#I'm fully convinced he must have done something like this at least once there's no way he didn't

[breadvidence]

Using this space to reply to both @blatherby and @fluentisonus!

@blatherby: right right right, "The time has come to journey on/And from this day he must be gone"—and I do think you're correct that standard fanon is he's going into this encounter with the intent to leave, though I suppose I don't know how much by percentage Valvert fic is actually based on the musical vs the Brick, and for the former it's not a misreading per se. I'm thrown, in any case! Really having to recalibrate my sense of the level of his self-harm and suicidality (which still sits at "very nonzero", but slightly lower than "dialed up to eleven", I guess—I think that the line "He was at his own request and through his own complicity driven out of all his happinesses one after the other; and he had this sorrow, that after having lost Cosette wholly in one day, he was afterwards obliged to lose her again in detail" signals that he wouldn't have been able to sustain himself on this course regardless of Marius' part in things).

@fluentisonus said in tags:

#yes!!!! this was something i was thinking abt a lot when i just got here on this last read#& i think contributed to my being more frustrated with/upset by marius this time around than before#i think the other line here is that really stood out to me is 5.8.2:#''He came every day because he had not the strength to take Marius’ words otherwise than literally''#<- which to me does Not speak to someone who is planning to stop visiting.#or at least to actually go through with not visiting#he's in fact willfully taking marius at his literal word re visiting rather than what i think he knows derp down marius would prefer#like he gave marius incomplete reasons & scared him badly (his (jvj's) fault!) but the m jean stuff is i think just intended as a layer of#separation to visiting & that last horrible wrench is all marius. & while not quite unexpected it's not what he (ivj) would have done#naturally if given the choice. in fact as we see it's incredibly hard to prevent himself from going#anyways really good post!#les mis#i think another thing though is that he asks marius to visit when he's quite literally at the door. like. he knows he can't bear#to not have this one thing. like he says all that & asks marius if he should see her again; takes his 'cold' no; gets to the door; & then#closes the door again & turns around to beg to see her <- tbc this is not a disagreement with your point that he always intends to visit#cosette just that both in-book & out of book it's easy to mistake bc it being at the end there makes it almost Seem like an afterthought#rather than i think one of the most genuinely earnest parts of his confession because to him he's been building up to something#he's not convinced he deserves & is asking against his better judgement#But i think this doesn't look good particularly to marius#it looks like he's backtracking on what he's set up#& marius gives in in the moment but it's one of the things he specifically regrets caving to in the next chapter#& i think is frustrated jvj couldn't fully follow through so he decides to force the issue#if that makes sense#hmm also (<- sorry op to come back & add more tags hours later) speaking of the m jean/vouvoyer thing i think you can very much read that#as being not a step towards a final separation but rather a way (to his mind) he can safely & perhaps even more honestly (?) Continue to#visit cosette. he can still see her without being connected to her in sn incriminating way . like you say#<- ofc this is not at all how it comes across to cosette

Yes!!! The level of my "jesus, you murdered that man" feelings towards Marius definitely dialed up a notch by reading the scene through this lens. As I said in responding above: re-reading further, I think it's a misjudgment on Valjean's part—that he can survive on black bread, but not on so little of Cosette—but I do wonder if, in the long run, as she once convinced him to have a fire and better food for her sake, whether she would've rekindled their bond and said to hell with this to the M. Jean and vouvoyer and cellar. Like, she's caught up in a new marriage, in learning what it means to love openly and fuck a man and live in the world, but I like to think given a few more months to settle into things she would've come back around to her papa—because she might not need him like she did when she was alone in the woods, but there's more in love than needing.

Which sidetracks me from "what did Jean Valjean mean to do?" to "what did Jean Valjean actually do?", and in the context of Cosette's happiness—it's always fraught! always makes me holler. Poor old man, and poor child.

I've dithered over making this post because I will feel incredibly silly if everyone else got this on the first go-through rather than the—Lord alone knows how many times I've read this particular scene, actually—but there I was, me and "The Seventh Circle and the Eighth Heaven"—as you do, for idle and entertainment, and I reach

If you will allow it, I will come to see her. I assure you that I desire it greatly. If I had not cared to see Cosette, I should not have made to you the confession that I have made, I should have gone away; but, as I desired to remain in the place where Cosette is, and to continue to see her, I had to tell you about it honestly. You follow my reasoning, do you not? it is a matter easily understood.

And realized that despite the character stating his reason right there in the text I have misunderstood badly. I took Valjean's intent with this confession and in his behavior afterwards to be separation from Cosette, that his desired outcome is to die alone, that he struggles against his love of her to reach that solitude, but it's—not. He says earlier that it's not, as well.

Stay, the unfortunate point is that I have a thread in my heart, which keeps me fast. It is when one is old that that sort of thread is particularly solid. All life falls in ruin around one; one resists. Had I been able to tear out that thread, to break it, to undo the knot or to cut it, to go far away, I should have been safe. I had only to go away; there are diligences in the Rue Bouloy; you are happy; I am going. I have tried to break that thread, I have jerked at it, it would not break, I tore my heart with it.

The thread—to Cosette. He can't separate himself. He would not have to make this confession if he could simply leave her. Therefore he has to confess to Marius for two reasons, as I see it: (1) a big dramatic compulsion to honesty about his symbolic status as one who cannot live in the family of men, sure, but (2) like, real literally, he cannot live in the house. Valjean is practical, he makes arrangements, he's smart, his confession draws from the saint but I think it's also the thief, and what does the thief need? A co-conspirator. Both morally and practically he's averse to living at the Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire, and with both Cosette and her "master" Marius pushing him to move in, he'd have to move totally away, as he's certainly not going to give in—but now he's got Marius' backing to allow him to stay at the Rue de l'Homme-Armé, and he can exist in the in-between space he's always occupied, there in the back courtyard of Cosette's life.

I always wondered at Valjean's vacillation—that he says "To-day, Cosette passes out of my life; our two roads part. Henceforth, I can do nothing for her.", then begs Marius for the right to visit her. But he didn't change his intent at all; he was always keen to visit, to live on the crumbs that scatter from the table. He simply can't pull up a chair.

Marius' passive-aggressive attack on that thread, the destruction of Valjean's heart, Valjean is complicit in accepting that, yes. But he did not come into this parlor looking for that outcome.

🤦‍♂️

[pricemarshfield]

HI……flirtatious kiss on the back of the hand for the first ship that comes to mind for you 😔

it's raphtav, who's surprised (no one). also this kind of got away from me and is 90% a totally different thing but there is a hand kiss...eventually. prompt list here!

Tav isn't supposed to be here. Not really. She's a cleric and this is a temple, sure, but it's the kind of detached, formal devotion as unlike her faith as one can get.

But still: something in her bristles at seeing him walking around the place. It's an insult, though whether to her or to divinity in general, she's not sure.

"Fancy seeing you here," Tav says, keeping her voice bored and quiet, her eyes on the statues ahead of her even as he settles next to her on the pew. "I'd imagine the place would be warded against a devil. Does it hurt every step you take, or something?"

"Not quite," Raphael says, and his voice is low and right in her ear (so as not to carry, that's all, as she reminds herself to little success). "I'll admit to a certain discomfort, but that's far outweighed by the pleasure of your company, my dear."

Tav scoffs. "Please. The pleasure of irritating me, if anything."

"I hardly see the difference," Raphael says, amused, teasing, and fair enough, because Tav doesn't either.

"Why is it that you're following me, then?"

She hasn't signed the contract, and doesn't intend to. Might have, if he hadn't been stupid enough to name where he was keeping it, but if he's going to give her an inch, then she'll take a mile, and every valuable in his house besides.

(It's very nearly a shame. She really does like him.)

He hums, as though he's unsure whether to answer her question at all, let alone truthfully. But he's playing at offering a just deal these days -- at least with her, correctly guessing she'd see through whatever bullshit he spins for the less insightful -- so he eventually adds, "This tabernacle hasn't a place for your Lord, does it?"

Tav snorts. "The Destroyer himself? No."

"Perhaps I'm curious as to what threat you'd risk his wrath for," Raphael says, careful, covetous.

She turns more fully to him at that, despite the fact it'll draw eyes she really doesn't need her way, because she would love to pull the thread to see what he wants here. Understanding her, to better convince her to give him the Crown? The worship, mortal devotion and adoration and supplication that only a god or archdevil could manage? Her attention, specifically?

Some mix of all three, most likely, because there's a simmering heat in his gaze that she's not expecting. It's enough to startle her into honesty. "I doubt he'd be all that furious at me filching holy water, actually."

Raphael blinks, the only sign of his not having anticipated that answer. He smiles after a beat of weighing it, pleased. "You intend to disrupt the Rite today, then? Are there not more pressing concerns?"

Yes, to both questions, but someone had decided to threaten his siblings in the first building past the gate they'd come across, and Tav would rather just deal with that now than be ambushed at camp later. (Also, she imagines that may come in handy for more than the undead, though she's certainly not going to say that to him.)

Without waiting for her answer, he stands. Walking in to gossip under his breath isn't too unlike the various Baldurians here today, but leaving without even a pretense at prayer once he's done has a murmur of irritated chatter building behind them.

Oh, wonderful, and one of Helm's priests is walking up to them now, too, as though Tav wasn't already ill at ease from being the thief in this endeavor, just for her Lord's protection, Shadowheart unwilling to rob a temple honoring her new goddess, barely a week after accepting her.

"I must ask that you either sit or leave," the priest says, his voice not all that quiet, attracting further attention. "This is a sacred place, and you are disturbing the peace."

"Forgive me, ser," Tav murmurs, face flushed with embarrassment and irritation.

"No, forgive me, my dear," Raphael says, amused in a way that only annoys her more. "I hardly meant to disturb a holy woman such as yourself, so devoted as you are to ridding the world of such monsters as plague it." He extends a hand to her, inviting her to leave with him.

She takes it, grip light and cautious like the type of holy woman she's pretending at might favor, now that he's thrown that excuse out for her.

But instead of helping her up like she expects, he turns her hand and presses a quick, light kiss on the back of her hand before she can realize what he's doing and stop him. (He's warm. Fucking obvious, that, but it's all she can focus on, and then he's dropping her hand and it feels oddly cold as she lets it fall back to her side.)

"You know where to find me, should you require my aid in further sparing this fair city from those that would see it twisted into something other," he says, and then, quieter, enough that the priest might not be able to make out a word or two, "We both know I'm your best option, mouse."

Tav smiles, hoping he can see through the sweetness to the fuck off, will you she's playing at. "With my Lord protecting me, I need no further aid, but I thank you, regardless."

Raphael's eyes flare with something properly dangerous. Tav's heart ticks a little faster at the threat in a way that she knows isn't terror.

The priest nods approvingly at her as the devil leaves. She assumes, anyway; she's mostly staring after Raphael. (Still better to rob him, probably. Certainly better not to follow down any stray thoughts that linger, about his mouth and the far-better ways he might use it.)

[anonymousbeefriendfanfics]

Could I please get a HC for Felix from Last legacy for an MC who when they first woke up there had unnaturally colored hair (blue if I'm being self-indulgent or basic F/C if non descriptive.)

How Felix would react to MC's hair color fading and maybe him helping them dye it again.

Of course! Sorry it's a little short, but I hope you enjoy this - it feels so very good to write again, and I hadn't realized how much I missed Felix!

Fandom: Last Legacy

Character(s): Felix

Warnings: None

For starters, I'm going to take a slightly unique angle on this and assume that hair color changing is not that unusual in Astraea. Sure, one could argue that Rime's strawberry pink hair is as natural as his antlers, but what about Anisa? Her mother's hair appears to be solid, yet she's got those lovely streaks in her hair. So it's possible, however... I'm going to say that it isn't dye, but magic.

Imagine salons employing mages who can color your hair instantly, along with other feats, such as causing it to grow out instantly when you've tired of a short haircut. Or salons with a host of magical potions in stock that can be applied to your hair similarly to our dye and instantly causes the color to change! I imagine this is a bit more expensive than just getting a haircut, though, which might be a good way to explain the lack of such vibrant colors in Astraea - most people cannot afford it, or maybe can't access any salons with such options. Or mayhaps it's simply more common than we were led to believe!

For funsies, I'm going to say that Felix's hair is naturally a much duller shade of brown, but during his early teenage years he experimented with spells and potions to color it a bright purple to scandalize Escell, but it didn't quite work, so now it's just... got this purpleish hue to it.

It might So when you turn up with colored hair, it's the least of anyone's concerns. Forget your hair, they want to know where you came from, how you ended up here, and how to get you home!

But the thing about magically colored hair is that it doesn't quite suffer the same phases as our dye. It's either fully permanent, if one could pay enough or find a talented enough mage, or it simply fades away like magic and leaves your natural color behind. But this... this is different. The color fades, and your roots begin to show through as your hair grows out, and no one's ever seen anything quite like it before.

Once Felix finally notices, oblivious little dork that he is, his first instinct is that something is wrong - he skips straight over the possibility that you might be sick, as Sage would surely suggest, and instantly fears corruption. If magic is the thing that colors hair, then surely it must be the cause of strangely un-coloring hair as well. Think of it as an allergic reaction, of sorts; right as you start learning how to perform magic and becoming more and more proficient with it, your vibrant hair seems to wither and become dull.

It's Felix, so... he probably doesn't bring it up immediately. Instead, this loveable idiot decides to fix the problem himself, and tries dissuading you from using magic. The sudden 180 from encouraging you to study the heaviest tomes and practice until you're utterly exhausted to trying to talk you out of doing those exact things is... concerning, to say the least, and you're not that easily convinced.

One way or another, it comes out, whether it's you confronting him, Felix spilling his concerns on his own, or some knightly intervention from Anisa. You explain that your hair is dyed, and Felix freezes, assuming you meant, you know... died. Hopefully you'll explain the difference to him before he launches into a tangent of apologies.

Once he understands, however, he's on a quest to renew your hair for you. He either attempts it himself - which, as mentioned, might not have the best outcome - or he takes you to the best salon in Porrima to have your hair professionally done by a proper mage who can ensure the color will never fade again, unless of course you want a different color.

Writing Masterlist 🐝 Requests Open!  Tag List 🐝

[perplexedflower]

Last Floor To My Heart

Fandom: Supernatural RPF.

Category: F/M.

Relationship: Richard Speight Jr. x Female Reader.

Type: One shot.

Words: 4,855.

Summary: In a single night, [Y/N]'s life takes a turn for the worse; that is, until she goes seeking comfort in the arms of the only man who can make it all better.

~~~~~~~~~~

Everything happened so fast.

Restlessly sitting on the living room couch, my crossed legs could not stop fidgeting as I waited for Mark to come home. A few minutes earlier, he had called me to say he was on his way home, and that he had something important to tell me when he would be back. When I had asked him why he could not simply tell me over the phone, he had answered it was too significant not to be discussed face-to-face. I had not argued any further, but deep down I knew damn well it was not like him to say a thing such as that.

Mark and I had been dating for almost two years, and this time we had spent together had been good to us. We had met on the set of Supernatural, and back then, it was clear to everyone that we hit it off right away; I was introduced to the plot as an endgame character, so I made my debut near the last seasons of the show. However, I had still been given the opportunity to play alongside Mark, even if only for a few times. And although I was instantly charmed by his Lucifer, I got to know him personally over time and consequently fell for him beyond his character.

It had taken us a while to officially get together, but once we did, we never let go of each other. And we both believed things would grow and evolve between the two of us, shifting our relationship into something more and more serious as time would go on. At least, that is what I believed in until I started noticing a change in Mark's behavior, a change in the way he would talk to me, and act around me. I had always brushed that feeling aside, convincing myself it was only a misinterpretation, a fabrication of my own paranoid mind. But with one simple phone call, all my suspicions had come flowing back up to the surface, and it was becoming hard to ignore them.

As I was getting deeply lost in thought, I suddenly heard the front door open and turned around, only to see Mark enter the living room in somewhat of a rush.

"Hey." He promptly let out without even looking at me.

"Hey..." I awkwardly said back.

I was searching for his eyes, but it was clear to me he was trying to avoid making eye contact with me.

"So... you wanted to tell me something?"

My stomach felt like a tangled bag of knots, hurting my guts, which had a bad feeling about what was about to take place.

"Yeah, we need to talk."

This sentence alone made me gulp and look down at my feet.

"Listen, [Y/N]..." Mark started with faint remorse. "I'm sorry... It truly pains me to say it, as much as it will pain you to hear it, but... we should break up."

I blankly stared at him, in a complete state of shock.

"But—"

"No." He cut me off with a sigh. "It's for the best, trust me."

What? Why? How? Have I done something wrong? Have you met another woman? Do you not love me anymore?

Questions began piling up in my mind, so many questions I wanted to ask him. But I was rendered unable to speak.

"I'm sorry." He said once more, still looking away from me.

His apologies were not fully sincere, I could feel it, I knew him well enough to feel it. But still, I was not able to talk back. All I could do was cry. And so I did: I cried miserably on this couch, feeling sorry for myself, wondering how pathetic Mark must have found me. As my thoughts started to overwhelm me, I finally managed to stand up and walked to our bedroom without a word. I grabbed my suitcase and my duffle bag and put them both on the bed; I rapidly gathered my things, which I had scattered across the room, and stuffed them all back inside my luggage. There was not much to collect, just the essentials: clothes, a book, and my computer. But I refused to leave in this house the only few things I had brought with me. I knew I was no longer wanted here; I knew I had to get out of there.

I quickly changed my clothes and put on a t-shirt, a pair of jeans, a jacket, and shoes. I zipped and closed both my suitcase and bag, before leaving the room with them in hand. As I walked to the front door, I came back into the living room, and Mark stood up as he saw me, ready to go, my hand on the knob.

"[Y/N]—"

"No, don't say anything." I said while crying, interrupting him. "That's what you wanted, for me to go away. So that's what I'm doing."

And with that, I opened the door and stepped outside, after which I closed it right back behind me. Standing in front of the house, I let my luggage fall on the ground beside me and grabbed my head with my hands as I cried more tears.

How did this happen? And why?

I regained my composure and wiped away my tears, before picking up my suitcase and my bag. I took a few steps away from the house and looked around: I had nowhere to go. Mark's house was not very far away from the city center, so I decided to take a night walk. I had always loved walking down the streets at night. But not in this particular state of mind. Not while emotionally devastated.

After a few minutes of aimless strolling, I entered the heart of the city and started seeing all types of people walking up and down the streets, going in and out of restaurants, shopping, and simply minding their own business. As an extroverted person, it had never bothered me much to be around masses of people, and at that very moment, it even allowed me to lose myself among them: I could have cried, nobody would have noticed.

I still had no idea what to do or where to go, wandering alone in the crowded streets. But as I turned my head to the right, my eyes fell on an imposing hotel, illuminated by gorgeous lit-up fountains and surrounded by various types of floral decorations. And that was when I remembered.

Richard. That's the hotel Richard's staying in.

Similarly to Mark, I had met Richard while working on Supernatural; and similarly to Mark, Richard and I had become close friends in only a matter of weeks. After the show had ended, we stayed in touch, and over time, we started to hang out more and more. We eventually began working on common projects together, though they were all silly and for our own amusement. But it led us to have somewhat of a reputation as a duo, to the point of being cast as the two main protagonists in a brand-new TV show. We obviously both accepted, and this new shared adventure had brought us yet even closer to each other.

It had now been some time since we had started working together on the series, and it had taken us to Los Angeles, where we had to shoot for about a week. The production crew had decided to put both of us up in a hotel, but I had told them not to book me a room since I knew Mark resided in town and that I could spend the nights over at his place. Production had accepted my request and ended up booking a single room for Richard, although they had told me it went against regular policy.

Standing in front of the hotel, I looked back on how I had thanked the crew for making an exception. But as I now felt lonely and abandoned, I wished I had not said anything and just accepted the hotel room from the get-go. With my suitcase in my left hand and my duffle bag over my right shoulder, I walked up to the entrance of the hotel and stopped in front of the security guarding the doors. Since I had no room registered to my name, I had not been granted access to the hotel, but Richard had given me an extra entry pass, in case I would need or want to see him in his hotel room.

I presented the pass to the guard and was let inside; walking in, I was instantly blinded by the bright lights emanating from the chandeliers mounted on the ceiling, which contrasted sharply with the darkness outside. For a second, I thought about giving Richard a call, to let him know I was on my way to his room; but given how emotionally weakened I was, I felt I would not be able to speak over the phone, so decided against it. I made my way to the elevator and tried to remember on which floor his room was as I stepped inside; after having searched deep enough in my memory, I pressed the button to the third floor and went up with the elevator. Once on the third floor, the elevator doors opened and I took a step into the bright red hallway.

I slowly walked up to his room and stopped at the door, my luggage in hand, my vision blurry, and my mind blown away. I leaned forward and knocked twice on his door with a shaky hand.

"Who is it?" I heard Richard's voice ask from far away.

"Richard... It's me..." I tried to speak loud and clear.

"... [Y/N]?" He asked with surprise, recognizing my voice. "Hang on."

Inside the room, I could hear fast and loud footsteps, and in a matter of seconds, the door opened widely: I was faced with Richard, staring into my eyes, visibly worried. The door had only just opened that I immediately fell into his arms, my body going limp.

"Woah— Hey, hey." He let out as he caught me by the shoulders. "[Y/N], what's wrong?"

A simple look into his eyes was enough to make him understand I was unable to speak, so he took from my hands the suitcase and bag I was carrying and put them both inside, by the door.

"C'mon, come inside." He said gently as he held me by the arms.

Once inside, he closed the door behind us and made me walk to the couch, before helping me sit down next to him. When he understood I could not stop crying, he put a delicate hand over my knee, which made me look up and into his shining eyes.

"Can you talk?" He started softly. "Do you want to talk? I'm not forcing you if you don't want to or don't feel like it."

Despite how pathetic and pitiful I was feeling mentally, my face still managed to shape my lips into a smile that I sent his way, alongside a nod. Richard and I had been really good friends ever since we had first met, for what seemed to me like forever, and he had always been so caring towards me. Every time I needed someone's presence, he was that someone. That someone who I knew would always be there for me.

I stared back at him and was pained to see how sad he was to see me in such a state.

"It's Mark..." I tried to say, a tear stuck in my throat. "... We broke up."

Richard stared at me in a way I could not describe: he seemed sad, shocked, and for some reason, angry.

"... What?" He finally said after a few seconds of silence.

"He told me it's what's best for us..."

He grabbed his forehead with a sigh, visibly pensive, before turning to me swiftly. He leaned closer to me and hugged me tight, wrapping me in his embrace to try and help me calm down. I felt at peace in his arms. I had always felt comfortable in Richard's arms. But never before had I craved his touch so badly. I grabbed tight onto his back as I allowed myself to cry more tears on his shoulder, my head resting against the crook of his neck. Mark's words had rendered a part of my soul cold and empty, but Richard's warmth was the only remedy I needed to fix it.

He passed a hand on my back, rubbing it back and forth, in hopes of stopping my tears from flowing.

"Shh, shh..." He lulled me softly.

His soothing shushing resonating through my mind, I lost myself in his embrace and kept holding him close, making him understand I did not want him to let go. We remained in each other's arms for a few silent minutes, until he pulled away gently and grabbed my shoulders with care: he looked at me straight in the eyes once more, and when I gazed inside his, it was as if an electrical shock was traveling through my entire body.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked me with a faint smile.

"I don't know..." I answered honestly while shaking my head slowly.

Richard tucked a strand of hair behind my ear while slightly tilting his head to the side.

"What would help you feel better? What do you want, right now?"

My eyes were still interlocked with his, but my mind went elsewhere.

What do I want?

I asked myself the same question he had just asked me, but was somehow unable to come up with a definitive answer: instead of giving him a verbal response, I stared into his whiskey-colored eyes as I grabbed one of his hands with both of mine. His gorgeous face lit up with a stunning smile I had had the chance to see so many times before, but never had enough of.

"Well, in any case, I do know what you'd need right now." He started, backing away from me a little. "What do you say I make you a cup of tea, and go fetch you a blanket or two?"

I giggled softly at his offer and the sound of my own laughter made me realize I was starting to feel better.

"I say I'd very much appreciate it." I replied with a warm smile.

"Alright, I'll get on it right away then." He smiled back. "The tea might take a while to get ready, so don't hesitate to walk around and stretch your legs a bit."

"Good idea." I said as I stood up from the couch at the same time as him.

While Richard left the room, I took a look around, and only then did I realize his hotel room was not even a single room, but a suite. I spotted three other rooms, in addition to the living area: a bedroom, a kitchen, and a bathroom. I made my way to the bathroom while taking in everything around me.

"Damn, Rich..." I said out loud, addressing him even though he was not in the room with me. "They gave you a full-on suite."

"I know, right?" I heard him chuckle from another room.

I stepped inside the bathroom and passed a hand over the wall as I scoffed lightly.

"I can't believe I'm missing out on all of this." I murmured to myself somewhat disappointedly.

Walking deeper into the bathroom, I approached the sink and stopped in front of the mirror above it.

Jesus Christ...

"... I look like shit." I finished my thought aloud.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples with a sigh.

"And to think Richard had to see me like that..."

Opening my eyes back up, I looked more closely at my eyes and the ruined mascara around them.

I'll remove my makeup and clean my face a little, hopefully that'll make me look less miserable.

I made my way back to the front door and picked up my suitcase and my duffle bag: I carried them over to the living area, and set them both down on the floor next to the couch, before unzipping the suitcase, which contained a makeup bag. As I was about to leave the room, my makeup bag in hand, I noticed a blanket and a couple of pillows on the couch, which had not been there before. I smiled and headed back to the bathroom, but stopped by the kitchen this time; leaning a shoulder against the wall behind me, I observed Richard meticulously preparing my tea, softly humming a tune to himself, and felt my cheeks get hotter and hotter the longer I stared at him.

Before he got the chance to turn around and spot me, I kept on walking and entered the bathroom once more. I set my pouch down and opened it to take my makeup remover out, and started cleaning my face. After I had removed all traces of makeup from my face, I splashed some cold water on it, after which I dabbed on my skin with a fresh towel hanging beside the sink. With my face now cleaned and dried up, I took another look at myself in the mirror.

"Well... it's considerably better." I told myself with a sigh.

I put my makeup remover back into my makeup bag and exited the bathroom, and once I was in the living room again, I placed my bag back inside my suitcase. With that done and out of the way, I sat down on the couch once more and let my body relax at the contact of the soft blanket and pillows: just as I was getting comfortable, Richard entered the room, a warm smile on his face and a cup in hand.

"Tea's ready." He said as he walked up to me.

He sat down next to me and held out the mug before my hands.

"Here. Careful, it's hot."

"Thanks."

We exchanged smiles as I grabbed the mug from his hands, but our eyes left each other and my cheeks reddened when my fingers went brushing against his, his skin feeling hotter to the touch than the tea itself. I kept the cup in my hands for a while without actually drinking from it, taking in the heat from the ceramic, and feeling it spread throughout my body. As I took the first sip, I looked back at Richard.

"It's delicious." I told him with a sincere smile.

"It's the one I always make you when you're feeling down, but I perfected it by adding a few drops of honey and milk this time." He said with a sense of pride.

"Well, I love this new specialty of yours." I chuckled gently. "And I hope I'll get to taste it again in the future."

"I'll make you as much as you want. Even when you're not feeling down."

Perhaps it was the sip I had just swallowed, or the syrupy-sweet tone of his voice, but when I heard Richard's words, I felt my throat heat up and spread this heat across my face. Holding tight the mug in my hands, I dared look up and into his honey-colored eyes, sweeter than the honey in my tea. But once I had started staring into them, it was impossible for me to look away; stickier than nectar, they kept me unable to move or fight my way out of them, forcing me to lose myself deeper in them.

And if it had not been for him breaking our stare and looking away, I would have remained stuck into his gaze for all eternity.

"Alright, finish your tea up." He told me as he cleared his throat. "You've gotta rest a little, now."

I blinked a couple of times, pulling myself out of my reveries, and did as I was told. As I took the last sip from my mug, he grabbed the blanket he had brought over and carefully laid it over me, before taking the now-empty cup from my hands.

"If you can, try and take a nap. I know it's still early for sleep, but you've been through a lot tonight, you need to rest. Even just for a short while."

He stood up from the couch, the mug in hand, and turned to me.

"If you need me, or anything, I'll be in my bedroom, all right?"

"All right." I nodded.

As I watched him begin to leave the room, a voice inside of me reached out to him.

"Rich, wait." I suddenly said.

He stopped walking and turned around, only to meet my smiling face.

"Thank you, for everything."

A loving smile took shape on his face at the same time his cheeks got riddled with blush. Turning back around, he flipped the light switch off and headed for his bedroom, leaving me alone in the living room. I lay down across the couch, finding warmth in the cozy blanket covering my body, and closed my eyes with a yawn. As if he was still on the couch with me, I could smell Richard's cologne surrounding me, wrapping me in a feeling of reassurance. Everything around me felt so snug, so homelike, that I fell asleep right away.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt somewhat disoriented, but also revitalized. I reached out for my right jacket pocket and pulled my phone out to look at the time, and saw my good rest had lasted over half an hour. I stretched my arms and legs before slowly rising into a sitting position, and pushed the blanket aside. I rubbed my eyes while yawning then decided to take my phone out once again, this time to check if I had any potential notifications; but before I could even unlock my phone, I was distracted by Richard's voice, conversing with another, awfully familiar one, breaking the silence reigning throughout the entire suite.

I quietly stood up from the couch and as I slowly stepped toward his bedroom, the two voices got louder, deeper, and angrier. Not wanting to interrupt and make my presence known, I stopped around a corner of the wall and observed from afar.

"What's the deal with [Y/N]?" I saw Richard angrily ask the phone he was holding up to his ear.

"What happened between her and I is none of your goddamn business." I recognized Mark's voice on the other side of the line. "Besides, why are you even concerned about that? You should be happy, now she's all yours."

"I have the right to know. And I don't want her to be 'all mine'. She's not a plaything, Mark. You've treated her like a toy for so long, and now you've broken it."

"You think I take pride in what I've done? No, but it was for the best."

Before Richard could add anything else, Mark abruptly hung up on him, putting a forced end to their conversation.

"Bastard..." He murmured to himself as he glared at the phone.

Quietly standing still, I watched him sit down on the edge of his bed, before setting his phone aside and burying his face in his hands; hesitantly, I took a few steps forward and gently knocked on his wide-open bedroom door, revealing myself.

"Rich..." I said in a low voice.

The second he heard the sound of my voice, he looked up and met my eyes, before standing up quickly.

"[Y/N]—" He exclaimed as he walked toward me. "How long have you been up? Are you feeling any better?"

"I am, that nap felt really good." I answered him with a forced smile.

He smiled back at me, but we both knew that neither of our grins was heartfelt: mine slowly vanished as I stared into his eyes intensely.

"Listen, Rich..." I started awkwardly. "I... I heard you talk with Mark over the phone..."

His smile faded away and he instinctively avoided looking into my eyes as he backed off slightly; but I could not bring myself to divert my sight from him, and with the both of us staying silent, I could feel the uneasiness settle between us.

"Do you mind... explaining to me what Mark meant when he said what he said about you?" I shyly spoke up.

Richard exhaled heavily as he grabbed the back of his neck with one hand.

"[Y/N], I..."

He tried to speak, but I could read in him the struggle he was going through to find the right words to use: he did not finish his sentence and instead left it hanging, letting silence take over once more.

"You should be happy, now she's all yours."

This one sentence kept resonating in my head, and the more I was hearing it, the more I was beginning to accept it.

"I know what Mark meant, Rich." I said gently as I took a confident step forward. "But I want to hear it from you."

He finally looked up at me, and before he even said a word, I could read the love in his eyes, and I could feel it spread over to mine.

"I love you, [Y/N]." Richard confessed with a deep breath. "I always have. Since the first time we met, since the very moment I saw you, I've always felt this way about you. And, when you and Mark got together, I promised myself I'd keep my feelings hidden and away. The last thing I wanted was to ruin your relationship by interfering... Mark eventually figured it out a couple of weeks ago."

Listening to him pour his heart out to me, I could feel each and every single one of his words was truly sincere.

"[Y/N]... I'm so sorry to burden you with all this... You shouldn't have to sit through my rambling, after what you've just gone through with Mark—"

"No." I suddenly interrupted him.

His eyes opened wider in surprise, and the gleam visible inside of them was a sign he would have begun shedding a tear if I had not stopped him from talking further. I felt my cheeks flush as I took a step in his direction.

"I... I love you too." I shamefully admitted. "Like you, I always have. Something inside of me triggered when I first talked to you. But... I've always been unsure of my feelings for you, unsure of their true nature... It's always been in and out for me. Then, Mark came pretty early on, so I think my brain just... unconsciously pushed these feelings aside. But they've always been there. They never left."

Staring into his sparkling eyes, I felt the atmosphere surrounding us becoming heavier than ever.

"... I never knew you felt this way about me." I shook my head slowly. "But now, it just feels like it makes all the sense in the world..."

Losing some of my confidence, I looked down at my feet and sighed.

"God, I feel so stupid... I've been oblivious this whole time, I should've seen—"

"[Y/N]." He cut me off gently. "Don't blame yourself, please."

"No, I have my share of responsibility in this, Rich. If I had noticed your feelings for me right away, then... maybe... we could've—"

Before I could finish speaking, my cheeks were cupped by two strong hands, before I felt Richard's lips against mine. The contact of our skins against one another was so sudden, that I could not help but let out a soft, high-pitched moan as we kissed. It was such a passionate kiss, radiating love, yet it felt as though it was the softest I had ever received. Just as my limbs started relaxing and my lips began taking part in the action, Richard pulled away after only a few seconds, leaving a part of me frustrated and wanting more. He shook his head repeatedly as he pressed one of his hands on his forehead.

"Shit— I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, this is too soon—" He stuttered.

"No— I mean, yes—" I stammered as well. "But, to be honest... I think we both wanted it to happen."

We awkwardly stared at each other, our bodies still so close, which allowed me to see his slightly blushing cheeks and made my heart flutter.

"And, besides... even if it can't happen now doesn't mean it can't ever happen again at a later time..." I shyly added.

I lowered my gaze a little and delicately grabbed one of his hands with one of mine, before looking back up into his gorgeous eyes.

"When you asked me earlier, I didn't have an answer, but now, I know what I want."

Richard scoffed gently and smiled as he intertwined his fingers with mine.

"I'll need some time to heal from Mark, Richard. But I know I'll heal faster with you by my side."

As we held each other's hands, the warm smiles we exchanged made us both understand we were making the promise of being honest with ourselves and each other from there on.

"Then I'll never stray away from you."

[kiwiwinjindouche]

hi again! i was reading your ocs ask post and you mention kirin/corvo a lot, so i was wondering what your take on their relationship is - how it started & what your headcanons are! full longpost mode if you want to >:) very curious /positive

*cracking fingers* you shouldn't have done that >:3 (it means 'thank you for letting me rant about them too')

(read the fanfic!! :D everything's explained there! /hj /crying)

I ship them. A lot. A very lot.

Corvo has never really heard about Kirin before (why would has he?), so he's only relying on rumors. After hearing both sides, and considering the chance he gave to Anton 15 years ago, he decided to give that same chance to Kirin. Maybe, they could figure out something and start to work together, on less deadly projects. It was worth the try, because Corvo is fully aware of his genius.

As for Kirin, in my headcanons, he's heard about Corvo his. Whole. Life. When he was young, his brother couldn't stop talking about him. I mean, Corvo must be a legend in Karnaca, right? among the kids. That young lad, who won the Blade Verbana, and then became Royal Protector??? Everyone knows about him.

I like to think, when Kirin was at the Academy, that he saw Corvo! but like, for a couple of minutes, from afar. Corvo and Jessamine went there once to see how things were going, to see the prodigies of the Academy. Then, well, DH1 events, I think lots of people talked about it too, and that it was on the newspaper. At least the main events, like the murder of the Empress, Corvo escaping Coldridge? how young Emily came back on the throne. (And maybe Delilah talked about them too at some point? to warn the Coup Crew).

So yeah, Kirin was a bit excited to finally see the Royal Protector in his mansion, he would be able to witness his strength and see how close (or not) the rumors are to reality. Excited and curious, in fact. (I know I'm overreading/overanalyzing things, but I do think his tone is more joyful and sarcastic when talking to Corvo, compared to the more menacing one sometimes with Emily) (still obsessed with his "Perhaps you've lost a step with age my dear Corvo")

(also I always find it funny how he's like "you have your father's eyes >:3" like how do you know lmao, was it thanks to the wanted posters from 15 years ago? did you try to come up with something no matter how stupid it might be?)

Okay well, Royal Protector is in his mansion, time to have some fun! oh wait no, not this way, oh gosh he's already in the bedroom, not he's... well, you found me! let yourself be killed already no don't come i mean yes but no he's oh well he's here now and so close and so strong he managed to destroy a few soldiers on his way too, geez, he really is impressive. And how curious of him to suggest a partnership. Kirin accepted the offer, it was that or the electroshock machine so better this than losing his mind (Corvo keeps telling him he had a choice, but Kirin isn't fully convinced on this).

What helped too is, I don't think Kirin had a very good relationship with Breanna or Luca. He also has a letter where he states he doesn't really care about who's on the throne and's got nothing against the Kaldwin line (cf "An Unfinished Letter on Legacy").

Still nothing new but on the Wale, he stumbled upon Alex and was a bit surprised - oh, she was hiding here - and they slept in the same room. Of course Meagan wasn't happy with this, but she wanted to trust Corvo. She was trusting Corvo way more than she was actually trusting Kirin.

And that's how things started between them. As days passed by, Corvo was trying to gain Kirin's trust. They started to talk about anything and everything, at night, when they were alone together, and Kirin would open up more to him, little by little. Because, as much as he loves to talk about himself, I don't think this is about his very personal life.

Kirin was a bit reluctant at first. He knows Corvo's doing all this because he wants his trust (and genius), and not really because he's interested... right? but then it seemed Corvo was, in fact, interested.

When I first worked on all this, I was like 'maybe they could kiss before Corvo goes back to Dunwall?' but not anymore, because it was too short for them to really bond that much and such, so now it's a bit later! (I keep thinking about their first kiss every night and I'm not kidding, it's been a month maybe and not a single day passes by without me thinking about this someone helps)

In my headcanons, Kirin is aroace, and so very confused about his feelings. Everything feels so strange and new, what's happening to him?? what is he supposed to do with that? He doesn't like it. He doesn't like having feelings. It feels weak and pathetic. He's interested by Corvo, that is true, but calling it love? it seemed a bit too much, for a time. (Saying "I love you" to him used to be even more difficult too.)

As for Corvo, he's a lot confused as well, because he likes him, maybe? I mean, learning more about him was nice. "You're more human than I thought." And he missed their little conversations at night. So then, what exactly?

Still, they decide to give it a chance. They have nothing to lose, it seems. Maybe. Do they?

(And that's why Marisol will definitely talk about Adrian and Corvo with Kirin when they meet again, on how Adrian would have exploded if he saw his little brother dating his idol.)

If you want another fun fact/headcanon, Corvo loves to listen to Kirin playing violin and piano.

[gummybugg]

find the word tag!

tagged by @digitalsatyr23 here! havent done this tag in a bit, but i have more writing now so its not so difficult to find new words :'D

rules: find the words in your writing and paste a sample here

my words to find: wrong, find, dream, and cloud

(Wasn't sure if this post warrents a content warning, but it does reference suicidal ideation, dissociation, and kidnapping, so be aware.)

...

WRONG

(from my dormant wip the mice come out at night - morgana's pov/diary entry)

I was supposed to have died that day, I found myself thinking. But this thought wasn't out of scorn or hatred for the times I had made since then, it was a matter of fact. I didn't get what I had been promised, yet this time I wasn't so sure what I had expected at the time. Morgana then and now were two cherries separated at the stem. Our concept of what we thought we needed mirrored, the reflection a jarring contrast. "You must have the wrong guy," I found myself saying, cutting through my rampant thoughts. I highly doubted there was anything Vincent could be capable of lying to us about. Even if he decided to tell the others and not me, I was at least 99% certain Juniper would have spilled it by now.

FIND

(from my wip crater city - melony's pov)

Darcy looked down at his hands and the tears that fell into them. "I'm crying." He said, as if baffled by the phenomenon. His voice grew more distant, attempting to fade seamlessly into the background noise. "Look what you've made me do." "Darcy..." I began. "It feels warm and achy. But something is there. It's times like these that make me feel real. Feel human." "Darcy, you are human." "At this moment, I am. In the next few seconds, I won't be anymore. I hate it when emotions fade out of existence..." He sat at my desk with his face buried in his hands. It was customary for when his "mind checked out," as he used to say. "Your emotions don't go away. They're just hiding." He looked up at me with hollow eyes and a slack jaw. But they weren’t hollow because they were empty; they were hollow because they had yet to return. "They're just playing a game of hide and seek.” He grunted in agitated confusion. I sighed, picking up where I left off in the clutter. “Right now, sadness is 'it' and it's having a hard time finding the others. Hmm, I'd wager that anger is hiding in a prickly blackberry bush. Fear isn't always smart, so it's hiding clear-as-day behind a tree. Happiness is relaxing way up high in a tree..." I stood on my toes to prop the last textbook at the top of the shelf. The ridiculous analogy made Darcy chuckle. "It seems it found laughter first," I stuck out my tongue. Darcy came over to help, except my balance was a bit off and the book may have accidentally slipped from my fingers. It knocked him on the head before hitting the floor with a deafening belly flop. Instead of complaining about his head, his eyes lingered on the fallen book for a few extra seconds.

DREAM

Uhhhh none i think

CLOUD

(from my wip crater city - blair's pov)

I slapped the dented trunk of the sedan shut. The trunk was a briefcase from the show Steal or No Steal, and I was the pretty lady in red. But the look on Elijah’s face told me he was not fully convinced that this was the deal of a lifetime. He was starting to get on my nerves. He didn't know how to appreciate an offer of such high demand. It was honestly insulting. However, my TV show escapade was short-lived once I realized that he wasn’t going to let up. He was really upset, wasn't he? I could see it in his vacant stare: his soul had left his body. He took a step back, hands hovering cluelessly at his sides. “Uh, Elijah? What’s wrong, man?” I leaned against the creaky trunk, which snapped further shut, almost forfeiting my balance. It really needed more bungee cords, come to think if it. “This…this isn’t even one of the guys that harassed me.” “Come again?” Elijah was such a joker. “Blair…” The abstraction of my friend clutched my shoulders, causing the damp fabric to press into my skin. His hollow eyes sat constricted in their sockets, white about to burst in urgency. “It’s just some guy with green hair…” “Yeah, and…?” I raised a brow. Of course, he had green hair. What was he going on about? I saw a man with the same colored hair as one of the guys Elijah described, then I…wait, where did I even find this guy? I don’t even remember his face. And it would really be embarrassing to double-check by popping open the trunk. Had I really…? I searched the swirling green clouds for an answer. Then Elijah called my name and my wandering eyes found their way back to his.

...

gently tagging @asterhaze @ditzybitzyspider @forthesanityofsome @frostedlemonwriter @new-royston-cursebreakers and anyone else

rules: find the words in your writing and paste a sample here

your words to find: pull, back, away, and whenever

...

crater city mayhem taglist (dm to be added/removed): @writeouswriter @lyra-brie @digitalsatyr23 @talesfromtheunknowable

[upon-lavender-hills]

Grunge

I hate saying stuff, because I always regret it in the end. But once in a blue moon my desire to say something grows so strong that I crawl from under my rock and make some sort of a statement somewhere. It's that time now.

I've already talked my friend's ear off with this crap, but it's still not enough. It also drives me up the wall that I don't see this stuff being said all the time, or at least some of the time. I guess I don't see it being said at all. So I guess I have to say it myself. 

I'm talking about this huge thing Runge canonically has for Grimmer. Not even in the romantic sense... Let me explain. In the crudest of terms, too.

By the time Runge makes it to Ruhenheim, he is already not quite the same as he was at the start. His path to Ruhenheim was the most tedious, and yet he still got there before everyone else. And Grimmer definitely catches his eye when they intersect. Again, not in the romantic sense. They just go around the town, exploring the surroundings and kinda watching each other. And they both know. They know what's going on, they know who the other person is, but they just waltz around it for quite some time. Until they finally have a proper conversation in that desolate place. And that conversation, man...

They understood each other with half-word, literally skipping a good portion of talking, because that would just be redundant. Runge is absolutely chill with the idea that Grimmer might be a murderer. The guy has a nice smile, so who cares, right? Grimmer states that Runge "smells like a detective". Is it just me, or does that sound, uhhh... extremely weird? Almost in a flirty sort of way. Because you gotta get pretty close to someone to take a good whiff of them. And hearing something like that being said about yourself, it must be pretty embarrassing, or confusing, or thrilling. What does that even mean, by the way? I thought so hard about it, and I still can't tell for sure. What do detectives smell like? Gunpowder, paperwork and cold, hard determination? Do they reek of sweat, or some special kind of cologne? I have no idea. But I guess Grimmer has, and Runge, he just stands there, looking at him like it's a given.

And after that, they just click. "Oh, hey, we're on the same page, we're after the same thing". And without any negotiation, they simply decide that they work together now. I am fully convinced that at this very moment Runge went, "This one". No context, just – "This one", about Grimmer. 

He then proceeded to entrust Grimmer with his most important evidence, the very one that led him to Ruhenheim. And then, at Versteck... Man. His "I'll buy you a beer" says so many things, just because it came from Runge. He doesn't have any friends. He doesn't even communicate with his colleagues properly. But, somehow, he is still willing to bond with Grimmer. I guess it's a "we're the same, so let's be alone together" thing. At the same time, he's just heard Grimmer stating that he cannot enjoy simple pleasures in life. That means, he wouldn't be able to enjoy this suggested after-work-beer either, right? So Runge's invitation serves as a double promise: that they'll get the job done and make it out of Ruhenheim alive, and that Grimmer will be fixed enough to finally enjoy that beer with him. 

Needless to say, Runge really, really wanted to keep Grimmer alive. And he doesn't cope with Grimmer's death well. Say what you will, but visiting someone's grave with a beer after A YEAR that they've passed, lamenting how you wish you would have known them, is pretty damn strange. And I suppose Runge might've visited Grimmer's grave prior, too, with some periodicity. The card, the plans, the beer, the hinted promise – he really wanted Grimmer to become his friend. And just because it's Runge, who refused to even engage in a casual talk with his peers and barely cared that his wife and daughter abandoned him, this thing he has for Grimmer seems to be especially large, unalloyed and special.

[purefandomonium]

Part 8: Extended Warranty

Heeeeey more chapters! I got the sudden urge to write a bunch all at once so I can finally start posting again. I'm trying to stay 2-3 chapters ahead before post any. Hope you enjoy!

***

She supposed it was only a matter of time. This must have been the “strange feeling” Red had begun mentioning recently. If only she’d seen it for what it was: foreshadowing.

The GameBoy was done. Toast. The internals had finally burned up from constantly running. The old thing just couldn’t handle it anymore. It shouldn’t have been as much of a shock as it was. And yet…

Now she was left with a burnt out GameBoy and what she hoped was a still-functioning copy of the haunted Pokemon Red. She felt bad for him. He’d likely had little to no warning before his world went dark. The power had been out for at most several hours but she hoped he’d be alright in there until she could get a new console.

Right… It was just a matter of finding one. The spare she’d gotten via trade wasn’t in the best state from all her meddling trying to make the microphone work. She didn’t want to risk plugging Red into that lest he become even more broken. Her computer was an option, but she wasn’t sure putting Red into something that modern and powerful—compared to the GameBoy anyway—would be a smart move. She could check the game store she bought him from, only she doubted she’d find a console cheap. She’d already used up the last of her summer money to buy Red’s cartridge in the first place. She really didn’t want to talk to anyone else in school to convince them to give one up either. The first trade had at least been with someone she was on relatively neutral terms with. She didn’t know who to ask now.

Except for her parents. It was a coin toss as to whether or not they’d indulge her request. Maybe… Maybe they’d feel guilty about never spending time with her? Maybe she could sweet talk Mom, who could then convince Dad…

Leann’s feet carried her downstairs. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door to her parents’ office. They took turns sharing it, as her father tended to most of his business away in an actual office while her mother was more self-made and worked from home the vast majority of the time. She hoped she wasn’t walking in on a meeting.

“Mom?” Leann cracked the door open and peeked inside when there was no answer.

“Yes?”

She opened the door fully as her mother turned to face her. “You’re not too busy, I hope? I need to, uh, ask you something.”

“No, it’s fine. What’s wrong?”

Ok. Now for the fun part. “Well… you know how I spent the summer working odd jobs so I could save up for stuff?” She waited for the nod before continuing. “Well, I used it to get some games and stuff, but now my GameBoy died…” She hoped she didn’t look like a desperate idiot. She certainly felt like one, asking her mother to re-buy her a kid’s toy so she could continue talking to the spirit-entity-thing that resided in one of the games for it. Not that she’d tell her all that. “I, um, don’t have the money to get another one at the moment.”

“Well, how much does another one cost?”

Leann’s eyes widened at her stupidity. Why didn’t she check first? “Um… It… It varies. I was gonna check the same store I went to for any. It just, uh, depends on what type and all that.” She met her mom’s gaze and they just stared awkwardly. “Can I go find out and get back with you? I promise it won’t be too much. I don’t even need anything extra with it. All I need is the console. Please?”

Maybe it was the guilt of ignoring her daughter that made her agree so quickly. Leann would tell herself that for as long as she needed to.

“…Alright. Go take a look and let me know, ok?”

“Seriously?!”

“Mmhmm.” She turned back to her computer.

“Thanks, Mom! You’re the best!” Leann didn’t wait for any sort of answer as she turned and rushed to get her shoes on. She wasted no time bounding out the door and to the game store about ten minutes away if one was walking.

Which she ended up doing after only a couple minutes.

Stepping into the slightly stuffy air inside, she went up to the counter and waited in the short line. Finally, “You wouldn’t happen to have any old GameBoy consoles, would you? Doesn’t matter what kind.” Although an SP would be nice. She always wanted one of those. It had the added benefit of being rechargeable by default too, so no more rigging. Maybe it would last a little longer than its predecessor.

“Mm. I’ll have to check.”

She waited as he disappeared into the back, brimming with nervous energy. It was ridiculous to get her hopes up but she’d spent too much time with Red to give up any opportunities she had to bring him back. The odds they’d have one were slim, and they only lessened at the possibility of a newer version.

It seemed the odds were in her favor when the clerk returned with a dusty box.

“You’re in luck; there’s an old SP. It’s pretty dinged up but it still works great. The damage is just cosmetic.” He let her take a look at it and even loaded up a game for her.

Leann couldn’t hide her grin. To top it all off, it was even red. How fitting. “How much is it?”

“It’s one-eighty-four.”

She grimaced. Probably not terrible, but it was still pretty scratched up. “Do you mind if I call my mom real quick? She’s paying so it’s her say. I’ll be right back.”

He shrugged and set the box beneath the counter while she stepped outside. The phone couldn’t ring fast enough. “Mom!” she barked out with too much excitement. “They have one, it works, but it’s, um, it’s one-eighty-four.” The sigh she received in response was disheartening.

“I’ll be down in a few.”

Leann gasped as the line went dead. This had just become the best day she’d ever had. Now the only thing left was making sure Red was ok.

Five minutes and some haggling later, and Leann walked out of there with a new console and her mom saved thirty bucks. She made sure to thank her immensely on the way home before going upstairs to lock herself in her room.

Her hands shook as she plugged the console into the charger and inserted the cartridge. She watched in anticipation as it booted up and the regular Pokemon Red intro played. Something she hadn’t seen in almost a month as Red grew more and more aware. Her finger hovered over the start button.

Everything froze. The music crackled before cutting off. The images on screen glitched save for a single text box that appeared.

RED: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!

Leann heaved out the breath she’d been holding as the messages continued to appear.

RED: What did you do?!

RED: Why did you turn it off?!?!

She cursed, realizing she could no longer speak with him, the microphone still rigged to the broken GameBoy. There was no way she was going to risk damaging this one too. Red’s panicked tantrum wasn’t helping and she snapped, “The game died you dumbass!” She hushed herself and tiptoed to her door to poke her head out and see if her mom heard. She could faintly hear her voice, on a conference call no doubt. She shut the door again.

“Great. Now I have to figure out how to talk to you again. Spelling takes way too long.”

RED: What do you mean the game “died?”

She froze. “…What?”

RED: You said the game died. So you didn’t turn it off?

“I… no. Wait… Can you hear me?”

RED: Um, yeah? Did you forget all your meddling?

“Red…”

RED: So how long until you get the charger fixed? I don’t want to go out like that again.

He… How was he able to…?

“Red,” she said again, voice a whisper. “The plug didn’t fall out. The actual GameBoy died. You shouldn’t… be able to hear me right now.” Still, she found herself checking over the SP for any signs of tampering that would suggest a microphone was installed.

RED: …What are you saying…?

“…I’m saying that the GameBoy I was using burned up. It must have overheated or something. The one your cartridge is plugged into right now is a completely different console. I just got it.” Surely it had been fate that had allowed something so convenient to happen. Whatever it was, she was grateful.

RED: …I see…

RED: I didn’t even notice. You sound the same as always.

“I shouldn’t sound like anything though! That’s what’s c—weird about it.” She almost said creepy. That likely wouldn’t go over well and she was glad she caught it.

RED: It’s strange…

RED: I think staying awake for so long has made me stronger somehow.

RED: My head feels much clearer… And I can even hear you without the microphone!

“Yeah…” She couldn’t tell where this was going anymore. It made sense; the longer the game stayed on, the more Red’s mental awareness improved. And Red had been awake for quite some time now. Much longer than he ever had been before, no doubt.

If this kept up, would he eventually be able to free himself?

“Well… I guess I don’t need to worry about rigging a new mic, huh?”

RED: No. There’s no need.

RED: …I’m sorry I yelled before.

“Huh? Why? It’s no big deal.” She had read his initial reaction as fear and panic, not anger. It seemed like Red was used to going into constant comas. Most players probably just turned the GameBoy off when they were done playing. That couldn’t have been good, blacking out like that for indefinite amounts of time. Maybe that was why it had taken him so long to reach this point.

No wonder he’d been so distraught.

She watched the game return to its normal state, Red seemingly running out of things to say. It appeared he’d rather things continue on as normal. She pursed her lips and shrugged, figuring she may as well allow it.

Today had been something else, but at least it was almost over.

Part 7: here Part 9: here

[uzumakichcined]

so if anyone knows me, I use songs to help get into the musing of my character, and a *big* song that resonates with me for Karin is "Rude#4 - Fish in a Birdcage"

I've thought once before because my neurodivergent ass can't stop it, making a small animatic about how it relates to Karin because I can see it work really well for her story in general.

For one, Karin is established at least in her anime backstory (which i do consider canon because that manga gives us like, nothing) as an outsider. That she never "belonged" anywhere

She was a fish they had put into a birdcage to try and trap her. Mold her into something that she wasn't and as such she always felt out of place and never held much loyalty to those in the grass village.

The lines

So carry me from these walls Brother of mine Show me the world outside It has to be true I'm counting on you To be my wings and my eyes

Because I think Karin's "obsessive" personality stems from the fact she never had a fully stable strong presence that kept her grounded in her life. Constantly she is clinging to the stronger presences in her life to keep her safe and shielded, she attaches to them as a way to survive and to feel "needed' and "wanted"

The reason she is so loyal to Orochimaru is because he praises her efforts and makes it known that with her, he would be set back significantly. He gives her a purpose, and gives her a feeling that she is needed.

It's why she attaches herself to Sasuke as well. When he utters the phrase "I need you" it resonates with Karin and with Orochimaru supposedly dead, she finds herself lost and struggling to find that other strong presence in her life to prop herself up on. To feel needed and wanted, Karin can't let herself be abandoned and so she follows Sasuke through it all and he earns her loyalty above all else. And her affection, as well. She is like, a 17 year old girl who is hormonal and has a lot of emotions. Like, come on.

But the intensity of her emotions for Sasuke stems from her feeling like she needs others to help her break out of the prisons she finds herself in. Sasuke helps her leave Orochimaru's hideouts and shows her the world and the power she can have with him which causes her to form that unhealthy obsession. No one else, outside of Orochimaru who she sees more as a parental figure, had done.

So carry me from these wallsI'm counting on you To be my wings and my eyes

When first starting out, Orochimaru was her wings and eyes that allowed her to soar with the others. Providing her with education, opportunity, a home that she could have full power and control over. Later Sasuke offers the very same thing, a chance to soar once more with him, and their team, to even greater heights.

I'm a fish inside a birdcage My brother always sings me songs With his beak he tries to soothe me He makes me feel that I belong

I like to think this first lyric starts with the song, to Karin, singing about Orochimaru and Kabuto who soothe her fears of being useless by showing just how much and how well her help is contributing to their cause.

He has a wild imagination And tells me things that must be true Like there's a world where I can take flight Where I can freely move So carry me from these walls Brother of mine Show me the world outside It has to be true I'm counting on you To be my wings and my eyes

This lyric is directly at Orochimaru, who in finding her, is able to convince Karin to join him willingly by promising that she can be given so much more than what the grass village had thrown at her.

The "wild imagination" being him insisting that she can be so much more, a statement that Karin doesn't fully believe, but with Orochimaru's confidence she thinks it must be true and she *could* do what she considered impossible. Bringing her back to his lab and showing her the marvel of their work and what they've been able to accomplish.

And she can be a part of that, because she is special and deserving of everything and more.

As I breathe into our silence There's a voice that comforts me It's a voice of understanding It's the voice of empathy

These lyrics would come more after Orochimaru's death, where Karin is left stumbling in the silence that settles over his hideouts now that he is "gone". Sasuke then entering as that "voice of understanding" and "empathy" because when he tells her that he needs her skills it reminds her a lot of Orochimaru and the confidence of it only seals the deal. He understands her, just like Orochimaru had, and he knows she is strong, surely, he wouldn't lie to her like this as there wasn't a reason to. They both had left their respective villages to be here after all, so he surely was empathetic and understanding of her situation.

Wings of feathers, tails, and fin tips We feel each rock so differently You gave me more than I could ask for Indistinguishability So carry me from these walls Brother of mine Show me the world outside It has to be true I'm counting on you To be my wings and my eyes

So the first line, Wings of Feathers (Sasuke) Tails (Jugo) and fin tops (Suigetsu), their team is made up of so widely different kinds of people, yet she understands that Sasuke still views them all the same. Their skills and traits give them each an equality to him that Karin rarely was ever given. Often knowing she was looked down on because she couldn't physically fight, yet here Sasuke was giving her something she never was given before.

Indistinguishability. Karin was viewed as equal to her companions, despite the fact she couldn't physically fight. Another reason she finds herself attaching to him further and her obsession arguably growing stronger, and worse as unhealthy as it was.

Instrumental part

At this point of the song there's this dip, and that's where I would believe is where the shock of everything comes through via Sasuke *literally* stabbing through her heart.

The instrumental part being her reflecting back on everything and what was true and what was a lie of her journey so far. All while surrounded by a strange warmth that all the leaf village shinobi hold.

So carry me from these walls Brother of mine Show me the world outside It has to be true

This is where her gaze turns to Naruto, how his warmth seems to infect everyone that he's around. A glowing aura that emboldens and comforts others. It has to be true, when she closes her eyes thinking back on when it was she has felt this familiar warmth.

I'm counting on you To be my wings and my eyes

And it's then she opens her eyes and she's sitting at a table during the blank period or Boruto, whenever, with Orochimaru, Jugo, Suigetsu, Mitsuki, and Log. The same kind of warmth that she felt in the leaf village now radiating from her found family.

[medjaichieftain]

@illbringthechaosmagic

When Wanda asked about her own legend, Ardeth was not certain it was the best thing to tell her. What if it angered or upset her? Still, she had asked, and he supposed she had a right to now. "The legend speaks of the turmoil following the assassination of Seti I, and of the witch who sought to amass her power in the wake of it. It tells of your ability to alter reality, warp men's minds, and kill at will. In it, you attempt to usurp the power of Seti's successor and claim the throne for yourself, having infiltrated the ranks of the medjai with your powers to control the thoughts of others. You had to be stopped, the legend says, for once you had the throne of Egypt, you would no doubt have continued on to rule the world with your limitless magic."

Ardeth was wholly unaware of how good his voice sounded when he was narrating a story. It took on a rich quality, laced with parable levels of wisdom just in the sound of it alone. They had already seen the details of the end of the legend in her conjuring of their memories, but he'd sought to give her an idea of the modern perspective of her story. He could not speak for how it had been told through the centuries, but he could at least relate to her the version he'd been told.

When she mentioned her medjai, however, he nodded his head. "Oh, they most definitely mentioned him," Ardeth insisted. "As the legend goes, he was a disgrace to his Order, choosing desire over the greater good. Weak-willed, he was, they said, falling prey to the wiles of an evil seductress, forsaking the gods, his duty, and his own soul for her. He died in great dishonor, damned for all eternity for his soul to wander the Earth and never know peace. He is portrayed as both a victim and a weak-minded individual who could not resist the temptations of a woman and lost his moral way because of it." How strange is was to speak these words now, and find offense with them. Now more than ever, Ardeth felt that the legend had been wrong.

With her hand laid over his and both their hands over his heart, Ardeth felt... something. Emotion, certainly, but what kind? He could not say it was fully love, for he had just met this woman. And yet, it was clear that they had a bond that began even before he was born. "Then he must have believed in you, and in your innocence," Ardeth said. For someone to stand by another, even in death, that took a great amount of solid conviction. His eyes fell a little in contemplation as she freed him from the obligation to protect her. "I'll not deny that I feel a connection to you. I felt it even before you showed me these memories, but afterward, it is even stronger still. I do wish to protect you, but I will need time also to... understand myself."

He hoped that would make sense to her, but before he could try to clarify, Horus got rather upset and interrupted, needing to be placated with the distraction of food. Once he'd gotten him settled, he sought to explain the bird's behavior a bit. "He was mistreated in his youth, before I took over his care. That is what makes him distrustful of those he is not familiar with. Please do not take his reaction to you personally." Horus seemed to be calming down, though he still kept his eye on Wanda. "About four years," Ardeth replied. "I would estimate him to be perhaps six or seven years old at this point." He finally let go of the bit of meat Horus had been vigorously tugging at, causing the falcon to victoriously scoop it up and swallow it whole.

"It will not be easy to explain this to them, and they will likely suspect that you have done something to make me more... amenable to your plight. We will simply have to convince them. There is no other way." Ardeth suddenly found himself hoping that history would nto repeat itself, but at least Wanda seemed willing enough to give up her cultists. "The medjai can handle your followers, I'm sure. Once... they are convinced that you are not a threat." That was the hard part.

Closed RP with @medjaichieftain

The Scarlet Witch had long been seen as a powerful being, able to rewrite reality and either control or destroy worlds. Her magic was chaos, a dark form and one of, if not the most powerful form of magic known. It was no wonder that she was worshipped, seen as a God by many who did so. This did not bode well when it came to those in charge in the great cities of Egypt, who only saw her as a threat to their throne, someone who could possibly overthrow them and turn their people against them. And so, they had set about a plan, one to curse her, to trap her before she became too powerful and rewrote their reality. They weakened her, locked her away in a tomb and cursed it, so that whoever should be so foolish to open it would themselves be cursed.

Many years had passed before her tomb was opened. While there had been a few devout worshippers, many had perished shortly after she had been trapped so that there would not be an uprising. Those that had survived had left Egypt, vowing that one day they would return to free her. In a way, their vows had come true, as it had been their descendants, along with some unsuspecting American travellers, that had broken open the tomb.

When Wanda had emerged, she had wished for revenge. While it was true that her magic enabled her to control and destroy, she had never wished for that as her future. And so, she wanted to get revenge on the men who had trapped her in fear of what she might do. At least, that was until she discovered that the world was far different from the one she had left. The pharaohs of old were no longer there, the buildings had changed and the cities were far busier than before. There was one thing she recognised however, or at least, a person.

"You... how are you still- I thought you would have been dead by now?"

[bluehairperson]

Lucio: Btw, do you remember that annoying ass at my party last night??? I KILLED him, LOL. That’s what you get for ruining the mood 💅💅😎😘

Valerius, knowing that was an important noble from a neighboring kingdom and that he’ll have to write missives for days trying to mediate to avoid people declaring war on Vesuvia:

[captains-simp]

Wanda Maximoff ~ Fake It Till You Make It

Wanda version of this fic as requested by @yeetus-thyself

7.7k words

Warnings: shitty family and homophobia

[ masterlist ]

Buy me a coffee ☕

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Pleeaasse, Wan" You pouted once again. You had been begging Wanda for the favour for an hour now; her stubborness was proving hard to overcome.

"I'm busy." Wanda said, her accent strong as she walked around her appartment to collect things for her next mission.

"But will you be busy on the 10th?" You asked from the couch where you watched her disappear into various rooms as she talked.

"I thought you said it was a few days." Wanda quipped, seemingly only giving you half her attention.

"It is." You confirmed with some hope.

"So I'd need to clear my schedule for more than just the 10th." You huffed and rested your head on the back of couch.

"Yes you would. I'm sure Natasha can manage without you for a few days."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." She muttered.

"Please, Wan." You tried. "I need a win." Wanda stopped by the kitchen counter and gave you a long, considering look. You had long given up on your puppy dog eyes and instead copied her expression as you chewed on your bottom lip.

"I'll think about it." Wanda finally said before grabbing something from the cupboard. It was the best response you had gotten all night and you knew you wouldn't get anything more. So you accepted it and hoped for the best.

Your parents had invited you to their cabin for a few days just like they did every year. It was a beautiful place. You could spend your whole visit in the forest along the back. Or swimming in the clear lake that was a short walk away. The cabin itself was the cosiest place you had ever been and had been where some of your best memories had happened as a kid.

As you got older things changed. Being around your family, especially your parents, wasn't as enjoyable. They had high expectations for their children, expectations that your siblings had met without a problem but ones that you had struggled with. You enjoyed your life. You had the kind of relationships you had always hoped for, you loved your job and you had the perfect balance of the two. But you could never shake the feeling that you had failed.

Your brother was a surgeon who always told you all stories of the lives he saved and the close calls he had swooped in to save people from. One of your sisters was some hot shot lawyer who had done great things like help people wrongly convicted but still put dangerous people back on the street. And your other sister was the CEO of an energy company that you never quite understood. They even all had equally successful partners who loved to talk about themselves as much as your siblings did. You didn't have any of that. But you did have Wanda.

Knowing the Avengers was the only thing about you your family took interest in. They were always subtly hinting at wanting to meet your friends. But you knew the Avengers had to endure enough fan service and didn't want to push your family onto them, especially with how annoying they all were.

However as your family's unrealistic expectations reached their all time high you were sure you wouldn't be able to handle another trip with them without a win, and you were far too petty to take the moral high ground and just not go. Not to mention that was a huge part of you that was dying to see what the Wanda girlfriend experience would entail. Yep, that was what you were asking of Wanda. To pretend to be your partner for the duration of the trip.

You knew it wasn't a smart choice. That if Wanda agreed your crush on her could get out of hand. You knew you would end up getting too caught up in the act. You could have, no - should have - asked Natasha or Yelena or even Carol if she was around. But your family knew you were the closest with Wanda and she would be the one it felt the most natural with, and the most believable. At least, that was what you told Wanda.

"When are you going?" You asked, changing the subject in hopes that Wanda wouldn't suddenly conclude she didn't want to do it (then you really would have to ask one of the others).

"Tomorrow." She answered, keeping her focused tone.

"When will you be back?" You attempted to keep the concern out of your voice but the glance the redhead gave you told you you hadn't done a good job.

"The day after." She said, softer this time. You nodded as you looked down at your lap and tried not to think about everything that could possibly go wrong on her mission.

"Be safe." Wanda strolled over to you and placed her hand gently ontop of yours and gave it a quick squeeze.

"Always."

*

"Got any plans Saturday night?" Natasha smirked knowingly at her friend as they preped for their mission.

"No." Wanda replied as she adjusted her earpiece.

"Nothing with y/n then?" Nat asked, partly genuinely but mostly knowing Wanda would still say no.

"Nope." She said again, biting the inside of her cheek in consideration before speaking again. "Not this Saturday."

Natasha raised an eyebrow in surprise and interest. Wanda rarely made any kind of special plans with you as you would always hang out casual and it was never anything fancy or different. She had always wanted to though.

"Plans for another time?" Nat continued as she double checked her pack.

"Maybe, I'm still thinking about it." The redhead turned fully to her friend at her words, confused at why Wanda was hesitant to spend time with you. "She wants me to go to the cabin with her and her family." Nat had heard all about the infamous cabin and your family.

"That sounds fun." Nat nodded. The cabin sounded fun. Your family did not.

"As her girlfriend." Nat's eyes widened excitedly but before she could speak Wanda clarified. "Her pretend girlfriend."

Nat paused and looked as though she was going to speak for several seconds until she stuck to just giving a confused look.

"Yeah." Wanda sighed. "Thinks it would seem impressive." Wanda had tried not to be hurt over that. She knew you weren't just friends with her to show her off to people, because you never did. But it hurt her to think the only time you could see her in a romantic way was when you were pretending.

"Well," Nat muttered as she adjusted the zip along the front of her catsuit. "Fake it till you make it." It was Wanda's turn to give Nat a questioning look. "Maybe it'll be an eye opener for her."

"You think I should do it?" She asked, fully open to hearing and accepting her friend and mentor's advice in that area.

"Definelty." Nat confirmed. She wasn't sure about it for the reasons she said though. Wanda's crush on you was obvious to everyone except you, just as it was vice versa.

*

You had been overjoyed when Wanda told you she would come with you to the cabin and play along as your girlfriend. She had told you when she came back from her mission, in fact it was the first thing she said after she had let herself into your appartment. It was never really brought up after that, but you couldn't deny you were incredibly anxious on the week leading up to the visit.

On the drive up to the cabin you and Wanda stayed in a comfortable silence most of the time, clearly both lost in thought. You had the radio on for background noise more than anything else, but you would occasionally lightly tap the steering wheel if there was a tune you recognised, oblivious to Wanda's acknowledging smiles.

"So what's the plan?" Wanda asked as she looked at you expectantly. Right, of course the Avenger wanted a strategy.

"Keep things simple, I guess. They know how we met already so we can just say at some point we took things a step further than friendship." Wanda didn't seem convinced at the simplicity of that. "Look they're not going to want to hear about us, not much at least. They prefer the sound of their own voices, they'll be trying to impress you is all."

"Impress me?" Wanda asked.

"Yeah, hope you warm up to them so one day they can invite you to their snobby parties." Wanda chuckled her heart warming laugh as she glanced out of the window, knowing there was a lot of truth to what you said.

"And what are those like?" She enquired curiously.

"I wouldn't know, I've never been invited." You said simply. You had gotten over that a long time ago, gotten used to being forgotten. Wanda clearly hadn't though.

"It will be an honour to turn them down." Wanda said. You shook your head and smiled at her. That did sound pretty nice.

When the cabin came into sight between the trees your nerves spiked. You figited in your seat and bit your lip when you saw some of your family gathered outside, their attention instantly on you. You shot Wanda a quick smile which she returned before you got out of the car.

"Y/n! So nice of you to come." You mum said as her eyes flickered to Wanda more than you. She opened her arms for the shortiest hug in human history before turning to Wanda. "You must be Wanda, we've heard so much." You mum insisted as she brought the redhead in for a hug too. She raised her eyebrows at you over your mum's shoulder and you bite back a laugh.

The others came over to greet you and mainly Wanda in a rush, overwhelming both of you.

"You two will be in the upstairs bedroom on the left." Your mum told you as you went to grab your bags. You did a double take, convinced you had heard her wrong. That was the best room in the house. A big difference from being in the small room in the basement every other time you had been there.

"First one on the left." Your dad confirmed. There was no way your parents were going to be in the basement so you wondered who else had been moved around but didn't ask, knowing whoever it was wasn't going to be happy.

You and Wanda made your way up to the room and you couldn't help but smile at the sight of the spacious room and the door you knew led to your en suite.

"That was...a lot." Wanda summarised as she said her bag under the bed.

"I would tell you it gets better but I don't want to get your hopes up." You sighed as you got a couple of things out.

"It's just a few days." Wanda said despite the fact you should have been assuring her.

"Yeah." You nodded and stared down at the floor. "Now c'mon." You suddenly said as you took ahold of Wanda's hand and laced your fingers together. You missed the startled blush that crept onto her cheeks when you turned around.

Your family were sat outside whispering amongst themselves when you returned. Their interested gaze fell to your entwined hands in an instant.

"So you work with the Avengers?" Your brother, Dalton, said as soon as you both sat down.

"I do, I'm one myself." Wanda said as she continued to hold onto your hand.

"Must be crazy, what are they like?" He enquired.

"They're good." Wanda said simply. Everyone clearly expected something more but Wanda pretended not to notice making you smile.

"I almost did business with Stark once, decided against it in the end." Claire announced proudly. You and Wanda exchanged knowing glances. Stark had told you all about his encounter with your sister, it definetly wasn't her turning him down.

"I was invited to one of his parties." Anna said quickly. "I was busy that night unfortunately."

Bull. Shit.

"Yes I remember working with Doctor Strange when he was still in the medical profession." You gave Wanda an I-told-you-so look as your family erupted into conversation over who had the most contact with the heroes. That had to be a new record of how quickly they started talking about themselves.

They continued like that until your mum called everyone in for dinner. The food smelt undeniably amazing as you took your place at the table next to Wanda and eyed the dishes infront of you. Your parents efforts to impress the redhead weren't all that bad.

Your family continued to catch up and and you and Wanda half listened as you ate. They were all doing as well for themselves as ever and still hadn't learnt any modesty.

Although you were proud of your siblings for what they had all achieved, Wanda had contained four potentially devastating bombs from going off in the space of half an hour a week before but she wasn't going to bring that up anytime soon. Eventually though, the attention turned to you to bring you out of your silence.

"And you're still working in that little café, y/n?" Your mum asked curiously.

"I own it, mum." You corrected quietly as you stabbed some pieces on your plate.

"Ah yes, quite the contrast though, isn't it. Between you two." She said as she pointed at you and Wanda with her fork. You didn't say anything to that because you felt there really wasn't anything to say in response. It wasn't like you hadn't thought that exact thing every now and then.

"The team loves it." Wanda said suddenly making everyone, including you, look at her in slight surprise from speaking up. It hadn't taken your family long to learn Wabda wasn't much of a talker, not to them anyway. You couldn't get her to shut up half the time. "At least one of us goes everyday. If we're lucky we all can. Nothing beats it." She defended simply before turning back to her food to show she wasn't going to say anymore. You smiled down at your plate at her words and the truth of them.

No one said anything in response, clearly shocked from this new information until Dalton spoke up.

"But doesn't Stark like fancy, top of the line, restaurants? I can't imagine him in some random coffee shop, no offence sis." He nodded towards you though you knew he didn't mean it. He couldn't let you have just one win.

"That random coffee shop has catered some of Stark's parties. Not that many though." A smug smile crept onto Dalton's face as he opened his mouth to make a snarky remark but Wanda cut him down again. "Because y/n's invited to the rest as a guest and a close friend." Your family stared at you with open mouths.

"You've been invited to Stark's parties?!" Anna exclaimed. In your defence, your family never wanted to hear about your life so you never got the chance to tell them anything.

"It's not really my crowd." You shrugged. "I just go to hang out with them after." Dalton's jaw clenched in annoyance and he didn't say anything for the rest of dinner. It was only really your mum who kept talking. Telling everyone about her latest travels that fell on death ears.

It was certainly a first for your family.

When everyone had finished their food you and Wanda excused yourselves and said goodnight before retiring to your room. Wanda shut the door gently as you collapsed onto the bed on your back and glared at the ceiling. The redhead shuffled around quietly to get her toothbrush and toothpaste and some other things you weren't really paying attention to and went into the bathroom.

When she came back out she was in her bedclothes and lifted your feet off the floor to turn you so you could fully lay on the bed. You smiled at her weakly.

"You should go get changed." Wanda said as she got her laptop out her bag. "Then you can pick a movie." She announced when she had gotten under the covers and started her laptop. You smiled more and nodded.

You tried not to think about your family and everything they had said at dinner as you got changed but it proved difficult. Everything they had said echoed around in your head but most of all you couldn't shake the disregarding ways they said it. It was as though you could do no right with them. Maybe they would never be proud no matter what you did.

You placed your toothbrush back I'm the holder and rinsed your mouth before heading back into the bedroom to an awaiting Wanda.

You got under the covers next to her and rested your head on her shoulder as you glanced at the Netflix screen and pointed to one of the comedy movies.

About ten minutes into the movie Wanda spoke. "You okay?" She whispered as she continued to look at the screen although that wasn't where her focus was.

"Yeah." You whispered back.

"You can talk to me." She said after a second." You moved your head away so you could see Wanda clearly.

"I'm so glad you're here." You said honestly. She smiled and nodded as her eyes searched yours.

"I'm glad I'm here too." You knew Wanda wasn't glad she had to spend the time with your family. She was glad that she could support you despite their efforts to bring you down. You were incredibly lucky to have her.

You rested your head back on her shoulder and neither of you spoke for the rest of the movie. Or the rest of the night. You must have fallen asleep about half an hour in.

*

Wanda was one of the most intimate people you had ever met. It was mainly something she aimed towards you and Natasha but didn't refrain from comforting others and giving hugs to anyone who would take one. She never held back at all with you, as far as you knew. But when you woke up and couldn't tell where your limbs started and Wanda's ended, you were still surprised to find yourselves like that. Butterflies flew around in your stomach in a way you knew was dangerous but couldn't help but love.

You were resting your head on her rising chest and had your arm slung across her stomach. Your legs were tangled together and her arms were holding onto your waist. A warmth spread through you and you decided to settle back into her hold and closed your eyes with a content smile.

You had about ten minutes to enjoy that before Wanda woke up. You could feel the moment she realized you were so close, she physically froze. You waited in anticipation for something for several moments until your friend very slowly unhooked her legs and guided your body to lay against the mattress and pillows as she slipped out of bed towards the bathroom.

You sighed when you heard the door close and rubbed your eyes slowly, knowing you should get up but wishing more than anything that you could return to how you woke up.

"Morning." Wanda croaked when she left the bathroom and saw you sitting up in bed.

"Morning." You said back with a smile and tried not to focus on how ridiculously attractive her voice sounded.

You gathered some random clothes into a bundle and went into the bathroom to change again and brush your teeth. When you came out Wanda was pulling her shirt over her head and gave you a generous view of her toned stomach. That training with Natasha really was paying off. Your face heated up when you saw it and you turned away to pretend you hadn't seen when Wanda noticed you.

"Don't make a sound." Wanda warned. You glanced up at her with some confusion. "I don't think your family's awake yet, that means we get the kitchen to ourselves." She grinned and you did too.

You and Wanda had gotten so used to getting up early for your jobs you forgot other people would still be sleeping. It was hard to break out of the habit but it proved useful.

The pair of you made a quick breakfast and ate it outside thanks to the warm weather even at that time. But soon enough your parents came downstairs and ruined the peaceful atmosphere with the clanging of pots and loud convosations.

You wandered around the side of the house and saw the old table tennis table that bad been folded away years ago and hadn't been set up since. You went over and started setting it up when Wanda joined you and eyed the table with a glimmer of mischief.

The redhead wasn't all that competitive, in fact you were pretty sure she let other people win games on the regular to make them feel better about themselves. But there was an undeniable spark of mischief in her eyes when she saw the table.

"You played this before?" You asked convosationally.

"I have." She said as you both automatically took up your positions of opposite ends of the table.

"Me too." You said confidently. "A lot." Wanda hummed in acknowledgment and swivelled her bat in her hand and stood ready. You smiled at her seriousness for the game.

You served surprisingly well for someone who hadn't played in a few years and Wanda was able to hit it back with ease. Once you had developed a steady pace you started hitting the ball more daringly to Wanda who was caught off guard before she started doing the same.

The moment you missed the ball a small smile tugged at the corner of Wanda's lips, her celebration was short lived when you suddenly sent the ball back her way until it was too late.

"That wasn't fair!" She exclaimed childishly.

"That was tables tennis." You said seriously but started smiling again.

Wanda huffed dramatically and flipped you off as she trudged back to the table and served the ball with force. You managed to send it back but took a step away from the table in caution.

You continued like that for a while. The competition tension rising as you picked up the pace, one of you occasionally getting a point before the other evened it out.

At one point you were vaguely aware of Dalton sauntering over to see what you were doing and arched his brow at the sight of the table.

"We still have this thing?" He questioned and you hummed quietly in response, too focused on the game.

"Hey Claire! Get over here, we're playing table tennis." You rolled your eyes at the intrusive and could sense Wanda refraining from doing the same until an idea popped into your head.

You caught the ball in your hand and smiled at Wanda's protests as you moved round to her side of the table just as your sister came out.

"I didn't even know we still had this." Claire laughed as she picked up another bat from the box.

"Maybe we should take it back with us." Wanda whispered to you and you bit your lip to contain your smile because yes, yes you should.

Inevitably, your siblings sucked at table tennis. You had suspected as much you just never thought they would be as bad as they were. They missed almost every hit and everytime they did they got increasingly angry, which meant they ended up flaring their arms around like idiots. It was a memory you would be sure to treasure.

"Stupid game" and "probably broken" kept echoing across the table until your siblings finally stormed off to throw a tantrum.

The rest of the day went by quietly. You and Wanda sat by the lake for most of the afternoon to enjoy the sun and heat. You reveled in the most recent memories of your siblings embarrassment and had to keep hushing down to childish whispered whenever one of them was nearby.

Surprisingly, dinner went by peacefully too.

You weren't asked anymore questions at the table. Instead, your family were content with talking about their upcoming plans between stealing glances at you and Wanda that the redhead never failed to notice.

The pair of you slipped off to your room the first moment you got and easily fell into bed besides one another. Wanda picked out a DVD from her bag of an old Sokovian show she used to watch as a child and had you hooked on as well as teaching you the language.

She settled down beside you and within the first few scenes she wrapped an arm around your shoulder so you could sink into her further like she did sometimes when you watched things together. You were barely paying attention to the series after that.

Despite trying to keep your focus on understanding what was happening in scenes of the show, you couldn't help but want to melt under the warmth of your best friend. You hoped it was something you got to experience more, you felt safer than you ever had in Wanda's arms.

Little did you know that having you in her arms was the most comforting feeling Wanda ever experienced and she always tried to do it as little as possible to refrain from falling for you more. It never worked.

*

You had thought waking up in Wanda's arms the morning before had been the best thing to awake to. But that day when you woke up not only were your legs tangled together again but the redhead was slowly stroking your hair while your head rested on her chest.

It was a gradual gesture that maintained a perfect rhythm and made you want to fall back asleep. But you were afraid you would mistake it for a dream later on. No, it was definitely real.

Luckily, your head was already tilted upwards slightly so when you secretly opened your eyes to risk a peek at your friend you saw her staring out the window as though she was in a trance. She was clearly so deep in thought she hadn't noticed you wake up, you had never seen her like it. But the feeling was too good to ignore, too compelling.

Soon enough, you found yourself drifting off back to sleep.

*

When you woke up again Wanda was gone. Her absence left an emptiness you knew wasn't good for you. As the days of your visit went on your fake relationship with Wanda was going to effect you even more when it was over.

Over...you couldn't think about that.

Once you got up and got changed you found Wanda in the kitchen looking at the news on her phone as she sipped her coffee.

"Morning, honey." You grinned. Wanda blushed slightly into her coffee, something you thought was undeniably adorable.

"Morning yourself." She tried to play off smoothly making you grin more.

You made breakfast for you both just as your mum came into the kitchen and greeted you both with an overplayed smile, already talking to Wanda about an upcoming party that she should go to. Wanda mumbled something about a busy schedule as you managed to whisp her away outside with your food.

Eventually, you and Wanda became bored with sitting around in the house when you had such amazing surroundings on your doorstep. You declared that you were going on a walk with the redhead and left before any of your family could invite themselves to go with you. Especially as you had told your friend to wear her swimwear underneath her clothing as you had a surprise for her.

You made a point of holding Wanda's hand as you left and once you were far away from the house went to take it back only for her to hold on tighter.

"You never know where they could be lurking." She joked as an excuse, so you starting swinging your arms playfully as to assure her you wanted your hands to stay linked together too.

You spent hours in those woods and was thankful for having a spy best friend who of course knew to pack the essentials like food and drinks so you could stay away from the house as long as you wanted.

The redhead brought so much you were able to have a small picnic on top of a hill that overlooked the large lake that stretched out all the way back to the house. You remembered thinking up stories as to explain the strange shape and curves to it as a child.

"It's beautiful here." Wanda said as she picked some grapes from the bunch between you.

"It is." You agreed with a fond smile.

"I used to want to live in a place like this." She muttered, sparking your interest.

"In the woods?" You asked curiously and she nodded.

"I thought I could retire to the woods and get a small cabin and I could grow my own food and that was all I needed." You hummed with a smile as you studied Wanda's features.

"Sounds lonely." You thought aloud.

"I'd have a cat." She said simply making you laugh. "I never used to think that but now when it crosses my mind and I picture that life... I picture someone else there with me." You knew she was imagining it as she spoke and you wished you could see exactly what it was she wanted.

"We could always downgrade the holiday house." You half joked as you nodded in the vague direction of the house. "Make it a simple cabin."

"We?" Wanda asked hopefully, the emotion clear before she had a chance to conceal it.

"There's no one I'd rather run away and live in the forest with." You joked although there was a lot of truth to your words. The redhead considered you for a while before smiling and nodded as though she had reached her own internal conclusion.

"Come on." You said suddenly as you stood up and dusted yourself off.

"You want to go back?" Wanda asked and you grinned.

"I'm going to show you that surprise." You declared and packed the remaining food away. Wanda did the same, eager to see the surprise you kept secret the whole way.

It was quite a way back to the house. The whole time Wanda kept asking more questions about it but you wouldn't say. She could only make guesses based on the swim wear which should have left only a few options, non of which she got right.

Finally, you arrived where you wanted to and grinned at Wabda before starting towards the edge. The redhead frowned as she watched you approach the ledge and became worried when she invisioned the steep slope that didn't always lead to water straight down. If you were to fall... your friend didn't have to wait long to see that. You slipped along the edge and disappeared from her view as she gave a startled cry and sprinted towards the edge and knelt over with wide eyes, expecting to see something that could haunt her forever but instead she saw you on a wide ledge but seven feet below her.

To your left was part of the ledge that had been dug into randomly and acted as perfect aid to get back into the woods above.

"Come down here." You beckoned as you starter to take your top off. Wanda's eyes widened more and quickly turned around and dropped down next to you steadily.

She glanced over the side of the small ledge to glance at the fifty foot drop into the water. There was nothing in the way to fall onto but there was no telling how deep that water was.

"You can't go in like that." You laughed as you kicked off your shorts and pushed them to the side.

Wanda's face heated up at the sight of you in your y/f/c bikini as you assessed the view. But even in her flustered state she was able to put it all together.

"You want to jump down there?" She exclaimed making you laugh.

"I've done it tones of times." You assured. "It's fun."

"It's a death wish! What if the waters not deep enough?" She questioned making you laugh more.

"Are you scared, Wan?" You teased as you took a step towards her making her avert her eyes from your form. She scoffed to play it off.

"Of course not." You hummed in faux belief.

"Well then I'll see you down there." You grinned and took a couple of steps back until your feet were no longer on the platform and you were plummeting down towards the water where you landed with a splash.

Wanda held her breath as she waited for you to resurface for a few agonising seconds. When you did with a gasp and started kicking around frantically to keep yourself afloat with your built up adrenaline the redhead sighed in relief and started taking off her own shorts and shirt and placed them next to your things.

You've jumped from higher. She told herself as she rocked on her feet. And you have powers! She argued back before she shoved those thoughts aside and threw herself off the ledge and into the water below. You laughed as she came back up and pushed her hair away from her way. You swam closer to her and saw her wide smile.

"Fuck." Wanda whispered with a laugh as she looked back up from where you had both come.

"Told you it was fun." You teased as you tried not to focus on the low cut on her bikini bra.

"Yeah yeah." She laughed and paused when she looked past you and saw you were surprisingly close to the house. She could see the outline of your family sat outside.

"They're looking." Wanda muttered. You could tell by the look on her face who she was talking about. It wasn't like there was anyone else around either.

"Do you think they've caught on?" You asked nervously as you stared at Wanda's brown eyes to stop you looking at your family.

"Maybe..." She considered and glanced around. "It's not like we've been acting like that much of a couple." You scoffed at that.

"At home everyone assumes we're dating and the one time we need it be believable it isn't." You rolled your eyes but couldn't help the smile.

"I know." Wanda laughed for a second but then paused. "Then let's give them something believable." She gently placed both her hands on your waist and pulled you slowly towards her. You let her guide you and took extra notice of the water droplets across her face. You almost trembled when your bare stomachs pressed together in the water lightly.

Wanda's soft hands left your waist and gripped your thighs to pull you up to wrap your legs around her own waist. You couldn't help but giggle at the gesture as you wrapped your arms around the redhead's neck and held onto her waist with your legs in a lock.

"Can I?" Wanda whispered when she lifted your chin with her finger and her other hand came round the back of your neck.

"Just shut up and kiss me." You demanded with a playful smile and leaned in to do it yourself.

You smiled into the kiss and felt Wanda do the same. It was everything you had ever imagined it to be. Her lips were soft and fell into place perfectly against your own as they moved together. Your mind was hazey and your stomach was doing flips at the realisation that you were actually kissing your long time crush. You forced yourself to remember that it was all a show. That Wanda didn't mean it. But she put on a believable act and kissed passionately, even slipping her tongue through your parter lips to explore your mouth further.

When she eventually pulled away you rested your foreheads together to catch your breath and grinned as you closed your eyes.

"You're a really good kisser." You blurted out making Wanda chuckle.

"Not too bad yourself." She teased.

"I hope not, we're gonna have to do that again." You smiled and instantly realized that sounded like a confession you desperetly wished you could claim. "You know because...Once probably wasn't enough to make it entirely believable." You rambled and Wanda nodded somewhat stiffly and let your legs drop back down. You wanted to say something to her, anything but it was all stuck on the tip of your tongue.

Just as you opened your mouth to speak, a small murmurarion of starlings flew across the lake, some of them skimming the water then gaining height again as they got closer to you and Wanda. You both ducked instinctively as they flew over your heads and off towards the forest again as you watched them in awe until they disappeared. You glanced up at the sky and noticed the sun had gone behind a cloud, ableing you to continue looking up at the other birds higher up.

You kicked your legs up slightly so you could lay on your back and outstretch your arms to keep you afloat in the water so you could stare up at the sky without hurting your neck.

You didn't realise Wanda mimicked you until her hands brushed against yours. She withdrew it as soon as you touched and went to murmmer an apology but you smiled and held onto her hand as you both lay watching the birds.

Neither of you had to say anything. It was a comfortable and peaceful silence that was occasionally filled with birds chirping or the sound of a calm breeze. Of all the things you expected to feel on that trip, relaxed was not one of them.

You stayed like that for a while until you were both snapped out of your daydreams by the distant yell that declared dinner. Well, you had to go back to them eventually.

Both of you took your time swimming back to dry land and only felt a shiver when you left the water and the breeze hit you. Wanda spotted and reached the towels before you and wrapped yours around you tightly. You thanked her with a small blush as you both sauntered up to the house where the mouthwatering smell of a barbecue greeted you. Your dad was leaning over it while shooing your brother away as he tried to offer his 'help'.

You and Wanda went inside to change swiftly and came back outside as the food was being placed on plates and your mum finished setting up the buffet. Everyone starter helping themselves and you piled as much food as you could onto the plate. You parents had asked what food Wanda liked and when you gave them a brief list you added in a few things you knew you both loved.

"You gonna eat all that?" Anna asked as she eyed all the food on your plate. Guilt and insecurities washed over you until Wanda purposefully grabbed a large handful of small sausage rolls and put them on her plate that was piled with a considerable amount more food than your own. You smiled at the reassuring gesture as she sat down with a satisfied grin on her face when she saw Anna close her mouth to stay quiet.

"Thanks." You whispered to her as you sat down.

"If you don't eat all that I will." She declared. You were pretty sure she went back for seconds.

Instead of disappearing back to your room like you did the previous nights, you and Wanda stayed with your family for a while after dinner. It wasn't to do with their company, more the mesmerising fire in the firepit you all sat around. You were cuddled up into Wanda's side with a blanket over both of you as you stared at the flames, smiling at their small flickers and dances.

"So Wanda," one of your sisters began, "are any of the other Avengers...you know." She nodded her head in the direction of you both.

Oh boy you though.

"I don't think it's my place to say." Wanda said because yes, a lot of the Avengers were queer.

"Oh come on, you can tell us." Anna encouraged as she sat forward eagerly.

"I could, but I'm not going to." Wanda continued to defy.

"Lay off it guys." You mumbled but was ignored. Your family took it in turns saying her teammates names in hopes of sparking a reaction, clearly forgetting they were facing someone who had been trained by Natasha Romanoff.

"Stark!" Claire said but was instantly shut down by the others.

"He's married!" Dalton objected.

"Could still be bi though." Claire tried but Dalton just scoffed.

"I suppose there's going to be more surprises."

"What does that mean?" Wanda asked with narrowed eyes, feeling protective of her teammates. Dalton met her gaze with his own challenging one.

"I just never thought one of the Avengers would be a dyke." You felt Wanda stiffen as you all held your breath. There was no way to tell what was going through the redhead's mind, especially as after all those years of friendship you still didn't even know what team she batted for. She was an ally at least, but would she see this as her battle to fight?

Upon getting no reaction, Dalton continued. "It makes sense why you'd hang out with y/n though, we always knew something was wrong with her but-"

"That's enough." Your mum snapped with a guilty expression she failed to mask. You swallowed hard and moved to get up, deciding you had heard enough.

"Then you're idiots." Wanda stated as she glared daggers at your brother while you sunk down.

"I'll have you know I have a doctorate-"

"Your idiots." She repeated. "There's nothing wrong with y/n, which is impressive considering she's grown up around you lot." You looked at your friend in awe as she continued.

"She's the most amazing person I've ever known, including any of the Avengers. She's everything that you're not and I'm lucky to call her my girlfriend. It doesn't matter what any of you think of her, I love her and I always will." She declared as shot daggers at each individual family member who had fallen silent. She took your hand and pulled you up from your seat to take you inside.

You couldn't get her saying she loved you out of your head. You reminded yourself over and over again on the way to your room that it was just an act. That the redhead was making her point. But God, how you wished it was real.

She was so gentle with you as she guided you through the house. When you got to your room and broke down sobbing she held you on the bed for a long time until your cries turned to sniffles. The thing was, you weren't sure what you were crying over. Sure, what Dalton had said had hurt. As did the confirmation that your whole family had always looked down on you. But you had known that was the case for a long time, you had moved on from it.

Instead, you may have being crying over what you didn't know and didn't have. How much of what Wanda said was true? It was all based off of something that wasn't real. What if she saw you the same way your family did?

When you stopped crying you became aware of Wanda gently stroking your hair as she rested her head on yours and held you close to her. You remembered the memories you had accumulated over the past few days with her. The kisses, the hand holding, the nights together, how she stood up for you like no one ever had. You loved her so much.

"I think we should go tomorrow." Wanda mumbled and you nodded into her shoulder.

"I'm not going to leave you though, you know that right? You can stay at mine and we'll watch more of those crappy American movies you like." She mocked lightly making you chuckle against her. "Whatever you want."

"I just want you." You said honestly. You knew you shouldn't have said that, but you were too emotionally drained to care.

"I just want you too, y/n." You pulled away from the redhead to look at her clearly.

"I don't think you know what I mean." You sniffed and she smiled at you fondly.

"I mean what I said earlier, around the fire." Your eyes widened slightly and you held your breath.

"It was all an act though." You whispered and Wanda chuckled as she exhaled sharply.

"No y/n." "I think I am inlove with you." She said as she took ahold of your hand and searched your face for any signs of a reaction to her confession.

"Me?" You questioned, not quite believing it.

"Yes you, idiot." You smiled and sighed in relief, not being able to find the words to express your overflowing happiness and numerous other emotions you couldn't quite pinpoint. You let go of Wanda's hand and brought them both up to cup her cheeks. You had done a lot more handholding than kissing in the previous few days. It needed to be evened out.

You closed the gap between you and kissed Wanda with just as much passion as you had in the lake, except all hesitation and questions were gone. Because you knew she loved you. Oh God she loved you. You grinned into the kiss at the thought and felt her hand fall to your hip while the other caressed the side of your neck in the most gentle manner you had ever seen from her.

When you eventually pulled away you rested your forehead against hers, a smile still playing on both your lips.

"Told you we'd have to do that again." You said and and laughed. "I love you too."

"Well I hoped that wasn't a pity kiss." She joked and you smacked her arm playfully.

"It definetly was not and I'll prove it to you by taking you on a date when we get back." You promised as you sat back to look at her clearly.

"Oh yeah?" She asked with a playful smirk and leaned over so her face was inches away from yours.

"Yeah." You said back.

"Well until then, my real girlfriend should definetly just keep kissing me." She said as she pushed you down gently and kissed you again. You smiled against her gleefully.

"Your girlfriend would love to."

[littleoddwriter]

Can I maybe request The Collector x reader (who is his favorite in the hotel). The reader is always very obedient and good for him and one day one of his victims barges into the readers room and tries to force you to try and help him out of the hotel. Like maybe the victim threatens you with a weapon so you can’t do anything and when Asa finally finds you and kills the victim, you beg him to have mercy because you didn’t want to leave or be bad. How would Asa react knowing that you were threatened? Would he be merciful or would he still punish you?

Thank you!!💕💕

Disobedience | Asa Emory/The Collector x GenderNeutral!Reader | Dark Fic

Hey there! I'm so sorry it took me a while to write this, but I hope you enjoy what I've done with your request, thanks so much for it! :') <3

summary; See above.

notes; Gender Neutral!Reader; Reader is also a Victim; Reader is his Favourite; Death Threat; Knives; Murder; Blood; Angst; Punishment; Spanking; No Aftercare; Toxic Relationship (duh); Dark Fic.

When your room’s door was suddenly thrown open, you jumped in your seat. You have just been making sure you looked acceptable in your vanity mirror, in which you now saw the person that had decided to just barge in like that. Turning around you looked at the man. It wasn’t the Collector. It was one of his victims. He was panting and had wounds all over his body. Some of them were still bleeding, dripping blood on your carpet.

“You,” the man snarled and stalked over to you, “You’re gonna help me out of here.”

You were going to tell him that he could forget about that when you jumped up from your seat; but once you stood in front of him you felt something sharp poking into your abdomen, stopping you in your tracks.

“Help me or you’re dead. I’m sure you don’t wanna die. Right? Especially not for that monster.” You looked down and saw the hunting knife the man held in his hand. He must have stolen it from Asa. You could see and feel  that he was serious about this, if the way he held the blade against your stomach was anything to go by.

Holding up your hands in a placating manner, you took a shaky breath. 

“First off, he’s not a monster,” you said, defending your love almost automatically. You were his favourite for many reasons, having become fully his, after you’ve been so obedient and good for him for all these years that he’s kept you already, and after eventually falling in love with him. At least, you were convinced that it was love. “Secondly, I’m not gonna help you! I’m not gonna risk my life and love for a pitiful creature like you!”

“Fuck! C’mon, just- just help me, okay?” the man urged, raising the knife to point it at your face as he talked. “You really think he loves you? That he’s worth staying trapped for? You need help! And you’ll be able to get it if you come with me. Now!”

Looking at him for a long moment, you thought about it. Maybe you could find a way to bring him to Asa directly if you played it smart. It was either that, under the guise of helping him, or dying because you didn’t go with him. Either option was risky. If the Collector thought you helped his victim escape, you would definitely have hell to pay. But it was still better than being stabbed by some inexperienced fuck like this guy.

“Fine! I’ll come with you. Just keep it down, will you? Or else he’s gonna find us before we even have a real chance,” you said at last, hoping that he believed your sudden change of mind.

The man sighed in relief. Then, he pulled you forward by your wrist and got behind you, poking the tip of the knife into your back. 

“Lead the way. If you think about bullshitting me you’re dead, okay?” he snarled.

Swallowing thickly, you nodded, “Yes, okay.”

You had to play this really smart, then. You also had to make sure neither of you fell victim to any of the traps Asa has built into the corridors. You knew them like the back of your hand, sure, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t accidentally trigger one anyway, considering your current situation.

Carefully navigating through the hallway just outside your room, you were able to avoid all traps. After all, you went this one up and down every single day. This one, you could walk through with your eyes closed. It was all the other ones that worried you.

The man behind you was breathing heavily and shakily. He was terrified. And he should be. You were going to lead him straight to Asa, who was going to cruelly and brutally murder him, then. It was the fate he’s chosen by deciding to try to escape, though. You couldn’t feel bad for him.

Guiding your way through the many corridors to where you knew Asa would be at this time - his examination room - you were able to avoid all the different booby traps just so. It was mostly luck than anything else, though. 

“Wait, where the fuck are you leading me to?” the man hissed, pushing the knife into the skin of your back as a warning. 

“Out,” you simply replied. Dying could be considered that, could it not? Out. Freedom.

The door of the examination room to your left opened and Asa stood in the doorway with his own knife drawn. He was looming over you both, or at least it felt that way. He had such a presence that it stole your breath away when you saw him standing there. You were mesmerised. 

Quickly and without as much torture as you had expected from him, the Collector ripped his victim away from you and slit his throat deeply, leaving a huge gash that spurted blood all over you, as you still stood right in front of them. You closed your eyes out of reflex when the blood hit your face.

When you opened them again, Asa had discarded the corpse for now, letting him slump to the floor. He looked down at you. There was no way for you to read his expression. But his entire being just screamed danger to you at that moment. 

Your breathing picked up, your heart started beating rapidly, your vision swam. You were panicking now.

“H-he threatened me!” you blurted out, frantically trying to minimise your punishment, “He wanted me to help him escape and threatened to kill me if I didn’t! So, I said yes and led him right to you. Please, you have to believe me! I didn’t mean to disobey!” You could taste the copper of the victim’s blood in your mouth as you spoke. It was disgusting. He was disgusting. This pathetic man, who thought threatening you was a good idea, was the reason why you were in this situation, now! You have always been so good and obedient. You could only hope that the Collector would show mercy and at least let you live.

Asa cupped your cheek in his hand and wiped some of the blood away with his thumb. A shuddering breath escaped you. Hesitantly, you looked him in the eyes. You could only guess that his eyes hardened, rather than softened, like you had hoped; but it was difficult to tell due to his contact lenses.

“You know you’re my favourite,” he said softly, “But I can’t let this go unpunished. I understand that you were trying to still do me a favour, despite everything. That’s why I won’t be too harsh on you.”

“Thank you,” you whispered obediently.

Without another word, Asa led you into the examination room. That didn’t exactly sit well with you. It meant there would be blood involved. Or perhaps he just didn’t want to go all the way back to your room with you. At least, you hoped so.

“Undress,” the Collector ordered.

Instantly, you jumped into motion and took all of your clothes off. 

Once you were naked, he patted the metal examination table, “On your stomach.”

Exhaling slowly to steady yourself a bit, you laid down on the table, pillowing your head with your crossed arms. He didn’t comment on it. That was a good sign so far. Everything else wasn’t, though.

Then, without any warning, Asa first struck your buttocks, making you flinch and cry out. He followed up with several more hits, one harder than the other.

So, spanking it was.

When he paused, you knew it was your turn to speak.

“Thank you. I’m sorry,” you whimpered.

He continued relentlessly, striking you with a force he had never used on you before. 

By the time he stopped shortly again, you were crying violently. Tears streamed down your face, snot and spit covered the lower half of it, and your body shook with your sobs.

“Thank you, sir. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry! Please, I’m sorry!” you cried out in-between sobs.

But Asa didn’t stop. He only continued, until you could barely breathe anymore. You were in so much pain, your mind wasn’t able to catch up. You could feel it all throughout your body and not at all at the same time. It was horrible. You deserved it, though, didn’t you? You shouldn’t have disobeyed him like this, despite the threats to your life. 

At last, he stopped again. You couldn’t talk. You tried to thank him and apologise again, begging for his forgiveness, but you couldn’t. All that came out were choked sobs.

“Sh, sh, sh,” the Collector shushed you softly, leaning down to place a kiss to the back of your head before stroking it gently, continuing down to your back and placing his hand on your abused bottom, “I’m done now.”

Relief coursed through your body. 

It was crushed by despair when Asa left the room, though. You knew he wasn’t going to return until much later. This was part of your punishment. And you just had to take it. 

You were lucky he let you live.

[awkwardkindatries]

Kinktober Day 3: Uniform

Have I ever said how much I genuinely love Celebrimbor? best boy.

Celebrimbor/reader

NSFW

Words:2347

Elves in Eregion didn't really have uniforms outside of military forces, they did however, have a standard of dress for their meetings in court. This dress code typically consists of a high collar shirt, a button down tunic, full length trousers followed by high polished black boots. One's hair must always be done and braided back and most jewelry is kept to the minimum at a circlet and possibly a ring. All fabrics are embellished in elaborate embroidery and buttons polished to a lovely shine, not a hair or stitch to be out of place.

These court sessions aren't exactly frequent so within your time there you hadn't had the pleasure of catching him in his authoritative garb until today. You caught sight of him walking back to his quarters, his shoulders weren't square they were dropped in exhaustion, his eyes were tired and his brow furrowed in stress. You couldn't help but to follow him a few paces as he walked past you before grabbing ahold of his cuff, softly calling his name.

He whips around to stare at you allowing you to take full advantage of your close proximity. He's tall and broad as he towers above you, his clothing makes him look sharp and important, as if he could command a room of people and they listen without hesitation.

In contrast, his disposition was soft, worn down by politics and stress bearing down on him with the weight of Arda. Though you couldn't relieve him fully of this weight you could at least make the load seem lighter.

You offer him company on the rest of the walk back to his chambers, the halls oddly empty as the hour was not yet late. You suppose this was for the better as the added traffic would only have exasperated his condition. Chatter was relatively light between the two of you, and though you two had grown close you didn't want to wear him down further with topics of importance.

When you had made it to his door, he hesitated frna moment before allowing you to follow him into his room. It wasn't something new to you however, it was deemed inappropriate by the court for an unmarried individual such as yourself to follow a member of said court into privacy, let alone while he was still in his professional attire. He opens the door and before you enter you glance to both sides once more and follow him on, lightly shifting the door behind you. You turn in search of him and find that he has fallen backward in a large splayed-out lump on top of his bed, legs draped over the side and head inches from the wall.

His arms rest bent over his head, hands atop his eyes as he lets out a deep sigh, letting the stress of the day leave his body as well as he could on his own. You couldn't help the light snort that left you as you took him in, yes he was tired, stressed, more than likely overworked but he was an up and coming leader and you understand that there's an adjustment period to these things that your partner might still be adjusting to.

While he mulls about with his head in his hands and thoughts elsewhere you take the moment to look around his room. It's neat, like normal but there are still things out of place that feel like disarray in the normally spotless, “not a hair out of order” Feanorians room. Books are pulled from their spots and left about on the table in the center of the room, discarded after reading. A half-empty cup of tea remains beside it. The towel he had used earlier in the day has not made its way back to the bathing chamber and sits in a little pool on the floor at his footboard. And lastly, the circlet he had been wearing earlier now rested on the floor, more than likely having been aimed for the table and not bothering to pick it up after hearing it drop to the carpet below. Odd, it was his fathers. He only ever wore it for formal occasions and typically treated it with more care.

You make your way in front of him before bending down to pluck it from the carpet, setting it in its intended place. Once finished, you turn to him.

His arms and hands slide from his face before his eyes reopen and he stares you down.

“Thank you, though you could have left it. I'd have gotten it eventually.”

You give a kind smile in return

“I couldn't possibly leave something so important to you.”

The smile he gives in return is tired and barrel there but it exists and you cherish every moment. Reaching out your hand you offer help, and say “if we hurry then we might still be able to catch supper, I heard they're serving stew tonight.”

It is his favorite after all.

He grabs your hand and attempts to stand before his knees give a weak wobble and he plummets back to the mattress. His body was obviously much closer to shutting down than the two of you had originally suspected.

He drags you down with him as he reconnects with the bed, you landing on top of his broad chest, subconsciously to the expensive fabric beneath your fingers, eyes shutting in anticipation of impact.

When it comes, the impact isn't too bad. The Ellon beneath you is as firm and solid as a wall below, opening your eyes you look up into his and you're surprised. His face is flushed a soft pink as he stares down at you, mouth suddenly filled with cotton neither really capable of speech. You're just about to get up and awkwardly excuse yourself to the hallway in order to take your embarrassment elsewhere when you feel it.

You're resting on something that grows hard against your stomach and as a result, are probably much redder than you were a few seconds prior. Since your eye contact stopped the next few moments would almost be comical as he realized the very moment you figured this situation out. You in turn realize you'd been found out and look away is embarrassment, not entirely sure what your next move should be.

He sits up, slightly shaking as anxiety begins to rack his body.

“I-im so sorry!” he quick to apologize

As you still rest in his lap, fingers tightly holding his velvet tunic you begin to consider a few things. How tired he has been lately, his body probably reacting in many ways due to this. How hard he has been working to do better for the people, his constant commute back and forth from the dwarvish colonies to improve relations, how on top of all of his duties he still manages to do the bare minimum to take care of himself and still sacrificing what little personal time he had for you.

You wonder when he gets time for care, he spends so much of his time caring for others, he does he receive any back.

Perhaps you could do this for him.

Taking the chance, you brace yourself against him and push back, grinding against him. His hands shoot to your hips holding you fast, looking all the more like a deer in sight.

“What are you doing?” he asks

You clear your throat and attempt the best steady voice that you're capable of at the moment.

“ Could I- if it's okay, uh. Help with that?” you ask, gesturing slightly down with your head.

You broke him, you're convinced of it, he hasn't blinked or moved in possibly a whole minute and at this point you're certain that you've just embarrassed yourself enough for the rest of your lifetime, you've ruined all of the time you put into forming this bond with Celebrimbor. You make to get off but his grip on your hips holds firm and he speaks, it's low and soft, barely there at all.

“I couldn't possibly ask..”

Immediately you perk up and backtrack your last thought process.

“You aren't!” you insist “I'm offering, I’d really like to help”.

Another moment passes and he nods in approval turning his head away, possibly embarrassed himself “Alright, if you so wish it..”

After receiving his permission you suddenly feel much more authoritative as you have this powerful looking Ellon below you, wanting your touch.your hands glide up from the fabric of his tunic to his neck stopping at his jaws, forcing his face in your direction his eyes meet yours.

“Can I kiss you?”

The question is simple but his reaction is almost like it was more intimate a request than touching anything below the belt. The answer isn’t as firm as the last one but he consents. Leaning in you apply soft pressure taking your time to make this count, to make him feel loved, appreciated. This cycle repeats until you slide your tongue along the seam of his mouth, asking for further permission. He shakes a tad but relents and squeezes your hips harder as you suck his tongue into your mouth and give a firm suck, the grunt that leaves him is intoxicating. Pulling away he already looks slightly out of breath and frankly you’re impressed with yourself.

You gently pull his fingers away from your body and move to kneel on the floor in front of him.

His hands now clench onto the fabric of his bedsheets as you take your time dragging up and down the sides of his thighs hoping to bring him more comfort. With a little more confidence your fingers trail over the fabric above his crotch, receiving a sharp inhale in return. Moving to the laces, unlacing them is quick then you make for the hem of his trousers. Looking up, he then understands and lifts up his waist allowing you to pull them further down to his thighs.

He's full and standing at attention, you glance up to him and you don't think you've ever seen his face any redder as he bites his lip in anticipation.

Taking him in hand you give a light kiss to the underside, his head falling back as a gasp leaves him. Continuing to watch his face, you grasped him tighter and began to stroke him up and down, a shudder leaving him at the motion.

In no time you've collected a fair amount of saliva and put it to use, giving a firm lick to the length of him. His breath chokes up for a second as he experiences this for the first Time. You repeat this a few times before taking a breath and wrapping your lips around his head. You hear the sheets stretch on either side of you as you work. Sucking in your cheeks as tightly as you could you swirl your tongue around the head, every so often flicking against the slit across the top.

Now that his noises have worked up to breathy sighs you take this as a sign to kick it up a notch. Bracing your hands on either thigh you push yourself up a little to give yourself a better angle. Tightening your hold on the bottom of his cock you took as much of him in your mouth as you could, barely making it to the top of your hand. Continuing your work and pace with determination you had barely noticed his hips following your pace chasing after the heat of your mouth.

His head is still tossed back as he breathes deeply occasionally gifting you with a groan and now you've given yourself a new goal. You want to make a mess of this man.

Removing your hand from his base you take a much deeper breath and begin to bob your hands as shallowly swallowing with every other bob. His hands shoot to your hair as a moan forces its way out of his throat. You have to try your hardest not to gag as tears prick your eyes and your jaw begins to ache at the size of your task. But you can do better, grinding the head of his cock against the back of your throat you begin to hum, alternating between bobbing and grinding your head in his lap occasionally scraping the tip of your nose against his pelvis.

You can feel his hands trembling in your hair as he doubles over above you, groans and moans trickling freely from his throat as he tries to contain himself from thrusting into your mouth and causing you harm. His feet can't seem to keep still as they slide against the floorboards below and his toes curl tightly under the polished black of his formal boots. The heat in his gut begins to bubble, ready to boil over as he gives a weak effort to warn you of his untimely end

“D-darling I *groan* I don't have much l-longer..”

Doubling down your efforts, you're determined to make his world crumble around him in rapture. Mere moments pass and relief washes over you and your jaw as his body locks, keeping your lips pressed firmly against his pelvis as he throbs out his finish down the length of your throat, a deep moan choking it's way from his depths .

Letting out a shuddered breath he lets go of your body before dropping back to his sheet, trying his damndest to regain his breath. His body feels like jelly and his head empty of all of his previous troubles as he basks in his euphoric high.

Pulling yourself from him you lick your lips in satisfaction as your loved one pants across from you. You make to grab his trousers hoping to help remake his decent before his hands gently cradle and hold onto yours. Sitting up a soft blush has resurfaced to his skin and he looks deeply into your eyes, you can't help but to feel warm as your arousal shoots back up.

“So then is it my turn?”

[worstloki]

Loki was sitting on a bed, staring with with almost lifeless eyes at the bed sheets he held fisted tight in his hands. Any second now...

As if summoned by Loki's thoughts, a figure popped into existence, all glowing blue skin and blue eyes dark as he walked over to Loki's still form.

Tess said nothing even as he sat down and wrapped his arms around Loki who didn't resist the comforting gesture, turning into Space's side.

"How are you feeling?" Tess asked finally once Loki was settled comfortably.

Loki tried to figure that out. He had been for over a year or so now. He wasn't sure entirely how much time had passed. If he was honest, he'd say he felt nothing. Empty and numb.

He didn't say that, only shrugged. It wasn't like he could lie. If he did, Tess would find out the truth from Soul who only needed to touch Loki's skin to find out what he was feeling and had done so before even when Loki had insisted on her to stop.

'For your own safety,' was all she said before violating his thoughts and feelings.

"Are you unhappy?" Tess asked with a slight frown, interrupting Loki's thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

'Yes,' Loki thought as he squeezed his eyes shut tight and shook his head.

Tess wasn't convinced. He never was. "If there is something you need or want, you can always ask us. We'll do whatever you need to be happy. You know we will."

Loki did know. That's what frightened him. He was scared to speak a word around them all anymore for the exact reason that they'd do anything neccessary for his own wellbeing.

They had killed Thanos after everything the Mad Titan had put Loki through to force him to attack New York to get Tess from those Midgardian's.

Power had been the one to bring back Thanos' decapitated head to Loki with the assurances that the Titan had suffered greatly before he died. Loki had both felt relieved and sick as he stared at Thanos' mutilated head, barely recognizable that if he hadn't been told it was Thanos he would never have guessed so.

Loki had been foolish to think it was a one time thing. He told himself they were all simply protective of him was all.

And Loki hadn't been lying. They all were protective of him. Very much so.

It was when Loki had let slip Odin's neglect and the hurt Loki had felt for never feeling good enough that he found at how much power and damage his words could cause if he wasn't careful. Loki had nearly been sick when Reality came to him, tossing a single blue eyeball in his hand as he explained what they'd done to the old king before ripping the one good eyeball from his eye socket and shortly after, killing him.

Loki learned to shut his mouth around them all, afraid of what they'd do to anyone else Loki spoke of that had hurt him. Yes, he felt some satisfaction that they were no longer able to hurt him but he couldn't enjoy it when he knew what they had gone through before they died. He never asked for anyone to die.

But then Loki started getting hurt. When he fought in battle against enemies or simply because he hadn't been paying enough attention to what he was doing.

They didn't like it at all. They all hated seeing Loki hurt and after Time mentioning seeing a time where Loki had died, they got even more paranoid. So they took him away from it all to somewhere they promised he'd be completely safe.

Loki had been furious at first. They couldn't just take him away from his life! But they had and they only gave Loki sad smiles when he screamed at them about betrayal.

Loki had tried to hurt himself, just to show they couldn't always protect him but found it impossible. He threw his fists at the wall but there was in invisible barrier between him and the wall that made it impossible to connect his fist. He tried scratching at his arms but the same thing happened. He tried to 'accidentally' trip but he never hit the floor, simply floating until he lightly touched the floor.

He couldn't injure himself.

So he screamed and he raged and he demanded to be let out of the room they'd stuck him in but nothing. They visited all the time but they never let him out again.

His anger had turned to a deep depression where he'd sit on his bed or on the floor and stare at the door across the room that never opened. A cruel joke to him, having a door that he couldn't open.

His magic was practically useless wherever he was. He'd tried to use it, even against his lovers who never got angry when something was thrown at them but seemed even more sad each time it happened. He couldn't use his magic to leave.

He was trapped.

Eventually, Loki accepted that he couldn't escape. Not by himself at least. He calmed down at any rate which had pleased the stones though Loki felt deadened inside.

The depression had gotten even worse after they killed his brother. Loki hadn't realized what he'd said until it was too late. It had been a simple mention of Thor always getting the attention and being Thor's shadow.

Loki hadn't been gifted with any body part of Thor's but the stones spoke about it to him, what they'd done before they killed him. Loki had been in horror and shock, unable to process that Thor was dead. He had been sick nearly over a month after that, walking up screaming from nightmares and crying whenever the stones tried to make him feel better. How could he ever feel better?

He'd gotten his brother killed.

After that, Loki had gone numb.

Tess visited the most. Loki had no idea where they went when they weren't with him but he found himself lonely when they weren't there. He normally wasn't left alone for long though. Despite everything, he still loved them. That's what he hated most about his situation. He shouldn't love them anymore but he did.

He did.

"Can I..." Loki swallowed hard, letting out a shaky breath. "Can I come out now? I'll...I'll be careful, I promise—"

Tess was already shaking his head, tightening his hold on Loki. "It's too dangerous. You could be hurt."

"Please, I'll be careful. I swear," Loki pleaded, becoming desperate every day he was trapped. He knew asking would do no good. Tess would never relent but he still got his hopes up even if it was for them to be crushed again.

"Hush, you're speaking nonsense. You're safe here," Tess shushed him.

Loki felt frustrated tears gather in his eyes. "But—"

"I said no," Tess said with a frown. "I let you have anything you want but you know the rules. You must stay here, where you're safe."

Loki went to speak again before another figure appeared right on the bed in front of them.

Loki shook his head, glancing away from Mind who looked at Tess. "Is everything okay? Why is he crying?"

Tess frowned deeply. "He wants to go outside again. It'll pass."

"Oh," Mind said before shaking her head as she drew closer. "That's too dangerous."

Loki wanted to scream but he only shook in Tess' hold as Mind reached for him, cupping his face between her hands.

"P-please, let me go," Loki whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks. "Please, d-don't—"

Mind hushed him as she kissed him softly, Loki making a weak noise of protest but could do nothing with Tess' arms crossed over his own.

Loki didn't see how Mind's hand pulsed a soft golden yellow, a trail of her power seemingly sinking into Loki's skin but he felt it as a sense of calmness and love for the people protecting him sink into his mind, making him go lax and pliant in Tess' arms.

"We love you," Tess murmured into his ear as Mind drew away and Loki took a shuddering breath.

"I...I love you all too," Loki said finally. Mind and Tess smiled at one another as Loki sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing fully into Tess' embrace.

He was safe. He had all of them to take care of him. He couldn't be hurt anymore.

Why would he ever want to go back outside?

🖤💚💛

I'm sorry if there's any spelling mistakes. I didn't check it over since I wrote it just now but here's some dark Infinoki for you 🖤

anon i love and will kill for you

(Part 2)

[randomgamefan]

HI ID VERY MUCH LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR KAYCEE AU,, (also ik we haven't properly talked in a while so hey what's up !!)

HI YES I DO HAVE CONTENT FOR YOU

(also hi!! It has been a while, I'm doing okay!! Wbu? ^^ love your art and content as always!!!! :D your Kaycee design has inspired me a BUNCH it's so cute,, the way you draw her is 10/10 if anyone reading this hasn't seen said design PLEASE go follow Kal and look at it (I reblogged the specific art recently if you can't find it >:) ))

As a quick note, I haven't finished KM and this AU was made before a lot of that so no KM spoilers, at least not intentional ones lol.

(tossing in a readmore as this rant got long)

OKAY SO

This AU is called Inscryption devs because surprise surprise, it follows the development of Inscryption.

In my funky headcanons, there's been two main development teams for Inscryption. The first one had a bigger team who worked on some other GameFuna games, where everyone slowly either quit or met their fate in a... Sadder way. Generally I've always thought of the characters of Inscryption as being poor unfortunate souls rather than simply sentient AU, but both are fun! It's not like they would remember their past anyways. (If you wanna look for sentient AI in my headcanon, ya gotta look to the Hex. Big call-out post for everyone who got me into the Hex, SO worth it.)

But, then Inscryption gets shelved for a couple years. The office is full of rumors and no one is interested in really touching it, GameFuna is just glad to have the code. (tbh I don't fully know what it does, the ARG confuses me LMAO)

Then comes along Kaycee! She's been working there for a while, avid card game fan, and she's well liked for her dedication to the company and work on other games. After finding out about the Inscryption project, she grows incredibly intrigued by it, and convinces the company to give her a second chance with the game. However, she must work with a smaller team, to prove herself for now.

So, gets into the part where I get to be cringe - my original characters. The Inscryption developer team consists of..

Kaycee Hobbes, the project lead, dedicated and hardworking. She's an overworker with the tendancies to stay late and try to get a lot done on her own all at once. Despite her dependence on herself she's an understanding manager who won't let people walk all over her.

Spencer Kragen, the coder, put on this project as punishment. Spencer is the son of one of the higher ups at the company. Not only does he not want to be here, he's activley making it as insufferable as possible. Through the dedication of Kaycee and slowly learning others perspectives, the stuck up rich kid slowly becomes more accepting of those around him, and learns even a bit about himself.

Diana, the main story builder, is a loving mother of two twin girls. She is overall a very kind and loving figure, becoming a mother figure type to the rest of the group. She has to have a lot of her focus away from work, but she works very hard when she is there. However, when something catches her eye, it's unlikely she'll leave without finding all the details...

Last but not least, Akira! They are the main artist, and a nervous wreck. They tend to overwork a lot, desk full of concept doodles for what they could do with the story. When not working it's likely you'll find them bickering with Spencer. Overall, though, Akira is just a kind and dedicated gamer who is trying their best.

So that's the crew! They spend a good period of time developing the game, obviously, but when it comes down to it..

Everyone in this story is dead by the point of the main events of Inscryption.

It's just fun seeing how they got there! And if you think I write a single story without found family, you are so wrong. /Pos

This also leans into a lot of my headcanons if I am prompted to rant more, so get ready to see things such as the woodcarver as the scrybe of beasts, or just how P-03 acts. Plus uh, all of my Hex headcanons shoved in there, somehow.

And of course, this goofy team of devs lead by the amazing Kaycee.

Okay I'll stop rambling in this longass post I'm sorry for this taking so long hope it's interesting byeee