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#I’m actually a night mare to talk to
sleepy-night-child · 3 months
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A year of iced coffees ~2023
Uhh, I mean writing!
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(^Picture of me rising from the grave after my internship ended)
Phew, this year was by far my busiest yet! (I say this every year, but each year I just keep getting busier😵‍💫 With the exception of this year actually!) I had my full-time, 9–5 internship and a long-ass commute, and I was positively dying all nine months that it lasted lmao. But then summer break came around and I LIIIIIVEEED!!!! Honestly, to me it felt like 2023 only started in July. I decided to postpone my second internship to next year, so I don’t overwork myself aaand I have time to write before I enter the big scary corporate world!
And write I did!🤩❤️💞
Idk how I managed, but I finished Feather Light draft 2 last April (this was still during my internship so 🤯🤯🤯), and I was sooo proud of myself! During summer I really got to writing lots, and I was able to finish Black Feather draft 2 at the end of October, yippiiieee!🥳🥳 Then it was time for some edits, and I finished both drafts in December. And now Feather is already in the beta phase!! I’m sooo excited about this!🤩🤩🤩
But before I get ahead of myself, let’s talk about all the plotties I wrote in 2023! Last year I left at 29 December, so I’ll just continue from the next date I wrote😇
01/01–04/01 – Night Mare (7.9K)
Starting 2023 strong by finishing a chapter on the first day of the new year! Slay! This plottie gave me so much life omg! We got a look into Nerezza’s (Nene’s) past, Nene being terrified of it, and Nova giving Nene’s past a huge “fuck you, nothing can make me stop loving Nene!” I just never get tired of this plottie no matter how many times I read it. Every time I read it, I make dying-whale noises as I turn into a puddle in front of my screen😃👌
04/01–06/01 – Lantern Festival (4.3K)
A tiny plottie but such a lovely one! If I melted into a puddle last plottie, then I turned into a pink cloud here!😉 (spoiler: they kiss!)
07/01–09/03 – War (21K)
Watch me work on a 21K plottie for two months just to think, “no, I’m not happy with this”, and rewrite it🤡
12/03–08/04 – Immortalized (8.7K)
Luuuckily I was able to salvage and edit some of the chapters I’d already written in the previously-named War plottie, so I only had to delete some things and add an additional 8.7K words🥹 I still don’t know if I’m completely happy with it, because, tbh, I didn’t know wtf I was doing here lmao, but I’m just gonna wait and see what my betas have to say about it.
08/04 – Epilogue (185 words)
Mwhahaha, tiny epilogue!! But it doesn’t need to be much more than this bc it’s just there to set the mood for Black Feather😈
10/04 – Prologue (952 words)
Oh yeah, it’s time to start Black Feather draft 2 already😎 It’s a soft of continuation of Feather Light’s epilogue, but it’s another mood setter💞
11/04–27/04 – Sacrificial Lamb (4.2K)
Now this is where things get a little murky. Unlike Feather Light, I had very little from draft 1 I actually could/wanted to use here, so draft 2 took some puzzling and writing things out of order. It was basically a first draft again. But I knew where I wanted to go with this story, so this draft passed a lot easier than I expected. With the exception of this plottie. I left it incomplete until later when I had “inspiration again”🤡 In the end, I think it landed quite neatly on its feet though😊 And this plottie of course contains the introduction of Nebula (Nebs), and, especially in later plotties, you can see I had a lot of fun writing her🤣
28/04–11/06 – The Return (17K)
Nene and Nebs have to find the stolen baby princess in the city of demons and return her to the queen and king of the country. Features: peak comedy (if I do say so myself) and Loads of Feels. Idk if it’s perfect yet, but I love it to bits. Have a lil snippet!
Nerezza blanched. “You keep that thing away from me!” From Nebula’s throat, a maniacal laugh erupted as she started chasing Nerezza who hid behind the horses. “Nebula, I swear to all that is good on this Earth, if you come any nearer—” she threatened, but Nebula only started laughing harder. “I can’t believe the Angel of the Dead is afraid of diapers!” “Dirty diapers,” she corrected, peaking over Destry’s back. “Still, it’s hilarious. The fearless Nerezza, defeated by a baby’s byproduct. Imagine if the world knew.”
[a snapshot moments before tears😈]
17/06–15/07 – Shattered Soul I (4.2K)
A new character enters the story here, and aaaahh!! I wish I could say more about them, but they’re in Big Spoiler Territory!
16/07–25/07 – Shattered Soul III (8.4K)
Like I said, I had to write some things out of order and turn this draft into a puzzle, so I actually wrote part 3 before 2 lol. This part takes a dive into the past of the newly-introduced character, and, *sigh*, I am so soft for them, and I love love love their backstory!
26/07–29/07 – Shattered Soul II (3.4K)
Part 2 of the plottie, wahooo! Also in the past, but from someone else's perspective😈
30/07–01/08 – Sacrificial Lamb (3.5K)
I figured out how to finish the first plottie, y’all😎
01/08–22/08 – Sickening Love (18K)
Love this plottie. We get a twist on Hanahaki disease. Certain feelings are laid bare. And we get such delicious interactions between Nene and Nebs😈 10/10 recommend. Fun fact: one of this plottie’s chapters I wrote in a little lunch-restaurant thingie – it was the first time I dared eat someplace by myself🥹 – and I was on FIRE!
24/08–17/09 – Shattered Soul II (16.3K)
You thought this plottie was finished?! Sike! It was very much not! We’re back in present times again, though, and we get more insights into Nene’s and Kaan’s relationship my beloved, and Nene may or may not hold a sick monologue before half the population of Heaven. I’m not the best at monologues, but this time it only took me a little while to get into the spirit, and I’m actually super proud of how it turned out☺️
25/09–26/10 – Redemption (18.5K)
Raiden’s introduction!!! He’s so baby and I love him so much😫❤️ His personality is literally “with his head in the clouds”, and I adore it. We also get my absolute favorite Hedwig moments (poor dude gets gutted lmao), and peace is (finally) settling back into the story💞
27/10–30/10 – Gate to Hell (5.3K)
‘tis a short plottie again, but it’s the very last one🥹 But honestly, I don’t believe it needs to be much longer. It contains loads of feelings, a few tears too, and the beginning of a peace-making between two characters I love very much.
31/10 – Epilogue (1.8K)
Ahh, the end already. I refuse to change a single word in this epilogue (aside from some grammar or spelling mistakes🤪), because to me this is absolute perfection, and it’s what the characters have been working to all along. If any of my betas don’t like it, it’s a Them Problem. I mean it, I’m not changing my ending😌
Writing wise, this was actually it😳 Of course I did some tweaking here and there during editing, but the story stayed essentially the same. Now I just have to wait for six months until my betas are finished and I can cross the last t’s and dot the last i’s(🤩 but actually 🫠) But that doesn’t mean I’ll live in a black hole till July, nay nay. Now I can fiiinally start my next baby WIP, You Can Always Learn to Fly🥹🥰💞 The idea for this WIP actually started back in 2015 already (if my calculations are correct)😳 But back then I never got the idea to maybe write it down and turn it into a book. Maybe it’s for the best too that I wrote Feather first. Fly would never have become the story I want it to be now, and the story it is now is the one that is perfect to me (I had too many alternative versions anyway😵‍💫🤪). It has a solid ending that, thanks to the passing back and forth of some ideas with my bestie, also turned it into the motivation of the plot of my other story, The Starhunters🤩 If nothing comes in between, I miiight just start Fly next week😳🤩This may not be a great idea bc the weeks afterward are gonna be a bit busy. But who knows how long I’m going to be waiting for the “right moment” otherwise. Continuing something is easier than starting it, so I might as well help my future self out a little😇😌
In last year’s wrap-up, I said that I needed to stop getting WIP ideas every year bc I’m getting them faster than I can write. SO GUESS WHO GOT A NEW WIP IDEA RECENTLY!😀🤡
I’m planning on going back to my roots and writing another Death Angel story! Only, unlike Feather, this angel will be the Angel of Death instead of the Angel of the Dead – there’s a fine distinction lol. There are just certain tropes and plot ideas I could never explore in Feather, bc a Certain Someone had to go and get her powers sealed🤨😑 So, what will the other side of Feather’s coin be about?
A boy, who lost his parents at a young age, hates his life at the orphanage he lives in. The caretakers are mean and make his life hell. The other kids… are probably not very nice either (idk, I haven’t given them much thought yet). He just wishes for someone to love him unconditionally, the way he remembers his parents loving him. He thinks this as he makes his way through town. And suddenly! A mysterious shop appears before him. (Or maybe he already knows about this shop’s existence, and one day snaps and decides to enter.) It is a shop where one goes to buy dreams and wishes and other things of the mystique. The shop owner? The Angel of Death. He asks she fulfill his wish. She agrees. But for the price that he works in her shop. Now how is he ever going to get unconditional love if he spends all his time working there?! The answer might be closer than she it seems���
It's gonna be great. I can feel it!
I actually have less to share than last year… How about some fun facts about my 2023?
My mom started search dog training with our dog, and she (our dog (but obviously also my mom)) really loves it! She gets so excited when it’s almost time to go to training🥰 And she’s really good at it too, bc she’s already helped find a couple of missing cats and dogs! Here’s the funny thing about it: usually when think of search dogs, you think of Bloodhounds or German Shepherds (or another kind of Shepherd dog). But really any dog with a good nose can be a search dog. Our dog is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, so we got a tiny badass dog searching for missing pets!🤭🤩
Speaking of dogs. We’re going to adopt another puppy soon soon soon!! This is actually more 2024 news lol, but ofc we already know about it in 2023. She’s coming home with us on January 2nd, and my excitement is BIG!🤩🤩❤️❤️
I also went on a sort-of-but-not-entirely date – let’s call it a meeting – and figured out I have 0 interest in being in a relationship now or in the (near) future lmaooo🤡🫠🤦‍♀️
I got my hair cut in another style than I had for the last couple of years and found out my hair is quite curly/wavy instead of just poofy lol.
I finally told my family I write bc I never knew how to break the news to them. (How was I supposed to tell them I’m writing a story about romance when it’s literally the furthest thing from my mind irl?!😱 In my defense, I’m writing my perfect version of it that is probably completely unrealistic irl. I often don’t understand the way it’s written in other books, so I decided to write the romantic story that I actually can understand😎👌) Anyway, my family thought it was amazing that I’m writing a book and I worried about nothing lol!🤣🤦‍♀️
I started working on a drawing with my friend and this may be one of the best ideas we’ve ever had together!! The amount of love I have for this drawing is out of this world (pun intended)🥰💜💙 Maybe you’ll get to see it one day. Maybe not lol🤪
This is actually pretty much everything I wanted to share with you all. Even though I’m not as active anymore as I used to be, I still love the writeblr community and I’m rooting for everyone on here🥳💞 You guys are seriously amazing, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise!!! I’ll see you next year🥰
Love you!❤️
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cliffside-changes · 1 year
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Cliffside Changes: A New Beginning
Chapter 3: Date Night-mare
When I woke up today, I could not believe I was still inside the body of this hunk. Even though I was in a completely new body, I assumed I had to go to work. So I hopped in the shower and began to get ready for the day. When going through my closet I had what seemed to be all these newer trendy clothes that go nicely with this body. After getting dressed, I went into my kitchen, and made myself a cup of coffee like usual before heading out the door to the office. On my way to work, I wondered if my office life had changed as well.
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Once in the office, I began to walk over to my cubicle like I normally do. Everything looked and felt the same except this time I noticed colleagues were actually paying attention to me and checking me out. It was quite a new feeling for me considering I would usually go unnoticed in the office. I just went to my desk and started my work for the day hoping no one noticed how red my face got from blushing from all the new attention. After a few hours of work, I got an email from a supervisor, asking to meet him at his office in an hour.
An hour later…
I could not imagine what this supervisor, Sam, could possibly want. He’s never interacted with me before and we work for different departments so I’m very confused as to why he would want to meet. I will say I always thought he was a very attractive man but I knew that in my previous body I never stood a chance to be with him and just admired him from a distance. 
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Once in Sam’s office, he asked me to shut the door so we could begin talking. He looked really good today in his stylish outfit. He began to talk about some work stuff and I sort of began to tune out and just stare at his attractive face. He noticed this and began to turn red. I apologize for staring and he then apologized for BSing a work conversation. He then explained he needed an excuse to call me into his office so we could talk. He then asked if I was free this evening for a date and I said yes. We made plans for dinner that evening and we both went about the rest of our work days. I could not believe how much positive has changed in my life since entering this body.
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After work was finished for the day, I still had some time to kill before I would be meeting Sam for dinner. I wanted to go to my cliffside and see if I could alter any of the changes to my body or life myself by falling down the cliff this time thinking of changes or alterations I would want. So As I neared the edge, I began to think about how I still wanted to be in this body as it’s nearly perfect but I wanted to be more intelligent and intune with my sexuality. I then took a leap of faith and hoped for the best with my new changes in mind.
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Moments later I could feel myself reemerge from the water… but I felt different. I felt as if I wasn’t all there but I felt more sensations. I didn’t really feel like I was incontrol yet I still felt like I was flesh and blood, I tried to see but all I could see was black. It wasn't until my body got back to my apartment that I understood what had happened. I knew I wanted to get more intouch with my sexuality, but becoming my new body’s cock was not what I had in mind. 
I guess my body was just on auto pilot, as I could feel warm soap and water running down my new form. I also could feel myself being shaved and groomed… I guess my autopilot self is banking on getting lucky. For my sake too, I hope I get lucky because I might as well enjoy the pleasures of being a cock. 
My evening was going as one would expect it to go as a cock, not much going on. It wasn’t until we got back to our apartment I knew I was gonna get lucky, as I could feel the blood flow increase in myself. It was then I knew Sam and my body were beginning to make out. I then felt as if I was being grouped by larger hands and got even larger. After a few minutes of this, I felt as if I was at full mast. I have never felt so good before while being touched like this. At this point Sam and my body were both stripping down and I was being stroked while just in underwear. In no time, Sam had made a move and pulled my body’s underwear off. I felt the air on my skin for a quick second before I felt warmth and wetness. 
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I then realized Sam was blowing me and oh my god, I thought normal blowjobs were amazing but experiencing it as a cock is even better. It was as if my whole body was having an orgasm. I could feel the build up of cum start to build up in my balls, which I guess is my lower body now. I felt the pressure begin to build in my throat and it felt so good to choke on my cum as it was going up. Sam kept bobbing his mouth up and down my form and I couldn’t help but want to cum already. I could feel the scruffiness of his facial hair rub up against my being and it was making the liquid in my balls just churn from pure erotica. He kept using his tongue around my head so gently that it was driving me wild and I wanted to burst. It was at that moment I could not hold the cum in my throat any longer and I had to let it go. I have never felt anything like before in my life, it felt so euphoric, it was indescribable… then everything went black.
To Be Continued… 
Hello Everyone! I hope you are enjoying the content so far. I am still a new writer so if you have any pointers please let me know! If you would like to make a requests go ahead and ask me a question or just message me and we can go from there! Or if you just want to message me and talk that’s cool too. Thank you for all the support so far.
-Cliffside 
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kindheart525 · 1 month
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To most, Lyra and Bon Bon’s basement was a garbage dump, dirty and unfurnished except for one small, tattered couch in the corner. It served no purpose except as a place for storage, littered with boxes and assorted equipment, some of which hadn’t been touched in years.
But to Flurry Heart, Blueberry Sticks, and Red Cedar, it was so much more than that. This crappy old basement was a place where ideas were born and brought to life, where they could release their creative energy and make music in a place where nobody would bother them. It wasn’t a real studio, but it was the best they had. It was also a place where they could just hang out and talk about life, which they were doing now after just finishing another round of practice.
Flurry sank into the old tattered couch next to Cedar.
“That’s a wrap! I think we finally got it down today. Maybe Luster will get off my ass about it being off-key now.”
Blueberry chuckled as she settled on the ground below them both, stretching out her legs to relax a little after a long day of practice. 
"I like Luster and all, but she can be a pain in the neck sometimes can't she? She reminds me of that one bitch-" 
Cedar interjected right away, her nose crinkling up in irritation. 
"You mean that one mare. I think she was just thoughtful, she cared about you. And so does Luster!" 
This fell on deaf ears, of course. 
"I know a lot about being thoughtful. I don't just get licks in on...on the uh...the snare drum." 
The awkward attempt at a innuendo ended with a cough and a nudge into Flurry’s leg.
Flurry scoffed, humoring her.
“Don’t we know it. You wouldn’t shut up about getting Peach Rings AND Patty Cake in your bed! You’re not special for getting two sisters to play your drums.”
A sly grin spread across her face.
“Jeweled Steps is more of an accomplishment anyway. Do you know how long it took till she agreed to pluck my strings?”
Blueberry gasped at the mention of Jewel and sat up, putting her arm to her chest and turning up her nose. When she spoke, she put on a snooty Canterlot accent and swayed her body side to side seductively. 
At this point, Cedar had shoved her face into the couch to try and block it out. 
"Ooou Flurrence Sparkleglitter Heart, how I dooooo miss your charms! They don't call me Strawberry Essence for nothing you know! I thought my sweet juices-" 
This was when Cedar blew her top. She clasped her arms around Blueberry’s mouth and began to speak over her. 
"I personally think we shouldn't be talking about these mares this way! They trusted you to do a very personal and intimate act! I would never do anything like that."
“You won’t even look at a stallion before he pops out a ring! Let alone-“
Flurry gasped mockingly.
“THINK about kissing him! So what authority do you have to tell us how to have a one night stand?”
Cedar scowled at her as she spit out a rebuttal.
“That’s not true! I’m just waiting for the right time! I know how to actually savor something special instead of treating it like a game like you do!”
Once Cedar was through ruining the mood as per usual, Blueberry, who was much less affected than Flurry, simply shrugged. 
"I don't know, you might meet some stallion you REALLY can't resist! Pre-marital eye contact worthy, even!"
~~~~~~~~~~
Next: Slow Talkin'
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iamvegorott · 5 months
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I'm a sucker for lullabies, like maybe Mad walks in on Mare playing a lullaby or Mare sings Mad to sleep with a lullaby? I think it'd be sweet! But I feel that too, not gonna lie! I hope you feel better tomorrow and your brain stops being a drama queen!
The brain just wants to be acknowledged more some days XD And thank you <3
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“I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight.” Mad sighed, lying on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. 
“What makes you say that?” Mare asked. He was across the room and finishing up getting dressed for the night. 
“I don’t know. My brain is just doing that weird buzzing that just keeps going and going, and I can’t sleep when it does that.” Madd explained, holding his hands in the air and gesturing with them, trying to see if he could form his words with them as well but giving up and letting them plop back down. “I guess it just starts thinking about everything I need or could do, and then it tells me I shouldn’t be laying down, I should be productive, and sleep doesn’t do anything, and blah blah blah.” This time, Mad lifted a hand to make a talking motion with it. 
“What do you usually do when that happens?” Mare picked the dirty clothes off the floor and dropped them into their hamper. 
“Usually, I get stuck in this gross cycle of wanting to get up and do things and telling myself I should sleep and just lay paralyzed as I stare at nothing until the sun comes up, and I can justify being awake.” Mad sounded exhausted from just saying that. 
“Well, maybe I can offer some help?” Mare got into the bed with Mad. 
“You can try.” Mad shrugged, waiting until Mare was comfortable on his back before he rolled over and put himself on top of his chest. “I’ve read that distractions can help and that melatonin could be a good assistance, but I don’t know.” 
“I was actually thinking of the first one. Something simplistic might be the best cure.” Mare started rubbing Mad’s back. 
“What are you thinking?” Mad tilted his head so he could look at Mare’s face.
“A lullaby,” Mare stated with confidence.
“Lullaby?”
“I mean, you like my voice, don’t you?”
“I do. A lot. But I’m not a baby.”
“Lullabies aren’t just for babies.” 
“If you think I can work, go for it.” Mad sighed and adjusted himself to be more comfortable. 
“The first step is to decide what kind of lullaby. I could always do the one from Shark Boy and Lava Girl.” Mare grinned when Mad was looking at him once more. 
“The what?” 
“Oh, you’re getting cultured right now, starlight.” Mare chuckled and cleared his throat before he started singing. “Close your eyes, shut your mouth. Dream a dream and get us out. Dream, dream, dream, dream, dream, dream~”
“That’s a lullaby?” Mad started laughing. 
“Hit the hay fast asleep. Dream a dream, you little bleep~”
“Mare, stop!” Mad’s laugh got louder. 
“What? Not working?” Mare joined in on the laughs. 
“Not at all!” 
“Such a shame.” 
“You’ll have to try the first step again.” Mad giggled, and he felt Mare run his hand through his hair, keeping his other hand still rubbing at his back. 
“I got it. Close your eyes and just relax.” Mare watched as Mad did as told, relaxing against him and showing he trusted him fully. He kissed Mad’s head and started singing again, this time much softer and slower.
“Starlight, star bright, the night is always shining. The sky is clear. I’ll hold you dear. Until the sun is rising.”
Mare had his hands moving as he continued to sing, feeling Mad’s body relaxing more and more, his breathing deepening and deepening, and soon, Mad had drifted off.
“Told you it’d work,” Mare whispered and kissed Mad’s head again. “Goodnight, starlight.” 
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goorehound · 1 year
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Hello!! Been stalking through your works (hehe), saw your "dating Mary hcs" post, and this caught my attention:
"Banter is one of his favourite things about being with you. Random and especially bizarre insults thrown back and forth makes it all feel easy. Granted sometimes he can be a Grade A Dick and get himself benched on the couch for the night, but that’s rare, and almost all of his bickering is playful and downright adoring."
Now I need a scenario in which he does indeed get banished to the couch one night and tries to make it up to the reader in the morning, pretty please! -🎂
This took me so long but I promise I was so excited to get this one out. The “fight” part dragged out much longer than I expected but the flow took me where it took me, ya dig?
This was fun to write, thank you for the request shawty.
And thanks to @frankenfaandom for brainstorming with me and practically giving me this fic on a plate when I blanked on how to start it off.
Mary’s Fuck Up
Mary x GN!Reader - 1,317 words
~
Crawling up to plant your hands on either side of Mary’s face, squishing the cheeks together as you straddled his lap and pulled him close. Your expression didn’t waver, relaxed but serious, not even when he made a confused and disgruntled squawk of disapproval.
“You smell awful.” You told him evenly, finally cracking out in a grin as you planted a wet and smacking kiss on his forehead, ignoring his hands flapping around trying to get you off him. “Get the fuck out of my bed and go shower.”
“Jesus Christ, I thought I actually did something.” He clamped a hand over his chest when you eased back to look down at him. “You’re gonna fucking kill me. You’re going to give me a heart attack. I almost just died.” He prattled on.
“I’m dead serious,” You laughed and slid off of him to sprawl out in the empty spot opposite him. “You smell like you just climbed out of a dumpster and bathed in piss.”
“What do you mean?” He asked indignantly. “I do not. I smell like I always smell,” The metalhead grumbled as he turned to smell at his shirt. “You like how I smell.”
“I like how you look.” You patted his chest lovingly. “I tolerate how you smell.” This was paired with a cackle at his fully offended look, him rolling over to settle between your legs did nothing to quell the burst of laughter.
“Yeah, well, maybe I like how you smell and tolerate how you look.” Mary threw back petulantly and ridiculously, and you bit back your laughter into bubbling giggles instead.
“You fuck me for how I smell, Mare? That’s kinda weird.”
“Maybe I do.”
“You called me beautiful an hour ago.”
“Well. I’m a liar. I lied.” Mary settled down more heavily on top of you.
“Maybe I’m ugly, but at least I don’t smell like a porta-potty.” You lazily draped your arms over his shoulders in return.
“Maybe I smell bad, but at least I don’t have a crooked nose.” His hand came up to pinch at your nose, and he must’ve missed how the mirth dropped from your eyes as simultaneously as your heart fell to your stomach. Which was almost just as hurtful as the comment. It wasn’t like he had room to talk, he’d busted his nose a few times and it wasn’t fucking straight either - but he knew that your nose drove you crazy. He knew that you’d fretted over it. He couldn’t not know that was a pretty big blow to your self esteem.
“Get the fuck off, Mary.” You grumbled, content to shove him in the direction of the shower so you could forget the stupid comment. He wiggled your nose lightly, then his brows furrowed in concentration, and his hand dropped.
“The fuck are you getting all bitchy for?” Mary asked as he leaned up a bit higher, and fuck he could be such a dick. Who says that?
“Mary. Get off of me.” At least he complied quickly that time and pulled back to fall on his ass on the mattress in front of you. You didn’t feel like you needed to explain why that just wasn’t cool. You’d been willing to drop the nose comment and let him know later to not make that sort of joke, but being made to feel like your reaction was disproportionate?
Like you were out of line for getting irritated?
“The fuck just happened?” Mary glanced around as if some apparition might come forth and explain to him where he’d crossed the line.
No such thing happened, obviously, and you instead got up to start changing to get ready to sleep. “Can you just go shower?” You threw over your shoulder. “We’ll talk after.”
“You’re fuckin’ moody tonight.” He threw back as he pulled himself off the bed to head to the shower, and he didn’t deign your responding: “Fuck you.” with any sort of acknowledgement.
You stewed for a while, shutting the lights off and pulling the blankets up to your ears. There was a lot of tossing and turning, replaying the events and getting yourself worked up all over again. By the time Mary was coming back in, freshly washed and hair damp, you were not nearly in the mood for him sliding into the covers behind you and tugging at your waist.
“I don’t want you in here right now.” There was a pause. A deep breath.
Lips brushed over your temple and he squeezed your waist before rolling out of the bed and fumbling around in your closet for the spare blanket. “M’kay, baby.” He agreed quietly, and then he was out.
As you should have expected - sleeping without him was awful. It sucked. The first fifteen minutes were nice, the space from the cause of your irritation out of sight had you feeling a bit more relaxed and able to collect your thoughts. But stirring a few times and reaching for him to come up empty handed? Yeah. That was a bummer.
By morning you were over it. Prepared to talk it over but not holding any of the previous nights bitterness, you were out of bed and shuffling into the lounge room as soon as you were awake enough to function.
The couch was empty, but there was a blanket and pillow still messily taking up residence - so Mary couldn’t be too far. He wasn’t exactly a morning person and it seemed way too early for him to be out the door. Which would be fine. It was fine. If he also needed some space, that was cool, you didn’t mind.
You edged your way towards the kitchen, embarrassed by the rush of relief when you smelled fresh coffee and let your nose guide you.
Mary was stressing about something on the counter, there was a fresh pot of coffee, and he seemed completely unaware of your presence. You watched him hunched over something and stirring it, curiosity piqued. Mary Goore was the furthest thing from a chef that you’d ever seen in your life, and you were suddenly worried about wether or not you’d actually replaced the fire extinguisher.
“Mare?” Rough with sleep, your voice barely carried through the kitchen. Apparently it was more than enough to catch his attention, as he spun around with a bowl and whisk in hand. The expression of guilt on his face was more surprising, looking like a dog who’d been caught mid shit on the carpet.
“Whatcha doin?” You asked after an extended silence where he offered not a word.
“Making pancakes?” Mary looked miserably at the bowl he was stirring. “Hopefully. Uh, I thought I’d - you know, breakfast in bed type dig. Didn’t think it would take this long.” The bowl was left forgotten on the countertop as he wiped his hands off on his boxers and worried at his lip.
“I fucked up?” He offered, and you closed the distance to press your face into his neck. Predictably, his arms came up to cradle you as his cheek rubbed itself against your hair.
“I fucked up.” Mary said this more steadily this time. “I also fucked up the pancakes.” You laughed at that and pinched at his bare waist gently.
“I’ll run and grab us breakfast and you can get back in bed?” His neck craned back enough to look down at you, ten fingers sliding high enough to cup the back of your head. The eye contact was a bit more intense than you’d anticipated.
“I’m sorry. You can tell me exactly where I pissed you off when I get some food into you.” The man’s voice was soft, his eyes bouncing around to take in your face. Large hands stretching to brush his thumb over your cheek only moments before you turned to kiss his palm.
“That sounds good, Mare.”
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house-of-slayterr · 1 year
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Hannibal Crack-Cannons: aka Incorrect Quotes:
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@myers-meadow-selfship @iloveslasher @the-limp-linguine
Hannibal:
Despite what you think, Hannibal IS a himbo…
Now hear me out. He’s obviously very educated, but when it comes to being a person he is CLUELESS.
Like Hannibal never expects someone to actually get close to him, and when they do, he panics. And he makes a bunch of clumsy little social mistakes, that frankly, are adorable.
He’s a friendship himbo and I stand by that!
S/O: *touches Hannibal’s hand in public, unprovoked*
Hannibal who is not used to genuine affection: *staring at them* why?
S/O: *facepalming*
William:
But if we wanna talk real Himbos….
Cause bro! Wtf are you doing? Homeboy is a MESS.
The only thought in Will’s head is that tik tok audio that’s like “I don’t know what’s going on, and frankly, I don’t wanna know” and he likes it like that.
Will on his 4th cup of coffee of the day: *pushes a door that CLEARLY says pull*
S/O: For your sake, I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that *holds open door for him, smiling at how adorable he is when he gets flustered*
Jack:
This man is a FREAK!
Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t think he’s into a lot of kinky shit in the bedroom. Man is a respectful switch!
Will: *seeing his boss by rope and duct tape at the corner store*
Jack: it’s not what it looks like-
Alana:
BI WIFE ENERGY, SHE HAS BI WIFE ENERGY!
I think Alana is also a switch, don’t know when this became a NSFW post but we’re rolling with it 🤪
But I totally see her letting men be dominate cause she doesn’t want to hurt their fragile little egos. But with a woman, oh boy! Alana cannot keep her hands to herself, and she doesn’t pretend to want to.
This woman is a flirt by nature. She will Gaslight, Gatekeeper and Girlboss her way into your heart. She’s a smooth motherfucker and you’ll never see her coming… I mean… unless you want to 👀 then by all means 😉
She totally humble brags about you latter.
Beverly:
A Roxy kinnie, prove me wrong!
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That’s it, that’s the whole headcannon. If you know, you know!
Abigail:
Abigail is just Violet Harmon in a different universe, and thank god she never met her Tate. Oh dear god, what a night mare that would be!
Abigail with S/O:
youtube
Frederick:
There’s not even a headcannon here, just like, imagine if Fred was played by this motherfucker…
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Instead of this motherfucker…
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Also have this video of Fred’s actor being iconic, this is just Frederick when he’s alone 😂.
So I guess the headcannon is that Frederick is a musical theatre kid confirmed!
Belinda:
Wine Mom confirmed!
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Freddie:
As we fucking should!
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Mason:
This is just a shameless way for me to promote one of my old videos. I was proud of this meme and more people should see it!
Brian:
Drinks respect boyfriend juice!
But I also hope you like being a third wheel on dates, cause where Brian goes, Jimmy will be there. Good thing they’re both cute 😉
Jimmy:
Jimbo texting his S/O:
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And anyone who gets a glimpse at these text is instantly terrified and convinced you’re both doing some sort of seance through the phone. But it’s just you’re average Tuesday.
Margo Verger as a lesbian icon:
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umbracirrus · 4 months
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WIP Wednesday? Thursday?
So. Late WIP Wednesday at.... 5:40 on Thursday morning... mostly because yesterday was filled with chaos of many flavours and I didn't have the chance to do much of anything. 😐
Anyway, I've not done much on a creative level, my brain is still frazzled from university assignments which needed submitting at the beginning of the week, but I have done a little bit of writing!! It's an excerpt from a few chapters into Seeking the Sun and would you look at that, Elyse has only just met her future husband and he's spoiling her already. I'm also not going to tag anyone - my mind is the physical manifestation of TV static right now so names just aren't coming to me but if people want to say that I tagged them then go right ahead.... 💛
“I know who you are,” the woman behind the counter hummed, confusing Elyse as she held onto her bandaged wrist which she had made the painful mistake of leaning on the wood with a few moments earlier as she had sat down. “You survived Helgen, didn’t you?”
All the colour drained from her face as she felt the inn quieten down quite a bit at the question. Her lips only opened slightly, no words escaping her as her mouth and throat began to feel inexplicably dry.
“The Jarl sent someone over to pay for a room for you. Told me what you looked like and that you would probably be nursing an arm injury.”
That came as even more of a surprise to her - the Jarl had suggested that she stay in the Bannered Mare for the night... She never anticipated that he would have actually paid for her to stay there. She had to clear her throat before she could respond, even if it was only a mere two words framed as a question. “H... He did...?”
“Aye. It’s common knowledge that the Jarl has been worried about the rumours of a dragon attacking Helgen. The fact that a survivor went to him, well, I’m not surprised he’s going the extra length to make you comfortable in the city,” she muttered, pulling out a key as her lips pursed together and the creases in her face grew deeper. “You’re probably the best he’s got for getting answers, especially if he’s not on talking terms with the Empire or the Stormcloaks. He’s lucky that his decision isn’t affecting business much... yet.”
Elyse remained quiet as the woman then stepped out from behind the counter, a slow and weary motion, and gestured for her to stand up. “Your room is this way. But so that you are aware, the Jarl’s hospitality has extended to a room and a hot meal only. Anything else, you pay for it off your own back.”
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kaija-rayne-author · 3 months
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I wrote something hard today. It's long. Please mind the content warnings, this one is heavy.
We Must Remember
ON DECEMBER 30, 2023 BY KAELENRHY/Kaija Rayne
Content Warnings: AIDS epidemic, queer death, queer abuse, child abuse, child neglect, mention of attempted rape, sexual harassment in the form of catcalling and whistling.
My generation of queers, the ones who came of age in the middle of losing most of a generation of our queer siblings… we don’t talk about it.
It’s got to be pretty obvious why we don’t. I can’t think of a queer person who knew they were queer who didn’t lose someone. And we all lost when it comes to some people. Freddie Mercury, for one, the lead singer of Queen. He died a day after announcing his diagnosis in 1991. He was 45 years old.
And there were so many others.
I’ve been aware of the lack of people who lived through it talking about this for a while. But it really brought it home to me when I asked my eldest, who is openly queer, if they knew what the AIDS quilt was. They didn’t. And generally, they’re interested in queer history, so tend to be better informed than a lot of queer youth about our collective history. It helps that I was a history teacher at one time and have always lived and breathed teaching it to anyone willing to learn.
So, here’s a story from a time I hope never to see again, but one which, when I look at the world, I deeply fear is coming back.
The moral panic we see now is like déjà vu for people like me. It was this exact same moral panic that caused medicine, and most of humanity, to completely ignore it as loved ones died. To treat human beings without the care or respect any human being deserves simply by drawing breath.
I grew up in the mountains in a very Christian cult-like atmosphere. It was honestly so close to being an actual cult. There really is such a minuscule difference. But it wasn’t an official cult. Just… very poor people backbiting each other any way they could. Praying like good people on Wednesdays and Sundays, but doing anything they wanted every other day of the week. You’d think with all the mountains around, they’d have anything better to do than gossip. But gossip ran as life’s blood. The internet didn’t yet exist in private homes in that piss hole in a snowbank. There were 3 churches in the town, and 6 bars. For 300 people. The closest store was a good 20-minute drive away, the closest library an hour.
Christ, it’s hard to remember these things. It’s been 33 ish years since this story happened in real life, and I still don’t want to revisit it.
But it’s important.
The memory of this day is ingrained on the inside of my skin. I can almost feel the heavy summer sun.
Sad Summer Day
I’m around 14 years old. I’m barefoot, because my family doesn’t see the point of buying shoes for summer wear. Feet toughen up just fine.
I’m wearing a fourth or fifth-hand t-shirt that is far too see-through and cut-off jean shorts. The tickling of the strings falling against my thighs as I walk is a soothing sensation to me. I’m finished with my chores, the horses are cared for, the dog fed, the abusive younger sibling has stopped screaming and throwing things at me because I wasn’t a suitable big sister and had gone to hide in her room. I’m an embarrassment to my allistic sister. I’m an embarrassment to my mother too. If she ever crawls out of the bottle long enough to give a shit about anyone. My brother lives elsewhere.
I stink. I don’t know that or understand it, but I stink. Getting clean means swimming in a scummy mountain lake most evenings. My mother hasn’t taught me anything about personal hygiene. She smokes like a damned chimney and always smells of booze. There is no way I don’t smell bad. We had bath nights once a week in the winter. The only reason I knew my period was a thing was school health class.
I hang around in the barn a lot. Or in the ancient maple tree in the pasture. Ar Bazara is my beautiful Arabian mare. Her hide is the stunning red of particularly vociferous sunsets. She often patiently lets me lie on her back with a book open on her rump while she grazes. My new goat, Esmerelda, is still adjusting to not being the house goat she was used to being. She’s miserable, mourning her friend and old life. I do what I can, but it doesn’t help very much. Goats grieve as much as humans do, maybe more so.
It’s my job, and escape, to walk to town and get the mail for my father, who works more than not, and can’t get to the post before it closes at 5pm. I have no idea when or if my mother will come stumbling in blind drunk.
I hope to see my friend, who lives at the top of the road to the post office. He hasn’t been feeling well. Wrapped up in a quilt in his mother’s rocking chair on the porch is how I’ve been finding him lately. It’s not very odd, it never gets truly warm in the mountains, so people in heavier clothes or a blanket around their shoulders isn’t uncommon. I think nothing of it.
He’s a relatively recent addition to my life. He moved into his mother’s house last year. Esmeralda had been his, but he’d asked me to take her last week and love her like he did. I really don’t see it coming, or maybe I don’t want to add up the clues.
He’s my only friend there. He looks much older to me, but in reality, is likely in his late twenties. He wears dark tortoise-shell rimmed glasses, always has interesting books to read and ideas to discuss. He’d made it out of the mountains, so has seen so much more of the world I long desperately to experience for myself. His butterscotch blond hair is always a curly mess, and he’s always running his hand through it. I hope I can sit on his porch steps, picking at splinters, while he tells me another story. I’m not supposed to talk to him. No one does in that town. We might catch it, if we do so much as look at him. But I like him, and he treats me like a combination of younger sister and wild animal. He always speaks in such a gentle, calm tone. A tone I never hear at home. Except for the day he gave me Esmerelda. He couldn’t talk through the tears he was trying to hide.
My aunt lives next to him and warns me away every time she sees me. I suppose she likely told my parents, but my parents either aren’t there or are drunk. He’s the only adult in that town other than my grandmother, who even sees me. Much less talks to me like I’m a person. My aunt is happy enough to take his money to make an extra portion of food for him when she cooks for her family every day. She drops it off on the porch and will only take the dishes back if they’re soaking in bleach water when she comes to get them.
I’m tanned dark brown. My mother kicks us out as soon as the snow melts and we’re expected to stay out until dusk. But I’ve got my summer colour, my hair is frizzy from the yearly perms, and sun-bleached. The stench of lemon juice in my hair is still strong, but I know better than to not use it every morning. Having my mother yank the black, spiral hairs out of my head hurts worse. But I hate the smell of lemon juice in my hair.
It’s a short walk to a mountain child. Though if you’d called me a child then it would’ve infuriated me.
I am still a child, a very naïve one. I only know the words gay and lesbian because I’ve read the OED cover to cover. But they’re nascent, formless concepts to me. I’m in the midst of my first crush. A girl in my class with the prettiest brown eyes and lush, curly hair. But, I’ve told no one.
There’s sand on the sides of the beaten-up tarmac of the road. I’m avoiding walking on the road itself because prickers from wild roses and blackberry bushes are vastly preferable to burnt feet.
In shade areas, the mounded sand is cool, a treat to dig my toes into, and there’s a place where rain makes interesting patterns in the sand. I stop there for a short time to look at the swirling patterns in that section. It’s different every time it rains.
The air is heavy, like a wet wool blanket, presaging another evening rainstorm. I cuss because it means I won’t get to swim that night. If I want to rinse off, it’ll be in the cold rain. Hopefully, there won’t be thunder. Loamy earth and the particular faintly metallic scent of slightly damp, lichen-covered stone coat my tongue with a musky taste. The lighter, higher sweet honey note of spreading dogbane makes the walk smell like a slice of heaven. They’re poisonous, of course, but they’re beautiful and one of my favourites. Bunchberry shows little red splashes of colour. Orange hawkweed is blossoming, and so is the milkweed. Soon there will be so many monarch butterfly caterpillars I’ll have to watch where I step. The unnatural stench of old, oft-tarred tarmacadam adds an unwelcome element of human activity to the interesting scents.
The forest sings, murmuring to each other with the slight breeze that’s the only coolness I’ll find unless it rains. And the creaks and groans of the poplar and birch trees provide a symphony. I walk by my grandmother’s house. She’s outside tending to her flowers and checking the bird feeders, so I wave instead of meandering over. My grandmother loves to talk. I’ll stop on the way back. I’m later than usual going to get the mail because of my sister’s abusive outburst.
My hands are stuffed in the far too small front pockets of my shorts. My hand is tightly wrapped around the mail key. I always hold it in my fist, my father says it’s a trust, and I don’t want to blow it. A hopped-up pickup truck with a custom paint job, jacked tires, and glass-packs roars by. The boys inside and riding on the bed cat call me, but I don’t understand it.
By this time in my life, my mother has dived into a bottle and never looked back. She taught me to drink on hanged man’s bridge when I was 11. Vodka. She’d already moved on to vodka from wine by that time. In a lot of ways, I didn’t have a mother anymore, if I’d ever really had one at all in anything other than the physical sense.
It’s 1990. Big hair is falling out of fashion, but I still have the perm that my (at the time) stick-straight hair needs to look like Bon Jovi.
It’s mid-summer, the sun is high in the sky and it won’t get dark until after 9 pm. I won’t have to go inside until 10. The voracious bugs are preferable to listening to another argument. And Gram will let me in and likely feed me. Maybe my brother will be there.
As long as I’m on my father’s or grandmother’s land by dusk, I don’t have to go inside. The crab apples aren’t quite ready, but I pick one to eat, anyway. The bitter, tart juice is still green-flavoured, but it fends off my hunger. I didn’t get to eat my food; I cleaned it up from where my sister had thrown it at the wall and took it out to the hens. I wonder if they like grape jam?
It’s not the first time I’ve been hungry. Hunger is basically my ground state. So much so that I don’t even feel it when I’m hungry.
I pause on hanged man’s bridge. Just for a moment, while I warily scan the church parking lots at the end of the road.
They’d kicked me out when I was 12, but if the minister sees me, I’ll get scolded for breathing. I’m lucky, the lots are deserted and I continue on my way.
There’s no tree cover here, but there is down by the water. The beavers are busily building a dam that the men will burn come fall. It makes me sad because I can see kits with their parents. Beaver has a lot of fat in the fall, so it’s good meat.
I turn left at the end of the road and walk past another not-so-distant relative’s house. I stop for a moment to pet the Percheron workhorses who obligingly hang their heads over the fence so I can pluck handfuls of fresh green grass for them. Their slobber on my hands is green, but it doesn’t register as anything other than something to wipe off on my butt. I love these gentle giants, but the sun is lower in the sky, so I hurry on. I pass two more relatives’ houses. I have a tendency to walk with my gaze on the ground, partially to make sure I don’t step in anything, but partially in hope of finding a new, interesting stone or a bone for my collections.
So, I just… don’t notice. I’m in my own head a lot, working on stories. I started writing 3 years before.
There’s a sharp, rattling sound I associate with caster wheels and I look up.
My friend isn’t on the porch and he can’t tell me any more stories.
The glaring canary yellow of haz-mat suits screams brightly from his faded house. They look like aliens to me. Fierce, terrifying aliens. We don’t have TV, or rather, we don’t have TV reception, so the only reason I know what the suits are is because of my long habit of reading encyclopedias.
One of them is roughly handling his body as the other wraps a second roll of cellophane around him, over and over. They’re great yellow spiders as they finish wrapping my friend in cellophane and put him on the emergency bed from the ambulance. There aren’t any lights on, it’s turned off, and the driver has his booted foot hung out the window while he looks at a playboy. He whistles at me and winks. I hear one of the aliens say the body bags are too expensive to waste on trash. One of them fetches a floral sheet from my friend’s home. They wrap him in that.
I stand there like a rock has landed on my head.
I’m mute. I can’t even make myself move to go yell at them for laughing over my friend’s body and trading slurs for him as if it’s a game. Even if I were brave enough to confront adults. Which, I am not.
They very carefully take the gurney to the ambulance, avoiding all possible touch with the cellophane cocoon. The straps are so tight around my friend’s body that if he could feel them, he would have cried.
The doors make a doubled, muffled thump and the engine of the ambulance starts. It jerks me into movement, but I’m too late. They drive off.
They haven’t closed his kitchen door. So I do it, thinking in that odd way that he’ll be sad when he comes back to find it left open. I never have seen inside his house and I don’t breach his privacy as I close the door.
I have no way to lock it, and he told me he hasn’t any family left.
I step quickly down the top of the searing hot grey metal culvert cover to my aunt’s large backyard. I’m grateful to not run into my cousins. One of whom has already tried to rape me. I can fight him off if I have to, again, but all I need is to escape. I hopscotch across the brook and into the old potato field. I leap like a yearling deer from one mound to the next before I can disappear myself into the forested lands on my dad’s property. I practically live in the forest, and my friend’s habit of treating me like a wild animal isn’t off. I am.
The next thing I clearly remember is hugging Esmerelda’s neck, finally understanding why he’d asked me to take her.
Finally understanding a lot of things a 14-year-old probably shouldn’t have to think about.
I never did get the mail that day. I had to scour the area I’d walked to find the mail key I’d always been so careful not to drop.
Years later, when I was 19, and I’d escaped those fucking mountains, I was in university and doing very well. The only semester I didn’t hit the president’s list was the semester I had mono, and I still made dean’s.
I and a couple of others had recently been thrilled to get the B added to the LG group (lesbian and gay). Bisexual erasure is still prevalent, and it was worse then.
It was meeting night for the club, and one of my friends, one of the first openly gay men I knew while understanding what that meant, had a square of heavy white cloth. He explained it was for a project to remember those we’d lost to AIDS.
I took it home to my dorm room that night and feverishly embroidered a little grey goat wearing a green collar and a shiny gold jingle bell. I’ll never know why he named her Esmerelda.
The last time I visited those mountains, just before our move to Canada… I walked over with my eldest on my hip to look at my friend’s house. The door gaped open like a missing tooth in a smile, but no human scavengers had touched anything. (In those mountains, scavenging is a way of life. It’s a testimonial to their prejudice and discrimination that his home wasn’t pillaged.) The roof had fallen in at some point, always a danger in those mountains, from the weight of snow. The porch step I’d sat on to listen to his stories had fallen off and lay almost rotted through. I stood there looking at his house for probably longer than I remember. They’d closed the post office. The workhorses had been sent to make dog food when the man of the house died and his widow couldn’t care for them. Pound for pound selling them to the butcher was more practical.
My mother sold Ar Bazara just before she left my father. My beautiful mare had died at her new owners from pneumonia not long after I’d graduated high school.
Fall asters bloomed, making shockingly bright splotches of colour around his house. No one would even go close enough to do the neighborly thing and mow the tiny area of land that went with the house. Perception was everything to those people. It wouldn’t do to be perceived as less than a ‘good Christian’. So it spoke volumes that no one had shoveled the roof or mown the lawn. The only way people survive up there is by banding together when needed. My cousins may shoot each other (true fact) but they’ll band together if someone threatens from outside.
My grandmother was gone. Still with us in the flesh, but Alzheimer’s took her from us long before she actually died. She didn’t even remember I had a kid.
My father had cut the ancient maple tree I’d loved so much for firewood years before, sometime when I was in uni.
There weren’t any horses anymore. Esmeralda had gone. She never recovered. The sweet, gentle goat I’d agreed to love turned vicious and mean. I didn’t know how to help her and no one I dared ask could help. My father made me get rid of her when she butted him in the knee.
I kissed my little one’s head when he reached up curiously to touch a tear on my cheek. I doubt he’d ever seen me cry before that. I don’t cry easy. My therapist has me working on relearning how to cry.
That isn’t a problem right now. I can barely see to type. No matter how many years pass, I can’t forget the tearing, sticky sound of the cellophane as they wrapped my friend up. I can’t forget the things they said about him while wearing those stupid haz-mat suits. Which they hadn’t even been wearing correctly. I can’t forget and it’s so bloody hard to remember these things, much less talk or write about them.
Within my lifetime, we’ve seen amazing changes in queer rights. But I, and a lot of older queers, are watching the current political climate of the world and… we could so easily lose everything we’ve gained.
Trans people are always the canaries in the coal mine; always the ones sacrificed first. They will come for the rest of us.
If you’re queer, don’t ever fall into the trap of thinking it’s ancient history. I’m currently 47. This day happened 33 years ago. Don’t fall into the morass of thinking our rights can’t be stripped from us.
They can. And I fear, deeply, that they’ll strip our rights from us again. We could so easily fall down the slippery slope until all of us are disrespected as my friend was. He died alone. And I suppose I should be grateful my aunt noticed right away, that anyone noticed at all. He was a pariah. He’d come home to die after his partner did, only to face massive social exclusion by people he’d grown up with. My aunt only fed him for the cash. Even then, barter was still common. Hard cash wasn’t always easy to get.
I went to the cemetery to try to find his grave and plant some flowers on it. I found where it was supposed to be. Right on the very edge next to the pine forest. Just a slight depression marking what was likely a cheap pine coffin, if they even paid him that much respect. There wasn’t a crematorium anywhere close by. So they’d stuck him as far away from the other dead people as possible. As if the dead could catch it. We didn’t name it. It was the illness variety of the boogeyman. If you don’t name it, it can’t find you.
Starflower had grown to cover the area, so at least I know every spring he has a blanket of small, ethereal white flowers. We lost most of a generation of queers due to medical negligence and reprehensible cruelty from humans to other human beings.
But these stories shouldn’t die with us. Queer youth need to understand what we lived through so they don’t get too complacent. I’ve fought for queer rights since I was 14 years old.
My eldest can just be openly queer. Something I’ve never been able to be except for a few short years in university.
I don’t want to see us lose our rights again.
I don’t want another misunderstood, abused, hurting queer kid to have to watch as their only friend is wrapped in cellophane and denied the honour of a body bag. Denied the honour of a decent grave with a simple headstone.
We’re already losing queer rights. Please don’t be complacent.
Phew, so… I’m a sobbing mess. If my work of words touched you, please consider a tip or becoming a patron. We live in poverty. My husband is recovering from one of the likely three back surgeries he needs for his broken back. We have two autistic/ADHD kids and finding a job is impossible. I’ve been looking since January 15th, 2023. I have $50/$1220 I need for rent for January. We can’t get any government aid because I’m an immigrant.
Far too many queer creatives live in poverty. I’ll do a series of these memories as I can. They’re very emotionally difficult for me to write, but I feel they’re very important things.
http://ko-fi.com/A630KKM
https://www.paypal.me/KaelanRhy
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deanandthephantoms · 2 years
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Saving sharks with Gillespie (charliexreader)
A/N: So this is a follow up story to my Gillespie campingtrip fic. This one is again a little different from what i usually write cause this has also some spicy stuff in it. I hope you’ll enjoy! :) Summary: Charlie gets invited to come on a mare nostrum trip in the Galapagos and of course he asks you to come..  Warnings: Mature content (Overall just fun fluff but there's some smut.) Wordcount: around 2500
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It's a Wednesday evening and Charlie and I are chilling on my couch in my appartment. He's sitting up while my head is resting on his lap and I'm laying on the couch with Charlie's arm draped over me. We're not doing anything special, just chatting about our day and cuddling. Something we had done almost every night since we had come back from our camping trip a few months ago.. 
Tonight seemed to be nothing special until suddenly Charlie's phone starts to ring. The conversation isn't giving me any clues on who he's talking to but I can tell he's getting more and more excited the longer the phone call lasts. Finally he ends the call and I look up at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" He asks me. "What was that about? You were getting pretty excited about whatever they were saying.." by the look on his face I can tell he's debating if he should go the serious or the teasing route. But then pure excitement takes over "okay.. so you know how I've been talking to this Mare nostrum foundation right?" I simply nod in response "okay so the founder just called me and they invited me to come on a trip with them.. I'm gonna save actual sharks Babe!" His excitement is contagious and I can't help but grin up at him. " I'm so happy for you Char! That's soo cool!" His face is absolutely beaming " RIGHT! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR SO LONG AND.." he closes his mouth and opens it again to continue rambling but then closes it again and i can tell his ADHD mind is taking over and he jumps up causing me to fall off the couch." YOU SHOULD COME WITH ME! PLEASE COME WITH ME? YOU'LL LOVE IT!" i laugh "umm first of all.. ouch.. and second of all  i don't know Gillespie.. I think I need a little more convincing.. sharks are pretty intense you know.." he smirks and takes a step towards me,understanding the assignment. He picks me up from the ground, grabs my butt and gives it a squeeze while pressing me against his body and kissing me. "Remember our last trip? I promise you I'll be even better to you this time around." The sound of his voice gives away what he's hinting at and it's making me blush. "Hmm.. even better? How can I say no to that?" I say right before kissing him again.
It’s now 2 months later and the day of our trip is finally here. Charlie has not been able to shut up about it and the amount of ocean-related documentaries he made me sit through can not be counted on two hands and honestly? i loved it. I think the past two months, seeing him so passionately made me love him even more and I couldn't wait to see what actually being there would do to him. I was ripped away from my own thoughts by my over excited boyfriend that came into the room practically bouncing up and down. “Are you done packing? Are you ready to go?!” I laugh and walk over to him and take his hands in mine.  “Yes Charlie, I'm ready. are you?” instead of answering my question with words he grabs all the bags and runs out of my apartment only to run back in a minute later. “THE CAR IS PACKED, LETS GO BABE!” i shake my head “Can you calm down just a tiny bit? If no. hand me the keys Gillespie cause i’m not letting your inner hyper kid drive us.” “BUT..” i cut him off “No buts, answer my question” “sheesh.. can you stop acting like my mom?” “I don’t know.. Can you be calm enough to drive us safely?” he takes a deep breath and visibly calms down though the spark of excitement never left his eyes“ You do realize my ADHDmind is always going 340938490 miles per hour right? Yes i can drive us safely.” I smile and kiss his cheek “Yeah i know. i just had to get you to calm down just a tiny bit.” He gives me a thankful smile knowing i was right and it was all coming from a place of love he then took my hand and together we got in the car starting the journey to the airport and then the Galapagos. 
The trip went very smoothly and when we landed in the galapagos there was a guy to pick us up and drop us off at our hotel. It was already late in the evening when we arrived so we went straight to bed. In the morning i’m woken up by the first bit of sunlight coming into our room. The first thing I see is Charlie still peacefully asleep next to me and as my eyes adjust to the light I'm taking in our room, the second my eyes land on the doors to our balcony. I'm wide awake curious to see what the Galapagos actually look like. Careful not to wake Charlie i get out of bed and quietly try to open the doors to the balcony. The second i step outside i’m stunned by the views. It's so peaceful, there’s so much beautiful nature to explore and of course.. the ocean is right there. I never really appreciated all those things, hell the ocean was just a bit of water to me but that all changed when Charlie started to share his passion and knowledge with me. Now i understood how important the ocean and it’s life are to us and also learned how badly we’re treating it.. suddenly there are two strong arms around my waist and lips on my neck right below my ear. “hmm good morning to you too” i say while sinking into his hold. “You were lost in your own thoughts weren’t you?” His voice was still thick and raspy with sleep, a sound that had quickly become my weakness and every time I heard it made me feel all kinds of things. I close my eyes for a second trying to compose myself “I guess i was.. I was just taking in our surroundings. It’s so breathtakingly beautiful.” Charlie doesn't really say anything but continues to hold me and rests his chin on my shoulder.. “absolutely beautiful indeed” he eventually whispers. We just stand there like that for what feels like forever until the phone of our room rings, our wake up call, it was time to get ready and come down for breakfast with everyone involved in this Mare nostrum trip.
During breakfast we’re talked through the activities of the day and Charlie is clearly living his best life. We’re mostly gonna be on a boat today and we’re actually gonna be allowed into the water too, they assure us, or mainly me (cause my boyfriend is too excited to care), that we will be safe and they will make sure it stays that way. We finish our breakfast and only 2 hours later we’re on a boat and had just gotten into our wetsuits. I then and there decided a wetsuit was suddenly one of my favorite outfits on Charlie.. it really sculpted every detail of his body and showed off just how much he had been working out.. needles to say he looked amazing. and apparently he caught me looking at him. a smirk appears on his face as he walks over to me and teasingly whispers in my ear “ Good thing we’re gonna be in the water soon so no one will notice you’re drooling” i hit his arm “Oh shut up Gillespie'' making him laugh and he then gently slaps my butt. “Hey. That goes for me too. You’re looking insanely good right now..”  We get strapped into diving gear and after a quick lesson we’re diving in the Galapagos, seeing the most beautiful coral reefs, all kinds of fish and even sharks from a distance. It was an experience I would never forget and hopefully one Charlie and I would get to come back to. I was the first to get out of the water but Charlie soon followed, the wetsuit now actually being wet seeming to cling to his body even more, his long hair perfectly falling down, the shiny wet skin.. I felt my heart skip a beat, automatically i swallow and then my mouth starts to dry up. Seeing Charlie like that, in his element going on and on about everything he saw.. it was a massive turn on and if it wasn't for the entire mare nostrum-crew being there i would have jumped him right then and there. One of the crewmembers comes up to me and tells me i can change out of my wetsuit if i want, there’s no need to tell me twice i needed this thing off, i needed my airy, summer clothes back, i needed air in general and most of all, i needed to get away from the sight of Charlie for just a second. I rush off to the room where i changed into the wetsuit, close the door and the second I begin the struggle of unzipping myself there’s a knock on the door. “Yes?” I ask. There’s no answer but the door opens quickly and closes again just as quick. Of course he had noticed me rushing off. “ Are you okay babe?” not wanting to give anything away or keep him from those people longer than needed i just smile and nod “Yeah i’m good. Just felt like getting back into my own clothes, that’s all. Go back out there, I'll be there soon.” Totally ignoring what i just said, he closes the gap between us. immediately finding my butt again and pressing his lips hard on mine. “Let me help you..” he mumbles against my lips in between kisses while his hands roam up my back and find the zipper to slowly unzip me. “Charlie you should..” i try to half stop him, while wishing he’ll continue. but he stops me by kissing me again “You didn’t think i would just let you get out of this suit did you?”  "i.. what?" By this time I'm fully unzipped and his hands are on the bare skin of my back pulling me closer to him t kiss my cheek and then kiss up to my ear and down my neck. Through the thin, thight fabrics between us I can feel him getting hard and that's the last thing I needed to completely lose it. My hands are now all over his body and find the zipper of his suit as fast as they possibly can. There's no taking it slow. I wanted this thing off and I wanted it now! The second I fully unzipped his suit I start tugging on it trying to get it off, getting frustrated when it's not working with me. Charlie notices and lovingly takes my hands " hey, calm down.. here I'll help you" he says while pulling down his own suit, revealing his bare muscle-y chest. "Thank you" i quickly say before attacking his lips again, letting my hands trace every muscle. I slowly kiss my way down from his mouth , to his neck, chest , stomach and his hips. Pulling the suit further down and letting his hard-on spring free as i fully help him out of the suit I'm now on my knees in front of him. I look up at him and he's looking down at me, eyes filled with anticipation of what I'm about to do. Getting a little closer I plant kisses up his thigh and lower stomach. Teasing him by getting so close but not actually touching him. I decide to tease him just a little bit longer and get up again, making Charlie groan “You’re such a fucking tease”. i step closer to him, and quickly kiss his lips “I know” i tell him with a smirk and then unexpectedly grab him, making him hiss slightly and moan as I give him a handjob. Not long after he’s tugging my suit down a little more and sliding his hand in there, letting his fingers touch my clit making me moan just as much. We share a long passionate kiss until Charlie breaks it, taking his hand out of my wet suit and kneeling in front of me to fully take it off me. Then without saying anything picks me up and lays me down on top of a table in the room. At first he climbs on top of the table and then on top of me, hovering over me. His voice low and deep when he begins to talk “You were looking so fucking good in that suit.. i wanted to rip it off of you the second i first saw you.. and then you decided to tease me, and jerk me off so good.. i need to, no i want to.. i mean.. please let me fuck you?” His voice and those words made me forget about where we are , made me forget we should probably be careful, in my mind it was just me and him and no one else, no crew that could walk in at any time.. all i knew is that i wanted him. i grab his hair pulling him down to kiss him and whisper in his ear “Please do..” Kissing his way down my body he gets off the table, pulling me to the edge of the table, gently spreading my legs and aligning himself with me before carefully sliding into me “Fuck” i whisper “Feeling okay?” He asks and i just nod.”Perfect”. With this confirmation Charlie begins to move, starting off slowly but quickly picking up the pace into a pleasant rhythm. our breaths are getting heavier and our moans are getting louder both clearly getting close to our orgasm. He slows down and instead thrusts into me hard and deep hitting all the right spots making me shiver and reach my high making him follow right after. He collapses on top of me and after a minute climbs back on the table taking me in his lap to just cuddle me while we both come down from our high.
“I think we should get ourselves some wetsuits..” he says breaking the comfortable silence and i laugh “yeah? I’ll keep this in mind for your birthday.” He smirks “Oh you’re gonna treat me to another round of this on my birthday?” i playfully hit him “ we’ll see about that Gillespie.” We share another kiss and i’m suddenly reminded of where we are. “Uh.. Charlie? Don’t you think we should get back out there? i think they may be missing us..” Charlie and I end up getting dressed and joining the Mare nostrum crew on the deck again, and while i’m feeling a little awkward, being sure everyone knew what we just got up to Charlie doesn't seem to feel that way at all and easily steps right back into his previous conversation like nothing had happened..
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bookwormscififan · 2 months
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Nightmare
Read on AO3!
A/N: Mare's always there when Mad has a nightmare, but when Mad wakes up from a nightmare in the cabin with no Mare, what happens?
Warnings: Panic attacks.
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Mad didn’t talk about his nightmares often, not unless they truly scared him. If a nightmare woke him up in the middle of the night, he was usually content to cuddle into Mare’s embrace and go back to sleep, knowing the musician’s very presence would stop his mind from spiralling.
His grip tightened on the blankets beside him, tossing his head to dispel the nightmare he was caught in, and he opened his eyes with a gasp and thudding heart to see the pillow beside him empty. Swallowing a lump of fear in his throat, Mad swept his arm across the bed, starting to hyperventilate when he confirmed the bed was indeed empty.
“Mare…?” His voice was hoarse, struggling to form words past his panicked gasps. The next time he attempted to call out, the words stuck in his throat, eyes watering as he pulled the blankets to his chin for some semblance of comfort.
He’s gone. He left you. He finally got tired of you. All your dreams were true. Mad shook his head, tumbling out of bed and curling up on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest and pressing his ear to the ground. His panicky gasps were growing more erratic, the tears in his eyes falling in silent and jagged lines down his face.
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“Mad?” Mare dropped the spare clothes he’d run out to get, dashing to Mad’s curled form on the ground by the bed, taking in his shaking form and feeling his own heart break. “Mad, honey, I’m here.” Gently, Mare touched Mad’s shoulder, pulling his hand back when Mad flinched, choking on a sob as he curled in tighter to himself.
Mare sat for a moment as he figured out what to do, then slowly he pulled the blanket from the bed and carefully set it over Mad, leaving his head exposed. Quietly, he hummed a few bars of a lullaby, waiting for Mad to relax slightly before reaching out again, gently pulling Mad into his lap.
“I’m here, dear heart, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered, keeping his voice low so he didn’t startle Mad as he began to slowly pat his back, returning to humming the lullaby until Mad stopped gasping, breathing in time with Mare’s pats.
“M-Mare…?” Mad’s voice was tiny and hoarse, almost a whisper as he looked up into Mare’s eyes. He sniffled, wiping his face with the blanket covering his hand, then leaned into Mare’s chest, breathing slowly to calm his heart.
“What happened, love?” Mare asked, slowly standing and moving to sit on the bed, leaning his back against the wall while still cradling Mad in his arms. “Are you alright?”
“Nightmare,” Mad replied, pulling the blanket closer around himself as he leaned further into Mare. “I woke up and you weren’t here. I thought you’d actually left me.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Mare cooed, guiding Mad to rest his head against his chest, right above his heart. “I went to get us more clothes for our stay in the cabin. I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m never leaving, I swear. This heart only beats for you.”
“That’s so cheesy,” Mad managed a small chuckle, resting his hand beside his head so he could feel Mare’s heart beating. “I love you so much.”
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@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch @dungeon-dragons-dragons
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iamfruitie · 3 months
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A Fun Night Part 3 of 3
Part 1: Link
Part 2: Link
Chapter 3
Anti was casually strolling down the halls of the Hunters Headquarters, recognized at this point as not a threat, along with some other Demons that had Human mates, so he was left alone for the most part. He was heading to find Dark and drag him away for the day for some plans. 
“Hey, Host.” Anti greeted the leader of the Hunters. 
“Morning.” Host greeted back, his usual stride looking slightly off, and when Anti sniffed as he passed, he immediately knew what had happened the previous night. 
“Oh? Oh~!” Anti giggled and had the most wicked grin as he took off to do something that he did best.
Gossip. 
He started with most of the Demons, deciding he’d save telling JJ for when he told the Hunters. Anti snatched Henrik away from his work, got Marvin and Chase to follow him, and had Bing drag Google, and they all were at Mare and Phantom’s usual meeting place. 
“What is so important that you could not tell me in my office?” Henrik asked when they all settled. 
“Must be something big for Anti to be patient about spilling the tea.” Marvin giggled.
“I didn’t think Anti and patient could be two words in the same sentence.” Mare chuckled.
“Host had sex last night!” Anti blurted, grinning brightly despite the other Demons just looking at him. 
“And?” Google said flatly. 
“Host. You know. The Host. The Human mate of Night.” Anti waited and still didn’t get the reaction he wanted. “Host and Night fucked!” 
“How do you know?” Phantom asked. 
“I smelled him earlier, and his scent reeked of Night like usual but with that extra flair.” Anti danced his fingers in the air to add to his point. 
“Well shit, they actually did it,” Chase said. 
“We should send a card.” Marvin did a little shimmy. 
“Congrats on fucking?” Bing asked with a laugh. 
“They had sex, it’s not a big deal.” Google shrugged. 
“No, wait, we should send a card and gift baskets filled with anything they’d need.” Anti’s grin went from bright to mischievous. 
“Are you suggesting we send lube to our creator?” Mare asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m in.” 
x~x~x
Anti waited until later that day before finding the Hunters at Wilford’s bar. Mad had joined as well after Mare suggested going, not explaining why he should, but Mad’s curiosity got him there regardless. While Anti was busy with the Hunters, the Demons continued their work on the gifts.
“Did Host seem off to anyone else today?” Edward asked. “I tried speaking to him, but he just brushed me off.
“Everyone has an off day, especially when you’re in love with a Demon.” Dark softly chuckled. “But I did notice he wasn’t on his feet as much as usual. He’s normally one to get who he wants rather than calling.” 
“I swear I saw him wincing when he sat in his chair,” Jackie said.
“He better not have hurt himself and is stubborn about not being seen for it.” Edward huffed. 
“Oh, I’m sure if it was a problem, he’d come talk to you.” Wilford sat a fresh glass of beer in front of Edward. “You’re his favorite doc, after all.”  
“I can easily answer your questions~” Anti said with a purr, popping up in Dark’s lap and smiling at feeling Dark’s arms immediately wrapping around his waist in a hug to keep him up. 
“Usually, when you know the cause of something, it’s not a good thing,” Mad said. 
“Rude. But I will say it’s a good thing. A very good thing for Host and Night.” 
“Night? What does he have to do with it?” Dark asked. 
“Let’s just say that Host’s scent changed, and that tells me he and Night had some fun together.” Anti knew most of the Hunters would catch what he meant. 
“Oh!” Edward’s eyes widened. 
“Took them long enough.” Wilford chuckled as JJ came in from the back room. 
“I don’t get it,” Mad said.
“Were they playing games or something?” Jackie asked, not catching on at first, and took a drink.
“What did I miss?” JJ asked, having his voice project to everyone in the group. 
“Host and Night had sex.” Dark decided to answer very bluntly so Mad could catch on as well. Jackie spat his drink like in a cartoon and started coughing, punching at his chest to get air back in his lungs.
“They what?” He asked in a wheeze.
“Oh, I knew they were going to,” Mad said casually, taking a sip of his drink and lowering it when everyone looked at him. “What?” 
“How did you know about that?” Wilford asked. 
“Well-I-uh…” Mad cleared his throat and looked at Anti. “How could you tell that happened? Did one of them tell you?” 
“Fun fact about Demons is we can smell changes in scent, including sex scents. We can tell when someone’s had it, if someone’s had it, and who they had it with.” Anti explained, deciding to be nice and help Mad shift away from Wilford’s question. 
“You can…You can smell that?” Mad’s voice softened.
“We can, and I know you and Mare had your own fun last night as well~” Anti giggled at seeing Mad stiffening and going red in the face. His niceness could only last for so long.
“Alright, alright, enough teasing,” Dark said, tightening his hug on Anti slightly. “And you need to leave Host and Night alone about this. I know how you are, and the last thing you need is both of them pissed at you.” 
“But Darky~” 
“No, don’t ‘but Darky’ me, I’m serious.” 
“Ugh, fine.” Anti pouted, but he still had no plans on stopping the gifts that were going to be appearing at Host’s front door later that night. 
x~x~x
Night appeared in Host’s home and found his favorite Human sitting on the couch, relaxing with his head tilted back as he listened to the TV. 
“Has today been odd for you as well?” Night asked. 
“How do you mean by odd?” Host lifted his head and rocked it to stretch out his neck. 
“Some looks and soft laughter? I could feel eyes on me and not in the usual ‘fearing for their lives’ way.” 
“I felt eyes and could hear whispers. I had assumed some gossip was going around. Despite how chaotic and eventful our lives are, even Hunters get caught up when there’s some exciting news.” 
“I can’t get over the feeling the gossip is about us.” Night clicked his tongue. 
“Why would that be?” Host didn’t get a verbal answer as there was a knock on the door. 
“Gossip ranges in a vast variety.” Night said as he opened the door, brow raising at not seeing anyone there, and when he glanced down, he was not expecting to see several colorful wrapped baskets. “Is there a Human holiday today that I’m missing?” 
“No. It’s just an average day. Why?” 
“There are gifts.” 
“Gifts?” Host stood as Night gathered the baskets and carried them in, using his foot to close the door before taking them into the kitchen and placing them on the table. 
“There’s several baskets. Some roses sticking out of them, but I can’t see what’s inside them with all this wrapping.” Night explained as he started pulling off the basket’s covering. “It smells of the Demons your Hunters are infatuated with.”
“Are there any cards?” Host asked. 
“There’s one.” Night hummed and took the single envelope. He opened it and unfolded the card. “It’s just says ‘congratulations’?” 
“Congratulations? For what?” Host started helping with removing the wrapping. There was almost an endless amount of layers of paper and plastic. 
“Maybe there’s-you have to be kidding me.” Night tensed up when he saw what the actual gifts were. 
“What? What’s in…” Host’s voice trailed off when he found one of the items. “Is that a…” 
“A dildo.” Night finished with an annoyed grunt. “And lube and handcuffs and rope and other sex toys.” Host couldn’t find words yet and just cleared his throat. “I am so killing all of them.” 
“All of who?” Host had to clear his throat again before speaking. 
“Whoever decided to share what we did and everyone they told.” Night couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or pissed, so it became a combination of both. 
“I mean, they would have figured out eventually. But…” Host chewed his lip as he reached around and found one of the lube bottles. “Maybe we could take advantage of our new supplies?” He heard Night’s breath hitch a little at the offer.
“You’re saying that to distract me from hunting down the others, aren’t you?” 
“Yes and no.”
“I’m okay with that.” Night grabbed Host with one arm and one of the baskets with the other and carried both to the bedroom. 
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mystery-star · 1 year
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Whumpril 2023 - Day 7 | “You look pale.”
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Pairing: Ben Wade x reader (gender neutral)
Words: 834
Warnings: sickness
A/N: Missed a day? Find all Whumpril entries on my Whumpril Masterlist. And happy birthday to Russell Crowe! (yup that's the reason for the pic)
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Ben had been unusually quiet that day. Of course he was often withdrawn from the gang but he was constantly around you, talking to you or even taking you away from the gang for some quality time. But today he even avoided you and when you approached him he was reserved as well. Needless to say that it started to worry you because it meant there was something on his mind and you couldn’t say what it was. The next morning (he hadn’t even spent the night by your side) he seemed even worse. He was sitting around, cleaning his weapon but his mind seemed elsewhere. His breakfast, only half eaten, stood beside him.
“Hey” you greeted as you sat beside him. He quickly glanced up but it seemed like he didn’t even really notice you. “Is everything okay?” there was no answer and so you moved closer, placing a hand on his cheek and made him look up at you “You look pale” you commented with shock and when you wanted to place your hand on his forehead to check his temperature, he pushed your hand away.
“Just tired” he replied but you didn’t believe him since it was obvious that he was hiding something. Once he let go of your hand you waited a short while before starting another attempt to touch his forehead and this time you succeeded.
“Damn, you’re hot” you whispered moving your hand to his temple “I think you have a fever”
“No. I’m fine” he got up and walked away, leaving his gun behind. Oh, something was definitely wrong with him. The Ben you knew never left his gun anywhere out of reach unless you were at a safe place. And he also would have made a joke about you calling him hot.
“Wait, Ben” you called as you hurried after him and grabbed his arm. He swayed a little when he tried to shake you off and only now you realized that he actually was too weak to do it. He probably was getting sick. “Come on” you said softly, changing your grip on his arm “Sit back down”
“I need to do something” he said and now managed to free his arm since your grip on it was weaker.
“Lying down is what you need” you muttered and froze when he stopped walking
“No” his voice was so harsh that you winced.
“Ben, please” you caught up with him again, gripping his arm. “You need to take care. You’re not well. And you know it too” you moved to stand in front of him and cupped his face.
“I can’t” his voice was barely a whisper.
“Of course you can, Ben. I’ll look after you. No big deal”
“For you”
“What? Come, it’s the best for you too” you tried to convince him but he shook his head and blinked. Oh damn, you better made sure he sat down soon.
“I know what’s best for me. Let me go”
“I’m just trying to help” you defended yourself, feeling hurt
“Help me by leaving me alone” he removed your hands from his face and continued walking to the horses. He wasn’t actually going for a ride in that condition and without a gun, was he? But by the time you caught yourself he was really trying to mount his mare and you got furious.
“Are you crazy?” you cried out “You can’t ride in your…” before you realized it he had grabbed you and pressed a hand to your mouth. And there you had thought his behavior couldn’t scare you even more. He looked around and then made a shushing sound before removing his hand “What is wrong with you? Come on, you really have to rest”
“(Y/N). Don’t you see it?”
“See what? That you’re sick. It’s obvious”
“That’s exactly it” you frowned. Why would he be bothered about you noticing it? He knew that you would only want to help him. “It’s not you” he said as if he’d read your mind “The others” that was when it clicked
“Oh” of course, being their leader it could be his death if they noticed that he was too weak to even defend himself. After all, he always made a point about the gang only being as strong as the weakest member and they couldn’t afford weakness. You grabbed his arms “We have to get you out of here” you whispered. He managed a weak smile
“That’s what I been trying, ‘til you came and stopped me” you raised your eyebrows
“Without your gun, huh?” his hand went to his side and let out a curse. “Come on. I’ll grab my stuff and get it while you get the horses ready. Can you do that?” he looked at you perplexedly
“Did you really think I was gonna leave you all alone in that condition?” you shook your head to answer the question “I’ll come with you, get you to safe place and take care of you”
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Tagging: @woman-with-no-name
Return to the Whumpril Masterlist
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whoovesnassistant · 1 year
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Skit Contest Entry 18
“The Doctor Rests” - By Queen Tut
Mechanical beeps and boops and sound off softly in the distance, The snores of a pony start quiet and grow slowly louder. And louder. It’s the Doctor, of all ponies. The snoring grows loud enough to be genuinely obnoxious. Then the snoring starts to fade until only a chilling, heart stopping ambience remains. This is no ordinary white noise. It’s the sort of ambience that can make your blood boil with dread.
Doctor Am I… sleeping? His voice echoes across the void. In the distance several voices from his past scream and cry out. Screams of pain from the monsters he’s killed. Cries of betrayal from the friends he’s left behind. The noise blends into chatter, but the agony is inescapable for the time being. Doctor Darn these blasted nightmares. Ah well! Nothing a little lucid dreaming couldn’t fix. *takes deep, dramatic breath* There is silence. The painful noises then continue. Doctor What? I… I don’t understand. That usually does the trick, doesn’t it? ??? What’s the matter? Can’t ignore them, can you? The voice sounds like the Doctor. Yet it’s… wrong. It’s distorted. Broken. Cruel. (sound effect department gets to have fun with this) Doctor Oh, what are you supposed to be? Some kind of wise guy, eh? ??? HA HA HA… I guess you wouldn’t recognise yourself now, would you? Doctor *hesitates then laughs* Oh, come now, you must be joking. Whatever you are, I have no need of you. So you’d best be on your way. Alright then, where was I? Oh, yes! Just closing my eyes until the scenery changes. Won’t be long until my subconscious mind properly connects to my consciousness. When it does you’ll be gone and I’ll be someplace far nicer. Perhaps a beachy region from one of the planets in Mare’s Head Nebula, or a field of mutated flowers near the 47th quadrant. Yeah. that sounds absolutely lovely for a pleasant night in dreamland…
Another silence sits as his monologue ends. ??? *super loud now* How’s that working for you?
Doctor *breathes harshly, slightly startled* This doesn’t make any sense. You should be gone by now. Why are you still here? ??? Oh Doctor… you simply can’t live without getting your way, can you? Doctor Who do you think you are anyway? ??? Ha… how many times must we repeat ourselves? Forever it seems? Eventually you must realize that this time you really are without an option to pray for. The agonizing voices continue to echo and reverberate as the two of them talk. Doctor *glups before speaking, allowing a bit of uncertainty to enter his tone* Right. Repetitive. I’m going to ask this again. Who are you? ??? I’ve told you. I’m you, little worthless wretch. The mirror you’d never look into. The parts of yourself you don’t show. Your… guilt. Doctor *nervous laugh* What guilt? Dark Doc *even more horrifying voice effects* The ones you’ve killed. The ones that cannot be saved. The friends that warned you of the monster in the reflection who went unheard. Unlistened to. I. Am. You. The voices in the background get stronger. Some of them are recognizable. Clockwork, the Doctor who saw our green tied felloe for his darkest self. Pistol, crying for both the life he lost and the one he never got to have. Mita, the pony who died inches from the TARDIS doors. Doctor *actually a little disturbed now* No… no… you’re lying. You have to be. Dark Doc Do you still remember the taste of… *enjoying his words a little too much* those… RIVERS of blood… filling our pores. That mossy metal taste of the blood of the Jabberwock’s kin? A snap with no known source breaks up his words briefly as he goes on. Utterly unfazed. Dark Doc OOOOOOOHHHHHH………… how about that STENCH? The… *inhales* saccharine sweet, burnt crispness…of what we left of those sycophants of Gallifrey… HA HA HA…oh… how it frayed… eh? After what we did… gone like a bunch of baked sugar cookies, really. The voices are still in the background, screaming to the doctor in their torment. Doctor *tiny, nearly inaudible whimpering* Dark Doc Oh there’s that other time when-*cuts off* Doctor *completely and totally freaking unhinged* NO. NO! YOU… you do not get the PRIVILEGE of housing in this place. GO BACK TO THE DEPTHS WHERE YOU BELONG… you… VILE… ARROGANT TRAITO- *cuts off* Suddenly there’s a loud smack. The Doctor gags, coughing, sputtering, and without respite. There’s a struggle. A double heartbeat resonates with ominous reverb. TH-thumpthump. TH-thumpthump. TH-thumpthump. Dark Doc That sound… in our chest. Do you…recall the children… who grew silent *starts whispering* as they rested against our… beating… chest? Doctor *struggling, gagging, even gasping* Sss…sssss…sst-top. TH-thumpthump. TH-thumpthump. The hearts keep beating. The voices around him are louder. More powerful. Unceasing. Eventually… everything around the Doctor… becomes nothing more than awful noise. Doctor *hyperventilates* The hearts thump still. The voices linger. Longer. Then longer still. Then they simply stop. There’s only the thrashing of frantic hooves against a mattress. Then a thud as the Doctor’s body hits the floor. He gasps and heaves as a slight squelching squishes. Followed by a sickening, grinded munching. A chilling hiss emits from the creature in his ear. Doctor *inhales deeply* GET OFF. GET OFF. Get off. I need you to get off! LEAVE!!! A squish-smack comes from the thing as it falls against the floor.This is followed by violent smashing. Bam. Bam. Bam. Then silence. Doctor *heaves loud, his breath shaking and fragile, almost sounds like he’s crying* Sonic Screwdriver sound effect. Doctor P-p-p-paras-s-site. Must… have… picked up… from… m-moon. Feeds on… s-s-suffering. Venom designed to alter neural connectivity in order to maximize resources for… feeding. Most effective when host is asleep. Symptoms include uncontrollable nightmares and psychological distress. It’s quiet again. But only for a while. Doctor Ha ha… hehe… *more painful and disturbed with each syllable* HA HA HA HE HEH HEHE HEH! Hoof steps crawl through the TARDIS now. Wobbling. Slow. Like a foal taking its first steps. The door creaks. Paper flicks against wood. Doctor Is… this… a note? Doctor hears Derpy’s voice reading the note in his head. Derpy Hey Doctor. Me and Tick saw you were taking a nap. We didn’t want to wake you since I know you don’t sleep often, but I wanted to let you know that Tick Tock found a hurt cat outside the TARDIS. She’s a bit funny. And she does glow sometimes. And she might be from space? Maybe? We’re not too sure. ANyway, she’s very sweet so we thought it would be okay to watch over her for a while until she gets better. Hope you don’t mind and that you had a nice restful sleepy time!Lots of hugs, Ditzy Doo. P.S. Oops, meant to sign off as Derpy Hooves. My bad! Doctor *weak, resigned* Huh. Cat Meow? Doctor steps forward slowly and another door creaks open. He can hear Tick Tock’s gentle snoring and Derpy’s relaxed breath. Doctor They… must have fallen asleep. In the same bed even. Silence. Profound silence. Doctor At least… they have each other… right?
Cat Meow! Cat Mrow! Cat Mew. Silence. Skit ends.
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kindheart525 · 14 days
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Astor had invited Blue to her house for the night, just the two of them and her undivided attention. She had noticed a change in her friend and she could only guess what the reason was, but she didn't like it. So here they were in Astor’s inner sanctum, the glow in the dark stars and decals Blue had gifted her covering the walls.
"Sit down Blue."
She spoke sternly, making her way over to her desk and beginning to shuffle papers.
"Tell me what's going on."
Blue had been acting a lot more quiet than usual, more shy and nothing like her confident self. She started twirling her mane nervously but willed her hooves to stop as she spoke.
“Oh it’s not much, it’s just...”
But one look over at her friend and it was clear that Astor was not convinced one bit. Something about her unlocked something in Blue, opening up the floodgates as her voice instantly choked up and tears sprung to her eyes.
“Ever since I started dating Varmint I haven’t gotten a break! I love her with all my heart and I want to be with her for a long time, but everypony seems to think I’m NOT going to treat her well!”
At this point her makeup was running down her face and she could not stop it as she spilled all her feelings out.
“Brackish thinks I’m out to hurt Venny and Cedar says I’m a bad influence on Violet for having so many lovers! Do I really seem like the kind of mare who wants to hurt ponies!? I love my girlfriend AND my sister and I...I’d never dream of doing anything to them! Not ever!”
She gripped at herself, riddled with self-hatred as she reflected on all the things ponies had said to her lately.
“But what if I AM a slut? What if I AM a bad influence, what if I do flaunt myself too much? Did I break everypony’s hearts, am I gonna break Venny’s too!? I just don’t know what to do, I...”
Blue couldn’t go on any longer, all she could do was break down into sobbing as she wallowed in her shame.
Astor continued arranging her star maps the whole time as Blue spoke. To anypony else she looked like she was ignoring her friend but in actuality she was listening very intently, evaluating the situation critically as Blue explained it all. And once she was done she immediately had her own two bits to offer.
“First of all, you should stop listening to Brackish. He’s an imbecile and he has zero credibility to talk about your sex life when he brags about his own body count constantly. Red Cedar also has no place to judge when she was looking around while in a relationship. By Gaia, I can’t be your only voice of reason here.”
She quipped in the same blunt tone she always spoke in; anypony else would have thought she was completely serious. But Blue didn’t laugh like she normally would have.
“But what if she has a point?”
Blue got up from her seat and walked up behind Astor, still sniffling and sobbing quietly.
“What if I’m only making it worse for myself by being so open? Making ponies think I’m somepony I’m not?”
“There are always going to be ponies who think you’re a slut. You can stop being open about it and leave them with nothing to use against you. You can hide it all away. Or you could just...stop giving a shit.”
“Well I didn’t until now. I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”
She gripped her hat to her chest, hanging on Astor’s every word for consolation even when her tone wasn’t very gentle.
Astor kept her eyes on the star maps she organized so diligently, but her voice softened ever so slightly as she went on.
“It’s because you clearly care about Varmint. Of course you care about everypony you’ve been with but you seem to be pretty intent on pursuing something long-term with her. This is not another fling.”
“Yes, more than anything, I want her to know that!”
Astor turned towards her, focusing her full and undivided attention on Blue now.
“Then tell her. Nopony has any power to stop you. Not Brackish, not Cedar, not even Gaia. You go right down to that farm and you tell her exactly how you feel.”
A smile finally returned to Blue’s face as she put her hat back on, a newfound courage growing inside her with Astor’s advice helping her.
“You’re right! If Brackish tries to stop me I’ll tell him to fuck himself! And then I’ll fuck his sister!”
She laughed and Astor chuckled along with her.
“Yes you will.”
Astor took note of Blue’s face, still stained with mascara and snot, tossing her a tissue box from her desk.
“But clean yourself up first, you’re an absolute mess. You want to look your best while doing it, don’t you?”
~~~~~~~~~~
Previous: Sister Sister Next: Penchant
Collaboration with @cloud-roots
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spookysweet-heart · 2 years
Text
All or Nothing
Request: No
Fandom: Battle Egos
Parings: Battle Egos x Fem!Reader
Warnings: none
A/N: This is Part Three! Part One and Two can be found here and here! This is a Julie and The Phantoms AU, with the Holloway Sisters (battle ego OCs) and Battle Boys! I hope you like it! The songs featured throughout the series are by their respective bands and artists, I’ll link each song that’s featured so you all can listen along. Each song I chose has significance to the story, so I hope you pay attention to them! The collage was made by me! Edited by @semiproeagle​!
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     Back at the club, Phantom is watching one of the performers running a soundcheck. He looks over at Natemare who’s standing by. “What do you think of an all-girl band?”
“Interesting, but how would you fit another band in when you’re fully booked?”  Natemare looks down at his brother curiously.
“Well, I’ll just have to make some sacrifices, won’t I?” Phantom stands up and pats Natemare’s shoulder as he passes by him. “Tell our girls I need to see them in my office, will you?”
Natemare only nods as he watches his brother head down the hall and disappear into a room. He looks at his wrist where a red symbol could be seen before disappearing into his skin. “What the fuck are you planning this time…”
“Hey!” Bones walks over to Mare. His smile turns into worry when he sees Mare looking at his wrist. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Natemare shakes off his thoughts and looks around. “Have you seen Lexi and Kimberly?”
“Uh, yeah, actually. They just got back. Why?” Bones raises an eyebrow, but before Mare can answer, the two girls walk into the room. 
“Hey! What's up, you two?” Lexi smiles up at them.
“Nothing really, how was the thing you two went to see?” Mare smiles back and hugs them both after Bones does.
“It was a lot of fun! Got to see the girl Lexi wouldn’t stop talking about. She’s unbelievably pretty.” Kimberly pokes at Lexi’s cheek playfully.
“Shut up. Besides, did you see how her sisters were looking at you?”
“Shut up…” Kimberly playfully elbows her arm, making Bones giggle. Nervously laughing away her embarrassment, she looks over at Mare who’s staring off into space. “Smokey boy, you good?” She waves her hand in front of his face to get his attention.
Mare blinks before taking a step back. “What? Oh, yeah no, I’m fine. Uh, Phantom wanted to see you two in his office, by the way.”
“Right now?” Lexi looks over at him.
“Yeah, but hey, when you guys come out of there, can you find us and tell us what he says?”
“Sure thing. But are you sure you’re okay? You seem more off than usual.” Lexi gently squeezes his shoulder reassuringly. 
“I’m fine, I’ll tell you two why when I know what he wants.”
“Alright, well, see you guys soon, then!” Lexi took Kimberly’s hand, leading her away from them and down the hall to Phantom’s office. 
Knocking on the door, they hear Phantom tell them to come in. 
“You wanted to see us, sir?” Both girls step inside, closing the door behind them.
“There you two are! My precious little gems!” Phantom brings them both into a hug. They feel a little awkward with how friendly their boss is being. “I was thinking,” He lets go of them and gestures to the two to take a seat by his desk. Picking up a flier, he hands it to Lexi. “Why don’t we welcome those newcomers? The sisters you told me about?” 
He points to the flier that had an invitation to the club for their Friday night showcase. “Wouldn’t it be nice to introduce them to a place where they could come and relax when they want to take a break from things?” Phantom smiles as he pet and smoothes out Kimberly's hair. “I’m sure they’d love to see my leading lady perform on one of her biggest nights of the week.”
“This is for next week, it feels too late to say anything…” Lexi looks over the flier one more time before she looks up at him. 
“It shouldn’t be an issue, it’s not like they have a schedule to uphold. They’re dead. What could they possibly have to do?” Phantom sits down in his chair. He rests his arms on his desk, looking up at them.
“Well no, they don’t really have much to do, but we can ask if they’d like to come. You know it’s up to them in the end.” Kimberly speaks up when she sees her boss grow more irritated by the second.
“You’re right. It's up to them in the end. Just make sure their decision is to come.”
“Yes, sir...we’ll do our best.” Lexi folds up the flier and puts it in her pocket. “Let’s go.” The girls make their way to the door, but are stopped before they can reach the doorknob. They hear Phantom speak again.
“Don’t forget! You two have a soundcheck bright and early tomorrow.” Phantom leans into the back of his chair, watching them leave his office.
------
Marie and Raven are sitting on the couch in the studio watching Anne pace back and forth. “Will you sit down? What’s up with you?”
“What’s up with me?! You guys know I don’t deal with change well.” Anne’s voice raises, almost becoming squeaky. “When you guys almost moved to go to college, when our puppy ran away, the fact that we died and came back?!” She looks at them on the brink of tears. “Then there’s the fact we can only be seen by this one girl until we find out we can actually be seen by everyone else when we perform with her?!”
Marie stands up, placing her hands on Anne’s shoulders squeezing them. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but can’t you see that this is an amazing opportunity? Anne, we can be the band we were always meant to be with (Y/n)’s help.”
“I know, you’re right, but- I just….it’s all too much to handle right now… how are you this calm?” Anne leans into Marie’s chest, letting herself cry.
“I’m the oldest, remember? My job is to worry about all of you first.” Marie gently pets Anne’s hair, kissing the top of her head and bringing Anne in closer to hold her against her chest.
Raven looks up at them feeling the same confusion as Anne. “You’re both right. It’s too much, but it’s what we have to work with. This could be a clue for our unfinished business.”
“A clue?” Marie looks over at Raven. “Maybe, but right now we gotta focus on what we can do to help (Y/n) before we help ourselves.” 
Anne wipes her tears away with her sleeves. Taking a deep breath in, she nods. “Yeah, you’re right. She just ignored us when we got back to her…I think she was crying too…”
Raven glances at the door before she picks up her old stuffed animal. “We should go check on her. She just ran up to her room and didn’t say anything to us when we got back.”
“Alright, we’ll go check on her. Hopefully we can help in any way we can.” Marie looks at both of her sisters before they all disappear from the studio and reappear in your room.
When they look around, they immediately notice that your room used to be Anne’s room. The only thing that stayed the same was the yellow wallpaper with flowers on it. Everything else was yours.
“What are you guys doing here?”
The three girls look over to see you sitting in the middle of your bed with a bunch of papers in front of you. Anne is the first one to take a step forward when she sees your eyes are red from crying. 
“We wanted to see if you were okay and maybe we could help cheer you up.” She looks down at you, giving you a warm smile. 
You don’t know what it is about Anne, but she has a way making you feel safe around her. “I know you guys want to help, but Erica already made it clear she doesn’t want to be friends anymore. Even if I tell her the truth about you, there’s no way she’d believe me. I mean, who would believe I joined a ghost band? Erica would think I’ve gone off the deep end if I told her that.”
Anne looks around at the papers and picks one up when it catches her attention. “What are these?”
“They’re just notes and things we wrote to each other during middle school and high school. Like silly promises and stuff like that.”
Anne shows Raven and Marie the note giving them a look they both know very well. Anne definitely has an idea brewing in her head. Turning back to you, she grins. “What if you showed her we’re real? Ask her to come over to explain everything and bring her back to the studio. We can show her you weren’t trying to mislead her.”
“Okay, but exactly what are we going to do?”
“We’re going to use these notes and turn them into a song you can sing to her and we can perform with you!”
“Do you think this would work?”
“It’s worth a try, right?”
“I guess you’re right. Okay, I’ll text her and then we’ll get started on this song.”
After sending Erica a text asking her to come over in two hours, you and the girls head back into the studio, getting to work.
Back at the club, Lexi and Kimberly are walking out into the lobby when Bones and Mare spot them. 
“Hey! So what happened?” Both boys look worried when their friends stay silent.
“Let’s get out here for a while. It’s our day off, let’s enjoy it.” Kimberly smiles, taking the lead and making her way out the front doors with the other three following behind.
“We should probably go to the park or anywhere else to talk about this.” Lexi looks around at the group.
They all agree and head to the park. It isn’t long until Mare starts asking questions again once they arrive at an empty table. 
Pulling out the flier from her pocket, Lexi starts to explain the situation as much as she can. The boys stay silent, listening to every word, but still staying that way even after everything is said and done.
“I don’t trust it for a second, but maybe Phantom isn’t going to do anything at first. He’s evil, but smart. He’s not going to outright take them. He’d try to warm them up and convince them to come back again before he tries anything.” Bones looks determined, but a bit frightful at the thought of getting in Phantom’s way.
Mare looks at Lexi like an idea that popped into his head. “You’re friends with them, right? Why not go along with it? Convince them to stop by. Make it seem like everything is going his way, but we need to give them warnings. We can’t just flat out tell them everything, or else we’ll be put in orbs and on the shelf.”
“I don’t like that, it feels gross, honestly. I’d feel horrible.” Lexi frowns at the thought of actually going through with this plan.
“Try to do this. You want to help them, don’t you?”
“Yeah, of course I do.”
“Then we have to play the game and try to get a step further. Kimberly, why not talk to one of the other sisters? If one of them is a little hesitant about coming, the other one could probably convince the rest to come along.”
“Maybe I could try. I can’t guarantee anything.”
Bones smiles reassuringly, hoping the girls’ nerves will calm down a little. “We’ll give Phantom any updates he wants while you two are busy. We only have rehearsal tomorrow morning and you’re both free for the weekend. Use the time to talk to those sisters. We got this, okay?”
“Okay.” They both nod, still not completely agreeing with this plan.
“You guys should go right now, set up a time to meet up over the weekend and get this thing in motion.”
The girls look at each other and nod before disappearing.
Bones looks over at Mare, very concerned. “Do you think we’ll be able to do this?”
“Honestly? I have no idea.”
Standing outside of the studio, Lexi and Kimberly can hear someone talking. Peeking inside, they see (Y/n) and another girl sitting on the couch. Lexi looks around and spots the girls by their instruments. 
Raven looks up and locks eyes with Lexi. Immediately grinning, she gestures for them to come in. Stepping inside, Kimberly waves at Marie and Anne, smiling at them. Raven points to a few chairs that are in the room. “Take a seat! We’ll only be a few.” She tilts her head over to you and Erica on the couch.
“I don’t know (Y/n), ghosts? If you’re not going to tell me the truth, you shouldn’t have called me over. Seriously, this isn’t funny. I’ve been trying to get you to play music again after what happened to your dad, but the thing that got you out of your block was a ghost band? I don’t believe it.”
“Erica, I know it sounds completely insane, but just sit here and I’ll prove to you I’m not lying. Please, you obviously still trust me since you haven’t given up at this point.”
Rolling her eyes, Erica crosses her arms over her chest. “Fine, but after this, I’m calling your mom and telling her everything because this is seriously concerning.”
You grin, nodding and standing up from the couch. “Alright, that’s fair enough for me. The girls helped me write this when I was looking over those notes and letters we wrote each other over the years. It’s simply called Best Friend.” Walking over to the mic you look at the girls and nod, signaling that you're ready to start.
Marie smiles as she starts playing her guitar leading the song. The other two join in soon after.
You smile looking at Erica when you start singing. “Remember when you broke up with your fucking ex? God, I'm glad you've finally gotten over them. Only took about a hundred million texts. God, I swear that bitch was such a narcissist. Everybody knows I love you so, so, so, so much'Cause every time they ask, I always tell, tell, tell, tell them.“  Seeing Erica’s eyes widen a bit when she’s able to see the girls again while they're playing with you.
“That's my fuckin' best friend, that's my fuckin' right hand. That's my fuckin' throw-up-in-the-bathroom-but-still-love-them. That's my fuckin' best friend, best friend. That's my fuckin' best friend, best friend. That's my fuckin' lifeline, that's my ride or die like. That's my fuckin' hate-you-but-you-know-that-that's-a-damn-lie. Baby, you're my best friend, best friend. Baby, you're my best friend, best friend” Taking the mic off the stand you walk over to Erica and pull her up to her feet, guiding her over to the group. 
“Made a promise that I'm gonna marry you. If we're both still single by, like, thirty-two. And that shit is gonna end up bein' true 'Cause I hate, like, everyone except for you. Who else is gonna grocery shop with me at 2 AM? Who else will take that picture for you just to get revenge? You're just as psycho as me, just as sick inside the head So when they ask, I've always said” 
Wrapping arm around her shoulders you pull her into your side as you finish the song. “That's my fuckin' best friend, that's my fuckin' right hand. That's my fuckin' throw-up-in-the-bathroom-but-still-love-them. That's my fuckin' best friend, best friend. That's my fuckin' best friend, best friend. That's my fuckin' lifeline, that's my ride or die like. That's my fuckin' hate-you-but-you-know-that-that's-a-damn-lie. Baby, you're my best friend, best friend/ Baby, you're my best friend, best friend.” 
Looking around at the sisters, Erica reaches out her hand to touch Raven’s arm, but it phases right through her. ”Holy shit, you were telling the truth!”
The girls disappear from Erica’s sight, but they’re still in the studio with everyone.
“I told you I was being honest. I’m sorry for not telling you the truth before, but you said it yourself. You couldn’t believe it, so I had to prove it to you instead. Forgive me?”
“You’re forgiven, but no more secrets, okay?”
“I promise. No more secrets.” Erica laughs and hugs you tightly. 
“You’re free this weekend, right? Let’s have a movie night!”
Nodding in excitement, you take her hand and almost bolt out of the studio. Anne hears about the movie night and shouts out to you “Wait, I wanna join! What movie are you going to watch!?” Instantly, she disappears, following you two into the house.
Raven walks over to Lexi, taking her hand and helping her to her feet. “So, what's with the surprise visit?” She leads Lexi to sit on the couch with her.
“I wanted to see you, again in all honesty. We’re only working tomorrow morning for the weekend, so I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with me while I have the time. It’s really nice talking to you, Raven.”
Raven giggles when she sees a faint blush on her cheeks. “I’d love to! It’s been really fun to have you to talk to, and, well, not just for advice, but I actually really love spending time with you, Lexi.”
Lexi grins, trying her hardest not to freak out. “I feel the same way. I um, I was thinking we could hang out at the park for a bit before going anywhere else. I just like going around there before and after work, just to clear my head.”
Raven nods excitedly. “That's understandable. Would you like to meet in the afternoon?”
“Yeah, sounds perfect!”
Marie smiles as she takes the empty seat next to Kimberly. “Hey, you. Didn’t think I would get to see you again so soon.”
“Ah, well, we're just at the club we work at and we were told that we only have morning rehearsals with most of the weekend off. Lexi wanted to see if Raven wanted to hang out with her and, um, I kinda wanted to see if you maybe wanted to hang out with me?”
Marie smiles and giggles, seeing the girl in front of her become a bit flustered. “That sounds fun, I’d love to! Plus if it gets me more time with a cutie like you, I’m definitely not skipping this chance.”
Giggling, Kimberly shakes her head. “I bet you say that to all the ghost girls.”
“Only the cute ones, and so far, it’s only been you.”
“Oh my gosh.”
Marie only grins, seeing her face get redder. “So when and where, sweetheart?”
Kimberly looks at her shoes for a moment before looking back up at Marie “Um, I was thinking we could walk around Hollywood for a while and just see where the day takes us. Maybe we can meet by the walk of fame around two?”
“Oh! It’s been literally years since I’ve visited Hollywood! I’d love to!” Marie grins and dances excitedly in her seat.
“Great! So I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“It’s a date! See you tomorrow!”
Kimberly grins and stands up, walking over to Lexi who’s getting up from the couch.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” She smiles at Raven as she stands up with her. 
“Yeah, see you tomorrow!”
Lexi and Kimberly wave goodbye to the sisters before they disappear, heading back to the club.
Raven and Marie look at each other in silence for a few seconds before they both get goofy grins on their faces, getting excited for the next day.
Tag List:
@lady-bee-fechin​
@scarsofbeauty​
@huffle-princess​
@fluffy-demon-wolf​
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smolalienbee · 2 years
Text
A Real Nightmare, Completely Aware
the first scene of the 1st chapter of If There’s Any Sleep At Night; full chapter available on AO3!
The first feeling Geralt gets upon his arrival in the village is that he’s not welcome here.
This, in itself, is not particularly surprising - it wouldn’t be the first nor, most likely, the last place where he’s not welcome. The thing is, though, that the contract had clearly stated someone needs to deal with this mare.
(Then again, perhaps the local folk have assumed that someone would be anyone but a witcher.)
So he’s not welcome here. That’s fine. He can deal with that, has dealt with that many times before. Except that it does make it stupidly difficult to get any information out of anyone when people cower at his sight, side-eye him and, most importantly, refuse to actually tell him anything.
Normally, this wouldn’t be such an issue in of itself - plenty of monsters he can track down with his senses alone, no need to talk to anyone about it. All he then needs to do is kill and show up with a clear proof of having done so to collect his reward.
A mare, though, is a little trickier than that. Strange creatures, they are - a human being by day, a demon by night, one that haunts people in their sleep. Worst of all, most mares aren’t born as such, with only few exceptions - typically they’re the result of a human being having been wronged somehow, and humans who are mares can go through their entire life with no idea of what they do in the night. She could be anyone in the village, this mare, and Geralt knows from experience the type of magic involved is faint enough in the daylight that even his medallion won’t pick up on it. He has dealt with a few of them before and each time the whole ordeal is unnecessarily complicated - this time, made even more difficult by the village folk.
Earlier that day, Geralt had managed to get himself a room at the only inn in the village and he’s been hoping that at least the innkeeper, Theodore, would be a little more talkative - seeing as the man clearly doesn’t have much issue with letting a witcher stay under his roof.
He was wrong.
“Nothing for you to find around here, witcher,” Theodore grumbles at him.
He’s wiping off the counter near where Geralt sits, only half-heartedly paying attention to the conversation - and that only serves to irritate Geralt further.
“From what I’ve heard, there is a mare. I’ve also heard that she’s killing people,” Geralt mutters. He tries not to let his frustration show, but he knows he’s most likely failed already.
“Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t,” Theodore shrugs, finally gracing Geralt with a look. “But I’m not the one who went around asking for a witcher to take care of it. Let me guess, it was a priest who put up the contract, wasn’t it? Vojtech, then, that old prick. Go talk to him and quit wasting your time here.”
(What is it with these people assuming Geralt doesn’t know how to do his job?)
“I did already,” Geralt grumbles. He takes a long sip of the watered down ale he’s been offered. “He wasn’t helpful.”
“Then he hasn’t changed at all.”
Geralt doesn’t bother hiding his eye roll. He’s here for a job - not to deal with whatever disputes the people of this village might have going on. If it was up to him, he wouldn’t be talking to any of them in the first place.
“I don’t know and don’t care for whatever -”
Geralt doesn’t have the time to even properly get started on his tirade because a strangely excited voice cuts him off mid-sentence.
“Oh, I know who you are…”
Slowly, Geralt turns around until his eyes land on the source of the noise. A man with a rather youthful face, a mop of brown hair and unusually bright blue eyes, though lined with deep dark circles underneath. A lute hangs off his shoulder and he seems unable to stand still, bouncing on the heels of his feet and hands fluttering in front of him like butterflies flapping their wings.
A man who, upon closer inspection, appears to be… delighted at the sight of Geralt. Weird.
“You’re the witcher… Geralt of Rivia,” he continues and the way he says it, it sounds dreamy. It’s a change of pace, that’s for certain, and Geralt isn’t yet sure whether it’s a welcome one.
Without asking for permission, the stranger slides into the seat next to Geralt’s, pulling the lute off his shoulder in one swift motion as he settles. “I’m Jaskier.”
Geralt hums in acknowledgement - he has half a mind to tell him to get lost, but he doesn’t. Jaskier, besides the priest, might be the only person in this village willing to talk to him, even while Theodore is giving them both a rather obvious side-eye.
“So,” Jaskier shifts in his chair, like there’s a bundle of energy inside of him that he can’t quite contain. “What is a witcher doing in these parts anyway? There isn’t much happening around here, as far as I am aware…”
“Not even the mare?”
“Ah.” Jaskier nods. “Yes. There is the mare.”
“Jaskier,” Theodore suddenly barks, a clear warning in the tone of his voice. He doesn’t say anything else, though. Geralt keeps quiet and watches the scene unfold - how Jaskier pouts at Theodore, not intimidated by him in the slightest.
“Oh, come off it, Theo!” he groans. “He’s just trying to help.”
“You should quit sticking your nose into everything, Jaskier. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into,” Theodore only says and then stalks over to the other side of the bar, leaving Geralt and Jaskier alone.
“Rude,” Jaskier mutters to himself before he turns to Geralt. The moment his eyes land on the witcher, a bright smile spreads across his face. “Don’t mind him, he’s always like this. So - you’re here for the mare, then?”
“Mhm. Know anything about it?”
Jaskier ponders the question for a moment. He leans back in his chair and reaches for his lute - at which Geralt just raises an eyebrow. What, is he about to sing him a ballad about the mare haunting this village? That, though, doesn’t happen - instead Jaskier simply strums idly as he speaks.
“A little bit. What do you need to know, dear witcher?”
“Anything. Everything.”
“From what I know,” Jaskier leans in closer and speaks in a whisper, though his voice is still loud enough that Theodore huffs at him, making it clear that he can hear everything even from across the bar. This time, though, he doesn’t interrupt. “It’s been around here for months. Maybe even half a year, around that. At first she did what most mares do - people would wake up in the night, unable to move or breathe, this charming ghost of a woman staring them in the face. In the morning, they would be exhausted and terrified, but - alive. That… changed, a few weeks ago.”
“She started killing.”
“Yeah. Emil was the first victim - left behind a lovely wife and an equally love kid, Joana and Lea. Joana of Herring, that is, there are two of them around - but regardless. Emil was… well, he shall not be missed, let’s put it that way.”
Jaskier pauses, then, and stops strumming. He meets Geralt’s gaze.
“I could bring you to the two of them,” he continues. “You’re not going to learn anything on your own - the people around here don’t take well to strangers. And - in exchange for my magnificent help - all I’m asking for is some stories. Inspiration. You could tell me all about those magical, mythical things that you have seen! I think it could be a splendid cooperation, truly.”
(Inspiration. Right. As if there’s anything inspiring about what Geralt does.)
“No.” Geralt stands up. “You’ve helped enough, bard. I can handle the rest.”
“But Geralt!” Jaskier whines and hurries to follow him. “Your - witcher-y… charms aren’t going to work on them. Just let me go with you, I’ll be -”
Geralt never hears the end of that sentence. He walks out of the inn, letting the door close in Jaskier’s face.
He doesn’t need a bard at his side. Doesn’t need to be dragging another person into the danger of what he does.
(Nor does he need the disappointment of Jaskier seeing him as the monster that he truly is.)
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