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lokisprettygirl · 2 years

Text

Mystery of Laufey Manor (Loki x Female Reader) (Horror Au)

Read chapter 18 here // Series Masterlist

Chapter 19

Summary : You find something creepy about Steve

Note : might not be the best chapter, I'm still trying to process everything and not writing for 5 days felt as if I have never written before so apologies.

"What the hell did you give her yesterday?" Loki raised his voice as he confronted Laura.

"What do you mean my lord, I don't understand" she tried to play innocent but he could clearly see through her facade

"Don't play coy with me, you know what I mean. If you tell me the truth now, I'll allow you to leave. If not you won't make it to your home tonight, you know how bad the weather is, nobody would question it either" her eyes widened at the threat, it was like looking at someone else. He didn't seem like Loki at all.

"You can't threaten me like that" she started weeping and he chuckled.

"I'm not threatening you darling" he walked over to the stove and put the tea kettle on.

"Don't even think of running" she stopped in her tracks as he grabbed her arms. He dragged her towards the chair and made her sit down, then he took out his handkerchief and tied it to her eyes

"What ..what are you doing" she asked him as she was starting to feel really creeped out by his behavior

"Shhhh darling, stay quiet and be a good girl for me alright?" And a little turned on. She could hear the cluttering sound in the background. Her heart was thumping inside her chest brutally.

"How much rat poison did you add to her meal yesterday?" He asked her as he sat down next to her and passed her a cup of tea "Drink while you answer"

"I don't know what you're talking about my lord" her voice trembled but he could sense the lies binding her words together.

"I'm not buying your act so cut it out" he stood up and grabbed her chin with his hand then he shoved the cup to her lips, making her drink the tea forcefully.

"I'll drink it, please stop.. you're scaring me" she begged him so he took her hand and placed the cup in them as gently as he could, then he gripped her hair and pulled her closer to kiss her forehead.

"Are you going to tell me the truth now hmm?" He whispered in her ear and she nodded,

"I was jealous and took a step against my better judgment, just a pinch, not enough to kill.. that's all ..it won't happen again I promise please forgive me" he sat down on his chair as she brought the cup to her lips, drinking the concoction in one quick motion, his eyes stayed glued to her trembling form, it brought him a miniscule amount of satisfaction if nothing else.

"You know she spent the night hurting? she was in pain but she didn't wake me up, you know why? Because she's compassionate like that, she's ..one of her kind, just the best, and you think, you can come here in our house, poison my wife and I'd just let you go?" His voice sounded evil and menacing, her mouth stayed open as she realized that he didn't care about her at all but only you. You're the only person he loves now.

"Wha…what do you mean" he got up and opened the blindfold.

"Well..I just mixed a little bit of karma in your tea, a taste of your own poison if you will" she got up angrily as she heard him and grabbed his collar

"You psychopath..I hate you.. I hate you" she yelled like a banshee in his ears but that indeed brought a much bigger satisfaction to him. Revenge is satisfying, always has been.

"Instead of wasting time here screaming at me, you should go to the hospital darling. You added just a pinch? I wasn't that generous" And then she ran, ran so fast out of there. She never wanted to see him again.

After she was gone, he decided to go to the pharmacy to bring medicines for you. On his way out he asked Thomas to guard the manor and make sure Laura won't be able to get in again if she was planning that.

In the bathroom, while you were soaking in the hot bathtub, you didn't realize that when you closed your eyes and fell asleep. You saw yourself walking on the beach again, you could see four women standing on the shore. When they turned around they all looked very different from each other, you didn't recognise any of them except the one you saw before as well. You could feel someone standing behind you, so you turned, it was the woman you saw in your bedroom once, then on the ship. Even though it was a dream, you could smell the horrid stench of her. Her eyes seemed hollow, there was complete darkness Inside them

She was crying, you didn't want to judge her on her appearance, your mom always taught you to never judge anyone based on their looks.

"Run from the Manor dear girl, he's not who he says he is, he's going to betray you even though he promised you the world, he'll take the thing most precious to you, HE WILL HURT YOU"

You opened your eyes and used the edge of the bathtub to sit up, why do you keep seeing this woman? And what the hell is she talking about? Before you thought it was just nightmares, or just your subconscious mind worrying about the move but the recurring dreams felt more like a warning. Things haven't exactly been smooth sailing since you got here, first you found about Loki asking Bruce to not contact, then the Laura thing. What more he was hiding from you?

You quickly got up and put on a robe, you wanted to talk to Bruce right now. Ask him about what he wanted to tell you last night. You opened the almirah and took out your purse to look for his number, you wrote it down in the small diary you kept for telephone numbers but you couldn't find that diary anywhere in your purse. You took out the contents of your purse on the bed and still didn't find it, it should have been here, where did it go?

Did Loki hide it or something? You didn't want to doubt your husband, he was just trying to protect you but then the way he talked to Bruce last night made you doubt his intentions.

When he came back with your medicines he found you pacing in the bedroom

"Darling you're supposed to rest, what are you doing?" You looked at him and walked over to where he was standing

"I uhh I was going to call Bruce" he looked at you and nodded then he grabbed your hand and walked you to the bed. He made you sit down, took out the medicine and gave it to you.

"Take it, you'll feel better" you sighed and ingested the medicine as quickly as you could. He noticed your purse and all its content out on the bed so he looked at you

"Why have you made all this mess sweetheart?" He asked you so you looked at him as you bit on your cheek with your teeth

"I was looking for my phone numbers diary, it's not in there, where is it?" You stood up as you asked him that

"Where did you keep it?" he asked you as he looked at you confused

"In the purse, ofcourse, and it's not in there now?"

"What are you trying to say? That I stole it?" He chuckled and that made you upset

"Did you?" He glared at you and his eyes teared up as he noticed the accusation in your voice

"Wow really? You do not trust me at all do you?"

"It's not that, I know you're protective and the way you talked to Bruce that night I …" before you could say anything else he cut you off

"I have heard enough, I hope you feel better soon, I'll get to work" he picked up his cane and put on his coat as he stormed out of the bedroom, his way of storming out was him trying to walk as fast as he could with his cane.

You sighed and sat down on the bed, your first official fight with your husband and you hated the way it made you feel. You didn't mean to accuse him of stealing but then you'd be lying to yourself if you said you didn't doubt that he was the one who might have stolen the diary to prevent you from connecting with Bruce. You opened your luggage, and that's when you realized that you still haven't unpacked your stuff. As soon as you opened the first bag you found your diary in one of the compartments. Now you felt like a major asshole.

He was just trying to protect you, he told you why he asked Bruce to not contact you and you still questioned his intention.

"Fuck how would I fix this" you mumbled to yourself, you decided that you'd apologise to him when he comes back from work, you had to find out about Steve. As soon as you dialed the number, Bruce picked up.

"Hey hi..it's y/n here I hope I'm not bothering you at this time" you laughed nervously as you thought about the time difference.

"Not at all, I called last night but your husband told me to fuck off in his posh polite manner" you squeezed your eyes as he said that

"I'm sorry about that, he's just protective of me..that's all, you wanted to tell me something? About Steve?"

"Yes we had a lead, I can't give all the details but we actually raided his house"

"His house? You mean his parents' house?"

"Yes, and I found an album in there, it had pictures of you" you furrowed your brows, you both had loads of pictures taken over the years so it wasn't a big deal

"Bruce we knew each other all our lives basically, our parents celebrated festivals together"

"You don't understand y/n he had pictures of you, you only, not the kind of pictures you'd have taken on festivals or birthday parties. He had a whole album filled with candid pictures of you, in most of them you seem to not realize that you're being photographed, They're absolutely bizarre"

You got goosebumps as he said that, why would he take pictures of you, you both dated once in high school after he asked you out a million times. Then you both decided to stay friends as you didn't feel any connection.

"That's horrible to find out, did you find anything else? His whereabouts?" You asked him and he said no. You hung up after he promised to tell you once he finds out more. You called Bruce looking for answers but it confused you even more. The medicines made you feel drowsy so you decided to take a nap. When you woke up Loki had just returned and you found him on the Ottoman removing his gloves so you walked over to him and sat down on your knees in front of him to take off his shoes

"Darling I'll do it, you don't have to " he tried to stop but you looked at him, your eyes filled with tears as you did

"It's okay, I used to polish the shoes for my dad when I was a kid" you mumbled meekly and he sighed, you took his shoes off one by one and he put his fingers on your chin to make you look at him

"I'm sorry lo, I'm so sorry" you mumbled softly and he wiped your tears then he leaned down to kiss your forehead

"You found your diary I assume?" He rubbed his thumb over your cheeks then pecked on your lips

"I did and I'm so sorry, please forgive me" you took off his mask and then kissed him deeply, his tongue played with yours as he reciprocated your intensity.

"You're so silly you know that, such a silly silly girl" he whispered as he kissed you again and again. And again.

"I know I know" you mumbled and your hand found his bulge. Truth to be told, the way you questioned his intentions hurt him to the core, mainly because it was for something he didn't do. He was hiding and hurting you in many different ways but you doubted him over something he actually didn't even have a hand in. He moaned as you unzipped him and took him out of the confinement of his pants

"Darling what are you.."

"Shhh let me apologize now" you mumbled softly and he leaned back on the ottoman, his pulse racing at the thought of you wanting to take him in your mouth. You positioned yourself between his legs, and stroked him up and down slowly, he was getting harder with every passing second. He moaned as you licked the tip of his cock, now that you were seeing him so up close you realized how perfect his cock was. You didn't mind the taste either and he smelled like himself mixed with scent of sex. Just perfect. You dribbled down your spit on his cock and rubbed him up and down, then you took him in your mouth again.

You looked at him, he had his head laid down on the back of the ottoman , he was enjoying this and it made you excited too that you could make him feel this way and for a second you felt like the ball was finally in your court. Literally. You felt sexy and you felt proud of yourself.

He kept his eyes on you, watching his cock disappear more and more in your mouth made him want to cum right then but he controlled himself.

"Open the robe darling, let me see you all bare for me" he whispered so you took him out of your mouth and undid the strings of your robe, then you pulled it down from your shoulders, you just had your underwear on, you must look vulgar like this and you loved it.

"Fuck you're beautiful my love, such a perfect whore" you squeezed your legs together as he praised you and reduced you to that level in the same sentence. Only he could make you feel this way and you were addicted to him. He loves you, he'd never hurt you, you had to put more faith in him.

You sucked him off mindlessly after that, you tried to take him in as deep as you could. He gripped your head and pushed himself in deeper making you choke on him like you desperately wanted to. You looked like a beautiful mess and he loved that. How could he not?

"Fuckk I'm close sweet thing, your mouth is as warm as your cunt is, gonna cum down your throat, take it..fuck yes take my cum darling" he grunted and growled as he let go, it was intense for both of you, you have never felt pleasured by pleasuring your man before, and he has never been pleasured by a woman who actually wanted to just please him selflessly. Please him because she loves him, he never had that. He pulled you on top of him and kissed you then he touched you and fingered you until you exploded all over his hand. You love him so much.

After showering and dinner, when you both got in bed, you told him about Steve and he had a concerned look on his face, but he didn't seem surprised, which surprised you in return.

"It's so weird to me, why would he have pictures of me as if he was obsessed with me?" You told him so he sighed

"I know darling that's why I had to take you away from there" you looked at him as he said that

"What do you mean lo?" His answer kept you on the edge all night. You had so many questions and you wanted answers to all of them.

"He was the man in the bedroom upstairs, it was no ghost, it was him all along"

💀💀💀💀💀💚💚💚💚💀💀💀💀

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#loki #loki x female reader #loki x reader fluff #loki x reader smut #loki x reader #loki x reader insert #loki x reader fic #loki x you #loki x reader angst #loki horror au #horror romance

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edxwin-elric · 6 years

Text

Briggs Breakout

Rating: M (some graphic imagery)

Pairing: Edwin/Edward Elric x Winry Rockbell

Disclaimer: I don’t own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Word Count: 3442

Title: Briggs Breakout

Description: Angsty Edwin One Shot

AU where Edward saves Winry from Kimblee after the escape attempt at Briggs fails.

A/N: Request by anon. #2 – “They can’t hurt you anymore.” From this prompt list. @rizahawkaye told me I’m evil for writing this, so I won’t blame you if you feel the same.

ffn || ao3 || Ko-fi

Winry

Just breathe, Winry. Ed is coming. He’ll save you.

I shiver against the icy air of the cell and repeat the mantra in my mind. It’s dark in here. I’m not sure how long it’s been since they locked me up.

God, how did this happen? It was supposed to be safe here. Ed said he would take care of Mr. Kimblee, and the Briggs soldiers would take care of us. Only he was wrong. When we got here, it was an ambush. Central soldiers were everywhere. Scar and May put up a good fight, but…they somehow got a hold of Al’s torso. I surrendered before they tried to destroy the blood seal, but everyone else got away.

How could I be so stupid? Clearly, Al was trying to warn us. He only got out “Briggs,” before his body pulled his soul away, but I should’ve been able to figure that out. I should’ve known.

A clanking noise makes me flinch, and I look toward it. I feel cold seep into my bones when Mr. Kimblee stops in front of my cell. No one has talked to me yet, but I already know I’m in trouble. I just hope Ed got away safely.

“Where’s Edward?” I ask, my voice sounding stronger than I feel.

He raises an eyebrow, and I push off the concrete floor, standing on shaky legs, numbed from the cold.

“Funny,” he murmurs. “I was going to ask you the same question.”

“What are you talking about?” My voice wavers, and I wince.

“We fought, he and I,” he goes on. “If you can call it a fight when it was so painfully one-sided. I was certain the collapse of the mine shaft would kill him, but…my men searched it, and his body is missing.”

His b-body? Wait, he—

“How could you?” I gasp. “You tried to kill him?”

“He started the fight, Miss Rockbell,” he shrugs, his lips tilting up into a sly grin. “I merely defended myself.”

“You–”

“But that isn’t why I’m here,” he talks over me casually. “See, you’ve been a very bad girl, Miss Rockbell.”

I feel my heart trip over itself as fear floods my chest.

“I-I was–”

“You conspired against me, a high-ranking member of the military, and a respected state alchemist.”

My stomach turns, and I step away from him, my back colliding with the stone wall.

“However,” he continues, “I’m feeling generous, so I’ll offer you an opportunity to redeem yourself.”

“How?” I whisper cautiously.

“It’s quite simple, really. I need information, and you have it. All you have to do is tell me what I want to know.”

“Which is what, exactly?” I ask, my voice sounding tight.

“Where is the Fullmetal Alchemist?”

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly.

“Come, come, Miss Rockbell. You can’t truly think I’m going to believe that. You were plotting with him. Surely, he told you where he was going next.”

“He didn’t.”

Not exactly anyway.

He tilts his head to the side, and I feel a shiver run down my spine that has nothing to do with the cold.

“Well…in that case, I guess I’ll have to try a different method.”

“Method of what?” I venture carefully.

“Extracting information.” He grins maliciously, and I feel bile climb up my throat. “Is that fear I see in your eyes?”

I glare at him, holding my head up defiantly, even though my heart is racing, and I’m afraid I might throw up.

“You should be scared,” he threatens, his eyes glinting. “What I have in mind for you will be painful. That is, unless you change your mind and decide to tell me your boyfriend’s plans.”

“Never,” I whisper.

“Very well,” he smirks, stepping back. “I hate to see your pretty skin marred, Miss Rockbell, but if you’ve made your choice…”

He turns to go, and I wait until I hear his footsteps fade before sinking to the floor.

Ed is coming, I remind myself. He’ll save you. Just breathe.

Edward

Kimblee has Winry.

I wake with a start and sit up in bed, ignoring the dull pain in my stomach. Sweat is dripping down my back. I struggle for a second, trying to remember what woke me. It was something important. Something bad.

“Hey, kid, are you okay?”

I look over at the lion chimera guy in my doorway and feel my eyebrows pinch. What was it? I needed to do something. Someone…

I reach up to brush my hair back, and freeze, my eyes on my automail arm.

“Winry!” I remember suddenly.

Throwing off the sheets, I scramble out of bed, searching for my clothes.

“Whoa. Slow down! What are you–”

“He’s got her,” I cut him off. “He’s got Winry, and I have to stop him.”

I’m not making any sense, but I don’t care.

“Who has her? Scar? I thought you said that was your plan–”

“No. Kimblee. That asshole has her, and–”

“Kimblee has her? How do you know that?” he interrupts.

“I—I don’t know,” I sputter. “But he does, and I have to save her.”

I find my pants and yank them on, doubling over when a sharp pain cuts through my abdomen.

“You need to lie down.”

“I can’t lie down! Winry is in danger!”

“What’s going on?” The gorilla chimera comes in holding food.

“He thinks Kimblee has his girlfriend.”

“SHE’S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!”

“Okay! Calm down, Elric.”

“And he does have her!” I shout over them. “I have to get to Briggs.”

“Okay, well do you have a plan? What’s your strategy?” Gorilla Guy asks.

“I—That’s not—I’ll figure it out on my way, okay? I just… I have to go!”

I hear them muttering to each other as I finish pulling my clothes on. If I could, I’d call Colonel Mustang. Actually, Lieutenant Hawkeye. She would know what to do. She could get someone up here to help. But, with the homunculi in charge…that would be next to impossible.

Well, I’ll have to do this on my own.

“I really think you should lie down. At least until we get some kind of confirmation that he really does have her,” Lion Man pipes up again.

I pause in the middle of putting my shirt on. I mean…he has a point, I guess. What if it was some kind of nightmare?

My stomach churns, and I clench a fist. It feels real enough. And the idea of leaving Winry at the mercy of that psychopath… But if I’m wrong, and I go storming off to Briggs which I already know is swarming with soldiers from Central, I’ll give up any ground I gained when I accidentally faked my death in the mine shaft.

“Fine,” I sigh, reluctantly sitting back down on the mattress. “But if you get confirmation she’s there, I’m out of here.”

“If she’s there, we’ll go with you,” Gorilla Guy announces. “Can’t have you charging off to Fort Briggs just to get yourself killed after we went through all this trouble to save you.”

“Right.”

They both leave to reach out to contacts, and I turn onto my back and cover my face. Now I have to wait, and I hate it. As much as I want it to be in my head, I can’t stop my stomach from filling with dread.

Winry

“This can end any time, Miss Rockbell,” Kimblee’s voice burns in my ears.

I squeeze my eyes shut, my cheek pressed against the cold metal table as he has his henchman make another gash in my back. I press my lips together, trying not to make a sound as I feel warm blood ooze down my spine. Two weeks of his “methods,” and I’m already becoming accustomed to the pain.

First it was exposure—forcing me to stand in the cold until my lips were blue, and my eyelashes were frozen. I had started praying for hypothermia, but then he realized it wasn’t going to work.

Next, he started coming to my cell at night, before I fell asleep, and telling me about what he did in Ishval. It made me sick, hearing him happily recalling murdering and mutilating those innocent people. People like my parents.

When I still didn’t tell him what he wanted to know, he moved on to hurting me. He used alchemy to make my blood boil. He gave me high fevers, which, in turn, gave me nightmares. Fever dreams about Ed bloody and bruised, freezing to death. About Granny searching for me, not knowing where I am…

After that, he upgraded to breaking my bones. My arms. My legs. My fingers. He never left them long. Always fixing them with alchemy only to break them again later. And worse than the pain was the look of pure delight on his face. Proving what a sick sadist he is. That my pain excites him.

But I still haven’t told him anything. And he’s getting more impatient by the day. Now, he’s having his chimera lackeys cut into my back with knives. The gashes aren’t deep, or they don’t feel deep, but they sting like hell, and I’m scared to find out what he’s planning. He’s an alchemist, like Ed, so I’m not unfamiliar with transmutation circles. I just really hope this isn’t one.

“Just tell me where your boyfriend is,” he growls, clearly irritated, and I take a difficult breath.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I force out.

“Again,” he bites out harshly, and I wince as another cut burns into my flesh.

He steps closer to the table, and I flinch, pulling at the ties at my wrists that are holding me down. I’m desperate to hide my nakedness from him. It’s easy to forget I’m topless when steel blades are digging into my back, but nothing is worse than him looking at me, even if it’s in that clinical way.

“Don’t you want this to be over?” He slides my hair over my shoulder, and my skin breaks out in goosebumps. I want to throw up.

I don’t answer him, clenching my jaw tight, trying not to gag. His fingers trail over the sliced skin of my back, and tears burn behind my eyes.

“Where is he?” he asks darkly, his gentle touch making me shiver in disgust. “Where is the Fullmetal Alchemist?”

“I don’t know,” I repeat, weakly, saying the same thing I’ve said for weeks.

“Where is Edward Elric?”

God. I wish I knew.

He says something else, but suddenly he sounds muffled. I try to open my eyes to look at him, but my eyelids won’t budge.

“Boss, she’s fading again.”

“Shit,” he hisses faintly. “Fine. Clean her up. Put her back in her room. Let me know when she wakes up.”

I hear him walking away, and I relax a little, giving into the agony that pulls me under. Into darkness.

Edward

Fuck, I hate the cold.

And I hate this stupid waiting. I need to be inside the damn fort already, getting Winry away from that fucking psycho. Instead, I’m disguised as a villager with my hair all stuffed into a hat, sitting in the back of a supply truck, waiting until Lion Man gets past the guards.

We’ve been sitting here forever. What if this doesn’t work? What if they don’t let us in?

The truck moves forward, and I let out a sigh of relief. We slowly pull through the gates and around into an alley, where I jump out and run into the side door.

“Ah. You made it.”

I jump at the voice.

“Major Miles,” I ask quickly.

“You really shouldn’t have come here, Edward Elric,” he goes on, pushing me into a dark room. “However, I can understand your motives.”

“Where’s Winry?” I bite out, ignoring how hard I’m shivering.

“I couldn’t be too nosy without drawing suspicion, but one of the men learned she’s in cell 523, unless she’s in the infirmary.”

“The infirmary?” I gasp. “Why would she–”

“Captain Buccaneer will cause a diversion which should draw Kimblee away. That will be your chance.”

“Wait! I–”

“The way things stand, I won’t be able to be much help to you on this particular mission,” he continues over me. “If I’m seen with you from this point on, you are my enemy. I can’t risk the safety of Briggs men or the integrity of this fort. Especially while the general is away. That said, I hope you are successful, and…I truly regret what that bastard has done to your friend.”

“What? What are you talking–”

A loud banging sound cuts me off followed by a sound series of alarms.

“That’s your signal,” the major says quietly. “Good luck, Fullmetal Alchemist.”

“Uh, thanks.”

“I’ll give you two minutes before I have to follow you.” He opens the door, and I’m temporarily blinded by the light. “Go!” He forces me out with a hand in my back, and I almost fall.

I catch my balance and take off in the opposite direction of the uproar. Since I was held in the Briggs prison cells, I’m familiar with where they are, though I never thought that knowledge would come in handy before now. When I reach cell block 500, I pause to listen.

“Winry?” I whisper.

Nothing.

“Winry!”

My voice echoes down the passage. I run after it until I get to 523 just in case, but it’s empty.

“Dammit!”

I turn around and head for the infirmary when a familiar pile of metal catches my eye. I slow to a stop and walk over to it.

“Al?”

“Wha…”

“Alphonse?”

I reach around and start pulling out pieces of his armor.

“Brother?”

“What the hell, Al? How did you get like this?”

“It’s a long story,” he mutters. “Could you fix me?”

“Yeah. Give me a second. Then I have to find Winry.”

Once I have all of the armor arranged, I perform a quick transmutation to bind it together.

“Thanks, Ed. I was wondering if I was ever going to move again.”

“Al, where’s Winry?”

“She’s not in her cell?” He turns toward where I just came from.

“No. I checked.”

“Well, then…” He pauses and looks down at me.

“Come on, Al! I need to hurry! I don’t have much time!”

“She’s this way.” He starts down the corridor. “But, Ed, she’s… I think I should warn you. Kimblee has been–”

“I don’t care,” I grind out between my teeth, picking up to a run. “I just need her out of here.”

“Right.”

When we reach the infirmary, Al pushes the door open, and I freeze.

“See, Miss Winry. I told you he was coming.”

Warrant Officer Falman is helping her stand because it looks like she can’t on her own. Her face is pale and twisted with pain, until she looks up and sees me.

“Ed,” she gasps, moving toward me. “I knew you’d come.”

Winry

My legs won’t hold me, but I try to walk anyway, pulling out of Mr. Falman’s supportive hold. I want to run, but I only get half a step before my ankle gives out, and I start to fall. I reach out to catch myself before my face hits the floor when I’m caught around the waist by an automail arm.

“Winry,” Ed whispers brokenly, pulling me into him.

His arms slide around my back, and I cry out.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I was trying to tell you,” Al speaks up. “Kimblee and his men…they hurt her.”

“Son of a bitch!” he bellows. “What did they do? I’ll make them pay–”

“We need to get out of here, Ed,” I remind him. “Before he comes back.”

“Right.” He nods, exhaling. “Right.”

Somehow, I end up on Ed’s back, my arms looped around his neck, as he sneaks us down the halls and out a secret back entrance. Two chimeras who seem to know Ed are waiting in a getaway truck with the engine already running. Al gets in first, and Ed passes me off. As soon as we’re all inside, the truck starts moving.

Someone spots us pulling away, and I start to panic.

“Ed–”

“It’s okay,” he assures me. “They won’t catch us.”

“But they’re–”

“Major Miles has men helping us. We’re okay.”

At his assurance, I start to relax. When the sound of shouting voices fades, and falling snow distorts the view of the fort as we drive away, I feel exhaustion take over me.

“Lie down, Winry,” Ed coaxes softy. “It’s okay. They can’t hurt you anymore.”

I curl up on my side, resting my head on his thigh. His fingers bury themselves in my hair, and for the first time in weeks, I don’t feel the cold.

“Thank you, Ed,” I whisper.

“Yeah,” he mutters. “Now let’s get the fuck away from Briggs.”

Edward

“You’re sure this is the right way, Al?” I ask quietly, trying not to disturb Winry, who I’m carrying in my arms. We had to leave the truck when the roads became impassible. Both the chimeras and Al offered to help with Winry, but I declined. I can take care of her on my own.

Mostly.

“Yes,” he answers firmly. “Scar said there was a mountain village called Asbeck. He was going to take May and Dr. Marcoh there with the others to hide in the Ishvalan refugee camp.”

“I hope they’re still there,” I mutter.

“Alphonse!”

The high-pitched voice catches me off guard. I turn to find the little Xingese girl with the strange panda-cat.

“May?”

“You found us! How did you escape?”

“Brother showed up, but May, Winry needs help.”

“Oh!” She looks past him at me, cradling Winry, and immediately comes over. “What happened to her?” she whispers.

“Nothing good,” I grunt. “Can you help her?”

“I think so.” She looks up at me and nods. “And Dr. Marcoh can help too. Come on.”

She turns and grabs Al’s hand and starts pulling him down an alley.

“We’re this way. I’m so glad you found us, Alphonse,” she tells him enthusiastically. “We were just getting ready to leave tomorrow or the next day, but now that you’re here–”

“We can’t stay long either,” I interrupt. “But Winry…”

“Don’t worry, Edward,” she cuts me off. “We’ll take care of your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my–”

“Ed?” Winry murmurs, and I look down, shifting my arms to readjust her against my chest.

“Hey. I’m sorry about this. We’re almost there, though.”

“Where?” She blinks, wincing.

“Here,” May announces. “Come in.”

I follow her inside and over to a cot where I set Winry down. She immediately rolls onto her stomach and rests her cheek on her hands.

“It’s her back,” I tell May quietly. “He…cut her.”

I peeked at the damage while she was sleeping, and immediately regretted it. Most of the cuts are starting to heal, but some of them are still pink and raw looking. If I ever see that slimy bastard again…

Dr. Marcoh comes over, and I get pushed back while he and May take care of her. I wait on the other side of the room with Al, who’s playing with Xiao Mei, the panda-cat. For the next few hours, we wait. Every once and a while, I hear Winry whimper, and I start to stand, but May waves me back. Finally, she comes over to me.

“We did everything we know to do,” she tells me quietly. “There might be some scarring, but she’s not in pain anymore, and there’s no risk of infection.”

I exhale slowly and rise to my feet, ignoring the growing ache in my abdomen where my own wound is still healing.

“She’s sleeping right now,” May goes on, “but you can go sit with her.”

“Thanks.”

She nods and takes my seat by Alphonse as I cross to where Winry is resting on her side. For the first time since I found her at Briggs, she looks peaceful. I let out a long breath and sit down on the edge of her cot.

“Ed,” she mumbles over her shoulder at me.

“I’m right here, Winry.”

“Don’t go.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Shifting my weight, I pull my legs onto the cot and fold my body into the space behind hers, careful not to touch her back. She reaches behind her with one hand, and I quickly take it in mine, tucking it down between our bodies.

“Get some rest, Winry.”

“You too, Ed.”

I lean forward and kiss her neck lightly before burying my face in her hair and succumbing to sleep.

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chinesegal · 6 years

Text

An open letter to an asshole

“”Barely a day ago I came across the smoldering heap of garbage known as the article “ You Dress Up For Farmageddon “. It was posted on a blog known as dan-mindless. Dan the mindless militant moroni radveeg is apparently veeeeeeeeeeeeeryyyy angry that an ex-vegetarian woman named Jenna Woginrich has decided to become a farmer, so much that he has decided to write his reactionary brainfarts on the internet for all to see. Unluckily for him, I will mock every thing he says and prove that his mind truly is as empty as his name suggests.

Lets begin.

“ You probably thought that Melanie Phillips wrote the most aggravating newspaper article recently, and, yeah, she did. But Jenna Woginrich's article, which was brought to my attention when Michael Legge got angry about it on his blog, is the one that has sparked genuine human emotion in me.”

Human emotions? Sure, asshole. Anyway, both you and your big idol Legge are pretentious militant vegan twats I usually ignore, I’m just gonna say that.

“ Woginrich stopped being vegetarian because she loves animals. "Don't you mean started being a vegetarian?" I hear you ask. Nope. "Don't you mean because she hates animals?" You continue. Nope. She loves animals so much, that not only did she start eating them again, but she farms them herself. “

Dude, (or woman or enby, I don’t care) you are saying that if you eat meat, you hate animals. That is the most infuriatingly idiotic statement I have seen in a long time. Also, Jenna realized that her problem with meat was because of how the animal was raised, not that it had to die. That might be an opinion you strongly disagree with, but I don’t.

“ I get irrationally angry when I hear this fashionable, middle-class claim that battery farming is an infringement of the rights of animals, so people should only buy free range products. If you are going to give animals rights, give them the right to life. Otherwise whats the point? I know it is better for animals to be farmed uncaged, of course it is, but either way they're going to get eaten.”

Irrational is practically your middle name, fucker. As queen of the evil beef-devouring bloodmouths I dub thee sir Dan-irrational-maggothead-fuckwit Mindless.

But anyway, let’s get this straight: Trying to improve welfare standards for animal agriculture, an industry that won’t go away anytime soon is “fashionable” and “middle-class” but assuming that every single human on the planet can go vegan or vegetarian is not? And no vegan or vegetarian is rich and middle-class?

“ In a way I have more time for people who say animals have no rights at all. At least they're consistent. Unlike this claim that animals should have some rights, but not the biggie. It's as if the likes of Woginrich don't actually care about animals at all. I'm not saying they just do the free range thing because its The Guardian-friendly and generally groovy, without any genuine concern for animals at all. Oh wait, yes I am, that's exactly what I'm saying. “

Dear sir Fuckwit, there is NOTHING inconsistent about wanting higher welfare standards instead of envisioning a completely vegan world. And you don’t know Woginrich or her feelings about animals. Who in the seven hells and heavens would actually become a farmer, something that takes a lot of skill, preparation and hard work just for attention?

“ Woginrich's article is also infuriating because it contains bizarre phrases that make no fucking sense, such as:For me, it took a return to carnivory to live out the ideals of vegetarianism. Food is a complicated religion. Let's consider that for a second. I'll ignore the phrase "Food is a complicated religion" because it seems that's what she did as she wrote it. She claims that she returned to carnivory in order to fulfil "the ideals of vegetarianism." Now I'm no expert, I'm fairly new to vegetarianism, but I think, I think, the ideals of vegetarianism involve not eating meat. And, again I may be wrong, but I think carnivory involves eating meat. So she eats meat in order to live the life of not eating meat. “

Actually, Woginrich has explained before that she realized her vegetarian diet was far from cruelty-free. Therefore she decided to open up a homestead and grow much of her own food which believe it or not, causes less harm than both the diets of most practising scavengers AND vegans.

“ This sense of smug self-satisfaction that oozes out of Woginrich's article is sickening. She, like all the rich, middle-class people who sanctimoniously advocate free range produce as a great kindness to animals, looks down her nose at the people who can't afford free range and organic food, and also at vegetarians, the people who unlike her, genuinely give a shit about animals. “

The “smug self-satisfaction” you are preaching about wouldn’t even be a drop in a swimming pool compared to your holier-than-thou ass, mr Fuckwit.

Also, a militant vegan calling someone “sanctimonious” literally gave me brain cancer from the lack of self-awareness. And oh, “rich, middle-class”? Women who are ranchers only make around 35000 dollars a year, maggotbrain. And lastly, I, an evil bloodmouth looks down my pinocchio-sized nose from the top of mount Everest on militant radveegs like you who honestly believe that anyone who doesn’t live your lifestyles is a disney villain. Really, all the people I have known who are closest to nature AND amazing people I’m gonna tag at the end of this aren’t yuppie radveegs in 3-story condos but hunters, trappers and general animal-welfarists.

“ Woginrich has confused the notion of caring about animals with the notion of being a big cunt. She runs her own farm, and I think it takes a certain kind of person to personally kill an animal. Most meat eaters would probably feel uneasy about actually killing an animal themselves, and anyone who actually cares about animals in the slightest would never kill an animal, unless they were a vet or the animal was clearly suffering. To actually personally kill an animal to eat it takes someone with no care for animals.”

“Cunt”? Don’t say that you are a misogynist too, mr Mindless. Why do I get the feeling that you would be the kind of person to harass women online?

You called every single farmer on the planet a psychopath, wow. Tell that to my mother. You see, she was raised by her mother and father, my maternal grandparents to be precise. Both of them grew up in rural China and learned to butcher animals from an early age. Despite living in a country with a long history of religious vegetarianism. But my mother and every family member I know knew him as a caring, compassionate man who made sure his daughter had everything she needed. She would suckerpunch you in the face if she knew you called him a murderer.

“ So I'll leave you with the (slightly altered) words of the great philosopher Peter Singer: "All animals are equal. Except Jenna Woginrich. She's just a cunt." “

Calling a woman an animal, how proglessive (sexist).

And finally, fuckwit makes snide little remarks about how anyone is supposed to take Woginrich’s recommendations for buying from small-scale farmers seriously if she is one herself, and to that I say one thing: Go Fuck Yourself.

@dairyisntscary @agro-carnist @avatar-dacia @defilerwyrm @hostilepopcorn @smellyoldblanket @shitpetasays @zooophagous @trapperweasel @discourseful @thehornedwitch @unsuspectingfish @younghaunting

#militant vegans #diet evangelists #small-scale farming #bloodmouth pride

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ormlacom · 7 years

Text

Batman: The Enemy Within Episode Two review — the rogues bring better twists and turns

Something every woman should know - WHY MEN LIE!

REVIEW:

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first episode of Telltale Games’s Batman: The Enemy Within, so I approached Episode Two, The Pact, with caution. Thankfully, it features a meatier story, more difficult choices, and the introduction of an element of intrigue that could possibly lead to an interesting payoff down the line. Episodes One and Two of Batman: The Enemy Within will be available on October 3 for PC, Mac, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, as well as on iOS and Android.

[This review has spoilers. — Ed.]

Check out our Reviews Vault for past game reviews.

Things you’ll like

More conversation’s a good thing

Episode One’s bright spot was its bone-breaking quicktime events and fast-paced, Batarang-flinging action. Episode Two surrenders all that for more dialogue and story, and it worked.

You’re Bruce Wayne for most of the game, which was a smart move as it forces the player into some gleefully cringe-inducing situations fraught with awkwardness. If you’re really quiet, you can almost hear the sound of Bruce’s reputation as an upstanding citizen crumbling into nothingness.

You spend a lot of time with pre-Joker John Doe, and each moment is loaded with meaningful decisions. Should you make promises that you know you can’t keep? How do you stay friends with a psychopath, and is that even something you want? Is it possible to thwart John’s descent into murderous madness, or is the birth of Joker an inevitability?

In the fleeting moments when you put on the Batsuit, you’re again forced to decide between your loyalty to Jim Gordon and the practicality of an alliance with The Agency’s Amanda Waller. This time, it feels a lot tougher because the playing field’s changed. Not only does Waller have leverage over Batman because she knows his true identity, but the situation you’re in is now much more tactical and perilous. You’re undercover as Bruce with the Joker’s group of maniacs, and you have to ask yourself if Gordon is really the right guy to pull you out if things go sideways.

The rogues gallery

Now I’m not a big fan of Bane. It’s not that he’s the you-know-what of my existence necessarily. It’s just that I find him a little boring. However, Telltale’s incarnation grabbed my attention, and not just because I could actually understand what he was saying. When you first see Bane, you feel a little kick of adrenaline. His appearance carries all the weight of Batman’s bloody history with him, and I found myself wondering where exactly this story was going. It added a sudden unexpected urgency to the combat.

It was smart for Telltale to lead with Bane’s appearance, because it set up a Chekhov’s gun of sorts. Knowing how things usually go between him and Batman makes you instantly wonder when the other Bat-boot is going to drop. And since you’re in the driver’s seat now, you wonder if you can prevent Bane from snapping Batman’s spine in half as per usual.

And then we get to meet the rest of the rogues gallery, and that sets up yet another thing: fun. Batman’s villains are easily some of the most entertaining things about his world, and though you don’t fight with them in Episode Two, the anticipation is there. They got some uneven treatment in this episode — for instance, I think they kind of phoned it in for Mr. Freeze — but hopefully further development will come down the line.

Aside from the Joker, you spend the most time with Harley Quinn. I’m cautiously optimistic about her; though it’s still hard for me to accept a grimdark version of her, we’re teased with just enough of her sordid past where it’s believable that she’s gone down this path. Unlike the homicidal mania we’ve seen in other versions of her, she’s painted as a sane person who’s been possibly forced to make insane choices for reasons we’re still not sure of. I’m interested in seeing where her character goes.

Things you won’t like

Little interaction

Though Episode Two cut down on the quicktime events in an enjoyable way, I was dismayed at the lack of general interaction. At times, it felt like I was just being ferried from location to location and talking to people, railroaded without any interaction with the environment. I didn’t encounter any puzzles, and I could not do any real investigation. In the few scenes where you do get a chance to examine your surroundings, it doesn’t really yield any useful information. In one, it just yanks on your heartstrings about Lucius Fox. In another, you’re told that you can’t investigate further because people might catch you snooping.

I would have liked Bruce to do more reconnaissance. The episode definitely depends on keeping you in the dark, ending on a cliffhanger that suggests you’ve embedded yourself in a situation far more convoluted than you previously suspected. However, sending Bruce on a mission to gather clues that could hint at horrors to come would have been a great, tense way to keep the players guessing and maybe plant a few red herrings.

Occasional strain on believability

From time to time, I found myself taken out of the story because it was hard to suspend my disbelief. For instance, why would Harley or any of the other villains welcome Bruce into their little evil fraternity based on Joker’s word? At this point, Joker’s not a threat and all of them seem to dismiss him as basically a space cadet. It’s not really clear at all, actually, why Joker’s even a part of the gang or how he contributes.

Character inconsistencies were also jarring. Harley makes a big deal out of how Bane is obsessed with loyalty, and then he turns around and abandons a comrade in battle. Maybe this could be explained away as Bane having a different definition of loyalty or as Harley sorely misunderstanding her strange bedfellows, but we’re also supposed to believe that underneath Harley’s face paint and murderous intent is a keen mind and sound logic.

Occasionally, characters would also suddenly turn on me when we were getting along just fine in a previous scene. When I prevented Mr. Freeze from murdering a foot soldier in cold blood, he got really upset with me and Bane told me to “watch my back.” This was right after ol’ Victor and I had spent some bonding time together. You know, we were just chillin’. I thought we were cool. But no, apparently I had to worry about him icing me. (I’m done now.) Aside from Mr. Freeze’s mercurial nature, it also makes no sense that he was so dead set on killing a random nobody. After all, everyone went out of their way to tell me that the only thing he cared about was his wife.

Bruce’s “test” that apparently wins Harley’s trust is also a little shaky, but I can mostly let that slide. What I can’t get over, though, is that the whole time he’s clearly wearing a fancy AirPod of some kind that lets him communicate with Alfred and Waller. And somehow nobody notices.

Conclusion

Episode Two was definitely an improvement on Episode One. Riddler’s unenviable task of being the sole villain is now spread over a whole cast of characters, and it will be interesting to see how Bruce can change the power dynamic.

Though the story and characters are more compelling in The Pact, it also sacrificed interactivity. Batman is all about cleverness, and so far, the game hasn’t allowed us very many instances to be clever. Fortunately, a strong cliffhanger and some interesting decisions has set up what might be interesting consequences. With each episode, John Doe edges ever closer to irredeemable insanity, and the question of whether or not you can save him remains an engaging one.

Score: 75/100

Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 2 comes out for PC, Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, iOS, and Android on October 3. Telltale Games sent us a code for this review.

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