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#fan fiction
How did it end?
Summary: A flashback to the night that changed your lives forever.
Pairing: past Joel Miller x fem. reader
Wordcount: 2.4k
Rating: T
Warnings: angst (so much angst), flashbacks, some really hurtful words, cursing, crying, pregnancy tests, Joel being a dick, Calvin being the best supportive brother
A/N: somehow I feel in my mind like this should have been worse, but I am sure you all do not feel like that at all so I'm sorry lol
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part three of invisible string
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Even before the outbreak you dealt with your anxiety or with big life decisions the same way.
You were stress cleaning. 
After walking out from Joel you made your way into the town centre, picking up your kids and then got back home where your brother Calvin was already trying to cook something but you mutually made the decision that you were gonna cook while he bathed the kids. 
You both did not want him to burn the house down.
He wanted to ask you how it went, having run into Maria on his way home from the Patrol meeting, who had told her that you had been at the clinic to see Joel. 
But this wasn’t the time or the place. 
It ended up being a nice evening all things considered. 
You had dinner, played some boardgames, read a good night stories to your kids and watched them sleep in their little beds until the nervous energy in your body left you walking back downstairs.
Once the house got quiet after the kids and you brother were asleep (he had an early morning with his first big day on Patrol the next day) you were alone with your thoughts. 
And your thoughts were loud, and demanded to be heard. 
So you went into the kitchen, took a look at all the cleaning supplies that were still stocked under the kitchen sink and got to work. 
You started with the top of the kitchen cabinets, standing on the counter as you scrubbed what felt like centuries of dust off of them until you were satisfied and moved to inside the cabinets. 
What a picture it would be if one of your new neighbours caught the crazy lady next door deep cleaning the kitchen at 2 am during the literal apocalypse.
Cleaning usually had the power to make the thoughts inside your head shut up. 
But as you emptied the cabinets so you could clean them inside, your mind drifted to the last time you had tried to deal with whatever was going on in your life by extensively deep cleaning every surface around you. 
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The Outbreak might have been an excuse for many people to let things like cleaning the place where they lived become unimportant. 
Which deep down it was of course.
Why have a clean kitchen when just down the street, behind the fences and walls the so called new government had pulled up, there were people and what once were people dying or fighting (or eating) each other?
But you always lived by the mindset of clean home, clean mind. 
And what you desperately needed right now was a clean mind. 
Two ten year old positive pregnancy tests you took this morning after feeling off for the last couple of weeks and missing you period were enough reason to freak out. 
But you couldn’t freak out. 
Joel would do that for you, you were sure. 
That was, if he ever decided to come home to you again after being on a run with Tess for the last four days. 
He hadn’t even told you or kissed you goodbye this time. 
You had woken up to a note on the kitchen table telling you that he’d be gone on a run with Tess and he didn’t know how long.
Something about your husband had changed in the last few months. 
It changed ever since Tommy left and Tess was his only influence outside of you. Not that you had much influence on anything he did nowadays. 
It wasn’t like he was the most attentive men to begin with. 
But you fell for him. 
You fell for the complicated, traumatised and closed off man who to this day was the most handsome man you had ever met. 
And deep down you knew he fell for you, mumbling his confessions of love into your skin when he thought you were asleep. 
It was the way he looked at you. 
The way he brought home a new book to read whenever he went out of the QZ. 
The way he made you forget about the fucked up word outside of the walls you made your home whenever he gave you his full attention. 
He wouldn’t have put a ring on your finger years earlier as you laid in his arms, asking you to be his until the day you both died, if he did not love you, would he?
You loved him, you loved him even when he seemed to make it his personal goal to make you hate him. 
He used to be home every night in the beginning. 
He used to love to spend time with you and you with him. Staying up just talking for hours if he wasn’t making love to you. 
Because even when he was fucking you, it felt different. More… intense. More passionate.  
He used to smile at you. 
By now you couldn’t remember the last time he smiled at you now. 
And by the time you had practically polished the whole shitty apartment you and Joel lived in it was dark outside and he still wasn’t home. 
In hopes he would be home and it would lift his mood you had made dinner that now sat cold on the stove.
It was after 11pm and you were tired, having been in the bathroom brushing your teeth when you heard the door unlock and open. 
A nervous flutter in your stomach made the dinner you had earlier almost come up but you took a deep breath, looking at yourself in the small mirror over the sink. 
You were wearing one of Joel’s old worn flannels, his familiar scent in your nose. 
What was the worst that could happen?
It was not like you could just turn back time?
You were pregnant and he just would have to deal with it. 
Right?
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You would never forget the way his eyes hardened once you said the words
„I am pregnant.“
He had been in a relatively good mood when you joined him in the small kitchen, having already taken his shoes and coat off, his hair damp from the rain outside. 
It made you reconsider telling him for a tiny moment, wanting to just enjoy this with him. But maybe he would not react like you thought he would? Maybe he would be happy?
You wanted to ask a million question about how it went but you were too nervous, having instead kissed his cheek with a whispered „I miss you“ and then offered to warm up some food for him. 
He had put his hand on your waist, his fingers brushing over your stomach as he went into the bathroom, his lips against your temple telling you that he would just take a quick shower. 
It was after he ate, the table cleaned that you told him. 
Sitting across from him at the tiny shitty table you had, your hands flat on the surface, the silence after you told him the news sickening.
His whole face had changed, expression hard, by the time he opened his mouth to speak. 
„Is it mine?“ He asked and you just blinked at him, speechless, your head falling back as if he had slapped you, before you answered. 
„What do you mean? Who else would it be? We’re married,“ you said and he scoffed. 
„Doesn’t mean you don’t open your legs for anyone else while I’m gone,“ he sneered and you flinched at the accusation and the tone he used. 
Sucking your bottom lip in you looked at your hands, still on the table, nodding your head slowly. 
„Good to know what you think of me after all these years,“ you whispered, still trying to process his words. 
„What did you think would happen? That I’ll be happy? Newsflash darlin’, this isn’t one of your dumb romance novels you keep reading,“ he said, before he brought his fist down on the table, making you jump. He got up from where he was sitting, walking over to the cabinet that held all the liquor he scavenged, opening the one bottle of original Jack Daniel’s and taking a long sip. 
„You gonna get rid of it,“ he said and you looked at him. 
„Excuse me?“ You asked. 
„Don’t want no kids of mine in this fucked up world. And especially not with you,“ he said and you felt slapped again. One blow after the next coming from him. You crossed your arms in front of your stomach protectively. 
You had imagined his reaction would be bad, but this wasn’t bad. This was destroying you.
„So that’s it, you don’t want a kid, and I have to just comply?“
„That’s exactly how it is, sweetheart,“ he grinned darkly at you, shaking his head and leaning against the wall and you desperately tried to find the tiniest part of the person you had fallen in love with as you looked at him. 
But there was nothing left. 
Maybe you just had been too blind to see it until now.
„I thought you loved me,“ you whispered, tears in your eyes. 
„How can someone love you? You thought because I put a ring on your finger everything would be okay? We’d be a happy little family and live in this shitty apartment in this shitty QZ while the world around us is fucking dying? How did you think this would go?“ He asked. 
„You made it sound like I planned this. Do you think I like this? Do you think I like being pregnant by a man who even though treated me like the fucking dirt beneath his shoes for the last months, was still the man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with?“ 
„Then get rid of it and we can get back to it,“ he said and you scoffed.
„You really think things are gonna get back to how they were after you said all that?“ You asked. 
He shrugged. 
„Where would you go? You have no family. No friends. All you have is me,“ he said. 
„And you’re so different? Who do you have? Tommy left because…“
„Do not talk about my brother,“ he threatened and glared at you. 
You shook your head, taking a deep breath. 
He was drunk. 
This was not going anywhere. 
This would never go anywhere.
„Things are not going to go back. I can find someone better than you on every corner,“ he said and you could not stop the sob that shook your body and you were pretty sure you could hear your heart breaking. 
„I don’t love you. I never did,“ he said and the tears you had tried to hold in finally fell. 
„Get rid of this, before I take care of it,“ he said, and a chill ran down your spine at his tone. 
„And then get the fuck out of my life.“
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You were in the last touches of finishing cleaning the kitchen when you heard footsteps coming down the stairs. 
You hadn’t even noticed the tears until Calvin pulled against his chest, his hand running soothingly up and down your back. 
„You wanna talk about it?“ He asked and you shook your head. 
„Not yet. Not ever if I’m honest,“ you mumbled and he chuckled. 
„Need to talk to him though,“ you said and leaned back, turning around to turn on the stove to heat up some water and make some tea for the both of you. Looking at the clock hanging on the wall you noticed that it was just before 5 am. 
„Don’t need to do anything,“ he said and opened the fridge, getting the lunch he had prepared the day before for his day out and grabbing some stuff to make himself a sandwich. 
„I can’t ignore him forever. As much as I would like to. He’s…. He’s here and he won’t go anywhere. Neither will we. So we have to…. Co-exist somehow.“
You both get to your tasks before you both sat down at the table, you with two mugs of tea, one for him, him with two sandwiches, one which he pushed towards you. 
„You still love him,“ your brother said after a while and you sighed, looking up at him. 
„Yeah. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t think I’l ever be able to forgive him for everything that happened,“ you smiled sadly. 
„Well,“ your brother said before he got up and put his plate in the sink.
„Then you should talk to him and tell him that so you can both move on with your lives.“
You followed him towards the front of the house where he put his shoes on and checked if he had everything in his little backpack for this first patrol. 
„What if he wants to be in their lives?“ You asked, nodding upstairs to where both your children were still sleeping. 
„Do you think he wants to? He made himself pretty clear from what you’ve told me,“ Calvin said. 
„I don’t know. It’s been a long time and he seemed…. He seemed really sorry? I just….“ You took a deep breath, shaking your head.
„Nope. I am not gonna spend any more time thinking about Joel Miller. I’m gonna go upstairs and take a two hour nap and then I’m gonna go and explore our new home while my children are learning stuff in an actual school,“ you said. 
„There you go!“ Calvin grinned.
„Be safe today!“ You said, grinning back and hugged him quickly. 
„You too,“ he smiled, before he opened the door, your face falling as you saw Joel stand on the porch, his hand held up in a fist as if he was about to knock. 
„I’m here to pick you up for patrol? Tommy’s gotta stay home today,“ Joel said as he looked between you and your brother. 
„Well that is gonna be fun,“ Calvin said, winking at you, before he stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him, giving Joel no chance to try to say anything more if he wanted to.
You watched them through the window next to the door as they walked down the porch and then down the street until they were out of sight. 
Letting your shoulders fall while you exhaled with a sigh you shook your head before you made your way upstairs. 
This was gonna be a long day. 
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the-bar-sinister · 3 days
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all characters regardless of gender are allowed to
have extremely nasty sex
be covered in their own blood
be covered in someone else's blood
suffer horribly
torture people
engage in toxic yaoi
engage in toxic yuri
make poor life choices
get doomed by the narrative
doom the narrative
die miserably
live atrociously
commit multiple homicides
make out with your OC
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Time with the kids
Summary:where Jude is struggling to look after his children
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Jude's POV
As the weekend approached, I found myself facing a daunting task: taking care of our four energetic children while my wife was away. At first, I tried to muster up the confidence to tackle the challenge solo, but as the chaos unfolded, I quickly realized I was in over my head.
With our children running wild, their laughter echoing through the house, I felt a growing sense of panic creeping in. How was I supposed to handle this on my own? Desperate for help, I reluctantly dialed my mom,hoping she could come to the rescue.
"Hey, Mom," I began, my voice laced with desperation. "I hate to ask, but I could really use some help with the kids this weekend. Y/N is away, and I'm struggling to keep up."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and I held my breath, hoping for a miracle. But to my dismay, mom informed me that she was out of town as well, leaving me to fend for myself.
Feeling defeated, I racked my brain for another solution. That's when it hit me—my brother Jobe. He might not have much experience with children, but he was my last hope.
"Hey, Jobe," I said, trying to sound nonchalant despite the chaos unfolding around me. "I hate to ask, but could you come over and help me with the kids? Y/N is away, and I'm drowning here."
There was a moment of hesitation before Jobe reluctantly agreed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I wouldn't be facing this chaos alone.
When Jobe arrived, we quickly divided and conquered, each of us taking two children under our wing. But as the day wore on, it became clear that neither of us was cut out for this parenting gig.
Our oldest daughter, Lily, was busy playing dress-up, raiding her mother's closet and parading around the house in mismatched outfits and high heels. Meanwhile, our son, Max, had discovered a newfound love for finger painting, turning the kitchen table into a colorful masterpiece.
As for the younger ones, Emma and Liam, they were wreaking havoc wherever they went, leaving a trail of toys and chaos in their wake. Liam had taken a particular liking to climbing, scaling every piece of furniture in sight with a mischievous grin plastered on his face. And poor Emma, bless her heart, was teething, leaving her in a constant state of fussiness that no amount of cuddles could soothe.
As Jobe and I attempted to wrangle our rambunctious brood, our voices filled the air with a mixture of instructions and laughter.
"Liam, buddy, let's keep our feet on the ground, okay?" Jobe called out, his tone firm but gentle as he tried to redirect our youngest from his climbing escapades.
Meanwhile, I was engaged in a delicate negotiation with Lily, who was adamant about wearing her princess costume to dinner.
"Lily, sweetie, I know you love your princess dress, but it's spaghetti night. We don't want to get marinara sauce all over it, do we?" I reasoned, hoping to appeal to her sense of practicality.
But Lily remained unconvinced, her arms crossed defiantly as she stubbornly clung to her royal attire.
"Dad, I have to wear it. Princesses can eat spaghetti too," she insisted, her eyes sparkling with determination.
I shared a knowing look with Jobe, both of us silently acknowledging the futility of arguing with a determined five-year-old.
"Alright, princess, spaghetti it is," I relented with a chuckle, realizing that some battles were simply not worth fighting.
Meanwhile, Max had found a new canvas for his artwork, much to Jobe's dismay.
"Max, buddy, let's keep the finger painting on the paper, okay?" Jobe said, his tone patient but firm as he gently guided our budding artist away from the walls.
But Max, lost in his creative fervor, paid little attention to Jobe's words, his fingers swirling through the air with abandon as he continued his masterpiece.
As the chaos continued to unfold around us, Jobe and I exchanged amused glances, silently marveling at the unpredictability of parenthood. Despite the challenges we faced, there was a sense of camaraderie in our shared struggle, a bond forged in the trenches of parenthood.
And as we watched the children laugh and play, their joy infectious even in the midst of the madness, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the love and laughter that filled the home. Despite the chaos, there was a beauty in the mess—a reminder that even in the most challenging moments, family was always there to lend a helping hand and share in the laughter and love.
But amidst the chaos, there were moments of unexpected joy. As evening fell, we gathered on the couch, exhausted but content, and put on an animated movie. Surprisingly, the kids settled down, their eyes glued to the screen as they snuggled up against us.
"Hey, Dad, can I have some popcorn?" Lily asked, her eyes never leaving the screen.
I chuckled, reaching for the bowl on the coffee table. "Sure thing, sweetheart."
Meanwhile, Jobe was engaged in a heated game of peek-a-boo with Emma, eliciting giggles from the little one that warmed my heart.
Suddenly, Liam's mischievous giggle caught my attention, and I turned to see him attempting to climb onto the kitchen counter.
"Liam, no!" I exclaimed, rushing over to scoop him up before he could cause any damage.
But it was too late. In his attempts to reach the cookies on the top shelf, Liam had knocked over a jar of flour, sending a cloud of white powder billowing through the air.
"Oh, no," Jobe muttered, surveying the mess with wide eyes.
I sighed, feeling the weight of the day crashing down on me. "It's okay. We'll clean it up."
Uncle Jobe, can we play hide-and-seek?" Max piped up, bouncing with excitement.
Jobe glanced at me, a hint of panic in his eyes, but he plastered on a smile and nodded. "Of course, buddy. Let's play!"
The chaos continued into the night, with each child finding new ways to test our patience. But through it all, Jobe and I managed to keep our sense of humor intact, laughing at the absurdity of the situation and marveling at the resilience of our family.
When my wife finally returned home, she found us all asleep on the couch, the house a mess but our hearts full. Together, we cleaned up the chaos, laughing at the absurdity of the day and marveling at the resilience of our family.
As we tucked our children into bed, my wife and I exchanged a knowing glance. Despite the challenges we faced, we were grateful for the love and laughter that filled our home. And as we fell asleep side by side, our children dreaming peacefully beside us, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the chaos that had brought us closer together.
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Back on mafia au bullshit today (no other WIPs for a while, but poly 141 argument/make-up sex is mostly written I just have to write the make up 😅)
About half way through this chapter. Can’t wait to share it with you all. We have steamy shower stuff, a protective Soap, some Kate Laswell’s wife action. Kyle makes an appearance.
Setting up some real world building and feels y’all.
Eddie Wells vibes in this chapter for Price.
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talesofliia · 3 days
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Me reading Byler fanfiction:
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pinkiemachine · 2 days
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What happened to the El family?
Well you see, Krypton was in big trouble, and they had been for a long while. Their sun, Rao, was nearing the end of its life. What this meant was that, long before it even went supernova, it had started to expand, throwing off dangerous amounts of radiation and heating up Krypton. The scientists of the time, Jor-El included, promised their leaders that they could fix the problem and “reset” their star (though this was a big undertaking). For years and years they worked, running simulations, doing experiments on other stars, but this had turned out to be a rather difficult nut to crack. All the while, Rao loomed ever closer. And there were some who criticised the scientists. Zod, one of the greatest generals in the Kryptonian army, was one such naysayer. He thought that the very idea of trying to “fix” a STAR was a sign of immense hubris. Only a fool would think they could control a force of nature as powerful as that! Surely they would doom the planet before finding a solution, not to mention they were running out of time! They needed to evacuate the planet! Get everyone to safety! And yet, the government listened to the scientists and carried on, telling people not to panic. See, Krypton had grown over confident in themselves over the years. They were an advanced race and had done incredible things, so they put their faith in their technology, not bothering to evacuate people. Do you have any idea how many starships that would take? Finally, after a large solar flare vaporised a scientific team, Zod took matters into his own hands. He planned a coup—one that didn’t go over so well. Civil war broke out. Zod wanted to bring all Kryptonian people under his command so he could be king on the next planet, but not everyone agreed with his methods or ideals (beyond saving Krypton). During the final days of the war, with supplies and time dwindling even further and everyone in a panic, Jor-El and the other scientists knew that there was nothing more they could do with their star project. They needed a plan B. And so they created a new colony on an uninhabited planet in secret. There, they sent some of their most important council-members, scientists, engineers, and biologists, etc. they would start from scratch. Begin again. They wanted to bring more people with them, but they were running out of Starships, and Zod would be sure to notice and they couldn’t risk him discovering the colony. Jor-El and his family—his wife Lara and newborn son Cal, his brother Zor-El, his wife Alura, their daughter Kara and her dog Krypto—were the last to leave Krypton, bringing with them the last bits of technology they would need to terraform the planet to suit them better. They were traveling in their personal starship, about to take off into hyperspace. Zor-El and his family had already gone into cryosleep for the journey. That’s when Zod found them. Before the crazed general could capture them, Jor-El told his wife to take their son and jettison in a long-distance escape pod. He ejected his brother, sister-in-law, and niece as well, hoping that they could still make it to the colony site if he stayed behind to distract Zod. However, things did not go according to plan. After being jettisoned, Zod’s ship opened fire on the pods, destroying two of them, and knocking the rest off course. Jor-El managed to evade Zod that day… but his family were not as lucky. Zor-El and Alura died in the explosion. Kara+Krypto and Lara+Cal had their guidance systems fried. Lara later landed on Earth, gravely wounded in the blast, while Kara and her dog crash landed even further lost in space. Jor-El didn’t even know if he would see them again. During his lonely travels, he would record messages for his family and created an AI version of himself within the ship, just in case something happened to him.
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wolfegoddess · 2 days
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Priest Sabo x nun Reader x priest Ace
Random little ramble I wrote after my friend confessed they're into priests now 😅 I'll probably write more for this eventually-
Also thank you to all my friends who encouraged me to post this, I love you all and you know who you are. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
TW- blasphemy, edging, priests, masturbating, body worship, low-key sexual harassment but reader is into them too?
This went against everything they'd ever known. They'd been abandoned at the church together as babies, raised to be true men of the cloth, lived by the holy code. They were the top priests of the church and were extremely honored to know they were shepherding the Lord's lambs to true salvation.
Until you arrived.
You were so beautiful that the first time they met you, the men were sure you were a divine maiden sent from their lord himself. Soft, kind hearted, with eyes that seemed to truly see through them. You were so breathtakingly beautiful that that night the men made their first true sins against their father.
Ace came four times fisting himself in the bath thinking about how soft your lips looked when you softly mouthed his name. "Father Portgas".
Sabo was much more debauched already, grinding his leaking, aching cock between his pillow over and over again. The sight of your deep, intense, gaze as you confidently looked into his eyes playing on repeat until he was growling and grunting, soft whispers on your name falling from his pretty lips like a mantra once he finally spilled his yearning for you.
They were down, truthfully and utterly down horribly bad for you after that night. They'd find any reason to touch you, Ace resting his large, warm hand on the dip of your back as he leaned over you to examine the scripture you were reading. Or Sabo grasping your hips to steady you on the library ladder as you reach to grab an old book to help them put together the next sermon.
'It's innocent.' They thought, doing these things, only to use these moments as new material for their nightly, secretive, worships of your pull on them.
By the first month you're in the church Ace and Sabo are unable to help themselves from getting painfully hard the moment you enter the same room as them, barely able to focus on your questions as their minds reel with lavish debauched fantasies of worshipping your divine maiden body.
Unbeknownst to them you aren't fairing much better yourself. The first time you caught either of them moaning your name quietly was two weeks after arriving. You'd wanted to discuss his sermon from the day with Sabo and your body froze outside of his barely cracked door as you heard a low moan of your name. Heat danced up your neck, realizing what was happening when you peeked in and seen him hunched over his pillow. His golden locks sweaty from how hard and long he'd been fucking into his pillow thinking of you. It was so wrong. How heat pooled in your gut and without thinking, you slipped your small hand in your sleeve to reach down and feel the growing wetness in your panties.
You were truly, and utterly debauched realizing you liked being wanted by him. Silently masturbating as you watched, fingers slipping clumsily and inexperienced against your lower lips until you brushed against a bundle of nerves and nearly choked on a quiet gasp. You stopped then, fixing yourself before silently shutting his door to go and find Ace to ask for confessional.
Imagine your surprise when you stop at his door and raise your hand to knock only to hear a much louder groan of your name from behind the old oak door. Not one, but both desired you? Your head swam with thoughts, guilt, shame, but mostly arousal and curiosity. Surely it would be the gravest sin to approach either of them about this.. To voice you were interested too?
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minhyebindery · 17 hours
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This was my first time binding an incredibly long fic, Descent into Perdition by @dreamsofspike-blog. This is one fic separated into 4 volumes. I sent this off to a mutual friend because I wanted to practice this bind before trying again with the final copy. For the repeat of this fic I am definitely going to split this into 5 volumes which I think will make it a little more manageable.
I learnt a lot from this run, volume 4 ending up the best but the others aren't too bad. It's easy for me to focus on the imperfections, especially after all the time I spend looking at them and I do want them to be perfect. However, I think I have to focus on the good things and be proud of how far I have come in my book binding journey.
For those in the Good Omens fandom I matched each volume to associated colours for each of the characters. Blue for Aziraphale and then black (for those who have read the fic you'll know why), purple for Gabriel and red for Crowley. The symbols on the front of the book match certain items or themes within the book.
I love being able to wrap the packages ready to send off to the recipient and add little personal touches here and there. I hope it brings a smile to my friend's face when they get to open each package.
I've just ordered a finishing press from Affordable Binding Equipment, I can't wait to get it so I can properly round and back the books. I've been using two wooden planks with some clamps and I just haven't been able to achieve the tension I need to round and back properly.
A few notes for future me:
Don't glue the spines if you aren't going to back them until later (much later) it makes it a lot harder -> hairdryers are your friend
Glue your endpapers closer to the end of the board otherwise you end up with that gap
If trimming the ends take into account that the board will then be shorter
Sometimes you make mistakes...make sure you have enough materials to redo bits and pieces
I think these volumes could've benefited from zigzag endpapers but maybe that is something to add next time
(I did fix the purple headband as I noticed it was lifting a little)
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littlemissmiller · 1 day
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𝑆𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑠
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐢𝐦
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Pairing: drug dealer!coriolanus snow x fem!reader
Summary: Your last summer before college and Coriolanus is still just as in love with you as the first time he saw you, but all of high school you’ve been taken. Meanwhile Coriolanus isn’t looking forward to college, but at least he can still make money dealing drugs. During the last week of school, he notices how fragile your relationship has become and something makes him think he still may have one last chance with you before the summer is over…
Warning: 21+ (mentions or drugs/ drug use) eventually smut, mentions of masturbation (m and f), mentions of oral (m and f receiving), jealously, slight obsession, possession, toxic relationship.
Word count: 4k
A/N: hello all! my first series! soooo i’ve had this idea in mind for a while, but it felt like a summer write/read and i figured since a good amount of y’all are high school age or older this would appeal more and now that the school year is over i figured y’all have more time to read too. also i have another joel fic so that is coming soooon (closely followed by a billy fic) i’m so excited about this one like…i had so much fun writing it and i’m guesssing it’s gonna be like 12 chapters long…idk we shall see :) i hope you enjoy ❣︎
☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎
Coriolanus was ready for the summer. He was so sick of school, even though he excels at it. He barely has to study and usually did his homework last minute and still got all As. His grandma had encouraged him to go to college next year, even though school didn’t quite interest him anymore. He thought about joining ROTC once he got to campus, but truthfully, why would he give up his little side deal for some army pricks and a “free” ride to college when business was about to be booming.
In his junior year, Coriolanus had taken up dealing drugs. Mainly he stuck to weed or psychedelics like mushrooms or acid, and occasionally ecstasy. He didn’t dare sell hard shit and he always made sure his stuff was clean. He had help. From time to time, his friend, Sejanus, would steal from his mother’s medicine cabinet. Xanax, Valium, whatever Mrs. Plinth’s psychiatrist would prescribe, he would manage to steal a few whenever his mother decided not to take her meds that day. It was a system that worked well for Coriolanus, and a system that he would need to maintain. Which is why he decided to go to college only about an hour away from his town. Being from a small, rural town in Illinois didn’t leave Coriolanus many options except the big public school close to the city. A booming college town, where Coriolanus knew he’d be able to expand his “customers” and still manage to keep up his means of getting the drugs he sold.
Luckily enough for him, Sejanus was attending the same college as Coriolanus. Which meant “visits back home” were opportunities for Coriolanus to stock up on his stash and sell. He would be able to tag along with a homesick Sejanus frequently, or at least that’s what Coriolanus predicts given how nostalgic he has seemed to become in the last couple of months. It’s Sejanus’s new favorite hobby. Recalling old memories and moments from the past. Some of which Coriolanus didn’t even realize how much those mundane moments Sejanus’s brain clinged to. How much he cared about their hometown and especially his family. Coriolanus didn’t understand. It wasn’t like he was going halfway across the country, unlike you.
You were bound for California, had big dreams of becoming a cancer researcher for a children’s hospital, and absolutely over the moon to be going to Stanford. Coriolanus wasn’t as thrilled. He had long desired you, wanted you as his own, but since the first week of freshman year you had been so out of his grasp. Too distracted by someone on the football or basketball team, and by your sophomore year you had gotten with one of those football players, Devon. Coriolanus still saw you around however. You and him had shared every AP science course since sophomore year and you considered Coriolanus to be a school friend. That was all. Yet, all of the science classes you and him had spent together left plenty of room for you to chat about Devon. And for some reason you felt safe to talk to him about whenever he would do something to upset you. But you never left him.
So, Coriolanus had watched you from afar, longing to have you all to himself. As high school went on, you only grew more and more beautiful and Coriolanus would often imagine you laying bare before him on his bed. When he was home, he couldn’t help but jerk himself off to the image of you with your hand on your wet core, playing with your clit in between your fingers. That’s all he could picture as he pumped his length in the shower most nights. One hand against the wall the other stroking himself as he pictures you begging for him to fuck you. Your soft pleas tumbling from your beautiful lips like a prayer.
Why couldn’t he have you? Why did some himbo athlete have to have you when Coriolanus was clearly superior to him. He didn’t blame you though. Devon was popular, which made you popular by default and after being in a relationship for so long, he knew it wasn’t easy to just leave someone like that. If anything he blamed himself for not getting to you first. For not asking you out when he had the chance.
Not thinking you’d be interested, the one time Coriolanus had gotten an opportunity to ask you out was freshman year. It was after biology class right before winter break and Coriolanus wanted to take you to a movie. You were his lab partner that day and it’s all that was on his mind. When just the right moment arose, he first asked if you wanted to meet later that night to finish the lab so they would have less homework over break, but mainly to see if you were free to hang out. Coriolanus was quickly let down when you informed him that you would’ve liked to, but your family was going out of town to visit your grandparents for the holidays.
“I’ll just have to finish it when I get back from break.” You had sighed
And that was the only real time he’d had talked to you still single. What a pity given it was the last week of school now. Exams were nearly over and Coriolanus had told himself to give up on you, but he couldn’t seem to let you go. Even though it was the last week, and graduation was this weekend, he still desired you deeply. More than the day he met you. Coriolanus watched you in AP Literature as the class went over the study guide. You twirled your hair, bored and just as ready for the relaxing summer break as he was. He tried not to gawk, but he couldn’t help it. You looked so god damn precious today. Your green plaid skirt just barely followed the dress code and your white shirt was ruffled around the edges and fit your body nicely. Your black converse high tops dangled above the floor. All he wanted to do was take you into a bathroom stall, bend you over, bunch up your skirt and admire your ass. He bet it was soft and round. He imagined a pair of cotton, white panties under it all, soaked. His cock started to harden in his jeans, so Coriolanus moved in his seat to hide his stirring erection.
The bell rings about ten minutes later and thankfully he’s settled down enough to where his bulge isn’t quite so obvious. He snatches up his book bag and looks up. As the last few students file out, you are asking the teacher a few questions. Coriolanus gets up and heads for the door. As he passed you, you finish your conversation and quickly move to catch up to him.
“Hey!” You shouted
Coriolanus paused at the door, turning his head to look at you
“I know it’s exam week and you are busy, but this physics lab is going to be the death of me.”
Coriolanus couldn’t believe it. Were you about to ask for his help outside of class? You had always been going to him for help with your science classes. Even though you had managed to score higher than him on every exam in science, for some reason physics was killing you. So all semester, you had been asking Coriolanus for help during class, but only during class. You never asked to finish your work with him after school.
“Are you asking for my help?” He smiles
Personally, you don’t want to take away from his time since Coriolanus seemed like the type of man that valued his free time and didn’t like to bother with school outside of school. In addition, his mysterious, stern demeanor was intimidating and you didn’t know if you were bothering him while he was trying to make money. You knew he dealt drugs and frankly, the idea of that scared you too so much as you need his help and your science classes and in all honesty, you were just afraid to ask him for anything at all.
But Coriolanus always assumed it was because of how protective Devon was. Which was also true. He didn’t like you talking to other guys outside of class, and he was particularly wary of Coriolanus. It was no secret that he was handsome. As beautiful as the guys at school thought you were. Coriolanus had built his own reputation as someone who slept around. And as much of a neanderthal as Devon was, he damn well knew that Coriolanus looked at you like you’re his prey.
“Yes” you sighed
“I don’t mind.”
“Really”
“Not at all. I’m free tonight.”
“Thank you so much. You have no idea, I’d seriously be lost without you.”
“Of course!” He chirped
“I appreciate it. Wanna meet up at Panera after school?”
“Sounds good.”
You smiled, waved and walked off
Fuckfuckfuck you said “lost without him.” That felt so personal. And your sweet smile. Why are you so perfect. Your hips sway as you walk away and Coriolanus’s cock starts to get hard again, until he see’s something that makes him want to repulse. Your boyfriend approached you from the other end of the hall. Devon came up to you,hugged you and groped your ass. What an obnoxious ass, can’t he tell you don’t like that kind of attention in school. He gave you a sleazy smile and Coriolanus turned his attention away.
After school, he headed to Panera as instructed and waited for you. You pulled up, your boyfriend dropping you off in his 2016 White Mercedes C-Class. You walk inside and find him sitting in the back.
“Hey. I’m going to order food. Did you get something?” You asked
“Nah I’m not all that hungry.”
“Okay!” You smile and walk to the counter to order.
You came back quickly, sat beside Coriolanus, putting her book bag between them. You pulled out her physics textbook, laptop and the lab. As you explained why you were confused, Coriolanus explained the material to you, but was so tempted again. So tempted by the way your knee peaked at him and when you crossed your legs, letting more of your thigh show, and he nearly fell apart. He hated how desperate he was for you. How badly he wanted you. He’d do anything just to hear you instruct him to get on his knees and bury his face in between your thighs.
When your food came, he refocused his attention on your homework. Why couldn’t he control himself? Why was he so drawn to your temptations today? You always looked so beautiful, but Coriolanus felt feral.
“Ugh what am I going to do next year without you in my science classes!” You sighed
There you go again. Making everything sound personal and intimate. Clever as always, Coriolanus replied.
“Well good thing you have my number right?”
“Yeah, but we won’t be in the same class and I don’t want to bother you.”
“It’s not a bother” he follows up quickly
“You’re always so sweet. I appreciate it.”
“Anytime…” he smiles
Your phone buzzed, it’s Devon. You pick up and he seems annoyed. You tried to calm him down but somehow he figured out that you’re here studying with Coriolanus.
“You’re being ridiculous ok. Let’s just talk when we get back to my house…busy…with what?” You speak in a harsh whisper. “Ok whatever… just come back and drop me back home. Ok please?”
Coriolanus acted like he didn’t notice, but he watched in agony as tears welled up in your eyes. You took a deep breath, close your eyes, and swallowed your sadness along with the last sip of your Cola. Even though he should mind his own business, he couldn’t contain himself. He had to ask if you were ok. Besides, it's not like you don’t already confide in him during class anyways.
“It’s ok. I’ll be good.” You said, your lip quivering
You excuse yourself to refill your drink and Coriolanus packs up his things.
What a fucking insecure dick.
Coriolanus knew that you’re not the type to cheat. If anything Devon would cheat on you in a second. As protective as he was of you, he seemed to have a different set of rules for himself. Coriolanus saw Devon at parties, how’d he flirt with other girls when you weren’t around, or check out the cheerleaders at games. Yet you couldn’t have any real guy friends, and he truly couldn’t stand Coriolanus.
“You sure? I could give you a ride home since he seems…”
“No it’s fine…he’ll be here soon anyways. I appreciate your help.”
Your lip quivers slightly and you hide your face as you pretend to yawn. It’s something you’ve learned to help you to hide your tears and prevent you from falling apart into a big mess. But Coriolanus saw right through it because he had seen it before. He wanted to hold you, tell you to dump Devon and be with him instead. He would kiss you, to show you just how serious he was. He imagined delicately stroking your chin with his thumb and forefinger, guiding your face to his and kissing him deeply. He would be slow, tender, his lips simply ghosting over your own. He would still hold you daintily, his breath fanning over your face as he told you how much he loves you.
You look outside, turning away from Coriolanus, stifling your cries as a single tear rolls down your cheek. Coriolanus can’t help it; he has to say something.
“You know if you ever need someone to talk to I don’t mind. Sometimes it’s easier to tell someone you’re not as close with. Because then it’s like you’re speaking into a void and it doesn’t really matter what you say. But at least you got it off your chest.”
You pause for a moment and look back at him. You contemplate the offer and as much as you want to just talk his ear off about all the ways in which your boyfriend sucks, you’re afraid that he’ll just be more upset with you, thinking somehow he’ll find out.
“It’s ok. I’ll just vent to my mom when I get home.”
“You sure?” He asks, trying to hide his desperation
You reach out and touch his forearm gently. Your affections burn on his skin, your fingertips branding him.
“I’m sure. Thanks anyways.”
You release him, giving him a small smile. You feel like you should apologize and he simply smirks in approval, his eyes following your hand as it leaves him. Then your phone buzzes again. It lights up with a text from Devon and Coriolanus glances outside at the parking lot. He sees your boyfriend pull up, park, and exit his vehicle. For a moment he thinks your boyfriend is about to walk in, but he simply pouts against the car like a grumpy toddler.
“Good luck with your other exams. I know you’ll do fine.”
You walk off, quickly gather your things and walk out the door. He watches you leave and his eyes peer out the window. You trot along to Devon’s car innocently, scared like a newborn deer. He stares at you hawkishly, arms crossed. He shoves his body back into the car once you make it onto the other side, starting it up and you disappear behind the door as it closes. Coriolanus hangs his head in frustration and sighs. You didn’t deserve him.
You belong with him. You belong with Coriolanus.
He felt a tinge of unease thinking about it, not wanting to become as possessive and obsessive as Devon, but he really meant it. He felt he would know how to treat you like a queen. Give you lots of nice things or if you needed cash to buy something you wanted, he’d give it to you. Sell more weed and Xanax to get you whatever you want. But if he could have you, hold you, treat you right, and tell you how much he loves you, he felt like you would want it just as much as he did.
When he gets home, Coriolanus heads up to his room. His cousin and grandma were out shopping for their dresses to wear to his graduation. Coriolanus had picked out a nice pair of black slacks, and a white button up. He wasn’t one for ties normally, and given the heat, he didn’t want to feel too constrained. It was hanging up in his closet, facing him as he enters his room, along with his cap and gown. He sits down at his desk, placing his book bag down and getting his laptop out. He decides to check his grades one last time even though he already knows what it will say. He logs on to his school's website.
Coriolanus C. Snow
Student ID: 1008452024
Current Standing: Senior (Academic Honors)
Current GPA: 4.0
Accumulative GPA: 4.3
Spring Semester 2024
AP Physics A
AP Literature A
European History A
AP Calculus A
Political Science A
Latin Studies A
The corners of his mouth slid up into a half smile. He was of course not upset with himself, but knew that school was the only thing he was really good at, but completely hated. He was still going to go to college, just to get a degree of anything and why would he miss out on the opportunity to sell to his target market. Even though he hated school, and was dragging his feet to go to college, Coriolanus had bigger ambitions. He thought that even if it meant four more years of school and lectures, getting a degree might lead him towards a better career. Coriolanus often heard of people getting into politics and getting intern jobs working for Senators and Representatives. It was truly the only thing that appealed to him. Even though he excelled in nearly every course, politics and civics seemed to have taken over his attention more than his other subjects. And his teachers noted how he seemed to have more interest in those classes versus science or math. So he thought that maybe college could offer an opportunity for him to get him to a place of power, which not even he realizes how much he desires that kind of control.
Then his phone vibrates, taking him off guard and away from his thoughts. It’s you. He immediately picks it up. He can sense your emotions through the phone and the immediate sniffle you give him, confirms his suspicions.
“Hey what’s up?”
“Oh I just had a quick question on this lab I realized I left the last question blank. Do you think we could FaceTime real quick?” You ask tentatively
“Sure.”
You transfer the call to FaceTime him and he picks up. He put the phone against the wall and your beautiful face appears. It’s slightly blurry because of the connection, but Coriolanus can still make out your beautiful features although they are covered by your clearly upset face. You had been crying, hard, your eyes slightly red and puffy.
“So what’s up” Coriolanus continues quickly
“Yeah so it's talking about how I’m supposed to connect my parts of the equation to the students equation in the problem but also explain the reasoning for why part b) works with part a) and show mathematical reasoning.”
Coriolanus smiles and begins to break down the problem in the lab and you start to frantically scribble down on your page, occasionally glancing up showing that you understand and are following along. All the while, he’s just as focused on your beautiful, round eyes, as they concentrate on his words. He tries desperately not to picture those same pretty eyes looking up at him, you on your knees, naked and sucking his cock. He knows that your eyes would look just as attractive and engaged by him. He shakes his head to refocus, but he’s hard under his desk. Luckily it’s just a video call, because his bulge is ever so apparent. Once Coriolanus finishes explaining it, you smile and sigh in relief.
“That makes sense. Thanks Coriolanus…”
“See, next semester I can still help you like this, you know.”
“I guess you’re right” you smile back “is that your bed?” You ask, pointing behind him.
“Yeah.” He confirms, turning around to look at it.
“I like the comforter. Your room looks cool by the way” you follow up
His bed sheets are navy blue plaid with red and white stripes in a grid style pattern. He looks around his room and admires his decor. Coriolanus occupies a room on the top floor. It wasn’t quite cramped like an attic, but it was close to the roof. It was cozy, with a slanted wall. The back wall was uncovered brick, with a wood ceiling. Coriolanus had put a few of his favorite band posters up as well as some vinyl covers. He tried to keep things simple with his bed against one wall and his desk against the other. He had a laptop that sat on his desk and a TV that screwed onto the wall above his desk, which he easily fit his PS4 under.
“Maybe you should come see it in person sometime” he suggests, not realizing what he has said.
When he does, he mentally kicks himself for being so forward, and your eyes dart down to the ground in your own room.
You stupid ass.
As he curses himself, you glance back up with a smile
“Hopefully I can see it at your graduation party. Assuming you're having one?” You follow up
“Possibly. I wasn’t sure, but my family wants to throw me one. What about you?” He asks
“Oh yeah I’m sending invitations out to the whole grade. We are having it at our country club, me and Devon. It's kinda a combination party I guess.” You explain
“Oh fun”
“It’s gonna be at the end of June so when you get the invite, let me know. You can text me and I’ll tell my dad.”
“Yeah sure. Well I won’t keep ya any longer.” Coriolonaus nods, his lips sporting the most charming smile and you match his expression.
“Ok well, if I don’t see you much at school then I’ll see you this weekend at graduation?” You imply, unsure if he would even bother going since he almost never attended non-mandatory school events.
“Yeah, I’ll see you there for sure”
“Hey just real quick, earlier today with Devon, it’s just he gets a bad temper and makes assumptions”
Coriolanus nods, not wanting to scare you off, but he’s invested in having you tell him what more upsets you.
“I’m sorry, that sounds frustrating.”
“Well I guess you’ve always been there to listen so I just wanna say thanks for all these times. You know it’s funny though we get into these fights and I talk to you and feel better then he goes back to normal, well at least for a while then he gets back into his ways, so I’m just hoping he’ll mature more in college. Stop acting like a toddler sometimes” you smirk
Oh you poor thing, you don’t even realize how bad he truly is. You don’t even realize you're stuck in his toxic cycle. Coriolanus wishes he could swoop in and take you away. Treat you better. Coriolanus gives you a sympathetic smile and continues to show he’s listening to you. After a few silent moments, you say goodbye and hang up. Coriolanus feels like he can breathe again. You overwhelm him to a degree he didn’t even think was possible. Which he feels it between his legs, his cock is still rock hard.
Fuck you get him so worked up it’s unbelievable. He knows he’ll have to handle his member in the shower before dinner, but for now he smiles to himself. Coriolanus leans his chair back, mouth agape as he sighs at the ceiling. Maybe he could have a chance with you after all. He doesn’t want to get too hopeful, but something tells him he might just be able to get his chance with you before the summer ends.
꧁🝮❤︎︎🝮꧂
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pxnsneverland · 1 day
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Ruthless Grace | Austin Butler x OC (part 3)
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
plot summary: Amidst the grime and squalor of Victorian England's winding cobblestone alleys, a young woman's life hangs precariously in the balance. Violet, a poor peasant girl with long raven locks and piercing gray eyes, possesses a haunting beauty that belies the harsh realities of her existence. Tragedy struck two years prior when Violet's mother succumbed to illness, leaving her to fend for herself and her father – a cruel, selfish man consumed by vices of alcohol and gambling. On one fateful night, Violet's father drags her unwillingly to that very den of iniquity, and there she learns a horrifying truth from the club's greedy, perverted owner: to repay his mounting gambling debts, her father has sold her into sexual servitude. Violet's vehement protests fall on deaf ears, until an unlikely savior emerges from the shadows. Lord Austin Butler intervenes with a bargain of his own. This dangerous man offers to pay off Violet's father's debts in exchange for her accompaniment, and Violet is torn from the only life she has known. While Austin's demeanor remains shrouded in mystery and detachment at first, Violet gradually glimpses his softer, even playful side as time passes within the manor's walls and an unexpected connection blossoms between the unlikely pair.
pairings: austin butler x oc
word count: 2,714
warnings/notes: n/a
Chapter 3: From the Gamble to the Carriage
Lord Austin Butler rose, his height casting a long shadow over the dimly lit room, the light catching the icy determination in his eyes. "You owe me nothing," he said with measured calmness, though there was an undercurrent of danger in his voice that made even Rat’s hardened associates shift uncomfortably in their seats. "However, you owe Miss Everly here the courtesy of not treating her as chattel."
Violet's heart skipped a beat at his words. The notorious Lord Butler, known equally for his ruthless dealings and his unexpected bouts of benevolence, was intervening on her behalf? She dared not let hope flicker too brightly, for fear it would be snuffed out just as quickly.
Rat's gaze flickered between Violet and Lord Butler, assessing the situation with a serpent's calculating eyes. "And why would you care about this girl, my lord?" Rat asked, his tone dripping with disdain. "What is she to you?"
Austin’s lips curled into a slight smile that did not reach his cold blue eyes. "Let's just say I dislike debts being settled through such... unsavory means," he replied smoothly. "Release her from your clutches or find yourself with an enemy you do not want."
Rat hesitated, weighing his options. He knew better than to cross the Butler family, and the debt he was owed, as large as it was, paled in comparison to the weight of their ire. Reluctantly, he let go of Violet's wrist. "Fine," Rat spat out.
"But don't think this is the end of it, Butler. I'll remember this."
Violet felt her wrist freed from Rat's greasy grip, her skin burning where his fingers had clung. She rubbed at the red marks silently, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. The ominous echo of Rat’s threat hung heavy in the air, a dark cloud promising a storm yet to come.
Austin didn't respond to Rat's parting shot; instead, he turned his attention to Violet. Violet's throat tightened. What could Lord Butler possibly want with someone like her? Was this another form of debt, one more personal and potentially perilous? Yet, what choice did she have but to accept his offer? The alternative—remaining under Rat's watchful and undoubtedly vengeful eye—was far worse. As the ruckus of the club resumed, a cacophony of raucous laughter and clinking glasses attempting to mask the tension that had just unfolded, Lord Butler's hand extended towards Violet.
"Come," he said, his voice a low command that brooked no argument. "Let us leave this place."
Violet hesitated, her mind racing with the possible consequences of trusting this enigmatic man. Yet as she glanced back at her father, who was now engrossed in a heated dice game, oblivious to her plight, she knew she had little choice. Swallowing hard, she placed her trembling hand in his. Lord Butler led her through the throng of bodies, his presence parting the crowd like a ship cleaving through dark waters. They stepped out into the cool night air, and Violet drew a deep breath, feeling as if she could breathe for the first time in hours. As they walked down the dimly lit cobblestone street, the cold night wrapping around them like an unwelcome cloak, Violet's mind swirled with a mixture of relief and trepidation. Lord Butler's steps were sure and silent, a stark contrast to the chaotic drumming of her own heart.
"Why did you help me?" she finally mustered the courage to ask, her voice barely above a whisper. She could not rid herself of the notion that every kindness must have its price, especially from someone of Lord Butler’s known reputation.
Austin paused, turning to face her under the faint glow of a street lamp. His features softened somewhat in the dim light, yet his eyes remained inscrutable. "You looked like you needed a way out.”
His reply, simple as it was, carried a weight that hung between them in the cool night air. Violet's eyes searched his, looking for any hint of deceit or malice, but found none that she could discern. She was not naive enough to think this marked the end of her troubles, but for a fleeting moment under the flickering streetlamp, she allowed herself to feel a semblance of safety.
"Where are we going?" Violet asked after a moment, her voice steadier than she felt.
"To my estate," Austin stated, his tone suggesting that further questions might not be welcome. "It’s safer there—for now."
The word 'safe' echoed in her mind like a promise too precious to trust. But what choice did she have? Going back was not an option; moving forward with this enigmatic lord was the only path left open to her. As they continued to walk, Austin's silence enveloped them as effectively as the fog that began to roll in from the river. The fog seemed to cloak their movements, a spectral shroud that masked the uncertainty of their destination. Violet's thoughts churned as violently as the river beside which they walked, each step taking her further away from a life of misery yet potentially closer to a new kind of danger. Lord Butler's stride was purposeful, his posture erect with an authority that commanded respect—even fear—but his silence was a puzzle she could not solve.
The fog seemed to cloak their movements, a spectral shroud that masked the uncertainty of their destination. Violet's thoughts churned as violently as the river beside which they walked, each step taking her further away from a life of misery yet potentially closer to a new kind of danger. Lord Butler's stride was purposeful, his posture erect with an authority that commanded respect—even fear—but his silence was a puzzle she could not solve. Every so often, he glanced over his shoulder, as if to ensure she was still there or to check that they were not being followed. The tightness of his jaw and the occasional narrowing of his eyes spoke of concerns he did not voice, adding another layer to his already enigmatic persona.
Violet's mind raced with questions about this man who had appeared so unexpectedly in her life. What drove him to intervene on her behalf? Was it merely distaste for the unsavory dealings of men like Rat, or was there something deeper, more personal at stake for him? His world was one of power and privilege, so far removed from her own experiences that she found it hard to believe their paths were meant to cross in any meaningful way. Yet here she was, following him into the unknown, driven by a desperation that made her cling to the fragile hope he offered.
As they approached a carriage waiting at the end of the street, its doors opened as if by magic, revealing a plush interior lit by soft lanterns. Violet paused, her heart pounding anew—not from fear this time, but from the sheer otherworldliness of the scene before her. Austin, noticing her hesitation, offered his hand once again, his expression unreadable.
"Trust me," he murmured, the words barely audible above the distant rumble of the city nightlife. The invitation was simple, yet it carried the weight of an unspoken promise—a promise that Violet found herself inexplically wanting to believe, despite every reason she had to doubt. Tentatively, Violet placed her hand in his once more, stepping into the carriage while trying to suppress the fluttering in her chest. The soft cushions enveloped her as she settled into a seat opposite Austin. The door shut with a definitive thud, sealing them together in this moving sanctuary from the outside world.
As the carriage lurched forward, Austin leaned back against the upholstery, his gaze fixed out of the window, lost in thoughts he did not share. Violet watched him covertly, studying his profile—the sharp jawline, the furrow between his brows that spoke of concentration or concern. He seemed both part of this opulent world and yet isolated from it. Her curiosity deepened, entwining with the threads of apprehension that wove through her mind. What lay at the end of this unexpected journey? What awaited her at Lord Butler’s estate? These questions spun in her mind like a whirlwind, leaving her dizzy with uncertainty.
The carriage wheels rhythmically hit against the cobblestones, a steady and hypnotic sound that seemed to echo the pulsing of her own heart. As they traveled further away from the life she knew, the streetlights became scarcer, plunging the carriage into periods of shadow interspersed with bursts of light.
Breaking the silence, Austin finally turned to face her, his expression unreadable. "You must have many questions," he said, his voice calm and somehow reassuring despite the situation.
Violet nodded, her throat tight with nervousness. "Yes, sir. I assume you bought me for your own…personal uses.”
Austin raised a brow trying to keep a smirk off his lips. “Personal uses?”
Violet narrowed her eyes. She didn’t enjoy him acting sly. She was not stupid. “Personal pleasure, my lord. That is what my father sold me to Rat for.”
He could no longer hold back his chuckle which made Violet even more angry. “You are rather blunt, Miss Everly.” Austin moved his gaze directly to hers. There was a teasing nature in his eyes that made Violet lean away from him slowly. “My intentions are my own. But I can assure you, they are not what you think.”
The assurance did little to quell the tempest inside her. Violet's eyes flitted away from his, focusing on the darkened landscape rolling past the carriage windows. Each word he spoke seemed layered with meaning she couldn't quite decipher. She was painfully aware of the close quarters, the way his presence seemed to fill up every inch of the space.
"If not for your pleasure, then what?" Violet's voice was steady now, edged with a quiet defiance. She needed to understand the web she was being drawn into, regardless of how tangled it appeared.
Austin paused, regarding her with a look that mixed amusement with a hint of admiration. "You're full of fire, aren't you?" he remarked, his tone lighter than the heavy atmosphere that filled the carriage.
Austin's smile faded as he considered her words, and for a moment, the playful spark in his eyes gave way to something more somber. "Fair enough," he conceded. "I am not in the business of buying souls, Miss Everly. Nor am I interested in such mundane transactions as those suggested." He leaned forward slightly, his eyes holding hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. "I needed to remove you from a dangerous situation."
Violet remained silent, her mind racing as she processed his words. The carriage rolled onwards, the sound of the horses’ hooves a steady beat against the cobblestone, mirroring the tumultuous rhythm of her thoughts.
"Why me?" she found herself asking again. The question had been burning inside her since the moment he'd intervened between her and her father.
Austin's gaze softened. "Sometimes," he started, pausing as if choosing his words carefully, "we find ourselves in positions to make changes in others' lives. And sometimes, we are compelled to act upon it."
"But why? What is in it for you?" Violet couldn’t help but press further. Her life had taught her that nothing was done without some gain sought.
Austin looked out of the window for a long moment before turning back to face her. His expression was unreadable. "Let’s just say I am settling a debt of my own," he confessed softly. His cryptic admission hung in the air, dense as the fog that crept silently around the carriage wheels. Violet felt the weight of his words, each one laden with hidden meanings she could not yet decipher. She sat back against the plush seat, her mind awhirl with possibilities and fears.
"What kind of debt can be settled by involving a stranger?" Violet asked, her voice low, almost swallowed by the creaking of the carriage and the distant calls of night creatures.
Austin's face remained impassive for a long moment as he pondered her question. Finally, he turned to her, his blue eyes piercing in their intensity. "The kind that weighs heavily on a man's conscience," he replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. "Sometimes our pasts are riddled with decisions we wish we could undo. Helping you might be a step towards redemption for me."
Violet absorbed his words, turning them over in her mind like stones pulled from a riverbed, smooth and opaque. Redemption. The concept was foreign to her — a luxury far beyond her reach. In Violet's world, survival was the only moral code, and every day was a battle against despair. Yet looking into Austin's eyes, she saw a flicker of something relatable — a shared understanding of pain and regret. Perhaps, in his own tangled web of guilt and redemption, there was a thread she could hold onto, a thread that could lead them both towards something resembling salvation.
The carriage rolled on, enveloping them in the cocoon of its silent progress through the night. Violet found herself drawn into the rhythm of their journey, the steady beat of hooves syncing with her own tumultuous thoughts. Austin was an enigma—a man cloaked in privilege yet burdened by unseen chains. Could she trust him? Trust was a luxury scarcely afforded in her world, and yet, as the miles unfurled behind them like a ribbon in the wind, she sensed an inexplicable bond forming—an invisible thread pulled tight by circumstances.
"Lord Butler," Violet ventured cautiously, her voice a tentative whisper against the thrum of movement. "If redemption is what you seek, what role am I to play in it? Am I merely a pawn in your path to absolution?"
Austin turned his head slowly, fixing her with a look that melded wariness with an odd sense of respect. "Not a pawn," he said softly, correcting her with a firm tone. "Consider yourself more…an unexpected ally."
Violet processed this label, rolling it around her mind like a puzzle piece searching for its perfect fit. Ally—not captive nor servant, but a co-conspirator in a game the rules of which were still unclear to her. The shift in perspective was both empowering and daunting.
A small smile played at the corners of Austin's lips—an expression that transformed his usually stern features into something unexpectedly tender. "I promise all will be made clear in time," he assured her. "For now, rest and gather your strength.”
Violet nodded, though the concept of rest felt as elusive as the changing shadows outside the carriage window. She was too wound up with a mix of caution and curiosity. Every fiber of her being vibrated with the need to decipher Austin Butler, to understand his angles and anticipate his moves. As the carriage dipped into another shadow, Violet glanced back towards Austin. He was looking out the window, the profile of his face caught intermittently in the flickers of light that breached their isolation. There was a ruggedness to him that she hadn't noticed before—a weary battle scar here, a tightness around his eyes there—marks of a man acquainted with troubles she could only guess at. She found herself wondering about the demons that haunted him, about what grievous past actions could drive a man of his stature to seek redemption through the aid of someone as inconsequential as herself. It seemed implausible and yet, here they were, wrapped in layers of dark secrets and moonlit confessions.
The carriage creaked on, and Violet felt her eyelids grow heavy against her will. The rhythm of their travel lulled her into a reluctant drowsiness. Before she succumbed completely to sleep, she made herself a promise—not to let her guard down, not even in the comfort of this luxurious carriage or the intriguing company of Lord Butler. No matter how gentle his tone or how sincere his words might seem, Violet knew that survival meant never fully exposing her vulnerabilities.
As sleep claimed her, her mind spun with a collage of fears and fragmented dreams. She dreamt of dark corridors and whispered promises, of escaping shadows that morphed into comforting arms, and always, always, there was Austin—his piercing blue eyes offering both salvation and sorrow.
Stay tuned for part 4!! Click HERE to view!
Taglist: @buckysteveloki-me
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miradelletarot · 1 day
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Reworking things
So I think before I post my final chapter to The Weave and the Vines, I am gonna edit the older chapters and repost them to AO3. I am going to post them differently so they aren't in a "series" as separate entities, but rather one whole chaptered story. i am an ao3 noob so idk if this will make things better, but if I'm gonna go thru the trouble of cleaning things up i might as well go big or go home. I'm told it's really helpful for those who like to download works so they can read them, and also for those who leave bookmarks.
Once I redo it, I'll post the shiny new thingy here. It's gonna be a bit of a project i think, but if it's gonna live on in Fanfiction Land forever, it better look nice lol
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meforreal7 · 2 days
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I love it when in fanfics Tony’s bots have souls. It makes me so happy but like I’m ab to cry at the thought of it bc it’s so cuteeee. Like Tony put so much work and affection into them that they somehow became sentient. I love that trope. They’re his little babiesssss 😭
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nightwngobssd · 2 days
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Ain't no way you have 800 bookmarks of Nightwing 💀
Probably not 800 but it’s definitely up there 😭
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toadsarebitches · 23 hours
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Merther makes me SICK
…I love them so much
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pinkiemachine · 2 days
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Superman: Origin Story! 🎉
Part one involving what became of Krypton and the rest of the El family will be linked below.
Lara and Cal crash landed together on Earth (specifically, outside of Smallville Kansas) in the summer of 1977 with their escape pod badly damaged, and Lara bleeding out. As luck would have it, a young couple was driving through that part of the country and saw what they thought was a plane of some sort crash land. John Kent jumped out of the car and went to check to see if there were survivors and found a Kryptonian escape pod, steaming and smoking, with a woman and baby inside. Lara could tell that she didn’t have much time. Attempting to speak to John (though, he didn’t understand her language) she asked that he would take care of her son and bring help. Along with Cal, she also gave John a small, hand-held device that he couldn’t figure out the purpose of. Then… she died.
John was left standing there, not knowing what to do for a few seconds. Ultimately, he figured he ought to bury the body out of respect, so he ran back to his wife to give her the baby. By that point, though, there were already dark shapes on the horizon. Martha spotted them. Black helicopters. The Kents got in their car and sped away as quickly as they could, not wanting to get tangled up in whatever conspiracy this was. John didn’t take them back to house that night. Instead, they kept driving until they reached his sister Emma’s house where they would lay low for a while.
Martha was still holding baby Cal and she couldn’t bear to let him go. She had suffered a miscarriage just a week before and immediately fell in love with the boy. There would be no getting rid of him now. They decided to name him Clark, after a word John thought that the woman in the pod had tried to say to him.
After the black helicopters had gone, and after the crashed pod had mysteriously disappeared, John and Martha went back home and continued on with life. Naturally, they had a million questions, but answers would be very tricky to supply unless they wanted to poke their noses into uncertain places. So they kept to themselves. Clark, meanwhile, was growing up fast and strong. Literally. By the time he was two, he was lifting things he really shouldn’t be able to, running faster than they could keep up with, and falling out trees on purpose (not sustaining any injuries) because it was fun. This was their first inkling that Clark might not be human. (After all, Kryptonians do look a lot like humans.)
I would also like to mention that in this version, Clark has siblings. Yes, a few years after saving Clark, Martha gave birth to another son, Micheal. Then came Sean, then Rueben, and finally Suzie. They all worked together on their father’s farm, though it was kind of an open secret who did most of the work. Clark would out-perform his brothers constantly, and it had become quite the sore spot in the family. But, when the tractor breaks down, who’re you gonna call to get it back to the barn? Probably the superhuman son who can lift it with one hand and fly. They did have a lot of good times as well. They got up to so much stupid stuff…heheh… story for another time.
Clark was told from a young age that he was allowed to use his powers on the farm, but nowhere else. Especially not in town. John and Martha were worried the black helicopters might come back. So Clark did his best, but rumours still abounded. Some of the other kids in his class at school even called him an “alien” because of how weird he acted sometimes. Naturally, he had been told his origins by this point. When he was six, his parents sat him down and explained about the pod and his mother and John gave him the small device that Lara had given him. The moment Clark touched it, it activated. It was a holo-photo projector, and it displayed a portrait of the El family, baby Clark included. This was proof that Clark was from the stars, and from that moment onward, he became obsessed with outer space. By the time he was in middle school, he had star maps and rocket posters pinned up in his room, he tracked down every scrap of alien news and conspiracy theories that he could find, and tried to send out radio signals into deep space with his own dinky, homemade system in the family tree house. He loved his adoptive family, he did, but he also wanted to know what had happened to the rest of his birth family. Were they out there? Did they know where he was? That he was alive? He had so many questions!
Alas, time flew by, and no answers appeared. He had a falling out with one of his brothers (involving Clark losing control and accidentally hurting one of the family dogs with his laser vision) and after high school he left to get a degree in investigative journalism, later taking a job at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He still talked to his brothers and sister and Ma and Pa, but he felt alienated. He didn’t really belong anywhere. That’s why this job was so important. He would scour the ends of the Earth to find answers.
Little did he know, though, that the escape pod and Lara’s body had been taken by the government and were being experimented on. Head of the classified project currently: Amanda Waller. Most invested investor: Lex Luthor.
Part one here 👇
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