#in the little time i've played of him i've chosen pretty much all the bottom dialogue options

[invinciblerodent]

you made me laugh very hard thinking about max volume BASS-BOOSTED CARELESS WHISPER, thank you for that. please say more about this thorne i'm besotted

Aah, thank you kindly! ❤️ (watch me proceed to rant for about an hour about him lol)

As a quick summary, Tristan Thorne was born in Ferelden in roughly 9:13, in a village (that's more of a homestead rather than a true settlement) near Lothering- aaaand then promptly (kind of, sort of) died on the battlefield of Ostagar in defending his home when he was just 17 years old. Except luckily, he survived his injuries just long enough for the battle to settle, and curious spirits (Compassion, Courage, Hope, Loss, and others) to take notice, and begin pressing against the Veil.

It was a spirit of Purpose who was drawn to the dying boy's sheer determination to keep drawing breath, and touched his mind, saving his life in the process (through what some might consider a deal, though that opens up some unfortunate lines of discussion)(it's not a demon, I swear! .... maybe!) to allow the spirit to come and experience our world through his eyes.

Wandering the wilderness, dazed and disoriented and with the Blight in his veins (and a spirit invisible to all others riding piggyback), he was found an uncertain amount of time later (could have been days, weeks, or months even) by the arriving Orlesian Wardens somewhere near the Wilds, and was promptly recruited, as they thought him on death's door.

Tristan then took the Joining with remarkable ease (a curiosity the Wardens also noticed- really, it was almost as if the draught had no effect? But that's impossible, that could only happen if the sickly boy was somehow already a Warden without even knowing? He must just have remarkable constitution)(could it have had something to do with the curious herbal mixture he got from a local lady to calm his nerves the night before the battle? who knows), and fell naturally in line with the Warden teachings.

Fast forward roughly 22 years, he is now 39-40 years old, doesn't talk much about his life before beyond calling Ferelden his home, and is a decently respected Senior Warden with a secret not many have ever known of, on top of a bristly, brusque attitude that makes him difficult to get to know, and a propensity to head single-mindedly towards any goal (and flout rules in the process), as if drawn on a string.

He's also not great with people, has not had a relationship since that one time in his teens (in part because he's not sure how it all is supposed to work, but he's fairly sure you can't exactly open with "by the way, I'm kind of not sure if I'm even really alive" and have a romance start from there, or keep something like that a secret long), has quite a few scars that chronicle many blows that would have felled any fully mortal man (and many more tattoos that tell of the same), and likes to do embroidery in his spare time- by his claim to keep his fingers' fine motor skills from deteriorating, but also because of his secret affection for pretty things.

...... In a more meta sense, I made him because I wanted to toy with an undead/necromancer dynamic before release (and before learning about Spite, I thought possession would be a unique way of doing that- egg on my face lol), so Tristan is not exactly an abomination. Not really.

Nor is he a zombie in the traditional sense, or wholly separate from-, or even truly fused with Purpose, like we've seen among the companions before.

I think he... sits kind of in the eye of a three-way Venn diagram between Wynne, Cole, and Anders: he's someone kept alive partly by a spirit who is not just influencing the world from across the Veil and is fully present, but also isn't trying to exert control of the host body, OR a person of its own right, and rather acts more as a silent, approving passenger. They're not the same person or completely separate, and they're not in the same place, but also not apart. If that makes any sense.

I like to think that since Tristan and Purpose are very closely aligned in their goals and temperaments (and have been together longer than Tristan has lived on his own before, which gave them time to grow to trust one another), the separation between them is pretty much nonexistent- you can't draw a line of demarcation between them any more than you could separate yourself from your right hand.

This makes it somewhat difficult to tell whether they even have an impact on each other, whether it's him who was made more bullheaded by his connection with Purpose, if it was Purpose made more humane and compassionate by its decades in the world of the living, or if they just found each other by chance and ended up meshing and merging perfectly without much of a need for a conscious compromise.

I liked the idea of this remarkably close synergy between mortal and spirit being fascinating to Emmrich, and prompting a thorough study (both arcane and medical) of Tristan, which would sort of then turn into a more.... personal interest as well.

I've not yet gotten far past the prologue in that game yet, but I think it'll be very fun after finishing my very Emotionally And Conventionally Intelligent Ingellvar to explore this lonely, self-reliant, gruff man, and playing through his little gay crisis as he gets swept up by Emmrich's charm embarrassingly quickly.

It'll be really nice to roleplay as he discovers the Magic of Friendship, slowly becomes the third single dad of the group (only his children are basically everyone except for Emmrich and Davrin), and finally lose his v-card before he'd literally become the 40-year-old virgin.

.... i also found this after making that post, and it has been making me giggle for the past day- it sounds like you're outside his head and listening in to the sound escaping through Tristan's ear:

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Everything in my "Yarn in House" folder so far for 2025

These are crochet thread size #30 gloves for cosplay purposes.

I've been with Sean for 20 years and never made him a whole sweater, so I had him pick from the patterns I've collected, and he wants this one first. He does not know I'm actually gonna try to sneak in one or two more and surprise him. Also, if you recall my recent bitching about watermarks and people how go way too fucking wild with them, I want to point this one out as an appropriate type. I don't love that it's over the arm, but I get that it's so it can't be fully ignored, but also, it is placed mostly out of the way so you can see the actual design.

Ya'll voted for this blouse to go first when I gave you four options. It'll be made in #20 thread.

The other blouses from the poll. I've got most of the supplies in house save for some thread for this bottom one that's on backorder but due in the next couple of weeks.

(By the way, My Vintage Wish on Etsy fucking rules for knitting/crochet/sewing patterns even if they do use 'retro' incorrectly. I have so many of their patterns.)

Do I go outside in summer? No. Have I made a tutorial about how to resize 1970s ideas of butt sizes so you can fit into these suits? Yup.

Oh, look, the watermark I fucking hate and spend a lot of time image searching to avoid using the photo from the pattern I bought because the watermark is IN THE GODDAMN WAY. Anyway, the yarn for this one is not technically in the house yet, but it's ordered, so it goes in the folder.

Meant to make this guy for the just-passed Christmas season. Yarn's been in the house for months. I just think he's cute.

Sportweight boucle!! Which I found on Knitpicks, it turns out. Definitely double-check color on a couple different devices because I thought I got eye-searing orange, and it's way more mellow than the site photo suggests.

No joke, I get a little giddy when my small unnaturals match the vintage sizing. It's a joke that 36-38 was "big" sizing, but my boobs are now 37", so it's a little thrill to only need to do waist math rather than huge tits math.

Honestly still not sure if this is a teen pattern or an adult pattern, but I'll need to adjust sizing regardless because I have a whole ass. I'm getting pretty good at ass-sizing, honestly. This one can be made in size #10 thread or 3-ply, with the 3-play making it possible to go up to size 18 (vintage), but I have some lovely thread I want to use, so I'll math that bitch.

File under "Things I couldn't make before the smallering because fuck that much math." I am very excited for this.

Also, shout out to the website I get all these mail order patterns from. Glad someone has saved them. I imagine there's loads of these that just got binned at some point.

Added this one last night because I realized I needed a bit more thread for the hat I'm working on. Literally only a bit, but now I've got 1200 yards on the way to make this apron.

My "bitch why" project for 2025. A join-as-you motif dress that will require math to fit. But oh my god when I finish it, I will forgive it all of its sins.

It took several years, but I have finally found a top I can make with a Knitpicks Luminance discontinued color I have. I am very excited.

A 1930s mesh skirt that is literally "make a chain slightly bigger than your waist and get your ass to work." Love patterns like this.

This one is from Free Vintage Crochet which looks like an ad-ware nightmare but is actually a great site for vintage patterns. It's run by a woman who just wants to archive as many patterns as she can, and it's a giant archive of truly free stuff. She does sell some full booklets that have been beautifully restored in PDF (I have a couple), but you don't have to sign up or buy anything to make use of everything here. Definitely worth a deep dive by category if you're into vintage patterns.

Literally chosen because I have leftover yarn from overbuying to cover my ass (literal) for a vintage dress.

The first large project I ever made about two decades ago. And it's still available for free! (If you don't have a ravelry account, I can send you the pattern if you want). Josi was a friend, actually. She passed away a couple of years ago, and I miss her terribly at times. She designed some truly beautiful clothes, and I've managed to scrape together some of her designs that I bought over the years or happened to find on third-party sites. All of the places she sold her work no longer exist. If you have any Josi patterns and are willing to share, I'd appreciate it. The last conversation we had, actually, was about what yarn to use for this skirt. Josi didn't pick the suggested yarns in the pattern; Craft magazine made that call. She disagreed with their choices. She suggested Valley Yarns Leverett as she always meant for the skirt to be made in a light worsted.

Anyway, that's most of my to-make list for 2025 so far. I've got two freehand projects and one cape from a book, so they're not in my digital stack. If my usual average of about 40 projects a year works out here, I've got about half the year booked up.

[im-ur-bunny-boy]

Jung Hoseok is set to inherit infamous gangster empire, Gwangum-gu. Park Jimin is a prodigous rookie chosen to bring it all crumbling down. Things don't always go as planned.

"Babydoll, you knew the game. You played it pretty damn well, too. It sucks that I won, hm?"

hi!! i'm lucky~ after mulling over this idea for a fic, i've finally published the first chapter to a03. its a bts gang/mafia au because im a sucker for those. it was inspired by sugamin's house of cards, and you can probably tell it hehe.

this fic is my baby and means a lot to me, so i'd like if you checked it out! it's gonna be a longer fic, somewhere between 130k words and 260k words. its gonna be all angst and smut, no comfort (if you're into that).

if you like violence, smut, gang aus, dark/disturbing themes in a fic, this is definitely a good one for you~

read it here!!

(bonus except from the prologue):

“Alright, Park, we’re sending you in.”

Those six words sent shivers down Jimin’s spine. He felt his stomach clench in a way he thought he might be sick. Normally, Jimin was excited to be sent on a job. Traffic checks, missing pets, and random checks based on local reports were the normal job. But this job? This job made Jimin feel like the unluckiest man in Seoul. On the list of phrases Jimin didn’t want to hear, that should not have been so high up. The feeling Jimin had was like someone just told him he had cancer, or that his dog died. 

The last time Jimin felt this hopeless was when his father passed in a car accident. Jimin had been 12 at the time, and felt like he would never recover. Obviously, he did, but he had never felt such agony as then. Except for now. Now, Jimin felt like “the same scared little kid. He turned around in his swivel chair and looked up at his boss, Seokjin, dumbly with his mouth agape. Seokjin stared at him in his usual, somewhat unnerving way. Jimin swallowed before mustering the courage to speak.

“Puh-Pardon?” Jimin bit his bottom lip and it felt like he was spinning so fast he might just die. Seokjin cocked and eyebrow and crossed his arms. 

“You heard me. We’re sending you in. I got the higher-ups to approve everything.” Seokjin stated, matter-of-factly. He moved some papers that had been scattered on Jimin’s desk out of the way and leaned against it, the edge of the desk pressing into the back of his thighs and causing his trousers to wrinkle up. Seokjin shut Jimin’s laptop and sat a folder on top of it, motioning for Jimin to open it. He made no move to do so.

“I’ve been working on getting as much information as possible together for you. You probably already know all of this, since you’ve been meticulously following every move of Gwangum-gu for a year now, but I thought you might appreciate a ‘study guide’ of sorts,” Seokjin started, running one hand up and down his thigh absentmindedly. 

Jimin very quickly decided that Seokjin purposely decided to be unprofessional in the fact he didn’t pull out a chair to sit, choosing to use Jimin’s desk. He felt so very tiny in Seokjin’s shadow, and it was terrifying. He felt his heartbeat quicken, realizing that he was like a tiny ant in front of a massive shoe; like any moment Seokjin would squash him under boot. 

He looked over at the now-closed laptop he had been sat at for nearly 7 hours, scanning through security footage and interpreting intercepted messages. He had done all this in the hopes he would catch some sort of slip-up, something he could use to file an arrest warrant. But all of his efforts were for nothing, since every non-suspicious word in the Webster Dictionary was used as cover. Why did mobsters have to be so fucking tricky? Why couldn’t they just say ‘Hey man, be ready for the heroin shipment at noon today! How was that murder? Did you hide the body?” Sometimes it all made Jimin feel like slamming his head against the wall, because probably that would have better results than what he normally did.

[londonalozzy]

Stop Pretending (TFATWS)

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Genre: Romance, Angst

Summary: The reader thinks she's doing a stellar job of keeping her feelings for a certain soldier buried deep inside. Turns out, all it takes is an observant new friend to begin the unraveling of her most precious secret (Spoilers for TFATWS)

Masterlist

Word: Pretence

Definition: A way of acting that is intended to deceive people.

Example: Saying that he's just a friend when he's really the love of your life.

Your POV

Being caught in the midst of war is something that I, (Y/N) (Y/L/N)  know all too well. As a war vet, former shield agent, and now Avenger I'm used to being centered amongst conflict. When the fight begins within me though, a battle between what I want and what I think is right, how will I react? Will I listen to my heart, my head, or will the winner be chosen for me?

Delacroix, Louisiana.....

I love my sleep, always have, always will. It's not necessarily the comfort of the bed, the quiet or even the rest. It's the fact that I'm at peace when I sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, so anything that will put that off for as long as possible I savor.

I wish it were the same for a certain super soldier in my life. I look forward to going to bed, everything calms down then, and for most people it's the same. For Bucky however, it's when everything starts, the nightmares, the terrors, the seemingly unending darkness. If only I could take his pain away like he has with mine.

For the last few weeks, my life had, for want of a better word, been hectic. Hectic to say the least.

After the eventual defeat of Thanos and the loses we endured as a result, I thought naively that life might calm down a bit, that I'd have time to breathe, to live. How wrong I was.

It all began with John Walker being announced to the world as the new Captain America.

I was baking cookies with Morgan in the Stark family kitchen when it came over the radio. As that latest turn of events sunk in, my first thoughts were of Bucky, what that would do to him. Not even an hour later I had said my goodbyes and was on my way to help him get the shield back.

Since then even more had happened. We'd regrouped with Sam, busted Zemo out of prison which in turn ruffled the feathers of Ayo and the Dora Milaje. We came face to face with Morgenthou and the Flag Smashers, and finally witnessed the man who thought he could even compete with Steve, make himself judge, jury and most significantly executioner.

After that went around the world we knew we had to end it sooner rather than later. It couldn't get much worse than Captain America becoming a murderer. We got the shield back, which was a fight all in itself. Handed Zemo over to Ayo, to try and recompense for the distrust we'd instilled in the people who'd helped us so much. Then we travelled to stay with Sam and his family in Louisiana whilst we waited for Karli's next move.

This is where we found ourselves now, in the eye of it, the calm before the storm.

Waking up in the Wilson households guest room, I was greeted to the golden hue of the rising sun penetrating through the single glaze windows, and the melodic sounds of gulls on the hunt for their morning meal down by the docks.

Actually, no that's not right. What I could hear was most certainly not birds, and it was definitely not melodic. What were those boys doing?

Quickly and quietly I threw on the first clothes I could get my hands on and made my way downstairs towards the noise. What caught my attention when I discovered the source, was not the two youngest Wilson boys playing with our newly reacquired shield in the living room, but the super solider who was blissfully ignorant to it all, sleeping peacefully on the couch in front of them. I don't think I'd ever been so happy.

"Right you two, if you're determined to play Avengers all morning then I suggest you re-assemble in the back yard. You're gonna wake Bucky up," I whispered out in one breath, stepping between the boys, then placing my hands on their backs and tip toeing them towards the door.

"So what if we wake him up? It's gone 10am," Cass questioned in protest, pulling on his sneakers and jacket.

"Exactly! Which is why if you do as I say, I will make you the biggest plate of waffles for breakfast that you've ever seen."

The boys eyes lit up. "Can we have ice cream with it? Mum never lets us have ice cream for breakfast, and I'm sure there's a tub of Stark raving hazelnuts in the freezer," AJ clapped in muted excitement. "Oh, for God's sake.....Yes. You can have whatever you want if you get out of this house now and keep the noise down."

Once the boys were outside, I made my way over to the kitchen, stopping on the way to lean over my favourite senior citizen and make sure that he was still peaceful in his slumber. He'd never looked so relaxed, so at ease. It was a brand new Bucky I'd never seen before, a Bucky that had my heart pounding for him even more than it normally did. Not that he knew any of that.

Half an hour later and up to my elbows in waffle mix, I failed to notice my new friend and host Sarah making her way to my side at the counter, the huge smile on my face not going unnoticed. "What's got you grinning like the Cheshire cat, like I need to ask?"

"Bucky's sleeping. Isn't it amazing?" I spoke softly, bouncing up and down on my feet as I did so.

"And why is that?" She couldn't looked more confused if she tried.

"In all the years I've known him, I don't think I've ever woken up before he has. If his nightmares don't keep him awake all night, they normally have him up before the crack of dawn. I don't think I've ever seen him so still."

"Good answer," Sarah nodded in a hush, understanding why this meant so much to me, but not done yet with her morning interrogations, "Now on to my next question......"

"I'm already not liking the sound of this."

"Sleeping Beauty over there follows you around like a little puppy dog. He hangs on your every word, looks at you like you hung the stars or something. It's pretty obvious how crazy he is about you, so when are you gonna stop pretending that you're not head over heels in love with him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Wilson," I smiled forcefully, making out like the waffle maker deserved my attention way more than the conversation I was being made to have.

This was all Sam's doing, without a shadow of a doubt. He'd tried to have this conversation with me on multiple occasions and I shut him down every time. He obviously hadn't given up like I thought he did, and decided to draft in his sister. He is seriously gonna regret it when I find him.

"Sure you know what I'm talking about. Sam sees it, I don't even know you that well and I see it. The only reason Bucky doesn't, is because he doesn't believe he could ever be that lucky. You're a smitten kitten." These Wilson's are all as annoying as each other.

Knowing I wasn't getting out of this one, I grabbed Sarah by the arm and pulled her right into the corner of the room, trying my best to keep this convo as private as possible. "Look, I'm not pretending.....I'm ignoring. There's a difference."

"Care to explain what that difference is?" Sarah spoke softly, but with a sarcastic air.

Turning to look over my shoulder at the subject of our conversation, making sure he was still safely in the land of nod, I decided to just be honest. Sarah was much like her brother. Once she wanted to get to the bottom of something she wasn't about to give up.

"I love Bucky, more than I've ever loved anyone...and that terrifies me," the rawness of finally being honest making my voice shake, and tears come to my eyes. "Nat was like my sister, and she's dead. Tony was the closest I've ever gotten to having a Dad...and he's dead too. Then there's Steve, Vision, God knows where Wanda is....Everyone I love, either leaves or dies. If I admit my feelings for Buck then I face the risk of losing him too."

"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now? He's not going to die because you love him (Y/N)."

Silent tears were falling now. I was revealing my deepest fears to a woman I'd only known a few days, and I'm not underplaying it when I say it was like a colossal weight off my chest, a release I didn't know I needed. "Believe me...I know, but I can't take that risk. I can't lose anyone else, especially not him."

"Let's just say for a second that you're right, that there is some higher power somewhere, set on destroying everyone you love. Do you really think ignoring your feelings is going to make them disappear?" I didn't know what to say to that. "Natasha and Stark died so that everyone could continue living, and (Y/N) you're not living as long as you keep this to yourself. They wouldn't want that for you."

"But what if I lose him?" I whispered with a choked sigh.

"Then at least he'll die knowing how you felt about him. After everything he's been through don't you think he deserves to know there's someone out there who loves him like you do?"

"Of course..."

Sarah's lips pulled upwards in a satisfied smirk, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, "then you owe it to yourself, and to him, to tell him the truth."

"Why do all you Wilson's have to be so clever?" I voiced in mock irritation, pushing her away from me and acting like I was annoyed she had gotten one up on me.

"I don't know," she thought aloud and with a cheeky grin, grabbing a plate to start piling on the long forgotten waffles, "I think it might be the sea air or something."

"Nah, it's in the genes," I chuckled quietly, grabbing my jacket and deciding it was time to get this conversation wrapped up. "I'll go find Sam and the boys for breakfast. Clear my head a little bit."

"You promise you're gonna tell him?" Sarah stopped me as I went to push the door open.

"I'll think about it."

3rd person POV

Once (Y/N) was out of ear shot, Sarah couldn't help but start jumping up and down in excitement, clapping her hands loudly as she did so. That went even better than she thought it would, and she was so proud of herself. Sarah Wilson could now add matchmaker to her resume.

"Coast is clear Barnes. You can open your eyes now."

(Y/N) had no idea what she had metaphorically walked into just minutes earlier, entering that very revealing conversation with her overly inquisitive host.

What drew Sarah to come down that morning was the sounds of both the front porch door opening and the smell of homemade waffles wafting up the stairs. As she entered the kitchen she was met with two sights. One being (Y/N), facing the counter and looking very smiley, the other being a wide awake super soldier who was just laying on the couch and staring at her, the sole object of his affection. Sarah could work with this.

Every time (Y/N) turned back in his direction, Bucky would close his eyes and pretend to be asleep again. He had never slept so soundly, so peacefully, thoughts of (Y/N) and his new friends filling his nightmare free dreams.

He'd initially woken to (Y/N) ushering the boys outside because she was afraid they would wake him up. He didn't want to disappoint her by proving her right. Besides, he liked just watching her move around the kitchen, completely unaware he was observing her the whole time. He had no idea about the conversation that was just about to happen.

After (Y/N) had left and Sarah had confirmed so, Bucky sat himself up, his body shaking with adrenaline and a look of complete shock fixed on his face. Had he definitely woken up, or had the whole thing been a part of his dream? Did (Y/N) seriously just admit that she was in love with him?

Bucky didn't know how to react, didn't know what to say as he looked up at a smug Sarah from his spot. All he'd ever wanted was for (Y/N) to feel the same way about him as he did about her. Now he knew that she did.

"You're welcome by the way."

[saturnsorbits]

Congrats on one year of a wonderful blog, Saturn!! If I may request for your event: Jean and I would be having our 7-year anniversary in a fancy, candlelit winery restaurant. Preferably with fluffy vibes. Thank you so much, I love you!!

June! 💕

Thank you so much!

I've never written for Jean before - so I'm hoping this little drabble is up to scratch. Hope you enjoy it.

French Lessons

-> Jean; Candle-Lit Winery; 0.7k.

TW: Fluff, Jean is a Sweetheart.

The lights are low, the candles in the middle of the table doing the majority of the heavy lifting as they flicker and lick at their wicks. Each dancing flame casts odd shadows across the table cloth and highlights the rough outline of where your hand is laced together with Jean's. In the corner of the room, a small quartet plays. The string instruments hum pleasantly, played by masterful hands as the music ebbs and flows, echoing off of the restaurants cold stone walls.

Seven years still feels surreal.

Looking up, you take a moment to appreciate the man sat opposite you. You've both dressed up for the night and the crisp white dress shirt Jean has chosen to wear leaves remarkably little to the imagination. It's tight in all the places it should be, framing his shoulders and chest as he leans over the table and reads absently at the menu. His nose is wrinkled, a crease running vertical in-between his eyebrows as he chews at his lip. You tilt your head and squeeze at his hand. 'Jean?'

'Ha?' His eyes flicker up immediately, a smile already stretching out his lips as his gaze lands on you. There's no trace of the frown on his face now, nothing, but adoration reflecting back at you beside the candlelight in his eyes.

The smile he gives you is infectious, causing you to offer him one of your own back. Even after all this time, you're unable to resist his charm. You've seen each other in all your phases, at bests and worst and still, through it all, you're all too keen to give him back any of the happiness he's given you over the years. 'Are you okay?'

'Yeah. Of course.' Holding onto your hand a little more tightly, he rubs his thumb over your skin.

Pursing your lips, you narrow your eyes and flick up your eyebrows. 'You were frowning...'

'Oh.' He looks like a naughty child immediately. There's a blush on his cheeks so bright it almost glows in the low light, marking out the height of his cheekbones and the shallows of his cheeks as he worries his lip. With his Adam's apple bobbing, he drops his eyes from yours for only a second before looking back up. He swallows. 'I can't read the menu.'

You snort on reflex and have to bite your lip to stop more laughter from trickling out of your mouth. 'What?'

'It's not that I can't.' He sighs. 'I can read it, I just can't – like...' Spinning his menu on the table, he points at a dish half-way down the page and widens his eyes. 'How would I even start to pronounce that.'

'Just say lamb.' You chuckle.

'Is that what it is?'

Nodding, you lean over and gesture to a small section at the bottom of the menu that contains a few of the more complex translations. 'You don't have to pronounce it all in French, you know.'

'But...' A breath leaves his chest, his eyebrows knitting as he scans the new vocabulary at the bottom of the page. He blows hot air out of his nose, when he manages to wrap his head around the layout and then, he's shaking his head and letting his shoulders shake with laughter. 'What would I do without you, huh?'

'Probably just embarrass yourself more often.' You joke, poking him with the tip of your foot under the table.

He licks his lips and nods his head, conceding before relaxing back into the atmosphere. There's only the briefest of pauses, before he's speaking again, a new fondness creeping into his voice. 'You look beautiful tonight.'

'Thank you.' You chuckle, knowing full well that you'd both helped each other decide what to wear. 'You look pretty good yourself.'

'Yeah?' He cocks an eyebrow. 'I had to make an effort, you see... It's my seventh year anniversary with the love of my life, so I didn't want to just turn up in my work clothes.'

'Is it?' You act shocked, but don't miss the way he runs a thumb over the pulse in your wrist to feel it pick up.

'Yeah...' Lifting the large wine glass on his side of the table, he offers it out in a toast and waits patiently for you to click your own glass against his. 'Happy anniversary.'

[chacusha]

Echoes of Mana liveblogging (1/?)

Some early thoughts:

Aw yes! Got my girl! Apparently there's a stronger Angela in the pool, though. Nooo!

Anyway, I'm loving this art -- it looks sooo good!

I love seeing more interactions with Mana characters! In general, I'm impressed at how different all the characters sound, which is made apparent by these little story adventures and even the dialogue you get by building up character bonds. The character personalities really shine through. I also appreciate how they've given the MC dialogue options similar to the ones in Legend of Mana where there's like a normal option and then there's a really goofy option (really sassy, ridiculously accommodating like the bottom one here, etc.). It's just a fun feature of this series that you meet a lot of Wacky Characters and you can choose to just go along with their eccentric ways.

I also like Honeycomb and Duffle and the other original cast for this game. The character designs look really nice and Mana-ish, and the personalities and interactions are also fun anime-style stuff.

The Mana Goddess and Mana Tree in this game are pretty! I like how they're going with the orchard theme where you harvest stuff off of trees (the MC's weapon isn't so much a staff/spear as, like, a fruit-picking tool...), and the world fruit have such strange names like in Legend of Mana: Beginniberry, Verdigourd, Epicorn, Soaramame, Faerieberry.

I'm very curious about the unchosen MC. He seems so sad to be left behind? Is he going to be story-important?

OMG they did it! 😍 (Also, does this game make it canon that Hawkeye is the main character/chosen hero of Trials of Mana, I guess?! 😂 You get to see his backstory opening, he's searching for the Mana Sword, and he's got Faerie :O)

Aww these guys again. ❤ I like this event featuring Randi and Duran squaring off against each other. And the Scorpion Gang! Again, it's fun seeing Randi's agreeable and diffident personality contrasted with Duran's competitive confidence. This is the kind of content I signed up for!!

I'm currently midway through chapter 5. I have basically two 4* characters (Riesz and Sumo) that I've built up to ~3800 power, and that's too weak to clear stronger enemies quickly enough, so I'm too underleveled to finish off the remaining content. Netplay doesn't work for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ so I'm just sort of waiting until I have a character I can upgrade to 4* and who will hopefully be my third strong team member. (It's probably going to be 3* Lekius because I could use a strong water character to try to take down the fire armor boss and the fact that he has a bow makes him situationally useful. I'm also going to ascend 3* Randi to fulfill the event bonus missions, but he's not Lv 50 yet...)

My favorite character so far is my 3* Julius, though. I mean, he's one of my favorite Mana characters in general, but he's also pretty fun to play as -- very strong magic that leaves him pretty vulnerable. Very glass cannon, which is fun. I also like his quotes: "A Mana Tree exists here too... Hm? No, only thinking aloud." "What are you up to? If I can be of help, let me know anytime." "Keeping an eye on me, are you? No need. I'm quite harmless." Don't worry! This man is helpful and doesn't have an ulterior motive at all! But yeah, I love that about Julius -- he seems so nice and polite.

I very much also want the Crimson Wizard -- another one of my favorite characters for maybe similar reasons. Apparently he's available for purchase with spell shards, but you need to make it all the way through the Twillwool Tower (twice...?) for those. So that might take a while.

I really like the interface here. It is very sleek and visually pleasing. And there is an impressive amount of features and stuff to do for a game that has just launched!

That said, I'm not sure how long I will stick with it. I tend to get frustrated with gachas where it's possible to invest a lot of time into a single battle and then just realize, welp, I can't actually beat this despite all my effort. That's why I stuck with Kingdom Hearts Union Cross so long, because it had the nice feature where high-level battles always had a very strict upper limit on how many turns they would last -- the challenge was always in getting your damage output high enough throughout the three turns to defeat the enemy and not about survival strategy to keep hanging on with the vain hope of winning. Already, attempting to fight a losing battle has really frustrated me, so I kind of foresee this game making me ragequit at some point.

That said, despite my complaints about the gameplay (most gacha battle mechanics just don't work for me and eventually lead me to getting frustrated), I do really like this game. It's got a lot going on and as a Mana fan, I would never have dreamed of getting a gacha game of this quality.

One thing I'm confused about, though, is why this game shares its victory music with Kingdom Hearts Union Cross! Do they share the same composer? Is it an Easter egg? Do Kingdom Hearts and the Mana series share a canon now? XD

It's very sweet that the LOM Heroine (Serafina) says that Pinzton reminds her of her home. It does!

[how-masterful]

Despite It All

Dhawan!master x reader

Summary: When your new collar isn't all that you’d hoped for, you go to the Master for some much needed assistance. You soon find hes more than willing to help, and learn for yourself just how much your happiness means to the time lord.

Notes: A fic for the ever so fabulous @plethora-of-imagines​ , who’s been the most patient person I've met for waiting for this one to come out! i hope you enjoy and it lives up to what you’d thought! 

Warnings: Mentions of collars and BDSM practices.

The collar hurt. Alot.

It rubbed harshly against your throat, tough leather digging into the sides of your neck and almost drawing blood when you swallowed. The thick metal buckle rubbed abrasively against the back of your neck, leaving a deep indent in your skin. In short, it was an utter pain to wear. And you felt slightly responsible.

You'd chosen it while you were on a distant planet, after dragging the Master into a secluded sex shop and begging for a souvenir collar to commemorate his latest victory. It was thick and sturdy, embroidered with purple threads and hefty enough to provide a new thrill to a scene. It was expensive too, and you'd batted your eyelashes and promised a session to him when you got back to the TARDIS as soon as he looked at the price.

However, you were also very, very spoilt- and the collar, having lived up to Master's standards, was instantly yours.

So, after all that begging, the fact it was absolute hell to wear made you feel insanely guilty. But you'd faced this situation before.

Collars were trial and error, when not custom made by the Master. They could be too loose or too thin, resulting in real dangers emerging during play. They could simply not live up to the standards you'd held it to when you bought it- of course you made everything look beautiful to him, but on the shelf and on the neck were two very different things. And other times, Master just didn't like them. And that would kill any hope for adding it to your collection.

However, when they'd hurt, it became a much more serious issue. Especially if you refused to tell him. Past situations had resulted in several offending collars being flung in a rage into a supernova, countless tears from you as the ointment he'd provide stung your wounds, and the full brunt of his disappointed eyes causing you to absolutely crumble under the weight. So this time, you decided to be honest. But the notion still petrified you.

"Master?"

You'd found him in the kitchen, placing two teabags into your favourite mugs and filling up the kettle. He'd turned in surprise at your voice, eyes softening as you padded over to his side.

"Now there she is, Masters good girl- looking beautiful in her new collar"

You smiled weakly, a bite of embarrassment nipping at your bottom lip. You gently snaked your hand up to his bicep, encircling his bicep and letting your head fall to his shoulder. The Master raised an eyebrow, abandoning the tea on the side.

"Are you alright, love? I just called you my good girl and complimented, all you in one sentence- and yet you're still able to stand on your own. Something must be wrong in the world of Y/N."

You sighed, smiling weakly into his shirt. Of course he knew you this well by now, he'd had years of practice to get your behaviour down to a T. He slowly cupped your chin, guiding your eyes to meet his. His expression was laced with confusion and concern, eyes scanning over you for any sign of distress.

"Well?"

This was something you could show him better, rather than tell him- you'd decided that on your way to find him. You simply allowed your hand to fall to his own, entangling your fingers in his own before guiding him wordlessly towards the playroom. The Master's eyes widened, before his expression settled into something content.

"Ah! Desperate for a session, are we doll?"

You shook your head and squeezed his hand, carefully opening the door. The lights snapped on with a gentle hum as you guided him to sit beside you on the end of the bed, the very confused Master taking your other hand into his own and brushing his thumbs over your knuckles. You took a breath, before allowing yourself to meet his eager browns. God, this was going to be harder than you thought.

"So... Um... You know how much I appreciate everything you do for me, right?"

"Of course" The Master replied, nodding his head as you took another breath.

"And... You also know how much I appreciate everything you get for me, right?"

"Yes... I'm not sure where this is going." He replied again. The Master's eyes narrowed as he pulled his head back, suspicious gaze raking over you once more. You shrunk in on yourself slightly, gulping at his judgemental expression.

"And... I can tell you anything- Even if it's something you may get annoyed at me for?"

The time lords eyes shot back open wide, hand pulling from your linked fingers to hold the side of your cheek. You instantly lent into his touch, desperate for the grounding connection.

"Always- whats this all about, love? Somethings not upsetting you is it?"

"No!" You blurted out, a little too quickly for his taste. The suspicion grew further upon his face, causing your hands to tremble more and more. You shook your head and tried to regain any composure you could grasp hold of.

"No, I mean... Not upsetting, per say but... hurting."

The Master's expression grew soft, the other hand reaching towards your face as you nervously played with your own hands in your lap. He looked troubled, but most definitely not with you, and the guilt once again began to ravage rapidly at your core.

"Somethings hurting you? Is it something I said? Y/N, you know I don’t ever mean you when I insult the human species-"

You laughed. Of course he'd be concerned about that. He was always so protective over you, he never enjoyed considering you as a part of the utterly detestable human crowd. His expression morphed back into a look of confusion, lips pursed to ask another flurry of questions, but you silenced him with a small peck.

"No, you haven't said anything that’s made me feel like anything less than a goddess. Its... The collar. Not the fact I wear one, i'd rather die than not, but this one. This collar. It... Hurts."

It felt as if the weight had been utterly ripped from your shoulders. You let them drop, sighing happily as you relished in the free feeling inside your chest. You met the Master's eyes once more, but the look of concern that plastered itself across his face didn't do much to calm the rest of your nerves.

You felt your heart began to race as you explained why.

"It rubs, for a start. Its far too tight and cuts in more than it doesn't, the buckle digs in when I breathe and it's left my neck stiff as anything."

His expression didn't change, causing the guilt to ramp up its ravenous speed with a vengeance. You quickly rushed to cover your back, heart thundering against your chest as you began to trip on your words.

"Not that I don’t like it, I mean I don't like it 'cause it hurts but I love it cause its pretty and you bought it as a gift and, and I know it cost you so much and I'm so so grateful for it and I don’t want you to think i'm not... i’m sorry I shouldn't have bothered i'll learn to deal with it I-"

You were suddenly silenced by a kiss, the Masters lips connecting with yours like a rolling cloud of calm. The tension melted from your shoulders as you allowed yourself to let go, his hands delicately framing your face as his lips dimmed the chaos bubbling in your gut. Your eyes fluttered shut as you eventually parted, his lips leaving your own looking glossy and plump.

"You will most certainly not have to deal with anything hurting you. Master's so proud of you for coming to tell him- Its his job to ensure his good girl is always cared for and comfortable. And who are you?"

A sudden blush spread itself across your cheeks, your gaze turning bashful as you tried to hide your growing smile.

"I'm Master's good girl."

"Yes you are."

The Master placed a sweet kiss to the top of your forehead, arms encapsulating your shoulders and pulling you close to his chest. You sighed happily, nuzzling into his bare neck and teasing it with kisses.

He grinned, a chill trailing down his spine he gently booped the end of your nose.

"That’s sweet, pet. It really is. But it's your neck we really should be focusing on. You know what to do now, don't you doll? Off you go."

You giggled with anticipation as you pulled yourself from the Master's grip and headed towards the cabinet of drawers. The large, dark cabinet stood at the side of the room, ornate and decorated with engraved Gallifreyan and several handles. This however, wasn't any ordinary set of drawers. This was the home for your collars. And, over the years, you'd accumulated quite the expansive collection.

You instantly fell into position: hair tied out of the way behind your head, neck exposed and chin up high, form kneeling on the floor with your hands poised on your knees. This was the position he enjoyed you in when dealing with your collars- you took it when he adjusted it, decorated you with it, or decided to change it out for one of your other many designs.

You had quite the plethora of sizes and colours- thin silver bands for subtlety, thick red posture collars for a scene, and a whole other rainbow of designs that could fit any mood you desired. Or, more often than not, what Master desired you wear.

The Master threw his coat from his shoulders, allowing it to fall onto the bed as he began to roll up the sleeves of his shirt. The sight almost made you drool, his exposed forearms a positively dreamy sight to you. Every single part of had the the power to make you ridiculously desperate for him- he jokingly called it his superpower when you'd almost fainted at the reveal of his soft stomach one evening.

"Excited, are we love? I can't tell what makes you happier: that collar being replaced for something much more suitable, or the sight of me slightly undressed."

You cheekily avoided his gaze as he advanced towards the unit of drawers, pulling at one of the handles and peeking inside at its contents.

"Now then, what shall we go for? We want comfort, something to keep that poor neck of yours from feeling so sore."

He mulled over the designs, fingers dancing in the air as he picked and chose between them. You awaited his decision eagerly, this was always on of your favourite parts of the process: Knowing what Master had in store for you. He always did like a surprise.

"I know... Lets go with you. I've noticed this ones been sneaking up the ranks of your favourites, lately- You can't say Master's not attentive with you, darling."

Ever so gently the collar was removed from the drawer, buckle jingling as he played with the strip of leather. It was a dark purple, padded with golden velvet and ornately decorated with swirling circular Gallifreyan, the intricate shapes all spelling out the word "Master". You nodded excitedly, smile creeping up your cheeks as he showed you the item in his hands.

"What do we say, love?"

"Thank you, Master."

"Good girl."

With a satisfied huff the Master shut the drawer, before adjusting himself to kneel on one knee before you. He allowed two fingers to slip under your chin, lifting your gaze to meet his own as he placed the collar in your lap.

"You know how this works, pet: That ones got to come off for this one to go on. You wont go long without one, Master promises. Are you ready?"

The nod you gave couldn't have been more eager.

"Yes, Master."

You kept your chin raised as the masters hands tenderly reached to the back of your neck, fingers carefully unbuckling the silver clasp and ever so slowly pulling the collar from your neck. You gasped loudly, out of a culmination of both shock and fear, the sudden cold air hitting your neck combining with the relief placed on your skin.

Being without your collar was a nightmarish thought- you'd grown highly attached to the idea of wearing one, displaying the fact you were taken and claimed by the Master for the world to see. It was a symbol of him committing himself to you. Essentially like a wedding ring. But this was much more personal, and the moments during a change in which your neck fell bare never failed to stand your hair on end.

The Master paused, fingers poised on the ends of the collar, keeping the front of the material pressed against the skin of your neck. You gulped, allowing your thoughts to gather, before giving him a slow nod. That was enough for him to continue pulling the material from your neck, and soon the collar was laying in his hands.

You knew for a fact when this was over, the dreaded thing would be flung at full force into the nearest supernova. He had a habit of flirting things that displeased him into the vast emptiness of space. It was his favourite method of waste disposal- or at least, what the Master classed as waste. You were more than sure there were more than a few TCE victims floating out there, somewhere- you'd seen him throw them out one by one yourself.

Before you could even react to the sensation of an absent collar the Masters lips were on you, murmuring praise and pressing kisses into every part of your neck. You sighed against his touch, the typical fear of sitting collarless masked with the glorious attention.

"Good girl" he murmured, placing a tender peck to a reddening area of skin, causing you to involuntarily shiver.

"Such a good girl for telling Master... Following his rules and making him so very happy..."

You bit your lip and held back a moan of delight, eyes fluttering shut as you felt the wave of pleasure wash over you once more. His breath was warm against the tender skin, soft lips pressing over each and every mark. You gasped even louder as the master slowly began creating a mark of his own, teeth nipping at the clear skin on the side of your neck. Your teeth grit together and you groaned at the sensation, the old collar slipping forgotten from his hands as they reached for the new item.

You felt your heart beat flutter excitedly. It was finally time.

With a soft peck to the underside of your jaw the Master pulled away, clasping the purple collar in his hands and raising the item to your neck. You lent forward against the plush gold velvet, eager to feel the material against your skin and the newly blossoming bruise on the side of your neck.

The velvet was soft, sliding against your throat with absolute ease. You felt comfortable in this collar, a far cry from the harsh friction of the other one you had worn. A small jingle from the metal clasp sounded behind your head, causing you to giggle with relief. Finally, comfort and security. You couldn't be more ecstatic.

"Let me know when its tight enough" the Master softly asked, a rare tenderness held within his tone. You knew for a fact he only used that voice with you.

The tighter the collar became around your neck, the more your satisfaction grew. Once it reached a suitable tightness around your throat you let out a happy squeak, the buckle soon being locked into place by the Master's nimble fingers. The sensation around your neck was miles above the previous collar, the comforting padding gentle against the aggravated skin, the golden stitching almost glowing against the purple.

This was a collar Master had commissioned for you as a reward several months ago, and it now sat amongst your most favourite. The Master could see the joy in your eyes and couldn't help but smile, framing your face with his hands once more.

"There, Masters precious human looks good as new. Comfy now, doll?"

"Perfect. Thank you, Master."

"Good girl. C'mere."

At his words, you instantly dove into the masters chest, his arms winding around your shoulders as your nose found comfort in the crook of his neck. The Master's fingers wandered to your tied up hair, soon releasing it to flow free and casting the hair tie to the side. He began to toy with the ends, chuckling at your immediate shiver. You nestled closer against the time lords chest.

"Thank you, Master. For caring about me." You murmured, lips soft against his collar.

He hummed out a comforting sound, arms holding you more firmly in his grip.

"Any time, pet. Come rain or shine, Master will always be there to care for you. Lets say its become a favourite hobby of his to see you satisfied."

You returned a small laugh, pulling away slightly to catch his fond gaze.

"Careful, Master. Keep talking like that and people will start to think you actually like humans."

The Master rolled his eyes, smirking down at your cheeky expression and shaking his head.

"Don’t get any ideas, doll- I don't and I never will. They're boring and primitive and far too important to the Doctor than they reasonably should be. However, there is one... one very unique human that i've taken quite the fancy too. A sweet little thing called Y/N."

The blush that scurried over your cheeks was down right traitorous.

"Why? What makes this Y/N so different from the rest?"

The Master pondered for a moment, drumming his fingers against your shoulders in thought.

"Well... She's pretty. Very, very pretty. A sweetheart at first glance, but laced with a very tempting and exciting dark side. She's funny, resourceful, loving and intelligent- And quite possibly the most cuddle obsessed creature i've ever met in my many, many lives."

You let out a bashful giggle. You didn't think your heart could race any faster in the presence of the time lord holding you, but you could've sworn you felt it skipping beat after amorous beat.

"And is that why you love her?" You asked, tilt your head get a better view of the Masters face.

The time lord shook his head once more with a grin, his hand reaching to cup your cheek, stroking away the flyaway hairs as he pulled your face closer to his own. You sighed contently, his eyes so full of fondness for you. If the Masters face was the last thing you could ever see in your lifetime, you knew deep down you wouldn't have it any other way.

"No, all those are the reasons I like her. Despite the man that I've become, the things I've done and the people I've hurt, she still calls me her Master. Commitment like that is a beautiful rarity. She stays by my side no matter what, but isn't afraid to speak her pretty little mind. You want to know why I love her?"

The Master placed a gentle kiss to your forehead, a small, sweet little peck that said so much, and made the butterflies in your stomach swarm with absolute adoration.

"I love her because despite it all, I get to call her mine."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[trashi-bee]

Three’s a Crowd

Pairing: stripper! reader x Tommy x Nikki x Vince 

Warnings: 18+! (lots of smut), unprotected sex, hair pulling, degradation?, foursome, mentions of alcohol/drugs, face fucking, over stimulation, honestly just a fucking wild ride

Lil summary: you meet Tommy at the club and he introduces you to his friends

This is the first fan fic I've ever posted so please be nice-ish!

Adjusting the skirt that had ridden up into a thick band around your hips, you recoiled, looking back in distaste towards the older man sitting on the velvety, red sofa. “Oh come on baby, I paid, shouldn’t I be allowed to see a little more skin?”, you scoffed, turning in your heels to make your way towards the bar. 

Becoming a stripper wasn’t your original plan, but when bills started to pile up and adding another job into your already busy schedule wasn’t feasible, you decided it was your only option. Hell, you’d made more these past few months than you would’ve in a few years at your previous jobs, but the customers weren’t always so courteous. 

Pushing through the tightly knit crowd alongside the bar, you waited to be noticed. A soft tap on your right shoulder prompted you to roll your eyes, after the sour encounter with your last patron you couldn’t be bothered to deal with another. “Hey, look buddy, I’m off the clock at the moment so if you could leave me-“ turning your head to look at the man you were about to turn down, your gaze fell upon his face. Fuck, he was hot. “Ah man, I’m sorry, was just looking to buy a pretty lady a drink is all”, your demeanor changed, a smirk making its way onto your face “I’m sorry, hun, go ahead.. I’d love a Jack and Coke” 

“Ahhh good choice, my kinda girl”, extending his right hand, he sports a boyish grin and introduces himself “Oh, I’m Tommy, by the way” connecting your, much smaller, palm with his you giggled.His juvenile attitude was refreshing on a night like this. “Nice to meet you Tommy, I’m Y/N” 

“Pretty fuckin’ name for a pretty fuckin’ girl” he quipped, sliding your drink of choice across the smooth counter top into your hand. One swig was all it took, the familiar burn that enveloped your throat brought a smile to your face, nothin’ like a little liquid courage. 

“You know, me and two buddies are sittin’ in a private booth, if you’d like to join?”, he points behind himself, eagerly waiting for you to answer, a pout playing on his lips. There’s no way you could say no to this guy. The moment words of approval left your mouth he had taken your hand into his and lead you across the club. 

Keeping up with a man so tall and quick had proven difficult, your heels clicking against the floor as you scurried behind Tommy. It wasn’t very often you’d be invited into the VIP section, the few clientele that were provided access to these booths having already chosen a regular performer to visit. 

Upon entering the small, lavish room, lined wall to wall with soft, red material, furnished with a comically large, rounded couch and a circular table, your eyes fell on the two attractive men sat together, nose deep in a white powder sprawled across the table top. Tommy had squeezed your hand, giddy about announcing your arrival “boys, meet Y/N, Y/N meet Nikki-” his finger pointed towards the black haired, leather clad, bad boy to the left “-and Vince” your gaze now guided to the blondie on the right. 

Vince eyes you long enough to take in your attire, shamelessly ogling every curve along your body. Tommy places his hand on your lower back, sharing a wink with Vince as he wedges you between himself and Nikki, who still hasn’t lifted his head off of the table top. 

The sudden shift in weight prompted him to raise his head, wiping the remaining power off of his nose with the back of his hand. He laughs, popping open what you presume isn’t tonight's first bottle of Jack Daniels, “you a dancer, hunny?”

The mixture of the shot you had taken a few minutes prior, the feeling of being trapped between the most alluring men you’ve ever seen, and having Nikki glare into your eyes elicited a reaction in your groin you couldn’t ignore. 

“Only when I need to be”, you answer, your attention falling on Nikki and the suggestive look he gives Tommy. “You give Tommy here a show yet?”, you shake your head in response, your hand snaking its way up the side of Tommy’s upper thigh. You feel him shift beneath your touch. 

You look back at Tommy and notice an undeniable tent forming in his skin tight leather pants, his face flush. “Look, you really don’t have to-“, his sentence stopped short as you pulled yourself into his lap, your core scarcely hovering above his bulge. 

Vince whistles, his hand ghosting above his crotch as he pears above Nikki’s shoulder, “let the girl have a little fun, would you?”, Tommy grabs the liquor in Nikki’s palm, taking a swig and bringing his attention back to you “fuck, give em’ a show then, kitten”

The attention you’re receiving leaves you feeling exposed, the friction generated as you grind your core against Tommy only elevating the feeling of vulnerability. Sure, you were far from shy, but being directed was something you weren’t used to, you always called the shots. 

Tommy’s demeanor had shifted, his reluctant manner beginning to fade, a new aura enveloping his being. Your lips graze his, a guttural growl bubbles up from deep within his throat, the sudden jerk of your head causes you to gasp. Nikki uses the leverage he has on your hair to turn your face towards his, “I really don’t like when little girls tease” 

You pull your bottom lip forward, batting your eyelashes in your best attempt to convey innocence. Nikki huffs, the mischievous glint you catch in his eye has you on edge, he lifts your chin in order to bring your gaze level with his own, “now tell Tommy you’re sorry for being a tease” 

You puff, looking back at Tommy, your response laced with attitude “I’m sorry Tommy”, your line of sight falling back on Nikki, “was that good enough?”. 

Nikki looks to Vince for an answer, he flashes a smile that sends a wave of heat down to your core, “you fuckin’ kindin’ me?, I think this lil’ whore needs to be taught whose in charge”, before you could process the words that left the blondes mouth you felt Tommy wrap his hand around the base of your throat, lifting you off of his crotch with ease, tossing you on the floor in front of him. 

He leans forward, his hand tightening around your neck, an additional hand snaking up the back of your head and into your hair, “you gonna be a good little bitch and do what you’re told?”, You wish that you could refuse, but the ever-growing patch of slick forming in between your thighs has rendered you senseless, “yes, Tommy” 

“Good fucking girl-“, fishing himself from the confinement of his pants, he pumps himself a few times in preparation, a sinister look making its way onto his face “now suck me off in front of my friends” 

Your hand replaces his own at the base of his cock, lifting his length in order to gain access to the underside, licking from his balls to his tip. The length of his manhood is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, this becomes even more evident as you try, and fail, to take him all into your mouth, gagging before your lips could come flush with his pelvis.

Taking advantage of your vulnerability, Tommy takes your head into his grasp and forces you to take the entirety of his cock, pumping into your throat with such a velocity that drool oozes from the edge of your mouth, pooling at his groin.

Tear-filled eyes peer upwards, the sight of Vince working his hand around his length while attentively watching you come undone under Tommy’s sheer force makes your legs feel weak and your mind go blank. You’re somewhat brought back to consciousness when you feel Nikki pushing your skirt up around your hips, prodding at your damp hole through your barely-there underwear. 

The pressure being applied onto your nether regions prompts a moan to bubble from the base of your stomach, getting caught in your throat and coming out as a set of pathetic, muffled gurgles. The vibration encourages Tommy to increase his already violent pace, his momentum coming to a halt as he pushes you to take the whole of his cock into your throat one last time, plugging your nose as to cut off your already severely restricted air flow. 

Pulling from your mouth, Tommy takes you by your hair and passes you to Vince. The blonde hooks his thumb into your mouth, holding your face, a devious grin plays upon his lips. He watches as you gasp, the thin fabric of your panties being forcefully removed from your body. 

Nikki pauses from behind, “beg for it”, the broad tip of his length barely making contact with your weeping cunt. Vince releases you from his grasp, your face falling into his lap, “please Nikki- please fill my pussy”, he pushes a little further, inching agonizingly slowly into your depths, catching you off guard as he pumped his entire length into your sensitive core. 

Nikki grabs a hold of your arms, hauling you towards his chest, your face lifting off of Vince’s lap and up into the air. 

Vince chuckles, slowly moving his hand up and down his girth as he watches Nikki ravage your body, mouth agape as you attempt to comprehend the pleasure jolting through your abdomen, “you look real cute like that, kitten”

“She does, doesn’t she?” Tommy remarks, his slender form coming into your view, kneeling down beside you and coming level with your face. “Think you could handle two?”, the mere proposition leaving you feeling disoriented, having been pushed to the point in which you’re nearly unable to form any coherent sentence, you manage to mutter out a few words “oh god- yes”

“She’s already so fucking tight, it’s gonna be fun breaking you in two, kitten” Nikki snarls, releasing your hands and allowing you to once again fall into Vince’s lap, making you level with his cock. The thick vein running alongside his length pulsating under his touch as he continues to pleasure himself. 

Tommy settles himself on the sofa, extending his bare legs outwardly to settle on the tables ledge. His sizable cock still rock solid, demanding immediate attention. “Come sit on my dick, baby” 

Crawling towards him like a mindless doll, you claw your way onto his lap. Straddling your hips above his painfully hard length. Although you’ve barely had enough alcohol to do any extensive damage, in the moment you felt intoxicated. The world around you spinning, every sound becoming muffled. Never have you been taken in such a feral manner. 

Gliding his impressive girth along your seeping hole brings you back into a cohesive state, a stinging sensation spreads across your face as you gasp in bewilderment. “I said- sit on my fucking cock” You nod eagerly, his threatening demeanor sending shock waves of excitement through your body and down into your already abused core, enticing you to sink down onto his length. You let out a desperate whine as he fills you just as Nikki had moments earlier. 

Taking it upon himself to be in control, he snakes his long arms around your torso and holds you in place, gliding in and out into your abused sex with a steady rhythm. Being put through so much blissful abuse in such a condensed amount of time has you going off the deep end, the flow of juices cascading down Tommy’s length and onto his crotch makes his abuse audible, the room thick with the smell of sex and the sound of the wet assault occurring on your tightening heat. 

“Didn’t forget about me already, have you, love?” Nikki’s hand finds your hair, cranking your head back at an unnatural angle so that you’d be able to stare up into his darkening eyes. You feel his intrusive digits begin to toy with your tight ass, his actions eliciting a gasp to fall from your lips. 

Fully sheathing his finger in your hole, he chuckles “Tell daddy how eager you are to be stretched over two cocks” the excitement bubbling in your stomach, reaching your mouth as you enthusiastically whine, “fuck- abuse my fucking body- please” 

“Fuck, you think that’s good enough, Tommy?” , your attention is turned towards the man currently hallowing out your sex, your face falling into his clavicle as you mewl and lick, doing your best to convince the otherwise brutal lover into approving your plead for more. 

Upon viewing your desperate attempt for further stimulation, Tommy chuckles to himself. “I think this little bitch deserves to be entirely filled-“ he points to Vince, “I think you should have every fucking orifice stuffed to the absolute brim, think you can do that?”, You eagerly agree, the thought even better than the one proposed previously. 

“Fuck- okay”, the strikingly beautiful blonde takes it upon himself to scoot closer to you on the sofa, his fully erect member looking for the attention it’s been denied all evening thus far. You whine, pulling on Nikki’s hand as he still had your skull suspended in his grip. He guides you towards Vince, shoving your face onto his cock, your mouth easily enveloping his manhood. 

At nearly the same instance, Nikki pulls his finger from your ass and begins to prod at your rim with his length, grunting as he forcefully opens your hole. The sudden sensation of being impaled upon three of the most impressive cocks you’ve ever seen takes you by surprise, your entire body feeling as though it’s been set alight from the inside, each individual nerve screaming with pure delight. 

Completely letting loose, your jaw slacks around Vince’s cock, allowing him to pump into your throat without any resistance. Your frame falling flat on Tommy’s chest as he and Nikki continue their assault on your holes, as one leaves your body, the other returns, never leaving you completely empty... a feeling you’ve never experienced before. 

The feeling of being overstimulated in such a sweet way already has you so close to exploding. You mindlessly gurgle on Vince’s cock, failing to contain the pleasure you’re currently experiencing. 

Pathetically spent, you’re absolutely unable to contain your delight. Your weakness given away by the way you shake underneath their touch, all three men aware of the turmoil you’re being put through. 

“Gonna cum already, kitten?” Nikki calls from behind, bringing his large hand down with a crack along your behind. Unable to talk due to the sizable cock down your throat you whine, throwing your body back in order to meet with their thrusts.

“Aw, come on then, let her cum” Vince replies, his voice saturated in false empathy. His pace within your mouth quickens, causing strings of drool to ooze from your lips and drip onto the sofa. All three intense sensations force you into a state of pure ecstasy, a feeling beyond anything you’ve ever experienced before. 

Nothing else mattered besides them, the primal feeling they provided you. Your skin aflame, your core twitching and convulsing, your body being washed with wave after wave of immense, unstoppable delight. “AH- Please don’t stop!” 

Tommy’s the second to lose control, his hips faltering, his pace uneven and sporadic. You could feel his member twitch deep within your sensitive walls. “Fuck- gonna claim you as mine” you feel his arms pull you in close, a few more thrusts and he explodes. Pulling from your cunt, his cock slips out, alongside a lewd spill of his seed. 

Working to keep you in progress, Tommy holds the back of your head and continues to work your mouth around Vince’s cock, making you gag along his length. The vibration from your throat and the sight that had just unraveled before him had caused him to break down, his high hitting him faster than he had intended. 

Taking your face into his hands, he glides you flush onto his base. Filling your throat with string after string of sweet nectar, pulling out only when he’s sure you had swallowed every ounce. 

Seeing as you’ve finished off Vince, Nikki takes it upon himself to take full control, pulling you up into his chest and nipping at your neck. He snarls beneath your ear, speaking only loud enough for you to hear “Gonna fill every fuckin’ hole of yours, bitch”. He pumps into your ass a few more times, pulling you as close to his body as humanly possible to fill you to full capacity. 

As he pulls from your body, Nikki picks you up, the motion easy as you’re unable to control a single muscle. He gently places you onto the velvet sofa, spent and used. 

Looking across the room you come to realize what you’ve just endured, a lazy, cum drunk smile making its way onto your face. Maybe your job wasn’t so bad. 

[bigskydreaming]

Do you think that fics where Dick is in 24/7 Big Brother Mode and his whole existence is to take care of the other kids (which are most of the fics I've read, but I'm not sure how prevalent that trope is or or if those are just the types of fics I click on), are trying to make Dick essentially replace Bruce as a father figure when Bruce can suck a little at it? Not to try to justify that, just curious where the extremes come from, that Dick is either a raging jerk or a super soft caregiver.

Yes and no, I think. 

On the one hand, I definitely think there’s a tendency towards that for that reason, because of this implicit idea in a lot of canon writers and fans that Batman can’t be Batman without emotional and mental health issues. With at the same time, a lot of inadvertent ableism accompanying that, because like….people overlook the fact that like….you can have mental health issues and be bad at various emotional and social interactions and STILL be a good parent, like, they’re not mutually exclusive. I mean, Bruce HAS been a good parent at tons of points in canon, and at no point has anybody said….that is an impostor, that’s not Batman. 

But still, there remains this idea in a lot of times and places, I think, that Bruce is just….resistant to change. That he is who he is, for better and for worse, and that there’s no point in trying to alter his behavior in in character ways, because it either won’t stick, or he for some reason won’t be “Bruce” anymore. 

And this I think is where the tendency to slot Dick into that second parent role comes from. Like, I think that trend is already there to begin with in society, with it functioning that way in a lot of families, where this expectation is placed on eldest children…but then add on top of that this unspoken view I feel a lot of people have, that there’s just no POINT to trying to address where Bruce’s parenting is lacking, because he wouldn’t get it, or whatever….but Dick’s right there, so just have him step up and pick up the slack, even though that shouldn’t remotely be his role or responsibility in the family…

And you’ve got there a recipe for Dick being the super soft caregiver 24/7.

BUT.

Then you have to factor in the Good Dad Bruce Wayne fics, the ones who discount his worst tendencies and canon instances of being abusive or neglectful, because understandably, a lot of fans don’t want to see or have to deal with that in their content when writing Batfam. Its not what they’re here for, they don’t stan an abusive father, so why should they have to write the character in a way that’s fundamentally opposite to what they view as him at his core, the Good Dad that drew them to him in the first place? And they shouldn’t have to! 

No fan should be hampered in writing positive, wholesome Batfamily content simply because a bunch of dumbass edgelords over the years wrote Bruce being abusive to his kids without these canon writers GETTING that they were writing him as being abusive….and so they didn’t address it as such ever, and it continued, or reoccurred.

BUT.

Here’s my issue with how this tends to play out…..because the fics that COMPENSATE for Bruce’s shitty canon parenting or ignore it entirely to focus only on the good parenting in canon or Bruce’s characterization at those periods….

This is where we most often see Dick the raging asshole, who causes strife and conflict in his family, or is too stubborn and hot-tempered when interacting with Good Dad Bruce.

And this is where I get so so frustrated….because they’re ignoring or choosing to disregard Bruce’s worst parenting, which is totally their right….BUT at the same time, making no adjustments for how a LACK of those shitty canon parenting moments would in turn result in vastly different characterization and behavior for Dick too….especially around the times of their greatest canon conflicts.

If you change Bruce’s behavior, or omit the times he’s been a bastard to his kids….BUT you do nothing to change Dick’s behavior in turn….THEN Dick inevitably tends to look like a spoiled selfish asshole….because here’s Bruce being this perfect, doting father….and yet, their conflicts still exist….and those conflicts still have to come from somewhere….enter Dick The Asshole.

I’m ALL FOR changing, addressing or compensating for Bruce’s worst canon writing, in regards to his children. Where people keep losing me is they fail to consider the ripple effects of a Bruce Wayne who never let his children down the ways he has in canon….and thus never would have given Dick in particular cause to have the trust and abandonment issues and anger he has towards Bruce a lot of times. And I say Dick in particular, BECAUSE this is where its so important to acknowledge the way fandom and canon have chosen to willfully disregard a lot of what Bruce has done to him specifically….because it doesn’t fit the narrative of “Dick is the favored son” or whatever reason may be for that.

Like, this isn’t as much of an issue with Jason, for example, because nobody’s overlooking the ending to UTRH or RHATO #25. Nobody’s forgetting to consider that take away Bruce’s shittier writing, and voila….he and Jason have a MUCH better relationship…..because, that’s what we get in Good Dad Bruce Wayne fics. Its a lot of the reason FOR those fics.

In comparison, the unwillingness to engage with things like Bruce hitting Dick and throwing him out after Jason’s death….by being so willing to gloss over that or making this one of the specific things people ignore, but WITHOUT compensating for how the absence of this particular story would in turn affect Dick and his stories…..like look how that breaks down in comparison:

Because in NTT #55, the issue where all that happened….Dick went to see Bruce, to try and console him and grieve with him over Jason…even AFTER Dick had already dealt with the realization that Bruce had made no effort to contact him about what happened and the funeral had been held while Dick was still offworld. So, those were already issues that Dick had acknowledged and been shown willing to put behind him to focus on the bigger picture and be with his dad while they grieved for their brother and son….with Dick, upon Bruce finding him in the Batcave, making NO attempt to start a fight, and clearly expressing that he wanted to be there FOR Bruce, to grieve WITH Bruce.

The only reason it didn’t play out that way, and Dick and Bruce weren’t both in the Manor in the wake of Jason’s death, helping each other cope and move on AS A FAMILY….is because Bruce instead tried to instigate a fight with Dick, hit him, blamed him for Jason’s death, and threw him out.

This is important if ONLY because….this is the ONLY reason Dick - who HAD made an effort to reach out to Bruce and be there for him - WASN’T there, by the time Tim came along. Was the REASON Tim had to come along, and seek Dick out in another city and beg him to come back because Batman needed him.

So see how easily it gets flipped? By refusing to acknowledge or address BRUCE being the one to drive that canon wedge between them there, BUT still making no effort to compensate how the absence of Bruce’s part of NTT #55 would change Dick’s stories and choices….Dick inevitably looks like the one who just…isn’t there for Bruce, makes no effort to be, or just doesn’t care or prioritizes his own anger or guilt or whatever you want to pass that off as. But bottom line is, Dick’s the one inciting conflict, because Bruce has been given a fandom pass on….inciting the conflict. And nobody’s making any effort to factor in that without Bruce hitting Dick and throwing him out…DICK WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE FOR BRUCE AND WITH BRUCE. Like he initially tried to be.

And this is the sort of thing we get in a ton of Good Dad Bruce Wayne fics, even though its the extreme opposite of Caregiver/Substitute Parent Dick Grayson in Bad Dad Bruce Wayne fics.

Its because no matter how much people cite Dick being the heart of the Batfamily…Bruce is still the central pillar everything else revolves around. And the real issue isn’t the extremes for Dick’s character….its the extremes for BRUCE’S character, the sheer scope of the difference between Good Dad Bruce and Bad Dad Bruce…..with everything else rippling out from that.

And Dick, by virtue of being the closest to Bruce in length of history, age, various other ways….will additionally ALWAYS be the one to take the brunt of those ripple effects, for better or worse. Be the most affected, the most changed, by extension of the changes made to Bruce.

Or at least, he SHOULD. Except that’s not how it works out, when people only change Bruce.

So we get all these fics where Bruce is the kind, supportive, understanding dad we WANT him to be, and so choose to write him as….but Dick meanwhile still has his canon Daddy Issues….but now COMPLETELY without cause. When if you think about it, the MORE you change Bruce from his shittier moments in canon, into a better parent, specifically…Dick SHOULD in all respects be perfectly positioned and poised to benefit from that the most….and have a lot of HIS canon issues and insecurities and such….basically negated by Bruce’s positive parenting, in stark contrast to the stories that shaped Dick in so many negative ways.

Le sigh.

Anyway, back to how at the beginning I said yes and no in answer to your question….the no part is that there’s only so much I think its JUST because Dick’s a convenient substitute for parent when Bruce is written as being bad at it in various ways. Part of it I think also just has to do with Dick’s core characterization as being such an empathetic and supporting character for those around him pretty much any time. 

As I’ve mentioned before, there’s a big problem in ALL our media, across the board, with these kinds of character archetypes being taken advantage of for their caregiving tendencies, without reciprocation….because its just in their nature to not demand or make a big deal about not receiving the same care and attention from others in turn……which, if nothing else, saves writers a hell of a lot of story time and space…which they can then devote to even more focus on the characters they’ve chosen to center as more dynamic and essential to the core narrative.

To support my stance on that front…..look at age swap fics in Batfandom. Notice how even in fics where Dick is repositioned to be the ‘baby of the family’ and the one who needs to be protected and cared for…….there’s no real tendency or trend towards making any SPECIFIC one of the older boys responsible for the others in the way Dick is in caregiver/substitute parent type fics? 

Sure, there are a lot of plots about how Damian as the oldest in these fics SHOULD be more responsible for Dick or his younger siblings….but its his failure to do so, specifically, that drives the conflict of a lot of these stories….because in none of them is there ever the implicit understanding that Damian, as the eldest, should be fully capable of stepping in to compensate for Bruce dropping the parenting ball, the way Dick is in the normal dynamics of the family. 

Like, all the age reversal fics I’ve read, yes, all his brothers are shown looking out for Dick at various times and in various ways….but I rarely ever see any single one of them CEMENTED in that stand-in caregiver role, where its EXPECTED of them….the way its frequently expected of Dick in canon.

Because, IMO, there’s this understanding and ACCEPTANCE, that this just isn’t their character type. And rather than address the discrepancies this creates between these fics and ones where Dick is the eldest, per canon, and expected to parent his siblings….people just kinda…roll with it.

And that would be my take on why we so often and so easily see Dick flip-flopped between extremely opposite takes.

[survivor-halsingland]

Ep. 1: "There's 100% going to be a Canada alliance." - Amy

Amy

Initial reaction of cast reveal: I’m toast But for real this can go a couple of ways for me, none of which have me seeing myself make merge lol. I’m either going to be a very early boot here or be nice and active enough to solidify a place for a while. Lots of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Hopefully the people familiar with me won’t want to immediately vote me out. I have already mentioned to Derrick that I played with DeNara before, so hopefully we can bond over that and it not be used against me. I have explicitly asked Jared to not exclusively lie to me this go haha but we both said we were more playing for the other half of our duos and just agreed to do it. I was excited to see Blue on my tribe and I also know Leanne, and have already had a good chat with Klied - but his name does have “lie” in it 👀. Honestly I want to do a quick portion of divide and conquer, I planned on chilling in a pool tomorrow and going to drag bingo with Ava. But no one has solidly chosen anything so they are really about to force me to be tribe leader and sort this out. Things I look forward to: vibes, chatting with cool people, meeting people, twists, and drama Things I will not be doing: sitting on hours and hours of video calls. Not my style. But I know several people in this game love it. Let the good times roll y’all

Kenneth

HERE WE GO AGAIN! i'm fresh off of ingary, but jay has magic powers and pulled me in to another season of a potential clown fiesta <3 but seriously, this already seems a lot more enticing and spicy because of the theme in itself and how the challenges and idol hunt are structured so i am very excited to play :) i learned a lot about my last game and i will improve on it (hopefully) by taking more risks and plays that WILL be appreciated by the jury, and not be overly attached to people, which would result to tunnel vision. the first challenges are already pretty great, and i cannot wait to play this game. TO WIN! hehe >:)destiny i’m super confused about a lot of stuff tbh but everyone on my tribe is so nice and welcoming and i’m sure i’ll get the hang of it all soon :) i’m excited to be playing and just hoping i don’t screw things up for my tribe :/

AmyThis tribe is exhausting. Challenges where I need to send a photo back quickly really hate me. My phone took like a minute to actually send the photo, but Waldo went well. Except I started in the bottom right looking with vertical transects and Waldo was hiding in the bottom left 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ Woulda been 30 seconds had I started over there. But I’m already expecting tribal so I’m just hoping I wasn’t the worst portion of our challenges haha!

Leanne

Not very much to share so far. Some people on this tribe are much bigger talkers than others, Jared, Derrick, Klied, and Amy. It’s been harder to get Convo from Jesse and Blue, and I’ve barely heard from Josh or Aubree. I wonder if other people have had the same experience. Haven’t dared try game talk with anyone yet. Hoping I’m not behind, but it’s only day 2 right? Maybe I’ll try to put some feelers out with Amy. Maybe I’ll tell her about some things in the idol hunt and see if she’ll give me anything in return, maybe try to get a partnership going. I’m glad she’s on my tribe, but also a little bit scared because I’ve seen exactly how good she is. Aside from that, the person I feel best about right now is Derrick. We’ve had some good chats and seem to connect well. Hope he feels the same way. And Moth. I’m especially nervous about them. When we played before we didn’t exactly hit it off, but I think we’re both… trying. I hope we can have a new start this time, a new story. And from what I know of them they are a very loyal allies so, here’s hoping. Also happy to see Sarah here, and my yinzer JG. Maybe he and my dad can bond over that? And that’s all I’ve got so far. God I hope I did enough in the challenge today. *whines* I don’t wanna go to tribal first!

Jared

Don't mind me making a confessional before the game even starts, call me a game changer. https://youtu.be/JFOxzamkcH8

Jared

Not one, but two, confessionals before the game even begins. Sorry not sorry! https://youtu.be/SETx-0LoI9E

Shawn

Well, things are going good so far! I think anyway. Although I like everyone on my team, I do have to say it's odd playing with someone whose older than my father is, Frank. Usually I like to take charge in games like this, I like to be the leader. Yet, with Frank, it's difficult because he's so much older, I feel like I'm a little kid around him. I don't wanna tell him what to do, because I don't wanna be disrespectful? I'm so excited so far though, absolutely loving the challenge and how we get to pick! Im not that bright so I'm happy I can do creative stuff.

Aubree

This is my first BvW confession! Idk about the other tribe, but the Mysa Tribe is super chill. Most of the conversations yesterday consisted of everyone saying hi and that they were busy and would be active later. Day 2 and the activity level is still the same, which is kind of a relief since I am much more of an introvert. I have been trying to be the first to reach out to people since I feel that is something I have struggled with in past ORGs I’ve played in. I’m usually the reserved/silently-strategic player, but I’m going to try and be more proactive for this game. Ive talked to Klied, Jared, Amy and Leanne a decent amount and have enjoyed our conversations. I know of Amy due to the games she has played with Sarah, so I am hoping that works in my favor. Amy did say that Sarah voted her out in the first game they played in, so that could work one of two ways for my game… like if it came down to a vote between me or Sarah later on?? but maybe it is too soon to think that far ahead? Lol Even though I’m an Art Teacher I chose to steer away from the Creative part to our first challenge. Tbh I’m so burnt out irl when it comes to being creative due to my job, so I’m okay with taking a step back from the creative challenges for now. I’ve enjoyed being a part of the Scavenger Hunt, even though it was a bit harder than expected. I was so stoked to have a Starry Night print, but since it wasn’t real it didn’t count… Like who the heck has a REAL VAN GOGH?? (Or quick access to one) LOL As much as I would LOVEEE to have an original painting, that teacher salary-bracket doesn’t allow for that!! Lol I haven’t had anyone directly ask to me to be in an alliance with them… so that is - interesting? I’m used to the last two games I played where it felt like everything was very paced. Now, It’s either A) everyone is just chillin’ and not wanting to rush things or B) bonds HAVE already started to form but I’m not a part of them? I guess things will spend up more after the first challenge is over and we see where our strengths and weaknesses are in the tribe. Until then! - Aubree

Moth

Hi!! I’m back again and playing with someone I know. I actually happen to be on call with Destiny as I type this but like- were vibing And also once again I’m starting off on the wrong foot, not at home when the game starts.

Moth

I don’t trust Jared Straight up And I feel like that’s fair- Twice I’ve been voted out for my connections to Kyoshi island and it’s really fucking frustrating- Jared apologized and sounded sincere but idk I trust people too easily.. Brayden, Denara, and Leanne are also all in this game All people I’ve played with Leanne I don’t trust right off the bat. I tried that before but like- that didn’t work for me. I just want to at least make it to the merge

Frank

Having fun, learning as I get going. Truly impressed by the comraderi among people whom I've never met. Old dogs, new tricks, this is cool.

Klied

The game is going pretty well so far! Everyone has been really nice and supportive of one another. I hope this tribe dynamic continues for the next rounds of the game! :>

Moth

I fucked it up I genuinely feel really bad because everyone’s so confident in me- And I’m totally going to be a target now

Moth

Ohhhhh thank god Thank god because I was absolutely going to be on the chopping block if we lost I don’t want to be first out That being said

I don’t want Destiny to be first out either

Shawn

I'm not very happy tonight with how things went. I truly believe the other team deserved the win, the video was creative and a lot of effort was put into it! I think it was a great thing. But I disappointed that we lost so many of the challenges. I'm also getting annoyed that people are being present on the chat. I feel like it's me and another tribe member that is putting in all the work. Not impressed, but whatever. I just really hope I don't get voted off tomorrow.

Kenneth

welp i bombed the where's waldo challenge and my team lost by a hair in the riddles challenge because of an advantage so rip. i really hope i don't get voted off first because i severely underperformed in the challenge akjdnsajkndkjsnd i'd be really disappointed in myself :/

Amy

Shocked. Absolutely shocked we aren't headed to tribal lol. And here I thought my 4 minutes on Waldo was too slow but it was enough. Honestly we are lucky Blue's quit disadvantage was only what it was bc they quit after 30 minutes apparently. All these advantages at play! And I'm sitting here with a disadvantage. I think I'm clearly doing the idol hunt wrong 😆 all I have is a disadvantage from poison feast food and a chipmunk named Wadsworth in my pocket. Based on how little anyone is speaking I was certain we'd be going to tribal hands down no question. So I am very, very happy we avoided it in the end. I think it would have been between Jessie and Josh though bc they aren't active. I would have voted Jessie bc Josh did the video even after saying he didn't actually want to do the creative part so that's major props to him in my book! I am very curious as to who the other tribe is going to vote off in the end. I hope it's no one I want to make it far. Oh basically I know I'm probably not making merge so I'm trying to align things to get certain people farther and get other people out. I'm rooting for a newbie to take it. Anyway woo day off and I won't be first boot. Fingers crossed it's not Ava. I wouldn't be surprised if she was targeted for her association with me. Love this game! Love this cast! Love the idol hunt! The reward challenge was the most fun bc Ava and I were incredibly intoxicated after Drag Bingo and we did better each time! The last one we went "office" and "turnip" and literally bust out laughing and both said "Nate". I would like to personally apologize to Ellie for having to witness that nonsense. Thank you to everyone! Oh one last thing. I did not want to work with jared at all but it looks like I am going to be forced to do so. I think I have to put trust in Jared and in Leanne who has voted me out of two games prior 😆 but that's me always just bonding most with the people who are active and want to talk to me.

Amy

There's 100% going to be a Canada alliance.

Aubree

Who won the first challenge?? MYSA DID! Woot woot! Even though Jared, Jessie and I didn’t win the Scavenger Hunt portion after the advantages were added in - we did win as far as how many total objects were found, so I’m pretty proud about that! To top it off Sarah and I won the Reward Challenge!!!! We both get 3 stat points to add to our Idol Hunt… which I have yet to do… I should probably do that tomorrow O_o

Avat

hings are going well i think!!! i've had a lot of fun and i sorta vibe with everyone so far on the tribe. i'm really hyped and fingers crossed we do well. i've been sorta inactive with my challenge bc of work but i'm doing what i can for now. more to come soon

DeNara

Well this is my first confessional of the game and oh my is this going to be an interesting game. Initial impressions of my tribe...... Sarah +Jodi- frenemies because they are so good at survivor Frank- I really like him. He seems like a cool dude Kenneth- Seems cool, I may want to work with him, but he seems to be playing harder than he should so early Brayden- Didn't get the best first impression, but that could change Shawn- Super quiet, then they started chatting so that helped Ava, J.G., Destiny- Really inactive so I don't really know- potential first vote I want to work with Sarah, Frank and maybe Kenneth. Jodi would be good to work with although who knows what she is thinking. Everyone else I will stay open to working with, but really don't care too much as of yet.

DeNara

The first challenge was weird because everyone just took their roles and stopped talking. I HATE QUIET. Period. The creative challenge on my tribe wasn't super creative imo, but they tried. I didn't help in the scavenger hunt as much as I wanted too so that sucks, but at least we won that part so that looks good. I am so excited for this idol hunt! It is amazing! Props to the hosts! WE LOST, DAMMIT. At least Derrick won't be the first boot. I hope I am not either or HE WILL NOT STOP BUGGING ME ABOUT IT AND I WILL DIE.

DeNara

Well it is chaos now. Shawn has made an alliance with Sarah, Kenneth, and myself. I like the safety of that. Jodi, Sarah and myself also made a Subrosa alliance (we all knew that would happen) and I feel like this will keep me safe for a while at least. Both Sarah and Jodi want to work with Brayden and potentially Kenneth so we may make an alliance of 5 with them- but that also means Sarah and I would have to talk to Kenneth about not telling Jodi about the other alliance and that could be very risky early on.... hmmm idk about that. Also, Frank is my dude. I hope he stays. I think I am going to lean towards J.G. or Destiny.

Sarah

https://youtu.be/RzlLHyHZguQ

Kenneth

I am now in 2 alliances: one with denara, sarah, and shawn, and another one with ava and brayden! i feel good about both alliances, with the first one feeling solid and loyal (for now), and the second one for the long term! i feel very solid about sarah and denara, i feel like i can last long with them as my good allies. jodi's a tricky one, because i know she's a damn good player, but it's better to keep her on my side for now until an opportune time to make a move (and i actually really like talking to her!).

Jared

me: i'm gonna try to make this concise also me: 8 minutes on the very first episode where i'm not even going to tribal oh boy

Brayden

https://youtu.be/reALs2hizjk hey everyone I'm here

DeNara

So now I am in a bunch of alliances. I guided Kenneth to make an alliance chat with Sarah and me to tell us to keep our alliances with 1. Shawn and 2. Brayden and Jodi a secret. Insert evil laugh here lol. So all together right now I should have Sarah, Jodi, Kenneth, Brayden, Shawn and Frank backing me, so I shouldn't be first boot. It sounds like we are going for Destiny because they aren't very active, which was the name Kenneth threw out first so he is getting what he wants without upsetting me.

Ava

so so so bummed about going to tribal i thought we had it in the bag especially with our advantages but alas... i formed an alliance with brayden and kenneth which i'm super obsessed with i really like both of them - hopefully this means safety for tomorrow. i hate working two jobs and the week after next ill be working just one which is just so fucking sweet fingers crossed i can make it that long in this game. anyway that's all for now

Jodi

I'm so happy to be back. This time, I promise to play a chill Jodi game as I said in my intro, and I want to relax and enjoy this twist of a season. Jared and I are thrilled to play our second season together in the actual format of BvW, and we will be playing our own games. So far, I'm glad to have Denara, Sarah, Brayden on my tribe, as we all know each other but never played before (except Brayden). I want to keep an open mind and play fluidly. Kenneth told Brayden within 10 mins of the game starting that he was scared of me, but I hope I can gain the trust of people and not play as flashy as people remember me for. Looking forward to the connections I make!

Jodi

I promised y'all a chill Jodi game and here i am, delivering it. I think. DeNara and Sarah immediately made the "The Best of SubRosa" chat because obviously that was bound to happen, but additionally, the 3 of us are in an alliance with Brayden and Kenneth called "the clock" (because of our time zones ahahahaha). This game's dynamic is so different because even though we hate going to tribal, it also means that our loved ones are safe from tribal, which sometimes, could be better. I hope Jared is doing good on the other side. Obviously I trust Sarah and DeNara but I also know Sarah will cut my throat when it needs to happen, even if she gonna be crying while doing it, so I'll just...not be blinded by that. I trust Brayden 100%, Kenneth calling me scary is not great but I guess he rather be with me than against me, for now. Y'all Ingary kids what did you say about me??? LMAOO ♥️ I did ask him why he didn't cause ruckus at 5 and whip out the superidol and he said "tunnel vision". Hey that's two of us I guess!

Sarah

https://youtu.be/RzlLHyHZguQJessie So I’m still working on making like connections and stuff but we won the first challenge so no tribal which is a very good thing . ❤️ I’m enjoying this interactive scavenger hunt and I’m totally not trying to pull a Danni from Midsommar lol.

Brayden

hey guys im in a 5 person alliance rn with jodi sarah denara and kenneth and i feel pretty good and excited bc i think ill win this whole game but sadly destiny is prob leaving tonight <\3

Derrick

First challenge done. We rocked it! I don't really have any sort of alliance at this point but I seem to be getting along with everyone. Josh didn't seem to put too much effort into our creative set up but it still worked out OK. It was unfortunate I was on my trip at the time as I could have done so much more with. I think as long as we support eachother we can rock every challenge that comes our way!joshIM SOO HAPPY WE WON! our tribe seems to be like friendly but i havent made any alliances i think so idk if im in a good spot if we lose a challenge but we didnt this time so🙃ShawnEveryone in the tribe is messaging about Destiny, and that is who everyone is thinking of voting off. I'm still thinking of voting Frank off, and I think that's who I'm going for. He's not good at technology, and this whole game is about technology! We lost the creative challenge because all we could do with him was write! Still, everyone thinks because Destiny isn't very active she should be the one to go. I'm not sure what I want to do. JGOh hey! Here we are round one. I feel so out of it playing this game. For the first time in a while, I barely know any of the other players. Which is refreshing and tough. I also feel like my social game is kind of lacking but that is kind of my brand for round 1. I have had some great one on one conversations with DeNara, Jodi, and Sarah. I've talked to Brayden and Kenneth as well a little bit less than the first three. Shawn and Ava, barely. Frank and Destiny not at all. The vote should be Destiny since we sadly lost. Which works for me. I feel the closest with DeNara and Sarah. Really hoping I can start to get my footing. If we were to lose again, Frank would probably go but I don't wanna put myself in the line of fire again. Well here's hoping things improve. Hopefully, I'm not blindsided. Here we go.blueMy tribe seems pretty cool so far, everyone is nice and seems pretty active so thats nice. Shawns going to tribal so I hope theyre gonna be safe :(((DeNara As far as I know, the vote is going to be Destiny. I feel bad for them for not getting the chance to play, and I feel really bad for Moth, they always have the worst luck in ORGs. That being said I sure hope nothing crazy happens tonight or I will cry 100% Tribal, here I come...AubreeThere is hardly any game talk (at least from where I’m standing), so I may start trying to get a feel of where people are at by asking some game-related questions in the tribe chat. Don’t get me wrong, I love the personal chit-chats… BUT I’m also feeling a bit empty-handed as far as knowing everyone’s game motives. Maybe I’m being too bold… idk. I’m not normally the one to standout in ORGs, so hopefully my tribe doesn’t take this as me prying… even though I guess I kinda am?? 😬 “Oof look at me being all dangerous and shit!” 😤🤘🏼😂blueSO here are more detailed thoughts on my tribe. Amy of course is a queen and a legend and we've played together before and have a good rapport. Leanne is so kind and so funny, and I would be super down for working with her. Jared is SO nice I get really good vibes and really enjoy talking to him. Aubree is also very nice and seems genuinely interested in my irrelevant stories 10/10 good vibes. Moth is dope as expected and turns out we have a lot of the same interests ie. witcher and the mcelroys very fun. The rest are yet to be determined.AmyI would like to start out by saying that Brayden's video during their tribal almost made me seasick thanks buddy. So today was a DAY. It was a day off and like I had a weird day at work lol 😆 and then I remembered there was the task of talking to people who h i slacked on today whoops sorry. But for half these people idk if they even noticed bc my tribe is so quiet. Did I already say I tried asking Jessie what their favorite berry was? Like that's how exhausting conversation has been most all around. I think I'm talking to Leanne, Derrick, and Jared the most. I am begging for bygones to be bygones. But anyway I was trying to do a little of the hunt throughout the day bc after seeing

all those advantages last go I was SHOCKED. Then at the end of work I made it to thevpart where I was talking to the grumpy sad flower crown man and after falling on my weak ass on a ladder I picked the lock with a bobbypin and charisma's him to make me a flower crown which got me to the maypole which had me do a scavenger hunt and I got an idol. Writing this all out is absolutely hilarious. But yeah I have an idolllllllllllllllllllll which I don't want to use anytime soon. But I have a feeling I'm going to struggle to make merge. Anyway I got this idol like directly after the other tribe finishing tribal and I love a funny timing like that. I'm glad Ava survived weee! And wow they have some very vocal tribe members haha I'm sure Denara and Jodi are working together which tracks bc I've been closest to both of them individually in prior games early on. Curious if it will stick. So next was rock paper scissors for which I have a 10% disadvantage which apparently applies to the overall tribe score ☠️ . I won my game against Brayden who was at seemingly a raging Big Brother watch party. Sorry buddy. But we've been chatting like he asked how josh was and I said Josh is great and really stepped up to the plate for the creative challenge even though it wasn't what he wanted and also he loves tom holland so I instantly trust him. Then he said everyone likes ava bc she's just so cool and yes I get it I am personally intimidated by how cool Ava is and I have to be around that cool level every day honestly I don't know why she talks to me but she's a badass. Anyyywayyyy he doesn't seem keen on actually talking game and I need to figure out if I need to just tell my tribe I have a disadvantage rn or be like what the fuck the other tribe is so mean to give me a disadvantage 😭 Anyway excited to explore the hunt some more and this game is so fun. If we go to tribal I think Jessie is most at risk tbh. Okay that's all bye ❤️

[survivor-ingary]

Episode 2 - "I DON'T WANT THE MYSTERY MOUSE-CA-TOOL BESTIE" - Ellie

At the tribal, Ping was voted out of the Pendragon Tribe nearly unamimously. Tribal immunity for this round is Pictionary.

I bet all these bitches know i voted for Keith and now they are going to come kill me in my sleep if i die i blame dylan

yass round 2 i either think im in the best position on this tribe or theyre all secretly coming for me thats all

Tribal went as well as I expected it to go. No major drama. It seems like Keith is in real trouble if we do go to tribal again though which would put me in a very tricky spot. For now, though, I will be trying my best in the upcoming challenge. The problem is, however, timezones and schedules. Jon is going to be our drawer, but he can only do it tonight or in the early afternoon tomorrow which I will not be there for. Additionally, Keith is asleep so we have no idea what his schedule is going to be so we basically had to schedule the challenge without him. And Nya could only do right before the deadline tomorrow which Jon cannot do. I hate this for us, truly. I just hope that Moth and I can rub our brain cells together for this one so that we can pull out a win. OR somehow the other tribes fail horribly. On the bright side, I am finally starting to catch up on Duolingo exercises. They're a lot easier than I thought, but it is still going to be tedious af to save up enough coins for some of the higher end products at the shop. As a final note, I am going to work with Nya in the long term as we promised each other to. Hopefully that actually works out. Time to actually be loyal and be a hero this time around. Need to try something different.

If we lose this challenge, I will be very upset. We went so hard on this challenge!!! I believe that we can at least get second place, but I don't know how crazy the other tribes are. So, let's see what goes on

Ayyyyy soooooooo looks like the four, Colin, me, Ava, and Brayden are officially in an alliance!? I’m really hyped to be working with everybody and already have sights on who should go if we have to go to tribal 👀 but like I’m gonna feel so bad if we go to tribal and I orchestrate a whole plan to take someone out I gotta do it when I’m not in my feels and the planets aren’t fucking with my emotions too heavy. But go alliance ! This means I’ll be able to stay safe until hopefully a merge and hopefully we can avoid a tribe swap till then which I get those vibe from it !! But I’ll be here to survive two more tribals just in case which is pretty rad. Other then that hopefully me offering to draw doesn’t end us up in the bottom and we can keep killing ! But anyways that is it as off know hopefully I have a lot more coins tomorrow morning and I get hit the hat shop bright and motherfucking early.

Just got asked to be apart of an alliance <33333 the besties in the group trust me which maybe ain't the right move but for now we gotta love the bonding. exciting!!!

YAY FOR ROUND 2! Okay, so I meet once again with the Hat Shop and... third times the charm! Except,,, the charm is getting nothing AGAIN lmao I'm not complaining though, still got that extra vote :P I stayed up at 1 AM for this challenge, and I honestly think our team popped off. Anastasia was guessing a ton, and Riley was amazing at drawing real quick! I have a relatively good feeling about our performance, so I hope I wake up to the news of our tribe being immune :D

so yesterday I set myself on a mission to get an alliance. I wanted Ava + Brayden + Toph + me as a majority alliance. it was our day off from tribal so I thought it was the perfect day to do it!! I talked to Brayden about it first because he's the person I feel the most comfortable with, and then after a lot of coordination and careful communication I was able to pull it together!! I think the most important thing when making alliances is making everyone feel like they're a big part in it. So I was careful to ask each person how they feel about the others, about the game, and made a point to say that I wanted to work with them specifically. Some may call that a little manipulative, but I wanna make sure that I'm an essential part of the alliance!! i need everyone to feel like they need/want me there.

all of this happening so soon into the game is a testament to how aggressive I'm playing this time around. I usually like to lay low and just rely solely on my social game in the start, but I'm trying this out to establish myself early on! I wanted to play the tribe leader and I think I'm doing that in a smart and subtle way!!

so yes now we have a 4 person majority alliance named "duolingo owl hate club" because fuck that guy. I think we're the 4 most active and present people on the tribe so it's only natural for us to work together, but I think it's definitely worth noting that I was the one that was pulling the strings here.

We just did the pictionary challenge, I have a good feeling about it!! Toph was an amazing artist, and if we win, all credit rightfully goes to him!! I think the guessers also did great of course, but like come on, the artist has to be the mvp. I'm really hoping we pull through!! I don't mind going to tribal, but I genuinely don't wanna vote anyone out yet. I'm fine just playing the game in a precautionary way. I know I'm in a great position if we do go to tribal, but it's always preferred that we don't go.

Everyone else on my tribe: doing the challenge and kicking ass

Me: I’m sleep

Riley (Tumblr has once again chosen violence so only the first 10 get banners ���)

I think our challenge went pretty well! My team were good guessers. Feeling like I've established some Integrity now. Hope it keeps me safe later!

Toph Soooooo we finished the challenge with 32 points and like wig !! I was a quick as drawer for 32pts expect when my internet lagged, but still ! I think we whooped some ass and if we do go to tribal I know it won’t be me going, thanks to Duolingo owl hate club but I’m also worried same could have and advantage because they seem pretty kean on learning a lot in like 3 hours and then tried to cover that statement to not seem so threatening but like babs s a huge threat too apparently they love Duolingo and know 5 laugnes ? This is from brayden but If so go babs ! That’s absolutely iconic for real Life but fucking scary in this game ! I gotta be buddy buddy with them so hopefully if they do have something it won’t be them going home first and it will be Ava. But I’m thinking we might get second place again unless someone is a fucking wizard at this.

Dennis hmm i think we did well enough in the challenge to not see tribal tomorrow but who knows i guess we shall find out tn

the way ellie was so on top of stuff yesterday only to oversleep the challenge makes me giggle maybe shes freaking out about it which makes me also giggle but i dont think its really a big deal

anastasia asked me to call yesterday and i was like sure lets talk but it is damn near impossible to hold a conversation with her idk i tried BUT she did tell me “yeah i just got off a call with ellie” im like i see. she says shes down to work with ellie but that quickly switched from ellie being ~experienced~ but good to know ellie is also playing hard. anastasia also mentioned that she talks to riley a fair amount who i still have yet to connect to well. but dat makes me think ellie is def talking to riley too miss debate team is definitely a talker. but good on her for the social game i guess

kenneth keeps being like haha we’re the same person and im like yeah👁 i bet we are👁

i just wanna win and not think about tribal just keep it slow and chill for now keep learnin my welsh i guess

Ava Second challenge was Pictionary and I had a ton of fun playing. The tea is: toph did a great job. He was pretty vocal about not being a great artist but really I think he did great. However, Babs was super inactive yesterday and ~too late~ said they were a great artist and should've been picked to draw. It was kind of like.... k babs thanks for the belated "help". They did do great guessing which scored a point in my book. Brayden was supposed to play but last minute logged off without saying anything so we did the challenge without him :/ sorta a bummer. Anyway the lack of participation from Sam is kind of popping off so we'll see where that leads them... Overall a fun game and fingers crossed we did well!

Moth I think we did okay at the challenge. Today I am dying from the heatwave so I’m not thinking too straight! Stay cool everyone

Ellie So yesterday Anastasia and I called for about an hour!!! I’d say we’re definitely way closer, she’s someone I really wanna work with although the idea of her and Brayden eventually being on the same tribe is kinda scary cause I know how close they are. Still she’s so fun to talk to and I just love her energy so much!

Pictionary challenge results: Jenkins Tribe wins with Penadragon second, Hatter Tribe has to go to tribal council on the following day.

Ava Well well well seems our bob ross, toph, didn't pull through (y'all think babs would've pulled it out for us or slept through our challenge like they said they almost did?) I can't wait for tribal. I'm in it for the drama. I'm hashtag voting Sam off - didn't even bother to be apart of our challenge and not too sure they've even been online for a full 24 hours. Weed out the weak.....

Anastasia

Brayden https://imgur.com/n60Lz0c

guys i dont know what to do someone help me out

Dennis i hope damn brayden gets the boot

Raffy Woo! We don't have to go to tribal again! We stan!

Ellie So I figured I’d go idol hunting today cause the shop was about to close and I just wanted to see what had been bought and what possible hats there were, I see that there’s a hat I have enough for that hasn’t been bought and I decide fuck it let’s get it

APPARENTLY ITS SOMETHING THAT IM NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW WHAT IT IS OR HOW TO USE IT YET???? THEY SAID ILL FIND OUT ABOUT IT LATER

I DONT WANT THE MYSTERY MOUSE-CA-TOOL BESTIE

Sam Well you see. I like all my tribe people. And I think we did real good on that music video! So, I think rather than voting anyone else off, I think I should just vote myself off if that is possible! Ahhh

Babs So sad to see Sam not only go but go through what they're going through :( same w Toph :( they all seem so lovely

Keith Not sure if i submitted a confession after the last tribal. But if I didnt here it is.

Happy I made it out of that tribal. I had raffy backing me with whom I played. Last time we played. We were at odds. We didnt work together but whats worse that we were against each other. It was either him or me goin out. Hopefully thats the past n we can work together. I jus need to keep things calm n show that Im not here itching to make big moves. So they dont feel threatened by me. N its easy cause right now. I havnt made that kind og bond with anyone on my tribe. To even think of such moves. Lets see what round two holds for me.

Colin so uh

we lost! :(

I was really bummed tbh. Like I thought we did well but circumstances with the challenge were just really unfortunate, from conflict about who wanted to be the artist to people disappearing the moment the challenge started, I think we did well despite all of that. Except we did kinda get stomped anyway. Oh well!! The game moves on. Tribal has to happen.

Initially I was gonna push for Babs, just because I feel like I don't wanna attach myself to them too early on. I've seen how much of a bitter player they can be, and lets just say I'm not the most loyal ally to have. however! 9 minutes after we lost, Ava announces to our alliance that she's voting Sam. I wasn't surprised, Sam has been the one not really pulling their weight. But I had some good connections with her!! we both did colorguard and shes so sweet and easy to talk to. I was really conflicted for a little bit, debating on whether or not to actually push for Babs. I think brayden sensed my hesitance but we both knew there was nothing really I could do to stop Sam from being the vote. At first tribal, the initial name always spreads like wildfire.

However, my mess was stopped abruptly by Sam asking to be voted out. welp!! okay then!! babs stays i guess!! i'm not too bothered. I'll never turn down an easy vote hehe.

Pretty sure there's a swap tonight. I'm kinda scared of that

uwu

Brayden

i almost forgot to upload this but dont worry i just remembered

Colin screams

Toph So we’re going to tribal in 20 and all I have to say right now is if there is a tribe swap after I’m gonna so scared but I ducking called I had a vibe and it was right that’s what is gonna win me this game trusting my intuition. I’m holding on now and gonna be the biggest comp beast next challenge in case I get fucked on this swap !!!! Or at least if it is a swap 🤔

Riley I don't know what this announcement's gonna be I'm worriedddd... Ginny said it probably means we're swapping teams but I don't wannaaaa I like our team.

Toph Sam self sacrificing made this the easiest vote ever and me being safe is a plus I guess 😎

[takadasaiko]

Such Great Heights: Part Twelve (a Wynonna Earp fic)

FFN II AO3

Part Twelve

Willa.

She had been through this already. A girl with a different name and a face that had seemed vaguely familiar that had shot Peacemaker and sent Lou screeching down to hell. Wynonna had loved her sister, but the woman that had returned to them had been a shadow of her former self. Cold and callous, willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to get what she wanted. She had blamed Bobo for a while, but the truth was that Willa had broken at some point, and no one else was going to save her. If there had been any hope of her sister coming home again, it would have been something only Willa could have chosen.

But she hadn't. She had gone wrong and Wynonna had been forced to do the one thing she swore she wouldn't: put her down. Then she had turned up in the dream world and as soon as Wynonna knew what was going on she had shut her out. There had been no way that she was real. Kind and loving and loyal…. all things she might have been without all the darkness in her life. It hurt to think about the might have been's, but Willa was dead. She was gone, and Wynonna had fixed her focus on Alice.

Now her sister was back. Again. And she had betrayed them. Again. Wynonna wasn't sure she could do it all over again.

Bobo hadn't had a lot to go off when he had woken up. He and Doc had gone after a few Revenants trying to make their escape and Bobo had toppled their escape vehicle. Wynonna had seen the aftermath of the fight and the damage done, and all she could remember thinking was that she was glad he was on their side now.

From what he had said Willa had climbed out of the toppled van, surprising him, and she'd barely hesitated when she'd pulled the trigger at point blank range before leaving with a Revenant of her own free will. It seemed pretty cut and dry. Whatever some of the others had brought with them from the dream world hadn't affected Willa.

Wynonna had stepped outside to try to find some peace from the increasingly full house only to find Bobo Del Rey balanced on the railing around the porch, long legs stretched out in front of him. He was leaned against a pole with his head tilted back, eyes closed, and the only sign that he hadn't dozed off there the fact that he hadn't dropped the cigarette dangling between two fingers. The closer she crept, though, the more she thought that might just be a matter of time. If the ash collecting at the tip was anything to go by he hadn't taken a drag in a few minutes.

She was in the process of turning to find a different place to hide away and think when a rough voice stopped her. "Looking for me or did I steal your spot?"

Blue eyes had cracked open by the time Wynonna turned back and he was watching her as he tapped his cigarette and tried to take a drag. He frowned at it, dug for his lighter, and relit it. He looked exhausted, his hands a little shaky as they worked, and she wondered if that came from dying or everything else that had happened. It had been so much easier when she hated him, when she blamed him for everything, but she'd gotten to know the man behind the demon. It made it harder to ignore the pain he couldn't keep hidden in his eyes or the stress in the way his shoulders hunched, strangely thin looking with only the thin Henley to cover them.

Wynonna cleared her throat awkwardly. "This may be one of the first times I've seen you without that obnoxious coat of yours."

"Not sure where it went yet," he answered with a shrug. "Woke up without it and my boots."

Wynonna's eyes traveled down the long legs to find sock covered feet rather than the usual heavy boots he wore. "Right, sorry. Waverly put them away when we… got you back here."

He hummed a little and took another drag of his cigarette, his gaze distant.

"Look… I'm sorry about Willa."

"Not your doing."

"Yeah, well…. still. I know I've…" She grimaced, trying to find the words and coming up short. She pulled in a deep breath, steeling herself. "I know how much you loved my sister. It can't be easy having her do this… again. Especially after everything in the dream world."

He didn't react at first, merely kept his gaze fixed on nothing as he smoked. Finally he leaned back, his head thumping lightly against the pole and he let his eyes slide closed again. "She said it was the only way."

The words were so soft that Wynonna almost didn't hear them. "What was?"

Bobo shrugged. "Shooting me, I 'spose. She said it was the only way to get the kids back."

"Bobo…."

Icy blue eyes snapped open again and he glared a little at her. "I'm not an idiot, Wynonna. I know she thinks she's struck a deal with him and that he'll never honour it." He shifted and pulled a knee up, wincing as he did and his hand went to what must have been the still-healing wound. "Desperate people do desperate things."

Wynonna stared at him. "Are you seriously telling me you're not pissed?"

"Oh, I am," he chuckled, the words drawn out. "And frustrated and tired. I've been at this a long time, and I did warn you, Wynonna girl. The weight on your shoulders only gets heavier. The more you give a damn, the more you've got to lose, and it will drive you a little crazy if you let it." He flicked the butt of his cigarette out. "I though Josiah'd be the one to break it. He was good. Lot like his daddy, but they strung him up and I couldn't stop 'em. Couldn't have if I tried. All it'd've done was taken me down with 'im. Edwin had the drive, but no give. Your daddy…. you know all 'bout him." He tapped the bottom of his pack and knocked another cigarette out, lifting it to his lips. "Willa and I were gonna save each other. She waited for me. She…. I saved her from them and she was gonna wait 'till she was old enough to take me with her. Then there's you." He lit his cigarette and inhaled. "Wouldn'ta bet on it early on, but you're more like him than even Josiah was."

Wynonna swallowed hard. "You think I can finish this?"

"First Earp since your great-great granddaddy that I've openly aligned with. What do you think?"

"I think it wouldn't kill you to say you have faith in me, asshole," she huffed, but her lips quirked up a little as she spoke.

"I think I used up my faith a long time ago and you Earps just keep trying it."

"I'm going to finish this, Bobo. Clootie won't be coming back when I'm done with him. My daughter's life depends on it."

"And desperate people do desperate things," he said, his voice a little sad.

"Are you sticking around?" The question left her without permission, but if she were honest she had been waiting for him to leave since he'd chosen to join them. Waiting for him to choose to try to lay low and survive this in any way he could. He'd stayed longer than she might have expected, and with Willa popping back up, this might just be his breaking point.

He swung his legs over to slide off the railing, discarding his used up cigarette "Well, I was there when it started. Might as well stick it out to the end." There was more there, but she supposed she couldn't expect him to share everything. He'd been more honest with her in these last few minutes than she thought he'd been with her since they'd met. He didn't say any more as he moved back into the house, leaving her alone with her thoughts just as she had originally wanted when she'd walked out there in the first place.

When she slept she could still feel his breath against her neck, curled up behind her with his arm carefully looped around and her back against his chest. It felt comfortable. Safe. For just a moment it felt like they were still in that little house that they had bought in Purgatory and catching the last few minutes of sleep before the alarm went off and the Svane household stirred to a sleepy morning of coffee, breakfast, and work.

They'd been pulled from that world, though, and this was only the echoes of it that she saw when she let herself drift off to sleep. She wished she could enjoy it for a little while but it always went the same way.

She would wake to hear Grace crying, but no matter how hard she looked for her, she was always just beyond her reach. Every night following the one that she'd woken in the dank little cellar that Clootie had tossed her in she had searched and searched only to wake and be separated from them both.

She wasn't sure when she'd drifted off to sleep that afternoon, but when she felt him nuzzling against the nape of her neck, his voice soft and mumbling as he begged her to stay, she knew she had. It didn't matter. No matter how much she wanted to stay, the dream played out, so there was no point in delaying.

Willa wiggled out of his embrace, turning just a moment to find Robert still sleeping. He looked so peaceful like that, laid out on his side with his arm still stretched over her side of the bed, fingers loose and the lines in his face relaxed like he didn't have a care in the world. She bent down, meaning to steal a kiss, but she found herself in a hallway instead, her bedroom gone and the hall stretched on, Grace's cries echoing from somewhere down the way. A dream. Right.

Bare feet padded against the wooden floor as she made her way down, holding onto the reality of what it was. She'd never found her before like this, and she had no reason to think that this would turn out any different.

The hall ended, though, for the first time in her memory, and Willa turned, finding Grace sitting on the floor with tears in those big blue eyes and she pointed at her slipper. "Kitty threw up in my shoe, mama."

A short laugh escaped Willa as she bent down, scooping the little girl up and holding onto her, startled at how real she felt. Grace wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and buried her nose in her shoulder. "It's okay, baby," Willa promised. "We'll get it cleaned up."

"It's scary."

"What is, baby?"

"The sound."

"What so-" A loud crash cut her off, like a gunshot, and Willa tightened her grip on Grace, even as she began to squirm. She wasn't going to let her go. She wouldn't.

"Daddy," Grace said stubbornly as she tried to break free and Willa followed her gaze down the hall. She couldn't hold on any longer and the little girl squirmed loose, running down the hall to where a form lay at the other end.

Willa followed, a knot growing in her chest with each step. Grace stopped in front of him and Willa knew who it was before she saw the face, those blue eyes she knew so well wide and vacant, dark blood coating his t-shirt from the entry wound the bullet she had fired had left in him. She swallowed hard and knelt on the ground next to him, her hands trembling as she reached out to his face. He wouldn't stay dead. He couldn't. Only Peacemaker could kill him and she hadn't… she wouldn't have killed him.

She jolted awake, leaned against the door in the backseat of a vehicle she and the Revenant had taken when Robert had destroyed the one that they were escaping in. Grace wasn't there and neither was Robert. In that moment she had never felt more alone.

The Revenant that had survived Robert's attack stalked over to the car and tore the back door open, snapping at her to move. She was glad that she had already woken up or she would have fallen out into a heap on the ground. Instead she leveled a glare at him as she moved past him, spotting Clootie just ahead. He tilted his chin up, strange gold gaze fixed on the Revenant. "Is that how you treat our guest?"

"No, boss," the Revenant mumbled, and Clootie barely flicked his fingers. The Revenant fell immediately, a sharp cry escaping him as he started to rithe on the ground, twitching and screaming.

Willa watched the display of power, her gaze steady and her expression blank. She could feel Clootie watching her for a reaction, for even a little discomfort as a man screaming in agony. "You tried to cross the boundary with Robert once, didn't you?"

She looked over at that. "I did."

"And?"

"Obviously it didn't work. We didn't get very far before the pain hit him."

"Miles here has never crossed the boundary, but he knows now what it feels like, don'tcha Miles?" Clootie waited a moment and nudged the now foaming Revenant in the ribs, receiving another cry of pain for his efforts. "Don't you?"

"Yes!" came the strangled reply and he curled into himself a little more.

Clootie snorted. "I imagine there was none of this with Robert. He's too proud. Too stubborn. It's amazing how far he's come."

"I suppose you did him a favour," Willa said, wondering if the sarcasm was as evident to the demon as it was to her.

He chuckled "I imagine he wouldn't think so, but there are dark corners in every human being that are just waiting to be explored. Men like Robert used to be never have the courage to seek that out, but if nudged - even if shoved - they find that there's power in it." Clootie had moved progressively closer and closer as he spoke, stepping around the twitching Revenant at their feet and he lifted a hand to Willa's face. "You know that, don't you, my dear? You're not afraid to indulge your darker tendencies to get what you want."

The spark behind the conversation clicked with her and she met that strange gaze of his. "You found my niece."

"I did."

She waited for a moment, but the only filler to the silence between them were the now muffled cries of pain from Miles on the ground. Willa pushed a sharp breath from her nose. "And?"

He smirked at her, producing a cell phone from his coat pocket. "She's with your aunt. You're going to call Ms McCready and tell her that the war's been won and that it's time to bring Wynonna's little girl home."

Willa stood still for just a moment, staring at him rather than the outstretched phone. This was the moment where she decided how far she was going to take this. She could call Gus. She could even convince her that she needed to bring Alice, but then the little girl's life would be in danger. If she didn't, though, then Clootie would know that she'd been playing him and she'd lose any opportunity to find a way to take him out for good.

Her gaze shifted down to the phone and she reached up, snagging it from him. "If you want me to make the call, shut him up."

Clootie smirked and the Revenant went utterly silent at the twitch of his wrist, and if Willa didn't know better she would have thought he was dead. Maybe he was. She pulled in a deep breath and hit send on the number pre-dialed for her.

The house had gone quiet in the mid afternoon as energy started running dry, the sleepless night catching up with them and leaving them drained. Waverly couldn't sleep though, no matter how tired she was. Nicole had gone into the sheriff's station to get some work done and Waverly hadn't gotten back to sleep since she left.

Finally she gave up trying, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and reaching for her sweater to pull around her shoulders.

The house was dead quiet, which was strange for as many people as it held when she had dozed off. The only sound she heard was a rummaging sound from the front and she moved towards it, wondering if she should have grabbed a weapon.

The fight or flight reaction dissipated as soon as she saw the culprit behind the noise. Bobo was looking for something in the front closet, coat hangers scraping across the metal pole they were hung on. He didn't seem to notice as Waverly made her way down the stairs. She cleared her throat, finally drawing his attention. "If you're looking for your stuff, it's in the closet in the room you were sleeping in."

"Ah," he managed, turning towards what had become a spare bedroom at some point, his focus switched over to that closet instead.

Waverly followed quietly, watching his movements and frowning a little. He was stiff and much slower than usual as he pulled the door open and found what he was looking for, his shoulders a little more hunched down, and when she caught sight of his eyes as he turned to take a heavy seat on the bed to work his feet into his boots, she saw how tired he looked. "Was that the first time you've slept?"

He looked up, blinking owlishly at her. "What'd you mean?"

"Since we got back. Have you slept at all this week?"

"Been sleepin' a lot since last night."

"Not sure being dead counts."

He snorted, a very small smile tilting his lips. "You worried about me, Angel?" He stopped then, the pet name almost swallowed at the end as he spoke it, and Waverly pressed her lips together a little. Angel. He'd called her his angel since she was small, but in the dream world, in a world where Robert Svane hadn't begged for his Angel's name as he had died, that had been Grace's nickname. His daughter. Her own connection to Bobo was still so complicated and there was so much that he flat-out refused to tell her that she didn't even want to contemplate how the dream world had laid that one out. She couldn't focus on it, not now. It didn't matter. Not right then, with the struck look that he was so desperately trying to hide behind a mask of indifference.

"Yeah, between you and Wynonna trying to ignore how much pain you guys are in, I've got my hands full," she said, her voice gentle and she tried to keep it at least a little light.

"Gotta stay focused. We're too close to let it slip now," he huffed, standing to shrug his coat on.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Out. Makes them nervous when I disappear for long stretches and as useless as some of 'em are, better to have them on our side than Clootie's."

Waverly nodded slowly. " I mean… you were kinda dead. Are you up to it?"

He snorted a mirthless chuckle. "I'll live," he promised with a wink as he passed by her.

Waverly didn't chase him down. Like Wynonna, all she could do was say her piece and he would either come around on his own or get slammed in the face by what he was trying to avoid. With Willa alive and working against them, she worried it would be sooner rather than later.

Just as he'd predicted the Revenants answering to him were tied up in knots that he had disappeared after following the lead Freddy had given him. He was the one standing not just between them and Clootie, but between them and the Heir when this was all said and done. The deal struck for their freedom after after Bulshar's defeat had been negotiated by Bobo himself. If he didn't make it through this, they had no reason to believe that they would have friends on any side. He was their hope of getting out of this.

He'd settled the questions down, leaving out the part about dying. Leaving out most of what happen, if he thought about it too hard. It always had been better if they saw him as invincible.

Bobo was on his way towards Shorty's when movement caught his eye. When he looked there was no one there, but ten steps later he caught the same out of the corner of his eye. Someone thought they were being clever.

He slipped into a back alley, keying in on the presence following him. He slowed his pace, waiting until the soft footsteps drew closer.

"Robert." His whispered name made him turn quicker than he had intended to and he knew the voice before he saw the face. Bobo tensed, ready for whatever fight was about to break out, but Willa stood with her hands held up in a non-threatening manner. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"That's rich, coming from you," he growled, putting a step between them. He didn't trust her, but he had no interest in fighting her. Of all the people he could and would tear into without a second thought, he knew that that was a line even he couldn't cross. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he truly hurt her.

She reached out as he stepped back. "I'm sorry. I needed them to believe me."

"And now you need me to believe you," he snapped, his voice low and rough. "Funny how that works."

Her hand dropped, never quite touching him and she pursed her lips together like she was looking for the right words. He frowned, a low growl escaping him. "Save it. I've been betrayed enough to know what it looks like. If you're fool enough to trust whatever bullshit Clootie's fed you, do what you do best. Go at it alone."

A small, startled sound left her at the words and something in him felt a little sick satisfaction from it. She pulled in a trembling breath, her eyes squeezing closed. "Okay," she breathed out. "Okay. We don't have time for your trust issues right now."

"Trust issues?" he snarled, his temper flaring dangerously and he re-took that step forward, causing her to back away from him and against the wall. "Wonder where I could have picked those up. I trusted you, Willa. I put everything on hold to look for you when Constance took you. Everything. But you left me to rot, same as Wyatt. We get a second chance and you choose Clootie. How do you 'spose I came by my trust issues? Don't you dare tell me you're doin' it for Gracie. You-"

The blow snapped his head around hard enough to hurt, his cheek and jaw burning from the open-handed slap. When he turned back she was fuming. "Hate me all you want for leaving you, Robert, but I would never risk Grace's soul just to get her back. What would be the point?"

He stared at her and he could feel the anger rolling off if her in waves.

She stepped forward so that there were only inches between then, holding his gaze stubbornly. "The only chance we have of getting her back - of getting them both back - is ending Clootie once and for all and freeing you. I can find a way to do that if he trusts me. We end this curse and we get our children back."

Wanting to trust and so many betrayals that came before warred against each other inside him and Bobo let his eyes slip closed, the anger flooding out of him and leaving him feeling empty and hurt. The anger was easier. The anger was always easier.

He swallowed hard, and when he reopened his eyes her gaze had softened. She reached up, her touch gentle bow, and she ran her thumb across the side of his face she had hit just moments before. "I know," she whispered, her voice straIned. "I know what you've been through. I know how you shove it aside and how you can't let anyone see. I know it now more than I ever could before, and Robert I am sorry, but I can't change what I did. I can't fix that, but we can end this curse and a chance at something like the life we lived in that dream world. Not perfect, but better. I want that chance, and I'm willing to risk everything to get it."

Bobo's hand found the side of her face and he leaned down, his lips pressed against hers and he felt her own grip shift, one hand slipping around to the back of his neck to pull him in closer and the other sliding down his chest and gripping his t-shirt. He flinched a little, half expecting the freshly-healed wound to still be tender and she pulled back. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and this time he couldn't help but believe her in that.

He pulled in a breath and leaned his forehead against hers. "I want to trust you, Willa. Give me something, anything-"

"Alice." She pulled back, almost like she was startled. "That was why I came looking for you. To warn you. Clootie wanted proof of loyalty."

"Of course he did."

"He had me make a call to Gus."

She paused for a moment and Bobo shrugged. "'Bout what?"

"That's who Wynonna has watching Alice. He had me call her and convince her to bring Alice here."

Blue eyes blinked. "He knows where she is but he's having her brought here? Not going there?"

"What are you thinking?"

"That Clootie's trapped here same as the rest of us. He kills the Heirs and the curse is done. He's free. He wouldn't risk bringing her here unless he had to and he ain't gonna risk-" His gaze shifted to Willa. "You're not goin' back."

"Like hell I'm not," she snapped.

"No, no, no. You've served your purpose. He ain't gonna take the risk in letting you live and having Peacemaker choose you again."

"I have to go back, Robert. I don't have anything on him yet. That's the whole point." She caught his wandering gaze. "I may not be the Earp Heir anymore, and I can live with that. I'm okay with that, but I'm not okay with him winning. If he wins you and I lose everything, and I'll burn this whole damn town to the ground before I let him touch my family again. Any of my family."

He loosed a frustrated growl. He knew that tone and there was no use arguing it. "Make yourself indispensable," he instructed, leaning his forehead against hers again and speaking lowly. "Make him think he can't do this without you."

"How?"

"That's something you'll have to find. You can. You're clever."

"Clever as Wynonna?" she teased softly.

"Runs in the family," he assured her. "Play on his vanity, do what you have to, and trust no one. You're in with your enemies, Willa. There's nothing easy about it."

"You did it for years," she murmured and Bobo snorted.

"Take it from my experience: it's exhausting. Find what you need and get out." He paused, feeling a knot forming in his chest and he kissed her again. "Don't leave me again."

"Never," she swore. "Go. Warn Wynonna. Be careful." Her fingers brushed along the side of his face. "I love you, Robert. I've never said that enough here, but I love you."

"Love you too. Now go. Before you tip your hand."

It was everything he could do to release her, but he had to. It was that or force her to come back to the Homestead with him. She was right though. Finding Clootie's weakness was their best bet, and if they wanted to end this, if they wanted a chance at anything more than the suffering they had all known for so long, they had to be willing to risk everything.

Notes: So, the last chapter I had trouble bringing together and this one was a freakin' kick to the feels to write. And poor Bobo. One of my favourite scenes is from S1 where he pulls Peacemaker from Wynonna and tells her that the weight is only going to get heavier. I love that so much. He sounds like he's speaking form so much experience and I'm really hoping that S3 will open up doors to allow those two to have serious conversations and land on the same side of things.

[365dniprivate]

Chapter 4

Giardini Naxos - the town where Martin and I had arrived a few days ago, lay several kilometers from Taormina and was visible from virtually everywhere in the city. It dawned on me that this city had previously been one of our sightseeing destinations, which is why it'd felt so familiar. What if we came across Martin, Michał or Karolina? Would any of them try to step in and rescue me? I fidgeted restlessly in my seat while considering this thought.

"They left the island yesterday," he said, as if reading my mind. How did he know what I was thinking about? I stared at him with a puzzled look, but he didn't seem to notice.9

When we arrived, the sun was slowly setting on the streets of Taormina. The city was teeming with life; hundreds of tourists and residents, tempted by numerous cafes and restaurants, filled the narrow, picturesque roads. I smiled when I began to notice signs pointing to all kinds of luxury boutiques. These stores were a common sight in Warsaw, but in a place that was practically at the end of the world, they were completely unexpected.

The car stopped, and the driver got out to open the door for us. Massimo offered me his hand to help me exit the large SUV. Another car pulled up next to us, from which stepped out two men dressed in black suits - Massimo's protection. He led me down one of the main roads, his men following behind at a close distance so as not to draw attention to themselves. If their goal was to blend in, a better outfit would've been shorts and flip-flops, though I supposed it would've been difficult to hide a weapon in beach clothes.

The first store we visited was the Roberto Cavalli boutique. We'd no sooner stepped through the door when a saleswoman rushed to us, warmly welcoming my companion, then me. An older man, dressed quite fashionably, came out of the back room and greeted Massimo in Italian with two kisses on the cheeks, then turned toward me.

"Bella," he said, holding my hands; it was one of the few words in Italian that I understood. I smiled warmly at him, in thanks for his compliment.

"My name is Antonio, and I'll be helping you select the perfect wardrobe," he began in fluent English. He studied me for a bit, then stated matter-of-factly, "Size 36, yes? Maybe even 34, depending on bra size."

"As you can see, nature hasn't endowed me well," I said, pointing with laughter to my breasts.

"Oh, my love!" Antonio exclaimed. "Roberto Cavalli loves such shapes! Let us go and give Don Massimo a chance to rest."

Massimo sat down on a couch made of luxurious silver material. A cold bottle of Dom Pérignon was waiting beside him, and one of the grateful saleswomen filled a glass for him. Massimo gave me a lustful look, then opened a newspaper and started to read.

Antonio, whistling contentedly, brought dozens of dresses to the fitting room, flying past me while carrying garments of incredible value. You could easily purchase an apartment in Warsaw with how much these all cost, I thought. After trying on clothes for a little over an hour, I settled on a few different outfits that were packed away for us in decorative boxes.

The situation was similar in the other stores we stopped at - an excited, over the top welcome and endless shopping. Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Louboutin; each time, Massimo would sit down and flip through his newspaper, talk on his phone or check something on his iPad. He didn't seem to be interested in what I was doing at all, which on the one hand felt like a nice reprieve, but on the other hand annoyed me greatly.

I couldn't figure him out; this morning it'd been nearly impossible for him to tear himself away from me, and now that he had the opportunity to see me in all of these beautiful clothes, he wanted nothing to do with me. Is this how Julia Roberts felt in Pretty Woman?

Victoria's Secret, which was our final destination, greeted us with a barrage of pink. The color was everywhere - on the walls, on the couches, on the saleswomen; it made me feel like I'd fallen into a cotton candy machine.2

Massimo looked at me while pulling the phone away from his ear. "This will be our last stop for today; we're almost out of time. Keep that in mind while shopping," he said casually, then turned away, sat down in a nearby chair and resumed his conversation. I stood there and looked at him disapprovingly - not because the shopping spree was over, as I'd had enough, but because of the way he'd treated me.

"Signora," the saleswoman called to me. She invited me into the fitting room with a friendly gesture. The first thing I noticed as I walked in was the sheer number of bathing suits, lingerie sets, and pairs of underwear that'd already been set aside for me, with the mountain of colorful fabrics - mainly lace - fully covering one of the chairs.

"You don't need to try on everything, just one or two sets so I can be sure that the size I've chosen for you is correct," she said and disappeared, sliding the heavy pink curtain behind her. What are all these panties for? I haven't owned this many pairs in my entire life, I thought.

I leaned out from behind the curtain and asked the saleswoman, "Who chose all these?"

She jumped to her feet and stepped closer. "Don Massimo asked that we prepare these items from our catalogue specifically for you."

"I understand," I said, hiding back behind the curtain. I began to notice a distinct pattern while rummaging through the pile: lace, lace, and more lace, with one or two cotton pieces thrown in. How incredibly comfortable, I grunted ironically.1

I chose to try on the combined silk and red lace set, and slowly took off my dress. The delicate bra fit perfectly on my small breasts, and I was thrilled to find out that, although it wasn't a push-up bra, it made my bust look very tempting. I bent down and dragged the lace thong over my legs. When I straightened up to look in the mirror, I saw Massimo standing behind me. He was leaning against the fitting room wall with his hands in his pockets, eyeing me up and down.

I turned and glared at him. "What are you..." was all I managed to say before he grabbed my neck and pressed my back to the mirror. He clung to me with his whole body, gently running his thumb over my lips. I tensed up, his body blocking my every move. He stopped playing with my mouth and stretched his arm around my neck. The embrace wasn't strong, and it didn't have to be; he just needed to assert his dominance.

"Don't move," he said, piercing right through me with his wild eyes. He looked down and groaned softly. "You look nice," he hissed through his teeth, "But you can't wear this - not yet."

The words "you can't" were spoken by him with encouragement, almost as if it was an order for me to do the exact opposite. I moved my bottom away from the cold mirror and slowly took a step forward. Massimo didn't object, moving backward with the same rhythm and speed as I was moving forward, keeping his hand clamped on my neck the entire time.

When I was far enough from the mirror that he could see me completely, I noticed that his gaze was fixed on my reflection, as if watching his prey. He was breathing loudly, his chest rising more rapidly, his pants growing too tight.

"Massimo," I said softly. He turned his gaze away from my ass and looked into my eyes. "Leave the fitting room, or I guarantee this will be the first and last time you see me like this."

He smiled, treating what I'd said as a challenge. His hand tightened around my neck, and his eyes burned with a combination of rage and desire. He took a step forward, then another, and stuck my body against the cold mirror again, releasing my neck.

"I chose all of this for you, and I'll decide when I see it," he said calmly, then turned and left. I stood there for a moment, feeling enraged and overjoyed at the same time; I was starting to understand the rules of his game, and starting to learn my opponent's weak spots.

As I was putting my dress back on, I felt my anger consuming me. I grabbed the pile that was sitting on the chair and barged out of the fitting room. The saleswoman jumped up, but I stormed past her to find Massimo sitting on the couch again. I went and threw everything I was carrying in my hands at him.

"Here - you chose all this, so have it!" I screamed, and ran out of the store. The security detail that'd been waiting outside the boutique cared little as I passed them; they simply looked back to check on Massimo, then relaxed.

I ran through the crowded streets, wondering what I'd just done and what would happen to me. I saw a staircase between two buildings and quickly climbed it. There was another staircase, further down from where I stood, so I ran to it and continued climbing higher and higher until I was about two blocks away from where I'd escaped. I leaned against the wall, exhausted; though my shoes were beautiful, they were definitely not made for running. I looked toward the sky, at the castle overlooking Taormina. Fuck no, I can't endure a whole year of this, I thought.

"It used to be a fortress," I heard a voice say from behind me. "Do you want to keep running there, or will you save my men the effort, and remember - they don't have the same heart condition as you."

I turned to see Massimo standing on the steps. I could tell he'd been running after me, as his hair was now messy from the wind, but he wasn't gasping for air like I was. He leaned against the wall and casually put his hands in his pockets.

"We must head back now; if you need a work out, there's a gym at my residence, along with a swimming pool. If you were just interested in running up some stairs, I've got a number of them waiting for you."

I knew I had no choice but to go back with him, but at least for a brief moment it'd felt like I was doing what I wanted to do. He reached his hand out to me, but I ignored it and started back down the stairs, where two men now stood in black suits. I glared at them both, walked to the SUV parked next to them, climbed inside and slammed the door.

* * * * * * *

It was a while before Massimo joined me in the car. He sat next to me, phone to his ear, until we arrived back at his villa and parked in the driveway. I had no idea what his conversation was about, as I only understood a few words of Italian, but his tone was very flat and calm. He listened for most of the call, speaking only a few brief sentences here and there, his body language giving nothing away.

I tried grabbing the door handle to exit the vehicle, but it was locked. Massimo finished his conversation, put the phone inside his jacket pocket and looked at me. "Dinner will be ready in an hour; I'll send Domenico to get you."

The car door opened and the young man extended a hand to help me out. I got out without his help and passed him, smiling brightly. I walked inside, with Domenico following close behind, and kept my focus away from the area that'd been the scene of last night's nightmare.

"To the right," he said quietly as I headed through the wrong door. I looked back and nodded, thanking him for his direction, and moments later arrived back to my room. Domenico stood in the doorway, as if waiting for permission to enter.

"I'll have the items you've purchased today brought here for you. Is there anything else I can do for you?" He asked.

"Yes, I'd like to have a drink before dinner - unless I'm not allowed to, of course."

He smiled and nodded knowingly, then disappeared into the darkness of the corridor. I went into the bathroom, closed the door and threw off my dress. I stood in the shower and turned on the cold water; after today, I needed to cool down. The freezing water made it difficult to breathe but became pleasant after a while, and once my emotions had been cooled, I increased the temperature. I washed my hair, applied conditioner and sat back against the wall. The water was comfortably warm and flowing gently down the glass panels surrounding the shower, soothing me.1

I took a moment to stop and think about the day's events. I was so confused; Massimo was such a complicated man, and very unpredictable. I realized that if I didn't start to accept the situation I found myself in and try my best to live a normal life, I'd quickly become defeated.

Another thought occurred to me - What was I fighting for? There was nothing waiting for me back in Warsaw, and everything I'd once had was now gone; all that was left was the adventure that fate had thrust upon me. It's time to get a grip and come to terms with this situation, Laura, I thought to myself, then stood up from the floor.

I rinsed my hair and wrapped it in a towel, then put on a bathrobe and left the bathroom to see dozens of boxes filling the bedroom. I was overwhelmed at the sight of them, but I had a plan in mind for my purchases.

I found some bags with the Victoria's Secret logo and started to dig through the dozens of options Massimo had picked out for me, eventually coming across the red lace set I'd tried on earlier in the store. I searched some more boxes to find a short, see-through black dress, then pulled out a matching pair of Louboutin heels. Now that's an outfit that Massimo definitely won't be able to handle.1

I headed back to the bathroom, toward the vanity, taking the bottle of champagne that was by the fireplace with me. I poured myself a glass and emptied it in one breath; I needed some liquid courage. I poured another, sat down in front of the mirror and got to work with my cosmetics. When I'd finished, my eyes were well defined, my complexion was perfect and my lips glistened with flesh-colored Chanel lipstick. I dried my hair, curling it slightly and pinned it up in a tall bun.

Domenico's voice came through the door. "Laura, dinner is waiting."

"Two more minutes, and I'll be ready," I shouted through the door while putting on my underwear. I quickly threw on the dress, slipped the high heels over my feet and generously applied some of my beloved perfume. I stood in front of the mirror and nodded with satisfaction. I looked simply divine; the see-through dress was stunning, and the red lace that showed through perfectly matched the red soles of my shoes. It was very elegant, and very provocative.

I quickly finished my third glass of champagne and, though slightly inebriated, was ready for dinner.

Domenico opened his eyes wide as he saw me leave the bathroom. "You look..." He paused, searching for the right word.1

"I know, and thank you," I replied, smiling flirtatiously.

"Those heels are to die for," he said, almost whispering, and gave me his arm. I took it and allowed him to lead me through the corridor. We went out onto the terrace where I'd had breakfast this morning, the canvas roof now reflecting the light of hundreds of candles placed neatly around the patio. Massimo stood with his back to us, staring off into the distance.

"I'll go on alone," I said, letting go of the young man's arm.

With that, Domenico disappeared, and I took a step toward Massimo. He looked back at the sound of my heels hitting the stone floor. He was dressed in gray linen pants and a light sweater of the same color, with the sleeves rolled up. He approached the table and set the glass he'd been holding in his hand down, watching every step I took as I came to him.

He leaned back on the table as I stopped in front of him, parting his legs slightly. I stood between them, keeping my eyes on him. The sexual tension between us was electric, and I would've been able to feel his desire for me even if I was blind.

"Do you like what you see?" I asked quietly, biting my lower lip. Massimo straightened himself to show me that, even in high heels, I was shorter than him.

"You are aware," he whispered, "that if you tempt me now, I won't be able to control myself?"

I rested my hand on his hard chest and gave him a gentle push, signalling that I wanted him to sit down. He didn't resist me, and slowly sat down in the chair. His eyes were curious and burning with passion - he examined my face, my dress, my shoes, and above all, the red lace that dominated my outfit. I stood close enough to him that the only scent he was able to focus on was my perfume. I tucked my right hand in his hair to gently pull his head down, and he gave in to me completely.

I brought my lips closer to his, and quietly asked, "Are you satisfied now?"

After a moment of silence, I let go of his hair, went to the cooler and poured myself a drink. Massimo was still sitting there, inspecting me with his eyes, his lips forming a smile. I sat down away from him, playing with the edge of my glass.

"Let's eat," I told him, giving him a bored look.

He stood up and came toward me, putting his hands on my shoulders. He bent down, took a deep breath and whispered, "You look wonderful." He brushed the edge of my ear with his tongue. "Never has a woman affected me the way that you do."

His teeth ran gently over my neck. A shiver coursed through my body, the beginning of which radiated from between my legs. "I want to throw you on this table, pull that short dress up and toss away those panties." I took a deep breath, feeling the excitement growing within me.

"I could smell your perfume from the doorway; I want to lick it off your entire body," he continued, then began to clench and move his hands rhythmically and firmly around my arms.1

"There's one place on my body that you can't touch yet," I said.

"And that's exactly where I want to be," he replied, ending his sensual argument with me. He started to gently kiss and bite my neck. I didn't object, turning my head to the side for better access. His hands slid slowly down my neckline and eventually came to my breasts, which he squeezed firmly. I let out a low moan.

"I know that you want me, Laura." I felt his hands and lips move away. "But remember, this is my game, and I set the rules."

He gave me one final kiss on the cheek, then sat in the chair next to me. He'd won and we both knew it, but that didn't change the fact that his pants were once again too tight for his body. I pretended to be unmoved by the situation, but that only seemed to amuse my companion. He sat there playing with his glass of champagne, a sly smile clearly visible on his face.

Domenico appeared in the doorway, looked at us then disappeared back into the house. A moment later, two men came out to serve us a starter of carpaccio and octopus, which were both delicious, and the next few courses only got better.

We ate in silence, giving each other quick, playful glances from time to time. As we finished, I moved my chair away from the table, poured another glass of pink wine and said, "Cosa nostra."

Massimo shot me a warning look.

"As far as I know, it doesn't exist - is that true?"

He sneered and asked in a low voice, "What else do you think you know, baby?"

I started to nervously turn the glass between my fingers. "Well, I'm sure everyone has seen The Godfather; I'm just wondering how much of that movie is true about you."

"About me?" He asked, surprised. "There's nothing in that movie about me, as far as I know."

I could tell he was making fun of me. He wouldn't answer my roundabout questions, so I asked him directly, "What exactly do you do?"

"I'm a businessman."

I didn't give up, pressing him again.

"Seriously? You expect a year-long declaration of obedience from me, but you don't think I should know what I'm signing up for?"

His expression turned serious, his eyes glaring at me. "You have every right to expect some answers, and I'll give them to you as much as I can; you deserve that much, at least." He took a sip of his wine. "After my father's death, I became the chosen head of the family, which is why people address me as 'don'. I own several companies - clubs, restaurants, hotels; think of our family like a corporation, and I'm the CEO. Our family is part of a larger overall group, though, but I won't get into that now. If you'd like the full history I can give it to you, but I think having such intimate knowledge would be unnecessary, and even dangerous."

He seemed to be growing increasingly more annoyed as he spoke. "To be honest, I'm not sure what it is, exactly, that you want to know. Are you asking if I have a consigliere? Well I do, and I'm sure you'll meet him soon enough. Are you asking if I'm a dangerous man, or if I solve my problems through violence? I'm sure those questions were answered for you last night. Now, is there anything else?"

There were a million thoughts running through my head, but nothing more that I needed to know then. The situation had been clear for some time, though I hadn't realized it. I guess my questions really were answered last night, like he said.

"When will you give me my phone and computer back?"

Massimo adjusted in his chair, throwing his leg onto his knee. "Whenever you want, baby. We'll just need to discuss what you'll say to the people you want to contact."

I drew a breath to say something, but he raised his hand to cut me off. "Before you even start, let me tell you how this will go. You'll call your parents, and if necessary, you'll fly back to Poland." My eyes lit up at those words, and the expression on my face turned to joy.

"You'll tell them that you received a very lucrative job offer at one of the hotels here in Sicily, and that you intend to take the offer. I'll make sure the contract includes a one-year probationary period, so you won't have to lie to your loved ones when you want to contact them.

"Your belongings were removed from Martin's apartment before he returned to Warsaw, and should be here on the island tomorrow. Consider the subject of this man now closed; I don't want you having anything to do with him anymore."

I looked at him questioningly.

"In case I wasn't clear the first time, let me say it again: I forbid you from contacting him," he said firmly. "Now, is there anything else?"

I was silent for a moment. He'd thought of every possibility; the story was well planned and made sense.

"And what if I need to visit my family?" I continued. "What then?"

Massimo frowned. "Well, then I guess I'll get to know your beautiful country."

I laughed and sipped my wine. I can already see the newspaper headlines - Head of Sicilian Mafia Appears in Warsaw, I thought to myself.

"Do I have a say in any of this?" I asked inquisitively.

"Unfortunately, this isn't up for discussion; this is how it's going to happen." He leaned toward me. "Laura, you're a smart girl. I would've thought by now that you would've realized one simple truth - I always get what I want."

"Not always, Don Massimo," I responded, dropping my eyes to look at the lace underwear that peeked out from under my dress. I bit my lip and slowly rose from the chair, with Massimo watching intently. I took off my wonderful red-soled heels and headed for the garden.

The grass was moist and the air tasted of sea salt. I knew that he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to follow me for long, and after a few moments he gave in to that temptation. It was peaceful in the garden, with only the lights from the boats swaying in the distant sea to guide me. I stopped when I reached the square couch with canopy that I'd taken a nap on earlier in the day.

"You feel comfortable here, don't you?" Massimo asked, standing next to me, and he was right - I did feel comfortable here. This place didn't feel strange or new to me, and I felt like I'd lived here my entire life. Besides, what girl wouldn't like to stay in a beautiful Italian villa, with all of these comforts and services?

"I'm getting used to it because I have no other choice," I replied, taking another sip of wine. Massimo took the glass from my hand and threw it onto the grass. He took me in his arms and placed me gently on the white pillows. My breath sped up, knowing what was about to happen. He flipped one leg above me and lay on top of me, like this morning. I'd been afraid then, but now all I felt was curiosity and excitement; maybe the alcohol had finally caught up to me, or maybe I'd just accepted the situation I'd found myself in.

Massimo, with his hands on both sides of my head, leaned forward into me. "I'd like to kiss you," he whispered, nudging my lips.

I froze. A man so dangerous and powerful, asking for permission to show me tenderness and love? My hands went to his face and stopped on his cheeks. I held him for a moment, looking deeply into his calm, black eyes, then pulled him to me gently. When our lips met, Massimo attacked me with all of his strength, forcefully and greedily opening my mouth wider and wider, our tongues moving in one rhythm. His body fell over me, arms entangled around my shoulders. We both wanted each other, our lips and tongues massaging each other deeply and passionately.

Once the adrenaline had flowed away and I'd calmed down slightly, I realized what I was doing. "Wait, stop it," I said, pushing him away.

Massimo didn't intend on stopping, though. He grabbed my wrists firmly and pressed them against the white sofa, raising my hands above my head. He removed one hand and started caressing my thigh, following the curve of my body until he came across the lace panties. He grabbed them and took his mouth away from mine.

The pale light from the distant lighthouse illuminated my terrified face. I didn't fight him; there was no chance of winning. I lay there quietly, tears streaming down my cheeks. Upon seeing this, he let go of my hands, threw himself off me and sat down, resting his feet on wet grass.1

"You little..." he whispered heavily. "You know, when your whole life revolves around violence and you've had to fight for everything, it's difficult to react kindly when someone takes away something you desire."

He stood up and ran a hand through his hair while pacing, leaving me lying on my back. I was furious with Massimo, but at the same time, I felt sorry for him. He didn't strike me as one of those men who violently took women and tortured them; this kind of behavior was just natural to him, with a strong touch being as casual as a handshake. He'd also never cared about anyone before, and never needed to consider anyone else's emotions. Now that he wanted someone to reciprocate his feelings, the only way he knew to accomplish that was by force.

A vibration from his pants pulled us from the terrifying silence. Massimo took out his phone, looked at the screen, then answered. While he was talking, I wiped my tears away and stood up from the couch, slowly walking toward the house. I was tired, drunk and completely confused. It took me a minute, but eventually I arrived back at my room and passed out on the bed, completely exhausted.