#big strong man from outlast

[tinyfishtits]

Maybe a micah x reader where the reader has been with the gang for a long time but was only ever close to Arthur as like a sister brother type relationship so in colter she(or they) feel left out and outlasted and micah comforts them?

Oop it took me forever to answer this 🫣 lol but thanks for the req!! and for more Colter Micah !!! I hope you like it 😘❣️

I was out warming myself by the fire when a commotion broke out in the men’s cabin. Dutch was quick to intervene, scolding them like children. Saying they should be saving their energy for the O’Driscolls. Arthur was the first to leave the cabin at Dutch’s command and I was right by his side. 

“You’re goin’ after them? Now?” I asked, following closely as he headed for the horses. He just grunted in reply. 

Arthur had been running around doing errands since we got here. Back in Blackwater he would ask if I wanted to join him before he went off hunting or on a job. He had taught me most of what I knew of shooting, riding and robbing, we had been almost inseparable before… well, before. 

“I’ll come with-” I started but he whirled on me.

“No.” He said firmly, “This ain’t like Blackwater.” 

“But I can help! I’m a good shot, you know it!” 

“Dammit woman, No!” He shouted the last word at me and I froze. He’d never yelled at me before… “Just… Go help Grimshaw.” He murmured as he mounted his horse. 

Blush burned at my cheeks, water welling up in my eyes in response to the curt tone he’d taken with me. As if I was just a useless, pestering child. Like I hadn’t saved his ass on multiple occasions. The other men glanced between us as they saddled up but said nothing. 

“The snow’s made you a real ass, Morgan!” I yelled out to him as he trotted away. He didn’t so much as turn his head to look at me as they rode off. 

I was fuming. When I reluctantly turned back toward the cabin, a whinny from the stable beside me caught my attention. Pushing through the barn doors I found a lone Shire horse left behind, one that we used for pulling wagons. Approaching the large, strong horse… I got an idea. 

I made quick work of saddling the beast and started off after them, though I barely made it to the river just outside of camp when Charles called my name. I expected him to stop me, to demand I listen to what Arthur had said. Instead, he trudged through the snow to my horse and handed me a bow and arrows.

“You’ll get more use out of this today than I will…” Was all he said before heading back to camp. He didn’t baby me like the others. Didn’t tell me to be careful or expect me to stay back doing women's work, didn’t treat me any different from the men. I didn’t know the man well, but I appreciated that much about him.

I started off, following the tracks the large group had left in their wake. Despite Arthur’s insistence that this job was different from those we’d worked before, I didn’t find myself second guessing my decision to follow. Though the gunfire that soon erupted in the distance did stifle my confidence a bit. I knew it had to be a decently big job given the amount of men that had ridden out with Dutch, but what I stumbled upon was a full on battle. 

I found the gang’s horses at the end of the path that overlooked an old, abandoned settlement, much bigger and in better shape than the one we had made camp in deeper in the mountains. It was already littered with bodies and blood… I could only just make out Arthur in his big blue jacket kneeling behind a wagon, taking fire from the few left in a cabin at the far end of the camp. 

The others were spread out thin around the settlement, taking out stragglers that were fleeing into the forest. Quickly, I dismounted and made my way to the winding path that led down the cliff’s edge. I’d made it most of the way, unseen by both my fellow gang members and the O’Driscolls, until the galloping of horses sounded in the surrounding forest. 

“Look out! More of the bastards comin’ outta the trees!” Dutch’s voice boomed. And all of a sudden I was being hounded with gunshots. I dropped on my stomach, bullets spraying out above me. Crawling the last few yards to the treeline, I took cover behind some crates as I loaded my pistol.

“The HELL are you doin’ here?” Arthur’s furious voice broke through the gunfire.

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of arguing. Without hesitation, I sprinted for the trees, taking out two gunmen that had just jumped from their horses in the process. I snaked my way through the sparse foliage, popping out behind the cover of tree trunks to pick off the O’Driscolls one by one.

When I ran out of bullets I switched to the bow, which I wasn’t nearly as skilled with, but managed to take down a couple more despite my fumbling. Silence fell over the forest, the shuffling of men and horses replacing that of the gunfire. I noticed Micah behind the tree nearest me, quickly shooting down the few stragglers that were attempting to flee. I caught his eye and he gave me a small, approving nod and a smirk. 

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Arthur spat at me, gripping me by the arm and yanking me back toward the horses. I dug my feet into the snow, trying to pull away from him but the man was too damn strong. 

“Arthur- Let go of me!” I yelled, fighting against his grip. He released me suddenly and I stumbled back, falling on my ass. His chest heaved with panting breaths, the anger he felt in that moment practically radiating off him in waves as he towered over me. But when I fell, sprawled out on the snow before him I saw the briefest flash of regret wash over his expression. 

“Knock it off you two!” Dutch's voice called back from the settlement, “Arthur! We’re not done here!” Arthur’s face clenched, reeling in his frustration before turning back to join the rest of the gang without so much as a word to me. 

Tears welled up in my eyes again and I cursed myself for being so hurt and embarrassed by his scolding… I started to push myself up from the snow when a hand shot out in front of me. Micah was standing over me, that smirk still on his face, his hand outstretched.

“I won't bite darlin’” He teased and I rolled my eyes, taking his hand and letting him hoist me back to my feet. Clearing his throat he continued, “That was some fine shootin’.” 

“I don’t need your pity, Bell.” I bit back, anger still coursing through my veins. He didn’t deserve it, well, not in this moment at least… But I couldn’t hide the frustration boiling up inside me. Though it didn’t seem to phase him in the slightest.

“Morgan’s really got under your skin, huh?” He chuckled… and he was right, of course. I let out a sigh. The day Micah Bell showed more compassion and understanding than any of the other gang members was not a day I ever thought I’d live to see.

“He’s…” I didn’t know whether I wanted to defend or condemn his actions and just ended up clenching my jaw. Micah chuckled. 

“Hell, you can’t even badmouth the bastard after that whole display?” He scoffed, waving a hand between me and where Arthur had stormed off. 

“I just- I don’t know what changed. You didn’t know him before, he was… different.” 

“Alot's changed, doll.” He said simply, the teasing tone of his voice gone. “I ain't been with you long but even I can see that.”

My face scrunched up as I tried not to think of all that had passed within the last week. Those we’d lost… the dream we’d once been chasing that now felt as if we were actively running away from, the hope we’d left behind in blackwater. The tears that had been collecting in my eyes finally fell and I cursed, turning away from Micah. He didn’t mock me or leave, he just… let me cry. 

“God, I feel so fucking stupid I just… wanted to help” 

Micah huffed a sigh, “You did help, did a damn good job of it too. The fact that Morgan couldn’t see it just proves how dim that cowpoke really is.” 

I shook my head, wiping the tears from my face. “Thanks.” I laughed, though the sound didn’t hold much humor. He grunted in reply. 

“I ain’t used to women cryin’ over another man in my presence… it’s kind of refreshing.” He joked, and I let out a genuine laugh. 

“Well, it’s good to know one of yall’s still the same ole’ ass you always were.” I replied, my words more playful than biting. He gave me his signature smirk and I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my lips in reply. 

We walked back to join the gang - who had already gotten whatever it is they’d looted the camp for - in companionable silence. I found myself feeling more at peace in his presence than I had with anyone in quite some time…

If you liked this, check out my other Micah works!

★ My Masterlist ★

[muchadoaboutnot]

🖋️🖋️🖋️ for neptune eighteen; 🖋️🖋️🖋️ for galina; 🖋️🖋️🖋️ for sable please 💗💖💗🫣

naomiiiiiiiiiiii whenever i see you asking about neptune and galina 🥹🥹🥹🥹 it makes my heart go doki doki. ok also the third secret option of Sable, a guilty pleasure oc lfkajwekr

That's my gorl! That's my fav!!! Neptune!!! The OC that will probably outlast them all!!

I know you asked about Neptune but you can't have Neptune without Pluto. Her one surviving sister who's part of the Midwest BOS but she'll lay down her life for her little sister. They are both big ladies, 6 even except Pluto has one more inch on her sister.

Her speech check is MAXED the fuck out. So if you think you can play her you can't, like she will in fact play herself before she lets anyone else do that to her. So if someone does get the better of her it's because she let them or it was all part of the plan.

That's probably why she likes Yes Man so much because he does everything and she can finally relax. She never shows it, or showed it while on the road to becoming top dog, but she was very, very, very tired and wanted to cry a lot. So to have someone she can rely on so wholeheartedly she feels incredibly grateful.

She flirts and says risque things but she's only truly interested in and loyal to Yes Man when they finally get together. She's never been in love with anyone else, at least romantically or sexually. (Yes she fucked Benny but for the novelty.)

But even just platonically she does not love very much. She's kind and can be nice, but only a few people she has in her heart.

She enjoys bothering her companions. Keeps tabs on them after everything, whether they hate it or love it she'll show up in the nick of time to help them out if they need it.

LMAO GALINA'S STUPID ASS !!! We love a silly cunt!

Let's start off strong by just saying she's very forward in the bedroom. She's told Custis she wants to make him cry while he cums and he looks so sweet while doing it.

Morgan she's not so rough, she lets him do as he pleases a lot of the time. He probably likes it half the time while the other half he dislikes it because he knows she prefers Custis to him.

She has met Emily in Karnaca, and recognized her behind the mask. She's ambivalent at first and they never speak but Galina does not raise any alarm or tell on seeing the other woman. Instead, she just watches what she can see unfold before her.

That means Galina survives the first Dishonored game verse, she left before the plague took hold and stopped everything in Dunwall. And as the years go by she keeps her business going by hopping from island to island and happened to be in Karnaca at the time.

One of her prized possessions is a Sokolov painting. It's of fruit rotting.

She adores shoes and stockings and anything with heels and just beautiful adornments for feet. Although she doesn't have a foot fetish but she has had men suck her toes but it did nothing for her. Just felt it was silly but went along with it. But when heels are on??? Chef's kiss. She has soooooooo many pairs of shoes, all types.

She daydreamed about marrying Custis but hated when she'd repeat her new last name if that came to be. Galina Pendleton. Makes her gag. However her daydream is less romantic and more the power couple they could be since they're both very good at their perspective businesses. But... Maybe she's thought about him looking at her with love in his eyes and it makes her smile. But rarely.

Sable - I have a lot more to say about her simply because I never ... Dropped anything about her at all! She's one of those OCS that just lives in your head and only random stuff is put down as evidence they exist.

She's a guilty oc made purely because Pennywise needs his whole [clown honking noise] pounded into! Enough with IT being dom!!! Put IT in its place!!! Hence: Sable.

She's Celestial where IT is Eldritch. I mean... Go big or go home am I right? If Stephen King can make OP characters, so can I. Hence she's sort of immortal also, I haven't fleshed out her species but she's something that could take The Deadlights in a fight. Maybe? She's not as long-lived as the deadlights or IT, but I figured she's not human so IT might be fascinated by her or it also. Since I refer to her as a she because she chose that gender when integrating on Earth but being a celestial type body or being she probably would not have something like a gender. Like her true body is sort of like a comet, a small solar system body they're called, but very icy and shaped to travel fast through space.

Since she's been on Earth so long she's forgotten a lot of things she was once able to do. She's very good at acting and becoming part of humanity on Earth, so in meeting him she's slowly relearning the things she was once capable of. Although IT probably doesn't appreciate that part of her learning she does in fact have powers.

She likes humanity a lot and enjoys feelings, hence why I made her a sort of Cirque Du Soleil performer. So she's in a lot of different outfits, some clown-related some not. When I think of her aesthetic... Think... A Trip to the Moon 1902

Her tag with Pennywise is xo. I miss you and it's the Bjork song title of the same name.

She's athletic, like a gymnast and stands at 5'8. I can't figure out what hair color I want her to have yet however. So everyone thinks she just dyes her hair a lot but instead she cycles through different hair colors depending on her costume or mood.

Her human eyes are brown, while they can become a sort of purple or the reflection color of animals that can see in the dark. Finally her true eyes are just an intense heat of white light. Again, think how a comet lights up the sky.

She loves loves loves lovveesssssss slob. Like anything sloppy. She literally had no idea she was attracted to something like drool till she had Pennywise salivate onto her. Which is funny because she likes herself to be clean and her environment. But he awoke the freak in her and she wants to lick him she thinks.

As much as she likes humanity she understands humans die, she can even devoid herself of feelings or turn emotions off. Watch humans like a scientist in their experiment but sees nothing wrong with it since she's not even the same species. But she prefers to have feelings. Therefore with Pennywise, she gets he's just another animal hunting prey, the way a dolphin hunts or even commits war crimes! An intelligent creature but capable and knows it's being cruel and immoral. Yet she doesn't have to like it and definitely shows her disapproval except... She'd probably encourage him to kill humans she thinks deserve to die.

She's sort of self centered, selfish, and perhaps a little egotistical because she thought she was the only long-lived being for what felt forever to her. So it's a slap in the face when she feels fear and like "Oh shit I could die", but then that gets canceled out when she figures out the clown is less interested in killing her and more into something else.

[g0dspeeed]

A Chase

Cappie De la Costa loses yet another bet to Jacob Seed.

Contains sexually suggestive themes

He chased her, swift and sure-footed, down the slopes and over roots and gnarled brush, his heart hammering away so as not to lose sight of her. Jacob Seed knew that he wasn't as quick as Cappie De la Costa, but also knew that she wasn't one for endurance, that he could outlast her if he was able to withstand the burst of power that her strong legs afforded as the wild woman fled through the Whitetail Mountains, rasping and laughing as she did.

That fueled his resolve, the daring grin she sported on those plump lips of hers, taunting Jacob when Cappie chanced a look back over her shoulder.

"Can't catch me!" she mocked. "Can't catch me, big boy!"

Her weak jab cost her precious oxygen. Jacob saw that she caught her mistake as well, how Cappie began to slow and her breathing became choppy. Jacob took advantage right away. He used his remaining strength to lengthen his stride and the gap between them disintegrated. Just as she had to slow down before running off a ledge, Jacob was upon her and grabbed Cappie by wrapping an arm around her waist and lifting. Much akin to a wild animal, the woman writhed in his hold, all sweaty skin and body heat squirming for purchase. She smelled of amber and cigarettes, a heady mix that never ceased to relax Jacob nor to some degree turn him on. Jacob smirked as she fought for a beat then laxed in his arms. He loved it when she surrendered.

"Got ya," he breathed into the top of her hat.

The rise and fall of his chest against her back was soothing like the sea. The more she felt him, the more she leaned back and used his broad frame.

"Only, only because there was a fuckin' cliff!" argued Cappie. She swallowed to help catch her breath. "You cheated."

"'You cheated'," mocked Jacob in return, smirking at the expected piss poor behavior of the sore loser in his arms. "Maybe next time you shouldn't bet so high, darlin'."

They both took a moment to just breathe on the stoney ledge. The forest breathed around them, an exhale of bird song and sunbeams cutting through verdant branches and pinecones. Jacob savored the moment of natural wonder. He savored the delicious way Cappie sagged against his larger body and the rare moment of privacy they shared in the woods.

After a quick glance around, Jacob let his hand slip to the waistband of her joggers. Cappie grinned.

"Why not bet?" she sighed. "It worked, didn't it? Made ya hustle."

As inpatient as she was, Cappie forged ahead of him. Teeth nibbled her bottom lip while she wrapped her own hand around his wrist, and without an ounce of shame, she dipped his hand into her pants, held her breath at how the rough calluses ghosted the bare, sensitive skin. The rumbling groan against her back signaled his discovery of her little secret.

"Knew it," he mumbled.

"I think without them it makes me more aerodynamic–"

Jacob snorted a laugh. His other hand went to his belt buckle. Cappie felt her pulse race at the growl that escaped him, how the cool buckle tapped her back before it gave way.

Cappie was a hurricane, a swirling storm of raw emotion and temperament, that's eye, too, was mercurial in its arrival and powerful in how quick he surrendered to every kiss, smile, and tender touch.

"Think you lost on purpose," chided Jacob as he turned her to look at him.

Her sparkling hazel eyes appraised the man before her, all scarred skin and vibrant blue gaze as teeming as the sea. Hooded and long lashed, Cappie had always found his eyes to be mesmerizing, and how they appraised her back, predatory and pupils blown made her cheeks burn.

"What?" demanded Jacob.

Those ocean eyes darkened at the first pang of self-consciousness, that fire inside that told him nasty things about himself. The moment it snapped from his mouth, Jacob regretted it for that damn insecurity always sharpened his voice into something lethal, threatened whatever good thing bloomed between them.

And she heard it loud and clear. Her smile faltered a tick and that glimmer in her eyes dulled. But just as Jacob started to step away from the moment, from the playful intimacy, Cappie snuffed it out the best way she knew how. With a roll of the eyes, she stepped into his space and cupped his face with both hands, pinching his marred cheeks. His brow furrowed and his lips twisted into a snarl.

"What a big baby," she cooed. "Big, bad Jacob Seed can't take a woman swooning over him for one goddamn second-"

"Knock it off–"

Her lips found his forehead.

"No."

He huffed something passive, but Cappie won the fight, a knockout blow in the form of her mouth slotted to his, deep and teasing with tongue. Jacob melted into it, allowed his hands to reach down and grip her ass, her body pressing into his front with need. A laugh bubbled from her mouth and he drank it like wine. He shuddered as those sneaky hands of hers ran along the hem of his shirt, creeping up the plane of his stomach, along the scars that lined his body like a map.

When she pulled away, Jacob had to catch himself from leaning forward. Cappie laughed at that, too, but Jacob was too turned on to give a damn.

"Come on, big boy," she purred.

Her hand laced with his. With a pep to her step, Cappie started towards the direction of his truck.

"I lost a bet. Let me pay it back," added the wild woman.

And Jacob followed, uncaring that his belt was still undone and of the wide grin adorning his lips like stars.

[sweettoothedtrickster13]

On the Run Chapter 45

Fandom: Outlast Whistleblower DLC

Tags: OFC, Waylon Park/Eddie Gluskin, Slow Burn

Summary: Waylon feels guilty.

Notes: *rolls up on a skateboard 8 months late with a smoothie* What’s up, bitches? Actually, sorry about the long wait. But uh. It’s here. Yay.

AO3 Portal

Waylon pets and spends time with most of the chickens, with the exception of Izzy because she only give affection sometimes. And today, or at least right now, appears to not be one of those times. He gently picks up Gigi, who had taken up residence on his lap, and sets her on the ground. She runs off and he stands, brushing feathers from his clothes. He walks over to his tomato seedlings and smiles at them- they’re doing well. He’d watered them that morning, and they’re stronger in the dirt. 

He goes to the house and knocks on the glass door, and thankfully Eddie looks up. He nods and comes outside. 

“Ready to carve again,” he asks, shutting the door behind him. 

“Yes.” Waylon sits on the step again and Eddie sits next to him. Waylon picks up his working project and examines it. It doesn’t look like much of anything except a block of wood with the corners cut off, but he can see the pencil lines and knows that’s the final project. Besides, he knows that the first forays into anything doesn’t look like much of anything- the first line of code doesn’t look like much, the seeds of plants don’t look like much. He anticipated woodcarving to be the same. He puts the knife to the wood again and starts to peel off small curls. 

Eddie was right; it’s meditative. He still has to pay attention- cutting off his thumb doesn’t seem like a fun time- but he’s starting to get it. All he has to focus on is the project. That’s part of why he wants Eddie there; he gets so engrossed in any project he enjoys that a Murkoff employee could probably stand in front of him and he wouldn’t notice. That and he enjoys the man’s company. He could always ask Jess, too, but there’s something about Eddie. He also thinks that Eddie needs his companionship more than Jess does. Jess cleared the air after her brief self-imposed solitary confinement; Eddie still needs comfort after what the Groom did. And Waylon needs to familiarize himself with him again, too. He’d missed him. He smiles softly, remembering how he had spied Eddie being so gentle and playful with the kids. The other man hadn’t seen him, so he had stood on the corner and just watched. The kids had laughed, seemingly without a care in the world. They didn’t know what Eddie did in the past- he was just a new face that could play with them. And a big enough person to cling to without being shaken off. Waylon’s face had warmed after seeing Eddie so easily move with the kids clinging to his legs- he’s just so strong. Waylon had turned away after that, returning to Agatha. She hadn’t done anything other than smile slightly and squeeze his elbow, but he had still felt his cheeks warm further. 

Waylon pauses, knife hand stilling. He glances at Eddie out of the corner of his eye, but Eddie seems not to notice. Or if he does, maybe he just thinks that he’s trying to decide where to cut next. He feels guilt twist in the pit of his stomach, crawling its way to his breastbone. He knows he’s married, that Lisa is waiting for him back in Boulder, but it’s hard to remember that when Eddie is right here. And he and Eddie have gone through so much together, he’s sure that’s part of the reason why. That and he’s strong and handsome, that traitor voice whispers. He shakes his head, erasing that thought. He’s married. He glances at his left hand, but his wedding ring is long gone, back at Mount Massive. He’s married with kids. That thought just makes the guilt twist tighter, this time around his lungs. He exhales slowly and keeps carving. 

They sit like that until the light starts to fail, and then Waylon puts his wood down with no prompting. He covers his knife and he and Eddie go inside. He brings the knife up to his room and makes a mental note to go to town and see if they have bats. He’d feel a lot more comfortable with one of those in his room for defense than with a little hobby woodcarving knife. 

When he comes back down, Eddie and Trevor are on the couch and Jess is curled up on an armchair with the laptop. He stands near the foot of the stairs, unsure. But he soon recovers and walks forward. “Do you want me to show you how to use your phone,” he asks. Eddie looks up with a surprised expression. 

“Sure.”

Trevor moves over to the other armchair and lets Waylon sit on the couch. Waylon extends his hand and Eddie puts his phone in it. Waylon touches the screen, surprised when the home screen comes up automatically. “Ok, you should set up a lock code.”

“A what?”

“A series of numbers or a word that you’ll remember, that will lock out anyone who tries to get in.”

“You can do that?”

Waylon fights his shock- Eddie’s never touched a computer, he probably didn’t have a smartphone. And he seemed surprised when Waylon showed him the Internet, so that’s just more proof he either didn’t have a phone entirely or just had a flip phone. “Yes. I’ll show you.” He scoots right next to Eddie. “Ok, see that gear,” he asks, pointing at the app.

“Yes.”

“Touch it.” Eddie does so, and it opens the settings menu. “Find ‘privacy.’” Eddie reads through the options and taps it. “Now lockscreen.” Eddie opens it. “Now you can choose whether you want a word or a number,” Waylon says, handing his phone back. Eddie ponders for a moment and then chooses one, tapping on the screen with his thumb. Waylon takes that to mean he chose a number- he doesn’t do that when he texts. Granted, he’s only seen him send a text once- Jess was out one day and Eddie had put his phone flat on the table and used the ‘hunt and peck’ technique. Then Waylon had shown him how to hold the phone so he can use his thumbs. 

Eddie hands the phone back. “Ok. What do you want to learn,” Waylon asks, and Eddie thinks. 

“Could you walk me through finding the Internet?”

Waylon nods and points at the screen without touching it. “See that symbol?”

Eddie peers at the screen. “It looks like a curly fox wrapped around a blue ball.”

“Right. That’s a browser.” Eddie looks up at him. “Ok. It’s what people can use to search.” Eddie nods. “Tap it.”

Eddie does so. He extends his hand and Waylon hands the device over, their fingers brushing. Eddie painstakingly types in ‘Mount Massive Walrider’ and gets a list of websites.

“How do I know which one to choose?”

“You can go by the order they’re in. The ones at the top are generally the most relevant, but sometimes it’s worth it to scroll a bit.” 

“What’s scrolling?”

Waylon leans over and moves his finger up, making the screen roll that way. “That’s how you read more.”

Eddie nods and seems to read for a second, then points to one. “This one is safe, right?” Waylon looks- the New York Times. 

“I’d say so.”

Eddie clicks it. 

“Anything else,” Waylon asks.

“The news said that they uncovered files from the Congresswoman,” Eddie starts, and Waylon nods. “Could you help me get through them?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.” He goes back to his phone. 

“If you need any more help, don’t be afraid to ask,” Waylon says. Eddie looks up and nods, smiling a little. 

“I’ll ask you.”

“Good,” Waylon nods, leaning away from him and scooting back a bit. His leg and side are warm from where it was near Eddie, and his hand tingles slightly. He touches it with his other hand, rubbing it. Eddie seems engrossed in the article he pulled up and doesn’t question it. 

“Any more news on that Congresswoman,” Waylon asks Jess. 

“No,” Jess says. “But they just reported on it, said it would happen in a week. And we have the video call tomorrow.”

Waylon feel guilt twist in his stomach again- he forgot. How could he forget seeing his wife? He loves his wife. 

“Plus, Congressional inquests take time,” Jess continues, unaware of his plight. “Even though they said they’ve gathered enough evidence, that doesn’t mean it won’t take longer to get more. Hopefully VIRALeaks nudges them along in that respect.”

Waylon listens to Jess’ quiet typing and clicking and relaxes back into the couch. He stands and the three look at him. “Gonna close the chickens in for the night,” he says, and leaves to go to the backyard. He looks around, but sees no chickens. He puts his head inside the coop and counts them- all are present. He nods and closes the door, barring it. He sits on the back porch and looks at the stars. 

He’s lived in cities all his life. He’s never seen the stars as clearly as he does right now. He feels so small, but in a good way. Like his problems are small, too. He knows some people look up at the night sky and feel intimidated and insignificant, but he doesn’t feel that way. At least he hasn’t yet. He’s seen photos taken from the Hubble Telescope, seen galaxies. The stars are just another part of that. He imagines each one having planets rotating around it, just like theirs. Somewhere Murkoff hasn’t touched. In the greater scheme of things, things have a way of working out and he knows that. But sometimes it means taking a step back to see that. 

He stands and goes back inside, finding Jess and Eddie cooking dinner silently. He sits at the island alone- Trevor’s still in his chair- and watches them. They work well together, never getting in each other’s way. He’s never heard them say anything to each other except to divvy up the tasks, and even that stopped weeks ago- they’ve worked out a rhythm by now. When he was cooking alone, it was more enthusiasm than skill, even though he’s cooked before. It was an unfamiliar kitchen, and even though he helped stock it and the appliances are new, he couldn’t help but start reaching for ingredients based on where they are in his own kitchen with Lisa. He sighs, making Jess look up and shoot him a concerned look. He shakes his head, and she nods and pays attention to cooking again. 

He pulls the laptop to him and looks up if chickens eat flower seeds out of the ground. They don’t, so he can plant the seeds Agatha gave him. Speaking of Agatha, Waylon needs to see her tomorrow- he needs to talk this out with a neutral party. 

“Trevor,” he asks when they sit down to eat. The man hums a question. “Could you arrange for Agatha to come pick me up tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Trevor says, fishing out his phone. He sends a quick text and they eat. Trevor gets a response as they’re clearing up. “She’ll do it. Told me to tell you when you get up.”

“Thanks, Trevor,” Waylon smiles softly. 

“Any time.” Trevor rolls up his sleeves and washes dishes. 

Waylon heads to bed not long after. He wishes the three good night and gets them in return, and he walks upstairs. He wishes he could carve again, but he wants to do it with Eddie. He groans, putting his hands over his face. He doesn’t know why he’s feeling this way. He turns out his light and tries to sleep, thinking it’ll help to get his thoughts in order before he sees Agatha. 

[pepsi1]

Pepsi Grimm, an Introspection

"You know... It's funny. I could not handle the prospect of eternal existence. When I got to Hell it scared me more that I would be conscious forever rather than the torment I would have to put up with."

"...And so I designed Phoenix to break me out and programmed him to find a way to utterly destroy me. But his existence was only possible with a fragment of a fragment of my own soul which I ripped apart. A whole soul would have me become demonic when I escaped into life... A whole soul. I am still partially demonic and still human."

"Phoenix thought to make me wholly monstrous next, to try and drive out my soul completely... Not realizing him and his brothers still had a piece of mine. I became a monster, but my soul and sanity remained, broken but still there. I noticed changes in the robots mannerisms too. They no longer acted on the whim of their code. Rather, the fragments of my soul healed and became their own souls. I think my own healed too. And in a desperate attempt to evade conscious existence, I leapt into the void."

"At first I had a suit designed so meticulously that it made me invincible and on par with whatever gods or demons I could come across. I waited. Waited until boredom drove out the sanity of self preservation. Then I took it off. Exposed myself fully to empty, radiation filled void. I suffocated, died, then revived unto the heat death and big crunch of that universe. Waiting until absolute nothing could be the only thing that remained."

"A few times did I fall into a black hole and come back, a few times a supernova destroyed my body completely, but it always came back. I did not decay into nothing, even when i felt my atoms fade away and radiation disappear. I remained conscious in absolute nothingness and worst of all, my sanity returned. The mad man who I was I could no longer be. In a void of nothing, staying terribly sane for uncountable time because time ceased to exist."

"And then I woke up one day, on a rock meandering aimlessly in a new void. I saw the creation of this new universe but I also did not..."

"It was only 3 years until Phoenix found me in it, claiming it to be a direct parallel to our original home. 3 years after I had left. But I gazed into the sky and saw the formation of stars into galaxies into superclusters into destruction. I still see some of that..."

"I think I see it because time does not think me important enough to bother with my existence. When I asked how either of us got into the new universe, he explained himself capable of multiversal travel and that I merely "Arthur Dented" my way into it. A reference to a book series he fixated on."

"He is more soul than program now, but his code still requires him to torment and he cannot tell between the two. And so I let him experiment on me regardless of the pain. I had already lived and experienced much more then I wanted, avoided any afterlife in the vain hope to become nothing, and then I didn't. Rejected by that which has no intention. He seems to enjoy my compliance but hates it for my lack of reaction."

"When I die I no longer feel the pull of any domain for the dead. Death himself seems to ignore me and reapers run. I squandered my chance at proper death with my own actions... I have doomed myself to an existence I was desperately trying to avoid. Infinite and eternal."

"..."

"...And I have lost the few things that could make it bearable. I lost my sister as she was able to become nothing. Or, as Phoenix states, was wiped from all existence. And as such so has my whole family been destroyed... I guess they no longer have ever existed but I still remember what once was. I had love a few times that I lost though that is... harder to remember. I only know I held the feeling but not for whom."

"...I don't know if I could dare let such strong emotions take hold of me again. To love knowing I will outlast whoever I do. To hate when it will be such a fleeting experience as time continues. To enjoy life, knowing I will outlast it. And so I refuse to indulge in anything but pain."

"I reject my hunger and thirst by denying my body food or drink. I do not rest although I am so very tired. I challenge Phoenix to make him angry enough to be more creative with whatever torture he can put me through. I ignore Caleb and Bee in hopes to build their own hatred against me. I am on a mission I have already failed, a mission of self destruction. Not because I think I can accomplish it, but fear that anything else will feel worse off in the end when I survive yet again."

"To the unending, it is better to have never loved at all. Otherwise eternity will be filled with regret and pain."

[jaca3rys]

"Love is hard sometimes."

YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT ELSE IS HARD? ME WHEN I LOOK AT YOU BBY

[notroosterbradshaw]

The 1%

In which Rooster reminds you he’s not just a king in the sky. He’s that good in your bedroom too. Rooster x Reader. 18+. Slow smut, nsfw.

Please don’t hang around if you’re underage. This is not for you.

It wasn’t often Rooster slept so soundly. He was cooked, you knew he was. Every time he'd go away and return, he'd say he’d never felt adrenaline like it in his lifetime of flying and instead of coming home and making love… well, he asked if you would just stay with him. He stripped and showered, needing the decay of the fight removed from him. He wanted you curled around him and remind him it was all okay. You gave him what he needed, stayed close and hoped he was having pleasant dreams.

He’d been out a few hours and every once in a while, you’d kiss between his scorching shoulder blades, run your fingers through his short curls, or tell him you loved him. He’d smile faintly or mumble something inaudible but would never fully wake. It was okay, your restraint could hold on. What was one more night? He was home, he was safe.

But you were in HELL. Hell, watching him in your bed and not filled with the same urgency and pent-up frustration of needing his body, just like you were. You trekked a fingernail down the curves and ridges of his shoulder blades and back of his ribs, a new part of his body to be obsessed about. “God, you’re beautiful. But I’ll let you sleep this one time," you huffed to yourself.

He gave a low chuckle, surprising you. “Why are you still awake?” his already raspy voice thick with exhaustion. "What time is it?"

"Stupid o'clock," you confirmed as he brought up a strong arm and pulled you into his vice grip, snuggling your body under his. He knew you were hot and bothered, he loved that you were always ready for him, but his goddamn head couldn't get off the fuckin' pillow. Felt like he'd been hit by a truck, every limb was weighted into your soft, coma-inducing mattress. And he hated that. You wriggled into his groin purposefully and while he was hard, his teasing laughter continued but refused to answer.

“This is a dangerous game, little spoon. Poke the beast, you’ll get the horns.”

Self-satisfied as you rolled over to face him, you replied, “Gimme the horns, big boy.”

Cackling, he reaffirmed, ”I have jet fuel in my veins, baby. If I start, I will not stop.”

”Perfect,” you continued, hands beginning to roam over his marble chest. “So sexy,” you mumbled. You weren’t an idiot, Rooster wasn't like other men when it came to the bedroom. He had a ridiculously high sex drive and infinitely outlasted others you’d spent your time with before him. Stamina, his stamina was out of this world. He theorised he and his Top Gun buddies had trained so hard to put their bodies in highly strenuous situations and come through the other side, the upside was an outrageous libido to boot.

You recall how smug he was comparing himself to the most enduring athletes in the world. Elite.

The 1%. Best of the best. Rooster had been on some incredible missions, putting his body through extremely taxing conditions others possibly wouldn’t have survived. “Jesus Christ,” he murmured. “Been in some of the worst dogfights in aviation history and your touch will be what puts me in my early fuckin’ grave.”

”You’re not scared of little me, are you, Roost?” you gently bit his nipple, and he hissed. You rolled out of his grasp and tossed back the sheets, needing freedom. You lightly pushed him from his side to his back and made yourself a seat on his powerful thighs, lowering yourself to trace around his belly button with your tongue.

”No, not scared,” he strained out. “Pretty sure I could take you,” he replied, breathing deep - you had him in a tangle and it was a delirious sight. “You started this, you better have pure intentions to finish the job,” he said as your palms massaged his hips, right around that delightful V. His body rock hard from top to toe, your first mission accomplished.

Surrender.

“I missed my man. Forgive me if your body makes me a little wild,” you whispered into his warm skin.

"Okay," he breathed a wistful sigh, wrapping his strong arms under his head. “I give. I'm yours."

You hummed in appreciation. The Queen on her throne, you thought to yourself, where Rooster would happily keep you seated forever. Resting forward, you gripped his hips and meandered down his body, licking, leaving wet open-mouthed kisses, hot, adoring the feeling of him quaking under your command. He was so used to being in control; it was satisfying witnessing him thoroughly debouched.

Taking his straining cock in your warm palms, he didn't need much begging to have you take him in your hot, slick mouth. You sighed with him, needing to taste him on your tongue. Riling Rooster up was no difficult feat, he could be hard in a moment, but keeping him from coming quickly when you went down? It proved a little harder for him. He called it your magical witchcraft, his undoing. Your mouth, his cock? He was a lost cause. Carefully, skillfully dragging your palm up and down his shaft you took his cock to your lips, he was always a mouthful. You were slow and methodical, a lot like him in everyday life, and everything he struggled with in the bedroom. His groans, writhing before you? Wetter than the ocean. You needed some release yourself... but this was all for him.

"Goddamit," he muttered, his hands knotting into your hair (gosh, how he loved to play with your hair. Knot his long fingers into it, tenderly trace strands), massaging your scalp then as a warning, pulling gently. "I'll come."

Pulling your mouth from him, he gasped, almost relieved. "You can come, you don't need my permission. Just some warning will be fair," you teased him, taking him deep, almost choking. No retreat, he thought.

"Baby, please? Oh, fuck me," his head fell back amidst the pillows, pulling at his short curls for a few more moments and he raised his hips to roll his hips. Just to add to the torture, you reached under him gently, toying with him. "Baby, I'm gonna - Jesus Christ," he littered the air with curses as he began to lose control, hips erratic and he came hard in the back of your throat, thick and wild. You continued to kiss, caress and suck until he was bedraggled and flopped ungracefully on the bed. He whipped the pillow over his eyes, and if it wasn't the most adorable thing you'd ever seen this man do. Straightening out, you stretched your back. It's all fun, but it did have its limits, cramped around his huge frame like that.

“Ok?” You drew lines around his abs lightly, knowing he was still incredibly sensitive.

"Get up here. Lemme kiss you," he muffled from under the pillow. You couldn't refuse as you crawled back up and pulled the pillow back, grinning.

"At ease, lieutenant," you replied as he chuckled.

"Fuckin' aye, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am," he chorused and opened his arms to you as you fell into them and peppered kisses across his clavicle, goose pimples prickled across his flushed skin. "Kiss me."

You raised your eyes to his eyes softening. "Oh, so now you want some romance," you joked.

"What's wrong with a little tenderness?" he bristled. "Just want to thank you. You didn't have to do this. I know most girls don't enjoy it -"

"I'm not most girls," you reassured him. "I would give that to you daily, Roost.” It was mostly a promise. 

He breathed, a little dreamily. "You blow my mind."

You shrugged, whipping off your old college swim team shirt and tossing it with a pile of dirty clothes.

"That seems purposeful," he noted, a low hum escaping his full lips, taking in your skin on display as he eased up on his forearms to watch you.

"Definitely engaging," you confirmed, skimming up his body and touching his nose with yours.

“I’ve never been with some as eager to please me as you,” he said hotly, his face reaching up for yours, abs strained as he sat up a little higher. “Someone as sexy,” he licked your top lip but pulled back as you tried to kiss him back, a wicked grin on his face as he too cheekily, too easily, denied you. “Someone as…” he contemplated. “Ride or die. You are the fucking dream,” he said, prepping you in his arms and flipping you under him like it was absolutely no effort on his behalf. “But since you wanted me, here I am and I'm more than willing," he hungrily dove for your mouth, swiftly waging a silent war on your tongue as he wrapped one arm under you, hitching your hips close.

It stayed like that for a while, heavy breathing, hot kisses, pawing at the other indiscriminately. Just reminding the other what you'd missed while he was gone. He gripped your thigh, bringing it up, giving him more access to you so he could move further up your body. He rutted a little against you. "You want me?" he breathed into your neck.

"Yes," you told him, his lips on your throat driving you absolutely crazy.

"Tell me, do you want me?" he asked again, his lips passing your jaw and you were face to face again. He adjusted his posture to sit his cock at your opening, fisting it through a few times. "You don't have to say the words. Sweet Jesus, I can already feel it."

"Rooster, please," you clutched his shoulder and wrapped your other leg around his waist, trying to keep him there.

"I know you need me," he whispered, nuzzling against your earlobe and chomping lightly. "I know you do, baby."

You didn't just need him, you were obsessed. You'd wanted him for so long, and now here you both were, just as desperate for one as the other was. Gently wiping his cock through your slick folds, he guided himself in, fully bottoming out, resting his forehead on your shoulder and gazing down your bodies to view where they met. He started to move his hips, pulling back to push back into you. "That okay?"

You brought his mouth to yours and for a moment, you just made out and fucked slowly. It felt incredible. You were used to going absolutely full tilt with Rooster... but something told you Bradley was with you now, a little quieter, reserved… shy. "Perfect," you said as he brought his finger between your bodies and started teasing you. “Good.”

"God, that. Right there," you said, almost embarrassed to make noise in the quiet of the room. Your eyes were closed in pleasure, it had been a long time since you'd been with someone like this. Slow, bodies like rolling waves. Maybe he was more the water than the clouds the way he crashed around you.

"You're so close," he cried against your skin. Every nerve was on fire.

"I love you, Bradley," you whispered in his ear as he slowed and kissed you.

"I know, I feel it. I love you too. Thank you for loving me," he gently rubbed at our clit as you started to come, the familiar joyous coil inside you exploding. It had been a long few weeks without him, and this was what made all the time apart while - all the time you bullshitted yourselves into thinking this was a bad idea.

"Holy shit," Bradley muttered, taking your lips as the tension was too much and his hips ground into you, erratic and deep as you came down and he came undone.

You opened your tired eyes, straining in the morning light glowing across Rooster’s magnificent back. It was a bold way to wake you, but gee, it worked. He wasn’t rough, just casually lapping at you, whether to raise you to taste you, you weren’t sure. He concentrated his focus on your clit as your eyes opened a little more as you watched his dark head bob. “That’s so good, Roost,” you adjusted your posture to feel less pressure on your back.

”Just lay back and enjoy, sleepyhead,” he came up momentarily to take you in, his gaze soft as he licked his top lip. “If you don’t mind, I got my mind on something, so no distractions,” he instructed. You were his dutiful pupil.

Scoffing back a laugh, you shrugged. “No problem, I’ll just enjoy the view.”

Here's the visual: Rooster between your legs and his shoulders and back working muscles you didn't know existed like a rolling river. Biceps strong around your thighs as his head bobbed, granting your every wishes true. You were spiralling and it was spectacular.

”We’re not leaving this bed,” he continued against your belly he popped back up to meet your eyes. “I’m going to fuck you all damn day. You’re going to be sick of me."

"Impossible,” you told him as his face hovered over yours, eye to eye. He searched your face momentarily before a small, shy smile casts over his gaze.

“Good morning.”

You caressed his face, tracing the faint scars on his stubbly chin (a car accident when he was just out of high school though you didn’t remember ever hearing about it at the time. Buried for honour's sake, you assumed). He was usually a bit embarrassed about them but preened into your touch. “Morning, handsome,” you replied him. “How lucky am I?” you weren't sure if you asked yourself or out loud but you certainly knew the answer.

masterlist.

A/N: the tag list no longer exists. To keep up to date, give @notroosterbradshaw-library a follow x

[starlitangels]

Shaw Pack Boi Headcanons

Just random ones

Milo and Asher both have a scar bisecting one of their eyebrows. Asher’s is in the middle of his right brow and Milo’s is on the outside edge of his left brow. They got them from each other’s claws play-fighting in wolf form as teenagers (but when unempowered folks ask, they give different, increasingly ridiculous/hilarious explanations each time)

Milo is left-handed

David told Angel that there isn’t a half-decent cook among the rest of the pack, but (apart from Davey’s usual dramatics) that’s because Milo has never admitted to David that his Ma taught him a lot growing up and he’s actually pretty damn good

He and Sweetheart prefer to make dinner together, but whenever Sweetheart’s working late on a case Milo always has dinner ready for when his mate gets home and it’s always freaking delicious

Asher is actually a talented artist. He has dozens of sketches of Babe, David, Milo, his parents, etc. in a little sketchbook he never shows anyone.

David knows Asher is an artist but never pushes anything on him about it.

Asher designed the Shaw Security logo of his own accord and gave it to David, who never told the rest of the pack where he got it from

Also for Angel and Davey’s first anniversary Ash drew Angel as an actual angel embracing a massive black wolf with both arms and wings and gave it to them. Davey and Angel got it framed and hung it on the wall in their living room (they hid it behind a selfie Angel took of the two of them when Angel’s unempowered family came to visit because they had no idea how to explain why David’s best friend drew David as a wolf)

David is amazing at karaoke but will never actually do karaoke unless it’s one of those private room places and it’s just him and Angel (and maybe Asher and Babe)

Milo is the toughest wolf in the pack. He can take the most punishment and still remain standing, even compared to David and Asher. He might not be strong or big enough to overpower either of them, but he can outlast them

Davey and Angel have little mementos of each other. Davey gave Angel a leather bracelet with a wolf carved into it, and Angel gave Davey a ring made of two silver angel wings (Angel meant to get it for his middle finger so when he flipped them off it was still with a “I love you but I’m exasperated” vibe, but misjudged his size and it fits on his wedding ring finger. He never takes it off unless he’s planning on shifting)

Asher is the best at Super Smash Bros. It’s the only time he ever beats David in a “fight” (David claims he isn’t the biggest fan of the game anyway—he thinks it’s too cartoony—but everyone knows he’s lying)

That said, Milo can give Ash a run for his money, especially if items are off

Asher absolutely has a collection of nerdy posters and T-shirts, but Milo has an Iron Man onesie

David keeps every contact in his phone as First Name, Last Name. No emoji. No contact photo. The only two exceptions are Angel (who has a black heart next to their name since David keeps his phone in dark mode and it’s not terribly visible), and Asher (who took a silly selfie—when David left his phone out and unlocked once—and set it as his contact photo. David has never had the heart to get rid of it)

Asher has five (5) emergency contacts in his phone. His parents and Babe, obviously, but also David and Milo

Angel’s ringtone for Davey is “Hungry Like the Wolf”

David doesn’t customize ringtones, but for Angel he changed the vibration pattern so when he gets a call or text from them during a meeting while his phone is on vibrate, he knows it’s them (he claims it’s in case of an emergency)

Asher is absolutely the type to have weird contact names for people, with all sorts of emojis. Every single pack member has a wolf next to their name in his phone

Milo only has a few that aren’t just their names. Like his parents and Sweetheart. Asher keeps adding emojis to his own contact info whenever he manages to swipe Milo’s phone, and Milo keeps deleting them

Don’t know why I went off on a phone tangent there. moving on

Asher has pierced ears, but takes his earrings out for jobs

Milo used to have pierced ears but he forgot to wear earrings for so long that the holes healed up and he doesn’t want to re-pierce them so now he’s just got the scars

Asher tried to get David to pierce his ears when they were teenagers but David refused (“something something not practical with shifting blah blah blah”)

The little kids of the pack love play-wresting with David and he’s always good at pretending to lose (and if, lowkey, Angel gets just a little bit of baby fever every time they watch, David never brings it up—even though he would definitely notice every time)

Darlin’ was taller than David until they were 16, at which point he shot past them. Darlin’s been bitter about it ever since.

[yanderes-galore]

Hi, I'm Anon from Yandere! Eddie Gluskin, I just wanted to tell you that I loved your writing and would like to know if you could do part 2? What will happen next? (for example: you don't have to do this if you don't want to, maybe Miles and/or Waylon find the reader and try to save her from the yandere)

Damn, how'd you predict what I was going to do for a part 2-

Alright, can do.

While writing part 2 I found out it's ALSO too long....So Bride might be getting a part 3 ❤

Also, pardon NSFW/Nudity at the start, it is Outlast after all....

Bride (Pt 2)

Pairing: Romantic

Yandere! Eddie Gluskin Scenario

Summary: Waking up from previous events leaves you disoriented and confused. There is no sign of Miles or Waylon here, but there is someone else....

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Yandere behavior such as a forced relationship, NSFW content from the start, kidnapping, nudity, mentioned gore, Female Reader like usual.

This is a Part 2! Read Part 1 here

Pain. Pain throbbed through your head as you open your eyes. Light burns your vision as you grunt, shutting them again. Your mind was foggy as you try to recall the previous events.

Where exactly were you.... The last thing you remembered was-

"Good Morning, Darling!"

Entering the devil's lair, right....

You find yourself forcing your eyes open in a weak attempt to look up at your captor. Once your eyes adjusted you see Gluskin smiling wide at you. You feel goosebumps run across your skin as you look down.

You wore nothing, no wonder you were so cold. You gasp at the sight and try to cover yourself. What was he doing to you while you were asleep? Gluskin laughs as he kneels down to you.

"Don't worry, Darling! I was just checking to see what I was working with. Luckily, you won't need any modifications." Gluskin tries to reassure you but you refused to be calm. This man was covered in blood and stole you away from both of your allies. You knew you couldn't trust him.

"Please don't look at me...." you mutter under your breath as you look away. You hear him make an "Aww" sound before turning your face to look at him.

"There's no need to be shy! Your body looks wonderful and I'm happy I don't have to change anything in, well, these areas." Gluskin winks as he gestures to your crotch and chest. You try to look away from him again but his grip is strong.

Gluskin then moves his grip to your hand and pulls you up with him. You collide with him and feel your breath pick up. This wasn't right, he was going to hurt you or kill you after he defiled you. You were going to die

The variant then guides you to a closet and pulls out a white dress. On closer inspection it's a wedding gown and you recall what he said to you before you passed out.

"You'll be a wonderful bride!"

You wanted to flee but you were afraid he'd do something drastic to keep up his fantasy. He might break your legs or arms to prevent you from moving as he said his vows. You were trapped and could only pray that Miles or Waylon would find you.

"I'll help you get in the dress, okay? Don't need you hurting yourself!" You thought that was ironic as he was fully capable of hurting you if you didn't hurt yourself. Reluctantly you clung to him as he had instructed so he could put the big white dress on you.

You kept eying the tablesaw across the room, it and the table it laid on were covered in blood. Was that what he meant by modifications? Why didn't you need them again?

Gluskin notices you staring at his equipment and redirects your attention to him. Your eyes were wide with fear as he holds you close.

"That's not important, okay? You don't have to go near those tools...if you're a good girl, at least." Gluskin laughs as you feel your blood run cold. One wrong move and you could be on that table, too.

You feel him smoothing out the dress as you sit on the bed. As much as you hated him dressing you up as a doll, you let him. It was better then being completely nude for all eyes to see.

"Now, dear, you may need to wait here. I need to prepare the ceremony." Gluskin sighs, hand brushing against your cheek. "Could I trust you alone, however....."

Begrudgingly you swallowed your pride. If you wanted to be alone enough to run, you needed to get him to leave.

To Gluskin's surprise, you grasp his hand lightly. Nuzzling your cheek into his palm, you make eye contact with him. His palm felt rough and made you cringe with all the dried blood, but now was not the time.

"Eddie, you chose me, right? You can trust me to sit here and wait for you." You plead, noticing his confused yet comforted expression. "I'll be a good girl just like you said~"

Eddie sighs and holds your hands. A loving gaze was in his eyes, although it was unnerving coming from him. You think you got him as you continue your act in his little fantasy. He was too deranged to know what you were doing.

"Darling, You're right. The other whores lied and tricked me...so I had to punish them... but you are different. Not only physically but also in behavior! Maybe I can trust you... I knew you were the angel sent down for me! It took so much waiting but maybe my girl is finally right in front of me." Gluskin rambles, lovesick gaze trained on you as he kisses your forehead. "Alright, if you stay right here then I'll reward you after our wedding. I hope you look forward to it."

Catching you off guard, a chaste kiss was placed on your lips as he makes his way out of the room you were in. It felt like poison, you wiping your lips with your hand. You sit on the bed silently to see if he left. Once you felt the area was clear you got up and began to search.

"Where are my clothes...." You think, finally able to put your escape plan to good use. You used your time wisely to find the clothes you wore before coming here. Finally, you were successful when you looked at a chair hidden behind the tablesaw.

Picking up the worn items you tried your best to get out of the white dress. Normally you would of thought it was pretty, if you weren't being 'married' to a mad man.

Shivering at feeling the cold air of the asylum on your skin again, you quickly slip into your reporter clothes. It felt nice to be out of the dress, quietly shoving it back in the closet. Now it was time to figure out where to go next.

Just as you were about to leave the room the creak of wood and footsteps reached your ears. Quickly you hid under the bed. You hoped it wasn't Gluskin, as he would find out you broke your promise.

Watching the shoes of the person walking in, you heard a familiar voice.

"Is anyone here?" Waylon. You sigh in relief. You were saved!

"I'm here!" You call, squirming out from under the bed. Waylon looked surprised to see you, but was pleased.

"Are you alright?" Waylon asks, helping you up as you shutter.

"Well, I've met the variant we've heard about...." You frown, looking at Waylon. It was best that's all he knows. Point is, you've been through hell.

"I didn't mean for us to be split up back there...." Waylon sighs, looking around the room. "Let's get out of here, We should be close to the exit if we wander a little more."

You nod, glancing at Waylon's hand. A camera rested in his palm and you stopped for a moment. That's...Miles' camera.

"Where'd you find that?" You ask Waylon, the man seeing that you were pointing towards the camera.

"On the ground...this was his camera, wasn't it?" Waylon asks you. He was referring to Miles, you knew that. Miles was dead. All you had now was Waylon.

"Yeah... Yeah it was." You mumble. This was all Miles' fault and he paid the price. You just hoped you could escape from here. "No time to grieve now... not in this nut house."

Wanting to leave from this area as fast as you could, you followed Waylon.

For now, You had escaped from Gluskin...

And you plan to keep it that way.

[outlustings]

I don’t know if this is allowed, or might be boring af. So if it’s any of those things please ignore. But I was wondering if you could do some headcanons for the following characters if they had a younger sister. Like, says a sister in their early 20s so there was a bit of an age difference.

Would they be close, or indifferent? I just wondered how you thought they might get along. This is kinda a self indulgent ask nyan ha! And say the sister got caught up in the Outlast and Whistle Blower events.

The characters I’d be intrigued for would be Jeremy Blaire, Eddie, Trager and Waylon.

Thank you x please ignore if you don’t want to do this 🌸

(this was a fun ask! got to write some of my fav characters from a different perspective so that was c00l! also made me rack my brain on how to insert reader into the events of the games. your ask was awesome babe <3

warnings for implied childhood abuse and not very nice things happening. also alcohol use and uhhh mild violence? mostly as wholesome as i could make it though but like. kind of sad. idk.)

×

JEREMY BLAIRE

Jeremy and you weren't really close growing up, but once he could consider you a proper grown-up, he starts to spend more time around you.

He used to be the kind of big brother who hated you until you both made it to your twenties and finally made peace. Well, not exactly made peace - just started coexisting.

Now and then he takes you along to a bar crawl which always ends up with you two drunk-dueting "Piano Man" or "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" in some dodgy ass karaoke bar in downtown Leadville. These little trips bring you closer together.

He's secured you a job at Murkoff.

You're his baby sister and he's made sure no one fucks with you. Not when he can fire anyone who slights you in any kind of way.

Officially, you work for as a consultant for some daughter company of Murkoff, but in reality, you spend most of your days just taking the piss with the folks at global development.

You don't mind the nepotism. Makes all of your vacations flow a lot smoother when your bank account is filled to the brim. And you don't really have to spend time at that creepy asylum, which is a plus.

Sometimes you'll come and visit though, on some semi-official business. It just so happened that you chose a really bad day to pop in for a morning meeting.

You're at Mount Massive when shit is going down. Alarms blaring. People running and screaming and the pungent smell of blood creeping into your nostrils.

You quickly start to understand that everything is going wrong, hard and fast. But before you could even reach up to grip his wrist, you're swept away by security.

"Get her out of here, for fuck's sake!" his voice was sharp, it cut through all the noise.

The evacuation is a hopeless effort. All you could think of is "Where's Jeremy?" That's what you heard yourself scream at the guards that tried to push you towards the doors.

But they got you. Found you. You were one of those Murkoff sons of bitches, weren't you? You were. They could smell it.

Jeremy found you shivering and bloody underneath a desk in the security control room with your head in your hands.

You didn't even know what time of day it was - for all you knew, the sky could be orange at night in his hell. You felt his strong hand on your forearm, wrenching you towards him, out of your hiding spot. You shook your head.

"Come on, we gotta go," he rasped, "Now. Let's go."

Tears streamed down your face.

"I can't," you breathed out, eyes flicking to the busted door as you sniffled.

"Sure you can if I can," Jeremy grunted with the effort of tugging on your arm, his other hand still cupping his side, dark blood staining his pale fingers, "Get up. Let's go."

He was right.

You rose up on wobbly legs, smoothed your torn skirt down and watched his face carefully as he winced in pain. You wrapped your arm around his waist.

"Lean on me," you whispered, taking a deep breath as you faced the door. Hoped to god the Variants were gone. Yo7 had heard some gunshots earlier.

"Fuck - okay," he slung his arm around your shoulder, you felt most of his weight against you as he accepted your offer. You adjusted his arm around your shoulder, began dragging him to the door with newfound determination.

He frisked you away as best as he could. You could hear his heavy breathing, heard his little whimpers as every step made his guts shift. You weren't even sure if they could fix him - who was they, even that you weren't sure about. You just wanted out. God, you wanted to be out.

You reached the entrance hall. Open doors. He leaned against the doorframe with a groan.

"Wait," he hissed, closing his eyes, letting go of your shoulder, slumping against the door, panting.

"Jer?"

He was silent for a while. Then he cracked his eyes open.

"You lost your shoes," he remarked.

Your eyes moved down to your toes.

"I stabbed a man with the heel. In the eye," you heard yourself say to the ground in a monotone voice.

"That's fucking sick," Jeremy gave a slight chuckle, "I'll buy you a new pair once we get out."

You smiled. Felt the stickiness of your tears on your cheeks. You heard footsteps behind you. You snapped your head back.

A tall man in a tattered jumpsuit, dirty blonde hair rustling in the soft thrum of air conditioning. Wide, horrified eyes. You felt Jeremy tense beside you. Then he let out a soft, little laugh, all he could muster with his weak lungs, broken ribs and god knows what else.

"Mr. Park?"

You heard a distant buzz, could feel something was wrong. Horeczy.

"Jer, let's go..."

"No. Wait."

×

RICHARD TRAGER

He's fun. Kind of a dick, but a fun brother nonetheless. The kind of sibling you secretly kind of hate, but once you are spending time with them, you forget every bad thing about them.

He teases you about you being the little sister. He's just a dick. He thinks you're permanently ten years old, acts like he's so much better and more mature than you - even though he's the big baby of the family.

He's spoiled as all hell. Your parents' oldest son, he always got the most opportunities as a kid. You try not to be bitter.

Rick always acts like he doesn't like you. But he does. Sometimes. He might not be in contact with you all that often, but every now and then, he'll send a long email, trying to catch up at 10pm on a Saturday night. You can almost smell the scotch through the screen.

Then, just like that, he goes no-contact. You get worried. Scared that you did something, yet, when he didn't answer your messages, your brain overrides that anxiety and focuses on him.

You decide to do a little digging around. Investigation. His phone is disconnected, his number disabled. LinkedIn deleted, social media dead. His house has been leased out to a bunch of frat boys who say they don't know a Richard Trager while eyeing you up and down with warm cider on their breath as you shiver on the porch.

You try to call Murkoff. They won't redirect your calls - as soon as you mention the name Trager, you might as well just hang up. It seems like they don't care.

"Ma'am, I understand you're frustrated," the clerk said with little to no understanding in his voice, "But I can't disclose that information."

"I need to know if my brother's missing, Christ, are you deaf or just-..." you bit your lip, trying to avoid profanities, "Can't you please help me? Please? Get a supervisor or something?"

"Have a good day, miss."

"No!" you yelled into the receiver, "No - wait!"

Dull beeps. Dead line.

You slammed your phone down on the passenger seat of your car.

"Fuck!" you hissed, your hands flying to your head. Something was going on. He'd gotten into some real trouble - surely. Worry and frustration swirled in your gut.

You tried to rack your brain - Mount Massive, it was only about a twenty miles ride, right? They couldn't turn you away from the doors, right?

The crackling radio makes you nervous as all hell - yet you won't turn around. It's stupid, naïve to even think so, but maybe, just maybe he's in there. Right? You have a gut feeling he was still in Mount Massive.

You drive up to the open gate, park cautiously next to the booth, popping your head out of your window to yell at a guard to lift the pole up - but there was no one. An eerie silence tugs at your nerves.

You get out of the car, walk over to the smaller gate, slide your fingers against the cool iron and push it open. Think. Your eyes scan over the building, you'd been here. Right? Everything felt numb and cold as you listened to the wolves howl. You jolted when you noticed someone in the window, up above. An old man, maybe. He waves at you. Beckons you. You hear the rumble of gravel behind you. You turn around and see the blinking headlights of a red jeep. You turn your head to the window again. The silhoutte waves at you again.

"Hey!" you turn on your heels and run to the car, waving your hands at the driver. A young man. You watched as he opened his door, exited his car, straightened his brown leather jacket.

"What's up? You need help?"

×

EDDIE GLUSKIN

You were always close.

Eddie would always protect you, being so much older than you.

You didn't remember a whole lot of it. Nothing, really. But when he moved out, he took you with him, took you to your grandparents and made you swear you wouldn't go back to mom. You didn't really understand. You didn't have to.

He'd visit you every fortnight. Bring you those little teddy bears that smelt of grease and carpet cleaner, the teddies you'd get from an arcade. Or maybe those impossibly tough gumballs from the machines in the corner store. Plastic rings. Knock-off dollar store Barbies. Anything.

He'd write you letters on fancy paper, decorate them up with cheap, glue-y stickers.

When you grew up, the letters came in less often. He visited only rarely. Your grandmother always said that Eddie was just busy. And so much older than you. She'd pinch your cheek and nudge another hunk of dry bundt cake onto your plate as you leaned against your hand, holding back tears. Eddie had forgotten your birthday for the third year in a row.

In your early twenties, you decided to find him. You had an address - and you went on from there. Found him in a suburb with rows and rows of nice houses and weary-eyed housewives calling their kids inside way before sunset.

You guys became close again.

You took him to a fair, repaid his little teddy bears with a big one this time. Made him eat cotton candy until he almost puked in the ferris wheel with you cackling like a maniac beside him. You teased him about being single in his forties, watching in poorly concealed awe as he made the empty cans of those scammy games fall over like they were nothing.

Then you'd go to the help desk, renew your tickets, come back again tomorrow, bask in the smell of the fireworks in the air, not saying the obvious: this should've been your childhood. This was the one you deserved. But it was too late.

You crashed on his couch a couple of times before making it back to your college town.

You couldn't stay for more than a few nights at a time. There was a strange smell in the house. Eddie always said it was the plumbing.

Ever since he'd gone to prison, everything was fucked up. All the reporters swarming your front lawn, all of the glares from your neighbors, kids on bicycles egging your house, teens spitting their cigarette stained insults at you in front of the store - it was all too much.

He kept on sending you letters. Rambling, long letters with faded stamps.

You never replied, though. Out of guilt. Disgust. You thought it'd be better for you both if you just ignored it all and kept your distance.

You'd stared at that return address so many times that you knew it by heart. Mount Massive asylum. Wasn't it in Colorado? In the middle of nowhere, the kind of woods people would go to hunt 'squatches - you smiled to yourself, thinking about all the times Eddie told you about monsters in the woods. In the pillow fort. Flashlight tucked underneath his chin. Vaseline and frozen pea packs on the cigarette burns on your legs. Your smile faltered.

Mount Massive wasn't that far, right?

×

WAYLON PARK

You two are very close. And you're the best kind of auntie to his sons. You spoil them and dote on them and he lets you because the boys love you just as much as he does.

As Waylon moved after his new job, you promised him you'd come around to say hi in Colorado some day.

You had your reservations about this new job - it was all just so sudden. It seemed somehow wrong.

"So, wait, what exactly are you doing?" you didn't raise your eyes from the TV as you mashed buttons at some Mario Party minigame with the boys roaring in laughter at your failure.

Waylon just kind of shrugged, "Software consultation."

You furrowed your brows. Adjusted yourself on the carpet.

"Really?"

"Yeah," you heard him sip his coffee behind you on the couch.

"Well, Way, I did some research on that company, that Murk-hoff or whatever. It's kinda sketchy," you turned your head back to your brother, ignoring your nephews squealing for you to press A.

"Why, does it have bad Yelp reviews or something?" Waylon grinned behind the rim of his cup. But you could see his smile was too taut to be entirely natural.

"I'm serious, dude," you sighed, giving him a stern look.

"Da-a-ad, tell her to press A!"

"Press A," Waylon gestured to your controller. You clicked the plastic with your thumb, holding his gaze.

"Are you sure you know what you're getting into?"

"Yes," Waylon chuckled, "Listen," he lowered his voice ever so slightly, "I really need this job. I'm running low on gas."

Gas. The codename for money in front of the kiddos. You just nodded. Tried to push away your anxiety.

"Lisa's worried too," Waylon mumbled, opening his arms as his younger son climbed onto his lap with grunts of effort.

"Once again, she proves to be the smarter of you two," you mumbled, but you couldn't help but grin when Waylon ruffled his son's hair before wrapping his hands around the tiny ones on the controller.

"Why don't we beat auntie? You're the green guy, ain't ya?"

You just let it be. You're happy he's getting paid, if nothing else.

It all seemed to go well until Lisa called you.

"Waylon's missing," her voice broke as you scrambled to your feet from the bed, ignoring the sleepy grunts of your one night stand as you kicked your sheets onto the floor.

"What?"

You drove to Colorado immediately, went to Lisa, tried to console her, tried to squeeze information from her as she showed you all the emails, all the letters from Murkoff. Blackmail. Something. Your head was spinning. This couldn't be.

"You have to swear you don't go up there. They're just looking for an excuse to hurt us. I'll handle this with my attorney," Lisa sighed.

But you had to find him. Had to at the very least go punch that bastard Blaire in his stupid fucking face, if nothing else. You had to find him.

You arrived at the asylum. Eyed the scaffolding and how it all swayed ever so slightly in the mountain wind. You ducked underneath the bent gate, trying not to think what had made that kind of a hole in solid iron.

"Just get Waylon and get the fuck out."

You could've sworn you saw someone disappear into one of the windows upstairs before their form was engulfed in the darkness that a popped lightbulb had left behind.

"This is going to be the death of me," you grumble and swipe at the gravel that had stuck to your knees before you straightened your back and eyed the rickety ladder up and down.

[noneatnonedotcom]

concept: TOTAL WAR RWBY

in a universe where the great war destroyed every kingdom and caused a collapse of civilization you play as one of the five remaining peoples of remnant as you seek to (re) forge a kingdom that can stand the test of the grimm tide

KINGDOMS

Vale: led by Ruby Rose

ruby's kingdom of vale focuses on light cavalry and ranged. her own special abilites as a general are

SILVER EYED WARRIOR: grimm are weakened greatly within her aura and can even be outright destroyed if the differance in power between her and them is great enough

OPTIMISTIC HEROISM: lower unhappiness in area's controlled by ruby means that there's less Grimm to fight overall meaning lower garisons and more money spent on the main armies

unique units

Wood Runners: long bowmen with added range and melee combat stats equal to melee infantry. light armor means that you should keep them in cover though as well as being a juicy target for cavalry. added range over most normal archers and better armor piecing with their arrows makes them a powerful, unit that can last in melee as well specializing in Anti heavy infantry

Dire corgis: large war dogs with aura unlocked. look like giant corgis because they are giant corgis. great for running off ranged units and light cav. weak to spears, though their aura lets them hang around in combat longer than most would think. they do rely on the charge bonus though and can't be controlled once they're let off the leash. can be called back to their handlers though to be repositioned

FOCUS OF CAMPAIGN: ruby's main focus is to retake the cities and villages of vale that were lost to the grimm tide. your main strategy should be to build up on patch while the rest of vale falls to the grimm before striking out. your main advantage is against the grimm not people after all. and your added happyness means that you can spend more on your armies to put in your frontlines rather than worrying about protecting your rear (ruby's got a great rear guys) your main rival will be

UNITED TRIBES OF VALE: led by Yang Xiao-Long

yang's all about shock infantry and charge bonuses. using them to break the morale of enemy armies her special abilities are

HOT STUFF: human morale lowers around her and buildings catch fire in her aura when she's in combat. she's too hot to handle

PROBABLY WASN'T IMPORTANT ANYWAYS: still recruits units and receives money from buildings that are burned down. though at a slightly reduced rate

UNIQUE UNITS

Bandits: replaces mob, cheap units that gain charge bonus when next to another bandit unit. burn down buildings when nearby. no formations though and can't brace for charges so avoid cav. low morale, they're bandits they're not sticking around when shit goes south

berzerkers: shock infantry, cause dread in enemies lowering morale. chance of going berserk which makes them unbreakable but uncontrollable may even attack allies if they're the closest unit. REALLY FUCKING STRONG ON THE ATTACK! weak to ranged

yang's campaign is all about uniting vale as a tributary state to the tribe. you can recruit units from burned down buildings and still get money so spread like a wildfire and try to show your baby sis that it's safer under your protection. be aware that grimm are gonna be a huge problem for you so keep some bandits as a garrison in every village to deal with grimm.

"some of you may die... but I don't really give a shit about you" - Yang to the bandits probably

vale is a mix of American and French culture. so yeah kinda like Louisiana plantations but with more anime

Vaccuo: led by Jaune Arc

jaune specializes in pike infantry with heavy armor and heavy knights on horseback. he's set up to be a slugger with his special abilities

AURA AMP: allied units in jaune's aura slowly recover health and have increased stats (including armor)

SCION OF HEROES: the effects of chivalry are doubled and you gain it faster.

UNIQUE UNITS

shining knights: heavy knights with aura and mounts also in aura and armor. fuck you, fuck the guy behind you, and fuck the guy behind him I'm coming through. very expensive high morale and capabilities

rainbow guard: heavy pike infantry that proudly protect the standard of the arc family. give extra morale to those around them. fuck you they're not breaking. if there's even one guy left they're still fighting.

jaune's campaign is centered around taking control of the deserts and jungles of vaccuo from your origins in the mountains and hill country of the arc territories.

vaccuo's culture is like Scotland mixed with the middle east. fiercely independent people with a very strong sense of honor. also fuck you they'd rather die then be seen as a coward so you'd better just fucking kill them all. AND FUCK TAXES! so jaune has his work cut out for him, but he's in it for the long haul

MINSTRAL: LED BY PYRRHA NIKOS

pyrrha's all about personal combat and single entity units

INVINCIBLE GIRL: pyrrha herself is fucking busted and everyone wants to be like her. single entity units like huntsmen or companions are stronger and get more XP from battles

AN OFFER THEY CAN'T REFUSE: if pyrrha has more military power than someone they have improved relations with her. peacefully annexing people is possible this way. though this can cause a problem if you expand too fast

UNIQUE UNITS

pyrrha's guard: heavy spear infantry made in the image of spartans. slow but they decimate cav outlast ranged and out fight most over infantry. but they are fucking slow and hate being flanked where their phalanx will not work.

nora and ren: two unit entity, stealth shock is the name of the game ren sneaks them in close to anything even grimm. nora deals a fuck ton of damage all at once that can't be blocked by armor and shatters units. you only get one though sorry the world isn't ready for two noras

while sino/Greco/Roman culture makes martial ability the most important, however, only champions and highly expensive units can be trained. your low-level fighters (I.e most of your army) will have to be mercenaries. still with enough champions, you can take on most things so that's good

SCHNEE DUST COMPANY led by Weiss Schnee

atlas is all about dust weapons. a necessity because of but funded by Weiss's special abilities

COMPANY MEN: units require less upkeep cost

WEISSY: she's kinda a bitch, -50 to all diplomatic relations -75 to faunas factions

UNIQUE UNITS

WEISS GUARD: dust rifle units, slow to reload but longer range than normal dust muskets. dust round in general deal moral damage greater than almost any other units in the game (only yang's berzerkers and blake's beast-men scare people more)

BIG GUNS: 24LBS rifled field guns. or cannons rather for those who don't know the difference. fire straight and have an effective range of 1500 feet. highly accurate and with enough kick to drop even the largest of grimm

atlas and the SDC by extension are based on German and Russian culture (mainly german now that the nobles are gone) and have their main campaign focused on dealing with internal divisions and grimm. their cheaper units lends themselves to using dust arms rather than melee but bare in mind they suck in melee as a result. still, weiss is of the opinion that if you can kill your enemies from the comfort of your home and simply bombard them into submission or dust, why wouldn't you?

Menagerie led by Blake belladonna

menagerie must toe the line between animal and man, utilizing special abilities like

SAVAGE REPUTATION: the effects of dread are doubled and you gain dread faster

CUNNING HUNTERS: blake has bonuses to stats and the stats of her army while ambushing or attacking at night. doing both will make the bonuses stack

UNIQUE UNITS:

white fang infantry: can deploy anywhere light armor but use spears so cav has a hard time with them

NINJA: can deploy anywhere, inspire dread, use grenades flung from slings. capable of vanishing or using smoke bombs to lower enemy stats in melee for a short time

menagerie is a mix between Australian and Polynesian cultures but they are relatively new on the world stage. having been granted the island of menagerie in the brief time before the collapse of vale after the great war. the fuanas population outside of menagerie is very low as a result of the collapse and you have to ask yourself "what will you do to ensure the survival of your people?"

menagerie is a mix between Australian and Polynesian cultures but they are relatively new on the world stage. having been granted the island of menagerie in the brief time before the collapse of vale after the great war. the funas population outside of menagerie is very low as a result of the collapse and you have to ask yourself "what will you do to ensure the survival of your people?"

concepts.

chivalry: is a meter in the game, doing honorable actions increases chivalry. making formal declarations of war and waiting a turn to attack, not doing night battles, honoring alliances and calls to arms. generally making combat harder for yourself will be seen as chivalrous. the higher your chivalry the bigger bonus you will have to morale in battles and to diplomatic interactions.

dread: dread is the opposite of chivalry and is gained by doing unchivalrous actions. it will cause the enemy to start with lower moral and cause everyone (including yourself) to lose moral more quickly. this can be really helpful against strong enemies that have better weapons than you. it will also cause diplomatic relations to be harder. using dust muskets or cannons will cause dread but only in small amounts the more you use them the more dread you'll cause

post-campaign content

finishing your kingdom will open up international diplomacy and will allow you to start a campaign in another kingdom. each with different results based on the person you're playing

jaune can marry the ruler of another kingdom giving him their special abilities (jaune can only get dust muskets and cannons after he marries Weiss btw)

Pyrrha may offer protection to the others and gains their general unit for her own army

yang may extort tribute from them and treat them as the tributaries she had before gaining access to their unique units. ruby may offer bonds of friendship and do the same

blake may create embassies and get faunas versions of each unit (they can fight at night) as well as improve her chivalric reputation with each campaign (basically lets you gain the bonuses of dread without the negatives)

and Weiss may open up branch offices and have each character as a leader under her (you basically play the official campaign as the character you choose but with access to Weiss's abilities and units now as well)

you may only do one campaign at a time. so if you're jaune you have to subjugate yang and ruby in vale before you can try to marry weiss. you gotta finish what you started before you move on basically

on each map, there's an ancient grimm. this is a massive single-unit entity and has an army of grimm backing it. defeating this grimm will grant you a major bonus to happiness and prevent further grimm from showing up later.

single unit entities are very powerful but get weaker as their health goes down. their health will recover with time though

if you finish every campaign as a single character you unlock the grimm tide. salem has taken notice of you and wants you gone before ozma has a chance to bring you to his side. grimm will spawn every turn based on the unhappiness of cities in every kingdom you will wage a war all over the world against the grimm and try to hold on as unique and powerful generals lead hords of powerful grimm to attack you. these hords will even be supplemented by the grimm attracted to your unhappiness to keep your pops happy!

if you beat every general salem herself will come to take you out. she has an unending army that will constantly get reinforcement from offscreen every time you kill off a unit and she's a capable commander in her own right with powerful magic that will prevent you from camping too much (she's out of practice so she can only cast a spell every once in a while, be sure to move when you see the strange glow) if you can manage to get your character to her through her army you'll win and defeat her once and for all

@weatherman667 don't know if you play total war but had an idea for total war rwby and wanted to know your thoughts on the various kingdoms as lead by the main characters.

anyone else who sees this and has suggestions go nuts with it. it's just a bit of fun at the end of the day. how would you incorporate a character? what would their unique units be?

[roadkillramble]

Time for one of my fave first

Jade winglet LGBTQ+ headcanons

Moonwatcher

So : I believe that growing up in the rainforest, she mostly inherited their vision of relationships. Because of that, she grew up seeing polyamory and bisexuality as the norm!

She has a preference for men, but it switches up every so often and she is also remarkably quick to have slight crushes on people, although she doesn't usually act on it. I'd think she has a tiny bit of experience with relationships, but probably childhood puppy love type of things, no real serious deal.

When it comes to gender, she is fine with being seen as female, and goes by her agab, but I'd say she doesn't have a particularly strong identification to it, and if she woke up as a male, she'd be fine with it as well.

Qibli

Qibli is very much bisexual. It's probably common enough in Sandwings, and although he mostly tends to go toward monogamous relationship I'd say he absolutely does not mind polyamory although he has a lower need for several partner than some other dragons in the Jade Winglet.

When it comes to gender, I see him as cis, but he works just as well as a trans man tbh? But he's a Boy that's for sure. I like to make him cis bc like that i can make him very cuddly and like... Vulnerable in the way he explores feelings in a way that is usually seen as effeminate, which i enjoy writing for cis males more.

If feminine fashion existed in my headcanons, he'd probably enjoy crossdressing and playing with gender expectations. In general, i see him as having an interest in fashion and being GNC when he wants to. He's quite bad at making himself look good at first but he gets better. A lot of very embarrassing looks to look back on for future Qibli to cringe about.

Winter

He'd start off as bicurious and completely unaware of polyamory, and quite guilty about feeling attraction to anything else than an icewing in general, but I definitely see him as not amanormative.

I see him as neurodivergent, more on that in another post, but basically it makes it that his understanding of attraction is a bit fucky. He struggles to differentiate platonic attraction from romantic, and is quick to feel enamored with someone, which used to frustrate him and make him feel weak, especially when it wasn't reciprocated. In the Jade Winglet, he was able to explore his feelings more and settles on a comfortable mix of platonic partnership/close platonic bonds and romantic relationship, and in fact does welcome polyamory, which is more natural for him.

He's also bad with gender. Mostly, he feels a rift between him and the concept of gender, and would probably call himself agender if he cared. He mostly goes by he (and i tend to use he bc i am forgetful) but he also accepts they/them.

Turtle

Trans man!! I just see him like that and cannot for the life of me see him as anything else. I have a tendency to make him straight? I think he just thinks girls are very pretty and cool.

He rly wants to be big and strong and impressive, quite a bit influenced by both males and female in his family who tended to be bulky and Big, but he's settling with how he looks and learning to love himself. I don't think he has much dysphoria bc i don't make dragons externally different when it comes to gender, but he may have squicks with the concept of bearing eggs, which repulses him from the concept of sexual partnership in general so far (as a note i see the jw as like,, 15-16 hence why i talk about sexual attraction).

He falls in love hard tho, and has a huge thing for romantic stories.

Kinkajou

Bisexual and polyamorous!

Raised by Rainwings where it's the norm, she is very comfortable with platonic and romantic blurring together. I like to give her my "physical attraction as main attraction" thing bc i don't get to talk about it much, and kinka is one of the dragons where i can play around with it without making myself uncomfortable by worrying if it'll appear predatory.

But yeah, that means that like in the books, she has a tendency to fancy people first because of how they appear, but doesn't usually follow this through without first getting to learn what the person is like. She needs to trust the person for any kind of relationship, be it romantic or not, especially since her experience with the nightwings. She has crushes easily and is good at reading people.

I think she's secretly very good at flirting but just does not because it makes her self conscious. She just knows how to compliment people, which is also a huge advantage in friendships. Her love language is words of appreciations lol.

When it comes to gender, she's not a dragoness nor a dragon in her mind, just a rainwing. Rainwings usually choose what they want to be referred as at adulthood, so although she tends to use feminine because it's what she currently prefer, there has been times where she has used neutral or masculine. May play with neopronouns purely for fun, she doesn't take gender norms extremely seriously and likes to play with possibilities.

My ships

So i have this huge complex polycule for them bc why would I not, so here we go :

- Qinterwatcher : in a polyamorous open triad. Started with moonbli, but winter ended up joining them. Qibli tends to prefer having all his partners love each other, so he doesn't seek any partners outside the triad.

- Moonjou : They just quickly fell in love because moonwatcher adores kinkajou's sense of humor and general presence. They are both quite good at managing relationship, and have a lot of things in common, so it's a very stable relationship that is almost sure to outlast the academy.

- Winterjou : They are more platonic partners than romantic, but it's definitely a queerplatonic relationship. They started to hang out because talking about their respective pasts helped them vent and process it and just... Move on. But they ended up getting quite attached, and often spend time together if they have the opportunity.

- Turtlejou : Complicated. Kinkajou isn't quite sure what to think after anemone's spell, but she still loves Turtle, and Turtle is anxious about relationship in general. Right now they are just very close friends with a mutual understanding that if they end up both comfortable with it, it can be romantic.

Sometimes i add turtle x moon, but i see this as more of a quick thing that happened. Turtle isn't polyamorous, and only wants one partner, although he doesn't mind his partner having several.

[inventors-fair]

Headliners: Quoted Character Winners ~

Congratulations to @demimonde-semigoddess, @industrialsalad and @thing1of2 for winning this week’s contest! This was rough between a few top contenders, and I’m happy to highlight all of them as we go on. The stand-outs really did shine!

@demimonde-semigoddess​ — Araumi’s Dive

Elegance really is the name of the game. I don’t think the context of the character to whom she’s speaking matters, because she’s first and foremost a vengeful merfolk with a quite understandable motive. Dreadful endings, one and all—and this card reminds me of old-school draft finishers, a real strong effect that can combo with other cards if you’re out of cards in the yard (play this with X=0, then Murder your target) that also does good stuff in the late-game. The toll works and the card checks out! I think anyone would by happy to pick this in something like an ELD-style mill/control shell. I certainly would have loved playing this a couple weeks back.

And I would enjoy this set too, I think, this place where we might get Araumi as an actual character. The flavor text is something I can imagine her speaking through someone’s mind as she drags them to the horrific depths, or maybe just before, but either way, it’s a fascinatingly haunting image you’ve painted. This person (who totally deserves it) is strung through a nightmare, as are we, watching them go down the drain. This flavor text relies on implication that the art direction makes obvious, and it’s sad to see the kingdom in ruins but the power that we feel as Araumi takes her victims and turns them into thralls is nothing short of excellent. Honestly, the strength of your art direction and its specificity without implication—as in, we know exactly what’s happening and the direct angles at which to view it—makes the rest of the card’s implications all the more shudderingly neat. I would perhaps have liked “Plunge” over “Dive” but that’s nitpicking at this point. “Descent” came up in a quick search... Ech, it still sounds nice on the tongue as it stands. I’m certainly not going to argue. Not with her. Definitely not her.

~

@industrialsalad​ — Omenkeel, Cosima’s Kjóll

It’s not often that I look at a card and say “what the f$&#” out loud. I love this boat. I have no idea if it works. Seriously, I...cannot quite find anything that either enforces or refutes this concept but it’s fascinating to me. And the thing is, it’s brilliant. The Omenkeel is a ship that makes the ocean rise up and carry boats with it. Cosima commands the oceans, and through that, she commands those who need their blessings, I suppose. I actually vividly remember the Kaldheim trailer and thinking about her, so that’s a checkmark there. So this particular card... Man, it’s just hitting all the right notes.

As part of a draft archetype, and actually as part of any vehicle build, it’s a way for players to get their mechs/boats/ships going without too much crazy input from your creatures, and I like how strong that makes it. Its wake carries, and the ocean comes to life. I know, I know I’m repeating myself, it’s just very neat! And it’s not too strong, and it’s...well, it’s trample in blue, but it’s big enough to be the boat that deserves it, the strength of the god’s vessel. She’s speaking, too, to all the uncrewed boats, to the lost and wavering sailors, using her power to raise them. I grok this card immensely.

~

@thing1of2​ — Long-Forgotten Axe // Istvan’s Remnant

This was a surprise to me, too. For a lot of reasons. Firstly, I had almost forgotten about Istvan (I know, forgive me). He is indeed a named character! Secondly, that flavor text... Well, this is somewhat embarrassing, but this scratches a particular itch of mine in the vein of video games like Outlast. The wandering mad murderer trope in horror settings makes me feel an animal itch of scared-ness that’s hard to replicate. I can sense the talking-to-self aura of absolute deviant mindlessness in that back half, and it’s something unique to me. This card was one that I wasn’t really down with at first glance mechanically, but it’s gripping, and it’s genuinely kind of scary, and it’s yet another sign that Something Might Be Wrong With Me. But I do love it!

And mechanically, hell, it’s scary to say the least. To get it to transform, you do need to hit something and then have the creature stay alive, and this makes combat scary for your opponent as well. How are they going to deal with this attack? How do you stop the trigger from happening or the 4/4 from coming out? This card is one hell of a question. And then it turns into a malevolent ghost who’s both aggressive and defensive, with a major mana commitment without feeling burdensome? I don’t wanna see this on turn three, but I have the feeling I’m going to. The toughness boost is incredible, too, but for the pips, that can be expected, I think. A versatile and scary card, balanced enough, with a certain evil that I thoroughly enjoy.

Thank you all for your entries! Runners-up and more soon. @abelzumi​

[jaca3rys]

"You don't deserve my children! You don't even deserve to live!"

Okay I get the whole not deserving to live part but THE NOT DESERVING YOUR CHILDREN PART IS WRONG ABSOLUTELY WRONG???BREED ME THX

[pop-punklouis]

top five HL fanfic!!!!

biiiiitch you all know how hard it is for me to choose only 5. but sigh FINE here’s my all-time favorite list that isn’t 5 sorry i can’t choose 😔:

• Here in the Afterglow (89k)

“If you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have many friends,” Louis whispers, the blossom of insecurity in his stomach unfurling and clawing its way into his throat.

Harry is silent for a long time, and then he speaks; a soft, slow uncurl that makes Louis’ stomach shake. “I’ll be your friend.” 1970’s AU. In a tiny town in Idaho, Louis’ life is changed forever by the arrival of a curious stranger.

• Coax the Cold (86k)

England, 1897.

English Professor Louis Tomlinson’s passion for the occult has been a source of mockery and derision for most of his life. When he hears whispers of a travelling freak show newly established in London claiming the existence of a monstrous sea hybrid, half-man, half-fish, Louis sees it as his ticket to credibility amongst his peers. The summer he spends undercover working on the show, however, gives him much more than that.

• Wild and Unruly (124k)

Harry is a cowboy sitting on the biggest oil reservoir in Wyoming, and Louis is the paralegal assigned to pressure him into selling his land.

• This Wicked Game (70k)

An AU in which The Bachelor is gay, Louis is a contestant, Harry is the bachelor, everyone drinks a lot of champagne, the entire world gets to watch them fall in love, and no one plays by the rules.

• Love is a Rebellious Bird (135k)

AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

• Fixated On One Star (53k)

Louis is just a boy with the world on his shoulders, and Harry's just a boy from the wrong side of the galaxy. A little thing like love doesn't stand a chance against a thousand years of war, at least until the right two come along to break the mold.

Or: space Romeo and Juliet AU

• Finding Lou (60k)

Louis is the nomadic stranger who wanders into Harry’s bookstore. Harry is the skeptic who falls for him.

• California Sold

Notoriously closeted boyband member Harry Styles is famous on a global scale, meanwhile Louis, as his best friend, is back home in Manchester, living the typical life of a 24 year old. When Harry needs Louis with him in LA, a publicity stunt gone wrong changes their friendship forever.

A fake-relationship AU between two lifelong best friends.

• Empty Skies (134k)

For three years, Harry has been running from his past. Now, he is moving to London and pledges to fulfil his only dream -- making it big in the music industry. Not everyone has a place, though, and the competition is tough. As is his past catching up on him.

Louis is part of the biggest boy band of the world, and getting there had meant a lot of hard work, as well as sacrificing parts of his heart and soul. He's still happy. Maybe not as happy as he could be, but who is he to complain?

• And Then a Bit (159k)

“We’d like to give the fans what they want.” Magee states, placing his hand on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “We want to give them Larry Stylinson.”

Or, take a parallel universe where Louis and Harry were never together, mix in a two year hiatus and an impending comeback, pour in a dash of lost fans, two tablespoons of strong friendship and a Modest! employee with a good idea. Add a squeeze of pretending to be a couple, lots of kisses and a tattoo or two. Stir. Serve: the mother of all publicity stunts. (aka Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.)

• Dream Awake (31k)

The sun leaks through the tent wall behind him the way it leaks through eyelids, bathing the boy in an ethereal half-light as he croons. The crowd is mesmerized. Louis is mesmerized. This is the most important person in the world, he thinks wildly, and then can't figure out how to take it back.

On a hazy day in August, Louis sees Harry perform at a music festival as an unsigned act and convinces him to spend the rest of the weekend in his company. Harry gets signed; life changes. They never really wake up from the dream.

• Say You’ll Remember (93.5k)

au. louis and harry are best mates that are only half aware that they're also soulmates. alternatively, louis goes to university and harry travels the world, and they always manage to find their way back to each other.

takes place over nine years, in which they love and hurt, make mistakes and learn, and above all, grow.

• Outwit, Outplay, Outlast (61k)

Survivor All-Stars AU in which Harry and Louis are just in this game to win the million dollars, but they end up with something better.

Featuring Harry's yellow swim shorts, Louis in snapbacks, and OT5 shenanigans.

• Nothing Else But Us Right Here (35k)

Louis sighs and gives himself a mental pep talk as he smooths his jumper down over his hips. He can do this. He can resist the draw of Harry Styles, because he is a responsible, mature adult, and as much as he wants to tangle his fingers in that mess of hair and map those ridiculous tattoos with his tongue, he does not want to get his daughter’s favorite teacher fired.

• Wings to Break Your Fall (103k)

strip club AU. Harry’s work and family are keeping him busy. He really isn’t looking for a relationship, doesn’t want one. He just wants Louis. Problem is, Louis has other plans.

• Leave it to the Breeze (81k)

Louis couldn’t be prouder of his bake, but there’s something—there’s something. Something about Harry Styles and the earnest way he measures, pours, mixes, scrapes. Something about the tip of his tongue poking out of his mouth as he knocks the air out of his batter.

or a great british bake off au in which louis cares about winning and winning only, harry is made of sunshine and rainbow sprinkles, and niall sticks his nose into other people's business. also featuring liam as louis's best friend-slash-concerned mother, and zayn as a macaron connoisseur.

• You Come Beating Like Moth’s Wings (81k)

Harry smiles. He's only known Louis for about two hours, knows nothing about him past his first name, but he's nice and sarcastic and helpful and so, so pretty. And Harry's still got a few days left in Barcelona, and he thinks he wouldn't mind spending them with Louis.

Also known as, Harry takes the summer before uni to travel Europe and meets Louis in Barcelona, and they end up traveling together.

• Hold Me Closer (36.5k)

Louis Tomlinson is one of the most promising dancers of the English National Ballet, on track to become the youngest principal dancer in the company's history. That is, until forces conspire to significantly complicate his life, including: a surprise ballet, an unfairly attractive guest choreographer, and being pushed into a rivalry with his best mate. Featuring lots of wine, dancing, pining, and a happy ending.

• In Vogue (121k)

Fashion AU. Louis is the editor in chief of Vogue magazine, and Harry's running British GQ. Featuring Zayn as the crazy creative director and Louis' confidant, Liam as the sports writer that gets to sit front row at fashion week and DJ Neil as the only sane person in the whole story. (There are no skinny jeans in this fic)

• These Things Will Never Change for Us at All (1.5k)

The room falls silent as they stay wrapped up in each other. Harry can feel Louis’ soft breaths on his neck, and he almost thinks Louis’ fallen asleep until he says softly, “How did you know you were in love with me?”

Or, Harry and Louis look back on five years.

• A Runaway American Dream (15k)

AU. they take route 66 with only each other and their secrets.

• Things Have Gotten Closer to the Sun (49k)

it’s strange, making the choice to face his past—it almost feels like he’s heading for the sun straight on, like he’s screaming come on and burn me, i deserve it.

when a solar flare is announced to end the world in twelve days, harry reunites with the people that he used to know better than the back of his own hand.

• Here (in your arms) (60k)

the one where Louis is a successful real estate agent and Harry works at a retirement home. They’ve never had a real home. Up until now.

(Starring Liam Payne as a fitness trainer, Zayn as an artist, and Niall, who busks.)

• These Inconvenient Fireworks (190k)

Future AU in which nobody tries out for X Factor but the boys end up finding one other eventually anyway. Louis is a jaded bastard who owns a cat named Duchess and teaches drama to teenagers, Harry is an idealistic aspiring photographer/part-time footy coach, Zayn teaches English lit and wears leather jackets, Liam saves people from burning buildings, and Niall is Niall.

��� In Dreams (23k)

AU. When Harry moves to a new city, his new flat come with a number of sweet, anonymous gifts and surprises that brighten his days. Could it be a friendly ghost? Another friendly presence in his new building is his tattooed neighbor, Louis, who seems determined to put a smile back on his face.

• My Heart is Breathing for this Moment in Time (160k)

When Louis first saw Harry at the 2010 X Factor Auditions, he thought he was watching a peculiarly special stranger. But Harry has known Louis ever since he was five years old. Because Louis has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to Time Travel to important moments in his past and in his future - and to Harry, always to Harry. When they’re put into a band together, it seems like everything Harry has been waiting and wishing for has finally come true. Except for the small fact that Louis doesn’t know that Harry is in love with him- that Harry’s always been in love with him. Fate, it would seem, is just getting started.

A story about growing up and growing together, and the impossible love that makes it all worthwhile.

• Paint the Sky with Stars (63k)

On 10 April 1912, Harry Styles boards the finest ship the world has ever seen. Still grieving the death of their mother, he and his sister are being sent to America to live with a callous uncle who cares more about his business connections than family. Harry prepares himself for a long, disappointing voyage alone in his stateroom. Louis Tomlinson has borrowed and saved, and finally has enough to purchase a Third Class ticket to America. With all of his belongings in a single ruck sack, he boards the Titanic filled with hope for a brighter future. Never one to sit still, he can’t resist exploring the massive ship, and soon goes sneaking into First Class in a stolen steward’s uniform. By a twist of fate, Louis finds himself in Harry’s stateroom, entranced by the most attractive man he’s ever laid eyes on. He keeps returning day after day, even if he doesn’t understand what it is about Harry that continues pulling him in. That’s all right; Louis has a week to figure it out, and Harry is plenty willing to help. Except they don’t have a week. They have four days. Because on 15 April, their entire world will be turned upside down.

Or, the historically accurate Titanic AU with a happy ending.

• Through Eerie Chaos (102k)

For as long as anyone can remember, Old Hillsbridge Manor has always been believed to be haunted. Everyone in the village agrees and keeps a respectful, fearful, distance. New in town after a bad breakup and an internship that led to disappointment rather than a permanent job, Harry Styles figures taking pictures of the decrepit building could be a great new creative project. Or at least a much-needed distraction while he searches for a job and crashes at his parents’ new house. No one warned him about the apparitions though; about the music, the laughter, the people who flicker and vanish when you call after them, the echoes of a past that should be long gone… Harry has never believed in spirits but even he can admit that there’s something weird going on. What starts as mere curiosity evolves into a full-blown investigation and soon enough, Harry finds himself making friends with an aristocrat from the 1920s and struggling with finding the best way to tell him that he’s dead.

The Ghost Hunter AU where Niall lives to prove ghosts are real, Zayn is a skeptical librarian and Harry gets caught up in a century-old mystery and catches feeling in the process.

[maxwell-grant]

Your Top Five Pulp Heroes that you wish were better known? By Pulp Hero fans, I mean. Since pretty much all of them except Conan and Tarzan are fairly unknown.

It’s actually quite hard for me to narrow it down to just five, because I’m having to choose between characters that are my favorites that I wish were more well-known and appreciated (which is all of them), and characters that aren’t quite my favorites but I very much think should have achieved great popularity for a myriad of reasons. So instead I’m going to pick some of each. These are not necessarily ranked by their importance or my personal taste, just 5 characters I felt like highlighting in particular. 

Honorable mentions goes to characters I already talked about prior and don’t want to repeat myself on. These aren’t “lesser” picks, just ones that I already talked about: Imaro (who in particular definitely feels like he could, and should be, a pop culture superstar if he was only more well-known), Kapitan Mors (who’s got a lot in common with one of my favorite fictional characters, Captain Nemo, but also has a lot of interesting things going on for him as his own character). Sar Dubnotal (a character that appeals a lot to me and I think should be included much more often in pulp hero team-ups). The Golden Amazon (again, definitely a character that feels like it’s just begging to have a pop culture breakout, even comic books rarely if ever have female supervillains this ruthless and over-the-top), The Mexican Fantomas (who absolutely deserves a better name than what I’m calling him here, because he’s incredibly awesome and leagues ahead of just being a knock-off). And of course my homeboy, The Grey Claw, whom I would consider Number One of the list if it wasn’t for the fact that his obscurity has left him untouched by copyright and I got plans of my own for the character that wouldn’t be possible if he was more well-known, so I guess I’m ultimately glad he’s obscure (even if I’m still bothered by how little he’s known). 

Allright let’s go:

Number 5: Sheridan Doome

Sheridan Doome appeared in fifty-four stories and three novels from 1935 to 1943. As chief detective for U.S. Naval Intelligence, Lieutenant Commander Sheridan Doome’s job was a grim one. Whenever an extraordinary mystery or crime occurred in the fleet, on a naval base, or anywhere the navy worked to protect American interests, Doome was immediately dispatched to investigate it. Fear and dread would always precede Doome’s arrival in his special black airplane. For, in an explosion during WWI, he had been monstrously disfigured. 

He was six feet two inches tall; had a chalk-white face and head. It appeared as though it had once been seared or burned. For eyes, he had only black blotches; glittering optics, that looked like small chunks of coal. His nose was long, the end of it squared off rudely. He had no lips, just a slit that was his mouth. His neck was long, as white and as bony as his face…. Sheridan Doome looked more like a robot than a human being. He was tall and ghastly; his uniform fitted him in a loose manner. Long arms hung at his sides; his face was a perfect blank. He had no control of his facial muscles; consequently, his countenance was always without expression, chalky and bony.

But behind the ugliness was a brilliant mind. Sheridan Doome always got his man. Before Sheridan Doome became a staple in the pages of The Shadow magazine, two Doome hardcover mysteries were written in the mid-1930’s by acclaimed hard-boiled author Steve Fisher (I Wake Up Screaming) and edited by his wife Edythe Seims (Dime Detective, G-8 and His Battle Aces). Age of Aces now brings you both books in one huge double novel, presented in a retro “flip book” style. This book is currently Out of Print.

I sadly don’t have any more information on the character other than this. The book is unavailable for me to acquire in any capacity, and the text above is taken from the Age of Aces website as well as Jess Nevins’s personal profile for the character. I’m not even sure if any of those 54 stories even exist anymore, since although he was published as a backup in Shadow Magazine, there doesn’t seem to be reprints of them anywhere, at least as far as I can find, and the original Shadow magazines have largely turned to dust by now. 

A character who combines aspects of The Phantom of the Opera and The Shadow, whose adventures are set in a backdrop that can easily lead to ocean adventures? That’s like, what, three of my favorite things in the world combined. I really, really wish I could at least read the stories this character stars in, but as is, this description is all I can provide. Again, time really has been cruel to the pulp heroes. 

Number 4: Harlan Dyce

This is another character I’ve only been able to learn about through Jess Nevins’s archives and have not been able to attain any further information on, which is sadly the case with a lot of pulp heroes that nowadays only seem to exist as footnotes in his Encyclopedia or records in libraries. I don’t post more about these characters because I really would just be copying the stuff he wrote without much to justify me quoting him verbatim, and I hate the idea of doing that.

I especially hate that in Harlan Dyce’s case though. Here’s his description

“Dyce had brains, taste, money, ambition, and a total lack of physical or spiritual fear. But—

“Dyce was thirty-three inches tall and weighed sixty pounds.

“That was all the world could ever hold against him. That was what had made the world, most of it, in all the countries of the world, stare at Harlan Dyce, billed in the big show as “General Midge.””

Harlan Dyce is a misanthropic and venomous private detective. He has an “amazingly handsome face,” and the aforementioned brains. But all anyone sees is his stature, and he hates that and turns his cold eyes and acid tongue on them. 

The only person Dyce likes and gets along with (besides his dwarf wife, a former client) is his assistant, Nick Melchem, a six-foot tall former p.i.’s assistant with bleak eyes and a strong body. Melchem ignores Dyce’s stature and treats Dyce normally, which Dyce responds warmly to.

Dwarfs may be the single most maligned group of people depicted in pulp magazines, even more so than the Japanese in the war years or the Chinese during the peak of the Yellow Peril’s popularity. Evil dwarfs, murderous dwarfs, sexually depraved dwarfs, they are all loathsome, ugly cliches that are, sadly, the only instances you see of dwarf characters being represented at all, with the only ones who are awarded any measure of sympathy are doomed henchmen or tragic villains.  Even outside of the pulps, the only other examples of heroic, protagonist dwarfs I can think off the top of my head are Puck from Marvel Comics and Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones.

I’m not gonna say Harlan Dyce is great representation because I’m not a little person and can never make that kind of claim for a group I’m not a part of, but Harlan Dyce may be the first time I’ve ever seen a dwarf character in pulp fiction who was not a villain or a murderous goon or a victim, but an actual person and a heroic protagonist, and that definitely counts for something. I’m not sure how popular this character was or could be if someone picked up the concept and ran with it (and I’m pretty sure he’s public domain), but I definitely think this is a character that should exist and should be popular. 

Hell, this character has Peter Dinklage written all over it, give it to him. Maybe then he will get to play a smart, fearless, cynical, misanthropic but good-natured and heroic character in something where he actually gets to keep these traits until the show ends.

Number 3: Audaz, O Demolidor

Audaz is a Brazilian character who was created and published by Gazetinha, the same publishers of Grey Claw as well as properties exported from elsewhere like Superman and Popeye, and much like The Grey Claw, he is also completely unknown even here. I’ll get to Audaz more in-depth sometime but here I’m going to provide a quick summary: 

Audaz, The Demolisher is a gigantic crime-fighting robot controlled and piloted by the brilliant scientist Dr. Blum, his close friend Gregor and the child prodigy Jacques Ennes, who pilot the giant robot from a massive laboratory inside it's head rather than a cockpit. He takes on a variety of ordinary human criminals, mad scientists, supervillains and invading armies, towering over skyscrapers and grappling with jets.

Audaz was created in 1939 by illustrator Messias de Melo, a year before Quality Comics's Bozo the Iron Man and 5 years before Ryuichi Yokoyama's Kagaku Senshi, and decades before the debut of Mazinger Z. Although he is not the first giant robot of science fiction, he is the first heroic giant robot piloted by human pilots, and thus the first true example of "mecha" fiction.

Number 2: Emilia the Ragdoll

This is another Brazilian character, although nowhere near as obscure as Audaz as even a cursory Google search can show. Although Brazil did not have a “pulp era” in the same way the US had, we’ve long gotten past the point of sticking to it as a definitive rule, and I’m including Emilia as a pulp hero because she’s a 1920s fantasy literature character who was created under a publishing company that released pulp stories, because she doesn’t quite belong in the mold of fantasy literature characters she takes after, and because I like her and if I was putting a bunch of pulp heroes together in the same story, I would definitely include Emilia in it. It’s not like she really has anywhere else to go, now that she’s public domain and she’s outlasted her franchise.

As you can tell by the above image, Emilia’s had a lot of variations over the years and that’s because the work she was created for, Sítio do Picapau Amarelo (Yellow Woodpecker Ranch/Farm), has become a major bedrock of Brazilian fantasy literature, one of the only works created here that you can find substantial information about in English if you go looking for it. Here’s some descriptions of Emilia’s character:

Emília is a rag doll described as "clumsy" or "ugly", resembling a "witch" that was handmade by Aunt Nastácia, the ranch's cook, for the little girl Lúcia, out of an old skirt. After Lucia takes her on an adventure and the doll is given a dose of magic pills, Emília suddenly started talking, and would never stop henceforth.

Emilia has a rough, antagonistic personality, and an independent, free-spirited and anarchist behaviour. She is rogue, rebellious, stubborn, rough and intensely determined at anything she sets her mind on, eager to take off on just about any adventure. She is often immature and behaves like a curious and arrogant child, always wanting to be the center of attention.

She is extremely opinionated even when she constantly and confidently mispronounces words and expressions. Her attitude often gets her into trouble, and she very often has to fight against the villains who attack her home on the Yellow Woodpecker Farm and mistreat her friends.

In the stories, Emilia often takes the role of a heroine who travels through different realms and dimensions, as the books include not only figures from Brazilian and worldwide folklore, but also several characters both real and fictional, such as Hercules, King Arthur, Don Quixote, Thumbelina, Da Vinci, Shirley Temple, Captain Hook, Santos Dumont and Baron von Munchausen.

She's fought scorpions and martians and nymph hordes, her arch-enemy is an alligator witch, she rescued an angel from the Milky Way and tried to teach it how to become a human, and once shrunk the entire population of Earth to try and talk the president of the United States into ending war forever.

To little surprise, she has become the most popular character and the series’s mascot.

It’s a little strange to consider Emilia underrated considering she is one of the most famous original characters of Brazilian literature, but hardly anyone outside of Brazil even knows who she is, and regardless of the quality of the original stories (and Monteiro Lobato’s views on race that tar much of his reputation), Emilia definitely feels to me like a character that should be a lot more popular globally. 

She is the only character from Yellow Woodpecker Ranch that has transcended the original stories, since she was always the most popular character and there’s been a couple of stories written about her that usually separate her from the ranch and just set her out on the world by herself. The latest story about this character has been a series called The Return of Emilia, that’s about her stepping out of the books in 2050 and discovering a Brazil that’s been ruined by social and ecological devastation, and traveling back in time via a flying scooter in order to try and prevent this calamity. 

Now that she’s public domain, I definitely think there’s some great stories that can be told with the character that just about anyone could get to, and I definitely think she’s a character that deserves more appreciation. Anything goes in stories starring her and it’s that kind of free-for-all freedom that I think can benefit future takes on pulp heroes. I would be very happy to place Emilia among them.

Oh yeah, and there was one time she kicked Popeye's ass by tricking him with a can of mouldy cabbage instead of spinach, making him sick and then beating him, which possibly puts her as one of the all-time badasses of fiction, except she would be pissed at not being number one and likely embark on a quest to beat everyone else just to prove she could, because that’s how Emilia rolls.

Number 1: Luna Bartendale, from The Undying Monster (1922)

Not necessarily my favorite of the bunch, but one who sort of epitomizes what you asked, a character who is both incredibly obscure and incredibly underrated in every sense. Despite the book being somewhat known, mainly thanks to the movie, the character is so obscure that I don’t even have an illustration of her to display here, not even fan art, just one of the book’s covers that I think best conveys it. Luckily, the book is also available freely online, so you can all go check it out here. The movie adaptation does not feature the character of Luna Bartendale which makes it pointless to talk about.

To not spoil it too much, The Undying Monster is a very fascinating book, ahead of it’s time in quite a few ways. You expect it to just be a detective story centered around a werewolf cursed, except the subtitle of the book is “The Fifth Dimension” and then it goes to talk about dimensions of thought and post-WWI trauma and love and hypnotic regression that travels through time and ancient runes and Norse mythology. It’s not exactly an easy book to get through in one setting, but I’d recommend it much the same if only because it’s got supersensitive psychic sleuth Luna Bartendale, literature’s first female occult detective, and she’s an incredible character who absolutely feels like she should have become a literary icon. 

She lives in London but is world-renowned for her many good deeds. She is a small, pretty woman, with curly blonde hair, dark eyebrows and a high-bridged nose, and a slight build. She has a voice described as a light soprano that "does not make much noise but carries a long way". 

Petite, bedimpled and golden curled, Luna is completely in charge of events, dominating every scene that she appears in with her welcoming disposition and cleverness. 

Bartendale has various psychic powers, including mind reading. She is well-versed in psychic and occult lore, is a “supersensitive” psychic, and has a “Sixth Sense” which allows her to trace things and people through both the Fourth and the Fifth Dimension. (The Fifth Dimension is “the Dimension that surrounds and pervades the Fourth–known as the Supernatural”).

Her extensive knowledge of occult rites and practices puts John Silence, Carnacki and Miles Pennoyer to shame, and she beats them all with her "super-sensitive" gift of being able to psychically connect with troubled souls and hypnotize them.

She uses a divining rod for various tasks, including psychic detection and tracking, and distinguishing between benevolent and malevolent forces. She has various (undefined) powerful psychic defenses, can carry on seances, and can even cure a person of “wehrwolfism.” And she can always rely on her massive, intelligent dog Roska for help.

Luna sadly doesn’t show up in the book as often as I’d hoped, but everything about this character is so delightful. In a lot od ways she hardly feels like a pulp hero, at least the ones I usually talk about. She feels like a lost protagonist from an incredibly successful kid’s adventure series where a kind and eccentric detective witch and her giant dog go around solving occult mysteries and encountering all sorts of weird supernatural beings while counseling and helping people, like Ms Frizzle meets Hilda. Like this character is just waiting for Cartoon Saloon to make a film about her.

Its not so much “this character should/could be popular but it’s clear why that didn’t pan out”, it’s more me being confused as “why the hell isn’t she super popular? This character should have had a franchise ages ago, holy shit put her in everything””