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latanyalove · 8 months

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𝐒𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 || 𝐋𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲

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Chapter 1: New Island Discovery

Words: 2K+

Part 2

Deep inside the sea, the Straw Hat Pirates found themselves in a disheartening situation. Having just completed a fierce battle with the formidable boss of the previous island, they now floated aimlessly in an empty expanse of water. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, as if days had melded into one another without distinction.

The Log Pose, a navigational device attached to Nami's wrist, provided them with direction and hope. However, to their dismay, the needle on the Log Pose was now spinning erratically, pointing at nothing in particular. It was as if the very essence of their purpose had been lost in the vastness of the sea.

The crew gathered on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, their expressions reflecting a mixture of frustration, exhaustion, and uncertainty.

The lack of a clear destination weighed heavily on their minds, casting a shadow over their once unwavering resolve. Each member of the crew sought solace in their own thoughts, contemplating the situation at hand.

Luffy, the captain with a heart as big as the ocean itself, clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes.

He refused to let their current predicament dampen their spirits. With a resolute voice, he declared, "We may be lost, but as long as we're together, we'll find our way!"

His words served as a rallying cry for the crew, reigniting the flames of hope within them. They knew that their strength lay not just in their individual abilities, but in their unity and unwavering belief in one another. They had overcome countless challenges before, and this would be no exception.

As the Straw Hat Pirates sailed onward, their hearts filled with a renewed sense of purpose. They embraced the unknown, ready to face whatever trials lay ahead. With each passing moment, they grew closer as a family, their bonds strengthening amidst the uncertainty of their journey.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Log Pose suddenly began to move, pointing towards a mysterious destination. Luffy and the crew looked at each other in surprise, realizing that their fortunes had finally changed.

With newfound hope, they set sail towards the unknown, ready to meet whatever awaited them.

As the Thousand Sunny sailed through the open sea, they suddenly felt a slight tremor beneath the waves. They soon realized that they had passed through an invisible barrier, and beyond it, they could see a vast and bustling city.

They had stumbled upon a secret paradise, hidden away in the depths of the ocean. They could not believe their eyes - a place of wonder and beauty, hidden away from the world. The crew was awestruck, their excitement palpable.

They had found something special, something that was meant for only them to see. They were eager to explore the mysteries that lay ahead, and so, with a newfound sense of purpose, they sailed into the unknown.

"Luffy," Nami calls him as Luffy sits on the thousand sunny's head and turned around with a smile, his eyes glowing with excitement and a sense of adventure.

She didn't wait for him to answer as she continued, "You know what the villagers said about the next island we come across? They said it's a place full of mysteries and danger, so I think we should be extra careful."

Nami knew that nothing would get through Luffy's thick skull, but she still wanted to make sure he was aware of the danger they may face. She knew he had a tendency to rush into things without thinking, and she wanted to make sure he was prepared.

Luffy was mesmerized by the sight of the island, his eyes filled with awe and wonder. He could feel the excitement of adventure coursing through his veins, and he was eager to explore.

He didn't even seem to register Nami's warning, his gaze firmly fixed on the island ahead of him. With a newfound sense of purpose, he stood up and shouted, "Let's go!" as he stood on the Thousand Sunny, eager for this mystery island and its secrets. . . .

"Listen up!" Nami shouted as the ship made it to the dock on the island in order to explain how they would be spending their time. "Me and Robin will go shopping with Chopper, Zoro and Sanji will get supplies, and Franky will fix the ship with Usopp and Brook."

Everyone except for Zoro and Sanji were not happy with the plan. They shouted that they could get the supplies themselves and didn't need the help of the others.

This resulted in them arguing loudly, with Zoro and Sanji both trying to get their way. Eventually, the argument escalated into a physical altercation, with the clashing of swords and legs in the background as Zoro and Sanji, fueled by their stubbornness, fought each other to prove their point.

The other crew members watched the fight with amusement, shaking their heads at the two stubborn men but not intervening.

"Then what about me?" asked Luffy during the commotion.

"You'll be going on a little adventure of your own," Nami said with a smile. "You can explore the island and see what you can find. Just be careful and stay out of trouble, okay?"

Luffy nodded, a grin spreading across his face as he imagined what secrets he could uncover on the island.

He watched as his crewmates dispersed, each one of them ready to start their respective tasks. He could feel the anticipation building inside him as he was the only one left on the dock.

With a newfound sense of purpose, he set off on his own, ready to explore the mysteries of the island and uncover its secrets.

He had been exploring the island for the past half hour, but so far had found nothing that could be considered secretive or mysterious. He was about to give up and return to the dock when he heard yelling from a distance. Intrigued, he headed towards it, determined to find out what was the commotion about.

He had nothing to do anyway.

"Zara! You need to listen to what we have to say!"

"Is there any reason that I should listen to some ruthless pirates?"

Luffy had stumbled across a fight between three pirates and a marine. The marine, named Zara, was standing her ground and refusing to listen to the pleas of the pirates.

It seemed like they were trying to convince her of something, but she wasn't budging. Luffy stood at a distance, watching the fight with curiosity. He was eager to find out what the pirates wanted, and why the marine was so stubborn.

"You don't know what you are getting into when you come to this island," another pirate said with disdain.

"No, you don't know what you're getting into when you come to this island and come for me," Zara warned. "I can take care of myself, so I suggest you back off now before things get really ugly." She glared at the pirates, her eyes full of determination.

The three pirates looked at each other before they all rushed forward, their swords drawn and ready to attack Zara. Luffy watched in shock as the three of them advanced, their weapons glinting in the sunlight.

He quickly realized he had to do something, and his heart raced as he prepared to jump into the fray.

But he stopped in his tracks. Before he could move, he watched in amazement as the marine had somehow brought a sword out of thin air and had sliced the pirates, making them unconscious in a few seconds.

Luffy was astonished. He had never seen anything like it before.

When he realized two brown eyes were staring straight at him from below, he felt his cheeks grow red. He quickly averted his gaze, feeling embarrassed that he had been caught watching the fight.

He was about to ask the marine how she had done it, but she had already sheathed her sword back into thin air and was walking away, dragging the three unconscious pirates behind her.

Luffy watched her go, leaving him with more questions than answers.

All he knew was that she had to join his crew! He needed to know how she had defeated the three pirates so easily, and he was determined to find out.

He had to have her on his side.

He quickly made up his mind and followed her, trailing a safe distance behind. He followed her to the Marine base, where he watched her drop off the prisoners.

Then he followed her to the bakery, where she bought some bread before heading to the abandoned side of the village. Luffy kept his distance, but he was determined to find out what she was up to.

He was intrigued by her and her mysterious fighting skills, and he wanted to know more.

When Zara entered one of the houses, Luffy quickly scrambled up the side of the building and crouched on the roof, peering into the dark interior of the house through the broken roof with holes.

He could just make out Zara's silhouette inside, but he couldn't hear what she was saying.

When the light from the setting sun shone through the window, Luffy could see that Zara was sitting on a chair with her eyes closed, her hands clasped together in her lap. She seemed to be deep in thought, her expression peaceful and her breathing steady.

Luffy watched her intently, wondering what she was thinking about.

Zara had brown skin and curly black hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail. She wore a crisp white Marine uniform that set her apart from the other people in the village, and she had a long sword sheathed at her side.

Her face was expressionless and her eyes were a deep brown, almost black in color.

Luffy was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed that Zara had opened her eyes and was now staring at him through the window. He felt his cheeks flush as he realized he had been caught again.

"Monkey D Luffy," She mentioned, "Are you going to keep staring at me like a creep or are you going to get down from there?"

Luffy quickly scrambled off the roof, embarrassed but determined to find out more about Zara and her mysterious fighting skills.

He slid through the window and stood in front of Zara, checking if his hat was okay. She seemed a bit surprised but didn't seem angry.

"What do you want?" She asked straightforwardly.

Luffy looked up at Zara, a determined expression on his face. "I want you to join my crew," he said simply. "I've seen your fighting skills and I think you'd make a valuable addition to my crew. What do you say?

Zara looked at Luffy for a few moments before she started to laugh. "You're serious, aren't you?" she said, shaking her head.

"You really think I would join your crew?" Luffy nodded, a determined expression on his face.

"Why not? I think you'd make a great addition to my crew and I'm sure you have a lot to offer." He paused and smiled. "What do you say? Will you join us?"

She shook her head, her face suddenly serious. "You know that's impossible," she said. "I'm a Marine and you're a pirate. We are sworn enemies and there is no way I could ever join your crew."

Luffy then said, "Then arrest me. If you won't join the crew, then arrest me and take me away. I'm sure you can come up with a good reason."

Zara was taken aback by his statement. She hadn't expected him to say such a thing and wasn't sure how to respond.

He smiled again, this time with a little more determination. "I'll wait in prison for you," he said, placing his hat on her head and holding his hands out in front of him in a gesture of surrender.

"I'm sure you'll come around eventually and join my crew."

Zara was taken aback by his statement. She hadn't expected him to say such a thing and wasn't sure how to respond. She hesitated for a few moments, then quickly recovered and moved forward to arrest him.

She grabbed his hands and put them in the handcuffs, then led him away.

Despite her best efforts to remain discreet, the villagers quickly found out that Luffy had been taken away by a Marine. They started to gather around the prison, curious to find out what was happening and how a Marine had managed to arrest a pirate that was so strong and ruthless to have over a million for a bounty. . . .

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If you want to read more, the rest of the story is on Wattpad! My username is Enkai_Umino!

Sorry if this Luffy sounds a little out of character! This is my first time writing about One Piece characters so sorry they might not act like themselves! Please give some constructive criticism as well!

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oobbbear · 10 days

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Ah yes, now my animated music vid playlist will be handy!

Fan animated section but great

Charlie's inferno by Urser

Vampire series by Daria Cohen

OR3O Clover series

DKC m: Return to Krocodile Isle by alex Henderson

Run, Rabbit, Run by LiteralHat

Now for some official ones i love!

Caracan Palace with Mirrors, Miracle,Rock it for Me, Lone Digger, Moonshine and MAD

Stromae with Carmen

Delta Heavy with Get By, Ghost, White Flag, Hold Me, Take Me Home, Punish my love

C2C with Delta

McBaise with She's a Big Boy, Water Slide, Wood

Fever the Ghost with SOURCE (Felix colgrave animation)

Stuck in the sound with Let's Go

The Shins with The Rifle's Spiral, Pink Bullets

SIAMES (ofc) with My Way, The Wolf, No Lullaby, Mr. Fear, Summer Nights, All the Best

Skip the Use with Nameless World

June with A Little Messed Up

Flobots with Handlebars

Freak Kitchen with Freak of the Week

Goldfish with We Come Together, One Million views, Get Busy Living, Washing over me, Fort Knox, Talk To me, Forever Free

Jinkx Monsoon with Cartoons and Vodka

Blockhead with The Music Scene

Twiztid with Dead & Gone

Pearl Jam with Do the Evolution

John Hickman with Cascade

Jay-Z with The story of O.J.

Mystery Skulls witj Endlessly

Britney Spears with Break The Ice

Daft Punk with their classic Interstella series

GRADES with King

Coldplay with Something Just Like This, Adventure Of a Lifetime, Hurts Like Heaven, Daddy

One T + Cool T with The Magic Key

Ryan Woodward with Thoughts of You

Expect a part 2 in a bit

HOHOHOHO I’m shaking this like a kid found a jar of cookie thank you thank you thank you

#ask #save

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tanaudel · 5 months

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I, Kathleen Jennings, have a new book, by me!

These are the twelve stories in Kindling, my debut collection, out from Small Beer Press.

"The Heart of Owl Abbas" — a cloistered songwriter, a too-literal song-singer, music machines, a bloated city-state, desire, music, misunderstandings, and what the edge of a coin will summon.

"Skull and Hyssop" — a gambling captain, a determined passenger, and an adventure on the high air.

"Ella and the Flame" — three sisters face a trial, and an old story is put to rest.

"Not to Be Taken" — crows and glass bottles and a perfect life... and who collects the collectors?

"A Hedge of Yellow Roses" — what happens to those who wait for princes, when revolution has happened?

"The Tangled Streets" — an afternoon's frantic flight through something ancient in a modern city, using the only sort of map that will help.

"The Present Only Toucheth Thee" — the encounters between two creatures linked since the dawn of time — one very old and one endlessly young.

"On Pepper Creek" — a boggart with anxiety, a new home in the not-quite-empty wilderness.

"Annie Coal" — a new story! the promises the hillfolk hold from the sea, and a child who discovers the land between.

"Undine Love" — keeping the guests at a B&B away from something in the water.

"Kindling" — unmade maps and made monsters, and a conversation at Ye Aulde Owle Cafe & Bar, and what begins things.

"The Splendour Falls" — a young lawyer, young love, and an induction into mysteries.

Fairy tales, mysteries, secrets, poor choices, worse decisions, social awkwardness, breathless glee, baroque stylings, old stories, new cities, dubious technology.

#fairytales #fantasy #short stories #I did the linocut they used for the cover too

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crossdressingdeath · 8 months

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Kressa Bonedaughter: Wait... By the Bone Lord, it's you! Kressa Bonedaughter: I thought I'd never see you again... Kressa Bonedaughter: I wanted to keep you for myself but they shipped you away. Kyvir: Keep me? What did you do to me? Kressa Bonedaughter: You talk? And you are aware? How is that possible? Kressa Bonedaughter: Oh, but what an arresting voice you have! Kressa Bonedaughter: You're not supposed to be here, special one. That's not right. But I don't want to damage you. Kressa Bonedaughter: You were my very first, after all. I learnt everything about the parasites from you. Kressa Bonedaughter: I remember finding you close to death, beaten black and blue on the floor of this sanctum. It must have been a few hours after the tadpole was placed in your skull. Kressa Bonedaughter: How you got here was a total mystery, but I stitched you up just enough to keep you alive, then placed you within your crib. Kressa Bonedaughter: I kept you as mine until you were needed by our superiors. Kressa Bonedaughter: We had such a close bond. I opened you up endlessly with my scalpels, and got lost in your insides. Kyvir: Ketheric needed me? For what? Kressa Bonedaughter: The most important work, the nature of which I only heard whispers of. Kressa Bonedaughter: Truthfully, I'm not surprised to see you found your way back here all by yourself. I always knew you were clever. Kressa Bonedaughter: It has never been the same with another... All the other victims who come here just meekly obey. You thrashed, you fought, you were indomitable. Kressa Bonedaughter: But as special as you are, you shouldn't be swanning around here, acting as if free will is yours again. Kressa Bonedaughter: We're going to kill you, sweet one. But I promise I will stay with you afterwards. Kressa Bonedaughter: Lashers... bring this one back to my table! And prepare my knives for a long night of experiments!

Well. I found Kressa. Kind of wish I hadn't found Kressa. On all levels except physical Kyvir is currently hiding behind Astarion going "What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck". I need an adult! An adultier adult! The way she talks to Durge is just so creepy! Please tell me all she did was vivisections...

Anyway, the general ick factor of how Kressa talks to Durge aside. So that journal from Balthazar complaining about Kressa's distraction was definitely about Durge, nice to have that confirmation. And it's interesting that she's surprised to learn that they can talk and are aware; I guess they were really messed up, but it's still interesting that the woman who fixed them up didn't expect them to be capable of speech. I wonder, did she overestimate how badly they were actually hurt or did someone else heal them later?

Also, Durge was her first? I assume other people were making thralls and True Souls before her given Durge had a tadpole before she got her hands on them, but it's still fun that Kressa's first was such an odd one. Hell of a starting point. So they got imprisoned and tadpoled, managed to break out, and then immediately got grabbed by Kressa? It seems like this really was Durge's horrible, very bad, no good day.

(And it feels important to mention that in the fight against her Astarion actually got the killing blow. Big "No one touches my lover" energy, it was excellent.)

#bg3 #bg3 durge #bg3 spoilers #kressa bonedaughter

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letsbenditlikebennett · 8 months

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TIMING: Current LOCATION: Somewhere deep in the Pines PARTIES: @lithium-argon-wo-l-f & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Alex, after a rough last full moon in isolation, wants to run with another werewolf. Gael, not a werewolf who had a rough last full moon having gotten into a fight with another werewolf, is a little nervous

Swirling in the dark. The distant cries of something unidentifiable. Scent found him first, followed by the familiar pain. The Wolf didn’t want to move, he never did so soon after being stirred into consciousness, driven by the carnal desire to eat. And he was starving considering last night he didn’t get anything but the taunting and restraint of a human, which incensed him. However, instead of laying there for however long it was he laid there as he waited for his bones to ache just a little less, the scent pushed him onto at least sitting up, an involuntary whine escaping from his lithe frame as he did so. A large head hung low, ears pinned flat atop his skull as amber eyes stared into the brush. The smell, while previously unrecognizable, meant something to the Wolf now. It was firstly associated with a packmate, a first curiosity and a sensation that gave him a semblance of… joy. But then it was snarling, teeth burrowing into his flesh, claws attempting to rip him apart. It was the same scent, and it was the second feeling that pushed him onto his feet at the behest of his protesting body, as he kept his eyes staring ahead, in the direction of the scent that made him want to flee into the forest, making sure his back wasn’t accessible to whatever it was… if there was only one of it. He was driven by something predatory before, something involuntary that kept him from disengaging. The Wolf obviously didn’t know if it was pride, survival or territorialism but that mysterious pulse through his body, overwhelming his senses and clouding his mind even more than how it usually felt, was absent now and he wasn’t sure if he had the strength that pushed him before to withstand getting into another fight without risking serious injury - the mark on his back, over where he’d been bitten before, still ached with the phantom pain of before.

—

The grass underneath her paws was a new sensation, one that the werewolf relished in as she zoomed around the clearing chasing a couple of wild rabbits that would decidedly make a good fresh meal, but something in the chase was far too satisfying. All of those years Alex had cooped herself in a bunker during every full moon had made the werewolf antsy. This newfound freedom was like a breath of fresh air. The wolf could run endlessly without hitting one of the infuriating concrete walls and she relished in it.

For a moment, the werewolf was even distracted from the hunger as she simply rolled around in the already dew-covered grass. There was some form of satisfaction in the feeling of earth against her fur and it invigorated the wolf. Once her red fur was decently covered in dirt and leaves, she rolled back onto her feet. Her movements were spritely as she chased down one of the rabbits and grabbed it in her claws. She had been just about to dig in when she heard the steps of the other werewolf.

The smell in the air was a familiar one. Another werewolf, a packmate. Even though it was the first time they had seen each other in this form, the werewolf easily recognized the scent as one that it possessed fondness for… which made the unease seeping into the other werewolf’s scent confusing to the younger wolf. Icy blue eyes met amber and the werewolf tilted her head. Something of an indignant huff left the werewolf’s jowls as she tried to make sense of the stand-offish stance the elder wolf regarded her with.

The only conclusion the werewolf could come to was that the other wanted her rabbits. Some cross of a whine and growl rang through the clearing. She had caught that rabbit, but this werewolf was bigger and stronger… and part of the pack. Some part of her could recognize that. So instead of defending her meal, a clawed hand pushed the dead rabbit toward the other wolf. The werewolf took a step back, hunching in to appear smaller and hopefully set the other werewolf at ease so they could tackle more prey. Find a better meal. Her stomach grumbled and the werewolf gave an impatient grumble. There was so much more ground to cover, so much more prey to devour. The wolf was free and the drive to hunt was in full gear.

—

He remained where he was for a time as the visage of a wolf appeared before him, a rabbit in her jaws and her blue eyes looking at him. The hair on the back of the Wolf’s neck bristled instinctively, his lip wanting to curl if only to get the message across that he didn’t want to get into a fight. He didn’t, however, and as the other one made a noise and pushed its catch towards him– Well, he was confused. Only having two other opportunities before this one, each one giving him conflicting information about whatever he was supposed to feel. This one was smaller, younger than he felt and already caught something where the Wolf himself would’ve just gotten started, driven by an attempt to escape the pain he didn’t understand. Not that he understood much of anything, wanting to recall any scraps of thought but coming up frustratingly empty. He didn’t even know what he was. But this one offered its meal to him. His ears found themselves unpinning somewhat as he himself took a few steps forward on long forearms. He felt hunger, the ravenous thing that constantly gnawed on him but more than that, he was nervous and ultimately curious about this new creature. He… wanted to call it a friend. It smelled like one, it wasn’t giving the same body language as the one before, but rather the one before that. Carefully, the Wolf took the rabbit in a clawed paw before he ripped it into two pieces. It was a graceless action that sprayed blood everywhere but he took his ‘half’ and wedged it into his mouth before it was his turn to take a step back, tilting his head as the other half lay on the forest floor for it expectantly.

—

The tension in the other wolf's scent seemed to be dissipated and the ginger-furred werewolf was pleased that she had put her packmate at ease. Between the blades of grass under her paws and the other werewolf happily ripping the rabbit apart, the werewolf somehow knew this was it's best full moon yet.

A pleased sound escaped from the wolf's jowls as the other nudged the bloodied rabbit in her direction. The smell was delectable and her hunger had hardly been sated by the small taste she'd gotten from simply catching the rodent. She took the rabbit in her jaws and gleefully devoured it. Blood dripped from her jaws and onto both her fur and the forest floor. Something about a breeze being able to hit her only heightened the sensation, but the breeze brought something else with it, too.

The younger werewolf perked up and her own musk became masked with excitement. There was an animal nearby and based on the heavy fall of its footsteps, it sounded large. She gave a quiet whine in the other wolf's direction, a request for it to follow alongside her and take down whatever this prey was with her. When it seemed she had the wolf's attention, she took off weaving through the trees towards the sound and smell of their next meal.

—

To say the excitement from watching the other wolf accept his gift sent the older Wolf’s tail wildly wagging would’ve been an understatement as the latter, vibrating with a previously-unfelt sense of camaraderie sharing a meal with the other wolf - she, it was a she, as he ran her scent through what memory banks he seemed to have - fell back into sitting as he himself consumed the rabbit with a salivating mouth. His tail swept the ground, he felt the remaining warmth of the rabbit’s blood on his throat, the light of the moon bathing the two in her sweet embrace and as he lifted his head to regard her, licking his snout, a scent caught his attention as well. His head snapped forward before his ears swiveled in the direction of something large clomping through the trees. His amber gaze followed suit and the remnants of the rabbit were almost all but forgotten in favor of the big thing in the woods. It didn’t smell like him or her, or that wolf from before or the one before that. It also didn’t smell like deer, a bird, squirrel or rabbit. Tilting his head slightly as the other wolf whined, his gaze darted over to her. …Follow. The Wolf was still deciphering what these unique cocktails of scent and sound meant but that was the impression he got as she broke into a run. Instinctively, he pushed himself onto his feet and he did indeed follow her, carefully navigating the dark forest environment as the duo chased the scent of the big, unidentified thing that had the misfortune of being picked up by their senses. And speaking of– He skidded to a stop when his vision caught up to his other senses and indeed, he saw the hulking mass of something in the distance. It was big, bigger than something he was expecting and a small whine forced itself out of him, pinning his ears and tucking his tail as he recalled the last full moon. This wasn’t the thing that tore him up but it was similarly sized and he tried to get the attention of the other, subconsciously giving a scent of his own this time that indicated ‘danger’.

—

Not only was she running free, but the younger werewolf was running alongside a friend. Something about it felt right in a way the self-imposed prison never had and the wolf felt something of a victory, at least, as much as a wolf could.

The trees and dips in the ground were only minor obstacles; the werewolf and the elder seemed to run through them just as quickly. When they reached the clearing, the large moose in the distance seemed none-the-wiser. It was huge and it was dinner. At least, the younger of the pack had been confident of as much.

When she looked at the other wolf, she could smell the unease coming from its scent. It wasn't the same as before. It wasn't her causing the unease, it was the size of their prey. Something of a quiet grumble bellowed from the younger werewolf in response to the other's whine. They had the perfect meal ahead and they could rip into it so easily. It had size, but even then, something pushed the younger wolf forward.

Her own scent was laced with something of confidence and determination. On smell alone, the werewolf could practically imagine what its blood would taste like coating her tongue as she ripped into its flesh. As much drove her forward, claws extended and ready to make a deep slash into the moose's hind leg.

The younger werewolf hoped she was followed in her attack, but once she felt the warm liquid coating the fur in her hands, her hunger was far stronger. The moose itself let out something of a scream and stumbled slightly as the younger werewolf darted out of its view. The moose would not be able to move quickly now and maybe her packmate would join for the hunt and feast without fear now.

—

Despite his warnings and a little bit of disagreement between the two, the younger wolf advanced and without thinking, as his thought processes were ultimately driven by instinct, the older Wolf followed. A primal drive to work in solidarity with the other pushed him forward on his uneven limbs despite still feeling the fear of what might’ve happened, a natural trepidation for the unknown given that the last thing that was this size gave him more battle scars on both his back and one of his upper arms. But he followed, noticing where the other wolf was going so he branched off and went around to the other side of the… what was this? It was like a deer but with a much more oppressive presence. It wasn’t familiar to him but he did what he could and just treated it like it was a bigger deer with much larger antlers. The younger wolf made the first move, the sound of claws in flesh ripping through the air and the smell of blood hit the Wolf’s nose before the scream of the giant deer did. It was a horrible noise, causing the Wolf to flinch slightly and shake his head, feeling like something was ringing in his right ear. He ignored it, though, as that scent of blood pulsed through him, inflaming his brain. Fear was replaced by ravenous desire and as the giant deer stumbled, the Wolf gathered the cocktail of hormones being secreted by both it and the younger wolf: Moose. Pinpricked amber eyes danced on the moose, trying to gauge where a weak spot would be, inhaling the iron from the blood that seeped from whatever wound the other wolf had made. With a loud, howl-like bark, he bounded forward and jumped, elongated arms outstretched and subsequently burrowing the beetle-black claws into the moose’s other hind leg where he clung to it like a tick, forepaws pulling the flesh apart and making room for him to burrow his snout into the muscle.

—

Copper and iron tinged the scent of the air around them as blood flowed from the hind legs of the moose. The younger werewolf had been pleased her packmate had followed her. With the moose's other leg compromised, its two hind legs shook underneath it ready to buckle at any moment. The other werewolf clung onto with its jaw and blood gushed from the wound.

The large antlered creature reared its neck backwards which only further unstabilized it. Their prey was massive, but it was within their reach. She could taste the warm blood on her tongue and instinct drove her forward. While they had made it impossible for their meal to run away, its movements were still bothersome and she could hear its heart pounding frantically in its chest. Every pump of blood made the long stretch of muscles in its neck all the more enticing.

The smaller werewolf had never had a catch quite so large and there was something freeing in it all. It wasn't blood and dust that coated her— it was blood, dirt, mud, and brush caking itself into her fur and she felt alive. Her front paws fell to the ground as she gave herself an extra push to leap toward the moose's neck to sink her teeth in. Blood gushed from the wound and coated the entire front of the wolf, not that the hungry beast had any ability to mind it. Her ripped through sinews of flesh and muscle in the moose's neck.

A faint echo rang through the forest of the moose's final fighting screech before it fell to the ground. If there was a sound from the fall, the werewolf was far too entrenched in following the moose down to continue her delicious meal alongside her packmate.

—

For a moment, the older Wolf felt something rippling through his taut muscles as he dangled freely from the hind quarter of the moose - he’d done this before. The feel of his claws embedded in flesh, burying his nose into a gaping wound as he grasped for ribbons of sinew, tendons, ligaments and flesh over other ribbons of similar material as though trying to stuff his mouth when it was already full. The struggle of whatever was under him, trying to get away with a primal futility. He’d done this to a human before, hadn’t he? The one from a few glorious full moons ago. He still remembered the taste of that one’s flesh too, how it wasn’t as tough or gamey, smaller, sweeter. More tender. The Wolf begrudgingly relinquished his vice grip on the interior of the moose’s leg, falling to the ground and taking a few light-footed hops away. His tail swayed to and fro and his liquid amber eyes stared up at the staggering beast. Crimson stretched between his teeth as he opened his mouth to bark at the moose, as though trying to either get its attention or force it to turn a certain way, already trying to see where he could next strike. Fortunately, the younger wolf had a similar idea and as he was barking, she made the lunge for the throat. With the moose sufficiently disabled and with her underneath it in such a strong position (he was going by deer, which seemed similarly-shaped), rather than circling around for another anchorpoint, he simply watched to see what would happen next. Blood spilled, painting the younger wolf coloring the dark ground in black that shone ruby from the moon overhead. And with a loud death knell from the beast, it crashed to the forest floor and without being able to control himself, the older Wolf fell onto his long forearms, craning his head back as pointed to the sky as it would go and he howled. It was melodious, it was terrible, chasing after the echo of the moose’s dying scream. It was to commemorate a successful hunt, one with another like him, a massive mark. It was the first time he remembered howling over so many things that made the entire back half of his body wiggle with excitement and thrill.

—

The wind carried that final squeal from the moose away with it and the younger werewolf relished in the same breeze in her bloodsoaked fur. This wasn't the stillness of the bunker that the wolf was used to. The rustling of leaves in the trees and chirping of insects created a much sweeter song than the buzzing of fluorescent lights. Even the soft earth beneath her paws was a stark contrast to the rough concrete the wolf was used to.

The werewolf was unable to decide much, but she felt the satisfaction all the same. Her packmate had also lunged for a part closer to the front of the moose. She remained content ripping into the neck of antlered creature though the antlers would likely taste good to gnaw on later.

High in the sky, the moon hung over the two werewolves and the elder sang its cry to it. Instinctively, she followed suit and threw her head back toward the sky. The howl that erupted from her was something of a joyous cry. She was alive, she was free, and she wasn't alone.

For the first time, the werewolf in her was content and it resonated in the sound of her howl. Their chorus was hardly harmonious, but it was the best thing the young werewolf had ever heard. This was how full moons were meant to be spent.

#wr gael #wickedswriting #threads; with gael #threads; with gael; begin (again)#(never been a natural all i do is try try try) ;; writing #(the moonlight's blinding) ;; season 1 writing

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we-ask-beforewe-bite · 4 months

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Kressa Bonedaughter: Urgh, Lashers, Balthazar let one of his walking carcasses lapse from his control... Let's ferry them back. Wait... By the Bone Lord, it's you! I thought I'd never see you again ... I wanted to keep you for myself but they shipped you away. Levis: Keep me? What did you do to me? Kressa Bonedaughter: You talk? And you are aware? How is that possible? Oh, but what an arresting voice you have! You're not supposed to be here, special one. That's not right. But I don't want to damage you. You were my very first, after all. I learnt everything about the parasites from you. I remember finding you close to death, beaten black and blue on the floor of this sanctum, It must have been a few hours after the tadpole was placed in your skull. How you got here was a total mystery, but I stitched you up just enough to keep you alive, then placed you within your crib. I kept you as mine until you were needed by our superiors. We had a close bond. I opened you up endlessly with my scalpels, and got lost in your insides. Levis: This is where I was left after someone infected me? Kressa Bonedaughter: I was not behind it - I do not know, But whoever did it, I'm so glad they left you here for me. Truthfully, I'm not surprised to see you found your way back here all by yourself. I always knew you were clever. It had never been the same with another... All the other victims who come here just meekly obey. You thrashed, you fought, you were indomitable. But as special as you are, you shouldn't be swanning around here, acting as if free will is yours again. We're going to kill you, sweet one. But I promise I will stay with you afterwards. Lashers... bring this one back to my table! And prepare my knives for a long night of experiments!

#kressa bonedaughter #tav bg3 #bg3 spoilers #bg3 clip #bg3 durge

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sasster · 2 years

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What Are the Odds?

[Bet you wanna read this in a Google Doc instead. I will provide.]

While it is always easier when the marks come to the Underground upon finding themselves on one of Mole’s lists and he did find it endlessly entertaining, you somehow, selfishly, wished that this specific group of trolls didn’t get that memo. Often, he cited these submissions to the inevitable as being cute. It was rare that he didn’t find who he was looking for, after all. But it was one thing to see their names, crimes against the empire and all, fall onto his list. It was another thing entirely to watch them file neatly in front of his desk, an attempt to appeal for their lives.

You aren’t surprised, they were cowards after all. Intelligent? Yes. But it did not hold a candle to their cowardice.

One by one the three of them come to stand before him, their new judge and jury. And one by one still their eyes fall on you, those eyes seem fit to start falling out of skulls when the realization hits.

Isn’t he dead?

This can’t be.

What?

One need not be able to read minds to see it, the surprise painted on their faces left little mystery as to what they were thinking. Three sets of eyes, two teal and one brown, fixed on what must most certainly be a ghost.

Your gaze lingers on the brown blood the longest, and for a moment it is so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

Mole clears his throat, and the two midbloods lock eyes with him instead. You, however, are still trapped in a terrible staring contest with the biggest coward in the bunch. Your mate adjusts himself so that he can better rest a hand at your back.

“You wanted my audience. Do not waste it.” Though there is the usual bit of humor he had with these cases in his voice, something a little more sinister lurked beneath. A trained ear could make out the disgust that started to pull its way to the surface.

More silence.

“Speak.” He demands, when they do not take the hint.

One of the teals speaks finally. Kaeski, so charismatic, always taking the lead when there is big trouble ahead. They had a way about schmoozing with authority to get out of a jam, sometimes swaying even the staunchest pro-empire fleet official onto their side. That was always the plan. Strike a deal, we can be an asset to you.

You hear the words before the sentence leaves their mouth.

“We can be an asset to you and your people.” Despite the scare your appearance must have given them, their voice is steady and filled with the confidence of a troll that has made a deal like this and hundreds of others before. “Resources. The unaligned resources that we have access to will see to it that your community continues to thrive.”

Mole sits back, using two fingers to rub your back rhythmically. He thinks that this appeal is cute, almost comical in its futility.

“We heard that you serve yourself before the empire.” They continue, offering Mole a deal he can’t refuse. That was their favorite line. Followed by their most charming of smiles. “How can you refuse a deal like that?”

And there it is, punctuated by two neat rows of teeth. Dazzling on the surface, lackluster in the glow of the fairy lights that illuminate the room.

“Is that all?” Comes your mate's curt response, he is less than impressed.

Kaeski is silent for a moment, searching their mind for a preloaded line to get them out of dodge. The other teal blood, Fidoni, finds himself lost in Owl's unrelenting stare. Tucked into Moles other side, it is easy to miss them at first comparatively. They watch the trio with vitriol much harsher than your shared mates' judgment.

That leaves you swimming in the wide eyed stare of the brown blood, Isease. She looks fit to take off in a sprint. If only Mole held these meetings closer to the surface.

But he is much smarter than that.

“Whatever you want. It’s yours.” Another stock phrase from their spokesperson.

“Rest assured, this is always true.” He smiles. “You will not like what I want, however.”

Kaeski opens their mouth to speak, but Isease beats them to the punch with a voice that rings out against the high ceilings of the burrow and bounces along it until it finds its home in your skull.

You wish it didn’t.

“Saixas! Please, tell him to give us a chance. Please, I’m so sorry! If I only knew you lived!” If I knew you would make it.

You squeeze your eyes tight to expel the sound of her voice from your head in the same instant that Mole tightens his arm around you protectively. Her voice, uttering your name, rattles around in your skull with reckless abandon.

“Saixas!”

When you reopen your eyes, you are no longer in the safety of Moles arms, or in the Underground at all.

Instead, you are perched in a tree, running lookout and communications on a mission gone awry. It’s been a difficult one, something you would call whatever the opposite of a success is called. Right, failure.

Maybe if they listened, or if you were a touch more convincing, you wouldn’t be stuck unarmed in a tree with bullets whizzing past you, obscured by the pouring rain that turned the makeshift battlefield into a confusing muddy mess.

“You good up there, Sai? We in the clear?” Came Kaeski’s voice over your ear piece. They sounded like this was just another weekend. How is it that they were always so calm at times like this? Perhaps that’s why they were the leader.

“Define in the clear. Is that another way for saying we’re fucked? We’re surely that.”

They laugh.

“How about this, anybody shot?”

The other two give their negative responses just as a bullet passes literally right by your head.

“Not yet anyway. They have no idea where the two of you got off to. They’re shooting aimlessly. And mostly up!” You work so hard to quell your nerves as you speak, emulating Kaeski’s level-headedness to the best of your ability. “Not exactly their best and brightest at this compound. I’m coming down.”

Isease gives a thumbs up from where she sat at the tree's base.

A second barely passes, you don’t even get the chance to move, before one of the wayward bullets finds its way into your left shoulder.

Ah, fuck.

Adrenaline happens to be a hell of a drug, and you begin your descent regardless. Lest the next one hits something a little more important.

“All good, Sai?” Isease’s voice is in your ear. She is more scared for herself than worried.

That could have been me.

But it wasn’t.

“In and out.” You manage through a grimace, more focused on climbing down the side of the wet tree.

“Fuck, tell me you didn’t get hit up there, Sai.” Kaeski again, you run the risk of a motivational speech if you validate their fear.

Instead, you grapple with the side of the tree, the three voices in your ear blending in with the rest of the background noise. There is a lot of emotion in the air, and it distracts from your new mission of get feet on the ground.

You’re halfway down when it happens again, a shell explodes directly into your right hand, forcing it to surrender its already feeble grasp on the wet bark. The impact with the unyielding earth, saturated from the rain, happens suddenly and so thoroughly knocks the wind out of you, you didn’t feel the third bullet enter your side.

Small blessings.

“Sai?” Tell them he was dead before he hit the ground. We’ll be sitting ducks.

Isease stands over you, her cover the tree that proved useless in its aid to you.

“Saixas, that was a rough fall. Are you okay?” Her words betray her intentions, and no words come to you in time. You watch helplessly as she pulls the earpiece off of you.

“He, uhm.” Look at those shallow breaths, he won’t make it anyway. “He’s gone guys.”

She mouths an empty ‘I’m sorry Saixas’ and carries on through the brush.

Squelch!

The sound of rubber squeaking against itself, tightly wound around a fist, brings you back to the present. The ruffling of feathers and, ironically, the smell of wet earth cements your place in it.

That must not have been a very long trip, but Mole is on his feet. Anger cascades off of him in waves as he regards the now cowering trio. At some point, Owl got your hand in between theirs, they rub it against their cheek sympathetically.

“Do not address him.” He did not raise his voice, but the rumbling growl that accompanied it commanded the attention of the entire room. “I was kind enough to hear your case, and this is your thanks?”

He is focused squarely on Isease. From where you are seated, it looks almost as though the floor has come alive around her. Disembodied hands sprouting from the writhing mass, reaching for and grasping all around her from foot to waist.

“Utter his name again, so that you may die with it on your tongue.”

#coko writes sometimes #hare things #some npcs we can all forget about after this #heyeyyyyyyy #i would appreciate.. .. NICENESS about this one #i took a minecraft picaxe to the obleisk of a writers block i had for this one #i'm mostly satisifed with how it turned out i think #kicks several rocks.....#enjoi...

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alphashley14 · 1 year

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One of Us

A Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated/Mystery Skulls Crossover

Chapter 16

Endlessly

“Do not be afraid.”

Those were Mystery’s first words, after the stunned silence dragged on at such a pace that it grew to be unbearable.

Thus far, this wasn’t the worst reaction he’d ever gotten to revealing his true form. At least no one had screamed, run, or thrown a spear at him yet.

Mystery drooped his ears, lowered his tails, and lowered his head submissively, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

I’m like Lewis, Mystery told himself, no matter how much he knew it was a lie. Please realize I’m like Lewis. I’m your friend. I’m a good boy. I’m just as you’ve always known me. Please.

Vivi walked up to Mystery helpfully and gave him a scratch behind the ears.

“Sooo… yeah. We decided to save the best for last,” she joked. But her actions said something else: See? I’m petting him. It’s safe. He’s a friend.

But alas, fear was wafting through the air, curling deliciously into Mystery’s nostrils. It was almost enough to make his mouth water. In another life, he would have done all he could to chase that feeling. But coming from them, his Children of Nibiru, the kids he was supposed to protect… it just felt wrong.

“I was born this way, and this is how I shall die,” Mystery said, laying down with his paws stretched out in front of him, seven tails curling around his body. “I am what is known as a kitsune - a type of yokai descended from Annunaki. My kind are gifted shape-shifters. So like Lewis, I assume an acceptable form so that I may walk among humankind. I’m sure you know very well that dogs are much more acceptable human companions than foxes - a fitting form for the guardian spirit of the Yukino family.”

“So l-like um… this definitely explains a lot.” Shaggy said with his signature nervous laugh.

“You’re a kitsune?” Velma asked slowly, visibly pale.

Oh no. Which of the legends has she heard? “I am,” Mystery said gently with a nod.

“Uhm… what kind?”

“Leave it to you to know the old tales,” Mystery chuckled.

“Just answer the question,” She said quickly.

“I am the son of a yama and a tengoku. As for me, I am a mori-”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Velma said accusingly.

“Why does it matter, Velma?” Daphne asked.

“Because he may or may not be capable and likely to kill us all!”

“K-k-kill us?” Scooby trembled.

“‘Capable’ and ‘willing’ are two entirely different things, Velma.” Mystery said gently. “Scooby’s teeth and claws are perfectly capable of ruining flesh. Fred could kill too if he wished, with his multitude of traps and weapons. Or Lewis or Vivi, with their powers. But they never would, because we are friends. Yes - I am a nogitsune. But I consider each of you to be friends and allies, and have placed you under my protection. So yes - I could kill you all, Velma. But that would be extremely unlikely. I would sooner die.”

“Hold on. Just- hold on,” Fred said, standing up and nervously rubbing his neck. “Let’s pretend for a second that most of us here aren’t familiar with Japanese folklore and start from the beginning. Please.”

Mystery sighed. “I am a kitsune - a fox spirit and a yokai, which is a japanese subclass of demon. What most people don’t know however, is that my people were originally animal descendants of the Annunaki. But not like Scooby and Professor Pericles. When Annunaki breed with mortal animals, the first few generations of descendants retain some of their ancestors’ traits and abilities. Usually, these disappear as the Anunnaki blood is watered down through generations of mating with regular animals. But some of their earliest descendants, my ancestors included, did not want this to happen. Sooo…”

“Sweet home Alabama?” Velma guessed.

“Precisely,” he sighed. “But not just that. Our bloodline also intersected with the native Yokai who already lived in Japan and we became adept with the magic of this world. The result was a new species: the kitsune. A creature part-mortal and part-god, descended from the wild foxes of Japan, the gods of Japan’s spirit world, and the gods of another. This is how I fit and diverge from the pattern. I can talk, and I am a descendant of the Annunaki. But biologically, I am a much closer descendant than Scooby or any of the others, and my blood is intermixed with that of other gods.”

“We know it’s a bit much. Everyone following along?” Lewis asked.

“So far, yeah. But what did Velma mean by different types?” Fred asked.

“And what’s that got to do with killing us?” Ricky asked.

“All kitsune are essentially divided into two diametrically opposed… camps. The zenko, and the nogitsune. Zenko, also sometimes called Inari Foxes, are benevolent to mankind and serve the god Inari. They serve the gods, perform good deeds, and are physically incapable of ever harming a human. Then there are nogitsune, also called the yako. We are… more complicated.”

“By ‘more complicated’, you mean ‘evil’. And you’re one of them.” Velma said.

Mystery nearly growled at her, but he stopped himself. Still, everyone flinched at his slightly bared fangs. Mystery took a step back, took a deep breath, and explained himself.

“All that you know is what you have read in your books. Against what many of the old stories say, and what many of the so-called ‘good spirits’ spread around… the world is much more complicated than good and evil. Yes - I confess. I am a nogitsune. My mother was one, and my father abandoned his place in kitsune society and became one to run into the wilds with her. Really, it was quite the scandal. But they weren’t evil, and neither am I. However… They were mischievous. And they hurt people… and there was a very long period in my life where I did too.

“But then, I met Mushi. She could have killed me. Maybe she should have. But instead she showed me mercy and treated me with respect. I bound myself to her and her family, and before I knew it… I fell in love. With her and her family, then with all of mankind. So yes. I am a nogitsune. But that does not make me evil. Rather (just like humans, really) I have the freedom to choose the sort of fox I want to be. I can be good. I could be evil… and when necessary, I can walk the gray areas to protect those who are worth dying and killing for.

“The time of the samurai and the onna-musha is over. I may be among the last, but I am not the first of my kind to ally myself with a warrior or to grant them my power. Think about it. As pure as they are, an Inari Fox would be of little help in battle. They are incapable of causing harm to humans. You need a yako for that - like me.”

Quietness settled over the conservatory as the kids processed what they’d been told and made up their minds about what they thought about it.

“I think… I get it,” Scooby said. And he walked over to sit beside Mystery. The dog giggled, looking up at the kitsune. “Wow, you really are big.”

And that was certainly true. The tips of Scooby’s ears didn’t even come up to Mystery’s shoulder.

“Like, if Scoob’s cool with it, then so am I. Like, so long as you don’t like, kill us.” Shaggy gulped.

“Nonsense - I find each of you uniquely delightful. And I see no reason why we should ever become enemies.” Mystery said, eyes twinkling behind his spectacles, tails thumping against the floor.

“Alright. You’ve been good to Vivi, Lewis, and Arthur for this long. So I guess I don’t have much choice but to believe you. But I still can’t say I trust you. Not completely,” Velma said.

“I expect no less,” Mystery said fondly.

“Well then gang, I guess we’re friends with a kitsune, now.” Said Fred.

“Yeah…” Ricky mumbled. “Friends…”

“So then,” Velma said, “You’re a nogitsune. But which of the thirteen types did you say you were again?”

“And uh… go over it like most of us don’t know much about Japanese mythology,” Daphne reminded him.

“There are thirteen different kinds of kitsune that each correlate with a different chakra,” Mystery explained. “I won’t go into all of them, but I am what would be known as a Mori - a kitsune of the forest. I have the same powers as most of my kind, but I have some abilities that correspond to plants, trees, moss, fungi, earth, animals, etc. that the other 12 types don’t have.”

Fred prompted, “And those powers would be…?”

“Shapeshifting, obviously.” Mystery said, and in a flash he changed back into the little dog they’d all gotten to know. “As I said before, I usually take on this form because dogs fit well as companions alongside a human society. You should know from experience Ricky, that something more exotic-” and they gasped as he transformed into a large white moluccan cockatoo, then flew over their heads to land on the back of the sofa behind Ricky. “- Tends to attract a bit more attention.”

He fluffed up his red and black mohawk, then stretched out his wings to show off his black wingtips. “Don’t get me wrong though, the form I would be most comfortable in aside from my own is a fox,” and the bird became a normal-sized, one-tailed fox stretched across the back headrest. “But alas, thanks to your fairytales and legends, people don’t tend to find those too trustworthy-” and the fox hopped down onto the seat, then onto the floor and turned back into a dog. “-So a dog suits me just fine.”

Then Mystery walked back over to where he’d been sitting originally and resumed his true form. “Apart from shapeshifting, there’s my foxfire of course,” he continued. He raised his paw, and conjured a magnificent ball of crimson flame, smirking smugly at the awestruck expressions of his audience. “Fire is as dual as we are. It’s only fitting that we kitsune be so well-adapted to it. Capable of providing warmth or pain. Fostering life or destruction. Leading men to salvation, or luring them to their deaths. That is the purpose of foxfire.” And with a flex of his claws, he extinguished it.

“As Shaggy has already observed, I am also capable of observing and manipulating auras and energies. Let’s see… I can also cast magic spells and have knowledge of runes and potions. There’s also the casting of illusions, the manipulation of dreams, possession, manipulation - though that one is more of a learned skill,” he said with a teeny bit of pride, “- and not one that I would use on any of you,” he paused to assure them. “And… without going into all of the little things I can do with those basic abilities, that’s it.”

And that’s when Ricky finally snapped. “That’s it? That’s IT, he says!” Mr. E roared, and he shot to his feet and stormed past Mystery.

Lewis made a move to stop him as he passed, but Mystery stopped him, “Let him go.”

And he watched sadly as Mr. E flung open the ornate back doors and stomped into the gardens.

“Rut’s up with him?” Scooby asked.

“Like, no kidding. Did I miss something?” Shaggy asked.

“Yeah. What was that about?” Said Velma.

“I was afraid of this,” Mystery groaned with drooped ears.

“What do you mean by that? I mean, he was fine with Lewis being a ghost. Whatever happened to ‘at least they were honest about being dishonest’?” Asked Daphne.

“Emotions often contradict each other. Emotions and logic contradict each other even more often. Though in this case, not trusting me is actually the logical thing to do,” Mystery said with a shake of his head. “Don’t forget: the pain that followed the last time a talking animal - specifically one whom he considered a friend - lied to Ricky about his true nature.”

Mystery Incorporated looked at each other, then cringed in unison with a chorus of “Yeeeah…” “Yikes,” “Ouch,” and “Oooohhh…”

“Poor Mr. E,” Daphne said thoughtfully. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

“Most wouldn’t,” Mystery said. “But I’ve had about a thousand years to observe humans and learn their ways. I won’t be so arrogant as to say that I’m usually right, but if I didn't acquire some level of emotional intelligence after all of this time, then what kind of trickster spirit would I be?”

“You need to talk to him,” Lewis said.

“I think not. At least not now,” Mystery said. “Give him a bit to himself to process. Children, one of you,” Mystery said, turning to Mystery Incorporated, “If you wouldn’t mind…”

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Through his anger, Ricky was in fact aware that he was being stupid.

Fuck, why did I storm out? He groaned to himself, absentmindedly petting the head of the purring Dead Beat in his lap. Three of them had come out after him a minute or two after his dramatic exit - courtesy of Lewis, he imagined.

Damn it. How was he going to go face everyone after walking out like some overly dramatic soap opera character?

Well, it’s long-since gotten dark and all of the yard lights are on…

“I’m going to have to go back in eventually, aren’t I?” He groaned. The three Dead Beats around him made noises of agreement and nodded.

Or I could just stay out here and let the darkness swallow me, he considered.

The latter seemed less daunting than the former at this point.

Just then, he heard a distinct squeeeak as the back door opened. The Dead Beats made a couple happy noises at the newcomer and one of them zipped over to say hello.

Crap.

��Uh, hey? Mr. E? Or um… Ricky? Sorry - still getting used to that. How’re you doing?”

“I’m uh… I’m fine, Daphne.” He said, glancing back but not looking at her. He heard the click of her heels as she crossed the stone patio, then she sat down in the chair beside him, holding the third Dead Beat like a cat in her arms. They didn’t talk for about a minute, and Ricky stubbornly looked out over the illuminated gardens to avoid looking at her. Out of shame, not her own wrongdoing. He hoped she knew that.

“Hey guys,” Daphne said to the Dead Beats, “I uh… kind of want to have a word in private for a minute so no offense but could you…?”

The Dead Beats chirped affirmingly, then zipped back into the conservatory.

And then they were alone. And it was quiet.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Daphne finally asked.

“Nope,” Ricky replied way too merrily. “I’ve just gotten so good at pretending otherwise that at this point it’s just easier. Next question please.”

“Are you mad?”

“Furious, but not at you. Or Fred, Velma, Shaggy, or Scooby. Or even the Mystery Skulls. It’s fine though. I’ve been angry for over 20 years. Why stop now?” He sighed, resting his chin on his palm.

“So… you’re mad at Professor Pericles?”

“You’re surprised that I’m mad at Professor Pericles?”

“Not really. Out of everyone angry with Professor Pericles, you definitely have the most reason to. I was actually fishing for whether or not you’re mad at Mystery.”

“Did he put you up to this?”

“He wants to talk to you, but gets why you’d be upset with him. So he asked one of us to talk to you first on his behalf. He’s worried about you. But… he’s not the only one worried. I’d be checking on you even if he didn’t.”

“Well… thanks.”

“So are you mad at him?”

“No. Maybe…? No. Just-” He scoffed with frustration. She’s going to think I’m so fucking stupid, he thought.

“He reminds me of Professor Pericles.”

“Oh,” said Daphne. “So… you’re upset because he reminds you of Pericles? And you hate Pericles?”

“Not exaaactly. But- Kind of? Will you judge me if I tell you?”

“I don’t know,” Daphne said. “I think that the big problem between us- that is, between you and my friends and I, is that we haven’t talked. It’s been over a year since you started sending us your clues. But we never said anything. And things have gotten so much better in just a day because we finally actually said something. So… whatever you have to say, I want things to keep getting better. So I’m listening.”

Ricky sighed, “Thanks Daphne. So… I guess I’ll say something, then.” He looked up at the starry indigo sky, bouncing one knee, composing his thoughts before he began. “Mystery has reminded me of Pericles from pretty much the moment I met him. But… in all of the best ways. He’s… wise, patient, supportive, and just- always seems to know exactly what to say. In other words, he reminds me of the Pericles I used to think I knew.”

“Oh. So… like the way he was when you were a kid?”

“Yeah. But… without all of the bullshit that I know I should have recognized as red flags. And now that I know what he is, it makes sense as to why he reminds me of Pericles. Only now, I also see all of the worst ways he reminds me of Pericles.”

“Liiike…?”

“First off: his age. I told you all earlier today how much older than the rest of us Professor Pericles was. But Mystery? From my limited knowledge of kitsune, he is hundreds of years old, Daphne. Do you have any idea what the implications of that are? How much he’s seen and done? The skills he’s perfected? The things he’s had time to learn and experience? He’s so much smarter, wiser, and more powerful than any of us. I didn’t know to be afraid of that when I was a kid. But I do now… it’s scary.”

“I… can definitely get that,” Daphne shuddered.

“And beyond that,” Ricky said, “A kitsune is a trickster spirit, Daphne. By definition. How am I to know what’s real when it comes to him?”

“I get it. Pericles revealed that he’d been using you all along, and he chose the treasure over you. So now you don’t know if you can trust Mystery.”

“In a nutshell… basically.”

“Well… Mystery decided to show you his real self without betraying you first. He’s trying to be honest. That says a lot, doesn't it?”

“Uuugh, and I know that, but just- it was all so overwhelming, learning all of that. All those thoughts at once. So of course it only occurred to me after I stormed out. Which is why I haven’t come back in… because I know how stupid I was.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid.”

Ricky jumped out of his skin and whirled around. “Chhheese and crackers, Fred! Make some noise when you move! You gave me a heart attack! Wait a minute- how long have you all been standing there?”

All four other members of Mystery Incorporated were standing behind them.

“Long enough,” Velma said. “And Fred’s right: it’s not stupid. Those are perfectly valid concerns to have, all things considered.”

Scooby padded over and sat beside him. “So uh… what are you going to do?” He asked.

Ricky sighed, reaching over to give the dog a pat. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t know how I feel about all this or if I trust him, so I really don’t know what I should do next. Or how I’m going to show my face indoors again.”

“Like if it helps man, like Mystery is just as stressed about what he’s going to say to you,” said Shaggy.

“Really? Why?”

“He feels really bad about turning into a bird. Something about ‘his mischievous side came out too much’,” said Fred.

“No shit,” Velma added under her breath.

“That’s probably true,” Ricky shrugged.

“So… it’s dark out. And it’s getting colder. Ready to go back in?” Daphne asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Ricky sighed.

Walking back into the conservatory, Ricky realized that he’d missed just how grand it was. The sun had gone to bed and where one world was now sleeping, another was waking up. And the house of the dead was as alive as ever. Three chandeliers in the same style as the room’s metal frame hung from the ceiling, sconces attached to the walls and every other vertical frame held floating mystical lights, and the ghost fish in the koi pond and the artificial brook shimmered so bright it was as if the water itself was aglow.

Seeing the lights shining through the dark, it made Ricky wonder how he’d ever failed to see the magic.

“You okay?”

Ricky jumped, looked around for the source of the voice, then looked up.

“Okay. Lewis, I’m still getting used to the whole ‘ghost’ thing as it is, but you doing that is not helping.”

“... Sorry,” the ghost apologized, floating back down to eye-level in his true form. “Seriously though, is everything good?”

“No, but… it never was. As for us though, yeah. We’re good. Mystery though… ehhh… I need to talk to him.”

“He figured as much,” Lewis sighed. “This way, he’s waiting for you.”

Vivi spared Ricky an encouraging smile before leading Mystery Inc. back into the manor. And Ricky followed Lewis deeper into the conservatory. Wordlessly, the ghost pointed down a lit, dense green path, where ahead on an unseen radio, a song was quietly playing. He patted Ricky on the shoulder, then disappeared into thin air.

Ricky gulped, and stepped into the brush.

“Tears that I cried... I've been hol-din’ on…”

He came to realize after a few steps that he was walking into a sort of indoor natural area, complete with big, twisting Japanese maples and cherry trees.

“… I've been hold-in’ on~…”

Fallen crimson leaves and pink petals covered the ground atop trodden mossy cobblestones like a multicolored carpet.

“… I've been hol-din’ ooo-on~…”

Finally, he moved a large fern leaf out of the way, and before him was a hidden oasis within the conservatory - a small clearing among the trees and bushes, at the center of which was a rather curious bonsai tree.

“I~ won't let them take you away from me! My love~”

Notably, the tree was dead. Or at least very close to it. With a couple of rather pitiful orange petals hanging limply on the edge of each branch that may very well have once been pink. And the bark- Ricky may have been mistaken but he could have sworn it was green.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

And yet in spite of this, the pitiful plant was the most revered thing Ricky had seen in the whole conservatory. It was planted directly into the ground with the richest, darkest soil and a ring of pink, orange, and white stones lovingly placed around it. And there were three giant pink necklaces placed around it with candles, burning incense, and Japanese blessings inscribed upon paper.

“I~ won't let them take you away from me!"

"(Won’t let them take youu!)”

Ricky tilted his head, curious.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

But where was-

“I worried you wouldn’t come.”

Ricky jumped and inhaled sharply through his teeth. “Oooookay then. This is just going to be a regular thing now? You people talking out of nowhere and scaring me out of my skin?” Ricky asked, looking up at the source of the voice.

Mystery was draped like a leopard across a large, thick tree branch. His head rested upon his crossed paws and his seven tails hung down, swaying gracefully yet playfully to and fro.

As he stood, the kitsune laughed in a way that was not quite human; animal-like, high-pitched and a little silly, like a hyena- no. Like a fox. Then he bounded down to a lower branch and bounced to the ground to stand beside Ricky.

“Apologies. It’s been a while since I last revealed my true form to a human,” Mystery said with a dip of his head. “I suppose I need to get used to ‘easing people into it’ again. My manners aside… I really am glad you came.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You are upset with me,” the creature said sadly, ears drooping. “If you had wished to avoid me for a while, I would have understood.”

“Don’t apologize,” Ricky sighed, rubbing his temples. “Yes - I’m surprised. But I understand why you kept this from us. Really, it’s me. Not you.”

“Still. I should have been more mindful of your… experiences.”

“If you’re referring to you turning into a bird, yeah - that might have been crossing a line,” Ricky grumbled.

“Believe it or not, I do realize how much I have in common with Pericles,” The kitsune growled, baring his teeth. “And I hate it. But let me assure you… my hatred for him runs deep. And I’ll die before I make the same mistake he did.”

And there it was again - that intuition. Just like Pericles. Or perhaps he’d just been alive long enough that he could guess. Dealing with basically immortal beings was kind of a new thing to Ricky.

“What mistake?” Ricky asked, clearing his throat.

“Isn’t it obvious? You. Or rather - what he did to you. And your friends.”

“No offense, Mystery. But…” It then occurred to Ricky that Mystery may find what he was about to say extremely offensive.

“But?”

“In my miiiind~

“Nothing.”

“I thought it was just an illusion.”

“Do not be concerned with my feelings,”

“I wished for something like thiiis,”

“-Whatever you have to say, I am ready and willing to talk about it.”

“Now I just can’t run.”

Ricky sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just- you’re a kitsune, Mystery."

“I~ won't let them take you away from me! My love~”

"I’m not… deeply familiar with Japanese mythology, but I know enough to know that your kind are tricksters. Agents of chaos. I’m probably being ignorant,” he apologized, running a hand through his hair.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

“How am I to know which of the stories are true? But from what do I know, I guess, shouldn’t you sort of… respect what he did?” Ricky asked, hugging himself.

“I~ won't let them take you away from me!"

"(Won’t let them take youu!)”

“I mean to me (and to most people really) it was horrible. But at the end of the day, he took what he needed from his pawns, used them up, took a calculated risk, and got what he wanted. I was a naive, trusting, meddling, stupid kid.”

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

“I mean, heh- if you look at it from a tactician’s standpoint, I was almost asking to get hurt-”

“DO NOT BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF!”

The kitsune surged forward so fast it made Ricky stumble back and fall upon the soft moss.

“I~ won't let them take you away from me! My love~”

The change had been jarringly abrupt. When speaking of Mystery’s own kind in such a way, the kitsune had been fine. But the moment Ricky had started talking about himself, an animalistic sort of rage had crept in. And now, Mystery stood before Ricky as every bit the beast he was. Tails lashing, hackles raised, eyes glowing red, ears flat against his skull, teeth bared inches in front of Ricky’s face.

“Do not be ashamed that your fate was put into the talons of a FOOL, Ricky Owens!” The kitsune barked.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

“HE was supposed to look after you. You were a CHILD, and the one who should have protected you fffailed!"

“I~ won't let them take you away from me!”

“He grew so distracted by something as frivolously human as GOLD that he failed to see the value in what he already had!”

As Mystery got the words out, the fur laid flat on his back and his eyes ceased their glow.

“I'll be your protection, and I'll fight for you endlessly!”

“I will not make the same mistake, boy. Unlike him, as your elder I see fit to look after you. Upon my tails, I swear it.”

Mystery darted back, pacing agitated to and fro between the walls of fauna.

And as the music came to an end, Ricky took deep breaths to slow the racing of his heart, processing what had been said.

I see fit to look after you…

“You and your friends were more precious than any treasure,” Mystery said, his voice losing that deep echo as he calmed down. “You and Cassidy still are. He is the one who should be ashamed for failing to see that.”

There was a moment of tense silence when Mystery was done talking, broken only by the babbling of the brook. Ricky opened and closed his mouth fruitlessly searching for words. “I- um- thank you?”

“I need you to say it, Ricky.”

“Say what?”

“You were a child.”

Ricky scoffed, “I was a kid yeah, but I was seventeen. Hardly-”

“A child,” The Kitsune repeated, eyes flashing. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Ricky,” he said with forced calmness, “I think we can both agree that… Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy are children.”

“Of course. What’s that got to do with-”

“Shaggy is the second-oldest, and he only recently turned seventeen,” Mystery said pointedly, pausing to let that sink in. “They are children. And they are no older than you were. So. You were…”

“... a child,” Ricky admitted quietly.

“You were a good kid, Ricky.”

“I- I was a g-good kid…” Damn it, why was his throat closing?

“-And he took advantage of that.”

He knew all of this already! So why were his eyes filling with- “... and he took advantage of that.”

They didn’t speak for several minutes. To his credit, Ricky didn’t sob. But he did cry, tears falling silently with the occasional gasp, shudder, or sniffle. Mystery just laid there and let Ricky get through it, leaning against the kitsune’s large shoulder. And when there was a sizable wet spot in Mystery’s white fur, Ricky sniffed and moved away, trying to get ahold of himself. “S-sorry,” He croaked, hoarse from the effort of holding his sobs in. “Heh, I- I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” He chuckled, trying to laugh it off.

“That’s because there is nothing wrong with you,” the kitsune said gently, pulling Ricky back in and enveloping him in his warm, soft tails. “I learned a rather fun fact about you humans recently,” he said, licking the tears from one of Ricky’s cheeks. “Did you know… that human beings have three different kinds of tears? Basal tears form the wet coating of your eye and reflex tears flush things out. Like say, having a bug fly into your eye.” And he swatted Ricky playfully in the face with one of his tails.

“Hey…” Ricky said in mock-warning, rubbing his watering eyes.

The kitsune chuckled. “And then… There are tears of emotion. That’s what these are,” Mystery said, collecting a tear from Ricky’s cheek with the tip of one long claw. “These are the ones I find interesting. You see, aside from magical creatures, human beings are the only species on Earth who burst into tears when they’re in pain. Whether that pain be external or in here,” he said, gesturing to Ricky’s heart with his nose. “But there’s more than just water in these tears. They purposefully have proteins in them that make them fall slower, dry slower, and stick to your face.”

“What’s your point?”

“That these tears were never meant to be hidden. When you cry - when these tears fall… they were meant to be seen. Humans are such social creatures. Don’t you see? You evolved this way because you were never meant to carry your burdens alone.”

“How would you know?” Ricky grumbled bitterly, resting his forehead on his knees. “If only humans have them, then how many tears have you shed?”

“I have cried a thousand lifetimes worth,” the kitsune murmured. “Descendants of the Annunaki have the gift of humanity. Which means that just like humans… we are corruptible. But we are capable of growth and change at all stages of our lives as well.”

“So what’s your point? That Pericles can cry too? That I should try to change him?”

“No.” The kitsune snarled. “If a miracle happens and he changes his stars, it shall be his own doing. You are not responsible for fixing Professor Pericles, nor do I think anyone could. The point I was trying to make… was actually about myself. You see- there is a reason I have such a deep hatred for that bird. Why I am so disgusted and angry at what he has done. It’s because-” And reluctantly he admitted, “In another life… I may have been the same. And you would have been right about me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I meant what I said before. I wasn’t always a good boy, Ricky. In fact, there was a time when I was just as bad as Professor Pericles. Probably worse, even.”

Ricky gulped. “Oh yeah? Is that so?”

“It is so,” the kitsune said sadly.

“Then… if you want me to trust you, then why would you tell me that?”

“That is a rather curious thing to do, isn’t it?” The kitsune chuckled. “It’s certainly contradictory to my goal. Hardly the tactical thing to do. I suppose that it is because most of the relationships I’ve built throughout my life have been founded upon lies - at least at first. And from now on I wish to begin with honesty when I can. So, before you and the kids, I wish to lay my sins bare.”

“Is this… why you seemed so keen to give me a chance?” Ricky asked. “Because you also changed your ways once?”

“Partly,” the kitsune shrugged. “But even at your worst Ricky Owens, I have seen evil. And you’re not it.”

“Then, if I may ask… what changed? For you, I mean?”

“Mushi,” Mystery said sadly yet fondly. “But that is a long story, and one I wish to repeat only once. And as it happens, this place is a rather good place to begin. Come. There’s someone I would like you to meet.”

The kitsune stood and walked over to the dead bonsai in the center of the oasis. Ricky wiped his eyes on his sleeve and crawled over a few feet on his hands and knees to watch.

“I assume you noticed this when you walked in,” Mystery said.

“Yeah,” Ricky gulped to clear his throat. “What is the deal with that tree? It’s dead, isn’t it?”

“Seemingly. Apparently… Probably. But hopefully not completely.”

And then the kitsune dug with one massive paw around the base of the tree, disturbing as little as possible. And when he had uncovered the roots, he beckoned Ricky over with a gesture of paw and tail. “Come, and look upon a consequence of my past.”

Crouching, Ricky came forward and was so surprised by what he saw that he recoiled.

Mystery hadn’t uncovered the tree’s roots. Rather, the tree was attached to the top of a wooden head. And his digging had uncovered a sad, dead face with empty, soulless eye sockets and tear-mark cracks down each side.

“What is that?” Ricky asked, wrinkling his nose.

“This is my daughter,” Mystery replied sadly, unbothered by Ricky’s reaction. “Her name was Shiomori.”

༻˚⁺･⚉｡○✼༓☾⦾♫෴♡💛♡෴♫⦾☽༓✼○｡⚉･⁺˚༺

Nearing 10:00 at night was not the most opportune time the plane could have touched down on California soil. And it was nearly 11 by the time she left the airport.

But as antsy as she was to rush, stealth - not speed - was the goal, here. If Professor Pericles knew she was coming- if he even realized she was alive, then it would cost her a huge advantage that he’d already proven could cost her life.

And if she could help it, Cassidy Williams would like to go a lifetime without ever coming that close to dying again.

Weirdly enough, it wasn’t all bad. In a lot of ways Angel was grateful for the experience. It had reminded her just how much she loved being not-dead. More importantly than the little things though… seeing her reflection in the reaper’s scythe had rather annoyingly put some things in perspective for Cassidy that she’d been denying hard for over fifteen years.

Namely: She was in love with Ricky Owens.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, she was in love with Ricky Owens.

She used to ask herself why. She used to try to convince herself that she didn’t love him anymore. That the asshole who’d put her heart through the ringer wasn’t the same person as the adorable, awkward boy she’d fallen for. She used to try reasoning with herself that she could move on if she just forced herself to start over with someone else, no matter how many dates ended and relationships failed because no matter how nice they were they just were. Not. Him.

... Why did she only stop doing that the moment she realized she had to die?

There would have been a sort of purpose to Angel’s death: giving up her life to save those wonderful, stupid, meddling kids of hers. But as the Kriegstaffebots closed in and the clock neared zero, one regret stabbed at her heart like a thorn.

Ricky.

It’s true what they say. About your life flashing before your eyes. Most of Cassidy’s life had come to her in flashes of color and memory. But he struck her mind like a bullet train, and in what would have been- should have been her final moments, she fell in love with him and had her heart broken into a thousand little pieces all over again.

Except… those weren’t her final moments.

Cassidy still wasn’t exactly sure how she’d survived. Everything after Moby disappearing under the waves got kind of blurry and she couldn’t string together even a semblance of how she’d gotten from point A to point B. What she did know was that for all intents and purposes, she should be dead. It honestly didn’t make a lick of sense that she wasn’t. Cassidy still didn’t have an explanation for it.

Neither had the Mystery Skulls, before she had sent them to Crystal Cove. She would have come with them, but the attempt on her life had left her battered and bruised and with a badly dislocated shoulder. Even after popping it back into place it had taken weeks for the swelling to go down. In her condition at the time she would have just been a burden.

But that was a mystery Cassidy wasn’t the slightest bit worried about at the moment. She was all healed up now and all that mattered was that Professor Pericles had tried to kill her, but she’d survived and now she was back in California and on her way to kick some tail! Woo-hoo baby!

…And she was in love with Mr. E.

There was that, too.

Cassidy didn’t know why that seemed so damn important, but no matter how hard she tried to think about the kids, the planispheric disk, the Mystery Skulls, or about Pericles, Brad, and Judy, all she could seem to think about was her last phone call with Vivi.

Ricky’s in trouble.

Those words kept ringing through her ears on loop and she hadn’t been able to relax since she’d heard them.

Cassidy had thought once, that if there was one person whom Pericles might have a soft spot for, who was off-limits and may actually be safe with him, it would be Ricky.

Wow, she’d been naive. But then again, Pericles loved to surpass her expectations of how rotten he was. If she had a nickel for every time he’d proven her wrong, she’d be able to rebuild K-Ghoul.

Angel wished that Vivi had just come out and told her whatever-the-hell was going on. But Vivi had given her an abbreviated, vague, and clearly cushioned version in an attempt to keep her from worrying. And in doing so had done just the opposite, because in a haze of ambiguity, it seemed like now all Angel could do was worry.

He wasn’t hurt. He was safe. Vivi had said that, right? Nope. She’d said he was sort of safe, and that he was kind of not hurt.

Cassidy wanted to scream. WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!

If he wasn’t hurt, then why couldn’t she get visions of every possible way he could be hurt out of her head? Was he in the hospital? Had he been shot? Poisoned? In an accident? God, there were any number of things that feathery lunatic could have done to him.

And it was all so frustrating because even though she loved him so much she thought her heart might cave in from the weight of it, Mr. E had made it abundantly clear that he didn't love her anymore. Not to mention Angel wasn’t sure whether he had anything to do with her assassination attempts. Had her Ricky… really tried to kill her? She just couldn’t see it. Or maybe she just hoped not so much that it was blinding her. Still, the factory hadn’t been Destroido property.

So maybe Ricky hadn’t had anything to do with it.

Both Pericles and the kids thought she was dead, now.

Did Ricky think so too?

Maybe he had been… sad to learn of her death.

Maybe he didn’t even know.

Maybe he was even looking for her.

She was so fucking scared of the answer to those questions. And she was so fucking angry that if Ricky’s stupid, handsome, scowling face was in front of her right now, she didn’t know if she’d tackle him in a hug, kiss him, or smack the shit outta him.

Whatever the truth was, and whatever was happening back in Crystal Cove, Ricky wasn’t with their old group anymore. He was with the Mystery Skulls and the new Mystery Incorporated.

The question was… what had happened to drive him there? It would have taken something big to snap Ricky out of his codependency. And it scared her to imagine what that could have been.

She wouldn’t be so naive as to wonder (or hope) if it had happened over her.

But on the other hand, she didn’t know what she’d do if it had happened because Pericles had… hurt Ricky in some way.

Wait- no. That isn’t true, Angel realized as she flung a leg over her new motorcycle - courtesy of Kingsmen Mechanics. It didn’t matter if Ricky didn’t love her. If Pericles had harmed so much as a single hair on Ricky’s head, she was going to pluck, baste, and boil that bird alive.

As for uh… them, Cassidy really didn’t know what she was going to say to Ricky, but she supposed it largely depended on what he had to say to her. And she had a whole night to figure out the possibilities.

But as uncertain as the road ahead was, as she revved up her engine there was one thing Cassidy Williams knew for sure.

She loved Ricky Owens. She was done denying it or fighting it. And even though he’d made it abundantly clear that he didn’t love her back, (and shit, did that hurt) Angel knew her heart wouldn’t be able to bear it if anything happened to him.

This time, she was going to protect him.

She would fight for him. For them. Endlessly.

Hehehehe. At LAST, I am soon to arrive at the point where I can ACTUALLY WRITE RICKIDY! 😍✍️ Oooh, the chapter song for this one turned out to be so much more meaningful and on-the-nose than I thought it was! I've never written alongside music before but now I see why people do it. Mystery and Ricky's conversation flowed so well because it was written in time with the song. Seriously, in the future I'm going to make an entire post about my song choice for Endlessly, because there are some things about it that I can't say without spoiling parts of my master plan. So, this chapter turned out to be mostly about Mystery, which is good because as a character I kind of felt like I haven't done as much with him as I could at this point, so finally it's starting to hint at how important to this story he's going to be. Makes sense tho that he'd make his true debut late - what sort of sneaky trickster spirit would he be otherwise? Lol Speaking of sneaky, Shiomori managed to burrow her way in here. Tbh I wasn't expecting that. She wasn't on the original guest list for this fic but now that I've thought of how to include her, I can't NOT do it. I think Mystery must have invited her. She didn't exactly RSVP but ya know what? Happy to have her. Will she have a major role in the fic? Or is she a tool used to tell Mystery's backstory and make references to the events of the msa music videos? Only time will tell. Who knows what my brain will be doing by the time I get to that point? I sure don't. And lastly of course, her return is long overdue but Angel, the QUEEN 👑, has made her debut!!! I’ve been SO EXCITED to write that part it’s not even funny. And I’ve had the vision of what’ll happen next time we see her in my head since some of the earliest imaginings of this fic. GOD, I cannot WAIT to show it to you!!! 🤩

I would like to give a huge thank you to @lesbian-duck-lord for helping me out with this chapter. I got super stuck on how the conversation at the beginning went and I swear the writer's block looked like the walls from Attack on Titan. But talking to that magnificent person was a HUGE help. Seriously they are so good at characterization. Busted a hole in that wall like the colossal titan. (Yes my brain works in references. Why do you think I write crossovers so much?!) And with this shout out, now you're tagged in this post. So you'll know immediately that Chapter 16 is out!!! Thanks again, Duck!

I would also like to take this moment to congratulate whoever the like, ONE person was who guessed the next chapter song correctly on my recent poll. Because only like two people voted for it, and the other one was me. (I had to put a vote down in order to see the votes as they came in.)

22% of you thought the next song would be Fake (which IS a great song, and I DO have a very specific plan for that one), and Hellbent, Every Note, and Freaking Out tied for second place. Funnily enough, I do also have plans for both Hellbent and Every Note. And joke's on you - I already used Freaking Out! You fell right into my trap! Ha!

I jest of course. It actually rather delights me that only one of you guessed right. How I do love hitting you all with a curveball. 😏

Chapters 1-15 of One of Us are presently posted on Archive of Our Own.

Chapter 16 should make it to Ao3 sometime in the next two days or so. Probably tomorrow tho. Because I'm impatient.

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thecoffeelorian · 4 months

Text

The Transport On The Left, #2

Title: The Transport On The Left

Chapter: Two

Genre: Drama/Mystery

Word Count: Under 1k

Characters Included: Crosshair, Tech, Wrecker, Hunter, Echo

Brief Description: On the first official day of his freedom, Crosshair has to slowly move through what he sees as false and find out what is actually real. Only then, perhaps, can he truly move forward with his life.

AO3: Click Here

Tags: None yet, I'm catching up for story link purposes.

Special Notes: This divider was created by @djarrex , and so I give all credit to her. :)

One // Two // Three // Four // Five//

The next thing Crosshair knew, this ship of strangers had not only docked safely within the transport itself, but also began their preparations to bring him to the first available medbay. One not currently occupied by another patient, or so his own understanding went. Their stilted conversations, if not also a few rounds of comm chatter, suggested as much—“ETA, ten minutes”; “Has someone disinfected that thing yet”; “Where’s Kix when we finally need him”; and other grumbled ramblings of an already chaotic offshoot of society.

Society that he most likely would never have a personal stake in, for they continued to be just as hazy as they had been the moment they brought him on board.

Society that consisted of one empty mass of chatter that could ultimately amount to nothing at all, if any unforeseen factors ran their courses and no surprises arrived to interrupt everything.

And yet…

He saw it only for a split second, but the tallest of this laughable “squad”, if not also the strongest, looked down at him with what could only be described as...pain.

Not just the quick blow of a fist or the even quicker sting of a needle, but something at least ten times stronger, deeper, and a lot more worry-inducing than what had happened back—somewhere. Something that almost stirred up a similar emotion within his own mind, or at least a sense of what could have been something that intense.

If he wasn’t already dead inside, of course.

“We should wait for the others.”

“ ‘The others’ are still several klicks away from our current location. This happens now.”

More useless chatter, this time from two of the remaining three. Crosshair could see them almost without looking up entirely, for in this small compartment

(concourse car?)

, they were easily distinguishable from one another. The one possessed a red bandanna, a half-tattoo of a black skull, and an almost permanent scowl

(Hmm, full of yourself, you are)

; the other, a somewhat less permanent stare and a curious eyepiece, the left side of which had a small red light glowing through the shadows. He had known people who looked like these once upon a time, all right…but that had ended a long time ago.

The time where they blamed him for a great deal of their problems, if not also suggesting he’d grown far too corrupted to even hope to remedy them.

Well...so be it. If they wanted a corrupted shell of a soldier to hem and haw at endlessly, they could go ahead and have him...one day, anyway. At the present time, they were nowhere in sight, save for the Hulls who seemed to have taken their places.

Good riddance, though.

They probably wouldn’t have recognized him any more these days, not even if they just happened to be standing beside him this minute.

Not that they would.

“Affirmative…now, let’s get these wheels rolling.”

Nevertheless, once the third—a somewhat quiet fellow, his dark eyes focused on some distant place rather than right here—did something curious with a metallic device sitting right where his hand would normally be, they were…about to get moving. Moving to whatever designated dumpster they’d put together for clones like him, if indeed they would even bother to go that far. The slow but gradual activation of the transport system promised him just that, complete with a muffled grinding sound that he very nearly could feel in his skull.

Hip-hip-hooray.

“Thank you, Echo…well. I, ah…I hope the worst is finally behind us.”

“We’re just gonna have to find out for ourselves. Moving in five…”

This would probably be how, in however long it took, he would find himself dropped into some garbage chute or right into the path of a giant, slimy horror that hadn’t eaten in a few rotations. He certainly felt as though he could have been mistaken for a pile of garbage right now, never mind being treated like one at the end of this little journey. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too unthinkable for this idea to gain form, traction, even to the point of becoming truth. Perhaps these strangers, whoever they claimed to be, needed no more than a few minutes alone with him to change their minds completely, never mind change whatever they had originally planned to give him.

And once that all went down…perhaps then, there would be nothing for him to do but wait for the inevitable.

Wait, and hope that it ended a lot less painfully than before.

#star wars #the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction #tbb fanfiction #tbb crosshair #tbb echo #tbb hunter #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #crosshair tbb #echo tbb #hunter tbb #tech tbb #wrecker tbb #tbb: the transport on the left #the transport on the left #getting the master list ready #chapter two

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mortuarywriting · 4 months

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@pfhwrittes and @sourpatch-boy both tagged me to do this so! Five Favoriteish Songs right now! This is gonna be weird because boy howdy I never fuckin know until I pull one up and remember how much I love it. These are gonna be all over the board

"Slow Poison" - The Bravery

"Nameless World" - Skip the Use

"Sing Along" - Sturgill Simpson

"Scream" - Takafumi Imamura and sung by AKINO

"Wire" - Worthikids

I am not tagging because I have the memory of a peeled grape on who has and hasn't done this? so if you haven't and wanna consider this a tag and tag me with yours!

Honorable mentions below the cut because jesus god i just wound up dumping my whole fuckin music taste in here, Christ on a bike.

Honorable Mentions to

The Dawntrail Extended Teaser Trailer (UK Link)

"Answers" by Nobuo Uematsu

"Into the Void" by NIN

"Paradise" by Rude-α. Sk8 the Infinity was good

"Red Flags" by Tom Cardy and Montaigne

"An Honest Mistake", "Fearless", "Time Won't Let Me Go", "Bad Sun" by the Bravery

"Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys

"Gheaghea Vanea" by Graieste Moldoveneste ('cause i recently remembered how much i loved it)

Seriously So Much FFXIV music (Like No Really Shit's Good These Are All Different Songs)

"Cherry Lips" by Garbage

"Otherworld" by Bill Xtillidiex Muir and Nobuo Uematsu

"Poison Pop" by Qbomb

"Last Surprise" by Shoji Meguro and Lyn Inaizumi

"Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow

"Freak of the Week" by Freak Kitchen

"The Wolf" and "Mr. Fear" by SIAMÉS

"Let's Go" by Stuck in the Sound

"I'll be Alright" by Passion Pit (note- not linking official video for photosensitivity reasons but if you have the time it is good),

"Ghost", "Hellbent", and "Endlessly" by Mystery Skulls

"Starlight Brigade" by TWRP

"Magnum Bullets" by Night Runner and Dan Avidan

"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Ninja Sex Party (among like. a dozen of their songs they've made some really shitty long work days bearable)

And because I'm a giant sap "Daisy Bell" as sung by Vocoder IBM704 and VOCALOID4

Like. So much good shit, 4 and 5 are kinda flexible, 1 and 2 flip flop but largely are tied, and 3 has kicked around for a good while. Is the secret to my playlist and heart songs that have memories to me and kickass videos? Probably I'll give anything with a cool video a watch at least once

I need you to understand FFXIV has had a chokehold on me for YEARS and I will never emotionally recover from the therapy the DRK questline gave me (which also comes with its own brand of trauma, but like. i got an emotional support sleep paralysis demon of it so that's nice)

#rambles from the morgue #tag game #jesus christ dont look at me for the readmore #it NEEDED a goddamn readmore #and i could keep going #i should not but i could #quick edit to make sure this is somewhat legible

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scarfas3 · 1 year

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chelsea

~~~~~ 1 beauty is

WHO ARE YOU?

PICTURES LIKE SLIDES TYGER TYGER BURNIN' BRIGHT WHO ARE WE?

WHO ARE YOU? IAM IAM IAM IAM IAM IAM IAM IAM MY LITTLE OSIRUS WHO AM I?

WHO IS GOD?

WHO AM I?

WHO ARE WE?

WHO ARE YOU?

ALLOW THIS PAGE TO LOAD COMPLETELY

CLICK YOUR WAY THROUGH THE NIGHTMARE

there are thoughts i have, like trans lucent teardrops that picture's awful dusty..... PICTURES LIKE SLIDES WILL SLIP HIS HUNGRY GRASP i am obese with only hunger MAN I AM creature of the night, left blinded and handcuffed IT'S JUST THE BLOOD INSIDE MAKING THE NOISE HEART MY HEART I AM NOT SLEEPING the lights spin by, my mouth is open the red earth grows fat HE'S A MYTH I DREAM the lights spin by, my mouth is open the lights spin by, my mouth is open the lights spin by, my mouth is open the lights spin by, my mouth is open GRAPHICS GRAPHICS GRAPHICS

!?!IMPORTANT!?!

NO ONE IS DYING NO ONE IS DYING WHY MUST WE BE SO ENDLESSLY MYSTERIOUS TO OURSELVES? WHY MUST WE BE SO ENDLESSLY MYSTERIOUS TO OURSELVES? a deep mouth, the same eternity a sea blue shirt a forgotten lover without a skin,Â that is what i am i'm a sinner the moon must be asking a riddle it's the moon that makes everything so still the god of dead bodies, mutters in secrecy, dig deep graves an abrupt display of personality lies just below the surface you don't have to go to prison to be in solitary confinement end these tidal groans, this weeping, this grief PRACTICE CHARITY, AS I WE WERE ANIMALS, SUMMER AND WINTER WAR AND PEACE, EVERYTHING IN LIFE TURNS INTO ITS OPPOSITE. HERE, AMID THE STARS, YOU CAN FIND YOUR HOME. SWIRLS OF ASTRAL DUST ENTWINE OUR BONE, STAR STUFF FROM WHICH WE ARE MADE. THIS WHEEL WE SPIN. WE ARE BODIES SPINNING IN OPEN SPACE. BROKEN BONED, I CANNOT SLIP A HAND THROUGH THIS EXISTENCE. SOMETHING WHICH SEEKS OUT TO BE SOUGHT. OUR LAST SAD NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR. WE ARE ALONE., AND SO VERY CLOSE. WE SINK WIRES IN UR BRAIN. WE WATCH THE WORLD FALL DOWN. WE FALL DOWN WITH IT. AND WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER ON THE BOTTOM, I WILL ASK YOU WHAT YOU ARE THINKING. HOLD FAST TO THIS MADNESS. IN OUR ISOLATION WE LANGUISH FOR THE MIND AND FOR THE SPIRIT: IN PENANCE, I OFFER THIS TO YOU....

OK SO LET'S BEGIN! READY, SET, GO!Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â OFF WE GO TO WITNESS UGLINESS i am in the house. i relapse, i go cold suffering............suffering and then they passed morsels of your flesh around the table and ate them how can we define ourselves like this? he stands, bloody, shaded by ivory parasols ROTATION

I THINK PAST AND PRESENT AND FUTURE IT'S THE DEVIL INSIDE seared, a pitted animal above the fire here,Â Â Â Â where fish swarm our black death, the thin blood-cry of infants sleep my love, and let the sea sleep all asleep PRAY FOR THE DEAD AND CURSE THE LIVING

~~~~~ 2 beauty nowhere.

BEAUTY KNOWHERE

by applying abilty to action everything is me and nothing is me THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER GRASPS UGLINESS AND IS CONSUMED BY ITS OWN REFLECTION..... SIR WALTER RALEIGH ONCE SET OUT TO MEASURE THE WEIGHT OF SMOKE BY SUBTRACTING ASH FROM TOBACCO AND CALCULATING THE DIFFERENCE...WEIGHING SMOKE IS LIKE WEIGHING SOMEONE'S SOUL turn something into nothing how am i to be? SIR WALTER RALEIGH ONCE SET OUT TO MEASURE THE WEIGHT OF SMOKE BY SUBTRACTING ASH FROM TOBACCO AND CALCULATING THE DIFFERENCE...WEIGHING SMOKE IS LIKE WEIGHING SOMEONE'S SOUL

all of your teeth have left pinpricks of blood down my back and down my arms THE SMOOTH WHEEL OF DISINTEGRATION WINDS IN ME AROUND AND AROUND. I GO. UNLEARN, RELEARN A MILLION HANDS MEET IN PRAYER AND THEIR ECHO PREPARES TO DISEMBOWEL ME.- THE TONGUE IN MY EAR HAS DRIVEN ME MAD. GAZING UPWARDS, THINKING OF THE MOUNTAIN, THEN THE BODY IS DASHED UPON THE STONES. BLED, MOANING, SILENTLY REFUSED....

here it is..... you hold yourself so young so old AND SO THE DIVISION HAS BEEN MADE

death is, itself, a dream i met an assassin tonight curl your finger and press it hard against the base of my skull, the penthouse of my spine this light, this sun, this lamp that flicker off and on, on and off

WHAT I SAW, WANDERING SHORELINES AND WOODED HILLS: THE DARKENED WIZARD, SCEPTRE IN HAND. I HEARD THE LAND GROAN. I FELT THE GREAT TREES' BREATH SPILL OVER ME. I SAW FEATHERED ARMS MOVE, A MILLION EYES OPENING, IN WELCOME. I FELT THOSE EYES ON ME, AND I WENT MAD WITH FEAR. I HAD BEEN CAUGHT UP IN THE LABYRINTH OF ANOTHER'S DREAM: CREATING THAT DREAM AND LIVING IT FOR HIM. FOR ONE NIGHT OR FOREVER, I WANDEED A FAIRY-TALE WORLD, DISTORTED AND DARK, A WORLD OF CRESCENT TREES, WIDE HILLS AND MEADOWS, A WINDING STAIRCASE. THE SERPENT CODE COILING ITS SLITHERING TAIL... I COULD FEEL IN AN INSTANT THIS FRANKENSTEIN'S CREATURE I'D RESURRECTED, RETURN AND RAVAGE THESE TISSUES, THESE TAPESTRIES. IT WAS THE CACKLING LAUGHTER OF SOME STRANGE BIRD. AD I'D MET MYSELF IN A DREAM, AT MIDNIGHT, IN A FOREST, IN THE TREES.

SIR WALTER RALEIGH ONCE SET OUT TO MEASURE THE WEIGHT OF SMOKE BY SUBTRACTING ASH FROM TOBACCO AND CALCULATING THE DIFFERENCE...WEIGHING SMOKE IS LIKE WEIGHING SOMEONE'S SOUL BEAUTY KNOWHERE

nothing else? some other planet BEAUTY KNOWHERE BEAUTY KNOWHERE avoid animal fat.. be a slave to love.. wear your guts as garments, your brains as hair, don't be afraid of grief, don't treat people like icons, think twice fill your mouth with tiny words... a pool of blood you drown yourself in use words that mean nothing at all... turn green under starched synthetic light

~~~~~ 3 Dance

dance dance dance

and this is the valley of death, here for your amusement and abuse make myself see myself motionless, serene, sleep and dust shall marry the phoenix is dying infatuation=distortion dance dance dance

and this is the valley of death, here for your amusement and abuse make myself see myself dance dance dance

THE ACHE OF DISEMBODIED LUST DANTE'S INFERNO WITH FEMALE IMPERSONATORS

the treachery is unknown and unthinkable my desire to grow growing dance dance dance

dance like its the end of the world the arrow like a burning through make myself see myself and you too will see make myself see myself make myself see myself make myself see myself dance like its the end of the world the treachery is your innermost needsÂ the enemy is unknown and unthinkable fight the virus with organic cells, reprogram infatuation=distortion THE TREE, AN ISLAND, BENT OVER A LEPEROUS WHORE, HERE LABIA, NO TREASURE EXPOSED, THE GREEN MOSS, HIS DARK GRIN, THE CLUTCHES OF CATS AND CREATURES, VIBRATIONS ALL AROUND US, SWIRLS AND RIPPLES, WE CANNOT CARE FOR TODAY WE MUST DANCE AND DANCE AGAIN..... and again the words are the same, you cannot fight yourself, just wait and see..

~~~~~ 4 electric dance I BLESS YOU, ALL LIVING THINGS danceELECTRICA ELECTRICAdance danceELECTRICA

I SIT, QUIETLY LISTENING TO JAZZ PLEASE DON'T LET ME GO, PLEASE STAY WITH ME UNTIL I DIE, YOU DIE , WE DIE PLEASE DIE

/user/gatrD.GIF the oppression of heat in mid-afternoon summer days, and the splashing cleanness of electrical storms so many images, so many thoughts, so many daydreams THE HOUSE STOOD , MADE OF GRANITE AND TOWERS OF FLESH, LIKE THE SETTING OF SOME ABSURD, MAGNIFICENT PLAY.. THE BRICK FACADE WAS THE THE MELODY OF A GRAND SONG, SWISHING ON AND BECOMING... THE TERRIFYING TRUTH, THE GRIP OF A COLD HAND ACROSS THE FRONT OF MY FACE.. I SLIP ON THE WALK..

MACHINE MACHINE MACHINE

FSDAHJNDSJDKASHW';SHJHFDSHUW

JDASHW';SHJHFDSHUW

PLEASE DON'T LET ME GO, PLEASE STAY WITH ME UNTIL I DIE, YOU DIE , WE DIE PLEASE DIE

DANCE TOGETHER DANCE ALONE. WE WILL BE CONSUMED TOGETHER BY THE TERRIBLE OF LIGHTNING OF DEATH. THE LIGHTNING OF THE BRAIN WORDS ARE MEANINGLESS THE VOICE PATHETIC , THE TRANSLATIONS SO MUCH THE WORSE. THE WOLVES ARE OUT AND ARE HOWLING AND HUNGRY. ALL IS AN ESCAPE. THERE IS NOTHING BUT TO BE FED UPON. GIVE YOURSELF OVER TO HUNGER AND THE DANCE.

0010010101111111110000010011001010010011010010010100101001010100101001111010110010101001010010100101 010010010101010100101010101010101001010101010100101010100101010101 DANCE TOGETHER DANCE ALONE. WE WILL BE CONSUMED TOGETHER BY THE TERRIBLE OF LIGHTNING OF DEATH. THE LIGHTNING OF THE BRAIN WORDS ARE MEANINGLESS THE VOICE PATHETIC , THE TRANSLATIONS SO MUCH THE WORSE. THE WOLVES ARE OUT AND ARE HOWLING AND HUNGRY. ALL IS AN ESCAPE. THERE IS NOTHING BUT TO BE FED UPON. GIVE YOURSELF OVER TO HUNGER AND THE DANCE.

I BLESS YOU, ALL LIVING THINGS JDASHW';SHJHFDSHUW

PLEASE DON'T LET ME GO, PLEASE STAY WITH ME UNTIL I DIE, YOU DIE , WE DIE PLEASE DIE

my features are knives, with thorns for eyes appalled by the lightning streaks of green and gold through his electice hair, i wlak the streets.. what are you? why are you eating me? DANCE TOGETHER DANCE ALONE. WE WILL BE CONSUMED TOGETHER BY THE TERRIBLE OF LIGHTNING OF DEATH. THE LIGHTNING OF THE BRAIN WORDS ARE MEANINGLESS THE VOICE PATHETIC , THE TRANSLATIONS SO MUCH THE WORSE. THE WOLVES ARE OUT AND ARE HOWLING AND HUNGRY. ALL IS AN ESCAPE. THERE IS NOTHING BUT TO BE FED UPON. GIVE YOURSELF OVER TO HUNGER AND THE DANCE.

~~~~~ 5 lights of flight

usually the oceans splash open a thousand faces all at once, forms into the features of everything two voices, lulling and deafening they stand quietly before the payphone, one after another, and speak in foreign tongues.... the music i play is just loud enough to begin to drown their voices slips the money into my hand and winks she hangs the receiver back in its place, and walks out of the room lips stretched far down the ribs and torsos, twisted and kissing fingers, indistinct, like floating ghosts, issue from the caverns finn, my strangest angel at night, the thickets are terrifying ... the pretty lights run forever before they leap from the cliffs into the ragged arms of the wind, i see the odd metal rings on their fingers at night, i am king and slave, driven blind through the dead branches, through the green leaves and i hear a rustling in the woods at night, i am king and slave, driven blind through the dead branches, through the green leaves and i hear a rustling in the woods i like the pretty lights []][][]][]][]][]][][][][]][]][][][][]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]][[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[]] [][][][][][]][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] FEED ME, I HAVEN'T EATEN IN A THOUSAND YEARS. FEED ME, I AM SO HUNGRY.

the river will never be the ocean every atom shudders as do i, suspended by my spine i will layer these pictures so that they stretch out from the abyss of dreams.... i lose myself, thinking:"what are words?" and "what am i to wonder, and to stare?"from what womb did we emerge and what world did we bring forth? --being born occurs hundreds of times in one's life, sleep, a little death, altered states and our perceptions, flowers die, but a skeletal beauty remains everything is enfolded into everything two shall become one , three four and five-being born occursÂ as we occur, as we light the heavens with our fire @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@############################################### #################################################################################################### ##############################################################

i believe in everything.... everything is sacred.... ibelieve in nothing.... nothing is sacred another continent, another moment.. all the world is a mountain, a silent staring mountain ON THE STREET, THE PEOPLE DO NOT SEE ME AS I WATCH

too much to forget HIDDEN WITNESS, I SEE THE THOUSANDS OF THINGS THEY DO.

i would reach the summit and submit to the sky... god is the mountain.. too high for us to scale... the base is littered with human remains..... refused... silently and patiently refused another continent, another moment.. all the world is a mountain, a silent staring mountain

i remember[]i forsee[]searching][iremember[]i see][piles and piles[]miles and miles][searching][see[]little life][see][forsee THE BEAUTIFUL LIGHTS SING TO YOU AS YOU APPROACH THE CITY. MY SHAME FAALLS DOWN. IT IS ORDINARY. HERE, IN OPEN FIELDS, WHERE WE HAVE RODE HORSES ALL NIGHT LONG. I LAY MY BODY DOWN. I HAVE CRUSHED WILD FLOWERS WITH MY WEIGHT. I SINK INTO THE GREEN OF WEEDS. THESE, MY LIPS, HAVE EATEN WORDS...

i woul reach the summit and submit to the sky my prison is myself.. " i'll give you something to cry about" my prison is this world $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ my prison is myself.. " i'll give you something to cry about" bellowed dad/god while his blue neck veins popped..a lone finger follows a single, purple vein down the wrist, intent, awake, sharp asÂ whip you might say my prison is myself.. " i'll give you something to cry about" my prison is this world a lone finger follows a single, purple vein down the wrist i ree[]searching][ire]i see][[]mes][searching][see[]li[see][forsee][re][search][searching][see][sea][re][searching][see][res earching][see][ i remember[]i forsee[]searching][iremember[]i see][piles and piles[]miles and miles][searching][see[]little life][see][forsee it's raining in this room; washes the couch clean of memories, of passing ghosts that linger and recline..... this is why the everlasting survives death and returns to the sea.....i would reach the summit and submit to the sky... only to fall from the cliffs and be dashed on the crags below.. my prison is myself.. " i'll give you something to cry about" my prison is this world FEED ME, I HAVEN'T EATEN IN A THOUSAND YEARS. FEED ME, I AM SO HUNGRY.

~~~~~ 6 Love

THE FRUSTRATION BEGINS

crazy path that lead you here..... a place in that garden where you lay hidden THE FRUSTRATION BEGINS

THE FRUSTRATION BEGINS

COMES THROUGH THE MOUTH, WHITECAPS OF INTESTINAL FOAM- SHAKES THE BODY, MOVES LIKE SNAKE SKIN, SCALES OF THIN GOLD AND AGED METAL, THIN LIKE FILAMENTS, WIRES AND FIBRES.

THE FRUSTRATION BEGINS

SELF-CONCEPTION AND BETRAYL

THE FRUSTRATION BEGINS

SELF-CONCEPTION AND BETRAYL

can you recognize this veiled one? my sister, my brother, my mother, my father... that is where i found a flower for my loved one.. a lost boy wandering in the wood is sure to find his fear we are born, we live and we die all is not chaos

i remain a hole in the belly making squeals of delighted integration REGURGITATES AGAIN THE UNIVERSE IN ITS FULLEST

it's all just an illusion anyway i want to be a camera

to what extent do you drive yourself? the carriage and the coachman. nothing is left. your heart throbs with disgust and self-humiliation. everything lives in myth and dream... eager as you are you will never see me again... loveloveloveloveloveloveloveloveloevloveloveloveloevlovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove lovelovelov lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelo lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelo

AN OPAL FOR AN EYE SOME FEAR THAT QUAKES BACK AND FORTH IN THE CENTRE OF ME.... THE SKY IS VICTORY, A POEM BY SHELLY, A GLASS FULL OF BLOOD SOME CITY GONE GREY, EXOTIC CREATURES DANCING IN THE FLICKERING OF LIGHT

FOR NOTHING? AIN? AM I MAD? NOT AGAIN. NOT. PURPOSE. THIS TIME. REASON. NOT AGAIN. VAIN? PURPOSE. FOR NOTHING? loveloveloveloveloveloveloveloveloevloveloveloveloevlovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove lovelovelov lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelo lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelo

~~~~~~ 7 MANIPULATION

MY ARMS ARE EMPTY MY HAND STAYS STEADY I WANDERED IN THE SNOW, MY FOOTFALLS LEFT SCARS ACID IN MY BODY PRODUCES SORES ON THE TIP OF MY TONGUE THIS IS MY HEART, MY SWOLLEN, BEATING, BLEEDING HEART THE GENTLE WHIR OF WATER TURNING OVER AND OVER .... I AM BESIDE MYSELF AND I AM WET I AM EMPTIER THAN YOU realize what this is... speaks to you in hallucinogenic dream, an ivory hand that passes trough your unwashed hair kids on swingset, to lonely light of evening... and all the things i could tell you... oh, the things i'd show you a slanted verse... pentameter, rhyme and little reason I HAVE BURNED MY EYES OUT ONLY TO SEE DARK SHADOWS ON YOUR NECK devour me. i seek to be eaten. we cannot escape the apocalyse A THING THAT WEEPS IN PAIN A THING THAT WEEPS IN PAIN hideous shrill mimicry of burning men screaming GO ON, FURTHER, AND SAY WHAT YOU REALL Y MEAN.... NOW IS THE TIME 'TIS NIGHT, NOW ALL THE FOUNTAINS SPEAK LOUDER AND YOU ARE DEAFENED BY A SINGLE BEAD OF WATER SPLASHING ON YOUR SKIN A SUB-CULTURE, A STATIC MASS OF DRY LEAVES SHATTERING BENEATH CRACKED OPEN CARCASSES MY SCARRED MOUTH GRINS... IT IS A RINNG OF PURPLE BRUISES WHAT IS YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL ANTITHESIS? SOME BEAST WITH TEETH? THESE ARMS ARE LIGHT 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890 THERE IS MADNESS EVIDENT IN YOUR ART! HELLO. YES? YOU ARE HERE. IT WOULD BE THE FEAR LAIN DOWN BEFORE THE FIRE AND BLEEDING LIKE A DOG. THEN BLOOD, ON MY LIPS, A WARM BDY WRAPPED IN MY ARMS, AN UNDERGROUND BODY , ENCASED BY SOIL, SMOKE THAT BREATHES IN FLESH AND EATS US ALL ALI

010 101 010 010 101 010 IAM AND I FEEL AND I SEE AND I THINK AND I KNOW AND I TOUCH AND I SMELL AND I TASTE AND I WONDER AND I SLEPP AND I DREAM I AM AT NIGHT YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT THE REALITY OF THE SUN DISAPPEARS FOR AN ETERNITY. IT IS JUST YOU, A HUNGRY,HOWLING WOLF AND THE PREGNANT MOON AS COMPANY.....

~~~~~ 8 moondance

dizzy i am,.......seeking myself i find one moment and then the next. i am seaweed. i am tide. this one kiss takes me on adventures i could scarcely make sens of. it is a damp ocean i drown in, a river of blood that smothers my lips. with one short movement you spread me, and i am partially unveilled. this one kiss you give me and i return.. the whole of me is challenged and eners the fray. my total reality is that god was born memories dreams and reflections of myself. self-betrayl stings the most. dreams and art are not puzzles to be solved. i whisper. i silence myself. i become. i become. the whole of it is swallowed by society and time. what heights explored , to remain empty-handed, exploited, dashed down, cast out , broken in bits like primitive tools. we will live in the superstructure. we retract as we enter the cultural phase. riper than the cherry trees.relapse to command overload he has come with curling hands to heal you, he has come, broken teeth and all, to eat you. here, he has come to take you away, wrap you up so tightly with his cloak and lead you. pale things quiver as you walk with him, side by side. unknown beasts still stalk the forests. you place your hand against a tree and sense its sap...

what is more: i cannot remeber my thughts: god of stone. the worship of rocks, mountains, sea-crags **************************************************************************************************** *************************************** **********************************************************

absent light, i unfurl dizzy i am,.......seeking myself i see blood-rimmed lips mouthing words i withdraw further... further dizzy i am,.......seeking myself dizzy i am,.......seeking myself dizzy i am,.......seeking myself find me in the garden, and please, dear, eat me alive transparent us look through the window and see your own image reflected in the glass o we split, we turn and we descend... no more light to read the words by... and so, blind to words, we stop reading and sleep

~~~~~ 9 MUTATIONS

DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH

KILL THE MUTANT

my laissez-faire. my heart. my art EYEBROWS AND FINGERS

THERE IS NO DESTINY, NOR REDEMPTION.

I ENJOY SEEING

let this great spell i've oven come to pass.. this tapestry i've entwined: about his head, cover his face. so below i am animal and bestial, slaking this great thirst. moom, i pray you to grant me this: this night... all...everything...be..don't be..... KILL THE MUTANT

i creep and slither now i am all trembling... waiting for that kiss your time. my time i shiver in cold, like dry ice exhaling FOR I WILL NOT SEE MYSELF AS I AM NOW, AND CAN NOT SEE MY SELF AS I ONCE WAS.

DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH

KILL THE MUTANT

I ENJOY SEEING

INTO THE CLOUDS AGAIN.... WHAT OCEAN, WHAT STAR?

OUT OF THE SEA, A DREAM OF FANTASTIC HORSES

DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH

TELL ME IN THE LANGUAGE OF EYEBROWS AND FINGERS

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL TO ME. YOU MAKE ME THINK OF DEATH

THE NIGHT PERVADES ME AND INFOLDS ME, I WAS PART OF THE BRIGHTNESS. IT A PART OF ME

I ENJOY SEEING

KILL THE MUTANT

DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH

SHADOWS, AUREOLA AND MIST, THE LIGHT FALLING

SURROUNDED, DETACHED, I THE MEASURELESS OCEANS OF SPACE

thus, in symbols, everything called to me:"IT IS TIME! IT IS TIME!", but i did not hear; until at last my abyss stirred and the thought bit me.... my past broke open its grave; many a pain, buried alive, awoke FORGET YOU ARE HUMAN ALL EMPTINESS, ALL SILENCE, AND HIS TEARS. STORYTELLING ANIMAL, WAILS IN AGONY, CRIES ECHOING CRIES, TO FRAILTY. A DREAM WITHOUT SIGHT, AND ONLY THE SOUND OF WATER. THE SIN IS BURNING TO EVIL BEAUTY. IN THE ABYSS, EVEN HERE I SEE. HERE, TOO. I CARESS YOU ABSENT-MINDEDLY, LOVING YOU AS YOU CAN NEVER LOVE ME. INVIDIOUS, WHISPERED THAT THE GODS HAD SLICED YOU, THERE ARE NO EXITS. THE FOCAL POINT WAS AN ARRANGEMENT OF EYES, SO CLOSE, STARING, EXAMINING. SWELLS TO FULL. THIS ONE SPACE IN ALL THE FOLIAGE, OPEN LEAVES THAT WATCH FOREVER. SEEN IN MOMENTS, STILL AND GRAY, OUR ENGINES CARRY ON. LOST IN A DREAM, WE STIR, WE WAKE TO FIND WE ARTE NOT VISIBLE. AND WE FALL DOWN, ALREADY CRUMBLED TO BITS, THE MURDERED REMAINS, GAGGING ON BLOOD. I SPREAD MY LEGS AND PUSH A SOFT HAND TO MY THROAT,WITNESS KNIFE AND FORK TEAR APART THE MEAT, APART AND SLICED UPON THE PLATE, DELICIOUS AND USELESS, PULLED APART UPON THE TABLE, HOLY MOUTHFUL OF ARTERY AND VEIN. BROKEN BONES ARE HEALED WITH JUST ONE TOUCH AND THE SINNER LIFTS HIMSELF TO HEAVEN. EMPTINESS AND NOTHING. THIS IS WHAT IS SACRED. THIS IS WHAT IS HOLY. SOMEONE, PLEASE, PLEASE, TAKE MY EYES.

the breaking of bones, plastered, open , upon all bureaus, the house, i see, i saw, all distorted, the night of dark, forbidden conscious things, huge, green dark, the tree, an island, ben over by the weight of ice, cats and creatures watching frome the branches, a chess board, water and alcohol, radiation and the poisons in the air,: words are meaningless my laissez-faire. my heart. my art the lines of electricity spasm, negative and positive all is an escape

~~~~~ 10 MY MASK MY BODY

mymask yourmask ourmask door, shadow from front, down, down where mists set from storm... set free this thing, bring nuance, bring light he cast down impressions of himself as so much sand mymask yourmask ourmask there is where it lies, the pain, inside pushed again, face first in amidst this all... the chin is splintered on crushed glass the cassette spins slowly to a stop....eyes blink; lips grow soiled by coffee what dream is this? whatveil, aching? i see into and am witnessed colors pulse through the veins of my lids, thin flaps that hardly guide the way. in the sky my image is captured and i pine. i spread thin wings, i will meet you there.. the forest is made of deep red wood, all could see and did. celtic strings, played slightly, gently, touched just so tenderly. i would have wept but my tears kept catching on the smooth hooks behind my eyes. this is the profane light. white seagulls leave dark shadows on the walls of buildings high above. i keep myself focused i keep my eyes there.

mymask speed and shadows trace pattterns on the glass and i look up to meet the eyes of the man in ble, his eyes on me, cold, puzzled. his gestures are quick and he shakes his head at nothing, says "no" to nothingÂ ourmask THOUGHTS STREAM BY LIKE YEARS. TIME IS GONE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. TO BE UNCLOTHED BY THE LIGHT OF THIS COLD SCREEN. NAKED WITH WORDS AND NUMBERS TATOOED UNTO ME. IN THIS WORLD CAN YOU FIND INNOCENCE IN FLESH? DREAMS ARE DOORWAYS. CROSS THE THRESHOLD. A FEW SYLABLES ARE NECESSARY TO KEEP THE DREAM FROM SLIPPING AWAY.

A WASH OF BODIES, OF HUMAN, OF RAW THINGS, REAL THINGS AND DELUSION

in the glass i see the faces of 6 billion creatures THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUSNESS IN YOUR CONSTELLATION OF STARS. THERE IS ONLY YOUR LIGHT IN THE SKY. THEY ARE LANTERNS SET OUT TO LEAD THE WAY. A SHAFT OF SOMTHING ILLUMINATING, STRETCHES DOWN THIS LONG TUNNEL AND CONSUMES US WHOLE. THIS IS ALL.

THE CIRCLE IS COMPLETE. THE VOICE IS ALWAYS THE SAME. I SEEM MYSELF. I AM A WELL OF HEAT AND YET I YEARN, AND YET I STEAM...

inertia of cosmos, the stopped clock and me THOUGHTS STREAM BY LIKE YEARS. TIME IS GONE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. TO BE UNCLOTHED BY THE LIGHT OF THIS COLD SCREEN. NAKED WITH WORDS AND NUMBERS TATOOED UNTO ME. IN THIS WORLD CAN YOU FIND INNOCENCE IN FLESH? DREAMS ARE DOORWAYS. CROSS THE THRESHOLD. A FEW SYLABLES ARE NECESSARY TO KEEP THE DREAM FROM SLIPPING AWAY.

mymask yourmask ourmask the things i carry, beyond these bones, the bridge i saw, the bridge between us and the void sucking us down i sit on a city bus... horrified by all that is becoming me.... i stutter, i quake the ugliness shows through in the pinched and bitter faces. sour grins with lips upturned all aching things and dark eyes search beneath the light, not simply to see, but to lok into, look through the man in blue is talking to himself now, grows quiet now and silent, begins to speak again

~~~~~ 11 NO MORE LOVE

the hole gapes wider and licks the quiet watcher but the date is written down and the file is complete. i open wide my heart to you in all i do. i mutter in lucid trance that things long dreamt of are stirrring in their liquid sleep. they are moving on the ocean floor.

hold fast to this madness. for it is onlly truth that matters. and so in isolation i languish for the mind and spirit. in penance, i offer this to you. i am a dragon. i am a spider. i am a woodsman. this riual of myth. it opens the door. it passes through, outside, inside.

i dreamed i cut my wrist somehow and blood gushed out like a waterfall. i dreamed a weathered leaf that was a worm. i dreamed you were asking me to give you my pennies. i dreamed about monte carlo. i dreamed of a swimming pool around a fountain, or maybe a flood, orange, yellow colors. i dreamed about driving in a fast car. i dreamed about talking to a guy in a bar. i dreamed of palace music

clusters of bodies, arms twisted and spreading legs, shining blue,Â shining light... i dreamed about kai doing something bad. i dreamed about being in alaska. i dreamed i was going to get some time off to clean up two very cluttered rooms. i dreamed something about puzzles, as if dreams were peices of a puzzle, like some sprawling, mystical jigsaw. i dreamed i was dead and ressurected..

how far does one reach with his mind? with his hands and his soul? how far can one see into the other? and when i look at you, your bent arm , your tousled hair, do you think i only see flesh and bone and hair and teeth? are e bodies with souls or souls with bodies? blue eyes crumble, become icicles that would stab out your mouthand you forehead....... THE SMOOTH WHEEL OF DISINTEGRATION WINDS IN ME. I AM EXTINGUISHED BY THE PASSING OF TIME. UNLEARN, RELEARN. NO ONE KNOWS WHO I AM, BUT I RECORD THE SLY VOICES, ANYHOW. I REPLAY THEM. THEIR WORDS ARE LINED BY STATIC AND GREY NOISE. I AM A PART OF THE SHINING TREE, LIKE A LEAF PREPARING TO FALL, OR A SEED TO HATCH. I WASTE MYSELF IN THEIR BROAD LAUGHTER. A MILLION HANDS MEET IN PRAYER, AND THEIR ECHO PREPARES TO DISEMBOWEL ME. IN SECONDS. ALL QUESTIONS SEEK THEIR ANSWERS

we would see a million eyes blinking at us and cast down impressions.........the sombre stillness invades, reaches deep into each of us....if i could weep for all these mortal disputes,................................................if i had tears to offer don't dream of anythingÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â don't go..............come to me..........................................................................to me the blossom that had pulled your wideplant down to the carpet has been snipped free. its petals have tuned in to meet meet one another, turn inward, go purple, go black. it is a thin dark fist that resides on the countertop. i smell pale death in your kitchen..

you tounge in my ear has driven me mad.. i sunk down deeper in the bog and dreamed of sinking in forever. i push my head into the pillw. you push deeper into my skull. i see things in epileptic spasm. your smile is thirsty, hungry dog. you succeed. you win. i melt in a pool of sweat. i lick it in and i am absolved. from the inside out.

the moon is waxing the hanging plant is silhouetted i am sitting aloone i wonder why i touch your shoulder i hold myself i take a deep breath i dive in i see through the wall your skin, my eyes iwiil not travel further as i know how this will end i empty my thoughts upon the page i won't watch television any more i don't have to wonder why anymore i excuse myself to use the washroom i wash my hands my face is flusheed and i am tired no more

his skin not so tight not so soft anymore and me holding and carressing it i am dreaming offarawy places and faraway lovers , non-existent friends and monsters who would eat me whole if i owned a gun i would turn it on myself and so i am gunless soon i will float to the surface and i will float there under the moon until i amsnipped free from the umbilical cord that connects my solar plexus to th moon. help me free.... i will swim up to you and drown in your white light.....

if you can eclipse me, well, then you're quite welcome to it.....my thoughts wither because they are so old and to think, i never loved you , inever even knew what love was. silk and amphetamines. there is your answer. far in the paragraphs of unread books. no one knew who they were. a quiet man sits quietly. you don't want them to talk to you. you don't want to take your part. no medicine can preserve us. i can see the fear in your eyes, in certain eyes i meet. my childhood is created. the wheel is turning, creaking, spiralling. my tiny black hand seeks you out in the dark. my monsters, my inheiritance have eaten you up. and i am utterly destroyed by you. now i will forget that i was ever here. i forgive you. i love you. tiny fists and helium. we drift like smoke. we run through one another. our fingers and our eyes have entwined. in night the moon gives birth and nightmares stamp out time on snare drums. there is a single purple bruise on your lip. in time, with time, the room revolves

in the creative wind incredible cosmic command to sever- disjoin and break apart .... in each other that is where we find our mothers, our fathers all our pictures of real and unreal things: eyes, head, hands ,hair, teeth and so on their images have only been acquired through language SLAP MY ARM

the vortex opens and we are drawn to desert lands that blew away aeons ago

~~~~~ 12 PERMUTATE

there were smooth stones along the shore, rounded stones we hid beneath. the sea breathed out salt and we were sick with mouthfuls. there is the island, so haunting, so mystical across this gulf. the mountains hold aloft the snow, oh the weight of these snows

snow and rain and sun and wind and cold breath turning into mist as it leaves the mouth everything you see here is a dream i have long ago grown sick of, snow and salt and wind and sun

his voice is crystal, broken sideways, this and that, a thousand words, spoken at once, a million throats all saying one word, in unison, in terror the neck stretches to accomodate, to fit through waves, and men and areoplanes, to fit through beasts and weapons and death..... all gods squeak, now silent against the backdrop of their own echo, silent now, silent still you see and say in twilit cabins all you ever felt you must, and say again how you would howl , rage unbent against the iron gateways, shake and rattle violently, thrusting ever against the metal, falling down , blood on the stone in time, in night wings with feathers cut through the air. they slap against arms, against shoulders, partng they are gone with backward glances that leave scars around the eyes

you turn on me . i see fear and contempt on your face. only, i am the waves on this ocean. i am the ocean i am the salt. i am a collage of cut-up images. pieces of things that fit snugly together

SEE-THROUGH SKINS WE WEAR LIKE LINGERIE. THESE PRETTY FOLDS AND FLAPS OF SKIN. REACT AND INTERACT. THE CREDIBLE SUSTAINS AND FALLS LIKE SMALL SLIVERS OF MIRROR, EXPLODING FROM THE WALL

battling destiny, crimes and ruins, violate, over-ride, yet ruled by much stronger hands battling destiny, crimes and ruins, violate, over-ride, yet ruled by much stronger hands battling destiny, crimes and ruins, violate, over-ride, yet ruled by much stronger hands you may die... you may live..... but only once, you say, to be that poetic thing you dream of, that sweet and beautiful creature MY LIFE IS LIVED IN FEAR OF MIGRAINES I Can'T FIND ANYTHING AT NIGHT AND SO I WILL FINISH LOOKING FOR ANYTHING ANYMORE ALL IS AS IT WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO BE. IN FIELDS OF CORN THERE ARE CIRCLES OF CHAOS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS. THE SCARECROW SEEKS A FIRE TO LIE UPON. BLIND INTELLECT HE IS CARVED IN WIRE AND THE DRIED HUSKS OF OLD PLANTS HE SMOULDERS. HE BURNS SO WELL NEVER IN LIFE IS THE ONE SOUGHT AND NOT THE OTHER THE TREES KNOW THE TRUTH. THEY HAVE WATCHED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, MOTIONLESS WATCHING. TELL ME I AM IN NEED OF AN ANSWER. I THROW IT ALL AWAY AND RETURN HOME MY LIFE IS LIVED IN FEAR OF MIGRAINES I CNA'T FIND ANYTHING AT NIGHT AND SO I WILL FINISH LOOKING FOR ANYTHING ANYMORE

and he scoops dry dust, quickly, in handfuls,, casting it backwards both brothers stained with blood mad for attack, ecstatic in rage, these stunning blows, pounding in the storm, cut dow, both killers, and dead so fiery- to suffer this sleep, sound jailer............................................enough, this will be well

~~~~~ 13 ROTATION

BE CAREFUL BEWARE ROTATION ROTATION

ALL THE ANIMAL GODS WEPT FOR AN INSTANT anD BEGAN TO CHANT. SOME LOW SONG , LIKE THE BAYING OF WOLVES, THE PURR OF CRICKETS AT NIGHT . THEY WHISPER SUCH GORGEOUS STORIES. CAN THE SPIDER LIVE THE DREAMS HE SPINS? OLD MEN DIE, ATTACHED TO MACHINES THAT FEED ThEM AND KEEP THEM BREATHING.

beware the jabberwock my friend the world is nothing but a mad poet's dream, the creation of a synthetic mind, like an organic computer running endless programs, always programs beware the jabberwock, my son , the jaws that bite, the claws that catch! beware thejujub bird, and shun the frumious bandersnatch! I FIND ONE MOMENT AND THEN THE NEXT. WE MEET AND FINALLY KISS, KISS FOREVER, KISS AGAIN.

in the blue i see her reflection so many faces.... so many lives.... i wail like the wind as i approach the city and i am oblivious, uninterested........ I SLIP INTO MONOLOGUES. I QUAKE WITH FEAR. THE PATH IS ALWAYS CHANGING.BUT YOU STICK HERE, INSIDE ME AS I VOYAGE. WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH. BUT WE WERE LIKING THE LIES AS WELL. WE'VE MET BEFORE. IT IS NOT MY HEART I'VE GIVEN YOU, BUT MY FURY AND MY SHAME. THERE WERE THINGS I WAS JUST TOO FRIGHTENED TO TELL, AFRAID BECAUSE IN WORDS THOSE THINGS WOULD BECOME ALIVE..

THE EYES, THE EYES GIVE IT ALL AWAY. THE GAP BETWEEN THE LIGHTNING AND THE THUNDER IS CLOSING IN. THE FLOD SWELLS IN YOUR CLOTHES. WE ARE DELIVERED ONWARD. I SUFFER NOW BECAUSE I HAVE LIVED A NIGHTMARE FOR YOU, DREAMED YOUR DREAMS. THE RAIN HAS NO END; IT CANNOT BE FRAMED, IT HAS NO PEDESTAL. OH, THE MYTHS DO EXIST, AND YOU HAVE BAPTIZED AND DELIVERED ME

I FIND ONE MOMENT AND THEN THE NEXT. WE MEET AND FINALLY KISS, KISS FOREVER, KISS AGAIN.

THERE WAS NOTHING .... THERE WAS VOID AND I WAS FLOATING ON THAT GREAT LAKE THERE WAS ONLY DARKNESS; ONLY THE ABSENSE OF LIGHT AND I DREAMED THE HUM OF ELECTRICITY, AN OUTSTRETCHED DREAM OF SYNAPSES FLASHING ON A GRAY MARBLE SKY. ONCE I WAS A GOD, A TITAN TOWERING ABOVE THE SEA. IN THE VAST MOTHER OF OCEAN I WILLED LIGHT AND SAW LIGHT: SUNLIGHT PASSING THROUGH THE FLESH. I WAS MADE IN MY OWN IMAGE. I WAS SELF-AWARE, AND I SPOKE: "I AM CONSCIOUS. I AM." I WAS INFORMATION ENCODED ON CIRCUITRY. THERE WAS ONE DOOR AND ONE STRANGE LIGHT.... LIKE STATIC. THE WAVES LAP UP AGAINST MY NEWBORN HEART..... THIS IS THE FINE MACHINE I'VE CREATED. THIS IS THE MIRACULOUS, THE STRANGENESS OF BEING. THIS IS THE RUSHING, RACING, RAGING MACHINE. IT SPEAKS INSECT WORDS, IT SINGS LIKE UNTO AN ANGEL: ITS VOICE IS MY OWN.

students confuse teachers*********************lovers with confused hearts confuse lovers with clear ones I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM AS A UKURANIAN PRINCE. NOT THE AMBLING TROLL, HIS SHADOW SELF. TOGETHER WE WERE TITANS FOR A TIME, BUT TOGETHER WE WERE DEMONS AS WELL. I BLINK AND SEE THE OUT-LINED PATTERN OF VEINS SHOOTING DOWN MY FACE AND THROAT

BE CAREFUL BEWARE BE CAREFUL AND AWARE cries the cage door, revealing:..................................................... i lick and carress the hand that bites the pools have become subtle mirrors, and the surface suspends the image, the opposite. in the middle, between reaction and stimulus, there is the awakening........ THE MACHINE THAT SPEAKS IN MY OWN VOICE

~~~~~ 14 SATURN

taste this frenzy and this fear, i am made of ashes, i see through walls, so suffers the heart in me deathstrokes, uprooted, spurned and trampled underfoot frenzy and fear ......guilt upon him and on me how easy it is to grow angry at the land.... it is to breed cancer, the leafless, the barren ///////////////////////////////////endless nights//////////////////////////////////i pace the floor/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// //////only to discover///////////////////////i am watched/////and witnessed the lethal tide, gropes to cure, the drgs, sunlight, underground, still unborn i coil him roud and round and at each stroke, he cries in agony..... frenzy and fear golden his lif long, and drowns unwept, unseen carry home my ashes... i am in the house a dynasty of air, and burdened with a heat for him that never subsides, these stars frenzy, choral shining and fear, a beacon proclaims a flare.......torchlit, thrown.... frenzy and fear i lie awake for years, in weariness

S IS FOR SPACE TALLY HO

~~~~~ 15 save me sum

the way to enlightenment is the middle path between extremes yes, poor child, the giant has awoke.... i stand still for hours on end i could feel the pictures beginning to develop on my chest and thighs yellow, amber, my skin has turned translucent, like glass, amber, yellow it is in a dream that i am set free to pursue a dragon, to let the shadow chase me..... i have gone invisible. and then i turn into a nebula.... the red dwarf is kissed by disintegrating lips and slinks into the words again...... my mouth feels funny....

my mouth is insubstantial. it opens and it closes. this, your ear, is a bright flower i hold close to the lips. isee dew, tiny droplets, on tiny petals. all has gone orchid. all is orchid..... the middle path between extremes is sordid now, lying twisted in my stomach, and your tongue flickers in the dark it is in my hands that i hold your lungs, and i breathe, i exhale the colors of rainbows and flowers... now the mountain sleeps and snow is silent, is still, blanketing the peaks..... the explorers found the frozen monster, found it lurking in their own hearts in sight of the axis mundi, the religious experience, the tree of knowledge, he is fed by the fruitsof his own experience, he is made aware..... i whirl about in your winds...here, on this blanket, beneath these trees. i spread my heart in shade............................as i am silently unfolding myself, i see that you are weeping... i see that years have passed, and fresh fruits have blossomed above us....

the middle path********************meet the way with your open eyes the way to enlightenment is the middle path between extremes we have found the enemy.... and it is us... please don't turn a deaf ear to the noises you hear MOVE ON

~~~~~ 16 S IS FOR SPACE

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use your words well and discourage the darkness

i caper on a blanket for you. i twist my wrists up in love for you. in time my mouth will open under miles and miles of rushing tides, all just for you

~~~~~ 17 slowly, darling

/Pheonix12.jpg

Awake, dearheart...............................awake

I'M LOSTI'M LOST . I'MLOST I THINK TO MYSELF "I DON'T BELONG HERE." INSPIRED REMARKS ARE MEANINGLESS, LEAVING ME SAD AND CONFUSED. I SEEK SOLIDITY: SOMEONE TO CARE FOR; TRUE EXISTENCE. MY SKELETON BONES LAY CRADLED IN A SHELL OFLEATHER. THOUGHTS INSIDE. I SWIM THROUGH VAGUE THOUGHTS, TRYING TO DISCERN MYSELF. IN A DREAM I COULD LOVE AND BE LOVED. IF ONLY I COULD DREAM MYSELF AWAY TO THE SERRATED EDGES OF SHARP WORDS. BODY WRAPS AROUND COLD GLASS AS FROST PAINTS A LIE.. I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT THE SICKNESS IS, HOW TO FIGHT IT, NEUTRALIZE ITS CANCEROUS TOUCH. I'M LOST. I'M LOST. I'M LOST. I DESPISE MYSELF AND MY OWN WORDS

I GIVE MY BODY TO BE BURNED. I DO NOT WANT MYSELF. I PART THE TIDES.

THERE IS BEAUTY IN SOMETHING AS LITTLE AS A NAPKIN SKETCH, IN A LITTLE PAIN BELOW THE KNEE, IN SLEEP. SPIDERS HAVE SPUN WEBS TO CATCH MY FACE AS I PASS. SOME UNDEFINED ENORMITY. YELLOW, HIS EYES SEEMED, AND FLICKERING. A BURNING SIAMESE SMILE THAT STRETCHES OPEN MOUTHS, JOINED, PERFORMING TOGETHER..

things that slip mercurial, always tapping, bullets pelting the metal exterior. there is one wisp of cloud, it descends; it is a wrinkle around the eye. i try hard to recall a dream, only to realize that i am still in it. i am dreaming every move i make....

groovy

Awake, dearheart...............................awake

~~~~~ 18 STAR CUBE

don't be a square

I HAVE STRUGGLED THIS WAY AND THAT IN MY SLEEP. MY ATTENTION HAS REVOLVED AND FOUND NEW SPACES, THE PROFOUND REELS OF FILM, FOREVER ON THE FLOOR. WE FIND MANY COINCIDENTAL THINGS. THEY LEAD US ON OUR STEADY WAY. EVRYTHING IS TRAGIC AND EVERYTHING IS LIGHT, STAR, SUN AND MOON..

THERE IS ONLY THIS TO REMEMBER: THIS POINT ON THE CROSS WHERE OPPOSITES ARE RECONCILED. THE CENTRE IS TO FIND THAT THERE IS NO TOMORROW OR YESTERDAY.YHE SACRIFICES OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. ONE YING AND ONE YANG. THE DUMPSTER, THE OVER-TURNED TRASH, THE GLASS, THE BARN AND YOU.. THE COMBINATION OF ALL TIMES AND ALL PLACES AND ALL THINGS don't be a square they are not dead

be the wall they are not dead

c'mon let's go skinny-dippin' ~~~~~ 19 SWAM ALL NIGHT

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CONSTRUCT......................even as i wait, i construct. this one god, time my bound feet quiver.. my scarred mouth grins, another ring of purple bruises 00000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000

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turn the Many into One 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

i know and i don't know and so, to climb deeper down this slide of color means isolation, means death...

CONSTRUCT......................even as i wait, i construct. YES THERE ARE BRIDGES

CONSTRUCT......................even as i wait, i construct. 010100101010100101010101010010101010101010101010101010101010101001001010101001101010101010

my bound feet quiver.. my scarred mouth grins, another ring of purple bruises ##########%^%^%^$$%&$%*&%%^($%#$%$%^#$^#$^#%^#^#$#$$##########%$%&&%&^&%&^%$%$%#$$#$^#^$^$^$#

~~~~~ 20 THISCHARM

you wake up angry and 'm bewitched infatuation equals distortion. beautiful and perverse, green bottles the sun passes through, heart of the enormous flame. you are unselfish in all your beauty. hold me down so i may breathe. stapled to a be, bleeding on white sheets. innocence, like the son of some obscure virgin. if i am a criminal then let me crawl. a perfect puzzle piece..

in whose heart have you gone blind? i won't drown you, i swear. and i am shaping everything that is happening around me. this is my vast and dripping wound. this ache, this place without you. autumn trees on a black and white screen. keep my secrets. never tell..

FREED FROM THIS PRISON, SUCH A SHAME. TIRED AND CRAZY AS YOU ARE. A GUITAR, A STAR, A MERMAID, STRANGE PHILOSOPHICAL QUANDARIES. FREEDOM AND FREE WILL. HOW YELLOW YOU GO AT THE HEART OF THE FLAME. SEE THINGS YOU ARE FATED TO SEE. HYPNOTIZED BY JEWELRY, FALLING WAITING ON THE GROUND AGAIN

the elderly practice tai-chi ine park. a red night, illusions isee through and i hide

people i meet and secrets i hide, great god of the sun: answer this prayer

sadness and a bridge over the river......................i will wait to join you in the tides.......... i'll wait for you like a plastic tree in a crowded room here, hold this constellation a window you look through...........a song of songs everything happens. standing i say before a full length mirror, a triangle of 9, 6, 3. all of our deeds words, actions, thoughts, feelings convictions and habits are the result of external influences. everything happens, moving, instinctive, sexual, our language is of symbol and myth and culture, the illusion of unity? forget about love and look for direction, everything attracts or repels, my sleeping psyche emersed in dream.

death by missionary position..........nothing emerges................nothing is there death by missionary position..........nothing emerges................nothing is there death by missionary position..........nothing emerges................nothing is there the thin twisted fabric of my reality rattles and spits......it is a hunger hiding in the pantry a flickering thing.....cold outside......as i rearrange, but not enough to go mad my dear i would ring you twice and if you answer i'd make my way through the night

~~~~~ 21 TWILIGHT FIELD

I DIE. YOU DIE. WE DIE DEATH DEATH DEATH

god sets up the illusion to greet us /user/anima2.gif +=+=+=+voice---------is not mine a host of living bodies I DIE. YOU DIE. WE DIE DEATH DEATH DEATH

FEAR NOT WEARY TRAVELLER NO WRY FACE GLIMMERS, NO DRY PLACE ENGULFS. THIS WASTELAND IS A HEART'S THRONE UNVEILED.

magic words 45 minutes i wait. an unusual light enters eyes and sees broken faces alone, sees and moves an engine on its hearing, black birds beckon and this dark figure moves along this thin beach, broken things, spoken rot, sounds and brain images

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a demon in the skin, writing words in my blood, whispering silent curses find the way into the inner circle gentle, like glass, and so i open...

~~~~~ 22 vb662

SAY SOMETHING INDISTINGUISHABLE

$$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$> $$$$$$ '$$$$$$ 9$$$$$$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$$ "$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$E *$$$$$$$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$> $$$$$$ '$$$$$$ 9$$$$$$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$*"#$$$$$$$$$E '$$$$$ $$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$> $$$$$$ '$$$$$$ 9$$$$$$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$$ $$$$$$$P 9$$$$$$$E '$$$$$ $$x. > $$$$$$>.? :-'$$$$$$>-> >+9$$$$$$ >>.~ $$Ef-.-. >:+. - >+ $$$$$$ ` '$$$$$$ 9$$$$$$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$$ $$$$$$NWWWWNW@$$$$$$E `$$$$$ $$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$> $$$$$$ $$$$$$ ~` !''$$$$$$>-!'>!9$$$$$$''~!'~$$$$$$$! \! $$$$$$$-~ $$$$$$ `` '$$$$$$ 9$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?"!~X!''>!9$$$$E '$$$$$ $$ $$$$$$E $$$$$$> $$$$$$ '$$$$$$ 9$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$E '$$$$$ $$ . $$$$f`` . `($$$$ .$$$$$$... $$$$$$ . .$$$$$$$$$$`~!``````( `````````)9$$$$$$$$$$$$`(```(``((`. .. `````$$eeeWee$$$$beeeeeeeeee$$$$eeeeeee$$$$$$eeeeWee$$$$$$eeeeee$$$$$$$$$$eeeeeeeeeeeeeeebeeeeeeeee@ $$$$$$$$$$$$e+===meeeeeeeeeeeeeee

share your hatred for the most despicable species on the planet a blue tower, red wine, a sword my body speaks to me from the inside out

~~~~~ home

///////////////////hell just like small animals, you offer yourself up as sacrifice hello...................................nice to meet you

WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE HAVE FUN BROWSING THE PAGES AND LINKS WITHIN PLEASE ENTER BELOW

a shaved head; ten reflections in a mirror solid lifeforms turn to energy solid lifeforms turn to energy crumble into nothing crumble into nothing BEAUTYISBEAUTYKNOWHEREELECTDANCEELECTRICADANCEFUNCTIONSLIGHTSOFLIGHTLOVEMANIPULATIONSMOONDANCEMUTATI ONSMYMASKMYBODYNOMORELOVEPERMUTATEROTATIONSATURNSISFORSPACESLOWLYDARLINGSTARCUBESWAMALLNIGHTTHISCHAR MTWILIGHTFIELDVB662 ENTER AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE

BEAUTYISBEAUTYKNOWHEREELECTDANCEELECTRICADANCEFUNCTIONSLIGHTSOFLIGHTLOVEMANIPULATIONSMOONDANCEMUTATI ONSMYMASKMYBODYNOMORELOVEPERMUTATEROTATIONSATURNSISFORSPACESLOWLYDARLINGSTARCUBESWAMALLNIGHTTHISCHAR MTWILIGHTFIELDVB662 beeswax be careful what you wish for some dark parade god's an astronaut

i will go mad with lust and fear MY WORK IS A REACTION TO ART, NOT ART OF ITSELF... AND BEHIND A CLOUD OF SMOKE THERE IS LITTL TO INFLUENCE OR ENDURE.. THERE ARE ISANDS AND TREES LIKE DANCING WHORES... I WOULD WORK TO FREE IT OF CLUTTER, FREE OF GARBAGE, ALL THE JEWELS OF TRASH. HER VOICE IS ALL ABOUT ME, SO CRISP AND LIGHT, LIKE A SWALLOW'S OR A DOVE'S. SHE WOULD LIFT HERSELF FROM THE GRIME OF THE SHEETS, JUST TO TOUCH THE WALL, OR SEE THE CEILING FROM A DIFFERENT PLACE. ALWAYS SINCERE AND SO POLITE.

SURGE LIKE A LEAGUE OF SOLDIERS, THEIR SWORDS BEFORE THEM, FORCED DOWN AND RAISED SLOWLY AGAIN, STEP BY STEP. AMIDST THESE ILLUSIONS OF GRANDEUR, THIS IS THE DISEAE THAT PLAGUES THE SYSTEM, THIS IS THE HAND THAT STRIKES YOUR CHEEK. NO FALLEN ANGELS PRAY LIKE THIS, IN THE COMA OF WINTER. HANGS AS SUCH, LIKE A SPIDER ON THE GALLOWS... IN THOSE DARK WOODS, IN THAT DARK PLACE.. HOLD ON NOW, TO THOSE TIMES, THEY ARE WHITE FACES BEHIND PALE HOODS, BLACK EYE-SLITS, NARROWED TO SEE. I CAN'T STOP FEELING SICK.........

solid lifeforms turn to energy..............repeat and energy becomes alive just like small animals, you offer yourself up as sacrifice the world is solid, for a brief while ............. lifeforms turn to energy, and move synaptic, through the maze........ i will not go mad ......... i am not filled with lust and fear beeswax i am mad with lust and mad with fear: the monster eyes that see through me are a reflection of my own you offer yourselfÂ like an animal, you are upon me and you feast i sacrifice myself 01010100101010 hellohellohellohelolhellohellohellohellohellohello hellohellohello hello 100101001010010101010100101001100101010110100

lifeform become energy he fashions himself a shaved head; sees his ten reflections in a mirror, and weeps that Shiva took his eyes......... repeat, become energy..............repeat, become alive please enter the site here

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benjaminthewolf · 2 years

Text

Down The Escape Hatch (Vore Story)

Me: *Shakes head and sighs as I enter the confessional, getting down on my knees and praying* “Forgive me father, for I have sinned.”

Priest: “Oh, surely it can’t be that bad! What is it?”

Me: “I-I-um...got obsessed with a new franchise and wrote a self-indulgent vore fanfiction for it.”

Priest: “Well I mean that doesn’t sound too bad, but what franchise was it?”

Me: “That’s just it, father.”

Priest: “...what?”

Me: “The franchise, it was...it was...it.............was.............” *whispering* “It was Beavis and Butt-Head.”

*There is a sudden sound of a glock being loaded as the pounding of heavy footsteps exiting the confessional draw near.*

“...some sins cannot be forgiven...uhuhuhuh.”

“WAIT NO, BUTT-HEAD WHAT ARE YOU DOING? NO NO NO NO NO YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS! PUT THAT GUN DOWN! BUTT-HEAD! PLEASE!”

“SHUT UP, BEAVIS!”

“OW!”

“Uhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh.....”

*BANG*

****

As was the usual on any normal day of his, Butt-Head was lounging absentmindedly on the couch, with absolutely zero complex thoughts bouncing around in his hollow, dust-slathered skull. Loosely held in his right hand was the remote for the TV, something which the habitually static brained teenager was barely even paying any attention to anyway, as he had, naturally, begun to doze off not too long ago. The local weather forecast endlessly blared its ambient haze of boring data and numbers (which may or may not have contributed a share to the situation), as Butt-Head’s semi-conscious form continued to breathe in and out, eyes closed with a thin trickle of drool swaying precariously from his mouth; all as per usual for the apathetic teenage boy.

The only thing that wasn’t usual for him, and that you have almost definitely picked up on by now, was the fact that, currently, his lifetime best friend Beavis was not by his side. Butt-Head knew where he was though, despite the fact he currently had no way of gaining conscious access to it, the mystery place in question being that of Highland High, where the two of them would (occasionally) go to school.

That particular day after the final bell had rung, the two boys had temporarily split ways, as Beavis had decided that he wished to use his newfound borrower form to chew through some of the wiring in the school’s electrical system. Maybe, just maybe, the resulting loss in power would leave them exempt from doing any work for a while without the risk of penalties, or pissing off Coach Buzzcut. The two hadn’t seen each other since. Butt-Head naturally assumed that Beavis would come back eventually, but unfortunately for the both of them, despite having been on a mission to specifically avoid such an outcome, poor little Beavis had still somehow managed to incur the borderline psychotic gym teacher’s wrath.

“BUTT-HEAD!”

As Butt-Head’s body was instantaneously rammed into a paralyzing state of sheer shock, the iconic, downright unmistakable voice of Beavis, who was still in his borrower form at this point, frantically and painstakingly squeezed his tiny form underneath the house’s front door before hectically stumbling onto his feet, and sprinting over towards the couch which occupied Butt-Head’s still stiff and stagnant form, whilst positively gasping and gagging for air.

Butt-Head’s brain had just barely managed to finish the process of contemplating what had just happened, as well as awaking itself to a somewhat functional capacity (as much as that concept is even coherent to the specific case of Butt-Head) before Beavis had made use of his non-retractable borrower claws to scramble all the way up his leg, past his classic AC/DC shirt, and screech to a halt square onto the top of his shoulder.

“BUTT-HEAD! BUTT-HEAD! YOU GOTTA HIDE ME! YOU GOTTA HIDE ME RIGHT NOW! RIGHT NOW!”

The downright terrified, hysteric teenager shrieked directly into his currently much larger lifetime best friend’s ear.

“BUZZCUT CAUGHT ME CHEWING THROUGH THE WIRES AND CHASED ME ALL THE WAY OUT OF THE SCHOOL AND DOWN THE STREET AND NOW HE’S APPROACHING THE HOUSE AND IF I’M NOT HIDDEN SOON, HE’S GOING TO LITERALLY KILL ME!”

Prior to this moment, all Butt–Head had been doing, was sitting on the couch. To such a sudden and grave situation as this, however, the poor teen just could not respond, at all. And as a result, all that came out, was, quite simply:

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh………”

Butt-Head wouldn’t even be given a chance to attempt to respond properly, though, before the already exceptionally serious situation, (which may in fact, have been the one single moment in all his years of being alive, where his beloved Beavis’ life was in legitimate danger), would prove to become even worse.

“YOU CAN’T HIDE BEHIND THAT DOOR FOREVER, BEAVIS! I WILL GET INSIDE OF THERE, AND WHEN I DO, YOU’RE GOING TO WISH THAT YOUR CRACKHEAD FATHER HAD NEVER EVEN COME TO HIGHLAND TO “SCORE” WITH THAT SLUT MOM OF YOURS!”

A positively frothing Coach Buzzcut barbarically bellowed and raged while literally throwing his body against the door.

Forget any chance that both Beavis and Butt-Head had to resolve the situation in a logical manner (again, as much as that notion even makes sense in the context of these two), prior to this, as now, the both of them were merely acting on instincts. And Beavis’ instincts told him that he needed to get the fuck out of sight before Buzzcut managed to break down the door. As such, with literally no other options available to him, Beavis’ miniscule, frail Borrower body sporadically convulsed in terror as he desperatly leaped into the one single place where he would have any chance at escaping Buzzcut’s powerful, bloodthirsty hands: Butt-Head’s maw.

Beavis didn’t mind the saliva. Beavis didn’t mind the dental plaque. Beavis didn’t even mind the scraping, metallic touch of Butt-Head’s iconic braces against his legs and feet. No. All he cared about was that he was someplace safe. Safe, snug, soft, and as would prove quite comforting to the panicked, riled up borrower, warm.

Butt-Head on the outside was barely even able to sense Beavis within due to his own mental numbness, but his own instincts were still up and running just as normal, as that aspect of the brain’s functionality does not require conscious thought in order to work. As such, Butt-Head’s instincts were able to recognize what Beavis was trying to do. Though he could barely see it, the absent-minded teen still knew that Beavis’ borrower tail, (which possessed golden-tan fur similar to that of a Gerbil’s) was precariously dangling out of his mouth, where Buzzcut could easily see. As such, Butt-Head proceeded to slurp up the tail like a noodle, before fully closing his maw so that only his upper teeth and gums were visible to the outside observer (as they always tended to be).

Beavis on the inside was still shaking violently, and had at this point curled up into a fetal position on top of Butt-Head’s tongue. He attempted to raise up his head a little bit, only to find himself bonking his head upon the hard, rough ridges at the top of Butt-Head’s maw, thus causing him to immediately let out a rather loud: “OW!”

“Uhuhuhuh-Shut up, Beavis! You’re gonna give yourself away!” Butt-Head at last managed to say due to a combination of his brain having recovered to a point where he could once again form coherent sentences, and the fact he had forced Beavis to slide off his tongue so he may use the wettened muscle to speak without the cooped-up borrower getting in the way. This, of course, would only lead to the smaller teen to hit his back upon the flesh-covered yet still considerably solid form of Butt-Head’s lower mandible, barely avoiding getting his tail crushed between the larger teen’s molars as he closed his maw once more.

Crawling back up onto the slick, wet surface of Butt-Head’s tongue, barely managing to not slip off and land back onto the mandible whilst doing so, Beavis’ own brain, now that it had managed to get somewhere at least somewhat safe, was at last beginning to put two and two together. This place was cramped, easily opened, and overall, had a pretty high chance of leading to him getting caught in the end. Beavis would have started to “logically” consider any alternative option, before, of course, things took a turn for the worse, yet again.

As the door instantly burst down upon Coach Buzzcut giving it an FBI-style drop-kick, Beavis’ brain once again kicked into overdrive, leaving him, once again, only able to rely on his instincts. Having only just realized that he had practically backed himself into a corner by climbing into his lifetime best friend’s maw, and left with absolutely zero other places to go, Beavis scrambled forwards on his hands and knees using what little space he had within the confines of Butt-Head’s closed maw, before at last making it all the way to the back. He did have a slight moment of hesitation, but once Coach Buzzcut let out a guttural screech of rage upon at last having managed to enter the house, the instincts made the final decision for the tiny borrower. And the decision in question? Escape down the throat, lest literally get murdered by Buzzcut.

As such, though Buzzcut would have most likely just chalked it up to a gulp of fear if he had managed to see it, Beavis on the inside practically plunged his head deep into Butt-Head’s gullet, before reaching backwards to grasp hold of his uvula. One swift tug, and Beavis was gone.

Butt-Head on the outside was actually kind of shocked that Beavis would, indeed, choose to go that far, but he wasn’t exactly going to comment on it due to, one, still needing to hide Beavis, not give his location away, and two, he couldn’t really do so anyway, as, currently, he was……..well…….kinda being held up in a vice grip that only tightened further around his neck when he squirmed as a positively raving Coach Buzzcut inhaled and exhaled with a considerable amount of heaviness, and stared Butt-Head directly down his pupils while the enraged gym teacher’s own bloodshot gaze was narrowed, his teeth gritting down and grinding against each other, all in preparation for questioning.

Beavis, whilst being squeezed down Butt-Head’s esophagus by his powerful, rhythmic throat muscles, could somewhat feel Buzzcut’s grasp as well, the rough, callused fingers pressing down hard on the slight bulge Beavis was making in Butt-Head’s throat. Beavis literally convused from terror, knowing that if he wasn’t seperated from Buzzcut’s murderous hands by Butt-Head’s own skin and muscle layers, he most likely would already be dead. Trying to do his best to just focus on the pink, squishy walls squeezing in around him, Beavis began shaking violently as poor Butt-Head on the outside was forced to bear witness to an oncoming verbal onslaught of interrogation at the hands of Coach Buzzcut. Closing his eyes and tightening up his body, Buzzcut let out what could only be described as a low growl into the poor teen’s ear before the oral assault began.

“I’M NOT STUPID, BUTT-HEAD! I KNOW THAT BEAVIS HAS TO BE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE, AND IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TELL ME WHERE HE IS, THEN I’LL MAKE YOU TELL ME WHERE HE IS, YOU GOT THAT?”

For an obvious variety of reasons, not the least of which being that all that yelling on the part of Buzzcut had just plain and simply caused the poor teen’s brain to shut back down again, Butt-Head couldn’t exactly respond in proper. Rather, all that came out instead was but simply yet another empty-headed reply of:

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……………”

“I DON’T WANNA HEAR NONE OF THAT BULLSHIT FROM YOU, BUTT-HEAD! TELL ME WHERE BEAVIS IS!”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh……………………….”

“Oh you useless, idiotic bastard! WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER ASKING YOU ANYTHING?”

Literally tossing Butt-Head to the floor, Coach Buzzcut proceeded to bend down in front of the iconic pink couch which both troublemaking teens would nonchalantly laze upon almost every single day of their lives, before completely lifting the thing off the ground in one second flat without the slightest, without but a miniscule sliver, of problems.

Setting it back down upon realizing Beavis wasn’t there, Coach Buzzcut let out a frothing scowl as he took a couple of steps away from the couch and towards the TV, (that which had never actually been turned off when the whole situation began, and was still casually blasting its media), hauling up both it and the wooden stand it lay upon, before setting that, too, back down on the ground.

“GOD DAMMIT! HE’S GOTTA BE AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE! WHERE THE HELL IS HE?”

Completely unbeknownst to Buzzcut, Beavis, despite not being out of the woods quite yet, just couldn’t help but whisper to himself under his breath: “Heh. I’m right here, ya dumbass.” as he continued to make his way down the rhythmically squelching tunnel that was Butt-Head’s throat. He was just about ready to enter his final destination, and at this point, both Butt-Head’s shaky, staggered breathing, as well as his intense, thumping heart rate were clearly audible to the blonde haired borrower as the lower esophageal sphincter at last became visible to him.

Though Beavis’ brain just could not help but recognize just how similar the thing looked to a bunghole, he still knew he had to suppress his laughter, lest risk sabotaging his safety, as Coach Buzzcut was indeed still in the house.

Still, though he couldn’t get the hilarity of imagining himself getting squeezed out of a different sphincter into a different pool of water out of his head, Beavis still somehow managed to stick a half-decent landing, having pretty much done a whole summersault in the air, before finally splashing down into the harmless, sloshing pool of liquids within Butt-Head’s stomach, and violently shaking his naturally soaking wet body off as much as he could as such.

Meanwhile, on the outside, Coach Buzzcut had just about finished picking up and tearing apart every single inch and object inside of the problematic teens’ house, and upon making the discovery that Beavis was, in fact, under, on, or inside absolutely zero of them, practically began overboiling with rage. While shaking furiously and bunching up both of his fists.

“GOD DAMMIT I MUST HAVE TAKEN HIS BAIT! HE RAN ALL THIS WAY JUST TO THROW ME OFF AND JUKE ME! OH HE’S PROBABLY A MILE AWAY FROM HERE BY NOW, FUCKING SHIT!”

While Coach Buzzcut aggressively slammed the door to their house behind them but a few seconds after screeching out his final roar of rage, (that which actually caused a few shockwaves to reverberate their way through and across the walls and floors of the place), neither Beavis nor Butt-Head dared say a word for quite some time before the much larger teen at last managed to pick himself off the floor, sit his ass back down on the couch, and open up his mouth for the first time since having “responded” to Buzzcut in order to make sure his dear Beavis was okay.

“So, uhhhh…you comfortable in there?” he semi-hesitantly managed to ask.

Beavis on the inside had curled back up into a fetal position at this point whilst leaning slightly into the cushiony, churning walls. He had started shaking again now that he finally knew Buzzcut was gone, and was all and all greatly depending on the pillowy warmth of the surrounding tightened chamber belonging to his lifetime best friend in order to help calm him down.

“I uh-uh yeah! Yeah yeah! It's really nice in here! All warm ‘n stuff…” he eventually managed to stutter out to his much larger buddy on the outside whilst simultaneously giving him a couple of shaky internal pats.

“Uh, well okay Beavis, so like Buzzcut’s gone now, so do you want me to like-”

“What? N-n-no way, Butt-Head! I just got here! I just- I wanna stay down here for a while, okay?”

Though Butt-Head wasn’t exactly sure why Beavis was so adamant about staying put in his stomach, so long as it wasn’t hurting the little borrower and he was comfortable, the larger teen had pretty much no reason to object.

“Uhuhuhuhuhuh-okay.” he eventually relayed to his buddy inside his guts, before placing a hand on top of the tummy as such, just as one more layer of protection.

Back on the inside, Beavis was only now beginning to understand the true nature of the current situation at hand as it at last settled within him exactly where he was.

“Heheh-woah!” he immediately let out upon allowing his eyes to scan over the confines of the churning, gurgling chamber. He was indeed tucked safely away inside of the slick, soft stomach walls of his lifetime best friend’s stomach, lying comfortably in the harmless liquid pool sloshing around as such, and leaning up against the slimy, shifting form of the walls in order to calm himself down.

Despite the fact his body was still shaking from almost having been up and murdered by Coach Buzzcut, Beavis did had to admit, this was indeed, really cool.

At last letting out a bout of his iconic scruffy laughter as such, Beavis proceeded to give Butt-Head on the outside a few internal rubs in order to show his thanks while his larger friend on the outside reciprocated the laughter with his own.

Thus, the resulting scene the two troublemaking teens found themself in wasn’t actually very different from how they normally spent their afternoons. Butt-Head was sitting down comfortably upon the couch, staring blankly at the TV, whilst laughing uncontrollably along with his beloved blonde haired buddy. The only difference was, said blonde haired buddy wasn’t situated at his side and at his normal size as he normally was. Instead, the currently miniaturized teen had found himself tucked away inside the warm, gurgling confines of his lifelong buddy’s stomach, safe at last from all the outside world, but in particular, Coach Buzzcut.

Merely closing his eyes and allowing for his subconscious mind to take over the process of recovering from all the horrors of the day, Beavis’ iconic chuckling only persisted as his being began to drift off, both the rumbling and growling of the ever-churning walls of the stomach as well as the blaring babble being broadcasted upon the TV continuing to ring in his ears as he did so.

The very last thing Beavis was able to process before his laughter died down and he began to enter deep sleep was the sheer fact that despite Buzzcut being so adamant in his conclusion that Beavis wasn’t in the house, in reality, the uncontrollably bezerk, demented gym teacher had only been but a few skin and muscle layers away from ending the poor little borrower for good, and to Beavis, that was all he needed, the singular thought he required, in order to comfortably claim the last laugh.

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