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#bro fascinates me. he enchants me.
sfnine · 1 year
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'싱글즈' 5월호 SHOOTING BEHIND
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stuffedteen · 6 months
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A Bro-Tastic Saga
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This is the story of Blaine, Carter, and Mason, three frat bros whose lives were forever changed by a mysterious and magical brew. Their tale began with a secret recipe, and the desire to be the kings of the frat house.
Blaine, the charismatic leader of the trio, had a thing for big guys. He had found a special brew of beer online that would turn Carter & Mason into the bros of his dreams. All he needed to do was to get each of them to drink one cup, and then the beer would take it from there...
"Guys," Blaine said, "I've got a special brew thats gonna take this party to the next level."
Carter and Mason exchanged puzzled looks. Mason spoke up, his voice tinged with curiosity, "What's the brew, Blaine?"
Blaine leaned in, his voice low and conspiratorial, "We're gonna get so drunk off this beer bros! I've got this recipe from my uncle. It's a secret family formula. We'll call it 'Doughboys Beer."
The plan was set in motion. The party raged on, and Carter and Mason down their first cups of Doughboys. The frat house was filled with laughter, music, and shirtless frat bros. Little did anyone know that Blaine had laced the brew with a touch of magic.
Over time, the effects of Doughboys Beer became increasingly apparent. Carter and Mason began to pack on the pounds. Their once-toned bodies gave way to soft guts that seemed to grow by the minute.
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Carter rubbed his expanding belly, letting out a satisfied burp, "Man, I've been eating like a horse lately."
Mason patted his own soft gut, "Yeah, me too. What's happening, guys?"
Blaine, feigning innocence, shrugged, "Must be all those late-night pizzas, dudes."
The transformation continued, their softness becoming more pronounced, but what truly fascinated the bros were the newfound desires they couldn't quite explain.
Carter looked at Mason, his voice tinged with an unfamiliar attraction, "You ever feel...different around Blaine?"
Mason nodded, "Yeah, dude. It's like, I can't take my eyes off him."
Blaine couldn't help but grin, his plan working even better than he had hoped, "Guess it's just my charm, guys."
Their infatuation with Blaine only grew as they continued to consume Doughboys Beer. The two bros became lazier, spending their days lounging on the couch, munching on snacks, and craving the magical brew that seemed to have them under its spell. All while obsessing over Blaine and his god-like fit body.
Carter looked at Mason, his voice dripping with desire, "Man, I can't get enough of this beer. It's like it's calling me."
Mason agreed, "You're right, dude. We need more Doughboys Beer."
Their desires had shifted, and their craving for Blaine and the magical brew consumed their thoughts.
Blaine, in the know about the beer's enchanting properties, decided to take advantage of the situation. He encouraged their growing desire, all while maintaining his own physique for them to worship. But he stayed well clear of consuming any of the special brew himself.
One night, as the three bros were hanging out at another rager, Carter and Mason decided to hatch a plan of their own. They couldn't resist the allure of the beer any longer, and it was time to introduce Blaine to the magical elixir he had created.
Carter and Mason exchanged knowing glances and shared a chuckle. Blaine was going to taste the very brew he had concocted and used to control them.
Mason slapped Blaine on the back and practically poured the cup into Blaine's mouth, "Hey, man, you've gotta try this beer. It's epic."
Carter chimed in, "It's like, it tastes so good, dude. It will change your life."
As the magical brew touched his lips, he felt a warmth spreading through his body, followed by an overwhelming sense of desire. His senses tingled with a newfound attraction, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from Carter and Mason.
Carter leaned in, his voice low and seductive, "You feelin' it, Blaine?"
Blaine nodded, "Yeah, guys, this is amazing."
Mason joined in, "We've got more. Let's party."
The three of them drank and laughed, their inhibitions vanishing with each sip. Blaine was now under the spell of the very brew he had created, and he couldn't resist the allure of his transformed bros.
As the night wore on, Blaine's body began to change, his once-toned physique giving way to a soft, doughy middle. His t-shirt stretched across his expanding waistline, and his once-defined abs were replaced by a burgeoning belly.
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Carter and Mason watched with amusement, their desires growing stronger as they saw the changes in their once-fit leader. Blaine's attraction to them intensified, and he couldn't resist their allure. He was under their spell, just as they had once been under his.
Carter looked at Mason, his voice tinged with desire, "Man, I can't get enough of this beer. It's like it's calling me."
Mason agreed, "You're right, dude. We need more Doughboys Beer."
Their plan had worked. Blaine was now under the enchantment of the beer, and the power dynamic had shifted. He had become just as addicted to the magical brew as they were.
In the days that followed, Blaine, Carter, and Mason continued their life of indulgence, their desires and cravings entwined in a way they could never have imagined. The frat house parties were wilder than ever, and Doughboys Beer remained their secret, a source of their cravings and desires.
Blaine had unwittingly joined the ranks of the transformed, becoming just as addicted and infatuated with his two bros as they were with him. They had become a trio bound by their shared addiction.
As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, their indulgence knew no bounds. They reveled in their transformed physiques and the enchanting power of Doughboys Beer. Their desires grew stronger with each passing day, their cravings unrelenting.
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Their once-toned bodies had become soft and doughy, their once-healthy habits replaced by a relentless pursuit of the magical brew. Blaine, Carter, and Mason had fallen completely under its spell, and the frat house was their kingdom of indulgence.
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dnbcoded · 2 months
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cdnb prompt: after his first encounter with ctechno, cdream uses high heels shoes bc doesn't want to look so short next to him and in the middle of doomsday ctechno finds out about this
OK. Let me see if I still got it.
He doesn't notice, at first. There's too much more things going on in his life to even begin to think about it.
Dream's sudden growing sprout is one of those things that he misses in the middle of everything, but still takes notes, waiting for the second he can finally go hibernate and think about it. In fact, he was waiting for that little retrive to capture everything about Dream and just shove it in a box and stop having to take note of everything that Dream does.
He is not repressed, chat. Shut up.
He doesn't notice, and he plans on not noticing, until Dream's little grubby, greedy, slender and surprisingly well cared for hands--until Dream gets him involved like the meddlesome man he is. Suddenly they were walking towards L'manberg's demise as Dream has wanted since basically forever, and Techno realizes --only the slightless bit regretfully-- that he played right into his hand. With horror, he finds himself anything but angry at being so easily led to a solution that benefits Dream and only Dream; rather, he thinks it's a little endearing, and that cannot be possible.
He tried to remind himself about how terrible Dream is as they walk, but the man is anything but subtle, there's a pep to his step--hes practically walking without his soles touching the ground from how excited he is, and he's talking Techno's ear off about how he plans to build the platform for the bombs, and he can hear his shit-eating grin as he discusses how little of L'manberg there will be left.
He's only a pig, after all. So he takes note of all of it, and tries his best to ignore it. He ignores, too, the way they're basically the same size, towering over Philza who's actually doing his job at scouting the terrain so they're undetected at dawn. He pretends he just trusts Philza's judgement, and not that he's terribly charmed by the other man.
This wasn't always the case. Once upon a time, Dream was at least a foot shorter, and more irritating than lovely, and he didn't talk about destruction. There was a hesitancy that Techno recognized as human. He had overcome doubt, and thus, humanity--while remaining mortal. Techno... was intrigued by that. (He'll only stop denying this fleeting crush once it's efficiently death and the recipient of his current adoration is long gone, he promises.)
Now, he's tall and regal, and as deathly as ever. He's a wildfire, a burning lamp. Techno is better than a moth.
His eyes still rake over the figure as he starts towering up, occupying only the faint morning lights as guide. Techno notes the possible enchanted nature of his mask, and hates himself for it.
It's as he's watching, that he notices.
"Bro, are those high heels?" And all at once Dream's height makes sense, even though it shouldn't matter to Techno. He's still gawking at the man who's--blushing. That's a blush on the edge of his ears, not covered by a hoodie for once.
"That's--shut up, don't be an idiot." He hisses, his mask suddenly pointing towards Philza as if scared he'll hear. Oh, this is fascinating.
"Nothin' wrong with being fashionista, I tell you." Techno says, smug, leaning the faintest bit down to look at Dream directly. "But a man that's, ah, homeless... you would think he had better priorities than heels."
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, I HAVE A HOUSE!" Dream shrills, effectively making Techno lean away. Then his arms cross on front of his torso, the picture of a diva. The heels are a deep green, and they click as he steps back. Oh, how didn't Techno notice?
You were trying hard not to notice, chat whispers. Then, of course, it notices it has Techno's attention. eee, EEE, DREAMSIMP, dream dream dream, Dream in chat, hi techno :), eeeE, STOP SIMPING.
"Not denying the fashionista allegations, I see." Techno replicates. His companion huffs, and then turns back to finally get to tower up. And this time Techno allows himself to notice the shape of his legs--and no, he's not being weird, Dream's ass is on the way okay-- and the way it curls with the distinct form of a trained heel wearer. Techno has no thoughts about Dream's skintight pants nor the way the heels are beautifully integrated into his body, to the clear attention to detail Dream used to pride in, that he still has.
Something in Techno's chest aches. But it's barely morning, and they have a job to do.
"If you wanted to see how it felt to be tall," he calls back, placing a lazy hand around to make his voice sound louder. "You could've just asked for me to carry you."
SHUT THE FUCK UP, Dream whispered in chat.
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yan-lorkai · 3 months
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hii:3
I've been reading some of your posts and i absolutely love it!!!
Anyway this ask might be a little similar to the one where the mc loves biting the obey me brothers
Can you do one with the obey me bros where the mc has very sharp teeth like a shark? Also it doesn't have to be everyone but i especially want leviathan and satan<3
(I have a feeling i made this too long..😭)
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.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ A/N: Mc with sharp teeths, my beloved. I actually remembered Kirishima from Bnha when reading this lol, he was such a sweetheart and his little teeth were so cute 😭🥺. Also don't worry darling, it's not that long and even if it was, I don't care! I hope you like this!
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Satan
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Your shark-like teeth were always a point of fascination among the demons of Devildom, they used to love looking at your mouth and got a vision of your precious teeths. It wasn't an everyday occurrence that a human had sharp teeths like yours, a trait shared with so many demons. However, it was Satan who found himself inexplicably drawn to this unique feature of yours.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Satan couldn't help but delve deeper into understanding the biology and significance behind them, he likes looking at it and he always wondered how would feel if he kissed you. Would the sharpness be enough to hurt his tongue? Do the sharpness hurt your mouth by the way? He got to know everything that is to know, though he do thinks you are so cute with sharp teeths.
Levi
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ While Satan's attention is gradually caught up with you, Levi's is the opposite. The moment you open your mouth to say anything, even if it's not even him you're talking to, he notices your teeth and he's enchanted. Your teeth, as sharp as a shark's, remind him of his many favorite characters from animes and games and he automatically associates you with them, it's love at first sight.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ As your friendship blossomed into something deeper, Levi came to cherish your unique trait as just another endearing aspect of who you are. Your teeth it's not the only thing he likes about it, in fact he could make a 30 pages powerpoint of things he love about you, he could rank 100 different things. He loves you a lot. And he also may or may not want you to bite him with those beautiful teeths of yours.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Despite the acceptance you found with Satan and Levi, sometimes you wished you had normal teeth. People used to make fun of you because of it, either because they were jealous or because was too different from the normal they were used to. Though Satan and Levi helped you overcome these doubts when they found out about it.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Saying again but Levi would really make a long and convincing powerpoint about it and Satan would fight your enemies. And then they both would do things you like to make you feel happy and loved, and if you want to spend time only with one of them, that's ok too.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Levi's gonna show you his favorite characters who inspire him to be better and do better, and tell you how beautiful and cool you are. You may or may not cuddle as well as he tries to rebuild your self esteem and tries to make you smile and laugh more.
.⁠。⁠*⁠♡ Satan by the way relies more on his words to convince you that what he's saying is the absolutely truth, he has no reason to lie after all - even if he had a reason, he wouldn't. He genuinely like you and it's quite rare for him to truly like someone. Though he also praises you more everytime you smile and laugh in his presence, enough to make you flustered and giddy.
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slytherinshua · 7 months
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HAPPY 1K TO ZANNA Z TO A TO N & N TO THE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. You deserve it. I MEAN?????? YOU ALWAYS ATE AND LEFT NO CRUMBS!? YOUR FIC ARE AMAZING AND ANOTHER LEVEL (If you deny this.. I'll make you unloyal to gyehyeon 🥰) MY FAV IS LITERALLY THE ONE YOU WROTE FOR MY BIRTHDAY :((((( I LOVE IT, I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE EVERY FIC YOU WROTE. IT MUST BE TIRING FOR YOU TO CARRY THE WRITING COMMUNITY 🤞🏻
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YOU'RE SO
Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it. bro’s beautiful, handsome, pretty, elegant, breathtaking, gorgeous, attractive, charming, heavenly, stunning, exquisite, cute, magnificent, divine, alluring, pleasing, lovely, delightful, appealing, engaging, winsome, ravishing, gorgeous, glamorous, irresistible, bewitching, beguiling, graceful, elegant, exquisite, aesthetic, magnificent, hot, sexy, foxy, tasty, divine, beddable, pulchritudinous, dazzling, fascinating, fine, good looking, graceful, grand, splendid, superb, wonderful, sublime, statuesque, ravishing, radiant, ideal, nice, excellent, enticing, classy, admirable, fancy, angelic, beauteous, luscious, fetching, adoring, adorable, scrunkly, embellishing, flawless, perfect, personable, desirable, seductive, snazzy, striking, showstopping, glossy, eye catching, fabulous, prime, top notch, sensational, premium, tempting, magnetic, captivating, prepossessing, bright, my light, curvaceous, dollish, tantalizing, enchanting, pleasant, flamboyant, glorious, spectacular, fantastic, dandy, hunky, jaw dropping, droolable, rapturous, blissful, sumptuous, luxurious, palatial, swanky, extravagant, extraordinary out of this world, well formed and refined.
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(Don't question this.🥰🥰)
Remember don't rush yourself yeah 👀👀👀 I'm very very very excited for your 1k event. The amount of ideas for this event 👀🤞🏻
I came to this app because of enhypen and I guess your hashtags never popped out in my feeds 😞 if it wasn't because of SO MUN 🥰🥰🥰 (Dw I'm back to my So Mun era, he's my one and only) glaresatjihoon&minhyun.
But 🤌🏻 I FEEL EXCITEMENT WHEN I SAW YOU WRITE FOR JO BYEONG GYU!$??"?$$??$?"??$ 🥰🤞🏻
You're slaying so hard (i could never 😞💔)
Everyone on this app should be reading your works cause WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING IF THEY DON'T READ YOUR FICS?! If haters ever appear here, damn they probably never been loved by their parents so they throw hates 🥰
CONGRATS ONCE AGAIN 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ YOU DESERVE A REWARD
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MyPinterestaregonnabefullofjbagain 👹
KSJFHSKD I GUESS I CANT REFUTE YOU CAUSE UM IM ALWAYS LOYAL TO JO GYEHYEON BEFORE ANYONE ELSE FR 💪💪 TYSM MIZU IM LITERALLY SO 💔💔💔
so proud to be hot, sexy, foxy, tasty, divine, beddable and most of all hunky 👹😭
THANK U FOR THE JB'S >>>>> WE LOVE A BIEBER 👹
HEY UR BACK IN UR SO MUN ERA CONGRATULATIONS (i started watching sky castle and its currently just me being slightly confused at ppls names and giggling whenever byeonggyu is on screen)
OMG THE BIEBER FEVER AWARD 😭😭😭😭😭
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sabyfangirl16 · 2 years
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Chapter 2: Denial
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The Kratt bothers were wandering through the forest, amazed by it's magnificent beauty, surrounded by it's enchantment. The sound of leaves rustling, squirrels chattering, insects humming, and the attention-grabbing rustle of animals. The two creature adventurers were looking around, their feet shuffling through detritus, keeping their eyes peeled for any cool creatures they might encounter.
The long-standing silence was suddenly broken. "Hey, Chris..." Chris turned to his brother with a raised eyebrow.
"What was that back there?"
"What are you talking about?" Chris asked with fake confusion.
"You know, like how this morning you were acting all funny and-" He was suddenly interrupted by a gasp of excitement from Chris.
"Martin look!" He pointed at a certain direction before running toward what seemed to be a creature of some sort. "A blue-eared kingfisher!"
Martin came over to see the marvellous little bird. "Would you look at that little blue guy! I'm gonna name him... Blue-bird!" He declared happily, a smug look on his face.
"This bird is only found in Asia, mainly in dense shaded forests where it hunts in small streams," added Chris, showing off his knowledge of natural science and biology. The flying fellow took off just then, leaving the bros all by themselves.
"Catch you later Blue-bird!" Martin waved goodbye to their newfound friend.
The brothers went back to exploring their surroundings, wondering what other fascinating animal they could stumble upon next. But something else caught Martin's attention; he noticed that his brother was slowing down a little while rubbing his head, moaning for a few seconds.
"Chris, you okay bro?" he asked, carefully approaching his little brother, feeling a bit concerned.
Alerted, Chris regained himself almost instantly, looking up at his older brother reassuringly,
"Yeah, I-I'm fine Martin, no worries." He continued marching by his brother's side with the same pace from before, ignoring the unpersuaded look on his face. Martin couldn't shake the feeling that his brother was hiding something, but couldn't figure out what it was.
A few minutes had passed, and the Kratt brothers were still on the move, but then stopped right in their tracks when they heard a startling sound coming from above their heads.
"Chris, what's that?" They looked up to find a very familiar creature: a proboscis monkey. But it wasn't just any proboscis monkey.
"Schnozzle!" They both yelled out simultaneously, recognizing their monkey friend from a previous adventure.
"Great to see you again Schnozzle, you haven't changed one bit!" Martin was busy talking to their old animal friend, enjoying it's uniqueness and special characteristics.
Everything was going perfectly fine until-
Cough. Cough.
Martin turned to his brother, eyes widened by the unexpected scenario. Chris let out a few coughs, enough to fill his bother with more concern than ever.
"Chris, you alright bro?" Martin tried to touch his brother in order to examine him, but was unable to when he avoided the touch.
"It's fine Martin, cough, I'm fine really, cough..."
Martin wasn't buying it. "Bro, here. Just, let me check on you..." He got closer to his brother who was taken aback, stepping backwards and intending not to be touched. Why?!
At this point, Martin was fed up. "Chris, what is the matter with you? Why won't you let me make sure you're fine?!" His voice was rising, which triggered his little brother.
"I already told you, I am fine!" His own voice sounded even louder, but still cracky.
"No you're not!" Martin shouted even louder. "Ever since this morning, you've only been acting weirder and weirder. I know you're lying!"
The two of them were too busy disputing, that they haven't noticed themselves approaching a river current that was unfortunately right behind Chris.
They stopped when they heard the loud and intense burbling of the stream. By the time Martin finished his last sentense, Chris turned his head to find himself standing near the edge of the river, then he looked back at his older brother, growing paler with fear.
Martin noticed this, acknowledging the danger of the situation, so with a deep breath, he calmed himself down.
"Chris, I-" But before he could say anything else, Chris started swaying uncontrollably much to his brother's horror, his legs were shaking, his eyes were closed shut. Martin ran over to him in an attempt to steady him, but he was too late...
"CHRIS, NO!" he cried out as Chris hit the water with a SPLASH, getting dragged by the current in no time. Martin ran along the stream, trying to spot his brother, panic overtaking him.
"CHRIS, HOLD ON!" he yelled out once his brother's head popped out of the water, gasping for air.
"Martin-... Gasp, hel-..." The strong current was too overwhelming, and Martin was pursuing his brother at full speed when something in the distance caught his eyes.
"Oh, no..."
This was not good.
A waterfall was up ahead, and Chris was heading right towards it, if he doesn't save him in time... NO!
He refused to even think it. He will save his little brother, he just knows it.
He had to act fast. Luckily, an idea came to his head; he reached for something from his bag, a climbing rope wich he designed as a lasso in less than seconds. He ran past his brother, then stopped not too far from the deadly waterfall.
This was it. He couldn't afford any mistakes.
He swung the lasso in the air then threw it at Chris the moment he popped back out of the water, successfully getting the loop of rope wrapped around his torso. But he wasn't triumphant just yet; his little brother was centimeters away from his doom. So with all of his strength, he pulled Chris while battling the current's force. The stream was strong, but Martin's love for his brother gave him all the power he needed.
"Chris!" Martin yelled out as his brother landed in his arms, then dragged him away from the stream, a traumatic experience he was sure to never forget.
He layed his brother on the grass next to a tree, then untied the rope and took off his suit to help him breath better. Seeing that he was unconscious, and no signs of breathing, he went straight for CPR. He started chest compressions that lasted for not more than ten seconds.
"C'mon, stay with me bro," his voice cracked.
Just as he was about to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, his brother flung up coughing out water. Martin rubbed his back comfortingly, and as soon as he was done, Chris passed out in his arms, breathing fast and heavily.
Martin looked down at his little brother, holding him close to his chest, feeling mixed emotions; he was scared, tired, angry with himself, but mostly...relieved.
His brother was in his arms. He was wet and cold, but he was safe and sound.
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ashlingnarcos · 2 years
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the late-summer @drabbles-mc​ fic comment extravaganza! 
did I read them all at exactly the same time? no, but all the comments are in one post because I got behind on the comment-writing and then I thought, ooh, it’d be fun to have a Superlatives section at the end, but I can't do that if I AO3-comment, so we’re tumblring now.
7 Tay fics?
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MCU what? Star Wars who? The Diegoverse is the only thing I care about
I’m not even joking, cause I will watch one (1) MCU movie in theaters if it’s Kevin Feige’s luckiest year, but I will read all the Diego fics and if frantic fanfic counts, I will write them.
Pressing Matters - A necessary reread. The way Carillo quietly stews in this makes me chuckle. You really enjoy inflicting a wide variety of Suffering on him, from the deepest to the lightest, and it's fun to see you play like a cat with a mouse 😂
Know Better - Diegofic II.
The way Carrillo's like OPENLY antagonistic towards Diego my eyes are huuuuuuuge watching it all unfold. This is so unprofessional lmao he must really like her (not that jealousy is the only sign of liking someone, blah blah blah, you can be healthily in love, but like, bro, when has Carrillo ever been healthy about anything in his life? It's all extremes.)
CARINA! LET'S GO!
"noticed the sappy little grin on his face as he looked at Carina" I knew my boy was a romantic I just felt it in my bonesssssss.
"He smiled softly, which you knew probably never happened while he was at the academy." Okay, Horacio can live. We'll let him live. We'll grant him a lil reprieve.
Reader is a little naïve, I think, to think that a double date could ever be a good idea...who wants to go on a double date with their boss, especially when it's Carrillo? Inned sane. She just loves everyone too much to see it
“I see the way he looks at you. The way…the way you look at him. You talk with him so easily and you laugh and you—” see this is why it's so good...because he's not unaware of his own shortcomings, which conveniently Diego does not have. Or rather, Carrillo's aware that whatever shortcomings Diego has, they're not the "having big stick up ass" variety which lbr Horacio rly struggles with
Tagging Out - THE DRAMATIC AU I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.
Excited to get fic from Diego's perspective rather than Reader's! It's a fun switch up
"It was such a swift downfall for someone who hadn’t done anything wrong." The situation in a nutshell fr
"He knew the second he submitted his papers it was going to be read as an admission of guilt, an act of cowardice. But at least he wouldn’t have to be around every day and be subjected to it. A new location with fewer prying eyes sounded like heaven at this point." Huge, huge, huge oof. But I really get it. What's your pride worth when you can barely even get anything done & everyone hates you? It's so draining to be Watched like that, I certainly couldn't handle it
Oh my god I'm screaming I just had a revelation. Now that Diego is a fave...that means he has become eligible for the Sufferings. I'm screeching like a bat—NOW THAT HE'S A FAVE HE'S BEGUN TO SUFFER
"He was going to want his pound of flesh." Retributive, unjust, miserable old man!
"it was like primetime television happening live on the base" enchanted/fascinated by the extreme visibility of everything that's going on fr
"Diego visibly cringed" oh no bestie! keep it together!
Something about Carrillo not even letting him finish a sentence—not saying anything particularly rude, but that little detail—mmph it's the condescension for me
OPE TRUJILLO WITH THE BODY BLOCK
I'm sorry but now I'm obsessed with Diego's grandfather and learning more about him
Carrillo out loud: "Let's hope so." Carrillo to himself: "Ah yes I did it so professional so restrained" like - he probably *is* holding back a lot there tbf
SO READY FOR THE STEVE JAVI SHENANIGANS! But especially Steve, as you know!
"We'll see." I Sure Hope We Will
hot girl Steve from the mothafuckin South
My road to this man has been a long one, but I have arrived, and here you are with drinks and snacks!
Welcome Home - it's about to get spicy call that shit Miami Vice!
the alienation vibes too real
love the way that everything about the setting is telling a lot about his character...the way his earlier life was, what he finds comforting about it, what he's trying to go back to, the uncertainty about whether he rly can...
The way I got so wrapped up in the atmosphere I literally forgot this was a readerfic and was ?! when Reader showed up 😂 I have a brain like a sieve
Intrigued to see what comes next! Feels like it could be just about anything
1-800-R-U-PINING
The answer is yes.
If It's Alright - It might be alright but I certainly am not.
loving the atmosphere of the candles and the rain, relaxed and homey
uh oh I had come in all cocky from the Diegofics like I'll be fine this will be fine and then I got hit with the "He looked so small standing there on your front step...he was never a man who had seemed small in all the time that you’d known him." UH OH. I'M IN TROUBLE.
The way the dialogue's very brief but laden with Stuff...“I was thinking of you—you’ve always liked the rain.” that is. romance.
...the tenderness...
he never came to get them and she could never throw them away yeah okay yall sound really broken up to me 😂
"Maybe the two of you always found each other, maybe it was always like this." in a way, Reader, that's true, but in another way it's not because sometimes you find each other and break up much worse than this I have it on good authority sa;ldfkasdfljs;d
"He was somehow both the best and the worst patient." this 100% tracks
“In the morning, when we wake up…it’s not going to be anything else…” and "I hate that" and "Me too"
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"Exes with feelings is one of my FAVORITE tropes for this man." *crying while throwing up the peace sign* me too lmao
Just Like Always Chapter 1 - literally considered not reading any more for the night because the last one was so much to process I thought it'd be a good one to end on but then I saw the tag "high school sweethearts" and here we are!
"There was no point in harping on it even if the thought of a much younger, much less muscular Horacio brought a tiny little grin to your face." & it brings a grin to mine too lol
"Every now and then he’d cross paths with them and they’d mention you, how well you seemed to be doing." Unsure whether this move on the part of Reader's family is intentionally retributive or merely naïve but either way A+ work to those guys, no notes
“Do you think you’ll ever move back?” ¶ You gave him a cheeky smile, “Do you think you’ll ever move away?” - we love dialogue!
“Nice to know you’re still a good listener,” & “You gave me plenty of practice.” - and i say, we LOVE dialogue!
“Pack a bag. Let’s run away together. No one can stop us. I already have a plane ticket.” what I love about this reader is that I get the sense they're playing but like...they're the sort of person who WOULD do it. And the fact that he isn't that type of person is definitely part of why they broke up imo...big eyes @ next chapter. nobody kisses their ex w/out Plans or at least Inclinations
Just Like Always Chapter 2 - I am feeling as normal about this as you might expect, which is to say, 0%.
...the fact that he's been cooking and it smells delicious...im gonna be white knuckling my way thru this one I see. hnghhhhh
“Learning to cook was very time consuming.” - fascinating deflection! Reader's relatively free spirited nature does absolutely clash with the regimented and adversarial nature of the army so it stands to reason that he'd sort of instinctively not try to bring it up around her as much
"I was gone long before all of that started." Something about this...I will be turning it over and over in my mind
“That’s why your parents never trusted me.” <333
I'm very much unable to comment on smut but *raises Reader's wineglass cheers-wise*
“I’ll think about it.” this is a very upbeat part of the fic but the dour old hag in me has me shaking my head sadly going girl he's never leaving that country he just never is
Class Superlatives
the moment i swerved to become a Diego girl over a Carrillo girl: “Plus, no offense to the Colonel, but you’re much nicer to look at, and easier to talk to.”
peak banter rhythm: Carrillo & Reader in Just Like Always
clutching my chest trying to breathe: "His hand instinctively reached and gripped onto your shoulder, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to give him a bit of a tether in the midst of it all. You didn’t say anything about it, didn’t even look up at him for fear that it’d make him let go."
MVP side character: Trujillo in Tagging Out, for effectively conveying in one brief and almost wordless interaction all the tension that Diego had been dealing with for months
best use of setting: probably either the beach in Welcome Home or the cozy apartment in If It's Alright
fic I most want to see another chapter for: either Tagging Out, because I really really want to see Diego's relationship with Reader there (we didn't see any of them together in Tagging Out, which makes sense for the fic, but of course I'm rabid w curiosity about the dynamic that he lowkey allowed to ruin his life), or Welcome Home, because I'm curious to see your take on Steve fic.
fic most obviously aimed at my chest and my id, most likely to reread: If It's Alright
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elpidiosss · 3 years
Text
does ryoumen sukuna is simp??? (what got lost in translation in ch.9 and ch.118)
yes, yes he does (but here’s an overanalysis why:)
you see there was a callback to ch.9 in ch.118 that got lost in translation
when i first read the manga in english i missed it, so i thought i’d share just so everyone knows how highkey sukuna’s simping is (this is sukufushi btw)
this is from ch.9:
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the context is that megumi is fighting sukuna; nothing too out of place here
but in japanese:
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if we only look at what is pronounced what sukuna is saying is “show me (what you’ve got)!! fushiguro megumi!!” (hence the english translation “entertain me”)
normally when shounen manga says “show me (what you’ve got)” it is with the phrase “見せてみろ (misete miro)” , literally meaning “let me see”
but here sukuna replaces “見” with the kanji “魅”: the pronunciation is the same (mi), but whereas “見” means “see” and the phrase “show me (what you’ve got)” is very common, “魅” means to  “bewitch”, “fascinate”, “enchant”, or “charm” (translation taken from wikitionary), and the phrase “魅せてみろ” (“bewitch me”) is virtually never used because why would it ever be used like bro you’re coming on way too strong tone it down a little
anyway so the dude is literally yelling “bewitch me!! fushiguro megumi!!” in megumi’s face (in fact the chinese translation is somewhere along the lines of “make me fall for you!! fushiguro megumi!!” which i think is neat but that’s beside the point)
but because it is pronounced like “let me see”, and “bewitch me” is a very rare phrase (it’s not in the dictionaries i think), megumi interprets it as “show me (what you’ve got)”; he never knows what sukuna really means and honestly someone should write a miscommunication fic about it
but then it gets even better:
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this is from ch.118 (so SPOILER ALERT for the shibuya arc):
megumi has summoned his strongest shikigami (it’s basically self-destruct but with a more complicated procedure) and is currently out cold and dying; the only known way to save megumi is to defeat said strongest shikigami, which is precisely what sukuna is doing here
pause, rewind—some background info for this scene: in ch.9 (at the end of megumi’s fight with sukuna, when megumi is desperate) megumi tries to summon his strongest shikigami, i.e. he wants to self-destruct and take sukuna out with him—hence why he says the things about how he never once regretted saving yuuji—but yuuji comes back (and promptly fucking dies) so sukuna never learns in ch.9 that megumi wants to self-destruct to kill him
but here in ch.118, megumi has summoned that strongest shikigami, and sukuna approves of its strength, saying “if it was me from that time, it may have been able to defeat me”—if megumi had summoned the strongest shikigami in ch.9, sukuna might have lost
basically: sukuna is really fucking impressed (cf. ch.9, where he tells megumi to "show me (what you've got)!!" or “bewitch me!!”)
you see, in the second-to-last panel with the hands, sukuna says “you showed me the way... fushiguro megumi!” which is not necessarily an inaccurate translation, but the callback gets lost in translation
look at the raw scan:
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in the panel with the hands, once again we have the very rare phrase of “魅せて” (“bewitch”) but this time with past/present perfect tense
if we only look at what is pronounced, in ch.9 we have “show me (what you’ve got)!!”—and here in ch.118 we have “you have shown me (what you’ve got)... fushiguro megumi!!” but looking at the rare phrase with the kanji “bewitch”, in ch.9 we have "bewitch me!! fushiguro megumi!!"—and here in ch.118, sukuna is saying “you have bewitched me... fushiguro megumi!!”
in ch.9, sukuna sees potential, and he demands that megumi exercises it to "bewitch him", while in ch.118, sukuna sees that megumi has actualised his potential to the fullest, and sukuna is, as promised, "bewitched"; considering the role sukuna plays in megumi's big breakthrough with domain expansion, sukuna's line in ch.9 is both encouragement and prophecy, and given that this is only their second time meeting (if you could call it that, seeing as megumi's unconscious) megumi and his powers are strangely significant to sukuna, so much so that he becomes "bewitched" over it and voluntarily fights the shikigami to save megumi
tbh however you look at sukuna’s dialogue it’s a nice little callback to ch.9, and it would be so interesting to see what akutami gege does with sukuna's fascination with megumi moving forward; as of ch.138, yuuji has already noticed it, and is actively questioning sukuna's motives
my personal take on this is that while sukuna's interest in megumi is most likely incredibly selfish, it is by no means impersonal: the specific choice of the word "bewitch" demands that megumi impresses sukuna subjectively—it is not the general "get stronger", but a personal "bewitch me", with the focus being taken away from megumi's powers to sukuna's personal feeling (even though the two are definitely linked); if (when) sukuna uses or manipulates megumi in the future, his focus won't be solely on megumi's powers, simply because he is personally invested to some extent; and even though i'm sure this isn't where the series is headed, i would love to see any potential conflicts between sukuna's selfish interest in megumi's powers and his personal investment in megumi
the entire plot with sukuna in shibuya is some really really—and i cannot stress this enough—really fucked-up shit, and i'm sure whatever he is planning to do with megumi it won't be fluffy and wholesome either, but at the same time im endlessly entertained by the idea of sukuna being the megumi simp to end all megumi simps so there’s that
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minteyeddevil · 3 years
Note
(I sent this separately since I didn't want you to have to post it if you weren't interested) BUT if you have time and the idea strikes you as fun, can I request the bros and the dateables with an MC who looks like a doll? Small, big doe eyes, curly hair, likes to wear Lolita style clothes, the works! Someone else did this and I thought getting your interpretation of it would be fun :)
~🌸 anon
(Sorry for taking a while to get to this for you 🌸 nonny, but I hope this comes out well!)
Lucifer:
His first thought when he sees MC is "are they a real person?"
The soft face, giant eyes, curly hair; a literal walking doll has entered the HoL and he isn't quite sure how to take it
He keeps a constant eye on them because he has this unshakable feeling that if they were to fall over they would shatter like porcelain
If he can't watch them for some reason, has one of his brothers follow them around as well to make sure no one hurts them or mistreats them
Has a tendency to place his hand on their head when standing next to them and ruffles their curly hair without realizing he is even doing it
He hates that their doe eyes make him weak in the knees and has the hardest time lecturing them or giving them a punishment; he eventually just puts his fingers to the bridge of his nose and let's them walk out scot-free
Mammon:
The first though he gets is of the dolls you see in horror movies; they are so pretty but definitely cursed and will kill you...
MC, would you happen to be a cursed doll? Should he be worried? Please don't kill him!
Eventually their kindness wins him over, and he becomes very protective of them, hovering around them a lot for fear of them getting hurt
Like Lucifer, has an odd habit of messing with their hair and petting their head absent-mindedly, and will freak out when he realizes he is doing it, turning into his usual tsun self
Would honestly enjoy having them model with him for Majolish's magazines, cause they are gorgeous and would make an amazing model
Leviathan:
Absolutely fascinated by how they look; reminds him so much of his figurines and anime protagonist that he can't help but stare at them a lot
Has trouble speaking to them because he feels he isn't worthy to talk to someone so amazing
Practically has a heart attack when they start conversations with him, and freaks out the moment they go into his room and see all his anime figures and merch
Is it weird that he would totally want to keep them as part of his collection? He just wants to stare at them all the time
Over the moon when they start playing games and watching anime with him; they become practical best friends in no time
Satan:
Has to constantly remind himself that MC is in fact a real person and not a walking doll
The first time he met them he literally walked up to them and squeezed their cheek to make sure they were real!
He finds their dresses reminiscent of those he reads about in his books and enjoys seeing how many different kinds they have
Enjoys when they offer to have tea with him, or sir and read along side him as well
Gets a strange protective streak for them and glares any other demon down that gets too close to them or gives off ill intentions
Asmodeus:
He is in love with them and their fashion sense instantly!
Always taking pictures with them, posting them to Devilgram, and has a few streams on their as well with them to prove to his followers they are a real person
Will take them shopping and buy them beautiful dress and complimentary clothing for their style as well as anything he feels they would look adorable in
He falls for their doe eyes every time and gives them any and everything they ask for from him
Lots of hugs and head kisses for them as well because he just has to smother them in his affections
Beelzebub:
He finds them fascinating, like something out of a story book Satan has shared with him before; but Lord Diavolo is he terrified to touch them
They look so delicate and soft that he feels they will shatter if he puts a hand on them
They have to really convince him that they are not that easy to hurt and grab hold of his hand to get him to start feeling comfortable enough to touch them
Walks beside them at RAD though, keeping a watch on them that others do not hurt them; hopes his intimidating demeanor keeps that bad demons away from them
Gives them piggy back rides a lot and shares all his favorite snacks with them because their smile is incredibly enchanting
Belphegor:
Has a similar reaction as Mammon; MC has got to be some kind of cursed doll to look like that and move around so easily
Follows them around a lot to get a better sense of who they are, and eventually decides they are literally just a cute little human
Rests his chin on their curly head all time when they are sitting or even walking around RAD; they just feel so comfy and soft
No one is allowed to touch them except him when he is around them; will growl if someone tries (except for Beel of course)
Drags them around to be his cuddle buddy a lot as well, burying his face in their curls as he falls asleep wrapped around them
Diavolo:
Honestly has a similar though process as Lucifer, staring dumbfounded at them when he first meets them
So small and fragile looking; but incredibly impressed when he can see how well they handle themselves around the seven demon brothers as well as the students of RAD
Always gets the sudden urge to hug them when he sees them; they just look so cuddly and huggable he can't help himself
Is always mindful of his strength around them because yes, they are strong and can hold their own, but they still look like they would break with the slightest touch
Enjoys getting pictures with them as often as he can as well, keeping one of them as the wallpaper to his D.D.D.
Barbatos:
Finds himself genuinely enchanted with how MC looks and acts
Can barely look them in the eye because they make him feel like he will melt into a puddle if he doesn't do what they ask of him
Will make excuses for them to come visit him at the castle and take them on a walk around the garden on the grounds
Loves how they always compliment him on his work as well as when he makes them tea and sweets, as often as he can
Gets protective of them when the brothers are being too much and usually offers them solace at the castle whenever they need it
Simeon:
Finds them so intriguing, their doll like features an absolute wonder to him
Asks them what inspires their looks, and wants to get to know them better, inviting them for tea or to have a walk around RAD so they can chat
It makes his heart happy how well they get along with Luke, and the three of them often have sleep over nights where they stay up watching television or just talking
Finds himself making a character based on them for one his stories he is working on, and writes out the details of how they look as well
They won't be offended being a character in his next book, would they?
Solomon:
Teases them relentlessly for looking exactly like a little doll you would find in an antique shop
Often plays with their curly hair to agitate them, but always gives a heartfelt apology when they turn those sad doe eyes at him
Makes jokes about turning them into a real doll, and always gets an earful from Lucifer for saying so
But he can be nice as well; offers to carry their books or buy them lunch (as long as they agree to sit with him of course)
Makes excuses for them to visit Purgatory Hall and be 'study partners', but really just wants them around so he can hear them talk and look at them as much as he likes
(I am so sorry these are so short, but I do hope they came out alright! If need be, let me know and I can try and rewrite them!)
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azalea-writes · 3 years
Note
Can I request da bros and dateables to a half moth demon MC gn or ftm plz, lunar moth to be exact also fun fact moths represent destruction or determination sin christian lore
A/N: HELLO! I did GN! MC. SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG, I HAD WRITER'S BLOCK!!
If anything was described wrong or not to your liking, please tell me and I'll rewrite it!
Reference picture
Masterlist
The brothers reacting to a half lunar moth demon MC
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Alt: Enjoy!
***
Lucifer
When he first saw MC's lunar moth demon form, he was really surprised to say the least.
The files didn't say anything about it this.
But don't take it the wrong way! He absolutely loves MC's form, it's very beautiful!
He just wasn't expecting it.
Will ask permission to touch MC's wings and examine it.
Sure Beel has wings that represent an insect but MC's just has a certain shine to it.
Overall, Lucifer doesn't really ask but he would love to see MC's demon form everytime the two of them are alone!
Mammon
When he saw MC's demon form, he was amazed! Tried to hide his excitement but failed.
Mammon loved how MC's wings glistened in the moonlight.
He's trying to keep lowkey but is failing miserably.
Everytime MC is in demon form, he not so secretly glances at them, eyes just filled with admiration.
Forgets to ask everytime to touch their wings.
Overall, he loves MC a great deal and loves their demon form just the same.
Leviathan
Levi loudly gasped when he saw MC's demon form.
He was really surprised but in awe as well.
He would be stuttering and asking a lot of questions.
HE JUST FEELS SO HONOR TO SEE IT??
Like, Levi is just filled with so many emotions. Nothing negative though!
Doesn't ask to touch their wings since he's too shy but MC can see how much he wants to, so they let him.
Levi is just a whole blushing mess at this point.
Almost dies when MC gives him permission to touch their antenna because he feels like MC gave him a lot of trust.
Satan
SATAN IS JUST SO BEWILDERED??
Like, he has never seen wings like MC! Sure Beel has wings of an insect but MC has more of an elegant look. (I think that's the word?)
Once MC tells him what they represent, he will get a book about lunar moths.
He just wants to research things and tell facts to MC that they probably didn't know.
Satan is just really fascinated by MC's form and wants to just research things.
He'll be staring at MC. Even if they catch him, he just smiles and still stares at them.
He just admires them.
Especially the antennas as well, Satan likes to touch them and feel how fuzzy they are.
Asmodeus
Asmo is just really excited and amazed.
Excited because he's already planning so many outfits for MC.
Their wings are so beautiful that it can stand out with the right outfit!
Someone save MC.
Asmo will also buy jewelry for them.
He just wants to keep looking at their demon form all the time.
Mostly because he's enchanted when the wings glisten.
Honestly, it's probably the first time he admired someone so much.
He loves MC's antenna but won't touch them unless MC says so.
Beelzebub
Beel is really surprised at first, he would've never expected this.
But then he's really excited because both of them of wings of an insect!
Meaning that Beel can give some tips to take better care of their wings.
He probably has a lot of helpful tips that MC didn't know.
He also likes to feel the difference between his wings and MC's.
His favorite thing is how pretty their wings are.
Beel hasn't thought much about wings until now.
He also likes to lightly touch their antenna, he doesn't want to hurt them.
Belphegor
Very much awake now.
Belphie's first instinct is to just make MC lay down next to him so he can just admire every detail better.
But he then falls asleep later on.
When he wakes up again, he thinks he was dreaming until he sees MC again in their form.
Belphie loves to pat MC's head just to have an excuse to touch their antenna.
He just laughs at MC if they decide to playfully hit him
***
I'M SORRY FOR BEING SO BAD, I LITERALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING ANYMORE :')
I love the idea but I hate my writing that I just can't read it. (;⌣̀_⌣́)
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Alt: Thanks for requesting! Love you!
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seaswalllow · 3 years
Text
liveblogging observations, all condensed into one post since it’s so late: 
- oh shit. the suit. the suit. AND THE COAT?? eret has raised the fucking BAR
- stomping boots to stomp the fuck outta the egg lmaooo
- o h? an overthrow arc, you say? “we need to do something abt this for the greater good of the server” eret my beloved. 
- eret please one of the pro-omelettes is going through her own identity crisis and everybody else is either dealing with the prison
- the most casual declaration of war: “i’ve decided that i don’t like all of this red shit around, want to help me destroy it?” iconic. 
- “i’ve not had any detrimental effects” hmm. hmmmmm. 
- “i’d break the egg but i’m afraid it’d unleash whatever’s inside the egg on the entire server... i’ve fucked up enough times, i’d rather not fuck up again” [tucks this into my eret observations]
- there’s so many egg outposts klkgjhsgjhds i, for one, think it would’ve been hilarious if they all built their rooms around the egg’s nest and just barely avoided running into each other down there
- LMFAOOOO two of the best builders on the server and they’re hunkered down in a little tiny room in an abandoned, flooded base. that’s... a badass, and lowkey sad aesthetic
- “badboyhalo seems to be the main mouthpiece. one thing that we should keep in mind is- i don’t think that’s really their fault. we can’t hold this against them. i don’t want to hurt them.” foolish my BELOVED thank you
- “i don’t know if we destroy the egg, do we destroy their minds?” if nobody’s got me, i know foolish’s got me!!
- eret’s 20.5 days played vs foolish’s 26.6 days played on the server, this is so fucking funny, foolish’s been here for barely a third of the time eret has
- “definitely not eret and foolish’ secret base” i love these fools, this is a comedy
- very interesting how c!eret’s definition of power has changed, i think? from claiming kingship was power to recognizing that fear is no more powerful than respect and knowledge?
- “there’s too much sad in this smp” “if everybody got mental health help, so many problems would be solved” you both are so right
- “one diamond or blow up a piece of history” when you put it like that,,, KDSKJLH 
- chat: sees michael art
- chat: goes feral
- eret theory: vines are related to the mortal plane, somehow. c!eret believes that in fucking with the natural order of things, the egg accelerated, and that the vines started accelerating after wilbur’s failed revival. now these theories may not necessarily be correct but again: it’s fascinating how much more connected to this side of matters c!eret tends to be/ pass themself off as? 
- “it wasn’t wilbur that came back, but something else?” mentions of ghostbur seeing two, then one figure. 
- anyways egg-breaking time
- “it wasn’t always peaceful for me. since i’ve arrived, i’ve kept the peace, though.” foolish lore foolish lore, callbacks to being a former totem of death?
- “not many people live in this area anymore” foolish please you don’t have to call that out because i will Cry. partially the bloodvines forcing them to abandon it, partially everybody drifting. 
- “after l’manberg, everybody split off” yeah. :tears:
- ah eret lore discussion with foolish,,,, “after my betrayal, i’d hoped that things would go back to how they were” correct me if i’m wrong, but the VODs from way back then also showed quite a bit of thirst for power, right? there’s a character analysis waiting here
- “seperated them infinitely more, and now i’m just holding on to what little i have left, i guess” gamers i WILL cry don’t test me!! 
- “when i think of the egg, the first thing i think of is i don’t know” oh man, yeah, that’s probably not something that a fuckin ancient totem god is used to, huh
- i will say tho, my guy, “nobody’s fighting the egg anymore” bro they’re either underground, absent, or fighting a different concern,,, u should talk to tommy pspspsps talk to tommy or fundy or niki- ah. eret-syndicate conflict potential,,, hmhmhm
- punz is canonically a valorant pro player and i agree with this
- after the egg: ant’s power: can speak enchanting table, ponk’s power: can speak for the egg, punz’s power: gets a new fit, and bbh’s power: he can swear. he’s been unleashed, oh fuck oh shit-
- ah, so the end of the stream is where foolish drops the fuckin lore bomb, okay. [1:24:54 is where it starts!]
- “cleaning up the mess of the wither cult” “what?” “what do you mean?” “are you thinking of a different person, or-?”
- “nope, you, eret, one with the glasses, one with the netherite armor” 
- “u h”
- “it was a while ago, i suppose.”
- foolish and eret both are confused as fuck and y’know what, fair enough. 
- worldbuilding! cults outside of the smp, trolls, mountains! i love it here, foolish, eret thank you for feeding us
- “i’ve been here for months-” “well, i do agree, you’ve been here for months, but you’ve been elsewhere, eret!”
- “have i shown you my eyes before?” “trust me, i know what your eyes look like” followed by “the sunglasses are a new look for you”
- HELLO???
- “you’re not scared?” i’m gonna make a post on this in one fuckin second
- “we’ll catch up, old pal” WELL OKAY
- to the person saying “let’s go old man hd dementia” in chat: i’m already wheezing please
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221bshrlocked · 3 years
Note
Ok slightly different ask, what monster would the boys fall for if reader was the monster? (Because I also want to be sexy, powerful and possibly dangerous)
BRO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WATCHING ME???? I'M LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A TOVAR AND FAE/FAIRY FIC RIGHT NOW!!!! I may or may not release that on the same day I release the Werewolf Tovar fic...I'm after each and every single one of you. Taking yall down with me.
Ok so. Deep breathes I can do this.
Marcus Pike would go for a Siren/Mermaid. I know it's the same as what he would be but I don't know man I just see him being enchanted by their voice and then he sees how unlike mythology they are and they can be dangerous but you're different and he wants to give you a chance and he doesn't regret it because you are much more than he thought he deserves and you're all his and this is what love is supposed to be.
Oberyn Martell would go for a succubus/incubus. Nough said. He'd have all the sex in the world with either or both and it would be fucking wild.
Pero Tovar would go for sure fuck and fall in love with a Fae. They are dangerous but beautiful. Strong but passionate and submissive if they wanted. He would be so enraptured and the thought of knowing that the Fae could kill him in a heartbeat makes him so.fucking.hard and he just wants to see those pretty wings shimmer underneath his touch as he makes it feel good.
Mandalorian would, and this is just a hunch, go for the Hybrid Vampire/Werewolf and I only say this because you could be blindfolded and your other senses would be so heightened that he can actually keep you blindfolded around the ship and would know that you wouldn't be hurt. Also, your hunting skills would be through the fucking roof because of said heightened senses and you'd do a great fucking job protecting Grogu so he's actually already kind of in love with you but he keeps it to himself because he doesn't want you to think that he's trying to control you but eventually, he does tell you and you tell him that it's good he finally said it because you kind of already chose him as your mate and it would have been awkward if the feelings weren't mutual.
Jack 'Whiskey' Daniels would probably go for a Centaur. He's a cowboy for fuck's sake. (I'm so sorry but I am laughing so fucking hard over this because he'd take yeehaw to a whole other level you know...truth is, I don't know who Jack would go for hence me making this joke...any thoughts anyone?) Or maybe he'd go for the Satyr because you're different and you're actually very very shy and he wants to show you how much he loves you and he wants you to be more assertive and it would take a long time but he'd get there. Also, sex is fun with you because different anatomy and he loves a challenge.
Javier Pena would want to corrupt an Angel. It would be a game at first but then he sees how kind and sweet and perfect they are and he'd honest to God fall for them. Also, he'll never say this out loud, but when the wings flutter around him as he fucks into them, god. It's divine.
Frankie 'Catfish' Morales would love to be on the good side of a Shapeshifter but then it quickly turns into more because they kind of know when to turn into what animal to comfort him (PTSD) and he realizes that his emotions run deep deep and I just picture him snuggling with a cat or something you know.
Comandante Veracruz would for sure, 100%, go for the Demon. They're as shameless and uncaring about others as he is and it's perfection itself because he doesn't need to hide anymore or pretend to care when he really doesn't give a shit.
Marcus Moreno would be drawn to a Dragon because besides the strength, the danger, the beauty, and the marvelous personality, his daughter loves everything dragons and you have been so patient with her and showed her what you like to hoard because very dragon hoards things and seeing you interacting with his kid seals the deal. Sex is great btw because your skin shimmers like scales whenever he makes you cum and he doesn't get tired of it.
Ezra would go for the Nymph I think. They're fascinating peaceful creatures that can be really helpful when they're asked nicely and he'd get to fall in love with nature along with this nymph and I mean...forest sex. Come on. Please.
Maxwell Lord would go for the Djinn. They'd grant him all his heart's desires and he'd be wrapped around their finger because he can get anything and everything he wants and all the Djinn wants is to get fucked real good by him.
Dave York would fall head over heels in love with a Vampire...if he does that sort of thing. Because let's face it, they're as dark and strong as him and he doesn't have to tone down his more aggressive tastes with a Vampire. I know not many find this interesting but when it comes to Vampire fanfiction, there's something about swapping blood that screams intimacy and lust.
Max Phillips would be so fascinated by Werewolves. His kind and their kind are not meant to mix you know and it's taboo and no one ever crossed that line but you're so fucking gorgeous and strong and always thirsty for more and he knows for a fact that no one would ever compare.
Again, yall, let me hear your opinions on these??? Because your comments always tend to full-on oneshots so hey...bother me with your thots.
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brutal-nemesis · 3 years
Text
E&T: Unfamiliar
Things are finally gonna get LABBY boys, I’m fuckin excited. Also this got so fuckin long so I Apologize
←Previous - Masterlist - Next→
Ingredients: noncon touching (like. a lot. but its unsexy), painful magical healing, unsexy nudity (bro just takes a shower it ain’t graphic), emeto mention, drugging, noncon surgery mention
PART II: Monster Without A Name
The things that hit him first were the brightness of the sun and the overwhelming heat. They had teleported into a sort of palace garden, similar to the one they had just left, but at the same time not similar at all. As Erebus was led away, he couldn’t help but look around in terrified fascination. Everything about this place was so different, from the color of the stones to the plants to the way people were dressed, making it clear just how far from home he was. He tried to focus on the allure of seeing so many new things instead of the feeling of isolation that was closing in on him. 
Erebus knew that every step he took would lead him closer to his fate, but honestly, all had been lost the moment he had arrived in Taiyorum, so he let Rhys pull him along. He tried to remember the way, but there were so many twists and turns and steps going down and unfamiliar sights that he quickly got lost. Eventually, they stopped in front of a door. “I think I’ve got him from here,” Neteri said, taking the leash from the guard, “thanks, Rhys.” He nodded and left them. Erebus steeled himself as Neteri opened the door and ushered him inside.
The cell was larger than the one in Nathar, and Neteri hadn’t lied when she’d said it would be nicer, but then again that wasn’t a very hard requirement to meet. It had a bed along the right-hand wall and a desk on the left, with a small chest of drawers against the back wall. There was a door at the foot of the bed, though Erebus couldn’t quite see what it led to. He was too caught up in looking around to notice what Neteri was doing until he felt something cold clamp around his ankle. Why had he been expecting not to be chained up again? At least it wasn’t his wrists, and he would’ve been mortified if she had just attached the leash to the wall. Thankfully, she removed both it and the rope around just wrists. He stretched, happy to have his arms free for the first time in days.
“Alright, let’s get you fixed up for good. Do you need help taking your shirt off?” Erebus shook his head and gently pulled it off before sitting down in one of the two chairs in the room. She sat across from him and held out her hand. “Let me do your arm first.” He offered it to her, and she held onto his wrist as she gently unwound the bandage. She inspected the wound and nodded before placing two fingers on one end of the gash. “I know this is gonna hurt, but please try to keep your arm as still as possible.” Erebus nodded, bracing himself as she muttered the spell’s activation word, her fingertips beginning to glow faintly. She traced them slowly down the wound, and he gritted his teeth as an intense, itching pain lit up his arm. Thankfully, it was over soon enough, but he knew there was still a lot more to come.
His back was next, and he couldn’t help but wince as she removed the bandages around his torso, partially because of the pain and partially because the brand hadn’t mysteriously disappeared overnight as he had hoped. She had him turn around, and he hugged the back of the chair tightly as she healed each lash, pressing his forehead against the wood and fighting to keep himself from crying out. It was like he was being whipped all over again, each wound burning with agony as it was closed up. Every time he thought she might be done, she placed her fingers on another wound and the pain came back anew. After what felt like hours, she finally stopped. “You did great, Erebus! I think that was the hardest part, so your chest shouldn’t be as bad. We’re almost there.” 
As far as the pain, she wasn’t exactly wrong. The healing of his chest was a little less intense, a little less itchy. But he had watched her start to trace the burns, daring to hope that the healing would erase them completely, and instead saw them morph into very prominent scars. He screwed his eyes shut, he couldn’t watch that symbol get put on him a second time. He gripped the sides of the chair tightly, reminding himself he wasn’t up on that podium, there weren’t hundreds of eyes trained on him, he wasn’t screaming in front of them all. When Neteri was finished, he pulled his shirt back on as quickly as he could, covering up the brand along with the memories.
“There we go! Now,” she stood and smoothed her skirt, “I have unpacking and whatnot to take care of, so I’ll be back in a few hours. In the meantime you can get yourself cleaned up.” She gestured to the closed door and then paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes. “You can, like, do that yourself, right?” Erebus nodded, giving her an odd look. He hadn’t been that pampered. She held her hands up defensively. “Okay, just making sure. Oh, and that chain is enchanted so clothes pass through it, which is great because that means you’re not stuck wearing the same pair of pants for forever! There should be clean clothes in there, by the way.” She pointed at the chest of drawers. “Alright I think that’s it. I’ll be back eventually.”
Once Neteri was gone, Erebus took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. He was tempted to just bury his face in the pillow and cry and process everything, but he knew he needed to wash all the blood and dirt off himself first. The door Neteri had pointed to led to a small bathroom. His gaze went to the left first, where there was a sink with a mirror above it.
Upon seeing his reflection in the mirror, Erebus flinched. It was the first time he’d seen himself since his capture, not that there was much left that he recognized. Gone was his long, beautiful hair, his fine clothes, his prince’s circlet, and the smile that he’d always worn so effortlessly. The person looking back at him was defeated, collared like an animal, his eyes filled with grief and dried blood smeared around his mouth. And while his short hair didn’t necessarily look bad, it still wasn’t him in the slightest. Maybe Erebus really had died two days ago, and this was just...some other person looking back at him. Unable to bear the sight anymore, he tore his gaze away and looked around the rest of the bathroom.
He didn’t see a bathtub, so he wasn’t exactly sure how Neteri expected him to wash himself. There was a drain in the floor near the wall across from the sink with a couple bottles of soap nearby. And there, on the wall, there was some sort of lever. He hesitantly pulled it, unsure if it was a door handle or what, and suddenly found himself being sprayed with water. He cried out and jumped back to find that the water didn’t follow him. It appeared to be coming out of an oddly shaped piece of metal protruding from the wall that he hadn’t noticed before. It was like...an intense little rainstorm. While part of him found this new technology interesting, the other part was disappointed he wouldn’t even get the comfort of a bath.
Regardless, he still wanted to get clean. He removed his now wet clothes and stepped back into the water. It was freezing cold, but he soon figured out that pulling the lever further down made the water warmer. He felt a lump forming in his throat as he started washing his hair. He’d always loved taking time to care for it, and now it barely took a minute. It shouldn’t be worth getting upset over, and he knew it would grow back, but he couldn’t help missing it. He just didn’t feel like himself without it. And as he moved onto washing his body, the feeling lingered.
Before he knew it he was scrubbing furiously, not just trying to get off the blood and grime, but the feeling of hands, ropes, chains, that he could still feel trapping him, forcing him towards this destiny he didn’t want any part of. But he couldn’t get it to go away, even as the physical reminders of his captivity washed off. No, that wasn’t entirely true either. His wrists were still chafed, his ankle was still chained to the wall, his chest was still branded, his neck still had that horrible collar around it, and his mouth was still very much missing a tongue. He couldn’t forget where he was or what had happened to him for a single second. 
At some point he’d gotten off everything he could, so pulled the lever to stop the little rainstorm and dried off with the towel hanging on a nearby hook. He pulled a clean set of clothes out of the chest of drawers and got dressed. They weren’t anywhere near as nice as what he was used to, but they were an improvement compared to what he’d had on before. He collapsed on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. This was it, huh? Day after day he was going to wake up here and go through...experiments. He shuddered, pushing the thought out of his mind. Dwelling on it would only make him upset, and did not want Neteri coming back and seeing him sobbing. He’d already cried in front of her once today, and that was pathetic enough. 
Upon searching the desk, he found a blank notebook and a pencil, so he busied himself with drawing cats and plants and writing his name. He was never the best artist, and people always told him the way he wrote the “r” in his name was strange, but it was something else to focus on. After a while, Neteri came back with a notebook of her own and looked at his scribblings with mild interest.
 “Was that left in the desk? Huh. Well, whatever. I’m going to need you to stand up and take your shirt off again.” Erebus simply leaned back and raised an eyebrow. “What? It’s nothing painful, I just need to make some observations and take some measurements. And if you don’t cooperate I’ll just get Rhys again and we can take you down to the lab and strap you to the table.” She shrugged. “Either way.” Erebus sighed in defeat and did as she asked. He desperately wanted a break from being tied up and manhandled, and what Neteri wanted, even if it was a little humiliating, was harmless enough. At least it seemed that way, until she started.
Erebus had felt a bit objectified when Neteri had looked him over the first time that they met, but that was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. She was methodically scanning practically every part of him, making measurements and taking notes all the while. She grabbed and stroked and pulled and prodded with no regard whatsoever for his personal space. When she moved to study his chest, he leaned back, but she hooked a finger through the ring in his collar and pulled him close again. He shuddered as she ran her fingers over the brand, she had to be aware of how incredibly uncomfortable she was making him given the way she seemed to be writing down his every reaction. 
He thought that’d be the worst of it, but once again he thought that too soon. Neteri pushed him so he was seated on the bed and started studying his face. He tried to turn away, but she grabbed his chin and forced him to face her. There was nothing he could do but stare intently at the corner of the ceiling as she pried his mouth open, no doubt studying what remained of his tongue. She even ran a finger along his teeth, paying particular attention to his canines. He desperately hoped that whatever she had planned wouldn’t involve messing with them. She moved to his eyes next, pulling at his eyelids and turning his head to force him to look her in the eye. He gave up trying to avoid her gaze and stared back. The way she was looking at him...it was as if she didn’t see him, just his eyes and his face, but not Erebus. 
Suddenly, her eyes narrowed and she leaned back. “Why is your face so red? Wait...am I making you uncomfortable? I am, aren’t I?” Erebus instinctively smacked himself in the face with the palm of his hand, dragging it down a bit before nodding. She was looking at him that closely and just now noticed? What had she even been writing down, then? No, he didn’t want to know, he was certain it would just make him feel even more objectified. “Sorry, I just got sort of caught up in my note taking. I think I’ve got enough now. That was it for today so I’ll just...go.” Right then, as if on cue, Erebus’s stomach growled loudly.
“Oh wait, I haven’t fed you at all today, have I?” Erebus gave her an incredulous look and shook his head. “Shoot, sorry about that. I’ll run and get you something. Be right back!” She called over her shoulder as she dashed out of the room. Erebus sighed. Better late than never, but seriously? You’d think after how excited she was to...get ahold of him, she’d be a little more on top of things. His gaze fell on the notebook, and he belatedly realized he could’ve been using it to actually communicate with Neteri. The majority of the time he’d spent with her had been after... what she did to him...so being able to talk to her by any other means than making faces hadn’t even occurred to him. He spent a bit debating what he even wanted to say, but he eventually landed on a question he wasn’t even sure if he wanted the answer to.
When Neteri came back, profusely apologizing for her oversight, he handed her the notebook before he started eating. She squinted at it. “Is this supposed to be the letter ‘r’?” He sighed and nodded. “Your handwriting is weird. Anyway, to actually answer your question of what’s going to happen to you...I think a lot of things we’re just going to have to play it by ear. Nothing beyond that’s set in stone beyond the fact that you’ve got your first procedure tomorrow.” Erebus jumped out of his chair, backing up a few steps. His first what was when??! “I probably shouldn’t have told you that because now you’re just going to freak out. You know what, I’m gonna go grab you something, so finish your food.”
Erebus shakily tried to do as Neteri asked while she was gone, but fear and nervousness were starting to make him feel ill. He forced down as much as he could, knowing he really needed the nutrients. The word procedure kept echoing in his mind over and over. He’d known she was planning on doing that sort of thing to him, but it had seemed like some vague, horrific future that wouldn’t come to pass, and suddenly it was happening tomorrow, and any hope of rescue had been ripped away, and it was inevitable, the procedure was tomorrow, the procedure was tomorrow, the procedure was tomorrow-
“Hey, hey, you’re alright, you’re gonna be okay.” He jumped as Neteri started stroking his back; he hadn’t even heard her come in. “There, there, let’s get you to bed.” She helped him stand and walked him over the bed, forcing him to lie down. “This will help you sleep, so drink it, okay?” she pressed a small vial of dark blue liquid to his lips. He hesitated a bit, but ultimately drank it. As much as he didn’t want tomorrow to come, he’d rather get whatever hellish thing she had planned over with instead of agonizing all night. He closed his eyes as drowsiness overtook him, trying his best to pretend that the person stroking his hair wasn’t going to cut him open tomorrow.
Next→
Tags:  @dramaticcollapse @thehopelessopus @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @as-a-matter-of-whump @galaxywhump @mnmlover2002 @tears-and-lilies
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Text
The hands they held
“Roman looked at the flower shop that set itself across the street from his tattoo parlor. How weird. He was almost sure the building had looked as boring as the other empty buildings in the street when he closed the shop the night before.The front of the small building was not as covered with vines and flowers that surely didn’t grow together as it was now, of that he was certain.“
Pairings: Logince, DLAMP in later installments
Urban fantasy
Tags: Fluff, Getting Together, Genderfluid Logan Sanders, Flower Shop and Tattoo Parlor au(but make it magical(not the first one to do that but I feel proud))
Warnings: Food mention(it’s Roman listing out some food and then they mentioning it after some times)
Characters: Roman Sanders, Logan Sanders, Remus Sanders, Dot(Cartoon Therapy)
Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27705440
Roman looked at the flower shop that set itself across the street from his tattoo parlor. How weird. He was almost sure the building had looked as boring as the other empty buildings in the street when he closed the shop the night before. The front of the small building was not as covered with vines and flowers that surely didn’t grow together as it was now, of that he was certain. The visuals were right up his alley, though, just the right amount of dramatics one needed in their life to make it interesting. A big sign sat on top the glass doors, displaying the name “Berry’s Flowers and Herbs”.
And then, as he was lost in thought admiring and trying to see if he recognized any of the flowers, a man almost as tall as Roman himself, with deep brown hair and brown skin, wearing a simple black polo with jeans and a gardening apron, opened the door and put up a sign saying “OPEN” in dark blue letters, before turning around and inspecting the streets, and then looking directly in Roman’s direction and – holy shit.
Roman was in love.
Before we continue telling the story, let’s lay down some facts about our current favorite boy. First, Roman and Remus’ mother was an elf. Second, elves, besides a long lifespan and a somewhat inflated ego, have better working eyes than most humans. Which is how, even a street away, Roman could notice the beautiful sharp angles of the man’s face, the gorgeous silver shade of his eyes behind his square glasses, and the adorable glittering freckles that covered his face, his neck and his arms.
Roman kept gawking at the glittering man like a fish as he went back inside the shop and closed the glass doors.
“Ooooh, sweet, that’s closer than where I buy.” Remus’s voice sounded suddenly, startling Roman out of his daydreaming.
“Oh, cool.” Roman said automatically, before turning to Remus, who was cleaning his hands with a rag. Roman decided to simply not ask how he had gotten them dirty. “Hey, Rem.”
Remus imeddiately squinted. “What the fuck do you want?”
“What? Can’t a man just call his bro by a nickname to show his brotherly love?”
“You do that by calling me Trash Man, you only call me Rem when you want something, what the fuck is it?”
“Oh I wasn’t going to ask for anything, I was just going to ask if, I dunno, you maybe needed some more ingredients, maybe the ones you have are running out or something, I could maybe go pick it up for you...” Roman trailed off.
Remus just kept squinting at Roman for another 20 seconds, before flicking his eyes to some point behind him. Roman turned, only to see the man from before pushing a table on wheels with flower vases to the front of one of the big glass windows, before going back inside.
Roman could tell he was staring as the man went back inside, and when he looked back at Remus, that shithead smile was glued to his face like a dry face mask.
“Oooh, you got a cruuuuuush?” Remus said in a sing-songy voice, and Roman didn’t even have the energy to pretend to be mad, so he just kept staring at his brother’s face. “You know, now that you mention it, I think I’ve used up all of my marigolds, and I’m close to running out of rosemary...”
Roman immediately perked up. “So maybe, your very selfless and very helpful brother could pick some up for you?”
“Ah, yes, my brother who has no ulterior motives besides being helpful, of course.” Remus said, grabbing one of the sketch books before ripping out a page and writing something down. “Ok, there’s more than just what I said, I need some alyssum and some chrysantemus and some dandelions...”
“Ok, noted.” Roman said, grabbing the paper and scanning the list without actually reading it. He already remebered only the dandelion out of the flowers Remus had mentioned.
As Roman was heading out by the door, Remus screamed “Use protection!”
“I’ll murder you!” Roman screamed back cheerily.
He wasn’t prepared to enter the shop.
As soon as he step foot past the door, he realized the air felt different. It wasn’t exactly pleasant or unpleasant, but it was distinctly different than the air around human populated cities. Roman was almost sure he could hear little bells, and it felt like the air was caressing his skin. The walls were covered in shelves with different plants displays, the floor was a magenta and indigo checkered tile with golden edges that somehow managed to not be obnoxious, and the ceiling was entirely glass with golden metal swirls. The space was well lit, all of the flowers in perfect display.
“Salutations.” Sounded a voice, and Roman immediately looked back to the counter that sat at the back of the store, behind which he could see the glittering man and wow, he was even more beautiful up close.
“Hello there!” Roman said, managing to hide the fact that he felt distinctively out of breath at the sight that laid before him, which he wasn’t completely sure wasn’t a hallucination.
The man’s glittering silver freckles were even more visible from this close, and Roman could also see some that were smaller, less glittery but just as breathtaking, and he also noticed that the man’s hair also glittered slightly.
“...Can I help you?”
“Oh. Oh! Yes, yes, my brother sent me to buy some flowers, and-“ he started before realizing he didn’t actually know what to say after. “...and here is the list. With the flowers.”
He dramatically handed the list over to the man, who simply grabbed it and started Reading. A couple seconds passed before he raised an eyebrow.
“A...Kiss?”
“Whut. Wait.” Roman hastily grabbed the paper and quickly scanned the list, eventually finding the “kiss” item with a heart dotting the i. “Oh, that motherfucker knew I wasn’t going to read it, I swear this is just a prank – “
“Not to worry. Let’s simply ignore this and I’ll grab the flowers.” The man said, and set to do just that, quickly scanning the shelves and putting the flowers in clear plastic rolls.
Roman managed to stay silent for about five seconds.
“So, I don’t remember seeing the shop here yesterday.”
The man seemed to be startled for a bit, before answering “You wouldn’t have, we moved in during the night.”
“Hmm.” Roman hummed before looking for something else to say. “We?”
“...Yes. Me and my parents. My mother and I run the shop.”
“Oh, marvelous, so it’s a Family business! You know, me and my brother run the tattoo parlor across the street, we do tattoos with various magical properties. You should come visit, my name is Roman, I use he/him pronouns, and my brother is Remus, he/him pronouns too.”
“...Logan. He/him today.” He – Logan – said, turning to the dandelions. “Are you always such a conversationalist when buying flowers?”
That made Roman pause.
“Oh, um, I hadn’t – Am I making your uncomfortable?”
“Not to worry, I am simply not used to such...Friendly customers. But this is pleasant.”
Roman sighed relieved.
“I am not opposed to visiting your parlor, if you’ll have me.”
He simply smiled.
“Well hello there!” Roman said, opening the glass doors and spotting Logan behind the counter, like last time.
“Salutations, Roman. They/them today.” Roman nodded, leaning on the counter.
“So, how’s the day going for you, Specs?”
Logan went a few moments without answering, probably because of the nickname. “Pleasant enough. A few customers have come by. None of them was unpleasant.”
“That’s indeed pleasant.” Roman turned around, leaning on the counter with his hips now, looking around at the shop, and noticing the flowers on his left looked more perfect than a lot of flowers he had seen in his life. ��Hey, Logan, did you do something to those flowers over there?”
Logan seemed to perk up a bit. They fixed their glasses before answering. “Indeed. Those are flowers I separate for decorations, I enchant them to stay alive for longer. This enchantment can mess with cooking and potions, however, so I always ask before picking them.”
“Oh, that’s cool. I hadn’t thought of that.” They stayed silent then, Roman zoning out as he looked at the flowers and spun his necklace on his finger. “Hey Specs, how old are you?”
“I – Well.” Logan started, before pausing and thinking more. “I’m forty years old, technically, but I’m a fairy, so I haven’t grown beyond being what humans would consider twenty five to twenty nine.”
“Oh, you’re a fairy?”
“Well, quarter fairy. My father is half fairy, my mother is human. They had me when mother was twenty  seven years old, and I grew up in the same speed as a human until I was around twenty four years.”
“Marvelous. I’m half elf. I’m thirty  four years old, and yeah, basically around that age. I would still be a teenager if both of my parents were elves.”
They stayed in silence for a few minutes.
“Roman, do you...Do you like outer space?”
“Well, yeah.” Roman said, before turning back to Logan. “I don’t know a lot, but I think it’s fascinating.”
“Would you...” They swallowed, then, sounding nervous. “Would you like to hear about it?”
“Of course. Tell me everything you know.”
Logan smiled, then, with barely restrained excitement, and Roman felt like he could listen to them for hours if they would always smile like that.
“Hello there, my favorite nerd!” Roman said, entering the shop with his his arms spread and holding a paper bag.
“Salutations, Roman. She/her today. Do you bring anything besides your dramatic entrance?” Logan said, with a small smile that never failed to make Roman lose his train of thought for a few seconds.
“I sure do, Smarty McSpecson, I bring sustenance!” He laid the paper bag on the counter. “It’s a bowl of goose stew with mushrooms, fruit salad with honey, aaaaaaaand pork filled buns.”
“Sounds delicious. I’ll have the buns.”
“Marvelous! I’ll eat some of the stew. I’ve got homemade mayonnaise too, if you’d like to add it.” Then he went to open the bag.
“Wait. Mother will take over the shop for this afternoon, so I’m free in ten minutes. There is a small kitchen in the back, and I think it would be pleasant to eat on a table instead of this counter.”
“Oh, that would be cool.” Roman said, trying to play it cool. It almost felt like she was inviting him on a date, but surely that wouldn’t be it? Logan was just nice like that. She was also very direct and probably would be forward in asking for a date. Yeah.
“Come on, it’s behind this door over here.” Roman then followed Logan into the aforementioned door, finding a small kitchen that seemed to be decorated with a light yellow color scheme. All the counters and cabinets were light yellow, the counters having white tops, the fridge and the stove were both black, and the floor tile was white. The kitchen was pretty small, only wide enough to fit a small round table and two chairs, and there was a floor to ceiling rectangular glass window behind one of the chairs.
“You can sit down while I get mother, I’m sure she won’t be incovenienced to come down ten minutes early.” Logan said while getting some plates and bowls from the cabinets, then laying them on the table.
“Ok. I’ll be here waiting.” Roman said, sitting on the chair facing the window. He may or may not have been thinking about how gorgeous Logan would look framed by the window and the plants outside.
Logan stepped into a door that led to a white staircase, leaving Roman to think and analyze the small kitchen.
Now that he had the opportunity to pay attention, he could notice little things he hadn’t noticed when he first entered the kitchen : the white countertops were stained at some spots with some sort of colorful pigment, there was a black paper on which someone drew constellations with white crayon, and there was a clear glass cookie jar filled with dried flowers on one counter.
About five minutes later, Logan came back with who Roman assumed was her mother, a chubby, dark skinned lady with short black hair wearing a beige argyle sweater over a white button up and beige skirt, plus a pair of red glasses and bright red lipstick. He noticed Logan seemed distinctly more glittery around the face.
“Oh hello there dear, you must be the famed Roman!” The lady said, rushing over to him and grabbing his hands. “I’m Dot, this one’s mom, I’ve heard so many things about you – “
“Mother...” Logan said with a warning tone, her voice not managing to hide her embarassment.
“Oh Logan talked about you so much, you’re every bit as handsome as she described – “
“Mother!” Logan exclaimed, and now her face was shining so much it looked like it was encrusted with tiny gems. Roman was almost hipnotized enough to not realize that was probably her way of blushing.
“What? It’s true! He’s as handsome as sherpherd pie!” Dot responded, and Roman was as confused as he was flattered.
“Mother, that’s not – forty seven years of marriage, and that’s what you pick up of father’s vocabulary?” Logan said, bafflement not being able to hid the awfully fond tone of her voice.
“Oh don’t pick on me, you know I’m telling the truth.” Dot said, before looking at the shop. “Oh dear, I better get started on that shop running thing.” She said, before kissing Roman and Logan’s cheeks and stepping out into the shop, closing the kitchen door.
They stayed silent froma few moments before Logan sighed.
“I love my mother, but she can be a bit overwhelming. I hope she didn’t bother you too much.”
“Oh, she didn’t bother me at all. So, um, as handsome as shepherd pie?” Roman asked, still a bit baffled by the term.
“It’s an expression father uses. It’s an equivalent translation coming from the faery language my father’s specific nation spoke. It’s a bit outdated, but it was used most often to describe someone the person was attracted to. Of course,” Logan said all of this while grabbing the cuttlery and sitting down on the other chair. She paused while adjusting herself on the chair, before continuing with a fondly amused smile. “she wasn’t hitting on you, don’t worry.” Logan went to grab the pork buns, while murmuring to herself low enough that, if Roman wasn’t part elf, he surely wouldn’t have been able to hear it. “Not for herself, at least.”
“Not for herself?” Roman asked. Logan’s eyes went wide as saucers, and she almost dropped the bun she was holding.
“Oh you – you heard that?” Logan asked, adjusting her glasses (which Roman had noticed was a bit of a tic of hers). Her face, that had gone back to the normal amount of glittering, suddenly was shiny enough that Roman wanted to grab her face and kiss her senseless.
“If it’s any comfort, I only heard because elven hearing is a stronger than humans’. But seriously, what did you mean?”
“Oh, it’s nothing important, it’s silly, it’s just – mother is certain you have been flirting with me, you see, and no matter how much I tell her she’s being foolish, she won’t quit putting these thoughts into my head, and I swear it wasn’t on purpose, I didn’t even felt like these before but then she mentioned it and I couldn’t stop thinking about how handsome you are and how nice you are and how you made an effort to befriend me when we had just moved in and I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t have any energy to go out and make friends – “ she was rambling now, her speech getting more fast paced and anxious the longer Roman went without saying anything.
Well. She seemed to think Roman wasn’t interested. He had to do something about that.
Logan was gesturing wildly with her hands, moving them up and down in an effort to calm herself, so Roman grabbed one of them in an effort to effectively distract her.
“So,” he said, laying their hands down palms up on the table and drawing tiny circles on the wrist. “I most definitely was flirting. I most definitely think you are very handsome and very nice. And I most definitely think you are as handsome as shepherd pie.”
Logan was silent for a few moments before saying, with a slight breathless note on her voice, “...oh.”
“Yeah.” Roman said, before bringing Logan’s hand up his mouth and kissing the palm.
Logan giggled. She honest to ghosts, real as magic, giggled.
“So,” Roman said, putting their hands back on the table. “do you want to try this?”
“I – most definitely.” She answered, nodding quickly with a smile on her face.
They started eating, then, and nothing changed but the hands they held and the soft smiles.
@tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors 
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foursideharmony · 3 years
Text
The Cat, the Prince, and the Doorway to Imagination (Chapter 8)
Summary: Before there can be a mending, there must be a shattering...
Pairings: Platonic/familial LAMP/CALM, Platonic/familial DLAMPR
Content Warnings: Unconsciousness, extreme self-doubt, ugly crying, profanity
Word Count: 3,923
Read on AO3: here
Patton knelt beside Roman and maneuvered an arm behind his shoulders in order to lift him into a reclining position. The Creative Side remained worryingly unconscious—the Witch's power had evidently been shielding him from the effects of cold exposure, and he had traded his ethereal pallor for a sickly one. “He's chilled,” Patton reported. “Maybe a little shocky from the stress. We ought to get him underground and into some nice warm blankets.”
“Maybe it serves him right,” Virgil muttered even as he slipped out of his fur coat and laid it over the prince, relying on his hoodie to keep himself warm enough in the meantime. “So now what?”
“Aw, all those cool gross monster things are leaving!” Remus said, peering down the slope of the hill. “I wanted to see a gory battle! From the inside!”
“Can't you?” Virgil said acidly. “I thought you said you'd get control of the Imagination if Roman got knocked out.”
“I said I'd get control if I knocked Roman out. It's part of the whole sibling rivalry thing. We fight over who gets to play with the good toys. Didn't you notice that nothing has really changed around here? We're still in Roman's story.” He looked pensive, which was always a dangerous sign. “I guess I could try to clock him one anyway, but I don't know if it would work when he's unconscious already.” He shrugged. “Oh well, maybe he'll get frostbite and his fingers and toes will turn black and fall off! That would be a hoot!”
“Eugh, why are you like this?” said Virgil.
“Don't you dare touch him,” Patton said firmly. “That's one experiment that is not happening today.” He lifted Roman a little more and tucked the edges of the coat under him.
“How's he looking?” asked Virgil.
“I don't think he's getting any worse, at least. I still want to get him inside one of the shelters.”
“Something tells me that's actually not going to be necessary,” said Janus, speaking for the first time since he had managed to trigger Roman's sudden turnaround. He pointed toward the area of thick forest roughly to the east of the hill. “I do so hate to correct you, Remus, but that looks like change to me.”
All the trees in a roughly circular patch had lost their coatings of snow and displayed either dark needles or bare gray-brown branches. The patch was slowly growing, and as they watched, a trail of the same phenomenon formed, leading off of the main area and meandering toward the hill. The forest sparkled as drops of newly melted water fell from twigs and caught the sun, and before long, those twigs began to mist over with pale green.
The trail reached the edge of the forested area, and there emerged from the trees...a tawny, long-haired cat. As it paced forward, the snow vanished under its paws, revealing dark, damp earth from which grass immediately began to sprout. The cat began to climb the Hill of the Stone Table, and with every step, the nascent springtime spread farther and, astonishingly, the cat grew larger . Before it was halfway up the slope, it was somewhere between a lynx and a leopard in size and still growing. Its shaggy fur clustered around its neck and shoulders, its jaws became heavier, its tail acquired a tuft at the end. It was a lion that reached the crest of the hill, the snow fleeing before him, paws striking the ground like miniature earthquakes, tiny white and yellow flowers bursting from the ground in his wake.
The response of the assembled Narnians was immediate, collective, and extreme. They didn't drop to the ground kneeling or bowing, as one might expect in the presence of their King, but ran to the Lion, keening with delight and adoration. Talking Beasts nuzzled his paws and flanks, Fauns and Dwarfs combed their fingers through his mane, and the whole throng constantly called out his name— “Aslan, Aslan!” —the various tones and pitches of their voices overlapping and blending together into a susurration like surf on a beach.
Aslan, for his part, returned their affection in full, dipping his head to brush whiskers with the beasts, swishing his tail to tickle the Fauns. Yet he maintained his pace as he continued toward the center of the hilltop, toward where the Sides were watching the proceedings with awkward astonishment, like the outsiders they were. Remus stared at the great Lion with mixed apprehension and fascination. Janus looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, but understood that even the most casual exit would only attract attention. Virgil stood stiffly as if pinned in place, splitting the difference between terror and giddy excitement and landing somewhere in the vicinity of shock. And Patton...
Patton certainly hadn't forgotten about Roman, but at the sight of Aslan's approach, he was moved to lay the Prince back down on the warming ground and step forward, shy and sentimental, to greet Aslan.
“We've already met, haven't we,” he said. It wasn't a question. Aslan nodded. “Thank you, for what you did yesterday. It helped Ailim a lot. Me too.”
Aslan turned in a slow circle, his gaze sweeping to encompass the entire gathering in turn. At last he spoke, in a voice as heavy and rich as gold itself. “Things are beginning to be set right. But there are yet choices to be made.” He walked over to Roman and bent to sniff him, causing him to flinch and whimper, but not waken just yet.
“Is Roman going to be okay?” asked Patton.
“Physically, he will,” Aslan replied. “As for the rest...that is largely up to him.” He swept his golden gaze over the crowd once more. “Shouldn't there be one more of you?”
“If you're talking about Logan,” Virgil said, “he...wait, why am I telling you? Aren't you supposed to be all-knowing or whatever?
Aslan actually smiled slightly. “Indeed. Bring him here.” A small group of Narnians jumped up to fetch Logan from where they had hidden him earlier in order to make Janus's illusion convincing. “As for the rest of you...you may wish to cover your ears.”
They did (except for Remus, who tried to pull his off entirely and discovered too late that he couldn't), and even so, Aslan's roar was an almost solid physical force. A shockwave of sorts spread out from the hill at tremendous speed, and as it passed it obliterated the hundred-year winter—no slow melting of snow, no gentle emergence of leaf buds, but an instant replacement of one season by the next. In a mere moment, the white and gray world had been made over into one of azure and earthy brown and every possible shade of green, splashed here and there with delicate floral pastels.
And there was another instantaneous effect. The sheer noise of it woke Roman up. His eyes sprang open and he gasped, body twitching as every nerve and muscle was startled into full alertness. He flailed for a moment before managing to sit up just as the roar died away. He looked around wildly, apparently not recognizing his greatly altered surroundings, until his eyes focused and his glance fell upon the Lion.
Roman's face crumpled. He made a tiny noise of anguish and turned around so that he wasn't facing Aslan, or the other Sides, or anyone.
“Roman...” Patton said. “It's gonna be—”
“I'll go,” Roman said into his own knees. “I'll leave the Imagination running so you can keep the story going until you're ready to stop.”
“Roman. Do not run from this,” Aslan said softly. “You have wronged your companions. You must face those wrongs if you wish to ever dispel them.”
“Dispel them...” Roman repeated bitterly. “Are you sure I'm not meant to keep on compounding them?”
“Okay, Princey, enough,” said Virgil, stepping forward and grasping Roman's shoulder in a gesture that was equal parts friendly and forceful. “Lay off the self-pity already. Nobody here expects you to be the bad guy. Nobody here thinks you're the bad guy unless something goes really wrong, which apparently it did. And I can definitely tell you that nobody here wants you to be the bad guy. You owe us all an apology, but that can wait. The most important thing right now is that you fix that.” He pointed across the hilltop to where the Narnians were just settling the Logan-statue into place.
Roman's eyes found it, and his expression collapsed all over again, this time with a faint greenish tinge. But he steeled himself, got his feet under himself (pointedly ignoring Virgil's offer of a hand up), and made himself walk over to the quartz form of his friend. “I-I don't know if I can,” he said. “I used the Witch's power to...and I don't have it anymore. She has it back now, she's back, and—”
“Try,” said Aslan, the single syllable falling like the closing of an oaken door.
Roman made a short nod, gulping hard, and set his attention to undoing the enchantment. He drew his sword, willed it to act again as a magic wand, and focused on Logan. On making flesh (or whatever the Sides were, in the mindscape) instead of stone. On making him live again. He put all his power of wishing into it.
Nothing happened. Logan remained frozen in crystal. Roman staggered back a step or two, panting with distress. “I am losing control over the Imagination,” he said in a voice that was almost a squeak. “I can't even... It's probably for the reason Patton said. I...I...” Without another word, he dropped his sword and fled down the slope of the hill and into the green trees.
“Roman, wait!” called Patton, to no effect.
“Bye, bro!” Remus added with an over-the-top wave.
“I will see to him,” said Aslan. “But first...” He nosed Logan for a moment, then huffed out a breath over him. Satisfied, he padded away after Roman.
For a moment still, nothing changed. Virgil was the one to spot the subtle first sign: the dark lines filling themselves in on Logan's chest, tracing the shape of his logo, the bespectacled brain. The black color spread out quickly from there as his shirt softened into fabric, and within seconds, his face and hands flushed peach, his hair was brown and rippling in the light breeze, and Logan was back and... toppling over with a little shout of surprise as he overbalanced.
“LOGAN!” Patton exulted, tackle-hugging the Logical Side in his unbridled joy, adding to the confusion of his waking.
They decided later that it was, on the whole, worth it.
Start small.
It wasn't the first time Roman had lost control over the Imagination during an adventure. The stories sometimes took on a life of their own, after all, and that occasionally meant defying the author no matter how he tried to assert himself.
What was different this time was that he had also become the villain. The story had pushed him into it, but...had it, really? That was the question that needed answering.
I thought I was your hero...
Thomas doesn't want a wicked Creativity...
If he could take control back, then it meant he wasn't the bad guy after all, and things would be all right.
He had found a shaded grove with bare, reasonably dry dirt that he could sit on while he brooded and tried the smallest thing of all: making a mushroom. If he could coax a little fungus cap up out of the soil, he would know he wasn't too far gone. If not...well...better just focus on doing it.
So far, no luck. The ground remained agonizingly mushroom-free.
He became aware of a looming presence in the grove with him, and barely glanced over his shoulder at the bulky form of Aslan. “Oh. Hi,” he said. There didn't seem to be much else to say.
“I have restored Logan, and he is well,” said the Lion.
Roman turned back to his total lack of mushrooms. “Of course you did,” he sighed. “I made you to be able to do everything Aslan can in the books. Which is pretty much everything , since...you know. So why can't I do any of it now?” He blinked back a tear or two. “Why couldn't I fix Logan?”
“You did very well. You tried. That was all I asked.”
“For all the good it did.” He pulled up a handful of new grass and let the blades fall, a few at a time, through his fingers. “I don't know what to do anymore. I made all of this—I made you—so I could give them a fun, simple adventure and be the hero in a world where heroism and villainy are clean-cut...and it turned out I was supposed to be the villain all along. What do I do with that? Patton said it: Thomas doesn't want a wicked Creativity. I can't make his dreams come true if I'm not the hero...but even the Imagination doesn't want me to be the hero anymore...so what does that leave?”
Aslan circled around until he was in front of Roman and lay down on his belly, his bulk making the grove tremble. “Roman...do you really believe you are meant to be the villain?”
“I must be. I voluntarily went to the Witch. We...I stole your power! And then I took the Witch's power! I basically became her!”
“Yes. And then you released my power, and in the process gave up hers. You chose to turn away from that path. And I would say that the change began even earlier. Do you remember how you came to acquire the Witch's power?”
“Of course. I took it from her because she was...” Roman's eyes widened. “Because she was going to hurt the others, and it was the only way to keep them safe. I didn't even intend to take it for myself, it just happened that way.”
“Precisely. In a world where heroism and villainy are clean-cut...what would you call someone who thwarts a villain in order to protect the innocent?”
Roman made a half-hearted snicker. “You know, you sounded like Logan just then.”
“Are you avoiding the question?”
“No...but even if I was a hero in that moment, I sure went hard to the bad afterward.”
“Until you stopped yourself.”
For the first time, Roman actually lifted his head to meet Aslan's gaze. He studied the Lion's bottomless amber eyes, looking for even a hint of manipulation, but found only absolute sincerity. After a long moment, he found his words again.
“So which am I? The hero or the villain?”
“Any answer I could give to that question would be misleading. You worry too much about what you are. You might do better to think instead about what you choose to do. And what you will choose to do.”
“One thing's for sure...like Virgil said, I owe the others a major apology.”
“Indeed you do.”
“But I don't know if I can face them yet.”
“Try,” Aslan said as he had before...except that his tone was much lighter this time. “I will be with you.”
“Will they forgive me?”
“There is only one way to find out.”
Roman nodded slowly, and carefully stood. “Let's find out, then.”
At his feet, unnoticed, a tiny mushroom swelled from the earth.
A hush fell over the hilltop as Roman returned, walking stiffly as if he had to force every step. His head was slumped, his arms folded tightly across his chest. Aslan trailed him by several paces, and hung back when Roman stopped, a courteous distance from the other Sides. He didn't look up as he took a deep breath and said, “I...I have...something to say,” in a thick voice.
The others all traded glances. And traded glances again. “Go on...” Patton prompted in as neutral a tone as he could manage.
It seemed an eternity before Roman forced “...i'm sorry...” through a throat half-clogged with unshed tears. Suddenly he was sobbing into his hands, his knees slowly buckling.
Patton lunged for him, but to his surprise, Virgil beat him by a hair, gathering the Prince into his arms and helping him down into a kneeling position on the grass. “I gotcha, Princey,” he said. “Get it out, it'll be okay.”
“I'm so, so sorry!” Roman wailed, clutching at Virgil as he were the edge of a cliff. “It wasn't what I wanted at all but it seemed like the Imagination did and...Patton, I'm sorry about the ice, and Logan—oh, god, Logan, I'm SO sorry I...” He trailed off into more wrenching, ugly sobs while Virgil tightened the huge, Patton joined in, and Logan placed a steady hand on Roman's heaving shoulders. Without at any point speaking the words “I forgive you,” all three of them made them understood.
(Unnoticed by the four of them, Remus stepped forward and opened his mouth to say something. Janus calmly silenced him.)
Roman cried for a long time. He cried until he was out of tears and nearly out of breath, until the exertion of bawling left him limp in the others' arms. Only then did the storm finally subside, leaving Roman with a peculiar empty space inside him where something had drained away. At its center was a hard, sharp little knot of hurt, no longer wrapped in the resentment and bluster he had been using to cushion it. He sagged, depleted and hollow, in the embrace of his companions, and like opposing magnetic fields, their presence kept the nugget of pain suspended safely away from his emotional nerves, until by and by something new began to trickle into the empty place to shield him from the sharpest edges.
Roman took a deep breath, and felt as though he were breathing in light. “So,” he said, hoarse but with a genuine warmth that they had all been missing, “I've been acting like an idiot, haven't I?”
There was a pause, and then Virgil said, “You were acting?”
Roman shoved him away with amused annoyance, and the whole scene might have dissolved into absurdity had Janus not loudly and meaningfully cleared his throat. Roman was suddenly intensely, mortifyingly aware of their audience, and he got to his feet, slapping grass debris off his trousers, cheeks burning with more than just tear tracks.
“Far be it from me to interfere with you four,” Janus said, “but are we all done here? No loose ends to tie up?”
Remus pried his hand free of his mouth with his other hand. “Heh heh, you said 'tie up!' What about me, Roman? Don't I get an apology?”
Roman pulled a face. “I haven't done anything to you. And as for you...” he went on, turning to Janus, “...I don't know if I'm ready to be sorry yet.”
“Fair enough, I suppose. I appreciate your honesty.”
“Do you, though?”
Janus shrugged extravagantly, half-smiling.
“But to answer your question...you can all leave if you want. The Imagination will let you out. But I still need to deal with the White Witch.”
“But you were the White Witch,” said Janus. “Weren't you?”
“Not exactly. I took her...I'll tell you how that all worked later, if you want. The point is, she's back now, as herself, and she still needs to be defeated if this story is to have a proper happy ending.”
“That doesn't seem so hard,” said Patton. “Aslan is here and he brought spring back, you're here and we've made up...if we're following the book, then we're back on track!”
“Indeed,” said Aslan, startling the heck out of Roman, who hadn't heard him approach. “At your request, Roman, we can proceed with the story as you originally intended.”
It would be so easy...just hand the reins to the big omnipotent god-lion and let him take care of everything, secure in the knowledge that the story had already been written. “No,” Roman said. “Some stories are about a wrongdoer being redeemed by a higher power, and those certainly have their time and place.” He smoothed down the front of his suit, adjusted his sash and cuffs, and reclaimed his sword from where he had dropped it on the hilltop. “This story is going to be about the wrongdoer fixing his own fuck-up.” Patton gasped at the curse word, which was gratifying in its own way. “I'm going to fight her myself. She'll want revenge on me anyway, for stealing her power. I'm going to let her think she can get it...and take her down.”
“Ooh!” Remus quavered. “Sounds violent! I'm in!”
“N-no...well...I guess you can watch, but no interfering! I'm going to challenge her to a duel, for Pete's sake!”
“If Remus is going, then the rest of us should probably stick around too,” said Virgil. “Who knows how many of us it's going to take to keep him corralled? Besides, look what happened the last time we let you wander off to the Witch's castle by yourself.”
“Sure, rub it in,” said Roman. “So who all is coming with me?”
The Sides formed a line, standing shoulder-to-shoulder before Roman. “It would appear that we all intend to go,” said Logan.
“You don't have to face any more evils alone, kiddo,” said Patton.
“But let's make it quick, because I have a salon appointment at two,” said Janus, pretending to study his fingernails through his gloves. He glanced up and winked.
“And you do not wish my involvement in any way?” asked Aslan.
“No, I want...wait. Is indirect involvement a possibility? Because I'm suddenly thinking it's going to be a long walk to her castle, and it might be nice if you could...give us a boost? Please?”
“Certainly,” said the Lion. “Do not be alarmed.” With that, he blew out a long breath over the Sides, and the Hill of the Stone Table and its environs blew away as if they were only a flimsy façade, perhaps painted on scraps of paper. After that eye-wateringly disorienting moment, they took stock of their situation.
They were surrounded on three sides by tall, lush evergreens, and underfoot was mostly crumbly pine needles. On the fourth side was a brief meadow of patchy grass and sparse wildflowers, and beyond that was a lake, or perhaps a broad pond. It did not seem to have thawed completely with the springtime; there were plenty of ice chunks bobbing in the water. These may have broken off the large and solid bank or platform of ice near the center, upon which was the White Witch's castle.
It looked different by daylight, and out of the perpetual winter. The Witch's power yet extended as far as her own dwelling and a little area around it, but without a backdrop of oppressive snow to bolster it, the castle seemed a much poorer and punier structure. Some of the trees at their backs were taller than its spires.
“Thank you for the...” Roman said, trailing off as he realized that Aslan was not there.
“You did request only indirect assistance from him,” Logan pointed out.
“Yeah...” Roman swallowed and squared his shoulders. “Showtime,” he muttered, and strode forward toward the castle.
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keelywolfe · 3 years
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FIC: Welcome to Backwater ch.16 (spicyhoney)
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Summary: Where was the one place that Red told Stretch not to go? Right.
~~*~~
Read ‘Into the Woods’ on AO3
or
Read it here!
~~*~~
Thin branches caught at Stretch as he slowly stumbled his way through the darkened woods. Twigs catching at his sleeves and scraping at his bare ankles as if trying to hold him back. He ignored it, ignored the annoyance and the scratches they left behind. One snagged and held until his t-shirt tore under the strain and still, he walked, following that faint, sweet song.
In front him of sparks seemed to form from nothingness, flickering lights dancing right before his eye sockets. Beneath the gauzy layers muffling his consciousness were vague thoughts of old legends from Waterfall about ghost lights that led travelers down wrong paths to their deaths, drowning them in still hidden pools where even their bones would never be found.
He remembered telling those stories to Blue at bedtime, whispering those haunted tales and then pouncing on his brother when he’d least expect it. Drawing out shrieks and laughter, his delight worth ending up with a little bro sleeping next to him in his bed that night after a nightmare.
He remembered it all and still he did not, could not, stop walking. It all seemed dreamy and distant, felt like his feet didn't belong to him, only vehicles carrying him deeper into the shadows beneath the heavy boughs rustling above. The lights seem bigger now, the sparks collecting together and forming into a larger shape. He couldn’t quite tell what it was, it was fluid, changing even as he looked right at it.
For the first few steps, thin moonlight glinted through the branches. No longer, every stride carried him deeper where even the moon couldn't penetrate. The only light was the face in front of him and when had it become a face? Stretch wasn’t sure, but he followed it, fascinated by her parted lips where that song formed and was cast out between them, drowning in it as surely as those who lost their way in Waterfall.
Her face was as white as the moon’s, surrounded by a cloud of long, pale hair, nothing more than a face that hovered out of his dreamy reach. He kept walking, following along with the double enchantment of that voice and face, even though that vision began to blur, melting like candlewax into something else entirely. Beneath the veneer of loveliness something was hidden, awfulness lurking under the surface, rotten with sharp teeth. The head hung in the air in front of him and slowly he was beginning to see what was dangling under it. Glinting wetly was no body at all but horrific, dripping entrails that heaved with every croon of song.
He could see it, yet even as something deep within his soul was howling in terror and beating against the bars of his mind, he only felt a sense of numb lethargy. That song ended and he only stood there, blinking dumbly and yearning for its return. She reached out to touch him, her spindly fingers tipped with long, curling claws, and he didn’t flinch as they brushed his cheekbone, caught him under the chin to yank his head painfully up.
“Too old.” Even those few words were sonorous, as lilting as a lute. That beautiful voice warmed him, so lovely, the most gorgeous thing he’d ever heard and the disappointment it held made him want to weep. He might have cast himself at her feet to plead forgiveness if not for her ruthless grip on his chin. She let out a disgruntled hiss, low and sibilant, “Much too old…a Monster? No blood, no flesh, no bite—ah, but wait.” She leaned in, sniffing delicately and something about that was familiar, something— “but you have magic, plenty of sweet, delicious magic.” She smiled and he stared dreamily at the rows of razor-sharp teeth, her long tongue lolling out and leaving a sheen of dark saliva on her lips. “You’ll do.”
It was only when she came closer and he could smell the fetid stink of her breath that a worm of panic finally wriggled its way through his calm. Gone was the angelic aura, her appearance twisting instead into that of a haggard ghoul, an anglerfish dangling her lure. He could smell blood and decay, and something worse, rotting meat and vinegar.
Her jaw seemed to unhinge, showing a gaping maw wide enough to swallow him whole, her gullet a deep, moldering gray that exhaled a fresh stink of vinegar, and he still couldn’t move, his silent shrieks only in his own mind as she drew him closer.
As she reeled him in, a loud, cracking sound filled the clearing, a splintered branch falling heavily to the ground. It broke whatever spell that held him and with a violent wrench, Stretch tore away from her, turning and running in a blind panic. He couldn’t see, crashing painfully through the trees in front of him but he could hear and behind him was something else tearing through the branches and tree trunks.
Stretch didn’t dare look back, he only ran, all the panic he couldn't feel earlier boiling up in him. He wasn’t even sure if he was going the right way, lost in a panicked flight away from whatever was following him. Reaching for his magic was pure instinct, for an attack, a shortcut, anything at all. He nearly gagged at the agonizing burn as it rejected him yet again, a splintering throb of pain jabbing into his temples.
He stumbled over his own feet and nearly fell, skittering in damp leaves and barely caught his balance enough to keep running, tearing through the whipping bushes, thin branches snapping around him. There was no time, nothing he could but let loose the screams denied to him earlier as something heavy caught him right between the shoulder blades and sent him sprawling to the ground, knocking the breath out of him.
“no!” Stretch panted out, clawing at the dirt, fallen leaves scattering as he tried to crawl free, grasping at weeds that pulled up uselessly from the soft ground. “no, no, no.” His voice rose into a panicked scream that only cut off when he was abruptly rolled onto his back. He cringed, expecting to feel needle sharp teeth sinking into his skull, crunching him down in a single gulp, and his skittering regrets were only for his brother, his dear, sweet little brother worrying over him back in Ebott and who would never know what happened to him.
Seconds ticked by and nothing happened, nothing but deep, heavy breathing coupled with the weight holding him down.
Stretch braced himself, taking a trembling grip on his sanity as he finally opened his sockets and found himself looking up into a pair of deep red eyes set in a large white skull. Bony paws were on his ribcage, pinning him down into the leaves and dirt. The creature was skeletal, like him, but like no skeleton he’d ever seen. The frontal bone of its skull was ridged with bony outcropping like horns or antlers, its sockets large and slanted, and its wide mouth was set with the teeth of a canine predator. But this was no dog or wolf, nothing that belonged in the current animal index. It was something prehistoric, dragging its bones from the murky depths of time to stand above him and stare with burning crimson eyes.
Thick, damp breath whuffed into his face with blistering heat and Stretch could smell its breath. Not fetid meat, but something oddly spicy, something---
It looked him over, crimson eyes flicking down and up, and then through that mouth of sharp teeth said perfectly clearly. "Did it bite you?"
The only sound that escaped Stretch was a near wheeze, "nnnnnnn...?"
The creature snarled louder and Stretch flinched, cringing away from those jagged teeth as it demanded, louder, "Did it? Did it bite you!"
"n-no," he shook his head frantically. "no, no, it didn't."
“You’re sure?” Another growl, more breath scented with that strange spice and when Stretch didn’t reply, another loud, feral snarl, “Are you sure??”
“yes!!” Stretch screamed back, coughing on a near sob.
The creature sagged, some of its ferocity draining into peculiar relief. Its claws dug in briefly as it moved, large paws settling on the forest floor as it released Stretch and padded away. “Don’t move,” it ordered.
He very nearly disobeyed it immediately, don’t move, what the fuck, who did Not Wolfy think he was fooling? Stretch was three seconds from fucking gone when a loud, ghastly shriek came from far too close, that same unearthly voice from before.
The beast snarled again, but not at Stretch, it turned and directly that roar in the direction of a faint, moony glow that wasn’t the moon, not at all. Stretch closed his sockets and didn’t move, shivering as the cold ground beneath him seeped into his clothes.
There was another round of incomprehensible growls and shrieks, all too close, and exhaustion was spreading through Stretch with the cold, it all seemed like so much, too much, and all he could do was croak out a miserable, “please,”
“Be quiet!” From much closer than he’d expected, and that voice held nothing of the sibilant appeal that led him into these woods. It was deep and rough, dark as the night sky and the words bitten off on jagged edges. “Stay quiet and don’t move. Don't run, it'll only make her chase you. Give me a moment to calm her down."
More growls and shrieks filled the cold night air that seemed to count as a sort of language, and Stretch could only lie there in the surreality of two creatures of woods arguing over him. He didn’t want to look, still couldn’t help opening his sockets a bare slit to see that horrible head hovering in the air in front of the creature that was like a reverse Night Fury, all sharp teeth that snapped and clenched, their voices squabbling loudly.
Mini-Smaug didn’t look at him, but it spoke again, low and steady. "She's angry that I am attempting to steal her rightful prey and the only reason she's not fighting for it is she hadn't bitten you yet. I told her you're mine.”
It…She? Whatever she was, she didn’t seem too happy to be giving up her midnight snack to the local dragon contingency. She huffed angrily, baring needle-sharp teeth then turned in her hovering way to vanish into the woods with a last angry shriek.
Falkor’s evil twin watched her go, waiting until that pale unearthly glow faded entirely before turning back to Stretch and the only light in the clearing was the crimson of its eyes.
Laying there so far from home, for the very first time Stretch wished that he’d never gotten on that bus. He didn't even have his phone to tell his brother goodbye, could taste his bitter regret from not answering any of those worried texts. He couldn't teleport, couldn’t fight. He was useless, always had been, and so too would be his death.
He could hear footsteps moving across the clearing, soft in spite of the creature’s size. Stretch squeezed his sockets tightly shut and managed a single, desperate plea. "make it quick."
There was a significant pause, a moment of utter silence, then, "What?"
"please, make it quick," he begged. "don't drag it out. eat my soul first, get it over with." The rest of him would dissolve to dust pretty quick after but he didn't see a need to mention that. He let his soul form in his ribcage and a new silvery glow filled the small clearing, the light seeping through his thin t-shirt. Hopefully this creature wouldn’t take too close a look at it before starting its meal or else the deal might be off, and Stretch wasn’t sure he wanted to consider what might be worse.
Silence, then the creature made a sound that Stretch slowly recognized as laughter. A strange clattering sound rose up and he opened his sockets again to see the creature rolling around in the leaves, still chuffing out great guffaws. Okay, getting eaten was bad enough, he didn’t need to be seasoned with any extra humiliation. He glared at the creature and huffed out, “what the hell is so funny?”
It rolled to its feet, clawed toes gouging into the leafy soil and returned that glare with sour amusement, "I'm not going to eat you, fool," it growled out scornfully, "The taste of idiot would spoil any meal. I told her you were mine, not mine to eat."
How that sort of face could raise its brow bones suggestively, Stretch didn’t know, but it took a minute for those words to combine with that expression. When it did, his shock and fear didn’t lesson, only took on another flavor.
"oh. oh, yours…you…uh." Stretch sat there dumbly, staring at the creature with wide sockets, ‘cause holy shit, it was fucking huge. He wondered if he wasn’t better off getting eaten.
The beast let out an irritated huff, its long tail lashing agitatedly. “Don’t look at me like that, I told her that to get her to leave, not because I was after a mate.”
“oh. right.” At least some part of him had already been consumed tonight, because someone had obviously already eaten whatever sense he still had rattling around.
“She won’t bother you again, but she’s hardly the only one out here looking for an easy meal. Can you walk?” The beast sat down, tail curling around its feet, and Stretch took that moment to scramble to his.
He gave himself a once-over, wriggling his ankles and bending his knees. Everything hurt, sure, he was gonna be one huge bruise tomorrow, but nothing was broken, thank the stars. “yeah, i’m okay.”
"Good,” The beast yawned, a weirdly benign way to show off those rows of menacingly sharp teeth. “Now get out."
Get out. Right. Getting out sounded like a top-notch plan. Stretch looked around at the woods, at the trees towering over them. There was no path, just a bunch of damn trees that all looked the same in the dark. "pal, i would love to, wanna tell me how?"
The creature let out an annoyed grumble and stood, pushed past him in a rough scrape of bone, "Follow me, outsider."
Follow me. Welp, he was at least seventy percent sure this one wasn’t gonna eat him and if they bumped into anything else that might, those claws and teeth would probably dissuade them better than Stretch’s current brand of useless. Cautiously, he trailed behind the creature, two steps behind that long tail that moved with sinuous ease. He still wasn’t sure quite what this guy was, but asking seemed kinda rude, all things considered, what with the saving his life and all. Seemed like getting saved was starting to become a trend here in Backwater and it was not one Stretch liked much. Someone else needed to take a turn at playing Lois Lane because he was done with his turn
But that didn’t mean that all questions were off the table. “what was that? that…lady thing?”
The creature didn’t turn around. “She was a penanggalan.”
“well, that sure cleared things up,” Stretch muttered. He followed the creature over a fallen tree, wincing as he scraped his ankle on the bark. “how did you even pronounce that? it sounds like you gargled with broken glass and chased it down with a bottle of motor oil.”
The creature didn’t seem to care much about linguistic issues, it didn’t even look back at Stretch to make sure he was keeping up, only kept forging the trail. “Be that as it may, it is what she is.”
“evil penguin, got it.” Then warily, not sure he wanted the answer. “so what would have happened if she’d bit me. you would’ve handed me over with a bone apple tea and a napkin?”
“If she’d bitten you, I would have had to kill you.” It was said so matter-of-factly that at first it didn’t even register.
Once it did, the new murder threat did not sit well. Stretch stopped, clapping a hand over his mouth against a sudden rush of nausea and took a stumbling step back as he stared at the creature in horror. “you…what??”
The creature paused then and this time it looked back at him, crimson eyes cutting through the blackness. “I wouldn’t have enjoyed it.”
“oh, like that’s reassuring!”
“It would have been necessary,” the creature said heavily. Their tail lashed agitatedly. “Their bite is infectious. You’d soon be covered with running sores and an insatiable urge to spread that bite to others until you died in slow agony. There is no cure, it’s generally an exceedingly rare disease. They usually eat their prey entirely.”
“oh, well, nice to see they have their own version of pandemic control!”
The creature turned away and started walking again. “Better that than the alternative.”
“so why didn’t you kill it, then?” The evil penguin was still out there looking for a snack and whoever it ran into next time probably wouldn’t be so lucky.
The creature stopped again so suddenly that Stretch ran into it, wincing as that agitated tail lashed against him like a whip.
“And are you one who dictates what should live and what should die?” the creature demanded. “Do others get to be predator or prey by your leave? She was hunting in the manner of her kind and you think you can demand her life as penance for that?”
“uh.” His first instinct was to say fuck, yes, but a harder look at it all made him think this guy had a point. As much as he didn’t want to be anyone’s lunch special, could he really fault another creature for simply doing what they did? It was an uncomfortable thought and maybe one he’d revisit later, but for now he only said, softly, “no. i don’t. you’re right, sorry.”
The creature stared at him with those burning eyes then swung back around and walked on, Stretch at his heels, and there didn’t seem to be anything else to say.
The walk back took longer than he expected; it was slow going, it felt like the trees were closed in around him and he kept stumbling into them, the rough bark scraping his bones and catching at his clothes. It was getting colder as well, his thin t-shirt and shorts offering little protection against the chill. Stretch started to shiver, wrapping his arms around himself to hold in whatever meagre warmth he could, but he could still hear the dull rattle of his own bones as he shook.
The creature paused and made a weird, rough sound deep in its throat.
"what? what it is?" Stretch looked around a little wildly, half expecting to see something else crawling out of the shrubbery, ghouls, vampires, the knights of Ni, who the fuck knew.
What he wasn’t expecting was for the creature to say abruptly, "Get on my back."
"uhhhh.” There was probably a good reply for that, but Stretch felt like his mind short-circuited, leaving him with only a mess of vowels and constants to string together into incoherency.
"Get on my back," the creature repeated impatiently, “I'll carry you."
Well. If this guy was gonna eat him, he'd already be chow. When in the woods, do as the creatures did, he guessed.
The creature crouched down and Stretch managed to clumsily clamber up, using the bristling bones as handholds until he could settle on its spine. It was more comfortable than he would have guessed and almost before he finished the thought, they were off. He scrambled to grab hold, clinging desperately as it ran unerringly through the woods. Its large paws were silent as they fell on the underbrush, never missing a step or falling for a trick of shadows, weaving easily between the tree trunks and bushes so that they didn’t even brush against Stretch’s legs. He huddled down against the spine behind that large, ridged skull, and into the warm bone beneath him, and let the world fade around him.
It seemed like hardly any time at all passed before the creature slowed again, then stopped. Stretch slowly loosened his hold, half-expecting to find something blocking their path. But in front of them was the tree line and he could see a single yellowed light in the distance, the one from Red’s porch.
Stretch slid off the creatures back and took a couple of stumbling steps towards it, choking on relief and wonder.
“how did you know to bring me here…” Stretch trailed off and looked back. Those crimson eyes cut through the darkness and memory clicked like a key turning in a lock, a half-forgotten dream of crimson eyes through window glass, staring in at him. “it’s you! you’ve been watching me!”
The creature only gazed back at him, unperturbed. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“the fuck you don’t, you liar!” Stretch sputtered. “I saw you outside my window, you…you creeper!”
Maybe not wise to shout names at the dragon creature who’d saved his life, but it’d been a long night. Didn’t seem to matter much, the creature only rolled their shoulders in an approximation of a shrug. “You’re a stranger on my territory. That bears watching.”
“oh, are there bears out there now?” Stretch snapped. “are they spying on me, too? ‘cause i have the right to bear arms of my own, you know!” Or, you know, he bet Miss Maggie sold civil war muskets alongside the bicycles and probably wouldn’t bat an eye to sell him one.
An irritated exhale puffed smoke out through the creature’s nasal cavity. “All you have to do is stay out of the woods, fool. Even you should be able to manage that.”
“i didn’t mean to go into them the first time, my dog—my dog!” All his anger slid away and Stretch fell to his knees on the ground, his skull in his hands, “oh, fuck, the dog, red is gonna be so upset.” Tears were burning in his sockets, he’d fucked up big this time, Red was so kind to him and all Stretch gave him in return was bullshit and pain.
“Outsider, look up.” Gruffly said, but not unkind, and he did, still blinking hard. To see the dog sitting on the porch, wagging his tail happily and brimming with delight from their adventure.
“you little bastard,” Stretch said, relieved. Seriously, he was glad Mutt was okay and not only because it’d give him a chance to murder the brat himself.
A nudge at his back made him startled and he turned to see the creature next to him, “Go on, outsider. Count your luck this once and don’t come back to the woods.”
Like he was about to hop on Trip Advisor to plan another tour? “trust me, you wouldn’t catch me in there on a bet.”
“Keep your bets and stay away.” The creature turned and started walking towards the woods, only to hesitate, glancing back with those deep red eyes staring at him unblinking. “Outsider,” it said, softly, “I would have hated to kill you.”
“yeah, well, i would’ve hated to die, so, thanks, dread pirate roberts, i’m off.” Stretch didn’t wait for a reply, only scrambled to his feet and headed towards the house, but he could have sworn he heard a soft sound behind him, almost like a laugh.
He trudged up to the porch, squinting in the glaring yellow light and the dog let out a happy bark, tail wagging furiously.
“shhhh!” Stretch scolded. He snagged his bag from the chair on the back porch, he’d had more than enough of the night air, probably enough for ten years or so. “i’m mad enough at you right now, if you wake up red, i’m selling you to the kids tomorrow along with the candy.”
The dog only kept thumping his tail unrepentantly, following Stretch into the house all the way up the stairs to his room. He hopped up on the bed next to Stretch as he sprawled out on the thin mattress, settling in with a sigh by his hip.
Probably Stretch should take a hot shower and wash away any lingering stench from…everything. At the very least he could curl up on the bed in a ball of incoherent, gibbering terror, probably nobody would fault him for that. Probably.
Instead, he dug out his phone from his bag. It felt heavy in his hand, the weight of it more than mere electronics and he only held it for a long moment. Then he opened the messaging app and started scrolling through his brother’s old texts.
They were hard to read. The first few only curious, barely tinged with worry as they wondered where he’d gotten off to so early and with every lack of reply, the texts were worse, moving through panic to angry scolding, then outright fear before finally into resignation. His little brother was so very worried and had no idea where he was, if he was truly safe, and Stretch couldn’t even promise he was.
hey bro, i have a place to stay, he wrote, made some friends. i’m doing okay.
It was the truth. Mostly.
He started to set his phone aside, but before he could, it buzzed with a reply despite the late hour. Stretch took a long, slow breath, let it out, then checked the message.
That’s good. I love you, Pappy.
Tears stung in his sockets again, trailing down his face in twin warm streams. He wiped them away impatiently, then had to fend off the dog when he tried to lick them away with a whine. Once he was no longer in danger of smothering from a wet tongue, he texted back a hasty, love you, too, bro.
Stretch closed his sockets and let his head fall back against the thin pillow. One hand settled into the dog’s thick fur, the sturdy warmth of its body cuddled close to him and in the other, he held his phone tightly against his sternum, right over his damaged, aching soul.
~~*~~
tbc
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