#he's trying hard to evade your boss's affections!

[twin-jades-and-twin-heroes]

Me when Shiraishi looks sad: Awww my poor baby! He's heartbroken! 😭💔😭

Me when Shiraishi opens his mouth: Noooo shut up shut up shut up 🤐😬🤬

[the-firebird69]

They tried to stop you from doing it and they know you're Sharp and they knew the two guys were on it and they had to get it done and I checked and yes those ships are empty the max of the ones who disabled them and stop them we're the ones who saw him do it and we couldn't say it either we really shouldn't and these idiots are attacking us and the max will probably running The matrix and these fools are falling for all sorts of things invoirly jackasses and these stupid motorcycles they don't know what to do so he's saying find the Max and see if they took the ships and which ones you might have the keys and location right near you in the cities go around with your motorcycles and try and locate ships try and locate ground bases and you're using motorcycles to try and evade capture to evade police and you can do it quite easily in the city it's not extremely hard the cars get stuck you're doing it to draw Max 2 hovels will you grab the banks and you're doing it for Intel from the clones and the clothes trying to go after those bikes all the time and they probably understand what the max rat and aren't are at and aren't and if you're riding around loose like a maniac you need to grab a beer suck it down and screw the mouthwash and go to your bosses and ask them for assignments and tell them that you have a ride and you need money and for a place to stay etc and get off my back here A bunch of wackos or just go for a job that there's a ton of stuff going on and what you do now corkster and he says yes and I say will affect you and your entire people in less than a week from now or even a few days your decisions as to what you do with your newfound mobility and it's fun to screw around a little maybe a day or so and just think of it like a day the Mormons do it and then they do it for longer but really a day would be good and we'll call it Hell's Angels rebirthday and then it's back to work and it's not really work here trying to steal stuff it's very valuable and it's hard to do. Okay so that was our friend CAA and I know who he is and stuff and he's related but we are up to stuff like this and you need to be but he says this is how it goes they're going to find a generic beer if not it's got to be a Budweiser and he says because Bud knows what he's talking about and it doesn't hurt to have a Bud Man costume around for those who are Dan and a few socials before you head off to the boss and you give up your nothing person ways. So we're going to end on this note I have information and I'm handing it to dja and it's some of it and it's pertinent in case he doesn't have it and other groups like it cuz this is ridiculous

Dan

It's good to get information from him and it's probably very pertinent and you have to have been monitoring those ships and they're right there with theirs some of your people have been monitoring them I'm sure and before those fleets are gone you need to get information and you need to get information from the Max and others and from satellite stuff of your own and you got a network to your people and you got to get up there and do it yeah you got to go do it you know you go when you find him and you get the information then you go out and you can have a little party and discuss what you're doing and discuss greatness not going around and bothering me and snickering about me taking an extra step or shuffling a little or not sipping my fly up all the way or looking at someone a little long I mean this is the kind of thing going on and you have a lot of stuff that's really interesting to see and there's assignments your bosses might have I want you to go to Yosemite and try the cattle drop they might have you do that who knows maybe it's those big huge helicopters or the new things that you see in the movie Prometheus that you finally get rid of Garth in. He says it's funny but cut it out and don't say that but hey that guy's a real n*****. He really is and black people are cool but holy s*** he's related but what a n*****

Zues Hera

Holy s*** is he a n***** I can't stand that n***** and keep that n***** away from me it keeps coming like some kind of disease and yeah he's probably a disease n*****

I play the father and everybody hates Chris and yeah that dumb n***** came up with a dumb oh yeah you did it and he says yeah I did do that and he did it for the wrong reasons of course and I knew he would. Kind of tops off tonight and it says well malt liquor would be better just one nice one so I'm going to do that I'm sick of this crap

You're watching things happen right now because what are you saying and he he says they're probably thinking they'll get to get back to this but they have to start climbing and it's K2 and they haven't even gotten to Everest and that usually knocks him down a couple pegs so we're watching them get mad

Olympus

So Garth is imitating the father from the show and seeing a little pig faces are getting red it's cuz you want to knock them off and your stuff flying those around and Garth is going to want to let's see how it's done they see how it's done

Zues it is the second part cuz this guy's Stone Cold def Hera

[quirklessidiot]

Title: filthy rich [3/3]  Pairing: millionaire!sakusa kiyoomi x y/n [filthy capitalist au] Genre: mystery, major angst ahead, thriller, mafia!au-ish

Synopsis: Just run, Y/N. Don’t look back.

Warnings: dark and yandere themes, toxic relationships, mentions of violence, shady business, class differences, mentions of rape, smoll breeding kink, unwanted pregnancy, mentions of abortion, and sakusa being a manipulative bastard 

Notes: 

Im disappering again for a week or two so as a parting gift, here ya go, im starting a bokuto fanfic soon and posting the reboot of notice me soon too hnnng thanks for the wait guys uwu

A sorta realistic take on a yandere is harder than it looks kssjdn omg anyways here yall go the long awaited last chapter of filthy rich. I’m not sure if I should put like a one shot sequel but so far im marking this series completed. Thanks for sticking by!

previous || series masterlist || blood son [sequel;one shot]

You run your hands through your hair and shut your eyes tight, the quietness and stillness of your shared apartment was something to bask on before you put on a fake mask of happiness. It had been exactly two months since you found out about the birth control switch and the medaide agenda. 

In the span of those two months, you had grown more observant towards your boyfriend’s actions and you knew that it wouldn’t be anytime soon until he actually notices that you were onto him. 

You let out a shaky breath as you recollected some weird things you’ve seem to have noticed, how his brows would furrow when he’d receive a call indicating that something was up and it was serious or how you visited your ex-boss one time a week or so ago along with Kenjiro since you wanted to see how he was doing.

“...Well, he just didn’t come home and sold the place. Apparently he was in a rush to move or something because of family matters so I didn’t exactly see him.” the neighbor gossiped to you two.

“Y/N?”

You jump on your spot as you hear that dreadfully familiar voice.

“Hey,” You greet, walking up to him, you decide to do your usual hug but stop when you notice a small red stain on his necktie, the tie is dark blue and although it wasn’t obvious from afar, it definitely was up close. Your brows are furrowed together, this time in pure curiosity, “Did you get hurt? It’s unlike you to get messy.”

You notice the quick shift of attitude in his eyes, you were seemingly getting good at observing his emotions these days and it looked like he panicked for a second there.

Odd.

“A friend of mine had gotten hurt a while ago, you remember Atsumu Miya?”

A vivid image of a blonde man crossed your mind, he was another conglomerate friend of your boyfriend, another person to be weary of to add to the list, “Oh, is he alright?” you asked, trying to keep it casual as you untie his tie for him as usual.

“Yes. He’s awfully clumsy. You don’t need to worry.”

“Oh…” You mumbled, “by the way, I visited my ex-chief.”

“Ex-chief?”

“Mhm.” you hummed, “You know, my boss from before? Me and a few co-workers decided to visit him since he was a really good boss. Turns out he just left without telling anyone, poor man.”

“Sounds unpleasant. Did you know why he quit?”

“No.” You shrugged as you take the tie out and place it on the side, “He suddenly just quit his job and moved, neighbors said it was also because of family matters. It’s kinda weird because as far as we knew, he didn’t have a family.”

“Would you like me to look into it?”

You almost stiffen when he slithers his arms on your waist but you didn’t want to give away any suspicion, “No. I don’t want to pry. Hopefully he’s enjoying his retirement.” You sighed, turning towards him with a tight smile, “Now what would you like for dinner? I was thinking Mediterranean? I need to lose some weight since I’ve been feeling bloated for a while.”

He leans in for a soft kiss on your temple, “Mediterranean would be fine. Would you like anything else? We could order more.” he hummed, his lips slowly started to dangerously hover on top of yours.

“No, it’s fine.” You give him a quick peck and wiggle your way out of his arms, your stomach doesn’t feel well these days. Whenever you were near Sakusa you had the urge to throw up your innards despite having an empty stomach.

You don’t notice the dangerous gaze on your behind as you pick up the phone for your take-out.

Sakusa hasn’t felt you in a long time and it’s driving him insane, he wants to feel your heat, your body, and everything in between. He wants to fill you up and see you pregnant with his children. He wants everyone in the world to know you were his and his only.

Yet he can’t do that.

You’ve ignored his affections these past few weeks and it had been driving him insane to the point where he had to ask one of his men to put an eye on you to see if you had been cheating on him or seeing someone else.

Yet you hadn’t.

Your routine was the same old one and Sakusa is digging his nails deeply into his skin in his office one day with his tie uncharacteristically untied. Miya Atsumu sits across him, taking a sip from his flask, “Ya look like shit.” the blonde points out.

“Fuck off, Miya.”

“Heard from your cousin that you’re not getting laid by your girl these days.”

“You better be thankful that you’ve got men behind you or I’d be shooting your fucking brains out for saying that.” Sakusa spats, his dark gaze pointedly looking at the blonde across him.

“You should just find someone else then and not yer prude of a-”

“Keep telling me ideas like that and maybe I might just shoot you and chop your body up until it looks fuckin’ unrecognizable.”

Atsumu raises his hands up, signaling that he was giving up, “Gee, omi-omi. I was just giving my advise. It’s so easy to drop her.”

“I don’t want to drop what’s mine.”

“You’ve got issues.” He chuckles, “Haven’t you been switching out her pills and fucking her raw for the last couple of months? I bet yer ass you got her pregnant on that before but ya just don’t know it. Getting her pregnant would definitely secure her spot in her life. Woman’s nuthin’ without ya.”

“She’s...she’s not showing…”

“When was the last time ya two went at it?”

“Two months ago.”

“Ya poor boy.” Atsumu sighs, shaking his head, “Ya sure you don’t want to take a break from being a loyal boyfriend for one night? i bet Y/N wouldn’t notice.”

“And no one would notice if you fucking disappeared. I’ll make sure of it, now get out.”

You may not have been the sharpest tool on the shed but you know that someone’s been tailing you these past few days, you’re not stupid. You could only come to the conclusion that it was Sakusa who was doing such things but you couldn’t get why.

Something just didn’t make sense. It felt like you were missing an important piece in the puzzle, med-aide and the switch of your pills and now a hidden tail?

You furrow your brows together in deep thought  as you sat down next to a teenage boy on his phone, you decided to take the bus today to the grocery store, surprisingly the one tailing you wasn’t around today.

Your eyes slowly shift towards the boy’s phone, it seemed like he was playing a video game.

An otome game, to be exact.

You felt your lips twitch up, you remembered those games a lot growing up. The graphics seem to have massively improved now by the looks of it, “...That looks interesting.” You tell the teenage boy who turns to you in surprise.

“Oh, thanks.” the blonde replied quietly.

“Is that a new otome game?”

“Kind of.” He blinks, his gaze returning back to the screen,  “It’s sort of a remake of the yandere simulator from back then.”

You feel your shoulders tense up.

“A yandere?”

“Yeah.” The blonde nods, “The girl’s awfully creepy in the game, she stalks him, does things to get him. The player has to catch her in the act and evade her at the same time.”

“Oh…” You blink, “I-uh, this is weird… but what’s a yandere again?’

“It’s someone obsessively in love with you. They’ll do anything to have you stay by them.” He says, pushing on a button but suddenly the screen turns red and you feel shivers run down your spine as you hear him curse and the words ‘you’re caught’ appear on the screen.

“W-what happened to your character?”

“He died. Nothing much.” he mumbles, “If the Yandere knows they can’t have you, they’ll kill you.”

You immediately went pale as soon as you heard that. Maybe, just maybe you were being paranoid. He wouldn’t go to that extent, would he?

“How did your character escape the yandere in the game?” 

“Well, I haven’t finished the game yet but based on some anime’s and manga’s I've usually read. They either killed to get away or they moved so far away where they wouldn’t be seen so I think the creator might have the same ending.” The blonde said, he slowly looked to your side, “You’re looking awfully pale, ma’am. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, j-just remembered a horrible game I played back when I was your age.” You gulped in, “Nightmares, you know? The yandere tried to get my character pregnant and tried to get in her way of moving out of the country.”

“Sounds like a very realistic one.”  He mumbles, “What did your character do?”

“I wasn’t able to finish it.” you whispered, loud enough for him to only hear, “I couldn’t really find a way out.”

“The developers of the game must’ve made it hard for you. Maybe your character should’ve ran away,” he advised, “Or better yet, you should’ve killed him.”

“I-well, I don't think there were options like that.”

“Well if I were you and there was no option for killing, I’d run. Far, far away. Change my identity and all that.” he exits the game and stuffs the phone back in his pocket, you get a good look of his cat-like eyes and immediately feel a shiver on your spine with the next words he say, “I mean its a game but you wouldn’t wanna loose and get your character killed, right?”

“R-right.”

The teenage boy hops down without even saying goodbye and you have a scary realization that you can’t break it off like you originally had planned. You needed to run, run far as you can and get lost.

The words that the teenage boy says echoes in your head for the next few days, from that point on, realization dawns upon you that, nothing is certain now. You couldn’t trust anyone, you couldn’t let friends and family be involved in this. Sakusa Kiyoomi is a powerful man so you needed to be careful with how you were going to disappear.

You continue to act nonchalant and the same as you try to lay out your plan but you knew that you had only a week or so to complete this for it to successfully work.

Sakusa Kiyoomi wonders what he should do to save the relationship, he’s tried everything in the book that he could think of but you remained the same. Was this the end of the relationship? For real?

He could never stomach the idea of having you leave him.

It’s eerie that day, something felt different when he came home to an empty apartment. It looked the same yet something felt very, very different. Apparently the apartment guards said you were here since your car hadn’t left the driveway and they hadn’t seen you go out.

He checks out your side of the closet, your clothes remain there untouched and your toiletries were there too. He scans the fridge for your notes but nothing is stuck there. He suddenly feels like something cold was dumped on him.

It couldn’t be, right?

Right?

He runs to every room, checking every nook and cranny and when he finally reaches the last room which was the bathroom, nothing is there.

Everything was in its place except you.

Where were you?

Your bank account remains untouched, your wallet and phone was left in the apartment. It was as if you were returning home, the very least. Komori tells him to calm down, saying that they’re letting the best people find you around the city, they don’t rule out that someone might’ve had the audacity to touch you.

Whoever took you would be given hell to pay, that’s for sure. Was it the triad? Kkangpae’s? Or opposing yakuza’s? Oh, they’ll definitely have their heads on the platter if they tried to harm a single hair on your head.

Sakusa doesn’t even hesitate to notify the police about you already despite the memorandum that twenty-four hours is needed to consider a person missing, it's nothing a little money can fix.

“I hope we find her soon.” Your aunt sighed, “I’ve notified her parents about it. It’s definitely weird that she’d leave all her valuables behind.”

Hinata and Natsu sit there next to their mom, completely sad and worried, “I’ve hired the best people for it already, obaasan. We’ll find Y/N.” Sakusa replies yet his thoughts are in a complete frenzy now.

And find you they did.

No stone was left unturned. He made sure of it. Yet after a month of relentless searching. Nothing came up, it seemed like you had just vanished and Sakusa Kiyoomi had turned the whole underground world upside down for you but nothing came up.

Some say that you disappeared and ran away but that was immediately ruled out, no security cameras saw you in and out during that day and it would be impossible for you to just leave without security cameras on you. The guard had exclaimed that despite the blackout that day, the generators only took a few minutes to power up so they’d definitely catch you on camera in case you ever exited the building (along with the guards since they knew exactly what you looked liked) plus the clothes and such were still there, left untouched.

Some said you died, it was definitely impossible for you to just vanish without a single trace after all since everyone was looking for you.

Yet no one dared to say it in front of the boss, not if they valued their life.

The billionaire had dried out his connections to find you. What good was it to be the most powerful and richest man in the country if he couldn’t find you? Life had no meaning now, you were gone. It felt like a part of him was ceasing to function.

Sakusa Kiyoomi was a dead man walking now.

Unknown to the whole world, you’re in a small town with little to no signal. Your hair is chopped unevenly and your skin is darker from the repeated exposure under the sun, your life is simple and mundane now yet you’re happy.

For the first time in months, you actually felt free.

You shut your eyes tight, the events that transpired this past few months replayed  in your head. Your escape was definitely done as carefully as you can and you didn’t even know if you’d succeed since you weren’t a master in that sort of thing.

You recalled that it was a week before you ran away, a few days after you met that kid in the bus. Someone from the electric company had come to inform you that there was a scheduled black out in the city that day during the afternoon and you felt something bubble up in you. That was the day you’d put your plan into motion.

You knew that the longer you delayed your plan, the harder it would be to escape.

You had a few minutes to actually put your plan to work. The camera’s on the hallways would cease to function for a few minutes according to the guard downstairs as he did a protocol on the building (apparently the generators were quick). So that morning after Sakusa left, you placed only a few clothes and the stash of money you had been carefully hiding in a garbage bag and chopped your hair short in an uneven manner. Burning all the remaining hair on the fireplace and the black hair color that you use with it. The maid uniform that you stole on your floor and a fake name plate that you made was on and you were good to go.

The minute the black out started, you took the garbage bag and walked out. Taking the stairway used by the caretakers, you made sure to just look down and never directly up at the camera’s pretending to work.

When you finally made it out of your building. You let out a stiff sigh and put down the bag, it was only the beginning. If you thought the same way as Sakusa Kiyoomi, you could only imagine that you needed to be more careful from this point on.

You take the newly bought duffel bag that you strategically hid behind some boxes. Thankfully when you had placed it yesterday afternoon, it hadn’t been touched. 

You put on a pair of shorts and a baggy shirt with cheap shades and stuffed the maid uniform in the duffel bag along with your belongings in the garbage bag. You take the other route that led to the busy streets. It was easy to look like a tourist and seemingly blend in the crowd, from that point on, you only had one destination in mind.

When you were younger, you vividly remember an acquaintance telling you about this small town outside of Tokyo where her grandparents were from. It was only an hour away via plane and when you went down another few hours via bus yet if you took the bus route all in all, it would take a few days.

Since it was far, only a few busses actually went there and since you had to leave within the day, you decided to just take the bus nearest to that town and take another bus when you arrived there.

The plan smooth-sailed from that point on.

Except for one minor detail.

You open your eyes and look down at your now small bump. The monster who almost had you trapped left a parting gift, you grip your garden hoe tightly.

A big part of you wanted to kill it.

Yet every time you try to, you hesitate.

The moment you arrived here, you had to pretend to be a weary and poor widow. You just didn’t expect to be a weary and poor expecting widow. You let out an uncharted sigh at the thought, it was hard enough to be alone here with little to no money. 

This child had the demon’s blood in it.

Yes, you may have gone free from his cage but in truth with his seed growing in your stomach day by day, you started to feel quite the opposite.

taglist [thanks for your support ilyasm skkss im so sorry for updating late too :(]

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@kn0xiousnight  

[can’t tag you guys uwu just make sure ur tags are open :<]

[ilovel0ki]

Burning Light

loki x oc

warnings: blood, war, almost deaths

Writing this has been super enjoyable for me. It's based off of Safe & Sound by Taylor Swift and The Central Wars. I really like the song and it gave me a jolt of inspiration.

Some angst and fluff, with a happy ending

Word count: 3.5k

I'm looking forward to have some of you read it. I know it may not reach lots of people but I do hope it brightens up someone's day :)

Unmistakeable clashing and clanging of swords echoed through the once-peaceful city - which lay in eerie unrest. Warriors strapped in bloodstained armour, which was once a lustrous luminescent gold, rushed around with panic-stricken faces, bringing their injured colleages with them. Their faces unrecognisable - smeared with tainted, crimson blood. Eyes once filled with joy and life had become dull with exhaustion. Even the children could tell something had gone quite wrong as they were being scrambled to safety. How couldn’t they, when only hours before they had been blithely engaging in play. Now they were being dragged into the promised safety of their homes. Still, on this side of town, the situation was slightly better.

Nevertheless, the fact was painfully clear; Asgard was at war.

A war that had only just begun. A war that would wreak just as much havoc as any other, unless handled conscientiously. Currently, that wasn’t going so well. The opposing kingdom hadn’t spoken of a reason to wage this sanguinary battle. They just barged in guns-a-blazing. One could only hope it would be over soon.

In the opposite side of town, the infamous Asgardian army, known for its expertise and experience, was busy and bustling. Healers were tending to those caught in the crossfire while others were getting ready to join it. The warriors were determined; they were trained meticulously for situations like these.

One such warrior was buckling up her hefty armor on her body, following that by trying to tie back her flowing vermillion-red hair. Unsuccessful, she stood straight. Tall, dignified and regal; she was a sophisticated beauty. And she knew it.

In need of help, the girl surveyed her surroundings. Brilliant blue eyes darted to and fro to gauge someone who could possibly help. Then, gleefully, she spotted a familiar face walk by. A very familiar face indeed.

With a hastily thought out plan-of-attack, Ilaire sauntered towards the aformentioned person. Wrapping her arms around him, she sultrily whispered in his ear, “Hey, Loki. Could you help me with my tiresome hair”.

Though Ilaire couldn’t see it, a slow smirk settled upon the trickster’s face. Loki turned on his heel and susurrated, “Darling, you need not put on that act. I would help you if you simply asked, after all have we not been friends since adolescence?”.

Ilaire flippantly nodded in answer as a chesire cat grin took over her face at having succeeded in her task. She flipped around to give Loki better access to her hair. Without complaint, Loki took charge of her fiery silken hair and began to masterfully twist her hair into an elegant yet practical fashion, as if he had done it all his life. In a sort of way, he had. With a raised hand, Ilaire tried - in vain - to pass a ribbon to Loki to tie her hair back.

“Don’t bother, I have already used my seidr to place a ribbon in your hair”, Loki acknowledged, amused. “It’s emerald green, isn’t it?”,exasperated, the warrior questioned with her hand on the bridge of her nose.

Loki chuckled in response.

“Well, thank you anyway”, she said as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

For a second, Loki’s mask of cold indifference slipped and gave way to something softer, akin to endearment. But it came back up just as Thor’s voice boomed across the army quarters.

“WARRIORS! The next waves must get ready to leave. Wave 32 and 33 get into position in 10 minutes, with Leaders Prince Loki and Lady Ilaire on the frontlines!”.

Centuries ago, Loki and Ilaire had trained together diligently and achieved higher ranks in the army hierarchy together. Both had now been promoted to a Leader position, the second highest position, preceded only by the Chief.

Thor’s information brought a surge of sobriety to the bantering friends as they realised what they were about to go into. They looked to each other, their eyes met and both nodded at the same time with locked jaws and unyielding glares. Synchronised, they turned to their corresponding waves and bellowed, “GET INTO POSITION WARRIORS!”.

A clangour resonated as the warriors began to put the remaining pieces of armour on. Ilaire’s usually welcoming eyes grew dark. Loki’s gaze grew steely. With a grave expression, Thor strode to their area. Without missing a beat, he trapped both Ilaire and Loki in an unwavering hug. It portrayed all of his emotions: distress; fear and concern. As he continued to not let them go, Loki’s choked voice broke out, “Brother, you must let us go”. Reluctantly, Thor pulled back and Ilaire could’ve sworn that his eyes were wetter than before. “Brother. Sister. Be careful. And most of all come back alive,” Thor spoke in a brittle voice.

Somewhere along the line, Ilaire had become an honorary Odinson family member. To Thor she was a sister and to Loki, she hoped she was something more. Still, a new wave of emotion passed over Ilaire as she heard Thor call her his sister. She fought valiantly to not be overcome with tearful sobs.

“Do not worry, Chief,” she called him in unbridled affection “We will try our best”, she replied in a hoarse manner. “Don’t miss us too much,” Loki too replied, with a rare smile and a suave salute.

The red-haired warrior clashed her sword on her shield to catch the attention of her assigned wave. “Alright, team! We’ve trained together for 150 years. We will continue to train far longer than that! We must! So go out and show those brutely creatures WHO’S BOSS!”, Ilaire’s battlecry washed over her warriors.

As the gates opened and perfectly formed formations walked out, merciless stony gazes could be seen all around. Loki and Ilaire stood at the frontlines, the wind amplifying their battle-hardened gazes. They both walked on the bloodsoaked ground, unfaltering, with a mission. As they got closer to the first of the aliens, Ilaire slashed at one, sending it accross the battleground. Beneath her feet, alien remains squelched and the air zinged with bloodshed.

The aliens were a sickly yellow with a strange slimy goo coating them. They were of a medium stature. Not too big but not too small. Ilaire had never seen such creatures.

Loki snarkily thought ‘They’re about Thor’s size. Doesn’t seem like this will be too hard’.

All around the two leaders, fights were breaking out and more yellow creatures were going down with them. Soldiers were slashing and punching with unmatched gusto. A pile of miserable dead opponents was starting to build up. Then something strange happened.

Something no one would’ve expected.

Something that shocked everyone.

Something that made perfect sense considering the earlier bloodshed.

The creatures that had been piled on top of each other started to melt and then meld together. It was a ghastly view. Bones shifting and rotting skin stretching. The creatures had melded together to become one mega-creature. A mega-creature larger than the small aliens before. Larger than Thor.

This truth dawned on the fighting forces and panic started brimming. Nothing like this had ever been faced before. It was entirely unprecedented. The Asgardian army certainly wasn’t trained for this. And judging by the drained, feeble warriors taken back to the healers, the other waves hadn’t realised this either. Alarm bells started ringing in Loki and Ilaire’s minds.

Loki’s mind started racing while simultaneously fighting off more of the alien soldiers.

Ilaire was frantically trying to think of a solution.

All thoughts seemed to evade them. The realm’s greatest minds had gone suddenly blank.

Panic was bubbling and almost tangible in the air.

One of the warriors, thankfully, came to the rescue, saving the situation like it was a damsel in distress. “SEPARATE THEM ONCE YOU KILL THEM, THAT WAY THEY CAN’T MOLD TOGETHER!”.

Ilaire let out a much-needed sigh of relief, yet she knew the real battle still remained. With a new plan, the waves started fighting with renewed vigour. After each kill, the creature was picked up and thrown on an empty space. Swords pierced and clanged, blood spattered and the beginnings of victory were starting to be seen. It was so close yet so far. Right within a hand’s reach, yet victory had not yet been snatched.

As Ilaire swerved to fight off another mega-creature, one approached from behind. WIth her eyes on the creature she was fighting, Ilaire did not notice the second creature. Loki’s mouth started to open in warning as he watched in fright. Unfortunately, his warning was a few seconds too slow. The creature grabbed a fallen sword and gashed at the sliver of skin between Ilaire’s chest and back armour with a mighty roar. Then a few things happened in succession.

A breathy gasp left Ilaire’s mouth as her hands grasped at her side, trying to gauge the situation. Her sword had unceremoniously dropped to the floor and lay lackadaisical. Her hands came away covered in her own blood, as more started to seep out. Crimson. Her breaths became raspy as she fell to her knees, head bowed. Several screams could be heard. Two of those were Loki and Thor.

Loki elbowed and slashed his way with an unmatched rage to reach his best friend. His mind was racing with denial, 'It could not end like this. It would not end like this.’

“Get out of the WAY!” he barked with barely held back anger.

Near the army quarters, Thor was making his way out to the battlefield. He would not sit by idly as his family was attacked. It was his turn.

As Thor reached his brother, he saw him kneeling beside Ilaire, undoing her armor and ripping a shred of his tunic to wrap it around her bleeding torso. “Take her to the healers, I will take care of this now,” Thor uttered quietly, yet if one looked closely, the simmering anger under his words was visible.

Then he yelled and charged towards his sorry opponents.

This left Loki. He looped his arms under her knees and shoulders and picked up Ilaire, and began to carry her towards the army quarters. “Love, look at me,” he spoke softly with a tender gaze.

It was getting harder for Ilaire to see by the minute as more blood was lost and her vision was spotting. “I can’t… I can’t,” Ilaire answered. A weak whimper escaped her lips.

“Yes, you can! Just focus on me”

Loki was starting to jog now, in desperation.

Commandingly, a shrill sound reverberated throughout the air. “LOKI ODINSON. WE ARE HERE TO COLLECT YOU. COME WITH US OR HAVE YOUR REALM FACE THE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES”.

Everything was going wrong. How could it have gone so wrong? Too much blood spilt and too many lives being lost by the minute.

Ilaire didn’t know what to do with this new command. Loki continued walking with an unreadable look on his face.

Ilaire struggled to keep her eyes open, but she got through until they had reached the healers.

A healer began to assess her; poking and prodding at the wound. Loki’s deperate voice rose, “Do something! Help her!”.

“The salve may take too long to brew. It could be too late for her,” the healer replied with an apologetic gaze.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN! HELP HER! I AM THE PRINCE OF ASGARD AND SHE, A LADY OF THE COURT! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING YOU CAN DO!” Loki hissed.

“Prince Loki, we will try our best but there’s no guarantee”.

Loki growled and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He was mad. He had injured himself too much to be able to use his magic. If only he fought more efficiently, if only he did more - maybe he could have healed her. If only.

After a grueling half hour, the healer gave the confirmation.

A half hour of desperate waiting for the news.

A half hour that seemed miles longer than it was.

Ilaire would make it.

'She's gonna make it'

Loki let out the breath he had been holding and slumped in a chair with relief. He had refused to let her out of his sight. A weary smile took shape on his face and he let out a breathless laugh of joy.

“Prince Loki, take her to the royal chambers and allow her to sleep. Until now she has had to stay awake until her healing was confirmed, in case of her becoming comatose,” the healer instructed Loki.

He walked to the stretcher Ilaire was laid upon and picked her up in the same style again. Ilaire wrapped her arms around Loki’s neck in a hug. “You’re alright,” Loki spoke through deep breaths with a reciprocated hug, rubbing her back to soothe her. Ilaire hugged him tightly. She almost died. She hugged him like it was her last time, because it very well could be. She didn’t want to waste this precious time.

God, Loki was grateful. Grateful she made it. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if something happened to her.

_______

Ilaire was carried to the Royal Palace adjoining to the army quarters. As she was gently dropped on her bed, she spoke for the first time since her attack. She knew Loki would go to the opposing kingdom. He would not wage a war on his own kingdom. “Don’t go Loki,” she pleaded, “I’ll never let you go”.

“Ilaire, I have to go. You know I do,” a tear ran down his face as he spoke the words that would seal his fate. A fate without her.

“Don’t leave me here alone,” Ilaire choked out as hot tears brimed in her eyes. “You’ll always have my spirit. Just think of me,” Loki smiled through the gut-wrenching pain. He really, really didn’t want to leave. But, for once, he wanted to do the right thing. For once, he wanted to earn her friendship.

“Go to sleep, Ilaire. You need it to heal,” Loki cleared his throat before speaking. A protest fought to release itself from Ilaire’s mouth but Loki raised a hand to cut it off. “You know I must do this. There is no use in arguing. I just want you to be safe”, his voice grew hoarse at his last words.

Loki spoke again, “Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you’ll be safe and sound”.

As much as she tried to fight it, Ilaire could not hold off sleep any longer. She wished she could stay awake so that she could convince the love of her life to stay. She wished he didn’t have to sacrifice himself. She wished he didn’t have to go at all. She wished to say and hear so many things that had been left unsaid. But sleep was consuming her. And time was running out. The sand in the hypothetical hourglass was falling at an ever-faster rate.

As her eyelides fluttered, she started to speak, “I lo…,” before sleep consumed her and she trailed off.

She had failed to say those three small words. Three small words. The ones that could’ve changed her life. The ones she will never get to say to him again.

Loki stood and wiped the tears off her face and kissed her cheek, before bringing up a blanket to cover her.

“I love you, Ilaire. I wish we had more time. But we do not. Maybe, one day, we’ll find each other in a another life and live peacefully. Who knows, we could have had a beautiful castle with the most magnificent grounds. Overlooking a view almost as beautiful as you. Or maybe we could’ve had a cottage. On the edge of the woods, next to a crystal clear lake", Loki spoke. He knew as he uttered those words that they will never get to do that now.

Neither heard the words of the other.

With that, he left, making his way back on to the battlefield.

__________

"IT IS I, LOKI ODINSON,” he presented himself. The alien leader made his way to the front. “Goodness, you’re a puny one. Whatever. Chain him, minions”, the yellow leader commanded. Thor watched in shocked silence. But even he knew that this had to be done. The brothers nodded to each other in farewell.

Loki was dragged, in chains, to the ostentatious spaceship of the aliens.

“You have stolen from me, Odinson,” a voice reached him. Loki struggled to remember what he had stolen. There were so many things he had recently pilfered. Then it hit him. He had stolen Maricusan. The most versatile and strong material in the nine realms. This material was used to make the Odinson family armors. And it came from Maricus. The planet known for being deceitful. This meant that their word was false. Unsurprisingly, they were also known for making false deals.

They would not only kill Loki but pillage Asgard too. At this moment, Loki realised he was in deep shit.

A minute ago, he had gone willingly. Now he would fight back. He would fight back to see his brother. He would fight back to see his beloved. With one swift motion, he pulled his hands apart, resulting in the chains snapping with an audible snap. As creatures advanced on him, he kicked and punched while using his clones to distract. Then, through the corner of his eye, he saw an opening in the door, which he managed to slip through.

As he re-entered the battlefield once again, he signaled to Thor. Thor’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of his brother. By now, he too had discovered the yellow Maricusians’ melding properties. The two brother came up with the quickest battle strategy they had ever made and got to work.

____________

In the Royal Palace, Ilaire had woken up. Her sleep was restless and a headache plagued her along with her rampant thoughts. Her beloved was going to sacrifice himself. Or maybe he had done so already. Pain stabbed her heart and tears started to collect in her eyes again. She did not want to be a whiny mess, but what else was she supposed to do? She was helpless against fate.

Sobs warcked her body. Then she saw a glint through her window. She curiously peeked towards it. Then she noticed the ongoing battle. The war was raging on. Now she was confused. Brows furrowed, she looked harder. Then. Then she saw the trademark emerald green and gold. Her heart soared in hope she dared not have.

'Was that Loki?'

She impatiently waited for the man to turn around, biting her nails in nervousness. Sand fell tantalizingly slow in the hypothetical hourglass. Time trickled by leisurely. Never had a moment seemed so long.

It was Loki.

The man was Loki.

A beaming smile broke out on her face as her tears turned to those of joy. She could hear a joyful tune playing in her head. It was a victory song. She felt victorious. She felt victorious for the first time on that horrendous day.

Their eyes met, and their smiles matched. Loki's eyes glinted with affection.

Too weak to join her warriors, Ilaire looked out at the battlefield. Nervously, waiting and hoping. And when the last blow happened, she was lost in felicity. They had done it. They had won. They got through unscathed. Sort of.

Hurriedly, Ilaire raced as fast as she could with her striking injury to get out to the battlefield. She saw Loki and he saw her. He held his arms out and she jumped into them, hugging him ferociously.

“Darling, you should be resting. That is a rather large wound,” he spoke in relief. He was glad to see her.

“You were supposed to die!” she replied.

“Good to know you like me alive,” Loki grumbled.

Like that, the two continued to banter, as Loki walked her back to her chambers, a hand around her shoulders too keep her steady.

When Ilaire entered her room, she started to speak, “Loki, there are many things I wish to say to you. One thing in particular. As I was thinking about possibly losing you, I thought of the things I never got to say”. She paused to gather her breath and to collect strength. She oh-so-very desperately hoped her words didn't come out as verbal diarrhoea.

“I love you. I love you, Loki. I have ever since you picked out that flower bouquet for me. Or when you spar with me. Or when we argue.” She chuckled, “I still keep those flowers preserved because its such a lovely memory.”

She stood with bated breath and nervousness running through her veins.

Loki's face had become softer somehow. His eyes were warm. And when Ilaire realised that this warmth was directed towards her, butterflies collected in her stomach.

“Ilaire, I adore you. I love you with the heat of a thousand suns. Yes, I know that’s cliche. But those are my feelings. You are my beacon when everything else fails. So, I wish to ask you something."

A pause.

Be mine?” he asked with a tender smile and soft blue eyes.

“Say that again,” Ilaire commanded hoarsely.

“Be mine” he smirked.

“Yes,” Ilaire whispered breathily.

Loki rushed forward and gathered Ilaire in his arms, glad to have found his love; his best friend.

“Come morning light, you and I’ll be… safe and sound”

This is what I imagine my OC to look like. Feel free to change as you please :)

Let me know your thoughts and if you'd like me to write something else <3

[worldwidemochiguy]

Tag, You’re It ~ Part I of the Play Date Trilogy

The Play Date Trilogy Masterlist

Warnings: Kidnapping, slight violence, slight gore (it’s barely graphic I’m just tagging to be safe)

Word Count: 1.5K

Masterlist for all of my fics

Requested by @just-another-fangurl21​

‘Tag, you’re it by Melanie M and y! Taehyung or y!Jungkook pleaseeee ❤️❤️❤️’

Thank you for requesting and I’m so sorry I took so long to do it pls forgive me 🥺🥺🥺🥺 

“Fuck.” you muttered, letting the hand holding your now-dead phone fall listlessly, brushing your side. Your boss had somehow, yet again, wrangled you into working much later than you intended. So late that the bus you had planned to take home had come and gone, and you couldn’t even call an uber because your phone had decided to be absolutely useless and run out of charge. Perfect.

You had just started to shiver when you saw the headlights of a car illuminate the road from behind you. For a second, you thought about walking back to the car and asking if they could give you a lift because you were pretty sure the temperature was in the negative numbers and you couldn’t feel your toes anymore. You quickly quashed the thought, You can’t just get in a strangers car, what if they kidnap you? You chided yourself. 

After ten seconds, the car still hadn’t overtaken you and you glanced over your shoulder in curiosity. The car — a black jeep with tinted windows, you registered distantly — was cruising along at a sedate pace. Almost as if it was stalking its prey. With a mounting sense of fear, you cast your eyes around your surroundings, hoping to see a person, or literally anything to give you some sense of security. It was difficult to see in the darkness, the only source of light being the car headlights, ironic given they were the thing you were trying to evade but as far as you could tell, you were completely alone. The only thing accompanying you was the noise of the engine, growling like a wild animal.

Fear quickened your steps into a slight jog. You noticed the car wasn’t speeding up with you and thanked every God you had ever heard of, appreciating the distance that grew between you and the jeep with every passing step. The driver probably realised I was scared and stopped, you mused, What a nice, considerate person. 

Then the car started again. 

It was driving fast, and you exhaled in relief thinking that the car would overtake you. It didn’t. In fact, it reached the exact point where you were and stopped. You carried on walking, faster this time, and watched as you left them behind. Again, they waited until you were fairly ahead of them before they sped up to get to you directly. They were playing with you, like a game of tag, and it was only a matter of time before you heard the words “Tag, you’re it”.

You heard the cars engine rev again, a telltale sign they were about to close the distance between you, and you acted. Launching into a sprint, hindered by your stupid heels that you hadn’t thought to take off, you frantically tried to find somewhere to hide. To the side of the road you saw a parking lot with its barrier down. If the driver wanted to get to you, they would have to get out of the car, meaning they would lose their unfair advantage. You had a chance to escape. The lights shining behind you grew brighter and brighter, and you knew by now the car must be almost on top of you.

You finally reached the barrier and ducked under it, running through the parking lot. Behind you, the driver — a man judging by the voice uttering those low curses — had gotten out of the car. He was chasing you. 

He was chasing you and he wouldn’t stop. 

This harrowing thought caused your focus to slip slightly, just for a second, and you fell. You had maybe twisted your ankle, and it sent shooting pains up your leg as you tried to get up, and failed, and fell back down. You heard a low laugh behind you, and reinvigorated your efforts into crawling away. It was useless, though. He caught you.

Your arm was extended, trying fruitlessly to drag the rest of your body across the unforgiving asphalt and away from the even more unforgiving man, who was approaching you with lazy steps. Without warning, though perhaps you should have anticipated it, he grabbed your hand and pushed you down, flattening your body against the ground. Before the scream building in your throat escaped, he took it right out of your mouth, replacing it with a hand covering both your airways. You tried to struggle, but the black spots in your vision multiplied as your strength deserted you, and you fell limp in his arms, his cruel, triumphant laughter lulling you to sleep.

When you woke up, you almost wanted to go back to sleep. To let a dream whisk you away from the nightmare that had become your reality. It seemed like you were in a basement of some sort, the room empty of any windows to let in natural light, and just generally empty. Of course, you screamed. You screamed until your throat was raw and bleeding, and after that you tugged on your restrained wrists and ankles as hard as you could, the sound of your pained whimpers the only thing in the room. Like you were talking to yourself. 

You couldn’t say how long it was before he came. Light spilled in from the top of the staircase at the leftmost corner of the room and you winced, letting out a small sound of pain as your eyes adjusted to the light after being in complete darkness. The noise would have been louder, but your vocal cords were probably too exhausted after all the screaming. The man, the same one who had driven after you like a cat playing with a mouse, appeared in front of you. You had no choice but to look at him, so you did.

He was handsome, and tall, and muscled, and the look in his eye was the most terrifying thing you had ever seen. On the surface of those wide doe-eyes there was joy, affection, and perhaps even worry over your raw wrists and ankles, but beneath that… nothing. He truly was a psychopath. 

“Oh no, baby, what have you done?” He questioned in a sweet voice, kneeling down to run his fingers over the bloodstained restraints he had tied. You whimpered slightly, and his eyes widened. You could swear he pressed his finger harder for a second before he withdrew, looking at you with a sympathetic expression. 

“I know it’s hard, little one, but don’t pull at your restraints, ok? They’re just there to keep you safe.” You could do nothing but emit a low groan, and he obviously took this as consent to check your other wounds. He cleaned them all — you hadn’t realised he had a first aid kit with him — including a cut on your forehead that you must have sustained when he shoved you to the floor. 

It was like he was two different people. That night, he had been terrifying, hunting you down like a monster. But when he took care of your wounds, he was sweet, and gentle. Talking to you in a hushed voice filled with love.

“I’m Jeongguk. Don’t worry, you don’t have to introduce yourself to me, I already know.” A short giggle. “I can’t believe I’m finally speaking to you like this, I’ve waited for so long, but I’m glad you didn’t make me wait much longer. Thank you for leaving late at night like that so that I could take you home. You’re such a good little girl.” 

Jeongguk never apologised for kidnapping you. When he apologised it was because he hadn’t factored in your shortcomings.

Oh, I shouldn’t have tied these so tight, I should’ve known you would be a silly girl and tug on them too hard. You are too rebellious for your own good, huh baby? You won’t make this mistake again though, right? 

He seemed to take your silence as an agreement, growing more and more excited each time he put words in your mouth and you didn’t spit them out. At the end of your little doctor’s visit, Jeongguk rested his forehead against yours, eyes closed, sighing deeply. 

“I love it when I hear you breathing.” He said, exhaling softly just as you inhaled so you shared a breath. Obviously this was his intent as his eyes opened and he surveyed you almost reverentially. 

“You’ll never leave me, right?” You couldn’t speak, so you just gazed at him blankly, head lolling to the side. His expression sharpened, and he reached for your damaged wrist. 

He tightened his hand around the wound, fingers digging into the fresh cuts and getting stained with blood. 

“You’ll never leave me, right?” He repeated, but it wasn’t a question, it was a command. “You love me, and you’ll never leave me, right?”

“No,” you croaked out, your throat on fire. “I’ll never leave you J-Jeongguk.” He tilted his head, waiting. “I love you.” 

At that, his face lit up into a grin exposing bunny-teeth. An innocent face covering a sadistic monster. 

“Thank you so much baby! I promise I’ll never waste the gift of your love. Don’t worry, you won’t have to stay here long. Just until I know for sure I can trust you.” 

You didn’t hear any of his words, too lost in your own thoughts. He had chased you. He had caught you. The refrain repeated over and over in your head like a nursery rhyme — the prelude to this nightmare.

Tag, you’re it.

Tag, tag, you’re it. 

[ravnicaforgoblins]

Ravnica for Goblins

The Azorius Top Ten Most Wanted

Navigating the social dynamics of a city where demons run nightclubs, lich run food stamps, ghosts run banks, and a dragon runs utilities can be a daunting & confusing experience. One can’t roll initiative every time one sees a minotaur in a china shop, or a vampire at the post office, or a giant covered in barbed wire and blood in a dark alleyway. These are everyday occurrences in Ravnica and odds are if you attack any of them on general principle, it is you the cops will be arresting. You don’t want to find yourself in the situation where you’ve attacked a Medusa shopping on Tin Street and they inform the Azorius Arresters that they will be pressing charges against you.

But fear not! For there are still plenty of threats one can absolutely go to town on! All of the individuals listed below are recognized as wanted criminals by the Azorius Senate. Meaning bringing any of them in can bring one renown among the lawmages, reputation on the streets, and/or coin in the pocket. This could be your ticket to recognition and glory! Just make sure you know what you’re getting into with these individuals. The reward means little if you’re dead.

#10 Ritjit, aka "Ogre Jailbreaker"

Affiliation: Guildless

Crimes: Break-in at Vitu-Ghazi (Selesnya Guildhall), destruction of Tin Street, and escape from Udzec Maximum Security Prison. Target is considered armed and dangerous, but not particularly intelligent.

Ritjit wrecked 81% of Tin Street’s market stalls in under 20 minutes, meaning he’s both faster and more destructive than your average ogre. He’s also a notch above your average ogre in terms of intelligence. While that isn’t saying much, believe me when I say you will prefer your ogres stupid. This is the difference between an animal and an animal that’s discovered how to use tools. Ritjit’s iron ball & chain combines range and destructive power. Expect serious property damage, substantial speed, and a whopper of a multiattack.

Recall the old adage, “I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow to the knee”, but replace “arrow” with “100lb iron ball” and “be an adventurer” with “have legs”. Give the #10 spot the respect he deserves.

Last seen in the vicinity of Selesnya’s Saproling Nursery.

#9 Ruzi & Kuma

Affiliation: Formerly Selesnya Conclave

Crimes: Theft & destruction of Azorius files, arson, assault with trained wolf as a deadly weapon, transportation of contraband across rooftops.

A single Ledev Guardian isn’t that great of a threat. What you’re essentially fighting is a Knight riding a Dire Wolf. Their true strength comes in numbers, formation, and cooperation. A Ledev acting alone must rely on stealth and precision to gain the upper hand in a situation, so count on some serious Stealth and Investigation skills. Speed and Acrobatics as well, given their escape via rooftops. Odds are, any encounter with these two will be less of a fight, more of a chase.

Ruzi & Kuma are rogue operatives on a mission pertaining to the Cult of Rakdos. The exact details are unclear, as the fires used for distraction and escape caused damage to much of the floor, thus complicating the process of which files were taken and which burned. Speculations that it has to do with the massacre of Selesnyan missionaries in the Rubblebelt by a Rakdos assassin are, just that, speculations.

Current whereabouts unknown.

#8 "Lotleth Troll"

Affiliation: Golgari Swarm

Crimes: Non-ritualistic cannibalism, resisting arrest.

The Lotleth Troll is a former corpse eater who decided to save a step and eat other corpse eaters, then random citizens, then law enforcement officers attempting to bring him in. His hunting has effectively shut down all nighttime transport in the Canal District, and his use of the Ravnican pipes system has allowed him to evade capture.

Picture a Troll. Now strip back some skin, add in some Golgari Fungi providing both protection and camouflage, and throw in a trapper-spider method of stalking prey. Now make him a cannibal. Congratulations, you now have pure nightmare fuel for the average Ravnican citizen.

What we have here is an ambush predator that combines savagery, tenacity, durability, and elusiveness. If you fail to take it down in one shot, it breaks for the sewers and pipes. Its troll genes will allow it to regenerate quickly so that by the time you chase it down, it’s back to full health, has homefield advantage, and has gained the element of surprise you’ve lost. High strength for grappling prey, inherent stealth, easy navigation of its surroundings, and if there’s a nastier way to die than being eaten alive in a sewer pipe, I don’t want to know what it is.

The one light in this darkness is that the creature is not particularly choosy about its victims. Its career began out of impatience, so drawing it out may be the easiest part of dealing with it. That said, few want to volunteer as bait for a rogue corpse eater.

#7 Senka, aka "Stealer of Secrets"

Affiliation: Unknown

Crimes: Breaking & entering, theft (contents unknown), agitating the wildlife.

The one called Senka is a Guildless operative with the nerve to rob House Dimir. While the shadowy Guild claim the Dinrova building to be open to the public, in reality only the lobby has full access. The higher floors and particularly the basement are strongly warded to prevent intruders of all caliber.

And this woman slipped passed them all, walked out of the building with a lumpy parcel described as moving, and set loose a Horror kept in the basement to cover her escape. It tore through the lobby, broke out into the streets, and devoured a passing Orzhov Debt Transport (think bulky, land-based Nazgul).

What we have here is clearly someone with extensive knowledge of Arcana, Perception, Stealth, Sleight of Hand, and apparently some remarkable Animal Handling. Tracking her down is hard, nigh-impossible, as even the Dimir haven’t found her. If one does manage to find her, however, she is likely not difficult to bring down.

The real issue will be whatever she had in that bundle. Her loosing of the Horror kept in the basement suggests an affinity for these Undercity monsters, meaning she might well be raising a baby Skitter Horror as her loyal pet. That would be top-quality Bad News.

#6 Bori Andon

Affiliation: Izzet League

Crimes: Destruction of Orzhov cathedral, disintegration of Orzhov theater, partial explosion of Orzhov bank, excessive & reckless experimenting, mass property destruction, and illegal launch of a Viashino.

The Orzhov Syndicate is willing to pay top coin for this one’s head. That said, he’s well-respected within the Izzet League, who consider reckless experimenting a solid asset to one’s resumé and personality.

What you’re likely dealing with is a variant Blastseeker whose most dangerous feature is probably going to be his experiments and laboratory. Izzet labs are prone to explosions, Wild Magic, random bursts of elemental energy, and an unhealthy level of encouragement for any experiment, no matter how dangerous, as long as it produces “results”.

Izzet labs also tend to reflect their owner’s personality and “quirks”, so with Bori’s preoccupation towards propulsion, expulsion, and explosion; there’s a solid chance his lab will try to eject you several hundred feet in any given direction. If the lab is on a high enough floor, this could prove instantly fatal to any character unable to levitate, teleport, or sprout wings. Ravnican buildings range from small office buildings to cloud-piercing skyscrapers. Minimum, 5 stories. Maximum.... there are buildings & structures almost a mile high. Buildings. Plural.

#5 Krenko, Mob Boss

Affiliation: Guildless, Foundry Street Gang

Crimes: Theft from Ghost Council quarters (contents unknown), illegal use of a portal, illegal use of a thrall as an incendiary device, instigation of a riot in Sawtooth Prison, and violent escape from Azorius arresters during transfer to Udzec Maximum Security Prison. Target is to be brought in alive for questioning. Any attempts at unsanctioned questioning or interrogation of subject will result in immediate imprisonment by Azorius authorities.

Krenko’s jacket is mostly available in the GGtR. While he’s not a particularly difficult fighter (he’s a final boss for a Level 1 campaign), getting to him can still be a nuisance. Krenko isn’t a lone troublemaker you can just corner; his main power comes from his connections to Ravnica’s criminal underworld. It’s a fairly simple matter to upgrade his contacts to reflect the party’s level. Thugs, brutes, cutthroats, crooked guards, officials on the hook, and, of course, the mysterious “Mr Taz”.

The real trouble comes from getting involved with one of Mr Taz’ personal projects/associates. This would make Krenko a loose end. The Azorius Senate will only pay up if Krenko is brought in alive for questioning. Under no circumstances is the goblin boss to be questioned independently, and if either of these requirements isn’t met, you’ll find yourself in hot water with the Senate. However, if he starts talking to try and bargain his way out, you can expect to find yourself green-lit by House Dimir.

What does that mean? It means you’re going to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Give up on sleeping at night, you’ll make it too easy for them. Every NPC you encounter, every random citizen you pass on the street, the members of your own guild; anyone could be a Dimir agent. Every dark alley, every shadow on the wall, every noise you hear in the night could be a deadly threat. Or nothing at all.

Best case scenario when they get to you, they wipe your memory. It’s standard Dimir protocol, but it can only affect memories from within the last 24 hours. So if you’re already passed that threshold, your options get dicier. Get Feebleminded, get killed, or get on the hook. If you have information, authority, or renown that can be exploited, they will use you to cause serious damage to your guild. If you don’t comply, they green-light your friends & loved ones.

Krenko might be the easiest on this list to physically wrangle, but he comes with a lot of bad attention from scary people. Unless taking on House Dimir is one of your campaign goals, his bounty to the Azorius is not worth the Dimir’s bounty on you.

#4 “The Cozen”

Affiliation: Orzhov Syndicate

Crimes: Unsanctioned executions, bribery of Azorius officials, illegal use of Detention Sphere for purposes of torture.

Real name unknown. Contract killer for the Orzhov Syndicate, trademark is “creative interpretation of contracts”, see below:

The contract specified an appendage for a missed payment. Read the fine print: the head is an appendage.

So, start with an Orzhov Giant. Give him (or her or them) a respectable boost in ability scores, particularly in the Charisma department. Throw in at least a couple of powerful magic items to reflect the high standing of a powerful enforcer within a guild that revolves around both hoarding and grand displays of wealth. Include an Advokist (aka Mage) or two for that sense of organization and official-ness the Orzhov always try to project in their dealings. Have some Azorius NPCs on the take to negotiate targets to the desired location/killspot. Last but not least, fashion yourself a Detention Sphere magical item; most likely an item holding charges for various flavors of confinement, restraint, and submission. These potential spells will probably go all the way up to Force Cage and/or Imprisonment. However, as this is a modified Detention Sphere, each spell also comes with the ability to inflict pain on the target.

All things considered, this will be one of the easier and more straightforward targets to locate. While storming Orzhov property is certainly no walk in the park, The Cozen is a pretty active figure in Orzhov debt collection, meaning one could conceivably see them out on the streets. The main concern one should have is to avoid the Detention Sphere, as being immobilized will turn the encounter into an execution. It’s highly unlikely The Cozen will have the opportunity to perform multiple executions in a single combat, but it’s even more highly unlikely that any member of the party will volunteer for instant death. That said, this one is certain to drop some sweet loot.

#3 Damir, aka "Voidwielder"

Affiliation: Guildless

Crimes: Opening spatial rift without a permit, erasure of evidence, conspiracy against Ravnica, conspiracy against Guilds, conspiracy against Guildpact.

Welcome to the Top 3. Each of the individuals listed is designated as “Kill on Sight” to reflect the extreme dangers they pose, both to individual victims and to Ravnica as a whole. Taking down any of these three will grant city-wide recognition, a massive boost to one’s renown within their guild, and the most sincere gratitude of the Azorius Senate. But be warned, all of these figures have remained at large because they’ve slaughtered, petrified, or erased anyone who’s stood against them.

The renegade mage known as Damir owes allegiance to no guild, no group, no organization, nor even to Ravnica itself. He is a madman even the Izzet won’t touch or defend. He holds a grudge against the Guildpact and has accused every guild of mass murder. Through use of portals and rifts, he seeks to reverse time itself. The rifts are of particular danger to airborne creatures of limited intelligence, like drakes, who fly into these sparkly ripples in the atmosphere without care. On the ground, his trademark method of dealing with anyone who interferes with his work is banishment, obliterating all evidence of his crimes from existence.

You’re definitely looking at an Archmage here, for starters. With a focus on the School of Conjuration, because he’s definitely the sort of guy who’s thinking with portals. As far as “How do I turn a 20ft doorway into a weapon?”, the answer lies in where the portal goes. A Gate to the Fire Plane is effectively a 20ft tall FLAMETHROWER. A Gate to the Water Plane is a tsunami focused into a geyser. A Gate to Nowhere is like opening an airlock in deep space. Given Damir’s general contempt for humanity, he definitely seems the sort of mad mage who would prefer uninhabited planes for his terrorism, but whose to say he doesn’t open up a Gate to one of the nastier Realms of existence and all the beasties within if he wants to? Odds are he hasn’t had much of a dialogue with anyone besides himself and his Unseen Servant(s) in a long time. Who’s going to talk him out of anything?

Damir is smart, extremely smart. Given most portal spells require concentration, the ability to concentrate on more than one spell at a time feels appropriate for maximizing his destructive potential. While it’s true that only the Gate spell can actually reach other Planes, once you have it up, you can pop an Arcane Gate inside that Gate and give yourself another 10ft tall elemental disaster at a location of your choosing. Better yet, Gate lasts only a minute, but Arcane Gate, once set up, lasts for 10. Time Stop seems like a given, but since Damir’s goal is reversing time, as opposed to just stopping it, saving that 9th level spell slot for Gate seems more effective. Let Time Magic be the plot device, not an actual spell. In addition, lots of teleporting for evasion (Misty Step is your friend), and you definitely wanna give him Chromatic Orb so he can do the void magic attack on his poster. Furthermore, while Banishment seems to be the logical choice for, well, banishing anyone who interferes, in actuality it lasts only a minute and can only send creatures to their home plane of existence. It’s more of a delaying tactic than anything. If you really want to maximize portal magic, Plane Shift or Scatter are much more permanent. Counterspell to prevent other mages from interfering. As far as other offensive spells, Evard’s Black Tentacles and Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere both feel very in-character. Especially if combined....

You could also open up a portal to the Past, but since, as mentioned in earlier posts, most of Ravnican history before the last 100 years is an absolute nightmare to figure out, make sure you’re prepared before you jump into it. Plus side, if Damir’s plan is to go back to before the Guildpact, your party might get to see dragons! Downside, your party will be walking into a 10-way war.

Already stated this, but, yeah, it’s worth stating again, kill on sight.

#2 "The Unseen"

Affiliation: Golgari Swarm

Crimes: Plagiarism of Azorius statutes for the purpose of phlebotomy and murder.

Murder of Judge Azka by heart removal

Murder of Arbiter Zivan by bloodletting

Murder of slumlord Branko One-Ear by extraction of brain

Prime Suspect in disappearance of Arbiter Relov

To some, an urban legend. To others, a secret cult. Whatever the identity, the assassin known on the streets as “The Unseen” has been steadily acquiring followers to mesh out their perverted sense of justice on present and former members of the Azorius Senate.

So, yeah, Vraska has a grudge against the Azorius. In all fairness, it’s pretty justified. Think V from V for Vendetta, except it’s a Gorgon Planeswalker Assassin Pirate Queen of the Undercity. So, yeah, think really hard before getting involved in this particular dispute. However, if you are determined to step into this ugly situation....

Vraska, as stated previously, combines all of the most lethal features of an Assassin, an Undercity Medusa, a Pirate, and a Planeswalker. Vraska’s stats should reflect those of a Guildmaster. Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma scores at-or-above 20. Legendary Actions, Legendary Resistances, Assassinate/Surprise Attack, Sneak Attack, Evasion, Cunning Action, and a Petrifying Gaze that brought down Isperia, Gargantuan Sphinx Guildmaster of the Azorius Senate. Just so you can properly understand the ramifications of that takedown; that means Isperia’s +11 Constitution (with Advantage) failed the save either by 5 once or by any amount twice. Basically, Vraska is a walking/slithering deathwish either by damage or by instant petrification.

So, step one in surviving against her is to make sure you surprise her, not the other way around. Step two is making sure she goes down, instead of planeswalking away. Meaning when you hit her, you hit hard, and you leave no chance at survival. Don’t go for the kill, go for the overkill. Plus side, although Vraska has considerable influence and followers within the Golgari Swarm, she still values her privacy & secrecy. So, if you can find her Lair, you can conceivably get the jump on her. Get that surprise round, take advantage of her squishier Hit Points as a Rogue, hit her with everything you’ve got, and pray.

Or you could just leave her alone and live a bit longer.

#1 "Massacre Girl"

Affiliation: Cult of Rakdos

Crimes: Murder, mass murder, unsanctioned execution, inciting chaos, inciting riots, massacre of Selesnyan missionaries in Rubblebelt. Prime suspect in 47 open murder cases. Additional information lost during fire at South Records Hall.

Vraska may be the toughest on this list, but the crazed murderer known only as “Massacre Girl” definitely holds the highest body count. She has openly promised to kill any official who investigates or detains her and is a favorite follower of Rakdos the Defiler. Whether she performs under orders or just for her own twisted delight, no one can say. Her trademark is high body counts.

Build-wise, you’re looking at a Rogue/Fighter combination. High Dexterity, Charisma, Stealth, Deception, Sleight of Hand, and every buff the Cult of Rakdos can offer someone. Surprise Attack, Sneak Attack, any ability that involves blood could work. But in order to really let Massacre Girl live up to her reputation, give her as many opportunities to attack as physically possible. Multi-Attack, Bonus Action, Reaction, or possibly even Legendary Actions. With Massacre Girl, quantity is going to be key, as her main weapons are only likely to be a spiked chain and a magic dagger of some rarity. Multi-Attack should include at least 3 Dagger attacks, possibly even up to 5. Utilizing the spiked chain for a Bonus Action to grab potential victims could work, as could leaving behind caltrops or other sharp objects while disengaging or dashing.

Her driving goal will be to inflict as much damage on as many targets as possible. Meaning she’s most likely to turn up somewhere with lots of innocent bystanders and immediately start slaying people. Much of the difficulty in dealing with her will be in getting through the crowds of people running away, and not losing sight of her in the chaos. If she gets behind you, you’re looking at a nasty flurry of stabs with advantage. Make no mistake, she’s going to do everything in her power to turn the encounter into a bloodbath, and no matter how hard you try, someone is going to die.

While you bury the last of her victims, let the knowledge that Ravnica no longer has to live in fear of this murder-crazed psychopath help you find peace.

[krazy-kipo]

Being a Human Mod Frog

~ You've evaded them for months. They don't know how. They don't like it. But soon it becomes a kind of game. Harris, Kwat, Jamack, even Mrs. Sartori want to catch you first. All the Mod frogs think your this huge prize and try to set up traps and take watch to find you. The Mod Frogs love a challenge and you are defiently a challenge.

~ The longer that you steal and the longer these small heists go on the less you become less a nuisance and more of a regular occurrence they come to expect and sometimes even enjoy. You don't steal anything super valuable and you actually start swapping things out. You take food but you leave shiny crystals or you steal a weapon but leave something of value.

~ At first they believe your a mute cause your so damn smart and they begin making bets and theorizing. A ton of them think your a wild frog while others think your a cat or something else but as time goes on they realize you may not be a mute.

~ It's Jamack who finally catches you and he's smug until he realizes your a human. Confused toad. You end up cutting yourself out of the net and trying to book it but he tongue knabs you and he knocks you out.

~ When you wake up Harris is guarding you with Kwat as Jamack speaks to the boss. He's greeted by a lot of loud curses and struggling as you try and untie the ropes knots.

~ Harris begins laughing. You get your hands free and tackling him you start choking him before Kwat pulls your screaming and kicking form off. Harris is blushing as he rubs his neck. You went ape shit and for a non mute it was kinda hot...

~You're in raggy clothing but your hair and face look clean. You clearly take care of yourself well and your very fit. Harris and Kwat gotta admit your a cute human.

~ Jamack comes back ready to take you to Scarlemagne and you look PISSED. Jamack is actually kind of impressed. For montha you evaded the Mod Frogs. The MOD FROGS. That doesn't happen when their actively pursing you. Especially a human.

~ You try and cut a deal. You've seen what Scarlemagne does to humans and it's not good. You have a mind, a soul, and you want to continue to use them not just be some puppet for a mad monkeys amusement.

~ You ask to see Mrs. Sartori talk to her herself and make a case. Kwat and Harris are unsure since Kwat is holding you back from escaping. Jamack doesn't like the idea but Mrs. Sartori hears you.

"What can a human offer ME?"

"Well I did steal for you for months. Pointers for one. Experience for another."

~ You get a laugh for that one. After explaining your use, Mrs. Sartori goes what the hell? You're pretty useful and Scarlemagne has enough humans maybe it'd be fun to have a pet. So on a trial bias you join the Mod frogs. You know your kept on close watch so you don't try and escape. You could but there's no point. You do your job you get food, shelter, hell even your own fancy suit. You're set and see no reason why you shouldn't stay as long as your welcome.

~ Your job consists of stealing from other territories without being traced back to the frogs, scavenging and finding things they need, and telling the Mod frogs where you've sighted humans for them to go finish the job. You quickly get a small name for yourself in the Mod frog ganag and the Mod Frogs come to except you as one of their depsite you not being a frog or toad.

~ Jamack is kind of your boss for awhile. He's in charge of you since he caught you type of deal. Mrs. Sartori is surprisingly netrual about you and doesn't seem to have intentions of turning you in. Once Jamack realizes your staying and it wasn't just empty words you were using to escape little by little he grows attached.

~ He teaches you to ride a dragondly. As a Mod frog it's their main way of transportation so you'll need to learn. He tries not to think of how good your arms feel around him as you cling to him or how your excited smile makes him croak and blush embarassed. He almost looses his composure when you get a chance to drive because you like it fast and fun. You race over the water dragging your hand through the water laughing the entire time. Jamack realizes his may have caught ugh... feelings and God help him because now he looks at you and his heart goes soft.

~ You have this way about you Jamack loves. Sassy so you can keep up with his sharp wit but you listen when you need too and really take his advice and suggestions to heart. You follow orders really well and he sees your dedication and talent. You remind him of him and something about that makes it harder to repress his feelings.

~ After being a Mod frog a few weeks and going on missions for him he realizes hard and fast oh no he LIKES you. It's all over when you notice his ties crooked and you untie it and retie it adjusting it for him. His face goes all red and the simple but sweet act leaves you cemented as a potential partner in his brain. He struggles with these feeling but he knows he'd take a hit for you because you would do the same for him. He's not chasing off these feelings any time soon.

~ Jamack gets teased relentlessly about his crush on the human but in all honestly a lot of the Mod frogs really like you too they just don't know how to tell you. Jamack gets pretty jealous but he keeps his composure. He may get red faced and huffy when someone mentions his affections for the humans but if he flips the script they react the same way. You just have that effect on people.

~ Harris loves you. From your first meeting to actually joining the Mod frogs he's very friendly and open towards you. Something about seeing you go batshit feral after coming to think of you as a restrained and stealthy thief flipped a switch in his brain and he admires your strength and passion. You're very talented and are proud of your accomplishments. That confidence makes you so beautiful.

~ He loves your sass just as much as Jamack and loves throwing playful insults because you toss them right with a smile and laugh. Nothing about you is mean or cold and it's so refreshing. The Mod Frogs scream hostile vibes but you, your kind and true to yourself unafraid to show affection or give compliments. You say something about his stripes on his back and neck once being pretty and his heart nearly explodes. Just you're very genuine and kind and Harris, he's not used to that.

~ He loves privately sparring with you and hates when Jamack or Kwat come in and ruin it. It becomes a tiny tension in the group as they all want you but are too stubborn to admit it. It doesn't help that you are completely oblivious too their intentions since you don't understand how they court.

~ Kwat is more reserved with her emotions than the boys. She's pretty cold so it can be hard to know what she's thinking but really she's just nervous to talk too you. You're so cool and unapologetically kind and your tie is always crooked yet you always fix their ties when their crooked because you know how much it means to them.

~ All in all these frogs are a mess. They can not handle you and how kind and sweet and smart you are. Your good at your job, passionate about what you do, and dedicated to the frogs because they gave you a chance and a home. The Mod frogs accpeted you and in turn you accepted them. You don't know that Jamack, Harris, and Kwat like you but someday soon you will.

[morgana-ren]

Ok so we all write about big horny go getter Shigaraki, but what about sexually repressed, pent up Shigaraki

Bitch you K N O W I had to write it now

He’s trying not to look. He really is. Honest. No, really.

You’re frantically flouncing around the kitchen in nothing but a tank top and shorts -your “sleepwear”- at 2 am, desperately searching for something. He doesn’t know what. He wasn’t listening (truthfully, he couldn’t focus) when you asked him about it. Instead he went on autopilot, shaking his head while pretending he wasn’t lasciviously leering at the sight of so much of your skin on show.

Your shorts, if you can call them that, barely cover the curve of your ass, leaving a good portion of the thick flesh and thighs on display to him. The tank top you’re wearing gives him a generous view of your cleavage, even more when you move a little too emphatically and he practically drools as they jiggle ever so slightly. It’s only fuels his curiosity as to what your tits look like beneath the stretchy fabric.

Even worse than your practically bared form is the fact that he can see your nipples, pebbled and hardening, from underneath the thin material of the tank top. His logical mind knows it’s likely due to the chilly air drafting through the kitchen, but Shigaraki isn’t exactly in thinking mode right now, unless you count him imagining what it would be like pinch the delicate little nubs between his fingers, rolling and abusing them before pulling them between his teeth, sucking them between his lips and coating them in his saliva.

He mentally chastises himself. He’s the leader of the League of Villains, not some horny, lovesick little boy. Sure, he’ll masturbate on occasion, but just enough to keep the feelings at bay. He has a few videos favorited on his favorite porn site, but it’s nothing compared to the filthy, disgusting, degrading things going through his mind right now. You’re his teammate, his friend, someone who trusts him.

Would you still trust him if you knew he was imagining how tight your little cunt is and how well you could milk his cock?

He reminds himself it’s unprofessional to shamelessly ogle his underlings, but you make it so hard when you bend over to look underneath the counter, cheeks pulled so taut against your shorts that he can make out the cleft of your ass. You’d look so good bent over for him, one of his hands gripping you open as he pounds inside you until his cum drips freely from your hole.

Stop it! His mind hisses. He’s unsure if it’s directed at himself, or you.

“You know, if you’re cold, you should put on a jacket.” He slips out, a desperate attempt to make you realize just what is happening and have mercy on him. Please, please just stop putting these thoughts in his mind. He can’t think clearly and he’s being tugged so harshly between lust and shame that it’s ripping him apart.

“Huh? I’m not cold.” You look genuinely confused, and in that moment, Shigaraki has never been more grateful that his mask covers the majority of his face. He’s bright red, cheeks burning and face flushed with what little blood he has to spare from between his legs as he realizes you legitimately have no clue of the impact you’re having on him.

You shrug his comment off as your boss just being his odd self, and continue your search of whatever item it is that’s evading you. He closes his eyes, trying to control himself. If he can’t see you, it can’t affect him right?

Wrong. Dead wrong. You stop your foot, a high pitched whine emanating from your throat. Listen, he knows it’s from frustration, but it’s just a little too suggestive, a little too sinful to his already wandering mind. He shifts uncomfortably on his stool, imagining if you’ll whine like that when his head is between your thighs, tongue lapping at your dripping core as your thighs clench around his ears, driving him onward-

Stop. He sucks in a ragged breath, self control running precariously low. His nails are digging into his palm so hard he can practically feel the crescent shaped bruises forming. He’s never considered himself particularly rapacious, but if you keep teasing him, keep tempting him with thoughts of what lies beneath the shadow of your clothing, he’s going to lose it. He’s going to take you on this counter, whether you want it or not.

Finally, finally you seem to give up. You turn around and face him, crossing your arms over your chest (thank God). Your lip juts out in a surly little pout and he can’t help but think about how if you keep making that face, he’ll give you something to pout about.

“Fine. I guess I’ll just go to bed then. I really wanted some noodles though.” You huff, bratty and insubordinate and just begging to be punished.

“You should do that.”

You look a little crestfallen but he’s just praying you’ll leave now. You’re hungry, after all, and he’s dangerously close to yanking you by your hair, forcing you to your knees and feeding you his cock until your stomach is full of his cum. He’s already on the edge,and the thought of your tongue dragging along his shaft as he holds you balls deep against his pelvis has his legs twitching, body desperately chasing release.

You bid him goodnight and his eyes watch your form disappear through through the door until you’re out of his line of sight. It’s taking every ounce of self control not to follow you and corner you in the hallway, hike your legs around his waist and drive into you until you’re crying and clenching around his swollen cock. He has to bite his tongue until it bleeds to distract himself from the fact that it’s something he could actually do.

He’s out of control, out of his mind and out of patience. Relenting to himself, he palms himself through his jeans, rubbing his straining cock before pulling it out. He knows it’s entirely a possibility that you could turn around and walk back in, and honestly he hopes you do. It should be you  stroking his thick length in your soft little hands, anyway.

Showing a little gratitude and appreciation to your leader.

He squeezes his tip, precum leaking from the slit as he pretends it’s you handling his cock. Your lips kissing along the shaft and rubbing your cheek against him, smearing the viscous fluid across your skin. You’d moan, worshipping his throbbing length and using both hands to work him eagerly.

Or maybe you’d be shy and meek, inexperienced fingers exploring between his thighs like it’s the first time you’ve ever seen a male. Your clumsy movements only serve to arouse him further, knowing he’s taking your innocence.

Or maybe you’d pretend you didn’t want it, eyes wide and moist, begging him to let you go, promising you wouldn’t tell anyone. Your mouth is sobbing no, but the wetness between your legs as he thrusts his fingers deep into your pussy says otherwise.

He lets his mind wander and continues speeding his movements, hips thrusting wantonly into his own fist as he pictures you in all sorts of positions, littering his marks across your skin and covering you in his fluids while you scream and beg for him. Eventually it becomes too much and he feels the familiar tightening in his balls as he reaches his climax, cock spitting up onto his own shirt and jeans. He relishes in the high for a few moments, gulping in air like he’s suffocating and letting the satisfying tingle electrify his limbs.

And then he’s hit with a wall of relentless shame.

Fuck fuck fuck! It never should have gotten this far. He had lost his sense of self control, unabashedly manhandling his genitals in the open to the thought of you stuffed to the hilt, greedily sucking on him and-

Alright! Enough already!

Embarrassed and defeated, he shoves himself back into his pants, ripping off a few paper towels to try and clean himself as best as he can before stomping down the hall and retreating to his room in shame.

He’d crossed a line. He’d lusted for a member of his team. Now that he thought about it, even after he emptied himself, he still wanted you.

How could anything go back to normal? How was he going to maintain a professional facade when all he could think about is how you’d look sprawled underneath him, cock buried deep inside you?

This was so far beyond the pale of the problems he’d anticipated. His master would be so ashamed.

[thedreammweaver]

Not Over Any Oceans Chapter 6 (Nygmobblepot, The Santa Clause 2 au, Santa!Oswald, elf!Zsasz, elf!Penn, Toy Santa!Burtonverse Oswald)

Chapter 5 Chapter 7

Warnings: blood

Oswald huffed impatiently as Vixen landed on the balcony of the Santa suite. He carefully got off of the reindeer and snuck inside, hoping Penguin wasn’t in there. He startled when he heard a familiar voice “Santa?” It was Penn who was crawling out from under the bed to greet his boss. Oswald was relieved to see his second most trusted elf “Penn, what are you doing in here??”

“Hiding.” Penn whispered. A wave of guilt came over him “This is all my fault...”

“There’s a way you can make it up to me.” Oswald whispered “Can you get to the pantograph?”

“I-I think so.”

“Good, I have an idea.”

   Oswald had tried to sneak to the pantograph when Penn signaled to him it was all clear but he’d been intercepted and was now trapped along with Zsasz. Oswald was struggling to break out of the festive ribbon they’d been tied back to back with by the toy penguins. “Why don’t you just use your magic?” Zsasz asked, also struggling.

“I’m out...” Oswald admitted, having used most of it on Edward. He hadn’t spotted penguin yet, he feared the toy had already left and was he starting to lose hope about anything turning out right that evening.

       Edward the dog stretched as he woke up from a long nap in one of. his favourite sleeping spots which was a cranny in the workshop where excess stuffing and fur for stuffed animals was kept. He got up lazily and pushed the door to the room open with his nose. There’d been some scary noises but they were gone now and had been quickly forgotten by the dog who was now trotting through the halls looking for....anyone. He heard talking in the main room and started running faster. He barked happily as he turned a corner and set eyes on his owner. “Eddie!” Oswald said happily as the dog ran over. Edward propped himself up on Oswald’s legs but was confused when the man didn’t immediately start petting him, he whined at Oswald trying to get his affection. Oswald struggled a bit in the ribbon tying him to show Edward he wasn’t keeping from petting him on purpose. Edward got off of Oswald’s legs and pouted, he was about to walk off when he spotted a part of the ribbon hanging down inbetween the trapped pair before him. If he couldn’t play with his master he would play with whatever this shiny thing was, he jumped up to grab it with his mouth and tugged. As he tugged naturally it started to untie which only encouraged him. Eventually he’d untied it completely and Oswald and Zsasz were able to escape. Zsasz immediately ran to where the elves were being locked up to free them. Oswald paused to praise his dog, petting him fervently “What a smart boy you are, Edward! Who’s my smart boy?” Edward didn’t understand why he was being praised so much as he chewed on the ribbon but he accepted the praise all the same. Zsasz opening the room where the elves were set off an alarm and the toy penguins as well as their master were soon upon them. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Penguin yelled at Zsasz. He smirked as he noticed Oswald “Well look who came crawling back. Penguins, get them!” He ordered. However before the penguins could advance any further they were distracted by a whistle coming from the door to outside. It was Penn, in his hand he had a fish. Penguin was getting impatient as his army didn’t obey “You idiots, I said get them!!” The toy penguins were no longer paying attention, all of their focus was on Penn as he threw the fish outside and moved out of the way. The toy penguins immediately started clamouring outside in what was a stampede of flippers, most of them breaking themselves or eachother in the process. Penguin growled and stomped before trying to keep his cool. He checked his watch “I have a while before I have to deliver all that coal, I can deal with you on my own.” He was referring to Oswald who bolted into the room with the pantograph.

“I knew you were a coward.” Penguin muttered entering the room where Oswald was hiding. Oswald had squeezed himself under a table and was watching intently as Penguin waddled around looking for him. He leaped out as Penguin stood in front of the conveyor belt of the pantograph and tried to push the toy onto it. Penguin evaded him, grabbing him by the arm and throwing him hard into the wall. “Face it, you’re just jealous that I’m a better Santa than you’ll ever be.” Penguin growled to Oswald who was still trying to recover in a crumpled heap on the floor. Seeing Penguin heading for the door galvanized Oswald into forcing himself up and rushing Penguin, getting his hands around the toy’s neck and pulling him back into the room. What followed was a tangle mostly in Penguin’s favour as he was much heavier than Oswald. He’d ended up on top of the other man and was about to try banging his head into the floor to knock him out so he could get on with his coal delivery but he noticed Oswald reaching for a screwdriver that’d fallen from a table during their fighting. Oswald nearly had his fingers around the tool when he felt a searing pain in the space between his neck and shoulder. He was facing the floor so he couldn’t see what Penguin was doing but it only took a few seconds before he registered the sharp things piercing his clothes and flesh as teeth. The toy was fucking biting him. Oswald frantically searched for anything to get Penguin off when he spotted something under the work table before him, within reach. It was an umbrella, red and white, how festive. He grabbed it by it’s handle and managed to hit Penguin in the head with it which made the toy let go and get off. In a few seconds both of them were on their feet, Oswald pointing the umbrella at Penguin. “And just what are you planning to do with that?” Penguin laughed. Oswald found himself filled with determination as he noticed penguin was once again in front of the conveyor belt “This is from when I used to kill people, you know. It could have a knife in it or shoot bullets. I actually don’t remember. So you should just- um.. surrender now so I don’t have to hurt you!” Oswald wasn’t used to threatening violence anymore but he certainly wasn’t lying, there were quite a few of his old umbrellas lying around and he really didn’t remember which ones did which. Penguin looked like he was believing Oswald a bit but he gave him a stubborn look “No.” Oswald pressed a button on the handle only for the umbrella to open and...start playing music. It was spinning and had toys dangling from the points. “Shit...it’s the cute one..” Oswald muttered, throwing the umbrella aside. He could feel defeat encroaching until he noticed he’d actually startled Penguin into jumping backwards onto the conveyor belt. Penguin was laughing “You really had me going there but if you don’t mind I should be-“ Penguin paused as he realized he couldn’t move his feet. He tried again but it was no use. Penn had put glue all over it earlier at Oswald’s request. “What is this?!” Penguin demanded. Oswald was too busy going over to the controls to answer him, he switched the function to ‘shrink’ as it had previously been set on ‘replicate’ and started it up. “What are you doing?!?” Penguin yelled as the conveyor started moving. Oswald just smirked as he watched the toy go in. There were sparks and smoke from the machine again and when Penguin came out from the other side he was much smaller of course. Oswald was surprised but grateful as Penn ran over to place a glass bowl over Penguin as if he was a spider that’d found it’s way inside. He was pounding against the glass but of course being stuck and tiny he couldn’t do much. “Oswald!” Oswald startled at his mother’s voice, but only momentarily as he soon ran to hug her. “I have a surprise!” She said pulling away from Oswald and pointing to Ed who was currently reeling from having just been on a flying reindeer. He was looking around the workshop in awe. “Edward?” Oswald approached him. “What are you doing here?”

Ed snapped out of the trance he was in to focus on Oswald instead “I- erm- your mother is very persuasive and talked some sense in to me I guess..” Ed was blushing and fiddling with his coat “I came to the realization that maybe I...um...that I..”

“He wants to marry you.” Gertrud finished for Ed.

“Y-You do?”

“Yes..” Ed’s face flushed even redder. Oswald’s joy was quickly overtaken by urgency “Well, shit, then we only have like what? Twenty minutes? An-and who’s going to marry us-”

“I can do it.” Zsasz assured as he ran over after making sure everything was alright with the other elves.

Oswald looked at his head elf in disbelief “Really?”

“You’re not the first Santa that had to get hitched on short notice.” Zsasz explained.“I think you should probably be getting ready now.” He reminded. Penn took Oswald’s hand to lead him away while some elves did the same with Ed.

     Oswald was ansty as Penn patched the bite in his neck up and while Gertrud was fixing his hair and trying not to cry at the fact her only son was about to be married. “I should’ve known I’d somehow end up covered in my own blood on my wedding day.” Oswald huffed, looking at his disgarded bloodstained suit. He in his Santa attire now which was baggy on him presently. He was only missing his coat which Zsasz said he would be given later for whatever reason.

If they were having second thoughts Ed and Oswald could do little to protest as they were pushed together outside in front of Zsasz by the elves who were very eager to have a new member of the family as well as have their Santa back. “I hope you don’t mind if I make this quick.” Zsasz said, gesturing to a big clock on the front of the workshop. “Please do.” Oswald would’ve liked a proper ceremony but he supposed that could wait for another day. Zsasz cleared his throat but before he could speak an elf ran over to push Oswald and Ed closer as well as make them hold each other’s hands before running back into the crowd. Zsasz rolled his eyes and continued “Do you, Edward Nygma, take Oswald Cobblepot aka Santa Claus to be your husband?”

“I do.” Ed said bashfully, shuffling his feet.

“Do you, Santa, take Edward Nygma to be your husband?”

Oswald took a second to glance at his mother who was crying, she looked proud, he imagined his father standing beside her looking proud as well “I do.”

“I now pronounce you Mr. and uh- Mr. Claus. You two can smooch now.” He chuckled. As Ed and Oswald kissed there was a chorus of ‘Aww’ from the elves. When the pair separated a sort of glittery puff of smoke enveloped Oswald and when it dissipated he was back to how he was pre de-Santafication, festively plump and with shoulder length white and black streaked hair. “Wow.” Ed breathed, looking Oswald up and down. Oswald suddenly felt self conscious “Is..that a good wow..?”

“Yes, it’s a good wow.” Ed assured. Oswald’s attention was pulled away by the clock chiming. “Oh god, I gotta go.” Oswald was about to head for the sleigh until he remembered something “Zsasz, I need my coat.”

“Oh, yeah! Hold on a second.” Zsasz ordered before running inside and quickly coming back out. He handed Oswald the coat but Oswald immediately noticed it wasn’t his usual one, the coat had the same bright white trim as the other one except it was a beautiful reddish purple with a bright red sash which complimented it perfectly. “Oh, Zsasz..”

“I figure if your most outlandish demand is a purple suit then...that isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever heard..”

“Zsasz, I-“

“You’re a really good Santa, I’ve recently been reminded of just how good..”

Oswald patted Zsasz on the shoulder and put the coat on.

    Oswald was about to depart but he stopped to turn to Ed. “You wanna try that sleigh ride again except this time with the truth?”

Ed pondered for moment “I..well, I-“ Ed was cut off when something bumped his leg. He looked down to see a bulldog staring at him curiously. “Aaw, who’s this?” Ed asked, picking the dog up. Oswald cleared his throat “Uh..erm..his name is Edward..”

Ed’s brow furrowed and he looked at the dog in his arms, as if checking for a resemblance “You named your dog after me?”

Oswald was blushing and fiddling with the reins in his hands.

“That’s...really cute.” Ed said softly, setting the dog down. “I was going to say yes..I would like to try that sleigh ride again.”

Ed paused as Oswald helped him up into the sleigh “Not over any oceans.”

“Don’t worry, Eddie, I wouldn’t let you fall...ever.”

     Ed was still marveling at the fact they were flying when Oswald interrupted his thoughts. “So you wanna tell me how your Christmases actually were?”

“Um...well, I didn’t lie when I said my parents didn’t put any effort in..but they did drop me off at my grandma’s every Christmas since I was a toddler and she did her damnedest to make sure I would believe in Santa. She put out milk and cookies, of course, and then carrots for the reindeer-“

“That’s always a really nice gesture, cause they love carrots.”

“She also put out a cot so Santa could take a nap.”

“Santa doesn’t have time to nap for the record.” Oswald said defensively.

Ed breathed a laugh at Oswald’s seriousness and continued “And in the morning the cookies would be gone and the milk would be gone and the carrots would be gnawed-“

“Gnawed? The reindeer don’t gnaw carrots they eat them whole.”

“Ozzie...can you stop fact checking me please?” Ed chided fondly.

“Sorry, sorry. Continue.”

“The cot would be mussed and there would be the most amazing presents under the tree. One year it was a rocking horse that I called ‘Harvey’ ironically..” there was spite in Ed’s tone as his thoughts drifted to Detective Bullock “Another year it was a wagon that I used mostly to carry books in and it was all magical..”

“Why did you stop believing?”

Ed rolled his eyes “Don’t you know already?”

“That feels like cheating, I want you to tell me.”

Ed cleared his throat “Well..my grandma was trying to get custody of me and I wished so hard that- I wanted to be with her so bad, and I was so sure but they said she was too old and I.. I-I was devastated.” Ed’s tone had turned very sad “I didn’t tell her that I’d stopped believing and our last Christmas together went like all the others...it was actually almost more special to think she was the one doing all those things for me. That year there was this beautiful doll under the tree with green eyes and strawberry blond curls that had a dress and bonnet made of green silk with...with pink lace on the collar of the dress and on the edge of the bonnet...” Ed was choking back tears as memories were flooding him “My grandma knew if I took the doll home my father would have never let me keep it so it stayed at her house and...later that year she died and never got around to leaving it to me in her will so...I never saw it again...” Ed wiped away the few tears streaming down his cheek. There was a few moments of silence before Oswald cleared his throat “You know, I think I left my watch in the back of the sleigh, would you look back there for me?”

Ed nodded and crawled half over the seat to look, he was about to ask what this watch looked like when his eyes caught something green and pink and frilly under the seat. His hand was shaking as he reached over and pulled the object out. He was met with big green glass eyes framed strawberry blonde curls. Oswald couldn’t help but let a smile cross his face as Ed sat back down, doll in his arms. “You’re really raising the bar for husbands everywhere, you know..” Ed squeaked through tears hugging the doll to himself. Oswald wrapped his arm around the taller man, feeling very much like he was already pretty good at this whole husband thing.

[blackroseraven]

So I’ve been meaning to talk about this game forever, but only now got around to it.

Here, however, I finally present to you what has easily become one of my favorite games: Iratus, the Lord of the Dead.

Iratus is a “tactical hardcore roguelike,” as it describes itself: a simpler way to describe it is as a “reverse Darkest Dungeon,” but while that’s apt in the sense that you play as the bad guy and you can kill the heroes through stress or violence, it does it a disservice in the sheer complexity of the game, and honestly, the difference in tactics and difficulty as well.

As an Arch-Necromancer, you’re able to create minions from the bits and pieces you gather from your slain opponents, and that your minions have a chance to harvest out of a structure in your Graveyard, which is the name given to the collection of buildings you can create and station minions in to help you gather extra materials, heal your minions, and give you other advantages in and out of battle.

However, one of the big differences between standard Darkest Dungeon and Iratus is resource management: while Darkest Dungeon is famed for being “cruel,” the reality is that even if you lose heroes, as long as you’re not playing on hard difficulty, you can always pick up from where you left off. In Iratus, you’re always being pushed forwards: there’s no farming, there’s no turning back. You’re always being forced towards the next part of the map, the next encounter, and your resources are always limited: you don’t have infinite parts to make minions, and even if you did, brains are also a precious resource that are used to instantly level up your minions. You can’t expect to triumph against Act III enemies with Level 1 minions.

Leveling up your minions in Iratus allows you to customize them to some extent: you gain 2 skill points per level, which can be spent to upgrade their abilities. Minions can also be given additional skill points by installing higher quality parts in them.

Every 3 levels also allows minions to customize one of their six skills, choosing one of two upgrade paths, and at level 15, allows a minion to upgrade their ultimate ability, which consumes Iratus’ Wrath, a resource gained in battle by dealing and taking damage, and several other unlockable methods. Cleverly, to ensure that if you plan to never actually use a skill you can still get some benefit out of it, skill upgrades are also linked to passive ability bonuses. 

Minions can also be outfitted with two items to enhance their abilities, or which trigger based on certain criteria being fulfilled. Most items are generic, but every minion has a unique item designed specifically for them. The Banshee, for example, has the Second Slipper, which heals her a small amount whenever she evades an enemy attack.

As I mentioned before, the game is designed so you’re always pushing forwards: the map for each floor is randomly-generated and always has a sprawling layout, but rather than being able to go back and forth and clear everything out, you have to always move towards your objective, resulting in more and more of the route behind you becoming grayed out as you advance. You’re able to preview the entire map in advance, however, and get some limited information about the enemies ahead of you: you’ll always be aware of one random enemy from every encounter, who the boss of the floor is, and what the enemy group directly ahead of you consists of, letting you plan your tactics in advance for each enemy encounter.

Enemies can be killed by either stressing them to the point of having a heart attack, or attacking them directly. Once opponents become stressed to a certain point, they roll a sanity check, and either become insane or inspired: it’s important to note that insanity isn’t always beneficial as well. as Berserk or All Remaining Strength can seriously screw you over if it occurs in the wrong situation.

Some enemies, however, can’t be stressed out, which is very important to keep in mind: you always need some way to deal with opponents who are either magical constructs or otherwise resistant to stress damage.

One of the most interesting things about the game is how customizable Iratus is: from the variety of artifacts you can equip Iratus is - both consumable and permanent - to the four different Talent trees he has at his disposal, you can customize him to suit your playstyle. Iratus gains Spellpower with every level he gains, which affects the power of his spells in a variety of ways: with enough Spellpower, some spells are reduced to near- or literal-zero cost, while the effective damage of others is boosted massively.

The Wrath of the Necromancer expansion further improved on Iratus’ abilities by giving him the ability to also create Potions, which both allow him to regenerate his own Wrath and Mana in combat as well as buff minions and debuff enemies in all manner of different ways. Potions are created at the expense of parts, but can be well worth it when used wisely.

I could say a lot of other positives about Wrath of the Necromancer: it’s an amazing expansion to the game that really felt like it capped off Iratus’ story nicely, added two minions with new specialties, and made a slew of improvements like new enemies in every area and a bunch of new items for minions to use. I really enjoyed it. 

Overall it’s a wonderful game, though, even by itself without the expansion. And one of my favorite things is that the voice actor for Iratus is Stephan Weyte, who also was the voice of Caleb, the protagonist of that oldest of old school shooters, Blood. Really just an extra bit of cult delight.

The game has a lot of personality beyond just Iratus, though, even though he’s almost the only voice you’ll hear through the entire game. Your minions and enemies make barks, and small “quest” encounters add touches of story here and there. The “Humonarium” gives you long explanations about each creature you encounter once you earn their Token, generally by killing the enemy. 

It also does well carrying itself with minimal story: some humans dug too greedily and too deep, and they disturbed Iratus’ tomb, and now he’s going to kill everyone. It works really well, keeping the narrative always focused on the present of the game and where Iratus is going rather than trying to weave some kind of complex plot together.

I really enjoyed the music arrangements as well: the tracks never got old, no matter how many times I heard them, and the fact that you don’t hear the exact same track every single battle also really helps.

I also really enjoy the graphics, and the fact that every minion has alternate skins, many of which aren’t just sprite recolors but often have actual different costumes. The animations are simple but effective, all unique for each class and spell. 

I’ve poured almost a hundred hours into it and I’m still happily putting more time into it, because it’s always such a unique and rewarding experience. I really can’t recommend it enough.

[hello-im-not-a-possum]

You caught my attension with the "Bad end Wizard Wally" Au, what else goes down in there?

A lot of things anon, a lot of things:

-Instead of even so much as humoring the thought of telling Conner, Wally straight up quits and gets a job elsewhere.

-A few years later both Wally and Henry get letters asking them to come to the old studio; one from Joey asking Henry to ‘come visit the old workshop’, the other from Thomas begging Wally to destroy the machine because he can’t do it himself.

-Henry and Wally show up to the inked studio.

-Curiosity leads the pair to activate the ink machine. (Wally thought that Thomas was referring to the other ink machine, not the one suspended by chains.)

-The Ink Demon breaks down the boards and chases them through the studio before the floor breaks beneath them.

-Post-machine activation: the studio fucks with Wally’s magical powers, often having spells backfire on himself. (i.e. if he tries to make something levitate, it automatically flings itself into his face.)

-Due to the fact that Joey found out how to successfully make living cartoons out of people early on, there are no searchers in the studio.

-The Lost ones are still here but they’re much rarer, they flee from sight whenever you see them, and they aren’t made by the machine like canon implied, instead they’re human beings who drank the ink.  

-The two unwilling heroes try to escape via the music department’s flooded stairwell, but they get stopped by Sammy and dragged deeper into ink hell.

-Sammy doesn’t worship the Ink Demon in this AU. In fact, his mind and body are not affected by the ink at all.

-Instead, his mental decline is brought on by his own psychic abilities which he became aware of due to Joey’s meddling. He can’t even think about the past and present anymore, only the future.

-Thus, the man’s new role is not of a desperate madman clinging onto a false savior, but instead a cold and calculating wildcard of an oracle who constantly stalks the two heroes from the shadows and throws wrenches in their escape plans, but also keeps them safe from the wrath of the ink demon whenever he can.

-Boris is still a friend, but he’s a little less chipper and much more on edge than canon.

-Either Wally or Henry can find a tape recorder buried in Boris’s stuff that was made by a gofer who’s talking about the fact that while the living cartoons came out of the machine looking exactly like their animated counterparts, they often try to change how they look, behave coldly and are hostile towards everybody, and are especially hostile towards Joey Drew.

-“The Cameraman is probably the worst out of all of them, it’s almost like he’s trying to make everybody quit their jobs!”

-You know how dogs sigh like they had the roughest time in the world? The only noise Boris makes is that sigh and he only makes it when that tape recording is played.

-Who attacks our heroes if searchers aren’t in the enemy roster? Simple: a hoard of deformed toons.

-We’ve got our classic Butchered gang members, Sliced-Split-n-Stitched Back up SSSB members, and Woolly troubled trios.

-But these appear in the music dep, Bendyland, the village, and the administration offices. Instead of being regular deformed, the enemies in the Heavenly toys department have seemingly been forcefully fused together.

-This makes them slower and weaker, but they also have three times as much health now.

-Susie is referred to as “Twisted Alice” in the studio. This is because she doesn’t look like a more human-proportioned Alice Angel with a deformed face, but instead a mashup of Alice Angel and Miss Twisted.

-Looks like misery loves company.

-Instead of seeking ‘perfection’ Twisted Alice sends Wally and Henry to do tasks for her because she’s trying to make herself be one or the other, she doesn’t care which one she’ll end up as anymore but trying to be two (technically three) different people at once is really messing with her.

-The tasks she gives are still the same, instead of the swollen searcher task, that’s instead replaced with “Gather thick ink from the flooded level”.

-You know how the Projectionist is already scary?

-Imagine him with the ability to raise the dead.

-Like, Henry and Wally are in level 14 gathering severed hearts...

-And then an ear-splitting scream echoes through the area.

-And.

-Then.

-The.

-Fucking.

-Corpses.

-Of.

-The.

-Dead.

-Toons.

-Start.

-Rising.

-And.

-Attacking.

-Norman’s ‘I sees everythang’ tape is slightly altered to include more corpse puns.

-When all the chores are done, Twisted Alice does keep her word and lets Henry and Wally up.

-When they’re *this* close to seeing daylight again, *BAM!*

-The Elevator drops like a hot coal.

-Was it sabotaged? Was it just old and dangerous? Was this just bad luck? That’s up for interpretation depending on who you believe first.

-Boris is kidnapped by a much more Miss Twisted-looking Twisted Alice while the old men are out.

-Intentional murder to commit dog theft, or Miss Twisted being opportunistic?

-Giant cavern? Lame carnival minigames? Air vent maze? Nah, screw that, instead Bendyland gets some more rides.

-Fight off foes in the ferris wheel!

-Avoid killer bumper cars with running chainsaws attached to them while trying to get the haunted house’s power back on!

-Can’t forget Bertrum! In the fight, if he puts down all four of his arms and pushes down hard enough, he can actually walk around the room.

-Kinda like a giant mechanical spider with only four legs.

-This makes it harder to hit his weak points and makes it easy for him to fucking stampede over “Joey”, which is why he does it. But it takes a lot out of him, so he can’t do it for very long.

-And he can’t do it anymore if two or more of his arms are ripped off.

-The Projectionist’s section is the same but with more toon corpses around.

-And if you didn’t get caught in his light or touch the hearts, when Wally and Henry pile into the miracle station and The Projectionist is *just* about to open the door until getting interrupted, instead of screaming at the ink demon and getting into a fight, the Projectionist opens the door and fucking squeezes himself in there.

-Not very comfortable, but better than the alternative.

-Congrats to Henry and Wally, who graduated from ‘trespassing thieves’ to ‘weird but sorta okay flesh things who didn’t take my hearts again and let me in their safe territory in spite of me trying to kill them’.

-Boris actually can be saved.

-Did you give the dog a bone back at the safe house?

-Good, now give him three more.

-The Janitor and the Animator have no fucking clue why throwing bones at this deformed, beefed-up version of Boris managed to melt off the excess ink and junk, or why he can speak now, but they’re not going to look a gift wolf in the mouth.

-Did somebody say back-to-back boss battle?

-I did!

-Sadly, it’s kind of a short fight as it can range from ‘three on one and one of them is a fucking wizard (just because recoil is hell doesn’t mean it’ll stop Wally in dire situations)’ to ‘four on one and one of those four can bring back the dead by screaming’.

-Allison and Tom wrangle the team up and stick ‘em in the “guest room”.

-Tom chews Wally out for re-activating the ink machine, Wally can’t take him seriously when he’s that fucking small and sounds like a mechanical snob.

-It’s even funnier when the Projectionist has been befriended.

-Let him have his tiny camera-headed son back, Allison.

-The river boat chase is longer and there seems to be more than just one hand coming out of the ink.

-Wally swears he sees a bunch of teeth in the river while the hands are down.

-In the village, the group are immediately attacked by a swarm of deformed toons when they approach the boarded up hovel.

-They shout things like “STAY AWAY FROM THE PROPHET!” and stuff like that in their garbled voices.

-When all of them are gone, peering through the boards in the hovel the team approached in the first place reveals that Sammy is indeed in there, just staring off into space and muttering about something the team can’t quite make out.

-Breaking down the said boards might seem logical, but it triggers a brutal boss fight against him. That musical bastard is fast and hits like a freight train. Also psychic powers, you have to be the luckiest person in the world to win a fight against a man who sees your every move before you can even think of it.

-Just... leave him be... and focus on getting outta here.

-The administration maze is as annoying as ever thanks to not having any weapons and the maze itself being magically disabling.

-Beast Bendy gets some bigger legs to go with his giant torso and head.

-Now he’s even faster and more annoying!

-but can’t do shit against the team.

-Good Ending: getting the biggest team you can in game, breaking the machine and punching Joey in the face for doing ...that. It sucks that everything got this bad but at least you helped the others make it outta there.

-Neutral ending: “Come by the old workshop, there’s something I need to show you”

-Bad Ending of the ‘Bad end Wizard Wally Au’  (Worst possible ending): Henry and Wally have fully succumbed to the ink through a path of violence, evading death by the toons, and have fully lost themselves, they do not remember their lives and families before the ink anymore. And Joey couldn’t be more tickled pink! It’s a shame that making perfect demon toons is such a complicated process compared to making an object-headed toon, a ‘human’ toon, or an animalistic toon, but all the trouble was worth it as a trip through the machine later, Joey finally has the last two he needs: A Perfect Papa Pluto and a Perfect Bendy.

[plsbyallmeans]

Hillary Clinton on Her Surreal Life and New Hulu Doc: “I’m Not the President, and I Got More Votes! It’s So Crazy!”

The former candidate looks back and laughs. What else is she gonna do?

Hillary Clinton sat serenely before me, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. That was my first surprise as I was ushered into a room at a Pasadena hotel to talk to the former Secretary of State and the woman who won the popular vote in the 2016 election about Hulu’s four-part documentary series, Hillary (premieres March 6). Although she’s been accused of being plodding and dour, Clinton exuded buoyant warmth. And then there was her laugh. At first I was convinced that it was deployed for effect. (Politicians get media training; is laughter training a thing?) But gales of it tumbled out so regularly and recklessly that it seemed clear Clinton was just relaxed—maybe for the first time ever?

Sure, sometimes her laughter sounded rueful, but a lot of us feel rueful these days. And while she has stopped ascending the political ladder, Clinton’s name still sparks both adoration and loathing, as well as generalized post-traumatic stress. Some people wish she would withdraw into media exile rather than shadow the current election like the ghost of campaigns past. That gave some pause to Nanette Burstein, the documentary filmmaker behind The Kid Stays in the Picture and American Teen who took on this project in 2018. Burstein knew the Clinton defeat was still a raw wound for liberal America. But it was a cross she was willing to bear, given the complete editorial control and 35 hours of interviews with her subject she was granted, along with leeway to pose any questions she wanted.

I started to ask Clinton how it felt to participate in this legacy-defining project after so many years of having her life’s narrative framed by others, but the word “framed” triggered an explosive howl of laughter. “By all definitions of that word!” she said, eyes flashing, before collecting herself again.

“I decided to do it because I’m not running for anything and I think my life and my story has parallels with women’s lives and stories and what’s going on in politics,“ Clinton told me resolutely. (This was several weeks before the rumor circulated that Mike Bloomberg was considering asking Clinton to be his running mate.) “Thirty-five hours sitting in a chair answering questions is grueling but I felt like if I didn’t tell my side of the story, who would?” she added with a shrug. “At least there’ll be a baseline: Here’s what actually happened in my life. Here’s what I actually said about it.”

That led to some very uncomfortable conversations about the many scandals that engulfed the Clintons, including her husband’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. (“It was awful what I did,” Bill Clinton tells Burstein, barely able to look at the camera. “I feel terrible about the fact that Monica Lewinsky’s life was defined by it.”) “I had to ask the ex-president of the United States about the most personal thing in his life and why he would make such a decision,” Burstein recalled. “It was very intimidating! But it was about: How did this affect Hillary and her marriage and the repercussions of that, which followed her 20 years later, into this last election.”

The series flickers back and forth between Hillary Clinton’s youth and the present, weaving together a complicated and flattering (if not quite hagiographic) portrait of a woman who’s provoked admiration and abhorrence for much of her life. Sometimes she seems like a real-life Zelig, popping up near the center of American culture for the last half century. But Zelig was a bystander, whereas Hillary got right in the thick of the action, sometimes changing the course of events and others times being swept along by them.

Clinton came of age at the exact moment that the women’s liberation movement was rising, and her 1969 Wellesley commencement speech landed her a spot in Life magazine. As a young lawyer, she wrote briefs as part of the staff for Nixon’s impeachment hearings (decades later, in a savage irony, she saw the process from another angle when her own husband was impeached). After following Bill to Arkansas, she confronted good old boy sexism, encountering judges who thought women shouldn’t be lawyers and constituents who felt the first lady of Arkansas should take her husband’s name. When Bill cheated on her in the White House, some women were furious with Hillary for standing by him. Conversely, when Bill entrusted her with the daunting task of devising a universal health care plan 16 years before Obamacare, right-wing rage, and revulsion boiled over. Footage in the Hulu series features protesters brandishing posters with slogans like “Hillary makes me sick” and “Heil Hillary.” At a Kentucky rally, they even burned her in effigy.

“I was threatened when I went around the country talking about it,” Clinton told me of that heated Hillarycare moment, shuddering at the mention of the burning effigy. “The Secret Service made me wear a bulletproof coat at one event because they had taken guns and knives off of people trying to get into the outdoor event. I thought, Shit, I’m trying to get people health care! It’s not like I’m stealing your firstborn here! What is the matter with you?” she shrieked, howling with laughter. “It was so weird—like, what’s happening here? Were they paid? A lot of them were riled up by talk radio…. But yeah, I had a lot of very unusual experiences.”

In the Hulu series, former adviser Cheryl Mills recalls “Hillary hater sessions” during Clinton’s 2008 campaign for the Democratic nomination: Women complaining that the candidate was too power-hungry or that she’d been weak for staying with Bill. “It was like watching The Exorcist: The bile would just keep coming up,” Mills said. Clinton herself told me that before she ran for president, a psychological researcher warned her she’d have problems with white women “because they don’t want any conflict with their husbands, their fathers, their sons, their brothers, their boss. And white men are not going to vote for you—they didn’t vote for your husband, they didn’t vote for Obama, et cetera. So there was a lot of pressure on these women.”

Whatever your view of Clinton’s politics, Hillary reminds us that she was voted the most admired woman in America in the Gallup Poll for 16 years in a row. (Michelle Obama knocked her off the top slot.) Clinton fervently believes she had the white woman vote nailed down in 2016 “until Jim Comey dropped that letter on me,” she said. “I was going to win, I am absolutely convinced of that…. What happened is that white women left me, because their husbands or their bosses or whatever said, See? See? She is going to jail! It was a very effective assault on me.” The series points out that not only was Clinton’s career shaped by her own husband’s infidelity, but it was derailed once again by the sexual misbehavior of Anthony Weiner, husband of her top aide, Huma Abedin. The FBI probe into his sexting a teenage girl ultimately led to Comey’s announcement that they were reopening the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server. This reignited the frenzied right-wing smear campaign and, she believes, turned off enough vacillating voters to throw the election to Trump.

Burstein didn’t want to lean too heavily on the gender angle because there are elements at play in Clinton’s turbulent trajectory that “have nothing to do with that,” she said. “They have to do with politics. With her own personality. But there are also things that are very specific to being a female when you’re trying to do something no one else has done…. You really see that play out in her story over and over again.” The documentary shows how the battery of conflicting public expectations and right-wing vilification over several decades caused Clinton to build up defenses, which made her seem ever-more guarded and humorless. That armoring process started as early as law school, where she learned to put her head down and work hard “despite whatever obstacles were put up. And when you fast-forward into an age where everybody wants to see what your emotions are and how you respond and all that... It’s really a different environment in which we find ourselves now.”

Clinton first sat down with Burstein for interviews just a few days after the 2018 midterm results came through with their record number of women elected to Congress. The former first lady and Secretary of State regards the anger-fueled impetus that drove so many women to run for political office as the silver lining to her 2016 defeat. “She doesn’t feel that it’s a tragedy, so why should I depict it that way?” said Burstein. “She’s not bemoaning her existence every day. She’s like: Okay, what’s next?”

Sitting in front of me in a nubby tweed blazer, Clinton said she tries to be realistic about the progress women have made during her lifetime. “A lot of legal barriers have disappeared, and that’s a big step. So now we deal with all of these pent-up stereotypes and judgments about what women should and shouldn’t do or should and shouldn’t be. And we have all these forces—political and ideological and religious and financial—arrayed against further progress. And we have a president who is a willing tool. He doesn’t believe any of this stuff. He has absolutely no core beliefs whatsoever.”

Clinton won’t endorse anyone in the primary, she told me: “I just want whoever can beat him to get the nomination. Beat him in the Electoral College. That’s all I care about. I’m not going through this again!” she said, dissolving into laughter once more.

I asked Clinton if she ever thought about what she’d be doing in a parallel world where she hadn’t moved to Arkansas and married Bill. She evaded the question, telling me she moved there because she wanted to decide whether to marry and just fell in love with her life there. But then I mentioned to her William Gibson’s new novel, Agency, which takes place in a world where Hillary is president.

“Oh, I’d love to read it!” she gasped, asking for more details. In our own reality, “I’m not the president and I got more votes. It’s so crazy! So I’m interested in somebody writing something about a different ending.” She smiled and wailed, “I want to live in that world!”

(Link)

[mawmdalorian]

The Knight and the Hunter: chapter 2

They had the Hallikset player serving drinks now. He’d been watching her for about an hour. She moved through the crowds like she’d been doing it her whole life. He didn’t want to be impressed, but… well, it was that kind of night. Something in the air was singing in Boba Fett’s blood, and though it was distracting, it wasn’t the kind of distracting that was going to become a problem. Few things were.

He was something like desperate to get back to Jabba’s palace and bury himself in the pleasures that could be found there, the spice and the sin and the taste of firewater pouring down the throat like sour velvet. Even Boba Fett, after all, took the occasional day, or week, off to unwind. He didn't exactly struggle to focus, but he did concede to himself and himself alone that he was getting a little jumpy.

When the hallikset player appeared again, this time close enough to touch, she came heavy with the cloying scent of fake flowers. Cheap perfume, the kind you grabbed from a market stall on your way home from a long night shift, the kind you didn’t have to throw credits at, the kind you wore to entice men who hadn’t smelled softness in a long, long while. It cut through the smell of grease and the cleaner used on star destroyers. Her skirt—knee length, tattered, having seen better days—snapped around her legs.

“Chut chut,” he said, brushing off the Huttese. It gave his voice a different timbre, sounded different when he spoke it rather than Basic and added a layer to his disguise. She paused, shifted her weight to her right foot. Bad left hip. Old injury? He'd thought it was just an affectation, but maybe it was a real limp. She looked for just a second too long right into his eyes, probably registering the scars and the chip implanted next to his right eyebrow. Fierfek, she reeked of that perfume. Up close, he could see that her dark hair and boots glittered with the mica-rich dust of the planet, and she shimmered in the bright spots of light that created places too bright and too dim in the crowded cantina.

“Hey, what can I get you?” she asked. Sweat was beading on her tanned forehead, the wispy hairs at her hairline sticking to her skin. It was getting pretty warm in the room, though from his position in the dark corners, it was perfectly cool. The hallikset player had been mobile since he’d started the hunt, but she was clearly happy to stand still for a second and enjoy the cool air.

Something was pinging in the back of Boba’s brain. Like a hook, just missing the memory over and over.

“Oto du yocola.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Jee hagwa chess.”

“We just got in some Corellian goldale?”

He nodded, and she did in return, before heading toward the bar again. She collected glasses from raucous tables, and Boba watched as someone reached out to grab a feel as she did so. He raised an eyebrow as she delicately twisted out of the way. He almost grinned.

Fett was naked without his armor, though it was right nearby--in the bag at his feet, actually. He still bristled with weaponry, from the blaster at his hip to the knife in his boot. His armor was known here, though, and this quarry had evaded hunters nearly as good as he was time and time again. He wouldn’t make the same mistakes. She was clever, and if she smelled trouble, she’d bolt like a startled eopie. He'd been trying to learn her routines but she'd been gone almost all week.

When she reappeared, bearing a large tray and an instrument, she dispensed drinks, dropping them at tables. On the way, she slipped her hallikset off her shoulder and set it on stage. They must’ve been ready for her on the bandstand. A new act was setting up. She set his goldale on the table in front of him, and when she got close, something inside Fett bristled. Under the perfume, he could smell her skin, her sweat, and could feel the cool rush of air with her movements. He swallowed. This was one of the reasons he preferred to work in his armor. This was too much contact with the world, too many smells, too many sensations not filtered by his helmet, too many mysteries without a HUD to elucidate.

“There ya go,” she said.

Her tray empty, she handed it off to another server. He watched as she leapt easily onto the stage, her heavy boots practical and sturdy, and sat down on a stool. She quickly tuned her instrument, a seven-stringed hallikset that had clearly been through a war, and when the rest of the band struck up, her music disappeared.

“Quite something, isn’t she?”

Fett turned his head, looked at the man who had invited himself to sit. Some Hutt affiliate. He’d seen him in Jabba’s throne room a time or two, being entertained by Twi’lek dancers and eating rare, expensive delicacies aboard the pleasure barge. He was a snotty karking barve, and Fett made a point not to speak or be spoken to by him.

“You see now why we hired her.”

“Hmm,” Fett answered. The man had no idea who he was, he just saw that Fett couldn’t keep his eyes off the woman.

“She’s a work of art. You’ll never believe it but we found her aboard a cargo transport a few years ago. She’d been bouncing around the galaxy for years.”

“What’d you offer her that made her settle?” Fett asked, partly out of genuine curiosity and partly because if he was going to have to listen to this barve talk, he’d rather steer the conversation.

“A better job than the one she had.”

“So, she traded cargo hauler for cantina girl?”

Cargo hauler… again, that nagging feeling came back.

“Oh, this isn’t her main job. It’s what we do to keep her busy between assignments.”

“So what is it that you have her doing?”

“She’s quite adept at fetching odds and ends from old Jedi temples.”

Fett raised an eyebrow. “Really.”

What a barve. What a stupid barve. It was a wonder he hadn’t gotten the schutta killed yet, though it also explained all the competing bounties on her. One from the Empire, a pile of them from the syndicates, even Jabba had expressed interest. He hadn’t paid attention to the specifics until Jabba had offered him the job on behalf of a “friend,” or whatever it was that Jabba had that passed for a friend. No one had said anything about a Jedi. And she was serving drinks here? That had to sting.

“Is she a… one of those uh… what are they called,” he said, pausing to sip his drink. It was awful, no wonder she’d pawned it off on him. “You know, jeedai.”

“A jedi? I have no idea. She’s had some kind of training in that sorcery though. I’m sure you know as well as I that concepts like jedi and the like aren’t worth much out here. The Empire likes to think they have us all in hand, and that we just turn over our force-sensitives like ordered, pbut even the grandest of admirals bow to Hutt sovereignty. She’s as safe as safe can be in the Outer Rim.”

A moment of silence passed, Fett drank again. He wanted so desperately to stop, but he couldn’t risk the chance that being persnickety about drinks would draw attention to him, make his face too memorable. Not that it was--he was, after all, one of millions of men with the same one.

The faintest impression of the hallikset made its way through the loud cantina. He could hardly hear her over the sound of chatter, drinking, fighting, shouting, and the other players. But he stayed aware of it.

He needed to go get his armor on, but this barve was the type to get irritable if he didn’t dismiss you, and clearly he wasn’t ready.

“So, where are you coming in from, pilot?”

“I’m no pilot.”

“With those flinty eyes? No way. You’ve seen some things. What are you then?”

“Just a freight mover,” Fett insisted. “That’s all. Agricultural products from Nakadia.”

“YOU? Your boss has you wasted. Please tell me you’re at least a first mate?”

Fett wanted to roll his eyes. He sipped the saccharine drink, which left a sour taste on his tongue, and said, “No, sir. I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe. I’m not looking for that kind of responsibility. Just wanting to send enough home to the wife and kids so they can have a good life.”

“Well, if you’re ever looking for anything else, anything more, you let me know. Don’t touch the hallikset player, though. She’s… spoken for.”

Fett knew by the distant eyes the barve flashed at her that the statement was not only not true, but was an outright lie. The woman had probably turned him down a hundred times before. Maybe more.

He watched her look around as she played. She had her eyebrows furrowed. She was looking for trouble. He had to get this over with quickly. They locked eyes for just a second.

The woman had dark eyes, like he did, but rather than the hard cast his had, hers were friendly. She looked nice. She looked… playful, especially when she smiled like she was just then.

Hers narrowed, but he averted his. He wasn’t sure where he’d seen them before. It didn’t matter. She’d be locked in the holding cells by the night’s end, and then she’d be on her way to the client.

The first song ended as the barve stood up, knocked on the table.

“You take care of yourself, friend. And… don’t worry about that drink.”

He walked away. Fett was smart enough to know that the knock was a signal and he should get out and get changed while the getting was good. The hallikset player was tapped on the shoulder. Everyone in here was too drunk to care if the quartet was missing their strings, and the place was busy, so she was pulled away again to wait tables. The barve walked up to her, stood a little too close, but didn’t touch her as he spoke quietly to her. She nodded, shooting a glance at Fett.

Fierfek.

He sighed. Okay. Time to go.

He picked up the holdsall as the woman walked up to him. “Hey, ready for another?” she said with a smile. It was only then that he paid any attention to her earrings. They were semi-circular and gold, with three long chains ending in points hanging from the open side.

“No. Dobra koona.”

“Oh, so soon? The boss just said you drink free tonight. Seems like he’s taken a shine to you.” She smiled, raised her eyebrows enticingly. “C’mon, man. It’s a good night for it.”

He snarled in Basic. “I said no.”

The hallikset player raised her hands. “Whoa, sorry, sir. Didn’t mean to be a bother. You have a good night.”

She walked off. She either had no idea who he was, or was good at hiding it. Then again, why would she know who he was? How would anyone?

He walked out, found a dark corner next to a stack of transport crates, he began to reassemble and put on his armor. It was going to be a long hunt, a lot of waiting. Eventually, she was going to have to come out. He set his carbine to stun, knelt into the shadows, and got comfortable.

Time passed. Slowly, patrons began to leave the cantina. The staff, too, slowly began to leave. He pulled up the information from the Slave I on his HUD. Her name was Tash Lia. She’d been pinging for a while, which is why he took the bounty, a slightly lower one than he’d normally consider.

Tash Lia. This was going to drive him crazy. He wracked his brain. Boba Fett had no debts, so he didn’t owe her money. His romantic affairs—if they could be called that—were generally brief, nameless things, with few exceptions, and he’d remember if she was an exception. He’d remember that long hair, wrapped around his hand as he—

Fierfek.

He was a professional. Professional disinterest was crucial. He’d hunted pretty women before, he’d do it again, and he needed to get himself together.

The sensor in his helmet blinked, indicating something was nearby. It wasn’t any of the patrons. Something in the shadows. Fett felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. It looked bigger than a tooka, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone.

The employee door opened, and Lia walked out. “Alright, barve,” she said aloud, a blaster in her hand. She wore a rugged brown leather jacket and had twisted her braid into a bun. “I know you’re out here!”

Alright. Fair enough.

He stepped out of the shadows, and she raised her eyebrows. “Oh. You weren’t the barve I expected.”

“I’ve gotten that before.”

She glanced around a little. “Where’s the cute guy? I thought he was the—never mind.”

“Is that why you tried to get him drunk?”

“Well, the boss really did promise him free drinks.”

Fett raised his blaster, and tried not to think about her remark about his appearance. “You going to come quietly?”

She was silent for a minute, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t communicating. Her eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes narrowed above her broad cheekbones. “I don’t think so. After all, whoever sent you has to get their money’s worth. I didn’t think I even had a bounty on me high enough for you to bother with.”

He didn’t have a response to that.

“I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold.”

She raised her own blaster, turning off the safety. “I don’t know who sent you, but I’m pretty sure they want me alive, or you would have already shot me. And I’m not going easy.”

“Alive doesn’t mean walking.”

She fired. The blaster bolt bounced off his armor, and he aimed for her leg, but it missed. That was… great. He sighed. Karking force users. Full-tilt, she went sprinting away from him, but that bad hip was going to stop her eventually. He followed.

She was clever, dipping down alleys. It was going to be easier to follow her from the air. His jet pack activated with a button, and he used the HUD in the helmet to put a trace on her that tracked her heat signature even when she dipped behind things.

Tash Lia ran into a large warehouse, probably hoping to nail him in close quarters, which was a mistake. Not many quarters where she could put up a fight he couldn’t win.

Dropping to the ground, he kept low as he scanned the room for her or her blaster. Faint traces of warmth from her footsteps glowed in the thermal imaging HUD of his helmet. He listened. She’d get nervous, staying in one spot too long. She would want to move and keep doing so, no matter how secure her location. He had a feeling she had the good sense not to engage him directly.

Footsteps pounded up a set of stairs just out of his sight. He pursued.

He charged up the stairs after her. A blow hit him, knocking him back. By the time he realized she’d thrown a box at him, he was watching her dart away. Getting righted, he stood, followed—only to find an open window. Sighing, he activated the jet pack again, easing himself to the ground outside. Fett looked around. She was close, he could tell that much.

Tookas tumbled out of an alley, and he followed.

And that was when that second blip on the radar came back, and he realized he was in deep bantha poodoo.

Lia stood in the alley, stock-still. A figure in gleaming black armor, with a rather distinctive helmet design, stood at the other end. There was a long, quiet moment. The round guard of a lightsaber hilt gleamed in double moonlight.

“Mr. Fett,” said the ghoulish figure. “Fancy running into you here.”

Tash Lia’s hand slowly crept to the small of her back.

“Third Brother,” Fett answered. Always polite. No matter how much the man made even Fett’s icy blood run a little chilled.

Third Brother was a tall, scrawny barve with a particularly mean streak. Fett had only run into him once before, but had also run into the results of his work. It had been… messy. Fett’s durasteel stomach had rolled a little.

The Inquisitor flicked the button on his saber, and the fiery blade filled the alley with light as it grew.

“Natasi Salcilia,” said the ghoulish barve, “Such poor luck you have, to be hunted by two killers tonight.”

“The bad luck is all yours, buddy,” said Lia.

He shouldn’t have been surprised to see the green blade of her saber appear, but he was, and now there were two too many lightsabers involved in this hunt for his liking.

“Inquisitor, I have already accepted a bounty on Tash Lia—,” he began, wondering how he was going to talk his way out of this one when it really wasn’t his style to talk in the first place.

“Don’t bother, Fett,” said Lia. “Vader’s attack dogs don’t care about anything but blood.”

Lia made the first move. It wasn’t the position he would have taken, but then again, he didn’t have a laser sword. She was much bolder with the saber than she was with a blaster. Then again, it was a weapon that lent itself to boldness.

The clash of sabers was loud and jarring. The bright lights filled the dark alley, and it was going to start drawing attention on the abandoned street very soon. He was meant to deliver the quarry alive. However, the client had not mentioned that there might be Inquisitors involved. Nothing about Jedi. That's what he earned, though, for not asking questions.

The two sabers touched lightly, testing. The sound was still jarring. The inquisitor pulled up the visor of his helmet. He had a fantastically ugly face “Well, well. You haven’t forgotten your training, youngling.”

“Pretty sure you’re younger than me,” she said. She had a loose, comfortable grip with her saber. Her movements were practiced, precise.

“As you like, Lady Salcilia.”

Fett had to make a decision. If they would put the sabers away, it would be easier.

The Jedi took a step back—retreat? No. He could tell she was up to something. The Inquisitor grinned like a predator. “What is this? Fear, Lady Salcilia?”

He was mocking her. Fett raised his blaster. Tash risked a glance at him. Raised her eyebrow. He swore that his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. What was she trying to tell him to—oh.

“Well, Fett, hope you’ve got the engine warmed up,” she said. “Seeing as how there’s no shot that both of us are getting out of this alive.”

The Inquisitor lunged.

Again, it was a light show, a constant hum-and-buzz routine. This time was different though. Lia’s practiced movements became brutal, serious attacks, beating the Inquisitor down. No longer on the offensive, the Inquisitor was bewildered for a second, which gave Lia the upper hand for just long enough to tire him out. Watching the whole thing was like being in a nightmare.

Fett kept his rifle trained, and when the Jedi ducked, he fired on the Inquisitor. There was a breathless second where Fett was pretty sure he was kriffed, where the Inquisitor realized what had happened. Inquisitors were pretty immune to pain. However, they weren’t immune to politics.

He looked up at Fett. “You traitor! Lord Vader will hear about this!”

Tash Lia was behind him in a second, and the beam of her saber appeared out of his chest, before tearing through his body like a hot knife through butter. Fett was pretty immune to extreme violence, but that was a little sickening. The Inquisitor turned, his own saber nearing Tash’s leg. Momentum was on his side, but Lia twisted away, only getting the edge of her skirt singed. The Inquisitor fell.

She looked up at him. Silence stretched on between them.

“We can’t leave him here,” she gasped, clearly out of breath. Fett didn't move until the Jedi flicked the switch on her saber, turning it off. She tucked it away and looked up at him. It took him a second to realize she was waiting on an answer.

“We could put him out the airlock.”

She nodded as she slipped her bag over her shoulder. “Any asteroid fields on the way to where we’re going?”

“Not going to put up a fight anymore?”

He put away his blaster and opened the pocket on his belt where he kept the binders. Lia held out her hands. “I’m not an idiot. You had multiple opportunities to shoot, so whoever hired you wants me alive. They definitely want me dead,” she said, shooting a glance at the Inquisitor. “And I need offworld, like, now, before they figure out this barve is missing. I’ll fight later.”

He picked up the gored Inquisitor and threw him over his shoulder. Lia followed him.

"So how'd you get out of the Sarlacc?"

[pinkrae]

DamiRae Week 2019 || Day 1 || Amnesia

Another morning for her to wake up in a place she did not recognize. Among people she didn’t recognize. It had been more than a month now and still every time she’d walk in a room of people, they would hush their voices and give her concerned looks. They never said anything. But she could feel it. She didn’t know how or why but she felt everything. And they knew it. So they tried their hardest to act ‘natural’ around her, whatever that meant. Yet, she couldn’t help but to feel like an outsider. And it didn’t help that one person in particular did his best to avoid her at any cost.

Raven was walking down the hallway to go to the kitchen for her morning tea, but hearing voices in there, she stopped in her tracks and decided against entering the area. She didn’t want to deal with the looks and the emotions this early in the morning. Then she noticed someone with the corner of her eye. Looking towards the end of the hall, she saw someone turn around to disappear from around the corner they’d come from. It was him. She didn’t know it, but she could feel it.

“Hey--!” She called out and followed the other. “Wait--” Walking around the corner she saw him stopping, but not turning around to face her. “Damian, was it?”

“... Correct.” He said in a monotone voice she’d come to know him for.

“You’ve been avoiding me ever since I got out of the hospital.” She stated, trying to read his emotions. It was funny. This whole thing came naturally to her, she could feel all the worry, compassion, confusion, caring and love from others. But not him. He was always a mystery to her. And she wanted to know why.

“Why?” The empath finally continued, seeing that there was no reaction from the other. “Were… Weren’t you and I friends like the rest of them?”

“No.” His voice was cold and sharp. “We were not friends.” He emphasized and kept on walking again, leaving the girl dumbfounded all by herself in the dimly lit hallway. For some reason, hearing those words she felt a sting in her chest. Like she’d just been rejected. But she didn’t even know him. Even though deep inside she felt like she knew him better than anyone. And the question why still remained.

---

“It’s been two months and she hasn’t remembered a single damn thing!”

“The doctors said it could take some time, Damian. We just need to keep--”

“Keep doing what? Your methods are clearly not working, Starfire.”

“Hey!” A male voice intersected the argument between the two. “At least we’re doing something, Damian. What have you done to help her, huh? You haven’t even looked her in the eyes ever since she’s come back!”

“Don’t push it, Beast Boy.” The boy wonder grumbled at the other, clearly displeased with being told he hasn’t done what everyone would expect him to.

But they didn’t know how painful it was to even look at her when she looked back at him with this blank expression. How hard it was to not hold her hand every time they stood next to each other. How impossible it was to walk up to her and not give her a kiss on the cheek. How unbearable it was to wake up alone in his bed every morning. They didn’t understand. How could they? They weren’t the ones who had the love of their life standing right in front of them who didn’t feel a damn thing for them. There was nothing. Just the emptiness behind her purple eyes.

“What do you suggest we do then, Damian?” The Tamaranean princess asked after a moment of silence, tired of all this arguing. Of course, they all wanted this to be over and for Raven to remember everything. But the process was slow. And it was getting to everyone. Damian was the one who was affected the most, they knew that, but he wasn’t the only one suffering.

“I don’t--”

“Just go talk to her.” Donna suddenly chimed in. “What can it hurt to at least try?” The others instantly agreed, to what the boy in question could only roll his eyes at.

“I’ll talk to her when I want to. Not when I’m being told to.”

“But you and Raven--”

“You know nothing about me and Raven. So stop pretending like you do.” He snapped back at her and left the room. Damian wasn’t going to get bossed around here. Not when he knew exactly what he was doing. But… A part of him did want to see her. Sit down with her. Talk to her. And so, without even realizing it, his feet had brought him to the rooftop of the tower. It had always been her favorite quiet place. Guess at least some things didn’t change because he found her sitting right at her usual spot just by the edge of the roof. Shuffling his feet for a moment, he finally decided to approach the girl.

“Hey…” He started quietly, trying not to startle her.

“Hey…” Raven looked up over her shoulder, slightly surprised to see him standing there like that. A moment passed and the silence between them lingered, so she decided to speak up again. “You’re nervous.”

Caught red-handed. She was getting better. Nodding with a small sigh, he sat down next to her as she followed his every move. He could feel her stare right at him and it made him almost uncomfortable.

“I haven’t talked to you much.”

“Well, you did say we were not friends.”

“It was--”

“Though, I don’t believe it’s true.”

“You don’t?” He looked at her in surprise.

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t care if I was around had we not been friends before. You wouldn’t avoid seeing me. Or talking to me. You said that we weren’t friends because… Because we were more than that. Weren’t we?” Her head slowly turned to look at him and it was the first time she actually got to see his green eyes. The tingle she felt in her stomach the moment he looked back at her let her know that she was right.

A part of him was surprised that she’d deducted that out of nowhere. But a bigger part of him knew that she wasn’t dumb. She had never been. And even with the lack of control over her empathic abilities right now, she could feel that something was up. So there was no point in denying it.

Another small nod and his gaze turned to the city before them. There was a sting in his heart now that she’d brought it up, but he was also happy. Even if it was just sitting next to her like they’d done countless nights before in this very same spot. It felt nostalgic. Happy, but with a pinch of sadness. And for the first time he didn’t try to hide it from her. Mostly because he didn’t fully realize that until she spoke up again.

“Tell me. About us.” The violet-haired girl requested and softly placed her hand over his. This instantly made him look down at their hands, his heart trembling. Oh, how he wished to take her hand and press it against his lips.To hold her and tell her everything he’d never said to her. Or didn’t say enough. All the things she deserved to hear from him but never did because he was a coward. Afraid to let his own feelings known. Taking it for granted that she was an empath, thinking that she knew it anyway. He wished to take that time back and start all over. But how could he when there was so much inside of him and she had nothing?

Frowning, Damian flinched away from her hand and stood up. “There’s nothing to tell. I failed you. End of story.” And with that he left. Raven started to feel like that was a common thing between them. Because she felt like she was looking at him walking away from her for the dozenth time and it was breaking her heart.

---

Delicate fingers moved from one drawer to another, swiftly and quietly combing through various documents. There was a sense of urgency in the room. Mumbled sentences being the only thing disturbing the surrounding silence.

“What are you doing in my room?” A sudden voice disturbed the cloaked girl and she quickly turned around.

“I-- I’m trying to find something.” She stuttered trying not to look directly at the figure in the doorway, hidden in the shadows of the room.

“And what could that possibly be?” Damian asked dryly and walked inside without bothering to even turn on the lights. He didn’t need them to see her.

“Something-- Anything from our time together.” There was a hint of desperation in her voice. “It can’t be that there’s nothing. No pictures, no late night texts, no clothing items lost in each other’s room.” Raven had no opportunity to find these things on her own, as her phone got destroyed in the accident and she’d already looked through her own room for signs of anything.

“Why would you need that?”

“Because I want to see it. I need some proof, some-- something tangible.”

The way she uttered the very last word was like driving yet another dagger through his already punctured heart. “What we had was far more than just the material…” With a decisively silent stride, he stepped closer to her, taking her hand to press it against his chest. “Can’t you feel all the proof you could need?”

Blushing and completely taken aback by his sudden demeanor, Raven didn’t even know what to say. Purple hues darted back and forth trying to figure out what was the meaning of all of this. One thing was for sure, his heart was racing. And so was hers. It was the first time they’d been so close to each other for longer than ten seconds and the feelings were overwhelming. After months of not sensing much from Damian, all of a sudden she felt everything. There was anger, bitterness, impatience, despair, but also hope and love and she could feel his heart breaking.

“Damian, I…” She spoke in a tone of voice barely above a whisper and her hand lingered on his chest even when he let go of it. “I just want to remember…” Tears filled her eyes and a sigh escaped her lips as her head dropped to look down at the ground.

“And you will.” His voice softened all of a sudden and he gently cupped her face, lifting it up. “You’re making progress already.”

“What?” She let out an incredulous laugh. And if it hadn’t been dark, she could’ve sworn she saw him smiling.

“I intrigue you, Raven. I always have.” He stated, a grin widening on his face as he let go of her and walked around her. “You always wanted to figure me out. To understand how I’m evading your abilities. To know how I hide my emotions so well.” She listened to him carefully, watching him walk over to his jacket on the chair and pulling out a wallet from its pocket. “I figured if I stayed away, but close enough to peak your interest, you’d want to pursue your ‘quest’ all over again. And somehow the fact that you sneaked into my room tells me I was right.”

“So, in other words, you just decided to be a jerk about it.” She concluded, but couldn’t help but to release a chuckle.

“Oh, you love me like that.” Damian returned with what seemed like a piece of paper in his hand, his grin never having left his face.

“Do I?” She grinned back.

“Yes.” And with that he handed her a picture. Probably one of the only pictures they had ever taken together. Neither of them had ever been keen on taking pictures. But they’d both agreed that they wanted something to look back at someday. Damian had never imagined it would be like this.

Taking the picture in her hand, Raven instantly walked towards the door to take a look at it in better lighting because she didn’t want to turn on the lights and blind both of them. So the dim lights in the hallway were just perfect. They both looked happy in the picture. Spending time somewhere out in the city. An amusement park, from what she could tell. Looking at it made her smile.

“Tangible enough for you?” Damian asked as he walked up behind her. She nodded. “Don’t lose it--”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For not giving up on me.” Raven turned to him with a smile as she held the picture against her chest. “For not giving up on us even if I’m… like this.”

Although surprised at first, his features soon softened and he offered her a smile back. “I would never.” Happy to have found what she was looking for, the girl then retrieved back into her own room, his gaze following her all the way through.

It was their first genuine moment together ever since she came to her senses after the accident. It had been nearly three months. And she showed little to no signs of recovery. Only small glimpses here and there. And it was torture. But for the first time ever, Damian felt like there was hope. There was still something there. She might not realize it yet, but it was there. He knew it.

He was going to bring her back to him, whatever it takes.

[chrystening]

Standing on the Outside | Tsuna / Male Reader

Title: Standing on the Outside Fandom: KHR Rating: T Words: 2.8k Summary: Depression has never been a good combination with anything, but it definitely doesn’t go well with being in love with your friend-turned-mafia-boss. Warnings: depression, jealousy, tyl!tsuna, suicidal thoughts, fluff

a/n: he was my first anime crush .....

God, you thought, I wish I were dead.

You stared ahead, dazed. You registered the expert, precise movement of the sparring men yards before you, but were looking far beyond them. Hayato evaded a swift arc of Takeshi’s blade, enveloped in deceptively tranquil rain flame. The swordsman’s face held a joyful grin, while the other was openly furious. But you knew that the two were acutely focused on the battle despite their childish banter.

You eyes traveled a bit to the right, where their boss stood, amused. You stepped forward, longing to be by him. You saw his head turn to where you were.

Your heart jolted, and you looked away quickly. You glowered at the ground, hoping he couldn’t see the yearning in your eyes. If he met your gaze, he’d know.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Shivers ran up your spine as you whipped around. Reborn stood on a tree branch, at eye level with you. You couldn’t read whatever he was thinking from his beady eyes, dark like onyx. He didn’t seem amused or annoyed, but you knew Reborn was never quite what he seemed.

“Reborn—“ you fumed. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“You’re in the mafia. Do better,” he spoke nonchalantly. “So, what are you doing?”

You crossed your arms and tried to look nonchalant as well.

“I’m watching Hayato and Takeshi fight.”

“No—you’re watching Tsuna watch Gokudera and Yamamoto fight.”

You blushed, beyond your control.

“I am not.”

Reborn wasn’t amused. His lack of response sobered you.

You sighed.

“Alright, maybe I am—“ When you turned to him, he was gone. The leaves rustled in the wind. He was always doing that, you noted with frustration.

You brought your attentions forward again, but were startled to see Tsuna approaching you. You wished you could flee, but you doubted doing so would leave you any dignity. Not to mention, it was pretty hard to avoid a mafia boss who could just command you to see him.

“What was that about?” Tsuna began, an amiable smile on his face.

“What was what about?” you returned, trying to look invested in the battle behind him. Their clashes were occurring more often, both going on the offensive.

“I saw you talking to Reborn.”

“Oh.”

A three-second silence dragged on, and your mind screamed at you to abort the situation. When did it get so hard to talk to him, you wondered. You recalled being middle-schoolers, then high-schoolers – even the midst of all the trouble with Mukuro, the Varia, Byakuran… you two remained so close you were almost tripping over each other. You two shared secrets no one else knew about the other. As soon as you realized you loved him, you created distance. But maybe you created too much, because Tsuna was nearly a stranger now. He had other people he could depend on now. He didn't need you.

You burned with acid, angry how it all changed. You were angry how you let it get this bad.

“It was just about my shooting.” Lies flowed too well on your tongue, which you felt was one of your best qualities. You briefly glanced at your boss to see if he believed you. His face didn’t reveal anything.

An acorn fell between you two, and the sun peeked out from behind a cloud. Under the tree you were standing beneath, dappled light decorated the ground. You admired its lacy patterns and took to playing with how the light bounced off the ring on your pinky finger. It was a gift from Tsuna, and you never took it off. Your very own guardian ring, you liked to think of it.

“It’s beautiful out,” he breathed. He stretched indulgently, giving you a show of just how well his suit fit on him.

You looked at him, taken aback at how the light fell upon his lashes, making his brown eyes look like speckled gold.

“Yeah,” you spoke, breathlessly. “Gorgeous.”

Heartache pinched your chest, and you suddenly found it hard to breathe. Why can’t I… Why can’t we… You were standing right next to him, yet, you felt, if you tried to grasp him, you’d never reach him. Tears began to sting at your eyes, and you refused to disgrace yourself in front of your boss—your friend like this.

Hayate and Takeshi’s duel climaxed in a large explosion, blue and scarlet flames dancing in the air. When the dust cleared, they were both panting, barely standing. A draw.

Tsuna turned to you to make a remark, but when he looked, you were gone.

-

Just seeing them together… it made your stomach lurch.

You felt that maybe what you needed was to cool off. Along with many miscellaneous members of the Vongola, you decided to lounge around the premises. There was a lull in missions and paperwork to do lately, so you all spent your time appreciating the beauty of the headquarters.

Or that's what you told yourself. You had gone inside to avoid Tsuna.

But funnily enough, you had found yourself watching your boss talk with his guardians. Then, you had gone to one of the kitchens to get a drink and came back to see Tsuna having a chat with Kyoko of all people, the former school idol who was still undeniably beautiful.

Tsuna never told you, but you guessed that he had long since gotten over his crush on her. He didn’t stutter around her anymore. He didn’t amble awkwardly because he didn’t know what to do with himself when she was near. He regarded her as amiably as anyone else, but didn’t look at her with hearts in his eyes as he did as a teenager.

But now, in a sad twist, she was beginning to return his long-gone affections. It wasn’t blatant, but the telltale flush on her cheeks… how her stare lingered longer than necessary… it was the only conclusion to anyone looking. Or, it was the only conclusion to anyone looking as hard as you were.

You couldn’t help feeling a bit selfish. It was you who he had confided in about the mafia in high school. It was you who had been tested time and time again whether you were prepared to die for him, for the family. It was you who stood by him ten years ago, baring your teeth at anyone who called him useless. Kyoko had never even interfered when Tsuna was being bullied. All these years later, you realized your attempts in not keeping a grudge against her were in vain. Maybe it was petty, and maybe you it was childish, but it was how you felt.

Suddenly, pain blossomed in your taut fist. You heard everyone in the room gasp. All eyes were on you. The glass you were holding had shattered in your grip. The water it held leaked down your hand, swirling with blood. Its shards pierced your skin. Had you been less distracted, you would’ve winced… or had any reaction, at that. Instead, you stared bitterly at the mess you made.

“Oh, dear!”

“Whoa, are you alright?”

“Here, let me get that…”

“I’m fine,” you bashfully assured everyone. Gentle housekeepers and burly security alike—you flinched away from their advances. You chuckled nervously, purposefully avoiding a watchful tawny gaze. As seconds passed, you grew increasingly solemn. A dark mist floated into your mind. You should disappear, it whispered.

You excused yourself, rushing down a grand hall and making a beeline to where you knew you’d be safe.

“I wonder what that was about. I hope he’s okay,” Kyoko fretted, genuine concern coloring her eyes.

Tsuna almost didn’t hear her at all, his eyes trained on your retreating figure. “I have no idea…” Without another word he followed your trail.

–

You wrapped your bleeding hand in bandages, using your teeth to snip it. You flexed your hand a couple of times; the pain was tolerable, but still annoying. “Shooting’s going to be a bitch for a while,” you cursed. You sat in the quiet of your room, modestly decorated but still lavish. The silk bedsheets, the canopy that fell as light as champagne, the baroque pattern on the lush carpet, the thick curtains to keep the light out, the deep wood of your desk, the gentle accents around your spotless mirror—which Tsuna all had arranged in your favorite colors, in the way you had told him you liked one day in passing. Yet, none of it seemed to matter.

You continued working your hand experimentally, twisting and turning it. Your ring winked at you.

A gasp shook you, and you buried your head in your hands.

“I wish I were dead,” you voiced, for the first time.

Marked with an intense seriousness, you heard, “Don’t say things like that.”

You jumped, frozen. You didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.

After a moment, you exhaled, your body shrinking. You sighed with mock frustration. “I realize you own the place, Boss, but this is still my room.” You swiped at your eyes before you turned in your seat to look at him.

Tsuna stood in the door frame, alarmed. To yourself, you wondered when he had gotten so tall… When had his eyes become so sharp? How long had it been since he had told you he was going to grow his hair out? He shut the door and made his way to you with a pained face. Had it been any other time, you would’ve realized how nerve-wracking this situation was–you, him, alone in your bedroom. With each step, your heart would’ve drummed in your chest. But now, you just wanted him gone. To wanted to throw your little pity party in peace.

“Are you okay?”

Thoughtfully, you closed your eyes. No. No, you weren’t okay.

“No,” you said, knowing he wouldn’t leave you be even if the answer had been yes.

Tsuna sat next to you on your bed. He grasped your hand, which was on your knee. You made to throw off his hand, but Tsuna firmly held it.

“I hate this—I hate myself.” You bowed your head, the ornate details on the floor filling your vision, until they were blurred with tears. “I wish I were dead.” You laughed a choked laugh, wheezing.

“Please, don’t say things like that,” he said again, in the same of whisper the mist in your head had. You wished it were his voice filling your mind. He pulled you into his arms. When his hand settled on your waist, you pushed his chest away roughly.

“Why is it always her?” you started, teary-eyed.

He looked at you seriously, ready to confront whoever was doing you harm. “Who?”

“Kyoko,” you gritted, glaring at him. You both loved and hated that he kept some of his oblivious nature.

His eyes widened. “Kyoko is…”

“Totally in love with you,” you spat. You shook him off you, trying to end what hadn’t even started to save yourself some heartache. You stood up off the bed, tried to fold your arms, but his hand around yours wouldn’t let you.

“It’s always everyone else—everyone but me.”

His eyes hardened, grip tightening. “That’s not true, and you know it. You’re as important to me as anyone else.” You didn’t respond, because you couldn’t deny that. You knew you were important to him. So why was your mind always playing devil’s advocate, conjuring notions you knew rationally couldn’t be true… why?

“I know,” you croaked, small. “And they’re important to me, too.” Tsuna’s guardians were your brothers, siblings—your family. “They just make you feel so… far away,” you whispered.

“I thought—I thought you began to hate me,” he confessed, tired. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing bangs out of his eyes. You gaped at him in disbelief.

You placed a hand on his chest without even thinking.

“Tsuna, I could never hate you,” you pleaded to him. Your eyes urged him to believe you.

“I know,” he said, his thumb now making circles on your hand. “Because Reborn told me.”

You blanched. “Reborn… told you what?”

Tsuna looked terribly serious. “He told me how you feel.” Your mouth dried, throat tight. “About me.”

“I—I… I—“ you struggled to come up with an excuse, a lie. Your skills in deception failed you. You managed to put some distance between the two of you, Tsuna finally relinquishing your hand. He was probably afraid you’d break if he held on.

You heard the bed creak as it was relieved from some weight.

Tsuna turned you around slowly, gently. Your body began heaving with your pants, shaking. You didn't want to see the disgust on his face.

You tentatively opened your eyes, not even knowing when you had closed them. He was much too close. Get away, get away! No, come closer, come closer!  your mind battled. Your breath caught in your throat. You were getting closer. Or was he getting closer?

Your eyes fluttered to a close once you could feel the heat radiate off Tsuna’s body. Why wasn’t he stopping you? You felt his lips skirt across yours. You felt them trembling, just as you were.

“Kiss me,” you croaked.

Then more assured, but still gentle, he pressed them against yours.

Time could’ve stopped, the fucking house could’ve been on fire—you wouldn’t have noticed in that moment. The kiss was sweet, different, warm, it was your first—It was him. You could’ve melted, the way he put one hand on your waist and the other behind your head. The moment went on forever, Tsuna playing with you in ways he couldn’t have ten years ago. You could feel all of him—his benevolence, his kindness, his power, and to your pleasant surprise, his desire. With his suck of your tongue, you clutched his shirt tightly, knees weak. Whoa.

You didn’t even know when it had been over until he was looking down on you with slight concern.

“W-where’d you learn to do that—“

“I feel the same.”

You shook yourself out your stupor. “W-what?”

He took your hands in earnest, kissing your knuckles. Butterflies took flight in your stomach.

“I love you.”

Those three words were sobering. You looked at him as if for the first time, eyes wide. Your brows furrowed as tears swam up to the surface.

“I’m sorry it took me ten whole years to figure that out,” he said bashfully.

You shook your head, not able to speak. You kissed his cheek, his nose, his lips until laughter came uncontrollably from him. You laced your fingers into his and threw yourself backward onto your bed, taking him with you. Tsuna took to dotting your skin with feather light kisses once you both landed.

“I love you,” you gasped, as he reached a sweet spot behind your neck. Tsuna responded in Italian, the words spoken into your skin. You blushed, pleased at how he voice sounded whenever he spoke it. You’d have to tell him to do it more, you realized.

He looked down at you, before his eyes became lidded. His gaze showered down on you warmly. The two of you laid in silence, both comforted by the quiet and by the proximity. You realized with a jolt that he was growing closer again, unable to recall when he had placed a hand on your hips. His thumbs stroked you absentmindedly.

You allowed your guard to fall, unabashed in showing him the raw emotion you felt searing through your body. Your cheeks warmed, and you were satisfied in seeing his own grow to be an innocent pink. His old self was still in there somewhere.

You didn’t have to tell him this time.

Tsuna tilted your chin up with his fingers, closed the gap, and had you writhing against his lips in one motion. The kiss had its own magnetic pull, forcing you closer into his body. You couldn’t withdraw even if you wanted to. You moaned in appreciation of his skills, muffled.

With that sound, the moment shifted from romantic, to something heavier… This was something you hadn’t acquainted yourself with at all.

You were the one to withdraw this time, huffing. You saw Tsuna’s lips pink and swollen from stimulation, and assumed yours must look the same. His hair was mussed from where you had run your hand through it. You played with the longer pieces of hair. He looked… good, disheveled like that. He looked undone. In your appraisal, you hadn’t noticed his eyes growing darker.

You were taken aback at the heated look in them, but as you settled, you found it wasn’t something you disliked at all. If anything, you felt … desired.

But, you knew, that was for another time. Right now, you just wanted to lie here.

It was as if Tsuna could read your mind. The heat in your gaze cleared, replaced with understanding and affection. You let it wash over you.

He traced the bandages on your hurt hand, then your hand itself, as if trying to commit its texture to memory. In his inspection, the light from your room’s window hit your ring in just the right way.

[messedupessy]

Mmh for the art raffle, rottenberry in A1 ? Maybe ? :o have a nice day/night, hope you're alright

“I-I’m just s-so fucking tired of it Berry…!”

HERE YA GO BESTEST FRENCH FRY BERRY COMFORTING A CRYING TINY SCRATCHY BOY  (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Hey look another one of these, this pic have been done for like ages now but since I ended up writing so frikking much under the cut it has taken me weeks to get this posted xD still this is one of the requests i looked the most forward to do as I immediately knew exactly what it was I wanted to draw for it!

Really happy with how this turned out, the pose was a little hard to get right but i got there eventually, really like how Scratch’s hands turned out even though you can barely see them as they are black due for his gauntlet’s, but I sketched them darker like that so that they wouldn’t melt into Berry’s vest which I think worked out, tried to like leave some white spaces which turned out really well, Scratch’s expression is not fully how I would had liked it but still turned out good, due for his mouth not showing it doesn’t show the exact emotion which i wanted him to have which was that of a bit more despair, as he is supposed to be really upset in this, the tears turned out pretty good too I actually accidentally at first drew them on the same layer as the sketch like an idiot so had to redo them, the first tears looked better but oh well that stuff happens, maybe should had made them a tiny bit more shiny and white so they would be more visible but they still looks good yeah, so all in all real happy with this one :D

And because I can so will I now give you guys some headcanons/mini story something for this ship, as I like doing that hella lot, I do actually have a bit of a story planned based on this but knowing me i will prolly never get around to actually write it properly, so instead ya all get this instead especially since I haven’t shown/talked about my take on this ship before, and the reason for the text up above will also be explained

Also the shit down below got super, duper long like crazy long as I got so frikking carried away with the whole thing just so ya know pfft

Their first ever meeting did not go so well, Berry was excited about meeting his so called double thinking up how his double would be like etc, so when he finally meet Scratch he was a tiny bit disappointed as Scratch looked nothing like he thought he would. His disappointment didn’t last for long though as he quickly noticed how damn short Scratch is, Berry is at 5′1 aka 154 cm while Scratch is at 4′8 aka 142 cm though he is wearing a pair of  ridiculously high heeled boots but it is obvious that he is really short. 

Which Berry without thinking says out loud as a greeting which makes Scratch immediately absolutely furious as he got a  extreme height complex, so Scratch lashes out with a attack and Berry easily evades it like a boss, Berry trying to apologize as he quickly realized he hit a nerve but Scratch isn’t letting him as he is too pissed off to listen, and Berry isn’t making it better by saying his apologizes like this: “I’M SORRY OTHER ME FOR CALLING YOU SHORT BUT YOU ARE REALLY SHORT AND TINY AND I CAN’T HELP BUT FIND IT REALLY CUTE!” Berry of course can’t help but to put in some flirting as well as he is one flirty boy, waggling his brows with a flirty smile while evading a still angry but now also flustered Scratch.

Berry keeps on making stuff worse as he just can’t help himself, getting completely carried away and finding the way Scratch is flustering while also been absolutely pissed adorable. Until Stretch decides to intervene as this fight/battle has been going on long enough, grabbing hold of Scratch as he is the one attacking and also you guys are ruining the furniture like not cool while saying a pun or joke of some sort. 

Berry stops moving and chuckles at his bro’s joke and then goes oh right shit forgot we were indoors, then he makes a pun which Stretch puns back at but which Scratch just screeches at, pushing Stretch away from him with a “UNHAND ME YOU FOOL!” and then stomps away fuming af with the other two looking after him, Berry after awhile saying that that guy is just really cute when he gets all pissy like that doesn’t he which Stretch agrees with, but like bro you really should apologize to him properly because that shit you said was really hella rude, like remember when you were easily offended with people commenting on your height when you were a kid and how it made you feel.

Berry makes a face and looking a tad bit guilty, he goes like fuck you’re right I didn’t think of that, I just let my first thought slip as I hadn’t expected other me to be way shorter than I am and then I got all carried away like I always do. I guess I better go and try to fix this mess I made, think I will have to wait a bit tough for him to cool down a bit, which Stretch just nods in agreement then saying another pun which Berry puns back at.

Berry then goes to visit Scratch, knocks on the door and Scratch opens it immediately, after checking who it is, asking what the fuck does he want, Berry says he is there to apologize which just makes Scratch squint at him in disbelief. Berry then apologizes but fucks up a bit as he ends up calling Scratch short again which makes Scratch pissed and he tries to slam the door on Berry but he grabs hold off it before it slams shut completely, saying sorry again that came out wrong i’m sorry let me make it up to you. 

They fight with the door for awhile Scratch schreeching at him to fuck off and Berry shouting he just wants to make it up to him until Scratch is like fine make it up to me by leaving me the fuck alone which Berry says he can’t because that won’t make up for what he said wait I know I will let you punch me! 

Both stops fighting with the door and Scratch once again just looks at Berry in disbelief, like what kind of an idiot are you kind of way, which he also voices out loud, Berry just laughs and says since calling you sho- I mean calling you that made you angry and hurt I will let you punch me properly and not evade it at all like I did before. 

Scratch is still just looking at him trying to figure out what Berry truly is after, saying Berry really is stupid, Berry replies with come on I can take it just punch me and then we will be even, you don’t have to tell me twice Scratch says and then punches Berry without warning making the other stagger back and start to bleed from his nose, but he just shakes his head saying that was a great punch, really glad I didn’t let you hit me when we fought earlier because then i would have gotten hurt even worse. 

Scratch fluster a bit at the praise, Berry then adds since we are now even and you have punched me so are we officially friends now grinning wide with Scratch going what before Berry grabs him and starts running off with him, saying come on let’s hang out now since we’re friends with Scratch schreeching we are not friends put me down but which Berry ignores as he is determined to get to know his angry counter part better 

After that whole thing the two of them start to hang out, mostly by Berry visiting Scratch against his will and then drag him off to do things together, from hanging out at Berry’s home to go out and prank people, Scratch starts to get less and less against hanging out with Berry as he finds himself having fun during their hang outs. 

He still fights it at times but Berry is very insistent, he fought against it for quiet some time especially when it came to the things Berry tried to make him join in with, like pranking people that’s childish and so are video games, building snowmen no that’s something for children! but Berry just had to say are you chicken/does that mean I win by default etc made him immediately change his mind and join in as he refused to be defeated in anything etc.

Though still a bit hesitantly as Scratch hates to appear childish in any way, which Berry have figured out and is trying to teach him it’s ok to be etc, as when Berry was younger he had kind of the same troubles, Berry still slips up at times with short/tiny jokes as he just can’t help it even though he tries which have made Scratch get really mad at him so many times, Berry also keeps on flustering Scratch by calling him cute etc out of the blue

Berry tries to get to know Scratch better, more personally etc but Scratch keeps on pushing him away in that regard, refusing to open up, so Berry keeps pushing and kinda pester as his feelings for the other have grown into a full blown crush and when he is in love he has a habit of getting blind to the person of his affections discomforts and when he is going too far, when he is too pushy and should leave them alone. 

So one day he and Scratch are hanging out, doing their usual thing when Scratch seems to be a bit more distant than usual, Berry tries to get Scratch to tell him what’s up but Scratch is not telling him anything. Berry then says if Scratch needs to talk about stuff then talk with him he will understand then he tries to put a comforting hand on Scratch’s shoulder but it is swatted away harshly by Scratch who just looks at him like he have just said the worst insult ever, saying as if Berry would ever understand what he is dealing with, and then Scratch just explodes into a screaming rant how there is no way that Berry would ever understand the shit he is going through.

“NO YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND BERRY! YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND HOW IT FEELS TO WAKE UP EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY KNOWING IT IS YET ANOTHER DAY OF BEEN BELITTLED, OF BEEN MOCKED, OF NOT BEEN TAKEN SERIOUSLY AND TREATED LIKE A CHILD ALL BECAUSE YOU JUST HAPPEN TO LOOK LIKE ONE WHEN YOU SURE AS FUCK AREN’T! YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE TOLD OVER AND OVER AGAIN EVERY FUCKING DAY THAT YOU ARE WEAK, THAT YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING AND YOU ARE NOT EVEN GIVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF A CHANCE TO PROVE THEM WRONG! YOU WHO HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS EVER IN YOUR LIFE  YOU WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS TO HAVE A BROTHER WHO DOESN’T LOVE YOU AND TREAT YOU LIKE FUCKING SHIT!”

Scratch keeps on shouting at Berry like that for awhile, just letting all of the things that troubles him out into the open. As the reason for why he had been more distant was because he had grown a bit jealous of Berry’s seemingly perfect life, as people weren’t belittling him or mocking him for his height etc, and how he had such a great relationship with his brother unlike himself, he shouts and screams himself hoarse until

“I’M-I’m just…-“, Scratch said mouth now quivering and his voice suddenly lowering to almost a whisper, his eye sockets barely holding back the tears that was risking of flooding out as he looked away from the other and instead looked down at his feet with an expression  that was just completely exhausted and defeated. “I’m just so tired, so fucking tired of it all…”  

Scratch tries to stop himself from crying with little success, as he is just so damn tired of all of it and been keeping shit inside for so long, Berry have just listened to it all without a word, actually a bit shocked at the sudden outburst, he then steps forward and pulls Scratch into a hug. 

Scratch immediately telling him to let him go schreeching and thrashing but Berry doesn’t let him go, after awhile of that Scratch just stops and slowly puts his arms around Berry and just starts crying fully, the line and the pic above happening, and Berry just holds him while he cries and just says over and over how he is just so tired. Berry saying he knows, he hadn’t thought Scratch had such problems or that people were treating him so damn bad etc, and how this explains so much about how Scratch has been behaving and how he himself should have like noticed that stuff a bit more but like always when he is crushing he gets really bad at noticing things he doesn’t want to notice about the person he is interested in.

He hugs the other a bit tighter while Scratch has become stiff in his arms, as Scratch is realizing what he have just done just letting all of his feelings and troubles out and he is terrified and horrified about it, Berry then decides to try to break the tension a bit by saying a joke, or kind of a joke which is “Well, I never thought our first embrace would be in a situation like this.” or something like it which Scratch doesn’t take well upon hearing it getting flustered and try to push Berry away which Berry lets him a tiny bit so they are now face to face at least, Berry saying sorry not the time to say that please calm down and let me say some things. 

Which Scratch do but his whole body is still ready to fucking bolt at a moments notice, Berry then begins to talk how yes he might not understand what Scratch is going through fully, as he himself have had troubles in the past with been taken seriously thanks to his baby face and also his own shortness, even though those troubles weren’t as bad as Scratch’s though still bad but not to that extent, he also apologies how he was so damn pushy about Scratch telling him stuff and that he should had pushed less etc alongside other things which makes Scratch relax and calm down

After the whole thing the two of them gets closer, Scratch starts to open up without having to be pushed to an outburst to do so, Berry tries his best not to push Scratch to that extent, Scratch is more relaxed around Berry now and doesn’t get upset as often about things, like they become proper friends who can talk about stuff most of the time, share their experiences and stuff with one another, they still fuck up time to time but they solve it much more calmly, mostly at least, Scratch is making sure to tell Berry off when he is uncomfortable about anything which Berry might fail to notice etc.

Now finally with Scratch actually feeling comfortable and safe around Berry, his feelings starts to change into a crush as well, Berry have never hidden the fact that he has been interested in Scratch romantically, or at least he have been flirting with him allot, and even though they still end up fighting time to time and that Berry keeps on forcing him outside his comfort zone which he doesn’t always like but is kinda what he needs at times, also helps that Berry is pretty damn good looking which Berry knows fully that he is, flexing and shit which makes Scratch’s soul flutter.

And as usual when Scratch gets a crush or anything like it he goes into tsundere mode, starts to avoid Berry and stuff even though he knows Berry is interested in him that way but then doubts starts to grow in his mind, what if Berry is just interested in him so to use him and then break his heart and stuff, what if this whole friendship was a rouse to make fun of him, like Berry gets around allot in that department he have heard, what if their friendship is fake and he will lose what he have with Berry if he admits his feelings and Berry gets what he wants etc.

Berry for once actually notices that there is something bothering Scratch almost immediately this time around, and decides to confront Scratch what’s bothering him as he does not want what happened last time to happen again, and after some careful prodding Scratch ends up confessing his feelings and his fears while been real frikking flustered, Berry is overjoyed at having his feelings returned that he immediately hugs Scratch completely missing the part about Scratch’s fears, getting his mouth covered by Scratch’s hands as he tries to kiss him in his excitement which Scratch is not ready for at all.

Berry immediately apologizes for doing so he just got so damn happy and excited which is no excuse for trying to kiss him without consent, he then asks what the rest Scratch said was can he repeat it which Scratch at first refuses to do so as he is pretty flustered, embarrassed and kind of distressed but he ends up repeating himself after a bit. 

Berry immediately assures him that that kind of thing he would never ever do, he is not the kind of guy who would play with someones feelings like that at least not intentionally, he tells Scratch when it comes to Berry getting around with different partners its something he only do when fully single or if he isn’t interested in someone special, and that ever since he ended up crushing on Scratch he haven’t been with anyone at all.

After some more reassurance, some flirting on Berry’s part and some fluster on Scratch’s, the both of them decide to give a romantic relationship a try, which ends up been pretty much just like their friendship just much more hugs and eventually kisses when Scratch ends up comfortable enough for it, they both still fuck up at times in various ways. 

Berry been too pushy and missing clear signs when Scratch doesn’t want something etc, and Scratch keeps on having troubles telling Berry the things that truly bothers him etc, they still fight time to time, though mostly just about silly things like Berry totally cheating at mario kart and shit, they way too often edge each other on to do stupid shit, but all in all they end up been pretty good for one another, Scratch telling Berry off when he is too much and Berry helping Scratch been more open and be as childish as he wants to be, the fucking end

Fuck this took forever for some reason but now it’s done hurray, not completely happy with all of it there are a bunch of parts which is a bit iffy but all in all i am kind of happy with this anyhow xD the more well written text and dialogue is from my attempt at writing this as an actual fic which I decided to include, as i like how those two parts turned out and that i will prolly never end up writing it properly and shit, anyway enjoy this wall of text yo