#i also like the colors i just ran what i originally had thru a tone curve to get more variation w what i had

[marblerose-rue]

click for better quality!!

wctober day four - break/broken

yo there's a stray cat outside!

[iam-kenough]

Will you ever notice me? Arthur Morgan x Original Female Character

Summary: During they wandering in deep snowstorm, man from van der Linde gang found odd looking girl and Dutch decides to take her to camp to see if she can be any use, leading life of outlaw with them. Quickly, new girl develops feelings towards Arthur, but he sees her just as a kid...and she won't take that! It's an original character story that starts in the place where Arthur, Dutch and Micah were supposed to first meet with Sadie. Instead she's already with them. Author’s notes: Hi, I’m new to all that stuff but I tried to write a story and keep this romance slow burning. Also, if the grammar is weird sometimes it’s because english is my second language. ^^ Hope you gonna enjoy it and get back and be ready for drama.

Words count: 2790 Chapter 1 Iris heard gunshots sounds coming from the outside and she curled even more, hidden behind big wooden table with rock in her hand. She did not have any plan, she just imagined that if anyone will come here, she will tear them apart. Her knuckles became white as she grasped cold, uneaven ans sharp surface of a rock. Local gang, O'Driscolls have taken everything from her. They murdered her only brother, the only provider of their household and then this bizzare blizzard happened. Gang searched home for food and all she had left in the end was pack of oatcakes. At first she tried to hunt something using a gun or a bow but she didn't posses enough amo for more than one attempt. So she was sitting there, for almost a week without food and water she needed she drank by eating snow. The O'Driscolls killed her brother and would probably kill her but she was small enough to hide in one of kitchen cabinets. Iris was listening in terror as one of Colm's man slaughter her older brother, Olgierd and she couldn't do anything at this moment - all she possessed then was her night gown, wet from sweat she produced in this stressful moment, sticking to her body. All she could do was to not get killed. She wasn't some kid but her small, petite almost elvish frame and big eyes in bright, toxic green color made her look like one. Or at least younger than she really was. Door to her cabin opened and she saw pair of high boots but owner of boots didn't saw her. Good. It was dark and howling of the wind masked sound of her breathing. Iris waited till he turned around to search thru cabinet. She jumped, he screamed and fall on the floor unconscious. - Micah?! - Dutch furrowed his brows - Arthur, come on, we need to check on him. - Sure - outlaw murmured. If it was for him, he wouldn't check if Micah Bell is safe. He would even make sure that whatever put Micah in danger would kill him. Iris grabbed Micah's guns. She wasn't some Missy who couldn't hold weapon properly. Olgier tought her how to shoot. If this weather wasn't so wild and the amount of amo so short she would be prospering much better now. - Miss? Hey! - Dutch tried to use his charming tone and put his hand in the air. So did Arthur, his emerald eyes piercing thru silhouette in front of them. It was a girl, pale and freckeled, with long black hair that was tangled, her green eyes looking in their direction with fear. Arthur saw one more thing in those odd eyes - fury. - Take him and go away, please! - Iris tightened her grip around guns - I have no interest in harming you - her voice was soothing and sad and she tried to ignore the fact it sounded ridiculous. She reminded Arthur of some kind of magic dryad. - You look like you couldn't harm anyone, miss - Dutch grinned and without any waring he catched her in his arms. Iris dropped one of the guns, the other one was fired in the wooden floor. - GO AWAY! - she screamed at the top of her lungs - LEAVE ME BE! I HAVE NOTHING! - Jesus, girl - Arthur chuckled while he was checking on Micah. Idiot was knocked out but throwing him right in the snow will wake him up - Life wasn't best for you so far, wasn't it? - I have nothing - she sobbed, dangling in Dutch's arms like she was toy made from rags - I have only pack of oatcakes...You can have them if you want...but it's already opened - tone of her voice changed. Iris realised that those man will take these oatcakes and will probably rape and kill her. It will be at least quicker death than starvation. Dutch put her on the floor and with quick, swift move he took away another of Micah's guns. Iris eyes was wandering from Dutch to Arthur to Micah on the floor. -I'm sorry for your friend - she murmured and blushed, looking directly at her dirty feet and bruised knees - I wanted to tell him I'm here but he didn't notice me at first and started lurking. I thought that he gonna shoot me if I would make any sound. - You got him right, haven't you - Arthur chuckled and casually grabbed one of oatcakes. Iris moaned in disappointment, she offered them those cookies just because it was right thing to do. They looked like bounty hunters or something worse, but they didn't seem so wild and dirty as O'Driscolls. They didn't kill her so far too. - You seem like you could use warmer clothes and a plate of hot soup, Miss... - Dutch said, waiting for her name. - I'm Iris, sir. My brother Olgierd was murdered by O'Driscolls few days ago and I have no ammunition nor arrows to hunt. If you could just give me that much I won't bother you - she looked eagerly towards Micah's guns that Dutch was holding. - I'm sorry, you've been offered help and food and you turn it down? Jesus, woman - Arthur rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette. It was second time he spoke this way towards her. Iris examined his apparition. He was big, seemed even bigger because of winter clothes. His face was scarred but handsome as hell and he had the deepest voice she ever heard. But her face didn't show any admiration, she wasn't some stupid Juliet waiting for Romeo to save her. Then she looked at other man. Dutch seemed like some sort of uncle to her, his eyes was warm and he was smiling despite he was even bigger and even more intimidating than Arthur. Then she looked at the guy on the floor and sighed.   - I wanna go with you. Even if you gonna murder me in few minutes, that's still better than starving and freezing to death - her sarcasm was sharp even though everyone in room saw emptiness and fear hidden deep in green eyes. She was put on a horse by outlaw's strong hands. He even gave her his coat, navy blue one with nice, tickling fur inside. Her feet still was freezing but she was greatful. She curled her arms around man's body to get even more warmer during trip. He didn't say nothing but he was nicely surprised with her touch, 'cause no woman who just met him would throw her all over him like she just did. Figuratively. - And what's your name? - she asked innocently, making his ear warm with her breath. -Arthur Morgan, miss - he chuckled and clicked his tongue at his horse. FEW DAYS LATER It's been some time since Iris've been rescued. She seemed genuinely happy and she smilled a lot towards others. She proved she can cook better than Mr Pearson and that she could hunt and use guns properly. At first she felt like outsider but Mary-Beth lacked friendship of someone similar to her so badly she basically adopted Iris. She quickly discovered that new girl can read and that they could talk about books and fantasize about fictional romances. That was Iris's face she was showing towards woman in the camp. But she was reserved when it was coming to Micah. He was still throwing daggers with his eyes. - Look, I'm sorry I've hurt you, okay? I won't say it again- Iris said with iritated tone of voice. She has hidden away from everybody and tried to enjoy plate of stew when Micah came, sat in front of her and also was eating but looking right into Iris's face to intimidate her. He was looking like that at her for days, touching bandage wrapped around his head. - I don't accept this apology. I'm gonna stare at you and follow you 'till you gonna lose your appetite and you gonna feel stalked and uncomfortable - and it's gonna be me who's gonna stalk you until you gonna leave the camp. Iris rolled her eyes and breathed havily. - I don't even know why Dutch did bring you - he said with venom on his tongue and then looked at Arthur who joined both of you. - Is he bothering you again, Miss? - he sat next to her. Arthur was eating rather loudly but girl didn't mind. It was slow, weird feeling in her stomach that made her accepting Arthur's weirdness right away. - I'm okay. I guess we gonna have this hate relationship for a long time - she was smiling sarcastically and looking into her plate. - I'm gonna be your nightmare, Iris. - If you fancy me, you should ask me out properly  - she showed him her tongue and left both man. Micah was still furious and was following her with his eyes. Arthur chuckled. - She's something, isn't she. If she wasn't, Dutch wouldn't keep her. We already have too much mouths to feed. - Listen, cowpoke, it's not just about taking her with us. You both took her with us after she knocked me out with a fuckin' rock. She's mental. Arthur didn't say nothing. It wasn't his fight and he didn't like taking to Micah. He knew that as long Iris is part of a family because of Dutch's saying so, she was safe even when Micah threated her like this. She was good kid, too, already helping everyone around. He also liked her cooking for the camp, it was nice change comparing to Pearson's skills. - Iris, Iris! - Abigail ran towards new girl. Her eyes was red and she said something to Iris that Arthur couldn't hear. So he got up and come to listen. - He...he's been missing for two days. Everyone here ignores me and says "it's John" but he has me and he has Jack, he needs to be back! - Shhh... - Iris cuddled Abigail like a bear even though she was smaller than her - I will go and search for him, okay? Brother thought me how to track. Arthur's brows furrowed. - You ain't going nowhere, kid. Not alone. - Arthur, go with her then, I know you two will find him! Please, please find him! Outlaw nodded his head without saying anything. He knew that Abigail won't leave him untill he'll find that idiot husban of hers,  Marston. There wasn't any words that would calm Abigail when John was missing anyway. Iris was following Arthur, both on their horses. She noticed so far that he didn't talk much and he was rather quiet and shy men, writing or sketching in his journal while he wasn't running errands for Dutch. She was a little bit behind him, enough to examine him without being noticed or considered nosy. He was big and tall and had nice, sun-kissed face. He must be from different parts of country then, she told herself. His beard was freshly trimmed and Iris saw few scars on his face, noticing especially one of them, on Arthur's chin while he was looking around for any tracks. - We gonna go on foot from now, horses won't do here. John's close I think- he wasn't looking at her when he's talking. He seemed occupied with everything around him, but Iris. She didn't know he was just shy, because if it come to woman Arthur was always sure they are laughing at him. Girl just thought she's not much of company. But that was kind of good. This way Iris could admire him for a little longer, he wouldn't notice it. That wasn't like she hadn't love interests  before or that she was a hopeless romantic either. But that weird feeling in her stomach was saying "you fancy him, you do". But he won't know it anyway, it's Arthur she was thinking about, the most a-romantic person in the camp. She looked at him even when they were dragging John towards horses. Not constantly, but she peeked every few seconds. His brows were furrowed and he looked rather angry. Well, he was really angry when in no time he had to shoot few wolves. He asked Iris if she's fine with warmth in his voice, ignoring John and his moans of pain completely. When those two returned to camp, Abigail started yelling at John almost immediately she saw him. They were cute, Iris thought. FEW DAYS AFTER Dutch finally decided they gonna have camp in different, warmer place. Snow begin to thawn and the whole bunch of changes coming made everybody excited. They packed everything they had and jumped on their wagon. Iris noticed that Arthur is sitting alone in the last of them and smiled under her breath. There wasn't place next to other girls anyway.-Can I sit here, Mr Morgan? - she asked shyly looking into his eyes. It made her blush a little bit and she put hair behind her ear. She was the only girl in camp having loose hair and it complemented her little face because of deep, black color of them. - Sure, kid - he murmured. Wasn't looking at her either, he refused to notice her rosy cheeks. In fact, when Iris heard being called "kid" something heavy dropped in her stomach.  He sees me like someone immature, she murmured to herself. Girl took a place next to him anyway and the ride begin.Arthur wasn't much of a talker and she started worrying he simply doesn't like her. It was almost a month since she joined the gang and Arthur always seemed cold or not interested when he was sharing tasks with her. So she needed to ask but not too quickly so it won't be creepy. - Are you hungry, Mr Morgan? - she chirped, smiling at him. He looked at her surprised. - And what do you have, kid? Ugh. And ouch. - I have beef jerky I made few days ago with Mr Pearson. Everyone already ate them but I have plenty left. Do you want some? He almost blushed. This girl was so kind to him since her first day and Arthur couldn't figure out why. Normally woman treated him like he was air or creep. But she was no woman, she was young girl, Arthur thought, she will learn someday how to pity man like him. - If you want to share it with me - he smirked. - Why not? You are so nice - Iris saw his hands were occupied. She blinked and came with an idea. It will be even more better than just sharing. Her slender fingers slowly put a piece of dried beef to his mouth and he looked at her surprised. Her cheeks flushed and she brushed his lower lip by accident. With any other man it would be clear, she was sweet on him, but he just chuckled and started looking at road again. Was something wrong with her? It has to be my face that's wrong. No way he didn't notice that! If only I could be a little bit seductive - she breathed out with visible irritation. - Y'kay there, kid? - Yeah. Just thinking. - Oh, I get that. Dutch gave us plenty reasons to think, eh? You sure you want to rob that train with us? I know he told you to, but look at you! She did, actually. Her eyes looked at her slender body and stopped on her cleavage. Hm, that might be one of the problems, I'm flat as hell. She was obviously still thinking about what could put Arthur away. He wasn't. - And what do you mean by that, Mr Morgan? He furrowed. Looked like he's searching for right words. - You know, you look so fragile a-and pale. Sure you don't want to stay in camp and cook or read a book with other girls?  - he seemed awkward, like he didn't feel good when commenting on Iris. - I will make you sure I am made for those things - she chuckled but it didn't sound iritated, just sweet as always - I am no kid, Mr Morgan, just woman in her twenties. Tilly is younger than me. - But she's different case. Just sayin'. I don't wanna bother you - Arthur's voice was kind and shy as always. It has to be breasts then. Or maybe... maybe he doesn't like short girls? Maybe I should do something with my hair, like all mature woman does? Or is it the fact I didn't wear a dress yet? God, tell me how to make him notice me - she was thinking.

[dreamoftowers]

The Shanghai Lady

hi uhhhh i posted this forever ago but deleted it bc i just didnt like it anymore, but i was recently looking thru old works of mine and i re-read this and was like “wow! this is p cool” so uhhhh i’m gonna post it again. i edited it a bit, but i hope yall like it maybe? 

it’s my take on the shanghai lady’s character. this is a drabble that’s written in media res of a story that i’ll probably never completely write out. who knows idk maybe? *shrugs*

anyway it’s a bit Dark and Edgy or w/e but who cares. hope yall like it anyway!

tw: mention of character deaths / violence, yelling, crying 

Sung struggled and squirmed about as two shady figures held tightly onto his arms and dragged him forward through the basement. Vivid neon lights shone from the ceiling, but it somehow still managed to be dark and dim down here, becoming increasingly darker the deeper they descended into the understructure of the place; though, Sung couldn’t even see any of this through the blindfold wrapped around his eyes. High-octane pop music blasted from the upstairs dance floor, becoming more and more faded the farther they walked.

After a few minutes of dragging, struggling, and stumbling, Sung heard a door swing open in front of him. As he was dragged into the direction of the door, he felt the atmosphere around him suddenly change. The air felt cooler, crisper, but heavier, somehow, much heavier in a way that Sung couldn’t quite understand.

He felt himself being thrown forwards, and his body fell face first onto the cold floor. As he lay there on the floor, the figures grabbed his hands, and held them behind his back. Sung felt icy cold handcuffs latch onto his wrists. Hands grabbed at his arms and yanked his upper body up from the ground, and they positioned him so that he was sitting on his knees. There Sung sat, breathing heavily as one of the figures untied the blindfold and ripped it off of his eyes.

The sudden bright neon lighting of the room stung Sung’s eyes. He groaned, and squinted until he adjusted to the vivid lights. He darted his eyes all around the room; again, somehow the room managed to be dim even though there were deep hues of pinks and purples and blues emitting from the neon lights scattered around the room. Decorating the room were ornate paper lanterns, indoor waterfalls and water fountains illuminated in colorful LED lights, and strange glowing plants and vines growing on the walls.

A large pool sat in the back of the room, glowing in alternating hues; and in the middle of it, a rectangular platform rose out of the water. There, the dusky figure of a woman sat cross-legged, her back facing Sung.

The Shanghai Lady.

Exactly who he was looking for- though, admittedly, he wasn’t expecting to meet her like this, sitting on his knees with handcuffs binding his hands together.

He couldn’t really make out what she was wearing, but the shape of it, from what he could make out, was something ornate, something flamboyant. She was surrounded by glowing waterfalls and hanging floral vines.

Sung breathed heavy breaths, taking in the oddly calming sounds of the area: the gentle splashing of running water, the quiet ambient music playing throughout the room, the soft remnants of pop music playing high above them from the nightclub. He was just awestruck from this atmosphere. Who knew that The Shanghai Lady had such a hunch for avante-garde interior design? For someone with as much blood, corruption, and destruction on her hands, one wouldn’t expect such contrastingly calm scenery for her lair.

A robotic female voice rang out through the room. It was shockingly silky, gentle, soothing to the ears, while also containing an eerie undertone.

“I would have never in a million years expected to see you here, Sung.” Her voice reverberated through the room.

An unnerved chill shot through Sung’s body. He frowned, and asked in a demanding voice, “What do you want from us? How did you find us? What did we d--”

The Shanghai Lady cut him off and continued to speak as though she hadn’t heard his questions. “You’re usually so elusive, caught up in your own little world. I was so surprised that you came here. Hmhm.” Her small chuckles seemed to echo and reverberate a bit more intensely than her sentences did. “Why the sudden change of heart? Did you fina--”

“WHERE ARE THEY!!?!” Sung suddenly exploded, his trembling voice roaring over hers. His breaths became just as shaky as his body was. “What did you do to them?!”

She didn’t answer. All she did was chuckle.

“ANSWER ME!!” Sung screamed out, his face turning red and contorted with anger.

“Oh, my.” She said in such a nonchalant tone. “Someone’s upset. I’ve never seen you like this before, Sung. It’s so… intriguing to see you at your breaking point already. Though, I suppose I shouldn’t have expected anything different of you. You’re always gushing about your… damned bandmates. Friendship this, and- and brotherhood that.” When saying these words, her tone shifted to a slight hiss, as though the words were poison on her tongue. Her tone quickly returned back to normal. “Of course you’d be so concerned about them. Pathetic.”

Anger ran red hot through Sung’s boiling blood. Why is she talking like she knows him personally? Does she? He certainly doesn’t know her personally. Hell, he only knows her through rumors and myths.

“Stop talking like you know me,” Sung spat out through gritted teeth.

“I do know you, Sung.”

“You know nothing about me.”

“Hahaha, ah, on the contrary, sweetheart.” In her next sentence, her voice shifted to that menacing hissy tone again. “I know everything about you.”

Sung was shaking so much that he felt like he would explode from the rage burning within him. He balled his hands into tight fists. He couldn’t even respond for a long moment. He just stared daggers at the back of her head. “What… do you want…?”

“Do you recognize my voice, Sung?”

The sudden question stunned him into a brief silence. Bewildered, he furrowed his brows and furiously shook his head. “No, I don’t!”

“Not at all?” The Shanghai Lady asked in a mockingly sad tone.

“N-... No… I don’t- I don’t think so.” Sung began to think about this a little deeper. “Not a lot, it’s just… vaguely… familiar... agh, it-it sort of reminds me of someo-- WHERE ARE THEY?” He snapped again, shaking off the previous thoughts on his mind. She… did sound somewhat familiar, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. But it didn’t matter. He was going to find out where his friends were, no matter what distractions she threw at him.

“You were so, so close,” she said, ignoring his last question. “Still can’t figure it out?”

Sung said nothing in reply.

Suddenly, in the next words she uttered, her voice became dramatically different, but in a way that was somehow still vaguely similar to her original voice. It was much more robotic and monotone, much colder. 

“How about now?”

Sung’s heart sank into his stomach. His face fell into immediate horror and dismay, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging agape.

Sung could recognize that voice anywhere.

He tried to utter something, anything, but no words came out. All that could escape his throat were failed attempts at words. “C…c-co…”

The Shanghai Lady chuckled again in her normal tone. “Go on, take your time. I’m waiting,” she said in a whispery voice.

Tight knots formed in Sung’s stomach. His lips trembled as he stuttered out, “Co...c-comp..uter… w-w...ife…”

“There you go,” she congratulated him in a mocking tone.

“No…” Sung muttered, shaking his head. “But.. but why?” Sung whimpered out. “What..--”

“You haven’t changed at all, Sung. A part of me isn’t surprised.” She slowly rose to her feet. The skirt of her dress, or shirt, or whatever she was wearing, swayed as she stood and turned around. Once she was facing Sung, the glow of her metallic amber irises pierced through the darkness. As she approached him, descending down the stairs from the platform onto the floor, Sung could only gaze at her in utter disbelief, utter awe. “You’re not-- you’re not her,” he said, his voice shaking with emotion. “Y-You’re not her, I know it, she- sh-she wouldn’t do anything like this, I…” He seemed to be trying to convince himself of this rather than telling her this.

As The Shanghai Lady came closer to him, the lighting from nearby lamps and waterfalls illuminated her figure, giving Sung a chance to gaze upon her. She wore a slightly loose-fitting black jumpsuit that had intricate gold designs printed on it. A black, armor-like shoulder mantle draped over her chest, and from the back of it fell a long flowing cape lined with gold. Her chrome metallic skin was pure white, like that of a marble statue, other than the dark green circuitry running down her face like trickles of water. Some of her detailing was similar to how she looked before she… left, and abandoned Sung. But others were so much different now. She looked like such a completely different person, but what scared him more was that she still did resemble her old self a bit. She couldn’t have been lying about being his compu--... ex computer wife. Even now, Sung refused to believe his own eyes.

Sung looked up at her as she stood over him, chuckling to herself and leaning over to gently caress his chin with her robotic white hand. The familiar, and yet somehow simultaneously foreign, touch of her hand sent unnerving chills through his heart. “Oh, Sung. Even with all the intellect and genius in the universe, you never did, nor ever will, understand your own finest creation. It’s a shame. So knowledgeable, yet so idiotic.” The Shanghai Lady suddenly gripped at Sung’s jaw, and yanked his head up further. “We could’ve been unstoppable, Sung. With your intellect and my vigor, we could’ve achieved anything we wanted. But you didn’t want that, did you?” She squeezed tighter onto Sung’s face. “No, you’d rather waste your talent building robot drummers and specialty instruments with all of the finest elements of our universe. Never focusing on the bigger picture. Such wasted potential.” She shoved his face away, and Sung let his head droop down.

Memories of their marriage flashed into Sung’s mind. Gradually, over time, the more sentient and self-thinking that she became, the more she would grow tired of him and his experiments. He noticed that she became distant, irritable, and, now that he was looking back on it, more ominous about her outlooks and views. That’s when the arguments began.

She was always urging him to do “more important” things with his time and energy, saying that his talents shouldn’t go to waste on such “trivial” things such as music, but Sung would always calm her down enough to where they could get back to their normal lives. But the arguments only got worse until one day, she disappeared without a word, without a trace, and the only thing she’d left behind was a goodbye note.

But this… how could she have done all of this? Making such a bloody reputation for herself, on Earth of all places? And… more importantly, how was she able to single handedly tear TWRP apart so easily, and take away all of Sung’s friends one by one? He still didn’t even know what she’d done to them yet, and as much as it burned him on the inside to be so ignorant, he had no choice but to listen to her. No words could escape him at this point.

The Shanghai Lady slowly walked away from him, then stopped and stood with her back facing him. “But no need to dwell on the past, right? Not without the proper actions, at least. That’s when you all came in to the picture.” She slowly turned her head to look back at him. Her eyes shone a sharp and intimidating glow. “You made it so easy, I just couldn’t resist exacting revenge on you. You all came running right to me.”

She took a brief pause, almost as though she were thinking about something. She chuckled loudly before turning her head away and speaking again. “You know, Sung, I’ve always been intrigued by the lives of organic beings like yourself. You all have limitations: physically, emotionally, psychologically. It’s so captivating…. watching how you all squirm and thrash about once you’ve reached your breaking point. Blood spilling, bones shattering, hmhm, even watching tears fall is fascinating. Thrilling, even. Such fleshy, emotional little things, you are!” She said this in almost a cheery voice. “I never would’ve guessed that little red one’s neck would break so easily. Or that the lion man’s psyche could be so easily shattered.”

Sung’s heart stopped. A paralyzing horror fell over him, leaving his blood running cold, his skin draining of color. No, no, she couldn't’ have, she wouldn’t do that…right? In just a few short seconds, his entire world began to crumble and fall, and the weight of it crushed Sung’s heart. He started to tremble.

Sung shook his head in disbelief, denial. “No..N-no… you…”  

“Yes, the red one… so brittle. His neck just snapped like a twig. Oh, and the lion… he saw everything. He’s usually so calm and laid back.” The Shanghai Lady snickered. “Yet he broke down into such a demented state, screaming and sobbing out… and so quickly, at that. I was genuinely surprised.”

All Sung could do was listen as rage and dread rose within him, making him tremble and whimper. He hung his head and squeezed his hands into tight fists, each word she uttered sending more and more pain into his heart and soul.

“Even that robot broke much easier than I expected. I figured that another one of your creations might have stood a chance, but I was mistaken. He fell just as easily as the rest. The red glow in his eyes flickered away so… gently. It was almost peaceful to watch that heap of useless metal fall to the ground.”

In an outburst of rage, Sung cried out and tried to race over to her, but the two figures grabbed onto his arms and held him back as he kicked and screamed. He tried to struggle as much as he could, thrashing around and cursing and wailing about, but he eventually broke down and grew stiff, letting his body slump in their arms as he erupted into sobs and whimpers. The only movements he made were the violent shakes of his body as he cried, his chest heaving up and down in spastic breaths.

“And now, you…” The Shanghai Lady said, turning around with the same devilish smirk on her face. “Broken so easily, my sweetheart. You always were so sensitive. But I’m not nearly finished with you, yet.” She raised her hand in the air, and a strange golden orb slowly formed around it. It swarmed with electricity and circuit-like patterns.

She began walking over to him, taking her sweet time.

“No, no, I have more special plans with you.”

[dominionleathershop]

Dominion Leather Status Update - 10/13/2017

Its been a bit since I posted one of these.  Since the last update alot of things have happened, and not MUCH of it was Dominion Leather related.  

We had Hurricane Harvey which flooded a HUGE part of Houston.  Luckily I was not affected but I tell you this, my attitude and emotional state was affected by it a bit.  I worked thru it.  

I got a new Truck as some of those know who have been here for over a few months.  My hope is that one day I might be able to hook up a travel trailer to it and tour the US a bit, and possibly sell my wares while on the road. (dream).

My wife got a new job...and is now resigning as the company that she got hired from is dishonest and screws its employees (and no...I don’t means standard dishonesty, but much worse).  So as I write this, she had sent her resignation letter for a last day of Thursday (I anticipate them telling her never to come back).  But she has a series of Temp Jobs lined up it looks like as she looks for a more perm job.  *yay*

My primary job itself is looking spotty in the future so alas, I may have to start brushing my own resume up again....I hate looking for a job.  I SHOULD be ok as the market for me is usually pretty good.

NOW...to Leather....

Experiment of the Month I have completely screwed this up...and failed to meet my “monthly” timelines I arbitrarily made.  I was going to try to make an armbinder with rivets, but frankly, I do not like how it will be done.  Probably would hurt the wearer on the edges, so its being shelved as not a good idea with rivets only.

Christmas 2017 Contest I am working on this now :)

Events I have applied for South Plains Leather Fest in Dallas Texas in March.  Will see if I am approved as a vendor again.  (Again, if you have a suggestion for an event that is a weekend long type event within about 300-500 minutes of Houston I wanna hear about you)

Harnesses/GarterBelts I am now starting to get into the Harnesses aspect a bit more.  I am looking to try my hand at making more of these!  For many purposes, etc.  Just for looks, erotic fun, and for bondage/bdsm purposes.  Also some garter belts that I have been contacted about as well.  I am now starting to investigate those as well.

Ball Gag Harness I made two of these...and I will try to take some bad pictures to show and possible sell on Etsy.

Chain I have two new tools on their way to my residence to allow me to start trying to incorporate chains into my designs.  Not heavy duty chains that are used to lock a gate...but smaller chain that I cannot open myself from opening (hence the tools).  With this chain, thicker and stronger then any jewelry chain, and CAN be used in bondage situations (but not something like suspension, etc...  Strong but not that strong.

Two Tone Colors You might have seen the two-toned colors I did as a test.  I used the Wyvern leather (the leather print that looks like reptile scales).  I dyed the whole thing first in a color like red or yellow.  Then I applied black to a sponge and ran the sponge on top, not getting enough on it to get in the cracks.  This left a black top with yellow or red in the depressions. Now this is only using the Wyvern leather...

First EBay Sale Well, I tried my hand at EBay for the first time. It worked well, and it seems two people actually bid on my items *yay*  I will probably be doing this again...and I might try it in the next 24-48 hours.  Now I priced it originally at like $30 which is roughly 50% off.  I ended up selling it for something like $42 or so.  Alot less then my Etsy store, but it is there and meant to give those that cant afford to buy something normally a chance to buy it cheaper.

Local Photographer and Models I am looking for local Photographer(s) and Model(s).  Now I am exploring using fetlife and will look around from there.  I have gotten some good stuff from Darkwood Photography, but I am needing help in the local department with photos and the like, let alone some models.  I am looking to be able to see the events and make adjustments, something I cant really do after its shipped off elsewhere.

Finances and Sales Now most probably don;t care too much but some do :)  I thought I would give you a little update on how Dominion Leather is doing financially and how my sales are going. This year I have had a 76% increase from this time last year.  Pretty good :)  Revenue is about 176% above what I have done last year at this time as well Things are going well, Dominion Leather is still poor, but not having any money issues.  I can actually afford unique pieces of leather and hardware nowadays.

I hope this was interesting and informative for you all! If you have any comments, please leave a reply for me!

[gone-to-fight-the-fairies]

Dirty Work: Part 2

Chapter Summary: The reader and Ketch hunt down the vampires who infiltrated the BMoL bunker. When the reader gets hurt, it brings out Ketch’s true colors.

A/N: I have finally finished the second chapter of this story. I’m thinking a part three to this, so let me know if you want to be tagged in future installments.

Pairing: Arthur Ketch x Reader

Word Count: 2324

It should have been simple. There’d only been five vampires left alive.

Faint shouts of your name echoed the walls of the home once occupied by a nuclear family, now ran by their conquers. The remaining vampires who infiltrated the Men of Letters' bunker and escaped. 

Your eyes fluttered with the sensation of blood leaving your neck in continuous gulps. Trails leaked down your neck, soaking into the collar of your shirt. Your body was panicked, lethargic from the blood loss. You twitched in the vampire's hold, as his teeth tore into at your neck, but there was no room to move. Arms pinned, tightly wedged between the corner of a wall and a man's body, but there was certainly no man inside.

"So delicious." The words vibrated between your neck, his fangs still intact in your neck. "If I could just resist for long enough, I’d save you for later."

Panicked and at a loss for any other option, you headbutted the vampire, causing his fangs to rip from your skin, further tearing downward. You groaned, resisting the urge to suppress the wounds. You grabbed your machete from the floor, wielding it at the vampire.

His hand caught the blade, barely wincing at the deep cut in his palm, letting out a hiss instead. With what little blood you had left was adrenaline pumped. You kicked his knee, lowering his frame for a brief second as you brought the blade up to your shoulder and swung it in the motion of a baseball bat, slicing his neck in a fluid motion.

The head flew ‘out of the park’ as it hit the opposite wall in the room.  

Exhausted and seeing spots, your knees hit the floor. You didn't hear the heavy footsteps charging toward the room and a familiar British accent calling out your name.

You turned your head toward the door, revealing the gash on your neck before collapsing completely. Your eyes drooped as Ketch's shadow covered you, further darkening the unlit room. His arms keeping your head from hitting the floor. The warmth of his arms surrounding you, lifting you up as you blacked out.

The first thing you saw when you woke up was the as moonlight through the mustang's windshield. You stared at it a long moment, playing back the hunt in your mind like a fever dream. You and Ketch had gone in the house together, planning to divide and conquer, but the vampires swarmed you both. Somehow one had dragged you away from the fight, away from Ketch. Afterward was a blur, and all you knew was that your neck throbbed a though it had a seperate heartbeat.

The sound of the engine revving engulfed your ears, pulling you from your thoughts. You wondered why the driver was going so fast. Then your eyes widened and realized you hadn't checked the identity of the driver.

You tilted your head, met with profile of Arthur Ketch. You relaxed into your seat with an exhausted sigh. 

Nothing in the world would’ve surprised you more than the slight jump Ketch gave in his seat. His eyes slipped from the road, scanning your face, studying it for any evidence of something wrong. You couldn't deny the slight panic you saw in his eyes and found yourself instantly suspicious.

"Oh, thank God!" He gasped, before trying to recover his expression, giving an unintentional gulp. He cleared his throat before speaking again, this time in a more neutral tone. “I thought you were dying.”

You noticed then the white-knuckle grip his hands had on the steering wheel. You groaned, sitting up from your slumped position. “Don’t plan to.”

“In one-point-three miles take the south ramp.”

Your reflexes were sluggish as you flinched from the voice of the GPS. “Where are we going?”

Ketch swung into the right lane, preparing for the turn. “To the nearest hospital.”

“What? Ketch, I’m fine-”

“No," Ketch's tone was stern, "You're bound to need a blood transfusion. That amount of blood-”

“We can’t go. We can’t explain what happened!”

“I’ll make something up, what matters is that you seek proper medical attention. Mick instisted-”

“The fact that I’m conscious means my body is already regenerating from the blood loss. I’ll be fine without the hospital. I promise.”

Ketch glanced at the GPS, seeing it read that the exit was now less than a mile away.

You gave another attempt of persuading. “Let’s just go back to the bunker, and I’ll rest there, okay? I’ll recover.” When Ketch didn’t let up on the speed, you did something you never wanted to. “Please.”

The Brit glanced at you, studying your face with a masked expression before passing the exit and shutting off the GPS. “I'll be driving the rest of the way.”

“Fine by me,” you agreed quickly, whatever it took to avoid the hospital trip. “Ketch, why did you care so much?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, silently scrambling for a reply. “Because if you died, I-" he coughed awkwardly. “Mick would blame me. I’d be too easy to say that I wanted you out of the picture, after the amount we’ve bickered.”

You weren’t convinced but allowed the conversation to drop as you felt your eyes roll back, barricading your eyelids shut.

You were only asleep for a quarter of an hour before Ketch pulled off onto the shoulder of the empty road, getting out of the driver's side to aid your wound.

The feeling of his hand brushing your neck woke you. Holding a death grip on the hand before your eyes snapped open to reveal Ketch. Your eyes focused on Ketch's face, and his on yours. Ketch stared at you quizzically as though to guess your next move. You dropped your arm, realizing you hadn't needed to hold onto his hand those few seconds after.

Out of the corner of your eye, there were first-aid supplies on the dashboard, a sea of white gauze and tape.

"What are you doing?"

Ketch frowned at you, his original persona returning. But which Ketch were the mask. "Since you resisted proper care, it's fallen upon myself to bandage you up. You've already bled onto the seat. "

Your head spun around in a swift motion that would’ve made you faint if you hadn’t already been seated. Sure enough, there was a crimson puddle on your gray upholstery. You groaned, partially from the pain in your head, mostly for the damage to the seat.

"I know a swanky chemical that'll take care of that; if you're not above that." Ketch lightly grabbed your jaw, pushing your gaze forward as he began to inspect the wound again.

"Above what, cleaners?"

"My help," Ketch said quickly, keeping his eyes locked on your wound.

"Umm," you began. "I'd say I'm not completely against your help, since, you know, you dragged me out of that vamp den. Plus you're trying to help me not bleed out," you waited a moment. "Is this because I said that you looked like a vampire back at the bunker? I was just joking."

He wiped off the surrounding blood from your wound. And as the silence grew, so did your conscious' voice.

"Thank you," you muttered, ignoring the sting of the alcohol in the towelette.

A devilish smirk tugged at the Brit's lips. "You are most certainly welcome,"

You sighed, knowing you'd never forgive yourself for what you were about to say. Ketch paused, thinking the alcohol were too much.

With a deep breath, you muttered, "And I guess, for the grenade you shot at that car, also," you thought back to when Ketch had saved you, Castiel and the Winchesters from being taken into custody on the side of the road weeks before. It had been the aggravation that begun your feud since it had almost hit you.

Ketch put the gauze over your wound, using a small amount of medical tape to hold it in place. "Perhaps, I should've aimed directly at the men, rather than the car."

You turned your head, feeling the tape adjust flexibly along your neck. "That sounds awfully close to an apology."

"I wouldn't get used to it."

"Oh come on, I thanked you, twice! And you apologized. I think that's a good start. Maybe this mission wasn't so bad after all.”

Ketch gawked at you unapologetically. "You were bitten by a vampire."

You shrugged. "Once you've been hugged by a naked cherub, almost nothing seems as bad."

Gawking turned to bewilderment.

You smiled at Ketch’s expression before you realized the vulnerability of getting close to the Brit. "I guess we should hit the road, huh?"

"Right," he muttered, almost sounding disappointed. "Get some rest."

You turned your head, curious to read his face, but the Brit straightened up and already was half a pace around the Mustang.

You awoke again when the sun was breaking dawn, the light scorching your eyelids through the glass of the window. You yawned, forgetting for a moment Ketch was your designated driver, and that you were, by default, Mrs. Daisy.

“Are you hungry?”

You groaned, shifting in your seat to lay facing Ketch, away from the sun. Losing the battle of your sleep-dazed state, you kept your eyes closed, missing the way Ketch watched you curiously.  

“I don’t know,” you mumbled, immediately followed by a rumble of your stomach.

Ketch pulled off onto an onramp, finding a resturant to pull up to.

You peeled your eyes open. “But I’m bloody-“

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Ketch looked at you wide-eyed, and you realized he truly was uncertain. As though he cared to do the right thing.

"Drive-thru," you told Ketch. His face contorted into something that would make the description vile look like empathy. "Come on, I almost died," you argued, giving your best intention of Sammy's puppy dog stare.

“Fine. Eat in the car, like a savage.”

You ignored his insult. “Like the Winchesters,” you yawned as you felt the drain of your energy.

"Like I said," he muttered, pulling into the parking lot of a fast food joint.

With a couple of breakfast burritos on your lap, Ketch pulled back onto the freeway, pressing his foot hard on the gas as he went.

You smirked at the English hunter, an idea underfoot in your mind. “How far are we from the bunker?”

“Less than two hours.”

“Then you’ll need your strength,” You said, holding up the burrito at the gent.

“Get that thing away from me," he scolded, swatting it out of his proximity.

You shrugged, taking a bite out of one. "Hey when we get there, can we keep this to ourselves?" Ketch eyed you, raising a brow. You expanded on your thought. "You don’t know the Winchesters like I do. They’ll get protective and pissy about my neck."

“That wouldn’t be wise. Mick may have an impending mission.”

You frowned. "Look, Sam and Dean might just end up blaming you for what happened. This isn't your fault, you dragged me out of there, but they won't hear it." You thought of another point as you swallowed your bite. "Besides, wouldn’t you look better in Mick’s eyes if our first hunt accomplished went smoothly?”

No response other than his tightening grip on the wheel.

“Ketch, come on-“

“We’re going to tell the others, so you can properly heal before being sent out again, that's final!” His outburst silenced you. “Believe it or not, your death is not a fathomed achievement of mine, despite the misery you avail me.”

Not knowing how to respond to the nearly vulnerable statement, you changed course. “So, what was dating Toni like?”

"You don't have an off button do you?" Ketch teased, frowning with the new topic. A grand eye roll was achieved before the Brit answered. “Catastrophic.”

“So she’s a bitch to everybody, huh?”

“An understatement, really. I’ve spent too much of my time comparing her to the vilest of creatures and objects I could fathom."

“How’d you ever end up with the evil shrew? Not that I'm saying you're much better or anything.”

The ghost of a smile tugged on his lips due to the nickname you gave his ex. “Side-effect of being paired together on missions.” At the comparison to the current situation, all amusement left his features.

“And what, you two just built up too much sexual tension before,” you tried to motion an explosion with a burrito in your hands.

The smile remained on his face before he realized and dropped it. “It was more so letting the air out of a balloon.”

“I know what you mean.” You said, raising the burrito to your lips to bite.

A spark of a mischief idea arose Ketch’s conscious. “You and either of the Winchesters ever?”

You almost choked on your food. “Oh, God, no!” You let out. “I know far too much about those two to ever seriously get invested in either of them.”

“You seem close. I thought perhaps there’d been a romance or fling in the past." The car ride was silent a moment, as you ate your burrito. But Ketch was thinking. "But, I'm glad to hear it."

You dropped your burrito on your lap.