#easily one of the top 5 most reasonable responses

[imastoryteller]

Writing Angry Scenes: Tips to Avoid Melodrama and Make It Real

Anger can be one of the most intense, relatable emotions to read—and one of the trickiest to write. When handled well, an angry scene can pull readers deep into the emotional world of a character, building tension and driving the story forward. But when handled poorly, anger can easily slip into melodrama, making the character’s feelings seem overblown, forced, or even cringe-worthy.

So how can you avoid these pitfalls and write anger that feels real and compelling? Here are some tips to make angry scenes powerful without overdoing it.

1. Understand What Fuels Your Character’s Anger

To write anger authentically, you need to understand its roots. People get angry for complex reasons—fear, frustration, betrayal, grief, and even love. Ask yourself what’s truly driving your character’s anger. Are they afraid of losing control? Do they feel abandoned or misunderstood? Are they hurt by someone they trusted? Anger rarely exists in isolation, so dig into the deeper emotions fueling it.

When you understand the core reasons behind a character’s anger, you can weave those nuances into the scene, making the anger more relatable and layered. Readers will feel the depth of the character's rage, not just the surface heat of it.

2. Show, Don’t Tell—But Don’t Overdo It

“Show, don’t tell” is classic writing advice, but it’s especially crucial in angry scenes. Don’t rely on generic phrases like “She was furious” or “He clenched his fists in anger.” Instead, look for unique ways to convey how this specific character experiences anger. Maybe their voice drops to a deadly calm, or their eyes narrow in a way that makes everyone around them uncomfortable.

That said, showing too much can backfire, especially with exaggerated descriptions. Over-the-top body language, excessive shouting, or too many “flaring nostrils” can tip the scene into melodrama. Use body language and physical cues sparingly and mix them with subtler reactions for a more realistic portrayal.

3. Use Dialogue to Reveal Hidden Layers

People rarely say exactly what they feel, especially when they’re angry. Angry dialogue isn’t just about yelling or throwing out insults; it’s an opportunity to show the character’s deeper thoughts and vulnerabilities.

Consider using controlled, icy responses or unexpected silences. Maybe your character says something hurtful in a low voice rather than screaming. They might express sarcasm, avoidance, or even laugh at the wrong moment. Anger often carries hidden layers, and using these nuances can help your character’s dialogue feel genuine, even haunting, without falling into dramatic clichés.

4. Control the Pacing of the Scene

The pacing of an angry scene can be the difference between a powerful moment and a melodramatic one. In real life, anger doesn’t always erupt instantly; it can simmer, spike, or deflate depending on the situation and the character’s personality. Experiment with different pacing techniques to create tension.

You might build the anger slowly, with small signs that something’s brewing. Or maybe the character explodes suddenly, only to calm down just as quickly, leaving a chill in the air. Controlling the pace helps you control the reader’s emotional engagement, drawing them in without overwhelming them.

5. Avoid Clichéd Expressions and Overused Reactions

When writing anger, avoid falling back on clichés like “seeing red,” “boiling with rage,” or “blood boiling.” These phrases have been overused to the point that they lose their impact. Instead, get creative and think about how your character’s anger might feel specifically to them.

Maybe their skin feels prickly, or their jaw aches from clenching it. Think about details that are unique to the character and to the moment. By focusing on small, unique sensory details, you’ll help readers feel the anger rather than just reading about it.

6. Let the Setting Reflect the Emotion

The setting can be an effective tool to amplify a character’s anger without overstating it. Small details in the environment—such as the hum of a refrigerator, the slow ticking of a clock, or the distant sounds of laughter—can create a sense of contrast or isolation that heightens the character’s rage.

For example, imagine a character seething in a peaceful park or a quiet library. The calm of the surroundings can make their anger feel more potent. Or maybe they’re in a crowded, noisy room where they feel unseen and unheard, which fuels their frustration further. This use of setting can add depth to the scene without the need for dramatic gestures.

7. Let Consequences Speak for Themselves

An effective way to avoid melodrama is to let the consequences of the anger show its intensity. Characters don’t always have to yell or physically react; sometimes, a single choice can convey more than any outburst.

Perhaps your character cuts off a close friend or says something they can’t take back. Maybe they throw away a meaningful object or walk out in silence. By focusing on the consequences of their anger, you can reveal the impact without over-explaining it.

8. Let the Emotion Simmer After the Scene Ends

Anger is rarely resolved in a single moment, and its effects often linger. When writing an angry scene, think about how it will affect your character moving forward. Are they holding onto grudges? Do they feel guilty or exhausted afterward? Does their anger transform into something else, like sadness or regret?

Allowing the anger to simmer in your character’s mind even after the scene ends creates a more authentic and layered portrayal. It shows that anger is complex and doesn’t just disappear the moment the scene is over, adding emotional weight to both the character and the story.

[anim-ttrpgs]

Why You Should Try Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Part 5: It Revolutionizes Investigation and Mystery Solving in TTRPGs

This is part 5 of a multi-part series of posts about the awesome features of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, in no particular order.

Find the earlier parts here:

Part 1 Link: We Worked Hard on It!

Part 2 Link: It's Easy to Learn!

Part 3 Link: It's Easy to GM!

Part 4 Link: It's Easy to GM and Supports Narrative and Roleplay!

Finally, we’re getting to some actual game mechanics here.

It’s called Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy for a reason. The party investigates. They’re not cops, and it’s not a police procedural. They could be private eyes, investigative reporters, meddling kids, you name it. The PCs are normal people like you and me who come together to solve some kind of mystery that involves them or their friends and loved ones, and these mystery investigations can take place just about any time between the late 1800s and the present day.

A lot of Eureka’s main mechanics are about investigating, and they solve the #1 problem that mystery investigation campaigns run up against: Getting stuck.

Dungeons&Dragons 5e is not a game about investigating, it’s a game about combat, and so when you try to run an investigation or mystery in it, you’ll find that PCs have a Skill called “Investigate” and a Skill called “Senses” and the whole rest of their abilities are dedicated to combat. This isn’t a bad thing if you’re running a campaign focused on combat, but for whatever reason (marketing), most people aren’t. So, the party rolls Investigate, and they fail, and they roll Senses, and they fail, and then they have exhausted all of their options for continuing the campaign. So, the GM has to pull a deus ex machina to make the clue fall into their lap. That isn’t satisfying or fun for anyone, what was the point of even rolling the dice?

Call of Cthulhu is has been one of the top contenders in the TTRPG scene for investigative gameplay for nearly fifty years, and it does investigative gameplay much better. (Eureka takes a lot of inspiration from Call of Cthulhu, if you want to evolve and advance, you have to look to the past.) PCs have a whole slew of Skills related to investigation, unfortunately often too many. New players tend to be unsure where to put the skill points, and it’s a frequent occurrence that they simply won’t have a high enough rating in (what they didn’t know would be) an important skill to find an important clue relating to it, so they fail, and then they have exhausted all of their options for continuing the campaign. So, the GM has to pull a deus ex machina to make the clue fall into their lap. That isn’t satisfying or fun for anyone, what was the point of even rolling the dice? Besides, is that really congruent with Lovecraftian horror? The assurance that the universe cares about your success and no matter what, it’ll all work out somehow? Delta Green has this exact same issue.

Gumshoe, a more recent contender, also does investigative gameplay a lot better than D&D, but also kind of has the opposite problem from Call of Cthulhu, not enough mechanical guidance. It’s easily possible for a PC not to have the skill required to get any information out of an important clue, even though they can’t fail the dice roll if they do have it.

Eureka’s design goals are to improve on these, and learn from previous attempts in the design space to make advances in how investigative gameplay in TTRPGs is done. We really think it should not be the GM’s responsibility to bend the universe over backwards to make sure the party succeeds (or at least fails in a satisfying way). The game itself should be doing that.

Eureka PCs have a base set of 21 Skills, each of which is broad enough to encompass many different use cases, and then an assortment of “Write-In” Skills that are optional, and often more specialized.

Like Gumshoe, there isn’t really a roll for finding clues. When PCs walk into a room, they simply see/hear/smell everything that they would be able to from where they’re standing. If the gun is on the floor, they just see the gun on the floor. If the gun is under the couch out of view, but a player says “My character gets down on the floor and looks under the couch.”, then they just see the gun under the couch.

Dice rolls are used in investigation, however, and all Skills are investigation skills. If the PC is trying to determine if the gun is chambered for the same caliber of bullet that killed the victim, that might be a Firearms roll (the same skill that determines their ability to effectively use firearms in combat). (If the investigator doesn’t have the relevant specialized Write-In Skill, they can still make a skill check, they’re just very very likely to Fail it.)

Eureka has three degrees of success for dice rolls: Full Success, Partial Success, and Failure. It depends a lot on the context and the clue itself, so I won’t get into Full Successes and Partial Successes in this post, we’re going to focus on Failures. If they Fail, they usually get no useful information.

Above, I criticized Call of Cthulhu and D&D5e for allowing dice failures to halt the investigation completely, forcing the GM to pull a deus ex machina to keep things going. So, is that a problem in Eureka? No!

When PCs in Eureka make skill checks to investigate things, they always build up Investigation Points.

1 for a Full Success

2 for a Partial Success

And 3 for a Failure

These points represent the PC themselves going over the facts of the case in their mind at the same time you are. For every 15 Investigation Points saved up, the PC gets a Eureka! Point. Eureka! Points can be spent on a wide variety of things depending on the PC’s build, but there’s two universal Eureka! Point abilities that all PCs have, and one of those is to have a “Eureka! Moment.”

This is exactly what it sounds like. Something clicks in their brain, and they finally understand something that they had been trying to piece together this whole time. This reverses one of their previously Failed (or in some cases Partially Succeeded) investigation rolls of your choice, providing the information that roll would have granted with a Full Success.

This serves as an “un-stucker” or “rubber-band” mechanic that keeps the PCs in the mystery without the GM having to pull anything out of their ass, but at the same time doesn’t make Failure meaningless. If they’re stuck, it encourages them to pursue other avenues of investigation and keep racking up those points until things start to click into place.

This also still doesn’t mean that the PCs are guaranteed eventual success. Time pressure and mortal danger also stand in their way, which we will get to in future parts of this series, you and your PC will have to use your brains if you want them to get out alive with the answers they seek.

[batsplat]

your top 5 fave motogp races? or alternatively what races you’d show to a newbie to get them into the sport or smth

one of those things where it's painful to pick five, but at least this ask gives me the chance to hedge my bets and pick five different races for each category (most of these races will be featured in the recs lists; 27, 4+93, 46)

laguna '08: works wonders to bring both that season and the rivalry alive. delightfully visceral and vicious, there's few duels that tell you quite so much about both participants. I have lap-by-lap notes for this race. I have points tables assessing how much of a turning point it was in the season. I have read the bit in casey's autobiography about this race about a million times. how their expectations going in influenced the dynamics of the race, how the slower man won the race, what valentino was attempting to do to casey, casey's response... I could quite literally talk about this race forever

phillip island '17: idk I don't think this is objectively 'better' than the other two infamous dogfights of that era (pi '15; assen '18), but sometimes you just notice which one has the most rewatch value for you... I really like races where risk/reward calculation is a big deal, where at least one of the riders is having to actively judge how much they're willing to do to win... with the hard style of racing in this one, those calculations feel particularly present. phillip island is in such a perfect calendar spot for generating maximum drama

misano '17: maybe the quirkiest pick. marc is too good and too successful for me to ever really have been 'stressed' watching him in his prime, but bloody hell did he run me close here. something so satisfying about being so adept in wet/mixed conditions... love the spite element of this race, love the risk/reward calculations, how marc just needs to go for it in the very final lap, his dogged determination... a race where he doesn't have a massive margin over the field but just wants it so so badly that he goes for it. he's making a statement, bouncing back from a low point in the season, super compelling stuff

mugello '04: just love races that are kinda a mess! lots of twists and turns... bunch of riders fighting it out, the sete duel, the rain interruption, bunch of riders fighting it out but now on a way more slippery track... I don't know, there's just something charming about a race that has a bit of everything! of course it's also part of my beloved 2004 season, from which I could have easily included five different races (and if you're ever looking for a full season to watch, 2004 2006 and 2017 are the holy trinity - mix of title fight drama and banger races)

okay listen I'm gonna cheat here because I wrote out the word 'catalunya' and then had a crisis staring at this post. '07 I need to include because it's my favourite casey win and it's how he establishes himself as an all-round threat and is so important in the overall context of the valentino rivalry, but '09 is like... right up there with laguna as season lynchpin races and also somehow jorge has been left out from these picks... I love big momentum-switchers I love races that have so much meaning in the context of a rivalry AND season. I also love how they're connected! that valentino did the same move on casey (just not on the final lap) and had basically already rehearsed his coup de grâce two years in advance, before visualising it the week before the race... casey joking about it in the catalunya '09 presser, jorge knowing he kinda should have seen it coming, casey kinda ragging on jorge for not having seen it coming... idk!! I like this little legacy they built there together

for newbies

phillip island '23: you need to include something a little more current to give new fans a reason to watch now... phillip island races are reliably great - this one introduces you to two of the major protagonists of the current game in a way that kind tells you a lot about both of them, gives you a demonstration of one of the best types of races (the multi-rider dogfight), and it also is the most brute force way imaginable of explaining how tyres work in motogp. pedagogically pleasing! it's the kind of race new viewers will be able to enjoy in the moment, but have a lot of questions about afterwards - the sweet spot

assen '15: easily makes my top five rewatched races too, but I put it under the newbie header because again... tells you a lot! it's very likely this hypothetical newbie will have at least have SOME knowledge of who the two protagonists are and know they've fallen out, though I suppose it'd be funny to go in completely blind. obviously a great duel and a very nice introduction to the two big names plus their respective riding styles... what you really want is some late drama and a controversial finish that you can immediately have a hot take about

donington '05: we need a full wet race, not just mixed but wet wet... this one's got one hell of an attrition rate but also proper tussling between the different riders, rather than everyone just riding out on their own. it really gives you a feeling for how these kinds of races work... lot of riders wobbling around, saving near-falls, trying to get a sense of how much they can risk, riding behind each other to have somebody else test out their conditions... plus, the valentino performance kinda slaps

austria '17: got to be a marc/dovi duel in here, and this one has the clear edge not as much for the race itself but a) the novelty at the time, and b) the significance in the title fight. in dovi you've got somebody who is emerging as a threat and is providing a new flavour of challenge.... there's also that fun tension between how marc logically very much should just be happy to be there as a result of what a ducati circuit it is and he's simply supposed to be limiting the points damage... but he also really, really wants to win... actually either this or motegi 2017, almost want to change my pick. one of those two!!

brno '03: sneaking in an old race as a gateway drug, and I think this one is quite 'accessible' to the uninitiated. I considered other ones like phillip island '01 (valentino's first premier class matchpoint race, classic dogfight) or welkom '04 (first yamaha race and one of the duels) - but I think you don't need much context to get absorbed in this one. the race commentary already gives you the most important information... valentino's struggles that season, the criticisms he was facing from the italian press, how badly he wanted to win, the haircut, all of it... and then you get to see the post-race prisoner's celebrations, a flavour of the proper classic camp dramatics

slightly silly number of honourable mentions, each of which I was extremely tempted to include: motegi '10, jerez 2005, misano '19, laguna '11, jerez '10, assen '04, catalunya '04 '05 '16, mugello '05 '06, sachsenring '06, assen '04, phillip island '04, le mans 2005, qatar 2005, suzuka '01, thailand '19, austria '19, qatar '18, silverstone '19, sachsenring '10, qatar '15, mugello '16, sepang '10, assen '07 (and ones I did already kinda mention above: phillip island '15, assen '18, phillip island '01, welkom '04, motegi '17)

[tumblingxelian]

He Does not "Fit the Setting Better" than the MCs

There's a fundamentally idiotic claim that the "Only reason" Ironwood was a villain is because he's the only one who acts like he lives in a death world & in a gritter, more "Realistic" series he'd be a hero. To anyone with even a grasp of world building this is patently absurd.

Ironwood does not grasp the world of Remnant better than others, frankly he grasps how it works far less than almost anyone! Negative emotions lure Grimm and yet he perpetually does things that piss off, alienate, scare, or depress large quantities of people.

He's hilariously ill-equipped for the setting that he's in not because its a hope-punk setting, but because he ignores anything that doesn't align with his personal biases. He keeps trying to rely on his army, which even with a bloated runaway budget, is not actually that effective at fighting the Grimm.

Not for tonal reasons, but because Grimm are really fucking strong.

As in, his mechanical soldiers and regular troops can barely kill the lowest tier Grimm when they have them outnumbered & the Grimm pretty much always have the numerical advantage. We see stuff like missiles launched at an approaching horde just get shrugged off thanks to their incredible durability and once the Grimm are inside the city most of Atlas's battleships are useless.

His overarching plan before his total decline into fascism involved sending his already ill-equipped army to three other nations to "restore order" after he causes mass panic by announcing "Hey guys, turns out the horrible death monsters that infest our world have a millennia old boss whose magic and like, super smart, but don't worry we got you!".

Then expecting that not not end in disaster when most other countries don't like or trust Atlas that much. Especially after he bailed on Mistral in Volume 4/5 the moment he suspected there might be an attack, leaving them to wither on the vine, and thus showing how fickle his supposed loyalty to his allies really is.

Oh, he also needs to be reminded scouts exist for a reason, as his default response to a perceived or potential threat is to send his army stomping into the region blindly and just assuming they can muscle their way to victory. & keep in mind, the wilds he wanted to send said army to is where Grimm are and they outnumber his army vastly.

So their numbers would not avail them as they sometimes did in smaller arenas, where said army was backed up by actual Huntsmen and Huntresses, & can thus be useful by playing support. Rather than getting shredded by things way too big, fast and durable for them to easily kill in notable number before being overwhelmed.

Ironwood's not behaving appropriately for the world he lives in, nor is he a man in the wrong genre. He's a man obsessed with military bravado who got drunk on his nations propagandized idea of itself as a place held to a higher standard that helps out the lesser kingdoms and utterly vital to the world. When its usually just blundering around guns blazing and causing problems.

He's not a "General Ripper" type stuck in a sparkly, twee, the power of love setting. He's a self proclaimed four star general who never fought in war, let alone led an army through a war. Who holds an an fannish affection for technology he consistently fails to understand given his shitty grasp of tings like cyber-security.

If he was in a "Grittier" setting, Ironwood would still be a fuck up.

Because Ironwood's issues things like his ego, hypocrisy and a genuine lack of certain skills, with a penchant for paranoid, overly sensitive, over the top reactions that are extremely easy to provoke. Flaws that would not serve him well in any setting, genre or world!

[slayerdurge]

20 Questions - Writing Edition

Tagged by @luvwich, @merge-conflict, and @ghostoffuturespast! Thank you all!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

five

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

40,406

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

secure your soul (93) ruthless remainders (12) warpath (5) meetings with meredith (4) sacrifice (3)

4) What fandoms do you write for?

Cyberpunk 2077, Mass Effect, Dragon Age 2, Baldur's Gate 3, and Star Wars: The Old Republic (though i haven't gotten any of that one posted yet)

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, although a lot of the time all I really say is "thank you." But I do want people to know their comments are appreciated. Sometimes I might write a more detailed response if the comment was very detailed since then there's something more specific to directly respond to.

6) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Well, none of them actually have endings yet, and I don't really want to speak of planned endings (partially because of spoilers but mostly because they're not set in stone anyway).

7) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ditto.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Nope, I never have.

9) Do you write smut?

No. I'm asexual in real life and definitely don't think I would know how to write it well. It's also not really something that interests me. Not all of my characters are asexual, so I do feel like it would be unrealistic not to reference the fact that some of them are sometimes having sex with their partners, but I tend to do it more in a "brief cut scene that fades to black pretty quickly" kind of way. And honestly I always feel really awkward and uncertain about it. 😅

10) Do you write crossovers?

Nope.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, not that I'm aware of.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Just a quick chapter with @merge-conflict where our Vs met each other and did a gig together. It was really fun though! They had a really interesting dynamic!

14) What's your all-time favorite ship?

Durgetash. No contest.

15) What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have an idea for an AU for Valerie Locke where she goes through Tower Ending instead of Devil Ending and goes to work for the FIA. It interests me deeply but considering Secure Your Soul is only like maybe a quarter done and I have another novel-length sequel planned, it seems unlikely I will ever get to it. Honestly, though, I would be happy to successfully finish any WIP whatsoever in a satisfying way.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Characterization. In my opinion, the best writing is about 90% psychology, so that's what I focus on. I feel that I can pretty easily get into the headspace of most of my various narrating characters and channel their voice realistically.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Physical descriptions of the environment and other characters. I always end up neglecting it because I'm so much more interested in internal states and dialogue. But also I think it's possible to overdo the "setting the scene" part of writing. The thing is if you want a realistic flow of consciousness style type of narration, you really only want to describe whatever your character would be noticing at any given moment. So the only reason to describe something is if their attention is actually drawn to it at that specific moment. A character's not really going to randomly think about what another character looks like if it's their old friend they've known forever, you know? Not unless there is something different or notable about their appearance. But someone they've just met? They're much more likely to analyze. So it is contextual. At least that's how I see it.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I do like to sprinkle some Spanish in Jackie's dialogue since they do that in the canon and I wanted to stay true to the feeling of the canon more or less. Valerie speaks fluent Japanese and her translator actually won't translate it because it reads it as a language she knows, but I'm not gonna put Japanese in the fic 'cause that would be too complex. Anyway, with the Spanish, the idea is it's just a few words every once in a while and I make sure that either there is sufficient context that the reader can guess what it is being said or I chose words that are similar to their English counterparts anyway. I don't really want the reader to have to stop and google things to make sense of the story. So I definitely couldn't pull off that same effect with Japanese.

19) Favorite fic you've ever written?

I think it would have to be Secure Your Soul. It's got the most content actually created out of anything and I am really happy with almost all of it so far.

I assume there was supposed to be a 20th question? But there seem to be only 19. 😂 Guessing someone deleted one somewhere along the reblog chain haha. Anyway, I'm not gonna tag anyone 'cause I think everyone I know has been tagged already! But if you see this on your dash and want to do it, consider yourself tagged!

[serasfanfiction]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3| Part 4 | Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

Lucifer was a vast number of things. He'd even admit to most of them.

Stupid enough to deal with Alastor while having been up for two days and only running on a few sips of coffee was not one of them.

After laying out some of the finer details of his plans with the group, he'd retreated back to his room to get some actual sleep. He kept the mug out of a bout of petty spite that likely wouldn't amount to anything in the end other than his own amusement. He left the mug on one of the bedside tables, largely undrunk from, before falling into bed.

It was a testament to how tired he was that he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. How thin he was pulling himself that he slept through the rest of the day and all through the night. When he next woke, he didn't necessarily feel well rested, but his mind was clearer, which was the important part. When he got dressed, it was in full suit and hat.

Alastor had already demonstrated he was very good at seeing right through him. There was little reason to give him even more ammunition by not showing up in top form.

A glance at his clock showed that it was still morning, but not so early it might be perceived as impolite to go knocking on someone's door. Which is what he found himself actually doing for a change, when he took the time to knock on Alastor's door.

For several long moments, there was no sign of movement from within. Lucifer hadn't been paying any attention to the deer demon's comings and goings, so he had no idea if he was even in the hotel at the moment. There was always a possibility he could be in his radio station, but the On Air light had been off since the hotel was rebuilt.

He was just about to withdraw to see if Alastor might be some where else within the hotel, when a noise came from within. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal that the room's occupant was indeed at home.

Lucifer studied the Overlord. Nothing about his appearance suggested why it might have taken him so long to answer. There was not a single thing out of place about him, save the continued absence of his microphone. Even his smarmy smile was it's usual self.

Alastor feigned surprise as he gazed down on the being standing outside his door. "Your Majesty, what a surprise! How can I help you on such short notice?"

Lucifer ignored the potential jab at his height, used to it by now. It was worth it to see the slight tightening of Alastor's smile when he refused to engage with it. Instead, he replied in a bored tone, "I request an audience with the Overlord Alastor."

Alastor's eyes narrowed, cottoning on to the fact that this wasn't actually a request. Refusing to be the first to miss a step in their little dance, he fell easily into the roll of host. "Please, come in! Do excuse the lack of hospitality. I wasn't expecting guests today."

Lucifer stepped into the room and was immediately hit with the pungent scent of rotting flesh. His fingers curled around his cane as he fought the urge to cover his face. A quick glance around revealed the smell was coming from the partially decomposed carcass of a deer laid out across the lone table out in the bayou.

Disgusting.

Alastor was completely unfazed, as usual, to the response to his diet. "I was just in the process of eating breakfast." He glanced at Lucifer out of the corner of his eye, smile a touch more amused. "Would you care to join me?"

Lucifer swallowed back a gag at the mere idea. The only response he cared to give to that was to wave his hand, erasing the poor thing from existence. "Thank you for the ...offer... but I'll pass, thank you very much."

The redhead blinked once at the loss of his breakfast, before shrugging. He turned his full attention to his guest with a clap of his hands. "Very well, now that you've cost me my breakfast, tell me however I can be of assistance! Do be quick, though, I do have a meeting later today with my fellow Overlords."

Without so much as a twitch, Lucifer cast his net over the room. Alastor, prey instincts very much alive and well under it all, noticed the change in the room immediately. He hid it well, but the flattening of his ears gave away his irritation at being trapped.

Lucifer was beginning to get the sense that Alastor didn't care for being reminded that he could be rendered powerless. The king didn't intend to escalate this any further than necessary, but he needed Alastor's full and undivided attention.

And judging by the poorly veiled look of anger being directed at him, he had it.

"This discussion will last as long as I require it to." Keeping to the bored facade, Lucifer led with, "It is the topic of the other Overlords I wished to discuss with you."

Alastor was quick to recover, effecting a similar attitude. "Come now, sire. If you wanted to talk about the attacks, we both know this show of power is unnecessary."

White clad shoulders rose in a shrug. "The last time we talked, I needed you for something. This time I would merely like your cooperation."

The redhead tilted his head ever so slightly too far to the side, eyebrow raised. For the first time since his domain had been intruded upon, he looked intrigued. With a flick of the hand, he indicated for Lucifer to continue.

Well, here they went. "I plan to have a reminder televised and broadcast to everyone that while I might not care about Hell, I do care about anything that endangers my daughter."

Alastor threw him a shrewd look. "Television isn't really my thing, so I fail to see how I come into this."

"What I'm about to do might cause some... upset." Lucifer gestured to Alastor. "I'm asking for a show of solidarity from you when I do it."

He got a hum in response to that, neither interested nor dismissive. "And what, pray tell, is this mysterious action you plan to do that's so going to upset people?"

Lucifer allowed himself to smile, letting hints of his malicious intent peak through. "I plan to break Angel's contract."

Slowly, Alastor's smile widened until every single one of his teeth could be seen, something outright sinister to it. When he laughed, there was a touch of mania to it. "Oh my! I've often dreamed of causing a stir, but I think this might take the cake, my good man!" He laughed again, as if genuinely amused by over how much potential chaos this was going to cause.

From some of the stories Vaggie had told him, Lucifer supposed he would find such a thing amusing. Alastor was here because he was bored, was he not?

Lucifer allowed him another moment with his amusement, before pointedly clearing his throat.

Taking the cue, Alastor reigned his amusement back in. It still colored his voice as he pointed out, "I still hardly see why you would need my help with this little plan."

It was time to show a few of his cards, he supposed. Reaching out, Lucifer took hold of a random one of Alastor's contracts, grip only enough to bring it into existence. The redhead's eyes ticked to it, acknowledging it. The blonde, having no intention of doing anything with it, released it, allowing it to vanish. "As easy as it is to break one of these silly little deals you all like to make amongst yourselves, I need to be near either the contractor or the contracted. And as much as I'm sure Angel likes being in front of a camera," he leaned forward, fingers of his right hand tapping on the top of his cane, "I thought it might be more ...satisfying to see the look on Valentino's face when I do it."

There was nothing feigned about Alastor's amusement. Lucifer was entertaining him and they both knew it. Still, he was ever the one to play hard to get. "What you're proposing could incite a war between the Vees and the hotel."

Lucifer snorted. "You could care less about any conflict with the Vees and we both know it."

Alastor hummed, not denying it. "Perhaps, but we've only just survived one all-out assault. Do you really want to risk Charlie's safety in another?"

Ultimately, Lucifer waved the concern away. "If necessary, I'll just eradicate the Vees and allow the ensuing power vacuum to distract everyone. It might be the perfect opportunity to install someone who is ...better controlled in their place."

Alastor shivered, though out of excitement or something else, it was hard to tell. "How positively cutthroat."

The blonde stared expectantly. When he didn't receive any further comments, he asked, "Well?"

The redhead stared back. "To agree to this could threaten the balance I have with the other Overlords." He examined his claws, as if check to see how sharp they were. "Please forgive my hesitation to agree to this with hast without some stipulations of my own."

Lucifer sighed and resisted the urge to role his eyes, having seen this coming a mile away. "Of course." He lifted a hand from his cane to flick his fingers in a 'go on' gesture. "Well, what do you want?"

Alastor made a show of studying him, likely trying to figure out what he could get away with asking for. "Do I have time to think about it?"

Lucifer laughed, a short, single, "HA!" What did this guy take him for? A fool? Maybe if the smarmy bastard had the slightest clue how to not be a smarmy bastard that might have been an option, but Alastor was a textbook example of a person who would take someone for all they were worth if they so much as showed him a single bit of leeway. Enjoying the way the redhead's eye twitched in irritation, Lucifer pointed out, "You're the one that said you had a meeting later today, did you not?"

He let the threat of them staying in this room until either they hashed out an agreement, or Lucifer was sent away empty handed hang in the air.

In the wake of having the upper hand, Lucifer forgot how petty Alastor could be. He may have indeed been on a deadline, but it was becoming increasingly clear after the first hour that said meeting wasn't as early in the day as the blonde had hoped. Alastor gave very little away as he pondered his options, the very picture of someone who had all the time in the world. He did glance up in the general direction of his radio tower, at some point, his eyes narrowing speculatively, but was otherwise a blank slate.

Lucifer understood petty spite, willing to match it toe to toe with any irritating little upstart who thought they were bigger than they really were, but even he had his limits. As the first hour crept into the second, his good graces were starting to run out. It would be nice not to have to fight this battle on two fronts, but he didn't actually need Alastor.

Perhaps noticing his window was closing, Alastor placed a single finger tip to his lips thoughtfully. "I would like to warn Rosie and Carmilla Carmine ahead of the broadcast." At the blonde's indication he was listening, the redhead explained, "Rosie was kind enough to supply the manpower to defend the hotel during the last extermination day. Carmine supplied the weapons. It's polite to warn our allies about such drastic moves." He smiled as if he cared about both of them, as opposed to just Cannibal Town's Overlord. "We don't want them to think we suspect them of attacking the hotel, now do we?"

Translation: Alastor wanted it to look like Carmilla was more an ally than she actually was. It wouldn't matter if she actually was or not. Everyone else would think she was.

Lucifer nodded, already tired of the political BS. "Fine. Next?"

"I want two favors: one up front, one at a later time of my choosing." Alastor leaned forward, eyes dimly glowing. "And this will be a binding deal."

Warning bells went off in the back of Lucifer's mind. He shook his head. "No open ended favors. Name the favor's now or chose something else."

There was a pause, long enough he thought Alastor might actually chose something else. He watched the redhead straighten, a war clearly being fought behind that smile of his.

Finally, Alastor sighed, put upon. "Very well." He spun on his heel, heading in the direction of what appeared to be the roof access door. He turned his head enough to glance at Lucifer over his shoulder. "Come along, I will show you the first favor."

Intrigued despite himself, Lucifer followed him. The door was correctly placed to be somehow connected to the Radio Demon's infamous radio tower. To his knowledge, no one but Alastor himself ever went into there and came back out alive. Even as they had rebuilt everything else, Lucifer hadn't gone any more near the tower than necessary, mostly reviving it from the remains of the original and simply restoring it.

Lucifer blamed not noticing the way Alastor was watching him on the fact that he was just so damn curious. If he had, he would have noticed the shit eating grin on the redhead's face before he used one of his shadows to open the access way.

There was no stairs. In fact, there was no enclosed structure at all. The access way opened up right under the steel beams that supported the tower to the side of the building.

Lucifer gaped, incredulous. "You want us to climb that?"

"Oh, heavens, no! I can't speak for you, but this demon would never resort to such monkey shenanigans." A laugh track went off around them, the sound creepy without any radios near by. Alastor leaned in until they were nearly nose to nose as Lucifer squinted at him. "My first favor is in my booth. I usually just travel by shadow up there, which I'd be more than happy to do for both of us if you'd lower the shield...?"

Lucifer's squint turned suspicious. "Absolutely not." It was simple to extend the barrier and then open a portal of his own straight into the studio. He smirked. "After you."

Alastor looked disappointed at being deprived of his fun, but stepped through with an air of good-nature. Lucifer followed, already taking in the room as he did so.

The room was of decent size. Electronic equipment took up the majority of one side of the room, a small couch/bench stationed in front of it. The room had that same voodoo-swamp-old fashion vibe Alastor's room had. A lamp with eyes that followed them as they moved cast a warm yellow glow throughout the room. A coat rack made from a deer's antlers sat off to the side and somehow Alastor had gotten cattails to grow up through the otherwise metal floor. The most interesting thing in the room, though, sat on the table in front of the radio equipment.

It was Alastor's mysteriously missing microphone.

As if in a trance and unable to take his eyes off it, Lucifer crossed the room to exam it more closely. Someone had taken something just sharp enough to it, slicing it in two. He had only peripherally paid attention to the staff the last time he'd seen it, hadn't thought too much of it. Thought the pole the microphone sat on looked almost flimsy. Up close, it was easier to see that it was far sturdier than it had appeared at first glance. Whatever had broken it had to have been powerful.

A bigger picture was starting to take shape. Something they'd all just overlooked because Alastor was just that good at pretending to be fine.

But here was proof of the cracks, carefully hidden away where no one would dare to look for it.

"Is this Adam's work?"

Alastor's expression twisted with distain, his fingers fidgeting like they wanted to tap something. "I admit I underestimated that cur and his downright ridiculous axe."

Like the final piece of a puzzle falling into place, dozens of little things Lucifer had observed over the weeks since he had moved in suddenly made sense. "You were hit by Adam's guitar?" Horror and reluctant awe (and maybe a tiny bit of worry) took up residence in his chest completely taking out his brain to mouth filter. "How are you still alive?"

Alastor, of course, only chose to focus on the worry. "I'm touched, your Majesty. Is that concern I hear in your voice?" If his smile got any larger, it was going to split his face in two.

Knowing him, maybe it could.

Lucifer grit his teeth. Why did he want this guy's help again? Surely nothing was worth this. Glaring, he snarled, "If I was, I'm not anymore." Wanting to wipe that smile off his face, schooled his features into something smug. "So, why haven't you fixed it? It's almost been two months."

Some of that amusement smoothed into something closer to frustration. "It's not as simple as it looks." When Lucifer didn't look convinced, Alastor waved a hand towards the staff.

Not seeing what the big deal was, Lucifer reached out and placed a hand over the area where the pole had broken. At first, the staff seemed to be little more than a prop, an object Alastor favored and was clearly attached to.

But the longer Lucifer touched the object, the more he began to suspect that there might be more to it than just an inanimate object. In fact, if he didn't know better, he could almost swear he felt--

Under his fingers, was the unmistakable ba-bump of a heartbeat.

Startled, Lucifer jerked his hands away. "It's alive?!" He went to take a step backward, only to back right up into a solid body. Lucifer froze, suddenly hyper aware of the line of heat pressed up against his back.

So stunned by what he told himself was the sheer audacity of this sinner, Lucifer simply stared as Alastor ran a hand down his arm, half leaning over him as the redhead guided their hands back to the microphone. Bracketed by Alastor from behind and the living(?) staff under his hand, when Lucifer heard the heartbeat again, he heard its twin against his back. "Oh. It's... you?"

"A part of me, yes." Alastor pulled away, his hand withdrawing like a caress.

Lucifer shuddered from the chill at his back, goosebumps raising all along his arm. He was never more thankful he wore long sleeves then he was in that moment, as he cursed the redhead for his utter and complete lack of respect for other people's personal space. He swallowed around his discomfort. "Your first favor is to fix this?"

He couldn't see it, but he could hear the smug grin in Alastor's voice. "My microphone is as much a part of my image as I imagine your cane is. We wouldn't want any flaws in the front we're putting up, now would we?"

Lucifer suspected there was more to this than Alastor wanting to preserve some image. Unlike his cane, the microphone seemed to actually be a part of Alastor in some way. Being deprived of it had to have depleted him in some way. Using a favor for something like this meant that it was important.

Feeling like he might be making a mistake, although he wasn't sure how, Lucifer turned around to face the other. "I accept the terms. What is your second favor?"

The redhead's expression schooled itself into a perfectly blank smile. "I can't tell you."

The blond felt a rise of irritation. "Pass, try again--"

"I really can't tell you." The depth of seriousness in Alastor's tone caused Lucifer to pause. The redhead's smile tightened in a grimace, and for the briefest of seconds, the blonde thought he saw the green glow of stitches along his lips.

Lucifer frowned. If he didn't know any better, he would have said those stitches were literally keeping Alastor's mouth shut.

Pulling his composure back together, all vulnerability smoothed away into Alastor's default host façade. "I assure you, what I plan to ask for is within your abilities. No one else need get involved. We don't even have to leave my room."

Lucifer studied him. "Will this favor put Charlie in danger?"

Alastor softened, although it was only skin deep. "Not a hair will be harmed on our precious Charlie's head."

He still had his reservations. Those alarm bells were going off like mad, but as long as Charlie wasn't in danger... "How will I know what your favor is if you can't tell me?"

A red clawed hand waved the question away. "Details will be delivered when the time is right."

Oh, he really shouldn't do this. Lucifer knew this, but... He sighed. "Fine, I accept." He pointed a finger at Alastor, narrowly stopping right under his nose just for the pleasure of seeing the deer demon go cross eyed to glare at it. "But if you pull any funny business whatsoever, I don't care if Charlie likes you or not, you are done."

Alastor side stepped the offending limb, holding out his hand. Around them, the shadows in the corners of the room began to dance and writhe with anticipation. "Ah, does that mean we have a deal?"

Lucifer eyed the hand, mouth turning down into a severe frown. He wanted this to be the end of the negotiations. Wanted things to end while he was still in a favorable spot. He still could. He didn't have to do this. He was so tired of their games.

"There's one more thing."

Alastor's patience was a strained thing. It seemed he wasn't the only one wanting to strike while the iron was hot. "Oh?"

Here they went.

"Release Husk from his contract."

Alastor stood completely frozen, a sign Lucifer was coming to suspect might be his way of hiding any immediate, knee jerk reactions and to buy himself a moment to think of an appropriate response. "Come again?"

Lucifer merely stared back. They both knew he'd heard him.

Alastor drew back, studying him like an entirely new specimen had just skittered across his desk and the redhead had no idea what to make of him. "Now, why ever would you care about Husker's contract?"

Lucifer knew he shouldn't be getting involved with this. This was already messy with getting involved with Angel's and Valentino's business. That he atleast could blame on the fact that Charlie had asked him.

Getting involved with this couldn't be blamed on Charlie, beyond the fact she'd invited him into her home and hadn't kicked him back out. All of this looked a lot like proof that underneath all his apathy, Lucifer still had the capacity for empathy.

And that was sort of the problem, wasn't it? Allowing himself to care - admitting that he cared already - about Angel's plight meant he had to admit he wasn't blind to Husk's.

Not to mention... Husk had been kind to him, in his own gruff way. There were nonalcoholic drinks on the menu at the bar, because the bartender had figured out the King of Hell wasn't big on alcohol. Husk hadn't judged him that time he had decided to drink, recognizing he wasn't doing well that day. He'd simply known when it was time to cut him off and send him off to bed.

There was absolutely no reason for him to have involved himself the night after Lucifer's and Alastor's first deal. Stood absolutely nothing to gain from warning him, considering everything pointed to Lucifer potentially using him to make a point.

Without meaning to, his mind went back to the expression on Husk's face as Lucifer and Angel discussed the plan with the promise to come back to it when they weren't both half dead from exhaustion. Even with the new information that there were other options to get out of contracts, Husk hadn't once held hope for himself. If anything, there was only the simple, sincere congratulations that Angel was going to regain his freedom.

Despite himself, Lucifer could feel that same guilt rising up again when he couldn't afford to be showing any weaknesses.

Judging by the way Alastor's features sharpened, a shark scenting blood in the water, he'd already messed that one up.

Sure enough. "I see." The redhead was aglow - literally - with his manic delight. "Oh, my dear, dear, sire. You've grown attached."

Lucifer said nothing, having already said too much already. It hardly mattered at this point, as his silence was telling enough.

Alastor's own carefully contained movements as he circled around the room - around his king - were telling in their own way. The redhead knew exactly what he wanted, he was simply covering up his eagerness with the veneer of patience. "Husker is one of my prized contracts. It brought me great joy when I won it." He paused, eyes dim as he lost himself in the memory. His expression growing more sadistic. "It would pain me to lose one of my favorites."

Lucifer turned his lip up, disgusted with the song and dance. "You have other toys."

The redhead hummed in agreement as the blonde likely wasn't wrong there. Still, "Regardless, as former business partners and long time associates, Husker knows things about me I'd prefer not to be spread around."

"Then renegotiate the contract," Lucifer countered, unimpressed with the flimsy excuse to get out of giving up Husk's soul. He tapped his cane against the floor sharply. "Don't forget I can simply get rid of it if I so choose. I don't need for you to agree."

Alastor dissolved into his shadows. While he was restricted from leaving the confines of his quarters, he could still move around the area inside the barrier. Lucifer regretted not having cutting that off as his eyes darted around the studio, trying to anticipate where he would reappear.

Hands wrapped around his shoulders, deceptively gentle. Warm breathe brushed his ear, as Alastor drawled, "And yet you asked me anyway."

Lucifer turned his head until he could see Alastor's face out of the corner of his eye. His body warred with itself as the redhead drew his right hand up the blonde's shoulder, the sharp points of Alastor's claws coming to rest against Lucifer's juggler.

"Give me unlimited access to your blood," Alastor tapped his finger tips against racing pulse, "and I will renegotiate Husker's contract. Our dear Husk gets his soul and freedom back in exchange for his silence and you get to assuage your guilt over the fact that you didn't just do it in the first place."

Lucifer shivered, finally giving into the urge to step out of Alastor's grasp and putting some distance between them. He shouldn't have ignored whatever he was feeling towards the redhead. How low had he fallen that Alastor's attentions, never born out of anything other than the sinner's twisted hunt for amusement, was preferable to being alone?

He wondered if Alastor understood that Lucifer wasn't the only one getting in too deep with this move. There would be consequences to this. Right in that moment, the Devil decided the punishment for Alastor's hubris would be that he would allow the sinner to discover the depths of those consequences on his own.

Lucifer turned around, refusing to have this little back and forth with his back to Alastor. "No yanking my chain." His tone made it clear there was no room for negotiation there. "Send me a message like a normal person."

Alastor blinked, pleasantly surprised Lucifer was actually going to say yes. Perhaps this is why he agreed so easily, saying, "Of course! I'm hardly a savage." He pondered the situation, adding, "I expect a response promptly, say, no less than a few hours...?"

The blonde snorted at the idea of the redhead being anything other than a savage. Posture stern, he countered with, "24 hours."

The redhead hummed, leaning forward to put himself just on the edges of Lucifer's personal space. "Twelve hours, and I'll make allowances for political meeting spill overs."

Oh, he'd 'make allowances,' would he? Lucifer gave into the urge to roll his eyes, but otherwise acquiesced. "Fine."

Alastor's form lit up with glowing green symbols, stiches visible for all to see. The shadows along the edges of the room danced with near frenzy. "Then we have a deal?"

Lucifer looked at Alastor's hand. Raised his eyes to lock gazes with the sinner he was about to tie himself to potentially until death did they part. Thought about what Alastor's expression would be when he realized the hole he was digging for himself. It brought a smile to own his face.

A hint, a shadow of doubt took root in Alastor's eyes, but it was much too late to back out now. Before either of them could second guess this, The King of Hell, his own demonic attributes on full display, reached out and took the Radio Demon's hand.

"Deal."

tbc

Part 10

[riri-rikinzi]

NIMONA GOLDENHEART HEADCANONS

In the comic version, Bal is older while Ambro is younger

But in the film version, Bal younger while ambro is older

When Bal started his training, he has to tie his hair tightly 24/7, from ponytail to hairbun.

Bal was a very shy, introverted and quiet kid, so Ambro greeted first but Bal worries that he might be like Todd and his goons.

If one of those who have the most sense of humor it's Ambrosius, he always the one who makes Bal laugh and smile and loves doing so.

Bal fell first, because of how Ambro easily charms Bal with his golden retriever energy, but Ambro fell harder for his skills, pretty eyes and smile.

But he soon warms up to Ambro and often approaches to him evertime.

He'd let Ambro play with his hair, from hairstyling to accessories.

He was even suprised that Bal's natural hair is wavy curls and he adores it very much.

When Ambro saw Bal in his haircut, short and straight, he'd ugly cried with the snot on his nose because he's gonna miss playing with Bal's hair.

Baby Ambro: (Sobbing) Why!? Why must you cut off your beautiful hair Bal!?

(Even Valerin is upset but does not show it)

Bal pretty cries with his rosy cheeks and big round eyes, Ambro ugly cries with snots.

As kids, Ambro talks, likes to run around and play in the dirt, while Bal listens, reads and stays under the shade.

When it comes to how they sing, Bal sings like an angel, something like this but doesn't believe that it's good. But Ambro does and he adores it, while Ambro sings off Key and something like this.

And they still do as adults

Who ever's responsible on making Bal laugh, it's Ambro because he loves seeing Bal laugh and smile, and must keep going, even Ambro's terrible singing makes Bal laughed so hard.

When Bal's not training, he often goes to the garden to read, holds out his fingers so he can hope for a butterfly to come.

For Ambro's parents, I'm tired of snobby asshole parents, I mean the bloodline last a thousand years, I'm sure it happened to his parents before because based on some fics I read, I hc that he has both loving and supportive moms, and adores Bal more than Ambro does.

Ambro's mom: (cuddling baby Bal) "Ambrosius dear, who's this little kitty he's adorable".

Ambro's dog coded energy is something he inherited from his mama

During pre teens, Bal came out as trans to Valerin first, saying that he doesn't feel like a girl but rather than a boy, he got his top surgery way in hie late teens.

During the night before the day when they have no training or studying, Ambro and Bal would have small make out sessions, but the reason why it's short because Bal worries that they might get in trouble.

If you're wondering who gets into many fights, it's Ambrosius, because he's so sick of Todd and his cronie's shit, but Bal often prevents the fights from happening but sometimes it doesn't work.

The way how Ambro dressed, is simple, comfy practical, such as simple hoodies, sweaters, sweatpants, simple sneakers and comfy loose short, in bright, pastel and muted tones and etc.

For Bal he'd wear something academic, studious, simple and 5% formal like, academia but comfy, such as blouse and sweater vest, turtle necks and some simple yet causal pants, in pastel, earthy, eye catching and dark tones, because he often worries of how people will see him.

During the post canon, Ambro choice of clothing stays the same except more free spirited, some ear piercings and let his hair grow a bit longer.

But for Bal, he started wearing more gothic and emo, black and dark tones more with earrings and ear piercings too, along with makeuo, such as eyelinear, surma, and masscara as he slowly reaches out of his shell thanks to Nimona.

Ambro wakes up first since he's the early bird, and everytime he does, he always kisses his sleepy Ballister good morning and kisses him good night if Bal falls asleep first.

Like canon, Ambro's the big spoon, a very clingy big spoon, and Bal's the lil spoon.

Ambro's love language is act of service, qualite time physical touch which means he's super clingy to Bal like a puppy, while Bal's language is also the same but physical touch in a delicate way head petting.

Who handles spicy food the longest?

Todd can only last a bite

Diego can last half of the meal

Ambro would finish almost the whole meal before chugging down a gallons of ice cold water.

But for Bal and Nimona, it's childs play for them, they'd add extra hot sauce that would scare the heck out of everyone.

Ambro's scared of dentist and big injection, so every appointment he always have to hold onto something or hand everytime.

And when he realise that Nimona shared the same fear of Injections, during Nimona's first appointment, he hides them in his pockets, but Bal caught them.

Ambrosuis's pet name for Ballister: Princess, sweatheart, kitten, 주방, 천사, Babydoll ,Doll.

Ballisters's pet name for Ambrosius: Darling, rose, Ambro, پیاری, دھوپ.

Want some smut headcanons and more?

Staytuned for the reblog

[twisting-echo]

So ¿what in your opinion are Danny fenton's top 5 cutest crossover ships? In both het and slash.

So ¿two top 5's? I don't know.

Well, this is going to be fun because I have more than just 5 hehehe 😼

1) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Manny Rivera/El Tigre (TigerGhost/TigerSpirit) I just fell in love with their dynamic, thanks to @/nicktoonsunite

I love Danny and Manny because Danny tends to be a little more serious and easily stressed out than Manny. And Manny's laid-back and fun loving personality helps balance that out for Danny. But the main draw for me is that they both understand what it's like to have separate identities that clash with their lives and the responsibility of protecting others. Even though they may feel like their powers get in the way of their normal lives sometimes, they will always put aside their own needs to do what's right.

2) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBoo) because of @/nicktoonsunite (and because I remember playing Nicktoons Volcano Island on my old GameCube and Nicktoons Globs of Doom on my old PS2). 

Danny and SpongeBob are just cute, queerplatonic partners, and their personalities mesh well together. I love how close and comforting they are in @/nicktoonsunite's universe. If there was something that was bothering them both, they would be the first people they chose to confide in. 

3) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom and Octavia Goetia (Spectral Owl) because of you and how cute they are. I honestly love the idea of Danny and Via healthily trauma bonding over the upbringings they had in their family homes. I love how shy and awkward they would be with each other.

I imagine Octavia helping Danny ghost hunt with her magic and knowledge of the supernatural, but I think what I love most is how slowly and gently Danny gets Octavia to put her walls down and trust him. They would be absolutely good for each other as a couple, and I headcanon that Danny will grow to be 6′ 1″ and Octavia will be 6′ 7″. Danny and Octavia will be a tall and adorable king and queen couple one day. (He will always nickname her Spooky.)

4) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Betty Barrett/Atomic Betty (Galactic Ghost) Now I was a huge Atomic Betty and Danny Phantom fan in my childhood (still am) so that's how this ship came to be.

I ship Betty and Danny for the same reasons I ship Danny and Manny but Danny becomes a galactic guardian and Betty becomes a ghost buster lol.

5) Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Little Cato (Spectral Space/Spooky Cat/Ghostly Hellions) (I need more ship names for these two).

I'm a huge Little Cato fan, and this is one of my favorite ships that I've come up with for him. I like to imagine that Little Cato gets his first intense crush on Danny, and Danny is completely oblivious (for awhile) about it. Little Cato just thinks that Danny is the coolest person he's ever met, and laughs at all of his silly jokes. Danny can't help but think how cute Little Cato is and finds himself enjoying every moment that they spend together. That's all I'm going to say about this ship because I plan to make a post about them in the future.

Honorable Mentions:

Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Jenny Wakeman/XJ-9

Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Billy Joe Cobra

Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Lydia Deetz (Because Lydia is sweet and kind and everything Sam isn't)

Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Spencer Wright

Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Verosika Mayday

Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom x Loona the hellhound 

 There's probably more that I like but can't think of any more right now.

Thanks for the ask @amethystoceandespiser

[twistedtummies2]

Top 5 Versions of The Mummy

The culture and iconography of Ancient Egypt has been fascinating to more modern minds for many decades. Perhaps its peak of prominence was with the discovery of the resting place of Tutankhamun, a.k.a. King Tut’s Tomb. Among the many, MANY reasons this moment in archaeological history became so famous was because of the rumors of a supposed curse, placed upon the King’s burial chamber, which swore all who disturbed the dead pharaoh’s slumber would suffer a terrible fate. This rumored curse seemed proven when various people connected to the expedition began dropping like flies not so long after the digging was done. While most people accept that King Tut’s Curse is a totally fictitious urban legend, the mystique surrounding the discovery, the rumored hex, and the rising interest in Egyptology as a whole all sort of blended to create an increasing popularity in the use of the subject for works of mystery and horror in fiction. This fascination has never really disappeared, and nowhere is this more obvious than in one recurring monster in fiction: the living mummy. Mummies as walking corpses, spurred on by ancient curses and old superstitions, have been around in fiction since the Victorian era. However, the concept reached its xenith in the early 1930s, when Universal released their famous horror flick, simply called “The Mummy”: the story of a long-buried evil, and a strange romance, returning to wreak havoc on the modern world. I was initially going to talk about Mummies as a whole with this countdown for my October specials…but after much consideration, I realized how difficult that would really be. It’s a bit like talking about Dracula AND other vampires in the same list: you know that one is going to dominate the ranks, and it’s also hard to compare good and heroic characters to the more traditional monster. Perhaps I’ll do a second list about other Mummy characters in the future, but for now, I decided to just focus my list on THE Mummy: the specific, branded property handled by Universal. This franchise, and its lead Mummy figure, have evolved over the years quite a lot. In fact, not only have multiple actors played the creature over the decades - from Lon Chaney Jr. to Tom Tyler - but it’s not even the same Mummy in every single movie. With that in mind, I’m going to base this countdown on a few questions: which Mummies were the most interesting from a character perspective? Which were the most frightening from a horror perspective? Finally, which ones just appeared in the best stories from a writing perspective? With that said, here are My Top 5 Favorite Versions of The Mummy!

5. Michael Reid MacKay, from Monster Squad (1987).

This is the only Mummy on the list whose given name isn’t offered, as well as the only Mummy who isn’t part of a specific line of films. “Monster Squad” was the Universal Monsters’ response to successes like “The Goonies” and “Ghostbusters.” In fact, the film was literally described as being a combination of those two movies! The plot focuses on a group of kid-and-teen heroes working together to stop the classic Monsters, who have all joined forces with Dracula in a plan to - of course - take over the world. One of the things that made the film popular was the way it updated the designs of the Monsters, making several of them more viscerally unsettling and threatening in appearance. The Mummy was no exception: the costume and makeup for MacKay’s Mummy really does make him seem more gnarled, twisted up, and withered than any other Mummy before, while also making him fittingly unnerving in the scenes where he goes on the attack. He’s one of the creepiest Mummies out there, but he sadly gets taken out pretty easily, and is the first of the Monsters to be properly defeated. As a result, as much as I love MacKay’s physical performance and the outfit he’s in, I don’t think I can rank this version too highly.

4. Eddie Powell, from The Mummy’s Shroud (1967).

After Hammer’s adaptations of “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” turned out to be successful, Universal - who were Hammer’s U.S.A. distributors for a while - gave the UK-based studio the rights to use some elements from their films and adapt them in their own fashion. For the most part, Hammer still did their own thing, but this did give them the opportunity to do their own take on the Mummy franchise. However, while most of the Universal Mummy films followed a loose continuity, there is NO continuity between ANY of the Hammer Mummy movies. All of them are standalone pieces, which just so happen to share similar plot elements and themes. Of all the latter Hammer Mummy movies, “The Mummy’s Shroud” is my favorite. The Mummy in this case (no pun intended) is called Prem; played by actor and stuntman Eddie Powell in the bandages, and by Dickie Owen in flashback scenes (Owen previously played the Mummy in another film). His backstory is a little different from others before him: instead of being a lover-out-of-time, determined to avenge his long lost darling, Prem is the bodyguard and devoted caretaker of a young prince, who died during childhood. Prem is sworn to guard the body of his young charge even after death. When a snobby aristocrat desecrates the tomb, and accidentally brings Prem back to life, a wave of murder and terror ensues. The twist to the Mummy’s motivations is interesting to me, and I also like Prem’s design, with his facemask and unique wrappings actually being inspired by the real life Mummy at the British museum. This film seems to be considered one of the weakest of the Hammer films, but I personally enjoy it…of course, the fact that the Master from Doctor Who is controlling the Mummy probably helps. No joke, look it up.

3. Boris Karloff, from The Mummy (1932).

The one that started it all. What’s interesting is that the popular perception of the Mummy - a shriveled, withered, bandaged, staggering creature - isn’t really present in the original film at all. After the initial resurrection scene, where Karloff’s Mummy isn’t even seen walking onscreen, the character spends most of the movie looking (relatively) normal, apparently revitalized, although still very stiff and wrinkly. In this case, the Mummy is Imhotep: an architect and high priest from Ancient Egypt, who fell in love with his pharaoh’s princess. Heartbroken by his beloved’s death, Imhotep tried to bring her back, but was caught in the act and punished for his blasphemy and insubordination. When he is reawakened, Imhotep goes on a quest to seek out the reincarnation of his lost love. This, for the record, is the basic motivation most versions of the Mummy have been given, including the two above Karloff. The original Mummy movie owes a lot to Universal’s earlier success of Dracula, featuring several of the same plot points and cast members playing the same basic roles. (Edward Van Sloan, for example, plays Van Helsing in Dracula, and plays a character who is pretty much Diet Van Helsing in this movie.) It’s also a bit slow in places, mostly due to its age. However, Karloff’s performance - equal parts intensely creepy, even now, and genuinely tender in his romantic desires - still holds up strongly. Ironically, just as Dracula inspired the Mummy, the Mummy would inspire later versions of Dracula: Dan Curtis, Francis Ford Coppola, and multiple other takes on the vampire would use the same idea of an undead lover seeking his reincarnated bride in future adaptations. “The circle is now complete.”

2. Arnold Vosloo, from The Mummy (1999) AND The Mummy Returns (2001).

When most people nowadays think of the title “The Mummy,” this is probably the version they think of first. Heck, for a long time, this was the version I thought of, even before Karloff! In the late 90s and early 2000s, Universal and filmmaker Stephen Sommers seemed to want to try and upgrade the Universal Monsters franchise, by bringing out of the world of Gothic horror and more into the vein of action/adventure; more like Indiana Jones than anything else. The 1999 film, starring Brendan Fraser as adventurer Rick O’Connell, proved a big hit, and led to a whole franchise of Mummy-related things, including sequel films, a cartoon show, a spin-off series of movies called “The Scorpion King,” and even an attraction at the Universal Studios theme parks! While Fraser as the hero gets a lot of attention, it’s also worth mentioning Arnold Vosloo as the central antagonist of the franchise: the Mummy himself, once again named Imhotep. This version shares the same basic backstory as the Karloff version, but with a few new twists. First, Vosloo’s Imhotep is a bit more evil, as he not only plans to bring back his lost love, but also wishes to - what else? - take over the world, and rule by her side. Second, this Imhotep is able to become younger and more handsome by devouring the souls of other human beings, thus turning them into Mummies in turn. The more souls he consumes, the more powerful Imhotep becomes, able to control the elements, as well as being able to show off some sick fighting moves when necessary. As a kid, I was honestly terrified of Vosloo’s Mummy; I literally had nightmares about him destroying me and those I loved, no joke. As an adult…I’d be lying if I said I found him, or…most things in these films scary anymore (except for the Scarabs, those things are freaking HORRIFYING), but he’s still a very memorable action film antagonist, and while all of these movies have their flaws, several of them are still extremely entertaining.

1. Christopher Lee, from The Mummy (1959).

This was Hammer’s first foray into the Mummy franchise, following their agreement with Universal. In a way, it feels like a sort of crossroads between the slow, looming, creeping menace of Universal’s earlier movies and the more spectacular, action-packed, adventurous spirit of the Sommers films. The story and characters are sort of a conglomeration of elements from the whole Universal series beforehand, taking the best bits from each and combining them into one movie. At first, that sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the combination of excellent casting, opulent cinematography, great effects and stunts (especially for the time), and a well-crafted script described as a combination of “Egyptology and Razzmatazz” makes for a really fun, thrilling movie. At the center of the action is Christopher Lee as the titular Mummy, here given the name “Kharis.” Once again, the Mummy is a tragic lover, who was gruesomely punished for crimes of heresy when he tried to resurrect his precious princess, Ananka. Years later, he is resurrected by the mad cultist Mehemet Bay, who uses Kharis to punish a group of archaeologists who dug up Ananka’s tomb. Covered from head to toe in Mummy makeup, Lee nevertheless delivers a powerful, multi-layered performance. While he lacks the sorcerer-like abilities of either take on Imhotep, he is probably the most intimidating Mummy on a physical level. So much of what Lee does comes simply from the smallest of gestures, combined with the power of his eyes; he is able to go from a dead-eyed stare, to a look of vengeful rage, to a tortured expression of pained remorse and anguished love, all in the span of seconds. The 1959 version of the Mummy is my personal favorite reimagining, even more than the rip-roaring excitement of the Sommers films. A big part of the reason why comes from Lee as Kharis: by far My Favorite Version of The Mummy. (Mummy) Case Closed.

HONORABLE MENTIONS…

Valerie Leon, from Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb (1971).

Long before the “Dark Universe” attempt in 2017, this Hammer production tried to twist the tale by making the requisite princess of the story into the monster. However, despite the title, Valerie Leon’s “Mummy” - Queen Tera - isn’t TECHNICALLY a Mummy at all, so I wasn’t sure how much she should really count.

Jim Cummings, from The Mummy: The Animated Series.

This somewhat forgotten cartoon show was spun-off from the first two Stephen Sommers films, and supposedly takes place in the same continuity. However, in this show, Imhotep has learned how to speak English. Aside from the speech matters, this is SUPPOSEDLY the same character played by Vosloo, and I therefore wasn’t wholly sure how much he should count. 

Eddie Parker, from Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy.

In my opinion, none of the black-and-white Mummy films following the original really hold a candle to Karloff’s inaugural presentation. No matter who wears the bandages and makeup, they just don’t have the same presence or level of character and threat. I give Parker’s Mummy, here called “Klaris,” a free pass for the simple fact that this movie is meant to be a comedy: if the Mummy is a bit of a klutz, at least it matches the tone.

[paintingwhiteceilings]

❃EXO's chances of surviving a zombie apocalypse❃

A/N: because why have your first post be romantic or suggestive when it can be unserious and downright weird.

Xiumin/Minseok: 9/10

✾ Let’s be honest, this man is way too good at sports not to survive far into a zombie apocalypse. Pretty sure those skills will translate and be useful in some way. He can outrun them so easily that he never truly finds himself in any danger.

✾ Xiumin actually possesses functional brain cells and a good dose of common sense which means he makes good, well thought out, decisions. Unlike the beagle line, he won’t get himself stupidly killed.

✾ Despite all the chaos, he is incredibly organized, keeping precise track of what he has and needs.

✾ He can properly take care of himself and could run this thing solo. He is not dependent on others to do things for him and he strikes me as someone who is perfectly content to be on his own. The only reason he would team up with the others is for the company and because he finds their idiocy amusing.

✾ He has the added bonus that the zombies think he is adorable, like a pet, so they will keep him alive even when he does get caught.

Suho/Junmyeon: 5/10

✾ Remember that time when Suho fell asleep during carting? Yeah, he is beyond exhausted before the apocalypse even starts and will probably die by accidentally falling asleep. Suho will try to ‘rest his eyes’ and before he knows it a zombie is gnawing on his arm.

✾ Honestly trying his hardest to keep the rest of the members from dying, but instead of appreciating his efforts, they keep making fun of him for it. They are really testing his patience but he feels too responsible for their safety to leave them to fend for themselves.

✾ Not that anything he says matters, they never truly listen to him so instead he has to be the one to get them out of the dangerous situations they get themselves in.

✾ If he doesn’t get eaten due to his permanent exhaustion, he would be the type to accept his fate. The members will drive him insane to the point where he will simply give up and walk into a hoard of zombies with open arms.

✾ If you pair him up with his babies Kai and Sehun his survival rate somehow increases. Nobody touches his babies.

Baekhyun: ?/10

✾ Okay, so he either survives until the end or does something stupid and gets himself killed.  His survival rate is either 10/10 or 0/10, there is no in-between.

✾ Like Baekhyun is an ace in most games so he has the ability to outsmart the apocalypse if he puts in the effort. He is competitive enough to take it seriously, too.

✾ His survival truly depends on whether he gives in to his intrusive thoughts and let’s be fair, he has many and zero impulse control.

✾ He would, for instance, believe that he can successfully pretend to be a zombie to blend in with them. He has a lot of dumb ideas and will either act on it himself or get someone else to try it out.

✾ Obviously, his plans wouldn’t work and he, or his chosen guinea pig, would get eaten. Then again, it is Baekhyun and somehow he always manages to come out on top, so who knows, he might survive.

Chen/Jongdae: 6.5/10

✾ Okay, this man is a father so he gets to enjoy the father buff. If his family is with him, he is near unstoppable. Chen can be competitive and has a lot of energy, so technically his chances aren’t too bad.

✾ His main issue is that, well, every zombie and their mother can hear him from the other side of the planet. He is absolutely oblivious as to why the zombies keep finding him.

✾ Like Chen, please use your inner voice, zombies are not deaf and you are giving them your location whenever you talk.

✾ Will ‘accidentally’ push Chanyeol into a zombie when he jokes about being the C in CBX and finally find peace. At this point, he kind of deserves it.

Chanyeol: -10/10

✾ Hear me out, this man is a mess.

✾ Technically, he could survive but he is another one that for sure will listen to his intrusive thoughts. Like let’s be fair, Chanyeol has mastered an array of weird skills just because he can’t stand being bad at something; he will be just as determined to figure out how to survive during an apocalypse.

✾ The type to “I saw this in a film” and try it. He will quickly discover that most of it won’t work because those are movies and not real life. Still, he will have the biggest motivation to figure things out, even if most of his sources are fiction.

✾ The problem is that he is way too much into this whole apocalypse scenario. He will try to out-apocalypse the others or will make up some sort of stupid competition to kill time because sitting still for five minutes is for losers.

✾ He comes up with the “Who can get closest to the zombie without getting killed” game. Baekhyun might have helped.

✾ To be honest, it doesn’t quite matter how good his cards are in the context of a zombie apocalypse, he will probably die within a day because he has two left feet and a very intimate relationship with the floor.

D.O./Kyungsoo: 7/10

✾ Pair him up with another member, and suddenly their chances increase.

✾ His cooking skills make him so incredibly valuable. He will make sure no one starves, and can make a decent meal out of pretty much anything you give him.

✾ The others try their hardest to keep him alive because being in an apocalypse does not mean one has to eat grass.

✾ Then again, he would not hesitate to sacrifice the others to the zombies if they annoy him.

✾ The only one able to keep the beagle line from doing stupid shit with his threats.

✾ You can’t really count on him outrunning the zombies, though. We have all seen this man attempt to play soccer, he is not made for physical activity. He will not survive with his physical skills and will absolutely accept his fate rather than try.

Kai/Jongin: -100000000/10

✾ Listen, this man will die within the first five seconds of the apocalypse.

✾ It is not a question of whether he dies, more so than how. There are so many ways that he can get himself killed, even without the apocalypse playing a major factor.

✾ He could give himself food poisoning when he tries to cook or trip over his own feet when he tries to run away from the zombies. He does not really have a great sense of self-preservation.

✾ 10000% the type to think that they could befriend the zombies because “zombies are people too.” Luckily for him, the zombies do think he is adorable and won’t immediately eat him when he gets too close.

✾ But yeah, if it isn’t for the others constantly monitoring him, he is dead.

Sehun: 1000/10

✾ Last to die because his members will do everything they can to keep him alive. Maknae privileges and whatnot.

✾ He is very much dependent on his members to do basically anything, but the thing is, they would do it without question.

✾ He will complain the entire time and whine constantly.

✾ If Suho dies, you might as well kill him too. How is he supposed to sleep without his emotional-support-hyung??? So yeah, the only way to really decrease his survival rate is to eliminate his members.

✾ Honestly, we all are simply living in his world, what Sehun wants, Sehun gets. It might even extend to the zombies. He would just ask them to stop trying to eat him and they would oblige because, well, Sehun asked.

✾ He is 1000% responsible for the cure being found. It has nothing to do with Sehun finding it himself. Instead, when/if he gets bitten, the members will stop at nothing to find a way to rid him of the disease. Sleep? Who needs sleep when Oh Sehun is dying!?

masterlist

[broomballkrakenfic]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66641650

Title: A Bottle of Wine Begs to be Shared

Fandom: Rune Factory 5

Pairing: Darroch/Terry

Word count: 2132

Warnings: None

Summary: After an argument with Martin about his overworking habit, Darroch runs into Terry, who is having his own problems with Cecil.

Upon Terry's request, Darroch heads to the beach with him, where they share a bottle of wine and chat about their apprentices' exasperating quirks, which will most certainly not have any lasting impact on either of them at all...

The sun was just starting to set - bathing Rigbarth in a gentle orange glow - when Darroch left the smithy. Letting out a sigh, he paused to remove his hat and wipe the sweat from his brow. Normally, Darroch would have been more than closed up by now, but he had spent a good hour arguing with Martin about his horrible overworking habit.

Darroch was happy that his apprentice was taking his lessons seriously, but Martin really needed to get it through his thick skull that regular rest and relaxation were a good thing, preferably before he worked himself to death. Darroch would never forgive himself if he let that happen under his watch, he just needed to get that damn kid to realize that too.

With no particular destination in mind, Darroch strolled through the quaint town he called home to cool his head; the smithy always felt stuffy after arguments. Luckily, it was a pleasantly cool summer night, and Darroch closed his eyes and let himself breath deep of the evening air.

“Why so glum, chum?”

Darroch opened his eyes again to find Terry standing before him, holding a bottle of wine in one hand while the other rested on his hip. The detective was an odd sight in Rigbarth; Darroch didn't think the town was big enough to warrant having its own detective agency, but it was still nice to have someone here willing to solve even the littlest of mysteries.

Darroch's frown curled up into a small smile. “Evenin', Terry.”

"Out for a stroll to clear your head?"

Wincing, Darroch nodded before rubbing at the back of his neck. He wasn't entirely surprised that Terry had hit the nail on the head. He was a detective, after all, but it was a little unnerving how easily he could read people.

"Yep. Had a bit of an argument with Martin."

Terry nodded and tapped his chin. "Hm, let me guess: He's overworking again?"

"You got it." Darroch narrowed his eyes. "That your detective intuition at work?"

"Oh, no," Terry said with a laugh. "It's just that his brother complains about that all the time."

"I'm not surprised."

"Cecil's also been giving me a hard time lately." The smile fell from Terry's face as he ran a hand through his wild brown hair. "He's a great kid and apprentice, don't get me wrong...but I really need him to understand that some mysteries are more important than finding Yuki's glasses that are sitting on top of her head. Again."

Darroch let a chuckle slip out. "That sounds like Cecil alright."

"Well, since we're both out and about for the same reason..." Terry grinned and shifted the wine bottle to his other hand. "...what do you say we find a nice quiet spot to share this, hm?"

"Ah, I wouldn't want to impose," Darroch said quickly, but Terry just shrugged in response.

"C'mon, Darroch," Terry said as he placed a hand on Darroch's shoulder. "We're practically Martin and Cecil's stand-in parents, right? In fact, I think we're overdue for a nice night chatting about them, hm?"

Darroch blinked at Terry as he eyes flicked to the hand on his shoulder; the implications of what he was saying - intentional or not - were not lost on him, and he felt his cheeks start to heat up. Clearing his throat, he ultimately decided that accepting his offer wouldn't hurt.

"Alright, let's go."

"Great!" Terry smiled and gave Darroch's shoulder a few pats before starting down the road. "Let's head down to the beach. The sky's nice and clear tonight, so it'll be nice for some stargazing."

A comfortable silence fell between them as the two men made their way through town, and when they arrived at Ripple Beach, the sun was just sinking below the horizon. Terry found a nice spot on the sand and sat down, letting out a content sigh as Darroch followed suit.

"It really is nice out tonight," Terry mused. The sun had fully set by now, and Darroch watched as Terry slid his ever-present sunglasses up onto his head, pushing his hair up with them. Darroch didn’t recall ever seeing Terry's face so clearly before, and he couldn't help but think that he was rather handsome…much to his embarrassment.

"Er, Darroch? Do I have something on my face?"

Eyes going wide, Darroch was pulled from his thoughts by Terry's voice. He coughed and he quickly averted his gaze to watch the small waves crashing gently upon the shore in front of them.

"Ah, no I just...got lost in thought."

"Hm, I see."

Darroch made the mistake of looking back at Terry, whose face was suddenly mere inches from his own. A pair of beautiful brown eyes was staring into his own, and Darroch's breath was stolen from his lungs when Terry reached up and brushed his fingers through a part of Darroch's beard.

"There," Terry said as he pulled away, and Darroch gasped for air as he remembered to breathe again. "You had some metal shavings stuck in your beard...which is magnificent, by the way."

"U-Uh..." Darroch sputtered; he wasn't sure how to properly take this compliment, so he settled on a shy and muttered, "Thanks..."

Terry laughed and shot Darroch a wink. "I know I'm charming, but I didn't think that compliment was enough to make you so flustered, Darroch."

Darroch was more flustered by the random face touching, but he had a suspicion that Terry knew that and was just teasing him. Snorting loudly, Darroch crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at Terry.

"I thought we came here for a reason."

Terry winced and held up his hands in defeat. "Sorry! I'll quit with the teasing." Darroch thought he heard a whispered 'for now' at the end of that sentence, but he let it slide as he watched Terry finally uncork the bottle of wine.

"Oh, damn!" Terry suddenly said, groaning as he rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

"What is it?"

"I wasn't expecting to have company tonight, so I didn't bring any glasses."

Darroch raised an eyebrow. "You...were planning on drinkin' right from the bottle?"

Terry let out a sheepish chuckle, and Darroch swore that he saw his cheeks flush with the slightest bit of color. "Ah, yeah...not very classy of me, right?"

A loud chuckle rumbled through Darroch's chest. "Not at all. I don't mind drinkin' out of the same bottle if you don't, Terry."

It was Terry's turn to fluster this time, and Darroch greatly enjoyed the tables being turned on the smug detective. He patiently watched as Terry fiddled with his collar for a moment, before handing the wine bottle to Darroch.

"That's completely fine with me!" Terry said, his gaze dropping to the ground as Darroch took the bottle. "You first, then!" Darroch smiled and shook his head slightly, before taking a small sip.

"Mm, it's good."

"It better be," Terry said, chucking as he took the offered bottle back and took his own drink. "Ah, yeah. This is the real deal. Got it as a thank you gift from a client."

"And you're sharing it with me?"

Terry shrugged and took another drink before passing the bottle back to Darroch. "Why not? A bottle of wine begs to be shared, and you've had about as rough of a day as me, it seems."

"Hmm, you've got a point."

They passed the bottle back and forth for a bit in silence, which gave Darroch time to think about how he was going to apologize to Martin for being so harsh with his words. He had only said those things because he was worried about Martin's health, but Darroch knew that he wasn't a child...and Darroch wasn't his parent. Did he really have the right to lecture him about anything?

"Hey, Darroch?"

Terry finally broke the silence, and when Darroch looked over at him, he was surprised to see his brow furrowed and his bottom lip being worried between his teeth.

"Yeah?"

"Do you...think that Cecil and Martin's parents are ever coming back?"

The question hit Darroch hard, particularly because it was one that frequently crossed his own mind. Letting out a deep sigh, he took a generous swig from the wine bottle and handed it back to Terry so that he could do the same.

"Dunno," Darroch answered honestly, "but the longer that they've been gone without sending word, the more negative my answer to that question is."

Terry nodded slowly and lifted the bottle to his lips again, but he didn't take a drink. "I know Cecil really wants to become a full-fledged detective to find out what happened to his parents. As my apprentice, I want to support him any way that I can, but I can't help but worry about what would happen if he found out that they're dead."

Darroch winced and gently took the bottle from Terry so that he could take a big swig; the warm buzz the wine provided seemed to chase away the feeling of dread that threatened to flood his chest, at least for the time being.

"I...know what you mean." Darroch turned to look at Terry, and the sorrowful look that he saw in his eyes made his heart hurt. "Martin's taken on the heavy burden of raising Cecil. I reckon that's part of the reason he pushes himself too hard. That's why I worry so much. I don't want him to work himself to death."

Darroch tilted his head up to look at the star-filled sky. "But...I'm not his parent, Terry. Do I really have the right to pester him about his health, or anything not directly related to the smithy?"

"Well," Terry said, a small smile crossing his face as he placed his hand on Darroch's shoulder, "I think right now you're the closest thing he has to a parent."

Darroch felt his chest tighten, and he barely managed to blink back the tears that started to pool in the corners of his eyes. He managed to smile back at Terry, and he placed his hand over the one that covered his shoulder.

"That goes for you too, with Cecil," Darroch said, causing Terry's eyes to go wide. "He's got his brother and all, but he's just a kid too. And ever since you took him under your wing, Martin seems less prone to worryin'."

"Darroch..." Terry stared at him for a moment, before he suddenly flicked his sunglasses back down to their usual spot over his eyes and turned his head away.

"Uh, Terry?" Darroch asked with a confused tilt of his head.

Terry quickly rubbed at his face and waved Darroch off with his other hand. "It's, ah, nothing. Just...the stars are a little too bright and make my eyes sting, that's all."

Darroch knew that he was lying, but he said no more on the subject, and nodded in understanding when Terry looked back at him. The wine bottle was passed back and forth for a while longer as the moon rose higher and higher into the sky, until the very last drop had been drunk.

"Well," Terry said with a yawn, "It's pretty late, and getting colder by the second." He chuckled when Darroch shivered in response, and a small smile crossed the latter's face.

With a grunt of effort, Darroch pushed himself up off the ground, taking the time to brush the sand from his legs. He offered his hand to Terry and helped him to his feet.

“So, how’d you like the wine?” Terry asked, eyeing the empty bottle in Darroch's free hand; he was still holding the other.

Darroch cleared his throat and pulled his hand away, his heart skipping a beat when Terry grinned at him. “I-It was pretty damn good. Thanks...”

“Anytime. You know, I did say that this vintage is usually pretty dry…but it tasted a whole lot sweeter tonight.” Terry turned to leave, but paused mid step and glanced over his shoulder, shooting Darroch a wink that seemed to set his chest ablaze. “Sweet dreams, Darroch. And...thank you, for everything. Let's do it again sometime.”

As Darroch stared at Terry's retreating back - his mouth dry and cheeks hot - he barely managed to whisper a soft reply: "G'night, Terry. Thank you, too."

Darroch watched Terry leave until he was out of sight, and he found himself lifting the wine bottle back to his lips, even though he knew that it was completely empty. He couldn’t help but wonder if Terry was being sincere with that obvious flirting, if he was that much of a light weight, or if he was just messing with him.

Darroch found himself hoping it was the first option...

[i-darling-amaflower]

I've tried thinking about which characters in DFF are my favorite and which ones are my least favorite, but that becomes exceedingly difficult as the show progresses. The reason for this is, as many posts have pointed out, the way the show reflects reality and therefore has no "Good and Bad" no "Black and White," but instead simply has many different hues of grey. So, at the end of the day, it all comes down to one's opinion or the way one perceives a character. I will do my best to express my thoughts on each of the 9 main characters.

1. Por

The leader of the pack. He is one of the one's we're obviously not supposed to like as much; he bullied Non, he stole his work, he was two-faced, he almost killed Non. But he still has a bit of complexity added to his character what with his family situation. Ultimately, in my opinion, that does not excuse any of his actions. He is pretty low on my list.

2. Top

This is gonna be a short paragraph. I hate him. The things he did weren't as extreme as some of the things Por did, but he literally has no excuse whatsoever. He's just plain annoying, a bully with a backstory as long as his dick, which is to say nonexistent.

3. Fluke

I think he has morals? If he does he fully does not listen to them. His biggest flaw is his selfishness. I believe he would've ratted Top and Tee out when Top broke the camera if it wouldn't have caused a crack in the friendship of the group, and therefore his spot in the popular group in school. Because let's be honest, he doesn't give a rat's ass about his "friends," he doesn't wanna be a part of whatever they're doing 3/4 of the time. But his selfishness ruins what potential he might've had, to the point of him being downright creepy.

4. Tee

Now this is a character. I think his shade of grey is the perfect blend of both white and black. Yes, I obviously hate what he did, but at the same time I understand. I would rather jump off of a cliff than give someone other than myself problems, but if I was a little less like that and a little more cowardly, I think I could relate to him a lot. He wasn't as warm to Non as Jin was, but he definitely wasn't as cold as Por and Top were. And boy, does he have a past. It looks to me like he's been a part of his uncle's gang for quite a bit, which would obviously quiet the kindness in anyone's voice, if not in there whole being. He has a sick father he genuinley cares about and no other way to make money. He's in a corner. And while I believe there's always a choice, I understand why he saw the one he picked the clearest. The thing, though, is that he didn't want to hurt Non, he didn't want to bring Non to his uncle, it just wasn't as strong as his want for himself and his father to be fine. But this is what makes him stand out more than the other members of the original friend group. He regreted it. He feels guilty. It's quite literally haunting him. He never could and never will be able to escape that part of his life. He even brought Non 2.0 (aka White) right up close to himself, and he would do anything to keep White there, safe where he can see him. So while I don't like him, and he is easily one of the more everything-i-do-damages-Non characters, he is still a very interesting one.

5. Jin

I can't explain how much I hate him. When I was in elementary school there was an anti-bullying poster that said something like "a bystander that does not help is just as guilty as the bully." And although both Fluke and Jin acted as bystanders, I hate Jin more because he is under the impression that he is kind and innocent, and he is branded this way to all the other characters. Even Non believed it. He takes no responsibility for what he did, or rather, what he didn't do. I don't even think he feels guilty about what happened to Non, he so easily forgot about it. He moved on so fast for someone he saw as a "friend" or, going even further, a "crush." The most evil thing is that the change in the way he acted between the past (smiley, warm, there) and the present (frowny, cold, closed-off) was not due to the fact that he absolutely ruined this kid--someone he considered a friend--'s chance at a future by leaking a video of said kid being groomed, and then proceed to nearly (if not actually) kill this kid with the help of his friends. No, it was do to the fact that his new crush said they were just friends. That's so incredibly pathetic. I'm obviosuly not saying that crushes can't literally crush your soul, but I think he had other issues he could've been worrying about.

6. Phee

Up until episode 9 I absolutely loved him. But then he dissapointed me a bit (which he is aloud to do, he's literally still a kid; for that reason I haven't kicked him off of my list of characters I like just yet). He has a big heart, which was used to cause a lot of good, but unfortunately became his flaw. It started to grow until it out-weighed his sense of justice. I think he still loves Non and wants to know what happened to him, but not as much as he wants to forget and move on with Jin. He came to the house partly to get answers but mostly to fix his relationship with Jin. He started to like the friend group, so he wants to live in ignorance, and that I do not agree with.

7. Tan

Him and Non had a pretty weak relationship, but despite that, he still loves him (he loves his whole family, actually, even if their parents don't deserve it) deeply; deeply enough for them to be the only thing he's living for. In my--who am I kidding, the fandom's opinion, he is currently doing nothing wrong, killing people or not. He lost literally everything, and frankly, it shows. But instead of giving up, he perserved, which is more than Phee can say.

8. Non

Jesus Christ, this poor kid. A family that forgot about him while he was there, and loved him after he was gone, and a boyfriend that loved him while he was there, then quickly forgot him after he was gone. He'd never had it easy in his life and still didn't have it easy (possibly) after his life. If you think what happened with Keng was Non cheating on Phee, fuck you. Fuck you. That was grooming, Non was being taken advantage of. Although I don't really think of Phee sleeping with Jin as cheating, it was more cheating than Non and Keng. Yes, he pulled the rest of the friend group into the illegal money thing, but that was not his fault, it was Por, Top, and Tee's fault. So much shit happened to him, and none of it was deserved; I really hope he's alive and killing them.

9. White

I don't dare to have opinions on him yet because I'm really expecting a deeper backstory. I don't think he's as naive as he's letting on.

If you want to add any of your opinions, feel free to!

[marxist-kasaneteto]

i dont think ive complained enough about how absolutely shitty the tumblr api is. the documentation is like. mediocre, to begin with. the actual api? the /blocks route gives you the blogs a blog has blocked if you GET it, but POST it? well now youre blocking a blog. dont be deceived by the plural though - to block multiple blogs you need /blocks/bulk. oh also using the... DELETE method (??) you can remove a block, still via /blocks. the /post route is the legacy post format. /posts is what youre looking for, but dont GET it, because then youre fetching a blogs posts. again, dont be deceived by the plural, but this time there is no bulk route. oh and of course /posts/{post id} gets a post... but with POST it edits the post. now with this theme of incorrect plurals, youd at least expect them to have correct plurals, but no! in order to retrieve drafts you use... /posts/draft. there are some communities routes, but guess what? theyre listed in a different format in the documentation to everything else! to be honest, its a better format, but i guess they couldnt be bothered to update their docs.

and then, the /user/dashboard route. heres what the docs say:

(this the ONLY way to get random posts btw)

simple enough... naturally you would scroll down for more info but... thats it. after that tiny description, there is a horribly layed out list of arguments and their descriptions, info on the response format, and nothing else. what dashboard is it getting? who knows! it doesnt seem to be the Following tab - which is in order of recency - so i can only assume its For You. it also, by default, returns posts in the legacy format, which is much less convenient than their Neue Post Format (??). posts are also returned without blog info and instead with just a blog name, and, for whatever reason, there is no argument to change this. i dont remember what i did to get around this, but it was probably taking that blog name and running it through the /info route or getting the posts and then getting them again with the /posts/... route (which does return blog info).

ok.. so its badly documented and inconvenient to use. big deal! except... theres more. if youre going through dashboard posts individually, like i do for my bot, youll probably use the offset argument parameter - the offset from the first post on the dash - to specify which post to get. however at somewhere around an offset of 250, it stops returning new posts. just the same one over and over. probably a rate limit right?

?????

you might be thinking "its probably that 300 api calls limit and youre just using a few extra calls" but thats wrong. for starters around 50 extra calls just doesnt sound accurate for what im doing. it would most likely be way more than that or way less. and even if im wrong, it doesnt reset after a minute. i have no idea when it resets, in fact. sometimes it feels like more than an hour, but i havent timed it. i also havent tested what happens if i go straight to 250, which i probably should do. on top of all that, i dont think this is what would actually happen if i got rate limited, its just the only remotely possible explanation i can think of.

another thing is that you cant get the full text of a post natively, only the content of the reblog. i had to write my own method for that. also - this is kinda nitpicky - you cant easily get the blog that last contributed in the thread, only whoever last reblogged it (who might have reblogged it without saying anything). by that i mean 5 people might have reblogged it without saying anything since anyone added anything to the thread, but you can only find that 5th person (easily). the workaround is to check if the person who last reblogged it said anything, if not get the last person in the 'trail', which is a list of reblogs in the thread that said something that doesnt include the last reblog. this also... doesnt work sometimes i guess? i didnt bother figuring out why, but one time out of the blue it gave me an error when trying to get the name of the last person in the trail.

i hate the tumblr api

[annyankers]

If anything, it'd be easier to kill slayers once the world invents reliable air travel, because if he's traveling by steamships and trains in the hopes he MIGHT get to a POSSIBLE slayer before anyone else does, it'll take him ages, and she might already be dead by then so he'll have to keep moving to the next one. Air travel and cars. He's got to be thanking Eisenhower nightly for investing in highways.

THIS IS SUCH A GOOD POINT GOD.

Like YES his pre-existing info like potentials lists expire the older he gets but I do imagine some of his attacks on Watchers is to remedy this issue and YES he IS on the Council's top ten most wanted list for all his various crimes against their organizations but man, once you get good railways and then highways and air transit— HOW DO YOU PIN HIM DOWN????? he can cross the USA in anything from 6 days to like, 5 hours easily. And he knows how Watchers work and how they think and given how much of an orthodox traditionalist organization they are it's not like they'd radically change their mentality since his day or because of him. Sure they do a lot to combat his efforts but their core mentality just doesn't change much at all over the decades so it's not too hard for him to figure them out.

Spike absolutely would love the highway system for this shit lol if he could he'd be shaking Eisenhower's hand. Between the ease/speed of air travel and him stealing potential lists and/or knowing the Council's "Slayer GPS" spell he could be zipping around attacking slayers whenever he wanted. And then there's also the whole demonic information network, Dracula knew about Buffy and where she was because everyone was talking about her and I doubt they only started doing that after Season 4, he likely just had his own reasons to wait until then (like waiting for prime immortal concubine age or some shit).

This is absolutely why he's so hated by the Council, he's so slippery. He comes in blitzes a Watcher or area branch headquarter or slayer or potential and then fucks off before they can muster the response team. The longest he says in an area is to take out a slayer but he likely doesn't settle down into one nest while doing that and stays as out of sight as possible while in his research phase to ensure he has as much time as possible to take runs at her before the goon squads zero in.

[avajohnsonm11]

Top Benefits of Magento over other eCommerce Platforms

Magento is one of the most sought-after e-commerce solutions, with many features that make it stand out from other solutions. Whether a small store or a large enterprise, Magento offers unique benefits to businesses of all sizes.

Reasons why Magento is different?

1. Highly Customizable

Magento is open-source, fully allowing you to have complete control over the functionality, design, and features of your website. This flexibility can enable you to create a truly unique online store that best describes your brand and suits your individual business needs. Magento enables adding any custom extension to tweak the design.

2. Scalability

Unlike many other eCommerce solutions, Magento easily sustains a growing business. It hosts thousands of products and volumes of traffic at high rates, all while still maintaining performance. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses with plans to scale up in the future.

3. Rich Features

Magento is designed with various solid features such as multi-store, advanced inventory management, SEO optimization, and inbuilt marketing options. The above-mentioned features not only smoothen the functions of operation but also give your online business a real visibility boost for easier reach toward customers.

4. SEO-Friendly

Magento is designed to help businesses rank higher on search engines. It offers features like customizable URLs, metadata, sitemaps, and mobile-friendly designs-all of which are important for search engine optimization. That means your store has a better chance of reaching your target audience organically.

5. Integration Options

Magento supports integration with third-party tools and services, including payment gateways, CRMs, ERPs, and shipping providers. This ensures seamless operation and helps improve the overall customer experience.

6. Strong Community Support

Due to the large active community of Magento developers, users, and experts all over the world, Magento will provide tons of resources from troubleshooting to implementing innovation. The community is ever ready with technical advice, and best-practice guidance whenever needed.

7. Mobile-Optimized

In today's mobile-first universe, Magento takes the best care that your store performs seamlessly on everything. Its wide scope of responsive design contributes much to a better buying experience for any end-user on devices with smaller features than desktops, or basically, all types of phones and tablets-and improve conversions significantly.

8. Security

Magento is designed to offer the best in terms of security, including data encryption, two-factor authentication, and regular updates. This ensures your online store is protected against cyber threats.

With Magento, your business will be able to grow and thrive in today's competitive eCommerce landscape because of its flexibility, scalability, and rich features. SEO-friendly, with strong community support, it's a platform that will help you reach long-term success.

[cloudlessly-light]

The darkest parts of me (2/5)

Title: The darkest parts of me (2/5) Summary: They find each other in a dark world where they do twisted things. The only way things could have become more dangerous, is if they were together. Funny how life turns out.

Unsub!Hotchniss AU.   Word count: 2,9k Rating: Explicit Warnings (for most or all chapters): smut, descriptions of violence, descriptions of murder, gore (nothing too explicit), mentions of weapons

It was supposed to be one night of pleasure, but it didn’t turn out that way.

One night turns into more and he knows that they should stop. Because the craving was increasing, getting worse as his need to kill grows. He should leave Washington, but for some reason he doesn’t, and he tries to ignore the thought that maybe Joan was the reason. Then one night the need becomes too much, and he finds a man, a scum of a human to take back to his apartment with a promise of drugs.

When he punches him hard enough for bones to break he feels the release he’s been needing, and he takes his time, savors every scream, enjoys every whimper. Maybe that’s why he loses track of how much time actually passes, maybe that’s why he doesn’t hear the knock on his front door or the soft hello from the hallway. He’s in the middle of cleaning up the blood and when he looks up, she’s there.

“Joan-” He starts but stops at the way she doesn’t look afraid.

“What happened?” Emily looks at the pools of red, smells bleach and lye and she should walk away. She had left this life behind. But she feels the familiar pull in her stomach, feels adrenaline and the rush she had missed terribly since she left Ireland, so she stays.

“He broke in.” He says it slowly, the lie sliding off his tongue easily as he stands up. His eyes stay on hers, there’s something about the way her cheeks flush and how she looks more relaxed than he’s ever seen her that immediately makes him feel at ease.

“You’re lying.” She whispers as he walks towards her, a shudder running through her when he comes close enough to touch. His eyes are hard, the darkness of his orbs reflecting something close to vehemence and she feels her thighs clench in response to his violence. “Tell me what happened.” He smells of blood, the sweet and metallic smell mixing with the intense smell of bleach and she breaths in through her nose, inhaling the familiar scent greedily.

“You’re not afraid?” He takes off his gloves and grabs her jaw, his fingers gripping tightly. His knuckles are bruised and swollen and she doesn’t as much as flinch as she keeps her eyes on his.

“No.” She smirks and her eyes flicker with want, making them even darker than usual. When he smiles back she knows that whatever it was that had attracted her to him in the first place, was even more dangerous than anything she’d ever had before.

That night she finds out about his past and as she tells him about hers, he listens intently. She tells him her name, her real name that she hadn’t used for years and as she helps him clean up the mess in his home, she realizes that the connection between them was something more hazardous than either of them had expected. 

Before Aaron, Emily never had to deal with the clean-up, one of Ian’s men always taking care of it for them. But Aaron teaches her, and together they find themselves finding a new kind of release. He was addicted to the kill, the chase, Emily was addicted to the power of it.

“You get off on it.” He stated after their first kill together. They had travelled to New York, and after he had watched Emily end another man’s life she had pressed him against a wall. The way she clawed at him, tugged his clothes and fucked him right then and there was more than enough for him to know.

“I do.” She smiles, cheeks still flushed and hair wild. “But I don’t get off on the torture like you do.”

“I only kill those who deserve it.” He rolls on top of her and traps her between his body and the bed. His hand hovers over her throat and when she nods he squeezes tight. “I torture men who are rotten, men that this world is better without.”

When Emily licks her bottom lip he groans and let’s go of his hold.

“I want to watch next time.” She spreads her legs wide and she feels his hard cock against her naked thigh, already ready for another round. “But I want to finish him off.”

“Deal.” He thrusts inside of her roughly and enjoys the way she gasps at the stretch. “I’ll teach you how to use the knife.”

“But I like my gun.” She squirms when he stays still, hips pressed against hers and almost uncomfortably big. She buckles her hips, needing him to move.

“Ah-ah, that’s how you get caught.” He bites her neck and she hisses, her nails digging into his skin in warning and he starts to thrust. They could talk more about this later, right now all he wanted was to hear the way she moaned his name.

*

Money was never an issue for either of them, Aaron had saved his whole life and always took a little from each of his victims, Emily still had her funds and money from her years with Ian. It had been surprisingly easy as she got him a whole new identity to use and as they traveled to South Carolina together, Aaron realized just how much easier it was being a pair than a single man traveling alone.

“What about him?” Emily asked as they sat in a bar in Georgetown, having a drink as they watched people walking by. They hadn’t killed in almost a month and she couldn’t help missed the raw danger that she now associated with the rush of arousal and Aaron.

“You can’t choose someone at random, I told you, we need to know if he deserves it.” His warped sense of justice causes her to smile. She had never really given much thought to who deserved to die and who didn’t, she had always just thought about the way it made her feel. She wasn’t patient enough for the chase, maybe that’s why she had met him, she thought. Aaron grounded her in a way no one ever had.

“What?” He mutters and she realizes that he had caught her staring.

“I just, never thought I’d meet someone like you. Someone so similar and yet so different.” It wasn’t logical, it wasn’t the kind of love she’d grown up reading about. It was more, the way he made her feel addictive. It had only been a few months, but she couldn’t imagine life without him anymore. Their destructiveness was something that she knew was dangerous, but couldn’t see herself without.  

He smiles at her words, they were rarely soft with each other, both getting off on the cruelty of it all, but he knew he’d never felt the way he did for someone else, not even Haley. He takes her hand and rubs his thumb over the top of hers, feeling her soft skin.

“Come on, I know where to go.”

He takes her to a part of the city that he knows has a high crime rate and as they sit in their rental car he keeps his hand on her thigh. It’s warm outside, so she was wearing a dress and when his fingers skim over her smooth skin he notices the way she shivers, always just a touch away from needing more.

“Pay attention.” He says lowly with a knowing smirk and then watches her as she watches the street. It doesn’t take long before two men walk past their car and into an alley. He takes notice of the way they speak to each other, how the quick flash of a gun gleams under the streetlight before they disappear from sight and he notices that Emily has seen it too.

“Let’s go.” She says and gets out of the car, Aaron right behind her.

They walk in silence, just barely catches the drug deal before one of the men turns to walk the other way. Emily knew that wouldn’t be enough of a reason for Aaron to want either of them dead. But then the second man walks straight up to a woman who couldn’t be more than 18, a life on the street already forcing her to use her body to survive. The conversation between the man and the woman is quiet, until it’s not. They watch as he grabs her and she fights but he’s stronger and bigger and when he reaches for his gun she stops struggling.

“You’re coming with me one way or the other, are you going to make it hard?” The man says, gun still pointed towards the woman who looks at him with teary eyes.

“Please, don’t kill me.” She whispers, taking a slow step backwards.

They’re still hidden away in the dark and Aaron takes advantage of the fact. He hits him in the back of the head, then punches him again and knocking him out.

“Leave.” Emily tells the woman who’s looking at them, stuck somewhere between fear and surprise. “Get out of here.” When the woman still doesn’t move Emily sighs and pulls out her gun. “Now.”

She runs away, barely sparing them another glance as Aaron starts to drag the man back further into the alley.

“Go get the car so I don’t have to carry him the entire way.” He tells her and she catches the car key he throws her way.

“Do you think she’ll talk?” She asks, eyes still on the retrieving form of the woman.

“No, she won’t deal with cops unless she’s arrested herself.” He knew women like her, they never talked to the police, even when they should.

Emily takes his word for it with a nod and then walks back through the alley to get the car. She drives around the building, makes sure that she stays hidden out of streets lights and cameras and when Aaron puts the body of the man in the trunk, she feels excitement run through her.

They’ve rented a small house on the outskirts of town, far away from other residents. It comes in handy, Emily realizes as she hears the loud screams coming from the man each time Aaron cuts him with his knife. She had never found blood or the mess thrilling, but as she watched Aaron, effortlessly powerful, twisted in all the ways she was, she found a steady pulse of arousal beating between her legs.

Aaron takes a break and looks up at her as she watches him from a stool, a glass of red wine in hand. He’s sweaty, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He never thought he’d enjoy being watched this way, but as Emily’s breathing hitches and cheeks flush pink he realizes that he does.

“How many women have you hurt?” He uses his foot to roll the man onto his back and looks down at his bloody face. There’s no answer, only grunts of pain and fear. “You don’t even know, do you? Filth.” His foot connects to his stomach and when the gurgling wheeze of a mouth filled with blood is the only sound heard Aaron feels the euphoria he’s always chasing. “Come on sweetheart, finish him off.”

Emily reaches for her gun on the countertop but he stops her with a shake of his head.

“You think you feel powerful with the gun? Just wait until you use the knife.” He smirks and she carefully drops the gun back on the counter. So far she had stuck to her gun but Aaron had encouraged her to stop ever since they started killing together.

She knew that a gun was easier to trace, that he was right when he said that she should change things up. When her fingers grasp the knife her hand shakes from nerves and adrenaline, but he only nods reassuringly at her.

“Please-” The man on the floor pleads and the rush of power is immediate as she kneels down next to him.

“Begging will get you nowhere.” She holds his stare as she raises the knife. The feeling of steel slicing through flesh is foreign, the heat of blood on her hand new and she stares, wide-eyed at the way the floor is colored red.

“Going for the neck, smart choice.” Aaron says behind her, voice thick with barely restrained want.

She doesn’t stand back up until she’s sure the man is dead and when she does Aaron grabs her tightly, his hands shaking against her hips.

“You’re so pretty like this baby.” He tells her and she lets go of the knife and grabs his shirt instead, not caring that she’s ruining the material as she does.

She pulls him into a rough kiss, her tongue immediately seeking out his as they leave the mess they’ve made on the floor for the time being. He tastes like danger and adrenaline, metallic and Aaron and she moans softly as his hands starts to tug her dress up her hips.

He hears the fabric of her dress tearing as he forces it off her body and swiftly picks her up and her legs wrap around him. Even through his shirt and her underwear, he feels the heat of her between her legs and he growls against her lips. He needs her, needs to feel her and with that thought in mind he places her on the counter. She seems just as desperate for him, her fingers working on each button of his shirt with an impatient huff until she gives up and rips the shirt open, sending buttons flying.

The marble is cold against her heated skin but she barely registers it, her sole focus on him. She watches as he pushes his jeans and boxers down just enough for his cock to spring free, then helps him with her panties by lifting her hips as he drags them down her legs. His teeth are bruising her as he bites down on the soft flesh of her breast and when she moans at the pain he looks at her with something close to madness.

“Fuck me.” She tells him, her fingers tight in his hair as she pulls him up to kiss him. “Make me come.”

Aaron nods into another messy kiss, mostly tongue and heavy breaths but he doesn’t care. Emily drunk off the power of a fresh kill was his favorite kind of Emily. The heat of her as he rubs the tip of his cock through her makes him suck in a breath, her slick shiny on her thighs.

“Your wish, my command.” He whispers and the way her lips tug into a satisfied smirk goes straight to his cock. His grip on her is bruising when he pushes inside of her. He takes his time, lets her feel every inch of him until he’s pressed flush against her.

Her eyes drift closed as he starts to pull out, keeping the same slow pace. Normally they’re frantic, desperate to be pleased and to please, but the way he’s teasing them both is driving her insane in the best way possible. She can’t move, his hold is too tight and she can tell that he knows just how much he’s teasing her from the way he’s smirking at her.

“Harder, fuck me like you mean it.” She grunts, voice tight with frustration and she’s once again impressed by his self-control. But it seems like he’s done teasing only a few strokes later and instead he fucks into her faster, hard enough for her body to jolt and she bites down a loud moan.

“You can scream, no one’s going to hear you.” He lets go of her hip and moves his hand between her legs, his thumb starting to rub her clit. She leans back against the counter, resting her weight on her elbows as she watches him with hooded eyes. He’s sweaty, his body shining with it, his hands red and stained with dried blood, small specks of it on his neck and face. The visual mixed with how he’s touching her causes her to cry out as her head falls back.

“It’s so good.” She gasps, eyes hooded and mouth slack.

It’s not long until she feels the coiling in her belly and she can tell that he’s close as well. He’s rubbing her clit in fast circles, his muscles tense. Then he pulls her up so she’s sitting again, his lips claiming hers in a bruising kiss.

“Come with me.” He grunts and she nods. Her arms wrap around his neck and when he bites down on her shoulder she moans at the painful pleasure. She comes with a scream, her body shuddering as her muffles more sounds against his neck. The feeling of his release only prolongs her pleasure, the heat of him inside of her making her gasp as his hips stutter against hers.

Aaron doesn’t move away until his breathing has slowed and his heart rate has returned to normal. When he looks down at her, he sees the same relaxation on her face that he feels himself.

“We’re too good at this.” She smiles and he chuckles before kissing her forehead.

“Sex or murder?” He asks, half teasingly.

“Both.”