#But hopefully I have made some kind of difference. Some kind of dent.

[nerdnag]

Oh btw I found out this week that I "won" a human rights case against my local authorities 😎

[jesterafterdark]

Feedist Kinktober 2024 - Day 10

"Containment Breach☢️"

(prompts via @fatguarddog)

It Came From the Lab - Part 1

Note: the following story contains extreme weight gain, rapid weight gain, macro/giantess and vore. Read your own discretion.

Attention All Personnel: Practice Extreme Caution Around Live Samples

That was the sign that caught Emmy's attention. She'd signed on for janitorial work at the laboratory to hopefully keep a roof over her head while she paid off her student loans. The job had some risk, she had been told when she signed on, and that was why such a menial job paid surprisingly well. She had been at the lab for around a week and still not entirely sure what they did, just that it involved a lot of barrels with big warning labels being wheeled around by men in hazmat suits. It made her wonder if maybe she should have more than a set of navy blue coveralls, especially when her job primarily involved cleaning up spills. But that sign jumped out at her.

"Live samples?"

She glanced around and tried her keycard. Being the janitor did mean mostly free reign of the facility, but- BEEP- it clearly didn't extend to this area. Resigning herself to unsated curiosity, she continued down the hall with her mop bucket. Behind her- click- the door swung open. The man in the yellow hazmat suit sped down the corridor, leaving the door to slowly shut itself behind him. Emmy just barely stopped it with the tip of her sturdy work boot before it could fully slam shut.

The air on the other side of the door felt different. Heavier, colder. A thick mist covered the floor. While the rest of the facility had the same aesthetic of any other industrial setting, gray walls and florescent lights, this space was like something straight out of a sci-fi flick. Green, luminous strips along the walls and floor were the only light source, the walls were black with a matte finish. Emmy got the distinct sense that this was not somewhere she should be. She turned to the door behind her, finger hovering over the door release. No, she thought, I've come this far and I've only got more questions. I need to know.

She skulked further down this bizarre corridor that she must have walked past without a thought a half-dozen times a day. How had she not noticed this earlier? It was too surreal. She came across an observation window. An empty lab stared back through green tinted glass. Cages lined the walls and sat on racks across the room. She couldn't make out what was inside of them, but she could definitely see things moving.

She tried the door to the room. Gently, it slid open. Stepping inside, Emmy felt her heart flutter with anxiety. What am I doing, she thought, I could lose my job over this, or worse. She crept up to the cages. Inside, there were... Little furry balls? They were squirming and definitely alive, but they didn't have any clear shape. They were just big, round lumps of fuzz. She tapped the bars of one of the cages, and the blob stirred. It turned to her, and suddenly she realized what she was looking at. It was a rat. A little white lab rat. Well, not so little. The poor thing was so fat that it was unrecognizable, just a chubby face peeking out of a mound of lard.

"What did they do to you," she frowned, sticking her finger in to stroke the rat. She decided that whatever this was, it couldn't be ethical. She had to do something, call someone, she had to-

Something behind her groaned. She turned on her heel. The cage opposite her was huge, and she wondered for a second what else they could be experimenting on. She took a few cautious steps forward and peered inside the enclosure. It... It was another rat, no doubt about it, not as round or unrecognizable as the others but...

"Holy shit, you're HUGE." She gasped. And it, the thing was definitely some kind of rat, but it was as big as a state fair pig. The rat looked up, sniffing at her. Then-

CRASH.

The enormous rodent lunged at her, smashing its body against the cage and denting the bars. Emmy tumbled backwards, crashing into the wall of cages behind her that housed the rat-blobs. She felt a sharp sting as one managed to sink its teeth into her arm, tearing clean through the sleeve of her coveralls.

Emmy slipped out of the restricted area, trying to leave as little evidence as she could, cleaned and bandaged the bite in the bathroom and clocked out as normal at the end of her shift to minimize suspicion.

At home, Emmy crashed. Hard. The experience left her feeling drained, and anxious. She threw herself on the sofa and prayed that tomorrow wouldn't bring a meeting with HR and a notice of termination. Her stomach gurgled, and she decided that maybe a pizza would settle her mind. She dialed the number. Maybe two. With stuffed crust. And some garlic bread wouldn't hurt. And plenty of soda.

The pizza guy arrived quickly, carrying boxes stacked high enough to obscure his vision. "Having a party or something?" He said, staring down the stick thin girl in her baggy pyjamas.

"Yeah," she said, rubbing her gurgling stomach, "Or something."

She made short work of the first pizza and chugged a half bottle of soda to wash it down. She'd never felt so hungry in her life, it was unbelievable. The second pizza didn't stand much of a chance either. Soon she found herself polishing off the last few slices, stuffed to the gills, and dialing the number of another takeout place. Chinese food sounded really good right now.

Back at the lab, the head researcher was chewing out anyone dumb enough to enter his eyeline. There had been a major breach, the projects being developed here were top secret and some jackass had stumbled in, agitated the test subjects, compromised numerous readings and destroyed thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Not to mention, if word of what was going on in the facility made it to the press, every single researcher on site could kiss their ass and any future employment goodbye.

"None of the serum has been taken, sir, every sample is accounted for."

"Thank God for small miracles. If this got into anything bigger than a rat, we'd have a damned monster movie on our hands."

Emmy scratched the bite on her arm. Four orders later and she was officially too stuffed to stand. She couldn't peel herself off the sofa, let alone make it upstairs to get to bed. She decided to sleep where she was, or rather passed out into a food coma before she had the chance to choose. As she slept, her body began to swell. Had she been awake, she'd definitely be panicking, but instead she snored her way through the ordeal. Her body ballooned, every last inch growing like a marshmallow in the microwave. Her baggy pajamas suddenly fit a lot more snug, then began to ride up on her belly. It was only when the sofa bowed, then broke, under her enormous frame that she woke. Barely able to see past her swollen breasts, she struggled to her feet. Her head hit the ceiling with a thunk and she realized that she was bigger in more ways than one. For a moment, she began to panic, but then her stomach groaned again and she doubled over.

"So... Hungry..." She whined, frantically reaching for her phone to order another meal. Thick fingers struggled to hit the correct places on the screen, but eventually she managed to get through. The order was large, but she needed every last bite.

It wasn't long before there was a knock at the door. She knew she couldn't answer like this, but she'd planned ahead.

"It's open!" Emmy yelled. The driver cautiously stepped inside, carrying bags upon bags of food. She stepped over the savaged remains of last night's binge. "Just leave it in the kitchen."

Emmy waited a moment, then stumbled into the kitchen thinking the driver had left. But no, there she stood, a short little brunette with glasses and a baggy tracksuit bottoms. Emmy felt her stomach gurgle, and the driver was shocked by what had just stumbled into the kitchen behind her. Huge, round, head scraping the ceiling. The hunger overcame Emmy, she couldn't even think. She grabbed the driver and lifted her clean off the ground and into her mouth. Her legs kept kicking as she slid down Emmy's throat, squirming the whole way down. Emmy felt the driver hit her stomach and keep wriggling inside her. It felt incredible. She made short work of the takeout too, of course. Her body continued to swell and grow, wider and taller, as the contents of her stomach dissolved. She looked to the window, seeing everything- everyone- outside. She had never felt so hungry.

Author's Note: Part 2 to be released October 25th, a little patience goes a long way 💕

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV Season 2 Trailer - Wig? SNATCHED! (Pt2)

Back at it again with a frame-by-frame breakdown of the brand new OFFICIAL trailer for IWTV S2! (This will again be in 2 parts cuz Tumblr doesn't allow 30+ images per post.)

I wonder if this contraption was made by the same person who made Nicki's music box for Lestat?

Speak of the devil.....

Hearteyes Armand.

Lelio Rising!

Who is he talking to? In all fairness this line could be for Nicki, Armand, or ofc Louis, as all three of them lived in darkness & self-hate, while Lestat insisted on living in the bright light of hope and joie de vivre.

Burn, bish.

Clever cut to hallucination!Lestat haunting the narrative--existing in the world Louis concocts in his own head/heart--and ultimately the IWTV book.

You're SHOWING me Paris!Coven Master Armand, but I'm THINKING about NOLA!Coven Master Lestat. They know what they're doing! WHO has the power of life & death in LOUIS' undead life?

Does Claudia KNOW these laws? Does she KNOW about their take on "Killing Your Own Kind"? Does LOUIS know? Is this a TRAP from the very beginning?! What exactly is Santiago reading out of that book in his left hand?

Get your hand off her boobs ISTG Santiago.

Potential Loumand breakup scene? Potential Merrick scene? What is AMC gonna do once Louis knows everything again?

Because they cut to Madeleine Imma assume he remembers how Madeleine BEGAN....and how she ENDED--hence: The Trial hype!

THE TRIAL, good lord, we're in the trenches now! She's crying & both of them are all bloodied up! Omg.

Then they cut to Loumand in that scene where Louis walks away from Armand in disgust(?) Next time think twice about picking ANOTHER ONE, over ME!

Lou & Claudia through war-torn Europe.

*squints* Armand & Santiago?

The thirst is real, OML. XD

We finally see Loustat fighting in their bedroom upstairs. They're moving AWAY from the hidden coffin room door, towards the fireplace--so we'll HOPEFULLY see what went down IN the coffin room itself that left that huge dent on the top of Louis' coffin.

And ofc they cut from the Loustat fight to the WAR again, Louis & Claudia running from the bombed up building that we've seen before.

Fanged angry Lestat losing a fight against Armand; you love to see it.

LOOK AT THAT REVENANT!! OMG!

We get another shot of Madeleine (acting?) on stage at the Theatre.

Why does he look so scared/concerned? Is this the Trial? Or something else?

Well, OBVIOUSLY he should know from the tapes at least SOME of what happened--he was "being disrespectful," demanding that Louis turn him into a vampire; Louis said NO; Daniel insulted him; Louis bit him. But WTF happened with DEVIL'S MINION?!

That's NICKI (with his hands), so this is before Lestat leaves him w/ Armand & the Theatre. The question is: is that the same trenchcoat Lestat wore when he carried that Jesus Piece into Armand's lair?

OMFG Madeleine's a JEW!?! O_O That's a whole Swastika spraypainted on her window! No wonder Rolin said they were doing something different with her to give her a reason to join Louis' coven/family!

VERY clever cut from Madeleine smashing the swastika on her window, to Daniel amidst the broken bookshelves--is this confirmation that Daniel's Jewish too?

I am SO confused about this woman--I mentioned last time that we see her IN the Theatre. But I had assumed she was an Eastern European revenant. WHO is this chick!?

Interesting transition, cuz I still have no idea who this lady is either.

PLEASE do, Louis; the suspense is KILLING me! This looks so dang good! I'm gonna be a MESS on May 12th, omg I'm so excited.

[tarrenterror25]

Tysm for responding :)

I was thinking about Harvey and/or Roman with an s/o who’s rational and calm and how they’d try to get either one of them to chill out when they were angry.

Hopefully this is ok!

- 🖤🦈

OH 💖 MY BOYS ✨ Thank you for asking about them both because I love both of them so much!

Ohmygoodness, calm and rationale S/O with two of the grumpiest rogues! 💕 Thank you for this ask!! I had fun really thinking about this and I may have approached it differently than you were expecting? But I hope you like it!

This is SFW, but adding these tags just to be safe.

Tags: image of alcohol, mention of violence, mention of crime, brief mention of death, mention of childhood neglect/trauma and paranoia

Harvey Dent/Two-Face and Roman Sionis/Black Mask x Calm!S/O

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

The heist went bad and it wasn't even because of the Batman. The thugs tripped the alarm and they didn't have the car pulled up to the right bank, which left Two-Face and his gang standing on the sidewalk with bags of money looking around like they were waiting on a taxi in the dead of night. When he gets back to the hideout, he's livid; knocking things over, shouting, and flipping his coin to decide if the incompetent henchmen get to live.

You're level headed, but that doesn't mean you're quiet. you'll have to be firm and a bit loud for Two-Face to turn his attention to you.

You'll have to help him focus on the positives. He thinks it's a little hippy dippy, but your logic makes perfect sense.

"Hey!" you shout. "What's important right now is that we made it back in one piece and I don't hear any sirens either which means the GCPD isn’t onto us. We have time to cover our tracks."

Harvey used to be DA and definitely knows how to be rational, he just forgets sometimes, so when you say things that make sense, it reels him back in. He reminds you that you being so smart and collected is one of the reasons he loves you. You ground him and help get his head on straight.

If you guys are in the middle of a heist and he starts letting his anger get to him, you’re gonna have to delegate. Some of the thugs won’t like it so again you have to be firm and fearless while keeping your cool. Step up and take some of the work off Harvey/Two-Face’s shoulders. Two-Face will pout about it, but Harvey will be grateful for one less of a headache.

You have found that Harvey and Two-Face like to fidget, usually with the coin, but not even in a “I’m going to flip kind of way”, he just needs his hands on something. The accident did nothing to calm his nerves and you know he keeps a lot of stuff buried deep down. You offer him fidget cubes instead to help him keep his cool. You explain their purpose and how he can use it wherever he is. Again, he thinks it’s weird, but damn does it make sense and to his surprise, it works. He uses it while he speaks to his gang so his thoughts can come out clearer and he can confer to the coin with a more precise question.

If his hands aren’t fidgeting then they usually are causing some kind of destruction. When he’s about to break something or punch a wall, you just toss him a squishy stress toy thing instead.

“What the hell is this?” he asks. “Squeeze it,” you instruct. He gives it a squish. “Is this supposed to do anything?” “It’s to keep you from wrecking the place.” “Oh...” Another squish.

He thinks it’s silly that you got him one with those cute-sy faces, but from the corner of your eye you see him smirk when he pokes their eyes in. He typically uses these when he’s pacing and thinking. You do occasionally find little foam pieces on the floor from where’s he’s picked away at them.

Physical touch from you as his S/O will definitely bring him some calm. Harvey has some self-image issues that attribute to his anger so you touching him in anyway helps. Holding his hand, a back rub, touching his cheek, a kiss, or even an encouraging hand on his shoulder steadies him.

Roman Sionis/Black Mask

He’s speaking to his gang about some business matter and then one of the thugs coughs. You had been maintaining eye contact with them, shouting with wide eyes for them to choke it down, to hold it back, do anything to keep from coughing while Roman was speaking. They failed and tried to excuse themselves, but that only made Roman more angry.

You step in and help the guy leave the room before Roman rearranges his face and you dismiss everyone. Roman will throw a fit for you to let him make an example of them, but you’ll ignore his threats and just hold him.

Roman didn’t get much affection as a kid and doesn’t get much now, but a good tight hug renders him helpless in your arms. It takes a second, but he’ll return the gesture and calm down enough for you to speak to him without him shouting. The first time you hugged him he thought it was, well, stupid, but he came around to the gesture.

“A hug? Fuck, no.” “Trust me. It releases oxytocin and lowers stress levels.” “No, I don’t want to- oh....okay, yeah, that feels kinda nice...” “It’s called the love hormone and also is associated with feelings of bonding and trust.” “Alright, alright, I get it.”

Roman’s paranoia often gets the best of him and makes him irrational. He’ll spiral into delusions, sometimes even where it concerns you. Everyone’s trying to hurt him or trying to betray him. There’s no one he can trust and he has to be on alert.

With your calm demeanor, you talk him down from his paranoia. As his S/O, affirmations from you that you aren’t afraid of him will help him the most. Roman needs to be held and told that’s gonna be alright and that you’re there for him.

“I’m here and we can figure this out together.” “I’m not going anywhere.” “We can sort this out, we always do.”

He loves your care for him, he’s never had someone at his side like you. Most people are just a body to sleep next to at night, but you are always present with him.

Roman had a very destructive play style as a child and it’s still present now. It’s almost compulsive how he destroys his surroundings. Your solution? Taking him to a rage room.

“So...I can just break this stuff...on purpose?” “Yes.” You gesture for him to give the bat in his hand a swing. He just gingerly knocks over a glass vase off a table and it shatters on the floor. “Like that?” he asks. You nod. “Less of a mess at our place.”

He loves it and is now less likely to destroy any of the furnishings at home! He actually thinks it’s pretty fun and doubles as a good work out. After you guys are done at the rage room, he’ll come home and immediately take a nap. Can’t get angry if he’s asleep!

✨ I hope you liked these! 💕

[veryace-ficrecs]

Do you have any Star Wars horror fic recs? Preferably prequels/clone wars era?

This one was tougher then I thought it would be! But here are some

Star Wars Horror Fic Recs

as always This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

A lot of these ended up being Eldritch/Body horror, so hopefully thats what you were looking for! (^‿^)

the force is a horror story by NotSummer - Rated T

The Force will give you exactly what you ask for. This is never what you want. A series of short stories reinterpreting the Force as something terrible.

daylight could be so violent by Goldmonger - Rated T

Obi-Wan is exiled on Tatooine, but he's not alone. He'll never be alone again.  

Master?

I know it's you.

Heart of Jade by Argentee - Rated T

Palpatine keeps trying to open doorways, not realizing that the doors aren't a 'what' they're a 'who'.

or

Sometimes a family is a bunch of Eldritch Guards and the unholy spawn they've adopted. A Corrie Red AU.

let go, just let go, just give in by qigiined - Rated T

Padawans always keep one guessing, even when all that is left of them is a sock and a box of dented models. Qui-Gon has spent a decade in regret, however. He can afford to spend just as long checking faces and gravestones. (Obi-Wan vanishes at the end of the war on Melida/Daan. Qui-Gon searches for him until the Clone Wars, when a civilian mechanic saves his life.)

Death Becomes Her by stonefreeak - Rated T

Padmé finds herself waking up after she died. Apparently, her husband couldn't bear to let her go. She's not grateful. At all.

Mine by CallToMuster - Rated T

Anakin didn’t even notice at first that Obi-Wan wasn’t handcuffed.

horrorweek by sunflowergiorno - Rated M

Series: 7 works

Horror themed prompt week

doubting desert thunderstorms by stormsirxn - Rated M

Series: 2 works

Shmi tells her son that he was a miracle. That she prayed to Ar-Amu and asked the great mother of the desert for a son and that the goddess answered her wish. Shmi is a liar. Or The Force is an Eldritch Horror and the Clone Wars trio are its chosen children.

The stars are out (and now I'm one of them) by aroacejoot - Rated G

It wasn’t Anakin’s fault. He was only a child, a bright and innocent little boy who could bend the laws of reality but still had trouble with his Aurebesh. A child who never asked to be made the way he was--a shifting, pulsing well of Power too deep to fathom and too Vast to comprehend. He’d merely sought comfort in the best way he knew and had no way to know what might happen.  (When Obi-Wan told Qui-Gon the boy was dangerous, he wasn’t necessarily wrong. Obi-Wan just ended up becoming dangerous too.)

A Wonder in Human Form by Intent_To_Stay - Rated T

Anakin Skywalker is a child of the force. How could he be anything other than monstrous and terrifying?

The Voice by glitter_glitch - Rated T

Darkness. Endless and absolute, stretching in all directions. Colder than the void between galaxies. In the darkness, a cacophony of creepy, discordant sounds. And voices. Distant, echoing and impossible to understand. Another voice cackled right next to Obi-Wan's ear, making him jump. This one was different from all of the others. It was loud and crystal clear. And something about it just felt… wrong. ~ A different kind of ROTS AU. Sidious is dead, Anakin didn't fall, and the Republic won the war. Life is good, for a while… at least until Obi-Wan starts having some disturbing visions.

Something off by gamerwednesdayaddams - Rated G

Series: 1 work

Ahsoka notices some strange things about her master.

[mahvaladara]

Arlo: Hey... You're still in college, right? Or at least were. Well fuck me, I have just made a dent in your education!

He laughs nervously. That worried him. He was ruining Fannar's life in so many ways. How was he to make up for this?

Arlo: You were studying Bio, right? Medicine specialization, right? 

They sit down in the rocking chair they noticed earlier, letting their body rest, putting the book they had brought with them on their lap for now. 

Fannar: Yeah.. last year before we go into at work training, so to say. -they sighed, they would have to catch up on that.. if they actually managed to get back home.- And I yes, biology, specialty in medicine. 

They looked at Arlo wondering a little why they asked this now, closing their eyes for a bit, just to relax a little extra, enjoying the feeling of the sun on their face. The weeks inside a basement had been rough that way, much like their mom, light did them good.

Arlo: I never told you, but I figured out my degree... -he laughed and sat next to Fannar- Heh! Arlo actually made up his mind. No ghost trees though...

He crossed a leg over the other, watching the dried up and withered bushes outside, his eyes falling over the freshly cleaned and planted soil.

Arlo: Oh! I still dabble in the occult! But no ghost plants yet. Just Death flowers. 

He watched Fannar.

Arlo: There's no degree in the occult. So, I picked biology so I could perfect herbology and alchemy, to hopefully be able to do something with my time. Had to finish highschool through exams but, I did it. Not a total failure.

And he looked at the sky. Pressing his lips to a thin line he sighed. His mind elsewhere, in all the endless possibilities of the Universe. He wondered, if out there, was a version of him, that had stayed at the old school and grown normal. No magic, no labels, no rot.

Arlo: In my failed existence, if there is one thing I want to do right, is find a way for there to be no need to hunt your kind. 

Fannar: Hey.. maybe that's what your attempts have been missing. - they let their hand rest on Arlo's shoulder, looking up at the sky. - You always tried alone, right? Maybe they need two.. like you said, one needs a dragon.. the other rot? Perhaps it's a symbiosis of some kind? 

They turned towards Arlo again.

Fannar: I hope you get to do more, like enjoy life, and perhaps it won't be a failed existence in the end?

Arlo stared at him. It would be enough if he found a way to send Fannar home. He just had to find a stable portal back there and be ready to fight his brother away. It would be easier if he had the flowers to convince him to stop. As much as he hated Apollo, he didn't want to kill him.

Arlo sighed. What a predicament he got himself into.

Arlo: How about you help me with my presentation?

Fannar: Presentation? - they tilted their head slightly.- What kind?

They stretched letting their feet hit the ground so they could rock the chair just a little, like the one his uncle had on his side of the house, that they still remembered finding River with Flynn sleeping in his arms just sitting there rocking gently to keep them asleep. He remembered crawling up into his arms and joining, there was always room for both. He just hoped that they were okay, and that his uncle had not lost Flynn, if didn't feel that way though, somehow.

Fannar: I can at least try, I mean if you tell me what type it is. 

Arlo: "Cowplants: Should you eat the cake?" -He laughs- I'll go get the material, and we can work together.

And he walked back into the cottage with a smile. It felt comfortable and different to just be doing this with Fannar. Even if he knew he had ruined their life. But he'd do his best to fix things. Find a way to send Fannar home without them losing more of their time. He'd make things right.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

**Cultivating Love**46**

Secretly Allura had always dreamed of what her life would be if she wasn’t a princess. She dreamed of exciting adventures and envied those able to undertake them. Now she was on her own adventure and it was not how she envisioned it. When Pidge and Lance had attacked the terrace she’d wanted to cheer for them. Shiro silencing her and dragging her off in his hold, instead of simply pointing out that maybe cheering loudly wasn’t that good of an idea. She even had a divine weapon in her hands, and a band of friends by her side… all the things she could dream of to make the adventure extra special. Except… as bad as it was… she wanted to see Lotor.

Her Lotor and Lance’s Lotor were different people in her mind. She couldn’t fathom him betraying them all the way he had. Her heart ached in sympathy for what he must have been through, and her brain wanted to slightly stab him repeatedly for using her the way he had. He’d never come across as the pervert prince Lance called him, at least not to her, and her pride was most definitely dented over it. She didn’t know what she was lacking. Why she was not good enough. Yet seeing he was a horrid man, she was grateful that he was before she got herself hurt by him.

Lying on the roof between Shiro and Keith, the pair were watching the scene below. How they could stand back and stay objective showed their own personal strength. Maybe if she was stronger she could have charged right in there and done something? She knew it was important to gather information, yet she wanted to be helping people and not hiding on a slippery roof.

“Shouldn’t we be doing something?”

Keith sighed as the words slipped from Allura’s mouth. She was kind of envious that she hadn’t gotten to go with Pidge and Hunk, seeing she knew Keith and Shiro were stubborn beyond words. She’d also noticed that the four of them spoke differently since returning from the demon realm, especially Pidge, and would have liked to ask more about the differences there. Patiently, Shiro asked

“Allura, are you scared?”

The courageous dreamer in her wanted to deny it outright. She did not wish to be coddled by Keith and Shiro, but who was she kidding?

“A little. I don’t know how to use Blue and I do not know what to do”

“We’ll keep you safe”

“I don’t want to be kept safe. I wish to help… yet… what if Blue won’t allow me to use the blade? I’m not a divine spirit beast”

It was Keith that answered instead of Shiro

“Look, the way I see it, you have the patience of a god as it is for putting up with Shiro and I for those six months. Gods are divine. Hence, you must have some divinity of your own. Lance knew you could handle Blue, he didn’t make the decision only because of his arm. He choose you to take Blue”

She didn’t expect that from with, Allura’s cheeks warming. She may have developed feelings for him if he wasn’t taken by Lance and Shiro in both heart and mind, and the fact that was the gentlest thing he had ever said to her when not speaking of Lance

“I’m sorry”

“Don’t be sorry, just don’t hesitate when the time comes. We’ll follow the roof along to the far end, then drop down to walkway. The others know what they are doing”

Allura supposed they did. The fox Pidge had made was beautiful, if not a little surprising in how robust it’s construction was

“I…”

“If you’re going to apologise again, I’ll have to get mad”

Allura snorted at Keith

“I was going to say I will follow your lead”

Shiro chuckled at the pair of them

“Don’t mind him. You don’t need to apologise. Let’s get moving again. We need to find our way down to the Emperor”

They were going to the Emperor?

“Sorry, when did we decide this?”

Shiro cautiously got to his feet so he was crouched beside Allura

“Just now. There’ll be plenty of guards there, and hopefully we’ll find others along the way that can fight with us. Plus, there is also the possibility that when they sealed the royal family, they were unaware of the spell traps laid by Zarkon’s supporters. Just because that spell hasn’t been completed doesn’t mean that another has and there could be demonic forces flowing in as we speak. Watch your footing, princess”

Following Keith, Allura somehow managed to keep her feet beneath her and reach the end of the roof in one piece. The drop from the roof at the end of the terrace wasn’t onto the same sort of walkway they’d climbed up from. Lowering himself, Keith made the drop with ease, despite it being a good four metres down. Pausing, she knew she couldn’t make the same jump. She’d never made such a jump before. Shiro making her jump

“Keith will catch you”

“Are you sure?”

“We’re not about to let you get hurt here. Go”

Shiro didn’t let her jump for herself, instead pushing her forward. Allura’s stomach dropping for the short moment it took to fall into Keith’s arms, then flatted Keith in the process. Annoyingly, Shiro landed next to them as lightly as Keith had. Both of them glaring up at him as he chuckled, then offered his hand to her

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Lance you jumped on Keith”

Taking Shiro’s hand, Allura’s glare was fierce

“I didn’t have the chance to jump, I was pushed off the edge”

“But were you really? Keith, are you okay?”

“Idiot. She didn’t have time to go limp. Help me up”

Allura stepped aside so Keith could get up, only he swept Shiro’s legs out from under him before jumping to his feet. Shiro much more slowly getting back on his. Obviously she hadn’t hurt Keith by falling on him, so she let herself giggle at the pair of them as Keith proudly stated

“Now we’re even”

“Really?”

Keith drew Black. Even if she was not divine in the same way as the others, Allura could feel the energy of Black. It was very different from Blue and Red… again she wished she’d asked the others for more information when she’d had the chance

“Yes. Allura, you weren’t hurt were you?”

“No, I’m quite alright, Keith. Thank you for catching me”

“It’s fine. You don’t weigh as much as Lance… wait, don’t tell him I said that”

“I won’t. Should I draw Blue?”

Patting her shoulder, Shiro shook his head

“Keith gets angry if he feels that he isn’t doing enough. Think of Black as his safety blanket”

“Black isn’t my safety blanket. Unlike you, I’m attempting to be prepared”

“And there you go again. This is why Lance teases you about your temper”

“He wouldn’t have to tease me if our realm wasn’t in danger”

“Then what about all the other times? Do we need to talk about it?”

“No, you need to stop showing off”

“Says you”

Giggling at the pair, they both turned towards her. Allura holding up her hands in mock surrender

“I’m sorry. I’m happy you two are speaking again so casually. Perhaps we should get moving? I don’t want to be found so easily thanks to you both bickering”

Shooting Shiro an annoyed look, Keith then started walking along the walling

“Well, what are you waiting for? Zarkon is hardly going to stop himself”

*

Despite the central forces gathered in the terrace, their group had come across another one of the hooded figures that had been keeping the hostages contained within the terrace. One moment Shiro had been by her side and the next Allura found herself caged by Keith’s body and the hooded stranger dispatched by Shiro. She wasn’t completely sure the stranger was dead until Shiro had taken them by the feet, dragging them out the hallway and into a side room. Clearly he’d done this before. All of it happened so fast that once again Allura felt lacking.

Following Shiro, Keith closed the door behind them. Shiro kneeling next to the figure as he peeled off their mask to reveal the face of a demon. A shudder ran down Allura’s spine. Despite being a demon, the person looked relatively young, no older than herself and at the very max Shiro.

“Keith, do you recognise them?”

“No. They weren’t in the pits with us”

“Okay. I’m going to seal their residual energy. Keep an eye on the door, take Allura out with you”

“Got it”

Following Keith outside the room, Allura didn’t understand why they’d followed Shiro in, only to be kicked out again

“What’s Shiro going to do?”

“Remove the heart. Normally demonic beasts rot away once they’ve been slain. In this case he’s removing the heart to prevent them from rising again. Once the heart is out, Shiro will purify it and it’ll crumble”

“Oh”

“We don’t do this often. Even if they would have chosen to return to battlefield mindless, they can’t voice their opinions when they’re dead”

“This is true. Keith, have you done this a lot? I mean… sneaking around and… doing this?”

“Not like this. Maybe once or twice in the last decade it’s been somewhere of importance. We both prefer a proper battlefield where those who die, die with honour. We’ll hold a bonfire for those corrupted once this has ended and hopefully their souls will be able to find peace”

There was something in Keith’s tone that made Allura think of Lance

“Lance will be alright”

Sighing at her, Keith gave the smallest of nods

“I know. I’m still worried. He easily fell for Sendak’s trap. I’m worried that he hadn’t ingested enough divine energy to keep his heart and mind pure”

“He seemed level headed enough”

“He wasn’t at all. I’ve been right there with him on more than one battlefield. He’s never been alright with taking a life. Not really, despite the circumstances. Plus, when he and Pidge get together they tend to bring out their competitive spirits thanks to Lance’s natural powers as a divine fox and Pidge’s illusions”

“Hunk will be okay too, right?”

Allura watched as Keith’s ears twitched. She doubted that Keith doubted Hunk, yet he probably did in the moment as he was not with Lance

“Hunk is a natural healer. He’s got strength and skills. He’s also the same as Lance and likely to go too far to protect those he loves… a bit like us. Um, I know this is not the right time, yet, thank you for everything. For saving Lance, and for your hospitality. I wasn’t the easiest person and I…”

“You don’t need to explain. As long as you three have talked, that’s all I need to know”

“We have. I miss and love Shiro, but the wound in my heart has faded, yet not left. Never mind, this is not the place”

“I’m sorry. I wanted to meddle when you were with me. You’re both so stubborn”

“So I’m told. I think perhaps you’re stubborn too, only hide it better”

Allura wanted to laugh, yet thought better of it seeing they were now inside

“I cannot deny that. There are a lot of things I wished I done. I wish I could have more faith. I wished I’d asked more about all of you”

“You’re fine the way you are. You can ask what you want to ask when we’re all together again”

“You know, I think the demon realm was good for you. You’ve been much gentler since you returned”

“You can blame Lance for that… Get back in the room, someone is coming”

“I can…”

“You can stay safe. Tell Shiro for me. The worst of it should be done by now”

Wanting to protest, Allura forced herself back into the room, making sure to close the door as quietly behind her as she could. Shiro had done what he’d needed to, the room smelling of blood badly enough for cover her nose. Wiping his hands off on the edge of his robe, Shiro frowned at her

“Allura?”

“Keith said someone is coming and sent me in”

“Right. Wait here. I’ll check the situation”

Again Allura wanted to protest… and again she did as she was told. Moving away from the door so Shiro could check outside. Too curious, she moved up behind him, peaking around Shiro but unable to see enough

“What is it? Is Keith okay?”

“Wait here. Keep the door shut”

“Wait…”

Shoved back by Shiro, the door was closed. It was then that Allura got another shiver up her spine. As she turned, to her horror the slain demon sat up. Its purple eyes fixing her straight in its undead gaze. Keith had only just told her moments ago this wouldn’t happen and now it had. Instead of remaining calm, Allura panicked, grabbing the door handle and trying her hardest to open it, only to find no give. She was trapped inside with a demon and no idea what to do, other than to hope Blue would accept her.

[knittingmachinepumpkin]

Knitting Machine Pumpkin

It's that time of year again! You want as many pumpkins for your fall market as possible, and the knitting machine is your most useful tool. If you've never made one before, please allow me to assist you.

Creating pumpkins on the circular knitting machine is so fun! You can make them so many different ways and colors. You can add things to make them unique and beautiful, themed, anything you want! I am currently in the midst of full-on market prep for my first market of the year, and only one of two that I do yearly, so I'm trying to make all I can.

This quick tutorial will show how to do a basic large pumpkin. I've created a video, and I'll also type out what I did as best I can for those (like me) who have a hard time following videos.

So, let's get to it!

To create knitting machine pumpkins, you'll need to know the basics of the circular knitting machine: how to cast on, how to cast off, how to "double-up," which means you fold one half inside the other, as if you're making a beanie. There are many tutorials on how to do all of these things on YouTube, if you're unsure how.

To make the large pumpkin above, I used a thin gold yarn that came in a blanket-making kit years and years ago, so I don't know the exact weight or name of the yarn. I used two strands, however, because it is a thin yarn.

You will also need scissors, a tapestry needle, and stuffing

First, you cast on to your big machine (either an Addi 46 or a Sentro 48), set your yarn into your feeder and tensioner (I used the smallest tension for my pumpkin), and carry on cranking!

Crank out 80 rows

Cast off of your machine with a long tail

pull both ends closed

double your work

tie the tails together to secure and close the pumpkin

turn your work inside out so that the tails are inside now, cut them short and reserve them for later.

Thread the longest tail onto your tapestry needle. Pick up your work and pinch the open end closed, take the needle and weave in and out of every other stitch around the end. This creates a drawstring that will help you close that side.

Stuff the pumpkin, firmly but not too much.

Now, I usually go back through those stitches to double-secure the opening. Tie the tails together 2-3 times. (Be careful not to pull too hard because sometimes yarn breaks and it's frustrating)

DO NOT cut the tails yet.

To create the sections of the pumpkin, you may want to refer to the video because I'm sure I can't explain it in a way where people will understand. But I shall try!

Using your longest tail, wrap the yarn around the ball, lined up with the stitches and rows, put your needle into the middle of the pumpkin from the bottom and pull it through the top. Pull it tight to create a dent in the ball.

Do the same thing several more times, several rows away from each dent.

Tie the tails and hide them.

Now you're done with your Knitting Machine Pumpkin!

That's it! That's all you have to do to make a pumpkin!

Hopefully this helps you out in your market-planning

NOTES

I crocheted the stem and leaf on my pumpkin with just some simple stitches, I didn't write the pattern down, but there are many people with stem and leaf patterns for free all over Pinterest.

Also try creating a green icord with a crochet hook or machine, inserting a wire or pipe cleaner and curling it like a vine. (I have a photos of one below that I made for a finger knit pumpkin)

The small brown pumpkin was made using 40 rows. The same kind of yarn was used, but in brown

The video:

To create a stack, you need three pumpkins

Pumpkin rows:

40 60 80

Using a long tail or piece of yarn, sew the pumpkins together in the middle. Decorate as you want!

(For my stack, I used cinnamon sticks and E6000 glue)

Now, go out there and get your market prep on!

If you found this helpful in any way, or if you just love the photos and the row counts, please share it with all your creator friends!

Thank you and God bless you in your endeavors!

"He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;"

Daniel 2:21

[chimeracreations-art]

GOAT Report: January 2023

Going to try and start doing like little post month reports as each one goes on, just for a bit of funzys and also to keep ya'll in the loop. so i guess the first thing we talk about is the good stuff.

So what were some of the positive thing i think I'm pretty happy about that i did or started in January.

- well we one thing i think i can say so far is iv just been really happy and having a fun time creating videos on YouTube, started doing this last year in December with a video on one of the BattleTech novels iv read and since no one in my local group is reading the current book as they there are just gamers or are not in the current sluff as there reading though the dark age book atm and so i just wanted to get my thoughts out there and people have been digging it. it also help people find out what what about some stuff too as i talked about some of the Kickstarter info and what not. going to try an shoot for one video a mouth atm as i really like reading a book or sourcebook and talking bout and learning more about BattleTech lore as i get further and further into it.

- my general skill development and work on trying to make different kinds of stuff has been pretty good, as my last few YCH have been looking very very good to me. i feel extra proud of the mommies and cookies, Casual Jerk-day and Mobile Fursuits G-witch Stickers all came out, the lighting and shading on all these as well some cartooning and use of perspective and pose work all made me real happy, same with the tank and the aliens design wip too (will be working on those soon so expect some adopts in a bit). over all just real happy with the quality bump iv had with those bits of work.

Starting getting plans set up to start an etsy store were you can buy stickers and prints later this year.

- the last thing i think I'm real happy with is the launch of my patreon as iv got 2 cool folk over there and i feel real happy about it.

the neutral - my out put for this month was ok, i got all my YCH finished and most of my commission done but iv got a few left over private commissions that still need to be done along with a design com for a friend that'll be working on this month. alongside that i ended up grabbing a room for FWA which while good put a dent into my profits this month but hopeful will pay off later down the road and also be fun. what kinda stinks is i got an extra room for some people and since it was a rush get it now or no room and then we'd have to do the drive up stuff i got the rooms and the other two ended up not being able to make it so atm I'm debating and talking with some other friends who might be able to buy the room or cancel the extra room's reservation as I'll only lose 187 buck at that point instead of the 600 and some.

- kinda fail a bit on streaming recently as iv just been to tired or sleepy to stream, not the worst thing since streaming is something i do to try and give myself a specific date and time to play games and get my dumb brain to not be in uber work mode all the time.

- sleep schedule good back to poop again.

- beside those it just kinda been hating the weather here in Georgia atm, cold as shit and rainy, wish i could just sit outside for a bit just so i could have some place outside the house to relax for a bit but it awful to do that atm since it been so cold, hopefully thing will get a little tolerable this month were i can at least feel ok sitting outside with a jacket as i do like sitting in our backyard to eat lunch or try and watch thing instead of inside the house.

The bad or the things i need to work on.

- kinda was a lazy ass and took a bit to get the one of the appointment to start getting my teeth fixed so that kinda sucked but i got the first one set up and so hopefully I'll have the holes in my teeth looked at and then done up soon and fixed real soon.

- still not happy with not working to much on my own projects and just wanting to create more ME stuff as i go but i might do some thing to help with that and hopefully the patreon will as well. like my NSFW stuff is good if still in my opinion could be developed further (if i had the time every YCH and doodle would probably have a fucking background and nice lighting like the mommies and cookies one, casue fuck do i just want to develop some of the idea more and add to like the idea of the piece, some would still be just void background but still i want to put more time into individual pics.)

- looking at house/apartments has started and is good but thing are not looking the best atm with prices and then the cost of amenities, a few spots have gone down a little but everything that not in an area were people don't get murder and others a lot is a bit rough or hard to get even with roommate splitting the costs . so while I'm hopeful at looking at places and eventually moving out, they are sorta still pissing me off a bit and might result in me raising prices along with my want to just do more things for myself.

- the discord is taking way longer to get set up then i thought and mix that with most of my time be put towards come has delayed it way more than i wanted to but im going to try and get some time into making some progress on it but ATM i make an announcement when it be ready to open.

and that all my immediate thought on looking back on January not a bad month not an amazing month ether just simple fairy plain work-month basically.

also if you didn't see them or know about stuff here links to my YouTube and patreon

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6.....1HTbgxVMDLU1eA

[hereintheinbetween]

I wish I could describe to you the noice I just left out something between a whale, a yodeling cat and a snort 😭😭

I've literally been on my phone disassociating for hours so brace yourself

**I referred to the female character as "her" even tho its supposed to be the reader just to make things less weird

First and foremost shes giving me Little mermaid vibes. I'm here for it tho. As someone who had some serious restrictions growing up, I think it's only natural to wonder what's outside your boundaries

I think that her stubbornness and determination is probably part of what's attractive to him. Imagine wanting something so bad you were willing to literally risk everything for it? Also, his people literally worship him and have his whole life. It has to be a bit refreshing to encounter someone who doesn't fully fall in line. Even tho he's very much in a position of power still, she's kind of a slight resistance to him by breaking his biggest rule. As contradicting as it is I get why he likes the defiance.

Her constantly wandering further towards the boarders (so to speak) also gives me Moana vibes... I finally made a Disney plus account yesterday. Sue me (gotta brace for BPWF coming to streaming lol)

The way he tossed a whole person on to dry land like the catch of the day was hot as hell. It shouldn't have been, but it was. The strength. The aggression 🤌

"Do as he says and he will spare you. No matter what he asks." Namora... what kinda deals have you seen make before to say this?? 🤔🤨

Someone should not be able to manage charm while threatening to lie to your parents about your death. The fact you managed that is A+ writing. I sound sarcastic but I mean that sincerely, I'm just judging myself (down BAD)

The smut is well written and I'm going to use what's left of my composure to not act a fool over it but... EVERY other night?? Several times a night?? Got damn can she walk swim?!

Idk if you've ever seen the movie Like Mike but this same thing happens. There's an orphan who asks to meet potential families that want to adopt him. The person running the orphanage wants to keep him there as he's generating money. So he sets up the WORST families for the boy to interview with. It was about as affective as it was here but also hilarious. It should have been obvious it wouldn't work. If someone is optimistic and is shown all the bad of a situation, it will just make the good that much more alluring. I like that she unintentionally forced him to acknowledge the good of the world. Even he can't dent the beauty of certain places. Plus assuming they went on land somewhere in Mexico, it really is beautiful.

does he somehow have a Spidey sense for pregnancy cause....

i wonder who goes to get her for him and if they have any idea what's going on 🤔

This shows a really great progression of the relationship in a condensed way. It's almost like a montage was painted without it being explicitly described. I admire that. The same with the sex. You feel the shift to things being more tender. Accurately depicting emotions during sex/sexual situations is hard. Even movies often struggle to get it right. Being able to do it thru words is a skill I do NOT have (at least not yet) so you should be proud of yourself.

I said it already but I hope there's a part two. This would honestly be fun to read as a fullblown series because of how much there is to tell. There's a bunch of perspectives you could touch on (his thru their time together, hers as she fails at dating, namora catching her/seeing things develop between them, her parents failing at discouraging her etc. ) My mind is literally hardwired to think of all these different "what ifs". I get that your probably working on a bunch of different things for the same reason tho so I respect that.

behold my random ass unhinged thoughts and comments *takes a bow*. The days over so I'm kinda late, but hopefully all this helps you have a better day tomorrow.

Namor likes to find you and use you whenever he pleases. It's a deal you have. He has full access and your family will never find out that you visit the surface.

ooh interesting. A little bit of dark Namor I think.

Summary: It was a scandalous secret you kept with the King, of all people. He took you to the surface to quell your curiosity and in exchange your body belonged to him.

Kind of Yandere!Namor some smut.

Namor hated the surface world. He knew the danger it posed to his people so he actively kept them from it. The only Talokanil that ever saw the surface were those who fought beside and for their king. But in such a sheltered place, no matter how peaceful and self sufficient, there would always be a curious few who wanted to see the world outside.

The King ordered his soldiers to stop any Talokanil who may venture too far from the kingdom or try to see the surface world. It was for their own good that they be kept in the confines of Talokan.

You were one such member of Talokan who yearned to see the surface. To feel the legendary sun on your skin and to see how atrocious it was with your own eyes. You had slowly been testing your luck, swimming closer and closer to the surface at the far edges of the country.

Between the underwater ravines was the only place that no one could see you. One day you finally broke the surface, keeping your eyes above water while you still breathed beneath the surface. The sun was dazzling, the sky a shade of blue you had never seen before. You longed to rise up further and feel the sunlight on the rest of your face, but suddenly you were dragged back into the water.

There was a firm grip on your ankle as you were pulled back into the sea. You couldn't shake off your captor as they sped through the water, through the cyclones and the darkness. Soon, you were surrounded by underwater caves. You stopped fighting and felt your heart sink as you recognized who was dragging you, the King.

Suddenly you were thrown up into one of the caves, broke the surface of the water, and landed harshly on the dry stone. It only took moments for you to begin gasping for water. You had fallen hard onto your hip and couldn't get yourself to stand with the constricting of your lungs keeping you on your knees. You began crawling back towards the pool only for the tanned and winged feet of the King to come into your vision.

With his foot he turned you onto your back. You continued to choke on the air as he crouched over you. From your peripheral you could see the King's commander, Namora, hand something to the King.

"Hush," K'uk'ulkan bent over you and grabbed you by your jaw. You could feel yourself going lightheaded until he placed a breather over your mouth and nose. The rush of water brought you instant relief. The King watched as you regained your senses than stood up.

"Namora, bring her to my tent when she can stand," K'uk'ulkan commanded as he disappeared into the hall of caves.

You took deep breathes and sat up slowly. Namora approached you, shaking her head in disappointment. She offered you her hand as she spoke, "Silly girl. You will regret trying so hard to reach the surface. K'u'kulkan is not pleased."

You could feel yourself shaking, not from the cold but from the fear of being punished. Your parents had told you since childhood to stop daydreaming about the surface world. They had warned you that it was a huge offense to K'uk'ulkan to seek out the outside lands. But you never listened. Even when your father punished you when he found you on the outskirts of the country for the first time. Even when your mother had yelled at you for being insolent and too stubborn for you own good. Now the person who could truly make you regret it had already threatened your life by dragging you so suddenly into the air.

On shaky feet you followed Namora down the halls to a tent that sat in the center of a much larger cave. She left you at the flap entrance and gave you one last look, "Do as he says and he will spare you. No matter what he asks."

With those words as her parting gift, Namora dove into a pool to the side of the tent.

"Come," The voice of the King called to you.

You entered the tent to see the King sitting on a stool, a cape covered his shoulders and part of his chest now. He was writing something in a journal, not looking up at you. You bowed deeply then showed the sign of respect with your hands, "K'uk'ulkan. I am honored to be in your presence."

The King scoffed and looked up from his writings, "Come."

He commanded as he put the book and brush down on a small table next to him. You approached him slowly, not meeting his eyes as he observed you. You could practically feel his eyes raking across your body. Your hands were clasped in front of you and you focused on them. His tan hand found your clasped ones and he pulled you close to him.

You stood now between his spread thighs. From your standing position you were taller than him and looking upon his face. You had never seen the King up close before. The rumors of his handsome face were not unfounded, he was as godly as he was said to be. The piercing eyes, the curve of his nose, and the smirk on his lips. Your heart was racing at the proximity. You could feel his thighs against your own, he ran warmer than anyone you had ever met.

"You are beautiful for such a curious fool," the King mused as he leaned back to look at you. The back handed compliment was unexpected. You looked away, embarrassed. But the king nudged your chin with his knuckle to make you meet his eyes again, "Do you wish to see the surface world?"

You hesitated. You knew he knew the answer, that's why he had so violently dragged you there. But he still waited expectantly, his eyes glimmering with mischief.

"Yes, I've always wanted to see it," You replied, trying not to let your voice tremble in the face of the King.

A smile alighted his lips as he stood, keeping you close to him, your front flush against him. He roughly grabbed your jaw with his hand, looking into your eyes, "What price would you pay to see the surface?"

"Price?" You asked, trying to ignore the heat rising to your cheeks.

His hand moved from your jaw to your cheek, "I can grant you your wish to see the surface, keep it a secret from the rest of Talokan, if you strike a deal with me."

"If I don't?" You asked, defiantly,

The King chuckled in amusement, "I kill you and tell your parents you ventured to the surface like the fool that you are, where you were killed by surface dwellers."

You gulped loudly, surprised by the callous way he threatened your life while still smiling slightly down at you.

"So will you make a deal?" He asked, stroking your cheek affectionately. You tried not to flinch.

"What is the price?" You asked, shivering under his touch.

"You are the price. You will be mine. You will come to my palace whenever I call for you," He purred the words against your cheek, a tinge of amusement in his voice. The King wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you closer, his hand still on face. "And whenever you wish to see the surface I will take you."

Your heart was racing. You were no young maiden ready to be handed off to a husband. You had accepted a life alone with your fantasies of the surface. The very curiosity that had made many Talokanil turn away from you as an option to court. Now here was your option of not only survival, but getting what you always wished for, more than anything in the whole of Talokan.

"What say you?" The King asked, looking down into your face.

"Deal."

~~~

K'uk'ulkan captured your lips in a consuming kiss as he thrust into you. His hands were around your face while you clawed at his back. Your legs were hooked around his waist as he pounded into the softness of your pussy. You whimpered at the assault on your senses. No matter how many times he took you it was always so intense.

He pulled away, wrapped a hand around your throat, cutting off your blood flow as he sat up and fucked your pussy deeper. You held onto his wrist looking up at the King as his eyes bore into your own. Then with a grunt and three hard thrusts he came. K'uk'ulkan released your neck and peppered your jawline with kisses as he pulled out of you.

You were breathing heavily, body melting into his large bed. He was particularly insatiable tonight. You had lost track of how many times he had filled you, and how many times he had made you cum for him. The King pulled you into his side and kissed your forehead softly. The gesture no longer surprising despite the disconnect of the soft affection to the hard way he used you.

The King had called for you every other night since the deal you had struck with him. During the days when he didn't call you, he would take you to explore the surface.

K'uk'ulkan had been sure to show you the worst of the surface world. He explained the wars, the colonization, and the destruction that had befallen each end of the Earth. He had taken you on a tour of the waste lands, of the ruined waterways, and the polluted tributaries. He tried hard to make you hate the surface world the way he did.

But eventually, realizing that your curiosity was not satiated, he began showing you the beauty left behind. The jungles, the oases of the world, and the elegance of some of the modern societies. He relished in the stories of the ancestors you shared with some of the surface dwellers and how remnants of the old civilizations still remained. You were fascinated in the new world, and enamored by the man who showed it to you.

It was wrong in so many ways, falling for a King who would strike up such a salacious deal. But he had been kind to you in that aspect. That first night he had been gentle. He had taken his time, showing you every part of your body and his that could bring pleasure. The way K'uk'ulkan looked at you when you shared his bed would convince anyone that you were too precious for the world.

You were ashamed to admit that you had fallen so easily under his charms. His kisses and touches pulling wanton moans from you so quickly it made him chuckle against your thigh before he tasted your center. The King had taught you what it meant to be worshipped with his fingers, tongue, and cock.

Some days he was rougher than others. You could tell when a day like that was coming because he would be more quiet when he adventured to the surface with you the day before. The following night when he would call you to his chambers he would waste no time in ripping you from your clothes, throwing you on the bed, and shoving himself inside you.

You hated yourself for liking his rough and dominant side more than the gentle one. He knew this. That's why on nights like this one when he had torn your clothes and told you to get on your knees and take him into your mouth, he had swiped his hand between your legs on your way down. He would lick your arousal from his hand as you took his hard cock into your mouth. The King punctuated his thrusts into your mouth with praises of how wet you were for him every time.

It was now a muscle memory response. The moment someone came to take you to him, your thighs would grow slick with anticipation. You were hungry for him and he had trained that hunger into you.

As you lay in his arms now, he reached over, sliding his hand down your belly to the apex of your thighs. He nudged you to kiss him as he thrust his fingers into your pussy, making you moan.

"Ride me," he whispered into your cheek and you obeyed. You straddled his waist and thrust down onto his hard cock. K'uk'ulkan let his hands roam up and down your body as you fucked him. He pinched your nipple and guided your hips. The King smirked at you as you moaned.

You shifted the angle as you leaned down to capture his lips in a wet kiss. Your tongues swiping against each other. You shifted your hips again and the deep moan he made in response made you smile.

"You siren," he mumbled against your mouth before he flipped you over. He hooked your leg up onto his shoulder as he thrust furiously into you again. You whimpered and moaned with each thrust. You were so close.

"K'uk'ulkan," You barely moaned.

"Tell me what you need, precious girl," he kissed your leg, and palmed your breast as he continued his steady pace.

"I'm so close, please. My king, please."

"Please what?" He smiled down at you again with that mischievous smirk.

"Please make me cum," You moaned, grinding into his thrusts.

"Gladly," his fingers found your clit and he rubbed it in time with his thrusts. You felt yourself grow wetter and more sensitive by the second, '"Cum for me, in yakunaj,"

The words took you by surprise just as the tidal wave of your orgasm crested and hit. You moaned loudly as the King continued his thrusts and ministrations on your clit. You felt his cum spurt inside of you as you came down from the mind shattering pleasure of cumming on the King's cock. A luxury you were now used to.

He did not pull out of you as he pulled your leg back down around his waist. K'uk'ulkan seated himself deeper making both of you groan. He leant forward and leaned his forehead against yours as your heaving breaths intermingled.

The gently kiss he gave you was surprising. Coy almost in how he barely touched your lips. When you opened your eyes there was something in his that was unreadable. Then he pulled away from you completely and left the bed, and the room.

You lay there dumbfounded. Why had he just left you? What had you done wrong? At that moment you felt a queasiness in your stomach that had you rushing to the lavatory to empty your belly of its contents. The King did not return as you sat in the lavatory dry heaving.

....

I know, I know, I left it open ended again. I can't help it.

all comments and reviews and reblogs and tags are appreciated and welcomed.

[theloveablesociopath]

Muted Colors

Chapter 1: From The Fallen Dice.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem reader.

Warnings: none really, slight cursing.

She/her pronouns

Summery: you’re quite, yet something about you pulls eddy in. Eddie had always assumed he was the weirdest person in school, until he noticed he was just the loudest.

(Reader is not dumb. Just a little scatterbrained and likes to daydream)

Disclaimer: I haven’t written a fic in 3 years but I used to be pretty decent at it. Also I’m dyslexic, but for the most part I try my very best to write and spell everything correctly.(with autocorrect) I’m confident that if you look past the grammar mistakes, you’ll hopefully like my story.

This is mostly an introduction chapter, you and Eddie’s first real meeting.

————————————————-

She sat alone, everyday.

Eddie always wondered why that was, no one was ever alone, the groups and the clubs of the school was so crowded together it was like a sea.

Yet she, seemed to be surrounded by emptiness.

No one even sat near her, talked to her or waved at her.

And rarely did he ever see her say anything to anyone else.

He wasn’t much better he guessed. He never made the effort to speak to her either, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want to.

He was just scared, nervous that she really just wanted to be alone, and liked it that way.

And so he mostly, just observed her. Always From a distance, and always replaying these questions in his head.

She wore baggy cuffed blue jeans nearly every day, always stained with some sort of paint, or even cluttered with pen drawings.

Her shirts where always colorful, stripped, dotted, splattered or spiraled but never solid. They where baggy as well, tucked into her jeans, held in by a multitude of different belts that rotated every day.

Each arm that stuck out from the shirts always covered by some sort of colored undershirt, rain or shine, hot or cold.

He had noticed recently, your shoes where odd as well, they never changed per say but each day he saw a different color of shoelaces poking out from the tongue.

Her hair jutted out, unkept and erratic sputtering around her head like an untrained hedge.

And always, propped up on her painted denim knees, was a notebook. Corners crinkled and dented from the cord of her headphones, that tangled around her chest.

Her style was violent, yet not in the literal sense. It assaulted the eyes of those who saw her, screaming it’s individuality like a dragon spits fire.

Her personality, though quite, was enduring, the kind of strange that painted colors with her silence.

And yet her soul was overlooked, molded into the background like a tack on a poster.

As if nothing she projected had offered anything to others, and Eddie, did. Not. Get. It.

——————

He was so nervous to approach you, and so he just stared from across the room, watched you day after day, through the corners of his eyes or sometimes head on.

You never lifted your head, even durning his outbursts and sometimes he wished, just once. That you would lift your eyes and see him.

See him, observe him, the way he observed you.

“Eddieeee, Eddieee, EDDIE!”

Eddie snapped his head up, as dustin waved a hand in front of his face, breaking the trance that held his eyes on you.

“Huh?” He pipped “what?”

“Dude your doing it again.” Dustin signed.

“If your so curious why don’t you just go talk to her.”

“What? Who?” Eddie questioned . “I’m just spacing out.”

Dustin laughed, “sure. Yeah. You know I thought so too at first. But you always ‘space out’ at the same exact spot every day. And the only person in that spot, is (y/n)”

Eddie leaned back in his chair, glancing his eyes across the room at you again.

“Listen I’m just wondering why she always sits alone.” He dismissed. Shrugging.

“So…. Why don’t you just ask her? Or have her come sit with us.” Dustin suggested. Really not seeing the problem.

Sure you where quite but maybe you just needed a little push

“No. No. It’s fine. I’m sure she just likes it that way.”

“Hmm. Alright…. We’ll anyway back to what I was trying to say-“ Dustin began before a loud excited yell stopped him in his tracks.

“DUDE DUDE DUDE.” Mike was running up to the table, holding a small drawstring sack.

“YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT I JUST SCORED.” He began to open the bag.

“LOOK AT THESE DICE.”

He dumped the bag out on the table smiling wide as the multitude of brightly colored dice spilled onto it clattering around, Cascading in all directions.

The D20 rolled off the side of Dustin, as he reached his hand out to catch it, missing it completely and watching as it bounced and rolled across the floor.

Before stopping as it hit the side of your shoe.

You looked up from your notebook, setting it aside as you peered down at a spiraled yellow and blue die sat perched against your foot.

You reached up, moving your headphones down to your neck and lifting your head to find the source on the plastic object.

From across the room you locked eyes with a group of boys, all starring in slight concern.

Typical. You thought. You weren’t sure why people looked like they’ve seen a ghost when you notice them.

You got up, setting your things aside and making your way from your spot on the floor, to the table of wide eyed strangers.

He watched you from where he sat, heart slightly panicked as he realized you where coming over to him.

He watched as your hand twirled the dice, eyes examining the colorful features.

You stopped in front of him, looking up from the dice and right into his soft brown eyes.

“Yours?” You questioned blankly.

“U- uh, n-no, no his.” He pointed at mike.

Your eyes moved to mike, a blank faced stare still present on your face.

“Hmm” you hummed. Tossing the dice to him as he quickly reached to catch it.

“Thanks.” He said.

“Pretty.” You stated.

“What?”

“The dice.”

For some reason mike looked puzzled by your statement, and you where confused as to why. Small talk, you thought. It’s just small talk right.

You moved your eyes back down to Eddie, sitting in front of you looking very flustered.

You locked eyes with him, staring for what seemed like forever as he remained Entranced in your gaze. And then you smiled, broke the eye contact and turned around, walking back to your spot on the floor.

Eddie sat there, confused, nervous, and completely flustered. Watching as you sat back down, picking up your notebook and kept your eye fixed on it.

“Dude. What the hell was that.” Dustin broke the silence.

“She never talks. Like ever.” Mike added.

“I don’t think Iv ever even heard her voice.” Garth mentioned.

Eddie looked back at the boys, eyes dropping to the table as thoughts bubbled in his mind.

“Why did she smile at you Eddie?” Dustin asked.

“Hm? Oh. Uh. I’m not sure.”

“I rarely see her do anything but stare at things, blank. Like she has no thoughts.” Mike laughed.

“Shut up.” Eddie jutted. Face suddenly fixed with a scowl.

“Dude why are you upset?” Mike stared back at Eddie, confusion plastered on his face.

“I just think you shouldn’t judge her.” He sighed. “After all people judge us enough, you know how it feels.”

“Right, yeah I didn’t mean it as a bad thing.”

————-

When the bell rang, the crowd of students poured out of the doors, hustling to their classes.

But not Eddie, sure he’d make it to class, but whats the point in the rush? He thought.

He slowly threw away his lunch, stopping at the bathroom for a bit before casually walking to his class.

As he rounded the empty hall way, he stopped in his tracks as his eyes ross up from his ring clad fingers, to see your frame in the distance near the lockers.

You where struggling with your locker, putting in random numbers on the dile before quickly realizing over and over that it wouldn’t open.

Soon your head slumped against the locker, arms dangling in front of you.

Dammit. You thought. I swear I know the numbers.

As you stood head balancing your body against the lockers, you saw a pair of white shoes emerge in the corner of your vision.

You rotated your head to the side, looking up at the owner of the shoes, seeing the same pair of eyes you admired in the lunchroom.

You said nothing, blankly side eyeing Eddie.

“Uhh. Do you need any help?” He asked, eyes struggling to remain on yours.

“Hmm.” You hummed pushing yourself up and straightening your back, eyes shifting to your locked and bringing a hand up to your chin.

“Yes.” You stated. With a slight nod of your head as if you thought long and hard about your situation.

Eddie laughed lightly, reaching up to the dile on your locker.

“What’s your combination?” He asked.

And for some reason your mind went blank.

“Could be…” you trailed. “5” stated, fisted hand coming to hit your open palm lightly.

Eddie quirked a brow at you.

“5?” He repeated.

You nodded.

“And uh, what else?”

You stood there, gears turning in your head.

“5s my favorite number, so it must be that, and maybe a 7? That’s like my third favorite number, and maybe a 2 since I like the way the locker clicks when it hits 2. But also 0 makes a good sound and I like 0 because they look like o’s” you said.

You looked up at Eddie.

His brows raised and mouth slightly open. He has never heard you say more then 2 words, let alone ramble.

You wondered why he was staring at you like that. Maybe he didn’t hear you? Or was he just not a fan of numbers?

“Uh… ok.” He said. “5720”

He tried it, seeing that it didn’t budge when he pulled on it.

“Anything else we could try?” He asked

“Maybe that one?” You said pointing to the locker beside it.

“Wait.” He stopped, utterly confused.

“You don’t even know if this is the right one?”

He watched you puzzled, as you sighed and looked around, in deep thought again.

“I know that it’s in this hall.” You stated. Not really understanding why it was weird.

“This hall?!” His voice rose, more out of shock then anger.

And he began to laugh, a smile wide on his face.

“You’re not all there are you?” He questioned a smile still on his face, reaching his eyes as he looked down at yours.

You looked confused.

“What do you mean?” You asked.

“Oh uh nothing…. Heh… Anyway it would take a long time to go to every locker, why don’t you just put your stuff in mine for now, class is already halfway done and you can borrow my books since we’re in the same grade.” He offered, sorta happy that he gets to get to help you out. But also still laughing inside at your forgetfulness.

You thought for a moment.

“Brilliant.” You stated, you reached down and grabbed your notebook that had fallen to the ground.

You turned to Eddie.

You walked behind him as he lead you down the hall, stopping at the very last locker at the end.

He put in his combination, opening his locker and motioning inside.

“What class do you have after this one? By the time you get there it will be over so why not just prepare for the next one?” He asked.

“Uhhhh….. Science.” You stated.

He nodded grabbing his science textbook out and giving it to you.

“Thanks.”

You said.

“No problem. Do you wanna put your notebook in here?” He asked

“No.” You shook your head. “Can’t.”

“Why not?” He looked down at the notebook you had tucked under your arms.

“What would I do in class?”

He thought for a moment. Maybe she just takes a lot of notes. Even during lunch.

“Ok well, I guess I’ll see you after science?” He asked

“Yes.” You said curtly nodding your head at him, then turned on your heals and walked towards the other halls.

“Uh ok, see you.” He mumbled watching you shuffle down the hall.

His mind rolled with the events of today.

She’s odd, but it’s kinda cute.

((Please let me know what you think and if you like it. I’m gonna try to post chapter 2 tomorrow.))

[static-fanatic-1]

Chrollo +PT Part 2 is finally out! I also figured it a name for the son, Akura. Enjoy! 7.7k words and it almost didn’t fit in the post RIP.

| Part 1 | 

~~~

"Eat lead Uvo."

"Already checked off the bucket list (y/n/n)."

God, you hated that nickname. "Don't test me." You growled, glaring back at your little boy with a silent message; 'You're in such deep shit once this is over'. You could see him physically gulp, and it only cemented the fact that despite being a pissy teenager, he was still the same, scared little boy you had taken in after the massacre. You almost teared up.

"Kurapika! Watch the road!" The woman yelped.

The blond swerved off the road, almost knocking you off and onto the dusty path beneath the car. "Kurapika," you began, "watch the road, I'll take care of anyone following us."

You could tell Uvogin wanted to say something, so you quickly dipped out of the passenger window and climbed onto the top of the car. The people in the second car stared at you through the windshield with pure fear in their eyes. You laughed to yourself, they must think you are a Phantom Troupe member. If only they knew.

You stood tall on top of the car roof, spine straight, shoulders back, chin up, you were ready for them to attack. You were ready to fight your old friends. You launched yourself off the roof and onto the second car, landing with your heavy boots and denting the car just as you did before, a little less damage though.

They were chasing you, you could see their forms driving a car with a new found vigor they lacked before. Machi was in front, her pink hair you used to love seemingly a bit darker, like it was drenched in so much blood it stained it darker. You locked eyes with her, and you could see the micro expression of her face. Brows lifting, eyes widening, she couldn't believe it was you. But it was, and you were preparing to take them down.

You flexed your fingers and soaked in the feeling of your terracotta gauntlets, preparing to tear down the entire canyon, but you stopped. A large blanket wrapping around the car they were packed in, though it did little to stop them. You saw them leave before it covered them, it seemed Nobunaga didn't make it in time. You chuckled at that.

Owl, the beast who worked for Jason's father, stood snuggly in front of the Troupe. He and the rest were as good as dead, this you knew, so you took the opportunity and shot out the lion heads on your gauntlets. They snapped as they flew through the crisp night sky and latched onto the sides of the canyon walls. With strength many didn't posses, you pulled harshly onto the chains and pulled down the stone walls. Stone, pieces larger than the car you stood on top of, came crumbling down to the floor, dust flying in the air. Your path was blocked, and hopefully the beasts would distract them long enough for Kurapika and his gang to gain enough distance.

You took a moment to look up, the beautiful night sky full of stars and constellations you couldn't find in the city. The shinning stars reminded you of a time where sitting around a trash fire with the pre-Troupe was normal. It used to be kind, open, and free. Nothing but a blanket of stars above you to lull you to sleep.

And your village, oh how you missed being able to see the night sky as clear as day, untainted by ash and blazing fires. The children playing in the fields and catching fireflies as they tripped on rocks they failed to see. Laughter, warmth, and a sense of homeliness you haven't had in years. You missed it, you craved it, you wanted nothing more than to go back and change something that could have prevented the Kurta massacre.

Your (e/c) orbs soaked in the light of the stars while your hair whipped against your face. As much as you wanted to sit down and cry, letting all the pent up frustration and hatred out, you couldn't show weakness. Not even to the all seeing stars above, or the gentle wind, and especially not to the enemies that will tear you apart.

A ringing knocked you out of your memories, taking you back into a cruel reality you didn't want to partake in. "Yes?" You answered, phone close to your ear as you took one last look at the shinning stars.

It was Jason, his sweet voice filled with worry. "We sent Owl and the rest of the Beasts. What happened?"

You hummed in thought. "A few men caught one of the Troupe members, the most physically powerful. We are on our way back to York New, I would prepare a safe place to store him, if the poison from his body is taken, we are screwed."

"Is he one of the ones you could take down?"

"No, we got lucky. We have to be cautious about this one." You turned back to York New, the shinning city moving closer and closer. "About the Beasts... they are probably all dead by now. The man we are bringing in killed four of them I think, the rest are slowing down about five other members, they don't stand a chance."

"Shit," he breathed through the phone, distant mumbling being heard but nothing being deciphered, "what do you think will happen now?"

"I'm not sure, but the Troupe won't let one of their own be taken like this. They'll be back I'm sure."

"Okay, I trust your judgement. Take care." Jason hung up before you could say anything more.

You hoped nothing bad would happen to him. He was a nice guy.

Soon enough you finally decided to sit down on the roof of the car, the city skyscrapers finally looming above and warning you of the upcoming confrontation you will have to partake in. Uvogin would be a difficult one to deal with, he tended to boast with his headstrong attitude and you were worried about him escaping. And Kurapika... what were you going to do with the boy?

You sighed, the car quickly coming to a stop. Finally, the people under your butt, rushed from inside the car and stared you down. "Who-Who are you?!" Questioned one panicked man, his skin a sun kissed brown and eyes as rich as chocolate.

"A friend." You hopped off the car and in front of the small group. "I am a friend of Kurapika, don't worry, I'm not a Troupe member."

They all seemed to relax a bit, but stayed wary of your strength. Being next to you they could tell you were way beyond their league.

Kurapika emerged from the car and readied himself to contain the one-man-army. One man, with gray hair and markings along his cheeks, scurried over and held the blond back. "Wait, we need to get a room."

"A friend of mine already has one for us, you are to contact your boss and inform him of the situation at hand." You mentioned. "This, surprisingly enough, is the place."

"How can we trust you?" He exclaimed, turning and leaning forward in your face. "You could be one of them! Waiting to kill us!"

"Everybody, please calm down-" began the woman standing beside Kurapika.

"My employer is the son of one of the Ten Dons, Jason Nargal. I contacted him about the situation and I've been staying in touch. Frankly I'm not in the mood to argue with someone of the likes of you, so please, shut your damn mouth before I loose what's left of my temper." You snapped, moving closer to size the man in front of you.

He shrunk back, eyes wide with a fear he has never felt before. "Very well." He turned his attention to Kurapika and the other girl with heavy breathing. "Let's hurry."

~~~

You sat down, your eyes staring at the wall as your mind drifted off. You were worried, pissed, scared, and so much more. Footsteps brought you back to reality, your (e/c) eyes taking in the grey haired man from before. He glanced back before quickly looking away. "You aren't going to interrogate the Troupe member?" He asked.

"No, I have no reason to talk to him, at least not in front of any of you."

He hummed and moved to the desk, taking the phone into his hand and making a call. Time passed before Kurapika and the others emerged from the vaulted room, and your fury returned.

Kurapika could feel it.

"Kurapika, I would like to talk to you. Privately."

He glared at you, his dark eyes gleaming slightly under his contacts, like charcoal in a slow-roasting flame. Was he challenging you? Silently threatening you to let him finish the war he began?

Maybe, but that didn't matter to you. All you wanted was to talk to him about the situation. And the newfound plan you guys would have to make.

Maybe he sensed the lack of hostility you bore. It must have been as he nodded slowly and followed you out into the white hallways. "(Y/n)," he began with caution, "I won't stop. I'm going to finish what I started and you can't do anything about it."

You bit your lip and whipped around, smacking him across his face. "I know that! But warn me next time! I had to leave Akura all alone in a hotel room because you were the only person I could trust! You were reckless when engaging close to so many Troupe members! You could have died if they caught you!" You paused for some breath. "You could have killed everyone!"

Tears began streaming down your cheeks, you hands rubbing your face to help relieve the stress. It didn't help as much as you would have liked it to. "You left Akura alone." You repeated with defeat in your voice. "If they find out where he is... they'll take him from me. I-I can't let-let them take both of you from me."

Finally all the pent up feelings burst through your eyes, fat tears streaming silently down your cheeks. "I ju-just can't. I wouldn't be able-able to live with myself if...."

Kurapika stood frozen, all this new information hitting him at the same time as your cries for help made it all the more confusing. "(Y/n)... it'll be okay." He held you up by your shoulders, leaning down to stare into your tears eyes. "Akura will be okay, you'll be okay, I'll be okay. You and I will take down the Phantom Troupe and we won't have to worry about them anymore."

He stopped for a moment to think about your words. They seemed exact, different than just someone hunting for their eyes. What did you mean by your son would be taken away from you if they knew where he was? Wait, how did you know the name of the Troupe member? And how did he know an old nickname you used to have? "(Y/n). What are you not telling me?"

There was a deafening silence between the two bodies, but enough was said. "Kurapika-"

"Don't lie to me. You know something I don't." A pregnant pause was apparent. "Answer me (y/n), I don't have time to watch you cry."

You looked up, staring into violent eyes gleaming a beautiful blood red. "I'm sorry." You wailed, pulling yourself back into the wall with your hands covering your face. "I'm sorry I never wanted this to happen. I wanted you to run away from this, to have a family, to be happy! I never wanted you to fight my mistakes. I never meant for this to happen.

"I promised myself I would take care of them, I promised myself I would give you the best life you could hope for. I-I promised myself... and-and I failed." You shook your head with your hands hiding your shame, your voice cracking with messy sobs. "I'm sorry for bringing you into this, Kurapika. This wasn't meant to happen...."

He took a step back, you were crying—no—sobbing. Hiccups and sniffles wracked from your hidden face. This has never happened before. You never cried, not even once. He only saw one tear and that was when you found him at the burnt down village.

You were not sad, you were beyond devastated.

"(Y-y/n)... d-don't cry. Just tell me what you know. How did you know his name? How did he know you?"

"I knew them, I met them when I left the village. I would visit. I-I taught them nen because they were struggling out there. I didn't mean for them to attack us, but they did and I tried to stop them, but I was pregnant and-and I killed one. I ran because there was too many. I was selfish, I-I should have fought. I was scared and...." Your strained voice trailed off into a distant whimper.

Kurapika stared at your shriveled form, a look of betrayal etched onto his brows. "You won't stop me. I'm going to kill every single one of them for what they've done and you are going to watch." He stopped his retreat, turning his head to give you one last glance. "I'll take care of everything."

"Kurapika, it's not worth it. Please just leave this to me, let me fix my mistakes! Take Akura and go somewhere safe! Please!"

"Why should I?! You've kept so much from me! You knew them?! You trained them!?! Why should I listen to you— do what you want me to?!"

"They want me! They'll take Akura and kill you! If you're in their way you'll die! I don't want that to happen! Please! Take Akura and get out of here! Let me take care of this so you guys can be safe and happy!

"Let me fix my mistakes... please!"

Kurapika whipped around. "Why would they be after you? Akura?"

You dropped your head in shame, but straightened your back. It was time to regain your lost composure, you couldn't let anyone else see you like this. "The spider is flexible. They-they have a head and legs. Each one can be easily replaced, that is how they work. Their current leader, the spider's head, is-is Akura's father. We-we got along, and-and one thing lead to another and... well, Akura was brought into the world. I tried to hide him, but with him being alone it wouldn't be difficult for them to find him. God, I don't know what I would do if they got their hands on him."

You pathetically gave an airy laugh at your memories. When you gave birth it was loud, like static in your ears, painful, though you barely remember it. Then you heard the beautiful sound of a babies cries. You were beyond happy when you heard his first cries, and it seemed as if all of your problems drifted away for a moment.

But like everything in your life it was short lived, and when you stared up at Kurapika you forced yourself to gather the remaining pieces of your strength and move forward. That is what you had to do, again and again.

"I'm sorry Kurapika, I've failed everyone."

The blond stared at you with bloody eyes, it was your fault? Everything that happened was your fault?! You were supposed to be a guardian, someone to protect the clan, yet you killed everyone?!

"Yeah, you did." He spat, his back now facing you.

"Wait! Kurapika! I-I don't care what happens me! Just please—please take care of Akura!" Your voice was demanding, the first time it had been since you broke down. "He doesn't deserve the life he has, neither do you, please, if anything happens to me, take care of him."

He didn't answer, instead he turned away and marched back to Uvogin's cell.

You prepared yourself for being in front of the wolves, but a ringing from your phone stopped you. "Hello?"

"(Y/n), father wants you to come back, be a body guard since the beasts—are you okay? You seem to be breathing heavily?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a bit frustrated." You have a long sigh and straightened your back. "Everything seems to be on lockdown over here, they have men coming over in a few minutes. Where do you want me to meet you?"

"Is the Blue Sapphire Hotel good? I can have someone pick you up?"

"No, no, that's not necessary. I'll be there soon."

"Alright, I'll wait in the lobby for you. See you soon."

He hung up and left you to your own devices. You finished fixing yourself up and sauntered over to the last person here, the man with markings under his eyes. "I'm leaving," you started, "my employer wants me to guard them now that the beasts are dead. You'll be fine here right?"

He looked up and nodded. "I'm waiting for another call."

"Alright, call me when they take him and what they look like... just in case." You made sure he understood with another nod before you made your way out of the hotel.

Your dress was slightly dirty, and your feet still bare. You probably looked strange, a woman with disheveled hair, missing shoes, and a dirty formal dress. You received many stares, some because of your intimidating stature, or your exposed cleavage, and some because of your appearance. So you ignored them and kept your head high.

But if you didn't ignore the stares you would have noticed the small group staring at you longer than most. Their suits and wigs might have hidden them from most people, but you would have noticed them right away. Phinks and Nobunaga turned to confront you, but Machi held them back. "Now's not the time, we'll get her after Uvo."

"Tch, fine. Isn't Shal looking into her employer?"

"Mhm." Machi hummed, continuing to their mission at hand; saving Uvogin's reckless ass.

~~~

Uvogin waited for what seemed like a god awful amount of time. Sooner or later they would get him out of this stupid prison. Hopefully sooner rather than later, his ass was beginning to hurt.

As if on que he heard movement, blood splatter, and the creaking of the heavy metal door. "Took you long enough, I'd thought you'd never make it."

Phinks entered with a grin. "Yeah, yeah, had to stop by the vending machine on our way up here."

Uvogin's grin stretched across his face as the rest of them entered and tossed away their disguises. "You wouldn't believe who I met." He chuckled.

Shizuku, with her doe like eyes wondered over to his wound, summoning her Blinky and preparing to take out the venom from his veins. But it was Nobu who spoke up. "(Y/n)." He exclaimed immediately, almost excitedly.

Uvo's grin turned into a playful pout. "Way to ruin it Nobu." 

She simply shrugged and began to remove the poison, as Nubonaga laughed.

Machi 'tsk'ed and moved over to the table's side. "You should hurry up and get out of those cuffs. We're going back to the chapel to figure out a new plan."

Uvo huffed and tore his hands from their bindings. "Fiiiiiine." He groaned, pausing when realizing her words. "A new plan?"

"Yup, Feitan tortured that Owl guy so we already have some of the treasure. Besides, (y/n) could be a problem." Phinks chimed in with a mischievous grin. "You now she's much stronger than before right? You can tell just by passing her."

"Maybe she made a new condition with her nen gauntlets?" Nobunaga chimed in. "Do you think she would do that?"

Phinks hummed. "She never liked the thought of making conditions. She probably just trained to get more powerful, that's more her style."

"Anyway, we should hurry and head out, Chrollo is waiting."

~~~

You marched into the lobby, the crystal chandelier above drenching your body in a warm, ethereal glow. The pearl earrings you wore gleamed like small balls of Fire against the light, it complemented your (h/c) hair.

Jason saw your confident form, his thin lips stretching across his face into a gentle smile. "(Y/n)! I'm glad to see you're alright!" His long legs helped him scale the lobby floor to face you. "We are on the top floor, follow me."

"Who is up there?"

"Everyone from the dinner, they have a lot of questions for you, so be prepared." He lightly chuckled, though it seemed a bit strained.

The both of you entered an elevator with a large mirror on one of the walls. You took out your phone and frowned, still nothing from that grey haired man from earlier, were the people really late? Your mind drifted back to Kurapika, your brows furrowing at his resolution about killing the Troupe.

"You look distracted." Jason commented, his voice heavy with concern.

"Sorry, I just have to make a few calls."

"Oh, with who?"

You glanced over at him with a sly grin. He blushed at it, realizing how nosy he must sound. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine, I just need to check up on a few people. My son for sure, I need to make sure he's okay."

"Y-you have a son?" His words were confused and surprised. "I-uh-I didn't know you-you had a son. Um, how old is he?" His smile was lopsided, and nervous. He hoped you didn't think he judged you off of your past relationships.

"He's six, going seven later this month. The twenty-third."

"He sounds like a nice kid, huh?"

You lightly chuckled at the thought of his intellectual nature. "Yeah, he really is a sweet kid. He's so smart too, loves puzzles more than anything. Words searches, sudoko, picture puzzles, he loves any and all of them. Loves reading too, his favorite is Father and I...."

"The father?" Jason inquired.

"Oh, he's out of the picture. He's—he wasn't a nice man."

Jason turned back to the mirror, his eyes tracing over your relaxed features. "I'm sorry to hear that. How is, uh, your son fairing?"

"Akura's his name. He never knew his father, it's just been me and a friend I see as a little brother." The elevator stopped, and it's shiny doors opened to a brightly lit hallway. "I guess we're here."

"Yup, there's plenty of rooms to make a call, but you should probably answer some of my dad's questions first. You might not believe it, but he can be quite impatient." His tone shifted to something brighter, a reflection of the whites of his eyes.

You entered the warm hallway and to the door. Before you could even touch the door knob, it swung open to reveal a cheeky grin from a familiar green eyed man. "Hey there sexy," His cheshire grin shifted to one of disgust when he glanced at his brother. "Jason."

"Jackson! Leave them alone." Exclaimed someone from behind the door. If the deep voice was an indicator, it was defiantly the dad.

"Sure thing." Jackson groaned and ran off into the giant hotel room. Well, more like a house, the place was huge!

"(Y/n), sweetheart, come in!"

Sweetheart? Did Jason's dad just call you sweetheart? You peeked behind the door and yes, it must've been the father as his smile was barely covered by his beard. He was sitting next to Manchile, in which looked extremely entertained with your expression.

"Well, come on in." The broad man giggled as he threw his arms over the back of the couch.

You glanced over to Jason, a deep blush spread across his tanned cheeks. "Sorry about that." He whispered and further apologized through his hazel eyes. "He might be going crazy."

"Well, (y/n), we have a few questions to ask if you don't mind." Manchile began. "Like what the hell happened out there?"

You fully entered the room and sat on one of the plush chairs off to the side. "There isn't much to say, by the time I got there most of the men deployed her already dead."

"How many Troupe members? You said seven right? Or was it five?"

You crossed your legs as Jason sat across from you, his green eyes shinning with curiosity. You paused and counted, there was Franklin, Uvo, Machi, Shizuku, Nobu, Phinks, and Feitan. "There were seven, one was caught, and five chased after us. After that the group I was with got away because of the beasts... and now we are here."

"Did the Troupe member say anything?"

"No, he was admit on keeping his mouth shut." You glanced down at your hands, the phone you bought earlier this week blank. Where was that call? "May I make a call?" You blurted. "It has to do with the captured Troupe member."

Jason's dad shrugged and waved his hand. "Go ahead, put it on speaker so we can listen in." You nodded and made the call. It rang. And rang. And rang. And stopped.

You looked at the number you typed, it was correct so why didn't he answer? The entire room was dead silent, so you tried again.And again. And again.

Each missed call brought a disgusting taste to your tongue. Everyone must have been able to taste it, there was a collective shaky breath between everyone in the room.

"So, what do you think happened?" Jared, Jason's younger brother, asked. "Why aren't they calling?"

You stayed silent for a moment, doing your damndest to make up an excuse, but that wouldn't do any good. "He-He's probably dead. They probably found Uvogin and saved him."

"Uvogin?"

"The Phantom Troupe member we caught." You quickly said.

Manchile sighed and fiddled with his shiny watch. "All the beasts are dead, the treasure was taken, and we lost one of our leads. This night has truly gone to shit."

The father hummed and leaned back in his chair. "We can't leave, it would make us look like cowards."

You glanced over at the two and closed your eyes for a moment to breathe. "I need to make some other calls, is there a room I can step into?"

Jason stood up this time with a nod, and motioned to a room off to the right.

"Thank you." You stepped in, shut the door, and locked it. You let out a shaky sigh, your mind running a mile a minute at the thought of Uvogin being saved. "Akura first, I need to check up of him."

The phone rang a deathly chime, but it was picked up unlike before. "Momma?"

"Hey sweetheart, how are you?"

There was a displeased hum on the other side. "I was asleep, it's almost two a.m Momma. You should be asleep too!" Your little boy seemed too excited to have been sleeping, but knowing him he followed your rules.

"I know, I know. I've just been busy with work that's all...."

Jackson listened through the white door, his head pressed firmly against the wood so he could get a good angle. He chuckled to himself, his youngest brother, Jared, leaning in with a scowl. "We shouldn't be doing this."

Jason scoffed. "We have nothing else better to do, besides we are just helping Jason get his lady. Nothing too bad."

They listened harder through the door, and through the muffled speech they could clearly hear the word sweetheart again. Jared glanced up at his older brother whose face was confronted into a suppressed laugh. Quietly they moved away, and back to the seats before Jason came back with bottles of champagnes and wines.

He almost knew by the look on their faces that his younger brothers were up to something. "What are you doing?" He whisper yelled to them, eyes sharp with suspicion.

"Your girl has a boyfriend." He said, point to the door with an evil grin. "You have never had a chance."

Jason glared at his brothers, glanced at his father, and back to his brothers. "It's rude to listen in on other people's calls!" He snapped again, pouting his lips.

"Just saying."

"It was Jason's idea." Jared quickly commented.

"Hey! You didn't stop me, you're at fault here!"

"No!"

"Boys." The dad stated, bringing them to a stop. "Calm down, it was just useless fun."

"Why am I the only responsible one here?" Jason exclaimed, grabbing a small glass and pouring himself some red wine. "I remember when you used to control these rats, dad, now you've become one of them."

"Dirty old rat to you, squirt." He snapped, petting his beard with his free hand. "Dirty old rat king is more accurate, though."

"King?" Jackson yelped. "Yeah right, you're more like a squabbling peasant, dad."

"And you're a filthy stable worker, shoveling manure and getting the shit kicked out of you by my horses!" The father straightened his back, earning an eye roll from his eldest son. "And I'm no peasant! I'm a king!"

"Then at the very least I'm a knight." Chimed Jason, finally loosing up and getting into the skit. "Fighting the mighty dragon and saving the princess."

Jackson snickered. "But the princess is already betrothed off to another it seems."

Jason stopped and glared at his brother's antics. "She doesn't-she never said she had a boyfriend. She's just talking to her son probably." He huffed and pouted, sitting on one of the love seats and crossing his right leg over the other. "She said she had a friend too, but she thinks of him as a little brother."

"She has a son?" Manchile asked, he was listening in on the conversation the entire time for shits and giggles, if he was a rat he would defiantly be an emperor, he thought.

Jason nodded and took a small sip of his blood red wine. "Yup, sounds sweet too. She really care about him. I think his name is Akura if I'm not mistaken."

"That's a cute name." Butted in the Dad, pouring himself some sparkling champagne. "Sounds almost Kurtish, don't you think Manchile?"

He hummed. "Almost? Not quiet sure, there's a lot of strange names out there."

"Guess so."

All eyes stared at the opening door, your figure drenched in the warm lighting of the room and your sleek black dress hugging your curves like a glove. You still haven't gotten your shoes back on, and instead wondered around without any protection. Maybe you just forgot about it? Maybe you simply didn't care, either way when you walked into the room it quieted down.

"Welcome back." Jackson teased. "You have a son huh? Who's the lucky guy?"

You visibly stiffened and eyed the men in the room. Did they know? No, they couldn't know. There's no way they know, right? "There-"

"Behave yourself Jackson, prying into other people's lives is rude." The father scolded. "Don't pay any mind to him, sweetheart, he never knows when to shut his trap."

"No, it's-its fine. There is no lucky guy, he's long gone by now."

The dad gave a gentle smile. "My wife died a long time ago, I know how it feels." He lightly laughed, though a deep sorrow hung heavy in the air. "I had to take care of these brats on my own for what? Fifteen years maybe?"

"I'm sorry for your loss." You empathized with him, a single parent taking care of their kids is something you knew all too well. Loosing someone you loved, was also something you understood. The difference is you hated the person you loved, and you wanted to move on after you served judgement. You doubted he wanted the same thing. "It's hard taking care of a kid on your own, but three? And one of them being Jackson, I'd go insane."

He laughed, Jackson giving a playful glare. "Damn straight. He's the worst."

Jackson moved closer with a hurt expression. "Seriously? Throwing me under the bus in front of a pretty girl?"

"You're not her type!" Argued Manchile with a booming laugh. "There's no way!"

"Oh come on, I'm everyone's type!" He shuffled to your side and threw his arm over your shoulders. "More so than lover boy over there, eh?"

You couldn't help but smile, oddly enough this group of mafia men felt like family. This was always your problem, you always wanted to trust and care for people, but it always ended poorly. If you started to care for these people, you would loos them just like your past family.

But you couldn't help your nature, so you gave a small chuckle and shook your head. "No way. Defiantly not my type."

He whined and put his weight on you, surprised when you held him up like the child he was acting like. "Come on! I'm lonely and I need a girlfriend!"

Jared scoffed. "You're the one who sleeps with so many women you could be the next Genghis Kahn!"

Jackson blushed and let you go. "That sounds horrible."

"Yeah, it is." Jared finalized, sitting down and propping his gin up with his hand. "Besides, I think Jason called dibs."

Jason's face flushed a deep red when you glanced at him and his eyes flashed with embarrassment. He opened his mouth and quickly shut it.

His family laughed at him. "He's embarrassed! Poor boy has fallen hard if he can't admit it!" Cackled the father. "Interested?"

You rolled your eyes with a sly grin. "That wouldn't be wise, I have a lot of enemies you wouldn't want to deal with."

"Enemies? We're part of the mafia, the top of the mafia at that! We can make sure no one will touch you or your son." The dad mentioned, seems he's taken a real liking to you, and when you glanced at Jason, you could see a glint in his eyes. "Seriously, nothing could hurt you."

"You'd be surprised, money and guns are useless against some people."

Manchile decided to speak up. "Like that Uvogin guy? I sent out a lot of my men to take him down, and even more guns, but now they are dead. Are your enemies like him?"

The dad cocked his head to the side, his smile sinking into a slight frown. "Is the Troupe your enemies?"

You tended up, and their eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry?"

"You mentioned before that our best is nothing compared to them, and every time you talk about them there seems to be familiarity in your voice." He leaned forward on his chair, discarding his now empty glass to the side table. "You said you were hunting them down, and your son's name, sounds Kurtish to me. By any chance, are you a Kurta?"

You stayed silent, there was no way you gave him that many hints... right? Did you get so comfortable that they figured it out? Will they kill you? Use you as bait? Your son? "That doesn't matter."

"It does, it means you are probably being hunted. It means you are extremely valuable, your son too if he has your genetics. Besides, if you have information about the Troupe that no one else knows about, your value just increased immensely." He stood up and straightened his open suit jacket. "It's a hobby of mine to research and figure out the value of things, an appraiser if you will. Kurta eyes are an interesting story no doubt, gouged out by the Troupe and resold around the world." He sauntered closer, his bulky form and commanding tone making you feel so small. "What do you want me to with this information?"

"Leave it six feet under where it belongs." You gritted your teeth and took in a deep breath.

"I can arrange that for a price." He paused and you nodded for him to continue. "I want you to tell me what happened, I'm more curious than I am greedy."

You gave a small laugh and crossed your arms against your chest. Your focus shifted to another as you recounted things you wished to forget. "You wouldn't want to hear it."

The dad stared down at you and placed a heavy hand on your shoulder. When you looked into his eyes you saw a stern, yet sympathetic expression. His beard shifted, and his lips curled into a small smile. "Humor me."

You shouldn't trust them as much as you do, but you missed having friends. You missed people... so you spoke forbidden memories. "The Kurta lived on an island away from others, we are usually feared because of our eyes, so we isolated ourselves." You sat down beside Jason and leaned onto your knees. "My father was the leader of the village, and when I took my exam I passed with flying colors."

"Exam?" Jared interrupted.

"Yes, it's something us Kurta's do to get ready for the outside world. I mentioned how people fear our eyes, so the exam is a written test about other places, and a physical type exam. We would leave the village and do a simple task, if we feel strong emotions our eyes would turn red, if it happened once you would fail and have to take it again. It is for safety."

You watched him nod and continued. "I was always good at keeping myself together so when I took the position of guardian, it seemed appropriate that I could leave the village and explore the world. I trained and learned from many people before finding the Troupe... I took pity on them."

You leaned back and sighed. "I taught them nen and befriended them. Years and years of jumping around from my village and the outside world and I found myself falling for one of them."

"Wait," Manchile stopped you. "are you implying your son, Akura, is one of theirs?"

"Their leader... we got close." You let the new information sink in. "They didn't know, I was barely seven weeks pregnant at the time of the attack. My village, my family, slaughtered like lambs. I killed one and ran away. I was terrified and didn't know what else to do.

"I don't know why they did it, but it happened and I've been on the run since. Akura doesn't know, I'm lucky he's never questioned it, but I'm running out of time. If I don't start taking them down I'm worried Akura won't be safe anymore."

"Are they searching for him?" Manchile asked.

"They don't know he exists, but they are crafty."

"Where is he?" The Dad now asked, his brows furrowed in thought.

"A friend was supposed to watch him, he's one of the only people I can trust... but he left to fight the Troupe. Akura is alone in a hotel room not too far from here."

"What do you think we should do?"

"I don't know, whatever you do be careful. I'm not going to stop now either. I'm not quiet sure if you can, but assassins might be your only bet."

Jason worriedly glanced at you, looking for your gaze to share a thought. "Are you okay?" He whispered, you nodded without looking at him.

The dad stepped closer. "What kind of assassins?"

You hummed, Meteor City assassins might be the best. They have similar upbringings so maybe they can garner sympathy? Probably not, but maybe they'll stand a chance. "Assassins from Meteor City are probably your best bet but.... you might need the best of the best if you can afford it."

"You don't mean—?"

You interrupted him with a nod. "They might be strong enough to take some of them out."

Jared yelped and stood up. "Might?! They're the fucking Zoldycks! They can kill anyone!"

"Just to be safe, I genuinely think they are the only ones who stands a chance."

Jason turned back to you with a questioning look. "And you? You can't go out there and fight them! You have a son to take care of!"

Now it was your time to stand, back straight, gaze stern, a look you've dressed yourself in on the regular. "More reason for me to go. I'll meet up with my friend and join you for the next auction. I suggest you stay away from the other mafia dons, if you hire the Zoldycks you can never be too careful."

"Are you sure?"

You nodded with conviction. "Yes... and I'm joining the hunt."

~~~

Chrollo sat down on a large pile of rubble in a broken down church. The moonlight sleeping through the crumbled down ceiling illuminated his pale features and framed his coal black eyes. In his calloused and used hands laid a book that stole his undivided attention, and to his side a small candle with a flickering light.

His ears picked up distant voices, though he didn't care enough to look up. Instead he listened in as the voices neared the building.

"Uvo!" Chimed Shalnark, waving as he covered his playing cards. "How was prison?"

The large man grumbled under his breath and placed his hands on his hips, the few beer cans he had falling to the floor. "Shut it, besides I need you help finding someone."

The blond hummed in question. "Sure."

Pakunoda stopped messing with her nails and stood up. "What happened?" She asked, glancing at the group.

Phinks spoke up before the others could. "(Y/n)'s here. She must be working alongside the mafia."

Shizuku sighed loudly and sat down on a rock. "Who is (y/n) anyway?"

Nobunaga clicked his tongue with a defeated sigh. "We told you on the way here!"

"No you didn't."

"Yes, we did!"

"No you didn't!"

Franklin butted in. "It's not worth it."

Feitan explained. "(Y/n) is Chrollo's old girlfriend."

"Huh?" Exclaimed Shizuku, her doe like eyes gleaming. "You have a girlfriend Boss?"

Chrollo finally decided it was time to look up from the word filled pages of his book. He gave her a smile. "I had one, she ran after the Kurta massacre."

Phinks returned to the conversation. "If she's working with the mafia, she might be a hunter. Shal, you are a hunter right?"

"Yup!" He happily chirped, pulling out his phone and typing away. Uvogin moved over to him and mumbled a few words. Some time passed before Shal exclaimed loudly.

Chrollo glanced at his expectingly, and everyone seemed to hold their breath. "Oh! She's a hunter, and her employer is one of the sons of a don. I was curious so I decided to look into her call history, you know for science, and you wouldn't believe what I found." He paused for dramatic effect. "She made a call to someone in a hotel, not an employer, but a kid!"

"A kid?" Nobu wondered, scathing his mustache with his index finger. He paused, finally realizing what a kid would be doing with a hunter. "Boss, did you and (y/n) ever... uh... you know?"

Chrollo smiled at the thought of you, and he finally closed his book and stood from the rubble. He sauntered over to the entrance of the church, the moonlight bathing him in an ethereal glow. A few minutes passed as he stared at the moon, waiting for Shalnark to give him the location. His other plans could wait, he wanted to meet the kid on the other side of the phone. If that kid is your own, which it seemed likely, he could use it to get you back and keep you with his permanently.

"Found it! Somewhere in the Marina Hotel... the call was sent to room 443 on the fifth floor, west wing."

"Shal, Machi, Paku, I want you to come with me. We are going to collect what is mine." His dark eyes held conviction, and nothing would stop him from getting what is his.

[outhouse-cartoons]

I normally fly by the seat of my pants when I'm doing my fanart stuff on twitch.  I'll have a nugget of an idea maybe and some reference material but I don't do any kind of preliminary sketches or real planning.  I was pretty excited about doing this tribute to Tim Burton's would-be extended Batman franchise though.  Those two movies were a huge part of my growing up and it always bugged me not knowing what his version of the other bat-villains and characters might look like.  So I wanted to do at least one sketch pass of each character, drawing refence from not only the source, but from Tim Burton tropes and ideas.  I also 'cast' actors in the roles based on rumors from before he left the series and based on some of his regulars that I thought he might have turned to.

Marlon Wayans was actually cast as Robin for Batman Returns but then they ultimately decided to cut him from the film.  So I assume if Robin were to still show up in the following film, had Tim stayed on it likely would have still been Marlon.  I found a concept drawing of Robin that was labelled as being from when Tim was still involved but I kinda have my doubts.  I also don't particularly like that look, so I somewhat shaped the mask after it, but still kept it a bit smaller, closer to the traditional Robin look.  For his suit, I copied the Batman Returns batsuit but with some added Robin detailing and some different colours.  I also gave his cape a popped collar like the headless horseman in Sleepy Hollow.

For Batgirl, I cast Winona Ryder.  She would've been the perfect age in the 90s and she's a Tim Burton regular.  For her outfit I didn't stray too far from the classic look but I included some detailing based on the batsuit from Batman Returns and I added some elements based on circus performers from Big Fish.  Batgirl doesn't have a circus background like Robin does but she is acrobatic and Tim loves his circus imagery.

Billy Dee Williams of course played Harvey Dent in the 1989 film so he's the one actor we can be sure would've played Two-Face if Tim had stayed on.  I modelled his scarred half on the exorcised versions of the Matlands from Beetlejuice.  And made sure to keep that half pale based on something Tim said in a Batman commentary once.  His suit obviously inspired not just by Beetlejuice but many of Tim's striped characters over the years.

Rumor has it that Robin William's was Tim's pick to play Riddler in what would have been his third Batman movie as director if things hadn't change, so that casting was a no brainer.  My big idea there was to give him the heavy dark circles around the eyes like Beetlejuice instead of an actual domino mask.  Noticing a version of Riddler from the comics that had squares marked out for each question mark gave me the idea to invert some of them like a checkerboard.  Don't know if that screams Tim Burton specifically but I liked the look.

Originally I had Helena Bonham Carter for Ivy but then when I decided she was too perfect for Harley I went with Lisa Marie, another 90s staple of Tim Burton movies.  Her costume is essentially a green leafier version of the White Queen's dress from Alice and Wonderland, just without the actual dress part itself.  For her leggings I took the curls from Lisa's Martian Girl dress in Mars Attacks.  I also toyed with the idea of putting a venus flytrap in her hair that would resemble the Sandworms from Beetlejuice.

I moved Arnold Schwarzenegger over from his Mr Freeze role to Bane because while I don't think he would be out of place in a 90s Tim Burton Batfilm, he definitely shouldn't be Freeze.  His arm is covered in straps similar to Edward Scissorhands and his mask was inspired by a couple Tim Burton drawings of Luchadors.  Or at least the internet claims their Tim Burton drawings...hopefully they are.

I briefly considered Johnny Depp for Freeze just cuz Tim works with him so much but I think in the 90s he would've been too young.  Christopher Lee was much older at the time than Arnold was but Arnold isn't exactly the perfect Freeze and I think Lee would've been chilling in the role.  Sorry.  His suit is inspired by a Brainiac concept sketch that Tim made for his unproduced Superman Lives movie and I took the glasses from the scientist from Nightmare Before Christmas.

Apparently at some point Tim expressed interest in Brad Dourif as playing the Joker before it went to Jack.  And then rumor has it he brought Brad up again as a possible Scarecrow if he was going to continue with the franchise.  So I cast him here, though you'd never know it with the mask.  His outfit is based on an early Burton concept sketch of Joker that I thought could be easily adapted for Scarecrow.  His mask is inspired by Jack Skellington...but you can barely see it in the finished poster.

Originally I wasn't going to include Harley at all, even though I love the character.  Her origins are tied to the Joker and he gets killed off pretty definitively in the first movie.  But when I realized Helena Bonham Carter would make a perfect Harley, and is exactly who Tim would have cast in the 90s I had to do it.  I didn't change her look too much.  I made the frills more classic circus clown and while colouring I decided to add in some hair kinda like Catwoman's when her mask gets messed up.  But that classic Harley look I think would fit well at home in a Tim Burton movie.

Juggling so many character was going to be tough.  It would have been easier to do the classic movie poster trope of floating heads everywhere but I went to the effort of designing costumes for all these characters and I wanted to show them off, so I had to play with a few layouts.

[fandom-imagines-stories]

365

Season Two Premier 

Dean Winchester x Reader

Words: 2385

Masterlist 

Summary: At peace with her family, Amara gives Dean a reunion he was never expecting. But Mary isn't the only one she brought back. Now two women must adjust to being in the land of the living, one having been gone for 33 years, and the other having spent the past 365 in hell. 

Notes: I told you I had something planned! Let me know if you’ve missed this series and if you're happy to see more. Responses mean the world. 

-

Amara looked at each picture curiously. She saw Dean as a young boy, smiling brightly in the arms of his mother. The woman that started it all. Her death put him on this course. This painful, dark journey. Amara set the picture aside, noticing something shine from the back of the drawer. 

She took out a small tin box. Inside were more photographs. Amara examined one in particular. It was Dean leaning over the hood of his car. Around his waist were the arms of a laughing woman. He had a glint in his eyes that Amara hadn’t seen. It was then that she understood. Dean would never be with her. He could never join her in her new world. His heart was far, far away. Perhaps she could bring it back to him. 

-

Mary couldn’t get her out of her head. That woman. Who was she? She had looked at her… like she knew her. 

“You okay, mom?” Sam asked, noticing the far off look in her eyes. She had been acting strange, but that was, of course, understandable. She just came back from the dead, for Chuck’s sake. She gave her youngest a small smile. 

“Yeah, I’m just daydreaming, I guess.” She glanced around the kitchen, noticing an absence. “Where’s Dean?” 

“He’s probably going to spend the day in his room.” Sam sighed deeply. “Today is a sort of anniversary for him.” 

“Anniversary? For what?” From the look on her son’s face, it couldn’t be good. Sam sat down and motioned for her to join him. 

“A few years ago- three, to be exact- we lost someone. Dean lost someone.” He clasped his hands together on the table. The wound of losing one of his closest friends had healed some, but it still stung. Especially today. “He loved her. And she loved him. Maybe too much.” He shook his head. It felt like so long ago. 

“Dean found someone?” Mary smiled slightly. She had hoped her boys had been loved by someone, since she wasn’t there. Sam nodded. 

“Yeah, yeah he did.” He tried not to get choked up, but remembering still pained his heart. And for Dean… After losing Jessica, Sam wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. His brother had shouldered it for the past three years, accepting little to no help. He never even talked about her. 

“What happened?” Mary asked softly. Sam opened his mouth to answer, but he didn’t get the chance. 

“She died.” Dean said, having appeared in the doorway without them noticing. He crossed the kitchen and poured himself some coffee before joining them at the table. “Three years ago today.” 

Mary didn’t know what to say. She had more questions, but it didn’t seem like the time to ask them. Sam and Dean both looked… broken. All she could do was offer some kind of comfort. She put a hand on top of each of theirs. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Dean looked into her eyes and she looked into his. They weren’t the same eyes of her bright little boy. They held so much pain, so much loss. She had to tear her gaze away. 

She had only been back for about a week and everything was so overwhelming. She should have been there for them. She should have made sure that they never had to feel this pain. She never wanted them to be hunters. She just wanted them to be boys. 

Dean finished his coffee and retreated to his room. Sam looked like he wanted to say something, but he just sat in uncomfortable silence. Mary’s heart ached. She just wanted them to be boys. 

-

He should be used to losing people by now. In three years, he should have gotten over it. Losing you. But even now, the image of your last smile as the hell hound tore away your flesh was burned into his brain. He would never forget. He opened the drawer of his desk and found the small tin box. 

A quiet knock caught his attention and he turned to see his mother in his doorway. She gave him a small smile. 

“Can I come in?” He nodded in reply and she sat on the edge of his bed. For a moment, she didn’t have the courage to say anything. How would he react? Would he get upset and make her leave? Or would he close up and not say a word? Maybe, hopefully, he would talk to her. He could make her forget how much she had missed. “Can you…” She paused, waiting for a sign to continue. Dean looked at her expectantly. “Can you tell me about her? I know you probably don’t want to talk about her, I just-”

“It’s okay.” He sighed, putting a hand on top of the box on the desk. “Sam’s always saying that if I talk about her, it keeps her alive in a weird, hippy sense of the word.” He shook his head to himself. Mary watched him carefully, making sure she didn’t push any boundaries. 

“What was she like?” Dean thought for a moment. 

“Stubborn.” He chuckled deeply. “If she thought she was right, you’d never get her to budge and she always thought she was right. God, the fights we used to get into…” He paused, recalling a few in particular. “She had a big heart and wasn’t afraid to show it. She was tough and smart and funny and beautiful. Best damn pool hustler I’ve ever seen. That’s actually how we met.” 

Dean leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He ran a hand over his face, trying to hold back tears. 

“How long were you together?” Mary wondered. He wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was staring off into memories. 

“Four years.” He answered quietly. “She- uh- she was there for me when Sam…” This was more than he was ready to talk about with her. How was he supposed to tell his mother that her sons have been to hell? How did he tell her that Y/N was there because of him? He forced his shoulders back and sat up straighter. “Anyway, um, this-” He passed Mary the box of photos. “This is her.” 

Mary opened the tin slowly, peering down at the photographs with a sad curiosity. As she looked through them, her expression changed. She selected one that gave her a clear view of the woman’s face. She was smiling, a beer in hand and a bright glint in her eyes. Dean was beside her, staring at the woman like she was the only thing in the world. Mary’s eyes widened and Dean noticed her body language shift. 

“What is it?” 

“Dean I…” Mary was hesitant, but she knew without a doubt that she was right. “I’ve seen her before.” Dean’s brows knitted together. 

“What?”

“I know this girl.” 

“Mom, that-” Dean sighed, “That isn’t possible. You died before Y/N was three.” Mary handed him the picture. 

“I saw her, Dean.” She insisted. 

The two stared at each other. Mother and son. Dean broke his gaze first. 

“I think Sam needs help in the library.” He said, his voice becoming flat and emotionless. “Please go.” 

“Dean-”

“Mom.” He stared at the wall, his command firm. “Please, just… I need some time alone.” 

Mary didn’t say anything else. She put the pictures back in the box and tried to hand it back to him. When he didn’t make any move to take it, she set in on the desk and left. 

Dean resisted the urge to throw the box across the room. The metal was already dented and battered from other fits throughout the years. Dean just kept his eyes trained on the ground, wrapping his head around his mother’s words. She was wrong. It couldn’t have been Y/N. It just couldn’t. 

-

One Week Ago

“Mary?” You gasped, gaping at the woman across from you. Everything was dark, clouds of black surrounding you from every angle. Through the darkness, you could see a woman you only knew from pictures. A woman that had been dead for over 30 years, or at least she was when you were still on earth. You were surprised you still remembered. 

“Who are you? Where am I?” She asked, eyes wide with uncertain panic. Before you could answer, you felt something pulling you further into the darkness, yanking Mary back in the other direction. 

When you opened your eyes, you were staring at the sky. The real sky. The night sky stretched out, stars shining brightly down at you. So bright you had to shield your eyes. Your skin pricked with every movement. You were cold. You were naked and you were cold. 

You stood slowly, your legs barely able to hold yourself up. The night air sent goosebumps up your bare arms and legs. The dead grass crunched under your feet and you took a deep breath. 

“Very funny, Levina.” You called into the night. This wasn’t the first time the demon had tried to trick you, made you believe that you were free only to pull you back into your torment. “You must be running out of ideas.” You crossed your arms over your chest to try and stay warm. There was no answer. “Levina!” 

“You aren’t in hell anymore.” A voice startled you. You whirled around to see a woman in a black dress looking at you curiously. “Surely, you can tell the difference.” 

“Who are you? What do you want?” You took a defensive stance, backing away as she stepped forward. 

“I’m the one that lifted you from your torment.” She said it like it was obvious. “You’re free now.” 

“You think I’m going to fall for that again?” You scoffed. “You must be getting a little rusty, Lavina. Have to say, I like this face more than the old one.” 

“My name is Amara. We have a friend in common.” 

“Let me guess; Lucifer? Well tell the dark lord if he’s up for round two, I can handle-”

“Dean Winchester.” She interrupted, making you shut up. “He misses you. I want to give you back to him.” 

“Why the hell should I believe you?” You growled. “Dean doesn’t even remember me.” 

“You’re wrong.” She shook her head. This time, when she stepped towards you, you let her. “I can’t erase what they did to you in hell, but I can assure you that you are no longer in their grasp. Find Dean.” With that, she just vanished. Poof. Gone. 

You didn’t have many options, so you just walked. You found a road and mindlessly walked beside it. Every step ached. You had numbed yourself for so long that every gust of wind felt like a thousand tiny needles stabbing your flesh. You weren’t sure if you were capable of feeling anything else. Only pain. 

Headlights drew closer and closer, quickly joined by flashing blues and reds. You didn’t stop walking even when you heard the car door open and close. 

“Ma’am are you alright?” The police officer’s voice cut through the night, but you barely heard it. Your ears just kept ringing with the sound of your own screams. You stopped and turned around. The woman was approaching you slowly with a look of sympathetic concern. Being naked and wide-eyed, it wasn’t hard to read her thoughts. But she had no idea the depth of violation you’d been through. You took a heaving breath. 

“I need to find Dean Winchester.” 

-

Now

“Dean!” Sam called, knocking on his older brother’s bedroom door. “Dean, we need to talk.” 

“Sam, not now.” Dean groaned, opening the door just enough to give him a glare. “I really don’t want to talk or deal with any of your other hippy healing crap.” 

“It’s Jody.” Sam pushed inside without giving him time to object. “She said she needs us in Sioux Falls right away.”

“Did she say why?” 

“No, but she sounded pretty freaked. Apparently, she’s been trying to get a hold of us for a while, but things kept coming up or we weren’t answering.” Sam sighed, running his fingers through his hair. 

“To be fair, our mom came back from the dead and you were being tortured by that British bitch.” Dean countered, feeling guilty for ignoring Jody’s calls. “What did you tell her?” 

“That we’ll be there before morning.” 

Dean nodded in agreement. 

“I’ll pack a bag, you tell mom we’re leaving.” 

“I think she should stay here.” Sam suggested, keeping his voice down like it was a secret. Dean gave him a strange look. 

“What? Why?”

“She needs to adjust, Dean. Maybe giving her just a few days to herself here in the bunker will help her do that. Besides, we don’t know what’s going on and it could be dangerous and I…” He sighed. “I just don’t think she needs any more excitement right now.” Dean thought for a moment before he nodded. 

“Alright, tell her that we’ll hopefully be back in a few days and that she can call us or Jody if she needs anything.” 

By the time the two brothers got packed up and ready to go, a dark feeling had settled deep inside Dean’s chest. Something felt off. It sunk into his lungs and into throat, as if a shadow was trying to strangle him. When Sam climbed into the passenger seat, his brother looked white as a sheet. 

“You okay?” Sam wondered, half tempted to ask if he should drive, but he didn’t want to get punched. 

“Something about this feels wrong, Sam.” Dean muttered, shaking his head as he started the car. 

“What, do you think it’s a trap?” It wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibility. With the British Men of Letters and Lucifer out there, it wouldn’t be that shocking that someone was out to get them. But Dean shook his head. 

“I don’t know what it is, but with the buckets of crazy we’ve been through, I don’t think it’s good.” The two let that sink in, pulling out onto the road. Hoping to distract himself, Dean switched on the radio. Both brothers froze as the beginning words made Dean grip the steering wheel. Chuck sure had a cruel sense of humor on today of all days. 

Sister Christian, oh the time has come… 

-

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination;  @mylovegoesto; @yellowbadgergirl; @itmejado; @suckmyapplejacks

Supernatural: @desimarie12; @deandreamernp; @vicmc624; @halesandy; @livshaes; @d-whinchestergirl87; @mrspeacem1nusone

The Deal Series: @writeroutoftime

[lazuli-bloom]

Roses and Styx

Chapter 1 - An Inconvenient Attachment

Beetlejuice x Reader

Word Count : 5365

Sure life wasn’t always easy, it had it’s ups and downs, but you were doing alright for yourself. Mostly. However when you find a strange sight while on your lunch break one autumn afternoon, your life gets all the more unusual.

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--=--=--

The sun beat down on you, unobstructed by a single cloud in the vibrant blue sky. A pleasant breeze wafted by, chilling the heat of the sun’s kiss. Summer was in its death throes, but stayed determined to linger as long as possible. It gave an odd contrast to the scenery. The blazing warmth of a summer sun illuminating the turning leaves and tombstones on that early October afternoon.

You sat on a stone bench enjoying your lunch in the quiet peace of the graveyard. Most people avoided visits to the cemetery, not wanting to keep the company of the dead. You, however, frequented it. With few visitors and lovely Gothic inspired architecture, the cemetery made a relaxing place for lunch breaks. Plus, it was only a short walk from your job.

While there were benches throughout the graveyard, your favorite spot was one off in the corner and closest to the gate. That day, however, there had been a funeral held in that corner of the cemetery. So as not to impose, you picked a different bench to occupy. You tried to not let your gaze stay fixed on the graveside service, but the task proved to be easier said than done. The funeral repeatedly pulled your attention back to it by partly virtue of being an event you’ve rarely seen.

Many people, dressed in black, all focused on one grave. Most of the figures standing there were adults, but among the crowd were children clinging onto parents. The group was too far to get a proper look at any of the mourners, but there was one that stuck out. A man, slightly broad in build, wore a peculiar striped suit with wide vertical bars in black and white. You noted the clothing choice as strange, but tried not to judge. Perhaps he wasn’t able to get a solid black suit on short notice.

The strange pattern of the suit made it easy to pick him out against the other mourners. He didn’t stay still. He moved around, seeming to want to get other’s attention only to be ignored. The man’s bizarre actions, coupled with the indifference of the crowd, were major reasons you kept glancing back to the funeral.

You shake your head and check your phone, almost two o’clock. Time to head back to work. You grab your trash and get up with a stretch. With one last glance back to the funeral, you find the striped suit man looking back your way. You pay him no mind and check your phone once more before heading to leave.

To wring the most time and relaxation out of your lunch, you amble back to the hardware store. You turn to the next street where brick shops sat side by side. On the corner was a shop with a rounded, sun-faded green awning stretched over most of the front facade. Your eye glanced over the printed “Rose Creek Hardware” in yellow letters for what must have been the millionth time.

The bell above the door chimed as you stepped inside. To your left an older mustached man stood behind the front counter. He wore a light blue button down under a green apron, both tight around his rounder stomach. He gave you a warm smile that you returned.

“Back from lunch already, Cass?”

“Yeah. It’s really nice out today, I can hardly believe it’s October already.”

“Hopefully, when I get the Halloween decorations up, it’ll give things a more autumn feel.”

“Can’t wait to see it, Mr. Turner! Oh, and is Sam still here? Or have they left already?”

“They’re still around. Sam was helping the new hire.”

You nod and make your way behind the counter to retrieve your apron. After you get the strings tied, you do a sweep of the store. You found Sam in the back corner pulling merchandise forward. They didn’t notice you straight away, so you softened your footsteps for your approach. You stayed at their back until they turned enough one way that you could slip around to their side and not get caught in Sam’s peripheral. Once close enough to the shelving yourself, you slap your hands down on a bare spot- “-Missed a spot!”

Sam seized up, grabbing the shelf for support. “Geez, dude! You trying to kill me?” A wide grin breaks across your face. You chuckle to yourself as Sam regained some composure. They took a breath, shot you a glare, and got back to work.

“Heard you were training the new guy.”

“Yeah, he left already.”

“What’s he like?”

“Eh. Kinda boring? White bread personified, if you ask me. Dude came in with a dress shirt and tie.”

You shrug and start helping pull forward items. While turning products to have labels front-facing you continue on with your conversation. “Sounds like all I’ll have left to talk to will be Mr. Turner.”

There was a pause in that moment, and a sting of sorrow poked at your heart. You do your best to smother the feeling and focus on your work. It’s better to cherish the moment. You force yourself to smile and keep your chat going.

“So, there was a funeral today-”

Sam groaned and rolled their eyes at you. “You went to that creepy graveyard again? How are you not haunted?”

“Hey! I told you, it’s close by and usually quiet. I enjoy taking my lunches there. Anyway, there was a funeral and one guy there was in a weird suit with black and white stripes. Kinda like the Hamburglar.”

“I swear. You’re a magnet for the weirdest shit. It’s all those shitty movies you watch that seep into your head. How the hell do you not get nightmares?”

You stay silent and look over the product in your hand as your mind wandered back to your most recent nightmare. Piercing blue dots masked in shadow, watching every move you made. You shake your head to dismiss the thought.

You huff out a small laugh. “Guess that stuff just doesn’t get to me.”

“Whatever. Just don’t let any of your weirdness rub off on my cat.”

You press your lips into a tight line and tap your finger against the pliers in hand. “You sure there isn’t anywhere else he can go?”

“Cassie, I already told you I checked.”

“I’m just worried. I don’t think this is a good idea. My apartment doesn’t allow pets.”

“It’s just for two weeks. I’ll pick him up on the sixteenth. Hell, that’s not even a full two weeks, just thirteen days. You’ll be fine.” Sam finished with their side of the aisle and took a step back. “When do you want me to drop him off?”

You breathe out through your nose and make a noise somewhere between a hum and a groan. “Seven should be alright. Donna’s always heads out to the bars on Saturdays, so it should be clear by then.”

“You need to lighten up and not worry so much. Maybe a cute roommate is exactly what you need.”

You don’t give a reply and go back to work. The two of you split off and start tackling other sections of the store. Time marched on, and all too soon, Sam’s last shift ended. Mr. Turner bid them a farewell with a handshake and handed Sam their last paycheck. You give them a small wave and focus back on your task. You knew full well you were going to see them later that night, so you didn’t see the point of having a drawn out goodbye right then.

Once Sam left, the rest of the day dragged on slower than a sloth on crutches. When there weren’t any customers needing help, you talked with Mr. Turner. It gave you something to do, sure, but time still crawled.

That day was one of the worst kinds you can have in retail. The kind that’s just slow enough you bored out of your mind, and peppered with enough customers that you couldn’t slack off and dick around on the store’s desktop. It’s like they coordinated to space themselves out to be the most annoying.

As grueling as it took to get there, five-thirty eventually rolled around. You and the boss took the last half hour to close the store. Sweep, wipe down the counters, count the till, all that good stuff. You were in the middle of dusting when Mr. Turner handed you an envelope. You thanked him and opened it to count the bills inside. Five whole Benjamins. With another thanks, you move the bills into your wallet and get back to dusting.

Once all finished, you headed out, followed by your boss. He locked the front door and walked with you around the side to the small parking lot. He hopped into his old pickup while you climbed into your little junker. The bucket of rust masquerading as a car was on its way out, but you planned on getting every mile out of it you could. Mr. Turner had driven off by the time you coaxed your car into starting. The car sputtered and hissed, but you got the clunker going.

The drive to your apartment complex was as mundane and silent as ever. Your only option for music was to sing it yourself, since the previous owner had beaten the hell out of the radio. CDs weren’t an option either as the owner before the last had stuffed the disc slot full of cookies. For what reason remained a mystery.

You drum your fingers on the steering wheel as you drove, watching familiar sites go by as you neared your apartment. Nicer well-kept buildings and streets slowly turned to the more rundown variety. The street grew more broken and in increasingly desperate need of repairs as you went.

Building after building, you passed by until finally it was time to turn off. You pull up to your complex’s parking lot, just as run down as the roads leading to it. Two buildings sat facing each other, both in contest for which one can be the most rundown. Your building nudged ahead of its twin with the recent addition of graffiti marring the exterior.

You park in your designated spot, managing to not bump up against the two cars encroaching on your space. You worm your way out without adding anymore dents to the black sedan, and head to the complex’s front door. Standing near the door with a cigarette between clawed yellowed fingers was a scrawny older woman with a perpetual sneer on her wrinkled face. Cold steel eyes narrowed at you as you dared to approach the harpy.

“Hi Donna. How are you?”

“Parker! Where’s the rest of your rent?”

You force a smile to mask the spike of irritation. This harpy is going to be the death of you. You clear your throat to help prevent your ire from bleeding out into your tone.

“Right here, Donna. I get my pay on Saturdays.”

“Not my problem. Rent is due in full on the first. Today is the third.”

“I tried paying you last Saturday, but you-”

“The first, you stupid child. Not Before. Not after.”

“Yes Donna, I know. I’m sorry, I needed to replace a flat tire an-.”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses. Just pay the rest of your rent and get out of my sight. You worthless leech, can’t even follow basic instructions.”

You press your lips into a tighter line to keep yourself from screaming at the horrid bat. It was best to bite your tongue and get the interaction over and done with as quick as you could. You pull out your wallet and hand over four bills. It was nice while it lasted.

Donna snatched the money from you and promptly counted it. Once satisfied, she took a long drag off her cigarette. She ordered you to leave while smoke seeped out of her mouth like a dragon.

You didn’t need to be told twice. You hurried off to your apartment, climbing the stairs to the second floor and making a beeline for your door at the end of the hall.

You shut the door, leaning against it and breathed out a deep breath. After calming yourself some, you set your keys on the counter by the door and step further into your little abode.

You make your way back to the small living room and crash on the dingy brown love-seat, tossing your phone onto the stained coffee table. You lean back and stare at the ceiling. A boring white painted over heavy popcorn texture, collecting all kinds of dust. You close your eyes and let your mind wander, wanting to squeeze some relaxation time out of the rest of the day. Too bad your phone rang.

Sam called to tell you they were on their way with the cat. You told them to be careful and not let Donna see them on the off chance that she hadn’t left for the bar yet. Sam, however, brushed aside your concerns and told you not to be so worried. You pinched the bridge of your nose and groaned at that. Sam wasn’t the one that had to deal with Donna and hopefully never will.

It wasn’t until a long while later that there was a knock at your front door. A quick check through the peephole showed you Sam was on the other side with a backpack and pet carrier. You open the door and hurry them inside. Sam stepped in, stopping in the space between the kitchen and living area, and looked over the place.

“Wow. This place is shitty.”

“Thanks, hadn’t noticed.”

Sam set the carrier down on your couch, and the cat inside growled in a low tone. Sam took off their backpack next and handed that one over to you.

“Here’s all of Rigel’s things; food, bowls, litter box, toys. I’ll be back in town to get the last of my stuff on the sixteenth, and I’ll pay you then.”

“I thought we agreed half now and half when you got back?”

“It’ll be easier to just pay you all at once.”

You drum your fingers on your thigh and let out a sigh. “Alright, fine. It will be nice to get two hundred dollars all at once.”

“See! You fuss over the smallest things.”

You change the topic by offering Sam something to drink but they declined. Sam still needed to pack up a few more boxes before the end of the night. You nod and give a small wave goodbye, only for Sam to pull you into a hug. Your muscles tense up, but you did your best to return Sam’s sudden hug.

There was a unique funk around Sam that made the hug even more challenging to bear. An overly strong lavender tried and failed to cover some mix of sweat and burnt coffee. Sam left shortly after, telling you to just call them should you need anything. You nodded and waved them off.

Once they left, you turn to Rigel stuck in his carrier. His hissing got louder the closer you got to the carrier, and was full on slashing at the front when you reached down to open it.

You recoil and let him be for the moment, choosing to set up his things in the bathroom instead. While your bathroom was on the smaller side, it seemed big enough for one cat to stay in. You pack up all the various toiletries that a bored cat might knock down and set out Rigel’s things. Litter box in the corner across from the shower stall, while his food and water were against the opposite wall between the door and the sink.

With that set up you go get the carrier. You did your best not to jostle it too much, but Rigel wasn’t pleased and let you know. He let out some of the most chilling demonic screeches as he knocked against the fabric carrier, desperate to break loose and slaughter you. You set the carrier down in the closet, closing one of the bi-fold doors so he had a dark corner to hide in. You braced yourself with a few steadying breaths before swiftly unzipping the front. Once open, you pull your hand back and leave the bathroom completely, making sure the door shut behind you.

You did your best to salvage the rest of your night, enjoying your cup of noodles while watching a movie. It was a B-Movie slasher about a supernatural being going on a killing spree in Las Vegas. And this somehow led to the being going to space in the next film. Overall, it was pretty cheesy, but got a few laughs from you.

Soon you had to wrap things up and head to bed. You sneak into the bathroom to swipe your toothbrush and clean them at the kitchen sink that night, and probably for the next two weeks. With a yawn and a stretch you change into sleepwear and crawl into your bed.

Sleep didn’t come to you easily, but it wasn’t a night full of endless tossing and turning, either. The rest you got didn’t feel like enough, as the buzzing of your alarm woke you too early for your liking.

You sat up rubbing your eyes and checked your phone for the time. The small screen on the back of the thin flip phone showed the time was seven o’ two. You heave out a sigh and pull the warm covers off.

While your body went through the motions of your morning routine, your mind wandered back to the images you saw in your dream. An island floated in the middle of a dark ocean with storm clouds rumbling high above. The cold wet sand pricked against your bare feet like needles, yet you kept on walking. You had found yourself on a rickety dock at least fifteen feet above the violent waves below. There was nothing around you, but you knew you weren’t alone. Down below, lurking beneath the water, two hungry orbs of blue glared up at you, waiting. Expecting. When you didn’t move from your perch, the beast thrashed at the pillars of the dock. You lost your footing and tumbled down to the abyss.

You shook your head, forcing your thoughts to jump back to the present. Chills ran down your spine as the nightmare crawled around in the back of your mind, clawing its way forward. You stuffed it as far back as possible and carried on with your morning.

You soon were out the door and on your way to work. You grip the toilet paper wrapped over your forearm, letting the lines of blood soak into it so it can better rest on your arm. Rigel had given you a few nasty scratches when you got him fresh water, the ungrateful bastard. At least there’s a first aid kit at work.

The bell above the door chimed as you looked at the time on your phone. The damn cat almost made you late for work. You make your way to the back room to grab your apron, only to bump into a man turning the corner. It took a second to get your bearings and notice you ran right into Mr. Turner.

“Oh shit. Sorry, sir.”

He laughed and waved you off. “Morning Cass, see you’re in a hurry.”

“Ah- no, well, kinda. I hit every red light getting here and-”

“You’re fine, don’t worry. No need to rush. Just get your apron and I’ll introduce you to the new guy.”

You nod and scurry back to grab the green apron. It hung by itself on the hooks, speckled in paint and smudges. By that point the thing was overdue to get tossed and replaced, but the same thing would end up happening to the next apron.

You throw it on and tie it behind yourself before going out to the sales floor. Mr. Turner stood next to a man younger than himself but older than you. The boss was the first to notice you and gave another wave. “There they are.”

The new guy turned and flashed you a wide smile, showing off straight white teeth in a hollow smile. Tamping down the disquiet, you force yourself to offer a smile in return. The man strode up to you and held out a hand. “Great to meet you, I’m Brandon! Mr. Turner was just telling me how great of a worker you are-” He squinted at your apron before going back to that fake smile- “Art. Interesting name.”

“Thanks,” you said, and hesitated a moment before taking his hand for a brief shake. On contact that strange buzz of discomfort shot from your palm through the rest of your arm. Once your hand was free, you fight the urge to rub off the non-existent traces of him. There wasn’t anything there, nothing real, and you knew that, but more than anything you wanted that feeling gone and the only way for it to leave was to brush it off. Why did people have to insist on handshakes, just needless physical contact with strangers? It’s stupid, and you hated it.

For the first half of your shift the boss had you go over the day-to-day tasks with Brandon. There were few customers in the store that Sunday morning, so you mostly had the guy pull forward merchandise and clean some shelves. Brandon did the tasks, but they all came with questions. Most of the questions were mundane things about the products stocked, store hours, and what times saw the most customers. The problem came when Brandon veered his questions towards you personally.

“So, is Art short for anything?”

“Artemis.”

Your answer was short and pointed. You already didn’t like that he was the type to read name tags over asking for someone’s name.

“Interesting. So you from around here?”

A shiver shot through you, and you’re quick to stop that line of questions. You ignore the question entirely, instead cutting in to tell him to finish front-facing the aisle while you go check on Mr. Turner.

The day dragged on until finally getting to your lunch break. Brandon, thankfully, caught on that you weren’t one to disclose much about yourself to a new face. However, that didn’t make the morning smooth sailing. You grab your lunch and speed off to the cemetery, eager to get a break from Brandon.

Your usual bench was free, and you took your place to enjoy lunch. Munching on your meal, you take in the sights, finding a serenity in the quiet. The sun shined brightly, causing some of the glossier headstones to reflect the rays. You hum to yourself and scan over the graveyard. To your surprise, you spotted someone in the far corner opposite you. Your brows furrowed, perplexed by the other. You watched the figure, curious of what they’re doing.

They wandered from gravestone to gravestone, kicking at the earth with hands stuffed into pockets. The build of the figure suggested a man, and one dressed in monochrome. You squint your eyes at them making sure you weren’t mistaken; but no, that was the same bizarre suit you saw a man wearing the day prior.

You keep your gaze fixed on him, wanting to figure out why he might be here a second day in a row visiting completely different graves. Did the man simply like to visit graveyards and have a limited wardrobe? If so, you didn’t want to comment on the matter out of fear of shattering the glass house.

You ate lunch with glances at the man. You wanted to piece together why he might be there. He wasn’t mourning; he moved from one grave to the next as if searching for something. The man in the weird suit went down one row of graves, heading away from you, only to hit the end and turn back for the next row.

You forced yourself to not look at him for fear of getting caught. But your curiosity burned, and you chanced a look up. He didn’t notice you, too engrossed in whatever he was doing. Embolden by that, you continue to munch away at your food and sneak glances at him. That is, until you swallowed wrong and went into a coughing fit.

You got your breathing under control a minute later and checked to see if he noticed. And oh boy, did he notice. The man was staring straight at you. It was awkward enough to get caught looking, but you noticed the man closing the gap between you two. He was still at the far end with well over two hundred feet between you, but you didn’t want to stick around and have that plummet to single digits.

Nope. You scoop up your belongings and speed-walk straight back to the store. You didn’t even chance a look behind you. Eyes forward and keep moving. You weren’t sure if he was actually still following; you didn’t hear any footsteps behind you. So that seemed like a good sign.

You blew past the door, bell violently chiming, and you made a beeline for the back. Your heart pounded against your ribs, wanting to break free and make a run for it. You take quick breaths, forcing the next to be longer than the last to get yourself to calm down. In the middle of collecting yourself, Mr. Turner walked into the back area with worry knitted on his brow.

“Cass, you alright? What’s wrong?”

“Is there a man in a striped suit in the store?”

He gave you a puzzled look, but left to do a sweep of the store. He came back half a minute later, shaking his head. “No, no one’s in the store dressed like that. What happened?”

“Nothing really. I just saw him in the cemetery and it looked like he was starting to follow me.”

He frowned. “Well, you just come to me if any creep is giving you a hard time. I’ll knock his teeth out for you.”

You manage a smile and nod. You take a few more breaths to calm down before you grab your apron. Things were going to be okay. The guy might not have even seen what store you went into. Heck, that guy probably didn’t even leave the cemetery. And even if he did, Mr. Turner was there to help you out of a tight spot. You smile a little brighter and step out onto the sales floor where you see the stripe suit guy looking at paint chips.

A strangled scream catches in your throat. You step back, dipping back into the employee’s only area of the store before he could see you. What the Hell were you going to do now? You couldn’t hide back there all day.

You push aside the fabric curtain dividing the sales floor from the back, and get a look at the man. With him much closer, you could see his green hair and the distressed look of his suit. He leaned forward, looking over the paint colors. Maybe he didn’t know you were back there. If so, you could wait in the back for a few minutes for him to just leave.

You close the curtain and slip your hands into your apron pockets. Your fingers brush over cool metal, and your thumb flicks up the slider on the side. It wasn’t much, but it was certainly better than nothing. Box cutter in hand, you look back out.

The stranger stayed put in front of the paint colors. You take a shallow breath, prepping yourself to go out. In the middle of psyching yourself up, you see Brandon wander over to the paint section. Hope bubbles up in you. The new guy can take care of him for you.

Brandon scanned over the section. He pushed down some color chips, looked over the desk before looking your way.

“Art! There you are.”

Brandon’s voice bellowed in the small store, not only earning a squeak from you but also causing the stranger to turn and look. You yank the curtain closed, hoping the man in the monochrome stripes didn’t get a good look at you.

Brandon parted the curtain a moment later and looked you over with knit brows and lips in a thin line. “Art, what are you doing back here? I don’t think it looks very professional for an employee to skulk around in the back all day.”

“The guy over at paint followed me from the cemetery.”

Brandon raised a brow at you. “There aren’t any customers in the store, and certainly not in paint, I would have seen them.” He pulled open the curtain with a flourish to reveal the man standing just on the other side. “See, no one’s there.”

Your eyes dart between the idiot holding back the curtain and the green-haired man tilting his head some with a grin plastered on his face. Thought processing came to a crawl as you tried making sense of what you were seeing. Your gaze lands on Brandon in the end.

“You don’t see anyone there?”

He rolled his eyes and looked back out to the sales floor. He then looked back at you with brows knitted further. “No, there’s no one there, Artemis. Perhaps you should stop taking your lunches in the cemetery if they’re just going to put scary thoughts in your head.”

Brandon frowned at you before stepping out onto the sales floor, going right through the man in the striped suit. He stopped to shiver, only to keep walking a second later. Once he left, your wide eyes landed on the man still standing there, still grinning and showing off sharp yellowed teeth.

“Hi there!”

Nope. Nope nope nope. You grab your box cutter and pull it out to point at the guy. And without a word you push aside the curtain more and go around the man. The man whined at your action and followed you.

“Come on babes! Don’t ignore me, I know you can see me!”

You keep walking, heading straight for Mr. Turner. He turns to you at your approach and the small smile fades from his face. “Cass? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

The gravelly laugh behind you sent shivers down your spine. You did your best to shake off the feeling and forced a smile.

“I’m not feeling too good. I was hoping I could go home early today.”

His lips sink further into a frown, but he gave you a nod. “It’s fine by me. But what about that man you were talking about that followed you from the cemetery? Are you going to be okay?”

The man behind you continued to laugh. You tighten your hands into fists, the metal of the box cutter pressing hard into the flesh of your hand.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay Mr. Turner. See you tomorrow.”

He nodded, and you handed over your apron while keeping the box cutter in hand. You offer one last quick goodbye and head out the door, the bell only chiming once. You march down the sidewalk and hear the strange man continuing to talk.

“So, babes, where are we heading?”

You pause at your car door. You take a few quick breaths and finally respond to this... person. “I’m going home. I’m obviously not feeling well and seeing things that aren’t there.”

You slip into your car and promptly lock all the doors. You heave a sigh and lean against the steering wheel as your brain sorts through all this nonsense. A groan rumbles in your throat and you lean back in your seat. In your peripheral, the man in the striped suit sat in your passenger seat sporting a sharp grin. Well shit.

[gothamradiokid]

Breaking news

It seems that my predictions were correct, I knew that on December 2 Two Face would rob the biggest bank in Gotham City, so Mr. Dent decided that it would be better to rob the first of December.

I usually stay away from the crimes scenes st the moment but this time was different I was there getting money for buying Led lights for my boyfriends costume and to repair my guitar, but then I was in a living hell, when I saw Two face gang enter the bank I knew I shouldn't do anything brave so I hide; These few minutes felt like hours and I couldn't control myself but falling in Panic!, finally Red Robin enter the scene Two face active two bombs, I was deaf for a little while and my heart couldn't control itself and when I recover my senses the building was falling apart and there was fire and I didn't know what to do but then I saw biggest problems, a electricity box that controlled the building's gas was having a lack of electricity, that could explote more things than a building, hiding I tried to reach the electricity box I didn't even know how I reach it but I did it, I tried to repair it yet my efforts were stopped by a thug despite living here, had never been pointed with a gun but I always carry Pepper spray, I had to use it and put my life at risk but it was my only option after I tried to submit to this guy of almost 6'2 feet so I hit him with a piece of wall.

Anyway I kind of repair the electricity box, then I heard another gun shot and then his scream...Red Robin got shot by Two face, and he was aprocing him I was approximately 60 meters away from them I couldn't help Red Robin even if I wanted to so I had to sacrifice a little bit, some my plan was "separated the gas form the electricity box and make a overdrive, I plan to throw the box at In the light of the building making the light to explote this distraction helped Red Robin to stand so he take down some more thugs, after this little explosion I want sure if what happened, I can remember I was thinking something I am almost sure it was "Make a wish when your childhood dies, Count to seventeen and close your eyes, Love won't stop this bomb, bomb" Wich it's my favorite song.

When I looked around I saw Two face itself, maube I was scared or he it's just way bigger than I thought well you can't compare a 5'1girl(157cm with a 6.06ft (185cm grow man) he was distracted looking for his guns, bad for me or good those items where near me so I stand and kick the weapons of course this wasn't the best idea, so I guess he wanted to become the patron saint of switchblades and took out a blade and grab me; really I tried everything but I'm not strong, not even a bit and he out the blade near my neck he Throw his coin, at that moment I knew that the coin was going to land in a bad result for me but, so I hit him well in his well... private parts, but finally Batman kicked Two face in the back yet that kick made the blade to cut a little but of my neck, by just a little I mean the blade was buried in my throat Red Robin attend me, Batman was subjecting Dent, he knew that he got one of his pistols shoot in the same direction where Red Robin and I we where, when Red Robin I moved to avoid the shot, the bullet still hit my left lung, I pass away...

When I woke up I was at the hospital with my family, and I was so happy to be alive, of course I got grounded for putting my life in risk.

Thank God, Red Robin, some hostage, thugs and Two Face are safe and this man was arrested for intentional homicide, robbery, possession of illegal weapons, violence, etc.

This stays as lesson to me, in the hospital with a cut in my throat, many contusions and a Perforated lung, hopefully in 8-10 weeks I can go home, so In conclusion Mr. @twofacedcriminal you own me a bagel... No wait better Two bagels

This is Robin Falcone singing off in intensive care