#and they should have just fucking called it opium

[praypanic]

reading to gaze upon wicked gods was such a harrowing experience, but it was nothing compared to reading the REVIEWS of to gaze upon wicked gods

the people who hate this book bc they think the author is writing a romance novel between an asian girl and her colonizer are stupid as rocks. but they're not as stupid as the people who thought this book was a romance between an asian girl and her colonizer AND STILL WANTED THEM TO END UP TOGETHER

[burntsaltsblog]

pain relief - billy butcher x reader

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details: you get your period and soft! butcher comforts you in multiple ways <3

mini// smut below the cut

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"Fuck," I cursed, biting my lip to stifle my cries. My period had made its grand entrance this morning, rendering me utterly immobile as I curled up in my small bed in our latest safehouse.

Being one of the most wanted people in the country certainly did not have its perks. I couldn't simply run down to the nearest drugstore and pick up an armload of painkillers because, knowing my luck, I'd probably be spotted by a fellow shopper or one of the many security cameras.

I did always have the option of stealing some of Frenchie's opium, but the last time I did that, I hallucinated that Dr. Phill, the girl from The Circle, and Homelander were having a threesome in my bed. I was in no mood to witness that horror again.

As another excruciating cramp wracked my body, someone knocked on my door.

"Oi, are ya' gonna wrap yourself in them sheets tighter than a nun's knickers all day, or are ya' gonna stop being a lazy twat and come join our meeting like a good-standing, functioning member of society," Butcher barked as he entered my room.

"I'm hardly a good-standing member of society, considering I'm one of the top criminals in America, along with your asses," I replied. My voice was strained as I panted and closed my eyes, trying to cope with the sharp pang spreading across my lower back.

It was noticeable enough for Butcher to trudge over to my bed and yank back my blankets, revealing my sweating, shivering body.

"What the fuck wrong with you? Are ya' going into bloody kidney failure or something?"

"Or something," I mumbled. "Look, I'm fine. I'm just on my period, so I'm in a little bit of pain." Right on cue, my stomach agonizingly seized, causing me to groan weakly.

"I'd hardly call that a little bit, love," Butcher snickered. "I've seen puny, little blokes who've been shot cope better than you."

"Oh, shut up, will you?" I snapped, on the verge of tears. "And get the fuck out. If I'm going to die, I'd rather do it alone."

Butcher rolled his eyes. "Oh, cut out the dramatics, doll, and scoot over, will ya'" He used his hand to shoo me, and I weakly moved over as he joined me in bed, kicking off his boots and propping his feet up.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused.

"Making myself comfortable," Butcher replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His bulking frame took up the entirety of my twin bed, leaving me teetering on the very edge.

"C'mere," Butcher commanded, holding out his arm.

I didn't move and stared at him skeptically until he finally huffed, rolling his eyes, "I don't bite, unless ya' want me to. And legend has it you're quite kinky."

"What legend?" I demanded, appalled.

"These walls are quite thin, love. You do the math," Butcher smirked.

My face grew red, and I suddenly felt very self-conscious in my underwear and oversized shirt. "Well, you must have a problem with your ears. You should really see someone about that. I know a good ENT that can-" My sentence dissolved into a yelp as Butcher grew impatient and tugged me over, so my head crashed down on his chest as his muscular arm caged me against his body.

"What the hell are you doing?" I sputtered.

"Making you feel better," he grumbled. "Now, tell me where it hurts."

Shyly, I pointed to my stomach, and Butcher placed his hand over the correct spot. "Jesus. I can feel your muscles spazeming."

I hummed softly as he began to massage my aching abdomen gently, and my eyes drooped as my body relaxed against him.

"That's it, love," Butcher said, whispering his praise.

I snuggled into his broad chest, and my nose nuzzled into his neck, inhaling his comforting scent of mint, whisky, and nicotine. Butcher's hand dipped to my lower stomach, and I moaned, clutching the fabric of his Hawaiian shirt.

"That feel good?" he asked gruffly as he dug into my flesh, working out the tension that I'd been holding there all morning.

"So good, Butcher," I murmured in appreciative bliss.

After a moment of silence, Butcher's fingers trailed down again and curved to the side so his massive hand rested on my hip as he breathed, "Ya' know, there is another way to relieve your discomfort."

My breaths came out shallow as I asked, "Yeah? What's that?" Already knowing the answer.

Butcher's lips grazed my ear, and I shivered at the contact. "Why don't I show ya'"

Anticipation trailed up my spine, and I held my breath as Butcher pulled up the hem of my shirt and lightly traced the waistband of my underwear.

"This is a one-time thing, yeah?" he said lowly. "I don't need ya' following me around like a desperate little pup after you've come on my hand. I don't have time to satiate a needy slut like you every day."

I nodded my head, but Butcher swatted my inner thigh as he scolded me. "Use your words, sweetheart."

The sting Butcher's hand left behind caused blood to flow quicker to my pussy. My lips were wet and sensitive as they rubbed against my thin underwear, and I squirmed at the sensation.

"Yes, I understand," I whined, desperation leaking through my voice just like the arousal that leaked out of my cunt.

"Good girl."

I moaned at Butcher's praise, and he chuckled in response. "I haven't even touched ya' yet, and you're already fuckin' creaming your jeans."

I arched my back off the bed as Butcher eased my soaked panties down my legs, unintentionally shoving my breasts in his face. After pushing my ruined underwear into his pocket, he took one of my puckered nipples in between his thumb and forefinger and twisted it harshly. I cried out, and Butcher was quick to slap a hand over my mouth.

"Shut the fuck up unless you want the others to hear what an eager bleedin' whore you are. I doubt they'd believe it, though, with how you prance around here all innocent and demure like the virgin fuckin' Mary."

I shook my head as tears of humiliation pooled in my eyes. They began pouring down my face when Butcher positioned himself on his stomach and pulled my legs apart, exposing my sopping cunt and engorged clit that was begging for attention.

"Oh, look at that," he mused. "She's so pink n' swollen."

He ran a single finger in between my glistening folds, and I jumped at the sudden contact, whimpering.

"And sensitive," he observed, chuckling.

"Please, Butcher," I begged, embarrassed at how desperate I was when I lifted my hips off the bed, holding my pussy that dripped blood and arousal up to his face.

"S'ok," he soothed with a slight condescending tone as he placed a firm hand on my hips, pushing me back down on the bed. "I'm gonna take care of ya’, darling."

I didn't have time to reply before Butcher licked a strip up my center, savoring my taste. "So fuckin' good."

His eyes met mine as he circled my clit with his thumb. "Has your cunt always tasted this bloody good, love? Cuz I've been missing out."

Butcher's words vibrated against my core, and my cries were his only answer as he dove back in and began slurping up my drooling pussy like he was a man starved. My fingers found his dark hair, and I pulled in desperation every time his tongue mercilessly fucked my entrance.

When two of Butcher's calloused fingers replaced his tongue, my stomach knotted with my impending orgasm. His thick digits stretched me deliciously, and when his tongue circled my tight, puckered hole below, I moaned loudly and carelessly. Any thoughts of the possible audience outside of my door had flown out of my mind the second Butcher touched me.

"You like that, eh? Maybe I should play with your tight hole next. I'll stretch your ass open with my fingers until you're begging to come."

Butcher's filthy words sent me over the edge, and my orgasm pulled the air from my lungs as I gasped, tightening my grip on his hair to ground myself.

"That's it. Gush all over my hand like a good girl."

It felt like I was floating above my body as I writhed on the bed, mumbling unintelligible words as Butcher drew my high out longer than I thought was possible.

When I had nothing left to give, and my body was weak and satisfied, Butcher slowly withdrew his fingers.

Through hooded eyes, I watched him hold his long digits in the air, and they glistened in my blood and wetness that dripped down his hand and onto his arm.

Butcher held my gaze as he opened his mouth and curled his tongue around his wet fingers, making filthy sounds as he sucked his fingers dry.

"I think I've found my new favorite meal."

༺༻∞ ✧༺༻∞ ✧༺༻∞ ✧༺༻

not my best work but oooh wellll

[lavender-romancer]

Burden

Part One Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Five years after leaving Hogwarts, after ruining everything, he was drunk on your doorstep trying to fix what he had broken.

*°*°•.˜”*°•.˜”*°•.˜”*°••°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”°*

He was a burden to everyone in his life, he would be alone forever watching everyone he knew fall in love and live their life. Sebastian was not a good person, he was selfish and longed for deep connections he would never be able to sustain. Ruining the connection he had to you had turned him into someone he hated. He had no real connections anymore, his friendship with Ominis had continued fading regardless of them both working in the Ministry. All Sebastian wanted to do was apologise to everyone he had ever known, to try to minimise the impact of his existence.

The only person to blame for all of his problems was himself, it filled him with such a deep self hatred that he didn't know where to channel. It usually gave him a ridiculous amount of motivation in his work as an Auror because he knew nothing in his formative years would be remembered as heroic by anyone. A selfish, stupid, scared little boy was all he was for so long that escaping it seemed impossible. Could he ever be a good person with no hope for personal gain? Had he ever really done something kind or thoughtful for someone? No one would ever bear witness to the person he could have been because he didn't have the energy to commit to it.

You had seemed to love the scared, selfish boy he was. But Sebastian didn't realise until you were gone because he never thought someone could love this face he was so afraid of. Such kindness and an unnerving support he had never felt before, not knowing how to appreciate it he squandered it all. Losing you killed his heart, or, what was left after Anne forbade him from seeing her. He was so fucking sorry that he had ever met you, for your sake. If he had never used you, under the guise of asking for help, none of it would have happened. He wouldn't have upset you, he wouldn't have made you cry.

From the first moment he met you, every thought contained you, every book echoed your wizarding skill, every case he had as an auror only made him think of how you would react in the situation. But all Sebastian would have done- if they did end up together- was hold you back from your true potential because he could never escape his own selfishness. He knew he would kill for you, but you didn't want that. You didn't need dark magic or tricks to show your devotion to someone like he did. You were just… good, a good person who deserved the world that Sebastian should have given you. He would regret that till he day he died, always looking at you with so much love and care that he never knew how to express. The love was replaced by petty comments, calling you ignorant and acting out when he should have just stopped for a moment. Realised that maybe you could love him too, if he'd stopped for a moment he would know to stand by your side.

His head was a mess of firewhiskey and opium, he lay on the floor of his dark flat silently crying at the life he dreamt of with you. A better man could sweep you off your feet, show you love in ways he didn't understand. Held you close to his chest and tell you just how much he loved you without breaking down. You needed someone stronger than him, someone who wasn't tempted by substances and women. Someone who didn't self-sabotage every relationship and friendship he had ever had. You deserved more than he could ever give you. If you ever saw how fucked up he really was, even now, he didn't know how you'd react. Showing himself bare to the world and to you was too terrifying to consider. He was deep in this pit of despair that he had created, so consumed by his own psyche that letting anyone in was too intimidating to consider.

He didn't know when he had got up and began walking on the pavement towards the flat he knew you used to live in. He didn't know what he was doing, how disheveled he looked or that his tears had made his collar wet. Did you even live there anymore? Did you have a husband or any children? He began to overthink everything he had done in his life up until now. Did you know how much of a mess he was? Did Ominis keep you updated on how alone he really was? Or had you just forgotten about him? Regardless of what his head thought, his legs were taking him to you.

Had he locked his door? He didn't remember, but at this point nothing else seemed to matter like seeing your face and telling you everything. If he had realised how pathetic the whole thing was- as he did the following morning- maybe he wouldn't have gone. But he wasn't sure. In all the years since he had been close with you, he had never had the courage to see you again until the substances mixed in his system gave him a false sense of security.

Imagining you as the same girl who was his first kiss, his only love, the person he had disappointed the most. What if you never knew how he felt? Sebastian didn't think he could have less of a will to live at this moment but he knew that not seeing you might have been the final nail in his coffin. You would make everything alright. In his head, that was the only thing making sense to him. If he saw you, everything would sort itself out.

His dreams and fantasies of holding you, kissing you, loving you had to be real. At least in that moment that was what he thought. Sebastian would think about you for hours, dreaming up scenarios that would never happen. But that didn't matter right now, he was at your doorstep.

He was by no means sober, but the cold air had sobered him up to a point of considering this was a terrible idea. That he would do something irreversible, you would see him break down and not know what to do. As he knocked on your door at almost 12 am, some part of his soul hoped you didn't live here anymore.

But when you opened the door and found a man you never believed you would see again, you didn't know what to do. What to say, how to react, whether you should shut the door or hold him in your arms. What was he doing here? Why now? After all the years of hurt and confusion you wanted the concrete slabs on your doorstep to swallow you whole.

“Y/n, I…” he began, but as he looked into your eyes, so confused and perhaps scared, all he could do was let tears fall from his own. How could he do this to you? How could he ruin your night? “I-I’ll leave now and you won't have to, won't have to see me again.” He stuttered over his words and nearly fell down the steps.

“Sebastian,” you said almost too softly for him to hear and he turned his head, “Come inside.”

Of course you invited him inside, you were too lovely, too caring to realise what a fucking mess he was. The sobering effect was minimised when he stepped into the warmth of your flat, he was ushered into the drawing room where the two of you sat on adjacent chairs in silence. How could this conversation even begin? Neither of you knew what to say to one another, least of all Sebastian who was slowly realising that he shouldn't be there.

“Ominis told me you're a successful Auror now.” You started, convinced that the only way to get you through this conversation was hollow pleasantries.

“Yes,” Sebastian cleared his throat, acutely aware of how wet his cheeks were. “Do you work for the ministry as well?”

“Yes, thank you for asking. In the law department.” You replied curtly, your hands slightly trembling in your lap.

“I-” he paused, considering his words to cut through the anxiousness in his head “I'm sorry, for interrupting your night.”

“It is always nice to see an old friend,” that drove a stake into Sebastian's heart. “Under different circumstances it would perhaps be better.” Your smile was polite.

“I do not want to overstay my welcome, I'm sure you have other things to attend to.” Sebastian could feel tears threatening to fall. He sniffed to try and rid his body of the ache he felt all over.

“Nonsense, stay here for a moment.” You stood up and left the room, Sebastian half expected you to return with your wand and demand he leave but you didn't.

“I knew I would see you again one day,” she returned a few moments later with a small box and a glass of water. “This is some of the memories from hogwarts and I realised I still had some of your things with them.” Sebastian gratefully took the glass of water and drank it quickly. You sat down in the same chair as before and brought out a Slytherin scarf along with a small pin and tried to hand it to him.

“You- do you not want them anymore?” He asked quietly, having no idea what was going on and feeling an urge to run away. His fantasy of your life together was slowly crumbling.

“I thought.” You began to say but stopped, placing the items neatly in your lap as you ran your hand over the fabric that was still soft.

“They were gifts, I don't want you to think you have to give them back.” Sebastian replied, staring at the floor because he knew if he met your gaze he would start crying uncontrollably.

“Do you still have my scarf?” You asked timidly.

“Of course, I wouldn't want to part with it.” Sebastian ran a hand over his extremely loose tie and began to tighten it with great difficulty.

“Let me do it, you always struggled with not looking scruffy at school.” You leant over and began unraveling his tie, tying it up in a much more presentable fashion. Your movements were slow and careful, scared you would spook him like some kind of wild beast.

“Thank you.” Sebastian managed to weakly say, still unable to look you in the eye and choosing to flick his eyes back and forth from his own hands to the scarf you still had on your lap.

After you were done you placed your hands back on the scarf, methodically touching it with the care you had always shown it. There was silence for a while, but you were unable to decipher in your mind whether it was awkward or comfortable. Who was this man in front of you who made your hands shake? Sebastian had been out of your life for so many years that you didn't know how to think around him. Whether you should tell him how often you thought of him, how much you wanted to see his smile and play with his hair as you watched the stars in the Astronomy Tower all over again. His name felt so comfortable coming from her mouth, her lips craved to tell him everything but the ache all over her body told her that it might not be wise. You still had the scarf, your connection to a Sebastian who seemed long gone. Replaced by a man who couldn't reach your gaze or tell you why he was there without letting tears fall.

“I will take my leave now. Leave you alone.” Sebastian said quietly as he stood up.

“Sebastian, please I-” you started.

“I'll only ruin things.” He said even quieter before walking away quicker than you could react. You would never know, you will never know, you should never know how he felt.

”*°•.˜”*°•. ˜”*°•. ˜”*°••°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜

next- blurry eyes

[urbestestwindgod]

tw for discussion of rape and all and a hot take i guess

ok i dont rlly like to get serious or anything on this blog but i just wanted to mention that even if it was left up for interpretation if calypso raped odysseus or not, the stuff she still does isnt okay. like she still holds him captive, she still harasses and tries to coerce him after knowing that he is married and doesnt want her. she holds him captive KNOWING IT MAKES HIM SUICIDAL. thats not haha girly things that called being an abuser. yes, holding someone captive and trying to manipulate them out of suicide (as opposed to support them) is abusive.

i know she has a pretty voice but like, did you think jorge would cast a random untrained smoker from an opium den to play her so we know that this isnt a good character? and also you can compliment people’s designs of calypso without being ok with rape, because its just a design, but when its “shes my wifey” and “ii love her” its suddenly not like any other epic villain simping because the thing is she isnt a god sinking his ships or lighting bolting his crew to death; shes sexually abusing him (i am also not going to debate if sexual harassment is different from sexual abuse because its not. even if she never raped him she was still trying to coerce him and harassed him; which is abusive)

if there’s anything i dont fuck with its sexual misconduct. rape, harassment, abuse, all of it. dont give me that shit. the only thing that irritates me more than “haha id dropkick that child in self defense” is any victim blaming or pro rape statement that i displeasurably have to hear. like back to “her voice is so pretty” or just “shes so pretty” hey yea thats what most male rape victims are told. that she was so hot though, so he must have liked it. shes not “just a girl” shes an abuser.

now i know people where a little peeved that jorge removed rape from the circe saga; but i think its reasonable why he did. the epic community is very connected and always has memes for the situations odysseus is in. which, when its haha his friend was killed by a cyclops, or his crew was killed by an angry father, or his men where turned to pigs, or haha hes sad at whatever fantastical situation hes put in; we can laugh at it. because not only is it not real because its a story, but also no one has ever been through that. no ones ever faced off a cyclops in a cave before.

but people have been raped. men have been raped and heard the whole “shes so pretty and sweet thoo”. thats real. and with the circe saga jay knew that putting in rape, so early in too, that it wouldn’t be a plotpoint that fit in because that isnt an epic misfortune they face! thats a real situation; not the men to pigs and sea witch stuff, but being pressured and coerced into sleeping with someone? that is a real situation that real people are put in.

and i know male sexual assaults are iffy to people somehow. so lets say that a woman was in odysseus’ place and circe/calypso were men. does that make it worse? because both are bad. i dont fuck with rape towards ANYONE. regardless of gender, i dont think in 2024 we still should be debating is men can be raped

but back to jorge; i think he was brave for making love in paradise go how it did. i think even implying rape was a brave choice for the musical; especially with a very unserious and jokey fandom (not saying its not also serious but still) but even if you interpret that calypso never touched him. in the odyssey she did, and how tf do you LIKE a character who in the source material was a rapist? shes not “allowed to do bad” shes not “just a girl” shes a predator, and idn something about seeing her get support despite that reminds me of people like my uncle, my brother, my friend’s stepdad, a classmate or two. my uncle being able to have a restaurant, my brother having “a bright future” a certain classmate who got a girl pregnant and then went on to go to prep school. while she carried a child from a random guy in another state. you can support and joke about poseidon from epic and all, but when you start talking about calypso the same way you aren’t invalidating odysseus because hes not real. but you are invalidating countless real life victims.

and these are bold words from someone who isnt even mad about zeus of all people, because i know the culture he was from and i know that he was a metaphor/symbol to said culture. but the odyssey was a story with characters who survived by virtue of extending past that cultural bias. i can pull away from the odyssey as a piece of its time and understand that calypso wasnt probably seen as a rapist back then because the term didnt apply, but as a character i hate her like i hate theseus

and i know calypso was technically a goddess but that didnt mean much for her except immortality and being able to sexually abuse better. she wasnt worshipped (to my knowledge?) or exactly metaphorical. and epic is a modern retelling; so modern standards apply; shes a predator. i wont be taking any counter points because like i said dont do me with that shit

tl;dr your support for fictional rapists extends to what real victims have gone through, and check your lust because backing up every pretty voice/face is a rape culture classic

also im not saying that if you like calypso youre a pro rape asshole, dont think that. but i am saying youre not helping anyone and more hurting than anything by treating a character who is a sexual abuser like just another fantasy villain

[hellfirehottie]

California Dreamin' - Eddie Munson

Chapter One - Black Magic Woman

‘Yes, you’ve got your spell on me, baby, 

You’ve turned my heart into stone, 

I need you so bad, magic woman, I can’t leave you alone’ 

Black Magic Woman - Fleetwood Mac 

Friday / 10:55pm: closing time / Hawkins Record Store

In Hawkins, Indiana, the nighttime sky is raining heavily. Nina’s car enters and parks in the dimly lit parking lot. The only light provided in the dark night is by the worn out street lamps and the neon sign of the record store. Nina leaves her car, leather jacket over her head to shield from the downpour, and runs to the record store.

Eddie: “Damn it, Dustin!” [muttering to himself, dunking the mop into the bucket] “Those damn kids,” [mopping the red slushie stain on the ceiling] “How did the damn slushie get on the ceiling?” [sighing, defeated, turning up the volume on his tape player, Black Sabbath playing loudly in his ears] “That’s gonna come out of my paycheck.” 

The door opens.

Nina: “Hello? Are you still open?” [Nina walks into the building, cautiously looking around. She walks behind Eddie,  who is singing softly to himself, and taps him on the shoulder.] “Hello?” Eddie: [loudly, shocked] “Gah!” [Eddie turns around in fright, mop leaving his hand and hitting Nina in the face] “What the fu-”  Nina: [clutching her face] “Oof!” [clutching her nose, eyes watering] “What the hell, man?!” [blinking away her tears] “I think you broke my nose!”  Eddie: [earnestly, heart racing in shock, disorientated] “Oh fuck, oh shit, I’m so sorry! Are you okay? You scared the shit out of me!”  Nina: [sarcastically] “Oh yes, I’m never better, you just broke my nose!”  Eddie: “You scared me! I wasn’t expecting anyone in, we’re closed!”  Nina: [looking at the closed sign on the door, sheepish] “Oh, my bad.” [apologetic, sniffling, bumbling] “I’m sorry, I should have read the sign, I’ll go, this is totally my fault, I-”  Eddie: [awkward] “Hey, don’t apologise, I’m sorry I threw a mop at you…”[scratching his neck awkwardly] “Is your nose okay? Can I get you anything?”  Nina: [still sniffling, smiling to ease the tension] “A new nose, maybe?”  Eddie: [joking] “Sold the last one this morning.” [Nina gives him a deadpan stare. Eddie blushes and chews his thumb nervously] “I don’t know why I said that.” Stupid, stupid, stupid, he thought. “A tissue, maybe?”  Nina: “Please.” [she takes the tissues off Eddie and wipes her nose and eyes] “I should have checked the sign. Guess we’re both at fault, huh?”  Eddie: (bewildered) “Sure…” I’ve never seen you before, he thought. [Eddie smiles shyly at Nina] “So, er, can I help you with something?”  Nina: [tugging at her cardigan sleeves, awkward under Eddie’s gaze] “I know it’s late but I’m looking for an album, I was wondering if you have it in stock? I know it’s past closing time but I’m desperate, and then we can call it even. Cool?”  Eddie: [feeling nervous, small smile on his face, palms sweaty] “Sure, what are you looking for?”  Nina: “I’m looking for Rumours by Fleetwood Mac on vinyl, any luck? Mine’s broken.”  Eddie: [springing into life, false enthusiasm] “Why of course! Here at Hawkins Record Store we’re here to cater to all musical tastes!” 

Eddie skips over to the back corner of the store, doing dramatic jazz hands in front of the rock section. Nina watches, amused. The corner is decorated with twinkly fairy lights and bohemian wall hangings, and smelled like opium incense.

A pang of homesickness fills Nina’s gut. 

Nina: (quietly) “Thanks.” 

Eddie stands behind Nina, watching her every move, as she flicks through the vinyls. Nina finds  herself smiling at how adorably awkward the cute shop clerk is. Eddie chews his thumb again, thinking of ways to carry on the conversation.

Eddie: (awkwardly) “So, er,  your last vinyl broke huh? That good, is it?”  Nina: (shyly) “Oh it broke in some boxes, I’ve just moved here.” [Eyes flicking between Eddie and the vinyls.] “But yeah, Fleetwood Mac are the best. You like them?”  Eddie: “Thought I hadn’t seen you around. I would definitely remember seeing you.” [Eddie blushes at the realisation of what he said, eyes widening, Nina smiles and flushes at his comment. Eddie feels giddy that he made her smile. Eddie sways, faking nonchalance] “Can’t say I’ve listened to them.” 

Nina: “You should, you’re missing out.” 

A peaceful quietness settled in the store. Eddie shamelessly checks out the new customer. He shakes himself back to reality.

Eddie: (voice squeaky, loud in the quiet room) “Two for one on selected albums!”  Nina: [turning around, puzzled] “…Sorry?”  Eddie: (awkwardly) “We, erm, have two for the price of one on certain items. Spring sale, y’know, all that jazz.”

You’re making an idiot of yourself, Eddie thinks. 

Nina: (smiling, eager to engage in conversation) “Oh cool, anything you’d recommend?” 

Excitement bubbles in Eddie’s stomach. 

The cute girl is talking to me. Be cool. 

Eddie: (enthusiastically) “A personal favourite of mine is Ride the Lightning, ten out of ten would recommend.” [He pulls the album off the rack, presenting it to her.] Nina: “Wow, ten out of ten, I’ll have to give it a go. But if it sucks, I’m blaming you.” [Nina’s smile widens, fidgeting in her spot under his stare.]

Is she flirting with me? Eddie thought. No, she can’t be. 

Eddie: (attempting to flirt, smiling at her.) “I will happily take the blame, though I doubt you’ll be disappointed.” 

Eddie rings up her bill, his mind desperately trying to think of ways to continue the conversation. Eddie cautiously takes sneaky glances at Nina as her eyes wander around the store. 

Nina: [eyeing up Eddie’s name tag on his black shirt] “See you around, Eddie.” [She smiles, picks up her bag and leaves.]

I didn’t even ask her name. 

Eddie finishes up mopping the floor, smiling to himself as his heart flutters.

Monday / 8:50AM / Hawkins High School. 

Eddie’s combat boot clad feet land hard on the gravel as he hops out his van. He slams the door behind him tiredly, swinging his bag over his shoulder. 

He rubs his eyes tiredly as he looks over the school car park. He scans the crowd in front of him, looking for anyone he knows. A flash of red hair catches his eye, but vanishes again. 

Christ, I’m imagining things. 

Eddie shakes his head and walks grumpily to the school cafeteria. 

Eddie is face down on the lunch table, half asleep, waiting for the 9AM bell to ring. Dustin, Will and Mike exchanging D & D theories. El and Max talking about the Beach Boys, Lucas groaning and rolling his eyes. 

At the next table, Steve is ranting about another failed date, while Nancy and Jonathan joke at his expense. 

The 9AM bell rings, and everyone pours into the hallways to go to the first lesson of the day.

Eddie sees a flash of red hair again walk past the doorway and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

Eddie: [muttering to himself] “Damn, she’s haunting me.” [yawning] “I’m going crazy.” [pulling his books out of his locker, grumpy in the morning.] “Fucking English” [tired] “Who gives a shit what Hemingway says anyway.” 

Robin and Nina make their way down the corridor, on their way to first period. 

Eddie chokes on his own spit and attempts to hide himself behind the door of his locker.

Eddie: [to himself, wide eyed, palms sweaty] “Shit, shit, shit!” [Eddie looks around frantically for an escape route, runs towards a door which closes before he can reach it. He attempts to hide behind a bin, the bin starts to tip over] “Oh, fuck!” [Eddie steadies the bin, other students look at him weirdly, Eddie’s eyes flick to Nina and Robin who are only 15 feet away, he panics more.] “Oh god, Oh god!” [Eddie hides once again behind his locker door, head deep inside the locker.] “I can’t believe this is happening!”  Robin: [smiling, too happy for so early in the morning] “Hey Eddie! Meet my cousin Nina! She’s just transferred here!” Eddie: [peeping his head around the locker door, a nervous smile on his face, raking his hands through his hair, shy] “Hi.” 

Nina: [bewildered, then pleasantly surprised] “Hi.” (amused, smiling) “We’ve met before actually, Eddie here nearly broke my nose.” 

She has blue- no, grey eyes, Eddie thought. 

Eddie: [smiling too, but dying of embarrassment] “I threw a mop at her face.” 

Damn, I forgot how cute she was. 

Robin: (looking confused, then laughing) “I’m not going to ask! Come on, I’ll walk you to Maths.” 

Robin drags Nina away down the corridor, Nina turns around and gives a small wave to Eddie, which Eddie reciprocates.  Eddie takes a moment to compose himself before slamming his locker door, walking to English.

12:40pm, lunchtime / Hawkins High School cafeteria. 

Eddie’s eyes flick around the room, mind alert, waiting for Nina to enter the cafeteria; eyes glueing to the table below him when she enters. He can’t help himself from sneakily watching her every move, not being subtle. 

[Nina sits down beside Robin two tables away from Eddie and the Hellfire Club, with Steve, Nancy and Johnathan. They all laugh hard at a joke Steve makes. Eddie watches with jealousy as Nina giggles cutely at his joke. He finds himself staring as he watches Nina steal some of Steve’s fries.]

Eddie felt stupid over how jealous he was over a girl he didn't know but he wanted to be the one she leaned on when he made her laugh so much, whose food she steals.

[He looks at Nina and then down at the table bitterly.]

Dustin: [waving his hand in Eddie’s face] “Hello, earth to Eddie?”  Mike: [shaking his head at Eddie] “You’re wasting your time dude, he’s long gone.”  Gareth: [intrigued] “He’s been like this all morning.” Max: (muttering) “Maybe Vecna has possessed him.” Lucas: [shaking his head, swatting Max] “Too soon.” [Max grins at him.]  Eddie: [blinking, returning to earth from his jealous thoughts] “Huh, what?” Gareth: (laughing) “You were totally staring at the new girl.” Eddie: (embarrassed, trying to play it off coolly) “Was not.” Jeff: “I don’t blame him, she’s hot.” [Not so subtly glancing at Nina.]  Argyle: (to Jeff, sassy) “She’d never go for a freak like you in a million years.” 

[The table erupts in a chorus of “Damn”’s “Oh Shit”’s. ]

She’d never go for a freak like me either Jeff, Eddie thought. 

Dustin: (quietly, pulling Eddie to the side) “You okay, man?”

Eddie: (hushed) “The new girl is Fleetwood Mac Gi- Nina. She’s called Nina.” [Dustin looks at him confused] “The girl from the record store I was telling you about.”  Dustin: (erupting, standing up from his seat) “No way! That’s awesome! Eddie and Nina sitting in a tree!” 

[Eddie drags Dustin back down to his seat as people stare. Eddie goes red with embarrassment.]

Eddie: [hissing] “Dustin! Keep your voice down!”  Will: “Why are we shushing?” Mike: “When has Eddie ever shushed, or been shushed?”  El: “What’s going on?”  Lucas: “Eddie has a girlfriend, what?” Dustin: (laughing) “Eddie’s in looooove!” [doing his signature purr that he does for the ladies]

[Questions fly around the table.]

Eddie: (grumpy) “Not cool man.” [shoving Dustin] “Can we please get back to the campaign?” (Back to his usual charismatic self) “A loud rumbling is emerging from the enchanted forest that you little shits aren’t ready for.”  

2:40pm / Science class 

Eddie huffs as he goes to his seat at the back of class, ready for the day to end. His eyes perk up when Nina enters the classroom. 

Mr Clarke: “You’re late.”  Nina: (sheepish) “Sorry, I got lost. Won’t happen again.” [she works her way to the free seat in the row in front of Eddie.]  Mr Clarke: “Wait, not so fast!” [Nina freezes in her spot, eyes closed with dread] “You’re the new girl, right? Why don’t you come up to the front and introduce yourself?” [A few people in the class laugh and whisper at each other, Nina turns on her heels and stands awkwardly at the front of the class]  Nina: “Hi, I’m Nina. I’ve just transferred here from California.” [The whispers increase and Nina fiddles with her rings nervously.] “That’s about it, really.” [She shuffles awkwardly back to her seat.]  Mr Clarke: “Why don’t we give Nina a warm Hawkins welcome?” [the room is scattered with applause, Eddie claps quietly, watching her every move.] “So! Physics…” [Mr Clarke begins the lesson.] 

Nina rummages through her bag for her notebook, leaning on the desk in front of her, the hem of her jeans dipping to show the lace of her underwear. 

Jeff notices and elbows Eddie to get his attention, nodding over at Nina’s direction. Eddie shoves him, muttering a quiet ‘Perv’, trying his hardest not to stare. His neck and cheeks go red with heat, and he shuffles uncomfortably in his seat.

Nina: [turning around to face Eddie, Eddie’s eyes raise to meet hers, blushing from nearly being caught staring at her ass] “Do you guys happen to have a pen I can borrow?” 

Eddie: [stuttering] “Su-sure.” [He goes into his bag and hands her a pen] “Hope it works.”  Nina: [smiling, eyebrow raised] “Thanks.” 

‘Hope it works’? She must think you’re so lame. 

Eddie spends the rest of the lesson daydreaming and doodling in his book. He occasionally looks up at the board, and looks at Nina, hoping to catch her eye. At the end of the lesson, Nina picks up her bag and walks out the classroom. Eddie follows behind along with the rest of the class. He watches from a distance as she meets up with Robin, Steve, Jonathan and Nancy in the car park, laughing with the group before they get into their cars; and Eddie is left saddened he didn’t speak to her more. 

Next Chapter: Chapter Two - Cherry Bomb

[seishirology]

fuck i can’t hold it i’m just so in love w nagi seishiro i spend every moment thinking about him and what we could’ve been if he was real jk i’m not that delusional

no warnings ^^

nagi seishiro loves the way your eyes twinkle in the sun, but you would never know that because he shades your eyes whenever they are in the sun. but that’s because he’s scared the sun will burn your retina.

nagi seishiro who randomly tells you facts about history while he’s on his phone. he doesn’t look up from his phone as he starts to ramble about the opium war and how his game is connected to it.

nagi seishiro who has a lot to say but would rather stare at you for hours, getting lost in the details on your face. no amount of words could ever describe the way he felt whenever he felt your presence near him.

nagi seishiro who never holds your hands because his get all sweaty at the thought of doing something romantic for you. that’s why he never gets you flowers with paper wrapping, even if they’re more romantic.

nagi seishiro who rarely forgets anything you tell him, because despite his lazy facade, you’re special enough to him that he pays attention. although sometimes he gets distracted by your eyes and forgets to listen.

nagi seishiro who loves to hug you, his hands snug against your waist and his head in the crook of your neck while his legs encase you. just having you in his arms is enough for him to feel like he’s on cloud nine.

nagi seishiro who always has his phone on dnd, except you’re the only person whose messages and calls always go through. even in the dead of the night he will always answer you, even if it’s 2 in the morning and neither of you should be awake.

nagi seishiro who likes to do what you like to do. even if he has to hike up a mountain instead of sleeping, or going out and shopping instead of playing his games, or going out for a date instead of staying in. as long as you’re happy he’s happy.

nagi seishiro who tried his best to not put anything too high up, but every once in a while he wants you to call for him. he loves being of service to you.

nagi seishiro whose love language is quality time and acts of service. he is content with just being in the same room with you, or being on call and just hearing you breathe. he loves to help you out, even when it’s math and he doesn’t know what to do either he always tries.

nagi seishiro who only has his eyes on you. the only person he ever greets is you, the only person he thinks of besides his games is you, the only person who he thinks about while shopping and zoning out is you. he could spend his nights thinking about you instead of being on his phone.

nagi seishiro who once cried himself to sleep at the mere thought of breaking up with you. he called you later that night to make you promise that you would never break up with him. he holds you too close to his heart to ever break up with you.

[evita-shelby]

Incantatrice

Ch.16

Cw: death, guilt, feminicide, murder, mentions of sex(duh its an eva fic), whatever murder of a pregnant person is called

Taglist: @wandawiccan60 @thegreatdragonfruta @zablife

“I want you to be the last.” Luca had said when they met earlier yesterday, “I want you to be alive after your entire family is dead 'cause my mother says that is what will hurt you the most.”

A few days after John’s funeral, Elizabeth Stark is found dead in a canal.

Her autopsy revealed she was pregnant, barely two months along.

He hadn’t killed her, but he let Esme and Polly take their revenge.

Always loving the wrong women, Polly had said drinking to hide her shaking hands as she washed the blood from them.

When the police call her next of kin, Tommy pretends he is as shocked as they are to know his family is all she had.

He is alone at the cemetery when he sees a woman in black come with marigolds.

Perhaps a friend, he thinks, Lizzie was alone in the world.

Alone save for them and the baby she never even knew about.

“I warned her this would happen.” The woman said, an American with a voice like cool silk.

The hairs on the back of his neck rise in intrigue, fear and anger.

“Mrs. Changretta, I presume.” He said taking out a cigarette case Lizzie had picked out for him last Christmas.

He killed her like he killed Grace and Greta and Zelda.

The sapphire was not the curse, the curse was him.

“There was no curse, your women were not interesting enough to warrant one.” The woman answered reading his mind. “Just shit luck, hence why they fell in love with you.”

Like a real witch, like his mother once used to do before the tablets and the booze and the opium turned her into something unrecognizable.

She was good looking too, in that slightly unnerving beauty that beckoned you like a moth to a flame.

No wonder Luca had married her, with a woman like that, he was God himself.

“And rich to boot. Had I not gone to the opera that evening, I would have ended up here.” She adds, being pleasant company despite being the wife of the man here to kill them all. “Maybe even have had the misfortune of falling in love with you down the line.”

“What do you want?” he asks not wanting to think what game the witch is playing at.

“Just want this to be over, same as you.” She answered as if they didn’t have vastly different meanings. “Should have let her go instead of damning them all to die, Shelby.”

“They killed my wife.” He says, as if that makes it better.

“Your wife’s killer wasn’t one of ours, he hadn’t been lying, you know. Just like Lizzie wasn’t lying either.” The woman smirked. “You knew that, not then, but later when it was already done and no turning back.

First rule of this world is not to be taken in by appearances, and every damn time you fall for the veneer.

First Grace, then Solomons and Sabini, the shooter, the Russians and now Lizzie.”

“If you wanted her dead, you could’ve done it yourself.” He exhaled wishing nothing more than to take the revolver to his head, feel the cold steel on his temple and feel the thrill of pulling the fucking trigger.

But then he always remembers Charlie and Lizzie and he puts it down. Goes to them and remembers there are people he lives for.

This time there won’t be anyone to keep him from ending his miserable life.

The Changrettas wanted him to die even if he won.

“It's good strategy you have, even if you lose, you win.” He points out, as a man who likes competence, at least it’s a comfort to know his enemies are not winning by blind luck, but by skill.

Campbell only won because he didn’t know Tommy would have fallen for such a lousy spy in the first place.

Had Tommy not been so vulnerable when Grace came dressed in lies, everything would have been so different.

So many dead or gone from his life because he loved the wrong woman.

“Never caught your name, Mrs. Changretta.” He brings up when the woman turned to leave.

“Eva. Eva Changretta.”

“Polly’s lying to you.” Eva said the moment she smelled her on his clothes when he returned from the nightclub he met Polly Gray at.

He had a drink and a dance with her, and Eva had put flowers on the grave of Tommy’s lover and victim.

“This isn’t my first vendetta, you know.” He reminds her, trying to kiss her as she took off his vest.

“I know, but it doesn’t hurt to remind you.” The witch said moving out of the way before he could do so.

“Are you jealous, maga?” he asks recognizing fully well the telltale signs of her jealousy.

Luca will remind her she is the only woman he wants in his bed.

Could remind her right on the desk, or the chair, the door, anywhere they want without the children killing the mood.

Can’t remember the last time they had the luxury to be loud and go as long as they want.

They’re getting a nanny after this.

“You would be the same if I had been the one dancing so closely with Tommy Shelby.” Eva answered, knowing he could not fault her with such a good argument.

“If he even touched you, he’d be a dead man.” Luca nuzzled her neck, kissing and biting her so they know she is his property.

Only fair he gets to mark her after she marked him this morning.

“If you fuck the aunt, I will fuck the nephew.” The witch warns as things take their natural progression.

“You’re gorgeous when you’re jealous, it’s a good color on you, Evucca.” He smirked.

“Met his wife this morning. She claims the shooter wasn’t one of theirs.” Tommy lights another cigarette and offers Polly one of his.

“Luca said Lizzie was a taste of what’s to come.” Polly supplied with a sigh.

Hands hadn’t stopped shaking since that night.

Esme called saying Lizzie and her baby had been haunting her. Esme hadn’t known about the baby.

We killed an innocent, Polly, they made us kill an innocent, Esme had said in a panic.

Lizzie had not been lying, just as Vincente Changretta hadn’t either.

Now they pay the fucking price.

And what a heavy prize it is.

If she must choose between her son or Tommy, Polly knows he won’t blame her for it.

[clarajohnson]

the magicians s1e13

yes i put this one off i wasn't ready yet

i love when the recaps just give everything away it's so cute of them ohhhh the watcherwoman you say? god i wonder who that is. oh jane chatwin is important you say? that's interesting.

i love that q gets into fillory and within days is like alright guess i should write an unauthorized sequel to fillory and further

"no, i just stabbed my own hand" YOU wanted the fantasy protagonist lifestyle YOU have to deal with the common risk of blood sacrifice

BOOOOO FUCK YOU EMBER EVERYBODY HATES EMBER

loveeeee the .02% opium also love "a pretty unfair way to get you to love a place" i love the way he thinks of things you neurotic little freak

NOTHING better than the way q says "nnnnbitches" in i am in that scene, bitches

(speaking to the magicians showrunners) by all means, hinge your entire quest on a traumatized boy

every knife scene is a tease until my beloved wife fen appears

you are from a place that likes murder!

it is so obvious as to almost be lazy that the watcherwoman would be q's favorite fillory villain

jesus christ i love that q is the volunteer tomato. he would be. he really would be, he cannot resist jumping into danger if the purpose is to save the things he loves.

the memory patch :-((((((

"margo being such a bitch." oh eliot waugh you are so dear to me

q's narration is pretty fun for this episode i like it quite a bit

this is a funny stage of the team assembly, the way they resist julia's inclusion when actually julia is going to be very important to everyone (i am making this up just because i like julia)

the leo blade is pretty sexy i appreciate it

TIME FOR FEN

oh wait i forgot it's a different fen :-( see you soon my beloved

"i admit i was 100% sure that i was definitely the high king. i know! shocking, right?" fucking crazy that we have to watch him experience total ego death while eliot is making stoner jokes

season one eliot still agreeing to marry fen despite all the fine print is so shocking when you think about it, like, i forget the kind of guy he starts out as, and the "my life, it doesn't work" speech is like a total shove into character development that moves so quickly and immediately blooms and is so instantly rewarding. man when this show is good it's good.

"i think you're the only person that i can stand"

these chapter titles make me believe that q is not a good writer. i imagine his fillory fics were not highly rated.

"father-in-law, why is this blade a thousand degrees?"

mrs. me !!!!!

i will say this. and this is a kind of spoilsport opinion i know this. i do not like the whole ember's jizz plot and i find it very gross and demeaning and unnecessary, not that any of this is necessary, just that this specific element feels chosen to be a gross-out.

"can you be the champion we've been waiting for? "i want to be." whew there it is!

ONCE AGAIN FUCK EMBER FUCK EMBER FOREVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

me when i hate the character the show wants me to hate :-o >:-(

i completely forgot plover was in the dungeon lmao you know what let martin be a little bit more of the beast !!!!!! yeah poor you !!!!

most pathetic boy in the world voice: i know you don't want to hear it right now but i love you

quentin coldwater has the craziest fucking self-esteem anyone has ever had it goes in all directions and fluctuates hourly

you're not as good as i hoped, quentin coldwater.

please not the glowing eyes jesus christ

whewwwwwwwwww the reynard scene is always going to get to me sooooo fucking bad jesus jesus jesus

"trickster of the faithful and the pure of heart" i gotta be honest i don't know what mythology reynard is part of but i don't know what the purpose of a god like that would be. this guy seems like a burnt pancake to me.

horrible. horrible!

it's so wild that she called marina. i like that she did that i just think it's crazy. and it's a really interesting aspect of marina's character too! "jesus, julia, i wanna help." the girl is not an asshole we just hate women with boundaries JOKING she IS an asshole but i do think sometimes women are allowed to be.

love that penny expands his powers with stick-and-pokes

i believe, because i want to, that there is some significance to julia going into the wellspring last.

i forgot martin is UGGOOOOO

you know i think the way this show frames the forty timelines, for q at least, is as a kind of suicide mission, which i really feel like pushing against. i don't see q as a character outlined by despair or futility i think he's all about hope and perseverance and i think that's beautiful and it's what i want for him!

shit i completely forgot about jules teaming up with the beast for a minute oh julia you're a crazy lady

shows don't have the kind of security to end a season with five out of six main characters bleeding out and absolutely no resolution anymore

[zoobus]

Types of manga on the all time bestseller list, grouped by how surprising I found their various rankings:

Completely expected

00s shounen that became the face of anime. They might be good, they might be bad, but you know who they are.

Post-2010 popular action shounen you may or may not have read but you've definitely heard of. Globalization and the increased cultural acceptance of anime mean lots of recent record breakers. I just found a Spy x Family surprise toy at Five Below.

Rumiko Takahashi

80s coming-of-age baseball romcom in what we might call a "soft retro Rumiko Takahashi art style" because none of these are known outside of Japan. Their super high placement only seems bizarre if you haven't been a weeb your whole life

Old classics (astro boy, rose of Versailles)

Horny classics (much of the lowest tier)

90s or older gag comedy built on dudes contorting their faces like silly putty

Silly little kid adventures

80s sports manga that starts off realistic but gradually descends into madness to raise the stakes

Sports manga that doesn't start realistic and there's no way any of these moves are legal but the characters are all passionate cute boys

Cooking manga that only me and Japan know about. Cooking Papa should be even higher.

Pleasantly surprised

Horrible violent delinquents beat the fuck out of each other to determine who's the Worst. Cover is a sneering teen in a gakuran with a slick pompadour if it's near the 80s or shaved if closer to the 00s

Horrible violent delinquents beat the fuck out of each other but it's funny. Be glad it was made back then because "lol couldn't make this today" is something you'll think often

Realistic slice of life depiction of Just Some Guy

Vagabound? What are you doing up here?

Objectively knew of its popularity but still shocked by it

Visceral, anatomically unusual 80s-90s manga about muscular men committing increasingly bizarre acts of violence on each other. Always a favorite with 2000s gammer sites obsessed with proving their hobbies' manliness and those who liked posting contextless pages to freak people out. I don't have a problem with this so much as I can't grasp how stuff like Baki the Grappler isn't hyper niche.

Kid detectives. Another example of the "I already knew this was insanely popular but I'm not sure why" genre except unlike Baki the Grappler, I've read Conan and Kindaichi Files.

The first shojo appearance for miles, Boys Over Flowers. Did these books come with opium dusted on that shit or what

Unpleasantly surprised

Mediocre shonen you kind of knew was popular simply because the title popped a lot but YOU'VE never heard anyone talk about it, you're pretty sure you've never met a fan, and all the anime forums you wasted your time on wouldn't even bother insulting it, it was so low on the radar

All the big shojo names are lower than you'd think

Why is DEATH NOTE lower than the fucking SLIME ISEKAI?!?

Futari Ecchi 👎👎👎

[mariana-oconnor]

Wisteria Lodge pt 4

Last time, we left Holmes and Watson about to mount an intrepid rescue of probable inside woman and possibly dead Miss Burnett, who at 40 years old is apparently too old for love, because the Victorian era was an ageist hellscape.

I have come up with a solution by which Mr Garcia (who I have decided is a bisexual spy) and Miss Burnet are actually the good guys. But this requires the two girls to have been pre-kidnapped and so Garcia's plan would be a counter-kidnapping.

I mean, I jumped straight to kidnapping as soon as it seemed likely that the governess was involved and there were two young girls. I may have jumped the gun a bit, but weirdly the idea is sticking with me.

It was not, I must confess, a very alluring prospect. The old house with its atmosphere of murder, the singular and formidable inhabitants, the unknown dangers of the approach, and the fact that we were putting ourselves legally in a false position all combined to damp my ardour.

Psh, I bet they didn't damp Mr Garcia's ardour.

Yeah, that was a cheap shot, but seriously Watson, come on. Screw your courage to the sticking place and all that.

But it was not destined that our investigation should have so adventurous an ending.

...well that's anticlimactic. I was all geared up for a rescue mission! What am I going to do with these grappling hooks now?

“They've gone, Mr. Holmes. They went by the last train. The lady broke away, and I've got her in a cab downstairs.”

Did they go because of Holmes' investigation of the house or did they go because of whatever Mr Baynes' mysterious cunning plan is?

"I shan't forget the face at the carriage window as I led her away. I'd have a short life if he had his way—the black-eyed, scowling, yellow devil.”

A lot of 'devil' faces in windows this time around. And all on ethnic minorities as far as I can tell. Racist Victorian tropes, my beloathed.

Good for Miss Burnet for fighting back even when she's been drugged up to the gills on opium. I really hope she wasn't planning a kidnapping because I want to like her. And I really don't like her employer. Not drugging or whipping your employees is like the lowest bar of employer conduct to jump over. Even Violet Hunter wasn't drugged or whipped and she had a terrible work environment. I want him to be unambiguously the bad guy. Also because I want the poor cook to be acquitted.

“I was sure Henderson, as he calls himself, felt that he was suspected, and that he would lie low and make no move so long as he thought he was in any danger. I arrested the wrong man to make him believe that our eyes were off him. I knew he would be likely to clear off then and give us a chance of getting at Miss Burnet.”

OK, fine. You were right, but fuck you for arresting and attacking an innocent man. Poor show. Dick move. Be better.

(is that the first gif I've posted from an actual Sherlock Holmes media for one of these liveblogs? I think it might be...)

"We can't arrest without her evidence, that is clear, so the sooner we get a statement the better.”

Read this as 'her without' rather than 'without her' and was confused about what was going on, as she seems pretty innocent of the murder. But then I reread and realised that I once again fail at reading comprehension. Not like I have a degree in it or literally work in a related field or anything.

“Henderson,” the inspector answered, “is Don Murillo, once called the Tiger of San Pedro.”

Who the fuck is that?

OK, Watson's going to become Captain Exposition for a minute, great. Gimme some backstory, bay-beeee.

Oh... Is San Pedro a fake country? Did ACD make up a fake country for this story so he couldn't be accused of being rude about a specific country? Or do I just not know history?

Central America, okay, not the Caribbean, but right ballpark.

The dictator, his two children, his secretary, and his wealth had all escaped them. From that moment he had vanished from the world, and his identity had been a frequent subject for comment in the European press.

I feel... I feel like if this had been real information and a real country I would have worked this out? Like if I had known there was a mysteriously missing dictator from a formerly Spanish colony with a green and white flag, who had two children, I feel like I called every part of this except the specifics, which I couldn't have called because they're made up.

“Once already his life has been attempted, but some evil spirit shielded him. Now, again, it is the noble, chivalrous Garcia who has fallen, while the monster goes safe."

Alright, so no kidnapping, just assassination. Chivalrous, charming bi assassin Garcia is once again on the side of good and not abducting children. Pity he got his face beaten in.

"My husband—yes, my real name is Signora Victor Durando—was the San Pedro minister in London. He met me and married me there. A nobler man never lived upon earth. Unhappily, Murillo heard of his excellence, recalled him on some pretext, and had him shot. With a premonition of his fate he had refused to take me with him. His estates were confiscated, and I was left with a pittance and a broken heart."

Vengeance!

"I was to see that the doors were open and the signal of a green or white light in a window which faced the drive was to give notice if all was safe or if the attempt had better be postponed."

Light not shutters, but coolcoolcool.

"But they determined to get rid forever of Garcia. They had gagged me, and Murillo twisted my arm round until I gave him the address. I swear that he might have twisted it off had I understood what it would mean to Garcia."

How did you... not know... what it would mean to Garcia? Like, what did you think they were going to do? Have a tea party? Invite him to play his guitar at their next shindig? Have a chat about gardening? I get that you were being tortured for information, so there's no shame in giving him up, but you can't say 'well, I didn't know they would kill him.'

"This afternoon a good lunch was brought me, but the moment after I took it I knew that I had been drugged."

Also feel like maybe you should have guessed this before you ate it, after they'd been starving you for days. But you were probably out of your mind hungry and on the edge of hallucinating, so I suppose that makes sense.

It is a matter of history, however, that a little time was still to elapse before the Tiger of San Pedro should meet with his deserts. [...] Some six months afterwards the Marquess of Montalva and Signor Rulli, his secretary, were both murdered in their rooms at the Hotel Escurial at Madrid.

In the best traditions of these stories, the bad guys reach justice offscreen at the hands of unknown people. 😂

But Vengeance has been satisfied.

BUT, there is just enough time for some more racist discussion of the cook, because of course there is. And it turns out his entire inclusion as a character is completely pointless and a racist little red herring that goes nowhere and just had some extra racism piled on top for garnish. Wonderful. I hope they released him and didn't keep him in prison for assaulting a police officer/resisting arrest, because when you literally arrested him illegally for a crime you knew he didn't commit, that's bullshit.

I was right about it being a Victorian depiction of Voodoo, though, so... I get points for knowing my racist stereotypes? I feel like that's like an extra level of losing, though.

Wow this story went from gay hookup gone wrong to racist mess in two seconds flat, huh? I miss the simpler times when Mr Scott Eccles being an oblivious tory was the biggest problem.

On a happier note, Silver Blaze is next, and I remember a lot about this one just from the title, so I guess there will be no attempt to solve it, just memes for days.

ETA: That little wrap up does not tell us what happened to the children. What happened to the children? Where did they go? The little girls just disappear. Did I miss something? What happened to the children?

[badstargateimagines]

I don’t know if you take requests for anything but I loved your post of the skincare/makeup products the Stargate characters would use and I need to know….what perfume/cologne do you think they would wear? Or types of scents that they’d be into? (Btw love your imagines)

Yay!!! I’m so glad you like my stuff!! Also yessss I do take requests and I would love an excuse to talk about fragrance! My credentials are I worked at Sephora for a year and a half and I spent a lot of time on the frag wall huffing every single bottle. As a general thing I’m very obsessed w genderless, warm spicy scents so that will be reflected in this post.

Jack: By The Fireplace by Replica was my gut reflex for Jack as soon as I saw this ask. I think he’d really love the woody notes and I think he’d also like it because he has the vibes of someone who smells like a campfire in general. A quick side note, I don’t think he’d wear fragrance too much and I think Normally he would smell like Gillette shaving cream. Also heads up, Replica will be over represented on this list because I love all their frags

Sam: not a perfume by Juliette has a gun. One of my personal favourite frags bc it has no base scent really it j mixes w ur body’s natural PH. I think she’d like it because it’s entirely unique to her and also because the brand name Juliette has a gun totally speaks to her

Daniel: Either Jazz Club or Coffee Break both by replica. I really think he’d go for a heavy musky scent as frags like that tend to be both timeless and classy. I think he’s definitely the type to consider names when he buys frags too, so these town seem perfect for him. Also as I’m writing this I am HUFFING Jazz Club like I’m fucking Jeremy Fragrance.

Teal’c: I desperately want him to smell like Carbon by Prada. I think he’d be super into the earthy scents but not the warm earthy. Just a nice cool kind of scent but still heavy. Overall, idk if Teal’c would be 100% into frags but this is my vision.

Janet: Chanel #5 100%. I think Janet would in general go for a light, barely there scent. It’s for that reason that I think she’d go for an eau de toilette as opposed to a full on perfume bc I think she would want it to wear off a bit quicker than normal in case she gets called into work (I’d imagine the infirmary is a scent free environment)

Jonas: THIS MAN HAS 1 MILLION FOR THE MEME!!!! I don’t think he cares about notes or anything I genuinely think that he saw a bar of gold on the Jeremy Fragrance “SEXY SWEET YUMMY” clip and just added it to cart lmao

Vala: when I first saw this ask I had so many ideas for vala that I think she would just be a fragrance addict. Like obviously Black Opium crossed my mind bc I do really think she’d like a heavier scent BUT I also thought about Miss Dior for a bit of a softer more floral moment. Then, I immediately was brought to Burberry Her for a more fruity floral. And, obviously, because she’s Vala, she would 1000% have a vast collection of Victoria’s Secret body sprays. Anyway I think she would have YSL Black Opium as her signature scent but she would be at Sephora every other weekend trying out a new roller ball.

Cam: Dior Sauvage enjoyer and not because he likes it but because it’s what he was told he should like. If I were to pick a fragrance for him, I would stay away from the warmer scents and actually go for something a bit lighter and fresher. I would probably steer him towards Gentleman by Givenchy bc I really think of him as more of a fresh and clean kind of guy as opposed to such a heavy and smell-him-before-you-see-him Sauvage type of guy. Idk I think Cam would walk into my Sephora I would also guide him to Sailing Day by Replica for that fresh goodness.

General Hammond: Tom Ford Noir Extreme. Not only can he afford it but I think he’d really like Tom Ford as a brand. General Hammond seems like he’d go for more earthy and woody scents that can air on the side of overwhelming. Also he seems like he’d like sandalwood but not know it’s called sandalwood. Unrelated I think he’d be a really good client at Sephora and we’d all love helping him. He would have a beauty insider account so he can get points for his grand daughters.

Apophis: Dior Sauvage (Derogatory). Look, to my core I am a hater towards this frag. Everything about it gives me the ick. I knew what Sauvage clients were like in the store and I knew men who wore Sauvage everyday. They were both unpleasant groups of people who bought it because Johnny Depp was the face of the line. Obviously this is a perfect pick for Apophis.

[lya-dustin]

Someone will remember us

Chapter 33

Tw: mentions of past sexual abuse, description of waterboarding, blood

Taglist: @stargaryenx @fyeahhotdocs @arrthurpendragon

Gif by : @lady-phasma

“If your bride comes back from that progress without a bun in the oven you will be the only Targaryen not to have a child nine moons after the wedding night.” Aegon points out as they drag their kill back to the grounds. “Even our dearly departed Laenor got the job done.”

“Aegon, do not pester him about such things.” Daeron blushed crimson, Gwayne was too much like Laenor to fuck a woman, but as far as everyone knows Gwayne is too devoted to the Faith and mother doesn’t like being told her brother was the same thing his late goodbrother was.

And it was because of that horseshit that Daeron was as innocent as a babe and couldn’t even handle the slightest mention of sex, or hard drinking or the opium den Aegon discovered last week.

Daeron got tongue-tied near pretty girls, he could barely get a greeting out when Aemma acknowledged him. Gods know how he will find his future wife, Aemond had been lucky to meet Aemma in their shared cradle.

“How old are you, Daer-bear?” Aegon asked their little brother using the nickname Helaena had given him as a baby.

“Three and ten.” Said Daeron stammered and looked at his feet.

He and Lucerys had been milk brothers just as Aemma and Aemond had been, and while they did get along, mother had decided such friendship was to be discouraged and sent him to Orm.

Aemond felt lucky he and Aemma had escaped her notice, he and Aemma had been thick as thieves when their lessons did not separate them.

“Velaryon, how did that torture thing work? I remember Laenor was fond of doing that when it fell on him to give the king’s justice.” Aemond speaks up with a bored tone. He would be damned if Aegon took their baby brother to a brothel like he did.

Laenor personally tortured those who called Rhaenyra a whore and even then, Harwin Strong helped him with it.

“Put a sack over his head and pour saltwater over his face. There’s no saltwater, but I suppose the stream over there will do the trick.” Daeron Velaryon looked perfectly serious until you saw that gleam of mischief in his dark eyes.

“We are not torturing the prince.” Cole said being the sole voice of reason.

They were jesting, of course. Aegon would be tossed into the stream when Cole isn’t looking like last time.

“Not while you’re around, Cole.” Aemond joked and saw Aegon relent in his pursuit of taking their little brother to a brothel.

“Fine, I will not take him to a brothel and pay for a great whore for his first.” Aegon pouted and drank from his wineskin. “Just don’t Merlin King me, either of you.”

“Thank you, Aemond.” Daeron said quietly and Aemond ruffled his hair in return.

“Although you should thank me, Aemond. Imagine if you had been a man-maiden on your wedding night, poor Aemma would have joined the rest of the unsatisfied wives in their bitterness.” Aegon turned his vulgar teasing back onto him and Aemond wished he had something to pelt him with.

“Aegon!” Daeron scolded Aegon but avoiding looking at his brothers all the same.

Daeron was too innocent in the ways of men, but unlike Aegon, Aemond hopes his brother keeps such innocence and naivety a little longer.

No one will hurt him; no whore will scar him and make him feel sick to his stomach and no one will take his childhood like Lucerys took his in Driftmark.

----

He is bloody, and his immaculate silvery gold hair is unkempt and stained with dried blood, but Aemma thinks he’s never looked better.

Oh gods, she has her mother’s taste in men.

No matter, mother has good taste at the least.

“How was your hunt, valzȳrys?” she asked as she helped him wash off the blood on his skin and hair.

The hunting lodge was expanded on and eventually Kingswood Lodge was good enough to offer baths, lodging, a small sept and even a rustic feast hall.

“Mhm, good.” He was like putty in her hands, never been used to being pampered like this and never had his loving wife care for him in such a way.

Usually, he would wash himself, but Aemma had wanted to be alone with him. If she’d played her cards right, she could make them very, very late to the feast.

“How was, how was your day with mother?” he sighed into her touch when she sponged off the dried blood that had stained his neck through his hunting clothes.

“Mhm, good. We are supposed to see if I can convince the Small Council to fund the schools in Flea Bottom tomorrow.” She is hopeful, bracing for the impact of failure, but Aemma at her core is always hopeful.

Hopeful that things will be better tomorrow than they were the day before.

“If I didn’t know you, I would say you are mad.” He admits.

Aemma is crazy or seen like that because almost all her ideas sound too out there. Educating the poor, ending the practice of Serfdom and indentured servitude, a citadel of sorts for women. All these have people calling her the Mad Princess behind her back.

And they don’t even know the half of it.

They don’t know that she wishes to end the practice of primogeniture and choose an heir based on their merits and not what order they were born like the Emperors of Yi Ti

“Not mad, merely brilliant, which is often misconstrued as mad.” She repeats the words her Teora says when she confides in her about her questioning if she is right to continue pushing for such ideals.

“You’re pouting, I can feel it from here.” Aemond may be as different from as the night is to day, but he knows her just a good as she knows herself. “I am sorry, I should know better than to say such things.”

He doesn’t like being told he is less of a man because he is a second son missing a fucking eye, she doesn’t like being told she is crazy for wanting a better world for everyone and actually following through with her plans.

“No matter, I shall prove all my naysayers wrong in due course, husband. We are the future; they best get used to it.”

-----

“The girl believes the common folk will benefit from her attentions.” Her father scoffed and Alicent pretends she didn’t see Ser Criston bristle from his callousness.

Criston was the son of commoners, his father, the founder of House Cole, was given lands and a knighthood and chose nine lumps of coal for his sigil in honor of his nine children.

Criston was the seventh child, and deemed lucky enough to train in Blackhaven and be sworn into Dondarrion’s service at eight and ten.

He would not say it, but Alicent knows her Sworn Protector believes in the same dream as Aemma.

Had his hatred for Rhaenyra been as strong as it used to be, the queen would not fear him betraying her for the little queen.

“Her views of the world are a blessing and a curse, I fear the day when she realizes no good deed goes unpunished.” The queen knew tomorrow Aemma would pull some sort of stunt and turn a meeting into a fighting ring. “We must allow her to open those schools, if we deny her that she will turn Aemond against us.”

The girl may not know it, but she has power over her husband that wives seldom have.

Aemond loves her to the point of madness, to the point of defying her and her father. When the time comes, he will have to choose between his wife and children or his brother and his children.

“You have lost him and you do not see it, daughter.” Otto Hightower proclaims and part of her knows he speaks in truth.

[detective-jane-rizzoli]

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? They are dead, but we were inseparable, and I loved them to the moon and back. Today would have been their 68th wedding anniversary. ;',(((

02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? My bff, whom I regard as my sis.

03: Do you regret anything? Oh, don't get me started!...

04: Are you insecure? I am.

05: What is your relationship status? Single AF.

06: How do you want to die? ♫♪"I don't wanna die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all"♪♫ But to answer the question: quickly, painlessly. Dunno, like suck-starting a 12 gauge shotgun or something...

07: What did you last eat? Hot dog

08: Played any sports? Hell no!

09: Do you bite your nails? I do.

10: When was your last physical fight? Who the fuck remembers?... :/ When I was like 12-14, shortly after dinosaurs roamed the earth.

11: Do you like someone? Sure I do.

12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? Nope. After being awake for 20-24 hours, I'm dead.

13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? I do! With the burning hate of a thousand suns. May they rot in hell.

14: Do you miss someone? I do. A LOT of people.

15: Have any pets? Nope.

16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? Like shit? :/

17: Ever made out in the bathroom? I have. Much more than just making out :P

18: Are you scared of spiders? Not really, apart from some "exotic" spiders I have (luckily) never encountered in my life. (Black widow, tarantula, etc.)

19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Each and every minute, or I should say, second!!!

20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? Fuck rememberes... :/

21: What are your plans for this weekend? "Ah, ah, ah, ah stayin' alive, stayin' alive"

22: Do you want to have kids? How many? No way. Zero!

23: Do you have piercings? How many? Just a standard lobe piercing.

24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? Chemistry.

25: Do you miss anyone from your past? I think we've already covered this, but let me reiterate: I do!

26: What are you craving right now? Tranquility.

27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? I have.

28: Have you ever been cheated on? I have been

29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? I have.

30: What’s irritating you right now? Everything. Well, almost everything, lol

31: Does somebody love you? I don't think so. :/

32: What is your favourite color? Just one? Duh... Black. It matches everything. :D

33: Do you have trust issues? You're goddamn right I do!

34: Who/what was your last dream about? I don't remember, and honestly, I don't want to...

35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? I don't remember.

36: Do you give out second chances too easily? I used to, but not anymore...

37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? Forgive

38: Is this year the best year of your life? Huh? o.O I don't know what you're on, but I want some, lmao. My best years of life were decades ago.

39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 16

40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? No.

51: Favourite food? Chopped steak with mushroom sauce, potatoes & red wine

52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Sometimes I do, though it's irrational. Maybe some things happen for a reason...

53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? Put on some YSL Opium (FYI, that's a perfume, not a drug ^_^)

54: Is cheating ever okay? It's not okay, but it happens.

55: Are you mean? Depends...

56: How many people have you fist fought? Do you actually expect me to remember each and every physical fight as a child? o.O

57: Do you believe in true love? I kind of do...

58: Favourite weather? Oh, those typical gray, gloomy (but NOT rainy!!) november days. Cool but not cold (shaken, not stirred) ^_^

59: Do you like the snow? I don't.

60: Do you wanna get married? Nope. Besides, who would put up with me anyway? :P

61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? It would be cute, I guess... Lol

62: What makes you happy? I'll pass on that one.

63: Would you change your name? In a heartbeat.

64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? No.

65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? All kinds of questionable, naughty things. :P

66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? I do.

67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? A cashier.

68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? My bff

69: Do you believe in soulmates? I don't.

70: Is there anyone you would die for? Right now? I don't think so...

70 horrible questions ... Fuck it

01: Do you have a good relationship with your parents? 02: Who did you last say “I love you” to? 03: Do you regret anything? 04: Are you insecure? 05: What is your relationship status? 06: How do you want to die? 07: What did you last eat? 08: Played any sports? 09: Do you bite your nails? 10: When was your last physical fight? 11: Do you like someone? 12: Have you ever stayed up 48 hours? 13: Do you hate anyone at the moment? 14: Do you miss someone? 15: Have any pets? 16: How exactly are you feeling at the moment? 17: Ever made out in the bathroom? 18: Are you scared of spiders? 19: Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? 20: Where was the last place you snogged someone? 21: What are your plans for this weekend? 22: Do you want to have kids? How many? 23: Do you have piercings? How many? 24: What is/are/were your best subject(s)? 25: Do you miss anyone from your past? 26: What are you craving right now? 27: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? 28: Have you ever been cheated on? 29: Have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? 30: What’s irritating you right now? 31: Does somebody love you? 32: What is your favourite color? 33: Do you have trust issues? 34: Who/what was your last dream about? 35: Who was the last person you cried in front of? 36: Do you give out second chances too easily? 37: Is it easier to forgive or forget? 38: Is this year the best year of your life? 39: How old were you when you had your first kiss? 40: Have you ever walked outside completely naked? 51: Favourite food? 52: Do you believe everything happens for a reason? 53: What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? 54: Is cheating ever okay? 55: Are you mean? 56: How many people have you fist fought? 57: Do you believe in true love? 58: Favourite weather? 59: Do you like the snow? 60: Do you wanna get married? 61: Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? 62: What makes you happy? 63: Would you change your name? 64: Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? 65: Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? 66: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? 67: Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? 68: Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? 69: Do you believe in soulmates? 70: Is there anyone you would die for?

[regency-oc-au]

“What do you mean he’s in the drawing room?” Luca hissed at his sisters, closing the door on their footman’s retreating steps and sagging against it. “Why the hell would he be here?”

Olivia didn’t bother trying to hide her smile. “I guess that means he likes you.”

The poor footman had been forced to repeat his news twice straight to Luca’s stupefied face before it had finally sunk in. “No,” Luca said, a touch of bitterness in his tone. He swallowed, an uneasy pit opening up low in his stomach. “He likes Lucia.”

His sister tapped the edge of his nose with a dainty fingertip. “Yes. And she is you,” Olivia said pointedly. She followed up her statement with an expectant smile, like she expected Luca to bolt from the room and go find the Lord in question in the room downstairs immediately. He could, he supposed. At the very least he could barge in to demand what the hell Ryan wanted with Lucia, only he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.

“Well?”

“Well, what?” Luca scowled. Why was she looking at him like that? Ryan hadn’t come calling to see him, he’d come calling to see her – the creation of silk and curls, rouge and perfumed skin he had debuted last night in a fit of rare bravery at Lady Rivingdon's spring ball.

“Well, don’t you think you should at least start getting ready?”

He stared at his twin, mouth opening to protest, ready to unleash a million reasons as to what exactly was wrong with that statement, only to catch her little smirk.

“That… Liv, that will take too long.”

“Well, he’ll wait if he really wants to see you.”

“But you know I can't do Lucia during the day!”

“Maybe it’s time you should. It’s a little strange, isn’t it? Having our cousin visiting from the countryside never seen during the day. Lord Luca-“ Luca narrowed his eyes at his twin’s slightly mocking tone – “Can spend his days in the shadows hiding from the sun like some kind of vampire, ensconced in opium dens and the like…. But Lucia can’t. Not without drawing attention that is."

“An hour, Liv. At least. He won’t wait.”

“He will if he’s serious about courting you,” Olivia sniffed, indignant. “I’ll ask cook to send him tea and sandwiches. There are books in the drawing room for him to read. He can wait and you can consider it a measure of his devotion-“

“His dev-“ Luca wanted to laugh. This was ridiculous. As ridiculous as Lord Ryan looking for a wife. “Livy, this is Lord Ryan. He doesn’t drink goddamn tea!”

“Shall I send for something stronger then?” Olivia asked innocently and Luca groaned. She was enjoying far too much amusement teasing him about this.

“Yes, but send it for me,” he muttered as he ran a hand through his dark curls.

“I could play pianoforte for him,” Izzy interjected helpfully from her seat by the window. Luca had almost forgotten she was there, his youngest sister with her nose in a book, so quiet like a mouse.

He exchanged a startled glance with Olivia then they rounded on Izzy with perfect twin symmetry and yelled “No!” in unison.

Izzy pouted and went back to her book.

“How the hell am I going to turn into Lucia in the next few minutes?” Luca lamented, but he let Olivia herd him towards her rooms. “You have to go, Livy. Tell him I’m… I’m sick or something. Indisposed. Tell him there was something funky in the punch last night and I can’t get out of bed-“

“I will do no such thing,” Olivia told him flatly.

“Traitor,” Luca mumbled.

He let Olivia take the reins. He could hardly believe this was even happening but the shock of Ryan’s unexpected visit and the slow transformation from Luca to Lucia was beginning to give away to something else a lot more unpleasant. Jealousy. Of himself.

What the fuck.

Just shy of an hour later, he was stitched into one of his sister’s pale lavender morning dresses and even he had to admit the colour did wonders on their skin tone as he looked at himself in the mirror. Lucia was back, and it was startlingly easy to bring out her mannerisms – it wasn’t difficult when he admitted to himself that they had been there inside him all along.

He swept a narrow, gloved hand down the line of his skirt and looked at Olivia through his thickened lashes. “Do you think he’s still waiting?” he asked her quietly, his nerves overriding his good sense to keep his worries to himself. He couldn't hide them from his twin anyway. "What do I even say? What could he possibly want?"

Olivia smiled gently and fussed with a curl. "Well, you won't find out fretting up here. Go on now, Lulu."

[baekhvuns]

HELLOOOOOO BAEKSY 👋🏻

It's been over a month wince Bin's passing and it feels both fresh (because it is) and like a lifetime ago 😭 I saw Seungkwan's recent photos and 💔

And I still can't believe Kai has been done so dirty, I feel so bad for him, Exo and Exols cause wtffff. I'm glad he has an option to be a social worker considering all his injuries, btw I always knew about his health issues, but forgot how severe some of them are/were 😭😭😭😭 the fact he's such a phenomenal dancer despite everything, damn he's build different. I hope he comes back soon or at least gives some updates. I still remember Taemin crying on live announcing his enlistment... I'm glad Kai managed to have a successful solo comeback, but Exo 💀 can't have shit in Exoland :///

Anyways I came back from Thailand and I'm sooooo sad I wanted to stay. Now I have to do some work before I see Shinee💀💀💀💀

Now this is a hate crime against me, I had to sit through Paradgim live (sorry besties, that song is bad, I can't defend it) and Limitless (it's just Flavourless lol) just for them to perform my two fave JP songs Dreamers and Still Here a few days later?! Idk who to blame for this, but 🔪🔪🔪🔪 https://twitter.com/NotBonkyP/status/1656626038061891590?t=WFgUCMDftnUun6ctl2B-Eg&s=19

Omg do you know this webtoon?! I'm not up to date with it, but Gikwang? And Park Min Young 👀 https://mydramalist.com/article/highlight-s-lee-gi-kwang-to-return-as-an-actor-in-marry-my-husband

God that model Hwa account is doing the most in the best way possible, admin ily! Like they're so right! Okay, listen to me, Ten is a YSL boy and he came to Bangkok for a YSL pop up event and I saw him 😳 (Mark Tuan was there too) felt really ugly in his presence, lmao. At least I was taller than him 😭 but imagine Seonghwa at that event as well 🤧 I bought a new bottle of Black Opium thinking about him

This Hwa https://twitter.com/modelhwapics/status/1657398403024691201?t=DFCCMRAJX5SWXbAZzjn0Xw&s=19 and this Ten https://twitter.com/goKPOP/status/1634540503495753730?t=KZxlBqqJUqjAlPaKKLNCUg&s=19 😭😭😭😭 in conclusion Seonghwa should come to the YSL event with Ten 😭

Sorry, gotta be a hater, but this https://twitter.com/ATEEZofficial/status/1657581504896049152?t=uRu2NNSZki2gOjjeUkOf5A&s=19 is lowkey ugly not to mention unreadable, definitely giving graphic design is my passion. And we'll never get a summer cb again, huh.... :( the title track title jajssjsajaajaja giving NCT?! And the poster is giving Xikers, lol

And yeah the concept pics and trailers, Hwa looks great, because he's photogenic as hell, he's a model! but I need them to retire the racing jackets and gloves, ENOUGH. And only HJ and MG are in a cowboy attire (retire cowboys too tbh, but if you're gonna do it, do it properly, commit!) https://twitter.com/no8signal/status/1654016472501587968?t=Q13ISE3940i0qZDTQKO8_Q&s=19 NOT AYO GRATATATA PLS YOU'RE NOT 127 USE YOUR WORDS I'M BEGGING 😭 it didn't register to me at the concert, because I was on my phone calling a friend, but I just remembered the snippet and hmmmm... idk. Sounds like this album will be similar to their previous one and it's not my fave, so I'm sad 😭

Me at biker Hwa: Baby boy you can't drive, but you sure look hot

And if TOLO is like Ghost then (it won't be, but...😳) There's a possibility I'll dislike it, but one thing about TY is he's gonna serve. Cannot fucking stand 2 Baddies or Sticker, but he did the most in the MV! And the teaser is cool, literally told us nothing about the concept and he's right he can be anything!

Aespa and Idle served 00s teen dramas, not really into the songs, but I like the vibes! Speaking of, I unfortunately do not like Unforgiven which is a shame, BUT FIRE IN THE BELLY IS A WORLD CUP SONG THE OLE OLE?!

PLS I LOVE A MAN WHO CAN'T HANDLE HIS LIQUOR HE'S SO CUTE Hwa 🤝 Taeyong https://twitter.com/hwalilac/status/1658796599492108289?t=df0kN-SetboKgRwATb51Nw&s=19 Leave him and his lightweight head alone https://twitter.com/nobodylikehwa/status/1658794890300465153?t=hDNoDdiDWtUjGvy-rEIR4w&s=19

Okay Taennie comeback in Paris?! Lowkey forgot about them, but I guess they're going strong? They're like modern Romeo and Juliet skjsjsjajasjjsa their fandoms couldn't hate each other more, they're both members of the most popular groups, very hot individuals and they thought "you know what? Let's date" and I respect it! But not Armchairs saying they're cosplayers I'm wheezing 😭😭😭😭 and V x Lisa together at an event again huhuhu

KQ and yet another fucking NFT and useless collab I'M SO TIRED OF THIS COMPANY https://twitter.com/ACRZ_Official/status/1659469042284118019?t=7w3bahQXN0IFos911xJWvw&s=19

He wants us to off ourselves wtffff https://twitter.com/hwalilac/status/1659569236312981506?t=6FOWWvpUQkon6tFK5plJcQ&s=19

If SM has 2 haters left it won't be you and I Baek, it will be Xiaodery, lmao. The amount of times they talked shit ajsjajbsbahahaha I imagine their manager in the front being like: 😶😶😶😶 WayV freedom when https://twitter.com/smoldejuns/status/1659872687727206401?t=BuCGuDJFKpW33HHLAy2-WA&s=19

My godddddd Hyunjin x Dua reunion and same Donatella ajsajhsbsjshajwn https://twitter.com/cornhingle/status/1661100011210276865?t=nOnphOuNrzUyCctak9CAbg&s=19

Troye?!?! Stand up, damn https://twitter.com/skzwrld0325/status/1661071948573466627?t=r5ITNthZf2Hs19G9623x_w&s=19

Alright that's enough from me jsjajsjahahsshaha, how are things? - DV 💖

hello!!!!

HELLOOOOOO BAEKSY 👋🏻 It's been over a month wince Bin's passing and it feels both fresh (because it is) and like a lifetime ago 😭 I saw Seungkwan's recent photos and 💔

HELLOOOOO AND YES ONE MONTH ALREADY WHAT THE FUCK 😭😭😭😭 the moon pictures i saw posted by his friends just break me 😭😭

And I still can't believe Kai has been done so dirty, I feel so bad for him, Exo and Exols cause wtffff. I'm glad he has an option to be a social worker considering all his injuries, btw I always knew about his health issues, but forgot how severe some of them are/were 😭😭😭😭 the fact he's such a phenomenal dancer despite everything, damn he's build different. I hope he comes back soon or at least gives some updates. I still remember Taemin crying on live announcing his enlistment... I'm glad Kai managed to have a successful solo comeback, but Exo 💀 can't have shit in Exoland :///

no bc he was SO excited,,, this was supposed to be their year everything was supposed to be perfect, world tour, full album, solo’s, concerts and actual promo from sm,, but it lasted 4 FUCKING WEEKS WHY CANT THEY EVER DROP A NORMAL ALBUM ITS BEEN 11 YEARS WHY DOES SOMETHING ALWAYS HAVE TO HAPPEN BEFORE UR FUCKING COMEBACK 😭😭 IT COULDVE BEEN MY FIRST EXO CONCERT EXPERIENCE RHWKFJWK THIS IS BULLSHIT OH IM PISSED ALL OVER AGAIN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 WHAT THE FUCK COME BACK but the memes are the only thing getting me through this

despite it being longer im also glad he got to be a social worker,, right!! so many people were surprised this guy’s has his spine broken??? and the way he still hasn’t received surgery for his ankle that’s been messed for YEARS??? he really is so phenomenal when it comes to performing and it shows how much he enjoys it

i honestly wished all big bg’s went to the military during covid era,,, would’ve been so much easier 😭😭 I REMEMBER STOPPP WHEN HE CRIED IN HIS IG I GOTTA DEJA VU W KAI’S 😭😭😭 and the way people are using his crying picture for saying he’s crying bc he can’t evade military has me 🔫🔫🔫

he got the whole world rovering till now,,, hoping they recorded everything and got his photos for the albums bc id actually leave kpop if they fucking didn’t, my last straw is on thin ice w sm ent right now

BUT SHINEEE ALBUM !!!!!!! IM HOPING THEY FOLLOW IT UP WITH A WORLD TOUR 😭😭 need a body rhythm pt2 desperately

Anyways I came back from Thailand and I'm sooooo sad I wanted to stay. Now I have to do some work before I see Shinee💀💀💀💀

AHHHHH ARE U BACK IN ENGLAND??? miss ma’am u better get the best seats with all that hard work ur gonna out towards ur job 🔫

Now this is a hate crime against me, I had to sit through Paradgim live (sorry besties, that song is bad, I can't defend it) and Limitless (it's just Flavourless lol) just for them to perform my two fave JP songs Dreamers and Still Here a few days later?! Idk who to blame for this, but 🔪🔪🔪🔪 https://twitter.com/NotBonkyP/status/1656626038061891590?t=WFgUCMDftnUun6ctl2B-Eg&s=19 /// Omg do you know this webtoon?! I'm not up to date with it, but Gikwang? And Park Min Young 👀 https://mydramalist.com/article/highlight-s-lee-gi-kwang-to-return-as-an-actor-in-marry-my-husband

no bc you’re right 😭😭 with all of it 😭😭 im hoping they have a good cb musically, like as in, forget the fucking lore, get a good producer and not make music that follows ur lore for once 😭😭 (im sorry bc it’s making me mad bc i keep seeing the lore being inserted into everything vvv aggressively, i just want good music 😭😭)

need ateez to do songs like promise again, bring back promise !!!!!! utopia !!!!! type of songs,,, baby you are (like just lesser noise 😭) or i can’t stand the rain superm??? like make mingi’s deep voice sing!!!! tinnitus or shadow svt,,, or big bang’s fxxk it???

WAIT THAT WEBTOON????? FUCKIGNWJDKQJODA THAT LOOKS SO GOOD STOP but that webtoon yikes tho lots of cheating,,, kind of makes me mad this webtoon even exists FHWJDHWK it’s quite similar to perfect revenge marriage,,, i prefer that one than the other one bc the other one’s annoying as hell,,, BUT YOONA AND LEE JUNHO’S NEW DRAMAAAA

and miss krystal jung making her cannes debut tomorrow iM SO EXCITED SHE BETTER WEAR THE BEST DRESS W THAT RALPH LAUREN AMBASSADORSHIP !!!!!!! this would actually kill me

God that model Hwa account is doing the most in the best way possible, admin ily! Like they're so right! Okay, listen to me, Ten is a YSL boy and he came to Bangkok for a YSL pop up event and I saw him 😳 (Mark Tuan was there too) felt really ugly in his presence, lmao. At least I was taller than him 😭 but imagine Seonghwa at that event as well 🤧 I bought a new bottle of Black Opium thinking about him

THEY REALLY ARE DOING THE MOST IF KQ ISNT THEY ARE! if he gets an ambassadorship ship at ysl’s i predicted it FIRST I NEED HIS AU TO COME IN LIFE FBSNDHSN,,, YOU SAW TEN AND MARK FUCKING TUAN???? AND UR TALLER??? manhandle him

omg ok does the black opium actually have a good smell 😭😭 is it strong? rbwnfkd

This Hwa https://twitter.com/modelhwapics/status/1657398403024691201?t=DFCCMRAJX5SWXbAZzjn0Xw&s=19 and this Ten https://twitter.com/goKPOP/status/1634540503495753730?t=KZxlBqqJUqjAlPaKKLNCUg&s=19 😭😭😭😭 in conclusion Seonghwa should come to the YSL event with Ten 😭

NO LITERALLY SEONGHWA IS THE PERSONIFICATION OF YSL FBWMDHS WE NEED HIM THERE!!! SOMEWHERE!!! and if we get a rosé x hwa photoshoot,, would actually cry <3

Sorry, gotta be a hater, but this https://twitter.com/ATEEZofficial/status/1657581504896049152?t=uRu2NNSZki2gOjjeUkOf5A&s=19 is lowkey ugly not to mention unreadable, definitely giving graphic design is my passion. And we'll never get a summer cb again, huh.... :( the title track title jajssjsajaajaja giving NCT?! And the poster is giving Xikers, lol

everything here is so true 😭😭

NEED NEW MUSIC PLS the xikers song w shanty shanty is a whole bollywood song im iNTO IT

And yeah the concept pics and trailers, Hwa looks great, because he's photogenic as hell, he's a model! but I need them to retire the racing jackets and gloves, ENOUGH. And only HJ and MG are in a cowboy attire (retire cowboys too tbh, but if you're gonna do it, do it properly, commit!) https://twitter.com/no8signal/status/1654016472501587968?t=Q13ISE3940i0qZDTQKO8_Q&s=19 NOT AYO GRATATATA PLS YOU'RE NOT 127 USE YOUR WORDS I'M BEGGING 😭 it didn't register to me at the concert, because I was on my phone calling a friend, but I just remembered the snippet and hmmmm... idk. Sounds like this album will be similar to their previous one and it's not my fave, so I'm sad 😭 Me at biker Hwa: Baby boy you can't drive, but you sure look hot

the filming and all of it is great! the cinematography and storyline is very heist like,,, i like the rap sounding of dune so far!! UR RIGHT RETIRE THE JACKETS PLS HRKWJDKW GRA TA TA TA GFWKDHWK WE’RE EITHER GONNA GET SOMETHING SO GOOD OR A STRAIGHT STICKER 😭😭😭 yeah it def sounds like a continuation of the last album,,, he really be doing the most w that bike,,, smirking and all too hUH THE AUDACITY AND HES WEARING GRILLS????? WHAT THE FUCKCJCK

And if TOLO is like Ghost then (it won't be, but...😳) There's a possibility I'll dislike it, but one thing about TY is he's gonna serve. Cannot fucking stand 2 Baddies or Sticker, but he did the most in the MV! And the teaser is cool, literally told us nothing about the concept and he's right he can be anything!

IF IT IS THEN 👁👁 there is a big possibility ur right 😭😭 he will forever serve,, he’s born to serve, the teaser photos are so??? FOAMING AT MOUTH and… 😭😭😭 LMFAOOO they described it so well tho

Aespa and Idle served 00s teen dramas, not really into the songs, but I like the vibes! Speaking of, I unfortunately do not like Unforgiven which is a shame, BUT FIRE IN THE BELLY IS A WORLD CUP SONG THE OLE OLE?!

THEY REALLY DIDDDD!!!! the queen card having the chicks movie references but the lyrics have me tbwnfbdjkck unforgiven is not it for me too and 😭😭😭😭 it sounds extremely odd,,, FIRE IN BELLY IS LIKE SHAKIRA SINGING I DARE U WITH A JENNIFER LOPEZ SINGING THE 2014 WC ONE

PLS I LOVE A MAN WHO CAN'T HANDLE HIS LIQUOR HE'S SO CUTE Hwa 🤝 Taeyong https://twitter.com/hwalilac/status/1658796599492108289?t=df0kN-SetboKgRwATb51Nw&s=19 Leave him and his lightweight head alone https://twitter.com/nobodylikehwa/status/1658794890300465153?t=hDNoDdiDWtUjGvy-rEIR4w&s=19

DO U THINK HE GETS THAT BLUSH ON HIS CHEEKS WHEN HE GETS TOO DRUNK FBWNDHSJ 😭😭😭

Okay Taennie comeback in Paris?! Lowkey forgot about them, but I guess they're going strong? They're like modern Romeo and Juliet skjsjsjajasjjsa their fandoms couldn't hate each other more, they're both members of the most popular groups, very hot individuals and they thought "you know what? Let's date" and I respect it! But not Armchairs saying they're cosplayers I'm wheezing 😭😭😭😭 and V x Lisa together at an event again huhuhu

taennie at paris and at cannes 😭😭😭 ngl me too,, good for them but it’s kinda dry fbwndhsk but the fans are so hilarious 😭😭 cosplaying FBWKDHWK ABSOLUTELY MAD 😭😭 but so funny some of these memes are gold fbsndbn,, i saw ppl say they were calling v a musty white old man w a flat ass before the hd pictures dropped 😭😭 APOLOGIZE TO HIM FNMWBDKSHSK

a whole wattpad charade

KQ and yet another fucking NFT and useless collab I'M SO TIRED OF THIS COMPANY https://twitter.com/ACRZ_Official/status/1659469042284118019?t=7w3bahQXN0IFos911xJWvw&s=19

He wants us to off ourselves wtffff https://twitter.com/hwalilac/status/1659569236312981506?t=6FOWWvpUQkon6tFK5plJcQ&s=19

i keep seeing them promote it as if nothing happened like what happened to capitalism,,, to the world 😭😭😭 offing as we speak,,, I THOUGHT FANSITES WERE SIGN AND ALL??? THEY OUT HERE LETTING THEM SMELL FROM THEIR WRIST??? me when

If SM has 2 haters left it won't be you and I Baek, it will be Xiaodery, lmao. The amount of times they talked shit ajsjajbsbahahaha I imagine their manager in the front being like: 😶😶😶😶 WayV freedom when https://twitter.com/smoldejuns/status/1659872687727206401?t=BuCGuDJFKpW33HHLAy2-WA&s=19 /// My godddddd Hyunjin x Dua reunion and same Donatella ajsajhsbsjshajwn https://twitter.com/cornhingle/status/1661100011210276865?t=nOnphOuNrzUyCctak9CAbg&s=19

LMFAOOOO I SAW THIS FBWNDHS THEY REALLY HATE SM, AS THEY SHOULD and now esp bc they kicked shotaro and sungchan out for a new group 😭😭😭 sm on everyone’s last straw, even by their own employees dbsndbsj YESSS MAAAM THE HYUNJIN X DUAAA >>>>> i wish he put something from the collection like some track suit from it bc the collection is actually the movie barbie,, dua’s mind > & aespa’s cannes??? ig accounts??? in their slay era ,, lisa tae w naomi & chanel fucking w their dressing choices + the idol 😳😳😳 this look on jennie >> she’s so stunning + can’t wait for krystal!!! need a replica of this actually

Troye?!?! Stand up, damn https://twitter.com/skzwrld0325/status/1661071948573466627?t=r5ITNthZf2Hs19G9623x_w&s=19 //// Alright that's enough from me jsjajsjahahsshaha, how are things? - DV 💖

LMFAOOOO TROYE PICK YOURSELF UP!!! have been going thru it w the weather 😅😅 a massive heat wave was here last week and then two days later it’s freezing cold, raining 😭😭😭 and then it’s cold inside w freezing wind and then u go outside it’s BURNING HOT W GREY CLOUDS????

NOW WHY

👁

BEYONCÉ UNNIE 😭😭😭

and how is london? blue im assuming ☺️ or is it 4-0? ☺️ also the vini jr thing w the valencia fans + njr to man utd??? 😭😭 LMFAOOO GOOD LUCK FHWKFHWK also here’s charles leclerc falling

[dilemmaontwolegs]

The Devil is in the Details

Dream of the Endless/Morpheus x f!demon!reader

Summary: When you are given a contract against the King of Dreams you knew what was expected of you. Unfortunately, you are a demon - an old one at that, so they should expect the unexpected. Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, smut, oral (fem receiving), unprotected sex (piv), bisexual reader, choking WC: 3820

This is the first instalment of works in The Anthology of Asmodeus' Heir. Part One: The Devil is in the Details Part Two: Lightbringer's Champion Part Three: A Demon’s Work Is Never Done Part Four: Rise of the Fallen Part Five: Queen of the Damned

Sickly sweet tendrils of smoke reached for the dark ceiling of the opium den, a headache already forming from inhaling as you stalked through the room. Dozens of flames flickered from twisted candelabras that cast shadows into the small booths filled with glassy-eyed customers. Limbs hung lazily over the stained velvet pillows, fingers twitching towards the pipe that would send them to another world.

Hidden in the very last booth where the smoke was strongest you found him, Abaddon. 

Crossing your arms and resting your hip against the booth, you gave a small kick to the demon’s chair. “Care to explain why I had to come to this cesspit and meet with your sorry ass?”

A slow grin split his face, a ghoulish baring of teeth before he sealed his lips around the pipe and inhaled deeply. “Take a seat, I have a contract for you.”

“I’d rather stand.” You didn’t try to hide the disgust as he let the smoke tumble from his lips and drew it up his nostrils. 

If he was offended he didn’t show it. Instead, he cosied down into the plush pillows and tucked his hands behind his head, the blood red robe he wore falling open across his chest. It was a power play, to show you that he held no fear for you, a game you were well adept at playing. 

“What is the contract?” you asked, wishing to hurry up and be back above ground where the air was fresh from the dizzying opiates. 

“It came straight from the boss,” Abaddon drawled, the high of the opium flushing across his skin until he felt the need to shuck the robe completely. “Old Lucifer’s finally decided it’s time to put Dream of the Endless back in his place.”

“Please,” you said with a snort at both the statement and the body he had bared by discarding the robe, “Lucifer is just pissed he bested her on her own soil. She will get over it.”

“Lord Azazel and the Dukes of Hell have united for the cause, something she does not take lightly.” Abaddon’s eyes sharpened on your face, enjoying the slight shock that rippled over your before you could conceal it. “She calls on you, the Lightbringer’s Champion, to bring Dream to his knees.”

A smirk grew on your face at the challenge and a small laugh bubbled from your parted lips. “Tell my sweet Morningstar that I accept.”

You turned on your heel and swept across the splintered floorboards and out of the den without a farewell or even a glance over your shoulder. Your mind was set on the contract and just how much you were going to enjoy fulfilling it. 

“How the fuck did you get out so quick?” Johanna spat as she opened the door to her apartment. You looked over her shoulder at the mess strewn on her floor and cocked an eyebrow. “I was looking for something. Keep the judgemental eyes to yourself demon-bitch, before you find yourself without them.”

You grinned at the endearment and pushed off the wall you had been leaning across, waiting for her to answer. “You know you wouldn’t have to look for things if you actually organised yourself a little better, love.”

“I don’t need another lecture, thank you very much,” the necromancer huffed, burying her hands in her pockets and taking a step back. 

You crossed the threshold and shivered at the wards she had inscribed beneath the Welcome Home doormat. “Trying to trap me again? I’ll try not to be too offended.”

Johanna waved you off with an eye roll and crossed the room to the liquor cabinet that was always fully stocked. “If you are weak enough to be caught in that spell, that’s your problem not mine. To what do I owe this displeasure?”

“Come now, darling, you love my visits,” you teased, accepting the glass of whiskey as you draped yourself over the small clear space on her couch. “Your namesake loved them too. Oh, you should have seen the fun we had.”

“You never did say why she started hunting demons,” Johanna probed as she pushed a pile of clothes to the floor so there was room for her to tuck her legs up when she cosied up alongside you. 

You ignored her narrowing eyes as you swirled the amber liquid around the crystal tumbler. “No. I didn’t. Put it down to a bad case of the blues.”

“You broke her heart.” She stated coolly. 

You tipped your head back with a laugh. “I break everyone’s heart, I am a demon.”

Johanna sighed and took a gulp of her drink, igniting the burn of the alcohol with a deep breath. “Why did you come here?”

“Have you seen Dream of the Endless recently?”

Her eyes flickered to her office and you swiftly rose from the couch to duck inside the even messier space. Your nostrils caught his scent lingering in the small room but it wasn’t fresh, at least a week old. 

“What do you want with Morpheus?” Johanna asked from the doorway, her body language deceivingly relaxed considering the concern her voice held. 

“Morpheus? How quaint to be on a first name basis with the King of Dreams.” The words were bitter on your tongue as you brushed past the necromancer. “I very rarely give warnings, Constantine, but steer clear of your friend if you don’t want your already short mortal life to become even shorter.”

“Is that a threat?” Johanna asked as she rolled her shoulders in anticipation. “Because I have no problem sending you right back to hell where you belong, bitch.”

Flames flickered in your eyes as your power began to burn to the surface, the air thickening as it drew closer. “There is a war coming that is long overdue, and he will not win. I don’t want to see you die, Johanna.”

“It almost sounds like you care,” she said with a scoff and turned her back on you, pointing to the door as she wandered further into her apartment. “Just fuck off.”

“She broke me first,” you whispered, her spine stiffening for a moment before she continued on her way. You slipped out the front door, shutting it silently behind you before putting your own wards across the door. She may banish you back to hell at least once a year but you cared for her, as much as a demon supposedly could. 

With Dream’s scent catalogued in your memory, you took to the dark and dreary London streets. There was nothing to be done until you picked up a fresh trail to track so you walked all night and let the rain wash away the memories that had wormed their way to the surface. Memories of Lady Johanna Constantine and the nights spent in Fawney Rig.

It took two months before you caught the scent of the elusive Lord of Dreams, but you wouldn’t call the time wandering the Waking a complete waste. There seemed to be more mortals willing to barter their souls than ever before, and your calendar was suddenly full of collection dates - in ten years time. It would pass in the blink of an eye for you. 

Dream’s scent had become a fixation, you had spent long nights dissecting it, studying the layers and notes that made it complete. You had determined it was unlike any other scent you had tracked. There was a musk that reminded you of an ancient book in a long forgotten library but also a floral hint of a blossoming flower bud, contradicting old and new. Then there was the deep richness that could only be found in the heart of the mountains, a purely masculine scent that one could almost bathe in. 

Now you were tracking that scent in Covent Garden, through the markets that were bustling with shoppers and past the buskers singing for loose change. A string of curses built on your tongue as a pungent waft of garlic from a gyros stand left your nostrils numb, Dream’s scent lost with it.

“Give me a fucking break,” you complained as you fought the urge to stomp your foot and send a flame into the stall that had disrupted your hunt. You knew it was no act of God that blew a gust a wind through the market, he would never give a demon assistance, but something or someone was on your side. A fresh hit of that delectable scent slapped you in the face and you shivered in anticipation of the renewed hunt.

It appeared Dream had no direction as you traced his steps out of the market and to the River Thames. The crowd thinned as you reached the river's edge and found him staring out across the water, his forearms resting on the railing. Utterly alone.

You had to give him credit where it was due, he didn’t even flinch as you mirrored his pose. “Hello, Majesty. Shouldn’t you have your raven?” 

“Sometimes I do things I shouldn’t,” he replied quietly, breaking away from staring at the murky water to glance at you. “You are brave to spend your time in this city, or stupid. There’s a rather dangerous occultist that doesn't take kindly to demons roaming her streets.”

“How do you think I found you?” you snickered, his eyebrows pinching in concern but not enough to question her wellbeing. “You really should mask your scent, Morpheus. You never know what malevolent beings might stumble upon it.”

“Is that what you are? Malevolent?” There was no fear in his deep, soothing voice, just curiosity and mild boredom.

You shrugged and looked down the river to the bright lights of the London Eye. “I am what I am.” 

“But you dream of being something more.”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

When he turned, it took a lot of effort to stop yourself from taking a step back. His presence was a being unto itself, making him larger than just his physical body alone as it towered over you. His irises were almost iridescent in the fading light and his stare felt perverse, as if he were burrowing into the hellfire core where a soul should have been. 

“Not demons.”

“That’s very small minded of you, Dream,” you tutted. “I thought you of all people would understand how much time can change a person.”

“You are not a person, you are a demon. You can walk this plane in a beautiful, stolen skin but it does not change what you are.”

Your lips curled up into a dark smile as you reached out and ran your hand slowly up his arm. “You think I’m beautiful.” 

Your hand came to rest at the hollow of his throat and his body stilled as he waited for the attack that was sure to come. You should have, could have ended it in that moment but his fearlessness intrigued you - it was what had drawn you to Lady Johanna Constintine and then her great-great-great-great granddaughter. Instead, you went against your nature and ignored the burning letters of the contract written on your skin as you let your flames flare in your eyes.

His eyebrows rose ever so slightly and his lips parted with a silent question.

“No mortal body could contain me, and you don’t know nearly as much about demons as you like to think you do.” You dropped your hand to your side as a raven landed on the railing between you and barked a laugh at the sight. “Sweet Matthew, I wondered what happened to you. What a clever little bird you are, escaping my collection.”

The raven bowed his head before hopping along the rail closer to Dream. “I leave you for five minutes and this is what happens. What does Asmodeus’ heir want with you?”

You fought the urge to curl your lip back at the title. Ruling a domain in hell was a prison sentence for you, trapped in Lucifer’s realm to keep the lackeys in line. It was a future where you would do anything to escape, especially when Asmodeus’ line fed on lust. There was nothing attractive about the demons that resided in Hell, you would starve. 

“I have a contract.” The raven swooped at your face with a flurry of feathers and claws but a burst of flame from your hand sent him reeling back to hide behind Dream. “You never had this much nobility when you were mortal, Matthew. Don’t you think if I wanted Dream dead he would already be drifting on the ether?”

“She could have killed me a dozen times over,” Dream said to the raven as he let him perch on his shoulder. “I am still trying to understand why she hasn’t.”

“You’ll give yourself an aneurysm trying to understand me,” you chuckled, poking the hard planes of his chest through his shirt. “Perhaps I have spent too long with the rabble and grown a conscience.”

“She dreams of being more,” Dream said to Matthew, his beak opening in a way that was reminiscent of how his jaw had dropped when you had first appeared to him over ten years ago.

“I dream of freedom,” you corrected, “something you can give me, Dream.”

“If you don’t complete the contract another will be sent in your place. Why should I give you anything?”

“Well, you do think I am beautiful.” You teased him with a wink. “And, the fool who gave me the contract was very loose with his wording. I have no intention of letting the contract lapse but I also don’t want to see you dead.”

“Why not?” 

Matthew was still gaping as he swivelled his head to his Lord. His beady eyes were wider than you thought possible and you could see his little brain wondering if the King of Dreams had a death wish. 

“The century with you imprisoned was absolutely shit for my sleep, why the fuck would I want to live an eternity like that?” 

“So selfless.” Dream drawled sarcastically before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a leather pouch. “This conversation is better continued in private.”

“You can’t surely mean to bring a lust demon to The Dreaming, Lord?”

You waved the bird from Dream’s shoulder before hooking your arm in his with a grin he almost seemed tempted to reciprocate. “I’ll only bite if you ask me nicely.”

You swore a small, dark chuckle warmed the air as he blew a handful of sand into the street, before his hand came to rest on yours and the world disappeared.

Cramps wracked your body and threatened to send you to your knees as you roamed the empty halls of the palace. The hunger was torturous and never ending. Without Morpheus you hadn’t been able to walk through lust-filled dreams and feed, and you had no idea when he would return. 

Last week you had been bathing in the revellers of a sex club in Soho, drunk from the heady pheromones you had inhaled. Now you were starving to taste just a kiss. 

Another wave of pain left you stumbling and the ground welcomed you as a shadow glided across the stone. 

A warm richness enveloped you as your head swayed and the walls blurred. “Dream?”

His arms cradled you gently as he lifted you from the cold floor and the sound of his heart beating thumped against your head that came to rest over it. “You should have called for me.” 

“I’m not a heartsick mortal,” you growled weakly. “I would rather starve than abase myself.”

“Stubborn demon.”

You could feel his eyes on you as he navigated the halls and a flicker of decadence teased your power until your stomach grumbled in response. Peeking out, you expended some reserves of energy to tip your head back and found Dream indeed staring at you.

That sweet taste filled your senses again, growing stronger with each moment he memorised your features. 

“Either you have a kink for being a saviour or you have been learning to mask your scent.”

His deep laugh grew with the taste of his lust and your eyes fluttered shut as you breathed it in. “Why can’t it be both?”

Your strength was returning as he passed through an arch, large doors slamming shut behind him so you were smothered in his essence. The air was thick with his power and you gasped as a surge of your own ignited against it, his room, his sanctuary. 

Unable to resist the offering, you reached for him, savage in your need that was rivalled by his. Your hand grasped his nape and pulled him closer until his breath warmed your lips and he closed the distance.

The kiss was a fight for dominance, a taste of what was to come, and you yielded to his touch as he backed you to the wall. Your body was hot and cold, fire and ice, as the cool stone bit at your back and his body heat licked at your front. 

Dream moaned as you grazed your teeth over his rapid pulse, “What is this spell…” 

“I have no need of spells,” you promised as you tipped your head back with a soft cry, his fingers dancing across your skin, up beneath your shirt.

“That, I believe,” he murmured, tugging your shirt over your head and stepping back to drink in the sight before him, the words of the contract still burned into your skin. “So beautiful.”

“No more talking,” you said as you stepped closer, inching him back to the canopy bed that was waiting. “I could waste away listening to you say that.”

The back of his knees hit the edge of the sheets and he caught your waist with a small smirk that took delight in your words. 

One second you were standing, the next he had turned and tossed you on your back among the silken sheets. Your lips parted to unleash your thoughts but they were stolen by the weight of his body above yours and his tongue leaving you witless. Those full pink lips of his left scorching heat in his wake as he kissed the thrumming pulse at your neck, across the hollow of your neck and between the swell of your breasts. 

“Morpheus,” you moaned as his tongue flicked your nipple and sent your back arching off the bed in response. Your fingers laced into his hair and held him there, willing him to do it again. His chuckle was barely audible but you felt the vibrations of it through every bone in your body and when he sealed his lips around the supple skin and his tongue swirled you saw stars. “Oh, hell.”

You could have come from that alone, especially when his thumb and forefinger teased the other nipple in time to his tongue. He had you panting for more. 

Maybe you had said that aloud because he broke away from your flesh with eyes sparkling like a million stars and reached for your pants. The taste of his kiss lingered on your tongue but it was his lust that you swallowed down, drinking your fill as he discarded the last piece of material that covered your body. 

He drew in a ragged breath and his hands shook as he touched you. His fingertips teased your skin as he brushed them over your ankles, along the line of your shin and circling your knees before he grabbed your thighs and pulled you down the bed. He pulled you right to the edge and stood tall between your spread legs, baring every inch of you to him - unafraid. 

“You are far too clothed for what I had in mind.”

His smirk grew and his thumbs caressed little circles against your inner thigh, each circle bringing him closer to where you needed his touch most. “Patience is a virtue.”

“Not to a demon,” you reminded him as a knuckle lightly passed over your sex and a hiss of air pulled through your teeth. 

You could see the length of his cock straining against his pants but he seemed oblivious to it as he toyed with you, basking in the sounds he could elicit with the smallest of touches. 

“You want your release, then take it,” he ordered as he ran two fingers through your folds, the evidence of your readiness slick on them before he curled them inside your core and stopped. “Take it.” 

You rolled your hips and moaned as it pressed his palm to your clit. Those eyes of his seemed to glow brighter as you rolled your hips against and palmed your breasts, taking your pleasure from him.

Your wanton cries filled the room as your core tightened around his fingers but before you could combust he pulled his hand away and dropped to his knees. His lips sealed over your clit and you screamed as he sucked the sensitive nub, tipping you over the knife's edge and into an orgasm that set the room on fire. Your power exploded as the well that had been empty was refilled and then overflowed. 

The contract written across your skin flared and dissolved as it was fulfilled, exhaustion of a different kind setting in as you lay amid the ash that fell like snowflakes.

Dream rose from the floor, his lips glistening, and quirked an eyebrow at the destruction of his room but with a wave of his hand the lingering flames were doused and the room was back as it was. With the distraction of the mess gone he immediately noticed the contract missing from your skin and knelt over you to trace his fingers over the empty space. 

“Abaddon really should have been more specific when he placed the contract on Lucifer’s behalf.” You laughed, imagining the fit the demon would throw when he realised Dream was still alive but the contract had been completed. “Bring him to his knees has a very different connotation to a lust demon.”

Smouldering eyes met yours as he cupped your face, a devilish smile playing at his lips. “You are one clever demon.”

Pride swelled in your chest and you bit your lip at the feel of him pressed between your legs. “And you are one overdressed lord.” 

He rolled onto his back, pulling you with him and as you rose above you found the cloak and every other scrap of clothing gone. His eyes were a sparkling abyss you were happy to get lost in as you lowered yourself upon him, gasping at the delicious burn of your body stretching to accommodate him, moaning at his fullness when your skin was flush with his. 

“Go on,” he dared as he cupped your breasts and pinched the hard peaks of your nipples, “take what you want. Feast.”

Rising to his challenge, you rolled your hips and took his pleasure, his lust. You took it all, over and over.

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