a soft laugh, feeling a bit delirious.

"That was awesome," you giggled.

"Yeah, the tumble at the end was a nice touch," Kol chuckled.

"I won," you said, a dazed smile on your face.

"No, I won," Klaus said, shaking his head.

You groaned, closing your eyes and holding a hand to your forehead. "I think I'm bleeding," you sighed.

"You are absolutely bleeding," Klaus said softly, kneeling down and taking a look at the cut on your forehead.

"I'll get her back to the house; you get the sleds," Klaus told his younger brother, scooping you up.

"Please don't tell Elijah about my dreams," you whined, feeling the effects of the pain finally setting in.

"But you lost, darling," Kol chuckled, picking up the discarded sleds and following behind you and his older brother.

"So did you!" You shot back.

Klaus chuckled. "You should know better than to make a bet with Kol; he always wins."

"What are you going to do on your date, Klaus?" Kol teased, a smug grin on his face.

"Shut up," you groaned.

"It's okay, love," Klaus whispered. "We'll call it a draw."

You sighed, leaning your head against his shoulder. "Thanks," you replied, grateful that Klaus was going to spare you the humiliation.

"What's going on?" Elijah asked, rushing outside to greet the three of you, seeing you bleeding in Klaus’ arms.

"It's okay, she'll live," Klaus said.

"I hit my head," you explained, feeling slightly delirious.

"What were you doing?" Elijah asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sled racing," you said, laughing a little, as the image came back to you.

Elijah sighed, taking you from Klaus's arms. "You're lucky she didn't break her neck," he scolded, looking down at you.

"I won," you grinned, a smug expression on your face.

"What'd you win?" Elijah asked, raising his eyebrows as he carried you inside.

"It's a secret," you smiled, your cheeks flushing a little.

Elijah looked back at his brothers, giving them a questioning look before taking you inside.

"You shouldn't compete with those two; it never ends well," Elijah stated, sitting you on the bathroom counter.

You nodded. "Yeah," you sighed. "It was a bit of a blackmail situation," you shrugged, biting the inside of your cheek.

Elijah looked back at you, grabbing a first aid kit and setting it down next to you. "What was the blackmail about?" He asked.

You looked down, chewing your lip. "Uh... nothing," you said. "I mean, it wasn't anything bad; they were just teasing me," you muttered, looking back up at him.

"They were teasing you," Elijah repeated, an eyebrow raised.

You nodded, giving him a soft smile.

"And what did they tease you about?" He asked, pulling out some gauze.

You groaned, shaking your head. "It's nothing," you replied.

"You don't want to tell me," Elijah said, pressing a cloth to your forehead.

You shook your head. "Not particularly," you said, your cheeks red.

Elijah let out a small laugh, shaking his head as he put some disinfectant on the cloth and pressed it to your forehead.

You winced, biting down on your cheek and squeezing your eyes shut.

"Sorry," Elijah apologized, looking down at you, a tender look in his eyes.

You looked back at him, a smile on your face. "It's okay, this is way better than having to go on a date with Klaus," you joked.

Elijah raised his eyebrows, tilting his head. "I thought you had a soft spot for him," he said, a playful look in his eyes.

"Not him, no," you said, your cheeks heating up.

Elijah gave you a smile, one that made your heart beat a little faster, and your cheeks flush a little redder.

"So if not him, then who?" He asked, putting a bandaid on your forehead.

"Well, um..."

"Hey, are you guys done?" Kol asked, sticking his head into the bathroom.

Elijah sighed, closing the first aid kit and stepping away. "Yeah, she's fine," he said, leaving the bathroom.

You frowned, your heart dropping a little as you hopped off the counter.

"Oh, and y/n," Elijah started, poking his head back into the bathroom.

You looked up, an expectant look in your eyes.

"I dream about you sometimes too," he said, giving you a knowing smile.

Kol chuckled, looking back at you with a shit-eating grin.

Your jaw dropped open, but he had already walked away.

"Kol, you're a fucking ass,"

[sqquidzz]

"Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, Don't Cry"

Neuillette x M!Reader

Summary: Neuvillette still hasn't overcome Focalor's death. You find him disraught after another nightmare, and you decide Neuvillette has spent enough time blaming himself for her death.

Tags: SPOILERS for Masquerade of the Guilty, slight angst, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, trauma metions, Comfort, Major Character Death, etc.

A/N: I haven't posted in forever!!! I kind of just lost motivation and had a lot of issues going on here, and I forgot to post! I was literally just listening to My Blood by Ellie Goulding and thought of this idea. It just popped into my head, especially since I was also so sad about Focalor's death. I hope you guys enjoy, and thank you to those who have stuck to my posts, it really means a lot to me!

"Farewell, Neuvillette. I hope you've enjoyed the part you've played these 500 years."

No. Neuvillette couldn't let her go. She was everything to him. His eyes only stared in shock as he watched on as Focalors twirled and spun elegantly, her execution only minutes away.

'Don't leave,' he wanted to say, but he could only watch as the Sword of Damocles spun dangerously above Focalor's dancing form, alarmingly close to falling.

His body was frozen, he was unable to move freely, stuck in place as time ticked on. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. His eyes filled with panick as Focalors gracefully ended her dance, the Sword of Damocles plunging down towards the ground.

Time moved in slow motion. Neuvillette's eyes widened even further as the Sword of Damocles fell toward Focalors, desperately wanting to move his body to save the Hydro Archon.

'Dosomethingdosomethingdosomething' is all that ran through Neuvillette's mind, eyes flitting back and forth between the Hydro Archon and the Sword of Damocles as it fell painfully slowly toward the ground. Nothing but silence as it approached Focalors at an alarmingly slow rate.

It all happened at once. The sword crashed to the ground. Neuvillette's eyes filled with shock, horror. Grief.

It was only then that Neuvillette could move, staggering toward the sword that pierced the stage of the Opera Episcles. He reached out, towards what he did not know. To Furina? To the light that emitted from the dead body of the Hydro Archon? To the call of death?

Neuvillette shuddered, a sudden coldness overcoming him. The lights seemed to dim, or was it his vision? His breath became unsteady, coming out in shorter gasps, as if he was being choked. Choked by his sorrow, grief, anger, sadness, hatred-

'It's all your fault,' his mind chided, 'you should have saved her. What kind of dragon are you? What kind of ludex are you? You are a faliure. Afaliureafaliureafaliureafaliureafaliureafaliureafaliure-'

Gasp!

Neuvillette's eyes shot open, wide and unsteady as his breath came out in sharp inhales and strangled exhales.

Now he remembered where he was. He just finished another court case, and had come over to your house to spend the evening, which turned into him falling asleep at your house.

Neuvillette blinked away the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes, but his efforts were in vain, as the tears streamed down his face anyway. Neuvillette tried to wipe his tears away as best as possible and slowly rose from the blanket that encased him.

As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he could make out the figure of you buried under the blankets next to him, snoring softly, shifting ever so slightly as your shoulders rose and fell with every breath.

The sight of you made Neuvillette smile. You always loved sleeping next to Neuvillette, you always claimed he was the best thing to cuddle with.

He flipped the blanket off himself gently as to not wake you, and he walked over to the bathroom as quietly as he could, try to avoid the wooden planks that would always creak when stepped on.

Creak!

Neuvillette flinched at the sound, turning quickly as he heard the rustling of the bedsheets, signaling that you had been woken up by the sound.

"Neuvi..?" you mumble out as you rub your eyes, trying to wipe the tiredness out of your eyes.

"Go back to sleep, Y/N" Neuvillette whispers as he silently walks over to your side of the bed.

"Come back to bed Neuvi, I still need my cuddle buddy," you whine as you made a grabby gesture with your hands.

But just as Neuvillette was going to walk away, you noticed the red rims around his eyes and the barely noticable tear tracks on his cheeks.

"Neuvi, what's wrong?" you ask, grabbing his sleeve to prevent him from walking away from you.

Neuvillette simply sighed, running a hand through your short but soft hair, moving from your face to press a chaste kiss on your forehead.

You could tell by his attitude that he dreamt about Focalors again. He only got this worked up when he couldn't stop thinking about her death.

"Come in bed Neuvi, you can talk about it if you like," you smile softly and move the blanket out of the way for him to snuggle his way into your chest, burying his face in it to breathe in your scent.

"You wanna talk about it?" you ask quietly, and Neuvillette simply shakes his head, burying his face into your chest even more.

You smile down at him, stroking his hair as you hum a simple lullaby that you learnt from your mother.

You knew that Neuvillette never truly got over Focalor's death, and that it haunted him every night and day. It broke your heart to see how distraught it made Neuvillette feel, but all you could do was hug Neuvillette as he quietly sobbed in your chest or stroke his hair to calm his uneasy breathing.

You hold Neuvillette closer to you as he dozes off, drifting away from consciousness as you whisper the words of the lullaby.

By the time you're done, Neuvillette is already fast asleep, shoulders rising and falling gently as he quietly snores away.

Your eyes slowly start to droop out of exhaustion, and before you drift off to lala land, you whisper a sentence into Neuvillette's ear.

"Hydro dragon, hydro dragon, don't cry."

[holyhadesimweird]

a new life

masterlist

pairing : werewolf!kenpachi zaraki x fem!reader

summary : kenpachi finally meets his mate. this is going to be fun.

requested by : @toxictaicho

request/prompt : "Werewolf Kenpachi (human form)"

warnings : none, unless you count swearing

notes: i am FERAL for this man. i actually had no idea how to write for werewolves even though i LOVE reading about them 😭. i hope you enjoy this one :)

༶┈⋇⊶⊰✿⊱⊷⋇┈⋇⊶⊰✿⊱⊷⋇┈୨♡୧┈⋇⊶⊰✿⊱⊷⋇┈⋇⊶⊰✿⊱⊷⋇┈༶

as you walk along the path in the forest back to your cabin, you couldn't help but admire the moon. it was full, and bright. the moon was beautiful, an amazing silver colour that illuminated your short walk home.

hearing a branch snap, you whipped your head towards the sound, trying to see what could have produced it. as you tried to see what could've broken the branch, you heard the bushes rustling to your other side. you could feel your heart beginning to pound and were starting to feel uneasy. deciding to walk faster towards your home, you tried to focus on the path and nothing else.

that proved to be difficult when an alarmingly large wolf blocked your path.

it started to growl and bared its teeth which made you gasp and turn away from it. another wolf appear in front of you and you realized you were most likely surrounded with no escape from these wolves. not knowing what else to do, you shook your purse from your shoulder and held the strap in your hands, taking a defensive position to try and hit one of them if they came near you.

you started to walk backwards to try and somehow convince these wolves to let you go free. you continued to walk backwards until you bumped into a wall.

a wall that seemed to be breathing.

turning around, you came face to face with an alarmingly tall man with long wild black hair. opening your mouth to let out a scream of surprise and fear, the man covered your mouth with his hand and used his other arm to smash you against his chest to encourage you to continue walking with him without having to see the giants beasts that most likely wanted to kill you.

“you can back off now boys, she’s not one of them.” the man said, his voice deep and very nice.

turning, you watched as the wolves, all except for one, started to disappear into the woods surrounding this area. it wasn’t until the other wolves left that the remaining wolf sat and then… transformed? shifted? you honestly weren’t sure that the word was, but you watched with wide eyes as the wolf became a human with the sounds of cracking and crunching bones.

and then the world went black.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

you were lying down in what felt like your bed, but not wanting to open your eyes after that awful dream last, you stayed there for a moment.

"why the fuck did you think that shifting in front of her was a good idea ikkaku?!" you heard someone exclaim, causing your eyes to fly open.

"i don't know! i thought it was fine since you had already shifted!" you heard another voice exclaim.

you looked around to see that you were in fact in your bed, but the voices meant that people were in your house.

"oh hey! you're awake!" you heard a young girl exclaim. turning towards her, you saw a head of bright pink hair and black robes covering her.

this gained the attention of the men outside of the room, and your door swung open. the same man from last night with wild black hair stood in the doorway, blocking your view of anything happening behind him.

"yachiru, ikkaku, leave." the man ordered, prompting them to leave your room and the doorway, closing the door behind them. the man now leaned against the door, arms crossed, caging you in your own room.

you sat in your bed, staring up at the man who stared back at you.

"who are you people?" you asked, prompting him to let out a barking laugh.

"it's complicated, woman." was all he said.

"well i want to know, so start explaining or i'm going to start screaming." you threatened.

"...fine." he agreed, rolling his eyes. "we're werewolves."

"okay... i believe that considering i saw a wolf turn into a man last night." you said.

"ikkaku wasn't supposed to do that." he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"why are you in my home? why were you and the others circling me last night?"

"we're here because our leader, our captain, instructed us to hunt down a certain pack who is being a pain in our ass. we got a whiff of you and thought you were with them." he explained.

"and why didn't you kill me if you thought i was with them?" you asked.

"well, i think your smell is because you interacted with a couple of them. but we didn't kill you because you're my mate." he said, as if that explained everything.

"...your what?"

"at it's very basic form? it's a soulmate. but in our world it's a little more complicated and it means you have to come with us now."

"but i can't! i have a life here!" you exclaimed.

"it doesn't matter, now that the bond has snapped into place for me, any enemies i have will know that you're mine. they will hunt you down when they get the chance and they will kill you if they can." he held eye contact as he spoke bluntly. "look, it's not ideal. i know that. but fate has different plans for you and we need to get you back to the pack and in front of the commander to see what he can do about your... smell."

his words made your face drop in disbelief.

"you just said i stink. what the fuck." you said angrily.

"...that's what you're concerned about in this entire situation?" he questioned.

"well if there's nothing i can do about large wolves wanting to kill me, i can at least be concerned that i stink!" you exclaimed.

"woman, it's a different kind of sense to us wolves. it just means that everyone knows you're someone's mate and to not mess around with you. or to mess around with you if they recognize the scent, which they should."

"you want people to come after me?" you were in disbelief, this man was crazy.

he barked out a laugh. "i'd like to see them try! now that you're here, things are going to get fun. anyone who tries to touch you will wind up dead before they can even reach you. they'd be stupid to go after you."

his devotion was attractive. for a woman he met less than 24 hours ago, he seemed to be fiercely protective of you.

"...fine. i'll go with you." you agreed.

"yes! our captain has a mate!~" you heard who could only assume was ikkaku exclaim outside the door.

"ikkaku! yachiru! fuck off!" you heard scrambling from behind the door, prompting you to laugh.

"kenpachi zaraki, i'm the captain of the 11th division in our pack." he introduced himself, extending his hand to you.

"i'm (y/n)... and i guess i'm the 11th captain's mate." you took his hand and squeezed instead of shaking it.

your words caused a wolfish grin to form on his lips and he gave a chuckle.

"this is going to be fun."

[followerofmercy]

Idk if I already screamed about this but I'll do it again. The way Childe realizes there was a disconnect between his opinion (or what he'd been told) about Arlecchino and the reality her kids live in, and then IMMEDIATELY jumps on the opportunity for more information.

He's a smart lad! He's sitting around getting juiced up by a child without adult supervision like "this isn't how kids act when their father is insane and evil. What gives?"

(also that these kids are alarmingly similar to his own siblings and that he can't keep his head in the sand about how much he cares. They're not faceless Hearth soldiers anymore. He's invested)

So he goes up to Alrecchino later and the Traveler is conveniently there to give him extra leverage, so he just starts asking Arlecchino questions! And he threatens her!! Because while he is willing to change his mind, he's just gotta let her know that he cares about those kids and Will fight her about them.

Which in turn, massively improves Arlecchino's opinion of him! I feel very strongly that she wants people to see her as an antagonistic force against her own children so they're more likely to support the kids. The whole "omg your dad sucks. I'm here for you whatever you need." So, when Childe threatens her, she's like "Ah. You're doing exactly what I had hoped you would."

I forget if he threatens her before or after she actually starts answering questions. I think the theory stands either way, but there's more evidence if she gets much more forthcoming AFTER he threatens her

Idk. It's a huge mark for a character's intelligence that they can piece together THEMSELVES that their ideas are wrong and then go out and correct them.

[painsandconfusion]

Show Yourself

Showstopper - Part Three

For the record, there's going to be five or six parts (still deciding if I want the last two scenes combined or separate).

(tw: implied character death, stalking, trespassing, yandere, serial killer)

[Previous | Masterpost | Next]

The letter didn’t have a return address. Didn’t have postage. Didn’t have much bulk to it at all. 

Confused, Darian slid it from his mailbox, peeking inside to ensure he didn’t miss another bool - or heaven forbid another fucking round of advertisers - before stopping to flip the envelope over.

It was blank.

Tied up in rusty red string. 

No….is that…was that..fabric? Strips of fabr-

His hands, body, and mind locked in place all at once.

Linen.

Linen - he was right - it was linen. The blood-soaked linen from Showoff’s videos-

Fuck. 

Darian took a desperate glance up the street, then jogged to the end of his sidewalk, head tossing back and forth. He frantically searching the road and memorizing the cars. Looking for anyone suspicious. Anyone with a hood up or…or who didn’t seem to belong there.

Nothing.

Fucking nothing - how long had this been there??

FUCK.

His breath and hands were both moving again now - both shaky as he turned the envelope over in his hand.

He ran back inside, slamming the door behind him. The letter slid onto the table as his hands quickly found gloves and shimmies them on with frantically flexing fingers as he reapproached, butter knife expertly sliding under the paper to pry away the glue with as little damage as possible.

Should he be bringing this into the office? Yes. Could it be stuffed with anthrax or who fucking knows what? Also yes.

But. Darian could just tell them he didn’t realize the letter was from Show until it was opened - that he didn’t recognize the fabric when it was cut so thin.

He could do that.

That was reasonable - people who didn’t spend allnighters staring at the videos woudln’t have noticed. 

He…

..he spent all night watching the video.

He spent all night watching the fucking video and this was right fuckin there in the morning.

Show had been there. Show had been there while HE was there. While he was there watching the fucking video- Fuck-

..he would need to triple check the blackoutability of the basement curtains after this. 

He’s so fucking screwed if Show saw him-

ANYWAY-

Shaking fingers pulled out the small paper, turning it over.

Aaaaand this dude (gn) was a classic. 

Cutout letters from magazines. Nice touch.

Darian’s eyes skimmed the single sentence.

Darian..

…froze.

Staring.

Breath locked up and frozen in his lungs.

..whatever he expected, that wasn’t it.

Fuck.

[image id for the note: 'A fox rarely expects its hound to be as pretty as you <3' in irregular, magazine cutout letters]

[Previous | Masterpost | Next]

(tags: @prisonerwhump @whumpawink @mabledonut @happy-little-sadist @paleassprince @distinctlywhumpthing @wibbly-wobbly-whump @batfacedliar-yetagain @suspicious-whumping-egg @wormwriting @villainsvictim @throwawaywhumper @wild-selenite-caffine @whumpasaurus101 @thecitythatdoesntsleep @whumpworld @whumpberry-cookie @a-galactic-fox @shywhumpauthor @hold-back-on-the-comfort @veyroswin @suffering-and-misery @whump-queen @a-whumped-tea @scribbelle @sunshiline-writes @scp-1296 @salomeslashes)

[morelikeravenbore]

✨ Hogwarts Legacy fluffy masterlist.

In the interest of ✨aesthetics✨, I'm compiling all my 🍭 fluffy oneshots, drabbles and HL au's together to link back to my masterlist.

Content warnings (if any) will be listed to the best of my awareness on each post. All stories crossposted to wattpad & AO3.

✨ Can I Make It Any More Obvious? ONGOING. | Modern AU | sk8erboi!Sebastian x ballerina!Aurélie

Wizarding folk, among which Sebastian was usually proud to include himself, had a distinct fondness for cobblestones. Great for aesthetics, sure: nothing screamed eccentric magical village quite like alarmingly uneven roads — but what worked for aesthetics was absolutely shite for skateboarding.

That's right. Skateboarding.

✨ Here Comes The Sun | 1.4k words

Sebastian Sallow had landed himself in a predicament so dire that despite applying every ounce of his impressive mental facilities to finding a solution, only two viable options were clear to him: he could fake an illness and flee back to Scotland, or he could throw himself off the cliff he was presently stood atop and drown in the Mediterranean Sea below.

✨ Noctilucent | [mature themes and sexual references, reader discretion advised!]

Aurélie allowed herself a little indulgent peek of the wide-eyed, sleep-deprived maniac she was straddling: toned stomach and Quidditch-defined shoulders; golden-warm skin bathed in blue light from the jar of bluebell flames she kept by the bed; a novae of new freckles enhanced by the summer sun — he was noctilucent beneath her, like something borne of a dream, surely too unreal to belong to her.

✨Croissants & Comfort | 1.1k words | husband!Sebastian/domestic!Sebaura

Sebastian Sallow absolutely, resolutely, with every fibre of his being and inch of his damaged soul, hates cats.

While others, perhaps those more trusting than he, might coo over bright eyes and bushy tails, fluffy paws and little pink noses, Sebastian sees only the sharp claws and pointy teeth of a predator. So when one of them shows up on his doorstep meowing for his soul (or for food, who can tell when it comes to cats?), he closes the door in its little demon face and pretends he never saw it.

✨ Don't Tell Ominis | 1.9k words

Accidentally conjuring a dragon with Ancient Magic wasn't exactly what most would consider a stroke of luck, but as the secret entrance to the Undercroft slammed shut behind her, Aurélie thought herself very lucky on several accounts: first, that the dragon had been small, as far as dragons go; second, that Sebastian hadn't been there to witness her embarrassing blunder (because, as enthusiastic as he was about her practising her magic, she felt certain even he would draw the line at conjuring fire-breathing demon-lizards in a school); and third, that she'd managed to escape said demon-lizard without so much as a singed hair (hers, not the dragons.)

✨Cicatrix | 1.3k words

Much to the chagrin of his peers, excelling in his studies was, to put it mildly, downright bloody easy, and though his natural proclivity towards excellence often put him on the receiving end of bitter remarks and jealous taunts, Sebastian took pride in the fact that despite everything that had been taken from him, his intelligence remained unfaltering. That is, until he fell in love.

✨ Toast & Tribulation | 1.4k words | A crackfic AU in which Aurélie is a Slytherin and she & Ominis rule Hogwarts Mean Girls style.

When Ominis Gaunt had first introduced himself outside the Undercroft by threatening to have her expelled, Aurélie swore right then and there to hate him for the rest of her life. And for most of her debut year at Hogwarts, she did just that — vehemently.

Mini prompts and short drabbles:

✨ Aurélie hates quests.

✨ "Thebastian Thallow".

✨ Sebastian is jealous.

✨ Sebastian is jealous again.

✨ Sebastian has lost his bloody mind.

[dullgecko]

(Look, this was going to be a quick little thought about the aftermath of the goblin situation, but then my angst-loving brain got all excited. Oops?)

Once the whole "oops all goblins" ordeal is over, Riz definitely feels some kind of way about how the rest of the school treated his friends while they were goblins.

Had they all been turned into halflings or other small species, he was pretty sure there wouldn't have been anywhere near as much of a reaction. Sure, some people would have had the reaction of "Oh they're so small now, that's cute" but that would have been it because halflings are still much more respected than goblins are.

Instead, there had been a weird mix of "Oh that's so cute" and "Oh that's so weird" because obviously goblins ~are~ weird, but these little hybrid ones were also pretty adorable and that made it okay. Riz did his best to shield his friends from the worst comments, but he still heard and internalised every single one of them.

Aside from the occasional Helio kid, no one was outright racist towards the bad kids while they were goblins, and even the most racist Helio kids didn't physically hurt or threaten any of them. And that was good, Riz obviously didn't want his friends to get hurt, but he also knew why they were getting a free pass on things that he had been routinely bullied for and that hurt more than he cared to admit.

Him getting overwhelmed by light or sound was disruptive and something that he should just deal with. Adaine getting overwhelmed was met with sympathy and patience.

Him needing to bite things was gross and harmful and dangerous. Fig biting things was funny and cute.

His tail had been a target to step on and cause him pain. Kristen's tail was treated with utmost care, even when she tripped over it herself.

Him eating strange foods was disgusting. Fabian eating strange foods was cool and experimental.

Him being angry made him dangerous and monstrous while also not taken seriously because he was so small. Gorgug's rages were still taken seriously, no matter his height.

Riz knew that he was weird (practically everyone he met reminded him of that), but he had also grown up as one of the only goblins, and he was well-acquainted with the various forms of racism. Seeing his friends get treated so well really really hurt, because maybe it was just him that was the problem after all. (Later, with both of them crying, Fig would vehemently disagree with him about this).

So once it's all over, and Riz has had a chance to recover from the hypervigilance of watching 5 new goblins, he falls into a really bad dysphoria/dysmorphia/self-loathing spiral and he ends up with a whole clue board for all of the ways he has decided that he is Wrong based on the ways people treated his friends compared to how he is treated. He kept it hidden for a week or so, withdrawing more and more until he stopped talking with his friends beyond basic necessities, flinched away from any touch, and by the end of the week just fully stopped spending any time with them or replying to any messages.

That weekend, they all broke into his office where they found him just staring at an alarmingly cluttered clue board, surrounded by piles of even more "evidence", including extracts from old monster manuals describing goblins as dangerous vermin, old research papers that claimed that goblins don't feel emotions but use signals like tears to manipulate "actual people", and a hastily scribbled note saying that dominate monster had been specifically used on him and no one else.

Once the bad kids worked out what the board was, Fig confiscated and destroyed it while Adaine removed all of the other "evidence" Riz had gathered but hadn't yet added. There was then a very tearful and intense conversation about everything (or as much as Riz could put into words, which definitely isn't everything but is still a lot to be dealing with).

He begged them not to tell his mom about the board, and eventually they agreed, on the condition that he talks to Jawbone or some other therapist instead.

Not long after that, a lot of the outdated and harmful information about goblins mysteriously disappears from the school library. In an entirely unrelated event, a huge bonfire party is held at Seacaster Manor :)

(A couple of weeks later, Riz still isn’t doing well exactly, but he is doing a little better and has finally started accepting hugs again even if he has to fight against his brain telling him he shouldn't).

I love getting this kind of stuff its so juicy.

The whole 'his friends get treated well as goblins' thing definitely hits a nerve. Mostly because everyone who saw them at school knew who they were (they've saved the world several times they are lowkey famous except for fig and gorgug who are just famous famous). They're not real monsters they're just cursed/sick so they got a lot of free passes for things that Riz would never be able to do without putting himself in actual danger.

Plus, the whole situation with them being hybrids? Yeah, they were pretty. Riz wouldnt say cute because they were the same size as him and almost adults for fucks sake. It makes him wonder what the fuck is wrong with how he looks if he's constantly being told goblins are disgusting, but only if the goblins look like him apparently.

And hey, maybe he was just manipulating people by pretending to have emotions? More than one research paper was saying it, and right now he wasnt feeling much of anything. Had he ever felt much of anything? Maybe he was just tricking people the entire time.

[cultofdixon]

The archer’s apprentice

Daryl Dixon [PLATONIC] • They/Them Pronouns • “Ain’t gonna hurt yea kid” “…how can I trust you?” “Take the risk” • SFW/ANGST • TW: Abandonment Issues / Separation Anxiety / Injuries / Scars

Requested by: Anon

Stupid fucking rain Daryl thought as he quickly ran into the cabin after pushing what was blocking the door on the other side far enough to slip in.

But right as he did, a bolt whipped past his head hitting the wall next to him. Daryl turned where the shot was fired and saw the kid still aiming their crossbow at him before dropping it and cowering.

“Ain’t gonna hurt yea kid”

“…how can I trust you?”

“Take the risk” Daryl shrugs watching the kid scramble, ditching their weapon and climbing on top of the bookshelf in an alarmingly fast pace that was impressive and concerning. The only concerning part about it is they must’ve done that before for whatever other reason. “‘M just gonna hold up for a bit…”

No response to his words concerned him but the kid was still keeping to themselves afraid of the stranger.

The archer could only assume why the kid was alone and every thought didn’t make him feel any better. He carefully takes the bolt out of the wall making his way over to where they left their crossbow and placed it beside it. Then he went to make sure the rest of the cabin was secure while also exploring it himself.

He noticed the opened cans on the floor but also the few still in the cupboards of the kitchen. He took only one of them, because he was looking for food before the storm hit.

“How long have yea been here?” Daryl asks returning into the room in hopes that the short time of not talking that they would open up slightly. But all they did was readjust to be more comfortable on top of the bookshelf. “You can trust me yknow”

“H-How many walkers have you killed?”

Rick’s questions? “Too many to keep track of”

“P-People?”

“Also…too many to keep track of” Daryl frowns sitting down on the couch that kept the door closed. “But not in ill intent. There was always a reason”

“Good reasons? How c-can there be good reasons for killing people…”

“They threaten the lives of those yea care about”

“Okay…but if that’s it, and not everyone threatens those you care about, then what is the reason”

Self defense? They’ve been bit? I can’t think of anything else? Daryl tried to think hard about it as the kid slouches.

“Killing is so stupid…n-not that the government was better in the old world…but still. Why does it have to only end with that…”

“Things have changed” Daryl frowns opening the can up noticing the kid’s glued stare on the item. Which lead to the archer handing it to them as they devoured its contents in seconds. “There’s so many open cans, but you eat like you haven’t in days”

“I can’t…get the cans open”

“You don’t have a knife?”

“No…”

“Your bolt can help open it”

“I broke the others, that’s my last one”

“How did yea end up alone?” It was coming, even the kid knew that. But they didn’t want to say anything. It was fresh, and some part of Daryl knew that.

“Look, I just opened that one for yea. I’m gonna open another for you to eat and then one for myself. Alright?”

“You’re not—“

“I’m not gonna poison it, kid. You ate that one and haven’t died” Daryl states watching them inspect the can but decided not to think that he did something to it when they were given the next one. “How’d yea find this place?” He asks on his way back to the couch watching the kid climb down the bookcase then deciding to sit on the floor.

“It’s my uncle’s cabin…”

“Is your uncle around?”

They shook their head bringing their sadden gaze back toward the can as they started to eat more slowly this time. Daryl frowns feeling awful for what the kid must’ve gone through before he found them.

When the weather cleared, Daryl stepped out of the cabin as he was a bit surprised that the kid let him stay. But they didn’t seem to want to be alone during the storm because during the night they freaked out from the thunder and Daryl woke to them asleep on the floor next to the couch he slept on. Before he stepped out, he had placed them on the couch.

But a part of him didn’t leave.

Daryl heard quick shuffling inside the cabin seeing the kid run out in a bit of a panic. But once they saw him they straightened up and pretended they didn’t just do that.

“Never got your name”

“Y/N”

“‘M Daryl, are you alright?”

“Uh. Yeah uh. You leaving I guess” Y/N stepped back pressing their back against the wall, fidgeting with the ends of their sleeves.

Deep down, Daryl didn’t want to leave the kid alone and he wasn’t going to. But he wanted to make it seem like their idea to go with him back to their community.

“I can teach yea how to shoot”

The light in their eyes sparked when he said such as they straightened up looking at the archer with a pleasing look.

“Really?”

“Mhm. I’ll give yea a bolt or two. Go get your crossbow, and I’ll set up” Daryl went back inside with the kid as they ran to get their things while he grabbed a few empty cans.

After Daryl had set up a little shooting range, he set his own crossbow against a nearby tree along with his pack before taking a few of his own bolts for Y/N who approached him unnoticed. He flinched which resulted in the kid doing the same.

“Holy fuck”

“Sorry” Y/N frowns gripping the strap to their crossbow. “Didn’t mean to spook you…”

“Yknow going unnoticed like that can save yea and others”

“If I can land a shot…”

“Which we’ll be workin’ on”

The basics, Y/N already knew and Daryl kept an eye on them along with their surroundings for any walkers while they loaded the bolt in and held their crossbow in the right position.

“Gotta widen your stance a bit, not too much but enough to plant yourself”

“How does that help with my aim?”

“Well. Best not to fall over when firin’”

“Mm. Okay” Y/N couldn’t argue with that but before they even could fire the bolt, the two heard a walker. But before Daryl could even get his own crossbow and tell Y/N to get behind him.

They discarded the crossbow and quickly grabbed a rock from the rock pile they had standing outside the cabin. Daryl looks at them confused as he ignored it to grab their crossbow that was already loaded and before he knew it, he watches Y/N climb a near by tree high enough and jump on the walker using the rock to crush its skull enough for them to swiftly take their knife out stabbing the gooey inside.

The sight was a bit horrific that Daryl wishes he could unsee it. But before he could try, he couldn’t help but notice the obvious.

“If yea had a knife, why didn’t yea use that to open the cans?”

“Cuz I had someone to do it for me! Then he died and I was alone for three days before you came” Y/N snaps as they took the rock they used to kill the walker returning it to the pile that clicked to Daryl.

It was a grave in a sense. Without the body.

“I’m sorry”

“Whatever…” They frown readjusting the rock formation a bit as Daryl handed their crossbow back once it was fixed to their liking. “So back to it?”

“Mhm”

A few hours of this and Daryl knew he should be heading back to his community before someone will come looking for him. Not that he needs rescuing. Y/N is harmless for the most part.

One last time, they loaded the bolt into their crossbow and aimed it for one of the cans as Daryl gently pushes the end down a bit to help. That’s when Y/N took the shot and finally got the center of the can.

“Fuck yes!”

“Nice shot”

The unfamiliar voice startled Y/N to hug their crossbow as Daryl quickly assured it was someone he knew that also knew how to sneak up on people unnoticed.

“You didn’t come back so Rick sent me” Carol smiles crossing her arms at the two archers seeing Y/N bring themselves to hide behind Daryl. “I’m not gonna bite. I’m a friend”

“Yeah this is my friend Carol, she’s nice”

“Only nice?” She scoffs.

“Fine, and she’s got an ego” Daryl smirks only to get smacked in the chest by Carol once she approached as Y/N tried to fight back the laugh that escaped them. “But yeah you can trust her, she ain’t scary”

“Nice, not scary. Total package” Carol smiles watching the kid relax faster with her than they did with Daryl as he really had to take into consideration that he did barge in in their home. “You know they can come with us”

“I can?” Y/N quickly looks up at Daryl watching him nod. “Can…uh”

“I can still help yea with working on your bow skills”

Now that lead Y/N to quickly collect their things which wasn’t much but gave the adults enough time to talk about the time Daryl has been gone.

“You know why right?”

“Why what?”

“Why you didn’t leave them” Carol continues to smile at the archer as she watches Y/N step out of the cabin approaching the rock pile once more and taking one into their grasp before they went to retrieve the bolt. “You saw yourself in them…all alone in the woods with no one…couldn’t bear to leave them alone like how you were”

“You gettin’ sappy on me is gonna make it rain again”

“You could just say you are gonna cry” She nudges him followed by a grunt from him and a short lived laugh from her. “They’ll be in good hands. I know for a fact”

Soon the three were on their way back to Alexandria, Y/N kept close to Daryl as this was all new to them that when they stopped a few feet away from the gate…Daryl went to their side and taking it at their speed. Carol wishes she could document it for the books…

Alexandria’s crossbow duo

[werrrrrd]

CHARLES X OC pt.6??

Part III of post prologue

WARNINGS: shock therapy, manipulation, death, suicide, surgery is mentioned including an undetailed description, stitches, slight malnutrition, forcive murder, abuse of authority, blood, lots of blood stuff since this is like her power, anger issues, aggression, mentions of murder as well as the actual murder, mind reading, OC is not very kind to herself sometimes, let me know if you notice any others. No sexual assault but definitely Shaw being creepy.

CHARLES’ POV YALL

“Charles?” her voice sounded in my mind weakly but alarmingly. I didn't even have to force my connection to her brain, it just stayed attached. Erik pushed her against the wall pretty hard. We had planned this out, not the banging May against the wall part, but the, making sure May didn't use her powers to completely immobilize us part, which we had not accounted for last time around. I knew that even though she hadn't told on me yesterday I couldn't be sure we could count on her to keep her powers to herself. Although there was still that urge to trust her. I had to ignore it though, for the sake of my team. But I couldn't check up on her more than just a glance in her direction. 

This was important, more important than my odd, unexplainable attachment the girl who was working for the man trying to start a nuclear war and rule a mutant supremacist society. So instead I fought with the various mutants, trying to make my way to Shaw. Not to mention I had the team to check up on during this whole thing. I had to say, they were fighting phenomenally well. Our training had only just begun training and I couldn't be sure if they were ready for this challenge, but they were proving themselves to do well under pressure and I couldn't have been more proud. 

Shaw seemed to be retreating and the whole team defended him while they slowly crawled near to the car. It seemed even without May, they were a powerful group. Unfortunately they had been able to get into the car and drive off, avoiding the blasts that Alex shot at the car. His aim needed some improvement but he did exceptionally well and was probably quite exhausted after the damage he had done to the parking garage. 

But once I heard her voice I realized the terrible danger she must be in with the whole thing threatening to come crashing down on us. 

“Erik! With me.” I called to Erik. We ran back towards where the fight had started. I called out to the others “Get out from under the garage! It's coming down!” 

Raven followed us worriedly. “What are we doing?” she asked as I sprinted towards the corner that May was trapped in, dodging fires and rubble. The smoke made my eyes sting and the heat made me sweat in my suit. The ceiling above us lurched and I prayed that we would make it to her and out of the garage in time. Then I could see her, crumpled and unmoving on the floor. My heart started pounding. I reached out to her in my mind

“May? May can you hear me? I'm coming.” If she heard it she didn't respond which worried me even more. Her body was bent at an uncomfortable angle due to the metal attached at her wrists, pinning her to the wall.

“Erik, undo the bars!” I yelled to him as we neared. Erik raised his hand and unbent the metal, pulling it out of the wall. Her body went limp and she fell forward onto the floor. I reached for any current thoughts inside her head but there was nothing, I couldn't even sense the pain she must have been feeling. Once I reached her I slid onto my knees to scoop her up. Raven and Erik behind me glanced at each other but didn't say anything. 

Raven knew that I would do this for anyone. She didn't know that this was more than just my beliefs that no one deserved to die, I really could not let May die here even if it would cause terrible risk to me.

 I couldn't figure out what it was about her. I had been wondering for the past few weeks why she was plaguing my thoughts. I had my mind under incredible control, I believed, and then one interaction with her and suddenly I was losing sleep and losing focus on the extremely important task I was in charge of. I had tried several times to reach her mind despite the distance, I could never quite reach her. 

We had figured out Shaw would be meeting here today from outside sources. I was simultaneously happy to see her and also unhappy that she was with Shaw, helping him potentially kill millions of people in a nuclear war. But seeing her like this, all bloody, dust caked onto her wounds, caused an oddly strong and unignorable reaction in my gut, I felt like puking and my heart fluttered in worry. All my frustration at the fact that she was on the bad side vanished and all I felt was the responsibility of taking care of her, getting her to safety.

Once I had her in my arms I went for the open window and maneuvered the two of us out of the building. She hung limply as we ran further out from the building, Raven and Erik still following close behind. Crashing sounded behind us and we ducked into a ditch about a hundred feet out while the parking garage came crumbling down. We sat with our backs against one side of the ditch as the dust passed over us, a couple loose bits of concrete rolling or some even shooting into the ditch like bullets. We breathed hard, trying to catch our breaths, May sat tucked safely in my lap. The wound on her head didn't look so good and I noticed a good helping of blood seeping out of her back as well. After a little more time in the fresh air, I hoped that her lungs would filter out the smoke soon. Until then, we needed to get home quickly where we could give her medical attention and make sure all was right. I looked to my right at Erik and to my left at Raven and nodded at them before huffing and lifting May out of the ditch. I jogged over to the helicopter where the rest of the team was waiting worriedly for us. “Would you like to explain what's going on?” Erik peered at me as we got to the helicopter.

“In a second, first we need to get home.” I surveyed the kids, “is everyone ok? Nobody is hurt are they?” I asked, looking at each person individually. They all shook their heads and glanced at Shaw's ally in my arms. I waved off the questions and ordered everyone onto the Helicopter. Once we had taken off and were on our way to the mansion I gave another go at her mind.

“May? Can you hear me?”  her mind still seemed completely blank, I was tempted to look into her memories. I just wanted to understand her. Why was she working for Shaw, and why, If she was working for Shaw, did she help me? Twice this time. When she had told Shaw that no one was there I stopped in my tracks. It was one thing to betray your leader once, that could be excused. But the fact that she had done it again told me there was more to their relationship. When I had gone through her mind that first time on Shaws yacht I could tell there was hesitance in her when following his orders but I had not found out exactly the reason for that tension. And I couldn't figure out what it was without going into her memories more thoroughly. I was so close to entering them that I could practically feel the anxiety and fear radiating off of her past thoughts and experiences. I snapped out of her brain before I saw anything I shouldn't. As tempted as I was, I didn't want her to be angry with me. Instead I distracted myself with holding her. I tucked her head under my chin, being wary of the wound on the other side. I felt the craving to have her close to me take effect and I shifted her further up my lap so that she was pressed up against my chest.

 I really could not understand why I needed to be so close to her but the relief I felt once she was near and I could feel the shallow breathing puffing up her lungs over and over was enough to justify it for now.Till we got home I could calm myself to the sound of her heart beat and then I could do something about her fragile state.

AN: THREE POSTS IN A DAY BRO!! IM ACTUALLY ON FIRE!

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Round Two: Heracles vs Heliothraupis

Heracles inexpectatus

Artwork by @otussketching, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: Unexpected Herculean Parrot 

Time: 16 to 19 million years ago (Burdigalian stage of the Miocene epoch, Neogene period) 

Location: St. Bathans Fauna, Bannockburn Formation, Aotearoa  

Heracles was a truly alarmingly large parrot, related to modern day Kea, Kaka, and Kakapo, known from the fantastic avifauna of St Bathans. Standing more than two feet tall and weighing about fifteen pounds, this animal was much larger than any expected from the St Bathans fauna, which represented the initial colonization of Aotearoa (Zealandia) after it returned above sea level. Heracles is also the largest known species of parrot, ever. It was presumably flightless, though it is uncertain if it was nocturnal like its living relative the Kakapo. Its exact ecology is still uncertain, given the material known from Heracles is limited and its living relatives have very disparate ecologies, though it is possible it was omnivorous similar to the Kea and Kaka today. The St Bathans fauna lived in a freshwater lake system, in a subtropical emergent rainforest. Separated from land bridges, the fauna was dominated by birds, with early relatives of the Kiwi, New Zealand Wrens, Adzebills, and Wedge-Tailed eagles found in the fauna, as well as somewhat modern looking Moas. Smaller flamingos, large fruit pigeons, and a huge variety of geese and other waterfowl are known. In addition, frogs, tuataras, other lizards, crocodilians, turtles, and many different types of fish are known from this fascinating ecosystem. 

Heliothraupis oneilli

Photograph by John C. Mittermeier, written by @zygodactylus

Name Meaning: O’Neill’s Tanager of the Sun God Inti 

Time: Unknown to the present, Holocene, Quaternary 

Location: Western Bolivia and Southern Peru, South America 

Rarely do we get to talk about a newly discovered living species of bird, but this is one of those excellent times! This bird, a bright yellow tanager with a distinctive black stripe across its eye, was found in the Neotropics - specifically in the Yungas region. Given that Latin America has the largest number of bird species in the world, it makes a certain amount of sense that we may have missed some! First spotted in the nineties, it was properly identified and described over the course of the 2010s. The distinctive appearance of this tanager lead to it being nicknamed the “Kill Bill Tanager”, in reference to its similarity to Uma Thurman’s yellow jumpsuit outfit. Distinct in appearance and population from other tanagers, it was deemed not only a separate species, but an entirely separate genus. It is migratory, breeding in the northern Machariapo Valley and going down to the eastern Andes for the nonbreeding season. It lives in deciduous forests, and breeds in bamboo grasses. It is a loud and vocal bird, making distinctive songs and choruses that happen long after the dawn chorus of most other birds. As it lives in a fairly isolated region of these countries, its habitat is not particularly threatened at this time.

[noneedtofearorhope]

Closer than ever: It is now 89 seconds to midnight

In 2024, humanity edged ever closer to catastrophe. Trends that have deeply concerned the Science and Security Board continued, and despite unmistakable signs of danger, national leaders and their societies have failed to do what is needed to change course. Consequently, we now move the Doomsday Clock from 90 seconds to 89 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been to catastrophe. Our fervent hope is that leaders will recognize the world’s existential predicament and take bold action to reduce the threats posed by nuclear weapons, climate change, and the potential misuse of biological science and a variety of emerging technologies.

In setting the Clock one second closer to midnight, we send a stark signal: Because the world is already perilously close to the precipice, a move of even a single second should be taken as an indication of extreme danger and an unmistakable warning that every second of delay in reversing course increases the probability of global disaster.

In regard to nuclear risk, the war in Ukraine, now in its third year, looms over the world; the conflict could become nuclear at any moment because of a rash decision or through accident or miscalculation. Conflict in the Middle East threatens to spiral out of control into a wider war without warning. The countries that possess nuclear weapons are increasing the size and role of their arsenals, investing hundreds of billions of dollars in weapons that can destroy civilization. The nuclear arms control process is collapsing, and high-level contacts among nuclear powers are totally inadequate given the danger at hand. Alarmingly, it is no longer unusual for countries without nuclear weapons to consider developing arsenals of their own—actions that would undermine longstanding nonproliferation efforts and increase the ways in which nuclear war could start.

The impacts of climate change increased in the last year as myriad indicators, including sea-level rise and global surface temperature, surpassed previous records. The global greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change continued to rise. Extreme weather and other climate change-influenced events—floods, tropical cyclones, heat waves, drought, and wildfires—affected every continent. The long-term prognosis for the world’s attempts to deal with climate change remains poor, as most governments fail to enact the financing and policy initiatives necessary to halt global warming. Growth in solar and wind energy has been impressive but remains insufficient to stabilize the climate. Judging from recent electoral campaigns, climate change is viewed as a low priority in the United States and many other countries.

In the biological arena, emerging and re-emerging diseases continue to threaten the economy, society, and security of the world. The off-season appearance and in-season continuance of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), its spread to farm animals and dairy products, and the occurrence of human cases have combined to create the possibility of a devastating human pandemic. Supposedly high-containment biological laboratories continue to be built throughout the world, but oversight regimes for them are not keeping pace, increasing the possibility that pathogens with pandemic potential may escape. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence have increased the risk that terrorists or countries may attain the capability of designing biological weapons for which countermeasures do not exist.

An array of other disruptive technologies advanced last year in ways that make the world more dangerous. Systems that incorporate artificial intelligence in military targeting have been used in Ukraine and the Middle East, and several countries are moving to integrate artificial intelligence into their militaries. Such efforts raise questions about the extent to which machines will be allowed to make military decisions—even decisions that could kill on a vast scale, including those related to the use of nuclear weapons. Tensions among the major powers are increasingly reflected in competition in space, where China and Russia are actively developing anti-satellite capabilities; the United States has alleged that Russia has tested a satellite with a dummy warhead on it, suggesting plans to place nuclear weapons in orbit.

The dangers we have just listed are greatly exacerbated by a potent threat multiplier: the spread of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories that degrade the communication ecosystem and increasingly blur the line between truth and falsehood. Advances in AI are making it easier to spread false or inauthentic information across the internet—and harder to detect it. At the same time, nations are engaging in cross-border efforts to use disinformation and other forms of propaganda to subvert elections, while some technology, media, and political leaders aid the spread of lies and conspiracy theories. This corruption of the information ecosystem undermines the public discourse and honest debate upon which democracy depends. The battered information landscape is also producing leaders who discount science and endeavor to suppress free speech and human rights, compromising the fact-based public discussions that are required to combat the enormous threats facing the world.

Blindly continuing on the current path is a form of madness. The United States, China, and Russia have the collective power to destroy civilization. These three countries have the prime responsibility to pull the world back from the brink, and they can do so if their leaders seriously commence good-faith discussions about the global threats outlined here. Despite their profound disagreements, they should take that first step without delay. The world depends on immediate action.

It is 89 seconds to midnight.