#i would be down to also cutting that huge front piece out and like putting it on another comfy shirt. frankenshirt

[grimmthorne]

oh fuck wait I never even got to post my dog park dissidents shirt D: I'll have to go outside to get a good pic of it this week

[teddiesworldd]

muffled moans and whiskey kisses.

is it morally okay to fuck a customer? (2.4k words)

a\n: thank you for all the love on my first posts! i hope you love this one just as much! also, if it wasn't made clear, ghost is wearing a mask with a cut-out for his mouth. enjoy!

pairing: ghost x female waitress!reader

tags/warnings: nsfw mdni!!, just a regular ol' bathroom hookup with the biggest guy you've ever seen, porn with plot, hickeys, a little choking if you squint

it was one of those shifts where the hours just dragged on and on. the day felt like it was never going to end as you wiped down another table and laid out the silverware neatly on top of a napkin. your mind wandered off somewhere else, but you snapped back to reality when you saw 4 huge guys walk through the pub doors and stroll over to the bar. one looked a little older than the others with a thick blonde moustache and cream bucket hat. two of them were a little shorter, a scruffy mohawk on one and the other with tanned skin covered by a blue jacket. however, it was the fella trailing behind them who made your hairs stand on end. he was absolutely giant. he was wearing a tight black t-shirt that showed off the thick, red scars which ran down his massive arms. and just to add to it, his whole face, except for his eyes and mouth, was covered by a worn-out skull mask. you realised you were staring when his dark eyes met yours and you shifted your glance back down to the table you were tending to. you could feel his eyes burning onto you as he walked past.

it was only when all 4 men were seated that you realised your colleague was still out the back and you'd have to go over and make their drinks for them yourself.

no biggie.

you make drinks for people all the time.

you desperately tried to calm your own nerves as you walked over to the bar, suddenly aware of how tight your clothes felt. the sweat on your palms. the loose hairs that had fallen from your ponytail and were now tickling your neck.

not people like this.

you were a confident person most of the time, but this skull-face guy was intimidating as hell. and the way he looked at you like a piece of meat earlier, like he wanted to eat you up. yikes. you pushed the little door open and walked behind the bar, smoothing down your waitressing apron and putting on your best customer-service smile.

"what can i get for you?"

the first three were relatively nice. the older chap was quite charming, really, making polite small talk and asking about your day. the guy with the mohawk tried cracking a few jokes which made you cringe a little but it was sweet regardless. and you noticed the military badge on the blue jacket of the third man, which made a lot of sense as the bar was right next to the military base. you had soldiers and the likes come in often, trying to drink away the stress of their day. but these guys were different. high-ranking, probably. after you had served the three, you moved down towards the fourth and asked the same question. it was only now that you realised how dark his eyes actually were. they were like dark pools of chocolate. like an empty street at night. and his pretty blonde lashes were like the stars. how could someone so big and scarred be pretty? you wondered.

"a whiskey, please."

his voice was so deep, and he had a bit of a manchester twang to his words. something about him, though frightening, was sort of attractive. the way the corners of his mouth turned up when he spoke to you. the way his huge hands rested on the bar, twiddling and fidgeting with his thick fingers and rings like he was nervous. the way he looked at you said otherwise. you wondered what those hands would feel like on you. in you. he didn't break eye contact with you the whole time he ordered, licking his lips with a sparkle in his eye. you poured the drink, then turned back to him and placed it in front of him. he thanked you and sipped it slowly.

the men stayed for a while, chatting about their recent missions and such, laughing and ordering more drinks. but the masked guy kept looking at you, sometimes at your face, sometimes at where your flesh spilled out over the buttons of your white shirt. he wasn't exactly trying to hide it either, the perv. you couldn't help but look at him too, shamelessly. he even caught you a few times looking at the way his muscles moved as he brought the glass up to his lips.

when he excused himself and walked over to the bathrooms, you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, the tension between the two of you was almost suffocating. however, this was the complete opposite of a break from him.

he stood in front of the door like, well, like a ghost. his finger beckoning you to follow him. you questioned your life up to this point and scanned around the pub, it was pretty late on a weekday so it was completely empty except for the group at the bar. you put down the glass you were polishing, took off your apron and excused yourself to the three men who remained in front of you. luckily, none of them payed much attention, going straight back to their conversation.

you know what he wanted from you, of course, it wasn't like he was bringing you into the bathroom for a conversation. but still, a part of you just couldn't believe what was about to happen. he was probably a whole foot taller than you, and twice as wide.

he must be absolutely packing. he'd probably spilt me open.

you tried not to think about it.

you pushed the door quietly, your manicured nails tapping gently when they made contact. you barely even pushed the thing open before he was pulling you by the wrist into the nearest cubical, and locking the door behind him. he didn't say a word. he just pressed his lips to yours. the kiss got heated pretty quickly. you could taste the whiskey on his tongue. the way your mouths fitted together - it was like you were made for each other. it felt so perfect. so addictive.

he pulled away and moved his head into the crook of your neck, kissing and sucking and leaving dark red marks across your collarbone. you couldn't help the moan that left your lips, earning a quiet "shhhh, lovie" between kisses. his voice was gorgeous. he soon reached your cleavage, planting bites and kisses all over. there was something so refreshing about him. most guys you'd been with didn't care about any of this stuff, they just wanted to be done as quickly as possible. not him, he took his time marking you, like you were something rare and precious. like you were something special. he moved his hand up to undo the buttons of your shirt, looking up at you with lust filled eyes.

"do you want this? hm? do you want me?" he growled.

you couldn't believe he was teasing you already. of course you did. "mhmm" you nodded frantically, trying to speed him up by undoing your buttons yourself, but he stopped you at the first one.

"ah ah, no. be patient, doll. tell me. tell me you want me." he asked nicely this time, waiting for your response.

"please," you whined out, a little more desperately as you intended, trying to retain a little bit of your dignity. you were still fully clothed, you didn't want to seem too needy. yet.

after hearing your response, he placed another kiss to your chest and started undoing the buttons. so slowly. it was like torture. you placed you small hand onto the back of his head, guiding him down, which he must of liked because it made him look up at you with the most devilish glint in his eye. oh, this man was about to ruin you. he hooked his fingers into the waist of your skirt, pulling it all the way off and stuffing it into the pocket of his jeans. what a gentleman, he didn't want your clothes getting all dirty on the floor of the men's bathroom. gross. after spending a second admiring your pretty lace panties and matching bra, he asked you, "you always wear underwear like this, love? what a little slut you are." something about the way he spoke to you made you absolutely wet. he looked gorgeous at this angle, knelt down in front of you, shoulders broad, inches away from your heat. part of you wanted to just pull his face into you, but he was definitely much stronger than you, so unfortunately you'd just have to wait it out.

he kissed the inside of your thighs, then over your clothed clit, making you beg for him again. then he pulled your underwear to the side, finally pressing his mouth to your soaked pussy. he felt amazing. he must be pretty experienced because he knew exactly how, when and where to make you whine and pant at every movement. the way his tongue swirled in little circles around your clit made your head spin. and the way he looked at you, never breaking eye contact, he was intoxicating. you knew if you made too much noise then his friends would definitely hear you - the walls were pretty thin. but it was so hard when he was sending you towards the edge so quickly. and when he pushed two of his thick fingers inside of you, you had to cover your mouth to keep yourself quiet. he curled it just right to hit the perfect spot inside you over and over. just his hand was stretching you out, and hitting spots that had never been hit by your own fingers. you knew you weren't going to last much longer at the brutal pace he was moving inside of you. you hooked your leg over his huge shoulder, and when he started sucking you could feel the knot in your stomach twisting. he knew this too and when you clenched around his fingers he pulled away, leaving you a panting, sweaty mess and depriving you of your orgasm.

"don't worry, doll. i'm not done with you yet," he said, standing up and turning you around so your chest was against the wall with your back to him. "want you to come on my cock, not on my fingers."

you could hear him undoing his belt and his cargo pants dropping to the floor behind you. he grabbed your hips and pulled your ass back towards him, lining you up nicely. you just knew it was going to be the biggest you'd ever taken. his tip prodded at your entrance, and he pushed slowly into you. he was huge. you hissed as he pushed inside, and he immediately stopped, checking if you're okay before carrying on, splitting you open. once you had adjusted, he started moving at a more regular pace, fucking you deep and slow. your tight pussy gripping his dick like a vice. he managed to find that spongey spot inside of you pretty quickly, hitting it over and over and causing you to let out a pornographic moan. he brought his hand over your mouth in response, muffling your slutty noises.

"is that good, lovie? yeah? you like it when i fuck you like that?" he groaned into your ear, bending over to kiss your neck and bare shoulder.

your eyes rolled back in response, bouncing back into him, which he didn't appreciate very much. with a deep grunt, the hand that remained on your hip tightened its grip, keeping you in place as he pounded into you. your head fell back into his chest in pure ecstasy, the pleasure being almost overwhelming. you could feel like knot building inside you again, getting close to your orgasm once more. his hand moved from his hip down between your legs, rubbing your clit just right, causing you to shriek into his hand. your legs began to shake as you were hurtling towards your climax. when you finally came, he had to move his hand from your clit to under your waist, holding you upright as your orgasm rocked through you. you cried out into his palm, tears forming in the corners of your eyes from the overwhelming pleasure.

when you finally fell back down to earth, he brought you to your knees and pushed his huge cock into your mouth to chase his own orgasm. it was the first time you'd managed to get a proper look at it. it was the perfect shade of baby pink, your own juices gleaming on his tip. a thick vein ran down the shaft all the way to his firm, full balls. he had a decent amount of blonde hair that trailed upwards towards his bellybutton and disappeared under his t-shirt. you happily took him into you mouth, taking him as far as you could and stroking the rest with your hand. his hand found its way around your neck and squeezed gently, feeling so small in his massive hand. you looked up at him and noticed how he was biting his lip, trying to keep himself quiet. the way his eyes rolled back when you chocked on the sheer size of his dick was so hot that it almost made you want to turn back around and ask for round two. but before you knew it, he was holding your ponytail in his fist and thick ropes of cum were filling your cheeks and running down your throat. his grip on your neck and hair tightened as he let out a grunt, which was loud enough for the boys at the bar to hear for sure, but you didn't care anymore. this man was truly something else.

he helped you get up, dressed and clean afterwards, returning your skirt and carefully wiping your mouth with his thumb. he smiled at you as he did this, telling you how pretty you were and how he just had to fuck you. you went back into the pub one after the other, as to not raise suspicion. but your makeup was all ruined and he had sort of a pornstar sweat-glow to him, so it was pretty obvious regardless. he finished the last mouthful of his whiskey and left with his boys.

it was only when you'd cleaned up their glasses and locked up the pub that you realised you didn't ask for his number. or even his name, for god's sake.

but you were sure that this wouldn't be the last time that giant of a man would stumble in for a drink on a wednesday afternoon.

˚✧. thank you for reading!

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˚✧. dividers by @ saradika-graphics and @ si-eunnis

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[outsideratheart]

Bumped Heads & Bedtime Stories (Alex Morgan x reader)

A/N: So this wasn’t planned but once it was in my head I had to write it. I hope you all like it.

Alex and Charlie watched on proudly as you took the field with the Matildas for the Semi final of the World Cup. The younger of the two got up from her mother’s lap and stood directly in front of the TV when the camera zoomed in on you as you exchanged pendants with the German captain. 

“Mommy look it’s Mama” Charlie says excitedly. 

Long distance was hard for the two of you when you started dating, more so when you got married but all of that failed in comparison to when you had Charlie. You played for Lyon and had done since you were a 21 years old. Alex feared what your bond with Charlie would be like when you lived half way across the world for the majority of the year but she soon found out she had nothing to worry about. Charlie adored you and the bond you two shared was unbreakable.

“It is and she is wearing a shirt just like yours” Alex replies to her daughter.

“This is her shirt Mama, look” Charlie points the your last name on the back of her shirt.

“But you support America, right Charlie?” Kelley asks the small child.

“No! I support Australia” she didn’t pronounce every letter but it was enough to be understood.

Alex knew this was an argument she could never win. You hadn’t tried to get Charlie on your side, the girl automatically chose you. The two of you asked her who she would support if Mama and Mommy play against each other and each time Charlie said you.

The Matildas were putting in yet another dominating performance just like they had been doing the entire campaign. The advantage they had with it being a home tournament made a huge difference and every game sounded and was played like a final.

You were 2-0 up going into the second half. Sam had scored from a corner and you had scored from a free kick. You were currently the top scorer on the tournament which shocked most people because you were a left back but you were also a set piece specialist. The ball almost always found the back of the net whether it came off your foot or your head.

It’s why when the next corner takes place you are heavily marked but some how manage to free yourself. As you jump for the header you feel your head hit something but it felt a lot harder than a ball, this much is proven when you fall to the floor and can feel your head throbbing in seconds. Your first guess is that you got elbowed so you stand to your feet but then feel a warm liquid running down your face. Yes, you had built up a sweat but it was winter in Australia no way are you sweating this much. It is only when you look down that you see drops of red on your shirt and when you raise your hand to where the pain is your hand is covered in blood.

Alex was unaware of the incident that had taken place on the pitch as she was getting some water from the hotel bar. The first wave of panic is brought on when she hears Charlie shrieking and her cries get louder and louder as she runs towards her.

“Mama’s hurt. Blood” Charlie all but jumps into the Alex’s arms. The child is inconsolable.

Your wife doesn’t know to react. She knew that she had to stay calm if she had any hope of calming Charlie down but right now she was finding that incredibly difficult.

When Alex returns to the seating area she sees all eyes are on her before heads turn towards the TV. 

“How bad is it?” Alex asks calmly.

“Lots of blood” Charlie is the only one to answer her question.

“Can you one you please tell me what happen to Y/N?” Alex begs her team mates.

“It was a corner. She jumped up for a header but one of the German defenders had a hold of her shirt. The keeper came out to punch the ball away and kneed Y/N in the head. She got up almost immediately—“ Kelley tried telling her best friend.

“So she’s ok?”

“She had a cut on her head. Like Charlie said there was a lot of blood. She refused a stretcher and help from the physios because she wanted to play. Sam and Ellie had to help her of the pitch. She looked out of it”

Alex tried to process what she was being told. Head injuries are serious and regardless of whether you used a stretcher or not, the suggestion of one is enough to instil worry. 

“Was it bad?” She wasn’t sure if she wanted to the answer.

“No”

“Yes”

Only one player said yes and it was Kristie. 

“Sam refused to play and walked off the pitch with Y/N. I know my girlfriend, I has never seen her look like that and she has never walked away from a game. It’s the semi final. She wouldn’t have gone with Y/N if it wasn’t bad”

Kristie’s statement made Alex feel two things; relief because you had your best friend with you and panic because the blonde was right, Sam wouldn’t have left the match if it wasn’t bad. 

“Charlie” Naomi walks up to the little girl who surprisingly doesn’t shy away from her “do you know how many goals you mama has scored so far? I think it’s 2”

Your daughter reaches of the defender and goes into tell her that you had scored and how you scored them. 

Time after time, Alex got your voicemail. She was about to give up and drive to the hospital that were closest to the stadium but then Kristie got a call.

“It’s Sam” She holds the phone towards the forward “She’s with Y/N”

Alex took a deep breath before holding the phone up to her ear.

“Y/N” 

“Hi Al” you voice was quiet and if she hadn’t already have known she would be able to tell something was wrong “I need to go to the hospital for some checks and stitches”

“Which one? I’ll get one of the cars and be there as soon as I can” Alex was already searching for a member of staff that would have car keys.

“No, don’t come. Stay with Charlie. Hospitals are no place for children and you hate them almost as much as I do. I should only be a couple of hours if I don’t have to stay over. I’ll come to you afterwards”

Alex wanted to argue. She needed to see that you were ok with her own eyes, anything less wouldn’t do. 

“You’re going to come here as soon as you can?” 

“I am” 

The whole USWNT waited patiently, some more than others, for you to arrive to their hotel.  Since you began dating Alex, you had become part of their family. They all watched the incident happen and would feel much better when they saw you in the flesh. 

Hours pass and you still hadn’t arrived, they hadn’t even heard from you since the call with Alex.

Charlie went quiet and Alex knew it was because you needed to see you. The young girl always shut down when she missed you and she wouldn’t return to her normal until she saw you or felt like you were close to her. Because of this Alex had packed several of your hoodies so that they can be a source of comfort your daughter and her as well.

“Kells, will you take Charlie up to get one of Y/N’s hoodies. I’d take her but I want to be here when she—“

“Of course” 

The choice of clothing must have been a hard decision because the pair was gone almost half an hour. The defender returns to the hotel bar.

“Kelley, please tell me you haven’t lost my daughter?” Alex asks when she notices her friend is alone.

Alex walks towards the defender who had assumed Charlie was right behind her.

“Mama!!” 

The word is heard throughout the bar and the giggles that follow lift a weight that had been hanging on each players shoulders. 

When you enter the bar, your daughter in your arms, everyone can see what the accident had done to you. The left side of your forehead is slightly swollen and you had stitches just below your hairline. You welcome Alex into your arms and place a small kiss to both her and Charlie’s temples.

Sam hovers near you. You hear Kristie call her over but she shakes her head.

“Go. I’m fine” you pat your best friend on her shoulder “Thank you for staying with me Sammy” 

“I’m only over there if you need me” Sam gingerly walks over to her girlfriend.

You sit down with Alex next to you and Charlie on your knee. Your daughter inspects your injury all whilst been careful not to hurt you. She presses your stitches a little too hard which causes you to wince.

“Does it hurt?” Charlie asks and you can feel Alex’s eyes burning into you.

“It does but I’m ok” 

“Are you?” It is now Alex’s turn to ask you a question.

“I am. I have no concussion and no major damage”

“Then why is Sam here and why is she watching you like you’re going to pass out at any minute?”

“I lost consciousness a couple of times, I think I scared her” You once made a vow to be honest with Alex and it seemed important now more than ever.

You look over to where Sam and Kristie were sitting and like Alex said, Sam was watching you like a hawk. 

“I’m here because I have her medication” Sam answers Alex’s first question.

“Medication? You said you were ok. If you were ok then you wouldn’t need medication” 

You give Sam a look as if saying look what you’ve started. 

“Sam. Show Alex the medication you were talking about”

Sam holds up a pack of paracetamol earning a laugh from the girls around you. 

You hated taking painkillers but the doctor give you strict instructions to take them every 4 hours. It has been 2 hours since your first dose and Sam had taken it upon herself to make sure you took a second dose, after that it would be Alex’s job.

“Sam wanted to see Kristie without it the girls teasing her for it so she’s using me as an excuse”

Sam couldn’t argue with you on that. The team, you included, loved to tease her about how much she missed her girlfriend. You got just as much stick but you agreed with your tormentors whereas Sam would get defensive.

You took Charlie upstairs to get ready for bed since it was made obvious that the team would be staying downstairs for a bit and one late night wouldn’t harm the child. 

Whilst Alex did believe you when you told her you were ok, she still wanted a second opinion and your best friend her best option. 

“How bad was it?” Alex joins Sam and Kristie at their table. Sonnett, Lynn and Kelley was also at the same table.

“You want the truth?” Your wife nods her head “At first it was really bad. The physios couldn’t stop the bleeding and they didn’t want to go to hospital until they did. Y/N was out of it but she was trying to act fine. Her eyes wouldn’t focus on anything, it was almost like we weren’t in the room with her” Sam tries not to cry but the lump that if forming in her throat was making it difficult.

Alex didn’t share the same need for control. Her tears fell freely as she heard your best friend tell her what happened moment by moment. Turns out she did have a reason for concern and quite a few at that. Looking at the way you walked in you wouldn’t have thought anything had happened but after listening to Sam, Alex realised you had to be putting on a brave front.

When you return with a pyjama clad Charlie Alex tells the group that is is time for the Morgan - Y/L/N’s to go to bed. You saw the look in her eye and didn’t argue.

Once the door had shut Alex started to cry. 

“Hey hey, there’s no need to cry” you pull her in tight and hold her close. You knew that you would have scared Alex so you let her cry.

“You scared us” Alex speaks into your chest.

“I know, I’m sorry” you grab her hand and pull her towards the bed. Once sat down Alex buries her head in the crook of your neck and you hold her tightly again.

“Yeah mama, there was a lot of blood” Charlie walks over to the two of you. Alex pulls away and quickly wipes her eyes. She didn’t want your daughter to see her cry.

You wanted to say wait till they see your Matilda’s jersey which was now more red than yellow but now wasn’t the time for jokes. 

“I know there was but it all got cleaned up and then I got these to stop it from bleeding again” You point to your stitches. 

“I got you this” Charlie climbs onto your lap and holds up a band aid which had Pepper pig on. You take it off her and hand to Alex with a nod of you head. Alex then places the unnecessary band aid across the stitches but makes sure that the cushion covers your stitches.

“Can we watch a movie?” 

“Yes” Alex answers.

“Actually, the doctor told Mama she isn’t allowed to watch any movies tonight”

“You said you didn’t have a concussion” Alex whispers knowing full well what people who have concussions get told.

“I don’t but the brightness makes my headache worse” you reassure your wife.

“Why?” Your child was curious and didn’t understand why you wouldn’t be allowed.

“Because whilst I am ok, I do have a poorly head. What about a bedtime story instead?” 

Charlie happily takes you up on your offer and even gets herself into her bed. 

“What do you think Al, is it time our daughter finds out how we met?” 

Alex rolls her eyes at this. You two had very different sides when it came to the day you met. You were adamant that it was love at first sight, especially for Alex but she didn’t agree. 

“Only if you tell her the truth” 

Once Charlie is tucked up in bed you side on the side with Alex standing over you.

“It started when Australia played America. I had to mark your mommy and she kept trying to take my top off” This earned you a slap from Alex but a giggle from Charlie so it was worth it.

“I did not”

“You ripped it off me remember”

“It was an accident”

“Oh baby, you keep telling yourself that. Do you think it was an accident Charlie?”

“Nope” Charlie agrees with you, of course she did.

You continue telling the story and every so often you would hear Alex scoff at your recollation of events. She saw you as this cocky Aussie but you did catch her eye that first day but she wouldn’t call it love at first sight. Lust would be more appropriate given then you ended in her hotel room that night.

“Then a couple of years later your Mommy moved all the way to France because she missed me and wanted to see me everyday”

“I didn’t move for you. Well not just you”

“Ha! I knew it” you look up at Alex with a smug look in your face.

“I miss you everyday Mama” 

“And I miss you my sweet one”

You continue the story up to the point where you propose to Alex when you see Charlie trying really hard to fight sleep. You end it there and promise to finish it another time.

You get into your own bed, well technically it is Alex’s bed, and with a watchful eye you enjoy the show she is putting on as she gets changed.

“So I’ve been thinking” 

“Are you allowed to do that?” Alex jokes.

“Actually not but just allow it for the time being. My contract is up with Lyon this summer and I have meeting after the world cup to discuss my contract. How would you feel if I request a transfer?”

Never in all the years of dating and marriage had Alex asked you to leave Lyon, not even when Charlie was born. You were one of the best players in the world, Lyon was the team that made you into that and in return you gave them several champions league titles. Sure the topic had been brought up before but you were always under contract so it was hard.

“Are you saying you are ready to leave?”

“No. I’m ready to stop leaving. Charlie is getting older and you heard her, she misses me and I know you do” Alex throws her top at you “You do and I miss you too. I’ve given my life to that club but it’s time I put our family first”

You wouldn’t admit it but today scared you and you knew that it could have been a lot worse than it was. It made you appreciate these moments you had with your family and you wanted to have more of them even if it did mean moving the San Diego.

[waklman]

Hi Tilly! So, I’m living by myself for the first time and my dishwasher just flooded my apartment 🫠I’m fine😀, really… 😭. Anyways, I just wanted to ask you to maybe write something with Bradley and babybear 🥺. They are my comfort characters! love ya ❤️

summary: you and bradley go out for a late night snack or bf! bradley who stands there in silence x gf! who orders food for them both.

warnings: mentions of strict dieting, one or two suggestive jokes. fluff, 18+ blog.

note: helpp the way that kind of made me laugh. as a fellow girlie who also gets herself in trouble when left alone, i hope your floors are okay! excuse the quality as writers block has me by the neck

something 'bout you masterlist.

It’s not often that Bradley dines out. He’ll indulge in some of Penny’s greasy bar snacks once in a while—nothing more than that.

With the one time he did slack off, it wasn’t exactly easy to get back to his original physique. In fact, Bradley even found himself struggling to keep up with the likes of Hangman at one point.

And that was just the wake up call he needed to finally get back on track. 

Since then, he’s made sure to double down on his efforts to stay in shape, scarfing down his protein packed, repetitive, plain meals. It’d be a lie to say that it wasn’t a bit tasking, but it's nothing Bradley Bradshaw couldn’t put up with. And when Bradley was committed towards something, he was all in. 

But what he forgot to include in his ‘fool proof’ plan to remain loyal to his diet, was his stubborn girlfriend who loves to spoil him rotten. Which is why he's finding it difficult to swallow down his food tonight.

The usual pre-prepped dinner has never tasted so bland and downright dry, especially when you’re planted in front of him with that tablet in your hands.

For the past thirty minutes, Bradley has been subjected to a screening of strangers eating a variety of foods—from huge portions of instant noodles—to enormous crab legs being dipped in buckets of cheese. 

He’s seen it all. 

“Give in,” you whisper, fingers tightly curled around the edges of the ipad, though, you’re careful enough to not block the screen itself.

Across the rounded table he’s sat in, you’re standing there like you’re getting paid to show him a compilation of mukbang videos. You’d put the billboards lined up on the nearby highways to shame. 

“Not a fucking chance,” he mutters under his breath, shaking his head firmly. 

Stabbing his fork into another piece of boiled chicken, Bradley stuffs it into his mouth in defiance. He refuses to wave the white flag, not when he’s worked so hard to finally restrain himself.

Maverick would have to come twirling into the living-room in ballerina-get up for him to take it as a sign to treat himself to a cheat meal. 

At his clear refusal to give in, your head peeks out, just so slightly, behind the thirteen inch screen, eyes narrowed with fiery determination igniting them.

“Mcdonalds. Wendys. Burger King. In and Out,” you repeatedly chant, legs starting to tremble under the strain of standing up for so long. 

Bradley only flares his nostrils, a sign that he is not backing down either.

In any other scenario, his knees would’ve immediately buckled after one plea from you. But right now, he knows you’d stuff his face with junk—that he’s been successfully cutting out for months, if you were given the okay from him.

Though, he does have to admit, he’s finding it hard to keep a stern face because your legs look like they’re about to completely give out. Not wanting to keep you up any longer, Bradley tunes out your endless chant of fast food chains—which somehow turns into a catchy song, as he shovels more strips of chicken in his mouth.

Maybe if he finishes his dinner faster, he could coax you onto the couch to watch more Ryan Gosling movies. 

Following your gut feeling, you lift a finger to the front of the screen, tapping repeatedly on the skip button—until it felt right. After spamming your pointer just a few times, you lift the index off the glass, letting it play at a random point in the compilation.

Bradley’s tongue prods his cheek, straight face starting to falter. “Baby it’s not gonna work. Please just sit dow—” 

His mouth immediately clamps shut, throat moving as he swallows back a wad of drool pooling inside his mouth. The boring dinner under him is long forgotten. 

Noticing his dazed state, you lower the screen to probe what finally caught his attention. Bradley’s eyes practically trails the movement of the tablet, not looking away for a second.

A platter of juicy burgers leaking oil and mountains of fries is what breaks him. 

“And he’ll have the double bacon-burger, two large fries, one coke and—” 

The teenage boy behind the register blinks in disbelief, watching the giant man in front of him lean down towards his girlfriend, shyly whispering in her ear. 

Bradley draws back again, standing a head taller than you with his arms crossed around your front, glassy eyes roaming the lit-up menu stretched above the line of registers. 

“Oh, can we actually make that a root beer? Also I’m really sorry, but can you remove the tomatoes from the burger as well?” You request, giving Bradley comforting strokes on the forearm he has slung over your chest.

“Yes, Ma’m I can…I can do that for you,” the worker clears his throat, editing the order on the screen, customer service voice practically cracking. 

When you two first walked in, with matching pajama pants, the fast food employee assumed he was dealing with a pair of psychos from the streets.

It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, he’d always get one or two unsettling visitors in the duration of his night shift. But they’d always prowl inside the joint by themselves—they never had company—nor have they ever teamed up on him before. Briefly, he considered hovering his hand over the dusty emergency button directly under the counter. 

But to his surprise, you two were just a relatively normal couple with a craving for burgers at midnight. 

“Alrighty, your total comes out to 18.50,” he reads, eyes nervously darting between the two of you. “...Will that be cash or card?”

Almost in a race with each other, you both drop the lovely couple act, digging in your own pajama pants for your wallets. The anxious worker behind the counter starts taking a careful step back, afraid you two were going to pull out a weapon on him all of a sudden. God, he shouldn’t have let his guard down so easily. 

He stills as you beat Bradley to it, holding out a credit card between your fingers, excitedly pointing it towards him. 

Bradley begins to panic, patting down his empty pockets. “Babybear, where the fuck is my wallet?” He tilts his head down at you, a knowing look settling on his face. 

As the credit card is taken from you, your mouth stretches into a wide smile, and you crane your neck backwards to look at him. “I tossed it in the back of the car when you weren’t looking,” you gleam in satisfaction.

Bradley sighs in disbelief, no wonder you were so clingy in the car. 

“Is that why you were crawlin’ all over me during all the stop lights?” 

“Gimme a kiss,” you suddenly demand, cutting him off. 

Bradley blinks at your puckered lips.

It practically pulls him into a trance, because he’s already dipping his head down to give you a quick peck. In a strange way, it’s almost a perfect recreation of that upside-down spider man kiss scene. 

Ultimately, he decides to keep the comparison to himself. If he were to mention it, you’d most likely start gushing about another movie actor.

He’s already heard enough of Ryan Gosling lately.

“I know you can open your mouth bigger than that,” you frown in his lap, readjusting the bundle of fries between your fingers. 

The buckle of his undone seatbelt hits your ankle when you wriggle to find a comfortable position next.

Bradley licks the ketchup off his lip. “Yeah, you would know,” he teases, giving your butt a quick squeeze, sleazy look on his face. 

Somehow, he’s the same person who was barely able to order food for himself inside the burger joint that’s currently behind his parked Bronco.

Receiving a silent look of disapproval from you, he finally clears his throat. 

“Okay, someone didn’t find that funny,” he mumbles, stretching his mouth wider for you.

“A little more. Ahhh,” you sing, encouraging him to take the fistful of french fries. Under you, Bradley nearly chokes when you stuff one more in his mouth, slamming his jaw shut with finality. 

“I like when your mouth is full. Less talking,” you jut your chin at him, all too pleased with the lapse of silence. 

Bradley stills his chewing, raising a brow at you. 

“Ugh! Stop it. Keep chewing those fries,” you complain, reaching for the large root beer resting on the dashboard behind you.

Bradley grins, mouth full of food, holding you steady when you twist your middle to grab the drink. 

Swallowing down a large ball of potato, he leans forward, wrapping his lips around the straw, taking a long sip from the drink cradled between your hands. 

“Are you full?” You question, watching him lean back after finishing off the remains of the beverage. You decide to set the empty cup into the driver's seat for now. 

“Feeling so full, baby,” he groans, shutting his eyes as if it’ll help him digest it faster. 

Pursing your lips to hold back a laugh, you place a suggestive hand over his stomach. “Yeah? Feel it all in your tummy,” your voice drops to a lower register, mimicking his dirty talk from the other day. 

His eyes snap open, immediately.

The cramped Bronco, littered in empty paper bags and greasy wrapping paper jostles as he rushes to sit up tall. “You said no more jokes,” he scoffs, pinching your sides. What you said was worse than everything else he spat out tonight. 

“Hey,” you whine, scratching his bloated stomach with your nails. “Don’t act all mad big guy. I know you’re about to give in anyways,” you giggle. 

Bradley traces his teeth with his tongue, failing to conceal his growing smile. Because you’re right.

If you weren’t, he wouldn’t be thirty minutes away from home, favorite person in his lap and favorite cheat meal in his stomach.

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[mika-no-sekai-blog]

Word count: 1600+

Warnings: mentions of blood, wounds, malnutrition; swear words

Part XIX | Part XXI

The beast watched you, growling lowly and dangerously. No sign of recognition in his eyes or tense posture. He seemed to be ready to tear the unwelcome intruders into shreds.

"No sudden moves. Just slowly, easily." Lucien whispered next to your ear, his big hand on your waist.

"Hello, Tamlin," he said to the beast in a soothing voice. "It's me, Lucien. I brought you a visitor. Do you remember Y/N?"

The beast didn't even blink, eyes on you. It seemed he didn't understand words anymore. Sizing you up as predator assessing his prey, he slowly moved forward and his huge bear-like body came to view.

You gasped, your heart breaking at the sight of him. He was just walking skeleton wrapped in thick fur. You could count all of his ribs even from afar.

Lucien very slowly took a step back, pulling you with him, but you refused to move. He swallowed so hard even Tamlin heard it and growled at him.

"Please, just follow me," he lowly hissed through clenched teeth. "It's too dangerous. He already saw you and doesn't seem to be overjoyed. We can try it again in the morning and hope he is in better mood."

"No," you said firmly. "I won't leave him."

"Fuck!" The beast moved swiftly, bridging the distance between you with two jumps. Lucien drew a dagger while moving forward to shield you with his body. "Tamlin, we don't want to hurt you, but-"

"Stop," you snapped for his wrist and tried to push his hand with the dagger down. "Put it away."

The sound that Tamlin made, shook the walls so much that pieces of plaster fell off. Claws whizzed through the air and dagger flew off to the corner of the room.

Lucien cried out in pain. Blood ran from a deep cut on the back of his hand, drawing deep crimson flowers on the floor. The claws caught on your dress, too, cutting open holes into a skirt, missing your flesh by an inch.

The beast opened its mouth ready to bite. You didn't think, you just acted. You moved as fast as you could and getting between deadly fangs and cursing Lucien, you spread your arms wide.

"Tamlin, no," you shouted, shutting your eyes closed you waited for a pain that never came.

Slightly trembling, you dared to crack one eye open. The beast froze in mid-motion with wide opened mouth, sharp fangs just inches from your chest. His gaze was wild, ruthless and full of rage. But there was also something like a recognition in his eyes. Growling he shut the mouth, hunched over and glaring at you he backed down. You held his gaze. A tiny bud of hope bloomed in your heart.

Slowly you turned your back to him. Huff of warm air fanned the back of your neck. You froze on the spot, but nothing happened.

Lucien was gaping at you with pained expression. He held his hurt hand, tucking it to his chest. A small puddle was forming on the floor below him, his front was soaked with blood.

You tore off a piece of your petticoat. "Can I see it?" Hesitantly, he let you take a look while his eyes jumped between you and the beast behind your back. "It's quite deep, but thanks Mother, it's already starting to close," you breathed sigh of relief.

You tended it as best as you could at the moment and pivoted back to the beast. He watched you carefully, snarling, still ready to attack.

Strangely, you weren't scared of him so much now. Even your heartbeat slowed down to almost normal. You nearly started to believe that he wouldn't hurt you.

Holding his gaze you slowly raised your hands with palms upward.

"It's okay, Tamlin," you spoke soothingly and smiled. He barked at you. You winced, but you managed to stay rooted at the spot. Your pulse quickened again. The courage you felt before, vanished.

"Y/N," Lucien warned lowly from behind you. "We should leave." His unhurt hand touched your waist, ready to pull you back if the beast decided to attack for real.

"Let me at least try it," you pleaded while still holding Tamlin's gaze. You wanted to believe that he wouldn't hurt you with all your heart, but after all, in his current state he was unpredictable. You let out a shaky breath.

The beast licked its lips snarling lowly.

"It's okay, Tamlin." Your voice was trembling. "I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help you. Like the last time. Do you remember it?"

He finally blinked, his gaze lowered to the floor for a second. He took a step back.

"Will you let me help you?"

He growled and jumped forward, stopping with his fangs an inch from your face. A tear slid down your face, the yellow eyes followed its trail. You didn't dare to move even though Lucien yanked on your waist, trying to push you aside, out of the beast's reach.

"Please, Tamlin. I'm begging you."

His stare faltered and after few moments that felt like forever, he reluctantly lowered his head. Moving very slowly you placed your hand on his head, caressing him gently between antlers. He closed his eyes and made a whimper like sound.

"Cauldron boil me," Lucien whispered in awe behind you. But he shouldn't have done that. The beast moved forward, towering over you and snapping at him. Lucien jumped back in time to avoid his fangs.

You wrapped your arms around his neck. "No!" The beast stopped. "It's friend. He won't hurt you. Lucien came to help you, too."

The beast snarled one more time, heaving. He seemed to be at the end with his strength. His hind legs buckled and he sat down to cover the sudden weakness.

"Are you tired, Tamlin?" You whispered, still hugging him and caressing the dirty fur on his back. "Would you like to drink some water?"

The sound he made sounded like no. He didn't speak, probably couldn't. The animal was stronger, suppressing Tamlin's real form.

"Okay, so no water. How about tea?" He seemed considering it for a moment. He made another animal sounds. These sounded like agreement. "Good. So tea it is," you smiled at him.

"Do you think there are some herbs around here?" You half-turned to Lucien who was silently watching over you, hurt hand along his side, the other one ready to protect you.

"I guess there are some in the garden," he said warily.

"Could you show me where?"

The beast stood up, growling, one of his front paw curled around you, pulling you closer. Lucien was immediately next to you, reaching for you.

"It's okay. I'm fine," you assured him, chuckling. "I guess he doesn't want me to go. What should we do now?"

Lucien gritted his teeth, eyes watching over the place where Tamlin was touching you, his pointed claws too close to your flesh.

"Do you think you could bring some?" you offered the only possible solution as Tamlin was apparently too weak to make it to the garden and back.

"I could, but forget that I will leave you here alone."

You arched a brow. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." You gazed at each other, unblinking. At last Lucien lost and blinked. "Fuck," he grunted under his breath, frowning and ran hand through his long hair. "You won. I'll do it. What herbs do you need?"

Your lips curled into satisfied smile. "Do you think you could find some chamomile? And maybe even lemon balm?"

"Yeah, I think some grew in the kitchen's garden. I can go and check it out. But. If something happens. Anything. You will shout as loud as you can and run for your life. And use this." He forced another dagger into your hand. It was much smaller than the first one he lost.

"I-" you wanted to refuse it, but his narrowed eyes didn't allow any compromise. It would be either this or he wouldn't go. "Fine."

"Fine," he repeated and watching you, Lucien backed from the room.

"Can we move to the kitchen to boil the water?" you asked Tamlin. He grunted, but he moved toward the doors.

Lucien returned as soon as you put a kettle and a cauldron on the fire, hand full of herbs you asked for. The chance of finding some clean bandages in the mess around was minimal, so you sacrificed the rest of your petticoat and sterilised it in the boiling water.

When the tea was ready Lucien gladly accepted a cup and sipping the hot drink he watched Tamlin who at first sniffed around his bowl, but once he hesitantly drank, he couldn't stop and asked even for the seconds.

Meanwhile you tended to Lucien's wound, carefully washing it out with chamomile extract and again bandaged it with clean sterilised strip of fabric. Lucien didn't so much as hiss, thanking you afterwards.

It was quite late at night when you finished and the three of you were really tired. Tamlin's room was completely destroyed, but Lucien helped you find two not so dirty and damaged mattresses and move them to one of the rooms in better condition.

You laid down, exhausted, but happy being back in Spring. Tamlin, now clean thanks to Lucien's magic, stretched out next to you, snout in your hair.

Lucien insisted on putting the other mattress right next to yours, refusing to leave you with the beast alone. Before you drifted into sleep, you felt his big hand touching yours. The warmth from his skin seeped into your body and wrapped around you like a thick blanket, lulling you into the deepest sleep you had in last months.

Taglist:

@impossibelle @sevikas-whore @b0xerdancer @ladylizzieofdarbyshire @tele86 @mybestfriendmademe @nocasdatsgay @yunloyal @nebarious @isabiss @st0rmyt @lilah-asteria @ubigaia @paleidiot

[tex-now]

SHIHOSAKI AU LIGHTNING ROUND!!! As you can see, some ideas were more compelling than others....

Added an under the cut so tou don't have to scroll too long ,:3

Shiho is like. A hitchhiker? A traveler? She basically goes around the country to different places and she never stays for long. saki is the cute girl she meets at a diner in the middle of a city she's visiting! She was only planning on staying there for a little while, but for saki, she could always stay longer....

Eventually (I don't know how don't ask) saki decides to join shiho on her journey (and turns into her peaky peaky card) :3

Saki is a budding scientist who works for a morally dubious leaning bad laboratory. One day they bring in a new subject, this big furry monster beast thingy that's clawing at its enclosure in distress and aggression, and saki feels bad for the poor thing, it must be really scared...

The other scientists are huge jerks that end up assigning saki to dealing with it (btw every person that has taken care of it has been injured in some way), but it actually goes quite well! It was just stressed out and anxious and all it needed was a little kindness :3 it's still anxious, but not as aggressive which is great!

Saki keeps taking care of the bast until it finally starts calming down around her, and they become closer. For a bit saki basically treated it like a precious pet, but it didn't seem to appreciate that ...

In fact, Saki starts noticing strange things about the beast, like how it has specific tastes in things animals usually wouldn't worry about, or how it seems like it's actually understanding what saki was saying, how it seems almost... human with its behaviors a lot of the time.

Which leads to a confrontation. One day, Saki asks it if it's really a monster, if it's understood her this entire time, and it suddenly gets incredibly aggressive, growling at her, and looming over her threatening lying, trying to scare her off, possibly? But saki stands her ground and the monster backs off wit a very human sigh.

And then it shifts. It grows smaller and more humanoid until a (not exactly) perfect human is sitting in front of her. It explains herself to be shiho, a werecreature who was kidnapped by saki's laboratory. Saki is. Well. A number of things.

Embarassed that she treated a person with thoughts and emotions like a pet, extreme attraction to said person, shame of said attraction, and most importantly absolute fury that tye lab would do this.

So furious that she almost storms out of the enclosure to give those scientists a piece of her mind, until shiho stops her. It reasons that doing that won't help and will only make the situation worse, but saki is adamant that she at least tries to talk to them about it. Shiho complies, and the next day, Saki "calmly" asks about more information on shiho's specific species. Maybe they didn't know it was a werecreature, maybe this was a misunderstanding and shiho will be released!

It was not a misunderstanding. They knew she was a werecreature. They kidnapped her anyway to do research on her since her specific species has such little known information about her. Saki, well... saki snaps I think

She loves her job but it's exhausting and her coworkers are shitheads who underestimate her at every turn, she witnesses the less than caring treatment of the other creatures that reside here, and now she's finding put that they willingly kidnapped a sentient being for the sake of research? Get that shit outta here

Okay this is long enough so lets wrap this up. she basically consensually kidnaps shiho and skips town to save her, leaving behind her job.her apartment and anything age couldn't fit in her booking for when they left. She also ends up taking a few extra friends along for the ride wink wink (honami). At one point they kiss. As you can see the romance was not the most important part mb...

Introverted mermaid meets adventurous girl with a penchant for the unusual. Their first meeting was definitely an accident, shiho got caught by saki while she was sunbathing or just wanted to come up to the surface for a bit. Shiho was startled by saki's sudden greeting and went back into the water immediately (ad probably didn't come back out for a few days). But saki is anything but a quitter, so she keeps coming back and looking for shiho when she has the chance, while shiho keeps trying to avoid her.

But like. At one point she just ends up doing it to do it. Saki's not malicious in anyway. She just comes over there and talks to the water for a little before going back home. She's never brought anyone over to try and see her, she's never tried to take photos or evidence, hell at this point shiho is intrigues by the girl and wants to speak to her properly, so shiho truky has no reason to continue this thing they have going on.

But shiho is very stubborn, so she decides that she won't just come out and show herself that easily, but when saki finally catches her, she'll emerge and actually meet her formally. In the meantime, she offers saki a pretty shell bracelet, as a sign of amicability or something.

Eventually it turns into a little game between them. Saki tries to catch shiho and yet everytime, she just misses her. Sometimes shiho is feeling mischievous and let's her have a glimpse before diving into the water again. Saki probably thinks it's a lot of fun, if not a little frustrating because she wants to talk to her so badly.

And then one day it happens. Saki is late to her usual visit and shiho is sitting there sullenly waiting for her, embarassed of her dissapointment by saki's absence, why is she even waiting here anyway-?

Saki gently grabs her shoulders from behind. Shiho shrieks and almost dives back into the water out of pure panic, but saki's hand stop her, and she stays. They have their first formal meeting... what will happen next you say? Well that's for you to (maybe) find out ;3

Cam I say it can I say it. Goth girl x pastel sporty girl... omg.... poprocks shihosaki... (only one person will understand what I mean by that lmao).

Anyway saki and shiho are very much Girlfriends <3 shiho comes up to saki's desk with a basketball in one hand and a black rose in the other shyly asking her if she wants to go to the movies and saki then proceeds to tackle her to the ground and smother her with kisses. (Saki is still very much saki here yk)

Theyre so yuriful I want to draw them...

Composer wives <3 saki is a stay at home video game Composer (like 8 bit chiptune all that shit) while shiho is a Composer for a classical choir. They collaborate a lot on songs saki forces (bribes) shiho into collabing with her on, and composing is actually probably how they first met. Hmm...

Saki LOOOVES her amazing classical Composer wife and regularly shouts her out on her channel (shiho is incredibly flustered by this) but shiho will also never fail to (vaguely) mention her wife who helped her create the music.... saki is very hapoy by this :3

Saki also begs shiho to make samples for her all the time which shiho grumbles about but does anyway because she's a dy-

Anyway I love them they're so cute

That's all folks

[lucauali]

bob the builder - eustass “captain” kidd

warning: kinda suggestive, making out, groping, female bodied!reader (is wearing a skirt and revealing top), modern AU

I couldn’t think of a title LMAOO but it's subject to change, also I'm fs gonna write for ace next bc I'm on the alabasta arc rn which is also why I'm writing Kidd in a modern AU. Please ignore the fact that idk how to end these drabbles

"I'm home!" You were met with silence as you softly shut the front door of your new apartment closed. The numerous bags in your arms dropped since the weight of them had been straining you all day. After gently pushing them to the wall with your foot, you ventured towards the hallway. The open door to the bedroom you shared with Kidd remained empty with only the bare necessities inside.

Clank!

The sudden sound made you turn your head towards the spare room at the end of the hall. The door was closed, but it didn't keep Kidd's muffled groans and shouts of frustration shut in the room. You giggled as you turned the doorknob and opened the door.

"Eustass! I'm home!" Said man was hunched over something that was blocked from your sight. He whipped his head around and looked you up and down.

"Hey there, sweetheart. Didn't hear you come in." He got up and walked over towards you. Once he stood tall in front of you, he suddenly gripped you by the hips and pulled you flush to his body.

His eyes raked over the cropped denim top and white mini skirt that adorned your body. The plunging neckline and short cut of the clothing did wonders for your curves.

"You went out shopping for decorations like this? I'm going with you next time, then." He grumbled as his grip traveled all around your body. You let out a squeal when his hand smacked your ass in a teasing manner.

"I asked you to, but you said you were 'too busy' so I just went on my own. What were you so busy with anyways?" You pouted up at him as you started to rub your hands on his bare chest. The light sheen of sweat on his body and the fact that he swapped his usual grey sweats out with some shorts made you think he was getting around to setting up his at-home workshop.

Kidd smirked down at your hands and then at you, "take a look behind me, sweetcheeks. Hope you like it." With that, you peeked around his build and gasped.

Behind Kidd was a completed vanity. The white vanity came with two columns of drawers, along with the pull out drawer under the table top. The table top had crystal-clear glass that showcased the drawer beneath. The best part was the huge mirror with LED lights on the border.

You ditched the redhead behind you to closely inspect the brand new piece of furniture. The mirror even connected to your phone for music!

Suddenly, you felt Kidd press up behind you and circle his hands over your lower stomach. He hid his face in the crook of your neck as he mumbled, "I take it you like it?"

"I love it! Thank you so much, Eustass!" In the middle of checking the storage space, you remembered what room you're in.

"Wait, but baby, isn't this your workshop room? Where are you gonna put your table and all your stuff?" The room wasn't as big as the bedroom, but it could fit a few more larger pieces of furniture.

"Don't worry about it. I'm putting my stuff against one of the other walls. Thinking about putting a curtain or something so that the your side doesn't get messy." You looked up at him with a sweet smile that can make Kidd say yes to anything you ask.

"Thank you, I really mean it. It means a lot to me that you would gift me something like this." With that, you planted a sweet kiss on his lips, which he happily reciprocated.

Kidd hummed against your lips with a smug smirk, "yeah? Wanna show me how thankful you are?" A gasp ripped past your lips as he smacked your ass again.

"Mmm, I knew you would like this outfit. But no! I need to show you the decor I got first!"

"Babe, c'mon! That can wait." Kidd groaned as he tried to reach for you, but you simply walked past him and out the door.

"Nope! You're gonna fall asleep if I don't show you now, so come here!" Your voice echoed down the hallway while Kidd groaned.

Even though he can't take you to bed yet he still wouldn't trade moments like these for anything else.

[l-lellal3ee]

🪦 Possible spoilers ahead, maybe…? 🪦

So, I’m not saying our new giant skelly pal is essentially a necromantic mech… But I am going to heavily imply it.

(I was kind of hoping someone else would pick up on this and post about it, because none of my posts are showing up in the tags, but here we go anyway [I think I have fixed that problem, now… I hope].)

I thought it was kind of strange that Emmrich was heavily featured wearing a completely different outfit than what we’ve seen him in so far, meanwhile everyone else is wearing their usual garb. I think that particular getup is directly linked with our new, enormous friend. Literally and figuratively. But we’ll get back to that in a moment…

Something that I didn’t notice until my third watch through the trailer, where I slowed things down to look at the details, was the way the movement of Big Skelly’s hand seemed to sync up with Emmerich’s. I then noticed the glowing thing in the skeleton’s chest that at a first glance, looks like a battery of sorts.

The next time you see our huge buddy, there’s a group of what definitely appear to be Mortalitasi (judging by the visible jewelry and armor silhouettes that seem similar to Emmrich’s original outfit), or maybe specifically Mourn Watchers if this is a ‘high-clearance’ event, standing before the rising skeleton. Between their body language and the green beams of light, it appears they are giving their power, spirit energy, etc. to Big Skelly. You can see it literally being sucked out of them and into the battery-looking component in the chest cavity.

”Hiiiiiiiii~ probably Johanna!”

(Goals, tbh.)

This brings me back to Emmrich’s armor, and is where my heart-eyes for the Big Boney Friendo start to fade into concern for my future necromancer boyfriend.

Not only did the jarringly different armor confuse me, but the not-so-subtle prongs made alarm bells start ringing in my head after what I had noticed seemed to be going on with Manfred’s Enormous Cousin.

To me, the prongs look very much like implements for channeling/outputting magic or energy, either from a distance or by literally plugging into something… I’m sure you’re picking up what I’m putting down. I think Emmrich is going to basically be the pilot for the big dude. Which is where I get worried because there’s different ways that could work, and different repercussions that could come as a result.

This could be something he can do from a safe distance, where the prongs basically ‘broadcast’ his movements to the skeleton, or he may have to physically be inside it somewhere, somehow for it to work. In either circumstance, this could either be just a big, badass Emmrich moment, or it could be a potential point of no return.

We don’t know if this skeleton is one of the huge, dangerous anomalies from the depths of the necropolis with a level of sentience or will of its own that they’ve managed to study and can dredge up, and essentially leash, in be-all, end-all situations - or if it’s purely a construct that lies dormant as a last resort for when shit really hits the fan with an unknown-to-us cost to power up. It may sap so much power and energy that it greatly threatens, or requires, the ultimate sacrifice of whoever is controlling it. Maybe also those Mortalitasi who seemed to power it up, who knows how great the cost was to them.

This brings me to the last time we see our giant friend in the trailer. They look much worse for wear; their neckpiece/face covering is gone and the capsule in its chest that held the battery-esque piece appears damaged, and the battery itself looks to either be missing, or like there’s a dark shape/figure in front of it or in its place. It’s too hard for me to tell or even try to guess if there’s a person in the capsule here. It certainly is the right size for it, though.

Taash (judging by the horns and the braid) is below as the big guy attacks, but I can’t tell if it’s attacking Taash, or if this scene is cut/cropped specifically to keep us guessing or not give anything away, and they’re both fighting a shared, offscreen enemy. This kinda feeds back to “we don’t know if big skelly is a sentient creature or just a construct” and we don’t know what it would do if something happened to the ‘pilot’ and control was lost, or if the battery/container of energy (possibly also a source of control in some way?) was damaged or lost - would the big boi just start attacking everyone/everything rather than “shut down?”

This post is a mess, I’m sorry, but it’s been driving me insane all day. I kept going back and re-evaluating the clips and screenshots over and over.

BioWare, you’re going to dangle my dream old man necromancer in front of me, then heart-wrenchingly rip him away, aren’t you? AREN’T YOU?!?!!

[milfgyuu]

Matilda Pairing: Choi Seungcheol x Fem!Reader Series: SVT x Harry’s House Tags: 1.8k, Wedding!AU, Angst, Comfort, Found Family.  Summary: “You can let it go. You can throw a party full of everyone you know. You can start a family who will always show you love. You don't have to be sorry, no.”

Warnings: re-opened emotional wounds, family/childhood trauma, abandonment, bad parents, lots of tears both happy and sad. The underlying reasons for sadness are rough, but there is a lot of love and healing in this piece. 

“Cheol…”

Jeonghan’s voice is tight, throat constricted with emotion and both Seungcheol and Joshua look at him in the mirror’s reflection already wary of what he’s about to say. Joshua finishes fixing Seungcheol’s tie and he lays a hand on his shoulder. “Superstitions be damned,” he sighs, “She needs you more than anyone else right now.”

Seungcheol thanks his groomsmen and quietly exits the suite. The partners of his friends, your bridesmaids, are filtering out as he nears, all giving him a heartfelt nod or pat on the arm. He takes a deep breath, pushing back his anger, and opens the door of your suite. 

You’re sitting in front of the vanity, face hidden in your hands, your dress still hanging in the corner of the room, untouched. He can see your shoulders shaking, hears your broken cries and the effort of trying to stuff them down and drown them out. He steps closer and tugs at the sleeves of his suit jacket. Not wanting to frighten you, he speaks up just enough to let you know he’s here. 

“Sweetheart…”

You turn around in a shock. “Hey,” you quickly wipe your face, “Y-you’re not supposed to see me before the wedding. It’s bad luck…”

Seungcheol only smiles at you and open his arms, “Come here.”

His voice is so gentle and the choked back tears fall anew as you throw yourself against his chest and wrap your arms around him, locking your fingers at his back as though it would keep him tethered to you. That was never a genuine fear with Cheol, though. He was by your side through thick and thin and had never once pushed you away or left you behind. 

Unlike your biological family. As cold and detached as the term itself.

“I shouldn’t have invited them,” you sob into his shirt, “I knew they wouldn’t show up even though they made me feel guilty but I held out hope for it anyway and I feel stupid for hurting like this. I’m too old to be this naïve.”

He hushes you, kissing your hair. “You’re blaming yourself again,” he whispers, cupping your face to look at him, “You’re not naïve to seek comfort from the people who are supposed to love you and you’re also not responsible for their poor choices. You don’t have to keep trying to to please them or prove yourself worthy of love.”

“I t-tried so hard to be a good daughter,” your voice cracks, “And I know that they have put this strain on our relationship but…they’re my parents. It’s so hard to let go and convince myself it’s ok. If I let go completely, doesn’t that make me a failure?”

Seungcheol shakes his head adamantly, “Absolutely not. You don’t owe anyone an apology,” his thumbs stroke your cheeks, “You moved out, your worked your ass off, put yourself through school, made friends who love and adore you…”

Your lips twitch into a small smile, “I found you.”

He grins, “You found me,” he whispers just before his lips meet yours for a tender kiss. 

Choi Seungcheol had begun filling a huge whole in your heart the very moment you met him four years ago. He loved you unconditionally. Loved you on your best and worst days. He’d been there time and time again when you broke down and gave your family another chance only for them to disappoint you as usual. He was by your side when your mother cut you down and berated you for being selfish and unfeeling. Held you close to his chest all through the night while you sobbed and reminded you that none of it was even true. 

He’d brought you home to his family. He’d made the effort to meet your friends and introduced you to his own, a crowd you allowed yourself to trust and care about immensely. If there was one thing Cheol would always prioritize it was keeping you surrounded in a community of love and support. 

“Listen to me,” he peers into your eyes, “Everyone here loves you so much - they chose us and we chose them. No obligation, no blood ties - they are here because they want to be. You’ve grown up and made a family all of your own and you don’t have to ever feel guilty for moving on with your life and surrounding yourself with the people who care about you.”

“You’ll never let me wallow in self-pity, will you?”

Seungcheol smiles and kisses your forehead, “Never alone, but especially not on our wedding day. We have everyone we need here with us to celebrate. No need for tears today, baby.”

“I love you,” you whisper, the tension in your shoulders melting, your fingers unlocking. You know he’s not going anywhere. Not now, not ever. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” he whispers back, dipping his head and kissing you until there is a light knock at the door. 

You both turn around and Seungcheol’s mother pops her head in politely, “Hi, sweetheart. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping, if it’s not too much to ask, that I could help you get ready?” her eyes water and she takes a moment to collect herself, “Every girl deserves to have her mother at her side on such a big day and It would be an honor…”

“Oh,” your lips dip into a frown as tears spring to your eyes once more and your arms slip from around Cheol so you can walk over to your mother-in-law who embraces you, kissing your hair tenderly. “It would mean the world to me.” 

She pulls back to wipe your cheeks. “I won’t have my daughter crying on her wedding day either.”

Another knock at the door sounds and it’s Seungcheol’s father. His mother opens the door and he clears his throat, averting his eyes in the other direction, “Is ah, everyone decent?”

He’s met with a chuckle and deems it safe to look inside, his chest cracking at the sight of tears in your eyes. He takes up one of your hands and squeezes gently, smiling with so much fondness that you crumble under the weight of it. 

“I wasn’t sure of a right time to give you this, but I figured now is as good a time as any,” he says with a chuckle and then pulls a jewelry box from his coat, “These belonged to my grandmother. They were worn on her wedding day and have since been worn by my mother, my wife, and now that I am being blessed with a daughter, I’d like to gift them…to you.”

He opens the box and there sit a silver necklace with baby blue diamonds and a matching pair of earrings. Cheol’s mother squeezes your shoulders from behind, “Something old and blue for you to pass down to your daughter one day.”

You look at both of them, lip quivering and break into a watery smile. “Thank you for being so gracious,” your eyes glance over to meet Cheol’s who’s hastily wiping away his own tears, “I wish I’d had parents like you growing up, but I’m so grateful to have you now. I hadn’t realized how much I would gain when I fell in love with your son and I’m so thankful for all of you.”

“You never have to thank us for loving you, sweetheart,” his mother says, “You are an incredibly loveable person and we’re delighted to be your family. So is everybody else out there filling up on hors de ovures.”

“I suppose that means we should get the show on the road,” you grin, dabbing at your eyes, “I should probably fix my make up and get dressed.”

“I’ll go fetch the stylists and your bridesmaids,” she says, “I’ll be right back,” she is almost out the door and then spins around, “Choi Seungcheol go straighten your suit and get your boys in order, you’ve seen enough of your bride before the wedding already.”

Cheol laughs. You’re never too old to be admonished by your mother apparently. Even on your wedding day. 

He leans in and steals one more quick kiss, “I’ll see you out there.” A wink and then he’s gone. 

Cheol’s father is about to leave as well when you catch his hand and he turns in surprise. 

“W-would you…walk me down the aisle?”

Mr. Choi was a big, burley man - the strong and usually silent type. And his eyes glistened as soon as the question left your lips, a hopeful ring in your voice. 

“Nothing would make me happier,” he smiles and you chuckle, handing him a tissue as Cheol’s mother returns with your stylists and your bridesmaids in tow, “I’m looking forward to it.”

Once the door to your bridal suite closes, there is a flurry of motion with the stylist fixing your hair and touching up your make-up. Your bridesmaids finish getting themselves ready and you all fall into a fit of giggles as they help you get into your wedding dress and veil. Your beloved bonus mom securing your necklace and earrings with a proud look. 

And then it’s time. 

Everyone disperses as they are called one by one to walk down the aisle and you hope your photographer catches every bit of it. Cheol and his mother go down first. Then it’s Jeonghan and his wife, two of your greatest friends in the world. Joshua and his fiancé, whom you’ve known since your waitressing days. Then it’s Wonwoo’s son, your trusted little ring bearer followed by his best friend, Mingyu’s sweet daughter, who you actually catch sight of, stuffing her little hands into the basket of flowers before tossing them up into the air. 

Then it’s quiet, and the music changes tempo. 

You look to your right and there stands Seungcheol’s father, offering his arm out to you with a watery smile. You go to him, linking arms and taking a big deep breath. He pats your hand and whispers, “You look beautiful. My son is a very lucky man.”

You chuckle, eyes watering at his reassuring smile and you make your way down the aisle together. You’d imagined your eyes would be focused straight ahead out of sheer nerves but you look around in awe at all of your guests. Your friends, co-workers, neighbors, some extended family you hadn’t expected to show up, and then your eyes fall on him. 

The moment your eyes meet, Seungcheol’s lip quivers and he’s overcome with emotion. 

This man, your one true love, had given you so much and still promised you more. He’d vowed to remain at your side and navigate life together on bended knee and you trusted him with your very soul. You near the end of the aisle and your future husband steps forward just as his father, hands you off with a soft kiss to each of your cheeks. 

Under the altar, hand in hand with your soulmate in front of a family of your very own creation, one that had always shown you love, you exchange your vows sealing those promises with a kiss as everyone erupts with joy. 

Cheol holds you close, smiling against your cheek as everyone celebrates your union and you know for certain that you’d never need to fear feeling lonely or unloved ever again. 

Thanks for reading! 💖

SVT M.List | Main M.List

→ Please do NOT copy, repost, or translate, any of my works here on tumblr or on any other platforms! All stories are copyrighted, Milfgyuu, 2019. ©️

[moonlightsmasquerade]

Monsters in Mayweather: The Fool's Errand

CW: Mild Body Horror, Blood

Detective Ruby Phillips and Officer Theron Howell head to a disturbance call where the two stumble into something they never should have.

“911 what is your emergency?”

“I was passing by the old church, the uh, the one on Black Oak Hill, and I heard strange noises coming from inside of it.”

“Do you see anyone?”

“No. I only hear something, it sounds like someone talking really loudly, I’ve… also heard a noise that sounded like screaming coming from there. I think there’s something going on.”

“Alright, we’ll send someone down to go look at it.”

…

The police department building was nearly empty, most had gone home, save for a few officers, one was Detective Ruby Phillips, who was doing her usual reading and looking over emails.

“Howell, disturbance call for the church on Black Oak, go take a look.” She heard another officer speak to Theron Howell, his head shot up from the files he was reading, a stray piece of red hair fell over his face when he did.

“On it.” He replied, standing up and putting his things away before grabbing his coat 

“I’ll come too.” Ruby stood up, the other officer nodded and she followed Theron as he started walking to the front.

“It’s just a disturbance call, you don’t have to come,” he said. “I can go alone.”

“It's fine, Joanna’s with my mom. I don't mind sparing a few hours, besides it's better for you to have some kind of backup, I can drive us too.” she replied, picking up her own coat and walking with him to the car, he handed her the keys and the two headed in. Once Theron got the GPS set up, Ruby started the car and began the long drive to the abandoned church. They sat in near silence, save for the radio's low volume and occasional crackles. 

“Something’s bugging you… isn’t it?” Theron asked. Ruby cursed in her head how easy it was for him to tell.

“Do you remember last year? The incident with the man and his son who went camping?” She asked, receiving a “Mhm.” and a nod from Theron.

“It was near that church, and that's not the only case surrounding it either, there've been several missing persons, and all of them went missing in the same area.” Ruby said, “And all of the cases are cold.” Her shoulders were tense for a moment, before she relaxed again. “I just want to see if there's anything there, maybe I’ll find some type of answer.”

“Right, makes sense.” He replied, looking out at the dark stretch of road, passing by thick forest.

“It’s still a bit odd though for anyone to be there, it's been abandoned for god knows how long. Who on earth would try to go there now?”  he said, “I’m just hoping it's nothing serious, like, maybe people are just pulling a terrible prank there.” He continued, then he heard a small snicker from Ruby.

“Could just be some dumb kids performing a seance or a group of ‘ghost hunters’ screaming over a random noise.” Ruby joked, Theron gave a small laugh to her response. 

She parked the car in front of the old place, a massive stone structure atop a small hill, surrounded by a graveyard next to the main road within the dense forest. it seemed out of place in a small town like Mayweather. The two stepped towards it, a strange symbol had been painted on the front doors, it gave Ruby a slight shiver looking at it. 

There was a lock and chain on the door, they were unbelievably rusty, and snapped with ease as Theron cut it with bolt cutters. Both felt another shiver when the chain snapped and fell from the handles. He pushed against the heavy front door. It creaked loudly as he opened it. It let out a gust of cold wind, Ruby pulled her jacket tighter. She got an uneasy feeling, like they shouldn’t be there. She pushed that aside, they had a job to do, even if it was nothing they had to check for anyone there.

 The air in the place was freezing as the two entered. Running their flashlights along the huge room, they saw pews leading up to an altar, well, the remains of an altar. Now it was a rotting pile of wood. stained glass windows running along the sides, everything was covered in thick amounts of dust and it smelled like mildew and rotting wood. Theron cleared his throat and called out,

“Hello? Anyone there?” 

No sound returned except the echoes of Theron's words. The two continued to walk through only the sound of their footsteps rang through the church.

He ran his flashlight across the pews to the front, staring at the stained glass at the front just above the altar’s spot, it looked like a saint in the visage of the glass. Theron felt a deep discomfort looking at it, the eyes of the glass almost seemed to be looking right at him. The smile it had seemed a little too big. He looked away from it, no need to freak himself out over a stupid stained glass window. 

Ruby stopped Theron. 

“Do you hear that?” she whispered. She walked briskly towards the front, past the rows which formerly held a choir and up the small set of steps leading to the front. 

“What? Ruby!” He quietly exclaimed, and quickly followed behind as she stopped where the altar once was. Ruby tapped her foot against the floorboards, causing a hollow creak as opposed to the solid wood they had just been walking on.

“What the hell?” Theron breathed out as Ruby yanked at the boards, they lifted into a trapdoor, revealing a passage under the church.

“Listen.” Ruby said, the two listening closely to the passage, the cold, musty air down below brushing over them. Theron’s eyes widened, he heard a quiet sound, it sounded like shuffling, a person moving, or dragging something. She moved to go down before Theron stopped her.

“Wait, I-I don’t like this,” he looked back to her, “This place is giving me the creeps, something's not right, it-it feels like…” his words faltered, before he could say It feels like a trap, the two suddenly heard something, it sounded like a person crying out.

“I have to go check, what if someones hurt? I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't try to make sure.” she responded, he furrowed his brow but nodded in agreement with her words.

“Right, You’re right. I’ll stay up here and keep an eye out then,” Theron said, “Shout if you need help ok?” Ruby held up a thumbs up before descending down the passage. She turned on her light, shining it across the room.

A crypt

Ruby’s face twisted at the overwhelming smell of mildew and rot. She stepped carefully forward, flashing the light down the many halls. She knew some churches had crypts in their basements, but she hadn’t expected one down here, much less one this big. She continued, listening for the shuffling and following the direction that it seemed to be coming from. Her flashlight shone on the concrete floor, her stomach twisted slightly, there were dark stains splattered across the floor. The shuffling sound had stopped, and she heard another, a groan.

“Hello?” she called out. The voice let out another groan. 

"Hello? It's okay, I'm a police officer, I'm here to help."

Shuffling again, the sound was coming closer, a figure turned the corner of the crypt hallway. Ruby dropped her light, gasping and turning on her heel.

The person was dead, their skin was practically gray and falling off their bones and its milky eyes had looked directly into Ruby. She sprinted towards the passage, without her flashlight it was the only light in the dark. She could hear the sound of more shuffling, more dead groans echoing. Ruby had to get out.

…

“THERON!”

SLAM

Theron jumped, turning quickly to find the door shut.

“RUBY!” He immediately grabbed at the edges and started pulling, but it wasn’t budging. He kept pulling, the jagged edge of the wood door digging into his fingers as he did. He could hear her shout and bang against it, Theron tried to muster every ounce of strength he had to get the door open.

Until Theron felt the back of his jacket being pulled, yanking him back and throwing him from the trapdoor. He fell down the short staircase, he felt dazed and tried to stumble back up. As he did he looked up, seeing the figure that grabbed him. His eyes widened when he realized it wasn’t a person. It snarled at him as he started to back away slowly. The face was stretched like a muzzle, with sharp teeth. It looked like an animal imitating a human, its yellow bloodshot eyes burned into Theron as he stepped back. It suddenly charged towards him, swinging its clawed hands. He jumped back, attempting to dodge but the monster still managed to graze him, slicing two small gashes on his cheek. He cried out from the stinging pain. He didn’t want to leave Ruby, but this thing was standing between him and the door trapping her, and it already took a swing at him. Theron took a quick glance to the church doors, they were still open, he took a running start towards it.

Only for it to immediately slam in his face

“NO!” he shook at it, pulling at the doors, but much like the door holding Ruby this wasn’t budging. He saw the monster start running towards him, so he abandoned the door idea and ran around the pews. He had one idea to get out, and he hoped it would work.

The glass of the side window shattered as Theron jumped through it, hitting the gravel outside. He tried to stand up just as fast as he fell, gravel and glass scraped his hands and knees as he ran. Fumbling for his radio, he tried to call for Ruby.

“Ruby! I’m in trouble but don’t worry, I’m-I’m gonna get help ok, I’m going to come back for you!” He let out breathlessly, he continued to run, hearing the sound of something running behind him.

…

Ruby could hear his voice crackle through as she ran down the crypt. She abandoned the door, standing there she could end up killed. She’d seen zombie movies, she knew regardless of what was fact or fiction literal corpses coming to life and chasing her couldn’t end well. The zombie was also fast, faster than she expected. She hid in one of the hallways, an indent in the wall was enough cover for her to stop and try to get her heart to stop racing. Ruby ran over her options, flashlight was gone, it wasn’t too dark to see but she’d be in trouble if she got lost, worst case scenario she could use her gun, and Theron was preoccupied so he couldn’t help, by how frantic he sounded on the radio something was going on up there as well. 

Ruby had to get out of there, she wasn’t going to leave her daughter without a mother.

She took a deep breath and drew her gun out, slowly walking out and keeping as quiet as she could, gun raised. The zombies seemed to be gathered at the base of the ladder, waiting for her. It was risky, but there was a possibility she could distract them. Ruby aimed her gun down the corridor, and fired. The sound echoed down, the horde shuffling towards the noise. She waited and watched as they got further and further away. Ruby sprinted towards the ladder, she reached towards it.

She didn’t know one had stayed behind.

It grabbed her, pulling her back and a sharp pain shot through her shoulder. Ruby yelled, thrashing in an attempt to get it to let go. She opted for slamming the corpse against one of the crypt walls in a desperate attempt to get it to let go. It released her, tearing at the skin of her shoulder as she made a mad dash for the ladder, scrambling up as she heard the rest of them coming back towards her. She shoved the door open, and ran, running past the pews and through the church doors, both now wide open. Running towards the car, Ruby stumbled and fell forward.

She took deep heavy breaths as the exhaustion was settling in and the adrenaline was going down. This caused the pain in her shoulder to shoot through her body more, Ruby tried to push herself back up, but her strength was sapped from her.

“Theron!” She called out, exhausted. The pain was getting more intense, in not just her arm, but her head, her chest, her legs. It was getting to be too much, her arms could barely hold up her body, Ruby collapsed, lying on the ground. Tears ran down her face, this was it, she was going to die and she would never see Joanna ever again.

“Help!” She called out, her voice cracked, “Help! Please…” Her vision became spotty and Ruby lost consciousness.

…

“10-18! An officer is down and there is an immediate threat, we need backup now!” Theron practically yelled into his radio, the thing was still chasing him, he could hear its footsteps behind him as he sprinted down the hill towards the graveyard behind the church. It lunged, catching a clawed hand against Theron’s leg, he stumbled, falling forward and rolling down the hill slightly. He tried to get up, seeing the gash in his leg and wincing. Theron grabbed at his radio again,

“Backup, We need backup, please we need help-”

Its teeth bit down into his arm, Theron screamed. The beast held firm, and he scrambled for the gun at his waist. Once it was out of the holster he fired the gun towards the monster, it let go. He fired again at the monster before pulling himself up, ignoring the screaming pain in the wounds on his arm and leg. He just needed safety, running behind a mausoleum and taking a moment to breathe. Theron could hear whimpers coming from the monster as well as his own haggard breaths. 

He looked back towards the church, the entrance was open again. Ruby might have gotten out, Theron looked towards the sound of the monster, it hadn’t moved. He sprinted back up the hill, the gash in his leg making him stumble slightly. Ignore the pain, focus on getting back there, back to Ruby, to safety. Theron ran towards the open doors, shouting Ruby’s name before freezing. Theron saw something on the ground, a figure in front of the church. He stumbled closer to see it was Ruby lying there, unmoving.

“Ruby!” he shouted, running towards his fallen friend and kneeling down to her. There was a massive wound on her shoulder, soaking her shirt in blood. He shook her, no response.

“No…” he choked, “No, no, no. Please you… you can’t…” Theron hiccuped, unable to keep himself from sobbing, first he was attacked, running for his life for god knows how long, he was exhausted and in pain, and now Ruby was…

He stopped when he heard a small groan and saw Ruby stir slightly. She lifted her head, 

“Theron?” she said weakly.

“Oh god,” he sighed with relief, tears ran down his cheeks, stinging the gashes. She was alive.

“Take my hand, I’ve got you.” Theron started to pull her up, ignoring the burning pain in his arm and leg as he hoisted her up to lean on him, her eyes fell on his wound.

“You… You’re bleeding.” she said.

“I’m fine, don’t focus on me, just focus on staying awake ok?” He wrapped her arm around his shoulder and held onto her waist, moving slowly and carefully. Theron could hear the sounds of sirens, an ambulance and another police car driving up to where they were.

Now they show up. Theron thought, he moved towards the paramedics, 

“Help! She’s hurt!” Theron called out, letting a paramedic take Ruby from him. An officer tried to talk to him, but he felt his own vision getting spotty. Another paramedic caught him as he fell and blacked out.

…

Both were taken to the hospital, it was all a blur at that point, Ruby remembered waking up intermittently, being driven in the ambulance with an unconscious and bleeding Theron, waking up to her wounds freshly patched, her mother bringing her daughter Joanna seeing her, and her other friend Dallas Langley coming into the hospital to see her, being allowed to see Theron, and speaking to a fellow officer about what to put down for a report, they took a tape in to record and transcript everything. When it seemed like the dust settled she and Theron came back to the station, only to be asked to see the police chief individually, Theron going first.

Ruby watched through the window of Police Chief Holmwood’s office. She couldn’t hear a word, but she didn’t like seeing Theron’s eyes widened, before he looked like he was protesting, and the chief stopped him as his head hung low, nodding to something and signing his report. He exited, and just looked sadly towards Ruby. She watched him go, and she was told to go in to sign off on the report.

“So I just have to sign and go right?” she said.

“About that,” Holmwood started, “I’ve overheard the audio you and Mr. Howell gave and for the official reports we’ve had to include changes.”

“Changes? To an official report? Sir I don’t think-”

“The reports are public Ms. Phillips, and frankly the stories sound unbelievable, so for the public record, you were both attacked by a burglar-” The chief interrupted.

"What? This is ridiculous! I know what I saw! I wasn't attacked by some random burglar it was a group of the undead-"

"And we need to be taken seriously Ms. Phillips, we cannot put a fantasy in a police report, Mr. Howell has already agreed to a new version of the report for his side and if you want to keep your position as Detective I suggest the same for you." Holmwood responded.

Ruby wanted to continue protesting, but this was a battle she was going to lose, and she hated that. So she signed the paper, left the room and slammed the door. She exited the station. When she did Ruby saw Theron was also sitting outside, smoking a cigarette. He took a look at her furious expression.

“You okay?” he asked, 

“No, No! I’m not okay! They’ve put bullshit in that report and expect me to be okay with it! Lying about what was there. I know what I saw!” Ruby’s eyebrows furrowed and she crossed her arms, huffing in disdain.

“I know what I saw.” she repeated in a quieter tone, sounding slightly defeated, Theron still didn’t respond, and she looked at him, he stared straight ahead. Her eyes fell on the two scars on his face for a moment. Her face turned to an expression of concern.

“Theron?”

“I know you’re mad about the report but, god would you even believe what happened to us?” He said his voice quiet, Ruby let out a sigh. The two sat in silence for a long time, both wanted to ask the other about details, but neither really wanted to pry.

"Do you… feel okay?" Theron asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.

"I mean… I guess, as okay you can feel nearly dying, are you?”

“I dunno… I’ve got… a weird feeling. It’s probably nothing, I think the shock is still getting to me.” Theron said. 

“I guess I do to, I…” she paused, mulling over what to say, “What attacked you wasn’t human… was it.” she asked

“No… definitely not, and… you-”

“No I don’t… think it was”

More silence.

“I’m only asking because I want to make sure I’m not crazy or making up something in my head to cope or something.” Ruby said.

“Yeah, I think if you weren’t there I would have convinced myself it was something normal like a random attacker or something” Theron took his cigarette box out and offered one to Ruby, she shook her head. The two sat in uncomfortable silence yet again.

“Are you good to drive yet?” She asked, attempting to change the topic.

“No, I called Dallas to get me.” He responded

“I’ll join you two then, beats taking the bus.” 

Another beat of silence. Ruby scooted slightly closer to him.

“You know, if you need anything you can call me.” Ruby said, giving him a smile, Theron nodded, “Of course, and if you call I’ll be there too.” he replied.  

Both of them felt pits in their stomachs, a feeling of dread that neither could shake off, and both pushed the feeling aside, hopeful things would turn out fine.

[crowcaws]

Btw this is what I mean when I say if you only watch anime, if you just wait for anime adaptations instead of giving Manga a chance, if you see Manga as just the beta version of something that would be better animated, you're absolutely missing out on some of the best art this planet has to offer.

(This post turned long as all hell so examples under the cut)

vs

(Yashahime)

The limitations of black and white make for some absolutely incredible artistic choices. Despite the lack of colour, the dramatised use of light and shadow is much more pronounced.

The colour versions are beautiful in their own way, but there's just something about black and white that evokes drama that a full colour piece of the same scene often takes for granted.

There is also a lot more care put into detail in individual panels, because you can stop to examine them. In an anime, details (like the legs on this centipede for instance) are often forsaken, understandably, because of time constraint. You're not going to over-detail something you only see for a few frames.

I'm going to use FMA as an example because people love to argue about which anime is better and my answer, for fifteen years, has been: The Manga.

Both scenes gorgeous, but in the manga version the artistic choice to make his eyes the brightest part of the page, even to the point of not shading his irises, draws the viewer's attention to Edwards eyes and his intense emotion, whereas the anime version kind of draws your eye to his hand and the motion of pointing. As yellow is the first colour the human eye tends to notice, I think the fact he's rendered in colour also serves to distract the eye from the most important part -- the determination and emotions in Ed's eye.

Same manga, different scene:

In the manga, a huge part of Lust's character design, and many of the sins in turn, is that they are an inky black blot on the page. They stand out as the darkest part of any given panel they're in. As such, I think their design when rendered in full colour feels markedly less inhuman when next to the rest of the cast.

In the anime, you get the Lust vs Roy scene as below. Good posing and composition, and by all means a great scene overall. This is two people in an arena who have just duked it out, and the dust is clearing:

The manga version looks like this:

There is no obligation to render a background and the scene is all the more intense for it: All it comes down to is these two characters, and the moment that one of them is about to die. The entire universe, for this panel, it just Lust and Roy. She emerges from the smoke like a tumour, like a parasite reaching for a host. She is not simply standing in front of him, she is emerging from obscurity, her strike sudden but his resolve unwavering. You can see from the way the smoke lingers around him that Roy stood stock still, as the smoke on her side whorls with the ferocity of her movement. He waited for her to pounce, knowing he'd kill her now or die trying. Even the sound effect is used as part of the visual experience.

Another FMA example:

This is a beautiful scene where Edward's arm is the focus, showing the way it, and the regret and heartache and loneliness and guilt that it represents, overshadow his life and his actions. Very nice, I like the way it's the shiniest part of the shot, if not necessarily the coldest.

But here's a very similar scene in the manga:

(All Fullmetal Alchemist and its adaptations)

I think again that the lack of obligation to render a background when it would not enhance the scene does so much heavy lifting here. The way his shirt is completely dark and the background is completely bright means that the grey that is Ed slices through the panel. You don't see his eyes, much like the anime example, but the way he's half in shadow and the way he stands in the void makes him feel so, so much more lonely here.

(I'm certain there's a more equivalent moment in the FMA manga but I couldn't find it for a whim post so here we are)

(Kagurabachi)

This one doesn't have an anime yet but the way this artist renders shadow dripping from a blade to form an inky black goldfish makes it difficult to imagine how you could render this in anime format and maintain the same feeling, or even improve on it. The lack of background makes the contrast bold, but anime often can't really leave the background perfectly black without making the scene confused.

Anyway this isn't to say anime can't look fucking awesome because it very often does. But if you're not reading the manga, well, you don't HAVE to. But you're missing out majorly and I'm sick of it being treated as this preliminary, inferior art form that needs a studio to pick it up and "improve" it to make it worthwhile.

[highqueenofelfhame]

rowaelin // 5.3k words // ciwyw mastlist // playlist // masterlist

It had been a frustrating day to begin with. After failing to sleep for more than a collective two hours the night before, Rowan had tried to carry on with his day like he would any other Sunday. The conversation with Aelin, and more importantly her response, pounding with every slap of his shoes against the treadmill. Not even a full leg-day workout could dispel the dreadful, anxious energy brewing at the forefront of his mind. 

Lorcan had showed up at the house early in the afternoon and chewed his ass out for the red card. He was fully in Team Captain mode for the full lecture, barely letting Rowan get a word in edgewise. At some point he gave up on defending himself and let Lorcan get his rant out. Once he was finished, he’d flopped onto Rowan’s couch and gestured vaguely with his hands.

“Alright. Your turn. Talk about it.”

“I already told you I was sor–” He’d started, hands bracing his knees as he debated groveling on his knees for Lorcan to let up. It had been a long enough weekend and he couldn’t handle another half hour. Sure, he deserved being called a stupid, selfish bastard, but he was tired. There wasn’t much left for him to say other than he was sorry, and he’d already done that multiple times.

“I’m not talking about the match. The girl. Something’s bothering you, so talk. The other idiots aren’t here to give you shit about it.” The man had a point. Without everyone else there to make subtle digs, it was easier for him to nod his head and dive headfirst into the clusterfuck of a situation he was in with Aelin. 

To his credit, Lorcan listened to every word until it was all laying before them like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces were hard to put together because there were about a million of them, all tiny, and several of them were missing entirely. Rowan couldn’t find the corners and didn’t know which way was up or down. Lorcan listened anyway. The migraine that had been coming on for the last few hours hit in full force when Lorcan compared it all to a fucking onion. 

“Give her space. Give her time. The shit with Lyria is a lot to unpack on its own. Add into it that you’ve found yourself in a similar, however different, situation with Aelin… it would be a lot for anyone. It’s an onion, mate. Shit has fucking layers to it.” Rowan had given him a flat look that caused Lorcan to raise his hands in front of his chest. “I’m just saying. Might also be a lesson to check the expirations on those rubbers before you use them, too. Twice in one lifetime? You are one unlucky bastard.”

“You’re not helping,” Rowan glowered, eyes narrowed into little slits. Even if it was good advice, it didn’t do him a lick of good at this point. So much for not getting any shit about this.

“What brand did you use? I need to avoid those fuckers like the plague.”

“Lorcan,” Rowan sighed exasperatedly, all ten fingers raking through his hair until it was a mess of tangles. 

“Just give her the space she asked for, Ro. She told you what to do. So do it.”

“It’s hard to give her space when I just want to be with her all the time,” he finally admitted, slumping back against the sofa. The position did nothing to help the throbbing in his head, but he didn’t move. 

“I really need to meet this woman if she has you, of all people, wound so tight you look like you’re about to explode,” Lorcan said with the shake of his head. “Do you think she’s worth all the trouble?” 

Rowan didn’t have to think about it. The answer was a huge, resounding yes. She was worth fighting for. He said as much and Lorcan nodded, eyes focused on the empty fireplace. 

“For what it’s worth… I’ve never seen you as happy as you are when you talk about her. Don’t get me wrong, until she cuts you a break and gives you a real chance, she’s on my shit-list. But she makes you happy. I’ve never seen you this way about a woman and I think… I think she pulls out the best parts of you.” Lorcan’s confession made Rowan’s chest feel a little tight. “Except for when she’s the reason you’re so pissed off you get carded.”

They had both shared a quiet laugh at that, then spent the rest of the evening sipping beer and watching the major sports channels for highlights of the other games that happened over the weekend. 

Hours later, Rowan truly was about to explode. Sleep was already hard to find despite scouring every drawer and pocket in his brain. When his phone pinged, hope had swelled that it was Aelin. As much as he loved to see her smiling face lighting up his phone, it was not what he had in mind. 

Rowan Whitethorn liked to think of himself as a man with self control and reason. Amongst his teammates he was known for being level-headed, someone that thought things through and didn’t jump the gun. To his core, he always had been those things– until he met Aelin Galathynius, and he was unraveling quicker than a dropped spool of thread. 

You know, the one that rolled under the bed and there was no hope of getting it back unless you kept pulling on the string. The spool would re-emerge from the shadows once the thread was in a mess of a knot at your feet and there was absolutely no hope of getting it wrapped back around its little home neatly. In fact, you might even scrap the whole thing and throw it in the garbage because the reward didn’t outweigh the tedious task at hand. 

Rowan felt like that unraveled spool of thread as he stared at his phone screen at two in the morning, the simple plastic phone case groaning under the pressure of his white-knuckled grip. The edges of his vision were hazy because he hadn’t blinked a single time since he saw the picture that Fenrys sent him. 

Mala fucking help him, he was going to murder his teammate. A brutal, bloody murder. Rowan had never been so sure that he was going to end up in fucking jail. 

Aelin was radiant– something that had been missing from her the last time he saw her. The woman in the picture was exactly the woman that had ripped his heart from his chest before he even knew what was happening. The more muted version he’d had over the weekend still held his throbbing, bleeding heart. But the woman beaming in the photo was the one who stole it in the first place. 

Her hair was down, the golden waves cascading over her shoulders and out of frame. With rose-kissed cheeks and plump, sensual lips spread wide in one of the smiles she used to give him, she was devastating. A little tipsy from his afternoon with Lorcan, Rowan had to physically restrain himself from tracing the shape of her mouth with his fingers. Gods, when did he become such a sap?

The first photo was just her. A tiny cocktail straw was between her teeth, eyes closed from the force of her smile. Her eyelashes seemed to graze the top of her cheeks they were so long. Because of the angle of the photo, taken from a lower, upturned angle, one of the golden lightbulbs gave her a halo. It was fitting, because she was a fucking angel. 

>> She’s even more beautiful in person. 

Rowan knew that. He was well aware of how fucking beautiful she was. But why did Fenrys know that? Why was he discovering the truth of it at two in the godsdamn morning? 

>> What the fuck? 

<< I mean, if you’re not going to, she should get it from somewhere. You haven’t had sex in her bed yet, have you?

>> Fenrys I swear to the fucking gods if you touch her I’m not responsible for what happens to your face.

The picture that followed made him want to throw his phone across the room and hope it shattered into a million pieces he couldn’t put back together. Someone across the table had taken it, probably Connall if he had to guess. Aelin’s arm was around Fenrys’s neck and they were cheek to cheek with matching smiles. Mischief was wild in Fen’s eyes while Aelin just looked… happy. 

And then he noticed, just at the edge of the picture, how low on her hip his godsdamn hand was and he thought he was going to lose his mind. Yep. He was definitely going to be arrested for homicide in a few hours. The mugshot would be in every newspaper in the country, across the world, and he didn’t care. 

>> She’s just wearing minty lip balm. My face will be nothing but hydrated and tasty.

<< You motherfucker

>> Well… not yet 😉

And then Fenrys stopped replying. 

The self-control and level-headedness he had once prided himself in was nowhere to be seen. He tried to pull on the thread of his sanity, to tell himself it didn’t matter, that all of this was fine. Yet every time he looked back at the screen, every muscle and tendon in his body was so taught it felt as though one movement would have them all in ribbons. 

Rowan hadn’t ever had a relationship where he felt the need to protect as much as he did with Aelin. Maybe it was partially because of the baby, but a roaring silence filled his head at the thought of her with another man, least of all Fenrys fucking Moonbeam. If Fenrys respected any kind of friendship code, he wouldn’t even act like he was thinking about toeing that line. 

It felt stupid. They were barely dating and only knew the tip of the iceberg with each other. Still, there was something so different with her. For the first time in almost a decade, he had let his guard down. There were no mile high cement walls around his heart with nowhere to grasp to climb up and over. He was just Rowan, an unopened book with unexplored pages begging to be read.  

It was highly unlikely that he was the only person that found himself inexplicably drawn to her. She was sweeter and more intoxicating than any drug, than any brand of alcohol money could buy.  Aelin Galathynius had the energy of someone that you just wanted to taste once, because once she was gone you wouldn’t experience anything like her ever again. Coming so close to losing her, Rowan was keenly aware of that fact, and he wasn’t sure how he would ever move on if they didn’t really give themselves the chance to explore it. They were opposite ends of two very strong magnets. It was impossible that she didn’t feel that, too. 

Rowan Whitethorn didn’t open up to just anybody. He didn’t let people in. Aelin wasn’t just a fluke. He was absolutely sure of it. 

The thoughts wouldn’t stop chattering through his brain. Words flashed behind his closed eyelids a thousand miles a minute, leaving nothing but explosions of stars and colors where he tried to rub them away. Every time he looked at his phone, the desire to get in his car and drive to Aelin’s grew stronger and stronger. It was becoming an itch that he couldn’t he couldn’t ignore, and once the sun finally started to peek in through his blinds, he was rolling out of bed and nearly running to shower and change clothes. 

By the time eight rolled around, he had forced a small bowl of cereal down his throat and downed what was probably too many cups of coffee. By eight-fifteen, Rowan was in his car and speeding toward the highway to Varese with something that belonged to Aelin sitting in his front seat. 

~*~

Rowan felt… Well, he felt insane. 

Not for the first time, he was asking himself what the fuck he was doing as he knocked on the door to Aelin’s apartment. At several red lights through the city, he debated going home. Halfway up the staircase, he had paused and gone down three steps, only to turn around and march right back up and to her door. The echoing of his fist on the wood had him hesitating once again, wondering if he should just get in his car and go home. He had no clue what he was doing here, besides just needing to see her and make sure that both she and the baby were okay, regardless of her late night activities. 

That’s what he was telling himself, anyway. 

In the ten agonizing seconds it took for him to head footsteps from inside her apartment, he almost turned and bolted. Rowan was well aware that he was being a territorial fool. Evidently there was no reasoning with that very stupid and very irrational part of his brain, even as the clicking and sliding of locks had him wondering how quickly he could make it down a flight of stairs without being caught. 

“Oh,” came her surprised voice, wide eyes and raised brows to match. It was his very favorite version of Aelin that opened the door. All of her golden hair was in a messy knot on the top of her head, a few pieces framing her face. Much to his satisfaction, he realized she was wearing the shirt he’d told her she could keep a few days prior. A pair of little black shorts peeked out from the hem, and the long expanse of her bare legs had him almost forgetting why he was there in the first place. “What are you doing here?”

Her voice brought his eyes back to her face. There was no evidence of the makeup she’d had on the night before and though he could tell by looking at her that she was exhausted, he could also see that she had at least a few hours of good sleep. The skin around her eyes was a little puffy and a few lines were tattooed on her cheeks from her pillow or the blanket. 

“Did I wake you up?”

“No, no. I’ve been awake for like half an hour. Just haven't gotten to dragging myself out of bed yet since I’m not going to the office today.” Right. It was Monday. In his hazy stupor, Rowan had entirely forgotten that she should have been going to work.

“Are you too sick today?” Rowan was immediately on edge, searching her face and body for any sign of what would keep her from working. There was no point– she was downright glowing today. A healthy blush heated her cheeks and he could almost make out the small smattering of freckles across her nose from where he stood across the threshold. 

“No,” she said simply. “I feel really good today, actually. You didn’t answer me. What are you doing here, Rowan?”

“You forgot your toothbrush at my house,” he said lamely, patting at his pockets. Fuck. “It was purple? I left it in my car.”

“I did leave it at your house because that’s the one you bought for me to keep there.” There was laughter in her words as she spoke, like she was bringing up an inside joke they’d made. Mirth danced in her brilliant turquoise eyes despite her face contorting with confusion as she asked again, her tone softer this time, “What are you doing here, Rowan?”

What a loaded fucking question. He sure as hell didn’t know. How many times on the way here had he asked himself the same thing? 

He didn’t have to answer it directly, though, because he realized her shower was running down the hall. Before he could stop himself he blurted, “Is that Fenrys?” 

“Fen– what?” There was so much disbelief in her voice, but she started laughing. “You drove all the way up here to see if Fenrys spent the night with me?” 

Rowan wasn’t sure if the laughter was a good thing or a bad thing. It was impossible to tell if she was laughing at him for being so stupid he thought he had any right to know about her private life when he wasn’t around, or if she was laughing because the idea was so stupid and he had nothing to be worried about. He was inclined to think it was the former, because even though Fenrys liked to rile him up, he didn’t know if he would push Rowan quite so hard.

“Hey, bub? You hungry?” A voice, one that was distinctly not Fenrys’s shouted from the bathroom. In that one, tiny pet name, Rowan’s entire heart sank through the floor. If he looked down, he was sure he would be standing in a puddle of his own blood. The world had gone very quiet, his fingers suddenly freezing as he stuffed them into his pockets.

“Yes,” she called back, her eyes not leaving Rowan’s face.

Aelin was seeing someone else. It wasn’t a thought that had ever occurred to him until those texts from Fenrys, but now it was glaringly obvious. She had already said once that their relationship wasn’t supposed to turn into anything serious. Had she been seeing other men the whole time? It wasn’t like they’d ever talked about being exclusive in any shape or form. They had plenty of time away from each other. He never would have known. It couldn’t even be considered cheating. 

“Rowan,” she said, bottom lip tucked between her teeth to swallow her smile.

“I’ll… I’m sorry. I’ll let you get back to the guy in the shower,” he half-mumbled, crossing his arms to hide his shaking hands. 

And then she was well and truly laughing. It was a bright, melodious sound that under any other circumstance, he would have loved to pull out of her, to bottle up and get drunk on it whenever he pleased.. But right here, right now? Rowan was fucking gutted, and she was giggling like he’d said the funniest thing in the world. 

Rowan had just turned to start walking away when she collected herself enough to say, “You mean my cousin?” 

Time stopped. His blood was pumping in reverse to turn back the clock, to take everything he’d just said and wipe it from existence. Even his movements felt slower as he looked at her, fire licking up his neck and covering his face. The tips of his ears would be nearly purple and if he walked out into the humid air, his body would be steaming. She could probably feel the heat of his body from where she stood in the doorway. 

Rowan had never been so fucking embarrassed in his entire life. 

“Yeah, I– I am so sorry. I’ll talk to you later,” he grumbled, turning on his heel to make his swift exit and go die in peace. Recovery wasn’t an option. There was absolutely no coming back from this. 

~*~

The plan with Fenrys had either gloriously backfired, or he put much more into the prank than expected. She made a mental note to text him about that later, but there wasn’t time for that now. 

Aelin stepped through the door and caught Rowan’s hand before he was too far away. He felt feverish, like his immune system was trying to burn out the embarrassment before it could settle too much. It took a lot of tugging but he stopped trying to escape her presence. His footsteps were heavy on the old wood floors as she dragged him back toward her apartment.

“I really just want to go,” he told her, tattooed fingers sliding through his hair. It was down for once, not braided or tied out of his face. 

“Look at me.” But he wouldn’t. Green eyes stayed glued to a spot well above her head, looking at anything but her. Yes, it had been funny that he thought that Aedion was a random hookup. But the devastation on his face had done nothing but wreck her in return. The laughter was partially an involuntary response to an awkward situation, but also because it was cute that he was so worried about it. Rowan had absolutely nothing to be worried about. 

“Aelin–” The more she reached for him, the more he leaned away. He took one step back and she took one forward, refusing to let him leave while so upset. Aelin reached up, her cool hands resting on his warm cheeks as she gently guided his face to look at her. Before he could protest or slip further from her grasp, she rocked up onto her tiptoes and pressed a soft, sweet kiss to his lips. All ten of his fingers were shaking when they came to rest on her hips and it broke her heart. 

“Take a breath,” she whispered, sliding her hands down his neck and over his chest. Rowan’s eyes were still closed as he rested his warm forehead against her own, but he obeyed. “Fenrys was just fucking with you. Clearly he took it way too far and I am so sorry. We will most definitely be having words about that.” 

Before he could respond, from the depths of her apartment Aedion once again shouted for her and Rowan’s hands flexed on her hips. Aelin sighed and grabbed his hands, walking backwards with him until they were inside. Her fingertips were able to reach around him to push the door shut, sealing him inside with her. 

“Aedion, can you shut the fuck up and come out here and talk to me like a normal person? You’re freaking out my boyfriend and he’s been through enough for today.” Aedion’s hurried footsteps down the hall and the click of his door shutting was the only response she was given, likely to hurry and dress for their sudden company. 

Rowan looked inclined to agree with her sentiments, but didn’t say anything as she walked to the kitchen to get him some water. There was something off about him, and not just because of the trauma Fenrys had inflicted on him, nor the embarrassment that still stained his cheeks. He seemed almost… dim. All of the energy he’d had mere moments ago was vanishing before her eyes. His posture was a deflated balloon hovering inches from the ground a week after the party. 

“Are you hungry?” She asked, taking his hand and guiding him to the couch. Rowan shrugged as she nudged for him to sit in the corner while she curled onto the middle cushion beside him, her legs leaning against his thigh. If anything, she hoped it would ground him from the hell he’d been dragged through in the last few hours. “When was the last time you slept?”

Rowan exhaled, his cheeks puffing out with the gust of air. Dark circles haunted the skin beneath his eyes, which were bloodshot, making the green of them all the more piercing. Aelin frowned at his lack of response, tugging on his sleeve until he looked at her. 

“The fact that it’s taking you so long to figure it out tells me enough.” As though they couldn’t help themselves, despite her telling him she needed space, her traitorous fingers reached out and brushed his hair out of his eyes. 

“It’s been a few days,” He admitted, attempting to rub the tiredness away with his thumb and forefinger. “And my head is fucking killing me.”

“Let’s eat some breakfast and then we can nap, yeah? I’d tuck you in right now but I’m starving and I think you probably need to eat a bit, too.” 

A crease appeared between his eyebrows, lips pursing into a line as he looked over at her and said, “Is that… okay? You said you wanted space. I’m not exactly giving it to you by showing up like this.” 

“Considering I’ve barely been awake for an hour and could already use a nap, I’m going to go with yes. Besides, I do want you to meet Aedion while he’s here.” Thank the gods, his lips quirked into a small smile. Relief fluttered through her chest. She had never been so happy to see somebody smile at her before. 

Just as he opened his mouth to respond, however, Aedion’s door opened and he appeared in the archway to the hall. Aelin looked over at her cousin with a look that threatened violence if he tried the man beside her even a little too hard. Much to her surprise, Aedion gave a short nod before walking closer to the couch.

“Aedion, meet Rowan. Rowan, this is Aedion.” Aelin was a little surprised that Rowan mustered the muscle power to stand and shake hands. “Rowan is very tired so save the groveling for later, please.”

“I think you should be telling him to save my ass-kicking for later,” Rowan amended, sitting back on the couch. Aelin grinned as he looked over at her. “I can assume you told him what I’ve done.” 

“And that you’re very sorry,” she added sweetly, but her glance at Aedion was sharp as a dagger. Though his mouth had opened, likely to throw his own little quip into the sparring ring, it shut immediately.

“We’ll talk about it another time,” Aedion said simply, dropping onto the sofa beside Aelin with enough force that she bounced. She scowled at him, her hand immediately going to cover her stomach. “What are we eating?” 

Half an hour later they had brunch delivered to the apartment, the three of them sitting knee to knee on the couch. The sofa in question had been chosen for the luxurious aesthetic it provided, but she made a mental note to look at sectionals. There was no way she could have any other visitors with only this and the overstuffed chair in the corner for seating. 

Though he said a few things here and there, most of the conversation was Aelin and Aedion’s casual banter. While they did talk a little bit about the game he was carded in and what he expected for the rest of the season, as the conversation went on Rowan seemed to keep drawing further and further into himself. His broad shoulders were caved in and that wrinkle between his eyebrows got deeper and deeper. It looked like it was taking an astronomical amount of effort to keep his eyes open.

When they finished, Aelin and Rowan settled back against the couch while Aedion cleaned everything up. She had intended to just check a few emails before getting Rowan to bed, but he dozed comically fast. The email was half-read when she locked her phone and contemplated the best way to wake him gently. 

“This is the man that got the first red-card of his career for being so fucking pissed on Friday?” Aedion asked incredulously. 

“So it would seem.”

“You’ve never seen him play–” But Aelin cut him off with a shake of her head.

“I have. I watched the game until he got kicked out and then drove to Doranelle.”

“Before that,” his hand cut through the air, dismissing her. Aelin gave him a flat look before looking back at the man snoozing beside her. “He’s a demon, Aelin. When he’s on the field every move is calculated and with purpose. His face is always harsh and his body is always locked and loaded for the next play. Yet here he is, falling asleep on your couch with his mouth open. He might start drooling.” Aedion put his hands on his knees and leaned forward to get a closer look. 

Aelin grinned, eyes cutting back to Aedion. She couldn’t help it. “Be nice, he’s getting old.”

She knew it was true. Ever since uncovering the truth about his job, she had spent an embarrassing amount of time watching highlight videos of his career online. Every photo she saw that was snapped mid-match, his face was all hard lines and angles like he was in the middle of a battlefield fighting for his life. On the soccer pitch, he looked like a warrior that had been honed for battle. Here, on her couch asleep,  he just looked like Rowan. The real Rowan, and she was pretty sure not many people saw this side of him. 

“He looks younger like this,” he observed, eyes squinting as if he could see the soccer persona in his face if he tried hard enough. It was nowhere to be seen, though.

“Probably because he isn’t awake to frown at me.”

“Yeah, no way this is the same guy that fought his way to a red-card before halftime,” Aedion concluded. Aelin snorted, her hand flying to her mouth to muffle the sound. Rowan didn’t so much as twitch. 

“I’m pretty sure he almost cried when he heard you yell at me from the bathroom. He thought…” Involuntary giggles bubbled through her chest and out of her mouth, “He thought you were a hookup from last night.”

“That’s gross.” Aedion’s lips were downturned as he straightened, arms folding across his chest. “He almost cried?”

“That’s where it gets not-so- funny. Whatever Fenrys said to him really fucked him up.” She sighed then, reaching to trace his cheekbone with her fingertip. Rowan did stir then, eyes blinking rapidly as he took in a brute of a man staring down at him curiously and the feeling of Aelin’s skin on his. “Come on. Let’s go take a nap.”

In the most adorable protest of the century, Rowan started grumbling incoherently in the old language. Aelin smiled, only catching a few words here and there that equated to him insisting he wasn’t tired and they could nap later. His eyes betrayed him. They were heavy, blinking slowly and trying to roll back in his head. 

“This is one argument you sure as hell aren’t going to win.” Aelin pulled him to his feet and guided him to her room. When she plopped him onto the edge of the bed his protesting started up again. 

“What’s in it for me?” Sleepy, bleary eyes looked up at her as he refused to lay down. Aelin was standing between his legs with her hands on his shoulders, an eyebrow cocked to silently tell him he was being ridiculous.

“Besides sleeping for the first time in a couple days?” Rowan nodded, his fingertips grazing up her thighs and settling on her hips. She laughed, pushing his hair behind his ears. They would definitely be talking about his sleepless nights later.  “What do you want?”

“A kiss, please.” His response was so immediate it made her heart play hopscotch in her chest. Sleepy Rowan might just be her favorite thing in the entire world. Not even cotton candy could make her feel so light and sweet. 

“Okay, deal,” Aelin leaned down and pressed her lips to his forehead. Rowan swore in the old language but laid flat on his back and let her pull the blankets over his body. 

“Should have been more specific,” he mumbled, pulling on her hand until she crawled over him to the other side of the bed and nestled into the sheets beside him. She let him pull her close until they were pressed flush together. A weight she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying fell from her shoulders,  replaced by his arms around her body. Aelin didn’t pull away but snuggled into him as much as she could, her face against his chest as she deeply inhaled the scent that was so completely Rowan. The scent that was home. 

“You should have,” she agreed, but Rowan was already asleep.

@elentiyawhitethornn @autumnbabylon @fancysludgeshoelamp  @wordsafterhours @live-the-fangirl-life @the-hospitality-of-knives @tangledraysofsunshine @readandlisten @westofmoon @rowanaelinn  @morganofthewildfire @writtenonreceipts @feynightlight @emster1622-blog @scarblx @thefaetrove @loveyatopluto @actuallybarb @peppermint-fae @the-devils-own @scottmcgivemeacall @livingmylifeforme  @wordsafterhours @foreverfallingforthestars @llyncooljones @emily-gsh @loosesimplicity @emilyrose111294  @charlizeed @aelinchocolatelover @cretaceous-therapod @sayosdreams @fireheart-violet @the-regal-warrior @backtobl4ck @shyvioletcat @bellasbookboyfriends @icantfindmychashma

[rallamajoop]

Lab Photos and Documents from Resident Evils 7 & 8

Near the end of both Resis 7 and 8, the player character gets to explore a laboratory full of significant documents and interesting photos, textured and angled such that it’s very hard to get a good screencap. So here’s a huge dump of all the relevant image assets I could find to extract from both game files (plus some rambling about everything that got recycled between them, because spot-the-reused-asset is still my favourite game right now).

Photos from Lucas' lab in Resident Evil 7

The photo of Mia with Eveline in front of the tanker can be found at the end of the Mia video tape, though it also shows up again in Lucas' other lab in the Not A Hero DLC. That DLC also throws in a few new photos of Lucas' creations.

And moving on a game...

Photos from Miranda's Lab in Resident Evil 8

(Apologies for the long post above the cut, but tumblr doesn't seem to let you tile images below a 'Read more', unfortunately.)

What’s interesting is that most do seem to be legitimate photos of the characters’ real-life face models, not just renders of their 3D game models. Whether the human models themselves posed for these or whether their likeness was simply photoshopped onto scenes composed without them I haven’t been able to find out (though the latter seems more likely to me, given that most face models don't even seem to have known what character their likeness would be used for). Either way, there’s an eerie realism to these that doesn’t occur in many other parts of the game, and it’s effective in its own uncanny way.

Since both games refer to the same research at the same lab, it's probably reasonable that some of RE8 photos are just slightly-adjusted copies of those from RE7 ‒ those two shots of Eveline in the lab most obviously. And we're probably just supposed to politely ignore how obviously Miranda's just been selectively edited into that original pic of Eveline with the scientists. *cough*

In fact, if you look closely, even that big group photo of Eveline with the research team and transport operatives has actually patched in both Mia and Eveline from that earlier photo of them standing in front of the tanker. In fact, Alan (Mia's partner in RE7) isn't even from a photo at all: that's a drawing from a piece concept art (no wonder they've got him standing at the back!) As a minor role who appeared in no photos in RE7, I assume they just didn't have any good shots of his face model available.

I'm a little suspicious even Miranda's face in the group shot has been edited in from one of her other photos, but the match isn't quite perfect enough for me to be sure.

Even that photo of the needle going into the egg and the developing foetus isn't new: you can see the same needle shot in some of the RE7 documents, and even the foetus development series gets an angled scan-over in the RE7 ending sequence.

Mind you, some of those "photos of Eveline" may actually not be Eveline herself ‒ text on them in the lab itself suggests they're photos of other members of the E-series, sacrificed during necrotoxin tests. Which makes it rather odd that the figure in the second photo is an adult man who looks nothing like Eveline, so I can only assume some wires got crossed somewhere in the dev team.

(Also odd: the suggestion that there were multiple E-series subjects, some of whom were put down for experimental purposes, even though Eveline herself is labeled E-001. But let's not pretend RE lore has ever been super-consistent at the best of times.)

RE8's "lab photos" also include a couple of shots of a man in snow gear who's apparently Spencer of Umbrella-fame, presumably for all those fans who don't feel it's a proper Resident Evil game if there's not an Umbrella in it somewhere. They're both about as rough as that one piece of concept art of Alan, so I'm guessing whoever created them was about as invested in that topic as I am.

Somewhat more interesting to me are the two shots of Miranda with babies. The second obvious Eveline, but the first is presumably of Miranda with Eva, way back in 1920 or so ‒ demonstrating nothing so much much as that in a full 100 years, Miranda hasn't even slightly changed how she does her eyebrows. /s

[girldragongizzard]

Chapter 16: Finding my voice

The clothes are obviously Chapman’s, and I’m made to fit them.

The central piece of the ensemble is a TARDIS dress. Probably because it’s blue.

There’s also a pair of sunset orange ballet flats with orange supportive insoles in them. A pair of gloves, a purse, and a pair of sunglasses, all of the same color.

The purse is bigger, and in better shape, and with a longer strap, than the purse I’ve been using. So I happily transfer everything over to that. And that’s really super easy with my new sofa-primate hands.

There’s a simple makeup kit in the purse, including a mirror, that I’m entirely too afraid to use.

I’ll catch a glimpse of myself in a window or a bathroom mirror eventually, but I don’t need that now, and I don’t know a thing about makeup. A lot of women locally don’t wear much of it, if any at all, anyway. I’ll blend in just fine without it.

Except that I’m wearing these clothes, and they are telegraphing who I am to anybody who might suspect I’m wearing a pendant that can do this in the first place.

There are panties that are the same blue as the dress.

No bra. The dress has a shelf bra, and what I’ve got on my chest probably doesn’t even need that. I’ve still got them, though. Definitely bigger than I’ve ever had before.

A lot of women around here don’t wear bras either. So, again, not a huge deal. And one less thing to delay my exit from the parking garage.

When I’m all dressed, the pendant hangs all the way down to the bottom of my sternum, under my dress, completely hidden by it and its high neckline.

In a pinch, though, I can still grab it with both hands and haul it right over my head and out of my dress. But if I do that, the dress won’t survive. Nor will the shoes or gloves. Or panties.

There are a lot of reasons I don’t like this, now that I’m doing it, and I want to take the pendant off now. However, that would shunt me over to escape plan B, and that might result in more of last night’s kind of bologna, actually.

But I look like I’m going to a science fiction convention.

—

As I stick my nose out through the crack in the door of the stairwell, I smell, hear, and see a police car roll by and head for the ramp up. They obviously didn’t see me even crack the door, but I let myself be convinced that my disguise is already working, and lick my lips before opening the door more fully.

Another police car swerves and pulls to a halt in front of me as I step out of the door, and I make startled eye contact with the driver.

He pulls his microphone from his dash and puts it to his mouth, to say, amplified and way too loud, echoing throughout the complex, “Ma’am. Please vacate the premises immediately for your safety. There is a dangerous reptile wandering the parking garage.

I still don’t see animal control anywhere.

I nod, and wave, and stumble out, around and past the car to the sidewalk.

I hope they don’t hurt that poor lizard.

Fortunately, I happen to know that she’s making a cunning getaway. But, they might yet track her down, I suppose.

What if they have a wizard on their staff?

—

The door of the coffee shop opens, setting off the chime to let everyone know that the first customer of the day has entered.

Well, no. Chapman and Rhoda are already there, in the back of the main room, waiting for me.

Jill and Cerce, who open on Saturdays, have been told what to expect, but Cerce gawks from behind the counter as Jill steps out to get a good look at me and then at Chapman and back again.

I understand we don’t look exactly alike, though I couldn’t tell from memory when I had taken a peek at myself in a shop window. But, it does look like our bodies were stamped out of the same base mold.

There are some differences.

My boobs are bigger.

My hair is dark brown and not cut in a side shave, and it falls to my shoulders. It has a slight wave to it.

Chapman had said sie had based my facial features on hir favorite autistic comedian from Australia, mixing them with hir own. And the result is that we could be siblings, cousins, or painfully gay partners, depending on if the beholder has prosopagnosia like me or not. And I’m honestly fine with any of those assumptions. I feel like I’d have fun playing each of them up. If I could focus on socializing as if I’m human.

Jill stops in front of me and asks, “Meghan. You look stunning. And stunned. Are you all right?”

I open my mouth and I squeak.

Jill blinks.

See, there’s a bit of a problem.

I hold up a finger. Straight up. It surprises me and I look at it in wonder for a second, then I glance at Jill, and then Cerce. And then I reach into my new purse with both hands and pull out my enchanted tablet.

I almost go to put it on the ground in front of me, but stop myself from bending over more than a couple degrees and make a coughing noise. Then I rub my nose and straighten up and deliberately hold the tablet in front of me.

At which point I reach with one of my hands and turn it on.

Holding it with one hand directly in front of my face at half an arm’s length out, I press on the screen with the knuckle of my other hand.

This feels so freaking awkward and weird.

But soon the AAC app is open and I can talk again. So I say, in my own now familiar voice, that of the tablet, “Can’t talk.”

“What? I don’t understand!” Jill exclaims. Then looks questioningly at Chapman.

Cerce utters, “Oh.”

And Chapman nods at her and then says, “She has a larynx now, Jill. Not only does she not know how to use it, but I imagine it feels really weird when she tries.”

I nod vigorously.

“But didn’t she have one before?” Jill asks.

“I don’t know,” Chapman says. “I never got to study a dragon before the metamorphosis. No one did. We didn’t know who they were. But if I had a guess, I’d say she did, but she lost all memory of how to use it when that old disguise was discarded.”

Jill half points at me and asks, “And how did you say she got this way again?”

“I very pointedly didn’t,” Chapman replies. “And I won’t.”

Jill squints at me and examines me further and says, “I do feel like I recognize her, even though she’s never looked like this. Just like the first time she changed. Will all the other dragons be able to do this?”

“Probably not. Or, if so, one at a time.”

“So weird. And so cool, and,” she looks at me in the face. “Are you really OK with this?”

I shake my head, making sure that she and Cerce and Rhoda and Chapman see me do so. Then I use my tablet to say, “Have to.”

“OK. OK.” She nervously smiles at Chapman, then back at me. “Well, you look good.”

—

There’s a full length mirror in the back room, where they’re going to eventually set up my computer, and I’m really annoyed that I’m using it to look at this body and not my own.

I could take off all my clothes again and then the pendant, and get to see, but that would be a lot of trouble. I’ll get to see eventually.

And, even though it’s a full length mirror, it’s not really wide enough to give me a full third person view of my wingspan. When I have one.

It’s just fine for a human, of course.

I’m.

I’m a woman.

Only I’m not.

This is how I know that I’m not.

Oh, I am definitely female. I am so supposed to be female. I am almost laser focused now on the idea of laying eggs in the spring.

I might be in the need to look for a suitable egg laying lair, actually. It’s a whole half a year away, but now I’m thinking of that pretty solidly.

But anyway, female dragons are not typically women, and this is definitely not me.

Kind of like before my first metamorphosis, I feel like I’m seeing a completely different person in the mirror. Like, as if it’s literally not a mirror but a window, with another person on the other side. My brain will absolutely not let me see it as a mirror. Even as that person mimics my movements and expressions.

But the person I see is cute!

And unlike before, she looks like someone I’d like to at least be very good friends with.

I sure wouldn’t mind looking like her if I absolutely had to. At least humans would treat me almost right if they saw her when looking at me.

Which, for the time being, they will. Which is a startling revelation to keep having. It never stops being jarring.

I do find it a little weird that I can walk just fine, but I can’t talk. It feels like a continuity oversight in a science fiction show. Or a plot hole. But I speculate it might have something to do with dissociation, and what specifically triggers my dysphoria and what doesn’t. Maybe.

It is magic. And very particular, literal magic at that, from Chapman’s explanation. Like programming the universe itself. So, it might just be that I’m missing the code for speech but not for walking. Though, why that would be the case, I’m just not sure. It makes less sense to me than my dissociation explanation.

I tilt my head to the side and watch as the other person does it too. They do remind me a lot of Chapman when sie isn’t around.

I again ask myself this question, because the topic just happens to be on my brain regarding eggs and just how human I might be at the moment. Would I have sex with this person if I could?

Maybe?

If I appear to be human, and she is human, maybe I could. Socially. Accept that.

Physically? Can I imagine enjoying the physical sensation of that?

Honestly, I just can’t even bring to mind memories of physical human contact, let alone daydreams of it.

Why do I ask myself this?

Because humans are constantly talking about it. Or, a lot of them are. Every relationship in every story seems to center around eventually having sex. And it’s the one way they ask whether they’re compatible with each other. And I guess it’s one of those habits I’ve learned from them.

Again, I don’t know what happens in the spring, which I’m guessing is mating season, based on thoughts I keep having.

I turn my head away from the mirror.

I’m supposed to be using this thing to practice acting and moving like a human woman. And I’m failing even at moving like a human, actually. I can tell that much.

I awkwardly move to open the door and walk through the short dark hallway out into the cafe. There are some other customers there now, and Chapman comes to me and indicates we should head back into the back room again.

I was going to ask hir to help me, but apparently I don’t have to.

Rhoda moves to come back, too, but Chapman stops here and says, “Just a moment, OK?”

And then, once we’re back there, Chapman closes the door and stands in front of it.

“Maybe we don’t need you to practice being human today. Just keep the disguise on until we’re done,” sie says. “It’ll be more convincing if you’re draconically weird for the interview. Blending in with people will be needed later, maybe, when you want to use it.”

Then we talk about a few other things before inviting Rhoda in to plan the next phase.

—

It’s the end of the summer and this weird man is wearing black jeans and a black leather biker’s jacket. His black hair is the kind of mess they strove for in old photos of geniuses, but his mutton chops belong at the Subdued Stringband Jamboree. He’s wearing cowboy boots and holding a small notepad and a pen, his right leg propped up on his left as he sits and listens to me explain things using his laptop with the AAC program installed on it.

I find the keyboard is reasonably easy to use, once I get used to using my fingertips to hunt and peck.

I used to be a touch typist, but I think this way now for some reason. But I’m still getting full sentences out in reasonable time.

He’s nodding as I talk.

Occasionally, he asks a question.

What I find absolutely hilarious is that his name, his literal given name, is Seagull. Seagull Phil. It sounds like a nickname, but it isn’t.

The coincidence of that made my stomach growl at the weirdest moment in our introductions.

He works for the weekly paper, and we’re having this interview in the back room of the shop.

He has a voice like a 1930s transatlantic radio announcer. Soft, gentle, and extremely articulate. It does not fit his physical image in the slightest. He’s six foot three, too.

The whole affect is disarming and makes me feel at ease despite my mounting and raging dysphoria. I almost forget that I don’t look like myself.

Rhoda met him at the Council meeting, and befriended him when it was adjourned abruptly to his great dismay. She’d told him that he could interview a dragon.

I’m keeping my human disguise for this so that I can type easier, really.

When we’re done, I’ve promised to shed it so that he can verify that I’m the Meg that everyone is talking about.

What I’ve learned is that apparently I’ve been targeted by the authorities because I’ve been leading the morning roll calls, and someone thinks that that will break up the grip the rest of the dragons have on the city. But also, the property management of my building had called the police for my forceful eviction from the premises (which they had momentarily achieved). They have no idea I’m trespassing.

I’m telling Seagull as much of my story as I can manage in the time we have.

Between this interview and the letters that Astraia and I sent to City and County Councils, there may be some hope for a better resolution, Seagull says.

I want to believe him.

—

Now I see myself in that full length mirror.

I still wish it was a mirror in a dance hall, or something like that. But between it and my ability to twist and crane my neck to look at my back and belly, or to look at the mirror from any angle, I get a really good look at myself.

I’m alone again in the back room to do this.

And I’m relaxed in ways that I didn’t think even mattered.

It’s like my very cells have unclenched.

It’s that energized looseness and lethargy you might feel after the best massage, if your soul had been massaged.

So, when I described my torso and limbs as being similar in scale to a human’s, that didn’t really do any justice to their form or function, or actual shape. Just a vague sense of scale that explains why and how I can enter buildings with little trouble.

I’ve only seen morphology like this in recent speculative illustrations of dinosaurs, with the major addition of a third set of limbs. My wings.

Unlike how dinosaurs are thought to have been, based on their skeletal structures, I believe I am about as flexible as a monitor lizard.

But my back is high and arched, and my chest does have a keel like a bird’s, because wing muscles demand that. This makes my torso tall, like a dogs, and gives me a barrel chest like a swan’s. Also, my neck starts at the base by going up and curving gracefully to my head, which can be described as before. But now I’m thinking of it as kind of a cross between a goat and caiman in shape, nearly straight horns swept back. And my tail tends to be held upright and straight out for balance. I can’t curl it terribly tightly with muscles alone, but it’s more flexible than it looks when I move.

My wings are more forward than my forelimbs. Which actually makes my wings my forelimbs. My arms, I guess, are set further back out of the way of my flight muscles. But they’re still partially linked, and I do flex them a little in sync with my wings when I’m flapping hard.

If I stretch out, from tip of nose to tip of tail, I might be ten or eleven feet long.

I know I don’t weigh nearly as much as I did when I presented as a 5’10” human man that was 280 lbs.

On the other hand, I think I may have notably grown in length and girth in the last week. I have no measurements to confirm it, but I just feel like it has happened.

My left shoulder still has that nasty gash in it, which isn’t there when I’m in human disguise.

But even with that gash, every inch of this body, as I look at it, every scale, every tiny curve, every bump and nobble, every movement of it, everything is mine. Mine in the same way that this building is mine, and this coffee shop. The way that my friends are mine. And the city itself. The way that my soul is mine.

Not the mine of ownership or domain. The mine of association and identity.

The mine by which I derive my sense of being and purpose and place. Contentment. Joy. Pride.

It can be injured and made weaker, but even then that’s mine, too.

It’s the kind of mine I can mine for strength.

Inspired by this feeling, I spend a little time learning a few more simple, one syllable words, so I can say them faster when I need to.

[mahuhumaling]

why the award-winning scene is one of my top 5 fav bbs scenes

EXT. DORM PARKING LOT — NIGHT

now in contrast to the bus stop scene in episode 3, i had a hard time understanding why i really like this one.

in every piece of media, there has to always be at least 2 Levels of Meaning: what the audience is told, and what the audience is shown.

of course, it's quite similar to the classic writing principle of "show, don't tell." the writers, actors, and everyone inside the show only have to lay out the story's puzzle pieces for the viewers, but the viewers have to solve it for themselves, or else it wouldn't be a good story.

sideline: tumblr user shortpplfedup made an analysis to this scene and it's excellent. i've been obsessed ever since it was posted. a perspective from someone who has read the novel.

so back to the scene: gosh, where do i start.

there was supposedly a scene before this, showing pat drunk with his friends, but it got cut. i assume it's because of pacing. the entire point of that scene is only to show pat drunk anyway, so scrapping it is not a huge loss.

the effect is better though. by removing that obvious scene, we have our own realization that pat is not exactly sober: whether it's the way ohm chose to drop the water bottle cap off haphazardly, or wash his face, or the rugged sighs. we're already setting up that because of his demeanor, pat won't be himself any more than he would be if he was sober (because of the recent realization >> romantic feelings boiling over).

ENTER PRAN and WAI on a motorcycle.

they're also drunk. okay. so the drunken element will be this scene's primary motivation.

"I never thought I would see this version of Mr. Pran."

wai speaks first. to indirectly provoke. of course. 😒

fine, let's talk. even if this isn't the right time to do so.

"What the heck do you want?" "..." "Why? Is it so hard to accept defeat?"

pran puts up a front: hostility. It's the only safe way he can talk to pat with, that he knows wouldn't put wai in a suspicion. but since pat is drunk AND does not currently give a fuck, pat answers with something that completely throws pran off.

"Defeated by that lousy song. Why would I feel anything?"

damn, okay.

ENTER DRAMATIC IRONY.

this line is something pat is in fact trying to tell himself, not to pran. pran seems to catch on that something is up with pat, though he doesn't know exactly what, so he signals pat to leave before the latter says any more shit that is revealing.

"...Just go."

so, pat doesn't say anything.

instead, he tries to kiss pran.

now i'm not 100% certain so this remains an interpretation, but the fact that p'jojo also thinks the same in the soonvijarn reaction, and the fact that ohm steps forward, leans in, eyelids drop, and looks down at the direction of the lips all say a lot.

either way, splashing water in the face clearly didn't do pat any good, because he's acting so impulsive.

pran stops him regardless, and in that moment of closeness is safety — they are having a completely different conversation. they're whispering: pran warning that this isn't the right time with wai around, and pat insisting that that's exactly the reason why it's the right time.

i love the fandom reading of "pat isn't jealous of wai because he thinks wai could be a competition of pran's romantic affections, but because of what wai represents." which is why it's brought up in the rooftop scene consequently: that even as friends, they cannot be.

"We are not even friends." "...That's right."

unlike wai. wai who sleeps over without pran complaining every five seconds, wai who gets to be near pran all the time, wai who gets to be let in pran's space, wai who compliments dissaya's cooking, wai who gets to be in a band with pran and no intrusive parent will come to transfer them.

pat? pat doesn't get to have any of that! he doesn't even get to be openly honest in this moment.

so what does he do?

he gets angry.

in psychology, anger is always a secondary emotion because it's a resort when we don't deal with primary negative emotions directly. in pat's case, his first emotions are hurt and frustrated. the second is anger.

i mean... look at the tears forming in the corner of his eye.

i don't remember who it was anymore but someone noted pat's "tell him" to pran as a double meaning for

go ahead. tell wai what our relationship is; but also,

tell me. because we can't keep dancing around each other. because i don't know what we are either.

meanwhile, wai cannot figure out what the hell those two are whispering about, so he's merely observing.

notice how wai doesn't have a visceral reaction until after he sees pran push pat like that.

he has ZERO idea what is happening — he's only gauging the situation via pran. the reason why i mentioned shortpplfedup's Anatomy of a Scene post on this dorm fight is because of the "wai knows 0%, pran knows 50%, and pat knows 110% of the situation" reading. thinking about it from that perspective makes this scene so tight and pressurized. you understand why it bubbles over. wai knows nothing, pran thinks he knows everything when in fact he only knows half of what's happening, and pat knows too much of what he can handle.

the tension escalates to what's barely a fight. two punches.

of course the camerawork is also incredible, handheld to capture the shakyness and blur feeling of the fight. it's overwhelming, and accurately so.

+ the performances! nanon's shout stunned me. i think i would sober up too if i got yelled at like that.

not to mention this. the delivery is god tier. pran shouts first,

then gets all up in wai's face to prove he's serious.

then reiterates. low and hard.

jimmy's improvised line "are you sure there's nothing going on here?" comes back to bite pran in the ass in episode 8,

but wai leaves because pran asks him to. because he trusts him.

[x.]

MY TOP 5 FAVORITE BAD BUDDY SCENES

(In no actual order)

3 - Broken Bus Stop Redesigning

5 - Fight in the Dorm Parking Lot

10 - Pran Sings "Our Song" Draft

10 - InkPa in the Darkroom

12 - Dissaya Watches Ming

[petrichorium]

i would like to hear about how you and Capitano came to be. and also what his kisses are like. aaaand. where he likes to grab you most :3c

answering these out of order bc the first is Lengthy so its going under the cut....... capitano kisses me sooooooo gingerly tbh he has to hold himself back so much. if hes not careful he'll go in for a quick peck on his way out and suddenly he's got his tongue down my throat in front of all his aides and every servant in the manor 😭😭😭 when we r alone its less about propriety and more bc he doesnt wanna overwhelm me so its always a game of me goading him into something heavier.

i think he is a waist grabber above all else....... very prone to putting two big ol hands on either side to set me somewhere (his desk, the edge of the tub, a balcony railing, etc) and just not quite letting go.............. also a frequent corset ripper bc those damn things just get in the way too much. likes to run his fingers up my spine to make my back arch while his thumb is pressed into my stomach n kinda squeeze. and ofc a huge fan of slinging an arm around my waist n throwing me over his shoulder ty.

The full capitano story is sooooo long and convoluted i fear LMFAOOOOOO and possibly subject to change when he actually shows up pfft but for now its the selfship where i dabble in the dynamic being kinda fucked up 🫣 he actually kills my first suitor and then subsequently the two husbands i have before he swoops in and basically pulls rank to marry me himself. there r "valid" reasons for all three of these he'd like to think he would let me be if i found a good man but clearly im incapable of it so he fancies himself a bit of a guardian ig......... have said this before but he has creepy prinecess/knight in shining armor fantasies n justifies uh. killing all the men who have ever touched me w that.

the first one is just a suitor like i said; we’re not engaged yet but it’s all but an arranged marriage bc my family is. Basically being strongarmed into it. The kill happens at a hunt—I genuinely don’t know Capitano at all at this point, and he has No idea I exist.

i have to make my suitor a cutesy lil embroidered handkerchief as like a token of my affection but im like Hell No bc my suitor is A Piece Of Shit so i give it to capitano instead, bc hes so high ranking that my suitor cant rlly complain and he gets a lot so it doesnt rlly mean much. orrrrr rather it Shouldn't but jokes on me, he actually sees me hand it off to his aide and hes kinda Immediately infatuated.

so much so that when my suitor approaches him just before the hunt to basically wheedle him into handing it off, he refuses—in fact this specifically sparks a Very specific delusion of like. viewing me as a damsel in distress pleading for help.

its not premeditated at all but once the hunt begins he overhears my suitor and his friends saying some Very Rude And Then Explicit Things Abt Me and hes like nvm u have chosen death. its a hunt, nobodys gonna think anything of a stray arrow……….

and then when he sees my reaction (thinking it was an accident; feigned shock but Clearly relieved), im kinda done for, the obsession has sunk in. he keeps tabs on me from then on.

the first husband i marry like a year after the suitor’s death. he’s a fatui officer, one of capitano's own men who commands guards at zapolyarny palace. capitano still has not openly expressed interest and is in a bit of a self-deprecating moment of not wanting to approach me, and this guy’s one of his underlings and is v sweet and seems very into me so he lets it happen. we get married and for many years we r genuinely happy.

but then he starts to stray……. capitano learns of this quickly. he’s got informants still reporting p much everything i and everyone close to me do, so hes told when my husband starts frequenting brothels and spending a bit too much time out of the house. unfortunately hes out on a campaign so he cant take care of things himself; hes forced to transfer my husband to the front lines and let the battlefield finish the job.

which is fine, tho it means i never know about the cheating and for a good few years capitano deems me still too much in mourning for him to make a move—bc, like, from my perspective the love of my life had a terrible accident on the battlefield yk. he’s solidly decided hes the only one who can be trusted and Intends to finally make his interest known……. but he waits too long. he’s sent on a campaign which drags on far longer than intended and when he returns ive remarried.

the ceremony happened literal days before he arrived, so rushed his informants didn't even have the time to warn him. this one is another fatui, but the kind that grates on capitano. one of pantalone’s top men—a slimy financier with a gross little grin and fingers in every pie. a man far too assured when he seeks out capitano as soon as he settles in, walks into his office with the confidence of someone who knows more than he ought to.

he offers to whore me out. capitano isn't even sure what the man would have demanded in return, because he's cut him down the moment the words come out of his mouth.

he begins planning before the body is even removed, determined not to make the same mistakes again. frankly he'd have begun courting me that day but he gives me a bit of time to mourn first; lets me move back into my parents' home, keeps tabs on me enough to know when i finally begin to emerge from my chambers and allow visitation from friends.

the first ball i attend is when he approaches me. and it's hardly proper, he knows, to express such obvious interest in a widow of a mere few months, but he thinks my second husband would have done this if he could so capitano has no guilt. the marriage is so rushed he actually can't even attend—he's sent off on campaign suddenly before the ceremony, and though he's only supposed to be gone for a month he insists it proceed without him, all too anxious for what might happen if he doesn't lock me down.

and then it's a slow burn After we r married i fear bc i am so weepy and volatile for very obvious reasons n once im over that ive convinced myself it's a marriage of convenience (that he approached me bc i know how to manage a household and won't be too eager for his attention like a younger, less experienced bride would be) and he's actually. rlly flustered and a bit timid around me tho nobody would Know it lmfaoooooo hes terrified of scaring me off & is actually pretty content just seeing me around his manor so its a game of us flitting around each other for a while..........

eventually i think i do confront him bc we havent. consummated the marriage and that kinda ticks me off ("i get that it didnt mean much to you but damn u dont wanna touch ur wife that badly???") and hes like O.O bc HE was just leaving me to my own devices bc he didnt wanna overstep. very cliched i kiss him he gets a "if we dont stop now i wont be able to control myself" moment and then the floodgates r opened......... frankly its like a belated honeymoon the way we do Not leave my chambers for like two whole weeks. many confessions from him at that time i am v much left in a daze of holy shit wdym hes been in love w me for yrs and still has that handkerchief from when i was like nineteen

n e way thats it,,,,,, JKHSBDFJHB so long im sorry but there u go!!!