#I will think of a snappy name certainly

[justarandomlambblog]

Most of this is messy and rushed but I had fun with that single panel with a detailed pumpkin

(Part One Here)

Anyway what a sheltered world where some person starts following you around town so you just lead them home and invite them to dinner (and make them carry the heavy item your sister added to the list when your back was turned) I'm sure this kindness and trust Narinder has in the world around him won't come back to bite his entire family in the ass

Lamb: I think the Bishops might be back The Bishops: Lamb: shocked pikachu face Crown: Why are we gasping? We already knew this.

Leshy without his bandages is cursed yet also adorable. Look at that bush worm. He has eyes! He's still blind but he has eyeballs!

[oneforthemunny]

rabbit food |older!dilf!eddie munson x reader|

prompt: after a run in with your ex, eddie has to let you know that you're all his. you're more than happy to let him.

haven't done older!eddie in a sec! and inspiration struck last night so here it is :) older!eddie and his lil bunny.

thank you @eddiemunsons-missingnipple for the edit <3

contains: 18+ MINORS DNI, age gap established relationship, eddie is 42 and reader is 26, protective!eddie, jealous!eddie, language, filthy filth to follow, fem receiving, ass play, anal sex, aftercare

The coffee shop was bustling, quite the crowd for a Thursday afternoon, but you supposed with finals and midterms coming up that was to be expected. Brielle had been on edge all week, her and Madeline crammed up in the house, pouring over books and notes. She'd been extra snappy lately with the stress, her and Eddie getting into a number of tiffs throughout the week, leaving you and Madeline to stand and awkwardly watch. You supposed you should've been used to it by now, you'd been around long enough, but you still didn't want to overstep when he was being a dad.

That was exactly why you  chose to have your date at the coffee shop. You'd quit a little over six months ago, not needing the extra work to busy yourself as much. You still liked to come and support the small business that treated you so kindly. It had history with you and Eddie too, after all.

You could hear the cheery sound of your name being called from across the cafe, smiling when you turned over you shoulder, expecting to be greeted with an old coworker.

"Hey," There he stood. Billy. Your ex-boyfriend.

Your blood ran cold, spine going rigid watching in slow motion when he crossed the space towards you. The same cocky grin, eyes narrowed and running over your frame predatory.

Your mouth ran dry when he stood in front of you, wrapping you in a hug that you didn't return. You could see he'd gotten new tattoos added to his forearms since your split, his hair cut shorter now, but he was still the same.

"What are you doin' here?" Billy asked, tongue running over his lower lip. "Came here last week and Theresa said you didn't work here anymore. Was she lyin' to me again?" He grinned, teeth baring.

You pursed your lips. "No, I don't work here anymore."

Billy nodded. "Good for you. Must be doin' better at the school now then, huh? Did they finally give you that raise you were always bitchin' about?" He bobbled his head like he was joking, but you knew by the way his lips snarled, curling at the edges he was serious. Always having to take a shot at you, put you down and leave you a little wounded.

You hummed, unimpressed. "Wow," You sneered, eyes rolling. "Anyways, it's been so great seeing you, but I'm meeting someone-"

"Yeah? Is it your friend, Nicole? Saw her and Marcus broke up. Think you could help me out?" Billy crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at you.

You scoffed, eyes bulging. "Nicole? Please, Billy, she hates you." You rolled your eyes hard.

Billy shrugged. "She doesn't know me. I'm sure I could change her mind." He said cockily. "I mean, I know you told her what a shit guy I was, but you certainly stuck around long enough. Must’ve been for a reason, hmm?”

Your blood ran cold, heart stopping. You could feel the familiar heat creep up your chest to your cheeks, embarrassment. You hoped he couldn't see how he'd made you feel, you didn't want him to have that over you. Judging by his smirk, arrogant and triumphant, he did.

"C'mon, you love to say what a shit guy I was, but you stayed around way longer than I thought you would." Billy took a step closer, you took one back. The dance all too familiar. Your back pressed against the table, trapped, pinned under his menacing gaze.

"Must've stayed around for something." He scoffed down at you, mocking you.

You stammered, heart hammering and mind racing. You were caught off guard, surprised. Billy inched closer, eyes narrowing even more. He opened his mouth to deliver the final blow, the final line that would break you into submission, leave you insecure and nervous like he always did.

"Hey, bunny," Eddie's voice called.

Your gaze snapped from Billy over his shoulder, seeing Eddie standing there, coveralls and a questioning glare. Seeing you ridged posture, helpless eyes cutting to his- he was stepping forward in an instance, heavy boots stomping against the ground.

"There a problem?" Eddie asked, gruff and mean, eyes locked with Billy.

Billy looked from Eddie back to you, brows knit in confusion. "Is this... You know this guy?" Billy asked, thumb hiking over his shoulder at Eddie.

Eddie scoffed, moving to wedge himself in front of you, hand on Billy's shoulder firm, pushing him back slightly. "You wanna tell me what's goin' on here, baby?" Eddie asked you, but his eyes never left Billy's standing toe-to-toe in front of him, you pressed securely behind him. "This a little friend of yours?"

Billy scoffed. "Look, man, we were talking, alright-"

"-No, not alright." Eddie's jaw set, grinding teeth in an unimpressed stare. "I think you need to leave."

You watched, eyes wide and rounded, flickering from Eddie back to Billy. Your heart hammered in your chest.

"Yeah? You gonna make me or something?" Billy scoffed. "What? Are you a friend of her dad's?"

Eddie laughed, humorless and mocking. "I think you know who I am." He sneered. Billy swallowed, faltering slightly. "Think you should get outta here. Before we have an issue."

Billy stammered, scoffing slightly. "What issue?" He rolled his eyes. Eddie's fists balled, and you grabbed his arm gently, pulling him closer. Billy took a step back, eyes wide. He tried to play it off, shaking his head. "Whatever, man. Don’t worry about me, alright? I’ve had it and don’t want it back. She’s all yours." He scoffed loudly.

Eddie lurched forward, a loud, stomping boot. "Ed, no, just..." You grabbed his arm gently, grinning softly at the way Billy jumped slightly, head spinning around with wide eyes before quickly leaving the shop.

"He touch you?" Eddie asked, eyes narrowed and serious when he turned back to you. "Tell me right now. I'll go out there, and fucking drag that-"

"-Eddie." You cooed softly, eyes darting around to the patrons that watched you, wide eyed and amused. "Maybe we should go." You whispered.

Eddie sighed heavily. "I'm sorry." He muttered, pressing a kiss to your temple. "I shouldn't have done that. I just-"

"It's alright." You reassured him with a soft smile, chewing on your lip slowly. Seeing him so protective, rough, it made your tummy flip, heat spilling and filling every inch of you. It was a new side of Eddie, one you hadn't seen. It was exciting, thrilling.

You ordered to go, letting him drive you back to your own apartment. His knee bounced, white knuckled grip on his steering wheel. You knew he was fuming, buzzing and bristling with anger, the scenario running over and over again in his head. Your thighs pressed together watching him take a drag of his cigarette, shaking his head.

"Should've beat the shit outta that little prick." Eddie exhaled out the cracked window. "Fucker had the audacity to try and go near you. The fuck does he think he is?"

You grinned softly, leaning over, pressing your palm lightly on his thigh. "He's a dick." You purred low in his ear, pressing a kiss to his temple, lips buried into the flecks of grey hairs that framed his face. "You scared him."

Eddie scoffed. "Little bitch. What a shock. All talk." He rolled his eyes. "Dealt with stupid fuckers like that my whole life."

"Well, you scared him away." You grinned, eyes lighting up with excitement. "My hero. What would I do without you?" You muttered, lips trailing down his temples, dragging slow and sweet down his cheek over his scruff of facial hair. Your hand trailed higher up his thigh, squeezing the skin beneath the thick, navy coveralls.

Eddie looked over at you, brows pulled together accentuating the deep lines on his forehead. He watched you carefully, pupils blown, lip tucked between your teeth, the small flush across your cheeks. He knew that look all too well.

"I don't find this nearly as amusing as you do." Eddie huffed, pouty and grumpy. "S'not funny at all. Him thinking he can talk to you like that."

You giggled. "Eddie, I don't think it's funny. I'm being serious. I appreciate you doing that for me. Billy's a dick." You sighed, giving him a knowing look.

Eddie scoffed. "Yeah, he is." He muttered. "Why'd you ever date a guy like that?"

You shrugged. "He could be nice sometimes."

"When? When he was trying to fuck you?" Eddie snapped, knuckles tightening over the leather steering wheel. "That why you were with him?"

You gawked, scoffing playfully at his remark. "Seriously?" You asked, tilting your head to the side. Eddie's jaw tightened. "Are you jealous or something?" You giggled.

Eddie huffed. "Not funny." He muttered, petulantly. "'M not jealous. Just trying to understand what would attract you to a piece of shit like that."

"I was young." You sighed heavily. Eddie's eyes flickered over to you, accusing. You faltered. "Alright, younger. And I thought he was cool, but he wasn't. He was a bum."

Eddie pulled into your apartment, turning the wheel to fit into the spot. "A total bum." He agreed, throwing the car in park and yanking his keys out. "Should be ashamed of yourself for dating someone like that, young lady." He gave you a stern look.

Your pussy throbbed, legs clamping together. You were sure you were soaking his seat.

Eddie opened his door and you followed, starry eyed and wobbly legged, excitement trilling and building deep in your belly. Eddie pressed you up against the door, dark eyed, nose pressing to yours. His hands, still stained and calloused from a day's work, pressed by your head, trapping you underneath him.

"Tell me, bunny, was he better than me?" Eddie asked, nearly a snarl on his lips.

Your heart thumped excitedly in your chest, spine tinging with familiar warmth that made you shudder. You shook your head firmly, eyes still locked with Eddie's. "No." You rasped.

Eddie cocked his head to the side. "Don't lie to me, baby." He warned. This was new, a darker, domineering side of Eddie you'd never seen before, possessive and exciting. It made you throb, knees buckling.

"I'm not." You whispered back. "I promise. You're the best I've ever had, and I mean that." You looked down for his lips, back up to his eyes, rounding sweetly for him. "Billy could barely make me cum."

Eddie snorted, faltering out of his demeanor. You grinned lightly. "I mean it. I really though that people lied about getting off from someone eating you out. Thought that was just something in porn." You admitted sweetly, tilting your head to the side.

Eddie barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, bunny, that is horrible." He cooed, fingers tucking under your chin, lifting your gaze up to him.

You shrugged. "Then I met you." Your eyes shined at the admission, gooey and warm under his gaze. He was melting you, making you feel so consumed with adoration. "Now I know better."

Eddie hummed, nodding slowly. "You better," He muttered, tilting his head so his lips slotted over yours, passionate and controlling, pressing you farther against the cool wood of your door.

You moaned into the kiss, letting him take over, tongue sliding over yours, swirling and exploring every square inch of your mouth. Your hand moving down to his waist, pulling him flush to you. You could feel his erection, hard and straining even against the thick material of the coveralls.

Eddie flipped you over, pressing you against the wall, hands on your hips. He kneeled slow, pushing your leggings down with him, pooling down by your ankles. You knew to spread your legs before he even asked, feeling your arousal seep out of you, spreading and coating your inner thighs.

Eddie groaned slightly, hands spreading your cheeks apart, salivating at your puffy lips peeking back at him, your tight, little hole taunting him. You looked delicious, positively edible, he was sure of it.

"Fuck, baby," Eddie rasped. "Lean forward for me a little bit. Let me get a better look." His hands were squeezing the fat of your ass, rolling and massaging the plump skin.

You pressed your body forward, shimmying back until your ass was nearly in his nose. Eddie breathed deeply, burying himself inside you before he devoured you, no warning, tongue lapping from your clit to your sopping hole back up to your ass. You whined, knees buckling at the surprise sensation.

His fingers went from your pussy, collecting your spend, spreading it over your tightest hole. You groaned loudly, eyes rolling and head tipping back at the sensation of his thumb circling your hole.

"Fuck, Ed, that feels so good." You whined, forehead resting on the wood.

"Bet that fucker never did this, did he?" Eddie growled, spitting a glob of saliva back down on your ass hole. You whined, high and nasally, feeling his pointer finger spread it around before the tip barely pressed in, just to the first knuckle and you were pushing back for more.

Eddie grinned. "Huh? Bet he never did this? Never ate this pretty little ass, did he?" He growled again. You shook your head, legs quaking at the sensation. Eddie smirked. "Scared little boy, pathetic. Doesn't know what to do with a woman like you. Doesn't know how to treat you."

His finger sunk in further, the second knuckle and you were moaning loud, cries and whines echoing off the door. You were overwhelmed with sensation, one finger plugging you from the back, pumping slowly in and out making you clench. His thumb working lazy circles on your clit, slow and steady how you liked it.

You didn't tell him that Billy or anyone in the past never took the time to ask you, to learn your body and the things you liked. They were only looking to chase their own pleasure, rubbing your left lip for five minutes while they jackhammered you, leaving you feeling used and unsatisfied. Convincing you there was something wrong with you for not finishing, never them. Then you met Eddie, and you never had that problem again.

You whined, rocking to draw his finger in tighter in you. His thumb kept working you slowly, the heat in your belly growing more and more, shooting electric spikes of heat up your spine, toes curling sensation.

"'M close, fuck, 'm close!" You chanted, head bowing down to look at your toes. You could see Eddie beneath you, the flex of his hands working on you.

Eddie's scruff pressed to your lower back, soft kisses against the curve of your spine, finger pulling back to catch your release and press it back into your ass again, a second finger starting in.

"Close already?" Eddie cooed, mocking and sweet. You could see his grin in the back of your mind, smug and dimpled.

You whined, hips rocking when the two fingers pressed forward. The stretch of your tight hold, invading and dipping further into you. You felt filthy for how much you loved the sensation of him in your ass.

Eddie pressed further into your clit, fingers rocking and swirling lightly in your ass until you cried out, clenching hard around him. Your cunt clamped around nothing, nails digging into the wood of your door as you rode your high, loud and unforgiving; neighbors be damned, he was making you feel too good.

Eddie watched your chest heave, two knuckles deep in your ass, the other dipping into your sensitive, sopping hole. You whined when he stood, fingers spreading wide, your sticky release stringing along them. You blushed, cheek pressed against the wall.

Eddie moved so he could see you, brow raised, his soaked hand in front of both of you. "He never made you do this?" Eddie asked. You shuddered, glazed eyes trained on the release.

You shook your head truthfully. Eddie sighed, examining the release. "A damn shame." He muttered, bringing your release to his lips. He sucked them off gently, eyes trained on yours.

A small whine caught in your throat, shaky legs trembling as you watched him. Eddie pulled his cleaned fingers out of his mouth, grinning at you. "Doesn't even know he's missing out on the sweetest damn thing in the world."

You blushed hard, smiling softly back at him. Eddie moved, body pressing back over yours, but his hands cradled your jaw this time, pulling you closer and closer into him. Lips found yours again, sweeter this time, taking his time to feel your soft lips against his. You could taste your own release on his tongue, a groan pulling out of your throat, vibrations tickling his lips that were still roaming your mouth.

Eddie pulled back, a string of saliva connecting from your mouth to his. "See?" He grinned. "Sweetest damn thing out there."

You let him bend you over the couch, pushing into your ass easily, using your own sticky, wet release as lube. Your eyes shut at the stretch, Eddie's hands soft and comforting on your back, shushing you with every inch that he sunk deeper into you.

He fucked you nice and slow, letting you adjust to the feeling. No matter how frequent you both fucked like this, he wanted you to be comfortable, gentle with you and caring. It made your chest fill with warmth, hips rocking back to meet his slow thrusts.

Eddie groaned at the squeeze of your tightest hole around his cock, strangling it in the best way. He was sure he wouldn't last long, not with the way you were reaching back between your legs, cupping his balls lightly.

"You're just my best girl, aren't ya, bunny?" Eddie groaned, eyes blown and focused on the stretch of your ass around his dick. The way your cheeks rippled and hips jumped when his hips met yours.

You whimpered in response, your own hand reaching to rub your clit furiously when his pace picked up, hips rolling and pressing into you so deep you knew he was lodged deep in your guts. He usually liked to fuck you on your back so he could see himself through your tummy, pressing a hand over it or sometimes yours.

You could feel that familiar rush, blinding hot pleasure with every brush of his cock in that sensitive spot inside you. How he managed to find every nook and cranny that made you gush, you weren't sure. He was just good like that, wanted to be good like that for you.

You rubbed your clit faster, toes curling as you climbed closer. Eddie leaned forward, back folding on top of yours. He pressed a kiss into your neck, sucking and nipping gently. His own hand moved underneath you, replacing your hand, fingers sliding and rubbing over all the places you needed them to.

"Oh!" You cried out at the sensation. His teeth nipping into your skin, leaving you clenching. "Again, do it again." You panted, bouncing and rocking back to help him rut into you further, faster.

Eddie obliged, tongue rolling over the sensitive skin in the nape of your neck, sucking slow and calculated, teeth grazing until you cried out. He felt your shake, collapsing into the couch, his hand circling your waist, still working your clit while you rode out your orgasm.

He could feel himself getting closer and closer with every thrust, dick twitching until he was spilling deep inside you, hips stuttering and breath catching with every slow thrust he spilled into you.

You were spacey, glass eyed and fucked out from the sensation. You could barely register the kisses he placed down your spine, muttering as he pulled himself from you.

Eddie's chest heaved, catching his breath. He was trained on his release spilling out of you, down your slick, puffy folds and dripping towards the carpet. "Fuck, bunny," Eddie pressed a hand to his forehead. "So good. You did so good, didn't you?"

He cleaned you up. He always did that. So sweet and gentle and attentive, even if he was exhausted too. Eddie took his time cleaning you gently, soft pets and gentle coos that soothed you as you came back down, came back to him.

Eddie had you pressed against his chest, curled up in his lap. He had his cigarette lit, slow drags as the embers cracked. His other hand ran up and down your back.

"That fucker ever comes around you again, you let me know." Eddie's eyes were half lidded, a little dark but serious.

You smiled softly, nuzzling deeper into his chest. "I will." You muttered, mind still foggy. "Don't worry about him. He doesn't ever compare to you."

Eddie snorted. "Good." He grinned, blowing smoke in the other direction.

You pressed your chin to his chest, right over the smattering of inked letters on his heart- Brielle and his mom's names and birthdays; you wondered if you'd ever be there too. Eddie looked down at you, soft smile tugging on his lips.

"What about me?" You asked slowly. Eddie raised a brow. "Am I the best you've ever had?" You raised your brows.

Eddie smirked, bumming his cigarette in the tray next to him. He shifted with a slight groan, leaning down so his nose was brushing yours. You could smell the nicotine on his breath, ghosting over your lips when he talked. "Bunny, you're the best I've ever had. Whole different league, whole different ballgame. On another level from anyone else. Incomparable." He said, small grin on his lips but you knew his words were genuine.

You perked up, beaming with pride. You lifted so your nose pressed against his, feeling your breath mix with his, hot on your top lip. "Promise?" You whispered.

"Promise." Eddie moved so his lips ghosted over yours. "My best girl, I promise. No one compares, bunny. Not even close."

[yuri-is-online]

Hi!

I saw the 300 followers event, and I'd like to request prompt 9 with Leona, Ace, and Jamil

9. Jealousy pt. 2- someone from a rival school asks for your number

Hi hi! Thank you for your request, I hope you like this friend.

notes: they/them pronouns used for Yuu, Check out the rest of the event requests on my masterlist here.

Leona

"Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer." Leona has heard you say that more than once, always in a tone that suggests you are mimicking something or someone; from your world he assumes. Not that he really minds, it's a nice quote. Snappy. And the first time he heard you say it you had been critiquing Azul, not him. Not him, even though it could easily apply.

That's why it is thundering in his skull right now, needling at that knot in his forehead that refuses to leave, twitching in his snarl as he watches some RSA brat wind his way around your shoulders.

Slow.

"I've got to say," purrs the stranger, lightly resting a hand on your shoulder as you consider what power you need to invoke to get him gone "I was surprised to find someone so nice attending NRC." You can't really think of a good reply, the awkward laughter that stutters out of you doesn't seem to count.

Insidious.

"It would be a real shame to let such a chance encounter go unsavored." He could have chosen a less suggestive tone of voice, or maybe it's just Leona's previous comments about how you should try to avoid "getting eaten" that are working double time on your nerves. "Perhaps you could give me your-"

Killer.

"Oi." Leona's voice rumbles, you swear there was an actual roar before he spoke. The RSA student certainly jumps back from you like there was. "You are making them uncomfortable." The student apologizes, to you or Leona you have no idea, as Leona settles a comforting hand onto your shoulder.

"Thank you, sorry for-"

"Don't." Leona is surprisingly calm. "'s my job to scare off bottom feeders like that anyway."

Well now. That is news to you.

Ace

There is something of a disadvantage in always being around the person you like when you aren't quite sure how much it is you like them just yet. The full realization tends to come at an inconvenient time, making ordinary situations into ones of great annoyance. For example, a casual walk through Craneport where you run into some kid from RSA who is also casually enjoying his day of with a friend.

"Cute, right?" A great big dog is happily panting as you scratch her ears, a smile just as shiny as her owners beaming up at you.

"Super cute!" You resist the urge to kiss her all over her massively cute face while Ace tries to fight off an existential crisis. That is a dog, he is feeling jealousy over a dog. What's going to make him insecure next, a tooth brush?

"Her name's Ginger." The stranger says with clear pride. "She really likes you, I'm almost sad to see you go."

"Only almost?" You laugh and give a final head pat to the very good girl while Ace swallows. Anger, jealousy, general annoyance at your obliviousness? Who knows.

"Could I get your number then?" Asks the stranger. "I'm sure she'd love to get to know you."

"I'm sure she would!" Ace's heart skinks, hand going behind his head to awkwardly soothe his wounded heart. "But I think I'll have to pass." You don't give a reason and the stranger doesn't ask, just takes his loss on the chin as you begin to walk again.

"So why'd you say no?" His voice is surprisingly even even if the question feels like it stumbles out of him.

"Oh well you know..." You shuffle along, as eager to let the topic die as he is to press it. "I've already got a favorite ginger." He snorts, threatening to break into a full blown laugh. "I do!" You protest, oddly serious and extremely embarrassed. "And he's enough of a handful already."

"I'm sure Cay-kun will be happy to hear it." Ace laughs, winking back at you as he prepares to run back towards the bus, shouts of protest somehow falling on deaf ears and stroking his ego.

Jamil

Sometimes Jamil is envious of Floyd. His reputation wouldn't take a dive if someone from the other team accidentally ran into a missed shot fifteen times. Nobody would even blink. But if the ball came from his hands... well then people would start asking questions.

"Are you jealous?"

No. A lie. Jamil is jealous of the air you breathe for its closeness to your lips, and this sniveling Nobel Bell brat can actually speak. Not that he knows exactly what he is asking for, but Jamil has an active imagination. And feet, he somehow seems to be stalking his way towards you even though none of what is happening is any of his business.

"Are you dating?"

Why would I want that? I've already got enough on my plate as is, I don't need a partner. Only true on the surface. Jamil has no idea why he wants you (Kalim assures him he doesn't need a reason but why would he want to listen to that advice) he just does. You make him feel a bunch of inconvenient and ridiculous things, he does not need a partner but he does want one.

"Um... I was wondering..." Seven the kid was pathetic from across the court but now that he was actually here he is even worse. Jamil is surprised he hasn't fainted yet. "I was wondering... um if you wouldn't mind could I get your number?" He seems genuinely hopeful and Jamil has got to look just as genuinely disgusted with how far back the kid jumps.

"I'm sorry..." you turn him down so gently it hurts (for Jamil, not the kid, he wants to see the little bitch run away crying) "You've been very nice I'm just not interested right now." You let out a relived sigh as the kid walks away normally as Jamil considers talking to and is not given a chance to think better of it before you turn around. "Oh hey Jamil." Why do you have to look so happy to see him? It hurts. "Sorry you had to see that, I was just trying to turn in the team registratio-"

"Do you find that attractive?" You both look shocked Jamil even asked that, but now that he has, he finds that he is too stubborn to back down.

"No?" And then with a bit more certainty you add. "No. No I think I would like someone with a bit more... mindful" You say with an admiral degree of confidence for someone who is no longer looking him in the eyes.

[stayevildarling]

Miranda Priestly x Wilhemina Venable x Reader - Dragon meets Purple - Part 1

A/N: Hi there! recently I had the idea of Wilhemina x Miranda and due to my poll I decided to write them x reader. I have written like 10k + words so I'm going to divide it into parts.

tw: mention of disability, very mild mention of drugs, sexual tension

word count: 1.7k

taglist: @lunaticwhittaker, @billiebeanhoward, @lanawinters-ily, @kenzbro, @minaslittleone, @httpfiftyshadesofgay,@whitelotus00, @ninaahs, @vintagepaulson,@isle-of-earle,@paulsonsratched, @stepintomyworld, @grilledcheeseandguavajelly, @lucyintheskywithxanax, @fanfics4world, @mymiraclewitch, @hazard-to-myself, @awritersometime

As the elevator bell dings, Wilhemina finds herself in a large white modern hallway. She takes a few steps, her cane hitting off the marble floor as she approaches the receptionist. ,,May I help you?'' a brunette asks her. The redhead clears her throat before explaining ,,I'm here for an interview with Miss Charlton''. The receptionist reaches for the phone scanning Wilhemina up and down, while remaining friendly.

,,If you just go through that corridor, Miss Charlton will meet you by the conference room'' the brunette explains. Wilhemina nods, before making her way over to where she was told to go. Despite the redhead usually being quite confident in herself, at least on the outside, she was nervous, her heart pounding in synch with the echoing of her cane hitting the floor.

,,Ms Venable?'' a redhead asks, slightly snappy, again scanning Wilhemina up and down. ,,Yes, nice to meet you'' she replies, trying to muster up her best smile and trying to be as friendly as possible.

,,I knew I should have made photos a requirement on applications'' the woman with a british accent mumbles as she invites Wilhemina to take a seat and closes the door.

,,Pardon me?'' Wilhemina slightly snaps before the woman named Emily turns around. ,,I'm sorry, it's just here at Runway we have certain expectations'' she replies.

,,Are you referring to my disablitiy?'' Wilhemina questions, looking at her cane. The other woman's breath gets caught in her throat before she quickly apologises. ,,No I'm so sorry, not at all. It's just we.. especially Miranda has quite the strict view on fashion and you are.. very.. purple''. Miss Charlton explains, trying to save the situation a little bit.

,,Let's just start. Can you tell me a little about yourself?'' she asks. Wilhemina explains how she has worked in HR and helped built the company she worked for before. She explains her skill set, including computer skills, financing and other typical HR things.

Emily reads over her application again, certainly impressed at the woman's accomplishments. ,,May I ask why you decided to come to New York? I have read you are from Los Angeles? and I'm sorry but you know we don't have any HR positions available and this would be the position of Miranda Priestly's second assistant, me being the first of course''. She questions and explains at the same time.

And right there Wilhemina is pulled into a flashback, waves of memories crashing her thoughts and momentarily causing for silence in the room. Of course she didn't want to move, especially not to New York. And no she didn't want to be assistant to some dragon lady who works in the fashion industry but the redhead had no other choice. For six months she had looked and applied to jobs and somehow the only interviews she managed to secure were in New York, including this one. There wasn't a lot of HR positions available and the ones she wrote to never replied or found someone younger or better.

,,You know Ms Venable, I don't think this is any of your business'' Jeff raised his voice.

,,Pardon me?'' Wilhemina questioned sternly. All she wanted was some more responsibility in the company. More meaningful tasks rather than making sure they have enough drugs or certain entertainment on their flights.

,,You know there is an old saying, if you don't like where you are at the moment, maybe you should move on''. Mutt explained.

,,Yeah maybe it's time to move on from Kinero Robotics Ms Venable'' Jeff agreed.

,,Do I need to remind you, I was the first person you hired when this company was operating out the back of a van? I have given you everything that I have. Every second of every day. I've sacrificed any semblance of a personal life. Friendships, family I don't even have a decent hobby'' Wilhemina argued back.

,,Well we certainly hope you find that somewhere else'' one of them joked before Wilhemina walked away for good.

And that's how Wilhemina had lost her job, they didn't technically fire her and they did come begging after a while as they realised what they lost but Wilhemina had no desire to work for those two anymore.

,,Ms Venable?'' the calling of her name pulls her back into the present.

,,Yes I'm quite aware, I was doing more assistant duties in my recent job rather than HR things so I know how both works'' Wilhemina replies.

,,Very well, I have to report back to Ms Priestly and we will be in touch'' Emily explains as she parts ways with Wilhemina.

As Wilhemina walks out of the meeting room, Emily makes her way back to her desk, sighing slightly and rubbing her temples. ,,Who was that?'' she hears the voice of her boss as she approaches from behind and watches Wilhemina walk out and into the elevator. ,,Um she- she was here for the interview'' Emily states, nervousness overtaking her as it had been far too long since the position was vacant but none of the other applicants had been worthy of the task so far.

,,And how did that go?'' Miranda questions, her eyes piercing through Emily. ,,I'm - she's a bit strange but she's got a perfectly acceptable skill set and I think this may work''. Emily had no idea what she was saying to her boss but somehow there was something about Wilhemina she could see working out. ,,Good give her a call then, I'll meet her tomorrow'' Miranda explains before heading out for lunch.

A little while later Wilhemina makes it back to her apartment, getting ready to make some tea, as she feels her phone vibrate in her pocket. ,,Venable'' she answers the phone before the annoying voice of a british ginger she had met with before appears. ,,Hi Ms Venable, this is Emily, we would gladly offer you the position, would you be able to make it to the office by 8am tomorrow? Ms. Priestly would like to meet with you.'' Wilhemina accepts before the call ends.

The rest of her day is spent with usual Wilhemina things, up until six months ago she in fact didn't have any decent hobbies but since moving to New York she took it upon herself to actually try and do things she enjoys. This mostly contained her weird little routines, like a coffee in the morning while reading the newspaper, her usual 3pm walk around the park and occasionally knitting while watching the history channel in the background. Before Wilhemina goes to bed this evening, she starts her computer, googling some more about Runway and her soon to be boss Ms. Priestly.

,,Dragon Lady, career-obsessed, drove away another Mr. Priestly'' one of the headlines reads. This article had been some time ago now and the rest Wilhemina can find is all about the latest fashion shows and events run by Runway. The redhead can't help but chuckle at the Dragon Lady headline.

-------

,,She may see you now'' Emily explains the next morning, after Wilhemina spent some time at her desk, getting familiar with Mirandas schedule, important clients and phone numbers. The redhead gets up, balancing on her cane before walking into her bosses office.

,,And you are.. Ms Venable?'' Miranda questions, taking her reading glasses off and taking a good luck at the redhead standing in-front of her. Usually Miranda would refer to her assistants on a first name basis but somehow she wasn't sure with this one. She was remarkably older than her usual assistants and she definitely has class. Wilhemina didn't notice what an impression she already made on the woman with slightly grey hair.

,,The pleasure is all mine Ms Priestly'' Wilhemina replies, facing an inner battle of needing to be friendly considering it's her first day but her usual bitchy and snarky self coming through.

Miranda's response is a low throaty chuckle before moving on. ,,I assume Emily has got you situated''

,,Yes she did'' Wilhemina replies bluntly and to the point.

,,I'm curious, why Runway?'' Miranda questions as she scans Wilheminas outfit, that is plastered in purple yet again.

,,I have experience in HR and being an assistant and therefore I think this is a good fit''. Wilhemina explains calmly.

,,Are you aware that the colour purple in fashion was very popular in the 1860's and quickly became associated with the royal and wealthy?'' Miranda carries on.

Wilhemina raises an eyebrow, not too sure what to even reply to her statement. ,,What makes you think I'm neither?'' was what Wilhemina had really wanted to say but instead she remained silent.

,,Is there anything I can assist you with this morning?'' Wilhemina eventually asks before Miranda pauses a moment.

,,No that's all'' her boss replies before Wilhemina makes her way back to her desk.

,,Um-'' Emily watches as Wilhemina returns, of course having overheard the entire thing. Slightly dumbfounded at the name choice, the fact Miranda didn't kill her for asking a question and not sending Wilhemina on several runs for coffees and other things.

,,Emily, go fetch those Calvin Klein skirts and some coffee'' Miranda says as she walks out of the office, grabbing her coat and handbag.

,,But-'' Emily has no chance to reply as Miranda is already gone. Her face is overtaken by anger as she glares at Wilhemina. ,,You know this is your job. You are responsible for the phone until I'm back'' Emily explains as she hastily runs out.

Wilhemina mutters a snarky reply under her breath before continuing her work.

About half an hour later Miranda returns to the office, Emily not back yet, she hesitates before handing her coat and bag to Wilhemina. The redhead takes her belongings before hanging them up. Miranda watches carefully noticing how the redhead has to balance on her cane and her movements swift but careful. The boss of Runway can't help but examine Wilhemina's gloves with a hint of disgust.

,,Demarchelier confirmed while you were gone, it's noted in your calendar. I have also rearranged one of your meetings for you, as it would have overlapped with another'' Wilhemina calmly explains as she makes it back to her desk.

,,De- you?'' Miranda stares at Wilhemina a bit dumfounded as this was in fact her first day. ,,Fine'' she simply says, her usual sternness overtaking her again.

Wilhemina can't help but notice her boss staring at her gloves, overtaking by insecurity she snaps ,,Is there some sort of problem?''

Miranda's eyes widen as her gaze meets the redheads. ,,Is this at least real leather or faux leather?'' she questions and Wilhemina can't help but chuckle lowly.

,,And where is Emily with those skirts and coffees? did she die on the way or something?'' Miranda questions, walking back into her office.

[yellowbunnydreams]

The Blood Runs Thicker (part 5) ~vampire!William Afton x F! Reader~

~So I've had a little think and a little looksie at how I want to maybe have this story play out and I have decided that whilst yes, William Afton in this is based off of Movie Afton, I'm going to mess around with some of the dynamics ect to produce what I feel will be a better story. Plus it's FNAF, when has the lore ever made sense?~

Tag-List; @ruh--roh-raggy @randymeeksisafinalgirl @sleepy---head @robin-the-enby @hungrhay @likoplays @slxsher-whxre @nicolezghostz

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Want more or something different? *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

CW:Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, legal age gap (Reader- 20's, William - 50's), graphic acts of violence, biting, knife-play, blood, blood-drinking/licking, mention of dead children, anaemia. Graphic description of injuries. The suit stays ON

Afton hadn't attempted to bite you for a few days. Although he seemed to notice your presence less and less each day also in a strange way. He still cooked for you and would force food and drink down your throat if you weren't compliant, and he did keep rebandaging your wounds. But it was like he wasn't all too bothered that you had begun to walk around his home, even permitting you to sit out on his porch for an hour of sunlight each day. Although you had noticed he wore sunglasses when he went outside in bright weather and seemed snappy and irritable afterwards.

You weren't complaining too much though, his demeanour had be wildly varied since you met him and in ways he reminded you of a large house-cat. Aloof to your presence and only appearing when it was time for food. Though where in the house he went during the time that he disappeared, you weren't sure and you didn't want to know. You had managed to secret away a pen and some sheets of paper that you found in a drawer, and you had began to write down things that you noticed simply by observing him, not sure what you would do with the collated information, but you had a feeling that you would need it at some point.

The first was that William moved fast. Preternaturally so. It wasn't like you blinked and he was there, but he certainly moved with a fluidity and speed that was above human capability, his muscles seeming to barely move as he walked and his steps barely made noise as he moved throughout the house. You had tested it once or twice over the days, testing his name at various volumes to determine what he could hear as well. Resulting in a few growled threats about wasting his time due to not needing anything major and making him move from where he had been.

He seemed to be able to hear if you spoke at a regular level even if he was downstairs or where-ever he disappeared to, but struggled with anything quieter unless he was on the same floor. Conversely, overly loud noises bothered him, leading you to wonder how he had managed when you screamed whilst being attacked.

As you padded downstairs, you decided to peer into the fridge whilst he wasn't around. Opening the box on the top shelf and finding it empty, you frowned and put it back. You could almost feel the weight of the bags under your eyes from a sleepless night, and your whole body felt like it moved sluggishly.

You weren't sure what time you had woken up, but a warm wet sensation against your neck had been what jostled you from sleep. Starting in the bed before a large hand had clamped around your throat and jaw, forcing your head away and for you to lie still. Heart pounding wildly in your chest as you felt William lick up your neck, his knees either side of your hips and his beard scratching at your skin, hearing the low growl in his chest as he pinned you like that for a while. Never biting, but seeming to taste your skin, his tongue almost becoming rough after the same pattern was traced onto the thin skin over and over again.

William was out of blood, and you were sure that the previous night had been a barely contained act of hunger. Perhaps there was something human holding him back from biting you, although you severely doubted it as your hand wandered up to your throat where you had some bruises from his grip dotting your jaw and a red mark across your throat from your shoulder to just under your ear. Shuddering as you thought about how much rougher he would be the worse he got. You hoped he would either bite you or go out and get some more blood soon.

Hearing a clunk on the table behind you made you jump out of your thoughts, turning around and seeing William lugging the hauntingly familiar Spring Bonnie head onto the counter. Your body trembling as you took a step back instinctually, not wanting to be anywhere near the thing as you recalled how the white eyes had bored into yours even as you screamed for mercy. Your hand moving to your leg and touching the now somewhat healed stab wound on your leg.

The action did not go unnoticed by Afton, glancing up at you and running his fingers over his slightly longer scruff. Lips curling into a cold smile as he picked up the head and walked over to you slowly, deliberately. Your body shaking as you tried to move backwards and get out of range, heart pounding faster and feeling your eyes watering as you felt the marble biting into your back. Letting him catch you and suddenly enveloping your head in darkness as he placed the head on yours.

"Aww, is the little bunny scared by a rabbit?" He teased, laughing at the oversized thing almost weighing your head down. It smelt like old iron filings and something organic, rotting mixed with moth-balls. You were sure in the low light you could see remnants of your own blood against the teeth of the mask from where he had initially bitten into your shoulder.

But you realised that the sound inside it was muffled, probably how he put up with the screaming. And that his vision was limited, only a letter-slot sized space visible through the teeth, as the eyes were too clouded and painted over to see through viably. And if the smell was heavy to you, you were sure it was almost overwhelming to him, unless he was blind to the stink inside, which wouldn't have shocked you entirely. You blinked rapidly as he pulled it off, your eyes watering more and tears spilling down your cheeks as you struggled in the change of lighting. His face was close, smiling wickedly as he leaned in, grabbing the back of your head and making you yelp as his long tongue raked up your cheek and followed your tears.

"Such a cry-baby. Don't worry blood-bag, this isn't for you today. Although I can only imagine how good you'll taste all filled up with adrenaline and fear." His voice low and gravelly before he released your head, looking at the bruises across your jaw with a satisfied hum before he glanced at your neck. "You should have heard the noises you made last night before you woke up, absolutely shameful."

You knew that you couldn't have made any, that you woke up as soon as his tongue touched your skin, but you couldn't help your cheeks flushing and feeling embarrassed that he could be right and that you had made some noise or movement that only encouraged the vampire and his appetite.

"Who's it for then?" You asked, watching him place the head back on the table and then bring up the torso piece, turning it onto its back and reaching inside with what looked like a deformed alan-key. Turning it in slow careful cranks as you heard the faint 'click' of things settling inside the suit.

"The new security guard at Freddy's, since you know, the last one just disappeared very inconveniently." William chuckled darkly, his eyes flashing as he looked up at you, making you swallow down the panic and bile in your throat and leaving an acidic taste in it's wake. "You'll be coming with me however."

"What, why? In case you need a little pre-murder snack?" The words slipped out of your mouth before you thought about them. William blinked up at you and laughed, a full bodied laugh that would sound perhaps pleasant, perhaps more like a middle-aged dad laughing at his kid doing something funny if there wasn't a tint of bitterness to it.

"Are you offering bunny? I don't take kindly to people offering things they don't end up following through on."

Placing the key down, he stalked over to you again, making your heart race anew and fill your ears with your own heartbeat. His head tilted to one side as his lip curled up and showed off those fangs as his jaw moved slightly. Every fibre of your being hated seeing those fangs, how animalistic they looked, two long and two shorter ones behind. They looked more like they were designed for ripping flesh from bone than they fit into a human mouth.

If you could call William Afton human anymore.

"W-Wouldn't want to ruin your appetite before hand!" You squeaked out as he reached arms length away from you, your hands raising up like they would be able to defend you should he come closer. The darkness remained in his expression, but he huffed and walked back around the counter, picking up the weird key item and going back to cranking whatever device was inside the suit to his satisfaction.

"I'll save you for dessert then."

~~

Being back at Freddy's was surreal, and you felt somewhat disappointed in a macabre way that there was no pool of blood from where you had bled out, or even the furniture you were sure must have moved in all the fuss. Even passing by the security office, there seemed to be a new door on the hinges. It was like you had never been there, and what had happened to you never did.

William led you to a back room, which you realised is where he must have been hiding when you arrived for your own shift. Looking away as he checked the time and began to pull on the yellow rabbit suit with a practised methodology, making you feel sick as you wondered how many times he had put that thing on. How many lives he must have taken in it.

But you wondered why he was so attached to it.

In the room you noticed plenty of dusty boxes and old animatronic parts, before a flash of yellow in the far back corner caught your eye. Going over to investigate as William checked the sharpness of his blade under the low light, his glasses off and tucked into the bag he had brought with him to keep them safe. It was clear to you that he didn't really need them, he simply preferred to wear them, perhaps mimicking what he looked like before he ended up the way he was.

Creeping closer to the yellow, you could only see a little bit underneath a dust sheet. Carefully picking it up, you swallowed back a scream as you found a pair of empty sockets staring back at you. Realising after a few seconds that it was an animatronic bear, sat down in the corner and slumped, loose like it didn't have a skeleton to support it. The mouth slack jawed and you could vaugely see a patch along the jaw where the fur lining it was thinner and discoloured. Like somebody had scrubbed at it repeatedly and worn down the material. Looking back at William, you could see that the suit was a similar design to the bear on the floor. Making you wonder if this was a variant he hadn't used, or perhaps didn't favour, as it didn't have the wear marks that his did. Simply it looked abandoned.

And you couldn't shake the feeling that you were being watched as you covered it back up.

Turning around, William had opened a laptop onto the table inside the room, face intense as he looked at the screen, the light casting long shadows on his features and making his look gaunt. Hollow cheeked and sunken eyed. You could faintly make out that he was running his tongue against his teeth beneath his lip, hearing him sucking against them occasionally as you approached him.

He was watching security cameras, different to the ones you recognised from your time in the office. That's how he'd known where you were, what exits you would try. He knew this place like the back of his hand. The sinking in your stomach made you feel unsteady on your feet and you sat against the edge of the table, swallowing dryly as you tried not to think about him watching you. Not about the still slightly tender spot against your neck. Not about how many he'd lured here before you.

His hand against your thigh made your thoughts snap back to the present.

"You look sick. Don't tell me I've put all this work into you, just for you to get sick on me." He growled, barely taking his eyes off of the screen, perking up slightly as he watched the hunched figure with their hood up unlocking the front doors and entering the building.

"No sir, I just...I'm nervous being back here." Your voice soft as you felt him taking your hand and his lips brush against the still healing fang marks on your wrist, making you shudder as his warm breath followed.

"Oh bunny.... You don't need to worry about that... I'm going to enjoy tasting you as I stand over this guy's corpse, and hearing those little sounds you try so hard to hide when you feel my teeth in your skin." His tone was sickly sweet, honey like and thick where it made your head feel foggy. Your throat felt clogged at his words, like you didn't even want to breathe.

"Won't putting their blood in me make me sick? I-I mean, if you bite me straight after them?"

"Hm....Never thought about that, I suppose nobody's actually lived when I do it. Better hope you're a matching blood type, bunny."

He let go of your hand and left it feeling weirdly cold. Shivering as you realised your whole body felt like it was slowly being submerged in ice. Grabbing the sweater that he had given you to wear and pulling it on despite the oversized nature of it, tucking your legs into the stomach as you hoped you could maybe get warmer that way, considering that you were still barefoot and in shorts.

Suddenly Afton stood up, glancing at the cameras and grabbing the rabbit head, looking at you with a wicked smile.

"Stay here little bunny, hide away in your burrow until I come back for you." Licking over his teeth again before he placed the head on. Pausing as he clearly adjusted to the change in perspective, grabbing the knife from the table and opening the door slowly. Silently. Slipping into the hallway like a shadow despite the bulk of the suit and the man's raw size.

The room seemed to continue to drop in temperature, making you shiver more as you took a seat in the chair William had been in. Looking over the cameras and seeing the new security guard leaning back in the office chair. Arms crossed across their chest from what you could make out in the static filled monochrome.

But what caught your eyes were the animatronics on stage. Chica was looking at you, just like they had that first night in a way that made an icy finger slide down your spine. Catching a glimpse of William moving in the shadows around the stage, watching as the animatronics moved their heads in his direction briefly before they began to move around.

Again however, they kept glancing at the cameras you were viewing them in, and something settled in the pit of your stomach. It was an uneasy feeling, and you found yourself chewing your lip as you wondered what was happening. Apart from a vampire in a bunny suit running around and murdering anybody who came in.

"How long do you think it will last?"

You spun around, heart pounding as you swore you heard a voice in your ear. Quiet, barely above a whisper, sounding more like rustling wind than human, but something made your stomach turn again as you turned your attention back to the cameras. The hairs standing up on the back of your neck as you noticed Freddy and Bonnie staring into the camera. Bonnie's head tilted to one side, as if regarding you curiously.

"Why did she get to live?"

You stood up quickly, half expecting to see somebody stood behind you. Heartbeat filling your ears as you tried to place where the sound could be coming from. Swallowing softly as you moved to the door, making sure it was shut tight, in case it was the wind moving through the door and making your mind go wild. You were already anxious being there, scared even. The plummeting temperature and darkness making it all the worse.

"Hello?" You whispered, shoulders tense before you relaxed, not hearing anything in reply. Laughing quietly at yourself for becoming wound up, moving to go back to the chair when the sensation of somebody brushing past your back made you freeze and the sound of fabric rubbing against itself as it moved.

Looking around, you felt all the colour drain from your face as the blank eye-sockets of the bear animatronic stared at you from behind the shelf. The maw open as if in a mockery of a laugh, you felt as if it was staring at you, backing yourself into the wall and refusing to take your eyes off of it.

It had been in the corner, tucked away and clearly undisturbed judging by the dust on the cover. And the distance it had moved was not possible for being disturbed, not with it's head peering around the corner and looking at you like it was sizing you up.

"She doesn't have a choice." A slightly different voice whispered. You could hear almost a murmur behind it, like the other tiny voices where whispering with it.

"C-Come on out! Don't do this to me, please. Please I won't tell anybody!" You begged, feeling hot tears prickling at your eyes and threatening to spill down your freezing cheeks, body shaking as you kept looking at the bear. Flinching as you heard a muffled but loud 'bang' from within the restaurant, your head turning towards it and the cameras instinctually before you looked back at the bear.

Your breath caught in your throat and strangled a scream as the bear laid across the floor. Arms outstretched like it was trying to drag itself towards you, the top half of the head slightly off-set from the jaw and giving it that same open mouthed snarl.

You could now see a little purple top-hat ontop of the yellow bear's head. But you felt yourself sinking to your knees as the commotion outside continued and you felt like you were trapped in a perverse game of 'What's-the-time-mr-wolf' with an empty thing. Slowly making it's way closer to you every time you looked away from it. The tears spilt down your cheeks, and you let out quiet sobs, straining to not choke on your tears as it felt like your throat gummed up and made it impossible to breathe.

"Don't cry pretty lady."

"We didn't mean to make you cry."

"Who are you?!" You called out, sobbing harder. The voices sounded a little clearer, the space around you almost sub-zero feeling to your skin as you looked at the goosebumps forming along every inch of you.

"He did the same to us you know."

"William did?" You asked, feeling the air around you moving subtly, a tiny influx of cold and warmth that made you feel sickly. Placing your head in your hands for a moment before remembering the bear. Almost screaming as it was closer still, snatching your legs back as it laid at your feet, the articulate hand an inch away from touching you.

"We didn't know his name back then."

"Yellow rabbit."

"Be good, you'll get your dog back."

"Follow me."

"We can help you see miss."

"See what?" You asked, sobbing more as the noise outside continued. Wondering what was taking William so long to finish it and come back, even if he scared you, it was better than whatever was tormenting you in that confined space.

"Put on the head." The tiny voices spoke as if in union. Your hands reached out shakily after a pause. Feeling the cold air move from you as if it was a living thing as you did so. Body shaking as you stared into the empty sockets, taking a few deep breaths before you slotted the empty head over your own.

The lack of eyes inside it made it a lot easier to see out of. But it was like your vision went fuzzy. Blurred as the lifeless body of the suit laid before you like a sacrifice.

Then you spotted them,

Five tiny faces peering out from around the shelves, some with their hands gripping the edges as they looked back and forth between themselves and you. It was blurred though, vague shapes that you could barely make out apart from the fuzzy scarlet against each of them. Pouring down their fronts from places you couldn't see.

"She sees us."

"She's not like him."

"Maybe she can help?"

"Who are you?" You asked again, receiving a pause before one of the five stepped out from behind the shelf. Seeming to give a shy wave. Your hand automatically waved back, feeling stupid that you were probably waving to a hallucination.

"Can you please help my brother?" The small childish figure asked, you could make out what might have been a black and white striped t-shirt. You shrugged your shoulders, body still shaking as you tried to process it all.

"Who's your brother?"

"He's out there. He'll kill him if you don't help." The whispering sounded desperate, pleading with you. Like it was hoping you would agree. A sinking dread settled into your stomach as you realised that the apparition in front of you was talking about William killing the security guard.

"I'll get killed, I-I'm sorry but I'm not like William. I can't do what he does!" Your voice wavered, feeling a wave of sadness coming over you as you realised you were powerless again. You really were just a bunny hiding in it's burrow for the worst to pass.

"You just have to say his name." The figure came further towards you, and you felt fabric against your feet. The suit had moved a little further forwards as the thing approached, and you realised with a sob that it was a ghost. Moving what it could to reach out. Trying to contact somebody, anybody for help.

You couldn't help it as you nodded your head, and the mask toppled off, leaving you back in the dark with no sign of the child in front of you.

~~

Your feet moved automatically, pausing as you encountered Bonnie stood in the hallway. The animatronic turning towards you with the soft whir of hydraulics and servos inside, hearing the faint 'click' as it blinked and the ears moved from side to side. One arm sticking out and seemingly sweeping wide to allow you to pass.

He made no move to attack you as you drew closer to the sound of fighting. The sound of William's modulated, gravelly voice snarling through the tiny speaker in the suit making the hair stand up on the back of your neck. But you kept pressing forwards. There was a name on the edge of your tongue, and you felt as if the eyes of the animatronics were something more as they watched from the side-lines. There was a sense of malice in the dining area. It was almost thick enough to cut it with a knife.

William clearly had the upper hand, furniture strewn everywhere and some of it broken in the scrap. You could make out dark splatters across once white tablecloths that you didn't want to look too closely at. A wet, meaty sound hitting your ears as you watched William sitting back on his heels for a moment. The front of the suit covered in darkness as you watched a hand come up from the floor, shocking you as it pummelled him straight on the chin. Making you flinch as the security guard and William began to brawl again.

It seemed like neither was coming undone without a fight.

You felt the coldness slipping at your side again, spurring you to spill the secret on your lips. Something that hadn't been uttered in a long time you felt. Sucking in deep breaths, it felt as if your hand was being squeezed between blocks of ice. Strangely comforting, despite looking down at the empty air before your attention was brought back to the fight before you. Hearing William swearing through the modulator.

"AFTON."

Your voice rang out, shaking, desperate and scared as William's fist connected with the security guard's face one more time before he turned his attention to you. Seemingly glancing down at the once-a-person mess underneath him before he stood up slowly. Taking the head off of his and revealing his sharp features.

He was sweating beneath the suit, something you weren't even sure he could do. His nose streamed with blood and when he approached, you noticed his lip as split too, the start of a swollen black eye forming that you wondered how the hell he'd managed to get through the suit before you saw the faint nail marks along his brown bone. The security guard must have reached in when he realised it was a person and inflicted some damage.

"Bunny, I thought I fucking told you to...to stay in there." He had to pause and take a shaking breath. You suddenly weren't sure that all the blood you could see glistening in the low light was the guard's. Taking a step back as he kept his limping pace towards you. "There's not a lot left in him, so I'm glad you got he....here. I'll still get to eat well tonight." He chuckled darkly, licking over his bloodied teeth, noticing that one of his fangs were gone. Knocked out by the torn gum you got a quick look at.

"M-Michael." You whimpered, William cocked his head to one side as he looked at you. Grinning as gooey strands of blood poured from his mouth and stained his greying beard red.

"What was that bunny? I didn't hear you."

A groan came from behind him, making William pause as you watched the shaking, bloody hand raise from between the turned over tables. Gripping tightly onto it as the security guard lumped himself onto the table, half slung over it. Hair matted against his scalp and face with blood, you almost vomited as you recognised that it wasn't the lighting making half of his face look slightly deformed and strange, but rather that it had seemingly been partly caved in. The whole body shaking as it spluttered, coughing up what looked like more blood that splattered across the ground. A flash of mangled teeth in the light as something akin to a gurgling chuckle came from it's crushed throat.

"I knew you may not recognize me at first but I assure you, it's still me.."

"Michael." You breathed, feeling your heart pounding as the almost corpse gave what you supposed was a smile, William turning on his heel and snarling, spittle dripping from his lip.

"Michael."

"Hello dad. Can't say I missed you."

[pjshermann]

Why does Lucien's daughter hate Jude? When they meet, I think it is at the hospital, she says something like "Look who it is, Daddy's pet" and Jude is embarrassed. The other daughter tells her off and is friendly toward Jude. Did Lucien over praise Jude? Brag of him during family dinners because Lucien was Jude’s workplace law mentor/boss ? Jude is, of course, disabled and did this make Lucien over protective? Lucien's narky daughter has attended rehab and isn't a lawyer like her sister, so perhaps she sees Jude as some kind of family interloper, a cuckoo, the 'son' her dad wanted (and Harold feels a ping of jealousy when Lucien visits Jude in Greene Street after Caleb's attack). Using the word 'pet' too in a negative way feels like she is mocking Jude and giving him a low status. Just thinking of this brief scene.

I was very confused by this passage as well, especially since it just felt like it came out of nowhere. But I think you’ve answered your own question already haha there are certainly two scenarios for why Portia hated Jude in this scene

We all know Lucien and Jude had a very close relationship that went beyond just a simple boss-employee or mentor-employee bond.

Lucien was always the one to tell Jude how proud he was or how significant his case winnings were. He was the one who recognized Jude’s extraordinary abilities and recruited him to Rosen Pritchard. He was always telling Jude to take care of himself, to go eat or sleep after a long day of work. Lucien came to visit Jude after Caleb nearly killed him, and Lucien often visited him in the hospital after his suicide attempt. He called multiple times just to talk to him, just to chat. He cared for Jude’s health a lot, but he never treated Jude like a child or as someone to be babied. He recognized Jude’s want to prove himself capable and to be treated as an adult and respected that as much as he could.

But even as much as he respected Jude’s independence, he still took on a very parental role towards him. Before Jude begins dating Caleb, he’s one of the people who pester him about being single. He even says to Jude “I just think that I’d like to see you settled down with someone.” which is very similar to Harold’s own words of “We’d like to see you with someone.” Now that’s sort of abnormal for a boss to care about, isn’t it? But Lucien and Jude were close, and Lucien saw Jude as a responsibility of his, possibly even saw him as a son. Lucien’s admiration and care for Jude was so obvious that Harold even noticed and felt a little jealous that someone else had taken on such a parental role towards Jude.

So yes, one possible reason for her attitude towards him is Portia is jealous of Jude, or jealous of her father’s relationship with Jude/how much her father admired him. She could even see Jude as being an intruder of sorts, poking in on what is meant to be a family affair when he isn’t family.

But I also think that perhaps Portia was just feeling upset that day. After all, her father is in the hospital after suffering a debilitating stroke. Not to mention her own life doesn’t seem to be going well, seeing as she’s constantly going in and out of rehab. Jude mentions that he’s met Lucien’s daughters before, and even the younger one obviously recognized him enough to call him by name and express her condolences for Willem. He is surprised when Portia looks at him with hatred, which could possibly indicate that she’s never held animosity towards him before, at least not outwardly. She might’ve just been snappy that day and found a target to take her anger out on. Maybe her words were what she actually feels towards Jude, maybe she just wanted to be snarky. We just don’t know enough about her character to make a certain conclusion.

This ask reminds me of how I was thinking just the other day about how much I love the background characters of A Little Life, the ones who show up for just a split second or so. Shout out to Felix i love u and your punk rock band ! Shout out to Judge Sullivan for being a fat fuck !

[animehouse-moe]

Spy x Family OP3: Kura Kura

Okay, there's a lot of stuff that I'm unfamiliar with in terms of proper names and terms with this opening, but it's just so damn cool that I have to talk about it. Building on the styles of the first two openings, it brings a sense of familiarity that's completely outshone by the incredibly creative approach that OP3 brings with it.

Yes, it's the best Spy x Family opening even though the new season isn't out yet. That's what Masaaki Yuasa gets you (go check out the Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken OP)

Alright so first off, the opening cut of our characters. I love everything about it. The energy, the perspective, the color design. It's all super great, and the icing on the cake is the punchy animation that accentuates and exaggerates the movements of the characters.

Also, the music really is just a perfect match. I'm not a big Ado fan myself, but this is just an impeccable choice.

Anyways, right away the opening sets the tone for the very unique approach to animation. Quite smooth, but very snappy at times, if I were to explain it. I'm not doing a frame by frame to check or anything, but they're certainly hanging on quite a few sequences before squeezing others in or making large movements between frames. Just look at how each of the characters joins the sequence, there's actually a good deal of movement hidden in the appearance.

Though I think my favorite part from this sequence is the simplicity in wiping the characters when a new one appears. Given the style of movement and the "blink and you'll miss it" speed of it, it brings the addition to the viewer's attention and immediately while adding a good deal of unique feel.

And then there's this follow up piece. There's not much to it in terms of importance or anything but I love it. It's an extension of the dot matrix background and using it to place color on top of a dull background is very fun (also the rainbow at the top).

I think one of the things that felt absent from both prior OPs was a sense of "wow factor" in how they displayed Yor (and Loid). OP2 brings us a Yor assassin cut, but it feels more pretty and fleeting than exciting and energetic, as expected given the tone of it. Anyways, I'm very happy to see them able to explore the energy of each in this opening.

Also, the way that Yor's spike wipes the frame to introduce Loid? I love it. It's such a chaotic opening that you can easily miss simple things like transitions that can get lost in all the information. Another side note, I really like that Loid only appears when he fires his gun. Just a fun little trick that falls into place alongside other examples of wiping the frame in the opening.

Of course, Anya (and bond) gets their own splash cut like this. Really like how it places Anya on her own stage as it steps away from the style used for Loid and Yor and uses "environment" (read: speech bubbles) to convey her ability and its cons. And another very interesting detail (there's no end to them)! The use that dot matrix style to swap Anya and Bond out between each other. Super easy to miss, but it's there as one of those transitions that you can easily miss.

Wiping the frame, I can't think of a better name for it but it's something that's well loved with the direction of this OP. Just following these cuts we get another of our fearless family, but we see a different trick used. Also, really love the idea of it being framed as circus that Anya runs, so accurate to children and especially Anya.

Anyways, the idea is actually a lack of animation. Crazy, but given the style of animation through these cuts with the focus on snappy and exaggerated movements, it fits right in and looks really interesting. Furthermore (yes, there's still more), the use of visual sound effects (which say: 'Kankakeinai', most likely meant to be 'Kankeinai' as that's what's said by Ado at this point in the song.) is a great way to bridge the gap from Anya's previous cut to this one.

Oh, I should have mentioned it, but that same text-usage matching the song appears in the previous Anya and Bond cuts too.

Alright, next cut but also one (a little) further down the line: water animation. Lovely stuff. It's not realistic like what you'd see in the ending for My One-Hit Kill Sister, but has a lot of heart in it nonetheless, aiming to blend with the OP rather than make a statement about its quality.

Man, I almost forgot that there's a sequence in reverse in the OP. It's just that crazy. I've shown enough gifs of stuff so I'll spare the trouble (and save it for later) by just sharing a still. It's well animated, obviously, but aside from it being in reverse, there's just one detail to make note of: the dot matrix. It appears as an airplane for just a split second as a way to begin dissolving it from the frame (though it can be hard to make out because Tumblr compression). A very sneaky and subtle way to continue on with the direction established from the start.

There's lots of tricks in this OP, isn't there? I suppose it's rather similar to the Anya circus one, but slightly different. Keeping in line with the near impossibly hectic style of animation in the opening, we see frame-by-frame cuts alongside some of the best animated sequences. It helps keep that balance, you know? Where we give up on sharpness with some of the faster and more fluid movements, we make up with via these rougher ones.

Also, would it really be Masaaki Yuasa without some freakishly well animated cuts? Animating cars can already be a challenge in the first place, but not only do we see one heavily featured here, we see it spinning around wildly with characters in it. It's a crazy feat that only madmen like Masaaki would attempt.

Anyways, don't you dare underestimate Yuasa's insanity. He made people animate a reflection in a teapot. For like a 3 second cut. No, really, he did. Look at this ridiculously pointless detail.

Okay okay, it's time to wind down a little bit. The wonderfully creative perspective of the OP. It's mostly the cars, but on the more simple sub-to-plane cut it's featured in a more subtle sense just to add something to it, you know? Just to give viewers something a little more interesting to look at.

Alright, last cut I promise. I was very surprised, and equally impressed, to see this skydive sequence as a single cut. I thought for sure it was going to be split, but keeping it in one piece was a great decision.

And that's all I think I will chat about, because if I don't call it quits somewhere I'll never stop. Seriously, that's just how full and dense this opening is. For instance, just look at the bottom left image from the gallery above, Anya's drinking tea all fancy like. Crazy little detail that you wouldn't see unless you paused the opening. And this is full of that kind of stuff alongside the incredible and distinct direction and style of Yuasa. It's a gold mine of creativity and expression that only the man himself would be able to pull off, and I love it. Best Spy x Family opening and another to add to the list of incredible OPs this year.

[brakingpoint]

Adding onto the point you made about rpf and I just wanna mention the video that Mercedes released of George reacting to his 'meme' scenes and imo you can clearly tell that at one point he was just so uncomfortable? And how that is not okay because at the end of the day thay are the ones providing the content and if they all are made to feel like that, than i wouldn't be suprised if they just stopped sharing personal stuff?

i checked this video out after seeing this ask and it was certainly just... a choice to have him react to one girl's extended tiktok that was just thirsting over his photoshoot. like it wasn't actually a "meme" there was no real humour to it there was nothing for him to really say about it (which i think at least partially contributes to his awkwardness in that section)... like the person who made that tiktok is in the comments and she's chill about it seemingly but it's such a weird decision. i know "celebrities read thirst tweets" has been a thing for years but that's normally quick, snappy, slightly absurd statements that actually are funny enough to get a reaction, plus they usually blur out the author's handle & photo and often their display name too. to just make you look at one young woman's actual face and listen to her actual voice for a minute straight as she talks (fairly blandly, no offence to this woman, she was just trying to generically thirst in peace i presume) about how good you look in a photoshoot is just... so strange and i can't figure out what the person who planned that video thought the appeal of that section would be or what george would possibly have to say about it?

imo that definitely comes into the same category as admins using ship names etc in that they're taking things that are definitely intended for intra-community conversation and, because in the current age of social media (and especially on hyper-algorithmic platforms like tiktok) fan spaces and official spaces are exactly the same thing, decide that they can get more attention from the younger fangirl [theoretically gender neutral, though i'd guarantee marketing teams aren't viewing it that way] demographic by acknowledging them and leaning into the lack of separation between church and state (blorbocedes, 2023).

then people who are new to fandom & don't know the etiquette, especially in rpf fandoms, think - quite understandably, if this is the way admins are acting - oh cool, well in that case it's okay and normal for me to talk about ships/thirst/my y/n fantasies to the drivers and teams, and if that gets engagement the admins will continue blurring those lines and pandering to the shipper demographic as far as they can without actually getting into inappropriate territory, and this will make the existence of the rpf side of f1 fandom even more noticeable & something of a curiosity attraction to other types of fan. and as has already been discussed all this almost certainly won't lead to a "George and Lewis Read Your Fanfictions" video posted by mercedes-amg petronas f1 team's official youtube channel. but it could more realistically lead to one of like lando or max's mates namedropping everything changes or whatever in a twitch stream as a gag. which, i must stress, we also do not want

really tl;dr i guess it's. as people have been saying, a lot of the drivers are probably aware that rpf (slash fics or x reader) exists. we live in a post-larry world after all. but that does not mean they need to be privy to the details or have it shoved in their faces or have open discussion around it encouraged by their own social media teams

[astroels]

Cheater and manipulative Ellie drabble

a/n: short drabble bc I've been in the dumps and feel lonely, so what's better than projecting on Ellie and reader, it's also 2a.m I had some drinks, excuse this random angst post

warnings: Ellie is a cheater, she's manipulative and mean, toxic relationship, 0.8k words, not proofread, Angst !!!

The TV that played became more of a background noise than you actually watching for entertainment. All you could think about was Ellie, where she was, what she was doing, when would she be home? There was a growing pain in your body, one that made it want to shut down. Ellie had only said she'd be working late, but not this late, it had become a reoccurring thing, but you didn't want to consider it.

     As you continued thinking and biting your nails, you heard her car pull up. You quickly checked outside the window, peeking through the blinds. The TV was put on mute, the newsperson still showing diagrams and charts. Every second that you knew Ellie was going to come in, was a moment for your anger to swell up, making your body heat rise. Without you wanting it to have effect, you felt your heart jump when you heard the keys unlocking the door.

     The first thing Ellie did when she walked in was give you a smile. "Babe, what're y'doing up?"  She put her keys down and took off her jacket near the entrance. Without meaning for it to sound mean, you replied, "Waiting for you." You paused for a second to make sure Ellie was looking at you as you said your following words. "Whyd they make you stay late this time?"

     "Had to catch up on paperwork, boss has been more prominent." You looked at Ellie tentatively, wondering when her lies would end. "Oh, was anyone there to help you this time?" There was a slight tilt in your head with this question in curiosity. Ellie began to walk closer towards the couch. "Nah, no one was available to stay today." She sat on the spot next to you, closing the distance to give you a kiss on your forehead. As much as you appreciated the sentiment, all you focused on was the scent radiating off of her. She smelled of woody vanilla, certainly not what she smelled like, not what you smelled like.

     Your anger no longer desired to be hidden. You couldn't control the snappy way you replied. "Oh fuck off, Ellie." Her name rolling off your tounge in disgust. "Stop with the fucking lies already." Ellie looked at you in shock, stuttering while she tried to find the right words. "What d'ya mean, babe?" She put her hand on your leg, trying to consol you. You scoffed, "I know that's not how you smell, Ellie, I know that's not either of our hair on that coat." 

     "Babe, it's just Cat, y'remember her?" You moved angrily, her hand falling on the couch instead. "I thought no one stayed today." Ellie moved her hand to be grabbing at her own legs. "She only stayed for a little while, left before it was even considered overtime." You looked up at Ellie just to see she wasn't even looking at you. This made you heat up even more for some reason. "Oh, so what? You just fucked her for a little while then?" Now Ellie was the one scoffing, her anger boiling. "I'm so fucking tired of you, y/n, all you do is bitch and whine." You stared at her in silence, trying to hold your tears back, but it burned your throat. Ellie continued, "Just be fucking appreciative I come back."

     "Oh, I'm so grateful for you fucking your co-workers, you promised it wouldn't be like this anymore, Ellie, I can't just sit here and wait for you all day." You got up, not wanting to face her, instead walking towards the open dining room, just a few feet away. "You're gonna continue to wait for me, n y'know it." Ellie got up, walking towards your direction. "It's not like you can make it out there without me, I picked you up from your fucking misery."

     Your anger had turned into fear, fear of being alone, fear of losing all that you lived for. You felt Ellie snake her arms around your back. She turned your body to face hers, lifting your jaw to face her. The eye contact felt intimate, wrong. In sudden regret from your outburst, you replied, "You're right El's, it's okay."  You repeated the last bit lowly, trying to convince yourself that this was okay. You apologized to Ellie for acting out, which was followed by a burst of your tears. She quickly accepted your words and held you close. Your head laid on her neck as she played with your hair.

     "It's alright, babe, I know you didn't mean it, I'll be here for you always. Things will change from now on." You let her words sink in. You let them bring false hope. "I love you, y/n." She pressed a kiss on your head. Those words felt so fake, but no one ever loved you like she did. She didn't give up on you, she didn't leave you. "I love you too, Ellie." You continued to let her hold you, let yourself be loved, this one time. This was the final time you'd let things end like this, you told yourself.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 2/6/2024

some weeks it's really hard to come up with a snappy little bon mot to put here

listening

Barbarella, by a fuck of a lot of people. yes i DID watch this movie this week! this is the single catchiest theme song i have ever heard. i cannot link the actual opening credits scene bc tumblr will censor that shit SO fast. spotify

-

reading

Rebecca Roanhorse's Tread of Angels novella. this is an urban magic old west religious fantasy novella. VERY sangfielle friendsatthetable vibes, there's an old west mining town centered around the body of the demon Abbadon, which is being mined for its powerful properties. demons and angels have sort of interbred throughout the human population. there is some deeply nerdy catholic bullshit and i say that as someone who was in catholic school for fifteen years. actually let's just take Roanhorse's explanation

the setting and premise are not where the novella bites off way more than it can chew. the main character, a cardsharp, has a chanteuse sister being held accused of a murder and she's got 48hrs to prove her innocence. the time limit and general structure is good, and it uses its side characters wisely, there's just a fuck of a lot of them.

in general, this novella does not have the emotional room to make its emotional beats really count. for example, there was a second breakup with an ex after a night of passion that mostly just left me confused. more broadly, the main character has an oldest sister's selfsacrificing nature that has twisted into utter ruthlessness with regards to her sister, and i'm both impressed Roanhorse managed to convey that in so few pages and annoyed bc i really wanted to see more of that in way more detail. due to the nature of it being a novella, the series of escalating decisions she takes feel very jagged in their escalation. i hope that makes sense.

it's got really interesting ideas! i want to know more about the ideas! i wish this was a full book instead of a novella, so the ending hits a little better instead of a Well That Just Happened way. from this interview it seems Roanhorse also wanted it to be a full book, but it was sort of a "i need something short and sweet so i don't go insane while adapting my other book for TV" (which is very exciting!!!)

-

watching

really a bizarre set of films. extremely unemployed energy in this watchlist this week. largely composed of "what's on my letterboxed watchlist and also available for free on tubi, with brief forays into hulu"

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013, dir. Chow). loved the overall visual design of the antagonists and the monsters, did not overall love this movie. it is a solid martial arts showcase and the first twenty minutes with freshwater JAWS are the most tightly plotted. it kind of flounders (lol) after that. can't find a gif i like.

INU-OH (2021, dir. Yuasa) genuinely healed my heart a little i think. queer (complimentary, not queer in the western massachusetts housing coop way) feudal anime glam rock opera. i am sooooooo picky about bad dads in movies as a driving force but this really soothed my daddy issues. stuck the landing on both storytelling and visuals.

Barbarella (1968, dir. Vadim) WOW Jane Fonda was hot. this was both sillier and less porny than i was led to believe (if we ignore the softcore porn opening credits). however horny this movie was it was not brave enough to have some girl-on-girl action with barbarella and the evil empress, even though the evil empress never seems to actually learn her name and just calls her “pretty” or “pretty-pretty”. shoutout to the one fic on ao3 that rectifies this situation. certainly a piece of scifi history, i wish modern scifi was as brave with its theatrical set dressing, i think one viewing is good enough for me bc i cannot stop thinking about how all the women on set might have been treated.

john philip law popped up and i said out loud to my cat “hey i know him from cowboys”

Flower Drum Song (1961, dir. Koster) got conned into watching this by the hotvintagemen poll bc i wanted to see what james shigeta’s deal was, and if he did have a sort of ratpack sensibility as the propaganda described. he does! however this movie is unrelentingly awful. it is so so so slow. all of its comedy is racism-based. it feels like a three and a half hour two-VHS set instead of two hours. i like to think i have a stronger stomach for older media and am able to consider things as products of their times but this is my upper limit i think. one brief fleeting moment of cool production with this triple mirror effect

Dirty Dancing (1987, dir. Ardolino). we were trying to find something to watch on either peacock or hbo max, and when i said "oh i've never seen that" out loud my my best friend said "that's insane we're watching it". i did not hate this movie, but i feel like i missed some critical window of development in which i would have had to see this movie to really love it. i had sort of an abnormal high school experience and i am a smidge too old to relate to bildungsroman any more. but it was cute! it was fine! i think patrick swayze’s jawline could cut glass. this film was made after Roe v Wade (1973) and i feel like the backstreet abortion b-plot has done this interesting 180 from sort of a historical novelty to a real threat and terror again. fun!

that’s it for the watching section i promise

-

playing

im doing the thing where i play a game for ten minutes, put it down, and then pick it back up again, which is probably not terrific for the health of my elderly switch. but whatever. what have i been up to in breath of the wild?

not a ton of progress map-wise, but did make it up to zora’s domain.

i was planning on the camel being the first divine beast, to get that over with bc i had such a devil of a time in my last playthrough, but the thing about the desert is it’s really far away.

dicked around the dueling peaks stables for a while without managing to defeat that guardian and unlock that shrine. so it goes. i think i really need an actual guardian shield from one of the minor tests of strength shrines instead of a normie shield. this line and sidequest made me laugh— it wasn’t terribly hard to find this little cache but it was a tricky bit of gliding.

didn’t realize the horses don’t have that much vertical threat perception, just like real horses. this little band walked right under me and i failed to glide down and land perfectly on someone’s back, which did freak them all out.

i think my new favorite place in a game is this little grove clinging to the side of the dueling peaks. it felt very peaceful and cozy. nothing can get me up there and there’s more than enough room to make a little campfire and cook dinner and not roll off the mountain in a sleeping bag the middle of the night.

also fully kitted out my house bc i had a very successful mining expedition along dueling peaks. EXTREMELY forgiving and generous secondary opening area imo, thanks game

-

making

i started this glitch sampler pattern by tumblr's own mathysphere (not @'d bc this is a fuck of a long post) at the beginning of the pandemic, june 2020, while thinking "eh let's give this friends at the table counterweight thing a shot" got most of the way through both counterweight and this piece, put it down bc i was so annoyed with all the confetti stitches (random one-off stitches of colors that aren't anywhere near other stitches of the same color. i think i resorted to fraychek at several points in the rover square) and then put it down so long i had to throw it out during the great moth debacle, bc it was partly eaten.

here's what it will look like finished, and a link to buy the pattern

i think this time around i am a much better technical stitcher (the first crack at this i didn't know the loop method of starting, or pin stitches, or really any alternate endings except running the tail under the last few stitches). i usually stitch with three strands bc i like the look, but i think the loop method with three strands is overly fiddly. i have not picked up cross stitch since mmmm 2021, but any mistakes or unevenness in this will simply contribute to the glitch effect. i'm going to go back and backstitch the four "frames" and key portions of the sampler to highlight portions of the glitches (eg the yellow and blue centers of the spiral galaxy, the interior of the eclipse, perhaps add an antenna to the rover).

still not my tidiest back, but hey. it's going to sit in a frame and not have any sort of friction or extra force applied to it ever

i am really looking forward to framing this in a deep shadowbox, i have an idea about how to mat it with little melty cutouts for the drips at the bottom.

[astrum-aetherium]

Hey!! You mentioned something about Judy and Henry possibly hooking up and that got me thinking… thoughts on Henry with a s/o like Judy? Personality and fashion sense and all? ;)

i can't believe you caught that tiny, fleeting mention! it was in the tags of some small little post, after all (i went back to check, lol). but hey — i'm glad to elaborate and indulge.

listen, there are plenty of reasons (even canonical ones) to believe henry and judy might've (most probably drunkenly) hooked up at one point or another. she does refer to him as a bastard... which only begs the question, why? why, miss poovey? was he just rude or did he hit it and quit it on top of all that? we may never know.

as for henry with a judy-esque partner: it would certainly be a bizarre sight. however, as a firm believer in the popular!girl x quiet!guy trope, i'm wholly entranced by this scenario. i already sort of unpacked this in a previous post about henry with a partner who is his polar opposite, but let me use the additional opportunity this prompt provides to add a few more thoughts.

it would, as mentioned, be quite unusual and even surprising to both of your respective circles — the greek class and your friends. nevertheless, i see a lot of potential in an affinity like this. you would definitely complement one another in the areas you'd differ in, and despite a few occasional hiccups in the form of disagreements and possible teasing, i think it might last for quite a long time.

beyond simply being annoyed, i think he would grow to appreciate that kind of personality — snappy, argumentative, direct, unabashed, unapologetic. although there would be some irritation on his end, i believe he will grow into minding it less and less — just as you would in regard to his constant, relentless stoicism and occasionally laughable lack of self-awareness. you would simply grow on one another, grow accustomed to one another, and grow to love the other party's personality traits that may be outlandish.

also, let me just say: he would love the striking fashion choices, secretly. he would never admit to it, but i just know he would. striking red fingernails, crimson lipstick, daring clothing? it would thrill him. his favorite pastime — aside from reading — would be keeping his eyes plateaued upon you, just watching. he would appreciate your beauty and confidence, specifically in the way you carry and present yourself, immensely.

i definitely think he would be more attracted to someone who knows and owns themselves, who is unafraid and daring — a memorable, startling person. someone like that would miraculously enchant him despite his beliefs in all things aesthetic and whatnot. this, simultaneously, would cause him to become quite protective over you and your eccentricity, your individuality — he would hate for anyone to ever attempt to bring you down or challenge your aplomb. of course, he wouldn't be the textbook protective boyfriend — he'd merely be more observant and cautious of your endeavors, keeping a watchful eye on you and anyone who might imperil your caprice.

last (yet certainly not least) — the sex. do i even need to say it? dirty, absolutely debaucherous. whatever you're into, definitely, but as a few propositions as food for thought: light bdsm — choking, spanking, manhandling; marking with that red lipstick; complete ruination. locationally, anywhere the two of you deem somewhat appropriate, but especially in front of mirrors — he'd grow exceptionally fond of them. he knows how provocative you are and loves it, but he would also want you to observe how he wrecks you and thereby shatters that confident, poised façade. therefore, he'd have you gaping at your own reflection out of the merciless stretch of his cock, mewling out his name and begging for more. it would be wicked.

[unlimitedhorsepower]

thinking about the most dysfunctional buddy hero pairs possible. just the worst ones where everything can go wrong so easily

sky high & blue rose // keith & karina

keith and karina wouldnt only be the most excelling duo, they would also be the most toxic. karina would be annoyed by keiths earnestness and keith would be worried karina doesnt like him (and right now she doesnt, kind of). this is a cycle where keith tries too hard and he tries to solve things by talking to karina directly but that if anything would piss karina off really bad bc shes a little moody and doesnt like attention being drawn to it-- shell be okay later, so why is keith doing that! it just worsens her temper. they overwork themselves with keith trying to get karina like him by being perfect and karina taking it as a challenge

golden ryan & origami cyclone // ryan & ivan

ryan would never forgive ivans pettiness like antonio does, he would be kinda offended ivan thinks so little of him. ivan would never understand ryan doing things for him w/o asking (like putting him in the spotlight) as anything but bullying while ryan thinks hes being helpful, and being misunderstood by a petty pessimist is killing him inside because all he wants is to be understood. and hes straightforward about trying to solve it but with ivan that would be a disaster, he needs a mediator...

wild tiger & magical cat // kotetsu & lara

this is mostly because kotetsu would act in a way that lara would understand to be condescending and she could never trust him because of her mother. its different with a peer but kotetsu is old enough to be her dad, so she would just fully believe hes trying to take her spotlight instead of genuinely helping her, especially when hes been partnered with barnaby before and now could finally be his time to shine. kotetsu on the other hand is going to have life and fatherhood crisis 2 like how is he messing this up so bad.

barnaby brooks junior & rock bison // barnaby & antonio

antonio has all of these worries about not being popular and while kotetsu can shrug off the barnaby stardom and laugh about it, that would be eroding antonios soul. then he makes the issue bigger in his mind and barnaby certainly doesnt help bc while hes grown as a person hes still really awkward and can be snappy too. he also gives too-honest assessments on antonios lack of popularity and maybe tries to give him advice but antonio just becomes crestfallen

fire emblem & he is thomas // nathan & thomas

mainly bc nathan would love to help thomas who clearly is going through something and is deep in life & teen troubles and its related to his family. but nathans a little bit too pushy about it for thomas so he just shuts her out entirely. its also a huge issue that thomas cant follow orders when hes worked up and nathan is nice but shes also professional and thomas is SO bad at teamwork which nathan values highly... and thomas would just draw more into himself which leaves nathan very little leeway to try to appease him

dragon kid & mr. black // paolin & subaru

paolin is just trying to be friendly and subarus just being himself but hes kinda developing a complex about paolin having already been a big name hero in sternbild despite her being younger. paolin is very high-energy and mostly positive but subaru would unintentionally dash all her attempts to cheer him up and be a friend and i think they could actually come to blows about it like two kids at school during recess

[jesuis-melodrama]

Adrien Émile Gabriel Donatien Athanase Agreste

Ello 👋🏿 it's me again and I was wondering if you thought about how Adrien would change the Gabriel part of his full name, when he's older. Cause I certainly have. The only thing is, if you don't mind me asking, what do you think he would change it to🤔

Hi! How are you doing :))))

Yeah, I love Adrien's name, I'm surprised they never once acknowledged it in canon considering how intricate and fancy it is. Someone put thought into it.

Émile is just the male version of Emilie, and there's Gabriel too, so he's named after his mother and his father. Really shows their possessiveness of them.

Donatien is also a little suspicious, the French version of Donatello, meaning 'God-given', and we all know one of Adrien's parents definitely consider themselves a god.

Out of all these names, I like Athanase the best, not only because it's an alliteration with Adrien, but because it comes from the Greek name 'Athanasios', which means immortal. One of my favourite Russian names, Afanasiy, also branches from this name.

I definitely think Adrien would change his name when he gets older. The idea of Emilie being a bad parent is picking up traction in the fandom now, but this was something I personally believed back when I was watching Miraculous for the first time. Even in the first season, there were way too many suspicious clues for me to see Emilie as a genuinely good person, or at least mother to Adrien.

So Adrien would change his name not only to embrace his own identity but to separate himself from his parents.

(Fun fact: another reason why names are so important to me is because I also changed my legal name to embrace my own identity and separate myself from my parents. I spent a lot of time researching what names means and my inspirations before deciding on a moniker.)

Adrien changing his name is something I addressed in a number of my fanfics. In Better than Revenge (Marinette's Version), there's even a direct mention by one of the characters:

“First of all, it’s Adrien Athanase,” Lila says “Don’t deadname him.”

In the current fanfic I'm writing (chapters pending), Marinette: Princess Charm School, Adrien's full title is Crown Prince Adrien Athanase Graham de Vanily, Dauphin of Versailles.

So, yeah, I think Adrien would change his legal name to Adrien Athanase, and he can use it as a snappy stage name too. It's AA, number one number one, best initials ever.

Out of all his names, I think these two are the ones worth keeping.

Thanks for asking 💖💫

[requiemsystem]

Hey, I'm starting to suspect I have OSDD-1b. If you don't mind much, I kind of want to get my thoughts straight.

I'm Siobhan, maybe. I looked at some names and I found myself charmed by that one. I probably use ze/he/they pronouns. I think I'm the newest one here and I kind of play a protector role for the host (uses e/thon/te/she if you're close to her). Honestly, she can kind of hold her own, though she's a little violent and angry, and it's kind of my job to reel her in. I love em, for the record, and I know e means well, I just gotta make sure e doesn't hurt anyone haha...

One of the other alters, Benton (any pronouns), is here with me. He's pretty laid back, and he's kinda forcing my hand at this haha.. I think he broke off from the host probably when the host was like, either abusing or quitting drugs... who knows? The host talks about how prescription drug abuse/withdrawal shaped her trauma and made her into a rage machine pretty often. I also have an inkling cannabis was involved in me coming about. I want to look into research on that.

I likely came around in the past year or two. Very weird because I didn't really recognize my parents' house. Like I knew what it was. It just felt so new to me. I guess that's part of why I started looking into it.

The host has been getting better lately, actually. Te has been able to front without getting violent or snappy, and te remembers a lot of old tricks te used to use to calm down that I certainly forgot about (or, wasn't familiar with???)

I think there's just the three of us.

Granted, I could just all be making this stuff up too. I'm not really sure of myself. I just wanted a place to put everything and sort of talk about myself using these words. I'm not sure how I feel doing it still, I might be pigeonholing myself or avoiding responsibility for myself, but I appreciate your time and askbox.

not really sure if theres a question here, but i think if u suspect OSDD it could be worth looking into! id advise reading the DSM-V to see if u fit the diagnostic criteria and then looking for other medical articles - grey

[katyspersonal]

YOU THERE

Opinions on Loretta, knight of the Haligtree? (this is a threat)

AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ohhhh boy...

As usual, I get a little stuck on ER characters, because I main BB and it is sooooo hard to switch from a hyperfixation. *sobs* SO, unfortunately, I do not have much to offer yet, but let me think...

I'll just say that I got stuck at even something as barebones as 'Is Loretta herself and Albinauric or just happens to care about them a lot?'

Her shield says that because of its shape resembling a drop of sacred dew, people had "absurd rumours" that she herself was an Albinauric! I picked how 'absurd rumours' would be in Japanese script and apparently 'tsumaranu' is closer to the meaning as 'boring' or 'uninteresting' (つまらぬ), than 'absurd'. ('Uwasa' means rumour(s)) Like... did the lore just tell us that assuming she is an Albinauric herself is the most boring assumption?? Oh hell. But then I saw that she was immune to Madness, which is specified in lore to only effect humans. Oh HELL. ...but then I remembered that Loretta is affiliated with Haligtree (well.... yeah?! lol) and even the glintstone in her war sickle was replaced with unalloyed gold. But unalloyed gold is known to block out the influence of the outer Gods. And Madness COMES from Three Fingers, which is easily qualified as outer God itself!!

For Scarlet Rot, something that is as familiar as being in a way 'natural' for this world once, of course only something as drastic as that needle would work. But for Madness, which is a sickness brought to this world, maybe a "lucky charm" like thing in her sickle is helpful enough. And her focus! I think Loretta is a human, that just happens to care about Albinaurics a lot! People would assume she had a 'personal' interest... whereas she simply had enough compassion and honour to sympathise with the species, and her shield was fashioned this way as reflection of her intent to help Albinaurics. She is not the [species] herself, but cares about them. And does it well, unlike..... some OTHER characters who "care" about oppressed kind of people within the lore ъ_ъ *shivers*

Damn, dude, the potential of Dung Eater having that cliché villain moment of "we are not so different, you and I" with a [hero] while roughly having the same motivations but being utterly depraved will haunt me now.. The trope haunted me from FMA moment with Tuck3r (if you know then you know)..

....uhhh okay, ANYWAYS,

My opinion is that this character is actually really interesting! No matter what direction you take her lore and motivation, she is a very strong character! If she is a human, she is a very compassionate and open-minded soul! If she is an Albinauric herself, she has such strong sense of duty and passion for her species that it is commendable too, one who is really capable of making a change, even if it is as simple as finding a save haven! And I certainly like the fact that Miriam (that fucking BITCH.... -_-) uses Loretta's bow sorcery. It'd mean that the tactics Loretta used (and probably invented) were so good that other people at Caria Manor were willing to learn from her as well. But yes, I do think that Loretta would invent and favour a spell like this as longbows are what Albinauric women tend to use. Glintstone sorceries have a habit of being named after those who discovered them (Comet Azur, Thop's Barrier' etc). She is like... both very strong, very smart (Glintstone sorceries demand high intellect, ok?) and very compassionate woman. In invokes both admiration and provokes a thought of what is the catch about her character, since being ideal at everything should not be possible...?

My luckiest guess is that she might suck at interpersonal relationship all things considered. So yes, great skills and caring for larger picture, and a species that faced oppression, to the point of wanting to get in their skin a bit... But like, maybe she is snappy and impulsive. Maybe she might often hurt even people who are dear for her. Maybe she could be a bit too demanding of people she does not see as victims of circumstances. It seems like a person of many skills and noble intentions would easily be the one having a hard time finding true friends she could get along with as a person, not as a "coworker" or "servant". I feel like she'd be the type to lose the line between 'telling the truth' and 'being a bit mean'! But this is just me fumbling with the ideas 🤔

I also currently do not have an idea about her face reveal, actually? ...moreover, I am surprised I never see any interpretations of her ;-; But, I already like the image of your interpretation that you sent to me!

Your version of her looks very divorced despite having never been married fdhfhdhsd I don't even know how ELSE to describe this aura, but it is valid in any way xD

_____________________

Thank you for the ask!!

[in-my-feels-probably]

Empyrean - Chapter One

Chapter 1

A/N - Please read the prequel first if you haven’t, and remember that this fic is a sequel! Check out Ineffable first and give it a read before starting Empyrean :)

—

Elham scrunched up her nose as the stench of the Barrel filled her nose. The further her and the Crows walked into the city, the worse the smell got. It was enough to make the pigeons’ eyes water, forcing them to find solace in one of the many clubs Ketterdam had to offer. Elham had nearly forgotten just how bad it was, wishing she had something to cover her nose with. The air was cold–but somehow humid, too–clinging to her bare skin like a wet blanket.

“I can’t believe I forgot my coat on the ship.”

“I don’t know how you did that,” Jesper snickered, throwing an arm around her shoulder. “You can borrow one of mine when we get back to the Crow Club, alright? Besides, it was high time you threw it out, anyway. It wasn’t doing you any favors, darling.”

Elham dug her elbow into Jesper’s side, making him whine. “It was my favorite coat. I’ve had it for longer than I’ve known you.”

“Then you definitely needed to throw it out,” Jesper mumbled, running a hand up and down his side.

Barely five minutes off the ship, and Elham was already regretting stepping off. She rolled her eyes, increasing her pace to catch up to Inej. She linked her arm with hers, the two now walking side by side. Kaz led the group, with Jesper trailing behind, still pouting from Elham’s attack.

“Home sweet home,” Jesper drawled out, moving to walk next to Elham again. “Straight off the boat from Ravka, and no one was waiting to kill us as soon as we arrived. Yay! That’s a good sign. I think I might celebrate with a little dice and debauchery.”

“No debauchery,” Kaz spoke for the first time since deboarding.

“Dice, then.”

“No dice. We have stops to make.”

Elham sighed, feeling her nerves beginning to increase. She didn’t mean to sound so snappy, but being back in Ketterdam was making her skin crawl. Too much had happened since they left, and too much could go wrong with their return. Jesper was just trying to lighten the mood, as always, but it was only further souring Elham’s mood.

She spoke through gritted teeth, taking a calming breath. “Jesper, darling? Dial it back a little, for my sanity, if nothing else. I just spent weeks babysitting you, and I didn’t get paid for it. Let’s focus, yeah?”

Inej ignored the bickering between her friends, letting go of Elham to match Kaz’s stride. “What’s first? Tante Heleen?”

Elham flinched at the name. Her eyes flitted to Kaz, who had a look of determination on his face as he kept his eyes forward. If he was anxious, he wasn’t showing it. Elham wished she had his ability to hide her emotions like that. It certainly would make their return easier, especially with the consequences of her deal she made with Heleen beginning to catch up to her.

“We get to the Crow Club,” Kaz said, turning down an alleyway.

The Crows followed close behind him, walking the familiar streets to their home. Elham had almost forgotten just how dark the city was, save for a few streetlights. It was a lucky thing the alleyways were shortcuts, or her paranoia would have doubled moving through rival gang territory. When they finally turned the corner to the street the Crow Club was on, Elham furrowed her brows in confusion.

The spot where the Crow Club sign hung was gone, replaced by a circular green sign with a crown logo interwoven in the center. Kerch writing wrapped all the way around the perimeter of the sign, and Elham had to squint to read it as they got closer.

“The Kaelish Prince?” She said exaggeratedly, more so reading aloud than asking a question.

“What sort of name is that?” Jesper asked as he stopped next to her, his confusion matching hers. “Where’s our sign?”

“It’s been replaced…Dime Lions,” Kaz said in realization as he focused on the man guarding the door, who had a lion tattooed on his neck.

Inej took a subconscious step back towards Elham. “Pekka Rollins owns the Crow Club?”

Jesper shook his head in disbelief. “Where does that leave us? Are you saying we have no home? But, my suits. All my hats!”

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Elham grimaced, her heart pounding in her chest.

She hunched over, resting her hands on her knees. If Pekka owned the Crow Club, what else had he gotten his hands on? Did he know they were back in Ketterdam? Did he take over the club just to spite Kaz. Oh, Saints, she thought. Kaz. She turned her eyes to Kaz, who seemed to be lost in thought.

Elham shakily stood up straight, taking a cautious step toward him. “Boss?”

Her voice seemed to pull him from his thoughts, and he quickly turned around. “Split up. It’s not safe.”

Just as they all turned around to leave, a shrill whistle blew a few feet away from them. Suddenly, the Stadwatch came through the alleyway, cornering them with only one exit point near them. Elham reached for the hilt of her sword, when the men began unholstering their pistols.

“Halt! Your four, hands up!”

“Shit,” Elham mumbled, letting go of the hilt. She looked between her friends, who appeared to be just as equally confused as she was. Deciding there was no easy way out of this, Elham reluctantly put her hands up in surrender.

“Kaz Brekker,” one of the men said, pointing to each of the Crows as he walked down the line. “Jesper Fahey, Inej Ghafa, and Elham Creed. Only a matter of time before you turned up.”

Kaz put his hands up as the Stadwatch drew nearer. “Is there a problem?”

“For you? Yeah. You’re wanted for murder.”

“What?” Elham asked in shock. “I think I’d remember killing someone in the ten minutes we’ve been back, sir.”

Jesper kept his hands raised while the Stadwatch kept a gun on him. “We didn’t do anything! We just got back in town. Unless it’s a crime to kill Volcra.”

The man scoffed, choking out a laugh. “Very funny, gunslinger. Now…slowly, hand over those shooters. You, give up the cane, and you, hand over the blade.”

One of the men came to stand next to Elham, grabbing the hilt of her sword. He pulled it out of its sheath, handing it to one of the men behind him. Elham seethed silently, already itching without her sword. She had just gotten one back, and now it was already being taken away from her.

“And you, spy–” he said, turning to Inej, before letting out a gasp. “Oi! Where’d she go?”

The men all turned to look around, some peering up at the rooftops. Elham stifled a chuckle, just now noticing the absence of her friend beside her. One of these days, Inej was going to have to teach her how she does that.

“Yeah…she does that,” Jesper smirked with pride.

Elham nodded, grinning. “Cool, isn’t it?”

“Three’s enough for now. Come on,” the leader of the Stadwatch said, signaling for his men to grab and cuff the Crows. “Off to Hellgate to await trial.”

Elham’s grin fell as cuffs were slapped on her wrists, along with Kaz and Jesper’s. She sighed as the men led them to an armored carriage, making them pile in one by one. Elham was last to enter, her eyes widening when she realized the carriage was full of nothing but men. The only seats left available were one next to a man with a hat pulled down far enough to shield his face so that Elham couldn’t clearly see him, and one next to Kaz. She quickly moved to sit next to Kaz, barely having sat down before the carriage lurched forward. Her forearm pushed into his side as she nearly fell over, and she quickly withdrew it.

“Sorry,” she anxiously muttered under her breath, trying to press herself as close as she could to the man on the other side of her, giving Kaz as much room as the confined space would allow. Kaz said nothing, giving her a stiff nod.

Jesper sighed in frustration, looking back and forth between Kaz and Elham. “Let’s all go back to Ketterdam. It'll be fun, they said. Now I’m off to Hellgate. Hellgate. Pekka’s got his grotty fingers in every part of that pie. We end up there, we’re as good as dead.”

The man on the other side of Kaz fidgeted, his bare forearm brushing up against Kaz’s side. As they went over a rickety part of the road, his hand pushed up against Kaz’s thigh. Elham winced as she noticed, sliding further away from him again, choosing to press herself up into the side of the man next to her.

“Little lady,” the man croaked out, his breath reeking of whiskey. “Come any closer, and you’ll be in my lap. Not that I would mind, though. What did a pretty little thing like yourself do to get locked up with the likes of us, anyway?”

“Piss off,” she snarled, cringing when he moved his cuffed hand to grip her thigh. “You’ll be missing a few fingers if you don’t get your hands off of me. I won’t be giving you another warning, so I advise you to choose wisely. Got it?”

The man let out a dark chuckle, squeezing her leg harder.

Elham saw red, pulling her wrists as far apart as the chain would allow to tighten its slack. She reached up to grab the center of the chain, squeezing it as she heated it up just enough so that it would burn to the touch. In one graceful swoop, she dug the chain overtop her thigh and under the man’s fingers, wrapping it around his pinky and ring finger. Twisting as tight as she could, she yanked in a downward motion until she felt the tips of his fingers pop out of their joints.

With a final twist–and the heat of the chain–the tip of the man’s pinky and ring fingers came clean off.

The heat of the chain seemed to cauterize the wound, so it didn’t bleed. But it must have hurt like hell, because the man involuntarily stomped and nearly drove his foot through the floor in shock. He let out a wail, drawing his hand close into his chest in pain. Before he could scream for help, she raised her elbow high, driving it into his temple.

In one strike, he was knocked out cold.

The other men in the cart didn’t seem too fazed, keeping their eyes settled towards their laps. They were apparently smarter than the moron who had the unfortunate circumstance of finding himself sitting next to Elham. Jesper, on the other hand, looked at the sight in front of him in pure shock. There was fear behind his eyes, but also amusement. He was clearly impressed. He clapped his cuffed hands together, laughing at the man unconscious next to Elham.

“Tough luck, mate. Serves you right, though. Did your Mother never teach you to respect a lady? She did tell you to piss off.”

Another bump in the road, and the men inside the carriage were once again jostled around. Despite her best efforts, Elham couldn’t keep her shoulder from brushing up against Kaz’s shoulder. The heat she radiated seemed to lessen the effects that touch had on him, but the man on the other side of Kaz was cold and clammy. He brushed against Kaz yet again, and Kaz let out a choked gasp.

“Boss?” Jesper asked uneasily.

Elham kept her voice as low and calm as she could. “Kaz? Kaz, breathe.”

Kaz desperately gasped for air, his entire body rigid. Elham watched him in horror, turning her eyes to meet Jesper’s. He looked just as scared, not knowing what to do. He turned to the barred window at the front of the carriage where the Stadwatch could be seen.

“Hey, stop this wagon! Now!”

Elham felt her heart sink into her stomach as Kaz leaned forward, trying to get as much of his body away from the other prisoners as he could. Elham leaned forward, speaking as softly as she could to him. He was practically shivering.

“Kaz? Kaz, listen to me. You’re alright. You’re alright, you’re right here with me, I promise. You have to try and breathe for me, love. Kaz, please.”

Elham rubbed her hands together, trying to create as much heat in her palms as she could without actually sparking a flame. Not touching him, she hovered her palms over Kaz’s arms and shoulders as close as she could, praying that he could feel the heat well enough that it could distract him enough to calm down. Jesper banged on the wall of the wagon with his cuffs, shouting for the Constable to stop the carriage. He didn’t stop banging until the wagon screeched to a halt.

Within a few seconds, the Constable had opened the back of the wagon to peer in with a less than amused face. “You three. Out!”

Jesper grinned as he met Elham’s gaze, before looking at the prisoners. “Gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure.”

Elham stood, quickly hopping down and out of the carriage. Jesper followed, with Kaz right behind him. Kaz was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and he took a grounding breath as he was finally free from the carriage. He stopped to stand next to Elham, but wouldn’t meet her eyes. She took what she could get, gladly trading his passive demeanor for what looked like a scared caged animal that she had been locked up with just moments ago.

The Constable moved to close the door, before he peered back inside the carriage once more. “What…what the fuck? Will one of your dimwitted morons pick up that man’s fingers from off the floor? Saints, I hate this job.”

He snapped at one of the other guards to do it, before motioning for Elham, Kaz, and Jesper to walk ahead. They were led inside what looked to be a very expensive estate, and escorted to what Elham assumed to be the dining room. The guards pulled out three chairs and lined them up in a row, before grabbing each of the Crows by the shoulder to force them to sit.

Elham ripped her shoulder from the guard holding her, now wishing more than ever that she had her coat to cover her bare shoulders. “I’ve got it! You can stand down.”

“Watch the coat!” Jesper whined, taking a seat in the far left chair.

Kaz was forced into the far right, with Elham sitting in between the two. The men backed up once the Crows were seated, standing guard while the Constable moved to stand in front of them.

“What’s all this, then?” Jesper asked, sounding just as annoyed to be there as Elham and Kaz were. Although, it certainly beat the inside of that carriage, which smelled like a tavern floor.

“Somebody paid good kruge to spend some time alone with you three.”

Suddenly, the door on the far side of the room swung open, and Dreesen stepped through with a fervor. “Criminals.”

Kaz had finally collected himself, back to his usual uncrackable self. “Dreesen.”

Dreesen smirked as he stalked into the room, followed by a few guards. He asked for a few minutes alone, and the Constable reluctantly agreed, only after being handed a wad of cash. One by one, the Stadwatch filed out, until there was no one left but the Crows in their chairs, and Dreesen with his guards.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened?”

Jesper raised his cuffs like it was an obvious question to be asking. “We’ve been framed for murder?”

Dreesen scoffed, stalking closer. “I’m not asking about that. Where is Alina Starkov?”

Kaz narrowed his eyes at Dreesen, before looking away like this conversation was beneath him. “We don’t have her.”

“You left with an advance on my million kruge with passage on my ship. And you dare to return empty handed? The deal was meant to include one Sun Summoner in exchange for the advance. And you step off the ship with no such person in your possession.”

Kaz’s eyes discreetly flitted around the room to look at each of the bodyguards as he listened to Dreesen. Elham followed his line of vision, looking at each of the men one by one. Her search stopped when she landed on one of the men standing off to the side, with an emerald cufflink attached to his coat. She squinted at him, trying to get a better look. He looked so familiar, so much so that Elham huffed in frustration when she couldn’t put her finger on it. She turned to meet Kaz’s gaze, ever so slightly nudging her shoulder in the direction the man was standing. Kaz imperceptibly nodded, silently telling her that he had noticed something, too.

“Clearly you must have something of value to me or else you would not have dared–”

“It wasn’t your money, Dreesen,” Kaz interrupted, looking away from the man with the cufflink. “You were brought in as an intermediary. Someone to hire the likes of us. But this operation wasn’t yours. It was his. Wasn’t it?”

Everyone’s attention was now directed to the man standing with his hands crossed in front of him.

“Outrageous–”

“Yes, totally convincing,” the man mused, cutting Dreesen off. “Thank you, Dreesen, but I’ll take it from here…that was me politely telling you to get out. Now, go on.”

Dreesen scoffed, looking between the man and the Crows. Finally, he nodded for his men to follow him. The rest of the guards left the room with Dreesen, leaving just the Crows and the mystery contractor in the room. Able to better focus on him, Elham couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew this man from somewhere.

“Well, this is much easier,” he said, setting his hat down as he began taking his coat off. “Tell me, what gave it away?”

“You dress too well for a bodyguard. And you were hanging on every word like it was your money on the table. You wanted to hear our story, but we don’t know you. We know him. Dreesen. So, you kept up the charade until now. My question is…who are you?”

The man raised a brow, like he was actually surprised his identity had yet to be revealed. “What, you don’t know me? Maybe in profile.”

As he turned to the side, Elham narrowed her eyes at him again. From the sound of his voice, to his mannerisms, to the way he articulated his sentences, he was so familiar, and it was on the tip of her tongue. He cut in before she could figure out the truth.

“No? Very well. The name’s Sturmhond.” Jesper nodded in realization. “I’ve heard of you.”

“Yeah, I should hope so. He’s a very rich pirate. A privateer, actually, it’s an important distinction.”

“Rich enough to get me another coat?” Elham asked, rubbing her hands together. “I seem to have misplaced mine.”

Sturmhond grinned at her, but Kaz interrupted before he could answer. “The question remains, why is the Sun Summoner so important to a privateer?”

“You may not be aware, but half the world is looking for her. Or even just confirmation of death. And the reward has gone up. Twenty million to hand her over to Fjerda. Turns out they weren’t particularly pleased with Kirigan and the Sun Summoner’s plan to weaponize the Fold.”

Elham flinched at his wording, remembering all too well the plans the Darkling had in mind for her to use her powers to weaponize the Fold. A wall of fire and darkness, incinerating and destroying everything in its path, or leaving what it didn’t light up to the Volcra. The might of her powers, reduced to a force she couldn’t control. The thought made her skin crawl.

“I could buy lots of coats with that reward,” Elham deflected, her tone sarcastic. “Forgive me, but I’m not seeing your point.”

“Where is she now? I know you’ve been in contact with her.”

Jesper shook his head, groaning. “We don’t know where Alina is. She’s gone.”

A quiet clink of metal sounded next to her, and Elham looked down to see that Kaz had slipped his way out of his cuffs. He kept his hands in his lap, not showing that he had removed them yet. She playfully rolled her eyes, holding out her joined wrists in front of him. Kaz glared at her, but she just shook her head.

“He heard you slip the cuffs, Kaz.”

Sturmhond nodded, grinning. “If I had time, I’d insist you tell me how.”

Elham turned back to Kaz, jingling the chain connecting her wrists. “See? Now, if you would be so kind as to remove mine, I’m afraid the Constable put mine on quite tight. I’ve been slowly losing circulation for about an hour now.”

Kaz rolled his eyes, dropping his cuffs to the floor. Silently, he reached for the chain to pull her wrists closer, only fiddling with the cuffs for a few seconds before hers were on the floor, too. Without a word, Elham turned to Jesper, slipping a lockpick out from the inside of her boot.

“Gross,” he muttered.

“Do you want them off or not?” She asked impatiently, and he reluctantly held his wrists out for her to take. After a few moments, she grinned victoriously, and Jesper’s cuffs were the final pair to hit the floor.

“Fascinating,” Sturmhond said while pouring a drink as he watched the Crows free themselves. “Anyway. My intel informs me the Sun Summoner was wearing this when she entered the Fold. It’s part of the Queen’s collection. A well known piece…the fabled garnets of Ivets.”

He picked up a jeweled necklace, the one Alina gave Kaz as payment to keep quiet about her whereabouts. Elham internally groaned at the sight of it. Of course the one form of payment they had would be taken from them. It was just their luck. Sturmhond approached them, holding it up in a way that felt like it was taunting her.

“Either she used this to pay you off to keep quiet about where she was going, or you found her bloody corpse and stole it off her neck like vultures.”

“How dare you?” Jesper scoffed, feigning offense. “We are not vultures. We are crows…and that makes more sense with context. But my point is, we’re not grave robbers.”

Kaz and Elham shared an exasperated look, and she rolled her eyes as she turned to look forward again. Sturmhond grinned giddily, as if he had just solved the last piece of a puzzle that led to the location of the treasure. In a way, he actually did.

“Which means it was a payoff, so you know where she went. Now, if you tell me, I’ll give you twenty seconds alone here before the Stadwatch comes back in.”

Jesper chuckled. “You can’t bribe us–”

“Leave the necklace,” Kaz interrupted, keeping his eyes on Sturmhond. Give us twenty seconds and I'll tell you.”

Sturmhond laughed, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “The bribe she paid you to keep quiet about her next move, in exchange for her next move. I like it.”

“Kaz,” Elham bristled, getting his attention. “You’re not serious?”

He couldn’t be serious...could he? After all that work to get Alina out of the Darkling’s clutches, Kaz was just going to let her be captured again. As far as Elham could tell, Sturmhond was doing what they were hired to do in the first place: capture the Sun Summoner, and sell her to the highest bidder. Elham wouldn’t have reacted as strongly a few weeks ago to a proposition like that. A fake Saint for a million kruge seemed worth the trouble. But an actual Saint? And a victim of the Darkling at that, just like Elham was? It was too far, even for her. What would Inej think, when she finds out they willingly handed over a Saint? Elham cringed at the thought, silently trying to get Kaz to see reason. She should have known better. Money was just about all that drove him now.

Money…and revenge. And if he was ever going to get his revenge against Pekka Rollins, he needed money to do it. The necklace was his way in, and he was taking it. In a way, Elham couldn’t blame him.

But there was a small part of her that couldn’t push down the guilt she was feeling. A part of her that ached for the little girls of the world who fall victim to men with power and authority, like with Alina and the Darkling. Like the Darkling and her. How could she just let Kaz hand Alina over? But then, Elham was hit with a sudden realization, one that made her blood boil and tied her stomach into knots.

Kaz was just as much a victim to powerful men who abuse their authority as she was. He deserved revenge just as much as she did.

The only difference between her and Kaz was, he had nobody to protect him. Elham first had Baghra, and then the Crows. She met Kaz so young, and he had protected her ever since. But who had protected him? Who was there for him when he needed someone the most, when he and his brother fell victim to Pekka Rollins’s tricks? No one. The revenge he so desperately wanted, he had to get alone.

At least, that’s what he thought. He had Elham now, who had just as much hate in her heart for Pekka Rollins as Kaz did. And she had vowed to help him, whether he wanted it or not. Brick by brick, Pekka Rollins would be torn down until all he knew was suffering.

Kaz needed this necklace to do it. And the only way to get it was to give up Alina. Elham understood now. Kaz needed this. He needed this, and he needed someone on his side to protect him. And Saints be damned, that person would be Elham. Even if she had to burn every bridge to get to him so that there was nowhere to escape after, she’d still do it. And despite her heart screaming at her, telling her that this was wrong…she let it go.

Alina was one of the most powerful Grisha in the world, and she had Mal at her side. She had people who would lay down their lives to save her. That was enough against Sturmhond if he truly had ill intent, so Elham made her peace with it.

Finally, she gave Kaz a nod. She didn’t have to say anything, the look on her face was more than enough to show him what she was trying to say. She gave him a look that said I know, and I understand. I’m with you.

Sturmhond cleared his throat, breaking the tension. “There’s still the mess of having to fence royal jewels.”

He tucked the necklace into his coat, pulling out a wad of cash in its place. Jesper gave Kaz an uneasy look, but Elham set her hand on top of his, silently telling him not to question it. Kaz watched the money passively, but Elham could see the spark in his eyes when he saw it.

“You three stepped off the Edam tonight,” Sturmhond prodded, looking for the information he needed before he was willing to hand over the cash. “Was she with you then? Is she in town somewhere?”

Kaz was quiet a moment, seeming to internally battle with himself on whether or not he should speak. The solution he needed to crush Rollins was so close he could quite literally reach out and grab it. And yet, he was hesitating. Perhaps he, too, was thinking of Inej, knowing she would consider it a betrayal. Maybe, the finish line was in sight, and he didn’t know if he had it in himself to cross it alone. Whatever it was, it was eating him up. And Elham couldn’t bear to watch him suffer. She took a deep breath, clearing her throat.

“You’re smarter than you look, aren’t you Sturmhond?” Elham asked, turning to him. “Alright, we’ll bite. She stayed on the ship to Novyi Zem.” Sturmhond grinned, dropping the wad of cash on the table as he headed for the door. “Thank you. Good luck.”

“Sturmhond,” Elham called, making him hesitate at the door before he opened it. “If I find out you’ve done something to hurt Alina…I’m coming for you. I want you to know that. I’ll find you, and that is a promise.”

Sturmhond watched Elham with curious eyes, before putting his hat on, tipping it towards her. “I’ll keep that in mind, Valkyrie.”

He was gone before Elham could say anything else. Kaz immediately stood, pocketing the money. Elham stood as well, offering Jesper a hand to pull him up out of his chair.

“For the record, we knew,” she said, before joining Kaz at the table. “About you being a Durast. But I figured you’d rather have me take off your cuffs than let Sturmhond see you do it for yourself.”

Jesper narrowed his eyes at her, an uneasy grin on his face. “How?”

Kaz spoke like it was obvious, and to him, it probably was. He had only just hinted at it to Elham on the ship back to Ketterdam when her own suspicions arose.

“Your gun misfired in Arken’s train. You fixed it without moving. You repaired my cane with no tools. And when you shoot, you never miss. Of course I knew.”

“Why didn't you tell us?” Elham asked softly, not wanting to pry about it just yet.

“You’re not the only Grisha not too keen on telling the world about their powers. Let’s leave it at that, yeah?”

Elham let out a sad sigh, moving across the room until she collided with Jesper. She wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing him tight. He let his arms rest around her shoulders, hugging her into him. She let her cheek rest against his chest, giving him a final squeeze, before letting him go.

“We won’t tell anyone. I promise. But if you do ever feel like talking about it, I’m more than happy to listen. Alright?”

“Alright,” he agreed, before his eyes softened on her, his tone solemn. “Why’d you give up Alina, darling?”

Before Elham could answer, Kaz beat him to it while barricading the doors with chairs so that the Stadwatch couldn’t get in. “Don’t place the blame on her. If she didn’t fess up, I would have. He’d already deduced it. He knew the name of the ship that we were coming in on. The best we could do is get our money back.”

“And Alina?” Jesper asked. “She’s half a day ahead, and he’s a pirate. We should warn her.”

“How? And where do you intend to post a warning? She could be anywhere by now. We have enough on our plate here.”

“I have faith in her,” Elham noted, trying to be of some comfort. “If the day ever comes, I’ll apologize to her in person. I’ll even go after Sturmhond if need be. But Kaz is right. There’s nothing else we could do, he probably would have found her without us anyway. We’re no good to anyone rotting in jail or dead, and we needed that money, Jesper. I won’t apologize for doing what was best for all of us.”

Suddenly, there was a bang at the door, followed by the sound of the Stadwatch guards shouting at each other. They pushed at the doors, and the barricade started to give way.

“Shit!” Elham stammered, grabbing her sword off the table and sliding it back into its sheath. “Twenty seconds, what a load of bullshit. I’m hitting him next time I see him.”

“Window,” Kaz pointed, and the Crows one by one began piling out.

Elham went last, making sure everything they needed was grabbed off the table. Jesper held out his hands for her, motioning for her to hop down so he could catch her. She landed on the ground below the window with an oomph, before steading herself by holding onto his forearms. Elham bristled as she felt the cool air prick her skin, pulling the scarf from around Jesper’s neck off to wrap it around her shoulders.

“Where to?” Jesper asked as they hurried away from the estate, not having enough time to scold her for stealing it from him.

Elham could see her breath in the air as she huffed. “Let’s all be clear on something. Nicking me a new fucking coat is priority number one.”

–

A/N - Hi! New chapter up! I hope you enjoyed this, forgive the slow start. This is maybe halfway through episode 1, so I have a feeling this fic is gonna be much longer than Ineffable, but that’s also because I think I write more descriptively now. I don’t know if you can tell the difference, but hopefully my writing has improved. I think it’s a little meh in this chapter, but that’s just because I’m having to get into setting up the sequel, so hopefully it goes smoother as the plot moves. Anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think :)