#jumping off a building even a tall one might not kill you

[komaeda-nagito-hope]

Why is it so hard to find a way to kill yourself that is reliable and free????

Like, I know beggars can't be choosers but seriously???

Update: I FUCKING FOUND ONE AND ITS A SEDATIVE FRICK YEAH!!! Unfortunately it costs 300$ and would need to come from Europe and idk about trafficking laws for this shit. Motherfricker

[villainousauthor]

Would you plss write something where a villain and hero realize they're soulmates? Thank you<333

Hero grunted in pain as they clutched their abdomen and tried to catch their breath. Their head swam, and their vision blurred as they attempted to gain their bearings. One second, they were in a massive fight against several villains. The next, they found themselves being pushed back through a portal. Supervillain was likely to blame for that, with his ability to warp people anywhere in the world.

Hopefully, their communicator wasn't broken in battle, so they'll be able to send their location to their team. If they could even find it.

They try to stand, and immediately, their vision starts to darken around the edges and their head throbs. With a hiss they fall back to the ground.

"Careful, you probably have a concussion."

Hero cranes their neck to see Villain a few feet away, remarkably less injured and approaching. They don't have any weapons drawn, but still, hero feels their heart lurch.

They open their mouth, trying to speak. "I didn't see you go through the portal.. " Even their voice is laced with pain.

Villain is closer now and stops a few feet away, kneeling so they're at eye level. They seem to be assessing Hero's current state. Probably to see if they can easily finish them off, Hero assumes.

"I came in after you." Villain says nonchalantly, like this is the most obvious thing in the world. They eye the blood currently dripping down Hero's head, and the large gash in their arm.

Hero snort, and their chests aches in protest. "Why, to finish the job? Make sure I don't come back?"

Standing up and getting closer, Villain rolls their eyes.

"No, idiot. One day, if you die, it's not going to be at Supervillain's hands. Or because you bled out in-" Villain looks around at the tall trees, the lack of buildings or signs of civilization. "- the middle of the...pacific northwest? I don't even know where we are." They finish, unsure.

Hero tries to sit up as Villain kneels down again, closer this time. "I don't know either. I lost all my tech, I don't even have a way of contacting my team."

"Lucky for you, my stuff faired much better." Villain says smugly, and Hero wishes they could knock the look off their face. "I'll send my location to my henchmen, and they'll come to get us."

Villain reaches out for their arm, and Hero immediately finds themselves flinching away. Villain's lips press into a thin line.

"I'm not going to kill you, like I said. Unless you want to bleed out before someone arrives, you should let me treat your wounds." Villain's voice is firm as they pull a small first aid kid off their utility belt.

"I'm not going to bled out, it's not that bad." Hero tries to keep a defiant edge to their voice. For all they know, Villain will kill them, probably inject them with some poison or something just to make it easy.

"How bad did you hit your head? Are you blind suddenly? Because it looks pretty damn bad." Villain opens the small kit, showing Hero the contents. "Look, normal first aid crap." Their brows are furrowed, frustrated by Hero's reluctance.

Finally, after several tense seconds, Hero relents. They nod and slump their shoulders, as Villain moves closer now.

"The amount of trust issues you have is ridiculous..." They grumble under their breath as they slowly pull the damaged and blood-soaked sleeve of Hero's uniform back. They get a good look at the deep and long cut. Their frown deepens.

Pulling off their dirty gloves, Villain speaks again as they reach for something else.

"I'm going to have to clean this before I dress it. You might need sutures, though." Grabbing alcohol wipes, they use one hand to hold Hero's arm steady, grabbing their forearm.

Hero immediately hisses and jumps back, wrenching their arm from Villain's grasp.

"Jesus christ! Cleaning it shouldn't hurt that much!" Hero exclaims, even more tense. "What did you do, burn me?" They demand, but then they see Villain's expression. Their eyes are focused on Hero's arm, and their face looks cloudy and unreadable. They don't respond to what Hero said, like they didn't register it.

Hero looks down at their arm, and their eyes widen when they see it. Right on their arm, below the wound is a handprint. A completely different shade than Hero's skin tone, it stands out. A soulmark. Right where Villain grabbed them.

"Oh..." Is all Hero can manage to say in this moment. Villain seems to snap out of their trance and reaches for Hero's arm quickly, wrapping their hand back around where the mark is. It fits perfectly.

"This is...this really...this wasn't here before, right?" Villain asks, even though they saw Hero's completely blank and markless skin moments before. They unknowingly tighten their hold, and Hero yelps, their arm still in pain.

Pulling their hand back like they were burned, Villain finally meets Hero's eyes. "You're..." Villain trails off, shaking their head. They look away, palm to their forehead like they're trying to process this.

Hero feels like the forest floor will open up any minute and swallow them whole. If it weren't for their probable concussion, they're sure they would be taking this a lot harder. It feels like there's a charge around them now, an electrical current, live and dangerous between them.

Finally, Villain swallows and talks. "Let me just...let me just treat your wounds, and we can talk about this later." They manage.

Hero just nods as Villain returns to their first aid kit, ignoring the spark and air of tension now between them.

[ethan-acfan]

Ferral desmond has my heart. So here are some feral desmond head canons

1. Extremely flexible and amazing at hiding even before the animus

2. blast the most aggressive music with a straight face. Like his headphones will be screaming about murdering people for drugs, and he'll just be chilling.

3. He definitely takes insane amounts of melatonin to fall asleep like 40+mg (please don't do that that is not safe).

4. Has started multiple bar fights on purpose.

5. Has connections to gangs.

6. Has never paid taxes, the IRS hates him.

7. He got really drunk and decided to have an energy drink with it. He ended up hacking into government intelligence and had to skip town because the fbi had tried to kill him

8. He is really good at throwing knives but can't shoot a bow to save his life. Like give him a set of throwing knives, and he can take down abstergo in an hour, give him a bow, and he'll be dead.

9. Once he learned how to fall safely, he started jumping off tall buildings for fun

10. A complete adrenaline junkie he spends most of his time at 6 flags

11. His feral-ness is not helped by the fact that he has the diet of a pre-med student reheated coffees with a side of hope and prayers

12. Prefers sleeping on the floor will 100% take the floor over a bed the only reason he has a mattress was so his friends had some where to sleep when they came over.

13. When he gets high, he either has questions that could get him on a watchlist or he's climbing the walls

14. He enjoys scaring children

15. Is very picky about keeping things a specific way. He can sense when someone is trying to reorganize his spice cabinet

16. LOVES spicy food. If he's not crying by the end, then it wasn't hot enough

17. His notes app is so fucking random like he has his grocery list, a hit list, the Geneva conventions, the bee movie script, the fucking Bible (he's not even Christian)

18. Once, he fist fought a gang leader and won.

19. He has had to disappear on multiple occasions because the FBI tried to revoke his life subscription

20. The only reason he got taken by Templars was because he was about to skip town again, but then Abstergo walked in and he was like "sweet I won't have to run across the country again thanks guys!"

21. Back at the farm, Bill had smacked one of his friends, and desmond had to be held back by 5 people (3 of which were seriously injured after)

22. He doesn't typically get angry, but when he does, everyone scatters bc he is punching concrete, and- *how tf did he just crack the concrete with a single punch?*

23. Never sleep (he might be batman)

24. "Do it, you won't" has been said to him too many times, and each time, he proves that he will, in fact, do it

25. If you gave that man a full 8 hour sleep along with a proper meal, he would be able to take over a country

[kedreeva]

Hi! Jumping off your previous post on keeping peafowl as pets I've been wondering - I work at a botanical garden but we have a few animals around as well, among them peafowl. They regularly sleep in high trees, like. idk. 15-30m (50-165ft?) height and you've been mentioning a height of like 8ft. So anyway I've been wondering: Do Peafowl enjoy but not need so much height? Is there a minimum height requirement at all?

The minimum height is a bit contested among keepers, but MOST people will rec at least 8 feet. This isn't for any disease/parasite/illness health reason like pen square footage (which is the square footage needed to keep grass/cover crop in a pen, so the peafowl don't kill it to the point of bare earth, which can give them a lot of health problems), but rather for feather quality. 8 feet minimum allows you to keep at least one 4-5ft tall perch in the pen, which is the height that allows the males to sit on them without his train touching the ground. This prevents the tips of his train (the frame feathers) from getting messed up, and allows them to preen from a perch instead of the ground (which is how the boys prefer, though they'll do both, you'll see them at it more often up higher).

The reason they sleep high in trees is because it keeps them away from most predators. There isn't a LOT of stuff that can and will kill a peacock in their native land, and most of it is not going to be climbing 100 feet in the air to tussle with a 10-15lb bird in the dark when it doesn't have wings, too. Even the smaller cats like civets might hesitate to get up after them. In captivity, they don't have predators in their pen (I hope), so there's no reason they NEED to be up super high. As long as they're off the ground and their trains aren't touching the ground, they're fine. They'll still work to get as high as they can (mine in the barn figured out how to get up to this little itty bitty 2x4 I screwed to the rafters for the pigeons to roost on, back in the day), and they like to be up high, but it's not something that will make them unhealthy if they don't sleep 50+ feet up.

Most folks are pretty capable of building 8-12 feet or so high (three of my pens are 8ft, the biggest is 12ft) without too much extra in cost or effort. The lumber or other materials needed to do this are readily available at big box hardware stores here, so it doesn't involve any special ordering or engineering to create pens that meet that kind of requirement safely and without tangling with their town's laws about construction of buildings. I've seen a few people who had access to construction equipment build pens out of I-beam and poles and welded wire and stuff, 30-40 feet high and massive, which was really cool, but ultimately not a MINIMUM- and it's important to recognize that all of these measurements ARE minimums- if you have the ability to build bigger/better then by all means you should go for it, but meeting the minimum still meets the needs of the birds just fine.

But since there isn't an established minimum on height (or if there is, it's outdated at 6 feet) and it's CHEAPER to build to 6ft than to 8ft, and that's what some people do- and shouldn't, because that doesn't give the birds enough room to preen and keep their feathers clean and in shape. It may not make them sick outright, but it sure as hell will lead to a ratty looking bird you won't enjoy as much.

[crazybiscuit]

No Longer Human

Pairing: Zombie!Osamu Dazai x Reader Summary: Have zombies always talked? Actually, this one might just be malfunctional... Warnings: This is mostly silly fluff but there are zombies, blood, injuries and violence, so don't read if you don't like those concepts. Word Count: 2191 Credits: @wethairjoel thank you for the dividers!

Dazai had always found it seemingly ironic that he, out of everyone he knew, was the first to turn. Honestly, he expected Kunikida would’ve been caught first due to his neuroticism . It hadn’t even been intentional, he never wanted to die like this. It was painful and, worst of all, he was practically immortal now until someone blew his brains out or found a cure for zombification. He should’ve just jumped off a roof when he was still alive.

The man had barely savored the sweet embrace of death before waking back up to a body he barely controlled and a deep insatiable hunger. He’d spent weeks, perhaps months, wandering the deserted city. Dazai could vaguely remember the agency and other aspects of his past life, so he was fairly confident Atsushi was to blame for his current predicament. Of course the kid couldn’t bring himself to kill me…

The brunette wasn’t too upset anymore and he’d relearned a few skills from before the bite. For example, he was glad to find a familiar looking book in an abandoned shop. He had stumbled into the building, sensing a strange pull in his chest and eventually, he managed to reteach himself reading and writing. He was even able to form small sentences if he tried enough.

When it came to… food , Dazai wasn’t very picky. He’d never had a healthy diet even when he was alive, whether it be an unhealthy amount of quick fix meals, eating food that is barely safe for human consumption or straight up skipping multiple meals a day at times. So he had no problem eating humans or any other creature that moved. Hell, he’d even tried eating one of his fellow zombies out of sheer curiosity but he quickly realized why no one else had tried the putrid meat.

His only policy when it came to humans was that he refused to eat women (and children in the honor of an old friend). He’d tried a few times to ask them to kill him but that usually resulted in them screaming, which caught the attention of other zombies, who’d have them for dinner. So he was extremely excited to find you hiding in the back of a rundown pharmacy. He’d been looking for a rat or anything else that might be hiding to eat and was surprised to see you crouching on the ground.

You instinctively let out a gasp, hearing the tall zombie make a grunting or growling sound as he noticed you. You barely managed to grab your baseball bat before the undead creature stumbled towards you and you used all your strength to swing the metal bat at him. The bloodied zombie doesn’t get a chance to react as you swung the bat, hitting his arm, and he falls on top of you, hissing out in surprise as he clutches his now bleeding arm. You let out a scream as the large body collapsed on you but your shout was quickly silenced as the creature’s bloodied hand pressed against your mouth.

You froze, heart racing as you felt the cold and thick blood smear against your face. Your nausea rose and you prepared yourself to die. What you didn’t expect was for the undead man to speak, “A-ah… Sssorry… Need be quiet.” 

They could talk? Was that even possible? You stared at the creature horrified and now that you were so close, you finally took notice of his appearance. His dark curls were matted due to dirt, debris and old blood. He was tall, lanky and his complexion seemed to be a whitish gray, a clear sign that he was dead. His clothes would’ve looked fairly normal but the dirty bandages covering his arms and neck were odd. His eyes filled you with discomfort. The lack of oxygen made them slightly cloudy but you felt like you could see a faint trace of intelligence in them.

Your attention finally snapped back to the zombie on top of you as he removed his uninjured hand to motion you to be quiet. He glanced down at his other arm, seeing the bone poking out of his arm slightly and he hesitantly began to unwrap the bandages on his right arm. You nearly gagged at the sight of the bone sticking out of his arm and the putrid smell of old blood filling the small space between you. You flinched as he then wrapped the bloodied gauze around your neck and body. He tied the old cloth and began to stand up, no longer pining you to the ground.

The sound of crashing outside the door caused you to panic but you realized this zombie, against all odds, seemed to be helping you. The lanky man dipped his fingers into his wound as you stood up reluctantly, grabbing your bag. He limped as he approached you again and he painted more blood onto your exposed skin. You trembled faintly as he grabbed your hand, beginning to lead you out of the back room. You tried your best to ignore the tears building up in your eyes as the brunette led you to the pharmacy’s front counter, away from the door that swung open from the bodies pushing against it.

Dazai’s voice dragged as he attempted to talk, “Climb…” 

You silently nodded, wiping your eyes swiftly, hoping he didn’t notice as you hopped over the small counter. The zombie struggled slightly to climb over and fell on the ground next to you, causing you to gasp, “Are you-”

He sent you a serious look, shaking his head to shut you up and you noticed a handful of zombies crawling towards the two of you, drawn to the sound you two created. Dazai pulled himself off the ground and grabbed your wrists, “Trust…me.”

You allowed him to lead you towards the doors, trying to ignore the rising anxiety in your chest as you both approached the bloodied undead creatures blocking the entrance. You let out a shaky breath of relief as you managed to walk past the zombies without arising any suspicion. Once Dazai reached the broken glass door, he helped you climb out of the store. 

The cold air hitting your skin felt like a blessing and you let out a small laugh of relief, feeling yourself tear up. Dazai let go of your arm, allowing you to process your near death experience. Once you calmed down, you glanced at the zombie and mumbled, “Thank you.”

The man seemed a little surprised but smiled. He opened his mouth, clearly attempting to speak and his voice came out strained, “Daa… Dazai…”

You frowned in mild confusion but realized that was a name, “Is that your name?”

The lanky zombie nodded. You quietly introduced yourself and the man struggled to repeat the name, trying his best to make use of his vocal cords after so long. You glanced at the undead man and began to weigh your options, uncertain about how safe it would be to travel with him. You ignored your rational thinking and began walking in the direction of your building.

After a few steps, you noticed Dazai wasn’t following and you glanced back at him, “Are you coming?”

This caught the man off guard but he eagerly followed after you.

You carefully guided Dazai through the back entrance of the deserted apartment building to avoid other zombies. You both made your way to the top floor, where you kept all of your essentials. 

Dazai was surprised to see a cat sitting on the couch and it took a lot of self restraint for him to not rush towards the small animal to eat it. You didn’t notice his struggle as you dropped off your bag and bat, before walking into another room to find things for Dazai. By the time you got back into the living room, you were carrying clothes and a first aid kit.

“Follow me,” you said, growing a little more comfortable with the man. He followed closely, intrigued by the things in your hands. His confusion only grew as you opened the door to the bathroom and you sat the clothes and kit on the shelf. You picked up one of the large water containers by the tub to fill it up.

“Will you be able to bathe on your own?” you finally asked, a little hesitant as you looked back at the zombie. His frown of confusion and offense almost made you laugh. After pouting for a little longer, Dazai eventually shook his head, mildly uncomfortable with the idea of being naked but with his broken arm, he needed help.

“Alright… I’ll step out for a bit. Feel free to get in the water and begin to wash yourself,” with that, you left as he prepared himself to bathe. By the time you got back in with a few towels, he was already sitting in the tub and seeing the water had turned a dark murky color, you realized you had a lot of work to do.

You also noticed he hadn’t removed his gauze and you frowned, “Umm… you need to remove those for now…”

I can tell the man didn’t like the idea but he slowly began unwrapping the fabric around his neck, chest and arm with your help. Your eyes focused on the various different scars on his body, realizing many of them looked like they were self afflicted, and the main one that caught your attention was the unhealed bite mark on his left hand. You quickly looked away when you realized Dazai was staring at your face.

You helped him scrub the dirt and blood off his cold body, careful not to harm him and you carefully washed the blood and grime out of his hair. The cleaning process took two more rinse and clean cycles before he could finally get out of the tub to dress himself.

You faced the door, trying to be polite and make him comfortable. Once he has pants on, he calls out to you, “Need help… Bandages…”

You turn around and your breath catches slightly. You hadn’t realized just how attractive the undead man was, even in this state, so you couldn’t imagine how beautiful he looked when he was alive. You cleared your throat, feeling your face grow warm and you looked away, “Right.”

Dazai noticed your expression and a familiar sense of amusement filled him as he watched you scramble through the first aid kit. His teasing nature resurfaced for the first time in months and he didn’t hold back a teasing smile.

You paid it no mind as you finally found your rolls of gauze and turned to face him, “I’m going to need to set your bone back into place.”

The sickly pale man nodded, holding out his right arm and you almost forgot that you didn’t need to worry about causing him pain. You took a sharp inhale before grabbing a towel and forcing the bone back into place, underneath his flesh. Once that was done, you wiped the mostly coagulated blood off his arm. You carefully bandaged it up and then proceeded to help him wrap himself back up in clean gauze.

When you finished and pinned the ends securely, you were confused by Dazai gently clasping your hands into his cold ones and looking at you with somewhat lively eyes. His voice was still hoarse as he spoke but it was clear his vocal chords were getting used to speaking again, “Belladonna…”

You frowned in confusion, wondering what the man was about to say. Your heart nearly lept out of your chest as he pulled your hands towards his neck. Your mind began to run through over a thousand different romantic scenarios but that all fell apart quickly, “Will you do me the honor of killing me?”

“Excuse me?” you stated, stunned, immediately pulling your hands out of his grasp as your small fantasies shattered.

The man didn’t seem ashamed or embarrassed by his request as he contined in a rough voice, “Or even better, join me in a double suicide.”

You stared at Dazai like he was insane and you stood up, “Get out.”

The man wasn’t surprised by the reaction but he was amused none of the less, “but you took me in-”

You pulled him up to his feet and shoved the pajama top you’d found in the closet into his arms, “You can sleep in the closet. You’re getting on my nerves.”

With that, you slammed the door in his face and leaned against the door for a moment, covering your face. What the hell was wrong with you? How did he even manage to make you feel so giddy? He was basically dead, damn it! 

Dazai stood by the door for a few seconds, an amused smile as he heard you groan in frustration. He finally stepped away when he heard you getting ready to bathe and he made his way through the apartment, looking for a bedroom. No way he would be sleeping in the closet when there was a perfectly good spot in your bed.

[currentlyfckingurmom]

Little Sun

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warnings: mentions of abuse, alcohol, nightmares, kissing

2.2k words

NEW YORK, 2012

You had no idea what these things were, but there was an endless stream of them pouring from a giant hole in the sky and you were doing everything in your power to stop them. As soon as you killed one, another would attack. After hours of fighting, your body was worn down and you were exhausted.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a blur of red. A woman was being tackled by one of the giant aliens. Using all of her strength to keep her attacker at bay, she failed to notice the other coming up behind her. Before you could think twice, you sprinted as fast as you could, sliding between the alien’s blade and the woman’s body. 

You felt the sharp, cool metal pierce the skin of your stomach. Two gunshots rang out, signaling the aliens’ death as you looked down at the red oozing from your stomach. Your eyebrows furrowed as you realized that you weren’t healing like you should. I must’ve exhausted my powers, you thought.

“Who are you?” the woman asked, continuing to fight the onslaught of aliens.

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” you breathed, extending your hand for a handshake. She lifted a brow at you and gave you a onceover.

“I’m Natasha. That wound looks pretty bad, there Y/N. How are you feeling?” “Like I just got stabbed by an alien,” you grunted out as you shoved a fist through an alien flying at you, tearing out his throat. “I’ve been worse, though.”

Your head whipped to the side at the sound of a kid screaming, and before the redhead knew it, you were off. Gone and out of sight.

Turning the corner of a building, you found the honey hole. There were hundreds of aliens crowding the street, tearing everything apart. “Well this might end badly,” you mumbled to yourself. The aliens turned to you, screeching and charging. “Oh yeah definitely gonna end badly.” 

Bracing for impact, you were quickly surrounded by aliens as you motioned for a little boy and his mother to run away. You took the aliens down quickly, but there were just too many. You felt claws tearing into your side as you kicked one of them away. 

After what felt like days, you were surrounded by countless dead bodies, wheezing heavily from the strain on your body. Your powers weren’t healing you due to the exhaustion, but they were keeping you alive.

Trudging through the lifeless pile of aliens, you plopped down on a curb against a street light. “Motherfucker, that hurt,” you mutter. 

And then it all went black.

⧗

A steady beeping slowly seeped into your senses. The stiff sheets were cool on your legs. You could feel a needle in your arm, pumping something unknown into your veins. Your breath weakened as you began to panic. The odor of sanitizer flooded your nostrils. No, no, no, I can’t be back here. They’re gonna kill me. I can’t be back here.

Jolting upright in the bed, you scrambled to rip the IV out of your arm. You ripped the monitor off your chest and jumped out of the bed, searching for something to use as a weapon. An alarm began to blare and your heart jumped into your throat as you took off down the white hall. A group of people rounded the corner, and you stopped dead in your tracks, prepared to fight.

“Who are you? Where am I?” You demanded.

“Hey, look, take it easy–” a tall blonde man started.

“Who are you?” You yelled again.

“We’re the Avengers. You’re at our tower,” a brunette man said.

“Hey, Y/N, it’s okay. You’re safe,” a raspy voice said from behind you. You hadn't even heard her coming.

“Natasha?” Your shoulders relaxed slightly at the sight of the redhead.

“You were pretty banged up. We found you passed out on the street and brought you back here to heal up. Figured you were safer here than in a hospital where they’d discover your…abilities.”

“Right, okay. So you guys…aren’t….” you trailed off before changing your words. “You said you’re the Avengers? What’s that?”

“We’re a ragtag team of people trying to do something good,” the blonde man from before said.

“And our boss really wants to speak to you,” Natasha smirked.

TWO YEARS LATER

Natasha walked into the kitchen for a glass of water, surprised to see you there. You were sitting at the counter, nursing a glass of whiskey. She couldn’t help but notice the slump in your shoulders and circles under your eyes that had been haunting you lately.

“Detka, everything okay?” She spoke softly, but you still jumped at the sound.

“Yeah,” you tried to laugh. “Yeah, just couldn’t sleep.” She sat on the stool next to you, watching you closely as you avoided eye contact and took another sip of Crown.

“I know when you’re lying to me, Y/N. Something’s clearly wrong. But I won’t make you talk to me if you aren’t comfortable.”

“I’m sorry, Nat. I just…I just have nightmares sometimes,” you whispered.

“About your past?” She asked the question genuinely, but was hoping to get more of an insight into your past. She had looked into you when you first met, of course, but there were only files up until you turned sixteen. After that, you were a ghost.

“Yeah, something like that,” you smiled bitterly. Natasha moved to tuck a strand of hair behind your eye, but you flinched away. In the two years of friendship, never had you done that. You almost looked ashamed, she thought.

“Solnishko, what’s going on with you lately?” A tear fell silently down your face but you didn’t bother to wipe it away.

“I don’t know how much you know about me. I’m guessing there’s not much on record after the age of sixteen. But I grew up under pretty shitty circumstances. My dad was a prick. He’d beat on my mom until she couldn’t walk, and then she’d drink away the pain. At first she tried to protect me, but eventually she gave up and left. I wanna hate her for it but I can’t bring myself to.” You sniffled. “My dad would bring me down to the basement and kick the living shit out of me. He’d whip me with his cane until I couldn’t move, and then he’d lock me down there for hours. Sometimes days. So, that sucked,” you choked on a bitter laugh. “And then I was kidnapped and brought to God-knows-where.”

“Y/N…” Natasha hummed, tentatively reaching out. She breathed a sigh of relief when you took her hand.

“I’ve been through so much shit. I was tortured and experimented on for two years, but…I always have nightmares about him. Even the nightmares of the HYDRA facility, he’s there.”

Natasha took a mental note that you were held in a HYDRA facility, and that’s where you got your powers. But she tucked that away so she could focus on you.

“Look at me, detka,” she mumbled, turning your head to face her. “You are so much stronger than him, okay? And I don’t mean the super strength. You’re gonna be okay. I don’t know if this pain will go away or if it will always hang over you, but I can promise that I will be here by your side no matter what. Forever and always.”

“I’m so fucked up, Nat. I don't belong here. I’m not a hero,” you whimpered.

“You couldn’t be more wrong. You are the greatest person I’ve met, and despite the shit you’ve been through, you still put your life on the line to help other people. That doesn’t mean nothing. You might be fucked up, but I am too. All of us are. You belong here. You belong right here next to me, okay?”

You tried not to dwell on that last part. “Okay. I’m sorry, Nat. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.” You pulled back and wiped the tears away, and Natasha only wished to have you closer again.

“Don't apologize for feeling, Y/N. It’s what keeps us human.”

Your eyes bounced between hers and darted down to her lips. You forced yourself to turn away and take another swig of whiskey, burying those feelings down the same way you had been doing for two years.

“How about we go watch a movie in my room?” Nat suggested, knowing that you liked being in her room better. She could tell you felt safer there than in your own, but she wasn’t sure why.

“Yeah, okay.” You cleaned up after yourself and then followed the redhead to her room. She turned on an old James Bond movie and you smiled as she mouthed along to the film. In the dimly lit room, her emerald eyes reflected the TV screen. Her eyebrows fluctuated with the scenes of the movie as her lips followed the words. You breathed in her familiar perfume and shampoo.

“What are you looking at, Y/L/N?” she smirked

I’m in love with you, you thought to yourself. “Thank you for being here for me,” you said instead.

“Always, solnishko. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” She gave you that look with her thumb rubbing circles on your hand, and your stomach clenched with longing. It hurt so bad that you wanted to cry. Because this impeccably kind, strong, caring, and drop-dead gorgeous woman was sitting in front of you, and you were so in love with her. But you couldn’t have her. She had shown no signs of feeling the same way.

Instead, you turned to watch the movie in silence, waiting for Nat to fall asleep before you gave in to your exhaustion.

Natasha found you in the gym early the next morning, dripping in sweat. You punched the specialized heavy bag mercilessly, venting your anger and frustration with the world. At that moment, you were extremely grateful that Tony had designed a punching bag to hold up against yours and Steve’s strength.

Natasha walked closer, taking in the blood seeping through the wraps on your hands. She frowned, worry knotting her stomach. “Solnishko, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you panted with a false smile. “Just getting some energy out.”

“Oh, okay. Well if that’s the case, do you wanna spar?” she asked, seeing through your lie.

“Yeah, sure.”

Inside the ring, you let her charge first. As she went for a basic 1-2 combo, you grabbed her right arm and twisted her around. But before she could hit the ground, she kicked backward at you, knocking you off balance. Her thighs wrapped around your neck and pulled your body towards the ground. But you had sparred with her many times, and her signature move no longer took you by surprise.

You held onto her calves and twisted your bodies so that she landed flat on her back with an ‘oomph.’

You straddled her hips, pinning her arms with a victorious smirk. “I win.” “I guess you do,” she said quietly, her cheeks turning pink. The uncharacteristic blush prompted you to realize the position you had found yourselves in.

“Oh. Oh, uh, sorry, I’ll-” You moved to stand up but she grabbed onto you, holding you in place. You could feel the heat in your cheeks and ears.

“How many years is it gonna take us to talk about this?” She husked.

“Huh? I- I don’t know what you mean, Nat.” You laughed awkwardly. Oh my god.

“Is this why you’ve been acting so off around me?” She realized she wasn’t going to get an answer and smirked before continuing. “Detka, you could’ve just said you wanted to kiss me.” She leaned in closer, her breath fanning over your lips. “Do you want to kiss me, Y/N?”

You nodded slightly and that was it. You weren’t sure who leaned in to close the gap, but it didn’t matter. You were above Natasha Romanoff and her lips were on yours. The kiss started slow at first. Tender and careful, saying so many things. But as hands began to wander and tongues itched to explore, it quickly had moans spilling from your throat.

Natasha pushed you up into a sitting position before straddling your lap. Her hands pushed up your shirt, traveling underneath it and skimming the underside of your bra.

“Nat,” you practically moaned. “Not here. Not like this.”

She looked at you through blown pupils, confusion etched on her face. “What do you mean? You don’t wanna have sex?”

“No! I do. Trust me, I really do. But in case you haven’t noticed, you mean a lot to me, and you deserve better than a quick fuck on a sweaty gym mat. I want to take you on a real date. The whole nine yards.” 

She looked absolutely perplexed at this proposal, and it angered you that no one had treated her well enough for her to expect such a thing. Eventually, she smiled softly and pecked your lips. “I’d love that. And in case you haven’t noticed, you mean a lot to me too.”

[mylittlediarys-stuff]

Bite Back Part 8

Part 9- https://www.tumblr.com/mylittlediarys-stuff/754787032385159168/bite-back-part-9?source=share

Well, the girl did hate dinner, but there was one thing she loved doing afterward. Ever since she got her power, she started playing around with it every day after dinner. Currently, she was jumping off walls and shooting webs. She was trying to perfect the act of shooting webs while swinging with them, which was pretty hard to do in her room.

Then a thought formed in her head.

What if I practice in the city?

More room, more space, more freedom to do whatever she wants. She went to her closet to look for clothes to wear during her adventure. As she looked, she thought,

There is always the chance that Bruce will catch me. If he does, I’m in deep shit.

She threw on a black jacket.

Matter of fact, if anyone catches me, I’m done for. They could sell me to some lab or something.

She found some black cargo jeans she hadn’t worn in years.

But this is the best chance to practice. It would be good for me to be good at the spider stuff before I tell Bruce.

Maybe he will be a bit proud of me then. I could join the family business.

She found some old red Converse she used to love to wear, but the material of the shoes might be too thick for her to use her powers.

She switched the Converse for ballerina slippers. The flats were thin enough for her feet to still stick to walls. She somehow found a face mask to cover her face with. She left her phone just in case someone decided to check her location but she doubted anyone would.

Instead of a phone, she brought her old watch that was barely working so she could read the time. She locked the door and put a chair right in front of it, just in case Alfred felt the need to come and check-in.

She opened the window in her room and looked back.

Is this the wrong thing to do? … Nah, I'm just gonna do my own thing.

She jumped from her window, hoping to land on her feet.

-

Amaka had been wandering the city for 30 minutes, trying to find a building she could climb. She had forgotten how scary Gotham could be at night.

That one looks good!

It was a medium-height building, not too tall, not too small. She easily started to walk on the walls, it was like walking on air. When she reached the top, she saw a somewhat beautiful view for Gotham.

Even an ugly city like this could look beautiful.

She sat down on the edge of the building, just taking everything in. If she had her phone, she would start playing some Lana Del Rey songs or something like that.

She had sat there for about 10 minutes when she got this feeling. The same feeling she got before the car crash and before Damian threw that knife. Like something bad was about to happen.

She got up and hurried to find someplace to hide. She found some boxes that looked like enough protection for her. She saw some kind of door open, and three men walked out, two of them pulling a lady by her hair and one with a gun. The men holding the lady kick her knees in, forcing the lady to kneel.

“Listen here, bitch, if you don’t tell me where that money is,” the man with the gun pointed his gun towards her head, “well, all I can say is I love the smell of gunpowder.”

Are they going to kill her? No shit, Sherlock, of course they are.

She reached into her pocket to pull her phone. This was the one time being Bruce’s kid was a good thing.

Shit. I didn’t bring it.

“Look, you know I can’t tell you anything,” the lady said.

Girl, you better say something, or you’re gonna die.

“Then I got no choice.” He is going to kill her. Amaka slowly got up from her spot.

I have these powers, I show put them to good use. I shouldn't sit around and be a coward.

Amaka slowly got up from her spot.

“First of all, put the gun down, and second, I call bullshit. Gunpowder doesn’t have a smell,” Amaka said, lowkey regretting the joke. Her stomach sank when the man pointed the gun toward her.

“And who are you?”

She took a deep breath in, she decided to be a funny hero person so she might as well stick with the act.

“Just a peaceful person who doesn’t go pointing guns at people,” she started pointing her hand at the gun. “I mean you should put that down. That could hurt someone.”

“Usually, when people see a gun, they put their hands up,” the man said.

Oh, I’m definitely going to regret this.

“I have the perfect names for you three: Stupid 1, 2, and 3.”

“Stupid?” The man holding the gun said, visibly angry now.

“At least you’re Stupid 1, not 2 or 3.” At that, she released a web towards the gun and got it. “Stupid for letting me get your gun.”

She took the bullets out and was able to bend the gun into a u shape.

“What the f—”

“Hey, Stupid 1, don’t curse. This needs to stay kid-friendly,” Amaka said. She was having a little too much fun with this.

The other two men let go of the lady and started to run towards Amaka. The man who was holding the gun joined the others. She was thankful to her past self for watching her family practice fighting for hours. She didn't realize she learned so much by just watching.

She mostly dodged most of their hits and gave a few back, (she realized how much she needed to hold back if you wanted to kill the men) and it helped that they were slow and she was just… Superhuman?

“You fellas need to fight over me, it’s enough to go around.” The more she talked, the more she felt like a different person. Sure, she threw jokes around once in a while, but not like this.

In the end, she was able to get them all to the ground and web them up. She grabbed the phone in Stupid 1’s pocket and called the police. She turned to the lady, who looked stunned.

“The police will be here soon, so stay here or leave, I guess.”

“Who are you?”

“Who am I?” She had to think about that. “I don’t really know. I’ll get back to you in two business weeks.”

And with that, she took a risk and jumped off the building. When the lady saw that, she rushed to the edge, thinking her hero just committed suicide. But no, Amaka used her webs to swing to a building.

I bet I look so cool right now.

Extra-

Lady’s POV

The minute the hero left, the lady who looked helpless turned into a different person. She pulled out her phone and called one of her friends.

“Nat, done with the mission that fast.”

“Nope, I got interrupted I’m gonna need to stay for a few more days.”

Nat started to look at the three men who were tied up by these white things. To the women, it looked like thick spider webs.

“Tony, we got a new player in Gotham,” and turned her head away the stupid men.

“What do you mean player? You mean some kind of hero.” Tony replied.

“Yeah, what do you think I mean? And I’m pretty sure they’re not working for the Bat… at least not yet,” she said.

“Really, a hero that isn’t with Bruce?” Tony said. “Nat I’m gonna need you to work your magic and track that hero down. I want them on our side before Bruce gets to them. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs a hero in Gotham that we can trust.”

[catboyfics]

Lure [part I]

oh my god thank you so much when i saw your request appear i literally got so happy

i started from before the king of spades appeared cause that made it more interesting, but also made it quite a bit longer, so i've split it into two parts. the second part will be when the actual fighting starts.

you also have a great day/night :D

𝑴𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑰𝑰

𝑭𝑨𝑵𝑫𝑶𝑴: Alice In Borderland

𝑷𝑨𝑰𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮: chishiya x gn reader

𝑮𝑬𝑵𝑹𝑬 & 𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺: angst; gender neutral reader; spoilers for aib season 2, violence (nothing too bad yet), death

𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑫𝑺: 4k

You'd been following Niragi for quite a while now. You'd seen what he's like. You'd seen what he's like. He disgusted you, but it took you by surprise when he stopped.

There was an overhead, blocking you from the light. You were on one side, with him on the opposite end. He faced away from you, towards an open area - a street crossing, you thought. You reached towards your gun, hanging from it's holster at your hip.

Carefully, you pulled it out, careful to be quiet as to not alert Niragi that you were there.

Suddenly, there were gunshots and you jumped. You peeked out from behind the pillar, but Niragi still was facing away from you.

"Yo!" You heard him shout, and you peeked out again. In the distance, you could vaguely make out a figure. The man you'd been following seemed occupied so you decided to approach.

Carefully, gun in hand, you made your way under the overhead, rubble crunching ever so slightly under you feet.

"It makes me pretty damn happy to run into you here." He continued, his voice booming. He sounded dangerous, malice dripping from every word.

You stepped forward again, ducking behind trucks and other vehicles to avoid being seen. You didn't think he would turn around, but you could never be too careful, especially with someone like him.

From you closer position, you could vaguely make out the one who Niragi was talking to. They were tall and wearing a white shirt. At first, nobody came to mind, but you quickly realized that the description matched Arisu.

Your eyes widened, and you inhaled sharply. Niragi was shooting at Arisu, and maybe someone else as well. That wasn't good.

"You intentionally didn't kill me with that shot." You heard someone say. This voice, you immediately recognized as Chishiya. Your expression soured, what he'd said to you before clouding your mind.

You'd only ever been anything but kind to him, but he was always brushed you off. He seemed annoyed with you, for no reason at all. It pissed you off.

"I wasn't going to end this with a surprise attack." Niragi declared in response to Chishiya's words. "Okay, let's begin: a game of shootout. Now that the three of us are back together, that seems most suitable."

You tensed up. Between players? What was the point? You understood that Niragi was angry, or maybe just insane, but that would only reverse the progress you had all struggled to make.

"A game between players?" Chishiya asked, voicing your thoughts out loud. You crept closer, their conversation interesting you profoundly.

"The three of us are very similar." Niragi started, "We're oddballs who can't fit in with society. Even so, our need to feel alive is much greater than most people's."

And then, Niragi coughed again, what was likely blood splattering against the ground. Finally, you figured out what was probably the reason why he was proposing this.

He was dying anyways. And he wanted to drag as many people down with him, to go out with a bang.

"I haven't got much time left, so let's do this." He declared as you exited the overhead. There was a building of some sort, it's intended purpose now lost to vegetation. You rushed there, hiding behind it. Niragi didn't seem to notice, but you couldn't guarantee anything for Arisu and Chishiya, and whoever else might be there.

"As kindred spirits, join me in one final game!" He cried manically before tossing one of his guns on the ground near Chishiya.

From your new spot, you could see better. Chishiya was lying on the ground, clearly hit by the bullets released earlier by Niragi. Arisu was standing facing the ex-militant, a shotgun hanging off his shoulder.

There was movement in the corner of your eye, making you look over. You could see Chishiya getting up to go grab the gun a few feet in front of him on the grass.

"I like it." He declared, hand still resting on his side. That must've been where he got shot. "Join us, Arisu."

Arisu was clearly surprised that Chishiya was on board with Niragi's plan. In all honesty, so were you, but you didn't know what he went through. Maybe it would be better for the white-haired man to die, anyways. It was clear he didn't have any empathy.

"I'm sure you despise me as well. Use this opportunity to take revenge." He continued. "Let's play a game, the three of us."

"Are you insane?" Arisu asked in a shaking voice, nervously grasping his shotgun. You tensely held your own gun, standing defensively, peeking out from behind the wall of the building.

"Come on, you've got a gun too. Take aim!" Niragi persuaded, taking a couple of shaky steps towards Arisu.

"Do we really have to do this?" The man trailed off wearily, swaying ever so slightly.

All of a sudden, a gunshot echoed through the crossing, making you jump. Another, though quieter, one echoed. You peeked out again from your hiding spot and say both Niragi and Chishiya shooting at Arisu as he ducked behind a car.

The ex-militant jumped aggressively onto another car, shooting at Chishiya as he rushed behind a red car.

Bullets exploded out of Niragi's gun, the gunshots echoing out through the area, making you jump each time.

"Niragi! Stop this!" Arisu cried. You couldn't see him because of the car blocking his form. He likely couldn't see you either, so you rushed out of the building behind you, using the gunshots to cover any noise you may make.

"I'm simply doing what I want, the way I want!" Niragi started, "You guys are the same! It's always 'me!' with you two, it's always about what you want! You aren't experts on life just because you saw a bunch of people die! 'Living for others'? That's such bullshit! All we really care about is our own selves! As long as it's good for us, that's all we really need!"

Everything went quiet. No one said a word. Niragi was right. You all did only live for yourselves. People had died because of you. You had hurt others, you weren't good people. That didn't mean you should kill each other, though.

"Yeah." Arisu finally said. "You may be right. Killing each other here might just be appropriate for us."

You gritted your teeth. If Arisu gave into this bullshit, they would all die. You couldn't let that happen.

"You're all idiots!" You yelled, aiming your gun for Niragi's calf. Grimacing, you pulled the trigger, the force of the gun making you stumble backwards.

The bullet nestled itself in Niragi's leg, making him stumble on the car and eventually fall to one knee. You hated using guns.

"Sure, we deserve to die! Niragi surely does! But by resigning ourselves to death, the only thing we're doing is being cowards! I don't know about you, but I've regretted enough of my life. I'm done with that shit! If I'm going to die, it won't be in cowardice, it'll be in an attempt to protect those dear to me!"

You gun was still pointed at Niragi, clammy hands grasping it and you finger hovered over the trigger. You wouldn't die here. Not now.

Suddenly, you saw Arisu stand up from the corner of your eye.

"I'm not doing this." He declared. "I won't pull this trigger just to help myself." A dark humor made itself apparent in his voice, making you laugh darkly.

"This shit is ridiculous. I don't care about your shitty fantasy, asshole." You spat at Niragi, gun still pointed at his face.

It was quiet. Nothing was said. Niragi looked back and forth between you and Arisu, face blank with surprise. His gun was still pointed at Arisu, but his arm was relaxed, not ready to shoot.

"That sure put a damper on things." Niragi said with a chuckle, his gunning arm dropping down to his side.

"Arisu?" You heard a voice call, recognizing it as Usagi. "What are you doing?"

You chuckled darkly. What were you doing? It was all pointless, you couldn't believe the people you respected most were nearly dragged down with Niragi.

"Oh yeah... There was you too." Niragi said slowly, voice dripping with contempt as he raised his gun again, aimed at Usagi. He shot at her feet, missing her by mere inches as she jumped to the side, another bullet rushing at her.

"You asshole." You growled under your breath.

"Stop it! Usagi has no part in this!" Arisu screamed as he aimed the shotgun over the car, pointed right at Niragi.

"Every game needs a heroine to make it more exciting!" The ex-militant cried manically, and at this point, you were sure he'd gone insane.

"When the two of you are dead, the three of us can go back to being kindred spirits!" He yelled, looking crazily between you and Usagi. "I can't stand to be alone anymore." He said finally, quietly, before raising his gun to point to Usagi.

And then the sound of his gun firing rung into your ears, the man before you turning quietly and pointing his gun at you. Anger fueled you, rushing through you veins like lava.

You shot him in the shoulder, face blank as his own bullet grazed your cheek. Arisu had shot him as well, blasting him off the car. He landed pathetically to your right, you walked over to him and stepped on his wound, making him groan.

You grimaced, stepping dismissively over him as you rushed over to help Usagi, wiping your cheek on your sleeve on the way. Right as you mind cleared, you saw that Usagi didn't get shot. Chishiya had stepped into the way.

You cursed, starting to run. He couldn't die, he was an asshole, but he was important. You rushed over, ready to help him. Blood stained the side of his shirt as he grimaced, but otherwise, he seemed fine.

You breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders shaking as you took another step closer to him.

Arisu both rushed over, Usagi walking around from behind. He gingerly lifted his shirt up, showing that the bullet had grazed his side.

"Hey..." Arisu started, suddenly remembering that Chishiya never finished what he'd been saying. "What were you going to tell me earlier?"

"Chishiya made a noise suggesting he'd forgotten and had just remembered. "Oh, yeah."

"To me," He started, "people who live life seriously seem like fools. Those people who strive so hard... I just want to curse them. All their goodwill was repugnant to me. But I must've been jealous. They had what I didn't. It seemed like they were criticizing me for being such a vain and vulgar person. I was afraid of them."

The monologue sent chills down you spine. You nodded solemnly.

"I get what you mean." Arisu said sadly. You looked down, knowing the feeling all too well.

"Guys..." Usagi started, her voice shaking. "The King of Spades is coming."

You all looked up, the blimp overhead.

"Shit..." you cursed, you'd thought you would finally get a break. "We need to go."

Usagi went with Arisu and Chishiya went with you, hiding behind cars and trucks, trying to find cover from the King of Spades' guns.

Your gun was heavy in your hand. You could see from your side of the street that Arisu had kept the shotgun, and Chishiya was holding the pistol he'd been given by Niragi.

"We should try to find the others!" You shouted across the street to Usagi and Arisu, seeing them both nod back.

You kept running, continuously hiding behind vehicles and the sides of building.

"We can't go farther until the King of Spades is defeated! We need to kill him!" Usagi declared, looking nervously at you and Chishiya. You looked towards him, gaze anxious.

"We should at least try." He whispered. You nodded, looking across the street to Usagi.

"Let's do it!" You yelled, hand tightening anxiously around the gun. You and Usagi made eye contact before rushing up ahead, trying to get to where the King was.

Suddenly, Arisu yelled. "Kuina! An!" You looked up ahead, and, lo and behold, there they were.

They looked around for a moment before seeing you, starting to run towards Arisu and Usagi.

You decided to make your way across the street to communicate better.

"Are you guys okay?" You asked once they arrived, receiving a nod.

"It's so good to see you guys though. Good to know you're all okay." Kuina said, breathing heavily from running from the King.

"Yeah, you too." Usagi agreed.

"The King of Spades is trying to end things here." An said once things had calmed down slightly and greetings had been exchanged.

"Let's defeat the King together." Kuina finished for her, making everybody nod in agreement.

"We were thinking the exact same thing." Usagi said.

Suddenly, the King shot at the car you were hiding behind. You peeked over the top of the car, seeing him approaching. He was always so calm, keeping a walking pace.

You gulped, clammy hands gripping the gun tightly. You had to end it here.

Three other players sprinted to the car beside you, trying to hide behind it. Two of them made it, but the other was gunned down before they could get out of the way of the bullets.

You gulped, peeking over the top of the car again and seeing the King even closer. You gestured to everyone to go, sprinting away from the King.

You made it to another car, hiding behind it to catch your breath, when you noticed Chishiya gesturing for you to go to him. You took another deep breath and sprinted as fast as you could.

He'd been kinder to you recently. You weren't sure why, maybe he grew up a bit and realized that having enemies in this god forsaken country wasn't a good idea.

You made it to Chishiya, who was only one or two cars in front of you when An tripped. You stopped, turning back to check on her.

The King was only three or four meters away from her, making you cry out.

"An!" You heard Arisu say as well, making Kuina stop.

The King approached her menacingly, you raising your gun in an attempt to save her.

She took out her own gun, trying to shoot him in a desperate attempt but he grabbed it away. She tried to scramble to her feet when the King grabbed her shirt and shot aimlessly at Arisu and Usagi, forcing them to move out of the way.

Just as you were about to shoot, the side mirror of a car hit the King's head. Kuina kicked it, you put together. Finally, the King's attention was drawn away from An, giving her a chance to grab her gun and run off, hiding behind the car you and Chishiya were behind.

"You alright?" You asked, An nodding in reply.

You waited for a little bit, letting An catch her breath. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, like what a car emits. You peeked out from behind the car you hid behind, only to see another car running into the King and driving him into, well, yet another car.

They burst into flames as people stopped hiding to see if the King had finally been killed.

The group who you presumed were in charge of the stunt started celebrating. Then, bullets found their way into their leaders chest. The King wasn't dead quite yet.

From the flames, he stood up. Nothing had caught fire, so you figured his gear must've been fire resistant. He stepped onto the roof of the car that had crashed into him and started shooting at everyone who'd been watching.

You gulped and crouched back down behind cover. You wouldn't die here. Once the shooting finally stopped, you peeked out again and saw that he was taking off his cloak. Underneath it, he was wearing a bulletproof vest and a full face mask.

Then, he took off his mask, revealing a shaved head. It was scarred, and when you looked closer, you realized he only had one functional eye. His appearance sent chills down you spine.

His face was expressionless, emotionless. He felt no guilt, no mercy at killing so many people. You gripped your gun tighter, though it offered no sense of security.

He turned around, his eye finding yours before you ducked into the cover of the car. Eventually, his gaze landed on Arisu and Usagi, who stood petrified, out in the open. He raised his gun, shooting mercilessly. They were only barely able to duck out of the way as they rushed behind a car.

They quickly started running, Arisu ducking behind the cover of a different car to take offensive as Usagi ran, fully utilizing her climbing skills.

Eventually, the shooting stopped as the King had to reload, and Arisu took that chance. He peeked up over the car and took a shot at the King, who rolled out of the way.

Everything was quiet for a while as the King reloaded. Once he was finished, he peeked out from behind the car, gun loaded and ready to fire. Then, suddenly, an arrow shot itself into his side. It penetrated the bulletproof vest, but it didn't get through it.

The girl who had shot the arrow started to load another into her bow when the King started shooting at her, forcing her to run into cover. The King ducked behind the car again to remove the arrow from his vest.

You took the chance to run out of you hiding spot, sprinting down the street. You ducked behind the cover of the cars on your way, gun gripped tightly in your hand, always held close to your chest.

Eventually, there was a building in front of you. You saw Arisu and Usagi duck in, motioning for Chishiya to follow you - at some point, the two of you and An and Kuina had separated. It was dark - the lights weren't on - but it seemed safe and offered good cover.

You rushed in, ducking to the side where you couldn't be seen. Finally, you relaxed the grip on your gun and slid down the wall. You lungs heaved, not used to running so much.

"Jesus..." You muttered under your breath, eyes closing. You'd been having trouble sleeping, and it was a conscious fight not to succumb to rest. You wiped the sweat off your forehead with the back of your hand, taking deep breaths.

Kuina and An came in from the back, putting your mind to rest. Everybody was accounted for, everybody was safe.

"Arisu." Someone called. It was a girl with bow and a quiver of arrows, who you reasoned was the person that had shot the King.

"Heiya." He replied, looking over. They seemed to know each other, though you weren't sure how or why.

"You're Usagi?" The girl - Heiya - asked. Usagi nodded, looking at the newcomer in surprise. "Yes."

"Nice to meet you."

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out. Despite the voice being familiar, it felt like you hadn't heard it in ages.

"He's about to run out of his spare magazines." It was Aguni. You'd known him from the Beach, he'd been the leader of the militants. He should've died in the ten of hearts game, though. It was a miracle he was still alive.

Clearly, the others echoed your own feelings, breaking out into questions. He was probably the best person to fight the King with, though.

"Aguni? How'd you get here?" Usagi asked, watching him confusedly.

He rushed to somewhere with a little more cover from the King before answering.

"I followed you."

It was silent for a little while, the man's words processing through everyone's minds.

"You must like me." Heiya said with a little smile.

Aguni seemed to skip over what the girl said, moving over to get closer to all of you.

"He's still just a human. He's not omnipotent. His guns are the same, they can't be fired forever. When he's out of rounds, he reloads, same as us. The blimp probably sends more round down for him."

"We've got weapons." Arisu remarked, lifting his shotgun. You felt your grip on your gun tighten, a slight reminder it was there. Everybody checked their own weapons, Chishiya having a quick look at the gun he was given by Niragi, Kuina readying her fists, An taking a quick look at her own gun.

You weren't helpless. You had weapons, you had the means to do this.

"But these are all the rounds we've got." Aguni finished your train of thought.

Suddenly, Kuina remembered something. "I've also got this." She said, pulling a can out of her pocket. "A good luck charm." You looked at it questioningly before Chishiya said something.

"Oh yeah. I've already used mine, though."

"It's a bomb Chishiya made." Kuina answer the silent question hanging in the air.

"What good is that?" Aguni scoffed, looking at Chishiya.

"Lure him in and use it close." The man answered quickly. "It's made with kerosene, shoot it and it'll go."

"So an ANFO bomb." An remarked.

"That won't make much of an explosion." Aguni challenged. It wouldn't but if you could find, maybe, something flammable, like alcohol it would work great. Maybe if you lured the King to a gas station? You weren't quite sure.

Arisu answered your question for you. "There's a drugstore over there. If it's closed off and filled with aerosol fumes, the explosion will be amplified." He finished with a proud grimace.

"You sure of that?" Aguni said skeptically.

"Maybe." Arisu answered back. It wasn't a foolproof plan, everyone would have to play their parts.

"In other words, someone has to lure him in there." Kuina put together.

"Yeah." Arisu agreed. "I'll wait in the store for him and set it off." That was even riskier, though. If he was in the store when the bomb went off, he'd surely die.

"You'd die." You said warily, not ready for such a loss. Usagi seemed to have the same thought as you, saying something similar.

"No." He said confidently. "I'll get away."

"How?" Chishiya challenged amusedly.

"On the second floor," he started, a slight grin appearing as his plan formed. "Even if I'm blown outside, I can still survive." There was a little while of silence while he gauged the other's reactions to his plan before he added something on. "Maybe."

Chishiya nodded, and you agreed. It was reasonable, probably wouldn't kill him. Might seriously injure him enough to get him killed later on, though.

"This is nothing but 'maybe's." Heiya remarked suspiciously. It wasn't the best plan, no, but it was probably the best you had.

"It's worth betting on his maybe's, though." Aguni argued.

"Let's not bet too much, though. This plan isn't foolproof, it'll probably go wrong at some point. One or two people should stay back and interfere if it's going to shit." You declared, gaze sweeping over everybody as they looked at you.

"I can do that." Chishiya said, offering you a his signature grin.

"I'll join him, then." Kuina decided.

"Now that we have our two people to stay back, who's going to be the decoy?"

"This time, I'll be the decoy." Aguni said to Arisu, clearly referencing something in their shared past.

"It's reckless to lure him alone." Usagi noticed.

"I'm enough." Aguni pushed, but Usagi stayed put.

"Let's all be decoys." She finally decided. You were up for it, you were far from weak. Everyone else seemed to echo your feelings, - except Chishiya and Kuina of course - nodding.

Aguni scoffed, clearly defeated. He rolled his eyes, but otherwise, seemed on board with the plan.

"Okay. Let's go."

i'm so sorry this ended up getting so long and i didn't want to have a huge wall of text so i'm splitting it into two parts, i hope it's ok so far though :)

remember to drink water :>

[pen-of-roses]

To Ardrisilen

Excerpt written for @flashfictionfridayofficial 's weekly prompt.

Moorefren.

The name sat uncomfortably in their stomach, even with its familiarity.

A city, only a few days travel from Ardrisilen. They might have been once as a child, or passed through as part of the guard at best. Not enough to make much of an impression, even if it was one of the bigger cities, though, not much compared to that place, all things considered. But even so, they knew it shouldn’t quite look like…this.

But it was only a few days from Ardrisilen. 

“East then.”

The woman huffed, “Ya just came off the east road though.”

They swallowed, mouth dry, pit opening in their stomach, even as they shrugged and offered a shy smile in turn.

No matter what though, they had to get back.

She eyed them for a moment more—their own gaze settling just over her tall shoulder on the wood of the wagon—before she turned back to loading, brown hair swishing over their view. “Get turned around somewhere, huh?”

Their hands tightened on the strap of their bag as they ground out, “Must’ve.”

“Hm. Wait here.” She walked over to another wagon a little ways off. They were too far off to hear, but there were general motions in their direction and critical eyes turned on them. 

They tried not to hide in the threadbare hood too much. What a sight they must look in the oversized, patchy cloak, and bag barely holding together. 

Was this a mistake? Were they going to call the guard or priests or whoever was in charge?

They couldn’t afford that kind of delay. That nagging tug on their heart might kill them.

Fingernails bit crescents of pain into their thumbs as they watched.

Eventually the two must have come to some sort of favorable agreement, because she came walking back over with a wide smile. Kind, if not also slightly overwhelming after so long alone. She climbed up into the wagon and motioned to them. “Alright, jump on, you’re in luck that we’re traveling that way, and we’ll be headed out soon.” 

They scrambled up to the seat next to her. Whether or not she actually heard the muttered thanks didn’t matter when she clapped a hand on their shoulder with a grunt of her own. And they didn’t flinch too obviously—or she was just too oblivious. Either was fine really.

 “‘S a wonder you managed to get anywhere safely on your own anyhow, I suppose. What with all the nonsense about creatures lurking out there and all. Probably better you stumbled here with someone who could get you a ways farther. We can keep ya well…” 

Her voice was nice as she rambled, even if they didn’t catch all of her words. It was soothing, and she didn’t expect much more than a nod or general motion of acknowledgement in order to continue. 

Still, it didn’t quiet the insistence that they get moving as soon as possible towards Ardrisilen. Nor the conflicting dread that they should start running in any other direction.

“Ya got a name?”

Their mouth opened.

They were standing before the statue bathed in its odd, flickering light again, with a name carved like an accusation at its feet amongst those damning words.

Their jaw clicked shut, and they offered a half shrug and a shake of their head. No, they didn’t. At least, not one that belonged to them anymore.

“No?”

They hunched in on themself slightly.

“Alright, suit yourself. Still gotta call ya something though…” She trailed off as a whistle sounded and the caravan finally started moving. 

The wagons’ lanterns cast dancing shadows over the buildings that made their odd designs twist and contort as if they were pressing in closer, threatening to swallow them and the road and the past—

Swallowing, they looked down at their lap. A thread was loose on their cloak again. It would probably need to be repaired soon. 

“Mine’s Mararyn. My name that is. Rude of me to ask without offering my own in turn, isn’t it. Sorry bout that.”

They offered what they hoped was a reassuring smile. Though, it felt awfully brittle.

“Been sometime since anyone new joined me though. Normally Pela takes care of all that. He’s the one up ahead us. But don’t think that means I don’t want ya here. Glad for the company an all. Nice to have someone to talk to after all. What’s out east for ya anyhow?”

Their mouth opened again, “Ardrisilen” catching in their throat. It hadn’t always been this difficult to speak had it?

But there hadn’t always been the oppressive fear of knowing, though, had there?

“Home,” the word slipped out, weak and shaky, “I hope.”

“Oh dearest,” so much weight and grief and sadness in her words. “Not the happiest memories or departure I take it?”

“No, great” they shook their head urgently, trying to get across the meaning, trying to get the words out, “no, they were great, they were…”

Faint smiles, muffled words of love and pride, ghosts of warm arms holding them, the impression of flowers pressed into their hands, phantom kisses placed in their hair, tears falling on their face—

Why couldn’t they remember their faces?

How long had it been?

“I have to get home.”

They had to know.

[hamstermastersamster]

The Tomb Raider Remaster 1-3 trilogy continues to give me more jump scares than any horror game I've played recently. Hilarious. I think it's just because it's so quiet and it's otherwise such a meditative game series where you spend a lot of time simply standing still and looking around the environment - and then there are bastard 'impossible' enemy spawns from places you've already been that take you genuinely by surprise.

I played TR1: Unfinished Business for the first time and didn't really like it much. The level design didn't flow well, it often wasn't clear what your end- or even intermediate goal was, and the bombardment of over-tough enemies that are faster than you and explode when you kill them was frustrating. Much less fun than the core (haha) game.

Now we're onto TR2, which I remember liking a lot less than 1 because the number of human enemies irritated me, and you spend a lot of time in places that aren't tombs and are thus less interesting (to me). But I'm enjoying it more this time around, and finding the environment puzzles pretty satisfying. Makes me wonder how I'll feel about 3, in which I disliked the jungle levels a LOT.

God, I've missed confident sassy untraumatised Lara though. She's so wonderful. I love her.

Also I've recently been voraciously rewatching a bunch of hbomberguy vids and there's one (I think it might be the Yooka-Laylee one?) where he talks about how you don't actually control modern video game characters when 'context-sensitive' control schemes are in place. You just push forward and a button and the character automatically scales tall buildings and does parkour and whatever.

OG TR Lara has to be controlled so precisely and I imagine people who have only ever played modern games would hate it, or at least find it very weird and hard to get used to. I, however, love it. The levels are grid-based so every jump is a sort of mini-puzzle you have to solve. It requires so much of your attention and it swallows you whole, and it's so satisfying when you pull off that awkward leap. I said it before, but this is so more engaging than any number of giant open world games where you just get quest and objective spam and a minimap to stare at and tell you everything and a character who can never fall off or interact with anything that isn't specifically designated as as an interactive object.

It's just nice.

[ofpineapplesanddawns]

Prompt list

46 - I’m here to save you.

Either Peter V x Lucian (maybe Peter saves Lucian) or Peter V x Thorne Jamison (Thorne saves Peter)?

Gonna go with the Lucian and Peter one.

Hmm, this could be for the vampire Peter au, let the guy flex some of his vampire skills, yeah?

Warning: bugs (you'll see)

On with the fic!

--

Monster hunting can be quite troublesome when you have a lover who has a knack for getting himself into scrapes.

Lucian had been worried about Peter lately, the man was still struggling to come to terms with his new... well... his new everything. Being a vampire was a lot of work when you didn't have your sire to train you, especially when you are someone who loathes vampires.

But Peter was trying, even if it meant having trouble with his new abilities. Which often left Peter more injured by his own actions than those of the creature they were hunting. But that didn't stop him from trying.

Tonight was no different, Peter had chosen to split with Lucian in this section of out-of-service sewer, saying he was fine! He'd be good on his own, he needed to rely on himself rather than always running to Lucian. He even joked, saying how he was sure tonight would be the night where he saved Lucian for once!

Lucian had just waved him off, watching the once-human walk off with a torch and his crossbow, which Lucian really hoped would work, it didn't last time.

As for himself, Lucian was having trouble trying to find the creature, he wasn't sure if it was a vampire or not, but it did drink blood, from what the four bodies revealed, not a drop of blood left in them. And he couldn't pick up a smell. Yes, there was the old sewer scents, but he knew those from centuries of hiding in them, so he could ignore them easily.

All he smelled was old metal and... he wasn't sure what it was, but it reminded him of dusty old buildings.

Then he heard a strange sound, like something huge flapping.

"Wha-?" Lucian then felt a sudden weight bowl into him, slamming him down on the concrete. He hissed at the sharp pain on both his back and his front, before turning his torch up, shocked at what he saw.

It was... well. It was a moth.

A massive one.

Like something out of those weird B-movies or Kaiju films that Peter would throw on when he was bored. But this was real, and it looked dangerous.

It's long legs pinned Lucian down with a strength he hadn't expected from an insect, but then again, this thing had to be over eight feet tall, and it was heavy!

He struggled to get the thing off him, wondering how such a beast came to be, but he decided that he had more important things to worry about.

Like the proboscis.

Ah, that might explain the singular hole that the bodies had.

Of course.

He squirmed under the weight of the moth, trying to escape, but it was amazing how stubbornly solid and heavy thing stupid bug was!

Suddenly, Lucian heard a screech, and rapidly flapping. He watched in the light of his flashlight as a small bat came rushing at the moth and slammed right into its large head, knocking it back, giving Lucian the ability to escape from under it.

The bat screeched again, flapping about, before changing into Peter, wobbling on his feet as he rubbed his forehead. "Okay, headbutts, cool in movies... no in real life..."

"Peter, what are you doing?" Lucian asked, surprised to see him.

"I’m here to save you." Peter smirked at him from over his shoulder before reaching from the hunting knife strapped to his leg. "Now, watch me kill this fuckin' huge bug, babe!"

Lucian sat back, watching as Peter, in all his ridiculous glory, charged the large beast and jumped on it, knocking them both down into the empty waterways of the sewer. He heard a scuffle, along with weird noises from the moth and a lot of cursing from Peter.

Then a massive cloud of dust erupted from the waterway, along with a lot of coughing and more cursing. Lucian got to his feet, approaching where Peter was, looking down with the light.

He found his boyfriend standing there, coated in dust, along with a large amount of it on the floor. Peter looked very, very annoyed.

"What the fuck was that?" He asked as Lucian helped him out, then started to dust himself off.

"A large moth that drinks blood, I suspect this is the work of either vampire experiments, human experiments, or the results of leftover fallout affecting the desert life in this region."

"Nice." Peter coughed, shaking his head. "I need a shower."

"That you do." Lucian said, trying to pat out some of the dust from Peter's jacket. "Thank you."

The vampire looked at him, grinned brightly, and lightly punched his arm. "No problem, babe. Told ya I'd save you tonight!"

"Yes, you did. How did you know I was in trouble?"

"Uhhh... I didn't. I got lost and I think I just got lucky showing up here. Also, I lost the crossbow, sorry."

--

I didn't want to have them fighting a vampire as is the norm with these two.

Giant blood-drinking moth sounded like fun. :)

[interdimensionalburnout]

>It's a captured bit of cctv footage, from a VERY old camera, in the ruins of a town where the sun hasn't been seen in over five-hundred years. A massive dome surrounds the ruins, partially caved-in on one side. The town itself appears to ring an ancient metal wall, one that still shimmers as if freshly burnished, where the dust and lichen haven't covered it yet. Beyond that wall, crumbling crenelations and spires loom in the darkness, lit from below by harsh white lights.

>In the old, once-preserved ruins of the original capitol, far below the palace of wanton corruption and vice that now rules an entire planet, men and women scurry about, work crews picking through the wreckage, scientists trying to get their hands whatever they can salvage that might give them some edge over their peers. Guards in dull-blue uniforms patrol the old streets, on shifts between work-zones, cracking the skulls of slow-moving laborers.

>Amid the usual rounds of skullduggery being carried out by the magistrates, a thunderstorm has broken out. Two figures are locked in a struggle atop the flat roof of a crumbling brick building. One of them is a man, standing nearly seven feet tall, with a brilliant, royal blue robe unfurled from his shoulders and flowing around his belt. The other one is a red-headed woman, barely six feet and not half as brawny. Half of the fight appears to be swordplay, and the other half... child's play. The larger man appears to be toying with Berri.

>Berri's not exactly fighting alone, though, as the man swings one of his massive fists, wreathed in flames, right into her chest, a barrier of light shatters between the hand and the woman. Berri is hurled from the rooftop, colliding into an adjacent building, but not before a pair of holographic images of the woman materialize, each driving a short, gladius-like blade through the wrist of the man, one from each direction. They dissipate in the rush of fire, the blades along with them, and the man simply laughs as he examines the wounds. The magistrate flexes the muscles in his arms, clenching his fist, and the wounds close.

>"That's the first blood you've manage to draw this round, girl!" As berri falls from her embedded crater in the brickwork, the man crashes to the street before her. "Not so powerful without the element of surprise, are you? No matter, the eggheads'll love picking you apart." Berri picks herself up off the ground, dusting off her jacket. Her floral button-down has several holes through it, though the flesh underneath is unmarred. "Maybe they can make something useful out of whatever makes you so..."

>"So sexy?" Berri's quip is met with a sudden punch as the man flashes across the distance, but this time her projected holograms, her ghost armors, intercept the blows, driving his fist upwards. Berri then replies with a running drop-kick, issuing a shockwave on impact that hurls the towering magistrate across the street, bringing a crumbling building down on top of him.

> The man explodes from the rubble, roaring, "I was GOING to say hardy, bitch." Berri's already on top of him, though, a piece of old rebar transforming in her hand into a long-bladed knife in the middle of her driving it through his neck. The Magistrate swipes at her, clipping her ankle and spinning her out of the air. "You're like a cockroach! I've killed you three times today!"

>Berri manages to land on her feet, pulling a pair of repeaters out and peppering the man's back with glowing bullets. "Aw, you're sweet, hay! But I don't go in for roided-up pencil-pushers." The bullets don't seem to do much more than anger the magistrate, but they give Berri enough time to flank the man, while he rips the dagger from his neck. It turns back to rebar before crumbling to ash, even as the magistrate throws it back at Berri.

>"RGH! What are you even doing down here, you jumped-up little weirdo! You've been a thorn in my side for days!" Berri seems to appear at the man's side, followed by another Berri behind her. A trio of the woman rushes at the Magistrate, one landing a punch to his ribs while another steps off the puncher's back, delivering a flying punch to his jaw. As the magistrate staggers backwards, the actual Berri delivers another flying dropkick, getting the man in the jaw a second time.

>"You know..." Berri says, as she picks herself off the ground with a thud, "I don't know what I'm doin' down here either. I was told there was something I just HAD to see, all the way out here," She ambles her way over to the dazed magistrate, shaking more masonry from her coat before kneeling over him. "But all I found was you buttholes, digging around in your own leftovers." Berri pulls on the man's short-cropped hair, yanking his head up, "So what're YOU even doin' down here, man?" The man is finally out-cold, though, and not likely to answer.

>Berri takes off into the darkness, out of the camera's sight and away from the approaching din of shouting guards, sparing the man's life as if by accident.

[rentenesen]

Woven - Chapter 2

Gale x Astarion BG3 fanfiction

This is one my first times dabbling in fanfiction and my first time posting anything like this. Was inspired by the Profession Dekarios comics posted by @ssalballoon

Summary: Set in alternate universe, modern day, exploring a world where fae exist (non-dnd). Gale, once a very special child with the ability to see fae, is now a regular almost middle aged man, working as a professor. Unsatisfied with his life, and contemplating his reasons to keep going, a strange pale man appears at his house one night, asking to be let inside.

Word Count: 1.3k ______________________________________________________________

Gale sighed pulling into his driveway that evening, it had been a long day, or it least it felt like it had been. He turned off the car and just.. sat there for a while. In reality it had gone by rather quickly. he only had two classes to teach and his TAs had been there to help out students during office hours.

Still every day felt like it was taking more from him. He felt drained lately. He lifted the collar of his sweater to peer inside at the mark, stretching up from his chest. Was this the cause? Siphoning away his life, minute by minute. Usually his old friend and roommate Tara would help him find sources of magick to keep the thing fed but she had been away, dealing with her own life, and Gale had lacked the energy, the motivation to feed it himself. And now here it was, eating him, instead from the inside out.

He wondered how long it would take to kill him if he simply left it. Would he outlive his father? A pang of guilt shuttered through him. What a terrible son he was.

No. He had to figure out a way to gather some magick and satiate the hungry force in his chest. For his mother's sake at least. Tara probably wouldn't be too happy with him either if he tried to pull something like that on her.

He smiled to himself imagining her scolding him 'Mr. Dakarios, do you think just because I'm not here breathing down your neck you can just let yourself go like that?'

He had papers to grade but he would have to find some time tonight to figure this out. He stepped out of the car wondering if maybe he could ask his mistress for help. He relished the thought of going to her and begging to get himself out of this situation once again. How disappointed would she be in him? Surely not more than she already was and he was getting desperate after all. And if he was being honest, he would not mind the excuse to see her again, to hear her voice, even if it was admonishing him for his foolishness. His mind wandered to her face, her perfect lips, so close to his…

Gale was so lost in thought, walking back towards the his lawn he almost didn't notice the man, crouched at the side of his house, peering in his window. When he did he jumped, letting out a small, high pitched yelp, and dropped his briefcase on the lawn, his students papers spilling out into the grass.

The man also seemed surprised, crouching back and staring at him wide eyed. He had on worn clothing, looked a little disheveled, and like he might make make a run for it.

"What are you doing?" Gale called out trying to make sense of the situation. Was this a burglar? Had he caught someone casing the place? He fumbled around trying to figure out which pocket he put his phone in so he could call the police.

The man's expression turned to confusion for a split moment, like he was trying to read something on Gale's face, then slowly morphed into realization, and finally a relaxed, easy smile.

Gale was taken aback, unable to locate his phone he realized it must be in his briefcase. Having a second to look over the man, however, he realized the police would be no help her. The man was seelie. He was tall with a slight build, with light hair. Gale couldn't see him too clearly with the little light the streetlights provided, but something about his proportions were slightly too long.

"Terribly sorry to frighten you" the man called back to him "I didn't mean to cause a stir, I seem to be a little lost" the man stepped forward, around the house, closer to the front door and Gale. The sensor for the porch light picked up the movement and flicked on illuminating the man's features. He was pale, his hair fully white, with slightly gaunt, slightly worn face. and Gale wasn't sure if he should run or stand his ground. This was not the first time Gale had run into a creature like this in a strange situation but he was unsure what this one's intentions were.

"I'm Astarion" the man said smiling and cocking his head in a friendly gesture.

Against his better judgement Gale forced himself to breathe and relax, deciding to engage with the man. He knew his real name must not be Astarion, no seelie would give theirs up without force. For fae, much of their power was tied to their name, but Gale indulged him nonetheless "Nice to meet you Astarion, I'm Gale. This is my house you've been prowling around"

Astarion laughed, light and free, and if the situation hadn't been so strange Gale would have found it comforting "No prowling, I assure you. You see I have some friends the live around here, darling, but I've gotten quite turned around and it's gotten so late. I was hoping to find someone home to lend me a hand. Now that you're here… might you have a phone I could come inside to use."

His voice was almost lyrical, this Astarion had a silver tongue, Gale would give him that. His lies were so confident anyone else might just buy them outright, but Gale could see him for what he really was, since he could remember Gale could see right through the glamour fae, like this one, would normally don to hide themselves.

Still, why would he lie? What reason would he need to get inside of Gale's home. Then suddenly it clicked. He must have been sent by her. It's the only thing that made sense. Did she have a message for him? Why not send Elminster as she normally would. At least he had the sense to not creep around his yard in the middle of the night.

Gale gave Astarion one last look up and down. If it turned out he wasn't sent by Gale's mistress then Astarion had no idea who he was messing with. Gale was sure he could make quick work of this one if he had to. He looked dirty and malnourished, most likely not used to be around mundane folk. Though, to be fair, he was a rather beautiful man. Most fae were, but there was an allure about him Gale couldn't quite pin down. High check bones, delicate sharp features, long, agile fingers. The the dread thought crept into his mind 'Could he be one of her lovers?' Gale shuddered and shook the thought away, knowing the question would haunt him when he tried to fall asleep that night.

Unable to turn away a possible messenger from his mistress Gale sighed, "Yes, I suppose I do, come on in Astarion, I'll show you where it is." Gale reluctantly turned to gather the papers off the ground and stuff them back into his briefcase before pulling out his keys and opening the door. He gestured for Astarion to come inside, and the man did so without hesitation. This was going to be a long night, Gale thought.

Gale stepped inside himself, flicking on the light. It was when he turned back to close the door behind him that he knew he had made a mistake. Suddenly, and expertly his body was turned and slammed into the door, shutting it with a loud bang. Before Gale had time to react Astarion had the cold blade of a carved knife resting on his throat. The mans expression, so inviting before, had sharpened as he pressed his body into Gale, holding him in place. "How can you see me" the creature hissed, his face, impossibly close to Gale's own. Gale could feel his heartbeat reverberating through his whole body, he was shaking. Even though he had just decided earlier that night not to die, it seemed like fate might have other plans for him. Typical. Looking at Astarion now, not that he could look anywhere else, Gale truly took in his eyes for the first time that night. They fierce, though, Gale though, maybe fearful, and a deep, menacing red.

[meraki24601]

Don't Pass Out

Whumptober day 28! Prompt: “We might not make it to the morning, so go on and tell me now.”

-----------*-***-*-----------

In the blink of an eye, the scene around Hero changed. The tall grey buildings of the city transformed into rich green pine trees, branches weighted down with piles of snow. It was beautiful. Deadly, but beautiful.

Hero had been fighting a new villain they had never seen before when a young girl was caught in the middle of the chaos. She seemed to be in shock, staring at the enemy charging his power right in front of her. Hero had only just made it in time to protect her from the blast. They took the hit, sliding on their knees to wrap their arms around the girl. The moment they touched the child, they were thrown into this winter wonderland. 

Or maybe winter wasteland would be more appropriate. There wasn’t a building or person in sight. With how thin the air was and how deep the snow had gathered, Hero guessed they had been sent somewhere on top of a mountain. Not even animal tracks had disturbed the fine powder covering the ground.

A whisper of a voice cut through the silence, “Is someone there? Please, I need help. I don’t know where I am. I-” The strangely familiar voice cut off into a wet cough. 

“Hey!” Hero called. Their voice didn’t sound much better. “I’m here. Keep talking. I’m coming to find you.”

“Hero? Is that you?” The voice asked. The question stopped Hero in their tracks. They hadn’t expected the person to recognize them just by their voice. The other person sounded so familiar to Hero, but they couldn’t place them. “Please, Hero, I need your help. I can’t move. The girl teleported the rubble, too. Don’t leave me here to die, I’m begging you.”

Hopefully moving toward the victim, Hero ignored the fuzziness in their head and walked. They listened to the person’s pleas, using them as something to focus on besides the pain in their back. A sharp gust of wind blew the tattered remains of the shoulder of Hero’s suit into their face, and they couldn’t help the small surprised jump at the scare. The burning sensation that ripped up their spine, as a result, pulled a small groan from Hero’s lips.

The voice laughed, quick and frantic, in response. “You’re hurt too, huh? What an impossible situation.”

A bright blotch of red staining the snow caught Hero’s eye. “It’s alright, civilian. I’ve been in worse spots before. We’re going to make it out of this alive. I’m going to protect you.”

Smoke rose from the large piece of rubble crushing the lower half of the victim. As Hero approached, the person’s laughter switched from afraid to incredulous, “Civilian, huh? It’s been a long time since you’ve called me that, Hero.”

Villain’s face was scrunched into a deep grimace as Hero came close enough to see despite their spinning vision. They were dressed in casual clothes, now stained with blood and grime. “They got me good. I barely have the strength to keep my eyes open. So, what’ll it be, Hero? Save me or let me die?”

Hero didn’t bother answering. Villain didn’t call them out for it as they watched Hero examine the piece of rubble. From what Hero could tell, most of the weight was pressing down on Villain’s left leg. The big problem was the jagged metal cutting across Villain’s stomach.

“It’s not deep, but my leg is broken. In multiple places by the feel of it.” Villain gasped, a small whine pulling from the back of their throat, “Actually, both legs are broken. By the way, nice burn. You have no idea how much pain you’re in right now, do you?”

“Adrenaline is a powerful tool,” Hero replied. Hero couldn’t think about their wounds right now. They had a choice to make. 

Earlier that morning, Hero’s agency had told them to do the unthinkable. They wanted Hero to kill Villain. The young woman giving Hero their instructions sounded so sweet as she promised the agency would cover up the murder so it wouldn’t go on Hero’s record. Killing was the one thing Hero had sworn they would never do, and yet, they had been given orders to go back on all of it. As if it were another day at a normal 9-5 job. A casual, by the way, can you kill Villain before you come in this morning? I’ll make sure the boss knows why you’re late. 

Hero had never disobeyed a direct order before. Was Villain worth changing that?

“You’ve got something on your mind, don’t you?” Villain gasped, struggling to pull in enough air, “Spit it out. Chances are neither of us will make it to the morning, so go on and tell me.”

“My agency ordered me to kill you.”

Villain at least seemed appropriately surprised, “Have you ever killed anyone before, Hero?”

“Never.” Hero shook their head and fell to the ground next to Villain as the world went dark around the edges. You’re not supposed to put ice on a burn, but maybe the cold snow would help calm the throbbing making their hands shake and threatening to take over their body.

“I have one final request,” Villain said.

Hero grunted for them to continue.

“Stay with me. Until I’m gone. Don’t just leave me here to die alone. You can kill me however you want, with your own hands, or even just lift that rock off me and let me bleed to death. Just, please, stay by my side until it's over.”

“I’m not going to kill you, Villain.”

“Oh... That’s kind of you.”

Hero stood slowly, shifting their weight from point to point to conserve energy. They were about to need as much of it as they could muster. “All right, Villain. Let’s get you off this mountain. You’ve got two jobs to do, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Villain tensed from their spot in the snow, “What do you need me to do?”

“When I lift this rubble off of you, you need to put pressure on that gash the moment the metal is out.” Hero tested a few points on the rubble, searching for the sturdiest gripping point.

With a harsh shout as the rubble shifted slightly, Villain asked, “And what’s my other job?”

Hero grinned down at them, “Don’t pass out. 3… 2… 1…”

[kookaburra1701]

WIP Wednesday - The Wives of Shor I: Moth to Flame

Tagged by @tallmatcha and @thana-topsy tyty my friends❤️

Honestly if it wasn't for WIP posts I would have lost momentum a long time ago, but these just keep it building! Tagging @gilgamish Fandom: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Rating: E Category: M/M Pairing: Kaidan/Lucien Flavius Genre(s): Romance (bodice-rippers my beloveds), bildungsroman Other main characters: Inigo the Brave, she/her Breton LDB

Summary: A scene from near the beginning of the fic, Kaidan and Inigo are out fulfilling a bounty. Lucien Flavius is by Joseph Russell, Kaidan is by Liv Templeton, and Inigo the Brave is by SmartBlueCat.

23 Last Seed, 4E 401 A bead of sweat slipped out of Kaidan's hairline and slowly traced its way down the side of his face, along his jaw, to finally drip off his chin.

Midsummer might have been a memory, but the oppressive heat was inescapable on the tundra with little cover. Even having forgone his heavy plate cuirass for just a padded gambeson Kaidan was struggling not to pant from the temperature alone.

Just above the crest of the rise in the foothills behind Honningbrew Meadery, the golden back of the sabrecat was visible in the tall grass. He could hear the tearing of flesh and the scrape of tooth and tongue on bone over the steady drone of insects as it consumed its meal. Beside him, he heard rather than saw Inigo move into a kneeling position as he raised his bow. Even in the midday sun the carved ebony barely gleamed, seeming to suck in all light that hit it. Kaidan readied his own bow and nocked an arrow.

The twang-zip of Inigo's bowstring broke the hush of the clearing as he loosed his arrow, followed immediately by the wet thump of it finding the beast's rib cage and the enraged roar as the saber cat reared up from it's meal and rounded.

Godsdamnit, thought Kaidan as he drew his bowstring taught and fired, the arrow going wide. Inigo's arrow had been deflected by one of the animal's ribs; mortal but not nearly deep enough to kill immediately. Kaidan was on his feet as the saber cat roared again, and charged.

Years of long practice had his sword in his hands before the beast had covered half the distance between them. Blood and pink foam poured out of the wound on its side but it was not slowed, only maddened. Kaidan dodged one swipe of a massive paw and as the sabre cat overcorrected, trying to keep him in its sight he struck: the deadly curved blade of his nodachi pierced the animal's neck.

For a moment it almost seemed as if the cat would rise again, its hind legs and feet contracting and spine curling as it thrashed. Kaidan jumped back to avoid its death-throes, and in a moment it was all over.

"Well done, my friend," Inigo said cheerfully as he came up the hill, still with a second arrow readied. "We make a great team, do we not?"

Kaidan laughed and finally wiped the sweat away from his face. "Kind of you to say that; my arrow certainly didn't help things." He turned to look at the crimson smear in the grass where the saber cat had been feeding. "I'll have to get in some more target practice at the Companions' range while we're in the city." He pulled his sword free from the sabre cat's body, and pulled a rag out his belt to wipe it off before re-sheathing it.

"When you are in our line of work, there is no such things as too much practice," Inigo agreed. "However, we cannot all be the best archer in Tamriel." Inigo was grinning, looking extremely pleased with himself.

Kaidan grunted in acknowledgement and continued up the hill. The grass was slick with blood, and a metallic smell hung heavy in the air.

Most of a goat was strewn around the clearing; it certainly appeared to match the description Nazeem had provided. As Kaidan stepped forward, looking for a bit of the carcass that was large and recognizable enough to turn in as proof they had killed the right animal, his foot stepped on something that made a jingling sound in the grass.

He bent to pull the grass away and saw a leather collar and bell. That will do it, he thought. As he lifted it from the ground, Kaidan froze.

Heavy breathing was barely audible from the foliage at the edge of the clearing, a scant few yards away. As he looked up, Kaidan's blood ran cold.

Two green eyes above long, gleaming fangs stared back at him from the shadow of the thicket. The breathing became a low growl as the sabre cat locked eyes with him and crouched in readiness to spring.

That thing had a mate!

"Inigo!" Kaidan yelled, moving backwards as fast as he could while simultaneously trying to draw his sword - the hilt was still slick with gore he was just getting a grip on it when the sabre cat broke cover. For a horrible moment the sabre cat seemed impossibly big and dark as its leap carried it high into the air, its shadow falling over Kaidan as he struggled to raise his sword in a desperate bid to stave off it's attack.

Twang-zip!

Unlike the other sabre cat, this one simply went limp in the air as Inigo's arrow pierced its eye, snuffing out its life in an instant.

Kaidan managed to dodge out of the way of the falling corpse, but it was hardly a graceful move. He ended up sliding on his backside a few feed down the hill at the end of it.

"Are you alright, my friend?" Inigo panted as he ran the rest of the way up the hill. "I thought she had you for a moment there!"

"So did I," Kaidan drew his hand though his hair, brushing the damp strands that had plastered themselves to his face away in annoyance. He accepted Inigo's offered hand as he pulled himself to his feet. "Good thing I'm working with the best archer in Tamriel. That was an impressive bit of shooting."

Inigo preened. "Thank you. I wish I could say it was intentional. I was aiming for her heart."

Kaidan laughed, the familiar slightly euphoric feeling that always settled over him after a close call increasing his mirth. "Maybe we'll leave out that bit when we tell the story in the Huntsman tonight, eh?"

"Maybe we will, maybe we will," Inigo said, laughter in his voice. "I think we will also leave out you nearly sliding all the way back down to the valley floor on your bottom."

[doodle-do-wop]

Get better vibes😤 /silly

I'm gonna give what I think their heights are currently as well as what they grow to be when they stop

Well to me Marella's the shortest of the group since she's always described as pixie ish so I imagine her around 4'11 or 5' (149 - 152 cm) at the tallest and stays there

Sophie's always smaller than the people around her but I think she's just barely around Biana's height so 5'2 (~157 cm)(since they're able to wear each other's clothes often but I think Sophie's gonna get taller since now she's in an environment where her body is getting the fresh air and nutrients she needs so she'll cap off at 5'6 at the most but she might end off 5'4 or 5'5 (162 - 165 cm) like Biana)

Then comes Biana at around 5'4 (~162 cm) ish she just looks tall cause she wears heels often (she grows to be 5'5 (~165 cm) but that's as tall as she's gonna get)

Rayni (ugh🙄) is described as petite and I don't know what Shannon is going for but now Rayni is 5'4 (162 cm) and stuck there for life

Now Dex is 5'4 and a half nearing 5'5 (idk what that is in cm 🦅🏈) (that half inch is important) since he's finally past Sophie and entering his 'teen boy growing like a tree' phase (and personally I see Dex growing to be a fairly tall boy around maybe 6'1 (185 cm) and you'd think 'wow how lucky' until we get to Stina)

We jump to Tam and Linh because they're at an awkward height both being too tall yet too short with Tam at 5'6 (~167 cm) and growing kinda funny since well, these two were fighting for their lives the past couple of years, and Linh is just half an inch taller than her brother but with Tam slouching and scowling he looks shorter than he is. He wears tall boots not for the height but for the space to keep a crystal hidden so Linh looks like she's the shorter twin and no one believes her when she says she's not (Tam settles at 5'7 (170 cm) which seems strange because you'd think he'd keep growing but he just kinda stays there and chills, Linh grows to be 5'9 (175 cm) and it kills her because she wanted to be 5'10 so she could be taller than Quan, unfortunately she's just the same height as her biological father)

Maruca is currently 5'5 and a quarter so she should be earlier in the list but you're gonna see why she's here when I get to Wylie because Maruca gonna get to be 5'10 (~177.8 cm)

Keefe is 5'7 (~170.8 cm) and proud of it cause he hit his growth spurt earlier than most boys his age so he doesn't look too out of place with the boys in his Level Grade (he claims he stopped at around 5'10 ish, always just 5 inches taller than Sophie and he says it's hilarious since there's also five letters in his name. Sophie argues he's 5'9 (~175.26 cm) and faking the extra inch and she's right)

Fitz is the oldest boy in their group so he's constantly been the tallest and there was a brief moment where he and Keefe looked near the same height but Fitz is still older so the boys didn't stay the same height for long. He's currently 5'10 (~177.8 cm)with a stocky build (and he's gonna cap off soon at 6' which he's fine with but Dex is ecstatic he beats Fitz by an inch)

Wylie's been tall but not because of just naturally being tall his whole life, he's just soaring over the others because he's older and obviously grew up sooner and stopped already so he's 5'7 (~170.18 cm)but can be mistaken for 5'10 with the right boots or heels (and it drives him crazy that Maruca, his baby cousin, is taller)

And finally there's Stina goddamn Heks who is in her 'gangly' era and 6'2 (~187.96 cm) she just slouches too much because everything is uncomfortable. Now the reason I believe Stina is tall besides canon is just because Stina is the definition of uncomfortable and odd, she's a mean empath and just someone you never wanna stand near or be around, you don't even wanna look at her or acknowledge her presence in a room but she's just so THERE and violently noticeable that it's too damn hard not to notice her. Stina's been in her gangly era where she's all limbs and looks skinny as a rail but she actively does manual labor with helping on the ranch so there is a lot of muscle hidden in there and people assume she's done and she's gonna fill out those long limbs and call it a day. WRONG DO YOU KNOW HOW TALL THIS IDIOT GETS??? 6'8 (~203.2 cm) SHE GETS TO BE 6 FOOT BLOODY 8 AND AT THIS POINT THEYRE NOT SURE SHES DONE BECAUSE SHE DOESNT SEEM TO STOP ANY TIME SHE REASONABLY SHOULD!! Dex thought at some point that maybe the height gap between him at Stina wouldn't be so bad BUT THEN SHE DECIDED THAT WOULD ONLY HAPPEN OVER HER DEAD COLD WANDERLING AND KEPT GROWING OUT OF NOWHERE