#also sorry if i butchered any of your lambs

[ursae-miinoris]

@ninjasmudge @nanash1s4n @lambment @bovinaeblogs @dogiperson

doing what i do best . drawing other people’s designs because im not sure what to do with my own !!

all ur designs and styles were very fun to draw/replicate <3 individuals + template under the cut (made by me, credit not required since its so basic lol)

[bats4sophie]

Hey guys,,, I know Arkayne Faith (Oscar x Kayne) Isn't a super popular ship in the malevolent Fandom, but for those few Arkayne Faith enjoyers, here's a quick fanfic I made of them. It might be slightly out of character, I'm sorry, I haven't relistened to any episodes with Oscar in them recently.

TW: Mentions of blood, injuries, a little bit of angst (I can't help myself)

Arkayne Faith 💕

Oscar stumbles to get his footing. He looked around this new, strange place that he had suddenly been placed into with no explanation as to why, all he knows is that he was in the hospital, resting off his arm injury after Arthur had severed it, and now, he was in a cold, dark expanse, feeling the breeze blow about his exposing hospital gown, and the cold stone floor leaving his bare feet feeling numb. But he was far to confused, and far too angry to focus on that yet. All he could think about, and had been thinking about was how Arthur had just...left him. Of course, he knew there must have been some reason for Arthur leaving, but he still felt completely unbridle rage towards his former friend. And now, he was alone, confused, and afraid, with no idea where he is, or why he's there.

He slowly lowers himself down onto the stone cold floor, and draws his knees up, hugging them against his chest, hiding his face in his knees as warm tears of fear and anger well up in his eyes. As he was letting all his emotions come through, however, he hadn't noticed a new presence in front of him, until the thing spoke up, at first in an overly cheery sounding voice, which quickly changed up.

"Sorry about that, I just had to check on how Arty was doing on my special mission, and i forgot all about bringing you here! I swear, sometimes my mem-"

Kayne pauses as his wild eyes search over Oscars scrunched up form, how he didn't even look up at him as he spoke, and instantly knew something was wrong. Kayne had not only been watching Arthur in his journey in New York to evade the Butcher, but he also kept a close eye on Arthur's new acquaintances, mainly Oscar, and he knew that this behaviour was definitely out of character. His grin did not dissapear, but fell slightly as he crouched down next to Oscar, cocking his head like a confused puppy, and slowly lifted Oscars head up.

"Hey, hey, lefty... whats wrong? Why the long face, huh? It's not about the whole "Arthur cutting off your arm and leaving you for dead" thing, is it?"

Kayne did not even give him time to answer, springing back to his feet with a cackle.

"Ah, well, who needs Arthur anyway, huh? Not us, thats for sure! Tell you what, I can be your new purpose, instead of Arthur, how 'bout that? Like my own little... sacrifical lamb. Suits you, too. You remind me of a little new born lamb, with that fluffy hair! Just precious."

Oscar slightly lifts his head, looking up at the thing in front if him, slightly confused. How did It know so much about him, and Arthur? He sniffled a little, and wiped his eyes, now frowning as he stands up, studying Kayne. He takes a step closer, and asks in his thick, Scottish accent,

"Who....are you?...And where are we?..."

Kayne cracks another grin, also stepping closer, mirroring Oscars movements and almost closing the gap between them, when he starts circling Oscar, looking him up and down like a particularly interesting bug.

"Well, I go by many, many names, lefty, mainly the crawling chaos, the God of a Thousand Forms, Nyarlathotep, blah blah blah.... But... you can call me Kayne. How does that sound, huh?"

He cackles once more, starting almost as abruptly as it finishes.

"And as for where we are...hm.."

He rubs his chin, feigning thought.

"Well, just a nice little place i fixed up for the two of us, Oscar. You and me, since Arty is out of the picture for a bit."

He stops right behind Oscar as he finishes speaking, the slapping of his bare, bloodied feet coming to a halt as he does. He leans in close, speaking lowly right next to Oscars ear, as his other hand comes up to gently hold Oscars other shoulder.

"I think you'll quite enjoy it here, with me. I won't leave you, no, not like Arthur did. You can devote yourself to a real, true god, Oscar. How does that sound to you?... Fabulous, isnt it?"

His hand creeps up the side of Oscars neck, leaving traces of dark brownish blood against his skin and clothes, till its resting in his hair, carding through the dark curls, staining them with reds and browns, but he doesnt care, chuckling to himself as he kneads through them. Oscar swallows thickly. Despite being utterly terrified, he can't recall the last time someone was quite so gentle with him, and he found himself almost...enjoying the company of this new character, however unsettling he seems.

YIPPIE YIPPIE YIPPIE I might write more for this but it is almost one o'clock in the morning rn 🏃 So uuuuuh yep. If you've read up to this point and enjoyed it please, please, please reblog. I can't stress enough, it helps other people see my stuff, and gives me a whole lot more motivation to see people enjoying my stuff so yeah. Laters 💛💛

[hawkeyedflame]

I won’t lie your constant exposure to carnivore diet and other things you talked about have intrigued me but I’m currently a poor uni student with no job rn. Do you have any small tips for me on a low budget? I know I should be more specific about the advise but I’m asking as a catch all I guess. Sorry if I’m being a bother

(Sorry for the ramble I get sidetracked easily)

You're not bothering me. To some degree my advice will depend on whether you're a man or woman and what animal products you're willing to include/exclude. The "purest" form of carnivore is only red meat (meat from ruminant animals such as beef, lamb, elk, venison, goat, etc) with no dairy and no eggs. If that's not your style then include whatever you like. HOWEVER. I strongly recommend making fatty red meat the primary food, as well as eggs and butter if you like them and have no allergies. A lot of people think that the trick to keto/carnivore is that it's a low carb and high protein diet, but in fact the key to carnivore is that it is a high fat diet. Fat is the body and brain's optimal fuel source, so make sure you eat a lot of it. Lean meats like poultry and lean beef/pork cuts will not produce good results. If you're a woman, you will likely find that a caloric ratio of about 80% fat to 20% protein will feel the best. It is unclear exactly why women seem to benefit so much from this while men don't see much difference, but this means that women seeking this so-called "high fat carnivore" will have to supplement their meat with extra fat sources such as butter or fat trimmings. Personally, I get beef fat trimmings from a local butcher and cook them with each meal. If you're not a woman you can still do this, but it may not give much benefit over just eating meat normally (although there are male athletes who report that high fat is better for them, so for men it may come down to activity level). My theory for why women thrive more on a higher fat ratio is that large megafauna, most of which are now extinct, likely had a fat-to-muscle ratio that was closer to what the female body needs to support optimal hormonal and reproductive health. In the evolutionary timeline, these animals have not been gone for long and there's no reason to assume our biological processes would have evolved to be fully adapted to their absence yet. That's just my speculation though.

Anyway, for affordability, I think the most obvious answer is to shop the sales on everything and learn to work with cheap cuts of meat. I personally buy my beef by the animal, so I end up with a small handful of the prized cuts such as ribeyes and strip loins, and a whole lot of roasts, ribs, and ground beef. as a university student you do not have the financial bandwidth to do this, so you are stuck searching for the cheaper cuts like chuck, shank, top/bottom round, sirloin tip, as well as ground beef. all of these cuts can make delicious meals, especially if you opt to continue using seasonings (i personally do not, but neither do i begrudge those who are unwilling to give them up). these cuts are leaner, but if you add extra fat (trimmings or butter) then you can still get a good caloric ratio out of it.

if you or anyone you know has a Costco (or equivalent store) membership, you can also buy wholesale primal cuts. upfront cost is a bit high, but the price per pound is significantly cheaper than grocery stores. you can get brisket for like $2/lb at Costco

chicken is generally pretty cheap, especially if you buy the cheaper cuts like drumsticks and thighs. but again, it's very lean so be mindful of that. same goes for pork. also salmon is a really good and fatty option if you like fish.

i also save the melted fat which comes off when I cook beef fat, and reuse that whenever i need cooking oil for a different meal, so i don't burn through store bought tallow/lard or butter.

one of the biggest factors in determining your cost will be whether or not you are fussy about conventional vs pasture raised meat. if you are happy to eat conventional, then your costs will be significantly lower than if you insist on pastured products. as far as the impact on your health, there isn't much information about the difference between the two, i know people who eat conventional and others who eat pastured, they all feel good. for myself, and many people who choose pastured products, it's an ethical decision more than anything.

lastly, again i don't know your financial situation but if you have some wiggle room, you can look into an online butcher such as butcherbox, moink, betterfed, and others. the meat is a bit more wholesale so the price per pound tends to come out much cheaper than buying from a grocery store, however this again, like Costco, has a higher upfront cost.

i hope this information is helpful! let me know if you have any other questions and i'll do my best to answer them (hopefully with less rambling next time).

[almalvo]

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY | S1E4 "The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry"

[I will react to each episode individually and in full, raw reception and then post as is unrevised here onto my tumblr for the full span of every and all NuTrek episodes and series that have been and will be released. If this falls under your field of interest - I welcome your company in joining me. Enjoy the ride.] -------

these effects are so pretty whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i love how that was a nanoscopic view on replication omlll what a wonderful uniform give it. to me. ugh i love this interiour hi saru man i cant wait for burnham to NOT be ostracised like this THREAD GANGLIA HMMM?? what. does he give himself away. when hes nervous. i love this screen. lorca youre a fun man huh. OOO WHAT IS THAT SPIDER HEAD WHO IS THATT i like his spider face oo how the lights just come on like this reminds me of the incredibles guess they have to save power SOMEhow. ugh these internals are so nice so spiffy

yeah i like the older bat'leth more right, his pet. lorca, the shroom man. yes a man with a name like lorca would indeed have em. war specialist hmm ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh this INTROOOOO I CANT GET OVER ITTTTT now but like yall seriously to see a queen so crowned at long last - do you UNDERSTAND??? HOW THAT MAKES ME FEEL. ughhhh such a pretty introductionnnn and this music compliments so wonderfully but WAIT ALSO WHAWAIT HAHAHAHAH THOSE TSHOSE THOSE TWO SUITED GLOVED HANDS TOUCHING TOGETHER LIKE GOD AND ADAM. ARE YELLOW AND BLUE. UM UUMMMMMMMMMMM UUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ok ok breathe ok ok ok ok b r e a t h e . wheew ok . ok. ughhh these coloursss i really like how its all in klingon. cuz why wouldnt it. dude this fucking ROOMM theyre in is so gorgeous yeah im absolutely correct, lookin at this Xray view on the screen. fuckin space water bear THANK YOU BURNHAM YES

TARDIGRADE INDEED. fuckin galactic moss sucker. thats so intersting, to see an internal skeleton in a suped up tardigrade. you know. its funny. how nutrek starts off with what is literally my favourite animal since childhood. water bears for lyfe 👏 trek KNOWS im watching >;} hi stamets. im sorry bout your hubby :( ugh saru looks so good in any lighting. ah so lorca is "get it done" man is he ruder than "make it so" lolol ooo i like this klingon with the red stripes oh i love how convincing they make these inflections in klingon - they certainly put the care in to instil and preserve as much linguistic servicibility in their delivery - love it.

the warped DOWNwards hahah - but damn was it pretty ughhh these key shots are SOOO nice oml stamets are you ok?? ofc hes ok hes hard as steel. man im sry but watching this and seeing the tardigrade just gives me such a nostalgia wow that broken nose doc i see you talk, stamets. ugh keep elon musk out of this he didnt DO shit but be rich. "real life iron man" my ass. his ideas literally aint new. he just has the money to do stuff. ANYways. we dont give a fuck. back to what matters. IS WAIT IS THAT DID I JUST SEE CORRECTLY IS WHAT IS THAT ON THAT PLATTER ON THE TABLE WHY DOES THAT LOOK LIKE A DISSECTED TRIBBLE ? no. it better fucking not. ima kill a land orca... also this poor space bear.. alsso damn the way it just mauled the tactical officer. that sucks. but also i aint mad at the space bear for it. it just tryin to survive. UGHHHHH LOOK AT THISSSSS KLINGON IN ARMOUR UPSIDE DOWN WHY CANT WE GET A FUCKING GAME OF THIS CALIBRE STAR TREK IP PLEASE LETS GETS SOME DASTARD AAA GAMES IN THIS BITCH

man these klingon actors, i appreciate them so much to adorn this make up attire and speaking such a difficult tongue - fabulous. saru time ughh i cant wait to learn more about saru and cant wait till this animosity disa-fuckin-ppears. space bear better live after all this. it deserves that much. i hope it can have all the moss it can find. also wait are m;y eyes working is that a humanoid skeleton with a suspiciously reptilian looking skull and spikes on the back of its head. omll MY BOI IS EATIN THE SPORES?? wait MY BOI BEFRIENDING BURNHAM?? first contact lets GOOOOOOOOOOOO lower decks. hehe. ok sorry that was weird editing the outside shot of burnham talking to stamets is not aligned properly with her speech. awwwwwwwwwwwwww big baybeh so cuteeeeeeeeee i dont like the blur on the space bear among the mycelium though

awww it TALKS TO THE SHROOMS? oh my god please i love it i give it all my sentimental pets. also hey nice dragon fruit. the pale klingon has nice lashes pretteh boi whatever it is she just ate looks good ughhh these visuals outside of discovery are so nice awwww space bearrr so cuteeee UMMM THEY JUST STABBED HIS MILKERS sir they grippin his nonexistent nipples. sry but that girl screaming so mechanically was not the greatest lol also sorry but i really dont like how the shots when they zoom in from outside to into the birdge always end up blurry its hapened like 3 times now SPACE BEAR PECS ARE RED BRO STOP WHOA WHOA WHOAAAAA WHOAAAAA TH E SHIP JUST WARP ROLLED TFF whoa interstingggg i cant get mad a baby acting ofc ahhaha oml they did stab his milkers, not grab them. wtf. im so sorry. that is a waste of a padd. vengeful voq. hes not going to ally wiht the humans to reap vengence for the house of t'kuvma is he against kol.

these klingons are much more similar to the aos ones but the connection is likely not there. IS THAT A FUCKING GORN SKELETON IN THE CASE. IS IT. IS THAT WHAT MATURED GORN IN NUTREK LOOK LIKE. WHATEVER SNW'S XENOLIZARDS BECOME? they better fuckin have their dresses. aw sorry space bear. im sorry. me and you both, burnham. sylvia's delivery was a little fast on the mother joke hmm what did phllipa entrust to you. cant wait till burnham gets her starfleet badge. aw burnham SMILEE LET YOURSELF SMILEEE what is it. phillipa what is it. oml what is it. man bye mamma phillipa, ima miss you. WHAT IS IT. ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the telescropeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuteee curious where nutrek will go. its got some odd goofs here and there but im not being too critical on them so much that the story is ruined - lets continue.

[madbadash]

Hi Ash!!! Sending you some for the oc ask game! Feel free to apply to any of your beans but was thinking of Jessie!

🎮💯💘

Oooo! Thanks Bloob!! I'll throw in a free Jamie! No charge, cuz I know you like him 😁😁😁 (sorry this took 8 years Jessie is so underdeveloped)

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies

Jessie-

Baseball, very obviously. It's the sport he plays at school but he's pretty passionate about it.

He's absolutely a Candy Crush player. It's super goofy but he's like hard core addicted to it. Completing the levels really fucking pumps that serotonin.

Goofy as this is, Being with Daisy. He loves being around her, he loves thinking of date and gift ideas. She is often pacing around in his mind about 40 percent of the time. Although being around the SNG in general is a good way to hang out.

Jamie-

Watching TV. Look man, if I can say one thing it's that Jamie is consistent. And they fucking LOVE watching Bonnie's show.

Weirdly enough butchering. When they're doing their job it's quite a therapeutic experience for them. They spend a lot of the time venting to the body in front of them, mostly about their dysphoria.

Thinking about it they'd also probably find cooking enjoying, but like... That might just be my brain being like "butchering human's? Cannibalism, Hannibal time"

💯ONE HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

Jessie-

I made up the idea of Daisy's boyfriend back when I first made her for a theater class. I had to do a monologue in character and I filled it up with horror references, I even referenced the Sawyer's! But the catch was that she was supposed to be rambling to her boyfriend, who was dun dun dun ALREADY DEAD!!! Jessie as a character came later but I still think he would be the first to die, sacrificial lamb kinda deal.

This is more Trivia for the SNG in general but I mean... He's apart of it.. It counts. The SNG basically exist in a kind of multi verse? I plan to make a story focused on each of them. Michelle's is a Horror Movie, Alvin's is a romance, Clementine's is maybe a Spy/Mystery? Jessie's story should probably be a Sports one but also I am very much NOT a sports fan, so I'll have to work it out a bit more

I never posted the one doodle I did but I went to watch Back to the Future with goats and I think Jessie would be a wonderful Marty Mcfly.

Jamie-

I have shared this once before but I've always wanted to give them a hamster for a pet. It just... Fits??

They were mainly inspired by Bim Trimmer, a Markiplier character who is obsessively in love with YouTuber Matthias, so if you watch the skit "Hire My Ass" you'll see a lot of similarities

I have a friend who kinda ships Lev and Jamie, and honestly after learning that I have spent a lot of time thinking about their dynamic, and that it might change wildly.

💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

Jessie- as cliche as it is Daisy is absolutely one of the most important people in his life. Her and Dean are so very very important to him and he loves em so much.

Jamie-Oh Bonnie, Bonnie a million and one percent. They often claim that Bonnie is the one that 'got them into show biz' even though he is very much not in Show Biz. Their main motivation for basically everything is her. She's why they get up, why they kill.

[afooldyedinfolly]

HOPE YOU LIKE WALLS OF TEXT &lt;3

relationship status: not single, not taken, but a secret third thing (paradoxically both nonamorous and polyamorous. Closest common term is solo polyamory but even that’s not it.)

favourite colour: Despite my username, it’s not folly. It’s brown. If I had to pick a specific (web safe) shade, I’d say Coffee.

Three favourite foods: Gonna make this prepared foods bc I cannot pick only three fruits lmao -Fafalel but prepared specifically either by my grandmother or my aunt Kurdistan (yeah I have an aunt literally named Kurdistan, go fucking figure) -Jjinppang that I make myself and am probably butchering (sorry Koreans) -Doi gazdar. Idk what the fuck to call this. Carbonated doogh? Carbonated Ayran (not quite the same but often translated to that)? Are those terms any less foreign to anglophones? Saying yogurt soda gives the impression that it’s sweet bc westerns have done terrible things to their yogurt. Whatever. It’s this.

If drinks don’t count uhhh. Tie breaker between lamb tikka kabab (Afghani or Iranian style) or this monstrosity /stew I make primarily with a variety of beans, corn, and kabocha squash that has little to no resemblance to the soup the Oneida woman who introduced me to the concept of using the three sisters (+ wild rice) in soup made. (Sorry Oneida. And sorry to the Haudenosaunee in general.).

song stuck in my head: I don’t think this counts as a song but I listened to this on repeat for like most of my finals so. Make of that what you will. Probably says more about my psyche than any song would.

last song listened to: Gone Angels by Mili (please god if you search this do not read the comments if you don’t want Library of Ruina spoilers)

last thing I searched: Web safe brown shades so I could answer the color question :P

dream trip: I Would Like To Go Back Home One Day Without Having To Put On My Good Little Muslim Girl Hetcisona In Order To Not Get Hatecrimed Especially Because Waxing Your Beard Off Fucking Hurts And Also I Miss My Family Even Though I’m Sure 95% Of Them Would Want Nothing To Do With Me If They Knew. It’s probably never gonna happen but I Can Dream.

something i want right now: A hug.

Not tagging anyone y’all feel free to steal this <3

(Tagged by @crazycatsiren.)

Rules: Tag 10 people you want to know better!

Relationship status: in a 2 year relationship 🥰

Favorite color: green

Three favorite foods: desserts in general but especially ice cream, breadsticks with alfredo, my mom’s roasted potatoes with crispy parmesan cheese

Song stuck in head: “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind

Last song I listened to: “Trouble” by Taylor Swift

Last thing I googled: ornithology (birds) in northeast Florida

Dream trip: Italy, I think

Anything I want right now: uno reverse - chronic health

Tagging: @maceofpentacles @windvexer @serpentandthreads @stormwaterwitch @breelandwalker @the-clumsywitch @the-fox-jawed-witch @whimsigothwitch @when-november-ends @gothhobbithoe @jasper-pagan-witch @upthewitchypunx

Don’t be mad, I added two extras 😅

[darkdevasofdestruction]

An Angel and A Demon ~ Pyramid Head x Reader

Update 2: My laptop restarted when I was in the middle of writing this, and trust me when I say it, I am positively pissed off, and I want to end my days, that's how bad of a day this was.

And I didn't leave the house.

That says a lot about today...

Update 1: But, without further ado, I was half-way writing this story, and I received this ask, and let me tell you...

helloooo, i absolutely adored the fanfics you wrote about kazan and danny🥺 could i request one where pyramid head is just really whipped for and in love with the survivor! reader but he doesnt know how to announce it to them so he brings her random ,,gifts" in and outside the trials and protecting her bc well, im pretty sure he cant speak so he doesnt really have any other options on how to express his feelings??

I live for it.

Bless you for sending me this, it's the reason I'm still sane right now.

I love you, baby-cakes.

Update 3: I want to kill myself so bad. Just smash my head on a wall until it explodes or sth. I was so happy with how this imagine turned out, only fuck fucking tumblr to just fucking delete EVERYTHING just as I was about to put the last gif and hit POST NOW.

--------

For the 5th time writing this :

FUCKMEDADDY - but this time - FUCKMYBRAINSOUTPLEASEIWANNADIE

Thanks.

-------

Hell - What was that place, anyway?

Some would describe it as an infinite ocean of flames and lava, where it's eternally melting-hot, and a bunch of hooved, horned, tailed red demons torture you with acid, with their red pitch forks, or boil you alive in their cauldron for soup. Or maybe you just get tortured by Stalin, who knows?

But never would have anyone thought that 'Hell' could look so...Normal. Well, normal in a very demolished, desolate, ravished way, but still...Normal, by human standards. Albeit, the never-ending loop of madness, anguish, agony and desperation of getting killed in different gruesome ways or fleeing for their lives and feeling a myriad of emotions pumping adrenaline through their veins so badly that their anxiety-meter skyrocketed to abnormal levels.

All this darkness, this hatred, this...Everything...It changed all the survivors. They became selfish, stubborn, rude, some even went as far as to sacrifice their fellow survivors in trials, just so they could survive. It was a complete mayhem that defied all kinds of reason, normality, morality or even ethics. Everyone became devoid of any laws that used to bind them to their humane sides, and now, you weren't sure if the killers were saner than the survivors or not.

But even in this abyss where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your very eyes, there was a little star - A beautiful angel radiating brightness and warmth, someone who was somehow able to guide everyone's straying souls with her benevolence.

In reality, she was merely a survivor, not the little lantern from an angler fish's head, but she treated everyone with such an untainted kindness...It was beautiful, and yet, unrequited for most parts. Everyone was still putting their own lives above all - And who could condemn them? - Perhaps their cowardice, for the girl preferred to save her fellow survivors as much as possible, even if that oftentimes assured her place on the hook, to be a sacrificial lamb for the Entity.

On the other hand, she rarely ended up on the hook - Most killers prefer to kill her themselves, instead of letting her become pray for the horrible Entity who tortured so many of them for refusing to cooperate - The Trapper, Evan MacMillan - He knew the best, with those hooks digging into his flesh, impossible to extract. He was the first to protect this girl. It wasn't much, but if he had to, he'd rather give her a swift, painless death, than seeing her without that serene, angelic smile on her face, as the Entity feeds on the last bits of her soul's beauty, the last parts of her humanity.

The other Killers were confused at the Trapper's actions, but little by little, they began to understand why this girl was so precious and special - And this domino effect hit Rin Yamaoka next, with Y/N stopping in the middle of a chase and taking off her jacket, just as Rin was about to butcher her with her katana, and she smiled, extending it to her. 'You must be cold' she said, realising that the Spirit was merely wearing a few bandages, not even her school uniform, or her kimono.

The ghost girl was shaken up by this, and told the others at the killer camp, but they just shrugged it off - Rin was a little girl who faced close to no kindness, they weren't surprised she was so taken aback by such a feat. That is, until Adiris, in a particularly terrible day, when everyone at the camp was staying away from her, as her profane censer wasn't able to cover the stench of rotting flesh - Y/N came over, taking out a small yet elegant glass bottle with pink liquid on it, spraying some on her - And now, The Plague smelled of roses and vanilla - 'You can come to me for perfume whenever you want, I always carry some with me!' she grinned at the Babylonian High Priestess, before leaving back to the survivor's camp site, leaving the ancient God symbol to stare with her mouth agape at the girl.

These words began to spread, and it was no surprise when the killers saw Susie clinging and begging her Legion friends to spare Y/N, for she was there to hug away her worries more than once, to tell her sweet words, to play with her hair and play the guitar whatever songs she wanted to hear, to get reminded of her home - She was so home sick that she freaked out, but now she was better, thanks to Y/N - 'I know you miss home, but sometimes, home is where your best friends are, and all three of them are here!' she tried to encourage the cute pink-haired girl who could only squeal and hug her new friend.

Even Ghostface wasn't exempt from falling to her charms, and they would often take silly selfies and mess around, making fun of the old horror movie tropes and doing lots of puns and pranks - So much that she even got his trust to be told about the Danny/Jed thing, and how he began his killer profession - 'You're a very talented photographer, Danny! You deserved all that recognition you got, both as a journalist, and as a killer!'

And very soon, Y/N found herself in the crushing arms of an overprotective Anna, humming her mother's lullaby together with walking through the forest, Y/N making flower crows for all the female killers at the camp site, and little by little, she somehow managed to worm her way under everyone's skins.

Y/N was the survivor with the highest survivability percentage, and maybe the Entity sometimes got pissed off, but at least she still got killed sometimes, so who cares? Well, that was soon to change as soon as a new Killer was added to this sick game - Pyramid Head, the terror of Silent Hill, as Cheryl, the new Survivor, called him - or The Executioner, as he was known now. He was ruthless, merciless, grotesque - He had his own criteria of killing, his own moral compass, ethics, conscience and understanding of the concept of life and death. Nothing that could compare to the visions of humans, clearly - Everything was gravitating around Divine Retribution and Justice, but the from the outside, he was nothing but a killing machine.

He would kill everyone and anyone that crosses his path, without fail.

Y/N felt like her fortune ended completely the second she found herself in the new, overly cramped map, with Pyramid Head as the killer - She couldn't help but run around like a spazzic meerkat, trying to find and fix as many generators as possible, without having to get face to face with the walking hazard...

Only to run past a stuck Pyramid Head.

Slowly backtracing her steps, she saw the mountain of a man with his metal pyramid stuck in the frames a low window which he tried to walk over. He was trashing like a raged bull trying to attack a matador, but it was clear he was getting nowhere with this.

"H-Hey, u-uhm...Need some help?" she asked in a soft, careful voice, almost like a meek cat trying to test the waters, but in return, he started groaning even louder from the wrath he wanted to unleash upon the whole world. "Okay, uhm...I think I saw a can of vaseline in one of the chests around. I'll go fetch it and I'll come back for you. Don't move." she said, only to then realise how horrible that sounded, considering the situation, and it only seemed to anger the killer. "...I'm sorry, ignore me, I'm an idiot." she slapped herself pretty harshly before bolting out of there trying to find the chest.

However, Y/N cursed herself for not having perfectly memorised the whole map by heart already, since she found the vaseline can after the 3rd chest, and then, it took quite a while to find the bloody window that got the killer stuck - And by the time she got there, she was dead tired. "Okay, I'm here, I found the vaseline! Let's try to get you out of here." Y/N muttered as she put her feet on the low window pane to get to his level. "If it's not too much trouble, could you please hold onto me? I can't balance myself with both hands occupied, and I'd rather not fall." she explained as she opened the vaseline can, only to shiver as she felt two big, strong hands getting a firm grip on her hips. It was almost...Endearing, were she not too busy trying to get the killer unstuck. She kept massaging the metal edge, trying to push and pull, also praying to whatever deity that existed in her human world that she had her tetanus shot done on time - Until finally, she was able to get hear a loud screech, like a pop, and the killer got unstuck, and in the process, he stumbled backwards, while Y/N fell down on her butt.

"Ouchie..." she muttered, rubbing her back and sides to take away the pain surging through her body. "Are you okay?" she asked, almost intuitively, without realising it at first, until she heart a low grunt that brought her back to reality. "O-Oh...! You have glass shards stuck in your side! And you're bleeding too! Hold up, let me help." she hurried to his side, while the killer merely stiffened, feeling her delicate, slender fingers tracing his body, while he heaved and slouched his shoulders from the repressed wrath. "It may sting a bit, and I'm really sorry, but I promise it will be better soon." her voice was so motherly and warm, which also resonated in her actions, as she gingerly took a water bottle and imbued some tissues with it, to wipe away the blood smearing down his skin as she extracted the glass shards, and then..."This is grandma's marigold ointment. It's really good, and it smells nice." she explained as she carefully smeared a thick layer of the yellow ointment on the biggest wounds, while the little ones were covered by smiley-flower patterned plasters. They were cute, and colourful, and they never failed to make her smile. "Okay, there we go, all better! I hope you'll feel better very soon!" her voice got a tiny bit more cheerful and upbeat.

It made the Killer think about a trillion things, as he stepped in front of her, towering over her like the Empire states building next to a smiling pomeranian. What was with this girl? Why did she help a killer? And why did he feel so...Warm inside? He could sense a foreign kind of luminosity, a naivite and innocence that he only witnessed in children and animals. This woman in front of him was untainted by the darkness and evil of the world.

It didn't matter how many hardships she's been through, or how much sadness she had to endure - Her soul remained as pure as any snowdrop, as the first snow of winter, as the fleece of a baby lamb who let out its first 'meeeeh' to its mamma sheep.

He couldn't allow this human to be maimed in any way - Not by the world, not by the Entity, and certainly not by him. - Screw the Entity, Pyramind Head kills by his own rules, and now, he was blessed to be faced with a human who bore no real hatred for her peers, or for the world, despite the horrible situation she was thrown into.

He didn't understand, obviously, especially as he remembered the myriad of abominations that lurked through Silent Hill, all of them created by the torment of humans - The very torment that distorted their own reality, which resulted in him needing to solve the purpose as The Executioner - Eradicating the world of all evil.

"Th-This sword is so heavy...H-How can you carry this around like that...?! Your muscles must be so strained and sore...Y-You really need a massage, I'm sure." she stuttered as she tried to lift the much taller and heavier sword from the ground, only for the brute to simply bend and pick it up with extreme ease, putting the girl to shame with her complete lack of strength. "Hehe...You're really strong. I'm embarrassed now." she chuckled softly, scratching the back of her neck.

Before she could leave or do anything else, Pyramid Head picked her up by the throat, careful not to hurt her or restrict her air intake - I mean, how else was he supposed to carry her so he wouldn't hurt her with his metal head or sword? - and it was pretty clear she didn't feel any malevolence from him, as she clinged on his forearm, trying to keep herself up, only to be dumped on top of the hatch, as the killer pointed towards it, so she would leave.

"O-Oh...! Thank you so much! You're really kind! I really appreciate this...I-I know it probably doesn't matter much to you, since you'll be doing this over and over again with all the survivors...But I really appreciate you for your kind gesture, and I appreciate you for being so nice with me. Thank you. Take care!" her dazzling smile lit the whole place up, but he couldn't talk, nor could he tell her how he should be the one thanking her for showing him that, despite the hundreds and thousands of years he had to roam the 'Earth' and execute the injust, miracles still existed.

As soon as she reached the survivor's camp, everyone cheered for her, asking how in the world could she have escaped the wrath of the butcher. "Oh, but he wasn't that bad. In fact, he's much more humane than I anticipated! I think he has a beautiful, blooming heart!" okay, she's lost it - the other survivors thought - but even so, she's always been a bit...Out of it, so who cares?

It took quite a while for the other three survivors to reach the camp, all bloody, in fact, like the new killer, who dragged himself with the same menace to the Killers' camp. "How the hell did you manage to survive?!" they yelled at her in utter shock, seeing that she got out of there unscratched. "Oh, you see...I found the hatch." she shrugged simply, not wanting to give away that the person who massacred those three was a soft one and he basically threw her down the hatch to her safety.

As she took a twig to roast a marshmallows, she noticed how Pyramid Head was standing much farther away from the rest of the killers - She knew that silent killers were bound to stay away from the more obnoxious one, remembering how Michael Myers almost killed Ghostface and The Legion at least a dozen times - But this time...He seemed kinda...Lonely? So Y/N took the matters into her own hands, roasted another marshmallow in another twig, and when it was done, she went to the killer's camp, calling out the lonely one's name - She has no idea why, but he actually followed her, pushing her further deep into the forest, until he was sure nobody was going to hear, see or interrupt them...

"Hey. You seemed pretty lonely out there...I thought you could use a friend. Thank you again for what you did at the trial...Here, this is a marshmallow. I don't think you've had many before...Cheryl told me of that horrible place you had to live in...So I hope this will make your day a bit better!" Y/N extended one of her hands towards him, so he could take the marshmallow - And a long, black tongue erupted from underneath the pyramid, snatching away the fluffy marshmallow and gulping it in one go.

What the hell was he turning into?

A towering man built of pure muscle, wrath and divine justice, with a pyramid representing the evil of humanity burdening his body, and a sword taller and heavier than the average human being constantly dragged in one of his hand...He now was a slave to a cute, innocent girl who was putting flower plasters on his minuscule wounds that would heal in a heartbeat regardless - He saved this girl who was now offering his these soft, squishy things that tasted overly sugarly, just like her upbeat and cheerful personality - If he could eat her, he was sure she would taste even sweeter than this - A sickish kind of sweet, that is.

She was indeed a beautiful angel in this tragic hell. But he didn't wait to snatch the second marshmallow either.

"Ah...! You liked it, didn't you? Well...Next time, I promise I'll give you more!" she grinned at him the same way a princess would to her chivalrous knight who saved her. The since he couldn't talk, silence took over them - It wasn't an uncomfortable one, per se, but it made it feel as if the conversation was over. "W-Well...I'll guess I'll see you around! Take care and I hope to see you again soon!" she waved cutely, trying to turn around back to her camp, only to feel a rough hand on her shoulder, turning her around and urging her to stop and wait for him and he went deep into the forest, leaving her alone and undefended by the potential malevolent forces of the forest.

When he returned, however, he stepped right in front of her, creating the perfect shade as he towered over her - Then he kneeled in front of her, so he would reach her eye sight, then he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and put a beautiful pink flower - As pink as the blush that started creeping on her face - He wanted to see her luminous face better, to highlight her dazzling smile and her glimmering eyes as the warm, silver light of the mother moon caressed her face.

Y/N felt her heart picking up the pace - It was beating so much faster than ever before - But this time, it wasn't out of fear or anything negative...It was something good. Something she never felt in her life, especially with her human acquaintances from back home. None was as chivalrous and gentle with her as this butcher of tormented souls - The bringer of justice, the merciless Executioner who was supposed to end the life of every living being that would cross his path.

It was insane how every Yin finds its Yang, even if that comes in the form of a little lamb of a small, frail girl, and a huge abomination of a brute man who knows nothing but death, bloodshed and carnage. It was truly crazy how opposites attract, and here she was, holding the killers large hands and gingerly putting them on her face, leaning into his touch - She felt safer now than ever in her life - Now, in the arms of an ancient killer.

An Angel and A Demon brought together in a perfect union.

As she leaned down, she touched the metal of the pyramid where she anticipated his forehead would be with her own forehead, and closing her eyes, she finally felt herself calming down. There was no need for words, actions spoke louder than anything, and she appreciated it...She appreciated him.

"Thank you." she whispered to him, knowing that yes, even though nobody else would hear it anyway, it was much more intimate than anything she ever experienced.

She was hooked.

Hope you liked my completely shameless pun, I couldn't stop it, especially after the pain I went through trying to write this...3 freaking times.

Yay.

[wonderwomanfantasy]

snow fall

Did someone say AU? I did, I said AU

Werewolf! Bakugou x Deaf!Reader

warnings: Bakugou is a bit of a creep but that’s about it

word count:1,000 (about)

summary: Bakugou loved a good hunt, especially for a sweet-smelling omega such as yourself

Bakugou could smell you the minute he entered the forest that surrounded your village. He didn’t know what omega in town smelled so sweet. He took another deep breath tilting his head back to the crisp winter air, breathing in the faintest trace of raspberry and mint. You must have spent a lot of time in these woods for your scent to linger like this, your mistake, now that he’d caught your scent, he was on the hunt. 

Your parents were talking in the kitchen, you couldn’t catch much of the conversation since neither of them was facing you front on so it was hard to see what they were saying but you could see they were clearly arguing. Your mother threw her hands up in exasperation storming out of the room. Your father sighed and turned away jumping when he saw you, then his expression softened into one of humor. 

“You scared me,” he laughed, enunciating enough for you to clearly understand, then he started writing out a note for you. 

“You know the trade fair is coming up?” he wrote, you nodded. 

“I know I promised this year you’d be old enough to attend the fair on your own, but your mother disagrees, so will you stay and help us one more year?” 

You deflated sadly, you were 19 and this was supposed to be the first year you’d be allowed to wander away from your family’s wears and shop and buy things all on your own instead of hanging back to sell fabrics and wool. 

You understood that your mother couldn’t help but your shoulders

He put his hands on your shoulders and you looked up at him,

“I’m sorry,” he signed. You offered him a small smile then sighed

“It’s fine, there’s always next year,” you replied letting your father hug you

“Go help your mother she’s feeding the goats,” he signed and obediently you went out back marching through the powder fresh snow to the barn. There was an icy wind and you shuddered. You were overcome with the scent of apple pie,  and you wondered who in the village was baking. 

Your mother was indeed in the barn milking one of the goats. She looked up as you entered and smiled, waving you over to the stand so you could carry back the pails of milk, but before you could lift them she stopped you. 

“I just want to keep you safe,” she signed

“You don’t have to protect me,” you said back lifting the buckets in your hands effectively cutting off the conversation, and turning back to the house. 

Spring was for planting, summer for weeding and growing, fall was the harvest, but the winter was for trade. Salted meat, livestock, and seeds. Your family treated wool and made fabrics that could be made into clothes. 

You also had a few goats and a few fruit-bearing trees but that was more for fresh milk and apples than to sell any kind of meat, there were enough butchers and ranchers without your family. The thought made you pause. You had been sure you’d smelled apple pie earlier, but who would have fresh apples this time of year?

Your village was a small one, but it was in the exact middle of four much larger towns, and once a year it became a bustling hub for trade and people. It was enough to keep at least two separate inns in business all year rebound with just this one event. 

Snow fell in soft wet flakes dancing softly through the gray air before landing on the crowded streets. The roads were packed with people, carts, and animals. Their lips flapped as they talked too fast and low for you to decipher, money changed hands, and goods were held on shoulders. It was all so exciting, and you were stuck behind the stall with your dad, handling the scissors. Cutting bolts of fabric into yard lengths while your father dealt with the customers and your mother shopped. 

Your Dad held one hand behind his back and made a K with his fingers then held a two, you turned and cut two yards from the red linen. You had been cutting fabric since you were old enough to hold scissors. You couldn’t help but feel a little resentful, you were an adult, you could fend for yourself, and what did your mother think would happen anyway? You’d move out and live on your own unless she expected you to live with them for the rest of your life.

There was a lull in the day around noon, shoppers and sellers alike taking a small break from the cold in the warmth of a restaurant. You blew on your fingers before rubbing your hands together for warmth. 

“Why don’t you go get something warm to drink?” your father signed handing you a couple of gold coins. You nodded and waited for him to close the stall but he didn’t, then he realized what he did. You grinned and took off on your own. You’d have to be quick, so your mother or anyone who might tell her could catch you, but this brief taste of independence would have to be enough for now. You took off running the snow sinking under your boots as more flakes fell onto your clothes. 

You looked back as you ran towards the tea shop to smile back at your dad when you ran into an iron wall. Your head spun with the force of the impact and you couldn’t help but gasp. Before you could fall to the frozen earth, two large hands caught you and you saw what, or rather what, you’d run into. 

He barked something at you but you couldn’t make out what he said, it was clear he was a stranger probably someone here just for the trade fair, you’d never seen anyone with red eyes or spikey blonde hair like his but most interesting of all, This stranger smelled like apple pie. 

He set you back on your feet and quickly you signed to him that you couldn’t hear, he looked surprised by that 

“Watch yourself dumbass,” he signed. You winced and were too busy signing a quick apology to be surprised that he knew sign language. He didn’t respond to your apology. Instead of just rolling his eyes,  and marching away from you. You shook your head and took off running again still wanting to get your tea before your mother came back. 

Bakugou’s heart pounded in his chest, his hands burned where his skin had touched your waist. He had caught you so easily, you’d run straight into his arms. What a foolish, sweet little lamb was, Human too. You probably didn’t even know what he was, but you would soon enough. 

It would be easy enough to have kept his arms around you and steal you away right then, but he knew letting you go was the right choice. He’d always enjoyed the hunt.

[laceymorganwrites]

Shallow love

Word count: 2,128

Pairing: Nacht x reader

Warnings: SPOILER ALERT, swearing, teeny bit of gore, insecurities, I probaby butchered his character >.< I´m so sorry, baby

A/N: NACHT APPEARS IN TODAY´S EPISODE SO OMG I HAD TO POST THIS!!!!

okay so

Nacht is my second favorite Black Clover character and yes, I am currently: freaking out. also he has Dabi´s VA so: perfection. 

I will definitely post more about him in the future! I just wanted to get this out today since it just fit so well <333 I´ll be back to regular posting in April

You didn´t think that you would ever be able to feel peace again and go back to your normal life after the attack of the Diamond kingdom.

And yet here you were, in the calm after the storm.

It was weird. Everything was in chaos, the villages and overall buildings were even more destroyed than when the eye of the midnight sun attacked.

Everything was as per usual at the Black Bull´s base, nothing out of the ordinary except for Yami forcing Nacht to stay now.

You´ve known him for a long time now, being the first member of the squad, and you never could read him. He always intrigued you.

And yet he also always made you distance yourself from him.

Nacht was the type of guy who was too blunt for his own good. You appreciated honesty, but he just always made it hurt.

You knew full well that you weren´t an innocent little lamb, but who was?

What irked you most about him was how badly he thought and spoke about his own squad, to this day you asked yourself why he even joined in the first place, he could´ve just as easily denied Yami´s order.

Sure, Yami could be persistent, but that wouldn´t stop someone like Nacht.

There had to be more to the two of them but over the years you learned that you just didn´t want to know.

Every time you approached Nacht about it he just shut you off and reminded you of all your flaws again.

Like he always did. With everyone.

Except for Asta, like everyone, he took a liking to the little guy.

Though, you had to admit Nacht seemed more open and approachable after the war. And yet you didn´t.

Instead you watched him at first reluctantly, over time without any hesitation, becoming rather friendly, talking to the rest of the squad.

In all those years you have known him you always asked yourself whether you really did. You highly doubted it.

You just couldn´t figure him out. Did he just wear a mask? Were all of his infuriating smiles for show? Was it all a game to him? What were his goals?

And why…

No. You didn´t want to think about that.

What was the point anyway? Anyone got a crush at some point, the only difference was that crushes usually didn´t last this long.

Especially if said person didn´t pay you any mind unless they were insulting you.

Nacht mostly stayed to himself, making it known he didn´t want anything to do with the rest of the squad.

Though like anyone else who stayed with them for a long amount of time, he warmed up to everyone. Still, he had his moments and didn´t exactly change his opinion. Because in his world people couldn´t change, they just didn´t.

And that made you sad.

Because deep down you just wanted him to acknowledge you, to tell you that you weren´t as bad as he thought, that you were a good person.

But at one point being around him just hurt. You cared too much, thought too much about him, it kept you awake at night.

If only you went out of your room into the kitchen where he would stay because of the same problem.

Especially since that day…

You were surrounded. Everywhere you looked you saw black, greedy eyes. The devils were everywhere and all hope seemed lost. You couldn´t rely on Asta only anymore, he already went through enough. He shouldn´t fight your battles for you just because he had strong powers, he was just a little boy.

And yet there he was, fighting ferociously, once again defeating the devil that came to slay everyone that day all those centuries ago.

It was hard to keep at least somewhat of an overview, everything seemed in shambles and the screams and cries of everyone were deafening.

You really shouldn´t be focusing on Nacht right now, now was not the time. Not that there ever was an appropriate time for that anyway.

But of course you just couldn´t help yourself, your eyes wandered to him frequently even as you told them to stop.

Though in this instance it might have not been that bad. Your eyes went wide as you realized what he was about to do, everything around you faded away, you felt numb and your body moved on its own to prevent him from going through with his plan.

“Please die with me” were the last things that left his lips that shut your brain off and made you move automatically. They weren´t uttered to you, Nacht didn´t even look in your direction, it was none of your business.

Even still you couldn´t just stand by idly and watch him die, watch one of the only chances you had at winning die, watch the man you hated to love die.

The little devil on his shoulder looked scared as your gaze met him and honestly, you could understand it all too well.

You were scared too but now wasn´t a time for fear, you needed to stop him at all costs.

“That´s the stupidest thing you ever said!” you screamed out as you were still running towards him.

Finally his head turned to you, he still had that infuriating smile on his lips, though it was so sad this time.

“It´s the only way…” he replied.

“You don´t know that! You can´t know that! You can´t just throw you life away like that, it won´t change anything! In fact it will… we will lose. We will lose so much more than just the fight, don´t you understand that? You´re not more or less important than the rest of us and you´re our vice captain, so it´s my duty to stop you from sacrificing yourself!” you said, grabbing his shoulders and frantically panting, you looked at him aghast, shocked, eyes wide and searching for something...anything in his eyes that wasn´t dull.

“Then we´re all going to die, but it´s so typical of you to be so selfish” he told you, his tone as entitled as always.

“You´re selfish too, you know that?” you whispered, averting your eyes.

“You can´t just run away from your responsibilities. It isn´t right” you stood your ground, balling your fists in anger and frustration.

“It´s the only way, why do you even try to stop me?” he sighed, looking at you. He was feeling quite frustrated now too, what were you trying to achieve? If he didn´t make this sacrifice so many more people would die, didn´t you care about them? Wasn´t it your job to protect everyone? So why were you trying to desperately to save him out of all people?

“Because I care. A lot. We all do. And yes it´s selfish, you´re right about that. We´re all selfish losers and assholes but you know what? We do it best and we´re goddamn proud not to be as picture perfect as all the others. That´s what defines us. And you don´t have to agree with that, but I´m fucking stubborn so don´t think for even a second that I´ll let you go through with your stupid plan!” you looked at him with such emotion, such passion, it made his heart ache with a foreign familiarity.

Nacht never paid you any more mind than he did the others, just thinking all of you were useless. That was why he was so surprised that someone would voluntarily want to save him.

He treated you like shit, sure it was more out of a defense mechanism cause he couldn´t bear leaving people behind, having people worry about him, he already had enough guilt to carry.

But hearing your words was like a revelation to him.

Maybe he still had a role to play in life, maybe his story wasn´t over yet and just maybe could he live his life without having to fulfill anything, but solely for himself and the ones he cared about.

Maybe it was finally time to start caring more than he was ready to admit, to take a step into the unknown and discover it with…

You.

It had always been you, he realized as he saw your desperate face, your hands on his shoulders, all dirty from fighting and yet feeling warmer than any fire ever could.

“Yes, maybe living might not be that bad” he tilted his head, smiling at you.

You felt an intense amount of relief wash over you as you gave him an exhausted smile back.

That was the first time you ever smiled at him, Nacht would never forget that moment, the moment in which you broke down his walls without even knowing it.

He would have to thank you later for that, when he fully comprehended what that meant.

Asta and you were training together again outside while the others were inside going on about their daily ruckus. Some were on missions already but some, like Asta, who were wounded and exhausted still needed to rest properly.

Though it was no use. Asta would never rest like he should unless he was knocked out.

And you tried that the first week, you each took turns but eventually you just couldn´t keep up anymore and let him train like he wanted.

Nacht also kept training with him, though he himself was new to everything going on and needed time to properly accommodate to things.

You stretched a bit, sitting down to just enjoy the sun for a moment.

“I can´t wait to go on missions again! I´m as good as new, I´m ready, I promise!” Asta beamed and showed off a bit but you only sighed.

“It´s not my call, kid” you apologized.

Asta pouted and kept training.

“You got a mission” Yami announced as he joined you outside and Asta practically jumped up and down with excitement and energy.

“Just the usual, rebuilding a town and fighting some magic beasts that escaped” he explained and Nacht slowly appeared behind him.

Asta´s eyes were beaming right now, he was excited to learn even more about the devil´s powers although he got quite the hang of it and even made a new friend.

Nacht smiled and waved at you, you just looked away as always and stood up to go back inside.

Nothing had changed anyway.

Until Yami stopped you in your tracks.

“If you get going now you´re gonna return by nightfall” he said and you nodded.

Asta sighed in frustration.

“I wanna go on a mission too!” he cried out.

“Not happening” all three of you said at the same time, shutting him up for a bit.

Both you and Nacht didn´t say anything as you made your way to the town in question.

Nacht because he didn´t know how to approach you and you because you thought there was no point in it, he wouldn´t think of you any differently.

And so you started your mission, once again fighting alongside each other and even though the task was dull Nacht´s presence gave you an energy that was unmatched, you just couldn´t help but smile.

When you were done you went deeper into the town to help the people rebuild it.

“Do you wanna go on a date with me?” he said out of the blue, making you turn around in confusion.

“Why would I go on a date with a guy who hates my guts?” you asked, making him sigh sadly.

“I´m sorry if I left that impression on you. I really don´t hate you… it´s quite the opposite actually” he explained.

“Did you just… I swear I never heard you apologize in all those years I´ve known you” you chuckled, not quite processing the second half of his statement.

“I never saw the point in it. All my life I always watched from afar, I always wanted to save people but you know, I´m just operating in the shadows. I´m good at spying and gaining information, saving people. Not so much making friends with them. I never saw it as my role. After all I lived my life for the kingdom and its people and not for myself. Why would I care if anyone liked me? In fact it would be the worst thing that could happen… death was always part of the job description and I was always willing to take that risk if it meant you could live longer. But now… ever since that day, I just want to live with you” he confessed, leaving you at a loss for words, so you did the only logical thing to you in this moment: hug him tightly.

“Of course I´d like to go on a date with you, Nacht. And I will keep protecting you” you smiled.

[ashesgraves]

Here’s the first part of my first story!

Warnings: some violence mentioned, a few swears that’s all I think

part 2 https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646294553661423616/an-orcs-promise-part-2

Part 3: https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646373247166906368/an-orcs-promise-part-3

Part 4: https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646477938321244160/an-orcs-promise-part-4

Part: 5 https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646486100736638976/an-orcs-promise-part-5

The chosen: Ellera https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646559933035364352/an-orcs-promise

The chosen: Oridan https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646771371691622400/an-orcs-promise

The chosen: Killian https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/647330998732881920/an-orcs-promise

The chosen: All https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/647482818600009728/an-orcs-promise

An Orcs Promise

You lived in a simple and small village in the middle of a valley not too far from a forest of fae, an ocean filled with water dwellers, a stronghold of orcs up in the mountains and a field of centaurs.

Everything was about a days trip away by horse, by foot it was typically two to three days worth of travel. It was worth it however, your village thrived with the amount of trading that was available to them. Fae providing seed and saplings already in growth, the water dwellers granting you safe travel or bountiful baskets of fish, the centaurs allowing land share for your crops and the orcs, they provided live stock and hunting goods as well as strong work hands. Doing things you humans couldn’t really do.

You lived a simple life in your simple village as a woodsmith not exactly what it’s called but you liked the title. No you couldn’t do blacksmithing it just didn’t suit you unlike it did your father and gardening/crop tending didn’t feel right like it did for your mother. So you turned to wood, of course you helped your parents but you just preferred to stick to your own, like carving or maybe the occasional building and repairing. Because of your skills you were often called ‘too manly’ and your parents were told “good luck marrying you off” however they didn’t want to do that, you’re too helpful around the shops and farm.

Your mother is a fae and your father is a human giving you some funny features and hair. Your eyes seemed like they could shift colour and you had magic freckles that disappeared with the sun. Long and wild hair that couldn’t be tamed. Your mother always made sure to call you beautiful and your father always made sure to teach you how to throw a punch. But enough of all this back story let’s talk about how three of your favourite orcs are battling in your families shop.

The twins and their older sister going full throttle displaying their strength wits and ability to strategize. It had started off as any other Saturday you were in your own shop your mother in the fields and your father in his shop. You were working on a carving to trade with one of the centaurs for a spot on their bountiful fields to grow a few trees for your upcoming project. A place of your own. You were ready to move out and start new, of course you didn’t want to leave your parents but they’ve been leaving a few hints here and there. They were ready to let you go and fly from the nest. Cheesy as that sounds that’s just how your parents are.

Heavily lost in your work until a soft moss green hand lifted your chin to face her. Ellera the eldest of the three Thundered, you always giggled at their last name but it made sense they sounded like a thunder storm when they all came roaming around.

Your face went bright red as you jumped from surprise. “Oh Ellera!!!! It’s good to see you, sorry I just got lost in my own world again.. what can I help you with?” Your voice was soft as you set your things down and put your full attention onto the orcess in front of you.

“Well my lamb you could start by getting me mother some of those boards for hackin as well as rod for the seas “ Her voice was strong and full of power with a heavy accent but it always held some softness just for you. Smiling brightly as you grabbed a few different types of cutting boards and chopping blocks for Ellera to pick from. Lastly was your prized fishing rod, carved from the finest tree you ever saw. Your best handy work.

“Take your pick! The thicker the block the more force it can handle. And this is the best of the best in my shop, just for you.” Smiling so sweet you would cause a cavity as you watched her face grow a darker shade of green. It was always your own personal mission to make Ellera blush you couldn’t help it. She was just perfect no matter what she did or how she did it.

“So you make these boards like yourself mm ??? The thicker the more you can handle~” Waltzing up beside Ellera was the older of the twins Oridan the flirtatious goof. Now it was your turn once more to blush bright in the face. Ellera on the other hand scoffed as she smacked him upside the head.

“Hasn’t mother taught ya manners you ass.” Ellera rolled her eyes but was her brother wrong? Lastly to join your conversation Killian the youngest of the family. As well as the smallest but compared to you he was still a giant. They all had tree trunk thighs, gorgeous muscles, beautifully braided and decorated hair and ears. Tribal tattoos that littered every inch of their body you wished to explore. Now now reel those thoughts back in.. “as you were saying lamb which is best for meat and which for vegetables “

Drawing you back from your thoughts you shook your head. “This one has thicker boards and the grain is going this way meaning it’ll absorb the force. Better for meats and such. This one is thinner with grain this way meaning it’s better for slicing and all” you could talk about this stuff for hours but you didn’t want to bore the siblings.

“Then we’ll get them” Ellera spoke so kindly as she took the boards under her arm and into her satchel. You knew the rest of their family would prefer to pay as one rather than separately and possibly underpaying your family. No overpaying wasn’t their issue they were happy to do so, it was possibly underpaying you that they worried about. Your family always took good care of them when they needed, the first of your village to show them such kindness and hospitality.

“Oh Ellera here I have something for you.” Gingerly taking the orcesses hand in your own you lead her to your little safe. Digging around the box for a moment you found what you were searching for. A beautiful hand crafted obsidian necklace. You knew orcish traditions you knew this was you asking Ellera to court you. “It’s obsidian, it’s too heavy of a stone for me so I thought you would like it. W-Will you accept..”

“You know what this means correct??” You were no dummy of course you knew, so you gently nodded your head. “Of course l will it’s beautiful thank you my lamb.” Ellera smiled brightly and turned to her brothers with an all knowing smirk. “ suck it losers I have won!!!!! My dearest little lamb had chosen me. Now butt out of the shop before I take both of your heads and put them on a platter. “ You couldn’t help but snicker a bit at her words, it’s just how she was with those two.

Now this leads us to where we are at the moment. Ellera taking off her satchel and her necklace before brawling it out with her brothers. You hadn’t known the twins also had an eye for you, looking around your shop there stand their parents with your own. All of them had the what the hell happened and is going on look. You could only smile sheepishly as you weaved your way through the mass of limbs colliding with one another. “So I’ve asked Ellera if we could court per orcish tradition and I didn’t even know the twins had a thing for me. And now their battling it out because the twins think Ellera had an unfair advantage and can you please stop them before they break anything in my shop??? Oh and Mrs. Thundered I had Ellera pick out some lovely cutting boards and butchers blocks for you !! “ The orc parents laughed and shook their heads at your little story. They can deal with all this after they save your shop from being ripped apart.

Mrs. Thundered grabbed Ellera with most of her might and tossed the girl over her shoulder. While Mr. Thundered grabbed the two boys and held them apart like bickering cats. “Now before you break this lovely shop why the hell are you all fighting. I swear we raised you better than to fight inside. “ Mrs. Thundered spoke sternly as she glared at all of her children. Collecting all the items they have picked out you rang them up while the parents took their kids outside and had a much different conversation than in the shop.

It took maybe twenty minutes of waiting before the orc family came back inside. The boys a flustered mess and Ellera grumpily huffing and sighing as her mother held her back. “Boys. Go. “ you laughed a bit at how large they were compared to you but yet in this moment they seemed so small. “Boys.” Her tone was much sterner maybe the sternest you had ever heard. Tilting your head up to the twins you smiled softly .

“W-Will you accept our own courting gifts.. and by the end of the courting months you can pick who wish to be with the most. “ it was Killian who spoke which surprised you he was always so shy and cautious of his words.

“I mean it’ll obviously be me.. I don’t even know why we have to wait months! Right sugar ???” Oridan made you laugh as he nudged his brother aside to hand you his gift. A simply terribly carved handle but with a beautiful dagger blade attached. You had no idea how he even managed to do such small carvings in the metal. “I know the handle isn’t pretty but I thought maybe you would help me with that.. “ now all of a sudden his loud and boisterous self was no more than just like his twin.

Killian however seemed a bit more confident with his gift a beautiful fur lined cloak. You had no idea he could sew.. “Boys these are both beautiful in their own ways.. but Ellera..?? How would it work what if I can’t choose ? What will happen then ? A fight to the death? “ Ellera nodded and pulled out her own gift she didn’t need to give it to you but she wanted to. Just to out shine her brothers once more. It was a crystal vase with preserved flowers encased inside.

“It wouldn’t be to the death just to where the other two can no longer rise to their feet. Any other orc yes to the death. “ Oridan spoke up once more, you loved all of them but you never thought the twins were interest in you Oridan maybe but, that was just you thinking he was joking. “So please.. will you accept?”

“I will, all three of us can court each other. Until then you need to work on your wood skills how did you not loose a finger and Krillian this is gorgeous I didn’t know you could sew like this. Ellera of course this is gorgeous but what if it breaks ?? What if I shatter it ???? “ The orcess simply laughed and shook her head.

“It can’t shatter I promise hun how can I promise such a thing, well me and my big man hands made it. “ Ellera smiled willy her dark oak brown eyes shining gleefully as she started down to you. Puffing out her chest showing off her muscles it was her final display of strength before her mother dragged her off to the horses.

“I look forward to this.. I haven’t always been able to sew just with the changing seasons I thought you would get cold so I took up the skill for you. “ That immediately made your heart melt. Killian took up a whole hobby just to be able to provide for you. With his Killian getting the last day of the three siblings they all went off on their way home.

Oh dear, how could you choose..

[nishaapologist]

THE WORK OF WOLVES - MASTERPOST

The new Overboss, in Nisha's mind, is too young to be as monstrous as she is; she looks like some young lamb, her flesh soft and tender under the harsh edge of a blade, and Nisha doesn't expect her to survive the cruelty of their world, bathed in blood and steel as it is. Yet, when she slaughters Colter with all the skill of an abattoir butcher, and smiles as brightly as a machete's glint in the light, it's clear there's more behind those big dark eyes than anyone could ever come to expect.

By their fruits shall ye know them, and all that.

Even hundreds of years after the bombs turned back the clock on what-once-was America, people still often underestimate the ambitions of dark-eyed little girls with a taste for poor behaviour. Andrea Jiménez intends to prove she’s the worst of them all.

A Fallout 4/Nuka-World DLC series about raiders getting everything they ever wanted, and maybe a little bit more. Featuring Nisha/f!Overboss, he/him lesbians, and a whole damn amusement park of queer people. It's going to be a great summer season of 2287.

FICS (full length):

The Work of Wolves (ongoing)

FICS (short length):

Welcome to Flavourtown

Kinktober 2022

ART:

Rottweiler Bandogge (your local Pack dog breeder)

A Quadruplet of Rotts

Andrea Jiménez Concepts

Nisha Concepts

There They Go, Kidnapping Baby Molerats Again

I'm Something of an Asshole

Nisha, Local Menace

Andrea, Nisha, Mason (1920x1080 wallpapers)

With Arms Like Those, Who Needs Knives?

Itty Bitty Overboss

The Work of Wolves, Cover Art

Nisha's Fat T*ts

S U C C (i'm sorry i draw memes sometimes)

so true best tits :)

Andy

Got Me Confused

i got worms :(

Andy Andy Andy

The Kill and Grill

Bite Bite

Tierney

+3 Charisma Drip

Thonkin' (i'm still drawing memes my bad)

Scalpel

The Work of Wolves, Cover Art V2

heehoo pupper :3

Cut Here

Lamb, She-Wolf, Overboss, Warlord

Batch of Andys

Valentine's 2022

Nisha's Haircut

Andy's Hangout

Local Twink

Open Jacket

👀

Arf

Andy + Alejo

do you see this shit alejo

Sorry Girls

GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS

cover them up, slut

Nukacade

Stupid Boy

Gender Envy

Nisha, Local Menace V2

Graffiti

Who Would Win?

Fun With Knives

The Jiménez Twins (2078 AU)

Itty Bitty Nisha

Lame-Ass Boyfriend

Cigars

Off The Leash

Nisha, Growing Up

Playing With Dolls

Bestial Warmonger

Nuka-Express

THE FOLLOWING IS PURE FICTION

negotiations

ART PART II:

60: Feeling Lucky? 61: Andrea Jiménez Concepts, Redrawn 62: Andrea, Nisha, Mason: Redrawn (1920 x 1080 wallpapers) 63: Andy, Getting Older 64: YOUR OVERBOSS NEEDS YOU! (Fallout Roleplaying) 65: Perfect Seat 66: F.B.I (Female Body Inspector)

MISC. STUFF:

The Work of Wolves tag

Cover art V1/V2

Andrea + Friends: Fallout Roleplaying stickers/emojis

TESTIMONIALS:

"I love these little murder gremlins. Your characterization remains spot on. Great job murph ily"

"Reading this makes me regret short-changing the disciples at every turn. But it's really nice to see the Commonwealth's resident murder queen unrestricted loathing. This is superb."

"got a VERY strong opening on andy's hot girl summer here i think id like to dip her low and kiss her so sweetly in the moonlight"

"ha, gay."

"They're gonna kiss while just covered in blood aren't they?"

"you can't catch me kinky thoughts!!! I am too fast!!!"

"This? THIS? Is the shit I've been looking, PRAYING, for, and oh boy, have I found it. JOLY.GOOD.SHOW."

[you can help add more testimonials by commenting on AO3!]

NOTES:

The Sole Survivor, aka Nate/Nora, does NOT show up in this series in any meaningful capacity. Also, pretty much every character unless implied/mentioned otherwise is queer, and the vast majority of the Pack are nonbinary because they tripped over and spilled all the gender juice. Whoops.

Given the nature of this content and subject matter, there are standing content warnings for explicit and bloody violence, drug use, alcohol abuse, mentions/scenes of murder/torture/suicide, sexual content (severity of which will be marked ahead of time), extremely bad language all the time, and people making bad decisions, intentionally, for profit. There are also tags and warnings for individual chapters on AO3.

Finally, this fic updates in batches because I am a chronic double-drafter, so there will be hiatuses between batches whilst I build a buffer! However, when chapters do go up, they will be (more or less) posted every Saturday at 4pm GMT (or 4pm BST if you're reading this between March and October), so look out for that!

If you like my fic or my art, why not leave some kudos, drop a comment, and reblog? It means the world to me! ♥️

[haberdashing]

I Am Destruction, Decay, And Desire (4/?)

Martin finds out that Jon’s going to meet with Jude Perry and acts to intervene. It goes… poorly.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4

on AO3

Martin had never been a fan of the old idiom that time heals all wounds. In his experience, if time made you forget about certain wounds, it was only because newer ones took precedence. That being said, however, by the time Martin returned to the cafe where the life he’d known had ended just twenty-four hours ago, his mood was as least somewhat better than it had been the previous night. He still was all too aware of what had happened, but it didn’t sting quite as badly as it had when it was fresh.

He still had a purple smudge on his finger that had not in fact washed out during his bath, or rather his mostly-unsuccessful attempt at the same, but that was... fine. It would be fine.

Martin had made a point of being on time to the meeting he had arranged, but even so, he saw as he had arrived that both Jon and Jude had beaten him to the punch, having taken a seat at opposing sides of an outside table.

Jon was wearing the same ridiculous fluffy pink coat as he’d worn the day before, though if it was especially chilly out Martin couldn’t feel it, and Martin felt a pang as he got closer and saw that it was still visibly stained where his waxen hand had brushed against it.

As Martin approached the table where Jon and Jude sat, he found that that same coat he had fixated upon was apparently the current topic of discussion.

“Look, I lost my normal coat, and i-it’s cold. Some of us actually feel it, you know?”

Martin’s stomach sank a little further at that confirmation that it was indeed cold out, that he simply couldn’t feel the cold anymore, that that was yet another sign that he was no longer human. (Even if it was kind of amusing to watch Jon get so indignant about that coat, of all things...)

“You wouldn’t shake my hand.” There was a strange grin on Jude’s face as she spoke, a grin matched in intensity by Martin’s growing certainty that this conversation was going to be... well, simply “uncomfortable” was probably a best-case scenario, now, wasn’t it?

Martin pulled up a chair and sat down between Jon and Jude; Jon glancing his way for a moment before returning to staring at Jude, and Jude nodded vaguely in his direction but didn’t otherwise acknowledge him. That was fine, though. There were worse things to be than overlooked.

“Well, no, I’m not stupid! I saw what happened-”

Jude’s grin only got even wider as Jon spoke, and evidently he noticed, as he switched conversational tracks quickly enough.

“L-look, will you stop that?”

The wild grin turned to biting laughter, though only for a brief moment. “Oh, alright. Ah… I hate explaining jokes, but, um… Imagine you’re, um… a butcher, and one day an injured little lamb walks into your workshop, and strides right into one of the mincing machines, but when you go up to it, knife in hand, it shakes its head and tells you ‘I’m not stupid’. Do you get why that’s funny?”

“Right.” Jon didn’t sound the least bit amused even after the explanation, but honestly, Martin didn’t exactly blame him. “But no more abattoir metaphors, please.”

“Suppose it’s not really me, is it? Would you rather be a really stupid piece of firewood?” Jude’s grin and the playful tone in her voice suggested that she was amused enough by her own jokes for the three of them.

And then Jon just... plunged ahead, asking questions about names and dates and places that Martin by and large didn’t recognize; perhaps it had been foolish of him to assume that Jon’s research, Jon’s search for answers, would have stopped just because of a little thing like, oh, being on the run for murder. In hindsight, Martin knew Jon well enough that he really shouldn’t have been surprised that the man kept searching for information come hell or high water, kept seeking out danger even when he was already knee-deep in it.

Really, the surprising part was that Jude actually cooperated, more or less. Sure, she protested, she threatened, but she also answered Jon’s questions in the end.

(Some might have found it even more surprising that Martin managed to remain little more than an onlooker in the conversation, but not Martin himself; he was too used to it, too used to being overlooked and underestimated, and honestly, given the circumstances, he didn’t much mind not being the center of attention at the moment.)

“Yes, yes, I understand, you could easily kill me, I’m at your mercy...” Jon barely blinked an eye at Jude’s latest not-so-veiled threat, a reference to a statement Martin actually did remember and a man who ended up horrifically burned because of the events within it. Martin doubted anyone else could sound quite so bored when being threatened with agonizing pain and disfigurement by a woman who had already proven that she could easily make good on such threats if the mood struck her. “So... why haven’t you done it?”

“We’re in public.” Jude, for her part, seemed more amused with the situation than anything else, the grin on her face sneaking its way into her voice once again.

“Well-” Jon started to say, but Martin interrupted before Jon could finish the thought.

“That didn’t seem to stop you before, now, did it?” Martin didn’t bother hiding the aggravation in his voice--it was one thing to discuss weird happenings Martin wasn’t privy to without including him in the conversation, but ignoring the events of yesterday, ignoring the very relevant fact that Jude had burned him in a setting every bit as public as the current one, went a bit too far for his taste.

Jude tilted her head to one side, and both she and Jon looked Martin’s way for a long, silent moment; Martin couldn’t read the look in Jude’s eyes, but Jon’s contained something like guilt, or perhaps pity.

“I was a bit careless there, wasn’t I?” The upbeat tone of Jude’s voice was only slightly dampened, far from the apologetic tone her words might otherwise have signified. “I shouldn’t have given you time to scream. If I moved fast enough, I could-” Jude turned her gaze back at Jon as she continued to speak. “-reach through your chest like runny wax, and hold your heart while it cooked, and no one would even notice.”

“Right. R-right.” Jon finally sounded at least slightly affected by Jude’s threats rather than just bored of them; perhaps it was the graphic nature of this one that did the trick, or perhaps being reminded that Martin was now living proof that Jude’s threats weren’t empty ones was enough to make the seriousness of the situation start to sink in. “So why don’t you? Does your ‘god’ not want you to?”

“...mmm, hard to say. When I look at you, I feel that burning liquid pain, eager to flow out and purify your rotten carcass...” Jude glanced over at Martin, and her gaze looked almost conspiratorial, like she was expecting him to be in agreement, but all Martin felt upon hearing that was a bit sick. “But I feel that a lot.”

“Oh.” Jon looked a bit peaky, and if Martin had to guess, he felt at least as ill as Martin himself did upon hearing the graphic details of Jude’s desire to burn and destroy. “M-more or less than normal?”

“Hard to say when every nerve ending’s on fire. Hard to tell degrees.” Another glance Martin’s way, looking for something in him that wasn’t there. (Or wasn’t there yet, at least--Martin thought back to Prentiss’ statement, how she could recognize that something was wrong before becoming little more than a worm-filled husk. Maybe that’s where he was now, in the in-between period, no longer human but not yet monster.)

“Third degree, maybe?” Jon muttered, the words probably meant mostly for himself rather than for the benefit of his conversational partners, but Martin still snorted with amusement, though Jude looked more annoyed than amused (apparently in her mind, she was the only one allowed to make jokes in this conversation).

“Sorry, sorry, it was a...” Jon trailed off before finishing his sentence, and when he started speaking again it was to start on another train of thought. “I have a god too... right?”

“Is that another joke?” Jude’s wry grin was back, despite the fact that what Jon had said didn’t strike Martin as a joke, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that any laughter in response to it would have to be at his expense.

“N-no, I... I’m new to this. Everyone keeps calling me ‘Archivist’, like I’m special, and that... that I serve the Eye. Trying to kill me for it.”

“Yes.” Jude leaned back a little in her chair.

“S-so... i-it’s like your ‘god’, right?”

“Oh please, your god is nothing!” Jude wrinkled her nose, apparently disgusted by the mere thought of comparing the two “gods” on equal terms. “The Eye, Beholding, Ceaseless Watcher...  whatever you call it, that’s all it does. It watches and knows, sitting bulbous and comfortable in the ignorance of infinite knowledge. I serve a reckoning, a surging tide of destruction and pain.”

Martin could feel his pulse racing as Jon breathed, “The Lightless Flame.”

“The Desolation. Blackened Earth. The destructive, agonizing heat of burning flesh and land scoured of life. The light, the comfort of fire stripped from it, leaving nothing but the terror of its approach. When it triumphs, it will leave The Eye a burned and shriveled husk that sees nothing but its own agony.”

Jon spoke up again, starting to get into yet another tiff with Jude by the sound of it, but Martin wasn’t really listening as the two went at it, too preoccupied by dissecting the information Jude had just given him about the “god” she worshipped, the power she had pulled him into serving by force.

Martin rather preferred the term Jon had offered up for it to those Jude had given; lightless flames could still provide warmth if one didn’t get too close, after all, while desolation, blackened earth... those phrases spoke only to landscapes with all the life in them stripped away, spaces emptied by force of any comfort that might once have been found there.

The mere thought of it made Martin’s stomach turn a little... and yet, part of him wanted to agree that their “god” was the better one, the stronger one, destined to reign superior, even if all it could cause was destruction and pain.

Martin hoped, distantly, that he hadn’t reached the point where all he could cause now was destruction and pain.

[daenerys-targaryen-moved]

What was that about Tyrion coaxing Dany into not being too cruel to her enemies in 6x09, and why it's BS? Especially if it hadn't happened in the books.

It’s bullshit because book!daenerys has never needed to be coaxed or swayed like that to not be harsh. And, if she were a man, it wouldn’t have happened. For her to be coaxed down like a rabid dog by a man to me is just insulting to her character. The scene in s4 when Barristan told Daenerys to have mercy on the slavers who crucified the children, that never happened in the books either.

And even though Tyrion and Dany haven’t met in the books, he is much more ruthless in the books than in the show:

The fact that there were any good wells at all within a day’s march of the city only went to prove that Daenerys Targaryen was still an innocent where siegecraft was concerned. She should have poisoned every well. Then all the Yunkishmen would be drinking from the river. See how long their siege lasts then. That was what his lord father would have done, Tyrion did not doubt. - Tyrion XI ADWD

They made her make irrational decisions, which she of course is capable of doing, she’s not perfect, but they had her male counselors around her calm her down and advise her against this and that when in the books! she is the one to tell them no to irrational plans and she’s the one to counsel them away from but whatever, men am I right? Dany doesn’t have “violent tendencies”, no more than any other characters. And the situation is quite the opposite: it’s Dany’s male advisors that keep telling her to be more violent and ruthless, and Dany is the one that controls them and holds them back. As an example, Jorah is a character that constantly tells Dany to be more dishonorable and ruthless, but Dany refuses:

“When Aegon the Dragon stepped ashore in Westeros, the kings of Vale and Rock and Reach did not rush to hand him their crowns. If you mean to sit his Iron Throne, you must win it as he did, with steel and dragonfire. And that will mean blood on your hands before the thing is done.”

Blood and fire, thought Dany. The words of House Targaryen. She had known them all her life. “The blood of my enemies I will shed gladly. The blood of innocents is another matter. Eight thousand Unsullied they would offer me. Eight thousand dead babes. Eight thousand strangled dogs.” - Daenerys II ASOS

Daario keeps telling her to be more violent:

“Then winkle them out of their pyramids on some pretext. A wedding might serve. Why not? Promise your hand to Hizdahr and all the Great Masters will come to see you married. When they gather in the Temple of the Graces, turn us loose upon them.”

Dany was appalled. He is a monster. A gallant monster, but a monster still. “Do you take me for the Butcher King?” - Daenerys IV ADWD

“You are fighting shadows when you should be fighting the men who cast them,” Daario went on. “Kill them all and take their treasures, I say. Whisper the command, and your Daario will make you a pile of their heads taller than this pyramid.”

“If I knew who they were—”

“Zhak and Pahl and Merreq. Them, and all the rest. The Great Masters. Who else would it be?”

He is as bold as he is bloody. “We have no proof this is their work. Would you have me slaughter my own subjects?” - Daenerys IV ADWD

Another one of her male advisors, Skahaz, also tells her to be more violent:

“If he is not the Harpy, he knows him. I can find the truth of that easy enough. Give me your leave to put Hizdahr to the question, and I will bring you a confession.”

“No,” she said. “I do not trust these confessions. You’ve brought me too many of them, all of them worthless.”

“Your Radiance—”

“No, I said.” - Daenerys V ADWD

“Every man on that list has kin within the city. Sons and brothers, wives and daughters, mothers and fathers. Let my Brazen Beasts seize them. Their lives will win you back those ships.”

“If I send the Brazen Beasts into the pyramids, it will mean open war inside the city. I have to trust in Hizdahr. I have to hope for peace.” Dany held the parchment above a candle and watched the names go up in flame, while Skahaz glowered at her. - Daenerys V ADWD

Her sellswords want her to use her dragons, but Dany refuses:

Dany sighed. “I am sorry, Ben. I dare not loose the dragons.” - Daenerys V ADWD

She compensates her people for what they lost due to her dragons and treats them with kindness, even though her advisors suggest brutality:

“Three-and-twenty.” Dany sighed. “My dragons have developed a prodigious taste for mutton since we began to pay the shepherds for their kills. Have these claims been proven?”

“Some men have brought burnt bones.”

“Men make fires. Men cook mutton. Burnt bones prove nothing. Brown Ben says there are red wolves in the hills outside the city, and jackals and wild dogs. Must we pay good silver for every lamb that goes astray between Yunkai and the Skahazadhan?”

“No, Magnificence.” Reznak bowed. “Shall I send these rascals away, or will you want them scourged?”

Daenerys shifted on the bench. “No man should ever fear to come to me.” Some claims were false, she did not doubt, but more were genuine. […] “Pay them for the value of their animals,” she told Reznak, “but henceforth claimants must present themselves at the Temple of the Graces and swear a holy oath before the gods of Ghis.” - Daenerys I ADWD

The Shavepate had urged her to put the man to death. “At least rip out his tongue. This man’s lie could destroy us all, Magnificence.” Instead Dany chose to pay the blood price. No one could tell her the worth of a daughter, so she set it at one hundred times the worth of a lamb. “I would give Hazzea back to you if I could,” she told the father, “but some things are beyond the power of even a queen. Her bones shall be laid to rest in the Temple of the Graces, and a hundred candles shall burn day and night in her memory. Come back to me each year upon her nameday, and your other children shall not want … but this tale must never pass your lips again.” - Daenerys II ADWD

Daenerys has been and has every right to be just as ruthless as anyone else, but they made her the one with the hot head full of impulses and had her male counselors be the ones to persuade her away from her ruthless tenancies. So yeah. To me when they her male counselors be the ones to coax her away from being ruthless, I find it bullshit because that’s the exact opposite of what the book shows us.

[allie1804-fan]

Ile de Re (Chapter 1)

I wrote this fic  last year, mostly while on holiday on this lovely island.  If you are on Archive of Our Own, you may have seen it before. Written before Matrix 4 was announced and before Covid so sorry that the timelines are no longer realistic!

Summary

Keanu meets a chef to help him prepare for a movie role. Events conspire for them to spend even more time together than they planned and despite the large age gap, romance ensues.

1 2 3 4 5  6 7 8

April 2020

Keanu hung up the phone and quietly fist pumped to himself. He’d just had news that a new project had been green lit. It was one he’d been collaborating on for some time - where he’d play an American chef, somewhat down on his luck who was establishing a new restaurant in a rural French town. The thing that thrilled him most was that the project afforded him the chance to finally learn how to cook – at least a bit - because he’d need to demonstrate some skill in the film itself and to ‘find’ his character he wanted to understand more about the craft of being a chef – especially the passion that drove them.

He went to his office and pulled out his laptop, opening a file holding details of some chefs who Erwin’s team had tracked down that fit the bill in terms of the knowledge they had and their personal experiences. He dropped an e mail first to a chef names Yves Le Gouhier and another to a woman called Claire Bonnevin. They each had restaurants in LA but were French natives who had trained at home before heading to America to open restaurants of their own. He hoped that the guy would say yes since he felt he’d probably relate better to his experience however he checked out both of their bios and looked at restaurant reviews on line.

A few days later, the decision was made for him as to who would give him the coaching as Mr Le Gouhier was out of town for at least a couple of months, establishing a new restaurant whereas Ms Bonnevin was able to fit him in for some daily ‘classes’ starting the following week. Whilst mildly disappointed, he also recalled that he’d actually eaten at Ms Bonnevin’s place once and had really rated the cooking which mixed homespun flavours with Gallic finesse - the seafood there was to die for.  He responded quickly in the affirmative, and ever the perfectionist, asked if there was anything he needed to bring or any preparatory work he could do before Monday. Claire replied that if he could let her have a working copy of the script and tell her what his favourite meal was before the weekend – they could work on the skills he’d need to demonstrate in the film and, depending on what the meal was, also aim to make his favourite meal to a good standard by the end of the week. If he had some friends who’d like to eat what he made, then he should ask them if they were free.

“What a question!” he pondered, thinking about what his favourite meal was. Keanu was a man who liked to eat - so much so that he needed the counsel of his trainer Denise to keep off the pounds in between films! Would it be a good steak with garlicky greens and crushed potatoes?, veal with a cream and mushroom sauce, roast lamb with flageolets and dauphinois potatoes – this task was just making him hungry!  He decided on the latter thinking it would be a challenge and fitted with the style of cooking they had at “Le Chat Botte” which was Claire’s restaurant. The pressure of feeding something he’d made that wasn’t bacon and eggs or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was both thrilling and unnerving. He messaged his sister Kim, his mother and friends Rob, Alex and Josh who were all pleased to be free although they joked that they might need to go to Macdonald’s to fill up afterwards!

Monday came around and Keanu pulled up at “Le Chat Botte” at 9am prompt. Entering via the service entrance as instructed, he walked into a spotless kitchen with gleaming stainless steel work stations, hobs and ovens  ranged along one wall and a large wooden kitchen table in the centre which had 2 sets of chopping boards in different colours along with a variety of knives, spatulas and other cooking implements arranged side by side in the centre of the table. No-one was in sight though Keanu could hear the sound of a voice coming from an adjoining room. Walking across the kitchen he stuck his head round the door of what turned out to be an office where he saw a petite, dark haired woman he recognised (from her bio) as Claire Bonnevin  - she was speaking to someone on the phone in French. She raised her hand to him in greeting, mouthing sorry and hurried to complete the call.

“Oui, Oui, je te rapellerai demain  - mon nouvel client vient d’arriver, oui oui c’est lui, donc il faut que j’accroche.  D’accord d’accord, je sais. Au revoir”

Claire turned to Keanu blushing - she had the distinct impression that he’d understood that she’d just referred to him in her conversation.

“so sorry about that – that was my restaurant manager back home in France just giving me an update on my dad  - he’s not been too well recently so we’ve been talking every day” Her English accent was excellent with only a slight gallic note.

Keanu stuck out his hand

“Nice to meet you Ms Bonnevin and no problem – you didn’t need to rush them off the line on my account”

Claire smiled and shook his hand, “I heard you were impossibly polite! – of course I did, I was eating into your paid time – nice to meet you too by the way. Keanu grinned - Claire could feel the colour rising in her cheeks again  - she wasn’t exactly sure why - maybe it was the directness of his gaze or the brilliance of his smile.

“So, are you ready for your training?”

Keanu chuckled and responded with what he thought was the expected reply “hell yeah” but Claire didn’t react, “maybe the Matrix reference was unintentional” he thought – she was pretty young after all, (her bio said she was 35) so maybe she was one of the few whom it had passed by!

“So let’s go through to the kitchen and get started” she said leading the way back to the room where Keanu had entered earlier.

For the next 4 hours they talked through and tried out some of the particular skills that would be needed in kitchen scenes. Whilst they worked, they got to know each other a little with Claire wanting to find out about Keanu’s food knowledge and experience and Keanu quizzing her about her beginnings in the industry. He discovered that she grew up on a tiny west coast island in France called L’Ile de Re” where her Dad still owned a restaurant called, like hers in LA, “Le Chat Botte”.  He no longer worked as a chef there but lived in the little village where it was, hence the manager being able to keep Claire appraised of his health.  She’d learned her craft there and then moved on to train in Paris, New York and then LA to establish her namesake restaurant in the US.

For her part, from what Keanu said, she could see that despite not having grown up in a house where people had a passion for cooking, he nevertheless clearly had a passion for food  - from the humble sandwich to fine foods from around the globe. He was also a quick study, picking up the knife skills needed to finely chop onions and garlic on film that he’d need. She was a patient teacher, though she would occasionally break into French when she was struggling to communicate the exact technique such as when at first he couldn’t master the rotation of the knife needed to chop finely:

“tient tient, comme ca” she said, placing her hand over his to show how the blade needed to rock back and forth over the garlic.

At 12 they broke for lunch at which point Claire challenged Keanu to make her his best sandwich from the ingredients on hand. He asked her what she liked and created a layered club sandwich which she declared excellent. By the time he left at 1pm, Keanu was convinced that she was an excellent choice of teacher and one he’d enjoy learning from. He could hardly wait for the next day when they were going to study cuts of meat by going to Claire’s favourite butcher.

The week progressed with a mix of hands on cooking classes and continued trips to suppliers which served to explain the importance of provenance and quality ingredients. They also worked on timings  and started to plan the stages of creating the menu Keanu had planned for Friday’s lunch.

On Thursday Keanu tried out the dauphinois potatoes and was thrilled with the result - he was really starting to enjoy cooking and his rapid growth in skill. Claire praised him warmly and suggested he try a dessert as well for the next day.

“You could try something simple like a mousse au chocolat but I think you’re ready to really wow them”

“Oh yeah?” Keanu grinned “With what?”

“A tarte Tatin”

“What!, are you sure?”

“Absolutely – you’re an excellent student - let’s do one today together, you’ll master it I’m sure”

She showed him how to prepare the sugar and butter in a special tin that could go on the stove and then in the oven to finish. They prepped the apples placing them rounded side down in the tin and proceeded to caramelise the butter and sugar until it was a gorgeous molten mahogany. Then he learned how to make the shortcrust pastry using cool hands to rub the butter into the flour then bring it together to a dough which rested in the fridge. Once rolled out, he placed it onto the cooled apples, tucking in the edges round the sides. The result when they turned the tarte out (upside down to reveal the apples) was amazing – sweet, tender apples with the sugary caramel cut a little by freshly grated lemon rind and a melt in the mouth pastry to top it off.

“See!” she smiled, “I knew you could do it”

“No, you did it!” he grinned

“Well, OK so today we both did it but tomorrow it will all be down to you”

Friday came and Keanu got to the restaurant at 8am wanting to have as much time as possible to get everything perfect.

By 11.30 the lamb was resting, his gratin and tarte were in the oven and the beans were simmering gently.

The meal was beginning with a simple salade aux lardons  - it was time to dress it with the vinaigrette he’d made earlier. He started to toss it gently but some lettuce flipped out over the side

“Watch out you don’t drop too many said Claire – unless you want lots of children’ she laughed!

“What?” Keanu asked, shooting her a quizzical look.

“it’s a saying we have in France that the number of leaves you drop when you’re tossing the salad tells you the number of kids you’ll have.

“Oh right” he chuckled, “that’s cute, but it’s way too late for that”

“What do you mean?, you’d have time to have them if you wanted, surely”

“I’m too old Claire”

“What, you must only be what?”, she paused to look at him and consider his face “…. About 45”

“Ha ha” Keanu laughed heartily.

“No, I’m fifty five”

“Merde” she exclaimed “ce n’est pas possible!”

Keanu shook his head and smiled - he loved how she reverted to French when she was reacting spontaneously to something.  

“I’m afraid it’s true, so even if I had a wife or even a girlfriend, I still think it’s too late to be having babies. I might be dead before they’re 20 or 30.

Claire’s face clouded over

“Sorry I didn’t mean to be all maudlin” he said

“Don’t worry, it’s just my mother died when I was 25 so I know that’s hard – but people die all the time, young and old.

“Ain’t that the truth” Keanu agreed quietly, remembering his own past.

“and lots of guys have babies when they’re older. Maybe you shouldn’t rule it out”

“Maybe maybe, anyway, enough serious talk, we should raise a toast before our guests arrive”

He poured himself and Claire a glass of wine.

“Here’s to satisfied customers!” she said

“and here’s to you for being such an amazing teacher – I can’t believe you’ve got me this far so fast”

“well that’s really down to you” she replied, smiling, “you work so hard and learn so quickly, it’s very impressive”

“I don’t know about that!” he said blushing, “Anyway, let’s not get ahead ourselves, I haven’t served it yet!!

They put down their glasses and Claire went to see if the guests had arrived at the table they had set aside in the restaurant. Meanwhile Keanu busied himself with finishing the salad and carving the lamb which he was happy to see was just the right shade of pink. He put it in the warming oven and also took out the tarte Tatin praying that it would be as good as the one yesterday when he turned it out later. Finally, with the main course as ready as it could be, he took the salad and some French bread through to the dining room.

The meal went down a storm - at the end Keanu stood and raised a toast to Claire

“Thank you for all your kind words folks but we really need to toast this amazing lady who has taught this old meat head some cooking skill. He took her hand and placed it over his heart

“ thank you, thank you, merci beaucoups, I’ll be forever grateful!”

Claire laughed and blushed.

“Just wait until next week when we’ll have you working in the restaurant kitchen, then you might not be such a fan!”

He laughed

“That may be!”

They said their goodbyes to Keanu’s amazed guests and went to clean down the kitchen.

“How’s your dad by the way?”

“Oh about the same apparently – no better, but no worse, he just needs to take it easy and stay off his damn bike”

“Oh, a pushbike or a motorbike?” Keanu asked, his interest peaked

“A push bike – he’s not a racer guy like you!” Claire saw Keanu pull up each day often on different bikes so she knew about his passion for them.

“everyone goes everywhere on bikes on the Ile de Re” she continued - it’s a cyclist’s paradise with cycle paths across the salt marshes and oyster beds and through the forests. But he had a heart attack last year and whilst he is supposed to exercise, he just pushes himself too much and that worries me”

“Do you have any other family there to keep an eye on him?”

“No, I’m an only child and there are no aunts or uncles either.

“Is your father still alive? She asked.

“Yeah – well at least I haven’t heard otherwise! He left my mother when I was three and I haven’t seen him since I was 13.”

“Mon dieu that must have been tough growing up without a dad”

“Yeah well I had my mum and my sister - he wouldn’t have been a good role model anyway”

“I could see today that you adore Kim and your mother”

“Yeah, yeah  I do - family and friends are my rocks to come back to  - after every project that’s what I look forward to”

“You know you’re not at all what I expected!” Claire stated.

“Oh, how so?” he asked

“Well, a couple of people I mentioned you to said they heard you were a nice guy and very polite but I guess I just expected someone more ………..starry, you know!”

Keanu burst out laughing.

“Well I’ll take that as a complement” he said

“you should – you’ve made it a very easy first week of teaching” she smiled

“Well thanks” he said the colour rising in his cheeks.

They finished up in the kitchen and Keanu took his leave saying he’d see her at 9am prompt on Monday for his week in the working kitchen.  He’d enjoyed her company so much that he’d almost asked her to dinner but held himself in check. She was so much younger than him and he knew his feelings weren’t entirely platonic. She was very cute with olive skin, beautiful eyes and a slender yet not too skinny figure – he didn’t really have a type but she hit the spot with him. He’d just have to quash those thoughts, focus on the learning and keep things on a friendly footing.

https://allie1804-fan.tumblr.com/post/625977593110364160/ile-de-re-chapter-2

[babbushka]

I totally get that! Everyone’s experience(s) with their faith (or maybe their life without) is individual to each person! I guess I was curious if there were certain things (like foods) that were reserved for certain days or... okay, I can’t think of what the term would be, but Catholics don’t eat meat on Friday’s during Lent in fasting, or how it’s haram to eat pork in the Muslim faith. (If you don’t feel comfortable answering, I completely understand, and I’m so sorry if that’s the case!)

Oh yes we have that, it’s called keeping Kosher! There’s a whole long list of rules and regulations on what we’re allowed to eat and more importantly the foods we’re allowed to eat together. 

The word “kosher” itself is derived from the Hebrew word “kashér,” which means to be pure or good for consumption. The long list of rules is also referred to as kashrut, and are found in the Torah, which is our Big Book Of Sacred texts lol. 

Among these rules are things like no pork and no shellfish any day of week, and no combining meat and dairy ever. 

Kosher breaks foods down into three categories: meat (fleishig) which are mammals and birds INCLUDING the things you can get from them, like bones and broth; dairy (milchig) which are things like milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt; and then parave, which is all the other food lol 

Traditionally speaking, the combination of meat and dairy is so forbidden that even the utensils pots pans plates and even the sinks where they’re washed must be kept separate. The way my home was built, we have two sets of cabinets for everything, even two silverware drawers -- one for the meat products and one for the dairy. You even have to wait a certain amount of time (depending on which Jewish group you’re a part of) after eating meat before you can eat dairy. It’s very very strict. 

Generally speaking, it’s kind of confusing as to what meats and foods are considered Kosher, and what aren’t. There are 6 guidelines to follow when trying to determine if meat is kosher (please forgive me if there are more, I only remember 6 lol):

The meat must come from a ruminant anil with split hooves -- such as cows, sheep, goats, lamb, deer, etc. (pigs, horses, rabbits, etc are Not kosher)

Within those animals, the only cuts of meat that are kosher come from the forequarters of the animal (so no sirloin, short loin, flank, shank, or round steaks!)

Birds are alright lol they get a free pass (except predatory and scavenger birds like eagles or hawks but also maybe don’t eat eagles anyway)

In order for the meat to officially be considered kosher it has to be slaughtered by a shochet (that’s just a special jewish butcher -- go support your kosher butcher shops and delis! even if you aren’t someone who keeps kosher!)

The meat must be properly cleaned before serving 

And like I said before only utensils designated for meat can be used to prepare or serve the meat

Fish is also kinda interesting because it’s only allowed to be from an animal that fins and scales, which is why the no shellfish rule exists. But unlike meat or dairy, fish is doesn’t have to have its own separate set of utensils. 

And for all my vegetarian friends out there, plant-based foods can be mixed with dairy with no problems! As long as they’re not processed with the same utensils as those used for meat, it’s all good :)

HOWEVER, things are different for Passover (which I strangely saw advertised already even though this year it isn’t until April) where leavened grain products are also forbidden in addition to all the guidelines and rules above. This is why we eat matzo! 

TLDR; At the end of it all though, the only big thing to remember is this: if you’re following the rules of Kosher just don’t ever eat pork, and don’t mix your meat and dairy. We live in an age where a lot of people are free to pick and choose how strict they want to follow the kashrut, or if they want to follow it at all! Some people (like myself) only keep kosher in its fullest form during the holidays, and are more lax about it during the rest of the year (although I don’t eat pork). Other people follow it 24/7/365. It all just depends on your personal preference and lifestyle! 

[queenofcats17]

The Acolytes

@startistdoodles did a new picture where Mary Jane is a Lost One instead of Wanderer, and mentioned that MJ would probably be Sammy’s little prophet in training. And since I have a character who’s an avid devotee of Sammy, I thought I’d write something. 

A post has also been made about Lost One MJ

Featuring, briefly, @pipesflowforeverandever ‘s Gingie and @aceofintuition ‘s Snowy.

Sammy had two people in his congregation that he trusted above all else.

The first was Cordelia Bell, a recent addition to their fold. She had been given the role of Sammy’s definitive acolyte due to her connection to him. Apparently, when the studio had still been running, she’d been Sammy’s assistant. She’d just arrived with Sammy one day. He’d announced that his acolyte had returned and that she would help them in their quest of spreading the word of their Lord. Cordelia followed Sammy with a sycophantic devotion, like a little lamb being led by its shepherd. His word was gospel to her. She would do whatever he asked.  Some of the Lost Ones liked to joke that Cordelia was sweet on their prophet. 

The other was Mary Jane Drew. Although she was the daughter of the man who’d put them in this position, none of them held any malice against her. Joey had killed her, same as the rest of them. She was a Lost One too. Sammy had taken her under his wing upon finding her and was trying to train her to become a prophet as well. She was considerably more coherent than many of the Lost Ones and Searchers, as well as having a slightly unique appearance. She was one of the most devoted of the bunch, a little prophet in training. But there was one area that she was a bit lacking in. 

That of sacrifices. 

Mary Jane wasn’t at all comfortable with sacrificing living creatures. She tried to sacrifice living targets, but she just couldn’t do it. Something about it just didn’t sit right with her. So, if there was a sacrifice Sammy needed to be made, he sent Cordelia to do it. 

“Do you think my devotion is strong enough?” Mary Jane asked one day. She and Cordelia were setting up cutouts near the Angel’s domain. Sammy liked doing that, especially given how angry it made the Angel.

“Why do you ask?” Cordelia glanced back at her. 

“No reason in particular.” Mary Jane set the cutout up against a wall, staring into the smiling visage of the Dancing Demon. 

“You’re special.” Cordelia walked up behind her, placing her ‘hands’ on Mary Jane’s shoulders. “Sammy said so. And Sammy’s never wrong.”

“Yes, of course.” Mary Jane nodded. 

“Besides, you give the others hope.” Cordelia continued. “When they hear you and Sammy speak, they’re saved! Their eyes are opened to the will of our Lord!” She was just regurgitating what she’d heard from Sammy before, and they both knew it. But her words still comforted Mary Jane.

“He did say there’s hope for me.” Mary Jane allowed herself a small smile.

“Of course there is!” Cordelia said brightly. “You have been blessed!” Cordelia was a little strange sometimes, but she never failed to brighten Mary Jane’s spirits. 

Like a court jester.

“We should be getting back now.” Mary Jane said, turning away from the cutout. “The Prophet has to be waiting for us.”

“Oh, yes! Of course.” Cordelia made a motion of hitting her head with her hand. “It completely slipped my mind! Silly me!” Mary Jane sighed and shook her head. Together, the two of them headed back to the safe room. Sometimes they stayed in the Lost One village, but Sammy moved around quite a bit and they tended to move with him.

Sammy was leading a sermon when they arrived. His voice swelled, filling the room up to the rafters as he spoke. 

“You’ve all heard him above us! Crawling! Crawling!” Sammy raised his hands. “He will save us! He will set us free! Through our devotion, he will free us from these inky shells!”

“He’s really something, isn’t he?” Cordelia said, clasping her hands together. 

“Yes, yes he is.” Mary Jane nodded. She’d been so lost when she’d woken up in this place. Her memories and feelings had been jumbled, but she’d known she was scared. She’d known someone had done something terrible to her. Then Sammy had found her. He had found her and he had given her hope. He’d given her a purpose, something to believe in. 

“How did it go?” Sammy walked up to them once he’d finished his sermon. “I hope the Angel didn’t give you much trouble.”

“There was no trouble, my prophet.” Mary Jane said. 

“There was the usual cursing and vowing to cut out our hearts, but nothing more than that.” Cordelia beamed at him.

“Well, I am glad that neither of you had your hearts cut out.” Sammy patted their heads. “I shudder to think of what I would do without the both of you.”

“You’re too kind, my prophet.” Mary Jane bowed her head, secretly beaming at the praise.

“Is there anything else you need done?” Cordelia asked. Sammy’s expression immediately darkened, causing both girls to stand up straighter. 

“We have an intruder.” He said. “They’re walking about the Music Department. I think they will make an excellent sacrifice for our Lord.”

“Would you like me to take care of it?” Cordelia immediately asked. 

“Yes,” Sammy said, and she started to leave before Sammy stopped her. “But I don’t believe you should do this alone.”

“Should I go with her?” Mary Jane asked tentatively. The idea of having to perform a sacrifice still bothered her. But if it would please their Lord, then she would try. She would always try. 

“That would be best, yes.” Sammy nodded. “Something tells me that this one might be...troublesome. I would go myself, but something else has come up that requires my attention.” 

“The stranger in the top hat?” Mary Jane and Cordelia asked together. There was a strange man in a cream suit and top hat who appeared occasionally. He seemed to know Mary Jane, as he always called out for her when he arrived. Her or someone called Wanderer. Something about him felt familiar to Mary Jane, but she stayed away from him. His presence upset their Lord.

“Not this time, thankfully.” He said. “I just need to get rid of some pests.” Occasionally, the Butcher Gang clones would start congregating in certain areas, prompting the need to clear them out.

“It must be really bad this time if you’re doing it yourself,” Cordelia said, clicking her tongue. 

“Yes and no.” Sammy shrugged slightly, grabbing his ax. “They will provide ample sacrifices for our Lord if the intruder gets away.”

“Of course.” Mary Jane bowed her head. She felt shamed tugging at her heart. Did he think she couldn’t do it? Did he think she would fail?

“I have the utmost faith in you both.” Sammy nodded curtly before disappearing into a puddle. Cordelia and Mary Jane began to leave but were stopped by one of the Lost Ones. 

“I-I’m sorry to bother you, my prophet.” The Lost One said quietly. “I just...My friend is having a crisis of faith. I thought, well, maybe you could talk to her.”

“Of course.” Mary Jane nodded. 

“Thank you.” The Lost One bobbed their head, gently leading Mary Jane to their friend. Mary Jane liked being a part of Sammy’s religion. It gave her purpose. The others depended on her. 

“She’s here.” The first Lost One paused in front another who was crying in a corner. 

“Why are you crying?” Mary Jane asked, kneeling beside them. The Lost One didn’t look up, just kept crying. 

“It doesn’t matter. None of it does!” They sobbed in the voice of a young woman. “This religion doesn’t mean anything!”

“Of course it means something.” Mary Jane said. “Our Lord will set us free. We just have to be patient.” The Lost One looked up at her, swatting her hand away when she tried to touch their shoulder. 

“Don’t you get it?” They snapped, stumbling to their feet. “Bendy’s never going to save us! All of this.” They gestured around the safe room. “None of it means anything! We’re just trying to distract ourselves from the reality that we’re trapped here! We’re never going to be able to be human again!”

“Leslie-” The Lost One who’d brought Mary Jane over tried to calm their friend, but Leslie just pushed them away. 

“He’s brainwashed all of you into thinking that we can fix this!” They continued to scream and shout, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “We keep killing people to satisfy something that doesn’t even care! Last week Ralph wandered out and it destroyed him!” 

One of their flock had ventured out into the halls to retrieve a possession from his human life and he hadn’t come back. Mary Jane remembered that another Lost One had been with him. Evidently, it had been this one.

“Leslie, accidents happen.” The first Lost One tried again to calm their friend. “We don’t even know if it was our Lord.”

“I FUCKING SAW IT!” Leslie shrieked. “I SAW THAT BASTARD WALK OUT OF A WALL AND MELT RALPH LIKE A FUCKING POPSICLE!”

“Then Ralph ran afoul of our Lord.” Mary Jane said calmly, hands folded demurely in her lap. “Everything he does have a purpose. If your friend was returned to the puddles, it was because he did something wrong.” Leslie stared at Mary Jane for a moment, rage burning in their eyes. 

“He wanted to get the picture of his daughter he kept on his desk.” They finally spoke, voice cold. “He missed her. Does that mean nothing to you?”

“We have to have faith if we wish to return to our families.” Mary Jane remained calm. “We must be careful of our actions. If our Lord punished him, it was for a reason.”

“There isn’t a reason! There’s never a reason!” Leslie stomped their feet. 

“There’s always a reason.” Mary Jane’s reply was firmer this time. She was quickly losing her patience with this Lost One. Behind her, Cordelia's grin had widened to consume most of her face. It looked like Bendy’s smile.

“Would you like me to take care of her, my prophet?” She asked, leaning toward the offending Lost One. She was dripping onto the floor, her proportions becoming distorted and horrifying. Mary Jane flinched a little.

“No, it’s alright.” She shook her head. She didn’t like resorting to violence when she didn’t have to.

“I’m so sorry.” The first Lost One murmured, wringing their hands beside Mary Jane. “I don’t understand why she’s acting like this.” The other Lost Ones were started to gather around now, stunned and horrified by Leslie’s words.

“What do they think they’re doing?”

“They’re lucky Sammy isn’t here. He’d set them straight.”

“I’m sure they just need to get this out of their system. It’ll be fine! I’m sure it’ll be fine!”

“They were making so much progress...It’s a shame they’ll be sent back.”

“I’m right. You know I’m right.” Leslie said, glaring down at Mary Jane.

“So?” 

This simple answer stunned Leslie, and they took a step back. They had expected the prophet in training to get angry, to yell. But instead, she did nothing.

“E-Excuse me?”

“So what?” Mary Jane stood up. “What happens if you are right? What do we do then? Sink into despair? Suffer here alone?”

“We need to face reality.” Leslie insisted, but their voice was weaker now. Mary Jane’s gaze was cold and detached, almost robotic. 

“And how will ‘facing reality’ help us?” Mary Jane asked, sardonically using finger quotes. “What use is it to follow your lead? What right do you have to take hope away from all these people?” She gestured behind in a wide sweeping gesture.

“I...” Leslie took an instinctive step back.

“Well?” Mary Jane’s singular visible eye bored into Leslie’s. Leslie flinched back, whimpering at the expression in the younger Lost One’s eye.

“That’s what I thought.” Mary Jane turned away, nodding her head to Cordelia. “Let’s go deal with the intruder.” 

“Of course!” Cordelia glanced back at Leslie, her Bendy-esque smile beginning to fade into a more normal one. The two of them slipped out of the safe room and into a puddle, heading for the music department.

“I suppose Sammy will send them back to the puddles later.” Cordelia hummed as she and Mary Jane traveled. “Even if we don’t tell him about this, the others will.”

“It’s sad, but they need to learn.” Mary Jane sighed. “That sort of attitude is unnecessary.” The Lost Ones needed hope. She needed hope.

“I’m glad you and Sammy are here.” Mary Jane looked over, surprised by how soft Cordelia’s voice suddenly was. They had exited the puddles in the band room, right outside Sammy’s sanctuary. In the dim light, Cordelia almost looked human. She stood up taller, her form much less goopy. She had a soft smile on her face. 

“I’m glad I can help.” Mary Jane nodded, moving past her. When she looked back, Cordelia had returned to her normal Searcher-like form. As they approached the door leading out into the music department, they could hear two men bickering.

“I’m telling you, Snowy, something doesn’t feel right.” Mary Jane recognized this voice as the one belonging to the man with the top hat. “I haven’t seen hide nor hair of her.”

“Maybe you messed up and stumbled into some universe where she’s not here.” Another man said. Mary Jane didn’t recognize this voice. It sounded similar to that of her father’s, which instinctively made her hunch her shoulders. 

“Just because you can’t find her doesn’t mean she’s here, Gingersnap.” The new stranger continued. 

“She’s here.” The top hat man insisted. “Sammy, this universe’s Sammy, told me to stay away from her. He called her his little lamb.” There was a beat of silence before the stranger sighed heavily.

“Alright, fine. Maybe she’s here. What do you want to do about it?”

“I...don’t know.” The top hat man admitted. “But if a version of her is trapped here, then I want to save her.”

“And if she doesn’t want to be saved?”

“What are you saying?” The top hat man sounded taken aback, almost horrified. 

“I don’t know.” The stranger sighed again. “But you know what Prophet Sammy is like. If she’s close to him then...She might not be in her right mind.” 

“Nonsense.” The top hat man scoffed, although Mary Jane could hear a quiver in his voice.

“I’m just saying.” The stranger said. “You better be prepared.”

“Why are you hesitating?” Cordelia asked quietly. 

“I wanted to hear what they had to say.” Mary Jane whispered back. She didn’t know why these men knew her. They shouldn’t know her. She didn’t recognize their voices, nor the top hat man’s face. She had never met these men before. So why did they talk as though they knew her? Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and exited into the main hall of the Music Department. 

Standing there were two men. One was the small man with the top hat. He was dressed in a white suit, as usual. The other man was tall, with dark skin and snow white hair. He was dressed smartly in a dress shirt, dress pants, and a vest. Both men turned upon hearing her walk up. The man with the top hat looked distraught when he laid eyes on her. The tall man just looked resigned. 

“Mary Jane, my darling girl.” The man in the top hat almost wailed. “What happened to you?”

“My father happened to me.” Mary Jane replied, Cordelia at her back. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“You don’t...recognize me?” The top hat man took a step back, his eyes wide. Mary Jane could see tears glittering in those brown eyes. 

“I recognize you, yes, but that doesn’t mean I know you.” Mary Jane said. “You’ve come here before, always asking for me. Why?” The top hat man was at a loss for words, simply staring at her. She supposed he was in shock. Obviously, she didn’t fit whatever 

“So, are you Sammy’s disciple or something?” The tall man asked. “Gingersnap here says every time he’s showed up, Sammy’s told him to stay away from you.”

“He’s teaching me how to be a prophet like him.” Mary Jane tensed a bit at the mention of her mentor. “Someone has to help give the others hope.” 

The tall man nodded, gaze shifting to Cordelia. “And who’s your friend?”

“I am but a simple acolyte,” Cordelia replied, her smile stretching to become the Bendy one. “Nothing more, nothing less.” The tall man’s nose scrunched in what might have been disgust. 

“Oookay.” He said slowly, looking back at Mary Jane. “I’m guessing you’re not really in the mood to be saved, are you?”

“It’s rather arrogant of you to assume you could save me.” Mary Jane narrowed her eye. “Only our Lord can save us from this inky Hell.” 

“How did this happen?” The top hat man whispered, beginning to pass his cane from hand to hand.

“I told you, my father happened.” Mary Jane snapped. Her patience with these men was growing thin. 

“She was so sweet before. So innocent.” The top hat man wrung his hands on the cane. 

“Gingersnap, I think you should stop.” The tall man’s voice held a sense of urgency. Mary Jane was quickly starting to lose her temper, and behind her Cordelia’s form was growing increasingly terrifying and goopy.

“Well, I’m sorry I’m not what you think you remember!” Mary Jane snarled. “But I’ve been stuck in this hellhole for years! You have no right to judge me!” 

Before she could say anything else, Cordelia launched herself over the girl’s shoulder and at the two men. The tall men scooped the top hat man off, just barely managing to get him away from the deranged acolyte. The top hat man still seemed to be bemoaning Mary Jane’s change, barely noticing as the tall man took off with him. Cordelia didn’t give chase. She knew, somehow, she wouldn’t catch these men. So she turned her attention back to Mary Jane. 

“Are you alright, my prophet?” She asked, pulling her form together so that she could cup stand tall and cup Mary Jane’s face in her hands. The younger girl had begun to cry, trying to wipe her inky tears away.

“I’m fine.” Mary Jane hiccuped. What right did those men have to judge her? It wasn’t as though she wanted to be this way. She wanted more than anything to go back to being human, to go back to the person she had once been.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Cordelia clicked her tongue, pulling Mary Jane to her chest. “It’s going to be alright. You and Sammy will lead us to salvation. Our Lord will set us free.” Mary Jane closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. Bendy would set them free. He would set them all free.