#do you know my blog well enough to guess what it is just based on these tags?

[theoldspark]

Not the anon who criticized Skybound on the confessions blog, but I saw your reply so I thought I'd send an ask. I'm a fan of Skybound but I can see a lot of valid criticisms wrt pacing (mostly action), a large cast with many characters that don't get enough page time (tho it isn't even That large yet so it's kinda more a TF problem in general imo...), subplots that take a long time to get addressed/resolved (tho I am reserving final judgement on this until #24 comes out which will be the end of DWJ's time as the writer of the series. I started reading Skybound around #14, imo as a binge read it's fine, but having to wait half a year or more for something to get resolved is killer. I never read traditional serialized American comics before the Energon Universe so I don't know if this is typical.) More specific criticisms would require spoilers.

I think whether you'd like it or not depends on personal taste, it isn't perfect but it's fun and the art is gorgeous. If nothing else is peak, the art absolutely is. The contrast between the super stylized and saturated G1 designs next to the super detailed humans and environments is crazy. The preview of the cover by DWJ for #20 (not out yet) is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. Jorge Corona's penciling is also wonderful, the "skinned alive"/tortured Autobot in #8 is SO visceral and expressive. The issue that introduced Beachcomber was similarly breathtaking. The fight scenes are also incredibly dynamic (thanks to DWJ's background with wrestling). Reading it in hand is worth it for the spreads alone. Despite what I said about characters lacking pagetime, characterization is still strong - YMMV but it definitely has one of the best Optimus Prime's, and I'm a HUGE fan of their take on Elita. The humans are also done well! They actively add something to the story.

I guess the main thing is that when I try to think about what Skybound is doing NEW I kind of come up with a blank. Mostly small things so far. It hasn't lasted long enough to do anything crazy yet because it was committed to starting from ground zero. We only got Megatron in issue #18! And #19 was a flashback, so that's over a year and a half before Megatron became an active character. The war on Earth not immediately involving Megatron was very cool (especially if you like Starscream being petty and murderous) but the plot moves slowly. I've only read a bit of IDW so I unfortunately can't compare between the two of them. Idk how far IDW1 had gotten story-wise after the first 19~ issues they published. BUT...if you (general you) enjoy G1 (especially Sunbow G1 which is the "Bible" DWJ is using), there's really no reason why you wouldn't like Skybound? FWIW I only got into Transformers within the last year and watched all of G1 as an adult and loved it, so it's not a nostalgia thing for me, but it's def the closest retread of G1 done in years. Which I personally appreciate, since there's actually a lot of really interesting G1 stuff that never got touched again!.....but that's why I actually slightly prefer Void Rivals, which has the most "Season 3"/scifi stuff in it so far, including Hot Rod in the last few issues. (yay!) We're even getting Wreck-Gar this month.

Apologies for the super long ask! But I hope this was useful.

Thank you so much, anon! I appreciate you taking the time to answer something I commented elsewhere.

To be honest, whether it is said to be good or bad, I always prefer to judge for myself after I've consumed the actual source material and not just people's opinions that may very well be biased.

However, it did seem curious to me that many fans seemed to only have good things to say about Skybound, so I was intrigued by the anon ask that said the opposite.

Reading your ask, I'll say that Skybound sounds like something I would enjoy. Plus G1 (although I haven't watched it all) is one of my favorite Transformers series, so anything closely based on it gets kudos from me. But I do see where the other anon was coming from with the criticism. Slow-paced stories don't always work, especially when you only have 24 issues to tell it. And one thing I'm not sure I'll be a fan of that I've heard of is 'Optimus puts Earth before Cybertron' once again. I've never liked that trope, but to be fair it's not anything new for Optimus Prime's character.

Overall, for the things I know, it's a story worth giving it a chance. It may not be perfect, but hardly anything is in this fandom.

[augustjoy]

The Color Pink

Based on the following ask: Hii, I was just wondering if you could do Aaron x reader but the team for some reason refuses to warm up to her for a while.  If you can please make the reader hyperfem only if you want to. Thank you!!!! I love the idea of Hotch with a hyperfem girlie – she’d be in pink ALWAYS, with a wardrobe and home full of ruffles! So, the BAU team is against this relationship of Hotch’s because 1. They assume she’s a bimbo due to the hyperfemininity and 2. She’s young. Basically, they are questioning Hotch’s judgement on this one. Flashbacks in italics.

Aaron Hotchner x HyperFem! Reader Angst/Fluff Word count: 2552

REQUESTS ARE OPEN - not edited - please be kind. Requests are open and feedback is welcome if it's constructive!

Warnings: My blog is 18+, minors DNI, age gap (reader is 20s/Hotch is 40s), female reader, np physical description (other than having hair long enough to curl and Aaron referring to her as little – which he’s big tall so everyone is small compared to him), hyperfeminine reader, explicit language, consultant reader, BAU being judgy overprotective, Morgan being rude, Spencer and Garcia defending the reader, Reader is a presumed Bimbo…but is actually really smart (Elle Woods-esque),  mentions of food/eating, reader has a flash of self-doubt, mention of Jack, let me know if I missed anything.

I do not consent to having my work translated or reposted to any other site. That being said I do not own the characters portrayed in this story.

Meeting you had been an act of fate. At least, that’s how Aaron saw it. You were not the type of girl he’d typically go for…not ever. But that morning, you’d got a flat tire on your way to work, ironically on Aaron’s way to work. He had to do the right thing, any chivalrous man would, he was going to pull over no matter what, but when you stepped out of your car…that sealed the deal. He needed to pull over because if he didn’t, someone else would, someone potentially dangerous.

--

“Excuse me miss; do you need some help?” Aaron offered.

“Oh, I um – I got a flat. I called Triple A, but they said it be like forty-five minutes.” You explained.

You stepped out of your car and stole the breath from Aaron’s lungs. You were in a satin pink button-up blouse, with high-waisted white trousers, and strappy pink heels. Your hair was cascading over your shoulders in beautiful loose curls, your gaze lifted to his. Aaron had to release a light cough to pull himself out of the trance you had him in.

“Do you have a spare?” He asked.

“I don’ t think so. But like I said, Triple A is on the way, so I guess I will just sit and wait.” You shrugged.

“I’m not sure I feel comfortable leaving you here on your own.” Aaron admitted.

You gave him a once over. He was in a well-fitted gray suit, his hair lightly slicked back, black dress shoes, and a silver Rolex resting on his left wrist. You took quick note of the absence of a wedding ring. A very brief rush of unease slid through you, but it was washed away as he moved his hand to his hip, unknowingly flashing the FBI badge that was clipped to his belt loop.

“I’d hate to be an imposition. Plus, we are strangers…” You eyed him once more.

“Right, I uh – I’m Aaron Hotchner.” He introduced himself and offered you his hand to shake.

You shook it gently, giving him your name. You couldn’t help the blush that crept over your cheeks at the warmth radiating from him. It was your turn to feel breathless. Taking him in once more, you had to admit to yourself that he was handsome. Clearly older than you, but you didn’t mind…and age didn’t define beauty.

Aaron had waited the whole forty-five minutes with you, once Triple A showed up, he waited for you to get everything squared away with them before turning to leave.

“So that’s it?”  You called after him.

“What do you mean?” He questioned.

“You just sat and waited forty-five minutes with me and you’re just going to leave? Without asking me out? Or at least asking for my phone number?” You huffed.

Aaron was speechless. He had wanted to ask you out…truthfully he’d thought about it the moment you stepped out of your car, but he didn’t want you to fell that he was some sort of predator. But now here you were, this gorgeous little thing, asking him to ask you out.

“Would you go to dinner with me Friday? Provided my work doesn’t call me away.” He asks.

“Yes. Pick me up at seven.” You smiled, handing him a light pink business card.

--

Initially, Aaron didn’t introduce you to anyone because he wanted to see if your relationship would bloom into something real. As things did progress, he opened up to you about his life, his job, his family…and his demons. He hadn’t wanted to let his darkness taint your light, your sparkle, but one night while he was staying with you, he’d had a brutal nightmare, one that had him spewing all the information out to you while you held him close, your sparkle shining bright.

Another reason why Aaron had hesitated to really bring you into his world was because you were so different than the other women he’d dated. They were grown-up, mature (maybe even too mature), boring even, and here you were, this pastel princess whose home was filled with pink – ruffled pillows, lace curtains, fashion books, flowers, fluffy rugs, etc. you were the textbook definition of a girly-girl.

He was sure the BAU team would have some pretty strong opinions about his relationship with you, not only because of your differences, but also because of the almost 20-year age gap. It sounded silly, but he really wanted the team to like you.

The first time Aaron introduced you to the team hadn’t exactly gone as he had hoped. He had asked you to join them out at their favorite bar for drinks. They had put on quite the show in front of you, but when you stepped away to get a drink, the truth came out.

--

“Hey guys, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited my girlfriend to join us.” Aaron mentioned casually.

A chorus of “what” and “you have a girlfriend” and “who is she” all rang out at once. He couldn’t help but chuckle at them. He figured he should answer some of their questions now so that way they could focus on getting to know you once you arrived.

“She and I have been together for about six months. It’s getting pretty serious and, uh – she uh…” Aaron smiles to himself. “She um, she’s different than the other girls I’ve dated, so just keep an open mind and get to know her.”

You arrived about ten minutes later, rendering everyone speechless. You walked in with a light pink mini puff dress on. It flowed around you in a cloud of tulle it rested against your upper thighs which were adorned in sparkly nude tights. You’d chosen to wear white lace up heels with it, and your hair was pulled back, pinned up with loose tendrils framing your face.

“Hi! I’m so sorry I’m late, a client called last minute and, you totally do not want to hear about my boring work.” You sighed, meeting the gazes of the stunned agents seated before you.

Aaron had officially introduced you to everyone, they exchanged hesitant pleasantries, and you began making small talk. After a few awkward moments, you excused yourself to get a drink.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Aaron asked.

“No, no. I got it honey. I’ll get you another whiskey.” You pressed a kiss to his cheek and walked toward the bar.

As soon as you were out of earshot, the questions came rolling in. Most notably, Dereks.

“What the hell are you doing man?”

“I beg your pardon?” Aaron was shocked.

“Hotch, man, she’s young enough to be your daughter. And I mean, look at her.” Derek gestured toward where you stood at the bar.

“I am well aware of her age Morgan. She and I have discussed that at length and have both agreed that it didn’t matter. Age doesn’t change how we feel about one another.”

“Hotch, I’m more worried about the fact that she looks like she just walked off of sorority row.” Emily shook her head.

“Yeah, her outfit…Hotch she’s not serious. I mean she’s still a kid.” JJ added.

“That’s enough, she and I are serious. She’s not a kid; she runs a very successful consulting firm, she is kind and sweet, she takes care of me, she gets along with Jack, and I and…well. I love her.” Aaron concluded.

A muffled remark sounded from across the table. Morgan had more to say, and Aaron wasn’t going to let it go. He cared about you and the people across from him were his family, their opinions meant a lot to him…but right now they were letting him down.

“Say it out loud Morgan.” Aaron demanded.

“Nothing.”

“Say it.” Aaron hissed.

“I said she gets along with Jack because they’re closer in age.” Derek shot back.

The table went silent, tension filling the air. Aaron scoffed, shook his head in disbelief, and walked away. Moving towards you, coming up with some lame excuse to get the hell out of there.

“Look, I know that was a lot, but I didn’t say anything that we weren’t all thinking. That girl, she’s a bimbo. Hotch needs someone more serious…more like Beth.” Derek justified.

“Wow.” Penelope scoffed, pushing her chair away from the table. “You guys are terrible.”

“What are you talking about?

“Did you not see his face? Hotch is happy, his smile took over his entire face…because of that girl and you all tore him down so quickly. I mean come on. Spence when was the last time Hotch smiled like that?” Penelope asked.

“The last time Hotch has smiled like that in front of us was back in 2005 when he introduced Jack to the team as a newborn.”  Spencer rattled off.

--

That was about eight months ago. Aaron and you have grown even more serious since then, you moved in together – into a new house where you could set up a space that was all your own, full of pink and ruffles and lace.

Honestly, Aaron had gone as far as buying a ring for you. He wanted to propose and had the whole thing planned. He and Jack were going to take you on a picnic and then they’d ask you to become a permanent part of their family.

Despite the happiness he felt at the idea of marrying you, he couldn’t help the disappointment that crept in. He wanted his family to all be there in support of you two…and his family, well that was the BAU.

He knew he’d have to talk to them, to do something to prove to them how incredible you are.

--

Aaron had called everyone to the round table. He needed to tell them about how serious he really was about you, and he needed them to love you.

 “I asked you all here because today we will have a special guest for lunch.” Aaron went on to explain that you’d be coming in, bringing in lunch from one of the BAU’s favorites. “I know that when you all first met her, you were unsure. But I need you all to realize that I’ve been with her for over a year now, we live together, and…”

“You can’t be serious man. She’s naïve, just some young hot thing seeking an older man, presumably for his money.” Derek interrupted.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Aaron commanded. “I plan on marrying her, and you guys are my family. I need my family there when I marry this woman. If you can’t get on board…then I guess you aren’t the people I thought you were.” Aaron says with finality.

There was a collective nod and shrug amongst everyone.

--

When you walked in, you could feel the tension like a thick fog. It was all consuming, like picking a hangnail until that piece of skin runs further and further up your finger, bleeding and tender.

You needed this to go well.

Aaron had told you to be your usual self. He wanted the team to like you for you, but you knew it would be best to tone it down at least a little bit. You’d choose to wear light blue jeans, a chunky pink sweater, and some heeled ballet flats. Your arms were juggling multiple bags, filled with sandwiches and another one with drinks for everyone.

“Hi guys.” You offered a small wave as you entered the conference room.

“Hey sweetheart, let me help you with those.” Aaron was quick to grab the bags from you.

“You look stunning as always! It’s good to see you again!” Penelope greeted.

“Oh, thanks babe! I love the new hair; it is such a good color!” You complimented. “Oh, Spence, I got you something!” You pulled a wrapped book from your bag, handing it to him.

“What’s this?” He asked, gently pulling at the wrapping. “The Narrative of John Smith, this is one of my favorites!” Spencer gushed.

“It’s a special edition, they only made 200 of them. But that’s not the best part…open the cover.” You were giddy with excitement.

Spencer opened the book to reveal that it had been signed. “Are you kidding me! This is amazing, thank you so much!”

“It’s really no problem.” You smiled.

Aaron was beaming at you, you had been so kind, showing them all who you really were, and he just hoped that they’d all finally see you for who you truly are.

As everyone finished their lunch, you began clearing the trash. Everyone offers thanks to you, the girls planning a day out with you. Each of them seemed to be coming around except for Derek. Aaron couldn’t figure out why he was so against you.

--

You said your goodbyes and made your way out. They had all filtered out of the conference room when Aaron decided to confront Derek once and for all.

“Everyone else has come around, so why can’t you? What is your problem with her?” Aaron asked.

“It’s not her that I have a problem with. Not really.” Derek shrugged. “Look man, I am sorry for how I have acted towards her. It’s unacceptable. But I don’t think you dating her is a good idea.”

“I appreciate your concern, but it’s misplaced Morgan. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“You think that now Hotch. But what are you going to do when she up and walks away. That is the type of girl who will ruin your life and Hotch, you’ve been hurt too many times. You and Jack have lost far too much.”

“Derek, I know you are worried for me, but I have to see this through. I really love this girl, and she can handle herself, she makes good money, so I know that isn’t the motivation here. She is everything to me, and she has done nothing but prove that she feels the same for me.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I have your back man, and if you love her, then I’m not going to stand in your way.”

--

Things began looking up after that. Derek had pushed his concerns aside and took the time to get to know you, which only made him feel like an idiot for his behavior. Aaron had been right, you could hold your own – you were smart and witty and far to quick with your words, giving him a run for his money. Derek started to see how big your heart was, and he saw the changes in Aaron thanks to your presence in his life. He started to actually appreciate you and your love for his boss.

Aaron told you about his interaction with Derek and you offered some valuable insight.

“Honey, Derek looks up to you. You have made a huge impact on his life, and he has seen you lose so much because of your work, he’s seen you in, quite literally, your lowest moment. He just wants to protect you from hurting like that once again.”

“You are the smartest person I know sweetheart.” Aaron pressed a kiss to your temple.

--

Months later, the BAU team stood and witnessed Aaron and you vowing to spend forever with one another. You had finally been welcomed into this family.

Taglist: @bernelflo@pastelpinkflowerlife@just-moondust@khxna@crimesthatnooneaskedfor

[clairecrive]

Hey there, I got an idea for a request Alfies secretary is a quiet girl and Alfie is always flirting with her he loves to make her cheeks blush red. And one day she finally becomes brave and says something flirty back to him and he gets all flustered first as he wasn't expecting it and then he's like "fucking hell" with his cheeky grin and makes his move while he has the chance and gives her the best kiss of her life💖

A/n: Hello everyone!! It's been ages since I last wrote anything, let alone for Alfie. However, lately I 've been right down obsessed with him again and couldn't fight the urge to write for him. I found this in my inbox and I'm so so sorry it took me this long to write this!

I'm not going to tag anyone because I don't even know if there's still anyone reading this blog lol. but let me know If you want to be tagged.

MASTERLIST

"Cat and mouse"| Alfie Solomons x reader

"Hello, luv."

"Hello, Mr Solomons."

"Ah, pet how many times do I have to tell ya, eh?" You had been working for Alfie for a while now. Enough time to make you a trusted employee. Even more than that actually. if his relentless flirting was enough of tell.

By now, you were on first name bases. But even though Alfie was quite outspoken about his appreciation of you, the only way you told him it was somewhat reciprocated was by flushing furiously whenever he flirted with you.

It wasn't enough. Not anymore. And while Alfie was patient and respectful of your shy nature, you were done with this cat and mouse dance. You wanted him. You're just waiting for the right time to go for it.

"There's Mr Shelby waiting for you in the hallway, should I let him in?"

Alfie groaned at the name. You knew it was only to keep up his burly grumpy man persona he got going on. Deep down, you thought he didn't mind Tommy's company much.

"Only if you come in with him, pet. I need something beautiful to look at to survive that fucking bore, right?"

Blushing at the insinuation you nodded before going to let Mr. Shelby in and retrieve pen and paper. This was actually part of your job description. Alfie's request was more because he was a flirt and he liked to see you flush.

Nothing but charm in his vein, let me tell you.

"Ms. Y/N will be with us so she could take notes and whatnot, I hope you don't mind Tommy but to be fair, I don't give a fuck if you do, right?"

"She always does Alfie." Tommy drily pointed out while lighting a cigarette.

"Yeah well, I like to be surrounded by beautiful things, don't I?"

"So do I, Alfie. So do I." Tommy agreed

"Alright gentlemen, if you could stop flirting with each other and move onto business please. Mr. Solomons. has a packed schedule, as I'm sure you have as well Mr. Shelby." Rearranging the papers and documents in front of you, you dressed the two men. You knew that they could go on for while like this. Especially alfie had a way of talking for hours without actually saying anything. It made for a perfect business strategy but you knew that he actually needed to settle things with Tommy.

The brume acknowledged her with just a light tilt of his lips while your boss sputtered in shock.

"Fucking hell, pet. What the fuck are ya on about, eh?" He looked at you, and you could see that other than the shock for your outrageous implication, there was actually surprise in his eyes. And then a pleased glimmer.

You only raised an eyebrow at him to silently suggest to just get on with the meeting.

"Fucking women, eh Tommy? Wild creature they are, I tell ya. You never can guess what's on their fucking mind, can ya."

"If you'd get on with it, then maybe you'll have enough time this evening so that I can tell you over dinner."

You had never seen Alfie Solomons speechless. Hell, you had never seen him be silent for more than one minute. You bet that he talked even in his sleeps.

Well, would you look at him now. Eyes wide and mouth almost open. If you hadn't just taken a huge leap out of your comfort zone, you'd find this situation funny.

Tommy Shelby probably did.

"You know what, Alfie? I'll come back tomorrow." And with just a tilt of his head in your direction, the brummie was off and out of Alfie's office.

Meanwhile, Alfie was still looking at you. Which was making you nervous. And when you were nervous, you tended to rumble.

"What? Is it such a preposterous idea?" you said being defensive.

"Fucking hell, pet. Didn't know you had it in ya."

"You're not the only one who can flirt, you know." You mumble, suddenly shy.

"Of course, not. And I fucking hope you're not going to stop either." He smirked at you. Pushing away from his desk he turned so that he was completely facing you.

"Now, why don't you come here and show me exactly what's on yer mind, eh?"

Burning. Your cheeks were burning red by now. But you did exactly what he said. You got up and you walked so that you were now facing him.

With him sitting down and you standing in front of him, you were almost the same height.

You didn't know what to do with your hands, with yourself really. That sudden burst of courage was long gone now.

Taking you in, Alfie could see that as well. Smiling, he gently pulled you even closer to him.

"We could wait 'till dinner and even after that, pet y'know? There's no rush, yeah?" He softly promised. He had been flirting with you for months after all, what's a few more weeks or however much you needed?

"I don't want to wait anymore, Alfie. I just don't know what to do." You looked at him under your lashes, all bashful and cute and Alfie could barely restrain himself.

"Then let me show ya, right?"

Gently cradling your face, Alfie leaned in. He let his nose touch yours in a gentle caress so that you had time to pulled away if you wanted to.

Then, when you didn't he finally kissed you.

It was gentle and soft and, in your opinion, the best kiss in the world.

[ckret2]

idk if you've ever answered this before (probably, the answer is always probably) but is Bill, like... capable of empathy? Of sympathy? Of love (any kind) or compassion? I guess what I'm asking is how does he relate to other people? Are they all just tools and idle amusements, or does he develop any actual genuine (positive??) attachment to them?

Everything I know about him comes from 8+ year old memories of a cartoon I haven't rewatched since, and discourse I see through your blog, so I'm not sure what the canon consensus is but your word is god enough to me on at least your specific interpretation of Bill.

(I guess it would be moot to ask why he's so fucked up. Feel free to ignore any and all of this ask, it's 12 AM and I'm trawling the web before bed)

for my specific interpretation of Bill? Have this post about empathy and a couple of posts about romantic love. (Okay—three about romance.)

But now let's forget about my interpretation and talk canon.

Empathy! You can roughly split empathy into two categories: "I can logically identify and understand what you're feeling" empathy, and "when you're sad i feel sad and when you're happy I feel happy" empathy.

We absolutely know that Bill has "I understand what you're feeling" empathy, because he uses it again and again to manipulate his victims. He has VERY good emotional intelligence. He understands his victims' insecurities, their desires, how to make them feel happy, angry, ashamed, trustful, mistrustful; he knows when and how to manipulate them based on their mood to maximum effect; etc. We see it in how he manipulates Dipper & Mabel in the show; we see it in how he turns Ford against Fiddleford in Journal 3; we see it in TBOB and on thisisnotawebsitedotcom in the way he talks about how and why he manipulated Ford.

We have no evidence he experiences "I feel what you feel" empathy. That doesn't necessarily mean he DOESN'T, but there's no evidence for it. Never see him get excited just because someone else is excited, never see him cringe sympathetically when someone else is hurt. You could say "maybe on top of being a manipulation tactic, when Bill relates to Ford's estrangement from his family by talking about his destroyed universe, he's also feeling empathy for his situation," but you could also just as easily say "nah it's just manipulation."

Common sense would say well, if he feels other people's pain, it would be harder for him to manipulate, betray, and hurt people so blithely. But we're not talking about common sense, we're talking about canon evidence! It's possible for empathetic people to hurt other people; they can just... learn not to care about that person's feelings. Which is particularly easy to do if the target is someone the person sees as "less important" or dehumanizes them. Bill sees everyone as less important than him. We can't rule either way on whether or not he's got a capacity for emotional empathy we just never see. All we can say for sure is he doesn't appear to turn it on for anyone we see.

Though we see him come close. Although he doesn't feel with any of the Pines, we can see him relate to Ford (during Weirdmageddon, throughout TBOB), to Stan (on TINAWDC), and to Mabel (in TBOB and the Dipper & Mabel's Guide book) via projecting his struggles and beliefs on to them. But in a way this is sort of, reverse empathy?; it doesn't let him feel how they feel, but it makes him assume they feel the way he does.

Sympathy! The definitions of empathy vs sympathy vs compassion are contested so I'm gonna present the definitions I'm using for this post: empathy is "i [feel/understand] what you feel" and sympathy is "i care about how you feel." There's a couple of moments in his interactions with Ford in TBOB that are blatantly manipulative (when he shows Ford what's left of his dimension; to a lesser extent, when he "helps" Ford celebrate his birthday) that might also secondarily be fleeting displays of sympathy. It's ambiguous.

Compassion! Compassion is "i'm moved to help because of how you feel." There's a moment in TBOB when he gets so irritated at Puritan misogyny that he teaches a bunch of Puritan wives how to be witches and has a girls' night burning men at the stake with them. He apparently gets no benefits from this himself, aside from funsies. Is he motivated by compassion for the ladies or ONLY by irritation at how boring the men are? Again, ambiguous.

In TBOB when discussing his exploits in the Nightmare Realm, he mentions freeing patients from insane asylums and criminals from prisons. He also repeatedly mentions disliking captivity. He might be motivated by compassion derived from empathy for prisoners. He doesn't present his motives.

Love! He calls the Henchmaniacs his "family," repeatedly brings up their worries about being erased from reality, and says he takes his party hosting duties to them very seriously. We don't know whether he actually cared about them, or merely called them a family in recognition of their consistent loyalty and obedience. He's pretty disrespectful/violent toward them but that isn't incompatible with being emotionally invested in them beyond their utility. We don't have confirmation he cares for them, or confirmation he doesn't.

Hidden in TBOB and absolutely riddled through TINAWDC are references to his parents caring about him and tender quotes. When he's so blind drunk he doesn't know where he is, he tries to call his mom and asks her to make him a sandwich after school. We know he resents how they pathologized a mutation he was born with; beyond that we can't confirm whether or not he loved them; but just beneath the surface, he's unceasingly haunted by how they loved him.

Romantic love! I wrote a post about the evidence for/against romantic attraction in TBOB. He's confirmed to have at least two ex girlfriends; in the book, he mentions missing them both. He mentions having "seduced" galaxies; we don't know whether these seductions were sexual, sexual+romantic, or metaphorical. He denies having in the exes in the same book where he discusses them, and claims that love is the pupa for hate.

You can choose to interpret this multiple ways. To me it reads most strongly as "he's been in love but sucks at maintaining a relationship because he's an asshole, and he's got sour grapes about it"; but you could read it as "he wants love but his relationships fall apart because he can't feel it and he doesn't examine why" or "the relationships were based on something other than romantic love" and not technically be wrong based on the evidence we have. What we know for sure: he's had multiple relationships; he misses them; he tries to deny they happened; he claims love's dumb.

Genuine attachment to his tools! Bill claims torturing Ford was normal Henchmaniac hazing and he wanted him to join the gang. (Dubious evidence of emotional attachment.) He goes on a raging bender when Ford refuses to join him and escapes before Bill can torture him into joining. (Stronger evidence of emotional attachment.) In Weirdmageddon, seconds after Ford tried to murder Bill, he asks Ford to join him and then turns him into a statue he carries around everywhere when Ford refuses—and this is BEFORE he discovers Ford might still have a practical use for him.

On TINAWDC, he has an exchange that boils down to "Ford was just a tool?" "You say that like it's a bad thing!" "So you never cared about him?" "I didn't say that." He goes on to refer to Ford as his pet and henchman. Demeaning—but, people do feel positively toward their pets.

(It may be worth noting he also calls Teeth the Henchmaniacs' pet. Maybe this is a consistent element to how Bill relates to sentient people.)

There's evidence in TBOB that he felt similarly about his first human henchman, the shaman—at minimum, he's very bitter when the shaman turns on him and he says he's gonna find a "new best friend."

Summary: There's evidence that Bill develops facets of positive attachments to the people around him; but we don't have any evidence that any of these attachments ever added up to a positive & healthy relationship. In all the relationships we see in depth, the toxic aspects outweighed the positive ones.

Summary of the summary: Bill has the capacity for healthy relationships but is too big a douchebag to utilize it.

[midnight-mourning]

Valentine's is Over! What now?

Hello! This is a bit of an update post now that DCA Valentine's has finsihed up. Feel free to read what you want (though I suggest at least skimming all of it so you're aware of what's happening with me) and make sure to vote in the polls!

Starting first and foremost, thank you to everyone who submitted requests! They were all genuinely lots of fun and I hope the stories I wrote for them were enjoyable ^^ Couldn't have done the event without y'all so thank you for the lovely ideas

@rosescarletful @amarynthian-chronicles @dangerva @alynwrench

@luckyyyduckyyy @fishm0ther @juukai @divinit3a @zenkaiankoku

@starspindle @that-one-unknown-artist @milosmantis @pip-plz

Secondly, I want to give a MASSIVE thank you to the lovely wonderful amazing artists who volunteered to make doodles for the stories!! Everyone killed it and I'm so very appreciative of you taking the time to make things for my silly bits of writing shfkjsdkljflks Like seriously, it was so flattering to have people initially reach out/agree and then even more so to see the art you made as a results i just AHHHH I CANT SAY THANK YOU ENOUGH, appreciate you guys very much guhhhh <333333

@divinit3a @cozycitrus @soupdweller @juukai

HIGHLY reccommend everyone to go check out their blogs & content in general, everyone makes soooo cool art and oooo you wanna go give them some love soooo bad

Alright, with that, let's get into the meat of things; what's next?

put under the break bc there's several things happening, again skim if you want but make sure to do the poll though!

Gen writing update

I had a few requests come in after they closed (no worries to those who did so! I know it was a little confusing regarding such) so i'll be writing those when i get the chance and sending them out into the world, beyond that however, any request-based things are closed (for now) if I get any during this closed period I'm sorry but I'll have to ignore them/not do them. I'm too busy with life/other wips to add them to my list, sorry!

Holiday Spirit is going to be my writing focus for the next couple weeks! It's about halfway done and I'd like it finished so I can move on with things lol

Confused spirit is going to take a bit, as like i've said before I'm writing multiple chapters back to back for the purpose on ensuring proper flow/building my buffer back up, i know it's been a bit but believe me it's been on my mind guhh

In general i have some shorter form content/drabbles & oneshots I want to write, so be on the lookout for those >:)c

Speaking on all of the above, if you want to stay up to date with my writing, I highly reccommend joining the tag list i have! My things tend to get buried otherwise >-< Just tell me you'd like added and I'll include you :)

Poll!

I've done requests now for December/holidays, and Valentine's now too. There's no major holidays coming up for a while, BUT there is an event, in May... specifically... So,

Additionally, since the art aspect of Valentine's went so well, I'll probably look for artists again to do some drawing and will run it pretty similar to this time, so if you're interested lmk :)c

Comments & Asks

While I won't be posting/active for a few weeks, I WILL be going through and answering comments, asks, and so on from people that have been collecting in my inbox oof

PLEASE know that if you've left a comment or sent me an ask that I've seen it and appreciate it very much!!! I just have not had the time to sit down and properly answer them yet, but i will during this break!

Going Dark

I was saving this for the end just because it sounds worse than it actually is.

I'm going to take a break from posting/tumblr/etc for about a week or two and spend some extra hours doing my research stuff. I'm not behind or anything (and def always put it and school first dw) but I kind of want to try and get ahead with it just because of how strict my timeline to finish is 😅

I also just want a bit of a break from constantly writing and maybe do some other hobbies when im not on the research grind. I'll be back at it (again more casually) in a few weeks tho!

by the time you see this I have already begun lol

Leftover things

Since you're here, here's the link to my writing masterpost that includes 99% of my writing stuff!

I also realized while writing this post that I don't have an actual writing tag for non-event related writing... so i'll be fixing that as well during my break

I've gotten a question or two regarding whether my stuff is commision-based or if I have a kofi (which i'll be replying to that ask directly dw whoever you are...) and my answer to that is not currently! BUT, i'll continue to think on it for those who might be interested, if it's something I do consider doing it'll be a bit from now, but I appreciate the thought from those who asked!

I think that's all, thank you again to the requestors and to the lovely lovely artists for this event, and also thank you to those who liked/reblogged my things during this event! It's very much appreciated and I'm glad people had fun ^^ Bye!

[thechekhov]

Hey Chekhov! How do you start converting an AU idea from character sheets and mini comics into a plot outline for a full, continuous comic? Especially if the series you're basing it on isn't complete?

I've been following your white diamond Steven comics for years, and frankly, I love how it builds and continues the scaffolding canon laid to be something that is thematically still the same but also very unique. And I never thought I'll ever say this, but now I'm working on a canon-divergent AU with someone that's I think aiming to do something similar(continue the themes of canon but different). So I'll just like some advice, I suppose!

You might've answered something like this before, honestly, but I tried to dig a little and couldn't really find it.

Thanks, if you do answer this! I just want take the opportunity as well to say also that your comic and blog accompanied me through parts of my late teens, and I'm very grateful for you being a stabilizing influence during that time.

Thank you! I really appreciate you saying that, and I appreciate you respecting me enough to ask for advice.

As for your question...

Well, to be frank, I don't START with character sheets and mini-comics. In fact, for WD!AU, I didn't have any character sheets until I started season 2.

Think of your story as an aquarium. Your characters are fish.

Yes, they're important, but having a whole bunch of fish without any substrate, tanks, feed and WATER..... will not really make for a memorable aquarium experience.

The reality is that all stories should start with an end.

That's my personal approach, anyway.

What I mean is - you need to know the general idea for your story before you begin to write or plan it.

Let's try this:

1.Tell me about your story in THREE sentences!

Just three. Not long ones, just regular ones.

For my AU, @ask-whitepearl-and-steven, it would be:

"A young orphan runs away from home with a mysterious lady who seems more cryptid than human. He realizes that he's not human either - he used to be the ruler of an alien planet! He and the other aliens he meets decide to (REDACTED) (REDACTED) (REDACTED) and he (REDACTED) (REDACTED) (READACTED) (READ ANDCTED) (READ AND FIND OUT)."

YOU should know how YOUR story ends too! Even vaguely.

It helps if you know at what point you plan to lay down the pencil. Because if you DO know, you are always going to know which direction to walk in, even if the end is so far away it's beyond your line of sight.

It's true that when I began WDAU, I didn't have much information about White Diamond and white Pearl, because they had literally ONLY been introduced. I had to guess a lot of the details (like WP being Pink's originally) and what White would be capable of. And thankfully, my original intent for the story's end fit pretty well with what was later revealed!

But don't forget - you could also just fuck around with stuff! It's your story, after all.

And don't forget... to also look back!

2.Tell me WHY the story is happening in the first place.

There's a reason that the beginning of your story happens when it does. If there is no reason to start somewhere, then find a different place to start.

You should be able to tell me "We're picking up the story here because something significant has happened... and that significant thing happened BECAUSE...."

That 'because' is your main background information that should be revealed slowly throughout the story. In WDAU's case, we only have a few pieces of the puzzle. We know Greg's side. He know Earl's side. But there are still little bits and pieces missing! And they're all important for finding out WHY Steven ended up an orphan and WHY he is being followed by White Pearl (Earl) at the very start of the comic!

3.Tell me what the coolest and most interesting things to happen would be....and then write them!

I think this may be something that's rarely said out loud, but I will speak on the behalf of the people...

We should write the scenes we want to read. If you don't want to read the scene you're writing, then DON'T write it!

If you feel like you "have to" do a page and a half of 'lore' because you think it's traditional to have that 'explanation' about the location of your story, or the history of the species or whatever, you're simply wrong. There are other ways to reveal information aside from just forced paragraphs upon paragraphs of information that would make an SAT Reading Section sweat.

Instead, I recommend that you find the most exciting or hilarious way for the characters to discover the most important bits of info. Find a dramatic twist. Shove it into the narrative. Then, figure out what needs to happen to get there.

Ultimately, though, remember this: When you're taking advice from me or from others, don't forget to take advice from yourself, too! It's your story, after all. You know it best, and only YOU can figure out how to get it written.

I hope that helps at least a little bit! Writing it never easy, but it should still be enjoyable!

[psilliguykai]

Boy why you [all] so white

Anyways! Uhhhh yeah William’s Wanton Weary Wiles designs. Or Something. I debated giving them each their own post but none of them deserve it. I couldn’t figure out how to make it Not A Total Mess lol soooo here we are! Individuals with some more info under the cut.

Ooohhh they gross me out so bad. Both in the /aff way but also in the “oooohh I really don’t like how this turned out” way lmao- but! I finished the lineart before I started disliking it and promised myself I wouldn’t keep waffling on the sketch so they’re. They’re DONE alright they’re DONE [<- still trying to convince himself]

All the colors [especially the skin tones because oof I really. Don’t know how to handle that apparently. I mean like they’re meant to be white but I’m not sure if they should be That white lol ANYWAYS] aren’t too strict and I’ll probably fuck around w them depending on the mood of the post, etc. just a loose guide ig :]

If their designs ever get updated, this post will be updated as well ^^ i was gonna hyperlink the master doc but tumblr is kinda hating me rn and Not Letting Me Do That so uhhh . Look up wwww au in my blog and scroll to the bottom for background I guess [I’m so sorry] 😭😭😭

Ok ok here they are

Jimmy

- you can tell I take this very seriously /silly

- The shortest/smallest, but arguably the strongest of the trio [just by a little].

- Patterns and striped parts are based on the EIAL cover + the tapeworm.

Al

- what it says in the ref tbh. Just kinda a normal guy [in appearance anyways] who dresses way too formally and doesn’t get enough sunlight or sleep. :]

- I feel like he’s kind of very fucking ugly but I’ve given up on trying to fix it 😭

- Tallest by a little and best posture by a lot.

- essentially just the outfit from the TNA cover if it was blue lol

- sorryyy no automaton freak :((( big fan of robot Mind designs, but Al is just. Different to me

Mr. Capgras

- He gets scissors in place of a trident because I thought that could be neat :] when he pulls them out of the halo they get noteably larger and sharper. Tbh it mostly just uses them for normal scissor stuff + violent threats sometimes.

- Patterns depicted here are based on the body paint from the Self-ish album cover. In this ref they’re the hmsw colors, but could technically kinda be anything. They’re super inconsistent, both in canon and also because. Trying to keep up the same patterns every time I draw him would be torture :’]

- Most intimidating/strongest-looking. Middle in height, and worst in posture. Sleep deprived, somewhat empty and bitter but still hopeful and surprisingly optimistic.

- I’d like to think if his socks are ever shown, they’d have the same patterns as his gloves n stuff :3

- This isn’t a design thing at all but I’ll probably be referring to him more as Cotard as I feel it fits best. However, he’s formally known as Mr. Capgras since it would make the official acronym for these three “JAM”, which I think is a neat and completely accidental reference to Jamface :)) completely arbitrary yeahhh but it’s my AU and I’ll include all the obscure references I want in it >:3

- dw about the oversized Cotard’s Solution doodle it’s just there as another ref for how the scissors work lol

Fanart is super duper appreciated but absolutely not needed !! Asks either directly to [<- in this case I’d respond in character{s} depending on the ask] or about these characters/this AU are also always very welcome ^^

William Racheal McSprout Himself will be getting his own post when he’s completed :]

[c-u-c-koo-4-40k]

Do I Know You? - Part 1

Summary: Khopesh and his whole Claw are called away on a mission where communication to the outside is forbidden until its conclusion, leaving Lullaby to continue life without him for about a week. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but will something wicked wander in, in his absence?

Previous Chapter: HERE!

Next Chapter: Under Construction IT'S HERE

First in the series: HERE!

Tags: @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @kit-williams @sleepyfan-blog @egrets-not-regrets (All of whom contribute characters to these fics and others! 🧡)

@felinisnoctis @passionofthesith @beckyninja @legionsofthehungry

@bispecsual @moodymisty

“It will only be for a few days, my love.” Khopesh reassures as he packs a bag with supplies and snacks. “Then I will be back here, in your arms, safe in our nest.”

“I Know Sweetness,” You reply with a small laugh, and pass him some hydration rations. “You don't have to justify a trip to me. If Anrir is insisting it must be important.”

In this case important means a mission from on high that needs the Nightlord's ‘special touch’. Details are scant as the policy around mission information is strict. But what is certain is that Anrir, Karlsor, Ghosk, Claude and Khopesh will be out of town for the next week or so. 

“I Know you know…” Khopesh huffs. “I just…with Everything that's happened, that Is still happening…I just-!” He makes frustrated gestures, and an odd sound between and groan and a growl comes out as he does. 

It's not aimed at you, but you have an idea what he's experiencing. You place a hand on your Nightlord's arm in comfort. The touch seems to soothe him enough to get his words out. 

“I loathe the idea of you being alone.” He sighs, wrapping his large pale arms around you, and pulling you close. “I loathe the idea of not being able to help you. I want you to Never stray from my sight.” You rest your head on his chest, and wrap your arms around Khopesh's body in turn. “But…I know that isn't feasible…but at least I can normally keep in contact with you.” He huffs, pressing his face gently into your hair, and taking in your scent. 

“So you're worried about having to go dark while you handle whatever this mission is…that makes sense.” You reply, and pull back slightly so you can look in his eyes. “I won't be alone though. I have my parents, your parents and the other Astartes here and at the base. They're just a vox away.” You reassure him, scratching his back gently. 

“I know…” 

You smile wryly. “You're still gonna be worried though.”

You feel his smile against your hair. “Yep.”

“Could we set up some kind of regular check in time?” You ask. “Like at night we could get on call?”

“Hrm…I wish.” Khopesh grumbles. “But during operations like these we aren't allowed personal contacts. It's an information leak hazard. Never know who might be listening in.”

Unbeknownst to you, Khopesh has started the process of getting you something that would help both of you feel at ease. Something that would ensure he would always know if you were okay. But commissions take time, and the contact Zaarius had given him was a consummate perfectionist. 

And surprisingly timid for a Noise Marine, but he did good work and the wait would be worth it. 

He just wishes it could have been done Before this mission popped up. 

You nod. “I guess that's true.” You sigh, leaning on Khopesh for a little bit longer; just to soak in his warmth. “Wanna have a quick go before you leave?” You offer, smiling cheekily. To which Khopesh purrs and pulls you closer. 

“I would be amenable to that.” He breathes, leaning into a sensual kiss. He trails his hand down so he can grasp onto your leg and bring it around his hip-

“Not while we're right outside please!” Claude's voice breaks in on your moment and you stumble apart in embarrassment. 

Well you do. Khopesh growls under his breath while keeping his grip on you. “Really Claude!?” He hisses. 

“Sorry! But Anrir isn't keen on waiting.” The Ravenguard calls out. 

“So get your stupid horny ass in Gear and get out here!” Ah, and there's Karlsor. Your face feels like you just stuck it in a sauna. 

Khopesh growls, before setting you down and grabbing his bag. You follow him out the door and try not to be embarrassed when greeting Claude and Karlsor. 

“Hello Boys, ready to go?” You ask, giving Claude and Karlsor quick hugs. 

The short haired Ravenguard nods. “Yes, we will be departing soon.”

Khopesh, in spite of his prior annoyance, smiles and grabs Claude in a half hug. “This will also be Claude's first mission with the Claw! Does me proud to see you spreading your little birdie wings!” Khopesh cheers, ruffling Claude's hair. 

Claude laughs. “I'm honored to be included Brother! But you should know better than to underestimate me!” The Primaris swiftly ducks and gets behind Khopesh, managing to catch the elder Nightlord in a bear hug. 

“EyEyEY! You get back here!” Khopesh and Claude start playfully scuffling only for Karlsor to snarl. 

“NOT the Time!” 

“Oh Sorry!” Claude apologizes, standing at attention. 

“Feh. Killjoy.” Khopesh grumbles, but he picks up his bag. 

“Yeah well this Killjoy is keeping us from getting our assess chewed by Anrir. So MOVE it.” He growls. “See you round Kiddo.” He huffs, turning to leave. 

The tone is a Little aggressive, but you get it. You wouldn't want to get on Anrir's bad side either. Claude gives a sheepish smile, and follows. 

“Don't mind him, Lullaby.” Khopesh reassures. “He's just grouchy because he's getting pulled away from his Sunshine for this and he wants this done ASAP.”

“I heard that fuck face. Move it or I'm gonna drag you by your hair!” Karlsor calls. 

Khopesh lets out a loud huff, but begins to turn to go. 

“Wait-” He looks at you curiously as you pull him close one more time. “One more for luck.” You say, and press one more quick but loving kiss on his lips. 

“RrrrrrRRRRRR!” Khopesh's purrs skyrocket, and he turns with a bounce in his step to follow after Claude and Karlsor. 

The three of them walk off and your Khopesh waves as he goes. You return the gesture, and though it may be stereotypical to say, you actually Do miss him already. 

Well…at least you have some other tasks to help you through the day. 

…

(Training day - Loyalist Base)

“Push harder!” Esen commands as you press against his hands as hard as you can. 

“I-im! Try-Ing!” You grunt, feeling the strain in both your muscles and of channeling your power through your legs to increase your strength. Captain Esen holds his arms slightly bent, with your hands pressing against his, but not interlaced. Your task is simple; try to move them back. 

After telling Anrir…Everything that you'd learned facing the Silver Space Marine and the day after…

“Fascinating….absolutely fascinating!.” He scribbled notes down madly and seemed to be swapping between Gothic, your language and another one you occasionally heard Khopesh speak. 

“Yeah, you should've seen the silver menace's face. And I could literally Feel how angry he was.” You mention nervously. “Thinking back on it…I think he realized I was the one affecting his powers-”

SNAP! The pencil in Anrir's hand breaks, and his back straightens sharply. 

“Uh…”

“...I see!” He smiles, collecting himself quickly. “Ah yes that's right. Young Ramiel informed me as well…” He hums, but his tone is strained. “I believe we will need to make some…adjustments to your training schedule.”

Psychic combat training, specifically how to defend and escape from an Astarte. With your abilities increasing, you'd need a method to directly deal with threats, rather than just slowly draining their energy. And of course Anrir would not let his absence excuse you from your duties. 

Which brings you to now, trying first to judge how much your power increases your strength, and whether it could give you an edge against an Astarte. 

No such luck so far, as you haven't even managed to make Esen's hands budge. And you were trying! Forcing power through your muscles as they flexed. 

“If the path ahead is not working…perhaps a different approach would be appropriate?” Batu surmises, on the side, stroking his beard. 

“Well that sounds Peachy but ya'll said I'm not allowed to use Zaps this time!” You huff. 

Esen chuckles. “I thought you were the one who espoused not being a ‘one trick pony’.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah yeah let me think for a sec…” You stop your exertion for a moment. 

You can't use a zap to make Esen retract his hands, and navigating your power into your legs is only helping a little. But perhaps…you're holding back without realizing. 

You take a deep breath, and like Olly advised you, you visualize. Rather than just taking your power and moving it to your legs, you imagine your mycelium wrapping and fusing into your legs. Not just laying along your muscle fibers, but intertwining with them; Becoming One with them. 

The power flows, and the increase surprises you for a moment. Then you think, ‘why stop at my legs?’. Using your imagination you visualize your mycelium growing and coiling and intertwining with the tendons and muscles all over your body. From your legs, to your back, up to your arms. You push.

“By Chogoris!” Esen laughs as he feels Actual strain in resisting your push! “I think you've got it. Dolgoon! Are you seeing this?”

Dolgoon nods with his warp sight, and a small smile. “Indeed. I do see it.”

“Come on Horsemen! You just need One More Push!” Ganbold encourages. 

One more push? Okay! You visualize a pulse of energy traveling through your flexing legs and mycelium and into the floor-

SMACK!

Your entire body rockets forward as if you'd jumped, and you go face first into Esen's chest. Luckily he's in civilian workout clothes and not his power armor. It still hurts a bit though. 

“Ow~?” You're bewildered as the White Scars look on curiously. Okay…that literally felt like something moved under your feet…or Through them rather.

“Stand aside.” Batu states, bringing out the Apothecary voice and begins a quick exam of your face. Esen steps back without argument. 

You're fine, but…that was a trip. “Did I just…jump?” You ask. 

Dolgoon interjects. “Not quite. You sent a wave of energy into the floor. That's what caused your body to move suddenly.” He explains, dimming his warp sight and giving himself a break. “May I advise that next time, you send the pulse through your shoulders to your arms in sequence with your pushing.”

“...But wouldn't that cause a zap?” You ask. 

Dolgoon shrugs. “Possibly, but that was the best push you've had so far.”

“Fair enough…” You acquiesce. 

Ding Ding Ding!

“Oop! That's the workout timer.” Ganbold claps. “Time for your Calisthenics! I'm thinking a set of Burpees will help get you reset!”

You let an incredulous huff. “You enjoy this Waaaay too much.” You mutter. 

Esen smiles and claps you on the shoulder. “Get used to it Horsemen. Ganbold makes sure our whole squad keeps to our training. That includes you now.”

You feel a little lost for words, in a good way though. “Aw That's…sweet of you to say…thank you”

“You probably won't be thanking me after these drills! Now move it, Horsemen!” Ganbold boasts. 

“Sir yes Sir!”

And so for the hour and a half the cycle continues. Ganbold focusing on your physical work, and even doing the exercises alongside you. Dolgoon tracking your psychic progress, and helping improve/being helped by your ability to soothe warp pain. Batu makes sure everyone is hydrated and healthy, often interrupting Ganbold when he goes a little too far in showing off. And Esen, true to his Captain rank, oversees and encourages you and the others throughout. 

With their pointers, you actually learn how to do a proper push that forces Esen's hands back a bit. Plus you have the ’jump’ to work on in the future.

“Alright everyone,” He eventually announces when your training time is up. “That's enough for today. Time for us to finish up.” 

Finish up in this case meaning stretches. You have nostalgic memories of warm ups and cool downs from your days in martial arts classes. This one was very similar. 

All of you stand in a line in front of a wall of mirrors, and slowly you go through different stances. You focus on your breathing, there's no need to be flashy, only to exist and reset. 

In the back of your mind, this makes you think of Tai Chi, though some of the movements seem different. Regardless, the Purpose is the same, and it works wonders to center you. 

Breathe in…breathe out…

Breathe in…breathe out…

And while you breathe and think you take in the Stark difference between yourself and the White Scars in the mirror. Even Ganbold, the shortest towers above you, and their physiques are ones you couldn't ever hope to achieve. And yet…it's not as great a difference as there once was. 

Your posture, your muscles, even how you breathe and carry yourself; it's closer to them than it was when you started. You'd done normal workouts Before Anrir's training regime, but with his focus and oversight…you could definitely see the improvement. Becoming the best and strongest You. And you smile at that. 

Once your routine is well and truly done, it's time to feed the muscles you just worked. And it seems the White Scars have the same idea. 

“Well, I'm starving. Care to join us for a meal, Horsemen?” Ganbold offers. 

“Oh actually I normally eat after training with Kho..pesh…oh right.” You sag a little as you realize. 

Oh right, your boo's not here. You feel a little bit of that ‘missing him’ feeling come back. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Batu asks. 

You quickly pull yourself together. “Ah Yeah…Khopesh is away right now, Claw Business…I forgot.” You shrug sheepishly. “But hey! I'd definitely be up for lunch with y'all!”

Dolgoon nods. “I find myself in the mood for Fire Drake noodles.”

Ganbold grins. “That! Sounds amazing! What'd'ya say Captain?”

Batu hmms. “Well the Cafeteria food is free, And has more…balanced options for a post training meal.”

“Bah! We can get balanced food later. Come on Bati, live a little!” Ganbold chortles. 

Batu huffs. “I'm ensuring we Live more than just a Little…but the Fire Drake does have quite good cuisine.”

You feel an itch, and you speak on it. “I can help cover the cost.” You offer.

The White Scars seem a bit surprised, but Ganbold claps his hands together and rubs them, smiling. “Well I'd say that settles it! Fire Drake's it is!”

“Forgive me Ganbold, but you seem to forget who the captain is here.” Esen pipes up, but rather than stumble over apologies, Ganbold just raises an eyebrow. 

“Okay, Captain Sir! May we go to Fire Drake Noodle House for a Meal Sir!?” He jumps to attention and delivers the question in a military yell. 

Esen can't help but laugh, even slapping his knee and causing his thin braid of black hair to sway. “Alright alright at ease! Yes, we can go.”

“Fuck Yeah, noodles.” Dolgoon says in his usual reserved monotone, if you'd been drinking anything you'd have spit it out it catches you so off guard and you start laughing too. 

…

“So what I'm saying is; If I was a human baseline woman on Chogoris I think I'd fetch a nice dowry.” Ganbold chats as he eats his plate of fire cracker shrimp. 

The rest of you sit around the table. The discussion had started with you inquiring about their home. Which naturally led to the White Scars telling you about the taigas and grasslands of Chogoris. How the fields and rolling oceans of grass seemed to go for eternity. How nomadic tribes hunted on horseback, and with the use of falcons. 

“In the cold months, when snow fell over our settlements, some of my finest memories are using a slope of wooden boards cobbled together to race down the steppes.” Esen explained. “I once went so fast I slid Right between the legs of my father's hunting horse. While he was on it.” 

“No way!” You reply. 

“Very Way. The horse threw him and I got scolded front to back.” Esen continued. “But, the White Scars took notice of me. They offered to let me join them with the promise I could use my fearlessness and my skills to protect our home and bring it prosperity.”

“Do you miss it?” You ask. 

Esen nods and the conversation turns a little more solemn. “I do. But I understood what I was getting into by becoming what I am. I was able to see my tribe a few times during my campaigns. And indeed they did prosper as the Imperium promised. So I hope that they are still prospering even now.”

Ganbold smiled wryly. “My tribe lived on the mountains, and given how…excitable I tended to be. I think they were almost Glad when I joined up.” 

You raised an eyebrow. “What, you cause one too many avalanches while doing push ups for their liking?”

“How did you guess?”

You sit there, stunned for a moment until you realize he's not being serious…you think. Then you both laugh. 

Dolgoon chimed in next. “I was set to be married to the daughter of my father's long time friend. I did not dislike her but…I felt no love for her either.” He explained. “I felt it unfair to both of us that our families were pushing us. So, I defied my family and went with the White Scars who came to recruit from us.”

Batu speaks next. “You passed up on the chance to be married?” 

Dolgoon shrugs. “It felt like the right decision.”

Batu nodded. “I suppose I understand. The White Scars found me orphaned after bandits raided my family's camp.” He explains, eating from his plate. “I don't remember much, but because I grew up without a family name or tribe to belong to, I did not have the ability to present a dowry for a marriage.”

And thus that statement led to you getting a crash course in Chogorin marriage customs. 

“When a man or woman wishes to take a spouse, the family must visit the spouse's home and present offerings. If the offerings are accepted, then the marriage can go forward.”

“Batu…” Esen seems to hesitate speaking up. 

Batu smiles wryly. “I appreciated your offer then, and I still do.” Batu turns to you. “My brothers assured me many Many times, that they would accompany me to the home of any man or woman I wished to marry, as long as they were willing.” He takes another sip of his water. “But my duties to my Legion and my…upbringing caused me to lack those kinds of connections.”

“So you haven't had the chance to find ‘the one’.” You clarify. 

Batu nods. “Pretty much. I'm not ungrateful for my life, except when these fools injure themselves stupidly and I have to patch them up. I suppose…I just wish I'd had the Option to know that world.”

The mood goes a little down after that, but in a sympathetic way. Until Ganbold makes the dowry comment and they all start ribbing him. 

“I've got Good hips and a Strong back! Plus fantastic hair. Even without enhancement I am a Catch.” He's not wrong, his hair Is very silky and meticulously braided with silver beads. Even his small beard that falls from his mustache and chin is braided with a bead. 

“Okay this might be awkward but now I Have to know. If I was Chogorin and you were my family-” You pause and correct yourself. “My birth family. What kind of Dowry would you accept for me?”

Ganbold smiles. “I'd give your hand for a plate of this firecracker shrimp-OW!” 

Dolgoon elbows him. “He is joking. I would accept nothing less than a fine hunting horse and a silver cup for your hand. Even if it was someone you already liked, I would insist they understand your value, and show it accordingly.” He says seriously. 

“With your animal husbandry skill, horseback skill and general frame and personality you could net a herd of horses And some fine silks easily.” Batu surmises. 

Esen smiled. “I would accept no dowry. With your skill and tenacity, You would be making the offers, which I would accompany you to with pride.”

You feel a familial warmth in your chest. “That…that is really sweet of ya'll to say. I hope if I was in a similar position…I'd do the same for ya'll.”

“Well duh you would! You're family now.” Ganbold huffs. 

You smile cheek to cheek. “Yeah… I guess I am.” You reply. “But if it was your dowry I'd trade you for this Udon.” You jest, pointing to your spicy noodles. 

Ganbold gasps in mock horror. “Oh come on! I'm worth at Least two portions of Udon.”

“Not with your shrimp breath you’re not!” You fire back. 

“Gasp! How dare you!” 

“Oh shrove it down your shrimp hole.” 

“...”

Then you both break into raucous laughter. And the others join in as well. From there the meal and pleasant conversation continues, and you're Just about to suggest dessert when..  

VRRRR! VRRRR!

Hello, this is the Stone Flame Astarte Clinic, this is a Reminder for your Donation Appointment, at 4 PM. Please call xxx - xxx - xxxx to Reschedule. TEXT YES, to confirm appointment. TEXT NO, to reschedule. 

“Shit.” You huff and quickly text back YES. Then you hop up from the table. 

“Something wrong?” Esen asks. 

“Yeah something's come up back at base and they need me there ASAP.” You reply, you don't have time nor clearance to explain to them in a crowded restaurant. “I'll tell you about it later.” You assure, digging out your wallet to leave your portion of the bill. You're glad you didn't have to wait for a take out, having inhaled all the food on your plate. 

Batu protests for a moment. “You don't have to-”

You smile. “I said I would, besides…wouldn't be right to make people I consider family foot my bill.”

Dolgoon smiles. “Very well. Take care of yourself…Horsemen.”

You smile and nod, then bid the White Scars farewell. While the whole Legion focused on speed, it does surprise you to see how much they enjoyed just…relaxing over a meal. They deserve to enjoy themselves at their own pace. And you pace your way to the clinic. 

Now are you actually late or forgot an appointment? No, and that is not you being prideful. This is a system set up by none other than Anrir and Zariel. And as you hurry your way in, you approach Hura. 

He's standing at the front counter Exactly as he normally does during these times. 

“It's time for me to make another donation right?” You ask him, and Only him. 

Hura nods seriously. “Indeed, follow me.”

You do just that, back and back and back…to the same familiar, Secluded place where you'd first used your abilities intentionally. 

You're able to take the sight in front of you without flinching now. It's an Astarte, specifically a Black Legionnaire in the throws of a rejected intense bond. 

“Let me go! LET ME GO! HE'S MINE! NO ONE ELSE'S!” He snarls madly. “I won't! I won't ACCEPT THIS! I WON'T!!!” 

“What's the story with this one?” You ask Hura, who is preparing to enter the room with you as he's done many times before. 

“An intense bond rejection, but more…insidious I'm afraid.” Hura supplies. “He's been stalking his bonded for Months, and when it seemed the baseline had gotten a partner, he went ballistic. Broke in while the mortal was out to set up a ritual to…consume the mortal's heart so their souls would be forever intertwined.”

“THEY TOLD ME HE'D BE MINE! THE VOICES OF MY PATRONS DECREED IT! DAMN YOU! LET ME GO! YOU WRETCHED GREEN SNOT SUCKING NURGLE BASTARD!”

Hura goes on, completely unfazed. “Luckily the neighbor's World Eater heard him, and subdued him before the mortal returned home. In order to assess his punishment we must see if his…proclivities persist after the bond is removed.”

“If he keeps acting all non-consensual cannibal, you're gonna have to ice him?” You posit. It troubles you a Bit that consensual vs non-consensual cannibalism is a concept for you now but…well you can only exist so long around Astartes before the subject pops up. 

Hura chuckles. “Precisely.”

“Alright, let me at em.” You say rolling up your sleeves. This one is a psycher… Dark Apostle…you think the term is. He chuckles darkly as you approach. 

“Sweeeet little human,” He breathes. “Just like MY bonded. When I get out of here, I will find him and I will bind our flesh as ONE as it SHOULD have been! Maybe I'll find you for dessert, tender fles-”

“Ssshut Up.” You chastise and place a finger right between his eyes. “By the time this is over you won't even remember my face. Let's just hope you also get over that cannibalism issue too.”

“Ah…AH, ARGHHAGH! WHAT IS THIS!?” He cries, as his intense bond and the strangling of his soul is lessened. 

“You, coming to your senses.” You reply, the bond dwindles away, leaving the Black Legionnaire Dark Apostle to flop back in exhaustion. “Sso…quiet…” He breathes, then passes out. 

You brush your hands back and forth like you were wiping dust from them. “Alright, looks like my work here is done.” Laid out as he is now, asleep and clearly drained of whatever power was keeping his madness going you can't help but feel a Little sympathetic. “He mentioned voices…can Astartes have schizophrenia?”

“Just as anyone else can…” Hura replies, as he administers the amnestic. “I also noted the circles under his eyes and general exhaustion. Seems the intense bond had been strangling his ability to sleep as well as his soul.”

“Shit…” You bite your lip. Most of your sympathy goes to the poor traumatized baseline who'll have to live with coming home to a break in, at minimum. 

But well…part of you wishes you could've somehow caught this one before this Black Legionnaire ruined his chance for a bonded, or even his Life here. 

Well…maybe there's a chance he could still have that. IF he acts right when he comes to. IF he doesn't, he'll be culled accordingly. You hope it doesn't come to that…but only time will tell. 

And right now, time is telling you that it has been a long day. You finish your paperwork quickly, and bid Hura farewell before driving home. You could have stayed in Khopesh's base room but…you didn't want the possible hassle of walking through the Nightlord Dorm without the Claw around. 

Even after the productive and social day you'd had, you lay in the bed of your nest, and it does feel so strangely empty. You're not unfamiliar with someone being gone from your living space. Mom or Dad taking a trip to visit family or handle work related stuff that you weren't able to attend. There's the feeling of the gap, but…wow the difference a partner makes. 

“Guess that feeling never quite goes away.” You mumble, turning over and pulling your rabbit plush close to you. 

You'll live, and in a week your Sweetness will be back. Until the next mission he needs to take, or hell if You have to travel then he'd be the one left at home. But that is part of life. And thinking about that brings back the memories of your pleasant meal with the White Scars. And being able to help at the clinic as you have many times before. 

“A pretty good life.” You muse, staring up at the ceiling. You're considering adding some glow in the dark stars, those would look cute and whimsical. You feel yourself drifting off to sleep. 

…

-Crrzt - “Hail -brztzt-, Come in -brztzt-, do you have visual on the target?”

Brztzt - “Affirmative,”

“Is the target alone?”

“Affirmative, the resident has just left.”

“Good, ready to engage?”

“Negative -bzzrtz- wait a day or so to engage. -Crzztzt- Then we move in.”

“Good, and remember. Failure is Not an Option.”

“Affirmative.”

…

[adnauseum11]

Operational Risk Management (John Price x Reader)

Kate calls with some bad news.

1k words

CW: swearing, military inaccuracies

This work is part of the S.N.A.F.U. series, master list also pinned to my blog.

Masterlist

Ao3

John’s phone lights up in the center console with an incoming call just as you are returning to the flat. Two hefty shopping bags of new glitter-less decorations are safely secured in the back seat. His patience ran out about half-way back from your excursion, locked in a snarl of holiday traffic. When he began to grumble about the lack of common sense on display, you reminded him that he wanted to tag along with you. The look he gave you afterwards was dark, but you didn’t let it faze you, used as you are to his intermittent grumpiness. Still, you’re happy to claim your spoils and clear off so he can take his phone call in peace, his annoyance doing nothing to dampen your spirit. 

“Hello?” 

John’s tone is curt. The familiar sound of chopper blades swells and then he can hear Kate over the staticky line, immediately picturing her cupping her hand over the bottom of the phone as she clears the rotors. 

“John? Got some news, you aren’t going to like it. Can you talk?” 

She’s moving, likely just landed. John’s brain is leaping ahead, trying to fill in the gaps. 

“Yeah. What happened? Gaz alright?”

Kate cuts straight to the chase, apparently no time to waste on pleasantries. 

“The commander Gaz is working under is a younger brother to man killed in Las Almas - belonged to Shadow Company. He’s leveraged his position with Norris to start knocking on doors to find out what happened to his brother and he’s managed to get enough intel to hold the 141 responsible.”

“Jesus Christ Laswell.”

John’s palm comes down with a slap on the steering wheel, his mood worsening. He can feel his blood pressure rising as Kate’s terse voice washes over him.

“I suspect Norris is feeding him information. We’re going to keep working on that end, see if we can confirm anything. When you turned down the contract and that photo popped up, he tried a different path. The commander did basic training with your girl’s would-be-assailant years ago, before the dishonourable discharge. We think he’s currently switching tack again. Gaz is obviously compromised, and they’re about to ship out.”

“Ah hell Kate.” 

John’s violently pushing his fingers through his hair, the implications of Gaz being in the thick of this commander’s operation making his stomach turn to lead. 

“I didn’t know John, didn’t think Norris’ men needed further vetting. Lesson learned. I’ve got a potential intercept point. Right now, we’re handling some rendezvous communications for them as we’ve got friendlies in the field, Gaz being one. They’re going to be sent to recon a chemical manufacture plant in Lithuania for a potential raid.”

Kate’s tone suggests she’s well aware of her fuck up, and John respects her enough to leave it there, satisfied with her acknowledgement.

“There’s got to be a vulnerability we can exploit to get Gaz to safety.”

John’s instinct is to plan, even without any intel yet.

“Ghost is planning an avenue of approach for the potential intercept point before whatever the commander is up to comes to fruition out there. We urgently could use an extra set of hands in the know, Captain. Timing is critical here. Gaz’s assigned taskforce won’t be expecting us. If we do this correctly, we can bury this for good with no one the wiser.”

John looks up at the flat, can almost picture you flitting around, rearranging items to account for your new prizes. His heart sinks as he makes the only decision his conscience will allow. 

“Yeah, my bag is mostly packed. I can be at the base in a few hours for pick up if you can arrange liaison.”

Kate asks the question he’s been dreading since this conversation started. He can guess at the outcome and is in no hurry to be proven right. 

“Your girl going to be ok with the last-minute change of holiday plans?”

At the mention of you, John’s brain immediately pulls the image of you naked in the shower, flushed from the orgasm he’d just given you, admitting you’re in love. The center of his chest aches at the thought of leaving you alone during the holiday you’re so obviously excited to share with him. At one point, early on, he was confident that he knew exactly what he was doing. His emotions lately tended to be out of control and headlong, almost impossible to moderate. After years of relentlessly telling himself it was better to keep his distance, to stay platonic, he’s finally getting what he’s coveted after all this time. And still, he can’t stop his greedy heart from wanting more. He fights back the uncharacteristic swell of emotion and clears his throat, refocusing on the conversation at hand.

“I’ll handle it. Not leaving anything this volatile for someone else to clean up. I want assurance it’s over.” 

“If you’re sure. You’ve been moving fast with this woman John. I’m assuming you know what you’re doing here.”

His laugh is dark, the sound of a man whose best laid plans are unravelling in front of his eyes. 

“Gaz would do the same. I’ll sort it out on my end, set up the liaison for 19:00.”

John is all business, putting any indecision firmly to rest in short order.

“We appreciate the assist; I’ll debrief you further once you’re on route. And John?”

“Yeah?” 

He’s preoccupied, already trying to work out how to explain what’s about to happen to the woman he loves.

“Good luck, hope you bought her something nice.”

Kate’s tone is a mix of gentle teasing and honest concern. John’s foul mood refuses to rise to the occasion.

“Piss off Laswell.”

John grates out before hanging up the call and sighing deeply, gripping the steering wheel tightly. He shouts a handful of curses into the empty car, grateful for a mostly vacant street to witness his outburst. He takes several deep breaths to gather himself again before stepping out of the car to rejoin you in the flat and break the news.

Next Chapter

Tag list:

@deadbranch @beebeechaos @cadotoast @writeforfandoms @syoddeye @itr-00 @chloepluto1306 @batw3nch

[thewhumpcaretaker]

ok ok ok your sub! john drabbles actually gave me the best idea. tattoo artist x john wick

tattoo artist reader is there to comfort him and make sure he’s okay and doesn’t pass out esp if it’s his first tattoo.

also writing this made me remember a fic i read that’s not finished but breaks my heart

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21060659/chapters/50100092 if you want to read 🖤

Thank you so much for this ask!! I've been thinking about this idea for a while actually. There was another ask about this a long time ago, maybe on my JohnWickCaretaker blog? I can't find that one, but if that was also you, then thanks a second time. Also, yaaaaay, fic recommendation! 🖤

John Wick x Tattoo Artist Reader (Gender Neutral)

Author's Note: John is a little younger in this one (I’m picturing him being 18-19), so he’s not as mature. He’s even more shy and gets defensive more easily. Also, I'm not a tattoo artist, and haven't gotten any tattoos, so this is just based on what I've read about it!

CW: forced to get a tattoo, tattoo needle, crying, reader swears frequently, bittersweet ending

Image sources: 1 2 3

“You have time for a walk-in?”

You didn’t even hear this guy open the door. Once you’re done being startled, you notice…him. You’re not supposed to let yourself think this way about clients, but shit, he’s cute. He looks soft. Mostly clean shaven, with a thin, elegant face (maybe it’s the high cheekbones), topped off with a mop of dark hair. And probably inexperienced, based on how nervous he looks. A little part of you wonders how this is going to go for him. “You’re in luck. What’s your name?”

No answer.

“Can I see an ID?”

He hesitates awkwardly. “I’m coming from Mrs. Petrov.”

Oh. So he’s one of these. You doubt that’s her real name, but Mrs. Petrov sailed into your shop one day offering to double the usual price if you’d keep quiet and ask no questions, and you sure need the money. Your skin is crawling a bit but you take a deep breath and get into it.

“Okay, good enough for me. What design are we looking at?”

He hands you a paper. It’s the same one you’ve seen half a dozen times: hands touching in prayer over an image of the cross. Guys come to you for this tat again and again, “from Mrs. Petrov.” One told you it was a mark of his acting troupe, another said it was a family crest, another a symbol of his church. They’re probably all lying, but you know better than to call them on it – or to turn any of them away. You’re pretty sure it’s a mob thing. It breaks your heart a little bit to think he’s caught up in all that. He doesn’t look the part. But then, you also know better than to judge by looks alone.

You gesture to the chair. “Settle in, face down. It’s better if we have your shirt off.” He’s way too delicious underneath it. The perfect canvas...shhhhh stop it. You’re a professional and he’s…god knows what. “This will take about four or five hours. Is that okay?”

He nods.

“Silent type I guess?”

That gets a faint smile before he lays across the bench, chin resting on folded arms. You flip the Open sign to Closed, pull on your gloves, and start prepping tools. You turn on the radio to 80s rock, filling the silence between you - though it doesn’t feel like a stressful silence, surprisingly. Both of you know how odd this situation is and you’re both just trying to get through it. There’s a camaraderie to that.

You glance down at the design in your hand and whistle. It’s pretty big, taking up most of the center of his back, between the scapulas. “Is this your first tattoo?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, well I’ll be real with you: this is going right over the spine, so you can expect some pain. Nothing that’ll kill you, just…not super pleasant. So I’ll check in from time to time, see how you’re doing. If you need a break, we can take one.”

“I won’t.” He sounds pretty sure of that. Standing behind him, you shake your head. It’s always the ones that are so sure…

“Well, after a while, I’ll need one.” You run disinfecting wipes over the center of his back and set to work. When the needle touches down for the first time, he winces once, but he doesn’t wince again for the next ten minutes of linework. It takes you that long to realize that he’s barely breathing. “Your muscles are tense, buddy. I need you to relax for me or this will hurt more.”

“…I just…don’t want to move.” There’s something so sweet about the way he says it.

“You won’t move. You’re actually less likely to shake if you can let yourself go totally limp, like you would if you were about to fall asleep. Here, sit up for a second, take a deep breath, and stretch out.” He listens, but he’s not looking at you. You’re pretty sure he’s blushing.

“Okay. I’m relaxed.” Liar. You can still feel the knots in his muscles when you touch him again. But at least it’s a little better than before, and he’s getting impatient. “Keep going.”

Well, the customer is always right. “Alright, let’s do it.” You grab your pen and get back into place. The best you can do is try to distract him. “How did you choose this tattoo anyway?” Might as well see what story this one will make up.

“I didn’t.” That’s probably the truest answer you’ve heard so far.

“Do you…like it?” God, you hope so.

“Not really.”

“…You’re telling me I’m putting something on your body right now that you don’t want there?”

“No,” he says, a little too quickly. “Forget it.”

That’s probably for the best anyway. You’ll get too pissed off if you keep going down this line of questioning. You take a deep breath and try for something lighter. “So what do you, uh…do for fun?”

“Reading, mostly.”

“Oh, sweet. You read anything good lately?”

“Kind of. I’m reading Anna Kerenina.” He slips into a faint accent when he says it, and you have a suspicion.

“What translation?”

“Just the Russian.” He sounds a little annoyed, like you caught him out on something. You suppose you did, and it was kind of fun.

“Bilingual. That’s badass.”

“Thanks.” There’s silence again for a minute, but it feels friendlier.

“So what do you think of it?”

“It’s...fine.”

You wrinkle your nose. “Yeah, it’s kind of dry.”

“I guess, but I don’t mind that. I just don’t like Anna and Vronsky. Which is Tolstoy’s whole point, but…”

“They’re both little shits to everyone. Makes it hard to get invested.”

“Right, exactly.” He shifts his chin. “If I was married, I can’t imagine cheating.” From some people, a line like that would sound like a transparent attempt to come across as a “nice guy.” But he says it so wistfully, you know he means it.

Don’t say what you’re about to say. Don’t say it. Be professional.

…Fuck it, you’re doing this under the table anyway. “Are you dating anybody?”

“No.” It sounds so bitter that, for a second, you think you really are dealing with a nice-guy-impersonator. But then he clarifies. “My…lifestyle doesn’t allow for that.”

“Oh.” You can’t think of any way to reply that doesn’t involve the burning questions in your mind about what exactly this “lifestyle” entails. So you lapse into silence again, for much longer this time, just thinking, wondering what it’s like to be one of these young men with the cross tattoos. Are they all friends with each other? What exactly do they do? Is it difficult? How does it pay? How did they get into it?

You stop when you’re done with the linework. “Okay, that went great! We’re totally done with the outlines, which is half the battle. I’m going to take a break before we start on the shading.” You circle around in front of him to grab your water bottle, and catch a glimpse of his face as he’s straightening up.

He’s wiping off silent tears.

Your heart almost drops out of your chest. “Oh shit. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he says, but it sounds hoarse and shaky. “Just hurt more than I expected.” He huffs a laugh, trying to play the whole thing off as unimportant.

“Dude, I told you we can take breaks if you need. If you’re crying from pain, you’re too tensed up. Tell me next time, alright?” Before you realize what you’re doing, you’re rubbing his shoulder. He freezes for a second, and you pull back. “Sorry, I – I didn’t mean to – “

“No, it’s okay. I’m just not used to that.”

“Damn, how do they treat you at Mrs. Petrov’s place?” You’re half joking, but you want to know more and more by the second. And when he just looks grave and doesn’t answer, your heart does that weird dropping thing again.

“…Let me get you a water, okay? I’ll be right back.” You’re grateful for the short walk to the mini fridge you keep in the back of the parlor. It feels so heavy in that room. You’re starting to wish you hadn’t taken the deal, because whatever this is, you don’t want to be involved.

When you come back, he’s perfectly composed again, but looking at you more carefully this time, like he’s finally really seeing you. After he takes a drink of water, he hesitates for a second. “My name is Jardani.”

Warmly, “Nice to meet you.” You take the bottle back and set it on the table, within reach. “You’ll tell me if you get overwhelmed next time?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I’m trusting you.”

You watch him settle in and get back to work. It’s okay at first but there’s a dark shadow under those praying hands that needs to go right over his spine. It’s basically pure black. A couple minutes into it, he exhales sharply, like he’d been holding his breath for a while. “Stop.”

You set your pen down right away. “You got it.” You pull up a chair next to him and he turns to look at you, without sitting up. He’s really pale. “How are you feeling?”

“Lightheaded.”

“Yeah, you can pass out if you get tense like that for too long. But you’re okay. We can take as long as you need.” You put your hand on his shoulder again, massaging it, and this time, he lets you. You can feel some of the tension finally seep away and the color returns to his cheeks. The dark pools of his eyes are fixed on yours, and if you aren’t careful, you feel like you could fall into them and drown. There’s something trapped in cold waters down there, pleading for rescue.

Yeah, sure. If you were being unprofessional before, now you’re being a downright sentimental fool. This guy has probably shot people.

Despite being deep and rumbling, his voice sounds so quiet that it’s almost shy. “You don’t know what this means to me, to have a…nice moment... Thank you.”

“Oh – you’re welcome. It’s nothing, really.” You’re absolutely done for. “Um, do you want to stand up and stretch before we get back at it?”

“Mm-hm.”

Your brain is fried but you manage to hold it together while the both of you get back into position. The rest of the session goes pretty smoothly, and you talk a little more here and there. At first it’s just about how he should take care of this thing when it’s finished – staying out of the sun and all that. But then he starts to ask you about yourself - what you read, how you got into tattooing, your favorite designs. Everything you say seems to interest him. You can’t quite believe it but he’s obviously developing a crush on you. Or at least getting attached in some way. You can’t blame him, if the smallest friendly touch is such a foreign concept.

It's too soon when you place the finishing touches. “Okay! You want to take a look?” You help him up, his hand resting in yours for an instant as he slides off the bench, stiff and probably aching. It sends a jolt straight to your heart, to support some fraction of his weight and to feel the way his fingers squeeze down on yours before letting go. You mourn the contact instantly, and distract yourself by adjusting the two mirrors that reflect into each other, allowing him to see his back. “What do you think?”

“It does look cool actually.” He cracks a little heart-melting smile, and you’re really relieved. He may not have wanted it, but at least he’s not devastated.

“’Course it does, it was done by the best in the business,” you joke. Though to be honest, you really are impressed with your handiwork. Doing the same tattoo so many times pays off – each one has looked more polished than the last. It’s almost a shame to see him put his shirt back on…for multiple reasons.

“Oh, uh…” He fishes something out of his pocket. A wad of hard cash – a LOT of it, as usual. “Here’s the payment.” And then he’s leaving, before you can do anything, say anything, even catch the breath you’d lost trying to comprehend everything that just happened.

“Hey, wait!” You don’t really know what you’re going to say, but then he’s facing you again and you have to say something, and it just comes out. “…Do you need help? I don’t know what’s going on, but look, I’m not an idiot. I know something’s wrong here. I don’t know who Mrs. Petrov really is and I don’t care, but if you need me to do something, like…I don’t know, call a social worker or something or help you get transport out of the city...” Your voice falters. You have no idea what he’d need and even less idea how to provide it without getting both of you killed. And what if you’ve misread the whole situation? What if you’re completely out of line?

It certainly looks that way. It’s like a switch flips in him. “No. Whatever you do, don’t fucking try anything. It’s none of your business.” It’s the coldest he’s sounded. “You won’t see me again.” The door slams behind him.

You brace a hand against the counter behind you, shaking. How could you be so stupid, honestly. This emotional roller coaster isn’t worth it. You wish you’d never seen Mrs. Petrov, let alone this Jardani with his damn pain-soaked eyes and cornered-dog behavior. There’s something awful going on, and you can’t do anything about it, you’re just making it worse. If you can get out of this deal, you have to, even if it means getting out of the city. Maybe out west - San Francisco sounds nice this time of year.

You’re just putting yourself back together and trying to decide what the hell you’re gonna do when the door flings open again and he storms back though it, stopping short right in front of you. For a second, you just stare at each other, breathing hard. Then he catches the flash of foolish happiness in your eyes at seeing him again and musters his nerves.

And he. Fucking. Kisses. You. Forcefully, with his strong hands gripping your arms and his teeth colliding with yours, pulling, desperate, rebellious, like he’s trying to tell you something he’s not allowed to say. You’re pretty sure it’s, “Thank you. For being one of the few people who cared.”

And then he’s gone again, and this time, you can feel it: he’s never coming back.

[valyrfia]

people playing morality wars with f1 drivers is so funny. "all f1 drivers cheat EXCEPT MY FAV!!" no babe your fav definitely cheats too

tmi time - i dated a pro athlete (not motorsports sorry) when i was in my early 20s and like...... it's the kind of thing where if you go into it knowing it's essentially an open relationship it's not bad at all, i don't think there's anything morally wrong with it. i'm sure that sounds a little bleak to people who love the idea of pure monogamy but it's not the same when you've already established when you're apart you're going to be spending time with other people 🤷🏻 the issue is only if they lie and say they won't but then they do it anyway, but i've honestly never met the partner of an athlete that seriously thought this. everyone i met during that period was actually really mature and understood what the open relationship meant (even though a lot of them were influencers and came off as vapid, i was humbled by how smart most of them actually were negl)

you also need to be capable of separating your love for the other person from your personal desires like with any open relationship.... which i have a feeling a lot of people who like formula 1 are too young to fathom (and to be fair some f1 drivers probably *are* too immature to pull off a stable relationship like this, but i wouldn't hazard to guess who - we just don't know them like that and i find people guessing usually devolves into low-key fandom wars)

we love personal anecdotes on this blog thanks for sharing anon! if you ever want to share more insights…..im fascinated to know more just ab culture/inherent power imbalance in WAG/athlete relationships….

I agree a lot of people in the f1 fandom still have a very fairytale view of relationships—which I argue the WAGs/drivers are also trying to sell you because it increases their PR power. Open relationships are more common than people realise (whether it’s handled with maturity….well that’s another thing entirely) and you can still afford a partner dignity and respect while being in one (whether all pro athletes are good at doing it is a separate thing). The realisation that physical intimacy and emotional/romantic intimacy are two entirely different things is a realisation that comes with age, and some people ARE very naturally monogamous and some people just….aren’t. There’s no wrong or right way to go about it so long as all parties know the expectations. I think the only place where I would apply morality/criticism to it is if a driver is very obviously humiliating their partner with their actions because their partner wasn’t aware. Otherwise who careeeees your honour.

Last point quick that I think sometimes people care so much esp in fandom spaces/spiral into fandom wars because it shatters a fantasy. Which, people are entitled to their fantasies but I also think one has to have enough self-awareness to know they’re being sold a fantasy. Which maybe comes with age. But either way I don’t really give a shit if let’s say Charles or Oscar or Max is cheating (apart from the natural titillating nature of hot goss) because no aspect of my moral ‘worth’ is based off my support of them, all I need out of them is good racing and rpf.

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝕋𝕠𝕠 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕... ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ anon request: Hello👋, I'd like to request since your requests are open, can you do WxS (separately) with reader who's too kind? Like they always kind to people and always help them, making them a bit of people pleasure. And because of that, sometimes people take advantages of them. despite they know people used them, they're not brave enough to speak up and decline those people

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Hii!! Of course!!

Sorry it took me so long andddd I hope you like it! ^^

Also- this felt like being called out smhw ToT

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ fluff

✧ untill Tsukasa notices the bad side... he's actually pretty charmed by how sweet you are to him!

✧ he always makes sure to give you the respect you deserve after doing him a favor, often even exaggerating... but it's just how he is

"THIS IS PERFECT!! My star, you're the greatest, most talented, purest soul to ever exist!!! I promise to return the favor you've given me with all my life!"

"It's just some cookies, Tsukasa..."

✧ but his words are definitely comforting are and never fail to make you feel a bit special~

✧ but his feelings towards your soft side changed quickly once he overhead how your "friends" were pushing you to do the piles of homework for them...

✧ he'll randomly run up to you and stop your conversation just to protect you and tell the people you're talking to what he thinks

"I mean... I guess I have time-"

"ABSOLUTELY NO!!!! What you're doing is anything but right! Just because 'you don't feel like doing it' doesn't mean you can blame it on someone!! Do it yourself and don't overwork my amazing partner!"

✧ I feel like your "friends" might more intimidated by how loud he is rather than what he's saying... but it'll definitely leave a stinge on their reputation based on the fact whole school must've heard how he yelled...

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @wholesaleboi @yulikesminori @alicewinterway18 @hakulivesformusic @sucodelaranja86 - come get your future star!

✧ Emu was a bit late with releasing that what you're doing is actually pushing yourself and not just being friendly and wanting to fill up your time...

✧ she always tries to stay optimistic, so maybe that's why?

✧ whenever you told her you promised a friend something, she'd immidietly awww

"Awww~ That's so sweet of you, Y/N! Oh! Can h come help too? Pretty pleass!!"

✧ she finally realizes you actually have a problem on one day when you took too much on your shoulder and babbled out all the list of tasks you had to do in one day...

✧ she was quick to notice you'll just tire yourself out and possibly even hurt yourself if you do it all...

"You can't do that! It's WAY too much! You can even pass out, Y/N!"

"It's fine, I can manage. It's not like I can back my words now anyway..."

"Then... give me 70%!!!"

✧ she insists on taking the bigger part since she's more energetic and will not stop bragging and begging untill you agree, so might as well give in early

✧ and she's truly a girl of her words~ She does all the work flawlessly and if you're doing your tasks slowly, she might even help with your part!

✧ she'll give you a disappointed face and words if you ever take too much and... how can you see her sad? Maybe it's her plan all along to keep you away from taking too much... Who knows this girl...

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @hayillaaaaaaa @miguelito-maruti-blog @ravenmoon903 - come get your smiley girl!

✧ Nene noticed your tendency to put others before yourself rather quickly... tho she didn't think too much about it

✧ that's untill she overheard your conversation with so called "friends"

✧ she stayed hidden and just waited for the conversation to end, not wanting to emberass herself for now

✧ after you're done, she'll approach you and complain a bit about what you did

"Why didn't you tell them to fuck off?"

"That'd be mean..."

"Yeah. So what? They're being mean by pushing you, you can be 'mean' by refusing too."

✧ in the end, she helps you with whatever you agreed on... she doesn't want you to overwork yourself so might as well keep you company

✧ she'll slowly push you and try to convince you there's nothing wrong with refusing to do something for your own good sometimes and that it doesn't make you a bad guy here

✧ she'll sometimes even test you with absurd questions...

"Hey, Y/N, can you stay awake whole night just to watch over me?"

"I mean... I guess...?"

"You failed the test."

✧ just... don't try agreeing on it unless you want to spend the next hour on a lecture onto how you should take better care of yourself

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @bl4cktourmaline @ravenmoon903 - come get your shy gamer~

✧ Rui could easily see how you're being used... he used to have not so interesting opinion so he most definitely doesn't want you to live like that...

✧ he'll first start with talking to you and understanding your point of view as well as sharing his own opinion with you

"Darling... I'm sorry to tell you this but... I don't think they're your friends... they're just using you and your pure heart..."

"I mean... saying 'no' would be rude so-"

"So be rude. I don't want you to accidentally hurt yourself by pushing your health just to please other. And if you truly can't think of yourself... Think of me... I'm asking you to take care of yourself."

✧ he tries to be patient with it, knowing very well it can't be resolved over night...

✧ he's patient tho! He's willing to wait and help you for as long as you may need

✧ if he ever happens to overhear conversation that's goal is for you to do some work for the person you're talking to... he'll most likely step in

✧ he won't be mean tho... he knows it won't help and might make matters worse if anything... so he just makes an excuse

"Oh sorry... I'm already taking them out on a date today, so I'm afraid they're busy... Good luck with your homework!"

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @akitosheart @yulikesminori @toyaswif3y @bl4cktourmaline @superstar-ethereal @stellas-starry-stories13 @alicewinterway18 @hakulivesformusic @sucodelaranja86 - come get your crazy inventor~

[cleolinda]

Weekend links, April 13, 2025

This week has been a hundred years long. Apparently I posted the fourth Silent Hill 2 commentary only 5 days ago, and I am already—well, rewind. The fourth video and its recaps are up, plus an extra video and a sidebar post. It's our first foray into the Otherworld and it ends with me managing to get past Pyramid Head (one does not "defeat" Pyramid Head) in two tries. Also, a beautifully staged scene with Angela, kingfisher mythology, and moth math. 

Unfortunately: OBS has decided to hate me personally and it currently records my gameplay like we're in an earthquake—not the cinematics, mind you! The cinematics look fine!—and I don't know why and I don't know how to make it stop. I have a list of potential fixes I am basically at the end of, and I will now be looking into Free Easy Recording Software That Isn't OBS in hopes of moving on with my life. As such, I don't think there's any way I can get my own commentary recorded in time to stay in step with Ian's stream this week, so I'm just gonna do a writeup of a recording that only exists in my own head. I've wanted SO BAD to get to this part of the game (please refer to picture here), I have a lot to say about it, and I do have screenshots. I'm just gonna TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENS, I GUESS.  

ANYWAY HERE'S SOME LINKSPAM

Reblogs of interest

Tumblr may or may not go down for real this time:

"If Tumblr dies, where will you go?"

How to download a backup of your Tumblr

"dreamwidth makes me feel like a baby. did you guys use to blog like this" I'm still there, Gandalf. (I need to resume crossposting there, though.)

"Tumblr yes a place for investors money put money in Tumblr can trust Tumblr user for giveing good legiticmatecy."

-

To all who celebrate:

Happy Leland Melvin Day!

Happy National Unicorn Day!

Happy [Next] Bandcamp Friday is on May 2nd, 2025, on which the money you spend goes 100% to the artist.

-

No, for real, "Madison" as a girl's name basically does come from the movie Splash.

"there aren’t enough posts going around about the swedish cryptid known as the skvader which is a rabbit with pheasant wings and also a very good boy."

On believing (or not) in fairies, duendes, trolls, and ghosts

An unexpected amount of Gritty this week

"No copypasta has ever ruined my life as comprehensively as Hell Fuck Castle."

Pretty sure I've reblogged this before, and I'll probably reblog it again: "One thing most people don’t realize about Gazebos is how bloodthirsty they used to be until the 1930s or so."

"As a scribe I see fit to write down all my troubles"

"Introducing Margie! A cat-goose dragon based on this little fella from this medieval manuscript"

"May I gift you: pineapple dragon?"

For all the Animorphs fans

Stories of seeing Muppets as people

"the lichen knowledge iceberg i have constructed on request"

Wait... people don't have "an intact chronological memory of life prior to age 12"?

David Lynch sure had one.

"i like to call this fate Death 2. Death 2 is the scariest thing that can happen to a person."

"poob is gonna call you. now poob is just gonna call you."

This week, it was fuckenwimdy.

Two posts that start off deep and sad and end up deep and wholesome. 

Video

Babysitting but literal (it's cats, they'll be fine)

Irish Tesco worker nails church acoustics in work stairwell

“Binary Sunset” from Star Wars, also in a stairwell

"Truly, the world is a better place for having skilled people who are willing to use their skills in the pursuit of incredible silliness."

The sacred texts

I deem this post about celebrities getting all their clothes tailored to be a Sacred Text because it has stuck with me for a very long time.

An old favorite: a compilation of "[band] sounds like [hilarity]" posts.

"Roses are red, April is grey. But in a few weeks, it's gonna be..." 

Personal tag of the week

Videos my dog did not like, a tag I've never used before but two nickels, etc. 

[hmscritters]

what are the critters?

(also headpats for heart he's my favorite)

Oh gosh. There's quite a few things I could answer this with. Their species? Their origin? Their lore?

Well... species wise is pretty easy. Their species is. Critter? They don't have a species. But if you want to know, I tend to base their behavior off of cats, though that's mostly because I'm a huge cat person [I own two of them! They're my little children I love them]. Not fully animal though, I still draw them with them having their personalities and intelligence in tact. They might be a bit more animalistic/instinctual than usual but they aren't feral or anything. I've debated on whether or not the critters can speak but I think that they probably have the ability to do so but for the most part remain non verbal.

Origin? Oh boy that'd probably be a long story, only because if I tell it I'd want to ramble a ton. A very very shortened, simplified TLDR is that I drew the trio as critters and wanted to share them, so I made this blog for the sole purpose of sharing critters.

Lore? Well. They don't have much yet? I made the critters before I made their lore. In my head it's sort of developed into a bigger AU but it's still a work in progress, so not sure how much I'd want to share. I guess the most I'll say is that the critters are just a form they can take. They usually aren't critters because critters are small and thus vulnerable, so none of them would be critters during cacophony or anything because they don't feel safe enough to be vulnerable like that. This is all for my AU btw, in my personal canon of CCCC none of them can become critters at all.

And, of course, Heart headpats, as you requested.

[knaveumineko]

Umineko Episode 6 Blog: Curtain

When the Erika is Furudo.

By Episode 6 the events on the gameboard have been twisted so far away from the original message bottles that they're nearly unrecognisable. Erika already breaks verisimilitude by existing, even if you can technically justify all of her actions without her having explicit meta-knowledge, and now she's actively trying to break the universe. It's definitely wrong to think of the Episodes as timelines or parallel universes, even from a magic perspective, now that we've seen it from the gamemaster's point of view and we know that there is nothing underneath the facade, and everything left unstated is in complete flux.

There's some suggestion of an actual story with the development of the Jessica/Kanon and George/Shannon couples in ways we've never seen before, but once Erika gets going it mostly gets relegated to the love trial and the characters are reduced to purely to being purely functional. A game without love, just as she likes it.

What I suspect is the canon answer to the logic error - that Shannon snuck out the window before Erika set up the seals, then changed over to Kanon, followed her to the mansion and switched with Battler, then became Shannon again after walking into the closet - barely even makes sense from an in-character perspective. Given the existence of the letter, they would have had to plan this manoeuvre before Erika had even set the seals on Battler's room, based on them randomly guessing that Erika would repair the chain and that she would split up from the rest of the group so they could give her the letter in the first place. What were they going to do once Erika opened the closet? Maybe Sayo was planning on killing her at that point, but in Battler's game it's unclear if Sayo is even planning any murders.

I wonder if Erika's defeat will be marked by a turn away from all the metagaming and toward a story that's more concerned with the characters. Even this late, we have quite a few members of the cast that have never gotten much focus, especially those in Sayo's inner circle, not to mention that we probably need to get the payoff with Battler's parents at some point.

There weren't really any new mysteries to solve on this occasion, since the story does most of the work for you in the locked rooms that do show up, but I thought those of you who only know of me from Tumblr might still find my live reaction amusing:

We did, however, get a huge reveal that was bizarrely stuffed inside the Tips menu instead of being mentioned anywhere in the story itself.

We have an answer to what kills everyone at the end of the story now, as well as an explanation for the lack of evidence the police could find at the scene. The catbox is set up by obliterating the gameboard, making it truly impossible to reconstruct what happened on the island. This potentially ties into the backstory given in Episode 1, in which Kinzo made a lot of money off of procurement during the Korean war, and originally acquired the island under the guise of developing a naval base. Does this mean that Kinzo secretly kept a stockpile of explosives on the Rokkenjima all this time? I'm sure his family would say he's crazy enough to do so, but it'd be hard to get away with it, and I'm not sure what he'd use them for.

Bombs existing on the island would also explain where the torii went. The scene of Sayo travelling there to smash the mirror was alluding to her testing the explosives there. Makes more sense than a "purple lightning bolt."

I've exhausted as many words as I can without mentioning the grooming subtext, so I'll end the post here.

[gengarguy27]

Sky Reads Pact: Bonds 1.1

Hello everyone! Welcome to my first ever live blog! I've read 3 of Wildbow's works so far: those being Worm, Ward and Twig. Tread carefully if you haven't read those books as I will likely make comparisons to those books without care of spoilers so be warned.

Speaking of spoilers, be careful of what you say in replies and reblogs as I want to go in with a pure experience. I do know the magic system is based on belief and such and I've glimpsed fan art every now and then but otherwise I'd like a pure experience reading this. This also applies to "Teehee wait to you get to the next chapter!" Or "can't wait till you get to this arc!" And similar comments. Now with that out of the way let's begin!

There was a car, my parent’s or my uncle’s, no doubt, parked in the middle of the gates, at the foot of a long driveway, leading up to Hillsglade House.  Symbolic, really, of everything that had gone on for most of my life.  Symbolic of everything I had walked away from.

My uncle… I was guessing it was my uncle, had parked the car at the entrance of the driveway to force everyone else to find a place to park.

This is so needlessly petty it's kinda funny. Also hi Blake! Can't wait to find out all the horrible ways you suffer in this book!

Further down the street, a few of the locals had stopped on a corner to talk.  Odd, how they kept looking at me.

I'm sure none of them will be future antagonists later in the story

Looking up at the namesake hill, I could see the house.  Not big, but it drew attention because of the way it looked down on the two-theater podunk town.  It wasn’t dark, and it wasn’t ominous.  Barring a slightly overgrown garden, trees that had grown well beyond the quaint, tidy little decorations they might have been when the house was built, and the railing, it was nothing more than a nice house.  I’d dated a wannabe-architect at one point, a brief-lived fling.  I didn’t remember much, but I didn’t feel confident labeling the place as Victorian.  Three stories, with a one-room tower standing one floor higher, off one corner.  Gray-painted wood siding, decorative ‘lace’ in carved wood beneath the eaves and around the railing on the porch, tall, narrow windows with open shutters.

In fairness its a really nice house. Almost understand why the family is willing to fight tooth and nail over it.

If my uncle had parked nearer to the house, he could have spared himself and his family the walk.  But no, the inconvenience he could pose to everyone else was apparently the top priority.  I wasn’t surprised.  I would have been stunned if there hadn’t been anything like this.

Again this level of pettiness is really funny to me. Like what is this guy's problem.

Photographs.  Not a single family picture, I noticed.  Instead, there were pictures of nature, blue and green to contrast the dark-lacquered cherry floorboards and furniture, the burgundy curtains.  It made for a startling intensity, but it was jarring, overly saturated.

Ugh every paragraph makes this family seem worse and worse.

Without looking away from Ivy, I kept my voice calm, the tone almost light, so the vibe wouldn’t upset her.  “How hard did you look, Dad?  Mom?  I got in touch with some of my old friends, you know.  Seeing what happened.  My friends, the only ones you actually called, said you stopped asking about me after a month.”

This line is interesting to me. Blake ran away from home to get away from his shit family but still feels hurt that they didn't try harder to look for him. Question is how would he have felt if they actually found him? Or dose part of him wish that they never stopped looking for him?

I smiled a little as Ivy reached out for my offered hand.  Her hand seized my index finger, and I wiggled it, ‘shaking’ her hand.  Besides, why devote any more attention to your son, when you could just start over?  Have that beautiful baby girl you wanted, right?

Funny enough I'm having a family get together this Saturday and I'm eternally thankful that my relatives aren't this shitty to be around

“Nothing to say,” I said.  “Is it okay if I send Ivy some presents for the special occasions?  Birthdays, Christmas?”

“You don’t get to pick and choose,” my dad said.  “Family isn’t a halfway thing.”

“Nevermind, then.  If it’s one or the other, I’m out.  Again.”

Poor Ivy. I don't blame Blake for not wanting to put up with hus relatives but Ivy should have at least one family member who isn't a shit head. Then again Blake probably isn't a perfect role model given how by his own admission he was easily swept up in the drama and arguing.

She reached out, arms extended for a hug, and I flinched.  I stepped back, and nearly knocked a picture off the wall behind me as I bumped into the wall.

She looked stricken.  Her arms dropped to her side.  Her hair was done up in a french braid, and she looked as comfortable in her clothing as her older sister hadn’t.  It was how she’d always been.  Prim, proper, preppy.  She was almost into her twenties, now, but I could see where she could easily be at home in the world of ties and pantsuits.

“No, I just-” I said. “I… reflex.”

I made myself reach out to hug her.  It was clumsy, not natural in the slightest.  Her head banged against my ear hard enough to be painful, her arms squeezed me in excessive care.

Jeez, Blake. What happened to you that you immediately flinch at the offer of a hug? (Lots and lots of trauma most likely)

“I was on the streets, just for a bit.  It was worse than you’d think.  A bit ago I met people, and I got help.  I know how lucky I am, that I made it this far.”

Homelessness is already a pretty bleak situation to be in. What do you mean it was "worse then you think?"

There was no explaining just how bad it had been without having to explain why I hadn’t gone home.  Pride, of an odd sort that drove someone down instead of raising them up.

*shutters* Both anxious and morbidily curious to know what the last straw for Blake was. (A good reminder to keep spoilers at a minimum in the replies and reblogs)

“You still keep in touch with the people from high school?  Shannon?  Miracle?”

“Mira.  She’s finally going by a different name.  No longer a testament to why immigrants shouldn’t let their kids choose their English names.  She still asks about you, you know?”

I mean of all the names someone could pick "Miracle" isn't that cringy.

I remember how we used to make up stories about this place,” Paige said.  “Gruesome ones.”

“Yeah,” Molly said, hugging herself tighter.  “They weren’t all made up.  That bit about great-grandpa and great-grandma being related?”

Eeewwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!

“The duel where one of our ancestors murdered someone?”  Molly asked.

“Killed,” Paige said.  “I don’t think it counts as murder if it’s during a duel.”

Was it a MAGIC duel, perhaps?👀

Paige?”  the man in scrubs asked.  Peter was standing next to him.  Blond, like Paige, the same height and build, even the same general shape to his face.  But when Uncle Paul and Aunt Steph had split up, each one had taken one of the twins. 

That arrangement seems like its begging to only add to familial tensions.

“More than the property.  It’s about old ladies glaring at me.  Kids going after Chris on the playground, and it’s too quick and too mean for me to feel like it makes any sense.  Feeling like I’m surrounded whenever I’m outside.  Like a third of the people around here have decided we’re their mortal enemies.”

Small towns sure are something, huh? I know a good chunk of this book is Grandma's old enemies picking a fight with Blake, wonder what she did to pass off so many people.

I could remember my nights on the streets.  Finding a place to set up camp, out of anyone else’s way.  Even with the city lights, it was hard not to feel like danger was lurking just out of sight, waiting until my eyes were closed.  In quieter areas, where the glow of the city hadn’t been there, where deeper shadows could have hidden anything, the feeling had been all the more intense.

Twice, I’d even been right.  Both times, it had been people.  The worst types of people.  I still had scars.  Some were physical.

Aw Blake. I'd offer you a hug but given what happened with Paige that probably wouldn't help matters.

When the door opened and both Paige and Peter stepped out, the arguing started right away.

“Fuck you, Peter.  Fuck you!” Paige said.  Even from the far end of the hallway, there were tears in her eyes.

Peter smirked.  “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

“You don’t know anything, you asshole.  Fuck you!  I needed this.”

Told ya separating them would be a bad idea. My parents divorced and I could only imagine what would have happened to me and my sister's relationship if we went to each parent.

“What?  You thought I’d be on your side?  You only need money because Paul had too many kids to take care of any of them.  Isn’t that right, Dad?”

“I think you and Ellie have demonstrated you aren’t worth the effort,” Uncle Paul said, his voice low.  He’d approached Paige, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder.

God I'm surprised this hasn't gotten physically yet, these people are assholes.

She stepped away, instead.  She was crying, now.  “I thought you’d at least play fair, Peter.  Maybe you have to be loyal to Ellie because you grew up with her, but I thought you’d be fair, with me.  We’re supposed to have a connection.”

“You hear about twins eating one another in the womb,” Peter said.  “Maybe I got some of your brains, huh?  Because that’s fucking stupid.”

Paige stared at him, incredulous.  Then she slapped him, hard.

Ah, there it is.

“Cutting in, Blake?”  Callan asked.  “I think you were lying, about not wanting any of this.”

Christ what is this guy's problem?

“Well, this is refreshing,” she finally said.  Her voice was clear.  Not an old person’s voice.  Certainly not a ninety-year old’s.  “It feels like all the rest of them are dressed like they can’t wait for my funeral.  Or maybe they’re too cheap to buy two outfits for the occasion.”

I know it says she dosen't sound old but I can't help but hear Gertrude Robertson's voice from the magnus archives when she speaks.

“I’m thinking both of us are very lucky you have these two men here,” I said.  I put one of my feet up on the wooden chest at the foot of the bed, pointing at the trolley.  “Because I’m angry enough I wouldn’t be above throwing that pitcher of water in your face.”

“I think that’s crude,” she said.  “A more civilized person would use words to attack me.”

He just called you a rancid, evil cunt, what more do you want?

“You don’t deserve to die with dignity, you bitch,” I said.  “And none of them are going to say it, because you’re playing them.  Since I’m the only one that doesn’t give a fuck about the money, I figure I’m the only one that can come here and say it how it is.  You’re scum, and you’re the one thing at the root of everything that’s going on out there.”

I pointed at the door.  I could almost hear the shouting on the other side.

“I would argue they are at the roots of their individual problems.  I didn’t make them petty, I didn’t make them greedy,” she said.  She sighed a little.  “This ridiculous money business.”

I mean both can be true at ounce.

“You took advantage of those things, making all of this one big fucked up game.  Laying down the rule, that only one person gets the property and the millions from selling it.  Then you say it has to be a grandchild-“

“My children are useless,” she said.  She was so dismissive and casual about it.

“-And then you drop the bomb that it has to be a girl.  You broke up this family, you did it strategically.  You set us tooth and nail against one another, and now you’re enjoying tearing the others down, ruining their hopes.”

That dose seem like a weirdly specific clause to one's inheritance. Wonder if some magic shenanigans are behind it.

“Close to the truth, I admit, but I consider myself honest, if nothing else.”

“Weren’t you a lawyer?”

“I am a lawyer, Master Blake, and I expect to be one until I pass on.  I’m disappointed that you would make assumptions about a whole profession.”

Wonder if being a lawyer helps with doing magic in this universe, hey what's this book called again?

“You remind me of my father,” she said.  “He had passion, and an interest in justice.”

“He also fucked his cousin, if I remember right.”

Ugh what a flattering comparison.

"Not an option,” she said.  She stroked the cat, scratching him at the lowest part of his back, just in front of his tail.  “The house stands.  I’m picking the young lady who I feel can look after it.”

Again with what little I know about the magic system I'm curious if there's a specific reason that the scion has to be a girl.

“When you first spoke to me, you said, ‘All due respect’.  Did you mean it?”

I didn’t look at her.  “All due respect, you’re a festering old cunt?  One hundred percent.”

Ooohh I bet Blake unknowingly said some magic trigger phrase that's gonna fuck him over soon!

My grandmother nodded.  “Rich, you’ve been wonderful.  I set aside some money already, to thank you.”

The nurse looked stunned.  He looked at my family.  “No.  It’s not allowed.”

“I insist.  Take it and give it to a favorite charity, if you must.”

Even then, he looked a little taken aback.

He probably thinks my family’s going to come after him if he accepts.

And your probably right. Feel bad for the nurse though, I certainly wouldn't want to be put in his situation.

“Granny?  Why didn’t you pick me?”  Little Roxanne piped up.  The youngest, next to my new baby sister Ivy.

“Granny!” Roxanne raised her voice, more than a little shrill.  “You don’t love me enough to give me anything?”

Jesus even the kid is making a bid to get the money what the fuck? Unless her parents put her up to it, which seems in character from what I've seen so far.

I watched as the nurse approached the bedside.  He touched my grandmother’s hand.

Things went quiet very quickly.

Nurse Rich looked at his watch.  “Two past twelve.”

The arguing had distracted him.  The time was off by two minutes.

My grandmother and her cat were both dead.

Wait, what? Was she fated to die on the stroke if midnight? Or did the nurse being distracted mean she died somehow?

"Listen,” my uncle said, broaching the near-silence.  “We should have a sit down, talk about the sale of the property, when the time comes, a division of the funds-“

Yeah because if there's one thing this family has proved its that your all capable of respectfully and civilly dividing up money.

I made my way down the path.  My Uncle’s car pulled out, and I saw the younger kids in the windows, staring at me.

I stopped short as I saw my bike.

Tipped over in a way that had scraped it hard against the stone wall.  Headlight and taillight broken.

How petulant do you have to be to knock over blake's bike when he didn't even fucking inherit anything?

Four months later.

I tossed and turned in my bed, fighting to kick the covers off.  It didn’t help.  I felt a pressure on top of me, pressing me down.  My movements were sluggish.

Huh, weird place for a time skip but you have my attention.

"The metronome?”

“Something big just happened,” the girl said.  “Told you.  Just now, I told you.”

“You’ve been ‘telling’ me for a while now.  This doesn’t mean we should do anything.”

“You’ve got no balls, no balls.  We should investigate, and, just to be safe, we should investigate with weapons in hand.”

Huh this is a weird dream sequence. I presume it's Grandma's enemies reacting to her death?

“Cold-forged iron,” he responded, a little sullen.  “Bone.  Paper.  Every other follows different rule.  What looks like a goblin could be a demon, or a wraith, or a glamour.  I mean, you remember those ‘vampires’ from out west.”

“The faerie?  Sure.”

“You’re not getting what I’m saying.  If they can fool themselves into thinking they’re vampires, and believe it to the point it becomes sort of true, sparkly skin aside, then they can fool us.  This is what bothers me about all this.  You can’t make any guarantees, you can’t slap on convenient labels.  It’s why we call them others.  You can’t plot-”

“We can try.  And if we can murder self-deluding faerie, we can murder whatever this is.”

Oooh this is really cool! Changing reality through belief is one of my favourite story telling tropes. Can't wait to see how the Otherverse handles it.

“Right.  Thanks,” she said.  “I’ll figure it out myself, Padraic.  I hope it’s a noob.  Be nice to not be the rookie on the block.”

Padraic, interesting to see an Irish name in this story. Though the well its spelt and the fact this is presumably set in America makes me think the characters might pronounce it "Pa-drack"

The dog looked up.  It spoke, “Johannes.”

“Mm,” the man in the throne said.  “‘Lo, stranger.  Listen, I don’t think you should believe what any of them say about me.  If you need help, I can offer it.”

“For a price,” the dog added."

“For a price.  Resist the urge to dismiss what you just saw, you’re in a bad enough situation as it stands.  Now do yourself a favor and wake up.”

Again can't help but feel like we're being introduced to the Rogue's gallery of this story.

It wasn’t my face in the mirror above the sink.  Nor my body.  A girl looked at me, her forehead creased in worry.  She was wearing a camisole and pyjama bottoms.  She looked strangely familiar.

I had to touch my own chest and face to verify it wasn’t my reflection.  I was shirtless, wearing different pants.  Her movements didn’t follow mine

Is this the legendary Rose Thorburn I've heard so much about?

“Molly’s dead?  She was supposed to call if there was trouble.”

“Blake, I get it.  I do.  But you’re next, understand?  Grandmother made other arrangements, and those arrangements just came into play.  The house is in your custody now, and so are all of Grandmother’s enemies.  Understand?  She has a lot.  The house is sanctuary, Blake.  Molly died because she panicked, and she left the safe ground.  Don’t make that same mistake.  Move.  Run.”

Damn this is such a climatic way to end the chapter. Can't wait to continue!

Overall this was a great start to the story, certainly a better opening chapter then Worm's. I'm not sure how often I'm gonna do these chapters but probably every other day makes sense.