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#i'm just pointing out the fact that monsters who *do* kill are predators
scripted-downfall · 2 years
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Survival of the Fittest
Okay, time out.  I just stumbled across some “anti-hunting” posts and I want to address it.  Before I do, though, I want to make clear my loyalties.  I watch Supernatural and I like the show.  I vastly prefer both Dean and Cas to Sam, while there is very little disparity between my affection for Dean and my affection for Cas.  I recognize that all characters make mistakes, with varying degrees of justifiability.  I recognize that, in some limited ways, hunter-hate can be valid.
But.  I want to address one particular point.  I no longer remember who posted this because I’ve been stewing on it for a while, but I remember that they argued that, “a group of humans going around and killing non-humans for the simple crime of killing a human, even when they were just starving and needed to eat, are the bad guys.”  And just.
No.
And I say no, not because I’m blindly on the side of the hunters — since, as I said, I fully recognize that they’re not always in the right — but because predation exists???  In the natural world???
I mean, put it this way… My family keeps chickens.  Hawks and raccoons eat chickens.  They do not eat chickens because they’re cruel or sadistic; they eat chickens because they’re hungry and chickens taste good.  Shocker of all shockers, the chickens don’t want to be eaten.  If you don’t think the chickens are going to attack any hawk or raccoon that comes into the coop, you’re mistaken.  They will do their very best to attack the predator before it kills them.  Oftentimes, they will fail and they get eaten anyway.
Saying that hunters can’t attack supernatural creatures who are eating humans simply because “the monster is just trying to survive” is like saying that chickens cannot attack the creatures that go to eat them, or that any prey doesn’t have the right to defend itself against its predators.
Also, to rephrase the initial point, it’s basically an argument that hunters have no right to kill supernatural creatures because said Supernaturals are just trying to survive.  In other words, Supernaturals shouldn’t be killed because their mission is survival.  Which… like… sure, I guess I follow the point, but also; the point of hunters is to protect humanity’s survival (albeit on an individual level)?  So the argument is that the Supernaturals’ survival somehow deserves to be inviolable at the cost of human survival?  But that’s deemed illogical by the alleged “logic” of the initial argument; if killing a Supernatural is horrific because they’re just trying to survive, then killing a human is horrific because they’re just trying to survive.
With all due respect… just no.  At this point, the entire human-supernatural conflict should just be a matter of predation and what truly affects the outcome is survival of the fittest.
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y-rhywbeth2 · 7 months
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I know we sickos all love the tragic memory of Durge killing their parents as a child, but honestly - as a lover of interpreting Durge as a tragic eldricht horror cuckoo/changeling creature - my favourite memory is baby Durge playing tag with the other children in a "time before Bhaal".
They're being gentle with their friends, but the narration explicitly describes them as hunting and compares them to a predator. If Durge pities their child self the narration just goes: "Mayhaps that child was already a murderer." "Oh, sorry, did you think this was a happy memory?" asks the game before it points and laughs at your naivete.
You pair that with the little cuckoo killing their foster parents and it's very much like somebody took in a baby predator. Sure, it hasn't grown into its claws and aggression but then we reach the starting point of puberty and suddenly the once cuddly baby is a danger to everyone around it.
Oh, except that apparently there's a chance that Durge was already killing things as a baby!
We know they were aware of Sceleritas following them around when they were young, occasionally talking to them as he does in the dead family memory - even if he hadn't presented himself yet. Even if he doesn't always speak, did Durge grow up seeing him out of the corner of their eye?
The fun thing about Durge is that we get to make our own character out of the scraps we're given, so all of it is up to us to decide for our own characters/playthroughs.
I interpret Durge as being like the Bhaalspawn we meet in Throne of Bhaal, Gavid, and the 3.5e tieflings - they've always known they were different. Always had dark urges and whispers in their mind, coming from the essence in their blood.
Kids have accidents around them, pets go missing. Maybe they have black outs, maybe they're aware but can't stop (small children aren't exactly masters of impulse control). We know from a later memory that Durge feels self-hatred regarding their urges, so presumably they learnt enough to know this is wrong and feel guilt. Do they still feel pain and nausea if they resist? I'm going to assume for my own take that since they got the Urge back then, they did.
I wonder if their family ever took them to wizards and clerics, trying to find out if their child was cursed?
Then that family dies. Violently. Graphically. Another tragic accident taking place around the twitchy weird kid who sees monsters and hears voices.
If you play paladin then the Oathbreaker Knight tells you that you've broken your oath multiple times, so I assume that these disasters didn't stop happening.
And judging from the fact that they showed uncharacteristic compassion to a homeless person at the peak of their "I'm such an evil bastard villains like Elder Brains and the God of Tyranny are impressed" era, I think that Durge ended up homeless themselves at some point between losing their parents and joining the temple (I'm also pretty sure that's the period of their life the cannibalism memory happened in).
And then they "came of age" (I recall the age of majority being 15 in the Realms at some point, but can't find that anywhere so don't take my word for it) and Sceleritas introduces himself, and it's time for a family history lesson that explains everything and Orin gets a sibling she absolutely never wanted, ever - put that thing back in the ditch it came from, so help me.
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Wolf! Michael finds out S/O is a She Wolf
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Synopsis: Michael has been dating you for almost a month, and a Full Moon is approaching. This is where Michael finds out your biggest secret
Fluff, Michael being so sweet
Nearly a month
We've been together for a month and she's such a darling to me. But there's something she's not telling me, she knows my Wolf side but somethings off about her.
Its like she's troubled, a secret she's scared of telling me
Michael looked at the calendar to see the date and the Big circle on it "Full Moon" it says in your hand writing.
"Y/N, the moon is going to be full tonight." Michael said as he pointed to the date. You froze from the words full moon put you on edge, "Oh, Really? I didn't know that." You replied with nervousness in your tone. Michael forrow his brows from what you said, "Are you ok? You sound like your unsure of that, is there something your not telling me?" Michael asked as he came over to you, holding your hand."Is something bothering you? You can tell me, my dear." He said as he rubbed your hand with his thumb. You sighed, "Michael." You started "Yes Y/N?" Michael replied, "I, I..." You didn't know what to say, "I just dont like the Full Moon, Michael." You said with a fake smile. "Oh.." He replied. "Well, I gotta go out tonight, I gotta check up at work." You said as you grabbed your keys to your car before giving your partner a kiss before leaving through the front door. "Bye Hun see you later." Closing the door while Michael tried to process what just happened so quickly. "Maybe not a night person?" He thought to himself
Later
As he stocks the woods, Michael was on the scent for a Buck he saw earlier. He took careful steps with his large clawed hands as he spots his prey. "You're mine prey." He thought to himself. Before he could prounced, something jumped at his prey. Another predator that stole his prey? He was pissed.
He jumped out of the brush to confront the thief. A She-wolf? He thought he was the only one.
The She-wolf ran off with the buck they killed, Michael gave chase. Dashing pass trees through the woods of Haddonfield, chasing this mysterious She-Wolf that stole his prey. Jumping to the trees as an advantage to catch them. Getting close, Michael pounced at the She-Wolf, causing her to drop the kill. Michael and the She-Wolf tumbled on the forest floor before, sizing each other before fighting.
Slashing at each other, bitting, snarling, and Growling as Wolves do when they fight. Michael took the upper hand and pinned down the She-Wolf to show why you don't mess with The Beast of Haddonfield.
Rage turned into realization when having a closer look. The hair was long and the same color as yours. The eyes are a crystal blue that shows fear. Michael realized who the Identity of the She-wolf is.
"Y/N?" Michael said as he stared down at you.
You pushed him away and hid away in a bush. "DONT LOOK AT ME!! I'M A MONSTER, IM HIDEOUS!!" You screamed, coving your muzzled face.
Michael processing the fact that His girlfriend is actually a Werewolf like himself, all he could say was. "How long?"
You were confused, "What?" You asked, "How long since you been like this?" He reiterated his question. "Since I was a 16.." You said as you tell him your story, "It was triggered by my first full moon after my 16th birthday, I was scared of hurting anyone I love the reason my relationships never lasts so long due to my curse. I never wanted to hurt anyone, but my previous boyfriends hurt me." You said as you emerged from the brush, "They thought I was unfaithful to them, thinking I've been sleeping around, but I was hiding my secret from them. But I now I've met you... your, your.." You said as hitched your breathing.
"You're like me." Michael said
You looked directly into his Yellow eyes as he looked into your Blue eyes. You couldn't help but smile from that comment, "Yeah, We're alone, now we found each other." You said as tears of Joy fell from your eyes. Michael kissed your forehead as he placed his head in the crook of your neck as you did, placing one arm around him. You both lone wolves in Haddonfield, and now you found each other.
"Michael?" You asked,"Mm?" He replied. "Could we share the Buck I caught?" You said. "Well, I originally was going to have it, but, yes." He replied as you both went over to the Buck to feast on.
===============================
This is now the end of this one shot. I hope you loved it. :)
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garnetblackwater · 2 months
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The Rustle of Leaves
Human female x forest guardian
Chapter 2-He Who Dwells
Back to present
Vanessa listened for its movement in the trees. It's on her right, slightly behind. She starts moving left. The creature moves forward still on her right. This is the moment. Suddenly she turned heel, hands pushing off the ground to maintain momentum. Back and to the right, the direction it came from. It came to a sudden stop. Is it contemplating? Confused? No time to find out. She just has to keep moving.
Vanessa was running out of steam. The fear and adrenaline she’d been running on subsiding and quickly. She had to make a decision, and quickly. Too tired to be a part of this sick game any longer. It was getting darker and harder to see. She won't be able to hide from it. She’s not heavily bleeding but any hunting animal would smell her. And whatever it is behind, is definitely a predator. 
I can’t keep doing this! I can’t keep running! 
Vanessa slowed down, walked up to a tree, leaning for a moment while she caught her breath, “Fuck this shit,” she mumbled to herself. 
Vanessa walked out to a more open area. Of all the ways to go! Did all that cardio to still get run down! 
“Hey you shit! If you plan to kill me just do it. I’m done with whatever sick game this is! Fuck you, I’m not here for you entertainment anymore!” She huffed out into the quiet of the forest, the shadows growing around her as the sun set. 
“Are you sure? I am quite enjoying this moment.”
In the boughs of the trees ahead, she heard it speak. Low and dangerous. She looked ahead searching for any indication of it. Nothing. Only darkness. 
“Well I’m glad you are having fun. Oh wait, I'm not. Go fuck yourself.” Vanessa held herself shaky, but defensively. She's not some world class fighter, but she also doesn't plan to go down without a fight. Or at least without leaving a mark to be remembered by.
The creature laughed, deep and hearty. It had moved closer, not by much, but closer nonetheless. “Planning to fight? Maybe you are not as helpless as you seemed.”
“If I must.” Vanessa raised her fists, “I don’t plan to make this easy for you.” She was catching her breath, but she could feel her body getting tired. She ran for a while, and had been hiking for some time before that. 
“Hmmm…. What is your name?” He hasn't moved. In fact he sounds, relaxed? The bastard.
“Ha! No way am I falling for this. I've read enough about fae and the like to know that's a bad idea. Give me yours first.” Yes, keep him talking. Gather your energy.
“The closest I can give you is Tenebris Arbores.” He still hadn't moved. She glared, right where she believed him to be. She wouldn’t give him any reason to believe she is not prepared for his attack.
“Arbor, as in trees. Tenebris. I know this. Ummm black, or dark? So Darkwood? Black forest?”
He hums from the same spot. As if satisfied with the response.
“You are also intelligent. Good.”
“Yes. Well. I read a lot.” She was thrown off by his words, a seemingly genuine compliment. She gripped her shoulder, the pain wasn't as bad before. Now that the fear was gone, adrenaline no longer coursing through, the pain was hitting like a truck. The fall did more damage than she thought.
“You are bleeding more.” He spoke, masked in what seemed to be indifference.
Vanessa snapped her gaze up to him, his physical self still lost in the trees, “Yes well I assume all that running didn’t help”
“It could be worse.” The calmness of his tone aggravated Vanessa.
“That so? Worse than waiting to become some monster's next meal? Worse than listening to you play with your food?”
“That mudslide you were heading towards begs to differ.”
Mudslide? So he was leading me away. But for my own safety. Why? 
Tenebris shifted in the trees. He was moving closer. But making it obvious that he was doing so. As if approaching a wounded animal. 
Vanessa gripped her shoulder tighter, now unsure of the situation. Tired and exhausted she moved to the point. “So what do you want and what do I have to give you for it?”
Tenebris stilled at the aggravation in her voice, before moving again. Closer. “To the point. Right. I will get you out of the forest, safely. Back to the ranger’s station. I can also help with your wounds.” He paused, waiting for Vanessa’s reaction. She gestured for him to continue, her patience wearing thin. 
“You just have to give me your name. Your full name.”
“And what will that do?”
“It will… bind you to me.”
“And what will that do?”
“Once per half moon cycle you will need to come back here. To me.”
Half moon cycles? But that's just two weeks? Why say it that way? Her blood became like ice. Frozen in place she searched for wherever he could be. “And what will I have to do?”
He chuckled, “That… is up to you.” Tenebris shuffled in the tree directly above her. 
“So, I’m bound to you. Are you bound to me?”
A beat of silence before, “I have already given you my name.”
“You gave me a name. Does not make it real.” As Vanessa spoke, the words coming out quieter than she meant, she looked to the sky. The sun was getting lower, the forest darker. Though she had much bravado, she couldn't deny the panic settling in her chest. At this point could she make it back safely? On her own? The options were quickly becoming limited. 
Her thoughts rushed. 
The pain was blooming.
Vanessa wanted to live. 
Choices needed to be made. 
Steadying herself, releasing the grip on her arm, Vanessa looked up into the Branches above her. 
“Vanessa Mae Carthwright.” 
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smokeybrand · 6 months
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Get to the Choppa
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While perusing the internet during the ridiculous amount of down time i have at my job, I came across this weird little meme. It had a side-by-side of Naru, the main character from the most recent film in The Predator franchise, and Billy Sole from the first. Both are Native individuals and the caption was one that said something to the effect of, “I’m supposed to believe this tiny woman can defeat a monster that this big, hulking, man couldn’t?” Yes. Yes you are. That’s the point of Prey. That is Naru’s entire arc. She CAN do that, she CAN defeat a Yautja, but no one believes in her until she does. Prey is an exceptional film but it’s not telling a new story. It's a “David versus Goliath” narrative. Finding victory on the mettle of your wits, not the power of your brawn. Strategy over physicality. Naru worked smarter, not harder. Billy died because he refused to do any of that. He stood his ground and met the Jungle Yautja as a warrior. He died as one, too. Naru met the Feral Yautja as a hunter, and won as one. Yes, she was smaller, weaker, and just generally less equipped to face a Yautja than literally any man in this film. However, it was her observation skills and execution were, head and shoulders, above every other character in this film. That's why she survived. That's why she took the Feral's head. That's why she was a hunter. Lost in this absolutely bad faith take, is the fact that Naru being tiny is irrelevant. Everyone is tiny compared to a Yautja. Not one of these person who has ever faced down a Yautja, has done so in an equal match of skill. Except, maybe, Machiko Noguchi. Maybe.
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I'd have to read those comics again but, if Machiko did win, I'm sure it's after time spent with them. When they first showed up on Ryushi, i'm pretty certain she was in the same situation as Naru. In fact, I know she was. Machiko is technically smaller than Naru so, you know, there's that, too. What I mean is, Yautjas are straight up, physical specimens. They are, for lack of a better term, superhuman. That's the point. In the first film, the Jungle Yautja manhandled all of that Eighties beefsteak testosterone, like they were nothing. In the face of such overwhelming force, Dutch was no different than Naru and, like Naru, had to resort to pure technique, observation, and execution, to defeat the Jungle Yautja. Dutch became the Hunter, just like Naru, just like Machiko, just like Harrigan. I mean, Harrigan literally defeated a Yautja in one-on-one combat, but that was after the thing was absolutely crippled. Even then, Harrigan won that fight based on his execution and observation throughout their many encounters leading up leading up to the climactic scrap, not because he was this super masculine, overpowering, force. The City Yautja was cooked by the time the two of them clashed in it's ship. One arm. Bullet riddled. The thing had fallen through a building or two. Bro had to have been exhausted. Harrigan wore City down, like you do a massive elk, and landed the killing blow only after barely ducking several hurled his way by his mark. Harrigan has more in common with Naru in terms of physicality and he's basically the only one who of this lot who went toe-to-toe with a Yautja and survived.
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I said all of that to say this: it's staggering to me how media illiterate a certain portion of the public at large, is. Prey is not some Rubik's cube of a narrative to be unlocked. It's rather straight forward in how it tells it's story, one it tells very well, but people focus on the dumbest things in order to be outraged. Like, Naru defeating Feral is no different that Ripley defeating that first Xeno or Sarah pancaking that first T-800. It's the sane f*cking thing and yet, Naru's hero tale is somehow, unbelievable? It's somehow far fetched? We've been telling this same story for millennia, just swapping out the characters, but this is the one that's hard to believe? That sh*t is ridiculous. I understand that it's all just culture war bullsh*t, spouted by mostly conservative Betas that are afraid of the feminine, but that messaging is just absolutely destroying art. It's ruining storytelling and I hate it. The point of Prey, the point of every Predator film if you're being honest, IS the fact that these alien creatures are an overwhelming force and we, poor humans, overcome to triumph. That's the point of the franchise. That's the point of these narratives. That sh*t goes back to the myths we used to tell ourselves about what hides in the shadows. It's a fundamental aspect of the human experience and, in this, the year of our lord 2023, I have a bunch of soft ass, keyboard misogynists, making sh*tty memes about how it's so unbelievable a small woman can find her way to that victory. It takes them out of the story and relegates Naru's adventure to the bin. Bro, just admit you hate vaginas and move on. Check your weird gynophobia at the door because Naru is dope. Prey is dope. Her story is one of the best to be told in the entire franchise. Whether you like it or not, whether you want to believe it or not, Naru Dutch'd Feral long before Dutch Naru'd Jungle.
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redux-iterum · 2 years
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Ok, we all get why you despise Greystripe... but Spottedleaf, Frecklewish, Mistystar, Rootspring?! Why... :'(
You know what? Just for you, I'll give you a brief rundown of my hatred on each character. Enjoy the anger under the cut!
Greystripe: Just...just look through this tag.
Blackstar: I've discussed this here and there, but the short of it is that the Clans seem to have completely forgotten that he was a willing assistant to two tyrannical leaders, got kicked out of his own Clan for being evil, and murdered a cat for the crime of being a half-breed. The warriors' reasons for disliking him are because he's from ShadowClan and he's a little grumpy, not for any of his actual fuckin' crimes. Add to that the fact that he's a gullible idiot who let some outsider nearly destroy his Clan based on lies that he should have been able to figure out were fake, and you have an idiot asshole who just hurts ShadowClan.
Spottedleaf: Aside from the creepy nature of her romantic tension with Firepaw (not -heart, -paw) and her obsession with him after her death, she doesn't have a damn thing going for her. She's, what, pretty? Smells nice? Keeps mourning that she never got to be with her True Love? She is a hollow character with "Firestar" as her only personality trait. Thistleclaw's manipulations are the sole interesting thing that ever happened to her, and you can guess for yourself why that's fucked up.
Leopardstar: Look. I get it. She's a popular character. Strong Female Hero, Queen of the River Clan, Blah Blah Blah. I don't care. She's an unpleasant bitch that let her Clan be walked over by Tigerstar (who we'll get to in a second) because she was "in love with him". And then she spends the rest of her appearances being an asshole. Fuck that. Why don't you do something beneficial to the other characters for once?
Frecklewish: Bearing in mind that I only read the Wiki pages of Mapleshade's Vengeance and Frecklewish herself, I can at least say that this character is awful. She forces her way into Mapleshade's business, to the point that she won't even leave her alone as she's giving birth, and does a complete 180 at the reveal and screams at her for "betraying" her and wants the kits she was previously obsessed with out. For why? Those kits not being her brother's, which Mapleshade never said they were? Bitch assumed and made it her business to micromanage the entire thing. She's not awful enough to go to the Dark Forest, but boy is she a fuckwad.
Tigerstar: Did you know he has a superpower? He has the magical ability to make everyone around him stupid as a rock so he can act evil and do horrible things and get away with them. If it wasn't for the fact that everyone just drops every IQ point they have where he's concerned, he would not have gotten nearly as far as he did in the books. StarClan gave him nine lives, Bluestar dismissed his dangerous behavior, EVERYONE bought his story about Ravenpaw of all people being a traitor, so on and so forth. All it would have taken is one person getting their brain back and asking a single question about what he was doing, and he would have failed and been killed. It's purely the writers getting him anywhere. It's bullshit.
Thistleclaw: I don't think I need to justify this one. He's a predator (which I still find a bad choice for the writers to have made), he's an asshole, etc. I'm disappointed that they failed so hard to make him dangerous in Bluestar's Prophecy that they had to backtrack and make him a monster in a side story, when there was no indication of that, like, ever.
Mistystar: Just read The Broken Code and you'll get it. For a recap, she just agrees with everything the obviously evil people say, to the point of almost letting Bramblestar run her Clan for her. She's unkind to her own Clanmates, refusing to let them back in even after it's clear that they didn't deserve their punishment. She's a terrible leader, made even worse by her going as stupid as she did and just doing whatever Bramblestar says. It's ridiculous.
Lionblaze: Boring. He is so goddamn boring. He's overpowered, so he can't lose any fight. He goes through the same Dark Forest arc Bramblestar did, and that goes nowhere. His personality is dishwater and I never had it in me to care about him, even back in the day when I was first reading the third arc. And let's not forget that he had so many kits that ThunderClan is one big incest clusterfuck now. I desperately want him to die.
Rootspring: God, did you see him in TBC? He's so self-pitying and whiny! He won't drop his crush on Bristlefrost (and the fact that she dies and he doesn't still pisses me off because she was infinitely more interesting) until she says she loves him back out of fuckin' nowhere. He's constantly going "weh, why do I have to have an embarrassing dad, why do I have to have powers, oh, woe is me, I have a lot to be grateful for and I refuse to acknowledge those things". God. It's pathetic. Grow some nads and quit complaining about your life, dipshit. Shadowsight has seizures and almost destroyed the Clans, and he's not bitching nearly as much as you are.
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the-gneech · 2 years
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Proud Of How Many Got Away
Our D&D group has had a recurring tension for a while now, of when to use or avoid lethal force—brought up, largely, by the fact that I keep playing neutral good monks. >.> But even Shade-Of-the-Candle follows the piratic tradition of giving defeated foes the option of signing up instead. If it was good enough for Sun Tzu, it's good enough for my angsty murdercat.
This tension has been in RPGs for as long as I've played them. When I was in high school, CHAMPIONS included whole sections on the Code vs. Killing disad, and the legal ramifications of superheroes just slaughtering henchmen. But a lot of gamers have as part of their fantasy "I get to kill people as part of my job." It's just a thing. For me, "I get to beat up bad guys" fills that slot nicely, with the desire to actually kill anyone usually not present. Maybe it's growing up on Saturday Morning Cartoons, who knows. But also, I love recurring villains! How can you have a meaningful rival/enemy/frenemy/enemies-to-lovers situation if you just KILL everybody who opposes you?
My first monk, Kihai, was extremely pacifistic in nature, making a point to do nonlethal damage to even the lowliest goblin. At one point they were attacked by some kind of big predator (I forget what it was, something like a giant crab maybe) and the rest of the party was like "YARR! KILL THE MONSTER!" while Kihai was like "Guys, we just walked into its house. It's not going around menacing the countryside, it was just hanging out here. How would you feel???" (Let's face it, Kihai was not suited to be a D&D character. But I still don't think he was wrong.)
My current monk Aurora doesn't have as much of a hang-up on the issue—she was trained by dragons, after all, and they're notably not pacifists—but she is still neutral good, with a strong Wisdom score. She prefers not to kill somebody she can subdue or drive off instead. So last night, when confronted by a gang of toughs on the Neverwinter docks, she spent most of the combat shoving them into the bay. The rest of the party pretty much did the debuff-and-gank routine on the gang's crimelord boss (with a local noble's blessing), but Aurora didn't kick up a fuss about it, and neither did I. The boss had giant "It's okay to kill this guy!" flags pasted all over him, and 1/3 of the party is archers, who generally aren't great at nonlethal damage. XD On top of that, the current scenario has all been a prologue to get us off into Spelljammer anyway, so the chances of said crimelord being important later are effectively zero.
BUT, and this is the part I'm pleased with, most of the gang actually ran away. It was a brawl rather than a murder spree, and that's totally my jam. And unlike some of our other outings, I didn't have to cajole or argue with the rest of the party about it, it was just a natural outcome of the scenario. By throwing them into the bay, Aurora rendered the thugs mostly a non-issue, so the rest of the party didn't have any reason to go after them. In her own way, Aurora considers those thugs "rescued," because without her there, they would have probably ended up taking an arrow, warhammer, or acid spray to the face.
Some D&D characters growl and fume when an enemy escapes. I may be weird in that I cheer about it. But I'm proud of how many got away.
-TG
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smokeybrandreviews · 6 months
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Get to the Choppa
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While perusing the internet during the ridiculous amount of down time i have at my job, I came across this weird little meme. It had a side-by-side of Naru, the main character from the most recent film in The Predator franchise, and Billy Sole from the first. Both are Native individuals and the caption was one that said something to the effect of, “I’m supposed to believe this tiny woman can defeat a monster that this big, hulking, man couldn’t?” Yes. Yes you are. That’s the point of Prey. That is Naru’s entire arc. She CAN do that, she CAN defeat a Yautja, but no one believes in her until she does. Prey is an exceptional film but it’s not telling a new story. It's a “David versus Goliath” narrative. Finding victory on the mettle of your wits, not the power of your brawn. Strategy over physicality. Naru worked smarter, not harder. Billy died because he refused to do any of that. He stood his ground and met the Jungle Yautja as a warrior. He died as one, too. Naru met the Feral Yautja as a hunter, and won as one. Yes, she was smaller, weaker, and just generally less equipped to face a Yautja than literally any man in this film. However, it was her observation skills and execution were, head and shoulders, above every other character in this film. That's why she survived. That's why she took the Feral's head. That's why she was a hunter. Lost in this absolutely bad faith take, is the fact that Naru being tiny is irrelevant. Everyone is tiny compared to a Yautja. Not one of these person who has ever faced down a Yautja, has done so in an equal match of skill. Except, maybe, Machiko Noguchi. Maybe.
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I'd have to read those comics again but, if Machiko did win, I'm sure it's after time spent with them. When they first showed up on Ryushi, i'm pretty certain she was in the same situation as Naru. In fact, I know she was. Machiko is technically smaller than Naru so, you know, there's that, too. What I mean is, Yautjas are straight up, physical specimens. They are, for lack of a better term, superhuman. That's the point. In the first film, the Jungle Yautja manhandled all of that Eighties beefsteak testosterone, like they were nothing. In the face of such overwhelming force, Dutch was no different than Naru and, like Naru, had to resort to pure technique, observation, and execution, to defeat the Jungle Yautja. Dutch became the Hunter, just like Naru, just like Machiko, just like Harrigan. I mean, Harrigan literally defeated a Yautja in one-on-one combat, but that was after the thing was absolutely crippled. Even then, Harrigan won that fight based on his execution and observation throughout their many encounters leading up leading up to the climactic scrap, not because he was this super masculine, overpowering, force. The City Yautja was cooked by the time the two of them clashed in it's ship. One arm. Bullet riddled. The thing had fallen through a building or two. Bro had to have been exhausted. Harrigan wore City down, like you do a massive elk, and landed the killing blow only after barely ducking several hurled his way by his mark. Harrigan has more in common with Naru in terms of physicality and he's basically the only one who of this lot who went toe-to-toe with a Yautja and survived.
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I said all of that to say this: it's staggering to me how media illiterate a certain portion of the public at large, is. Prey is not some Rubik's cube of a narrative to be unlocked. It's rather straight forward in how it tells it's story, one it tells very well, but people focus on the dumbest things in order to be outraged. Like, Naru defeating Feral is no different that Ripley defeating that first Xeno or Sarah pancaking that first T-800. It's the sane f*cking thing and yet, Naru's hero tale is somehow, unbelievable? It's somehow far fetched? We've been telling this same story for millennia, just swapping out the characters, but this is the one that's hard to believe? That sh*t is ridiculous. I understand that it's all just culture war bullsh*t, spouted by mostly conservative Betas that are afraid of the feminine, but that messaging is just absolutely destroying art. It's ruining storytelling and I hate it. The point of Prey, the point of every Predator film if you're being honest, IS the fact that these alien creatures are an overwhelming force and we, poor humans, overcome to triumph. That's the point of the franchise. That's the point of these narratives. That sh*t goes back to the myths we used to tell ourselves about what hides in the shadows. It's a fundamental aspect of the human experience and, in this, the year of our lord 2023, I have a bunch of soft ass, keyboard misogynists, making sh*tty memes about how it's so unbelievable a small woman can find her way to that victory. It takes them out of the story and relegates Naru's adventure to the bin. Bro, just admit you hate vaginas and move on. Check your weird gynophobia at the door because Naru is dope. Prey is dope. Her story is one of the best to be told in the entire franchise. Whether you like it or not, whether you want to believe it or not, Naru Dutch'd Feral long before Dutch Naru'd Jungle.
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fairykukla · 8 months
Text
Freddie's back!
I'm continuing my Halloween Movie Marathon, shifting to modern horror. I'm doing this mainly because I managed to pick up the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series in a two-package set from the thrift store!!
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The first film, the iconic Wes Craven masterpiece, still holds up beautifully. I can see where he leans into the curves with some tropes, and veers right off the tracks with others. It's very clever, and beautifully metaphorical. The Mythology presented is internally consistent, and the characters are all very believable in their various roles.
Bitty Baby Johnny Depp sure is playing a "typical high school boy next door" as Nancy's across-the-street boyfriend. The rest of the cast are taking their roles seriously, including Robert England debuting a career defining role as the villain, Freddie Krueger.
But the core of the horror is about how this monster comes after you when you're at your most vulnerable; asleep in your dreams. What's more, the parents don't believe Nancy because they're guilty of their own sins. "Fred Krueger can't hurt you, baby, because mommy killed him." That's a hell of a reveal.
Robert England is the best thing in it, with his weirdly comedic take on the character, but it has recently occurred to me that Fred Kreuger was a successful serial killer of children; kids don't go along with creepy people. Successful predators are wolves in sheep's clothing. Oh, we *want* to believe that The Killer or The Perpetrator would be readily identifiable. We want him *obvious*. So, even more disturbingly, the original Fred Krueger wore cheerful colors and was kinda goofy/funny, maybe even charming. He apparently goes free due to a technicality, but I suspect that some of the reasons have to do with his being able to masquerade as a charming, non-threatening milquetoast.
Now that he's been revealed as a monster, he's a monstrous version of his former self. And his real sense of humor is dark and gruesome, but still (horribly) funny.
His reasons for tormenting, then killing these specific kids are because their parents were the ones who burned him to death.
The second best thing in it is our Final Girl, Nancy. I remember her as a mature-seeming "older teen" when I first saw the film. I was a young teen at the time, and she reminded me of my babysitters; a few years older and Very Cool. As an adult, I see how young she is, but still courageous and awesome.
(maybe one day Sigourney Weaver and Heather Langenkamp can be badasses together as bitter old biddies. I would watch THE SHIT out of that.)
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And then, this happened. Oof. Wes Craven mostly just signed off on this one. He didn't write it or direct it.
And while it has some excellent moments, the overall story is neither written well, nor executed well. It's a mess.
Freddie wants revenge and uses the body of The New Kid to perform his bloody work. New Kid just moved into "That house on Elm Street," where "A girl went nuts after seeing her boyfriend killed across the street."
But apparently the house where the boyfriend was liquefied and sprayed all over the walls was... what? Sold to a different family right away?
It's "Five years later" but the film came out the following year?
The house is haunted but Dad is so pleased with his bargain that he won't fix anything?
Freddie possessed New Kid at completely random times, finally manifesting fully through him in the real world? Nancy's diary is found to provide necessary exposition?
And the pacing is ponderous, lots of close ups of sweaty, half-dressed teen boys.
So like, bonus points for making the guys into the eye candy, but they made it boring at the same time.
Central theme is... uh... Freddie is scary!
This one is Bad. Watch a couple of YouTube clips or the gif sets and move on.
In point of fact, the second film put me off the marathon for the night, so I'll pick back up and write some more later.
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asmo-ds · 3 years
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i have another one! so the mc is really into fantasy fiction with demons and angels, gore, horror and spooky things in general and when they arrive instead of being scared they're like finally i'm in my element and are having fun and are excited because they hate how boring the human realm is. how would the bros (and the side characters if you feel like doing them) react to them? i love your headcanons so much btw!!
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w/ Horror Fantasy Lover! MC
Warnings: mentions of spooky scary stuffs, CHAPTER 16 SPOILERS
Summary: How the Obey Me! Characters react to finding out MC has a particular interest in horror fantasy and feels more comfortable in the Devildom then they do in the human world aka where they aren’t surrounded by apex predators that want to eat their soul
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- After explaining the entire situation to the clueless human who stood in the student council room he could see a sort of sparkle in their eye and they smiled widely before shouting “FINALLY! MY TIME HAS COME HAHAH!”
- His first thought is “oh they won’t last a day”.
- He gets a headache when he realizes he put them with Mammon of all people.
- He is glad that MC has an interest in such things seeing as they will be living among the strongest demons for the next year
- I feel like Lucifer loves horror fantasy novels, so if he and MC have read any similar ones they are sure to discuss and recommend to each other 
- Lucifer enjoy when they come in to talk to him about things they saw that they had hear about before arriving at the Devildom because its cute to see the human so excited
- Overall finds it adorable how enthusiastic MC is about the subject
- But is also worried because they feel so comfortable around demons who can and will eat them
- BUT also glad you aren’t afraid of the demons because they can smell fear and it is overwhelming and easy to lose control when they smell it
- When MC wants to see his natural form ( bc I just know hey don’t stop at those half-human half-demon forms Solmare shows us) he worries he may scare them off, but shows them regardless and is relieved when their excited smile doesn’t falter
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- When he is first showing MC around the Devildom he considers just thowing the human over his shoulder because they wont stop running towards dangerous stuff to observe it
- Like oh my Diavolo, does this human have a death wish why would they WANT to drink the potions that can and will kill them in a matter of seconds
- If his hair wasn’t already white he’d be getting white hairs from stress, like WHAT KIND OF EXCUSE IS “I’ve never drank a potion but I’ve always heard about them”?! PLEASE GIVE HIM A BREAK
- Mammon isn’t big on horror stuff so he hates when MC brings it up
- If he sees horror fantasy related stuff for sale or being bet in a gamble you can bet your ass he’s bringing it home for MC no matter what
- Sometimes when they walk around the Devildom, MC will point out creatures they’d only heard of in their stories and he loves the way their eyes light up as everything they’d read about for so long came to life
- Tolerates the subject to make MC happy, even if he can’t sleep at night because of it.
- A bit worried about the fact he has to babysit the human who is way too casual around violent predators that want to eat them
- If MC asks to see his natural form he gets flustered for a second, but then gets cocky and goes off about how “oF cOuRsE tHe HuMaN WaNtS tO sEe ThE GREAT MaMmOn iN aLL HiS GloRy”
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- When MC walks into the House of Lamentation with Mammon and he introduces himself as Leviathan... their eyes light up
- They question him about all sorts of things they’d heard in old stories and if he could really turn into a giant sea monster
- After a while of knowing MC he finally promises that when they go to the beach next he will show them his natural form 
- He summons Lotan when he’s mad at Mammon and when he turns to Lotan to command him to attack the avatar of greed he sees Lotan is preoccupied with the human who was giving him belly rubs and talking to the giant sea monster in a baby voice
- He like horror fantasy animes so he is 100% willing to discuss them with MC 
- Whenever a new horror fantasy game or show comes out you won’t see MC and Levi for days because they’ll be holed up in his room on a mission to complete the anime or game
- He and MC like to cosplay as horror fantasy characters together as well just for fun
- Whenever he sees them look at a creature that may be normal around the Devildom but is very dangerous to interact with as a human he is immediately noping the heck out of there, dragging them away despite their cries of wanting to see the “little cute fluffy animal :(”
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- When they show up and their eyes light up at the explanation that they’d been summoned to hell, he can’t help but laugh because he already knows this human is gonna be a trouble maker and cause a lot of problems for his dad Lucifer :^)
- One of his favorite genres of movies and books by far
- Loves to watch MC grow curious and fascinated by all the things in the Devildom that they never thought would be real
- He takes MC to see creatures at the Devildom zoo that you would NEVER see in the human world 
- He could spend hours talking about the topic with MC and sometimes one of the brothers will walk in on them talking about scary fantasy stuff and just slowly back out bc they get SO INTO IT
- Is glad to help them learn more about creatures that reside in the Devildom
- By that I mean he hovers behind MC menacingly in demon form whenever a demon agrees to let the human examine and study them
- If MC wants to see his completely natural form he gets a bit blushy and a bit nervous as his form is the embodiment of wrath and meant to strike fear within humans
- After he finally transforms and they start to examine him enthusiastically without a shred of fear he thinks to himself “oh that’s right this is MC, my idiot human = who could crawl inside a demons mouth and still be unsettlingly happy”
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- Nope nope nope
- He doesn’t like scary stuff unless he’s allowed to cling onto a cute person for comfort
- Really likes the look of excitement in MC’s eyes though as they see creatures they never thought they’d get to see because they get a sort of glimmer that just makes him go so soft for the human
- Glad they feel comfortable around demons because it means they will be more willing to come clubbing with him
- But is still sure to hover around them while they enthusiastically examine and question demons around them
- Makes flirty comments about wanting MC to examine his natural assets (aka his naked demon dick is what he wants to show them)
- In all seriousness he is very proud of his natural form and is very willing to let MC study him
- Still worried that MC is gonna get hurt by one of his brothers or another demon if MC asks to see their natural forms because he knows how easy it is to go feral and lose all reason in such forms
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- He finds it cute how interested MC is in everything around the Devildom
- Very concerned about the easy going attitude around his brothers and every single being in the Devildom
- MC sometimes comes very close to eating foods that will make a human sick because they want to understand demons better and want to live just like one
- Sometimes forgets MC is only human because they just fit in so well with all the demons
- Shocked to learn how boring the human world has become as he always remembered it being exciting whenever Mammon would bring him, Belphie and Lilith down 
- He’s a bit shy about his demon form because he knows a lot of humans are afraid of bugs 
- But when MC so delicately yet enthusiastically examines his natural form he almost cries
- So soft for this human but so SO worried
- tries to warn them to be more cautious outside of the House of Lamentation, but knows that they aren’t gonna be because they get carried away with learning demon life
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- When MC first came through the attic wall and was able to see him they made eye contact and were both like o.O
- Then MC’s face lit up as they started to talk about how cool magic was that it could hide a whole entire person and floor of a house and he is just confused, but he knows he can easily manipulate them due to their enthusiasm towards this type of stuff
- Was shocked they weren’t even afraid of Lucifer and were actually excited to see his demon form up close if they got caught
- While he is still covered in their blood and stuff after getting out and stuff the future MC comes downstairs and is just like OMG YOU KILLED ME SO EASILY 
- MC gets dangerously close to him again asking questions about his claws and tail and powers etc.
- After that whole ~ordeal~  he grows protective over MC seeing how they trusted him so easily due to their enthusiasm because he knows there are people out there who still want to hurt the human
- He is surprised by the description Mc gives of the human world as he remembers it being so interesting, but he guesses that since it has been very long since he last went but is still sad to hear it’s less interesting’
- Can act like a brat whenever MC puts themselves in danger due to their curiosity
- If they ask to see his natural form he is a bit shy because he worried they might get scared by him seeing as how he killed them in only half demon form so how were they going to handle his whole entire self
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- Seeing their eyes light up at his explanation as to where they were made his heart leap with joy
- He knew this year would go smoothly with such an enthusiastic human!
- He was wrong. 
- It feels like every five seconds he will be getting a call from Lucifer about MC almost dying from getting too close to demons and other Devildom native creatures.
- Worried about the poor human but doesn’t want to ruin their fun so he scolds them very lightly and assigns familiars to protect them 24/7
- If MC wants to talk to him about any other creatures, rather than going to find them by themselves, he is glad to educate them on any false stories they’d heard
- When MC asks to see his final form he laughs it off at the time, afraid of hurting or frightening them
- But if MC insists enough he will show them and is rather shocked when they enthusiastically poke and prod at him while asking a bunch of questions.
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- He knew MC would be like this as he was one of the main people to  prepare for MC’s arrival
- He’d prepared a bunch of horror fantasy novels for the brothers to put in the human’s room
- Was a fan of reading those books as well, but mostly because he liked to see how the humans interpreted the existence of such creatures
- When Diavolo starts getting stressed about MC’s constant questioning to random demons who try to hurt them, Barbatos decides to entertain MC for a bit and offer them a crash course on demon foods so they could better understand the diets of the creatures around them
- Worries a bit for their safety as he knows Mammon isn’t the most reliable, but still decides to trust him for the sake of his own sanity
- If MC wants to see his natural form he hesitates for like a second before transforming
- Finds it cute how the human examines the big scary demon with so much enthusiasm
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- As a fellow human he can understand the dissatisfaction with the human world and it’s lack of interesting events
- But he also worries because he is comfortable going up to demons casually because he knows how to use magic and demon pacts, but MC goes up to demons casually with no way to protect themselves
- He finds it a bit funny to watch the demon brothers freak out over MC talking to other demons and putting themselves in danger
- Teaches MC all the ways to safely interact with creatures in the Devildom by using spells to protect themselves
- Forces some of his 72 demons to let MC study them and learn more about them
- Finds their enthusiasm cute but concerning
- He gets very protective every time they go to the Devildom, y’know since MC has a habit of literally chasing demons down to ask questions about their demon forms, powers and other creatures they see
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- He is a bit worried when he learns about the humans intense fascination with creatures such as himself and the demons that they are now surrounded by
- Is as protective over them as he normally is with Luke 
- Like the way Luke chases demons to insult them while MC chases them to ask questions and study them makes him consider getting a leash
- If MC wants to see his complete angel form he is more than happy to show them since he is meant to bring comfort to humans as an angel
- Still finds them absolutely adorable when their eyes light up as they see things they never thought they’d get to witness irl
- Tries to teach them more about those creatures they want to examine without the danger of being attacked by demons and such
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bored-storyteller · 3 years
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Thank you dear Anon for asking me Uta ☺️! I hope this can be okay. I always tend to aim for angst/comfort (instinctively I always look for the happy ending), but if you want angst really don't have a problem forcing me :3. That said, I hope I didn't disappoint you!🌸 (And sorry but it was natural for me to be a human reader, I only noticed at the end, scold me even if you want 😣)
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57-Tokyo Ghoul, Uta x human!Reader (angst/comfort)
From the prompt list
4- “Do you know what it's like?”
Uta in truth cannot say that he is surprised at what is happening, he cannot deny the veil of resignation that had enveloped his heart when it all began.
In a way he still hoped he was living a dream, that what he had been waiting for hadn't really come true. He really hoped that everything would be okay with you, despite his fears. Somehow, despite his finding that the image of a peaceful life with you was just a utopia, he clung to the idea that you were able to perform the miracle. He has never felt so loved as by you, he has never questioned your love for him.
Yet now that he was standing in front of you with tears in your eyes desperately waiting for some answer, he wondered how you had actually fallen in love with him.
He's not just angry with you, he's mad, and hurt. Yet he still loves you, he really does, and for this reason that rational part of his person still clings to that affection so as not to allow it to scare you further.
"You have to calm down." He tells you in a firm voice. His body doesn't move, only his fists clench along his hips.
“Calm down ?! You have… ”Your voice is high, broken, desperate. You've never raised your voice against him before.
Yeah, he has what? He obviously did something that - in your opinion - he shouldn't have done, he had taken a life that he shouldn't have taken.
Innocent. You used that word, but he didn't understand what it meant, he just couldn't really hear you. He stopped doing it when he realized he was the problem you were crying about.
He must have hurt someone you knew, even though he wasn't sure how close he could be to you - he's pretty sure you stay away from doves. In any case, something has upset you. It's possible, he's been dealing with a lot of trouble lately, but whatever the reason for your tears ... they're useless.
Whatever happened, crying for someone he killed is absolutely useless.
You've never done this before, so did lives have a different value to you?
Was that life worth more to you than all the others he had devoured?
"Were they more important than me?"
Uta wanted to ask a question, but instead the realization led him to flatten the questioning tone into a cold statement.
He doesn't give up his gaze for a second in front of your wide eyes. He suddenly manages to get silence from you, and that scares him. It scares him to death.
You are dumb, dumb like the masks that surround you. When you speak, it is as if you light a fuse inside him: "How can you ask me such a thing?"
And the world ends for him.
His place in the world that he thought he had found was suddenly erased. You are like others, you think like others. You don't care about his situation, he's the culprit. You love him as long as he hides his being from you.
"Do you know what it's like?" A tremor in his voice. A tremor that you have never heard, and then what he had never done: "Do you know what it is like to be a ghoul in your world ?! Do you have any idea what people like me have to endure ?! "
Uta never raises his voice, never. Nor with you. Yet this time he has no way to stop the beast from roaring, and somehow he expects you to quiet down, to take his words to heart, to share his suffering, as you always do. Instead you don't leave a second of silence between you and him.
"And do you know what it is like to be a human ?!" You slam those words in his face like a slap, and for a moment he can't react, and he doesn't understand if the pain he feels is caused by his physical body or his troubled mind.
"The world must understand you, but you have never tried to understand the world!" Your hand tightens on your chest "It is you who can kill me here! It is you who can eat me! You are not the victim between us!"
"Are you the victim?" Uta's usually gentle voice echoes deep in his chest like an earthquake, and this time you can't deal with it. It is as if you are on the edge of an abyss, and you take a step back, hoping to avoid falling, but he is not of the same opinion.
"You are right."
He is no longer screaming, but that doesn't reassure you. Not at all. Not if he's smiling like that.
Where can you ever run away as he approaches you.
What do you want from him? Do you want the predator to regret having hunted? Do you want to condemn him to hell for this?
“Maybe I should have done it right away. I should have eaten your tender heart since I met it. " It would have been with him without so many problems.
"GO AWAY!"
The scream you throw is so desperate that it almost seems to have stuck in his heart.
Your hands are on his chest, where they often are, but this time they are trying to push him away with such weak force compared to his, yet so terrible for him.
You are in his arms, where you should be whenever you suffer, but they are no refuge for you now, and his hands are gripping your arms so tightly that he can imagine the bruises beneath them.
The devilish smile falls apart. He hadn't even realized that he had lost control of his emotions. This should never have happened, not with you.
"I-"
"Leave me."
He obeys your desperate sigh.
The tattooed hands fall to his sides and all he hears are your silent sobs as you curl up in a corner for protection.
Was he really that terrible? What have your eyes seen? Your delicate human eyes.
"Come on ... it's over ..." Uta's voice is warm again, calm, reassuring, as he is always with you. Instinctively his hand reaches out in search of your skin, as he always does when you feel bad. He moves to be on your level, to take you in his arms, yet again the crystal dream breaks. You break it again, when without even realizing you move away from his grasp, trying to escape his presence.
Uta remains there, motionless, to contemplate his work. To contemplate the fact that he is not enough.
And now the difference between the two of you was as heavy as a volcano's lava on both of you, because you are no longer in a fight with Uta, you are in a position of danger in front of a ghoul.
He's right, you don't know what it's like to be a ghoul. And you are right, he does not know what it is like to be human, to be you.
All he really knows is that his instincts tell him he has to take care of you, because you are afraid, you need protection, because he wants to see you happy, yet he is trapped in his place because it is he who hurts you, it is him the threat.
Uta closes his eyes slowly. He knows himself, he needs to calm down, to calm his heart which is beating fast and afraid. But he can't. He can't untangle the painful tangle inside him that is blocking his breath. It looks like a bomb, water that grows and prepares to overflow.
And then something moves, and his eyes go wide.
It's not something he's ever experienced before, but he's self-conscious enough to take precautions.
The faster pace than usual as he moves away from you is not enough to attract your attention, but the violent opening of the bathroom door does.
Uta's stomach never gave any problems, absolutely never. Yet now he finds himself bent over painfully emptying its contents. It's a horrible, almost upsetting feeling for him.
It seems that the human makes fun of him even when they are dead, bending the monster and leaving him exhausted by the efforts, moving him away from you, as if to want to protect you.
How did you get to that point? How can he go back?
You were his refuge, his anchor, his certainty, he wants you back. Yet for those like him, taking care of something seems impossible. His own body led him to crouch away, like a ground worm.
Your soft and uncertain steps stop when you reach the threshold that he didn't bother to close in his haste, your light and inviting scent penetrates his lungs and he still feels your breath trembling with tears.
Even in that situation Uta seems to be fully in control of himself, calm, only his head that leans towards his lap manifests an implicit attempt to silence the pain.
His fist lifts to lean against the toilet to flush out what you never want to see, because even though the harshness of reality has crushed on you, he still protects you.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." He's really sorry, and he'd eat his own tongue if it kept those words from you.
He can't say that he really feels guilty about what he did, but that he is sorry to hurt you and scare you, that is.
You do not answer him, nothing comes from your lips, and inside Uta fears he will never hear your voice again. But you don't go away.
In the following moments you too are curled up on the floor behind him, rubbing your cheek against his back for comfort, looking for the reassurance of his heart, tired from those frantic beats that he is not used to sustain.
Your weight on him is sweet, and maybe you two just hit a bottom that you needed to touch, in order to be strong again, for yourself.
And if doubts still linger between you, your whispered words give Uta the answer he thought he could never get again: "I still love you."
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boldlyvoid · 3 years
Text
Intro to Criminal Minds: Why They Did It
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Criminal Minds x MINDHUNTER AU
Spencer Reid x Margaret Carr (OC)
Part 1: Ed Kemper.
Summary: Spencer is teaching a 7-week seminar on the most interesting criminal cases, explaining their actions to understand why they took place. Only, not everyone in the audience is a student.
warnings: graphic details of a real rape and murder case, like every trigger in the book, applies to this fic so read with caution (if you watch either show you're used to it, however), it's all real and did actually happen and I don't support any of it. strangers to lovers, mutual pining, flirting, fluff, eventual smut, idiots in love, OC is Wendy Carr's daughter, her bio father is Jason Gideon
word count: 3.9K
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't having fun teaching.
He started with guest speaking, moving to special seminars a few times a year. But he wanted something more, settling for a 7-week criminal justice elective of his choosing.
Intro to Criminal Minds: why they did it. Giving Spencer an excuse to share the most intimate facts about serial offenders in a setting where no one could tell him to shut up.
14 students total signed up for the two-hour Seminar, taking place every Thursday at 11 am from September until Halloween. Over the 7 weeks, he would explain the fascinating insights of the most successful killers in the United States. Only asking that his students write about a prolific crime they find interesting by the end of term, for their full grade.
All he wanted was to read about obscure killers from around the world, from the perspective of aspiring profilers.
The first Thursday, he came prepared with his coffee a half hour before the class. He wanted to write the main points on the whiteboard in advance, nice and neatly.
To his surprise, a student was already there waiting for him. "Oh, hello,” he smiled softly.
She was sitting with a book in her hands, she pushed her glasses up her nose to look at him as he walked in. She was older than his typical student, around 35. Probably finishing up a degree or adding something to what she already had.
"Hi," she smiled at him. “Sorry, I’m early, I was visiting my mom at Quantico earlier.” She explained. "I'm not a teacher's pet or anything. Promise, I’m not even a student.”
It made him laugh slightly, correcting him like she read his mind. "It's okay, I'm Doctor Reid," he introduced himself softly.
“Margaret Carr, Peggy is also fine.”
"Pleasure to meet you," he said quickly before focusing his attention on the whiteboard.
He could feel her eyes on him the whole time he wrote, not wanting to turn around and catch her. "That's so interesting," he heard her mumble under her breath.
"Hmm?" He turned around.
"It's just that, everyday occurrences that never phase the regular person somehow cause psychopaths to kill," she read the board back to him.
"I was reading a study a while back about how psycho killers medulla oblongata is approximately 19% smaller than the average human’s. Based on the way they're nurtured as children affects if they grow up to kill. The ones that don't often end up in law enforcement and other positions of power where their psychopathic tendencies can come to play."
He was taken aback for a moment. He had never experienced a student who was like him before. Someone who just pulled facts into conversations like it was nothing.
"I read that as well," he smiled. "It is fascinating. The smallest amount of bullying and abuse from a mother or disappearance of a father figure can set them off."
"Or, on the other hand, there are people like Ted Bundy," she added. "He was well-loved and taken care of, but it went to his head. His god complex and affinity for lying led him to be incredibly charismatic and enabled his killing."
"You're very educated on this already; are you just interested in hearing me speak today?" He asked, not wanting her to leave, finding it interesting that she was there.
"Oh," she blushed. "I was going to talk to you more about it after the seminar actually."
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you,” he felt a little giddy at the prospect.
"Thanks," she laughed. "Seriously though, I'm a big fan of your teaching style, I saw a few of your classes when my dad was teaching at the academy in 2005. It's a lot easier to remember facts if the lecturer genuinely loves what they're talking about."
"You're going to like this Seminar then. It’s basically just a way for me to get paid while unloading all the random facts I have,” he warned her with a smile.
"I know." She smiled back at him.
The rest of his students filed in slowly. By 11 am, 14 faces were staring back at him.
"Hello," he waved awkwardly. "I'm dr. Spencer Reid. For the last 12 years, I've worked with the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit. Catching serial offenders across the country."
He took a deep breath, letting the nerves find their way out of him. "I've been asked time and time again who my favourite serial killer is, which is a peculiar way to phrase the question. It feels morally wrong to have a favourite in the way people do with baseball players.
"I am, however, fascinated with several serial offenders' reasoning and explanation for why they did what they did. Every single killer is different, but it all comes back to 1 thing. Do you know what that is?"
They all shook their heads. “What is your relationship with your parents like?" He asked. 
Everyone in the room reacted; some students sighed, some rolled their eyes as they recalled their parents and childhoods to memory.
"When a person decides to kill, it's often never in the moment. It's in childhood. The majority of serial offender's stories start the same; their mother didn't love them, their father left. Someone at home abused them or put them down repeatedly."
"Thus, causing a hatred so primal to bubble. No matter how hard they try and fight it, the bubble always bursts. They go from fantasizing to killing in retaliation for their abuse, taking the anger out in stages."
He referred to the board. "Every killer has a stressor and a trigger—something that causes the urge to bubble and the event that causes the bubble to rupture.”
"Edmund Kemper is a fascinating example of this. He grew up with a family for the first few years of his life before his father fully abandoned them. His mother handled the situation by turning her anger onto her son; it was his fault his father left, he looked just like him, Ed was just another useless man who would never amount to anything," he emphasized the words. Hoping the class sees the effects words have on children.
"He started by cutting up dolls, stealing his sister's barbies and cutting their heads off. In his mind, he was getting out his anger and hatred for how his mother saw him. She hated men, causing him to mature with a warped idea of what women are truly like."
"His attraction to killing worsened his mother's hatred; she could tell something was wrong with him, that he didn't react to everyday situations the way he should. By the time he was ten, she was locking him in the basement for days on end, telling him he was a monster and her biggest regret."
"The change in her rage amplified his own. He hated hearing her speak. He hated the way she walked around, thinking she was better than him. That just because she was a mother and a working woman, she deserved respect and submissive’s. All he could see was a woman with a big head who needed to be humbled. This is the moment when the psychotic side of his brain blended his hatred of his mother with how good it felt to kill."
"Is that why he, you know?" Peggy cut in, running her finger along her neck as she pretended to cut her head off.
He pressed his lips together in an awkward smile, nodding. "His signature, as it's called, was decapitation. But more specifically necrophiling the severed head of his victims."
The whole class let out a disgusted noise, Peggy and Spencer making eye contact while they shrugged, it wasn't news to them.
"At age ten, he moved from barbies to cats and dogs, never leaving them around for his mother to see. While he hated her, he was also absolutely terrified of her. Breading a special type of killer. When you think of school shooters or preferential predators, what do they have in common?" He asked.
He pointed at a student in the back. "They have a specific type of victim they’re after?"
"Exactly. Most serial offenders want to go after the cause of their pain or attraction. However, Ed wasn't able to kill the source of his rage for a long time. His mother mentally abused him so intensely that he believed she was in control of him and that her opinion of him mattered. He saw her as his God, he loved her, but he also knew that he disappointed her.
"He ran away soon after to find his father. Travelling to California, only to be told he was unwanted there as well. It wasn't just his mother that his father was escaping; it was the fundamental aspect of family that he didn't want. Ed defiantly didn't want to go back to his mother after that, so he moved in with his paternal grandparents."
He kept catching the looks on Peggy's face. She knew the story already, waiting patiently to hear the words he chose to make the horrific acts seem a little more conversational.
"His grandmother was exactly like his mother. If I had to guess, his father most likely had a distaste for his own mother and thus divorced Ed's mom. Only he never grew up to be a killer, just an absent father—his absence doing to Ed what never happened to him."
"Ed killed his grandparents when he was 15. Telling the police and his therapists that they had beaten him constantly, they refused to feed him and called him names. He said he snapped from the trauma; it was self-defence."
Peggy laughed to herself, making him smile softly. "Sending him to a mental hospital instead of a juvenile facility was the worst thing they could've done for him," Spencer added.
"Why?" A student asked.
"Ed is a psychopath." He reminded them. "He doesn't feel empathy the way we do. You can admit that you feel bad for him, yes? If you understand why he killed people, it doesn't make you sick, like him, it makes you human. You see a hurt person hurting others; Ed Kemper sees himself as a new sort of God, choosing who dies, how and when."
"He was brilliant, having the exact IQ as I do," just a humblebrag, "the staff trusted him. He looked like an innocent boy, smart enough to take matters into his own hands for the betterment of his life. They gave him computer privileges, they let him work the front desk and file patient information. Giving him all the resources to learn about who he was inside and how to get away with it perfectly."
"Damn," another kid added. "When did he get out?"
"At 21.” He answered the student quickly. “Ed was interviewed by my mentor Jason Gideon, in the 70s. Where he explained that being locked up during his sexual prime, as well as the access to information, is what truly set him off more than his mother.
"He moved back in with her and his sister when he came out of the institution, immediately returning to the constant ridicule. He went from being told all the time that he was a smart and charming young man, capable of rehabilitation to a useless, no-good son, who would have been better off collecting in a condom or running down her leg."
The whole class laughed, shocked at his repetition of Ed's mother's words.
"He got his licence when he was released. And remember, this was prime time for hitchhiking in California; everyone and their mother walked the roads with a thumb in the air. It was the birth of free love and recreational marijuana usage. It was also the best hunting ground for a learning serial killer."
"He was able to pick women up, but like I said, missing his sexual prime while in an institution made him almost impotent. He didn't know how to speak to women; he had to create a fantasy in his mind every time, one that involved killing, before he could look at a woman."
"How did he get them in his car then?" A voice asked from the back.
"He was 6'9, 300lbs; he looked like a big teddy bear. And his mother was the local college administrative assistant, so the whole town knew him anyway. If Ed offered to give them a ride, it wouldn't be that bad, right?" Peggy turned around to face the class as she explained for Spencer, who just shook his head.
"He only wanted to rape the victims, originally," Spencer added. "But he couldn't. There was no release of the tension. The bubble that had been growing inside him was at its breaking point; he needed to just do it. Get it over with and move on."
"He killed 6 women in succession after that. Gaining the name "The Co-Ed Killer," well before anyone even suspected Ed Kemper," Spencer took a sip of coffee, feeling his throat start to dry as they reached the insane part.
"He was overly friendly with the cops; he wanted to get his record expunged and join the force.” Spencer finally continued. “Being told, "don't worry about your record, worry about your weight.""
"Most killers enjoy wearing a uniform for the power and talking to the police about their cases, in the hopes of gauging how smart they really are—taking pride in the fact that they are getting away with it for so long."
"He watched all the cop shows, and he read all the books. He knew that in order to get away with it, he had to do it where no one could trace it back to him. He knew he had to keep his cool and avoid looking obsessed with the case, but just curious enough to gain insight into how they thought he was doing it. It went on for years, and they had absolutely zero leads, finding headless bodies every few months before they finally received a call." He left them hanging, walking over to his sheet of paper and pretending to read it while they anticipated the catch.
"Ed always knew that he wanted to kill his mother. He just never knew when,” Spencer teased the story along. Noticing as the students fidgeted in their seats as they wondered what happened next.
“In his interview with Gideon, Ed said that he knew she would die 7 days before he killed her. He walked into her room that night to find her reading, with the audacity to ask if he wanted to come in and chat all night. Teasing him for the way he rambled to her. It was the last time she ever did that."
"It's hard to imagine his signature with the fact his second last victim was his mother," Peggy added, cringing at the thought.
"Wait," another student interjected. "Who was his last kill then if he only really wanted to kill her?"
"Remember how I said he lacked empathy?" Spencer asked. "He loved his mother in the same way a prisoner can end up loving their captor."
Peggy nods at the comparison, looking like she's never thought of it that way before, then smiling at him.
"You grow a bond through the trauma and when the only thing you've ever known is violence and hate, you don't know what to do when that's gone, it's hard to cope."
"He said he killed his mother so that she never had to know what he did. She'd never have to sit at his court hearings or be able to tell the media that she always knew he was a killer."
"His last kill was his mother's best friend," He finally answered the question.
"He didn't want his mother to be even more disappointed in him, but he also didn't want his mother's best friend to find her like that and be upset. So the obvious answer to him was to kill her too."
"What the fuck?" He heard a couple of kids say under their breath.
"Yeah," he agreed with an almost chuckle. "This is what I mean by their answers are fascinating. It makes so much sense to them; clearly, if I kill my mother, her friend will be upset, so the best answer would be to put her out of her misery as well. He sees them as objects, like a matching set. One would lose value without the other."
Everyone was silent then. The students took in all the information they had just received, staring up at him with a look of disgust mixed with wonder.
"Any questions?"
Peggy raised her hand for a change; he pointed towards her in approval. "You missed the part where he specifically took the heads from the three women before his mother and brought them back home with him. He buried them in the yard outside her bedroom window, making sure they were always looking up to her."
Spencer was amazed that she knew the details. "Yes, I guess I did."
"I always found that part particularly interesting in this case," Peggy added. "Her opinion mattered so much to him. He knew how much she loved her co-ed's and how they looked up to her so much. They'd be exactly like her. He felt trapped in a town of women who were exactly like his nightmare, and his response was to make them physically look up to her for the rest of her life."
"Exactly." Spencer smiled. "understanding how he sees the situation and how the events played out in his mind is the key in figuring out who he is."
"If you were on the case in '72 when the first victims were discovered, how would you have handled it, Dr. Reid?" A male student in the back asked in the silence between answers, taking his shot before Peggy and Spencer went any further in their discussion.
“That's a hard thing to answer, connecting evidence back then was a lot harder than it is today, if it wasn’t for men like Ed there wouldn’t really be this many answers,” Spencer said honestly.
Another student put her hand up, “what’s the worst thing he did in your opinion?”
That racked his brain, there was a handful of horrific things he did that were particularly horrific, “probably his mother's entire murder.”
“What did he do?”
Before Spencer could answer he saw Peggy open her mouth and start explaining. “He not only cut off her head and fucked her neck, but he also took her vocal cords out and shoved them down the garbage disposal. And before he called the cops, he cleaned everything up and made her look presentable because he said his mother wouldn’t want guests to see the mess.”
The class all cringed, sinking into their seats with disgust. But that didn’t stop Peggy from explaining it all further.
“He used to go to a bar all the cops went to and he would talk about his case. They would always one-up themselves and say they were close which gave him this false idea that they were on his tail and they’d find his mother soon. But when they didn’t, he called it in from a payphone and said he’d come over and explain it all. And boy did he ever, the cops said he wouldn’t shut up. And then when they put him in the cop car finally, a woman walked past him and he threw up.”
Spencer watched her with awe, the way she could call information to memory like that was beautiful. He listened to her like he’s never heard a fact before, she was so intriguing.
“Thank you for the detail,” he teased her lightly. “Sometimes I get so caught up that the really gross parts get swept aside.”
The class smiled at him, he had gained their trust and attention within only 1 hour of class.
“I know you said you don’t have a favourite,” another student asked from the back. “I agree it’s weird, but who is the one you gravitate towards the most?”
“I’ve met hundreds of serial killers, I’ve read about thousands,” he explained. “I think Ed Kemper is the one I gravitate the most around because he was so willing and open to explaining why he is the way he is. Going as far as to say that the only way they could keep women safe is to give him a lobotomy. He didn’t believe there was any correcting to be done, only removal of the evil within him.”
He heard slight mumbles as everyone took in what he said. “Does anyone here have a killer or a case that interested them in learning more, or just introduced you to the chase of justice?”
Peggy put her hand up, “I personally think BTK is the scariest, most tactical, and just downright evil man to ever exist. He scares me to no end but he’s so interesting to learn about.”
“Ahh,” Spencer agreed. “Too bad you won't be here for week 3. But with that I think I’ll end the class, next week we’ll be discussing the difference between Ted Bundy and Richard Speck.” He nodded lightly, watching the majority of them close their books and had on out.
“I really enjoyed the class,” she said softly. Holding her purse in one hand, a collection of files in the other.
Spencer turned to look at her then, smiling right back. “It was a pleasure to teach alongside you.”
“What do you mean?” She teased, “it’s not like my mom and dad were the ones who did all the interviews."
“Carr,” he repeats her last name. The gears turning in his mind as he brings all the information forth.
“Your mother is Wendy Carr, she was recruited after the BTK case with Bill Tench, she’s who was behind that study you mentioned.”
“I know,” she smiled.
“Who’s your father?”
“Guess,” she looked at him with an unimpressed look on her face, pushing her glasses up slightly.
“You’re kidding? Gideon never said he had a daughter let alone a,” he stops himself before he can embarrass himself any further.
She smiled at the implication of his words, “but he’s told me all about you Dr. Reid, that’s why I'm here.”
“You need help with a case and I’m the only agent in Virginia currently,” he pressed his lips together awkwardly. Knowing it was too good to be true that she would have any interest in him in the slightest.
“No actually, I have a case I’ve been working on privately and I need some help. I asked my dad but he said you’d be able to help me the best. I agree,” she corrected him softly. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was a big fan of yours. When I would sit in and watch his lectures, before he knew I was his kid, you would always step in at the best parts, adding the smallest details to the story that the average person would forget. It’s magnificent.”
He laughed slightly, tugging at his collar as she complimented him. “Thank you, you’re quite magnificent as well,” he replied with a blush and a smile
She didn’t look like Gideon, probably because she smiled so much. Like sunshine on legs, she beamed, all but blinding him with her smile as she stared at him, “do you want to get lunch and go over this case with me?”
“I’d love to.”
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fanfic-she-wrote · 3 years
Text
Imagine being the reincarnation of Dracula's long lost love: part 10
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
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Dracula helped you out of the coffin and held you close in his arms, not wanting to ever let you go again.
"Vlad, I was so scared." You told him, pressing your face into his chest.
"Me too." He said, stroking your hair. So he was right after all. You were Maria. You had finally come back to him at last.
You still felt weak and held on to Dracula for support. Not only did you feel weak, but you felt... different. You didn't know what it was, but it was like all your senses were maxed out. It was so overwhelming. There was also this new scent that you discovered. It smelled delicious, but what was it? You wondered looking around trying to find the source.
"What did you mean that you remember everything?" Van Helsing asked, concerned for you.
You faced him, realizing just where that smell was coming from. Your eyes shined bright red, an intense hunger in them...hunger for blood. Normally you would have been repelled by such a thing, but right now you needed it more than ever. Van Helsing watched you nervously as you inched toward him.
"Y/N?" He said nervously backing away, but you did not answer. All you could think about was his blood, the taste of it on your lips. Dracula noticing your odd behavior, grabbed you by your shoulders and held you back. Why? He did not know. He had wanted to kill Van Helsing himself earlier. Perhaps he was trying to prevent you from doing something you would regret.
You squirmed, trying to wriggle free, but Dracula held you firmly in place. "Let me go!" You hissed at him, revealing for the first time your fresh new set of fangs. Van Helsing stared at you wide eyed. What had he done? You were no longer the sweet, brave, and kind Y/N, you were now a monster. He should never have let Dracula turn you. But then you would be dead...looking at you now, maybe it would have been better that way. He just lost it in a moment of grief.
"Calm down, darling." Dracula spoke in a soft voice, trying to soothe you. "You will feed soon, I promise."
Van Helsing glanced up at him. "What do you mean?" 
"She is in a very crucial time right now. She needs to feed." Dracula urgently explained to him.
"So what will you do, go kill another innocent person?" He asked, raising his voice.
"We have no choice."
Van Helsing sighed. "Then she can have some of mine."
"That is not necessary, Doctor Van Helsing." He refused.
"Yes it is. I won't have you or her killing anyone else. I'll run into town and get my supplies. I'll be back soon." He said, buttoning up his coat, turning to leave.
"Henry, take the coach if it's still there and take him home." Dracula ordered. Henry nodded and promptly followed Van Helsing out.
A few minutes later the tapping of horseshoes against the ground could be heard as they disappeared into the night leaving you and Dracula alone. You closed your eyes and let out a long sigh, then looked up at him.
"Is that what it's like for you all the time?" You asked, now realizing how difficult life was for him. How tempting it was to feed on human blood. Even now with no mortals around, you desired it. Dracula simply nodded. "It's horrible...I can't believe I wanted to...to..." You winced at the thought of hurting, maybe even killing Lawrence. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder and held you close.
"Come, let's wait for them upstairs." Dracula said, guiding you from the dungeons and up the stairs. When you reached the entry hall your mouth fell open in shock. This was the first time you had seen the castle in ruins. You felt a very intense anger. How dare the townspeople do this to your home, to Dracula's home!
"What do we do Vlad?" You ask, looking around. He squeezed your shoulder and replied, "We'll find some place else. Anywhere is home as long as I have you."
As you waited for Van Helsing to return, your mind wandered. You thought about how strange fate was. In your previous life you were married to Dracula and Van Helsing was his power hungry step-brother who killed you. In this life you were Van Helsing's friend who ultimately reunited you with your lover.
"What's wrong?" Dracula asked, noticing how quiet you had become.
"I was just thinking. What happened after...after I died all those years ago?" You asked. Dracula knew this question was inevitable now.
"Well, Van Helsing fled and joined the Turks. Soon after, we went to war and I was killed during one of the battles. As I lay there dying from my wounds, the devil appeared to me. I sold my soul and in return I would have my revenge on the Van Helsings." He told you.
"That's when you became one of the living dead?" You asked. He nodded. "But Lawrence doesn't know about any of that. He told me he wanted to get rid of you because he thought you were a threat to humanity."
"He's right. I am." He admitted. "I didn't care how many lives I took. How much blood I spilled. None of them mattered as long as I didn't have you. I was just as ruthless in life as I am in death."
"And now?"
He paused for a moment, thinking. "I don't know..."
Suddenly, from out of the wreckage you heard some rustling followed by a series of painful moans. Dracula pushed you behind him ready to attack whatever it was. From beneath the debris, a man crawled out. He was covered in dirt and blood, the smell instantly flooded your nostrils. "H-help me..." The man pleaded as he slowly pulled himself across the floor. Dracula looked over at you and saw the hunger return in your eyes and how you licked your lips, desperate for just a little taste. He didn't want to admit how turned on he was by this. He smiled and stepped aside, letting you pass. He wasn't about to let you miss out on your first meal.
Your eyes were fixed on the man before you, like a predator staring down it's prey, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
"I'll help you." You lied, your voice sounding menacing.
"Oh, thank you I-" He peered up at you and saw what you had become and let out a blood curdling scream. "Nonnnoo! Please!" He cried, cowering away, but you didn't hear him. You were focused on one thing. You grabbed him by his collar and lifted him off the ground making him eye-level with you. You hesitated for a moment. You knew you shouldnt. That this was bad, but he did try to kill you and your love after all. He deserved it. Your mouth was practically watering as the sound of his pulse pounded against your eardrums. Dracula stood behind you and whispered in your ear, "Do it." Before the man could utter another plea for mercy, you sunk your fangs deep into his neck. His blood dripped down your lips and chin as you sucked every last drop from his body. Dracula wanted you now more than ever. You moaned and threw your head back enjoying the taste of blood as it ran down your throat. Once you were finished, you tossed the corpse back into the rubble he crawled out of.
"How do you feel now?" Dracula asked, eyeing you lustfully. You grinned at him. "Much better, darling." You answered in a husky voice, running your finger under his chin. Unable to resist you a moment longer, he twirled you around and pressed you flush against him. Leaning down he licked some of the blood from your lips, then he roughly pressed his mouth on yours. He could still taste the blood as he slipped his tongue inside. It drove him mad. You couldn't help but let out a moan when he suddenly nipped your bottom lip as he pulled away. You both stared longingly into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity.
You went to kiss him again, but were interupted when Henry and Van Helsing returned.
"Y/N! What have you done?!" He exclaimed noticing the fresh blood around your lips, running towards you. He looked down at the man's lifeless body, a horrified expression on his face. "You killed him..."
"What of it?" Dracula sneered.
"Don't you understand? She killed an innocent man!" He yelled.
"He wasn't so innocent when he tried to kill us." You quickly pointed out.
"Y/N, why? I thought you were better than this." 
"I guess I'm not who you thought I was." You said coldly. Van Helsing felt his heart break again at how much you changed. He wanted to take you far away from here, far away from Dracula. To try to find a way to get his Y/N back. He'd rather you be dead than live out eternity like this...Van Helsing sighed. He had no other choice. He had to kill you and Dracula before it was too late.
"I guess not." He agreed. "There's nothing more I can do if this is the life you've chosen. I'm leaving for London tomorrow." Dracula eyed him suspiciously. Was he really willing to just leave you alone? To just ignore the fact that you might kill again. Did he really care for you that much?
"Will I ever see you again?" You asked, still wishing to remain friends. Even though his ancestor had murdered you in your past life you didn't hold it against Lawrence. He was different.
"No, I don't think so." He replied, looking away.
"I'm sorry to hear that." You said sadly, but you understood.
"I am as well." Van Helsing said. You pulled away from Dracula and went over to your friend, pulling him into a hug. Why did you have to do that? He thought. It only made things more difficult for him. He knew the real you was still in there somewhere, but the vampire took her place leaving a shell of what you once were. You placed a quick peck on his cheek and backed away.
"Goodbye, Y/N." He said, knowing that this was the last time he was going to see you alive, knowing that when the sun came up it was up to him to end your damned existence. He turned and left without another word.
Dracula felt your distress and wrapped you in his arms in a comforting embrace. It was getting close to dawn now. He needed to find you a coffin before daylight broke. So, after he knew you were alright he left with Henry to the local cemetery to find you a coffin.
You wandered the castle ruins thinking about Lawrence. He had been your only friend in the world till now. No one else had stopped to give you a second thought, but he did. He was there for you when no one else was. At one point before you came to Transylvania, you thought you loved him, but he was too involved in his work. His work was his ultimate passion, and you knew you couldn't compete, so you never did. You sometimes wondered what it would be like if you had chosen a life with Van Helsing. Would you be a silly little domestic couple with a house and kids? It was an amusing thought, but neither of you were the type.
Finally, Dracula and Henry returned a little while later carrying a coffin. It wasnt anything fancy, but it would do. Perhaps later, you could get a better one. Sunlight started peeking in through the windows as they hurriedly carried it into the dungeons, placing your coffin beside Dracula's.
"Too bad they don't make couple's coffins." You joked.
"Maybe we could have one made." He teased, kissing your neck where he had bitten you, making you shudder. "I love you." You said softly running your fingers through his hair.
"I love you too." It was so pleasant to hear him utter those words. You wanted to hear him say it again and again.
"Sleep well, darling." You said with a yawn, as you lay down suddenly feeling tired. You took one last look at him before shutting the lid. This wasn't an ideal lifestyle, but you loved him and that's all that mattered.
The sun rose into the sky and the birds began to sing their morning song. It would have been a beautiful day if it not had been for the task that Van Helsing had set out to do. He crept back inside the castle, bag in hand, being careful not wanting to draw attention to himself. He stood in the doorway to the dungeons, contemplating his next move. His chest was heavy as the thought about driving a stake into your heart. But he had to do it. He slowly opened the door and walked inside, and down the flight of stairs to the room where Dracula's coffin had been earlier. Now he noticed, that there were two coffins lying side by side, one belonging to you.
He reached inside his bag and pulled out a hammer and a couple of stakes. Van Helsing strode over to your coffin and pulled open the lid. Inside, you lay looking peaceful and content, a small smile on your face. If only it didn't have to be this way...
He pressed the stake between your breasts and raised the hammer high into the air, ready to strike. But he couldn't. The longer he stared down into your beautiful face, the harder it became to do it. He closed his eyes. Maybe if he didn't look at you...But he just couldnt. Why was this so difficult?
Suddenly, a voice shouted out behind him startling him. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Henry shouted, running at him, tackling him to the ground.
"Stop!" Lawrence yelled, shoving Henry off of him. Not listening, Henry raised his fist and slammed it into the side of Van Helsing's face, quickly tearing the stake and hammer out of his grasp.
He shook his head, feeling dazed for a moment.
"How could you do that?! I thought you wanted her alive?!" Henry asked throwing away his weapons across the room.
"I did, but after seeing what she has become I couldnt let her live like that...but I can't do it. I can't release her from this curse....It's all my fault." Van Helsing sobbed, his head throbbing. This is why he never let anyone get close to him in the first place. He had only himself to blame for this. There had to be another way and he was going to find it by any means necessary.
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meenah-chan · 3 years
Text
Solace
A Belphegor x GN! MC fanfic
3.14k words
Genre: Angst
Trigger warning: mention of death. Read at your own discretion.
Requested by: @belphiesimpalways thank you for patiently waiting for this. Supposedly, this is for your birthday but still, belated Happy Birthday to you!! This became a little bit too long, and I actually changed the whole thing twice 😅😅 I changed the title too to prevent confusion, hope you don't mind.
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He lost it the day he lost his beloved sister. A place to call his home. Yet he met them. The one who brings light to his dark days. But what shall he do, when this solace was never been his?
“How I wished I didn’t met you at all.”
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
He can hear the harrowing sound of the clock, ringing inside the closed space. As if it were imitating his increasing pulse. Belphegor couldn’t open his eyes. He won’t though, even if he can. He fears he’ll see it again. The agonizing sight of that cursed attic, where he is trapped, cold and lonely. Each click, each clack drives him on a brink of madness.
Somebody please make it stop..! Curled up in his bed, writhing in anguish, Belphegor tried to block the sound with his trembling hands.
Let me out… I hate this place...
“It is for your own good.” Lucifer’s voice reverberates throughout the whole room. His guide light and the hero of his stories… once upon a time, that is.
For my own good? This place was a nightmare! He was imprisoned! He was trapped inside his head, with nothing but bleak thoughts!
He felt cold, with no one to hold onto. With no Beelzebub or Lilith, ready to embrace him when he’s afraid…
Ahhh…
Right…
Even if he managed to escape that place, there’ll be no more Lilith to hold him. To comfort him. To make him laugh of joy and happiness. No more… Lilith is no more…
“...Belphegor?” he snapped his eyes open and suck in a deep breath, as if the voice pulled him out of the deepest pit of the abyss. His heart was beating fast, bathed in his own sweat.
It was just another dream. He was not trapped in the attic any more. He was freed, by the person with him right now, sitting beside his bed, a few weeks ago. “Are you alright? You’re sweating buckets and squirming in your sleep.”
“I’m fine. It was just pretty hot in here.”
They stared at him for a moment before replying. “...If you say so… Wait, let me get you some water and a change of clothes.” unconsciously he raised his hand, fingers tugging on the hen of their shirt which stopped them from their tracks.
“Don’t need one… Just stay here and be my pillow.” Still, feeling a bit anxious of being alone, he didn't let go.
“That won’t do. You’re so drenched. If you don't change clothes and rehydrate, you might get sick. I'll be back in a jiffy.” Yet as they swiftly pried his hand off their clothes, he couldn't do anything but to watch them stride out of the room.
He sighed, recollecting the series of events from the time he met them. “...What a weird person...” He muttered under his breath.
A few weeks ago… Just a few weeks ago, they succeeded in freeing him... Just a few weeks ago, they died by his hands... Yet, they kept on approaching him like nothing had happened.
But oddly enough, he also couldn't get them off his mind; to want them by his side. The only time he could find his peace of mind is when he's with them.
I guess I'm weird too...
Silently, he observed them. The way they speak and walk. The way they would scold him when he chose to nap over catching up his missed lessons. The way they tap and hum unconsciously, while studying with him to encourage him to do so. Those awkward laughs they made as they tried to mend the rift between him and his brothers. The sighs left their lips as his brothers fought over who would have them. The slow and silent steps they make to slip away. The way they wink and place a finger over their lips and pull him with them.
Especially the way their eyes disappear when they're smiling. He can never describe how soothing it was, that smile.
...until he suddenly felt it wasn't.
The way they make the very same smile to Lucifer, Belphegor couldn't help but feel a little bit too irritated. Yes, it was Lucifer. He’s naturally annoyed by him, after what he's done. But this is a little bit different from his usual displeasure.
The youngest just wanted to pry the human off him and drag them away. He knew he couldn't suppress the burning sensation rising from the pit of his stomach. He also knew he'll regret what he wanted to do. He'd look possessive. Delusional. He may even hurt them in the process. So, he chose to escape the scene instead, into the attic which was once his prison.
“Belphegor! I got... and you're asleep.” the demon dares not open his eyes as he hears them make their way to him. “You didn't even remove your uniform...or your shoes. I'm really amazed how you can fall asleep in a matter of seconds.” They carefully remove the shoes and socks from his soles.
Oh no... That's not a good thing. For every touch of their skin sends tingles throughout his entire body. Each cell screaming in a way he never felt before. The bed shook as they crawled in, reaching for the buttons of his vest. He was at his wit's end, completely conscious of the human's presence.
Before they could ever reach for the last row of buttons, his hand stopped them before he lose it.
“What do you think you're doing?”
“Y-You're awake?!” Before they could ever pull back, he tugged them in his chest, flustering the human even more.
“H-Hey, let go. Your uniform will get wrinkled.” They tried squirming out to no avail. The demon is just too strong to make him budge.
“Don't want to.” To hide his warm and probably beet red face, he clasped their nape and keep their face over his shoulder.
“I still haven't changed out of mine.”
“Hmm, goodnight...”
“Hey...” after a few more stirring in vain, they just sighed and let the youngest have it his way.
This is bad. Thought Belphegor. The annoyance he felt a while ago dissipates as fast as it builds up inside of him. Still, his heartbeats and head were in utter chaos, the time he held them so close. He said he’s returning to slumber, yet his heart showed no signs of ever slowing down. He bet they could hear it, but he have no more energy to even mind it. After all, amidst the chaos in him, could also feel he won’t be getting any nightmares right now.
“Say Belphegor. Do you have a fever? You’re hot and your heart’s beating a bit too fast.”
“Just tired from the extra work a while ago. I just need some rest.”
“If you say so...”
He could no longer deny this feeling inside him.
He… fell in love with a human. He found it, the peace to his raging storm. The salve to his wounds. But they can never be his solace.
He lost it the day he lost his beloved sister. He lost his home. His freedom. He doesn’t have anything but his disgusting self, who could only obsess over keenly observing each and every move they make. Like a stalker. Like a creep. Like a predator eyeing its prey.
But they were never been his. And the day they learnt of his habit is the day they will be disgusted by him.
“Lucifer!” and the fact that they were attached to his eldest brother— the one who robbed him of his freedom once— didn’t help.
They would link arms around his. Heck, even snuggled to it as they do so, with that widest smile upon their face. The small giggles they give off as the abomination in the form of his brother praised them while petting them. Oh, how he wanted to just cut off that hand straying onto them! How dare he touch–
…them that might have already belonged to him, long before he could enter the picture…?
No. There's just no way that heartless brother of his to fall for a mere human. That brother who bowed down to a demon the day his sister died. And the human who taught him how to love again, to fall for Lucifer. That’s just… impossible… It’s just too cruel…
But I love them too! I can love them more than that fiend who chose a demon over his family!
“No, you’re much crueler…” He could hear the whispers at the back of his mind. “Have you forgotten what you did? You killed them. Do you think you have any rights to even lay a finger on them? You spiteful, wretched, monster…”
…Right… He has no rights to have them… He lost it before he could realize the weight of his actions… It was the painful truth. A punishment for a sinner like him. He could regret it until his last breath but he could never be forgiven.
He doesn't deserve to have a place in their heart. Never. Never…
The door to the twins’ room creaked open and he knew exactly whose footsteps it was without the need to look. “Belphegor, Lucifer gave me some sushi. You like this, right? Let’s eat it while it’s fresh.”
Lucifer again, huh...
“It’s yours. Eat it yourself.” There’s no more point in fighting a lost battle.
Let it grow, “Ehh? But you like—”
“Let’s stop this.” … or let it go.
“…Huh? Stop what?”
He also fears what he might do in the future due to this rotten affection of his. “Just as I thought, I couldn’t stand humans. You’re so naïve and trusting. I’m already fed up with dealing with your antics.”
“Wait, I don’t understand…” They asked, confusion and unease were all over their face.
“You don’t? Then let me explain in a way you’ll understand in that small, gullible brain of yours.” He took a deep breath. He needs to keep his cool or he will definitely break in front of them, “Everything is all an act. You thought I like being with you? Think again, fool. Having a human around me fills me with nothing but wrath and anger! Who do you cause my nightmares!? Your race disgusts me to death! Just looking at you makes me want to puke!”
“B-Belphegor… please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Kidding? Do I look like I’m joking?” he scoffed, holding back the pain clawing in his chest. “Be thankful for my brothers. If not because of them, you won’t be alive the second time, nor your ignorant race are.
“I won’t touch a hide of you or any human. So please, stop bothering me anymore.” being unable to stifle the emotions on the verge of bursting, he turned his back on the devastated human.
This is for the best. He’s back in his cage. Staring at the lacework of the long-lived spiders on the ceiling. He already witnessed its threads wear and replace countless of times. That might not even be the same spider he saw on his first night there. He could care less. After all, the only time he was truly curious of a being is when he met them.
How he wished the thread of his feelings were as flimsy as the spider’s. That way it’ll fall off over time. It can simply be cut off when it comes on his way.
“How I wished I didn’t meet you at all.” He knows it well. He is a big liar. In some way or another, just like the firstborn. But they deserve him more than his wretched self.
Lucifer, he was the morning star. The fact that both heaven and hell were captivated by his beauty and excellence. But Belphegor… he was nothing but a bleak abyss. He once dreamt of his brother’s greatness. Yet he couldn't be anything. He, miserable and empty, who only had nothing but guilt, regrets and a broken heart— as he watched them weep.
It’s been weeks since then. They never approached him like he said. Neither in the dining table nor classroom do they discern his presence. It was painful, but he can take it. The only unbearable one he felt is catching them cry— in Lucifer’s arms.
How long are they going to cry? Is it still because of him? No… This is for the best...
This is his atonement. His fate. He still couldn’t have anything, yet he already lost everything. His—
Lucifer… He is staring at him straight in the eye. I should leave.
But Belphegor couldn’t leave. Not after the eldest gave him that sly smirk. What does that mea…
Lucifer didn’t give him time to think. “Wha, Lucifer…?” Sound of confusion left their mouth as Lucifer grabbed their chin firmly between his index and thumb, with the menacing look on his face. “What are you—!”
And the gap between their faces disappeared. “Hmph!” The sight of the futile struggle of his beloved in the hands of the man he entrusted them to… made the youngest snap.
“LUCIFER!!!” His horns and tail materializing, he lunged towards him. His clenched fist flying in the air, aiming for his jaw. Yet, as if expecting it, Lucifer evade him, loosening his grip on the stunned human in the process. Belphegor saw this as a chance to pry them away from his brother’s hands, before jumping a few meters away from him.
“When are you going to learn to clean after your own mess, Belphegor?” As if the devious smirk were never been present on his face, Lucifer looked at them with his usual expression.
“What the hell?! You’re the one who assaulted them!!” He snarled like a wild animal, holding his treasure protectively from the threat.
“I didn’t do anything. Ask them yourself.”
“Ask? Do you think I’m blind?!” His stance became stiffer, fangs sheathed and glaring sharply at his brother, who is unfazed.
A light tug on his collar made his eyes soften, and caused him to realize his tight grip on them in which he loosen. “Are you hurt?”
“N-No… Lucifer’s saying the truth… He didn’t kiss me. I was just a bit confused he pressed his thumb over my lips.”
“.... What? Okay, but still—!”
“Do you think I’m a fool, Belphegor?” Lucifer cut him off, “I know what you’re planning. I'm already your brother for thousands of years.”
“...”
“Do you now understand the consequence of your foolish action? You left someone important to you in the care of others. But you didn’t think that sort of thing might actually happen?”
“But it’s you who they love!”
Lucifer’s frown deepens, “Even if it were some lesser demon they’re in love with, I bet you'll leave them in their care.”
“I...” He… Lucifer’s right… No one's more dangerous for them than himself.
Belphegor's horns and tail disappeared as he calms down, processing what his brother is saying.
“Everyone’s dangerous in Devildom, you fool. If you really are sorry for what you did, protect them instead.”
“Protect? But… But I...” Ignoring him, the eldest glanced at the person between the youngest’s arms.
“Do you already get what I’m saying Y/N?” They nod. “Not only are you both foolish and stubborn, but also blind. Now fix this yourselves. I’m done with your drama.” pinching the bridge of his nose, Lucifer left them in that awkward position without another word.
“...I’m really sorry. I was afraid to hurt you more than I already did.” After a moment of silence, Belphegor decided to break it first.
“You already did, you idiot.” Wiping the stray tears on their puffy eyes, Belphegor gave them a sad smile. “I guess I did.”
“But I still don’t think this is alright. Shouldn’t you be a bit more wary around me? I mean you already… died in my hands once.”
“You brat. Do you think I’d cry like that if I we’re okay with not being with you? I've never held a grudge against you in the first place.” They pout.
“Why? How can you forgive me that easily?” The demon frowns at them.
“Well, wouldn't life be more wonderful if we know how to forgive and forget?”
Frustrations were evident in his eyes, Belphegor's frown deepens. “That's not right… I killed you mercile—”
“Then shouldn't I be asking you? Why can't you forgive yourself?” He didn’t answer. Mistakes have already piled up as is.
Forgive himself? Why? Does he hate himself?
...Yes... I probably do... He loathed himself. terribly so... But they, who tasted the his abhorrence. He couldn't understand how they didn't.
“You want you to find happiness.” They cupped his disgruntled face in their palms, foreheads touching as they gave him comfort.
“I can’t.” with glassy eyes, he held a hand on his cheeks, “Not when you are my happiness. Not when you liked my brother.”
“You really are blind. And here I thought I was just assuming things.” their giggles were like music to his ears. Their orbs were like the placid sky set upon him. “You really are blind. And here I thought I was just assuming things.”
“I love you, idiot.” And their words, with no hint of doubt or hesitation, hit him like a surge. It made his feelings overflow, coursing throughout his entire body, and finally spilling on every corner of his eyes. It made him unable to speak. “I’m not even hoping for you to feel the same. I just wished to stay by your side… and for you to cherish yourself like how I’ve been to you.”
Belphegor felt so happy beyond words. Such indescribable feelings swirling inside him, one that he can’t put into words. With so much running inside his head, the only line he could form is… “Thank you.”
Weeping, but from so much joy this time, they huddled in each other's grasp, not caring of their setting, until their hearts finally felt whole again.
And after such a blissful moment, “...that’s it? No I love you too?” They spoke.
“What are you saying? I already said I love you.”
“No you didn’t. Saying I’m your happiness and confessing are separate things.” they frown at him, expecting.
“It’s the same.” Yet knowing how stubborn the demon is, the human raised their white flag, although disappointed.
“Okay, alright…” They sighed, wiping his eyes with a tear-stained handkerchief. “Why am I the one comforting you anyways? I’m the one crying because of you.”
Belphegor smiled mischievously, like he didn’t cry a while ago. “Because I’m the youngest.”
“Ugh, why did I fall for a spoiled brat?” Another sigh left them as they pulled him up, “Let's go, I’m sleepy.”
Yet as soon as he rose on his feet, he placed his arms on the back of their knees and shoulder blades to carry them, gaining a small yelp from them.
“Hey...” no protest managed to leave their lips as he sealed it with a chaste kiss. Probably not their first but it was the sweetest one. It only last a few seconds, but Belphegor knew fully well. This memory will last forever.
“I love you more, my solace.”
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boop-le-snoot · 3 years
Text
PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 35
💖first time reader click here💖
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Reader and Eddie going on their mission. They're all morons, okay? Some canon-typical violence, bad guys being bad guys. You guys can see that I treat the fighting plot points as total crack, right?
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Eddie Brock was pissed, at the Avengers mostly - for not telling him of my accident - but also at me, for the fact that I didn't call him sooner. Venom had taken over at some point, eager to participate in my plan - and it I was being honest, my uncle's space boo was the one I had relied on to participate in the mayhem that was to be caused to finally let my family breathe in peace.
The Avengers wore various expressions of guilt when an angry Eddie stormed the tower, berating them for not getting into contact with him when I was in danger. Venom growled at them, too, just the right amount of teeth and drool for Tony to quickly usher me out to 'take a walk, have some fun, build a snowman' with uncle Eddie and Venom. It was almost too easy, too predictable. The guilt that reared it's ugly head was stomped down by me and two glasses of whiskey in Eddie's rented Airbnb as I went into the fine details of my plan.
Both I and Eddie were equally surprised when Venom dropped their sarcastic, angsty teenager attitude and approached the topic with maturity, giving valuable input. The goth space goo was much, much smarter than their first impressions showed. I belatedly remembered their remark about being an apex predator species... Scary.
The plan was pretty simple.
Eddie was a professional investigative reporter and an unregistered mutant, his files being hidden so deeply due to the alien nature of the symbiote that it was unlikely that underground gangs would have any idea as to who he truly was. His involvement with SHIELD was buried under so much red tape, even Coulson himself had very little idea about Eddie's body-mate.
My uncle would sniff around the mutant underworld, just enough to catch a whiff of the mercenary's whereabouts. It should be enough if he was as famous as Natasha claimed him to be. And if it wasn't enough... I'd be bait. I doubt that the merc knew the box has been retrieved and secured; every now and then, I still caught chatter about the SHIELD agents trailing me catching a person sent to monitor me. They weren't even trying to hide that hard.
I had my suspicions SHIELD was indirectly using me as bait, too, and both Eddie and Venom were inclined to agree with the notion. Over beers and ridiculous amount of chocolate cake, a third side of the operation Baby Thief had been formed. SHIELD played their own game, the Avengers and SI threw a ridiculous amount of resources on their own and then there was me and Eddie, two halves of a whole idiot.
For once, the plan didn't go south immediately off the bat. Eddie and Venom got the information - there was a lot of uproar in the mutant community, rumours about an artifact that would let them assume their rightful place in the world, pushing the pesky humans off their pedestal. I definitely supported mutant rights - but the common notion that violence was necessary to achieve the recognition of said rights didn't sit well with me at all. Eddie agreed with me, his own curiousity pushing him to dig deeper into the situation.
My uncle could be a brilliant investigative reporter with the proper motivation and his significant other at the side. I could never tire of Venom's stories: each and every time they saved Eddie from making a clown out of himself was remembered, documented and brought up at the quickest available opportunity. I haven't laughed so hard in months.
The positives of our plan? We got a hot trail and enough information to know about the mercenary's whereabouts. We possessed the manpower needed to off him in record time, Venom eagerly offering his digestive system for our convenience.
The negatives? We'd need to bring me. Apparently there was a hefty bounty on my pretty little head and the merc himself had given up trying to chase me, hiring a bunch of muscle to do the legwork for him instead. The mercenary, a man who went by the nickname Cadre, was an ex-shield agent, who knew enough to successfully avoid the organisation following hot on his heels.
And neither SHIELD, nor Tony nor Eddie knew who had ordered the retrieval of the artifact. The mysterious person had deep pockets: all of the men were supplied with high grade weaponry and the mutants participating in the missions had equipment specifically tailored to their powers.
Perhaps, I wasn't as clever as I wanted myself to be. There was something big and ugly brewing and the bounty on my head was just the tip of the iceberg. But what was done, was done, and Venom was looking forward to a hefty meal and we set the date of Eddie "kidnapping" me in a few days time.
I hoped I'd make it home for Christmas.
The biggest surprise was that nobody suspected anything. Not even Natasha's watchful eye and inherent knowledge of shit about to be stirred - somehow, Nat always just knew those things - had revealed itself and that's how I knew it was absolutely necessary for me to be successful. There was no room for failure. In the day before my planned trip to Cadre's lair, I forced the team into a movie night and took extra time with everybody, seeing as even the most cheerful people - Thor and Wanda - walked around with sullen faces for most of the time. Perhaps, deep down, I knew that chances of my plan going awry were pretty damn high.
It felt like I was leaving for war. And perhaps, I was. The nervous, anxious energy increased as the hour X drew closer and I couldn't hide it anymore. My insomnia wore Tony's face: I could see his disappointment as clear as day, but I figured he'd forgive me for the betrayal eventually. Every single thing I hid from my newfound family made me feel a traitor. Unfortunately, there was simply no other option.
That afternoon, Eddie picked me up from the tower and drove me to one of the hideouts that belonged to Cabre. He'd tied my hands together and blindfolded me, all for show of course, whilst Venom briefly connected with my body to induce a drowsy state of mind. I didn't actually mind to be drugged and was way more wary of the symbiote's effects on my body but the space pudding extended his tentacles so quickly, I barely had the time to even swear at them.
To my (and their) surprise, it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. In my hazy state, I briefly head Venom growl that I could be a decent short-term host if something would to happen with Eddie; I did not know how that information made me feel but did not disregard it completely. I was out of my depth on this one yet marched on towards the danger with grim determination.
"Here's the girl," Eddie's voice penetrated through the curtain of chemicals that Venom had dosed me with; I was tossed none too gently on what felt like a mattress, the landing haphazard but not painful. Venom must've dulled my pain receptors, too. "Where's our money?"
I was unceremoniously groped, my face examined by a man with ice-cold hands. Whatever he found, he deemed it satisfactory. "I'm impressed," He whistled. "We've been trying to get her for months. Care to share how you achieved this?" The strange man sounded suspicious.
"WE HAVE OUR OWN TRICKS," Venom's deep voice filled out the room like thick smoke and I just knew that the man who had been groping me was twitching in discomfort. "SO?"
"Alright, alright," The man mumbled, voice unsteady. My drowsiness slowly began to recede and I finally could focus my eyes somewhat; Eddie was partially obscured by the writhing, onyx mass of his symbiote and the man was dialing up the phone, speaking in a rapid-fire dialect I did not know. "Cabre will be here in an hour. Care for a beer?" Just like that, the man was obviously attempting to placate Eddie.
"HOT CHOCOLATE," Venom announced flatly and I had to struggle to hold back my laughter at the image of a seven feet tall tentacle monster sipping hot cocoa from a tiny porcelain cup. My nerves had me feeling ten types of way, as usual, and props to Ven making me unable to speak. I would have already killed myself by running my mouth ten times over.
The hour passed by with me floating in my mindsphere, Eddie loudly playing Candy Crush on his phone and Venom consuming ridiculous amounts of hot chocolate. It was absurd and the eerie calm was beginning to make me suspicious; I had expected... More. Threatening thugs with guns, experiments, blood tests and physical violence. Instead, the man who met with Eddie was sitting with a vacant, bored expression as he practiced card tricks in the corner furthest away from Venom.
Finally, a knock on the door forced all of us to pay attention to the newcomer. It was a tall, massively built man in his early forties. His face was covered in scars, narrow red lines that looked like small cuts; one of his eyes was completely black while the other was blue. He looked like the man at the coffee shop but at the same time, nothing like him at all.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," His voice was low and quiet. If not for the heavyweight weapon hanging over his shoulder, I would have considered him to be one of those men who only look threatening but actually are gentle giants. With steps too quiet for a man his size, he approached me, crouching down to look me in the face. "Hello, child. I've been looking for you for a long time. It's a shame we had to meet this way," He removed the strands of hair sticking to my face. For all purposes, his touch could have been considered fatherly. "Richard, bring the money." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the man who was babysitting me and Eddie and he promptly disappeared behind the steel door.
"Hello," Eddie briefly shook his hands with Cabre after the merc left me alone. I noted Venom had disappeared into the reporter's body completely. "We are Venom," Eddie introduced himself (they introduced themselves?).
"Cabre," The Merc watched my honorary uncle with a sharp eye, taking note of Eddie's lack of weapons, his worn clothes and the shaggy hair, the bags under his eyes. "Tell me, Venom, what do you know of this child?"
"Not much," Eddie shrugged, convincingly. "Just that the Avengers picked her up for some reason and locked her up in Stark's tower. We're guessing she didn't like it much 'cuz she kept sneaking out and trying to shake off the tail. Had to go through quite a few SHIELD agents to get to her," Just like we agreed, Eddie spoke with slight disdain towards Tony and SHIELD, making sure to let Cabre believe he was on the mutants' side. "We just need the money, man. Not many people will hire us," To top it up, Eddie spread his arms, showing his skin ripple and move on it's own prominently under his ratty t-shirt. Atta boy!
Cabre appeared to have bought the lie, chuffing sympathetically, before pulling out a tablet and typing on it. "Well, not for long. My superiors have found an artifact that, if unlocked properly, will render most of the technology suppressing mutant powers useless. They won't be able to get rid of us that easily anymore."
Eddie nodded eagerly, for all purposes appearing to be ecstatic about the news. "Yeah, heard some rumors here and there. Well, you and your superiors know where to find me. I could always go with some extra cash," He scratched his head, carefully watching Cabre's fingers dance on the keyboard. "What's the kid got to do with it anyway? Seems like an ordinary spoiled brat to me," Eddie threw me a look, blinking twice. The fatigue and wariness, courtesy of Venom, had begun to recede quite some time ago; with Eddie's signal, I knew the shitshow was about to start very soon.
Eddie was smart, however, finding out the bits of information SHIELD hadn't bothered to disclose to me. The residue that the cursed box had left in me was removed, so I could not understand why SHIELD was still guarding me. There had to have been another reason, a reason that neither of us knew for sure.
Cabre paused his typing. "We've been watching her for years. She's a genius. We were hoping she could help us solve a few problems..." The merc paused to rub the bridge of his nose. "We tried to get her to come willingly but her parents forbade her from it. My superiors suggested to use the artifact but something malfunctioned." For all purposes, Cabre was looking apologetic. "I am not overly fond of kidnapping children but some things just need to be done." With that, the man turned around, landing his eyes on me. "Glad to see you're up and about." Something about his smile was unnatural, forced, malicious.
"Charmed to meet you," I sat up, dazed and confused about the turn of events. The things he was saying, they didn't add up. I hadn't received any requests for my participation in ANY kind of project, illlegal or not. No scholarships, no internship offers. Something was very, very wrong.
As soon as Cabre's back was turned, Venom enveloped Eddie, turning themselves into the seven feet tall outer space monstrosity I had seen on the first day. Their combined form was terrifying - but Cabre's fingers merely twitched at the rapid change of the situation as he took slow steps towards me. "Hmm," His voice still quiet, he once again crouched in front of me. "You fought us off once but we are many. There is nowhere to run, child," Cabre's eyes began to darken, his speech turning flat.
I recognized the speech pattern, recalled the expressionless, vacant face that stared at me. Cabre was infected with the Legion from the cursed box; I hadn't prepared for that, hadn't even regarded that, thinking the little epic speech the demon had given me was a mere intimidation tactic. Fear bloomed within me, opening it's jaws like a hungry Venus flytrap but I refused to succumb to it, clenching my fists against the waves of paralyzing terror.
Venom made a confused growling noise behind me, extending a tentacle to push Cabre away; with a sickeningly wet splat, their whole form collided with the opposite wall, sliding down it like a puddle of misshapen goop. "MORSEL, GET OUT." The symbiote growled, reforming itself back.
"Silence, beast!" Cabre shrieked, unstrapping his weapon and aiming it at Venom. No bullets came out as he pressed the trigger but my ear started ringing, eyes watering as the whole form of the symbiote began to morph and ripple. Pained groans and whines came from them. A sonic gun?
"Screw you, man," I attempted to draw Cabre's attention to myself by kicking out a leg towards the gun, disrupting his arm briefly. Things were going to shit faster than a party full of teenagers and alcohol. "Fuck you, listen, FUCK YOU!" I knew antagonizing people was my best skill and that's what I did, figuring the time needed for Venom to reassemble themself could be acquired if Cabre was pissed off enough at me.
The backhand hurt, not going to lie. I saw stars from that one sloppy hit the possessed merc delivered to my face. The adrenaline rush allowed me to stay somewhat coherent and just like that time when I was trapped in my nightmares, I dove for Cabre, winding myself around him as both of us landed on the floor in a heap of limbs.
Despite my best hopes, Venom remained a puddle of black on the floor. I saw something shiny attach itself to Eddie's chest; apparently that something prevented them from combining into one again. My smaller size proved to be a great advantage; I remembered Venom's words about being a suitable short-term host and with a shriek, I placed my palm into the nearest piece of symbiote I could reach, my vision being obscured by blackness a second later.
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ellaintrigue · 3 years
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Last night I found out that one of dad's childhood people had passed away. I didn't know them so it doesn't personally effect me, but they had cancer and were only 60 so that hit home. It bothers me because I've been obsessed with death recently. Has anyone else noticed how many celebrities have died in 2021 even? Not just Prince P. and DMX but just one after another since the start of the year. I'm not superstitious enough to wave my arms and wave about omens but it is ominous.
Reading that made me want to look back through messenger to find another dead person that knew my dad. Without getting into detail there was some drama in dad's life a couple of years ago, but right before that, this woman added me and mom on FaceBook. We didn't know who she was, we just assumed because she was old that she knew my parents or something. Well, she complained she felt fat or something and I said "you look great" in the comments, SOMETHING along those lines. I am body positive and would never insult someone. Well, her sister inboxed me screaming how dare I insult her sister and that mom and I were pieces of shit. I was like "what?" I had no idea who she and her sister were and once the woman found that out she backtracked and apologized. It was weird, but ya know, everyone is a dramatic troll online.
Fast forward to a couple of years later and I found out that these women were basically mad at my father and thought mom and I knew who they were. Bitch what? I fully put the pieces together last night when I scrolled back to the dead woman's messages. She had messaged me briefly in 2017 and she was dead by 2019. She wrapped her truck around a tree taking a turn too fast. The news article described a trashed white pickup but dad approached me in the yard with his hands in his pockets and a distant look in his eyes. He said that not only was she still alive on impact but that she was practically torn in half by the mangled truck. She was partially decapitated but died in the hospital. I can't imagine being alive that long like that. Was she able to look down and see her organs all laid out or was she unconscious?
It's the anniversary of my grandmother's death, early April 2019. I'm not going to cry and moan about my dead grandma, I wasn't even thinking about it in fact. But for some reason it was leaving a bad taste in my mouth anyway. I was too upset to go to her funeral but mom brought me some food back. A broken chicken wing rejected by other goers and some limp pasta salad. "Everyone ate all the good parts," she said.
I've said this before but it seems weird when someone dies and you start eating. I had graphic visuals of my grandmother's coffin sinking into the dirt and her starting to rot while everyone ripped their teeth into fried chicken. Gnashing their jaws and loud slurps as they sucked down sweet tea. I'm overreacting, it shouldn't bother me that much. I was thinking about it last night and thought about how my old cat died in 2014. I stepped outside one morning and I saw her back legs from under a hedge and instantly knew she was dead. She was almost 19 and when her head came into view her eyes were completely clouded grey from death. I wrapped her up in a towel and buried her but whenever I think about someone dying I imagine their eyes being the same way. That misty grey look of surprise, "hey, I'm dead!"
I had sobered up by that point yesterday and started to cry a little. I hadn't slept yet but either when I sleep and wake up sober, or I sober up by 10 PM life just hits me hard. I think about mom being sick, I think about how I can't make enough money, and it just maddens me. Then always upon sobering, I can feel all my physical problems again. Last night I was in vicious pain, tossing and turning like my body was on fire. I got up over and over to piss blood. I had been bleeding a lot into my urine the past week but sometimes it just gets unbearable. I lay awake all night cursing life.
This morning I woke up and stepped outside and narrowly avoided stepping on a droplet of blood. I don't want to step in that no matter how small. I stepped back and there was more blood. So I put my hand on my crotch, then my face, to make sure it wasn't me. I just don't know anymore the way things fall apart. I wasn't bleeding so Domino must have eaten a critter or something.
In a world full of death it would be nice if the shitty people died for a change. The people I know that have died were kind, yet the monsters I've encountered keep on running around hurting people. The words of one online predator still ring in my head "stop acting like everyone is out to get you and give me a chance." The toothy military vet's message before that told me I should be raped and killed.
Karma, do you exist? Stars, do you align? Kill some devils so I can eat carefree funeral chicken.
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