#white rose bloodstained

[mapofredemption]

reminder that this is a morga hate blog <3 we do not stan abusive mothers

please I have to know how Lucio would react knowing how much the fans adore his mom

Extremely uncomfortable, will do whatever he can for it to never be brought up again.

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 19 - Blood trail, abandoned cabin

Is this good? No clue. But it's something babey. At least I squeaked the colors in, they're always fun to write.

Warnings: blood, violence, very brief allusions to slavery

ao3 link

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Tracking wasn’t his strong suit in any sense of the word, but even Four could follow the crimson splattered across the pink petals on the ground.

His footsteps were oddly muffled as he hurried along, loose petals sticking to his boots and falling on his head. The forest he was in was beautiful honestly, full of pink and white flowering trees, petals whisking by in the wind, but Four didn’t have time to stop and enjoy it.

Not with Wild missing. Not with the trail of blood on the ground.

He’d already been following it for a good hour, and the amount of bloodstained petals had seemed to increase the farther he went. There were signs of something being dragged too, and Four’s stomach grew tighter the more time went by.

He thought he would have caught up to whatever had taken Wild by now, but there was no sign of anyone but himself in these woods. Apart from the quiet sound of petals landing on the ground and being blown in the breeze, there was no noise apart from Four’s footsteps.

Wild, where are you?

A noise suddenly rang through the trees, something that sounded like a scream. Four jumped, then rushed forward, following the trail of blood even faster. Several minutes went by without any sign of Wild, and Four started to wonder if he’d imagined the noise.

But then he saw something through the trees, something other than petals.

He hurried forward, and a cabin rose up out of the woods, ramshackle and dirty against the carpet of pink surrounding it. The trail of blood led right to the front door, and Four crept up to the structure, keeping away from the windows as he went.

The front one was dirty, and had a large crack in it, a pane in the corner missing. Four quietly went to it, and peered through the broken glass, careful not to cut his fingers.

And gasped.

Three men stood in the cabin, two standing above a limp figure, the third setting some supplies up on a shelf. Even though the cabin was dim, Four could see that it was Wild who was lying on the ground, his hair covering his face. He wasn’t moving, and there was blood matted around his hair and tunic.

“...pretty good catch,” the one man was saying, kneeling by Wild and tightening a rope around his arms. “He looks like a well-off kid, you think if we find his parents they’ll pay good money to get him back?”

“Eh probably, but they’d be just as likely to send some knights after us afterwards. The Calatians don’t ask questions though, and pay good money for strong young men,” the one standing further back replied. He gave Wild a sharp kick. “We’ll head for the docks first thing.”

Four heard a small groan, and the men laughed, then moved out of his line of sight. Based on the footsteps, he guessed they’d gone into the other room, probably to eat or something.

Four bit his lip, heart thudding as he stared at Wild. There was no way he’d be able to sneak into the house and help Wild out without being seen, and while Four was accomplished with a blade, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to fight three well-armed men alone. Especially with the chance of Wild being used as a shield or something.

Four looked around, then glanced behind him at the woods, feeling a little tickle of magic.

A stump caught his eye, and he stared at it, gears turning in his head. He couldn’t just storm the place, and he couldn’t sneak in the way he was now, but maybe....

Four quietly unsheathed his sword, and crept back off the porch.

Hold on Wild.

(...)

Wild’s head hurt.

Actually, most of him hurt, but his head was the only thing he could really focus on at the moment, any attempts at figuring out what else was bothering him nearly making him pass out again.

He thought his leg might’ve actually been the biggest issue, but again, he really couldn’t tell. He had enough awareness to feel that his arms and legs were tied up, and his mouth had some sort of cloth over it, which made breathing a chore.

He couldn’t even remember all of what had happened. He just... hurt.

Something brushed against his hands, and Wild stiffened, wishing he could fight back. He didn’t know what the men had wanted with him, but he didn’t recognize where he was.

Second location. That was bad.

He tried to swing his arms at whatever had touched him, but all he could do was groan as the movement sent pain shooting through his body, concentrating sharply in his head.

“Wild shh, stay quiet,” a voice whispered, not the voice of one of the men. A familiar voice. Wild frowned, then cracked his eyes open.

A tiny blob stood in front of him, colored sort of red. Wild blinked hazily, and the red blob moved forward, patting him on the cheek.

“Hold on just a little longer,” it said, and Wild’s vision focused enough for him to make out blond hair and a worried smile.

“...mmffy..?” he mumbled through his gag, and the red part of Four nodded with a wince.

“Yeah, it’s me! Or, us I guess. Me and Green are here, Blue and Vio are outside still. Here, I’ll get your gag off.”

The tiny Red scurried out of view, and Wild felt something mess with the cloth around his mouth before it finally loosened. Wild eagerly spat it out, grimacing as he licked his chapped lips, and Red came back into view with a relieved look.

“Green is still getting the ropes off, I’m going to go help him finish. Stay quiet, okay?” he asked, and Wild nodded, too exhausted to really reply.

Red disappeared again, and Wild felt the motion at his wrists speed a little. They fell loose after a moment, and then he felt the ropes at his ankles move.

He stayed still and quiet while Red and Green worked, his heart pounding while he waited for the two to finish. He hadn’t heard the men who’d beaten him up and dragged him here in a while, maybe they were asleep? He hoped Four wouldn’t get spotted.

Wait... how was Four tiny?

The ropes at his ankle fell limp as he wondered, and Wild relaxed, relieved at the pressure finally gone from his limbs. They still hurt, but at least they weren’t being unnaturally twisted anymore. Red reappeared while Wild gingerly shifted his arms around, a greenish blob following behind him.

“Hey Wild, just hold tight a bit longer, all right?” Green asked, and Wild hummed in response. “Thanks. We just need Blue and Vio to respond to the signal we sent. Which should be any moment now.”

A soft hoot of an owl came from somewhere outside, and Green smiled.

“Right on time. We’ll be right back Wild, we just need to get big again.”

“Then we’ll carry you out while Blue and Vio distract those guys!” Red said with a worried grin. “Be right back.”

The two hurried off, their footsteps sounding like mice skittering across the floor. Wild waited patiently, watching the tiny patch of dying sunlight that shone on the rotted flooring. It was dusk at his guess, though he supposed it was possible he’d missed some hours and it was dawn.

He hoped not, though.

Wild just started to wonder what exactly Four was doing, when an eerie cry rang out from outside the cabin.

It sounded like some sort of ghost or undead thing, and Wild stayed completely still as he heard footsteps pound through the cabin, the kidnappers’ voices raising.

“...was that?! I thought you said monsters didn’t come in these woods!”

“They don’t! That must’ve been something else, it was probably just an animal or something.”

“It wasn’t the kid, right?”

“The noise came from outside, how could he have—”

The cry rang out again, louder this time, and the men went deathly quiet as they listened to it.

“...You don’t think it’s a spirit or something, do you?” one whispered.

“Don’t be an idiot, there’s no such thing as—”

The cry was more of a scream this time, wild and eerie, and one of the men made a frightened noise.

“That’s a ghost. I know it! It’s retribution for all we’ve done!” the one yelped, sounding terrified. “It’s here for revenge! I knew I should have gone into the baking business!”

Wild heard a slap.

“Shut up and get a grip you two! We’re going out there and figuring out what it is,” the third voice snapped. “No spirits come here, and no monsters either. Nothing comes here, except for us and the goods. If anything is out there, it’s something we need to deal with. Now come on!”

Wild heard loud footsteps, and a door slam, then the cabin went silent, except for his quiet breathing.

Something creaked, and much quieter footsteps came in his direction before two smiling faces came into view.

“Smithy,” Wild said with a weak smile, and they both nodded. “Nice... distraction.”

“Could be better, but it was all Vio could come up with on short notice,” Green said with a shrug. Another wail came from outside, and his smile grew. “But it’s not bad. Let’s get you out of here.”

Wild began to sit up, and Green and Red helped him when he tilted rather heavily to one side. His head spun as he changed elevation, and it was even worse as the two helped him stand.

But it was much more preferable than sitting around and waiting to see what exactly those men were going to do with him.

Wild tried to put weight on his foot and nearly screamed, pain tearing up his leg like lightning. Green and Red had to scramble to not drop him, and Wild clutched at the two of them, his head spinning.

“Ohh no, Green, his leg is all torn up,” Red said in dismay, and Green‘s expression tightened.

“We’ll have to make do. C’mon.”

They started to move, Wild moving his leg as little as possible. It still dragged on the floor though, Green and Red too short to really lift him off the ground, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying out.

They made it out onto the porch, and suddenly yells and the sound of weapons clashing rang in Wild’s ears. He saw a blur of purple and blue, along with darker shapes, and one of them turned towards them, fury in his eyes.

“They’re getting the kid! Stop them!” he yelled, and Red yelped, him and Green hurrying much faster.

Wild tried his best to keep up with them, the throbbing in his leg and head growing to a near unbearable degree. Someone around him suddenly yelled, and Green grabbed Wild, yanking him to the side.

They hit the ground and Wild’s world exploded into pain, his vision whiting out as his leg hit the ground. A scream rang in his ears and it took Wild a minute to realize it was his own.

Someone grabbed him again, and Wild couldn’t figure out who it was until a warm hand clutched at his.

“—ild hold on!”

More hands grabbed him, and Wild cracked his eyes open with a gasp, a blur of pink and red and too many other colors swirling around in his vision. Someone yelled, someone else let out a cry of pain, and then suddenly Wild’s entire world was tunneling in on itself, and his body was pressing in and squeezing and he screamed again.

Then he collapsed, and the next thing he knew, someone was patting his cheek and telling him it was okay.

Something was pressed to his lips, and Wild drank, recognizing the sweet but bitter taste of a potion. He felt it sink into his stomach with a tingly feeling, and Wild fell back with an exhausted sigh as the pain throbbing through him eased.

“How are you feeling, Champion?” someone asked carefully, and Wild cracked his eyes open, a purple version of Four leaning over him.

“...Better,” he rasped, looking around a little dizzily. “What... happened?”

“We jumped in a minish portal— we shrunk,” Vio explained. “Green got hit, and we couldn’t get you out of there, so this was the best option.”

“We... shrunk,” Wild repeated slowly, looking around. Dark wood was all around them, a few mushrooms on the walls, and Wild saw some giant petals resting on the ground beside them. “...huh. Are those... guys gone?”

“They’re looking around, but they won’t be able to find us in here,” Blue said as he walked up, his arms crossed. “We’re safe.”

“Good,” Wild sighed again, and let his eyes trail to the side. They landed on Green, curled up beside him and clutching his arm to his chest, and he frowned.

“Is Green...”

“He’ll be okay, we already healed him. He’s just resting. Which you should also be doing,” Vio said pointedly, and Wild hummed.

Someone sat down beside him, and Wild saw Red curl up at his side, Blue and Vio also sitting next to him. He smiled a little, then let his eyes drift close, exhaustion grabbing at him again.

“Thanks Four,” he whispered, and someone’s hand grabbed his, giving it a squeeze.

[kekaki-cupcakes]

Hii

I remember the time I craved for angst fiction

Sooooo can I ask for a leo valdez x reader angsty angst with a happy ending please ?

heya you probably forgot you sent this ask its been so long, but here it is! any of you can request a part 2 if you like cause I have ideas <3

Leo V x gn!reader [Angst with a happy ending]

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The whole world felt like it had slowed down.

You didn’t open your eyes right away, whatever you’d seen had left spots behind your eyelids and a dry taste in your mouth. Distant yells met your ears. The whole right side of your body ached where it had hit the ground. 

“Ugh,” You groaned, sitting up gingerly and peering through the dust and smoke that filled the air. You wiped grit off your face and reached for your weapon. There was a scream you couldn’t pinpoint. 

The earth swayed when you walked, but it was more of a dizzy swaying- not the primordial earth goddess or titan or whatever Gaea was classified as- pulling the forest around her like a cloak. You looked down at your hands. They were bloody. You tried to wipe them clean on your torn battle clothes. They exploded with pain. 

“Medic! Get a medic over here!” Someone called out from in front of you, and you pushed aside a fallen tree branch clumsily, to follow the noise. It sounded like one of the Stolls. 

Your ears were still ringing from the explosion. 

—------------------------------ʚ🍓ɞ----------------------------------------

“Drink this, it’ll help your head,” Austin said, holding a plastic cup of something sweet to your lips. There was a white armband with a red cross wrapped around his forearm. Blood and golden monster dust stained it. 

“Nectar?” you asked groggily. You couldn’t wipe the spill on your chin away, you were holding onto a pillowcase to help eb the bleeding from your palms. 

“The last of it,” he muttered, and put the half empty cup on the ground next to you. All the beds were taken, you were sitting next to a filing cabinet with a drip attached to your arm. It was pumping more blood into you. 

A trolley with a white sheet over the patient was pushed through the doorway and outside, whoever was in charge of it offloaded the far too still patient and brought the trolley bed back inside, calling out for someone else. “Hey! Bed free, bring in Miranda!”

A medic helped a soaking wet, left arm-less Miranda hobble into the back, where the real emergencies were being taken care of by a frantic and bloodstained blonde son of Apollo. 

You peered around your filing cabinet, to where the wrapped up body was being taken away. It wasn’t smart to keep death lingering around for too long. Thanatos might get comfortable. Your chest was heavy, and in the meanest way possible you wished for the figure to be a stranger. “Who was that?”

Austin shrugged unhappily, and ripped off his plastic gloves, throwing them towards a bin. You knew it was bad when he missed it. He put new ones on and tied his locs back with a rubber band. “Keep drinking, don’t go to sleep, and if you lose too much blood start screaming and flopping around, someone’ll come over.”

“How much is too much blood?” You asked. 

He was already gone, picking up someone's abandoned small intestine and waving it around like it was up for grabs. Then he disappeared into the crowd of mourners and very stressed demigods. 

“How much is too much blood?” You called out again. No one answered. You tried to stand up and saw a lot of shadow monsters clawing for your eyeballs. Puke rose to your mouth. You slumped back down against the wall. There was a hole in it. 

You looked around for someone. The weight in your chest got heavier. None of your friends had come to find you yet. You stuck your foot out, and tripped someone.

Katie whipped around, unruly hair limp and choppy. Her nose was broken. “What?”

“What happened?” 

“Explosion in the sky. Disintegrated the rest of the monsters, put ground bitch back to sleep. We got the statue too. Romans agreed to peace. We won,” Katie said. She looked around at the infirmary. “Apparently.”

“Do you know where my friends are?”

“I saw Piper with someone outside, she was crying.”

The pit in your chest cracked open and became a chasm. You struggled to your feet again and pushed through the pain, leaning against a wall. Blood dripped from your pillowcase bandages. “Shit, shit shit.”

A blood curdling scream echoed from the side of the building, near the backdoor. “Miranda’s in a bed, over there.”

You hobbled through the swinging double doors, turned back around, grabbed your cup of precious now increasingly rare life saving nectar and weaved around the yelling medics and demigods who had become medics since they were standing too close to an injured person and knew what a bandaid was. 

“Piper?” You called. No one answered.

Then the back door opened, and a trolley was pushed towards Will Solace.

“CODE SOMEONE FIND A SPARE LEG!” 

You choked on air and watched as Leo, your Leo, disappeared behind a torn hospital curtain after an oxygen mask was strapped to his face. Oh my gods. There’d been so much blood and charred lumps of something, you hadn’t even seen what was wrong with him besides the fact he was far too still and hurt and alone. 

The smell of burnt flesh and the oil he used to keep Festus shiny filled the back room of the infirmary. 

—------------------------------ʚ🍓ɞ----------------------------------------

At least Kayla had taken your cup of nectar before she’d gone to help her big brother. Maybe it would fix Leo. At least it made you feel a little bit less useless. 

You kicked at the squeaky plastic-like floor of the makeshift waiting room. You couldn’t even fiddle with anything, your hands were still wrapped up tightly, now with actual bandages and pins instead of a pillowcase. You hadn’t lost too much blood. 

Everyone had been dealt with, and the Infirmary only held sleeping demigods and people eating dinner together on the end of beds. The lights were low and it was quiet, except for the arguing in the room next door. There wasn’t really anything to do except listen to the muffled voice of Will trying to save Leo’s life. 

Of course the big dork had to go and blow himself up so he could sit on his ‘i saved your asses’ high horse and not just come home safe.

“And if I'm turning blue, please don't save me,” Piper muttered in her sleep, her voice raspy and deep, after charm-speaking for her life. Her head was on Jason’s lap. He stroked her hair with shaky hands. “Nothing left to lose without my baby.”

Jason wasn’t asleep. He wasn’t allowed to be. He’d gotten another knock on the head, of course, and was holding an ice pack to his temple. His white blonde hair was all limp and sad looking. 

The three of you all lined up was a pretty limp and sad looking sight, to be fair. 

The door creaked open, and an exhausted, bodily-fluid covered Kayla peeked out, her orange and green hair pulled back by a hairnet that might have actually been someone's fishnet stockings. 

She blinked at you both. “Sup.”

“Is he…?” Jason asked quietly, sitting forward immediately. 

“Will said you can come in for a few minutes, but no touchies,” Kayla said.

You pushed past her as gently as you could in the terrifying moments before you yanked open the door to the back room you’d been led out of hours earlier and ripped aside the hospital curtain and saw him laying there. 

Breathing.   

You nearly collapsed with relief while you watched Leo’s chest rise and fall in sync with the green beeps on the heart monitor next to him. You approached slowly, with a frown. A blanket was pulled up to his neck, but there was a mass missing where at least half of his legs should be. 

You took the empty seat next to him and slipped your hand under the sheet, holding onto his limp warm one. 

There were bandages all over the side of his face. Messy bloodstained tools and cotton pads littered the tables and trays around his bed. 

“I tried,” Will said slowly, looking on the verge of death himself, “but…” 

“But what? He’s okay, right? Look, he’s breathing… You did amazing, Will.” You scoffed, with an anxious smile, tightening your grip on Leo’s hand.

“I mean, he’s probably the best guy for building prosthetics, so there’s that,” he nodded, blue eyes glazed over. 

Piper scrambled into the room, a stumbling Jason behind her. She squeezed WIll into a tight hug after seeing Leo. “Thank you. I’ll bedazzle those cowboy boots for you, and i’ll, i’ll uh, buy you new-”

“Deep breaths,” Jason reminded her, pushing Leo’s slightly crispy hair back from his face.

“The explosion still tore him in two, pretty much. I think Festus crumpled around him even though he padded his fall. I’ve amputated at his thighs, and most of his ribs are broken but there’s no internal bleeding that won’t heal itself. There was damage to his ears, but we can’t tell how bad it is til he wakes up,” Will said, taking his bloody scrubs off. 

You nodded. That was okay. That was fixable. He was okay. Leo was okay. 

“Next time, put a leash on him when you go into battle,” Will muttered, and left, most likely to fix up someone else.

There was a tired silence for a while, as you held onto Leo’s hand like he was about to be violently ripped away yet again, and your friends hosted their own crying and smiling sessions beside you. 

Birds of a feather, we should stick together

—------------------------------ʚ🍓ɞ----------------------------------------

[subeteaishite]

🍎🦌 Ascensionsim 🍎🦌

Fandom: Hazbin Hotel

Pairing: Alastor/Lucifer

Rating: E, for explicit

Word Count: 3.6k

Summary:

Alastor revels in watching the King scramble for every crumb of attention he gives, and revels even more in the pain and heartbreak in Lucifer’s eyes each time he realizes the Radio Demon will never love him back.

Songfic for “Ascensionism” by Sleep Token

Notable Tags: NSFW, emotional manipulation, all hurt and no comfort, top!Alastor, bottom!Lucifer, heavy sadism and masochism, biting, blood drinking, blood as lube, wing-fingering, anal sex, scratching, mentions of cannibalism, and Alastor being a terrible person

Minors DNI

{Cross-posted on Ao3, show me some love there!}

Who made you like this?

Who encrypted your dark gospel in body language?

Moans permeated in the air, hanging heavy like the drunken haze that had overtaken the two bodies entangled on the luxurious, four-poster bed.

As a general rule, Alastor didn’t let anyone touch him, nor did he touch others if it could be avoided. The sensation of hands against his skin had always been laced with abuse, leaving his body haunted with the ghosts of pain well into his afterlife. Those specters played into his own motivations for touching others, a well-taught lesson in how to inflict that same abuse, but with far greater tact; how many people and demons alike had he killed with a feather-light caress of his lips or the back of his hand, the effortless movements the nectar that lured them into the maw of the pitcher plant? Mortal souls were so predictable. At their weakest, they always wanted the same thing: connection, affection, adoration. All things that Alastor never cared for, but was more than happy to exploit in others for his own personal gain or his own twisted enjoyment. There was nothing sweeter than watching that easily-fostered security wilt away into terror and regret, self-hatred for falling for the light of an anglerfish.

Even immortal souls shared the same vices, leading him to make such a rare exception to his own rule against touch. After all, the King of Hell was so downright vulnerable, it was delicious. Alastor was a simple sinner, with simple desires; desires to wound and rip into the flesh of anyone who dared to consider themselves superior to him, dared to be superior to him. Lucifer Morningstar was superior—he held a level of power, a command of sorcery, that Alastor knew he would never hope to achieve, and he hated the king for it. Resented him, tremendously. It wasn’t as though he kept that information a secret. He addressed Lucifer with outright hostility, seeking to undermine him at every turn, to flip the power dynamic of any interaction they engaged with to get the upper hand, to render him subordinate. Their encounters filled Alastor with a hunger, one that could only be sated by hunting the king as a predator would his prey, to corner him and taste that divine flesh for himself. It wasn’t as though Lucifer was oblivious to this; truthfully, he seemed to admire it, taking every opportunity to goad Alastor further, driving his appetite to spiral. It was almost like he was flirting, and Alastor was certainly the type to see an opportunity when it presented itself and use all manner of tools at his disposal to seize it.

Nobody better than the perfect enemy

Digital demons make the night feel heavenly

Lucifer knew better, yet here they were.

The sight below him was almost too much to bear as Alastor leaned up, cleaning the rose gold blood from his fingers with his tongue. The fallen angel was disheveled, to say the least; his golden hair tousled, his white blouse unbuttoned and bloodstained, his pants bunched up at the center of his thighs, just above his knees, underneath a cacophony of deep, oozing bite marks he’d left there. Alastor grazed his palm across his handiwork, digging a razor-sharp claw into one of the welts left by his fangs. Lucifer cried out in agony, but his face betrayed an opposite sentiment, glowing with ecstasy. He was a masochist, which paired far too well with the sadism all but written into Alastor’s genetic code. “More!” he whined, pleading with the sinner through half-lidded eyes. The deer happily obliged, twisting his wrist and exacerbating the incision, reveling in the way Lucifer’s body jerked, his hands grabbing onto Alastor’s fully-extended antlers for purchase, cheekbones illuminated by the faint, red glow of his eyes.

They only played in their purest demonic forms; it would be a pointless exercise otherwise. Their monstrous visages were the most accurate representations of who they really were, of the madness that lurked beneath the masks they tried so hard to maintain in mixed company. There was no need to keep up a pretense behind closed doors, not when they craved to indulge in the absolute worst of one another. Alastor pulled his finger from the wound, now made twice the size it had been previously, and smeared the blood across Lucifer’s lower lip. He leaned down to lap it up, his prey whimpering and inclining his head forward to make it a full-blown kiss; not that Alastor minded. It gave him the perfect opportunity to worry the man’s lip beneath his pointed teeth, drawing more of his sweet, practically addictive blood.

The Radio Demon’s hands whispered across Lucifer’s cock, the fallen angel twitching and gasping with each tiny caress. He was so sensitive when he was vulnerable like this, his stare betraying an emotion Alastor knew was there, but Lucifer would never speak into full form. It made him want to laugh as he thumbed at the slit, smearing precum across the head; to think, the King of Hell had fallen again, for someone so far below his status. How poetic, how predictable. It wasn’t the first time he’d fallen in love with a human soul. Alastor wrapped his hand around the shaft, laying each digit against the fevered skin one by one, so agonizingly slowly that Lucifer’s hips bucked with each moment of new contact. He tightened his grip, flicking his wrist as he languidly moved his hand up and down at the perfect speed to make the king begin to fall apart beneath his palms.

These trysts had become so common for the two of them in the past few months. From the second they laid eyes on one another in the hotel, they believed they saw past each other’s charade. Lucifer, pretending to be a caring father—like he hadn’t spent the seven years since his wife left him wallowing in self-pity, not giving his daughter the slightest ounce of his mental energy, only getting in touch with her to slake off his responsibilities. Alastor, pretending to be a well-intentioned, civil hotelier—when in reality, he was only around to manipulate Charlie and everyone in her vicinity for his own selfish gain, a monster who found his greatest joy in watching others suffer, particularly those tried endlessly to do the right thing, only to fail. Their mutual disgust and disdain for one another had become a game of preying on each other’s weaknesses; Alastor’s gluttonous need to relish in the agony and flesh of others, Lucifer’s need for physical contact and emotional intimacy. They each came to the table thinking they were going to win, but Alastor knew he was the only one equipped for victory.

Tell me you met me in past lives, past life, past what might be eating me from the inside darling…

Half algorithm, half deity; glitches in the code or gaps in a strange dream?

Humans and angels both were made in the same mold, made to be images of a God who knew nothing but love—a love that Lucifer had muddied with his fingerprints and a few sets of bite marks on an apple. If Alastor could fill a human with infatuation, make them go against their better instincts to follow him to their final resting place in a shrouded wood, a fallen angel would be just as simple to manipulate. After all, they were modeled after the same Creator; there couldn’t be too many differences. He knew, the moment he agreed to this arrangement with the king, that after months of these encounters, Lucifer would fall in love with him; and he did, just as Alastor had predicted. Oh, he loved being right. It was truly intoxicating, stringing along someone who was in love with him. Watching them come to the realization, over and over again, that those feelings would never be reciprocated, but unable to prevent themselves from desperately accepting any shred of attention Alastor gave them, was a high unlike no other—a sumptuous feast of agony that, every so often, slaked his need to consume, consume, consume flesh and bone alike.

Alastor dragged the sharp point of his index finger around the base of Lucifer’s cock, down across his perineum, down even further to circle against the tight ring of muscle there. The disgraced seraphim bucked his hips downward, almost far too eager to indulge in carnal sin. The Radio Demon laughed, enthralled by how such a simple action could make the king squirm, make his mind start to go blank with desperation, lust, unadulterated desire. What a thing to experience—Alastor wouldn’t know what that was like, and he knew he never would. He didn’t want to, lest he end up vulnerable and exposed, writhing beneath the hands of someone as poorly-intentioned as himself.

“Please, just put it in—“

“Shut up.” Alastor withdrew his fingers, shoving them in Lucifer’s mouth with enough depth and force to make him choke; Alastor adored the feeling of the king’s throat convulsing around him. He briefly fantasized about those being the final twitches of the angel’s life—but if they were, would he ever have so much fun again? There would be no one else for him to play with that met his criteria, no other prey that would leave him truly satisfied—no one strong enough, no one with a high enough social station, for this weakness to be enthralling instead of pathetic. “You know you won’t get a thing otherwise.” He pumped his fingers in and out of Lucifer’s mouth, pleased with the way submission reflected in Lucifer’s demonic red eyes. He continued with that until he was content with the former seraphim’s demeanor, dragging his fingers across the king’s formerly pristine skin, now marred by the deep lacerations he’d left there with his teeth.

Alastor’s hand continued its slow crawl downward, blood gathering around his fingers, until it found that ring again, circling twice before beginning to press his middle finger in—more abruptly than any sane person would, not caring a bit for Lucifer’s comfort; the fallen angel wouldn’t like it if he did. He was providing far more compassion than in past encounters. Blood wasn’t the most effective lubricant, but it was better than nothing, more than he felt Lucifer even deserved. Lucifer seemed to enjoy the abrupt, thoughtless intrusion anyway, bucking his hips like a wild bull just to make that finger go in deeper, thrust faster; Alastor stilled the king’s movements and tore a scream from his throat all at once by adding two more fingers without warning, giving Lucifer a brief taste of blissful pain.

“Fuck! That—“

Alastor rolled his eyes; he hated the sound of Lucifer’s voice when those pretty lips formed words. He curled his fingers, the pointed tips of his claws grazing against a small bundle of nerves that completely cut off anything the angel was trying to say. He glanced up at Lucifer’s face, pleased to see that the simple motion had made his eyes cloud over with mindless lust, dragging him deep into a submissive headspace. He knew from previous experience that the king wouldn’t be speaking much anymore, at least coherently or in full sentences. He repeated the movement again, letting the pads of his fingers do the work this time, each stroke making Lucifer’s needy whine jump a few notes higher; the sound of Lucifer falling even harder, promising Alastor the continued entertainment of heartbreak and misery.

Alastor removed his hand, smoothing it across the litany of bite marks decorating Lucifer’s skin, smearing ichor around like paint on a canvas. Oh, how he wanted to bite in to that slight musculature, to pull and cut through muscle and sinew, down to the bone. Taking Lucifer apart emotionally was just a means to an end, foreplay for the event he truly wished to indulge in—literally, physically tearing Lucifer apart. It would occur in time, though he wondered how many more of these meetings it would take; how deep in love would the father of lies have to fall before he willingly gave up his flesh? As the question bounced around, repetitively, in Alastor’s mind, he pressed the tip of his member against Lucifer’s entrance, giving him only the slightest warning of what was next before he forced himself inside; only halfway on the first thrust, but even that was enough to make Lucifer’s spine arch so high off the mattress that Alastor was surprised it wasn’t followed with the beautiful percussion of snapping bone. A second thrust, a third, a fourth; Alastor was finally enveloped in the tight, white-hot warmth of his favorite prey.

Alastor stayed still, the head of his cock applying a constant pressure to Lucifer’s sweet spot, reveling in how the king himself twitched and convulsed around his length. His inky, black hands reflexively clenched and unclenched the bedsheets in the futile hope of keeping himself from falling further into subspace, past the point of no return. Lucifer was restraining himself, and Alastor wasn’t going to have that. He needed the king to fall harder for him, to inflame the torturous agony of unrequited love, to encourage him to give Alastor everything—his body, his flesh and bone; he withdrew from Lucifer’s shaking form only to immediately slam himself back in at full force, with enough momentum to fucking bruise the angel’s prostate. Lucifer screamed, leaving Alastor giddy as he watched the final flickers of rebellion fade away from his ruby eyes, replaced by a dazed, hazy look of unadulterated submission.

Tears welled in the corners of Lucifer’s eyes as Alastor established a rhythm that was brutal, punishing even. With each snap of the Radio Demon’s hips, the king’s moans grew lower and lighter, more infrequent, the angel so overstimulated he was rendered practically mute, at least momentarily. Good. The further Lucifer’s mind fell into that liminal space, the further he would fall into those insipid feelings of love; the further he fell, the sooner Alastor would get to use his teeth to rend and tear, to make Lucifer suffer physically just as he suffered emotionally. He closed his hands around the king’s throat, craning his neck down to lick away the tears that had begun to track down his cheeks, salt and pleasure and sadness intermingled into one. “What a good boy you are for me, cher,” Alastor growled, his brows knit together as a result of his own pleasure, eyes half-lidded and watching Lucifer with equal parts hunger and nefarious intent. “So talented at debauchery, so willing to embrace sin—it was your finest creation.”

Lucifer’s eyes snapped open, leveling a stern glare at the demon hovering over him; the comment had clearly pissed him off, and he was able to maintain that fiery annoyance despite the way Alastor was able to make him see stars with every collision of his cock into his prostate. “It—ahhh, fuck—it wasn’t sin,” he argued. “Th-that’s what—oh, god, please—that’s what y-you shitty humans—ahhhh!—chose t-t-to do—“

“What’s the matter, can’t use your words?” Alastor goaded, like he was paying no attention at all to what Lucifer said. “That’s alright, you’re much cuter when you can’t speak.” The fallen angel looked slightly wounded at the comment, once again acknowledging how Alastor didn’t want to hear his voice, didn’t care in the slightest what he had to say. It must hurt—being in love with someone and knowing they prefered you when you were silent. Alastor pressed down harder on Lucifer’s throat, acutely aware of how the king’s pulse thrummed invitingly beneath his palm; he wanted to rip apart the thin flesh above his jugular and bathe in that sickeningly sweet ichor. He pulled out of Lucifer, the tip of his cock resting slightly against that ring of muscle, and commanded: “Flip over.”

The king was wholly obedient, immediately gathering his wits about him enough to do as Alastor ordered, rolling onto his stomach and bracing himself on his hands and knees—even though it was difficult, even though he was trembling so hard, he wondered if he’d be able to support his own body weight when Alastor chose to re-enter him. Lucifer gave Alastor a sultry look over his shoulder, but the sinner didn’t even notice; he was more transfixed by the six diagonal, narrow slits that ran down Lucifer’s spine at the center of his back, three on each side. Oh, how he wanted to dip his fingers into those crevices and pull, but he wouldn’t. Lucifer would have to beg for it, eventually; Alastor was damned and determined to drive him to that point. He ran a single, long finger between those openings, summoning a thin rivulet of blood. As he leaned down to lick up its length, he roughly slammed back into Lucifer and the angel howled.

The new position allowed him to fuck rougher, deeper, and Alastor could hear that Lucifer’s moans had turned into tearful sobs of ecstasy. Reaching forward, he grabbed a fistful of Lucifer’s hair, twisting harshly to keep his head at an awkward, uncomfortable angle, looking over his shoulder so Alastor could admire the mindless expression on his face. Alastor’s mouth watered, black drool dripping from the corner of his mouth as he watched the angel cry in rapture, wondering in the back of his mind if this was the same expression he would make as Alastor tore him limb from limb, savoring the taste and texture of his divine flesh. The thoughts alone sent the deer into a frenzy, his hips pistoning at twice the pace; Lucifer’s brain seemed to short-circuit and switch off behind his glowing red eyes, and he whimpered and moaned as he could think of nothing but the pleasure being given to him. Alastor could read the emotion behind his pupils, as he’d seen it multiple times before; love. If he wasn’t so preoccupied with driving himself to completion, or fantasizing about how orgasmic it would feel to finally consume the king below him, he would have cackled in sadistic glee.

The hand in Lucifer’s hair violently shoved his face into the mattress, while the claws of his free hand fingered the slits where Lucifer’s wings emerged. The former seraphim’s entire body spasmed around Alastor’s fingers, around his cock, tensing so tightly that Alastor feared he might lose himself posthaste. But he reigned himself in, if only to dive his fingers in and out of those small openings to make Lucifer cry out in an addictive mixture of pleasure and pain. “St-sto—“ Alastor dug one claw in deeper, and Lucifer’s word was cut off with a wail. He repeated the movement again and again, deducing by the way each of Lucifer’s whimpers grew higher in pitch that he was close—and Alastor didn’t even have to touch his cock to get him there this time.

“That’s it, cher,” Alastor purred, maintaining the tempo he’d set with his hips and his hands. “Lose yourself for me, Lucifer. Fall for me.”

Alastor’s urging was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Lucifer gripped the bedsheets so hard he tore them, just like his orgasm tore through him. The Radio Demon laughed this time, unable to suppress the humor he felt at seeing the King of Hell so vulnerable, so debauched, in absolute shambles beneath him. Lucifer had tightened impossibly further around him when he came, and it only took a few more fast, hard thrusts before Alastor reached his peak as well. Unlike Lucifer, though, he didn’t emit a single sound, retaining his composure even through the high of his orgasm; he didn’t want to be as affected as the man below him, he did want to show how truly in control he was, after all. The two stayed there, twined together, for a brief moment, until Alastor pulled out, watching with the slightest hint of pride as his seed dripped out of the fallen angel. It was as though he was claiming his territory, an indication that this man would be his next meal—if he ever finished toying with him.

The Radio Demon was quick to extricate himself from Lucifer. He snapped his fingers and his shadow came forth with a towel, allowing him to clean himself off well enough to start redressing in seconds. Alastor offered no such courtesy to his bedmate, who laid half-catatonic on his sheets for a few seconds before trying to right himself into a sitting position. The deer had already started pulling his jacket back on and re-straightening his tie when Lucifer asked, “Um…Alastor? Would you, ah, like to stay the night?”

Alastor laughed, the sound full of mockery and derision. “And be caught leaving the King’s palace in the morning? Mm, no, I think not.” He picked up his microphone with a flourish of his wrist, stealing a glance at himself in Lucifer’s dresser mirror. Despite everything that had just happened, he still looked impeccable, as though he hadn’t just spent the last two hours of his afterlife railing Lucifer into his mattress, fighting back his own primal urges to turn his fuckbuddy into dinner. All good things came to those who waited, after all.

Lucifer’s face fell, disappointed. “Oh, I…I see. Yeah, you’re probably right…” his voice was forlorn, clearly upset by Alastor’s unwillingness to stay. No one ever stayed, and that was an insecurity Alastor would be a fool not to play with; it made the times he did come around even more effective, breadcrumb by breadcrumb. “It would get people talking…”

“Splendid!” Alastor chirped. “You’re a smart man, I knew you’d see it my way!” His smile widened imperceptibly with joy and entertainment as he watched how Lucifer’s heart seemed to crack behind his piercing, red eyes. The fallen angel gave him a sad, desperate look as Alastor faded into the shadows, and he knew it wouldn’t be long until Lucifer gave him what he wanted—the last bargaining chip he had to make the Radio Demon stay.

So I’ll take what I want and leave.

[mapofredemption]

beautiful post and additions

idk something about the way lucio clearly just loves animals and how he hated training and how morga said he was never a good hunter and how he ran away from a lame bear even she thought he would be able to fight off. something about caring for animals everyone else seems to disparage, mercedes and melchior were hated and feared by everyone in the palace, camio was seen as an irritating nuisance, the eels, the stove salamander, even. something about a little boy with so much love to give and no humans willing to take it.

[fanfics4world]

Chapter 5: Merlin Academy

Pain, that was all Skye felt when she woke up, even though it had been a couple of days since her mother's ‘solution’, her body still felt sore and numb. 

Reality broke through her mind. She was not a person to her mother; she was a tool, an object. She had lost patience with her, and now they were at the point of doing it the hard way. Skye swallowed, feeling the fear and helplessness grow inside her.

"I hope your position is finally clear to you, Skye" she said when she woke up. 

Skye swallowed hard. "What do you want from me?"

The queen smiled mischievously. "Tonight we dine with the court. Wear something presentable for the first time. If you don't, there will be consequences"

Skye didn't respond, gazing at her mother with defiant eyes. The White Queen was relentless, and Skye knew there was no escape. But something inside her refused to give up completely. 

In the absence of an answer from her daughter, the queen reached out to her, and gripped her face tightly, her nails digging into her skin. "Is that clear to you, Skye?"

"Yes, mother"

The queen turned away, leaving Skye alone in her room. 

She didn't even know how she had been able to endure that dinner, her face hurt from maintaining a fake smile for so long. Daniel, who was present during dinner, kept casting worried, confused glances at Skye, clearly not understanding her sudden change in behaviour.

The mirror in the room reflected the mark on Skye's shoulder blade, a burn that seemed to have fused with her skin. The intricate design, a snake entwined with a rose, was the seal of the royal family of the White Kingdom. The skin around the mark was red and tender, and every time her clothes brushed against the wound, the pain was indescribable.

The knock on the door startled her, Skye, the wound still fresh, ignored the pain and tied her shirt with trembling hands. Opening the door, she found Daniel. His eyes narrowed as he noticed something out of place in Skye's expression, but he just acted normal.

Skye let him in, closing the door behind them. "Are you feeling better now? Your mother told me you were sick" he asked.

Of course she did.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better now. Did you need something?", Skye didn't want to sound rude, but the pain was killing her and she needed Daniel to leave to treat her wound.

Daniel chose to ignore Skye's tone, associating it with the fact that she was probably tired. "Hatter asked if we wanted to have tea this afternoon, are you up for it?

Skye was silent for a moment, the idea of being able to go out with her friends didn't sound bad, but she would have to ask her mother's permission. The thought sent a shiver through her body. "I'll stay here today, maybe another day", was an unusual response for Daniel, as Skye usually took every opportunity to escape the palace.

"Is everything all right?" asked Daniel, his voice heavy with concern.

Skye nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I'm just tired", confusion flashed in Daniel's eyes.

Then, Daniel saw the bloodstain on Skye's shirt, barely visible in the mirror's reflection. Concern turned to alarm. "Are you hurt?"

Daniel please...

"It's probably just a scratch. It's not important", but her gaze was evasive, betraying something else.

Daniel wasn't fooled. "Let me see" he insisted, holding out his hand to her.

Please don't...

Skye pulled back, but Daniel didn't relent. "Skye, please, let me see-" he started to say, but before he could finish, his hand touched the wound. A wave of pain shot through Skye's body, and a scream escaped her lips as she fell to the ground.

Daniel knelt down beside her, concerned. Without giving her time to react, he removed Skye's shirt, revealing the mark of the royal family etched into her skin. Shock and amazement flashed in Daniel's eyes.

"Daniel don't... I..." Skye tried to find the words to try to justify it, but the pain clouded her thoughts. 

"It's okay, Skye, it's okay, can you get up?" he asked, Skye nodded, averting her gaze, not daring to look him in the eye. Daniel helped Skye to her feet, sitting her down on her bed, Skye continued to not look at him.

"Skye, look at me" he demanded, but Skye didn't move. "Please"

Skye finally looked up, a mixture of sadness and embarrassment in her gaze. 

"She did this to you?" he asked. Skye swallowed hard before nodding.

As a knight, it was his duty to protect her, but in that moment, helplessness enveloped him like a shadow. The mark on Skye's skin reminded him that there were boundaries he could not cross.

Daniel had bravely defended the White Queen's honour, but now as Skye's knight, all he wanted was to see her pay for hurting the princess. But he knows the cause of her pain is above him, beyond his reach. He would like to rip the wound from her skin, erase the pain and protect her from all evil. But he cannot. Not when the cause of that suffering was someone to whom they were both bound, someone whose power eclipsed even his own.

Daniel looked at Skye, his heart heavy with helplessness. He couldn't remove the cause of her pain, but he was determined to be her support. Give her a small escape from her suffering. "Skye" he said in a firm voice. "After we treat your wound, what do you say we go and have tea with Tarrant? That way you can tell me how your date with Bridget went"

Skye hesitated. "Daniel I... I can't leave the palace... My mother-"

"I'll talk to the queen, don't worry. I'll assure her it's so your friends can stop worrying about your sudden absence. I'm sure she'll agree if she knows she can maintain her facade that everything is okay" Daniel assured her.

Even if the road was difficult, Daniel was there, ready to make her happy, even when he couldn't erase the scars that scarred her skin and her heart.

"Merlin Academy?" Bridget asked in confusion. Her mother had woken her that morning telling her that she had received an invitation to study outside of Wonderland. At a school with the other children of heroes and villains.

"Yes, my dear, you will learn many things there and make many friends" her mother said with a smile. Bridget didn't dislike the idea of studying outside of Wonderland, but she thought of Skye. Would she go too?

It had been a week since they had spent the night in the Kingdom of Hearts, they had kept in touch through letters, as Skye said her mother kept her too busy with her ‘royal duties’ to try to leave the palace.

She didn't want to leave without Skye. Her mother, noticing the doubt on her daughter's face, knew the answer she wanted. "I took the liberty of speaking with Headmaster Merlin, and the White Queen confirmed that Skye will be attending the academy as well" her mother said and Bridget's face lit up.

"When are we leaving?" she asked excitedly, her mother giggled at the change in her daughter's attitude.

You are such a Hearts in love my dear.

"Go pack your bags, homecoming day is in two days" replied her mother. It didn't take Bridget two seconds before she shot off to her room, a big smile on her face.

"An academy? Outside of Wonderland?", Skye didn't believe it, even though she would hear it from her own mother's mouth.

"Yes, you might finally learn how to do your royal duties there" she said, Skye couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course it wouldn't be as good as she thought.

Her mother approached her, with a gaze that Skye knew meant some threat was coming now.

"I want you to behave yourself, hold the White name high" she said. Of course, always keep up appearances, maintain the image of a perfect princess.

"Behave like a true royal, I won't tolerate any mistakes. Or I will have no qualms about reminding you of your place again" she added, placing her hand on Skye's right shoulder, for a moment, Skye felt a pain in her wound, a reminder of what was to come.

"You leave in 2 days, pack your bags. I've already warned you that Daniel will be your escort"

Of course, even on an occasion like this, her mother would not accompany her.

"Don't disappoint me", was the last thing she said before leaving Skye alone in her room. Skye sighed before looking out the window, where the sun was beginning to set, tinting the sky a shade of pink. Would Bridget go too?

But despite the threats, a spark of hope shone in Skye, she would finally get out of the White Kingdom, Wonderland even. She would be away from her mother. She would finally be free, it might not be forever, but she would savour every moment of her freedom.

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon when Skye, accompanied by Daniel and a group of chess soldiers, set off on their journey to Merlin Academy.

"Nervous?" asked Daniel, noticing Skye quieter than usual. "A little, leaving Wonderland... it seems so... unreal" she replied. "I'm still processing it, I guess"

The group advanced in silence until they reached the rabbit hole, the one place where the barrier between the kingdoms didn't exist. Before them stood an imposing white iron gate, gleaming in the dawn light. Directly opposite, a red iron gate marked the entrance for the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Hearts.

As Skye stepped through the rabbit hole, she felt a mixture of awe and bewilderment. The world around her seemed to twist and turn in impossible ways. Playing cards floated in the air, forming arcs and spirals that defied gravity. Porcelain teacups danced in the air, pouring their contents into saucers that moved with a grace of their own. Everything seemed upside down, as if the laws of physics had been replaced by a whim of the imagination.

Skye moved cautiously forward, her eyes wide open as she tried to take in every detail. The ground beneath her feet changed texture and colour with each step, shifting from soft grass to chess tiles and then to a trail of rose petals. She felt a strange mixture of wonder and nostalgia. Despite the confusion, there was a sense of freedom in this ordered chaos, a promise of adventure and discovery beyond the known.

As they passed through the rabbit hole, Skye and her group emerged into a lush, serene forest. Sunlight filtered through the treetops, creating a play of shadows and light that danced across the leaf-covered ground. A few steps away, a weathered wooden sign pointed the way to Merlin Academy.

"We must follow this path. Merlin Academy is not far away" 

Skye nodded, but couldn't help but pause for a moment to look around her. The forest that stretched out before her was very different from the ones she knew in Wonderland. Here, the trees were tall and straight, their leaves a deep, uniform green. There were no flowers that sang, no bushes that moved on their own. Everything seemed simpler, less mad.

The chess soldiers kept their formation, but even they seemed to relax a little in these peaceful surroundings. Daniel, ever vigilant, walked beside her, making sure the path was clear.

Skye took a deep breath, letting the fresh, clean air fill her lungs. She felt that each step took her further away from the complications and expectations of home, bringing her closer to a new beginning full of possibilities.

Finally, the group arrived at the Merlin Academy. Before them stood an imposing stone structure, with multiple windows and a prominent tower at the entrance. A well-kept garden, with flowers and shrubs neatly arranged, adorned the front of the building. Several people, dressed in formal gowns or smart suits, were gathered in front of the academy.

Skye took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement. With a last glance at the forest behind them, she followed Daniel towards the entrance of the academy, they stood at the end of a line of people, Skye could tell that people were looking at her and whispering, it was clear that her appearance wasn't very common, with her white hair and pale skin, but she also didn't understand what could be so special about her, apart from the four chess soldiers surrounding her and Daniel in his shining armour next to her.

This definitely wouldn't help to go unnoticed.

The line moved along rather quickly, until they reached a table where a lady who would be about the same age as her mother was making sure to control the entrance to the academy. "Name?" she asked casually.

"Skye White" she replied, the woman, who had so far not raised her head to look at them, did so, with a look of surprise. "The princess of the White Kingdom, of Wonderland?" she asked. Skye could feel people's gaze on her, more intensely. So she just nodded, wishing the Jabberwocky would appear and devour her.

"Alright, the headmaster would like you to take a seat in the front row, the homecoming ceremony will begin in 20 minutes, until then, you can explore the academy" replied the lady.

Skye entered along with Daniel and his soldiers into what appeared to be the courtyard where the ceremony would be held. 

Bridget stood in the courtyard of Merlin Academy, looking around her with a mixture of curiosity and impatience. Her mother, the Queen of Hearts, was engaged in an animated conversation with a woman Bridget assumed was a former classmate. Despite the crowd of young people milling around her, Bridget had barely bothered to interact with them.

She'd had a brief conversation with a girl named Ella, she seemed nice, but her mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts flew constantly to Skye, anxiously awaiting her arrival. Every time someone new appeared in the courtyard, her heart gave a little leap, only to deflate when she realized it wasn't Skye.

Bridget was about to ask her mother a question when she noticed a change in the atmosphere. Conversations had turned to whispers and everyone was looking towards the courtyard entrance. Intrigued, she turned around and saw Skye. However, she quickly noticed something different. Skye was standing next to Daniel and several chess soldiers, but there was no sign of the White Queen anywhere.

Skye looked the same as ever, wearing her trademark white leather jacket, though she now wore a silver tiara on her head. When their eyes met, Skye lifted a small smile. Bridget watched as Skye whispered something to Daniel before he turned to say something to the soldiers. Daniel and the soldiers left the courtyard, and as soon as they were out of sight, Skye soon approached Bridget and her mother.

Bridget was quick to close the distance between them and wrap her arms around Skye, who at first tensed at the sudden contact, but happily returned her girlfriend's embrace.

"I see you missed me cupcake" she said as they pulled apart, Bridget smiled “Cards aren't enough” she replied, Skye grabbed her hand, depositing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"Well, now I only have a little time before my mother's soldiers return, but when the day is done, I'm all yours" Skye said, making Bridget blush. They both approached Bridget's mother, who looked at Skye with a warm gaze, nodding in welcome.

Before Skye could say anything else, there was the sound of trumpets, indicating that the ceremony was about to begin. Skye sighed, clearly disgusted, walked over to Bridget and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I should get to my seat, see you later cupcake" she said.

As Merlin spoke, Skye was lost in thought. Her eyes wandered around the room, taking in the faces of her new companions and the decorations adorning the walls. She thought about how different this place was compared to Wonderland, and how she would adapt to this new life.

Skye barely listened to Merlin's words, her mind occupied with memories of home and her mother's expectations. However, a sense of hope was beginning to grow within her. This was a new beginning, a chance to discover who she really was, away from her mother's shadows.

The room erupted in applause, bringing Skye out of her thoughts. She glanced at Bridget, who gave her a smile in return.

Skye escorted Daniel and the chess soldiers to the entrance of Merlin Academy. The sun was beginning to descend, bathing the place in golden light. Daniel turned to her, his expression a mixture of concern and pride.

"Please, Skye, try not to get into too much trouble" he said, Skye gave him an amused look.

"Oh come on, Daniel. You know I'm a loyal rule follower" she replied. Daniel rolled his eyes, amused by Skye's response. He knew well that his friend had a rebellious and adventurous spirit.

"Good luck, Skye. Promise you'll write me as soon as you can"

"I promise. I'll keep you up to date on all the crazy stuff that happens here"

With one last hug, Daniel and the soldiers said their goodbyes and started on their way back. Skye watched them until they were out of sight, feeling a mixture of sadness and excitement. This was a new beginning, and though she would miss Daniel, she knew she was in the right place.

Skye entered the academy, holding the paper that indicated her dorm number: ‘303’. As she walked through the halls, her heart pounded with anticipation. Arriving at the door to her room, she took a deep breath and slowly opened it.

The sight that greeted her only made her day even more incredible. In front of her was Bridget, headphones on, listening to music as she unpacked her suitcase. The evening light filtered through the window, softly illuminating the room and creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Skye stood leaning against the door, watching her. Bridget was shaking her head to the music, completely absorbed in her task. Without a doubt, this girl was driving her crazy. Every little gesture, every smile, made Skye fall even more in love with her girlfriend.

What have I done to deserve you?

Finally, Skye decided to break the moment and walked over to Bridget, gently removing one of her headphones.

"Hey again, beautiful, need some help with that?"

Bridget turned around, surprised but happy to see Skye. A beaming smile appeared on her face, and it didn't take her a second to hug her again.

"I can't believe we're roommates! This is amazing!" she said, which made Skye laugh, feeling a surge of happiness at the sight of Bridget's excitement. Without a word, she pulled her to her and kissed her softly. The kiss was tender and full of promise, a moment that seemed to stop time.

"Let's hope our neighbours don't mind the noise tonight"

The weeks passed, and while Bridget quickly adapted to life at Merlin Academy, Skye found it a little more difficult. She preferred to maintain her only relationships with her girlfriend and her girlfriend's new friend, Ella. Skye used to complain about royalty to Ella, and she actually liked her.

One afternoon, Bridget was in her room finishing up her homework when Skye came in, plopping down on the bed with a sigh.

"Now people will think I'm mad"

Bridget laughed, about to respond with Tarrant's famous line, but Skye beat her to it.

"The best people are, I know. Tarrant always repeated that to me"

Bridget stopped what she was doing and sat down on the bed next to her girlfriend. "What happened?" she asked, Skye covered her face with her hands, clearly embarrassed.

"During the break I was talking to a tree, when he didn't answer I thought it was because he was waiting for me to finish talking. I didn't understand why people were looking at me, until a girl came up to me and told me that trees don't talk" confessed Skye, Bridget laughed, which only made Skye's embarrassment intensify.

"It's not funny" she said, Bridget leaned towards her, removing Skye's hands that covered her face and deposited a kiss on her lips. "A little bit sweetie" she replied. Skye sighed.

"This place is strange, it's certainly much better than the White Kingdom, there's more freedom and less perfection here, but there are things I can't make sense of" Skye explained frustrated.

Bridget took her hand, she understood her girlfriend's dilemma, she had experienced that herself the first few days, but she was slowly getting used to how things worked on the other side of the rabbit hole.

"Give yourself time, Skye. Little by little you'll get used to it. What do you say we have tea when I'm done with the homework? I went into town and bought some new flavours of tea"

Having tea in her room had become her habit, her ritual. Here people didn't drink tea daily, unlike in Wonderland where it was practically an obligation, so Bridget and Skye made it a moment of hers, the two of them drinking tea while they talked about classes or shared stories about their favourite places in Wonderland, it was a moment of hers.

Skye smiled, "Sounds amazing, you're the best, cupcake" she said before placing a tender kiss on Bridget's lips.

"I'll take a shower while you finish your homework" she said before getting out of bed and going into the bedroom bathroom.

Bridget continued with her homework, making a mental note to remind Skye to catch up on hers, as a certain white-haired princess had a habit of leaving things to the last minute.

It didn't take long to finish, and while Skye continued in the bathroom, Bridget took the opportunity to get everything ready for tea.

Bridget searched for the tea supplies, rummaged through shelves and drawers, but the teapot was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, she decided to ask Skye, taking advantage of the bathroom door being ajar.

"Skye, have you seen the teapot? I can't find it anywhere..." said Bridget opening the door.

Her voice trailed off at the sight of Skye's back, the emblem of the White Kingdom's royal family etched into her skin. The mark was clear and painfully visible.

Skye froze, her mind blank as she tried to process what was happening. She had hoped to hide the mark from Bridget, to keep the painful secret buried in her past. But now, with Bridget so close, the truth was exposed. Skye didn't turn around, remaining with her back to Bridget, her heart pounding in her chest.

Bridget, concerned, slowly approached her. "Skye, sweetheart..." she called softly to her. Bridget's voice was a whisper full of concern and caring, but Skye couldn't face her. Fear of confrontation held her still, her hands trembling slightly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Bridget's fingers gently traced the area near the mark, and Skye flinched at the contact. The sensation was a mixture of pain and comfort. Each caress from Bridget seemed to melt away some of the weight Skye had been carrying, but it also brought with it a surge of emotions she'd been trying to suppress.

"I didn't want you to know... I didn't want you to see this" she replied in a trembling voice, still unmoving.

"Skye, you don't have to hide anything from me. I'm here for you, always"

Bridget, seeing that Skye wasn't looking at her, moved even closer and held her face lovingly. Skye looked up, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over. The concern in Bridget's eyes was evident, and her voice trembled slightly when she finally asked the question she'd been dreading.

"Did she do this to you?"

Skye looked away, unable to hold the intensity of worry and pain in Bridget's eyes. She took a deep breath before answering, her voice barely a whisper.

"She didn't want me to forget my purpose"

Bridget felt a surge of anger and sadness at those words. The idea that anyone could do something so cruel to Skye, especially her own mother, was heartbreaking. However, instead of giving in to her anger, Bridget decided to offer Skye the comfort and love she so desperately needed.

She wrapped her arms around Skye's body, who finally allowed herself to cry, letting the tears fall as Bridget held her tightly. In that moment, she knew that no matter what the future held for them, she would always have Bridget by her side, ready to face any challenge together.

As the months passed, Skye and Bridget's relationship grew stronger by the day. They shared countless moments together, from romantic dates to secret escapes from the academy. Every day, Skye felt happier and more secure with Bridget by her side, finding in her a refuge and unconditional support.

The dates were always special. Sometimes, they strolled through the academy grounds, enjoying the tranquility and beauty of the surroundings. Other times, they would venture further afield, exploring the nearby woods and discovering magical places. Each walk was a new adventure, and each adventure strengthened their relationship.

The academy escapades were exciting and adrenaline-filled. Skye and Bridget would sneak off into the night, laughing and whispering as they made their way to their secret places. Under the starry sky, they shared their dreams, fears and hopes, feeling closer than ever.

Skye felt incredibly happy. Bridget's presence in her life had transformed her experience at Merlin Academy. What had been a strange and challenging place at first, now felt like home thanks to Bridget's love and support. Every day, Skye woke up with a smile in her girlfriend's arms and could wish for nothing more.

Skye realized how much she had changed. She no longer felt alone or lost. With Bridget by her side, she had found a purpose and happiness she had never imagined. 

That morning, Bridget found herself having breakfast with Ella in the academy's dining hall. The sun was shining through the windows, filling the room with a warm, welcoming light. The two girls were chatting animatedly when Skye appeared, looking obviously sleepy.

"Look what princess has decided to wake up"

Skye plopped down in the chair next to Bridget, resting her head on her shoulder with a sigh. "I stayed up late studying for alchemy. I don't know how I'm going to survive this class"

Bridget giggled, gently stroking Skye's hair. "You can always ask Merlin for help. I'm sure he has some trick up his sleeve"

"No, that man gives me the creeps, it's a miracle he managed to set up this academy"

At that moment, Ella, who had been watching the scene with a smile, interjected.

"Did you hear the news?" she asked.

Skye raised her head. "What news?"

"Two exchange students arrived"

Masterlist

[soft-mafia]

Troubled Girl [Buggy x Reader]

[part 1]

warnings: oc insert series, fem reader, fem y/n, age gap, slow burn, violence and blood, oc x canon, HEAVY on the oc insert, if you hate stuff like that don’t interact, barely proof read

a/n: I decided to redo part 1 because the first one was hot shit😭I hope this turns out better now that I have the actual lore figured out. I worked really hard on this so I hope this gets some attention😭

Y/n didn’t know what she was looking at, the way the sea lined up with the horizon in the distance, the way the waves crashed against the side of the ship. Or maybe she was listening to the call of the seagulls. She didn’t even know where she was, really, the sky was a bright pastel blue, the clouds were white and looked like cotton, the ocean below her was a saturated deep blue, it was so unusual. Where was she? Was she dead? When she awoke from her blackout her wounds were patched up, the stench of musk and alcohol greeted her as she rose, but everything seemed.. off.

It was a cramped room, a makeshift med ward but she was tended to with what seemed to be professionalism. The bandages around her arms had only a few faint dried bloodstains on them despite the severity of her injuries. Everything was so bright and saturated, even the light that poured in from the rounded windows.

Her brows furrowed, still trying to recollect what happened, or where she was. It was still clear in her memory, of course, she couldn’t forget what happened. However, in this moment she didn’t know if she should still be on guard or not. Y/n survived, and ran, but was this ship taking her back home? She figured the nuns or the apprentices found her and were transporting her back to Getica, but it couldn’t be that. The ship she was on was filthy and had circus print everywhere, a chipped pattern on the sides of the boat.

Y/n’s eyes were still heavy, she was tired and exhausted and hadn’t eaten since she’d been taken for judgement day.

Y/n froze and whipped her head back in alert when she heard the sound of footsteps creaking on the deck behind her, a tense feeling shot through her body, still in fight or flight.

“Hey! Finally, you’re awake! I didn’t think you’d make it through the night.” The man says, his face painted in makeup to match the circus print, two blue arches smeared almost symmetrically on each arch of his brow, cross bones mark his forehead and red was painted messily around his lips. He was tall with broad shoulders, a bit of a gut, but the main attraction to this man was a huge red growth on the center of his face. Y/n thought it was fake at first glance, but seeing now his nostrils blended so seamlessly into the growth and the gradient of red to a light tan immediately made her think otherwise. Despite the odd red nose, he wasn’t unattractive, in fact he was the handsomest man Y/n had ever seen in her life. His arms were crossed over his chest, there was thick arm hair over sun kissed skin, biceps bulging against his sleeves.

She opened her mouth to speak, sucking in a raspy breath. It had been forever since she actually spoke, the last few days the only thing coming from her mouth were screams and wails. Only now was she aware of the strain in her voice and the sting in her vocal cords. “Where am I?”

“You’re on my ship.” He answered, “Me and my crew were out looking for some treasure on this island but.. we found you bleeding out on the shoreline.” Y/n was still tense, not knowing if she should be threatened or not. “I was feeling generous, I think you owe me a ‘thank you’.” He was cocky, that’s for sure.

“W-Where are we going?” She didn’t mean to stutter, but the salty sea air wasn’t helping with the soreness in her dry throat, she felt so dehydrated in that moment, a bad taste in her mouth from it. Her disregard of his request for gratitude seemed to offend him, his brows furrowing and his grin turning into a slight scowl, “Are you even listening to me?! I saved your LIFE.” He spat, “I could’ve left you for dead!!” He clenched his fists, letting his hands rest at his sides now. “Do you have any water?” Y/n asked, continuing to disregard his words, and it seemed to make him more agitated. “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” The man shouted, his voice was deep but shrill, there was a comedic charm to it though. Y/n didn’t feel threatened by him, if he really was a threat, her wounds wouldn’t have been tended to so precisely, she figured. “I just want some water.” She stated more clearly, “Or anything to drink.”

He grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath as he reached into the inner pocket of his coat and pulled out a flask, which he handed it to her. Upon drinking it, she choked it back and groaned, “What the hell is this?!” It was bitter, warm and unpleasant. It was an unfamiliar taste that she never wanted to have in her mouth again. “It’s liquor. What? You never had booze before?” The man scoffed, grinning and holding back a laugh at her reaction.

It’s not like Y/n never had a drink before, but she much preferred the overly sweetened beverages, the ones the boys would carry in six packs to the lake during the seasonal pardons. Y/n didn’t want to be rude, so she said nothing. “Thanks for saving me. I really appreciate it.” She finally thanked him, the man’s face softened into something serious, his gaze narrowing, “You look like hell, kid.” He muttered, noticing her tense stance, and shaky gaze that she could barely keep locked with his, “Wanna tell me what happened?”

“It’s.. a lot to explain.” Y/n looked down at the ground, crossing her arms tightly, feeling the soreness from her wounds, but it wasn’t unbearable. “Yeah no kidding. We almost thought about chopping your arms off all together.” The man chuckled dryly, before looking away with a grimace on his face, “No offense but damn, I wouldn’t wanna piss off whoever did that to you.”

“I didn’t piss anybody off.” She muttered, “Nobody did. It was nobodies fault we didn’t do anything!” She snapped, earning a confused grimace from the tall man.

Y/n looked back out at the sea, letting the wind blow through her hair. There was a minute of silence until the man decided to speak up again, “So.. uh, just tell me where you live and I’ll take you back home, your injuries should heal in a couple days.” His words struck a feeling of uneasiness in Y/n. She didn’t know if she was safe back home. Despite initially surviving her trap, she had been the only person who successfully escaped the judgement day hall without getting killed by an apprentice, to which she had killed 5 of them.

Besides, there was nothing left for her back home, considering everybody she knew had been killed. Y/n felt a chill run down her spine when the image of the blood vessels popping in her friend’s eyes right before his trap killed him, he didn’t free himself in time. That imagine alone would haunt her forever, it was so gut churning. “I don’t think I can go back.” She mumbled quietly, stuttering as she was unsure, but deep down despite her uncertainty she knew there was no way she could return home and survive. She kept her gaze to the sea below her.

She had already been kicked out of the orphanage after turning 18, she had been living with one of her teachers before apprentices killed her as well, so with no friends and her only living relative being as close to her as a stranger would be, she had nothing. As a survivor of judgement day she would’ve been recruited as an apprentice, Y/n didn’t think she could stomach putting people through the same pain and torture she experienced. On another hand, she could be imprisoned for escaping, her arms, legs and tongue could be carved off before being thrown in a cell, left to rot.

“Well.” The man looked over the railing with her, standing side by side, “I guess there’s always room on my crew for another. You’re already here so why not?”

“So I become a pirate?” Y/n couldn’t help but scoff quietly. The irony of it all, the entire point of judgement days was to make sure orphans wouldn’t grow up to become violent criminals, and immediately after Y/n’s escape she was being offered to become a pirate, a vocation that the dean described to be the worst of any crime. The dean’s hatred for pirates was a common joke around the school, but there was an eeriness to it. There was a rumor a few years back that a student was caught genuinely dreaming of running away and becoming a pirate, and that dream eventually made it around to the dean, so he had carved his tongue out before taking him away to the ward. There were theories about who the student was, but it wasn’t uncommon for people in Getica to go missing, and kids in the orphanage weren’t excluded from that, so whether if it was true or not, nobody would know.

“It’s not so bad. We’re always partying, eating, drinking. Hell, I spent the majority of my life out on sea drunk more than sober.” The man spoke up again. Yeah I can tell. Y/n looked him up and down, and as she thought about it more deeply, she was technically walking with a target on her back now, and if pirates were as cruel and scum as the dean had said, they could serve as good protection if him or any apprentices would find her out. “Ok. I’ll join.” She finally said, looking back up to meet his gaze, green watercolored eyes that she couldn’t help but get lost in, she didn’t think she had seen eyes that pretty before. They were soft in their earthy color, but they held a coldness to them.

Y/n found herself jostled suddenly, he roughly patted her on the back, reminding her of her injuries for a moment before she was pulled close to his body, “Fantastic!!! I’ve been looking for someone to swab the deck!”

The idea of that made her internally recoil, if what he said was accurate and the crew spent the majority of the time drinking, that would mean she would have to clean up the drunken throw up. She ground the back of her teeth. “Let me introduce you to the crew! They’re gonna love you.” He said as he was leading her back down to the lower deck, “Don’t be intimidated but.. you’re the only girl, but we treat each other here like family so you won’t have to worry about any creeps.”

He led her down into a cramped room, looking like a makeshift mess hall, a large crowd of men were eating, stuffing their faces with food. The scent coming from the kitchen was heavenly, the smell of fresh scrambled eggs, crisp bacon; which there was a heap of right in the middle of a table in the far side of the room. It perplexed her that pirates had better food than what was served at the orphanage; day old, sometimes molded bread tossed sloppily on trays. Most days there would only be enough food for 100 kids but that didn’t even make up half of the amount of kids. People would have to fight for food sometimes, leaving others severely injured or worse. There were no such things as ketchup, salt, or honey, Y/n didn’t even know what any of those things were. If you asked her if she knew what a condiment was, she would think you were talking about a book of some sorts.

“Where do you even get all of this food?” Y/n asked as she looked around at the room full of men gleefully stuffing their faces without a care in the world, “Hm? Well.. we make sure to stock up on food every few days, of course.” He replied, as if it was nothing, as if food was easily accessible to them at all times, which apparently it was. She took another look at the crew, they all looked as eccentric as their captain, some dressed in circus outfits, stripes and odd hats, someone rode a unicycle to a table while eating his breakfast. A man in the far corner caught her eye, he looked as if he was wearing fur garments, a fur hat and tunic, but as she continued looking at him she noticed that the fur was coming out of his skin.

The captain took an empty glass and a spoon from a nearby table and tapped them together, causing the room to fall silent, they all stared at the captain at first, but then all of their gazes fell upon her. She immediately felt a wave of anxiety rush over her, in the past having all eyes on her didn’t really bother her too much, but ever since she was called in for Judgement Day, she hated the attention. “Listen up men, this little lady just joined our crew, so let’s give her a big welcome and help her feel right at home!” Y/n wasn’t prepared for the amount of noise that would come after the captain’s introduction of her, she couldn’t help but cover her ears when a roar of cheers, hoots and hollers immediately bombarded her ears. They were an extremely enthusiastic bunch.

She felt a little bit out of place. She was now sat at a table, people were piling so much food on her table she didn’t even know what to do with all of it. They were all speaking to her at once, “You gotta try this!” “This goes really good with that!” “You need more syrup on that,” “No she doesn’t!” A fight started over whether or not maple syrup added or took away flavor from a meal. She didn’t even know what “maple syrup” even was.

The food on her plate looked so good, and the smell was enchanting. It actually looked too good to be food, she had never seen anything like it before. It was mesmerizing, the bread especially looked so golden and warm, glossed over with butter that gave it a shine, the sweet honey smell was intoxicating. Y/n didn’t even know it was bread at first, it looked so ethereal, this couldn’t be real food, right? All she had ever known was grey, bland and moldy. She couldn’t believe it. In Getica, they were taught that food was scarce and they had to save every last bite, that fresh food was impossible to obtain. People would kill each other for molded, rotted food, adults fighting with children for scraps and vice versa, but out on the sea, these pirates were just shoveling good, fresh meals down their throats every second without a care.

“Leave the poor girl alone and let her eat!” The captain came up behind her, his hands holding the back of her chair. In an instant, all of the men backed off, giving her some space. They finally stopped piling food onto her plate so she could further take in what she was seeing. “Eat up! You look like you’re starving, you deserve a good meal.” The man said again, patting her back, more gently this time than before. However, she just sat there, utterly awestruck at how unreal this food looked, “I.. I’m not that hungry.” She stated, though her mouth was watering. “What? Oh come on, don’t act like I can’t hear your stomach growling. Eat up, I insist!”

Y/n picked up a fork, it wasn’t wooden, it looked silver, with an elegant floral pattern at the base of it, it felt lightweight between her fingers. She started off with the bread, going to carve a piece off with the fork and matching knife, she expected it to have a hard exterior, but the knife cut through it like water; it was even more softer on the inside, the butter glazed on top gently dripped down into the center when she cut it. The intoxicating, honey-buttery smell grew stronger. She picked up the piece with her fork and held it to her lips, she could practically feel the butter against her skin from the light steam. It was the most flavorful thing she had ever tasted, it melted in her mouth. Even though it was only a small piece, the taste burst in her mouth and she couldn’t stop eating. She took another piece of bread, and then another.

Y/n ate until she was full, which was a new feeling. She didn’t even touch the other food, mostly because everything was so foreign and unfamiliar to her. “You know you can eat more than the bread, right?” The captain laughed. Y/n looked at him, wiping the excess butter from her lips with a napkin, “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” She mumbled, staring at him for a few more seconds, taking in the way he looked in the lantern lighting, “I never got your name.”

“Buggy. Captain Buggy.” He said. His name really did fit with his appearance, it was cute. Y/n looked back down at her plate and shoved the last piece of bread in her mouth, she didn’t even bother cutting it this time.

It was later in the evening, he had been training her all day for what she would be doing on the ship. She was basically in charge of cleaning everything, which included the mountains of plates left by his crew after every single meal and party. It wasn’t easy work. She felt stupid asking about the simplest of things, it was really all so foreign to her. Sometimes she didn’t even ask questions when she really should have, she felt dumb but she knew she wasn’t, right? What even was disinfectant spray? The sun was beginning to set though, and she would finally get some time to really think about what just happened, and what she had just gotten herself into. Y/n was still a walking target, and they were probably looking for her right now. The dean is probably covering up her escape right now, deleting footage from the Judgement Day feed to make it look like she died, while the apprentices were out behind the scenes in the hopes of making that a reality.

Most of the day didn’t even feel real to her honestly, she just joined a pirate crew and every event of the day was just glazing by her so quickly. Her thoughts were a jumble of mess and this creeping feeling of dread wouldn’t shake off of her back, like it was clinging there refusing to let go. There was a constant nagging feeling in the back of her mind, she wasn’t supposed to do this, she wasn’t supposed to be alive standing here. Y/n should be dead right now.

“Hey, listen Y/n.” Buggy stated, she had told him her name earlier in the day, he told her it was the prettiest name he had ever heard, he wouldn’t stop saying it. “I don’t.. really have a separate cabin for you. The crew has their own place where they all sleep but I would feel irresponsible putting you in there since y’know, a lady needs her privacy.” He scratched behind his neck. There was something so endearing about his voice, it was raspy, sometimes deep with the occasional crack, “For the time being I can set up a hammock in my quarters, just until we can find a space for you.”

Y/n gave him a half smile, scoffing lightheartedly, “You don’t have to give me any special treatment just because I’m a girl.” She could tell he felt genuinely embarrassed telling her all of that, but for some reason, she didn’t mind. Yes, she had met this man merely hours ago, but there was something so trustworthy about him, he was warm, friendly and funny. Buggy was relatively harmless, she then spoke up again, “But, if you really insist.. I wouldn’t mind.” She shrugged, her smile growing, to which she hid by turning her face away to look off to the side of the ship.

“Well I do insist! Trust me I know how my crew can get.. especially after a couple of drinks.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “I have responsibility as captain to make sure my new little recruit is comfortable!” He gave her a small pat on the head, his hand felt larger than she thought, it took up her entire scalp. She could feel the thick fabric of his gloves, white clown gloves that were unusual for a pirate to wear. She could see the dirt that had collected on the white from his years as a pirate, she hoped none of that gunk got into her hair.

Buggy’s room was awful, it was a mess. Y/n couldn’t stop her eyes from widening when she saw the sight. What the fuck happened? There were empty and half empty bottles of liquor scattered all over the floor, clothes tossed into piles, garbage littered everywhere. She couldn’t pinpoint what it smelled like, it wasn’t unbearably unpleasant, but extremely musky. Y/n looked over to a table in the far side of the room, right across from his bed to see an open bag of something, more food probably.

Y/n’s wide eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Buggy, which made him grimace slightly, “Uh. Sorry.” He mumbled, “I really should’ve cleaned this up, uh..” he stepped into his room, “Let me set up the hammoc-” before he finished, he tripped on a wayward bottle, letting out a gargled shriek before falling to the hard wood floor. His large body landed with a loud thud.

He rolled over, covering his face, “OW!! MY NOSE!!” He growled.

Y/n quickly rushed over and looked down at him, “Are you ok?!” She asked, kneeling down and putting a hand on his shoulder. Buggy slowly took his hand away from his face. Yeah, his nose is definitely real.

The man’s face was a bright red, he scrambled to sit up, his back now facing her. He was probably embarrassed again but Y/n couldn’t help but find his little slip kind of adorable, and that little shriek that he let out. He waved his hand before standing, boosting himself with a hand on his knee, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” He grumbled, kicking the bottle that tripped him off to the side, to which it clunk against a pile of more empty bottles.

“I’ll help you put the hammock up.” Y/n stood up as well. She fidgeted with her fingers while watching Buggy dig through his rickety old closet. Y/n peeked her head from behind to take a look into it. Half of the clothes weren’t even hanging on the empty hangers, most of them were just crammed into one small pile in the corner of the closet. Lots of jackets, striped shirts, there were a couple of colorful button downs, a bright blue one with bright reddish floral looking patterns caught her eye.

Buggy certainly seemed to love color. She looked back up at him, the red grease paint on his lips had slightly faded which was expected since it was late in the day, but she could see more of his features now that it was smudged away. His stubble was unkempt but attractive, his skin was textured and had creases, probably from his life on the sea. Her eyes trailed, his jacket was off by now so she could see his biceps which flexed with every move he made. Y/n felt heat come to her ears, which made her quickly avert her gaze back to where Buggy was digging into his closet.

Although she noticed something strange, his gloves were gone, better yet his hands were completely missing. She did a double take before quickly grabbing his forearm, “What the hell happened to your hands?!” She exclaimed. Buggy looked down at her for a moment, confused, then a floating pair of gloved hands came flying out from the top shelf of the closet, hovering in the air which made her step back, nearly stumbling over the garbage on the floor.

Buggy was confused for a few more seconds before a look of realization came over his face, “Ohh.. I forgot, you have no idea.” He let out a deep chuckle, his hands casually attaching themselves back at his wrists. “No idea about what?” Y/n snapped, brows furrowed, a bit of an aggressive response, but she was on edge. “About my devil fruit powers.” He snickered, his hands popping off again, one of them floating over to her to pinch her cheek, making her shiver slightly before instinctively pulling away. “I can split apart my body at will, I can’t get cut by any blade, making me practically invincible.” He boasted as he popped his hands back onto his wrists again, rolling his right wrist as it attached with a hand on his bicep.

Y/n was still tense, staring at Buggy as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. She was left speechless as thoughts ran through her head. She always thought devil fruits were something made up to scare kids from venturing too far beyond the towns by themselves. She glanced up to meet Buggy’s gaze, he seemed to be amused at how off put she was. Her eyes flickered back to the top closet shelf, seeing the nets of the hammock in the far corner of it. She walked over, slipping past Buggy to grab it.

“Ah- that’s where it was.” The man croaked out, embarrassed that he had managed to miss it when it was literally right in front of his face.

It didn’t take too long for them to set up the hammock, Buggy threw a few spare pillows and blankets on it, “It’s not much, but it’ll do.” He put his hands on his hips. “Thanks.” Y/n mumbled, looking back up at him, but then looking back down at the hammock. She then nearly toppled over when Buggy gave her a firm pat on the back, “It’s no trouble at all, new girl.” He chuckled before patting her head again, this time ruffling her hair with his filthy gloves. She didn’t seemed to mind it this time, her lips pulling into a soft smile.

“So, I can sleep in this thing without falling out?” Y/n looked back up at him. Buggy shrugged, “I mean, you’re not supposed to fall out, it really just depends on how much you move during your sleep.” He put a hand on his chin as he looked away. Y/n’s gaze flickered over to his mattress that could barely even qualify as a bed, a rickety bed post with pillows tossed onto the floor, his blanket hanging for life off the side, “So you get to sleep in a big comfy bed while everyone else gets these?” She joked.

“Hey! Being a captain is hard work which requires good sleep!” The man barked, making her smile grow. Y/n looked back down at the hammock and adjusted the pillows, “I’m gonna get some sleep too.” She smiled up at Buggy.

Buggy nodded, about to turn away before he looked back down at her, “Oh- wait! Before you do that, the doc said you need to replace those bandages before going to bed.” He walked over to his bedside table and opened a drawer, pulling out a roll of gauze.

Y/n looked back down at the bandages which she had completely forgotten about, she saw the dried bloodstains from her wounds which made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. All of a sudden she was reminded of everything, and the fact that she was most likely being hunted down at this current moment. A pit of dread began to consume her, making her clench her teeth. She felt like she was doing something wrong, she really wasn’t supposed to be alive. Her trap was fully meant to kill her in that moment, she wasn’t supposed to escape.

Buggy sat on the edge of his bed and motioned her, the roll of gauze in his left hand, “Just- sit here. I’m not good at this but I’ll try.” He mumbled. Y/n stood there for a moment, looking down at her arms before turning towards Buggy and nodding softly.

She sat beside of him as he carefully unrolled the bandages on her arms. Y/n’s injuries weren’t healed at all yet, just dried. As Buggy slowly unwrapped the gauze from her right arm, her injuries were slowly revealed to her, making her hold her breath. Her heart raced in her chest, as she kept staring at the gashes mangling her arm, it infested her brain and made her feel a small stinging feeling in her wrists, her breath hitched. Buggy noticed this, glancing up at her for a moment before looking back down at her arms, moving to take off the gauze on her left, “It’s best not to look at them. It’s— really bad.” He said quietly, his voice gruff. Y/n looked at him and nodded, keeping her gaze focused on him, the way he was handling her arms so gently, she even noticed that he had taken off his gloves, the way they were folded on the nightstand. She looked back at him.

“Explosives.” She said, “I had.. bombs, stuck into my arms. I had to rip them out before they exploded.” She added, her voice getting quieter. This made Buggy pause, glancing back up at her, he was in the middle of wrapping up her right arm, he was speechless at first, his mouth hung open, “Oh.” Was what left his mouth first, “Well, that explains it.” His Adam’s Apple bobbed as he swallowed, he paused for a few more seconds, their eyes locked. There was a softness to his gaze as he looked at her, he then broke the contact before continuing to wrap her up.

It was quiet, Y/n looked back down once her arms were nearly wrapped up, she looked at his bare hands. His fingers were strong, slightly calloused yet moved meticulously.

“You’re safe now.” Buggy broke the silence, looking up at her as he slowly moved his hands away, finishing her left arm, “You’re gonna be ok.” He put a hand to her face, his palm was soft and warm, a wave of comfort washed over her, the sickening feeling of dread from a while ago seemed to disappear at his touch. Y/n’s gaze softened as it locked with his. She slowly reached up to touch his wrist gently, holding his hand to her face.

He gaze her cheek a gentle pat, putting his hands on his knees before standing, “You should.. get some sleep now.” Buggy said, not looking at her as he walked to take his shirt off. Y/n couldn’t help but stare at his toned back, she had a better few of his biceps from this angle.

She then nodded a few minutes late before standing and walking over to the hammock, giving Buggy’s body a few more glances when he wasn’t looking as she got comfortable under the thick, but comfortable blanket. Y/n was surprised at how soft it was, the fabric wasn’t thin, rough or itchy like the ones back home. It was comforting, like a warm hug.

Y/n sunk deeper into the blanket until her entire body was engulfed, curled up underneath the soft comforter. But she peeked out, watching Buggy as he threw his pillows and blankets back on the bed, adjusting it and straightening his sheets. He looked back at her, noticing how she was looking at him from under the blanket. They locked gazes again for a moment, Y/n caught a glimpse of his thick, fluffy chest hair.

“Goodnight.” He said before turning away, crawling into his bed and laying with his back facing her.

“Night.” She mumbled, fully burrowing into the blankets before shutting her eyes.

[fafayayarhen]

Any Austria headcanons?

shaking

vibrating

tumbling over

hi. yes. so. enjoy my ramblings of specific Austria | Roderich headcanons from me because my credentials include 5 - 6 years of RP experience writing, researching, writing, musing him

some canon points i took and expanded upon with prevalent historical elements that does fit what i see from the series, certain elaborations that comes from further delve into the unique entanglement of the Habsburg influence upon their claim to the imperial fief of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Duchy

Austria being a far more rowdy, feral, unrestrained youth when the Austrian Duchy absolutely flourished during the Babenberg rule by the successive lead of dukes Leopold. (Yes, dukes. All of them were named Leopold and distinguished only by the numerical order.) During Leopold III, Leopold the Illustrious reign, he was a bit of a punk that not only successfully expanded the duchy with more towns and cities, he joined the third crusade and took command of the German battalion when the previous commander died (Duke Frederick of Swabia). This is the origins of the legend where Austria's flag was created, the signature triband of red, white, red. The Duke's bloodstained uniform when he removed his belt revealed the untouched hidden stripe of white and he went with that - given the track record of these dukes and their prosperous deeds in battle, Roderich would've been that young man who eagerly joined his dukes in each and every conflict, fighting alongside them, and that bit with the bloodstained uniform would've been applied to Roderich as well.

He was a country bumpkin because of this. Had been one since he first came to be, which honestly in my years of writing him is difficult to pinpoint exactly which year given the interesting track records that offers Roman roots (the Noricum province in the then Roman empire), or the first documented use of "Marcha Orientalis" meaning the eastern march, first established by the Bavarian following the battle of Lechfeld in 955 that drove out the rest of the Magyars and fortifying the eastern front once the stronghold is built and fortified. Often I go with this latter interpretation whilst also making good of applying the possible Roman lineage given Noricum was where the land of the east would be. He was just a little country boy Bavaria found after the battle and was like ay yO I GOT A KID.

Bavaria would've spoiled the kid. Cutie. Little march. Sure it's concerning he can already wield a sword but hey you gotta do what you can do to survive! Very apt in swordsmanship and I honestly see his preferred blade of choice is the curved style of a saber, that in turn encompasses his then more outlandish nature - because in sword fighting, saber attacks are far more aggressive despite the refined, graceful look to it. Bavaria would've taught Austria all there is when it comes to fighting when the little march was growing and maturing.

Austria physically matured fast. Which lends itself to the state of his mentality as an empire being pretty fucked because he didn't get to be a child for too long, given how quickly he rose and was refined into this eminent symbol, representative, personification of this imperial fief. During his time as margraviate, he would've already looked like a 10 - 11 y/o pretty soon, then when the later Babenberg generations manage to obtain the Privilegium Minus elevating their territory into a dukedom, he would've had the appearance of a 15 - 16 y/o boy. Because this was a crucial period entering the 1200s onwards, when the succession claim for the duchy became a widely contested issue after the Babenberg line went extinct.

The Bohemian kingdom snatched it pretty quickly with Austrian nobilities actually being in favour for them to rule the duchy, but there was an issue. As imperial fief, the dietary court ruled by the prince electors was the one who called the shots of who'll get to rule the fief next. King Ottokar disregarded this and claimed the duchy for himself and he would've spoiled the Austrian duchy rotten because guess what. Ottokar was incredibly wealthy. I find it absolutely hilarious it was thanks to this man Roderich became... the pampered gemstone he is. To really contextualize how rich Ottokar was, not only was his moniker the Golden King, his earnings was ten times more than the imperial revenue itself that they do not. Want. Ottokar. As emperor. Roderich didn't mind, the former country bumpkin went from a fighter to being throw into this new lavish life where he gets to be comfortable and in prettier clothes, and introduced to Bohemian culture, way of religion, made friends with Bohemia, of course he'd be placated the same way the Austrian nobilities welcomed Ottokar!

Only for his rival, king Rudolf of Habsburg with ambitions to become emperor absolutely get in his way. It was a mess and the then still immature, teenage duchy didn't quite understand the perilous struggle over something he thought was a simple territorial claim and would later learn of the significance when Ottokar was defeated, died in battle, and was finally claimed into Habsburg possession. But it's important to note that Rudolf didn't succeed as emperor. God bless. He was a menace and Roderich would've more than kicked and screamed and tried to bite Rudolf's ear off because guess what. Rudolf was less richer than Ottokar. At least five shillings in bad coin poorer that the country bumpkin having tasted wealth looked at the new ruling figure over his land with disdain because where was the splendour? Where is his comfort?

I may get booed for this but I honestly envisioned he didn't need eyewear until after the dissolution of the empire. Listen to me, he was in good health and perfect physical condition as a rapidly growing fief, he was a good boy who ate his meals, went hunting, practiced his swordsmanship, kept fit, that any and all semblance of incapacitation wouldn't be until after the end that signifies the loss of status and power. The worsening vision thus making him require the glasses on a daily, the frailer physicality simply because in the present day he is not needed to fight, to fend, to exhaust himself tirelessly to grow as a power he no longer was, hence his more laidback habits, hobbies, and being winded easily. And there's nothing wrong with that, you know? He said he wanted to live a good, modest life from here on out and he got that. He's had his run.

Back to more history stuff, remember the bit about his country bumpkin identity? The Spanish Court Ceremonials beat every ounce of it from him. Because one, it was infamously a strict set of conduct by the Spanish constituents in court. And secondly, following the creation of the Spanish Habsburg branch when the succession of marriages into the Spanish monarchy obtaining the crowns of Castile and Aragorn through Maximilian's descendants, Philips and Charles, the Austrians eagerly adopted the customs of their Spanish in laws to foster a harmonious relationship between each other, and in turn Roderich learned the etiquette to a T that perfectly shaped him into the elegant, composed, refined imperium representative he was, finally the revered gemstone befitting the surname he wears; Edelstein. In part, acclimatizing to the Spanish identity was an attempt to better cement his and his first husband, Spain, matrimonial arrangement.

This is completely self indulgent on my part because I love the domino effect and exploring Austria's | Roderich's dynamic with the significant rulers of the dynasty. Maximilian would've been behind the machinations of Roderich's eventual marriage to Antonio. This reflects how his will to bring Spanish inheritance into Habsburg's possessions was achieved when Philip married Joana of Castile, and their heir, Charles, the next Holy Roman Emperor; legitimized the claim over much of the New Worlds and the Holy Roman Empire ... massive wealth and treasure reserves. I imagined the conversation between Maximilian quizzing Roderich on how to better secure their chances of success, thus in turn being one of the rulers that taught the Austrian better when it comes to these political schemes which becomes his weapon later on, telling Roderich to get married. Roderich would have stared and responded, "What?"

Speaking of marriages and the Habsburg being notorious for abusing the ever living daylights out of this strategy? "O'happy Austria, you marry," that saying? The full quote is, "Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube. Nam quae Mars aliis, dat tibi ragna Venus." Let others wage war, but thou, O'happy Austria, marry. For those kingdoms which Mars gives to others, Venus gives to thee. Coined by Matthias Corvinus, the then Hungarian king in the 1400s. And when did Maximilian reigned? 1459 - 1519. The king of the Romans, the most celebrated warlord with a pension for fishing (I kid you not) masterminded some couple of marriages including his own to Mary of Burgundy which brought the possessions of the Low Countries soon into his and the empire's ownership, would have been the instrumental force imparting the wisdom of marriage being the solution to every problem unto Roderich. Young, impressionable Roderich thought, you know what? He's right. Poor Austria didn't think he'd be delivered on the altar is all.

Austria is a polyglot. One, not only are languages and the arts were some of the core subjects for the monarchs, two, Roderich would have more than enough time on his hands to literally retain the fluency of multiple languages. Guess what, another historical tidbit and whom the princess would be inspired by; Emperor Charles. The man could speak an array from French, Dutch, Spanish, even Basque, and Portuguese, and having this disposition to outperform himself each time because Roderich was entangled with that drive to succeed through any and every means, this skill is not only handy but gives him a reason to flex that he can speak Latin still even if rusty from the un-use, Castilian Spanish, Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Dutch, Portuguese, French, the High German in use today, and bit of Polish. Something about it gives him an advantage that if he can find anything, everything to impose himself above a person, Roderich would absolutely refine it.

He is fond of horses. He is absolutely fond of, and would own one of the original dynasty of the Lipizzaner breed. Let him have his immortal pet. Please. Horseback riding is another favourite activity of his in the past, he'd practice it still in present but not at the same capacity and intensity he once did. So a little about the Lipizanner and why they're special - a product of the Habsburgs. They wanted an agile. faster horse and the cross breeding with Spanish breeds resulted in the end product called a Lipizzan, and where it was first conceived was in a stud farm at Lipica (present day Slovenia) established by a Habsburg monarch. I forgot the dude's name but he would've been thrilled unveiling this creation to Roderich, and was gifted one. And if you're wondering, that's right, these same horses are the specially preserved breed in use for dressage at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Yet another pride and labour of love of the Habsburgs. And in turn, Roderich.

Austria | Roderich strikes me as the type who'd own two large dog breeds. A German shepherd and Dobermann. Something about this pretty looking man and the scariest dogs guarding him gives such immaculate vibes, and frankly the dogs are required to stave off unwanted attention and bite anyone untowards.

Multiple residences owned throughout the nine federal states of Austria. One, for ease of travelling for work purposes so he'd have a cozy place to stay in and two, it's such a thing that since the end of his major power days, becoming closer to and working alongside his people contributes to his growth and goal of living an honest life for himself that he gets to be an authentic person doing what he believes is the best for his people. As opposed to during his time as an empire, he was too high up and never saw for himself the subjects he ruled when he was the emblem of hegemony.

TBC. Because it's midnight and I am passing out. But. Just.

Yeah

[mapofredemption]

these tags are everything

Hi lovely! Can I please request some hc or a scenario where MC is at the masquerade but got ditched and rejected by their crush (who is now their former crush), Lucio saw this and comes to make things better. Cheering them up and dancing with them? ♥️ thank you dear ♥️♥️♥️

Of course ^^💙💙

He’d been watching you all night , waiting for the perfect opportunity to approach you

You’d been alone for a while now, idly circling a finger on the rim of your glass with a frown

Now was as good a time as any for him to make his way to you

He gives a soft kiss to the back of your hand after he greets you, he’ll ask “What’s a pretty thing like you doing here all alone? A doll like you deserves an escort, care to join me?”

When you explain that you’d been waiting on someone who’d apparently stood you up, he’s willing to try and make your night better

He promises to make your time worthwhile and boy does he deliver

You hold onto his arm for the entire night as he leads you from room to room, he’ll talk with you between rooms or while getting drinks so you can get to know each other better

A few times during the night, he’ll ask for your hand to join him in dancing

You don’t need to be good at dancing either, he can work with whatever skill you have and doesn’t mind as long as you don’t wreck his boots by stepping on them too many times

And if the person who you were supposed to be with shows up with someone else, hell yeah he’s gonna call them out on standing you up which probably makes them lose their other date for the night

He bids you goodnight with a freshly picked white rose, a kiss to your cheek if you’ll allow it, and a carriage for you to get back to your shop safely

But if you’re more interested in staying the night with him, let’s just say he has absolutely no problem with that

[celestialtrolls-moved]

Aelynn is ready for the ball! The result of blood, sweat and tears (both mine and hers), and now I'm gonna go let my hand collapse and potentially fall off my body!

But that's not all, because I put my whole brain into this design, so click the read more to see ME EXPLAIN NEARLY EVERY SINGLE DESIGN DECISION I MADE AND WIPS

themes that were kept in mind

CARNEVALE CONFECTIONS: A BLOODSTAINED MASQUERADE

Sogno Dell’Arlecchino + Blood & Candy

inspiration focuses were chocolates, vampires (blood and gothic), carnevale (harlequins), decadence and detail, and Italy. just. in general.

DRAFT 1, sketch

writing, from top left to bottom right

makeup is carnevale inspired, maybe jade for vampire/rainbow drinker

ribbon-like chocolate gift decoration (in hair)

drips - blood? chocolate? (necklace)

wavy hair to invoke pouring chocolate

cream filling or icing (around the hem of bust)

rhinestones in hair and in tulle for decadence

tulle (bustle) -> make it lace, more common in carnevale costumes

caramel drizzle, small jewels as 'salt' (decorating the gloves)

corset VERY IMPORTANT for vampiresque vibe

subtle pattern (on the corset)

like little maltesers (on the bustle)

alternating black and white (skirt panels)

the dress shape itself was inspired by several looks from 'salon du chocolat' fashion shows, however this was abandoned

DRAFT 2, lines (attempt 1)

switched to a long skirt for a more classic silhouette, skirt drafts

based on various cake decoration methods, asked in servers which i should go with and then tried to merge the chocolate chips and the icing for maximum decadence, however

chocolate chips were abandoned due to looking somewhat messy

some rhinestones were placed to replace them much later

LINEWORK, attempt 2 (i redrew the entire thing with a thinner lineweight)

as well as the things written here, i switched out the hairpiece from chocolate squares to unturned fangs and roses

i also included the rest of the moodboard i was using in this image so you can see the other things i was inspired by

COLOUR DRAFTS

tried roughly placing colour in this phase, wanted to have a bright lilac main colour to balance out the dark details and hair, since carnevale costumes tend to be extremely bright and eye-catching, tried to avoid using completely desaturated colours

decided to put the gradient at the bottom of the dress because putting it at the top made it look like it wasn't one piece with the bust, wasn't really happen with the contrast between the leg ribbons and the lilac however

part way through colouring i decided i hated the lilac, tried to darken it a little, still didn't like it, turned it black

decided to hand-draw a tonne of embroidery for the corset because most carnevale dresses have heavy detail in texture and lace pattern

the front two panels are paisley/plant-inspired and then the panels on the back which is then echoed for the translucent torso piece are geometric patterns based off of commedia dell'arte costumes for the character trope 'harlequin'

the torso piece also has small unique embroidered flowers in each of the larger empty spaces because seriously these carnevale outfits go so heavy on patterns

more italian gothic architecture, this hatched pattern has a multiply layer depicting the Duomo of Siena onto the fan, which is a fascinating piece of architecture that spanned centuries to finish

[misterstrawberrypwpw]

A little cruel tale

Chapter 6 Rich Events

*Stories need to continue, especially when my little brother dragged me fishing. I mean, ahem, never mind. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, hasn't it? How long has it been?*

- SHUT UP ALREADY!!!!

- Princess, take it easy.

*Well, that's the pie. I thought I'd forgotten how to write in such a long time, until this new chapter. The end is pretty near, with the last mistress left, and freedom at last. Can the prince and princess get out of here in good health? The princess won't.*

- Didn't I tell you to shut up?

*Oh, that's it! Shut up, shut up! You won't even let me talk to the reader! But I guess the princess is right, enough talking and it's time to continue. It's been a long time since those two went through that awful second door. First they cried together, then they slept together, either way it's been a long time. But you can't just sit around like this. How much do not sit and do not cranky, but we must go on, the last door is left. But remembering the past horrible experience with the second door... Honestly, I didn't want to.*

- Princess! We can't just sit idly by, we have to keep moving! The exit is almost here!

*The prince said cheerfully and optimistically, clenching his hand into a fist. The prince was right. But the princess was overcome by a terrible feeling, a feeling that there was a horrible aura around this room, and she didn't want to get into it.*

- Look, maybe we shouldn't. We can go through the past rooms in more detail, see if there's any clues. For example. Room one,

*The princess was adamantly against going into the third room. She knew what was in there and she didn't want to hurt the prince with it. Had she really gotten so... So emotional? Or sympathetic and understanding... Instead of listening to the prince, she wanted to think about her own and understand her feelings and herself, but the prince's voice prevented that from happening.*

- Princess, even if something terrible happens out there, we will still be there for each other. Remember? You're my hands and I'll be your feet

*The princess was silent. He did have a point, but.... The princess looked worriedly at the floor for a few moments, but then smiled and looked at the prince, pulling the smile down to her ears*.

- Okay.

*The princess gave in. No matter how much she protested this, no matter how much she resisted, she would end up the loser. The prince smiled slightly and nodded his head and took the princess in his arms, slowly approaching the last room.*

- What are you so afraid of, princess?

- I don't know... I just have a bad feeling about this room... AND I'M NOT REALLY AFRAID, YOU KNOW?!!!!

- Okay, okay.

*The prince smiled awkwardly, trying to reassure the princess, who in turn was a little offended, but.... Isn't he right? The princess was silent. When the prince went to the door, the princess opened it. It was dark, but not empty either. The prince and the princess walked into the room, the door closed behind them.*

- This... Looks like the room you were in, right princess?

-... Yes, let's go back

-...

*The prince humbly walked forward into the depths of this room*

- You- okay.

*The princess had to give up, after all, she can't go anywhere on her own, and she can't control her own path, so she'll have to give up, and... Wasn't she the one who told the prince to learn words like "no"? She had, so there was no point in arguing now, and she didn't want to, she wasn't in the mood. Going deeper and deeper, the boys found swords, shields they hadn't seen before, even armor fragments*.

- M? There seems to have been a battle here before, or... Whose is this?

- Probably the landlady's.

- I wonder what she's like

*The prince of the white rose asked rhetorically. The path continued on and on until they came across a bloodstain.*

- Huh? Blood?

-...

*As they walked deeper and deeper, the princess suddenly yanked the prince's shoulder, causing him to stop.*

- Hey, do you want to hear a joke?

- No

*The prince said sternly and seriously ♪ He sees the princess trying to distract him, he sees it perfectly, and that's why he's going to continue on his way.*

- STOP! You're not going to like what you see out there!

*Shouted the princess suddenly, trying to hide her despair, under a calm face and a slight smile.*

- But I don't like the fact that we're going to be sitting around for a long time while victory and the exit are just a few steps away.

- ...

- It's not like we've had it easy before, or easy in general. That's why I'm sure that together we will manage with our common efforts. No matter what happens.

- Your optimistic thoughts again, aren't you?

- Maybe that's true, but I'm not going backwards.

*The princess' optimism bothered her, and very much so, despite the fact that she was hiding it. Why is he so stubborn? He wasn't like this before! A few steps passed by, top, top and stop. There were many people lying on the ground, painted in a beautiful, maroon color. The blood was congealed, long ago, and the bodies were already slowly starting to decompose. A horrible and foul odor filled the room, rotten. Fortunately there were no flies. The prince was frozen in place from shock, shifting his attention to the faces of these people, their clothes, trying to understand who they used to be, whose lives they used to live.... Here were princes and princesses from different kingdoms, who were just as likely to be missing as the red rose princess herself. All these people were familiar to the prince of the white rose, because he had seen all these faces, then on holidays at balls, or anywhere else, but he did not know them personally. What attracted his particular attention was... The fabric. A yellow dress, with a pattern of daffodils, and ... Blue fabric, with daisy designs. He felt very heavy and depressed..... He had known these people since he was a child. Their states were very close friends with each other, so he often played together with them as a child. You could say they were his only good friends, whom he trusted very much and even owed them a lot of things, and now... They're just lying corpse stains on the ground.

- Ryo... Sayaka...

-... I told you that you shouldn't have come in here

- You knew?

-...

*The prince didn't care about the questions, so he ignored the conversation. The bodies were recent, for they had not even had time to decompose. The prince walked over to them and lowered the princess to the floor and sat down next to the corpses. When the daffodil princess was reported missing, the daisy prince immediately went in search of the princess. The prince of the white rose also wanted to do so very much, but he couldn't because he was very busy that time, and then.... He trusted his childhood friend very much, so he counted on him and trusted him, but in the end ... They were now lying here, on the cold floor next to each other, and holding each other's hand. The prince didn't know what he was supposed to be feeling right now. He should have been hysterical, sobbing, but.... He ended up staring at the two bodies with empty eyes. The prince of the white rose felt a multitude of emotions, there were so many that his brain would simply explode from such an overabundance. That's why he was trying to protect himself in this way, which people often take for 'emptiness'.*

- You...

*It was hard to even say a few words, but the princess understood what the prince of the white rose wanted to say.*

- No, I don't mind if we stay here for a while and pray for them.

*Said the red rose princess calmly. Of course she knew that the three of them were best friends, again from the prince's own stories. She of course is not particularly religious, and the church she does not like, but for the sake of at least a little support for the prince of the white rose, who "the right parents taught the right manners of modern society."*

-... Thank you.

*The prince thanked the princess with a slightly devastated sigh, folding his hands together in front of him and closing his eyes.*

- We should hurry up, we can't stay here too long.

*The prince just nodded and the princess made the same gesture as the prince, starting to pray with him. Even though the princess wasn't a believer, she was also tried for a long time to impose this stupid stereotype, so she knows some things. Nowadays it is very fashionable to believe in this or that religion, in god, in angels, which is what countries and states do. Why do it? Why believe in someone when you can become a god yourself? A man is first of all a god for himself, because he himself decides what path he will choose. That's why the princess doesn't like this popularization of religions. But she supported the prince, she wanted to support him because of stupid affection, you could say that. Silence and a long, long prayer that gave calmness to the surroundings. In the dalek was heard the noise of metal on stone, as if something metallic and sharp was being dragged. By the way, I forgot to mention that the dead had horrible wounds on them, inflicted by sharp things, it was either a sword or a scythe, or some other melee weapon. How quiet it is around here... Suspiciously quiet. The princess' hands slowly took hold of the prince's sword, and suddenly! Repulsed the attack with a slash from behind. The mistress, with her weapon, flew aside after her sudden attack was repulsed. And the author finally came home and washed the floors, hurray! But that's not the point.*

- Attacking from behind? That's cheating and unfair! I wish she'd at least let me do it! What a generation.

*The princess looked jokingly at her mistress, who was ready for another attack. The prince was so focused on prayer that he didn't even notice the fight. The mistress looked literally like a real death: black cloak stained with red liquid, her hair was gray and long, and in her hands she held a scythe, which was stained with pieces of meat and blood, smelled terrible, where is hygiene? While the prince was praying, the princess was fighting with the mistress, how? After all, it's very uncomfortable going back and forth without legs! Well, not that she fought directly, but rather fought off the attacks of the mistress herself while the prince of the white rose was praying. But when the prince had finished praying and saw what was going on around him... He regretted opening his eyes.*

- What- why-

- Finally! I thought I couldn't wait for you! Never mind, let's just kill the bitch quickly.

- Princess!

- What?

*The princess rolled her eyes as she fought off the attacks. The prince of the white rose quickly gathered his thoughts and stood up, taking the princess in his arms. Looks like this fight is going to be a long one. As expected it was a very long and long battle, well, even quite uncomfortable. The mistress was fast, and didn't give even the slightest second to pant. But despite this, our heroes did not give up and gave her a fight back! This battle went on for a very long and painful time, it seemed like an eternity before suddenly passed that... What the princess was trying so furiously to protect the prince from. The princess of the room grabbed the princess's hair during the battle and started pulling on it.*

- DAMN IT!

*And it was quite long and shaggy and wavy, which made it harder. The princess started holding her head up and trying to pull her own hair back, which didn't work.*

- GET OFF!

*The princess looked very unhappy. It was like she was getting ready to turn into a scary monster. It didn't happen. Before the prince could blink his eyes, the wig of beautiful brown hair fell to the ground, along with the crown, which made a distinctive sound.*

- Huh?

*This... Wig? The prince of the white rose looked at the princess, while she sat with her head down, as if trying to hide, or hide her face. Instead of a wig, the princess now had short brown hair on her head, which was just as absurdly shaggy and wavy. The prince did not expect this, and from surprise, accidentally dropped the princess on the floor, and himself, stepped back a little away from the shock of surprise. Now it was as if he had... Realized. Seeing the face of the princess. Is that really a princess?*

- Princess, are you-

-... Go away

- No! Let's talk calmly, it's--

- I SAID WALK AWAY.

*Now, in front of him, on the ground sat no longer a princess, but a... A guy, a guy in a princess dress, was now sitting on the floor with his hands resting on the floor, his eyes fixed on the floor. The guy slowly raised his hand, towards the prince and as he opened it, it was as if the prince was hit by a very strong gust of wind! Which threw him out of the room and into the wall, causing him to hit his head, and the door.... Locked again with a loud slam.*

- Ugh. FUCK!

*The prince of the white rose spat out a bad word, rolling off the wall and onto the floor, sitting up.*

-... What am I supposed to do now? What an idiot I am...

*The prince was angry now, angry not at the boy but at himself. He should have reacted differently, he thought to himself. The prince of the white rose was being too hard on himself. Instead of a princess, there was some guy.... But who is he? Was it a switch? Was the princess being switched? Or... Slapping his forehead, he stood up and tried to open the door, it was locked. What a shame, but what luck that he had the sword on him! And he im- ARGH*

- That's enough. I know you know where he is, so I'm sorry, but it's very important for me to meet him and talk to him. You know where he is, don't you?

*While that voice was busy chattering. I stealthily approached the invisible creature and stabbed it with my sword to dispel the dark magic. As I thought and patiently listened to that voice, I realized... That this place was filled with dark magic. The princess, or-- What's the right name for it? Okay, let it be a guy, because after all I don't even know his name, or hers? Lots of questions I'd like answers to, and I'm sure this voice could definitely answer a couple. The magic starts to dissipate, and instead of an empty corner, I see.... A book? A?*

- Prince, prince! I got it, I got it, get that thing out!!! I'll say anything and I'll answer!!!!

*Book... A talking book. When the book talked, it opened up a little bit. The book itself was red in color, and it had one eye painted on each side. Is it really a talking and flying book? I patted my eyes in surprise, but I ended up pulling out my sword. The book descended neatly to the floor, standing up but with its top down, as if he wanted to lower his head ... If he had one. Stop! He said he would answer.... Can you read my mind?!*

- Yeah, I can read everything that's written.

- What's written?

- You're not the main character. That's why you don't know we're in a fanfic about some girl who's driving in a car to her grandmother's house in the country.

- ................... What?

*l... I don't know what he's talking about right now, but his voice. Sounded like a 30-year-old man. It looks so funny, I can't stop myself from laughing right now.*

- Whatever, you wouldn't understand.

- Okay?

- You want answers in there, don't you?

- Right.

- Uh-huh. Okay

*The book exhaled, and the wound in the center of the book had already healed *

//I... Yay! Post! I know how long no one was waiting for it, so I wrote it so suddenly! Well... What can I say about it. I didn't like the way it was written, even though this chapter is eventful. Yes, as you've already realized, all the other kids from the game except Shunsuke, Yuichi, and Takumi are dead. I thought it was a cool parallel between the true ending where the living are alive, and the dead one where everyone is dead, about Takumi... I just felt sorry for him, that's all. Huh... What else can I write here? Yeah, I'm sorry it's so long, it took me a long time to write it, even though I had ideas, and even had scenes ready in my head (Compulsive reveries, heh), but the main thing is that I wrote it! So I'm proud of myself, and with the help of my new writing style and quickly got up to par, even more so! Well... Yeah, about the story book. I thought it would be cool to have him be a full character, and help the reveal, one plus. Well, that's it! Bye, everybody!

[kenphobia]

NOTHING'S NEW!

characters. vertin/schneider

contents. self-indulgent verneider; im still on chapt 2, part 6 i think; does it classify as whump; inspired from the "in every universe" trend that was going on tiktok; also rio romeo <33

In every other universe, may it be as small as a kindle or as bright and vicious as a supernova, Vertin and Schneider could never be together.

Simple glimpses of each other on the subway during early morning, or brushing of a hand against hand whenever they across paths in the busy street, or perhaps the casual conversation that took place in empty school hallways as the afternoon sheds its light from the windows— Love finds them in the strangest, the sweetest situation, but it does not stay for too long.

The smell of oranges will always trail after Schneider like a tantalizing smoke, and Vertin follows it like a wandering ghost. Through every dimension, in every era, they will chase after one another until the other breaks and one stays to collect the pieces and kiss the remains.

Only when the hot winds blew hotter, and the sun descended at the right angle, shall this universe's Schneider and Vertin meet. Upon the bridge that hung heavy and red, empty and smokey from the cars that crowded it all afternoon. When fireworks lit up the sky and filled the dusty air, a tingling feeling like sparks ignited within them at the simplest skinship. Yelps pulled from each other's mouths as they bumped into each other as a basket of oranges fall to the ground, one falling off the ledge until a gloved hand caught it at the last second.

And for the "first" time in Vertin's life have she looked into the eyes of a bright, somber red, like bloodstains on the pure white rose— color like a lost feather drifting in the wind. And when Schneider touched a strange woman's hand, callouses felt through the fabric over their palms and a sense of familiarity washed over her for a split second.

Nothing was said between this Vertin and Schneider, only a few greetings and apologies was uttered before they move on to their lives, forever stuck turning their gazes afar when they catch sight of their beautiful stranger. Many times has they tried to worked up the courage to talk to each other, only to back out upon feeling cold feet and forever regard each other as a beautiful stranger until their breath comes to a close.

It would've been like that for this universe, where a life of neutrality leads and ends them. But the citrus scent only grows stronger and stronger each universe and the heartbeat keeps on beating on, whether it be to the corpses' dance or to Vertin's own.

notes. my friends suffered on discord for this drabble to exist, youre very very much welcome

[painted-kneecaps]

How to Smell Like an Avatar of Fear

-A Comprehensive List-

From a hobbyist perfume collector and avid TMA listener

Did you know that smell, out of all the five senses, is the one most linked to memory and emotion? With my help, you too can invoke a sense of unease in the minds of friends, enemies and strangers everywhere !!

DISCLAIMER: I have not tried every, or even most, of the perfumes on this list. However, I have purchased and enjoyed perfumes from all of the houses listed.

-The Buried-

Name: Geosmin

House: Osmofolia

Scent profile: wet aldehydes, ozone, geosmin, fresh water, petrichor, soil

-The Corruption-

Name: Pile of green goo

House: Death and Floral

Scent profile: Partially rotting wood and oakmoss, white oudh, deep & enchanting crushed rose resins

-The Dark-

Name: The Raven

House: Alkemia

Scent profile: Ebony heartwood, black amber, black pepper, blackseed (habbatul barakah), black Bengal cardamon, black ink, nigella (black coriander), black iris, violet leaves, and leather. 

-The Desolation-

Name: A City On Fire

House: Imaginary Authors

Scent profile: Cade oil, Spikenard, Cardamom, Clearwood, Dark Berries, Labdanum, Burnt Match

-The End-

Name: Bones melting together

House: Death and Floral

Scent profile: Dusty dry bone dust accord, coffin wood, bergamot

-The Extinction-

Name: Industrial Sabotage

House: Alkemia

Scent profile: A cataclysmic wreckage of burnt wires; twisted melted steel; shattered machinery, and gunpowder. 

-The Eye-

Name: Book of Shadows

House: Alkemia

Scent profile: A biblichor of eldritch books - heavy parchment paper, ancient iron oak gall ink, crumbling leather bindings, and wafts of rare incenses.

-The Flesh-

Name: Writer’s Blood

House: Alkemia

Scent profile: iron-tinged blood, a manuscript soaked in spilled black coffee, and an overturned tin of rolling tobacco.

-The Hunt-

Name: The wolf only needs luck to find you once

House: Death and Floral

Scent profile: Crisp forest night air, lunar musk, large drifting oakwood trees, the musky scent of a trailing shadow.

-The Lonely-

Name: The people you love become ghosts inside of you

House: Death and Floral

Scent profile: Heavenly musk, lingering funeral flowers, cold scent of vanilla in an empty corridor, handprints on a foggy window

-The Slaughter-

Name: The Highwayman

House: Alkemia

Scent profile: Sweat stained black leather, night air, a dirt road under galloping hooves, tobacco, bloodstained lace, gunpowder

-The Spiral-

Name: Finally A Star

House: Osmofolia

Scent profile: The glitz of cardamom and sparkling grapefruit stars, outer space ozone, dreamy tuberose, searing gunpowder, and a ham hock for a head. Inspired by Jack Stauber's song The Ballad of Hamantha.

-The Stranger-

Name: Wax museums

House: Death and Floral

Scent profile: Sweet and warm liqueur, elegant suede, black currant, beeswax absolute, magnolia heart

-The Vast-

Name: With the fishes and the dead

House: Death and Floral

Scent profile: Black squid ink and mile long oceans. Black ambergris, black labdanum absolute, salty ocean water, and black pits of stretched out emptiness.

-The Web-

Name: Dustsceawung

House: Alkemia

Scent profile: The scent of forbidden explorations and an olfactory meditation on dust: attic air, the inside of old trunks, abandoned haylofts, library stacks, and abandoned buildings.

[harveybwabbit92]

SPARK DOLL AU: Belial is at a Halloween party with R/n they’re having a costume party, and no one can figure out who R/n and Belial are supposed to be! Belial is dress in this fancy white 1920′s style suit and fedora with fake blood staining his mouth black leather gloves and a broach made up of three black roses on his left breast pocket, While R/n is dressed as some sort of survivor? she has on this bloodstained green jacket, torn blue sweater dress and muddy jeans, and her left hand bandaged, They said it’s from video game, but everyone is drawing blanks.

=========================

Zero (he's dressed as Mario), throws hands up in defeat.: Ok, I give up, who are you two suppose ta be? I know you said from a video game…But I can't for the life of me figure it out!

Belial: Really? And after how much you and the boy were thirsting after her? I’m disappointed in you Zero brat, all of you young ones in fact.

Seven, (who's dressed as Kratos): Just cut the crap and tell us who you are already!

R/n: We’re gender swapped Resident Evil, I’m Ethel Winters and Belial is Lord Alcino Dimitrescu.

Belial: I’m surprised me greeting R/n with “So we finally meet Ms. Winters.” didn’t tip anyone off.

Riku, (dressed as Don Shine): Woah... That’s freaking awesome!

80, dressed as a dragon: Did you have that suit made for just the party?

R/n: Nah, It was my great-grandpa’s he was about the same height as Belial, though the size had to be adjusted, my grandpa was beanstalk compared to him.

{Needless to say. Belial and R/n won Halloween that year.]

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

[nightclimes]

Bloodstains, by bowblade

Fandom: Overwatch Relationships: Ouihaw (Ashe/Widowmaker) Rating: M Wordcount: 118,214 (27 chapters, complete) A gothic romance Junkenstein-verse fic featuring Countess Widowmaker, a vampire, and Warlock/Little Red Ashe, cursed to be a wolf. Featuring fairy tale curses, pining, falling in love and a defiance of the fate bestowed to you... and vampire bites, of course.

Preview of Chapter 1 and full list of tags/warnings below the read more. Read at AO3.

Thunder looms, and out on the lake through the floor to ceiling window lightning strikes. The room illuminates for but a single solitary moment, but it's enough.

A shock of white hair and flecked deep red on her clothes to match the lipstick on her mouth, and the white of her teeth as the human wolf grins up at her.

"Now that wasn't very nice of you."

Feminine. Werewolf. Bandit. Thief.

"Outlaw," the countess recognises. Another defender of the Door in it for the money, who had vanished into the darkness of the night the moment Adlersbrunn was saved – or to the depths of the dungeons and quite a few vaults, given the immediate spate of petty robbery in the days after, written off as inevitable after zomnics take the town prisoner.

Her doing, as it happens. Her doing still. The outlaw had asked her, once, if she'd run into any thieves, and she'd told her hounds had.

It makes sense now why that doesn't and didn't bother her.

Another crash. Boom, boom, boom, like shotgun pellets. The outlaw does a dignified miniature rolling wave with her good arm, only it's not so good, as she winces and cradles it back toward her body. Her shirt hangs limp across one shoulder, with the majority of it wrapped around her torso, covering her ribs. Even she's surprised by how many scars she has. Wrapped around every bone and healed over, a thorn patch of ivy or roses. Yes, the perfume's odour makes sense, now. She vaguely recollects the fondness with the ink of a vine around her forearm, about the one place that isn't scarred. Clearly, this isn't the first scrape the outlaw hasn't perished in and lived.

No matter how much she heals, the reminder never fades.

It's different to a vampire. Or maybe just the same. The wounds on her neck pulse, faintly, and the countess rolls her shoulder. Regardless of her scars or her underdressed state, that still doesn't explain what exactly she's doing in her chateau and her parlour other than getting blood all over the upholstery.

"Why are you here?"

"Because someone," she labours, clicking her tongue, "shot me."

"I shot the wolf that stalks the town," the countess says cooly, folding her arms as she stalks into the room but stays standing, and the outlaw is still quite at home despite her presence, and she has the gall to shrug. She wonders why she tore her shirt to bandage herself, and not the intact hood and cape, still up over her head. "You are not innocent in this."

"I'm not here to talk innocence," the outlaw sniffs, dismissing her with a flick of her fingers. "I'm here to patch myself up. And I know an opportunity when I see one. I wondered how you'd been keeping since the door incident. So. Whatever scheme you're running, I want in."

[mapofredemption]

oh he is so trans coded

sorry i'm just thinking about how hilarious it is that the arcana, a game that is meant to be set in a universe free of transphobia, somehow accidentally created a character with all the hallmarks of a trans guy with eldest daughter syndrome (lucio morgasson)