#it'll apply more in later posts

[daz4i]

how and why is there discourse about whether or not certain queer identities exist/if people should be allowed(???) to use them. why is "people know their own identity better than you ever could, and they're the only one who get a say on what they are" such a tough concept to grasp

i think if you find yourself offended by the label someone uses (especially if they're a stranger) or think it invalidates your own, it's a good idea to look inside yourself and question why that may be. more often than not, it's a result of insecurity or uncertainty of your own identity (or many other things, but i won't make a whole list here). whatever reason it is, until you resolve it, you shouldn't take it out on people for having an identity you don't understand

many have said it before but it's worth saying over and over. infighting only helps our oppressors. conservatives don't care if you're a cis gay or a xenogender aegosexual aplatonic lesbian, they hate all of us either way. trying to fit in by going for people who are easier targets for them isn't gonna help you, it'll just alienate you from your own community, and you're never gonna please them. the momentary rush you get from hearing you're not like "one of /those/ gay people" is not worth it and is gonna do more harm in the long run, i assure you

also, it is important to me to say this, but having some less than nice kneejerk reaction caused by confusion about an identity you don't understand doesn't mean you're a bad person or anything. as long as you aren't mean to that person, and you take a second to think smth along the lines of "wait a minute, this isn't any of my business" after having said reaction, you're good 👍 a lot of reflexive reactions we have to things are ingrained into us simply by. well. living in a society 🤡 and you're not terrible for having those thoughts. it's your actions that matter, and your second thought (the "wait, why did i just think that?") is more defining of your actual character and morals than your reflex. i know that having thoughts like this, even tho they're unwanted, can very easily make one spiral, so it's important to me that whoever needs to hear this knows this doesn't make you a bad person 🙏 you're good, keep taking actions to be good, accept other people even if you don't understand them, and you're on the right track :)

#i considered adding that last part in the tags but i figured it'll be too long for that 😭 #i noticed i'm posting a lot of rants lately. sorry. but i do wanna make sure no one's actually feeling bad over them #if i complain about something that you do or call it mean and such. that doesn't make you a bad person #you can always work to change and grow 👍 it's not easy but it starts with smaller steps than you'd expect #and now i just switched to a whole other topic from my original point. oops #i do firmly believe that any discourse about someone's identity is dumb as fuck #seeing it in poll blogs always makes me 😐😬 like how is it any business for any of us. why is this up for debate #if a person says they're queer then they are. they don't need to pass some test or go through initiation to be accepted #if they feel comfortable with a certain word that's awesome. why does it matter to *you* which word they use #'they're only using this microlabel to feel special' so? is there anything wrong with that? #'this label contradicts [insert other identity that falls under the same umbrella]' ok. but does that hurt anyone in any way #a lot of identities can even be self contradictory. does it matter tho? does it affect anyone in any way? #'they might realize that label is wrong later' again. what's the harm in that. #i don't blame anyone for these thoughts bc like. this is how cishets view a lot of the even more common labels #so you're basically taught to think this way from day one. that doesn't mean you need to stick to that thought process #you might have these reflexes forever no matter how hard you try. but you'll get quicker about moving on from them #but you do have to try. you do have to realize that other people's identities aren't about you #anyway. this post feels like batting at a hornets nest. really hope i don't get some bad faith readers here lol #(i noticed a lot of places one could apply bad faith but like it's 3:30 am i'm too tired to add this many disclaimer. #so i'm gonna trust you to not jump to conclusions and to approach this in good faith okay? mwah 🖤) #also my whole ramble abt morality (in the tags too) is relevant to. any topic really #i may just make a separate post about it really. .....tomorrow tho.

[sanctus-ingenium]

I was wondering how achieve such a wonderful textured finish on your pieces? They are wonderful and I love their resemblance to aged photographs and the speckles of colors in the backgrounds. Your art is mesmerizing :)

you can see some of the texture brush sets i use in my #info_asks tag but i have some more (procreate) tips aside from just brushes

also hi i made this whole thing and then stupidly hit ctrl z to erase ONE word and i lost the entire bottom half of the post and all my image descriptions so fuck you tumblr i had to make this twice

to get a faded photo or old digital screen look, consider duplicating the canvas (once all the layers are merged) and using a gaussian blur tool on the new duplicated layer. then set that to low opacity to add a misty sort of look. looks nice in combination with some chromatic abberation and a small bloom effect. then a subtle noise filter on top:

for faded print effects, it's really worthwhile to learn how to use layer masks. you can use a layer mask to non-destructively 'weather' blocks of colour or lineart, without erasing the layer itself. the weathered ink/block print effect here was made using layer masks which means that if i just hide the mask, the lineart becomes solid black again and easy to alter or colour in:

for old paper effects you can just set a paper texture on multiply over the art sure, but you can also combine it with the blur & bloom thing, a really subtle drop shadow and canvas tilt, and highlights to make it look like an aged photograph of a card. this originally had a transparent bg but i'll post it here with a white bg so that the drop shadow is more obvious. the scuffed edges of the card (left) were hand drawn, simple white stucco brush. the bigger patch of scuffed ink (top right) was a texture stamp.

for block print looks you can move the colour layer out of alignment by a few pixels - but only after you're absolutely sure you're done with it, otherwise you'll get something like this -

i forgot to erase out her eye before i moved the red layer so now her eye defeats the 'look' of a misaligned print. the black lineart and red layer were also given the same layer mask treatment as described above to make them look faded or like the ink didn't stick down right to the paper

you can do this with multiple colour layers too. if the colour layers are separated and set to multiply (as in this cmyk example), it'll leave halos and edges around each shape which mimic old comic book print

just to show what you can do WITHOUT any special brushes, here's a piece of one of my mez tarot cards from before i got any extra brushsets at all. for this one, i added a green tint over everything to mimic a sun-bleached or faded print (my actual goal wasn't 'medieval illustration' but actually 'trading card from the 60s that got left on someone's windowsill for decades'). the background texture is the procreate noise brush. the texture under the green lion drawing is the procreate concrete brush (to make it look painted onto a wall). the lettering and lineart is procreate's 6B pencil. but to properly aim for The Look of it being a printed physical object, i also used a perspective blur so that the edges are out of focus, and metallic gold highlights which don't match the lighting of the actual illustration and appear to be catching some other external light. that texture was made from the procreate noise brush

it's pretty simple compared to my later stuff but i still really like the effect

in terms of colours, you need to keep them unified so that they all appear to be acting under the same external light source, like if someone is holding up a torch to a painting then the painting colours will be glazed with firelight even if there's no painted fire. a really easy way to do this is to slap a multiply layer over everything in one shade - grey-yellow for a weathered paper look, or greenish blue for sunbleached photos. this unifies all the colours of the drawing. or you can apply a gradient map at a low opacity so that there's only a subtle change. or just do it by hand - if you want everything to be slightly tinted yellow, just pick the colours you normally would, but move the colour wheel towards yellow to get a yellowfied version of the base colour. easy

it's really important to consider how fading and weathering can affect printed colour. white paper yellows, black fades. you will rarely see pure black or pure white. which means you can use pure black or pure white to add external effects like the white scuff marks on the hierophant card. if the whole drawing is yellowed from age but there's some white somewhere, it's an easy shorthand to show that the scuff mark or whatever was not originally part of the drawing (great way to add some nasty stains lol)

#info asks #i don't have like a specific set of steps i follow i kind of freestyle it every time #obviously i have favourites i like to use but like that sphinx drawing? don't ask me how i did it because i don't remember #i just played with it until it looked nice. the blue dots are ... some sort of effect layer i don't remember which

[yanxidarlings]

YANDERE HP GOLDEN ERA: SLYTHERIN BOYS X DORMMATE READER PT2

so more of the slytherin boys was in the lead last night and inspiration struck, but i still will be doing whichever option has the most votes by the end of the week, and eventually i'll probably have all of the concepts up, if you haven't already you can vote here.

so i did more reading up on mattheo and lorenzo, and i honestly don't know where to pick up from, i'm thinking of making this my main concept for yandere hp and building on it.

the last post specified the darling as the dormmate of our dear slytherin boys here, but many of the headcanons can be applied to a fem darling, or darling from another house. it's quite intriguing to imagine someone who had grown up close to draco, theo, ect. getting sorted into a different house; i can honestly see this being a trigger for the boys' yandere tendencies to develop.

sure theo was attached before, but he had never even entertained the possibility of not getting sorted into slytherin together. and what do you mean the darling won't be there to knock draco down a peg when he won't stop talking down to goyle?. how is blaise supposed to get through seven years of not watching his darling everynight whilst they sleep?

i might expand on this in my future ravenclaw (possibly hufflepuff) posts. for now i want to delve into the individual yandere characteristics of each slytherin (i'm considering adding pansy, adrian, other slytherins) to the concept if anyone else is interested.

DRACO MALFOY (cast tom felton):

i think i've made it painfully obvious draco is alot to deal with as a yandere. he's got a bit of everything and even more; but overall, he is overwhelmingly obsessive. his obsession is driven by irrepressible thoughts of his darling. ever since he was a child, separating from them has simply felt wrong, i think he's likely to have known the darling the longest, perhaps having grown up close to them.

maybe his darling is a member of the black family, or a lestrange, or hails from another prominent family, thus he has been brought up closely next to them.

there's no one he feels more comfortable around, his darling is his home, which would be sweet if he weren't willing to kill and maim others to keep his darling with him.

his darling was probably hoping, praying to get sorted into any house but slytherin, it didn't take a ravenclaw to know draco would only get worse if they shared a dorm/common room. immediately, he claims the bed next to his darling, and already has pestered his father into arranging them a private dorm together, but that old oaf dumbledore refused because "all students must be treated equally." what bullshit. if you ask draco.

he won't let his darling interact with anyone "don't lower yourself and associate with the likes of them" and socially isolates them. don't you dare wander off, it'll end in the biggest tantrum, and don't even think about dating, the entire slytherin dorm will implode on itself.

draco needs constant attention, his darling is all he thinks about so he expects them to only think about him as well. you'll quickly learn that it's best to give draco the attention he wants. it's not that he plans to give his darling a hard time, but he becomes moody, both mean and clingy at the same time. he'll have his arm around his darlings waist whilst accusing them of being a blood traitor, and attacking their insecurities, then a few hours later he crawls into bed whispering sweet nothings.

it leaves his darling on the edge, because sometimes these mood swings happen even when paying him the attention he so desperately craves.

this could lead to his darling keeping a facade up in front of him, so he has less ammunition during his mood swings, but if he suspects his darling of not being as open and comfortable around him as he is them, all hell breaks loose.

THEODORE NOTT (fancast lorenzo zurzolo):

but he's not as sensitive about his darlings perception of him as theo is. perhaps sensitive isn't the correct word as much as demanding. theodore demands his darling be open and honest with him, he wants to know about every ache and thought they have. however he is best characterised as a possessive yandere. above all he cannot live with the thought of sharing his darling with anyone.

sharing, in theo's mind, is anyone even casting a glance upon his darling. why isn't his company enough? why does his darling have to interact with undeserving rodents like malfoy, potter and the weasleys? he would completely abandon his life outside of his darling if they just asked would anyone else do that for them? no!.

they're the person that matters most to him, and he wants to be the only person his darling cares about as well.

theodore has likely known his darling since childhood, perhaps they shared similarly harsh parents/guardians, and bonded over that. it would make it all the more easier to theo to manipulate them into staying close to him.

his company is not as dreadful as draco's, and he doesn't demand physical affection and praise as much as the latter does, not if his darling is not willing. but there is still a part of him that yearns to press up against them and never let go.

he simply cannot handle his darling distancing themselves from him, and is quick to resort to threats, blackmail, emotional manipulation, anything that he thinks will keep him and his darling close.

he is another one who will shamelessly confess his love and attraction to his darling, and has already 'claimed' them in a strange way; everyone at hogwarts seems to identify theo out of the slytherin boys as the one the reader is 'dating', to theo's delight. his darling doesn't have to agree with the rumours or even think of them as a couple, as far as he's concerned, they've been together since they met.

MATTHEO RIDDLE (fancast benjamin wadsworth):

the only one who i imagine the darling meets when they start at hogwarts is mattheo. whichever year he starts at hogwarts, he's immediately intrigued by them (for whatever reason). maybe the rest of his dormmates take poorly to his blood status, and the darling is the first to welcome him, or maybe ol' moldy voldy has tasked him with extracting something from the reader.

no matter what jumpstarts his obsession, it develops at an alarmingly fast rate, one week he's glancing over at them in class, the next he's invading their thoughts whilst they sleep and following them in the halls.

his darling likely won't take too easily to his sudden interest in them, they've already been dealing with several unsettling slytherins for years, and are probably always on guard.

not like mattheo cares. if he wants to be close to them, he will. he knows draco and his gang have to treat him with courtsey if they want their families to stay in the dark lords good graces, as does his darling. so he inserts himself (quite violently) into his darlings life.

it should be harder than it is considering his short temperament and his darlings cautious nature, but he's able to understand his darling on an intense level due to his inherited legilimency.

no matter how uncomfortable his darling is around him, he can just invade their mind and lock them in a room with him if he wants to spend time with them. and he always gets what he wants.

he seldom reveals that he is reading their mind, lest they feel the need to develop occlumency. it also gives him a kick knowing their raw thoughts, he could never even say a word to his darling and still know them better than anyone else does. including the other slytherins.

deep down mattheo's incredibly insecure about his connection with his darling; out of theo, blaise, goyle, enzo, draco, he's known them for the least amount of time. he's the only half-blood. he's evil incarnate son of the dark lord himself. he'd only bring them pain and suffering but he can't bring himself to let go of them either.

whilst theo, draco, enzo and even goyle will confess their affection for their darling, and perhaps admit to what they've done, mattheo will only do the latter, and does not provide any context as to why he hexed weaslette after the darling complimented her quidditch skills, nor will he elaborate on why he must take showers at the exact same time as his darling everyday.

BLAISE ZABINI (cast louis cordice):

blaise shares his concealed affection for the darling. you could be none the wiser to his deep seeded affetion for you for years only to suddenly be told that he's your betrothed and now he refers to himself as your fiance and invites you to sleep in his bed as if it's the most normal thing ever.

among them all, blaise is the most calm and calculated. he knows that following his darling around and monopolising their interactions makes him look bad but sometimes he just can't help it. he has to sneer at granger who the darling got paired with in potions, and make remarks about how disgusting muggle and mudbloods are.

but he doesn't think he's better than muggleborns; he thinks he's better than everyone. i think blaise is the most likely to develop an obsession for a shallow reason, maybe the readers is aphrodite personified, hails from a prominent pureblood family that his mother is encouraging him to marry into or is incredibly intelligent, their actual character couldn't matter less to him. from the moment he decides they're his, they're his.

blaise is uniquely one of the only ones who actually wants his darling to love and show him affection of their own accord (meaning he would be nice enough to give them amortentia).

he wants them to be happy, but he also wants them to be entirely dependent on him. he takes on a sort of big brotherly role, he encourages them to eat and sleep well. he wants to be the one they ask opinions on outfits, schoolwork, ect. he thinks if they rely on him for everything, it'll be impossible for them to leave.

LORENZO BERKSHIRE (fancast louis patridge):

out of all of them, enzo is by far the 'softest', as mentioned in the previous post, he's the 'sane, normal' one out of all of them. he doesn't act strangely creepy (sorry blaise it's true), disturbingly controlling (don't deny it mattheo), possessive, obsessive or devoted to them. he comes across as the 'best friend', the sidekick in every romance novel that offers advice and stays out of the drama.

this is because he initially see's his fixation on his darling as nothing but a desire to protect them from those lunatics he and his darling call 'friends'. but why does his heart drop when he see's them getting pulled into a room by mattheo, or when blaise stares at them as if they are a veela. it's not jealousy it's concern for his poor mate. yeah, that's it.

and why can't he stand to be left out of their attempts to evade the others, or when they don't confide in him, whether their troubles are slytherin related or not.

he's probably the only one who realises how messed up what they all do is, the rest justify it, but when enzo eventually gives in to his obsession he doesn't pretend to be in the right. he's apologetic but he just can't let them go.

the only thing that would set him off would be them distancing themselves from him. he can handle sharing, but the idea of his darling avoiding him, not viewing him as the safe haven from the rest really drives him to insanity.

i also think lorenzo would be the one who convinces everyone to share their darling once shit hits the fan and everyone wants to take the reader for themself.

GREGORY GOYLE (cast josh herdman):

goyle is honestly just happy he gets to be around his darling. yeah, it would be nice if he could have them to himselves, and not just be a lackey for draco to sabotage the others. maybe his darling treats him with a bit more benevolence and he's grown attached to them over the years.

always willing to lend a helping hand, i think he's the least possessive out of all of them, and is best characterised as a devoted yandere. whilst the rest of them want to maintain some level of control over the reader, he's content just being near them. he doesn't even have to talk to them but it's a plus.

i wonder if he's actually as bad at school as he acts or if he just doesn't bother listening so that the darling has to dedicate time to tutoring him. no one knows.

goyle will really have to fight tooth and nail to be apart of the sharing arrangement enzo, draco, theo, mattheo and blaise somehow eventually come to. (that i will expand upon in a future post because this is getting long).

#yandere harry potter #hp writings #yandere draco malfoy #yandere theodore nott #yandere mattheo riddle #yandere blaise zabini #yandere lorenzo berkshire #yandere gregory goyle #draco malfoy #theodore nott #slytherin boys #theo nott #mattheo riddle #lorenzo berkshire #blaise zabini #goyle #gregory goyle #golden era #slytherin house #slytherin #hp #yandere slytherin

[sepublic]

The Owl House's Ending Anniversary...

So it's officially been one whole year since The Owl House ended.

One year ago, I wondered how I would move on. How I would keep going. But I also knew I would, no matter what, because time keeps going on. Things will eventually pass, they always do, that's how so many moments and days for me have gone. Even entire periods of my life.

So I'm not surprised how things have gone on since then; I still had plenty more things to say about TOH, and I still love it just as I have. I've gotten new hyperfixations, and even returned to old ones as some of you can see with recent posts, so it's only a matter of time before TOH circles back again.

And man does it feel so slow, only to feel so brief, it really feels like this anniversary has snuck up on and surprised me! And once again, we have some other, appropriate event lined up; A solar eclipse on this anniversary! Luckily there's no sigils nor coven heads gathered to make me worry. But dang, it was raining in Connecticut when Luz returned there, and it was the rebirth of Jesus when Luz was resurrected.

Makes me wonder if anyone of the Boiling Isles, justifiably, has had PTSD from solar eclipses, and dreaded any that showed up, despite knowing it couldn't happen again. People must've held their breaths the entire time during the first eclipse, panicked at even the slightest fatigue, and then it passed and they realized it really was impermanent and over. And that there was another step towards moving on, which I guess I can relate to now, though this is something I'm much less happy to see gone.

I think a lot about how TOH has influenced both me and my writing, how I approach characters and stories now. I've found myself gravitating more and more towards personal, character-driven stories and situations now. I still have a bit of a taste for grander-scale stuff, but TOH was special for me in that it feels like the first time I really got and understood a show and its characters from the ground-up as I experienced it all in real time. The first time I truly grasped themes and character arcs and could make reasoned predictions based on those, some of which came true! It really feels like THE big start of my media literacy in a way?

It's been fun looking back at TOH as a 'whole' work more or less to reevaluate, and learning other things behind-the-scenes about the show. We've had a few more livestreams and stuff confirmed. Dana's done more drawings, including on her Patreon.

I haven't been writing as much TOH stuff lately, and tbf I've already said soooo much. I might have other, new things to say later down the line, and I do have a few thoughts I've written in notes that maybe could be fully-fledged posts in their own right. I've found comparisons to protagonists of other media, like Miles Morales, or Arin from Ninjago.

The Owl House still is and will probably always be something truly special to me; It feels like my first real fandom experience. My first time understanding and learning a show, appreciating it as it develops and even as I speculate. It broadened my tastes and horizons, my ability to participate with others in stuff.

I miss it; I miss new episodes, new developments. I'm still agonized over things that could've been, things I would've loved to see more of. I'm apprehensive over whether we'll get that Raeda prequel because I don't wanna get my hopes up. Plus Dana needs a well-deserved break and is trying and experimenting with new, different things. And I get that.

It's bittersweet, it's scary, it's freeing, it's sad, it's happy. I've gone so far, this show and fandom has gone so far. And it'll keep going, it has to, time keeps marching on. Luz had to lose her father Manny, process that, but still keep going and must be surprised looking back how much she's adjusted since then, how much she's still grown and gained and learned, while still holding him dear; The same applies for the Titan and the magic she once wielded. With grief and acceptance being a core theme in this show, I'm not surprised that it prepped up the viewers to do the same, and now we have.

And you know what? I'm gonna keep going on, like Luz Noceda, possibly my favorite protagonist of all time, one of the greats and a huge inspiration now for how I really want to write and focus on my own protagonists, too. I'm gonna keep doing this like it never ended. The rate and frequency might fluctuate, but every now and then I'll have things to say, and stuff to drop by and check, such as with the tag and the occasional trending post, others' reblogs, and so forth.

So again, thanks to Dana and the crew. Thanks to Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne, King Clawthorne, and the other many, many characters! Luz's story is one where it feels like the show really is about her at its core and wraps around to her, and I want to do a story one day that accomplishes the same feeling. And as I see how Dana has been inspired by past influences, I can't help but look forward to future generations and stories that will themselves have been inspired by The Owl House, I know I've been already, retroactively applying it to things that were already fairly compatible to begin with, and really needed the fresh breath of new inspiration.

I'm repeating a lot of the same things I've said last year. Will I say the same stuff another whole year from now? I'll see. But until next time... BBBBYYYYYYEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

#the owl house #ramblings #meta #nostalgia #psa #the owl house anniversary

[chocolatepot]

Twitter is rapidly sinking as people are only allowed to look at it for about ten minutes a day, so I thought I would put together a post explaining the best way to get started on Mastodon! It can be an intimidating prospect as it's not as immediately user-friendly as Twitter or other corporate social media sites.

Selecting a server

The main difference between Mastodon and Twitter is that you don't just "sign up for Mastodon". Mastodon is effectively made up of hundreds of small sites (called "instances") that are all interconnected ("federated") and use the same interface. The instance you choose has only a minor effect on your experience. The main one to be aware of is that if an instance is known to be poorly moderated and have users who cause a lot of trouble, other instances may unlink from it ("defederate") and make it more difficult for people on it to interact with you. This is rare. The very big, unthemed instances like mastodon.social are more likely to have this problem than any fannish one, in my experience. (You can also make a personal choice to block an entire instance if you have an issue with it.)

The other effect is that each instance has its own universal feed of all users on it.

The sidebar looks almost exactly like Twitter's, except for "local" and "federated". Your home feed is just the people you follow. "Local" is everyone on your instance, and "federated" is everyone on any instance yours is federated with. The local feed is why it's worthwhile to choose an instance that has some sort of theme you're interested in, like fandom, tech, queer issues, history, etc.

The two main fannish instances I'm aware of are fandom.ink and federatedfandom.net. There's also wandering.shop but that seems to be more for writers, in my experience. If you want a different sort of instance, just google "[topic] mastodon instance" and you should find it.

Applying to your instance

Because instances are more tightly moderated than the rest of social media, you can't always immediately get into the one you want. (Though I suspect that many have opened up slightly as Twitter flails.) You may need to submit some kind of application and wait a few days.

If you know someone on the instance you want to join, they may be able to get you an invite code so you can skip the queue. I have unlimited invites for fandom.ink, hit me up if you want to join.

You can also join an instance that's currently taking new accounts and then transfer into the one you want later. For the impatient souls.

Posting

The mechanics of posting are just like Twitter's.

You type in the box, you hit "toot" (I know), and out it goes. You may notice that you get a 500 character limit! This is nice.

If you add an image, make sure to add alt text. Not including alt text may get you flamed or shamed. You can also make a poll, set privacy levels, and add a content/spoiler/trigger warning that will require people to click through to see the text.

Use of hashtags is strongly encouraged on Mastodon. I've seen some talk praising Tumblr's style of having a separate field for tags and suggesting Mastodon add that, but I don't know if it'll happen. But unlike Twitter, there's an earnest culture of incorporating tags into your text (eg "I just bought a new #fountainpen") and following tags to get posts about different topics. This is the main way to find people with similar interests to follow, outside of your local feed.

It's also Mastodon culture to write an introductory post with your interests, including hashtags, so that people can find you.

Something else to be aware of is that you can edit your posts! If anyone has already rt'd ("boosted") them - they will just get a notification of your edit.

You cannot qrt on Mastodon at this time. It's a hotly debated topic. You will have to settle for boosting and then replying, or making your own post with context and linking to the post you want to qrt.

Following other people

If the person you want to follow is on your instance, that's all well and good. Click on their name, go to their profile, click the "follow" button.

If they are not on your instance, you need to make sure that you're accessing them through your instance. Clicking on their name from your federated feed, or if someone has boosted them onto your home feed, will automatically take you to the version of their profile on your instance. Also all well and good.

If you get to their profile from somewhere else, such as a direct link from another social media platform, that's a problem. If you try to follow, their instance will bleat at you that you don't have an account. There are two ways to get around this.

One is to paste their entire username (eg "@[email protected]") into the search bar on your instance, from your home feed. The other is to navigate to "http://[your server address]/[their whole username]" in your address bar. Both will take you to the same place.

#mastodon #tutorial #please join me on mastodon it's lonely

[coraniaid]

I read this post the other day and now I can't help but try to plot out a S3 AU in which Gwendolyn Post is just a little more patient (and maybe, as a result, she's not yet managed to get herself expelled from the Watcher's Council, so she doesn't have to worry about being exposed as a fraud the minute Rupert Giles thinks to make a single phone call).

A world where Gwen realizes that having unlimited access to a emotionally unstable teenage Slayer with no friends or family in town -- a Slayer who will do almost anything for the smallest scraps of positive attention from an even vaguely maternal authority figure -- might, on balance, be more beneficial to her personal quest for power and magical treasure than immediately burning all her bridges to steal a metal glove that can't ever be taken off and continually casts a spell that summons lightning directly down on to the person wearing it.  

Put yourself in Mrs Gwendolyn Post's shoes. 

Isn't it much smarter to keep playing the part of the stern but genuine Watcher, a part you did after all train for for years of your life -- and maybe quietly help yourself to a few of the more valuable magical items your Slayer happens to bring you on the side -- than to risk it all for one single prize, however rare?  If, with just a little molding and prodding and some barbed compliments now and then, you can get that teenage girl to go out and kill demons and steal all their stuff and bring it all back to you, no questions asked, where's the harm?  All you have to do is keep making sure she remembers that she's fundamentally unlovable and unwanted and that nobody else but you will ever accept her and the best she can ever hope for is your occasional fleeting and conditional praise, as long as she does what she's told and keeps it all a secret.  Half of that is taken verbatim from the Council's own script for enlisting new Slayers anyway. It'll be easy.

Maybe you tell her how impressed you are that she's training throughout the winter, rather than letting herself get distracted by things like holidays or parties or presents. Tell her some half-true story about the focus and determination of long-dead Slayers before her.  (You can go to all the parties you want, of course.  These rules don’t apply to you.)  Maybe you show up at her motel room briefly later, just to make sure she didn't take up that irritating other girl's unexpected offer to go to her house for dinner.  Maybe you reward her dedication to the cause with some little unimportant bauble; something cheap and meaningless you notice she keeps wearing for weeks afterwards, even if she pretended not to be impressed with your gift at the time.  Maybe you stick the crappy little (obviously shoplifted) presents that she nervously watches you unwrap later in a drawer somewhere and never think about them again.

Maybe you give her a little bit of advance warning about the Cruciamentum. Not early enough she can tell anyone else, of course, but early enough that she's ready for it. Not because you care (and you really don’t; she's an easily manipulated idiot and you don't respect her in the slightest), but because you want her to realize that the rest of the Council can't be trusted. That Mr Giles can't be trusted.  That there's only one person in all the world who she can trust.  

And if one night she shows up at your door uninvited to tell you that she killed an innocent man by mistake (you really don't care about this either), and she doesn't have anyone else to turn to (you try not to make it too obvious how pleased you are about that), then ... well, what an opportunity for you.  Obviously you're not going to let anyone else on the Council know about this: maybe they'd take her back to England, wasting all your hard work. Maybe they'd send a new Watcher to interrogate her.  But the Sunnydale police department aren't exactly competent.  You can make it all go away, you tell her.  And you do. 

But you let her know, subtly -- just not too subtly -- how disappointed you are by her carelessness.  How she'll have to work a lot harder from now on to get back into your good graces.  How you've really risked a lot for her tonight (you haven't) and how much she owes you now.  How you'll expect her to do better from now on (or at least to do more, more often, without ever asking inconvenient questions).

The disgrace was almost getting caught, you'll tell her later. That's what you found so deplorable. The mistake was needing to be bailed out.  There’s no excuse for sloppiness.  Killing some idiot who got in the way while the Slayer was doing her job though … well, Faith’s right to think that he wasn’t important.  He didn’t matter.  Oh, and the Sunnydale natural history museum is hosting an exhibit of a few rare magical objects next week that it would probably be best to keep in safe hands.  (Which is to say, of course, your hands.)  You don’t think Buffy or Giles need to know about it, do you, Faith? It would be best to be discreet about securing the necessary items, but if some idiot happens to get in the way, well...

There's no real risk of Faith being tricked into outing herself, the way she was tricked into revealing she was working for the Mayor in canon, because it's not a secret that Gwendolyn Post is Faith's Watcher.  Faith is supposed to listen to her Watcher, isn’t she?  And if her Watcher tells Faith to kill some demon and bring her the valuable books he was trying to sell, why shouldn't Faith do it?  Killing demons is her job, isn't it?  She’s good at killing things.  Good at stealing things, too, it turns out. Sometimes you don't even have to pretend to be impressed.

If Faith seems increasingly sad and withdrawn all the time, why do you care? It doesn't make her any less useful. And if Faith doesn't talk to anyone much anymore, and keeps some of her missions secret from her fellow Slayer and all of that other Slayer's little friends and hangers-on, what's so strange about that?  They're not Faith's friends, after all. None of them are.  Faith doesn't have friends.  Never needed them.  She's got somebody though.  She's got Mrs Post.

#btvs

[j0kers-light]

You know what🧐 I wouldn’t mind a “A Day in the Life of Frost/POV I ain’t gonna lie he has been growing on me😭 he really be there for reader and joker like he’s giving mad father figure vibes😭 plus I want to see him and his daughter’s interaction some more

His Lighthouse: A Frosty Outlook (LedgerJoker x f!reader)

A Frosty Outlook- Oneshot

In this house we stan Frost. I was inspired to write this by this post lol. I hope you enjoy!

Side note: I suck at writing first person so its not a true POV but its still good. I had too much fun with this one but when don't I have fun?

There is a slight irregularity with this fic being canon with His Lighthouse. In the series chapter Fear Is the Only Way, Joker told Frost “I didn’t know you had a family...” to which Frost fired back saying “I didn’t know you had a girl.”

This is pure sarcasm, people. Joker knows that Frost has a daughter and Frost obviously knows that Joker has a (future) girlfriend. But denial is a river in Egypt. Once again, I hope you enjoy I made myself cross eyed trying to edit this in the dark lol.

taglist:

@blackreaderatrisk @twinkledinkle @clemdango04 @l3ejm @tears-of-amber @what-an-angel @darthjokerisyourfather @thatsnoteii @dollster @cheetahspy @kaidennnnn @urdariingdoll @motivation-idontknowher @ins0mniac-whack @spaghettificationandpretzels @reneisance @alittlesmartcookie @ninacutebee16 @carydorse

Let me know if you wish to be added to the official His Lighthouse taglist!

There was no such thing as a day off when you work for a literal madman.

Frost knew that better than anyone as the right hand man to The Joker. Work never stopped. There was always someone to kill, money to collect, a city to burn, on top of personal errands and/or favors to run on Joker's behalf. There was always something to do.

There was hardly any time for a personal life which was why majority of the people under Joker's employ did not have families or loved ones. It interfered with work, made a person distracted, and Joker did not like distractions. However, Frost was an exception.

Frost and Joker went wayyy back and he was the closest thing to a friend that J had. Frost was the first henchman that Joker hired and a decade later, he was still the man to call on in any situation.

Trust and unwavering loyalty were forged from their mysterious bond and so rules that would normally apply to Joker's employees became more lax when it pertained to Frost.

He received a higher pay, had actual benefits and health care, and most importantly.. Frost was allowed days off. Not in the traditional sense– he never turned off his phone, but he was given time away from the gang to spend time with his family.

Joker would always be a priority in Frost's life but his little girl came first.

In the beginning she was a mistake. Frost was prepared to walk out on his lover at the time until she slapped a sonogram on the table.

The second Frost's eyes laid on his baby girl; he was a changed man. He thought about quitting Joker's gang but no one ever quits and remains alive, so he confronted Joker about his current dilemma.

"Who's baby? Eck, get rid of it." Joker cringed and kept walking into his office but stopped when Frost spoke up.

"She's mine, Joker. She's... I never asked you for anything so hear me out. I ain't giving her up and I'm not leaving your employ so.." The office was quiet as Frost's words tapered off.

Joker nodded and sat down at his desk. He knew Frost long enough to know the man's mind was made up. No ounce of torture was going to sway him and bribery didn't work on the guy.

Joker decided to compromise to keep his best employee.

"Fine. Keep it, buttttttttt on one con-dit-ion." J picked up the sonogram and tried his hardest to identify it as a human being. To him it looked like a grey blob but this blob meant so much to his fellow comrade.

"I get to name her." Joker said.

Frost quickly protested but after one look into Joker's demented eyes, he knew he had no say in the matter.

"It'll be my uhh, bargaining chip just in case ya ever try to walk away. Don't you think that's fair Frost-y? I name the kid and she and her.... uh mother don't wind up in a ditch. Deeeeal?"

Frost was making a deal with the devil but he couldn't lose his unborn girl. He'd explain this to his baby mama later, right now he leaned forward and shook hands with his boss.

He just hoped Joker didn't pick some outlandish name.

"Don't forget your lunch, Gen."

Frost held up the overly decorated lunch bag outside the car window for his daughter to grab. She smiled in thanks and leaned forward to peck Frost on the forehead.

"Thanks Dad!"

He watched her disappear into the school with a rare smile on his lips. It quickly faded away when his phone rang. He had the ringtone memorized and answered it with a heavy sigh.

"Come. Get. Her before I.. I... shuT UP, Y/n!"

Frost heard you in the background shouting at his boss but he couldn't pick up anything you were saying. Regardless, you sounded upset.

The two of you were having another lover's spat and if Frost didn't come and break it up, Joker might do something he'd regret for the rest of his life.

Frost cranked up his truck and held the phone to his ear, "Don't commit any acts of murder, I'm on the way."

Times like this Frost truly believed he had three children instead of one. And just like that his rare day off was gone.

He arrived in the private apartment garage exactly twenty four minutes after he received Joker's call. Frost wasn't allowed up to your floor– no one was anymore– but this was an emergency. Frost would deal with getting yelled at later if it resulted in saving your life.

Hopefully you were still alive to save. Joker might be in denial but he loved you unconditionally. If he hurt you during one of his mood swings— Frost shuddered at the thought.

Frost nodded at his fellow henchman in passing as he called for the elevator to come pick him up. Joker took your safety very seriously and assigned a few of his most loyal men to work at your residence undercover as a first line of defense.

It would take a calculated and deliberate attack for someone to reach your private floor without Joker knowing about it.

Frost was walking off the elevator on your designated floor when the front door flew open.

You emerged dressed to the nines with a purse flung over your shoulder. Joker was hot on your heels until you spun around and told him off.

"Screw you and the plane you flew in on! Call me after you get some act right and not a minute before!!"

Frost interpreted his boss's glare as you boarded the elevator. Joker might be upset with you right now but the warning was clear.

Guard her with your life or I'll kill you.

Frost didn't need to be told to do his job. You gave Joker a purpose in life other than destroying the world. Frost respected you greatly and held you in high regard for that.

Frost would protect Joker's Light to his dying breath. You didn't need to know that though. Frost did have a reputation to uphold.

There was an awkward silence as the elevator door slowly enclosed you inside the lift with Frost. He covertly glanced down at you and met a head full of curls.

Today your voluminous hair was untamed and wild about your shoulders. The only thing styled was your baby hairs swept back in a carefree, but deliberate fashion with gel. A fitting style for your fiery mood. Your overall sense of fashion always fascinated him.

"Wanna talk about it?" Frost asked somewhere around the tenth and ninth floor down.

You sighed while shaking your head. "I'm sorry that he called you. I know today's your day off." You laughed at Frost's curious frown.

"I figured since it's his day off as well. You know I tried to get him to go out and do something legal with me but he just snapped saying, 'he's not normal so why bother? He doesn't do normal. I guess he's having one of those days today."

Both of you knew Joker's mood was unpredictable and his bad days were atrocious to deal with. Half the time you left the clown to his own devices until he was calm enough to tolerate, but today just your presence in the apartment set him off.

Joker needed alone time and you were okay with that. However you wouldn't let him talk to you any kind of way.

The floor numbers ticked lower and lower as you and Frost stood in silence. You glanced up at him lost in thought.

On the outside he was a terrifying guy. Tall, bulky frame with a permanent scowl on his face. His dark eyes and the deep scar that split his eyebrow made him appear unapproachable but you knew Frost had a heart of gold. He cared about Joker and subsequently you when he didn't have to. Frost lived up to his nickname but there was more to the guy. The writer in you could tell.

"Enough about him. I don't wanna ruin the day. Hey? What do you normally get into on your day's off?" You playfully nudged Frost's arm. The man didn't move an inch.

He was quick to reply. "Nothing."

The doors dinged open and he didn't wait up for you, he just started walking towards his truck. You were left behind to marvel at the giant vehicle that Frost expected you to climb into.

You were a short thing; even wearing heels, how did he expect you to...?

"Grab onto the sidebars and hop in. Geez.. if my daughter can do it, you can too." Frost grumbled from the driver's side.

You did as you were told with great difficulty and managed to buckle into your seatbelt. Then you ran back what Frost said.

"Daughter? Oh yeah! I remember you saying I'm stubborn just like her long ago. How is she?"

It was quiet in the cabin. You looked over at Frost finding that he was already staring at you. "What?"

His frown was deeper than normal. "Why are you asking?"

Granted no one in the gang knew about his daughter except you and Joker, it was still a shock to hear someone genuinely ask about her well-being. Frost made triple sure that no one knew about his little family of one.

But you were different. An aura surrounded you— heck it was the reason why Joker named you his Light– that just oozed out of you. You truly cared about people and you weren't going to let this go.

You rolled your eyes as Frost cranked up his truck. "Uh because I want to know how she's doing? That's why I asked. You never did mention how old she is."

Frost gave you a side eye as he drove out of the garage and onto Gotham City streets. He honestly had no idea where to take you. Joker didn't say where to go, just to come get you.

Frost waited until he was at a red light to answer your question as vaguely as possible. "I know I didn't."

You hummed and glanced out the window. It didn't take a scientist to understand that Frost's daughter was not a topic he wished to discuss but you weren't about to spend the rest of the day in absolute silence with him.

Frost was a difficult man to read. He was a man of few words and lived up to his descriptive name. You'd rather take a chance of Joker strangling you to death back at the penthouse than be stuck with his six foot something iceberg all day.

"Can I at least go shopping?" You ignored the low irritated sigh you heard from the driver. "If I had a female companion we could shop together and not bother my annoyed bodyguard on his day off."

The light turned green and you felt the truck shift gears as it moved. "No."

"Oh come on! She's fully aware of what you do so it's perfectly fine if she and I meet! Is she young? Still in school? Ooh, maybe in college? What's her major? You can at least tell me her name. C'mon Frost, give me something to work with!"

You faced him with a pout but then realized he wasn't Joker and that wouldn't work. You had no leverage with Frost. He was just as mysterious as J like two peas in a pod.

So you applied the same logic! Joker hated when you became quiet and closed yourself off.

You crossed your arms and continued looking out the passenger window in silence. It took a couple of city blocks but before long, you could see Frost glancing your way every odd minute or so.

"What're you over there thinking? Hey."

You turned your head so he couldn't see your grin. He couldn't see anything with your natural curls in the way.

Frost growled to himself as he kept driving. It had been no more than fifteen minutes since he picked you up and he was already at his wits end. No wonder Joker couldn't say no to you. You had to possess some kind of powers of coercion. There was no other explanation as to why Frost wanted to keep you happy.

"D__n you woman.." Frost said under his breath. He hoped he wouldn't regret this.

The truck veered roughly to the side as he made an illegal u-turn. Your body collided roughly into the door and you were about to give Frost a mouthful if not for his grumpy frown and death grip on the steering wheel.

You did not want two men angry at you on the same day so you sat back and let Frost drive you to who knows where.

He pulled the truck into a parking spot at a public school forty five minutes later.

You glanced around and arched an eyebrow in intrigue. He turned the truck off and made a show of pocketing the keys. Like you could drive this beast of a truck if you wanted to. You had on vintage platform heels. There was no way you were scuffing them up.

Frost faced you to sound off his rules. "Stay here. Don't get out. Don't talk to anyone. I'll be back." He ordered.

He didn't wait for your response, he just got out and stormed across the school lawn towards the entrance. And just because he was cruel, he mashed the lock button on his key fob, locking you inside.

First period wasn't over when Frost walked through the school's main entrance. Not many students were in the halls— most likely in class, but a few facility members stared at him in passing. It was hard not to.

Frost was used to the stares. He didn't necessarily blend in with the whole school aesthetic. He wasn't a PTA member or a doting father dropping off forgotten lunches.

He was a tall, burly man who screamed of trouble. It would be common sense to be wary or to call the police. His stony aura created a bubble around him and everyone kept a wide berth as he navigated the halls towards the admin office.

There was a woman seated at the front desk but shockingly she wasn't afraid when Frost walked up with a permanent frown carved on his face.

She just looked up and greeted him warmly. "Ah Mr. Myers! Did she forget her lunch this morning? I can take it to her after first period."

Ms. Tammy was always nice and never judged Frost by his appearance but rather by the way he cared for his daughter. Frost was a better father than the white collar dads on the school's chair board. He was alright in her book even if he didn't appear 'father material.'

"No. I want to pull Gen out for the day. Family emergency or whatever." Frost grumbled.

The school only allowed an allotted amount of excuses per school year, but his girl was an A+ student and never missed class. Today would actually be her first offense.

Ms. Tammy nodded and grabbed a form for him to fill out. "I understand. They deserve their days off too. Just sign that dear and I'll go fetch her for you."

Frost nodded and clicked a pen to use. Most of the fields didn't apply to him but it couldn't be left empty. He made up some passable excuse and half hardly signed his fake name on the dotted line. It only took him a minute to complete.

He was forever grateful that his daughter carried her mother's maiden name.

It was the only favor his ex managed to extend before she left without a trace. Legally, Gen wasn't tied to Frost and he preferred it that way should something bad ever happen and his enemies try and find a weakness of his.

In the meantime, he glanced around the admin office to pass the time.

The school wide bulletin board caught his eye. Nothing of importance was posted on the overly bright eyesore, but he did acknowledge the annual Father-Daughter dance that was scheduled in two month's time. He wondered if his daughter would like to attend before she got too old for the age requirement.

Probably not since she didn't want her friends knowing about her criminal dad.

Each year prior she made up an excuse to not go. Studying for a test, being too tired, etc. but Frost knew the truth. She'd be bullied and harassed if it came out he was her father.

Frost wished he could go to school events and be more proactive in her academics. He never missed recitals or science fairs but he was forced to watch from the shadows and not be seen as the supportive father he was.

It was the only drawback of his profession. Frost wasn't allowed to be normal, not even around his own child. Either way, he ripped a flyer off the board and shoved it into his pocket to bring up later.

He was brought out of his musing by Ms. Tammy returning into the office with a student in tow.

Frost's cold facade cracked at the sight of his daughter. She was the only thing in this life that could get a reaction out of him.

"Omg dad what's wrong? Ms.T said there was an emergency!"

Ms. Tammy giggled and returned to her post behind the desk. She noticed the dismissal form and tucked it into an organizer bin for later.

"Have a good day you two!" She waved them goodbye and resumed her work.

Frost said nothing as he nodded at his daughter to walk out the office. She rolled her eyes at her father's lack of response. It wasn't uncommon, he always explained things in private.

He made sure no one was watching as the both of them walked out the school and out to the parking lot. Gen was heading towards the front seat when Frost finally spoke up. "Get in the back." He urged.

"What, why? I always ride shotgun. Ooh! Does this mean I can drive today then?" She grinned in delight.

"No."

Gen pouted but hauled herself up to open the backdoor. One of these days dad was gonna say yes.

She froze the moment she saw someone in the passenger seat and her gasp made you turn around in shock.  

You were jamming out to music playing from your phone when they came back. Your coloured eyes clashed with her brown ones. Frost watched the staring contest unfold with a sigh. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. You were the first to break the rift.

"SHE IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! ARE YOU SURE SHE'S YOURS?" You asked Frost.

He took offense to your question even if the resemblance was non-existent. It wasn't the first time someone questioned if his daughter was his and it wouldn't be the last.

"What the f__k is that supposed to mean?" He argued. You sucked your teeth and eyed the young girl again.

"Well..." You were going to state the obvious until the teenager in the backseat finally got over her shock and spoke up.

".... Dad. Who's this?"

Frost stared at the two females in his truck. It was best to get this over with. He sighed and turned to face the backseat a little better.

"Y/n, this is my daughter Genesis. Gen this is..." Frost stalled and the two of you looked at him, patiently waiting for an explanation.

You knew what Frost wanted to say and shot a nervous glance at his daughter. Genesis looked about seventeen yet wise beyond her years to know the truth. There was an uneasy gleam in her eye and you didn't want her thinking ill of you or her father. So you quickly came to Frost's defense.

He wasn't one to communicate delicate topics like this anyways. 

"I'm his Boss's partner. It's nice to meet you!" You smiled at Gen and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh bet. I thought you were f__king my dad. You are way too pretty for him." She turned to fasten her seatbelt and didn't notice her father's reaction. He was catching strays left and right today.

"Again. What the f__k is that supposed to mean?" He asked no one in particular.

"Nothing dad it's just.. I mean. Like you're an attractive guy..."

You noticed her struggling and added in your input. "8 of 10 would smash." You nodded. Frost looked at you in horror. Then you realized what you just confessed. "Oh God. Please don't tell him that."

"Do I look like I want to be murdered with a vegetable peeler?" The truck got awkward real quick as everyone imagined Joker killing someone with such a common kitchen tool. It was doable..

Genesis coughed. "Anyways.. I'm just glad there's nothing going on between the two of you but it doesn't explain why you pulled me from school today."

You raised your manicured hand. "Guilty! I wanted a shopping partner for the day!"

The truck was silent for a long stretch of time before Genesis turned to her dad with a serious expression. "Dad, is she like his bimbo or... what?"

Frost huffed and it was the closest thing to a laugh you ever heard from him. You were sitting next to a stranger right now. Frost never smiled. Ever. Much less laughed at something that was said.

You were seeing him with brand new eyes. It was refreshing to know his frosty exterior could melt to a normal human being underneath.

The comment was a bit funny since Frost thought the same thing about you the first time Joker invited him to your apartment.

Surrounded by luxury and on the top floor no less, Frost thought that you were just a run of the mill bimbo that Joker was taking advantage of. He'd seen you from your tv appearances. You were just a waft of a girl, always dressed up in pretty things– batting your long lashes and drawing silly hearts next to your signatures.

If Frost went by appearances only he would have labeled you a bimbo and kept it moving.

Frost was ready to kill you off the second Joker snapped his fingers but then you showed your true colors and captured everyone under your spell.

Whether he admitted it or not, Joker fell in love with you and Frost hadn't seen his old companion this happy in decades. You unlocked something good within Joker and as a result, you earned respect in Frost's book.

He'd do anything to keep you safe and happy so you could continue to shine a light on Joker.

You were a perfect match for the Clown Prince of Crime even if you acted like an airhead sometimes. It was a part of your character; however, you were educated behind your designer threads and jewels.

Frost had to give you some credit. 

"No. Y/n is actually a Gotham City's best selling author. She wrote that novel you like. The one with the archer I think." He cranked up the truck.

They wasted too much time chatting. It was time to go. Gen's jaw dropped and she leaned over the console to stare at you more closely. How could she be so dense not to notice you?!

"Wait? You're that Y/n?! Omg, WHB was such a page tuner! And like Hunter is so hawt! Like, chase me in the woods anytime papi, hot! Ugh and that cabin scene when he—" She glanced at her father distracted by driving before stage-whispering to you.  

"The smut was immaculate." She giggled into your ear.

You burst out laughing and had to cover your mouth when Frost sent you an annoyed glare.

He drowned out the sound of you two gossiping to focus on the road. He only interrupted the 'juicy' book discussion to ask what store you wanted to go to first.

He already knew your favorites from previous trips and from his time on security detail, yet you surprised him by picking one of Genesis' favorites.

Frost glanced through the rearview mirror at Gen. She was none the wiser given that she was too busy smiling and getting along with you. It was as if the two of you were lifelong friends catching up on old times.

Frost assumed you two would click since the age difference was less than ten years.

He just was happy that his girl had someone to talk to, at least for the day. Genesis didn't bring home any friends (for obvious reasons) nor did she talk about any. If she didn't excel in her academics, Frost would've been concerned. It was only natural for a father to be worried about their daughter's social growth. He didn't want his occupation to stunt Genesis' upbringing.

Frost was turning into a parking space in the mall's parking lot when he heard your probing question.

"Genesis, is there any special occasion coming up you wanna shop for?" Your kind smile was gentle and patient, knowing the teenager was hesitant to answer. You were her age before, you knew why.

"Well um..."

"Come on, 'Sis, don't be shy! It's just you and me and the grumpy chaperone pretending not to listen." You turned to glare at Frost. "Can you not?"

He narrowed his brown eyes and tried not to bare his teeth at you. He knew that tone. You wanted him out of the picture.

Like that was happening. He honestly didn't like having you out at such a public place. This was gonna make his job all the more harder trying to protect you and his little girl but it wouldn't be impossible.

He thought you would know the rules by now, "Boss's orders. You don't leave my sight."

"Frost, we will be fine. If I feel like I'm in danger, I'll scream. Go.. I dunno, check out some knives or whatever men do at malls." You snickered and Genesis joined in from the backseat.

She didn't understand why you needed security but that due to her being in the dark regarding Joker's gang. She knew her dad was a criminal, the worst of the worst, but he was still her father in her eyes. The level of danger you could be in went right over her head.

Knowing that her dad was technically on the clock right now was a hard concept to grasp. She glanced at him, noticing his guarded glare and sharp eyes already scanning the area as everyone got out the truck.

It was cool to see him in his element of sorts.

Although she felt wholly underdressed in her jeans, graphic tee, and chucks standing next to you.

You looked like a dark skinned doll wearing a light colored pleated skirt that fluttered in the wind. Your ensemble was preppy chic teetering on Lolita and it didn't help that your hair tumbled down your back just like a doll. She admired your soft aesthetic with your winged collar, lace bow ties, and pearl accessories.

Everything just worked perfectly to create an adorable outfit.

You adjusted your cardigan better and checked your lip gloss in the truck's back window. Your naïve humming floated in the air.

Both Frost and Gen looked on in a mixture of intrigue and exasperation.

"You look fine. Let's go." Frost grumbled.

He averted his eyes from your adorable pout. He was not Joker, he would not crack under your charm. Frost did crack a smile when you and Genesis walked into the mall linking arms like two high schoolers.

With your dumb outfit and short stature, at least you looked the part.

He didn't let the two of you out of his sight but he took your disapproving glare as a sign to back off some. People were beginning to stare at the scary looking guy following two girls around.

Frost became a shadow as you and Genesis filtered around the mall, ooh and ahhing at every little thing that caught your eye. He lost count how much of Joker's money you blew through. Quite frankly Frost didn't care. His job was to hold the bags that the two of you couldn't carry and keep you safe.

Frost wasn't too upset about his current degrading role.

Genesis' happiness was his only concern and today he got to see a rare smile brighten her face. She was laughing and having fun like someone her age should. She needed female bonding time and you were definitely making up for years of neglect.

He lost sight of the two of you during his musing and quickly went into a calm but panic induced mode.

You watched Frost rush the opposite way of where you and Genesis were currently hiding.

"Um. I don't think this is a good idea.. Dad said to stay in his line of sight." Genesis' brown eyes shifted down to the potted plant she hid behind. You waited until Frost was long gone before standing up and brushing off your pleated skirt.

"It'll be fine 'Sis! I remember when I was your age. Sneaking off at the mall to shop at specific stores was virtually impossible with my parents around. Now! Are you going to that Father-Daughter dance your school is having?"

Gen quickly grew defensive, "How did you know about that?" She hadn't mentioned it in conversation but you waved off her concern.

"Your dad sucks at hiding things. I saw the flyer when he got in the truck. It's formal attire so you need a jaw dropping dress that he totally won't approve of but will make all the girls in your class jealous! I know just the store too."

Your e/c gleamed under the mall's bright lights. It had been a while since you got to dress someone up. Gen's hesitant hum though made you pause.

"Well actually I don't wanna make her jealous. M-More like I wanna impress her, like really impress her.." Genesis winced at your stupefied look. She honestly didn't expect you to understand.

It took you a few seconds to process her statement.

"Oh." You said. "Okay, that changes things. You need something eye catching, I gotcha! Same store so let's–"

You were about to walk off when Genesis grabbed your arm, stopping you in your tracks. She was still rather bashful yet somewhat hopeful when she met your eye.

"Woah wait a min, Y/n! Don't think that's like... weird? I just said I wanted to impress a girl? Not a guy." Her hand fell from your arm as she picked at her nails. It was a nervous habit she was trying to grow out of.

One you filed away for later. Your heels clicked sharply on the mall's linoleum floor and your mess of curls fell off your shoulder when you tilted your head in confusion.

"And? Genesis. I'm dating a psychopath who frequently dresses up in a nurse outfit, wig and all. I'm in no position to judge your preference for a partner." You laughed but quickly frowned when Gen groaned in frustration.

"No no no! That's the thing!! I read your trilogy and I'm attracted to Hunter. Strong, dominant, alpha guys are hot but I also like how Jordan makes me feel. She's... ugh. You remind me a lot of her. Bubbly, confident, always wearing pretty outfits like she's going to GC fashion week and not English 1 at eight o'clock in the morning. She's so pretty and I probably don't stand a chance but I wanna try!"

You eyed Genesis differently as she stood before you coming out yet still unsure of herself. Your lips parted to speak but she cut you off, going on another nervous rant.

"I'm just so afraid and not about asking her out but of what my dad will say! Like, I'm his perfect girl! I get perfect grades, I don't get into trouble, and I'm home before the street lights come on! I already have pending scholarships! Y/n, what if he doesn't approve?" Gen switched to picking at her lips.

Your heart went out to her but you still didn't see the problem. You playful scoffed and replied.

"Again, Genesis. Your dad works for that same psychopath who dresses up as a nurse. Frost has seen plenty of things in his line of business. I don't think he'll judge you. And guess what? It's your choice so if he shockingly disapproves, then tell him to shove it and move in with me. Now.. I think... blue is your color. I feel a rich indigo would bring out your melanin and I'm here for it. That is, if you want to wear a dress? I honestly don't wanna assume again."

You sent Genesis a sympathetic smile but jumped when she tackled you in a hug.

You almost lost your balance since the girl was taller than you even in heels. Just what were they feeding kids these days..

She sang out a string of thank yous and rocked you in her arms. You patted her on the back and wheezed out a 'can't breathe.'

"Sorry." Gen let you go. She watched your lashes flutter as you caught your breath. "Yeah, umm. I haven't worn a dress in ages. C-Can you help me find one?"

She regretted asking the moment she saw your eyes light up like fireworks. Shopping with you was both fun and exhausting.

The scolding the both of you received once Frost found you exiting a high end lingerie store was epic. Frost literally had steam coming out his ear, he was so furious.

"I thought since you're an adult you would have some common sense Y/n! I told you not to leave my sight and the two of you wandered off for two hours! F__k you're a terrible influence. If something had happened, not only would he kill me, he'd kill Gen for being involved. Is that what you want? Murder all around?"

Genesis felt awful but wisely hid her racy purchases behind her back until her dad was in a better mood.

She hated when he was angry but she had no dog in this fight. She told you it was a bad idea to shake off dad's surveillance.

You on the other hand were used to being yelled at. Joker gave you plenty of practice.

You simply rolled your eyes. "Frost stop overreacting. Nothing happened so don't dwell on the past. We got far more shopping done with you not slowing us down. Anyhoo we're done here and.." You glanced down at your phone vibrating in your purse.

It was a string of text messages from J beginning with an apology along with questionable promises on how he could make up for his mistakes.

You did not want him killing a prominent political member in your name. You did consider his offer on buying you a pig. They were cute!

"I'm needed back home. Can you drop me off?" You asked Frost. His right eye was twitching.

You gave him headaches. He strangled the air in front of you, "I don't get paid enough for this." He growled.

You waved goodbye to Genesis as you walked into your apartment building an hour later. Two workers followed behind you carrying your many shopping bags.

Gen crawled into the front seat as Frost shifted gears to leave. It was a long day and he just wanted to go home and relax after babysitting you.

"H-Hey dad. Can I ask you something?" Gen asked. His soft hum was the only acknowledgment she would receive.

"Do you know that Father-Daughter dance at school– the one we never go to each year? Well, I've been thinking.. I kinda wanna go this year."

She snuck a glance over the console but Frost was still focused on traffic. He didn't show any signs of listening but still, she continued.

"I know its kinda last minute being its like in two months away and your... boss? Master? He who shall not be named? Whatever you call him, he doesn't like last minute requests but I wanna go. Can we?"

Frost sighed as the truck idled at a red light.

It was then he glanced over at his little girl. He was so lucky to have her. Genesis didn't look anything like him and he was forever grateful. He didn't want to curse her with his shortcomings because her beauty was so refined.

Genesis was all aristocratic lines and sharp features, perfectly balanced by her mother's warm complexion and hooded eyes. Gen had the face of ancient statues with deep rooted secrets evident in her full upturned lips and mirth forever shining in her dark brown eyes.

Frost often thought back to the day Joker named his daughter. The psychotic clown snuck into the labor and delivery floor to claim his end of the deal.

Frost stalled as long as he could when the nurses asked what to name his child and they found it odd that the mother didn't offer any input. The birth certificate was left blank until the middle of the night for J to come fill.

His green eyes were unreadable as he glared at the bouncy baby girl wide awake, waiting for him.

Frost was beyond terrified when Joker picked up his unnamed girl but shockingly the clown held her right and entered a staring contest with the infant.

Not once did she cry and much to Frost's horror, she smirked at Joker as if she knew something he didn't.

"Genesis." J mumbled.

"What?" Frost probably heard that wrong. Was that the name Joker had picked?!

Frost was expecting something stupid like initials that spelled out TNT or a play on words like, Dianamite. Joker was full of surprises after all. One couldn't be too sure.

Joker purred as he tickled Gen's cheek with his makeup stained hands. She cooed back and tried wiggling out her swaddle wrap to interact with this strange looking man.

"She's the ahh, beginning, to something greaT, Frosty. It's up ta her to figure out what."

And so Genesis was named.

Times like this Frost could see why Joker picked it. She was confident in her decision as if she already foreseen the outcome. Once she arrived at the dance with her father, it would open up a can of worms and questions, but she was ready to tackle them head on.

He couldn't be more proud.

Frost nodded sagely. "Hm, Good thing I bought a tux already. Y/n said to make sure it coordinated with something blue."

Genesis blinked before bursting out laughing. Of course you planned this.

She wouldn't expect anything else from a remarkable woman like you. You unknowingly brought her closer to her father in just one day. And tomorrow Gen would have the strength to come out to him.

"Yeah. Blue is perfect, dad."

#thanks anon! #thanks for the ask! #ledger joker x reader #joker x y/n #black!fem!reader #ledger joker #dark knight joker #joker x reader #reader insert #heath joker #i love frost too much #cross posted on wattpad #father daughter bonding #cross posted on ao3 #his lighthouse

[remcycl333]

rem how do u build faith

honestly i think the best way to build faith is just trying to apply the law even if you don't think it'll work or that not you're doing it right. when i first started i'd get sooo scared i wasn't doing it correctly but i'd just force myself to continue trying instead of giving up. in moments like this when id be like "what if it doesn't work? what if im doing it wrong?" i'd just calmly talk to myself and be like "but what if it does? i've seen proof of the law from others, there's no way every single one of the THOUSANDS of success stories ive seen are fake. what's the harm of TRYING?" it's important to note that having doubts is not the end of the world!!! it's not gonna mess everything up! you don't have to "start over"! in moments like these you can also just talk to yourself and be like "what am i talking about? i already have my desire? there's nothing to worry about anymore! i already did it!"

it's kind of similar to what i talked about in this post of mine, about how you don't have to be perfect at first. the more you apply the law, the more and more "natural" and easier it will feel to you. like when i started, saying an affirmation or imagining myself with my desire felt soo weird to me. but i just kept doing it even tho it felt unnatural and soon enough it start feeling as natural as breathing to me! if the first few days are hard for you, just keep persevering and with each day that goes by, it will get easier and easier and you will trust yourself and the process even more!

also when i first learned about manifesting, i loved looking back at stuff and seeing how i had unconsciously manifested them. like i remember one time i was crying and wrote in my journal about how my bf and i were prob gonna break up and then five days later he broke up with me. and looking back i was like damn i scripted before i even knew what scripting or manifesting was!

ALSO, don't over consume but i loved going back and re-reading some of my fav posts abt manifesting, it'd get me so excited abt the law and feel so confident about it. even now i do that, like i just re-read my dismissing the 3d post the other day and it made me feel so happy and excited bc i really love the law!!!

+everyone i see usually recommends manifesting "small" things in order to build faith. things that feel more believable to you, such as having someone say something specific to you or getting free food, etc!

i hope this helps!

#asks

[evertidings]

Hey! I loooooove your game. So much. Nikolas is my comfort character for sure 😭 I did have a question too! I was wondering how you went about writing the branches of your story. I'm writing an IF of my own and reading your updates it seems like we have a similar method of NOT sticking to our plans (lol). Atm I find myself constantly pinballing around to build up each branch at the same time and I was wondering how effective that method actually is. And I do it straight in the Notepad++ app which feels like it's maybe the wrong way to go about it? I'm sorry if you've been asked this before! I've only been on tumblr for a short while

hmm. well obviously we all have our different methods and whatnot so what might work for me might not for you, but this is my rule of thumb when it comes to branches.

start off with a mindmap/tree diagram

if you're a visual person like me, creating some sort of diagram for how your chapter will go is a lifesaver. i find that this allows you to see how complicated your branches become and how to rein them in before they get too out of hand (more on that later).

know how the branches will end and reroute to the main story

this one pairs well with the mindmap suggestion. the point is here not to get so lost that you don't know how to find your way out, so to say. if you know how your branch will be initiated, make sure you also know how it'll end. i tend to have all my branches end similarly (characters saying goodbye, leaving a certain location) to make it easier to transition to the next scene.

make sure all your branches convey the same information

this one's a little contradictory. if you're rewarding readers by choosing a specific branch, this doesn't apply. i'm talking about the smaller bits that are easier to get lost. you don't want to randomly mention that a character is in the hospital in one branch, for example, and not in another. you'll confuse the hell out of your audience. the general idea here is that if you're telling your reader something that will be relevant in the shared common text later, make sure you're putting it on all branches.

make sure your branch has a goal

if you're going to take anything from this post, let it be this. and when i mean goal, i don't mean conveying information. every plot point in your story should have some sort of purpose to it, whether it be to progress the plot, develop the relationship between the mc and ro or add depth to a character. branches are no different. don't be making branches for the sake of making branches. which leads to...

don't overcomplicate it

this one's self-explanatory, i think. the possibilities with if are endless and with branches, it's easy to get carried away. i'd advise from things like branches within branches until you get more comfortable with how the process. remember, writing an if may feel similar to a linear novel, but it's not. don't overwhelm yourself.

i hope this helps ! <333

#ask #advice

[theharddeck]

out of the blue, clear sky (chapter one) // Jake Seresin x Reader

Pairing: hangman x fem!reader (no y/n)

Synopsis: what's a bit of state rivalry between pilots? You and Hangman see each other in a new light after a late night at a dive bar, and this started as a one shot, then suddenly it was 2k words of country karaoke, and now I want to write a fluffy love story

Warnings: 18+, minors please DNI -- this is a 5 chapter deal and this one is pretty PG, but it'll ratchet up to E in a later chapter, and I don't want to mislead anyone. In the interim, there's swearing, but yeah mostly flagging this because something smutty this way comes

Length: 3.2k

A/N: This is self-indulgent to the max, and payoff is late in coming, but I hope y’all enjoy it lol. I regret to inform you that Sold (The Grundy Country Auction Incident) is required listening before reading; it’s just important to note that it’s a fun/funny song, not a sultry one. Jake’s song is “Carried Away” by George Strait, also a delight, but that one is sweet.

tagging the usuals: @peakyrogers@winterrebel04 @blue-aconite and the folks who convinced me to post: @bioodforbiood @et-homephone

chapter one / chapter two / chapter three / chapter four / chapter five

Should you have been out this late, the night before you had drills in this morning? No.

Should you be taking anything anyone said at this hour seriously? No. 

Should you be taking anything anyone said at this hour seriously? No. 

Were you all still going to be defensive when Bradley decided to be coastal elitist about something? Absolutely, yes.

“Man, we were having such a good night,” Fanboy muttered, as you, Bob, and Hangman were immediately up in arms.  

“You can just say you don’t like when women have feelings, Bradford,” you said. (A grossly reductive accusation, to be sure, but if Rooster was going to generalize, you weren’t going to take the high road.)

Coyote snorted, taking another pull of his beer as Phoenix came back to the table, kicking her feet up on Bob’s lap.

“God, that felt good,” she sighed, holding out a hand and waiting for someone to put a drink into it. “Who’s next?” 

“Presumably Hangman,” Bob said, handing her a glass, “to redeem the genre of country music.”

“Nah, I don’t sing,” Jake waved a hand airily, and you knew better than to look at him, but you did anyways. 

Normally, you were sober enough to ignore any sorts of feelings that fluttered, unprovoked, in your stomach when you looked at Jake Seresin. He was a pilot like you, you were in the same detachment, it wasn’t going to be something you acted on, you were far from his type anyways…you had a million little rationalizations as to why a crush was impractical, but it persisted nonetheless. 

Crushes were inconvenient like that.

This deep into the night, “normally” did not apply. 

So you looked at him, sternly reminding yourself to not do anything so dramatic as let your breath catch, or pulse leap. 

He didn’t seem nearly as deep in his cups as the rest of the group.

No, of course, he and Phoenix seemed to be the only ones whose eyes were still clear and faces weren’t flushed. In fact, he had the audacity to look as unfairly attractive as he did in the daytime in his uniform, even though you’d all been awake for close to twenty hours now. His blonde hair was mussed, and looked softer than normal, like he’d carded his fingers through it enough that any styling products had relinquished their hold, and it was a damn good look. 

You frowned down at your drink, the deep umber liquid not seeming any lower, though you’d been nursing it for half an hour. 

“It’s okay,” you said, to distract yourself, more than anything. “Texas doesn’t really count as Country, anyways.”

Mickey tittered, and you felt Jake’s eyes on you, but didn’t trust yourself to look up to meet them.

“Damn straight,” Jake huffed. “Texas was actually–”

“Its own country,” Reuben interrupted, longsuffering.

“For seven whole years,” Bradley continued, “an independent nation all of their own, called…”

“The Republic of Texas,” Javy lifted his glass. “And they were called Texians, actually, not Texans.”

The three of them clinked their glasses together in a cheers, and Jake held up his hands.

“Okay, okay,” he shrugged, nonplussed. “So, I’ve got a lot of state pride, sue me.”

“That’s okay,” Phoenix said, before winking almost imperceptibly at you. “Not like there’s any good country artists from Texas.”

Jake froze. “Okay, now, hang on–”

“Ah, you’re right,” you sighed, grateful for distraction of goading Hangman into singing. “Beyonce took all the musical talent, regardless of genre, and there’s no one left.”

Jake set his bottle down on the table. “That’s bold, coming from someone from Kentucky.”

“I can’t hear you over the sound of Kentucky-born legend Loretta Lynn,” you said calmly.

Jake sputtered. “Loretta–”

“Patty Loveless, too,” Bob said helpfully, and you didn’t know how he knew that, but you were grateful for the WSO’s encyclopedic memory. “And Chris Stapleton, if modern’s your thing.”

Jake gaped at the two of you, then held up a hand to count on his fingers. “Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, George Strait–”

“Who?” you interrupted, innocently. Your dad had a George Strait cassette he’d played until the tape wore out, but Jake’s eyes widened almost comically. 

“Please,” he asked, in the most serious tone you’d heard from him all night, “please, tell me you’re joking.” 

Behind him, Reuben had a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh, and you managed to keep your expression wide-eyed and blank, shrugging lightly. 

Jake stared at you for a long moment, then he stood up, sharply.

“Cretins,” Jake declared, pointing at you, then around at the group. “All of you!”

And he huffed his way up to the stage. 

Phoenix leaned back in her chair to hold out her hand to you, palm up, which you high fived unashamedly as Jake aggressively flipped through the song book. 

He punched a code into the machine on the edge of the stage, then dragged a stool to the middle of the stage.

“Evening, everyone,” he said into a mic, and you rolled your eyes as every female spine in the bar straightened, looking towards the stage. It wasn’t lost on you that he’d turned his accent up, as well as donning an air of “aw, shucks,” humility as he settled onto the barstool.

A couple cat calls echoed around the bar, as contemplative guitar strings plucked over the sound system. 

“Notttt what I was expecting,” Coyote said under his breath, and Hangman cleared his throat before he started singing.

“I don’t take my whisky to extremes,” Jake sang, looking pointedly at the group of you, with the near empty bottle on the table, and Rooster flipped him off. “I don’t believe in chasing crazy dreams…”

As his voice ran around the bar, tables fell quiet, turning back to the stage. Hangman’s voice, normally more callous than decadent, seemed softer, and the simple lyrics of the song rang like a promise.

“My feet are planted firmly on the ground,” Jake crooned, and that really was the only word for it, an effortless spell none of you had been expecting, “but darlin’, when you come around…”

“Well shit,” Fanboy muttered to the group as Jake went all-in on the chorus, “how are we supposed to make fun of him when he’s actually good?”

Shit indeed.

Because he sounded like someone sweet who would promise forever to a girl on the way back from a Friday Night football game, someone who'd give you their jacket and get you home by 9pm. Some sound tech was conspiring against you, because they dimmed the lights in the bar, a soft spotlight falling onto Jake. And he should’ve looked worse like that, in the dramatic lighting, but it made his jaw seem sharper, his eyes brighter, and if you listened closely, you could hear the sound of every woman in this bar falling a little in love. 

They cheered when he finished the chorus, and Hangman was eating it up, wiping his palms on his jeans, and pushing to his feet.

“This has backfired,” Phoenix mumbled, when Jake hopped off the stage, weaving his way through the tables, starting on the next verse.

“We have created a monster,” you agreed.

“No ‘we’ about it,” Javy muttered. “This is all you guys.”

And you supposed it was. 

Jake was making his way over to your table, and you steeled yourself for his arrogance, but were still unprepared.

He smirked as he siddled over to Phoenix, and she rolled her eyes but when he held out a hand, she extended hers, and the rest of the audience squealed when he brushed a kiss over the edges of her knuckles.

You winced internally, why did he have to be so handsome?? He got away with stuff like this, and you couldn’t even be mad at him–

He turned to you.

It had to be the whisky, that’s why you felt the weight of his eyes so heavily. The green of them glittered in the spotlight, and a part of you was loyally muttering “asshole” but another part of you felt like giggling with the rest of the bar.

And then he walked towards you. 

“I get carried away by the look, by the light in your eyes,” he sang, holding eye contact in a way that had to be indecent. You needed to look away so you could remember how to breathe, but you couldn’t back down, so you tilted your head and raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed.

Which, of course, he took as a challenge.

“Before I even realize the ride I’m on, baby, I’m long gone,” Jake sang, stepping closer. 

He reached for your hand, and if Phoenix could do it, you could too–but he didn’t kiss your hand. No, he lifted it, prompting you to stand and spinning you, like prom. The spotlight had followed him, and you felt it brightening the air around you as he pulled you into it. 

“I get carried away, nothing matters, but being with you,” he sang, and instead of letting you wilt back into your seat and out of the light, he dropped your hand around the back of his neck, between the ends of his hair and the top of his shirt, eyes smirking with the challenge, as he continued. “Like a feather flying high up in the sky, on a windy day, I get carried away.”

There was more of the song, you knew that.

But in another, very real sense, you were closer to Hangman than you ever remembered being, close enough to notice his green eyes had flecks of gold in them, and that he had the smallest indentations in the skin along the edges of his eyes, from where his face held the memory of past smiles. And now you knew what his hair felt like between your fingers, and that it wasn’t cologne, he just smelled good.

“I get carried away,” Jake repeated, stepping just a step closer to you, and maybe it made you a coward, but you took a step back. He smirked, victorious, and turned, letting your hand fall back to your side as the spotlight followed him back up to the stage.

Mickey opened his mouth and you glared at him. “Not a word, Fanboy.”

He closed his mouth with a snap, but the rest of the group looked entirely too amused for your comfort. 

“Thank you, ladies and gents,” Jake was saying on the stage, dropping into a deep bow and putting the microphone back. “And, uh, Kentucky?”

You looked up at the stage, annoyed to find Jake’s eyes already on you, even through the glare of the spotlight. 

“Would love,” he grinned, all teeth, “to see you top that.”

You heard Rooster chuckle, and that, more than anything, had you pushing out of your chair up to the stage. 

Jake offered you a hand as you got closer, to help you up the steps and you glowered at him as you took it.

“Thanks, darlin’,” you muttered.

“Anytime, sugar,” he shot back, and you hated that his voice sounded way more unaffected than yours. 

You were flipping through the songbook before you realized how impossible this was about to be. 

Natasha had already trotted out the ‘fuck all men’ Carrie Underwood play, and Jake had taken the soft and sweet option; you had to do something different. Something in the ‘Chicken Fried’ vein would be funny, but it would also prove Bradley's point; Gretchen Wilson would do the trick, but she wasn’t from Kentucky… 

Your eyes fell on a John Michael Montgomery song and you smiled to yourself. 

Perfect.

“Hiya, folks,” you said cheerily, going for cutesy rather than borrowing Jake’s bashful routine. A couple girls were glaring at you, having seen Jake serenade you and misinterpreting that familiarity, but you ignored them. 

“You’ve got this, babe!” Phoenix called, and you heard Payback and Fanboy clapping loudly. 

You gave them a mock curtsy, and waited for the song to pick up. 

And boy howdy, did it. 

A banjo, loud and proud, curled through the bar and Bob’s eyes lit up, even as Jake’s jaw dropped.

If you could land this, it would be epic. 

You heard recognition ripple through the room and someone in the front row started clapping along to the beat. You smiled at them gratefully as the fast tempo whirled around you.

“Well, I went down to the Grundy county auction,” you sang, at an auctioneer’s pace, hopping off the stage and wandering through the crowd like Jake had, “where I saw something I just had to have.”

You’d upped your accent too, and it wasn’t smooth the way Jake’s was, but you knew it didn’t sound half bad in the tenor key. 

“My mind told me I should proceed with caution,” you sang, getting closer to your table, and holding out a hand to Natasha, like Jake had, “but my heart said go ahead and place a bid on that.”

She stood, highly amused, and you twirled her into you so her back was pressed against the front of your body. Her hand slid up your legs as she put on a show, loyal like you knew she would be, and you could focus on the rapid fire lyrics as the bar cheered for Nat’s dancing skills. 

"And I said, “Hey pretty lady, won't you give me a sign? I'd give anything to make you mine o' mine; I'll do your biddin' and be at your beck and call."

Natasha was laughing, you could feel her upper body shaking but she rolled her hips and you went with her and was Coyote miming throwing money at the two of you, so you leaned into it. 

You finished the chorus in a rush, people whooped, the sultry mood Jake had said absolutely decimated by the ridiculous patter.

You spun Phoenix back out and she sank gracefully back into a seat as you walked around the group of your friends, their boots stomping supportively. As you sang the next verse, you avoided looking at Jake, knowing you needed to keep your momentum and circling back to kneel in front of Bob dramatically. 

The sweet WSO blushed at the attention, and the bar whooped when you crooked a finger under his chin to tilt his face up to you, before pointing out his ‘ruby red lips, blonde hair, blue eyes’ that matched the line in chorus. 

“If you know it, sing along,” you yelled into the mic before pointing it to the ceiling as you weaved your way back to the stage, relieved beyond belief when the rest of the inebriated crowd joined you in singing the last chorus.

It was a mercy, because you needed to breathe. 

You stepped back up onto the stage, having caught your breath, and ending the song on a yodel that had everyone laughing. Were they in love with you—no. But they seemed entertained, and you’d take that; you bowed deeply as the bar cheered, blowing a smug kiss at Hangman when you came back up.  

Which was a mistake.

Because the look on his face was something you hadn’t expected to see, an expression that wavered between respect and something you didn’t recognize, and you weren’t prepared to find out. A moment later, it was gone, chased away by a dimpled smile and the tipping of an imaginary hat as Jake broke his gaze away from you. 

What the hell was that? 

You fiddled with the mic, stepping down off the stage and nodding to a couple folks who lifted their drinks as you made your way back to the group. They cheered for you good naturedly, and gave another curtsy as you found your seat. 

“Who knew she had pipes?” Payback teased, uncapping a fresh beer and passing it to you. 

“Anything for the virtue of the Bluegrass state,” you demured, taking the beer gratefully. 

Someone from another group was up on the stage, you heard a phone ring distantly, and the normal din of the bar creeped back in as the adrenaline seeped out of your system. 

You were sure you were all going to regret this, in the morning. 

Well, most of you.

Natasha still looked fine and Jake…

Jake wasn’t at the table. 

You frowned slightly, trying to keep your expression neutral as you leaned forward in your seat, looking around the room to find the Texan. He wasn’t in your row, he wasn’t at the bar getting an order…

Your eyes found him by the bar’s entrance, holding his phone to his head with one hand, the other blocking his ear. He was pacing, and when he turned back towards the group of you, his forehead was wrinkled in an uncharacteristic frown. 

His eyes met yours.

For the second time tonight, you read something in his face that you knew you hadn’t been meant to see.

Jake’s jaw tightened and he turned away, pacing again. When he got closer to the door, he reached for it, but a moment later, his hand was back by his ear, blocking out sound as he listened intently. You saw him start for the door again, but each time needed to pull back to listen more closely to whoever was on the other end of the line.

You didn’t plan to head towards him, but your feet had you halfway across the bar before you realized you weren’t in your row. As you got closer, you could feel the tension radiating off of him in waves, even if you couldn’t hear what he was saying. 

When you opened the door for him, Jake’s gaze felt searching. 

You held the heavy door, pressing yourself against the wall of the bar so Jake could go by. As he edged by you, his eyes flitted back to yours briefly. 

“Thank you,” he mouthed, and he waited for your chin to dip in a nod of acknowledgement before he was turning, jogging towards his truck. You watched him struggle with his keys in the dim parking lot light, and then pinch the bridge of his nose as he realized he couldn’t drive, not like this. He turned towards the intersection, waving as a cab came into view. 

“What was that about?”

You jumped at the question, surprised to find Bob standing next to you.

“I don’t know,” you said, uncertainly. A cab pulled up to the curb and Jake folded his long body into it, the phone still pressed to his ear.

You realized Bob was holding the door for you, having quietly leaned up against it to take some of the weight so you didn’t have to.  

“We should probably head back, right?” you asked, and Bob nodded, slowly.

“Early morning, all that,” he agreed.

You drew in a quick breath, before smiling automatically, following Bob back inside. As you gathered your things, closed at your portion of the tab, and fielded compliments from strangers, you weren’t certain if it was the night air or the expression on Hangman’s face as he’d left so quickly that had you feeling suddenly sober.

Chapter Two

#jake hangman seresin x you #jake hangman seresin #hangman x reader #hangman x you #jake hangman seresin x reader #as always my tag list is v small so if you want to be on/off it lmk #how are we feeling about a chapter fic??? never posted on here instead of ao3 #so that's nervewracking #ahhhh pls tell me if you like it haha #misskielwrites

[asktheisle]

A Little Later...

Took you a couple of universes, but you did yes. I don't hold it against you anymore, that was far too long ago.

... still, I would pay many precious gems to see the serpent rip that man apart. Knowing Quetzal, he would do it for free!

[Thalassa laughed to the thought, a little too hard. Once she recovered she turned her attention to the two young 'rais in the cave.]

Certainly explains a lot.

Either way, I'll seal the stone with a sort of... coat? With a mixture of these two things here. If Quetzal can figure out how to recharge the stone, then this should help keep the stone stable for a long time.

Once the coat's applied and left to dry a bit, it'll need to be tempered and polished.

((mod note under the read more))

Referring back to that one post I made in July- if Azira seems familiar to you then you'd be right. However like I said in that post, she's now in my hands.

I don't plan for her to be askable but she'll be appearing more often as things go along

#pokeask #pokeaskblog #ati #ati: thalassa #ati: phobos #ati: olokun #ati: azira #plot #ati: thaumaturgy

[rising-volteccers]

Hello there! I've been going through your blog and reading your posts. I've seen in a bunch of them how you mention that you see Friede having undiagnosed ADHD. Do you have headcanons about it? Thank you and have a nice day!

Heya! Thank you so much for going through my blog! You have no idea how excited I was to get this ask! I've been pretty open about my personal interpretation of him so to see an interest about it makes me happy! I will preface this by saying that once again, this is based entirely on my personal interpretation and my own experience being a (highly likely) undiagnosed ADHD-haver myself cause what better way to cope than inject it into your favs yeah?

That being said, here are my headcanons about it!

Friede's working memory is poor. Unless it's tied to something he's interested in, it's very easy for him to forget things. It's a genuine cause of frustration among his crew seeing that he keeps forgetting to share with them important information. Still, they don't truly hold that against him unless it truly affects the safety of the crew.

Mollie has listed down in Friede's medical file about it, and has subtly brought up the possibility of him getting it tested. Thus far he just doesn't have the time nor opportunity to do so since they keep traveling all around the world. That, and he simply forgot the discussion not too long after.

Friede's mind is often occupied by many thoughts, ranging from his surroundings to Pokemon related matter. It's hard to quiet them down at night, so he typically takes night shift and stays up until he dozes off at the captain's chair.

He stims by drumming his fingers atop the nearest surface, fiddling with the patches on his jacket or rock on his heels when he's deep in thought.

Speaking of patches, he loves collecting them alongside stickers. He has a small box filled with patches he never got around to add onto his jacket. He also has a sticker book filled with stickers he collected throughout his time traveling on the Brave Asagi.

Friede's special interest is Pokemon! He wanted to learn everything about them, and has vast amounts of knowledge about them theoretically. It means that early on in his career as a Professor, he struggled with understanding Pokemon beyond what he read up on them. It took meeting Cap for him to work on expanding his viewpoint.

Always feels like he needs to be doing something at any given point if he's not steering the ship. Has the tendency to simply walk around the Brave Asagi to get the energy out if he has nothing to do at the moment. At times he'll fly out on Charizard until he feels calmer.

Whenever he's bored and by himself without a task to focus on, he paints his nails. He uses clear nail polish typically and finds the act of applying them soothing.

Absolutely cannot stand screechy like sounds. It makes him tense and twitchy, wanting nothing more than to cover his ears and hope that the noise that persists in his ears would quickly fade.

If he's fixated on a task, Friede has the tendency to forgo eating and sleeping until it's completed. Thankfully Murdock's kind enough to leave him easy to eat meals or stores away a portion of something for him to eat later.

When it comes to food, Friede enjoys soft, somewhat chewy textures. Doughnuts hit that specific point of being lightly crispy when freshly fried but also having this nice chew between his teeth (at least the ones that Murdock makes). He hates slimy textures and ones where his brain thinks it'll be one texture but it ends up being another (for example, something that looks like it should be crunchy being soft instead).

While he's better at it, Friede has his moments of impulsivity. This can sometimes translate into recklessness, thus leading to moments where he might need to get patched up by Mollie.

Friede's stubborn in that at times, his long hair feels hypersensitive on the back of his neck or when his bangs cover his eyes but he refuses to get a haircut. Instead he wears his goggles and ties his hair almost the entire day until he goes to sleep in his bed.

Friede has multiple of the black shirts and pants that he wears often. He likes the feel and texture of it, not to mention it's easy to wash. He also have a bunch of t-shirts and casual jackets in his closet but he prefers wearing his current one most days.

On a bad day where he's mentally and emotionally exhausted, he tends to keep to himself. Stays within his room or in the captain's deck, keeping interactions to a minimum.

#Pokemon Horizons #Pokeani #Anipoke #Professor Friede #Headcanons #My posts

[cornus27florida]

GwenDerick/FredDolyn outfits analysis

I am sorry for the mention tagging there but I think you guys are the expert with canon-compliant analysis that I love ><

@the-queen-of-ships also because it'll part of @cpcwiki later

A previous post from @deldeldel90 about comparing Gwen's wedding dress that Leland imagines VS Lilyth's wedding dress make me overthinking so many things at once

^ Also anyone that read this post please help to analyze her dress details, this such very hard details espc around the patterns.. is the one on her waist resembling serpents? what's on the end of her dress? White roses is common for wedding

[to not wandering too wide, I will focus on wedding dress and colot motif theory about the comparisons in general]

Lilyth is the mother of the Pastel kids, the Princesses in nutshell not knowing their mother so much based on the evidence: They (Maria and Lorena) can't gives proper reply to Leland when he confusing them about "your father loves your mother much more than you guys as his kids" /ep154 + we know Gwen truly didn't remember about her mother and only remembers her as "warm and glowy" which she passed away when Gwen is 3 years old = 13 years ago

Leland despite how evil he is IMHO 'unknowingly' gives a much closure about their mother in the form of Lilyth's wedding dress in form of applying all elements of their mother's wedding dress. The most obvious is shape "mermaid style" that given to Gwen. Although not only her but Maria (about sleeves) and Lorena (open chest part) too

To ending the discussion about outfits so not becomes too long and no one gives reply/reblog/commentaries lmao. We moves on to the major characters color motif of the Plaid-Pastel Dynamics, I won't repeat the obvious one like the 'green kid is Gwen, so does Frederick from his eyes'

No offense at all especially as I know I am totally far from the fashionista, but episode 146 panel as following makes me realizes something in subjective personal territory : Gwen is looks much nicer in her color motif which imho are dark green (instead pastel green) and white as her inner shirt, and her first outfit when meeting the Plaid Princes with color motif of light orange and pastel green didn't suit her at all

^ when Frederick comments that dress is abhorrent, imho that's the truth as the orange ribbon is like nuisances. In ep 146 we see the comparison of her old outfit VS new one..

Maybe it's just me that thinking about the old one is 'ugly'?

^ also looking back at Episode 112 we have comparison of her in early era (amusement park) and personally I think she looks so much nicer simply because changing her outfit and hairstyle, she's still the same Gwendolyn but with her looks more tidy = she looks nicer as well in the eyes

^ Also in the same episode, 112.. We have imagination of Gwen 'dressing up' Frederick nicely, as she looks like the very beautiful looking Princess. It's one of the best outfit of them imho that I wish could becomes canon as not only the dream. I am surprised that both of them has black color motif but it's actually really great on them? Especially as we see Gwen with new hair-do (IDK what's the hairstyle of it, help me please)

Also no matter what I feel green plaid is always Frederick's

Black is not only the color of evil like Leland as the ultimate evil villain in the CPC, but also the color of elegance as Prez (Calpernia) that we knows truly kind and epitome of goodness has black as her main color motif. Monika's color motif is also black as a crow, but she's def not evil person

btw despite GwenDerick sharing the same color motif, green (as everything looks good on them if they wear green) - I think black and white as standard 'monochrome' colo fits them well as part. Along with pink for Gwen, while grey and golden/yellow for Frederick /personal opinion

I am one of the reader that see everything in Frederick's eyes as once she's not looking accidentally creepy, she's actually so pretty and cute espc with elfish ears and pair of lil fangs. IDK if seen as offensive but IMHO all braided island's folks is more like serpents if becoming humans instead as seaweed - especially if looking at their nostril and bulging eye... But remember, I am Serpent enthusiast especially as my favorite house in the Hogwarts is Slyterin, the house of snakes. I believe not all snakes are bad, and I find serpents symbolism is not always bad - there's so many good thing meanings like what @saemi-the-dreamer (sorry for ping!) written in the past but I like to add 2 points: "medicine/healing" and "guardianship" for good meanings of the serpent. So in nutshell GwenDerick/FredDolyn indeed the green pair which also the serpent pair (one is metaphorical, one is literal) but didn't means they're representing the bad symbolism. If Severus Snape as the perfect example of equilibrium of bad and good, the ultimate double agent, not in the story of Harry Potter.. I am pretty sure that most of the efforts to completely defeating Voldemort as the main antagonist can't happen. Frederick (especially from his father) and Gwendolyn (from her mother) is could be seen as the serpent but if they're in the Hogwarts setting I believe they won't in the Slyterin house because they're lacking cunningness and ambition

#cpc wiki #cpc frederick #cpc gwen #gwenderick #freddolyn #character analysis #color theory

[cutiedwaekki]

Kind of magic

Or were Felix is a kind but inexperienced fairy who though that with a little help of magic he could easily make his cookies softer and rounder ... not making people who ate them soft and rounder

A/n : basically an old idea i got and posted on my previous blog but I never went to the end of this idea so I might as well do it now. Kind of short also but as i said i'm in a middle of a blank page syndrome

Btw if you guus didn't know yet but you can come and check my wattpad account if somes prefer to read more on this other platform than here or ao3 i want to do my maximum to make my fic more accessible for anyone :D

Warning : this fic contains magical/fast weight gain , feederism , fairy au , ot8

Enjoy ♡

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

For as long as he could remember, Felix had been a bad fairy. He'd failed all his potions classes, blown up a tree and not to mention his best friend Jisung, who'd had blue hair for a year because of him. Admittedly, the quokka had reassured him that he liked the color, but that just showed a little more how inexperienced the young fairy was.

After all, having wings, flying and talking to animals was enough for him!

Still, he tried as hard as he could to improve his skills, especially when compared to his friends who, although some of them were wizards, had a better grasp of magic than he did.

So, to celebrate the arrival of summer, they were going to meet up by the big oak later on for a picnic. Minho would bring the food, Jisung and Changbin the drinks. Hyunjin and Seungmin would provide the entertainment, Jeongin would bring the plates and cutlery, and Chan would set the scene. Felix was in charge of dessert, since he was so good at it and his friends often asked for his pastries.

So on this occasion he thought a little magic formula would help him make his cookies more perfect than they already were. Make the shape round, the texture melt-in-your-mouth and crisp. Nothing could be simpler! All he had to do was formulate his spell and apply it to his dough.

It took a few tries before he had the perfect batch. Big, golden, thick and with a smell so sweet and addicting that Felix couldn't resist tasting one. Then a second, a third and a fourth. In the end, of the twenty or so cookies he'd prepared, only four remained.

-"Oh no, what have I just done? Ah, if I just multiply them, it'll be easier," declared the fairy, casting another spell that multiplied the cookies, leaving him with around thirty of them before raising them and sending them off to the pixnic site, at least one spell he knew how to master!

"-It's hot in here... my apron is so tight on me" he added, before undoing his apron and putting it away as he flew heavily to his room to change. It was strange, he felt... weird, like he was heavy, but it must have been after eating so many cookies! The fairy had a very small appetite, so such gluttony must surely have weighed him down!

"It's definitely not that" he thought as he saw the reflection of her silhouette. My God, he was chubby! His cheeks had become as round and plump as Jisung's! How could he not notice his belly pushing against his shirt? His pants trying to survive between his protruding love handles, wide hips and thighs pushing against the fabric. How did this happen? Just this morning he'd been this slim little fairy, and now he was just a chubby fairy who certainly looked adorable, but that wasn't the point!

Suddenly he realized something crucial... he'd just sent those same cookies to the picnic site... and knowing Changbin and Jisung they were going to taste a few before everyone got there. He had to stop them!

But after changing into more comfortable clothes! They made Felix feel as if he was going to explode at any moment!

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Meanwhile, by the big oak tree, the fairies and wizards were arriving one by one. As it happened, they were all ahead of schedule, with only Jeongin and Felix missing.

-"Oh, Felix sent us something! I bet it's his brownies!" Changbin exclaimed, pointing to the basket as it moved towards them.

-"no, silly, it's cookies, he told us! Seungmin replied, nudging the fairy.

-"I haven't eaten anything for beign able to eat all day right now" added Jisung who opened the basket and took one of the cookies to taste before being stopped by Minho.

-"It's rude to eat when not everyone's here, Hannie".

- "It's just a detail, I'd rather be rude than hungry" he said before putting the cookie in his mouth, gemissakt almost to the taste that surprised everyone.

Jisung immediately grabbed another, then a third, seemingly unable to stop. So Changbin followed him, also curious and hungry. An so he also ended up with the same behaviour as the wizard. The others, out of curiosity, decided to do the same. After all, Felix's cookies were reputed to be delicious and addictive, but this much?

Oh yes, they were fucking addictive!

So much so that the six of them had devoured almost everything, leaving a few for Jeongin and Felix, but the rest had ended up in each of their stomachs.

-"Guys, that's not nice, we ate it all before them. Jeongin's going to sulk now" added Chan, amused though he was by the situation, he felt almost like a father looking after his children.

- "Don't say that, it's not like- FELIX?!" Hyunjin cut himself off when he saw a silhouette approaching from the distance, and although he didn't pay much attention at first, he soon noticed two important details:

1: it was Felix

2: he'd become very chubby since the last time he saw him

Everyone was shocked to see the blond man like that, looking as if he could barely fly as his wings struggled with the extra weight.

-"What happened to you, Lixies?" They all cried out, even though they were used to it, and given the many experiences he'd had or tested in the past.

- "Hm ... long story but guys please tell me you didn't eat any of the cookies"

- "Quite the opposite, there are only two left" added Seungmin, pointing to the now empty basket.

Felix sighed heavily as he sat down next to his friends, "Oh no, no, this can't be happening!

-"Calm down mate, is there a problem?" tried to reassure Chan by rubbing his counterpart's back, but it didn't seem to reassure him.

- "Well ... I wanted to use a little magic in my cookies to make them softer and rounder but-"

-"Guys, what's going on?!" Jisung exclaimed as he noticed his fingers rounding before pressing them against his face, which was becoming just as round.

-:Damn, man, you're getting fat!" swore Changbin in astonishment before Jisung retorted, "You too, man!" Before the brunette saw his belly push against his top until it popped out of his shirt and was exposed for all to see.

-"Wow, what the hell?" Minho exclaimed, trying to stand up and analyze the situation. Except that he, too, experienced this inflation and fell back to the ground at the same time on his newly bulging ass, raising him a bkt higher.

And so it happened with each of them. The weight differed according to the quantity of cookie eaten. The most gluttonous ones, like Changbin and Jisung, ended up really huge, to the point where even their jean and shirt buttons couldn't take it anymore. Not to mention their bellies, which leaked out of their jeans and rested heavily on their thighs.

The "lucky ones" were Hyunjin and Chan, who had eaten the least, ending up with a slight gain. Chan had lost his musculature for a thin layer of fat, while the fairy was simply curvy with thick hips and a bulging belly.

And Minho and Seungmin were just right, almost as big as Felix or even a little smaller, with Minho's thick, broad thighs and the puppy a plump torso.

They all turned to Felix in shock.

-"-Except I must not have made it clear enough in my spell that just the cookies had to be", he added shyly as they all sighed. But they knew the blond didn't mean any harm, and besides, it wasn't an unpleasant experience that all even enjoyed.

- "Hey, look, it almost looks like a face" joked Hyunjin, pointing to the quokka's belly, which, with its various superimposed rolls, could give the illusion of a face.

In the end, the picnic ended up comparing their bodies as they nibbled on the other snacks brought along and the chicken Minho had made for the occasion.

-"I could almost get used to it", Seungmin declared, rubbing his belly once he considered it plzins enough.

- "The same, it's so soft, but I don't think I can fly anymore at this stage" added Changbin, who tried, but without success, being able to lift himself a few centimetres ... a sensation both humiliating and exciting.

-"You're almost going to make me believe I did the right thing by using this spell", Felix laughed, although for once nobody contradicted him.

Perhaps this weight had awakened a hidden attraction in them. Why was it so attractive when they rubbed their bellies? Seungmin was right, they could get used to it.

Everything seemed perfect, they were having fun, singing, chatting, teasing each other, rubbing their bellies. In short, perfectly normal things!

-"Sorry guys, I had a last-minute problem to solve, but I promised I'd bring what I need and... ... Oh shit, you're all fat!" Here was the last one to panic at the call. Poor Jeongin was almost panicking at the sight, not knowing what to do or say.

But they knew what to do...

-"We'll explain everything Innie ... come and settle in , Felix made some cookies we left some for you"

#weight gain #my fic #my fics #skz chubby

[charliedawn]

The Trials part 2 : Desire, Restraint and Loyalty

Warning : ANGST/Attempt of Rape

(Here is a continuation. Hope you all will like it. I promise it'll get better in the later chapters.)

Part 1 : https://charliedawn.tumblr.com/post/694419980027068416/part-1-you-are-a-young-woman-who-is-preparing-to

Taglist : @shinebrightlikeafanbase @cool-ontherun-world @mrs-captainsteverogers @layla2-49 @pantheracatluv1105 @one-loud-mind

"You will be very happy to know that this century, our brothers have appointed ME as master of the Trials, and dear me ! You will have a lot of surprises !", Desire announced with a wide joyful grin and his arms outstretched broadly to add emphasis to the dramatic announcement.

His siblings didn't even dare look at Morpheus and remained silent—even though they perfectly knew what Morpheus was thinking.

Morpheus glared at them, rounded up around the table of Desire and he knew what it meant..Desire would be their champion.

He would oversee all the Trials and his other siblings would be mere watchers.

Of course.

Of course his siblings would choose his less favorite brother to organize the Trials. They all could feel that this true believer was special.

They wanted her.

But, Morpheus wouldn't let them have you..He stood up—the ground slightly shaking underneath him—and finally glanced back at you, his eyes meeting yours. You seemed so calm..He was impressed. He held out his hand to you and you didn't even hesitate before taking it.

'Good, believer..', he silently praised you before turning back towards his siblings with determination flaring in his eyes. But, before he could say anything, you beat him to it.

"Whatever they might be..We shall overcome them.", you confidently assured them and all the siblings' eyes seemed to converge towards you in surprise.

You would be lying if you said it wasn't a little intimidating, being scrutinized by the most powerful beings in the universe..But, Morpheus could feel your slight nervousness and squeezed your hand—a light reassuring gesture none of them noticed. But, you did.

However, the siblings did follow the momentary exchange of glances and Desire clapped—the sound reverberating through the walls.

"Well well..Isn't it absolutely touching ? Morpheus and 'his' true believer. Hand in hand. Ready to face what might come..", came Desire's sarcastic reply.

But, Morpheus wasn't fooled. He knew Desire was internally gritting his teeth at the display of affection..It meant your link had already sparked and it would be more difficult to tear you apart.

"Now, as tradition goes. Morpheus. Could you please leave the room ?", Desire asked and his mischievous smile was enough to make Morpheus' usual composure crack just a little in worry.

Morpheus clenched his jaw, as he knew the first Trial was the one which tested a true believer's good faith and dedication..Desire wouldn't be anything but ruthless.

"May I have a few minutes with her ? Alone ?", Morpheus requested in return.

Desire's smile faltered for a second and he shook his head—ready to deny—but reconsidered when he saw Destiny give him a warning look.

He might be their champion, but it didn't mean he had the authority to take decisions that should be considered together.

He then glanced around at his siblings—asking them for their opinion.

They voiced theirs aloud, introducing themselves to you at the same time. Most of them looked friendly, but some of them really didn't..Despair and Desire were glaring daggers at you and even though you had earned a few friendly smiles from the others, the same courtesy didn't apply to Morpheus. They all ignored him.

You then started wondering if any of his siblings actually liked Morpheus ?

Despair sided with Desire, but the others voted for Morpheus to have his few minutes, as they knew it was already hard for Morpheus who had had little time to prepare you.

True Believers were usually spotted at birth, which gave the Endless enough time to train them, but Destiny had only known of your existence recently. A few minutes wouldn't be worth years anyway..Or, so they thought.

"Fine ! You will have only a few minutes with your champion to encourage them and then, you'll leave her to me !", Desire declared begrudgingly and Morpheus nodded shortly to thank them.

The moment they were out of the room, you let out a long breath you didn't know you were holding. Morpheus' siblings had the same imposing and majestic aura as him..They made you think of the High Sisters of the St Lena Order. They commanded respect and self-righteousness. Actually, Morpheus did sound like them at the beginning. You didn't need to wonder any longer as to where he got it from.

You couldn't believe you thought him to be the devil, when he was clearly the less frightening of them all. It almost made you laugh.

They all looked at you as if you were nothing more than a prize to be conquered, but Morpheus had never once looked at you in such a way..He had always been reverent and patient with you—even though irritating sometimes.

He had also been the only one to answer your call.

"Whatever Desire says..Do not believe him. He will try to turn you away from me..", he warned you and you took his advice to heart. Morpheus seemed seriously concerned about you and it did make you smile at the thought that you might be the object of worry of such an important deity.

Desire was a clever one, but you intended to prove your worth. You had spent years worshipping Lena of Dean and had gone through so many hardships already. The Trials couldn't be that hard, right ?

You had been refused from the Order because they didn't think you ready, but you would make it this time. For him. For yourself.

You nodded and reminded him of the reasons why you would be the true believer to pass the challenges.

"Dream of the Endless..I promised you loyalty and you promised me vengeance..I will pass the Trials. All of them."

Morpheus believed you. Not because he didn't have a choice, but because he was convinced you wouldn't disappoint him.

He was about to say something when Desire entered.

"Your time is up, dear Morpheus !"

He restrained an eye roll at his sibling's boastful declaration and whispered one last reassurance.

"I will be there.."

You smiled thankfully at him and when his hand finally left yours, a chill ran through you..He was gone.

Desire then elegantly sat on a chair and proceeded to look you up and down with a wide flirtatious grin.

"Pretty little thing..Too bad Dream had to get to you first. I'm sure we could have had so much fun together.."

You frowned a little at his words and tilted your head to the side as he rolled over as graceful as a feline leisuring under the sun and he offered you a sly grin.

"Tell me..What would it take for you to become my believer ?"

Desire knew there was something that Morpheus had promised you..Something that made you follow him—go through all this. And, he would find it. For Desire was known to be tenacious.

"I am faithful to Morpheus..Only to him, Desire of the Endless.", you reminded the deity who faked being surprise at the news.

"You are ? But of course you are.", he admitted but muttered under his breath, "~For now."

You raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, but Desire was quick to explain himself.

"No offense. But, a little impressionable thing like you ? Morpheus mustn't have had much trouble convincing you.."

Ouch...Well offense definitely taken. That was unnecessary hurtful. You clenched your fists and tried to remain calm, even though you perfectly knew what he meant to imply. He thought you weak-willed.

Desire was taunting you, but Morpheus had warned you he would do so..You had a mission. And you would fulfill your end of the contract. No matter what.

"What is my first trial ?", you asked—dismissing his words—and Desire was surprised to find such determination in your gaze..You really wanted to become the true believer. You thought it was only for vengeance at first..But now, something else drove you. Make Morpheus proud. Prove that he was right to choose you..

They'll see..They'll all see..You weren't a failure.

You had failed to join the sisterhood, but this time..They would all see your true worth.

You wouldn't be rejected again..

Finally, he brought a cup to your lips and giggled before proceeding to finally reveal your first trial.

"Of course, here. All you have to do ? It is to drink this and live your normal little life without giving in to any selfish desire for 10 days. Morpheus won't come to your aid and you won't be able to see each other until the trial is over. And, be careful. You will have to turn down all temptations on the way. All of them.", he insisted on that last part with a small smile.

You frowned a little at the odd request before taking a tentative sniff of the odd beverage..It smelled like cinnamon and gingerbread.

You finally took a sip under Desire's watchful eyes and Desire's smile grew carnivorous as he tilted the cup upwards until you had finished the strange mix to its very last drop. It didn't taste bad and you even enjoyed the aftertaste..It did made you a little dizzy and left you a little tingly at the fingertips—but nothing you couldn't handle.

It seemed almost too easy.

"Here we go. Now, remember. 10 days, darling.", Desire playfully booped your nose and his eyes seemed to sparkle golden in the darkness.

You should have known..Just by the way Desire seemed like a predator about to pounce—or waiting for the right time to strike. You should have known here and there that it wouldn't be easy.

But, it only hit you when you woke up in your bed, a dire need to eat taking your whole being—You had never been so hungry in your whole life. It tore your insides and paralyzed your thoughts, leaving only this desire for consumption.

You opened your mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

You felt tears well up in your eyes and wanted to call for help..But, restrained yourself a Desire's words echoed in your mind. No selfish desire..No asking for help. You knew Maria was downstairs, preparing breakfast and the smell was terribly appetizing. But, you couldn't call for her or get your legs to move. It was torture.

"W..WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME ?!", you finally screamed and Desire suddenly appeared next to you with a fake empathetic smile, bringing out a plate full of delicious food. So much you didn't think you could eat it all—but you could certainly try ! You desperately reached out for the plate, but Desire tutted in mock disapproval before raising it out of your reach.

"No no no..I'm afraid this food is for MY true believer. You wouldn't happen to have seen them anywhere now, have you ?", he leaned forward with a jeering smile and you knew what he wanted..You knew what he was trying to do..You gritted your teeth and seethed.

"No."

He seemed disappointed by the answer and huffed a laugh.

"Fine. Suit yourself.."

He disappeared and you were left with that desire to feed..You bit down on your own sheets, begging for the pain to stop or to be fulfilled. Anything for the pain to be over. The smell grew stronger, and Desire appeared multiple times during the day, taunting you with delicious treats and trying to bait you out of your engagement.

But—each time—you resisted.

The torment lasted 3 days.

He reappeared one last time, and this time..He greeted you with a small smile.

"Dear believer..You will be happy to know that your suffering is coming to an end.."

You didn't have the strength to answer anymore, your voice having been used more times than you can count..Your throat was as dry as sandpaper and you had no more will to play Desire's little mind game. But, you did listen when he talked about the end of your torment. You blinked once, twice..The hunger had slightly dulled into a mere uncomfort in the pit of your stomach and even if he was to present you food, you wouldn't be able to swallow it.

However, Desire's torture wasn't over, as he had still 7 days to present you with even more temptation for this trial, things he knew you wouldn't be able to say no to..

"...This one is finishing, so that another can take its place.", he revealed with a wide grin and your eyes widened slightly in horror. Another suffering ?! Hadn't you proven your faith enough ?!

After hunger, you would be introduced to thirst.

Hunger. He knew you could resist. But, thirst ?

Your lips turned to arid dunes, your tongue a worm seeking desperately for a drop of sweetness, and you were certain your throat had shrinked—as it barely allowed any air to reach your lungs..

He stayed there, enjoying the sight of your pain—as he knew his brother would feel it too. He then laid on his stomach next to you and kept fixing you with those wide golden eyes of his..He knew he should probably go, but he had one question that was bothering him and decided to ask you, hoping you would grant him satisfaction..

"Say..What did my brother promise you ?", he asked—out of curiosity rather than real interest—and you were momentarily broken out of your suffering by the question.

What did he promise you ? He promised you vengeance..But, you didn't know what Desire would get out of that information and decided to lie instead. You would say nothing that would compromise your or Morpheus' life.

"He promised me nothing..I made a vow that I must keep..", you breathed out with difficulty.

Desire arched a skeptical eyebrow at you, but didn't insist. He would get his answer..Eventually.

But, for now ? He would make sure Morpheus was the last thing on your mind at the end of these 7 days..

He presented you with a glass of water and you closed your eyes. He was being so cruel..He then proceeded to drink it, making sure to emphasize each gulp with a satisfied hum.

"That is very refreshing..Don't you want some ?"

He pressed the cold glass against your lips and you clenched your teeth before turning your head away. You wouldn't be vanquished. You could survive..You had to.

You clenched your fists in the already crumpled sheets and let out a loud frustrated groan. The only sound your could utter at the moment.

Desire sighed before shrugging. You would have time to think about it. He could wait.

When he disappeared, you felt tears run down your cheeks and in a desperate attempt to quench your thirst, licked them away. You then closed your eyes and wished for a dream..Any dream to keep you from falling into insanity.

Suddenly, you felt a drop fall on your face and when you opened your eyes, rain was falling from the ceiling.

You opened your mouth and let the rain wet your tongue and bring you a bit of comfort.

It was welcomed..even though you were certain it was only a dream.

"Do not get discouraged. Keep believing.", you heard Morpheus' voice say, and even though your couldn't see him, you could feel him all around you. His presence brought a smile to your lips and proved that even though he was out of sight, he still cared about you.

"I will..I promise.", you uttered back to the nothingness and closed your eyes, enjoying the sensation of wild grass tickling your skin and warm sunlight hitting your face softly.

You had been deprived of freedom and fresh air for the past few days, and dreaming of them was enough to keep your sanity intact and hope for better days.

Everytime you would wake up, the thirst would return, but it would be a lesser evil compared to Desire's impromptu visits.

Another set of three days flew by and Desire was starting to get suspicious..How did you manage to hold on for so long ?

"I have seen many humans fail the trials on their first challenge..Usually, they couldn't handle the thirst and hunger. They couldn't resist me. But you ? You have refused all of my gifts, evaded all my questions, even dared ignore me.."

You bit down a victorious smile at the clear annoyance in his voice. He had no idea how far you could go..You had already spent days fasting in the covent and if he wanted you to give up, he would have to do a lot better.

However, another sort of hunger suddenly took over you, one you had no name for..One that made you seek out the Endless' touch..Desire's eyes seemed to sparkle with golden dust, watching you with great interest as you grew ravenous, mumbling for anything to a simple caress..You just needed to be touched.

Desire leaned forward and blew air on your face, which only seemed to worsen the pure unbridled desire in your abdomen.

"I could give you that..You would be satisfied. Just, tell me what I want to hear..", he whispered sweetly in your ear and placed his hand above your stomach, attenuating the pain just a little for you to answer him.

But, your answer wasn't the one he was hoping for.

"Never..", you hissed through gritted teeth, another wave of desire washing over you with force, making you curl your toes and cry out helplessly as his hand was immediately retrieved. You opened your eyes just a fraction to see Desire's eyes glaring at you, and the thought of having pierced through his façade was enough to make you smile.

But, Desire's masque was quickly set back in place on his face as he bid you farewell.

"I see..You are one stubborn little human.", he said before returning to his kingdom in a cloud of pink smoke.

The moment he was out of the room, your brave face crumbled with need and desperation. You were only human after all..

Thankfully, you could seek comfort in your dreams. Morpheus tried to make your forget, but still did not appear to you. You knew he couldn't, but it didn't make the pain any less real.

His absence was even worse than the craving your felt..You spent each day with Desire and each night without Morpheus. What was the cruelest torture ? You couldn't tell..You felt your mind slip out multiple times, to the point where you couldn't tell apart your waking hours from your dreams. You had shed so many tears, your cheeks felt like dry cement and you didn't even have the strength to look in Desire's direction when he appeared beside you once more.

You were a poor sight to see..even for Desire who had grown accustomed to the destructive wakes of desire. You had been suffering for 9 days, and he had yet to break you. You were tough, tougher than he had expected.

"My intention was never to hurt you, believer..I hope you will understand. It procures me no joy to see you like this. It is not personal..Never has been."

He almost sounded genuine, his eyes downcast and his smile a mere shadow on his face..And, he was. Morpheus' ruin had always been his objective. He held a certain amount of love for human beings, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. They were creatures of Desire after all..How could he ever ressent, or hate them ?

He tenderly wiped the sweat off your forehead and in a matter of seconds, all pain and desperate need left your body.

"Here. Isn't that better ? Now, could you answer that one little question for me ? I promise to set you free afterwards."

Something felt off..

9 days had passed. Not 10. You shook your head. You were so close..You wouldn't jeopardize your alliance with Morpheus. But, as you stared deep into Desire's eyes, you couldn't help but trust he was being sincere. He was willing to achieve your torment for the answer..An answer that you were willing to give him, but not yet..

Your frowned. Why..Why would he do that ? Why be so nice all of a sudden ? It didn't make sense..But, the answer came soon after. Desire suddenly disappeared and was replaced by someone else.

Morpheus.

Your mind was muddled with uncertainty, but you had no doubt that this wasn't the real Morpheus..The golden eyes a dead giveaway.

What was Desire hoping to achieve ?

"Answer me this. Just between the two of us..What did Morpheus promise you ?", Desire turned Morpheus whispered almost secretively in your ear and suddenly, you weren't bound to your bed no longer and could finally breathe. But, you still refused to talk as your senses were overwhelmed with his scent and the desire to be held by Morpheus.

But then, something else mixed with Morpheus' presence, another much more sinister presence that took you by the throat.

"Tell me everything, darling..", he muttered in his voice and you could see another face taking over Morpheus'...Corinthian. His strong musk invaded everything and suddenly, Desire laughed..He laughed and laughed..It was unbearable.

You blinked several times before finally gathering the strength to utter.

"Return tomorrow morning..And you'll have your answer, Desire of the Endless."

Desire blinked once, then twice..before smiling widely and nodding eagerly in agreement. He then turned back to his normal self and pulled back, satisfied by your answer.

True. Your first Trial would be over. But he would at least have his answer..A way to control Morpheus, and maybe even get to you.

"Fine. Can't wait. And don't worry..I will go easy on you in the days to come. I promise."

He winked playfully at you and you missed the crossed fingers behind his back..But, you expected it. Desire was known to be deceitful, it was in his nature..which was the reason you didn't hate him. You understood him.

He made you think of Morpheus, even if they didn't get along..Desires were part of dreams after all. You raised a trembling hand and slowly stroked Desire's cheek whose smile fell and big wide golden eyes seemed to stare deep into your soul. His breath hitched as you smiled reassuringly at him.

"Even after everything..I forgive you, Desire of the Endless. I'll keep forgiving you..Because that's what a true believer would do.", you mumbled in a haze.

Maybe, was it the potion talking, or your unconscious desperately trying to make sense of your current feelings..But, you had no desire to hate him. Desire was as much a part of life as any of his other siblings, no matter how much it hurt..

Your hopeful smile burned him, scared him even..You were really unlike any of the other believers. Your kindness almost felt painful to him. He thought he would be able to change you, but what if you were the one to change him ? He shook his head and clicked his fingers together, teleporting himself back to his kingdom..before he did something he might regret.

'Forgiveness ?', he repeated in the safety of his empty room and let out a humorless laugh. 'What a very human concept..'

He had never thought once of ever giving—even less being on the receiving end of such concept..He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh as he tilted his head backwards.

He didn't want—nor needed your forgiveness.

Or, so he tried to convince himself..

The next day :

Desire was in your room at the first ray of sunlight and waited until your eyes opened before asking the question he hadn't been able to find the answer to for days and that was burning him..You offered him another smile before finally satisfying his curiosity.

"He promised me vengeance..Morpheus told me he would teach me how to kill a deity, to kill Fire."

Desire had been expecting any answer—but this one left him stunned. Fire..The same Fire who had set the covent ablaze ? Desire had thought of using them to get to you, but had to abandon the idea after Destruction had disclosed a capital information that had made it impossible for him to do so..

"Fire ?", he finally asked with a slight frown on his usually perfectly composed face, "But, my dear friend..Fire is already dead.", he divulged with a slight concerned tilt of his head, wondering if perhaps Morpheus had conveniently left that part out ?

And your expression confirmed what he already suspected..

You froze in stupor at the revelation.

"What ?", you asked in clear disbelief and Desire felt his stomach twist as he could see the quick succession of emotions in your eyes: disbelief, denial, rage and finally, hurt..You were hurt.

He laid his arms on your bed and set his chin upon his crossed hands with a knowing gleam on his eyes. He saw an opportunity..He knew it would probably break you, but his hatred for Morpheus went back for centuries. He closed his eyes and could already feel what the news would do to you. But, he had to seize this opportunity, no matter how much it would affect you..No matter how much you would hate him..

"They acted without permission. Destruction saw red when he understood and he killed them, wiped them out of existence..In fact, I'm pretty sure Morpheus knew. Before he even made the contract with you.."

He didn't. But, Desire didn't have to go into details..Besides, the look you were giving him was enough to make him sense your distress and the sweet taste of victory. He may had lost this Trial, but it didn't matter as all color was drained from your face at the realization..Morpheus was never going to fulfill your wish. You had lost your soul to him, only to be rewarded with nothing. You were bound to be unsatisfied.

"He didn't want anyone else to have you..", he added, only to pour more salt into your gaping wound, "Even though he knew we were all far better options than him. Think about it. Destruction could have prevented the fire, Death could have saved your sisters, Destiny could have warned you, Despair could have felt your pain and give you far better consolation..And me ? Darling. I am Desire. I could give you all that and more.."

Your eyes widened as Desire revealed to you the extent of Dream's selfishness and now you understood why Dream had purposefully hid their existence from you when you had first met..He chuckled softly at your look of utter horror before whispering in your ear.

"..But, do not despair, my dear. You can still break the contract bidding you to him. All you have to do ?"

He decided to finally show his true face to you and uttered sweetly in your ear, leaving a caress on your cheek.

"..is make you so undesirable, so terrible and crude that even the Dream lord himself will not want you..He has you on a leash. Break it. Drink, smoke, fuck..Do everything a kind true believer wouldn't. True believers are linked to their Endless, which means he'll feel it every step of the way.."

Or, break the hair in your breast pocket..

Desire could have given you the easy way, but he was more interested by his brother's reaction to your self-destruction than by helping you. Maybe, would it even destroy him ?

Your breath hitched and you thought about it. Could you really make Morpheus break the contract ? Desire giggled and when you turned around, he was gone—the slight fragrance of gingerbread and orange blossom the only proof of his presence.

Another thought then took over your mind. Morpheus had promised to be there the moment you would have passed your First Trial..Then, where was he ?

Had he..really betrayed you ?

Meanwhile in the Dreaming realm :

Morpheus had never felt so weak in all of his entire immortal life. If Death came for him, he would imagine it would feel this way ?

As time moved faster in the lands of the dreaming, he felt your pain and irrepressible urges ten times faster and deep groans fell past his lips as he felt the hunger, the thirst and then, hunger again..He felt incredibly hot and bothered.

He felt your suffering and could barely stand straight on his throne as Desire's poison invaded his veins and waves of desire crashed down on him all at once..It was agonizing.

He finally crawled on the ground and proceeded to watch over your dreams, summoning rain for your thirst and other sweet dreams for you to hold on..But, he was too weak to even appear to you—not that he could. Desire had been adamant. He would have to refrain from seeing you until the end of the first Trial.

However, he had been so preoccupied by easing your pain that he had forgotten all about his own. He collapsed in his throne room after the 7th day and had to rest for his energy to be restored.

When Lucienne found him, she immediately laid him down on his bed and was quick to discard of all his clothes that constricted his movements and suffocated him.

Lucienne took care of his duties to the dreamers, but was powerless as to her master's illness.

She knew you were intimately linked and couldn't interfere with the Trials. But, she still sent you a silent encouragement and hoped you would be strong enough to survive.

Back in the human world :

Your first action upon your recovery was to run downstairs to hug Maria who laughed as she felt your arms around her.

"Oh dear ! Are you okay ?", she asked worriedly and you nodded sheepishly—understanding that she may have not notice your absence as anything else than your time for mourning.

"Yes. I am. Sorry for that.", you apologized and pulled away.

She smiled at you before returning to her cooking pot, the smell alone making your stomach grumble. Maria turned back towards you with widened eyes before bursting out laughing.

"Well, someone's hungry ! Go sit down. It's almost ready."

You nodded eagerly before sitting down and soon enough, Maria brought you what she had been marinating and you took a long whiff before salivating..It smelled like heaven.

You took three big spoonfuls before digging in under Maria's surprised and concerned expression..You were eating as if you hadn't for the past few days ! Messy and almost savage. Maria didn't comment on it. She knew you had locked yourself in your room after the incident..She didn't want to bother you so, she had left food at your doorstep. She thought you had at least fed yourself a bit since some of the plated had been emptied, but she was now convinced that you had not touched anything..She thought about calling you a doctor. Maybe would it be for the best ?

But as soon as the idea had left her mouth, you stopped eating to look up at her with such distrust, it took her by surprise and she bit down on the her lower lip—already regretting even suggesting the idea.

"Why ?", you finally asked after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence and Maria opened her mouth to answer that she was worried, but another answer came out instead.

"Because I've seen what grief can do to someone."

You frowned in incomprehension when she looked away guiltily at a family picture hanging on the wall next to you. It represented her next to a man and with a little boy between them, all smiling and painting the perfect family picture..But, Maria was looking at it as if she had the urge to cry at the memory.

"When my husband went to war and never came back, my son never forgave himself. He left home. Started drinking at the Beheaded Boar and hang out with the worst crowd possible, until he left to sea..To this day, I do not know what happened to him. It's been seven years.."

Your gaze softened at the clear sadness in Maria's eyes and you tentatively reached out for her hand. She smiled at you with glassy eyes and you were suddenly struck with guilt, as you hadn't even considered what Maria had gone through..She had outlived them all.

Her husband.

Her son.

The sisters.

And yet, she still found the strength to smile for you. Your heart filled with tender love for this woman who was willing to welcome you with open arms and put her grief aside to take care of you..She didn't even know you didn't deserve it.

You had made a pact with an Endless to get vengeance..Only to find out you would never get satisfaction.

You suddenly stood up, the chair falling behind you as you shortly thanked her for the meal and ran back upstairs. You didn't want her to see. You didn't want her to see your pain or know about your spectacular failure..Fire had been right from the start.

You weren't worthy of being in her presence. You weren't worthy of such kindness as Maria's..The only thing you were worthy of, is the fate that would be yours—forever indebted to an Endless who had done nothing but play you from the start.

Maria closed her eyes and tried not to cry..She had lost her son, and was now afraid she might lose you too.

Once in your bedroom, you laid down on your bed and tilted your head slightly to the side, watching the birds flying outside your window..It had been days since the fire, and your friend the raven had yet to show himself. Maybe had he judged you as unworthy of his company too ?

You felt tears running down your face and silently pondered on your options.

You could stay and be Maria's burden.

Or, you could go and let Maria be happy.

It didn't take long for you to make a choice.

You stuffed all of your belongings in a duffel bag and gave one last circular glance at your bedroom..You wouldn't be coming back.

You would find a boat and leave..You would forget about Morpheus and that dreadful contract. You would be free.

You just had to find a way out of this town, out of this country..

You still had a little money given to you by the Sisters over the years and could probably pay for transportation. But, you still had to find someone willing to let you come on board their ship.

You escaped through the window and soon, your feet led you to the very place Maria didn't want you to..The Beheaded Boar. There might be someone to indulge in your wishes there.

The moment you stepped into the pub, many head turned towards you and you even received a couple of smiles. You sheepishly smiled back before walking to the counter where the barman was cleaning glasses and idly looked up at you.

"What can I get ya', sweetcheeks ?"

Your cheeks heated up at the realization that you didn't know what to order, so you slid a couple of green papers on the counter.

"Whatever I can have with this. Thank you."

You gave a glance around, wondering if anyone here could have access to a boat ? You had heard Sister Catherine once say that all sailors were usually drunk and when they weren't, they fought.

They all looked the same in the bar however..Big angry men with red faces and a mean scowl. However, one of them stood out. He wore a big leather hat and had such a big beard, the tip was swimming in his drink.

You bit your lower lip in order not to laugh, but the man mistook it for a smile and raised his drink towards you. You raised yours and when he drank, you followed suit.

That was a bad idea.

You coughed at the bitter taste and the man laughed at you. He then gulped down the rest of his drink before standing up to approach you.

"Hey there ! The name's Blue Beard. A little far from home, aren't you little sis' ?"

You looked away and hesitated to tell him that you had no home anymore..But, decided that if you were going to leave, might as well explain why.

"Yes, sir. Indeed. My name is Y/N and I have ran away from home. I was wondering if you would be kind enough to take me with you on your boat ?"

The man seemed to ponder on the request, scrubbing hid big beard and finally nodding in agreement.

"Sure. But, it'll cost ya'."

There was something sinister in his voice, an hidden intent that you decided not to pick up on..It would certainly take all of your savings and you would maybe even have to work to pay him back..But, you would do it if it meant getting on a boat.

He grinned widely at you before clasping his hand on your arm and giving it a light squeeze. It was..comforting.

You didn't know back then..You didn't know what it meant to have a man so close to you, especially when the man in question was a pirate..

But, you would soon learn.

There are people who can hide their true faces underneath smiles and sweet lies..

Once you were both on the boat, the sailors seemed odd. Some lifted their heads upon your arrival, but immediately looked away while some addressed the captain knowing grins and you, wolfish ones. You shuddered and suddenly felt as if following Blue Beard was maybe not such a great idea.

However, before you could reconsider your decision, Blue Beard had lead you to his private quarters and was now disrobing himself of his long coat. You gulped.

It seemed you had been unclear as to the means of payment..

"I think..We misunderstood each other. I am willing to pay.", you assured him as he removed his hat and boots.

You presented the little money you had and he dared scoff mockingly at you, before slapping the money out of your hand. The coins rolled down on the floor and you quickly knelt to the ground to retrieve them.

"I couldn't care less about your money, sis'..What you have wouldn't even pay for an hour at sea. No..The only reason I decided to accept the deal is that me and the boys have always wondered what a nun's cunt looks like ?!"

You eyes widened at the sudden change in demeanor of the man, his foul mouth and his brutish ways..He was just as bad as the rest you realized and scooted away from him until your back hit his dresser. This was a nightmare.

It had to be..

Morpheus' punishment for doubting him.

You shakily joined your hands together and started praying for him, begging him to stop this..But, you received no reply.

The pirate nudged you with the tip of his foot and you shut your eyes even tighter, unwilling to process the current situation.

"Get up, sis'. Your god can't do anything for you right now. And, who knows ? You might actually enjoy it.."

Monster. He was a monster. You had to stay strong and think.

You finally felt an empty bottle roll up against your leg and an idea emerged in your head.

You suddenly took the bottle with both hands and swung it hard on his head, smashing its bottom part on the man's skull. He was already pretty drunk and the shock was enough to send him to the floor.

You ran past him to get to the door and reach the deck, but someone grabbed your ankle before you could. You were dragged back inside and no matter how much your cried out for help, the sailors seemed deaf to your pleas.

Your eyes brimmed with tears as the dirty and smelly man pulled you underneath him. You closed your eyes and prayed, begged for anyone to help you.

You regretted the foolish decision to leave..You addressed Maria a silent apology. You should have never left..

The man then turned you around—so he wouldn't have to look at your eyes. 'Coward.' You thought, but was quickly interrupted when you heard the sound of a belt buckle being unclasped.

You couldn't believe it..Was it..Was it really happening ? Somehow, it felt all so unreal. You had always been sheltered from the cruelty of Man in the covent, but you had learned so much since then..

Until the very end, you had believed in the sunny side of the rainbow...But your faith was now completely ad utterly lost.

You thought back at the moment you were discharged by your parents to the sisters..Even then, you had thought they were doing it for your well-being and hadn't seen the painful truth. Even when they had stopped writing, or answering your calls..

Had you really been this naive ?

However, the intrusive and brutish touch of the captain suddenly stopped and you flinched at the crashing sound of a heavy mass hitting the floor behind you.

You didn't dare look as loud snores could be heard behind you. You were afraid it was a trick. Did he..fall asleep ?

You finally decided to turn around and saw the captain on the floor. You then saw the half-broken bottle on the floor and for a second, considered picking it up and slashing his throat with it. He deserved it. You mustn't have been the only victim who had fallen into his trap.

But, you then heard someone whisper behind you.

"You thought you could get away.."

There was an accusative side to this statement and you then perceived a movement in the shadows. A ghost.

You squinted your eyes and craned your neck to get a better look, but to no avail as someone's arms wrapped themselves around you from behind, which elicited a quiet surprised gasp from you.

The stranger lowered his hands to your waist and started breathing heavily against the back of your neck...He wasn't human, you were sure of it. You raised your hand to at least be able to identify him by touch, but he grabbed your wrist and pinned your hand to the wall while breathing heavily in your neck.

"You really thought I'd let you go ?"

The familiar soft and velvety voice left no doubt in your mind. It was him. He was the one bracing you against him and making you see stars while your knuckles turned white at the pressure.

Lord Morpheus had returned.

Your bodies were pressed together and you panted as he remained stoic. The perfect embodiment of self-control. He knew what he was doing to you, and what would have happened if he had let that putrid human go through with his plans..He would have filled you carelessly, he would have left you unsatisfied and returned home to kiss his wife..He would have ruined you for him. But, maybe was it your intention ? To ruin yourself to the point of no return. To drown your sorrow in all those things you had been denied for so long..But, Dream wouldn't let you. The only one who would ever have the right to destroy you, would be him.

In an instant, you weren't in the smelly and disgusting cabins of an old run-down ship, but in a luxurious bedroom fit for a king with its golden-patterned walls and celestial roof filled with stars..You had no doubt on where you were.

Morpheus threw you unceremoniously on his bed and instead of joining you, took a seat on a nearby chair, his features leaving no indication of the storm brewing inside of him.

But, his eyes betrayed hurt and rage.

"What were you hoping to accomplish by running away, believer ?"

You knew you should probably thank him for saving you, but the sight of him alone made you remember his painful absence during your time of agony. He hadn't even showed up at the end, and he thought you owed him an explanation ?!

You sat down and since you knew this was the land of the dreaming, summoned a bottle of wine and a glass, ignoring the furious look Morpheus was giving you.

"You lied to me. Desire told me about the Fire brothers. Were you ever going to tell me the truth ?", you asked, even though you already knew the answer..Morpheus would have done everything to have his revenge.

He didn't care about you. Never had. Never would.

However, instead of answering you, Morpheus stared at you for a couple of seconds, not even looking surprised by the fact that you knew..

"I told you Desire would try to lead you astray. You still belong to me..body and soul. In and outside the Trials. Do not forget.", he reminded you firmly and you scoffed. As if you could..As if he would allow it..

You cocked your head to the side to look at him, his eyes unwavering and deep enough to make you drown in them..But, fortunately enough, you were a good swimmer.

"My body is mine to use as I please. You have no claim on what my life shall be, Dream of the Endless. It is you that shouldn't forget. My worship is all yours, but my sins ? My death ? My life ? It is all mine to use and abuse as I wish.."

You gave him a mocking smirk and his lips tightened into a thin line at the sheer disrespect. You were far from the timid girl who had thought him the devil all those months ago..You had grown accustomed to the human world and their confidence—that foolish illusion that they could get away with anything. He didn't take your jeering wholeheartedly, but forced himself to remain calm as he answered—trying to make you see reason.

"Self-destruction is not a solution."

You rolled your eyes at his attempt to guide you. You were no longer the naive little girl begging to be showed the right path.

You had suffered through hunger. Thirst. Unimaginable bodily cravings...All for him. The god of deceit.

Was he even worth it ? You would be selling your faith to a liar..A greedy hypocrite. He could have told you..He could have made sure none of the things that had happened to you would have, but he had preferred to keep you to himself. Deities and their stupid sense of entitlement...They thought they could get away with anything ! Ah ! Big joke. You would show Morpheus..If he could feel everything you were ? He would have the worst hangover of his undead life !

"Too bad. It feels great.", you replied stubbornly and didn't miss a beat before pouring yourself another drink. You then threw your head back to gulp down the rest of the bottle. It was liquid courage, and even though you knew deep down that he was right, you had nothing left to dream for, to believe in..Desire had broken what little faith you had in Dream.

And he could feel it.

"Your faith is weakening, dreamer..", he stated plainly and you held a snort.

St Lena's Covent was ruins now, none of the sisters had survived and there was really no hope, nothing to look forward to..You didn't even have the desire for vengeance. You just wanted to be left alone. All that was left was the sweet promise of Death once you had grown tired of this life..But, until then, you would spend every second of this new life having fun and experimenting everything you had missed on—locked up with only the sisters to keep you company.

"You're right. I don't. Not anymore..", you confessed.

It was better this way. You didn't have to be the true believer. You didn't have to give power to any of the siblings..None of them deserved it.

"I know that you didn't want any of them to have it..At least, your wish will be granted. Nobody will have me. Goodbye, true believer. Hello, sad new me.."

He remained silent...

You suddenly had the urge to either slap him, or kiss him just to get a reaction..Wait. No. That can't be..You were confused.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, massaging the top of your skull, already feeling a massive headache there..He was really messing with your head.

You needed another drink. Maybe, another bottle..However, you didn't get the chance.

He suddenly snatched the first bottle from you and made it disappear into thin air. You knew you could always summon a new one, but you decided to yell at him instead.

"SCREW THE TRIALS ! SCREW THE ENDLESS ! AND SCREW YOU !", you drunkenly shouted and pointed your finger at him and even though he knew Desire's potion was still affecting you, he felt anger build up in his chest and it threatened to spill out if you didn't calm down..

He grabbed your wrists and his lips tightened into a thin line as he informed you.

"A true believer cannot lose faith."

You laughed at that and shook your head.

"Welp..Guess I'm not it then ! Oops !"

He frowned and commanded.

"Stop."

You would have normally obeyed him, if you hadn't been so angry and drunk..You approached his face until you were so close, he could smell the alcool on your breath.

"No.", you replied in a whisper and it took all of Morpheus' will power not to strike you down with his fury..But, something held him.

You were being stubborn, and disrespectful, and grieving..He realized.

You had never even had the time to mourn your Sisters. And all that pent-up frustration was now being let loose on him. He had felt such pain before. He wasn't a stranger to loss.

You were acting exactly as he had when his son died..and maybe his own grief was now added to yours.

He released you.

You wanted someone to blame ? Fine.

He raised his arms and waited for you to hit him, while you were staring at him with a slight frown of confusion.

Your eyes trailed up and down Morpheus' body and for a moment, you considered actually hitting him. You leaned forward—so you were inches apart—and Morpheus closed his eyes, waiting for your judgment. But, your next words hurt him more than any gesture ever could..

"You do not deserve my wrath, Dream lord. You do not deserve my worship. Tell me..What exactly is keeping me from breaking the contract with you ? "

There was such coldness in your words and it took him strength not to shudder. He hadn't meant to deceive you and by following his own selfish desire to make his siblings pay, he had failed you..Something he would never forgive himself for. But, you couldn't break the contract. Not now..Not ever. Once it was sealed, only the consent of both parties to break away would allow it.

And even though he was regretful, he wouldn't part ways with you until he was certain you would be safe. But, you seemed to read his mind as you added.

"You won't be able to fill out your end of the bargain, which basically means I could break the contract right this instant."

His nostrils flared and his eyes became devoid of any emotion..He would have been afraid, if you knew how to. But, you didn't. Or, you would have done so already..

However, when you took out his hair and yours, his eyes widened slightly in surprise and you chuckled bitterly at his bewildered expression. How had you succeeded in stealing his bidding hair ?!

"What ? You thought I wouldn't figure it out ? You gave this to me when we agreed on the terms. I just had to wait until you were so angry, you would lose focus. It seems you and Desire both underestimated me.."

He didn't reply and when you held both hair between two fingers—the thin threads linking you both together—to break them forever, he let his emotions take over his reason. He lunged forward to grab them and—not expecting it—you both fell backwards on the bed. You fought for them, and Morpheus inhuman strength gave him the final advantage.

He snatched the hairs from your hand and sent them to safety with a snap of his fingers. He then focused back on you and found that you had stopped struggling completely.

You were now fixing the ceiling, not looking at him because you knew you'd cry if you did..

"You wanted to make me mad..Why ?", he asked and forced you to look at him by taking your chin between his thumb and index.

It was too much. And you finally broke.

"Because I wanted someone to understand ! Because at least I'd know I'm not losing my mind !"

You broke into sobs, one arm covering your face to hide your shame. It was a pathetic sight and Morpheus wished he hadn't just taken the hairs just so you may grace him with your smile, or just a word of tenderness..He hesitated before extending his hand to carefully remove your arm so he may have a proper look at you.

Your eyes were being overflooded by tears and he gently cradled your face. He then leaned forward and muttered an apology.

He hoped it would be enough.

He had never intended to hurt you. He just felt so angry..Your were connected now and everything you were feeling, he would experience them too..It was frustrating. Confusing. Downright maddening.

Your chest heaved at the apology and in a moment of desperation and will to forget—you kissed him. Wait. No. He kissed you. He was the one who took the first step, but you met him halfway—more than eager to please.

You didn't know if this was all a test, but you didn't care.

He tried to slow you down in your eagerness—even though he could barely contain his own—but was surprised by the sheer force of you.

He broke the kiss and tilted his head to the side curiously, wondering how a human could make a god falter so ? But, your eyes only showed lust and desire..pure and burning desire.

It wasn't what he wanted. Not like this..Not now..

"Do you want a taste yourself, Dream lord ? Is that the reason for your sudden appearance after days of absence ? Well..Why don't you make a move ? Who knows ? You might actually get lucky..", you offered with a mischievous glint in your eyes and Morpheus' expression softened as he saw a glimpse of who you used to be in your eyes.

You held his heart captive, but he had no idea how to communicate his feelings to you—the bittersweet torture..

His eyes glanced downwards despite himself at your exposed flesh and he licked his lips. You were provoking him and even though he wasn't human, it had been a long time since there had been such a tempting offer..He flexed and unflexed his fingers and followed the movement of your own fingers, unbuttoning your shirt painfully slow.

He tentatively reached forward, his fingertips almost touching your skin, but let his hand hover over your collarbone instead..He wanted to. He really wanted to. So much.

But, he pulled his hand away and his eyes downcast, tearing themselves from the promise of warmth and love he craved..

"No. I can't."

It hurt him to say it.

But, he had to.

He wasn't Burgess, he wouldn't take advantage of your moment of weakness to indulge in his own desires..He wasn't that selfish.

But, you took it as rejection and your smile fell, replaced by fear and finally, fury came back.

But, Morpheus walked away. He had work to do in his own realm and would have to send you back.

You wouldn't let him.

You ran after him and grabbed his wrist, the same way he had in that church all those days ago.

"Oh, come on ! Am I not your type, or do you simply have no carnal desire ?", you yelled after him and he stopped dead in his tracks.

You hadn't received a single kind word from the deity since your return, and it hurt. You were so afraid he would leave..You couldn't help but try everything to make him stay.

The alcool made you bold, bolder than you would have ever been in your sober state..But, one look from the otherwordly being and you knew he was enraged and eager to prove you wrong. You just needed one little push..You both knew it.

One that you were more than happy to oblige as you leaned forward with

"Are you really that useless, Endless ?"

Alright. Not your smartest move, but you were desperate and the horrible pun was enough for Morpheus to grab the collar of your shirt and pull you so close, you could could see the dark storm of rage and desire brewing in his eyes and feel his breath hit your face.

"HOLD your tongue.", he spat, but you disregarded his warning and giggled as a new name for him slipped out of your tongue.

"Morpheus. Useless of the Endless. It has a nice sound to it, doesn't it ? I'm sure your siblings are having the laugh of their lives up there.."

You were about to continue but before you could, Morpheus glared at you and the silent warning in his eyes was enough to make you reconsider. For a second.

You lazily rolled your eyes to look up at him with a drunken smile.

"What ? Did I upset you, my l—?!"

Before you could finish your mocking of his title, he had tackled you to the bed, his legs constricting your movements and one of his hands around your throat.

"Silence ! You seem to forget that I am your god, girl ! A god that can be merciful, as much as merciless ! I have tried to be patient with you, but you have forgotten your place ! Let me remind you.."

Your breath hitched as his eyes glowed yellow in the dark and for the first time since you met, you were painfully reminded of who exactly held the true power of a god.

Being a true believer did not give you complete immunity against his wrath and you both knew it. You were just a glorified power source for immortal beings that just landed on Earth once every millenia. You weren't special, and Morpheus was all too determined to show you the length of your irrelevance.

When you opened your eyes, you were back in the chapel where you had first met. You were all clad in your ceremonial white dress and he was all dressed in black.

A contrast with the piece of white cloth displayed at the level of his throat..No. Not that. Everything but that.

You already knew what was coming before it even did and shook your head, covering your ears to not hear his next words.

But, it didn't work.

"You. Y/N L/N. Will never be worthy of bearing the title of sister of the St Lena Covent.", he stated and his voice that you revered in your dreams made you shiver in fear.

Those cruel words had the effect of a bucket of icy cold water being thrown above your head. Suddenly you felt very sober and ready to do whatever he might want.

"Stop it..Please..I'll be good. I promise.", you begged so prettily with your hands joined over your chest and your eyes brimmed with tears. Morpheus was enjoying himself, seeing you give in so easily..You were finally submissive, and all his..He would love to see anyone try to take you away after that.

"Will you ?", he taunted and you shivered at his whisper in your ear, but you nodded earnestly and Morpheus chuckled at your eagerness.

"Very well. Show me.."

The order left you confused and you tilted your head towards him with a slight frown, but Morpheus didn't try to enlighten you on the meaning behind his words.

However, as you still didn't make a move, he grew impatient and finally boomed.

"Pray, sister. Pray, and I shall forgive you."

His voice was taunting, but firm at the same time..You knew he meant it. You were raised to worship, but not Dream of the Endless. And yet, it felt as if you had been created for that purpose only. And, maybe you had ?

Maybe it was meant to be..Maybe it had never been your choice.

"M..Morpheus. Dream of the Endless. I promise to worship you forever, until the day I die. You are the only one.", you said with more or less confidence and Morpheus seemed to pick up on your hesitation as he stopped dead in his tracks.

"And ? Surely there is more you can offer me..", he uttered softly and even though you knew he was only provoking you unnecessarily, you still tried to come up with an answer.

"I'll..I'm.."

But words failed you and all you could utter were a string of incoherent gibberish that seemed to amuse—and at the same time exasperate Morpheus.

"Speak. Or, I will break that contract and you will see just how much you need me..", he threatened lowly in your ear and even though you would have been relieved by the notion a few minutes ago, the mere thought of him leaving you made you shake and dig your fingers in his robe, holding onto him like a drowning woman with her lifeline..

"EVERYTHING ! Everything I am..Everything that makes me me. My mind, my body and soul are yours! Just..Please..Don't leave me..", you clung desperately to the bottom of his robe and hid your face in the smooth and dark material, hiding your tears away from him as he shushed you softly and gently stroked your hair.

A smile soon lit up his face at your complete and utter devotion..Finally. He was certain of your loyalty. Loneliness was a terrible woe and he knew if there was only him you could turn to, you would grow to crave his presence as much as you did air or water..It was this human need for companionship that never disappointed.

However, he had yet to accomplish his duty as your god, to absolve your crimes and give you the mercy you had been denied for so long.

He gently tilted your chin upwards so he may meet your gaze and what he found in there almost broke his resolve not to give in to your temptation.

Adoration..Complete and utter devotion..

It made him want to touch you in all the ways he knew would leave you marked for life, would make his siblings understand that you had never been a prize to win..You belonged to the Dreaming. You belonged to him.

Your thoughts and prayers made him stronger than ever and he knew, he knew you would survive the Trials.

Because, failure wasn't an option.

"No need to fret, my child. I am merciful. I can see the extent of your devotion, true believer. You are a pillar of my castle and love flows through you to me. You are forgiven."

Your eyes closed in bliss at the words you had always wanted to hear..You are forgiven. The weight of years of carrying the burden of guilt suddenly lifted from your shoulders at the words.

He then surprised you by kissing your eyelids with a tenderness you knew he would never show any other creature..He then kissed your lips, a simple flutter that made your heart thump rapidly in your chest.

It screamed his name, its beat concurring with the rhythm of his name.

Morpheus. Morpheus. Morpheus..

"And now, dear believer..I promise you that you shall never be alone. Your place will always be beside me..I won't let harm befall you."

And you believed him..Because you believed in him. Always..

In the land of Desire :

Desire was staring at the strange reunion—deep in quiet reflexion as Morpheus tested your faith. Again.

He was really scared of losing you, wasn't he ?

Despair fixed his brother intently, noting the slight twitch of his lips. He wasn't happy..Despair rested her head upon his shoulder and closed her eyes. She didn't like seeing him so perturbed and lost-in-thought.

"Desire..I don't think the human will ever betray Morpheus. What are we going to do ?", she moaned in her usual mopping way and Desire seemed to suddenly be brought back from his thoughts by her voice.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled; that sly wicked smile he used only when he had a plan..A temptation that he knew would take a lot more out of you to deny.

"My dear sibling..We still have 20 days. A lot can happen in 20 days..", he finally replied with a knowing mischievous glint in his eyes that made Despair smile back at him.

She would always trust him to find a solution to their problems..Her clever brother. Despair had gotten neither brains nor beauty at creation, but she would have gladly given them all up to meet the only being she had ever loved.

Her eyes fell on Morpheus and her believer and wondered if that was what he was feeling ? The reason why he was willing to go to such length for you..

While Despair was lost in thought, Desire was too—but for an entirely different reason.

Desire hoped Morpheus would like his little gift..He smirked and his eyes shone golden.

"Soon..Morpheus. You'll fall. And this time, there will be no one to pick up the pieces.."

Back in the Dreaming world :

Morpheus knew he had to send you back to the human world, where you belonged. But, he lingered a few seconds more, allowing himself to bathe in your warmth just a little longer..He had made sure to bring your body back safely to your bedroom, using his powers to make sure you would remain unharmed on the way..

"It is time to go back.", he told you half-heartedly and you sighed. You knew. But, it didn't make things any easier.

You finally pulled away from his arms and wiped your tears away..You wanted to stay with him, but you both knew it was impossible.

"Until next time, Morpheus..", you said with a small smile and Morpheus smiled back.

"Farewell, true believer..I'll see you again. In your dreams."

You laughed and Morpheus tilted his head to the side, not understanding the irony in his words. He was the man of your dreams..Quite literally.

But, Morpheus was relieved to hear you laugh. It would be a nice memory for his lonely nights when he couldn't talk to you.

His image slowly distorted as you started waking up and you smiled.

He was maybe not what you had hoped for, but Dream of the Endless was perhaps the only reason why you hadn't lost yourself completely..

The moment you had disappeared entirely, Lucienne appeared beside Morpheus and saw that he was still in a daze and waited for a moment before coughing to gain his attention.

"Sire..We have a problem."

He turned towards her and noticed how Lucienne seemed unwilling to meet his eyes..It was the first time his librarian was truly nervous around him. It made him fear the worst.

"What is it, Lucienne ?"

Lucienne took a moment to answer, fidgeting compulsively as she feared her lord's reaction to the news.

"The Corinthian is missing.", she finally disclosed and looked up to see an expression of utter shock on his face.

"...What ?"

Back in the human world :

You were thinking of Morpheus in your room, of what the second trial might possibly be as well, when someone knocked at the door.

You frowned a little, wondering if it was Morpheus who was back already from his duties..But, another voice raised from the other side of the door.

"Y/N. It's Maria. I know you don't want to talk to me but..I brought someone you might want to talk to ? It's the doctor I've mentioned..He's here to see you."

You didn't want to sound rude and tell her that you didn't need one..So, you had no choice but to accept meeting him. However, it took a lot of coaxing from Maria for you to open the door. You didn't want an outsider to come in.

The doctor then asked Maria to leave, so he may try something. Maria hesitantly agreed before walking down the stairs. Once she was far enough, the doctor knocked at your door. You were about to tell him to go away when his voice changed..

"Honey ! I'm home..Now, open this door."

That voice..You knew it. You were sure of it. But, it couldn't be him..It couldn't be..You tentatively opened the door ajar, only for the Corinthian to open it wide by slamming his hand against the door.

He then offered you a wide grin.

"Hello, buttercup. Missed me ?"

Before any noise could leave your mouth, the Corinthian had his hand clamped on your mouth to muffle any noise and the door closed behind you both..

#fandoms #imagine #fanfic #morpheus x reader #sandman x reader