#am I aware putting this in the main tag is probably a bad idea. yes

[samglyph]

Ok this is my blog I’m allowed to post my opinions

Hazbin Hotel pros

1. Characters: I like the lesbians. Angel dust is good. I have a Jeremy Jordan bias and I enjoy pathetic men so of course I enjoyed Lucifer’s scenes. Originally I thought that they were overusing Alastor (since imo those types of overpowered chaotic characters ie. Bill cipher, Kayne, etc. work best when their scenes are limited to amplify the mystery and the threat) and while I still kinda think that, with the context of the last episode I understand that he needed some extra scenes to make the audience more invested in him specifically, and also since setting him up over and over again as a powerhouse makes it more rewarding when he gets his shit rocked. Also because he gets more screen time we get one of my favorite songs, so I’ll allow it.

2. Music: the music is fun! It’s punchy! It serves narrative purposes. Personally I think some of the slower songs are a little weak and a bit too exposition heavy but the performances are decent and I like jazz and broadway singers. Moving on.

3. Narratives and themes: listen. My favorite theme. Of anything. Is “‘bad’ people can improve if provided with a support system”. And also “things you’ve done in the past and things that have been done to you don’t have to define you” So obviously I was going to like that. Plus I was raised Catholic so that whole scene up in heaven. Oofta. Probably second favorite song. Emily come with me let’s work out our trauma of parental figures lying to us about morality.

Cons

1. Pacing: suffers from what I’m going to refer as “Witcher 2019 syndrome” where it does such a bad job of actually showing time passing that when someone says “there’s only one month until the deadline” you the audience member are like. What do you mean. It’s only been like two weeks. Tops. What do you mean it’s been five months. No it hasn’t.

1.5 (since this is the same problem continued) Length/format: Hazbin hotel, in my opinion, would work best as a 20 episode season, with each episode having an A plot focused on a member of the hotel doing the growth thing, and then have the through line of the season be the heaven thing, which they obviously TRIED to do, but since they only had 8 episodes, they had to give more time to the heaven plot and less time to ensemble character growth, which I think really causes the plot (and the characters!) to suffer.

2. The pilot: the show works less if you haven’t seen the pilot, and since the pilot isn’t included in the seasons episodes, that means if a viewer stumbles across the show without knowing about it before hand, they’ll have a harder time connecting some things, and the hotel isn’t explained well enough right off the bat. Like, it’s easy to figure out, but without the pilot certain things just aren’t explained.

3. Some of the character designs irk me.

I know this is technically more cons than pros but I do think the pros make it watchable. It’s just. Fine. Like it’s an ok show. I post about plenty of ok shows.

[thefanficmonster]

Just Two Sad Roommates

Corpse Husband x Reader(Female)

Warnings: Swearing (maybe)

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Summary: The power of medieval tavern music gets put to the test when Corpse’s roommate is having a rough day. SPOILER ALERT: it’s more powerful than anyone could assume.

Requested by Anon. You know who you are 😊😋 Wish I could tag you, I loved this idea so much and had such a fun time writing it. Hope you enjoy it just as much 🥰

The last twenty four hours haven’t been so great. 

Last night I had a huge fight with my boyfriend over his flirty messages with several girls. It was not just witty banter, it was way more and way more hurtful to me. He obviously denied it and defended himself, at least in the beginning of the argument. Then he took on the accusatory stance, pointing fingers at me for living with another guy. That had me absolutely fuming. Not only was his statement fabricated and literally made up on the spot, but he also used some seriously horrible insults for him. I was having non of it. Corpse is a really great roommate, sweet guy and overall amazing person. I haven’t once argued with him since we’ve started living together. We’re actually quite good friends. So hearing my asshole boyfriend call him all those names was more than enough to chase him out of the apartment. Thankfully, Corpse wasn’t home to hear all that. He rarely leaves the apartment but by some miracle this was the time he was absent.

Then this morning my mom called me to have a chat. It started off decently enough but it only remained that way for so long. It didn’t take her long to start criticizing each and every element of my existence. From my job, my boyfriend, my living arrangement, the career I’ve decided to pursue, the fact I moved to a different state, my paycheck that’s lower than her friend’s daughter’s...…..You get the point. 

Now I’m sitting here, contemplating what the two years I’ve been in a relationship with Marcus mean to me. I guess it is just like a phone call from my mother - starts off nice but slowly deteriorates. All things follow this pattern in my life, apparently. And just like the phone calls, I’ve considered ending things between me and him many times but never actually decided on it. Until now. The last part of this decision is executing it, which doesn’t look very promising. My thumbs are frozen, hovering over the keyboard.

I take a second to take a look at my life from a third person point of view, like an out of body experience. I am wrapped in a blanket, huddled on the couch like a burrito with a face. A really sad burrito with a face. I have a job where I work as much as three highly ranked workers and get paid a little over a secretary’s paycheck. I’m in a constant state of exhaustion and disinterest. I often forget I’m human and just assume I can live like a cactus - no food, no water. I have a boyfriend that’s cheating on me and most likely has been for quite some time now. And we’ve been dating for two fucking years. Man, that must be the longest cheat streak in history. Who knows with how many girls as well. And I still have trouble deciding weather to break up with him or not. Actually no, scratch that, I have already decided, but it feel so unnatural and so out of character that my body refuses to complete the task of delivering the final blow to the structure of this relationship which was already weak to begin with.

And it only got weaker when I started catching feelings for another guy. I know, I know, I’m a bad person for that, but I was never planning to act on those feelings. They have always just...lingered, loomed over me. They got stronger and stronger every time Marcus and I would fight, as though they were laughing at my mock of a relationship.

Speaking of laughter, I hear my roommate laughing in his recording room. I gave him the spare room for his recording equipment for a cheap add to his rent fee and it’s probably the second best decision I’ve ever made - first being picking him to be my roommate. He was among the first to reply to my online add and appeared the least sketchy over the phone. More hypnotizing if I’m honest. He could’ve told me he was a hitman and I wouldn’t have batted an eye, handing the keys to his room and the apartment without a second thought. All he had to do was keep talking. Again, SUE ME.

“Fuck, I’m so fucking pathetic!“ I drop my phone when all the strings inside me snap, releasing the sobs and tears I’ve been holding back for so long.

I bring my knees up to my chest, hiding my head in between them, desperately trying to shield myself from the plane crash that is my life at the moment. Crying makes me feel even sadder and more miserable but I have nothing left to do to get all the crap that’s piled up inside me out.

I’m on the verge of falling asleep, the tears have dried and the sobs have died somewhere in my chest, when I hear what sounds like music straight from Robin Hood’s time. 

Holy shit, I’ve lost it

I lift my head from in-between my knees, looking around the living room for the source of the jolly, lighthearted tune which despite all the heaviness of my self-loathing makes me feel like the main character in an medieval adventure. Wait...Holy crap, it’s that medieval adventure, Robin Hood-ass music I hear from Corpse’s room!

I whip around to face the entrance from to the hallway where I see an arm sticking out, holding a phone which is where the music is coming from. 

“Corpse?“ I call out to him in a questioning manner, shifting to a sitting position with my blanket kicked off of me and bunched up next to me.

“I can’t tell if you’re angry or sad...or both. Didn’t want to get attacked upon entering the room.“ I see the right side of his face peek out as well.

I break out into laughter, covering my mouth with one hand, “You’re such a dork.”

He takes this as a sign to come in, pausing the music as he does so. “What’s wrong?”

My laugh stops but a smile remains on my face as I look at him. He just has that effect on me. “A lot. What’s going on with you?”

He shrugs his shoulders, plopping down on the couch, “The usual, streaming Among Us. You should play with me and my friends some time.”

I scoff, “I can pull of a lie no problem. Maybe I really should.” I don’t actually consider it, it’s just funny to think about. 

I have never watched any of Corpse’s content. Not his scary story videos, not his streams, not his animated compilations. Just his songs. And let me tell you...they are hella good. One song and I was hooked.

“Hey, I have a question.“ I tilt my head to look at him, “What’s with you and your love for medieval adventure music?“

“Medieval tavern music, and it’s not really love.“ He shakes his head with this dopey grin that is just. so. adorable. “More like a coping mechanism. Tell me, did you feel less sad I played it for you?“

I stop and think for a second. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Point made.“ He declares, leaving me to nod in amusement. “Now, tell me what that ‘a lot’ is.“

So, I do. I tell him everything, from how my boyfriend is cheating on me to how my mother thinks I’m a complete failure. He listens carefully, paying close attention to everything I’m saying. I catch myself laughing a few times while I retell the recent upsetting events.

Must be that music.

“So, you broke up?“ He asks once I end my monologue with a sigh

I shake my head disappointedly, “Not yet. I still haven’t pulled the plug. I don’t know what to say.”

He holds out his hand to me, “May I be of assistance?”

I look at his hand then at him and contemplate for only a second before deciding ‘what the hell’ and handing over my phone after unlocking it. The screen displays my boyfriend’s chat so Corpse just types away what he has in mind. Before pressing ‘send’, he hands the phone back to me. “Proofread it.”

‘Dear Marcus, this is one of your girlfriends speaking. Yes, one of them. You think I’m not onto what you’re doing, you little shit? Well, to your dismay, I am. And so, I discontinue this relation between us. That word might have been too long for your IQ so let me rephrase: We are over. Finished. Hope your other girlfriends wake up too, unless they are already in the know, of course. Love, but really hate, Y/N‘

I was never aware this level of sass even existed.

I add a smiling emoji and send the message, sighing in relief. “I can check that off my to-do list now.”

We both lean back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. A moment of comfortable silence takes over, leaving us both wandering in our own heads.

“Hey, um, I wanted to do this when I first moved in, but then I met your boyfriend and I took the hint. Now that you’re single, would you want to...“ he sounds a bit uncertain but continues regardless, “It’s ridiculous cause I don’t really like the idea of going out, but maybe we could order take-out...“

“Are you circling around asking me on an at-home date?“ I am surprised by how unbothered I manage to sound while I’m squealing on the inside. It’s fascinating how quickly a person can flip someone’s day around. Turns out it wasn’t the music at all. It was him that had the positive effect on mine.

Out of the corner of my eye I catch his face turn red and have to contain my laughter. The grin can’t be tamed though, especially not when he says, “Yes.”

Internally squealing, I launch myself from the couch, standing up straight in front of him. “Thai. My usual order is on the sticky note on the fridge. But first,” I offer him my hand, “I need to find out if a person can even dance to that ridiculous music.” At his amusement, my grin widens, “May I have this dance?”

He laughs that adorable laugh of his I’ve only heard through the layer of a wooden door. It’s even cuter when there’s nothing between me and its source. The source is cute too, not gonna lie.

With a shake of his head which is most likely disbelief, he takes the hand I’ve offered him, saying: “And you call me a dork.” 

@susceptible-but-siriusexual  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @hacker-ghost  @itsminniekat  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze

[stories-by-rie]

writing bucket list

Rules: list wips you would like to finish in your lifetime and optionally reasons what's holding you off them and how far you want to get them (publish/post etc)

I got tagged by the @thewalkingnerdx, thank you so much!!

Alright here we go!! I’m making a difference between solid projects (that I am actively working on and have real plans with) and wish projects (that I am not actively working on).

The Assassination Project

This started out from a short story, moved to a standalone and is now a potential series of seven books. Ya know, like these things go. This series is so, so close to my heart because it is everything I love in literature, the magic system is by far my favourite, not just what I created but of all magic systems I know. (I am aware this sounds super arrogant but I just really like it.) I would love to trad-pub this, but I am aware that this is super niche, so I highly doubt it will happen. I think I would still self-pub this, though, if I managed to finish this. Holding me back from finishing this is 1. there’s a lot of representation in this for which I need to do more research and need sensitivity readers who I currently can’t afford, and 2. the whole series of seven (7!!!) books is simply above my current skill-level to finish in a way that would be satisfying to me, and do the whole story justice.

In the Land of Twilight

This is another project that is super close to me. I would say that this is on the exact opposite side of TAP from its themes and tone. It’s also my only MG project! Once it’s written, it’ll probably be too long for a standalone, so this is also a series. I’m always working on this when I am feeling down and it never fails to make me happier. Dunno when I’ll finish this but the draft is looking good so far, and I hope I can query this one day!

The Five Senses

Ah yes my troubled child. This also has a neat magic system, I am also happy with side-plots and characters and setting but the main-plot T-T I am soooo unhappy with the main-plot T-T But all the good things are tied to it so I just don’t know how to change it. This WIP is the greatest challenge in plotting which makes drafting near impossible. Once it’s done, I think it would be a strong project for a debut, though.

A Guide to Liminal Matters and Ghastly Kinds

This is just a project for fun, just that it’s also a bit dark every now and then. Just a tiny bit. It’s going well? Currently drafting the second part which I will post on here like the first one, once I am done!

also

I want to write a romance featuring an aro/ace protagonist, I had a solid idea for it a while ago >.> Still toying with that every now and then and hope I can do it justice one day.

Invincible. Uh yes. This is... uh... still a thing. I still kinda like it? But it also needs editing which I simply don’t have time & motivation for. Technically, I would like to edit it and post it, since it’s just a for-fun-project. Maybe post it on here in bigger chapters. Maybe one day.

TIME LOOP I so badly want to write a good time loop story, there is nothing I would rather write than a time loop story I cannot put into words how much I want to write one, but all ideas are so unoriginal and aaaahdskfhkshf

just time travel. so bad.

one of my first WIPs is on ice and I want to recycle it. I have some ideas and images but nothing solid to work with yet

a friend asked me why I don’t write sci-fi since I dab into it slightly and idk good question? I may have an idea for something sci-fi-esque

also siren/mermaid and/or pirates because it slaps

that’s it! now I am seriously super curious about other people’s bucket lists, so I will tag a bunch of people, but feel free to ignore this ofc! and if you see this and want to do this, consider yourself tagged!! I’m honestly looking forward to all your bucket lists!  @cilly-the-writer @the-orangeauthor @soul-write @somealienquill @viskafrer and @pheita

[elizabeethan]

Forget What I Said (It’s Not What I Meant) 2/3

She continues to do what she does best. She ignores her feelings until she can’t anymore, and she deals with them by replacing them with the pleasure he brings her. A part of her tells her that she can’t continue doing this, but a bigger part of her tells her that it’s okay, because once they get back to Storybrooke, he’ll leave in favor of the sea or of finding another realm to pillage and plunder. Once he’s gone, she can forget any of this ever happened and move on.

It’s a perfect plan, except it doesn’t work. Because he stays.

Hello! @kmomof4​ requested Monday morning smut and I am here to deliver. But remember, with great smut comes great angst. That is the way of CS fic. And so I give you part 2 of my @neverlandnewyear fic.

Also, @donteattheappleshook and I are aware that we’re basically writing the same fic. That’s how this all started. so enjoy a double dose of Neverland nonsense.

finally, thank you to @the-darkdragonfly​ for being my beta and my friend

rated E for smut and language

~3600 words

Part 1

Read on Ao3

Tagging: @courtorderedcake @kmomof4 @stahlop @klynn-stormz @laschatzi @emelizabeth88 @lfh1226-linda @kday426 @elisethewritingbeast @timeless-love-story @captain-emmajones @gingerpolyglot @ebcaver @ilovemesomekillianjones @teamhook @superchocovian @itsfabianadocarmo @tiganasummertree @gingerchangeling @jrob64 @onceratheart18 @xhookswenchx @winterbaby89 @swampmedusa @ultraluckycatnd @dancingnancyy @love-with-you-i-have-everything @shireness-says @snowbellewells @hollyethecurious @ouatpost @daxx04 @the-darkdragonfly @donteattheappleshook​

She’s got to stop doing this. She told herself it would end after they got home to Storybrooke. Once they got home and he went off to his pirate life, things would go back to normal for her and she could work on getting her life back together. She didn’t expect the bastard to stick around. 

 She certainly didn’t expect him to tell Neal that he was backing off. 

 “I thought you were going to leave,” she shouts angrily as she boards his stupid ship. He pops up from below deck, holding his hand over his eyes to block the harsh afternoon sun. 

 “Come again, Swan?” 

 She rolls her eyes and walks closer to him, approaching the steps to below deck with forceful pressure. “It’s been two weeks and you're still here. I thought you were leaving after we got home.” 

 He shrugs, leaning his propped-up elbow against the archway he stands in. “Sorry to disappoint, love.”

Huffing angrily, she turns from him and rolls her eyes once more. “So what, you're just gonna hang around now?”

 “It’s quite a quaint little town,” he reasons. 

 “And where do you get off telling Neal you're backing off? You realize he’s not going to let it go now, right?” 

 He hums in a way that makes her so much angrier. “And that upsets you?” 

 “Yes it upsets me!” she shouts, throwing her arms up and letting them slap against her thighs as she spins to face him again. He straightens and raises a brow, stepping onto the main deck with her and getting just a bit too close. 

 “Is there anything to be done to rectify that, Swan?” he asks, his voice husky and rough and his eyes sparkling too much in the bright sun. 

 “No.” 

 “Nothing?” 

 She laughs breathily, angrily, and says, “shut up,” before grabbing onto his lapels and forcing their lips together in a heated kiss. 

 He chuckles against her, pulling her towards the ladder that leads below, to his quarters and out of the line of sight of anyone who may be walking by. 

 “We have to stop doing this,” she mumbles as he presses her against the steps once they get to the bottom. His lips find the sensitive skin of her neck as his body grinds into her’s, making her moan. 

 “Do you want to stop?” he asks breathily as he licks along her throat. 

 “No.” 

 Lifting her shirt above her head, his lips find her hardened nipple once he pushes the fabric of her bra away, licking and sucking in a way that makes her moan again. “Neither do I,” he says against her, the hot air blowing against her moistened skin making her shiver. 

 He trails his mouth down her torso, biting her flesh and soothing it with his tongue before he reaches the button of her jeans and pops it open. Sliding the fabric down her legs slowly, she feels the sharp, cool metal of his hook gliding along her skin and she shivers again, breath stuttering when she feels it brushing over the curls between her legs. 

 With a smirk, he lifts one of her legs above his shoulder, granting himself the access he needs as she sits on the edge of one of the steps. “I must say, I’m glad that we’re continuing our little tryst,” he says, his mouth so close to her core that she can feel his hot breath over her. “As much fun as we had amidst the trees, having you on my ship is something else entirely.” 

 She wants to tell him to stop talking so much, because she can’t stand to think about the fact that she’s allowing this to continue, but her words fall flat when he drags his tongue along her core, gathering her arousal and latching his lips to her clit. She lets out a breathy moan as he artfully traces her skin with his tongue before swirling a finger around her opening. He alternates the pressure and speed of his tongue against her before sliding his middle finger inside, curling it slightly and making her stomach flip as she moans again. 

 The way he touches her is addictive. She can’t stop herself from thrusting her hips into him slightly, longing for more from him and nearly slipping off the ladder as she does so. He chuckles against her and the reverberations makes her whimper pathetically before he slips a second finger inside. “Fuck,” she groans. 

 “That’s the idea, love. But not until you come for me first.” 

 A third finger finds its way into her and she cries out, squeezing around them as he speeds up his ministrations on her clip. He always knows exactly what she needs, and it’s something she tries, and fails, not to think about constantly. Perhaps if she had any semblance of self-control, she wouldn’t keep coming to him. But the way he touches her like he’s known her for centuries and the way he talks to her in exactly the right way is too good to pass up. 

 She comes hard around him, squeezing her walls on his fingers and her thighs on his head as she falls with a shout. He gives her almost no time to recover before he drops her leg and stands, holding the back of her knee with his hook and wrestling with the laces of his trousers before he’s thrusting himself inside her. Finally. 

 There’s nothing like the feeling of him buried in her. She can try and deny it all she wants, but she can’t ignore the fact that she’s never felt this good in her entire life. She likely never will again, once she finally puts a stop to this. She puts away the thoughts of ending this… thing between them in favor of focusing on the way he slides in and out of her effortlessly at the most perfect pace. She cries out when he flicks his fingers against her clit again. Her last orgasm was so powerful and so recent that she finds herself falling off the edge again in record time. “Don’t stop,” she begs, as she does every time, but he never does. 

 “Come on, love,” he encourages, thrusting a bit harder into her. “I can feel how close you are; come for me again.” 

 She listens to his commanding voice, because what choice does she have, really? He knows her body too well, and she can feel his smirk against her neck as she lets herself fall off the cliff’s edge once again before he follows suit. His own moans are muffled against her skin as he holds her tightly to himself. It’s too tight, they’re too close, but she can’t help herself from tightening her own hold around his shoulders as she catches her breath. 

 She realizes herself and loosens her grip, pushing on the front of his shoulders until he releases her leg and backs away from her. His chuckle is self-deprecating as he tosses her a small cloth. “Aloof as always, aye Swan?” 

 She rolls her eyes as she cleans herself up and hops back into her jeans. “We really have to stop doing this.” 

 “Why?” 

 She laughs, but it comes out as more of a scoff. “Because it’s a bad idea. We’re not… doing this,” she says, gesturing her hand towards him and shrugging. 

 “Well,” he says as he ties his laces back up. “It appears as if we are doing this. If you want to put a stop to it, I suppose you’ll need to discontinue your visits.” 

 She clears her throat, adjusting her top and trying to fix her hair. “I suppose I will,” she agrees. 

 “Of course,” he starts slowly, coyly, “no one said we have to stop.”

 “We do,” she says immediately, shutting down any suggestions he may be considering making. “I have responsibilities; I can’t keep sneaking off like a teenager. I have to put my family first.” 

 “Ah,” he says, looking down at his feet and looking as insecure as she’s ever seen him. “So I can assume you’ve made your choice, then?” Stilling, she sighs and turns away from the ladder she was about to climb. “You do know that having feelings is not a bad thing.” 

 “I don’t…” She doesn't have anything to say. 

 It’s his turn to sigh. “Aye, love, I know. If you’d prefer we stop here, then that’s what we shall do.” 

 She shouldn’t be surprised that he isn’t putting up a fight. He’s a man of honor, as he often claims. The fact that he’s putting her needs above his own desires shouldn’t leave her speechless. But in reality, all she can think of is how hard Neal has been fighting to be with her, and how unwilling he has been to take no for an answer. 

 ~~~~

 “Emma!” Mary Margaret calls once she walks through the door. She probably should have checked on the appearance of her hair and clothes before she walked home, but she’s hopeful that no one will know what she was up to in the middle of the afternoon. 

 “Hi,” she says back as she shuts the door. 

 “Where were you? We missed you after breakfast.” 

 “Uh,” she starts, her cheeks flaming and her steps towards the fridge halting. “I was, um—”

 “Oooh,” her mother responds with a smirk. “I see.” 

 “What?” Emma demands as she takes a few more steps and grabs a water bottle from the fridge. 

 With a coy chuckle, her mother says, “Emma, you’re blushing, and your shirt is… well,” as she nods downwards. When Emma looks that way, she sees a bit of her bra uncovered before scrambling to straighten out her shirt. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me what you were up to. I think I can put the pieces together.” 

 She hopes beyond hope that that isn’t true. “Well, whatever you’re assuming, don’t worry. I already put a stop to it.” 

 “Oh, honey, no,” she responds, much to Emma’s surprise. “I can tell that you’ve been a bit torn lately, but it’s clear that you’ve been happier.” 

 She takes a sip of water, unsure if she can handle a hope speech right now, and shrugs. “It’s not worth it,” she says. “Everyone I’ve ever been with… it’s just not worth it.” 

 “Emma,” Mary Margaret says firmly as she walks over to her daughter and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Never say that. You’re right, it is a risk. But it’s one you need to take knowing that there are uncertainties. It’s scary, and there’s the chance that you can be hurt, but Emma, the pros so outweigh the cons. Trust me, some things are worth it. Love is worth it.” 

 “Woah,” Emma says, “no one said anything about love. I don’t have any feelings for—”

 She laughs and places a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, I know a woman in love when I see one. And you said it in Neverland yourself! He is the father of your child. He’s your first love. There’s nothing wrong with still having those feelings, especially if things between you are… physical.” 

 She chokes on her water, placing it down and coughing, hitting her chest, hoping to not expose one of the many bites hidden under her hair. “Mary Margaret,” she stutters, “it’s not like that.” 

 “I realize this is awkward. We aren't exactly roommates anymore, so maybe girl-talk is off the table. But, Emma... if there’s one thing I would tell you, it’s to listen to your heart.” 

 She scoffs. Her heart has certainly led her astray in the past, and she’s unsure why she should trust it now. The first time she did, she ended up alone in prison and pregnant at 17. The last time she did, he died in her arms. Her heart has never had her best interests in mind, she thinks. Perhaps that’s why she started things with the pirate; because he could never be someone her heart would fall for. Perhaps that’s why she feels so betrayed now that she knows that isn’t working. 

 He’s made it impossible for her to ignore her feelings. To ignore the fact that she even has feelings. She wishes so desperately that she could put these to the back of her mind and ignore them as she has always done. She wishes she could ignore the way he knows her so intimately without trying. The way he can read her immediately and invariably. The way he knows exactly what she needs, and not just sexually. The way he cradles her when they’ve finished and the way he lets her go when she asks. 

 It’s too much, so she ignores it. 

 ~~~~

 She swore she wouldn’t wind up here. 

 She promised herself she would move on, and that her yellow bug would not find its way to the port on that or any night. 

 She vowed that her feelings, which she continues to stubbornly ignore, would not interfere with her plans.

 But now here she is, watching him happily and fancifully stroke his stupid hook through her hair, tucking her flyaways back into her bun. 

 She hates herself for sitting here in her car, under the pretense of patrol, watching them flirt with each other and wishing it were her. 

 Tink laughs, Hook does too, and Emma nearly retches. 

 ~~~~

 “Emma!” She hears from the diner door days later, and when she turns she’s met with exactly what she was expecting: disappointment. 

 “Hi,” she mumbles once he sits across from her. 

 “Hey,” he says happily, giving her a smile she once trusted. The one that convinced her to do what she would never do now— now that she’s an adult with the experience and knowledge needed to make decisions. “How’s it going,” he asks causally. 

 “Fine,” she grumbles, noting her near-empty mug and the fact that he doesn’t notice her need for a refill. 

 “Cool.” 

 Things between them are far too awkward, and she wishes she weren’t in this diner. She wishes Henry hadn’t just left for school and that she had a bit of a buffer between herself and the threat before her. 

 She wishes she didn’t see him as a threat.

 “Ems” he starts, leaning across the table at her. As he does so, she sees the Neal she knew twelve years ago and lets her guard down faster than she thought possible. “Go out with me,” he says in a tone that demands an affirmative response.

 She clears her throat, hoping to remain strong and to consider what he put her through the last time they were involved with each other. “I don’t know,” she responds. 

 He smiles at her, that crooked smile she recognizes as the one her 17 year old self fell in love with, and takes a sip from his drink. “Come on,” he says. “You already stood me up once. I don’t have to ask you out again, but I am.” 

 She blushes at his mention of the last time they were here— when he waited for her to show up and she didn’t. “I’m sorry,” she says, without thinking about it and without truly meaning it. 

 “Hey, I get it. We went through a lot together, the whole Bonnie and Clyde act. But we’ve both grown up. And Henry thinks it’s a good idea.” 

 With a roll of her eyes she says, “of course he does. He’s eleven, why wouldn’t he want his parents to be together.” 

 “Why shouldn’t they be?” 

 “Neal,” she starts, but she isn't sure where she should go from here.

 Before she can decide, he’s standing from the booth and she almost feels relief at the thought of him leaving. She’s almost able to take in another breath, let go of the one she’s been holding, but before she can, he’s sitting beside her and pushing her down to the end of the bench, encasing her in the booth and making it impossible for her to run. “Come on,” he says softly, leaning his face towards her. 

 The confusion she feels is overwhelming as he leans towards her, the warmth of his breath washing over her mouth and the scent of his cologne taking over her senses. She hasn’t been in this position in twelve years, and now that she’s back, she isn’t sure what to do. If he had found her here a year or two ago, she would have jumped at the opportunity to be with him again. But now, something has changed. Now, she realizes what life is like without him. Not only without him, but with someone else. 

 When his lips press to hers, the only thought she has is how chapped they are and how greasy his nose is as it glides against her own. The only coherent thought she has is how she almost raises her fingers to slide through his hair, but stops herself. She thinks about how wrong his goatee feels against her chin. She thinks about how unpleasurable it is when he bites her bottom lip lightly. 

 Breaking away from him, she wipes the back of her hand against her mouth to remove any evidence of him being there and pinches her brows together. “I don’t,” she says, but again, she’s unable to form a thought. 

 “So good it left you speechless?” he asks, and she scoffs. 

 “I have to go,” she says to him promptly, pushing on his shoulders and hoping that he backs off of the bench enough for her to exit. 

 “What do you mean?” he asks her forcefully. 

 “I mean I have to go. There’s something I have to…” She can’t continue, can’t finish her thought. She knows she can’t tell him what she’s about to do. Knows she can’t explain to him that, despite ending things between herself and Hook, she needs him more than she needs to breathe right now. 

 “Seriously?” His voice is vapid as she stands. “I’m Henry’s father. You can’t seriously be telling me that there’s someone out there who’s a better match for you.” 

 With another scoff and a shake to her head, she grabs her jacket and heads out the door. 

 ~~~~

 The ship is silent when she arrives, trying her hardest to sneak across the deck without the heels of her boots clicking too loudly against the aged wood. The problem is that her adrenaline is absolutely spiking and she’s finding it difficult to slow herself down. What she needs is the release that he’s guaranteed to bring her. 

 “Swan,” he says once he arrives on the main deck she’s trying to sneak across. 

 “Oh,” she exclaims in surprise. “Hi.” 

 “It’s the middle of the morning, love, is something wrong?” 

 “No,” she lies. 

 “Shouldn’t you be at the station?” 

 With a shrug and a few steps closer to him, she says, “something came up.” 

 He sighs. His nod and the purse of his lips tell her that he understands her meaning and why she’s here, so she proceeds towards him until her hands find his shoulders. “We can’t,” he says, much to her surprise. 

 She draws in her brows in confusion and leans towards him, saying, “of course we can.” 

 “No,” he says forcefully, pushing her back with gentle conviction. “We can’t. You said you wanted to end things.” 

 “Tomorrow,” she tries to reason. Then, “I want you now,” as she pushes forward again.

 But he’s faster and stronger and he pulls away from her and grabs her wrist, keeping her from grabbing his lapel as she normally would do. “No.” 

 With an angry, childish scoff, she says, “come on, seriously?” 

 “Do you want me, or do you want a distraction?” 

 “A distraction from what?” she demands, practically shoving herself away from him. 

 “You tell me. I’m willing to bet something happened that’s making you come here. Something with Baelfire, perhaps?” 

 With an indignant laugh, she turns away from him. “Please. You think you know me so well?” 

 “Aye, I do. I think something happened that made you think and you couldn’t handle it. So you’ve come here to use me again.” 

 “Again!” 

 “You’re telling me, honestly, that you coming here every other night isn’t because of Baelfire, or because your mother pushes you to be with him, or because Henry wants his parents to be together? Are you honestly trying to tell me that you don’t come here as a distraction from all of this?”

 “Hook,” she tries, but again, she has nothing to say. 

 “I have feelings for you, Emma. I want to be with you. With you.” His tone is so real and his eye contact with her so deep and intense that she has to look away. 

 “I could’ve sworn you wanted to be with Tink from the way you two were ogling each other the other night,” she says accidentally, slapping her palm against her mouth as she lets slip that she was here. 

 His laugh is self deprecating. It’s almost hateful as he shakes his head and turns away from her. “I want you, love, more than anything. But I don’t want to be your secret. I’m not willing to sit around and wait for you to come to your senses. If you don’t have feelings for me as I do you, then I think you should go.”

 “Hook,” she tries again uselessly. 

 “Please,” he begs, refusing to look her way for the first time. “I’ve known enough heartbreak in my life. I’ve learned to prevent it where I can.” 

 With that, with his words hanging heavy between them and her eyes glassing over in response, she turns away and stalks towards the gangplank, careful not to let the tears fall and the sobs break loose until she’s locked away in her bug. 

 ~~~~

 ~~~~

[miraculouscontent]

Askplosion #11:

(note that I know I mentioned a “Voiced Askplosion” last time in the tags for anyone who put a 🎤 in their ask, meaning they wanted to hear me respond verbally to it, but I only got one and it wasn’t anything serious - just a tease from someone I know - so I either won’t be doing it at all or will be holding off)

Asks responding to previous posts:

ALYA NO!!!

(the idea of Sabrina avoiding not only Ms. Mendeleiev, but also Alya, is very amusing to me)

The fact that the special focuses on the love square instead of Sabrina and Delmar is a crime.

(also note that “Need some help?” is rhetorical in this context; Alya doesn’t care)

Highly recommended, honestly, otherwise it just turns into a big shame because there are shows I really like but with some content that I don’t like, and why torture myself with it when I can cut it out instead?

Just to give a rough idea, here’s my cut of “Desperada”; mind you, this is just my quick cut of it (basically a “beta” version where I just removed everything I disliked without much care for transitioning/having everything make sense; some of Marinette’s friends talking, the guitar scene, Aspik, etcetera), as I’m not comfortable handing over my “perfect” cut of it since it’s like my personal copy.

Yeah, that’s a super awkward scene. As much as I’d like to imagine that Adrien just doesn’t understand the “guy time” thing (which I still hate), the fact that they use the word “guy” specifically is--ugh.

I wasn’t aware of what he said in the French dub, so thanks! It’s really painful to see her throw so much love his way, openly and publicly and obviously, then be so humiliated for it, only for Adrien to feel nothing for her.

Say whatever you want about Chat Noir’s advances and how sAAAAAAD he is when she rejects him, but her rejections are just that; in private. There aren’t other heroes who are around and Chat is never really humiliated. Even in “Prime Queen,” Chat wasn’t the target - Ladybug was, and then Ladybug shifted it to Nadja - so Marinette is the one taking all the heat in love while Chat gets to sit on the sidelines (plus, then “Oblivio” happened and now people probably all thing they’re a thing).

Yeah! That’s the group I was thinking of!

Thank you!

I’m so sorry that happened. ;—;

I’m not aro but I am ace and I’ve gotten the whole, “oh it’s just because--” stuff before, so I know what it feels like to have people put on the pressure/invalidate you.

YES.

IT’S GORGEOUS.

I’m not really familiar with how holidays are celebrated outside of the bare basics of Christmas/New Year (which I am trying my hardest to forget lol), so I couldn’t say.

Sorry!

New Asks:

10/10 thought, would fantasize again.

Though would also accept MC Audrey just doing some “spring cleaning” of the whole staff in general. I have no idea how she’d replace Jeremy since he’s the company’s poster boy but most of the writers have to go at the very least and Jeremy should be given less power.

I think MC Audrey would appreciate how Kagami carries herself, though potential bonus if - while Tom and Sabine just openly trust whatever Marinette wants - Audrey does a bunch of digging to make sure Kagami is “worthy” of being with Marinette (she takes this all very seriously).

Double potential bonus if Kagami takes it just as seriously, so here’s Audrey and Kagami acting as if Kagami dating Marinette is like some sort of job interview.

Kagami handing over a “resume” of her accomplishments to Audrey. Audrey has already looked all of it up herself but appreciates the effort put in.

If the question in Miraculous is, “Do we really need a--” and the thing being introduced is something the staff came up with then the answer is usually “no.”

The movie will look pretty and that’s all I’ll expect. It’s just Jeremy’s take on Miraculous. Luka and Kagami probably won’t even be around so I’m not even interested.

I’ll watch it, but I’m also not interested lol.

Honestly, I’d rather turn into bubble froth.

oddly specific but... I mean, damn

I have no idea, and I try not to throw around words like “spite ship” because I know people could genuinely like the ship, though I will say that I went on AO3 and - unless I read from - the first Maribat fanfiction on there was posted after the airdate of “Chameleon.” I think it might’ve started with inspiration from “Marinette moves schools” ideas at the very least.

Non-Miraculous Asks responding to previous posts:

Oh, I understood, no worries! It was just funny for the split second it took me to figure it out.

My bad, that’s not how I meant to come off (especially since “magical girl shows” is a little broad; I mean, obviously I don’t think something like Cardcaptor Sakura is aiming for fanservice when Sakura’s--like... ten). I answered all those asks in the last askplosion in the same day so my brain was a little fried by the time I got to that ask.

I’m not even talking about Sailor Moon either; it’s just that I knew there are shows with fanservice and there are certain magical girl outfits where I kind of give the side-eye.

Absolutely zero problem with girls fighting in pretty outfits though. I fully admit that I’m a bit of a prude so sometimes I see fanservice where there might not be any. Super short skirts without shorts, for example, inherently throw me off (shout-out to Saint Tail - which I discovered while looking up “pretty magical girl outfits” - because the main character does have a skirt in “magical girl” form but also tights/boots and a cute hat, which is one of the more unique ones I’ve seen).

Non-Miraculous Asks:

Do you mean Sailor Moon Crystal? Yeah, the only reason I hesitate on Sailor Moon in general is because I’m not crazy about the transformed designs. It’s not really a matter of animation but more a design choice that takes me out of the experience.

I have seen all of Cardcaptor Sakura anime though, and then all of the Clear Card arc. I like the former, despise the latter, and I tried to keep up with the manga but once one of the big plot details were revealed, I officially dropped it.

As for Revolutionary Girl Utena, I looked it up a while ago and don’t remember what exactly turned me away. It might’ve been the darker tone though if what you say is accurate that it’s a darker take on a magical girl show.

Also, I may or may not have looked up the ending of at least Princess Tutu and I’m sorry, I’m sure it’s a great anime, but if there isn’t a happy ending then I give whatever anime a hard pass.

(note: yes, I realize the hilarity of saying that when I continue watching Miraculous)

-

(More Madoka Magica talk/salt below!)

Ohhh, it started a trend? I had no idea since I don’t actively keep up with every anime out there; descriptions need to really pull me in (the only current anime I’m keeping up with is Hanyou no Yashahime, Otherside Picnic, and Cells at Work (Season 2)).

The focus on specific--uh--body parts in magical girl transformations also reminds me that I think that’s usually what kills it for me, not because of the sexualization but because I expect transformations (especially ones that get repeated over and over) to be really dynamic with changing angles and such, which is harder to do when the camera is trying to draw focus to specific places.

Obviously you have to do it for some moments (I’ve always imagined Miraculous transformations like a potential sheep or another one for rabbit, then rabbit!Jean from Leave for Mendeleiev and fox!Juleka from LadyBugOut) because things will be weird if you focus on nothing, but I think there are ways to draw the eye without trying to sexualize.

Not having Ladybug-esque bodysuits is a good start. It reminds me too much of the Catwoman with just a bodysuit so it leaves nothing to the imagination.

How did I forget about that Sayaka scene? omg (though I dunno if the Bechdel Test is hard to pass if there aren’t really any endgame male love interests? are there rules about that? not saying a pass isn’t a pass but it feels like cheating)

It is nice when fans can respect the opinions of others without having to outright attack. I have had a few people come to me with, “I see your point/respect it even if I disagree,” instead of accusing me/others of--well, you get it.

Fandoms can be really messy, particularly as they get larger. I think there’s a certain balance between small fandoms that all know each other and a big fandom that’s out of control. Then there are things like “loud minority” and it’s just uggggh.

Anyway, back to the asks themselves, yeah, I’m not crazy about taking things that are just meant to be positive/cute/whatever and being like, “OKAY BUT WHAT IF IT WAS EDGY AND SAD.”

n o ,  p l z

Oh, I’ve never heard of that one!

Sayaka dying didn’t really do anything for me either. It’s hard to explain when I saw it so long ago, but it was just Sayaka’s attitude about the whole thing and it made it feel underwhelming. It was a shame too because I liked her and she had potential.

She was Madoka’s friend so I was just like, “Yeah, she’ll die soon.” Probably didn’t help since I knew what I knew about the show being “dark.”

Madoka/Sayaka is probably what I’d support the most out of all the potential shoujo ai ships. To my knowledge, none of them are really canon, though I remember a special song after the death Sayaka and Kyoko which I guess makes them the most canon and that did basically nothing for me since their relationship didn’t interest me (nor did I care for Kyoko as a character). The PSP game might have more intimate potential between the girls, but I never played them so I can’t make those claims (I only remember something about everyone potentially living and then a bad ending for Sayaka where part of her body was decayed when they didn’t get her soul gem back in time).

The tomboy argument makes me think back to a conversation with a friend of mine where we were discussing tomboys in anime and... we couldn’t really think of any? At least any that really qualify as “tomboy” for me.

Like, Misty from Pokemon, for example. I knoooooow everyone really likes Misty, but regardless of my opinion on her, it’s hard to see her as a tomboy.

I feel like they try to lean that way by making her super aggressive and violent (because... m E N) and I think Ash makes a comment once about her not being “like a girl,” but... I feel like that’s just how general “aggressive” female characters are written?

I mean, that’s tsundere female characters I’ve seen in general. Really loud (and not in a “gIrlS aRe sO lOuD aND ScReEcHY” way but like... the way anime gives them big heads while they scream at whatever male character they’re mad at), angry a lot, short fuse, etcetera.

But Misty is still crazy about clothes and dolls, she still gushes about cute things and romance, and both of those things seem pretty indicative of what “standard girl character” would be defined by, since they’re all “stereotypically girl thing” (I say stereotypically for obvious reasons since boys can like blah and girls can like blah and gender exclusivity is blah--). I get that she dresses differently, but that’s about it, and it comes off like, “she dresses differently and she’s ANGRY and VIOLENT, so she’s a tomboy,” which... yeah. They even gave her three beauty queen sisters with CURVES and BUSTS as if to say, “See?? These are GIRLS, not TOMBOYS.” (busty females can exist who are also tomboys, thank you have a nice day).

This becomes more complicated in magical girl anime since girly clothes are usually part of that so “tomboy” means that frills and skirts probably wouldn’t be a factor.

I mean, if you gave those sorts of outfits to me, I’d be like, “SCREW IT, I’M NOT A MAGICAL GIRL ANYMORE. IF LOOKING PRETTY IS REDUCED TO SKIRTS AND FRILLS, SOMEONE ELSE CAN SAVE THE WORLD.”

I’d also like to see some mixes between personalites and “tomboy” things. Like, non-stereotypical tomboy personalities doing tomboy things. Mix and match, y’know?

This was really rambly, but to answer the question... no, I wouldn’t count Sayaka as a tomboy.

All of this.

I think it also exemplifies the whole “dark and edgy magical girl show” thing because... ugh, how do I put this...

The “girls are overly emotional” thing is already bad, but then you realize that there not being any magical boys is also because that doesn’t hit the “shock value” threshold as much.

Y’know, because boys equal dark and edgy shows, so if there was even one magical boy it wouldn’t be as shocking when Mami gets her head chomped. They could’ve done, “emotional teenagers are the target because they’re in that vulnerable stage; smarter and more physically capable than children, but not as mature/stable as adults,” but having some boys in there for balance (it makes me feel weird saying that when I’m all for girl power shows with an all female cast, but in this show’s logic, it’s a different ball game) would make the show seem less bright and “girly” and thus lessen the shock value.

Does that make sense?

[writingwithadinosaur]

“Under the Knife” - Part 2

“Under the Knife” - Part 2

My Masterlist - Here

Story Masterlist - Here

My Tag List - Here

Hannibal Lecter x Reader, Will Graham x Sister!Reader

Word Count: 2,500-ish

Key: Chunks of text in italics are (Y/N)’s thoughts. Y/N = Your Name, H/C = Your Hair Color, E/C = Your Eye Color

Warnings: Talks of murders, talk of crime scenes, cursing

Summary: You are Will Graham’s sister who works with him at the FBI. When you get offered a job promotion, life starts to change. Some changes for the better; Some for the worst.

Tag List:

@fruitloopzzz @theeactress @melconnor2007 @ashenfallsof @geeksareunique @all-by-myself98 @sj-thefan​ @fuck-your-bad-vibes-dude​ @ntlmundy

Author’s Note: This is my first Hannibal piece and I am proud of it. There aren’t too many stories for Hannibal, so I figured I would add to the collection.

This does take place in some happy medium where they are all alive and work together. Sort of a happier season 1 era.

This is beta-read by @theeactress​, but please let me know if there is something that we missed or that we should look at again! 

If you would like to be tagged in any of my future pieces, check out my tag list above and let me know! And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

<3

- DreaSaurusREX

----------------

After your meeting with Jack, you filled out some paperwork and made it official: You were going to be his profiler for any case that he wanted to call you in for. And apparently he already had one building. 

“We have a suspected serial killer hitting close to home. Three killings in Montclair, Lorton, and Fredericksburg.” As he said the Virginian cities, Jack plopped 3 case files in front of you and moved to the board full of evidence that he had.

“Oh! We’re starting right now? O-Okay.” He turned from the board to look at you with a sort of incredulous way. 

“Do you have a problem with that?” 

“I mean, we literally just signed the papers. I thought I would have a night to prepare instead of being thrown right in.” You said the truth without seeming ungrateful or annoyed, which was good. But you instantly started to nervously ramble as Jack nodded and walked back to his desk. “But if we need to start right now, I can. I just wasn’t ready for--”

“You’re right. We’ll start talking tomorrow. For now, take those files, do your homework, and report here at 9AM. We’ll go to the lab and introduce you to Beverly, Price, and Zeller.” Jack smiled and motioned toward the door. 

“Thank you. I will see you tomorrow morning!” You tried to be professional but also show that you were actually excited to work with him. 

“See you tomorrow.”

After putting the files securely in your bag, you headed to your apartment. You put the files on your dining room table before you hung up your coat and work bag. You checked your watch. You had dinner plans with Hannibal in an hour and a half. You stood between your room and the table that the files were seated on. You fidgeted with your ring for a few seconds as you debated on whether or not to start catching up on the case now or after dinner. 

“I can read over the first one and then get ready for dinner.” You told yourself as you pulled out the semi-comfy chair and opened the file. 

Case: #566-A

This case was from 6 weeks ago in Montclair. Ballsy to be close to the FBI and kill people. There were two victims: Dr. Everet and his wife Whinnie. They were found dead in their shared bedroom in their upper-class house. A nice upper-class place thanks to being a doctor. 

Whinnie looked like a murder that you would find in an armed robbery case: Quick throat slit, not much thought or motive into it, left on the floor to bleed out. Dr. Everet on the other hand was what you assumed grabbed Jack’s attention.

Dr. Everet was in the middle of their bed. The autopsy report claimed that the cause of death was exsanguination which made sense considering he was in pieces. Everet was cut at every major joint. His arms were separated from his shoulders, his legs from the pelvis, his thigh from his knee, his forearm from the elbow, and so on and so forth down to his fingers and toes. The report showed that there was a high level of paralytics in his system. So you make him sit there while you cut him apart. That’s why there are no defensive wounds. He had to lay there and endure all of that...

Why was Everet presented like this while his wife was a simple throat slit?

You made some notes in your book, making sure to write out questions to ask the team when you met up with them tomorrow. With every note you made, you found yourself going back to the case file and trying to connect dots. You soon realized that you couldn’t begin to connect those dots until you looked at the other files. 

Without much thinking, you opened all three files, quickly skimming over each of them and writing out the main points that stood out. You were supposed to be at Hannibal’s at 7 o’clock and it was only 5:45. It didn’t take that long to get to his place.

All of the murders happened 2 weeks after the other, starting 5 and a half weeks ago. Dr. Everet was about 6 weeks ago, Dr. Chaseten was about 4 weeks ago, and Dr. Loriet was about 2 weeks ago. Which means this killer is bound to strike again soon if this time frame is important to him.

They all have at least one victim that is treated like a paralyzed piece of artwork like Dr.Everet and at least one victim thrown to the side and killed quickly. The ‘pieces of art’ were all doctors, the others were their husbands or wives.

They all were in different cities in Virginia but close enough to make a solid assumption that this is the same killer.

You were scribbling out a note to ask about if there were any particulates found in any of the bodies when your phone buzzed on the table next to you. You didn’t even look at the screen, you just hit the answer button and put whoever was calling on speakerphone.

“(Y/N) speaking.” 

“Good evening, (Y/N).” The thickly accented voice rang through your speaker and stopped your writing mid-word as you looked from your phone to the files that were now spread out across your small tablespace.

“Dr. Lecter! Hi! Good evening! Sorry, I was um...  caught up in something and didn’t even register who was calling!”

“No need to apologize. I was just wondering if I should still expect you tonight?” You dropped your pen as you frantically looked at the time on your phone. It was 6:15PM. You quickly started to shut the files and stand up muttering a few curse words as you did. “I take it you got distracted?

“Yes! I’m sorry! But I am still coming over as long as the invitation is still good.” You picked up your phone and walked to your room to start to quickly figure out a nice outfit that didn’t look too much like a work outfit or too fancy. “I am getting ready now!”

“As I can hear.” You could almost hear the slight smirk he most likely had on his lips from hearing you fumble around your small space. 

“I should be there right around 7 and I’ll explain myself, I promise.” 

“I will see you then, my dear.” Hannibal hung up while you were slinging your work shirt into your laundry bin. You couldn’t help the smile that spread as you thought about how he called you ‘my dear.’ You know it's probably nothing more than a common nickname for any woman in Hannibal’s life, but it still felt good to be called something other than your real name. 

~~~~~~~~

Somehow you had managed to avoid a lot of major traffic and pull up to Hannibal’s home right at 7 o’clock. He must have heard your engine or seen your headlights because as you got out of your car and made your way to his front door, it was already open with him waiting for you with a small smile on his lips. 

“Right on time.” 

“Did you doubt me?”

“Never.” Hannibal moved to the side to let you in. You were instantly hit with the scents of whatever he was whipping up in his kitchen. 

“One day you’ll have to teach me how to make something really fancy just so I can show off next time I have someone over.” You shrugged off your bag and went to hang it up in the closet, but Hannibal beat you to it.

“Someone like a partner?” He was so good at hiding any sort of inflection in his voice, but you could have sworn that you detected a bit of jealousy. You slightly laughed at the idea of having any sort of romantic partner right now.

“I was thinking more along the lines of my brother. You know I don’t have much of a social life outside work.

Hannibal motioned for you to walk towards the kitchen, you did so and he was right behind you. 

This was normal for the two of you. You tried to have a meal or at least coffee together once or twice a week to give both of you a break from whatever the world was dishing out to you that week. You had met as colleagues when you worked together on a project for the FBI. But now you both were in a comfortable friendship. There was a pang in your heart that wanted to explore the idea of being more than friends or coworkers with him, but you doubted Hannibal felt the same. If he did, he wouldn’t show it due to his connection with your brother and out of respect for you. So the two of you continued this dance of being extremely friendly but too scared to make a move or speak up.

You poured yourself a glass of water and leaned against the kitchen counter as Hannibal reached into the refrigerator for lemon juice and finished up cooking. 

“How was your day today?” You ask him, as you take a sip.

“It was alright. Met with patients, got further in a drawing, figured out what to cook for a beautiful lady as a congratulation of sorts.” Hannibal quickly looked up at you as he said the last half of that before turning to the stovetop. You felt a very small blush creep on your neck, but tried to play it cool. 

“Congratulations?”

“On your new position. I hope you don’t mind that Will shared that with me today.”

“Did he now?” You couldn’t help the slight negativity in your voice as you looked away and played with your ring. “He is definitely not as happy for me as you are. I’m sure you’re aware that he did not want me to accept Jack’s offer.”

“I cannot tell what he said, but I can tell you that he was rather upset when he came in today.”

“Sounds like my brother.” You took another drink of water, not even noticing that Hannibal had plated dinner until he spoke up.

“Now, if you’d please.” You quickly looked up and saw that he was gesturing to the dining room. You tried to help by grabbing a plate or his cup or something to bring to the table but he just gently ushered you into the next room. He never let you help out when you were over as a dinner guest, but you tried every time. 

The two of you sat and began eating. It was a good minute or two of silence before someone spoke up. 

“This is delicious, Hannibal! I don’t know what vegetable this is exactly,” you help up a swirly looking green piece on your fork, “but it is amazing with this sauce you’ve made.”

“That is romanesco broccoli. I thought you might like it. It looks intimidating but tastes like the typical broccoli that you normally eat. It's just a bit… Artistic.” He slightly smiled, happy that he could amuse you with new food. You took another bite as Hannibal reached for his wine. Before he took a sip, he asked something that had been on his mind.

“May I ask what grabbed your focus so much that you almost missed out on dinner tonight?”

“Oh, right! Jack apparently already has a killer he wants me to start profiling. He gave me copies of the reports to read up on before I have my first official day tomorrow. I told myself I was just going to read the first one, but then got carried away.”

“Is this the killer that has been targeting doctors?” You gave him a questioning look, unsure of how he knew about the case. “Jack asked for my opinion at the crime scene for Dr.Chaseten a few weeks ago. Considering they haven’t caught anyone, I’m assuming that is what he has you working on.”

“Then you would be correct. There are now three mutilated doctors that have no obvious correlation to each other other than the cause of death and the fact that they are doctors.” You sipped your drink and continued. “I know I’ve only been Jack’s official profiler for less than a day, but it's still biting at me that I don’t see anything yet.”

Hannibal reached over and put a hand on yours to try to rein you back in before you thought too much about the case.

“I’m sure you will have more answers tomorrow.” You smiled and patted his hand, ignoring the slight butterflies you got from the contact. You took a deep breath.

“I know. I shouldn’t get this deep yet. That insanity will hit me tomorrow when I have to brainstorm with Jack.” You smiled even though it didn’t fully reach your eyes. You knew Hannibal would pick up on it. 

“I think it was Oscar Levant that said that ‘there’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.’ Let’s just hope Jack Crawford won’t erase his line.” Hannibal gave your hand a small squeeze before removing his hand, causing you both to return your attention to your meal. 

“You know, we could have rescheduled this dinner if you felt the need to finish your work.” Hannibal was sincere. He understood your work was a major part of your life, but he did like to see you outside the halls of the FBI.

“No! I wanted to come by tonight! Honestly, I needed a mood lifter after today.”

“Oh? How come?” You finished chewing and then spoke your mind. You knew Hannibal was a therapist, but he wasn’t your therapist. So you tried to keep it friendly.

“I should be excited and happy to be starting this new position, but I’m more worried about Will. I don’t want this job to be what divides us, you know? We’re so close, and I am one of the few people that he can be comfortable around. I don’t want to take that from him.” You pause, unconsciously bouncing your leg and fidgeting with your ring slightly. You shook your head as if that would temporarily erase the thought. “I just hope that if I keep working cases, he will get more and more okay with it.” You cut off a piece of fish and ate, letting Hannibal know that you were done speaking.

“I’m sure he will be fine.” You look up to find him staring at you. More like watching you, hyper-aware of your movements that show your anxiety. “But enough about Will.” Hannibal held up his glass towards you. “Here’s to you and your new path in the FBI. May they see you as valuable and wonderful as I do.” 

You patted your lips with your napkin and smiled as you clinked your glass with his. Your heart swelled at his words. Why do you do this to me? 

The rest of the evening was spent finishing your meal and forcing Hannibal to let you help with the dishes. Afterward, he walked you to your car, as usual, opening the door for you like a true gentleman. 

Your drive home was peaceful and you found yourself smiling, thankful for your evening with Hannibal. It was nice to know that someone you cared about was happy for you.

[noladyme]

Chess. Chapter 13

Y/N never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. She only took what she needed, or what she felt others needed. She’d stayed out of sight for a long time, avoiding anything that could get her in to too much trouble. But for some reason Rick Flag shows up in her life, and in an instant, everything changes.  

TW: Language, sexual themes, violence, torture. Rated M 

(This story is obviously non-canon, i.e. Diablo and GQ, but I hope you’ll enjoy it either way. Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list.)

————————–

Let me start this off with a disclaimer: This chapter does not have Rick appearing. He will be back, but due to length and flow I needed to cut off the chapter where I did. Sorry. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it anyway

————————–

I was lounging on a love seat in the large house the Joker had taken us to; pretending to read a magazine Harley had offered me.

Frost had shown up at the house about 30 minutes after us, with a bump on his head, and a sneer plastered across his face. He insisted that the squad were gone by the time he came too.

The house was just as ghastly as the car had been; with bear skin rugs and clashing patterns on all the furniture. There was no doubt that 99% of it was stolen.

Playing a weird game of tag, Harley and the Joker were chasing each other throughout the house; squealing and growling at each other, each time one of them managed to catch the opponent.

I was thinking something fiercely.

I’d followed Harley and her psycho boyfriend into the Palisades, without any idea of what my next move should be.

Throwing herself into the seat next to me, Harley was laughing; out of breath.

“J is getting me a new puppy”, she giggled. “Those stupid animal rights activists took back my last one, when I was sent back to Louisiana”.

“What’s the plan here, Harley”, I asked.

“I dunno. It’s your turn to think of something”, she answered trustingly.

I sighed.

“I need to make sure Kelper doesn’t make it to congress”, I said.

“Revenge?”, she asked.

“No”, I answered. “There are enough shitheads in office as it is – look at the main guy in charge! We don’t need another one”. I crossed my arms. “Also a little bit of revenge, yeah”, I admitted.

“Yeah that judge does seem like a dick”, Harley muttered.

“No”, I said. “This is about Waller. She has enough power as it is. She doesn’t need to be able to keep hunting people like us down, and force us to do things we don’t want to. Even if we are bad guys”.

She grabbed my face between her hands.

“I’m with you”, she said, and kissed my forehead with a loud smack. “Tell me what to do!”.

I beamed at her. She was a good friend. Even if she was bat shit crazy.

“I need to be able to prove the connection between mr. J and Kelper”, I said; and looked down at my feet. “That does mean, that J won’t be able to use him for protection from the cops anymore”.

Harley was biting her lip.

“Huh”, she said. “He ain’t gonna like that”.

“I know”, I replied. “But we need him to”.

“Harley!”, the Joker called from somewhere. “Come out, come out wherever you are!”.

Harley sighed, then looked into my eyes, and nodded.

“Marco!”, Joker called from the kitchen.

“Polo!”, Harley answered, still looking at me; then grinned, and sprang from the couch to hide from the clown.

—

“Chess has a live bomb in her bag”, Harley said conversationally during breakfast.

I instantly froze; mouth agape – prepared to feel my throat being slit at any moment.

“Oh?”, the Joker said, gazing up from over the newspaper he’d been reading – well, not so much newspaper as comic book. “That’s nice, dear”. He looked back down.

Harley – curlers in her hair, and wearing a pink fluffy bathrobe – continued.

“Yup. It’s a pretty nasty one too”. She returned to her marshmallow cereal.

Joker put down his comic book and looked at her.

“Is there something you’d like to say, toots? Something I need to know?”.

I was shaking in my seat; and I gently put down the golden rimmed porcelain cup of coffee in my hand.

“Uhm, Harley. I don’t think this is the time…”.

“Please, Chess”, Joker said to me, lowering his old-fashioned reading glasses. “In this house everyone can say whatever they want, whenever they want. We mustn’t stifle others expressions”.

I nodded fiercely.

“A-absolutely, yes. Of course. I’m sorry”, I stammered.

He quickly reached across the table, and grabbed my hand, putting it between his own.

“I could tell you meant that”, he grinned.

Letting go of my hand, he turned to face Harley again.

“Now where were we, doll? Chess has a bomb in her bag?”, he said calmly.

Harley swallowed some of her orange juice.

“Yeah. It’s a black box, with a little display on it. Pre-set to 1 minute”.

“That sounds fun”, Joker said cheerfully. “What’s it for?”.

Harley got up from her seat, and went to stand behind her beloved madman; massaging his shoulders and neck, making him close his eyes and groan in pleasure. She slid her hands down his shoulders under the flowered kimono he was wearing.

“You know that mean lady, who’s been putting me in that bad place?”. Joker grunted in response. “Well those friends in high places Jerry was moaning about? That’s her”.

The Joker opened his eyes, and looked over his shoulder at her.

“Kelper’s friends with the witch?”, he asked.

Harley went to sit on his lap, and laced her fingers behind his neck.

“No, not the witch; the bitch. The witch is dead”, she said.

“Right, right”, Joker answered. “So?”.

“Well”, Harley continued, “the bitch gave Chess the bomb to blow you up; so you’d stop asking Kelper for favors”.

The clown looked at me, brows – or lack thereof – furrowing.

“You were going to blow me up?”.

I jumped in my seat.

“Oh, no. Absolutely not. Once I knew who you were…”. Harley interrupted me.

“Puddin’, Chess would never do anything like that. We were coming to tell you about the bomb; but then that stupid judge was there, and Chess got all upset, because she really hates his guts”. She kissed his forehead. “We plain old forgot!”.

Joker groaned.

“I spent a lot of money on Kelper. We had a lot of parties”.

“A lot of parties”, Harley nodded, backing him up. “So, maybe… we should do something about it”.

“Oh, snuggle-tits. I need the judge for my business”, Joker said, and looked adoringly at her.

My heartbeat was calming down, and I could think more clearly. I took a small sip of my coffee.

“Mr. J”, I began. “You probably know that I used to work for the Hatter”.

The Joker guffawed and snarled all at once.

“That idiot”.

“Yeah, well”, I continued, “I could work for you, like I did for him. Getting you information, money…”.

“I have money”, he interrupted.

“A new Lamborghini?”, I tried.

His eyes lit up.

“I’m listening”.

I sat up straight. Here we go.

“Kelper is pulling out of your arrangement. He’s even gone so far as getting someone to try to kill you”.

“Well that happens at least once a week”, he said, and shook his head. Harley stroked her fingers through his green hair.

“There’s that girl”, she said, and looked at me.

“What girl?”, Joker asked.

“Well”, Harley continued, “Kelper did some pretty nasty things to a girl who used to work at that place… what was it called?”.

“Sammy’s”, I answered. “It’s a burlesque club in the Narrows”.

I casually took another sip of my coffee, that at this point had gone cold. My face contorted from the taste.

Joker looked at me with narrowed eyes.

I continued.

“About a year and a half ago, Kelper raped and beat an 18 year old girl that worked there”, I said. “She’s still suffering from the attack”.

He patted Harleys thigh to get her to get of his lap.

“Jonny!”, he called, getting to his feet himself.

Frost came into the dining room.

“Yeah, boss?”.

“We own the Narrows, don’t we?”, he asked, and walked slowly towards his minion.

“Yeah, for about 2 years now”, Frost answered, not meeting his eyes.

“And do you know about a bar named Sally’s?”.

“Sammy’s, yeah it’s a stripjoint”, Frost said.

“Burlesque club”, Harley whispered into Jokers ear.

“Burlesque club, Jonny”, Joker said, and grabbed the back of Frosts head. “There is a big difference”. Patting Frosts cheek, he went to sit down again.

“So Sammy’s have been paying their dues, have they not?”.

“Never missed a pay-date”, Frost retorted.

Joker – now sitting down – slammed both his fists into the table, making us all jump.

“Then would you mind telling me, why one of the young ladies working there, was attacked and raped; while she was supposed to be under our protection?”, he yelled; his slicked back hair now disheveled, and falling into his face.

“This doesn’t look good, Jonny! This makes me look bad!”, he shouted.

“I know, boss”, Frost tried. “But it was Kelper, and you told us to stay clear of him”.

Joker jumped out of his chair, and threw it at Frost; only narrowly missing the man.

“Get out. Find Kelper. Bring him to me!”, he growled. “And get Chess new hot cup of coffee. That cold stuff is a disgrace”.

Frost rushed a fresh cup of coffee to me, and ran out the door; already on his phone, yelling at someone.

The Joker found a new chair, and pulled it up to his place at the table. He smoothed his hair back down, and exhaled.

Harley went to stand behind him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

He grabbed my hand like he had before, and looked at me seriously.

“Now”, he said. “Chess. Chessie. My dear. Thank you for making me aware of this problem in my organization. Am I also to understand that you were the one to punish Jer-Jer after his misdeed with the young woman?”.

I smiled brightly, doing my best to seem cheerful.

“That was me, alright!”.

Joker grined.

“Well, when you think about it, you did our job for us!”, he smiled widely. “So I owe you. You came in to this house a stranger; but now – you’re family”.

Harley squealed, and jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

Great. I wasn’t only the clowns newest pet and employee; I was apparently family.

Shit.

“I still want that Lamborghini”, Joker finished, and went to get dressed.

—

We drove to a building not far from the one we had been at the night before.

“Puddin’ you know this means you can’t work with Kelper no more, right?”, Harley said, as we were getting out of the car.

“Yes, yes, squishy-butt, I know”, he answered. “This is going to be fun!”, he snickered, and put his arm around her waist.

I followed them into the building, and down into a basement. In the middle of the dark room sat Kelper, handcuffed to a chair. A single lightbulb was lit above him.

Masked henchmen were spread around the room, covering the exits.

“Jerry!”, Joker said, arms spread into the air as we entered. “Thank you so much for being able to reschedule our meeting. I’m so, so happy you agreed to this location”.

The judge was gagged, had a black eye, and there was already a wet stain under the chair from where he had urinated his pants.

Harley jumped onto a table near the scene, and crossing her legs; she began to file her nails.

I stayed in the shadows; out of Kelpers line of sight.

The clown went to stand in front of his victim, putting a hand on each of his knees, coming down to eyelevel with him. He wrinkled his nose.

“Jer-Jer. Were you that excited to see me?”, he asked. He removed Kelpers mouth gag.

“P-please; Mr. Joker. I don’t know what this is about!”, he stammered.

“This, my friend”, Joker said, “is about your plans for your political future!”.

Frost appeared from the shadows with a chair, that Joker pulled up in front of Kelper. He sat down.

“It’s recently come to my attention that you’ve decided to run for congress”.

“Yes, mr. Joker. I was the one that told you about it myself”, Kelper said.

Joker smacked him across the face, and then pointed a finger at him.

“It’s rude to interrupt!”, he roared.

“Yes, of course. I’m sorry”, Kelper said.

Joker smiled.

“I take a great interest in politics, as you know. I’m even the governor of my own little corner of Gotham. And I find it’s very important to make sure that the people I govern feel safe”.

Kelper nodded.

“Good! So you know where I’m coming from”, the clown continued. “Then I come to hear that someone decided to cause problems in my little paradise. Apparently, a very silly man decided to pay a visit to a burlesque club, and play a little too roughly with one of the lovely dancers there”.

I saw Kelpers eyes widen in fear.

“I didn’t know that would be an issue for you, I swear!”.

The Joker patted his cheek gently.

“Well it is”, he half whispered.

Jumping from the chair, he ran to sit down next to Harley.

“Hi, sugar lips”, he said; and put his arm around her, before calling out.

“Chess!”.

I stepped out of the shadows, and pulled down my hood. Kelper looked at me, recognizing me from the meeting the day before.

“Miss, I don’t know what he’s paying you, but I’ll match and double it!”, he tried desperately.

I sat down in front of him.

“You smell like piss”, I said. He gulped. I sighed. “So this is not going to be fun for you. At all”.

His facial expression changed.

“Do your best, bitch. I’ve been through worse!”.

“Oh?”, I asked. The judge was about to spit in my face, but didn’t have the chance to do so, before I headbutted him.

I rubbed my forehead. That hurt, I thought, but cheered up, when I saw that I had obviously broken his nose.

Joker and Harley roared with laughter from the table.

“So, you’ve had it worse, huh?”, I asked.

He ground his teeth, and nodded.

I smiled and slowly began disappearing into a mist.

Kelpers facial expression immediately changed from prideful to pure fear. He began jumping in the chair, screaming; and managed to fall over; landing in his own wet pool.

“Ew”, Harley said from next to a gleeful Joker.

“Sshh, Harls’. I’m watching this”, he said.

Frost pulled Kelper back into a seated position.

“Get the camera”, I said to him, reappearing in my seat.

I clenched my fist, letting my claws come out.

“I heard you’re going to have some reconstructive surgery, your honor”, I said, looking down at my claws. “Jonny here could find me a pair of rocks, and I could do the deed for you. It’s only polite, seeing as I’m the one to blame for your whole ordeal in the first place…”.

Kelper began crying.

“No, no. Please. I’ll do whatever you want. I will!”, he sobbed.

Frost came in to the light, two plum-sized rocks in one hand, and a smartphone in the other. I took the items into my hands.

“Ok. Now, you can chose one of these gifts; and I won’t take no for an answer!”, I beamed. “Either you chose to let me help you make a nice little video, where you tell the world about your rape and beating of that young woman 18 months ago – along with an account of your dealings with criminal organizations in Gotham. That will make your family really proud of you, and you’ll instantly feel better about your misdeeds. Or…”.

I showed him the two rocks.

“… you let me help you by filling that empty sack of yours”.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Joker and Harley both leaning in to hear his answer.

Kelper sobbed, and a bloody glob of snot ran out of his broken nose.

“The video. I’ll do the video”.

“Boring”, Joker snarled quietly, and Harley patted his leg soothingly.

I pulled out the phone.

“Don’t worry Jerry. This will be over in no time”. I started filming. “Action”.

Kelper opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“Look into the camera. Say your name”, I whispered.

He looked into the lens, and began.

“My name is Jeremiah Kelper. I am a judge in Gotham city”. He paused, and I kicked his shin.

“And”, he yelped, “18 months ago, I raped and beat a young woman I was giving a ride home in my limousine”. He sobbed. “I then… let two of my friends rape her, while I watched”.

I was struggling not to run my claws through his heart.

“Continue”, I hissed. Kelper did as asked.

“I have also been receiving payoffs from the crime lord known as the Joker”.

“That’s me!”, the Joker said, and jumped into frame; giving Kelper a wet kiss on the cheek. “We’ve been the best of friends, for a long, long time”, he said, and patted Kelpers shoulder.

“Isn’t this enough?”, Kelper cried.

“Apologise!”, I growled.

“Yes!”, Joker exclaimed. “And tell them that you’ve been a bad, bad boy. Say; I’m Jerry, and I’m a bad, bad boy!”.

Kelper sobbed again.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve abused my office, and I’ve hurt a young woman who didn’t deserve it”.

“No one deserves what you did to her!”, I snarled.

“No, no one deserves that”, he admitted.

“Bad boy!”, Harley yelled from her table, making Kelper jump in his seat.

“I’m Jerry, and I’m a bad, bad boy”, he finished.

“Cut! Scene! Print!”, Joker called, and gave the judge a hard slap on the back. “Good job, Jer-jer! This is one for the books!”.

I put the phone in the bag with the bomb I was still carrying. It was over.

—

A loud crash was heard. While we had been filming, the room had been almost cleared of Jokers minions, as they’d disappeared into the shadows.

The lights went out, and I felt a gush of wind over my head.

“No!”, Joker shouted.

A hard punch to my shoulder made me fall to the floor, and I dropped the bag, accidentally kicked it; and watched it slide into the darkness somewhere.

Panicking, I scrambled to find it, my shoulder pulsing with pain.

A gunshot was heard, followed by the sound of Harleys shriek, as she was thrown across the floor.

I got on my feet, and ran in the direction of where I thought the bag might be.

Someone grabbed my arm, holding me in place.

“Leave it”, a gravelly voice said. “Keep your head down”.

Shit…

Tag list:

@gloriousgam3r​

@hyp-oh-critical​

[a-second-chance-su-au]

A Second Chance AU: Everything You Need to Know (FAQ)

Overview

A Second Chance is a Crystal Gem Spinel AU, starting 625 years after Pink left her in the Garden. The Gem War rages on, and Pink has decided to come back for her old playmate. This story will follow the events of the main series but with Spinel present. Doesn’t sound like much, but I can guarantee original content, new fusions, different arcs for canon characters, comedy (hopefully), and drama!

To know more- to either read up on the AU or go to the FAQ- hit “Read More”!

The Outline

I made a post that gives all episode titles that will be involving Spinel, which can be found below. Not all episodes are listed, just the ones that Spinel affects, and therefore the ones I am going to draw. The rest of the show still happens (unless I explicitly say an episode gets skipped).

Click here to read through the episode list!

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q) When will the comic update next?

A) Fridays WHEN I CAN! Not guaranteed! I did this so that it gives myself some room to breathe, since in the past, as soon as I gave myself a due date, I lost motivation AND pushed myself way too hard to get it done. No solid due date = still fun to work on, and I don’t need to worry about making sure it’s done on time! The less stress, the better. :)

Q) Can we ask Spinel questions?

A) You sure can! I just started a new thing on here called "The Ask Chair," which can be followed @the-ask-chair-asc-au. Any character that is currently present in the comic is available for questions, and this will change as characters move in and out of the story.

Q) How much of the main story will change?

A) At first? Not a whole lot. As the story unfolds? You'll have to see. ;)

Q) Will you be remaking the Movie and Future?

A) Yes! Of course, because Spinel is a Crystal Gem, the movie is going to be COMPLETELY different, but it will still occur! As or writing this out, I have a few ideas, but nothing is set in stone yet for the movie. As for Future, Spinel will have her “goodbye” episode, as well as an impact on the plot, but I’m not sure what yet. But I am planning to do that!

Q) Will Spinel fuse with _____?

A) This varies case by case, but I can say as of right now that there are certain fusions confirmed. Spinel/Amethyst (Lavender Alexite), Spinel/Pearl (Lepidolite), Spinel/Steven (Pink “Rubellite” Tourmaline), Spinel/Lapis (Kyanite), Spinel/Alexandrite (Zoisite), and Spinel/Obsidian (Onyx) are all canon, confirmed fusions right now. There are also a few noncanon fusions, most notably Ametrine, who is a fusion between Spins and Bismuth.

Q) She fuses with Lapis? But Lapis hates fusion!

A) Yes, she does. I realized a while after I first saw the movie that she and Lapis (and Future Steven) have a LOT in common. Lapis is traumatized by fusion, but the other gems are traumatized by stuff, too, and they all got to move forward, or at least were put on that path, and I want the same thing for Lapis. I want her to be able to move on. And no; her fusion will NOT just solve all her problems, or make her trauma go away. It will prepare her for going down that path of recovery, to be part of a healthy fusion based on trust instead of hatred. I am going to handle the situation as best as I can.

Q) Can Spinel fuse with _____?

A) Sure, if you wanna draw that. ;) But in all seriousness, I’ll probably say yes unless we’re talking about Peridot. Peri doesn’t want to fuse, and I respect that. She’s the aroace rep. I mean, I’m not completely against the idea, but that fusion WILL NOT be canon in any sense.

Q) Why do Connie and Spinel not get along? Why do Amethyst and Spinel not get along? What’s her relationship with Pearl? Does she hate Greg too? Does she like Bismuth? How will she feel when she fuses? Why-

A) Spoilers. Ask if you feel brave, but if your question sounds anything like this, it’s more than likely spoilers. UNLESS it is currently being addressed, in which case, Spinel MIGHT answer you, depending. ;)

Q) What does Steven give Spinel before leaving for his road trip?

A) Oddly specific question I’ve gotten at least four times. Answer is spoilers!

Q) Hey, Spinel! Did you know that Rose and Pink were the same gem? Also Steven is going to corrupt if you don’t do anything to help him! And Connie isn’t so bad! Also Lars dies and comes back! Steven turns himself in! Amethyst-

A) She doesn’t know these asks exist, and will not respond. Please do not try and spoil her own story for her. :)

Q) Where is the comic?

A) Here, or in the archive, @a-second-chance-su-au-archive. You can also find it by going to the tag #/comic or #/the comic (but without slashes).

Q) Who is Dimond?

A) Me! The name’s @dimonds456 (yes I’m aware it’s spelled wrong, that’s a choice). Nice to meet cha! I'm a bean who doesn't know how to respond to people liking my stuff aha.

Q) May I dub your comic?

A) DUDE YES. Just send me the link when you’re done, and tag me! I would LOVE to see people dub A Second Chance! Oh, and maybe let me know you're going to do so beforehand. This is not a pressure to finish, but more for me so I don't have to worry about whether or not you stole art lol.

Q) Can I submit fanart/fanstories/ideas?

A) Yes! A lot of this blog was built on asks, and a lot of my ideas come from other people. If you have a suggestion, feel free to reach out to me. And I will NEVER say no to fanart! I may not be able to properly respond, but trust me, I adore every piece I get.

Q) [anything aimed at me that is not Spinel/AU related]

A) I will answer you privately. Or, if you’re an anon, I’ll tell you to ask my main blog, @Dimonds456. This is a Spinel AU. If we go on tangents, that’s fine, as long as it stems from something AU related.

If you want to ask Spinel anything, go ahead. Just keep it SFW, and remember that we’re all here to have fun!

Archive

Cover

Part 1

Part 2, Page 1

Episode 1: Bubble Buddies

Episode 2: Man of the Mountain

If any links are broken anywhere, let me know. :)

[galaxy-starheart]

I am off anon. I showing my face for the world to see. I am the epitome of bravery. ndkwheosheifhndkaurisggrid. I am dramatic as hell. 1) HOW COULD YOH MY BOY RORY NRKQJEJS THE BABY NOOOOOOOOO😭😭😭😭😭😭 2) water seems to really fit Delta, he seems like a very go with the flow kinda girl😌 i?????? Love???? Them????? I???? Adore??? You???? Je???? T'adore???? Ily tooooooooooo 💓❤💗💖💘💞💗❤💖❤💕💘💖💘💞💗💕❤💕💘💖💘💗💞❤💕💘💕💘💖Also 25 26 27 and 28 4 your 3 kids :pleading: :pleading:

Im so proud of u!!!! Ur so brave (and also valid!!)!! Hdksjsjdhsjd

1) i am EVIL and a BASTARD and there is no cure

2) Delta is just vibing, yeah!! :3

ilysm!!!!! 💗💕💓💗💖💗💓💕💗💖💘💖💗💗💓

25. What is their biggest flaw?

Delta: His biggest flaw is honestly being Too Reckless. His optimism sometimes carries him a bit too far and he finds himself in sticky situations it can be difficult to get out of (like, one time, he didn't plan sufficiently for a trip to a foreign country and ended up stranded there for a while without enough money to get back). Also, he tends to walk right into dangerous situations. Having been exploring old abandoned (supposedly haunted) houses and buildings since his childhood, he's prone to wandering into places he really shouldn't be (for health reasons, trespassing reasons, etc) just because of pure curiosity, figuring it'll turn out fine because it always has before and he's gotten out of dangerous situations before.

Sammy: His biggest flaw is probably his bad habit of latching onto people and ideas and dreams and imagining them in a very specific way, therefore either blinding himself to their true nature, being hurt by the reality that he overlooked or ignored, and/or setting himself up for failure. He's a bit of a perfectionist, but in the way that he Expects things to be perfect and ends up devastated when they arent.

Rory: His biggest flaw is the way he puts up walls and bottles up emotions rather than actually trying to work through his trauma and heal. It's his biggest obstacle in progressing as a character because he doesn't want to let himself feel, doesn't want to let himself progress because he's been locking all his emotions up for so long.

26. Are they aware of their flaws?

Delta: to some degree, yes, she is aware of her flaws. She knows she needs to be more careful, get better at planning ahead for things, actually make sure she has backup plans and all of that. When she catches herself being super impulsive she tries to rein it in a little, but sometimes it completely slips her mind unless she's reminded by her friends.

Sammy: Honestly he's a little bit willfully ignorant. He knows that he keeps getting hurt because he keeps holding people and things and ideas in high regard when they really shouldn't be, but he wants those things to be perfect so he keeps hoping that something eventually will be.

Rory: No, he isn't aware of his flaws, not really. He knows he has flaws, is fairly confident he has a LOT of them, but he misidentifies them and simplifies them a lot to the point that his actual biggest flaw goes completely overlooked. He's so intent on thinking hes a Bad Person that he doesnt look for the root of why he thinks that.

27. What is their biggest strength? 

Delta: Delta's biggest strength is definitely the ability to pick up new skills and abilities with minimal training. These things take practice and developing the skills take time, but she's much quicker at getting started than many other people might be. It helps a lot in the sticky situations she gets herself into, because even when it looks like there arent many options she's usually able to figure something out thanks to her plethora of skills (if underdeveloped). Jack of all trades master of none, but better than a master of one.

Sammy: His biggest strength is probably his emotional vulnerability. Where some people (lookin at u rory) might box their feelings away in an attempt to cope with things, Sammy actively does his best to reach out for help when he needs it and express the emotions that need expressing. Sometimes it's hard to talk to people, but even then he doesn't try to hide his emotions away because he knows it's a bad idea and if no one knows hes hurting no one will be able to be there to help.

Rory: Honestly I just came up with all of these on the spot and I think Rory's is the hardest because he's I think a bit more complex than the others since he's existed the longest. @alcordraws (im sorry for tagging u so much kat) says that stubbornness might be a strength along with a weakness for him and I think theyre definitely right, but I think maybe Rory's biggest strength is his resilience? He's been through a lot and he's been so scared for most of his life (both for himself and those around him) and, though he's not great at coping, he still pushes on.

28. Are they aware of their strengths?

Delta: Yes, he is aware of his strengths, and honestly I think that makes it even harder for him to overcome his weaknesses.

Sammy: He's definitely aware of his strengths, but I don't think he would consider the same thing to be his greatest strength. I'm not even sure he'd consider that he has a greatest strength.

Rory: Once again, he isn't aware. This time, though, it's because he straight up rejects the idea that he has any strengths. He figures it out later in his story, but in the main portion,, no idea.

[thesunnyshow]

Name: hi, i am nyx  Age: 20 years old Writing Blog URL(s): jungcity.tumblr.com | v-asl.tumblr.com 

Nationality: filipino Languages: english, filipino Star Sign: pisces! MBTI: infp-t Favorite color: white accentuated by silver Favorite food: it’s sweet and spicy chicken garlic!! Favorite movie: hmmm, it’s prolly flipped because that movie was so cute :,)  Favorite ice cream flavor: rocky road!! Favorite animal: it’s gonna be cats!! although i love lions so much because of narnia :,( Coffee or tea? What are you ordering? coffee :,) Go-to karaoke song: i don’t sing agskh the world would end if i would 

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)? i think it’s me writing about jaehyun??? since he’s the king of fanfiction, especially in ncity nowadays. 

What fandom(s) do you write for?  nct + wayv

When did you post your first piece? three days ago!! that would be august 4 i guess???

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why? i don’t really much write fluff since i don’t have any idea how to write a good fluff!! :( this has been an issue every time i write some au’s. so im always ending up writing and focusing more on angst. it’s the genre i know best. well, crack… it’s hard to make the readers laugh when you can’t even make their tooth ache from sweetness with your fluffy writings. :( smut… i don’t write smut explicitly any more. i’m more on the suggestive side rn. 

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc  i write OC’s especially when im writing a series!! to diversify my writing. but i usually am on the x reader side. ships? not that much. 

Why did you decide to write for Tumblr? uhm, back in 2017, i was searching for some website where i could publish my works. ive always been a tumblr-girl since i am that wanna-be-aesthetic kinda person :D then i had found that i could write and publish on tumblr so yeah that’s pretty much why i am on this app rn

What inspires you to write?  ooh, music has been a great help for sure!! whenever i don’t feel like writing something, i always listen to music and the idea would flow like a river. classic poems helps, too. :)

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most?  supernatural!au’s, fantasy!au, medieval!au. i feel like it’s easier to write something out of pure fantasy. i have a hard time writing modern!au’s since i lack the humor and the knowledge for modern slangs. 

What do you hope your readers take away from your work?  ooh, i always always always am careful with the way that i craft all my works. i try to feel what my characters feel to give them a certain validation. i put my shoes on the scenarios i have in mind even though i haven’t yet experienced everything ive written. and i do love writing strong female characters, whether it’s oc’s or female readers. that’s my main priority whenever i write. and i want them to know that girls could do just as much everything boys could. women are powerful. 

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively?  i read a lot to get back on my foot. i also try to re-read my past works so i’d be inspired to better my writing on my current draft.

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful?  my favorite work is the one i’m still writing rn, which is entitled 505. it’s a hendery fic in which he is a bandit and the female reader is a sacristan. it’s my fave since i relate myself so much to the female reader. :) my most successful one is the childhood best friends!au taeyong x female reader. it’s about to reach 600+ notes i guess? and im so grateful of all the feedbacks i got from it. 

Who is your favorite person to write about?  it’s jaehyun and hendery :) 

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose?  character wise, perhaps. since you already have a face value in fanfiction, but in an original prose, you would have to craft everything from 0. 

What do you think makes a good story?  a good story is something that doesn’t romanticize the bad things going on in the world. a good story is something that is emphatic to the hardships of others. a good story is something that gives comfort to those who are in the dark. a good story is something that boosts the hearts of the readers and makes them feel things!! 

What is your writing process like?  first, i think of a plot! (this happens oftentimes when im washing the dishes) when i have the plot, i think of the ending. when i have the ending, it’s time for me to device a fitting title. and the plot would develop from then on. 

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story?  i don’t think so… this is scary. since some people think of fanfics as delusional works from delusional authors. it’s kinda sad. 

What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand?  i love love love enemies-to-lovers trope!! one that i couldn’t stand and do my best to not read is probably… hmm… no, i love all tropes!! i just love e-t-l most!

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you?  it means a ton. since it could really boosts me up. heavy sigh. it’s the best thing when you write something— the feedbacks. even though it’s a simple reblog with the ‘#ATKSHSKSHSKAHAKSGAHGEGSJA’ or ‘#myfave’. i would smile like an idiot whenever i read it.

Dream job (whether you have a job or not)? i want to be a successful writer someday!

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose? teleportation!! 

If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose?  ancient greek + victorian era

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you?  yes!! im so hell deep in indecision right now so i want to restart to make everything right

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken?  100 chicken-sized horses!!

If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been?  enemies-to-lovers trope agsksj LOL

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures?  YES!!! perhaps they are lurking somewhere here on earth and we don’t know it yet ;)

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know?  oh… i don’t really know what to write. i don’t give much attention to my personal details agsksj

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged?  yes!! ugh, there’s this recent issue wherein stan twt called fanfic writers as freaks. and it broke my heart. i mean, most fanfic writers get inspirations from their idols and that shouldn’t be a bad thing. we aren’t delusionals as one might think. we are simply doing our craft. 

Do you think art can be a medium for change?  yes!! our country’s hero ‘jose rizal’ had somehow stirred the nationality of the people back in the old days because of his writings. i do believe that art changes things!! it has the ability to pierce the heart of the people.  

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself?  yes. i feel this whenever im writing smut. i mean, let’s be real, your works would do better once you’ve included some steamy smut scenes in it. when i was writing my first fanfic after three years, i didn’t think that i’d ever include smut. but the fear of not getting feedbacks crept up in me, so i forced myself to write some sexy scenes. i know that’s like… weird. but i’m trying not to dwell on feedbacks any longer. and i also have decided not to write explicit smut anymore. honestly, i feel better now that i don’t force myself to do something that i think would please others rather than me.

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times?  uhm, as far as i can remember, nope— still hasn’t felt that way. :)

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr?  yes!! my best friends irl knows about it. my sister knows. my parents are also aware of my passion in writing, and they do know that i write. but where and what, that remains obscured from them :D 

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers?  that it’s okay to be vulnerable. it’s okay to make mistakes. it’s okay to fail sometimes. it’s okay to feel things. because like a good book, there is always a character development and you have the pen to write your own version of happy endings. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there?  i’ve been there: the scared and conscious part. but one thing i would say is, you have to dare yourself!! you won’t know how your writing would have impacted so many lives and touch the hearts of people if you won’t grab your pen or your gadget and start your draft. 

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr?  nope, there aren’t. the community has been lovely to me ever since i started writing. :,)

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey? yes!! oh my god. i’d like to take this opportunity to thank my mutuals who’s done me nothing but kindness— @legendnct (hannah), whoo!! you know how much i love you, right? thank you for always being there to listen to me. :) @cloudysuh des, since day one you’ve supported me. i couldn’t ask for more. thank you for the never-ending praises, keyboard smashes, for the tags, and for always boosting me up. @bohoes georgie, you know i love you. since 2017 you’ve been with me— praising my works and supporting me. thank you. @cherr-e cherry!! thank you!! for teaching me how to better my writing. i hope endless happiness for u and please take care. @writermoon hello my babe!! thank you so much for reading my works with such vivid imaginations. i love you. @jaeyongf amy!! the bestest person :,) thank you for always leaving me feedbacks!! thank you for being kind to me. thank you for always supporting me. i love you guys so much and let’s be mutuals for a long time!! 

Pick a quote to end your interview with: 

“If the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends.” — Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

[bondsmagii]

hi miceál! i literally just discovered your blog and was hoping i could ask you a question. it's kinda long & involved and also u don't know me, so i won't feel bad if you ignore me. but so: i was perusing the gaelige tag and found your post where you were talking about the importance of learning your mother tongue. i was wondering if i could ask your thoughts about how this applies to people with less direct ancestry. (1/?)

for example, i'm an american and have a lot of (pretty far back) irish ancestry. i studied abroad in ireland in the spring before covid happened, and i took an irish language class and really liked it. however, since being there i feel kind of guilty about wanting to learn more, because i know that like. it annoys irish people how americans talk about having irish ancestry, and that the irish language means a specific thing to irish people, and that there are political aspects to both so, i've been trying to like. learn more but also be careful and respectful, but i do feel a little guilty still i guess, because i know that this language/history isn't mine (at least not in the same way). anyway, i don't really know what my question question is but have been thinking about this for awhile and am not in contact with anyone who lives in ireland anymore. maybe you could tell me what you think if thats ok and if you're comfortable? sorry again for the long question!!

dia duit! as usual, my disclaimer that I am but one (1) Irish person, so I can’t speak for everyone; however having grown up in Ireland I did know a fair few Irish people, so I feel I can say the following with confidence: if you’d like to learn Irish, please learn it. Irish is a dying language, and the more people who learn to speak it, the better its chances of survival. it’s a beautiful language and to be honest if you ask me I would say you don’t even have to be Irish to learn it. of course it’s a very special part of your heritage if you are, but there’s no qualifications to learn it. the more people, the better, if you ask me.

now moving on to the more political aspects, which is always unavoidable when talking about my lovely home country lol. yes, there is some annoyance with Americans doing the whole “I’m 1/16th Irish” or whatever; we don’t really get this obsession with heritage in Europe, probably because a lot of us are still fairly close to home and our heritage hasn’t been diluted as much. also, culturally, European countries are Old As Balls, so we don’t really need to lean into another identity to have a cultural heritage. for you guys, America is still a very, very young country (I’ve stayed in hotels and eaten in McDonald’s restaurants renting in buildings older than the United States of America, to put it into perspective) and being culturally American is still a new thing. it’s understandable that people would lean in to the motherland a little, for a sense of identity, and 99% of the time that’s OK! what annoys us, in my experience, is the lack of differentiation. for example, genetically you have Irish in you, but culturally you’re American. while we can happily accept that yes, you’re originally from Ireland, we don’t like people acting as though we’re the same culturally because we’re not, and Ireland is a very complicated country politically, socially, etc and it’s frustrating when people come in thinking we’re all on the same page when we’re not. it’s not a deep-rooted hatred, but more of a frustration. of course, if you’re not obnoxious about it, nobody is going to care. generally if I meet Americans in Ireland I just assume that they’re descendants visiting anyway, and I’ve met plenty of polite and interested Americans who have let me chat their ears off about Irish history, so.

to move to the bulk of the question: you might not be culturally Irish, but at least personally I would still see you as connected to the struggle that the Irish language has come to represent. there’s a very high possibility that your ancestors left Ireland because of poverty, or because of persecution; that life in their homeland was made very difficult for them by an oppressive and illegal occupation, and they left to try and have a better life for themselves and their descendants. maybe they left and never looked back and were happy; maybe they missed Ireland for the rest of their days -- I don’t know. but I do know that if Ireland had been treated better, you would likely be growing up in Ireland, where your family had lived for centuries. there is a sense of grief there that I can empathise with -- I myself had to leave Ireland for various reasons, and only now, a decade later, am I making plans to go back. I know what it’s like to see Ireland slip away over the horizon. I know what that grief feels like. I can’t imagine then never returning, and having my descendants grow up in what would always feel to me as a foreign land. I would be absolutely psyched if my descendants then decided to get back in touch with their heritage.

you say the history isn’t yours, and perhaps no, not in the same way. but the fact that you’re in America now shows that Ireland’s history affected you, and part of it -- be it famine, oppression, persecution -- has influenced where you are today. as for the language, it is the language that some of your ancestors spoke perhaps only a few centuries ago. I would say that it’s still yours, if you’d like to have it. the Irish language is a complicated subject even in Ireland -- in some places you can’t even speak it without people getting certain ideas -- but anybody who is truly passionate about the language and about undoing the damage that 900 years of oppression has done will not be annoyed that you’re learning. you seem sensible about it; you seem respectful and aware of the differences between being culturally Irish and genetically Irish, and that’s really the main thing that becomes frustrating if the lines aren’t drawn. at the end of the day something happened to force your ancestors to leave behind their homeland forever, and that is a loss. if learning Irish helps you feel closer to them and to the home they had to leave behind, I say go for it and good luck.

[starrybluez]

I was tagged by @music-on-canvas to answer these Halloween questions 🎃. Thank you very much for the tag! 💜

1. 🎃 Pumpkin: Favourite season?

Spring, seeing the cherry blossom, magnolia trees and wisteria in bloom. And being able to look forward to warmer weather! While I do love the traditions of autumn and the changing leaves, I'm well aware of how quickly winter creeps up.

2. 👻 Ghost: Do you get scared easily?

Yes sadly I am as jumpy as a Mexican jumping bean

3. 🎃 Candy Corn: What's your favourite kind of candy?

Dark chocolate, but also can never pass up peanut butter cups

4. 👻 Vampire: What is your favourite supernatural creature?

5. 🎃 Witch: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Travel back in time. (See answer to #4)

6. 👻 Trick or treat: What was your favourite Halloween costume?

My costume ideas were really unoriginal, but there was one that my mom really put a lot of work into. I decided one year (6th grade I think) that I wanted to dress up as a rich lady (told you I was unoriginal). My mom made me a white satin dress and let me borrow her fur stole, pearls and big floppy hat. It was with her help that I won a prize for most beautiful costume. A lovely memory. 💖

7. 🎃 Black cat: are you superstitious?

Not really, especially when it comes to black cats - I love them! But I don't make a habit of walking under ladders & breaking mirrors...not because it's unlucky, but because it's kind of a bad idea.

8. 👻 Ouija Board: If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

Good question...I can't picture myself as anyone other than a Dina. I'm not wild about it, but it goes nicely with my last name.

9. 🎃 Graveyard: do you know any good scary stories?

There was a part in Jane Eyre that really spooked me when I read it - that part that involves the madwoman. Terrifying.

10. 👻 Skeleton: have you ever broken a bone?

No, not yet, thankfully

11. 🎃 Werewolf: what is your favourite urban legend?

Not sure I have one.

12. 👻 Horror flick: do you like scary movies? If so, which one is your favourite?

I usually avoid scary movies but made an exception for The Lost Boys. My main reason for liking it was because I thought some of the vampires were hot. Scary but hot.

13. 🎃 Haunted house: Would you prefer to live in the city or the country?

If I could crawl into an Anne of Green Gables book I would. So the country it is.

14. 👻 Zombie: do you think that you could survive a zombie apocalypse?

Uhh probably not.

15. 🎃 Cauldron: what kind of potion would you make if you had the opportunity?

A brain potion. And not just for me. Though I think the answer @music-on-canvas had about the healing potion is better.

16. 👻 Full moon: do you prefer nighttime or daytime?

Well it's safer to walk during the day, but also enjoy nighttime when I can relax.

17. 🎃 Corn maze: what is your favourite autumn activity?

It's a tie between drinking hot apple cider and photographing fall foliage.

18. 👻 Broomstick: what exciting places have you travelled to?

Florence, Venice, Cannes

This is a lot of questions so not sure who will do this but I'll tag @fatal-plastic-kiss @livinginsynth @duranarchy-in-the-uk and @niterunner. Only if you feel like it! ☺

[dumbgayemo]

Six (not so) devils and a nanny- Chapter 1

Wow something I wrote and actually posted

So that's a thing that is a mess but I love. I came up with this idea aaaaages ago and like I absolutely had to write it. I do have a solid plan of how this is gonna continue btw. Anyways, enjoy.

Tw: I don't think there's any but do inform me if I should tag anything

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a dull morning, the sky grey and a soft breeze blowing from the north. Thomas stepped out of the taxi, dragging his suitcase behind him. He payed the driver and headed for the mansion seen a few yards away.

Thomas had quite the reputation as a children nanny, known to make even the most difficult of children to behave. He wasn't surprised that the Sanders hired him since their kids had scared multiple other nannies away, and if someone was able to look after them that'd be Thomas. He stepped on the front porch and headed for the main entrance of the house, he could hear kids laughing and running but he couldn't see them, Thomas assumed they were playing in the back yard. He rang the doorbell and a few seconds later, an older lady answered the door. Thomas smiled

"Hello, I'm Thomas, I was hired as a nanny for the kids"

The lady looked at him up and down and frowned slightly, probably believing that the young man in front of her had no idea what he was getting himself into. She stepped aside allowing him to enter the house

"Of course, Mr and Mrs Sanders will see you right away"

Thomas followed her inside the house. The place looked creepy but smelled like roses and rain. The decor was mostly victorian and Thomas doubted if there was any modern furniture at all in the house. As he followed the lady down the dim lighted hallways he noticed an unsettling amount of portraits on the walls and could almost swear he saw a small figure disappear in one of the rooms as he approached. Soon enough they made it to a grand dark oak door with delicate metals doorknobs. The lady knocked on it and a few seconds later, the doors opened to a giant office. Mr and Mrs Sanders sat on leather chairs, both looking at Thomas up and down. They were both slender and pale, dressed in dark clothing. As much as they looked like Morticia and Gomez Addams, they didn't radiate the same hospitable and friendly energy.

"Sir Thomas I assume?" Mr Sanders said raising an eyebrow "Have a seat, Dorothy take the mans luggage"

The old lady, assumingly Dorothy, took Thomas's suitcase as he stepped into the office and took a seat across the wooden desk. The door closed behind him, leaving him alone with the two adults.

"You do know about our children and their....behavior, right?" Mrs Sanders said, a hint of disbelief in her voice, as if she thought Thomas accepted the job without having further information on it. Thomas nodded

"Yes miss, I have spoken to plenty of previous nannies and I am well aware of the hardships of the job I have accepted"

The couple shared a look before turning back to him.

"Alright, we will discuss with you your working schedule and then Dorothy will take you to your room. You will meet the kids right before supper"

They spend the rest of the evening discussing about Thomas's and the kids schedule, dining hours, working days, payment and other, honestly a little boring, basics. Thomas would stay in the house from Monday to Saturday and has Sundays off to return back to his house. Once the meeting was over, the doors of the office opened once again and Dorothy stood right outside looking at Thomas. Mr Sanders gestured towards her.

"Now, Dorothy will lead you to your room, once again, supper is at nine, we will let you settle in for now"

Thomas nodded and stood up, thanking the hosts and followed Dorothy to the staff quarters which was quiet and seemingly abandoned, he figured there wasn't anyone else working in the house other than him and the elder woman. As they walked through the corridors Thomas decided to break the ice

"So, how long have you been working here? Are you the only other staff?" he asked curiously

Dorothy glanced back at him then continued walking ahead with a low hum

"Yes I am the only other staff in the house, I've been working here for about forty seven years now"

"Huh, cool"

Thomas made more attempts for small talk on the way to his room hoping to get to know Dorothy a little more. He asked about the kids too but he didn't manage to get any new information other than what he already knew, he assumed the elderly lady wasn't spending much time with them, or she wasn't paid to. Soon enough they made it to another dark oak door with an old golden name plate. The original name of it was barely recognizable and the low lighting wasn't helping the situation, Thomas decided not to bother with it. Dorothy unlocked the door before handing Thomas the old, bronze key. The room wasn't relatively small but wouldn't be considered big either. It was filled with the basic necessities such as a bed, a closet, an empty book case and a writing desk. There was another door to the left that lead to a small private bathroom which was probably the most modern and none spooky place in the house so far. Thomas stepped in the room, his suitcase was left intact right next to the bed.

"I will call you once dinner is served" Dorothy said "In the mean time, try to settle in"

Thomas nodded and thanked her, then Dorothy left closing the door behind her. Thomas hummed as he walked to the bed and lifted his suitcase, placing it on the mattress. As he started unpacking his things he glanced out the window. Indeed, there was a back yard, a back grave-yard as he saw. He sighed then noticed two small kids, around the age of twelve, running between the tombstones and laughing, assumingly playing some game of tag. Thomas tilted his head, the two kids were seeming unaware of the morbid place they were playing. It did seem quite odd but, Thomas took his gaze from the window and went back to unpacking.

Thomas woke up by a knock on his door. He was done unpacking and had taken a nap until he was called for dinner. The knocking continued

"Thomas, supper is ready and the children are ready to meet you"

Thomas groaned faintly and sat up "Coming!"

He got up, quickly combed his hair and walked to the door. He followed Dorothy right outside the dinning room, where six kids stood in line from oldest to youngest. Thomas smiled at the kids, they didn't seem like the out of control children he was told about.

The oldest of the kids was noticeable much more dressed than the rest, even though it wasn't even that cold. He had dirty blonde hair and intense bright eyes. To his left stood another blonde boy, almost half a head shorter. He was much more unsettling as he looked like a porcelain doll come to lfe with his big blue eyes and even bigger glasses. Then stood the two kids from the grave yard. They looked like two drops of water, the only way that Thomas knew he could tell them apart was their mismatched eyes and the lighter streak of hair in one's head. Next stood a way shorter boy with square glasses and curious smart eyes. He studied Thomas up and down as if trying to see through him. Last, almost completely behind the previous boy, stood a toddler. Thomas could barely see him as he was hiding behind his brother and a stuffed animal he could barely lift. Thomas found that kin of adorable.

"Kids this is Thomas, he's your new nanny" Dorothy said, introducing him to them "Your parents will expect you to be on your best behavior and not scare another one away"

There was a sea of 'Yeah's' and nods from the kids, Thomas noticed that the younger one hid behind his toy even more. Thomas smiled and waved at the kids.

"Hi kiddos! I'll be happy to take care of you all"

The boy like a porcelain doll smiled and waved back. Dorothy then went to introduce everyone

"This is the oldest, Janus" she gestured towards the tallest "Then it's Patton, the twins Roman and Remus, then Logan and the youngest Virgil"

Dorothy then dismissed them and all eight of them were let in the dining hall. Food was already on the table, assumingly Dorothy had taken care of that or there was other staff in the house Thomas wasn't aware of. Dinner went by peacefully and Thomas spent most of his time inspecting the kids. They didn't seem like the little devils everyone was describing them as, though he would admit they looked slightly off putting. Maybe things weren't that bad in the Sanders family, so far the situation seemed manageable.

[theholycovenantrpg]

CONGRATULATIONS, JENNA! YOU’VE BEEN ACCEPTED FOR THE ROLE OF BASTIEN AVALOS.

Admin Rosey: Jenna, I cannot emphasize enough how in love I am with the way that you captured Bastien. He was one of the characters that is driven singularly by passion and impulse, and he is the one character that takes a person’s heart and never lets go of it until he tires, then goes for another. From your ideas for development, to the para sample - this application holds you captive just as Bastien does. The Holy Land isn’t ready for Bastien to enter center stage, but boy, I definitely am. Thank you for this wonderful application - and please, be handle our hearts gently...before smashing them to pieces.  Please create and send in your account, review the information on our CHECKLIST, and follow everyone on the FOLLOW LIST. Welcome to the Holy Land!

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Jenna Age | 21 Personal Pronouns | she/they Activity Level | My activity really varies throughout the week! I work on weekdays ( gross, I know ), and am also completing an honours degree this year so will mostly be around on evenings and on the weekends!! My aim is usually to get on for replies every couple of days, but I generally make myself available for plotting every day! Timezone | gmt+10 Triggers | REMOVED. How did you find the group?  | in the tags! but I recognised your names from diverona and just knew I had to apply!! Current/Past RP Accounts | https://marymacd.tumblr.com/ // https://leonagw.tumblr.com/

IN CHARACTER

Character | Bastien Avalos

What drew you to this character? | Wow, okay, where do I begin? Bastien is a very different character to the ones I usually play, and I think I was initially drawn to his recklessness. Bastien doesn’t just flirt with danger - he courts it, and I find this very fascinating as I’ve always tended to play very strategic, cautious, and calculated characters in the past, which Bastien just isn’t. I think there’s lots of potential to develop him as a character - both in the way of coming to terms with his past and exploring the events that have brought him to where he is, and in terms of his future - now that he’s had his autonomy ripped from him and burdened with a responsibility he never wanted, and one that he’s quite ill-equipped for, there’s definitely a lot of room to develop him in very interesting ways.

I’m also drawn to the idea of portraying a mortal walking among immortals - and yet, having very little regard for his own mortality. He’s spent his whole life running headfirst into danger - picking fights he knows he won’t win just for the sheer thrill of it - just to get a few battle scars and a great story at the end of it. It’s fascinating to me that, out of all the characters in this group, he’s perhaps the most vulnerable due to his status as mortal, and yet he acts as though he’s unbreakable, living life with a sort of heedlessness that is so uniquely human. He’s aware of his limited lifespan in comparison to those around him, but he’s determined to do as much as he possibly can with the time he has, to ensure that he leaves a great story behind when he goes.

What future plots do you have in mind for the character? |

001. SINS OF THE FATHER - Listen, the potential to explore Bastien’s relationships with his family was far too rich and complex for me to pass up putting it first. Let’s start with the obvious, shall we? Bastien killed his father - obviously, it was in defence of his mother, and I don’t necessarily think that he regrets what he did ( only that it put him into a position of power and left him responsibility he is neither equipped nor wanting to handle ), but it definitely has left an impact on him. Though not specifically mentioned in his bio - I think it’s very unlikely that Bastien has told anyone what really happened that night ( the family probably lied it away, that the former Lord Avalos was murdered by someone seeking some kind of retribution before fleeing in the night, never to be seen again ), and I think it would be very interesting to see how this guilt plays on him, and how he struggles with having to feign anger at the mystery of his father’s demise while knowing full well what really happened. Yes, Bastien may be a dumbass, but he’s not as stupid as everyone thinks, and he knows that the truth of what happened to his father coming out would be bad not only for him, but for his whole family, and he’s going to do whatever it can to keep the secret from surfacing, even if that means lying to the ones closest to him ( of course….. I, personally, would love for people to find out what happened to his father eventually, the drama of it all is too much to pass on ).

I would also love to explore how the death of his father has shaped his relationships with the rest of his family - his mother in particular. Though his sisters may have their suspicions, I also feel that they’re likely as in the dark as anyone else regarding the circumstances of their father’s death ( and, honestly, he wasn’t a particularly nice man, so none of them have any intention of digging any deeper into it ). However, Bastien’s mother knows exactly what happened, and, more importantly, why. I’d honestly love to explore the idea of her being angry with Bastien for what he did - for jeopardising the family name and putting himself in harm’s way yet again, despite it being to save her life. In my head, she cares more about Bastien’s wellbeing than her own, and thinks that what he did was a mistake that he didn’t think through ( which, to be fair, he did not ). Also, now that Bastien is Lord Avalos - how does this change their relationship? It’s a responsibility he never wanted, but one that his mother insisted he must take on after the death of his father. I think there’s the potential for a lot of resentment to build between them, which is particularly interesting ( and sad ) because I think they have always had a fairly strong relationship throughout Bastien’s youth and early adulthood.

002. ADAM & EVE - Let’s! Talk! About! Evangeline! In all seriousness, I think that the relationship between Basien and Evangeline has so, so much potential and is definitely one of the main reasons I was drawn to the character in the first place. I mean, best friends who are practically closer than family is one of my favourite tropes. I really think of Evangeline as being one of the only things that really keeps Bastien grounded - he’s reckless and foolish at the best of times, and she has the potential to be a counter to this rashness. At the same time, Bastien’s immaturity ( for lack of a better word ) can help lift Evangeline and invite some youthfulness into both of their lives. I don’t want to infer too much about their past or their current relationship, as this is obviously something I want to discuss with Evangeline’s mun, but I do want to discuss the secrets that Bastien is keeping from Evangeline. For one, their connection states that he knows the truth about what happened to Evangeline’s parents, something she herself doesn’t know, and something he’s been keeping from her ( for what he believes to be her own good - but, really, shouldn’t Evangeline get to be the judge of that? ).

But, what happens when she finds out what really happened, and that her best friend has been lying to her for so long? Again, I don’t want to assume anything as this is entirely up to Evangeline’s mun, but I do think there is the potential for some drama™ here. Bastien didn’t do what he did for bad reasons, he’s not a sinister character, and he genuinely thought he was doing the right thing - but I can definitely see a world where it doesn’t come across this way. Along the same lines, I think that if Bastien was going to tell anyone about what happened to his father, it would be Evangeline. I don’t imagine that he’s told her yet, but I can definitely see this as a possibility. I think he would be worried about how she would react, and I can really see it going either way ( again, this is all subject to the interpretation of Evangeline’s mun ), but her reaction ( especially in light of what happened to Lady Treme ) is again, something which could be very interesting to explore.

003. A SEAT AT THE TABLE - Does Bastien deserve a seat at the Round Table? Absolutely not. Will he work hard to ensure he is respected and taken seriously? Also no. Bastien and responsibility are two things that nobody would have ever previously thought to associate. Growing up, Bastien seemed to exist on the periphery of his father’s world, a reckless kid always looking for trouble and never bothering to learn from his mistakes - he was an unwelcome stain on an otherwise pristine Avalos legacy. Nobody in any position of power thought to take the former Lord Avalos’ heir seriously, and perhaps many of them prayed the father world outlive the son ( it wouldn’t have been too unreasonable an assumption to make, given the number of times Bastien would return home late at night, bloody and bruised after picking a fight with someone he shoudn’t have ). Perhaps many of them were rightfully surprised to see Bastien take his seat at the Round Table following the untimely demise of his father - perhaps they’d been expecting him to simply walk away from the responsibility, to throw in the towel and leave the Round Table without an Avalos for the first time in history.

He’d wanted to - power and responsibility weren’t well-suited to Bastien’s personality. Sure, he had a knack for military strategy, and he wasn’t a bad fighter on his own, but he never saw himself as a general, as a leader, and he certainly doesn’t see himself this way now. He’d been willing to walk away from it all, but urgent prompting from his mother forced Bastien to rethink this position and take up a seat of power that he never imagined himself holding. He’s angry, of course, that his life has been whittled down to this - that he didn’t see this coming when he’d taken his father’s life, but he’ll do it for the sake of his family. I’d love to explore Bastien’s newfound responsibilities, and how he reacts to this. There’s the potential for a great amount of resentment to form - he never wanted this life for himself, he always imagined himself surmounting to bigger and better things, and, yes, he’s angry that he has to spend his days playing politics when he could be out exploring the world and living a life worthwhile.

I do see a possibility of it all becoming too much for Bastien - of him wanting to give up and escape and start anew. I’m not really sure how this would play out, in all honesty, but I think the resentment that Bastien has towards his life and his position could be very interesting to explore. I also would love to develop Bastien’s connections with the other members of the Round Table. I don’t imagine anyone will take him very seriously, and his naivety leaves him open to manipulation and sabotage. How do the others perceive him? How will they use him? This is the aspect of Bastien that is the most vulnerable - because he has no idea what he’s doing, and I’d love to see this come back to bite him, I’d love to see someone use this to their advantage, and against Bastien’s.

004. REFLECTION OF THE PAST - Although he isn’t aware of it, Bastien’s current life isn’t his first. He’s the reincarnation of Adam - how does this affect the way that he lives? I don’t imagine that Bastien is very aware of this fact, sure, he has strange dreams from time to time, and can’t help but feel as though he’s experienced certain moments in his life beforehand, feelings so familiar that he can practically grasp them - but he never stops for long enough to think much of them. As the memories of his past life begin to come back to him more clearly, I’d really like to explore how this impacts the way that Bastien lives. Is he doomed to simply repeat the same mistakes that he made in the past, or is there room for him to forge his own destiny? I think that Bastien likes to think of himself as a free spirit - all his life, he was actively rebelling from the part that his father wished for him to play, seeking out danger and relishing in the thrill of adrenaline pumping through his veins, rather than playing politics or making power grabs or leading the military with a steady hand - I think it would come as quite a shock to him to realise that he hasn’t really been becoming his own man at all - that he was simply following in the footsteps of a past life. I think it could actually be, potentially, quite upsetting for Bastien, and trigger some serious changes and introspection on his part. Of all my plot ideas, this is probably the least fleshed out, but I really want to explore how this impacts him, as I think there’s potentially a lot of room for some serious character development on the back of him realising that he’s just a copy of someone who came before.

IN DEPTH

Driving Character Motivation | I think, more so than anything else, Bastien is driven by passion. He’s certainly not the type of person to sit around and think things through before he does them - he doesn’t consider consequences or the why of his actions until later on. He chases whatever he imagines will be the most exciting use of his time, what he thinks will make the best story later on, what will make him feel the most alive. He’s not motivated to think very far beyond what is happening right in front of him, to consider how his actions might have repercussions for himself or for others later down the track. He’s motivated to follow whatever will serve him best in any given moment - whether it be pleasure, a thrill, or material gains. He flirts with danger not to test his own mortality ( okay, a little to test his own mortality ) but because he finds there to be no better feeling than that of pure adrenaline coursing through his veins. His loyalties and beliefs come second to that search for adventure, that search for the next high, the next story, the next great escapade.

Character Traits |

+ CHARISMATIC - exercising a compelling charm which inspires devotion in others. + PASSIONATE - having, showing, or caused by strong feelings or beliefs. + OPPORTUNISTIC - exploiting immediate opportunities, especially regardless of planning or principle. - RECKLESS - heedless of danger or the consequences of one’s actions; rash or impetuous. - MERCURIAL - subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind. - IRRESPONSIBLE - not showing a proper sense of responsibility.

In-Character Para sample |

It’s raining.

This kind of weather would usually annoy Bastien ( there’s far fewer possibilities of what to do with oneself when the weather is poorly ), but, today, he’s glad for it - while the rain mixes with tears on his mother and sisters’ faces, it manages to conceal the fact that, were it not for the unfortunate weather, Bastien’s own cheeks would be perfectly dry. His eyes are not spilling a single drop, his breath does not hitch, and his limbs only tremble from the cold - his knuckles turning white as he holds an imposing charcoal umbrella over his head.

For one normally so consumed with emotion ( one to whom anger and joy come in equal, loud measures and often within the same beat ), Bastian looks almost akin to the statues he currently finds himself surrounded by - stony faced and lifeless. Normally his face can tell a story all on its own - one of joy, or triumph, adventure, or defeat - and perhaps, to the uninformed observer, his current sterility could be chalked up to grief or to shock, but, in truth, he has quashed any emotion he might feel so as to avoid the catastrophic mistake of letting something slip that he’d prefer the public weren’t privy to. His mother had warned him - you’re grieving. You’re grieving. You’re grieving.

He wasn’t grieving.

Perhaps it should be a concern, he thinks, as he gazes at his father’s headstone ( some ironic inscription about a loving husband and father stares back at him, mockingly ), that he doesn’t feel anything akin to sorrow - the emotion he’d expect most people to feel when attending their parent’s funeral. Perhaps he should be sad - after all, this is the final day of his life as he knows it, is it not? The final day where he is able to wake up and enjoy a clean slate, to have possibilities stretched out ahead of him, tantalisingly close and yet just a stone’s throw out of reach. This ceremony marks the end of his father’s reign as Lord Avalos, and tomorrow morning, the title and responsibilities that come with it will fall to him. It’s a rather unenviable situation, he’d say.

He glances sideways at his mother - she’s sobbing quietly as one of his sisters recites some old poem. He’s suddenly angry, the desire to shake her and scream washes over him - he wasn’t a good man, mother, he had no love for us, mother, he would have killed you, mother - but then he remembers how she had screamed as Bastien plunged the dagger he’d been gifted for his twenty-fifth birthday into the heart of the man who had raised him, remembers the silence that followed as they had cleaned his blood from their clothes, and the urge goes as quickly as it had came, replaced again by stony faced resolve.

It’s been raining for the past two days, and Bastien can feel himself slowly sinking into the mud underfoot.

He’s not cut out for leadership, he thinks. Sure, he has a knack for military strategy, and a keen interest in it ( this is perhaps the only thing he and his father had had in common ), but general? A seat at the Round Table? It all seemed like too much of a stretch for the man who just a few weeks ago was picking fights with men twice his size in the city square for a bit of fun, the man who had three fake teeth because the real ones had been knocked out by quicker, stronger opponents, the man who had skirted responsibility for most of his life. If he’d had time to think, he might have tried a different method to stop his father from laying a hand upon his mother ( it had been a blur, though, adrenaline taking over and the urge to protect stronger than any rationality ) - but this was the problem, wasn’t it?

Bastien didn’t think. He never did. He’d always been a doer - acting with his heart and leaving his head to deal with the consequences later on ( if he ever did deal with them - too often it seemed he simply walked away from the messes he made, leaving a trail of skeletons behind him wherever he went, hoping desperately to outrun them lest they grab hold and pull him back down to face the music ). Now, suddenly, he’s expected to take up a position of power, of responsibility - to represent not only his family ( which he’d never done a particularly good job of ), but all of mortalkind. He’d tried to run from this, too, but sometimes fate is too powerful to escape. His mother had insisted he grin and bear his new responsibilities - he’d hurt the Avalos name enough by this point, hadn’t he?

It seems almost like a cruel twist of fate - that someone who had become so used to avoiding responsibility would be suddenly weighed down by one so great. Suddenly dashed were all of Bastien’s hopes to live life as a free man - to go where he wanted, to do as he pleased. This had never been the life he’d envisioned from himself - from the moment he could dream of something beyond himself, he’d dreamt of a life beyond all of this - beyond the rigid structure his father had long tried to force him into, beyond the rules everyone around here seemed so keen to follow blindly. He’d quickly earned the reputation of reckless, foolhardy, untoward, tempestuous, and he’d secretly reveled in it. Now, he can practically feel the eyes of his father’s former associates boring into the back of his skull - waiting for him to make a mistake, to claw their own way into power.

It’s ironic, really - they’re waiting to make him a villain, yet everything he’d done until now would suggest him to already be one.

He’s become quite accustomed to feigning grief over the past few days - it wasn’t too much of a stretch, really, he’s always been a terribly gifted liar. Not always for nefarious purposes, mind you. More often than not, his lies were altruistic in nature. He’d spin elaborate tales of grandeur and chivalry out of petty fights for his sisters and classmates. He’d convince his mother that the ghastly gash above his eye would heal up just fine ( it didn’t ) and that it didn’t even hurt ( it did ). He could brush off concern or anger or disappointment with a flash of his teeth and a little white lie, he could bounce from person to person, emotion to emotion, leaving everyone he met with a slightly different impression depending on what they wanted to see. And he could keep secrets buried deep in his chest, rotting him from the inside, when he felt they might do more harm when spoken aloud.

He could lie about this, then, too. He could lie that he was ready ( and willing ) to take on this new responsibility - just as he had feigned shock at the sight of his father’s dead body. Just as he had feigned anger that no culprit had yet been found. Just as he could feign mourning around his sisters, or remorse around his mother. Just as he could feign grief - just as he is right now, the fat droplets of rain serving as decent enough replacements for genuine tears. He’d handle this - of course he would handle this, just as he had handled everything else in his life up until now - with a laugh and a grin and a great story at the end of it.

“Bastien,” It’s his mother speaking, she tugs gently at his arm. The ceremony is over. He hadn’t even noticed that people had started to file out of the cemetery. “It’s time to go.”

Extras | Pinterest / Mock blog

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my application ( again )! I love the look of this group, and I love Bastien, and I hope I get the opportunity to write with you all soon!!

[headquarters90]

Family (Warrior of the Crown 8)

Pairing: Darkiplier x French Goddess!Reader

Words: 1,859

Warnings: Mentions of past suicidal thoughts 

Series Masterlist

A/N: It’s been a h o t m i n u t e and I apologize for that. Go ahead and let me know if you want to be put on a tag list because I am willing to do that. Don’t know when I’ll be back on track. Also, if you haven’t already, please take the time to read this. That is an update I did not that long ago (I think Sunday?). Thank you for your patience!

She wants to take away your lovers, Y/N. She plans on putting you at risk of turning to the darkness, continued to cycle through your head even after the meeting with Flinn and it has caused you to constantly space out to the point that someone who was in the room with you could scare you.

It was so bad that Dark demanded Sébastian to go fetch Hades or someone. Dark, the entity that hated other Gods being around. That how you found yourself surrounded by family and you blinked when you watch something fly across the table at Jean-Louis.

“You are such a pain,” Angel groaned as she leaned back in her seat. “You like André. I don’t see why you complain about him so much.”

“I do not like André,” Jean-Louis deadpanned. “That’s like saying I like Dark,” he added and you perked up a bit at the mention of him.

“I think you secretly like Dark,” Juliette commented from her seat beside her twin. “I mean, I think we all do. He’s helped Y/N more than anyone likes to admit, including the two of them.”

“However, he needs to learn to deal with Y/N like this,” Angel gestured towards you and you looked at her. “How are you doing?”

“Hypatia wants to take my possible lovers away,” you hesitated, shifting in your seat as your cousins’ eyes fell on you, “and she wants to put me more at risk of turning to the darkness.”

“We already have a plan in motion so don’t worry, alright?” Angel reached over, squeezing your hand. “Trust me.”

“What plan?” Jean-Louis questioned, furrowing his eyebrows as you looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Do you know this plan?”

You thought about it for a moment before shaking your head. Angel hadn’t come to you about anything expect on how to kill Azazel.

“The plan would be pointless if everyone knows,” Angel started and Juliette nodded, causing you and Jean-Louis to look at her, “The ones part of it knows.”

“Juliette?”

“Is one of them, yes,” she nodded and Jean-Louis scrunched his nose in annoyance.

“I don’t like that. Who else?” He questioned.

“Auntie, Hades, Dark, André, Apollo, and Sébastian.”

“Dark knows?” You questioned, looking at her as she nodded. “Why does Dark know?”

“You’ll see.”

“I don’t like that.”

“She questions why Dark but not Apollo or Sébastian,” Juliette snorted and you scrunched your nose. “So, since he’s not around, we can talk about it now.”

“I rather not.” You shifted in your spot and she raised an eyebrow.

“Y/N, we are here because Dark fetched us after you learned what Hypatia wants,” she pointed out.

“That doesn’t mean that anything.”

“Y/N,” Jean-Louis started, placing his hand in front of you. “I’m the God of Hate and I can tell that you’re in love with the entity.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Y/N-”

“Can we stop?”

“The Inuit’s does have information on Seraphina,” Sébasitan’s voice drifted into the library and you turned your head towards him, watching as he held up a file.

“Thank you.” You stood, walking towards him as you took it from him.

“You seem better,” he commented and Angel snorted as she leaned back in her seat.

“Apparently, just tease her about Dark and she seems to sober up,” Jean-Louis offered and you tensed before turning to stare at your cousin who sent you a grin.

“Why is there someone demanding to speak to you in your throne room?” Ares’ voice drifted into the library and you scrunched your nose before shaking your head at your sister’s annoyance. “Didn’t think you could cause someone to be angry with you, princess.”

“I believe I told you to stop calling me that,” you shot, pushing passed him, fighting back a glower as footsteps followed you.

“Y/N! Thank Goddess.”

Lifting your eyes to the voice, your heart dropped at the sight of blood dripping from her mouth.

“What happened?” You questioned, asking a servant for a chair as you approached her.

“Tried calling for mother but didn’t work out well. Where is she, by the way?” She questioned as your eyes lifted towards your sister who stepped into the throne room.

“Estella? How the-Don’t answer that.” Angel shook her head before shifting on her feet for a moment. “Should I get Auntie Eva?”

“Please,” Estella winced as you touched her face. “Any blood by chance?”

“Sébastian.”

“On it.”

“You seem to be doing well,” Estella mused and you raised an eyebrow at her, tilting her head back. “She knew who my mother was.”

“The one who attacked you?”

“Yes. She called her by Eva and not Dea. No one on Salizar’s side of the world follows Dea or the French Gods and Maverick doesn’t know who would know her true name outside of those who already do,” she voiced. “She also said something about you and someone called Dark? Who the Hell calls someone Dark?”

“Language,” your aunt’s voice drifted into the room and Estella rolled her eyes.

“Sébastian should be back with blood soon,” you told Eva, watching as she stepped forward. “What did she look like?”

“Tan skin with what I thought were tribal tattoos, vibrate blue eyes like Beckett’s was. Thought she was a psychic at first but then her markings glowed. She could possibly be a djinn. I did catch sight of her forearm for a quick moment and I could have sworn she had a similar mark to yours, Y/N, but with-”

“-Stars.”

Turning your head, your eyes met Dark’s before returning back to Estella who scrunched her nose.

“Why the Hell do you look like that dude Laci and Beckett watched?” She questioned and you raised an eyebrow. “They were mortals. They’ll do mortal things,” she waved you off before thanking Sébastian as he held out a mug to her. “Anyways, how does she know?”

“It’s best to be cautious from this on out, Estella,” you spoke, rubbing your forehead. “She’s part of the Warriors of Darkness and we’re currently having issues with them. I wasn’t aware that they knew how large this family goes. Maxence, can you call father and have him warn his other children? Gods’ know we don’t need more reason for them to hate us.”

~

“How large would you say your family is, doll?” Anti questioned and you lifted your eyes to him for a moment before dropping them back to your book. “I hope that what we found out-”

“It doesn’t,” you cut him off. “And the main reason why my family is so large is because of my father from before my mother and after my mother’s death. He was careless when he slept around so I have a lot of half-siblings and a majority of them don’t like Angel and me. That and my uncle, Jean-Paul, slept around before his wife as well so I probably have cousins that I’m unaware of.”

“What about the other uncle of yours?”

“Uncle Philippe? Many would avoid him. He’s the God of Sexual Longing. His wife, Marie, was the first to actually want to be with him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll have a kid here soon.”

“Seriously?” Anti voiced and you raised an eyebrow at him before turning your head to see Dark’s narrowed eyes. You took a moment to watch him before returning your eyes on the book. “You have nothing to say?”

“Should I?” You questioned, glancing up at the glitching entity with a raised eyebrow. “If the narrowing is about the Mark, it’s idiotic.”

“You two just need to talk. Jesus Christ.”

“It’s not a good idea to use his name. He likes to listen in whenever it’s said,” you chimed and Anti stared at you.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “Just unbelievable.”

You let out a hum before returning your eyes to the book, flipping through the pages.

“Did those Gods have information on her?” Dark questioned and you pointed towards the file on the desk. “Have you read it?”

“The moment Estella was gone,” you answered, watching from the corner of your eyes as he walked up to the table, opening the file. “It’s interesting to say the least.”

“She didn’t participate in what the others of her kind did and she turned to the Darkness?” He questioned. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, actually, according to the book about the Warriors, the Warriors that get chosen are vastly different than a lot of their kind,” Anti offered and you lifted your head to stare at him. “Didn’t hide the book fast enough from me, remember?”

“Right. Didn’t think you read the whole thing,” you commented and Anti sent you a grin.

“Quick reader.”

“Apparently.”

“I need to read the book,” you heard Dark mutter before looking over at him with a tilt of your head.

“He’s not wrong,” you spoke, setting the book down as you made your way over to Dark. “Warriors are either vastly different than their kind or extremely rare. They’re background would be the reason why they are vastly different.”

“You said extremely rare?” Anti questioned and you lifted your eyes to him as you nodded.

“Yes. Isabelle’s kind is extremely rare. Only four have every been know to carry her blood, including her.”

“Four?”

“Her, her brother, her mother, and her father,” you answered, reaching forward to continue through the file.

“So rare it’s kept in the family,” Anti muttered and you nodded. “How are you and your family different from your kind?”

“If you have to question, you haven’t been around them long enough,” Dark shot and you raised an eyebrow at him. “Y/N-”

“-was the Goddess of Life wanting death,” you voiced and the two entities turned to face you. “No matter what my family tells you, I wasn’t going to amount to anything with how I was before the Great War. Treated everyone equally but I couldn’t shake their hands. Trained hard for years but someone raises a hand to fix my hair and I still flinched. Nightmares every night, flashbacks nearly every day. If it wasn’t for the fact that I would have caused the balance to shift and nearly destroy everything, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“And yet, you still see the Goddess you used to be,” Sébastian voiced from behind you and Dark and you turned your head to look at him. “I’ve finished warning the rest of your family.”

“No doubt they had a few choice words about Angel and I.”

“Quite of few, though there were some who made comments of a visit after everything. Maybe some are coming around after all.”

“Probably the same few who don’t mind us,” you hummed, reaching forward to grab your book. “I think I’m going to see about something to eat and ambrosia.”

“You need sleep, Y/N.”

“Yes, well, there are more important things at stake, Sébastian.”

From the corner of your eyes as you made your way to the door, you watched as Sébastian raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose with his eyes close before he seemed to have given Dark a pointed look.

[writingwithadinosaur]

“Alibi” - Oneshot

“Alibi” - Oneshot

My Masterlist - Here

My Tag List - Here

Malcolm Bright x Reader, Gil Arroyo x Daughter!Reader

Word Count: 2,000-ish

Key: Y/N = Your Name, H/C = Your Hair Color, E/C = Your Eye Color

Warnings: Mentions of murder, cursing. Large chunks of text in italics mean that it is a flashback.

Summary: After your boss is murdered, you are brought in as a suspect. In order to prove your innocence, you have to reveal a secret to your father. 

Author’s Note: This was one of those ideas that hit me like a train right as I was about to go to bed, so I scribbled as much as I could down and tried to make sense of it the next day.

We’re also gonna pretend that Gil and Jessica aren’t a thing cause then that would make this story a bit awkward.

This is not beta read, so let me know if there are any mistakes! 

If you would like to be tagged in any of my future pieces, check out my tag list above and let me know! And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

<3

- DreaSaurusREX

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“So, (Y/N), got any news for me?” Your boss, Mr.Naruski asked from his desk chair, casually weaving a pen in between his fingers. It was lunchtime and you had gotten salads from the meditarrian place that he liked.

“Well, Simon wanted to move his meeting with you to Friday, but there would be no way to do that unless we add another 4 hours to the day. Oh! And Mrs.Krewnshe asked me if--”

“(Y/N), sweetheart! We are on our lunch break! Which means I don’t want any news with my clients unless it's urgent. I meant news in the world of the best secretary in New York!” 

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes a little bit and smile. Mr.Naruski was a true blessing when it came to employers. He owned his own architecture business in New York and somehow wasn’t a complete asshat like some of your previous bosses. He and his wife were incredibly caring and truly understood that you had to be a human in order to work with other humans. The respect you got here was well worth the daily commute!

“Well, if you really want to know... My boyfriend set up a nice, and very last minute, date for us tonight.” You couldn’t hide the true smile that spread across your lips. Mr.Naruski leaned forward and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? And where is this ‘nice’ date happening, if I might ask?” 

“I’m not sure. He wouldn’t tell me. All he said was to be ready by 6 because we have reservations for 6:45. But I have a feeling it’s that new modern industrial place that I was telling you about. He knows I love to walk past it and appreciate the details. While I don’t think I’ve ever said out loud that I like it or would like to go inside, he has a great ability to read me.” 

Your smile grew a little more as your eyes drifted slightly down, thinking about all the times your boyfriend picked up on the smaller details in the past. He was good with surprises. Mr.Naruski watched how this interaction brought out your best side. The two of you finished your lunches and got back to work. 

Your boss had one more meeting this afternoon. It was with a company called Jetlan Inc. From the small bit of conversation you heard as Mr.Naruski escorted his guests out, it was a successful meeting. He turned back to you once the door was closed and let out a relieved sigh.

“I take it everything went well?”

“As well as I could. They are going to take tonight to mull it over and then give us a call tomorrow. So expect Samuel to call at some point.”

You wrote down a little reminder to yourself on a sticky note “May get call from Jetlan Inc.” and placed it near your desk’s phone. You went back to typing out the schedule for next week when Mr.Naruski tapped a finger on your desk.

“How about you leave early today, (Y/N)?”

“Are you sure, sir? I can stay and help with the final prep for tomorrow’s deal if you want. I should also probably finish this schedule.”

“I think I can handle that on my own. And you can add your final touches tomorrow. You,” He stood up and walked around your desk and held out his hands. You put your hands in his and he helped you up before grabbing your coat from the coat rack. “Have a date to get ready for.” 

You couldn’t help but laugh. It was almost unbelievable to have a boss that really cared about your personal life as much as your professional one like he did. You just slipped on your coat and grabbed your purse, knowing that when Naruski made up his mind, it was set. He opened the door for you and put a hand on your arm.

“He told me to ‘love with my whole heart, but be smart enough to know when to use my brain instead.’ I think it was his way of saying ‘Be safe and have fun.’” 

A small but sad smile worked its way onto your face at the thought of him being so supportive. You felt a wave of tears coming, so you finished up your story to try to stop them from falling. 

“After that, I thanked him again, and I left to go back to my apartment and get ready. The next time I saw Mr.Naruski was the next morning, behind the crime scene tape blocking my office, dead.”

You couldn’t believe that just 24 hours ago, you were happily talking to your boss about your date. And now he was dead. Murdered in his own office, two hours after you had left. You were being questioned at the NYPD by none other than JT Tarmel, Dani Powell, Malcolm Bright, and your father, Gil Arroyo. 

No one spoke, they were taking in all of the details of your alibi. It felt like forever before Malcolm broke the silence. 

“Are there security cameras in your office?”

“Yes. There is one in the main office where my desk is positioned, one in Mr.Naruski’s office, and one in the hallway outside our door.”

“Great. We can check those. They’ll show (Y/N) leaving and should have a timestamp on them that we can check.

The team did their own little nods, still thinking about your alibi. They wanted to trust you, but they needed to think of every possible thing that could have happened, or if they could find any evidence to the real killer.

“Who did you go on a date with?” Dani was sitting about 6 feet to your right, a bottle of water in her hands as she leaned forward, elbows on the table. 

“I don’t see how my dating life is relevant to my boss being murdered in his office.”

Lies. You knew why she was asking. It was a major part of your alibi and it’s the only other way that they could concretely cross you off of the suspect list. JT jumped in to try to diffuse the situation, none of them aware of how much you didn’t want to share. 

“It's just another way that we can confirm your alibi, (Y/N).” 

You could see Gil adjusting his stance as he leaned against the wall to your left. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at your father, already feeling his intense stare boring into you. 

The room was silent, but the anxiety in your chest made it feel like the room was half of its real size. You kept your posture as straight as you could while you focused on your hands that were unconsciously fidgeting on top of the table.

“Tell us the kid’s name, (Y/N).”

“Why can’t you just check the cameras like Malcolm said? That’ll show when I left at around 4:30 yesterday afternoon and when I came back today for my shift but saw the tape instead! You could even check my apartment’s security cameras!”

“Woah! We will, (Y/N). We just want to be able to cover our asses and yours.” JT tried again to calm you down, everyone know seeing how uncomfortable the idea of sharing the details of your date made you. 

Your leg started to shake under the table, that was your cue that your anxiety was getting bad. You lock eyes with Malcolm. He sees how much you’re struggling and just gives you a short nod. You knew what he was trying to say, but you really didn’t want to agree. Malcolm then took a deep breath, trying to get you to do the same. You looked down and tried to take a deep breath in.

“Why can’t you just answer the question, (Y/N)?!” Gil didn’t yell, but you could hear the annoyance in his voice. It was the final hit that broke the last of your defenses.

“Because it's Malcolm, alright?!” 

Even you were a bit shocked at the slight frustration and exasperation in your voice. As everyone let that fact settle in their brains, you closed your eyes and took a couple deep breaths, trying to accept the fact that it was out in the open now. Malcolm made his way behind you and put a comforting hand on your shoulder, lightly rubbing this thumb to try and soothe you. You opened your eyes and stared at the center of the table, your hands now clasped together. 

“Last night I left work early to go get ready for a date with Malcolm Bright. He took me to that nicer place off of 47th that has the grey brick exterior with the iron corner details. We went there to catch a break from our lives because it's been so hectic lately and we haven’t had much time to just sit and enjoy each other’s company.” 

Our reservation was for 6:45 under Malcolm’s name. You can check with the manager there, go into their electronic reservation system, and see that we checked in and everything. Or Malcolm may have some sort of confirmation email. Now do I need to go into detail about what we ordered or what cocktail I was drinking, or am I good?”

You slowly looked up to meet your father’s eyes. You expected something upset in his eyes, but instead, they were very professional. He looked from you to Malcolm, who in turn nodded, confirming your story. Gil audibly inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his nose and he rubbed a hand down his face.  

“No. You’re good, kid.”

You look back to your hands and close your eyes, focusing on your breathing. You weren’t hyperventilating, but you definitely felt a weight in your chest. 

Dani and JT looked at each other, unaware of what to do in this situation. Malcolm looked from you back to Gil, his face slightly pleading. Gil quickly tilted his head towards the door, a small sigh of relief coming from Malcolm as he moved his hand to your arm and leaned down to quietly talk in your ear.

 “C’mon, (Y/N). Let’s get some air or something to drink, okay?”

You nodded and stood up as Malcolm grabbed your coat from the rack near the door. You took yours and slung it over your arm as Malcolm opened the door for you. Before you could leave, Gil spoke up.

“I will be seeing the two of you in my office in an hour though. We need to have a chat.”

You just nod and leave already knowing what this “chat” is going to be about. Malcolm was reaching for his coat when Gil’s voice resonated again.

“Malcolm, take care of her. Go to that shop around the corner. They have those little pastries she likes. And make sure your both are back here soon. We’re not done with this.”

“Will do.” Malcolm nodded and quickly left and caught up with you, walking you safely out of the NYPD.

With that, there was still a semi-awkward air in the meeting room. Dani quietly fiddled with her water bottle and let out a “Well…”

“Heh! Yeah. That was somethi--” 

Before JT could get further, Gil pointed at him and sternly said “Don’t.” JT just raises his hands in defense and backs off. Dani couldn’t help but smirk a bit at the sight of JT getting called out. 

“So where do we go from here?” Dani calmly asked the room. 

“We need to get the security footage from the office building and (Y/N)’s apartment complex. Get in contact with the restaurant owner and see if we can check their reservation system, if not, ask Malcolm if he has any email from their reservation.”

“On it.” JT confirmed as he left the room to head to his desk and start working. Gil leaned on the table, thinking for a moment. “What do we know about this Jetlan Inc.?

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tags:  @malindacath @shadowfoxey @whovianayesha @melconnor2007 @ashenfallsof @geeksareunique @all-by-myself98 @sj-thefan