#has a dash of pins and patches

[lohstandfound]

hands down my other favourite pinkberry fic ive written

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

The Middle of Nowhere: First Steal (A One-Shot)

AI-Less Whumptober 2024: Day 15. "Don’t break down on me yet."

Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, dark!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, dark!Jake "Hangman" Seresin, OC referred to as "Fawn"(no relationships)

Summary: There were many other girls before Little Fox. Jake has a reputation for getting carried away and letting his prey escape. This is the first time Bradley stole the win out from under his nose.

Word Count: 1718

TW: Angst, Whump, Blood, Cutting Patch of Skin Off Victim, Implied Impending Sexual Assault (doesn’t happen within story), Light Choking, Kidnapping, Plans to Murder Victim, Hunting Victim, Knives, Stabbing, Violence Voyeurism, Victim Begging for Her Life, Getting Off on Thoughts of Violence/Death, Licking, Language, Bradley's POV

Notes: PLEASE READ ALL WARNINGS BEFORE READING!!! Thank you to @green-socks for beta reading and encouraging my continued depravity with this series. Part of @ailesswhumptober's whumptober event.

Whumptober 2024 Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Bradley knows the moment Jake finds his target. Despite the fact he’s the one who earned his nickname for “crowing” and showing off when he catches his prey, Jake isn’t exactly subtle when he nabs a win. The loud shout of “Suck it, Rooster!” rings out through the lush, dense woods, causing Bradley’s head to snap around towards the sound. 

Immediately, his blood freezes in his veins at the realization he is too late and that he has lost. But that can’t be. He was so sure this would be his win—he needed it to be his win. From the moment he saw today’s target, the one they dubbed “Fawn” due to her wide, innocent eyes and tawny-colored hair, he knew he had to have her. To do unspeakable things to her only to finally allow her an endless sleep once he was done with his fun. 

His body is already reacting to the kill that hasn’t happened yet. He’s been hard since he carried Fawn’s limp body out the back of the library and dumped her into their rental truck. His fingers have been aching to be wrapped around her throat ever since the drugs wore off and she let out her first titillating scream. His blood has been burning to feel her take her last breath since the second he saw her flee into the woods. 

Yet it seems as if Jake will get to have all the fun, not Bradley. But that doesn’t mean he can’t watch. If being the one who gets the kill is like having sex, watching the other man claim victory is like watching porn. Not as satisfying, but it still gets you off.

Heading in the direction of Jake’s shout, Bradley hears Fawn’s screams echoing all around him, the terror now deliciously tinged with pain. Jake must have already started to work on her. As he approaches the clearing where the sounds are coming from, Bradley slows and lowers himself into a crouch. Easing forward as silently as possible on the twig-covered ground, he peers through a small opening in the underbrush to spy on Jake’s handiwork.

Jake has Fawn pinned to the ground as she lies on her back—a small knife driven into each palm as he sits on her hips. Tears leave fresh trails down her face through the dirt that had collected there and blood begins to pool in the leaves beneath her hands. Even from his hiding spot, Bradley can smell the metallic tang of it in the air and he has to stifle the needy moan that builds in his throat. But he can’t let Jake know he is watching. It would give away his only advantage and dash his last, lingering hopes that he may get his hands on Fawn yet.

Bradley knows the rules—after all, he made them. As long as Jake has her in his clutches, there is nothing he can do but stand here and watch. He’s not allowed to interfere or take her from him…at least for now.

He settles back on his haunches, just sitting on his perch, still poised to strike given the smallest window of opportunity. Jake is a skilled hunter and one of the most masterful knifesmen Bradley has ever seen. But he also often lets his baser desires and flair for the dramatics get the better of him. So far, he hasn’t allowed one of his prey to slip from his fingers completely, but there have been a few close calls. If Bradley is lucky, today might be the day he can finally snatch victory right out from under his best friend’s nose and claim this prize for his own. He just can’t lose focus for a second or alert Jake to the fact he’s close enough to pounce. 

As Fawn lets out another tear-filled scream, Jake throws his head back and inhales deeply. Pulling out another knife from inside his jacket, he croons, “Oh, darlin’, keep screaming for me. It’s so much more fun when they scream.” He rolls his hips a few times, rutting into her stomach. “And you have no idea how much it turns me on.”

“P-Please,” Fawn cries. “Don’t do this. I-I can pay you. It’s not much b-but you can have everything. My entire bank account. A-and if you let me go right now, I p-promise I won’t tell a soul what happened. No p-police, I swear.”

“You think this is about money?” Jake chuckles as he shakes his head. “No. You could have more money than God and I’d still pick this every time. There’s nothing like it in the world.” 

And he plunges his knife into Fawn’s side. 

Her wide eyes grow somehow larger as she lets out a strangled gurgle. Yet even from here, Bradley can see it’s a superficial wound. While the pain and blood loss may slow her down and lessen her ability to fight back, she won’t die from it. But Jake’s still just getting started.

For the next several minutes, he makes small cuts and stabs all along her body in places that will cause maximum pain with minimum damage. As antsy as Bradley is to get his hands on her himself, he has to admit that watching Jake work is a sight to behold. Fawn has a tattoo of a ladybug on her arm, and Jake carefully traces it with a very small, very sharp knife. When he finishes, he peels the top layer of her skin off, leaving a perfect ladybug-shaped bloody wound in its place. He shows the flesh to Fawn who just sobs harder and gags as she squeezes her eyes shut. 

And with that reaction, Jake moves on to stage two of his playtime.

He swings his leg over her and climbs to his feet. As he walks around the clearing, Jake pulls a rope out of his jacket, one end already tied off in a noose. Spotting a suitable tree for what he has planned next, he winds up and tosses the end of the noose over one of the branches. He fiddles with the rope, making sure it and the branch will support Fawn’s weight, but Bradley’s attention is drawn back to the girl on the ground. 

As soon as Jake turned his back on her, Fawn began twisting her head until she was able to snag part of her shirt between her teeth. Then she gathered as much of it as she could into her mouth, which caused her shirt to ride up revealing a sliver of the smooth skin of her stomach. This was when Bradley noticed her.

Bradley watches in rapt fascination as she bites down on the cloth as hard as she can and, taking a deep breath, rips her hands from the knives pinning them in place. As the blades slice open from the center of her palms out through the space between two fingers, her back arches in pain and a muffled shriek can be heard past the shirt in her mouth. 

Jake whirls around and sees what happened. “Oh, shit!”

He tries to rush to Fawn and recapture her, but his feet slide out from under him on the damp leaves of the tree he’s standing under and he crashes to the ground. Fawn uses this momentary flub to make her escape. She rolls over, managing to get to her feet without the aid of her ruined hands, and takes off into the woods.

Bradley sees his chance. 

Fawn doesn’t get more than a hundred feet into the trees before Bradley tackles her to the ground. As she realizes what happened and that her valiant, agonizing escape had been in vain, Bradley watches the relief drain from her face and she thrashes against him, sobbing, “No! It’s not fair! I got away.”

“Yeah, you did, baby girl. You did so well,” Bradley nuzzles his face against her cheek, feeling her tears collecting in his mustache. “And I can’t thank you enough for it because now we get to have some fun. So don't break down on me yet. We're just getting started.”

Slowly, he runs his tongue across her skin starting at her collarbone and dragging it up her neck until he flicks it against her chin. Fawn shudders beneath him with a fresh sob, as Bradley’s eyes roll back in his head and his cock throbs painfully hard in his jeans. “Mmm. I can taste the fear oozing out of your pores. I bet you didn’t know it gives your sweat a richer taste, did you? I didn’t either until we started these hunts, but now I crave that flavor almost as much as I crave the kill. It’s the best fucking thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Just then, Jake scrambles through the trees only to come to a skidding halt when he sees Bradley pinning Fawn down, very similarly to how he had her moments before. Bradley looks up at him, shooting his friend the biggest shit-eating grin he can.

Pointing his finger at Bradley, Jake stalks forward. “Uh-uh, not fair, Rooster. She’s mine. I got her first.”

“And you let her go. Which means, according to our rules, she went back up for grabs. And I grabbed her.” Bradley revels in the way Jake's face drops as he realizes just how badly he fucked himself. “But don’t worry, Hangman. You can stay and watch if you want. I plan on making this quite the show.”

Accepting there’s nothing else he can do and that he’s lost, Jake shuffles over to a fallen tree and plops down with a huff, his arms folded across his chest as his eyes stare daggers into Bradley. Unfortunately for him, from now on those are the only daggers he’ll be allowed to use on this hunt.

Bradley had tasted victory many times before, but none had ever felt like this. Not only did he manage to snatch his prey from Jake’s grasp, but he got to steal that last reignited spark of hope from her at the same time.

Turning back to Fawn, he draws his hand up her side until it rests around her throat. Slowly squeezing it until he feels her breath catch beneath his hand, Bradley purrs, “Now, sweetheart, let a real man show you how it’s done.”

Taglist: @nerdysuperchick, @mayhem24-7forever , @the-untamed-soul ,

@inglourious-imagines , @straightforwardly , @srry-itshockeyszn , @flyinlove, @fandomhopped ,

@wanderdreamer , @callsign-phoenix , @forever-sleepy-sloth , @notroosterbradshaw , @dezthegeek ,

@cherrycola27 , @phoenix1389, @smells-like-perfect-senses , @boringusername3,

@petlaufeyson , @cycbaby, @fantasticcopeaglepasta , @writercole , @onebigfangirlworld ,

@ravenmoore14 , @clancycucumber230 , @kmc1989 , @ohtobeleah ,

@sunlightmurdock , @sparrows-corner , @ryebecca @slightly-psycho-multifan , @mads-weasley , 

@trencher4lyfe , @merlehs, @sunshineflowerchild789, @je-suis-prest-rachel,

@shanimallina87 , @mak-32, @blue-aconite , @deppresseddyslexic, @horneybeach1,

@desert-fern , @withahappyrefrain , @roosterforme , @dingochef , @littlestatesman

@boringusername3 , @sorchathered

[smilingangel582]

Hey! Hey! I'm starting to like the anime "Wind breaker" lol!

I wanted to write but I'm so clueless... so here is something random! Teehee!

Ps. His flustered side is adorable!

(Warning spoilers for Windbreaker)

Suo's magic

"Sakura-san really wants to fight Suo-san... right?" Nirei sighed.

Suo gives a gentle laugh as he sits on the bench of the park after patrolling. The trio happened to be on break, and Sakura insisted he was bored walking the same empty path.

In the evening... what could possibly happen?

"What? I'm curious how Suo actually fights... like that time..." Sakura grumbled under his breath, folding his arms. Suo casually had his arms behind his back, still smiling.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at his silence, prompting him, "So? Do you wanna spar with me or what?"

Suo chuckles softly at that and begins to stand up, "Well, I guess just this once... but be warned...Sakura-kun, you might like how I fight you"

Nirei anxiously said, "S-Suo-san? D-don't go overboard..."

Suo nodded with a smile while Sakura looked serious, scoffing, "Please, the weakling you faced is nothing like me... I can parry you easily"

For a moment Suo froze before dashing with speed. True, Sakura is faster and manages to block and catch up to the eye-patch's speed. Nirei looks taken aback at this display, jotting down notes.

"Not bad... not bad" Sakura smirked, having the time of his life. Suo, despite being backed a bit, smiles in a calculative manner, "Hm mm~ not bad Sakura-kun, no one has ever countered my attacks before... your strong..."

Sakura felt the strength of Suo, and he began to step up confidentially. Suo is actually strong, and he likes how their combination working.

"However..." Suo suddenly said, quickly getting behind Sakura, "Shall we talk about how you get flustered so easily?"

"H-huh?" Sakura stumbles at this and feels Suo swipe his foot under him but with good flexibility and reflexes, Sakura dodged and backed a bit, flushed a little "I-I do not!"

Suo hummed teasingly, now lunging forward, "Really? But... your face is just like cherry blossoms when you get shy and cute like that..."

Nirei could see this isna tactic, and Sakura blushes furiously at each playful tease flinged upon him. This made Suo tackle him by pinning him down and teasing him. It did make him slip and fumble a few times.

"Ugh! Y-you cheater! Take this!" Sakura snaps, and surprising them all, he flips his position down, pinning Suo under him instead. Heavily blushing but trying to seem intimidating and dominant.

Staring for a moment, Nirei gasped in amazement, writing more on his notebook.

Suo chuckles, "As expected of Sakura... your tough... even for me..." he adds as he slowly crawled his fingers towards Sakura's waist."But... every strong guy has a weakness..."

Sakura was about to question until he felt a tingly touch on his ribs. He gasp "H-hey! What are you...?"

"Oh?" Suo ushers playfully, each word makes his fingertips travel up his sides, "Are...you... ticklish? Sa-ku-ra-kun? Mm?"

"Gah! N-no!"

"Hmmm~ really?" Suo experimentally dug to his armpits.

With a high-pitched giggle, Sakura doubled over and suddenly toppled to the side away from grappling as Suo takes this chance to mercilessly tickle his armpits, "Oh wow, this is a bad spot for you, Sakura?"

"Ack! N-nohoho!?"

"No? So then I can not keep on touching there?"

Amidst Sakura's panicked and angry cackles and struggles, Nirei noted down, murmuring, "Ah ha... Sakura's weakness is his armpits... It's good to know he's ticklish... but is that all?"

Suo laughs, still tickling, "Oh very true... but he's too cute as well..."

Sakuta squirms violently when Suo assaulted his belly, "Oi! No more! Assholes!

"Say you lost... Sakura-kun?"

Sakura shrieks as Suo goes deadly mode with the armpit tickling, "Say it, and I will consider!"

"Never!"

Suo smirks, digging into Sakura's neck now, massaging more forcefully for a tickly sensation.

With a loud shriek, Sakura squirms and began to tear up... "Ahhh NOHO! N-NOHO MORE AHAHASSHOLE!"

"Hm... whats the magic word, Sa-ku-ra~?"

Aghast and irritated, Sakura whined in loud sputtering laughter, "Aah! F-fine fine! Y-you win you wihiNIHIN!"

Sakura feels Suo let him up from the torture. His face is as red as cherry blossoms.

Nirei gives a snicker to tease Sakura, "Sakura-san you've a nice laugh..."

Sakura grumbles angrily, fuming and ears turning red, "Shut up... never again! N-never again am I ever fighting with you! Asshole!"

"Aww, are you mad? It's so adorable, Sakura-kun..."

"S-shut up!" He repeated again before turning his back to them, embarassed and fluatered

Seeing Sakura storm off, Suo smiles and winks at Nirei, "I got a lot more to do to catch up to him, Nirei-kun"

***************

Hope it's good! I rushed it a bit, sorry!

[queenhunter102]

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (Part 2)

(Part 1) (PART 3)

Why are they not red? Hmm? Why do your hands not bleed, if My Lady asks you to clean something do so until you bleed” he spits, you close your eyes a drop of his spit hits your face, making you grimace from the feeling. “Yes Master Staell, I will do it right away Master Staell,” you said, trying to appease the man he grunted at you, as he dropped your hands “No I will get one of our civil girls to do it, no need to stain our halls with your filth,” he said, as he walked away from you. You nod your head as you lower it, you knew if you looked at him he would strike you with the force of the gods, so you watched from the corner of your eye waiting for him to leave. He growled again as he threw a fork at you, one you narrowly missed, “Why are you still here? Hmm? I gave you an order to leave!” he said, as he picked up another fork throwing it at you as you narrowly escaped. You dashed up the servant’s hallway heading to Prince Aemond’s room, it wasn’t often you were allowed to clean rooms often having to clean halls and the kitchen at the highest parts of the night, you relished the days they allowed you to clean the rooms, Prince Aemond’s room being your favourite to clean. He was a rather clean man, or at least the very few times you had seen him roaming the halls late at night, but his room was always a rather different matter he had a desk that was tucked away into a corner stacked with papers and maps, his books strewn across the desk, old ink pots lying across the desk broken Quills, snapped in half from his frustrations, you often like to run your hand over his dried writing, enjoying the way it felt under your touch.

you often tried to keep his desk as clean as you could, taking his ink pots away to be refilled, and stealing the broken Quills and stashing them in your quarters to touch and fiddle with later, you try and pin the maps he has finished with, back on their walls to be proudly displayed, you delighted when you found that his desk had divots from where his arms had rested.

You often rearranged his books into better order, but you still struggled to read with the common tongue let alone attempt to read in High Valyrian, so you tried your best to place the same books with the same author, or so you assumed, most of the words either looking the same or looking like they had the same scribbles, the only thing you noted that was the same was the initials on the inside, A.Targayen you smiled wondering if anything of Aemond’s had ever been given to Aegon accident. you walked across the room to his wardrobe always being careful not to take anything or move anything from here, knowing Aemond’s clothes were his pride and joy, you knew he was always very clean and very meticulously put together, you held out one of his sleeves as you eyed it, it noting that it should likely go to the tailors soon, the cuffs looked as though they might fray soon. you would sit and polish every shoe, every buckle, every eye patch, everything you could you did, you often stitched buttons back onto his tunics and garments when you had your sewing items with you, glad that your mother had at least had the chance to teach you something useful. You sigh as you see one of the buttons on his tunics is loose, you lightly touch it, hating that you couldn’t fix it for him, and you close the door to his wardrobe before walking into his bathing chamber avoiding the rather large elephant in the room, as you walked into the bathing chamber you found it a mess, his lotions and herbs thrown everywhere, like he was trying to find something specific, you inhaled deep to find that smell that just seemed to be his smell, It was of old books, fresh linen, drying ink as well as flowers, you closed your eyes enjoying the smell, it wasn’t often that you were allowed to nearly bath in that smell. it was like an addiction to you, letting out a slow breath, you picked up his lotions and his dried herbs, placing them back onto their shelves, tightening the lids on them as you went, you scrubbed the bath until your finger bled, once done you reached for his drying cloth finding it hard…You scrunched your face up, your hand recoiling from the texture, you touched it again, picking it up slowly you found that the drying cloth was stiff, and had an odd hard feeling to it in certain places, you shrugged your shoulders as you picked it up, bring it with you into the bed chamber again, you dumped his dirty clothes to the floor as you turned to his bed. You hated it, it felt like that was his private area, you felt like you were invading the most private parts of him, sometimes it felt like you were doing something dirty as you would peel back the covers to find something as dirty as his sleepwear or a women’s corset, you sighed as you approached the bed, noting that there was a lump in the bed, you prayed you weren’t about to uncover an unsuspecting prince who was trying to take a mid-day sleep, but when you pulled the covers back you found a stray pillow was just in the centre of the bed. You blew out a breath as you fixed the pillow moving it back to its rightful spot, striping the bed of its covers and blankets, as well as putting on fresh coverings for the cover and pillows, you chewed on your bottom lip as you thought wondering would he like it if I put decorative pillows on his bed? You continued to chew on that thought as you made his bed and picked up his dirty clothes giving the room a once last glance over and when you were finally happy with what you had done you walked out of his bed chamber heading towards the wash rooms. Unbeknownst to you, a guest was watching from the walls of his bed chambers as you took great care of his things taking the time and patience to carefully polish, wipe, and meticulously return to their rightful place, watching as you carefully made his bed, carefully eyed his room when you believed it was clean and perfect.

Taglist: @prettykinkysoul,

[a-reader-and-a-writer-for-all]

The Middle of Nowhere: First Steal (A One-Shot)

AI-Less Whumptober 2024: Day 15. "Don’t break down on me yet." Fandom: Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, dark!Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, dark!Jake "Hangman" Seresin, OC referred to as "Fawn"(no relationships) Summary: There were many other girls before Little Fox. Jake has a reputation for getting carried away and letting his prey escape. This is the first time Bradley stole the win out from under his nose. Word Count: 1718 TW: Angst, Whump, Blood, Cutting Patch of Skin Off Victim, Implied Impending Sexual Assault (doesn’t happen within story), Light Choking, Kidnapping, Plans to Murder Victim, Hunting Victim, Knives, Stabbing, Violence Voyeurism, Victim Begging for Her Life, Getting Off on Thoughts of Violence/Death, Licking, Language, Bradley's POV Notes: PLEASE READ ALL WARNINGS BEFORE READING!!! Thank you to @green-socks for beta reading and encouraging my continued depravity with this series. Part of @ailesswhumptober's whumptober event.

Series Masterlist

Bradley knows the moment Jake finds his target. Despite the fact he’s the one who earned his nickname for “crowing” and showing off when he catches his prey, Jake isn’t exactly subtle when he nabs a win. The loud shout of “Suck it, Rooster!” rings out through the lush, dense woods, causing Bradley’s head to snap around towards the sound. 

Immediately, his blood freezes in his veins at the realization he is too late and that he has lost. But that can’t be. He was so sure this would be his win—he needed it to be his win. From the moment he saw today’s target, the one they dubbed “Fawn” due to her wide, innocent eyes and tawny-colored hair, he knew he had to have her. To do unspeakable things to her only to finally allow her an endless sleep once he was done with his fun. 

His body is already reacting to the kill that hasn’t happened yet. He’s been hard since he carried Fawn’s limp body out the back of the library and dumped her into their rental truck. His fingers have been aching to be wrapped around her throat ever since the drugs wore off and she let out her first titillating scream. His blood has been burning to feel her take her last breath since the second he saw her flee into the woods. 

Yet it seems as if Jake will get to have all the fun, not Bradley. But that doesn’t mean he can’t watch. If being the one who gets the kill is like having sex, watching the other man claim victory is like watching porn. Not as satisfying, but it still gets you off.

Heading in the direction of Jake’s shout, Bradley hears Fawn’s screams echoing all around him, the terror now deliciously tinged with pain. Jake must have already started to work on her. As he approaches the clearing where the sounds are coming from, Bradley slows and lowers himself into a crouch. Easing forward as silently as possible on the twig-covered ground, he peers through a small opening in the underbrush to spy on Jake’s handiwork.

Jake has Fawn pinned to the ground as she lies on her back—a small knife driven into each palm as he sits on her hips. Tears leave fresh trails down her face through the dirt that had collected there and blood begins to pool in the leaves beneath her hands. Even from his hiding spot, Bradley can smell the metallic tang of it in the air and he has to stifle the needy moan that builds in his throat. But he can’t let Jake know he is watching. It would give away his only advantage and dash his last, lingering hopes that he may get his hands on Fawn yet.

Bradley knows the rules—after all, he made them. As long as Jake has her in his clutches, there is nothing he can do but stand here and watch. He’s not allowed to interfere or take her from him…at least for now.

He settles back on his haunches, just sitting on his perch, still poised to strike given the smallest window of opportunity. Jake is a skilled hunter and one of the most masterful knifesmen Bradley has ever seen. But he also often lets his baser desires and flair for the dramatics get the better of him. So far, he hasn’t allowed one of his prey to slip from his fingers completely, but there have been a few close calls. If Bradley is lucky, today might be the day he can finally snatch victory right out from under his best friend’s nose and claim this prize for his own. He just can’t lose focus for a second or alert Jake to the fact he’s close enough to pounce. 

As Fawn lets out another tear-filled scream, Jake throws his head back and inhales deeply. Pulling out another knife from inside his jacket, he croons, “Oh, darlin’, keep screaming for me. It’s so much more fun when they scream.” He rolls his hips a few times, rutting into her stomach. “And you have no idea how much it turns me on.”

“P-Please,” Fawn cries. “Don’t do this. I-I can pay you. It’s not much b-but you can have everything. My entire bank account. A-and if you let me go right now, I p-promise I won’t tell a soul what happened. No p-police, I swear.”

“You think this is about money?” Jake chuckles as he shakes his head. “No. You could have more money than God and I’d still pick this every time. There’s nothing like it in the world.” 

And he plunges his knife into Fawn’s side. 

Her wide eyes grow somehow larger as she lets out a strangled gurgle. Yet even from here, Bradley can see it’s a superficial wound. While the pain and blood loss may slow her down and lessen her ability to fight back, she won’t die from it. But Jake’s still just getting started.

For the next several minutes, he makes small cuts and stabs all along her body in places that will cause maximum pain with minimum damage. As antsy as Bradley is to get his hands on her himself, he has to admit that watching Jake work is a sight to behold. Fawn has a tattoo of a ladybug on her arm, and Jake carefully traces it with a very small, very sharp knife. When he finishes, he peels the top layer of her skin off, leaving a perfect ladybug-shaped bloody wound in its place. He shows the flesh to Fawn who just sobs harder and gags as she squeezes her eyes shut. 

And with that reaction, Jake moves on to stage two of his playtime.

He swings his leg over her and climbs to his feet. As he walks around the clearing, Jake pulls a rope out of his jacket, one end already tied off in a noose. Spotting a suitable tree for what he has planned next, he winds up and tosses the end of the noose over one of the branches. He fiddles with the rope, making sure it and the branch will support Fawn’s weight, but Bradley’s attention is drawn back to the girl on the ground. 

As soon as Jake turned his back on her, Fawn began twisting her head until she was able to snag part of her shirt between her teeth. Then she gathered as much of it as she could into her mouth, which caused her shirt to ride up revealing a sliver of the smooth skin of her stomach. This was when Bradley noticed her.

Bradley watches in rapt fascination as she bites down on the cloth as hard as she can and, taking a deep breath, rips her hands from the knives pinning them in place. As the blades slice open from the center of her palms out through the space between two fingers, her back arches in pain and a muffled shriek can be heard past the shirt in her mouth. 

Jake whirls around and sees what happened. “Oh, shit!”

He tries to rush to Fawn and recapture her, but his feet slide out from under him on the damp leaves of the tree he’s standing under and he crashes to the ground. Fawn uses this momentary flub to make her escape. She rolls over, managing to get to her feet without the aid of her ruined hands, and takes off into the woods.

Bradley sees his chance. 

Fawn doesn’t get more than a hundred feet into the trees before Bradley tackles her to the ground. As she realizes what happened and that her valiant, agonizing escape had been in vain, Bradley watches the relief drain from her face and she thrashes against him, sobbing, “No! It’s not fair! I got away.”

“Yeah, you did, baby girl. You did so well,” Bradley nuzzles his face against her cheek, feeling her tears collecting in his mustache. “And I can’t thank you enough for it because now we get to have some fun. So don't break down on me yet. We're just getting started.”

Slowly, he runs his tongue across her skin starting at her collarbone and dragging it up her neck until he flicks it against her chin. Fawn shudders beneath him with a fresh sob, as Bradley’s eyes roll back in his head and his cock throbs painfully hard in his jeans. “Mmm. I can taste the fear oozing out of your pores. I bet you didn’t know it gives your sweat a richer taste, did you? I didn’t either until we started these hunts, but now I crave that flavor almost as much as I crave the kill. It’s the best fucking thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Just then, Jake scrambles through the trees only to come to a skidding halt when he sees Bradley pinning Fawn down, very similarly to how he had her moments before. Bradley looks up at him, shooting his friend the biggest shit-eating grin he can.

Pointing his finger at Bradley, Jake stalks forward. “Uh-uh, not fair, Rooster. She’s mine. I got her first.”

“And you let her go. Which means, according to our rules, she went back up for grabs. And I grabbed her.” Bradley revels in the way Jake's face drops as he realizes just how badly he fucked himself. “But don’t worry, Hangman. You can stay and watch if you want. I plan on making this quite the show.”

Accepting there’s nothing else he can do and that he’s lost, Jake shuffles over to a fallen tree and plops down with a huff, his arms folded across his chest as his eyes stare daggers into Bradley. Unfortunately for him, from now on those are the only daggers he’ll be allowed to use on this hunt.

Bradley had tasted victory many times before, but none had ever felt like this. Not only did he manage to snatch his prey from Jake’s grasp, but he got to steal that last reignited spark of hope from her at the same time.

Turning back to Fawn, he draws his hand up her side until it rests around her throat. Slowly squeezing it until he feels her breath catch beneath his hand, Bradley purrs, “Now, sweetheart, let a real man show you how it’s done.”

Taglist:@valoraxxx-blog, @m3laniehearts, @autumnleaves1991-blog, @rule107,

@vintageleather, @impossiblebagelcowboyfreak, @sugarcoated-lame, @slutforadambanks,

@americaarse, @reneki, @ynbutbetter, @imagineadream,

@sadpetalsstuff, @salty-thembo, @rachelizabethgraham, @duckandrobin, @queenbbarnes,

@grincheveryday, @uselesslyromantic, @chouricojr, @king-of-milf-lovers,

@high-fidelities, @shaded-echoes-recs, @dempy, @nik2blog, @dumb-fawkin-bitch,

@uselesslyromantic, @choochoo284, @littlebadariell, @thescarletknight2014, @gigisimsonmars

[m00nc4kes]

MAYBELLE JUNE WATSON!!!!

she’s literally my fav ever… i tried to do something different with the shading so i hope it looks alright ^^ (she's so pretty aahhdefjkfj) And maybe one day I'll draw her with Hobie...

~Backstory + Connection to Hobie under the cut~ (TW: death, blood)

The Basics:

super sweet but has a mean uppercut (and I mean like... one hit and lights out) yet can't throw a regular punch

she was born with vitiligo and started out with small patches that grew (and continue to grow) as she got older

her demeanor changed drastically from her teen years up until the present

I say shes 19/early twenties (which I hc Hobie is pretty much the same in this universe)

She has an older brother

She used to cover her vitiligo with her hair during her early teens

Meeting Hobie + Early Life

they first met each other when they were around 14/15

Mj was on her way home from school and heard someone playing the guitar and that's when she locked eyes with Hobie

she ended up sharing her uneaten lunch

After that, Mj would stop by the alley (or some place nearby) to meet up with Hobie and eat

it wasn't the quickest friendship. there were times where Mj would go weeks without stumbling across Hobie, but it never strained their dynamic

she was very soft-spoken and shy

and he, well, wasn't.

So it worked out pretty well, until everything flipped on its head

Mj was walking outside of a store when the doors flew open and someone dashed by her. it took half a second to realize it was Hobie and the shop owner had chased him out, screaming obscenities.

there was a police officer nearby, so he decided to chase after the teen. Before she knew it, a hand was grabbing her wrist and dragging her along. Hobie had noticed her.

"Trust, you don't wanna let that wanker get a hold of ya!" he shouted.

They got away in the end, but it bit their asses in the end.

Two weeks later.

Mj was walking near the store, hoping they wouldn't come out to hunt her down. She didn't want to be a troublemaker, truly. Nothing happened when she passed the store, nor the store after that. Yet-

She was pushed into an alley, making her fall to her knees and scrape up her hands and legs. When she looked up, the officer from before was there.

"Did you really think you got away from me, little girl? You’re under arrest."

She was stunned into a silence as she attempted to back away. "I'm sorry! Please leave me alone!"

He stalked closer to her and she immediately rose to her feet. Wrong move.

He grabbed onto her arms and slammed her against the wall. Her heart was beating wildly as she tried to fight back. She couldn't think straight- she couldn't. Her brother always told her what to do with officers but in this moment, he was no longer an officer.

No.

He was a strange man trying to pin her against a dirty wall. And she could remember what she was taught to do with strange men.

With a strangled cry, she wrangled an arm free and dug into her jacket pocket, pulling out a knife. (Yes, she would get in trouble with her school if they knew she carried a weapon on her, but her brother had insisted on having her carry it)

Before she could register what she was doing, she brought her arm up, shut her eyes, and jabbed it into the officer.

There was silence.

Then a choked noise.

She opened her eyes and her knife was lodged in the officer's neck. Her blood ran cold at the sight of his own blood running down his neck. She let out a cry, not noticing how his hand reached for the gun on his belt.

He wouldn't get the chance to do it as a guitar came swinging down from behind him, crushing the back of his skull.

The officer collapsed to the ground, revealing a wide eyed Hobie as he gripped onto his blood covered guitar.

The two of them stared at each other before Mj burst into tears.

Needless to say, Maybelle and her brother moved from the city and she wouldn't see Hobie again until a fateful day, 4 years later.

[indig0trolls]

Market Meet-Cute

Google docs link Word Count: 1266 Character(s): Peityr Rhudan & Cruxis Cathar Flashback- Pete makes a new friend at the farmer's market

It’s so bright out.

Bright enough to disorient, bright enough to make your head spin.

You don’t spend nearly enough time outdoors, not like you used to do. But it isn’t as if you have a reason to anymore, not anything like you used to. (There is that little voice that pretends to be Sid reminding you that your health is a perfectly good reason to get outside, but you ignore it)

There are many, many people milling about, looking at shop stalls, speaking in overlapping tones to each other. Many more people than you’d expect to see in a farmer’s market in the middle of some nowhere town in the middle of isolated Alternian country. 

The light of the two moons glares strangely bright over the bustling scene.

Since when were the moons so vibrant anyway? It makes your eyes sting. 

You miss the twin suns of Nataii’ae, soft light filtering through green and gold leaves, leaving delicate streaks of warmth across skin. The moons, by comparison, are garish, their strange dual-colored glows dashing color in patches across the ground, across market stalls and people alike, making it all look so surreal.

You can’t remember why you stopped here, or how you got out this way in the first place. You never leave the city for anything.  Did you drive? You must have. Where is your car?

Your ear flicks automatically in response to some sound you should be hearing, but aren’t, and you draw a deep, ragged breath, only now aware of your pulse ringing in your ears, drawing out all else. You hate being alone, you shouldn’t have come out this way. Why did you even stop? You don’t have time to cook, what would you even do with fresh produce?

You fumble for your keys in your pocket with your free hand, sure that they’re there, and find that they are not. Cold panic knifes through you. You inhale sharply. That same small voice that can’t be Sid, because Sid would never berate you, reprimands you for coming out here alone, for not waiting for him to visit. Now look what you’ve done, it says, you’ve gone and lost your keys.

You could cry. You might cry, ears pinning back, what’s left of your fins fluttering frantically against your jaw.

The sensation bothers you, and you make to rub your jaw, skin tingling with your discomfort and anxiety, and–

Your key rings, warm from being clutched so tightly in your non-dominant hand, brush against your throat.

You might still cry.

But you laugh instead, a sharp and sudden thing that hurts your throat and makes nearby shoppers look at you strangely.

You’ve made such a deal out of nothing.

You should go home. At least the long drive might calm you. You pivot on your heel and set out briskly towards the lot you came from.

The moonlight still glares off stalls and it makes you nauseous, so you hunch down, keeping your face angled so you’re looking at the dirt under your feet rather than what’s ahead of you.

So you are surprised, somehow, when you slam straight into what should be a wall but instead has two firm hands that grip you by your shoulders as you stumble back.

There are tomatoes now on the ground, rolling away from your feet, but there are ones that have been crushed too, and you can’t help but to focus on those, your breath catching once more, ears pinning back. Tomatoes have odd insides, all structured flesh except for the seeds in their mass of goo that holds them to the fruit, much like the softest parts of a body, diagrams you’ve studied half a million times, on paper and in a lab. These look especially awful in the contrasting glows of the moons, squashed as they are, juice trailing out. You feel your head tilt, your lip curling over your teeth at the sight of them and you–

You’re being gently shaken.

Your head snaps up, and the ringing in your ears subsides, and you’re suddenly aware of how tightly you’re gripping your keys, metal digging into the flesh of your fingers. The man who has you by your shoulders raises his eyebrows. It’s only a slight shift in expression, but it betrays neither contempt nor concern. It occurs to you that he’s not a wall at all, and you’ve just run smack into him. You should apologize, so you open your mouth, but he beats you to the punch.

“Are you alright?”

No, no you are not. But what comes out instead is, “Are you aware you’re made of a wall?” You’re pretty sure he knows, because his lips quirk in that way Sid’s do when you’ve said something especially observant. You look down again at the smashed tomatoes.

“I’ve ruined your tomatoes.”

The man seems to realize he’s still holding you, and drops his hands with a strange sigh. Disappointed, no doubt, over the loss of his once perfectly good tomatoes, now gored on the ground.

“You did, but I’ll get more.”

“I’m sorry.”  These tomatoes look wrong, still, unnatural. So it’s not much a loss, is it? “I think you’d be happier with better ones, anyway.”

“Why do you say that?” His voice is strangely calm, a note of curiosity.

“Look at them, they’re all…” Gore, on the ground, shining red and green and pink in the light. Your head spins. You pause. “I ruined your tomatoes. I should get you more, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to do that, it’s alright.”

“Where did you get them?” You don’t wait for an answer, though. You just grab him and drag him along. For whatever reason, he doesn’t really fight you, instead heaving a sigh before pulling you in a different direction, towards a produce stall run by a young tealblood girl.

She seems surprised to see him. “Gener– Cr-Cruxis. Back so soon?” Her wide eyes flick to you, and back again. He grunts by way of response.

Cruxis. His name is Cruxis. You won’t remember that, but still, it’s nice to know for now. A small detail to hold on to.

“Um, hi, I ruined his tomatoes, do you have–” He’s already picking out more in your peripheral, though he seems reticent.

“Oh uh. How’d…How’d you manage that?”

“Being observant. How much?”

You deposit the coins in her hand, and–now satisfied that you’ve repaid him for his trouble and loss–turn to actually look at him.

He’s looking at his new container of tomatoes like they’re puzzling to him, as if he’s not sure how they got into his hands at all, a feeling you’re familiar with, but his lips are quirked that way like Sid’s again.

“I’m sorry. About the tomatoes.” “It’s alright.”

“Are the new ones–” “They’re fine.”

Anxiety, not like before, worms into your chest, hot in your throat, breath catching. His eyes flick up to your face, deepset, blue and sharp under heavy brows threaded with grey, and a frown creases his face.

“I mean it, it’s alright.” His voice is firm, but kind. You nod mutely.

“Are you alright?” Again, you nod, but he doesn’t seem to believe you, his lips quirking again.

“What’s your name?” “Peityr. Uh. Pete.” Your voice sounds high, strained even to your own ears. No, you’re not alright.

“Why don’t I walk you to your car, Peityr? We can talk more about the tomatoes on the way.”

You let him take your arm gently, and he reminds you how to breathe the whole way there.

You don’t forget his name.

[raggedclanlifegen]

Moon 9 - Attack! Oh yeah, and snow!

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Shinepaw's head snapped up as she heard one of her clanmates sound the alarm. She jumped to her paws and rushed into the camp clearing to see multiple rogues locked in combat with her clanmates.

"Shinepaw, help!" Breezepaw was pinned under a large tom.

"I'm coming!" Shinepaw gasped and dashed over, barreling into the tom who fell to the ground, his limbs sprawled out. The rogue leapt back to his paws and faced the two apprentices.

"Get out of here!" Breezepaw hissed, his fur spiked up.

"I'm not afraid of some little kits, I--!" The tom was cut off as Hornetstem jumped on him from behind.

"You better stay away from them!" Hornetstem growled, slicing the toms ears.

The rogue tom took one look back and ran, many of his groupmates following him. It didn't take much longer for the rogues to clear out of the camp, leaving only the bedraggled RaggedClan cats.

"Is every cat unharmed?" Minkstar called out, surveying her clan. It seemed nobody was harmed.

"I've only strained the wounds from those mange-pelts during our last run in." Curlthorn spat.

Minkstar nodded. "Go see Bitternlightning. The rest of you, let's start rebuilding what we can. We need to be on a constant watch now that they know where our camp is."

Shinepaw trailed after Minkstar, her head held low. I did terribly during that hunt! She's the only one that's bringing back any kind of prey. Shinepaw sighed.

"I'll be honest with you, Shinepaw." Minkstar began. "You did terrible today. Are you distracted? Did the recent attack cause this?" Minkstar slowed her pace and turned back to look at Shinepaw.

"I don't know." Shinepaw mumbled.

Minkstar sighed, continuing to camp. The two arrived and Minkstar placed her catch on the pile before going and sitting just outside her den, a blank look on her face.

Shinepaw glanced around camp. Most of her clanmates looked busy. I should apologize for my performance today. Shinepaw thought. Making her way over to Minkstar, she sat down beside her.

Minkstar doesn't seem to notice and she continues looking out in the distance.

"Minkstar?" Shinepaw looked up at her mother.

Minkstar seemed to snap out of it. "Yes, Shinepaw?"

"I'm sorry for my performance today. I guess I am just distracted." Shinepaw ducked her head.

Minkstar was quiet for some time before resting her head on Shinepaw's. "It's ok, dear. I'm still proud of you. You've worked very hard. I can't blame you."

Shinepaw smiled and purred. "I love you, mama."

"I love you too, Shinepaw." The two sat in silence for some time.

"Hey, Shinepaw!" Stempaw padded up to them. "I don't mean to steal you, but want to come eat with me and Garlicash?" Stempaw tilted her head.

Shinepaw looked up at Minkstar who nodded. "Sure!" Shinepaw grinned, getting to her paws and following Stempaw over to where Garlicash was sitting.

"I went ahead and got you a mouse. I know you like them." Stempaw grinned.

"Thanks, Stempaw." Shinepaw smiled.

"Well hi there, Shinepaw." Garlicash greeted the she-cat.

"Hi, Garlicash." Shinepaw dipped her head to the mediator before settling down beside Stempaw.

"So, Shinepaw, I had a question." Garlicash said after taking a few bites of prey.

Shinepaw took a bite of prey and swallowed before answering. "Hm?" She raised a brow.

"I noticed that maybe you've been having some...issues. But shouldn't Minkstar be letting you off easy?" Garlicash looked genuinely curious.

Shinepaw frowned. "Actually, Minkstar has higher expectations for me than she does others. I don't really get off easy. Sure I have benefits, but nothing major." She shook her head. "If anything, my brothers have it easier at times, especially since I'm in line to be leader."

"Oh." Garlicash looked surprised.

Stempaw nudged him. "Told you so. You owe me a trip out to the herb patches."

Garlicash rolled his eyes. "Sure, Stempaw." He turned to Shinepaw. "Sorry for assuming."

"It's fine, really. I get it." Shinepaw laughed.

Shinepaw shivered as she made her way to the Light Water. It feels like it's going to snow. She looked up at the clouded sky, only a few stars shining through. "I just want to get this over with."

Arriving at the Light Water, Shinepaw could see the light fluttering about, but as soon as she approached it, it dashed away.

"No! Come back! I want to speak to Snowyfeather!" She cried out. But she knew it was useless when the sour smell rose from the pool. "I'll be back, I'm telling you." She hissed.

"Psst, Shinepaw! Wake up!"

Shinepaw grumbled and rolled over to see Breezepaw in her face. "What is it?" She grumbled.

"It snowed!" Breezepaw looked at her with kit-like excitement.

"Snow?" Shinepaw sat up quickly, grinning.

"Yeah! Wanna go play in it?" Breezepaw grinned.

"Yes! Let's go!" Shinepaw giggled and dashed out into the clearing, immediately sinking down in the snow. She giggled like a little kit as she frolicked around in the snow, Breezepaw on her paws.

"It's so cold! And fluffy!" Breezepaw giggled, flicking the snow about.

Shinepaw grinned mischievously before launching snow at Breezepaw who shrieked.

"That's cold!" He gasped. But before long he was laughing, shoving snow back at her. The two continued to play for some time more.

"What do you two think you're doing?" Hornetstem hissed at the two from the nursery. "You're going to catch your deaths out there! It's far too cold to be playing. Now get inside and clean each other up!" Hornetstem scowled at the two before turning back into the nursery.

Breezepaw sneezed. "He's kind of right. I am really cold." Breezepaw sighed.

Shinepaw frowned. "Ok. I'll help you clean your pelt." Shinepaw padded back into the apprentice den with Breezepaw behind her.

The snow didn't last very long. It had melted, leaving a small stream through the camp. But it was still cold, which meant it was more important than ever to be stocked on herbs.

Stempaw was empty-pawed as she padded back into camp. So was Pondpaw. But the two were laughing and leaning in to each other.

"That's a good one, Pondpaw!" Stempaw was laughing loudly.

"Thanks!" Pondpaw beamed, seeming quite confident.

"I thought you two were supposed to be getting any late herbs." Shinepaw looked at the two with a knowing and teasing look. "But apparently Pondpaw was too distracting, huh?"

Stempaw looked embarrassed. "N-no! We just didn't find anything." She sniffed.

Pondpaw looked embarrassed too. "Yeah, there was nothing out there!"

"Right, because I remember saying there was a decent patch left yesterday." Bitternlightning padded out of her den, exchanging a look with Shinepaw.

"We can always look again tomorrow." Stempaw offered, her eyes sparkling.

"Yes, we can. I'm sure Curlthorn has something for Pondpaw to do." Bitternlightning gave a tight smile.

Pondpaw and Stempaw exchanged dejected looks and sighed.

"Fine." Stempaw grumbled, muttering a quick goodbye to Pondpaw before padding into the Healers den, Bitternlightning on her heels.

[daxthewyrm]

| 13 Pomegranate Seeds |

Inspired by the song: From Persephone By Kiki Rockwell.

Garak sat in his chair, resting his weary back after a long day of righting fabric, sewing buttons, trimming wayward threads, and measuring a (scant) few fittings.

He had closed his shop for the day, almost half a day earlier than he usually might. But this was an.. important project. 

A part of him still protested that this was too sentimental of him. (and maybe that was true) 

 —

He quieted that voice, for now, running his hand over the patchy fur of that misshapen little bear his doctor was so fond of.

“It’s not misshapen!” He could already hear the doctor protesting, in that endearing indignant way he always does. His eyes widening, and his hands practically going to his hips in the most amusing way as he scolds him. “It has character!”

It has character.

The Doctor is always able to see the little imperfections in anything around him, and find the beauty of it.

Such a sentimental man.

But, Garak could not complain about it (though he always would) while reaping the benefits of such a thing.

The bear’s fur was no where near as soft as his Julian’s. And the color, it wasn’t quite right.

But-

His hand ran over the bear’s head, thumb running along the seam. He supposed the sentiment was correct.

After all, his doctor was a man who brought comfort. Healed.

Something Garak, himself, could never quite manage,

not quite..

Though the Doctor would doubtlessly disagree with him

He always did.

Lunch.

Literature.

History.

Politics.

Forgive him, for the fact he never understood the genius of the neverending sacrifice.

He always responded so perfectly.

He was perfect.

—

The bear laid out on his desk.

Black button eyes.

A whispy string grin.

It was torn, a seam, the left one, on it’s side.

Stuffing was sequestered to the right.

This wouldn’t do.

No, it wouldn’t do.

One thread.

Two.

“Garak.”

He looped the threading around, slowly making his way up the seam-

“Garak, I need to tell you something,”

The string snapping in his fingers, such a careless mistake.

“Garak-“

Not now…

He restrung the needle, taking greater care to thread it through until it hung loosely on either side-

“I love you.”

-pulling it tight, as he left only a small hole to feed the stuffing back into place.

New stuffing, much better than the flattened ‘fluff’ that filled it before. True revamian cotton! It would sit up far better now.

Keep its shape.

“You. I know, you don’t have to say it back, but-“

—

Garak pulled the seem tight, sealing the stuffing inside, and tied off the stitching, almost invisible against the mottled fur.

“I just wanted you to know.”

A suit.

It needed a suit!

Maybe even one of those abysmal blue pajamas the Doctor insisted upon wearing. Uniform — how laughable.

And, to his luck, he already had the perfect thing.

He’d already been making the little jacket, knowing how much it meant to his Doctor. The uniform, and the little bear.

And, it was almost finished!

Garak quickly stood from the table, perhaps a bit too quickly,  but he wasn’t in the mind to take notice. All but dashing to the back of his shop, where the little gift had been hidden.

A little blue jacket, the color a bit more befitting of doctor’s  eyes, a bit more blue than the full federation colors, with a little pip on the collar. A little pin on it’s lapels, one that looked like the federation communicator, with his own twist, of course.

But, it would do.

The little bear was sat up, still a bit scruffy.

But—

“You can’t replace Kukulaka!” 

Julian had protested.

“I didn’t say I’d replace him, I merely stated that I could mend him. Some new fur, off with those patches, and he’d be good as new!”  Garak had argued back.

“No! you get rid of his stitches and patches, his differences, and you may as well get rid of him!” 

Julian had said, quite upset, and unnecessarily defensive. As he always got when there was any talk of getting rid of or ‘fixing’ his childhood toy.

Garak hadn’t truly understood it then, it wasn’t replacing it, he merely wanted to make the bear presentable. Not get rid of the bear.

But, he understood it now, while righting the little blue collar and tilting the little silver pip, and flattening his hand over the blue sleeve.

Julian—

He took a small step back, taking a long look at the bear. His black button eyes, now polished to a shine. His scruffy fur, brushed to be a bit less so, but otherwise untouched. The little blue uniform, pip and all. The wispy smile, repaired to its previous mischievous little grin. 

With his work done,

He walked slowly to the back of his shop, to the dim workspace in the back, the bear with him. Placed on it’s bench. Before he sat in his chair, eyes never leaving the little blue jacket. 

That grin.

Oh, Julian.

[pxgeturner]

can i have a sweet linny fic for my birthday? <3 just something soft, i’m not particular. thank u sm ily ily!!

alright here it is, a public/muggle school!linny for you in which ginny (she/her) is a star volleyball player and luna (she/they) is an art kid. wc: 1.14k

the poem excerpt is taken from logan duane’s things i didn’t say in therapy

If ginny didn’t need art credit; she never would have stepped foot in this hallway. bulletin boards and glass cases filled with stitches, painting, and pottery. she would rather use the time in the weight room, or running. all the girls on the team already took care of their art credits, so she’d be all alone, in a class full of freshmen.

she entered the room, walls filled with posters and canvas. six large paint-splattered tables sat in a grid with eight seats each. so she slips onto a random stool, across a random girl. a curly-haired blonde girl with pink eighties glasses, a rainbow shirt and overalls covered in pins and patches. vaguely, she recognizes them as someone who a few kids call “loony” lovegood. the first few days ginny focuses on not staring at the cute, rumored-to-be-crazy girl. but someone transfers into the class and steals her spot across from the pretty girl. now she can’t just glance up to scratch the itch to see her face. now she blocks her board from luna (ginny caught her name during roll one day when she managed to come in on time), shielding away the shitty drawings, and shitty technique from their eyes.

“you’re not using enough water.” a soft voice points out. Ginny looks to see lovegood leaning over her board, peering at her work in progress. “That’s why you have such harsh lines and patchiness.” she taps on the edge of the board and smiles, “soak your brush in water and go over what you’ve already painted. watercolor is very forgiving.”

ginny places the board onto the table, giving luna a clearer view. the blonde girl picks up a brush of her own and demonstrates how to smooth out the the background on a small corner of the piece. ginny was shocked at how luna was able to fix the blotchy mess into a sunset in seconds. when she attempted to do it herself however, nothing changed.

“dammit! why am i so fucking bad at this?”

“this is your first painting. don’t be so hard on yourself, ginerva.” no one uses her real name. “I’ll take care of this, so you can move on faster, yes?”

“Thanks, loo—na” what the actual hell? Why did she almost call her loony? Why do people even call them that? She’s pretty, and smart, has a really cute voice, and is an amazing artist.

“here you go,” luna returns the board to her.

holy crap she was staring the entire time.

when class ended that day ginny stopped luna.

“hey thank for, uh, fixing my crappy painting, and sorry about, uh,”

luna lifts her canvas satchel with a soft smile. “no worries, it’s just introductory painting. lots of the others are in the same boat as you. i’ve had lots of practice.”

“sorryforstaringatyouearlieritotallydidn’tmeanto.”

luna smiles that gentle smile, “lots of kids stare,” and walks away. ginny thought of how others stare at them for all the wrong reasons.

…

ever since luna first talked to ginny, the two were constantly chatting in class. ginny finally knows what it feels like to have breathing room. luna is fresh air, completely different from all her other friends. Inside that painting classroom, ginny can put her life, and all the expectations that come with it, on pause. She can just sit there, painting with the cutest girl in the world.

leaning against a locker, listening to a teammate talk about her sleazy boyfriend, ginny spots luna. they see her too, but continue walking. ginny pushes off the cold metal, making some excuse of needing to go to the office.

she pushes through the crowds, following her outside onto the walkway of the second building. She dashes toward luna, “hey! lovegood!”

they stop, miraculously. “what are you doing for lunch?”

Luna blinks.

“let’s get out of here.” luna blinks again, “meet me outside, in the back lot,”

“alright,” she looks so far away.

for the next hour of class, ginny was vibrating in her seat, desperately waiting to be with luna. as the lunch bell rang, she jumped out of her seat, and raced over to her car. she slides into her seat and tosses her bag into the back, and pulls out of the spot to wait by the curve. She drums on the wheel, scanning the moving crowds.

after a while, ginny turned the key. she let out a huff, staring at the ceiling, slumped against her seat.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

ginny looks out the passenger window to see luna peering into the car. she scrambles outside, over to luna. she leans on the side of the car awkwardly, taking a breath before speaking, “i started to think you weren’t coming.”

“here i am.” ginny wished luna would let her poker face down.

ginny opens the door for luna, “i thought we could just go to my place, grab some lunch and hang out for a bit.”

“sounds lovely,” she fastens her seat belt.

a short drive later, the two of them were in the weasley’s driveway. once the two girls make it through the door, ginny grabs luna’s hand. she guides the blonde through mess and around invasive brothers (who should be at uni). they fumble down the stairs, and into ginny’s bedroom. they slump behind the door.

“oh, shit, are you hungry, lu?” ginny scrambles to get uo, but a hand rests on her knee and blue eyes look up at her.

“I’m alright ginny. we can stay right here.”

ginny’s breath is shaky as she suggests the bed to sit.

luna takes a place on the foot of the bed, and scans the room curiously. band posters are scattered on the walls, a volleyball is pushed into a corner, smashed monster cams litter the floor, a used shaker bottle sits on the desk next to a poetry book. noticing luna’s eyes wandering, ginny collects bits of trash, dumping them in the bin. Luna goes over to the desk, and picks up the book. she flips to a random page, reading a highlighted section

“let’s share a kiss

and watch as people stop and stare

because our love burns brighter

than the flames that surround us.” she smiles, rubbing a doodle scribbled next to the word ‘kiss’ and looks at ginny. She looks back, unsure. “there’s a moon,” luna says.

ginny closes the distance between them, bruising her thumb against luna’s cheek. ginny presses her to theirs. The kiss is soft, and sweet, but fleeting, like honey melting in your mouth. The two part, and ginny whispers “i want to do that with you.”

luna runs her fingers through ginny’s hair. Ginny blurts out “be my girlfriend?”

luna looks up for a second, pretending to think, to tease her.

“ok,” she goes on her tip-toes, and kisses her redhead on the nose.

[philosophicalparadox]

Did I ever mention how much hives absolutely suck. And that you should really, really make sure you do boosters on your kids' MMR vaccines.

Like. There's not accurate enough words for that kinda funny wheezy feeling you get right before they come on and you're just like "fuuuuuuuuck" as you dash across the house to grab the Benadryl before the itching starts.

Itching, and pinchy, stabby pain. You can feel each hive as it appears. Pin-prick. Pin-prick. Pin-prick. And it. Doesn't. Stoooooooop.

Then you get the funny feeling as your system goes into allergy mode, flooding your body with histamines that give you a headache, makes all your joints (lymph nodes) hurt, and gives you a little bit of a fever. Sometimes with intermittent nausea.

And of course your nose is trying to run off your face and eyes want to cry themselves dry.

All of this because I touched a unwashed tomato for exactly 3 seconds.

Funnily enough I can eat them just fine. Same with squash. But I can't physically touch squash, tomatoes, melons, strawberries or potato plants at all. I can't touch or eat anything melon, not even cucumbers. Which is tragic because I love melons. I'm now hyper sensitive to strawberries too and must be very cautious of eating them.

I used to eat them all the time. I loved watermelon, and cantaloupe, and strawberries. I used to love climbing the trees outside and helping mom and grandpa pick tomatoes. And as most kids do, I absolutely adored going to the pumpkin patch to pick up pumpkins.

Then I got measles, when I was 6. All because my mom was too "busy" to take me back to the doctor for my booster shot when I was 2.

I was lucky. I had one shot. Mine was a rare breakthrough case, so I didn't get all the symptoms, and I didnt suffer too much damage to my immune system. But now I am allergic and sensitive to a lot of things I never was before then, like cedar. And mosquitoes, severely. And mold.

And because my immune system was compromised by measles, I suffer unusual flare ups whenever i get seriously sick.

I had H1N1 once, and it's the sickest I have ever been in my life. Two weeks of hell, with a nasty surprise at the end: I was now totally intolerant to bread. Bread of all things! And pork. And corn. Any and everything corn. And soy. My digestive system just screamed bloody, painful murder at the slightest suggestion of these things.

Living in a poor house really sucked for me at that time. Really, really sucked. Because guess what cheap American food is full of? Yeaaah. Corn. Wheat. And soy.

By trial, error, and a whole lot of puking, I managed to figure out wheat and bread. As long as it didnt have any mold inhibitors or preservatives my body would sorta kinda tolerate it. When it wanted to. But I blatantly refused to live in a world without bread, pasta, and cereal, so I didn't give my system a choice.

Corn is still a struggle, but less so. Soy is only tolerated if it's hydrolysed/isolated protein. And pork? Well. Suffice to say I only get to eat bacon once a year or so. Sparingly. Ham can be tolerated better, as long as it's cold and not fried in its own fat. Beef has developed the same issue - possibly due to Covid interference.

But today I touched a raw, fresh, unwashed tomato on the vine, and the sickness I am presently enduring has been a cruel reminder of how much impact that stupid virus could have had... And how grateful I am that I didn't have it worse.

If this is what a breakthrough can do, I dont want to think about first exposure infection. Vaccinate your damn kids, and don't skip appointments.

[bread--quest]

[ID: Digital, semi-realistic art of the 6 primary My Little Pony characters as humans, standing in a line. Twilight Sparkle is drawn as a woman with dark brown skin, brown eyes, and shoulder-length, straight brown hair, pinned back with purple and pink barrettes. She is wearing square glasses, a dark blue sweater over a light blue collared shirt, beige pants, and white shoes, and is standing with her hands in her pockets, smiling wryly at the camera. She has a necklace that resembles her cutie mark from the show, two earrings, and an ID card pinned to the waist of her pants. Rarity is a woman with lighter skin, dark eyes, and short, wavy black hair, combed off to one side. She has eyeshadow, and is wearing a short white dress, a beige jacket, tall white boots, and blue jewelry: a necklace and long earrings. She stands with her hands on her hips, smiling confidently. Applejack is a tall woman with light brown skin, green eyes, freckles, and curly blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. She is wearing a white shirt with a green flannel over it, tucked into blue jeans with a ring of keys attached to the belt, and cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. She stands with her arms crossed, smiling slightly. Pinkie Pie is a fat woman with light skin, freckles, blue eyes, and short, curly red hair, wearing a white shirt, pink sweater, pink shorts with ruffled edges, and blue sneakers. She has a necklace and blue and yellow earrings, and is standing with her hands behind her back and grinning. Fluttershy is a taller woman with light brown skin, scattered freckles, blue eyes, and long pink dreadlocks, with golden rings and butterfly-shaped clips on them. She is wearing a white shirt that flares out at the bottom, green pants with patches, including a flower-shaped patch, green sneakers, and a brown jacket. She is also wearing two necklaces, one with flowers and one with a green pendant. She is has a hand behind her head and is smiling shyly. Rainbow Dash is a woman with light brown skin, dark eyes, and short, messy hair dyed light blue, fading to darker blue and purple, and with brown roots. She is wearing an oversized shirt with a Hot Wheels design on it, large orange shorts, rainbow-striped socks, and blue sneakers. She stands with her hands in her pockets, smirking. The drawing is signed "skorpione (star) grass". The next six images are close-ups of each of their faces. End ID.]

finally finished my mlp human designs ^^ i hope i can draw more of them in the future

[ccaptain]

@aguilareye: what is it about me that has you so worked up? ( not used to kindness prompt )

  Oh, where should he begin...? Kaeya looks at him with a twinkle of his eye, full of awe and wonder and love, and thinks that in some aspects Boothill must be blind.

   ' You're amazing, Boothill. Let's start with that. You're brave, one of the bravest men I've ever known in my life... and I have lived a long one. You're just so... '

   The bashfulness makes a return, poor Enigma busying himself by letting a cold finger trace the wet edge of his drink. When he manages to return his pupil on the gunslinger, no one would fault him for some smugness. 

   ' You're brave, as I was saying- and dashing, in the sense of the world. Your aim never fails, it's like magic to me how your bullet seems to go where you want them to go, and... and... '

   He fiddles with a clip on his chest, places something between them on the table-

  -revealing the metal rose the gunslinger gave to him some time ago, perfectly polished and cared for. Pinned right over his heart.

   ' If this conveys the message that I think it conveys... then you're just teasing me, and you know why I'm so worked up about you, as you say! ' ... and, predictably, he's getting 'worked up' indeed. ' But... '

   This is the point where the wind abandons his sails, a memory of what it felt before Boothill came along worming his way into his memories. His flustered air fails him, eye averting to his hands feeling around the cold glass for purchase.

   ' Before you burst into my life like a cannonball, I was just... going. I've lived for so long that most things have lost the sparkle- most foods, most wonders around the planets... There was just the mechanical need to follow my goal, and then... go. And rest somewhere else, closing the curtain over my... performance. We have a place where, after we have accomplished everything we wanted to, we go and rest- forever. '

   The End, the infamous Enigmatic Garden, the final resting place for worn down beings. He looks somber- but this is the correct spirit for when he talks about it.

   ' Before meeting you, my biggest goal was... finishing what I had to do, and take my place in a patch of white flowers, to never reopen my eyes again. Rest, forever unbothered. I was so, so tired before we met... '

   A pause. The glass has never looked more interesting, but Kaeya pries his eyes away from it, looking into the crosshair of the other man listening to his ramblings. He draws the metal rose towards himself again, finger brushing over an hard petal before he pins it in place again.

   ' -But then, I met you. And I don't feel tired anymore, and things are colorful again, and... I wish you felt the same about me. I get so worked up, as you say, because... I hope-I hope I make you feel less tired, when we're together. '

[sageywritings]

The Mission

"Mind if I come too? Gotta get everyone together. We need to talk." It was news Auburn was dreading having to break. Even with more time to prepare, telling this to their faces wasn't going to be easy.

The next chapter of my RWBY OC fic Flames of Change. Make sure to see the pinned post for the other chapters in order!

Auburn Vulpes belongs to me.

Jade Meadows, Amber Himmel, and Riley Currant belong to @gruntnuker-rwby

Rin Aozora belongs to @solar-moon-byul

Amber wasn’t sure what to think. Up until this point, it had been an otherwise unremarkable day. Another day at work at Shade Academy trying to stabilize communications between the other two kingdoms that weren’t deemed lost causes. Another day hoping the team at Beacon would make some headway in their repairs. Another day hoping that comforting voice would come through. But another day that it never does. Regardless, she began her walk home, wondering how long the usual song and dance of deciding what to eat for dinner tonight would take. Until she spotted one of her closest friends that she hadn’t seen since Beacon standing on a rooftop with another girl she had never seen before, and both of them looked freshly worse for wear.

“Auburn? Are you ok? You look like you got into an argument with a Beringel,” Amber inquired. The approaching fox faunus was holding her side and sporting a couple of newly acquired bruises. The other girl similarly limped through pain and soreness. Amber couldn't tell if the Beringel had won.

“Hey, where ya headed?” Auburn resolutely dismissed her concern through gritted teeth.

“Um I was just heading back to our apartment now. Jade and Riley are waiting for me.”

“Mind if I come too? Gotta get everyone together. We need to talk.” Auburn had said the same thing while on the roof. It didn't carry the weight of someone who wanted to catch up with a chat over drinks. It sounded more like what someone says when they're about to end a relationship that isn't working anymore.

“Sure? You’re always welcome. We can patch you up while we’re there.” Amber wasn’t sure what to think, but as she clutched onto her cat backpack a little tighter and led the march down the sidewalk, she could feel the anxiety welling in her chest. She wanted to talk with Auburn about nothing in particular like they used to after class. She wanted to rekindle some of the magic that was desperately missing from Beacon. It was a wish she had been pining for more frequently as of late. But, hushed inaudible murmurs from behind nixed her plans for the present moment.

"Who is this girl?" Rin whispered from over Auburn's shoulder.

"That girl we just fought? That's one of her teammates," Auburn said.

"Wait what??" Rin's ears shot straight up in shock. "Does that mean-? Does she know?" Auburn shook her head.

"She has no clue, none of them do. They've been looking for her since the fall. All they know is she disappeared." Rin's ears lowered in sorrow. Sorrow for this girl she hadn't even spoken a word to yet. Her heart broke into more pieces when she realized she and Auburn were about to share the truth they were burdened with.

“Hey Auburn?” Amber’s usual soft-spoken mildness coaxed the two of them out of their respective mindspaces. “Have you… heard from Solomon?”

“No. But I know he’s alright out there. He’s tougher than you first think,” she replied. The optimism didn’t quite connect with Amber.

“I see,” she said solemnly. “What about Dash? Do you have any news on him?”

“You could say that.” Amber turned her head to look back at her for an elaboration, but received none for her troubles. The conversation came to a tense and uneasy halt after that, so Rin tried her best to make small talk with the orange-haired stranger.

“I like your backpack. I kinda have a thing for cats too,” she said with a chuckle. Amber gave her a nod as a genuine thank you, but it did little to ease everyone’s nerves. Again they returned to awkward silence. Rin had to fight back the urge to sigh. “Is it much farther? I’m not exactly built for this heat.”

“Just around the block,” Amber said. As promised, only half a block later Amber led the Leash duo into an apartment complex. They went through the lobby, up two flights of stairs, then stopping at the first door on the right, room 302. One turn of the key later and the three of them were met with an arctic blast. The apartment was kept like an igloo, the polar opposite to the desert heat outside. Rin tilted her head back and outstretched her arms in relief like she had just reached the promised land after a hero’s long, arduous journey. Posters of bands and shows garnished the walls. One corner of the living room was marked by a pile of laundry, while another had a duffel bag of hockey gear complete with a full set of goalie pads. On the coffee table sat a stack of comic books next to a bong that was recently used, as evident by the faint aroma in the air.

“Look decent, guys. We have guests,” Amber called out while dropping her backpack on the couch. Stepping into the room from the girls’ left first was Team JASR’s leader Jade Meadows. Her stark black hair, free from her beanies for once, fell messily down the shoulders of her hallmark purple hoodie. 

“Hey Auburn, about time you came to visit. Finally gonna show us all your hangout spots?” Jade smiled as she passed by to make a quick pit stop at the fridge before flopping into a bean bag next to the couch.

“Auburn’s here? She doesn’t count for looking decent,” another female voice came in from the other room. Auburn smirked to herself; she knew full well “decent” in this household just meant wearing pants. The other voice sauntered in to reveal a taller woman with maroon hair in a hockey jersey that didn’t quite stretch down enough to show a slip of short gym shorts on underneath. Riley Currant gave her old friend a fist bump before looking past her curiously. “Although your friend does. Sup.”

“Oh yeah, right. Everyone, this is Rin. Rin, meet Amber, Jade, and Riley. We were all close back at Beacon,” Auburn said.

“Nice to meet all of ya,” Rin said while flashing a peace sign. Each of the JASR girls gave her their own version of pleasantries. Rin tried to buck up with a chipper smile, but it took considerably more effort than normal. She really didn't want to just open up with this truth bomb that she and Auburn were loaded with. She scanned around the room for something to break the ice with, again trying to drum up light banter. And in her infinite wisdom, she settled on the bong.

"Sooooooo who can take the biggest hit?" she asked with a snicker to cover up

"Sienna," all three answered in unison with a soft yet heavy, almost mournfully reminiscent chuckle. Well that didn't work.

"It's not even close," Jade added.

"Hey I can give her a run for her money," Riley said before her gaze was magnetized downward. After a dragging moment, she willed herself upward to face their new and probably confused visitor. "Sorry, Sienna's our fourth, and my girlfriend. We… haven't seen her for a while though."

"Have you had any luck finding her? Any leads?" Auburn asked. Maybe they already knew. Maybe she didn't have to be the herald of terrible news. However, the silence that followed spoke volumes, as the magnet on the floor tugged at Riley once again.

"I haven't had time to look with all the tech stuff keeping me busy," Amber filled the quiet void.

"I don't even know where to begin looking. I miss her but… where do I even start?" Jade spoke up next.

"I've been doing everything I could, but Jade's right. I just… wish I knew she was alright. That she's alive and not hurt so I can bring her home." Riley sighed. "I know she's still out there though. She's too stubborn to go down." Auburn folded her arms and leaned on the wall behind her. How was she supposed to this? She was never the type to keep secrets. The truth was always quicker in her mind, so why waste time? It’s gonna hurt no matter what, so rip the band-aid off. But, that had never been harder to live by than this very moment. How was she supposed to say the right words when her heart was in her throat. How was she supposed to even look them in the eyes?

“You miss her too, don’t you Auburn?” Jade said. “It’s not like we’re the only ones who lost a friend, you two were really close. Not to mention Dash. I’m worried about him too. I know he was an ass but I always felt kinda bad for him. I don’t think he was all bad.”

“Yeah…” she trailed off again. She was mentally cursing at herself to say something. “Kinda hard to miss her right now though.”

“What does that mean?” Riley said, recoiling in indignation. The question hung in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time for her liking. Likewise, Amber also had her head tilted in puzzlement and Jade cocked an eyebrow.

“Hard to miss what you just saw.” It was barely a strained croak past Auburn’s lips. Rin was backing her Leash leader, eyes darting between each JASR member, examining for any kind of reaction.

“Wait. You saw her??” Jade exclaimed first.

“So she’s alive!” Amber said next, echoing the relief coming from her green-eyed teammate.

“Oh thank gods!” Emotion surged through Riley to the point where her body couldn’t contain it. Rushing to Auburn, she pulled the boxer into a tight hug, barely able to stand on her own. “Thank you, Auburn! Wait, that must mean she’s in Vacuo! Where is she? I gotta see her.” Auburn’s reddish fox tail tucked between her legs, accidentally brushing past Riley’s knee. “Ohhh I get it, it’s like a surprise right? She’s waiting jump in here from out the hallway.” Once Riley released the hug, she still had Auburn by the shoulders. Then she could read her expression. It was dejection. Each agonizing second the beam on the hockey star’s face slowly, painfully slowly, diminished. “Auburn. Why isn’t she with you?”

“Does she not wanna see us?” Amber asked sheepishly.

“We didn’t do anything wrong, did we?” Jade said. Auburn sighed heavily, so heavy it felt like it could drop out of her lungs and through the floor.

“No you didn’t. She did. She… joined the White Fang.” The grip on Auburn’s shoulders loosened bit by tiny bit, but Riley’s arms still remained extended outward, frozen beside slight trembling. Her expression was also motionless, nothing more than a blank, dead stare that pierced right through Auburn. “I’m… really sorry you had to learn this way.”

“I am too. Not the first impression I wanted to make with you guys,” Rin tacked on. Jade wanted to get up and console Riley, but all she could do was sink further into the clutches of her bean bag. Amber clung to a pillow from the sofa, wrapping it around her chest like it was a bulletproof vest. All of her concern, however, was bouncing back and forth between her friends.

“W…what?” Riley said. Shock, bewilderment, disgust, utter devastation. It’s like she couldn’t compute. It didn’t add up. “What? No that’s not- why? Why would she leave us? Leave me? I-is it something I did? Why would she go back to the Fang?”

“Back?” Rin’s husky ears twitched.

“She and her brother both joined when they were kids back when it was peaceful. Their parents didn’t want them to, but they did it to try and help their family. And help themselves,” Jade swooped in to answer to save Riley the trouble.

“You kidding me? So she has a track record of this?” Auburn said.

"But she wouldn't go back to them! Not the way they are now!" said Riley, trying to grasp any tatter of hope. "Are you absolutely sure it was her?"

"Do you really think I wouldn't be able to tell if it was her? There aren't many people with pierced fox ears and two different colored eyes that spit flames. She went back to-"

"There's no way, there has to be more to the story. I can't believe you."

"Really? Still think I'm lying?" In a huff of exasperation, Auburn lifted her shirt to show newly acquired battle scars, scratches and burns from an all too familiar pair of fiery claws. She then pulled out the two pieces that remained of her trusted whip. What once had helped Auburn win countless duels while training was now indistinguishable from scrap metal. Finally with the fortitude gathered to rise from her seat, Jade peered over Riley's shoulder and clasped a hand over her mouth.

"No way. Hang on I got a med kit here, I can help take care of that," she said, but Auburn waved her off. Meanwhile, Riley took one of the junked halves into her hand and 

"A-anyone could've done this. That doesn't mean-"

"Riley, c'mon," Auburn fired back.

"No! I can't believe you! I… I just can't!" Riley turned around and stormed back into the room she originally came in from, slamming the door shut behind her. The only noise that accompanied the thick fog of tension were crashing sounds of things being thrown around carrying through the wall from the other room. None were feeling it more than Jade and Amber, both of them glued back to their seats.

“Should I go check on her?” Amber said softly to Jade.

“Not right now. She’s gonna need a minute.” A louder thud suddenly snapped all four of them to eye the wall. “A long one.” No one had anything else to say. The aura of defeat and devastation was too deafening. They were left to just wallow in silence. Rin had her hands firmly stuffed in the pockets of her bomber jacket. Auburn held her fists behind her back to prevent them from lashing out at the nearest wall. Amber kept her attention up and chest out as if her posture was the only thing keeping the floodgates of tears from pouring out, while Jade just looked… tired. So very tired.

“This… feels really personal. Do I need to leave?” Rin posed to the crowd. She wasn’t sure if it was more for her sake or theirs at this point.

“No you’re fine,” said Jade. “This isn’t your fault it’s just-” The JASR leader was cut off by the sudden swinging open of that same door with it meeting the wall with a sharp smack. Now dressed in actual pants, Riley flew between the two sides of the discussion and made a beeline for the pile of hockey equipment. Even then, the slight glisten from her cheeks displayed to everyone she was not as fortunate in holding back the tears. The first thing she went for was a stick that clearly stood out from the rest as something more than just a tool for a pickup game on the rink. Then, she knelt down and, unceremoniously tossing some pads and dirty jerseys aside, fished out a custom mask and placed it on the top of her head.

“What are you doing?” Rin decided to be the one to inquire.

“You said you just saw Sienna. That means she’s still gotta be in the city. I’m going to bring her home. Even if I gotta scour every single block and every single street corner and I gotta fucking kick the ass of every White Fang member including hers to do it!” With a small twitch of her wrists, the stick transformed, with the taped up blade of the stick being replaced by the gleaming blade of a scythe.

“Alone? Riley wait we can come with you,” Amber interjected.

“You’ve got no leads to go off of, let’s think about this,” Jade tried to plead reason next.

“C’mon Riley, you know this ain’t gonna help anything. All it’s gonna do is tire you out and make you feel worse, so just sit your ass down.” Auburn’s bluntness certainly wasn’t helping, but nothing else was working either. Riley clearly wasn’t listening. Without another word, with the scythe resting on her shoulder, she exited through the front door and disappeared from view once the door shut with a loud bang. Auburn clenched her fists and shook her head. Rin went to put a hand on her shoulder but it was quickly pushed away.

“Great fuckin idea! Let’s just act stupid and start a parade down the street looking like Jason Voorhees just subscribed to the NHL Network!” The only thing stopping her from putting a hole in the nearest sheet of drywall was the fact that this was not her apartment.

“She’s just hurt, Auburn,” Amber said sympathetically to try and soothe her.

“Hurt? This is how we deal with hurt now? We’re all hurt! I’m hurting! First Ospreay, now this?? I’ve had to hear these headlines for weeks now. I’ve been worried sick he hasn’t been brought home yet!” She tried to take a deep breath, but it did little to temper her intensity, only the volume in her voice. “He wasn’t given the choice to leave like Sienna.”

“I know, Auburn. Trust me, I know. I don’t like it either. I wish she handled it differently too. But we all deal with trauma differently,” Jade said, hanging on to any resolve she can.

“We all got trauma! That doesn’t give any of us an excuse to run away and become a mercenary!” Auburn yelled.

“I’m not excusing it! Everyone’s trauma is different! Sienna’s is different from yours, which is different from mine, which is different from hers!” She pointed to Rin, chaining her back into a debate she was praying to stay out of.

“I’m sorry but I kinda agree with Auburn here. It doesn’t sit well with me that she left. I know the huntsman teams aren’t forever, but to me that means you stick together with those people through thick and thin,” Rin chimed in. “And the redhead? Not exactly helping. She acts like she’s the only one missing someone when she’s not…”

“It doesn’t sit well with me that she’s the reason Bubblegum is a prisoner of war right now!” Auburn fired, using her longtime nickname for Dash.

“That’s not true, it’s just a coincidence,” Jade said, still trying to pacify the resident punch-happy fox.

“Then why was she bragging to me about it?! Why did she tell me she was picked because she personally knew Dash?!” If it was possible for someone’s heart to sink past rock bottom, it was evident from their faces that Amber and Jade had achieved it. The color drained from their faces. Auburn’s ears instantly slicked back apologetically and she winced. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just drop it on you like that.”

“She… she really told you that?” Jade’s voice was nothing more than a quivering, heartbreaking whisper. “Oh fuck.”

“D-do we tell Riley?” The tears Amber had miraculously suppressed for this long to stream down her face, leaving visible glowing trails down her cheeks before burying her face into a pillow. Auburn raised a hand toward the tech expert, but she knew it would be futile to try and get her to stop crying. Nor should she try. Amber badly needed this release. They all did, but Jade was still holding stern. Months of worrying bottled up just to come crashing down with something barely a half step above the worst possible outcome. She was still alive, but to be in the White Fang doing their biggest dirty work jobs so far out of reach from them.

“Sorry, guys. Really I am. I understand if you need some time,” Auburn said while rubbing her arm before nudging Rin with her elbow. “C’mon, Snowdog. Let’s go find her.”

“Which one? The flaming fox or the star goalie?”

“Whoever we find first.”

By the time Riley had left, only the final breaths of light from dusk watched over her. That was a few hours ago, and night had long made itself cozy within Vacuo by this point. Certain neighborhoods in the kingdom that were already sketchy during the day became downright treacherous in the dark. But, Auburn knew them too well to care, to the point of sending Rin to split up to cover more ground. It was unclear if it was confidence or determination or sheer rage that motivated her to walk these streets so worry-free. But nonetheless, she passed Sunshine Estates, The Lanes, anywhere that looked like it could house a White Fang hideout, anywhere that looked like it could remotely capture Riley’s attention. But, there was no sign of anything. Rin hadn’t called, so it was unlikely she was having any luck either. No gang would’ve dared messing with Riley so long as she was lugging that scythe around. Maybe she went home. Maybe her experience mirrored Auburn’s right now so she decided to call it a night.

As Auburn decided to circle back home, she whipped out her phone to text Rin to do the same if she hadn’t already. Before she could message Jade next to ask if Riley returned home, she noticed something while passing a public playground. A lone figure barely discernable through the darkness sat at the base of a slide slumped forward with their hands covering their face. Auburn passed the gate and tiptoed closer, and she did the sobbing grew louder and louder. Then, Auburn laid eyes on the hockey stick sat at her feet, and the goalie mask leaning against one of ther thighs. Riley choked back a sob with an ugly gasp.

“Auburn,” she started despite her not saying a word or noticing that Riley saw her approach, “everyone always said I was the strong one. They looked at us and thought I was the stability, I was the rock. Sienna would always agree. But it’s wrong, it’s all wrong.” Auburn was a little grateful her tear-glazed eyes were fixated on her mask. She couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes right now. “I’m nothing without her. I need her back.” Auburn wanted to tell her how she was connected to the Ospreays’ kidnappings. She wanted to tell her that the Sienna from Beacon, the stoner chaos monster that would stuff her dinner plate with nothing but ice cream and would let loose pigeons during classes for the hell of it, was gone. But she couldn’t. Not right now.

“I getcha. It was bad enough wanting to do everything in my power to get Bubblegum back. I thought there’d be some kind of ransom paid by now and he’d be back with his family. I want him back too. But I’ve had to be strong about it. You say you’re not the strong one, but you’re the one still here, still fighting for your relationship.”

“No no no, I’m not, I’m not the strong one.” Riley was emphatically shaking her head before Auburn even finished before repeating, “I need her back.”

“I do too, she’s my partner in fox crime, but-”

“Do you know how long it took Alex to convince her to give Beacon a shot? Months of trying to get her to take the entrance exams. He told me he hoped it would be both of their tickets out of their shitty childhood and onto something better. I had hoped that Beacon would give her security in her life that she needed and it would never get ripped away. And I was wrong…”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean she gets to respond like this,” Auburn said.

“I’m not saying she’s right. But I know she’s scared and alone. She needs help. I am going to get her back. Even though I don’t have any inkling of what the first step of doing that is.” Part of Auburn’s brain couldn’t fathom why she was more worried for a girl who abandoned her than a friend who was forcibly taken from his home. It was enraging having to bottle those feelings up, but the other part of her brain knew exactly what she was going through, and condolence didn’t even begin to describe. However, after a moment of contemplation, her eyes widened and her ears perked with an idea. Maybe this was the push needed to get both of their friends back.

“I may have an idea,” she said.

“You do??” Riley finally looked up at her fellow huntress in training like she was the last bastion against hopelessness.

“I know someone we can talk to. It’s a complete shot in the dark but it’s better than anything else I got. You ever been to the Scarlet Heart?”

“That bar on Carmine Street?” Riley said after a pause with slight confusion on what that had to do with anything. “No, never been. Why?”

“Go home for the night. Get off this playground and be with Jade and Amber. They need you bad right now and you need them. We’ll meet there tomorrow. Just get some rest for me tonight, ok?” Auburn plunked a hand on Riley’s shoulder before the latter suddenly sprung up and wrapped her in a tight hug. She buried her face in Auburn’s shoulder, her tears staining and running down her leather jacket.

“Thank you for even trying. Thank you thank you thank you,” Riley said softly. After a moment to collect herself, Auburn softly returned the embrace for a few moments before letting go.

“We’re gonna get them back. Dash and Sienna both,” she said. Not much else was exchanged between the two as Riley picked up her things and Auburn escorted her home. Auburn wasn’t absolutely confident that they were going to get Dash out of the White Fang’s control in one piece, or that Sienna would even want to come home if they found her. She wasn’t sure how, or if she was even wanted to see Sienna, but she knew that’s what Riley needed to hear. And she needed to hear it too. Deep down, she knew it. They were going to get their friends back.

[mellifluousoctopus]

I wish I could draw because if i could I'd definitely draw a little pride celebration comic strip where the first panel is just Tim with a basic 'Love is Love' T-shirt and hoodie all like: "Thanks for coming with me, guys. It means a lot to me that you're such great allies"

And then it cuts to next panel of almost the entire Extended family studying him with varying amounts of doubt, confusion, shock, and frustration while wearing A LOT of their own pride merch and get ups.

Selina is in the calmest costume of all of them. To the average person, she's in her typical thigh high boots and leather jacket civvies. To a more discerning eye, she's wearing her most sapphic earring (large minimalist wires of a naked woman's torso with small pearls as nipples) and a novelty (gasp) T-shirt, obscured mostly by her jacket, that parodies Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album with the Bi flag colors instead of a rainbow. Her nails which are just visible are painted with a pink to blue gradient that the mirror finish of her sunglasses shares.

The most out there is Steph which is why her reaction is the most intense. She's spray colored her hair, wearing a color blocked outfit to fit the Pan colors fit with a bright blue tutu. She has appropriately colored tiny cast iron pans as earring and the flag facepainted on her cheeks and the inclusion flag pinned to her like a cape. They're not at the celebration yet but it is very obvious she is one of those people who will just keep collecting bracelets, stickers, flags, and any merch she can find when she does get there.

They rest fall between Selina and Steph. Jasons's jacket is covered in patches and pins. Duke has a pride hoodie with pins too only he's also wearing the inclusion flag and rainbow socks. Dick has face paint, an obligatory pan pun on his shirt, and booty shorts (obviously could not be seen in a still picture) that say 'Equal Opportunity' on the butt. The shirt and the shorts very obviously do not match, but he's too shameless to be pressured into changing. Cass is dressed in all rainbows courtesy of Steph.

Kate is in the least colorful outfit but the loudest with only a dash face paint and holding a flag etched black with the names, office adresses, and reelection days of politicians that supported anti-queer acts and laws and a bold 'SHUT THEM THE FUCK UP' She holds her thumb up and says: "No problem, bud."

There would be an Bonus part where Ivy, quietly wrapped in a Lesbian flag, leans over to Harley, covered in glitter and stickers to ask: "Are we sure he's a Bat." Referring to apparent lack of detective skills.

Bruce 'I choke on my emotional constipation every time I tell my kids good job' Wayne and Damian 'I'm too young to care to ask what's going on ' Wayne would be in the background dressed in minimal apparel drawn as laughably unfinished blobs in their own experience blissfully unaware of Tim's obliviousness.

Tim is also unaware of Tim's obliviousness.

And then I'd label it "Bats have the highest rates of Homosexuality of any Mammal"

This post was heavily inspired by a post by the talented Tumblr User: Oifaaa

[weaselle]

i love this

take this stick and keep fighting. Or stop fighting and just exist for a while if you need to. But people out here know how hard it is, how brave you’re being, and we are in awe of your resilience, your determination.

i know it feels like those things are so invisible to other people that even you sometimes wonder if they are real. But they are, your stubborn refusal to give up, your grip on hope, your courage in the face of despair; all that and more is what has gotten you here to today, and there are people out here who know it. Who know the strength it takes to inhabit a position of desperation and not succumb. As it says above, you are exhibiting some of the best qualities humanity is capable of, and you are amazing.

and it can go from this

i don’t like it in here. i don’t like it out there either. out there is too complicated for me to do much about. and in here? oh, in here seems impossible to fix.

but i make myself delete “is” and replace it with “seems” every day. … and try anyway

through this

let it out let it out or it drowns you

never mind you can never know sane

let it be what you see all around you

in your head go ahead and explain

to the ghosts that are always beside you

how you see what you see when you know

that there’s nobody raising the curtain

you’re the only one watching the show.

so the day floats away and deserts you

in the end you pretend you don’t care

til the numbing so nothing can hurt you

destroys any joy that was there

but it’s never been in you to give up

even when it’s the end of your rope

so though you often don’t feel it

you hang on to hoping for hope

to this

got a pole or maybe stick that made me trip into a whole ass pit and so i gripped it when i climbed out of the hole and this is just a line, a piece of twine that tied my feet that i can keep in case a string is just the thing i seem to need.

Now these are all the screws oh i been screwed a time or two and i’ve been nailed for mistakes that I have made, i failed true but the collection i’m inspectin’ is a treasure trove of magic that i grabbed from tragic happenstance, a pleasure that I have it cause i’ve landed on my toes i’m standing close i’m at a potion full of life and death and motion yes you guessed it that’s an ocean so i’ve opened up my pockets for the clock that’s never right so i can strip it for the gears i see it clear and in the night right beside my frightened fears in the flare of inner light I can make myself an item out of souvenirs of plight.

I tinker and i tighten, think it’s time i take a look i pull a skin-piercing pin that i bend into a hook for a mystic fishing rod made of oddness that i master; stitch with laughter i’m a witch, watch me craft it from disaster - then i bait it with intention, wade where schools of wishes dwell… swing a thing i’ve made from failure and prepare to cast a spell

all the way to this

I’m scatter-y like splattery batter plastering splashed matter; a shatter-y glass basher. Advanced passer of platters packed with wacky patter- Happy matching daggers with mad hatters while handing slabs of laugh lathered on flashy crackers gathered in stacks and massed in batches;

a bad-ass blaster of gab, a grab master of dashed disaster. Snag a snack and a nap through the last aperture afterward glad to snatch ladders patch patterns and dance faster

It can happen. You’re already doing it just by still being here. You truly are doing amazing.

I’ve been getting a lot of these lately, and I guess I just want you all to know what I think when I read them.