#You Matter To Me 'verse

[inevitablemoment]

Frightober Day 12 - Single Parents

Word Count: 739

Warnings: Ear infection, doctor's office, hospital, past spousal death, past parental death

Fandom: The Frighteners

Pairings: Frank Bannister x Lucy Lynskey

This features Courtney Bannister, who first appears in my Teacher AU, but this is set in the 'verse that I originally created her for. I plan on posting it sometime next year, but enjoy this little sneak peek.

————————

Frank was sitting up on the exam table with Courtney in his lap as he read aloud from the abridged version of Little Women that she had checked out from the library at school yesterday. It wasn't unlike most kids to be nervous before a visit with the doctor, so she had been feeling extra clingy since he picked her up yesterday. She had joined him in his bed last night, as she usually did when she was sick or had a bad dream, and he had taken the day off from work to stay with her.

He stopped reading when he heard the door opening, and a woman in a lab coat walked in.

She was... pretty, he found himself thinking. Her raven hair was set in natural ringlet curls, with eyes that reminded him of spring and porcelain skin that looked soft to the touch.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Alcott," she greeted. "I'm filling in for Dr. Jensen today-- his wife is having a baby."

Frank nodded; with Fairwater being a small town, he had heard through the grapevine that Dr. Jensen and his wife were expecting. Courtney almost tensed up at this stranger's presence, but allowed herself to relax.

Frank held out his hand. "I'm Frank Bannister-- this is Courtney."

"Hi, Courtney," Dr. Alcott greeted.

Courtney looked up from where she had been staring at her book. "Hi."

"How old are you, Courtney?" Dr. Alcott asked.

"Six and a half," Courtney answered.

"Oh, when's your birthday?" Dr. Alcott inquired with a smile.

"January twenty-fifth," she chirped.

"Wow-- that's soon!" Dr. Alcott exclaimed. "Now, what seems to be the problem, Courtney?"

"My ear hurts," Courtney said, holding a hand to her left ear.

"When did your ear start hurting?" Dr. Alcott asked.

"At school, yesterday," Courtney said. "We went upstairs to the library before pick-up so Mrs. Vale could read us a story. I thought there was something in my ear, so I asked if I could get a tissue. But I couldn't get it out, and it started hurting. I told my teacher when she came back to take us home, and she felt my forehead. She walked with me to the nurse's office, and she called Daddy to pick me up early. And this morning, I felt like my ear exploded."

"There's still some fluid build-up, but there wasn't any blood, and she can still hear fine out of her left ear," Frank explained. "But her fever this morning was the same as it was when the school nurse took it."

"Well, lucky for you, I'm here to help fix that," Dr. Alcott said. "Now, first, I just wanna listen to your heart..."

She took her stethoscope from around her neck, putting the plugs in her ears and placing the bell against Courtney's chest. Frank looked at the doctor's hands.

No wedding ring.

Wait... why did he notice that?

"Does she usually get ear infections?" Dr. Alcott asked.

"No," Frank answered. "The last one she had was when she was eight months old."

Dr. Alcott continued to examine Courtney.

"And from what I read in her file... I understand that her mother is deceased?"

Frank's chest spasmed and his throat began to close up. "Yes. When she was eighteen months old."

"I'm... I'm sorry... even though I know that you've probably heard that a million times," Dr. Alcott said, her face solemn as if she had known Debra. "I lost my father when I was twelve, so... I understand that sometimes, it feels like it'll never get easier."

"Some days are better than others," Frank confessed.

"Same with me."

"You look like Snow White," Courtney suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, you really think so?" Dr. Alcott asked. "Well, I do love Snow White, but you know who my favorite princess is? Belle."

"I love Belle!" Courtney exclaimed. "She likes to read, like me. But I also love Ariel 'cause she has red hair like me and my mommy did."

Dr. Alcott gave a sad, empathetic smile directed at both Courtney and Frank. "Well, I bet your mommy was as beautiful as you are."

To Frank's relief, the exam continued without any further mention of Debra.

"I've called in the prescription for her-- you can pick it up at CVS," she told them.

"Thank you, Doctor..." he looked at the name embroidered on her lab coat. "Lucy Alcott."

"Anything for a patient, Frank Bannister," she smiled at him.

[b6d11f]

at my best, I'm a sacrificial lamb at my best, I am something you could handle

[j0celynh0rr0r]

Death Magic 🩸🔪

[hvly]

— ⋆｡˚｡⋆ ｡˚ 𓆩𖥔𓆪 ˚｡⋆｡˚｡⋆ —

“Maki, are you sure you -“

You’re immediately hushed by Maki’s knee between you legs, the muscles in her thigh grinding against your bare cunt sending a jolt of pleasure up your spine.

“I’m sure,” she murmurs, leaning down and placing a trail of soft, feather light kisses from the nape of your neck to your breast. Her tone was gentle, yet firm. Those two words finite and with no room for debate or discussion. You’d find yourself hard pressed to try and convince her otherwise, so you relinquished your questioning.

Maki peers at you through her bangs, a rush of air leaving her nose in amusement before her hands come up to fondle your boobs. She ran her thumbs over your nipples, rubbing slow circles as they began to stiffen from her touch. “Your tits are so pretty, baby,” Maki murmured, the soft rumble of her voice on your exposed skin tickling. She kissed your breast tenderly, placing a few on one mound before switching over to the other.

You chewed on the skin of your knuckle, a warm feeling blossoming in your chest from your girlfriend’s compliment. “Yeah?” you managed to squeak out, trying — and mostly failing — to hold back your voice.

“Mhm,” Maki hums some sort of affirmation, coming up from your chest with a soft pop as she leaves behind a fresh love mark. You let out a mix of a whimper or a moan as she continues her trail of kisses and bites down to your pubic mound.

Maki’s hands snake down your sides, coming to rest on your hips. Her breath tickles on your clit, but she makes no move to give any attention to your neglected sex.

Quiet whines bubble up in your chest as you squirm under her. You wanted to buck your hips up into her face to get some relief, but you knew better than to try. But sitting patiently was still agony as your arousal steadily increased. Maki’s strong hands still your movements, her thumbs digging into the fat of your hips.

“Want me to make you come, sweet girl?” She asked, her lips a hare’s breadth away from your aching clit. You nodded frantically, tears starting to gather at the corner of your eyes. Maki’s gaze was intense as she looked at you, placing her head on the inner part of your thigh.

She cooed at you as she brought her thumb to rub lazy circles on your swollen bud, gathering your juices and spreading it on your folds. You could’ve burst at the seams from her teasing, your legs beginning to shake. Maki could be so cruel sometimes.

“Use your words, baby. You want me to make you come, right?” She licks a slow stripe up your cunt, never once breaking eye contact with you. Your mouth drops open as you toss your head back, hands gripped tight into the pillow behind you. You look back at your girlfriend as she encourages you to use you words to get what you want, hot tears starting to run down your cheeks

“Yes, I wanna come ! Please, make me come Maki, please !” It comes out rushed and cracked, but it’s voiced nonetheless. Within a second, Maki’s lips are around your clit. Your back arches away from your sheets, your hands shooting from behind your pillow to instead entangle themselves in Maki’s ebony hair.

You’re moaning loudly, all restraint abandoned as the woman below you eats you out. Her tongue is warm as it swipes and circles around your sensitive bud, occasionally prodding at your entrance. Her tongue is soon replaced with 2 fingers pumping in and out of your walls, middle finger curling to rub that spot that always has you creaming so beautifully around her.

Stars begin to spot your vision, tension steadily building in your core. You weren’t sure if your hips were moving on their own or if Maki was forcing you down on her fingers and mouth, but you didn’t care either way. You let yourself go completely, letting whatever came obscenity that came to mind fall gracelessly from your drooling lips.

You were close to release, your walls squeezing tightly around her middle and ring finger. Maki rose from her spot between your legs, fingers still deep in your cunt as she fucked you towards your well deserved orgasm. “Gonna make a mess for me, baby? Come all over my fingers?” she breathed, slick covered lips and chin grazing over your own.

Your moans came out in between breaths, chest heaving as you tried to answer your lover’s questions. “Ye—fuck, I’m coming ! I’m coming !” You can’t help but clamp your legs shut, the inside of your thighs, Maki’s forearm, and the sheet below you being coated in your juices. Maki continues to fuck you through your release, fervently rubbing your clit to keep it going for as long as possible.

“That’s it, keep coming for me,” she moans, lips locking with yours to quiet any cries of “overstimulation” or “being too sensitive”. When you’ve given all you can, Maki brings her fingers to her lips, licking them clean.

You don’t even register the display, eyes lidded as they lazily looked around the room. When your eyes did land on Maki, you gazed at her with what was she could only assume heart eyes looked like. She smiled to herself, gently kissing your temple.

That look was better than any orgasm she could ever have.

© 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 hvly 2024. 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘧y.

— ⋆｡˚｡⋆ ｡˚ 𓆩𖥔𓆪 ˚｡⋆｡˚｡⋆ —

[desultory-novice]

"Evigheden"

"...I'm sorry..."

.

-

"...Hee! Noir, you smell kinda moldy." "Yeah? And now you're going to smell that way too."

"...Because I'm not letting you go for anything."

-

Sometimes, the collar is a metaphor...

-

[Apologies AU Masterpost]

Also sorry if the first panel is unclear. Adeleine isn't trying to clumsily remove the visor, she's reaching in to touch his face to let him know she's there, as Noir is blind and deaf in this particular form, outside of what information the petals take in and transmit to him. They can't recognize qualities of the voice, ie, that it is his beloved little sister, simply that "some" voice is talking to him. They are also what transmits his "voice" (more like a droll, ghosty monotone) outwards.

-

Anyway, I was revisiting some of my favorite fairy tales, including HC Andersen's "The Snow Queen" (where the title originates) when I realized just how well parts of that story fit Adeleine and Noir.

In seconds, I'd written up a fresh script and was drawing this. It's a little rushed/uneven because I pushed myself to finish as quick as possible so that this could be my official last art post before my surgery tomorrow, figuring it was a good note to leave things on.

Call it ~fairy tale magic~ (although I imagine this is set sometime AFTER the Dark Matter Trilogy rather than during. Perhaps after Zero's "favorite tool" was discovered to be broken beyond repair and with Zero itself destroyed, 02 and the rest of the Dark Matter cut him off from the hive and left him to starve to death in the ruins of Shiver Star, where Adeleine eventually discovers him after revisiting her journey with the others) ...but at least we've got x1 Noir saved now!

(...How many more to go...? ^^; )

-

Because I know you folks care about lore, drone-type or unhatched Dark Matter "feed" off energy provided from the Hive Queen and they will burn in the light without their queen's protection.

Main game Shiver Star is actually MANY years removed from the Shiver Star Adeleine and Noir grew up on. (Adeleine fell through a dimensional rift halfway off planet and wound up on Popstar YEARS later than she left. It's a...complicated...story I'll tell later, while Noir has been Dark Matter for much longer than it seems) So, in addition to there being no more people there, there is significantly less of the kind of light that harms Dark Matter. (Is it, in fact, DUE to the lack of living creatures on the planet?? Dun-dun-dun?!)

Speaking of lore: "Wasn't there a literal parasite inside this version of Noir?? Like, an eyeball in his chest? Is that just gone now?"

Fufufu...

It is not GONE, for no one goes through life without some consequences. Though it was starved into hibernation and made further dormant by ~the healing power of love~ Noir does retain some piece of Dark Matter living inside him. A creature inside that grows stronger feeding off his negative emotions. 

He will simply have to learn to control it instead of giving in.

...Just like the rest of us humans. ^_-

[tilly-tittle]

slightly brighter ver.

[starlooove]

Ok it’s not letting me like officially tag her but @camel-kong’s tags gave me the inch I needed to bitch about the au episode. Ppl talking about who died or what impacted it or what the real change was are blowing me bc the REAL au has to be that it’s a world where the council would care about a dead kid from zaun. I was talking to my brother about this and for the changes to be so significant the real alternate universe had to be that the explosion blew up the entire block and everyone in it and maybe a councilor was visiting that day if we’re stretching - bc ur telling me they stopped the production of hextech over jayce? Over VI! Like yes they weren’t aware of its true potential or whatever but even a weapon of that magnitude means more than one dead kid especially a dead kid from the UNDERCITY!! The au just doesn’t work for me bc it affords the council and piltover in general a benefit of the doubt that they not only haven’t earned - but have proven time and time again they don’t fucking deserve. Like it’s the equivalent of saying if politicians knew how bad poor poc felt they’d stop- like hello?

[braskide]

in regarding to my main verse, consider this post an affiliate / mains? call! i'm not entirely sure how to word it out but, i've been thinking about my personal main verse and how i mean to create a more complex ' web ' of dynamics with different characters! my idea is that i wish to have certain characters i can actively reference to even in other plots / different headcanons regarding my main verse, if that makes any sense ajhdsk;dja. i don't do exclusives, though. i will still create alternate verses for the same muses, but i do wish to have a certain sets of ' characters ' in my mainverse!

my idea is that i just want to create a verse wherein other muses ( even crossovers & outside of the ff world! ) can comfortably fit with yuna and especially have all kinds of different muses that can fit into the political & social worldbulding i'm doing! it's also easier to like throw everything inside my main storyline, send different asks referring to it and whatnot. soooo — holds my hands out and points to my main verse timeline.

tl;dr: by commenting this you give me all the rights to plot your muses into my main verse and actively reference them in other plots / ideas / yadda yadda. >3

[rxttenfish]

i dont know what it is but theres Something about this being the first question faulkner hears after a suicide attempt.

[deus-ex-mona]

pretty minor thing to think about, but i find it interesting how chapter 7 is the first chapter illustration to show chizuutan as chizuru (instead of chuutan)

like, i get it’s a flashback chapter, but we hardly got to see her as chizuru in the previous few chapters thus far… maybe we’ll get to see more of her as her true self after the hiyori fight/make up? only future chapters may tell, i guess…

[zukkaoru]

love using my knowledge of the bible to write fics. don't so much love having to look up every verse i want to reference in king james version instead of whichever of the three other versions i memorized verses in because if this character is 27 in ~2012 he definitely didn't grow up reading the berean study bible

[rubberduckyrye]

I just had a thought about how Genshin tells its story, and about the rule of Show and Don't Tell

Because in my last post about how Genshin shows that the Traveler's mind was connected indirectly to Scaramouche during the experimental phase LONG before we even step into Sumeru City, I was also thinking about the interlude quest where Scaramouche erases himself... and I remembered a very important message the game delivers to the player at the end of it.

"Don't trust anything about this world, except for what you see with your own eyes."

That's not a direct quote, but that is the sentiment the quest leaves us on--and I think that if I'm right, then the writers of Genshin are insane and I'm here for it.

Now Genshin players have been complaining a lot about the amount of tell and don't show Genshin has--and it's TRUE, theres a lot of that.

But... what if that's the intention? What if the telling instead of showing is the lie we cannot trust?

We go through hours of dialogue telling us a ton if information about the characters and the world--but that's the genius of the idea. Everyone is an unreliable narrator. They have their own biases and limited insight, but never the whole picture. Never the whole truth.

Like for example: There are NPCs in the world who tell you that it is the Archons who hand out visions. Yet in Ei's dialogue, she states that the Archons don't do that.

There are characters who call the members of the Abyss and Hilichurls monsters, but we know they're cursed humans from Khaenri'ah.

This whole world of Teyvat is lying to the player. Its inhabitants dump false information at the player as unreliable narrators, to the point where it is literally hammering it into your skull, while the truth of the world can only be revealed by your own experiences. What you encounter and see for your self--what this world shows you--is the part where you need to pay attention.

If that is what the writers are intending, and they're deconstructing the very first basic rule of writing in such a way... then color me amazed and impressed.

I won't say this is for certain by a long shot--but if you think about it... it makes a LOT more sense as to why Genshin has such subtle "show" moments and such obvious "tell" moments. Normally inexperienced or just unskilled writers aren't very consistent with their "showing" like Genshin has proven to be--and while I'm not ruling it out completely, Genshin has done Show don't Tell in fantastic ways before.

It makes me think they're using the rule and purposefully breaking that narrative rule to tell their story, one that is filled with lies masking the truth. And even if I'm just reading too much into it and it's not true... idk, the very thought of it is awe inspiring.

[timeclipsed]

(✯) @hiswrlds — my tomorrow's still your today

— ;; Cavorting through encrypted hoops to find the source of the diabolical Doctor Robotnik's strange series of radio broadcasts certainly wasn't an easy task to accomplish, nor was it one of an opaque nature. Stumbling into the tracked location, an autobody shop in disrepair, should have been the end of it. Facing the looming figure of imminent destruction waiting with bated breath for their confrontation, taking him up on his all-too-confident proposition of a fight, and walking away from it victorious as always.

However, a mess of familiarly-hued orange fur and bushy twin tails is what's there to greet instead. Positioned comfortably in a chair towards the northeast corner of the room behind the desk, attention buried into whatever colorful literature he’s reading this week per usual. Chiming above the glass door, the greeting bell indicates the arrival of a second presence, and his ear twitches without making eye contact.

❝Sorry. The good doctor’s currently out to lunch,❞ the spiel coming from the lips of Tails, such a perky, bright-eyed kid, now speaking in a way that’s decidedly practiced and monotonous, feels strange and uncomfortable. ❝Just leave your first name and your phone number on the notepad and he’ll call you back at his earliest convenience.❞

— ;; Threading fingers through tufts of unruly bangs, growling an irritated sigh, he stands up, half-slouched over to reach for a stray pen— 

— ;; —And then he looks up.

[sparklecryptid]

Childe: shouldn’t you show more respect toward a Harbinger?

Inna: *internal debate over whether or not to Just Tell Childe Inna is a Snezhnayan god because it’d be funny*

Inna: nah

[techniiciian]

tag dump.

bc for some reason they keep refusing to show up :/

for my family and our empire ( imperial sith verse )

every wound shaped him ; every scar built his throne ( anakin skywalker / darth vader ; skysaunter )

someone i look up to no matter how tall i grow ( luke skywalker ; skysaunter )

you place me on your shoulders so i can grab the stars ( han solo ; stillsolo )

a promise of hope is enough to feel free ( padmé amidala ; alootus )

his favorite pastime is reckless behavior ( tapalslegacy ; cal kestis )

[juliareed]

There is a lighthouse In the middle of the deep And I'm still stranded on the shoreline there And nobody hears me scream