#after a long day of Vampire Survivors lmao | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nightbreezethroughmywindow · 2 years

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hey lmao I'm making a fan-made house of ashes chapter for dead by daylight which had been itching the darkest corner of my mind for a fat minute. if you play house of ashes and don't know what dead by daylight is its a 4v1 online horror game where you either play as a killer trying to eliminate 4 survivors or one of 4 surviors trying to complete generators and escape the trial. adversely, if you've played dbd but not house of ashes, I highly recommend you play it so a lot of the things in here make sense, it's a very good game with 4 US soldiers and an Iraqi soldier in the midst of the war in 2003 all being trapped in an underground cavern with a shit ton of vampires. both are very good games, and I've just decided to add this in because why not lmao

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED PLEASE CONTINE AJSHHDHS

NEW SURVIVOR: JASON KOLCHEK

Jason Kolchek was never a perfect person. His life had been moving slowly, consumed by drugs and poor decisions. It wasn't until a week after the Twin Towers had been attacked that it clicked in his mind that his life was going downhill fast. Around that same time, a recruitment letter had arrived at his home. A letter asking him to join the U.S. Marines. He took the opportunity as soon as he could.

During his service, he realized that a new start meant he could become a new person; he could be someone who wouldn't get high the day his country experienced one of their worst tragedies ever inflicted onto them. His new persona meant a new meaning for himself, it gave him a sense of belonging amongst all the other new recruits.

A staple of this new attitude was his hat, a hand-painted baseball cap with the date 9/11 written on the front. He almost never stopped wearing it, and others had commended his dedication to his country because of it.

A short while after enlisting Jason would meet one of his close friends, Nick Kay. The two were seen like peas in a pod to all their surrounding marines, and any other person would tell you how lucky either man was to have a friend like the other.

Jason's attitude and capabilities helped greatly in the marines' decision to move him to Force Reconnaissance. His action hadn't gone unnoticed, and his work ethic only grew. It wasn't long after when he was upgraded to First Lieutenant and became the leader of his own squad. Jason had finally felt recognized for his efforts, and now he could proudly say he was right where he wanted to be.

Until him and Nick were stationed in Iraq.

Around the tail-end of the war, Jason and Nick had been stationed at an embassy taken over by the U.S. and tasked with manning a checkpoint to separate the civilians from the enemy. The two were advised that the specific checkpoint they were stationed in had been stricken by suicide bombers previously, so caution was to be prioritized above all else.

One day while the both of them had been still monitoring the checkpoint, a woman came through with a large bag approaching the point. Jason had ordered for her to stop in order to check her credentials in usual fashion. She didn't listen. She approached closer to the line. Both Jason and Nick had warned her to stop. Her footsteps continued with no change in pace. A final warning was issued by Jason. The woman had crossed the line.

Caution was to be prioritized above all else. Jason ordered Nick to shoot to kill. In an instant, the woman was face down with blood trickling down her forehead. The two left their spot and checked her bag to disarm any bomb she may have kept inside.

There were groceries inside of her bag.

Following the incident, the two would be taken back to the base and kept there for a short while. Jason had brushed off the incident as all's fair in love and war, but deep down he knew he made the wrong call. The woman's face was still kept fresh in his eyes; he could see them at any point of quiet in his mind.

Wide. Fearful. Empty.

Nick had taken the incident far greater than Jason had. He would notice how Nick would mindlessly do anything requested of him, his eyes wandering into space and leaving him emptier than he had ever been. He wouldn't make jokes or have conversations like he typically would. To Jason, he was just barely there.

Three weeks passed until Jason's unit had been tasked with a special operation Issued by their Corporal and new Leader of their unit, Eric King. He was the lead engineer of a program named Caelus whose purpose was to find and locate chemical weapons along with any weapons of mass destruction. The program recently detected a stache near a small encampment deep in the Zagros Mountains, and it was their task to seize it's control. Along with Eric would also come Rachel King, Jason's former leader of his unit and a force to be reckoned with.

His team was deployed into the mountains and Jason's team descended onto the shepards' village. His squad took over the area with relative ease, however they would find no sign of chemical weapons anywhere.

It wasn't until a group of Iraqis rained down onto them that they truly felt like this search was for a reason. The two sides fought with all their might to take the other side out, using anything in their arsenal to deal devastating blows to the other side. But the battle ended unexpectedly when the ground broke below them all and they all would find themselves in a new kind of hell.

The soldiers would find themselves inside of a temple built very far in the past, and it seemed like excavators 60 years in the past had occupied that same temple as well. But now, the only things living in this ruin were an unknown species that wanted nothing more than to feast on the bodies of the new prey that had entered it's domain.

Jason's unit would take heavy losses, but along the way he would find an Iraqi soldier named Salim. Jason met the man with instant distrust and wouldn't try to see eye-to-eye with him. The two of them begrudgingly went through the temple together to get through the vampires, until they would find themselves in the lair where the creatures rested.

Salim watched the grand exposure and confessed all of his sins to Jason, admitting how he feels he failed as a father, and that all he wanted now was to go home to his son.

That was the moment when Jason realized that the people he had mercilessly shot at were people too. It's when his façade as a patriot diminished and he was forced to come to terms with who he was.

He spilled everything to Salim, the checkpoint, his past, his prejudices, everything. All he expected was disgust and disdain. Instead, he was met with acceptance and encouragement. Jason knew in that moment that this single Iraqi soldier was worth more than almost anyone he had met in his life up to that point.

The two men descended deeper into the lair of the vampires in search of a way to demolish them and keep them from ever hunting again. As they searched, the rest of Jason's squad met with the two soldiers as they came up with a plan of action.

Their goal was to head down to the vampires' cocoons and explode as many of them as possible. Nick was the one who decided to plant said bombs, buying the rest of his squad a safe escape and a chance to leave.

It was amongst the chaos that Jason realized Salim wasn't with them. He heard his quiet whispers of fear through the radio on his shoulder as he realized Salim was pinned down by vampires and couldn't move. Jason's squad pushed him to leave as they thought Salim was a lost cause. Jason looked over to them and commanded them to wait at the elevator for the two men, promising both of their returns.

Jason descended back down into the void to aid his new friend. Screeches of burning, raging vampires filled his ear until he couldn't hear. But the crackling of his radio sharpened his senses as he tuned in to hear Salim.

"Salim! Buddy, I can't see you. Where are these fuckers at?"

"...I'm in the center, Jason. Come find me."

Those words didn't sound like they were from Salim. Sure, it was his voice, but he knew for a fact that the man who was quietly whispering with fear a moment ago wouldn't reply with such calmness.

Still, he did as the voice was told. He ran into the center with strange devices surrounding him, yet he found no sight of the other man.

"Salim? I'm here, man. I can't see ya. Where-"

A loud screech rain downed on Jason. A vampire took notice of him and striked in an instant. It knocked Jason down and took his gun out of his hands, forcing him onto his back. Although Jason had reached for his gun, it was too late. The creature pinned his arms down and screamed into his face as it moved towards him.

Jason closed his eyes, embracing the death he was soon to experience.

But when he opened them, all was silent.

There were no vampires, or soldiers, or strange alien components. He looked down on his chest, but found he was unscathed from the vampire.

It was quiet.

Jason walked out to the darkness for a moment, wondering whether or not he was dead or alive, for he was very much still feeling.

His question was answered when the sounds of a fire cracking got his attention. He followed it to find a small group of people around a campfire.

Wherever he was, it wasn't Iraq. And there was no way he could signal for help.

NEW KILLER: THE VAMPIRE

Eons of traveling for the Martians would eventually cause a malfunctioning in their ship. They would crash-land in a planet known as Earth, landing deep underground in a temple lost to time.

What the Martians were not aware of, however, was the parasite that they had brought along with them.

With no way to counter this new threat, it wasn't long until any remnant of intelligent thinking was wiped from the Martians, as the parasite contorted them into a much worse version of itself. The Martians were changed into a brutal, carnage-fueled species solely intent on killing and reproducing.

Each time something new had disturbed it's rest, it's sole goal was to tear it to pieces.

The Entity took quick notice of this creature, especially the parasite that had taken over it's mind. All it needed to do was intice it into the realm with the promise of fresh prey.

COSMETIC DESCRIPTIONS:

HEAD- Jason Kolchek

The face of a man who would risk it all to ensure the safety of his team.

TORSO- Shemgah And Vest

A shemgah he gained during his time in Iraq paired with his camouflaged marine uniform.

LEGS- Leather Combat Boots

Kneepads and combat boots to prepare him for any hostiles he may encounter.

HEAD- Bloody Cap

A blood stained baseball cap to show people why he fought.

TORSO- Carnage Covered Uniform

A stained shemgah paired with his camouflaged uniform, although the vampire guts give him away.

LEGS- Bloodied Boots

The collection of vampire gore was felt in all parts of his body, including his shoes.

Salim Othman-

Salim traveled with a team of U.S. Marine Corps to escape out of an Akkadian Temple, however The Entity had other plans in mind for him.

HEAD- Short Buzzed Hair

All Salim wanted was to see his son again. Now, that day may never come.

TORSO- Iraqi Uniform

The uniform he wore that caused for the mistrust of the four USMC soldiers.

LEGS- Sturdy Boots

Boots that had seen countless battles, yet they still supported it's wearer.

Rachel King-

After the split of her and her ex-husband, Eric King, Rachel quickly climbed the ladder and joined the CIA as a Field Officer. What she never expected was to fight alongside the man she decided to cut ties with.

HEAD- Caramel Bun

Rachel was a commanding, tough-as-nails woman; characterized by her tight bun.

TORSO- Bullet Proof Vest

A vest worn to protect her from any bullets spent by hostiles, but it ultimately proves unsuccessful against the Entity's killers.

LEGS- Green Combat Pants

Thick pants held up by a leather belt, along with her climbing gear still attached.

Nick Kay-

Stationed on a chemical weapons expedition with his best friend Jason, Nick was prepared for every possible outcome. But nothing could prepare him for the horrors of the temple.

HEAD- Boonie Hat

A hat he wore to protect his face from the Iraqi desert, but also to hide the trauma he had experienced from the war.

TORSO- Tan Backpack

A vest and backpack which came with many different pockets and pouches for all of his supplies, all of which have been conveniently emptied.

LEGS- Desert Camo Pants

Equipped with a gun holster and knee pad, Nick thought he was prepared for anything. Well, almost anything...

Eric King-

Eric led his combat unit through the Zagros Mountains to search for a supposed chemical weapons stash. What they found instead, was for worse than anything they could have imagined.

HEAD- Wavy Blonde

Although Eric was very intelligent, his greatest weakness was his inability to not take every criticism to heart.

TORSO- Polo Shirt

A white polo shirt with a bulletproof vest strapped to it, along with a backpack which held his climbing gear.

LEGS- Navy Jeans

Unassuming jeans which hid his prosthetic leg from view.

HEAD- Protruding Fangs

The sides of its head clicked as it stalked and searched for prey.

OUTFIT- Webbed Wings

The outline of its body in the eclipse of the sun was one feared by the natives of the Zagros Mountains.

WEAPON- Primal Claws

Claws naturally sharpened to slice through flesh with ease.

HEAD- Bloodied Gills

The sounds of bleeding prey helped guide it to its unfortunate victim.

OUTFIT- Gore Covered Wings

It bathed in the blood of its victims, ready to reap its rewards from the recent eclipse.

WEAPON- Veiny Talons

The blood of its victims pulsated through its body like the parasite that took control of its mind.

NEW MAP: NARAM-SIN'S TEMPLE

REALM TITLE: Zagros Mountains

MAP DESCRIPTION: A temple once built by the vain king Naram-Sin to appease the Gods and relinquish his people of plague and famine. A war with the Akkadian and Gutian army awakened an ancient evil, slaughtering everyone inside. The vampires inside would lay dormant for another 4 thousand years, until excavators in the 1940's would disturb their rest again. Another nearly 60 years would pass until soldiers fighting a war would find themselves nearly hundreds of feet underground.

MAP OFFERING: Pazuzu Statuette

Tremendously increases the chance of being sent to the Zagros Mountains map.

"In Sumerian Myth, they say the souls of the dead dwell deep underground in the House Of Ashes. Where they lived on dust, plagued by the demons of the underworld."

JASON KOLCHEK PERKS:

• Semper Fi-

You've learned that most people are good, you just need to realize it before they're gone.

After performing a cooperative action with another survivor for 30 seconds, Semper Fi activates. Once you begin healing another survivor, your healing speed is increased by 100% for 20/25/30 seconds. This perk can only gain progress with each individual survivor once.

"You're wrong. Salim's one of us now, and marines don't leave their own behind." -Jason Kolchek

• Precious Intel-

Being a marine has taught you one thing; no matter what situation you're in, you keep your team informed.

Whenever you stun a killer by any means, the killer's aura is shown to you and all other survivors for 3/4/5 seconds.

"This is Mailman Two-One Actual signaling to all available units; do you copy?! Over!" -Jason Kolchek

• Joint Effort-

Your primary objective is to survive, and everyone needs to pull their weight to achieve it.

Whenever the killer kicks a generator within 16 meters of you, the aura of that generator will be highlighted in yellow and shown to all survivors for 15/20/25 seconds.

"Fan out and hold fire! We're gonna PSYOPS this shit!" -Jason Kolchek

THE VAMPIRE PERKS:

• Barbarity-

You cause unease amongst survivors, taking advantage of your brutality to hone in on those most vulnerable.

After you down a survivor by any means, the survivor furthest from you will scream and have their location revealed to you for 3 seconds, inflicting them with the Exposed and Oblivious status effect for 60 seconds. This perk is then put on a cooldown for 100/90/80 seconds.

"Never before have I ever seen anything...so vicious." -Salim Othman

• Bloody Decay

Keeping your prey weak only harbors on their downfall.

After a survivor is injured for more than 30 seconds, they gain a -5%/-10%/-15% penalty to all actions excluding healing until they are fully healed.

"I've seen ugly in my life...but never that ugly. What the fuck are we up against?" -Nick Kay

• Parasitic Influence-

The need to infect and spread your species trumps all other necessities.

You become obsessed with one survivor. Anytime the obsession heals another survivor, the next time they are injured they will be inflicted with the Broken status effect for 30/45/60 seconds. Anytime you down a survivor that isn't your obsession, the obsession's aura will be shown to all other survivors and your aura will be shown to the obsession for 3 seconds.

"That's not Clarice anymore. I saw her changing before my eyes." -Rachel King

THE VAMPIRE POWER DESCRIPTION:

It's limbs croaked and extended while it made its sharp ascension upward. Then, with one swooping motion, it landed on its prey; ready to reap its rewards.

PASSIVE ABILITY: ECHOLOCATION

The Vampire is blind and unable to see properly, however this doesn't render it any less capable of hunting.

• The Vampire can only see within 8 meters of itself. All visibility is covered with a unique filter.

• Survivors visibility is changed depending on the amount of noise created by them (up to a maximum of 64 meters).

• All noises are increased by 200%.

• Pools of blood are significantly more noticeable within 64 meters of The Vampire.

BOUNTY OF THE ECLIPSE:

Hold the Power button to activate Bounty of the Eclipse.

SPECIAL ABILITY: UNEARTHLY FLIGHT

Once active, The Vampire flies up to a certain range in the air (dependant on where Bounty of the Eclipse was initially activated). The Vampire cannot perform normal attacks in this phase. The Vampire floats above all objects, although it cannot land on top of objects that are not accessible by normal killers. This lasts for a total of ten seconds.

SPECIAL ABILITY: AERIAL POUNCE

Press the Attack button while Unearthly Flight is active to activate Aerial Pounce. After it is fully cast, Bounty of the Eclipse is put on cooldown.

• Survivors hit by Aeiral Pounce are put into the Dying state.

• Aerial Pounce is fully active after a 1.5 second casting period.

• Any pallets or breakable walls hit with Aerial Pounce are instantly destroyed.

• If contact is made with any solid during this period, The Vampire is shortly stunned before Bounty of the Eclipse is put on cooldown.

THE VAMPIRE ADD-ONS:

-COMMON

• Broken UV Light-

A flickering UV lamp. Despite the damage to it's main frame, it still flickers from time to time.

• Decreases the duration of Bounty of the Eclipse by 6 seconds.

• Grants 2000 bonus bloodpoints for using Unearthly Flight.

"Damn it! It's malfunctioning!" -Eric King

• Used Flare-

A flare used by the USMC to fend off the vampires. The heat still eminates off the used end.

• Decreases the duration taken to enter Unearthly Flight by 0.2 seconds.

"Is this it, flares?! Where's the ammo?" -Rachel King

• Fossilized Dust-

Dust from a long fossilized cocoon. Inhaling it would lead to unsavory consequences.

• Increases the movement speed while in Unearthly Flight by 3%.

• Ancient Brick-

A brick from the catacombs of Naram-Sin's temple. Despite the brittle texture, it still feels sturdy.

• Increases the range at which objects are visible to you by 4 meters.

-UNCOMMON

• Clarice's Cap-

A cap worn by a field biologist named Clarice Stokes. It flew off after her descent back into the temple.

• Increases the range of Aerial Pounce by 2 meters.

"Lookout? Lookout for what...?" -Clarice Stokes

• Bone Torch-

A torch made from bones, blood, and a ripped piece of fabric. Helped guide Rachel through the deepest crevasses of the temple.

• Decreases the casting time for Aerial Pounce by 10%.

• Bloodied Sickle Sword-

The sword used by the final Akkadian and Gutian to fend off the vampires. Blood still runs down the sides of the blade.

• Decreases the cooldown of Bounty of the Eclipse by 3 seconds.

• Humanitarian's Passport-

A passport for a French humanitarian worker who was sent to help in the war relief efforts. Her body will never be found.

• Decreases the cooldown of missed attacks from Aerial Pounce by 15%.

• Dar's Wallet-

The wallet of an Iraqi General which was dropped down into the abyss. A picture of him and his wife is prominently shown in the front pocket.

• Increases the flight duration of Unearthly Flight by 4 seconds.

-RARE

• White Phosphorus-

An unopened shell of white phosphorus. Any form of impact on it will cause everything around it to be engulfed in flames.

• Survivors downed by Aeiral Pounce within 8 meters of a generator will cause the generator to immediately begin regressing.

• Rusty Stake-

A sharp fragment of a cargo truck. Despite it's damaged condition, it's bearer used it to kill more than a couple of vampires.

• Survivors downed by Aerial Pounce are afflicted with the Mangled and Hemmorage status effects.

"Jason! You've come to join the fun, eh?" -Salim Othman

• Vibrating Disc-

An odd device whose purpose is not fully understood. It's vibrations change depending on what angle it is held at.

• Decreases the cooldown of Bounty of the Eclipes by 4 seconds.

• Stone Tablet-

An ancient tablet depicting a man praying to the sun. Time has long since caused it's condition to decay.

• Increases the duration of Unearthly Flight by 6 seconds.

• Decreases the casting time of Aerial Pounce by 0.2 seconds.

• Machine-Gun Barrel-

The barrel of a gun used by the excavation team to fend off the vampires. It was brutally ripped off in the heat of a battle.

• Increases the casting range of Aerial Pounce by 3 meters.

"...I fear being taken, but I must do what I must. We must seal this place for eternity..." -Randolph Hodgson

-VERY RARE

• Starship Fragment-

What is left of the ship the martians crash-landed on the Earth inside of. Elicits an odd sense of nostalgia in the vampire.

• Survivors inside of your terror radius while in Unearthly Flight are afflicted with the Obliviousness status effect.

"They came from the stars. This isn't their home. It's an ark." -Rachel King

• Mary's Notes-

Studies from an expeditionist named Mary. Her findings showed that these creatures were once sentient before being infected.

• Downing a survivor with Aerial Pounce will cause all survivors within your terror radius to scream and reveal their location.

• Empty Cocoon-

A recently hatched cocoon. Dust can be found inside, along with a still-flowing vein.

• Survivors who generate any loud noise notification outside of your terror radius will have their aura revealed to you for 6 seconds.

• Naram-Sin's Helmet-

The helmet of the vain king who built a temple to appease the gods. His blood still shines on the gold of its face.

• Increases the visible range of objects to 32 meters.

• Pools of blood are now considerably less visible.

-ULTRA RARE

• Iridescent Parasite-

A glass-like parasite moulded from the Entity itself. This new, living parasite infects The Vampire with an all new type of bloodlust; one that can't be fully quenched.

• Survivors are no longer put into the Dying state when hit by Aeiral Pounce.

• Injuring a survivor with Aerial Pounce will block all pallets and windows within a 32 meter radius of the survivor for 12 seconds.

"That was inside of me. I'm going to kill that fucking thing!" -Rachel King

• Sonic Device Piece-

The last remnant of the device the Martians used to communicate. It reminds The Vampire that it was once from an intelligent and feeling race.

• Casting Unearthly Flight will reveal the aura of all survivors for 4 seconds.

"Mary believed that these creatures were once peaceful. Their language was one of music. How could they not feel emotion?" -Salim Othman

yeah that's p much it if you guys have any questions or additions lmk this took me too long to post 🦬

#dark pictures anthology #dead by daylight #house of ashes #dbd #writing #concept #i didnt know whether to send this to hoa tumblr or dbd tumblr so i chose both lol #long post

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thecarnivorousmuffinmeta · 3 years

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Hi love, so I was wondering if u had any thoughts about Edward panic changing Bella if she was close to death while he was near. Like if they were in a car accident or whatever and medical help was too far away. For all his refusal to turn her and let her die naturally, he seems like he would panic and bite her when in the actual situation. (Regardless of whether or not he succeeds in turning her or mercy kills her after, because I totally agree with u about those two lmao 😭😭😂)

Hello, anon.

Well, this actually happened in canon.

The Fiasco of Bella's Emergency Birth

Bella's emergency C-section was a complete shit show and almost like an act of God to make sure Carlisle was not there. The date for the operation had been set, after weeks of starvation Carlisle finally leaves the house in order to prepare for surgery, and the second he steps out side what happens.

Bella's spine snaps like a twig, Edward has to eat his daughter out of the womb, and Bella's goes into cardiac arrest.

Bella's heart stops in the middle of this, her spine was broken, and she lost a massive amount of blood. Bella was a millisecond from death.

Edward stabs her with a syringe and chooses to turn her.

Before that point, it was unclear that he would.

He starts Breaking Dawn trying to coax Bella into postponing the change or even delaying it inevitably. His plan is to attend college with her, something Bella would physically not be capable of as a typical newborn.

Given the Volturi, this was absolutely not an option, Edward insists it is anyway.

When Bella becomes pregnant with his child, his plan is to abort her (forcibly if need be) and supply her Jacob Black as a stud in order to deliver all the human babies she could possibly want. Bella by this point cannot digest human food, her stomach has turned to stone, and Renesmee has likely damaged her internal organs beyond repair. Bella cannot go back to being an ordinary human, not without significant health issues, and that's if she survives at all (which I find doubtful).

I'm sure Edward had it in his mind that, even with Carlisle cutting Bella's uterus open with his teeth, that somehow, in some miraculous way, they might not have to turn Bella. Bella can remain human and everything will be fine.

But then Bella is dying in front of him, he sees her heart stop, and he makes the panic decision to save her life. He shoots her heart full of venom then begins CPR. Bella survives through the transformation and is turned.

To me though, this was very much a panic changing and something that was up in the air. Edward in that moment had to decide whether or not he could live without Bella, even if she's a vampire. He chose to keep her, he likely will always wonder if he made the correct choice.

But Back To Your Question

By Breaking Dawn Bella's been around a while. She's made it repeatedly clear, many many times, that she wants to be a vampire. She and Edward have extensively argued both pros and cons of vampirism. Edward's not sure Bella really gets what his reality is (she doesn't) but they have gone over it.

Bella's also talked to Carlisle, Rosalie, and Jasper about the whole vampire package. She's met multiple vampires, been attacked by multiple vampires, even Edward can't deny she's seen the ugly side of vampirism.

Bella really wants to be a vampire.

Edward has also faced reality without Bella Swan. It's bleak, cold, and endless. There is nothing for him in that world, even separating from her if she were to remain human pains him significantly.

Even Edward, stubborn as he is, could read the writing on the wall by Breaking Dawn. The decision is ruminating in the back of his mind and the option, loathe as he is to admit it, is actually on the table.

Then you have Renesmee who really helps things along. Per Renesmee, Edward decides that vampires do in fact have a soul. He is not a damned, senseless, creature and turning Bella would not condemn her to be a monster. He still likely doesn't like the idea of it, for reasons he cannot explain to himself, but his major theological argument is now gone.

Without Renesmee's gift, he may very well not have gone for that syringe.

But say we're in Twilight or even New Moon, this is a Bella Edward is sure has no idea what a vampire is. One who has not had a chance to assert a billion times that, yes, she really really really wants to do this. He's still convinced he can leave her and she can live a human life without vampires or any supernatural nonsense.

We see this Bella get significantly injured in Edward's presence.

Bella is losing a lot of blood fast after her run in with James. Carlisle has to start stitching her up immediately and get her to a hospital. A little later, and even from the blood loss she might have died. She's also been been bitten.

To stop her transformation, the venom would have to be sucked out, something notoriously difficult to do even under the best of circumstances. Bella's currently bleeding profusely and is Edward's singer: this is a death sentence.

Rather than panic change her, Edward panic keeps her human. He sucks the poison out, nearly going too far and killing her, and risks her death to keep her human.

In that moment, though it's a flash decision, Edward would rather Bella die than turn her. (After which, of course, he would go to Volterra to kill himself and give Aro an aneurism).

He repeats this sort of idea throughout the series. Notable are the times that Bella gives him hypothetical scenarios, increasingly ridiculous, to see what he would come up with.

A car crashes? Edward never crashes cars, he is that awesome at driving. And if the car crashes anyway, he has the reflexes of a panther, he'll unbuckle Bella, vault out of the car, and heroically jump out the back window to safety and humanity. Bella will never be injured.

A plane crashes? Edward unbuckles Bella from her seatbelt, carries her bridal style to the emergency exit, and then throws them both out the window and to safety... some tens of thousands of feet below preferably in water. He and Bella are then photographed as the sole miraculous survivors of this terrible tragedy. (When Edward gave this answer, I had my answer as to whether or not Edward actually passed his basic physics class. The answer, children, is no.)

Granted, these are not actual scenarios, and it's easier to give these kinds of answers than talk about them. But it's very telling that in Twilight, when Bella point blank tells him that one day she will die and that is the truth of humanity, he essentially says, "Blue Screen: ERROR" back to her followed swiftly by, "THE SUBJECT IS CLOSED".

Back to Your Question (Again)

But let's say we have your scenario. The summer after James, in Bella and Edward's summer of love before the birthday disaster, Edward (say it ain't so) crashes the fucking Volvo.

What can one expect when making a sharp turn at 110 MPH? Well, Edward has the reflexes of a panther, so he never saw it coming somehow. Bella, of course, saw it coming the first time she stepped into Edward's car.

Edward walks out fine, Bella... does not. The car's down in a ravine, Bella's bleeding out, it is clear she is not going to survive this and Edward cannot get her to the hospital in time even with his speed.

Well, given this is Twilight, and given the shock of all of this and suddenness, Edward could very well black out and eat her. When Edward comes to, he's om nom noming on Bella's battered corpse.

Edward runs away to Italy to kill himself.

Say he doesn't though, Edward manages to hold his breath or else miraculously control himself. Bella's still bleeding out, and giving him this very dazed, expectant, look. From Bella's face, it's clear what she's thinking: Turn Me, You Dipshit.

However... I imagine if Bella can't say the words out loud, Edward while panicked and in terror of losing her, won't do it. He will not condemn her to vampirism without her explicit consent.

Let's say Bella gurgles out, "Turn me, Edward"

Well, things just got a whole lot harder. This is now Bella's dying wish, she's looking at him even as the light fades out of her eyes, and he can see the growing resignation and disappointment in them. Edward will have this image with him forever, the life, light, and love bleeding out of Bella and her undoubtedly final thoughts that Edward was never worthy of her.

Honestly? Toss a coin.

I could see it going either way.

Edward stalls so long, deliberating, that the time for action passes. Bella dies right in front of him. That, or he sees her life force flickering and before he can think about it he bites her (whether to eat her or turn her we'll never truly know) and then it's too late, it's done, he's turned her himself. (If, of course, he doesn't accidentally kill her in the process).

The Aftermath

If he turns her then Edward will forever be haunted by the guilt that he destroyed Bella Swan. He turned her into a monster, just as he feared, and has condemned her to this miserable existence where she becomes orphaned from everything she knew.

Edward in this situation breaks things off with Bella (very awkward as they're part of the same coven now), he can't handle the guilt of what he did to her or what she now is. He thinks about mercy killing her, but given it's his own damn fault, is probably very conflicted and feels unworthy of taking even this action. All of this just makes him the lowest of worms.

Bella is utterly devastated that Edward appears to no longer love her (just as she suspected) and tries desperately to assure him that she loves being a vampire. She's finally comfortable in her own skin. She certainly still loves him and more, even if she wasn't happy, she gave her consent and would never hold that against him.

Edward doesn't care.

Edward likely goes to Rio to try to wrap his head around everything and be miserable by himself. Alice and Jasper likely leave on Alice's journey of self-discovery (but mostly to just avoid the emotional turmoil of the Cullen household). Rosalie actively blames Bella for this and tells her so to her face, Esme is an utter wreck, and Carlisle's working triple overtime at the hospital. Bella is even more devastated, she's Yoko Ono breaking apart the Beatles.

Bella offers to leave the Cullens. If she leaves then everything will go back to normal, right?

Everyone protests. But everyone here is pretty much Esme and Carlisle. But mostly Carlisle. Esme tries to, but it's in between sobs, where she talks about how beautiful Bella and Edward were AND THEY CAN WORK IT OUT. Emmett would, but Rosalie views Bella as a home wrecker and he has to side with the wife. Which just leaves Carlisle trying to lamely insist this isn't her fault.

It isn't, but, well, things are very bad right now.

Carlisle likely sets up Bella with the Denali. This ends after a few weeks, Bella can't handle the lifestyle and being the ugly brunette sister. Bella likely becomes a nomad and catches up with the Cullens every few years or so.

The 'Cullens' of course, becoming smaller and smaller each consecutive visit as the coven utterly dissolves.

The last time Bella visits, it's just Carlisle. Esme ran off to support Edward in Rio, Alice and Jasper never came back, and Rosalie and Emmett are on their 23rd honey-moon.

And that's how Bella rejoins the Cullens (i.e. Carlisle).

It's very awkward.

#twilight #twilight meta #twilight headcanon #twilight renaissance #edward cullen #anti edward cullen #bella swan #edward/bella #anti edward/bella #carlisle cullen #esme cullen #rosalie hale #the cullens #meta #headcanon #opinion

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everything-laito · 3 years

Text

damn the brain be out here going BRRRRRR here’s the Laito and Cordelia Analysis (with a little bit of Karl sprinkled in) Part III

wow my fingers are freezing but my brain sure isn't!

aaaanyways, iiiiiit’s trauma time!!! Am I a productive member of society by writing these analyses? No. Do I gain anything by writing them? Kinda, my brain gets exercised and they’re fun to research for. But if you haven’t read the first part or the second part for some reason (I recommend reading them in order), there they are.

Once again, trigger warnings still apply; mainly about trauma, isolation, etc

I’m gonna talk about the trauma and effects it had on Laito and to attempt to extrapolate why he is the way he is. I have a lot of examples I want to go over and stuff to talk about, so I think the trauma part is going to be split between two (or maybe three) parts. I also have a little bit to say about Karlheinz.

As always, big ass rant under the cut!

Section 6: Neuroplasticity and Trauma

Oh???? More science vernacular??? You BET! Ok, neuroplasticity. I know I’ve talked about it on this blog. But, I seriously doubt that there is a madlad who has read all of my analyses (speaking of which, I should update the master list lmao) and I don’t expect anyone to do that LOL! Anyways, this neurological concept is the ability of neurons to adapt to certain circumstances or stimuli by creating new neurological pathways (through synapses). This basically relates to memory and learning. It’s why we don’t stay the same person as we grow and develop. It’s responsible from mindset changes to response to traumatic events. It plays a huge part in trauma, which is why “repressed memories” occur as well.

Trauma, taken from Psychology Today, is defined as:

...the experience of severe psychological distress following any terrible or life-threatening event. Sufferers may develop emotional disturbances such as extreme anxiety, anger, sadness, survivor’s guilt, or PTSD.

It’s a basic definition. And although I’d assume people would know what trauma is already, but knowing the lexical definition of something can be good to know before going into it.

Obviously, Laito has trauma, there’s literally no refuting that. But, the point I’m getting at, is the reason why he is the way he is today is because of neuroplasticity. As previously stated, we are going to assume the DL vampire brain works similarly or the same as a human brain. So, because of the stress put upon the brain (Cordelia’s actions and Laito’s general upbringing in a stress filled household), Laito’s brain was rewired (neuroplasticity). This section doesn’t really have much new information, but I wanted to give a baseline since there’s many people who don’t know what neuroplasticity is.

Laito’s definitely different than what he was as a kid. He still kind of had his smarts, and might have been but as we’ve deducted from the first part of this series, he might have been groomed. On top of that, the brain is easily moldable when you’re a child (which is why grooming makes sense for Laito’s case), and continues to snip brain cells off and form new connections.

Section 7: Little intermission about Karlheinz

I know I haven’t really talked about Karlheinz yet. So this will be the section that I do it in. I know this part is about Laito’s trauma, but it’s so hard to not just weave other characters into it. Nothing is stand-alone, which is why it was so hard for me to plan this out. I was debating about saving this for another analysis, but I feel like it fits.

I referenced this in Part II, Section 5 of this analysis series. Basically, Karlheinz throws Laito into the dungeon and locks him up. Not Karlheinz personally, but he ordered someone to do it. We don’t explicitly know why, but there’s several implications. A huge one is that it was part of Karlheinz’ experiment. Before Dark Fate, I was like “wait, so did Karl find out about Laito/Cordelia? And got like jealous or was like ‘nah this shit fucked up no thanks’?” I was really scratching my head on that. But in Dark Fate, you find that Karlheinz knew about Cordelia and Laito, and even really wanted it to happen. Which is all sorts of fucked up. This really put Laito in for a loop. Here’s a scene from Dark Fate:

Laito: That woman always, always believed in Karlheinz. Laito: She believed he married her because he loved her, wanted her. That’s why she was sure that one day... he will give his love only to her. Laito: But she was tricked. She wasn’t loved from the start... Laito: -And I’m a victim of this unbelievable mistake... That’s how it is. Laito: I was treated as a vent for her feelings. Yui: ...Laito-kun... Laito: I’m sure he knew that something like this will happen... He is a god after all... Laito: I was hoping that... He just overlooked it up until now... Laito: But... I was naive. Laito: I was only planned a scapegoat.

God, when I played this, that just freaking struck me to my core. That’s so awful. Ironically... Karlheinz probably has some high level of emotional intelligence. I don’t believe he could be labeled as a sociopath, considering he has this high level understanding of pathos. He’s not god in a sense that he controls everyone individually himself. He’s so good at manipulation that he basically creates fate itself (whether you believe in it or not). He’s generally intelligent and cunning, and it also just helps with the fact that he’s immortal and can time travel. He knows cause and effect by now, and I believe Lost Eden said something about how he’s done so many different “timelines.”

The definition of a god in a philosophical sense can be broken down into three words: omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. More wicked cool jargon! Yay! Here’s what they mean for extra clarification:

Omniscient: All knowing Omnipresent: All seeing Omnipotent: All doing

Sure Karlheinz doesn’t absolutely know everything, nor can see everything, and he definitely has limits to his power, but he has gained knowledge through living for so many years and time traveling; he has familiars which add to the whole “all seeing” part; and he has a lot of power. So basically, in the most semi-”realistic” sense, it would definitely be the closest being to any kind of god.

Karlheinz is probably the reason why Laito himself has such contempt towards religion, and the existence of a god in general. Sure, the boys are like “that shit’s made up by humans” in general, but it would make sense for Laito himself to have that specific hatred. It makes sense that these vampires would be like “oh that’s made up by humans” when they’ve been around forever and have seen multiple religions come and go. (I’m mainly talking about in DL’s lore case, not starting a religious argument; please don’t take it as such––just to clarify)

Section 8: Isolation

Originally, the previous part was going to be about Laito’s isolation being locked up. However, I went off the rails and it turned into that little intermission. This is going to be a shorter section, but I still wanted to talk about, and it will weave into the next section.

There is no implications about how long Laito was locked up (and tortured) in the dungeon. There’s also no implications about why he was tortured. But torture and isolation puts such stress on the brain that there’s definitely going to be some kind of outcome if persisting for a good period of time. So let’s take a look at what that does to a person.

Once again, taking this with a grain of salt. I imagine vampires don’t need to rely on social interaction as much as humans do, considering they live forever. But we don’t know. However, throwing Laito into a state of isolation implies that it would be some type of torture or harsh punishment for a vampire, which therefore implies that social interaction is a necessity for emotional function. It’s just sound, inductive logic.

So now, as for isolation, I’m using this article as reference. It’s a pretty interesting one to read. Here’s another extensive article as well. Basically isolation can cause:

Depression/anxiety

Immune system deficiencies (basically more likely to get physically ill)

Sleep cycle changes (if put underground or with limited natural light)

Hallucinations

Paranoia

Issues with processing information and more susceptible to persuasion/manipulation

We have no clue if Laito’s experience fits all of these. Also, the second one can be crossed out because vampires in DL can’t get physically sick in the way we can. Also, unsure about the sleep cycle stuff considering they are used to being in the dark. Hallucinations and paranoia can’t be crossed off nor proven.

Being isolated physically and mentally exhausts the mind, which is why it’s also a way of torture. Laito implies that he was tortured with physical devices, but regardless, it’s still stress on the mind. This type of stress definitely goes along with what was mentioned with neuroplasticity and trauma, which also supports the last bullet point: issues processing information and being more susceptible to persuasion/manipulation. Take this flashback from Maniac Prologue in HDB that I used in Part II section 5 (but here’s even more context):

Laito: ーー Let me go!! Let me out of here! Butler: I can’t, young lord. We’ve received strict orders from your father. I am deeply sorry, but please stay put for a while. Laito: What’s the point in having me chained up in here!? Butler: ーーI am very sorry. Laito: Hahahaha…You stupid old man! Do you think that this will make repent!? How foolish! That demon! Has his brain finally rotten from spending too much time with humans!? ー Cordelia appears Cordelia: ー Oh? Laito: …!? Have you come to save me? Cordelia: Oh dear. Ufufu…I’m sorry Laito, that isn’t it. Laito: Eh? Richter: ー Why are you here? Laito: …That’s my line. Cordelia: Okay, okay. No fighting! More importantly, Richter…Come here. Laito: …!? Cordelia: Nnn…Hey, Laito. You are a good boy. Laito: …!! Cordelia: Right, Laito? Laito: Yeah, that’s right. I’m…I’m a good boy after all. ーー Besides, I’m the type of person who only get more aroused from this kind of thing.

Although I also use this to support the whole Stockholm syndrome point, this could also be supported with the trauma isolation also holds. His mind is being re-molded into the facade he holds. Also, note the whole “do you think this will make me repent?!” part. Just a very interesting thing. The word “repent” implies that there’s something to feel guilty about or the person knows that what they’ve done is bad. It just goes to show that Laito has some part of guilt or moral compass still in tact.

You can also argue that this scene was when Laito just got locked up, or he’s been here for a while. Either way, he could have also been socially isolated before this too, just hanging around Cordelia like it’s implied when he was a child. Remember the whole not being in bed 9/10 times when he was a child? Yeah, controlled social isolation. We also rarely see Laito with other characters in his flashbacks. I don’t believe we see him with his brothers in any of his flashbacks from what I can recall; he’s usually with Cordelia. Just implies (to me) that he’s around her a lot. And being locked up is also a more extreme case of that, which would mold the brain even more.

I know that was a LOT to process and read. I sure hope this still is cohesive for you all. I’m pretty bad at organizing this kind of stuff; it’s a bit difficult since it all just goes together. Which, kudos on the writers of DL, because that’s just good writing. I was going to put something about gaslighting in this part, but that might be too long, so I’m going to make that a separate part or include it in the next part.

If you have any questions, feel free to just put it in the inbox. I’m planning on making the last part of this series answering all the Laito/Cordelia questions I’ve received, or just general questions pertaining to this analysis in general, whether it be tangential questions or clarifying questions.

Hope you all are still enjoying this ride as much as I am! -Corn

#analysis #diabolik lovers analysis #diabolik lovers #dialovers #dialover #laito sakamaki #sakamaki laito #raito sakamaki #sakamaki raito

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softyoongiionly · 5 years

Text

Tea and Tourniquets-The Truth ☕️

There is something living in the forest beyond your village, something evil, something ancient. The only known survivor of this evil is a reclusive healer by the name of Min Yoongi. Rumor has it though, that the herbalist hermit may, in fact, be the evil himself.

Summary: You were told never to venture into the forest after dark. Stories of people going missing and, an ancient darkness, keep most of your quaint village paralyzed with fear. However, after another disappearance, you decide to do the unthinkable and, search for the answers yourself.

The darkness is real…and it’s alive.

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Word Count: 5.5k

Genre: Supernatural! Yoongi, Fantasy Au, Tsundere! Yoongi, fluff, angst, smut throughout the story, slightly spooky

Warnings: slight spooky-ness? lmao thats not a word, references to death/dark themes, future smut, moderate angst

A/N: In this chapter Y/N finally learns the answers to all of her burning questions. Unfortunately, this only makes things more complicated...

^^^Read Chapter One here x^^^

“I apologize…” Yoongi’s crisp voice fills the space of his kitchen effortlessly.

He’s leaning against the doorway; fingers pulling the cuffs of his sleeves over his hands to shield him from the cool breeze coming through the window.

You’ve been in his kitchen for quite some time now and, have spent the last two hours crying and, exploring the room.

You didn’t want to leave it. You didn’t want to face him again, his words had destroyed you.

Yoongi can feel himself growing more and more nervous, his chest tightening with every passing second of your silence.

“Hu-I mean….Y/N?” He calls to you, trying to soften his tone significantly

You sniffle, wiping the remnants of your tears on your sweater, still not turning to face him, “My parents were not naïve and foolish Yoongi. They were brave and selfless…”

He nods, pursing his lips, prepared to take the blame for his behavior, “I was out of line, I’m truly sorry…you have to understand, I…” Yoongi sighs, agony present on his pointy face, he takes a cautious step towards you, “I’ve spent so many years alone, my social skills are lacking….severely. What I said, was wrong, inexcusable but, I assure you, I didn’t mean it…”

Another sniffle and, Yoongi’s chest grows tighter at the thought of making you cry.

“How many more days until you take me back?”

His eyes close, sensing your distance, “Roughly two and a half days…your foot is healing rather well…”

You nod, turning towards him and, Yoongi feels the tension in his chest finally snap as he gets a look at your swollen eyes and dejected expression.

“I’ll stay out of your way until then…” Using the counter as support, you make the move to leave your seat before Yoongi pipes up again, desperation in his tone.

“Don’t you want the truth?” He insists, tempted to reach out to you, tempted to beg for your forgiveness…

You shrug, peering at him, the tone of your voice soured by sadness, “What’s the point? You said it yourself, it wouldn’t make a difference.”

“I don’t know if it would...” He concedes and, his tone is softer than ever, “but, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know. Please, I’m…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Y/N. I should have never spoken ill of your parents. If they were anything like you they…”

At this, you perk up slightly, sensing the beginnings of a compliment. Yoongi struggles momentarily, letting a breath leave his lips before he peers into your eyes.

“…they must have been great.”

Your brows rise, “I find it hard to believe that you think I’m great Yoongi, considering the way you’ve treated me so far…”

A humorless laugh rushes past his lips.

“Yes well, my kind isn’t exactly known for our emotional displays. We aren’t taught such things…”

Slowly, you shift back onto the barstool, looking at Yoongi expectantly, your heartrate increasing at the thought of finally learning the truth.

“What are you known for then?”

Yoongi nods, taking a deep breath before moving towards the barstool beside you, “May I?”

“It’s your house…” You point out, sustaining your distant demeanor.

He chuckles, nodding at your response before hopping up and, facing you.

He looks nervous, a stark contrast to his previous behavior.

“Before I answer your question, I have to explain something to you…” Yoongi begins, shaking a bit of his messy hair out of his face. “The universe is an enormous place; some believe that it’s never ending, there are other worlds beyond the one you know…”

You keep silent, eager for him to get to the point.

“However, there are worlds that co-exist in a cluster of sorts; dimensions that are related in some way. There are two in particular that reside very close to your world. “

“Heaven and hell?” You guess but, Yoongi shakes his head, his patience prepared for the confusion you might experience.

“They are called many different names by your kind but, no human has ever managed to get it quite right. Although, the concept is somewhat similar. There is a world known as Paradise, it is where those who lived good lives ascend to after they have passed. The concept of religion in the human world is largely inaccurate, there are no requirements for entering Paradise aside from the soul, human or otherwise, being decent during their time on Earth.”

You attempt to take in the surreal bit of information and, refrain from asking the 400 questions that just appeared in your brain and, settle on one instead, “…and the other world?”

“The other world is known as Beneath.; a place that hosts darker souls: some of which are corrected and, some of which are destroyed. “

There is another increase in your heartrate but, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t captivated.

“That’s where you’re from isn’t it?”

At this Yoongi chuckles humorlessly, the slight smirk on his mouth not reaching his eyes, “I don’t really give off the Paradise essence do I?”

A smile tugs at your mouth and, you shake your head shamelessly,

“Not at all.”

“There are creatures who serve in both worlds. Contrary to human interpretation, Beneath and Paradise aren’t at war, we both play our part and, we work together to ensure balance in this world and, the afterworld. The last known human in my family died over 2,000 years ago and, for many years, we have served Beneath.”

“So, you’re not human anymore? Or you were human? I don’t understand…”

Yoongi shakes his head, slightly regretting that he has to be the one to explain all of this to you, “There are different species that live in these worlds: humans, vampires, werewolves, pixies, mermaids, most of the supernatural entities you’ve heard of. When they die, they either ascend to Paradise or they don’t. If they are assigned to be corrected in Beneath, they must undergo a rehabilitation of the soul, to pay for the misgivings on Earth. Once that is accomplished, they are free to go. However, some souls, like my family, choose to stay and serve in Beneath. They evolve over time to become less and less prone to the clumsiness of being their initial species until finally, they reach a heightened state. It is similar to what happens in Paradise. Those who choose to serve in protecting the balance become empowered by the universe itself…”

“Like angels and demons?”

Yoongi rolls his eyes, “I’m not a fan of the verbiage but, yes I suppose that is what humans call us. Although, in the afterlife, we work towards the same goal: angels and demons work together. My kind don’t go around terrorizing humans and, trying to possess their souls. We do the messier work in the afterworld, the work no one else wants to do.”

“Then what was that bit about you consuming human souls then?” You accuse, pointing your finger at him

He chuckles but, this time the smile reaches his eyes, you try not to notice how sweet it is…

“Ah yes well, that was to scare you. I can assure you, no one can consume a soul, it doesn’t work like that…”

“But Jimin said-“

Yoongi cuts you off, a smirk on his face now, “Jimin is a rotten little siren who would lie through his teeth just for the fun of it. He’s harmless though, he was a bit of deviant when he was alive but, nothing like what he told you. Sirens are mischievous creatures and, while yes, some of them consume human flesh, most of them pirate money and other goods, they feed off of all types of energies... He did tell you the truth about one thing though…”

“What?”

“…that I am someone they fear…”

The breath you’re holding catches in your throat but, you don’t lose your expectant expression.

“The souls who don’t ascend, are sent to the court of Beneath. There, they stand before a judge, known as The Reaper, and receive their fate. They are either assigned correction or their soul is destroyed forever…” He pauses and, flit his black eyes to yours, “I am the one who decides…”

You nod in understanding, biting your lip to ease the tension you feel in your bones.

“The Reaper?”

Yoongi nods solemnly, trying to gauge your reaction, “Yes."

“What are you doing here then? Shouldn’t you be down there…in Beneath?”

“Well,” He breathes, discomfort taking over his face, “that is a different issue entirely. My father, he had this post before I did. He worked as the Reaper for hundreds of years before he finally retired to Paradise. He wasn’t…” He struggles to find the proper word, “…very popular in Beneath. He was strict and showed very little mercy towards those who stood before him. He believed very few souls actually qualified for correction and, destroyed…millions of them.”

The pain on Yoongi’s face is becoming obvious now; you can tell this information is difficult to share.

“When I took the post, I wanted things to be different. I didn’t want to send souls to destruction unless they lived truly wicked lives. My father didn’t approve of my methods but, for a long time, it was working. You can imagine, Beneath is not a very popular place of work. It doesn’t have the same charm as Paradise but, souls were getting corrected left and right and, more and more of them were staying behind to serve in Beneath. “

He looks out the bay window over the kitchen sink, his beautiful features ridden with imminent signs of despair. You brace yourself for the rest of his explanation.

“There was a man who came to me one day, roughly three centuries ago.” Yoongi still hasn’t turned his gaze back to you, not willing to face you, “There was nothing striking about him at first but, I could tell he wasn’t human. According to his record, he had been a sorcerer who spent most of his life dabbling in dark magic and, using his powers to benefit himself. He pleaded with my council and I, he told us he had been lead down the wrong path. There was nothing on his record that struck me as particularly evil; it mainly consisted of excessive gambling and con-artistry. I had never seen anyone look so terrified…”

He takes a deep breath, his hand coming up to rub behind his neck, his gaze still far away from you.

“My council and I deliberated on him for some time but, finally I…I convinced them to save him. He was assigned a harsh sentence, 22 years but, he seemed overjoyed with our judgement. When souls pass on, they are able to travel freely between our worlds and, the human world however, when a soul is undergoing correction, they must be accompanied with their guardian to ensure they aren’t meddling with unsuspecting humans.”

“Wait, when souls travel to the human world, can humans interact with them? Wouldn’t that mean that death is kind of temporary?” You interject, trying your best to comprehend all of the information.

Yoongi finally turns back to you, smirking fondly, his eyes holding something you can’t quite decipher, “Humans can’t interact with departed souls directly. However, there are particular humans who can see them, humans like you for instance…”

You feel a certain way under Yoongi’s current gaze but for now you push it aside, taking a moment to get another question answered, “Why were you only surprised when I could see Jimin? Aren’t you also a departed soul?”

“Well, this is where things get a little complicated. Life continues after death. My family has lived and continued to reproduce in Beneath for centuries. I was born there so, my soul has never departed. Those of us who were born from evolved families, the families who serve the afterlife, we are afforded the powers our parents have and, we are taught from an early age to refine them. One of these abilities happens to be human interaction. We are considered responsible enough to be seen by the human race as it’s expected that we won’t interfere with their world excessively.”

“That makes sense…I’m sorry I interrupted your story, you were saying something about the man not being able to come to the human world without a guide.”

Yoongi nods, taking another deep breath, “The man was assigned to one of my best correctors and, one of my…dearest friends Hoseok. If it weren’t for his dirty mind, Hoseok would have fit perfectly into Paradise but, his family has also served Beneath for centuries. He is…” He takes another breath, a much shakier one, “…he is remarkable.”

He begins picking at his nails, looking down at his hands as he continues, “As far as I knew, things were going well. Hoseok was reporting great progress and, I could visibly see the man’s soul becoming lighter and lighter. I considered it a huge success until…”

The picking ceases and, Yoongi closes his eyes for a moment, looking ashamed, “…until he escaped.”

You want to reach out to him but, you’re not sure if you can, instead you inquire with a gentle tone,

“Escaped to where?”

“The human world. Your forest, the one that borders your village, it’s the launch pad we use to travel between our worlds and, the human world. It’s a powerful place and, it knows whether or not a soul has permission to travel. However, this man found a way to slip through undetected. Once he arrived, his true intentions were revealed…”

His gaze is back to the window but, he can feel your eyes on him and, the guilt he’s tried to suppress for so long is overflowing in is chest.

“There is a spell known to only the most powerful sorcerers, it’s so wicked that we are discouraged from saying its name. The spell can only be performed by a sorcerer who has passed on to the afterworld and, somehow made it back. Once this is completed and, if the spell is done correctly, the sorcerer will be granted with universal power. When this man reached the forest, he attempted the spell and, it backfired immensely. He was powerful enough to deceive us but, not powerful enough to complete the spell. It destroyed his soul and, left The Nahbbun behind. They are a manifestation of his greed and, his wickedness.”

You nod, feeling some relief that you finally know the truth but, the devastation on Yoongi’s face distracts you from any positivity.

“When word got back to us that the man had escaped, people began to question my authority. I didn’t blame them. I still don’t. I should have known better, I shouldn’t have trusted so easily. I spoke with my council and, decided to step down temporarily to manage the damage the sorcerer inflicted. I vowed to them that I would find a cure and, return home but, as you might have guessed, I have yet to be successful and because of this, the portal between our worlds has been temporarily closed. This curse has inflicted so much damage…I will never be able to make up for what I’ve done but, I will spend the rest of eternity trying.”

He looks as though he’s about to cry so, you finally give in to the urge to touch him and, place your hand over his. His skin is much warmer than you expect and, you marvel at the smooth texture of his fingers as you curl your own around his.

Yoongi jolts slightly at your touch, the sensation completely foreign to him, he feels as though he’s been shocked.

“Yoongi, what happened here is not your fault…” You assure sincerely, trying to get him to look at you

“It is Y/N, I am responsible for ensuring that the right souls are destroyed so, they can’t hurt anyone anymore and, look what’s happened I-“

You cut him off, “You couldn’t have known what would happen, you were just trying to give him a second chance. You can’t put all of this on yourself, not when you had the best intentions. He fooled you and, he fooled your council too…there is no crime in seeing the best in people, it’s a great quality to have.”

Yoongi decides that he wants to have your hand on his for the next thousand years but, he pulls away instead because, denying his own desires is kind of something he’s been taught to do.

“But, your parents, the young boy, Y/N they are all dead because of me, because I can’t find a cure…because I couldn’t do my job.”

“The blood is not on your hands Yoongi. This was the work of someone evil. Besides, you’ve been serving my village for years, curing the sick. You’ve saved so many lives, both mine and my grandfathers…you can’t diminish all of your work…”

A breathy laugh leaves his lips then, glossy eyes flitting up to yours, “As much as I appreciate the sentiment, your latter statement isn’t entirely true…”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t save your grandfathers life Y/N, I tried to kill him…” He chuckles, his dark eyes alight with a memory. Yoongi notices your apprehension, holding a hand up to you before you can interject, “He didn’t meet me as a young boy. He came looking for me when he found out I left my post.”

“Wait but-“

Yoongi chuckles again shaking his head, “Your grandfather isn’t from the human world Y/N, he has served in the afterworld alongside my family for many years. He was a friend of mine and, when I left Beneath, he came to the human world to look for me, fearing that I had made a mistake. He came to my cottage and, because I was so wound up at the time, I nearly killed him with my defensive spell.” Yoongi smirks at the memory, clearly holding a bit of fondness for your grandfather, “When he came to, I apologized and, we talked for quite some time. He couldn’t convince me to come home but, he decided to stay in the human world for a while to watch over me….”

Your mouth is ajar as Yoongi finishes up yet another explanation, “So, what you’re saying is…my grandfather isn’t 71?”

For the first time since you’ve met Yoongi, you hear him laugh: a full bellied, rickety, head thrown back laugh; it’s a pretty beautiful sound.

You can’t help but, laugh along with him. The sheer volume and complexity of the information has made the room so heavy over the past hour, a joke, no matter how ridiculous is much needed.

Yoongi wipes a tear from the corner of his eye, shaking his head at you, his laughter winding down, “Not quite, no. Your grandfather is older than me. He’s part of a different bloodline in Beneath, he’s served for a least a millennia...”

“What about my mother? Was she like him too?”

“As far as I know, your grandfather lived a solitary life up until he met your grandmother. He was always supposed to go back to Beneath but, he stayed to raise a family with her.” Yoongi sighs, “I warned him that if he didn’t share certain things with her, their time together would be limited but, he never wanted to taint her human experience. Your mother would have contained a small portion of your grandfather’s abilities which she may have passed to you; that would explain your ability to see Jimin…”

A deep breath is pulled from your chest and, let out slowly through your lips. You feel very overwhelmed by the truth but, you’re grateful that you have it.

Looking at Yoongi, you realize you may have been wrong about him. He wasn’t a rude, creepy, shut in; he was a man with an immense burden, a burden he isn’t sure he can fulfill. You don’t really think as you slide off of the barstool and wrap your arms around Yoongi’s narrow shoulders.

“I’m sorry…” You murmur into his neck, causing a shiver to run down Yoongi’s spine.

He’s never been hugged before…

“Uhh-“ He tenses up at your gesture, fists locking up at his waist but, you don’t take offense. You don’t imagine he does a lot of hugging, “…for what?”

“For everything…for all of the things you’ve had to endure, alone. I had no idea…” You give him the best hug you have in you, knowing full well that he wasn’t going to reciprocate.

The sentiment touches Yoongi’s heart but, the sentiment combined with your embrace is really doing a number on his resolve; he isn’t sure how to act.

“An apology isn’t necessary…” He grumbles but he doesn’t move away from you, not just yet.

You don’t respond but, slowly you pull away, holding his gaze for a moment, your hands still resting on his shoulders.

“You’ve done so much for the universe. Don’t let this be your defining moment.” You urge, offering a small smile.

Only 3-4 seconds pass before Yoongi feels heat upon his cheeks; he decides it’s a good time to move away from you, lest he burst into flames…

“You’re…uh-“ He scratches behind his ear, feeling very small all of the sudden, “you’re a lot like your grandfather…”

Fondness blooms in your heart and, it’s not just at Yoongi’s comment about your grandfather.

“Why is that?”

He smirks, more to himself as he taps his fingers nervously against the counter, “The two of you are quite whimsical.”

A puff of air leaves your nose, “I believe you used a different word earlier…”

The fond smirk doesn’t leave his face. Yoongi admires your wit; it’s one of the first things he observed about you.

He concedes, holding his hands up, “I envy your ability to have a positive outlook on the future. I shouldn’t have described it as naivety.”

“I can understand why, you’ve lived a very long time, I’m sure I wouldn’t be so optimistic if I’ve endured what you have…” You sympathize as your eyes flit to the length and elegance of Yoongi’s fingers; you wish you didn’t notice things like that…

“I haven’t lived that long…” He grumbles, resisting the urge to smile when you giggle at his response.

“You’re seven hundred and twenty seven…”

He rolls his eyes, “That’s nothing compared to people in my world, there are beings so old that they don’t even bother counting anymore. I’m practically an infant…”

You bite back a fond smile as you pat his shoulder gently, “I can see the resemblance.”

Yoongi scoffs, his eyes widening in offense, “I don’t look like an infant, I’m just saying that I could be-oh wait…you’re doing that thing that humans do…the thing with the humor…”

A giggle bubbles past your lips, “The thing with the humor? You mean a joke?”

His face turns up in revelation, “Ah yes, that’s the word, a joke, you’re joking…”

“Do you not…joke in Beneath?”

He shrugs, his head tilting back and forth in consideration, “It’s not a common practice no, Beneath isn’t known for its frivolous displays of emotion, most of us are quite serious as we have very important jobs to do.”

“Sounds bleak…”

He chuckles, chewing on the inside of his lips as he nods, “It can be.” His eyes flit over your body momentarily before taking note of how long you’ve been speaking, “You need to eat soon and, I need to redress the wound across your ribs…”

You nod, feeling the gnawing pull of hunger in your lower gut; you haven’t been eating as much since you’ve been in Yoongi’s presence but, now that some of your curiosity has been sated, you feel as though you haven’t eaten in weeks.

“I’m starving…” You lament, holding your stomach in demonstration and, Yoongi quickly nods in response, moving off of the barstool and around the counter.

“I’ll make you something…there’s another change of clothes in the den. I’ll tend to your wound after you’re finish dressing and, then we will eat.”

You resist the fond smile attempting to inch its way onto your face as Yoongi pushes up the sleeves of his peasant blouse, his eyes narrowing in focus when he tries to figure out what to make you.

“Hey…” You murmur, his dark eyes flitting to yours, “…do you think my grandfather did this on purpose?”

Something flashes in Yoongi’s eyes as he ponders your question, a ghost of a smirk edging at his lips, “You think he sent you here?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me…” You laugh, feeling a tightness in your chest, “he’s a mischievous man…”

Yoongi chuckles, immediately nodding in agreement, “I suppose it wouldn’t surprise me either. At the very least, he knew I would find you. He would never have sent you to your death like that. Although, I’m not quite sure why he would send you to me; this forest is no place for humans…”

You smirk, moving towards the door, “Maybe he thought you needed a friend.”

And with that, you shut the door but, not before you catch Yoongi blushing furiously at your comment.

“We’re not friends…” He grumbles to himself but, as soon as you leave the room, he smiles, gums and all.

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

Yoongi spends quite a bit of time in the kitchen before he beckons you to dinner. He’s gone all out, roasted meat, steamed vegetables which are seasoned to perfection, an herb and garlic sauce that is so exquisite you could have eaten it all on its own, freshly baked bread and, a batch of apple rose puffs with pink lemonade frosting.

It was, without a doubt, the most delicious meal you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. You spent most of the meal complimenting Yoongi on his cooking abilities and, although he was back to his old grumpy self, you caught him smiling a few times at your comments. The energy between the two of you has shifted significantly but, Yoongi still has a firm grasp on his guard.

After dinner, he leads you into the den, explaining that as soon as the sky goes completely black, he will be leaving the cottage as he usually does every night.

You take this opportunity to ask another question, “Where do you go every night?”

As he ensures that you’re comfortably seated on the couch, he purses his lips, deciding whether or not to tell you, “Since the portal is closed, the departed souls must wait to be ushered into the afterlife manually, versus travelling through the portal themselves. Every night, I open the portal to allow them entry. I spend the rest of the night trying various spells and incantations…to try and exterminate the Nahbbun…”

A bit of panic creeps into your stomach, “Wait…isn’t that dangerous? You go out there alone?”

Yoongi chuckles at the panic in your voice, a rather arrogant smirk finding its way onto his mouth, “The Nahbbun can’t harm me; they can only feed from human energy. The only aspect that makes my time in the forest so difficult is that they often hide from me…”

This amazes you. You’ve never seen anything more terrifying in your life and, the fact that Yoongi has the ability to send such creatures into hiding…it really affirms his power.

“Have you ever managed to exterminate them?”

He nods, his eyes flitting eagerly to the door, “Of course, I’ve killed thousands over the years but, it doesn’t seem to help. It’s like they’re reproducing...”

His last comment sparks something within your brain; the mystery of the forest has always intrigued you but, now that you’re aware of the logistics, your curiosity only burns brighter.

“Get some rest hu-“ He catches himself, chuckling as you shoot a glare his way, “Get some rest Y/N, I think you’ve had enough excitement for the day…”

With a defeated sigh, you nod, resisting the urge to argue with him; he’s already told you so much.

He grabs his cloak off of the coatrack by the door, slinging it over his small frame. Yoongi eyes flit to the staircase, “Jimin! I’m leaving for the night, Y/N will be resting so, I expect you to be on your best behavior, especially after what happened last night…”

At Yoongi’s command, you hear a twinkling giggle, followed by the pitter-patter of feet before a voice appears behind you, “You should lower your expectations my lord but, considering the fact that you went and told her the truth about everything, I’m able to have much fun with her anymore am I?”

Yoongi shoots a pointed look Jimin’s way, “You’re not here for fun, you’re here to learn. Did you finish the work I assigned to you?”

Jimin rolls his eyes, leaning carelessly against the back of the couch, “Yes your majesty. I finished it this morning whilst you were groveling at Y/N’s feet.”

The siren snickers, eyes shifting from a dark brown to a brilliant blue; he really is such an interesting creature.

Yoongi rolls his eyes, pointing a finger to the top of the stairs, “Back to your room before I turn you into a cat permanently…”

Jimin just laughs, almost manically, before blowing you a kiss and, running up the stairs so fast that it makes your head spin.

“Can you really do that?” You turn your attention towards Yoongi who is currently shaking his head at Jimin’s antics.

He turns to you, with a smirk on his mouth, “I can do whatever I want.”

“Ugh ok…” You wince at how arrogant he is before a bit of nerves settle into the pit of your stomach. “Be careful alright?”

Yoongi feels a tug at his heart but as usual, he ignores it and, chooses to shake his head, “I’ll be fine Y/N. Make sure you’re resting…”

With that, he leaves you alone in the den, closing the door briskly behind him. A sigh comes careening past your lips as you flop back onto the couch.

There is a bit of regret creeping into the deepest part of your gut. You had been begging Yoongi for the truth ever since you stepped foot into his cottage but, now that you know, you’re plagued with an entirely different issue.

Along with a major reality crisis, you’re also dealing with the urge to solve the mystery behind the Nahbbun. Whilst Yoongi did an excellent job at explaining the mechanisms of the universe, he didn’t really go into detail regarding his conquest to destroy the seemingly demonic creatures in the forest.

More than anything, you want to understand how someone as powerful as Yoongi still hasn’t managed to defeat, what is honestly, the waste product from a bad spell.

These creatures aren’t powerful enough to withstand Yoongi’s spells and, yet they continue thriving. Taking lives, instilling fear, wiping out smaller ecosystems within the forest…it didn’t make any sense.

Yoongi did say that the spell the sorcerer performed is so powerful that one should refrain from saying its name, maybe it really is that damaging.

Just then, a noise sounds behind you, yanking you out of your subconscious. Upon whipping your head around, you spot an object laying in the middle of wooden floor.

Eyeing it wearily, you decide that inspecting said object poses no real threat so, quickly and carefully, you tip toe over to the source of the noise.

As you approach it, your heart accelerates in your chest before, feeling rather silly as you discover the fact that it’s only one of Yoongi’s many books.

Although, you aren’t quite sure how it managed to fall off of the shelf, completely undisturbed...

It's what you’d expect, old, worn, bound with leather- however, as you look closer you’re met with a title that intrigues you:

“Territory for the Mad...” You whisper out loud to no one and, at the drop of the final syllable you practically jump out of your skin when you hear a door slam behind you.

The sound is menacing on its own but, coupled with Jimin’s maniacal giggle, its enough to make your blood run cold.

And just like that, the small sense of security you had managed to gain is ripped away from you.

Because if Jimin’s upstairs and, you’re in the living room...

Who the hell just came in through the back door?

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understandingthevoices · 4 years

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~ wrote a thing about identifying narcissistic abuse in the brown girl group i’m a part of since so many brown boys are narcs lmao and it was so well-received that I thought i would share here too ~

Recently a few people asked me how I became aware of my ex's personality disorder and how I started my healing process w/o a therapist (though if I had seen someone, perhaps this would have been faster)...

It's a LONG one but hopefully informative!!

So we had been on and off for years since college - with me realizing flaws he had and him making it up to me until the next one hit and so on and so forth (and I thought, yay! change! this can work***) - but then it came to a point where I told him enough was enough and we deserved to find people who made us happy and maybe we could revisit "us" in the future. But he cried and told me he couldn't lose me and wanted to actually try the "love" thing out... So, I allowed myself to believe he was for real -- and (somewhat) let down my emotional guards that I had held for self-preservation. Things seemed to be going okay - we would send each other hearts, talk about our future house, kids, etc and everything was fine and dandy, and I thought I was "happy" or "happy enough" - after all, I had the guy right? What more could I want?

But then, let me take you to a Friday afternoon at Trader Joes's, where I was grabbing my groceries and suddenly noticed something: along with her groceries, every woman was walking out with flowers, which I imagined was because of a scheduled date night. it seems so silly now, but at that moment, I broke down into tears because I realized I wanted that too - and if I continued in my old patterns only because it (he) was familiar and all I had known, I would never get that.

He would tell me about our beautiful future life together but wouldn't even take a 4 hour train to visit me.

Basically, He could talk a big talk, he could weave stories about anything to make me believe in us (and he was a MASTER storyteller and had a vivid imagination), but he couldn't walk the walk. Or rather, he didn't care to walk the walk. And if I brought these things up, he would belittle me or say he was busy, essentially reframing my needs as unimportant and not worthy of consideration. But then he would cover it up by saying our kids would be beautiful and smart, he would leave NYC to be in Boston for me, etc - and it was so easy to get sucked in, so tempting to believe this was only temporary.....

But then I would have insomniac nights, where I was filled with anxiety/sadness because I knew I wasn't happy - and the breakdown in Trader Joe's confirmed that

And he had already conditioned me into understanding that if I talked to him about these feelings, he would invalidate, ignore, and eventually bring them up later as ammunition (a favorite of his was “did you forget, we’re not a couple”, which was so hurtful and confusing af lmao)

Up until that point, I had maintained he was just "emotionally unavailable" or "commitmentphobic" and if he saw I wasn't going to nag him or push him into marriage, etc - he would realize it wasn't so scary and we could finally build a life together! It felt like we were moving in that direction, finally. But then every so often, I would have moments where the reality became a little too clear and there was little I could do to stop myself from breaking down.

And it was at my wit's end during these nights that I googled things like "why is he so emotionally distant" and stumbled upon a trove of gold Quora questions/answers - and once I discovered Quora, I went HAM.

Questions like...

"why does he try to make me jealous"

"why does he get mad when he sees me with other guys"

"why won't he commit"

"why won't he let me meet his friends"

"why does he not let me go" / "why does he keep holding on to me"

"why does he say he cares but not visit"

... And throughout all of this searching, one of the answers inevitably mentioned emotional abuse (and often narcissistic abuse) - and while I didn't initially think my situation was abusive, because it seemed like such a strong term, I was so desperate for answers and it came up so often that I said fcuk it, let's see what this is about.

So I googled "emotional abuse" and "narcissistic abuse" and read the stories of survivors, many of which echoed mine. I was shocked that these people had dated what seemed to be clones of my own ex. Many of them mentioned kids/divorce/etc and how they wish they had realized the signs sooner instead of wasting so many years with an emotional vampire, who would initially seem like your soulmate, ingratiate himself to you, praise you and put you on a pedestal, only to suck the life out of you through devaluing mechanisms and never listening to your needs, and discard you later (or stay until you stop giving them chances) - and then play the same game with the next victim, leaving a trail of broken people. They posted about the fake personalities, the emotional highs and lows, how he would leave and come back months/years later as if nothing had changed, etc - and things finally started making sense.

I had noticed many of these things - but without the awareness of narcissism - didn't know what to make of it. For example, when we were on our off-periods and he was out chasing Muslim girls, he (someone I had known as a frat fcukboy who would crush 20 beers in a night) became the sober, praying virtue-driven man. When he was out chasing someone else, he pretended to love Rupi Kaur poetry - even though we made fun of it together (no offense). I often felt like he seemed so ~different~ during these periods - and would call him out on it, but he would always deny it. But, looking back, I realize it wasn't just in my head as he wanted me to believe.

Luckily for me, he had grown to like one of these girls and we decided to take a break (later, I would realize he was trying to 'triangulate' me with her, but even back then I wouldn't succumb to his dumb games) -- which gave me much needed time to continue my Quora obsessiveness... and I went down the rabbit hole. Quora led me to narcissistic abuse recovery youtube channels and instagram accounts - which further opened my eyes to the lies I had been fed. It was heartbreaking but I began to realize his version of "love" (if you can even call his self-serving love that) was so different from mine - for him, it was latching onto someone who would validate him, give him the emotional supply he needed, and be there at his beck and call -- which I was happy to do if it was reciprocal, but of course it wasn't lol. It was completely one-sided and I let it happen because for me, the love I felt was genuine - not fabricated - and I thought that's what you do when you're in love (and it's what I saw growing up in my parent's relationship). I didn't want to believe it but the answer was clear as day - I had been conned into a fake relationship by someone who didn't have the capacity to love someone, and could only use them.

At this point, I realized ~5 years of on-and-off narcissistic abuse (and more than 2 decades of observing my parents' toxic marriage) would take a long time for me to heal from, but if I wanted to have any chance at a truly happy, healthy relationship (which I so earnestly did), I had to let him go. So I dived headfirst - watched at least 1-2 hours worth of videos every day, cried about the disrespect I had put up with, wrote pages and pages of text, etc - and became entrenched in this mode of self-improvement and inner child-finding. And I put them on my tumblr, so he would see them (I knew he was still checking up on me).

So when he inevitably came back because the girl he was chasing "was not who I thought she was" and wanted to be with me because I was so "perfect, knew him better than he knew himself, and so smart", I had the emotional wherewithal to tell him I didn't want this anymore -- and the little bits of changes he would make to attempt to gratify me - I could see through them and they were no longer enough. I think it was a last ditch attempt on his side - my tumblr posts made it obvious I was leveling up and wanted nothing more to do with him.

He was upset and told me he was talking to this girl on a dating app - but she was boring and a downgrade from me - and I just said, "cool". He then told me if I didn't want to try again, he would have no choice but to date her and see where it goes. And at that point, I just wanted him to leave me alone, as I knew anything with him would be a dead end. And I was TIRED. So to his surprise, I said go for it - and blocked him from everything and everywhere. I felt an immediate sense of relief, as I knew the nightmare was finally over and he was someone else's problem now. Of course, just like anyone else, I have my ups and downs too - but I'm definitely much better off.

Now? I haven't heard from him in over 2 years. I don't think I will - I told our mutual friends all about his deceit, post about it on my twitter, and make sure everyone knows how phony he is - and I think he realizes the ruse is over. I have found him out, and he knows he should stay away unless he wants me to expose him even more. I can hit him where it hurts and he is terrified - exactly where I like boys to be ;)

Anyways, last I heard, he's engaged to that girl he said was a downgrade (which isn't that surprising - since I gave him a narcissistic injury by leaving he knew he had to lock down the next one or she would leave too) - which is quite sad. I pray she sees the light before he takes too much away from her.

Hope it clears up things -- as always, feel free to PM me. More than happy to help anyone, especially if it means saving one of you from a toxic monster <3

***This is one of the subtle points that makes narcissists so difficult to identify: usually, when someone changes for you, it's because they like you and don't want to hurt you - compromise! that's what you do when you're in love, right? However, for a narcissist, it's not "love" - it's him realizing that if he wants to keep you trapped in his web of deceit, he needs to change - and this is true for both the beginning of the relationships and the whole duration. They don't have any integrity so they will change into whoever you want them to be, if it means you'll be attracted to them -- they are so good at reading you, figuring you out, and identifying your deepest desires/wants that they can transform into your idea of a perfect partner -- and they DO, but it's only a set up to manipulate you later. It's addicting to meet who you easily consider your "soulmate"... but in the end, you realize it was too good to be true.

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solarune · 5 years

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↳5sos

warning: all of this was written 2013/2014-2016 so some aren’t that great. also i don't write for them anymore if you couldn't tell.

(this is in chronological order so the top of each section is the oldest and the bottom is the newest)

one shots:

countdown: he’ll finally be able to hold you in his arms (spy!luke) (submitted to 5sos-writing-things)

all about you: calum shows you just how much he loves you on your birthday (for maggie)

all i ask: you and luke spend one last night together

what breaks my heart: ashton finally realizes something 7 months later

all too well: the only things calum has left are the memories and your scarf

sunrise: until the very last sunrise (summer!5sos)

the only exception: ashton comes back for you

make you proud: ashton’s late-night songwriting leads to late-night confessions

imagines:

late night talks with ashton

fratboy!luke

white flag (calum’s in love with you) (submitted to 5sos-writing-things)

an unexpected promise (zombie apocalypse au with michael) (submitted to 5sos-writing-things)

secrets and lies (vigilante!ashton) (submitted to 5sos-writing-things)

now (your first kiss with luke) (submitted to 5sos-writing-things)

in the library with college student!michael

michael doesn’t know what you see in him

later, princess (working at disney world with calum) (submitted to 5sos-writing-things)

part of your world (merman!michael) (submitted to 5sos-writing-things)

all of eternity (vampire!ashton)

luke helps you feel better after a long day

reincarnation soulmate au with ashton

ashton really likes holding your hand

fallen angel!luke

you beat michael at mario kart

you’re a boxer and michael can’t help but worry

a quiet night with luke

calum makes you feel good*

spy!michael

central park in the fall with ashton

#93: i tried but i just can’t stay away from you w/ michael

#60: before you decide to murder me, let me explain w/ calum

#71: kiss me, quick! w/ michael

#87: you were never just my friend w/ calum

#97: i want you and i know you want me too w/ ashton

#87: you were never just my friend w/ luke

everything that calum didn’t say

you and michael have too much history together

a night in with ashton

#88: don’t panic, but i think we might’ve accidentally gotten married w/ ashton

#64: are you ticklish? w/ calum

#71: kiss me, quick! w/ luke

#80: how can you think i’m anything but hopelessly in love with you? w/ michael

#74: don’t let go w/ luke

#69: why the hell are you bleeding?! w/ calum

christmas with ceo!luke

#72: i will knock you on your ass if you even think about it w/ luke

#65: i wish you could see yourself the way i see you w/ luke

dancing with roommate!michael

#71: kiss me, quick! w/ ashton

#76: i need you to pretend we’re dating w/ ashton

michael can’t help but get his hopes up

#94: i bet i can make you scream my name w/ ashton

#81: i need you to leave w/ luke

#53: who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream?! w/ michael

#62: it’s only one night, we’ll just share the bed w/ michael

calum and model!reader are seen leaving a nightclub together

model!reader meets calum backstage at the victoria’s secret fashion show

college student!calum has a lot on his plate

luke has a long night ahead of him: long night (part 1) // ghost of you (part 2)

mutant!ashton

soccer player!luke

doing nothing with ashton

attending a wedding with ashton

#31: i can’t keep kissing strangers and pretending that they’re you w/ ashton

#13: i thought you were dead + #29: i’m not going anywhere w/ ashton

blurbs:

fratboy!calum

stoner!luke

late night skype sessions with michael

basketball player!ashton

michael asks you to prom

hockey player!luke

hockey player!calum

son of hypnos!michael

son of apollo!calum

son of zeus!luke

son of hecate!ashton

waiter!luke

barista!michael

grocery store worker!ashton

department store worker!calum

boyfriend!luke with flowers

boyfriend!calum at a family bbq

boyfriend!michael helps you wash your car

boyfriend!ashton cheers you up

boyfriend!luke takes you ice skating

bath time with cal

you invite your high school friend michael to your wedding

ashton finally sees color when he meets his soulmate

late night tour bus talks with michael

calum kills a bug for you

daddy!calum says bye to his kid at the airport

michael just wants cuddles

your first concert with ash

first valentine’s day with calum

“calum looked at you like…”

laying in bed with ashton

you walk out after a fight with michael

luke falls off the bed

michael loves when you touch his hair

camping with ashton and the boys

michael’s first “i love you” to you

tattoo artist!luke

badboy!ashton let’s you drive his car

badboy!calum admires last night’s marks

emt!ashton

michael can’t choose who he wants to be his best man

you accidentally send luke a picture of your wedding dress

calum is protective of you during your pregnancy

badboy!ashton leaves his jacket at your house

badboy!calum shares his headphones with you

calum likes using your coconut body wash

you and roommate!calum get sick at the same time

roommate!luke likes using your perfume

fratboy!michael claims you’re his good luck charm

you love michael’s tummy

lifeguard!ashton

pool party with michael

playful boyfriend calum part 1 // part 2 // part 3

waking up next to calum

celebrity!reader is rumored to be dating luke

neighbor!calum shows off while doing yard work

neighbor!ashton’s dog seems to really like you

you bring the colors into tattoo artist!luke’s life

ceo!michael brings his daughter to work

ceo!calum is nervous before a big meeting

surfer!luke is slowly finding a different #1

hogwarts student!calum makes your life magical

ravenclaw!luke was a curious boy

hogsmeade weekends with hogwarts student!ashton

hogwarts student!michael teaches you the patronus charm

you have a crush on camp counselor!luke

camp counselor!michael has a crush on you

you confront werewolf!ashton about who he is

you confront supernatural hunter!calum part 1 // part 2

demon!michael shows fallen angel!reader what it means to truly live

werewolf!reader and werewolf!luke try to find a new pack

art student!ashton gets caught

seeing med student!luke at a party

aerospace engineering major!luke has stars in his eyes

fratboy!michael has been trying really hard to impress you

ashton and your daughter like to spend their time outside

skater!calum has an accident

michael really loves disney movies

merman!luke spots a glass-bottom boat

you and calum are balloon vendors at disney world

you’re dating merman!ashton

calum’s world has ended (zombie apocalypse au)

michael is determined to protect you during the purge

ashton regrets asking for directions (zombie apocalypse au)

you and luke meet other survivors (zombie apocalypse au)

your last moments with ashton (zombie apocalypse au)

luke comes back to broken windows (zombie apocalypse au)

your last moments with michael (zombie apocalypse au)

luke proposes during the middle of a fight (zombie apocalypse au)

left 4 dead/zombie apocalypse au

calum’s grey state champs shirt

road tripping with ashton

fratboy!calum only shows up on time for you

being best friends with college student!michael

demon!calum and demon!luke interrogate angel!reader part 1 // part 2 // part 3 // part 4 // part 5 // part 6

baseball player!ashton finds out you’re pregnant

you and luke are the “nerd couple”

luke helps you during your time of the month

sleeping at luke’s for the first time

waking up next to fratboy!michael

driving around with fratboy!luke

fratboy!calum wants to celebrate

barista!calum finally makes his move

barista!michael tries to cheer you up

amity!luke comforts you during the dauntless initiation (divergent au)

amity!ashton is the sunshine that you need (divergent au)

son of apollo!luke takes you out on a date

son of vulcan!michael is the luckiest demigod in the world

child of hades!reader finds a home in son of hestia!michael

son of demeter!ashton likes to leave a flower for you every morning

son of iris!michael accepts himself for who he is

son of hephaestus!calum is only good with machines

autumn with calum

ceo!ashton has a surprise for you

soccer player!calum tries to show off for you

ashton loves to snapchat you

calum really doesn’t like the cold

warped tour with ashton

calum loves jazz music

mini series:

pirate!5sos ashton // calum // luke // michael

nyc!5sos ashton // calum // luke // michael

fics:

every part of you (a.i) part 1 // discontinued lmao rip

click here for requests!

click here for writing recs!

#sorry for the super long post lmao ignore this as i try to fix my masterlist that apparently isn't working #i put a read more on this lmfao sorry if it doesn't work

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zapgraptrash · 7 years

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World-building June - Day 4: History

THIS IS OBSCENELY LONG AND PROBABLY OBSCENELY BORING SO IT’S GOING UNDER A CUT! i might add more to it as i think of it

Since humans became smart enough to make civilisations – emotion magic is a thing but nobody knows how to harness it and many people are unconvinced it’s actually real so everywhere has its own myths and legends about it (once upon a time these two people were so in love that their love burned down a whole country, etc). Kind of like how we have stories about ghosts and vampires and werewolves and stuff. One popular belief is that it comes from the moons, so when they’re full the magic is particularly Strong.

476 – The Roman Empire does NOT fall/split, it does just goddamn fine. There’s no squabbling over who becomes the next emperor because they use a normal system of getting it off your relatives. It extends a lot further than in Dimension 1, integrating all the “barbarians” that otherwise would have invaded and contributed to its downfall in our world. The Dark Ages don’t happen and Christianity doesn’t become so huge. It still exists but it doesn’t have a monopoly on education and shit.

999 – This is when it ACTUALLY falls. The emperor is assassinated and the whole empire collectively loses its shit because there is no one to take over. It splits into a bunch of new countries with their own rulers. From here on, technology and science and knowledge in general proceed a lot faster than they do in Dimension 1, as there was no period of regression to prevent it from doing so.

1503 – The Sengoku Period of Japan (feudal Japan) is shorter than it is in Dimension 1 and ends here, the country becomes unified and likewise develops quicker. Samurai have so many guns and they keep those guns.

1885 – Cars exist now. Also the USA declares its independence from the British Empire (which is still obscenely fucking huge).

1910-18 – There is a surge in “incidents” supposedly involving emotion magic and since video now exists, stuff has been recorded and now there’s growing interest in it.

1919 – Morgan-Ellis Labs is founded to try and find out what exactly emotion power can do. [note to self the name comes from Russ Morgan and Seger Ellis whomst wrote the music for It’s All Over But The Crying i.e the fallout 4 theme song]

1920 – Madnug is born.

1929 – All these empires (Britain, USA, Russia, Japan, China, Germany) are getting too big for their own good and relations between all of them are strained. They’re all racing to make the biggest goddamn bomb ever.

1929-44 – Some form of Cold War. Everyone wants to go to war but don’t want to destroy the entire planet (yet). Massive amounts of xenophobically charged crimes all over the world. It’s just a thing that happens now. The research on emotion power slows down as “fear” and “anger” dominate everything. Also during this time, fossil fuels are running low which of course does not help. Meanwhile Morgan-Ellis are trying to figure out if emotion can be used as a power source like it’s electricity or something.

1940 – Madnug moves from Japan to Boston, to work at Morgan-Ellis Labs.

1945 – October 21: The president of the USA is assassinated by a Russian and shit just kicks the FUCK off.

October 23: The War starts, and then ends a day later. Very little of humanity survives the initial bombs, and even more die off in the aftermath.

Morgan-Ellis Labs is one of a few places that had a bunker built underneath it in anticipation of a war so most people working there manage to survive the firestorms that happen immediately after the bombs fall. They stay in the bunker until it’s safe to actually be outside the lab.

Madnug and the other survivors from the lab start trying to help anyone left outside. There aren’t many but they stick together.

1946 – The General appears in Dimension 0, in a much smaller and weaker state than it “currently” is.

The survivors now have a settlement near what used to be Laconia, NH, as it’s away from where the nukes hit. They’ve named it Sanctuary. However resources are running low and tensions are high, nobody really knows what to do as there are no animals and growing crops has had little to no success.

On October 23, exactly a year after the bombs fell and also Madnug’s birthday, one of these arguments happens and she just goes off by herself for a while to be miserable. The general locks in on her misery and appears before her, communicating telepathically. It claims it can make everything better through bringing “help” from alternate dimensions, but it needs Madnug’s help to do this. For the next few months, Madnug secretly builds a gate to be used for inter dimensional travel according to the general’s instructions. It’s a bit haphazard but it’ll do.

1947 – The general tells Madnug that he/it can provide the final bit of power to open the gate, but in order to do that it needs some (more) negative energy. Madnug doesn’t understand how any more of it could possibly be generated, the entire world is dead and those who are left are rapidly losing the will to live. The general talks Madnug into shooting all those who are left but in such a way that they die slowly. It’s for the greater good, he says. Once we can access alternate dimensions and get what we need, we can start over. Be the creators of our own civilisation. Madnug doesn’t want to do this and tries to kill herself instead but she seems immune to death??? The general keeps her alive no matter what and since he’s basically bonded to her now there’s nothing she can do so she has to do what he says.

The gate to Dimension 1 is opened. Madnug and the general “recruit” people (mostly soldiers and prisoners from WW2) to steal resources from Dimension 1’s Earth, recover things from the bombed places in Dimension 0 (usually dying in the process) and start building up a proper settlement in Sanctuary. The planet itself is also kind of called Sanctuary at this point too and it sticks.

1948 – The general grows a lot larger and more powerful from the misery of the people stolen who are doing his dirty work and he is able to open gates to other dimensions now. The next wave of people to be recruited are made to join an army which invades these other dimensions to either steal more resources or just cause mayhem for whoever lives there (if anyone). This is also when the general becomes known as “The General”.

1950 – Sanctuary is now a fairly large city and the army is the reason is it able to function. The army is named the Platinum Army. I currently don’t have an explanation for this because I got it from a song lmao.

Madnug starts trying to learn every kind of science possible for “something to keep her sane” in between going to recruit people and the general doing his thing.

1965 – The after-effects of the bombs have decreased enough to be “safe”. Crops do better in the small spaces where they can be grown, the ozone is healing, the smoke clouds are thinning, the sun is more visible more often, rain/snow is more frequent, the overall temperature is no longer Fucking Freezing, etc.

1976-77 – A small group starts to figure out the emotion magic of Dimension 0 and tries to utilise it to make an attack on the general. They get disposed of almost immediately.

1980 – Madnug should be 60 now but she still looks like she’s in her mid-late 20s. Immune to death and immune to aging? She has long since stopped interacting with anyone in the Platinum Army unless it’s absolutely necessary and even then her identity is well hidden. She still recruits people though, but no longer by herself, sometimes other people are sent to do it too.

1986 – The general is now powerful enough to devour entire goddamn planets when they’ve been ransacked to his satisfaction.

1995-96 – The internet becomes common use for everyone in Sanctuary, though it’s used for communication a lot more than information, as information is mostly lost and/or borrowed from Dimension 1. Cell phones are also common use.

2003 – Trashland starts!!!!!!!

#god i hope i didnt forget any bits to take out #worldbuilding june tag

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survivor-themyscira-blog · 7 years

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Hello. It's raining outside today. And surprisingly, my game is going similarly. My last Idol Search ended with me stumbling over Raymonds corpse, resulting in me being forced to sit out the upcoming Reward challenge because I am SHOOK. Like a corpse would scare me... My hope is that my tribe has to sit out a player (since it's 6-5-5 atm) and that I can claim that spot. If I am forced to just not submit, then that's fair too. Minor blow. Nothing I can't recover from. (Famous Last Words) Besides that, RIP Ruthie. From what I've seen, you're awesome, but oh well... that's the game. Let the current Hippos jump at each others throats. I'll just be somebody you wanna be friends with. I feel very safe within Menalippe and I think I'd be comfortable in case we Swap. Cya! The Skies are crying over Ruthie... Don't cry, sky! You're next!

Wooo that tribal was Fucking lit. Obviously Jaiden proved he won't work with me. Seriously dude, sometimes you should just save big moves for merge. Way to single yourself out as someone I can't trust and that's what this vote was about. Finding who I can trust. Fun fact for all of you reading this post game, Madeline and I talk on the phone! I need her to work with me and she works with me!

Being close and working with Ian has become the best move I've made in the game so far.

So I had to have a couple of days away since I had an ill bubba but the tribe has been amazingly supportive, considering I expected to go asap - we haven't been to tribal yet so I still might -, its a nice friendly tribe and everyone tries their hardest so I just need to pull my socks up to match that!

DONT GIVE US FLASH GAME CHALLENGES WHEN JORDAN IS IN THIS GAME??? WHY?? EVERYONE HAS PLAYED WITH JORDAN PINES, NOT TO MENTION HE AND LILY ARE ON THE SAME TEAM AND THEY BOTH DOMINATE FLASH GAMES GRR

WHY DONT I READ THE MOTHER FUCKING DIRECTIONS?????? i fkdsjkflas fjkdsfkasdfk fjdsnkfasdkf god i truly hate myself i didn't read and then i submitted my first score for casanova and i- whew. i just didn't read. and we could only submit once. my hope is that other people on the other tribes also didn't read and submit shittier scores than me! lol but i got 70k which is good for me but for others? i don't know. i am shit at flash games okay i truly am. and which 1/2 of our tribe being inactive, i'm not expecting much out of this comp. the men lips are losing a lip tomorrow night. rip in peace to ... probably madison at this rate lmao. let's just hope she doesn't have any special powers!!! omg fjdkjfaslf but like she's been so inactive maybe she hasn't been searching the island? idk that's what i hope. and ruthie went home last night over rocks and i SCREAMED how can the rocks do that to RUTHIE!!! also i just talked to logan about this flash game and he says that he gets like two million on casanova and i just- WHAT H O W??????? i dont even know. i also just realized this is, in fact, a reward challenge, so i feel less shitty about my score. it's just reward but... logan thinks antiope is gonna win it and give us the disadvantage but like! that's ugly! anyways more like actual survivor related stuff going on, i think kai, logan, and i are going to make a group thing and roll with that. i feel a swap coming on soon but... who can never be sure? it could be at 15 and we're divided into three tribes or five or it could be at 14 and we're divided into two tribes of seven... i don't know which i'd prefer because i like having very few people on our tribe bc it's less people to talk to but also less options to vote out come tribal... ugly! also because half my tribe is inactive! this is >:-(

https://youtu.be/SIt2jOUDLug

https://youtu.be/9QhJFyjE6v0

https://youtu.be/XvkrD_DkVDA

It is currently 3:36AM EST and all the Europeans are up and so I’m talking to Amanda and Andreas. I think we’ve decided that Kai sit out this challenge, which I’m fine with. He hasn’t helped much the previous challenges lmao. Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about allies and who I want to get with. I have 0 alliances so far but there’s definitely an unspoken thing between Kai, Logan, and I (well, I know they’re very close so it’s probably not unspoken to them, but unspoken to me.). But I’m struggling because I’m starting to really like Madison and Amanda? The two people Logan and Kai want out? And this is definitely a predicament. So like... I love women. And my goal was to work with women. So you know... Madison and Amanda? But on the other hand, I love Logan and Kai. Logan really wants Amanda out for voting out Dan, who he was close with. And so I’m :-/. I like both sides and I’m just hoping that I don’t have to choose a side so soon. Or maybe I’ll luck out and convince people to vote out Andreas! Who can never be sure? I’m just stressed and not sure where I want my loyalties (I don’t actually have loyalty to anyone - so these are like alleged) to go. Logan and Kai or Amanda and Madison? Choices are to be made.

[11:18:20 AM] Jordan Pines: here drew make some confessionals for me [11:18:24 AM] Jordan Pines: tell them about my gameplay [11:18:39 AM] Jordan Pines: I’m aligned wiht lily and jack, sort of with rhone and nicholas and i have no idols [11:18:42 AM] Jordan Pines: do with that what you will [11:18:55 AM] Jordan Pines: make me sound smart

I MISS MADELINE WHY CANT WE BE ON THE SAME TRIBE AGAIN

I just royally flopped that challenge. SO BAD. Like okay... I had sixty seconds to think of things and one round I only got like five points! I'm literally such a piece of shit I feel like I'm going to HEAVILY let down my tribe!!!!!! If we lose because of me... at least I'm in a good spot socially but HOLY SHIT I'm so fkdjskla this is not good not good not good. I'm just hoping other people flopped this challenge too and that my last round (words that start with W) can save me. I got 26 points there... Probably could've gotten more but I'm a dumbs. I also couldn't think of any TV shows that have strong female leads! Like I'm not sure if there's like a shortage or if I just don't watch the shows. I got like 6 points and typed two wrong lmao. I even said the vampire diaries but a bitch has never seen vampire diaries so I was just guessing lmao. But I also spelled it wrong so ANYWAY! I feel so guilty I feel like I've helped a whole lot these past challenges and this one............. I flopped a whole whole whole lot :-/

Last game I played, I was the type of person to pour themselves a bowl of cereal and then realize that there wasn’t any milk in the refrigerator. This game, I’m checking the refrigerator before I pour my cereal. I’m not going to make dumb decisions then realize that my goals can’t be fulfilled. I need to think through everything. Also I love cereal

Apparently Survivor US is not a spin off show from Survivor that takes place only in the states so guessing Alabama didn't win me any points.

My name is Ian Eugene Layne, Commander of the Armies of the Devil's Lair, Generally well liked by the Aphi Sa Legions. loyal servant to the true Sole Survivor, Zachary Rae, ally to a murdered Icon, friend of the Robbed Queen And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

Once again we skate by in second place!!! I love being immune!!! I have yet to go to tribal and I love it! :-) But I’m also sending a swap after this... whew. Let’s just hope that whatever tribe I end up on is full of comp beasts and allies! Woohoo! LOL anyways I love winning and I hope that keeps happening.

ok so i haven't made a confessional in 1900 years but i am so happy! i love this tribe a lot and think that all 5 of us left have a lot left to contribute to the game so i think it is 100% in my best interest to hope that we keep winning these challenges! there are some strong players like jordan on my tribe who i want on my side for sure! rhone & jack are cool too and i think that if we go to a tribal the majority alliance of hippos og might not be enough to keep me safe so it is definitely a relief that i am able to be safe this round. but numbers wise i think we are about to get either a swap or a merge into 2 tribes coming up so lets just hope that i can merge/swap into the majority! i also feel like now i have gotten rid of the 'inactive/slacker' stigma i had from og hippo and now people will take me seriously but they will also recall how i didn't attempt the first challenge so i'm less threatening! whew lets hope for the best!!

HAHAHAHAHAH Hippo back to tribal! I hate it for them, those are some nice folks but.... ha!

I’m so sick of losing challenges!!! UGH!!! I don’t really know what we’re gonna do this vote. I have a feeling my name will come up at some point or another, but right now I’m putting a whole ton of trust into Billy to keep our plans secret. Right off the bat, I’m pissed off that we lost by such a close margin. But then I realize just how terribly people performed in certain aspects of the challenge, like the second category??? It was literally Survivor seasons and everyone besides me scored less than 10. How hard is it to think of ten seasons of Survivor. Apparently, very hard because nobody was capable of processing that kind of information. So anyways, I get over this initial anger by campaigning to Ian that he needs to get rid of Toph and keep me around, even though I betrayed his trust last vote by forcing an unnecessary rock draw. My plea is that I’m good in the challenges and I have no power on this tribe. He and Madeline have that power, so it’s their choice to either keep me around as an asset or take a gamble with Toph and Billy. Billy and I both know that Ian and Madeline are going to continue to control what this tribe does for the long run. But Billy wants Madeline to go home more than anything, and I agree. I recognize that taking out Toph only delays the inevitable a lot longer – Madeline and Ian will remain loyal to potential previous tribe alliances than they will with me or Billy. Someone needs to deal with them, and unfortunately it has to be me. Losing Ruthie last round is both a blessing and a curse. I think it’s a curse because I lose one solid person I could work with for a long time, but it’s a blessing because she far too honest and nice to make the kinds of moves I’m gonna have to make in this game. If Billy went home last round, we would certainly take out Toph and gain zero traction within this tribe. Since I have Billy still here, we can actually take a shot at Madeline and Ian and hopefully take back a little of the control here. I’m going to throw Toph under the bus hard and pray that Madeline and Ian take the bait. I also hope that fucking Billy doesn’t backstab me at the most inconvenient time… I think Billy has better options with people not named Jaiden Hantz, so ideally I keep him thinking that I’m his BEST ally. Also, I don’t need Madeline and Ian realizing that Billy and I are super close and have them decide to just split us up. If they take out Billy, I’m FUCKED because I’ll have exposed my loyalties and look even dumber than I have before. Idk man. I just wanna survive the vote.

Damn son, Antiope is going strong! Poor Hippos getting their wings clipped. :'( But who cares about those as long as Men's Lips are safe? Either way, with this Immunity, I've guaranteed my spot in the Final 15... and I expect that a Tribe Swap is just around the corner. We could be put in 3 Tribes of 5... that would make sense imo. At this point, only Emily, Kai and Myself haven't attended a single Tribal Council and those two are my closest allies on my tribe now. Madison is our only outsider on Menalippe, but I tried to stay a bit friendly with her, since Emily said that she's close with JP, who I don't want to have as an enemy.... yet. In case of a Swap, I'd like Emily on my tribe the most (but seeing how well she does in challenges, she should be safe on any tribe until merge). I would be happy enough with JP, Madison, Kai, Logan, Ian and Toph. I'd be happy to play with Billy as well but I think he's the one who's getting voted out tonight. Idk the others too well or at all. If I'm with Amanda, it depends on who's on the tribe to see if I wanna cooperate with her or not. The weather today is as eventless as this day in Themyscira.

Damn... i really thouhht i did quite well... and yet we were like 10 points away from tribal and 200 away from first place... like we need to step up our game

Y’all I keep thinking about that empty spot when I jumped off the cliff... what the FUCK what there!!! Who has it now!!! Will this prevent me from voting someone out that I really want to vote out!!! Will this fuck me over!!! I don’t know what’s going ON MAN IM SCREAMING

Also can Kai and Logan just add me into an alliance chat already like wtf we’ve been talking about it for like a week let’s just DO IT

I really hope this vote goes the way we want it to. I feel if this hadn't gone to the rocks last time and we had Ruthie still we wouldn't have even been to this second tribal in a row.

Ugh my god this game is so slow paced right now. Cant we just have a triple tribal and like... idk vote someone out and have DRAMA!! I am bored out of my mind right here right now... Ughhh

I can’t decide who I want to join uS. If what they are saying about Madeline is true then her

QUEEN MADELINE SURVIVING THAT 3-2 VOTE NUT I CANT WAIT UNTIL WE SWAP TRIBES AND I CAN TALK TO HER AGAIN UGHHHHHH I miss her I want to be her BFF but queenie for voting out another boy I can’t wait to get all the tea on her tribe UGH I MISS HER jebwjwbwjwnw

Things might be getting spicy folks https://youtu.be/5ZWKrQnaVxs

#whatidoisnotuptoyou #athena11 #episodes

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survivor-marianas-trench · 7 years

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“How Am I Supposed To Sit On My Fat *ss And Do Nothing If There’s No Tribal Immunity?” - EPISODE 1

i wont say names bc if these get released at the end i know the psycho wont leave me alone but theres a certain someone that never leaves another certain someone alone and theyre actually so annoying and they look like a balding foot and if i have to be in the same tribe with them i will definitely end up fighting them

so...cole walking on day 1? because he didn't want to be in a game with Julia wow. I am shook to the core.

1st off why are there 30 people here! 2nd off why are we all in a chat together! And 3rdly at least someone already took themselves out of the game. I didn't get last!!! I know setting the bar high. I'm very excited to play everyone is super nice and also I think my tribe is great. I got Sam and Liana on my tribe whom I played with during Atlantis. Sam and I were in an alliance but obviously it wasn't super tight...since I voted her off. But I love her dearly and hope we can work together again. Also excited for Liana because I always remember that she was good in challenges and she has already told me she won't want to throw any challenges this time. Haha. I already appreciate her so much. She is so sweet! Carson k is also on my tribe. Carson k is also a sweetheart and I'm sad that I didn't trust him much during Malibu and I hope that it can change here. Hopefully there is a survivor trivia challenge because he is so good with survivor trivia. Everyone else on the tribe seems really cool too as we aren't involved in the drama of the one world chat. Haha we have all of our members still and we are ready to win some challenges! #YouWishYouWereATasi also. Kait is here!!!! Omggggg I'm not ready. She messaged me last night and I was like oh god how do I talk to kait????? Like ugh ahhhh scared. No. Nothing against kait she just scares me! And I feel like she can tell....*gulp* but billy is also here and I love billy too. And Luke!!! Honestly so many amazing people who hopefully won't vote me off. Everyone in the community has been so supportive of me and has really helped relive some of the anxiety I've been having. But queen kait is here so I don't know how long it will last.

what the fuck am i doing i don't even know if im making a confessional for the right game....like i'm in a 3 survivor games and a big brother game and i've never wanted to kill myself more i was talkin with kait and i was like "omg i love karen!!" and KAREN ISN'T EVEN ON OUR FUCKING TRIBE. SHE'S DEADASS IN ANOTHER GAME. omg and this ninjohn bitch cracks me tf up so yeah thats about all i've done bye

tbh! what is going on in this game!!! The only people that I know and want to work with are Sam G, Dan, Amanda, Billy and Christine tbqh! I don't know anybody on my tribe except Billy so we're gonna be a cute duo. I think the twist is kind of fun, it's gonna make people need to be on their toes 24/7 and not get too comfortable hiding behind tribal wins because they just don't exist. Uh first boot from my tribe? Idk,...maybe me> maybe chrisssa? who knows!

On 3/6/17, at 9:54 PM, veronica [ hoenn host ] wrote: > how am i supposed to sit on my fat ass and do nothing like nicholas did if theres no tribe immunity >.> but also i really like the cast in this game and i know its gonna be lit this is like one of my fave survivors already and im in like 4 rn

set my soul on fire pls

YES MA'AM! This is Kelsey Mikaelson, representing BBCAN and Vampire Diaries, checking into Mariana Trench Survivor, is you good? Is you happy? Because I's wants to know, ok. Entering this competition was a quick shock. The tribe I was on is very friendly and we all got along quick and I'm living, I seem to get along well. Obviously, I'm the loud one, but I think that overall, I'm not too much which is good! You know what is too much though? Literally both other tribes OTHER than Tasi. Seeing how crazy they are during the One World makes us seem a lot more mellow which makes me seem a lot more quiet which is absolutely a great factor for my game. Anyways, next twist: triple elimination each week. Girl...I came here for a fresh new game that would be welcoming to newbies. This is literally death. I'm literally dead. *sigh*...Whatever. There are people in my tribe I've clicked with early on. Carson, Liana, Sam, Shea and Seamus have all been rather nice to me. However, one person that I have definitely gotten along with thus far is Lilly. She's so explosive and she's also so logical in everything she tells me, she's a great counterpart to me in this competition. I would say I trust Lilly the most, yes, I would. And going into this first tribal, I'm interested to see how our relationship will translate into gameplay. Hopefully, in a positive way~! Now to the challenge...I want to remain a team player, an innocent virgin, an airhead with nothing but loyalty with everyone. I don't want to manipulate, I want to slay. So, I'm going to put a rather safe score for myself. As long as I'm not on the bottom end of the powers, I'm fine. I just hope that this first tribal doesn't eat me alive...against my gut instinct, I'm not bringing strategy up for these first days. I just hope that people actually come to me like I'm expecting...otherwise, I gotta start making them moves, mama! Wish me the best of luck! From Canada with Love, -The ORIGINAL...Kelsey Mikaelson, muah!

I'm so nervous. I feel like knowing that you're going to tribal no matter what makes this all more nerve wracking. I'm trying to feel out who people want to go and what they want to do without making anyone feel like I'm jumping the gun or being too forward. Plus I think Darian is probably gunning for me, since I know he doesn't like me. I really don't wanna be first to go, but I feel like it's too risky to just immediately go after him. I'm hoping someone is inactive or will give us a reason to vote them out so that this first one is an easy one.

http://youtu.be/PTJUoasIy_Y

...moments later

If i learned anything from Rakiura, it's that I need to make a list or something of peoples' point values and possible advantages since people will forget about them come merge and then the person with all the advantages will win the season. :)

I'll call them out!

https://youtu.be/gK_YU4BaKyc

WHAT THE FUCK IS EVEN MY TRIBE

So like this is a weird position to be in. I like everyone on my tribe????? Like how the fuck am I supposed to vote one of these hoes out when I like them? I'm clearly the prettiest, but like I love them all. This is a tragedy because if it was a normal damn game, I would be able to slay with my tribe. My plan so far is to just be super social and find the majority. I don't know how to play one world because usually the world revolves around me so.

So this season hasn't been that exciting at all so far for our tribe due to Cole's, not surprising, quit. I want to try harder than the last few skype/Tumblr games I've played since I definitely was inactive in the last few. I'm trying to socialize and need to expand my social surroundings since I haven't approached many yet. I have been talking to Luke however but he's terrible at responding. I don't mind if you're busy and can't respond quickly but when you message in the main chat and have the online symbol by your name you might want to respond back to a tribemate. That doesn't bode well for track records.

Things are weird. What do I do. Who do I talk to. Where am I. Okay now that I've gotten that off my chest I just tribes are weird. We aren't even really a tribe. I know we will have to just keep voting people off of our tribe. So what do we do? I have no leads. Except I kinda want a girls alliance so I would prefer a guy out this week just to play it safe. I feel like I could talk to Liana and Sam about this but also nervous. Idk. I'll do something soon but this is a lot to process. I also hope that not too many voting things will affect tribal. I'm not ready for it. That is all. Good day.

Hello!!! Alright so this first week has just been....a mess. Like, y'all really put me in a group with 30 people...with one world in play...I'm gonna go insane. Although it's not entirely a bad thing. I have my Queens Kait and Jenn to keep me sane. I had Cole......for like 2 hours until he left WHICH I'M STILL BITTER ABOUT. I love him so much it's not even funny. Anyways for the people on my tribe, I absolutely adore Dan so I can definitely see us working together. Sam G. is here as well and WHEW. A Queen. I love her so much. If I had a dream alliance within this tribe it'd probably be Dan, Sam, Kelsey, Lily, Carson and myself. I haven't gotten the chance to talk to Seamus or Liana and trying to start a conversation with Shea is a bit like pulling teeth so far so...yeah, that's how things are looking right about now I'm so scared for this tribal cause I don't know what to expect??? Like I probably should've just went all in for immunity but I didn't cause I didn't wanna go overboard...so much for that huh. Wish me luck for now I guess!

...30 minutes later...

I'm screaming apparently Shea's already brought my name up to people but suddenly changed it to Carson when I started talking to them??? Something smells fishy here and I'm not here for it. I've got my eye on Shea, that's for sure. In all honesty I'd rather target Shea than Carson cause Carson's actually chill while Shea's probably gonna get a little messy along the way which makes me nervous but Dan trusts him for now so I guess I just gotta go with the flow for now...

Hi Ricky! Super excited to be safe this round, just gotta sit here and look cute!

the furrys are on the prowl, yiff yiff. there are quite a few furrys in this game lmao. so basically on my tribe i really like veronica and am teaming with her. shea really likes me and veronica so we r gonna try and work with them. i think i want to vote for sam this round bc like i like everyone else and the noobs in our tribe seem kinda easy to push around so im excited!

My tribe is so BORINGGGGG tbh no one talks in the chat anyways here's an analysis i promised Ricky <3 When something more happens youll get more out of me but literally nothings going on OH I HAVE AN ALLIANCE WITH DAN AND LUKE BUT YOU BUT US ALL ON DIFFERENT TRIBES WHICH IS GROSS The end. heres my analysis of my tribe woo Andie - Love him we've been friends for a while and he wants to work together so thats cute af Daisy - Super nice we've talked quite a bit so far. I like her Darian - He seems super nice to me and we talked a bit but ive heard he's a shitshow and ive been warned so i know to tread lightly Emma - I'm not gonna like when i saw Emma was on my tribe I was about to beat someones ass because I felt like she hated my guts last time i was around her and it was a rough experience but she like came to me and apologized and shit saying she was having a rough time and idk if that was just to cover her ass for this game or what but im gonna forgive but not forget at this point...or at least until swap/merge lmao Kait - i fucking love Kait she's super straight to the point which is great when everyone else sugar coats the hell out of everything. We seem to work well in PI so here's to hoping it works out this time and we can be a dynamic duo lolol Rhea - Last Week in another game she said she didnt like playing with me and my friends...im not really with my close friends in this game so idk if itll be different but like we've played together a ton and i dont think we ever worked together. She's the nicest person in the world but we like never click together so i wouldnt be surprised if she wanted my ass gone Rob - I dont think we've talked? oops lmfao Sam R. - Hes so chill. We played Myanmar together and we worked together while also targeting eachother? it was so fucking complicated ahahaha but i love him as a person so i hope we're okay in this game??? idk yet tbh Steven - We've talked a bit in the past. He's chill but we arent super close. I dont think he'd target me though so thats a plus

Wooo! I guess taking -10,030 points was worth it! I won immunity from the raffle and I also have the 30% advantage! Couldn't be more happy about the outcome of this challenge. I honeslty don't know who to vote for and I sure as hell won't be scrambling. I know it's not me and that's all I care about

i am gad we were safe week 1 thanks to Cole quitting again it's insane that he did that but i am glad it gave us safety this week. I hope i can stay longer because immunity wins aren't relying on everyone to win together so if i am bad they won't think i am a threat..

well! tasi WAS peaceful, until little shea decided to target me ONCE again in a game. id like to see him try, because i am NOT going premerge. and, if i have anything to say about it, his ass is GRASS!

So, everyone this tribal has said they are voting Carson, which I have no problems with. I feel like the blame is being put on me for this vote which I don't want. If people flip and I go home, so be it.

Daisy seems to be the first target and I don't want her to leave. I'm going to see if we can get the votes back on Amanda.

http://prntscr.com/ehnjlj

So, tonight is making me super nervous and I don't know what to do.... I feel like this twist fucks me and that's not good. I have played sooo many PI seasons that I feel like I am an easy target. Also this one world twist is legit making this game THAT much harder and I honestly don't like this shit. I don't know what the fuck I am going to do, and it sucks so much. I feel like I am a mess and it sucks more so than anything. I just want to make it past this tribal, and I am not sure that I willl.

Whew I need to write a confessional but also I'm watching Survivor! I am really nervous for this vote! Everyone has been so quiet and I haven't talked to that many people. The plan is supposed to be for Carson. Lily, Liana, Dan, Christine, and I were supposed to create an alliance but we haven't. I'm hoping we will later and no one is actually trying to vote me out. Seamus did say 'Christine or Sam' but he meant Carson? Okay sure hopefully he did!

Sooo, this has been a wild round, and im not even gonna get into the cole thing other than to say, I'm glad you and your negative bitch ass is gone, and maybe come for me with more accurate shit next time :))). But since this "lovely" soul quit, I didn't have to go to tribal, and I also beat him AHAHAH. BUT I've been chit-chatting with Gabriel alot and I love Gabriel they are soooo chill tbh. And I also am kinda lucky since I know so many people know this season whew. Okay bye

#deeperdarkerdanger

0 notes

softyoongiionly · 5 years

Text

Tea and Tourniquets-The Beginning ☕️

(GIF is not mine)

The darkness is real…and it’s alive.

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Word Count: 15.5k

Genre: Supernatural au! Supernatural! Yoongi, his true identity will be revealed later on, Fantasy! Au, Tsundere! Yoongi, fluff, angst, smut throughout the story, slightly spooky

Warnings: slight spooky-ness? lmao thats not a word, references to death/dark themes, future smut, moderate angst

A/N okay so hello! I hope you guys are okay with getting this in two parts. I have the plot figured out but, I really felt it was best to release it in separate pieces. The second part may be just as long, or even longer, I’m not totally sure but, I truly truly hope you guys enjoy this! I’ve been working on it for months now. I love you guys <333

“A toast to our great explorers...Namjoon, Seokjin and, Jungkook, your commitment and bravery to our village is unparalleled, thank you for all that you have done and, all that you will do...here here!”

The booming voice of one of your village’s leader echoes off of the walls of the pub’s cozy interior and, the clinking of glasses soon follows.

Tonight, the village is celebrating the three men who have made it their mission to answer a question that has loomed over your world for centuries:

What lurked in the ancient forest?

Stories had been passed down through countless generations and, although, those stories have yet to be confirmed, the disappearances and deaths surrounding the forest, served as a warning to anyone who dared to breach the trees after sunset.

“I think we should revisit the Yoongi theory again, he’s our only clear source of information...”

The celebration had been in full swing for roughly an hour or so before, the men of the hour had made it over to the bar.

Seokjin smirks knowingly, glancing at Namjoon, “That’s very true Jungkook-ah, so we should go visit him then yes? Perhaps he will have time for an interview?”

Jungkook sputters on the bitter liquid in his glass, eyes wide and blinking owlishly at his elder brother, “Are you insane? If Yoongi is behind the curse, he is more evil and powerful than any of us could possibly imagine. My swordsmanship, as incredible as it is, would be no match for his powerful...sorcerer...demon...powers.”

The younger boy trails off as his uncertainty grows, causing the two other men to snicker in amusement.

“Kook, we have gathered no evidence that supports this theory. Yoongi has always been helpful to our people and, just because he’s figured out how to survive in the forest, doesn’t automatically mean he’s a demon...sorcerer or, whatever it is that you just said.”

Seokjin continues to snicker through Namjoon’s explanation and, Jungkook huffs, slumping back into his chair, his brown bunny eyes rolling in annoyance.

“Hyung, he’s got to be ancient by now, our elders remember stories about him as young children. Don’t you think it’s strange that he’s been around for so long? What if he’s...a vampire or something?”

At his comment, Seokjin and Namjoon burst out in a fit of belly laughter, holding onto each other through their fit. You giggle to yourself as you bend down to place a clean glass onto the shelf, shaking your head at their antics.

“A benevolent vampire who delivers medicine, free of charge, to a village of humans? Doesn’t sound like the type to senselessly murder by the hundreds...” Jin inquires as their laughter dies down, Jungkook retreating further into his seat, grumbling to himself.

“Leave him alone you two...” You admonish, a fond smirk still gracing your features as you continue to straighten up the bar, your three friends directing their gazes toward you.

“Yeah, leave me alone....” Jungkook mumbles, nudging his foot against Namjoon.

“We’re just trying to encourage him to be more logical Y/N, he’s new to our profession...it’s very easy to get carried away.” Namjoon smirks, still chuckling as he nudges Jungkook in return.

“Hyung, with all due respect, it’s hard to be logical when all the evidence points to something...otherworldly. Besides, has anyone in recent times seen Min Yoongi? How do we know it’s him dropping off the remedies, what if it’s one of his familiars or something?” Jungkook urges, eyes going wide once again as he leans towards Namjoon.

Jin brows raise, “Familiars? So is he a vampire or a witch?”

“Maybe, he’s a vampire...witch...” Jungkook insists, slitting his eyes toward Jin.

Namjoon snickers again, taking a sip of his whiskey before nodding to you, “Y/N hasn’t your grandfather encountered Yoongi? Can’t he vouch for his normalcy?”

Your grandfather had been your caretaker since you were around the age of 7. After the passing of your parents, he had vowed to raise you as his own. Although your grandfather claimed to be a logical man, he often gave in to the mythical side of life or, ‘teahouse tales’ as he fondly referred to it. He encouraged your curiosity but, he always warned you of breaching the trees after dusk. During the day however, the two of you had spent quite a bit of time in the forest. Your grandfather loved researching the flora and fauna of the region and, you often accompanied him on his days out. If you were ever to go on your own, he had a few rules that he urged you to follow.

1. Stay away from the blue frogs (they’re poisonous)

2. Remember to pack an extra change of clothes (a swim in the lake is impossible to resist)

3. Don’t eat ANY of the plants (especially the beautiful ones)

4. Be home before sunset

5. DON’T BOTHER YOONGI

Pretty simple. You rarely ventured into the forest alone and, if you did, there was never a time when you felt compelled to go very far. There was no guarantee you would make it back in time before sundown and, there were plenty of sights to indulge in right at the forest’s entrance. You understood the first four rules without explanation although, one day, your curiosity got the better of you and, you asked your grandfather why he had included Yoongi on the rule list:

“Yoongi is a...solitary type. He doesn’t take kindly to strangers and, it’s just...best if you let him be. His cottage is quite difficult to find anyhow but, even on the chance you should see it, you’d be wise not to approach it.”

“May I ask why?”

“Yoongi is a medicine man and, a good one at that but, no one really knows how he procures his remedies, especially without connections to the mainland. There are rumors that he may be practicing spellwork...”

“Spellwork? Is that legal?”

“Well...our region has always been more forgiving of benevolent spellwork but, still, you can never be too careful...”

“Have you ever encountered him before?”

“I have yes, he didn’t do me any harm but, he wasn’t the kindest fellow I’ve ever met...there was something strange about him though. He had a darkness of sorts, something lingering...it’s hard to explain. He didn’t say much, only asked that I keep away from his cottage. Strangely compelling actually, he put me in a bit of a trance but, that could be my old age talking...just promise me, you won’t go looking for him ok?”

“Ok, I promise.”

You turn to your friends, pouring Seokjin another drink, “Well, technically he’s only seen him once but, according to him Yoongi was pretty strange...maybe Jungkook is on to something...”

The responses cause Namjoon to groan whilst Jungkook simultaneously lights up, “See? Pretty strange, we have an eyewitness, from a reliable source, stating that Yoongi was strange...how’s that for evidence hyung?”

“Lacking, severely lacking.” Namjoon answers immediately, “Yoongi is a man who chooses to live alone, in a forest that is notoriously known for being haunted...of course he’s going to be strange. Not to mention the fact that no one really knows how old he is so, his age could also play a factor in his behavior...”

Jin nods thoughtfully, smirking at Jungkook as he once again deflates into his seat, “I think we’re dancing around the inevitable here...”

“Which is?” Namjoon glances in his direction, annoyance starting creep into his features.

Namjoon is not a fan of the fantastical and, rarely makes time for conversations surrounding these topics.

“Jungkook may be right...”

“Hyung…” Namjoon begins as Jungkook perks up, a jovial smile appearing on his face.

“Right now, he is one of our theories yes?” Jin explains further, amused at the chaos his suggestion caused

“He is not, I’ve just explained why its highly unlike_” Namjoon dismisses but, Jin cuts him off and continues.

“Unlikely, Namjoon, not impossible...” Jin sends a pointed look his way and, you’re quite surprised considering the fact that Jin isn’t known for his serious nature. “Yoongi is the only man who may have some insight into what happens in those trees and, as far as I know, he has been serving our village for years, there is no real threat in paying him a visit. I meant what I said earlier…we need to speak with him.”

“Hyung, with all due respect, the threat isn’t Yoongi himself but, the journey…we don’t know where he resides, he could live miles and miles into the forest…what if we were unable to make it back before sundown?” Namjoon insists, wise eyes pleading with Jin to see his point of view.

A pang of fear hits your chest at the thought of your friends being lost to the clutches of the forest, you decide to speak up once again, urging them away from dangerous choices, “You could always wait at the Archway, his remedies appear there every week, my grandfather believes he delivers in the middle of the night, to avoid being seen…”

The three of them regard one another for a moment before, Namjoon reluctantly nods, his lips pursed in an attempt to release the tension in his face, “That’s…not a bad idea actually…”

“The Archway is in plain sight at the edge of the forest, it would allow us a safe space for interacting with him…or whoever happens to show up.” Jin points out, nodding to Jungkook, the smirk reappearing on his face, “Maybe the kid should sit this one out…”

Jungkook’s feathers are thoroughly ruffled as he sits up straighter in his seat, attempting to mask the obvious fear on his face, “What? No, Hyung…I’m ready, I promise, I’ve been training every day, I could take down anyone that comes through that archway…”

Namjoon chuckles, some of his frustration starting to dissipate, “We don’t want to take down our witness before we’ve spoken to him Kook…”

“Well, when we need to…I’m ready; I have your backs…” Jungkook vows, determination ringing clear in his innocent tone, his hyungs both smiling fondly in return.

“That’s good to know, we’ll need a strong man on our side…especially since, you know, Yoongi is an evil vampire witch…” Jin retorts, holding in his laughter

“Exactly!” Jungkook agrees enthusiastically, smiling at his hyung’s decision to accept his theory.

His reaction causes the three of you to laugh, gratitude heavy in your hearts for the small bit of innocence still left in your village.

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

The following morning you awake just on the crest of sunrise. Washed out light teases the edges of your window, casting a square shadow on the wall opposite you. It was a peaceful night’s rest, a rarity in these times so; you pull the blankets over you to shield yourself against the cold. You are currently resisting the temptation to slip back into the warm embrace of slumber until the shattering of glass jolts your body upright.

“Grandpa?? Are you ok?” The shaky call of your voice wobbled in your throat and, you nearly slip on the wooden floor as you scramble out of your bedroom.

“Grandpa!?” Your tone increases in it’s urgency as you frantically scan the den, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

“Back here!” There’s nothing out of order in his tone but, that doesn’t stop you from hastily shoving open the heavy wooden door that lead to your back-garden.

Your grandfather’s hearty laughter greets you as you stumble onto the patch of grass which was barely hanging on for dear life.

“Good morning!” He chirps, looking up from the floor that’s currently covered in glass.

“Are you alright? I heard…a noise and…” You’re slightly out of breath, your chest recovering from the tightness it had just endured.

Your grandfather snickers and shakes his head at you, reaching for the wooden broom leaning against the side of the house.

He’s tinkering again.

“Did I wake you?” He murmurs, amusement coloring his tone as he sweeps up his mess

“No but, you almost gave me a heart attack, I thought you fell…and, what did I tell you about conducting your experiments without proper lighting? You’re going to get hurt…again.” You grumble, finally feeling yourself calm down as he snickers again.

“Alchemists get hurt all the time, Y/N, nothing to ruffle your feathers about…” He chuffs, smirking fondly at you as he scoops the glass into his mixing bowl, his brow furrowing in thought as he likely is thinking of ways to use the newly shattered beaker in his concoction.

Your grandfather practiced alchemy which essentially meant that he spent day after day trying to turn things into gold: a dangerous and wildly unsuccessful hobby.

“Yes but, you’re archaic and, if anything ever happened to you, I would be a wreck…” You bite back, returning his smirk as you size up the possibly lethal mixture.

He pulls back in mock offense, eyes widening in playful horror, “Archaic?! I don’t look a day over 25, I’ve never felt better!”

“That may be so but, you were badly hurt last summer weren’t you? And you couldn’t get out of bed for a month and, since I was the one worried sick about you, I have every reason to get my feathers ruffled…”

Your grandfather chuckles, nodding in surrender, his fingers stalling on the edge of his mixing bowl “Alright, alright, I concede; I’ll try and be more careful.”

Eyes narrowing in his direction, you nod, attempting to look firm as you adjust your dressing gown.

“Thank you.”

Suddenly, a large horn asserted itself into the atmosphere around you. The sound sends a sinking feeling into your stomach and, your grandfather’s playful gaze turns to one of pure horror.

“No…not again…” He whispers as you pull a shaky breath through your nose, gesturing for him to come inside.

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

BANG.

A gavel near the front of the room slams down onto the cherrywood of the council desk, sending a jolt of panic through your chest.

“Be silent! We will accomplish nothing with all of you quarreling at once!”

The council sits at the head of your villages Home Room, the five of them clearly frightened and frazzled. The people of your village had gathered in wake of the horn, most of which were still in their bed clothes. At the sound of the gavel, the room settles but, the thick and unyielding tension still hangs in the air.

“Tayeon has been taken by the forest.” One of your council members delivers the news with a solemn expression, their face stiffening as the crowd reacts.

The announcement takes your breath away, your hand clutching Jin’s, who is currently sitting beside you, a solemn look on his face. His long fingers tangle with yours as he pulls a deep breath through his nose, attempting to mask the fear in his heart.

Tayeon was a young boy, not yet surpassing his 7th birthday. You knew him well, he was a gentle soul, always giving to others, placing freshly baked bread outside of people’s homes in the morning and tending to the weeds of the elderly. Any good deed he could manage, Tayeon would accomplish.

And now, he was gone.

Vanished.

Just like that.

Tears sting at the corners of your eyes but, you manage to hold it together, clutching Jin’s hand tighter as the council members continued to elaborate on the most recent disappearance.

“His family states that he was sound asleep in his chambers and, when they awoke this morning, he was gone…”

It was then, that you spot Tayeon’s family; both of his fathers are huddled together on a bench near the front of the room, Tayeon’s older sister, Minerva, consoling them as they wept.

“How are we to know that it was the forest? What if he wandered off elsewhere?” A young man chimes in, you recognize him as Chanyeol, a young blacksmith from the center of your village.

“The forest glows this morning does it not? That is your answer.” Namjoon is on the council this year and, his usual sunny disposition is replaced with stoicism, his jaw clenched as he responds to the inquiry.

The forest was usually clouded in darkness, particularly at night however, following a disappearance, the space between the trees glows a dim ruby color and, occasionally you will see a faint violet light darting through the branches; this phenomena has yet to be understood. The entirety of the forest glows through the day and, the sun never rises high enough to constitute a full sunrise and, your village usually spends the day indoors, the light not sufficient enough to complete its usual routine. Livestock are brought inside, shops close down and, the kitchen serves only porridge for breakfast and, rice for dinner. It felt appropriate however, the sun shouldn’t shine over a mourning village, it’s too intrusive.

“I am no longer going to stand idly by as another one of our people vanishes. The answer is obvious, the only person living in that forest is Min Yoongi therefore, he is our prime suspect. Upon the rising of tomorrow’s sun, we must summon him for trial. He must face justice!”

“But, Yoongi has been an asset to our community for years and, his remedies have saved far more lives than, have been lost.”

“We have never had extended contact with him, we know nothing of his intentions, don’t you think it’s odd that he drops off his remedies and, refuses to interact with our people? How is he getting knowledge of our ailments?”

“Exactly, he either has a spy on the inside or he is obtaining his information through unorthodox means…he could be a spellworker”

“So what if he is? As far as I’m concerned, he is using his talents for good.”

“Good? Do you suggest that the disappearances of our people are a good thing?”

The bickering between the council members continue and, you find yourself shrinking into your seat as the volume of their encounter seems to grow. Tension rises in the crowd as well and, as more and more people join the conversation, the room erupts into chaos. Arguments are breaking out left and right regarding whether or not the village should arraign Yoongi and, just before the interactions incite a riot, your grandfather stands, his voice bellowing out into the crowd.

“I have encountered Min Yoongi…” He announces, causing the storm of chaos to slow to a mere murmur, dozens of eyes darting towards your grandfather.

“Mr. Y/L/N, with all due respect, several of our senior councilmembers have encountered Min Yoongi. Due to their unpleasant experiences, we only have further reason to believe in his wickedness. Now as we were saying_”

“He saved my life.” Your grandfather chimes in again, slightly clouded eyes shooting a determined glance towards the council, his chest puffing out slightly.

Namjoon’s brows furrow at his announcement, deciding to speak up for the first time since the council began arguing, “He…he saved your life? Would mind elaborating Mr. Y/L/N?”

Your grandfather clears his throat, glancing at you momentarily before continuing.

“When I was a young boy, I wandered into the trees…” A hushed gasp falls over the crowd as your grandfather tells his story, “I was searching for lavender and, at the time, it grew in tremendous amounts along the river…I wasn’t a great swimmer you see. I fell in and, Yoongi saved me. I’m not sure how he managed, as he was a slight man but, he did. He seemed to conjure the tides of the river to pull me ashore. I’ll admit, he was brash and left very little room for questioning but, he saw to it that I return to the borderline, safe and sound. As we parted ways, he warned me against returning to the forest and, told me to stay away from his cottage, should I ever find it…”

“And did you…ever find it?” Namjoon inquires again, the entire room completely still as they await the conclusion of your grandfather’s story.

He sighs then, hesitating a moment before nodding, “Curiosity is an illness I frequently suffer from…I went back the following week in search of his home. I wanted to express my gratitude…the journey took me half a day, I think, if I remember correctly, but, I finally came across a small cottage nestled inside several massive dead trees. There were no security measures, no gate, no padlock, not even a guard dog. He was completely vulnerable to the outside elements…he came out as soon as I approached his home and, scolded me for disobeying him, he did accept my token of gratitude however…a large bag of coffee beans that I had procured from a merchant near the edge of town. He was strange; there was something…awry about him. I remember feeling very tired as he was speaking to me, he spoke a language I did not recognize and, the next thing I knew, I woke up at the borderline, completely alone.”

Whispers fall over the room once again and, the people gathered in the home room glance earnestly at one another. One of the council members nod to your grandfather,

“Would you be willing pay him another visit Mr. Y/L/N? We believe he …”

Alarm signals deep within your stomach, your head whipping to the front of the room and, then quickly over to your grandfather, “No, no absolutely not…he cannot make the journey himself…he wouldn’t make it back in time…”

All eyes turn to you and, your grandfather attempts to placate you, patting your arm gently, “Y/N, it’s ok, please, I’m willing to make the journey if it means our people may finally have peace. I will leave at first light…”

Namjoon, Jungkook and, Jin share your concern and, Namjoon attempts to reason with his council members, “Y/N is right, he shouldn’t go alone, there is no reason for that…”

“Yoongi is an unpredictable creature…he knows Mr. Y/L/N and, according to his story, has been quite useful in the past, if we send a search party after him, he may feel threatened.”

You shake your head again, stepping front of your grandfather, as if to shield him from their judgement, your heart hammering in your chest, “Please, there has to be another way, he can wait for Yoongi near the Archway, he can_”

“Y/N please...settle down.” Your grandfather admonishes gently and, you feel frustration heating your cheeks whilst a lump forms in your throat.

“It’s settled then, Mr. Y/L/N will find out where this Min Yoongi dwells and, attempt to gain insight into our cursed land, we thank you for your bravery…”

The gavel jolts the entirety of the room and, with that; your world comes crumbling down.

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

You’d be damned if the cowardly council-members sent your grandfather in the forest alone. No, if anyone was going to go, it would be you. You were willing to lay your life on the line to ensure your grandfather’s safety, he was all you had. After waiting until your village had fallen asleep, you packed yourself a small bag and, left. No looking back, you were capable of surviving; your grandfather had taught you all the necessary skills you would need.

The darkness of the forest however, proved to be much greater than you could have estimated and, half way into your journey, you began to grow increasingly uncomfortable.

Something didn’t feel right. You felt like you were being watched or, worse, followed. The hair on the back of your neck stood at attention. The lump in your throat continued to grow as you focused all your attention on the path in front of you. You had found a crudely drawn map done by your grandfather that supposedly lead to Yoongi’s cottage and, had taken it when you left hastily in the middle of the night.

Halfway there.

A crack sounded behind you. It was subtle but, distinct, sounding very much like the splitting of wood. A step, perhaps. Your heart threw itself continuously against your sternum over and over, louder and louder until you felt your head pounding. You adjusted the bag on your shoulder, your feet picking up subtly underneath you, your eyes zeroing toward your intended direction.

Suddenly, the rustling of leaves could be heard behind you along with the familiar crack you had heard moments ago. The noise causes your head to whip around in its direction only to be met with the familiar, haunting scene of the forest.

It’s an animal. Stop being so paranoid.

The wind had been twirling through the trees for quite some time but, at this moment it began to pick up its dance, causing the trees to ache and groan around you. The chill creeps its way through the thin material of your sweater as your arms curl into your chest, desperately trying to keep warm. You shouldn’t be here. You knew what it meant by making the journey into this part of your world and, you felt foolish that you had ignored the warnings of your people.

Just focus, don’t lose sight of what’s in front of you.

The sounds of the forest began to grow around you, like a sinister symphony, the pitch rising higher and higher as you were drawn deeper into its music. You carefully tug the hood of your sweater over your ears, which you were surprised hadn’t succumbed to frost bite. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a movement that stops you in your tracks. Blackness is rising from the forest ground, morphing and twisting into a shape that is twice your height, and half your width. A figure stands still momentarily, long arms like tree branches extending from its body as it seems to regard you from across the forest. All of the blood from your face drains; your heart halts its assault against your sternum as you stand, frozen in horror.

Your hand moves slowly towards your bag, attempting to retrieve your dagger. Eyes squinted, you keep an eye on the figure, trying to understand its form: Diamond-shaped body, upright with long spindly legs and arms to match, faceless until you catch a glimpse of something that makes your stomach turn. Insidious and arrogant, the figures blank face splits into a wide, toothy grin, the entirety of it nearly reaching either side of its head.

Before you can take your next breath, the figure breaks out into a run, smiling all the while as it races toward you. You fall back, hands desperately trying to rip open your pack, frantically trying to defend yourself. Tears sting your eyes as the terror of your situation overwhelms you, you get ahold of the dagger, handing shaking as you hold it in front of you. The attempt is pointless and, you know it. Whatever this is, isn’t human and, it’s intentions were quite clear. You felt frozen, helpless, you screamed out in desperation but, to no avail.

You were going to die.

A flash of brilliant violet light illuminates the forest, blinding you momentarily, your hand coming up to shield your eyes. Everything happens so quickly, the creature that was pursuing you lets out a strangled scream when a wave of energy pulses through the forest. It’s powerful and knocks you completely on your back, haziness beginning to creep into your vision. Dazed, you lay on the forest floor as your eyes grow heavier and heavier, sensations of pain moving throughout your body. You hear a faint sound of leaves crunching as something seems to approach you. The darkness overtaking your vision prevents you from seeing anything beyond a figure, thankfully human, looming over you.

“Foolish human, what on earth have you done?”

With that, everything goes black.

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

The sound of bubbling is the first thing that teases your conscience back to life. As to the source of the sound, you’re still unsure but, it’s not the worst way you’ve ever been woken up.

Wait…woken up.

Are you waking up?

Did you die?

You don’t remember falling asleep the night before and, you’re beginning to grow restless behind the darkness of your eyelids.

There is a faint sensation of pain winding around one of your feet and, you feel a very uncomfortable stinging across the right side of your ribs.

“After all this time, humans are still insufferable creatures Meow, the only species who has managed to stall the evolutionary cycle…such a shame.”

The voice is unfamiliar, crisp and condescending, it frightens you.

“Human, your sleep cycle concluded 27 minutes ago…it’s time to wake up…”

Human? Why is the voice referring to you as human…

Your eyes pop open, a warm yellow light greets you along with a myriad of other images that you’re too disorientated to discern.

The surface beneath you is a soft cotton fabric, looking very similar to a cot and, you finally gather that you’re in some sort of cottage. There is a figure standing behind a counter watching you, however you can’t yet make out the specifics of it.

With your vision slightly blurred you attempt to rise from your horizontal position but, the searing pain in your ribs keeps you from doing so.

“The venom has yet to take hold of your ribs so, I would advise against sudden movements for the next 17 minutes…”

Your heart drops, “V..venom? What venom? What did you do to me?”

The figure scoffs, “I saved your life…”

The blur in vision begins to lessen and, after a few strong blinks you start to make out the image of the figure behind the counter.

It was a man. Dressed in a black peasant blouse, his hands are braced against the counter; dark, almost feline eyes regard you earnestly from across the room, a scowl prominent in his features. He wasn’t difficult to look at but, the context of the current situation was preventing you from fully appreciating just how beautiful he was.

“You saved my life by injecting me with venom? That seems rather counterproductive...” You bite back, nervousness hidden behind your tone as you awkwardly attempt to turn towards him.

The movements prove to mildly successful as you finally prop yourself up on the side of your ribs that aren’t marred by discomfort.

“The specifics of the procedure are irrelevant, although I didn’t inject you with anything...” The man corrects, rolling his eyes as he does, as if your statement was ridiculous.

You’re frustrated with your lack of clarity and, you can’t help the budding panic, forming at the bottom of your throat.

“Where am I?”

“Somewhere you’re not meant to be...” He quips, annoyance coloring his pointy features as he scans your face, “your loss of memory isn’t surprising due to your injuries and, the impact from my spell...” He sighs as your confusion doesn’t seem to wane, slowly moving to step around to the front of the counter, “What’s the last thing you remember?”

A deep breath is drawn through your nose as you frantically search your brain for answers. You remember entering the woods, the trees, the darkness, the fear...

Oh god.

You gasp then, eyes darting towards the stranger who was currently scooping, what looked like syrup into a turquoise bowl, “the creature...the smile, it...attacked me.”

The man snorts, shaking his head, “If it had attacked you, you would be dead right now...”

“I’m not entirely sure that I’m not...” You counter, wiping a hand over your face.

You take in more of your surroundings as the fog in your mind begins to lift. A large, shelved apothecary cabinet took up the entirety of wall opposite you. Clear blue bottles of varying sizes lined the shelves, along with a potted plants that seemed to be overflowing down the length of the cabinet. The walls were made of grey and black stone and, stretched into a tall ceiling that seemed to be entirely covered in greenery. The counter the man worked at was littered with evidence of what had happened the night before: various herbs and tonics were uncapped and, a clump of bloody gauze was hanging out of the sink. To your left, another wall, paired with an archway and hundreds of books, led to what you presumed was the rest of the cottage.

“Maybe this will jog your memory...” The man nearly hisses his declaration, seemingly threatened by your curious gaze. He held up a scrap of paper and, although you had to squint to read it, you could distinctly see that it was your grandfather’s crudely drawn map to Yoongi’s cottage.

Oh…

“Yoongi?” You venture, feeling slightly threatened yourself.

Yoongi’s feline like eyes, dark and almost menacing, glare at you from across the room.

“You are a foolish girl, entering the forest past sundown, journeying into its depths...to find me. Have I not made it clear to your people that I am to be left alone?” Yoongi’s tone grows more and more frustrated and, you could sense what your grandfather meant by his lingering darkness. The wild mass of black hair on his head, his sharp features, his eyes look incredibly dark and, there seem to something peeking out from underneath his top lip, something you hadn’t noticed, they looked like fangs?

“I’m...I’m sorry…listen, please, I didn’t want to disturb you but, a young boy disappeared from my village and, my people, they...tried to send my grandfather to find you, you’re the only one who can withstand the forest.” You’re not much for groveling but, there’s a pretty sizeable chance that Yoongi isn’t human and, you aren’t trying to press your luck.

His hardened gaze falters slightly, “You went in his place?”

You nod, wishing desperately that you were able to sit up fully, awkwardly shifting your weight to the side again, “He wouldn’t have made it...they insisted on sending him alone...”

“And you wouldn’t have made it either, you’re lucky I was out making my deliveries, or you would be enduring a slow, agonizing death...” He admonishes before, he turns to make his way over to you. You tense then, shrinking back into the cot, he notices your hesitation and scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“If I wanted to hurt you, I would have left you to the creatures...I need to treat your wound, my venom will only heal the superficial cut, and it won’t prevent infection…” His irritation lessens, likely sensing your fear before nodding to your sweater.

My venom?

You hesitate for a moment. There is no reason to trust Yoongi, he is a stranger who, so far, hasn’t been very kind to you however, he did save your life and, you suppose that’s enough to trust him…for now.

A sigh leaves your nose as you move to lift up the white wool which, you could now see was decorated with splotches of your blood.

Yoongi kneels down beside you, collecting the sticky golden substance on the tips of his fingers and, slowly spreading it across the surface of your wound. His movements were surprisingly gently and, for some unknown reason, goosebumps erupted across the back of your arms.

“What happened to my ribs anyway? I only remember falling backwards….”

Yoongi is careful to avoid eye contact with you as his fingers work the honey over your skin, ignoring his own chaotic thoughts.

“The method I used for killing that creature…some of the material hit you and, cut your skin…” He keeps his answer as vague as possible, hurrying with his application before laying down another piece of gauze over the wound.

Your brow furrows, eyes flitting to his fingers, “What method did you use?”

Yoongi sighs, his jaw tightening slightly, “You ask a lot of questions.”

“Well, I came here for answers …” You retort, feeling frustrated by the lack of information he was willing to give.

Yoongi’s eyes darken with annoyance once again, pulling away from you as he finishes up, his expression hardening, “You are not entitled to answers. I saved your life; I don’t believe I owe you or your people anything else…”

His words perturb you and, you have to fight the urge to confront him as anger begins to bubble up inside of you.

“Yoongi, my people are growing restless, this is the 8th disappearance in two years…they won’t stop until they find answers…it’s what lures them back into the forest. “ You plead with him as he turns his back to you, beginning to clean up his work station, screwing the cap onto his bottle of honey.

“Your people have been warned on countless occasions, if they refuse to listen then, that’s not my burden to bear.” Yoongi insists, shrugging his shoulders as he places a few bottles back onto his massive shelf, “I advise you to stay here for a few days to allow for your body to heal but, after that you will be returning to your village. Until then, I ask that you leave me alone unless, you are in need of something…”

Your irritation with him increases as his brash responses continue, “I have to stay here for a few because of a cut?”

Yoongi turns back to you momentarily, “Your foot is injured as well but, if you think you can make the journey back yourself, by all means, be my guest…”

Looking towards your foot, you wiggle your toes, feeling a slight sensation of pain as you do.

“What happened to my foot?”

“You tore your anterior talofibular ligament…it happened when you fell.” His back is to you again as he arranges the bottles in a neater fashion, his tone one of disinterest.

“My anteater tylo what?” You press, shaking your head at his behavior.

He snorts at your pronunciation, a slight smirk threatening his mouth, “Your anterior talofibular ligament is a flat triangular band of fibers, that extends obliquely downward and lateralward between the adjacent margins of the tibia and fibula, on the front aspect of the syndesmosis…”

Your mouth hangs open as he delivers his explanation, frantically looking toward your foot in an attempt to make sense of what he was saying.

“That was wildly unhelpful…”

Yoongi turns back toward you, his sharp features unimpressed by your response.

“My healing of such a ligament should be considered more than helpful…”

“Am I able to walk with this injury?” You inquire, brows rising, mirroring his unamused expression.

He shrugs, “With minor discomfort, yes…”

A hand comes up with your question as Yoongi leans against the countertop, “…then why can’t I leave?”

“You are free to do as you wish however, if you leave now, you will die.” He explains, far too casually given the content of his sentence.

The sunlight shining through the window makes his statement even more perplexing and, you gesture to it as you respond, “What why? It’s the middle of the day?”

Yoongi’s lips quirk up, a smirk still threatening his mouth as he notices the irritation in your tone.

“Death can occur regardless of the time of day.”

You huff, eyes rolling in incredulity, still fighting the urge to raise your voice, “…yes I’m aware of how death works but, I thought your little light show got rid of that thing.”

“Sonum Aquarum.” He corrects you immediately as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?”

“It’s not a light show, it’s an aqueous blast of energy and, it requires hundreds of years of training. Also…” He stretches slightly, face turned up with arrogance and, you try to ignore the way his peasant blouse opens up to expose the pale skin of his chest. “…my blast killed that one creature. It did not eradicate their species. There are still thousands of them and, you are more vulnerable than you were last night, there would be no chance of you making it to the border before sundown and, I refuse to tell you the way back until, I’m sure that you’re ready.”

A defeated sigh leaves your lips then, realizing that until Yoongi was willing to take you back, you were stuck with him. The rumors made sense now, he was insufferable.

“Fine.” You surrender, trying to make yourself comfy on the cot, feeling capable of sitting up now that the pain in your ribs had subsided slightly.

Yoongi smirks then, feeling victorious that you had finally halted your questioning.

“You can make yourself comfortable down here. I will prepare meals for you twice a day but, there are fruits and vegetables in the garden should you get hungry, I can show you later. The bathroom is through this archway,” He gestures to the archway beside you that was filled with books, “and around the corner. My bedroom is upstairs; you are not permitted up there under any circumstances. I will be out during a few evenings to…”

He pauses then, cat eyes darting from side to side as he searches for the right word.

You smirk, raising your brows, “To?”

He rolls his eyes at your smirk, looking slightly uncomfortable as he continues, “Nevermind, don’t worry about it, just stay downstairs while you’re here and, touch as little as you can, I don’t want you messing things up…”

“Understood. I’ll stay out of your way…”

He eyes you suspiciously, desiring to question why you weren’t trying to argue but, he decides to drop it as he nods to the archway again, “There is a place for you to sleep through here, there is a fire burning most nights so, please be careful not to fall inside.”

“Is roasted human not your thing?” You quip, leaning back against the wall, already dreading the thought of being trapped in Yoongi’s presence.

There is something dark that flashes over his face for a moment and, for the first time since you spoke with him, you felt yourself growing slightly afraid of him. He smirks as he tilts his head slightly to the right and, when he does; you confirm that he possesses a pair of fangs.

“Human meat is too tough with very little pay off, I prefer the taste of their soul, it’s much sweeter…”

His words send a shiver down your spine, your lips pursing in an attempt to hide your obvious reaction to him. However, he can already pick up on the increase in your heartrate and, the change in your body’s chemistry, the knowledge pleases him.

“You’re a demon then? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” You challenge him, not wanting to display any signs of weakness.

“You asked me a question and, I responded. Now,” He averts his gaze, a satisfied smirk still lingering on his mouth as he looks up towards the ceiling, “…entertaining you has been thoroughly exhausting so, I’ll be retiring to my room for the day, there’s a plate of food in the other room, eat it..”

You roll your eyes, feeling extremely frustrated with his attitude but, the last few moments of conversation have advised you against testing Yoongi’s patience, for the time being at least.

“Sweet dreams.” You force a fake smile onto your face, something Yoongi can clearly sense, his face turning up in disgust.

“Mm.” He hums, unimpressed by your comment before, turning to head out of the apothecary, “…don’t touch anything.”

You shoot a thumbs up his way, wincing slightly as dull pain radiates in your ribs, still sporting your fake smile.

He rolls his eyes for the thousandth time before striding out of the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

“Don’t touch anything…” You mutter to yourself, bitterness prominent in your tone.

“What’s that?” Yoongi calls from the other room, his voice halfway up the staircase.

How the hell did he hear you?

“I’m just committing your orders to memory your majesty…” You call back, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Well, do it quietly then…” You can hear the bite in his voice but, given that he is in the other

room; you miss the smirk plastered on his face.

You roll your eyes, leaning against the stone wall, wishing desperately that you were home in your bed, listening to the sounds of your grandfather tinkering in your back garden.

A pang of worry rushes through you; your village likely thinks that you’re gone: taken by the forest, never to be seen again. You shudder at the thought, pleading with the powers that be that none of them come looking for you.

There were a million questions running around your head at the moment. Yoongi wasn’t much help in explaining what had happened to you but, there were two things you knew for sure:

1. There was something evil in the forest, something real and tangible

2. Yoongi wasn’t human.

An uneasy feeling asserts itself into your stomach…

He said quite a few things that unnerved you: the bit about his venom, the mention of eating human meat, and liking the taste of human souls? Was he just messing with you? Was he serious? Should you wait long enough to find out?

He did save your life. Why would he save your life if he was planning on harming you?

Unless, well, he was planning on eating you?

Fuck...what if he was planning on eating you?

A shiver runs through your spine and, while the fantastical side of your brain really wants to run with the idea that Yoongi is some sort of monster, the logical side reminds you that not only did he save your life but, he saved your grandfather’s as well. You didn't like the idea of placing your fate into a stranger but, right now, that was your only option.

With an audible sigh, you decide to hoist yourself up, carefully, because you’re still very sore. You scan the wall full of bookshelves, your brain going fuzzy as it catches a glimpse of a few of the titles, some you recognize but, some appear to be in various other languages. There were so many of them adorning the shelves, you couldn’t imagine anyone finishing all of the titles in their lifetime. Yoongi was known to be solitary however so, maybe all of his free time was divided evenly amongst healing, reading and, being creepy.

Makes sense.

Yoongi’s den is quaint and, if you were under different circumstances, you might actually think it was cozy. A sizeable, black, L-shaped sofa takes up most of the space in front of the massive and somewhat intimidating fireplace. Yoongi was right to warn you about falling in, the gray cobblestone structure stretches a third of the way up the extremely high ceiling, the crackling fire doing its job as it warms the entirety of the room. There are very few decorations apart from side tables positioned at either end of the couch both of which are carved from marble. There is a crème colored woven blanket thrown over the sofa as well as a few pieces of art that looked both expensive and imported. You wonder briefly about how Yoongi manages to afford marble and, expensive artwork but, given that he is likely a DEMON you decide that it’s not all that strange.

You meander around the sofa, taking small careful steps to avoid causing yourself any pain. There is a cozy spot in the corner of the couch that’s calling your name and, although you’re quite sure that you slept a few hours through the night, you could feel your lids growing heavy once more.

The last 24 hours had been exhausting.

Pulling the throw blanket off of the corner of the sofa, you snuggle against the plush cushions beneath you.

Demon or not, the man had great taste in furniture.

It doesn’t take long for the exhaustion to take over and, before you know it, you’re drifting off into a deep sleep.

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

“Meow, move out of my way, I’m going whether you like it or not. Your boredom is not my problem…” The rasp of Yoongi’s voice is simmering just above your consciousness and, you feel yourself being slowly drawn out of your nap.

As your eyelids flutter open, vision still hazy from your slumber, you panic slightly as you realize the room is pitch black.

“Y…Yoongi? Is that you?” The voice that leaves your mouth is shaky and thick, your vocal chords clearly not ready for speaking yet.

A deep sigh as let out from the figure in question before you hear the sound of snapping. At the conclusion of the sound, the entirety of the room is light up with a least 4 dozen candles lining every bit of free space in Yoongi’s den.

You spot him near the door of his cottage, dressed in a black hooded cloak, an unamused expression on his face.

“Obviously it’s me, who else would it be? Why are you awake?” He grumbles, black hair sticking up in all different directions.

“Wait…how did you?” You whip your head around, amazement obvious in your features, “How did you do that?”

He rolls his eyes, ignoring your question, “Why are you awake?” You sit up, wincing slightly at the dull ache all over your body, his words causing your irritation to flare up, “Your voice woke me up and, I took a nap in the middle of the day, how long did you expect me to sleep for?”

Yoongi’s face turns up, a mixture of shock and, amazement painting his cat-like features, his brows knitted together in scrutiny, “What do you mean, my voice woke you up?”

“I heard you talking to your cat,” You explain, matter of factly, adjusting the sleeves of your sweater, wishing desperately that you had a different change of clothes, “Or I assumed it was your cat, unless someone else is here…”

Yoongi’s pale face turns practically translucent, he rushes over to the arm of the couch, peering at you curiously, “I wasn’t…how did you hear me? Who are you? Did someone send you here?”

Yoongi’s sudden interrogation alarms you and, it causes you shrink away from him slightly, “What? No? I told you why I was here, no one sent me…why are you freaking out?”

Yoongi’s mouth opens and then closes it, his brain currently in full panic mode. In the midst of his crisis, a fairly sizeable black cat jumps effortlessly onto the arm of the couch. It perches in front of Yoongi, wide golden eyes boring into your very soul, an almost knowing look in its gaze.

An uneasy feeling stirs in your stomach as you stare back into the cat’s eyes but, you point it out none the less, trying to ease Yoongi’s sudden nervousness, “This is your cat right? I heard you talking to them this morning too, it’s not a big deal, I’m a really light sleeper, I wake up at the drop of a pin…”

Your words only increase his panic and, his wide eyes glance towards the cat and, then back at you, his body language stiffening, “You…you can see him?”

You can’t help the laugh that comes from your mouth, “The giant cat sitting in front of you? Of course I can see him, are you feeling ok? Do you need a nap or something?”

The cat’s eyes seem to glisten with amusement but, you do your best to avoid it’s gaze, something about it or him, as Yoongi had mentioned, was slightly off.

“Who are you?” There’s acid dripping from his tone and, it frightens you, so much so that, you scoot further into the sofa cushions, your hands coming up in defense.

“I’m Y/N? Do you not remember me? We spoke this morning? You saved my life?” You venture, the perplexity of the situation increasing your heartbeat.

“I’m not suffering from memory loss human…tell me who you really are…”

You hadn’t been close enough to him to really notice the color of his eyes but, you’re fairly certain that if they were as black as they are now, you would have noticed.

Before Yoongi can speak again, his cat lets out a menacing hiss, its golden eyes narrowed in aggression. You flinch at the sound before you realize that the hiss wasn’t directed towards you, it was directed towards Yoongi.

His eyes widen at the sound and he steps back, “What? Don’t give me that look, she’s obviously not who she says she is…”

He’s talking to the cat as if the cat had the ability to understand him and, you wait on bated breath as Meow seems to stare intently into Yoongi’s eyes.

A wordless exchange is all that’s needed before Yoongi relaxes slightly, his cool demeanor returning once more.

You’re confusion however, has yet to wane.

“Yoongi, I’m not here to hurt you, everything I told you is true.” You attempt to find his gaze but, he avoids looking at you, his eyes still black but, fading to a much softer brown, “Might I remind you that, the only reason I’m still here is because, you refuse to tell me the way back….”

At that Yoongi rolls his eyes, “I’m not refusing because, I enjoy your company human, quite the opposite actually, I’m refusing because, you won’t be able to reach the border until you’re healthy, I think you underestimate how far away from home you are…”

His words are paired with a snide expression, his eyes flitting in your direction. The information sends uneasiness into your stomach but, you have no choice but to take his word.

You won’t be facing the forest alone again.

“How far are we exactly?

He smirks, “Far…”

His response frustrates you beyond belief: WHY WAS HE SO VAGUE?

A groan leaves your lips as you slump back into the sofa, “Are you ever going to answer my questions properly? I don’t know how you expect me to feel comfortable here if you refuse to tell me anything…”

Yoongi shrugs, “I don’t expect you to feel anything human, your feelings are not important to me…”

This offends you, of course it does but, you’re don’t have time to get your feelings hurt. You want answers.

“My feelings aren’t important but, my life is?” You press, brows knitted in displeasure

Yoongi ponders this for a moment, pursing his lips and, nodding, “That’s a fair conclusion…are we done now? I have somewhere I need to be.”

With a defeated sigh, you push yourself off of the sofa, stumbling slightly as you do, “Whatever.”

You brush past him, ignoring the way he smells: (like fresh pine and, lavender) and, your movement causes him to flinch but, you don’t notice.

Yoongi smirks again, pleased with your defeat, “Where are you going?”

“Oh, you know, a place…”

Yoongi’s smirk grows, feeding off of your annoyance, “You are permitted to look around downstairs but, I would advise you to keep clear of the leeches, they’re very eager, particularly when your blood is sweet…”

A shiver runs down your spine and, you whip towards him, “Leeches? What are you talking about?”

Yoongi has already disappeared through the doorway and, if you aren’t mistaken, you could swear you hear him chuckling as he does.

Disgusting.

The night ended up dragging on for quite some time. You busied yourself with looking through Yoongi’s collection of books, well trying to at least; the man has a least 8 billion of them. After the 12th or 13th you ended up falling asleep against the shelves in the apothecary room and, you’re pretty sure you had 4 or 5 nightmares involving leeches.

Thanks to Yoongi…

He had been out all night, doing god knows what and, didn’t return until sunrise.

He walks into the door, sore and defeated, shrugging his cloak off and, placing it onto the rack beside his door. His brow is furrowed as he looks around for you, feeling slightly uneasy as he scans the cottage.

“Human?” He calls out, trying to sense you, hoping that you hadn’t run off.

Most people do…

He rounds the corner into his apothecary before, his eyes narrow at his “cat” who is sleeping soundly in your lap.

Leaning against the wall, he smirks down at your sleeping expression, lips pouted, brow furrowed slightly, (kind of cute). Meow wakes up then, sensing his presence, yawning and extending his chubby black paws, golden eyes peering up at Yoongi.

“Don’t look at me like that…” He mutters before knocking his knuckles on the wall, “Human, it’s time to wake up, you must eat…”

The sound startles you awake, your eyes popping open, bleary and confused. With a still furrowed brow, you look up towards Yoongi, unamused by his actions.

“You could have chosen a nicer way to wake me up…”

Yoongi rolls his eyes, “This is my home, not a bed and breakfast and, you were meant to be asleep in the den. Sleeping in such a position is going to prolong your healing process…”

Upon rubbing your eyes, you notice that Yoongi’s cat is resting comfortably in your lap and, rather than bickering with Yoongi, you smile softly, fingers stroking against the cat’s obsidian fur.

“Sorry…I fell asleep reading…” You are distracted by the creature in your lap, who is now purring and, nudging your hand, trying to garner more of your attention. “You cat is really cute…”

Yoongi feels uneasy as he watches you interact with Meow, his confusion at an all-time high, “He’s not a cat,” He grumbles before extending a hand to you, “Come, you need to eat…”

You’re perplexed by his response and, regard his hand warily, “What do you mean, he’s not a cat? Do you call him something different?”

Yoongi ignores your question and, merely jerks his hand towards you again, “It’s been 15 hours since you’ve eaten your last meal…we don’t have time for questions…”

You look up at him, grimacing at his outstretched hand before, a thought pops into your head, “If I eat, will you answer one question??”

Yoongi’s mouth twitches, fighting a smile at your ridiculous request, “What do you mean IF you eat? You have to eat to survive so_” He cuts himself off, face wrinkled in confusion, “I don’t negotiate with mortals, now let’s go, I have things to do…”

You’re whining at this point, your curiosity rising to an agonizing level, “Yoongi, please? I don’t know where I am, or who you are and, you keep calling me mortal or human, and, you talked about consuming my soul and, apparently there’s leeches in your house?? I was almost killed by a monster in the forest, my village probably thinks I’m dead and, I’m going to go insane if you don’t tell me SOMETHING…” You can feel the tears beginning to form in the corner of your eyes and, Yoongi looks as though he’s cringing in discomfort. You aren’t sure if your mini tantrum is just annoying or if he can actually sense your pain but, either way, he sighs, peeved that your emotions are even affecting him the first place.

“Ok, fine, I’ll answer a few questions,” At his words, you perk up and he jerks his hand towards you again with a pointed look, “AFTER you eat.”

“Eat? No problem, I’ll eat as much as you want…” You rejoice, a smile on your face as you take his hand, using it to rise to your feet. Meow scurries off of your lap as you do so, standing beside Yoongi, regarding you with a wise gaze.

“Follow me…” He commands, leaving the room, insuring that he doesn’t move to quickly.

Yoongi leads you through the den and, out through the backdoor. You’re expecting to feel the cool crisp air of the morning but, instead you enter another room, entirely enclosed by glass windows. Sunlight streams through the trees and, cast leaf-shaped shadows on marble countertops. The room is beautiful and, like the other parts of Yoongi’s cottage, the perimeter of the room is also covered in greenery. It seemed to grow out of the walls.

“Sit…” He nods to the stool in front of the counter, before stepping around it and, retrieving a few things from his ice box.

You don’t comment about his bossiness, although at some point, you definitely plan on mentioning it. You’re not a fan of being told what to do but, you decide that the nicer you are to Yoongi, the more he will be willing to tell you.

“Your cottage is beautiful…” You murmur softly, eyes scanning the ceiling once again, feeling very much like you are in some sort of fairy tale.

Yoongi is getting to work on some sort of pastry, long, nimble fingers beginning to kneed and, stretch at some dough. He doesn’t look up from his current task but, you can see his lips twitch again, “Flattery will get you nowhere with me human…”

At this you roll your eyes, propping your chin against your hand, “I’m being serious. I’ve never seen anything like this before; we don’t have plants growing out of our ceilings back in the village…”

“Eat…” He commands, pushing a plate towards you, complete with some sort of puff pastry along with freshly cut berries and, a dusting of powdered sugar.

How the…

“Wait, how did you_”

He cuts you off, brows rising to challenge you, “Are you going back on our agreement?”

“N-No I just…” You defend, completely bewildered at how quickly he just made your breakfast

“Then do as you promised. I will hear your questions after you’re finished…”

His tone never leaves much room for discussion and, you have to consciously remind yourself not to retaliate.

He is starting to infuriate you…

You merely nod though, saving all your quips for later as you dig into the food he prepared.

The breakfast is delicious and, you don’t realize how hungry you are until you take your first bite.

“Where am I right now?” You ask as Yoongi dumps your dirty dishes in the sink, your burning curiosity becoming too much to handle.

Yoongi sighs through his nose, wiping his hands on a linen towel before turning to you, “That’s a very complicated question…”

He regards you with a sage gaze and, you note that despite him looking around your age, you couldn’t help but feel that he was centuries older than you.

“I’m listening…”

“Let me ask a question first…” He wages and as you begin to protest, he silences you with his raised hand, “It’s important…”

“Fine…”

“Who gave you the map?” He inquires, pulling the scrap of paper out of his pants pocket, which is odd considering you know for a fact that’s he’s changed clothes since yesterday morning.

“My grandfather…he says he’s been here before…” You explain, eyeing the map between his fingers, “He says you saved his life…”

At your second comment, Yoongi cocks his head, “Did he give you any further details?”

“You still haven’t answered my question…” You point out, growing frustrated once again.

He sighs, lowering his hand to place the map on the counter, his dark eyes flitting around the room, “My house cannot be found by just anyone, I have it hidden underneath a veil, a protection spell. If you’re grandfather found my cottage, it would be because he possessed certain…abilities.”

Yoongi’s answer surprises you, your brow furrows, “What kind of abilities?”

He shrugs, not looking directly at you, his fingers picking at the edges of the map, “It can be any number of things but, regardless, if he did in fact, find my cottage, he must have done so using a spell…”

“Would the map have been useless to me then?” You press, your curiosity overflowing, the eagerness to ask another question hot on your tongue.

Yoongi nods, a smirk playing on his lips, “This map is nonsense, if you would have continued to follow it, you would have ended up back in your village.” You lean back, confusion painting your features, “What? That’s impossible, he was planning on following it himself to come and find you…”

“Well, either your grandfather never found my cottage in the first place or,” He regards you with a satisfied expression, delighting in your confusion, “…he left out the wrong map.”

It hits you then; your grandfather fooled you. He knew you wouldn’t sit idly by whilst he essentially walked to his death. He knew that you were just the right amount of stubborn to enter the forest in his place, he knew…

“Bastard,” You curse him but, you have to admit, you’re hurt by this conclusion. Why would he knowingly lead you in the wrong direction? Why wouldn’t he stop you if he knew you were going in his place? “Why would he do that?”

Yoongi’s smirk has grown significantly and, you’re starting to grow uneasy at the thought of Yoongi actually being evil.

“What is your grandfather’s name?”

A deep breath is pulled through your nose, “Y/GF/N…he said you saved him as a boy, when he almost drowned in the river. He told my village that he came back to find you, to thank you…”

Yoongi seems to perk up at your response, “I remember him…clever boy.”

The man before you looked as though he was your age but, given the fact that he knew your grandfather when he was just a child, something isn’t adding up. This leads you to your next question, “How old are you?”

His mouth twitches, “It’s impolite to ask someone their age Y/N…”

Your brows rise in defiance, your patience paper thin, “My grandfather is 71, you should have aged significantly since then but, you haven’t, you look as though your my age.” A pointed look is sent his way, “You said you would answer my questions...”

Yoongi chuckles at your eagerness, fangs peeking out from under his top lip, his eyes darkening as they finally look into yours, “Seven hundred and twenty seven…”

Your eyes widen your heart dropping into your stomach as you try to respond calmly, “So, you’re a vampire?”

Yoongi snorts, face wrinkled in disgust, “Heavens no. Vampires are awful creatures, dreadfully unrefined…”

“Then, what are you?”

A scowl is beginning to make its way onto Yoongi’s face as he is beginning to grow irritated by your tone, “I am beyond your scope of understanding…human.”

He spits the last word, as if it’s meant to insult you and, you can sense the tension in the room. You know you have to dial it back if you want answers so you nod, conceding with his answer.

“Fair enough. What attacked me in the forest?”

He seems to relax slightly at your change in subject, “The creatures in the forest, the ones that are responsible for the disappearances of your people…they are the remains of an unaligned spell gone wrong. They feed off of organic energy and, slowly drain the life of their victims. Humans are their primary prey but, they feed off of larger animals as well…when the pickings are slim.”

You rest your chin on your hand, intrigued, “How powerful are they?”

“They are powerful enough to compel your people into the forest but, they don’t stand a chance against light, whether that be sunlight or aligned magic…”

“Aligned magic?”

“Magic that aligns with basic morals, magic that doesn’t seek to harm others or exploit the natural order of the world…” Yoongi explains, the timbre in his voice almost soothing as he continues, “The creatures are known as The Nahbbun, or the vicious but, they have been called many names over the course of history…”

“Do they exist outside of our forest?”

He shakes his head, “Not in this magnitude. A tainted space may contain a few of them but, this forest in particular, contains thousands of them…”

A shiver runs down your spine then but, you can’t help your desire to learn more, “Because of the spell that was performed here?”

He nods sagely, “The person responsible was exceedingly powerful; this level of darkness cannot be contained…”

Attempting to take in all of the new information, you pause for a moment, collecting your thoughts. You notice that Yoongi looks, almost, defeated, as if the information he shared burdened him somehow.

“What happened to the others? My people have never returned once they are lost.” You shift your tone to a gentler one, trying to ease into touchier subjects.

Yoongi stiffens, “Your people are typically conjured away from my cottage and, I can only sense them if they breach my perimeter. Even if I have managed to intervene, they often slip out in the middle of the night…there have been very few I have been able to save…”

“You saved me…” You point, eyes much softer as you sense his genuine regret.

“Yes, well,” He coughs, looking away from you momentarily, “I suppose I did…that is unless you plan on sneaking out in the middle of the night.”

Smiling, you reach out towards him and, resist the urge to giggle as he flinches slightly, “Thank you…for saving me and, for saving my grandfather all those years ago.”

His expression shifts again and, if you’re not mistaken, you can see a bit of softness in his eyes but, he quickly composes himself as he waves you off, “Has your curiosity been sated for now? You have kept me held up for quite some time…”

It’s only been ten minutes or so since this conversation began but, you don’t want to risk Yoongi shutting you off all together so you nod and offer one last sentiment, “I wouldn’t have come here…if I didn’t think it was my only option. I’m sorry for all the trouble…”

A smile threatens Yoongi’s mouth, “You’re the least of my burdens human, don’t worry yourself on my behalf. Focus on healing so, you may return home, I can imagine your grandfather is very worried…”

You nod, making your way off of the stool, “Thank you for breakfast…”

He nods back at you, his lips pursed in an odd sort of smile, “I’ll prepare dinner for you at sunset…”

You smirk to yourself as you head out of the kitchen, “Sounds romantic…”

At your comment, Yoongi rolls his eyes, a minor sense of dread overcoming him as he feels his cheeks heating up at your comment “Don’t be ridiculous…”

He hears your giggle right before the door swings shut behind you and, he does his best to ignore the way the sound warms his heart.

“Humans are dreadful…” He grumbles to himself as he attempts to soothe the redness of his cheeks. At his comment, Meow, who had been listening in, meows at his feet, gold eyes looking up at him knowingly.

“Quiet…” He hushes down at him before heading out of the kitchen and, quickly making his way upstairs to his room.

Yoongi leaves the cottage that night after you fall asleep. The two of you had a relatively pleasant dinner which consisted of an exquisite plate of pasta Yoongi made, or uh, conjured from scratch and, cinnamon teacake for dessert. The conversation was scarce as Yoongi really doesn’t enjoy talking but, he responded when necessary and, kept his sarcastic comments to a minimum.

Which is honestly all you can ask for.

The evening ended as soon as it began as Yoongi was very eager to get you to fall asleep so, he could do whatever it was that he did after the sun set. However, you had yet to sleep a full night in Yoongi’s house.

Something always seems to wake you in the middle of the night.

You are currently huddled up on his sofa bed underneath a thick woolen blanket when you hear the faint sound of meowing that seemed to be coming from above you. Yoongi’s cat is clearly not pleased with the fact that he’s disappeared.

The cottage isn’t as inviting when you’re in it alone, in fact, the howling wind just outside of the walls, makes an uneasy feeling settle in your stomach. The scraping of the tree branches against the cottage’s exterior startles you momentarily before, you take a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself. Meow continues uh meowing upstairs, the sound growing louder and louder. You’re beginning to wonder if something is wrong with him.

Maybe Yoongi forgot to feed him?

Another howl from the top of the stairs sends you stumbling off of the sofa and towards the noise. The floorboards creak beneath you as you approach the seemingly never-ending spiral staircase.

“Kitty? Are you ok?” You call your voice unstable.

Silence.

With a furrowed brow, you place a foot on the bottom step, your eyes squinting as they peer upwards into darkness, “Meow? Come here kitty…it’s ok, Yoongi will be home soon…”

The silence is deafening and, you feel that familiar sinking feeling in your stomach. The wind beyond the cottage walls seems to halt as the hair on the back of your neck stands up.

“You…uh you don’t have to be scared ok? I don’t want to hurt you…I just want to make sure you’re ok…”

You hear it then, the sound that makes your blood run cold: an insidious almost childlike giggle sounds from the top of the stairs and, you step back immediately, feeling threatened by the sound.

“Oh, little human…it’s not me who should be scared…” The angelic cadence of the voice contrasts against the clear threat in its words.

You feel the need to run but, you’re frozen stiff with fear, “Wh-who’s there? Who are you?”

Another burst of giggles echoes throughout the cottage and, you desperately wish that the floor would swallow you whole.

“You know my name…”

“I..I don’t know your name, I…” You pause then, realization washing over you, “Wait. Meow? Is that you?”

The giggle you hear now is much less threatening but, the movement in the darkness still keeps you on guard, “Yoongi gave me that name out of spite. Personally, I would have chosen something much more endearing…”

Your hand is placed on the bannister as you desperately try to spot him, “I don’t understand…aren’t you his cat? How are you able to speak?”

Meow snickers, tickled by your lack of knowledge, “Don’t you remember Yoongi warning you that I wasn’t a cat. Silly human, you really should pay better attention…”

You do remember Yoongi saying something of the sort but, you had dismissed it as him choosing to be difficult.

“Then, what are you?”

Footsteps echo at the top of the stairs, light and delicate, as if someone is tip-toeing their way towards you. It makes your heart pound in anticipation.

A man appears halfway down the stairs, causing a gasp to leave your mouth. He’s roughly the same size as Yoongi, with the same raven-colored hair atop his head, except there is a bit of orange peeking through. He, like Yoongi, possesses a quality that you can’t quite pin point along with an otherworldly amount of beauty. His features are much softer however, his pink lips plump and turned up in a playful smirk, his eyes heavy with mischief, his body sporting a minimum amount of clothing.

“I am beyond your scope of understanding human…” The man deepens his voice, clearly mimicking Yoongi’s words before he bursts into another fit of giggles, “What a ridiculous thing to say…”

Your words seem to stop in the base of your throat, unable to comprehend what exactly is going on.

“You’re…uh, you’re…” You’re truly making an attempt to speak but, nothing seems to be coming out. The man notices and takes pleasure in your flustered state, another giggle leaving his lips.

“What’s the matter Y/N? Cat got your tongue?” He winks and, you swear you feel like you’re going to faint.

You thought Yoongi had managed to balance being both beautiful and threatening but, this man seems to take the cake as far as duality is concerned.

“If you’re not Yoongi’s cat, then who are you?”

Meow cocks his head, the moonlight streaming in through the window illuminating his naked top half as his hand comes up to push his hair back. It’s almost as if he is intentionally trying to distract you.

“I am…a friend of Yoongi’s…” He begins, turning his gaze towards yours as he slowly starts to descend down the staircase, “We’ve known each other for quite some time…”

You step back, still on guard, already growing impatient with a lack of answers, “A friend of Yoongi’s, who just so happens to shape shift into a cat…”

Another giggle, a few more steps, Meow is getting closer to you, “Mhm. You’re growing frustrated aren’t you? I can taste it…”

“I’m growing tired of a lack of answers…” You counter, trying to hold your ground as he approaches you.

Meow smirks, his pupils dilating to the point of vertical slits and, you can’t decide if he looks more like a cat or a snake.

“Ooh she wants answers does she? You’re quite nosy Y/N…I like that about you.” His tone is shifting to a slightly more sultry tone as he leans against the bannister. “However…I don’t give away anything for free…answers come with a price.”

You don’t back down and instead, stand up straighter, “Name your price then.”

His cat like grin grows, his eyes scanning over you slowly, drinking you in, “It’s nothing major…just a taste…”

“A taste of what…”

Meow’s eyes darken, “Of you…”

You back away, all of the alarms signaling in your body, preparing to run.

The man before bursts into another round of giggling, his head falling back as he braces against the bannister, “I’m only kidding. Goodness, you’re so wound up, if Yoongi had any sense in him, he’d be requesting to heal you in other ways, to ease your tension. It’s certainly the route I would take…”

A shaky breath leaves you as you glare at him, “What are you?”

Meow’s laughter dies down, however, his smirk remains, “Your people have many names for me…”

Your brows rise, conveying that you are searching for a concrete answer and, Meow concedes, turning to the side to reveal his bare ribs to you. Squinting, you can see that he has a several black marks adorning his skin. You don’t recognize the language but, just before you inquire about them, Meow speaks up again.

“Siren…” He practically whispers the word, a delighted grin on his face, “Do you know the meaning of the word?”

Siren.

You’ve heard the term from many of the sailors who reside in your village, they told stories of beautiful women luring their men to the ocean with their song before, devouring them whole. It was easy to dismiss their stories as drunken banter so; you never paid too much attention. However, you nod at Meow’s question, “Yes, sailors from my village have told stories containing that word…you don’t exactly match their description.”

Another twinkling giggle, “We take whatever form we need to…human men are the easiest targets.”

“Is that…” You pause, biting your lip, “Is that why you’re here with Yoongi? To prey on him?”

“Mm I wish. He would be a delicious meal,” Meow muses, “but no, I am bound to Yoongi until I have paid my karmic toll…”

“Karmic toll? What do you mean?

“I was a very naughty boy when I was alive Y/N…” Meow giggles, biting his puffy bottom lip, “ and an accumulation of bad karma is keeping me from entering Paradise. My soul was assigned to Yoongi for…correction.”

Your stomach sinks, “You’re dead? Wait, if you’re dead then how can I-“

He cuts you off, “Ah yes, Yoongi and I were wondering the same thing…it seems as though you possess ‘the sight’.”

“The sight?” You breathe, growing rather eager as you finally receive some answers to your burning questions.

“Yes, it is believed that there are a select group of humans who have inherited the ability to see things beyond their mortal world. It’s a rather uncommon occurrence; personally, I’ve never encountered a human who could see me in my true form.” Meow stretches his arms high above his head, not unlike a cat, making a small noise at the back of his throat.

“Is this,” You gesture to him, “your true form?”

He chuckles, nodding, a sense of pride washing over him, “It is, lucky me right? Although, I often take the form of what my prey desires the most. However, with you, my true form seems to align quite well with your desires…”

Your cheeks grow hot at his comment, your heart rate increasing slightly, “Can you still harm me when you’re dead?”

A wide grin presents himself on Meow’s mouth, “What makes you think I’d be interested in harming you?”

“Well referring to me as prey is quite a big tell Meow, what else would you have me think?”

The grin never falters as he steps towards you, hungry gaze drinking in the sight of you, “I only kill when I have to feed and, I only play with those who come willingly…I’m not completely deranged.”

“You…eat people?”

He snickers, “No, silly girl, I consume their soul…”

His response doesn’t shock you but, as your brain connects his statement with a familiar statement from Yoongi, you begin to grow nervous.

“I prefer the taste of their soul…it’s much sweeter…”

You pull at the sleeves of your sweater in an attempt to comfort yourself, feeling rather faint, “Yoongi mentioned consuming human souls…is he a siren too?”

Meow pouts his lips, “Hmph no, he’d be much less of a bore if he was…he is something else entirely. My people have no name for him but…” Meow trails off cat-like eyes scanning the perimeter of the room, as if he were afraid of someone overhearing him, “I can tell you this, he is one of the very few creatures we sirens fear and, if I were you, I would watch my neck around him…”

Meow’s words strike fear into your heart but, before you can respond, the sound of a familiar voice sounds throughout the room.

“Jimin!” Yoongi barks, his tone sharp and unrelenting with a glare to match.

Jimin?

Meow giggles before you before disappearing with a light thud, shifting back into his cat form and, scurrying up the staircase.

“Vile creature! Have you learned nothing???” Yoongi shouts at the ceiling, fists clenching at his sides, anger radiating off of him.

Meow or Jimin’s laughter echoes against the walls of Yoongi’s cottage and you shrink away from the volume of his voice.

Yoongi’s glare flits over to you, scanning your figure, “Did he hurt you?”

You shake your head, backing away from him, “No…he…”

He cuts you off with a raise of his hand, irritation heavy in his voice, “What did I tell about proper sleep? What are you doing awake? The remedy I gave you should have been enough to keep you asleep until sunrise…”

Why was he laying into you? You did nothing wrong, in fact, it’s you who should be laying into him, demanding answers yet again.

“Well I’m sorry but, your demon cat woke me up….” You spit the words, feeling furious at all of the ambiguity, “And then, proceeded to tell me that he was dead and paying for his sins, that included CONSUMING HUMAN SOULS! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU LEAVE ME ALONE WITH HIM?”

Yoongi stiffens at the tone of your voice, his anger at an all-time high, “Watch your tone mortal, I won’t be disrespected in my own home…”

“Tell me who you are…” You seethe your fight or flight response clearly ready to do the former.

Yoongi steps towards you, the power within him ebbing and flowing against his body, his black pupils slowly taking over the entirety of his eyes, “I don’t owe you an explanation…”

You back away slightly but, stand your ground, eyes narrowed in his direction, “Jimin said you were something to fear, he said to watch my neck around you. You owe me enough to ensure that you aren’t going to kill me…”

He smirks, his eyes entirely vacant of color, “Jimin was correct. I suggest you heed his warning.”

Despite the raging tempo of your heartbeat, you puff your chest out, taking a step in Yoongi’s direction.

“I’m not afraid of you.”

Yoongi’s breath can be felt against your face, his lips, wet and almost lingering against yours, “Really? Then why is your heart sputtering in your chest hm? Why does your body tremble in my presence?”

There is something stirring within the pit of your stomach that you don’t recognize but, your anger overshadows it.

“What. Are. You?” You press again, ignoring his other questions.

His eyes seem to glimmer momentarily, a color flashing across the surface, his sizeable hands bracing against the wall behind you, trapping your body. Yoongi leans in and, for a moment you think he’s going to kiss you but, his lips make a detour over to your ear instead. Your heart is practically in your throat and, the odd sensation grows stronger and stronger within you. Yoongi’s lips brush over the shell of your ear, whispering a language you don’t recognize,

“Sleep now human, before your mouth gets you in trouble…”

Darkness envelops you and your body goes limp, causing Yoongi’s arms to come out and catch you.

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

“Human…” A low voice rumbles beside you, slowly pulling you from your unconscious state.

You know the voice but, the fog in your brain can’t quite place it, the only thing you can feel is a dull throbbing your temples.

“Y/N…”

It was Yoongi.

Your eyes pop open, immediately on guard, your hazy vision noting that Yoongi was sitting on the arm chair beside the sofa.

A white blouse adorned his top half, the ties loosened, exposing his chest, his hair damp, suggesting that he had just bathed.

You sit up slowly, back away from his figure, “What did you do to me?”

He rolls his eyes, “I subdued you. You were getting out of control…”

“You drugged me? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Yoongi scoffs, a smirk playing on his lips, “I didn’t use any drugs, don’t be ridiculous. You were being unreasonable; I merely helped you fall back asleep...”

The frustration you’ve been feeling returns quickly but, the way Yoongi spoke to you, always dismissing you, made defeat spark in your heart.

His brows rise, challenging you, “Are you going to behave now?”

However, this comment ignites the fire within you once more and, your eyes shoot up to lock onto his.

“Are you going to tell me who you are?”

Yoongi can’t help but chuckle, your frustration beginning to amuse him.

“No.”

The fire is hotter now and, you have to resist the urge to reinstate your argument.

“Then no,” You smirk, ensuring that the venom is present in your voice, “I’m not going to behave.”

Yoongi feels something brewing in his body but, he does his best to ignore it. Although, there is something about the authority in your voice that gets to him.

“You are peculiar you know that? Provoking me, disregarding my boundaries, do you not value your life at all?” He leans back against the back of the chair, dark eyes scanning your face.

“I don’t value my life over another. Finding the truth could ensure the safety of my people…” You retort, the two of you locking eyes, palpable tension beginning to rise.

“I’ve told you the truth human…”

“You’ve told me part of the story,” You counter, nodding to him, your confidence growing slightly as Yoongi’s resolve tends to break.

“Why are you so curious? The part that I told you is the only part that pertains to your people, the rest is-”

He pauses, breathing out through his nose, breaking the gaze between the two of you.

Emotion flutters in your heart, your eyes turning their attention towards the tree branches that brush against the window pane.

“Yoongi…” Your voice is gentler now, trying to reason with him, “ …my parents died in this forest. They were explorers and, made it their life’s work to unlock its secrets. I don’t want their work to be in vain, please…maybe I can help you, maybe if more people knew the truth, we’d be able to stop the darkness...”

As you revert your eyes back to his, you notice he’s sporting a disgusted expression, an expression that doesn’t reach his eyes.

“You are naïve human, naïve and foolish. Just like your parents…” Yoongi’s words cut like knives, slicing through your exterior and, tearing you to pieces. “I have searched for centuries and, have yet to find a solution; you would be useless to me, knowing the rest of the story wouldn’t change that…”

That’s it then.

Your heart sinks, your face flushes and, the tightening in your throat is unbearable.

Standing shakily to your feet, you sniffle, trying to keep the tears at bay before looking up at Yoongi, “Maybe you should have left me in the forest Yoongi, since I’m so useless…”

He watches you rush out of the den, his chest aching at the sight of your sadness and, he suddenly regrets every word he said.

His defense was too strong this time, he took it too far.

Yoongi’s words are caught in his throat as he ignores his desire to run after you and, he curses himself for being so hard-headed sometimes. “Wow Min that was harsh, even for you…” Jimin appears at the bottom of the stairs, smirking, his tongue licking over his pointy teeth.

Yoongi sends a glare his way, “Do not refer to me so casually, Siren or I will ensure you never enter Paradise...”

Jimin falters slightly but, presses him further, snickering quietly, “Apologies, my lord. I am merely confused; if you hate this human so much, why not consume her? I imagine her soul would be...divine...”

Yoongi feels his blood boil over, “Because, unlike you, I’m not a degenerate...”

Jimin chuckles darkly, stepping off the final step, “Why do you hate her so much? She is one of the better humans I’ve encountered…quite beautiful too…”

Yoongi feels a pull in his stomach as he mentions your beauty, something about the way Jimin was speaking of you made him uncomfortable.

Although Jimin, in general, often made him uncomfortable.

“I don’t hate her…” Yoongi mutters, pushing himself off of the couch, wishing to retire to his room, alone.

Jimin steps in front of him, mischief in his eyes, “You’re attracted to her aren’t you?”

Another tug in Yoongi’s stomach puts him further on the defensive and, pushes past Jimin to get to the staircase.

“Siren, I won’t tell you again…” Yoongi warns, venom in his tone, “…stay in line, or I will eternalize your sentence…”

This threat does a number on Jimin’s desire to pester and, rather than risk feeling Yoongi’s wrath, he shuts his mouth and, disappears into a thin mist.

As Yoongi reaches his chamber, he strips himself down to his undergarments and crawls under his duvet. He pulls the fabric completely over his head in a futile attempt to drown out his chaotic thinking, beyond frustrated with himself.

He shouldn’t have spoken to you that way, he knows that.

He knows that Jimin, however infuriating, wasn’t completely wrong in his assumptions.

You do…intrigue him.

He knows that you have good intentions; he can sense your purity.

He knows that you possess something you don’t quite understand; the fact that you could see Jimin proves that.

He knows that you have a strong moral code, one that isn’t easily manipulated, despite his best efforts.

He knows that you’re argumentative, impatient and, passionate.

However, he doesn’t understand you completely; he doesn’t understand how you manage to rattle his carefully crafted resolve.

He doesn’t understand why he wants to protect you.

Or why he finds you so endearing…

So enchanting…

Despite spending his life being feared, Yoongi finds himself completely and utterly terrified for the first time.

Terror aside, he knows what he has to do.

He has to tell you that your grandfather lied to you.

He has to tell you that not everything is as it seems.

He has to tell you the truth.

717 notes · View notes