#and then of course myra being amazing

[fungi-maestro]

The Question #4 (1987)

[welcometothevale]

so you like knives?

continuing a thread with @godzexperiment

She’d been on a hunt, just like any other night. Only, this one was incredibly uneventful and pretty boring. No, annoying. Her sensitive ears and eyes were in hell right now, but places like this were places vampires often frequented for obvious reasons. Lots of drunk, horny people ready to follow anyone out of the bar if they’re hot enough. Myra didn’t drink, not often anyway, and she especially didn’t have alcohol or any other drugs on a hunt. However, when she saw some poor sap being dragged through the entrance—the door frame outlined in flashing light blue lights, ugh—by a very enthusiastic person, who was obviously his date. 

Taking pity on the guy, the dhampyr pushed off from her leaning position on a wall that positioned her to be able to see every exit and the bathrooms, which was a gift really. Not all clubs had a lay out where that was possible. Shoving her hands into her already wild mane of nearly black curls and mussed it up even more. If she was going to do something, it was going to be believable. If she worse make up she would’ve smudged it, but alligator tears would have to do. The only thing she hoped neither paid attention to—due to her amazing performance, of course—the weapons she had stashed on her body. Though, the blade strapped to her thigh, one horizontal on her lower back, and the black hand gun on a shoulder holster that peaked out from under the thin black jacket she wore for the sole purpose of hiding more weapons on herself. And there was a slight chill outside. 

Myra had many more weapons on her body; those were hidden more expertly. Had to have a few extras for emergencies, right? 

[ciel-phantomhives-world]

My Rants about the 90s TV show Family Matters

I've recently just watched the entire sitcom "Family Matters" & I'm amazed (in a bad way) that when many of us, including myself, absolutely hate Laura, we r immediately referred to as "Myra Stans", but no honey. I haven't seen that many people talk about Laura's BS as much as they love to talk about Myra's red flags and now i just want to get it out of my chest.

I'm by no means what you would call a "Myra Stan" but i hate Laura from the bottom of my heart. Let me tell the reasons why. Many r too blind to see that this biatch is getting away by cheating on Stefan several times. When was cheating ok? And her excuse, u ask? Well, she said that she's confused and got feelings for both Stefan and Steve but is that a good reason to cheat? Absolutely effing not! There's never a good excuse for cheating and leading someone on. She's as horrible as her cheating brother. I thought she was a "goody two shoes", just like her dumb friends turn her out to be, at the beginning, that is. But all that changed, ever since i saw her begging Steve to be Stefan, as far as to ruin his transformation chamber, intentionally, so that Stefan could stay forever. She's shallow, conceited, selfish, fake victim and a gold digger. Why you ask she's a gold digger? Well, she once made a certain comment about how she would marry a guy who would buy her expensive jewelries.

Anyways, this show is my favorite and i admire the good lessons, humors, accepting yourself and loving urself as u r, wholesomeness but many things tried to sabotage this show a lot. I care about this show enough to actually criticize it . 🙂

Some examples include:

1) Harriet being played by a different actress right near the end of the series (believe me, it was so uncomfortable and weird for me to watch Carl kiss and hug a different woman that doesn't even look like harriet at all, even Reginald, Carl's actor, admitted that he felt weird and divorced),

2) then the writers actually took us, the audience, as a total fool, for thinking that we wouldn't notice that Judy disappeared (first, u bring one judy and then replace her with a different actress right after the first episode, but still that was fine by me, since it was only 1 pilot episode and we didn't get attached to that actress like Harriet or anything),

3) then you make richie be a toddler all of a sudden right after season 1 (which feels ridiculous). I know babies feel boring for the show but y bring a baby in the first place then.

4) then u show us Rachel being with one man for one episode and feeling guilty about dating ever since her husband died but again, like any typical sitcom, u make her date multiple guys from time to time without giving any logical explanation as to y did she break up with the first guy or the second, third, fourth and so on (Rachel did seem to have some chemistry with some of those guys too but every one of those guys appeared for only 1 episode ).

5) Next, you make Harriet's long lost dad appear for 1 episode and that's just it. Nobody ever felt the need to introduce him to the whole family or something, of course (and the show is supposed to be showing that family matters 🤦🏻‍♀️).

6) Eventually, u made everybody disappear (although Rachel and grandma appeared occasionally) and bring an annoying boring ass wannabe kid called 3J. Oh for the love of god, please 🙄😒. U removed judy, fired her because u couldn't have given her any sort of significant role and u thought that three's a crowd but yet u managed to add another male kid? It seems sexist to me, honestly, cuz apparently, all i saw was those stereotypical girls (Laura, Maxine )who r boy crazies, would be fine sucking any boy's lips, Maxine being that typical sitcom sidekick friend of the main character, having an obsessive stalker like myra and other than that, u had no idea of how to write that many female teens. It was either because u were stereotyping female teen characters or you were ignorant and lazy or u just didn't like judy at all to give her a different, non boy crazy role. On the contrary, look at how they made many male teen characters, there r a variety like Waldo (being a doofus yet skilled), Weasel, Eddie (being self centered, flirtatious and stupid), Steve (a nerd scientist) and so many more.

7) Also, they never gave any proper explanation as to y did Rachel left her son and went away, or y did Judy disappear (in my opinion, it would have been amazing if judy was kidnapped in s4 for being a cop's daughter and it was a real tragedy for the winslows but in S9, carl manages to finally find her and that would have been a way more amazing way to end the final season rather than that trash getting proposed by 2 guys). You never even seemed to give a proper excuse as to y did Waldo disappear. Ur just too good at making characters vanish from time to time. And yes, I absolutely despise 3j. He had no purpose in being there. It was stupid and annoying.

8) Did I forget to mention that how you ruined Steve character? And no, it's not because Steve became the main character but because of how he treated Myra. Hear me out. He did say at the beginning that if that "thing" ever feels the same way about him, then he's gonna ditch Myra, right at that moment. But, what type of a selfish, cold hearted absurd offer is that? It's like ur saying that I'm just gonna hang out with u, kiss u up until my crush loves me back cuz I'm lonely but if my crush ever return my feelings then I'm gonna ditch u right there, right then. And yes, Myra was insane enough to agree to that but deep down she thought that she could change his mind, which is not okay as well.

You see, it's not just that "offer" or "condition" that Steve offered but he was a cheater as well. Ugh. He was a cheater because he said that if his crush feels the same way, then he's gonna stop dating Myra right? But Steve was cheating way before his so called crush liked him back and he was already taken by Myra. In the prom, he was kissed by that snob and instead of pushing her away, he actually accepted it (even if that's ur crush kissing u, it was cheating nevertheless). It seemed like the writers had a fetish of putting Laura and Steve into compromising or any sort of situations together while make Myra have almost zero romantic moments with Steve where they r both enjoying each other's companion, mutually. Most of the moments we have from Steve and Myra r where Myra forcefully shoves her face down to Steve's throat, lol.

I could tell this right from season 1, that the writers decided to put Laura and Steve together as a couple no matter what (based on all the situations they were enjoying putting them into). You would have to be a dumbass if u actually got shocked that Laura liked Steve or something cuz certainly although there was no romantic tension between them but the forceful situations that they got themselves into was enough to make that happen.

Anyways, Laura kissed Steve while she was under the influence of love potion, alcohol but did he ever said anything about being taken by Myra or being faithful? Well, no, absolutely effing not. He also got kissed by that french girl but even then he didn't push her away and he literally forgot Myra's name. Ouch. All I'm saying is this series highlights many issues on the surface but has a serious problem of normalizing infidelity.

We r supposed to be believing that Steve is not perfect but has a heart of gold but how can we do such when we have seen him break multiple stuff, and isn't that much sincerely apologetic or anything, for most of the time, then even more importantly, being a cheater. Remember, once Steve was dating another girl, back in season 2, well, what did he do that time? That time, instead of being disloyal, he introduced the girl to some hot guy and then the girl left him. Well that's way more better than the way he treated Myra who was so much into him for himself, his personality, attire and Hobbies. Plus, he was so manipulative cuz everytime he broke something, screwed up, instead of properly apologizing and being humble, he would just use some sad pitiful words with the cute puppy eyes and expect the Winslows to forgive him, everytime and if they (Carl) didn't then he would often challenge Carl to a fight or something. And also, Steve was a hypocrite for being pissed at Myra while he himself stalked the Winslows for so many years, even as far as to go in their bedrooms! (and I'm aware that Myra was a bit more extra, didn't respect his personal boundaries but still, he was a stalker too but it's ok for him to do such since apparently he was a main character. ) Ok, well, enough about Steve.

9) Now, the tramp, Laura. Well, what can I say. I just don't know that what did Steve see in her. She's so basic, manipulative little piece of shit. I don't usually hate characters that much to actually write about my hatred on the internet but gosh she makes me sick. Now she was ok in s1, s2 and I still didn't like her at that time but I also didn't hate her but then I started to hate her ever since the Stefan thing happened. She's pathetic. Her character got ruined as well, thanks to the writers.

You see, I lost my patience when I saw her cheating on Stefan with Curtis while Stefan was working and her telling Harriet that she's not gonna be hurt for being a slut and cheating on 2 guys. Like really? That's the first thing that comes to ur mind? Sorry sis, but ur sick. It would have still been fine if u were a kid but no u were about 18 or 19 years old. Steve went through so much to give u a boy toy but u can't even be faithful to him and then all you can think of when being confronted is that u r not gonna be hurt. Talk about falsely victimizing urself. And the fact that she even said yes to Stefan's proposal at Disney world (that may have happened when she was a teen) but the least u could do is be faithful if ur not gonna actually marry him, duh.

She broke up with Ted cuz he complimented/ flirted with another girl. And that's cheating in her eyes. Well then what was she doing with Curtis, Stefan and Steve? And also why didn't she get the karma of being confronted and y didn't every boy that she ever used just ditch her right at the spot? Talk about hypocrisy and main character pros.

Also, she wasn't just a cheating slut but also a very bad friend. She often treated Maxine like trash even though Maxine treated her so good. Once Maxine warned her about a guy who only dates girls for sex and Maxine, herself, dated that guy, once. Yet that conniving bitch didn't bother to believe her, brushed her aside, made her feel like she's nuts, didn't care about her feelings and then saw it happen right then. I mean, it happened in s2. Imagine how mature Maxine was for that age of not being jealous of ur so called best friend dating ur ex and instead give her advice for her wellbeing. And what does this bitch do as an adult? She fights with Maxine cuz Maxine was dating her ex boy toy, Curtis, ridicules Maxine's ambition of being a beautician. Again, an egoistic hypocrite. Also remember how many times, she told Myra that she's her friend, well, which "friend" makes out with their friend's boyfriend while they are still dating each other? She also assured Myra that she's never gonna have romantic feelings for Steve, but lookie here. Not only did she have feelings but she made Steve break up with Myra. Not defending what Myra did, but her fear of losing Steve and going through extreme measures to make sure that it doesn't happen was really reasonable and understandable, especially when Steve started to live with that bitch and everything. I can't blame Myra for being so insecure cuz guess what, eventually, her fears did come true, unfortunately when she was not even being a psycho (back in the prom) and behind her back. 😢

Laura may have good sides (like the times, she stood up for Steve, being patient with Steve although he was being an obsessive stalker, help Maxine once when she was dating a drug dealer in s9) but it's as the saying goes " everybody has some good traits". So, she may had those good traits but that didn't make her an overall good person. Also about the drug dealing bf, I think the writers were just running out of ideas and that's y they thought of repeating that same type of plot from s2 (where Maxine warns about the guy who dates girls for sex) with boring lame S9 (where Laura warns Maxine about an older dude who sells drugs).

10) now about Eddie Winslow. Well, he, like many other characters didn't have that much of a character development. He was always selfish, shallow, surrounded himself with any random pretty girls, had no sense of loyalty or self awareness whatsoever, always got himself into some big troubles for how much stupid and naive he was, was very easy to manipulate and couldn't make time for his dad, many times, apparently cuz of how much "busy" he was despite being a weak student. I got nothing to say about him except him wanting to be a police officer was so fuckin forced. There was no development for that interest whatsoever. Once, back in s1 or s2, Carl decided to take Eddie with him and show him how police force works or something like that. But he didn't go. It was Steve as usual who went (I also felt like the writers wanted to make Carl be close to Steve than his own freaking THREE kids!). Well that's the only thing we know of Eddie ever being close to be a cop and he wasn't interested at all.

When he said that he didn't know what he wants to do with life, in s9, it felt so relatable for me. I also don't have any goals, am 20 years old, still going to boring college, not performing well as I did back in O levels, and have no friends or anything. So for me, it was a slap in the the face when I saw Eddie suddenly thinking that he's gonna be a cop just by thinking about it for 1 night. And the fact that he just started being a cop and yet got shot immediately cuz apparently the fake Harriet was scared that he might get hurt.

All I'm trying to say is that whenever someone warns someone else about something in this series, it just literally actually happens to them right after a few minutes which makes it boring and very predictable.

11) whatever happened to Rachel's place and Steve and Laura working there? It Was never answered. Whatever happened to lieutenant murtaugh? He was a funny good looking guy, in my eyes. I missed him so bad ever since he left and Weasle. Lieutenant was way better than that boring old captain savage or that other old dude, commissioner. Another thing was, Carl was never developed as a character as well. He was always hot tempered, which is ok but also sexist and it remained that way till s9, like come on. Also what happened to Stefan after he proposed that bitch for the second time? Like where did he go without proper confrontation?

12) Stefan character was so boring. I wish we didn't see him at all or if we did, then we saw him only once and not that many times cuz it took all the amusement of watching a nerd turn into a hot guy. We should also note that Stefan, like any other humans, do have flaws, so saying that he's selfish and that's y whatever that bitch Laura did to him was ok is actually never ok. He deserved someone way better than that trainwreck. Also, remember that Stefan is not a normal human but a clone of Steve, an experiment and so he's supposed to be having way more flaws than a normal person but alas, we saw none of that.

All we know is that he was self centered at first but then Steve fixed him and then he just became a one dimensional character who can only sweet talk people, do cool stunts, recite romantic poems and overall be a lover boy. He could be narcissistic or even be a womanizer and cheat on Laura's back while he was modelling. He could also be workaholic but we barely saw any flaws ever since Steve "fixed" him. He did say though that he's not gonna leave Laura ever again after coming back to her (although it was her who insisted that he pursues his career) from France and being fired from his job but yet he went to Italy. See, I really hate inconsistencies. So, that lie is supposed to be his flaw or was making a simple deal with Myra was his flaw? Who knows. But I definitely am not fond of this character, however, I don't hate him and he certainly didn't deserve all that.

13) Myra didn't deserve that treatment but she wasn't a good girl either. She was infact a psycho and I'm not defending any of these female characters. I only love Harriet, Estelle and Rachel (gotta love Rachel's beautiful voice).

Look, I have to give credit where it is due. So, I give it to the writers for showing us the early red flags that Myra had from the very beginning which eventually led up to the events in s9. But still I feel like things were a bit blown out of proportion or got far fetched.

She did have stalking behavior developing as she got older but we also saw that she was trying to befriend Laura and got stabbed in the back. Laura and Steve kissed multiple times but did she know anything about it. Absolutely no. They never told her anything. Two cheaters flocking together. Steve was kissed by a french girl without his consent but he enjoyed it and accepted it and forgot about Myra. Well, did he ever told that story to myra? Absolutely fuckin not. No wonder she went psycho and put a cam on his glasses. Her sudden extreme personality seemed like an exaggeration, even more, since she started to trust Steve and be a bit more less of a stalker ever since that nude art incident. But yeah, that girl got no self respect since she accepted the condition for dating Steve even though she was obviously not ok with it. I would have loved it if at the end Myra and Stefan dated each other or something.

14) last but not least, this series highlights many important issues like drinking, drugs, gang, gambling, racial issues, coercion, peer pressure and so many other stuff but it also portrayed many harmful stuff in a positive way.

For starters, one of them being, you stalking ur crush and helping them would mean that even if it takes years, still they r gonna fall for you. That's a very harmful message. In reality, most of the time, nobody's crush r gonna return their feelings. You trying too hard to impress them, be on their best side is either going to end up with you being used and taken advantage of and being hurt or you being miserable since ur crush barely know that u even exist and r in love with someone else.

I would have loved it if this happened: if Steve was just single at the end of the series. He dumps Myra for being obsessive psycho and maybe that other bitch Laura may come back crawling to Steve but by that time, Steve had already moved on. He was happy being single and he wants nothing to do with Myra and just be friends with Laura. Nothing more than that. Steve realizes that he's too good to love and take someone who rejected him for years and only came back because they got no better boy toy. Steve realizes his worth, he self improves himself not for being more desirable by women but just for himself. He also never cheated on any women he dated, which was mostly one woman and that's Myra. I've seen many say that Myra should have Steve since she accepts him as his true self but she also didn't allow him to breathe, so I don't think accepting someone for themselves is everything that matters.

Another thing I hated and didn't find funny at all was how Steve's parents treated him. We don't see them, again a common thing that happens to certain characters in any sitcoms, but they did abuse him, left him all alone and then we hear a stupid laughing track everytime he mentions something awful that his parents did to him.

All in all, I really loved Steve, at least at the beginning but after seeing him being disloyal but not held accountable in any form, I don't know anymore. I wanted to love him. He's too funny and cute but writers destroyed him and made him whiny and annoying. I hate the writers so much for these drastic changes and decisions. The ratings decreased for a reason. It was their lazy ass's faults. Not jaleel white's or any other actors' fault for that Matter. Jaleel white pulled out so many characters in 1 series and made it seem effortless. I love that guy. He's super talented and I love Jo Marie's sassiness and that savage strong voice. All the actors and actresses did a wonderful job. But not the producers, writers, studios, whatever. I blame them for creating tension between jaleel and other cast mates and the declination of the plot. I, myself came up with Many interesting things that they could do for s9, so obviously they could as well, if not better but they didn't care enough to do such. They really didn't seem to give a fuck about the audience anyways. Since they were ignorant, they could simply stop and end the series while it was still in it's prime like end it after s6 or s7. Anyhow, I just felt like ranting cuz I love this series (at least the first 8 seasons) but not that many characters in it and mainly because I hate inconsistencies and all.

[asexualasshat]

My thought is way less thought out than yours but I’ve gotta get some rambling thoughts out.

I wonder if this was something that IT deliberately timed. I want to say that that timing would line up very well with when Sonia died. Her death was a loss of control for IT. Myra helped, but the loss of his actual mother’s influence allowed him to start scratching at the surface of a realization. Once the shock of her death was over, he’d start experiencing actual life without her looming over him.

We know that Eddie was likely incredibly healthy for the majority of his life. Of course, he doesn’t know that. He doesn’t remember his childhood so when mommy tells him that he was terribly ill, of course he believes her. But now that she isn’t there to remind him everyday, he’ll stop thinking of it as much. And without that, despite Myra’s effort, he’s feeling pretty okay.

That’s not good for IT.

So Eddie needs to be less okay. And what’s a very easy and common thing to happen overtime? A slight decrease in vision. It’s amazing amunition. Because Myra can be like “remember last month when I warned you about being outside without sunglasses?” And “you know I read that vision loss can be an early sign of diabetes. We need to watch your sugar intake.” And maybe even “your mom always said that you sat too close to the tv. You should have listened to her, she was a smart woman.” So Eddie is right back in DEEP.

Myra now has the same level of hold over him as his mother. It doesn’t matter that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it, but every time he looks at himself in the mirror, he knows that he is unwell. So mommy’s voice will ever ring in his ears

it miniseries eddie wearing glasses is SO FUCKED UP because he's so cute but like. think about it. really think about eddie kaspbrak, age 32, and he's watching TV or reading the newspaper and the letters are a little blurry, why are they blurry? why the fuck are they blurry? and it just keeps getting worse, he can't read the menu at the coffee shop, he can't read the park signs on his morning jog, he can't see the details on the painting in the living room. but it's just stress its gotta be just stress because he can't be going blind, no way absolutely no way. until he's at his routine optometrist appointment and his optometrist is saying he needs glasses and all he can think is "i should've turned on the lights when i was watching TV that one time" "i should've turned on the lamp when i was reading before bed two months ago" "i need to stop watching TV" and he spends every night after terrified he's going to wake up and not be able to see. and every time he's starting to feel like maybe it'll be okay he sees something he can't quite make out and he's terrified all over again and books an expensive ass optometrist appointment just for the optometrist to say he's fine, but what if they're wrong? what if they're wrong? like that's EVIL he's so cute with them but they must scare him so bad.

[neon-dynasty]

What an amazing design. From a Vorthos standpoint, it's perfect. Build your deck around a Magic character. For someone like Bolas (duh), there's a lot to work with. Yawgmoth, Urza, Jaya Ballard, there are so many possibilities.

But then there's the fact that it reduces the cost by WUBRG, giving it that color identity, making it satisfying for Mels as well.

Looks like I'm building two Commander decks thanks to this set. (The other being, of course, Myra the Magnificent.)

[sunshinereddie]

thinking about the whole seeing in color when you meet your soulmate au but in a digital context..... and honestly the comedy potential is THERE. richie accidentally texts a wrong number (the stupider the text the better!) and then suddenly eddie can see in color. or this one's a stretch but maybe they're forty year old men and never lived in derry and eddie and myra are married bc it gets to a point in your life where you just have to start living and..... myra turns on richie's stand-up comedy special and eddie has the biggest oh shit moment of his life. this is funnier if it turns into a fanmail situation. richie gets letters like these All The Time. maybe that's not even enough for richie to see in color yet because he hasn't Seen eddie. richie brushes the letter off. eddie keeps sending in more. finally eddie shows up at like. a fan event and he's like, did you get my fanmail? and richie's suddenly hit with the ability to see color and knows immediately that eddie's the twat who hasn't given him a moment's peace. this is potentially even funnier if eddie doesn't actually like richie's content at all..... its also funnier if one or neither of them knew they were gay. i'm leaning towards richie. eddie knows he'a gay. he married myra anyway. so what. they already knew they weren't soulmates when they started.

UM HELLO……. I LOVE THIS ????? i love soulmate aus so much but i’ve never really thought about how they could change in a digital context, and your idea is so cool!!!!!

im just really loving the idea of eddie seeing richie on the tv, and he doesn’t get full colour vision. but there’s no doubting it, everything that was once black and white, now has the faint brush of colour. so then eddie spends MONTHS writing letter after letter after letter to richie trying to convince him that they’re soulmates, and richie keeps brushing it off, though he admires the guy’s persistence. but then when eddie blows $300 on a meet and greet ticket to richie’s show, and they finally come face to face, and eddie’s colour vision goes from faint and dull colours to full brightness, and he knew that he was right all along.

i also love the idea that after they’ve accepted it, richie tries to make a joke like “haha i bet this is a wish come true for you right? your soulmate ending up being your favourite celebrity? ;)”

and eds is like “huh? no, im actually not a fan of your stuff at all. i came across your special on tv by accident. i couldn’t care less about that” and it just does a little smidge of damage to richie’s ego, but hey- he’s just met the love of his life, so who cares?

also, what you said about eddie marrying myra even though he knows they’re not soulmates- YES it is stuff like that that makes soulmate aus hurt so bad!! like, imagine eddie in his mid 30’s, still seeing in black and white, and he just sort of feels… hopeless. that like, if he hasn’t found his “one true love” at his point, then he probably doesn’t have one, right? so why not marry myra? it’s not like there’s anyone else out there for him. but of course, he is proved very wrong a few years later, when the woman he’s married to is flicking through television channels, and eddie can suddenly start to see in colour.

the wrong number one is also amazing!!! such a fun idea!!!! thank you so much for this ask, this was so cool to think about :D

[seecarrun]

After Derry, while Mike cleans out his apartment and hits the road, Stan goes back to Atlanta to attempt to explain to Patty what is going on, and Eddie goes back to New York, determined to finally stand up for himself and leave Myra, Bill, Ben, Bev, and Richie all go to California together to deal with the whole being famous and blowing up their lives thing.

Of course, they do this by ignoring their problems like the emotionally stunted hot messes they are and decide to get drunk and do some karaoke.

Ben (the only one not actually drinking) preforms ‘Mmm Bop’ entirely too well for a 40 year old man, Bev belts out ‘You Oughta Know’ and dedicates it to Tom, Bill does a frankly amazing and yet somehow awful rendition of ‘Tubthumping’, while Richie, still stuck in a funk after watching Eddie leave and not knowing (but hoping) for sure if he was going to go through with leaving his wife or not, does ‘Lucky’ by Britney Spears soulfully and a little teary-eyed after a liiiittle too much bourbon.

The entire night is all over Twitter the next morning.

[noire-pandora]

16.“If only you could see yourself as I see you” for dadwc! :D

Hiiiii, Diz. Thank you for the prompt! More super cheesy Solavellan for @dadrunkwriting because why not?

In the inquisitor's quarters, the fire crackled playfully in the hearth, casting long shadows on the white walls. The flames burned brightly, fanned by Lavellan's magic, warming the air to drive the chill of the Frostback Mountains from her bones.

Any soul that entered the room at that point would have been looking for a way to leave as quickly as possible, the lack of moisture in the air cutting off their breath.

Solas did not mind. At least not anymore. His body had learned to accept and endure the rising temperatures in his lover's room. The little time he spent with her was too precious for him to give it up because of the stifling heat.

And tonight, he barely felt any discomfort as Elluin rambled away about the day's events.

They both sat on two comfortable chairs, a half-empty bottle of Antivan wine and two glasses on the table between them.

Resting his chin on the palm of his left hand, he drank in every line of Elluin's face, his mind tickled by a pleasant tipsiness. A smile curled his lips, amused and amazed at the energy his Vhenan exuded even after a long day of tireless work for the Inquisition.

"You won't believe what Myra did today," she puffed, drinking the rest of the wine from her glass. Solas grinned, for Myra's antics reminded him of his younger self.

"What has your apprentice done now, Vhenan?" He poured her and himself another glass of wine. The sweet aroma of the drink overwhelmed his senses and a sigh of pleasure left his lips.

"She decided to ignore my advice to be careful in the Fade and flew all over the place, flapping her hands like a vulture!"

Solas snorted into his glass and inhaled a few drops of wine. "Of course she did."

"Of course she did!" repeated Elluin, throwing her hands in the air. "Even though I kept telling her to be careful in the Fade! A child should be quiet there. But did she listen to me? No, of course she did not. She'll be the end of me, I swear. I never saw such a stubborn, unyielding child."

Solas hummed, and his left eyebrow rose in disbelief. No matter how much Elluin complained about her apprentice, he knew that deep down she loved the child more than she cared to admit.

How beautiful she is, he thought as she gushed about her mischievous apprentice, memorising every freckle scattered on her nose.

Her cheeks, flushed from the alcohol and the heat, made her looked healthier and happier. The frown of concentration and the worry lines under her eyes were nowhere to be seen.

When she spoke what her heart desired without the mantle of the Inquisitor weighing heavily on her shoulders, Elluin's true nature shone brighter than the sun. The joy of life and the love and care stored in her great heart radiated around in the room, warming the icy barrier in which he had enclosed his heart.

An effect he had not foreseen. A dangerous, foolish, and delightful effect.

One he could not get enough of.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked in the middle of her chatter about the soldiers being foolish enough to challenge her to a drinking contest. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No. I am merely fascinated by your beauty."

Her already heated cheeks turned a deep crimson. "Solas, I think you've had too much wine."

"I have not!" he protested, even as his head began to spin a little.

"I’m not that beautiful, do not be silly."

"I am not. If you could only see yourself as I see you now, you would understand."

She waved her hand dismissively. "I am sweaty, drunk, and my face is hot from the wine."

"Exactly. You are wonderful."

The blush grew even larger, rising to her forehead and touching the tips of her pointed ears, and Solas could not help but grin. He liked how easy it was to tease her. Lavellan spent her waking hours arguing with the unyielding nobles, but a few words of appreciation upset her more than anything.

Indeed.

He could never get enough of her beauty.

[carolinedoesmagic]

Exams 3/?: Divination and Enchantment

The next day was for Divination and Enchantment, and I was already feeling better about my prospects. Exams weren’t so bad after all! My perspective wasn’t shared by my fellow classmen, but they seemed to find my enthusiasm cute.

The first exam was so-so. I passed the theoretical portion just barely, and only thanks to the bits of the most important info Churdley shared with me the day before and the lenient attitude of the young intern who assisted Adriene.

I then faced Adriene herself, for the first time since the healing experiment. She smiled a familiar smile at me and asked me to perform my best Divination spell, for start. I didn’t expect that — the books mostly dealt with theory, and the practical aspect was, how I understood it, mostly waving off the effects of Mind Magic. Her tone left no wiggle room, drawing complete honesty from the center of my being — which I suspected was a kind of Mind Magic of its own — so I simply said that I knew no proper Divination spells. Only one for detecting areal protections, which wasn’t relevant in this setup.

‘Not even Detect Magic? Tell you what, since you do have the grips on the subject, let's put a mark on you. Come here next Monday with the spell, and you will have passed this exam.’

Enchantment was much more exciting. I felt a pang of disappointment when I greeted Abby with a smile, which she responded to with a curt nod, but I persuaded myself it was just her examination mode and that she still liked me. I seemed to be right, as her manner grew warmer with each correct answer I gave and successful spell I cast. The Sleep charm awarded me with a brilliant smile and an excited nod.

She added a glowing double check mark on my paper and confirmed my suspicion that I needed only one more to enter the third year. 

‘Yes, of course I know about that. The Headmaster talked to me about it a week before the exams, since I’ve been spending plenty of time with you. I hope you manage to do it — I teach much more fun stuff in year three.' 

Thoughts of all the amazing things I could do in Hedron whirling in my head, I left the Tower without even checking for my friends or Churdley. Instead, I went home and spent some time revising for the next day's tasks, chatting with Odeta and Myra, and practicing Detect Magic on a worm I found outside the inn.

[undercoverwizardfanfiction]

Mud is Thicker Than Blood:

Sick Day

Summary: I said i’d put all the little shorts I have about the Mud Dogs and Donnie in one story, so here it is!

Gift for: @void-inked-pen birthday a while back. They are a amazing friend and a source of inspiration for me

Characters: Donatello, Loathsome Leonard, Mickey, Dastardly Danny, Myra, April O’Neil

Pairings: You’re in luck! all the pairings for this fic are just past this door [gestures to wall that has a badly painted door under it and the laundry basket above it that’s suppose to be some sort of trap]

“What is this supposed to be?”

Even though Len had been using as polite of a tone as possible, Danny still gives him a heated glare. He uses his spatula to scrape the blackened flat pastry off his frying pan and onto Len’s plate with the consistency of a dried brick. ”They’re called crespelle’s. My Dads used to make them for me and my siblings all the time.”

“Are they supposed to be…” Mickey pokes it with his flipper, “rocks?”

Danny lets out another angry huff. “I couldn’t remember the ingredients, alright??” he says, flipping another burnt disc onto a plate. Len uses his chopstick to poke at the burnt food. For someone who had known the sting of hunger many times and learned to not be picky, he finds himself wondering if he can sneak out back and compare the taste of the burnt disk to dirt.

The sounds of footsteps tells him the last member of their little family was coming down to join them. “Morning,” Danny calls. ”I got a nice big breakfast for my only grateful family member with taste!” Danny says as he starts stacking another plate.

Donnie is pulling on his hooded cardigan as he reaches the bottom step, eyeing the breakfast with a concerned eye. “Doooo I want to know?” he asks before looking to Len with a look that clearly says ‘remember how I never forget ‘best parents day’? you owe me’. It takes more than a little willpower to keep from laughing but manages to duck his head to hide his grin before turning to Danny.

“How about we spare my kid this time? He’ll never hit his height goals if he eats this.”

Danny unties his apron and stomps over and pours himself a cup of coffee all while grumbling about ‘uncultured swine.’ This time Len can't stop the snort that escapes him this time but when Donnie takes his spot at the table his smile falters as Donnie pours himself a cup of hot coffee. Leaning over the mug with a sigh, his normally dark jade complexion feels a shade lighter than usual and more than Len’s comfortable with. “You feeling ok?” he asks, moving his chair to Don’s side of the table. He puts an arm around Don's shoulders and without waiting for an answer he presses the back of his hand to Don’s cheek. The teen squirms at the contact but was unable to pull out of his grip.

“Dad, Dad, I'm fine I just didn’t sleep well. I had a bad dream again.”

“Why didn’t you come get me? You could have slept in my bed.”

“You got home late last night, I didn’t want to wake you,” Don says, still trying to twist his head away from Len’s hand.

“I’m the Dad here, Donnie. I’m supposed to worry about you, not the other way around.” But when he’s unable to find anything close to a fever he pulls away. He looks to Danny hoping he’d see something Len missed but the rat shrugs at him.

“Is it still ok to go tutor April today? Please? I’ve been cooped up here all winter.”

Len wants to say no, but sighs at the pleading look Donnie gives him. It had been a longer winter then usual, he didn’t blame his son for needing some space. He was no longer a five year old but he still had a hard time telling him no for no good reason. “Yeah, but if you start feeling sick you come home ok? Or ask Myra to help you home.”

“Yeah, yeah I know.” As Donnie downs his last bit of coffee he stands back up. Len had turned to poke at his breakfast again when he feels Don's arms wrap around his collar bone and rest his cheek on Len’s head. “I love you Dad. Thanks for being obnoxious and worried.”

“Aw. Love you too, silly gecko.” Len pats his arm in reciprocated affection. Donnie grabs his shoulder back and hurries out the front door. “Have fun!” Len calls after him. Only then did he look back to Danny. “He looked pale right?”

“Yeah but honestly it could have been the breakfast,” Mickey says, picking up a disc, “I even felt sick when I saw it.”

“First of all screw you,” Danny points at Mickey with his spatula, “Second of all, if he’s not feeling well he’ll come home. And third of all, next time you all can make your own crespelles.” Danny drops his last disk onto a plate when the shattering of ceramic fills the air. The three thieves blink at each other for a sec before Danny raises up the food slowly to show the plate underneath had been cracked in half from the sheer force of the crepe. With a defeated sigh, Danny drops his spatula. “Ok whose all for throwing these at trees and seeing if they shatter??”

Len and Mickey both raise their hands with a grin.

(#)(#)\/(#)(#)

“Donnie?”

Despite the softness of April’s voice Don jumps so hard his elbow hits the stack of April’s school books. It’s only by his reflexes that they don’t join the rest of April’s dirty clothes on the floor. It takes him a few moments to regather his scattered thoughts before looking to April. ”Did you say something?”

“Yeah, your name, like five times.” His oldest friend peers at him from over her glasses. “Are you sure you’re feeling ok?”

Donnie would have rolled his eyes if he wasn’t painfully aware of the migraine that would return if he did. Unfortunately, it had been haunting him ever since he woke up that morning. “For the last time yes. Uncle Danny made breakfast and it's just hurting my stomach. Now, the compound would be 23.6% more effective if you set the witch fire to exactly 129 degrees cinder.” He scribbles on the paper for a few moments before sliding it over to her. April casts him a suspicious look before looking over the paper again.

“If you ever convince your Dad to let you go to school, my Alchemy teacher would cry tears of joy. Again.” She pauses “They cry a lot.”

Don tries to smile but his aching head only allows him a half grin. As April starts adding his notes to hers he reaches for his yunomi of tea, not thirsty so much as needing the warmth for a subtle cold that clings to his skin.

There’s the sound of a door opening downstairs followed by the sound of a woman shrieking and dozens of items hitting the ground. ”A-April dear!!! I could use some help!” calls the unmistakable voice of the Mayor of witch town.

April was already out of her seat. “Coming Mom!” she calls hurrying for the door. “Don’t do my homework Dee!” she calls behind him.

“I would never!” Donnie says [even though he had already been reaching for her note book]. A few years ago he had the brilliant business idea, in lieu of being able to go to school himself, to do students' homework for them for a small [not so small] fee.

Of course before he could even launch his venture his Dad had found out and outright forbade it.

This time he’s unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes. The effect is instantaneous as the lights in the room become painfully saturated. He tries to cover his eyes but his world is already spinning.

It’s the last thing he feels before he blacks out

(#)#(#)

“I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed,” Len says in a tone that can only come from nine years of parenting experience. It does its job on Mickey who’s shoulders bunch up to the sides of his head, and even though Danny is trying to pull off ‘I don’t know how you think you can guilt trip me’ by leaning back in his seat. But it's hard to look innocent when the two of them are covered in mud.

“IT WAS DANNY’S FAULT!!” Mickey shrieks pointing at the rat. “After we knocked over a tree with one of his crepy things he told me that he knew alchemy that would make mud into chocolate and-and-“

Danny’s ‘calm bad boy’ dis option went out the window (which was also broken because of a wayward flying crepelle). “Who the hell raised you to be a snitch?!” the rat hisses.

“You did!! I learned it from watching you!”

The rat opens his mouth to argue before thinking. “Ok fine but I always taught you to get paid first.”

Len slaps a hand down his face. Normally he and Danny have reversed roles but he should have recognized that wild look in the rats eyes when Mickey was using one of the leftover crepelles as a tool sharpener. But Len, forgetting they were not in fact grown men but children pretending to be adults, had left them to their own devices.

There is a knocking on the door that makes Len sigh again. ”I have a fourteen year old and he has more common sense than you two.” He says in a way that is probably supposed to make them feel ashamed, but Mickey snorts loudly with his flippers over his mouth.

He opens the door to a flash of light that forces him to cover his eyes for a moment before his eyes adjust to the familiar form of the mayor of Witch Town. “Myrah?” He rubs at his eyes. “What’s going on?”

“I need you to come get Doniel, he has a fever and passed out while tutoring April.”

Len felt as though a cold chill had passed through his body, it was the only reason he hesitated. “Y-yeah just give me a sec.” He ducks back into the house, where Danny is already waiting.

”Len what’s-“

“Donnie passed out, I need you to come with me,” already the air of lighthearted teasing and jabs went out the window. Len is back down the stairs with a quilt from Donnie’s bed as Danny is grabbing his coat and tossing Len his. He almost feels bad for Mickey who can only watch on as the two exit. Myra waves her wand, the bright light from earlier returns, creating a portal in front of them. Len barely waits for the portal to form before stepping through. A moment later he is standing in the familiar oversized living room. He had been to the witch family house many times and each time was always surprised how disproportionate all the furniture was, (which made sense considering how tall Amaranth was).

The child in question was lying on the bright pink sofa under a thick blanket. There was a washcloth hovering over his head, every few seconds wiping at his brow. April looks at them when they enter with panic in her eyes. “I don’t know what happened Lenny, I went to help mom with groceries and-and when I came back-“

“Its ok April, it's not your fault.” Len takes her place by Donnie. His son's brow is furrowed underneath a layer of perspiration. Even though he already knows the answer, he presses the back of his hand on Don’s brow. His already racing heart is now beating so fast it almost hurts in his chest. He replaces the blanket Myra had given him with the one he had brought, wrapping him up in it before scooping him up into his arms.

“I’m sorry Len, if Amaranth had been here she could help but...” her fingers tap together anxiously as she watches the child in his arms. Len was always touched by how much Myra and Amaranth cared for Donnie. He never felt the need to have a partner (though he and Donnie both made enough ‘mom’ jokes about Danny to last a lifetime) it warmed his heart to know someone outside his family loved Donnie almost as much as he did.

“I know, thank you.” He moves past the mayor to where the portal was and in another flash he's back in front of his house where Danny is waiting. The rat reaches out and takes him around the shoulders and herds him inside. “He’s burning up Danny, I-I don’t know what happened, I felt his forehead his morning and he was fine, you saw me do it.”

“I know, I know.” Even though Danny claimed that he didn’t remember any of his medical training he’s already looking over Donnie. Trained eyes looking for anything that could tell him what was wrong. After a few moments Danny says to Len, “Get him into bed I’ll be there in a sec-“

“Ah-shouldn’t we put in him some ice?”

“No, the last time we tried that he almost went into shock before I stepped in. He’s a turtle, he can’t handle it.”

“I-I know.” Len unconsciously cradles Donnie closer to his chest protectively. He could still remember the terror of the time when Donnie got the Fall Flu and had a fever that burned his hand. They had gotten so desolate they had put him in a tub of ice to combat it. They had thought it was working until Don had fallen into a deathlike stillness. It was only then Danny had realized Donnie was going into shock and pulled him out so quickly they had knocked over their makeshift tub.

Now Len couldn’t tell if the shivers he was feeling were from Donnie’s sleeping form or from his own fear. Not until Danny put a hand on his shoulder and forced him to look into his eyes. “Can you get him to bed please? I’m going to mix together some medicine that Amaranth taught me and I’ll be right there, ok?”

Len nods “Ok, ok.” He lowers his cheek onto Don’s scalp as he carries him upstairs. It's only when the parent and child are out of sight does Danny let out a shaky sigh, running a hand over his scalp under his hat and forcing himself to calm down. He had never realized how much he depended on Len keeping a calm head. He hadn’t realized just how much he depended on that til they brought Donnie in. During missions Len had an eerie calm about him that he thrived off of. But it was moments when anything threatened the health or happiness of his child that threw Len in the deep end and forced Danny to step in.

“Mickey,” he says without looking behind him, knowing the poor eel was fluttering around not knowing what to do. “Will you please go upstairs and keep Len calm? Help him how you can til I get there.”

“Y-yeah ok.” The eel hurried to do as he was told. In that moment Danny allowed himself one more sigh before reaching under the cabinet and pulling up an old beaten box, filled with herbs and remedies he had swiped from houses over the years. He pulls out a notebook he had filled with some of Amaranth's recipients and pulls out a mortar bowl and pestle. Picking through a few jars of tiny shards and grinding them together before taking out an empty incense holder and pouring it inside. He made sure to secure the lid and take up the glass bottle under his arm before hurrying up the stairs.

A part of him had been scared that Len’s own fears would drive him to ignore his warning about the ice, but he entered Don's room just as Len was pulling a blanket over him. “Good job.” Danny moves past him to kneel by the bed, turning and handing the incense to Mickey. “Can you light this please? It’ll help clear the bacteria out of his lungs.” As he was twisting open the glass bottle he heard Mickey spark behind him before the smell of lavender filled the air (he ignored Mickey gagging behind him). He tips the tip of the bottle to test how much liquid was inside. Luckily, they still had enough for Donnie (he’d have to steal more later). He dabs his thumb with the light pink liquid before running it across Don’s burning forehead. ”There.”

“Is he ok?”

Danny had to commend Len on not asking him a million questions. He reaches back and pats his old friend on the knee. “The Willow Extract should help take his fever down, but if It doesn’t help in a few hours we’ll go to witch town.” He doesn’t get a response, but when he turns to look at him, he sees Len staring at his son. His dark eyes full of concern and fear that only a father could have. Danny stands up and steps back. “Len why don’t you sit with him for a bit, and I’ll make you some tea.” He makes eye contact with Mickey and jerks his head towards the door. After taking a moment to pat Len on the shoulder he follows him out the door.

Len finally lets his face drop into his hands with a shaky breath before the sound of a weak cough reaches him. When he looks up again he was filled with relief to be looking into Donnie’s feverish dark pink eyes. “Hey,” says a weak voice.

“Hey baby boy,” Len sits up on the edge of his bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like someone tried to kill me with one of Uncle Danny’s devil pancakes.” He barely has enough wind to finish his sentence before he has to gasp for air. “Will you sit with me please?”

Len can't help but smile, holding the side of Don’s face with his hand for a moment before climbing over him and laying on his other side. Don turns his head and tucks his head underneath Lens chin. “I’m s’rry,” Don mumbles, “I-I didn’t know I was sick.”

“I know you didn’t, you’re not a good liar remember?” Len lowers his cheek onto his scalp. “You get that from your Uncle Mickey.”

“And you?”

“Nah, I’m a great liar,” he smirks down at Donnie, “I’m not going to teach you how to lie though until you turn eighteen,” he pauses, “Hundred.”

Donnie lets out a laugh that sounds more like a raspy balloon, but Len can tell he’s trying not to fall asleep again. He rubs Don’s arm over his blanket. “Get some sleep, I’ll be here when you wake up.” The teen gives a nod of acknowledgement before rolling towards him. A few moments later he's fast asleep again, breathing easier than he had been a few minutes ago.

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 2.6k

Warnings: swearing, mention of death, angst

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 12 Part 14

Part 13

Liam said we should drive to the restaurant. I wanted to get an Uber because I didn't think we would get a car park close to the restaurant. The shoes I was wearing were not made for walking.

"We don't have to worry about the car. They have a valet service," Liam said when I suggested an Uber would be better.

Of course, they do. I don't think I've ever used a valet service in my life, and Liam tells me like it's an everyday thing. I suppose it is for him. Earlier in the week, I was amazed to find out that he gets driven to work most days even though he only lives about 10 minutes away. No wonder movies and tv shows are so expensive to make if they have to pay for things like drivers on top of everything else.

I was excited about going in his car, though. I was itching to drive it. I wanted to ask him if I could, but I didn't. As stupid as it was, I was scared he'd say no. Every guy who had said no to letting me drive his car ended up being a prick. So I was floored when he said I could drive if I wanted.

"Really?" I asked. I was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Yeah, you seemed to like it. I was going to ask if you wanted to take it out before we got..." Liam paused, seemingly to look for the right word. "Distracted."

I clapped my hands and squealed like a child. I'm such a dag, but I was excited. I'd never driven a car that fast or expensive before.

The drive was exhilarating but too short. Its 5.0 litre, supercharged V8 engine was insanely powerful, and since it was AWD, its handling took me a bit to get used to. When we got to the restaurant, I couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you! That was heaps good!"

"You're hilarious."

"Why? What did I do?" I asked, getting out of the car and handing the keys to the valet and thanking him.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you deliberately went the long way and on the highway so you could drive faster."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I widened my eyes and tried to look innocent.

Liam just shook his head and placed his hand on my back, guiding me into the restaurant.

The food was modern Australian, Liam had a scotch fillet and salad, and I had barramundi. Liam wasn't drinking and said he would drive home. I had a couple of glasses of white wine and felt a bit sauced.

I had trouble staying awake on the way back to Liam's, and eventually, the rumble of the engine lulled me into sleep. The wine combined with the stressful week had caught up with me. I woke up when Liam pulled into the garage.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to doze off," I said as we got out of the car.

"Never mind," Liam said. "Come on, let's go to bed."

We walked across Liam's backyard holding hands. I looked around as the first time I was lead through here, I only had eyes for Liam. It was big for a house so close to the city. "You have a pool? I wish you would have told me. I would have brought my swimmers."

Liam opened his back door. "You don't need bathers," he said winking. I blushed then yawned. "Poor princess. Do you want a shower? Or straight to bed?"

I nodded, "yeah, a shower would be good. I've gotta wash this makeup off too." I kicked my heels off. The relief was euphoric, my calves were sore, and I rubbed them as I bent to pick up my shoes.

"Want a bath instead?" Liam asked, noticing my massage. It was sweet that he noticed little things like that. "The bathroom on the third floor has an enormous bath. I haven't had a chance to use it yet."

"Fuck, yes! That would be awesome. What other crazy shit do you have in this place? I think you'd better give me a tour tomorrow."

Liam laughed as we went up the lift. "Yeah, ok, there's a couple of things you might like that I've not shown you yet."

The bathroom was stunning, like a hotel or spa. The bath was the hero piece of the room, and it was huge. It sat in the middle of the bathroom on a raised platform and had tiled steps around it. The whole room was decorated to be a romantic space, a couples bathroom. Candles and body wash sat by the bath, and the room's lighting was warm. Robes hung on the wall near the tub. Although there were a shower and sinks, there was no toilet. The room was definitely built for romance, not practicality.

"I thought you said you hadn't used this bathroom."

"I haven't." I pointed out the candles, soaps, towels and robes. "A stylist got all that, fitted out each room with basics so I can move in, and it's all done." My jaw dropped.

"Your life..."

"Isn't normal." He interrupted with a half-smile. "I know." Liam started the bath. "Do you need anything? Your toiletry bag? Toothbrush?"

I nodded. Liam kissed me as he left to get my stuff. The bath would probably take 20 minutes to fill, so I thought I'd wash my make-up off and brush my teeth while it did. I got undressed and put one of the robes on. They were both huge, no his and hers, but it was warm and soft.

Liam returned, and I started to wash up. I put my hair in a bun with a scrunchy and washed my face. I brushed my teeth and saw that Liam was sitting on the edge of the bath, still fully clothed, watching the water fill up.

"You're not getting in?" I asked with a mouthful of toothbrush and toothpaste. Liam looked at me confused, so I finished brushing, rinsed and repeated my question.

Liam turned the water off, bath finally full and got up. "I thought maybe you'd like to soak by yourself for a while."

"No," I said. I wrapped my arms around Liam's waist, feeling short again as my head rested against his chest. "I want you to get in with me."

He lifted my chin and kissed me softly, almost lazily. "Alright, Sweetheart."

I lifted his jumper and raised it over his head. Liam had to help by ducking. He sat and took his shoes and socks off and then stood to remove his pants. I hung my robe back up, and we both got in the water. I sat between his legs and laid my back against his chest, my head resting on his shoulder. The water was bliss, almost too hot but soothing. Liam had put some fragrance in the water, and it smelled of lavender. Breathing it in relaxed me, and I closed my eyes.

Liam nuzzled into my neck and caressed my arm. I smiled as he kissed my neck and shoulders until I felt him stir against my back. He stopped kissing me, and he just held me close to his chest like he was trying not to get turned on. It didn't seem to be working as I could still feel him, but I admired his efforts.

"Lana, I want to ask you something," Liam said. His timbre was soft but echoed slightly through the room, making his words seem more ominous than he probably meant them to be.

My body tensed slightly, and hesitantly I said, "Okay."

He cleared his throat, and I realised he was nervous. I don't think I had heard him unsure like that before. I felt cold. "I uh, I have a premiere to attend on Thursday evening, one of Myra's. Tom, my agent, set it up." Oh fuck. He's not going to ask me to go with him, is he? "I would very much like it if you came with me." I sat up quickly, and water splashed everywhere. "Sarah said that since the cats out of the bag and I'm serious about you, you should come too." He added quickly.

I looked back at him, furious. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Because you're my fucking girlfriend." He was also mad now.

"I'm not your fucking girlfriend." I stood up and got out of the bath. I almost slipped on the tiles as I did. His hand shot out to steady me, but I pulled my arm out of his grasp. I stomped over to the robes and pulled one on. Then I grabbed my clothes from the floor.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked, getting out himself. He didn't put his robe on, and he just stood there. I don't know why, but that seemed to make me angrier.

"Getting my shit and going home."

"What the fuck, Lana? Why?"

I grabbed my bag and went to leave and found him blocking my way. "Because I want to, that's why. Get out of my way."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Just piss off."

"No, tell me what's wrong. Why don't you want to be seen with me? Why don't you want to be my girlfriend? I don't understand." He was shouting now, his voice full of anger and frustration. "You treat me like a fuck toy one minute, and the next, you're treating me like we've been married for ten years. What do you want from me? You say you aren't my girlfriend, but you sure act like you are. If you just want to fuck me, fine. Come over and fuck me, then leave. But don't lay with me and cuddle all day, cook me food, confide in me, talk to me at night until you fall asleep and make me fall in love with you. I can't take that."

For a moment, I softened. In so many ways, Liam was right. We had fallen into this relationship so easily. I felt like I knew him because we talked for months before meeting. I did enjoy hanging out with him talking. He's often felt like home to me, a safe place, a person I could trust. He was my boyfriend in everything but name. He saw the change in me and moved towards me.

I stiffened, "No, fuck you. Don't put this on me. I told you to go slow. I told you I don't want a relationship in the spotlight, and you won't listen to me." My frustration poured out. "You lured me in under false pretences with no thought about how I would feel. Like having the great Liam Cross interested in you would be enough. You're so fucking self-centred. I'm not impressed by all this," I waved my hand around the room, "Or that," I waved my hand at his naked body. "For fuck's sake, put some fucking clothes on. You're not that attractive."

Liam looked over at the robes and saw how far away they were. He shook his head. "I think we need to talk, Lana. You can't run away from this."

"You can't keep me here." He just raised an eyebrow. I gasped horrified. "You wouldn't?"

His body tensed, and he looked like he was going to try to stop me for a minute. But then his shoulders slumped, and he stepped aside.

"Thank you," I said through gritted teeth as I walked out.

I took the stairs down to his room and got dressed. He followed me, still naked and dripping water. I thought he would try to keep talking to me, but he went straight to his dressing room.

When he came out, he wore tracksuit pants, his chest was bare, and he still had beads of water clinging to his chest. My traitorous eyes looked him up and down, and I noticed it looked like he wasn't wearing underwear. Fuck me. He was magnificent. I tore my eyes away and back to packing my bag. I wasn't going to let his body distract me.

"Please, Lana, just talk to me."

"What's the point?"

"The point is so you'll let me in. You talk to me, you tell me things about you, and just as it cuts close to the bone, you clam up."

"I'm my own person, Liam. I'm allowed to have secrets." My bag was packed, and I stood up with it.

"Why didn't you tell me about Andy and your father's car accident? I had to read about it on the fucking internet."

I felt like I had been punched in the guts. I felt both hot and cold waves flow over me, and for a moment, I thought I was going to throw up.

"You're a fucking prick." I was raging.

"Alright, Lana, have it your way. Go back to being miserable and alone. Go put your wedding ring back on because obviously, you'd rather stay in love with a dead man than be seen with me." He was still shouting. Liam's body was taught, so much tension in his muscles. His lips almost looked cruel, twisted up into a sneer. His eyebrows were drawn low, making his eyes seem small.

"Yeah, you're right. I would. I shouldn't be here with you." I was near screaming now. I was irrational, tired, slightly drunk and drained. "I should be miserable and alone, and I should be thankful for that. It's my fucking fault he's dead. I fucking killed him. It should have been me. It's my fault..." I sobbed. The tears started, and I knew they couldn't be stopped. "Oh God, it's my fault." I couldn't breathe. I dropped my bag and clawed at my shirt, trying to get a breath. I was on my knees, now fighting the panic that threatened to overwhelm me.

Liam's arms came around me. I tried to push him away, fight him. He was too strong. "Shhhh shhh." He tried to soothe me. He rubbed my back. I wanted to scream at him to go away, to leave me alone. He wouldn't let go. He held me tighter until I couldn't fight anymore and just let myself go. He pulled me onto his lap, and I curled up into him as he whispered, "You're ok. It's ok." I kept sobbing until I clutched at his neck and cried into him.

I don't know how long we sat there. It felt like hours. "I'm sorry," I said when I had calmed. My throat was sore. I don't think I could have spoken any louder.

"Don't be. I shouldn't have pushed you. You were right. I was being selfish."

"I should have told you before you found out. It still hurts. I can deal with them being gone, but I can't get past the guilt. I should have been in the car with Dad. Andy was doing me a favour because I was too tired from Christmas. I wanted a day off, you know? A day where I didn't have to deal with people." My throat was feeling raw, and my mouth was dry.

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, I do. Just let me get through it, ok?" He nodded and pulled me into a more comfortable position on his lap. "I was supposed to take my Dad to Dave's house for a second Christmas. My parents had split up a couple of years ago. I fought with my mum the day before and didn't want to go through it all again the next day. My Dad couldn't drive anymore; his eyes were too bad. So Andy said he'd drop him off and I could stay in bed. He said he would tell them I had a migraine. So I laid in bed sleeping while my father and husband laid on the road, dying, trapped under a truck."

"I'm so sorry," Liam said. "I don't know how I would deal with that either. But it's not your fault. You know that, right?"

I didn't say anything. Liam was quiet after that. But he didn't let me go.

Part 14

[softest-cinnamon-roll]

Hi! Could you possibly give some of your favorite finished chaptered reddie fics?❤

Well do I ever! Enjoy these amazing fics by some amazing people! Its an extensive list so I’ve put it under a read more so as not to clog the tag! 

Is there somewhere by @tozier-boy | 11/11 | complete | explicit

Richie didn’t belong in boring, old fashioned, small Derry, that was for sure.

Richie Tozier wore leather jackets and ripped jeans. Richie Tozier had his ear pierced and he painted his nails black. Richie Tozier wore combat boots and let his curls grow wild and messy. Richie Tozier always had headphones around his neck and sometimes he wore eyeliner. Richie Tozier smoked weed on the school ground and told teachers to shut the fuck up. Richie Tozier was tall and skinny and he wore bands tank tops. Richie Tozier was the reason why Eddie had started biting his lower lip way more frequently than he did before.

Zero Characters Left by @stellarbisexual | 18/18 | complete | explicit 

Eddie works in social media at a tech start-up in Boston, and Richie's been hired to do some video production for the company.

Characters are aged-up to their late twenties, and this takes place in 2017.

Bright as yellow by @speakslowtellmelove | 30/30 | complete | mature 

“‘Remember that hot guy I couldn’t stop turning around to stare at while watching the movie? Y’know, the one I stalked? He’s being hilarious in my math class full of nerds.’ You honestly think that’s my fault, Eds?”

Eddie felt his cheeks heating up, because Richie was right about all of it. Well, most of it. “My name is Eddie, not Eds. And I didn’t stal–”

“Nice to meet you, Eddie. See, isn’t that better? Eddie and Richie, Richie and Eddie. R plus E. It has a nice ring to it.”

the sea around us by @eddiefuckinkaspbrak & @tozier-boy | 26/26 | complete | explicit 

Prince Edward, is due to marry Princess Myra in order to help secure his kingdom financially. In a last ditch effort to be free and fulfil a lifelong dream of travelling the world, he sneaks out of his window and on board a pirate ship. Captain Richie Tozier’s pirate ship.

or Prince Eddie & Pirate Richie AU

Beep-beep, Eddie Kaspbrak by Ragno | 5/5 | complete | mature

Eddie Kaspbrak is 14 years old and he just defeated a demonic clown along with his friends.

Eddie Kaspbrak is 16 years old and he's fighting against himself and the way he feels and the way he thinks.

Eddie Kaspbrak is 18 years old and he'd much rather fight a demonic clown all over again than face his true feelings for Richie Tozier.

The Order by @s-s-georgie | 10/10 | complete | mature

“You guys lost too?”

“Nope. Believe it or not Silent Hill is my actual destination.”

- The Silent Hill Au Literally no one asked for but you're getting anyway.

far too young to die (part one) by @catsbrak | 17/17 | complete | explicit

Eighteen year old seamster Eddie Kasprak is forced to put his survival skills to the test when he’s selected in the reaping for the 27th Annual Hunger Games, where twenty-four young ‘tributes’ who are gathered from each of the twelve districts must fight to the death. Eddie forms close bonds, his priorities undergoing a drastic shift, and he instead takes on a more difficult task: to try and protect his friends.

(in other words, the reddie hunger games AU no one asked for, and everyone will hate me for)

Kryptonite by hoeziertozier | 13/13 | complete | explicit

‘Richie looked down and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “There’s a reason I came to New York.”

“Isn’t it because of your job?”

“Yeah, but there’s a reason I specifically chose New York. I mean, it’s Wonder Boy’s home.”

Eddie choked on air. For the first time in ages, he wanted to use his inhaler. “What?“

"Yeah, I’m kinda obsessed with him. He’s, like, my idol.”

So, his new roommate was his superhero persona’s fanboy. Yep, that was definitely not going to be a problem.’

Or, the self-indulgent Superhero!Eddie and Superfan!Richie AU that literally nobody asked for.

Just Survive Somehow by @s-s-georgie | 21/21 | complete | mature

When the world ended, and the dead rose to eat the living, it turned into kill or be killed, but how do you survive when the creatures around you are constantly evolving?

Wishes by strictlyamess | 14/14 | complete | mature

It's one thing to vacation at the Happiest Place on Earth with all your friends.

Working there with them is another thing entirely.

(or: the Disney World Employee/Cast Member AU written by a former Disney World Cast Member that some people asked for but most did not)

Operation: Hawaii Honeymoon by @tinyarmedtrex | 9/9 | complete | mature

A plan formed in Eddie’s head. One that would benefit them both. “Does your ex have an instagram?” Eddie asked. Eddie shook his head. “Do you want to make her jealous?”

“More than anything.”

“Hear me out then.” Eddie said, plunging forward even though he knew his idea was ridiculous. “What if you came to Hawaii with me? We’ll act like the perfect couple- she’ll get jealous, maybe want you back, and Myra will have to accept that I’m gay and will leave me alone.”

Richie looked up at him, a noodle dangling out of his mouth. “What?”

[ or Eddie and Richie meet on a plane to Hawaii and strike up a deal. Pretend to be lovers to make Richie’s ex-girlfriend jealous and convince Eddie’s ex-fiance Myra that he’s gay. What could go wrong?]

Inexhaustible Source of Magic by @jem-carstairs-is-perfection & @tinyarmedtrex | 17/17 | complete | teen 

The Triwizard Tournament is back at Hogwarts and this time, two students from each school will be chosen to participate. When Richie Tozier and Eddie Kaspbrak are elected by the Legendary Goblet of Fire to compete, they must come together as a team and overcome their differences to prove to themselves and to others what they are capable of.

ask me to stay by @richietoizer | 7/7 | complete | teen

“Your lip is all busted,” Eddie said, as though pointing out that Richie’s lips were injured would somehow make it okay that Eddie was paying attention to them. Richie’s hand came up, long fingers wrapping around Eddie’s tiny wrist, and he gently guided Eddie’s touch away.

Eddie finally wrenched his eyes away from Richie’s lips and met his best friend’s gaze. There was a softness there that he rarely got to see, not even the smallest hint of teasing or joking there. It was just Richie, just Richie looking at him and Eddie looking back. For a single moment, it was just Richie and Eddie alone in the world. Nothing to bother them, nothing to live up to.

[or: the year is 1994, and Eddie Kaspbrak is in love.]

Sex, Money, Murder by @studpuffin | 8/8 | complete | explicit

“The only sin is mediocrity.” ― Martha Graham

the years go by like days by georgiestauffenberg | 4/4| complete | mature 

It’s Eddie he wants to get a hold of, though, and he does, tucking him under his arm, and ruffling his hair, making him laugh. He’s startled when Eddie looks at him with such happy, shining eyes. And, for a split-second, he’s tempted to kiss him right then, right there in front of everyone.

He wants to. Badly. He doesn’t.

He leans in, instead, and he smacks a loud, wet kiss to Eddie’s cheek, punctuating it with a “mwah!” He does it again and again. “I’m so proud of my little Eds Spagheds!”

“Get off me!” Eddie says, laughing and shoving him away, swatting at his hands.

AU. in the 27 years in-between, Richie and Eddie forget a lot, but they don't forget each other.

Fall Away From Me (I Just Can’t Take It) by @thelazyeye | 6/6 | complete “ explicit 

It’s okay, though, Eddie tells himself. It’s all fine. This is part of their arrangement. This is a casual thing they have going. It’s his own stupid fault for catching feelings for someone he agreed to casually fuck. Especially when that person is his best friend from childhood.

It Was Always You by eddie_kaspbraktozier | 12/12 | complete | teen

Eddie, miraculously, survives the fight with Pennywise. Richie is still hopelessly in love with him, even after all of these years. As Richie stays with Eddie to help him with his recovery and divorce, he tries to find the courage to tell Eddie his true feelings.

Eddie wakes up after the fight with Pennywise to realize his whole life has been a lie – his asthma, his marriage, god, his whole adult life. Although now, Eddie is finally free to decide what he wants out of life. Eddie slowly comes to realize his feelings for his best friend.

Told in alternating point of views – Richie and Eddie’s.

OR

IT Chapter Three. The ending we deserve.

IDK, spooky stuff by varnes | 3/3 | complete | explicit 

“You’re a ghost hunter, aren’t you?” Georgie reminded him. “And he’s a ghost, or something. So obviously the police won’t find him, but you guys can, with all your equipment. You can find him and make the murders stop.”

From the couch, Richie’s whole face was lit up with delight. That was always a bad sign.

“I don’t know, Georgie,” Bill said, but before he could get the words all the way out, Richie was leaping up and yanking the phone out of his hand.

“Murderous ghost circus performer, love it, love it,” he announced. “Georgiekins, say no more, not one word, we are absolutely going to come bust the shit out of this clown.”

-

Or: the quasi-BFU AU where Bill, Stan, Bev and Richie go to Derry to hunt a ghost. Featuring a one-armed boy out for revenge; a Tiny Smol hotel clerk who can't decide if he wants to fight Richie or marry him; The Hot Fireman From LA?!; a local librarian who just wants to read books to children in peace; and, of course, Pennywise the clown.

[rosebrightside]

Ace of Hearts

Pairing: Aiden Zhou x male!MC (Jordan Darcy) 

Word count: 1.1k

Rating: G (T if you squint maybe?) 

Summary: Jordan comes out to Aiden.

A/N: This takes place towards the end of the summer after HSS book 3 (or thereabouts)  Since Asexual Awareness Week is coming up soon, I wanted to write a fic about coming out to a romantic partner as asexual. Even though I’m ace, I’ve never done this myself so I hope I did it justice :)

(Read on AO3)

Aiden knew he was supposed to be paying attention to the movie but he was halfway to sleep already. Cuddling with Jordan was the most comfortable thing in the world and Aiden defied anyone to find anything better. Plus, having his hair stroked always made him sleepy so really, if anyone was to blame for him falling asleep, it was Jordan. Stupid boyfriend making him feel safe and warm with his hair-stroking skills and strong arms. Yeah, it was definitely his fault. 

“Hey babe, can I tell you something?”

And just like that, Aiden was wide awake. He lifted his head from Jordan’s chest. “Of course, Jords. You can tell me anything.” He fumbled for the pause button on his laptop, ignoring the slight tremor in his hands. 

Jordan was avoiding eye contact, a tell tale indication that he was nervous. “Can we sit up?” 

After some quick rearranging, the couple sat side by side. Jordan’s eyes were still downcast and he’d begun picking at a hold in the knee of his sweatpants.

Feeling Aiden’s worried gaze on him, Jordan flashed a half smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Sorry, I’m just really nervous.” 

“It’s ok,” Aiden reassured. He took Jordan’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Take your time.” He wanted to mean it because he really was trying his best to stay calm. But his heart was racing. Your boyfriend asking if he could ‘tell you something’ was only a step or two down from the dreaded ‘we need to talk’ phrase that struck terror into the heart of every person in a relationship. 

“Is everything ok?” he blurted before he could stop himself. “With us?” 

Jordan started. “What? Of course! No, it’s nothing like that. We’re great, I promise.”

Aiden relaxed a little, his cheeks warm. “Oh ok. Sorry.” 

Jordan chuckled awkwardly. “Don’t be sorry. I probably could have phrased that better.” He bit his lip, once more dropping his eyes. “It’s actually about me.” Aiden nodded, deciding to keep quiet this time and let Jordan go at his own pace. 

“You know how I told you I’ve always known I was gay?” Jordan asked after a moment. 

“I remember. You said you came out to your dad when you were twelve, right?” 

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s relating to that.” Jordan sighed. “A couple months before I transferred to Berry, I started to question whether or not I was really gay. I just didn’t seem interested in the very, um, physical side of a relationship like other people – gay, straight, or otherwise. I was actually confused for a really long time.” Jordan’s voice cracked and Aiden saw his eyes shining with tears.

“For the longest time, I felt so… so broken. I thought that there must be something wrong with me because I didn’t want what society and the media said I should want. Especially as a guy.” A tear rolled down his cheek. 

Not knowing what to say but aching to comfort him, Aiden drew his boyfriend’s face close and kissed his cheek while softly rubbing the back of his neck. 

Jordan huffed a laugh mixed with a hiccup. “Ha, sorry. I – I get kind of emotional talking about this.” 

“It’s ok,” Aiden promised. “I understand. You have nothing to apologise for. Do you want to keep going?” 

Jordan nodded shakily, brushing away his tears. “Yeah. So, um, I was feeling really down even after I came here because I felt so outside of it all. It was better here, but I still felt it. All the drama that happened over the year kept my mind off of it a lot but I had to confront it eventually.” He took a deep breath. “So I did some research and I found out that I’m – that I’m asexual.”

The worry clenched tight in Aiden’s chest evaporated but before he could say anything, Jordan was continuing. “Basically, I have no sexual attraction to anyone,” he said quickly. “I still have romantic attraction as well as other kinds, obviously because I love you and I think you’re gorgeous. I just don’t have the sexual element. And I want you to know that I still love and like you and that nothing has changed and I’m not any different just because I’m asexual and –”

“Jords, you’re spiraling.” Aiden shushed him with a finger to his lips. He smiled gently. “Thank you for telling me. I know how scary it can be to come out. And don’t worry. I know that you can still have feelings for me without being sexually attracted to me. Myra taught us a lot about asexuality when she came out.”

A ghost of a sheepish smile flickered across Jordan’s lips as he moved Aiden’s hand away. “I thought she might have but I wanted to make sure. I think I got a little carried away.” 

Aiden laughed. “I don’t mind. I’m really proud of you for figuring it out.” 

“Thanks. And thank you for being amazing as always.” Jordan sighed as he sagged against Aiden, pressing his face into the curve of his neck. “That was hard. You’re the first person I’ve told.” 

“I’m honoured.” Aiden smiled. He wrapped his arms around the taller boy, feeling somehow very tall and very small at the same time. But in a good way. “Can I ask about what you’re ok with us doing? Like, are you alright with kissing and cuddling?”

He felt Jordan smile against his skin. “Definitely. I love kissing and cuddling you.”

“Good, because I love it too.” 

“Can we lie back down again? ‘m tired.” 

“That conversation really took it out of you, huh?” Aiden teased, already drawing Jordan down with him to lie on the pillows. 

Jordan snorted. “You joke, but yeah, it kind of did.”

The couple arranged themselves comfortably in the reverse of their original position; Jordan’s head on Aiden’s chest. 

“Now that I’m thinking about kisses and cuddling,” Jordan murmured. “Can I have a kiss?” 

“You may have as many kisses as your heart desires,” Aiden told him seriously. “Any time and any place.” 

“I’m going to hold you to that.” Jordan leaned up to collect his kiss. “You’ve fallen into my trap,” he laughed, pressing a kiss to Aiden’s jaw before nuzzling back into his neck. 

“Or have you fallen into my trap?” Aiden asked. “Maybe this was my plan all along to get more kisses from you.” 

“Sure, baby,” Jordan scoffed. “I’d believe that if you didn’t turn into a tomato at the slightest PDA.”

Aiden spluttered indignantly. “I – I do not! You – you’re the tomato!” 

“Aww,” Jordan cooed, leaning up on his elbows to grin at him. “You’re all red already! The cutest tomato I’ve ever seen.” 

“I – you –” Aiden ran out of words and settled for trying to pout and glare that the same time while unsuccessfully trying to smother his smile. “Shut up. No more kisses for you.” 

“Wait, no! Let me love you!” 

“You should have thought of that before you called me a tomato.” 

“But a very cute tomato! Make all the boy tomatoes go –”

“I’m going to stop you there before you make it worse.”

[spirit-of-vengeance]

@spxcemuses @mr-mansnoozie @xxstar-bluesxx

Guess who gathered enough mind to finally write her full backstory of Western Verse. Her being a bounty hunter is set in the Wild West time period (1865-1895), there is no current year(s) to set her story in mainly because I don't want to make a mistake messing up the timeline.

Calm before the storm

Her father, Attila a lesser Hungarian noble whom supported the 1848-1849 revolutionary war but after the failure of it he escaped emigrated to America to avoid the Habsburg revenge, soon followed by his brother Gábor. He could save a small amount of his fortune along with his two most important horses: a purebred Lipizzan stallion and an extremely rare Akhal Teke mare. He had settled near a small town, due to his financial situation and education as a noble he established a school with the support and approval of the local church. To quieten his guilt for abandoning his country in its peril, he poured all of his heart into educating children; at least he is still useful in some way.

One day, a group of artists traveling artists, acrobats traveled through the town and the aristocrat fell in love at first sight. She was like the queen of fairy from the folk tales he'd heard in his childhood, she was tall, blue eyes sparkled like light sapphire, long golden brown hair floated ethereally with every twirl. The smitten lord shamelessly courted the the graceful acrobat, determined to know at least the name.

The group had stayed in the town for a few weeks, allowing Attila's and Myra's romance to blossom; after a month she ended up staying with him, just like in true fairytales.

My obsession with angst backstory strikes again

The lord was in love, deeper than poets could express it. Since the loss of his home and country he had found his place in the universe along with the perfect companion by his side. He paid less attention to the school, the church and other public affairs; it wasn't like he abandoned them but became more withdrawn to spend time with the love of his life, especially after the birth of their daughter. She was almost the perfect miniature of her mother, same beautiful hair glinting gold in the sunlight, only her eyes were the brightest emerald green he'd ever seen.

While Myra's heart and aura was as pure as a fairy's; the local church was beyond distressed. They claimed that Attila had completely abandoned helping those in need because of her wicked seduction. When they witnessed her performing for the amusement of the crowd, the 'temptress witch' brand couldn't be lifted. They gathered a few enthusiastic townsfolk whom shared their views and a few morally questionable men whom only wanted a piece of the lord's fortune.

10 year old Karma was awakened from her deep slumber by her frantic father; smoke and yelling blinding her senses as he carried her out of the burning house into the nearby forest so the mob won't find her. He promised her he will be back but he had to return into their home for Myra; he couldn't leave her inside. Karma watched her dad disappear into the flames, the air filled with suffocating smoke and religious shouts for god to smite the sinners. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the spot where her father was gone, waiting for her parents to stumble out of the half collapsed building; but that never had happened. She sat unmoving from her spot, struck staring into the flames then into the ashes as the sun has risen.

Birth of the marksman

Attila's brother, Gábor arrived the next day after hearing the news, he was the one whom found Karma still staring at the ruins in a catatonic state. He couldn't avenge his sibling as it meant endangering his niece and she has lost more than enough.

Gábor expected her to become a soft spoken, reserved lady once she overcame her trauma; that theory was soon abandoned when once he had awoken to his niece practicing with his rifle outside with frighteningly great accuracy. The young girl naturally had an extraordinary aim and after a few long talks, he'd seen the determination burning in her to avenge the murder of her parents. Given by her mother's dance lessons, she was also flexible and capable of many different acrobatic moves; this combined with her aim proven to be a very dangerous combination.

To not awaken suspicion he told his friends Karma was an orphan whose parents were killed by bandits and he had adopted her to give her a family and education. Karma was fascinated chasing greater heights of her skills, this involved reading every possible book about anatomy, marking, engraving the useful spots of the body. Karma knows where to shoot to disarm, to cause a slow death, to paralyze, to disable for life and when it is only a warning: an injury which will heal with time. Along with her accuracy, her drawing speed only can be compared to lightning. Although she prefers/most comfortable with her dual revolvers (model undecided yet), she is still a menace with shotguns, rifles, flintlocks and even bows due to Gàbor's 'A Hungarian is not a Hungarian if they can't use a bow' mindset.

The bounty hunter quicker than death

Karma had her first official gunfight at the age of 18 on the auction. for Vihar (Storm), the filly of her father's horses.

Detailed post about Vihar

She officially entered the bounty hunter business when she was 20 and Vihar was 2, aiming for the most dangerous criminals whom committed the worst acts possible. In her early years after the kill she slit open corpses she trying to find the bullet, surverying the damage it caused and adding filler information to her anatomy knowledge. Of course she didn’t bother burying the bodies, she knew as a woman she has to be extremely vicious above talented to be hired and mutilated dead bodies did send a great message & served as cement for building her reputation. The name Karma wasn't entirely her idea, many thankful family members claimed that karma has came for their loved ones' murderers. Her talent spread like wildfire among the men of law, glad to be rid of the dangerous scum; with careful planning, use of environment and Vihar as backup she had wiped out gangs, not solely focused on individuals.

Unfortunately her reputation summoned an unofficial grand price on her head as well in certain circles; they had tracked her back to her uncle's house. The battle claimed Gábor's life and nearly her sight as her right eye was almost slashed out. The new loss opened old wounds: her not being able to protect her loved ones. She couldn't look into a mirror, the scar a reminder how despite all years of training she wasn't untouchable; after burying her uncle plan to gain control over her psyche already formed.

She took a knife and carefully carved four half circles around her eye to form a crosshair with her pupil being the middle of it. She made sure she kept the wounds open for enough time to scar as visibly as the vertical cut; she wanted a symbol to add to her legend. Excuse my pathetic excuse of an edit, I'm not good in this, nor I can draw.

Now Karma is 25, Vihar is 6, both of them in their peak physical prime; the name Vihar is also symbolic a little, Karma is the lightning to her horse. She is dancing on the thin edge of bounty hunting and being an outlaw as she often takes...side jobs to help people who deserve it and usually that person doesn't have a bounty on their head, therefore it is technically murder.

Local antisocial feral monk & cocky gunslinger feral lady / addition of the AU with the amazing @mr-mansnoozie

Near her uncle's house, Karma had discovered a cave and a grumpy mute monk living in it along with his pet bear. The monk, Sandy eventually became a second uncle to the traumatized angry orphan, he taught her how to move & creep upon someone soundlessly, disappear without a trace, cover her stances and behavior patterns of various animals. Before and after returning from a job she always visits her uncle of choice for a chat; a silent way to prepare him to the possibility of her not coming back. But she always do. She considers Sandy as part of her tiny family, although his...copying mechanisms with his own traumas were a bit strange to get used to; she adapted quite fast, after all who is she to judge with a past like that?

I'm a dead man walking, Hell's at my door.

aka collection of small headcanons

🎯 Her dual revolvers are called Salvation and Damnation because she's dramatic

🎯 Karma has a small sketchbook filled with anatomy drawings for further practice.

🎯 She actually can sing, but rarely does, only to Vihar since she never received positive feedback on it. Her voice is gritty, rugged and deep; definitely not the usual and desired sounding from a woman.

🎯 If her target was an outstandingly cruel bastard and/or one of those whom killed her parents she uses a little psychological torture. After fatally wounding them she starts whistling (for the most terrifying experience wear headphones & close your eyes while listening) as they try to crawl away or beg for mercy. The first time the whistle gets shrill & more intense is when she lazily reloads, knowing she has both the time and the upper hand. The second pace shift is when she aims; she shoots during the last, long drawn out high note.

🎯 This is her only verse where Cindy is afraid, no terrified of fire; during her....26 AU's she's always been associated with fire despite dying in or being wounded by it. In this verse she is more tied to lightning, the scent of smoke is enough to send her into a silent panic attack and despite loathing the cold she will never sit close to the fireplace. Her other deep fears include injuring her hands & sight and losing Vihar. Her horse is the only remaining family member of hers, she can't fail her too.

🎯 Most of Karma's scars, injuries are a result of her standing between Vihar and a knife/bullet/ even a bullwhip when a criminal was smart enough to catch on their deep emotional bond.

🎯 She has recurring night terrors about the night her parents died, she always wakes up in cold sweat; she's sort of used to them. Though, sometimes she still cries but thankfully Vihar is there to comfort her.

🎯 Karma has a special morning stretch routine to keep her flexibility and warm up her hands & keep them steady and fast.

🎯 Due to her dad and uncle she received high quality education

🎯 For the untrained eye, the belt of her hat are simple crosses while in reality, they are inverted crosses to symbolize her stance with Christianity

🎯 Karma's middle name is Emerald, given by her father due to her eye color.

🎯 Karma was first inspired by League of Legends Miss Fortune because that name alone is great but unfortunately she is too pirate coded for a western so I abandoned the relation. Though when Karma is not being the 'Call me a slow reader but I only made it to the Dead part, the or Alive didn't register.' ; her personality is similar to hers.

🎯 Due to her dad, Karma is actually half aristocrat. Not like she cares about it the slightest; the only indication of noble blood is her idle stance. It is an unconscious mirror of how her father used to hold himself: back straightened to almost impossible point, left arm behind it, right hand resting on the grip of in her case, revolver instead of hilt of a sword.

🎯 If given the chance to live a normal life, she would've grown into a captivating, lively young woman, much like her mother but with the aristocrat elegance of her father; finding a suitor who lives up to her parents' and her standards would've been the challenge of the century.

🎯 Her special move is called Dance of Death. This is used as last resort when she's facing more opponents up to 12, as with her dual revolvers she has 12 bullets without reloading. She mentally marks the stances of all opponents, predicts their movement, firing order and possible way of their bullets before whirling out of her hiding place. Each pose minimizes the chance of getting shot, and with each change of movement two bullets are fired, two men drop dead.

🎯 Her accuracy isn't just 'gun goes boom >:D' but a combination of natural talent, endless practice, movement prediction, sharp, quick thinking & analytical skills and different techniques molten together to utilize them all at once

🎯 Her hair is now as long as her mother's, she always keeps it in a single tight braid to keep it out of the way; without her hat and hair down she actually loses some of her dangerous edge.

🎯 The only physical memory Karma has of her parents is her dad's hussar sword she found underneath the ruins of the house, it was protected by a very thick wooden box & a lock of her mother's hair is tied to the grip. She has hidden it in the nearby forest, her thoughts often wander to it along with the wish to wield it.

[thoughtfullyyoungduck]

Superhero part two

Summary: I loved the “superhero” au that you posted. If you don't ask too much, could you continue? Like, Freddy and Richie bonding?

A/N: I’m really sorry that this was so short, I tried my  best but I felt like the entire time my writing wasn’t at top form at all. Maybe this other three part story could also interest you?: part one, part two, part three 

In the weeks that follow after the first meeting between Freddy and Richie, the latter buys more comic books then Eddie has ever seen. He doesn’t hand them over to Freddy right away either, instead he reads through them all, all the way through the comic, so he can keep up to date with what Freddy is talking about.

Eddie wonders if he’s aware that’s he’s been in Freddy’s good gracing since the very get go. Sometimes Freddy mentions Richie more than Eddie does, and it makes so happy that Richie’s managed to secure the same place in his sons heart as in his. He’d never dared to hope that he would found someone that would accept his son so wholeheartedly, but Richie had yet again proven him wrong.

In fact, Richie catered their dates so that his son could tag along without feeling like a third wheel. This week’s date -Richie insisted on calling them dates even though they aren’t romantic of nature -, will be going to a comic con convention. Of course, as soon as Eddie asked Freddy to go with them and told him exactly were, his face had lit up in excitement and glee, and that alone made up for the fact that Eddie had to share his alone time with Richie.

At first, Eddie assumed that Richie wasn’t all that interested in dc comic books. He’d written his curiosity off as trying to appease to Freddy. However, seeing the way Richie points to nearly every fan made statute of a superhero inside the hall of the convention, wavered Eddie’s stand on this.

It was hard to determine which man was more lively, and who was urging who along. Eddie lingered behind them, not having the slightest clue what they were talking about among themselves, but being okay with that. As long as Richie and Freddy were happy, so was he.

---

It was never Richie’s intention to put Eddie in the back burner for their dates, but he had a son to win over and an impression to hold high. For whatever weird reason, Freddy actually believed Richie to be someone to look up to, someone cool. Richie has no idea what buffoonery he did to make the kid think that, but he’ll take it, and he’ll try not to let him down.

‘Come on, follow me. I know a good place for us to go to.’

The exhibition he lead the group of three too, is the one in honor of Wonder Woman. Granted, before reading the comics for Freddy’s sake, he’d never been into the whole dc comic world, but the long hours of preparing himself for all sort of unusual question about the matter, really had him falling deep in the rabbit whole. He liked that, that he didn’t have to pretend to be interested, but could talk for hours about superhero’s, and it would never get boring.

He heard Freddy gasp as they booked it inside and were greeted by a large group of cos players, all standing ready to head on the stage and participate in a cosplay contest. They’d been at the convention for the majority of the day, and had seen several people dressed up already, but this group of people had truly emerged themselves in their characters, and it was amazing to see.

There were a bunch of people already around them, waiting for the show to start, but Richie still found a spot near the back where they would be relatively far way from people -Eddie had made leaps and bounds from his mother and Myra’s abuse, but remained icky when it comes to strangers touching him-, but where the view would still be immaculate.

He was about to start leading them there, when a hiss stops him in his tracks. He turns back, not quite knowing who made the sound or why, but the dots connect as soon as he sees Freddy hunched over, using his cane more prominently to lean on now, and Eddie hovering worried beside him.

‘What happened?’ Eddie asks him, steadying his hand on Freddy’s shoulder to give him more balance.

‘Are you okay?’ Richie adds, concern also evident in his voice. Of course he’d noticed that something was up with Freddy and his legs, but he’d never actually seen Freddy hurt badly thank to it.

Freddy nods, despite the contradictory hiss and his balled fists, and tries to wave his dad off. As soon as Eddie lets go though, Freddy stumbles forward. Both Eddie and Richie hyper speed trying to catch him so he doesn’t fall to the ground. Luckily he doesn’t.  

‘It’s just my stupid leg again’, Freddy mutters annoyed, glaring at the offending part of his body like that’s somehow going to help. ‘You guys can watch the contest, I don’t think I’ll be able to stand for that long.’

He’s so frustrated, and angry with himself, as if he’s choosing for it to bother him, like he has a say in the matter. Richie’s instantly on high alert, and a little sad. Freddy shouldn’t be so apologetic over something he can’t control.

‘You two can go watch it together and come pick me up later. I’ll sit on the bench over there.’

Eddie and Richie look at each other and without a word they both know what the other wants to say. They’re not about to leave Freddy out of the equation for anything. For every problem there’s a solution, in this case, the solutions is perhaps breaking Richie’s back.

‘No why dude, why don’t I give you a piggy back ride?’

Eddie snorts, loud and obviously finding it hilarious. ‘You? You’ll break your back old man.’

‘Hey I’m not that old, and I’ll fucking prove it too. Come on Freds, jump on.’

‘What? I can’t do that. I’m too heavy for you to carry.’

‘We’ll just look for five minutes and after we’ll sit down somewhere and grab somewhere to eat. I promise you I can handle.’ Richie leans in closer so Eddie can’t pick up on his next words. ‘Come kid, don’t make me look old in front of the guy I’m trying to impress.

Freddy laughs, which Richie counts as a major win in his book. He ends up being write too, Richie really can’t carry someone on his back anymore. He lasts barely two minutes, but at least both Eddie and Freddy find amusement in the whole situation. On their way home, the two can’t stop pocking fun at Riche for his terrible idea, but Freddy hasn’t looked upset since, and if Richie embarrassed himself, then who cares. He has just made a new memory with his own family.

[choices-and-voices]

hi sorry if this has already been asked somewhere but im was wondering if you had any tips on how to get the best experience without having to pay ?

Hi there! Don’t worry, this question hasn’t been asked before, and I am honestly super flattered that you value my opinion enough to ask it ☺️ I’m not sure how helpful my tips will be because I don’t exactly consider myself an expert in this, but here are some things that came to mind! I’ve gone into quite a bit of detail, but if you want a quicker overview, just stick to the bold headings. Also, if any of the people reading this have good tips of their own, please lmk! I’m always learning new things about how to do this too 💕

1. This one’s a bit obvious, but still – take the opportunities that the game gives you to earn free diamonds. That means watching the bonus ads every day (5 diamonds/day), playing through chapters as often as you can (including replaying old books if there are no new releases – 2 diamonds/chapter), and watching ads at the end of book chapters for an extra diamond. Obviously, all this is a bit of a balancing act – you want to be playing Choices often enough to build up your diamonds, but not so often that it takes over your life and makes you feel frustrated, because what’s the point of it if it’s not fun anymore, y’know? So I’ve always been careful not to overdo it. Even if all you do is watch the bonus ads every day, that’s 35 diamonds/week – basically, one big diamond scene a week – which is honestly not too shabby.

2. At any one time, only play 1-2 books that you’re really invested in, and try to supplement that with another 2-3 books that you’re not really invested in or are replaying just for diamonds. As tempting as it can be to rush through every good-looking book in the app all at once, that just leads to a situation where a) you’re trying to divide your free keys between waaay too many releases, and b) there are so many demands on you for diamonds, you never get to consistently spend them on anything. So I personally think it’s best to only read a couple of good books at once, and instead of marathoning them, break them up with chapters from less-good books – this builds up your diamond stash for spending on the good books. Which leads into my next point:

3. Don’t zip through books too fast – even if most of the chapters are already released, spreading them out helps you earn more diamonds for them in the meantime. I’m really lucky to have been playing Choices for so long that almost all the books were presented to me in weekly release format – if I downloaded the app for the first time today, and saw all the fully-released books on there, I feel like I would be way too overwhelmed to play. So I reckon that, even if a book isn’t technically a weekly release for you, make it a weekly release! You might decide to play all the books you’re really invested in on a particular day when you have more free time – say, a Sunday. Then, you have Monday-Saturday every week to earn diamonds for those books, and something to look forward to at the end of it all. As for what you do with those diamonds:

4. Be smart about what you spend diamonds on. There are a couple of different components to this tip – it involves things like a) figuring out which types of purchases are worth diamonds in general, b) figuring out which types of purchases you want to prioritise in certain books, and c) planning ahead before you start playing a book chapter about where you might want to spend diamonds. To address each of those things one-by-one:

a) Figure out which types of purchases are worth diamonds in general. Off the top of my head, there are 6 main types of diamond purchases in Choices: ‘friendly’ scenes with LIs (12-25 diamonds), ‘steamy’ scenes with LIs (25-30 diamonds), scenes with your whole friendship group, collectible items (e.g. the tapestry pieces in Bloodbound, the clues in Veil of Secrets, etc.), outfits, and pets. Your mileage may vary a lot on which of these are most important to you, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. But my general advice would be to i) prioritise group scenes above LI scenes, ii) prioritise ‘friendly’ LI scenes above ‘steamy’ LI scenes, iii) avoid collectibles, and iv) go for outfits and pets only if you really like the look of them. This advice is based on the fact that, firstly, I think you get a better experience of immersion in a book if you know a bit about all the characters around MC, rather than just about one LI; secondly, ‘friendly’ LI scenes tend to tell you more about the LI than ‘steamy’ scenes, which are often 80-90% copied-and-pasted erotica despite being more expensive; thirdly, collectibles are a massive drain on diamond stores, and almost always unlock quite short, generic scenes that it’s easy to find on Tumblr or YouTube; and fourthly, both outfits and pets don’t do much except appear in the story at key moments, which can be a really nice touch but is still only needed in moderation. Of course, there are exceptions to these rules, and you might find that those exceptions are sometimes book-specific. Which leads me to Part B of this point:

b) Figure out which types of purchases you want to prioritise in certain books. It’s all well and good for me to say that group scenes are usually better than LI scenes, but when I’m playing a book with an amazing LI but a pretty meh supporting cast (*cough cough* Myra Dixon carries Baby Bump on her shoulders *cough cough*), I obviously may need to adjust my spending habits slightly. Moreover, by focusing all your diamond spending on just one main thing per book – like Myra’s romance in Baby Bump, or the party’s side-quests in Blades of Light and Shadow, or the posse in Queen B – I think you end up with a much better playing experience, because you feel like you’re seeing at least one facet of the story in-depth instead of getting a patchy surface view of lots of different facets. For the most part, the purchases you prioritise in a book can mostly depend on personal taste, but there are a few books where some background knowledge might be helpful in the decision. Four things that I think are worth flagging are that i) the ‘competition books’ (America’s Most Eligible, Queen B, Hot Couture) do require regular outfit purchases to win, although winning isn’t that much better an experience than being runner-up; ii) Veil of Secrets and Nightbound are two books where it’s worth saving 30-35 diamonds for the final chapter, because your MC is forced to leave the small-town setting if you don’t; iii) Across the Void is a book that frequently invites you to spend diamonds to save characters’ lives, but their death arcs are honestly much better-written and more sensible than their survival arcs; and iv) the It Lives series is the only one where characters can die due to an accumulation of choices you make throughout the story, so maybe it’s worth keeping some diamonds in reserve for that one. Which just leaves us with one more sub-point:

c) Plan ahead before you start playing a book chapter about where you might want to spend diamonds. I want to take this opportunity to thank whichever people in the fandom maintain the Choices wiki, because oh my gosh, they are lifesavers. For the last year or so, my response whenever a new Choices chapter is released has been to wait a few hours, Google ‘[book name] choices’, open the wiki result, and skim through to check how many diamond choices are available & how much they cost. Because all the wiki includes are the possible responses to every choice presented – it doesn’t even state the wording of the choice itself – this is a relatively spoiler-free technique that helps a lot with big picture planning. For example, you might decide not to buy an early group scene because there’s a nicer-sounding LI scene later on, and come to think of it, you should replay a few more chapters of another book first to save up the diamonds for that scene. If you don’t mind encountering just a few more spoilers before you play the chapter, you can also scout out its diamond scenes in more detail by searching the relevant book or character tags on Tumblr, or by looking for a chapter stream on YouTube. You may decide that you don’t need to buy a diamond scene if you’ve already seen it played through by someone else, or alternatively, you may decide whether or not to buy a diamond scene based on how good it looks in an existing playthrough – in either case, these techniques can help you thoughtfully ration out the diamonds you have, instead of being caught off-guard whenever a diamond choice comes up.

5. On the subject of the Choices wiki, it’s also a great way to maximise your success in books without using diamonds. Whenever there’s a ‘right’ option to a choice that gives you a better outcome later in the chapter, that’s indicated in the wiki. So with a bit of pre-reading of the wiki before you play the chapter, and/or with the wiki open on a separate screen as you play, you can get the best outcome without having to buy that outfit or bonus scene that promised you ‘an advantage.’ Obviously, your mileage may vary on whether this method is actually worth it, or whether it takes all the fun out of Choices by ‘cheating’ at the gaming aspect. I personally view Choices as more of an interactive story app than a game I’m trying to beat, so I have no issue with this method, but opinions may differ and that’s okay.

6. If you’re really feeling like a lack of diamonds is limiting your playing experience, it may be best to start out with ‘cheaper’ books until you have more diamonds stored up. In this case, I’m using ‘cheaper’ to mean books where there are fewer diamond scenes, where diamond scenes are less expensive, and/or where diamond scenes don’t play as big a role in the plot. It can be hard to identify which books fit this bill, but as a general rule, it’s more likely to be the earlier-released ones or less-popular ones. Some which I’d recommend are the first few books of the Freshman series, the #LoveHacks series, the High School Story series, the Perfect Match series, Most Wanted, The Heist: Monaco, Wishful Thinking, Bachelorette Party, and The Royal Masquerade.

7. Finally, a really quick tip for making the most out of free keys – keys are used up as soon as you start a book chapter, and refresh ~every 3 hours. This means that, even if you don’t have time to play chapters every 3 hours, you should try to open the app roughly that often and just click to unlock a chapter. When you finally have time to play, you’ll have a whole lot of chapters ready to go plus another two refreshed keys, and you can power through them at whatever speed you need to fit in them into your break time or to earn diamonds for an upcoming release. Once again, this is a tip that may need to be practised in moderation, because you don’t want to be constantly interrupting your life to load up an app on your phone. But even if you just log in and unlock chapters every 6 hours, or every 12 hours, that’s still 2-4 extra chapters ready for you at the end of the day plus your two free keys.

I think that’s about all for my tips! Thanks for reading, and I hope it helped at least a bit ❤️