#crazy cat lady origin story

[pygartheangel]

[clusterbungle]

Organised brunch with a few friends to celebrate my birthday

All, literally ALL, bailed on me 1 hour before the booking

Picked up some crispy duck bao and going home to be alone (with my cat), eat food and read trashy fanfic

[asterhaze]

Crazy Cat Lady

Original Work Genres: Apocalyptic - Light Horror Copyright © 2023. Aster Haze. All rights reserved.

Prologue: Here

Ch 1. Snippet

That day, maybe a year ago, I remember I woke up alone. This was strange since my wife Selena never left my side. We were attached at the hip, went everywhere together, and there was never a moment that I couldn’t call her name and she’d respond from another room. So for me to wake up alone was quite jarring but Selena was a loyal woman and I had no reason to think she wasn’t out in the tiny flower garden or in the kitchen making some horrible breakfast. 

That was when I wandered from room to room, looking for her, until I looked out into the garden and found her nowhere to be seen. Still, I was calm, and walked to the living room to look out the window at the driveway to find both of our cars there. A deep prickle of fear started in the small of my back and crawled over every inch of my body, settling into the back of my neck as I pulled out my phone and started texting her. As soon as I sent one I heard a faint familiar chime from upstairs.  That’s when my body went cold, straight to the bone, and I’m nearly positive it still hasn’t quite left a year later. It seems silly now that I remember it, retell it, because it’s insane to be that terrified so early in my experience. But Melissa was my everything, and I always assumed the worst would happen to her at any point, but ironically the worst thing that could ever happen to me happened that day. Searching the house confirmed it, Melissa was gone. Gone without a trace, leaving everything important to her behind in their appropriate places, even her shoes.

[foodfightnovelization]

ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight

Holy chips! It's an exciting time to be a Foodfight! fan, because ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight is finally out! This really is THE definitive documentary on the insanity behind the movie, and it finally answers the question of just what was going on behind the scenes during production. Since I helped out with research (and I even get a short line of dialogue at 45:19) I've already seen everything that was shown off, but had to keep quiet until all the interviews were conducted and the documentary was finished. But now it's out and everything has been made public, the cat's out of the bag (the Fat Cat Burglar?) and I can talk about all the production material that's been shared.

Before I get into any of that though, I'd highly recommend you watch the documentary for yourself. It's insanely well researched and put together, and having worked together with Ziggy Cashmere (the documentary's creator) I know how hard he dedicated himself towards making this all possible. If it weren't for him, the most interesting Foodfight! discovery would've been finding the novelization, and we would have never gotten any real insight into how this movie came to be. It's also a documentary that really speaks for itself- I don't want to say too much about what it reveals since it's all expressed far better through its narrative and the interviews with people who actually worked on the project. My favorite is the interview with texture artist Mona Weiss- she tells such horrifying stories about how she was treated by Larry and other crewmembers, yet does it all with a sense of humor that makes it clear she's enjoying getting to talk about her crazy experiences. It's clear Foodfight! was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish, and there's nobody to blame for that but Larry Kasanoff himself. The movie was rotten from the top down and despite the countless talented animators and artists working on it, nothing could fix the fact that it was fundamentally mismanaged in the worst way possible. I think the quote from producer George Johnsen summarizes it best: "Foodfight! was a good idea that unfortunately lost its way during production. The technology, the art, and the direction were not in sync. Many very talented people gave their all to make the picture, but more understanding of process from the top was needed for it to succeed."

But if you saw the documentary, you already know all that, right? So instead, let's talk about the behind-the-scenes material that's finally been shared! You can find everything I'll talking about HERE on archive.org-

It's worth following the link and checking it out for yourself- there's so much it'd impossible to discuss everything. Artwork, storyboards, bloopers, models, a nude render of Lady X, an interview with Larry Kasanoff, the list goes on and it's still being updated! Despite the documentary already being out, people who worked on the movie are continuing to share new material! It's pretty incredible- for the past year I've ran this blog all I've really had to discuss are two tie-in books, and now there's so much Foodfight! material I can't even keep up with it.

I mean LOOK at all this, isn't it fantastic? The character art by Jim George showing off just how much better these designs originally were, the countless environments showing off just how stunning Marketropolis could've looked as well as the strength of the core idea "what if a supermarket came to life at night", and insanely detailed storyboards for a 7-minute pitch reel that was used to sell the movie to investors. Normally, I'd be ALL OVER this because it's all just incredible, but there's something far, FAR more fascinating than any of it.

There are even multiple drafts of the script (one from 2005 and one from 2007 respectively) and normally I'd be insanely fascinated by those too, making extremely detailed posts explaining the differences between the drafts and how they compare to the novelization, but there's something else that was found that blows ALL of this out of the water and is easily one of the most monumental lost media discoveries of ALL TIME.

That's right, a rough cut of the ENTIRE movie from 2005 has been found, containing nearly ALL the completed animation from earlier on in production. I mean, that's mindblowing right? We first got sent this around a month ago, a little while before the documentary came out, and I literally stopped everything I was doing at work to just sit and watch this. This is the closest we're ever going to get to the "original" version of Foodfight! after all- only 7 minutes of footage was ever actually made before they switched to mocap, made solely for the aforementioned pitch reel, and this workprint contains practically all of it! On top of that there are some great storyboards in here, as well as some truly hilarious ones cobbled together from 3D renders, and the plot is far better than what we ended up with, a lot of the more inappropriate jokes being absent. This rough cut is actually pretty similar to the novelization in that regard, and it also contains scenes that we'd previously only read about in there.

For example, in the novelization there's a snowmobile chase through the mountains, with Brand X soldiers on snowmobiles and a heavy avalanche close behind. This scene was completely left out of the movie itself, but in this workprint it's here! ALL the previously novelization-exclusive scenes are included, and this rough cut is seemingly based on an even earlier draft of the script than that- here Brand X are still defeated by a flood, whereas by the time of the novelization it'd been changed to a lightning storm. There are SO many exciting differences in this workprint, the snippets of original animation we get to see are SO good, and it's SO much better than the movie itself that I think it by far deserves the crown as the DEFINITIVE version of Foodfight! There's so much in it I want to discuss, that there's no way I can fit it all into this one post...so stay tuned, because in the next few days I'll be doing a FULL analysis of the 2005 workprint, pointing out all the extra brand mascots not in the finished film, and generally just gushing about how amazing it is.

I mean, this is it. Just take it all in for a second- the original footage was considered lost media for over a decade, and now it's practically been found in its entirety, embedded in an early cut of the whole movie...isn't that just phenomenal? All the mysteries have been unraveled, all the questions have been answered, and now we can relax, take a deep breath, and watch Foodfight!...the REAL Foodfight! Make sure to enjoy it, and join me next time for my analysis!

[puppsworld]

Like 5 people said yes to mcd rewrite, so I think I'll go through the characters I've got drawn on my pc, starting with Laurence!! W/ some lore ofc. (lore beneath the cut)

In my rewrite Laurence meets Aphmau (renamed Phoebe/Penelope [which i will be using for the rest of the post]) kind of similarly to how he meets her in the original story BUT the whole crazy cat lady thing and the chicken shaman are cut - Cadenza is still missing though, and it seems like everyone's super upset about it EXCEPT for Kenmur (who was pretty known from moving on from Sasha's death so quickly to get with Cadenza), so Laurence asks for Penelope to help look for his sister in return for a ride to Scaleswind on his wyvern.

They go search the woods and find Cadenza and her "kidnapper", Sasha - Who had faked her kidnapping to prove to Cadenza that Kenmur *sucks* and doesn't care about her. (A girls helping girls moment, as my friend had called it). Originally Sasha had been sent to keep an eye on Penelope by Gene (who's shockingly worse actually), but after being away from Gene's influence for a long period of time she decides to jump ship in regards to her allegiance to Gene.

Unfortunately, when Penelope returns on her way back to Phoenix Drop, Gene had kidnapped Sasha to brainwash her back into wanting to be his right hand man - leaving Penelope and Laurence to go into the Nether to save her (Which ends up about the same with Laurence becoming a shadowknight).

Some time after Donna and Logan's wedding, Laurence's wyvern saves him from the Nether (and DOESN'T die from crossing the realm barrier... because that was so unesscessary.)

It goes about the same from there on except that Laurence's vision never really improves and he's left legally blind. He still ends up being one of Penelope's guards, and maybe sorta kinda romancing Garroth (they both think they're GREAT at gay chicken).

Bonus Laurence from his first appearance.

[sunfyresrider]

𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓

Synopsis: In 1989 you're forced to go on another one of the Targaryen family vacations except this one is to a summer camp. Crystal Lake isn't renowned for its beauty and exciting activities. Instead, it's well known for murder and strange disappearances; this doesn't deter money hungry counselors from setting up here. The twins swear it's folklore, Aegon claims you're going crazy but ever since you stepped out of the car you knew, this summer was going to be one to remember.

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x You T/W: dead bird, bad omens, nightmares, bullying, anxiety & paranoia, new friends, 80's slang, and all the bad vibes. A/N This is only kind of a Friday the 13th AU, I stole some names and lore but otherwise this is coming from my brain. Ive been listening to cruel summer nonstop hence the name. I really hope the first chapter got you as excited for the rest as I am!

Summer of 1989, you, your best friend and ride or die Hel, plus her army of obnoxious brothers are making your way to summer camp. Hel’s mother, Ali, she’s a sweet lady but her choice of family activities is never the greatest. This has got to be one of the very worst so far. 

To be fair, you would roll over and bark if she asked. She deserved it considering she basically adopted you like a stray cat after your family disappeared… That’s another story for another day where you aren’t trapped in the back seat with the biggest tool known to mankind. “Play this!” You scrunched up your nose, “No! Keep the radio on!” You reached to snatch the cassette from his hand, but he shoved your face back, “Hell no! I don’t wanna listen to Bananarama.”  

You shoved him back, “Shut up, Aegon. No one likes your music.” His eyes rolled into the back of his skull, “Shut up, Aegon. no one likes your music.” You huffed, “Stop mocking me!” He copied, “Stop mocking me!” You became desperate, anything to make him shut up. “Hellll! Make him stop.” With his obnoxious voice he continued, “Helllll make him stop.”

“Will you both shut up!” He turned the dial on the radio and began blasting whatever was originally on. The mood killer of all mood killers, Aemond Targaryen. The perfect student, son, and total stick in the mud. Granted, he did get his eye snatched out by his nephew. You’ve never heard the full story and don’t dare to ask but they don’t speak any more to say the least. 

There’re some good things about him. He has a super soft spot for Hel which sorta extends to you. That is why you’re listening to cruel summer instead of whatever shit Aegon had planned. He also barely speaks to you, almost like he purposely avoids you. In the years you’ve known each other there’s only been a total of ten conversations you remember. 

That’s fine with you, not everyone has to like you. That’s what you tell yourself to make yourself feel better at night. Your eyes drifted to the rear-view mirror, a perfect view of the man himself inside. In some lights Aemond truly was handsome, as if he was carved from marble. It didn’t help that his face almost always remained in a stoic position, unmoving and unwavering no matter the circumstance. The faux eye or eyepatch he chose to wear didn’t ruin his looks at all. In fact, it made him all the more alluring to certain girls.  

You’ve known him for years, lived with his family, basically a constant in his life since you were young, and he still remains a mystery. You enjoyed mysteries a lot, one of your favorite genres of books. You got caught, His good eye flickered to meet yours. Eye contact with Aemond made your breath hitch in your throat. It was intense, everything he did was intense. 

“Aemond watch Out!” 

Helaena screeched, a large black object landing directly into the windshield, cracking it. His eyes flickered back at the road as the car spun out of control. None of the three in the back had any seat belts on. Aegon grabbed ahold of you and the door handle, both of you screeching like little girls. The car made a god-awful noise as Aemond slammed on the brakes, shrouding the car in dust. In the very back you heard Daeron fall to the floor, waking him up immediately. 

“Oh my god! Oh my god!” Hel opened her door, leaping out of the car. Aemond quickly followed behind as the rest of you scrambled to get up. The dust from the road was finally starting to settle as you managed to pry yourself from your seat. “Ew.” Aegon murmured under his breath as he stood over the dead body of a raven. She was silently crying to herself as she bent over the lifeless thing. Helaena had always held an intense love for animals.

You peered at Aemond who remained completely composed, eerily silent as usual. He peered back at you, was this your fault for distracting him? You weren’t even doing anything besides staring! “Ravens are bad omens ya know… Great start to summer guys!” Daeron chirped from behind. “I’m going to the car,” Aegon said with disgust, brushing aside his sister's mourning. Daeron followed quickly behind, excited to go back to napping.

It took Aemond a few tries to get Helaena to leave the bird and return to her seat… She’s too gentle for this world. For some reason you were stuck in place. The second you stepped out of the car you felt eyes on you. You didn’t know where they were coming from, but they were there or everywhere. Instant anxiety coursed through you; this place had bad vibes in the first place. It didn’t help that you were watching a bird slowly choking to death on its own blood.

Bad omen

Bad omen

Bad omen

Bad omen

“Hey! We’re going to be late, get in the car.” Aegon’s screeching pulled you out of your trance, “Oh piss off!” 

The walk through of camp was rather boring. Immediately the girls were separated from the boys and to be completely honest, the girls' cabins were shit. They were wooden and lined with poorly built bunk beds. No plumbing whatsoever besides the showers which only ran cold water. A bug infestation was definitely on the horizon. The camp tshirts weren’t terrible, just a little ugly in design. The counselors were only a few years older than you, which teed you off because they were barking orders left and right. 

Helaena didn’t seem to mind any of it, lost in her head as usual. The dead bird definitely ruined her mood for today… You on the other hand couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. It came just as quickly as it went, and it fucking followed you… You were actually going insane. Or one of the boys was playing a long prank on you.

The tour was painstakingly long as you walked the grounds looking at the lake, the yard, the forest trails and the other buildings of importance. The recreation room, the dining hall and kitchen, the banned counselor area and finally the “special building.” It was where all the electricity came from and probably plumbing too. 

The events for welcoming day were as follows: settling in, tour of the camp, dinner, and the huge bonfire in front of the lake. It seemed simple and easy to digest but you couldn’t shake your anxiety. You didn’t like being around strange people, you didn’t like being far away from home and you definitely didn’t like that they separated your bed from Hel’s. Also, Daeron’s comment from earlier was making you paranoid. Little shit always has a way of getting in your head. 

“Aegon is already flirting with the girls from the other cabin.” You peered from across the dining room to watch him shamelessly chat up randos. Your face twisted in minor disgust. “Oh, gag me with a spoon… I don’t know how you’re related.” You slid down the line grabbing the food the “chef” had made. Without a doubt there was a few mystery meats and a hair lurking in the applesauce. Maybe you were being pretentious, but shouldn’t a rich camp afford better food? 

You took your seat after meticulously avoiding all of the possible bowel killing food and settled on Mac n Cheese. Even at camp the tables were separated by categories, freaks aka rebels, geeks/brains depending on who you ask, the jocks, the heathers aka bitches and the outcasts. Obviously, you the Targaryen’s stray cat and the weird girl obsessed with bugs aka Hel say with the outcasts. 

Aegon had wormed his way into the jocks even though he didn’t play sports. Daeron fit in anywhere because he was just sooo charming. And well, Aemond, was staring at you from across the room at the brains table. Gracefully avoiding direct eye contact when you glanced over. He always did that, ever since you were kids. 

A normal person might ask why or go and talk to him. You weren’t normal and unbelievably awkward when alone with him. It was just because he was intimidating and obviously didn’t like you very much. Or maybe he was madly in love with you and just couldn’t find the strength to speak to you… Of course, it was the former.

 “Hey!” A short girl with pretty curls took her seat in front of you both. Hel and you glanced at each other, shocked someone were talking to you. She was beaming, sunshine literally radiating off of her skin. A total surfer chick from the west coast. You learned her name was Rhaena, her twin Baela had ditched her earlier for a boy and she was trying to make new friends. 

“So, this is your first time here? That’s totally tubular!” Helaena spoke up,“You’ve been here before?” Rhaena propped her knees up on the seat, so she was basically in Hel’s face. “Yeah! Baela and I have been coming since we were kids.” Helaena smiled, eyes twinkling with something you hadn’t seen before.“That’s rad.” You paused, when has seen used slang before? “What about you? Have you been here before?” Her voice sounded muted, as if asking you was a total pain. “Oh no. This is my first time.” 

“Oh my god I can totally show you guys around and tell you all the secrets.” Helaena cocked a brow, “What secrets?” Rhaena smiled mischievously, “Likeee there’s this abandoned shack not too far away that everyone goes and explores. Apparently, it’s haunted.” You were nodding your head along getting lost in thought. 

“Oh, and the boys get all the hot water, and we don’t… and they only use knock off versions of food to save money… Don’t eat the Mac n cheese, I’m pretty sure it’s spoiled.” You dropped your spoon, apparently nothing was edible here…. Wait?! The boys got hot showers and you didn’t?! And there’s a fucking haunted house… You knew this place was fucking creepy. 

“Baela! That’s the twin I was telling you about! Come on, I want y’all to meet her.” She grabbed Helaena’s hand and gently tugged her in the opposite direction. “Hey, you coming?” There it was again! The feeling of your hair standing up and someone watching you. You froze in place, eyes scanning the area. Aemond wasn’t looking at you anymore, too preoccupied with Daeron. 

“She’s zoned out again… Bestie we’re gonna be right back.” No one in your peripheral vision either… Which means they were behind you. You jumped around in your seat, prepared to surprise whoever was there. 

Except, there was no one but an empty building. You spun around looking for any sign of life and found none… How long have you been sitting here? When did Helaena leave you? The lights turned off and you felt your heart sink to your ass… 

A masked figure emerged from the darkness of the kitchen holding a kitchen knife. He was soaking wet, as if he had just come out of the lake. You stumbled back in place, bumping into the table behind you. Your breath hitched in your throat; your heart began thumping rapidly. 

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck

You weren’t able to scream, your legs had turned into wet noodles that wouldn’t move. You were going to die; you were totally going to fucking die. It cocked its head to the side, “Run Rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run,” it sang in an eerily sweet voice. Not the fucking tune from the thirties! 

All of the sudden he charged; you squeezed your eyes shut preparing for the worse… You felt two hands shaking you, violently shaking you. 

“Mrs. y/l/n, please wake up.” The counselor shook you a few more times, “Hey! Rise and Shine sweetheart!” You jumped in place, gasping for air and startling the counselor. “We’re going to be late for the bonfire, please hurry up.” You looked around, the lights were still beaming, and the sun had only just started to set. There were still a few counselors around and your face was sticky…

You fell asleep in the fucking Mac n Cheese!  

“Hey.” You awkwardly took a seat in between Aemond and Aegon seeing as Helaena was being fussed over by the twins. “You only come to me when your girl gets stolen. Don’t worry babe, I can make you forget about her.” You shoved him into Daeron, nearly knocking him off the bench. “Can you be normal?! For like five seconds, please.” 

“Impossible, his brain is made of jello.” Aemond deadpanned, eyes burning holes into Aegon’s skull. You giggled to yourself, “The off brand Jell-O.” The camp counselor marched in front of the four of you, pointing fingers. “Hey! Don’t tell me you four are gonna be the troublemakers this year. I’ll have you know-“ 

“Ms. Dunn! I just saw a kid go into the electrical cabin!” Baela, you assumed, just caused a perfect distraction. The counselor went running in the opposite direction. She winked at you all and walked off to join her sister and your best friend. Aegon sat up, dead silent. He had that look in his eyes, the look of a boy who found a new boy. “He’s found a new conquest.” 

You peered at Aemond, unable to hide the smirk creeping onto your face. “Let’s hope this one has some standards.” The head counselor stepped up, clapping their hands together to announce their presence. Ghost stories, a nice welcome to a strange camp. It was tradition according to Rhaena, a weird fucking tradition. 

It took a minute for everyone to settle down, specifically Aegon who kept poking you in your side. He did this consistently throughout your life, teased you until you gave him attention. Aeg was like an older brother but worse and more pervy. Introductions, getting to know each other, and then finally the fucking story. The entire thing was unbearably boring. 

“Many years ago, a mad woman lived here with her son before her land was sold to us. It is said after years of listening to the campers next door she went insane. She butchered every single camper, except one who drowned her own son believing him to be the killer!” The crowd was silent, except the few gasps of some younger girls. You sat up in your seat, fixated on lore. 

“Not long after, a group of campers decided to explore the lake and the supposed haunted cabin. Of course, they were brave and didn’t believe in myths or legends. As they walked along the shore, they heard strange noises coming from the trees. Branches cracked, leaves rustled, and something seemed to be following them.” You weren’t easily frightened… but for some reason your nails were picking at the tips of your shorts. 

“They picked up their pace, escaping into the abandoned shack they originally thought to be safe. One brave boy ventured deeper inside, until he fell through the floor. An ear-piercing scream could be heard across the lake… He fell right on top of the mother’s remains!” Aemond wasn’t amused, he was far more entranced by the way the fire lit up your face. And the way your jaw hung with suspense at a silly ghost story. 

“They ran back to the main grounds, hoping to find safety! However, when they returned the camp was nearly empty. Not a single soul remained on this land. Ripples began forming in the lake below them, tree branches cracking the distance. They all began to panic, huddling in a circle… From the darkness of the lake emerged a looming figure, soaked head to toe with blood. He held out the machete in his hand and stormed towards them.” 

The outdoors became eerily silent, only the crackling fire provided comfort. You were on the edge of your seat, anticipating blood shed… “The next day the authorities arrived and found no trace of the bodies. No blood or weapons could be found anywhere in the vicinity. Twenty campers and counselors disappeared that night without a single trace…” You leaned back in your seat, that wasn’t an epic ending at all. It was like almost reaching an orgasm then being cut off. “it’s said every few years he comes back... He waits for the campers to get comfortable… to feel safe… Until-”

“Ahhhh!”

A dark figure in a black mask with a blood coated axe jumped out of the darkness. You screamed like a banshee, you jumped back in place, landing against Aemond’s chest. It felt like your eyes were going to pop out of your skull, or maybe your heart would explode. His arms wrapped around you lightly, you could barely feel them securing you into place. 

“Ahahaha! Ahahaha!  you’re so fucking jumpy! You’re like a little rabbit.” You stared at him blankly, then you stared at the people around you… No one else was screaming but you. Was the jump scare seriously not that terrifying to anyone but you. Aemond cleared his throat, “You good?” He didn’t mind you being close, he didn’t mind that you crushed his groin. In fact, he could stay like this for hours if there weren’t camp counselors staring him down. 

It was like an alarm going off in your head, you turned to look at Aemond for a second. Embarrassment quickly drowning all of your sensations. You slid off of his lap and back on the bench. No words were coming out, no thoughts being processed. Your cheeks were beaming red, this summer was going to be fucking hell. 

After the bonfire, aka your personal torment, your family and the new add ons Baela and Rhaena huddled into a lopsided circle by the lake. “I have an idea,” Aegon announced to the group. “Baela told me about the broken-down shack, and I think we should totally go check it out!” You looked around at everyone’s faces and they all seemed to be in agreement… “Haven’t you seen the movies? This is how everyone dies dumby.” 

Aegon scoffed, “Ok freakazoid, did you and Aemond switch bodies? ” He just killed two birds with one stone, or one sentence. Aemond was used to the slander, you however had a short fuse when it came to Egg boy. “Eat my shorts, Aegon!” He cocked an eyebrow, “Only if you ask nicely.” You faked a vomiting noise. Helaena made a sour face, “That’s grody.” You paused; Helaena never used slang before. Aegon chimed in, “Are you done being pussy?” 

You began bickering instantly, the sounds of your petty argument and Aegon’s obnoxious laughter obviously killing the vibe. Daeron pushed into the center of the circle. “Everyone take a chill pill! How about we go to the cabin, and you stay here as a lookout.” Aegon clapped his hands together, “Awesome! We gotta go now before the counselors wake up.” You took a step back watching the group disperse towards the forest. Rhaena took Helaena’s hand and started bouncing off, leaking excitement. “Hel? Are you not gonna stay behind?” 

She paused, glanced between you both. “I- I just want to check it out! I’ll be back in a sec.” Rhaena raised a hand to wave, “Don’t stress! We won’t die!” You watched silently as your best friend got whisked off into the darkness. She’s never left you behind before, she’s never done adventurous things. She’s calm, quiet, quirky and, and you don’t like this. You don’t like this one bit. 

“You look jealous.” You whipped your body around, nearly stumbling on the leaves behind you. “Aemond? I thought you were going with them.” He smiled, just barely, “Exploring abandoned shacks isn’t my forte.” He definitely wasn’t staying behind because you were. He especially wasn’t staying behind to be alone with you. “Oh…” you stared at him, not a single thought in your brain. Why were you so nervous? Have you always been so nervous around him? 

It might be because you had to crane your neck up to look at him. “I’m not jealous!” He stalked behind you with his hands behind his back. “Is that so? You’ve looked pissed the past few hours.” Your brows furrowed, “Pissed? What no. It’s just… ever since we got here, I’ve had anxiety out the butt.” Aemond paused his steps, “I’m sorry about the bird. I should have been looking but I-”

“It’s not the bird. I mean it is kinda the bird, but this place gives me the creeps!” You held your arms out wide and twirled in a circle. You were trying to make a point. Aemond smiled to himself, “I get it. It’s too calm, the perfect place for a monster to hide out.” Your mouth gaped in faux shock; your hand went to swat at his arm. “Don’t joke! I’m being serious, it has bad vibes.”

“Hm,” he nodded his head as if agreeing or thinking, you couldn’t tell. “You just need to distract yourself from the bad vibes.” You cocked your head to the side, “How?” Aemond sat down on the little beach, motioning for you to follow. “We could play a game.” You followed suit, sitting with your legs crossed. “Which game?”

He picked up a pebble and threw it into the water. “I was hoping you would know.” Who would offer to play a game then not even know what game! “Uhhh all I know is twenty questions.” He tossed another pebble,“Great.” 

He was always straight forward and maybe a little too quiet. You couldn’t tell if he was doing this out of pity or he really wanted to play with you… Aemond Targaryen was a confusing man. “You’re agreeing that easily?” He finally turned to look at you, sincerity gracing his features. “I mean, all we know about each other is from what Helaena says so I don’t see why not.” You tapped your fingers on your chin, “Okay… Why’d you choose Vhagar as a pet name.” 

He hummed to himself, “I was twelve and thought it was a cool name for a big lizard. What’s your favorite song?” The same song that almost caused a car accident earlier, you thought to yourself. “Easy. Cruel Summer by Bananarama.” Aemond smiled, a smile that could genuinely light up the world. “Ah, that’s why you almost fist fought Aegon for radio rights.” You clapped your hands together, “It’s a great song! And it totally fits the vibes. Next question… What’s your favorite song?”

“For Whom the Bells Toll. I can play pretty much every Metallica song on guitar.” Your eyes lit up with excitement, “You’re a metalhead and you play?! Aemond I never knew that!” You sat up and grabbed his shoulders, tugging at them gently. “It’s not that impressive.” He made eye contact for a split second before his lips curled into a tiny smirk. “Oh please! don’t be coy. You need to play for me sometime… If you-” 

“Of course.” A sudden sting of embarrassment rose through him as quickly as he said it. He didn’t mean to cut you off, or seem so excited… “What’s something you regret?” You stopped invading his personal space and sat back, criss cross applesauce. What was something you regretted? You could be completely honest and go for it or make up a lie. You regretted many things in your life, too many to count. The only one you could think of now, “I regret not getting to know you sooner. You're super cool, Aemond.” 

Aemond felt his heart rate pick up its pace and his palms were getting all sweaty. He always knew you were pretty but seeing you excited over him took it to a new level. The way your eyes sparkled and the moonlight reflecting off of the water perfectly illuminating your features. For a second, he swore he saw your lip's part. Did you want to kiss him? No, he avoided you for years, no way you’d be into him now. Unless… 

 “What’s your favorite memory?” Aemond paused, obviously he couldn’t say the day you moved in. The day you nearly bit Aegon’s finger off for shoving it in his face. The day you awkwardly danced with him at prom because no one else would… “I think I’m gonna create my favorite this summer…” He leaned in, slowly but purposefully. Your cheeks lit up bright red, eyes bursting out of your skull. Was he going to kiss you? Is Aemond trying to kiss you?

Why aren’t you pulling back? Why are you leaning into him! Aemond murmured under his breath, “…with you.” For a second, and only a second you thought you would kiss. You never moved this fast, was he always this alluring? Ever since you got here everyone had been acting strange. Helaena is using slang and ditching you. All of the sudden Aegon is a natural born leader. Daeron is going on dangerous adventures with Aegon of all people… And you are about to kiss your best friend’s brother whom you barely know! 

“Ahhhhhhh”

An ear-piercing scream immediately caught both of your attention. “Helaena,” you said in unison. Aemond shot to his feet first, you quickly followed suit. He sprinted towards the forest, fastest you’ve ever seen him run. This wasn’t the time for I told you so but, you fucking told them so! 

All you could hear was yourself panting, twigs breaking, and leaves being crushed beneath your feet. Why did everything go quiet?! It felt like you were in the twilight zone. It felt as if you had been running for hours when you approached the cabin. Though it didn’t bring you any relief.  

Your heart sank as you realized that the door was left open, which could only mean that they were inside. You picked up the pace, thinking that you were running out of time. Believing they might be getting chopped up by an axe wielding maniac. 

When you finally reached the cabin, you saw your friends huddled inside. Helaena, Daeron and Rhaena stood there pointing flashlights towards the floor, unbothered. They looked more spooked by you two crashing their party than anything else. “Are you guys okay?” Aemond asked.

“We’re fine,” Daeron replied. “Aegon fell through the floor, though. He landed on a pile of bones.” You walked towards the hole, searching for any signs of life. “Is he hurt?” you asked, in a voice that sounded too sincere.

“Ah sweetheart! I knew you cared about me,” Aegon shouted beneath the floorboards. You deadpanned, “I change my mind, die.” You reached into the darkness anyways, trying to help pull Aegon out of the floor. “Jesus have you always been so heavy.” He snickered, “You’re just a weakling.” You slapped the top of his head, “I’ll drop you and you can spend the rest of your night in the hole.” As you bickered with Aegon, who was taking his sweet time crawling out of the floor. 

Aemond looked around the cabin, something was off. “What types of bones were they?” Helaena sighed, “More animal bones but I think it was from a deer this time.” He tapped his foot on the ground, “hm.” His eyes narrowed as he scanned the cabin, “which one of you screamed?” The girls looked at each other, confused. “None of us screamed, Aemond.” The group fell into a heavy silence before Daeron spoke up. “Let’s get the hell out of here. I don’t want the counselors to find us.”

You all quickly exited the cabin, making sure to leave it the way you found it, and made your way back to camp. The closer you got to your temporary home the worse you felt. Were you slowly having a psychotic break why are you so anxious? No, it wasn’t paranoia, something was wrong. 

Something was missing, someone was missing. You counted, one for Aegon, two for Helaena, three for Aemond, four for Daeron, five for Rhaena, six for… You stopped walking, causing everyone to turn their heads towards you. “Where’s Baela?”

[ofbluesandyellows]

Black Cat's Curse - TASM! Fem! Reader

Summary: Peter Parker has been cursed, crossing paths with the oh so feared black cat isn't exactly in his itinerary, and no, we are not talking about or favorite lady, Felicia. On Halloween night his bad luck has prodded him to the solution he didn't know he was looking for.

Word count: 6,537

Warnings: cursing, witchcraft (lol idk)

a/n: Hi! I'm back with a lil Halloween story for you, this one fully came to me last week. It isn't anything crazy but I do hope you enjoy it. Happy Halloween y'all. I adopted a black cat recently so maybe that's where the inspo came from. Bye :)

“What do you mean you can’t do anything?” Spider-Man was about to drop to his knees, to beg. And he never begged for anything in his life, other than bringing Ben back to life.

“Ow Spider.” Her finger with a long perfectly manicured nail traced his spandex covered clavicle. “Yes, they call me Black Cat but it doesn’t mean I know how to undo your bad luck. That’s on you and the poor black kitty you crossed paths with.”

“But whenever I get unlucky it’s always because of you, how come this is different?”

“Hey, don’t come to me with that bullshit, that’s just how things are, you should’ve known better. You’re on your own Spider.”

Peter closed his eyes, not that Cat could see him but he needed a second not to throw a punch at her, he knew she’d dodged with ease but he didn’t want to risk it. Exhaling he was about to humiliate himself once more, turning around Cat was long gone.

“Mother fuck-“ a splash of what he knew was bird poo painted the red spandex of his forearm with sickly yellowy-white. “Seriously?” Arms up in the air, no one to reply back.

Peter Parker wasn’t a big fan of Halloween growing up, he always went for the uncool type of costumes, he clearly remembered asking aunt May to buy him a white wig so he could dress up as Albert Einstein when he was about eleven. Uncle Ben ended up buying him white color spray and a fake mustache so they could DIY the look. Knitted burgundy vest, faux wrinkles on his face and the already perfect bushy brows made Peter the happiest kid in the block.

He was beyond ecstatic with the way his costume turned out, adults praised him and aunt May for the effort when he went trick or treating but the real menace were kids’ nasty words and funny remarks about him. After that he either went with a boring costume, he preferred to fit in, or at least try rather than be laughed at. 

It was obvious that the teasing continued up until college, but college was bearable compared to what he had gone through since he became Spider-Man.

Peter hadn’t been in need of a costume for years now, that was the main reason why he liked Halloween now, he could walk around as a civilian in his actual suit, no one batted an eye in his direction during this day.

Flash Halloween party was crazy loud, Peter didn’t know these many people were friends with Flash.

“Hey Spider-Man!” His heart skipped a beat, but Flash was smiling at him. “Peter, you made it!” 

Peter took the mask off, he thought this would be funny, wearing his actual suit was comfortable but now he was regretting it, he had several mini heart attacks whenever called him by his alias. He felt sweat dripping from his back. Yeah he would need to wash the suit.

“Of course man! I promised, right?” he laughed trying to disguise the panic.

Flash was wearing a Beetle juice costume, a pretty epic one if Peter could have an opinion on it. 

“I see you went all in with the costume huh?” He snatched the mask off Peter’s hand. “Nah this isn’t as good as the original.” Flash laughed.

With cherry colored cheeks Peter chuckled. “Yeah, I bought it at Walmart. Everyone seems to love the guy so I just thought why not?” 

“I’ve seen worse Parker, like the guy dressed as Alex Turner? Pfff lazy.”

“Really? I haven’t seen him. Don’t tell me it’s Harry the one dressed like that.” Peter said amused.

“Almost, but no. Harry hasn’t shown up yet, bet he found some expensive costume made suit and will pull off a ‘I’m Leonardo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street.””

Both boys rolled their eyes. “Wouldn’t be surprised.” 

Suddenly Peter felt cold dripping from his back. 

“Hey dickhead, watch where you are going.” Flash was the first to talk, pushing a drunk David Bowie out the way.

Peter was in shock, how come he didn’t notice, why were his senses not alerting him of the guy at his back.

The smell of sweet fruity punch and vodka lingered on his nose. 

“Shit Pete, do you want to change?” 

Peter shook his head, lipped smile on. “No, don’t worry I’m good. Just going to grab a beer.”

“Ok, if you need something just look for me, okay?” 

“Sure, thanks Flash. Cool party by the way.”

Flash grinned. “Thanks Parker! See ya around.”

The lights were kaleidoscopic, New Wave music playing, it was a lot and now his suit was wet and cold and there were pretty girls around, and he couldn’t concentrate in one thing. 

Fuck me.

Tuning around as he dodged a group of girls dressed as fairies he clocked eyes with a witch. She was sitting on the couch with other people, Peter wasn’t sure if she was with them or not but the staring sent shivers down his spine. 

She gave him a lipped smile, one he tried to emulate, not succeeding because she dropped her expression. The next thing he knew it was that she disappeared. 

He shook his body to try and get rid of the odd feeling. Finding a beer was easy, what wasn’t easy was held in the need to puke when the warm and obviously outdated beer’s taste hit his tongue. 

Peter sighed, he was tired of this, it hadn’t even been a week with this black cat curse and he was already done, no fight with Electro nor Vulture had done him this wrong. Sloped shoulders and a bitter taste he was ready to go home. 

Exiting the loud house in Brooklyn, Peter’s eyes found the sparkly ones of a witch. 

A new wave of shivers appeared as Season of the Witch played at his back. Spooky as shit.

“Okay, this is worrying me.” He mumbled.

The girl approached him in two long steps. 

“Hello,” you smiled, showing him your pearly white teeth. 

“Um hi?” 

“Sorry to bother you, I saw you in there and if you don’t mind me saying this… you look like shit.” The apple of your cheeks tinted pink. 

Peter scoffed. “Yeah? Well, I didn’t need to hear it because I do indeed feel like shit, so if you excuse me,”

He took a step to the right to make his escape, but you took the exact same side as he did.

Peter scowled.

“I—I don’t want to sound crazy but you do have like a bad aura around you, you know? Like a dark cloud following you, and… okay yeah I’m going to say this with the risk of sounding like an insane person but I promise you I am not—“

Taking a cautious step closer, you were too close for Peter’s liking. On your tiptoes you angled yourself to reach his ear.

“You are cursed.” 

Peter felt his body freeze, his eyes went wide just as goosebumps formed on his skin.

“You… how did you know?” Peter stumbled back a little. 

“As I said, I can see it.” You took a jump back. Your face went back to a soft smirk. “Need help with it?”

Peter looked around, the streets were busy still, it wasn’t even midnight yet.

“You know how to revert it?” 

“Sure thing. It’s a simple spell.” 

“Can you do it now, like chant it or whatever.” 

You scoffed. “Hell no! It’s a bit more complicated than that,” balancing on the balls of your heels you stared at him. Peter was mulling with the possibilities. You were weird as fuck. But he didn’t feel the Peter tingle as it was. He only felt wary. 

You had this cute smile and very bright eyes. If Black Cat couldn’t do anything to help him, why not take his chances and accept the help of an actual witch.

“Are you like a real witch?” He squinted. 

“Yeah.” 

“Fine. What do we need to do?” 

You grinned, joyous. 

“Follow me Peter Parker.” 

Shrugging, you said: “Flash told me.”

“You know Flash?” Well, that was news to him. He never expected him of all people to be close with a witch.

You seemed offended. “Um yes? We take bioengineering together.” 

Peter almost choked on his own saliva. “You go to Empire?”

“Yes, I’ve seen you around, you’re friends with that rich kid that always looks at the rest of us as if we were dirt under his shoe.” 

You couldn’t help but laugh when Peter scrunched his nose. “That sounds like Harry.” 

“Osborn is not always nice to everyone.” 

Peter knew that but Harry wasn’t a bad person he just hadn’t been given the attention he deserved.

“So bioengineering, huh? You’re pretty smart I assume.”

“It helps with the witchcraft thing, believe it or not.” 

Peter could see why. He grabbed his mask a little tighter.

“Oh.” 

Peter heard you say, a second later a car passed by full gas, the puddle of dirty water splashed wetting his legs. 

“You could’ve warned me, you know?” shaking his legs only made the water go down into his converses, wetting his socks. He needed to come up with a water repellent suit.

“Right, sorry. Never seen such a curse before. The grayish hue around you goes purple whenever something is about to happen. It’s kinda awesome.” You grinned.

Why was this woman always so cheery? Peter sighed and continued walking.

“Do you have a name or should I just call you Witch?” 

You chuckled. “I do have a name but Witch is way more fun. And it’s Halloween, it fits.” 

Peter grimaced. What a time to be cursed.

Both hopped on a bus after walking three blocks.

“Are you hungry Peter Parker?” 

His stomach felt like growling. “I could eat.”

“Nice, I’ll order some pizza. It should be there when we arrive.” 

Peter saw you texting. He noticed for once your whole attire. Pointy hat with purple ribbons and tulle decorating it. You had glitter smeared on your cheeks and eyelids. The dress was black tulle as well with a sparkling touch, he wasn’t sure what it was. The tights had black and purple stripes with a nice pair of black Dr Martens. It was like a modern version of the classic Witch costume he’d seen in movies. 

It suited you, what it didn’t match was your always happy features. Peter wondered if you were in fact a witch or just pretended to be one for the sake of the holiday.

“Do you like mushrooms?” You found him staring. Your cheeks went a tone deeper in red.

Peter panicked and looked out the window, far away from you. “They’re fine.”

“Good, I ordered half pepperoni and half mushrooms.” 

Humming, you, witchy girl unlocked, your phone and started to play…

“Sudoku? Really Witch?” Peter grinned, this was so odd to him.

“I like it, it keeps me on my toes.” you giggled.

Unintendedly, Peter kept an eye on the game, finger pointing to one square and mumbled “there has to be a nine.”

The grid sheet sparkled after you pressed the 9 in. “Nice one, Peter Parker.” 

“Just call me Peter.” 

Your eyes locked on his. “But Peter Parker sounds more interesting.” You nudged him, making him laugh. 

“You’re so weird.”

“Thanks.”

•••

Peter sat in the living room. The apartment was simple, it didn’t even feel witchy at all. It smelled fresh and there was some kind of lavender sent around.

“What? Disappointed?” You laughed at his face.

“A little, yes.”

“It’s 2023 Peter Parker. I don’t have cauldrons and a crystal ball.” Your witch hat rested comically on the kitchen counter.

“So what kind of witch are you, then?” Peter spoke with a mouthful, the pizza was incredibly tasty.

“I’m not one kind, I just do what I want to do.” 

Peter nodded. 

“Careful with the—“ 

Peter’s slice of pizza fell on his converses. He thought he’d been clever by not using his spandex lined boots.

“Shit.”

“I tried to tell you.”

He peeled the slice from his black chucks. “Can I get another slice?” 

You pushed the box his way. 

“How did you get cursed?” You asked, nibbling on your lip, the pizza resting on a plate on your lap, untouched.

“Crossed the path of a black cat.” He grunted. “Sounds stupid but it’s what happened.”

“Been there. I’ll fix it, it shouldn’t be hard” 

Peter straightened. “How long is it going to take?” 

You stared at him. Peter could almost see the nuts turning in your brain.

“A few hours, I suppose.” 

“Is it going to hurt?”

“Maybe?”

Peter had multidimensional war flashbacks from Doctor Strange, and the other Peters. Yeah he wasn’t in. “Well, now that I’ve had time to think about it I remember why I don’t do witchcraft. You need to find another way. I’ve had my fair share of that and it was quite the hustle so no Miss Witch I think I’m good.” He gave you a lipped smile.

“Okay… um why don’t you tell me about it, I assure you this is completely different and safe.”

“I’m not legally allowed to talk about it, so…” He shrugged. “Also you said it can hurt. I’m not down for that."

“Ugh fine, Peter Parker, but if you go, the curse won’t go away, you’ll have to live with it.”

Peter looked down, considering all that had happened maybe you were right, it’s not like he hadn’t suffered enough to handle a little magic.

“Fine.”

You got up in a jump, disappearing inside a room. Peter heard rattling and the closing of drawers. He wasn’t sure what to expect so he tried to not think about it. 

After another two slices of what he considered a perfect pizza, Peter put the plate down on the coffee table. The table cracked in two as if some almighty froze had cut it in two with a really sharp invisible blade.

“How the fuck?” He squealed, holding both sides of his face with his hands. This was nonsense. He didn’t even put force. 

“What happened?” You appeared behind him. “Oh… well I needed a new coffee table anyway.” 

You went away humming again. 

“Insane… she is insane.” Mumbling Peter crossed his arms, trying to not touch or breathe too hard, anything could create a domino effect and make the building collapse or something worse. He could die if he forgot how to breathe!

He guessed that wasn’t possible but he was not going to risk it.

The skin on his back felt sticky but he didn’t dare to move. After a moment you cleared your throat to announce yourself.

“So Peter Parker, I’m going to ask you a few questions…. It's protocol only.” 

Sitting down at his feet, you flipped a few pages, grabbed a pink sparkly gel pen and wrote down in pretty cursive calligraphy. 

Peter Parker. 

Cursed by crossing paths with a black cat :(

“You do this often or-“ he asked.

“Nah, but it’s nice to document these things, who knows when I will need the information.” You beamed, clearly excited by the whole situation.

“Sure,”

“So, have you been cursed before?” blinking, you waited for a response.

Peter wasn’t sure if his Spider-Man issues were a curse, sometimes it felt like that to be honest.

“Not that I’ve been aware of.” He leaned back on the couch. 

“Have you killed people in the past?”

His face contorted, now that was a hard question.

“It’s… um not voluntarily… I mean no, of course no” he let out a pretty fake laugh. “But I saw my uncle die and my… my girlfriend too.” 

Your face dropped. “Sorry about that.”

He half shrugged, looking the other way, he was not going to cry in front of a witch, this was humiliation enough.

“Er, next question. Do you have allergies?” 

“No.”

“Experienced dizziness, or a rush of adrenaline in the past forty-eight hours?” 

Peter squinted, these were very specific questions. “ Yeah, but what does that have to do with the curse?”

You shrugged. “See if there are side effects.” 

“The adrenaline thing isn’t for the curse… I have a stressful job.”

“That responds the next question… so how long has it been since you got cursed?” your head rested on your palm, you reminded him of that one therapist aunt May forced him to go see a few years ago.

“Three days, maybe four.” 

“Hmmm, interesting.” 

“Why?”

“Hmm? Oh well, cats don’t just go out crossing people’s paths like that. Most times they have a reason. Have you wronged a cat in your life?” your knee going up and down nonstop, Peter noticed the nervous thick. He had several.

Felicia could count as a cat but she had wronged him more than he had her.

“No.” He scoffed. 

“Ok, didn’t want to offend you.”

Peter let out a breathy laugh, this was the craziest shit that he had experienced and he had gone through a lot of fucked up shit in his life.

“Please come with me.” 

You stood up with a graceful jump. Dress puffing with air. Peter stared at your hand extended to him. The moment he took it there was this tingly feeling that crossed his whole body. 

You grinned. He glared.

The room you got in was pitch black, a breeze came from somewhere, it smelled like incense. With the snap of your fingers a yellow hue covered the room which was not more than 80 square feet, seemed to be a closet.

Three candles were floating, Harry Potter style. His hand went over the flame no wire attached to them.

“Am I hallucinating already?” He said. Hand now going under the candle he was in awe.

“Nope, we haven’t started yet.” You chuckled. “And those are totally real. It’s a very easy spell.” You said proudly.

“Cool,”

“Sit on the floor.” You demanded, Peter obeyed.

With a bright pink dust, you painted a circle and a bunch of indecipherable symbols that Peter preferred not to know what they meant. Instead he focused on you; your smooth hands tracing patterns as if it was second nature. Your lips were tuned slightly upwards, it was obvious how this made you feel. Peter felt his own lips curving. 

Hmm… he frowned, that was not right. But his mind was taking over, your long lashes with specs of glitter resting on them. Hair, shiny and soft looking. Peter kind of wanted to brush it to the side with his fingers. Shaking his head he couldn’t be thinking such things, he didn’t even know your name. And you were a witch!

And you are a fucking Spider-Man, chill the fuck out Parker.

Great! He was going insane now.

Snapping your fingers, music started to sound. 

“Is that Fiona Apple?” Peter asked, throwing her a quick glance,

“Yes! She gives off the right vibe for this.” Your sly smirk made Peter’s stomach flip.

Oh no.

Squaring down, to be on eye level with him, he caught the very faint scent of cherry. 

“I’m going to give you tea, It’s going to make you a little dizzy and jittery.” Extending your palm, you showed him two little rocks. 

“What’s that for?” Peter took them either way. 

Your index finger pointed to a clear looking crystal. “That’s clear quartz, it clears the mind, attracts positivity and repels negativity. The orange one it’s citrine for positive mood, clarity and focus.” 

His chocolate eyes never left yours, for the first time the whole night your smile quivered. You needed to gain some distance. You stood up quickly.

“Whatever happens, don’t let them go. And you have to have them around until the next new moon. Understood?”

Peter sighed, whatever helps him get over this. “Got it.”

You opened a book with a crimson hard cover. A sage green cup rested on the wooden table in front of you. Your back facing Peter, he let the little crystals roll on his palm as he heard Fiona Apple’s voice mixing with the cooing spell you were casting. Words he had never heard got whispered inside the cup, the energy in the room changed in a second, the yellow hue became brighter. 

Peter’s body shivered when you went back kneeling before him.

“Drink this, you have to close your eyes and don’t open them until I say so, okay Peter Parker?”

Peter nodded, gulping as he took the cup. It was warm to the touch. The liquid inside looked like any other tea aunt May had made him before, a little cloudy but it had a nice smell.

“I added a little honey and it’s spearmint flavored.” You chirped. 

“How many times have you said you have done this?” Peter was really curious, it came pretty natural to you. 

“Oh this is the first time, but I’m sure it’ll go almost perfect.” 

“Jesus, that’s just what one would like to hear in these situations.”

“Come on Peter Parker, this is fun!” 

“Cheers, I guess.” 

Peter drank the whole thing in one go and the taste was surprisingly good.

He sat there waiting for something to feel different but nothing changed. 

“How you feeling?” You asked, looking him in the eye.

“Should I be feeling weird?” he replied, trying to pay attention to his body. Everything was the same. He opened his eyes.

“Shit, you are supposed to be experiencing something by now. And you drank the whole thing,” you stomped your foot on the floor. “I did everything the book said.” 

Quickly, you went back to the book to check the spell as if it was a recipe. 

“Sorry to disappoint.” Peter sighed. “Hey um, this is going to sound weird, but, would you like to… I don’t know, like go for coffee one of these days?” your eyes went wide, big as saucers hearing him ask. “Or not… I mean I was just suggesting.”

“Don’t move Peter Parker.” You squinted, Peter felt something on his arm. 

“You opened your eyes!” She squealed. 

A spider, the same spider that bit him years ago was walking up his arm, then there was another and another, all of them crawling upwards.

“Holy fucking shit.” Horror stained his voice. But Peter couldn’t move. He didn’t know if he was able to feel his body.

“You are Spider-Man for fucks sake keep it together” you cried. “Told you to keep them closed."

In a swift move you grabbed a few vials filled with dust in different colors. Peter was wide eyed, gawking, unmoving about to have a heart attack.

“I can’t move, help!” his voice high pitched. 

“Shut up Peter Parker, I’m trying to think!” 

A marble mortar plopped on the table, a mix of colors and sparks flashed across your face. 

“Sorry for what’s next but you can’t move and I’m not in position to kill our city’s hero.”

Grabbing the dust on the mortar, you put the bright blue dust on your lips as you fell on your knees in front of Peter. Careful not to ruin the pentagram.

Leaning forward you said,

“The spider you see is just in your mind, you are hallucinating for real this time, that’s why i told you to not open your eyes. Wish things were different but this is it, Peter Parker.”

“What?” 

“Good luck.”

You clashed your lips with his. In a second Peter felt his whole body tingle, like he was having a serious case of pins and needles. Involuntarily his palm went up to rest on your cheek. Warm and soft. Cherry scent, and blueberry taste. His eyes fluttered shut as he kissed you, the crazy girl he met a few hours ago at the halloween party.

A sharp turn. Just like when you twirl in one spot until you feel the whole room shake and you are in that state of happy dizziness. Peter felt like that and he kind of enjoyed it. 

When the motion stopped fully he opened his eyes. Blinking he reincorporated, he didn’t know he had been lying down this whole time. 

Spider-Man’s spandex suit still plastered on his torso just that the room was not the tiny room he had been in. 

“Peter?” 

“Aunt May?” 

“Breakfast is ready!” 

Peter rested on his elbows, he was in his room in Queens. He was in Brooklyn just a second ago. And, why was he even here? His apartment was in Manhattan. 

Shaking his head he peeled the tight suit off, his body complained, a common thing by now. Taking a quick shower he saw the water run down the drain, little hints of bright blue in them. He shook his head, migraine settling behind his eyes.

“I had no idea you were staying the weekend Peter, you always let me know.” May dried her hands in the kitchen cloth as she looked at him with fond eyes. “You scared the hell living out of me last night when I heard you in your room.”

Peter frowned, he didn’t remember how he got in, he wasn’t even sure what happened after he saw Flash at the party. Late that night he found two shiny bits of crystal on his bed. His mind screamed at him to keep them near.

Until the new moon, right?

Glimpses of what felt like dreams were trying to tell him something, most days Peter woke up with the feeling that he had forgotten something but he pushed it aside, there wasn’t much time to think of Peter problems when there were Spider-Man real problems. 

It took him six days to notice his bad luck had disappeared, he felt lighter than ever, he even got a rise at his job which was hard to believe. Cat hadn’t been involved in trouble and Peter didn’t need patching or stitches for the week, he was doing amazing.

One night during patrol. He was sitting on a building in Brooklyn, there had been a fire two blocks down, no one had been injured so Peter left the scene before the police arrived. Now his legs hung on the edge of the six story building. Phone in hand. Flash posted the party’s photos, he laughed at one where a group of guys dressed as the one and only Pitbull were carrying Flash as he threw pumpkins shaped confetti in the air. Flash knew how to have a good time, Pete gave him that. 

The next photo was one where he could see himself at the back, he barely noticed it was him, the spandex gave him away. But what caught his attention was the pointy hat, purple ribbons floating. His heart increased its pace. 

•••

Flash was doing some drills at Empire’s gym. Sweaty and all, he greeted Peter with a hug and a laugh.

“Pete, you left too early the other day!” 

Peter’s cheek went warm. “Sorry, yeah I wasn’t feeling well.”

“No problem. You want to play? For the good ol’ days.” Flash chuckled.

Peter remembered high school as if it was yesterday.

“I have class in like twenty minutes, but next time. I was just wondering if you knew the name of this girl I met at your party.”

Flash smirked, nudging Peter on the ribs. “I see why you weren’t feeling well huh? Parker.” 

Peter scratched his neck, this was so awkward, he didn’t even know the girl.

“What she looked like?” 

Peter’s image of you was very vague, he remembered the costume, but nothing else really.

“You have an idea how many girls dressed like that were at the party? I need more intel Parker.” 

Peter closed his eyes for a second. “She- um she said you were taking bioengineering together,” 

Flash huffed, making the basketball bounce. “I’m not taking bioengineering, Peter. Don’t think girls take that class anyway… trust me I’d remember.” He winked.

“Really? Because she was very sure of it.” He laughed, out of pure agony.

Have you been like a dream or something?

“I think someone made you look like a fool Pete. But there’s always more girls.”

“Right, no, you’re right. Um, I’m going to get going. See you later man.”

“Take care Parker!” 

Making his way back home, Peter kicked a can with all the force he managed, it landed inside a trash can. He blinked, shit that was quite lucky. He felt not so lucky when there was no space in the subway to even move your legs, at least it was warm in there, the November wind was getting tougher by the day. Headphones on, he put the music in shuffle. 

In starlit night I saw you

So cruel you kissed me

your lips a magic world

Leaning on the cold metallic tube in front of the doors, he sighed looking at his converse. He needed to give them a wash, those ketchup stains were not making it look any better. His fingers went to his eyes, scratching the corners of them, he could sleep right there if he was sure no one would steal his phone but instead he concentrated on his surroundings. Phone screens shining, Instagram posts passing rapidly, text messages getting deleted and retyped, sudoku grid…

Sudoku grid?

His stomach churned. He had these images like photos archived in his brain. He remembered the sudoku grid, the number 9 for some reason, mushrooms, pink dust, floating candles, a green mug, and a smile. That smile had haunted his dreams for days now.

The owner of the phone had a bright yellow coat. Peter froze just creepily staring at the person.

Next stop was a commotion, people going out, some more coming in. Peter lost yellow coat for a moment only to see it going out with the sea of people.

“Hey!" he shouted. Desperation in his voice. “Yellow coat!” 

Only feet away now, he saw the person go up the stairs. His heart hammering against his ribcage, what was this, why was he so anxious for the person to turn?

Crossing a busy street, he took his earphones off, seeing for one last time yellow coat get into a taxi, mixing in the traffic. 

Peter sometimes really thought he was the most intelligent person in the world. He decided to follow the taxi, this time in Spider-Man clothes. Web shooters full and ready, cold wind wasn’t even a bother, he had perfected the suit to be warmer on winter days. 

Swinging up to Brooklyn’s bridge had been easy, the problem being on which of all the taxis he saw was yellow coat in. 

Running and shooting webs caused lots of honking and almost made a man crash his car thanks to the little kid trying to come off the window to say hello to him.

“Sorry!” He apologized, as he flew by. 

Last taxi entering Brooklyn was his only chance, this better be it. As he plopped as softly as he could on the roof of the car, he bent over to take a peek on the backseat windows. 

He grinned under the mask. Knocking on the window he saw shiny hair flick, and sparkly eyes connected with his white buggy ones. Waving a hand at you, your eyes went wide. In a flash everything came back to him.

The curse, how you feed him and basically cured his bad luck with a blueberry flavored kiss.

Stealing his heart with that, it was absurd yet magical, Peter wasn’t surprised no more with what happened in his daily life.

“Roll the window down?” He made the motion for you to do so.

For a brief second Peter thought you were not doing it, but you did, wind made your hair dance and oh Peter’s heart shivered with joy.

“Witch!” He greeted, still looking at you upside down.

“Peter Pa- Spider-Man!” you smiled, in awe.

The taxi driver rolled his window down too. “Dickhead, get the fuck down of my car!” 

“Just drop me in the next block.” You said, throwing the man some money.

Peter jumped off the car just as the taxi slowed down. 

“Freaks!” The man shouted at them, his middle finger sticking out the window as his goodbye.

“Thank you kind sir!” Peter saluted him.

You snorted by his side. Pivoting on his heels, it took him a second to take it all in. 

“You disappeared,”

“I didn’t disappear, I helped you get home Peter Parker.” You grinned. Oh that smile, Peter wanted to squeeze your cheeks.

“Um, no, that’s not what happened. I was lying in your room, and then you kissed me and then I woke up at my aunt’s? For a moment I thought I was losing my mind.”

You were staring at him amused. “It was fun, right? I know I had a lot of fun that night.” 

“Don't be mean.” Peter’s hand flew to his chest, as if he had been hurt for real. “I even asked Flash about you, and you lied, you never went to Empire.” Hands flying in the air, as he spoke.

“First of all. I do go to Empire, Flash is just not a very observant person.”

“Right, so tell me why you did all this?”

"I had to fix it okay!” Your eyes locked on your shoes. 

“Spider-Man hi!!” A group of teenagers waved their hands at them on the other side of the street.

“Hello, guys!” He had to be kind to the fans, being the beloved neighborhood hero wasn’t an easy task after all. “Have a good day.”

“You are the shit bro!” One of them shouted back.

“Do you mind if we talk somewhere more private?” Peter said through gritted teeth.

You bit the inside of your cheek to not laugh. “Ok.”

Peter took the opportunity to grab you by the waist, in a fast and smooth motion he was flying through Brooklyn.

“This is not what I had in mind.” You squealed against his spandex covered neck, he felt your breath hot on his skin. 

“Oh you owe me, this is the least you can do for me Witch.” 

Peter wowed as they moved between buildings. Landing on the roof of an old cinema. The neon lights casting pretty shadows against your face and the suit’s texture became alive. He took the mask off to reveal the sweetest of smiles. Cheeks rosy.

“What can we do about this?” He asked, arms spread wide, he was falling for someone who he barely knew.

You hid your hands inside your coat, wind biting on your skin harshly. 

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

Peter sighed. “How was it supposed to go? You said you had to fix it, what do you mean by that?”

Why were Peter’s eyes so pretty, his face was a mix of pain and hope, your stomach felt funny again. It had been like that since you first saw him. A month ago.

A blue moon was something you always enjoyed. Making moon water, charging crystals, manifesting and writing spells. 

But Orion, your black cat had been angsty for days now, he always was like that during full moons. He destroyed your quilt, the one to knit together with so much effort. So you let him out.

“Get out! If you could, I’d make you fix this to make me happy!” The window closed with a thud and poor Orion blended in with the night.

After trying to fix it but failing with the quilt you felt guilty. Orion was simply trying to let that energy out, and you took it against the poor thing. After much thinking you decided to go out looking for him. Orion’s name got pronounced several times until you saw him crossing the street a little ahead of you, it was three in the morning. Cars weren’t even passing, the world was still, sirens and honks chimed far away. 

Orion locked eyes with you for a moment. And you knew this was a bit of a dare to him, squatting down you tried to prod the cat to go to you, but Orion only sat in the middle of the sidewalk, liking his paw almost making fun of you. One step closer was what set him off running again. Just in time for Spider-Man to pass walking; half mask up munching on what seemed to be a burrito, mustard on the corner of his mouth, he came to a halt when the cat crossed his path. You saw Spider-Man gulp. 

A moment later his burrito fell flat on the pavement. You knew what this was about, you shut your eyes, cursing Orion under your breath, when you opened them Spider-Man was gone. 

“So you knew I was Spider-Man all along?” Peter scoffed. “You are full of secrets witch.”

“I knew I even said it to you when you were freaking out. Half of the spell had to do with me doing the ritual and half of it was you believing it would work, you still opened those damn pretty eyes.”

Peter kicked a tiny rock off the roof. “So you think I have pretty eyes?” he heard you laugh. 

“You do Peter Parker.”

He blushed deeper. “ So what I felt when you… kissed me was just part of the spell?” 

The disappointment in his voice made your heart jump. “It wasn’t about feelings, Peter Parker, it was just a spell to fix your bad luck. Whatever you felt, that’s on you.”

“Hmm,” he took a step closer, scratching his neck. “I was being serious when I asked you out for coffee.”

“I know.”

Peter smirked. “You like making me suffer, I see how it is.” He laughed, making a full twirl.

The grin on your lips couldn’t be held. “It’s funny to see you all embarrassed.” 

“Jesus… okay so, coffee this Saturday?” His ears were bright red.

“Sounds good to me.” 

“Great.” Another step closer. “Don’t bring your cat, I beg.” 

“I won’t.” 

“Good, because I’m feeling pretty lucky as it is.” His lips ghosted over yours.

On your tiptoes you connected your lips with his cold but soft ones. Both smiling and chuckling. 

“This is even better than the last one.”

“Yeah because you were freaking out about spiders, Spider-Man.” you mumbled, Peter brushed the hairs that floated in your face, he needed a clear path.

“I think I prefer it when you call me Peter Parker.”

Peter kissed the tip of your nose, and you finally let him know your name. He beamed as he repeated it.

“That sounds about right.”

A meow was heard and Peter groaned, forehead connection to yours.

“He won’t do it again. I promise, it was just a blue moon thing.”

You saw his eyes traveling all over your face. “I think I can get used to getting cursed.”

Orion meowed again, rubbing its little black fur against Peter’s leg. 

“Hey pal.” Peter said, patting the cat sweetly.

You snorted. “You’re weird Peter Parker.”

“Thank you.” 

Maybe after all Orion did something that made you happier than a badly knitted quilt.  

Peter found the whole term of black cat curse drastically different, they weren’t about bad luck after all. 

[homemadegirlbossbattle]

ROUND 2 / SIDE A / POLL 5

Clara Dorothee (@solobodor) vs. Eve Harrison (@thetechnicolorphase)

Clara Dorothee info:

Description: A Girlfailure disguised as a Girlboss.. or Both?

She's a Cat girl (but like an actual cat) who absolutely loves being able to control every aspect of her life and will do anything in her power to keep it that way.

She scams, gaslights and manipulates the employees of her very own company into doing the dirty work for her and attempts to kill anybody that would try to stop her.

Crimes: repeatedly tried to murder her sibling scams hired two people, turned them against one another, manipulated one and isolated then tried to kill the other (failed) graverobbing & unethical experimentation

Other notes from the submitter: Original Creator is Bugwizard (on Toyhouse) If that helps, she has a TH page with much more info https://toyhou.se/5829401.clara-dorothee

Eve Harrison info:

Description: Meet Eve! The local lesbian science teacher in a small town who has a passion for biology AND a passion for being the center of attention for everything. She's friendly, but also really really eccentric and self-serving. She has not a care in the world for anything but whatever crazy schemes she decides that she wants to do (and they can get REALLY crazy). She's wacky, a little unhinged, and loves to make dad jokes. I think her clashing socks and patterned button-ups sends a pretty good representation of who she is. Also, she has a bit of a pathetic streak because when she doesn't get what she wants she makes like the sad SpongeBob face and it never gets her anywhere. She is a certified #girlboss and is making the most of the fact that she is living through the microbe apocalypse (much to the dismay of the protagonist of this story!) Oh and how could I forget! She's evil. She is so evil, she loves being villainous and isn't afraid to show it!!

Crimes:

Attempted to get one of her students (the protagonist) killed by microbe aliens. After getting turned into one of said microbe aliens she has killed like, at LEAST 50 people. Probably more. Including her own students and friends. Has been purposely spreading alien microbes to people in order to grow the hivemind that's formed from the microbe apocalypse. Has unethically experimented on people, animals, and herself for her own studies and goals. Currently is hunting down the protagonist to try and experiment on her.

Other notes from the submitter: #EVESWEEP she is so silly and so so evil it's like all the evilness of her town got wrapped into one very eccentric lady, I hope everyone enjoys her >:D

[olovelymoon-slow-answers]

Writing samples

I'm doing writing commissions for people who donate to Palestinian fundraisers. More info on this post.

1.- Original story incipit

She got up from the porch and looked around at the street, that street which had seen her grow up -so quickly, it seemed now. Everything was soaked in the warm orange light of the sunset.

So much had changed. The old lady at the end of the street, the one who left food for stray cats in her frontyard every night, was long gone. New little families had moved into big, antiquated houses. Empty bottles of beer were left where children’s bikes once used to be.

She felt a bitter taste in her mouth. Everything was gone. Was the past even real?

It’s not the moment to be melancholy, she told herself. It was a big moment, one she had imagined for years. The next day, at this very same time, she would be watching the world run fast outside her train window. St. Dymphna college was waiting for her.

No one in the town had ever heard about St. Dymphna college. Most people in the world hadn’t, she supposed. She told everyone that the reason she wanted to go to St. Dymphna, and only St. Dymphna, was its exellent philosphy program. People would have thought she was crazy, had she told them the truth: how she had been led to that ancient building by chance alone, while wandering, completely lost, during a family trip; how she had fallen madly in love with the smell of mint in the garden, with the old walls covered in ivy, with the statues looking benevolently down at her.

2- Percy Jackson, ship fanfiction

Annabeth’s hair was soft as a cloud and smelled like fresh lemons. She had fallen asleep, and Percy could hear the light sound of her breaths. He wouldn’t dare move, lest he wake her up, and, honestly, he did not want to. Moments like this were the ones when he really felt alive, more than those in battle, when adrenaline rushed through his veins. His mother humming an old song as she passed behind the half closed-door; the last lights of that summer day coming through the window, creating a soporific atmosphere; a movie he really couldn’t follow the plot of in the background; and Annabeth there, so calm, so close: that was what he needed, that was what he lived for.

3- Murder Drones, introspective?

V had this strange relationship with memories. She hated them. She wanted to get rid of them. And when she looked at him-

But then, on some days, when no one was there, there was something inside of her urging her to go back to them, to indulge in them at least for a moment. And so she closed her eyes, and suddenly she could hear heavy rain against the windows, and indistinct voices somewhere -the mansion was always so full of people those days, she always had to rush from one place to another-, and a familiar laugh coming from the library.

In the silver tray she was carrying was the image of a shy little drone, looking at her through large eyeglasses. She felt a sense of pity towards her own reflection. Who was she? Where was she now? Somewhere deep inside of her? Or was she just… dead?

4- Dialogue sample just because from the previous one it may seem that I never write any

-Tell me where it is. Now-

-You know, you could really change the way people perceive you if you just fixed your posture and spoke with more courtesy. Also get a color analysis maybe? –

-Tell. Me-

-You’re not really convincing-

-I’m holding you at fucking gunpoint, for God’s sake! –

-Still not convincing-

[samkat10423]

A TS2 throwback and a local

This first lot is the last one up there where EA had their ginormous spa lot - and right across the street from the hospital. They used to give out 25% off coupons for your ER visit after dining here, but it's now under new management, so the coupons are no longer valid. Or needed.

When we originally did this project, I volunteered to recreate the Londoste Restaurant from TS2. Since I was doing it by memory - and a memory a tad foggy with copious glasses of wine - it's not exactly the same. But I figured over the years, it had changed hands numerous times and been renovated and then re-renovated. So, here it is:

When we did these lots, we did them without CC and limited use of store stuff. I know! Scary! But for my own use, I went back in and went CC crazy. It was zoned as an Exclusive Lounge - mostly because I wanted sims to have to actually dress up to eat there.

The main level is where the restaurant is located. I use ani's mod for all my restaurants - so those are her menus and stove. On the other side is the bar area where sims can relax as they wait for their table. Or they can order a nightcap there. I kind of went for the whole men's smoking-room vibe. Not sure I nailed it since I am neither a guy, nor do I smoke. But whatever.

Upstairs sims can either gamble or take to the dance floor. Besides the EA stuff, I gave them 2 poker tables to lose their simoleons at - thanks to the lovely @mspoodle1. I love her stuff.

Since I was up there in the mountains, I did another family house. I'm jumping back and forth between redoing community lots and homes - mostly because I hate CAS. Anyway, in the town history the current owner of this house inherited it from her late grandmother - along with some simoleons which she promptly squandered.

Since her bio says that she wasted all her grandmother's simoleons on partying, I figured she wouldn't have done any improvements to the actual property itself. Instead, she left it pretty much the way the dearly departed left it. I figured by the time the old lady croaked, she was half-blind from untreated cataracts and unable to do any repairs due to health issues - hence the reason it looks so shabby. But at least the roof doesn't leak!

And here's the young lady herself - Madeline Moore with the stray cat that had moved in right before the old lady checked out. His name is Jinx. (No reflection on him, but right after he moved in, granny moved on). Anyway, her bio says that she's trying to find work to help keep up appearances. But EA had her in the science field at level 5. So, I fixed that. In my game, any technical field that requires sims to be educated - like science and medicine - now require a Uni diploma. And this kid just got out of high school and went on a partying-simoloen spending spree. So, no time for Uni. No, she now works in the culinary field and has absolutely no skills. Plus, I stole all her money. Because I'm a nice simgoddess I am! If you're going to tell a story, EA, do it right!

This lot was created by Jenba as a replacement for the city hall. It's where EA had their art gallery. And in my town, I use it strictly as an art gallery. In my town history it's where the city fathers used to meet before the new city hall was built. I now holds treasures from the town's past - aka: looted artwork from other sim worlds.

Where I've placed this little newsstand, Jenba had stairs down to a basement that contained the EA city hall rabbithole. Since I use the rugs and didn't intend to use it for my political career, I eliminated the stairs and basement, then built this instead using Sandy's newsstand set over on Around the Sims 3. Now my sims can buy their comic books here. Behind it - obscured by that tree - is @mspoodle1's news van. I have another one over on my business lot.

In the back of the lot is a nice promenade - that I forgot to take pictures of, but I will later. Sims can look out over the lake, paint, listen to music and whatnot.

And that's it for this post.

[bcbdrums]

Sticking with the head canon train. What about DNAmy? You have said she is the most evil.

ohhh thank you. she's pretty transparent. but i guess everyone has an origin story....

if she wasn't a supervillain, she'd be the crazy cat lady. a spinster. she doesn't understand the social creepiness she gives off and how it puts people off... i'm sure she could find others of her specific...way of being, to be her friends. but that's kinda hard to find, and the internet wasn't a thing for social interaction yet.

so i think her desperate desire for love coupled with her genius... it led her to...distraction. and she discovered she liked evil. like a drug, you take a little more, and a little more... gotta keep upping the dose to get that high. and then i think she liked the power. i think it helped validate her. if she can't have friends or lovers, she can at her whims control genetics. power is a substitute for love.

and then since monty is....who he is.... she's a bit delusional about them being soulmates. he's also deeply evil, and more deliberate about it. she's evil just kinda...by circumstance.

i think amy knows that what she's doing is wrong. and i think she doesn't care. i think that if anyone challenges her she will respond by just upping the ante. being in power, being in control, is all she's got. cuz she's never gonna have what she really wants, which is love. so she has to use her massive intellect to keep herself high above it all. the alternative i'm afraid is...suicide... she allows herself the delusion she can have monty someday because even the delusion is better than the aforementioned alternative.

i think she's a very unhappy lady :c

i love her. she's evil and terrible and insane and i love her. sorry this is sort of a stream of consciousness rambling... this is how i see her, though. thanks for the ask.

[sachiko1309]

A dangerous game

Summary: Jasira, an elemental witch and girlfriend of Jasper as well as the Cullens get invited to Aro anual ball. Things quickly rise in tension, when Aro and Jasira are caught up in a deadly dance discussing their past entanglements. Jasira still full of hate for Aro, because he killed off her brotherhood in the late 1800s is not giving in to the sweet talk the Volturi king is giving her.

This will be a part of my story "Bloody desire - A Jasper Hale love story" on Wattpad and Ao3 (account names in tumblr description). So everyone who is interessted is welcome reading it.

Word count: 2532

Warnings: generally none, slight threatening with weapons, double meanings, dark tension, but nothing crazy

Again, the monstruous pompousness of the Volterra castle rendered me speechless. Wrapped up in my floor length coat, I trailed behind Heidi. The rest of the Cullens securely walking with Bella and myself in the middle. Aro had invited us all to his annual ball, with the underlying impression of not being able to deny his offer. So, here we were. The guys tucked into neat black suits, a little handkerchief of the color of their mates dress sticking out of the front pocket.

Rosalie wore a long silvery pink dress, that fanned out around her ankles in soft layers. Esme was dressed in a dark royal blue, accentuating her golden eyes with blueish grey eyeliner. Her dress was simple, but had a high slit on her left side, showing of her leg that was glittering with the golden garter and Carlisle initials. Alice dress was a deep forest green off shoulder, that ended knee length in the front to then flow to her ankles on the back. From her ears two delicate sliver chains with pearls on the end were swaying with every turn of her head. Unlike the rest Bella was wrapped in a floor length baby blue dress. A simple cut with an embroidered top that originally had a low plunge neckline. But she forced Alice to sow it higher to not show off too much of her neck. Over her shoulders she wore a thin white woolen vest, tightly wrapped around her to give her at least some warmth in the cold castle hallways.

My ears were decorated with little diamond earrings, a silver garter glittering from my left leg, while my fingers were showing of a few silver rings of mine and Rosalies collection. Sheathed in two black leather sheaths I wore two daggers. Coated with diamond and vampire venom as my main piece of jewelry. I hadn’t fully restocked my wardrobe so, me buying this new revealing dress wasn’t something Jasper would have spent lots of time thinking about. I made sure that I would get dressed alone, not showing anyone what I was about to wear.

With my heels clacking on the stone ground, we arrived at the entrance hall of the big ballroom. Aro was waiting on the side, flanked by Felix and Demetri. As soon as he saw us, he walked over to us, his guards neatly following him. He greeted the Cullens an Bella with a short nod, before focusing all of his attention on me. “It is unusual for you to be this covered up.” His soft voice sent shivers down my spine. The cat like fixation of his eyes trained on my face. Stepping forward I opened my coat turning around to let him take it off.

As soon as my dress was revealed, the Cullens took in a sharp breath, clearly not expecting me to wear something like that. Behind me, I could hear Aro giggle slightly, while Felix hid his laughter behind a cough. Demitri just took on a sharp breath. Letting Aro turn me around, I offered a sly smile, ignoring the second wave of surprise that shuffled through the Cullens. Offering me a cold hand, Aro guided me towards the door. “I see you came armed, my lady.” Not looking at him, but keeping up the stiff interaction, I answered: “Isn’t everyone?”

My comment had Aro break out in another short giggle. “Tongue as sharp as always. Tell me, tigrotta, do you really believe your daggers are more than a piece of jewelry?” I turned my head to look him in his piercing red eyes, that didn’t dare to hide the hunger in them. “Tell me, Aro.” I put a slight stretch to his name, observing the twitch washing over his body. “What happened the last time you underestimated me?” Not hiding my threat, I tilted my head. “I believe we have something called a stalemate. Besides, we still have a truce, do we not?”

“Of course, tigrotta. There was no underlying intent on my part.” He answered dunking his voice in so much sweetness, I was about to throw up. When we reached the edge of the dance floor, I wanted to let go of his hand, but Aro kept it in a hard grasp, causing Jasper to slightly growl behind me. He was quickly shut down by Felix puffing himself up next to me, causing Aro to wave him off annoyed. Hearing the music change from a waltz to a tango, I knew what was about to come. “Offer me a dance, principessa. It has been a long time since the last one.”

Letting him guide me to the middle of the dance floor, I vaguely noticed the other vampires clearing it. Leaving Aro and me alone by ourself. That meant nothing good. It was his way of strategically removing me from any security, but I decided to play along and see what the evening would bring. If shit was about to go down, I had Jasper and Emmett at my side in an instant. Putting on a fake smile I answered his question hanging in the room: “60 years if I am not mistaken.”

A low hum rumbled through Aros chest, when he placed one hand on my lower back, while the other held my right arm rigidly straight. He was quick to guide me over the dance floor not caring to throw another glance at anyone else than me. “60 years and you still sway like a goddess.” He commented, grinning when he saw Jasper fuming behind me. Emmett had his hand casually on his shoulder, but I knew he was holding Jasper back from doing something stupid.

“There are things one does not simply forget.” I dished out another stab. Earning a slight scold from Aro. “One also does not simply walk into a ball armed with deadly weapons.” His hand slowly wandered from my lower back to the place the handles of my daggers rested neatly against my bare skin. He wrapped one hand around a dagger, pulling it out with so much speed and throwing it against a wall, that I was nearly unable to stop it from shattering against the stone. Twirling me around with his left hand, he ripped the other dagger out of his sheath holding it playfully in his hand. The other one still hovering inches away from the wall, purely held by my silent airy grasp.

“Good handywork.” He murmured, taking a deeper look at my weapon. With the twist of my left hand, I let the second dagger flow to it, twirling it loosely through my fingers. “They indeed are.” I answered. Now pulling Aros attention back to me. With the turn of his hand, he rotated me back to him. Chest touching my back. Then he pressed the metal of my dagger against my skin, not daring to put pressure on it. His eyes were now trained on Jasper, who was about to break out from Felix hold. The rest of the Volturi guard silently looming over my family.

But I didn’t react to Aro threatening my life. Rather the opposite. “You are playing a dangerous game, Aro.” I said, still letting his step guide the way of our dance. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Twisting me back to face him, bending me backward with the light pressure of the dagger against my throat while the music came to a sudden height of tension. We had stopped dancing by now, completely focused on each other. Both having a dagger against each throat, the other hands still entangled in a deadly grip.

“Would I not?” He asked coyly.

“The better question would be ‘should I not?’.” I simply answered, not moving my weapon.

He was the first to react after seconds of us staring deeply in each others eyes. Taking the dagger from my throat he pushed it back into its cover, soon followed by mine. Again, we picked up our dance where we had left off. “Still as cold blooded as ever.” He praised me, an honest smile plastering his lips.

“The times where I was easily scarred are long gone.” I hissed, this time not caring to hide my open disliking towards him. He chose to ignore my piercing eyes, still smiling like a cat who just found the fountain of milk springing from her garden. “Like the times you came unarmed to my ball.” He retorted, again, bending me over his knee to then swirl me over his arm. I landed gracefully, slowly stepping around him to the beat of the music. “Like the times where you honored our truce.”

“There are rules I need to hold up. Humans are not meant to know about us.” He snarled. I was getting under his skin. Good. “And yet you fail to end my existence. Why is that, Aro? Are you getting lousy in your executions? Or is it hard to find good participants?”

“Do not anger me, woman.” He whispered against my ear, letting my frame crush a little too hard into his chest, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I just smiled, letting my hands come to a hold around his neck, while he was now indecently grabbing my waist to roughly handle me over the stone floor to the rising beat of the music. “I do not intend to anger you, Aro.” I mewled, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He was obviously seeing through my act, but chose to ignore it, or better, play along with it. “You would make such a good representant for us. That’s why I spared you. You are always welcome to join us.”

Letting out a deep sight, I tilted my head mockingly. “Spared me? You killed my family. My brothers, while keeping up a false diplomatic truce. Then you failed to hunt me down, sending out troops after troops to kill me. And still, I am breathing. You simply cannot admit that you are no match for me. Keeping up the shiny façade of good relations while plotting the next attempt to kill off my loved ones, trying to persuade me to join you. Isn’t that right?”

To my surprise he didn’t correct me. “At least this time you would get to keep your lover. Jasper would be another great asset to the court. Maybe I will take Edward and Alice, too.” Letting his eyes wander over my family he hummed. “Ahh, maybe only Alice. I do not need another telepath. I would rather take the open place to collect Theodore as well. He might not be gifted, but keeping my greatest jewel happy, would make my life a lot easier.” Aro had now completely refrained from hiding behind his well kept, innocent façade. Showing his true colors once again. His eyes were hungrily scanning my body, then wandering over to the Cullens that were now threatened against the wall of the room. Letting my eyes wander I could see a lot of red Volturi eyes looking at the conversation happening in the middle of the room.

I took a deep breath, stopping the dance and taking a step back. “In that case, you should weight your options, Aro.” My voice was sharp. “I do not fear another war rising, as I myself are clearly able to take out a third of your guards. You know I am. I already did that. And if you really dare to attack us, be aware that I have resources and connections to witches who are far older than I am. Older than you.” Taking the step back towards him, I lowered my voice. “And if we are already threatening each other so openly, I might as well ask for your wife, Sulpicia. She I wonderful isn’t she? A sweet gem to hold onto. It would be a shame to lose her, would it?”

“You will not harm her!” Aro growled, cowering down, ready to attack me. I just shrugged. “Who talked about harming her? I was merely wondering how she would react, knowing you would start a war against an innocent witch. Especially if said witch does keep regular contact with her. Isnt that right, Sulpicia?” I called out into the room, not drifting my eyes from Aro. But I could hear the soft clacking of small heels on the ground, showing Sulpicias arrival. Aros eye darted to his wife, visibly showing his confusion. “What is she talking about, cara mia?”

“She is right.” Sulpicias angelic voice was easily shutting down the murmuring in the room. “I have had enough of you starting wars with innocent people. She and her brotherhood did nothing wrong. Quite the opposite they made sure to keep the human population safe from the wrath of mislead vampires. A thing you swore to do as well. So as long, as Jasira and the Cullens do not break any of our rules, they are not to be bothered.”

“Two of them are mated to humans. They are already breaking one of our most important laws!” Aro let out, but was shut down by his wife immediately.

“Jasira is not to be viewed as normal human. She is immortal like us, possesses a gift like us, is sworn to secrecy like us. And as far as I heard, Bella is to be turned. There is nothing unrighteous going on. Don’t ruin this ball with your anger, as I do not wish to be strained like that.” Sulpicias voice was strong yet soft, cradling Aro in her hold.

I could see he was fighting the desire to give in to his wife, but after a few seconds he sighted. “Of course, cara mia. I am sure the Cullens will honor our laws. And since Jasira chose a vampire as her mate, she will as well. Am I right?” He looked at me with sharp eyes. I just bowed my head. “As long as there is no corruption and ambush brewing, I will gladly honor your laws.”

“Well then.”  He put up his softspoken demeanor. “Let us carry on with the ball.” Clapping in his hands he hushed the guest back on the dance floor.

[asterhaze]

Original Fiction Directory

Shorts

There Will Be No More Strawberries

Snippet

I hate strawberries. Their dimpled outside squishes easily, even with a delicate touch, and their sickly sweet fragrance sticks to my fingers even after I have washed them ten times. There is something about their smell, their texture, all of them that seems so fake, so manufactured, so artificially perfected that I find it strange that others like them so much. Strawberries are my brother's favorite fruit.

Series:

Henrietta (Working Title) - Chapter 1

About

An old lady accidentally wanders into a horrible dark fantasy world and must find a way to escape. Will her fearless nature save her? Or will it be her weary body that hinders her? In the darkness, the Man of Many Faces waits for her arrival and behind her the Three-Shadow Man follows. Will she survive?

Taglist: Empty

Snippet

Fuck it. If she was going to die, she was going to die. And it would be sitting on a bench waiting for death to take her away. Henrietta wrung her brown hands together, squeezed them slightly, and grabbed the plastic grocery bag before wandering off into the woods.

Cat Lady (Working Title) - Prologue

About

When everyone disappears from the face of the earth, the narrator must learn to live completely by themselves. Well, not completely. They are consumed entirely by their goal: to save as many cats as possible during the apocalypse while fighting to maintain their sanity.

Taglist: Empty

Snippet

I like to pretend that they were taken in the middle of the night. By some alien, or ghost, or monster that took them away so they could live happy lives in some other dimension away from me. I like to think this because I am the only human being I have seen since I woke up that day, maybe a year ago. Sometimes, often really, when I want to be mean to myself, I think I was left behind because I am not human. I am something else. 

Masterpiece (WIP): About • Directory

Writing Prompt Answers Directory

[hellobrockie]

So I finally read Tom King's Batman / Catwoman

Under the black label, this title is clearly intended as a non- canon epilogue to Tom King's Batman run. As with a lot of Tom King's stuff, its got an interesting idea, build up quite a bit but doesnt stick the landing.

So in this version Catwoman is just as crazy as the rest of rogue's gallery, even considering joker a friend ( I also think its fun when villains treat their softer silver age counterparts as the lighter old days). Selina is also had it tough, a lifetime of stealing to survive. Both of these are big obstacles in her future with Batman. I think this is an interesting idea at least, how can Catwoman be with Batman without changing? Cool idea, the trope of villainous lady reforms to get laid is pretty overplayed.

But this kinda cracks apart because apparently Catwoman and Batman simply cant change each other and they decide to make it work anyway. They have a kid, Catwoman plays along and once Batman dies, she kills the joker. The framing sort of implies that Batman never really knew her. Which is an interesting idea for an AU but its hard to reconcile with the sweet corny Vegas style wedding they have with the Kents as witness. Tom King's Batman/Catwoman is mostly dependent on the idea that the 'Bat' and 'Cat' are the real identities- only shown in shadowy bedroom scenes. Its hard to reconcile this when they have a child Helena, Dick is present is this story, Damien exists and Superman is Batman's best friend. Their 'dark' relationship doesn't give a lot insight on how they worked day to day.

While I can imagine a Catwoman who did become a hero but still didnt follow the Batman's 'no kill moral code' I dont think the 3 timeline structure gave us enough of the 'married years' to really give me an idea of what that was like. Being together would inherently require both of them to change at least somewhat.

The Phantasm, as in the BTAS original character shows up as well in a b-plot that starts interesting but mostly deflates by the end. I have this problem a lot with Tom King- lots of suspense, lots of buildup and then 'meh' conclusion.

Overall, I would recommend reading the special issue with has more of freestanding christmas storyline and maybe the marriage at the end. The extra context provides an interesting Catwoman AU but its not much of a romance or a Batman story. If you like Tom King's interpretation of catwoman, read the whole thing. It just made me miss the Ed Brubaker days more.

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(Welcome to my Vox-RP blog folks! Feel free to tune in on the show and ask the TV Demon whatever you like!) (This is an unofficial RP blog based around the TV Demon Vox from Hazbin Hotel created by Vivzipop.) (The blog was made for fun and has no affiliation with any of the original creators of Hazbin or the character associated with said-show!) (No NSFW is allowed here but implications of blood, violence and some occasional swearing are okay! Just try not to goo TOO crazy ^^") Will be updating this post occasionally!

Important Note; Still working on a few rules as it's my first time establishing as such to this post! Update; This tumblr is open to any kind of ask! just as long as it does not go TOO further into NSFW territory, gotta keep things SOMEWHAT friendly. (Aside from some occasional swearing and blood implications here and there.)

[evolutiononthebrain]

Corpse Bird (Bride) AU!

Emily - Grian

Viktor - Scar

Victoria - Cleo

Barkis - Sam

*the hermits that i’m putting in place of the characters are NOT going to act like the actual characters; obviously scar is still going to be the suave, crazy cat loving man, and cleo is going to be the ultimate badass lovely lady we all know and love.

So, basic rundown for anybody who hasn’t seen it/needs a refresher:

Grian was once a boy from a wealthy family in town, but then he met Sam, the new man in town. Sam manipulated Grian, said that he loved him, and they were to be married.

But Grian’s mother (all the parents in this are just going to be no-name-characters, i think) forbid the marriage. So Sam convinced Grian to just get eloped instead.

Following the rest of Emily’s story, Grian goes to get eloped with Sam in the night, wearing his mother’s wedding dress and carrying his family’s jewels. But Sam is awful and terrible and murdrs him, burying him in a shallow grve and stealing his money.

So, fast forward like 10 years or so, Scar is in an arranged marriage with Cleo, both of them do NOT want to marry each other, but are trapped in it.

But after a failed wedding rehearsal, Scar runs off into the very same forest Grian was murdred in. Scar practices his vows, placing his ring on a “branch” sticking out of the ground.

Unbeknownst to Scar, that “branch” was actually Grian’s skeleton hand sticking out of his grve. And Grian had heard all of the vows, quickly becoming smitten with the handsome man that said so many pretty things to him.

From there, it follows the rest if the Corpse Bride plotline. I don’t know if I’d change the ending; I’d love to make it fluffy and a happy ending for all, but I am deeply in love with the original’s ending as well so it’s up to you guys.