#fucked up! why are people releasing their cats outside

[aft3rhrs]

— game over ღ

pairing: yoongi x reader

genre: exes to lovers

warnings: yandere, mentions of blood and murder, kidnapping, restraints, corruption, manipulation, obsession, angst, implied imprisonment, dub con, praise, degradation, dirty talk, hints of fear kink, spanking (like once), rough sex, creampie, implied multiple orgasms

The floor creaked quietly under a pair of heavy boots. You kept your eyes on them as he moved towards you, too stubborn to look up, and too frightened not to tremble.

"Oh, sweetheart," Yoongi cooed, crouching down in front of the bed. "I'm so sorry it took so long. Can't have the cops tracing my steps, can I?"

His fingers felt cool as he grasped your chin, and yet they did nothing to soothe the heat blooming through you. He smelled like snow, his cheeks rosy from the unforgiving bite of winter air.

Tilting your head, he kissed your taped mouth with utmost tenderness, like he wanted to leave a love note on the silver.

"Cold?" He murmured, noting the chills that erupted down your arms, his fingertip tracing their journey to your elbow.

In the golden glow of candlelight, with nothing but the pearly tape adorning your body, somehow, you weren't cold. Only uncomfortable, left sitting in the same position for what seemed like hours — knees bound to your chest, wrists tied together — though that was certainly the least of your problems.

"I'll untape your mouth now. Don't scream."

You shut your eyes as he reached upwards. A quick rip followed, the sting making you wince.

"Sorry," Yoongi soothed, stroking your hair, "Sorry, baby."

You didn't scream. It was pointless. He drove a long time to get here, civilization outside the tinted windows dwindling mile after mile. You had no doubt there was nowhere you could go, no one to hear your pleads for help. You'd sooner freeze to death trudging your way through the snow.

The arrogant smile playing on Yoongi's lips was infuriating. He looked like he could devour you, a cat that has finally caught its mouse.

"Good girl," he praised lowly, twirling a strand of your hair around his finger.

Your stomach flipped.

"Let me go."

It came out as a whisper.

His eyebrows raised, head cocking to the side. Probably not the smartest thing to come out of your mouth, but what else were you supposed to do? Accept your fate as his little pet?

Yoongi released the soft strand, as if he got burned.

"I've been locked up for half a year... And this is how my girl greets me?"

His girl.

Why was he doing this to you? You barely dated for a few months before he chopped up two men who have been bold enough to bother you. Parts of their bodies were still in the process of being found all over the south of Seoul.

Were you going to end up the same?

You swallowed the knot in your throat, willing your heart to stop pounding. No words came, your thoughts too frantic to make sense of.

Yoongi clicked his tongue.

"The usual bratty attitude I can handle. But silent treatment? I can't fucking stand it. Your stupid little friends had enough time to convince you I wasn't good for you, huh?"

"You did that yourself!" you suddenly shouted, eyes brimming with tears. They spilled over, dripping down your collarbone. "You killed people, kidnapped me like some fucking lunatic!"

Yoongi stared at you as you sniffled. Once the dam broke, the fear broke loose too, pouring all over your lungs, making it hard to breathe. Panic started setting in. You had no idea if your outburst was going to be punished, even though in the short time that you knew Yoongi, he had never caused you any harm.

If you ever knew him at all.

He narrowed his eyes. You hated the vulnerable position he forced you into, hated how his gaze felt like a phantom touch.

"I didn't kill any people. I got rid of trash, and I did it all for you. To protect you."

He buried his face in his hands, hiding the shine of his own tears.

"Fuck. Are you actually scared of me right now? I would never hurt you."

What did it matter? Nothing about this love was healthy, and you longed to rip your heart out of your lungs to numb the feeling. You couldn't do this; couldn't let him taint your morals, or at least, couldn't let him see that he started.

All you had to do was convince him, and then yourself.

It didn't matter. It didn't matter. It didn't matter.

"I hate you," you whispered.

Yoongi froze for a moment, then looked back up at you slowly. You stared right back into his eyes through your wet lashes, no longer disturbed by their dark depths. A flash of uncertainty passed through his expression, promptly replaced by a cryptic calmness.

He hummed, shrugging his jacket off.

"Let's play a game, then."

Your stomach jumped when he placed his palm on your shoulder, slowly turning you away from him.

His lips inched towards your ear, hot breath brushing over its shell.

"I don't believe you, not for a fucking second. But I'll entertain you."

You stared at the shelf in front of you, the melted candle wax and golden jewelry laid out beside red roses. The bouquet looked small and miserable after you threw it at him.

You felt just about the same; small. Helpless as he hovered behind you, his intentions unclear, your fate even more so. Your pulse quickened as seconds ticked by.

A loud gasp escaped you as he pushed you forward. Your head spun from the suddenness of the action, cheeks instantly burning and knees trembling.

You fell face first into the silk sheets, ass up, like a little doll for him to use. He had to hold on to your hip so you didn't tumble. You've never felt so powerless before, so stripped of your dignity, or so hot when you heard him unbuckle his belt.

The adrenaline rush intensified your emotions, made your throat close up. Only a whimper passed through your panicked breathing.

"Look at that," Yoongi murmured. "You're dripping already."

You flinched as you felt his finger run down your folds, clenching needily. Everything was happening too fast—

"I missed you too."

No preparation, no warning; one moment you were empty, and the next you were full.

He groaned, leaning over you, dropping his forehead onto your back, and his hand in between your thighs.

The stretch hurt. You could feel his cock twitching inside you, hard and thick as you pulsed around it.

No mercy, no patience; he started fucking into you, choked groans and wet smacks filling up the room. His fingers quickly parted your slick folds, rubbing into the little nub between them to ease the pain.

It worked — it bloomed into a searing pleasure that made your tummy and your vocal cords quiver, soft, helpless whines fleeing your lips.

"Fuck," he cursed, his voice broken, "fuck, you were made for me."

You shivered, finding yourself unable to fight against the restraints he put on you. Nevermind the tape; it was your soul that was truly imprisoned, and that made everything ten times worse.

His lips touched your ear again.

"If you don't come," he whispered, panting softly, "I'll let you go. But if you do, you will stay with me forever, do you get that, baby?"

Was this the game?

Fear clutched your heart in its iron fist, mingled with your most private, forbidden desires and desperate needs, made your eyes and your pussy wetter.

He reveled in it all.

"Go on," he taunted, "show me how much you hate me."

You did hate him.

Because nothing else made you feel like this, no matter what your friends said, no matter what seemed right or wrong. The blood on his hands dripped like an offering, all for you, a threat and a promise that predators loved, too, that they'd kill to protect their own. There was no life for him without you.

You urged yourself to hold on, to not give into your weaknesses. But it was hard when you were already tightening around him, on the brink of delirium and craving more.

"Yeah, there she is," Yoongi breathed. "My dirty little slut. My good fucking girl."

You cried out, your entire body tensing up. His cock throbbed inside you, rutting into you faster.

"Almost there? Are you gonna gonna let me keep you, baby? Chain you the fuck up like a good bitch?"

He was so close, playing dirty just to tip you over the edge, just to prove that you belonged to him. Hands curling into fists, you made an effort to focus, whining out a "no" that sounded pathetic even to your own ears.

"Yeah," Yoongi moaned. "Filthy fucking liar."

His fingers dug deeper into your hips, the hard grip marking your skin, planting the memory of this moment beneath it. Bruises would blossom tomorrow, and he wished he could see them all over you, a violet garden that grew from his love. Yet all he could do was slam into you faster, abuse that little spot inside you that his cock reached with way too much ease.

"Stop fighting it," he grunted, landing a sudden slap on your ass. "You're mine."

The harsh sting, the cursed words, the heat — it was all too much. The tension stirred and coiled in your abdomen, making black dots dance around your vision. Your cunt squeezed his cock desperately, barely allowing him to continue fucking you.

As if you were under water, everything became blurred, and soaked, with tears, with sweat and the orgasm rushing through you, encouraged by his filthy groans. So wet you didn't even realize he was coming too, until he stilled entirely, spilling inside you as you limped.

You listened to his breathing slow, your body thrumming, head pulsing with blissful nothingness. Too high and too weak to do anything but breathe with him.

A kiss was pressed into your spine.

"Mm... Should I give you one more chance?"

At that, you seemed to come back to your senses, breath hitching and eyes open wide.

Yoongi smirked, running his fingers along the tape softly.

"Let me grab a knife, pretty. I'll get you nice and comfy."

You almost flinched when he leaned over you again, his cock jerking and hardening in your sensitive hole.

"You did so well," he whispered into your ear. "Such a good, little bitch. I'm so in love with you."

A weak shudder went through you, ending with an ache right in between your legs.

Yoongi nuzzled your neck.

"Yeah, there you go. Don't you worry. We have all night to play."

Was it fair to play games one was destined to lose? Probably not, but unfortunately for you, that made it all more exciting to Yoongi. He wanted you to see yourself fail over and over, realize there was no running from your love.

It seemed you were about to.

He slipped out of you gently, biting his lip and watching his cum dribble out of you. His hand slid down to your ass, giving it a few, tender pats.

"Sit tight, sweetheart."

With that, he left you on his bed, again, ruined and aching and beyond lost. You heard him rummage through his drawers somewhere in the cabin, heard your heart beating in your own skull.

For some reason, you had a feeling this was just the beginning of a whole eternity. Hit play. Lose. Repeat. Try another level. Until your bones turned to dust and you were wrapped up in each other six feet under the ground. There was a sadistic side to Yoongi that seemed to enjoy the process, the struggle, the conquering of your mind.

Not surprising in the slightest; all dangerous creatures liked to play with their prey. Even more so when they loved it... And Yoongi would never stop loving you.

taglist 💌: @baalsgurl1913 @httpsbts @hoseokshobagi @pynkgothicka @ar14dna @sweetempathprunetree @blueberryarchive @messyjk @themochiverse @minyoongiboongi @chimmisbae @crisle19 @bangtans-momma @bnagtanx1306 @get-that-brain-working @babycandy111 @shyygrl

#again sorry to the person I couldn't tag ❤️ #yandere bts #yoongi x reader #bts x reader #bts reactions #bts imagines #bts scenarios #bts smut #yoongi smut

[stardew-shitposterino]

WAIT NO CUTE CAN I GO FIRST

Personality:

-bit of an introvert (agoraphobia is strong with me 😅)

-pretty happy most of the time!! I try to be as optimistic as I can be

-that being said of course sometimes I crash really hard and just need a few days to get myself back into that happy mindset

-people pleaser, but not in the sense that I have no boundaries. I just really enjoy seeing people happy with life and if I can help bring some of that happiness to them, I will!!

-actually extremely insecure which makes me recluse

-more of a couch potato, sure I like to be outside and stuff but I’m not much of a hiker. I’d rather lay on a blanket outside n watch the clouds or something

Likes/interests:

-pink. Anything stereotypical “girly girl” (I hate overly gendered stuff but it’s the best way to explain it. Glitter!!! Pink!! Butterflies!!! Flowers!!! All of that stuff

-this doesn’t usually reflect in my style though because I v much am a drabby tshirt and sweatpants person 😭

-that being said I also DO love dresses!! Like a lot, just not super short ones. I feel like I’m too exposed 😭

-I v much do art, I like to read but I’m not HUGE into it. Prefer to read manga over novels for sure

-unfortunately a weeb

-cats!!!

-my fav foods are queso, Alfredo, and any kind of soggy rice 😅

-I prefer psychological thriller kind of movies that make your head hurt!!!!

-dnd/Sanrio/care bears/ I FUCKING LOVE COWS

-I’m also just about in my late 20s but idk if that’s an interest at all? 😅

-and obviously video games, but stardew is actually the only ‘cozy/life simulator’ game I’ve ever played. More into Zelda and assassins creed :)

I think that’s it :) I’m bisexual so I will be happy with a Bachelor and bachelorette!!

Ily thank u for taking ur time to do this 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Oooh my first one ! This one is a bit tricky as I can see multiple matches for different reasons 👀 I’ll go with my gut feeling:

-Shane:

- I’m torn on him because there is a possibility of you two not being good for each other as you share some traits, but it could also be a possibility for you two to come to terms with your struggles (like insecurities) and find an open ear in one another.

-You both are homebodies and like similar kinds of food :D I could see you both ordering takeout and watching some new thriller that just released.

-Your more happy-mindset would also be a nice contrast to his more pessimistic outlook on life, but your “off-days” would show him that it’s ok to not always be 100% positive.

-He thinks you look so cute when you doll up and get all euphoric at your new clothes. Your interest in Sanrio would also be a good base for you and Jas to get along, two women in his life that mean a lot to him.

-he would be SO DOWN to play Tears of the Kingdom with you. Of course it’s a single player game, but just sitting next to each other and helping one-another out doing the quests on their respective switch, or just watching the other play and laugh at whatever stupid shit they can come up with instead of playing the main story hehehe.

-he likes chickens, you like cows, you two share a fondness of a cute farm animal, and it helps a ton with building up that relationship as you two like talking to them, or about them with each other.

-Abigail:

-It’s pretty clear why I chose her. She is a gamer, she loves adventures, she’s an introvert.

-you’re more a homebody, she’s kind of something in-between. You both can spend lazy Sundays together playing video games or you can go outside and wander around in nature or do something fun (if your agoraphobia allows it of course)

-the girl eats rocks…it’s save to say she’s more than happy to eat anything with you, so if you wanna eat rice or pasta every day, so be it.

-she’s not a girly girl, but I think she’d love to dye your hair at least once! You like pink, so why not get some colour in there that matches some of the dresses you wish you wore more often?

-I’m not sure whether she’d be a weeb, but she’d never say no to watching a Shonen anime with you, or even read the manga 👀

-Sebastian:

-why? He’s a nerd, he likes to be inside and play video games and code as his job.

-He’s an introvert like you, so he’d understand when you want to log off and be alone for a bit.

-You could watch movies together ! I HC that he isn’t that much into movies, but once he gets into it, he is very invested, so it could still work out !

-if you draw (because you said you do art), he’d be more than happy if you made some character models for the game he’s working on, or for his discord server etc. he isn’t the artsy type, so he’s more than impressed you are able to cook something up that looks incredible !

-he wouldn’t want to hike with you lmfao 😭 but he’d want to ride on his motorcycle with you, if you want to. Some adventure, but not too much physical activity, yet a lot of fun.

-He’s a weeb, your honour, I feel it in my bones. Do I have to say more ?

——————————————————————————

-all of them seem to be cat people (Shane might be a dog person, but for our sake I say he’s a chicken person and likes both cats and dogs alike, but chickens win) , so that’s also a plus for all :3

I hope you can sort of agree with my picks. Im sorry if I didn’t pick anyone you have hoped for, but I think these 3 are the best matches out of all the marriage candidates. I thought of maybe Leah, but your interest in art would be about one of the few things you’d have in common I fear. I think there are some others that COULD work, but when I read your summary, these came to my mind instantly lol.

Thanks for your submission !

#sdv inbox #sdv pairing #stardew valley #sdv #sdv bachelors #sdv asks #sdv shane #shane stardew valley #stardew shane #shane sdv #sdv sebastian #sebastian sdv #Abigail sdv #sdv abigail

[archivalofsins]

There's a few things that are influencing my decision to vote Kazui Innocent. His ability to possibly protect other prisoners is not one of those things though and I'm going to explain my reasons along with why that doesn't even factor into it one bit here.

This isn't really a theory but an explanation of my logic.

A lot of my reasoning is based on being an all or nothing type of person. One could call it my bias or aversion but the one thing I hate the most is hypocrites and I try not to be hypocritical myself. So, seeing people "go think of his poor wife" after just coming from everything I saw people saying about Mahiru's boyfriend-

Yeah, no, people can shove that. I'm not interested in being lectured by people who only have sympathy towards victims when it is convenient to them. Then rationalize that behavior by saying there was a difference in the seriousness of the relationship. Mahiru was only dating but Kazui got married. Oh, how scandalous.

I personally see no difference here since both things are still committed relationships. At the end of the day both were bad to their partners and that led to their deaths. This is just my personal bias but how serious the relationship was would not detract from the pain I would feel if someone I was in a relationship with cheated on or hurt me in any way.

Because regardless I put my trust in this person enough to call them my significant other or partner and how they behaved was a breach of that trust that led to me being hurt. Having someone come in and be like, well, it's not like you were married so it's not that bad would simply not make me feel better personally.

Simply tell me the real difference between these two images.

That garnered such wildly different responses.

I am on my knees begging but I've seen how this fandom reacts to things like that already, so I doubt I'll get an answer.

Overall, the lack of sympathy I've witnessed regarding the victims of other prisoners up until this point makes me rather suspicious of this sudden amount of concern for the victim's feelings. When I came on here saying I was about to be heartless everyone should have taken that as a sign. I meant that shit. I saw how Mahiru was doing and said this far before Cat even released.

So, this is in no means a brand-new perspective from me. Because of how I have personally seen other prisoner's victims discussed I simply do not want to go-

"Oh, yeah you're right the victim's feelings matter in this case actually. Those other six before this well those were different."

I didn't see anyone going oh how do you think Haruka's sister felt it's not her fault that their parents are like that, Shidou's patients, or the hat girl one more time to rub it in Futa's face. I can't go back to discussing Mu's victim because of all the shit I saw with that.

Yuno is exempt because people simply assumed her murder was abortion. It depends on the person, but I don't really see a victim there if that's all she did. However, no one was like come on think of her clients or even went back to reexamine that case after the third anniversary art reveal which seems to be the prisoners directly after their crimes.

So, I'm very much in the camp of that's not going to persuade me into voting him Guilty and I don't understand why it's been brought up as a point of concern here and nowhere else. Mahiru is currently sitting at a firm Innocent verdict and these two things are basically the same to me.

So, it's only fair from my point of view that he's Innocent too.

Outside of that I think reducing people voting Kazui Innocent as them simply wanting him to protect the prisoners is a lacking assessment.

Because personally I don't give a fuck if he protects these guys or not. I know that may sound super shocking, but I really don't. Everyone in Milgram is a murderer, they better figure it the fuck out themselves. I mean they figured out how to kill someone before so they can figure out how to defend themselves.

Plus, I'm in a pretty comfortable position because no one I'm really attached to is Guilty right now. People that really care about Mu and Haruka definitely should want Kazui Innocent because those two can't fucking fight. Haruka literally admits to only being able to kill things smaller than him and Mu had to get the jump on her victim and seems oblivious to hostility.

Both are sitting in the Guilty seat right now. So, if Kotoko is voted Innocent again and keeps playing by Milgram's rules she will jump them and not the other Innocent prisoners. Milgram's second trial commencement notice even alludes to this bias being an issue stating,

"Do remember, Milgram allows for sensibility, morality, ethics, legality, preference, taste, or sexual inclination as the basis for judgement. You have done just that in the first trial, and you have my gratitude. Now as we come to the second trial, I'm guessing a new basis for judgement has introduced itself in your mind. You are also human. You can't help but develop attachments to individual prisoners. If you find one Innocent another might be in danger. If you decide to judge one as Guilty it may prompt the other to go in a wholly unexpected direction. In this environment of swirling interests,

Profits

and Losses

Will you all be able to follow the metrics of your own values, and decide correctly Innocent or Guilty?"

This is the reason Kotoko is last because if enough people already have their favorite prisoner's safety secure and the ones that they dislike are guilty it's far more tempting to vote Kotoko Innocent instead of Guilty.

Gunsli, how can you feel so comfortable, be so calm despite Mikoto not going on trial yet? Couldn't you be interested in having Kazui Innocent to possibly protect him? If he's voted guilty again Kotoko said she'll kill him how can you be so calm?

Well, you see-

"When you got skin in the game, you stay in the game but you don't get a win unless you play in the game. Oh, you get love for it, you get hate for it but you get nothing if you wait for it."

I'm sitting so comfortable because I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be able to say,

"I wanted what I got."

If after everything I've written about Mikoto he's still Guilty well that seems like a him issue. I don't cast my votes on a maybe, but other people can. Hell, I'm even willing to bargain for it I'll vote Kotoko Innocent every day of the fucking three-month trial if Amane and Mikoto are innocent first and I think a lot of people feel similarly. To the very end of Milgram selfishly with no limits I want to do what I want to do regardless of how that makes me look.

It's really funny that a lot of the fandom is fretting over the idea of a video game, not recognizing the game has been on for a few years now.

If that outcome happens I'll be upset surely but at that point regular Mikoto is just gonna need to learn how to block, he might need to learn evade too, or to shove something against these lockless prison cell doors so no one can come in whenever they want. Either way he better figure it the fuck out. Because Kotoko may still jump people regardless of what her verdict is.

It's even weirder to pretend Kazui is our only hope when it comes to defending the prisoners. Truthfully, they should all be evaluating ways to defend themselves after the incident anyhow. Especially since it's not like Kazui can be everywhere at once.

Furthermore, Kazui even expresses the possibility that he may be incapable of doing that on his own in his second voice drama.

Imposter Boulevard Kazui's Second Voice Drama

"That much is only natural. However… she really is strong, isn’t she? I mean, I’ve experienced some fights myself, but [going up against] a woman like her was a first."

Hm… Is she strong enough that even you can’t stop her from doing harm?

"Well, in cases like this, it’s generally the heavier person who ends up winning. After all, if she really does have proper killing intent, I can’t afford to let her injure anyone. It’s difficult, isn’t it."

Is that so…

"I was afraid that it’d come to this from the very beginning. There’s a lot of young kids here, too. It’d be hard for anyone to keep a decent mentality in a situation like this."

…You’re pretty rational.

"I wonder. Maybe it’s because I’m used to violence. Even so… I couldn’t make it for Shiina-chan. I feel responsible for [what happened to] her."

…

"Well, rest assured, though. As long as I can move, I’ll be protecting [the others]. After all, it’s pretty much just me who can fight her on equal terms."

Mikoto, too.

"Ah… yeah. Like back when he went out of control, right? I can’t quite read him, though… If both of them were to attack us, it’s possible that we’d suffer a total defeat."

A total defeat…?

"If that happens, this prison game would probably come to an end as well. All of that depends on your judgment, right, Warden-kun? Who will be forgiven by you and who won’t be…"

Then he stresses the importance of Es' verdicts when it comes to the safety of the prisoners literally asking,

"If at all possible, I would like you to choose a method that will not get any more people hurt. That’s what I’m saying."

So, you’re telling me to forgive you?

"(laughs) Oi, oi…! Don’t look at me like that."

I’m the Warden. If I forgive you, I forgive you. If I don’t, I don’t. There’s no other factors to it.

"(sighs) Wouldn’t it be okay? I mean, this situation with prisoners being hurt wasn’t what you wanted either, was it?"

…

"Just pretend that you’re looking at our sins, and make your judgment with the protection of the prisoners in mind. After all, nobody can read your mind – so that much craftiness would be fine, don’t you think?"

He's not just referring to himself but the other prisoners as well. Es assumes Kazui is asking to be voted Innocent but as it stands now we don't know how restraint will work for the second trial. If Prisoners that weren't voted guilty in trial one would be put under the first level of restraint or if it would jump to the second. Considering how Mu and Haruka are moving around I would assume it's the first level of restraint.

Meaning Kazui would more than likely still be able to move even if he were voted guilty. However, he does specifically say look at our sins, so he is referring to prisoners outside of himself as well while recommending this.

Something that people have literally already done with Shidou.

I know that I only voted Shidou Innocent so he could take care of the injured prisoners we have now and others in case another violent incident occurred. However, a similar thing happened there where people wanted to allude that Shidou being Innocent was bad for Kotoko.

The person I must state again who has jumped people, is in possession of numerous weapons, and can quite frankly protect her damn self.

That's not even going into the fact that Kazui to his continued admission was too slow to protect Mahiru. So, who's to say he wouldn't be too slow when it came to protecting someone else. I don't believe people are ignorant when it comes to this information.

He even brings up how if Mikoto and Kotoko attacked him at the same time he would lose. Something that has been implied as a possibility from the beginning.

20/07/01

Mikoto: Hey, hey, Koto-chan. I’ve been thinking this ever since I first heard your name, but don’t you think the names “Mikoto” and “Kotoko” kinda sound like siblings?

Kotoko: No.

Mikoto: Don’t say that! Let’s get along well from here on as the Koto-Koto combo!

Kotoko: I’m not doing that.

2022/12/15 (Kotoko’s Birthday)

Mikoto: Ah, Koto-chan. It's been a while. We were isolated for some time but, how are you doing? Lots of things happened, but for now let's get along. Here, it's your birthday right? I figured that no one would come celebrate it for you, so I came to wish you a happy birthday.

Kotoko: …What a carefree person you are. Someone as atrocious as you won't be forgiven next time too, surely. When that time comes, it'll be your last. Next time, I'll kill you.

Mikoto: Haah? Why don't you try it then, you lunatic. I'll crush anyone who tries to harm me…. I'll make sure to thoroughly beat you at your own game…!!

Kotoko: Hmph. The boundaries have gotten more blurred, it seems. Your existence itself is a crime. I will give you your punishment. This is MILGRAM's, Es', and also my own decision.

I can't speak for everyone all I can say is there are multiple other reasons that someone would want to personally vote Kazui Innocent. For me though I simply want to live with no regrets. So, I try to do what it is that I want in the areas of my life where that is possible. So, I'm gonna keep doing what I feel like.

#milgram #kazui mukuhara #gunsli rambles

[little-miss-understood]

All About the Agrestes

(Which is really what Miraculous Ladybug has become)

At some point in between releasing the PV-version of Miraculous Ladybug, and taking the series to air, a decision was made in regards to how the deuteragonist would relate to the antagonist of the story. As most know by now, originally the villain and the character who had the Black Cat were not related, but that ended up being changed by the time the show we know now made it to air.

To the detriment of everything that came after. It overtly complicates everything when it doesn't have to be.

And we can blame Thomas Astruc for this decision, as he believed that Felix as he was in PV came off too much as an "anime cliché". Which is honestly surprising when one considers that in the series, when he is reintroduced, he basically becomes more effective than Adrien ever could be.

But the effect of doing this change, in making Adrien and then also having him be the son of Gabriel Agreste, who is the main villain, makes the whole series unbalanced. It gives everything away before the start because it makes the ending that's coming be tragic for all involved. There's no way out of that, much like the fucking Love Square itself.

One has to ask, why? What could have been done better? For starters, actually keeping Adrien and Gabriel as separate entities and not family would have made for a stronger series, though I suppose there would be less needless angst (Chat Blanc haunting Marinette) here and there. Have his parents be some rich family but then it becomes a tale about how two teens get wrapped up in this whole Miraculous thing and neither really wanted to be. Then there's also faulty math in the chances of Hawk Moth being, of all people, the father of one of Marinette's classmates. There are thousands bordering millions of people in Paris and somehow it all comes down to one family and a class of kids? A stronger villain would have come from being outside of that entirely.

(Which is also why Marinette would have been smart to choose people outside of her class to be heroes, but I digress it's kind of hard to show that on a series where the budget only allows for reuse of most akumas outside of new ones for Chloe every season.)

(Yes this also means Adrien's not a Sentimonster in this scenario but honestly they pulled that out of their asses.)

The story of the Agrestes also overshadows that of Marinette, and it's a shame. I've brought up before about how the show pushes her to the background but Season 5 has hammered it in even more, considering this is the season we also finally learn of Gabriel's past, how they found the Miraculous in the first place, and then everything involved in getting this mess to a "conclusion".

This is without going into how Adrien ends up being a significantly flawed deuteragonist, how Gabriel is a monster yet ends up winning, and honestly for what? So that the whole series can revolve around Marinette saving the "Prince"? If we were being realistic, Marinette should have sidestepped all of this and the mess the Agreste family is.

For a show about "Girl Power", they seem to lean into the lifestyles of this rich family an awful lot, and it makes a waste of five seasons. They won't have this crutch soon, so I wonder how they're going to make use of Lila as the Butterfly-

(remembers that they gave her three mothers and multiple identities in Season 5)

Goddamnit.

#ml salt #adrien salt #ml writers salt

[unforth]

Alright so my Press planned a meet up, and one of the people came is a friend who lives in Beijing most of the year and was in North America anyway. She knows I love danmei so she made me one heck of an offer: if I put together a Taobao shopping list, she'd be my danmei mule - order it for me and carry the stuff to the US so I could pay just cost, no mark up or shipping.

Needless to say I jumped on this like whoa and asked for more than she was physically capable of bringing me. 🤣 (I was very clear she could say "no" whenever, and she did.) As it is she went so fricken above and beyond...

Top to bottom, it's vol. 1 of the Global Examination manhua, a vol. of Daomu Biji, I Ship My Rival x Me, the TGCF revision (wanting that like whoa is what triggered all this), Those Years in Quest of Honor Mine, Mo Du, Little Mushroom, The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua, and the Global Examination special edition (I had. No idea this one would be this big. Oops.)

There are so many extras. So many. I laid everything out on my bed last night and in my head I just kinda flopped mentally atop it all and basked like a content cat, lmao.

All this adds to my existing collection (SVSSS in traditional, MDZS vol. 1 to 3 in traditional, TGCF vol. 1 to 4 in traditional, Thousand Autumns, Golden Stage, Guardian, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, TGCF manhua vol. 1 and 2, and The Husky and His White Cat Shizun vol. 1 to 3).

Anyway, now goals are to REALLY step up getting "reading ready" on my studying. Part of why I got I Ship My Rival x Me (...outside of "the manhua releases too slow and I want to know what happens") is I thought something modern and fluffy would hopefully be a bit simpler for me to read? And it's also a lot shorter than the others. So, after I read all the manhua (I'm way behind on posting TGCF vol. 1 cause this summer is kicking my ass, but I've read about half of it) I'm gonna sit my ass down with ISMM and see if just maybe I can't make my way through an actual damn book, and then if I can, use the vocabulary building that'll surely result in to springboard me into some other book (I'd been thinking Thousand Autumns but after seeing that post about "distinct character usage" stats for cnovels, uh, maybe not Thousand Autumns lmao, idk, I could try Fourteenth Year of Chenghua, that might be a "simpler" choice for historical vocabulary building but their both Meng Xi Shi so they might both be hard...maybe I should just do TGCF, heck knows I know the story which always helps...sorry, I'm just babbling cause I'm excited about my books and procrastinating taking a shower 🤣🤣🤣)

Anyway.

So many shinies.

So many EXTRAS.

I'll try to post pics as I go through everything.

(I've also got ShanGo pre-orders for Legend of Exorcism manhua vol. 1 and...something else my brain is crickets...and fuck I just realized I missed yesterday's ShanGo cut off, I'll have to get TGCF manhua vol. 3 and Erha vol. 4 some other way, and yes I really am this rambly scattered dumb rn, sorry not sorry, the point is. BOOKS. AH. SO MANY BOOKS. )

#unforth rambles #like extra rambly edition #im at about 1k characters #im at least exposed to basically everything in hsk4 #tho i def dont have them all fown yet #ive heard a few people say 1k is the minimum to make the leap into just going for it on real books #like at some point the only way to keep improving will be to accept that its gonna be a slog to level up more #and i want to reaaaaadddddd

[hundredblooms]

lol this tag is a lie i already have things in the works for inserts despite the games being unreleased. lol. lmao even. anyway. here's rough sketches/concepts and whatnot for them. all information is subject to change as things get released. under the cut because hoooo boy this got long.

jackpot crash course

two different ideas for this one actually. i may do one or both it depends-

idea one is CD's junior detective. they've known her since childhood.

idea two is a car mechanic that fixes up vehicles for benny. they've known him since childhood as well. if i go with this one they get to wield a comically large wrench at some point, maybe to kill one of the other characters since this is a death game.

they lack charisma but they make up for it in likeability and tenacity. also manipulating the shit out of people, which they kind of feel bad about but justify with their desire to survive.

bittersweet sentence

take the autism creature and put it in a human body. that's it that's this self insert.

it has a staring problem but that's because it's observing the other prisoners to see what they do and don't like and how they handle situations.

they also have this weirdly calming effect? keeps yun-woo from snapping and tones down na-hun's energetic ass a bit.

they follow yun-woo and na-hun round like a stray cat. no one knows why. yun-woo has tried to shake them off but they stay anyways. na-hun doesn't mind, he enjoys their company.

it's never outright stated how they ended up in the dreamscape prison but it's implied they were in a really bad situation and bad headspace when they first fell asleep

firmly believes they don't deserve parole so they purposely neglect their daily tasks or give their stickers away in order to stay in the prison. yun-woo does manage to convince them to leave with him once they get close enough.

even so, they worry they may not get to see him in the real world because the premise is people trapped in their sleep and if they have been stuck in sleep for a while (we're talking MONTHS) they could die or end up in critical condition.

s-01-ver bullet

they're either with uno (whoever he's affiliated with) or laska industries. either way they're proficient at their job and well respected.

also either way they have biometric enhancements that kind of didn't get programmed right. they lose control of their body and mind when the equipment "glitches" so they require uno's help to keep it under control.

their code name is "duo" because of the above ^ but also because they can complete the work of two men in one day. only kowalski and uno know their real name (i also don't have a real name for them yet).

prefers to stick to a plan like kowalski, but unlike kowalski is more flexible when plans go sideways. ("you gotta be nonchalant because the second you start chalanting shit go left")

"it's so fucking over" on the inside, "we're so fucking back" on the outside.

divine hunt

guy who's clearly losing in a fistfight but talking shit like they're winning.

very composed, calm, and mature (they have to be since they work for the mayor) but easily annoyed by john doe. they pick fights with him a lot.

some kind of medium that's like?? an ambassador for the town between then mortals and spirits planning divine punishment.

or maybe they share a body with a divine or formerly divine spirit. that would be fun maybe.

always wants to help celeste and oliver however they can. john doe is on his own though fuck that guy (/lh)

little flowers or thunderclouds can be seen around their sprites depending on their mood.

the looping woods

uhhhh they know noah and omen somehow??? this game doesn't have much context behind it so i don't have much for this one sorry.

"kill me once, shame on me. kill me twice, how did you do that. kill me three times, this time loop fucking sucks."

they survive if noah survives and omen dies but die if noah dies and omen survives. or all three of them die. lol. lmao even. this one has potential for multiple endings but all of rachel's games so far have had multiple endings so we'll see!

yabai yatai

they specialize in water-based exorcisms!! learned how from their aunt, who married into the family (most of her family is exorcists).

they moved to japan when they were 18 to help with the spirits issue over there. their immediate family was told they were moving for university since they kept the whole exorcisms thing under wraps.

possibly the only person who can keep reiji's ego in check. they also sometimes feed into his ego on accident. oops.

calmer and more passive in general, but they won't hesitate to face an issue head-on if the situation calls for it.

literally they just grab shinko and go "this is my son now." he has no say in this by the way.

#i started cooking this post earlier this week but i got busy so it's been marinating in the drafts for a bit #also none of them have names yet. still thinking on that www #upcoming sigverse stuffs

[auroragehenna]

Ai-less Whumptober

Day 27 Paranoia

CW/TW: Aftermath of torture, seasoned whumpee, wlw flirting (gasps)

Word count: ?

Did that person just stare at her? The one that looked like an elf. It was hard to tell with the hood on. But her features somewhat resembled hers. Please not, she already finished a job today. But usually people don‘t spend their free time here outside, why else would she be here, her head whispered. No they actually do, this is freaking garden, get it together. Was that a blade she saw glinting in the dusk light? Yes, that‘s also normal. You also carry multiple. The world is a dangerous place you know. My point. Shut up! Over there‘s another person! Shit! Was this a trap?! Did she walk into another trap?! Not again. Wait did the lighting just change?! No, I don‘t think so? Fuck the girl is coming here. Shit, shit, shit. Tierney clutched her hidden blades and went though her spells in her mind.

„I’ve never seen a wallflower this pretty.“, the girl said. Sitting down next to her, with a bit of space and leaning back on her arms and hands. „Are you doing alright thought?“

Tierney looked at her absolutely baffled. Still clutching her hidden weapons. But this wasn‘t a behaviour she encountered before. We can‘t trust her! Before she even really processed it her hand shot down onto the grass, fingers digging into the soil. „I‘m fine. What are you up to?“, she asked still suspicious.

„I’m up to a lot, but not tonight. Tonight is just about the grass between my toes and the stars above my head.“

Tierney looked at her. Her eyes seemed to light up with something deeper. Something more emotional. Before she sighed and started to speak again: „Listen if you‘re here because of my reputation or to kidnap me just say that I‘m done with games.“

„Kidnap you?“ she asked with confusion written all over her face. As her face relaxes again she follows up with: „The only games I play have the goal of relieving idiots from the burden of heavy pockets filled with money.“

Tierney finally relaxed a little bit again. Her other hand eased it‘s grip on the knife and freed it out of it‘s hiding place. She casually lowered her hand with the knife onto the grass and used the other one to release your arms. She nearly smiles a little. „Well I can‘t really judge that.“

„The guards think otherwise“ She laughed. „I know a beautiful place a bit south from here, close to a park, and great view of the city.“

Danger! „I uhm.“ Fuck it, if this is another job then I might as well do it. And if it‘s not then? Uhm… „Yeah, why again?“, she asks confused.

„It’s my safe spot. I thought I share it with you if you need a place to escape reality for a moment“ she smiles. „I‘m Nalani by the way.“

„Tierney. Okay. But no funny business.“, she adds earnestly.

„You can just tie me up with flowers, if you don’t trust me“ Nalani giggled

Tierney smiled a little bit. „Indeed I can.“ She got up on her feet and watched the girl do the same. „Alright. Show me.“, she hesitated, „I would like to see it.“

„would you like the scenic route or walk among the peasants, my lady.“ Nalani snickered, while over exaggerating noble etiquette.

Tierney raised an eyebrow at her. „Typically I like to take routes that have more nature and less people, fair lady.“

„That means we drop the fancy talk and jump from rooftop to rooftop“ She grins before she skillfully jups up the closest building.

A grin also widens up on Tierney‘s face now. She focuses on the fluffy ears on her head until her whole body morphs into one of a cat and follows you up to the rooftop before starting to morph back. But halfway through she get‘s stuck and ends up somewhere in the area of a cat and her own self. She rolls her eyes and balances on her footballs for a few moments. At least it will be good for climbing and jumping. I just hope it won‘t freak Nalani out. But the girls seemed fine and so she followed her over the rooftops through the town.

Nalani giggles a bit as she sees why the tiefling had fox ears beforehand. „I hope as part fox you can keep up with me!“ She yells cheerfully.

Tierney tsk‘d. She wasn‘t yet sure if she liked this weird stranger and she certainly wasn‘t sure if she could trust her.

|

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Taglist: @yourlocalgaefae33, @princessofhe11, @greatkittencloud, @bisexuawolfsalt, @ailesswhumptober

#jayna's writing #ailesswhumptober #ailesswhumptober2023 #ailesswhumptober2023day27 #ailesswhumptober2023day27paranoia #whump #whump writing #whump blog #whumpee #creative writing #trauma #coping #“Venom” #Tierney #No Zestia tho #DnD whump #dnd #Tiefling #Elfe #elves #Mixed race dnd #this turned more into an RP between my gf and me #lol #princessofhe11 #I love it #Spotify

[steddiecameraroll]

I'm Thinking of the Way it Was - ch 3

Excerpt from chapter 3 of my getting back together fic

“FUCK!” Eddie slams his hand angrily against his steering wheel. “FUCKING FUCK!”

He wipes his hand hard over his eyes, trying to clear the tears. His head is pounding, and he’s itching to get out of his skin. He slaps the volume knob of his radio. The van is filled with Led Zeppelin and Robert Plant’s voice singing about a traveler moving down a road trying to find his way.

The song’s insistent drum beat tries to knock through the fuzz in Eddie’s head. 

Steve

Steve

Steve

Steve

“God damnit,” his voice cracks.

The sun sets behind him, creating a gentle glow across the horizon. His thoughts are filled with nothing but Steve, so he’s surprised when he pulls the van up to the old trailer park. He hadn’t been heading there, at least not consciously.

The gate had ripped the entire park apart, multiple homes were lost, people were killed, and it’s where Eddie’s nightmare started. So he can’t pull into the park itself; it’s blocked off. So instead, he puts the van on the side of the road and cuts the engine. The music shuts off, and the silence hums in his ears, squeezing his head.

He digs into his front pocket and pulls out his weed pen. Flicking it on to preheat, he pushes the heavy driver’s side door open with a huff and jumps onto his feet. Even at dusk, the area is quiet and creepy. A breeze swooshes by, and it causes the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up.

There’s a quiet ping, notifying Eddie he’s received a new text, but he doesn’t have the strength to check it.

He takes a slight hit from his pen and pushes himself away from the van, slowly crossing the street. They never removed the demolished buildings. The ground was deemed too unstable, so his eyes are locked on his and Uncle Wayne’s trailer.

He takes a few more small hits while his entire body vibrates nervously. He doesn’t know why he keeps moving forward. Doesn’t know why he’s even here. He hasn’t been back in months.

The sky continues to get dark while he leans on a wobbly fence post. It’s so quiet; it’s unnerving. 

The crack through the ground doesn’t glow like it had at first, but the landscaping around the park is dead and dried up. Eddie doesn’t hear any animals. There aren’t birds; there aren’t even buzzing bugs. The stray cat that roamed the park for years is long gone, and Eddie remembers leaving food outside for the animal. He wonders if it’s still alive.

The heap of his childhood home looms nearby. When he’d gotten hurt in the Upside Down, he was sure he’d never see those walls again. Then when he woke up later in a hospital bed, he didn’t know if he deserved a second chance.

He’s unsure how they got him out, carrying his lifeless body to the topside. They told him while he was healing in the hospital, but he was very drugged and doesn’t remember much of that time. He hasn’t asked again; not sure he wants to hear it.

Steve had been there, at the hospital, along with most everyone else. Max was a few rooms down, so Eddie was never surprised when people would pop in to check on him. He appreciated them making him feel like a part of the group.

The days of hiding from Jason and hunting down Vecna were some of the most emotionally taxing of his life. The moment he’d get comfortable that things were going his way, something would happen, reminding him that he doesn’t get out the easy way.

The longer he was in the hospital, the more he noticed Steve staying later than the others. The two of them had grown closer, talking about the dramatics of High School. How annoying their little band of teenagers can be, and how Steve even got wrapped up in all the saving the world bullshit.

Eddie’s tiny crush on the man was blooming by the time he was released. They continued to spend time together, at first surrounded by the rest of their friends. Then eventually, just the two of them. When the subtle touches between them eventually lingered, and Eddie would catch Steve staring at him, the urge to pull the man against Eddie’s lips became overwhelming.

He didn’t mean to do it that first time. It just sort of happened. His body was moving before he even realized it. The flush of Steve’s cheeks was egging him on. He needed to taste how decadent Steve’s lips had to be. Then, finally, he just couldn’t take it anymore.

“You know how long I’ve wanted to do that?” Eddie smiles against Steve’s lips.

“Awhile?” Steve smirks.

“You could say that.” Eddie moves back in and presses his lips against Steve’s, a little softer this time.

“Does it make you feel better if I admit it’s been a while for me too?” Steve’s hands move to cup Eddie’s cheeks.

Eddie’s hands are still bracketing Steve’s hips when he shifts his weight and leans onto his right hand. The movement puts Eddie’s body over Steve’s lap, his legs on the couch cushion.

“It does, actually.” He bites his lip, unable to contain the smile on his face.

Eddie’s phone rings and brings him back to the present. He hazily pulls it out of his pocket and sees Steve’s face looking back at him. He smashes the red ignore button and slips his phone back into his pocket.

The sun has dipped below the horizon when Eddie takes another small pen hit. The weed has slightly calmed his nerves.

A few moments later, his phone rings again. He sighs and shakes his head, pulling it out and seeing Steve’s face mocking him.

This time he hits the answer button and throws the phone to his ear. “WHAT?”

“Shit,” Steve says cautiously. “Sorry, I- … Are you ok?”

“What?” Annoyance fills his tone.

“I need to know you’re ok.” Steve sounds like he’s been crying, tugging at Eddie’s heart slightly.

“I’m fine.” He lies while staring at years of memories destroyed before him.

“Really?” Steve’s hesitant.

“No,” he admits. “I’m at Forest Hills.”

“What? What are you doing over there?”

“I don’t know. I just drove here.” Eddie lowers his voice and continues. “I think I wanted to go home.” He swipes a few tears away from his cheek and returns to his van.

“I’m sorry,” Steve whispers.

“Steve? I miss you, you know I do. You know I’m sorry for being a total idiot, but something’s changed.” Eddie clears his throat to collect his thoughts. “I don’t know what’s happened. I don’t know if maybe we’re just never going to be able to go back? Maybe it’s too late. You’re really mad at me, and I deserve it, trust me, I know, but… you’re hurting me.” He sniffs, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Please don’t call me or text me. I think we both need to get our shit together ’cause I don’t know who you are anymore.”

“O-ok,” Steve’s voice barely audible.

“I gotta go.”

“W-wait…Eddie? Please, let me say something.”

Eddie closes his eyes and leans his forehead against the door of his van. “What?”

“I am mad. I’ve been mad at you for months. You broke my heart, and I think… I think that broke me in some way. I don’t know who I am, either. I miss you too.” Eddie can hear Steve swallow hard. “I’m sorry. Can you do me a favor?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you call Dustin?” Steve chokes on the boy’s name. “Please? He misses you so much.”

Eddie covers his eyes as a sob gets caught in his throat. “Y-yeah, yeah, I will.”

“Thank you.”

They’re both crying freely.

“I love you, Steve.”

“I love you, too.”

Eddie pulls his phone away from his ear, trembling as he hits the end call button, and then falls to his knees. He rests his hand against his van and shakes as the sobs consume him.

He struggles to catch his breath as it feels like something has wriggled inside him and constricts his lungs. Maybe the only thing still connecting him to this life had been Steve.

They’d never said ‘I love you’ to each other before. Eddie finds solace in saying it at least once and hearing it back.

After a few minutes, he shakily stands up and slides into the van. He leans his forehead on his steering wheel as he turns the vehicle on and is surprised when Aerosmith fills the air.

“Shit.”

He reaches over, turns the music down, and takes one last look at his old home before pulling away.

continue reading on ao3

Excerpts: ch 1 ch 2 ch 3 ch 4 ch 5 ch 6 ch 7

#steddie #steddie fanfic #it hurts before it feels better #hurt and comfort doesn't come for a couple more chapters #it's gonna make you cry #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddiecameraroll posts

[athanasius-symposium-of-writings]

Red and White

Chapter 4

Rated: M

Warning: none(?), once again doing my best with Spanish

A/N: reader background bit here is based on Tomb Raider: Revelations, thought it be fitting. Badass!Reader who is a helpless romantic/horny rights

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

When Steven revealed Marc, the dark and messy bits. About Egyptian Gods and Avatars to those Gods, boy it was really a lot. Even you who have seen some freaky things. So since he was open with you, you were open with him; you told him about your days as an adventurer. An archaeological adventurer. The way his face lit up like a kid in a candy store had your heart fluttering but you had to control yourself. Steven told you Marc was a mercenary once, thus he would understand this…You have killed before.

You weren't a natural born killer, you were born to be archeologists like your parents!

To seek out lost civilizations and learn dead languages; the adventuring came later on during your teenage years. In Cambodia, a family friend had you accompany him into a temple the field team dug into. You both didn't get quite along, but he was your mentor and you respected him. It wasn't until your adult years you saw (or believe you saw) his motives for working with your parents.

You were a real life fucking Tomb Buster, minus the sidekick and machete.

Your first kill was in Egypt after the family friend was possessed by Set. A couple of hired guns, mummies, and the old bastard himself. You shout him into a casket before sealing it with an amulet 

The conversation felt awkward, for yourself, confessing about a different part of your life.

"Sounds unbelievable… But… I wanted you to know my baggage before we get serious." Because you have enemies, though few, you do not want your lover (this was before Marc and yourself became also romantically involved). 

Two types of reactions: fanboy and serious. Easy to guess who is who.

The conversation went on, a lot of questions between you both. Khonshu was brought up and if you ever were an avatar to a God. Made sense that a God assisted you in sealing away Set in his tomb; Marc couldn't believe you had no help nor became an avatar.

"All I could do was use the amulet of Horus and then hope that worked." Spoken with a shrug.

Considering what mess was left of the 'Gathering Place of the Gods', most Gods willingly or by force were buried in stone. Harrow wrecking the place released some of them. Maybe Set was released? Or they did do to Set what they did to Ammit: stone was placed somewhere else?

What a mess business with the Gods are!

Steven and Marc finally understood why, outside of the mess on News about the massive disappearances of people by Thanos, you didn't freak out about Khonshu.

You fought Set! Fucking Set!

Crazy…

Jake couldn't believe it nor did Khonshu.

So they went looking first for the avatar (formerly and not willing) of Set.

Then the temple. Buried and nearly impossible to get into by human means. Khonshu could sense the sleeping God below the sands.

The meeting with the new avatar of Horus confirmed the amulet is his and how he blessed it to aid an archeologist. He said it was the previous (an old man) avatar he went to visit an old colleague. You, you spoke about all that had happened. The amulet he guided you to and slipped his power into it and you to hold it (you were not aware of that).

The curiosity about you sparked. Soon a spark of white became a roaring red flame with Jake in the middle of it. There is so much about you he wants to know.

Another night he is slipping through the window, you are up but barely. Seems you aren't much of an nightowl. The desk's light is on and books are open, you are trying to write down notes on your tablet. There you are passed out snoring lightly. Jake slips into the flat like an outside cat who stayed out too long past his curfew, he is careful as he gets undressed. His routine is done methodically, eyes never leaving your form on the desk.

When he does to shower off the night, using Marc's body wash this time, he finds you settling into bed. Yawning a few times then smiling at him half awake.

"Are you going to threaten me again?" He moves to lay beside you, turning to face you when you curl up into a ball trying to get warm under the cold blankets. Back towards him like before…

Jake says nothing as he lays close to you as he did before, breath hot on your neck. Hands touching your warm body, you groan as he is cold.

"W-who are you?" Humbling as you decide to curl up facing him. Exhausted from today's– Well– Day, you wanted to cuddle with either lover. Steven didn't show up after he said he was coming home. Marc didn't pick up.

Normally you would have hunted them down, but… Something told you (rather a missing duffle bag from the floorboards) this other person is in control.

His hard are cold with gloss reminding you of black ice, you lean away when he moves to kiss you.

"Dejemos el misterio para más adelante." Let's leave it a mystery for later. Moving closer until this is above taking your hands pinning them beside your head.

You stare at him, those dark brown eyes with a strange silver lining around the irises, his lips forming a lopsided smile.

When his lips meet yours it is different. Same lips but different in the way they take yours, as if he is trying to consume you. To take your last breath away.

#reader insert #fanfiction #jake lockely x you #jake lockely x reader #jake lockley #steven grant x you #steven with a v #steven grant x reader #steven grant #marc spector x you #marc spector #marc spector x reader #moon knight x reader #moon knight

[mxdice]

skin 8 robin :)

I know what you are.

Anyway there are a few Skin 8 Robins that I know of, mainly Ponzoña who is a wet little cat and Jod of Man Tiddy Monday but I know why you asked Me specifically to talk about this Robin.

So let's put the actual her on screen using art that you made.

EURYDICE aka Dice aka IsohedralMaenad aka The Abbess aka Cerise aka Pandore aka-

She has a lot of names for different occasions, and is a kinda complicated beast to explain.

So, BB huh.

She was the commentator sona that I used but effectively became her own character, a fae-like being who had a pet extradimensional horror that fed on the emotions of people that fought inside of it named The Alleyway, particularly the strong ones released when someone's hard kept secret was revealed. She was basically using this power as a battery to ascend to godhood, and the tournament as a whole was her way of collecting various pieces of "Narrative Relevance" or, basically just MacGuffins.

She started by stealing the Lore Book, aka the submission form. She now knew the basic components of each character. Then she stole various spirits, which were used as a way to further characterization. Then a sword that could destroy fragments of deific power from Celadon, and absorbed the Bitch Box a place that simply nullified all things inside it and trapped them outside of time. Then various forms of Slutch which were primordial soup mimicking the powers of the original three Cods in CPUK (timeline splitting, acceleration, undeath). Then by taking the powers of someone who existed outside of everything, Schrödinger, she gained the ability to kind of cut things between averages? Like slice the barrier between concepts that are diametrically opposed. This doesn't come up cause she thinks it's fucked up.

Then she "absorbed" the Alleyway (by slicing the barrier between consumption and nonconsumption, removing the Alleyway, gaining its power, and not killing it) and sent herself directly to a parallel universe.

Eventually she just became powerful enough to become the God of Knowledge and mellowed the fuck out. It was revealed that she only *wanted* this power so she could share everything ever learned with everyone. Basically assuring herself that she could ruin everything because she would know how to fix it at a later date. Everything she did end up fucking up was either so minor that it didn't matter, or was fixed after her ascension. Overall she's considered like, a pretty alright person?

As the Abbess she created a gigantic library formed from the Alleyway and the sum of all of her knowledge, free for anyone. It's hard to explain in text but yeah. God of Knowledge, weird freak, a Vriska.

[jinkicake]

Currently T-minus 6 days until scaramouche birthday and the worst day of my life😔like he’s been outside my bedroom door for the last few nights. Like ik that this mf has the nastiest sex EVER like the fanart community out?? They released him on purpose this close to Christmas(btw felt like another Tuesday like lmao how boring I bought albedo cat stickers to feel something) like I’m trying to be toxic w him but not really; the couple that’s always play arguing and making fun of other people. He can’t even get anyone pregnant but in albedo fashion he will fuck like he’s trying for a kid!! Clears his whole schedule (fatui scaramouche ig)so he can do nothing but pump you full of his cum, like he’s very messy I feel like the sheets are always ruined so you gotta keep a spare on the nightstand or something. Like he’s always trying to fuck in público places like he gets jealous very easily and he can do the whole lmao this ass is mine. But if he sees some loser ass fatui grunt still trying after he’s made is week he’ll he will literally call him into his office to reprimand him and like while he tries to explain himself he hears you choke bc he pushes your head all the way down without warning and he pays your head saying some shit like “don’t be rude I’m having a meeting” like he’s gunna absolutely dominante you and the poor bastard will have to watch like he can’t hear you slurping down there😔😔 “ their mouth feels really good, that why you been harassing them instead of doing your job?” Probably makes you cockwarm him but it’s fake bc when you beg he says you can ride him immediately.(as I will like lmao i am slamming down on him) but he’s just looking him dead in the eyes with the most bored glare. Slips his hand down in between your legs like he’s scrolling on his phone or something 😭 “hurry up and cum already you’re ruining my pants.” Or “you can’t to be good and cum on my cock?go head” and holds you tight as your eyes roll back and that grunt much less any other one talks to you again. Likes cute outfits!! Like he’s gunna buy you expensive intricate lingerie JUST to tear it off you. Will sit you on his face until you hit his head to try and get away. He’s such a Fucking menace😒 I feel like he would tie you up and leave wanting

omg only five days until the birthday bash of the year?! we're starting off strong! you guys are going to do a joint thing right looool

scara is really hoyo's new 'it boy' and as of right now, i dont hate it kekeke

omggg lemme see the stickerssss i want xiao stickers so badly hehe i might order some

bruh i just had a thought about clay man like he cant get you pregnant either but hear me out w albedo's big brain he would figure out a way to get you pregnant LMFAO like you gonna have some clay babies or something.... if he really wants it... (yandere!albedo impregnating you w/o you knowing oof- crazy!) but yeah no kid for scara (thank gawd!)

NO bc scaramouche is such a pathetic loser because he would so try to make a claim on you in public after another fatui agent glances at you.... like hed take any excuse to fuck you smh

honestly, i like pathetic!scaramouche (what does that say about me?!) like mean but pathetic scaramouche who has no problem yelling at you but then cries when you leave him LMAO

he pretends like he doesnt give a fuck while pleasuring you but in reality he's so deep in his mind making sure that he's doing everything right LOL like im sorry but i cant have scara not interested like he needs to be obsessed or i wont care about him-

oh he's so the type to put you in pretty panties, have you sit on his face and then just lock his arms around your thighs and then eat you out until you pass out- hes evil!

and he would so tie you up to the bed and leave you there as a punishment, to embarrass you even further he might leave the bedroom door open just a bit so that anyone who passes by (childe, signora) can get a glance

((side note: i hope you have a happy new year my dear!!! </3 and some good albedo dreams~))

#sarahandoikawatalkshit #lol pathetic scara is my fav #xiaos spicy almond tofu #sorta

[i-hazbin-drawing]

A Chance in Hell Chapter 4

Pairing: Alastor/Original Female Character

Rating: M

Chapter Specific Warnings:   Gore | Blood | Violence    

Word Count: ~11k

Ao3 link: Here

Prologue < Chapter 1 < Chapter 2 < Chapter 3 <You Are Here>

Shadows Lurking

He couldn’t possibly be serious? Out of all the people he could have called to essentially chauffeur her on this death-sentence of a shopping trip, he just had to choose the one person who already hated her guts? Hadn’t there been something in their deal about him protecting her while she was stuck down here? She certainly didn’t remember there being any fine print about being treated like some sort of hot potato for whoever he deemed fit. Surely this must be some sort of joke.

Unfortunately, the ever present grin stretched across Alastor’s face as he nonchalantly flexed his fingers, casually studying his own gloved hand, said quite the opposite. He fully intended to send her out into the unknown with only a drunken cat in a top hat to protect her. It was maddening. This was hell after all. Surely it wasn’t even remotely safe for her to casually traverse through the city willy nilly, let alone even stepping foot outside of the hotel’s walls. She worked her jaw uneasily, mouthing words that refused to come out of her throat as she stood rooted to the spot.

“Um… Al? I’m not really so sure it’s a good idea to send Gwen here out into town,” said Charlie with a hint of nervousness edging into her voice. She gave a small shrug as she clasped her hands together, lips drawn tightly into an uneasy smile. “Just… all things considered, you know?”

Gwen nodded along enthusiastically. If Alastor wasn’t coming along, how on earth did he intend to safely keep his end of the deal? She’d be dead within minutes of stepping outside with all the potential monsters and horrors lying in wait along the streets. Images of blood splatter and flying chunks of hot flesh flashed through her mind and she gave a shudder. Her heart clenched anxiously in her chest. No way, she didn’t want to be subjected to something like that ever again. There must be some other way around this.

“Oh, don’t you fret my dear,” said Alastor, spinning on his heel to walk back over to them, a gleeful look in his eye as he gave Charlie a pat on the head. “I already have all the little details sorted out well enough.”

Before he could elaborate, a loud stomping filled their ears, echoing up from the stairwell to their right. A very grumpy looking Husk appeared as the footsteps rounded the corner. His feathered tail flicked side to side in agitation, eyes narrowed as they swept over the hall. A sneer pulled at his lips as his eyes locked on target, hackles raised.

“What the fuck do you want now, you son of a bitch?” grumbled Husk, his voice low as his face pinched in frustration. Alastor merely grinned, eyes shining in delight.

“Why, I just needed a small favor, my old friend!” Alastor said cheerfully, throwing his arms wide before zipping over to Husk’s side, grabbing him around the shoulders and dragging him over towards the end of the hall. Their cheeks squished together comically as Alastor pulled him close.

“Haven’t I done enough favors for you by now?” said Husk, an air of exhaustion slipping through his words as his feathered eyebrows scrunched together.

Gwen watched as Alastor threw his head back with a laugh, giving Husk a squeeze. The cat demon’s lips curled into a snarl. A few blue tinged crumbs stuck to the side of his mouth as his teeth bared dangerously, failing to intimidate the man chuckling beside him.

“Oh Husker, you always do know how to make me laugh,” smiled Alastor, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye before releasing the grumbling cat. “Now then, I have a small job for you. As you know, the party date is fast approaching and we still haven’t gotten the ballroom back in working order quite yet.”

“More like haven’t even started,” mumbled the cat to himself.

“So, in order to make sure everything is in tip-top shape for the big day,” said Alastor, bulldozing over Husk’s remarks as he gave him another squeeze and forcibly shifted him to face towards Gwen, “I’m going to have you escort our newest employee out on the town to do a little equipment shopping for us. How’s that sound?”

Husk blinked in confusion, glancing back and forth between Gwen and the demon smiling cheekily down at him. He quickly tore himself from the grinning demon’s side, swatting at him with his claws. A snarl left his lips as he glared up at the taller man. Alastor watched as Husk shook his head in distaste, cocking his own to the side as his smile grew.

“No way, I am not babysitting some random kid just to go shopping for your dumbass party,” Husk said as he jabbed his claw towards Alastor’s smug face, wings spreading wide behind him.

“Ah yes, she will be needing new clothes as well,” Alastor continued as the thought struck him, yet again deflecting any rejection Husk managed to fling in his direction. The cat’s pupils narrowed as his jaw fell slack, eyebrows furrowed.

Gwen dropped her gaze to her shoes as the pair of demons argued. Well, not so much argued as Husk simply flat out refusing Alastor’s request as the latter looked on unphased, a continuous stream of instructions falling from his ever present smiling mouth. The sudden feeling of a hand on her back brought Gwen’s attention back up. She turned to see Charlie standing at her side, a look of concern clear in her eyes. The taller woman gave her an uneasy smile before gently pulling her off to the side.

“Hey, you alright?” whispered Charlie as they edged their way back into the dilapidated ballroom and away from the bickering demons. Gwen glanced up to look upon the singed curtains hanging from the back wall along the stage and let out a quiet sigh. Her hand clenched at her side, further crumpling the list paper in her fist.

What a strange question to ask. Are you alright? How could she even begin to answer something like that? In the simplest of terms, no. No she was not alright. Other than the fact that, as she was reminded so very often of, she was alive, everything else had swiftly gone to hell in a handbasket. Literally, one might even say. Now she was expected to venture back out into the nightmarish world outside the hotel with nothing but a pissed off anthropomorphic cat who she was pretty sure didn’t even care if she lived or died to buy supplies for a party of all things. And what could she do? Say no? Like that was going to matter in the slightest. She had pretty much become resigned to the idea that she didn’t really have all that much of a choice down here.

Gwen glanced back at Alastor and Husk arguing back in the hallway, the sounds of Husk’s defiance reverberating off of the walls into the room. Another wash of shame and embarrassment slid into her belly. The last thing she had wanted was to go dragging more people into her mess. And after the small fiasco this morning, of course the universe would see fit to have her cause even more annoyance to the cat from the bar. She let out a defeated sigh, leaving Charlie’s question unanswered as she chose instead to refocus on her shoes. The hand at her back gave her another few comforting pats.

“Look, I’m not dragging her along alright? I’ll fucking do it myself if I have to, you smiley bastard, but I am not ruining my day by being someone’s fucking nanny,” asserted Husk, lips still curled in detest as Alastor smiled down at him, poised quite calmly. A red tuft atop Alastor’s head flicked and his attention was dragged elsewhere as Husk continued to rant. His smile grew as his eyes slid over the end of the hallway. The light sounds of footsteps trudged up the stairs, unbeknownst to Husk as he continued his verbal assault on the now inattentive demon before him.

Gwen peaked around the edge of the doorway, curious as to where Alastor was staring before hurriedly shoving herself back into the room behind Charlie. Her heart hammered beneath her chest as Charlie shot her a look of concern. Great, just splendid. This was exactly what she needed now during this moment of shame and chaos. Charlie attempted to shift but Gwen only clung behind her harder, determined to hide herself from the impending doom. Cats she could deal with. Liked them even if she was being honest. She could even deal with whatever the hell it was Alastor had going on, but why did it have to be him?

“Come now, Husker, my dear friend. All that I ask is that you run along with Gwen here and fetch us a few supplies,” Alastor said, cutting through Husker’s continued rant, eyes sliding back down to his furry friend. “Perhaps a little bit of clothes shopping as well. Can’t have our newest employee running about in rags all day, can we?”

Gwen looked down at the borrowed dress she had wrapped herself in and couldn’t help but picture Vaggie’s reddened face if she would have heard his remark just now. Instead, a gasp rang out from the end of the hall as her worst fears were realized.

“Did you say clothes shoppin’?” called Angel’s excited voice as he scampered over to the small group building at the ballroom’s entrance. Gwen shrunk herself further behind Charlie, nerves already getting the best of her as her heart pounded beneath her ribs.

“Why, yes I did!” Alastor piped up, his voice crackling with glee. Husk’s face immediately fell.

“Are you fuckin’ following me around again?” he accused, turning around to face the pink skyscraper of a spider demon. His eyes brightened before he turned back around, jabbing his thumb in Angel’s direction. “Wait a minute, why don’t you just make him take the kid?”

“Hmmmm, nope. No can do,” said Alastor with a shake of his head, hair flipping back and forth. His eyes flickered to the side as he reached an arm towards the doorway. With surprising ease he yanked Gwen out from behind Charlie and back into view, hands now clutching at her shoulder. Gwen froze as her eyes trailed up to Angel’s face, her own eyes widening in surprise. “Only a contractual employee of the hotel could be trusted to see to our newest employee’s safety. I do have my obligations, you know. Wouldn’t want the poor dear to get hurt would we?” he finished off, giving her a light pinch on the cheek. Gwen remained motionless, her eyes locked on Angel as her breath caught in her throat.

“Hey, I’m plenty safe!” protested Angel, pointing a thumb to his fluffy chest as he stepped forward, causing Gwen to jerk slightly against Alastor’s grasp. Husk rolled his eyes and gave a huff. “Besides, do ya really want ta send him clothes shopping with her? No offense, but I think if you really want her ta get decked out real nice then someone who actually knows a thing or two should be taggin’ along. I do have the most experience when it comes to clothes.”

“Yeah, maybe with taking them off,” Husk grumbled to himself.

“Ooooh, kitty’s got claws,” Angel said with a smirk, playfully pawing at the air towards him with a wink. “Come on, you know you’d love ta have me along.”

“Oh hell no,” started Husk, defiance rekindled. “I already said I wasn’t going to babysit one kid. What makes you think that suddenly means I want to go with you?”

“Oh come on, Husky,” said Angel with a pout, leaning down at the waist as he fluttered his eyelashes, “We could be like a lil’ family. I could be the mommy, and you could be the daddy~”

Gwen had been wrong. Hell was just as awful as she had always thought. She didn’t think she could get much more uncomfortable than she was right now even if she tried. It was a shame she couldn’t just melt through the floorboards to get out of this situation. Considering the iron grip currently curled around her shoulders, any other attempts at escape were also surely futile. So, instead, she resigned herself to staring down at her own shoes as she tried to calm her pounding heart.

“Oh! Actually that’s a great idea!” called out Charlie, finally deciding to step in. All heads turned towards her at once.

“What?” said Husk in disbelief, upper lip curling in disgust. Alastor smiled in delight.

“Huh? Oh! No, not– Not that,” said Charlie, waving her hand dismissively. “I think it would be a great idea if the three of you went out for this job. That is, if Angel is really willing to help.”

“Oh hell yeah, absolutely!” said Angel, nodding aggressively. “I’ve been meaning ta get some new tops as it is. Helping the little curly fry here get somethin’ new a’ her own would be no problem at all. And, I gotta say, the company wouldn’t be so bad neither.”

“Great!” said Charlie with her hands clapping together excitedly as Husk groaned with a look of defeat clear on his face. “Okay so, I’ll just get Razzle and Dazzle to go get the truck for the rest of the supplies while you three get ready to head out! I think the shopping center downtown should have everything we need.”

“Supplies?” asked Angel, his earlier smile dropping to be replaced by one of confusion. “I thought you guys said we’d be going ta like the mall or something.”

“Certainly!” Alastor piped up, clearly enjoying himself as he snatched the slightly crumpled supply list out from Gwen’s grasp and shoved it towards Angel, “That is, after the necessary supplies to fix up our little problem before the big party day are purchased and accounted for.”

Angel chewed the inside of his cheek as he grabbed the piece of paper, clearly having second thoughts now that the idea of actual work had entered the picture. Husk seemed to catch sight of his sudden change in mood and pounced.

“Yeah, so why don’t you just stay here instead and relax? Don’t want to break a nail or anything like that,” said Husk, almost bitterly. Angel’s eyebrows shot up at this remark before scrunching back down, a new look of determination on his face.

“No way, I’m still comin’,” he insisted, much to Gwen’s dismay. The idea of being trapped in a vehicle of any sort with the long legged spider already had her hair standing on end. She tried to open her mouth but only let out a small yelp as Angel took a defiant step forward, clearly unaware—or perhaps just uncaring—of the smaller girl’s reactions. “What could be so hard about picking up a few, uh,” he glanced at the supply list, “the fuck is joint compound?”

Husk grabbed at his own face and rubbed in frustration. He snatched a hand forward, yanking the list away from Angel as he moved towards Charlie. The irritation had become more than evident on his face with one of his eyes beginning to twitch.

“Okay, nope. No. That’s it,” he said with a huff, “Either I go by myself, or I’m not doing it. I don’t care. I’m not dealing with him, and I’m not babysitting the kid, alright? I can do this by my fucking self. If you don’t like it, then tough shit. And that’s final.”

Husk stared defiantly between Charlie and Alastor, breath coming out forcefully through his nose. Charlie’s eyebrows pinched as an uncomfortable smile pulled at her lips. Gwen could only watch as the uneasy silence grew around them. No one said a word as Alastor’s smile grew, his eyes never leaving Husk’s.

.

.

.

Four hours later Husk stared blankly forward, eyes not even registering the gaudy poster in front of him as he sat on a small bench in the middle of an overpriced clothing store near the fitting rooms. Large mannequins of all designs stood scattered around the store as they displayed their equally gaudy outfits to the patrons shuffling about. Even with the hustle and bustle happening around him he remained unbothered. It was almost like as soon as ass met bench his brain had immediately checked out, leaving him to sit in silence.

He took a lazy swig from the rather large—and relatively new—bottle of booze he had clasped in his hand. While he sat devoid of thought, Angel zipped back and forth down the aisles. Each of his arms shoved things aside on different racks as he continued his search for the ‘perfect outfit’ that he hadn’t stopped blathering about the second they had entered the shop. He regularly came back with an armful of shirts, pants, skirts, and dresses to model in front of the mirror beside the fitting rooms, lost in his own little world. Every so often he would ask Husk’s opinion who would then give a noncommittal nod or shrug as Angel jabbered on over his response anyway.

They had already been stuck in the store for about half an hour now, practically held hostage by Angel as he flitted about, and Husk had given up any hopes of going home anytime soon. Instead, he resigned to drinking his bribe in apathetic silence. A shopping basket stood next to him, piled high with various clothing items. Fluff, sequins, silks, and other fabrics all spilled out over the sides in a heap. Two small plastic bags sat at the bottom of the cart holding a few less eccentric outfits that had been purchased prior.

Gwen stood awkwardly to the side of the bench, a small shiver still running through her every once in a while despite the overly large hoodie currently draped over her smaller form. A constant itch tingled along her skin underneath the several coats of body paint she had been subjected to before their little trip. The deep gray was a rather jarring contrast from what she was used to seeing in the mirror and had caused her quite a bit of stress. There was no way anyone would buy something as silly as this right? Though, it was nowhere near as uncomfortable as the tail now poking her in the backside from underneath the back of her hoodie. A thin belt held it in place, but unfortunately that didn’t stop the wire from digging into her through her pants every so often. She felt ridiculous. Somehow and amazingly inconspicuous, but ridiculous.

Gwen watched in mild apprehension as Angel continued his onslaught on every clothing rack within his many arms’ reach. Her clothes were already bought and stuffed snuggly into the cart, having been surprisingly easy enough to find. The only upset had been convincing the shopkeep not to do a quick tail hole adjustment to a few of the garments. Turning down free services wasn’t exactly common no matter where you went. Other than that, Gwen would have to mark today’s little venture down as a success. A small sigh escaped her as she leaned further against the wall. Now if only they could hurry and get back to the hotel some time soon. Her eyes shifted as she glanced through the crowd of demons, all in varying shapes, colors, and sizes, as they walked back and forth through the store. The muscles in her legs remained tense as she did her best to remain calm.

“Hey Curls c’mere for a sec,” called out Angel as Gwen passively watched a pair of slithering demons slip by, their bright green and purple scales shining under the fluorescent lighting of the store. Her eyes snapped over to the spider demon calling her from across the store as a pair of his hands waved her over.

Gwen took in a deep breath and bit the inside of her lip, forcing herself to walk forward as she fought off the anxiety threatening to bubble up in her throat. Several times she found herself being pushed against, her feet stepped on, or otherwise jostled against as demon after demon shoved past her without even the decency to excuse themselves. Gwen kept her complaints inward as she trudged forward, using most of her energy not to go running back away from the terrifying demon towering over her. What was she even expecting anyway? It’s not like demon’s would have manners anyway. This was hell after all.

“Jeez, took you long enough,” said Angel as she finally drew closer towards him, managing to wriggle herself out of the crazed crowd shuffling about behind her now. “Now hold still, I wanna see how this looks on ya.”

Gwen nearly jumped out of her skin as Angel reached down towards her, her foot catching on the tail hooked to her pants and causing her to tumble backwards. Angel yanked his hand back in surprise as he stared at her on the floor. Not a single other person paid her any mind as she scrambled to right herself, shoving her hood more firmly over her head as she stood.

“Damn doll, I ain’t gonna bite. Calm your tits,” said Angel in an exasperated tone. “I just wanted to see how this dress here looked on ya. All those outfits you picked out are so damn boring I thought I’d spice it up a bit.”

Gwen made a face, once again looking down towards the ground as she hugged herself around the middle. The anxious buzzing was starting to fill her stomach again, making her nauseous. She swallowed thickly and looked back up again. Angel’s eyes were still firmly locked onto her own, an eyebrow raised.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve even heard a peep come outta you since we left the hotel,” he commented, once again reaching down with dress in hand. Gwen stiffened up and closed her eyes. “Yeah, I thought so. This would look great, we’re gettin’ this too. What do ya think about…” he trailed off as Gwen continued to stand with her eyes closed, shivering ever so slightly.

“What’s wrong with you anyway? Did I do somethin’ to you or are ya always this much of a cold fish?” he finally interrogated, voice sounding louder than before. Gwen opened her eyes to see his face much closer than a moment ago, causing her to jump with a small squeak. “Easy! Damn, why the hell are you so jumpy. I didn’t even do nothin’ to ya. What, are ya that scared of me or somethin’?”

Gwen swallowed the lump in her throat as Angel sent an accusatory glare her way, an eyebrow raised as he crossed his lower set of arms. Her eyes darted all over as she tried to avoid his stare. Angel sucked in a breath through his teeth impatiently and rolled his eyes with a huff as he took a step back.

“Is this about last night? Is that why you won’t talk ta me? You’ve been avoiding me like the damn plague since you got here,” he said in annoyance. “Look, I’m sorry if I scared ya alright? That make it better?”

Gwen continued to stare at the ground. She wanted to speak, her voice getting stuck like gum in her throat as her hands clenched at her sides. Another exasperated huff met her ears as Angel turned away from her, starting to rifle through some more dresses along the rack. After a long moment of nothing but the sounds of the surrounding crowd and the light shuffling of fabrics, Angel spoke up again.

“Okay, seriously you’re startin’ to make me feel bad, cut it out,” he said as he pulled out a few more hangers. “Makin’ me feel like I kicked a damn puppy or somethin’. I said I was sorry.”

Another silence overtook them as Gwen struggled on the spot. Finally, after a beat, a small voice squeaked out of her.

“S…spiders….” she said softly.

“Huh?” asked Angel, bending down with a hand up to his ear. Gwen fought with herself to keep her legs in place.

“I’m… I’m afraid of spiders.” she repeated shakily.

“What? Really?” said Angel with a laugh. “Is that all it is? Fuck, and I thought it was somethin’ I did. You need ta lighten up, I’m not gonna do anything to ya. Well, unless you piss me off anyways.” He finished off with a shrug, comparing the two dresses he held in his hands before discarding one over the rack. Gwen looked up again in time to see Angel bend down with another outfit in hand, holding them over her own clothes as he looked her up and down. His eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face.

“Perfect! Okay, that works. I think we’re all done here,” said Angel, throwing a few more things over his arm before walking past Gwen towards Husk. As she stayed in place watching him, he threw a glance back her way. “You comin’ or what?”

She jumped a bit before following along warily behind him. Her heartbeat seemed to settle down as they both walked back over to the bench Husk sat on, his head now lolled back as he snored softly, empty bottle abandoned on the floor. Angel smiled and bit his lower lip, hurriedly tossing the new clothes into the basket.. He glanced back at Gwen who looked at him in surprise, watching as he pulled a cell phone out of the fluff in his shirt and angled it at Husk’s sleeping form. Angel raised one finger to his lips and gave her a wink before taking the picture. A devious smirk crossed his face as he stuffed his phone back into his shirt.

“Oh Husky~,” he called in a sing-song voice, causing the cat to open his eyes blearily, looking around in confusion before locking his gaze onto the spider.

“What? Are you finally done with your fuckin’ fashion show finally?” he asked in a groggy voice, sitting more upright as he wiped the drool from the side of his mouth.

“Yeah, actually managed ta find quite a few things after looking through this crummy store,” Angel said proudly as he grabbed ahold of Gwen’s arm, pulling her over to his side as she gave a small yelp. “Aaaaand we even found some nice shit for this lil’ cookie here.”

“Crummy? Why the hell did you throw such a fit about coming in here if you thought the store was crummy?” questioned Husk as he stood up, a look of bored irritation on his face.

“Uh, cuz they had a sale? Duh,” Angel said as he poked his tongue out at him. “Now let’s get outta here, I’m fuckin’ starvin’.”

Husk rolled his eyes as the three of them made their way towards the checkout, Angel humming happily as Gwen trailed in the back. The blue haired cashier smacked her gum as they approached and started emptying out the cart onto the countertop. Gwen couldn’t help but stare as the number on the register screen climbed higher and higher. Hadn’t Angel said there was supposed to be a sale?? As the number began to reach heights higher than Gwen’s average monthly rent payment a small amount of sweat broke out across her forehead.

“Um… is-isn’t that a lot?” she asked hesitantly in a hushed voice next to Husk. The cat cast her a lazy glance before looking back at the annoyed cashier currently blowing a rather large bubble as she finished scanning the items. After a moment of deliberation he gave her a shrug, pulling out a wallet from an undisclosed location.

“Probably,” he answered nonchalantly as he slipped a card with the words ‘Happy Hotel Staff’ printed in rather obnoxious lettering towards the cashier. “But it’s not my problem.”

Gwen nodded slowly in understanding as she watched the card go through. Just how rich exactly was Charlie anyway? Considering she was apparently a princess of all things, it probably goes without saying that the answer would be very. As the enormous receipt rolled out of the machine like a ridiculously long snake, Angel grabbed the mountain of bags now stuffed with clothes and hoisted them haphazardly at Husk. Surprisingly, he managed to catch them all without batting an eye, almost as if he were relying on some sort of muscle memory. Or perhaps it could've been considered ‘cat-like reflexes?’

As the three of them finally exited the store and started their trip back to the truck, Gwen’s stomach clenched uncomfortably. It had been hours since she had had breakfast that morning, and the fact that not only had she been running around all day, constantly on edge while having to stick around Angel the entire time, but she had also barely anything to eat within the last couple of days. Her stomach clenched again painfully and she winced as a pretty audible growl emanated from her middle.

Husk glanced down at her as they continued down the walkway alongside the relatively long stripmall. The red pentagram sun was already high in the sky and starting its descent, well past the dawn of the day when they had first headed out. Gwen continued staring at her dark shadow stretched out long in front of her as she walked along. A hand unconsciously drifted up to hold her stomach as she winced, unaware of the eyes looking down at her. Another growl filled the air and she grimaced. Heat flooded her cheeks beneath the heavy face paint slathered over her face as she kept walking, trying very hard not to draw attention to herself. Finally, after reaching their destination, Husk unlatched the back of the truck with a sigh.

“You know what,” said Husk, shoving the bags unceremoniously within the vehicle. He flicked his wrist and flashed the credit card from earlier to the other two, “I don’t feel like waiting until we get back to the hotel. Let’s use this puppy and go get ourselves something to eat.”

Angel’s face practically beamed as a hand pressed against the fluff on his chest, a smile stretching wide across his face. Gwen cocked her head in surprise at this sudden change of pace. Hadn’t he been complaining only about an hour ago about wanting to hurry back already?

“Oh, Husky!” says Angel excitedly, clasping a pair of his hands together while the others raised with glee. His demeanor suddenly shifted and he batted his lashes, looking past his shoulder at Husk coyly. “And uh, will we be having any dessert afterward?”

“I’m not doing it for you,” Husk deadpanned, eyebrows scrunched as he watched Angel’s flirtatious display. “I’m just still fucking pissed that I got sent out on this stupid little trip to begin with. And I’ve decided the booze wasn't enough compensation after having to deal with your ass all day.

“Besides,” he continued, eyes shifting to the side awkwardly as he turned away from the two, “I haven’t eaten anything since that uh,” he let out a cough, “uh, fuck I don’t know when. So, either come with me or fuck off. You too, kid.”

Gwen blinked at her sudden inclusion. With her stomach rumbling the way it was, she would be a fool not to follow along. So instead she found herself scurrying along to catch up with Husk as Angel easily walked past her. Curse him and his long legs.

They wound up in a small fast food joint down at the end of the strip, the smell of greasy burgers and fries heavy in the air as they stepped inside. Gwen’s mouth watered at the smell even as her eyes squinted from the harsh light piercing her eyes from the bulbs above. She was starting to wonder if maybe bad lighting was just some sort of theme down here, or if maybe they were just on the cheaper side of town. Of course, it was hell so really it was anyone’s guess. The decor was just about as appealing as well with its dark and dreary tiling and clashing orange walls. Gwen averted her eyes and stared down at her shadow just to give her eyes a break as she followed behind her two chaperons.

After getting their food and settling at a table, further towards the back of the small dining area so as not to draw attention to the very non-demonic presence in their group, Gwen couldn’t help but smile. For a place like hell, so far the food didn’t seem to really be all that bad. Which, given the circumstances, she figured should be mildly concerning. She always thought hell would be full of things like rotten cheese or pig guts or something. If there even was a hell anyway. Honestly though, she couldn’t really bring herself to dwell on it as she stuffed another fry into her mouth. The day was already turning out way better than she ever thought it could and she wasn’t about to complain about something going well for her for once.

She looked across the table to Angel and Husk who were engaged in their own conversation, something about some new movie Angel had seen that he was keen on getting Husk to watch as well. Husk seemed mildly uninterested but hadn’t refused outright. In fact, Gwen could’ve sworn she even saw a smirk pull at his lips when Angel bumped his shoulder, practically whining as Husk rolled his eyes. She expected a lot more resistance, or even an outburst or two with the way Angel was carrying on like this. Though, now that she stopped to think about it, he had actually been relatively calm the entire time they had been away from the hotel. Sure, perhaps a bit irritated, but she didn’t think he had shouted a single time during their trip. Weird…

“Alright, alright fine. I’ll watch the stupid movie if it’ll make you leave me alone about it already,” said Husk with a grumbling sigh of defeat as he reached for another onion ring. “But I ain’t paying for it.”

“Don’t worry babe, I got you covered,” Angel said with a wink while Husk’s lip curled irritably.

“Don’t call me that,” said Husk as he threw the ring into his mouth. Angel just smirked and shrugged his comment off.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Angel, waving his hand dismissively as he brought his soda straw back to his lips and took a sip. He raised a brow as his eyes landed on Gwen watching them from across the table. “Uh, hey Curly Fry, you got a little somethin’ on ya shirt there.”

Gwen blinked as he addressed her, looking down to find a rather large ketchup glob resting on the middle of her stomach. She let out a gasp, standing abruptly. Her hand went for the napkins piled along their food trays before Angel tapped her it away.

“What are you doin’?” he almost laughed. “Like hell some napkins are gonna get that stain out. You’re just gonna end up rubbin’ it in more.”

“What, what do I do?” said Gwen in a panic. Her initial memory of blood against her clothes finally fading from her mind as she tried to come up with a way to scrub the offending condiment from her borrowed hoodie. Vaggie was going to be so mad. “I… I gotta wash it or something.”

“Well, I mean you could try I guess,” said Angel, “They got a bathroom over there in the corner.” He pointed over her head as she flinched out of habit, still not quite used to his many limbs.

Without even stopping to think, she scrambled over her chair and bolted to the back of the room, ignoring Husk’s calls as she burst into the thankfully empty single bathroom. She quickly locked the door and dashed to the sink. Yep, it was pretty bad. The ketchup was already starting to darken as she flailed her arms in a panic before rolling up her sleeves.

She quickly twisted the sink handles and grabbed a fist full of paper towels, wetting them and beginning to scrub the ketchup away. A dark shadow was left in its place as she redoubled her efforts. She groaned as the wet mark only grew larger, the deep red patch in the center refusing to shift. As she continued scrubbing, her eyes caught sight of a lighter color flashing in the corner of her vision. Gwen stopped and looked over to the sudden appearance of the unknown object only to realize that it was her own arm that had caused the distraction.

Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat as she realized what she had done. Her skin shone brightly against the deep gray paint now speckled unevenly across her hand and arm. Crap. Okay, no need to panic. She stuffed her hand into her front hoodie pocket and slid her sleeve back down. A shaky breath escaped her as she studied herself in the mirror. Now she just looked awkward, her dark curls sticking to her face from the anxious sweat she had broken out in underneath her hood. She grimaced at herself in the mirror. There wasn’t really much else she could do.

A sudden knock nearly made her nearly jump out of her shabbily painted skin.

“Hey Curls, you alright in there?” came Angel’s voice from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, I uh,” started Gwen as her eyes locked on her image in the mirror before hurrying over to the door, opening it slowly. Angel smirked as she stepped outside, towering over her as he looked at the wet spot splattered against her front.

“Well damn, I didn’t expect you to take a fuckin bath in there or anythin’,” he said with a laugh. His smile dropped and his laughter cut short as Gwen hesitantly pulled her hand out from the front pocket of her hoodie. She let out a squeak as he suddenly shoved it back inside, crowding around her and grabbing her around the middle.

“What the fuck are you doin?” he hissed as he looked around them to see if anyone had noticed. “Are ya tryin’ ta draw attention ta yourself?” Gwen silently shook her head, eyes wide.

“Good, just —I don’t know, keep your hand in your pocket or somethin’,” Angel said in a hushed whisper before shuffling them both back over to the table.

“What’s going on?” asked Husk, eyeing Angel’s hand gripping Gwen’s wrist suspiciously. “Did she get hurt or something?” he sounded more annoyed than concerned.

“Not exactly no,” said Angel, dropping his voice back to a whisper. “But the little genius here decided it would be a great idea ta go and wash her hands.” Husk’s eyes widened as Angel pulled Gwen’s hand partially out of her pocket for him to see.

“Shit, dammit kid,” hissed Husk as he got up from his seat, already making his way towards the exit. “Okay yeah let’s head back. I don’t wanna deal with this right now.”

Gwen swallowed thickly as she was all but dragged outside of the store. It was just a short walk back down to the end of the strip and then she would be safely back on her way to the hotel. Then if she was lucky—and Alastor didn’t suddenly come up with any more errands for her to run—she would be able to sit back and relax for the rest of the day. She cursed herself for her stupidity as she was pulled along down the walkway. It was really just one thing after another with her lately. Oh who was she kidding? When was the last time something like this wasn’t happening to her?

As if to further rub salt into the wound, a sudden harsh shove to her side ripped her out from Angel’s grasp and sent her tumbling into the concrete. She winced in pain as her arm twisted, landing on her side. Her good hand pushed her back up off of the ground as she tried to register what just happened.

“Hey what the fuck buddy, we’re walkin’ here!” shouted Angel as a smaller, swamp colored rat looking demon scampered by, flipping them off with a sharp-toothed grin. “Why you little mother fucker!”

Gwen froze and looked up in horror as another set of arms abruptly stretched out from Angel’s sides below his second set, his face set in a rage. The flash of a gun had her scooting backwards hurriedly before her back smacked into a wall. Her heart hammered in her ears. What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck!

“Angel for fuck’s sake put that thing away!” snapped Husk, reaching for him as he turned to look at the rat eyeing them down at the end of the parking lot. Angel wrenched his arms away from Husk, his eyes locked on target. His teeth seemed dangerously close to breaking with how hard he was clenching his jaw.

“No way! Maybe if that fuckin’ yuck got a bullet in the ass he’d learn some fuckin’ manners!” Angel yelled back, struggling as he continued batting Husk away from him while Gwen sat wide eyed on the ground.

“You dumbass, what about the kid??” spat Husk, taking one more swipe at the gun in Angel’s hand and jostling him. A sudden blast echoed out from the barrel as Angel fumbled with his grip, eyebrows shooting up his forehead. They both froze on the spot as smoke billowed out from the tip of the barrel.

Over in the distance, the cheekily smiling rat swayed on the spot, finally flopping onto his back as a stream of blood flew out from between his eyes. Angel gave a triumphant laugh and pumped his fist. A sudden punch to the side of his arm caused him to flinch, letting out a curse.

“Fuck, what was that for?” said Angel rubbing at the sore spot as he held his gun protectively to his side away from Husk.

“What are you doing going around shooting people when we’re supposed to be keeping the kid away from that shit??” said Husk harshly between clenched teeth, hands raised in exasperation.

“What?” said Angel before looking down to see Gwen sitting on the sidewalk, curled up with her back against the wall and her hands over her ears. “Ah, fuck. Shit, you’re right. My bad.”

A yell in the distance made them look up in surprise. Standing at the end of the walkway stood another rat demon, eyeing them with his fist in the air. His beady eyes stared them down while he bared his teeth, ears pinned back to his head in anger.

“What, you want a piece a’ me?” yelled Angel before receiving another smack from Husk. Angel hissed and flinched away from him, shooting him a glare.

As Angel and Husk settled their squabble, Gwen looked out towards the other demon at the end of the strip, eyeing them all with a finger pointed in their direction. Suddenly, another one popped up next to him, darker and muddy in color with a knife held between his teeth. Then another with what looked to be a pistol. And then another. And another. And another. Each brandished their own weapon as they popped up near the end of the parking lot.

“Uh, guys…” said Gwen weakly as the hoard of smaller demons grew larger, more than making up for their size as some scampered out from the alleyway behind the stripmall. A rumbling chatter of angry voices reached her ears as Husk and Angel continued to bicker amongst themselves. “Guys!”

“What?” Husk and Angel said together as they looked down at her. Gwen pointed in the distance, causing them both to follow her gaze in time to see the hoard of demons now heading their way.

“Ah shit,” said Husk, quickly dragging Gwen to her feet and shoving her at Angel. “Get her the fuck out of here, go!”

“Wait, where the hell are you going??” yelled Angel as he grabbed ahold of Gwen, hoisting her flailing body into the air.

“Someone’s gotta get the fucking truck,” he spat as he ran off to the side and out of the line of fire. “Now get the fuck out of here with your long ass legs, I’ll catch up!”

Gwen let out a shriek as she was suddenly smushed up against Angel’s front like a koala, face buried into the fluff under his shirt as he clutched her to him. His other free arms pulled out another set of guns as he bolted away down the path. As they skidded around a corner a spray of bullets whizzed by them, blasting a few chunks of brick from the building out onto the sidewalk. Angel shot back a few rounds of his own as he sprinted away from the mob hot on their tails.

“Shitshitshitshit,” hissed Angel as he almost ran out onto a busy street, snagging an arm around a light pole and swinging himself back onto the sidewalk. His fingers clenched into Gwen’s curly hair, keeping her face hidden from the line of fire. He darted forward down the sidewalk between other passersby as he let loose another string of curses. Another round of blasts sounded out from behind them and Gwen yelped, holding on for dear life.

“‘Scuse me, move it, outta the way!” yelled Angel as he pushed himself past the crowd of demons walking along the sidewalk as the band of rats rounded the corner after them. Gwen peaked over Angel’s shoulder as she was jostled around and nearly screamed. A mass of the furry demons were rushing through the crowd behind them, knocking several others out of their way while some of them took to jumping up over top, running on shoulders and bouncing over heads. A large rust colored rat with sharp yellow teeth hissed as he leapt off the horns of a purple scaly demon in the crowd, aiming a shot right at Angel’s head.

“Duck!” shouted Gwen, practically yanking him by the neck in a fright. He let out a choked noise as he stumbled forward, nearly tripping over his own feet as the shot flew by over their heads. Another shot rang out as he stumbled forward.

“Fuck, careful will ya?” said Angel as he tried to regain his balance, legs twisting together as he tried to hesten his pace. He shot a glance backwards and fired off another round of bullets, spraying a wall of the rats as they jumped towards them. Blood and bits of flesh splattered against the other demons unlucky enough to be caught in between them.

“Angel look out!” cried Gwen.

“What?” said Angel, looking down at the girl strapped to his chest only to see her frightened face trained forward.

Another group of rat demons could be seen down in the distance, heading right for them.

“You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me!” yelled Angel as he fired into the crowd in front of them. A few screams rang out as other demons jumped out of the way. Looking back and forth between the incoming mobs, Angel bit his lip. “Fuck, okay, hold on tight Curls.”

“Wha—” started Gwen before her voice cut into a scream, finding the both of them running straight into traffic. As Angel weaved between cars he kept firing at the enemy now fearlessly following them into the middle of the road. Cars swerved around them as Angel pumped his legs, jumping and sliding between the screeching and blaring blocks of metal death boxes on wheels. A few clicks sounded as he reloaded, jerking his head forward as a loud crash blasted in front of them. Gwen turned her head to see a crumpled, red mass of car tumbling straight for them and let out a shriek, clenching her eyes shut. This was it, she was gonna die.

Her body suddenly tugged downward as if all of her weight had been sent crashing into her lower half before a strange weightlessness took over her. A vast red sky greeted her as she peaked out from Angel’s chest. The cars were nowhere in sight. Hurriedly, she snapped her head in all directions only to find that they were some probable 20 odd feet up in the air above the street. Her voice caught in her throat as she stared down at the ground fast approaching.

Instead of concrete however, a loud clang sounded as Angel’s feet touched down, a couple arms wrapped securely around Gwen as another arm braced himself against the car roof that they had landed on. A laugh erupted from Angel as he whipped his head back to the massive car wreck behind them. His body swerved as the car below them stomped on the gas.

“Take that ya filthy little bastards!” yelled Angel triumphantly, shaking one of his guns in their direction. Gwen shook against him as she tried to catch her breath. Her skin buzzed with anxiety as her mind whirled, already feeling motion sickness from flying down the road on top of the car. Their moment of peace didn’t last long however as Angel’s smile dropped, his whole body tensing. “Ah, shit.”

A large black van decked with bullet holes swerved around the wreckage, tires squealing as several rat demons leaned out the window, yelling obscenities and aiming their guns. Angel cursed and took a step back before lunging off of the car as the van sped after them. Horns blared and metal screeched as the cars in the road swerved left and right as Angel hopped along their roofs, firing back at the onslaught of rats driving after them.

A sudden crash sent them flying through the air as the car they were riding on smashed into another. The sudden impact jostled Gwen from Angel’s grip and she found herself freeflying out into traffic. Instead of the harsh smack against the pavement she was expecting, however, a sudden explosion of black shadow ripped itself up from the ground, latching onto her as Angel went flying past. A loud clang of metal sounded behind her as he smacked into a parked car on the edge of the street.

Slowly, Gwen found herself lowered to the ground as warm tendrils of black slithered against her skin and sank down back onto the ground. The shadow slipped under her, leaving her shivering with her eyes wide in disbelief. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. What the hell was that??

“Angel??” shouted Gwen, turning on the spot as her mind raced back to him. A low groan met her ears as she spied him a few car lengths away, sprawled on the ground with his legs in the air.

Her eyes shot back up at the sound of gunfire before she could run to him, seeing the black van of rats fast approaching. She took a hesitant step backwards, legs shaking as she watched the van speed towards her. Movemovemove! She was frozen to the spot, watching in terror and unable to run.

Suddenly, a voice called out in the distance and broke her from her trance. She stumbled backwards, turning to see Husk speeding towards her from the other side of the road in the large truck. Gwen took a step to run towards him but stopped as cars raced around her, leaving her stranded in the middle of the road with Angel unconscious and well out of reach. Husk yelled again as he weaved through the panicked traffic, eyes on the black van still speeding her way.

As Gwen turned back to the van, another loud blast of bullets sprayed out towards her and she fell to her knees, covering her face in a last ditch effort to save herself. The pain never came. She breathed a shuddering breath and slid her hands from her face. An enormous wall of darkness greeted her as she peaked beyond her hands. With a yelp, she fell backwards onto the road in a fright, quickly shuffling away from the unknown apparition. Several shining metal dots floated about in the inky mass like glitter in a lava lamp. Then, without warning, the bullets shot outwards at full force straight towards the speeding van.

The sound of shattered glass and blown tires echoed out as the bullets slammed into the van, ricocheting off the metal and piercing into the cars swerving by and sending bright sparks flying into the air. Gwen watched as the van jerked back and forth, the eyes of the rat demons inside bulging as they tried to turn away from the wall of shadows looming over the road. A few jumped through the windows and rolled off out into the street as the van veered dangerously to the left. Rearing up on its side tires, the van finally crashed down onto its side as it spun out on the road.

Loud metal screeched as the van slid down on its side, sending its remaining occupants slamming around like clothes in a washer as the vehicle rolled straight for her. Gwen watched in awe as the shadow raged forward like a black tsunami, grabbing a hold of the van with a deafening boom. A sickening crunch rang through the air as the shadow suddenly compacted around the van like a fist. Then again, and again, crushing and smashing the metal as easily as if it were a wad of paper, spraying blood out of its sides and out onto the road below. What was once a massive vehicle was all of a sudden reduced to nothing but the equivalent of a recycled soda can.

Dropping the small metal cube, the shadow pulled back, slimming and shrinking until the mass of tendrils slithered back towards Gwen. She sat frozen, eyes locked on the shadow as it crawled closer, finally morphing and mixing with her own before disappearing entirely. She gaped openly, slowly raising herself up to stand on her shaky legs.

She hesitantly lifted her feet, eyes still wide with shock as she glanced between her own shadow and the large wreckage of cars and blood littering the street before her. The sudden slam of a car door brought her to her senses and she turned to see Husk running towards her around the other abandoned vehicles. As he ran towards her, she looked back out into the street, still trying to comprehend what had happened in such a short amount of time.

“Fuck,” Husk panted as he caught up to her, grabbing ahold of her sleeve and looking at her all over. “You alright kid?”

Gwen looked back to the ground again and then back up, unable to quite focus on anything in particular before giving a small nod. Nothing on her was broken. No open wounds or bruises that she could feel. Her eyes drifted back across the street as a tuft of pink fur caught her attention. Realization struck and she bolted from Husk, running over towards Angel as he grabbed at his head, letting out another groan.

“Angel!” she cried, kneeling down next to him as he opened his eyes.

“Augh, fuck my head,” he groaned, rubbing his temple as he shoved himself up off the ground and onto his knees. Gwen sat warily in front of him, an unconscious hand reaching forward. “Shit!”

He suddenly jumped up into the air, spooking her as he landed on his feet, turning in all directions. Husk reached them as Angel started frantically searching for his guns.

“Hey, dumbass,” called Husk, grabbing his attention.

Angel stopped to look at him, finally taking in the brunt of their surroundings. A small fire had broken out in the distance, eating away at the spilled gas and other fluids soaking the pile of cars smashed together off in the distance along the road. Several cries and screams were still echoing throughout the damage. He gave a low whistle, eyes still flickering about in search of the danger he had last found himself in.

“Wait, did we lose ‘em?” he asked as Gwen stood next to him, dusting herself off. She grimaced at the flecks of blood coating the bottom of her hoodie. So much for getting rid of that ketchup stain then.

“Just get your ass in the truck,” sighed Husk, looking over towards Gwen and nodding for her to follow. She glanced back at Angel who was still holding a hand to his head, gazing around at all the wreckage surrounding them. A small crowd had started to gather now that the commotion had finally died down. Angel sucked in a breath as he started walking towards the truck, a hand scratching at the back of his head.

“Man Charlie is gonna be so pissed."

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░۩۞۩۞۩۞۩░▒▓█▇▅▃▂

“Jesus Christ this place smells like shit,” complained Blitzø, a hand pressed against his nose as he, Millie, and Moxxie trailed behind Loona down a filth encrusted back alleyway. Leaking garbage bags spewing maggots and trash lined the crumbling walls, interspersed between empty lots filled with scraggly, dirty, roughed up sinners and demons of all sorts. Moxxie kept his hand firmly on his pistol as he walked arm in arm with his wife. Being an imp this far into sinner territory always came with some risks. For one, they didn’t have the lovely convenience, or inconvenience depending on how you looked at it, on coming back from the dead over and over again for all eternity. One unguarded neck later and you would be spewing your life out onto the ground, never to get up again.

“Any luck yet there Loony?” called Blitzø, probably for the twentieth time that day. Loona closed her eyes and grit her teeth with a huff.

“Maybe if you stop asking every five fucking minutes, I’d be able to concentrate long enough to find something,” snapped Loona, her tail bristling as she whipped around to face them. “If it wasn’t for the fact my own ass is on the line here too I wouldn’t even be doing this right now. This is so degrading,” she spat under her breath, turning her back on them as she continued stomping forward.

“Love you too, sweetheart!” said Blitzø, cupping a hand near his mouth like a megaphone. Loona groaned and rolled her eyes.

At the very back of the group, Moxxie was busy twisting his head in every direction, an uncomfortable buzz running up and down his back. Millie looked at him with concern as she slid her hand up his arm to hold his shoulder comfortingly. He tensed at the contact.

“Moxxie, hon, are you gonna be alright?” she asked, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

“Yeah,” he responded with a shudder, letting out a breath before placing his hand over his wife’s. “I just want to get out of here already. I hate being this far out of the city. Do you know how many diseases could be among all these sinners lying all over the place?”

“Well maybe if you would’ve kept your hands off your dick and kept an eye on our literal only ticket to keeping our fucking jobs we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Blitzø yelled back at him. Moxxie sent him a glare as he picked up his pace, barely being held back by Millie.

“I told you, I was shot, sir,” Moxxie repeated, throwing an arm out in disbelief. “I was a little preoccupied with trying to keep my insides where they were supposed to be. I didn’t lose it on purpose!”

“Oh you can’t fool me,” laughed Blitzø. “Don’t act like you don’t constantly complain about your fucking job like its the hardest thing in the goddamn world.” Moxxie’s eyebrows furrowed in a look of indignation.

“I do not!” he retorted. “And why in the heck would I purposefully do something that would get all of us in put in danger over something as stupid as that, even if it were true? That’s suicide!”

“Would you two shut the fuck up already?” yelled Loona from down towards the end of the ally. “I think I found something down here!”

“Oh hot-diggedy-damn fuckin’ finally!” cheered Blitzø as he raced down the cracked and crumbling pavement, splashing a puddle of satan knows what onto a pair of sinners talking amongst themselves against a wall in the alley.

“Oh crumbs, I’m so sorry,” panicked Moxxie as he and Millie hurried after their boss, pausing to unceremoniously wipe the mystery fluid from the couple’s faces. He gave a sheepish smile before scurrying off again as the two cursed after him.

As Moxxie and Millie stopped in front of the mouth of the smaller alleyway cutting between two of the broken down buildings their jaws dropped. The walls shown dark and dingy red with what appeared to be blood painting every surface. A headless body lay motionless at the center of the small space, the only signs of a struggle present in the rather large hole torn through their clothes, exposing the rusty fur of their back. Moxxie held a hand to his mouth, dry heaving as the putrid smell in the air hit his nostrils. Even Millie’s lip curled as she waved a hand in front of her face.

“Holy shit that’s awful,” remarked Blitzø as he followed Loona around the body, sneering with his fingers over his nose. “This guy must’ve got fucked the second he dropped into this shithole. Augh that wreaks.”

Moxxie swallowed the bile in his throat as the smell of the mixture of decaying flesh and the living world filled his lungs. He hadn’t smelled something so bad since the time they infiltrated a human morgue up on the surface. As Millie walked to catch up with her boss, Loona sniffing at the air in search of any sign of the book, Moxxie carefully sidestepped over the puddles of gore to join them.

“Oh damn, this guy must’ve really lost his head,” said Blitzø, laughing at his own joke as he picked up a relatively large rusted fuzzy ball. Moxxie nearly shrieked as he realized what Blitzø was holding.

“Oh don’t be a puss’ Moxx,” scoffed Blitzø with a roll of his eyes. “You’ve been such a fucking downer this whole trip. In fact, it’s gotten pretty unbearable.”

He laughed again, wiggling the bear head playfully while Moxxie stared back in disgust. Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice groaned between them.

“Oh Christ on a stick it’s alive!” shouted Blitzø, fumbling the large fuzz ball before drop-kicking it away from himself. It hit the wall next to Moxxie’s head with a wet sounding crack as he leapt out of the way at the last second.

“Guys, look at this,” said Loona, grabbing their attention before another argument could break out. All three of them turned to see her holding a piece of red and black fabric of some sort in her hand.

“Uh, sweetie, I hate to break it to you but you’re gonna need a way bigger rag than that to clean up this mess. It’s like Carrie gave birth to a fucking period baby all over the place,” said Blitzø, raising a brow as Loona facepalmed.

“No you dumbass,” she said in irritation, stomping forward to shove the rag under his nose. He immediately gagged, snatching it away from himself. “Your stupid boyfriend’s stench is all over that damn thing.”

“He is not my—” Blitzø started before hacking again, holding the rag as far away from his face as he could. “Wait what did you say? Well then the book must be close by! We’re fucking saved!” Loona rolled her eyes and shook her head, causing Blitzø to cease his cheers.

“Did you not notice something else wrong with this picture?” she asked seriously, gesturing at the scene surrounding them. Blitzø squinted his eyes, bringing the rag back to his face before looking back at the ground. He coughed again as the smell hit his nose. Then, as if a light suddenly went off inside his brain, his eyes popped open wider and his jaw dropped.

The smell of the living, the dead body blasted to bits, the book nowhere to be found among the wreckage, leaving behind only the smell of its presence on this one single rag. There was no other explanation.

“Holy raging horse cocks a human’s got the book,” he said, throwing his arms into the air and releasing the rag. It landed with a sickening slap right into Moxxie’s face.

“Well then let’s get to interrogating these bastards until one of ‘em coughs it up,” said Millie, already ready to start working her way down the alley.

“No Mills, I don’t think you understand,” said Blitzø, turning to her in a panic. “Your precious little fuck toy over there managed to break the big one. Rule numero uno. Some living, breathing, slimy bastard from up top got ahold of our shit and blasted this poor fucker to bits. Congrats Moxx. You personally set a live, murderous, psychopath of a human out into hell, armed with a book of unfathomable power. What the fuck have you got to say for yourself?”

Moxxie’s eyes bugged and he wheezed as his boss’s words sank into his brain. He looked down at the body still lying motionless before them, clearly having been easily overpowered by some unstoppable force. The book was still missing and now they had an even bigger problem on their hands. Someone found it. And apparently—and unfortunately for them—that someone knew how to use it.

“Oh crumbs.”

#hazbinhotel #hazbin hotel fanfiction #my fanfic #alastor x oc #alastor x reader #original character #hazbin hotel oc #violence #blood #gore #woops accidentally posted to the wrong blog first lol #now everythings all caught up to what I have posted on ao3

[archivalofsins]

People have been curious why Kazui is going guilty, but like...

Kazui's break or make it moment is the release day of Amane's video. If people really want to make a case for him or work towards a specific verdict, they should do that leading up to Amane's premiere. There's a lot of fans in the West who only watch the video day one and only vote for that one day. This is why after the premiere he was innocent but now he's guilty. Because the people who view him as innocent aren't ones who consistently vote or keep up with Milgram.

So, chances are those people will come back around for Amane's premiere or start voting again once it's brought to their attention that Kazui is sitting at guilty and close to staying it. Even bringing it up in the comments of Cat would be helpful for those not really involved in the fandom proper to get updated on the current situation.

Because even if those sorts of individuals aren't active in the online fandom they may look in the comments of the video to get a grasp on common theories. So, they're more likely to see it and feel a certain way through youtube than any other social media platform. Possibly even be inspired to vote daily off of that too.

However, as it stands no campaign that's centered around or based solely on tumblr, is going to sway his verdict much. Especially since a lot of popular milgram artists are pushing for him being guilty on other platforms. For reasons that well some have seen brought to tumblr as well. When you have mainstay artists in the fandom reminding their thousands of followers to vote this man guilty daily, this is just what happens.

At this point, Kazui's case is a real pr nightmare. Because no matter how many people bring up the issues with voting him guilty here, it's not going to change much. Because we all know the issues that can arise from a guilty verdict in this case already it's individuals on other platforms that don't or are blatantly ignoring the problems this could cause for fun who are pushing for this verdict. So, doing anything here is just preaching to the choir.

If last trial Mikoto's verdict was milgram fans going against tikto* Kazui's case is a real tumblr vs Twitter scenario. I know tumblr is supposed to be the reading comprehension is piss poor website, but at least we got enough characters to make a point. Twitter users can't even form a fully fleshed out thought without making a Google doc, slide, or PowerPoint. Anyone really think they're working off anything outside of thirst and kneejerk reactions- they're probably mad because they realized Kazui won't fuck them.

From what I've actively seen they're swearing up and down through all their nsfw fan art of male milgram characters that this has nothing to do with him possibly being gay they just think lying is bad also think about his wife's feelings. No one can reason with this sort of logic best to ignore them and let their choice speak for itself. Because I, myself, am super down with seeing this sort of stuff blow up in other's faces.

However, if anyone is really trying to get this man to innocent again and doesn't want to wade through that cesspit, then Amane's trial is a better opportunity to make that case.

#gunsli rambles

[butter--peanut]

📖

Hiya! I doubt this will ever be completed, but for a while there I was writing an Obito-has-amnesia-and-turns-into-a-cat!AU. :D Here's the first chapter.

(send me a 📕 and I’ll send you a snippet of or idea for wip!)

It was night and there was pain. Pain, and fear, and — and a place that felt wrong, familiar yet not, buildings that were too large and streets that he saw from the wrong angle, and a body that didn’t obey him, that felt like his head was too far forward, simultaneously more and less stable than he was used to.

He didn’t know how long he’d been here, wandering these streets in the night, ducking away from the occasional footsteps and people that were huge; how had they become so large?

At last he reached a building that looked more familiar than the rest. He looked up, and up higher, and eventually saw an apartment window that called to him, although he had no clue why.

He leapt and stumbled against the wall and fell back down to the ground. And then, narrowing his eye at the wall, ran again and leapt, and yes, now this he understood, shaping his energy on the wall, so that he could run up it vertically, although he stumbled as he ran, uncoordinated with this unfamiliar body.

He reached the balcony he was seeking and went to the window; looked through; saw a shuriken-patterned bedspread.

He needed to get inside, but he didn’t seem to have hands in the regular sense, and there was no way to try and raise the windowpane.

He needed to get inside.

He pressed his body against the wall and felt his body stumble through the wall, and then he was in the room, with no idea how he had achieved this bizarre feat.

This room was far too big for a person, just like the world he had wandered through was also unnaturally large. He jumped onto the bedspread and curled up, and put his head in his hands, and smelt something familiar and comforting, and stayed there, not sleeping, still afraid, still completely fucking unsure about what had happened to him and where he was and who he was.

When morning reached the room, a face appeared at the windowpane. A man with silver hair and a cloth mask covering his mouth pressed his face against the window, and closed his eyes, and looked weary.

Kakashi.

He remembered one thing, then. A name. This person was Kakashi.

***

It was just past dawn when Kakashi returned from his mission. He nodded tiredly to Kotetsu and Izumo at Konoha’s gates, who barely glanced at him, sitting with half-lidded eyes sipping their hot coffees that made swirls of mist in the brisk morning air. Then he took to the rooftops, because although he barely had enough energy to shape chakra to support his leaps across the tiles, he had even less energy to suffer through conversations with perky early morning risers (Gai, who made regular laps around the village at this time, was sure to draw him into a conversation and attempted contest, and although he normally enjoyed contests with Gai, he just couldn’t. Not today, after a week-long mission. After this week-long mission). 

He reached the balcony outside his apartment window and leant his head against the window for a few moments, closing his eyes, trying to summon the energy to undo his barrier seals.

From inside his apartment, he heard a dim yowl.

Kakashi flicked his eyes open. On the other side of the glass, standing on the shelf that ran alongside his window, was a cat.

Had he come to the wrong apartment by mistake?

Kakashi looked around; checked the number of floors up and across. No, it was definitely his apartment.

He looked back through the glass. Yes, it was definitely a cat.

Why was there a cat in his apartment?

Gaining some energy through his curiosity, Kakashi released his barrier seals and opened the window, “Hello,” he greeted the cat from outside. “How did you get in here?”

The cat looked balefully at him and yowled again.

Kakashi slipped through the window into his apartment and turned to eye the cat again. It was big for a cat; bigger than Pakkun, although smaller than all of Kakashi’s other ninken. Is fur was mostly black, but there were lines of white along the right side of its face and dirty white patches across the right side of its body. It also only had one eye: a plain black one that was also on the right side of its face. And—

Kakashi sniffed the air and frowned. Then he looked closer, eyes now seeing through the dark fur what he had been able to smell easily.

The cat had been bleeding. There was matted blood on its neck, on its side, and even on its tail. He couldn’t see any sign of open injuries, and couldn’t see it favouring one side, but it had clearly got into some trouble recently to be covered in blood that hadn’t properly dried yet.

“What happened to you?” Kakashi murmured. “You look worse than I do coming back from a mission.” He reached out a hand — and then pulled it back quickly when the cat hissed at him and swiped out with a paw, its tail spiking up and all its fur standing on end.

Kakashi didn’t speak cat, but even he could tell that this was the Panicked, Aggressive pose.

Kakashi started at the cat and the cat glared at Kakashi.

Slowly, when the cat could see he wasn’t going to try again, its aggression lessoned, with its tail twitching down.

“I don’t know how I should help you,” Kakashi said to it eventually. “I’m a dog person, not a cat person. And all the dogs around me tend to just tell me what they want, in human language. Can you speak human language?” It wasn’t a completely stupid question. If the cat could get through his barrier seals, then maybe it was a Summon.

The cat meowed, then started, seeming a little surprised. It meowed again, then growled.

“No human language, then,” Kakashi observed.

The cat yowled again, sounding greatly dissatisfied.

“Can I — can I please touch you?” Kakashi asked. “To check whether you have injuries?”

It was probably a bit much to assume that a cat could understand him, but the only animals he’d interacted with recently were his ninken, so he wasn’t used to speaking to animals in any other way.

The cat looked at him for few moments, then took a tentative step closer.

Kakashi took that as a “yes” and reached out a hand slowly. The cat looked at him warily, but didn’t attempt to move, and then Kakashi was gently touching the blood matting the fur around its head, and then the rest of its body, searching for open wounds.

“You’re not injured,” he told the cat eventually. “You should be, though. You shouldn’t have healed this fast if you have this much fresh blood on you.” He snorted. “Unless you managed to kill something without gaining an injury to yourself and rolled around in their blood. But there’s too much blood to be a small creature that I’d expect you to catch. And somehow, you don’t look the type to kill a human.”

The cat shivered.

“So, why are you covered in blood without a scratch on you?” Kakashi asked.

All the cat could do was meow again.

Kakashi scratched it between the ears as he thought through this second curious occurrence, and blinked in surprise as the cat’s head twisted up to press in the direction of his fingers.

Aggressive, but also affectionate?

He really didn’t understand cats.

“Can I get the blood off you?” Kakashi asked the cat. “I know that cats aren’t supposed to like baths, but you would like to be clean, right? And you can’t exactly lick all of this off yourself.”

The cat didn’t respond, so he picked it up with both hands under its belly, and then quickly dropped it when it yowled again and scratched his arm with its claws. The cat fell, its limbs flailing wildly, and although it was only a metre from the ground it wasn’t able to land properly; it flopped onto the ground on its belly with one paw crunched underneath.

“That was a fair bit less elegant than I would have expected,” Kakashi observed, rubbing the new scratch on his arm with a wince.

The cat meowed again, stumbled to its feet, and looked angrily at him.

“If you don’t want to be picked up, then follow me,” Kakashi said mildly, and turned toward his kitchen sink.

Two steps in, he felt the cat jump somewhat ungainly onto his shoulder.

“There you go,” he said.

He walked with the cat toward the sink and popped the plug in and ran a half-tub of lukewarm water through it.

“Go on,” Kakashi said, pointing.

The cat leaned forward to peer off Kakashi’s shoulder, then unbalanced and careened forward, falling head-first into the water. It splashed the water wildly and then stuck its head out and wailed, and coughed, and eventually settled, standing in the sink appearing skinny with its fur wet pressed against its body, looking utterly betrayed.

“You did this to yourself,” Kakashi said mildly, and the cat hissed at him.

Kakashi took some soap from the bathroom and then washed the blood off the cat, who just barely put up with this treatment, and then let the water out of the sink and ran the tap like a shower and rinsed the remaining blood off its coat. Then he gently dried it with a hand-towel. Finally, the cat was clean, with hair now fluffy and sticking out in all directions.

He smiled at the cat and petted its head again. “There,” he said. “Wasn’t that worth it, to be clean?” 

It felt nice, after returning from a long mission where he had killed people, bringing his mind back uncomfortably close to his ANBU days, to perform a kind act for this strange creature in his apartment.

Then Kakashi sighed, went to his front door, and opened it.

“Okay,” he told the cat. “You’re free to leave now. Go on back to your owner. Or, if you’re a Summon—” he still wasn’t sure, because even though the cat couldn’t speak, it seemed to know exactly what Kakashi was saying, and surely that wasn’t typical cat behaviour, no matter how smart they were supposed to be— “please unsummon yourself.”

The cat gave him a very unimpressed look from its position sitting on the kitchen countertop, and then looked meaningfully in the other direction.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t stay here,” Kakashi said wearily. “I don’t know how to take care of you, and even if I did, I’m not around enough to feed you when you should be fed. You won’t be safe with me here.”

The cat jumped off the countertop, this time only wobbling a bit on its landing. It looked briefly at the door, and then it padded away from it, toward Kakashi’s bed, and leapt up onto it. It moved to the right of a suspicious dark patch and curled its body up on the bed. It watched him with wary eyes.

“You’ve left blood on my bed,” Kakashi commented, pointing at the dark patch.

The cat met his gaze, unapologetic.

And Kakashi couldn’t help but snort a little. Despite not caring a whit about cats in general, there was something about this one that was more interesting than most. It was familiar, in a way.

Familiar? What could he find familiar about an uncoordinated creature with short, fluffy black hair who seemed to always be angry with him and had one single eye, on his left side?

Well.

“Okay,” Kakashi told the cat. “You can stay for one night. Only if I get to name you.” He smiled a little. “Can I call you Obito?”

***

Obito.

Yes. For some reason, that felt right.

He looked up at Kakashi, so bizarrely large, but at least he knew the reason for that, and the reason was that Obito was a cat now, a fucking feline animal who couldn’t even talk to Kakashi to tell him that he should be human normally. Although he couldn’t remember much, he could at least remember that he was human, plus Kakashi’s name — and his own now, he supposed.

Kakashi somehow knew him from the past. Though not, from Kakashi’s sad and wistful tone, anymore. 

Well, when he finally figured out to get back into his body again, he could at least tell Kakashi that he was alive, and that would surely stop his annoying sadness.

First things first, though. He needed to and try everything that he could to regain his memory and find out what had happened to him.

Although Kakashi seemed eager to get rid of him — and for some reason, that dismissal also felt both painful and annoyingly familiar — he couldn’t allow that. He needed to stay close to the only point of familiarity in this world, this person who made him angry and comforted in equal measure.

#bp shortfic #kakaobi #kkob #obkk #I think this is a cute conceit but got super distracted with worldbuilding #cos I wanted this AU to have magic as well as chakra #and for Konan to be some epic wizard who cursed Obito when she found out he was lying to her and Nagato #and he can only break the curse when something something true love's kiss something something #anyway you asked for a snipped I sent a whole chapter lol

[waitingforwinterwinds]

ASOS; Steel and Snow: 14 CATELYN II (pages 188-201)

Robb returns to Riverrun, Catelyn meets her surprise new daughter-in-law, and Edmure learns his victory against Tywin was not the best outcome.

-

"King Robb has returned from the west, my lady," the knight said, "and commands that you attend him in the great Hall." It was the moment she had dreamt of and dreaded. Have I lost two sons, or three? She would know soon enough.

Reading this line and my first thought is just "there's more than just one way to lose someone." And I think Cat's aware of that, especially with how she's been treated and shunned for releasing Jaime, even if Robb returns alive, he might turn his back on her too. Treat her like the enemy because (it feels like) she's the only one who even seems to remember that Sansa and Arya are still hostages.

(Well not really Arya, not that anyone knows that at the moment outside that little in and King's Landing. But very much it's like no one else cares about the why now that Ned's dead.)

"- Love is not always wise, I've learned. It can lead us to great folly, but we follow our hearts... wherever they take us. Don't we, Mother?" ... "Forgive him, Mother." "If you will forgive me." "I have. I know what it is to love so greatly you can think of nothing else."

Cat, my beloved, let me translate what he's circling around. "Ma, I kinda sorta fucked up, because I couldn't keep it in my pants, but also let's not focus on that too hard because you fucked up too and honestly I think we should all just let bygones be bygones on this one, okay? no blame for anyone? plz?"

all hail king robb, the oathbreaker. but let's not talk about that. I'm sure it will have zero consequences later down the track. (exhausted sarcasm)

She had the uneasy feeling that someone was missing, too. ... It was only then that Catelyn realized what was amiss. The wolf. The wolf is not here. Where is Grey Wind? She knew the direwolf had returned with Robb, she had heard the dogs, but he was not in the hall, not at her son's side where he belonged.

It's actually kind of interesting, ... how to put this? I dunno, I'll just ramble it out and hope that it makes sense.

First of all I suppose: look at that foreshadowing, Grey Wind not being with Robb, and we'll call back to one of Ned's chapters (GoT) just after Summer saved Cat and Bran, where Ned realised that the Wolves were sent to protect his children.

This is the moment, for those of us who've already read or seen the show, we know that Robb's done something he can't come back from, this is the moment we see him set on the path to death.

But it's interesting in that, with Bran and Rickon and Jon, there's a steady presence of their wolves even when they go hunting or aren't by their side, there's still a connection, between the boys and the wolves and Winterfell/the Stark family.

The girls both lost their wolves, Nymeria to the wilderness, Lady to misplaced duty and death, but it's not them being cut off from their heritage at all, it's representative of how their home intertwines with the support they've been receiving. ( "support," "receiving," for given values.)

Sansa (and I have seen the theories that Lady's death means she's not a Stark, and the theory that like the warg who got stuck in the bird, Lady did a reverse and is still with Sansa in spirit) has no help from former allies, she's stuck in place, her help is coming from people with a connection to her mother, and from herself.

Arya literally just reconnected with a man from Winterfell after helping free some of her brother's men, she and Nymeria were in the same area, Nymeria was helping her, but Arya's path is leading her back north to Winterfell (for now) and reconnecting her with those allies (for good or ill) before she'll be lead away from that path again to Braavos (the wilderness, metaphorically).

Jon and Bran are both shown warging with their wolves, but the wolves are both wandering away from them and home to them, and their own paths lead them away from and back to allies and familiarity.

And Rickon is a feral baby.

There is a reflection in the wolves and the fate of the stark children, not about blood rights, or inheritance, or whether they are part of the family, but in... pack bonds, for lack of a better term.

For Grey Wind to be missing in these moments, feels like a reflection of the broken bond, the broken oath which will lead to Robb's death.

... Well, at least Lady Mormont and Greatjon are on Catelyn's side with the Jaime-exchange plan... or understanding of it.

The first thought that flew across Catelyn's mind was, No, that cannot be, you are only a child. The second was, And besides, you have pledged to another. The third was, Mother have mercy, Robb, what have you done?

quick on the uptake, if only her eldest son had inherited her intelligence. I'm sorry Robb, I'm being very mean to you, but you just did such a stupid thing.

"- Jeyne had me taken to her own bed, and she nursed me until the fever passed. And she was with me when the Greatjon brought me the news of... of Winterfell. Bran and Rickon." He seemed to have trouble saying his brothers' names. "That night, she... she comforted me, Mother."

Oh? She got you in her bed before she got you in her bed, did she? I'd love to know whose plan that was, hers or one of the adults in her life.

Well played though, shame their efforts to secure themselves to Robb's crown safety are what led to the Red Wedding. (Let's not kid ourselves, it was probably the crown.) And involved taking advantage of an emotionally vulnerable, possibly medicated boy.

(I do wonder if the swap from this Jeyne to Talisa more about false-feminism brownie points - Look, our love interest isn't like other girls, she's a cool battle field medic! Girl Boss! Empowerment! Don't you mansplain politics to her you man! - or about making Robb look like less of a boob by giving him pseudo-agency, and turning his flustered teenage boy hormones and sense of honour into a battlefield romance.)

"- If I'd listened to you and kept Theon as my hostage, I'd still rule the north, and Bran and Rickon would be alive and safe in Winterfell." "Perhaps. Or not. Lord Balon might still have chanced war. -"

Oh he would have, he'd already given Theon up for dead (or worse: turned into a delicate wilting flower like the rest of those land-lubbers!)

Robb bristled at that. "The Westerlings are better blood than the Freys. They're an ancient line, descended from the First Men. The Kings of the Rock sometimes wed Westerlings before the Conquest, and there was another Jeyne Westerling who was queen to King Maegor three hundred years ago."

... which Maegor? Cause babe? Probably not the positive argument you think it is.

...brb, wiki.

... Maegor as in Maegor the Cruel... Jeyne was one of three women he widowed during the wars then wed in a single ceremony (where her son by her dead husband was used as a hostage to force her to go through with it), called the 'black brides' ... got pregnant and ... ah, yeah, there it is: premature labour resulting in a still-born and malformed feotus, Jeyne died shortly afterwards.

Robb: "She'll make a great wife mum, she even shares her name with another queen!" The other queen: widowed and killed in childbirth losing the baby.

Damn. GRRM did not pull punches on this one.

"- Grey Wind doesn't like her uncle either. He bares his teeth every time Ser Rolph comes near him." A chill went through her. "Send Ser Rolph away. At once."

Cat's got more of an eye for the wolf warnings than the boy with the wolf bond. Probably helps that she's not addled by hormones right now, but you'd think Robb would be vibing.

... oh good, and now Robb and Blackfish are telling of Edmure.

I feel I'd enjoy that a lot more if it didn't boil down to "how dare you do things without telling us, now you've upset the plans we had that we told you absolutely nothing about nor indicated you needed to stay out of, how dare you take initiative."

People in this series either need to stop getting upset at people for taking initiative and acting with incomplete information, assuming they get any information to begin with, or start sharing information with their family members/closest allies.

... learning that Edmure's sallie against Tywin led to Stannis' loss from the rear at King's Landing does change the context of Edmure being the sacrificial Groom at the Twins.

#a storm of swords #steel and snow #a song of ice and fire #catelyn stark #catelyn tully #a chapter a day reading #asos #asoiaf

[corujalesbica]

Rock and Roll bugs - a steddie one shot

It was almost noon, and Steve was tired. His suit felt suffocating then, and his muscles were sore. Still, it was all worth it. It always was.

He thought about going home early,but Steve was damn sure no-one would be waiting for him there. Ever since his parents died, he had been living in their huge apartment with his aunt, who was always traveling. He couldn't make himself blame her, she only inherited a small part of his parents fortune, the rest was for him, but of course he would only have access to it once he turned eighteen. His aunt didn't make a lot of money, but she sure did love her job. So he had to start working part time at a local ice cream shop, it was the only way to afford the stuff he needed to keep his Spiderman thing going.

He turned to see the sun, high in the sky. There was not much going on and he could be doing quite literally anything else. So he decided to go to his best friend's place to see what she was up to. He got to the little house painted in pink quickly enough, distances aren't much of a problem when you can jump from building to building with spider webs. The smell of something burning in the stove and the noises made by the neighbor's cat were more familiar to him than the paintings in his living room.

Robin was, of course, reading one of their weird nerdy magazines instead of checking the food that was cooking. Steve almost laughed; they were trying to solve a puzzle with the magazine upside down.

_ Hey weirdo.

_ Hey _ Steve said _ What are you up to ?

He sat on the couch, hearing the strange noise it always made under his weight. The TV was on and some kind of culinary contest was playing.

_ Just, you know, trying to solve the puzzles in this Mexican magazine they gave us. It's my Spanish homework.

_ Nice. _ he paused _ wanna watch a movie or something ?

_ Yeah.

_ What movie then ? _ He got up to get the remote control. _ And don't say-

_ Do revenge! _ she looked at him with puppy eyes _ pleasseeee. _ He shrugged

_ Fine. But next time I'm gonna choose a movie like suicide squad and you're not gonna say a word about it.

_ Ok.

_ Can you put the movie on while I change ?

They just made a kind of positive sound, and Steve went upstairs. Robin's room was like it always was, a mess. There were clothes everywhere, books and DVDs among them and maybe some other stuff he didn't know what was. Steve also didn't know why the fuck Robin still had DVDs.

He got the clothes he brought in his backpack, borrowed one of Robin's binders and went to the bathroom to change.

The movie was actually nice. One of the protagonists looked a lot like Robin, though Steve couldn't imagine his nerdy empathetic friend being that mean to anyone. After that they talked a bit about how both their weeks went and at some point Robin fell asleep lying on his shoulder. Her hair smelled like strawberries and for a little while, the world was a good place.

He ended up leaving after they ate. He had to make some pasta because Robin burned the food they were trying to make. It was a fun evening, and an outsider might think that there was something inherently romantic to it. There wasn't. They cuddled on the regular, because the feeling of having a love that could only be transmitted by hugs, by that innocent physical touch, was too good to let go of.

He took the shortest path back to his big apartment in the center, that is, he swung between buildings, making sure to not be seen, until he got there. The apartment was empty as always. And quiet. Steve turned on the TV to try and feel less lonely; it didn't work. So he got his phone and the first notification he saw was one stating the local news had just released another article talking about him.

His laugh echoed in the house. The article talked about how he was a great hero, and not at all any kind of impostor who would try to trick Hawnkins's great people into praising him for nothing. There was a time though, in which the only thing the Jornal did was attack him. And the then writer, now editor, who was mostly behind all of this was no-one but his ex-girlfriend : Nancy Wheeler.

Nancy and Steve had a rocky relationship. He always felt like he was not enough for her, like her distance was his fault. It took both parts a long time and lots of effort after that, to become friends again. Especially so, when she found out he was Spiderman. Steve would like to say he told her this out of good heart, but in truth she found out by herself. Nancy had many flaws, but being a bad detective was not one of them.

A few months ago he found out she and Robin were dating. It probably should've caused him some feeling of betrayal, but it never did. Both his friends were very happy, he now knew the problems in their relationship weren't all on him, and besides, he was in love with someone else.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Steve met Eddie Munson during a Thursday afternoon. The music and arts building of Hawkins High School was on fire, and as soon as he saw it he got his suit and fortunately could get everyone out safely long before the firefighters arrived. He had been in his basketball practice at the same time some nerds club was having a meeting, and he had to wait for it to end so he could get his neighbor, Dustin, home. Dustin was an adorably annoying, kind of funny kid, and although Steve complained, he always loved the company.

Eddie Munson probably loved Dustin's company too, because he stayed back to be sure the boy got out. Dustin was apparently in the bathroom when it all happened, and as a result Munson had to help him out the window, and then come out through the front door because he didn't fit through that window. When Steve got the others out and came for him, his jacket was literally freaking burning. Somehow he managed to lift an almost passed out Eddie and hold him until the ambulance got there.

After that day he started noticing the somewhat goth guy more and more. The way his smile could light up a whole room, the way his clothes would stick to his skin, the way his hair was messy is the cutest way. One day, after practice, Eddie walked Dustin to Steve's car, and asked him on a date. Dustin was in awe when he said yes.

Eddie left, after kissing Steve's hand, like they were in an old romcom, and walked to his van with a wink. And the truth is that Steve was already falling then. And that's because although most people think he's this stereotypical jock, the guy is actually very much of a hopeless romantic.

He transitioned just after middle school, so most people didn't know he was trans. In his freshman year, he started dating Nancy and for a while they were Hawkins High queen and King. At that time, Steve had a very strict idea of what a man was, and what was his role in the relationship. But contrary to him, Nancy never was that much into cliche ideas of love. So he would try and try to be someone she didn't need, someone he himself didn't like. Eventually, he understood that his manhood didn't rely on heteronormative ideas of what he was supposed to be doing and thinking. Even so, it still hurt to remember how dysphoric trying to constantly prove his identity made him.

With Eddie, he didn't have to. Well, first because Eddie was also trans, and understood him like no-one but Robin could before. But even so, being with Eddie, being in that aquillean relationship, made him feel like the man he was. He felt seen. Suddenly, the gender roles of who was supposed to be doing what didn't matter. He would insist on paying for dates, Eddie would bring him flowers and he loved hugging Eddie, who wrote him the most beautiful letters.

Because after that first date they went on another, and then another and another. Eventually, Steve learned he wasn't that good at keeping secrets after all, because Eddie also found out about his hero persona before he could tell him. His reaction though, was like none Steve had gotten before. Eddie's eyes shined when he confirmed his suspicions, he wouldn't stop jumping and smiling.

_ I'm dating a motherfucking superhero! _ he said before kissing him.

And that was when Steve knew he loved him. Because that smile was the same on the face of every person he saved. Because Eddie reminded him that being a hero was about helping others I'm any way you can, and that he was enough. And at that moment, he was so happy.

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Steve got up, feeling nostalgic, and turned the TV off to go to his room. When he got to the long hallway though, he noticed his room's lights were on, which was weird because he remembered turning them off before leaving in the morning. He thought that maybe one of his enemies found him. He didn't have lots of those, but still. Maybe the scientists at Hawkins weird ass lab wanted revenge for the time he broke in and rescued a bunch of kids that were being used as guinea pigs. Or just maybe, it was the FBI , hunting him down for whatever reason. Nonetheless, he prepared for a fight, opened the door, and…

Saw his boyfriend laying on his bed, headphones on, and very concentrated in some Star Whatever magazine. Steve let out the breath he'd been holding. It was not until he lied on the bed too that Eddie noticed him.

_ Hey handsome. Busy day saving lives ?

Steve let out a laugh.

_ No, actually, I spent most of the day at Robin's. What are you doing here ?

_ What, now a guy can't visit his boyfriend ?

_ I gave you that key for emergencies.

_ This is an emergency! I haven't seen you in like, a week. I need one of your hugs soon, or else I'm gonna die!

_ Oh yeah ? My hugs are now some kind of medicine ?

_ Can't… Speak… I.. Am dying. _ Eddie said between forced heavy breaths, while holding his own neck and creating the most dramatic fake death scene Steve had ever seen.

That is, until Steve did hug him.

_ You are such a drama queen.

_ Yeah baby, and you love it.

Steve blushed at the pet name. He still wasn't quite used to being cared for like that. Being called that gave him an amazing kind of fuzzy feeling. He dug his nose in his boyfriend's shoulder, smiling to himself. His shoulder was still hurt from last week's fight though so he had to get away from him.

_ Are you okay honey ? _ Eddies look was now one of worry, his laugh entirely gone.

_ Yeah, it's just this wound that hasn't completely healed. Usually I heal pretty fast, but that guy with the knife last week really got me.

_ Well, then, we should get you some new bandages to go to sleep right ? I'm not a doctor or anything, but…

_ Yeah, sure that makes sense. Can you help me ?

_ No sweetheart, I would rather see my boyfriend and one of my favorite people in the world bleed to death. Now where do you keep your medical stuff ?

Eddie helped him change the bandages. Had it been anyone else, even Robin, he wouldn't be comfortable taking his binder off in front of them. But they knew each other and each other's bodies so well it didn't really matter. If anything, they helped one another by praising each other's figure.

_ And… You're done, bug boy!

Steve snorted.

_ What did you just call me?

_ You _ Eddie held his face _ are my cute lil' bug boy, saving the world with your charm and maybe some spider webs.

_ And you _ Steve put his hand on Eddie's cheek _ are my rock and roll boy, my favorite singer and writer. I may save the world, but it's only so they can all love you for exactly who you are.

Eddie laughed.

_ You are one unique, cheesy, lovable thing, you know that ?

_ Yeah, I do.

They kissed for a while, and then slept cuddling and Steve could not be happier. As long as he had Eddie's shitty jokes, cliche flirts, and unique persona with him, he would be the best hero Hawkins would ever have.

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Not my best work, and I will probably review it soon, but I do love the idea of an Spiderman au for then + t4t steddie is my everything

#steddie #steddie fanfic #eddie munson #stranger things 4 #stranger things #steve harrington #gay #t4t #spiderman au #lgbtq #steve x eddie