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00-hawkboi-00 · 16 days

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War is Over (and what have we done?)

Part Four

Pairing; Graves x m!reader (slow burn)

WC; 2.9k

Summary; Graves is tired of being ignored.

Warnings; not really any? Not yet at least. Minor flashback stuff where it's implied he's trapped in the tank when it caught fire, mentions of death/pondering

A/n; probably my shortest chapter yet. I spilt what was originally one part into two because it just felt??? Off?? To put them together as one thing?? Idk but I felt like it called for more than just a few paragraph breaks

(also thanks to @/rousseau-vargas and @/embry-garrick who are my biggest motivators rn, next half of part will be out soon)

(idk how to explain it, but I love how his mouth moves..)

---"more than he bargained for"---

Phillip was bored out of his goddamn mind and a prisoner in his own fucking base. Which, to be fair, he had definitely anticipated would happen when he came back.

He had known he’d fucked up; he knew you would be angry. It had been a long time, Phil had been gone for nearly an entire year. Him suddenly appearing again after being presumed dead? That was sure to stir up some unsavory feelings; he had expected a bit of rage, some lashing out here and there.

He, for some unknown reason, hadn't predicted this.

You, trapping him in his own goddamn base.

Phil doesn't know how long he's been stuck within these same four walls—thankfully he'd been detained in one of the spare rooms, one with a small bathroom, and not where the temporary prisoners were usually kept—, but he does know that, especially if he stays here any longer, he's about to lose his damn mind.

He thought he knew you. Figured you'd eventually calm down—like you always did—and come back to collect him. Maybe chew him out a bit more, which would be well deserved, but then let him go. Reconcile. That's what usually happened when you two had a minor scuffle.

But this wasn't just a small mishap, some little blip on the timeline because Phil had gone a bit too far once again. Been a bit too snappy; had said the wrong thing. Was it?

With every day that passed, every second that dragged on, Phil was starting to believe he didn't know you as well as he had thought he did.

It's hot. It's so fucking hot. Phillip should have known better than to actually be in the damn tank when all this started, you, his dear co-founder, had warned him against it. But what was Phil to do? He'd rather face this heat a thousand times over, relive it again and again as much as it took, than have one of his own soldiers trapped in this chunk of metal.

Did he really think he would win? Well.. maybe. Phil had his doubts before this, you had your doubts, but he had insisted. And now he was going to pay for it stuck in this gradually melting, scalding hot box.

Another few raps of his knuckles on the wall, and still no answer.

Phil was really starting to get annoyed at this point. He was more than tired of being ignored, which only manifested in an uptick of his provocative behavior.

The hallway is on the other side and you, his dear Phantom, wouldn't leave him unguarded, would you?

Definitely not. So, again, he follows his obnoxious knocking with a shout of, “V! For Christ’s sake, I know you're out there!”

And he did, who better to have stand guard outside his door than your most trusted soldier?

He may not know you like he used to, and you may never admit it, but Phil could pride himself in the fact that you were at least a little predictable. And you had always been fond of their dearest Venn.

But, as had been the norm of how ever fucking long Phil had been trapped in here, there is no reply.

Phil had warned them. He had tried his damnedest to get those damn 141 boys to stand down, his orders hadn't been against them. Not originally. Not until they, as per usual, stuck their fucking noses into shit they don't belong in.

Was this what hell was like? Was this him paying for the horrid massacre he had commanded?

Phil could have gone against orders. He could've told Shepard where to shove it and be on his merry way—with his family Shadows alive. No one had to die. No one but Hassan and his goons had to meet their end.

But, goddammit, so many had. So many innocent lives were wasted.

Phil had been doing this shit for years, doing the dirty work no one else would, the kind the average military couldn't.

That didn't make it any easier.

He often put on a front; he had to. For his family's soldiers sakes’. If he was afraid, if he shied away from the blood and the gore, the screams and the terror, then he wouldn't be the strong, unmovable rock his soldiers relied on. Now would he?

He should have said no. Or maybe made some sort of compromise. But he hadn't, and there was no point in ruminating over what had been done. He was going to die here—it is what he deserved—, stuck and helpless.

Just like the innocent people whose lives he had stolen.

He knew you were just being stubborn. You would come around eventually- right?

Phil had never doubted you before. Having started this damn company together, just two wayward souls searching for something to call their own, tired of being tied down with yards upon yards or red tape—oh, the irony of that sentiment. You two had never been free.

Even when he pushed you away. When he left you the morning after—every damn time—to wake in his bed alone and cold. Not a trace of the warmth from the night before left behind.

Even when he refused to admit what you truly meant to him.

Phil had always assured himself that it didn't matter, he could say and do whatever he pleased, because you would always come crawling back to him. And you always had. No matter what.

Until right now.

Until you didn't.

“V! Goddammit, open the door!”

It was so fucking hot. He could barely move, mind fuzzy and breaths coming out in short, labored gasps.

What little movements Phil could make were sluggish and weak. The latch didn't work, and subsequently that meant the door didn't either. He was well and truly stuck.

Phil thought he was starting to make peace with that. Dying. It had been a long time coming, hadn't it?

After all the bloodshed. After all the things he had done in his life—all the blood and gore, the purposeful ignorance and choice to look the other way. To pretend not to care.

He deserved this, right? He was getting what had been coming for him. Finally.

It should have come sooner. He had lived plenty; he had done enough harm in his time.

Phil's tactic at this point was simply to be as obnoxious as he could possibly be, and annoy Venn into inevitably opening that damn door.

And after a few more harsh pounds of his fist against the wall, and several more calls of her name, Phil gets his wish.

In the form of a frustrated shout and the door slamming against the wall so hard it's a surprise the poor thing stays on its hinges, but he gets his way nonetheless.

“What.” Venn spits when she finally gets inside, arms crossed over her chest and one boot tapping furiously against the floor.

“That's no way to speak to your Commander, V.” Phil sing-songs, all upbeat and shit, against his own better judgment.

Ah, yes. Let's piss off the one direct line you have to Phantom more than you already have.

That's sure to get him his way.

“You're not-” Venn cuts herself off, sighing heavily and starting over. “What do you want, sir?”

She says the word with none of the respect she used to and, honestly, that was fair.

“Better.” Phil still hums. Because he's an asshole. And because he can't seem to stop himself, apparently, the snark seems to be hardwired into his brain or some shit.

“What. Do. You. Want.”

“You know what I want, V.” She makes a face at the nickname, and Phil pretends not to feel that little twinge in his chest. It's not like he doesn't deserve it. They used to be close. All of them.

“Not going to happen.” Venn snaps immediately. Defensive. Predictably.

“You know I'm not going to stop asking.”

“And you know it's never going to happen.”

“Fucking hell, V, why not?” Because he doesn't deserve the right of seeing you. Because he already fucked this up before it had the chance to be great.

“Because he doesn't want to see you.”

She's told him that before, several times over, to be honest, but Phil still can't hide the slight grimace that pulls at his features when Venn says it again. Says it with so much confidence, so much conviction, like it's an obvious fact everyone else has been made aware of and he's just been too stupid to pick up on it.

Phil has already been made well aware plenty of times. He just didn't want to believe it.

But what about you?

Would you be okay without him? Would the others? Phil knows you have never been the most.. well put together. But after you two got out of that wretched regimen, when you two banded together and created this little pretend family, things had been better.

Phil had been able to get you to open up more. To get you to behave more as yourself, and not like the shell of a man who he’d met when you two were still green.

You talked to him more. Got a bit better at talking with your fellow Shadows. Let him touch without flinching first, let him get to know the person beneath the aloof exterior.

Even though he had given nothing in return.

Would you make it out if this? And if you did, would you forgive him?

When you dug up those pieces of metal from the wreckage, those little markers of his identity, no doubt having melted to be nearly incomprehensible, would you bury them with his singed corpse? Or would you keep them safe? Tucked into a pocket of your vest, above your heart?

Would you tell his grave the stories of your future when the ashes settled? Would you bring flowers, or would you spat over the very earth he rested beneath?

Would you leave the stone unmarked, or with those few precious words you two had agreed upon all those years ago?

When he was gone, would you mourn? Would you miss the warmth of him above and beside yourself? Those whispered confessions spoken under that blanket, amidst the cover of night, would you forget them?

Would you forget him too?

“And he told you this?”

Venn goes silent then. One thing about her; though her moral compass was just as fucked as the rest of theirs, though her hands were bathed in the same amount of blood, Venn was a pretty shit liar.

“He doesn't even know you're in here, does he?”

More silence.

“Oh, you poor thing. First lying and now going against your Lieutenant's direct orders? What has become of you, V?”

“I don't need him to say it to know it's true!” Venn huffs, sending Phil a scathing glare.

“So you're making assumptions now? Dearest, Venn, you know what they say about people who assume..”

“The same way you assume he'll want to see you?”

Phil opens his mouth to protest, say something, but he draws blanks. What if she's right? What if you really didn't want to see him? Hell, did he even cross your mind anymore? Did you even remember you'd put him here?

Phil clamps his mouth shut and there's an audible clack of his teeth snapping together.

He hasn't seen you since that fateful day when, like the absolute dumbass he is, he had sent you storming out. Taunting and prodding, as Phil usually did, but you truly had been acting differently that day.

Or maybe it wasn't just that day. Maybe you had really changed, and Phil didn't know that man beneath the shell anymore.

He should've seen it more clearly when you walked in dressed head to toe, even that pretty face of yours masked. You didn't like shit like that. Always used to complain to Phil how much you hated them, being so covered up, made you feel claustrophobic or whatever.

But these days you wear it like a second skin.

“I deserve to see him.”

You had always been so calm, and he would often compare you to the soothing waves of the ocean washing over the cool sand of a beach after midnight.

But even calm waters can turn deadly in the blink of an eye.

“Deserve? You think, after what you did, you deserve anything?” Venn isn't masked, so the disbelieving look she gives him is quite obvious. Paired with a humorless, and honestly a little off-putting, laugh. “You don't deserve shit, Graves. And you definitely don't have the right to seeing him, not when-”

She cuts herself off then, and, if Phil had been thinking clearly, he would've asked for clarification. For her to continue because maybe, maybe he wasn't the only one privy to see that you weren't the same man you used to be.

But he doesn't look deeper, doesn't dip below the surface of that pretty ocean blue.

He never does.

“You can't keep him from me forever-”

“I'm not keeping anything! He hasn't even come down this way all week-”

“But he has come down here-?”

“Yeah- but not for you-”

“Just get his ass over here, V-”

“No! Why are you so stubborn? He doesn't want you!”

Ouch. But he's heard worse. From you—to be completely fair, Phil had usually said his own scathing handful of words beforehand. “You don't know that!”

“I understand you two started this shit together, so you assume you've got some weird, cryptic claim over him-”

“-that's not what this is about-”

“But he is his own person, Phillip! You two may have been friends before, but things have changed. You don't own him-”

“It's not like that-!”

“Oh, really? It's not like that?” She's up close and personal now, face to face, mere centimeters away. Huh, Phil never noticed the few inches she had on him. “How is it not? All you talk about is how you deserve to see him-”

“I do!”

“That's not a good enough reason! You can't just say “I do” and expect me to drag him down here. He's a very busy man!”

“You don't understand, V-”

“Then tell me! Help me understand what could possibly earn you the right to deserve seeing the man!”

“Because I fucking love him!” He shouts. “and I deserve to see my fucking boyfriend, for Christ's sake!”

Phil doesn't realize the words that had accidentally tumbled out of his mouth until Venn is pulling back, brown eyes widened in shock.

Oh. Oh shit. Ohhhhh shit.

You were going to kill him.

Seriously this time. Phil was a dead man.

“You-” she stutters. “Him- what. I- huh??”

“Shit- V-” Phil rushes closer, hands fidgety and hovering awkwardly around Venn as if wanting to grasp hold of her shoulders. He backs off and opts to pace the same nine foot strip of carpet instead, hands fisting into his hair. Tugging a bit here and there until he manages to settle enough to cross his arms instead.

Still pacing, pulse jumping.

“You can't tell him I let it slip, alright?”

One dark eyebrow raised, she asks, “Why not?” and rightfully so. Phil probably looked like he was losing his damn mind right now.

“Because-” because he had never said it before. Had never had the courage to admit it. To name what he had with you. What he wanted with you.

Because despite that so clearly being what you wanted from him, written so openly on your face when you looked at him. The most obvious you ever had been, about anything—and it was him who caused that.

Still, he had never put a label to it.

“Because he doesn't need to know.”

“Bullshit.” Venn scoffs, curiosity now flipped back to protective anger.

“It's not that big of a deal-”

“If it weren't, you wouldn't be acting like this. Would you?”

Ah. She had him there.

“Listen, Venn,” he says, voice low, tired. “You don't know Phantom like I do. This won't blow over well if you tell him.”

“I think I know him plenty well...” She says, more so like that of a stubborn child.

“If I get him-” Venn starts, hesitating. For a moment Phil thinks she's going to give him some big speech about not doing anything, blah blah blah, or she'll send him to an early grave or whatever. She exhales deeply through her nose, shutting her eyes briefly before looking at Phil again.

He doesn't think he's ever seen her look so damn exhausted. Suddenly seeming much more like the grown woman she is, and not the rambunctious teen they usually tease her for behaving like—all in good fun, of course.

“Just..” she trails again, as if weighing her options on whether to tell him or not. “Be.. gentle.. with him. He's not–not the man you used to know. He's.. changed.”

He had figured that much, but Phil surprises even himself when he utters an, almost soft, “okay.”

Venn gives him the barest hint of a smile before dropping the expression entirely, a far away look in those dark brown hues.

After a moment of silence, she turns to walk away. Appearing unable to even gather the energy to speak a goodbye, the door shutting inaudibly behind her; Phil can't even blame her for that one. Seems he wasn't the only one to pick up on your odd behavior, and he had only spoken to you once since his return.

He wonders what you had been all this time with no one to report to, under zero supervision—then he considers that he may not want the answer.

Masterlist | One | Two | Three | Next

@cptg00s3 @ruthgrimxiao @20nerd04-blog @gloma08 @mikahrh @in-down @hauntedapplefarm @mello-life69 @unkn0wnd3ad @tayaisback @starre-eyes @gabbvr-dog @suhmie @lazyrel @spiritsofthedead @yeonpm @its-ares @k1ssesofdeath @ravagerdogz @embry-garrick

If you want to be added to the tag list, or removed, let me know in the comments!

#call of duty #cod x male reader #male reader #call of duty x male reader #call of duty x reader #reader insert #gay #phillip graves x male reader #graves x male reader #phillip graves

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laurzzz · 1 year

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Reading through Clown's most recent post earlier makes me feel and think that the only thing we should be doing as a fandom right now is to give him space to figure things out for themself but also keep on being kind, to those who have been doing so.

As they've said, it's not just about the boundaries it's the loneliness that comes with it too. Maybe they feel alone that everything is so sudden, that what once was only a few thousand eyes on you becoming 100x more than that and it can debilitate you. It can give you an invisible pressure that even if no one's forcing you to continue your projects on a time crunch you still won't be able to deny what's there, and what's there is hundreds of thousands of more people wanting to see and know more from you. It'll make you start to question if all you're wanting to make for your projects is for the sake of liking what you do or because you feel the need to keep up with the excitement of others towards it.

Idk, I just see Welcome Home as a project that's so well-made and so well-loved, it's not something that's rushed and only made to be commercialized like the type of content we're used to nowadays. I'd hate for it to end up going down that road in the future because of the uncontrollable hype right now. And I just wanted to share my piece to maybe help feel Clown feel seen and that I'm one of the many people who'd gladly stand by him even if it takes him years to finish Welcome Home as long as it's done to his own accord and love for his creations, not because there's a heck ton of eyes surrounding him right now and watching his every move for new updates to the lore.

Idk man, I hope my words are coming out right. I really like Clown as an artist, his work inspires me even if they're not Welcome Home related. Selfish as it may sound, I do wish I had the opportunity of finding his blog before all this, they seem so cool and genuine. But now with the many amount of people watching him, he also probably feels lonely because there's too many people and the "building a connection with the fanbase or people who appreciate their work" is essentially left to be drowned out by the large numbers.

#welcome home #partycoffin #talks talks talks

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radiojamming · 1 year

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PLEASE tell us more about mummy types, i know ice is your fave so feel free to go ham on that but all of them are so interesting to me

drives up in my cozy coupe that has MUMMY MOBILE written in sharpie on the side (ALSO PLEASE EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN LOOKING THESE UP; SOME OF THEM LOOK VERY GNARLY)

ICE/PERMAFROST - If you've followed me for a little while, you probably know more about these than the average fella! These are your Beechey Island Trio, your Ötzi the Iceman. Ice keeps bacteria from turning the body into a smorgabord, thus keeping these people fresh (and fluid-filled) for hundreds to thousands of years. And maybe some day down the line, some nerd finds you and thinks you're beautiful and never shuts up about you.

THE BOG - It's Tumblr. You all know about The Bog. Bog bodies are essentially turned into leather purses by the tannins and the anaerobic qualities of The Bog, sometimes effectively snapshotting their causes of death (usually something violent). Special shoutouts to fan favorites like Tollund Man, Lindow Man/Pete Marsh, Yde Girl, Grauballe Man, and Windeby I. And Hozier, probably.

HOT, DRY DESERT AIR - Think the Atacama Desert, the Mummies of Guanajuato, or your pre-embalming times Egyptians. In fact, it was the natural qualities of desert air that probably tipped the Ancient Egyptians off to the fun and fabulousness of preservation. You dry out to potato chip crispness but lose all the wet bits. Also Anubis is probably repping you.

ARID, COLD MOUNTAIN AIR - Same idea as the desert as far as lack of humidity, but better for your skin. Mountaintop mummies are some of the best preserved in the whole world. La Doncella is a fantastic example, as are the rest of the Children of Llullaillaco or the Cherchen Man and Siberian Ice Maiden. Sometimes this was done on purpose (hi bog bodies), but sometimes people just go up to high altitudes, die, and stay there forever.

HONEY/MELLIFICATION - This one doesn't fit the bill of spontaneous mummification, which is what I study. Honey mummies are made on purpose, allegedly by feeding someone honey until they're dead, and then dunking them in a coffin full of honey for them to steep like tea for the next century or so, then digging them up and making medicine/snacks out of them. Lots of alleged's, but still pretty cool if you're into idk becoming one with the slime.

SALT - Human jerky! Salt does to you what it does to all the other edible meats, of which you're just another brand. Salt sucks all the moisture out and keeps you nice, fresh, and flavorful forever and ever. The Saltmen of Iran are Thee Pinnacle of this type of preservation. Bonus is that you get weirdly sparkly when you're salted like a slug.

SAPONIFICATION - You become soap. Actually, if you want to get technical, you turn into what's called corpse wax (which is a surprisingly badass name for turning into a human candle) or adipocere. Mrs. Ellenbogen of the Mütter Museum is probably the best example of this, but it also happens to, uh, cave divers. Which is another great reason not to go cave diving.

PRISTINE AIR OF A SACRED BUILDING - Catacomb mummies! Incorruptible saints! Sokushinbutsu! If you're stuck in a religious house of worship and it just so happens to have its own little ecosystem (usually pretty dry, probably full of resinous incense), there's a non-zero chance that you'll get preserved very similarly to the mountain mummies. Getting stuck in a crystal casket doesn't hurt either. (Disclaimer: this is semi-anthropogenic for those keeping score at home. Some of these mummies are preserved this way on purpose.)

TAR PITS - Like the bog, but hotter, stickier, and smellier. Go in the tar, have no oxygen causing you to fall apart, turn into another leather bag time capsule. This more often happens to animals like those in the La Brea Tar Pits than people. At least that we know of.

WEIRD, AS OF YET UNKNOWN MEANS - Can we say for sure that there was only one reason why Lady Dai/Xin Zhui's stayed so preserved for so long? What about the other wet mummies? What about ones people find in trees? Or whatever the hell was going on with Elmer McCurdy? Maybe it's not unknown, but it doesn't fit the bill of typical mummies, or there are so many factors at play leading to preservation that we can't just call it by one category.

#mummies #i could write about them forever

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shitouttabuck · 7 months

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Do you have any buddie fic recommendations for me? Sweet fluffy smutty idc I need something good 🥺

hiya! these are some of my faves off the top of my head and you’ve probably read most of them and if you’re like. nina. these are eighty percent fics by your mutuals. well i BECAME pals with them by adoring their writing and bullying my way into their lives about it <3

stitch my soul 30.5k by @onward--upward (soulmates au that genuinely changed my whole life i think about it daily—fair warning it’s a little heartachey, but in the best way)

it’s nice to have a friend 6.4k by @colonoscopys (a little domesticity i love this with my whole heart it’s so soft and sweet)

drench yourself in words unspoken 26k by @eddiediazes (everything is the same except eddie secretly writes romance novels and i reread this like once a month it makes me so happy)

the side effects of eating too many clementines 3k by @forthewolves (idk what to even say, no one writes love like amanda writes love, it’s a bigger-than-your-chest kind of feeling)

(this kiss is) something i can't resist 7.9k by @clusterbuck (family curse where eddie has to kiss his true love in one year or he’ll die, i laughed so much, EXACTLY the kind of romcom shit with a side of ridiculous i adore)

growing sideways 3k by @housewifebuck (extremely evan buck buckley is christopher diaz’s parent and you WILL cry about it)

left your mark on this heart 5.8k by @anxieteandbiscuits (buck thinks he has post-lightning heart complications but he’s just That stupid in love)

slip like freudian 4.4k by @jeeyuns (eddie diaz gets jinxed and is Extremely entertaining about it)

sundae kind of love 18k by @rewritetheending (okay this was the first morgan fic i ever read—and maybe one of the First buddie fics i read actually—and i think about the pier scene all the time! au where buck works at an ice cream shop by the beach)

maybe fall in love 1.8k by @try-set-me-on-fire (brick’s writing is just. unfailingly gorgeous but also 8 out of 10 times the most devastating thing you’ll ever read so this is a sweet, minimal emotional damage first kiss one???)

there’s always been a rainbow hangin’ over your head 8.7k by @alyxmastershipper (just the heartwarmingest of coming outs feat. the mug of my dreams. so so soft)

i think it’s my body wanting it the most by @transboybuckley (post-date that they’re not sure is a date, this is under a thousand words and i could not stop beaming i come back to it all the damn time)

you shaped this heart of mine 5k by justhockey (i haven’t reread this because it was such an enormous ache—in a good way—when i read it the first time, but god. god i love it so much. domestic sickfic)

i’ll scrawl it on every wall i see 29k by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (loosely a you’ve got mail au???? which is simply my favourite romcom in the whole world. this is so fucking funny as is everything they write and i adore it)

there ain’t language for the things i feel 1.8k by calvingseason (eddie buys buck a plant at the farmers market it is. so unbelievably soft)

i’ve almost certainly forgotten a bunch of faves so let me trawl through my bookmarks later and round some more up!!!!! highly rec ALL of these guys’ fics though SOME OF YOU are hell bent on breaking my heart these days and anon asked for “sweet. fluffy. smutty” and not hole-in-chest-in-shape-of-author's-fist, so

#ask #anon #fic rec #so much new fic to read but so many golden faves i wanna REREAD..... waugh

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jujutsukgojo · 6 months

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From The Tree

satoru gojo x reader

summary:

“Satoru?”

He's taller and broader now. His eyes are covered, and his voice is deeper. He wears a crown on his head and wears luxurious clothes. The fae king's ears are still pointed as ever and his face is still, and probably always will be, perfection.

He lowers the cover over his eyes. If you were crazy, you’d swear you see longing in those bright eyes of his.

a/n: quick write and loosely based on the folk of the air series by holly black!

tw: bullying, toxic, prejudice because reader is human, violence, idk what else

Sew the heart onto that, tie it off, and let it be. If it falls, then-

Your thoughts are interrupted by the ever-so-wonderful trio of idiots. One pulls your hair, making you look up. Shoko looks down at you with a curious gleam in her eye as she inspects your mortal hair with disgust. Her piercing gaze then goes to the blanket you decided to make.

“Is this work worth anything?” she drops her interest in your hair and picks up your project with two of her fingers. It is a blanket with a heart sewn on it. Admittedly, it isn’t much to look at. However, you worked hard on it, so you are of course proud.

“It’s worth something to me.” You snatch it back and frown when you see the stain from her rolled cigarette, she left on it. She may be popular and influential in this mystical hell, but damn her hands are dirty. No one would expect people that are so beautiful to be that way.

On your right, is Geto. A tall, handsome, intelligent faerie with a slick silver tongue. Although he comes off to you at times kind, you never forget to look deeper and see the slight smile on his face whenever he sees something entertaining; it usually is a wicked thing too. The longer you are here for, the more you understand that he has a face of a liar, even if he can't lie.

Like now, he looks so concerned and soft. But you see how he likes how this is unfolding. As you both look into each other’s eyes, you know what is about to happen next. The third idiot to complete the trio.

The strongest faerie of them all and future king, and a total pain in your ass, Satoru Gojo, appears. He crouches down to your sitting level. With a scowl, he picks up your blanket again and tears it. “I knew mortals were sloppy but God, that was extreme.”

“Why did you do that?” You yell as you pick up the shredded fabric. He tore it to pieces that you don’t think can be salvaged. You’ve worked hard on this. Just for an asshole to ruin it for no reason.

“You should be glad I helped you. It is much more lavish now compared to whatever you were doing.”

Those around you laughed. He squatted to your level again. Before you could say anything, he cups your cheeks with one large hand. “Thank me, human.”

Human. Mortal. Things they never fail to rub in your face. Well, you know what? You are proud of being human. Living a long time that will inevitably turn boring is worse than a short life of fun. Having new adventures, love no matter how or why, living fast, or maybe just taking it slow. Either way, a thousand or so years of seeing the same old things time and time again must suck.

And dealing with him and his minions sucks, too. No matter how beautiful they are.

Satoru Gojo, and his magical eyes that see all. Topped with white, fluffy hair, a perfect nose, and the longest lashes you’ve ever seen. Full, pink, perfectly smooth lips and a chiseled chin to match. Not to forget the pointed ears that declare him a faerie.

They are all so beautiful. And they always make sure that you know that you pale in comparison. You're tired of their perfection. Of his. It is only right for you to dirty it.

You spit in his face, much to his surprise. Everyone around you is shocked and waits for their future king to kill you. Although you don’t fully regret it right now, you’re starting to wonder if that was the best call.

Instead of lashing out, he wipes his face and caresses your cheek gently. No one is breathing. No one moves, either.

He says nothing as he holds your chin and smiles with closed eyes. Satoru walks away. That's it. He just walks away.

Utahime, someone who doesn’t hang out with Satoru and Geto a lot, and never treated you unnecessarily unkind, whispers, “What the hell did you just do?”

You try to hide your shaking with a nonchalant look. You tuck your hands underneath some of the tattered fabric to cover how sweaty they are. His friends walk away in his direction. Whatever happens next, is probably going to be extremely painful.

Since then, you’ve been on high alert. You’re probably the only one that would ever spit in his face. You are the only idiot in the entire kingdom. Finally, after a week of hiding, you go out of your house which is in a large tree trunk surrounded by flowers and a garden of mortal fruit and vegetables.

It has been days since the incident, you think. Surely, he has calmed down some. Yes, you spit in his face in front of everyone. Yep, you’re going to die.

“Okay, I'll just go and get a few things then I’ll go back home.” Right, right. Although he is a vicious and cruel bastard, he still has an image to keep. He can’t get away with killing or maiming. At least not yet.

Right as your foot touches the ground, you hear a disturbing laugh. Gasping, you spot Satoru right in front of you. “I have been meaning to talk to you.”

You don’t have a weapon. Not a single scrap of silver on you. “Satoru-”

“You dare call me so informally?” He cocks his head to the side.

“It’s hard not to. I have known you my whole life.” Ever since you accidentally wandered off in the seemingly small forest when you were young.

There was a tree that had red lines on the trunk and strange roots above the ground. They were such a pretty color that you had to touch them. When you did, you must have unlocked it because the tree opened up and swallowed you in.

How were you supposed to know that it was a gate to a world that hides in plain sight? Like a door, it opened and shut. It reminds you so much of that book about a wardrobe you used to read as a child.

That’s when you met him. You landed right in front of Satoru. He was wide-eyed and curious about the girl with round ears and clothes that couldn’t be made by someone like him. They were much too drab. Ever since then, he has been relentless towards you.

And you do not know why. The saving grace is that he hasn’t really done anything major.

“I am a prince. The sole heir to the throne of this kingdom. You may not be anything but dirt, however, you are on my land. You will abide by my rules and glory.”

“You’re just a prince. This land isn’t yours.” You snap. Satoru looks appalled.

He growls and clenches his fists. He then raises his hand and points his finger. A swirl of red gathers around the tip of it. Unfortunately, as a royal, he is given extremely special abilities. He is the strongest fae. Maybe, the strongest that there has ever been.

Never has he attacked you with it. “Gojo!”

You try to snap him out of it. If he launches that, you won’t be able to dodge. “Satoru, stop!”

Brilliant, and angry red runs toward you with devastating speed. The prince of the fae stands tall. His blue eyes that see all are terrifying now. No longer are they annoying and full of arrogance. Now, they are monstrous and evil. Beads that have given a creature too much power.

Somehow, it misses you. Not all of it, but enough that it grazes you. Still, your side is hit, and the force pushes you back. You feel your body bounce from the ground and every stick that is in your way. Once you’ve stopped rolling from the impact, you shake from pain.

“Ha! You actually dodged! Maybe humans are-” You hear him stop talking. He stands next to your battered form. Tears prick your eyes as you try to push yourself up. It hurts too bad! There is a brutal fight between your pride to stand and the agonizing pain you're experiencing that makes it too hard to even lift yourself up like that.

All this, and it didn’t even hit you fully. Can anyone imagine what would happen if you did touch the void?

You sob as you try to move some more.

“Ant? I-I knew you’d dodge but you're hurt-” He sounds confused and shocked. His hand is gentle on your back. Upon contact you try to swipe him away, crying. “Get away from me, you monster!”

Possibly minutes later, you are slowly, and carefully, lifted into his arms. Compared to you, he is okay. Gojo does not a scratch on him. Not a white hair out of place or a hint of exhaustion. As he carries you with ease, you finally begin to notice the difference between you and him. For years he has rubbed your mortality in your face. How powerless you are, how weak and weird you look. While the fae are exceptionally beautiful, you are just you.

You remember how it was when you first arrived. How they looked at you, how he teased you and tugged on your hair and ears. Back then, you just wanted to go home. His father ‘invited’ you to the castle to figure out how to get you home so something like you wouldn’t have to remain in the realm. In the meantime, you were with the prince and subjected to his ridicule and curiosity.

And now, you’re here in the arms of someone who you reluctantly grew up with. He almost killed you. Never had he even threatened this. It was always pulling, tugging, and teasing you for being human.

You really are an ant compared to him. He was right about that.

You finally open your eyes and see that the two of you are deeper in the woods. It is a blurry sight from watery eyes, but it is undeniable. The sweet smell that is unique to this realm gives it away anyway.

The fae says something in a low tone. Still, you can’t look at him. You can’t bear to. With one hard blink, you see a familiar tree with red and weird roots. You gasp at the sight. When you arrived here, that was the last you saw of the tree. No one could find it. Has he known where it was this whole time? Ah, right. The Six Eyes. The power to see all. Of course, he could find it. How long has he known where it was?

Wait, what is he doing?

“I am so sorry for hurting you. I knew you could dodge it. I just didn’t expect you to get hurt...or to be so scared. I thought you’d be humbled, not broken. You’re just so strong, I wanted to prove I was stronger. But not like this.” He apologizes again.

“What are you doing?” He touches the root. “W-wait! I can’t go back! I don’t know anything about it anymore!”

“You’re safer there.”

“This is my home!”

He lays you down in time for the tree to open. You cling onto his arm. Before you are pulled away, he leans down and tells you his true name. The prince, the future king, told you his most sacred secret. “My only. It remains with you.”

You scream as you are taken away. You get to look at him for what may be the last time. He's on his knees, with a bright and shiny tear in his legendary eye. He watches you as you leave.

Ten years have passed since you arrived at the place you should call home, and not give that title to the land of magic, power, and mystery. Ten years of you being with your own kind and unhappy. There are beautiful people here, inside and out, but it’s not home. You have been with the fae since you were a little kid and have gotten used to the wonders of them and their land. The tricks and riddles, enchanted trees, parties, abundant stars, two moons that on certain days would form into one big moon that is said to be a blessed day.

Everything here is bland compared to that.

Sighing, you try to push the land of wonder and its inhabitants out of your mind. It has been a decade since you healed. Years have passed for you to try to understand. Yes, you spit on him. But for so long you and the prince had argued, yet he never used his infamous power. And as you were sucked away, he cried. The future king told you his true name. Something that the fae never reveal. You don't know what is going on in Satoru Gojo's head, no one does, and probably never will.

Even though you are separated from your old home, some of your habits have not been lost. You find yourself in a forest that is just off of your house, foraging. The smell is different here. Back there, back at home, it has a distinct sweet scent.

You feel the leaves on the ground. The bright green leaf feels silky against your fingertips. Too silky and smooth. You turn it over and see that there are no ridges or stems. The leaf has an iridescent quality to it when you move it around. Curious of the pretty leaf, you smell it.

“Sweet...?” As you do, the air turns dense. You feel something tug on you. Finally, you land on your back. Almost as if you had just innocently tripped and nothing pulled you.

Sweet.

You get up and see the beautiful tree with red lines and weird roots in front of you. “Wait,”

You look around and notice the difference. The sky is bluer, and the weather is perfect, the small forest animals' coats are different and look a lot more groomed. They look perfect.

“I’m h-”

“What are you doing here?” A voice asks from behind you. You scramble to stand and face the owner. “I fell-”

You stop and stare at the tall man. “Satoru?”

He lowers the cover over his eyes. If you were crazy, you’d swear you see longing in those bright eyes of his.

#satoru gojo x reader #gojo satoru x reader #jjk #jjk fanfic #jujutsu kaisen

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flutteringfable · 11 months

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venti appearance hcs bc i love him he is so silly and has never done anything wrong at all

khanri'ah? destroyed? haha i have no idea what you’re talking about venti is so innocent and soft and would never do such a thing

all jokes aside, i like thinking about scars he might have, or little quirks about his outfit etc. enjoy my silly brainrot about this goofball

this post got very long but honestly considering its about one of my favorite blorbos i’m not surprised

no content warnings aside from maybe mentions of injuries and scars? nothing crazy tho 👍

starting at the top, his hair!

venti tends to sleep in trees a lot (he probably has his own actual house somewhere but he likes to nap in the wild for some reason), so he often has leaves or moss in his hair. he does his best to brush or wash it out when he can, but he hangs out outdoors so often it kind of doesn’t help

the tips of his braids glow when he’s excited, angry, flustered, etc.

no one (except for a choice few people, of course) has really guessed that the hair glow happens because he’s an archon

venti is so eccentric that people are just like “yeah we dunno he’s just like that it’s probs something to do w his vision idk”

sometimes, on particularly hot days or when he needs to keep it out of his face, he pulls it into a sort of half-up ponytail and pins his bangs to the side.

he likes to put feathers in the ends of his braids! he finds finch feathers pretty, and he also likes to use dvalin’s feathers sometimes

dvalin’s feathers glow with his hair, for some reason. maybe its the anemo? maybe it’s their strong connection? who knows

his hair is very fluffy and soft. he washes it often, and it tends to fluff out a little bit when it gets dry. having it braided and then undoing it after a while adds to the fluff.

moving down a bit, his face!

*clears throat into mic, standing in front of thousands of venti fans* glowy freckles.

he has a mix of regular and glowy freckles! they’re a lot more prominent when he’s been out in the sun

he has a really bad habit of chewing on his lips when he’s writing or thinking very hard about something, so while they are soft, there’s always marks and cracks from where he bites them.

his cheeks are almost always rosy since he spends a lot of time outside.

he has some small scars around the edges of his face from when dvalin was a baby and liked to climb all over him (mostly onto his head)

i know archons technically don’t suffer ailments like eyestrain as badly as mortals do, but venti has been writing poetry for thousands of years. he probably gets migraines, and might wear reading glasses to write sometimes.

the glasses are intricately designed, and they’re one of the only things he’s ever saved up money for other than alcohol.

he just liked the pretty ones a lot, especially since they had a sort of winged/angelic theme to their design

i’m not really sure what shape the lenses would be, but i like the idea of them being round. they have a little chain on them that has a feather charm attached. the frames are golden (not actual gold, of course. though venti may or may not have been willing to pay the extra expenses had they been real gold.)

the handles are also golden, and they have feather shaped accents near where the frames connect.

anyway, he wears them out once in a while when he wants to work on his wips at the tavern or on the barbatos statue. he doesn’t drink much when he has them with him, because of course he would prefer to not break his favorite and only pair of glasses by passing out or otherwise.

venti has a bad habit of staying up too long and losing track of time, so occasionally he gets dark circles under his eyes

next up, his build and scars etc!

venti stands at about 5’ 4” (~163 cm)

his clothing hides a lot of the way he’s built, aside from his legs

he has a soft chest and tummy (perfect for putting ur head on for a nice nap)

he has surprisingly toned arms? he’s not noticeably buff like alhaitham or itto but he has a lot of muscle in his arms from using his bow.

speaking of his bow, he has a lot of scars from when he was still learning to use it

there’s a mark on his inner left arm from when he accidentally hit it with his bowstring. it used to happen so often that there’s a faint permanent scar there.

he has a lot of soreness and issues with his hands and wrists because he writes and uses his bow a lot, but it used to be MUCH worse when he was still learning

nowadays he knows how to handle the cramps and aches, but when he was learning, he had no idea how to ease them. he could barely write or play his lyre for a while because archery combined with composing music and poetry was taking a serious toll on his arms and hands.

he gets ink marks on his hands a lot

he paints his nails! he has a lot of different colored polishes but his favorite is a soft teal.

everyone knows about the archon markings on his chest and leg, but i raise you:

archon markings where his wings should be when he isn’t in his god form

which is why he wears the cape, since all his markings tend to glow dimly all the time and his shirt is kind of thin.

and finally, his outfit!

in his mortal form, venti loves to collect feathers, crystals, and flowers. he puts them wherever he can fit them, since he oftentimes doesn’t have a pocket or bag aside from his mora pouch. so, when he goes out to windrise for inspiration (or a nap) m, expect him to return with a windwheel aster weaved into a braid and maybe a dove feather tucked behind his ear.

when he’s embarrassed, venti will pull up both sides of his cape to hide his face in

he also tends to fidget with it and his hair when he’s nervous or bored

in my heart he wears thigh highs, idc what hoyoverse reveals them as if they ever do

somehow, venti has some sort of crazy luck and his socks always stay up. they might get a little bunched up in some places after battles, but they never fall completely.

is it archon stuff? black magic? just a venti thing? top ten questions science still can’t answer

he tends to keep a lot of things in his hat. he doesn’t carry much very often, so he can put a quill, his notebook, and a corked bottle of ink underneath it and carry it wherever he pleases.

the ribbon on his cape is only decorative. the cape actually has a small button and a loop that connects to keep it fastened.

that’s about it! if i think of any more i might edit this list, but i think i got everything i wanted out there. hope you enjoyed, and feel free to share your own venti headcanons! i love him sm i would love new perspectives on him from people who are just as normal about him as me <3

#fable writes 💫#venti genshin impact #venti the bard #genshin impact #venti genshin #headcanons #genshin headcanons #venti headcanons

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thepunkmuppet · 8 months

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ok i just looked back through my blog and it looks like my big theory from way back last year has just… disappeared?? which i’m pretty annoyed about tbh, but i want to expand on it and update it anyway because the casting announcement and logo all validate it and make it a lot more interesting SO

my big magnus protocol theory and what i think the plot will be

so, this is a world completely without the Fears, until BAM. here they are. and with the arg, the encrypted messages and the glitchy aesthetic they seem to be going for, now further expanded on by the logo literally being a glitchy computer screen, i was thinking what if as the fears entered the universe, there was some kind of mass signal or energy surge.

imagine all the screens and electronics in the world suddenly go static, and a jumbled-up incomprehensible message (like the “statement remains” audio) can be heard everywhere, all around the world. and it goes on for around 20-30 minutes. and in those minutes, every single person in the world is fucking TERRIFIED. just frozen in absolute fear.

and of course this causes thousands and thousands of accidents and deaths and just generally terrifies everyone, so naturally every world government thinks it’s an attack of some kind. hence why we follow civil service workers, specifically those working for Incident Assessment and Response. this would be quite an incident!!

in these first few episodes following the signal, we also hear from the prime minister. and i originally thought it would be REALLY fun if the uk prime minister in this universe is the og Elias. i love this idea with all my heart for many reasons, but it doesn’t look like ben meredith will be in it, so i’ve had to modify it a bit. so, either the prime minister will be gwendolyn bouchard, who could either be a relative of elias or transfem elias (although, trans prime minister?? in this godforsaken country??) OR the tim fearon character, who could potentially be jonah magnus or a similar previously established character. but personally, i’m betting on miss gwendolyn, so keep that in mind as you read the rest of this.

and so at the end of the first or second episode, we hear this prime minister in a big meeting about the incident, and the episode ends on a cliffhanger that reveals what the unscrambled audio really was.

it’s mag 200. which is why jon and martin are (potentially) on the cast list. the fears are ushered into the universe using their voices.

but i think what would be an even cooler cliffhanger is if after this big reveal, after the tape squeals and basira says good luck, we hear something we’ve never heard before.

“oh, hello. are you still listening?”

tim fearon’s voice.

so this is where the REDACTED names really come into play. idk what the actual plot will be, but my idea is that jon, martin, and the tim fearon character, who i personally think is the voice of the original jonah magnus, are:

1, stuck as “ghosts in the machine” of sorts, living on as disembodied glitchy voices and nothing more

2, are huge eldritch entities, who can speak through anything and anyone, maybe possess people, etc, and possibly act as similar entities to the fears in a way, creating their own avatars and suchlike - maybe to fight the fears in jon and martin’s cases

or 3, the fears use their voices to actually speak, probably through recordings and electronics, meaning the REDACTED isn’t just to conceal their characters, they actually just don’t have names

also this is a much smaller point but because her name and presumed age are so out of place in comparison to the rest of the cast, i think lady mowbray is a psychic or mystic woman of some kind rather than an actual noble woman, and will be able to talk to the new jon and martin, whatever they are

so yeah that’s it i guess! i hope all this makes sense, if anyone has any questions, anything to add or challenge, or just want to discuss it please please do!! i want to see what people think of this in light of all the new information because i LOVE this idea so much that if it doesn’t happen i might just write it myself lol

#the magnus protocol #tmagp #the magnus protocol theory #the magnus protocol speculation #tmagp theory #tmagp speculation #the magnus archives #tma #jonathan sims #jonny sims #martin blackwood #jmart #jonmartin #teaholding #elias bouchard #jonah magnus #gwendolyn bouchard

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possibly-in-wonderland · 7 months

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some modern girl falls into middle earth concepts (the hobbit & lotr)

reader has a gold tooth or two, obvs the company is interested but what happens when thorin gets that gold sickness lmfao

reader has hella tattoos/piercings/body mods (tatted eyeballs, pointed ears, split tongue, fangs, etc) and explains the process to the company (maybe dwalin gets the hots). this is, of course, after the company finds out reader is in fact human and not some odd race they've never heard of

black or native american reader (bc u know how dwarves & elves are with hair)

reader who speaks norwegian and has studied norwegian history (bc why not) and likes to draw comparisons between scandinavian culture and dwarven culture (idk why lmao)

italian reader (bc food)

reader with dai yueqin-length hair (aka if its not up its a tripping hazard to everyone)

reader who's a part of the sca

deaf!reader (maybe bifur's sign language is similar to asl and they end up becoming friends)

blind!reader (reader likes touching faces, im just imagining reader touching one of the dwarves' faces and being like "oh wow ur very handsome", maybe reader likes bigger noses, bigger ears, longer hair, and beards bc they feel interesting as opposed to a clean-shaven face and smaller features)

reader with a beard fetish (*everyone looks at nori and his glorious beard*)

stoner reader who, after falling into middle earth, found themselves constantly stoned stupid due to eating a brownie before the fall (and by some weird magical thing, their body is now "glitched").

alternatively, stoner reader who had seeds on them before they fell.

metalhead reader (specifically eddie munson-style...so thrasher obsessed with dnd).

crackfic idea: introducing the dwarves to diggy hole (lmao)

reader, who's obsessed with stories, tells the company a different story from their home world each night (like a story about a young viking managing to train the most ferocious dragon (how to train your dragon)). later, reader ends up retelling snow white and the seven dwarves.

some sort of bl2 x hobbit crossover (reader's a siren but not from the borderlands universe, and in this case their magic is more like pony magic from mlp friendship is magic or bonnies magic from vampire diaries). they dont get any markings or anything until they "leech" the gold sickness from thorin (which, in turn, affects the reader by making their powers more awesome). obvs there's some limitations (they lose the ability to fully control their limbs and are pretty much wheelchair-bound for a few months). reader is pretty much a demigod (probably just as powerful if not maybe a little less powerful than gandalf).

reader fell into middle earth a couple thousand years ago but due to some weird aging thing and middle earth time working differently than modern earth time they age differently. they've become some minor witch or wizard.

reader "scent marks/chins" to show love (like a rabbit)

reader whos part of modern royalty from our world (and enjoys middle earth more than anything bc they don't have to be "propper" all the time, maybe their more of a princess diana royal)

speaking of princess diana: reader gushes over princess diana

post botfa: fem!reader flirts with dis (lol)

reader pretends to by psychic (like in psych) but in reality they've read every book part of the lotr/hobbit universe and know everything (maybe they understand some of their languages as well, not enough to be fluent but enough to pick out certain words)

reader grew up DEEP in the mountains of west virginia (and likes to sing country roads at random points, though they change some of the lyrics bc they don't have the crayons nor willpower to explain a radio)

reader knows "big bad john" and "the cajun queen" by jimmy dean by heart

reader quietly singing jolene after the events of mirkwood

reader lives life by the kenny rogers song "the gambler"

most of the songs the reader knows are either by dolly parton or kenny rogers (or any other artist similar like reba)

reader casually talks about the horrors of our world like its the most normal thing (ww2, systematic racism, the truth of thanksgiving, climate change, 2020, the patriarchy and how they treat women, etc)...everyone looks horrified

reader writes hozier-style songs

reader is the biggest fucking flirt (but by that, i mean they'll flirt with trees...not just ents, no, trees...and rocks)

reader, a seemingly innocent-looking woman, was a deathmetal vocalist in our world

reader has a thing for watching blacksmiths and metalsmiths (i used to like watching forged in fire until i realized they were a bunch of sexists)

reader has the deepest southern accent-

reader is a little insecure only to find out that everything society deems gross and unsightly in our world is hella attractive to dwarves (body hair, extra weight, etc)

reader has abandonment issues and is terrified the company or fellowship are gonna abandon them at any point

reader introduces the company/fellowship to truth or dare, reader get's dared to tell the group their biggest secret, they pull out their childhood stuffed animal from their bag and introduce the group to said stuffed animal. reader thinks the group will laugh at them. the fellowship finds it endearing. the company also finds it endearing (esp dori, bifur, and bofur).

reader goes on a tangent about frontal lobes for a solid 15 minutes straight with no stopping bc of that one hyperfixation they had a few years back.

reader with chronic pain. they never talk about it but something goes wrong, reader and (we'll say dwalin) switch bodies. the pain is so bad dwalin is keeling over and after they get switched back everyone has a little more respect for reader than before. ("what do you mean tHIS IS NORMAL EVERYDAY PAIN? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THIS FLARES UP AND GETS WORSE??? THIS ISNT EVEN THE WORST OF IT???" reader shrugs "eh u get used to it after living with it for ur entire life")

reader doesn't like wearing shoes, but has feet as strong as a hobbits so its fine

everyone's explaining what folktale they tell children in different cultures when asked where babies come from. the dwarves talk about being born of rocks, hobbits talk about being born in gardens, the human reader tells the story of the stork

idk i kinda wanna mix some of these together

#original post #lotr #thorins company #the hobbit

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favcharacterpoll · 8 months

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ROUND 3 MATCH 64: NICO VS. THE DOCTOR

Nico di Angelo from the Riordanverse faces The Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who. WHO do you like more?

Nico Propaganda:

"autism"

YOU KNOW WHAT. if autism isn't enough to compel you to VOTE NICO then i will write this.

ok so he's gay & european (like the legally blonde song) and also a goth. we love our goths here on tumblr right?!

first i need to provide you a visual. please imagine a small italian boy. now imagine that small italian boy going through a time machine hotel casino in vegas, some wack crazy traumatic incidents, becoming an alt/emo kid and being so fucking powerful that even gods show a little more respect to him than others...

nico has gone through literal hell TWICE !! one time it was VOLUNTARY !! and all the while he was probably experiencing said hell in its most terrifying form. this shows us his mental resilience and selflessness are incredibly strong traits of his and that maybe he should stop being a reckless bitch but whatever !!!!!!

tumblrinas listen up... nico was the first canon lgbt+ character created by rick riordan in the chb chronicles (i am not counting all the other gods, goddesses, minor deities and other figures of greco-roman myth). he was the trailblazer. his story didn't end in tragedy, but he found friendship and love and family, which in this age of upsetting "bury your gays" media is still quite hopeful to read!!

nico has a sunshine bf who would literally walk through hell with him!! i'm not kidding. this actually happened. i'm sure he's definitely cheering from the sidelines somewhere... please do not let will solace down!!

did i mention nico's the son of hades, god of the underworld?? this means his powers include, but are not limited to, being able to communicate with spirits via mcdonalds happy meals, wielding a sword that rends souls asunder, turning people into ghosts, re-animating skeletons, shadow traveling and being able to read other people's death auras.

these powers and his terrifyingly grumpy personality (in earlier books) have created a reputation famous among the demigods and deities. also he literally summons an entire skeleton army and rises from the fucking underworld with his father, stepmother and step-grandmother (all gods) (how does this work) in tow, inspiring FEAR and PANIC among the enemy lines.

and if that's not enough, he's friends with lizard people, his signature items of clothing are a BIG AVIATOR JACKET + SKULL RING = VERY GOOD CHARACTER DESIGN and his hair canonically smells like rain on stone. just so you know

VOTE NICO VOTE NICO VOTE NICO !!!!!!!!!!!"

Tenth Doctor Propaganda:

"hot murderer"

"They’re a thousands of years old time traveler who travels the universe, helping out wherever they can."

"Idk"

"doctor sweep on the doctor who website"

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wasyago · 7 months

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episode 110 spoilers

just like, random thoughts and stuff, mostly bits that i remembered

i sat down to write this i forgot everything oh my god--

in chip's flashback. the black rose pirates following the king to the big sakura tree, and arlin holding baby chip's hand. this. the cutest shit ever, i think i almost cried at the image of this big badass group of pirates and this itty bitty child led gently by his hand. even if i didn't cry before i sure will right now, baby chip you're so dear to me...

QUEEN! they didn't remember anything aughhhhh 😭😭😭😭 and their and chip's little talk about how they're going to put the pieces together :( and their hug :(

whatever drey, finn and earl are doing on the ship... like, what? hello? glad they're having fun tho lol. also wait hold on a second. how did drey answer the call? i mean, probably with his leg or something, if i had to guess. or maybe finn held it up for him. not sure if finn is at it enough to be able to answer the shell by himself, so earl and drey are the only ones who can actually use it. and seing how earl is in a... predicament. hm.

jay saying that when she looks at gillion she sees family. AUGHHHHHHHHHH AUGH AUGH OUGH jay ferin i love you. and this is so important to me not only because like hell yes they're more than friends they're a family, but also for jay of all people, considering her relationship with her blood tied family and how complicated her relationship with this word is.

also girl please do something about your leg, im begging you. the bone is visible, this shit is not going to heal up by itself. i dont know how you're still limping around this must hurt so bad. i guess adrenalin maybe, but still. at least get some bandages or something, i don't know... what is it with jay and her legs actually. she fell off a roof in edison kingdom and landed on a piece of metal that fucked up her leg, and now this.

oh my god niklaus, how could i forget about my babygirl. i mean, what can i say i love this guy. i dont know how many times ive relistened to his intro song, but definitely more than i should've... um. there was a lot of big important lore that i don't have the brain capacity to process rn.... i want to say that niki is the nameless prince and/or the thing trapped in the hole in the sea. because he can only interact with one person at a time by inviting them to his pocket dimension (even with jay it was said that the time around her stopped while she was talking with niklaus), implying that niki is trapped somewhere and this is the only constricted way he can interact with the world. and to answer chip's questions he said he wants freedom more than anything, again implying that right now he doesn't have this freedom. which makes sense, right? but then, the big bad thing was supposedly trapped thousands of years ago (i think?), but niklaus was a world famous pirate lord not so long ago and not trapped anywhere, so.....? idk im probably missing something. can't for the life of me find the moment where they read the nameless prince book so like, whatever.

that moment where jay talked to chip about how she thinks its all her fault and she should've just gave up her arm and leg. and how chip reassures her....... them 🥺🤲 kind of inspired by that post abt chip and jay i reblogged earlier, but these two talking about their emotions and feelings is so dear to me. just, being human with each other and opening up. gill is great ofc, but i feel like for these two its much easier to talk to each other to feel understood and heard. i love them.....

chip is still very much dead and probably won't be resurrected any time soon, so... hooray new undead chip design! but also oh my god my poor boy... forever 19... (also charlie and condi being surprised that chip is only 19. yeah </3) my poor guy my poor baby, he sounds so beaten and depressed in the beginning of the episode, its just breaking my heart qwq...

star and zamia <333 hehe

chip trying to marry igneous. lol. darling chill out, you just got out of one unsuccessful marriage and it didn't teach you anything, you're dead, you're only 19, you've known this guy for like, 2 days? don't get me wrong, godspeed to chip, but cmon man take him out to dinner first or something

and uhhh. the end, that's all i got

#yagotalk #jrwi riptide spoilers #jrwi spoilers #riptide spoilers

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lokis-dark-queen · 1 year

Text

Yuletide

Loki/Female Reader Smut

Summary: Loki needs a distraction from his regrets, he finds that in the form of tying up his lover with the tree garland and fucking her dumb.

Warnings/notes: Smut 18+, Bondage with garland, Sad Loki, Loki gets emotional after he comes idk what else to say.

Word count: 1,848

Also on AO3

*header from Pinterest*

The fireplace roared, wood crackling under the heat of the flames. Little white lights slightly lit the room where the light of the fire didn’t reach. Most of those lights wrapped around the fresh evergreen on one side of the room. Loki and his lover surrounded the tree, decorating it carefully with ornament bobbles and Asgardian symbols on Loki's request.

Loki had been rather depressed recently, missing the once lively Asgard which had since been destroyed by Surter. This would be his first Yuletide since he came to live on earth. She offered that they could go to New Asgard and celebrate the holiday there, but Loki insisted that they would spend it in their shared home, saying it would be more romantic that way.

“I wish you could’ve seen it darling, they would decorate the palace with so many trees and wreaths that the whole place would smell like pine wherever you went.”

“Wow! That sounds lovely.” She smiled, her grin warming his heart.

“It was.” He muttered before turning to look at the raging fire in the fireplace at the other side of the living room.

She could tell he yearned for his days back on Asgard, before everything fell apart, before he found out his lineage. It all happened so many years ago, but for a god that has lived for more than a thousand years, it mustn't feel like that long for him. She would do anything for him, if she could turn back time, she would do it for him. He thought of living in New Asgard with Thor, being that their relationship was probably the best and healthiest it has been since they were kids. But Loki just couldn’t settle in the new environment, maybe he missed the former glamor that once decorated his so-called home, or maybe he didn’t like the faint smell of salt and fish that constantly hung in the air. Whatever it was he decided to stay with the girl he fell in love with instead, saying that being with her was home to him.

With the tree almost finished, she picked up the golden garland that sat at the bottom of the decoration box. Just as she was about to start wrapping it around the tree she looked back and saw Loki, who was now watching the flurries of snow fall outside the window.

“Loki.” She said his name softly.

“Yes? Sorry, I was just think-” He turned around, but was quickly cut off by her draping the garland around his shoulders and using it to pull him down into a gentle kiss, which he happily returned, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

The kiss becomes deeper as he takes the garland from his shoulders and drapes it around her hips, pulling her flush against his strong body that was wrapped inside that soft green sweater. Loki breaks their makeout session and looks down at the flushed woman in his arms. He then looked further down to the garland in his hands.

“I think we could use this.” He mutters.

“For the tree?” She asks.

“For you.” He smirked.

She suddenly felt a chill in the air when she noticed that Loki had removed her clothes with his magic, she felt the heat from the fire prick her skin as the chill went away. Loki looked down at her with a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips.

“Turn around, hands behind your back,” he demanded.

“Yes sir.” She obeyed him instantly.

Loki ties the garland around her wrists and up her arms, the tinsel material tickling her skin.

“Look at you, wrapped up like a present for me to devour.” His voice sent shivers down her spine and heat to her cunt.

He kissed down her neck and shoulders, his hands roaming up and down her body. His palms found their way to her breasts, groping them softly and pinching her nipples. They travel down her stomach, and past her navel. The feel of his hands then disappeared, she could feel his clothed hardness against her ass as he pressed against her.

“Turn around and kneel so you can receive your gift, pet.”

She once again did as she was told and knelt down to be greeted with Loki’s clothed, hard cock right in front of her face. Loki gently pushed the back of her head to bring her closer to him. She placed a soft kiss on his bulge.

“How badly do you want your gift?” He asked seductively.

“So bad, sir. Please give it to me.”

“Well, since you asked so politely, how could I say no.”

Loki slowly undid his belt and unzipped his trousers, it was torture, she knew he did it on purpose to be a tease and watch her squirm with need. She clenched her thighs when his cock was finally freed, bobbing with need to feel her mouth around him. She leaned forward to give him what he needed. Loki held her hair, pulling on it slightly which caused her to moan.

Loki gasped as her lips finally met his leaking tip, her tongue gathered the precum before liking down his shaft. After some teasing licks, Loki pushed his hips forward while holding her head in place, making her finally take him into her mouth. She started slowly, moving her mouth up and down his dick while hollowing her cheeks. She must have been going too slow for Loki who began taking control and thrusting his hips into her mouth. All she could do was kneel right there and take it. Her knees began to feel sore, her wrists still neatly tied together with the holiday decor. Loki’s gasps and moans became louder, just as she thought he was going to cum he pulled out.

“Turn around, get on your hands and knees” He breathlessly commanded. After she did as she was told she felt Loki kneel down behind her. He pushed her shoulders down, causing her to nearly fall face first on the plush fur rug beneath them. Her body jolted as his hand hit her ass, leaving a nice red mark to remember it by. “So pathetic for me, willing to drop to her knees at a moment's notice.”

Only whimpering could be heard from the girl underneath Loki as he teased her cunt with his cock, circling her clit and making her arch into his touch.

“Please sir, give me my gift, i've been a good girl.” She begged.

“You have pet, I'll give it to you.” He whispered into her ear, his hands ran down her bound arms, playing with the garland between his fingers. They moaned in unison as Loki finally sheathed himself in her wet pussy. “Fuck! You’re so wet.” He moaned, holding her hips in place as he began to set a pace, her fingers held onto the fur of the rug as he roughly thrusted into her.

“Loki ah- harder!” She screamed.

Loki pressed his palm against her lower abdomen, he could feel the bulge from his cock inside of her, “Can you feel me here?”

“Yes! Fuck you feel so good.”

Loki wrapped his fingers in her hair and pushed her head deeper into the rug, her cheek rubbed against the rug as his thrusts became rougher. He then used her hair to pull her upright so that her back was flush against his chest, Loki’s hands ran up her thighs and torso before finding their place on her tits. Her head fell back on his shoulder as she tried to move her hips to relieve the pressure on her throbbing clit. Loki took the hint and his fingers found her clit rubbing it in tight circles, causing her to scream his name in a burst of pleasure.

“Loki! Please s-sir, I wanna cum.” She begged the god for release.

“You gotta wait baby, I'm so close.” He moaned, turning his head so that he could kiss her, his mouth muffled her moans. She rolled her eyes back, feeling lightheaded from all the pleasure she was receiving. Loki broke the kiss and looked at her, “Look at you, so drunk on my cock, so needy for me.”

“Cum inside me, please.”

“Want me to fill you up? Huh? You want my cum dripping from your pussy?” Loki’s thrusts became sloppier as he chased his high. “I’m gonna cum baby, cum with me.”

Desperate moans fell from their lips she came around his cock causing him to follow right behind her and coat her walls with his seed. His face was buried in her shoulder, taking in her scent. Their bodies were flushed from both the intense sex and the heat from the fire, the flame calming into popping embers. They both stayed still for a few moments, trying to catch their breath.

Loki untied the garland, using his sedir to make the golden decoration wrap around the tree in front of them. She smiled, seeing the material sparkle in the light. Loki pulled out of her carefully, his cum dripped out of her and onto the rug.

“You better clean that.” She giggled.

Loki rolled his eyes, using his magic once again to clean up their mess. “Better?” He asked with a playful tone.

“Better.” She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a comforting kiss. When Loki didn’t return it with as much passion as he normally would she pulled away and looked at him with concern. “Are you okay, my love?”

“I wish I could change it.”

“Change what?”

“My actions, everything I did, on earth and on Asgard. The only parents I ever knew are gone, and I’m too much of a coward to face my own brother.”

“You’re not a coward Loki, you've endured so much, you lost your home. You’re healing, that takes time, trust me I know. I’m sure Thor would understand, it was his home too.” She couldn’t imagine what Loki was going through, he had held all this back and now his true emotions were surfacing.

“What about New York? There are people who despise me for what happened. I was a monster.”

“That wasn’t you Loki, that was Thanos. You barely had control of your actions. Your brother and the people of Asgard look at you with high regard, you helped save them. Don’t let your mistakes hold you back Loki, you're an amazing person. The events of your past don't define you.”

Loki looked at her in awe. How could someone love him this much? He leaned forward and rested his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him, lightly scratching his bare back as she did so.

“I love you so much darling.” He kissed her collarbone before lifting his head to look her in the eye, “Besides, if it wasn’t for all that, I would've never found you, my love.”

“I love you so much, Loki.” She cupped his cheeks and kissed him softly before resting her forehead against his.

“I love you too, Kærasta.”

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majormeilani · 27 days

Text

sorry it's a thousand years late lol. idk what happened 2 me

Title: Curtain Call (Part 2)

Summary: DJ Grooves has to tie up a few more loose ends before he can leave the studio one final time. Some harder to tie than most.

Word Count: 8k+ content warnings: heavy mentions of suicide ideation and depression, smoking

[Part One can Be Found Here]

DJ Grooves sat stunned at the sight of the other bird in his doorway. It was something he probably should have suspected would happen but for how long had the owl been standing there? Why was he just looming in his doorway like that? Normally a loud mouth like him would have wasted no time barging right in and yammering away at him about some arbitrary nonsense but instead he was standing there. Silent.

DJ Grooves tried to even his breathing once more, fighting back the urge to let his tears flow enough for the owl to see.

Stick it out for just a little longer, Grooves.

The penguin leaned forward and began to zip up the suitcase he had just finished packing, giving himself a moment to try and think of what to say to The Conductor. Even though he knew in his heart that Conductor didn't care about him or what his whereabouts might be, he had figured that he had to talk to him about it at some point.

And from what DJ Grooves could tell by looking at the owl's body language, The Conductor wasn't too keen on the news of him leaving the studio.

The owl was staring hard at the floor, hands stuffed into his pockets and shoulders slack. He didn't even glimpse up at DJ Grooves when he detected the sound of the penguin zipping up the suitcase. His beak was grit together tightly and he looked rather on edge despite his attempts to remain still. DJ Grooves could almost feel the anger radiating off of him; it was a sense he'd picked up on over the years of sharing the studio with the other director.

DJ Grooves stood up from his place on the floor, continuing to stare at the owl. The penguin's brows furrowed and he gently ground his beak and brought his hands together at his front. Despite the couple of minutes of silence the two of them shared, DJ Grooves was at a complete loss of what to say to him.

After all, this likely would be one of his last conversations with the owl.

What is one to say to the one who hates you with a burning passion? For the last time?

How would he want him to remember him?

Did he want him to remember him at all?

The Conductor had picked up on DJ Grooves' movement, his head feathers perking slightly at the sound but the rest of him remained rigid. The owl's posture sank further and DJ Grooves detected that the owl grit his beak with a rather audible click.

Without looking up, The Conductor broke the silence with a harsh, disappointed tone to his words:

"So… ahm… that really werenae a prank, was it…?"

The owl reached up towards his own head feathers to ruffle at them, his nervous habit making itself known. Conductor shifted his weight onto the other foot and dug at the carpet with the toe of his dress shoe. His gaze was rather avoidant, still not daring to look at the penguin but he did his equivalent of glaring daggers at the dark carpet beneath him.

DJ Grooves could still tell he was rather tense, despite how the owl tried to mask his emotions and his miserable attempt at sounding calm and reasonable. It wasn't like The Conductor was good at hiding his feelings in the first place. Right now with the way he was carrying himself, Grooves could tell this was a rather obvious display of disappointment.

DJ Grooves looked down to his coat where the inner pocket was and gently placed his hand over it. The letter. He'd nearly forgotten The Conductor had seen the letter. His heart drummed as he wondered if the owl had gotten a good enough look at what was written upon it.

Might as well try to act normal, nonchalant about it. Maybe try his best to keep things neutral. He best try not rock the boat too much before he leaves the shore. Which is definitely easier said than done.

But might Conductor think of his behavior as strange if he didn't try to gloat a little? DJ Grooves had to remember he couldn't let anyone think that something was amiss. Especially not Conductor of all birds.

DJ Grooves realized that he'd been making this silence entirely too awkward by overthinking everything in the moment. He had to blurt something out quick before the owl could start picking up on what was really going on.

"Sorry, darling, I just didn't want to break the news so soon-- but it seems word got around to you after all," DJ Grooves paused for a fake chuckle, bringing the back of his hand to his beak.

The Conductor's head feathers twitched again when DJ Grooves finally spoke and the penguin detected a soft scoff from him.

"Ye think aye wouldnae put it tahgether that yer actors were'll loudly spoutin' offa 'bout a sudden holiday? And tha yew were nae leavin' the studio because of sum letter?" The Conductor spat back at Grooves. "I'm nae an eejit, Grooves. I saw yer letter on tha boardroom floor. What's this whole thin' all about, huh?"

The owl's tone made him sound a tinge emotionally hurt by presumably being left out of the big news of his rival. He was still refusing to look up at DJ Grooves' face as well, like this confrontation was one he did not want to have.

DJ Grooves feigned a playful smirk on the outside at the owl's reaction to him but on the inside he almost felt pity for him. The Conductor really didn't have the faintest idea of what was really going on and DJ Grooves was going to make absolutely sure of that. He couldn't know the truth. No one could know the truth.

DJ Grooves' hand gripped the edge of his coat before he reached in and retrieved the letter once more.

"... You mean this letter, darlin'?" he asked, pinching it between his digits as he held it by his shoulder.

The mention of the letter got The Conductor to look up at him and DJ Grooves watched as the beak of his rival scrunched up at the sight of the white envelope in his hand.

"Why do ye always ask questions like that? Ye already knew what I meant by tha’ lett’r. What the 'ell is it for?" The Conductor scoffed again, voice lowering in volume as if he didn’t really want to ask.

Of course, the owl had likely heard rumors of it and likely read the address of the letter briefly, but over the years of DJ Grooves living and working with The Conductor he had come to know him to be the type to affirm things very stringently. Even if everything around Conductor was spelling it out for him, he always needed affirmation for his suspicions and sometimes even then Grooves couldn't always tell if the owl believed them.

To answer the rather obvious, DJ Grooves brought a soft prideful expression to his face and stood taller on his platforms.

"I would have thought you would have known by now. Conductor, darling, it's from a film honor committee," DJ Grooves stated firmly, feeling his own feathers puff a bit at his lie.

"I 'ave never heard o' sucha rubbish committee in me life," The Conductor barked back harshly.

The old owl was folding his arms again.

"It's pro'ly nae even a real committee…"

DJ Grooves felt himself jump at the accusation. Though it was true the committee was a sham, he had to convince his rival to believe in it. He was not going to let The Conductor stand in his way.

"Wha--! Why would a fake committee send me a letter, darling? That makes absolutely no sense!" DJ Grooves sputtered back, cringing as his own voice raised in pitch and cracked.

"Yer darn right et makes no sense," The Conductor said, standing taller, jabbing a thumb towards his own chest.

"If it were real they would'ave honor’d me ages ago! Me! Ah've won far mor' times than ye ever have and I 'ave never been invited to nae peck neck 'film honors committee' me whole career!"

DJ Grooves felt his heart drop in his chest. The other director was correct; no film committee had ever specifically honored him in such a way. Sure, Conductor had the occasional TV interview for news or other programs but a film committee specifically honoring him? Was something rather unheard of. Conductor's strong skepticism of the committee's non-existence was now breaking DJ Grooves’ confidence in his own lie.

DJ Grooves was starting to lose track of his original purpose in this conversation and decided his best course of action was to double down and his stubborn heart even told him the same. The penguin even felt himself grow angry and his breathing sharpened as he huffed at the challenge his rival had placed before him. Sometimes The Conductor knew just what to say to really set him off. And with Grooves' current emotional state, it was a recipe for disaster.

"Darling, you're being ridiculous right now," DJ Grooves barked back now, posture stiffening.

"Frankly, I think you're just jealous of my accomplishments. You always have been, darling! I think you're just upset that I have something that you don't."

DJ Grooves moved closer to The Conductor, watching as the owl seemed to tense as he approached. He then wavered the letter at The Conductor's beak in a teasing gesture.

"That's it! You're simply jealous of me. Jealous that I was finally recognized for my talents and success and you haven't been. After winning first place how many times now, darling? Fourty?"

DJ Grooves felt his tone grow mean and an edge to it; one that seemed to cause The Conductor to reel back from in shock and he watched as The Conductor's beak clenched and he brought his hands up to wave away the letter that had brushed against his nose. DJ Grooves pressed further towards him, their beaks inches from each other now.

"Face it, darling. You're simply just jealous of me and you don't want to admit that," DJ Grooves nearly growled at his rival.

The Conductor's feathers raised as he looked up at the taller bird from what looked like an attempt at a heated glare. The owl looked like he wanted to pout almost with the fact that Grooves had called him out in such a way. The jealousy was written across his face.

"Oh, PECK OFF, with ye!" The Conductor shouted back and retaliated by shoving DJ Grooves back from him and threw his arms down by his sides.

"I ain't got nae reason tah be jealous o' a cheatin' peck neck like ye! Yer-- Yer just some crook anyhow with how ye always need some'ne else tah make yer succeed."

The Conductor gestured widely about the room as he spoke then pointed his finger straight towards the penguin's heart.

"Ye cannae do nothing on yer own! Without those litt’l lasses yer movie wouldnae 'ave been worth squat! And look a' how ye treated them! Diabolical."

DJ Grooves listened to The Conductor's rather ironic verbal abuse that was aimed at him, though he wished he'd covered his ears and blocked the loud-mouthed director out. He grit his beak at the mention of the darlings, an obvious dig at DJ Grooves to hurt him but damn if it didn't crack a pain straight through his heart.

Till the very end this is how things were going to be between them. No heartfelt goodbyes. No congratulations. No amicable hand shakes.

Just the miserable way that they have always been with each other since the moment they walked up to the studio doors for the first time till the moment they found themselves standing here.

It all made DJ Grooves so sick.

So sick of everything.

So sick of Him.

So sick of The Conductor.

DJ Grooves found himself clenching his fists by his sides, the letter in his right hand wrinkling under the pressure. He lowered his head to look towards his shaking fists and his tone dropped significantly and he spoke like his throat hurt.

"I've had enough of you and your vile words, Conductor. You can never be happy for me. You always have to ruin everything, darling."

DJ Grooves stepped closer again, getting in Conductor's face once more. Though he were merely acting before, his feelings of inferiority were resurfacing now. Even if this whole award acknowledgement thing were fake, his feelings now were raw and real. Words he'd wanted to shout at The Conductor were making themselves known and he did nothing to stop them from flowing out.

"Nothing I ever say or do matters to you. Why do you care what I do, then? What does it matter to you what happens to me? Or where I go? Or how I live my life?"

DJ Grooves voice grew a shake to it and he gasped briefly trying to catch himself from sobbing. He punctuated his next words by prodding the wrinkled envelope towards his rival's chest.

"Why. Do. You. Care? Why are you even here if you don't fucking care so goddamn much, Conductor?"

The Conductor leaned back now from DJ Grooves as the penguin got in his face once more. He was breathing rather hard himself from attempting to manage his own anger and stress at Grooves' aggression towards him. The owl's expression was now unreadable to Grooves; a cocktail of confused, surprised, angry, guilty. The elder director's posture sank pitifully like his shoulders were weighing him down and his forearms were hung in front of his chest in what looked like a protective stance.

It seemed DJ Grooves had caught him in a stalemate of sorts as the usually vocal bird was uncharacteristically silent under DJ Grooves' gaze.

"Why do you care…?" DJ Grooves repeated in a slow rhythm once more, as if the old owl hadn't heard him and needed him to speak slowly. A fire of anger was burning in his throat as he rasped the words out.

DJ Grooves' breathing was uneasy now as he glowered down at The Conductor. He awaited the response his rival would have to his questions.

The answer came in the form of the wrinkle of Conductor's nose and the aversion of the owl's gaze downwards.

"... Fine, yer want me tah be happy fer ye?" the owl said in a light, fake-happy voice.

Before DJ Grooves could react, he found that The Conductor had yanked his letter from his grasp and had it presented in front of him.

The Conductor seemed to give the envelope one more glimpse before the sound of tearing paper filled DJ Grooves' ears.

His rival was now shredding the letter right in front of him. Tearing each piece in half as he went until all that was left of the envelope and letter was small shreds of paper within the old owl's hands.

The Conductor then looked Grooves straight in the eyes and thrust the makeshift confetti towards the penguin. As the shreds rained down around them and at their feet, The Conductor said in a sarcastic tone, grandiose gestures with his every mocking word:

"Then Ah'm so peckin' happy for you, DJ Grooves."

The owl then promptly turned and marched out of DJ Grooves' door, vaulting over the guardrail to the floor below as he left. The last sound that could be heard was the patter of his feet stomping down the hall.

DJ Grooves stood there with a wide expression on his face, pieces of his letter lying like snowflakes in his afro and perched on his shoulders. He felt something like ice grow in his chest that captivated his lungs and made him feel as if he couldn't breathe. His legs lost all their feeling beneath him and he collapsed onto his knees on the floor.

He sat frozen, still not quite understanding what had just happened. Or if what had happened was even real. All he found himself doing was staring at the small shreds of paper that littered the floor now, seeing broken pieces of his own handwriting upon them. Tears in his vision blurred the words into blue fuzzy blobs as they began to flood and drip from his eyes.

DJ Grooves felt like he couldn't move. Every muscle in his body felt stiff. He could only think now, if not barely.

Had Conductor really just done that…?

He almost couldn't believe it.

Things really were always this way between them. They never could get along. There was no reconciliation between them. It seemed there never was any room for it to begin with. Even after everything, this is how The Conductor chose to act.

So this was how it ends between them. DJ Grooves with tears in his eyes and The Conductor, the one responsible for those tears, not even turning back.

The Conductor was one of his many regrets. And now that regret couldn't even be bothered to shut the door on his way out.

The Conductor was one of those who was always doing something to hurt Grooves and dig his hands into what he loved most and tear it away from him. Like his parents. Like the audiences around him. Like the friends he’d lost. Like the darl--

The sudden feeling of DJ Grooves' cell phone buzzing in his pocket awoke him from his weeping daze, his posture stiffening in surprise.

DJ Grooves reached into his pocket to retrieve it, trying to read the name that illuminated the screen. The name was blurred but became clear upon him blinking his tears away to roll down his cheeks.

Amor.

His club's bartender.

He'd forgotten that he'd said for them to call. He'd nearly forgotten about the rest of the world being in his room for the past few hours.

The call being a rather important one still didn't shake Grooves from his current paralysis. He felt the buzz of the phone in his hands and his thumb hovered over the bubble to answer it but he just listened to the sound of it as the penguin on the other end waited for him to pick up. DJ Grooves himself waited for the phone to stop ringing and watched the screen as the phone notified him with a small pop-up that read "Missed Call" and listed Amor's name and phone number.

DJ Grooves exhaled a deep, shaken, breath at his failure to answer the call but at this moment he couldn't bring himself to put on a chipper act. There was no way he could pretend that he was fine after everything that had happened. He was finally growing tired of his own act and it was becoming hard to fight on like this.

How had he managed to do this so many times before? How had he found the strength to carry on? This was exhausting now. It felt like melatonin was injected straight into his veins with how lethargic he now felt.

Still, he knew he had to press on. He had to see this through. There was no way he would find comfort and closure if he didn't.

DJ Grooves' legs finally cooperated with his mind as they brought him to a stand. He still stared at his phone screen, the same way he had done before in the boardroom and made his way over to his bed to sit upon it. The mattress edge sunk beneath his weight and he began to recall what he'd planned to say to Amor on the phone.

As he sat, instead of paying mind to the words he wished to use for Amor, he began to notice how soft his bed was beneath him. He soon found himself lying back upon it now. The way the mattress felt was something he'd never really paid mind to before and subconsciously he shifted further into it. The bed cradled him perfectly as he lay upon it. He supposed it was a small comfort he found despite everything, though he recalled the bed being where he'd spent most of his sleepless nights and nightmares. The place he'd woken up numerous times before. The place where he'd cried. The place where he'd dreamed.

Before he could think anymore, DJ Grooves fell asleep.

DJ Grooves felt his body being shaken. The fog of sleep still clouded his judgement and he couldn't make out what was causing his body to shake. He squeezed his eyes shut at the discomfort of being jostled about and he turned his face towards the comforter of his bed as the light from around the room was now permeating his eyelids. The shaking was now identified to be done by a small pair of hands.

Someone was trying to wake him up. He felt a tug on his arm, pulling it from his body.

There were two small pairs of hands now.

A soft high pitch voice called,

“.... --ooves..?”

DJ Grooves caught only the last part that was said but the call came again, this time more clear and closer to his face.

“... DJ Grooves?”

The Moon Penguin now was hearing more clearly than before and his eyes opened slowly to meet with the gaze of two aqua eyes.

The eyes of Hat Kid.

The child smiled once she got him to open his eyes and she let out a giggle. DJ Grooves felt the owner of the other small pair of hands leap off the bed and patter to his bed side.

The other one was Bow Kid who was stood with one hand behind her back but she looked rather nervous but smiled anyway despite her nerves. She waved with one hand at the half asleep penguin.

The penguin lifted his head as he blinked away the sleepiness from his eyes before his eyes grew wide and he sat up on his elbow. How long had he been asleep for?! Panic beat in his heart as he felt about for his cellphone on his bed and his sheets but he didn't feel his phone there.

Where was his phone?

Through his blurred vision he noticed Hat Kid turned to glance towards Bow Kid before she placed something solid and rectangular onto the bed. Bow Kid also pulled her arm from behind her back and placed a pair of star-shaped sunglasses on top of the rectangle.

DJ Grooves picked up the sunglasses and pushed his arm against the bed to sit up to put them on. The penguin groaned sleepily and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand to try and clear them of sleep before he perched the sunglasses in place on his beak. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the brightness of the world before subconsciously straightening his posture as he stretched, a habit he was mindful of.

“... Thank you, darlings,” DJ Grooves said, groggily, also picking up what he now knew to be his phone, which had been placed on the bed by Hat Kid.

Briefly he forgot his manners and where he would have normally greeted the girls joyously, he buried his beak in the screen of his phone as he checked his notifications.

This action brought a simultaneous frown to both the alien girls’ faces, one that DJ Grooves did not outright see.

DJ Grooves noticed that he'd received fifteen missed calls and three voicemails from Amor and he gasped sharply at the time. It was already five o’clock in the evening! DJ Grooves shamefully pinched his brow and sighed in exasperation as he looked to the ceiling.

Then he felt a hand pat on his arm trying to get his attention before he looked down and now noticed the rather worried and almost sad expressions of the two girls. Once Hat Kid saw DJ Grooves look her way, she pushed her bangs up with her hand and lay her palm over her forehead. Then she made an ‘a-choo’ sound and gave him a quizzical look and shrug.

DJ Grooves gathered from her body language what she was trying to ask.

She was asking him if he was sick.

This brought a frown to his face.

After all that he put these two through-- they still were concerned about his well-being.

He didn't deserve it.

DJ Grooves shook his head in response, both an answer to her question and at himself.

“No, Darlin’--” a sudden sigh paused DJ Grooves, “I'm alright, sorry, darlings. I have just had a crazy busy day today. But DJ Grooves is a’okay.”

The lie made him honestly feel sick to even say. Were there anything in his stomach, he would've felt like vomiting. Maybe he was sick. But not sick in the way the kids were assuming him to be.

Hat Kid smiled softly back once more and Bow Kid looked at him with a tilt to her head. He wasn't sure as to her reason for tilting her head at him before he realized-- he never actually broke the news to them.

DJ Grooves glimpsed towards both of their eyes before he perked up slightly.

“Oh-! Don't tell me I've completely forgotten to tell you two!” DJ Grooves started in an excited tone, slapping his palms down suddenly against his thighs.

Hat Kid and Bow Kid both jolted slightly at his sudden enthusiasm, blinking up at him in synchrony.

“Did you darlings hear about my invite?”

Both shook their heads in response to his rather vague question.

“I was invited to my first ever ‘film honors committee’ interview! It'll be broadcasted live on television in a couple days! Isn't that exciting?” DJ Grooves gloated, loudly and proudly.

If DJ Grooves had teeth they'd surely have rotten from how syrupy sweet his tone was and how rotten these lies felt leaving his beak each and every time.

Bow Kid’s jaw dropped in surprise before she started clapping for him. Hat Kid also responded in chime with some clapping and cheered with a, “YAY!” and a little hop from foot to foot.

DJ Grooves faked an elated laugh and posed proudly with a hand to his heart before he stood from his bed and bowed graciously, as he typically did the few times he'd won an award.

After a moment of this tiny celebration, DJ Grooves reached his hands out to place gently onto their shoulders, one on Hat Kid's left shoulder, one on Bow Kid's right. The two alien girls stilled in their cheering as they watched DJ Grooves kneel to their height.

He looked them both in their eyes and felt like he didn't know what to say. This would likely be one of the last things they would ever hear from him. What could he say to them? How could he make things alright?

DJ Grooves felt like his throat was closing and he wanted to collapse and weep once more but he held it in the best that he could. He had to. Even the darlings couldn't know.

He tightened his grip gently on both girls’ shoulders but only in a comforting tightness. Though he felt the tension from their gaze as they furthered listened for what else he had to say to them. Bow Kid even placed her hand on his and gave his hand a gentle pet, as if to tell him to continue.

DJ Grooves breathed a shaken sigh and looked down as he swallowed. Then he gave their shoulders a brief squeeze and looked at them through the top of his sunglasses. His words came slow and shaken but he forced himself to say them.

“... I-I want to thank you darlings for everything. With-- Without you two, I wouldn't be where I am today. And though things have been-- rough. I'm glad you're still here. Standing with me. Today.”

DJ Grooves choked up and his tears started coming, but he forced a smile.

“And no matter what happens--” DJ Grooves breathed sharply in pause, “Just know you-- you both mean a lot to m-me.”

He loosened his grip and rubbed his thumb gently on their shoulders as if to comfort them.

Bow Kid’s big purple eyes glistened and she stepped from DJ Grooves’ grip and moved forward into his shoulder. One wrapped around his neck and the other under his arm in a hug and she held him tight.

Hat Kid watched Bow Kid go and she too had empathized with the energy of the current situation and also collided with DJ Grooves in a hug on his opposing arm. She looped one arm around Bow Kid as she did so, hugging both as tightly as she could.

DJ Grooves felt an immense wave of grief wash over him in this moment. Though he knew he had to say goodbye to the two of them somehow, doing so was harder than he ever expected it to be.

Though to them this was only a temporary goodbye, it was his goodbye to them forever. And they didn't even know.

DJ Grooves just sat with his arms wrapped around them and he loosened his legs to sit on his feet. Bow Kid had buried her head into his neck and Hat Kid had the side of her head pressed into his. Eventually both girls separated from him but he almost wished that the hug wasn't over, at least for their sake.

He knew he didn't deserve anything else from them.

As the two of them stood in front of him, he offered them both a smile. He noticed that Bow Kid’s face was wet with tears but Hat Kid didn't have tears on her face but he noticed one small one fall from her eye.

DJ Grooves laughed, brushing the back of his hand against Bow Kid's cheek, the girl reflexively shrinking away from the touch but allowing her tears to be dried. Hat Kid used the wrist of her own shirt sleeve to dry her face. Both girls giggled back at him with peeking smiles.

“Sorry, darlings. I didn't mean to make you cry…!” DJ Grooves rasped, before adding with a forceful nod, “I'm just. Very thankful.”

The trio smiled at one another and DJ Grooves stood up, clearing his throat and clapping his hands together once.

“Oh! Darlings-- I forgot to mention! I actually depart on my trip to the film honors committee’s headquarters tonight. So this will be the last night we see each other for a while,” DJ Grooves said to the two of them. “Don't try to miss me too much.”

The two of them giggled at his little joke, Hat Kid even rolling her eyes a little in amusement before she stepped towards him and grabbed his hand and gave it a shake

“I'll miss you,” Hat Kid said in her small voice.

“Miss you too…” added Bow Kid, her hands linked together behind her back as she did a small side-to-side sway.

DJ Grooves' smile faded again at their words. But he gave Hat Kid's hand a gentle pat before she squeezed his back and then let go.

“Well. See you darlings later. I still have to finish getting ready to go, Goodbye!”

“Bye-bye!” Hat Kid called back as she headed for his door.

Bow Kid waved at DJ Grooves with her fingers spread wide and trotted after Hat Kid out the door.

Once the two were gone, DJ Grooves breathed out one of the heaviest sighs he'd probably ever done in his life.

The deed was done. Now only one more loose end was to be tied.

DJ Grooves looked towards his phone that lie where he'd left it upon his bed. He picked it up, the display illuminating as he held it right.

Amor.

DJ Grooves sat on the edge of the bed, unlocking his phone and navigating to his voice mail. He opened the most recent voicemail.

“Hey, Grooves. It's Amor. Why aren't you answering? I'm waiting in the lobby now and it's been over three hours since I’ve heard from you. I'm starting to get worried here. Please call me back or hell, text me even.”

Had Amor really been waiting for him all that time? DJ Grooves cringed at himself for worrying Amor like that. He knocked himself in the forehead for being so foolish as to let himself fall asleep when he'd made contact with someone with the intent to meet them.

DJ Grooves selected the second most recent voicemail and hit play.

“Hey, Grooves. I don't know if you had your phone off or something but the studio doors are locked and I forgot my key. I'm waiting down at the lobby now but there's nobody here to let me in. Please call me back when you get this or come down to the lobby. Bye.”

Oh, right. Most of the Moon Penguins probably left shortly after DJ Grooves broke the news to them so no one was there to let them in. Even The Receptionist having fled at the news was rather unsurprising but also disappointing. Again DJ Grooves shook his head at himself for failing to meet Amor on time.

He selected the oldest voicemail in his saved messages and hit play.

“Hey, Grooves. Is everything okay? I just woke up a couple minutes ago and saw you left this message. I'll be there as soon as I can, I'm on my way. Goodbye.”

DJ Grooves felt what little of his already shattered heart break evermore after listening to these messages and seeing how many times Amor had called. How loyal the penguin had been to him despite everything.

He heaved a big sigh and threw his phone down towards the carpet before rubbing the stress out of his own features. One last time. One last time he would have to say goodbye. Then he could head off.

DJ Grooves stood up, walked to the suitcase he'd packed of random stuff and stood it onto its wheels. He took a quick glimpse into his mirror, briefly preening himself to ensure he looked more presentable. Then he took inventory of what he was going to take on his person on this final trip; his box of cigarettes and his lighter, his clothes on his back and-- the letter.

With a spared glance to its place on the floor of his room, shredded and scattered about, a frown creased his beak. He supposed that it would have to be left behind and collected by one of the custodian birds when they came to work in a couple days. DJ Grooves left the suitcase briefly and tended to the pile of letter fragments, sweeping most into his palm and meticulously pinching up the rest. For a moment he just squeezed the pieces in his palm as if he expected the gesture to form the pieces back together as one, which didn't work of course. Then he carried them to his desk trash bin and disposed of them, watching most of them drift down into it, a few fluttering behind it into the corner of the room.

He heaved another heavy sigh as he stared at the pieces, his brows knit. His gaze turned to his desktop and he grabbed his key ring from the mat upon it and he reached for the handle of the suitcase. Wheeling the suitcase towards the door, he spared one last glimpse around his entire room.

Amor was waiting but he was still lost in his thoughts again. Letting others down again was his favorite hobby it seemed.

But even still, DJ Grooves stared at the stars all about his room. The ones that would mirror the stars in the sky on his walk to his death. A brief bout of nostalgia came over him as he remembered when he first had them installed. He always loved the stars.

As he gazed at them, his hand reached towards their switch on the wall and he slowly dimmed them, the whole room becoming enveloped in darkness. He shut the door and locked it, not sparing the same nostalgic glances towards his dressing room as he made his way towards the elevator to use in ascending to the main studio floor, to meet Amor, who he hoped was still in the lobby.

As DJ Grooves walked down the empty studio halls, only the sound of the clatter of the suitcase's wheels followed right behind him. He passed by room after room, this time the reverse of his trek from before.

Some rooms were dressing rooms, some held props and costumes, some were used for planning and some were used for breaks. All of them once held fond memories as part of what he once called home. Where he'd accomplished so much-- but also the place that brought him so much pain.

Movie posters from past movies hung about the walls. Bulletins posted by the Express Owls and Moon Penguins boasted about their daily lives at the studio and even small markings of graffiti scrabbled here and there, some by that mustachioed girl who spouted off something about ‘bad guys.’

DJ Grooves didn't stop to admire any of them one last time, just made note of their presence, and continued down the hall towards the storage rooms.

He passed between the crates that filled the entire room. From ceiling to floor, in stacks that staggered in height, filled with all the wondrous props and equipment necessary to make four decades worth of movies. DJ Grooves had lost track of which crates were his and which belonged to The Conductor. They'd certainly had more than many fights about the organization of that mess of a room. The penguin heaved a sigh.

DJ Grooves finally reached the elevator and pressed the up button with his knuckle and the elevator doors breached open. He stepped in and pressed the button for the first floor and then leaned on the wall of the elevator.

As he ascended towards the first studio floor, he held the suitcase handle tightly with one hand and stared at the floor. The loud clatter of the elevator filled his ears and he closed his eyes as the rickety old elevator rattled him.

Once the elevator lurched to a stop, DJ Grooves stumbled a little at the sudden jolt the elevator made as it reached the top. He never got used to that. Yet it was the least of his worries now as he stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall and past empty studio sets.

DJ Grooves finally reached the front of the studio and stopped by the studio doors that lead into the lobby. He stilled his breathing the best that he could, both from his nerves still on high and from his lengthy trip back up to the lobby.

He still had his key ring gripped tightly in his palm, the keys pressing marks into his hand and he heaved a sigh as he pressed into the crossbar style handle of the door. His nerves caused him to peek through the lobby door as though he were a scared child, waking his parents in the middle of the night. After not seeing Amor in the lobby he gasped softly before pressing his body into the door as he scanned the room more for any signs of the penguin.

Then he noticed Amor was sat upon the bench in the lobby corner and DJ Grooves was overcome with a bout of relief.

Amor had their arms crossed on their chest and gaze tilted down, their hat shadowing their eyes. They were silent as they sat there, not even responding to the sound of the locked door unlatching, despite the way it echoed about the empty lobby.

DJ Grooves' heart dropped a bit but he stepped out the door into the lobby and rolled the suitcase with him to his front. The door shut behind him louder than he expected it to and it made him jump and glance back at it. Then he turned back towards Amor and looked at them with knit brows.

The other Moon Penguin sat still in their place on that bench, unmoved.

DJ Grooves looked at his keys that he still held in his hand and filtered through them to find a shining gold one with a key fob hung onto its ring that displayed the logo for his nightclub and the same emblem that proudly presented itself on the back of his jacket. He snapped the key free and it jangled gently in his hand.

Amor suddenly tilted their head up at the small sound of the key and their sunglassed eyes peered over at him.

“There you are, Grooves,” Amor said, pushing themself into a higher posture. “You kept me waiting so long; I figured you'd still come though. Never took you for being a punctual one, anyway,” Amor added with a small laugh and a smirk.

DJ Grooves was honestly slightly relieved at Amor’s patience and loyalty to him. His shoulders sagged in shame at how long he'd made the other wait for him but Amor, the ever patient and chill, still waited for him.

He really didn't deserve their loyalty to him.

Still, DJ Grooves put on one last fake smile to meet Amor's energy.

“Thank you for waiting, darling. I'm so sorry-- everything that's happened has been so sudden and I've been preparing all day for it--” DJ Grooves said with the shake of his head as he tucked the rest of his keys into his pocket. “I just need your help with one last thing--”

“Whoa, whoa-- slow down there, Grooves. You still never really told me what's going on? I heard bits and bobs from the other Moon Penguins but I'm still at a loss here, friend,” Amor said as they leapt from the bench and stepped towards DJ Grooves.

The sound of the studio doors from The Conductor's side of the studio unlatching caught both penguins’ ears and then it shut again as briefly as it opened. DJ Grooves managed to catch a peek of some figure but couldn't make much out of what it was, though. Amor raised a brow at the door’s movement as well but turned their attention back to DJ Grooves.

“Well…?” the purple feathered penguin drawled back up at their boss and close friend.

“Oh-- Oh! I-I’m sorry, darling. I was invited to a really, really important interview with a prestigious film honors committee and I snatched up the opportunity immediately-- and I need your help while I'm gone as I leave tonight.”

“With what? Exactly?” Amor said, tilting their head, eyes squinted. “... I don't have to star in any movies do I?”

DJ Grooves found himself chuckling suddenly, startling himself from how melancholic he'd been the entire day.

Amor. Ever humorous despite the circumstances.

“Oh, no, no, no, darling. Nothing like that. I just need your help with this--” DJ Grooves said, wavering his hand in front of his beak dismissively, reaching a hand out to grab one of Amor's. Then he turned their palm over and placed the enclosed key to the nightclub into their hand.

Amor stared at the key and then glimpsed back up at DJ Grooves' face, a confused look on their own.

“.... Your club key?” Amor said, still not quite understanding what DJ Grooves wanted of them.

“It's my master key to my nightclub, darling. I know it's a lot to ask darling but-- would you take care of my club in my absence?” DJ Grooves pleaded to Amor, cupping his hand over theirs.

Amor was quiet for a second as they stared at the top of DJ Grooves' hand. Then after a moment Amor nodded their head and closed their hand around the key.

“... Alright. I suppose I can shift some things around to make this work. But you owe me big time,” Amor said with a smirk, lightly jabbing their enclosed fist against DJ Grooves' upper arm.

DJ Grooves smiled again and felt tears come to his eyes and he sadly chuckled in a thankful manner. Then he stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around the other penguin and hugged them tightly.

“Hey--! Hey, easy now, you big goofball-- no need to get sappy on me. You know it's nothing,” Amor said, patting DJ Grooves steadily on the back before giving him a firm brief squeeze in reciprocation.

“You're right, sorry,”

DJ Grooves separated from Amor and reached out to affectionately squeeze Amor's shoulder.

“It just-- means more to me than you know,” DJ Grooves said.

Amor rolled their eyes but smiled back.

“Sappy again.”

The two laughed. Then DJ Grooves walked back to the suitcase that he left and grabbed its handle.

“Well. I'll see you around, darling.”

Amor waved and DJ Grooves mirrored them as they exited the studio’s lobby.

DJ Grooves’ nerves were still on high after this interaction and as soon as Amor was gone, he started breathing hard in slight panic. He'd pulled off the last thing he needed to in his plan, this time without a hitch. He bowed his head and placed it against the handle of his suitcase, trying to catch his breath.

Now was time to make it look like he just disappeared. He ran through his head his plan once more.

It was time.

DJ Grooves stared out at the front lobby doors towards the desert outside. His heart was pounding in his chest as he stepped onto the front door mat, looking down at the Dead Bird Studio logo that was marked with countless grains of desert sand. The lobby doors swept open and he stared into the final hall he would cross to the outer doors.

His breath was shaky and he took slow steps towards the outer doors. He stared at his faded reflection in the glass door once he reached it, out into the parking lot. Despite how smeared the glass was with hand prints and other various smudges, DJ Grooves could see clearly in his own features how beaten that he looked. It shocked him how little anyone noticed how torn he was but he supposed it was because he was really good at hiding his pain as it were.

He pressed the door open. And out he walked towards his car.

The suitcase rolled erratically across the desert sand and straightened when DJ Grooves reached the paved section of ground. The parking lot was illuminated by the streetlights that glowed above and the warm orange of the setting sun. Once DJ Grooves reached his car he pressed the button on his car's remote and popped the truck open. He lifted the suitcase of nothing particularly special into it and stared at it before pushing the truck shut, resting his palms on its surface.

In the distance, he looked up to see Amor's own car pulling away and heaved a sigh as a gust of evening desert wind blew past him. He waved weakly with an open-closed hand gesture as he watched the other's headlights disappear into the distance as they turned onto a nearby highway.

DJ Grooves furrowed his brows and navigated to the driver side of his car, placing his hand on the handle. Then he remembered his burning desire for a cigarette and looked towards the pocket that held his final pack of them. He reached in and retrieved the pack and his lighter, holding one in each hand parallel to the other. Though he'd kicked the habit long ago that no longer mattered now, and thus he lit up a cigarette and leaned upon his car, which creaked slightly against his weight upon it.

He stared out at the clouded sky above as he inhaled the tobacco smoke into his lungs and created some clouds of his own as he breathed out. He coughed softly as he got used to the old burn but as he inhaled more he felt more at ease as the nicotine overtook his senses.

He was ready to do this once the cigarette burned out.

As he took drag after drag of his cigarette, he looked towards the studio one last time. He saw the figure of The Conductor by the front doors, locking them up for the night.

The other bird director seemed to look around mindlessly into the expanse of the desert, but the distance made it hard for DJ Grooves to tell where he was looking. It really didn't matter if The Conductor saw him right now and he doubted that The Conductor would approach him after their conflict from earlier.

DJ Grooves huffed. He'd have to wait for the elder bird to head off before he could enact his plan. He took one final drag from his cigarette before tossing the corpse of it to the ground and stamping it out into the pavement.

The Conductor still stood there in the distance as if he were staring at DJ Grooves and though DJ Grooves wasn't sure if they met gaze, something told The Conductor to head for his train. The DJ director waited in his place as Conductor boarded his train and disappeared through its back door.

DJ Grooves felt himself smirk almost before shaking his head. Then he raised his car keys in front of his own beak between the tips of his digits and then. Dropped them onto the pavement. He swung his leg out to grab them beneath his platform shoe and kicked them under his car. The keys rattled as they slid under and DJ Grooves moved from his lean upon his car.

He never actually planned on leaving by car. His ending would be in a walk.

DJ Grooves looked out at the expanse of the desert beyond the parking lot. Then as the sun dipped into the sky for the night, DJ Grooves headed into it.

#a hat in time #ahit #dj grooves #dj grooves ahit #ahit dj grooves #the conductor #hat kid #bow kid #ft. one oc of mine for now lol.#amor #amor the moon penguin #tho they aren't that central to it i prommy #also sorry this is over a year late but :]#this is also on my ao3 if you want to read it there #my writing #long post #there's gonna be like. 1-2 more parts to this too btw it doesn't end here

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