#and there's a fanart on there of saying the goodbyes to your companions in this situation

[icharchivist]

You're so normal about DA, Queen

It's genuinely such a nice collection though! Doggies,,,

thank you thank you 😎 it's a hard work but hey,

And thank youuuu i love it very much <333 the doggies are so precious to me, i love the Mabari in DA so it makes me so happy (long story short Mabari are a specific breed of dog that bonds for life with their owner- they choose their owner, you have to be worthy of them, and they will stick to your side until the very end, always loyal. you get one in dao and in da2 and a companion gets one in DAI's final dlc and it's just so precious i love them so much.)

so yeah it's. yeah. i lvoe them so much.

[nobleriver]

I was tagged by @doctortomyriver a loooong time ago, but I never saw it til now because I was on hiatus. But it’s too much fun to pass up because I love the questions lol

Out of curiosity I’ll tag @benoitblanc @thebadtimewolf (love reading your tags btw) @beingshakespeare @autisticwho and @wibblyowzah

Tag Game: Doctor Who Edition

The rules are simple - answer the questions, then tag other Whovians to get to know each other better/find new people to follow, message, etc. If there are any questions you don’t have an answer for, feel free to skip them!

Doctor you started with: Nine. Ten. Eleven. Long story, but I watched all of them in same month or two. 11 was airing once a week. 10 and Martha were marathoning. And a friend gave me the Series 1 boxset which I devoured in a day because 9′s her favorite doctor. It was such fun to experience Who that way. Would do it again. I got them all at once.

Favourite Doctor: The Doctor

Favourite companion: None

Favourite episode: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. The Girl in the Fireplace. School Reunion. 

LOVE LOVE LOVE Sarah Jane and Moffat wrote a classic when he did The Girl in the Fireplace. Those two eps are why I love S2 so much. I can literally quote from each of these episodes:

“Are you alright?” “I’m always alright.” “Say it.” “Goodbye...MY SARAH JANE!” 😭😭😭😭😭😭 She’ll always be important to him! HELPPP! And of course, “Stay with me. C’mon! You and me, one last run!” That’s the title quote on my blog!

DW OTP: Doctorriver

Favourite line/quote: “Stay with me! You can do it! Stay with me! Come on! You and me, one last run!” - 10 to River 

ALKHSFASJHKFJHSLJFALJF I’M A PUDDLE ON THE FLOOR.

Favourite character that isn’t the Doctor or a companion: River Song. She’s my favorite period. She pulls me back to the show again and again.

BrOTP: 10 and Martha. If found family counts, Doctor x The 3 Ponds and River x TARDIS

Favourite DW fic (if you have one): None. Just started last year. Haven’t read enough. I am writing one though. And if we count Big Finish as official fic, then, The Tenth Doctor and River Song. It’s insane how good that is.

Favourite DW fanart/blog (if you have one): Currently @expelliarmus and @tenriver 

But special shoutout to 3 of the greatest colorist I've ever seen @borntosavethedoctor @doctorwhoblog (aka @amywiliams ) and @tillthenexttimedoctor The way they color remains an inspiration. 

If you could pick anyone to be the next Doctor, who would it be? (Why, if you feel like explaining.): This question is outdated because I received this before the new Doctor was announced. Now, we have two new Doctors lined up to go, and I’m excited for both of them!

So I think I’ll change the question to 

Who are you most excited to see in the next series? The Duchess! She’s screaming female Time Lady and I’m curious, curious, curious.

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E30 (August 14, 2018)

Note: Storms in my area tonight were messing with my internet, so I had a few brief outages to contend with!

Tonight’s guests are Laura Bailey and Travis Willingham AND THE TEENY BABY. Everyone is understandably distracted. Brian: “Let’s just show the baby for an hour.”

Announcements: Electric Beargaloo is up on CR’s YouTube, and a limited-run Honey Heist t-shirt is available on the store!

@critrolestats for this episode: 

Fjord, Jester, and Yasha were missing for 6 days in-game (Laura and Travis were gone for 6 weeks out-of-game).

Jester’s cast Cure Wounds 38 times and Healing Word 6 times. Cure Wounds is her most-cast spell. Laura: “I am so happy about Taliesin making another healer. Me, personally. Inflict Wounds! Inflict Wounds! Inflict Wounds! Spiritual Weapon! Toll the Dead!” Travis: “That’s the mother of our child.”

Travis was definitely intending to distance himself from Grog with Fjord’s more sensitive character. A lot of Fjord’s backstory is based on things that happened in Travis’s own childhood, and while he’d normally want to keep those things protected, he was curious to see what it would feel like to share those with a character, and he’s already feeling a stronger sense of investment in that sense. Laura asks if he likes Fjord more than Grog. Travis: “I can’t really love anyone more than Grog right now, because Grog is bae.” Maybe in fifteen levels... He talks about how expectations shifted toward him in real life after he went through a growth spurt and came back to school as one of the tallest kids in his class: as a parallel to that, Fjord is being perceived as so handsome and charming and a leader after having had exactly the opposite experience through most of his life.

Jester does feel a bit abandoned by the Traveler. “This terrible thing happened, and nothing helped her in those dark moments when she was asking for him.” Laura doesn’t want to get into it too much, since it’ll come into play in the game. Is this the worst thing Jester’s ever experienced? Laura: “Well, yeah. Jester hasn’t done hardly anything.”

Jester doesn’t feel especially guilty, but “she wants everybody to be happy and wants to make other people happy, so in this situation where she’s the least happy she’s ever been, there’s an extreme desire to fix it.”

Emotional healing is much more important to Jester than physical healing.

Fjord didn’t really know how much he might’ve been worth to the rest of the Nein. He thought they might’ve come for Jester or Yasha, but not him. Travis: “Maybe not that far. Just from what he’d seen so far, he thought, ‘Nah, we’re lost, they’re not going to come for us. There’s so much they have to do.’”

Laura wanted to cast Sending (even if it was totally unhelpful), but Matt told her it wasn’t possible in her current situation: they knew how to deal with casters, and she wasn’t able to talk.

Gif of the Week: Jester dancing.

Laura was really bummed not to get to say goodbye to Kiri. They both wished they could’ve made it to the live show. They’re also super disappointed they didn’t get to play with Sumalee and Ashly.

Fjord’s “going to endeavor to keep trying to look out for everybody. He’s just hard on himself for a momentary lapse of perception. He’s going to be more motivated to take care of some shit.”

Laura and Travis realize that Fjord and Jester can both disguise themselves. Travis: “We could bone with anyone and anyone else! We can take suggestions.” Brian: “I’m thinking of some merch ideas.”

Taliesin sent Laura and Travis Caduceus’ art before anyone else. He checked in with Laura to make sure she was okay with another cleric, and she was really happy. Laura: “His domain is totally different from mine. A lot of times with Jester, I couldn’t do a lot of spells in the RP aspect of the game, because I had to save them for in case there was a battle we were playing. There are so many fun just-fuck-with-people spells she has.”

First impressions of Clay? Laura: “I love his hair.” Travis: “The dude abides. I didn’t even feel like an insight check was necessary. He just seemed so positive and nonplussed and go-with-the-flow. I think a little chillness was needed. If he freaks out and goes all rage monster, I will love him even more. He’s gonna eat people.”

Travis and Laura didn’t have any plans going in regarding their reactions to Molly. Laura: “I didn’t expect to get so emotional over it.” They were jumping in and out of watching episode 26, since they had a one-week-old baby at the time. Later in the night, they pulled the episode up and realized Taliesin wasn’t there... and found out from the chat what had happened. “We fucking go have one baby...” Laura: “Molly would still be alive if we were there. I feel like we would’ve told them to run.” Travis: “It was still a good plan, though, honestly. The dice just screwed them.”

Absorbing Summer’s Dance was “most definitely” Fjord’s tribute to Molly and wanting to get him vengeance. It was especially hard because they were roommates the entire time. “Fjord has never really had friends or companions, much less somebody you had to talk to every night before you crashed out. As crazy and different as Molly was from Fjord, he never judged Fjord.” Fjord’s last conversation with Molly was about how the ship exploded and what happened, and it was “the first time Fjord started to trust somebody with that shit, and he got fucking killed.”

Jester’s taking being a cleric much more seriously because she doesn’t want more friends to die, and she’s starting to understand the stakes of what she does. The cleric-related jealousy of Caduceus was a bit of bleed-through. Laura: “I need to remember that I’m the one that’s competitive and Jester is not. Because that definitely is my go-to.” Brian: “Yeah, you in real life are much closer to Vex than to Jester.”

Fanart of the Week: a great combat group-shot!

Both Jester and Fjord’s primary motivations have changed. Travis: “A little less seeking outside answers and knowledge to things that aren’t really going to help.” Laura: “Jester’s primary motivation of just wanting to bring joy has maybe increased even more. We’ll see how far that goes.” Travis really wants Jester to go dark. “See, now I’m sad that I made Jester happy. But I do think as we level up, Jester’s Spiritual Weapon should get more and more badass. A lollipop with spiky sugar on it or something. Rock candy mace.”

Fjord saw the Cloven Crystal reveal as just another sign of the universe telling him, “Fucking get after it, son.”

Matt gave them a five-minute summary of what went down right before the game, and then left it up to them to work out how they’d play it in-game.

Laura thinks the Gentleman’s bad news. Travis: “Oh, you think? He took fuckin’ samples of our blood.” Laura’s pretty sure he’s tied in with the slavers in some way, but Jester hasn’t got enough information to get suspicious in-game.

Fjord was genuinely impressed with Jester’s ability to---to him---sound upbeat even in captivity.

Fjord was starting to become comfortable that maybe the Nein looked to him for some sort of leadership, which he’d only had some brief experience with during his days on ships, but that took a pretty hard hit. Travis: “He’s encouraged to see Caleb as a team player and looking out for others, and that the first thing he tried to do was make us feel better. He expected a fair amount of, ‘You fucked up.’” Laura: “He was really, really nice.”

Laura reveals that Jester’s actually a cannibal serial killer. You... heard it here... first?

Fjord was surprised to see how much growth there was for Beau in the six days they were gone. “She seems mature, responsible. She didn’t punch any kids. It’s awesome.”

Jester thinks Yasha’s wings "look really badass”. She also doesn’t think anyone has as close a tie with their deity as she has with the Traveler (at least, before this recent uncertainty).

It’s tough for Fjord (but not so much Jester) knowing they can’t achieve revenge against Lorenzo, but they’re still hopeful for closure. Fjord would consider a good kill with Molly’s sword to be closure. Travis: “It’ll be taking care of the group, making sure something like that doesn’t happen again.” Jester: “I don’t know what will get it for Jester, honestly.”

Talks Machina: Are We Out Of Time Yet?

Ronin’s class? He’s very loud, so maybe a bard, but he has monk-like kicks. They think he might’ve been learning from Laura’s battle-heavy VO sessions in the womb.

Laura loved the “case closed” moment, even though when she first heard about it, her initial thought was “Nott closed a case without me!?!”

Travis was surprised that nobody else perked up at the description of the Cloven Crystal. Laura: “Nobody cares about your backstory but you.” Dani: “I care!” Travis: “THANK you, Dani!”

It was really hard for them to miss the first episode in the new studio, since it was such a milestone. They also hate that they missed the first PC death.

Sumalee got booked on a new TV show, and mentioned on Twitter that the first thing she got asked was what it was like to be on Critical Role.

They reminisce about Liam’s evil one-shot they played with Ashly and talk about how vicious Travis gets when he’s not on your side. Endgame for Fjord? Chaotic evil, clearly.

At Ren Faire a few years ago, Travis went missing from the group after some drinking. They eventually found him at a rare coin stand, and he showed off an old coin he’d just bought. Brian: “I’m like, ‘How much did it cost?’ And he just looked down.” Travis: “DON’T SAY THE NUMBER.” Brian: “The shame immediately kicked in.” Laura also dropped a dagger in a porta-potty. Brian: “The Ren Faire takes a toll.”

We fade out on Brian walking away while Laura and Travis sing ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’. As you do.

[newta]

The Cremia hug in MM

Can we please stop sexualising the HUG Cremia gave Link in MM? I've seen it in a few fanarts and videos on YouTube and GUYS. Of course everyone can interpret things and look on things the way they want but please take my point of view into consideration when you play the game and witness the scenen.

So Link, a Hylian, grew up in Kokiri forest. Alone, without a mother to nurse and educate him. Now a lot of you will say, so what? The kokiri all grew up being with the great tree so its not a big deal right? But what if it is? The kokiri are, after all, a completely different race. They never had a mother and never needed one. But Link was supposed to have a mother. Even if, at first, he wouldnt know, what was missing, he would have felt that something wasn't right. So he grew up, without a mother, being bullied by the other kokiri because he lacked a fairy, mostly alone except for saria. So i dont think that he was huged a lot in his childhood. Even after the hearty goodbye from Saria he wasn't hugged by her. Then we play as Link and we make friends like zelda, ruto, Navi, the gorons etc. but we still never saw him getting hugged. And I would say thst the Hylians are very human like, that its a normal human need. Physical contact. After all his trouble on Hyrule he's suddenly a kid again, this time in Termina. He has friends but he nearly lost all of them or they forgot him. So much responsibilty is on his shoulders and even with Tatl as his companion he feels loneliness rooted deep inside of him. And after everything he suddenly gets a warm hug from a lovely woman, who is pretty, kind and older than him. Its maybe the very first time he gets hugged in his life. He feels warm and fuzzy inside. "You could get used to that." Because you never were hugged. But is it really sexual excitment or rather a warm feeling from a motherly figure he never had? A small gesture with such a big impact. Alone, touch starved, forgotten, traumatized from the horrors he has seen. I certainly dont see a hug as arousing in his situation. Thank you for your attention.

[minuete-blog]

Philes’ Xmas Advent Calendar Prompt Day 10: ice skating. Tagging @today-in-fic @txf-prompt-box @only-txf-fanart

I had every intention of having this be fluff, but it just didn’t play out. Post-Demons. Mulder and Scully visit his mother in Greenwich.

Suggestion

Once the bloodwork confirmed the ketamine was out of his system, and MRI scans revealed normal brain activity, Mulder asked Scully if she would like to accompany him to his mother’s house over the weekend. Scully slightly hesitated before mentioning offhandedly that she had a CT scan appointment on Sunday.

“Perhaps this trip will better take your mind off it, Scully,” Mulder bit his tongue. How do you take your mind off of a tumor lodged in your nasal cavity? 

He swung by Scully’s apartment to pick her up en route to Greenwich early Saturday morning. She kept her trench coat on when she seated herself in the passenger seat, despite the mild spring weather. Mulder glanced over at Scully noticing the dark shadows around her eyes her foundation didn’t entirely cover. He didn’t say anything as she rested her head against the headrest; he was grateful she decided to join. The 4.5-hour trek passed by rather quickly, with a mixture of companionable silence and light-hearted bantering. Neither of them wanted to address her health status; when Mulder cranked up the heater in his car when he saw her shiver, whenever Scully constantly dabbed her nose with a tissue to reveal...nothing.  

His mother greeted the two of them at the door, placing a quick peck on Mulder’s cheek, and asking for Scully’s coat to hang. Scully revealed her casual dress attire the first time that day, wearing a simple dark blue, V-cut button-down cardigan that loosely draped over her slender form and a pair of Calvin Klein Jeans. He must have been gaping because she gave him an amused look. His mother ushered them to the dining room for the lunch she prepared. It felt awkward having the two most important women in his life seated across each other at the dining room table having lunch altogether. He didn’t realize how stilted the conversations with his mother usually went until he saw Scully’s discomfort at the whole exchange. She said nothing as she politely listened to his mother update him on the latest news of the community while playing with the tomato salad in front of her.  

“Fox, why don’t you help me bring out the main course?” His mother cued him to accompany her into the kitchen taking the salad plates leaving Scully sitting alone. He glanced over at Scully and shot her an appreciative smile before heading for the kitchen.  

“Miss Scully seems nice,” she said after a beat of silence passed while she scooped a hearty serving of ham and corn risotto onto pasta bowls she set on a countertop nearby the stove.  

“Of course, she is. She’s a saint for having to put up with me,” he muttered as they traded pasta bowls. “Why don’t you take her to the ice rink after lunch?” Mulder chuckled shaking his head in disbelief. “Mom, I haven’t gone ice skating since high school.”  

“You ice skated a few times during the winter with that one girl, Robin. She’s settled down and married with three kids now.”  

“Good for her,” he mumbled, vaguely recalling the handful of dates he had at the ice-skating rink. “We plan to head back to DC after lunch, Mom. She…” he trailed off not wanting to mention Scully’s follow-up appointment scheduled, “she has plans tomorrow.”  

“And she agreed to join you to visit me on her one free day? Oh, Fox…” she sighed ruefully.  

“Look—Mom— I came here to apologize for my actions that last time. I shouldn’t have thrown accusations at you.” Without waiting for a response, Mulder grabbed two of the three pasta bowls and returned to the dining room to see it completely deserted. His breath hitched, quickly surveying the living room, until he saw Scully reappear from the hallway. He relaxed and placed the pasta bowls down on the table.  

“Hey, bon appetit, Scully.”  

“Thank you. I thought it was a good time to use the restroom.” They sat in unison in their respective chairs. Before Mulder could ask if she was okay, his mother returned from the kitchen with her pasta bowl. The second half of lunch went more smoothly as his mother geared questions towards Scully. He forgot how good a conversationalist his mother could be, just not with him. Lunch over, kitchen tidied Mulder bid farewell to his mother hugging her again in the foyer while Scully put on her coat. “Remember what I suggested,” his mother whispered against his ear before waving goodbye.  

“Mulder, where are we going?” Scully asked when he passed the onramp to the highway. 

“Somewhere that reminds me of my childhood,” he answered. Minutes later, he pulled into the Dorothy Hamill Ice Rink parking lot. He glanced over at Scully who had a slight smile play on her lips. “How are you on skates, Scully?”  

It turned out Scully was a fairly decent skater, despite having not skated since middle school. There was the occasional elbow reaches on his part to steady her balance, but they kept a respectable distance as they glided in the middle of the ice rink, careful to dodge the ice-skating children and a couple of groups taking lessons. “This is nice, Mulder. Thanks for sharing with me a childhood haunt of yours,” Scully said facing him, skating backward in the process. She grabbed his left hand with her right and had him twirl her around, her trench coat flare in the process. “Ta-da, my pirouetting skills.” He chuckled.  

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. My mom suggested I take you here since I took up your free day today.” Scully let go of his hand, frowning. He realized he’d said the wrong thing.  

“Oh, so you’re saying this is a reward for me choosing to spend time with you?” She stopped skating, eyes downcast. “Mulder, I’m not a charity case. Did it occur to you that I chose to join you on this trip to witness the resolution of that horrible incident in the mental state you were in? That this trip was a means to end?”  

“Scully--” Their conversation was interrupted by two bright red drops of blood splattered on the ice.

[silverloreley]

I hope you don’t mind if I do it too even if I wasn’t tagged by anyone.

Do you base the time princess on yourself, make up a character, make them similar to the MCs of each story, or do something else entirely?

I usually do the stories how I feel right, picking the choices I prefer, but at the back of my mind I’m always calculating the likely outcome and what would be best for the character I’m “acting” as.

Favorite cat name! Do you keep the defaults or do you name them?

Lokitty, named after my real-life cat. I kept some default names and changed others.

Favorite piece of fanart

Hard to say and harder to link, I think one with Asha and Yazdan may be my fave, but I saw some pretty great ones of Gina and Light too.

Best and worst clothing sets

Uhh, the worst are the modern ones, especially the extravagant, almost impossible to wear ones. As for the best, one I never got: Slumbering Star.

Best and worst story

Among the ones I played, the best must be The Perfect Storm and Magic Lamp, don’t make me choose between the two. The worst was Golden Age, such a bore and the ending was unsatisfactory at best, not even a real ending at worst.

Any you’ve been wanting to play but haven’t yet?

I want to try Shadows of London but knowing it’s incomplete is stopping me. Same with Saga of Viera. Maybe I’ll pick White Snake next.

Favorite minigame

I like the one with the pins, but the match-3 is nice too. I hate the flying carpet one (it wasn’t in the question, I know).

Do you use the in-game chat?

Sometimes, when they’re sharing advice and the likes.

Do you read/write fic? Drop your recommendations 👀

Everything from bobeah (aelover867),  Lets Go (Gina/Light with the premise she picked Kahir’s route), Goodnight / Goodbye (another Gina/Light that is a bit angst), The Sun and the Owl (Signy/Audwin, one-shots, especially the modern-world ones where they’re teachers, the same author has a nsfw collection too for the same pair), The Best Laid Plans and the Once is Happenstance... series (Elizabeth/Vittorio, although I’m a little skittish with GM stories because of all the butchered Italian most authors use and I wish they’d get a beta who could correct the wrong phrases or at least used Reverso to translate decently... or just skipped the Italian bits full stop).

I can’t think of more off the top of my head, but I know I’d love to write some, like a Swan Lake rewrite, a Romy/Julius or a Kahir/OC because Kahir and Julius deserve some love too. But I don’t have time.

Any other games you’re into?

If The Sims counts, that one. I’ve been working on and off on Assassin’s Creed but I’m still at the first quarter of the first game.

Who’s your favorite character?

Right now? Cordelia Delamare, but that could change ongoing. I also like Gina a lot. Among the companions, Vane or Gabrielle.

What kind of love interest do you tend to go for 👀

The one that makes the story most interesting, and that makes my heart go thump, or that I’d find a good match irl. Like, I picked Louis and Gabrielle before Fersen and Lafayette, I had no doubt I’d pick Audwin and Vane over Aldous and Keats, I loved equally Kahir and Light but found Light a better match for Gina, I liked neither Vittorio or Davis at first but then I ended up liking Vittorio as a character yet preferred Davis’ route, I picked Yazdan and Huo Shao from the get-go and so on.

Thought of a DUTP ask game! Anyone who sees this post is free to join and tag :3 I'm gonna post this as template and then rb with my own answers 👉👈

Do you base the time princess on yourself, make up a character, make them similar to the MCs of each story, or do something else entirely?

Favorite cat name! Do you keep the defaults or do you name them?

Favorite piece of fanart

Best and worst clothing sets

Best and worst story

Any you've been wanting to play but haven't yet?

Favorite minigame

Do you use the in-game chat?

Do you read/write fic? Drop your recommendations 👀

Any other games you're into?

Who's your favorite character?

What kind of love interest do you tend to go for 👀

Free space!

Tagging some mutuals off the top of my head (sorry if i forgor U also no pressure!!) @slugluvvr @math-turbation @felinaszsz @loraculis @battleaxeproficiency @nevereacheaven @mistymaples @maddsmallow

[kuchenackerman]

LAWLESS

Summary: Despite his youth, Eren Jaeger is one of the best and most popular doctors of the Kingdom. Among those interested on his services is included a recognized criminal clan, which does not hesitate to use the youngest of the Ackerman as bait. Eren never imagined that this "harmless" girl in red dress would get him into so much trouble, turning his world upside down.

A/N: since I deleted my blog back in March, the “read more” of my old posts is not working anymore, so I decided to re-upload chapters 1 and 2 together to make things easier for anyone who’s interested.

Art by Dani ♥ the full version of Lawless’ cover is here and there’s more related fanart here - I still have to reblog everything again, so the tag will collect more beautiful things done by Dani soon. You can also read the rest of the chapters on FF.net or on AO3

Chapter 1. Crimson

Mikasa hit the wall hard. In spite of it, the coldness of the bricks did little against her accumulated body heat. Today's training had been tough since she had to battle against the stockiest and tallest man at Kenny's service.

Will, who was practically a beast of a man, lay face down on the floor. Blood dripping from his broken nose.

"Is he dead?"

The girl shook her head slightly, without even looking at the man approaching the scene. She needed to catch her breath and calm her heart rate. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her forearm while she thought that yeah, she could have killed him. The idiot would have deserved it only for trying to be too clever.

"He should be dead, huh?" murmured the man in an expressionless tone, but Mikasa knew him well enough to perceive his simmering anger.

"The fucking pig". Levi turned Will over easily with a foot, without any care at all, so he could check his face. Mikasa had done a good job wrecking that stupid face, the guy was going to look uglier than before. Usually when a training session ended like this, it was because the practice puppets had said something disgusting to her or tried something they shouldn't have.

Although she knew that some of the guys Kenny sent as human punching bags were precisely chosen so she could learn to defend herself under complicated and stifling circumstances; a thing that she no longer considered necessary. She was completely capable of defending herself, and she was fed up with it. With this attack, she's managed to send the message Kenny was expecting her to give.

Because of Will's size, it took more time than usual for Mikasa to knock him out. Levi had wanted to be present at the training, but she asked him to trust in her abilities, and so he did.

"This is the last one of the week, maybe of the month," said Mikasa as she passed him by, walking toward the exit, "Or definitely the last one".

She was dangerous. She was an Ackerman.

"Oi, brat-"

Don't mess with the Ackerman, Kenny used to repeat with a smirk.

"I want to be alone," she cut him off.

Levi followed her with his eyes for a moment, then squinted back toward the subject at his feet. He let out a snort when he noticed the nauseating state of the floor, spotted with blood and rancid sweat. He could even see a few teeth not far away.

The youngest of the Ackermans walked rapidly through the dark corridor, observing that farther ahead Kenny's office door was slightly ajar. She could perceive the dim light of the room and the smell of burnt tobacco. She also heard his snicker and some banging, the tell-tale sound of Kenny's favorite and ridiculous boots landing on the desk.

Mikasa moved cautiously to try and glimpse what was happening inside the office but before she could get to see anything, Kenny had spotted her.

"Oi! Stop sniffing around and get in!"

She issued a little snort; that old man always made her doubt her stealth ability.

Mikasa glanced down at herself. She was still wearing her training outfit and was extremely sweaty. The bandages that covered her knuckles were stained with someone else's blood. In truth, she wasn't even remotely presentable… and in this moment what she most wanted was to take off her clothes, have a bath and read something. She did not want to socialize.

Nevertheless, she felt too much curiosity to simply decline the invitation. It wasn't often that Kenny had visitors—and she could tell he had one now since the door was left slightly ajar. Kenny only did that when he had company. He said it was for the tranquility of the visitor. Supposedly.

In the interior, Kenny smoked from his pipe with his feet rested on the shabby desk, while in front of him sat a handsome, tall and muscular blond man with his hair combed neatly back. As the girl entered the room, the stranger scrutinized her face with intense blue eyes and, after some seconds, gave her a cordial smile.

"Miss, my name is Erwin Smith," he introduced himself, standing automatically so he could offer her his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Mikasa..." she started to introduce herself, glancing at Kenny who nodded with a proud smile. The girl shook the man's hand with less strength than she expected. It seemed that she actually was exhausted. "Mikasa Ackerman."

Erwin Smith noted the dirt and blood on her hands but was not fazed in the least.

"Good," Kenny said, "I just wanted you to know this guy. Go take a shower and do your girly stuff. Whatever. Later we'll talk about tomorrow's mission. It includes a cute dress."

The girl openly rolled her eyes and turned around, saying a polite goodbye to Mr. Smith. She could almost imagine what type of mission it would be.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Doctor Jaeger!"

The young man turned around and noticed a little girl running impetuously towards him. She was carrying some flowers in a fist that she gave to him as soon as she reached him with a light blush, "Many thanks for healing my daddy!"

He smiled and caressed the girl's head, bending down to meet her height.

"You and your mother did all the hard work taking care for him for days. It's because of that he healed so quickly after my visit," he clarified, taking the flowers. "But thank you so much for the gift."

The girl nodded. The admiration and gratefulness reflected in her hazel eyes thrilled Eren, who was now more convinced that he'd never give up his volunteer work in the poorest districts of the Kingdom for a large house in royal grounds.

Despite the frequent offers, he wasn't interested in filling his pockets while exclusively taking care of the noble and high born, and he was not interested in living a quiet and sedentary life. His desire was to travel constantly. To live one month here and a week there, treating the people that couldn't afford to pay one of the few available doctors.

As he boarded the ship that would take him to Mitras, Paradis Kingdom's capital, he was able to see part of the house where he lived during a large part of his childhood. Now another family inhabited it, but he still allowed himself to fantasize that one day he'd knock on the door and he would be welcomed by nothing more and nothing less than his aged parents.

He let out a bitter smile and shook his head… visiting Shiganshina made him nostalgic, sentimental.

Noticing the orange tone of the sky, he realized it was almost time to set sail, so he decided to search among the boat - built for around a hundred people - for a particular blond headed passenger.

He found him easily a moment later. Armin was sitting on a chair, absorbed in his reading, while a fat lady was looking at him disapprovingly. She was standing and there were no more available seats; the trip would take more than two hours.

Eren loudly cleared his throat but he couldn't catch his friend's attention.

"Hey, Armin…" he called.

The blond looked up immediately from his thick book, stood, and approached the brown haired boy, waving at him cheerfully. The lady took her chance and seated herself quickly, an action that Armin barely even noticed.

"Eren!" he greeted him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I thought you boarded the morning boat and that you were already at Mitras."

"I needed to visit more patients before leaving, you know," Eren replied. "Besides, having to leave Shiganshina so soon for such a stupid reason annoys me, so I just took my time."

Armin nodded and shrugged. He knew Eren wasn't fond of high society's frivolous parties, which he was bound to attend as a courtesy so they wouldn't think he was ungrateful.

"At least I'll be there as your companion, and I'm bringing my chessboard in case you want a rematch after last night's games." The pieces inside clattered playfully as Armin shook the closed board with enthusiasm.

"Armin," Eren groaned and playfully hit him on the arm.

"Ouch! And what else do you want us to do, dance? I d-don't know how to dance, I'll embarrass myself!"

"Historia taught you less than two months ago. You forgot already?" Eren asked while he nonchalantly sat down on the floor. He was exhausted, "I can't give you lessons from now til the night. What are you going to do if one of those daring girls asks you for a dance? It happened to me the last time and I accepted so I wouldn't offend her… unlike the time before that," he complained.

Armin shuddered a little thinking about the possibility.

"I'll ask Historia to hide me in a room or inside a wardrobe before the dance begins", he replied hastily. "That's what I'll do. Or I'll escape to the gardens."

Eren snorted mockingly and shook his head, giving his friend a lopsided smile.

"Crap, Armin. If I knew that you didn't remember how to dance, then I wouldn't have gotten you into this mess." He stared at the sky for a moment and closed his eyes, thinking that maybe he'll take a nap. He needed it. "I'm sorry mate, I'm too worn out to keep talking."

"It's okay, don't worry," Armin replied. "I'll stay by your side and read, and I'll make sure that nobody steps on you while they pass by."

"Mmh… mhh…"

Armin knew that Eren would not wake up even if someone did unintentionally step on him. He always slept soundly since he decided to take the place and responsibilities of his father. The poor boy worked so hard that he could sleep anywhere like a baby.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Wearing tuxedos, both young men arrived in time to present their invitations to the guards, and then to the butlers posted at the entrance hall, who requested they put on masks before going in.

The Reiss's white palace was undeniably magnificent, large and beautiful. In the interior of the ballroom, the vivid colors of the ladies' dresses gave a brilliant contrast to the white marbled floor and pastel toned roses, all part of the elegant decor.

There was food, drinks and flower arrangements on each of the long tables that surrounded the ballroom. Meanwhile, the orchestra performed refined and serene melodies in a kind of domed stage, making the ambience pleasant, despite the noise the conversation of the guests produced.

Armin was captivated and offended at the same time by the opulence, even though it was not the first time he assisted his friend at one of these parties. Eren was talking with a noble men who'd recognized him when they entered and begun talking about things that Eren wasn't remotely interested in.

Meanwhile, Armin decided to walk around in case he found Historia. He hoped to ask her to help him avoid the embarrassment of the dance when the time comes. She would understand.

"I knew that Doctor Jaeger was invited, but I haven't seen him"

Armin heard the voice of a girl, so he stopped his search out of curiosity.

Eren was extremely popular among girls, but he never seemed to be aware of that. He was dedicated to only do his job.

"I haven't seen him either, what a pity," sighed another girl, "He must be looking so handsome, especially today."

"Yes! But with these masks, it's difficult to recognize anyone…"

"True, but at the same time everything is more fun and mysterious, isn't it?"

"Yes, I guess," said the girl that first mentioned Eren, "I wish the doctor asked me to dance with him tonight."

He chuckled to himself. Poor girls; Eren couldn't be less interested in dancing and spending his time with people in a romantic sense.

"Ugh, Historia Reiss is so fortunate. There are a lot of rumors about her and him, like they're going to marry some day or that they're already a couple."

Armin almost spat his drink and, to his bad luck, he caught the attention of the girls. He coughed dramatically for a few seconds, pretending to be sick, so the girls moved away so as not to catch the flu, or whatever that stranger had.

Beside him, a pale girl dressed in a red gown and mask offered him a serviette. She wore her black hair combed into a high bun.

"Oh, t-thanks!"

She gave him a small, pretty smile, framed with crimson lips.

"I saw you arrive with Doctor Jaeger, but I lost sight of him a few moments ago," she commented point-blankly to him. "Everything was the fault of an old moneybag who decided it was a good idea to offer me money in exchange for a kiss."

Armin raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

She nodded, looking at him directly with her dark and deep eyes through the rabbets of her mask. Even if he couldn't see much of her face, she had to be a very, very beautiful girl. Armin couldn't help but to look at her cleavage unconsciously.

"Do you have any idea of where doctor Jaeger is?" she asked smoothly. "I'm dying to meet him…"

Armin looked up immediately and scouted for Eren in the crowd. He could see him talking with Historia near a thick marble pillar.

"He's there, with Historia Reiss, see?" Armin replied, pointing in their direction. "I don't know if it would be appropriate to interrupt them. After all, she's a princess and - Hey!"

The mysterious girl in the showy, red dress left him speaking alone. When she was about to reach the place where Eren and Historia were, Armin saw her trip. Several of the attendees that were near exclaimed upon seeing her fall and some men rushed to help her but Eren reached her first.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Mikasa let out a small cry of pain before hearing Eren Jaeger ask her if she was okay. He helped her to stand up carefully, while Historia Reiss gave him indications to help the poor girl to seat near there and to verify that everything was fine.

"Eren, please accompany and examine her," the heir of the Reiss family directed. "I'll be back in a few minutes, my father wants me to meet some people… Miss, I hope you're alright!" she said to Mikasa before leaving with an apologetic look.

"Are you alright? Does anything hurt?" Eren asked her while he took off the stupid mask.

For a moment, Mikasa felt a slight unease when she was directly confronted with his large, worried, emerald eyes.

"No… the truth is that I don't feel fine," she murmured, bringing a hand to her head. "I think I need a bit of fresh air. I'm feeling dizzy."

"Okay, I'll help you to the terrace. Can you walk properly?"

The girl moaned when she put her right foot on the floor, so Eren held her by the waist and helped her to move. Since the night was cold, the terrace was empty when they arrived.

"Come, let's sit here for a moment," he said while he helped her onto a stone bench. "Please, let me check your ankle." Eren crouched down and carefully took one of her heeled shoes off. His delicate brush made Mikasa blush and she involuntarily dodged a new touch. "Does it hurt here?"

"A bit," she lied, averting her gaze.

"It could be a mild sprain," he pointed out, and in that instant he noticed that the girl's shoulders were bared.

Mikasa watched as Eren took off his jacket and gently placed it around her shoulders.

"You said you have dizziness, did you drink much?"

"Nothing at all."

"Any possibility of being pregnant?"

"What? No!" she almost yelled.

Eren blinked in surprise. "It's okay, I was just asking. It seemed like you passed out, and because of that you lost your balance and fell."

Eren remembered that when he was talking with Historia, she told him that there was an elegant girl dressed in a red gown coming to where they were, so he followed the blonde's gaze but, in that same moment, the girl in the red dress tumbled over just before them.

"I certainly didn't feel well. There's a lot of people and noise inside, and that's a bit suffocating to me," said the young lady aside him. She took off the crimson mask, "But I feel better already. Thanks," she smiled at him slightly.

The boy nodded slowly, contemplating her delicate features and how the darkness of her eyes stood out in contrast with the snowy tone of her skin. Weirdly, it seemed to him that it wasn't the first time that he saw her. He wasn't sure if he had seen her at another of those parties or in another place.

Maybe in the streets.

Maybe a long time ago.

Eren couldn't remember when, nor where, he just knew that those features weren't common and were difficult to forget. He was about to ask her if they'd met before, but then realized that he'd forgotten to ask her something.

"Oh! By the way, what's your name? I'm Eren. Eren Jaeger."

The mysterious girl let out a little bitter smile. It lasted only a moment and was almost imperceptible, but he managed to see it.

"I know perfectly well who you are, Eren Jaeger," she snapped coldly, in a different tone compared to the one she'd used since the beginning. Her face was now stoic, "My name is Mikasa," she informed, somewhat reluctantly.

"… Mikasa?" even though in this instant he wasn't able to think straight, he had the faint thought of recognizing that name.

But then a penetrating sickly-sweet smell filled nostrils. Mikasa moved closer and embraced him, leaning her head on one of his shoulders. The action surprised Eren, making him open his mouth slightly to take a deep breath of adulterated air that only confused him further.

"I'm sorry, Eren," he heard Mikasa whisper in his ear. She covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief, soaked with a substance that he realized was the source of the smell.

As soon as he lost consciousness, Mikasa did a quick whistle after which a man of short stature came out of hiding behind some bushes.

"Finally," he complained sourly while approaching her.

She simply squinted her eyes, took off her shoes and hastened to follow him.

Levi carried Eren on one shoulder as if he weighed nothing.

Chapter 2. Abduction

After waiting for the two guards that patrolled the area to move far enough away, Mikasa and Levi hurried until they reached an elegant carriage parked near a zone of lush vegetation.

Several meters ahead, the access' sentinels were trying to politely reason with three provocative women. They stubbornly insisted that they were invited to the party, although they lacked an invitation that could prove it and they weren't even wearing appropriate wardrobe for the occasion.

The coachman raised an eyebrow when he noted that Levi was carrying someone who didn't offer any resistance.

"Is that one dead? Injured?" the coachman whispered with some concern and glanced at the guards, who were distracted with the prostitutes that he himself brought to the Palace.

"Shut up and make these horses move their asses," said Levi seating at his side, after he deposited Eren Jaeger inside the carriage. Mikasa was boarding it at that moment.

Levi was dressed similarly to the man who held the reins of the horses.

"It's just that I would not want him to... stain the upholstery," the coachman insisted, anxious.

"Don't fuck with me, your upholstery is already disgusting," Levi glanced at him reproachfully and then turned around. "Mikasa, I left you a change of clothes in there."

The aforementioned just nodded, forgetting for a moment that Levi couldn't see her from the outside.

"Okay," she answered, absorbed while she stroked the silky red cloth that covered her legs.

Mikasa liked the dress a lot. She felt so, so feminine wearing it. She loved the entire outfit, it was beautiful. The dark shoes, the red dress and her intricate high hairstyle.

She almost felt like a lady. Almost, because of lady she had nothing, even with that outfit she could only pretend to be one. Besides, she could never get used to wearing high heels. She had only been wearing them for a short while and already her feet were becoming resentful.

"Have a good night, gentlemen!" she heard the coachman say merrily, probably to the sentinels. She didn't hear Levi say anything, as expected.

Mikasa tried to take a look at the unconscious boy in front of her, who she laid down on the wide seat. It was difficult to visualize details in midst of a darkness to which her sight wasn't adjusted yet. Anyway, it was evident that the irregular movement of the carriage made Eren's head bounce rhythmically on the worn padding, so Mikasa knelt beside him and put a little pillow under his head.

It was then when she realized that he was just wearing a white shirt and a black tie, since she still had his black jacket on her shoulders. When she removed the garment, she was invaded by a fetching and musky scent. Instinctively, Mikasa brought the fabric to her nose and inhaled softly to perceive a citric vestige, at the same time that she closed her eyes. The fragrance transported her to the past, to the times in which the sensation of security, tranquility and naïve happiness were a constant in her life… When she still lived with her parents.

The carriage took a leap and the shaking pulled her out of her little lethargy. She quickly covered Eren with the jacket and verified that he was still asleep. She paid special attention to his measured breathing. Everything seemed to be all right.

The girl caressed for a last time the lustrous fabric that clung to her waist - it loosened under her hips and its length didn't get to cover her ankles.

After a listless sigh she proceeded to unbutton her back, not without some difficulty.

"Fucking buttons" she murmured to herself, since the last pair to unbutton was giving her problems.

The front side of the dress had fallen and it no longer exerted any pressure on her naked torso, so she just turned the dress to finish undoing everything. She didn't want to unintentionally damage it. Thankfully, her sight had adjusted to the dim light and she managed to smoothly solve the problem.

Suddenly she realized the boy was moving, so she immediately covered herself with her arms and glanced at him, distressed, because he seemed to have his eyelids half open. She approached him, ready to punch him and knock him out, but Eren didn't even try to dodge the fist that remained just a few centimeters from his nose. To Mikasa's relief he was still unconscious, as it should be. She grabbed his jacket and covered his whole face anyways, just in case.

Maybe Eren Jaeger was that kind of weird person that slept with their eyes open.

Meanwhile, the girl finished removing the dress and quickly put on a shirt, sweater and black pants.

They arrived late-night to an area of small houses located near the border of Orvud, a district to the north of Mitras. The full moon lit the dusty entrance of the structure, next to which a man with a wrinkled face was sitting wrapped in a blanket. When he saw Mikasa get out of the carriage, he showed her a smile that was missing some teeth.

"Good night, missy," he saluted her with a nod of his head.

"Good night, Arnie," she answered with some kindness. "Have you had supper?"

"Yeah, a jug of wine and a delicious chicken!"

"Good," she smiled slightly at him and her stomach rumbled at the mention of food. She had not had time to eat at the Reiss' party, let alone drink anything. She was famished.

Inside the small house, she proceeded to give a series of rhythmic knocks on a part of the wall that happened to be a camouflaged door between two furnishings and behind a small table, on which there was a plate with chicken bones and a clay jug.

The door opened with a squeak and from the other side they were received by the ever serious Tom, a bald man with a black moustache and beard. Since Levi was carrying Eren, Mikasa allowed him to go in first. She went down the deteriorating steps and followed him through the poorly illuminated tunnel - with soil floor and rock walls - until they ran into an iron door already opened and flanked by two men as silent as the first one.

As they passed the entry, to their left it was possible to hear some hysterical laughter, banging on tables and an out of tune man singing with extreme emotion.

Both Levi and Mikasa rolled their eyes and turned in the opposite direction, to a short corridor, in which they soon reached a thick metal and dark wood door.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Eren slowly opened his eyes.

Stunned, he realized that he was sitting on a chair with armrests, to which his wrists were tied. His ankles were tied to the forelegs of the chair.

What…?

No, he wasn't even dreaming.

But, what the hell? He thought, irritated.

He tried to look around. It was a small room, with a bed stuck to the left wall, while the opposite wall was less than a meter away from him. He turned his head and at his back he could notice that on a bedside table there was a candle, barely illuminating the place.

In front of him there wasn't much he could see, since his own body blocked what little light there was, but the entrance to the room should have been in that direction. It was a windowless room, narrow and long, and there was at least two more meters of it onward.

This shit again, Eren frowned and felt how the rage overpowered him.

An abduction.

"Another damn time!" he complained, clenching his teeth while he stirred on the chair trying to loosen the ropes.

"We hope this is the last time"

Eren stilled immediately upon hearing the soft feminine voice, without putting much attention to the spoken words. He had thought he was alone.

His surprise didn't last long though, because the annoyance of being in his present situation came back. Realizing that it was the voice of that girl infuriated him even more.

"Mikasa," he pronounced her name in a tone tinged of rage. "What the fuck do you think you're doing? What kind of game is this?"

She had deceived him. She had taken advantage of his goodwill and concern. She had taken him for an idiot.

The girl didn't answer so Eren insisted, making a poor attempt to control his anger.

"Where am I?" demanded the boy. "What do you want from me?"

From one moment to another - and to his bewilderment - Mikasa was standing just in front of him, sudden like the attack of a viper. Eren would have fallen back from the shock if he wasn't tied to a chair.

Mikasa stood without saying or doing anything other than staring at him, expressionless. The only thing that moved was the orange dancing flame reflected in her dark eyes. Her pale and perfect face, now without makeup, almost seemed like an alabaster modeled statue. The ebony hair surpassed her shoulders by several centimeters.

"You're in the Ackerman's residency" she informed him, monotonous.

Eren's eyes went wide and felt his heartbeat suddenly altered.

He recalled the smile and the teasing tone of Kenny Ackerman, the tall and skinny man about whom he had heard tales during his childhood - Kenny the Ripper. The strong and ruthless assassin that nearly three decades ago had blood stained the streets of the wealthy and safest neighborhoods of the Kingdom.

It seemed to Eren that he could smell the tobacco stink that characterized Kenny, so he closed his eyes and pressed his eyelids together hard for a while, reliving the deep terror he felt as a child upon learning the identity of his kidnapper.

"But… but my father is dead. The dead can't make deals," he murmured, half opening his lost eyes.

Mikasa was gone, camouflaged again in the shadows of the room.

"We know that," she stated, feeling a sadness that she tried not to show on her voice, even though Eren could barely hear her.

Doctor Grisha Jaeger had been the first person she met apart from her parents, and he had always been very kind to her. On one occasion, he told her that he had a son that was about her same age, and that his name was Eren.

The last time the doctor had visited her home, he had promised her that he would bring his son with him in his next visit, so they could know each other. So they could be friends.

It never happened.

"What does Kenny Ackerman want from me?" Eren asked, jaded.

He was sidelong glancing towards the shadows, frowning.

"For you to work with us," Mikasa replied simply.

"Ha! Come on…" the green eyed boy scoffed, "You can have me abducted any time you want, even torture me or kill me. Whatever, I refuse to collaborate with a group of murderers, with a pack of beasts disguised as humans."

Eren heard the squeak of rusty hinges and then a thud of wood against wood. Mikasa had left the room, but he didn't hear her locking the door or running a latch.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Mikasa found Levi in the kitchen. He was drinking tea in silence near a counter.

"What are you doing here?" Levi asked her after taking a long sip.

"I just came to look for something for him to eat and drink."

"Tch, that's not how things work."

The man looked at the girl as she poured water into a glass and put a large piece of bread next to a slice of cheese on a plate.

"It doesn't matter," she said.

When Mikasa returned to the room she found that Eren had diagonally fallen with the chair on the edge of the bed. He glared at her furiously from his ridiculous position and she struggled to contain the laughter. His fury in this context didn't daunt anyone but it was rather funny.

The poor boy must have been shaking in the chair like crazy trying to release himself during the time she left him alone.

"Are you hungry?" Mikasa passed him by and put the things she brought on the bedside table.

"No," Eren groaned "I don't want anything from you."

Ignoring his anger, Mikasa moved behind him and returned the chair to its normal position without major effort. Seconds after she started to untie his hands and feet in complete silence. As soon as Eren was released, he ran towards the door, but Mikasa promptly took him by his wrist, put a hand on his back and slammed him against the wall.

"Don't try anything stupid," she warned, as she bent his arm behind his back.

"And what… do you want me… to do?" Eren questioned with some difficulty, since he has his stomach and his chest pressed against the wall, plus half of his face. That girl was strong. "Do you want me… to stay seated… and chill?"

"Yeah," she said, releasing him.

Eren turned around rubbing his cheek as he glanced at her warily.

"I know I didn't had the chance to go further that door," he admitted out of humor, leaning himself on the wall as he crossed his arms.

"Good."

Eren just wanted to try complicating things a bit, to show her that he wouldn't surrender so easily. Whatever. So he leaped on the girl, but she dodged him with ease.

All of a sudden, Eren's feet had left the ground and - from one moment to another - he had fell on the bed. He sat on the mattress immediately and gazed at Mikasa, dumbfounded.

She was far faster and far stronger than him.

"Good night," Mikasa said as she nonchalantly settled a strand of hair behind her ear.

She was a weird and certainly conceited girl.

This time, Eren heard her lock the door from the outside. He brought his hands to his head, exasperated, then pressed a pillow to his face so he could suffocate a yell full of anger and desperation.

He didn't know when he fell asleep, but he was woken up by the annoying smell of tobacco. A bit disoriented, Eren pinched his nose and sat up on the bed.

"Nice shirt and tie," Kenny said, sitting on the same chair Eren had been tied up in the night before. Behind him, the door was open and an orange light streamed in from the hallway. "So much time living under the wing of the Reiss people has given you a taste for refinement, huh?"

Eren frowned without saying a word. Kenny had more wrinkles on his face now, but he was wearing almost the same outfit he wore the first time he met him, including his stupid boots and his black hat.

"I see Mikasa treated you well," the Ripper said, noticing the untouched water and bread. A teasing tone was palpable on his voice, "You can't rely too much on teenagers."

The leader of the Ackerman took out a curved knife from inside his jacket and nonchalant started to play in a skillful way with it. The light flashed on the edge of the blade.

"So?" he said to the young man, "Don't you have any questions to ask?"

"No. You all can go to Hell," Eren blurted with a defiant look.

Kenny laughed out loud for a while, until he stood up and took Eren by the collar of his shirt, dragging him off the bed.

Kenny held him up with one hand. The boy struggled.

"You're gonna live and cooperate with us, whether you want to or not."

He dropped Eren to the ground when he realized that he could barely breathe. As Eren coughed, Kenny threw him a small yellowing envelope that fell on his lap.

"He asked me to protect you, among other stuff," Kenny informed. "Obviously, in exchange I want you to treat my men whenever they're injured or when they fall ill… And I want you to give me some information," he added the last sentence with a lopsided smile.

"Him?" Eren questioned, confused. He took the envelope with his free hand while rubbing his throat with the other one.

Who the hell was he talking about? And to protect him from what or whom? Because, if there was anyone you needed protection from, it was from Kenny and his criminal association.

"Read the damn letter. I'll come back later."

Eren approached the light of a new candle on the bedside table, which someone must have changed while he was sleeping. He carefully extracted a piece of folded paper from the inside of the envelope, and his eyes widened as he recognized the calligraphy of his father.

N/A: Thank you so much for reading! If you like it, please reblog and/or leave some feedback on FF.net or on AO3, where you can read more chapters of Lawless. Comments/Reviews are highly appreciated :’) - feedback in general is the best thing! 

[indiebluecrown]

A Threeway Made In Heaven Part 1

I blame this fanart I saw earlier for this, I don’t know if there’ll be more of this, but I labelled this Part 1 just in case. You can see the awesome fanart {here}

I didn’t feel like writing a proper series, and wanted this to be more fun and quirky, so I wrote it more in the style of @calebski three part (AMAZING) series that she wrote for P&P vs. HP (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) trust me, you will not regret it #dickfordays. Also like some of @olivieblake stuff, check them both out, because they write beautiful things.

This has no plot. None. Not really, it’s just fun, and I have no idea what I’m doing, but I now ship Cedric/Cho/Harry so much. Omg.

  It’s snowing heavily, the sky rippling with light greys and darks, the wind howls and whistles as it tousles through the hair of the two wix standing out by the lake. The lake itself is smooth as glass, dark as night.

 The wizard is tall, with sharp yet attractive features, windswept golden brown hair, and warm hazel green eyes. There are smile lines by the corners of his eyes, and around his mouth, he is lithe and nimble from years of Quidditch.

 The witch is significantly shorter than her companion, dead straight raven locks that come down to the small of her back, dark brown eyes, a slightly round face and slanted eyes. Her brow is currently puckered in concentration.

Cedric: I think we should do it. I know you like him too. He’s fit. Also have you seen that arse in Quidditch gear?

Cho: *rolls eyes* How do you know he’ll even be into it? He’s a year younger than me, and two years younger than you. He may not be ready for a serious commitment of this magnitude.

Cedric: *grins broadly* This is going to be great! [Turns and begins to trek happily through the thick snow] Great I tell you!

Cho: I’m dating a five year old.

   A raven haired wizard, with vibrant green eyes, round, black wire rimmed glasses and a shy smile sits before a pair of wix-whose facial expressions and emotions vastly differ, which only make him more nervous. He has unruly hair that sticks up in the back, and he tries to pat it down in an effort to find something to do something with his hands, but only makes it worse.

  They are sat in a secluded corner of the Three Broomsticks on a Saturday afternoon. On the table before them are two butterbeers and a stout glass of Firewhisky on the rocks.

Cho: *taps finger against the side of her glass* So Harry-

Cedric: Do you want to be our lover?

Cho: *internally screaming* [glares at Cedric, before turning back to Harry] Fucking hell, Cedric. What he meant to say was-

Cedric: I did mean it though.

Cho: Bloody hell. [angrily] *grabs glass of Firewhisky and downs it*

Cedric: *smiles brightly at Harry, batting his eyelashes* So what do you say sweetness, will you?

Harry: *blushes furiously and mumbles incoherently*

Cho: I hate everything.

  Sparkling lights don the Pine tree as Cedric proudly wraps the last of the lights around the lower branches. Sitting back on his haunches he admires his handiwork. He’d gone to get the tree earlier, and he had to saw off a bit of the base earlier since it was so tall.

 Christmas had always been his favourite time of year, and he went a bit overboard with decorations.

 The sound of the front door opening draws his attention, and he cranes his neck with a radiant smile to greet his girlfriend, and sees an blushing Harry Potter-arms laden with groceries-walking into the flat first, the faint call of “the kitchen is to the left!” reaches Cedric’s ears.

 Cho walks in a few seconds later, her arms are full as well, and as she kicks the door open with her heel, she shoots a victorious look at Cedric. It was if she was non-verbally saying, “now that’s how you get the cute boy back to our flat, not asking him if he wants to snog in the middle of the street.”

 It may have been in his head, or perhaps it’s because she had said something similar last night. Knowing Cho, she’d orchestrated the ‘accidental’ meeting between Harry and herself. She was clever and resourceful like that, plus she always got what she wanted when she put her mind to it; and she wanted Harry.

Cedric: *yells* Welcome home darlings! Cho: *face falls and mutters to herself* Please don’t do it, you little shit. No.

Cedric: *gets up and smoothly slides into the kitchen* So Harry, *runs a hand through his hair and leans against the counter right next to where Harry is unpacking groceries* do you want a tour of the house? I can show you round...we can start with the bedroom.

Cho: *carefully places groceries on counter, then walks over to the wall and swiftly begins to bang her head against it* All my hard work. For nought. FOR NOUGHT.

Harry: *eyes wide* U-Uh, I just remembered that I promised Hermione to help her...dust her books.

Cedric: *cocks eyebrow* Dust her books?

Harry: *mutters a goodbye under his breath, cheeks bright red, and hastily leaves*

Cho: I hate you sometimes.

Cedric: Nah, you love me. We should invite him to dinner sometime.

Cho: WE? No. I shall take Harry to dinner alone, and warm him up to the idea, it’s a miracle he hasn’t called the Aurors on us yet. Fuck, he’s twenty Cedric.

Cedric: You know he wants us.

@ash-castle @ashenrenee @littlemulattokitten @littleredsiren3101 @mechengmama @owlways-and-forever @ff-sunset-oasis @hogwartsaheadcanon @colubrina @chiseplushie @m1sc1efmanaged @regulusblaqk @disillusionist9 @jasperandgemma @kreeblimsabs @primruesabcd @protectnevillelongbottom @prattster666 @fluffysatin @worthfull1 @sableunstable @henriasownbinder @curiouselfqueen @laisvega @moonnott @shayalonnie @siriuslyorionwicked @justcourbeau @turbulenthandholding @drsallysparrow  @shadu-kiam @freya-ishtar [Caleb and Olivie I tagged you higher up, that’s why your names aren’t down here, but know that you are both in my heart] (no idea who would be interested in this, just thought I’d cover my bases)

[1wngdngl]

MCU Book Reviews - Part 5

“Avengers: Infinity War” is coming out in just a couple days. I’ve been so anxious lately that sometimes at work I just pause and think: “So soon! So soon!” I don’t remember the last time I’ve been this keyed up about a movie release. Maybe when “The Return of the King” came out, as the culmination of a trilogy spread out across three Christmases.

But this, the big battle of the Infinity Gems, is something with even more build-up. I haven’t followed the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the beginning - the first movie I saw of it was “The Avengers” in 2012, but still, from 2012 to 2018 is six years of development. Six years of watching different characters grow and change, new ones joining and meeting the others, and fighting with each other...It’s really felt like a journey, you know?

Six years ago, my life situation was so different - some of my younger relatives didn’t even exist then. And yet the MCU has been there as a constant presence, faithfully releasing several movies a year, along with a steady flow of TV shows, tie-in comics, and merchandise. And the fanfiction, all the fanfiction, some of it epic multi-book stories that themselves took years to complete; and all the fanart, essays, soundtracks that I listen to at work every day…It’s all just become a big part of my life. Not that I’ve watched every movie by a long shot, but just knowing the project was still going was comforting somehow.

And now this weekend, many of those characters’ journeys might be coming to a conclusion. I fully expect some to meet their ends at the hands of Thanos and his goons, or at least permanently retire. It’s always sad to say goodbye...

To try to prepare, I bought a bunch of Marvel books online - guidebooks, “Prelude” comics, etc. I’m hoping to get caught up on some movies that I missed, in case something from them is brought up in Infinity War.

 If, at the time of reading this entry, you haven’t seen Infinity War yet, and want to catch up on some of the storylines and characters first, then I recommend “Marvel Studios 101: All Your Questions Answered”, by Adam Bray.

[mild spoilers across the MCU]

So what’s this book about? Basically, “Marvel Studios 101” is meant for people who have seen at least some of the Marvel movies, but need help understanding certain plot points, or how the movies tie together. The book is somewhere between a movie companion and a “Frequently Asked Questions”.

“Marvel Studios 101” covers movies between “Iron Man” (2008) and “Black Panther” (2018). Note that it does not have a section for “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, the “Deadpool” movie, or “The Incredible Hulk”. Apparently those movies aren’t considered part of the MCU?

The first section of the book covers some general questions about the MCU, such as “What is the Marvel Cinematic Universe?” “What order should I watch the films in?", and “Who are the main producers and directors?”

After that, the book devotes a section of about 6 pages for each of the films. There’s a fairly detailed plot synopsis; and a quick list of the main characters, just so the viewer can match faces with names. Then follows a few pages of additional informational tidbits, formatted as questions from hypothetical viewers. “How does Steve Rogers become Captain America”, for example, and “How does Steve end up in the present day?” In general, the “answers” section for each movie deals with things like how characters get their powers, who’s fighting who and why, and what various artifacts and pieces of tech can do.

For the most part, if there’s just one movie you’re interested in, you can read just the section for that movie, and not get distracted by stuff from other films. That said, the FAQs for movies do refer to other films, even ones that come later in the timeline. For instance, when Thor and his hammer are first introduced in the section for the 2011 “Thor” movie, the book casually mentions some other characters who can also lift the hammer – Vision and Hela – even though they didn’t even exist in the MCU yet. If you have a problem with these sort of mild “spoilers” in a book that’s all about answering MCU questions, you probably shouldn’t be reading it ;)

"Marvel Studios 101″ doesn’t claim to be exhaustive; its focus is solely on what actually happens in the theatrical release of the movies. You won’t find much about the TV shows or comics here, aside from acknowledgement that they exist. Also, while the main character of each movie gets a decent coverage of their powers and backstory, don’t expect loads of details on side characters, or in-depth discussions on a movie’s use of symbolism, its production process, etc.

This book also isn’t about debating fan theories, whether that’s the “Steve being a distant descendant of Thor” theory or “My two favorite characters secretly being in love”. Or how about “Character X survived [apparently-lethal whatever], and is just bidding their time until their grand comeback.” You know, all the stuff that fanfiction lives on?

You won’t find much of that kind of conjecture in “Marvel Studios 101”. Not that it’s a dry, academic read by any means. The book has a light and breezy playfulness to it. I liked the part where it said that Red Skull looks like he’s eaten too many red-hot chili peppers; or when it teases Loki for apparently never bothering to wash his hair >.> But you can tell author felt that laying down even just the facts of all the various Marvel movies was plenty for one book to handle.

If you’re a casual Marvel-movie viewer, I think this book could really help with understanding some tricky plot points, or at least help you remember what everyone’s names are. The book is really designed to be used in conjunction with actually seeing a movie, so if you haven’t seen, say, Iron Man 2, then the book’s section on that movie won’t be as valuable.

If you’re a super-devoted fan of the Marvel movies, there’s probably not too much in this book that would be new or surprising to you, though having a handy reference like this might appeal to you. I found it especially useful in how it tracks the history of the organizations SHIELD and Hydra, its brief summary of the Infinity Gems, and just how it tracks the movement of various characters and objects across time and space.

So if you want “All your questions answered” just in time for Infinity War, go to the largest bookstore near you, and see if “Marvel Studios 101″ can teach you a thing or two.