#implied offscreen torture

[mamahersh]

Here's like a part one to the TMA AU I was talking about a few days to a week ago.

-

While Martin might have assured Tim and Sasha that getting them in to see Jon would be a simple matter of letting the guards know ahead of time, he neglected to confess the additional paperwork that the judge and prison was fond of for any changes in scheduling. Martin knew he was exempt from the usual form and hoops that were generally required every time someone wanted to spend time with Jon, but despite his trustworthiness he knew that getting Sasha and Tim into Jon's prison would be like pulling teeth. So without giving the two of them a specific date, just that he would give them a heads up 2 weeks in advance, Martin set about calling his contacts in the prison.

After 3 gruelling weeks of phone conversations, email correspondence, and filling out forms that were constantly delayed; Martin was finally able to give Tim and Sasha a date for them to take off of work to see Jon with him. In the interim, Martin had made sure to keep visiting Jon as normal, and did his best to hide how taxing the process had been from both him and the dynamic duo. Unfortunately, he knew that Tim and Sasha had their theories about the process, but they were at least polite enough to not ask questions. They just seemed happy to hear that the waiting was almost over, and Martin had to admit it had been a joy beyond words that he had been able to reconnect with them and begin the healing process. He still was on mediocre terms with Tim, but Sasha made for a good buffer and they both were trying their best to forgive and heal.

At last, 2 weeks later, the three of them made their way to the prison. The solid brickwork and menacing bars always reminded Martin of the Hunt domain fashioned after a prison that he and Jon had gone through on their journey to the Panopticon. The oppressive atmosphere and stink of human misery never quite got any easier to ignore, and tended to remind him that Jon probably was suffering on the days he didn't visit. Admittedly it was easy to forget when he wasn't at the prison as even most visits he made Jon was in good spirits and looked about as good as he had right before the Unknowing. But every few visits Jon would be sporting a cast, or would be holding himself gingerly in the chair, or he would look like he hadn't slept in a week and would have that hair trigger panicked response to everything that moved, and Martin would once again be starkly reminded that Jon wasn't just sitting in a prison cell day after day waiting for his time in prison to be up.

Martin shook his head, clearing the depressing thoughts and focusing on the present moment as they were brought through the checkpoints leading to Jon's visitation room. It wouldn't do for him to be sad when he was about to have (hopefully) one of the happiest afternoons on record. They cleared the final checkpoint and Martin glanced at them to try and grab their attention before he began to speak. "So, just a reminder, Jon doesn't know yet that you're both…"

"Alive?" Asked Tim, after Martin had paused for just a moment too long trying to think of something more tactful.

Martin nodded, grateful he wasn't the one to say it. "I also don't know how he's doing today, so as long as you don't say anything I should be able to ease him into the idea without startling him too much."

Tim rolled his eyes, but nodded his assent while Sasha just looked vaguely bemused and nodded as well. Martin, may have also neglected to mention his suspicions about Jon's treatment here, but he hopes that perhaps he could address that after the others had had some time to reconnect with their old coworker. With a deep breath, Martin opened the door they had finally arrived at.

As always, the guards had sat Jon down on a chair facing the door. The first thing Martin noticed was that Jon was looking good that day. There was a still healing bruise peeking out of the edge of the collar of Jon's shirt, which was only noticeable if you were looking for it; and the fringe of white bandages at the edge of his shirt sleeve on his right side were quite subtle. Martin assured himself that despite these, Jon must have been doing well as he seemed to be holding himself very relaxed in his chair. With a fortifying breath, Martin walked into the room and was happy to note that Tim and Sasha stayed by the door.

#tma #the magnus archives #tma au #martin blackwood #tim stoker #sasha james #mamahersh throwing ideas at a wall again #imprisonment #implied offscreen torture #very implied lol #blind character

[stab-the-son-of-a]

For Now We See Through A Glass

No. 24 FIGHT, FLIGHT OR FREEZE Blood Covered Hands | Catatonic | “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Not so subtly inspired (directly) by @wormwriting's recent piece Stained Glass.

CWs: implied murder, implied drowning, mental health issues and instability, implied alcoholism, eye trauma

Tagging those who might be interested: @wolves-and-winters, @pepperonyscience

He has a pattern. He always has a pattern. A pattern, a ritual, a list of rules to follow. A ritual to unwind, a ritual to breathe. A ritual to be safe. 

At 7:00pm, he brews a cup of peppermint tea and places it on the coaster next to the remote. He pours out exactly three ounces of bourbon and places it directly on the table as far left from the tea as possible. He opens East of Eden to page 284 - On Thanksgiving of 1911 the family gathered at the ranch - and places it spine up on the right hand armrest of the couch; the binding is beginning to fray and he doesn't want to find out what happens when the spine finally breaks. There's always a breaking point. 

He turns the television on, turns up the volume, and carefully replaces the remote to the table, not allowing his hand to brush the mug. 

Then, each step taken like an ax chopping through wood, he takes in hand the worn blanket draped over the back of the couch and curls up, pressing himself between the left arm rest and the suffocating nothing to his right.

The same episode's opening credits roll. The same contrived plot plays out second by second.

7:14pm clicks over on the digital clock above the television. His heart cranks faster and his hand shakes right until the moment his fingers curl around the glass of liquor. It burns all the way down and suffuses through his throat, stomach and even his lungs. He keeps a posture of fabricated ease even as his ribs tighten and anxiety curls in his stomach. He drowns it in an ounce of alcohol.

But he can still feel it approach. The door opens. It's a silent motion, not announced by even the lock clicking open. It makes sense, if he thinks about it, but he does not.

He drains the final ounce and sets down the glass. He pretends he doesn't feel the pressure of a new being entering the room. He focuses on the actors and their simple quips and dialogues as if they're fresh and novel.

It flows around the sofa. It stands just to the right of the TV but he doesn't acknowledge it, doesn't look to the dark shape no matter how his eyes may want to skirt over the rerun he's seen countless times before. He knows each line by heart and could watch it behind his eyelids, but he knows better than to close his eyes. Not now.

His focus and vision narrows to a tunnel with the light at the end being a glowing television screen and trite acting. He tells himself he doesn't see it, but soon he can't deny it. 

A pressure divots the couch behind and beside him, ruining the embrace of fabric pressing against him, ruining the last vestiges of his illusion.

A flash of memory stabs him through the chest. Of shaking chains and of whispered pleas, of closing the door to lock the sounds behind him.

There are cold, cold fingers, and they find their homes around his wrist, layering over blackened bruises, or in between strands of his hair. 

He swallows a shudder, tries not to breathe, but the stench of stale water and musky earth still permeates his senses. Another flash. Reeds and bricks weighing down on a still chest, water soaking into wounds and a mouth left hanging open by a shattered jaw, like a door on a broken hinge. Bloodied hands washing bloodied hands in a too calm lake, surface broken only by the shoreline.

It whispers the next line of dialogue in his ear. Its breath is like leaves crunching underfoot; its laugh is like a broken wind chime strangled in the breeze. 

He breaks his own rule. He closes his eyes.

The hands in his hair and holding his hand grow sharp and harsh. Fingers dig into flesh until they become like claws burying into soil. Blood wells up in the cuts and drips to the couch cushion.

"You'd best not close your eyes for this part," the thing that was but now isn't Sidney snarls. It yanks Sterling's head back as it swings its ephemeral body over his, weightless yet heavy enough to crush his chest. Its presence is like cords of rope and its pressure is like the clay of the lakebed. 

His fear tangles in his veins and sends electric shocks all through his body. He breaks another of his own rules. He begs, "Sidney, please..."

"Open your eyes." It doesn't give him time to obey, just forces his head back further, straining his neck further, until his neck is bent over the edge of the couch, and uses one claw to pry open his eyelid. The pressure on his skull feels ready to cave in. His vision is blurred, though who can say if that's from tears or pain, but he clearly sees what will happen next.

The thing uses only one hand to hold him in place. That's all it needs. The other lifts high, long talons dirtied with soil and blood, flesh torn from the tips.

"Please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"So sorry," it echoes, voice something warbling and distorted. "No, not yet."

Claws rake across bone, through skin and muscle and organs. Pain fills his mind, overwhelms his mind, and it becomes his soul, his very being. Blood flows free down his face and into his mouth as he shrieks –

Panting, Sterling bolts upright. The television still plays, sound up much too loud, remote on the floor, perhaps where his thrashing had left it. The glass is full again. 4 ounces. Perhaps he overpoured. 

He doesn't dare look around. Shivering in the nighttime chill, he brings the whiskey to his lips and swallows it all readily. He pulls the blanket around him as he lilts over, eyes staring at the screen but not seeing anything. His hand finds his wrist, feeling the fresh scabs and the hot pulse of fresh bruises under his own touch.

Cold fingers wind through his hair. 

"Not yet," something he doesn't acknowledge whispers. The room stinks of water and rot and alcohol, but the scent is fading. The peppermint tea is missing.

#whumptober2022 #no.24 #blood covered hands #catatonic #I don't want to do this anymore #oc #fic #drowning #offscreen murder #alcoholism #all implied #eye trauma #gore #guilt #haunting #ghost whumper #whumper turned whumpee #non human whumper #bruises #psychological torture #manhandling

[suffersinfandom]

Controversial opinion (?): the Kraken Era wasn’t all that dark.

There’s a whole lot of meta and fic out there that portray early season two Ed as a bloodthirsty, hyperviolent monster, and when that portrayal is challenged, the rebuttal is usually along the lines of, “I’m just doing what canon did. Did you even watch the show?”

I did watch the show, and honestly? I expected Ed to be so much worse than he was! When I see people say they didn’t think Ed did enough to redeem himself or that he went past the point of no return, I just… don’t understand.

I already went into this in my way-too-long meta about Ed and abuse, but I do think it bears repeating (in a shorter post) because it seems like Ed’s actions -- more than the actions of any other character -- are scrutinized and discussed outside of the context of, y’know… a comedy about pirates. There’s tons of casual violence in Our Flag Means Death. Sometimes the violence is even funny! 

So what does Ed actually do?

As far as I can remember (I’ve only seen season two a few of times, so correct me if I’ve missed something!), we see Ed directly harm someone twice in the first two episodes: first on the wedding boat, and then when he shoots Izzy in the leg. Kind of unimpressive numbers, yeah? Tbh, I'd expect more out of a heartbroken Blackbeard.

The first instance involves Ed shooting a man during a raid. That man has a sword through his chest before Ed fires, leading me to believe that Ed’s still following his season one pattern of keeping himself a step removed from murder (technically, the sword killed that guy). We also don’t see the murder happen; the man tumbles offscreen before Ed shoots. This makes the action less brutal. If the writers wanted us to be appalled by Ed’s violence, we would’ve gotten a graphic kill (or several).

And the second instance is Izzy. Ed shoots Izzy in the leg after he suggests that the shitty atmosphere is because of Ed’s feelings for Stede. Hot take, maybe, but I don’t think that was entirely out of line -- definitely not for a pirate captain whose first mate is acting out! Ed’s feelings for Stede are not the only problem; a significant chunk of the problem is Izzy. Izzy called in the navy and led to their capture and, more importantly, Izzy bullied Ed back into the Blackbeard persona. This is what Izzy said he wanted.

We’re also told that Ed has taken more of Izzy’s toes between seasons. This isn’t cool -- bosses definitely shouldn’t be asking for their employees’ toes -- but there is a precedent for it: in season one, Ed told Stede that he used to feed people their toes for a laugh (yuck). For a laugh. This, to me, implies that it’s not a huge deal. It’s certainly not completely unexpected pirate behavior, and it seems more lenient than, like, a keelhauling or a whipping. I think both of those things would've felt way more gruesome and dark.

As far as violent actions go, that’s not a lot. Like, numerically.

Things get darker in S2E2 when Ed becomes increasingly desperate for someone, anyone, to send him to doggy heaven. He’s unhinged and working his way up to a murder-suicide before he’s stopped, but he doesn’t lay a hand on anyone. He orders Archie and Jim to fight to the death. He ignores anonymous crewmembers as they’re swept overboard in the storm. This is bad! It’s self-destructive and selfish! But violent? Monstrous? I don’t really think so.

In my opinion, the worst thing Ed does is force his crew to do violence for him -- not because it’s violence (again, they’re pirates), but because the violence hurts them. THIS is what traumatizes them! Their trauma flashbacks are scenes of them hurting others, not of Ed hurting them directly. Ed didn’t physically torture his crew (with the exception of Izzy, and that’s complicated). His crime was driving them to do one violent raid after another, killing and plundering without any joy or theatrics. Ed feels trapped in the role of Blackbeard -- the role that he’s been desperate to escape -- and, in his heartbreak, he opts to trap his crew with him. 

Yeah, Ed is messed up in the first two episodes of season two. I don’t blame the crew for almost killing him; it’s what needed to be done. I think that Jim, Archie, Frenchie, and Fang had every right to want Ed gone after Stede’s return. 

But I don’t think that Ed was a super violent monster who tortured his crew and murdered his way through his breakup. He engages in very little onscreen violence, and the person that most of his violence is focused on -- Izzy -- is the same person who told him to be violent. I think that anyone who says that Ed’s actions in the first part of season two are extremely dark is either looking at them out of context, misremembering what actually happened and just recalling the dark tone, or working with some kind of motive.

In conclusion: Ed is a man who, at his very darkest, was still operating pretty firmly within the bounds of "stuff pirates do" (but not stuff Ed has historically done, presumably).

Also look at him. Thank you.

GIF by unearthlydust

#ofmd #ofmd meta #edward teach #me typing things #idk i just keep seeing this thing? #this 'ed is irredeemable to me personally' thing #and that's fine? #hate characters if you want to? #but i don't think the kraken is all that evil #i mean i guess ed disagrees #hence the guilt and agreeing to humiliation and apologies #my poor mentally ill blorbo

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

March 25th

~*~

1. hi! y'all are really cool! A) are there any fics where a-yuan (raised by the wens/wwx) wields suibian when he gets older?

also, are there fics B) where jiang cheng dual wields suibian with sandu? @writeitinsharpie

1A)

Though one were strong as seven, he too with death shall dwell (For many times and lands) by sjyl_lotus (E, 148k, wangxian, WIP, Major Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Suicidal Thoughts, YLLZ WWX, LSZ is a Wei, WWX Adopts LSZ, WWX doesn't go to nightless city, WWX runs away with a-yuan and granny Wen, Little bit of angst, Wéi Yuan is an excelent son, WWX Doesn't die, people is people and overall JGY is JGY so shit will happen, JYL Lives, Wangxian Reunion, Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Lanling Jin Sect, Yunmeng Jiang Sect, Gusu Lan Sect Rules, Gusu Lan Sect, Burial Mounds, granny wen is best, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Implied/Referenced Torture, Panic Attacks, supportive WSZ, Anxiety Attacks, Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Slow Build, MXY Deserves Happiness)

🔒❤️ kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf, tardigradeschool (T, 75k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual Happy Ending, Getting Together, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Inspired by The Parent Trap (1998), Kid Fic, teen shenanigans, two a-yuans, Fluff and Angst)

1B)

The Twin Blades of Yunmeng by GhostySword, ofmindelans (T, 89k, JC & WWX, wangxian, JC/NHS, Canon Divergence, Yunmeng Brothers Reconciliation, BAMF JC, protective LWJ, Golden Core Reveal, Swords and Feelings, WWX Resurrection, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Embedded Images, Sect Leader QS)

~*~

2. Hi!

For the next itmf :

Looking for the fics that talk about NHS a) as the real author of the spring books he was distributing. Imagined and painted .

B) Or another version where he specifically was giving WWX spring books with gay sex or bi threesomes maybe

C) fics with focus on wwx browsing NHS spring books and doing some thinking about sexuality and self exploration

Thank you!

2B)

Fentao-laoshi’s Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures by occultings (microcomets) (E, 31k, wangxian, canon divergence, pining while fucking, friends with benefits, first time, cloud recesses study arc, practice kissing, sharing a bed, jealousy, getting together, confessions, happy ending) could also fit 2C

~*~

3. hii this is for itmf!!

fics where lan yuan is still like a toddler!! or even an infant!!!

💖 The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 71k, wangxian, modern, accidental baby acquisition, slow burn, pining)

box your errors by mellowflicker (T, 42k, WangXian, Modern AU, single dad lwj, Domestic Fluff, Family Issues, Slow Burn, Kid Fic, let lwj have friends agenda, Hurt/Comfort, Pining)

🔒 so take my hand (take my whole life too) by cicer (E, 92k, wangxian, Modern, Accidental Baby Acquisition, oh my god they were roommates, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, this fic is not about trauma, it's about the yearning, slowburn, some characters have a pretty strong bias against folks with drug addiction, (this does not reflect the author's opinion of people with addiction disorders!), none of the really grim abuse/drug use affects our main characters, and it takes place offscreen)

The stuffed bunny, the beautiful nephew, and other gifts from Lan Qiren by deliciousblizzardshark (G, 8k, LQR & WWX, wangxian, Modern, Single Parent WWX, Good Uncle LQR, Accidental Uncle Acquisition, Found Family, Fluff)

Let's Play Pretend and Live Our Lives by Tassos (E, 50k, wangxian, Modern, On Purpose Baby Aquisition, Accidental Husband Aquisition, Idiots in Love, WWX Has Self Esteem Issues, Domestic Fluff, Kid Fic, Light Angst, the Lans and Jiangs make an appearance, NHS Gives Great Advice, Pining, Getting Together)

Magic Mishap by Regency_Bunny (T, 8k, wangxian, Modern, imbo LXC, Single Parent WWX, Kid Fic, Magic Tricks, Fluff and Humor, Child LSZ, Meet-Cute, Bunnies, Misunderstandings, Love at First Sight)

~*~

4. Hi, I'm in a mood for fantasy AUs with necromancer WWX ^^ Can also be modern w magic

Darkness Before the Dawn by Selenay (E, 64k, wangxian, Zombie Apocalypse, Modern With Magic, Necromancer WWX, Reunions, toddler A-Yuan, There Was Only One Bed, There are zombies but not graphically horrific zombies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Find a home in the middle of an apocalpyse)

all the bonds of nature by Anonymous (E, 68k, wangxian, MXY & WWX, MXY & LWJ & WWX, WIP, Modern with Magic, Romantic Comedy, Roommates to lovers, Pining LWJ, Pining, LWJ falls in love in roughly fifteen seconds, he's a mess what can i say, Necromancy, ethical necromancer WWX, Music Teacher LWJ, Fluff and Smut, a lot of meditation on the bullshit of being a public school teacher, musings on the nature of personal property and land ownership as one is wont to do, Ghosts, Urban Fantasy, Low Fantasy, wangxian are extremely weirdo4weirdo in this, Light Angst, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Rimming, Felching, Light Bondage, Virginity Roleplay, (just a little. wwx is not good at playing the virgin), Kink Negotiation, Praise Kink, BDSM, Developing Relationship, Dominant LWJ)

necromancy is a valid career path! Series by coslyons, Skadiseven (T, 41k, WWX & XY, XY & WQ, WN & XY, WWX & WN & WQ, LSZ & XY, LWJ & XY, wangxian, Granny Wen & XY, Modern with Magic, Seattle, Necromancy, Found Family, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Gardens & Gardening, Mathematics, Running, and other crimes against Teenagers, XY is a shitty teen, sometimes a family can be three mildly feral twenty-somethings and the extremely feral teenager that adopts them, Growing Up, The Mortifying Ordeal of Realizing Your Pseudo-parents are People Too, Big brother XY, A-Yuan is a little gremlin, WWX is a much larger gremlin)

~*~

5. Hi! 🤗

This one is for ITMF. I'd like to read new fics about WWX having a new golden core. No mordern fics or dark ones, please, I'm not in the mood 🙏. I want happy endings!

Thanks again! You make my days much better!!

🥰✨ @wangxiansgirl

The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, wangxian, WQ & WWX & WN, NHS & WWX & NMJ, canon divergence, golden core rebuilding, golden core tied to soul, angst w/ happy ending, not JC friendly) WWX meditates a golden core back

when you’re doing all the leaving (then it’s never your love lost) by tardigradeschool (T, 26k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Sharing a Bed, Sharing Clothes, Fix-It, the inherent eroticism of under robes, Golden Core Transfer) LWJ gives WWX a part of his own core

🧡 a stone to break your soul, a song to save it by rikke ( M, 180k, WangXian, Arranged marriage, Canon Divergence, Hurt/comfort, Light angst, Canon typical violence) Technically not a new golden core, but a new core of a different type

The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Injury, Injury Recovery, Blood, Respiratory Illness, Major Illness, Fever, Grief/Mourning, Burial Mounds, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hunger and food scarcity, Surgery, Fix-It of Sorts) WWX gets part of someone else's core transplanted into him

Ghosts Shouldn’t by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 15k, WangXian, Grief/Mourning, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Righteous at a Cost by thunderwear (G, 21k, wangxian, LQR & WWX, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, no one dies, LQR finds out about WWX's core, WWX and LQR are friends??, In My Fic?, its more likely than you think, LWJ in the bg like whats happening?, Fluff, WWX goes to Gusu, Mutual Pining, Golden Core Reveal)

Can't Tell Me Nothin by natacup82 (T, 35k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, Family Feels, Communication, BAMF Women)

🔒Away from Trouble by Ilona22 (M, 15k, wangxian, Alternate Universe, Not JC Friendly, WangXian Get a Happy Ending) This is one of my personal favorites, for the growth wwx goes through and what he accomplishes separate from the sects while regrowing a new core for himself. (However, the author doesn’t spend enough time on wangxian romance for it to not just feel like something they tacked on to fill that required box, so don’t go in expecting good wangxian)

What Is Left Over by Loriqod (T, 30k, wangxian, JC & WWX, Yunmeng Shuangjie, Yunmeng brothers, Post-Canon Fix-It, WWX Has a New Golden Core, Happy Ending, WangXian in Love, SO SO SO IN LOVE, bite-sized angst, Canon-Typical Violence, JC & WWX Reconciliation, Training Montage) This one’s WWX redeveloping a core in MXY’s body. It might not be quite what you had in mind, but give it a chance, this fic is ALL about him actually cultivating with the idea of making a new core, & it’s rare to find a fic with that focus. (Even amongst fics that are suppose to be all about that(for some reason people are allergic to showing WWX actually cultivate))

I’m Sorry & Thank You by Iamnotawriter (T, 12k, wangxian, post-canon, Canon Compliant, Golden Core, Canon-Typical Violence, LQR’s epipheny, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Bitter Plants Bearing Sweet Fruit by Kryal (T, 83k, wangxian, canon-typical horror elements, Worldbuilding, Desert, Misuse of Historic Setting, Original Character Death(s), Case Fic, aftermath of canon, Established Relationship, Nothing Explicit But Shameless Innuendo)

~*~

6. Alright everyone, give me everything you have where either: (A) WWX is an actual rogue cultivator at the start of the fic, or (B) he leaves the Jiangs (via Madam Yu banishment or getting fed up with them an leaving on his own) and spends time as a rogue cultivator. (I want to see my boy in the wild doing the wild cultivator thing) if he doesn’t have a core at the beginning of the fic, I would appreciate recs where he regains it at some point. I have a Wangxian agenda btw, so WX endgame plz. @omgnectarina

Ad Oblivione by Baph, HikariNoHimeWriter (M, 70k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Golden Core Reveal, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Abusive YZY, Angst with a Happy Ending) WWX is sent back in time to when he was a child & doesn't get taken in by the Jiangs

We Meet at the Thousandth Step by Admiranda, Rynne (T, 258k, wangxian, CSSR/WCZ, WIP, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, CSSR & WCZ Live, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Different First Meeting, Night Hunts, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Romance, Drama, Fluff, Strangers to married, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Everyone Lives AU, Developing Relationship, Minor Violence, Case Fic, Mystery, Flirting, WWX's Canon-Typical Flower Flirting, Arson, There Was Only One Bed, Getting Together, First Kiss, Meeting the Parents, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, WWX Is a Good Big Brother, New Relationship Bliss, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Blood and Injury, Yiling siblings)

Cultivating immortality by KizuKatana (E, 230k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Pining, Mutual Pining, WWX low self-esteem, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Angst with a Happy Ending, not sure if this qualifies as fix-it but that was my emotional need/intent, Hurt/Comfort, unreliable narrator (wwx's self image is…), sect wars happening, Canon typical darkness, demonic cultivation descriptions in detail, self-indulgent exploration of the creation of demonic cultivation and how it changed WWX, JC and LWJ are reluctant (VERY RELUCTANT) allies, YZY & LQR are made to face up to their faults, JYL is badass (fight me) though not in terms of cultivation strenght, JC gets a chance to redeem himself, Found Family, First Time, novel canon relationship dynamics)

🔒 crying like a fire in the sun by Reverie (cl410) (T, 10k, wangxian, SL/XXC, JC & WWX, BSSR/LY, Runaway WWX, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives AU, rogue cultivator WWX, Angst, Post Cloud Recesses, Not YZY Friendly, Happy Ending, BSSR is WWX's grandmother instead of grandmaster)

Inchoate by Marinelifeclub (T, 20k, wangxian, Child Abuse, Bad Parent JFM, Bad Parent YZY, Protective LQR, Protective LWJ, Rogue Cultivator WWX, YZY Bashing, JC Bashing, No Golden Core Transfer, Dark JFM)

A Thousand Things by tickertape (M, 108k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, WWX Isn't Adopted by the Jiāngs, Developing Friendships, lots of OCs because I can't help myself and I love them, most of the canon cast make cameos at some point, miscommunication and misunderstandings (they’re idiots your honor), Nightmares, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Night Hunts, The Cloud Recesses Rabbits, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Slow Burn, like really slow burn, like if it was a bushfire it would take 8 years for it to burn through one (1) forest, the wangxian strangers to obnoxious best friends to obnoxious lovers pipeline, 'shitty cultivation world bureaucracy' is also a running theme, WWXHas a Fear of Dogs)

~*~

7. hello! I was hoping you could recommend fics where wei ying is taken hostage by people who hate lan zhan and lan zhan gets beaten up trying to save him. Maybe kind angsty and emotional? @ivybookworm

~*~

8. hi - for the next itmf, any fics that go on from that haunting almost last scene in the Untamed where LS, WN and LWJ all leave WY alone on the road. angsty ones that explore the idea of WY having no-one would be awesome. thank you so much for all you do! @oldoni

Story-Shaped by lingering_song (T, 13k, NHS & WWX, wangxian, Post-Canon, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Inventor WWX, Found Family, NHS needs a new hobby, And apparently that’s spoiling his Wei-Xiong, Mentioned Character Death, Alcohol, Protective NHS, WangXian Endgame, Not JC Friendly, Not particularly gentry sects friendly overall tbh) NHS finds WWX wandering about. Possibly not as angsty as requester is hoping for, but does address how bad an idea it is to let WWX wander alone

im reminded of a fic but cant recall the one. Wwx is travelling by himself, writing letters to LZ, he stays in a town and it ends up cursed. LZ and the juniors arrive to solve the case. Wwx is acting weird and hides his letters. The juniors read the letters and find out wwx is angry and full of resentment about how he's been treated. They find out the curse resonates from him. They talk it out to resolve matters. Any idea?

some good mistakes by Lise (T, 18k, WangXian, JC & WWX, JC & LWJ, Road Trips, (terrible road trips), Post-Canon, Rescue Missions, Hurt/Comfort, ish, Awkward Conversations, POV JC, JC & WWX Reconciliation, (ish they’re working on it)) link in #13

Rotten Work by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 63k, WangXian, WWX & JL, Post-Canon, Protective WWX, Protective JL, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Reluctant Matchmaker JL) similar to Story Shaped, but it's Jin Ling who finds wwx. // might fit the bill? It isn't overly angsty, but it does have characters remarking on how bad of an idea it is to let WWX go off on his own.

Judge Softly by Chrononautical (E, 32k, wangxian, LSZ & WWX, LQR & WWX, accidental voyeurism, non-consensual mind reading, oblivious WWX, bamf   WWX, genius WWX, post-canon Fix-it, angst w happy ending, LQR tries)

the soft animal of your body by howodd5ever (M, 21k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Getting Together, WWX has feelings about having a body, sort of a case fic, a little bit of epistolary goodness, graphic descriptions of wounds, Feelings About Death, WWX gets seriously injured, quoting chinese poetry at each other as a love language, Art Embedded, wound-tending as an act of love, Bathing/Washing, the mortifying ordeal of being asked to stay, Sharing a Bed, Finding home, WWX's canonical alcohol abuse makes an appearance a bit)

my age has never made me wise by idrilka (E, 63k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Part-epistolary, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Marriage Proposal, Homecoming, One Brain Cell WWX Strikes Again)

~*~

9. Itmf: what's a story premise/trope that's really hard to do well, and what stories have done them really well?

~*~

10. Itmf, what's ur fav story prompt/initial premise that you've seen, regardless of the execution(s) of it?

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11. thank u for ur hard work! any fic recs of lan zhan hurting wei ying and he regrets it? thankss

Concord by Deastar (T, 41k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Gūsū Lán Sect Rules, Depression, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending)

我的皇后是農民 | sowing seeds in the cold palace by sweetlolixo (E, 84k, WangXian, Imperial Palace, Emperor LWJ, Imperial Consort WWX, Farmer WWX, Angst, Romance, Wingman LJY, Wife-chasing-LWJ, Arranged Marriage, Best Boy A-Yuan)

Honesty is the Best Policy (Except if You’re an Asshole) by piecrust (E, 22k, wangxian, college/university au, porn w/ feelings)

~*~

12. ITMF like, historical perspectives. Like people in modern times talking about/teaching about/learning about LWG, WWX, and possibly others as historical figures

Historical Precedents for the Concept of Time Travel and Transmigration by meyari (G, 21k, wangxian, Fluff and Crack, dubious academic writing, Historical Research, it's practically its own character in this, vague college setting, Modern, Good YZY, Good Person SS, Reincarnation) It's the second part of a series, the first one takes place in canon era, and the second one is about modern Wei Ying researching about historical Wei Wuxian for his thesis! I recommend reading the first part first (or at least looking at the premise) for much-needed context, and also because it's so good!

DID YILING LAOZU REALLY EXIST???: a Thread [1/?] by el_em_en_oh_pee (G, 6k, wangxian, Academia AU, Social Media, Research, Cartographic Mishaps, HOW IS CARTOGRAPHIC MISHAPS AN ESTALISHED TAG. NO HAPS WERE MISSED HERE I ASSURE U, Folklore, LJY's Hot Takes, Procrastinating Your Dissertation Proposal By Writing A 104-Tweet Thread: The Lan Jingyi Story, Mixed Media, POV Outsider, this is kind of an AU - Modern and kind of not???, it's a modern academic/researchy exploration of canon lol) it's AMAZING

For 12, there's also the one where Wangxian are majoring in cultivation in University and there's a talk about the meaning of Hanguang-jun compositions with several one liner "titles" like fried watermelon rinds are terrible or something like that. Can't mine it on my AO3 history but it's there, I know it's there!

🔒 Night of the Living History (an edutainment special!) by Aerlalaith (T, 51k, wangxian, Modern with Magic, Workplace Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Museums, living history, the author's feelings about, the edutainment industry, museum workers, Some Plot, Slice of Life, Injury, a minor haunting, the stakes are low, unless you're on the museum board i guess, WWX does not get an employee discount)

~*~

13. Hi! For the next ITMF, could anyone recommend wangxian fics that also feature LWJ & JC not getting along/being hostile toward each other? I'm talking like anything from them having disagreements to physically fighting to just outright hating each other.

Untitled tumblr fic where LWJ punches JC in the face (sharing my reblog as writer seems to have deleted their blog & I can't find it on their Ao3)

the only way out by cafecliche (T, 12k, wangxian, JC & WWX, JC & LWJ, Post-Canon, this is one part character study, one part comedy of errors, and one part fix-it, WWX is a people pleaser in this essay I will, my event planning experience rearing its head again, Podfic Available)

Wei Wuxian’s Kidnapping Back and Forth Farce (Starring Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji) by misscam (M, 5k, wangxian, JC & WWX, Humor, Switching)

some good mistakes by Lise (T, 18k, WangXian, JC & WWX, JC & LWJ, Road Trips, (terrible road trips), Post-Canon, Rescue Missions, Hurt/Comfort, ish, Awkward Conversations, POV JC, JC & WWX Reconciliation, (ish they’re working on it)) should be noted that the Wangxian is background and the primary focus is on LWJ and Jiang Cheng having lots of emotions coming out sideways at each other

~*~

14. Hey, guys. Hope you're having a great day. ITMF some Wen Ning POV/Wen Ning-centric stuff @thispatternismine

🔒 The Moon Reflected Upon Two Springs by Rubberduckieassassin (M, 2k, Post-Canon, Fierce Corpse WN, WN-centric, Farmer WN, WN Needs a Hug, Gusu Lan Juniors Dynamics, Good Kid LSZ, Good Kid LJY, Wen Remnants Mentioned, Burial Mounds Settlement Days Mentioned, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Five Stages of Grief, Melancholy, Building A Home, Family Feels, WN is learning how to 'live' again)

🔒 do not go gentle by RoseThorne (G, 684, WN & WQ, WN & WWX, LSZ & WQ, Canonical Character Death, Spirits, Ghosts, LWJ Plays Inquiry, Song: Inquiry, Protectiveness, Grief/Mourning, Love, Acceptance, Family, Angst, Post-Canon, POV Third Person, POV Wen Ning)

Tea with the Unquiet Dead by treemaidengeek (G, 1k, SL & WN, Grief/Mourning, Post-Canon, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, finding healing in unexpected places, Fierce Corpse Friends!)

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15. For the next ITMF, are there any fics where Lan Wangji comes to terms/wrestles with his darker sexual desires?

Come Back to Gusu… by AitchNKay (E, 90k, wangxian, WIP, Major Character Death, Fluff and Smut, Drama & Romance, Angst, Fix-It, Canon Compliant, Anal Sex, BL,, Switching, Bottom LWJ) Currently less than halfway through this one & it's a WIP so not sure how it goes, but has scenes of LWJ worrying about if his desires are too fucked up

💖 Magical Marriage Ribbons Series by starandrea (Varies, 1m, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Accidental Marriage, Fluff, Happy Ending, Telepathic bond, Kink Negotiation, Family Drama, Magical Pregnancy, Dual Cultivation, Shapeshifters, Modern with Magic, Immortality, Yilling Wei Sect) has LWJ continuously struggling to vocalize nearly ANY of his sexual wants even well after wangxian get together

~*~

16. Hi! ITMF your favourite recommendations with LWJ being petty and pouty (maybe bratty too?) - modern AUs and modern with magic are preferred. Thank you <3

Sorry! Just to add on to last ask petty LWJ ITMF ask --> Judgy LWJ reccs please.

the soft animal of your body by sysrae (T, 15k, wangxian, modern cultivation, Golden Core Reveal, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Animal Transformation, Shapeshifting, Getting Together, Confessions)

with you, I am home by tellthemstories (M, 47k, wangxian, Modern Cultivation, fake dating for reasons, Meeting the Family, There Was Only One Bed, Casual Domesticity, wwx is oblivious in more ways than one, 'this fic is like emotional edging’, this comment sums up the entire fic)

i really want to know (who are you) by Stratisphyre (M, 19k, wangxian, LQR & WWX, Modern with Magic, Golden Core Reveal Single Dad WWX, Reasonable Authority Figure LQR, Allusions to violence and murder, Hospitalization)

The Twelve Days of Christmas, OR, How to Drive Your Brother-in-Law Insane by Following One Traditional Carol by Hobbsy3 (T, 3k, wangxian, Fluff, Crack Treated Seriously, Twelve Days Of Christmas, sending someone six geese and seven swans is definitely not an act of love, OR IS IT, Christmas Fluff, JC is So Done, LWJ is a Little Shit, Modern) Ooh! One more for 16 (it's a Christmas fic but features a very hilarious and petty Lan Zhan)

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17. Hi Hi i'm looking for two sets of fics a) lan qiren time travel fics where he's good and actually likes Wei Wuxian or atleast let's their relationship happen b) kid fics where wwx and lwj have a lot of children adoption or birth or a mixture of both but just them having a lot of children. @thatperson0-0

17A)

Lessons relearned by Iamnotawriter (T, 44k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Not Madam Yu Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inventor WWX, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, No Golden Core Transfer, YZY Bashing)

in stillness, clear water to the bottom by Stratisphyre (T, 40k, CSSR/LQR/WCZ, NHS's Mom/Sect leader Nie/NMJ's Mom, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Threesome - M/M/F, Getting Together, Friends to Lovers, Background WangXian, Everyone lives/Nobody dies, (mostly), (not you qingheng-jun), Family feelings, Minor NieLan, Madam Lan lives, references to past rape)

17B)

❤️ Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste for williedustice (T, 36k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Adoption, Family Fluff, Kid fic, Family drama, Fluff, 🔒[PODFIC] Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste by lunatique)

travelers through the empty gate by stiltonbasket (M, 107k, wangxian, royalty au, mistaken identity, emperor WWX, poor LWJ, forced marriage, (by LWJ himself), confused WWX, parenthood, misunderstandings, empress LWJ, fluff & humor, married life, angst w/ happy ending, WIP)

💖 Magical Marriage Ribbons Series by starandrea (Varies, 1m, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Accidental Marriage, Fluff, Happy Ending, Telepathic bond, Kink Negotiation, Family Drama, Magical Pregnancy, Dual Cultivation, Shapeshifters, Modern with Magic, Immortality, Yilling Wei Sect) link in #15

The Wei Family Series by Setari (T, 65k, wangxian, WWX & OCs, Kid Fic, Canon Rewrite, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Family Feels, POV Multiple, Next Generation Original Characters, Subverted Blame the Bastard Trope, Miscarriage Scare, Horny Teenagers, Hopeful Ending, Crack Treated Seriously, Oblivious WWX, Pining LWJ, Not As Dark As The Tags Make It Sound, 5+1 Things, set during the 13 years Wei Wuxian is dead, POV Original Character, Fix-It, Not Everyone Dies AU, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Work In Progress)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

[altocat]

i'm still following first soldier's plot just from these posts but how is young sephiroth portrayed? is he evil or like he was in crisis core or what

Young Sephiroth is depicted as being confused, insecure, and kind of brainwashed from years of conditioning under Shinra. First Soldier provided some interesting aspects and moments for his character, which I'll bullet for you here real quick.

Sephiroth has never been on a real mission before this one. Most of his "accomplishments" so far have been fabricated lies under Shinra for propaganda purposes. Despite him simultaneously being freakishly strong and overpowered thanks to the Jenova cells.

Sephiroth is also apparently incredibly sheltered as he comes across as very socially awkward and kind of shy when he isn't sticking to Shinra's script. It's implied he's barely ever interacted with actual people outside of a controlled setting.

Sephiroth carries a locket of his mother Lucrecia (who he refers to as Jenova) and at this point still believes her to be alive and is looking for her. He apparently asks everyone he meets to see if they know anything about her. He loses this locket offscreen btw and it's bullshit.

Sephiroth is a brainwashed child soldier and often spouts fucked up logic/Shinra propaganda in order to justify his more violent actions. He conveys an extremely paranoid world view that if he doesn't fight, he'll be killed or hurt. This obv speaks to the conditions Shinra put him under during training.

That said, Sephiroth actively dislikes his status as a "hero" and just wants to find his mom and live a normal life. He breaks down crying after killing a bunch of child soldiers his own age and says that he never wanted to be what he is.

Sephiroth occasionally has moments where he acts like an actual little kid, giggling over Glenn's jokes, wanting the group's approval, and often coming off as being kind of timid and overly respectful. He has two modes--hardass leader sticking to a schedule and a literal child trying to push himself too hard because that's all he was ever taught.

Most of the time he's pretty supportive and courteous, if not overly polite. He clearly really wants to impress his team and often apologizes whenever he makes a mistake. He's leader, but he's figuring things out.

Lastly, and strangely most importantly, the stupid Halloween Event of all things confirmed that Hojo has been abusing/torturing Sephiroth for most of his life and is likely the reason why Sephiroth pushes himself so hard.

Currently, Sephiroth's story is still unfinished. The game makes it clear that he's grown very attached to his new team and feels responsible for protecting them from danger. He and main character Glenn have formed a brotherly bond of sorts and Sephiroth willingly goes against Shinra's orders in order to follow his team to rescue another boy his age from danger (Rosen). Rosen and Sephiroth are expected to have an encounter next chapter and it's very strongly implied that Sephiroth will end up killing Rosen as a means of trying to protect his group/some other reason. It's gonna be fucked up and emotional either way.

#asks #ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy 7 #sephcanons #sephiroth #first soldier #ever crisis #glenn lodbrok #ffvii ever crisis #ffvii first soldier #young sephiroth

[martianbugsbunny]

IK in Marvel you're nuts for shipping a gay couple unless it's confirmed without a shadow of a doubt onscreen (which is a horrible precedent I think was set when they said Stucky were just friends because let's be real if all that can add up to welp just friends then how can any ship with less than that possibly be legit, right) bUT all that being said the Lokius energy? great. I'm not going to pat Marvel on the back and say this is enough, but I am going to say that for them setting the same-sex heavily-implied love interest next to the opposite-sex are-we-going-to-pretend-this-never-happened love interest and making it unclear if Loki was speaking to one (or both) of them was a pretty big stride forward. They might be coming out of the era of the big neon no-homo, because the Marvel that's been so homophobic in recent years would never have left that door open for considering, would have made sure Mobius was far offscreen when that happened, would have made Sylvie the only important relationship Loki had in the season, would not have put in all the little moments (I direct you to the Don episode: the hair-fixing by Loki, the way Mobius kinda flirts with him the whole time, the way Loki is drawn to Mobius' timeline more than anyone else's, the way the camera focuses on Mobius so close to when Loki is having his "WHO" epiphany, etc.; not to mention the ways they reach out to each other throughout the season, just a little intimate touch here and there, a hand on an arm, an arm around a waist; the fact that when Loki timeslipped back he looked to where Mobius was first, the way he went to Mobius for advice when he was completely out of options, the way he and Mobius trust each other to use torture boxes and help decide the fate of the multiverse, the way they, together, were a focal point of the season, that they were a unit of two, that they were so loath to be separated). In media as a whole, is this big? Not really. For Marvel specifically, in its own little pocket context? Big step. Immense. I really want to believe maybe they're opening the door for us and we just jam our foot in the gap hard enough they'll get the message that we're a fanbase to be reckoned with and that maybe they do want to spend the effort on us after all. I love Marvel. It was an important part of my childhood and I keep watching it now even though it's kind of a mixed bag. I want to be a part of it. I want the Lokius fanbase and the Sambucky fanbase to win where the Stucky fanbase was shut down. Those little moments were intentional and beautiful and I'm incredibly happy they exist. I want them to lead to something more.

#loki #loki show #loki series #loki season 2 #lokius #mobius #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #shipping #behold: my two cents #they did that on purpose u can't tell me otherwise #and I'm going to stay excited about it #I love the ship to pieces for one thing #so happy it's low-key canon after a certain fashion #but it's also an interesting trend I would like them to follow up on #this post probably makes little to no sense because I just got out of bed and I am tired but have it anyway #martianbugsbunny opines #martianbugsbunny ships

[sarahowritesostucky]

📖"Body Heat" : a Snowpiercer-Marvel Mashup Story

Part 1 - "The Man"

Rated: Mature (non-explicit chapter, marked mature for dark themes)

Pairing: Curtis Everett x ofc

Tags: dystopia, food insecurity, post apocalypse, age difference (18/34), dark!fic, implied/referenced suicide, background character death (offscreen), poverty, arranged marriage, implied/referenced past cannibalism, hurt/comfort

Summary: She’s too young for him to be eyeing her up the way he has been, but this is the Tail section, and Curtis has caught other men looking more than once. Everything is a commodity in the Tail. Everything. It won't be too long before he has to step in and claim her.

Author's Note:

On Tumblr, forbidden ToS content categories are: "terrorism, hate speech, harm to minors, self harm, sexually explicit material, violence, threats, gore, and mutilation."

And while you ARE apparently allowed to write a fictional story about incestual, torturing, anorexic racists who rape, murder, kidnap, hate, cannibalize, terrorize, and self-injure in the plotline of said story,

you ARE NOT allowed to write an underage character who engages is any sort of sexualized conduct in a story.

For this one category and this one category alone, Tumblr staff (or at least one particular individual 😏on staff) makes no distinction between fictional stories and C.S.A.M. They can and will delete your blog without any notice.

So, in the face of this VERY SPECIFIC criteria for Tumblr's censorship choices, I have changed the age of a character in this story to 18. That's not how the story was originally written, and the story can still be read on Ao3, which does not arbitrarily censor their content. But my m/f stories seem to be most popular on Tumblr, so I wanted to include the altered version in my library here.

(To be spiteful, however, I have changed the ofc from 16 to 18 and Curtis from 28 to 34, thus WIDENING the original age gap from 12 yrs to 16 yrs😆)

🖤With that said, this is a dark story regardless, so if you're looking for fluff, I suggest you look elsewhere.🖤

Part 1 - "The Man"

The Man’s been dead for almost a day, the body already stiffened in rigor mortis and then relaxed again by the time anyone comes to take it.

They’d found him in his bunk just after breakfast yesterday, which means they’ve been keeping his wake for nearly twenty-four hours now, up at the front of the lead assembly car; his daughter and a few others who were closest to him sitting vigil with the body until the time comes. Mourning while they still can.

Jackboots visit the tail section only once per day—in the morning, with the food. That’s how Tailies tell time. So when one of their own dies, the funeral and the family’s goodbyes last only as long as the next arrival of the next pushcart with the next batch of gelatinous bars.

Bringing in food and taking out bodies—a callous reminder to Snowpiercer’s lowest inhabitants that their deaths are little different from their lives: cold, unadorned, hopeless.

Curtis keeps his distance once he’s paid his respects, and it’s quiet now as they all wait. A few people had given some nice speeches earlier, a decent eulogy capped off by the beautiful singing voice of the daughter that The Man has left behind: Rose.

Curtis watches her adjust the sheet over The Man’s body. He’s already been washed and stripped in preparation, wrapped in the old grey sheet that will be returned to them within a matter of hours. Nothing is wasted on Snowpiercer. The few pieces of clothing that The Man had owned now sit folded on the floor, ready to be given to their next occupants. The sight of his trademark checked shirt, unworn and available, is a point of mourning all in itself, Curtis finds.

New clothing always means death.

The Man had been a good person, a leader in his own right. Back when they’d first boarded, he’d been one of the first to volunteer his own flesh—though only once his wife had been killed and the mob was coming for his young daughter, too.

Curtis looks back up towards the front of the car when the heavy groans of unlatching metal come from the next section up. Rose’s face, covered in tears, also shoots up at the sound. Her eyes widen and her lip begins to quiver again. Her fingerless-gloved hand reaches for the body, clutching The Man’s shoulder one last time as the door slides open.

The jackboots bark for everyone to move back, since the funeral group isn’t sitting behind the usual yellow line of demarcation that’s taped to the floor, but then they look down and see the body. The lead guard sighs. “Oh, great,” he mutters. “Just what I wanted to do today.”

Curtis’ eyes narrow and his muscles tense, anticipating disrespect to the body—that he can handle, is used to, but if they lay a hand on her as the scene plays out, he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to restrain himself. Rose is a sweet girl despite her circumstances, with an innocence and a naivety that usually only the train babies have, and Curtis has always done what he can to look out for her.

“Right,” the one guard says to the other. “Okay. Protein blocks first, then you can load ‘im on the cart.”

Rose stays sitting by the body as everyone lines up to receive their daily portions. Curtis makes eye contact as he steps up to the lead guard and takes his portion. “Be nice,” he says. “It’s her dad.”

Luckily, the jackboots don’t seem to be in any kind of foul mood today. They let Rose sniffle over the body for a few extra seconds before hefting the corpse onto the empty protein block cart. And then they’re gone. No muss, no fuss, no fanfare. Just like it always happens when a Tailie dies.

“What do you think they do with them?” Curtis overhears Ned and Peter saying, talking with each other as they nibble off their protein blocks not too far from Rose. “Throw ‘em out?”

“How?” Peter says doubtfully. “S’not exactly an escape hatch in this thing.”

“Course there is,” Ned argues. “Where d’you think your shit goes when you flush the—”

“Hey,” Curtis hisses, glaring at them and tipping his head discreetly in Rose’s direction. “Show a little respect.”

Ned and Peter mumble an apology and move off, and when Curtis looks back to Rose, she’s blinking up at him with red rimmed eyes. “You didn’t have to do that,” she says, her voice deeper than usual as it emanates from a throat scraped raw by grief.

“I did.” Curtis walks over and slides down the wall to sit next to her. “He was a good man, your dad.”

“Thanks,” she says quietly.

Her nose sounds all stuffed up, so Curtis fishes in his pocket for his handkerchief. “Haven’t spoken to you in a hot minute,” he says, handing it over for her to blow her nose.

“Yeah well I hear you’re always planning the next revolution, so …”

Curtis scoffs. “Yeah, maybe.” He looks her over, taking in the worn knit of her sweater, the colorless felt of her coat that’d once been blue and belonged to her mother. So many of the Tailies are worn down to nothing but dull, grey husks now, just like the clothes they’ve recycled for over a decade. But Rose is different.

For whatever reason, her skin is still clear, her hair still thick. The malnutrition hasn’t affected her the way it has most others. Her soul still comes through her eyes. That inner luminance makes her pretty, maybe even the prettiest girl in the tail section. Even though she’s still very young. Probably too young for Curtis to be eyeing her up the way he has been, these past few months.

But she’s about that age now, even though it feels like only yesterday he was scrounging up materials to make her a little doll she could play with. People grow up fast in the tail whether they want to or not, and Curtis has been on high alert for a while now because he’s caught other men looking more than once. He’s even heard some bits of hushed conversation, whispered from nearby bunks where the occupants didn’t realize he was there to listen. Everything is a commodity in the tail. Everything. And there’s no one else who looks like Rose. She’s only made it this far because of her father.

And now her father’s dead.

Curtis realizes he’s been staring a little too long when Rose’s eyes slide over to him in curiosity. He coughs and looks away, shaking his head when she tries to hand him back the handkerchief. “Naw. You hold onto it for me, Hon.” She tucks it shyly away in her coat, and Curtis is pleased. “So …” he hedges, not knowing what to say to her. There’s nothing he can say. All they have in the tail is each other, their people, and she’s just lost hers. “So … you still going by ‘Rosebud’?”

That gets a tiny smile from her, which warms Curtis’ chest in the same way that he can remember whiskey doing, a lifetime ago. “Nobody calls me that anymore,” she says. “Nobody but him. And you.”

“Yeah?” Curtis thinks on it some. “Well maybe you should retire it. It’s a girl’s name anyway.”

“Aren’t I a girl?”

He raises an eyebrow without looking at her. “You still have that doll I made for you?” He hears her scoff and knows the answer. Rosie helps look after the young children in the tail. Curtis has seen that shabby little doll floating around in various tiny hands for years now. “You’re a good person,” he says quietly. “Like your dad. He was good. I’ll miss him." He’s looking straight ahead across the assembly car when he says it, but he still catches her slight movement out of the corner of his eye.

“He didn’t act any different,” she says, voice tiny. “I didn’t know. He didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything that made it seem like he was going to …” She cuts herself off, swallows thickly and shakes her head. “I just didn’t know.”

Curtis holds out his hand in offer for her to hold, and she takes it. Even with the fingerless glove on, her hand still feels tiny in his. “How about Petal?” he suggests.

“Petal?”

“Yeah,” he decides. “Yeah that’s what I’ll call you. Petal. My rose petal.”

“Oh, god.” She groans. “No. Curtis.”

“No?” He turns his head to look at her, and this time he waits until she looks at him too. Her expression sobers as their eyes meet. Curtis reaches to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s a beautiful word,” he murmurs. “Couldn’t I call you that?” His eyes skip over her face, soaking up the way her breath stutters, how a slow blush starts to fill the apples of her cheeks. “I promise I won’t tell anybody else,” he whispers.

She ducks her chin with a bashful smile. “Well, I guess so.”

In her lap, her other arm curls protectively around the small pile of belongings she’s been holding onto, drawing Curtis’ attention. Her father had been a large man, imposing, and yet the pile is so tiny. A whole entire life, compressed into less than one square foot in the end.

(Curtis does wonder, sometimes, what they do with the bodies.)

“He was one of our best,” he tells her. “Even in the Desperation. I remember how he was, how he volunteered. He was a leader. Brave.” His eyes slide over to the excuse for an artificial limb that's been cobbled together from an umbrella and a few old wire coat hangers, of all things. Now it sits, sad and unused, on the floor next to Rose’s leg. “You know who you’re gonna give it to?”

“What?”

He nods at the limb. “His arm. It’s the best one in the tail.”

“Oh.” She glances away from it, looking pained. “No,” she says. “I figured I’d just give it to you.”

“Me?” Curtis isn’t one of the few who’d volunteered in the Desperation—obviously, as he’s still got all four limbs intact. He wasn’t the same person back then that he is now. Back then he’d been a taker, not a giver. He looks away with a frown. “Give it to Phil,” he suggests. “He needs one, since his broke.”

Rose agrees that the arm should go to Coulson. She carefully sets the pile of clothing aside on the floor and returns to place her hand back in Curtis’ waiting one, this time pulling their joined hands into her lap. They sit there together like that for a long while, not speaking, just existing side by side. Some things have so much more value now than they did Before, including silent company and a comforting hand.

“Do you remember it much?” Curtis eventually says.

“Before?”

“No.” He never talks about Before, since it only breeds despair. “Boarding,” he says. “Do you remember?”

“Of course.”

He winces. “Oh. I didn’t know if you did. You were so young. I thought maybe … maybe you’d forgotten. A lot of the kids did, even some of the older ones.”

“Yeah. MJ was eight and she says she can’t remember at all.”

Curtis nods. “Sometimes it feels like a dream even to me, it was so long ago.” He’d been twenty-two when the world froze and people were reduced to animals all around him. Twelve years couldn’t erase that pain, but it could muddle it a lot. “I’m sorry you didn’t. Block it out.”

“I remember ... shouting,” Rose says, her voice teasing the memory out. “It was dark. And I remember getting shoved around, hiding against my mom's legs, being hungry ... how cold it was.” It’s been cold ever since, but never as cold as that night—the last night before the wind and snow and ice got shut out forever. She heaves a sigh. “It’s all a jumble in my mind, anyway. I couldn’t see past anyone’s coat.”

“You were little,” Curtis mumbles. “Short.”

“Well I was six."

He smirks and bumps her shoulder with his. “You’re still short,” he teases, while privately he thinks that it’s better that she was so young when it happened. It means her earliest memories are of cold and chaos, and that’s better than the alternative of having had more time in the World. It means less things to mourn. “What are you going to do now?” he asks, shaking his head like he can knock the past out of it. "Plans for today?"

Rose shrugs. “Same old, same old. Kids, stories. It’s my night to shower.”

Curtis turns his head towards her, brow furrowed. “You … but you’re not going back to you guys' spot, right?”

"'Course. Where else would I go?"

He doesn’t know what he was expecting, what he thought the alternative was supposed to be. Every square centimeter of the tail section is already portioned and claimed. New space doesn’t just appear. Nothing new ever appears, except babies, bodies, and the rats that Wanda breeds to supplement their diet.

“Rosie,” Curtis scolds. “No. You can’t go back there. Not where he—”

“It’s not a big deal,” she says stubbornly, pretending it doesn’t bother her. But she’s a horrible liar and that’s just another thing that's always made her so endearing ... and so vulnerable.

“Hon,” Curtis mourns,

“It’s just a bunk," she insists. "He slept there, he died there. I’ll probably die there too, one day.”

Curtis growls unhappily. “Don’t say that. Don’t you ever say that. Hey, things won’t always be like this.” He catches her throwing him side eye and he glares at her. “They won’t.”

“Right,” she says, mouth quirking sadly at one corner before her gloved hand gives his a final squeeze and then lets him go. “Well. Not everybody has the big plans that you do, Curtis. Sometimes it's better to know what the future holds, even if it's this.”

“Don’t lose hope, Petal,” he pleads, but he can see that she’s dismissive of it. People lose hope all the time in the Tail. That’s what’d killed her father.

He sighs and looks back to the opposite side of the car. Now that the jackboots are gone it’s thinned out some, with some people gone back to their bunks and others remaining behind to munch on their protein blocks in the fresher air of the assembly car. Curtis spots a man several yards away who’s been openly staring at Rose. When the man sees Curtis looking, however, he hurriedly turns away.

Curtis scowls. “Hey,” he says, intending to take Rose's hand again and offer to have her spend the night with him. But her hand isn't there when he reaches over. She’s getting up, gathering her dead father’s pile of folded clothing items in her arms. Curtis frowns and gets up with her. He hurries to pick up the artificial limb. “Wait. Where’re you going?”

“Gonna give these to Gilliam,” she says, already on the move. “I want him to have first dibs." As if her father’s clothing would even come close to fitting Gilliam's shrunken and weathered old frame.

But Curtis gets up anyway and follows after her, not wanting to let her go just yet. He hurries along as she walks surprisingly fast for having such short legs. “Hey,” he says, talking to her back as they navigate through the communal living cars and the showers, and then into the cramped passageways of the market. “Hey, you know … you could come over tonight, if you wanted. My spot’s a pretty good size.”

“So is ours—” she says, faltering when she realizes her mistake. “I mean, so is mine.”

Curtis sighs and grabs her shoulder, pulling her to a stop. “Don’t go back there,” he pleads, cornering her into a cramped spot to face him. “Hey. I mean it, Hon. Don’t. You shouldn’t go back there tonight. Not alone, not where he …” She squares her jaw and looks up at him, expression stubborn as ever, and Curtis is struck by the sudden, overwhelming urge to kiss her. “It’s too soon,” he insists, because she’d been the one to find The Man sitting up in the bed: straight backed and purple faced and all out of hope, a cord wrapped thrice around his neck. “Too soon,” Curtis repeats sadly.

“I’ll be okay,” she insists, nodding when he makes a face to show how much he doesn’t agree with that. “It’s fine, Curtis. Really. I appreciate the offer. And I get it, I do. But that's our spot, ya know? I’ve lived there for twelve years, and I—” her eyes cut away, glossy with the threat of fresh tears. She swallows thickly and won’t look at him again. “I’m not ready to leave it,” she whispers. “I’d rather stay where it still smells like him.”

Curtis isn’t sure what love feels like, but he thinks maybe it’s partly made up of the horrible feeling he gets in his guts when he sees Rose in pain like this. “... Okay,” he says quietly, taking a small step back so that she can continue on down the passage. The tail is made up of twenty cars, and they’re only several down from the forwardmost car at this point. “Gilliam’s probably at the back,” he tells her. He can see that she wants to be alone in her grief, though he hates the idea of letting her go. “Hey,” he says softly, cupping her face. “I’m right here if you need me, Hon. You know that, right?”

She smiles and nods with watery eyes, worsening the tug in Curtis’ guts. He thinks seriously about leaning in and kissing her, but winds up holding himself back like he’s done so many times already. Instead he just strokes his thumb over her cheek, finger ruddy against the clear skin of her face. “Okay,” he says again. He gently places the artificial limb on top of the stack of clothing she holds, then takes another step back. “I’ll see you at dinner?” he asks, not bothering to hide the hope in his voice. He wants to see her again, as much as possible. The more he can keep her in his sights, the better.

“Yeah,” she agrees, leaning up to plant a quick peck to his cheek. “Thanks, Curtis. For looking out for me. He'd feel better, knowing that."

He watches her go with a sense of trepidation, uttering a quiet, "Not doin' it for him," once she’s halfway down the car.

Masterlist

If you liked what you read and feel so inclined, please consider dropping a tip in the Kofi🍵 cup!

#snowpiercer #snowpiercer au #train au #curtis everett #curtis everett x female reader #curtis everett x you #curtis everett x ofc #curtis everett x reader #reader insert #fanfiction #fanfic #dark fic #smut fic #chris evans #chris evans characters #marvel/snowpiercer mashup #marvel fanfiction #marvel #mcu #anti censorship #free expression #free speech

[thatevilenby]

List of injuries suffered by Yakuza protagonists.

Injuries are classed into five categories alongside where the injury was on the body: Stabbing (Including impalement), Gunshot wounds, Blunt force, Cuts, and Other (for injuries inflicted offscreen but still shown or injuries that don't fall in any of the above categories)

Only injuries inflicted in cutscenes will count, substories will not be counted at all. Each game will be added as a seperate reblog.

Yakuza 0

Kiryu

Gunshot to left shoulder front (no exit wounds) : 1

Gunshot to right thigh front (no exit wounds): 1

Cut to left side of brow: 1

Blunt force to stomach: 3

Blunt force to face: 3

Blunt force to head: 4

Blunt force to back: 2

Blunt force to arms: 2

Other: 1 (Kiryu is shown to have been beaten up alongside Nishikiyama by Kazama in a flashback)

Majima

Blunt force to face: 26

Blunt force to legs: 1

Blunt force to head: 2

Blunt force to back: 3

Blunt force to stomach: 2

Blunt force to arm: 1

Stabbed in eye: 1

Other: 7 (We know Majima has suffered torture for a year but what exactly he suffered is unknown, he is implied to have been burned with a hot poker during his torture but it is not shown, Majima's arm is twisted by Lee during their first fight and twice during their second fight, Majima is shown to have been badly beaten all over his abdomen and face by Sagawa, Majima is choked by Sagawa)

Bonus Nishiki

Blunt force to face: 1

Additional notes: Wow Majima gets punched in the face a lot in this one.

#yakuza #like a dragon #kiryu kazuma #majima goro #nishikiyama akira #y0

[literallyanyname]

Banana Fish Rec List

Here's a list of my favorite Bfish fics. I adore whump, so quite a few of the recs skew in that direction. Because Banana Fish whump tends to be particularly intense, I highly, highly recommend checking the tags and content warnings of each fic before reading. These aren't arranged in any particular order. Enjoy!

Love Letters by labingi

Status: Complete, 31,106 words

My Summary: Ash survives the stabbing by Lao, and goes to prison. He and Eiji exchange letters, and eventually emails, for several decades.

My Thoughts: This is one of the most nuanced, in-character BF fics out there. It is, at times, as painful as canon, but with a deeply satisfying ending. This work is a beyond gorgeous take on the BF characters. Probably my favorite on this list. Also, it is technically a Death Note crossover, but it honestly really isn't. DN elements are only mentioned a few times as a plot device.

Just Offscreen by @chaoslynx

Status: Complete, 6,728 words

My Summary: Foxx doesn't drop the cigarette in front of Ash. Foxx's men torture Ash, and he is eventually rescued by Eiji and Max.

My Thoughts: Read the tags on this one. Even for BF, it's pretty graphic. It's a really good fic though. It explores the implied elements of Banana Fish in explicit detail, and brings to the surface some of the underlying horror of canon. One common problem I see with fics and fiction generally is the tendency to use graphic subjects as a cheap shock factor. This fic does not do that. It handles the subject matter really well, and Ash's stream-of-consciousness POV is expertly done.

Eat the Elephant and its sequel, How To Walk Through Open Doors by Dodici

Status: Complete

My Summary: Ash makes it to Japan, and finds himself a little in over his head. Eiji is there to take care of him.

My Thoughts: Honestly, I really like the prose. It's really well written and the language just naturally reads like Ash's internal monologue. He says, does, and feels things without really understanding or bothering to think about why he does them in this way. The author captures Ash's perspective really well. Also, love me some realistic Eiji. I have a particular fondness for fics that flesh out Eiji's character even more than canon does. (Honestly, I get really hung up on characterization. I will usually stop reading an OOC fic)

I'll Save Myself by kanekki

Status: Complete, 30,324 words

My Summary: Instead of arriving at Dino's mansion the next day, Ash doesn't show up until about a month later. Eiji and Yut-Lung are held captive during that time. Continues until a little after the ending of the show.

My Thoughts: This is one of my personal whump favorites. Eiji undergoes a major personality shift that feels entirely realistic. He is still very much Eiji, but his time as a captive has deeply lasting effects. He also learns Yut-Lung's skill with needles, which is just cool. Also, Ash as sporadic-and-inexperienced-but-determined caretaker is an added bonus. The gang element is something of a side plot, but it's well developed. This fic really reminds me of the scene in episode 2 where Eiji is about to jump the wall and says something like "I'd rather die trying".

porgi, amor, qualche ristoro by ADreamingSongbird

Status: Complete, 18,763 words

My Summary: Ash has a very severe panic attack. Eiji comforts him through it.

My Thoughts. THIS FIC. This. Fic. It does something to me, honestly. It is just so, so tender and sweet. It's really well-written and a truly breathtaking insight into AshEiji's relationship post-canon. I reread it fairly often. The discussions of SA are handled very carefully and sensitively. Ash and Eiji are both well-written. The large volume of physical comfort feels like catharsis after canon's minimal and scattered touches, but it feels realistic. Like Ash would actually be comfortable with it in this context. It's hard to summarize exactly how much I love this fic.

Offset by superbrightsunset

Status: Complete, 3,859

My Summary: 5+1 about Eiji's physical strength as an athlete.

My Thoughts: Short, but very sweet. I love the caretaking in this fic. The style is very similar to the comfort aspects of Bfish canon. It's a good read for a quick AshEiji fix. Also, Shorter! And a light sprinkling of humor!

Save Me The Waltz (Alternate) by crowsnest

Status: Complete, 12,181 wrods

My Summary: Eiji is bfished instead of Shorter.

My Thoughts: This fic stuck in my brain for several weeks. Ash, Eiji, and Shorter all have to really go through it, but it is immensely satisfying for all three to come out alive and mostly whole in a way that seems realistic. This AU spans a few years, and leaves a lot of possible scenes to the reader's imagination. I really enjoyed reading this, especially the caretaking aspect.

Drugstore Cowboy by suffragettecity

Status: Complete, 2,048 words

My Summary: Ash goes to Shorter for a brief respite.

My Thoughts: I am in love with the atmosphere in this fic. It's uniquely platonic-ShorAsh. It's a fairly short one-shot, but the language is very immersive. There are little pieces of information scattered throughout that are deliberately unexplained, leaving the reader to make connections on their own. Overall a good read.

Okay. I might add more to this later. There are other fics I really like, but am too tired to rec. If anyone has any fics they want to share, please do!

(Also, I'm new to Tumblr and don't know the authors' tumblrs. Please tag them if you do. And if anyone wants their fic removed, please let me know and I will.)

#banana fish #ash lynx #eiji okumura #shorter wong #asheiji #fic rec #fanfic rec #rec list #bfish

[witchofthesouls]

Okay, snippet of an alternate Cyber!Earth where Jack is directly under Soundwave’s care and Project Morpheus.

(Aka how Soundwave became deeply entwined with the Darbys in this strange, new world.)

Warnings: Mental manipulation, dubcon, implied cannibalism, blood eating, body horror, offscreen torture

“I wanna see Mama.” It wasn't a demand as much as an ask, desperate and yearning as a lost sparkling could be.

Soundwave allowed it because Jack calmed his mother down enough to slip unheeded, a crack in those mental defenses that either repelled him or attempted to eat him.

Jack, as always, was careful to stay at his heels. Quiet like a shadow and so easy to miss, if it wasn't for the occasional tug he did, every now and then. Less of a call for attention more akin to an assurance that he wasn't untethered to the world and be carried away.

He carried him as they stepped off the elevator. Easier to keep track before the sparkling wandered away as they ventured into Shockwave's territory of the ship. Fewer personnel to antagonize his mother, and the ones too hotblooded or too stupid to realize dangers or heed the warnings? Well, their own damn fault.

Shockwave redesigned a holding pen for their recent, willing acquisition. Even from a distance, powerful magnets hummed and plasma sizzled.

“Mama,” the once human breathed to the other, hand reaching out into the lightless cell. Any and all equipment designed to collect data didn't work in that space. Not even a simple light fixture.

A shift and the darkness rippled and unspooled. Countless limbs skittering and plates grinding, lights flickered in the moving void as the massive frame condensed down.

Soundwave spied the vague shapes of Insecticon frames pinned neatly upon the side walls.

There was the familiar sound of birdsong and fluttering feathers as massivr servos gripped the bars, stripped of protective armor, right down to cables of musculature and bare endostructures, skeletal uncaring of the damage or perhaps able to withstand it.

The one called June Darby could escape. Easily. Nothing they designed could feasibly hold her monstrous frame that was beyond an average Cybertronian's capabilities.

“Jack.” The monstrous thing whispered, voice echoing throughout the chamber, a mantra. The EM field, once coiled, now pulsed out in heavy, cold waves, uncaring of everything else as it ate all in her vicinity. “Jack. Jack. Jack.”

Soundwave stared into a visible pair of eyes, haunting and bright on a vague, pale distortion of a face, like a moon hanging in the night sky, hidden by clouds, and slipped into her dreams again.

The dreamscape built concrete floors of an apartment complex and dense woods surrounding the distance. As always, there was rain, this time pattering gently.

Jack was in his arms, curled into his covered neck, both of them human and alone in the scenario. No one else, not even peripheral noise of a quiet town or animals. Just the rain.

The door opened to June Darby, ushering the two inside. Upon the walls, there were insects pinned with precise work, and if he listened carefully, there was strained, dying buzzing.

(If Arachnid didn't cease her focus on Jack Darby, then Soundwave wouldn't need to do anything once she tired of her colony's failures. June would crush her like she crushed every single strange creature that attempted to spirit him away.)

“I'm trying a new recipe.” She called out from the small kitchen, and he smelled spices. The knowledge passively filtered through his mind: cumin, paprika, cayenne, and pepper.

He stayed for dinner for returning Jack from his adventures in the trees.

(Not quite a lie, the boy had a penchant for climbing high points and hunkering down in them.)

It tasted like Energon. Not from crystals or recycled from old rations. There was a peculiar twang on his lips and an electric crawl skittering down his throat.

Energon that was fresh from a living frame.

A dark reminder of his darker days, wandering and lost in the sunless crypts of Kaon's underbelly before Soundwave signed himself away to the gladiatorial clades.

He didn't stop eating. Fuel was fuel was fuel.

Nor did he question when the scene shifted to the living room, TV droning in an indecipherable language. All three of them were on the couch, Jack curled between them and tucked beneath a blanket.

The photographs, framed on the walls and dotting on shelving, stared at him, their discontent and growing wrath obvious.

GET OUT, those eyes demanded, and all the individuals morphed into a single, faceless, heavily-robed figure.

There was a scent of perfumed incense lingering in the air, unease pickling as the foreign defense mechanism of an intruder closed in. The rain pounded the windows, clawing at the glass.

Soundwave carefully nudged the dreamscape. One couldn't stop the sea, but one could guide a river. He needed to be extra careful not to be swept away and subsumed. Better by the water rather than what new game the Veiled One decided.

They're at a park. Vividly green and rain drizzling.

Woodchips wetly crunched beneath his steps as he eyed June pushing Jack's back.

There were others around them, vibrant and colorful, their faces distorted like melting paints, swirling down the drain as whispers and giggles echoed. He held still, mindful not to disturb as dream and memory blended, and it was difficult to tell which was which, and the wrong guess could lead to psychic backlash.

“This is a nice dream,” she sighed, leaning onto his shoulder, warm and real.

“How can you tell?” Even here, his voice was strange, no hints of the long-used distortion, nor did his throat pull from the damage. Perhaps it was an amalgamation of his repertoire to ground the experience. Perhaps it was his original one, aged up with a close approximate. No matter to him. Another mask to be utilized in the dreamscape. Not a broken vow.

“I never took Jack here.” He felt her head shift. “Look there, that tree gave the best rides.”

He followed her pointed finger to a darkly-colored tree, gently twisting its trunk to an easy sway for those riding tires hanging in its branches. From the distance, he spied gleams and glitters in its foliage as leaves showered the people beneath its presence.

They watched for a long time.

The corners rippled and Soundwave didn't flinch when he was pulled elsewhere, expecting another shift, but gently pushed back into his own head.

The vague face had taken on far more distinct features, serene with a motherly focus, and the powerful field calmed to an eddying sensation, like wading into a lake or during low tide. Another pair of large hands with intact protoform had a pool of Energon cupped in their palms as a smaller, skinny set easily bypassed the bars to feed Jack, utilizing micro-transformations to form a spoon with her own fingers.

Jack simply ate, frame crooning at the attention, easily finishing the offer. The spoon morphed into a thin vine, wiping away the excess before returning into a hand, affectionately rubbing a cheek and his neck before parting away.

She pulled back, resettling in the room. Shadows didn't expand, simply curled and still. Pleasantly calm and amiable in the continued presence.

Jack sighed, squirming to resettle on his back. For a moment when Soundwave met Jack's optics, burning bright in that strange grey-blue, Soundwave caught wisps of memories: blood-soaked trees and stained hands with chunks of metal and raw crystal, eyes crushed or pecked out and eaten as well.

The little femme in Starscream's care wasn't the only bloodthirsty thing. No matter how quiet or relatively docile the sparkling was, there was that same bloodthirst and cruel streak.

"Mama's gonna wake up soon," Jack murmured sleepily into his bare neck as they walked away. Dark wings fluttered, and June's gaze never wavered.

#transformers #transformer prime #tfp #soundwave #june darby #jack darby #humanformers #humans into cybertronians #cyber!earth #creature #violence #cannibalism #parental relationship #bitlets #sparklings #maccadam #my writing #tf headcanons #look SW got himself a weird crow boy and monster wife now #no complaints from that one

[candycandy00]

The Experiment - A Mr. Compress x Reader Fanfic

Part of the League of Villains Halloween Horror Anthology! Featuring Mr. Compress as a Mad Scientist!

Smut. 18+. Oral sex, blood, implied gore/death/torture (“offscreen”). Mr. Compress in glasses. F! Reader. Zombies. Horror.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Eerie red light flooded the room. You squinted and held your hand over your eyes, not quite used to the emergency beacons flashing wildly as a siren screamed from overhead. It was only the second time you’d experienced such a thing. Working in the top secret laboratories on the island was certainly not boring. 

At least a dozen people in long white coats were running back and forth, scrambling to gather up weapons and shouting into communicators. “Another one got out!” someone screamed, and you shuddered. The thought of one of those things running around loose made your skin crawl. 

A woman stopped beside you. “Hey, what are you doing?! Don’t just stand there, grab a gun and help us find it!” 

You blinked at her, thinking she couldn’t be serious. I’m only an assistant. This wasn’t in the job description. I don’t even know how to use a gun. 

The woman huffed angrily and ran off. You were relieved. You glanced around the room, watching the chaotic scene. People appeared and then disappeared into the hallways, through three separate doors. Monitors along the far wall displayed every possible nook and cranny in the building as the cameras searched frantically for the missing experiment. 

One of the doors flew open yet again and a familiar voice yelled, “I found it! On the third floor!” 

Your eyes fell on the man standing just inside the room, panting as he tried to catch his breath. A rifle was in his right hand. He looked up and noticed you, then grinned at you from behind his wire-rimmed glasses. “I found it,” he repeated in your direction. 

You nodded, smiling. “Good job, Doctor.” 

“Would you like to come help me catch it?” 

Your face turned red. “You... want me to come with you?” 

The doctor looked at you, puzzled. “Sure. I’ll need all the backup I can get!” 

You lowered your eyes. “Oh. I’m sorry, Doctor, but I don’t know how to use a gun.” 

He looked surprised. “Really? We’ll have to fix that. Sit this one out then!” And with that he waved and headed back into the hall. Several more people ran after him. 

You flopped into a nearby chair and sighed. So much for being alone with him. But I guess hunting down one of those things wouldn’t really be that romantic. 

You had been Doctor Sako’s assistant for the past two months, from your first day on the job. It was love at first sight. He had stepped out of one of the experimentation rooms, splattered from head to toe in blood, and given you the most beautiful smile you’d ever seen. Like he was genuinely happy to see you. Like he’d been waiting for you. All his life. 

He was handsome, in an unconventional way. Wavy dark hair, warm brown eyes behind large glasses, a perpetually stained white lab coat worn over a button up shirt, suspenders attached to black pants. He wasn’t exactly Prince Charming, but his smile lit up any space he walked into. 

The room had gone quiet. All the scientists involved in the search had followed Doctor Sako to the third floor. You looked up at the monitors, where you saw them all standing around in the hall. The floor and walls were covered in gore. Blood, clumps of flesh, battered internal organs, all splashed across the hall as if someone had just exploded. A few minutes later Doctor Sako returned, so covered in guts that his messy hair looked completely red and you couldn’t find a single spot on him that was clean. 

He smiled at you again. “Well, that’s done.” 

You laughed nervously. “You have an exciting job.” 

“Yes, but now we have to get back to the boring work,” he said with a chuckle. 

You were happy as you stood up and followed him to his office. Your small desk was across the room from his, facing him. You spent a great deal of time filing papers and organizing files and helping him go over test results. You didn’t have clearance to go into the experimentation rooms with him, and so you never knew exactly what was going on. But you had seen some of the test subjects and always waited just outside the door for him, ready to fetch anything he might need. 

“Do you need some coffee?” you asked, walking toward the door to get some for yourself. 

“That would be lovely, thank you,” he said, eyes quickly scanning a document in his hands. 

You left the office, closing the door behind you and heading for the meager kitchen area. You poured yourself a cup of coffee, then another for the doctor. You hummed happily to yourself as you added cream and sugar to his cup. You couldn’t explain why, but you felt extremely pleased to know exactly how he liked his coffee. He liked sweet things, you had realized within a week of working for him. And so you occasionally brought chocolates to work with you and always made sure to offer him some. 

The lady scientist who had yelled at you earlier appeared in the kitchen, filling a glass of water. She looked at you with disgust. “What are you so happy about?” 

Your faint humming stopped suddenly. “Excuse me?” 

The woman frowned. “Today was a disaster. Three weeks of work just went down the drain. Millions of dollars wasted. Anyone who cares about our work here would be devastated, not humming and grinning like an idiot.” 

“That’s not true!” you found yourself saying a little too loudly. “Doctor Sako cares about his work more than anyone and he’s still smiling!” 

The woman stared at you. “The way you talk about him, the way you look at him, is highly inappropriate for a working environment. Besides, you have no idea what kind of person he is.” 

“I do know! I know he’s a sweet and friendly person. I know he’s brilliant and kind and always makes time for others!” 

“But have you seen him working? Have you been in the experimentation rooms?” 

You reluctantly shook your head. “Not yet, but he says that after I’ve been here long enough, I can.” 

The woman laughed. “You’re in for a big surprise then. Doctor Sako is a monster in those rooms, a butcher. He has absolutely no regard for human beings.” 

You hesitated for a moment, not sure how to respond. You glanced at the doctor’s sugared coffee and remembered his smile. “You’re wrong,” you finally said. “He’s a gentle person. I’m sure he has to hurt people sometimes for his work, but it’s important to him.” 

The woman chuckled again, highly amused. “Whatever you say, honey.” 

You grabbed the two cups of coffee from the counter and hurried into the hall, nearly colliding with two people before reaching the doctor’s office. You sat his coffee on his desk and he looked up at you with a smile. “Thank you, my dear.” 

You nodded and returned to your own desk, but you couldn’t focus on your work. You couldn’t stop watching him, thinking about what the woman had told you. Doctor Sako was cute and charming. He couldn’t possibly be that bad. You finally spoke up. 

“Doctor?” 

He looked at you. “Yes?” 

“What exactly do you do... in the experimentation rooms?” 

He stared at you blankly for a few moments, as if the question surprised him. “Well, we test our products on them. See how their bodies react to the different strains we’ve created.” 

“Strains?” 

“Of viruses. To use for biological weapons. And of course we’ve been trying to create reanimated corpses that will serve as soldiers in the future.” 

“The zombies?” 

The Doctor held his hands up immediately and made a shushing motion. “Don’t let the others hear you say that! They really hate that term.” 

You were embarrassed. “Oh, sorry.” 

“But yes, the zombies. We’ve been able to create twelve so far, but none of them have lasted very long and we’ve had varied results on their motor functions and cognitive abilities.” 

“I see,” you said. “So... the work you’re doing... it’s for a good cause then.” 

“Oh, absolutely! It’s the most important thing in the world for me!” 

The doctor was beaming with pride, and you decided he had earned the right to do so. He was the head scientist over the whole lab, the top paid employee of their mysterious company. He only answered to a select few people, men in fancy suits who showed up once a week to check the progress of their work, dish out money to fund more experiments, and occasionally fire someone who wasn’t doing their best. 

The doctor suddenly smiled at you. “You want to visit the experimentation rooms, don’t you?” 

You were taken off guard by his question, but nodded slowly. In truth, you were a little uneasy about seeing what went on behind the locked steel doors. But the thought of getting to know Doctor Sako better, of being able to understand his work and his goals, overcame your fear of the unknown. 

“I’ll ask Shreve tonight. He’s coming for the weekly meeting.” 

Your heart fluttered. He really wants to show me his work. He wants to share it with me. 

A clock chimed somewhere in the building and the doctor stood up. “Time to do a check-up,” he said cheerfully, grabbing a pair of latex gloves from a nearby dispenser as he left the room. You followed him into the hall and stopped just outside a large shiny door. 

“I’ll be waiting here, doctor, in case you need anything.” 

He waved in return and closed the door behind him. You stood quietly for several minutes before sliding down the wall into a sitting position on the floor. A few scientists walked by and gave you dirty looks. I don’t care. I’m Doctor Sako’s assistant, not theirs. As long as he’s pleased with me, nothing else matters. 

You’d been waiting for nearly two hours before the door swung open and the doctor peeked out. “I need some assistance!” he yelled, but his voice was nearly engulfed by another sound. 

Screaming. Someone was screaming from within the room. It was so loud and high-pitched that you couldn’t tell if the voice was male or female. As the doctor stood in the door way, you stole a glance into the room behind him. Something laid on a table, something that took you several seconds to realize was a human being. You could see an arm and two legs, but everything in between was just a big bloody pile of goo. At the top, you could almost make out a face. But it was so distorted and twisted with shock and horror that it did nothing to help you distinguish the gender. 

“What is...” 

“Listen, dear!” the doctor suddenly yelled, and your attention was snapped away from the grizzly scene inside. You realized then that in Doctor Sako’s left hand was an arm. A bloody, mangled arm. In his right hand was a saw. 

“Yes... doctor?” you managed to say, feeling a little dazed. 

“I need some buckets right away!” 

The bizarrely serious look on his face made you scramble to your feet and dash off without another word to the supply closet to grab the requested buckets. They were large and bright orange and you couldn’t carry more than two. You reached them to him and he immediately dropped the arm into the first bucket with a disgusting thud and thanked you as he shut the door again. 

He emerged another hour later, covered in a fresh coat of blood, and this time there were no sounds coming from the room. The lights were off and you couldn’t see anything before he closed the door and locked it with his personal key. He pulled off his glasses and pulled back his soaked lab coat, holding up the collar of his shirt to wipe the lenses. 

He looked at you and grinned. “Second time today,” he said with a laugh. 

You watched him uneasily, not sure what to say after having seen something so disturbing. You finally decided to just ask him about it. You took a deep breath. “Doctor, what was that?” 

He replaced his glasses. “Oh, you saw? Just another reanimated corpse. After we lost one today, I thought we’d better try to create another one quickly to replace it. You know, the meeting tonight and all.” 

“Did it work?” 

“The subject didn’t respond well to the virus. We had to terminate the experiment.” 

“I see,” you said. 

“I have to go clean up. Shreve will be here any minute.” 

You nodded and watched him disappear around a corner. You returned to his office, sitting down and laying your head upon your desk. Maybe the other scientist was right. Maybe he does do horrible things in those rooms. But it was just a zombie. It was already dead. You can’t hurt something that’s already dead. 

The terrible screams you heard earlier flooded your mind and you closed your eyes tightly, trying to force the memory out. It’s for his work. This will make our military stronger. It’ll make our country stronger. He’s doing good things. He’s a good person! 

Doctor Sako came back to his office with a fresh lab coat and most of the blood washed from his face and hands. Stains still littered his pants and clumps of stuff you didn’t care to identify still clung to stray strands of his hair. He sat down in his leather chair and began typing at his computer. You watched him intently. 

He suddenly caught your eye. “Is something wrong?” 

You hesitated for a moment, then stood up and closed the distance between your desk and his. “Doctor, I... really enjoy working with you.” 

He was staring up at you and looked a little confused. “I enjoy working with you too,” he said. 

Your heart was pounding furiously and your cheeks were beginning to burn, but you’d made up your mind. You had to tell him how you felt, before your mind became any more clouded with doubts. You swallowed hard and looked him in the eyes. “Do you have anyone that you love?” 

He looked even more confused. “I, uh, love my work.” 

“I’m in love with you.” 

His eyes widened. His pale face became pink. “Oh... I...” 

You felt like your knees would give out at any moment, but it was too late to turn back now. “I don’t expect you to return my feelings, but I wanted you to know how I feel. I don’t want you to treat me differently. I don’t want this to change our working relationship. I just...” you trailed off, taken surprise by how adorably embarrassed he looked, like a school boy. You wanted to laugh, but realized how inappropriate that would be. Had no girl ever confessed her love for him? Had he never been in a relationship? 

You felt a little more confident as a smile tried to creep onto your face. You walked around his desk and stood over him. You leaned down, inching closer to him. You were moving slowly, giving him plenty of time to stop you or pull away or push you back. But he seemed to be frozen, watching you with shock. When you were close enough to feel his breath on your face, you paused. “Could you accept my feelings, Doctor?” 

“I... uh... think you’re very pretty and... I’m flattered, really.” 

You blushed, extremely pleased to receive the compliment but now fearful that he was preparing to reject you. You were just waiting for a ‘But’. 

“But...” 

You quickly pressed your lips to his, effectively cutting him off. You couldn’t bear to let him finish, to hear his rejection. You wrapped your arms around his neck and within seconds you were in his lap. You eventually became aware of his hands on your back, pulling you closer to him and somewhat clumsily creeping beneath your lab coat. He does like me! He wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t like me. He’d be pushing me away. 

You didn’t dare to break the kiss, even as he pulled off your lab coat and slid his off his shoulders. He was so warm and soft and his mouth tasted sweet like the candy and cakes he was always eating. This was a dream come true. This was what all your fantasies were made of. Just this moment in Doctor Sako’s arms. 

After a few moments, you slid from his lap and onto your knees in front of him, looking up at him as you unbuckled his belt. He was breathing harder as he watched you, his dark eyes wide behind his glasses. He looked flustered, but he made no attempt to stop you as you opened his pants and slid the waistband of his boxers down far enough to free his cock. You were surprised that he was already hard, and when you glanced at his face, a light blush had dusted his cheeks. 

You couldn’t help smiling. You leaned forward and licked gently at his tip, and you heard his breath hitch. Feeling emboldened by his reaction, you took him into your mouth, using your tongue to circle his length. His hands were gripping the arm rests of his chair, and his eyes never left you, seeming entranced. You moved your head back and forth, sliding your lips up and down him, using your saliva to keep him slick. 

He made quick, stilted moans that turned you on as you continued sucking his dick, determined to get him off. It didn’t take too long. He was probably even more inexperienced than you were. His entire body went rigid when he came into your mouth, a shuddering groan filling your ears. You swallowed every last drop, locking eyes with him as you licked up any remaining drops. 

You got back to your feet and he pulled you back into his lap, his hands tugging your skirt up as you wrapped your arms around him. 

A harsh knock came at the door, causing you to practically leap from Sako’s lap and retreat back to your desk. He looked nervously at you, his face red, then stood up and straightened his lab coat, making his way toward the door. He reached up and tried to smooth out his ever messy hair before turning the knob. 

Shreve, a stuffy looking business man in a black suit walked in. “Did I interrupt you, doctor?” 

The man’s eyes very pointedly shifted to your discarded lab coat on the floor. You blushed and sank lower in your chair. Doctor Sako laughed uneasily and picked it up. “Not at all, sir. I was expecting you.” 

Shreve made no attempt to participate in small talk. “Let’s step into the meeting room. I want a full report on what happened here today. I’ve heard some disappointing things about the newest subject.” 

“Of course, sir,” the doctor replied, draping your coat over his own chair and giving you a weak grin before leaving with Shreve. 

You were left alone in his office, your face still burning with a combination of embarrassment and excitement. I can’t believe it. I kissed him. He kissed me back. It was so perfect! Why did Shreve have to ruin it? 

You spent a few minutes sulking before an idea hit you. Doctor Sako had said he would ask Shreve about giving you clearance to go into the experimentation rooms. If he’d found your behavior inappropriate, he wouldn’t ask. But if he liked you, and wanted to spend more time with you, he would. 

You quietly exited the room and crept down the hall, toward the meeting room. You arrived at the door and stood beside it, trying to listen. You could hear Shreve’s raised voice but couldn’t make out what he was saying. You very carefully reached down and twisted the knob, sliding the door open just a little, enough to allow sound to escape. 

“You’re wasting our money and our time! If you can’t start producing real results, we’re going to have to cut off funds.” 

Doctor Sako’s voice sounded strained, worried. “We’re doing our best. We just don’t have enough subjects to work with. You were supposed to send us more. As of today, we have no new subjects in the entire building.” 

Shreve’s voice sounded like a roar. “Then find your own subjects! I want results this time next week, or there will be serious consequences!” 

You slid the door shut and silently walked back down the hall. You felt guilty for listening in, and felt sorry for the doctor. How could he possibly ask about getting you clearance when he was already in trouble? Things had went from amazing to depressing in the course of ten minutes. 

You stopped beside Doctor Sako’s office and leaned face-first against the door. You felt so stupid now for saying such silly things to him, for putting on such a shameful display. He had enough on his mind. How could you face him now? 

You started to turn around when you heard a loud, sudden cracking sound, almost like a bat hitting a baseball. White light flooded your vision and you felt the sensation of falling backward. All sound then melted away, and you lifted your eyes to see the ceiling above you. Through the haze of light, you thought you caught a glimpse of Doctor Sako’s face. And then, nothing. 

When you opened your eyes again, the first thing you noticed was that you hurt. Everywhere. It was as if someone had simply poured a bucket of pain over your entire body. Your eyes seemed blurry and you strained to see in front of you as objects started to become clear. You could see a plain white wall at first, and slowly the rest of the room came into view. A tiny video camera sat in the far corner of the ceiling, pointing at you. To the left, you could see a large metal door. And to your right... 

“Good morning, my dear!”

You turned to the voice and blinked. Doctor Sako smiled at you, the same smile he had given you the day you met, the smile that told you he had been waiting for you all along. The smile you fell in love with. 

“What happened?” you asked, and you realized your voice was tiny and weak. Your whole body was aching severely and you couldn’t move anything. It took you a while to realize that your arms and legs were tied down with leather straps, and you were completely naked. 

You jerked wildly, your first instinct to cover yourself, then cried out when sharp stabbing pain shot through your arms. The dull aches became unbearable stings. “Doctor, what’s going on?! What’s wrong with me?!” 

He reached out a latex glove-covered hand and patted your head. “Calm down. It’s alright. Your body adjusted to the virus wonderfully. The first part of the experiment has been a great success.” 

You heard the words but your brain couldn’t seem to process them. “Experiment?” 

“I explained it to you before, didn’t I? Creating reanimated corpses. Wait, what was the term you used? Zombie? Yes, you’re a zombie now.” 

You stared at him in horror, not able to believe what he was saying. All the more terrible was that he was still smiling. “No... please... you can’t do this to me!” you cried, “I’m your assistant! You’re a good person, you wouldn’t do this!” 

The smile faded slightly. “I thought you understood. This is a very important experiment. In fact, today we’re going to start the second phase.” 

“Second phase?” 

The smile returned. “You’re the most successful subject we’ve encountered so far. Judging by your reactions since waking up, you’ve retained all your motor functions and have incredible cognitive abilities. You can still think, talk, and feel. You’re a perfect specimen to study.” 

You tried to shake your head, but your neck was so stiff that the pain was too great. Tears fell down your face. “I don’t understand... I can’t be dead! I’m not dead!” 

Doctor Sako seemingly ignored you. “The next phase of the experiment is to find out just how much damage a subject can take before it finally dies a second time. Oh but don’t worry, you’re quite durable now. I think you’ll last quite a while!”

Your vision was becoming blurry again from your tears. You tried to control your sobs, as each time your body shook you were racked with excruciating pain. “Please... please don’t do this.. I love you. I thought... I thought you...” 

He patted your head again. “I told you, I love my work. Now you’re my work.” 

You gaped at him, still not able to get over the shock of what he was saying. He even turned a little pink, as if he were confessing his love for you. “Oh God... she was right... the woman in the kitchen...” 

But your voice broke off when you spotted the large saw in the doctor’s right hand. He held up his left hand and grinned. “Look, I remembered the buckets this time!” 

And anyone unfortunate enough to wander by the experimentation room as Doctor Sako entered or left would find their ears overwhelmed by the sound of screaming. And some would wonder what lurked beyond the door, perhaps even catch glimpses of a bloody mess that vaguely resembled a once beautiful young woman. But the doctor would smile and lock the door, cheerfully returning to his office. 

End

#mr. compress x reader #mr. compress smut #mr. compress #lovhalloweenhorror #atsuhiro sako x reader #atsuhiro sako

[factorialsotherfandoms]

This is like... not really canon, but not really au either? I'd say its 'events that happened offscreen' sort of canon, but like the building Cellbit and Forever are in doesn't exist in the actual server either. But it's not heavily important. So just. Roll with it, I guess (normally for canon stuff I scour screenshots for the buildings. I cannot be bothered today, so fuck it, whatever's convenient.)

TW: gunshot wounds, horrific medical practice (if you get shot go see a doctor), blood, idk why Cellbit and Forever want to argue but they do

Cellbit looks up from his book, only to see Forever stumble in. For a moment the other man looks exhausted, and pained, clutching at his arm and hissing in a deep breath.

And then Forever's eyes latch on to Cellbit's form. Immediately he straightens up, lets go of the arm, and hides himself in a grin, "Cellbo! Hi~"

"What did you do?" Cellbit snaps his book shut, and looks at his friend. He doesn't have the energy for this - it's not really a puzzle, it's just the standard dumbassery of their group.

"Me? Nothing!" Forever is edging around the sitting room towards the kitchen.

Cellbit levels him with a glare, "why can I see blood on your sleeve, then?"

"Shit!"

Easy, easy; there's not really blood on Forever's sleeve, but he still looks down at his arm.

"Sit down," Cellbit doesn't leave him other options. "I'll get the first aid kit."

There's a few moments of standoff before Forever relents, sitting heavily on one of the armchairs. Cellbit makes sure he looks like he is staying before slipping around to the kitchen. There's more in their first aid kit than the name implies - the island is a dangerous place and help is rarely available and even less frequently without a price - but still it's kept under the sink.

He also grabs a glass of fruit juice, and some of the cookies Richas had both made and abandoned earlier. Their egg has run off to build with Pac and Mike, now, but the cookies are still warm.

Cellbit returns to the sitting room, and shoves the cookies in Forever's face.

"Richas made them," he says, before a complaint can be raised.

Forever pouts as he takes one, but he does eat.

Still he doesn't say what he did. Cellbit, equally stubborn, grabs his sleeve and rolls it up himself.

Taped to his upper arm is a wad of blood-soaked gauze, and it really is a wonder there /wasn't/ blood on Forever's sleeve.

"Forever!" he scolds, already starting to peel the dressing away. "What did you do?!"

"I didn't do anything!" Forever attempts to defend. "It was Cucurucho who shot me! But it's fine! I patched it up, see?"

Cellbit goes dead still.

"What. Did you say."

"Err..." Forever looks suitably nervous.

Cellbit knows he himself looks like tortured prey, but he hopes it only adds to the effect. "You're supposed to tell us these things, Forever, we're your family! What if he shot you somewhere else?! Took you away? We're here for you!"

Forever turns his eyes on Cellbit, candlelight making them flicker between brown and black, "like you tell us anything either!"

Cellbit can't defend himself a whole lot against that - he slams his hand over the wound, putting pressure on it, and uses his other to find a needle and thread.

"Where's the exit wound?"

Nervous laughter is his reply.

"Fuck you, Forever, what were you going to do about it?!"

If he's anything like Cellbit - and they're more alike than most can see - the answer is ignore it until it's become such a problem

The laughter pitches more. Cellbit forces painkillers and the juice onto his friend, before giving him a roll of unused bandages to bite on, and grabs the tweezers instead.

Cellbit's hands aren't the steadiest, not these days and not with so little sleep, but he keeps them steady as he can. Forever goes blissfully - worryingly - quiet as he uses one hand to dab the blood away, and readies the tweezers with the other.

Thankfully, the bullet remained intact. Less thankfully, it clipped against Forever's bone, shifting its angle. Cellbit finds himself having to make another cut in Forever's arm - the whine that comes with it is pained, and Cellbit cannot blame him - to safely pull the bullet out.

Knife in flesh again - how strange to be doing harm to heal, and not just to feed. There's been a lot of changes, these years, and maybe some are for the better.

By the time the bullet is removed, Forever is shaking more than Cellbit's hands. Still there is work to be done - Cellbit pours most of the bottle of antiseptic over the wound, making sure to touch everywhere the bullet did. He drains it as best he can, and then returns to the needle and thread.

Layer by layer he stitches Forever's flesh back together, making sure the form holds. Forever's nails dig into his leg, even as he gasps around the bandages in his mouth and shudders in pain.

Cellbit ignores him.

He's gotten very good at ignoring other people's pain over the years.

Eventually he's done. Then - and only then - does he free Forever's mouth.

"Fuck me," are the first words from Forever's mouth.

Cellbit ignores him, unwrapping some fresh gauze and bandages with which to cover the wound, "I'll check it again in the morning - if it starts feeling too warm, let someone know."

"I know what to do with an injury, Cellbo," Forever breathes the words between hisses. "We've done this before."

"Do you?" Cellbit asks. "Because that definitely needed two hands, idiot! What, you'd have just slept with the bullet still there."

Fingers, somewhat shaky in their turn, find their way into Cellbit's hair.

Cellbit pauses, and breathes, and leans forwards. He wraps his arms around Forever's back and crushes his face into the back of the sofa.

"Don't scare me like that," Cellbit says. "Getting shot by Cucurucho is not a small thing."

"It's happened to everyone else," Forever shrugs a bit. "Was bound to happen to me."

"... I'm going to kill that fucking bear."

Forever laughs, loud and true, but his hands shake as he holds Cellbit back.

"I'm serious, Forever, I'm going to kill that bear and I'm going to feast on it's remains."

"I'm sure you will," Forever replies. "I'm sure you will."

It sounds like a platitude. Cellbit is quite serious with his intention - he has been for a while - but no matter.

Just as soon as he knows his family are safe from the repercussions, they will see.

They will all, each and every one of them, see.

#qsmp fanfic #qsmp forever #qsmp cellbit #not my favourite thing I've ever written with either character #and it doesn't feel like enough torment and anguish #but frankly getting shot at this point is kinda just shit that happens #as is cucurucho being terrible #... cellbit's still going to murder that fucking bear tho

[opinated-user]

There's no way for Lily to read Flowers In The Attic as erotica because the only implied sex happens offscreen. I really doubt she'd read a whole book for the page and a half where we get a tense conversation between Chris and Cathy before Chris assaults her, because there's just not enough physical descriptors there to make it sexual or sexualized. Really, in the actual novel more time is spent with Cathy trying to pretend everything's fine afterwards and Chris being a sentient ball of pure guilt than anything else. Prior to that the most they do is look at one another naked (once on accident because one walks in on the other, another time because Chris was helping Cathy get into the bathtub after being whipped by their grandmother) and fall asleep on the couch together after reading a book to their younger siblings.

To be able to treat the page and a half where Chris is seething and side-eyeing Cathy as erotica would imply Lily is the kind of personal capable of finding the character work and interpersonal relationships at play interesting and she's just not that smart. I'm sorry, I know that sounds cruel, but I flat-out don't believe she has the ability to understand the ways in which Chris has been groomed by his grandmother to think he wants to do something and his inner demons telling him if he does it maybe the grandmother will see Cathy as a victim and let her leave and then one of them can finally be out of this God-forsaken place.

I really doubt Lily has ever read the novel at all, to be frank. There's far too much character work, too little action and too much complicated interpersonal relationships being revealed and growing and being redefined. There's no murder or badass monologues or swords or fascism.

If I had a guess, I'd say she maybe pirated it to see if she could read some incest, found out it's actually a sad portrait of psychological and physical abuse with only one instance of implied sex in the present day via cntl + F'ing to look around for sexy words, and dropped it.

Otherwise she'd realize that she has far, far more in common with the religious hateful incest-obsessed grandma than anyone else, and I doubt 'old woman who ends up alone in the world' is her kind of self-insert.

I'm unsurprised to learn she missed the whole point of the 'incestuous behavior was basically gaslighted and groomed into Chris until he snapped after years of isolation, beating and psychological torture' though and instead referenced it as if it were a naturally-occurring relationship when the entire point of the book is that it's not. That sounds like her level of reading "comprehension".

i don't really believe either that LO read the novel. mostly because LO herself already said that she doesn't read. she's proud about it too, like any anti-intellectual small minded internet critic would be. for anyone whohas read the book and knows about the author, saying that they wrote the "goth" (a music genre, not a literary one) version of the story should be embarrassing enough. she does probably know that it's about incest in a family of abused children and so she already loves that premise, again without knowing that whatever "goth" element she thinks she's adding was probably already there and better written in the original.

#lily orchard

[incomprehensiblelentils]

i need recommendations for some lesbian movies. My wife wants to watching something gay, but is tired of gay men's movies

oh gosh I am so sorry I'm just now getting to this - I was out of town the whole weekend and got back yesterday evening, when my brain was melting out my ears from the heat. without further ado!

I have categorized this list into a few sections:

Well-Made/"Good" Movies I Can Vouch For

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019): you have probably heard of this, but in case you haven't, it's a French historical drama about a painter who is commissioned to do a wedding portrait for a reluctant bride-to-be. It's lush, emotional, bittersweet, and breathtakingly shot. Content warnings: mention of a minor character's suicide, brief abortion scene featuring a secondary character, one scene of the leads doing drugs together.

Saving Face (2004): This is a lovely film about a young Chinese surgeon who is juggling her secret relationship with the drama her mother causes. Content warnings: intergenerational trauma.

Carol (2014): Again, you've probably heard of this one - it's another historical drama, this one based on Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt. A young aspiring photographer is captivated by a mysterious woman named Carol. After Portrait came out I find myself not as enamored of this one (I think Rooney Mara is not very good in it lmao), but it's a lovely film worth a watch. Content warnings: period-typical homophobia, Carol's shitty husband.

The Half of It (2020): From the director of Saving Face, this is a high-school coming of age movie inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac, in which a second-generation Chinese girl ends up volunteering to write love letters to her crush, "from" the jock who is also in love with said crush. Some really beautiful stuff about immigrant Chinese families in here, and I was really touched by the friendship between the two leads. Content warnings: racism, homophobia, bullying, intergenerational trauma.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017): This is based on the life of William Marston, creator of Wonder Woman, and his partners Elizabeth and Olive. I am given to understand that the relationship between the two women was probably not romantic IRL, but I really love the way the movie treats both the triad and the women as a couple. I also think the BDSM stuff is cute. Content warnings: age gap/power differential romance (two professors and their TA), homophobia including a brief violent attack, brief cancer subplot towards the end of the film.

Summerland (2020): A WWII movie about the bond between a reclusive writer and the young boy she is reluctantly forced to care for due to the London evacuations. I will spoil this for you because it gave me severe anxiety: the lesbians both live to the end, and they get to raise their son together! My main complaint is not enough Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Content warnings: WWII imagery/setting, parent death (offscreen but significant part of the plot), brief child peril.

The Favourite (2018): This is a weird little black comedy about two cousins who are vying to be the favored paramour of Queen Anne in 18th century Britain. It's some fun fucked-up drama. Content warnings: animal abuse/death (toward the end of the film), manipulation, non-consensual drugging.

I Can't Think Straight (2008): I haven't seen this one since college but I remember liking it - it's about two women, one Palestinian and one Indian, who meet and fall in love despite unlikely circumstances. Content warnings: cheating (one character is engaged to a man).

V For Vendetta (2005) - in case you forgot, this has lesbians! Content warnings: torture, attempted sexual assault, hanging, child death, panic attack, homophobia/dead lesbians

Birds of Prey (2020) - Harley Quinn is canonically bisexual! Also I love this movie. Content warnings: cartoonish violence, graphic torture including of a child, child death (implied/heard), implied sexual assault by the villain (of a minor character).

Booksmart (2019): High school comedy about two best friends who decide they're sick of being dweebs and want to go to a cool party before they graduate. I think it's largely delightful and I love the lesbian character's story. However, the subplot with the teacher who has sex with her (19yo) student is BAD and I won't defend it, nor will I judge anyone for wanting to skip based on that. Content warnings: extended non-con drugged sequence (played for laughs/nothing bad happens to them), aforementioned age gap/power differential romance (secondary characters).

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999): Clea Duvall and Natasha Lyonne star in a satire of conversion therapy camps, also featuring young Dante Basco. Personally I think it keeps things light and silly enough not to trigger me with the religious rhetoric. Content warnings: conversion camp setting and corresponding conservative Christian rhetoric, general homophobia, uh, RuPaul is here at one point?

In the Heights (2021): This movie is very much not perfect, chiefly for the colorism in the casting choices. BUT I like that Daniela and Carmen are gay now. Content warnings: racism, prejudice against undocumented individuals, grandparent death.

Movies I Think You Should Watch Maybe - Are They Good? I Couldn't Say!

D.E.B.S. (2004): This is a deeply silly movie about an all-girls' spy school in which the star pupil falls in love with international supercriminal Lucy Diamond, directed by queer icon Angela Robinson and featuring lesbian grandma Holland Taylor as the headmaster. Content warnings: cartoonish (PG-13) gun violence.

Imagine Me & You (2005): This was baby's first f/f movie for me, and so it has a very special place in my heart even though it is Problematic because it's about a lady cheating on her husband with Lena Headey, and also nobody remembered bisexuality exists so they say "lesbian" pretty exclusively and that sucks. Lena Headey and Piper Perabo are so good together though, and I genuinely like everyone in this movie. Content warnings: cheating (one character is married to a man).

Happiest Season (2020): Do not @ me this is MY movie!!! Kristen and Mackenzie are PERFECT. Content warnings: homophobia, manipulative behavior, one weirdly intense interrogation scene with mall cops that frankly should've been cut, mentioned fish death.

A Simple Favor (2018): This movie...it is batshit. If you like trashy drama, you will probably like this movie! Linda Cardellini plays a lesbian artist and I love her so much. Content warnings: manipulation, murder, incest (adult half-siblings not raised together), intense discussion of murder-suicide, gun violence

The Falling (2014): This movie is also batshit and not good, but I need more people to watch it, because I've seen it four times and I have no idea what it's trying to say. It features Maisie Williams and Florence Pugh as British boarding school teens who have an intense "friendship" and then suddenly everyone in the school starts having collective fainting spells. Please, I just need to find the person out there who gets what this movie is doing so they can explain it to me. Content warnings: unexplained medical issues (fainting), seizures, incest (consensual? sex scene), attempted suicide, grief, discussion of sexual assault and trauma therein (secondary character)

A New York Christmas Wedding (2020): This movie is ALSO batshit in a completely different way than the other two, and again, I need someone to explain it to me. It's, uh, sort of It's a Wonderful Life but with a bisexual heroine, and some batshittery along the way? Content warnings: suicide (secondary character), teen pregnancy, weird pro-life vibes, parent death, way too much church, homophobia, Chris Noth

Movies I Haven't Yet Seen Which Have Been Recc'd To Me

Crush (2022)

Pariah (2011)

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

The Handmaiden (2016)

#mrdistracted #sometimes I watch movies

[wangxianficfinder]

Jiang Cheng Bashing Compilation

~*~

🧡 All will be well when the day is done by abCEE (T, 76k, wangxian, time travel, canon divergence, fix it, not YZY friendly, not Jiang friendly, butterfly effect, no sunshot, madam lan lives, lan WWX)

🧡 Feline misconduct: How Wei Wuxian defeated catboyphobia and seduced his way into becoming Lan Wangji's lap cat by Papriqua, vicchan (E, 44k, WangXian, Catboy WWX, Mpreg, Eventual Smut, Homophobia, Not JC Friendly, Cloud recesses study Era)

keeping score by hauntedotamatone (T, 6k, LSZ & WWX, Background WangXian, the opposite of reconciliation, Protective WWX, Duelling Grief/Mourning, not for jc fans, Swordfighting, Resentment, LSZ centric, No JC & WWX Reconciliation)

💖 Flawed and Free by Vrishchika (E, 18k, wangxian, major character death, time travel fix-it, dark LWJ, dark LXC, dark gusu lan, temporary character death, not JC friendly, angst, hurt/comfort, WIP)

A Jealous Flower Tries To Break The Sun’s Silver Moon by Preludian_Staves (T, 21k, wangxian, canon divergence, not Jiang friendly, golden core transfer fails, angst w/ happy ending, slow build, hurt/comfort, getting together, courting rituals, WN & WQ live) 

To Take A Wife- Or Perhaps A Husband by Admiranda (T, 2k, post-canon, one-sided JC/LXC, one-sided JC/NHS, kind of, not JC friendly, homophobia) 

State of Decline by FlautistsandPeonies (G, 8k, wangxian, JFM/YZY, not YZY friendly, not JC friendly, post-canon, non-linear narrative, alternating pov) 

Reclamation by CordialCoroner (CordialCrow) (M, 6k, major character death, not JC friendly, canon divergence, post sunshot, revenge) 

Trials of Time by Muggle_Diary (E, 32k, wangxian, major character death, underage, time travel, not jiang friendly, not YZY friendly, not JC friendly, butterfly effect) 

Through the Storm by marhikit (T, 33k, WangXian, Wen Xu/Male OC, WWX has siblings, Canon Divergence, Not Jiang Family Friendly, No golden core transfer, JZX & WWX friendship) 

Bitter Endings; New Beginnings by miixz (T, 7k, wangxian, WWX & WN, ABO, arranged marriage, unrequited love, stalking, not JC friendly, no war au, alpha JC, alpha LWJ, omega WWX, fluff, falling in love) 

To Speak Up by Vrishchika (M, 7k, wangxian, modern, child abuse, child neglect, not jiang friendly)

💖 Resilience. by Vrishchika (T, 7k, wangxian, time travel, not JC friendly, golden core transfer fix-it)

The plagues of Jiang Wanyin by Lyna_Mei (T, 54k, wangxian, post-canon, politics, not JC friendly, family feels, implied/referenced child abuse, torture, minor character death)

A Future Family In A Broken Past by Hauntcats (T, 121k, wangxian, time travel, not jiang friendly)

🧡 the river brought you here by chilianxianzi (Not Rated, 11k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, POV Outsider, Amnesia, Past abuse, Strangulation, Found Family)

peacemaker no more by thelastdboy (G, 6k, JYL & WWX & JC, Jiangs & WWX, JYL & Wen remnants, JYL & WQ, wangxian, modern, no powers au, chronic illness, JYL pov, not JC friendly, mental health issues)

Jiang Cheng- Dumb Ways to Die by such_stuff_as_dreams_are_made_on (Not rated, 7k, major character death, time travel, fix-it of sorts, not JC friendly, not YZY friendly, chapters stand on their own)

Return to Sender by Thesaurus_with_no_words (M, 72k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Temporary Amnesia, Slow burn)

How can you explain that? by MakoSky22 (T, 4k, WWX & OCs, implied wangxian, angst, gaslighting, outsider pov, not JC friendly, hurt/comfort, angst w/ happy ending)

Let the Heavens be the judge by A_Mirror_of_memories (T, 4k, wangxian, WWX & WQ, minor character death offscreen, time travel, karma, angst w/ happy ending, fluff, CSSR & WCZ live)

The Scapegoat by chiyukimei (T, 4k, wangxian, JL & WWX, bonding, not Jiang friendly, not JC friendly)

Like stones on an unseen board by Vir_Abelasan (Not rated, 11k, wangxian, age difference, dark lwj, manipulation, implied abuse, corporal punishment, happy ending, not jiang friendly) 

Matters of regret and confrontations series by pft_a_Frog22 (Not rated, 19k, WIP, wangxian, not Jiang friendly, time travel, golden core reveal, suicidial ideation, burial mounds, demonic cultivation)

Worth of a Good Man by Vrishchika (G, 6k, wangxian, everybody lives/nobody dies au, not jiang friendly)

bleed by justdoityoufucker (T, 5k, wangxian, time travel, sunshot campaign and post-ssc, families of choice)

💖 Symmetry by Vir_Abelasan (M, 13k, LSZ & WWX, wangxian, mind the tags just in case)

keeping score by hauntedotamatone (T, 6k, LSZ & WWX, wangxian, not JC friendly, the opposite of reconciliation, anger, protective wwx)

on restitution by glitteringmoonlight (M, 98k, LSZ & WWX, WWX & JL, wangxian, dark JC, not JC friendly, captivity, non-graphic torture, angst w/ happy ending)

'Yunmeng Siblings’ Once by chiyukimei (T, 1k, wangxian, JC & WWX, not JC friendly, post-canon)

violent delights by justdoityoufucker (T, 4k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, No Golden Core Transfer, Not JC Friendly, Found Family)

Story-Shaped by lingering_song (T, 13k, NHS & WWX, WangXian, Post-Canon, CQL verse, Protective NHS, Not JC Friendly)

Without end by barisan (M, 65k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Suicide attempt, Hurt/Comfort, Depressed WWX, JC Canon characteristics, Not YZY & JFM Friendly, Panic attacks, JC will need some time for growth, Traducción al español)

The Long Winding Road Home by Admiranda (T, 12k, WangXian, CS/WCZ, Post-Canon, Time Travel, WCZ & CS live, Not JC Friendly, Fluffy Family Reunion)

Silver (Bloodshot) Eyes by BlueAthena (T, 15k, Mentioned WangXian, WCZ & JC, WCZ & JL, Canon Divergence, Ghost WCZ, BAMF WCZ, JC bashing, Major character death, Revenge, Child JL)

🧡 Never Again by Hauntcats (T, 67k, WangXian, WWX & WQ & WN, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Angst, Not JC Friendly, BAMF WWX)

catch and release (and catch again) by Gaez (bell_flowers) (T, 18k, wangxian, canon divergence, post-bloodbath of nightless city, limb loss, necromancy, not JC friendly, canon typical violence, WIP)

Insult the Doctor Prior to Surgery by Hauntcats (T, 7k, JC & WWX & JYL, WQ & WWX, wangxian, time travel fix-it, not JC friendly)

Crossing Paths by Ilona22 (M, 21k, wangxian, shapeshifter au, war between sects, not JC friendly, not YZY friendly, war crimes, happy ending)

In Exchange by FlautistsandPeonies (M, 8k, wangxian, major character death (WWX), The Power of Yiling Laozu Sexy)

Restitution by BlueAthena (G, 14k, JL & OFC, JL & WWX, post-canon, sect leader JL, dysfunctional relationships, hurt/comfort, angst, not JC friendly, implied/referenced torture, good uncle WWX, WIP)

My heart knows (you’re the missing piece) by makexianxianhappytoday (T, 67k, wangxian, WWX & Jiang family, BSSR & WWX, canon divergence, rogue cultivator WWX, not Jiang friendly, protective LWJ, butterfly effect, no golden core transfer, WIP) 

If only you knew (what goes on in my mind) by makexianxianhappytoday (G, 7k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, angst w/ happy ending, not Jiang friendly, protective LWJ)

Inchoate by Marinelifeclub (T, 17k, wangxian, WWX leaves Jiang Sect, bad parent YZY & JFM, not JC friendly, not YZY friendly, rogue cultivator WWX, protective LWJ, no golden core transfer, dark JFM, WIP)

Cutting Out a Different Path by T98 (M, 17k, wangxian, LWJ & WN, NHS & WWX, WN & WWX & WQ, time travel fix-it, post-sunshot, burial mounds settlement days, sect leader WWX, not JC friendly, happy ending, WIP)

Away from Trouble by Ilona22 (M, 15k, wangxian, canon divergence, not JC friendly, happy ending)

I’ll Take the Path of Thorns by Admiranda (G, 6k, wangxian, cloud recesses study era, curses, not JC friendly, clever WWX, baby wangxian)

These Barren Lands In Between by lingering_song (T, 4k, wangxian, JC & WWX, post-canon, outsider POV, married wangxian, misunderstandings, politics, implied/referenced abuse, not JC friendly)

Not Jiang Cheng Friendly collection

#Wangxian Fic Rec #The Untamed #wangxian #MDZS #wangxianficfinder compilation post #jiang cheng bashing #canon jiang cheng characteristics #not jiang cheng friendly #not jiang wanyin friendly #canon jiang wanyin characteristics #jiang wanyin bashing #long post

[x-amount-verbs]

Sinners Stained Red

Have a snippet of something I started writing Fuck it, this is a finished piece. A drabble based on this art by @iseutz that has been languishing as a wip on my drive while I work on HH stuff.

[silco x gn!reader] [~850 words] [no use of y/n] [rated M for implied violence, but sfw] [modern au] [mob au] [sadist!silco] [sadist!reader] [tw offscreen torture (not to named characters)] [blood]

AO3 Link

He’s so fucking extra.

You snort a derisive laugh at the sight of blood-soaked hands holding a lit cigarette as Silco looks out over the common area. Up here from his high tower where he can see his people milling about between jobs. And, more importantly, they can see him.

“Ruined another shirt,” you observe, lips hooked in a smirk. “You could really stand to wear gloves, too.”

His good eye slides over to you, subtle smile hidden as he takes another drag. “Where’s the fun in that?” The murmured words curl in the air, visible as smoke.

You want to laugh. Approaching with silent steps, your eyes scan the crowd below. His people. The family. Each upturned face is noted in your mind. Those brave or stupid enough to watch their leader’s mid-interrogation smoke break. The fear, the respect, the anxiety. Your amusement is hard to hide, but you manage, voice wry. “You’re terrifying them.”

Silco hums a confirmation. Leaning on the railing of the upper floor, his red-stained hands are visible to anyone looking up— as is his unaffected demeanor. “Good.” His eyes drift almost unseeing over the crowd, managing to look completely disinterested. The words come out a quiet drawl, lips hardly moving. “Watch the one in green.”

You dutifully find the girl in the crowd, and even from here her mix of awe and terror is clear.

Silco turns, leaning back against the rail, eyes moving to you even as you keep watching. As soon as his back is turned, the girl hurriedly makes excuses to leave.

“A rat?” you guess, watching how she interacts with others as she heads for the doors.

“Mm.” The slight incline of his chin is as close as you’ll get to a nod, when he’s trying to be unreadable from afar. “Feeling the water rise. If we’re lucky, she’ll take more with her.”

You note three potential others to look into, based on shared glances or a careful hand on the back of a shoulder as she squeezes by. Maybe not all of them agents, but all may be weak links.

“Speaking of rats…” You raise a brow at Silco, then nod to his sticky forearms. “That legit, or did you just want to force people to open doors for you?”

One scarlet hand is offered for your inspection even as he takes another drag, his audience downstairs forgotten in favor of your conversation. “I don’t need an excuse for my men to open doors for me.”

His white sleeves are far from spotless, but they’re cleaner to grasp onto than his skin. Holding the fabric at his elbow, you delicately pinch his wrist between two fingers, like it’s something particularly undesirable. Far from the truth, if you’re honest; something about blood on his hands makes him even more appealing.

Spotting the useless sleeve garters, you glance up at him with a smirk from under lowered lashes. “All this classy finery, and you don’t even use them properly?”

Bloody fingers bring the cigarette to his lips, but his eyes stay on you, entertained. “I’ll have you know I always wear my clothes properly. And well.”

A short hum in your throat agrees, swaying toward him and lifting your chin. He does have impeccable style. It adds to his gravitas in every meeting, and his air of professionalism in every front.

Silco pulls back in a minuscule movement, gaze cutting sideways as he shifts just so to draw your attention to the crowd below.

Right. You give up on your subtle request, rocking back again. “Well, then you obviously need someone to ‘properly’ roll your sleeves, if you’re wearing them loose like some sort of harlot.” The jeer is sweet under your breath, too low for anyone to hear and too murmured for your lips to be easily read.

Another drag, gaze bright and sharp. “My forearms so tempting to you?”

Your fingers slide along the railing as you watch him, but you resist any sort of public display. Still. “Very much so, yes.” You grin.

His sharp breath is a laugh, through pressed lips, smoke a brief jet. He simply watches you, calculating. Then he looks back down at his people. The smart ones are minding their own business. The stupid ones look away. Only the most idiotic dare to stare back.

“How’s work?” you ask casually, sweetly.

Thin lips and sharp eyes convey that biting wit without him having to say a word. He still does. “You know, they say torture doesn’t get results, but I’d argue it’s much more entertaining than appeasement.”

“How far did you get with the interrogation?”

“Oh we got the basics of what was necessary yesterday. This is just a bit of anger management. My therapist says it’s important to find ways to vent my frustration.” His drawling tone is so dry you feel it sucking at your skin.

“Still at it?”

Silco’s eyes rake the crowd again, then he pushes off of the rail, heading for the door he’d come out of. “Was about to break out the brand, if you’d care to join?”

You grin. “How could I ever refuse?”

—

AO3 Link

[If you liked this, feel free to boost it! Or give it some love on ao3. I also monch cronch the comments left for me and grind them into meal for new stories, so maybe leave comments? Tags? If you have more mob au prompts or art, feel free to share them on here or in my inbox.

If you want a less bloody but still sadistic Silco, A Helping Hand features a more… let’s say disciplinarian form of sadism 👀

If you’re new, you can find more if my work here, if you’re interested. ❤️ -verbs]

Join the tag list for new works by commenting on this linked post. @dad-dumpster @foppishish @leave-me-alone-doctor @mazikomo

#silco #silco arcane #silco x reader #silco x gn!reader #silco x gender neutral reader #modern au #x-amount-writes #wip:sinners stained red #mob au #sinners stained red