#however i still can't draw black hat

[scooterpengie]

✈️🥳 Happy Birthday Dr Flug!!! 🥳✈️

If you're thinking that Black Hat's gift is uncharacteristically nice of him, I should point out that chocolate isn't a flavour of cake that Flug really likes. Also it's not even a real cake

[zvdvdlvr]

being on team 141 and being one of the youngest people in the team HCs [p.02]

𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢. ✦ 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞!!

𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺: 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒋𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒔, 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 141, 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒎𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈,

𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹'𝑺 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑵𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑺: 𝒖𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒅

𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑹'𝑺 𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵: 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒑𝒆𝒓

back at it again, its another fatherless rapscallion😭

100% believe you and soap call people bestie if you dont like them

ex: "soap come hither, i have tea on bestie chloe" and he comes barreling down the hall to hear the tea

lmfao speaking of soap

SOAP=WHINY MAN BABY

this man whines when you give him the silent treatment fo sheezy 💯

ghost thinks its really funny when soap watches you with a '☹' face evrry time you ignore him

gaz always knows everything because you know everything so you tell him its hilarious asf

anyways

you and gaz always be talkin about topher fr

(i dont have the of so an edit will do:)

HELLA INSIDE JOKES

price is highkey tired of your humor

"is there anything you need?" price "other than a father/mother? nope. thanks, tho" you *insert gaz laughing from the other room*, distressed price leaved the room, clutching at his sussy goofy wacky little hat

if you are fluent in spanish i strongly believe ghost will be scared of you

as i have been trading my spanish for german, i wont put anything else involving spanish, thanks 😍🙏

screaming judas in tge shower

ghost yelling at you to shut up

soap joining to annoy his babygorl

gaz humming along because lady gaga is goddess

price needing to leave the room

l m f a o

ok so like what if you're really good at card games, savvy?

you and 141 are laying low in a safehouse somewhere

soap finds a deck of cards, and everyone plays and/or watches

anyway you suggest playing manipulation

price immediately agrees, he hasnt played in a while but still thinks he could beat everyonr

ghost joins in, but gaz watches

what if you sat in his lap

no sorry my bad im in love

anyway

the first, like, three rounds everyones drawing like five cards

and price somehow ends up with two cards while everyones drawing cards

hes getting cocky, thinking that he'll go out first because of his amount of cards

HOWEVER

he had an ace

so that was virtually impossible to get rid of lmfao

anyhow,

price had on his poker face, and surprisingly, so did you

no one could tell you were able to get rid of the five cards in your hand only in the eighth round

bada bing bada boom you served the team their ass when you quickly arranged your cards into their appropriate piles

and then you look at everyone's flabberghasted expression

price is 😯🙁ing so hard

not only did price lose, he lost to one of the youngest people on the team

ghost is a sore loser tbh

"fuckin' hell, reaper. the hell you learn to play like that?" ghost "around" you shrug

price thinks about that all the time tbh

LETS TALK ABOUT THE TIME 141 FIRST SAW YOU SMOKING

after a somewhat rough mission, you go MIA

everyones worried; you generally let someone know whenever you go somewhere

but its hour 4 of you being gone and price is worried

you did this when the whole situation with alex went down, so price has limited experience with your MIA bouts

highkey feels bad he can't protect you emotionally :(

it was well below sun down when price found you

poor captain almost had a stroke when you saw you

you were outside sitting cross legged facing the direction which the sun had set, indicating you'd been there for a while

you had a lighter in your hand, lighting up cigarette number unknown

"what are you doing, kid?"

you had heard him coming so you didnt jump or anything you just shrugged

"do you want to talk about it?"

a mocking laugh fell from your lips, spewing out with smoke "nah."

price was at a loss. you had never acted like this before- cold and sharp

he moved to sit by you though </3

soon ghost trailed out, wondering where price was

an inky black mass caught his eye

but as he was making his way over, he saw a cigarette get smushed into the ground and a knew one being pulled from a pack

price didn't smoke cigarettes, he smoked cigars, so who would that be?

but then ghost heard your voice and an exhale and you had the cigarette

ghost: 😯

"hell's goin' on out here?" ghost grumbled, sitting on the other side of u, eyes widening at the amount of boxes at ur side

price answered when you didnt "getting some air"

ghost blinked at the cigarette hanging from your lips. okay

the guys tried to get you to talk but couldn't get anything out of you but a scoff or two

even when ghost offered to let you sleep in his room you said no :(((

after that you gathered your shit and left for the base leaving ghost and price concerned </3

whoa who broke my heart i sure am angsty today 😟💯

you didnt get any sleep that night btw

on another note

MOVIE NIGHTS WITH THE GUYS BUT GAZ INSISTS INSTEAD OF YOU

obviously he goes to you first

"hey y/n" :))) "do you wanna" :)))))) "watch a movie" :))))))))) "with us?" :))))))))))))

i'll be damned if you say no. 😐🔪

so you said yes 😍❤

he smiled so big </33

went to soap next

then pulled up the movie

with everyone ( minus ghost ), price couldn't say no 🙃

ghost pulled up, ffs 🤯

gaz chose either a horror movie or a horror movie

so you watched a horror movie 😁

gaz was probably clinging to you the whole time

so was soap probably

ghost was somewhat interested, but price fell asleep

his goofy snore is so loud bro im not even playing 🤧😭😭

if you have migraines you best believe everyone has midol/typenol for you

never ibuprofen tho bc after a mission if you had a headache, 141 might think you possibly had/have a brain bleed and wouldn't give you ibuprofen bc thats a blood thinner and could start another bleed

you and gaz have playlists for everyone

you both follow each other on EVERYTHING

if you were too poor (like me HDJSNEHDJEUZ) gaz would let you and only you on his netflix acc ❤

im sorry im a gazlvr

will probably edit later tbh

𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞!!

@shadylilac

🤍

[herzzgeist]

Draw Me Like One Of Your Grand Line Boys

A/N: My face is AGLOW - should I ramble on the part where he shows . . anatomy? I am . . tempted . . eep - Emi over and out

Art by me @lunar-3scap3 :3

„Darling, could you hold still for a moment?“

„Mhm? Wha- What are you- are you drawing me (Y/n)-ya?“

Sitting by side your Captain on a wooden bench, you partake in the joys of art - sketching everything you see and deem worthy to capture for practice.

Hence, seeing your doctor you love oh so dearly practically striking a pose, which screams for you to be kept in your notebook, your eyes quickly switch between Law and the paper in your hands.

The pencil dances over the white, leaving long strokes and lines of black and dark greyish shades behind. Nervous, the Surgeon utters:

„Did I give you the permission to do just that? I have enough wanted posters hanging around!“

„Oh hush, who said I‘ll be showing this to anyone?“

A mild blush spreads over your cheeks as you smile in fluster to yourself, drawing the good-looking man seated next to you.

Law groans in protest, jaw tensing up to your audacious yet adorable statement. As if contagious, red tint crawls over him as well, awfully irritating the white hatted one. The contrast between him and his accessory becoming much more evident to Trafalgar's mishap, assuming the heat on his face is more than noticable.

„Sweetheart, could you-“

With a hint of sarcasm lingering in his tone, he rolls your pet name off his tongue, teasingly yet lovingly. However, you interrupt him instantaneously, for his unwanted movements displease you without question.

„No! Don‘t move, I‘m almost finished!“

Soft sounds of led fluttering over paper has a somewhat calming effect on Law, given the fact he himself does it for hours on end, working through nights, taking notes to still his hunger for knowledge.

Through the corner of his eye, he watches how concentration marks your expression, tongue slightly sticking out and brows furrowed in complete fixation.

Law can't help but give off a small huff to that display, amused by the desirable woman sketching him with sheer determination.

A gentle touch to his cheek takes him aback, ripping him out of trance, as you trace your digits along his austere jaw line.

„You . . stop that! Are you done?“

„Oh yes.“

„Then why are you fondling me? It's unheard of!“

With your palm resting on his side, you lean in and gift him a small peck onto his now agape in surprise lips.

„Just wanted to check if I drew your handsome features correctly.“

Frozen, Law only musters to grunt at you in annoyance, though you can detect a tinge of mellow in his storm grey eyes. It tickles you everytime how stoic and profound he holds his demeanor, attempting to keep himself together, even before you.

Not dwelling on it too long, you proudly present your sketch.

„What do you think?“

His eyes widen, out of speechlessness he only manages to shake his head.

„Did you have to give my face a blush? I clearly wasn't!“

„Sure, whatever my flustered supernova says.“

You purr at Law sheepishly, opting him to debate about taking an unannounced leave or face you with an ever spreading glow in his try hard serious expression. He goes for the latter with an exasperated sigh:

„I'm not very apt in art, but I think it looks alright . . at least I can recognise that shady figure.“

Enhancing 'shady' with a dash of jest in his voice, a subtle smile enframes his mouth and a cozy feeling overcomes you by that sight. You backtalk with sass in your tone:

„Oi, be nice! It's just a quick sketch.“

Getting off from his seat, he towers before you and lets adoration guide his hand towards your chin, lifting it to meet your gaze:

„Just keep on practising and you'll be a wonderful artist in no time, (Y/n). Come on, lets get going.“

And now it's you who has to fight with the inner coil of heat, abashment written all over you, as you lean into his touch. What a needy woman you are, Law thinks to himself, enjoying how easily he can turn the tables on you. To top it all off, he adds:

„Oh and if you need a refrence for anatomy studies, feel free to ask me, I'll gladly show you how male bodies function.“

That dirty little-

[itwasthereaminuteago]

|| Hell's Belle ||

Outlaw Frank Castle x Saloon girl reader

Tags/warnings: sex worker reader, oral (f rec), p in v unprotected sex (wrap it B4 you tap it!), blood, bit of angst, mention of death, mentions of canon typical violence, fluff.

W/c ~ 5300

A/n: thank you to @e-dubbc11 who showed me gunslinger Punisher art and had me cranking this out ahead of all my other wips! Huge thanks to @stress--relief for beta reading! If you enjoy my writing please comment/reblog it would be much appreciated! 💕

You finish rolling up your stockings, smoothing the band of silk and lace neatly over your thigh before arranging your dress, then you dab on the lightest touch of rouge and perfume before it's time to work.

As you descend the staircase to the bar you feel the eyes are on you as usual, men and a few women too. Among them are those belonging to a man dressed hat to boots in black, sitting in the corner of the bar with Billy. He'd been in here for the past few nights, stealing looks when he thought you didn't notice, but you noticed everything. It was a survival skill in this environment. You could tell so much about a person by the clothes they wore, how they carried themselves, who they spoke to and what they drank. It paid to be perceptive and aware of the little things, if you missed the subtle way a man was about to reach for his weapon, things could get very dangerous. Everything about this particular fella screamed danger, and even seated you could tell he was big. He had stubble on his jaw you could strike a match on and yet he hadn't yet worked up the cojones to try his luck with you. Or maybe women just weren't his thing.

You take your seat at the bar and Josie hands you a drink as you cross one leg over the other, getting comfortable.

As the evening draws on you shoo away the sleezy advances of the normal punters, but you can't help note that the newcomer has barely taken his eyes from you all night. You were used to it, you had that effect on people. All of the girls in Hell's Belles were sweet, but you were the sweetest, a gilded lily if there ever was one. You were in demand, your reputation surpassed you, and you were therefore able to charge whatever you wanted for a night in your chamber, and could afford to be fussy with who you let in.

However, tonight Mr Tall, Dark and Menacing finally decided to approach the bar and so you prepared yourself for the usual shit you had to endure from outlaws and so-called sharpshooters who thought they could walk in and take whatever they wanted. 

He was in for a shock.

"Buy you a drink, miss?" His voice is deep and thick, like gravel mixed with molasses, and at this close distance your first impression that he was handsome was not wrong, although in a rugged and rough kind of way, with a nose that you'd wager had been broken more than once.

"You can buy me a drink, but don't think it'll get you anywhere, mister. I've seen you sitting with Billy Russo, and I don't doubt he's told you I don't just lift my skirts and lay down for any old gunslinger."

Frank nods politely. "That he did miss, but uh, if you pardon me, nobody said we gotta be layin' down…"

He's bold, and smooth, you'll give him that. He might have even raised a tiny smile from you with that cheeky remark, but still you roll your eyes.

"Whatever the lady's having." He says to the barmaid.

"Charge him for a double, Josie." You add.

"Thank you ma'am." Frank says as he passes his last wad of notes to Josie without any reluctance, tiling his head to the side. "Any reason, or you just like messin' with strangers?"

"As I said, you're with Billy, and he's on my shit list so you get to suffer too."

"What'd he do, if you don' mind me askin'?"

'He talks too damn much."

At that Frank chuckles, raising his tumbler. "Ain't that the truth. Boy definitely has a mouth on 'im."

"Mm." You look him up and down unashamedly. "I get the feeling you're more of the strong, silent type."

"Maybe. Could be whatever you want me to be Miss." Frank rumbles and you decide that you like his attitude. You're not giving over so easily though. You sigh and take a sip of your drink. "How about gone? You can't afford me."

"S'funny, I was thinkin' of knocking over a bank this week, that change anythin'?" Frank proposes, despite your thorny exterior he's not lost one iota of confidence.

You laugh. "Oh you're very funny, mister…?"

"Castle. Frank Castle." He offers his hand and you place your empty glass in it.

He gestures to Josie for a refill. "M'serious though, s'why I'm in town. Got some business to take care of." He's got an edge to his look, a hint of something heavy hanging over him.

You nod towards the twin pistols that hang from either side of his chest.

"That kinda business? Those are some big guns you've got there mister Castle."

"The size don't matter sweetheart, it's knowin' how to use em, but I'll warrant you know all about that."

"Mm, careful with the 'sweethearts' Castle, I'm not yours yet, and sadly I'm rarely impressed." You reply with a shortness.

"Apologies Miss, but maybe you look out from your balcony at dawn tomorrow if you want your proof."

You shake your head and smile. "Hmm, it's gotta be a damn special man that'll make me get out of bed before dawn."

Frank's mouth quirks up at the side and he tips his hat as he finishes his drink, pushing off the bar. "Maybe. S'been a pleasure talkin' with you Miss. G'night."

His drawl settles deep within you bringing with it a hint of heat and you curse yourself, hoping he'll prove your doubts wrong that he's a drifter just like any other, that he'll actually be worth the gamble. Or at least worth losing a lie in. You could do with the money after all.

You prop your chin up on your hand on the bar. "C'mon Jose, spill."

Josie gives you a knowing look as she leans across to share what she knows. Josie hears everything. "Well, he's an outlaw, but you knew that already."

You click your tongue. "Yeah, and? Surely you've heard some talk."

"Mm. Word is he's an outlaw that's been killin' other outlaws, maybe just for the money, or revenge. Dunno what he's gettin' revenge for though."

You glance over your shoulder to where Russo is laughing heartedly but Castle isn't giving away any emotion.

"Careful honey, that there's a rough road you don't wanna go down. He might be charmin' but he sounds like bad news. I heard some folks call him The Punisher."

When you eventually retire for the night you find you can't rid your mind of him, and you're up and pulling on your silk robe before the first rays of the sun break above the horizon. 

The air on the balcony is blessedly cool and the street mostly empty but then you see a few figures gathering on the dirt road, one of them an unmistakeable tall, dark silhouette. They talk for a while and then Frank Castle and his dueling opponent slowly walk to opposing ends of the street.

The air grows tense as they stand there, ready, waiting for the signal to draw. When it comes everything moves like lightning. It's over so quickly, Frank's coat swirls around his legs along with the dust cloud he's kicked up as he spun around. Your gaze flits to the other end of the street and you see his opponent is still standing, but his pistols have been shot straight out of his hands and lie on the ground.

Billy is down there too, laughing and demanding that the other bystander pay up a wager. You watch Frank holster his own pistols, a shiver of a thrill climbing up your spine as he turns to look up towards your window, subtly tipping his hat because he knew you'd be there watching. Of course he knew, and now you're even more intrigued to see if he'll approach you again later tonight, and put his money where his mouth is.

Sure enough that night he walks up to the bar beside you and orders a full bottle of whiskey. 

"Fine evenin', Miss." He says, tipping his hat. You accept the glass that he slides over to you and then stand up, your heels clicking as you cross the wooden floor to the stairs.

"You can bring the bottle." You call over your shoulder.

He follows after a beat, shooting a look towards Billy who just shakes his head in disbelief.

"Yes ma'am."

You're sitting on the edge of the bed when he knocks and enters, removing his hat and coat and hanging them on the hook on the back of the door. 

"Like what you saw this mornin', Miss?"

"Maybe. Are you always that flashy?"

The ghost of a smile appears on his grizzled face. "Nah, just a bit of fun. 'sides, it got me here didn't it?"

You walk over to him, standing close, sliding your hands over his black waistcoat and shirt and then down to his harness, releasing his guns from their soft leather holsters and pulling them out. They're a nice weight in your hands and you notice the handles are expertly inlaid with tiny white skulls bright against the ebony.

"Wanted to see if you can handle a woman as well as you handle these." You invite, placing them down gently on your bureau. He grabs you then and you gasp as he holds you fast, one strong arm wrapped around your waist and the other sliding into your hair as he allows his dark brown gaze to roam over you. You heat up instantly at his gall.

"Ain't gonna rush this." He says, before dipping his head to kiss you. Despite all appearances his lips are pillowy soft and slow against your own. He's right, he's in no rush but you open up for him a little as his tongue lightly trails the seam of your mouth. He kisses at your bottom lip, tugs on it just enough to get you to release a pained sound, and then he's kitten licking, teasing the taste of him as your hands snake up around his thick neck and shoulders to pull him closer. You want more.

He lifts you up easily, walking you to the bed and setting you down to sit on the edge again and you watch him, feeling yourself grow wet between your thighs as he steps back and carefully rolls up his sleeves.

"What happened to not needing to lay down?" You ask as he gently persuades you down onto your back. He hikes up your dress skirts, sliding his big hands with surety up your legs, bunching the fabric around your hips. He has a darkness and hunger in his eyes and it scares and arouses you in equal measure.

"I told ya Miss. Gonna take my time. May I?" He gestures to your skimpy underclothes and you nod, lifting your hips as he gently pulls your soaked frilly knickers down your legs and throws them aside. He gets down on his knees on the rug and your heart is thumping hard against your bustier. It's not so often that a man will go down on you for your pleasure alone, and this man, this dark brooding beast, looks like he's waited all his days to do just that.

His hands smooth up the outsides of your thighs over your silky stockings and grip your waist as he carefully pulls you closer to the edge of the bed. You sigh deeply as he spreads your legs apart. 

"I gotta say Miss… you're a true beauty. The sweetest balm for the eyes." He licks his lips and it's all you can do to moan long and loud as he puts his sweet-talking mouth to work on you. He knows exactly what he's doing, pushing all of your proverbial buttons and driving out the most desperate sounds that you've ever heard yourself make. He licks and laps, sucks on your clit and fucks you so damn good with just his mouth and tongue, but your pussy aches with need and so you paw for his hand, urging him to slip his fingers in. There's a rumble deep in his throat as he covers two thick digits in your slick and slowly pushes them in your entrance, stretching you just a little.

"Mmm, oh fuck, just like that…"

"Yeah?" The low tone of his voice makes your cunt squeeze around his fingers and he watches you react. "Y'like that Miss?" He asks eagerly as he starts to curl his fingers, stroking your inner walls in a way that has you panting for breath as you feel your orgasm being easily teased from you.

"Yeah, that's it girl," he rasps, "let it go."

You cry out, your back arching. He holds your legs apart with his free hand as you shake, trying to close them on him but he makes you come, leaning back down and flicking his fucking insanely dexterous tongue over your sensitive clit as you fall apart, clenching around him over and over until he finally slows and stops, leaving you a breathless mess.

You watch him as he gets to his feet, licking his fingers and lips with an admittedly well deserved satisfaction. He takes a sip of whiskey and offers you one too, before he sets it aside to unbutton his waistcoat and shirt. When you were close you could feel that he was built, but seeing him unclothed from the waist up had you drinking every chiseled inch of muscle in with a deep thirst.

You tugged at the bow to your bodice lacing, loosening it and turning so he could unwrap you. He said he was gonna take his time, and take his sweet time he does. He kisses every inch of your skin he exposes with reverence, repeating his praise of your beauty until you are naked but for your stockings. You push him back against the wall running your fingers through his hair, scratching your nails over his jaw as you kiss your way down his neck and broad chest. Your hand slides lower still, feeling every ridge and dip of muscle until he hisses and groans when you palm over his hard confined length. 

"It's how you use it," you squeeze and he makes a gruff sound. "So use it." 

He untangles himself from you only to strip off his boots and britches in a hot second, and then he's spinning you around, taking hold of your leg, lifting it up and sliding himself inside your slick heat with a grunt. You moan with the relief you feel as he fills you. He's perfect, hitting your spot as he thrusts into you slow and steady, like he could keep this up all night long if you asked him to. Your teeth graze along his collarbone as he fucks you up against the wall, his own pleasure quiet and restrained while you let the whole Kitchen know that some lucky guy is ringing the queen of the bordello's bell.

You wake up late, alone, sore but sated. The covers had been pulled up around your shoulders and you stretch out your body contentedly, until the realisation hits you that you hadn't taken any money from him.

Fuck. 

You usually made your clients pay it up front but he had you so distracted… 

When you roll over to push yourself up you freeze. There's a sizable stack of notes sitting there on your nightstand, way more than you were planning to charge when you counted them. You'd have to take it to your stash soon, it wasn't wise to have that much money laying around on the premises. 

Frank Castle had proved himself, in more ways than one, and the girls were quick to grill you about him when you went to bathe. 

"So, you survived, and how was he?" Madani smirks as you settle into the tub.

You can't stop the sly smile from spreading across your lips. "Thorough." 

Karen laughs. "Yeah we kinda noticed you're late up, you never sleep in!"

You sigh softly, sinking into the hot water that was easing your sore muscles. "Oh you girls should get a piece for yourself, he sure knows how to treat a lady." 

He had put your pleasure before everything else last night, and that was a rare thing in your line of work, especially from a drifter.

"Oh, believe us we've tried. I reckon all of the girls have been to his table. He was polite and all but he wasn't interested in any of us. Seems he only has eyes for you, sugar. How about that?"

You only raise a brow and carry on washing your hair, the gorgeous rose scent carrying in the steam of the baths.

Karen leans across nudging Madani. "Just look at her, she's smitten."

You throw your washcloth at them, splashing water everywhere. "Am not! It's just refreshin' to get a good customer once in a while."

Madani grins. "Oh you are sugar, you got them dreamy eyes, wonderin' if you're gonna see him again."

Karen cackles. "Yep, you get one good dick and you're already pickin' out your weddin' dress!"

"Quit it you two!"

-

You take half of your earnings to the bank that afternoon, the rest of it tucked securely in your garter to be deposited elsewhere. You never entirely trusted the banks to keep your nest egg safe. The church at the end of the street was quiet as usual, there were less and less god-fearing residents these days; it was more for decoration than worship.

"Father, it's just me!" You call as you walk down between the scruffy termite-ridden pews towards the altar. Reverend Murdock was arranging the bibles for Mass and lifted his head to flash you a smile.

"Haven't seen you here for some time, come to pray, confess, or make a deposit?" 

Of all the people in this shithole of a town, it was perhaps surprising that the reverend understood you the most. He was a peculiar man in terms of the religion he supposedly practiced and preached. He didn't judge you harshly for your career path, and he always had an ear to lend whenever you needed it.

"It's the latter today, I'm actually getting close to having enough."

He chuckles, "and here I thought you'd drained the pocketbooks of all the men in this town! I kid, I'm happy to hear it although I'll miss you when you leave."

You retrieve your stashed bundle of notes and hand them to him as you embrace. "Well there's always fresh blood, father, and thank you, again.

"That's what I'm afraid of. Alright, I'll keep this safe for you. Will you be coming along tonight for prayer?" 

You giggle. "I'm sorry father, I've been on my knees so much recently they're practically red raw, I don't think I can!" You slap him playfully on the arm and he chuckles along with you as you say your goodbyes.

-

"You know just how lucky you are, you mangy dog?" Billy was also grilling Frank on the previous night's activities.

"I do. You ain't gettin' anythin' outta me though. Gentleman never tells." 

Billy just grins. "Gentleman… pah! Can see it already, one night Castle, and you're soft on her."

Frank shoots him a stony glare. 

He holds his hands up in defense. "Don't blame you brother. You ready to go do this?"

-

The next night Frank appears with bloody knuckles and another thick stack of bills. He takes you apart on the bed. First with his fingers as your own hand curls around his cock and you pant into each other's mouths before you let him fuck you. Most men would take you from behind like you're only a hole for them, but not him. He lays you down, and you get a sense of just how big he is as he holds himself above you, his lips trailing tantalising kisses all over your skin before he enters you slowly. He treats you gently, he's making love to you, and it's not without a fiery passion. You wrap your legs around him tightly as you drag your nails lightly up his back at the unfiltered bliss you're experiencing.

"This okay, Miss? Goddamn y'feel fuckin' heavenly..."

You murmur your agreement. "Y'don't have to call me Miss anymore." you breathe. He rolls his hips deliciously, kissing up your neck and under your jaw as he moves like a wave. 

"Mm, what should I be callin' you? Darlin'? Honey? Sweetheart?" He thrusts deeper with every term of endearment he suggests and you start to lose your mind.

"How 'bout just… my name?" And you whisper it to him, nipping gently at his earlobe.

"Such a pretty name, for a pretty girl." When it rolls off his tongue full of sin as he says it back to you, you're gone.

Afterwards, he uses your basin to clean up and starts reaching for his clothes and you make a decision.

"You got somewhere to be tonight Castle?" You ask, watching him pause at the question.

"Depends. Didn't think you'd want me to stay the night." 

You pat the space on the mattress he's left beside you. "A girl can get lonely."

He hesitates for a mere moment before he climbs back in beside you. "Much rather be here than the boardin' house, that's for sure."

You smile and take his hand, your expression fading to concern as you kiss over his raw and bruised knuckles. 

"Just business." He says in answer to your silent question.

"Not the fun kind." You offer.

He shakes his head and takes your hand in his with returning kisses. He wasn't going to tell you he bloodied his fists beating information out of someone, information that moved him ever closer to his revenge.

"You get the money alright?" He asks, changing the subject.

You nod. "It's more than I expected." 

"Worth every penny." He looks down at your joined hands, his thumb passing mindlessly over your soft skin. "And uh, if you'll have me, I'll keep comin' as long as I'm around."

You find yourself stunned by his admission, yet another rarity to be asked if you wanted to see a man again. "You keep throwing all your money at me Frank, I'm gonna be outta here in no time."

"S'that right? You savin' up to escape?" 

You nod.

"Know where you're gonna go?" 

You don't normally talk about your plans with your customers, but for some reason you feel like you want to with Frank. "I dunno, just… somewhere else. Far away. It's been fun but I don't wanna be doin' this forever."

Frank nods and grabs the whiskey bottle, taking a slug. "So uh, s'that mean I might just be your last?"

You smile as you straddle him, stealing the drink from him. "Mm. You might just be, Frank."

You set the bottle down and idly trail random patterns over his bare chest with your fingers. "How long are you planning on staying?"

He gazes up at you, his expression suddenly solemn and hard and it makes you regret probing further.

"Until it's done." He simply says.

You're still half asleep and barely register when he kisses your cheek in the morning before he leaves. "Might be gone a couple days…" he whispers, but you only murmur softly as the bedroom door closes behind him.

-

He didn't bank on this, he was just following the trail of blood from town to town, and making a trail of his own as he tortured and despatched those that had wronged him in pursuit of vengeance. He thought it was so clear and simple, but now there was you. He had only meant to ease the weight of his task, to forget why he was doing this for a little while, to lose himself in a pretty girl. 

Frank tightens the strap of the stirrups and pulls himself up into the saddle, checking his pistols are fully loaded before clicking his tongue and coaxing his horse onward.

-

You visit the church again to stash more of your savings. On the way the streets are rife with reports that there's been a massacre in the county and Reverend Murdock meets you at the door. "You hear the news? Bank got shot up in the next town, total carnage. Folks say there wasn't even money stolen, just the owners and the guards shot clean through the eye."

'What?" Your first thoughts go to Frank. You shouldn't have been surprised, you knew his reputation and it was clear he was in the area for a specific reason. You just hoped that if it turned out to be him that he did what he did for a damn good reason.

-

It's late and you're dozing as you're woken by a knock at your door. It's Josie.

"M'sorry to wake you love but it's the outlaw. Should I tell 'im to git? It's mighty late and frankly he's a mess but figured I should check with you first."

You could have just ignored him but something makes you pull on your robe and follow Josie downstairs. You thank her and open the door to find Frank leaning up against the frame. You already know the truth of what's happened. You can't see his face but you can tell he's injured. 

"The bank?" You ask him.

He nods. "There's somethin' I wanna tell you, I know you don't owe me nothin' but…"

"C'mon," you beckon him in. "Leave your coat and shit down here."

You lead him through the empty bar up to the private bathroom and get the kettle from the range, sitting him down and taking a good look at him in the oil lamp light. 

"M'fine." He protests, but you motion him to take off his dirty shirt and instantly spot an angry graze on his side. You grab a towel and wet it, dabbing the blood from the wound and making sure it's not deep. It's when you're in front of him that he finally speaks as you're cleaning a cut on his cheek.

"Few years back, a gang run by someone I owed money to broke into my home while I was outta town." Your eyes flick to meet his but you stay silent as you work, letting him continue.

"House wasn't empty though, my wife, my boy, my little girl were there…"

You sit back, feeling a coldness creep into the room.

"They uh, turned the place over lookin' for the money y'know, an' when they couldn't find none they killed them. Killed my family."

Your hand moves to cover your mouth in shock. You can't imagine what it would be like to face such horror. Your eyes brim with tears for both them and him. "Oh Frank! I- I'm so sorry."

He reaches for you, stroking the side of your face with a gentleness that used to contrast his demeanor. But not now.

"You don't gotta be sorry for me sweetheart. I've done my grievin'. Been searchin' for so long, tearin' up the world since then, and I finally found the fucker behind it all, and the fuckin' scum that worked under him, the ones that did it. Rotten to the fuckin' core, all of em."

"...and last night, you did it, they're dead aren't they, it's done?" You looked right at him, his gaze didn't waver.

"Yeah, It's done. My family, they can rest now." He sighs, saying those words out loud feels like a ten tonne weight has been lifted off his shoulders. 

"Listen, they'll be lookin' for me, I gotta get outta here. I just- I guess I didn't wanna leave without sayin' goodbye."

You cup his face in your hands and lay a soft kiss on his lips. "Stay, rest. It ain't the kinda night to be riding off right now. You can set off at dawn." 

He nods, conceding instantly. He's dog-tired from fighting, from riding, from thinking, but the thought of spending one last night in the haven of your bed was just what he needed.

You make sure he's fed and watered before you lead him to your room.

Frank promised himself that once this was over, once he had gotten closure, he'd allow himself a new life, one where there was peace. Maybe one day even happiness. As he curled his body around the warmth of your sleeping form he wondered if maybe you'd feature in it.

It was a stupid thought as you barely knew each other but maybe you knew enough. But either way he couldn't stop his dumb mouth from moving.

"Sweetheart," he calls into your skin. "I was thinkin'..."

You stir, turning in his arms and blinking open your eyes. He looks different, the darkness is gone. "Yeah Frank?"

"Know you were thinkin' o' leaving this place. Thought that maybe-"

You finish his sentence before he can. "I could go with you?" 

He tucks a few stray strands of hair behind your ear. "Only if y'wanna. I know you're a strong woman, but the world's a dangerous place, an' I'd feel better knowin' that you're safe, least until you find somewhere y'wanna be."

"You'd protect me?" You ask, enjoying the way he suddenly turns bashful when you're looking at him the way you are, like he's offering up something that he's kept locked away for a long while. 

"Would do my damned best. And, y'know, although he's good company, Billy ain't as pretty as you."

You smile at his charms and it coaxes one from him too. He pulls you closer, kissing you as he rolls you on top and you're careful to avoid his injury as you place your knees on either side of his hips. His hands run up your back, pulling your nightdress up and off over your head.

"Beautiful." He murmurs as he guides you back down to him, his lips laying sweet kisses along your neck.

"C'mere Castle." Your purr, working his underwear off and releasing his thickening cock. You moan into mouth as he captures your lips again, grinding up against your bare pussy. 

A whispered fuck leaves him as you grasp him in your hand, lining him up and lowering yourself slowly down on him. "Yeah, that's it darlin'," his eyes are full of adoration as he watches you, he can't stop running his hands over you, feeling the softness of your skin and furrowing his fingers in your hair as you take him.

"Think you'd be happy enough only havin' me in your bed from now on?" Frank asks you. 

You try not to laugh, to give him the satisfaction of knowing that if every time was gonna be like this then yes, you couldn't ever ask for more.

"Think I just might get by, Castle." You smile before your mouth meets his, your hips moving fluidly as you ride him slow. His hands hold your hips, the rough pads of his thumbs stroking your skin and the combined sensations drawing a sweet moan from your throat. He can't help but join you, the thought that there might be room for a little real love in both of your lives is a welcome one.

You draw nearer your peak, your breath hushed and clipped as Frank commands your pleasure. His thumb dances over your clit, his eyes transfixed on your face as you unravel for him. Your sweet cunt pulses and flutters around his cock and he follows you into that euphoric state, spilling inside you with a freeing moan.

He holds you as you're laying on him, tangled in the sheets and each other. 

"So where we headin' to first?"

He strokes your cheek and cocks his head. "S'that a yes?"

You kiss him on the bridge of his nose. You'd miss your girls, Josie, the reverend… but this was what you'd been waiting so long for.

"Yes, I'll come with you Castle." 

.

.

Tags (if you want added or removed let me know): @divinearchangel @saintmurd0ck @castlesnchurches @mindidjarin @hellskitchenswhore @pedrito-friskito @sweetieswiftie @shedaresthedevil @freshabogados @father4giveme @stress--relief @e-dubbc11 @whistle1whistle @tea-and-wine @emiemiemiii @imherefordeanandbones @officialjanetsnakehole @munsonownsmyass @marvelswh0re @frankcastlescumslut @chellestrash @chvoswxtch @messymissy @evilbubu @lucy-sky @yanna-banana @anna-hawk

[danielle-dna]

23 - Failure

It is hard when we fail. It is even harder when everyone around us makes us even more aware of it. My entire life I felt like a failure. The biggest instigator for my feelings of inadequacy was my primary school teacher.

For some reason the woman hated my guts. Which was weird, imagine having something seriously against a seven year old girl who is half your size. She insulted my artworks, so I stopped painting and drawing. She said I'm too slow and awkward, so I stopped trying to be faster and better at sprinting. She said I'm too slow at math, because I can't calculate in my head without writing stuff down, so I accepted that I simply suck at math. I accepted the fact that I am a failure.

Until recently. No more whining or feeling sorry for myself. I discovered long time ago that if good things don't come to you, you need to find the good things, no matter how long it takes. That woman may have set me up for failure, but I am one spiteful bitch, so I refuse to to make her vision come true.

This kind of psychological conditioning leaves your social skills seriously underdeveloped but that didn't stop Simon from inviting me over to spend some time with his friends from the military. I was very nervous. At that point I have already turned twenty two, however, they were still at least seven years older than me.

"But, Simon, what will they think about us, especially our age gap?" I was pacing around the lounge, waiting for his friends to show up. "I'll make sure that not a single one of 'em say anything that upsets you, don't you worry love."

The dreaded knock on the door followed.

Enter three very handsome men. I was already familiar with the man with the mohawk, Soap, and I could swear the one with the beard and fishing hat was the same man with the stern look I saw when Simon took me shooting. I have never seen the third man, but he did seem very friendly and even closer to my age.

After a few awkward handshakes I learned that the stern man was in fact the captain of Simons' squad! No wonder he was so stern and focused on his work when I saw him. The younger man was called Kyle, but they all called him Gaz for some reason.

I also learned that they are all on the same team and Gaz is only five years older than me. That alone made me feel like a baby. Even their youngest was older than me. I did my damndest to look older today. Make up, high heels, more mature outfit consisting of a long skirt and black t shirt that covered everything, combined with some simple gold jewelry. I still felt too immature to be in the same room as them.

But then my biggest fear realised became true: they started talking about football.

[wolfdrawer]

OK, have something for Torbek and Twig!! Allow me to ramble and then after all this, time for some drawings!!

Side note: There is still magic in this au, however i made it so it's very selective so yes, Twig is still a brownie, however she's not warlock. I would say more, the classes are not specific. So it's more soft magic system.

Torbek:

•Once a mayor of a town, racked with so much paranoia of the hobgoblins appearing and ruining his reputation, he goes off the deep end, taxing his citizens to the point of bankruptcy, fueling his own needs of drinking away the paranoia, and desperately finding out who he can trust. He went off the deep end, drinking and blacking out, becoming more and more paranoid to the point of accusing innocents of betrayal and sabotage, locking them away and violently (not torture more mad yelling and ramblings) hassling them to why they are betraying this town. One day, the towns people had enough and rioted, breaking into the mayor's office, stealing back their wealth and rescuing their family and friends. Backed into a corner, the mayor fled out of his window, grabbing his booze and going anywhere but his home. A shell of his former self, with only alcohol to comfort him and the hazy memories of where he came from.

•In this, he did have a wife but he scared her so badly, can't stand seeing him in such distress and violence, that she had to leave him and run away, leaving behind only the scarf she made for him. Yes, her name is Clementine and she is a moth lady because of a theory I have for Torbek's life in the regular Witchlight.

•He has no weapons per se and in this, he doesn't have witchlight powers or blood curses so his only defense is his feral growing nails and his alcohol bottles.

•He wears messy typical mayor clothing that is stained and ripped in too many ways. Typical hobo look but more put together. He's just traveling around being a menace...in the nicest way possible.

Twig:

•Bar maid that wishes for more in life while working long hours at the (Tavern Name pending). With her pet pig, they save their money to get out of the town they live in.

•Twig is her same chipper war crime self, but more restricted because she doesn't have many options. I would have to look up Brownie powers and other fae magic to fully explain.

•Pigtunia is no longer a familiar but she is a pet that is loyal and kind of follows Twig around when ready.

•Her weapons of choice are a work in progress because I want her to have some kind of hard hitting weapon, looking up blunt weapons now because Twig with a gun is hilarious, but also Twig just hitting people like their baseballs is also really funny...she can get one gun, as a treat and it'll be brutal.

•Her outfit when the boys first meet her is typical bar maid outfit, like you'd see in a tavern, not those kinds though. Her outfit change when she officially joins the crew, is a red cowboy hat that she sews mushroom spots into, because I want that motif, and the woman cowboy outfit, hard to explain again but the colors are from her dress in Witchlight.

And that's all for now!! Next up is drawings and I want to put in so much detail but at the same time, I don't know how much will actually be described...Please enjoy!!

[symphonic-scream]

I can't help it I'm giving y'all more of the heroes au

Makoto and Haru study at the same school! Makoto is a very studious law student, glasses, collared shirts and crew neck sweaters, the full nerdy look. Haru is a business major, appears to be all kindness and smiles, wearing bright colours and fluffy clothes

Queen is a total punk. Loud, follows her truth, doesn't back down. Her main suit is dark blue, based on her dad's old one from his time as a Prime Age hero (spandex, bleh). To modernize it and give it a spin more towards her tastes, she wears big, spiked combat boots, dark sliced up jeans, double studded belts, fingerless gloves, a choker, and of course, a leather jacket. Her mask is metal and the top is spiked upwards like a crown. Her jacket has a lesbian flag patch on the front, near the breast pocket! She's known for being a lady-killer during interviews

Noire is teasing smiles, flirty words laced with distraction, slipping past through the night. Her signature is the dark hat she wears with the indigo feather. At each scene she visited as a vigilante, a perfumed feather would be left behind. The light pink collared shirt, the tall purple gloves, her indigo slacks and maroon boots, they all scream musketeer. Her purple lipstick is another icon of her appearance, under the standard black domino mask she wears.

(Queen becomes accustomed to trying to wipe said lipstick off of herself before reuniting with her team)

Makoto and Sae have a stilted relationship. Sae blames the Iron Will power for their father's death, and resents Makoto for "choosing it over her, just like dad"

Haru has a hideout! It's an attic above the barely used arts building at the University. Since it's more of an academics based school, no one really spends too long there. The garden on the roof above the attic gave Haru the perfect excuse to visit, however

Okay some power notes for everyone

Joker has his Wildcard deck. It's a 52 card deck of 52 different powers! He received them from a higher spirit (Lavenza) who chose him to be her chosen hero, bestowing unto him her deck of powers and. A companion. [psst that's Morgana]. The deck resides in a pocket dimension unless he calls upon it, and with practice he's able to pull just one card rather than the deck, making it easier to just draw his random power

Ryuji was struck by lightning. Yup that's it. Now he's like a walking static charge! His hair stands on end from his natural charge, and now (with practice) he can hold back from shocking people randomly. He finds it best to use a metal bat to channel his power

Ann is rather hot (pun intended!), thanks to her flames. It's an inherited power, it skipped a generation. Her grandfather was a hero back in Europe! Her pigtails end in flames when her power is active, and she can form flames in her hands, though she's working on mastering control over the temperature and shit

Yusuke is from the 1800's, he was frozen and thawed in this age and he's. Still a bit odd. His body temperature is always lower, and the frost tends to crawl from his touch

Futaba can speak with machines, like when she touches them she "hears" what they're all about. That's all I have to say she's a nerd. Her mom had the same thing lmao

The Niijima Iron Will is, well, manifesting strong metal around themselves. Makoto tends to pull forth metal fisticuffs, aka brass knuckles, for punches and shit, though she can also bring up personal shields and minor bits of armour

And Haru!! She has the classic Psychic stuff. Telekinesis and all that. An unofficial power of hers is being really good at flustering miss Queen wink wink

TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS I WANT TO TALK ABOUT TJIS PLEASE

[snootlestheangel]

This isn't going to be COD related, it's an Overwatch rant like thingy so feel free to ignore, I just needed to put this down somewhere to organize my thoughts

So next season is going to have a mythic for a support. At least I'm assuming based on how they've been doing it. There's 3 DPS with mythic skins, 3 tanks now, and only 2 supports. I would assume they're gonna do another support mythic next

Anyways!

I've been dreaming about a Mercy mythic so here's my idea. It has the possibility of being the most customizable mythic skin if they do it right. But also the most ambitious mythic skin.

There will be some image references at the bottom of the post 😊

Nymph Mercy

In other words Water, Earth, Fire, and Air/Sky would be the main designs behind the skin.

The outfit of the skin I'm still not sure on what it could look like. Perhaps just some kind of dress type outfit that you would believe a Nymph would wear should they wear clothing. Like I have a partial image in my head but I can't convey it in words and unfortunately I cannot draw for shit so 🤷🏻‍♀️

The areas of customization would be Weapon (obviously), Wings, Hair, Halo (headpiece), and Color. Every Mercy skin has some variation of her hair and a headpiece of some sort: whether it is a typical Halo or some type of hat/horns/crown.

There would be 4 options of customization behind each area, which would all be based on the different Nymph types. For example, there would be a Water weapon choice that you could elect to pair with the Air Halo and the Earth wings.

I always feel like for mythic skins there's the base theme which inspired the customizations. For example, the Wing option to make them appear like a waterfall would work best for the blue color scheme, however would still look good in green, red, and white.

Just like other mythics, the color scheme selected would affect the weapon/wings/hair/headpiece but not the style. For example, on the Kiriko mythic skin, you can customize the crown and hair. The hair styles and crown styles stay the same based on the color, but the colors of the rope tying up her hair changes.

Weapon

The first choice would be the water weapon. Her caduceus would be made of sea glass and would appear to have water moving through it. The centerpiece would be an orb that resembles water and glows yellow when healing and a bright blue when damage boosting. The color of the sea glass and liquids would change based on color selection. The blue selection would resemble water; then you can have green sea glass and "water"; then red; then white/pearlescent.

Her pistol would appear similarly to the staff, with color affecting the color of her bullets. (She normally fires yellow bullets)

The "earth" weapon would appear to be made of vines and twigs, with flowers! Works best with green color scheme but still looks good with other selections. This is because the base would be a brown color that appears to be a branch. This will not be affected by color, but instead the thin vines wrapped around it and the flowers change color.

"Fire" weapon would be made of stones with a magma like substance visible between the rocks. The stones will go from a dark black in the red color scheme to a light gray in the white scheme, a semi dark gray in both blue and green.

The "air" weapon would be like clouds surrounding a lightning bolt. The clouds are always white but appear to glow with the color of the bolt, which changes based on color scheme. White scheme keeps a yellow bolt, but still fires white bullets (like she's shooting little clouds at you 😊).

Halo/Headpiece

The "water" headpiece is a silver halo that has droplets and water lillies. The droplet colors change based on color scheme.

Earth headpiece is a crown of a brown base with thin vines wrapped around and flowers. Thin vines and flowers change color based on scheme.

Fire headpiece is a stony helmet that has "flames" coming out the sides. The fire/magma changes color based on scheme.

Cloud headpiece is a glowing halo based on color scheme.

Hair

Water hair would be a long, blue black, flowy style that doesn't have any updo of sorts.

Earth hair is a dark brown that is tied back in a fancy braid.

Fire hair is short, choppy, and a very dark red color.

Cloud hair is very light colored hair (blonde, silver, or pearlescent) that is tied in an updo around her head so it appears short and puffy.

Wings

Wings are designed similarly to her weapon.

Water wings appear like a waterfall

Earth wings have a dark base with vines.

Fire wings are stone with flames

Cloud wings are literally just glowing clouds (at this point)

And obviously color schemes are Blue, Green, Red, and White.

Not sure what the special voice lines would be but I honestly don't care. She could have no new special voice lines if this was her mythic and I wouldn't care.

Although now that I have this mental image stuck in my head, I know that no matter how good her actual mythic ends up being, I will still be a little disappointed. Cause this would be a fucking phenomenal, never to be topped, mythic skin

Also gonna go ahead and say if anyone that's good at art that wants to make this a reality, go right ahead. Just tag me/credit me for the inspiration.

Image references for how the customization appears/how it affects hair styles and headpieces as seen in Kiriko's mythic

[inthemiddle0feverywhere]

Okay don't cook me because I used ai because I literally cannot draw and I am too broke rn to pay for a commission.

But I created a Hazbin Hotel oc!

Meet Adeline! Or Adie for short. She's a slightly Appalachian gothic (and if I could draw she would be wearing a wide brimmed black bolero hat) witch that uses dark and black magic and came from Appalachia.

side note: I would have gone fully southern gothic and had her come from the deep south, but I didn't want anyone to think she did voodoo as it is an actual closed religion and not actually evil. I do however come from a long line of women from Germany who practice/ know Germanic witchcraft/ folk magic, and since Germans were some of the main settlers in Appalachia, if I were to write any fics with her I would pull from my own background a little (though I don't do dark magic lol). But I'm still pulling from your stereotypical Halloween spooky witch for her lore because it's a fake character for an animated show with made up characters so we can have fun with it.

As many of the characters resemble animals, she's a bat! And though she doesn't have wings in her sinner form, she can actually turn into a bat. Not actually a vampire but she did drink human bl00d during some of her rituals when she was alive, so I thought a bat would be the perfect animal for her.

She's not an overlord but no one owns her soul either. She's friends with Luci from when she was alive calling on him for favors and offering sacrifices as payment to him.

When she gets to Hell though she becomes besties with Alastor. She stays at the hotel too, though she probably can't be redeemed, she likes the idea and supports Charlie, Alastor and everyone's efforts. This may cause some tension when Charlie's dad does show up and Alastor finds out he and Adeline are also good friends.

Vox only focuses on Alastor but Val and Velvet HATE Adeline and often try to mess with her. They hate that no one's been able to make a deal with her for her soul but overlords do business with her anyway (she sells potions and poison's etc). They don't get far because she's pretty powerful herself.

She's powerful in spells, potion and poison making, necromancy, and can summon dead demons. I know in the show if you die in Hell, then you're dead-dead but a soul is energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed. So I hc that there's an even darker place where dead sinners and demons go. It's just a black, inky, Abyss. Where your soul isn't fully at rest it's a part of the darkness. And she can conjure them from there (again she doesn't own souls she just kinda borrows them when she needs to and then returns them to the Abyss)

During the final battle with heaven she would help by summoning an army of the dead.

Her powers look like black and purple smoke.

Rosie and Adeline are friends too. She's not a cannibal but having drank bl00d when she was alive she is welcome in Cannibal Town and often buys bones from Rosie's emporium for her rituals. (If anyone whose never watched Hazbin Hotel reads this they're gonna be like what the ever loving fucking demented shit is this HAHA)

She can be a healer too

or your worst nightmare.

[princess-josie-riki]

Alphabet Lore: I Do

This is my second Alphabet Lore horror/ghost AU, I Do.

N was a sweet and innocent letter who was shy around others and was about to marry his childhood best friend turned secret lover turned fiancé, F, a fierce and ruthless letter with a criminal record who was feared by all the letters except for N. Ever since they were lowercase letters, N and F had spent their childhood together. N had always kept F hidden to protect him. As they got older and became uppercase letters, the two fell in love and had formed a secret relationship, hoping that no would find out that they are dating or else they won't be accepted considering that they are not only opposites, but the same gender as well fearing that other letters would call it a forbidden love.

N and F then moved in together and spend their time together cuddling, kissing, helping around the house and so on. F and N were secretly engaged, promising that they would be married one day. Soon, the lovers came up with a plan to have their elopement wedding with just the two of them and no one else. However, fate had other plans.

Finally, the day arrived whereupon F and N were to be married. N looked radiant, as he stood at the altar, in his white wedding tuxedo and top hat. But, F never showed up yet, so N waited. But as the hours went by, N realized what he suspected: his husband-to-be, F had skipped out, and left him at the altar!

Later, N found out why F never showed up...F had died on the day he and N would be married! F's corpse was found by N that day. At F's funeral, N watched as F's coffin was being buried without saying a single word. N never cared that F was a criminal. His fondest dream was that they would always love each other and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, his dream was shattered.

N soon realized that if he can't be with F in life, then he would be would him in death. That night, N went to his closet, and put on his wedding tux and hat. He left his house and walked to the cliff. With tears in his sorrowful eyes, he knew that he would have no choice but to take his own life!

Nobody knew what happened to N that night. When the police came, they a suicide note written by N and discovered that he and F were a couple and that N and F's relationship was a secret and that they were going to be married, but it never happened due to F's death. N's lifeless body was eventually found. They buried him, in his wedding attire, right next to F's grave, in the cemetery where they would be together forever. However, their spirits weren't together.

Every night, the ghost of F would rise from beyond the grave with the same sharp teeth he had when he was alive, glowing blood red eyes that lack pupils, a tattered, ghostly white tuxedo stain in his own black blood and ghostly chains representing his wicked ways all over his body and haunt the cemetery, wandering around among the headstones, attacking and scaring anyone who trespasses with a haunting voice and looking for more victims. Although F is more dangerous and aggressive then when he was alive, he is still in love with his lost love, N, even in death.

The ghost of N, on the other hand, haunts his and F's home, wearing a ghostly white wedding tuxedo and hat and a ghostly white wedding veil and bearing ghostly glowing white pupilless eyes, waiting for his lost love, F to return. He also wanders the halls, letting out mournful wails.

Poor N and F are torn apart in death as they were in life and they would never find peace, until they would be together again in the afterlife.

As years went by, N remained sad and alone...that is until he befriended a living being named letter X who had recently moved and is new to the haunting legend.

(Note: X is gonna be the protagonist of the horror/ghost AU, I Do.)

Made with Photopea.

Drawing used: Alphabet Lore: I Do - Ghost!N (made by yours truly)

Alphabet Lore (c) Mike Salcedo I Do and idea (c) me

[tulipe-rose]

Drummer Lucy M. will forever live rent free in my head. She'd be so cool, and pretty I love her. She would start taking lessons from an early age, taking her time until she could play it like second nature. Mark would've taken two weeks of lessons alongside her (shhh ik it won't make sense given the timeline and how they would probably still be in Canada, and a town near the Mississippi but shhh) because he thought it'd make him look cool, but gave up too soon, and went on to be an amazing self proclaimed musician, trying multiple genres because he can't choose one (he's actually has pretty good vocal range, but his ego is infuriating to those close to him. His outfits are usually made for fan service, and Lucy, his twin in everything but blood, makes fun of him 'You look like a hotdog mascot abshshksb'.)

Atsushi would look so good with a saxophone. He'd be under training for a while since his skills are pretty rusty at best, but his potential is there, with Fukuzawa, and Naomi having complete faith in him from the start. He gets his debut a few months later. His signature haircut grows out a little until it looked decent (looks like the one in beast), he usually wore caps, hoods, a hat like tricky's from subway surfers, or maybe have it pulled back with multiple bobby pins. His popularity skyrockets after a few performances, and let me tell you the people love this albino.

The Guild productions™ is an international agency with it's main branch in America, they attempted to recruit Atsushi into their ranks, using underhanded tricks, nearly succeeding for a little over a week before their Japanese branch nearly went bankrupt, courtesy of souheki; they had to give up Atsushi, and Lucy left along with him to work as a barista in the Agency's favorite cafe, rumours about her are spreading like rapid fire, and she tries to act like she couldn't care less (She has had a little bit of a break down when too many people gave her judgemental stares at the grocery store.). Louisa A, the Guild's manager, manages to pull them, and the president, steadily rebuilding their reputation. They'll never go back to their prime days in Japan though.

The Violinists of the show would be Mōri, Dazai (former), Akutagawa (former), and Yōsano.

Akutagawa would've been a very capable violinist in the past, and continued to play despite Dazai's absence in hope of proving himself to him. Chūya, and Gin convinced him to try something different after gaining Dazai's approval (something like what happened during the guild arc), and that's when he found out how well he went with a trombone. Don't question it. He'd look great with one, and by now he's on the fast track to finishing his treatment and getting cured from his lung illness, because he's actually receiving medical attention (courtesy of the black lizard + Higuchi and Chūya, and the fact that it isn't as severe as canon.). I also read somewhere that playing brass instruments helps with the lungs or something.

I can definitely see Kōyō playing either a flute or a harp with the 'Black Port' orchestra, having the Japanese biwa as a side hobby.

Oda's voice would be such heaven on earth to listen to. He was originally a genius in the music industry, having worked with multiple choirs, and collaborating with multiple artists, yet preferring to be a soloist. However, one day, he up and left the entertainment world behind at the age of sixteen without so much as a notice, only to return as a backstage assistant in the 'Black Port' orchestra, not drawing any attention to himself, and refusing to do anything music related if anyone asked. He left that same orchestra after three years due to unknown reasons, though it was rumoured to be related to an agency called 'Mimic', and the maestro (and violinist) of said orchestra. Dazai Osamu, 'The Black Dove of the Port', went off the grid weeks after that. He isn't recognisable at first sight, but people eventually catch on as he debuts with an electric guitarist under one of the country's best agencies two years later. He would mentor the younger recruits from time to time.

Fyodor's Cello should become a fic name if it already isn't.

Kunikida would be an electric guitarist fight me.

Chūya would've be one of the best vocalists in the industry, being an on and off member with the 'Black Port' until he turned 15, officially joining as a snare drum player. He gets assigned to practice with a group that called themselves 'The Flags', they are still alive, happy, and well (I am definitely not escaping reality leave me alone). He was the former drummer, and lead singer with a band of outcast kids during his middle school years because I said so, and he attended lessons with Michizō because redheads solidarity. (Sheep disbanded teen rock band real?!)

Nathaniel might have basic knowledge of how to play an organ because why not??

Kyōka would be a natural pianist, a prodigy in the making, with Kōyō, and Atsushi fighting for the spot of 'biggest fan'. She was recruited by Atsushi despite Kōyō's complete refusal; she came around eventually, and started being more supportive of her growing on her own.

Kenji country music artist Miyazawa got scouted by Fukuzawa after watching him preform beautifully in the middle of a market. Everyone at the performance was smiling uncontrollably, even Fukuzawa being affected. He can play the ukulele, and a normal guitar too.

Yōsano would continue her violin career after quitting lessons with Mōri, but under Fukuzawa's agency. She was proud of her capability, and recognizing it as her own, still flinching slightly at the mention of her former mentor. (He didn't SA her get your mind out the gutter you weirdos, he was just too strict, and his methods weren't conventional, or suitable for eleven years olds)

Naomi is the agency's esteemed manager, and Haruno is Fukuzawa's direct secretary.

Rampo would be an enigma in his own right, one of the best directors that created revolutionary master pieces throughout the 21st century. The agency was founded to support his child acting career, and to serve as a somewhat safe home for him, before he decided to become a director. His reputation is a mix of good and bad, mostly speaking of his random schedules, and sweet tooth, but he couldn't care less. He only starts new projects when he's in the right mood, he's unpredictable like that. He's close friends with one of the Guild's members that specializes in mystery movies, specifically focused on psychological horror; they cause trouble together a lot despite how usually unsociable the latter is.

Jun'nichirō plays on the keyboard, and his audience loves his awkward + cute personality; he's besties with Atsushi, and is always either seen with him, or Kenji. The audience know of him having a sister, but overprotective big brother Juni would never allow her to appear on stage, much less allow the audience to know her name (no incest crap this is a slightly happier life without Abilities)

I could go on but I'm lazy :>

[zonerobotnik]

Who's the strongest, Bill Cipher, Zhan Tiri, The Collector, Pariah Dark or Sera?

And if you start with your stupid fucking headcanons instead of canon on screen material, you are no longer allowed to write or draw anything in those fandoms!

First of all, fuck you if you think you can actually stop me. I will write what I want when I want and you can scream at me until you explode but you can't stop me. I can just shut you up by turning off Anon.

But, I will indulge your rude demand. Hm….let's see…

Bill Cipher: His origins are currently unknown, however an "Ask Cipher" thing awhile back run by the show's creator heavily implied he came from a world like "Flatland" by Edwin Abbott Abbott. How he become to be so powerful is unknown. He has the appearance of a giant 2D triangle with golden-yellow bricks. He has one large eye with big lashes and black arms, legs, hat, bowtie and cane. He's powerful enough to destroy galaxies and eats planets for a snack. He's older than the Milky Way at least and can go into the dreams of anyone that doesn't take precautions against him. He rules over an entire realm called the "Nightmare Realm" and a powerful being named "Time Baby", who he later destroyed after getting out, sealed him and his followers inside of his realm, but he was still able to influence things going on outside of it. He shapeshifts into various types of triangle forms on-screen and possesses anyone foolish enough to make a Deal with him that lets him into their mind and is able to see into the past, present and future, though that last one is changing so constantly it's difficult to know if what he sees is what will happen. He manipulated various people over various generations and areas of the world until he finally had a portal built that he could escape through and then he took over the town he came out in, completely transforming it and its inhabitants to his liking, but was stopped by a powerful supernatural barrier on the other side that kept him in that town. He was finally defeated by a conman that took advantage of his eagerness to win to trick him into making a Deal with the wrong guy to get that barrier dropped, being destroyed along with the man's own mind, but still may be around due to a prior arrangement he made with a being more powerful than him called "The Axolotl". His body is an indestructible statue in Gravity Falls' woods, perhaps the fact it can't be destroyed is a sign of his eventual return? With "The Book of Bill" coming out soon, I suspect we'll get more information on this particular specimen.

Zhan Tiri: Her origins are unknown but she seems to have been human at some point and wanted power to be as strong as a god. Aside from a giant demonic form of a black squid standing on its tentacles with human arms and the head of a ram, she has the appearance of a gray-skinned woman dressed in purple Victorian-style clothes with purple hair. She has the ability to shapeshift into her demonic form, her human form and supposedly she can change into a blizzard, but that particular part seems to have been confused in writing because the legend says she sent the blizzard, not that she became it. In fact, there are a lot of statements made in earlier seasons that season 3 completely contradicts, so that's corrupted evidence. She has at least three followers seen on-screen with several more in the comics, though we only see two fully in the comics with several others being eyes in the darkness. She was sealed away into another realm that weakened her significantly so that she was trapped in the form of a human, which is why it was believed that she was originally a human being. She escaped by tricking various people into using the clashing of the powers of the Sun and Moon to free her and then was defeated by that same power when she made the mistake of putting the magic stones on her wrists that were later slammed together after her brief victory, destroying her. There is no indication that she will ever return. There is no indication that any further data is forthcoming.

The Collector: Part of a race of powerful beings from another world, he was the odd one out and instead of wanting to simply observe and collect, he wanted to indulge and closely interact. He was tricked into leading the others to his new friends, the powerful Titans, so they could wipe them out and then was sealed away by the only survivor that blamed him for the deaths of his people. He has the appearance of a white-haired little boy dressed in purple, blue and white space-themed pajamas. While sealed away he was able to interact with certain people by creating a shadow of himself but shows no sign of having that ability once unsealed and can transform a portion of the area he is currently in into his playground and turn people into dolls as well as fly around with ease. He has no "Followers", persay, but there is a group of people that completely misunderstand him and want to finish the work he did by wiping out the Titans completely. He was tricked into helping Emperor Belos with wiping out all the Witches, in return he would be set free. when Belos betrayed him, he talked the only living Titan, the child of the one that sealed him, into setting him free, where he proceeded to attack Belos and then took over the area. After his defeat, he turned over a new leaf and began a new life with new friends and no longer having to pretend to be mean to get people to like him. There is no indication that any further data is forthcoming.

Pariah Dark: Origin, unknown. Former King of the Ghost Zone. He has the appearance of a giant Viking in a suit of armor with green hair but black facial hair. He was sealed away for being a tyrant by powerful entities called "The Ancient Ones" and was later freed by "Vlad Plasmius" and defeated by "Danny Phantom". He commands an army of the dead, can shift his size at will and is a powerful fighter, made stronger by the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage. He briefly took over the town of "Amity Park" while searching for his stolen Ring of Rage, pulling the town into the Ghost Zone to have complete power over it. He was resealed by "Danny Phantom" and, as far as I know, has never escaped since. I still need to read "A Glitch in Time". There is no indication that any further data is forthcoming.

Sera: Origin unknown. She has the appearance of a woman dressed in white and gray with dark-brown skin and long, curly gray hair and white, feathered wings and a glowing, white halo. Among others, she is said to have created the world and humans. Her own individual power is unknown. She can fly. She leads Heaven with "Emily", another Seraph, as well as others. Insufficient data to proceed. More data will hopefully be forthcoming in Season 2.

Who is the strongest, based on this data… As of this collection of data, Bill Cipher seems to be the strongest. Further studies will have to be done to determine who truly is the strongest.

[cybersixed]

wasn't expecting this to get notes at all and we're at 40 damn ok y'all liked the dudes I guess? thank you 💜

just for that here's some thoughts I had while making them, I didn't go hardcore Overthink Every Detail like I do other character designs but I still had some ideas while making them

First up Hippie Dude (let's call him that)

As you can probably notice Hippie Dude has dark roots on his hair! Idk why but I thought it'd be funny if there was a Dude that wasn't naturally a red head

I also wanted there to be another Dude with long hair bc that fucking slaps hardcore and I also thought it fit the aesthetic

I also thought it'd be sorta funny to have a Postal Dude be a hippie guy, sort of a dichotomy between who he is and what he looks like. Yes he still kills people, he's a Postal Dude after all. Maybe grew up in a hippie doomsday cult like the one in the movie???? idk

Also, steel toed boots are a detail I put 100% on purpose! idk sort of the idea that he should be a Peaceful guy but you look at the boots and you're like? why do you need those? he has those for Kicking People In Their Dicks

Also his sunglasses have a golden frame idk if that's noticeable, just a little detail

Main inspirations for him were P1 Dude and Movie Dude, P1 mostly for the coat and hair while the color scheme resembles more that of Movie Dude's last outfit in the movie... wanted him to have lighter more "cheery and happy" colors

Cowboy Dude

In my head he definitely exists in a different time period y'know.... in actual cowboy times

Darker hair bc... idk I just felt like it fit him

Idk if it's too noticeable but he's got real messy facial hair, doesn't give a damn

Smiley face pin replaced with a horseshoe because well duh that didn't exist back then, Catholicism did however LMAO

He's holding his stupid cowboy hat because I couldn't draw it on his head correctly or without hiding his hair so don't @ me for it

Yes I looked up a ref of a typical cowboy pistol bc I ain't no bitch, forgot to draw a proper holster for it tho just pretend it's there, please?

Yes he's got the spurs yes he's got a whole horse he rides around, probably a whole what's called...caravan? carriage? I don't remember the english word rn but I assume he'd have an equivalent to regular Dude's trailer home bc this bitch does NOT stay in one place

Main inspirations were P1 Dude and P3 Dude, as evident by the use of black and red and other warm tones on the entire design

Punk Dude

I had to, what can I say?

Def spends about an hour spiking his hair everyday

Idk why but I imagined him being younger than the prior 2 Dudes, not a teenager by any means but definitely not in his 30's either

I wanted him to have very immature and childish vibes idk if that's reflected too well

Also wanted him to have 2000's vibes which I hope are there

Cross pin is replaced by an anarchist symbol pin because he is a god hating demon (that's a joke)

Probably gets his piercings infected more than once because he doesn't take proper care of them like the jackass he is

Looked up a ref for a gun for this one as well but I also just kinda winged it a bit 🤷ehhh

Main inspiration was P2 Dude, went as far as sorta replicating his color scheme which to me is sorta more blue-ish than the other dudes as well as doing a direct parallel to his alien t-shirt but... with a skull because duh what else should it be? ... he'd wear a shadow the hedgehog shirt tbh

Japanese Delinquent Dude

I know it's got a genre/style name but I for the life of me can't remember it right now.. is it bancho??? Bancho Dude?????

He mostly exists because I thought it'd be FUCKING HILARIOUS and I was RIGHT and I will NOT listen to anyone saying it isn't

Dude should have a katana as a weapon, I rest my case

Also think that dude with a pompadour is both funny and sick as hell but I am highly biased as I love pompadours a huge amount

His trench coat sorta blended in perfectly for the sort of design a lot of delinquent characters had/have

Just like Punk Dude, Delinquent Dude is younger than the first 2 Dudes I mean it's obvious from the moment his outfit is based on the stylized version of old Japanese school uniforms

Was inspired by the biased things I mentioned before but also by the actual Postal 1 levels where Dude is... in Japan??? for some reason??? And I thought a scenario fully utilizing that for comedic and violent purposes would be entertaining

If he had his own game I think it'd be cool if it was like- a fast paced beat em up with monsters and it needs to be the most bizarre anime bullshit in it possible, I'm talking Godzilla, I'm talking a level where he just gets Isekai'd, I'm talking his girl classmates have purple hair and shit and go kyaaaa and Dude is just standing there like "This fucking sucks, why am I here?" they also call him "Dude-kun" because duh

This Dude isn't Japanese he's just IN Japan for seemingly no reason, maybe he was fucking adopted who knows????????

Main inspiration was P2 dude as well as characters like Mondo from the first Danganronpa game and Yusuke and Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho as well as a bit of JoJo inspiration. Debated drawing the pompadour differently but I ultimately thought it'd look funnier this way

That's it for my rambling at least for now, idk if I'll ever draw them again?????? Didn't really intend to make ocs, I mostly just wanted to mess around and see how malleable Dude's design was if that even makes sense to anyone but myself

If you like them and would wanna see more of them then please let me know, I work best with encouragement 👍

I passed out and before I knew it I made up 4 whole Dudes and I don’t know what to do with them, they’re an invasive species after all

[affableboar-zero]

I'm rethinking my lore for "Remember, Death" so a couple of ideas I had just to write them down:

Solar's a guy now. Still Esme's brother.

Solar's curse is that he copies the features of those he loves, and can intentionally change his features to look like someone he knows for a short period of time.

Esmeralda's curse is that she can manipulate memories.

Mori gets set up with Stormy rather than Aster, as they're both next in line and Empiria reached a deal with Black Rose to have them formally be a recognized part of the Kingdom rather than a colony.

Raven and Aster plot to kill Stormy and Mori so they can both ascend the throne. They secretly let Seraphina and Zephyrus know this so those two can support their ascent to the throne

Solar gains a pair of wings. Instead of being the Red Factor Canary wings of Moriarty, they are Red-Tailed Hawk wings.

Because of this, Solar dresses up as Moriarty while Mori dresses up like Solar and uses Esme's help to make it look like someone shoots Solar. But, Raven had already sent guards to follow the pair and Solar gets shot for real while Moriarty almost gets taken for questioning, until Esmeralda jumps and allows Moriarty to escape.

Taken back, Esme uses her abilities to make Raven and Aster think that Moriarty actually got killed, and ends up escaping thanks to a mysterious helper (Who ends up being Aurora)

Black Rose has a very heavy Gothic Western/Desert feel to it now. In fact, Moriarty always wore a big black cowboy hat that covered his face, so the general public didn't know that Solar was the one who was killed instead of Moriarty.

I like the idea of The Magician that gave everyone the powers of the Apocalypse (and knowingly gave Raven and Asterite Corruption and Betrayal respectively) is actually Ezekiel. It explains a lot of why Zeke would want to bring back Eclypso because the two moons and the release of the Eyes, the Sound, the Speech, and the Touch, along with Action and Being (See No, Hear No, Speak No, Feel No, Do No, Be No Evil). He wants to bring about the Apocalypse because Eclypso gave him the power to release her which is what he's trying to do.

So when the Apocalypse does start, that mean Seraphina can see, Zephyrus can hear, Jazz can speak, Aurora has a physical body, Atlas has his powers unlocked and Moriarty... doesn't really change much but maybe he can hear spirits.

Another thing I wanted to add was having all of the rulers having insane skill sets.

Seraphina draws energy from the chaos in the world. The more chaos, the more power she gets. She can then use this stored energy to do what she wants. The more chaotic a place is, the bigger stuff she can do.

Zephyrus is skilled in almost every weapon. It takes him exactly a day to become fully trained in a weapon.

Aurora, while not having a physical body, can make crops grow faster, or make things decay faster. Her ghost simply walks by and they will either grow or wither. She also has the ability to transmit her thoughts into people's head.

Jazz has the ability to heal any sickness. By simply doing a specific ritual, she can clear somebody so completely of affliction that they might never be sick again.

Moriarty has the ability to raise and control the dead. Necromancy babey. He can also see ghosts

Atlas, once his powers are unlocked, has the ability to rewind or stop time. Only for short periods of time however.

Raven does have a power, but it's not physical. She can convince someone if anything, as long as she's allowed to talk for long enough. This doesn't work on other Horsemen

Asterite makes people feel at ease, like he's good and will be good. You wouldn't notice him holding a knife until he stabs you with it.

Aurora probably died when everyone was young, which is why she doesn't have a physical body. This explains why Moriarty can talk to her and hear Aurora, but also explains why most people can't see her.

[is-them-cheese-puffs]

Now that the new chapter is up, it's time to visualize what you'll be wearing for pretty much the rest of the series.

Since I’m not the best when it comes to outfit descriptions, I thought I’d just post some concept art on my page. I'll definitely do a redraw once I get a hang of digital illustration.

Their profiles are really just to show their looks as well as pieces of their personalities.

As Arthur is the captain, of course he needs the long coat and feathery hat. And, he pretty much needs the Fabio-style of his shirt being unbuttoned. It's hard to see in the pictures, but he does still have the large eyebrows, but I drew them more realistic.

Also, drawing him with facial hair, hell yeah! He can't stand the idea of having a beard as he would hate for ropes to be caught, hair to be sliced, or grogg to be stuck, but believes the stubble to be more attractive, while also making him seem younger (which it really doesn't, but the crew is not about to voice that observation).

While he refers to himself as a “gentleman” it’s hard to really imagine a pirate to be much of a gentleman with all the killing and looting. Despite the intimidation he displays, the crew doesn't know if he's playing a joke or if he truly believes it himself. He’s overly confident, cocky, and cunning.

Despite being in charge however, he does have some issues underneath that tough exterior. He also has difficulties dealing with women, as he wants to be seen as a gentleman, yet still in control. It's especially difficult with Y/N as she's just as combative as him. But, he'd never bring himself to actually hit a woman, but he's clearly not afraid to be aggressive.

I really just wanted to draw the most generic women's dating-sim protagonist. I based her outfit off of Elaine Marley’s design in the third Monkey Island game Curse of Monkey Island. I also decided to add her noblewoman look as an added bonus. I imagine her personality is best compared with Elizabeth Swann

Despite being a woman raised to be a lady, she wasn’t much interested in being the “prim and proper” daughter of the governor persona. However, she did find interest in tagging along with her father when he had business on the port.

She had always dreamt of leaving her home and to sail the seas, exploring country after country to see the wonders of the outside world. Her dreams were "encouraged" by her mother, much to her father’s chagrin. Unfortunately, after a tragedy, soon followed by a marriage arrangement, she had started to lose her winsome spirit, preferring to just live on autopilot.

Alfred’s design was a little tricky, and I’m not even sure if suspenders were even designed like that back then. I really just wanted his design to be simple. While his clothes are plain and dirty, he makes up for it with his excitable personality. After so long on sea, he preferred his hair to be long, which I think adds to his childlike charm.

For as long as he could remember, he was always on the ocean. He had basically been raised by his older brothers and had friends through the crew. Unfortunately, there’s little time to play on a pirate ship, so he’s often left on his own for long periods of time. He would often spend that time reading or traverse through the ship, making sure to keep out of anyone’s way.

However, he’s smarter than he lets on. He’s aware of the sinful nature of his surroundings, but he doesn’t want to be seen as weak or sensitive. If he’s going to lead a crew one day, he needs to understand that life isn’t always fair for everyone. He’s also not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, though, mainly if it involves his family.

And, finally, what I imagine the ship to look like...

I have no idea how to draw ships, so I'm going to drop some inspirations I had, along with the links to the artists:

The Black Flag by

Imad Awan on ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/imadawan

The Fleet by

Lee Fitzgerald on ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/leefitzgerald

Pirateship island discover by

Hakan Aydin on ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/hakan-aydin

***Be sure to drop a like or a follow for any updates on the story and my absolutely horrible company.

[artdecosupernova-writing]

Small Stories Hour: Ballad of Kid Corduroy

Close Call or The Losing Battle That Kid Will Fight for Another Fifteen Years

↳ The barkeep set a tankard of amber beer on the counter with a little more aggression than strictly necessary. His beady eyes found the dirt patching every surface of Russell's face disdainful, his upper lip curling beneath a thick black mustache.

That was not Russell's immediate concern, however, as he had to stop himself from dumping the contents of the tankard down his gullet in one go. He hadn't had a proper drink in days; a sip of river water here and there wasn't enough to sate him, especially under the experience of having vomited shortly after the last river disagreed with him. The beer, though lukewarm and stale, got the job done, and he gulped it down in desperation, holding his hat to his head as he tilted it back to pour as much of the bitter liquid down as possible.

"What's goin' on over in Winslow?"

Russell paused mid-pull and lowered the tankard from his face to hear the three men in the corner of the small saloon without drawing too much attention to himself.

"They still ain't heard from that boy, the one that ran away," another man said. "The Corduroys' boy, Russell. I think they called him Kid. It's been a couple of months since he's gone. Got a cousin lives over that way an' she's sayin' the whole town can't find hide nor hair of him."

"He just up an' left in the middle of the night, ain't that right? He runnin' from the law?"

Russell dropped his head and slumped his shoulders, the mention of his hometown igniting the usual feelings of guilt and shame while also kicking off his self-preservation instincts. He slid a couple of coins across the bar top with two fingers.

"Not from what I hear," one of the men said. "He was a good kid, but he might as well be dead by now."

Suddenly not as thirsty as he'd been when he first arrived at the saloon, Russell made a point to avoid revealing his face to the men as he slid off the stool to make a quick exit. He mounted his horse and rode away, reminding himself never to stop in that town again. It was too close, too risky.

A few hours into the afternoon, however, he regretted not taking more advantage of having a source of beverages at his disposal. Thirst clutched his throat in a tight grip, addling his brain.

"Where we goin', Radish…?" Russell muttered, keeping an ear open for running water. "I'm lookin' at another rough night if I don't get somethin' to eat soon—"

Shots rang out in the too-near distance, and Radish jolted to a stop, whinnying his complaint. Russell clutched the reins and attempted to calm him while also searching the endless trees ahead.

A wail started from the forest, growing louder with each passing second until a man exploded from the bushes, screaming at the top of his lungs and brandishing a rifle in one hand while bleeding profusely from the other one.

"Run!" he shrieked, tearing past Russell and Radish. "There's a wolf after me!"

Russell glanced back to the trees, about to question the man's claim, when an actual wolf sprang forward, hellbent on making a meal of the man with no prejudice whatsoever. Its hungry jaws snapped and drool flew every which way from between its razor-sharp teeth, paws making craters in the dirt underneath it. Upon noticing Russell and Radish—apparently an easier meal—it skidded to a stop and bounded in their direction instead.

Without giving it much consideration, Russell drew his revolver from his gun belt, slapped the hammer back with his palm, and aimed true between the wolf's eyes, firing in the midst of its arced pounce. The momentum carried its body under Radish, who began to rear and spook in response to all of the action happening at once, and a hoof came down and snapped the wolf's neck before he took off.

"Hey, whoa!" Russell grabbed the reins again. "Easy! Calm down, boy, you're alright!"

Radish finally slowed near the bleeding man sitting at the side of the road, and it became clear that the man wasn't from anywhere nearby as he had on a peculiar arrangement of clothes, not the least of which was the bright red tailcoat worn over a slim-fitting vest and golden ascot.

Russell retrieved a handful of loose bandages from the saddlebag and dismounted. "Sir…here, I just got these yesterday for emergencies." He caught sight of the bloodied appendage as he got closer, his stomach lurching once he realized that half of his hand was missing, leaving only an index finger and a thumb. "Oh, sweet Jesus…and this might be an emergency…"

"Thank you," the man said in a peculiar accent. It sounded very formal, probably English, and he set the rifle down next to him to shakily wrap the bandages around what was left of his hand. He failed to start the wrap several times. "Not sure what the point is…it's not just my body that's ruined now."

Crouching in front of him to help, Russell did his best to ignore the sharp coppery stench wafting from the wound. "What d'you mean by that, if you don't mind me askin'?"

The man sighed. "Young fellow…my name is Horace Purcell, and you just killed my life's work."

Russell paused pressing the wound with bandages and looked at Horace. "Excuse me?"

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful…I am endlessly in your debt for saving my life." Horace pointed with his good hand to the lump of fur lying motionless in the road. "That was the star of my entire act. 'Horace Purcell and the Wolfman,' I'd called it. You could watch me perform tricks with a wolf as big as a man. We'd toured the whole West, just me and Angelo. I'd worried for a while that things were going poorly when Angelo started to clear out chicken coops about a week ago…"

"That was your first clue?" Russell said. He shook his head. "Not that you decided to go runnin' around with a wolf bigger'n a lion?"

Horace chuckled, a surprising reaction given his current state. "You're right, I know. I was never one to shy away from a challenge back home, not a mind here in foreign lands."

"You gonna be okay on your own?"

"Yes," Horace said, and he seemed sincere. "If all else fails…I'll take the next boat out of here."

Russell tilted his head, frowning. "Well, I meant are you gonna be okay without half a hand."

Horace blinked at the bandages as if seeing them for the first time. "Oh, yes…I suppose I don't have a choice, do I? I'll adjust. Better a hand than my life, as it were."

"D'you need a ride somewhere? I ain't goin' nowhere in particular."

"Normally I would say no, as I'm quite self-sufficient; however…circumstances may require I at least have help to my next destination."

Russell finished patching him up to the best of his ability then assisted Horace Purcell onto the saddle before securing the rifle and mounting. "This is Radish," he said, patting the horse on the neck. "Say hello to the nice gentleman, Radish."

Horace chuckled again, arms looping around Russell's waist. "How quaint. Good afternoon, Radish. I hope you don't mind an extra passenger. I'm staying at an old friend's homestead not too far from here, and I think I can navigate from where we are."

The road split off into a stretch of plains that went on for miles, boasting very few hills and even fewer distant mountains. A gathering of deer bounded away from the road through the tall grass and scattered a flock of indignant birds into the air.

Russell kept Radish at a steady canter for much of the ride, the wind cutting across his skin. "What happened back there, anyhow?"

"Ah," Horace said, booming voice carrying over the impacting hooves and the wind. "Bit of a disaster, I'm afraid. I'd opened Angelo's cage to feed him, and he decided my fingers would be better suited for his dinner than the rabbit I'd caught."

"You'll wanna see a doctor for that, by the way," Russell advised. "Wounds have a nasty habit of gettin' worse."

Horace remained silent until they reached the homestead—a small wooden cottage in the middle of a sprawling field, tucked against a hill blanketed in tiny white flowers that mimicked snowfall. It all looked so new, it didn't even have a path leading up to it.

Russell slowed Radish to a stop and helped Horace down. "You got someone lookin' after you, sir?"

"Not until this evening." Horace grunted in pain despite the two of them going out of their way to avoid making more contact with his hand than needed. "I'll soak my wound in whiskey, metaphorically speaking."

Russell gestured for him to go ahead to the house while he unloaded the rifle. "If it ain't too bold of me to say so, I'd like to stay until then to make sure you're okay."

The worst of it had started to sink in as evidenced by Horace's perpetual grimace and slack walk toward the house. "Yes, of course..." He pushed the door open with his shoulder. "Please…make yourself at home. It's the least I can do, Mr. Corduroy."

Russell froze with the rifle in hand and his entire spine tensed. He peered at Horace from under the brim of his hat.

Through growing discomfort, Horace managed to imbue him with a cheeky smile that pinched the corners of his eyes. "Word gets around, I'm afraid. But you don't have to worry…it stops with me."

"Mr. Purcell, I can't say enough how important it is that I'm not identified by anyone."

"I admit it crossed my mind to alert the sheriff of Winslow of your whereabouts, but you did save my life…" Horace's face fell into something melancholic. "And what kind of man would I be if I condemned another man to being found when I'm guilty of evading the same?"

Russell's fist whitened around the rifle. "Swear to me you won't tell a soul."

"On my dear mother."

A tense silence swelled between them until Russell felt it safe to breathe again. He hitched Radish's reins to a post at the corner of the fence and followed Horace into the house.

The next several hours consisted of Russell watching Horace sleep off his pain on a cot against the wall of the living room, and when a friendly-faced woman arrived by way of carriage long after the sun had set, he explained what happened and that Horace should see a doctor by morning at the very latest.

He made sure he'd be looked after, then he hopped onto Radish's saddle and rode off full gallop into the night, chills still bolting through every appendage from the previous few hours.