#( uriah )

[avesdraws]

@scarletfire03 made a very interesting rant about headcrabs and walking on bare claws and how thats uh. probably not very good. so i present...retractable headcrab claws...kinda. the claw doesnt move the flesh does

[hawfstuff]

Quick Uriah drawin as a warmup. He stole a pair of dress pants.

[dcs-fkin-mystics]

Kids from Limbo Town: Uriah, Salem, and Klarion.

[discodisorder]

don't tell mama

[stuurman]

something something vortessence. grandpas arguing in my head rent free

[charlotteking23]

Hi, can I have a request where cold! Reader with Eric Coulter. Where Eric fell for Reader, but she is cold to everyone and keeps them at arm distance, including him.

Until readers' childhood friend come to visit, and she shows another childish/playful side of herself to him.

Eric sees and get jealous

Fluffy ending pls.

Thank You!!

LOVE YOU LIKE I DO

Y/N was known as the ice queen because of her attitude and her physical and mental strength. Y/N was first overall in her class, excelling in fighting, and was outstanding in her knives and gun performance. She also only had 5 fears coming in second with the least amount of fear.

Y/N only liked a handful of people and even then sometimes she didn't like them. She was originally from Candor so sometimes she could be really blunt on those who annoy her.

Y/N sat in the Dauntless cafeteria eating peacefully alone, which she liked for being an introvert. Hey Y/N said Uriah in his usual happy tone, Yes Uriah, what do you need? I was just wondering if I could have your chocolate cake, Uriah said begging with hands clasped together. She couldn't say no and offered him half the cake, she knew people called her Ice Queen because of her cold attitude but that doesn't mean she was heartless.

After Uriah left she decided to leave the mess hall and get some training done. She left not noticing a certain blue-eye leader watching her.

She punched the bag as hard as possible she knew her hands were probably bruised but she didn't care. Sweat highlighted her face and her back where her cropped clothes were. Eric watched how precise she hit the bag, her hair sticking to her forehead because of the sweat and her leggings hugging and showing off all her curves.

He decided to make his presence known instead of watching her like a stalker. Hey, he said in his deep cold tone, mentally slapping himself with what he said. What? Y/N questioned why Eric was there. I need a sparing partner and lucky for you, I choose you. But seeing her reaction she didn't seem thrilled and asked why couldn't I train with four? What your kidding right I rather stick a catus in my ass than be in the same room as him.

reluctantly she said yes because she knew Eric fought hard and would help her be better. They fought long and hard neither one of them wanting to back down for their reputation and dignity were on the line. Y/N decided to hit him in the dick hoping he would back down but he didn't. They continued for so long that they lost track of time, and they both decided to call it a day seeing it was already 4 in the afternoon. This wasn't the end, Y/N was determined to win against the fierce leader. They decided to go their separate ways saying goodnight to each other both sour they didn't win.

TIME SKIP

Y/N woke up early in the morning like every day doing the same routine. wake up, take a shower, put on some clothes, eat some breakfast, and go to the gym for her morning workout. But today was different considering she saw a person wearing white and black clothes, she knew this person had to be from Candor. Who the person was shocked her, Alex is that you? Y/N said but didn't wait for his response and hugged him really tight. Everyone and their mama was shocked to see the cold and introverted girl hugging someone and smiling for the first time. This scene baffled Eric, this girl whom he had never seen smile, smiling at some guy. Fine, he would admit it he was definitely jealous of the guy.

Eric walks down the stairs into the pit able to see Y/N and that guy more clearly. He went up towards Y/N, his presence was dominating like fire you could get burned. Eric was not here to be nice and knew his dark aura scared the kid. Alex was 5'11 but compared to Eric who was 6'1, was short. Alex introduced himself as Y/N's childhood friend even though Eric couldn't care less who the Hell this guy was. I'm Eric a Dauntless leader here but the first thing Alex said was that he looked too young to be a leader, he wouldn't be saying that if he knew how dangerous he was. Y/N answered seeing how uncomfortable Alex had seemed, and said age doesn't matter here but your strength.

Y/N had left Eric not before saying goodbye and took Alex on a tour through Dauntless. It was lunchtime and Eric was not happy and everyone knew that from the scorn on his face. He walked through the mess hall catching the eye of Y/N laughing at something that Alex guy said. That made his mood even more sour, he sat at the leader's table trying to listen to the conversation. Instead, Max noticed how in thought Eric looked, Eric was like a son to Max. What's wrong Eric? Max knew about the crush Eric had on Y/N. It's Y/N and that guy, Eric said but just mentioning the guy gave him the ick. Max suggested talking to Y/N at the party tonight would help.

Eric had dressed in a black T-shirt and Black pants, showing off his muscles. Eric was standing off to the side not wanting to dance or talk to people, he looked around for Y/N with a beer in his hand occasionally taking sips. He was astonished when he saw Y/N she looked absolutely beautiful in a black corset top and black jeans with black boots, she wore light makeup, and her long hair was curled. But his mood instantly changed when he saw Alex walk in beside her heading to the bar.

I was enjoying the party and felt hot, Alex was next to me ordering us both drinks. Alex had convinced me to go to the party because He didn't want to go alone and had heard how lit Dauntless parties were and he was hoping to get laid tonight. Alex was already drunk and now was making out with a random girl, I felt extremely uncomfortable and looked around trying to occupy myself but instead catching the attention of a certain blue-eyed leader.

I saw him leaving the party and decided to follow him, he had turned down this dark hallway, and it was empty. Suddenly I was pushed to the wall with a hand near my head and another on my waste keeping me steady. I felt someone's breathing on my neck, I looked up and saw Eric, his blue eyes had turned dark, and his chest was pushed up to mine preventing me from leaving not like I wanted to anyway. Where's your boy toy princess? Eric whispered in my ear, I felt butterflies in my stomach. What are you talking about? I whispered nervously, the sexual tension was so thick you could cut with a knife. He looked at me up and down, and I immediately blushed under his gaze. He had a smirk on his face but it went away, he had asked me where's Alex was? I told him the truth he was at the party making out with some girl. He looked at me and said he expected me to be sad, and that was when I realized Eric thought I was dating Alex.

Eric did you think I was dating Alex because I'm not, Eric just pushed harder into the wall giving him and me no space between each other. Instead, I told him I like someone else, who is it? Eric grunted looking into my eyes, Well he is strong, handsome, has this dominating personality, and these beautiful blue eyes- Not a second later Eric was kissing me, It was amazing, I never believed people when they say when you kiss someone you feel sparks. But when Eric kissed me it felt like a wave of energy came, I eagerly kissed him back. Eric put his hands on my waste where I could feel his hands rubbing my hips, it caused me to slightly open my mouth and Eric to kiss me harder. We pulled away and smiled at each other, You don't know how long I was waiting to do that princess. Well maybe you should do it again and that's was exactly what he did.

[gordon-furman]

more warrior cats au while I make other art

[roosterm3at]

Can you draw, uh, Magnusson and Uriah on the sofa™ reading together. Or just do whatever Maguriah thing if you want because I believe in you ✮⋆˙

he loves that vort

[ketamachine]

The thing about Uriah is that all the characters are truly morally gray ( except for the cops they're just dicks) like it's not that they're sympathetic villains. It's not like they're just heroes who kicked a puppy once. Every character is a deeply complex, multilayered, hypocritical being. Anita abused her children, but she loved them. Kristen didn't protect her children from her husband, but she suffered his abuse as well. Thumbless killed and hurt many people, but he was a child, and he was just trying to survive. Camilla killed and hurt people, trying to make the world a better place. Liam killed trying to protect the only family he has on the godforsaken island. Vincent had a similar motive to Camilla, just more personal. They're all deeply messed up people, both victims and perpetrators, and their complexity makes them feel so much realer. These characters are so raw, you could put them in any situation and know exactly how they'd react because it feels like you know them. They feel human.

[toodleboog]

Some Magnusson doodles

[onenerdtwonagas]

Pale Eyes

(A Gotham AU lit piece)

(Trigger warning for gun violence)

Of all nights for someone to break into the institute, it just had to be the one he had a date. Not that any night was good for a break in, but Uriah had the sense this was some of the universe’s dark humor at work. And seeing as he had nothing else to do, being tied up in the back of a van after being caught by surprise, he might as well muse over the horrible irony of the situation.

Kenneth promised me reservations at that upscale Italian bistro downtown, damnit. He’s gonna think I stood him up. Unless this is on the news, if he watches the news…

“Hey, you!”

Uriah rolled his eyes to the metal screen that separated his compartment from the front of the vehicle. One of the masked men glared back.

“Yeah?” he snapped back.

“You’re one of those specialists, yeah?”

Uriah deadpanned. “What, the ‘doctor’ on my nametag didn’t give you enough of a hint?”

“Oh, great, you picked a smartass. Good job,” the driver complained.

“You said to grab somebody that looked important, I nabbed the first white coat I found!”

“Did you even go over the staff list the boss gave us? He had names circled!”

“I’m sure this one’s on the list!”

“How sure?”

“Girls, please, you’re both pretty,” Uriah drawled.

“Shuddup! Just check his nametag again when we get there, you idiot. Something tells me he’s gonna be uncooperative as hell,” the driver barked.

Uriah huffed, and tested the binds on his wrists. Rope of some kind. A shame he didn’t see or feel anything sharp enough to try and cut with. He’d have to keep his eyes open for something when he got to…wherever this van was driving.

“Dare I ask why I’m even here? I mean, who needs someone from a herpetology unit for criminal activity?”

“You’ll be told only what you need to know when you need to know it, and you’ll keep quiet otherwise if you know what’s good for you.”

Metal clanked, and Uriah caught the barrel of a gun tapping the grate between himself and his captors. Ah. Great. Well, that sobered him up a degree. He’d have to be very alert and mind his attitude until he saw an out. Uriah let his head fall back and rest against the side of the van with a resigned sigh. Maybe, if he got lucky, somebody already had the police working on this incident. Kenneth had money, and his own ‘special skill set’. Surely having a friend in high places would come in handy, this time.

As much as he would’ve loved to hear sirens, the drive remained quiet. He was eventually pulled into some dark garage, and manhandled out of the van and through heavy double doors. Uriah glanced around. An industrial complex? Medical testing facility? He couldn’t tell. Just something far more intimidating than the empty warehouse he’d expected. Eventually he was thrust into an amphitheater of sorts, shoved forward roughly. Uriah fell onto his knees, feeling the end of a gun pressed between his shoulders.

“Gentlemen! Is that anyway to treat a man of science? Let him up.”

Blinking in the harsh blue light of the room, Uriah looked up. He didn’t recognize the smug man before him, either, or any of the other seemingly captive people he now noticed. He was yanked up by the collar, and he pulled away with a glare over his shoulder.

“Quit manhandling! I get the picture!”

“And your name? Let’s see…” His badge was tilted up to be read more clearly. “‘Doctor Hoffman.’ Good, very good. You’ll do.”

“Do for what? Who are you?”

“That information is given out on a need to know basis. And you, Doctor, don’t need to know,” the man said. There was a threat behind his smile. Uriah understood.

“You need me for something, though.”

“I suspect your talents may come in handy for our…latest acquisition, shall we say. My people pulled you up on a list of potential helpful individuals. Care to see your latest specimen, Doctor?”

When the man stood aside, Uriah winced from further exposure to the cold, bright light source of the room. A massive cylindrical chamber stood tall at the center of the amphitheater, pipes and tubing connected at its top and base. It took some time to adjust to the light, but Uriah felt the back of his neck prickle and his blood run cold once he made out what was contained within. What at first seemed to be mechanical tubing turned out to be coils, with a more or less humanoid torso attached. A mask supplying oxygen was secured over the being’s face, and several IV’s were connected to its four arms. It appeared vaguely like Kenneth, when he let his human facade slip, but this…this was something unearthly.

“What in God’s name…?”

“That is precisely what we believe you can help us sort out, Doctor. You and our handpicked specialists.”

“Look, I study snakes, I don’t study…that!”

“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear. Doctor Hoffman, there are two possible answers you can give me. One is an enthusiastic, ‘Yes sir!’ The other, well. My associates can walk you through our termination procedure.”

Uriah scowled.

“Tick tock, Doctor. I won’t wait all day.”

“…Fine.”

“Escort Doctor Hoffman to his new colleagues, will you? And he’ll need his hands. We can keep close enough watch from here.”

His wrists were cut loose, and he was taken by the arm to a row of uneasy individuals, all seemingly taken in situations similar to his. How had he not heard of lab break ins across the city? Then again, bad news was the norm for Gotham. Perhaps he’d tuned it out, as he often did. Served him right, in this case. Once they were left with some space, the woman to his right nudged his elbow.

“Where did they take you from?”

“Gotham Herpetology Institute. You?”

“A distant NASA branch outside the city limits. You wouldn’t know it. Classified. What’s your specialty?”

“Biologic diagnostics and conservation.”

“Smart man. I’m sorry you’re lumped in here.”

Uriah glanced from the specimen, as it were, and up to the higher levels. Thugs with guns in hand were stationed along industrial catwalks near the ceiling and double doors he’d been forced through. Tight security, unfortunately, but too brutish to be something official.

“What do they want?”

“Judging by the mix of specialties they brought in already, they’re hoping we can confirm this…thing…can be used as a sort of bioweapon. They keep us fed and it’s sanitary, at least, but it can’t be anything good. I’m just hoping they don’t off us when they get what they want.”

Uriah nodded to show he understood. “How long have you been here?”

“Two days. First specialists they brought in might’ve been here a week. It hasn’t been long. Somebody said they managed to pick this being up from a crash site. How they beat the government to it, I’ll never know. Feds keep this kind of thing on tighter lockdown than nuclear launch codes, as far as I know.”

Well, shit… Suddenly, Uriah didn’t feel so confident that Kenneth’s connections or abilities would be doing him any good at the moment. Or anytime soon. It seemed he was on borrowed time, only allowed to keep living so long as he was useful.

“Your best bet is to keep your head low and work slow,” someone a few seats over whispered. “You said you’re good for diagnostics, right? Whatever samples they give you, take your time. Fudge numbers if you have to.”

“…Can’t they tell?” Uriah nodded upwards, indicating their overseers.

“The thugs, no. Can’t tell about the big guy in charge. But if he could sort things out himself, what would he need us for?”

A good point. Uriah swallowed. So they all were playing at the same game, then. Better to be on the same team than working solo, he supposed.

“Do they let any of you up close to it? The…specimen?”

“Yeah, I guess, but it freaks me out, personally. I mean, it’s obviously not from Earth.”

“Certainly defies our understanding of the kingdoms,” someone sighed. He had to have been there a few days, based off of the stubble forming on his face.

Uriah didn’t fancy the idea of being kept locked up like this, either. He didn’t know if they’d be let go, but clearly the authorities hadn’t caught on to where several scientists, even ones working for classified offices, had disappeared to. This might be a situation they’d have to collectively finesse their way out of.

For now, though, he looked to the being in the tank. Uriah rose slowly, looking to make sure no one was going to come after him. When none of the guards approached, and neither of the other captive scientists made a sudden move, he slowly descended the stairs to the platform the tank was based on. Uriah stood before it, looking up at the captive being, and felt a twinge of sympathy mixed in with sheer awe. Perhaps knowing Kenneth had dulled him to its anatomy, to a degree—save for the arms and odd color. Maybe it was the light, but the being looked greyish-blue, and the scales on the serpentine tail appeared to shift slowly. There were glowing specks, stars almost.

…Friend?

Uriah froze. He glanced over his shoulder. No one had spoken to him.

Here.

Wait… He was hearing it inside his head. Uriah held his breath, looking up at the being, wondering…

Yes. Here. Friend?

It could hear his thoughts. It was projecting? What did it mean?

Me? Are you asking me?

Yes. Help?

I…Don’t know.

The voice of the being sounded disjointed. Uriah was surprised it could communicate with him at all. Or maybe he was hallucinating?

If…friend…help…

They’ll kill me.

Please.

That nagging sympathy attacked his conscience. Uriah wanted out. This being wanted out. He didn’t know what it was, what it could do, but…it asked for help, in what few words it could probably use.

…I’ll try. Give me time.

Ti…me…?

Damn language barrier. He could speak English, Spanish, and Latin, but he couldn’t speak a language of a being that he didn’t even know. Uriah wracked his brain for a way to get the message across. Perhaps if he only used the words the being had, and with the right intention.

Friend, he thought, hoping his sincerity came through. Will help.

“I’m seeing brain activity,” Uriah heard a scientist speak up. “Maybe it’s dreaming?”

“Is it waking up?” Their captor spoke up, elbows perched on a catwalk railing.

“No, sir, you…you have it too sedated for that,” he replied meekly.

“Well, figure out what it’s doing! I want results, and soon!”

——

One day passed, then two. Uriah could track the hours by the rotation of the guards, roughly. He’d only get to double-check himself when he had access to the monitors showing the being’s vitals, seeing the counter for how long the computers and systems had been going. The team was only alert with their tasks, or at least appearing to be, thanks to being held at gunpoint under constant supervision. To make matters worse, no one had any idea how they’d get themselves out alive. Uriah hadn’t even gotten much of a look at the facility to know which corridor led where. They could’ve been one short hallway away from the outside, and none of them would’ve known. The most he could do was cast quick glances whenever he was escorted—again, by some thug with a loaded gun—to use the facilities. Nothing looked promising.

And whenever he was close to the being’s containment chamber, he felt an odd buzz at the back of his neck. Sometimes he swore it was trying to reach out again, or preparing to, before someone else would approach or verbally speak to him. It wasn’t until the middle of the third day that Uriah finally heard that voice again.

Help. Out.

I don’t know how.

Uriah drug a hand down his face and sat back, staring at the monitors in front of him. He had made himself useful in the most minimal way possible, confirming, when asked, that the being’s blood samples had contained no known pathogens or toxins. The matrix of its DNA was entirely foreign, of course, so that could’ve been entirely useless information in the long run. But at least he was still kept alive to work on that puzzle, or pretend to.

He heard the door at the back click, and one of the thugs’ voices as he spoke to the others.

“Hey, Callaghan, Dobbs, come down. Boss needs something done.”

“Who’s covering? We’re watching the brains for another two hours.”

“It’s a five minute job. What’re these ones gonna get up to? Not like they can get out, anyway. Sealed all the doors in the complex.”

Shit. Uriah growled beneath his breath. If they’d sealed all the doors, then none of them would be able to get out without whatever security measures were being put in place.

…None of the humans, anyway.

He slowly raised his head, turning just enough to watch from the corner of his eye. A bit more chatter, a threat to keep working, and the doors closed. No guns. No surveillance.

Five minutes was plenty of time for a system failure.

One of the other captive scientists looked up as Uriah moved towards the main controls. The access was password protected, so he’d need somebody with hacking abilities.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying something crazy,” Uriah huffed. He looked around at them all. “Who here is good at breaking into computers?”

“You’re messing with the system? They’ll kill you!”

“Not before the next five minutes is up. C’mon, one of you has to have logged in to somebody else’s account at least once in your lives, yeah?”

Somebody stood up, a man not much older than himself, coming to the controls. Uriah stood back to let him work.

“Not proud of it, but I did manage to break into a few multiplayer systems back in the day. Why pay for limited edition skins when you can hack the game and get em for free, yeah?”

“Whatever works,” Uriah muttered. He eyed the counters on the monitors tracking the being’s pulse. Four minutes and ten seconds…four and five…three and fifty-five…

“We’re gonna run out of time,” someone muttered.

“No, no, I think I got it—Fuck yes! I got it!”

“Move!” Uriah moved in, eyes scanning the screen, shifting through the various data windows open at once. One of them had to have the main system operations.

Three minutes and twenty seconds.

“What are you looking for?”

“Some way to shut this whole thing down.”

“Are you crazy? Just find a way to shut down the security system!”

“What do you think they’d rather spend time looking for, us or their specimen?” Uriah growled, glaring at the screen. “…Fuck it!”

He began pressing whatever ‘shut down’ buttons he could find. About five clicks in, and the bright blue lighting of the room shifted to pulsing red. Something attached to the specimen’s chamber began hissing. A computer system began speaking over the intercom.

“Warning: life-support system failure. Repeat: life-support system failure. Stasis cannot be maintained. Warning—“

“Shit, they’re going to hear that!”

Uriah looked up to the catwalk around the top of the room. Looked like their best shot.

“The rest of you, go! I’ll see what else I can do to slow them down!”

“What about you?”

A few more clicks. He flinched as unstable pressure caused a bolt to be forced loose, and a crack to form along the specimen’s chamber. Someone grabbed the back of his collar.

“Wait—“

Before he could react further, another scientist swung a chair right into the monitor. Sparks flew and its electricity choked out. A new addition of alarms added to the din already caused by the system failure.

“We’ve got the doors barricaded! Everybody go, now!”

“C’mon, brainiac!”

Nodding, Uriah scrambled back to his feet to follow. They had a potential thirty seconds to make it to the maze of hallways in the complex before someone broke down the door. He’d reached the catwalk just as he heard the first of the guards banging on it. Uriah spared only a second to look back through the smoke-filled room at the chamber, a massive crack spreading up the side.

Whatever you are—whoever you are—good luck.

He bolted as he heard the doors rattle again, following the rest down the closest hall. The more distance they could put between themself and that room, the better, even if they didn’t know the way out. And about five hallways later, they came to the conclusion that time wasn’t on their side, not if they kept in one group.

“At least one of us needs to make it out,” an engineer panted, peeking nervously around a corner. “If one of us can get out, we can get help. If they find all of us in one place, we’re all dead.”

“And I’d rather at least one out of all of us makes it out rather than none,” another replied in a hushed voice.

Uriah looked to the rest. From where they were now, there were three other hallways they could take, aside from going back the way they’d come. And that was out of the question.

“One third of us goes left, another third goes center, the rest go right,” he reasoned. “We keep splitting up until we can’t. Whatever you do, stay low, stay quiet, and don’t stop until you find a way out.”

Some frowned, others nodded. The young man who’d hacked the computer system clapped him on the shoulder as he split off to the right. “Godspeed, brainiac.”

“You, too. See you on the outside.” Uriah swallowed as he watched them go, following his cluster down the center hall. “…Hopefully.”

Whatever kind of facility this was, it made no sense to Uriah. The blaring sirens and flashing lights certainly didn’t help. He had no means to measure time properly, but it felt like at least half an hour had passed since the original group had split. His cluster had gone from ten, to five, to three, eventually down to just him on his own. And heaven help him, despite trying his best, he’d only just recently found a stairwell. Stairwells were risky; they were confined, and they magnified sound, but as long as he went up, he was bound to find a roof, or a way to it. That was better than wandering aimlessly in the middle of the complex, or getting trapped in a basement. If the chaos he’d kicked off in that chamber led to a fire, he stood a chance of waving down whatever emergency services showed up. His odds were better there than anywhere else.

Uriah paused to catch his breath mid-flight, looking up to try and gauge how many more steps he’d have to climb. It felt like a miracle when the emergency lighting gleamed off of a sign on the wall: Floor 10, Continue to 11 and Roof. Almost. Thank God.

Somewhere down below, a door flew open and slammed against a wall. Uriah clasped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from making a sound, not even wanting his breathing to give him away.

“One of ‘em went this way; they caught him on the cameras before they went down!”

“Which one?”

“The scrawny bastard with the glasses!”

“How d’you wanna do this?”

“…You go down. I’ll head up.”

Uriah got moving again once he heard their own footsteps; it would help hide his own. Two more flights. Just two more. Then maybe a fire escape or some other crazy way out of this hellscape. Floor eleven…there, the door to the roof. He’d heard another door open, and waited as footsteps continued upward. They sounded five—no, four floors down.

C’mon, go in another door. Just any other fucking door.

A door creaked. He held his breath. It closed. Good. Uriah finally wrenched the door to the roof open, bursting out into the frigid air. Wherever they were, it was nighttime outside, a breeze blowing the scent of old weather-worn metal, damp concrete, and smoke. He must’ve started a fire, after all. Uriah scrambled away from the door he’d come from, almost tripping over himself to get to the edge of the building. He had to get his bearings, figure out where they were. Could he see anything important, any signs, landmarks…? The lights made it impossible to find any stars. In the distance, though, he saw the glow of Gotham, and a mess of hills and woods along the way.

Maybe if there’s a direct way off the roof, I could just follow the roads, use the trees as cover…

A muffled boom caught his attention. The far corner of the massive building was up in smoke. Sirens in the distance indicated a fire team had been alerted, but he wouldn’t have time to wait for them. Uriah frantically looked along the ledge he was closest to. No railings, no fire escapes. That couldn’t have been OSHA approved… But there was a catwalk to a detached smokestack, and a ladder built into the brick. A way out was a way out. He’d he exposed the whole time, but he had to try.

Uriah bolted—

A bang sounded behind him, and he only just dodged the bullet that flew past him, ricocheting off of the metal guard rail of the catwalk before rolling to a stop. A second grazed his leg, forcing him to stop as a sharp twinge in his ankle slowed him into a limp. Uriah panted breathlessly, turning to see the corrupt head of operations glaring at him across the roof.

“Well, well, Doctor Hoffman, you’re a bit of a troublemaker, eh? Normally, I admire that trait in a man. Unfortunately for you, in this instance, it just pissed me off.”

Uriah swallowed, his throat suddenly tight and dry. His eyes were fixed on the gun at first, flickering to the billowing smoke overtaking the far end of the building behind his assailant, and then back to the weapon. As the man took slow, confident steps forward, Uriah answered with equally measured steps back, wincing from the pain in his right leg. He was on to the catwalk now, but it wouldn’t do him any good. He knew it, and the man—whose identity he still hadn’t ever figured out—knew it, as well.

“You think you’re getting out of this, Doctor?” he laughed. Cold, full of malice. “I told you, there was one way out of here. Perhaps you just wanted me to handle your termination personally?”

“You’re not getting away with this,” Uriah finally spat back. If he was going to die, he’d at least go out with some spite. “You’ve lost your specimen, yeah? Kidnapped how many people? Gotta imagine you’ve got a long list of folks who want you behind bars!”

“In quite a few countries, but they’ll never get their hands on me. By the time those EMS boys arrive, this place will be one big bonfire, and you and all your little science fair buddies will just be bits of ash in the heap. I’ll be set up somewhere nice and cozy by the time they put the flames out.”

Another explosion sounded, and the entire building’s structure trembled. Uriah lost his balance, slipping and grasping onto the guard rail as the metal groaned and creaked. Whatever was happening, it was going to take the whole place down.

“Looks like we’re out of time, Doctor. Any final words? Maybe if you beg nice enough, I’ll let you live long enough to make all this up to me on the next project. I do hate to waste a perfectly good resource.”

Uriah glared at him. “Go to hell!”

“Have it your way.”

Something surged from the smoke. The man let out a yell as he pulled the trigger. Uriah heard the gunshot, and moments later felt his left shoulder burn with an intensity he’d never felt before. He couldn’t see through the swirl of smoke that the wind had blown through, raising his arm to try and cover his mouth and nose with his sleeve, but he could hear two more gunshots, a yelp, and a wet, snapping, splintering sound. Then, a dull thud before the gun came skittering past him, bouncing off of a pole on the guard rail before falling to the ground far below. Uriah gasped, teeth grit against the pain in his left shoulder, and squinted into the smoke. There was a red glow from the increasing inferno, now, and he could barely make out a figure through it. Uriah backpedaled as it began looming closer, his right hand grasping over his opposite shoulder to try and stop the blood that was seeping through his sleeve. His head pounded, and his vision began to blur, whether it was from his injuries or his adrenaline wearing off, he couldn’t tell.

Two pale blue lights came out of the smoke. Like…eyes. Uriah froze, unable to move any further. He didn’t have it in him. A cough forced its way out of his lungs as smoke began to overwhelm the air. Uriah looked up as the metal creaked again, seeing an eerily familiar silhouette looming over him. Not all human, almost serpentine… His head felt fuzzy, and his vision took a moment to focus, but when it did, he was looking up at the being he’d seen in the stasis chamber. Uriah didn’t have the energy to be shocked or afraid, or any other sensible emotion; he stared up and simply accepted whatever would happen next.

The being leaned close, looking to his bleeding shoulder, then to Uriah’s face.

Friend. Help.

Uriah coughed again. “Y-Yeah? Great.”

The sirens were closer. The building shuddered again. Bricks began falling loose. Glass in windows exploded from the building heat inside. Uriah winced as the catwalk shifted again, forcing him to hold on a little tighter with his good arm. The being adjusted its lengthy tail in return, looking around wildly for an explanation before turning its pale gaze back to Uriah. Before Uriah could even think to ask, the being bent and took him into one set of its arms, initially turning back towards the building but pausing once it saw the roof beginning to collapse at the edge of the smoke. Uriah groaned as his shoulder throbbed again, and he could feel his sleeve growing heavy and damp. How much blood had he lost? How much more could he afford to lose? Did it even matter anymore…?

His blurry vision fixed on the being’s face. It was the last conscious memory he had.

——

Warm. Quiet. Those were the first things his senses picked up on. Uriah’s eyes cracked open to dim light.

“Uriah?”

He blinked, unusually tired, and forced his head to turn toward the sound of his own name. His eyes almost forced themselves closed once more, but Uriah fought it. Someone was leaning over him, but there were no blue glowing eyes this time. They were brown, instead, and his vision steadied enough to make out the entirety of the face watching him.

“…Kenneth…?”

“Hey, Doc,” came the soft reply. Uriah exhaled heavily as a hand brushed through his hair. “Easy, now, easy.”

“Where…?”

“You’re in the hospital,” Kenneth explained. “I’ve got extra security outside your door. The police want a statement from you, but I’ve set up an attorney to keep them away until you’ve recovered fully.”

Uriah nodded slowly, then groaned. He shifted his head to look down at his left shoulder, seeing stitches just above the collar of the hospital gown he’d been put in to. He wagered he had similar treatment for his leg injury, even if he couldn’t see it.

With a heavy sigh, Kenneth sat on the edge of Uriah’s bed and frowned. “What in the world happened, Uriah?”

“You’re gonna think I’m crazy,” he said, swallowing thickly.

“No.” Kenneth reached over to the bedside table, uncapping a bottle of water and holding it up for him. “Here, drink.”

A few sips helped the roughness in his throat. Uriah nodded his thanks before trying to answer the question.

“Some assholes broke into the herpetology institute and grabbed me. Next thing I knew, I was in a van, then some messed-up facility, and now…here, I guess.”

“But why? Not because you know me, I hope?”

“No, no,” Uriah reassured, shaking his head slowly. Even that made him a little dizzy. He held his eyes shut until the sensation stopped. “Some…really messed up science project.”

“Like what? A weapon or something? I know Gotham’s got its characters, but you wouldn’t fit into any of their schemes.”

Uriah sighed, eyes searching the ceiling before landing on Kenneth’s face again. “They had a…a thing. A being, really. It looked kinda like you.”

He saw a seriousness on Kenneth’s face that he hadn’t before. A mix of bafflement and concern.

“What do you mean, like me?”

“Not a clone or anything, but…the bottom half looked a lot like a snake tail. Top half…kinda human, I guess, but…four arms. Some other weird stuff. They wanted me to check its vitals and all that shit.”

He watched Kenneth nod, processing.

“…How’d you find me?”

“I didn’t,” Kenneth answered. “EMS did, when they got there. Reports said they found you near a smokestack, just before the eastern side of the building went down. When you didn’t show up for our date and I couldn’t get a hold of you, and then seeing the news about the break-in and you being missing, I had feelers put out, but didn’t know anything until your identity was confirmed through police scanners and the hospital.”

“And they just let you in?”

Uriah saw his expression fall into a sort of helpless smile for a moment, before a softer-than-usual smirk took over. “C’mon, it’s me. You know the kind of charm I have.”

He chuckled, the sound still rough. “Thank you, for all you did.”

“I got ahold of your mother, too. Found her number through the emergency contact form you gave my office. She’ll be in soon; I paid for her flight. I figured she’d be the one person you’d really want to see, after everything.”

His mother… God. Uriah felt his chest swell and his throat tighten, damp heat reaching his eyes. A clumsy hand rose up to wipe at his cheek as the emotion hit him all at once. Kenneth shifted closer and held his other hand.

“I-I almost died, Kenneth.”

“I know. And I’m sorry.”

“Do you know about the others?”

“The scientists, you mean?” Kenneth’s expression fell a degree. “They…didn’t all make it, hon’. I think I saw they lost about seven of them, last time I caught a glimpse of the news. A bunch are here like you, in different phases of recovery.”

Tears spilled over. Had it been the astronomer? The young guy who broke into the computer? What about the engineer who he’d overhear whispering prayers about their kids? None of it was fair. And then for the survivors, for him, how were they supposed to get back to normal?

“What—W-What do I even do? Just…go back to work like nothing happened?” he sniffed, swiping his hand beneath his eye.

“I could always take you onto my payroll full time. No extra strings attached, no questions asked.”

“I-I’ve put so much of my life into that place… And my mom. Hell, she’s got to be scared out of her mind.”

Kenneth nodded. “How about for now, you just focus on getting yourself patched up? I figured I’d stick around, make sure your mother got in, and then when they’re ready to discharge you, I could take you home. Or, if you’d feel better about it, you can come to my place. Plenty of security. Nobody’s getting to you there, I promise. I’ve even got space your mother could stay there, too. Whatever makes this easier for you.”

Uriah inhaled shakily, and Kenneth handed him several tissues from the bedside table. He accepted them with a tearful mutter of thanks, wiping the dampness from beneath his eyes as best as he could.

“M-Maybe. I don’t know. I’ll ask her,” he said. Kenneth nodded and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

“I’m gonna go grab a coffee. Remember, extra security at the door. You’re safe, alright? I’ve got you, Doc.”

Uriah nodded, watching Kenneth move to the door. “Thank you again, Kenny. For everything. For trying to find me.”

Kenneth smiled over his shoulder. “Always, Uriah. Be right back.”

Uriah slumped back against the pillow and raked a hand through his hair. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the past few days, let alone his last memories before he’d passed out. He supposed the next step would be setting himself up with a good therapist. But…would a therapist be able to handle the full truth of the situation? Kenneth could, but Kenneth was a unique circumstance. Maybe he could still get the help he needed with little white lies.

He turned his head and stared out the window. The sun would be coming up in about an hour, so long as the clock in the room was accurate. Uriah’s eyes slowly roamed over the familiar Gotham skyline.

What he didn’t know, was that a pair of pale eyes was staring right back, keeping watch in the distance. The events within the facility were merely a catalyst. The doctor just didn’t know it yet.

[writtenbyplato]

also sloppay art for a webtoon that fucking no one has read. wapoosh

(tap for better quality)

[sailorsunnyfun101]

I love my little witches...and zirno...

[discodisorder]

COME HOME WITH ME | a hadestown oc animatic - full video

it's finally here! two weeks of work boiled down to two minutes. haha. i'm so happy with how this little passion project turned out. i was blessed to see the west end hadestown cast three times last year and was blown away every time. wanted to give a little something back with a personal touch. ❤️

[webtoonenjoyer]

Various silly/soft moments I have collected from comics

[avesdraws]

before actually playing any hl game i though the dead puppet strider in ep2 to practice magnusson devices was gonna be a resistance pet strider instead