#number 7 is going to kill everyone isn't it?

[elfieafterdark]

So all is not well in paradise. Augustine and Mercymorn clearly have their own agendas, their conversation was quite alarming. They hate each other for sure, but there must be more to it than that. I expect one or even all of the older Lyctors to die in the book, every other ancient Lyctor has, and we still know next to nothing about ORTUS the first.

I worry for Mercy. I can't rightly explain why. Maybe because I'm such a big simp for her? I don't know, Augustine gives me the creeps.

Also shoutout to Harrow, little creeture, for doing the exact same thing that ORTUS did in GtN. That is to say, lurking in hallways eavesdropping on people.

[lowkeyerror]

The Family Business Ch.3

WandNat x Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

Chapter Notes: Mentions of death, violence, underaged drinking, slight mentions of SA, lisichka=little fox

Summary: Natasha has heard stories of you from Wanda. It has her doubting your current day skill level. With Dragos and Wanda in a meeting, you get the chance to tell her a bit about the person you've become.

An: Finally something between Y/n and Natasha (I say finally as if this isn't chapter 3 lol) Anyway enjoy this chapter and see you back next week.

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

You could feel Natasha’s eyes on you as you worked. It was tedious work, but you typed away with a smile on your face regardless.  You thought that maybe she’d pick up her phone or something, but she seemed to just watch you.

“You want to ask me something or you just going to keep staring?” You kept your eyes on the computer screen as you addressed her.

“You’re different than Wanda said you’d be,” was all that she said.

You finally looked at the red head, “Well like I said, it’s been a while since she has seen me. A lot has changed in the years she’s been gone.”

“Like what?”

You paused your work to give Natasha your full attention. You sat back fully in your chair pondering back to the last time you saw Wanda. “Well, she left before I graduated. Back then I thought I was going to take my degrees, find an honest job, and live a normal life. I was fragile, even after the self-defense training. I hadn’t held a gun, I hadn’t hacked into anything, I was just a little girl.”

“And now?”

You gesture around you, “Now, I have this nice office. I crunch numbers for the most high-profile company in town, that just happens to be a front for a criminal organization. I have 2 degrees, I can defend my family and myself, I’ve shot a gun more times than I can count, and I could hack into anything that you could imagine.”

“You’ve got a ledger?” The line about the gun seemed to stick out to Natasha.

You shrug your shoulders, “I’ve carried my weight.”

“How many?”

The question startles you a bit. It was so candid as if she was asking about the weather. You could see them, the people you had killed. It wasn’t a large number, not even in the double digits, but still.

“7.” You don't know what compelled you to keep speaking,” I remember all of them. What is it they say about the first one? You will never forget it. I was 20, it was before I joined the organization. Pietro had dragged me to some party.”

“I take it you weren’t a party animal back then?”

You chuckle and shake your head, “Not even a little so I did what everyone does to get comfortable at a party. I took a few shots, it was stupid. As a light weight and someone not of legal drinking age, I should've been more careful. The shots had loosened me up, so I was enjoying the party for awhile. I lost Pietro at some point, but I was too drunk to notice.”

You see Natasha frown a bit, but you continue, “The host of party finds me on the dance floor. We dance for a while; we don't say much, just hi. Someone spilled a drink on me while we were dancing. He offered to get me a new shirt. Like the innocent little idiot I was, I followed him up to his room.”

You paused, almost feeling like you were back in that moment. You could feel everything again, your skin was hot and sweaty, the hairs on the back of your neck stood up, you could feel him on you.

Natasha could sense she lost you to the memory. She got up from the couch in your office to make her way towards you. She took a seat on the edge of your desk and pulled your hands into hers. “What happened in his room?”

“He tried to take advantage of me. He tore my shirt off just so his gross hands could grope my skin. He pulled me against him fiddled with his belt before trying mine. His breath was hot on my neck as he peppered kisses on my collarbone. When his hand slipped into my pants, is when it really clicked in my head. I had told him to stop, but he wouldn’t. You know the kind of guys that say, ‘you want this’ or ‘you teased me all night’ or ‘You’re the one half naked in my room’. He was one of those, no wasn’t going to cut it.”

Natasha squeezes your hand as you recount the harsh memory. It looks like you could cry right there in the office. Then all of a sudden, the tears pooling in your eyes are gone. A blank expression takes over your face.

“For a minute, I pretend I’m into what this creep is doing to me. Only enough for him to loosen his grip on me. At this point my back was against his front. I reach behind his head, like my arms trying to loop to bring him closer. Except one of my hand rests on top of his head and the other one is on the opposite side of his jaw. I snapped his neck. His body hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.”

“Y/n- “

“I threw up when I saw him. After I was done, I called Pietro, he found me upstairs with the body. He felt so guilty for leaving me, but I could tell he was surprised too. So surprised that fragile little Y/n had snapped someone’s neck.”

Natasha’s eyes bored into yours, “That asshole deserved that. He deserved worse.”

“He didn’t rest even in death. Dragos made sure of it. He made that family’s life a living hell. It was a message to the entire city that I was under their protection. If anyone so much as laid a finger on me there would be dire consequences.”

A silence filled the room. Natasha didn't remove her hand from yours and you didn't ask her too. You glanced back at your computer, knowing you had to finish your work.

“Wanda never said you were fragile, just delicate,” Natasha’s fingers drew patterns on your hand.

You shake your head, “Wanda has always had a way with turning something negative into a positive. I never saw the difference between the two words, but she’d always say- “

“Fragile things break quickly into millions of pieces under the slightest pressure,” Natasha starts as if she had been there when Wanda said it to you.

“If you were fragile, you wouldn’t be here with us. You’re delicate, beautiful, intricate, and deserve to be handled with care,” you finish with a fond smile on your lips.

“For what it’s worth, I think she was right,” Natasha returns to her space on the couch to allow you to keep working.

She finally pulls out her phone seeming to have relaxed a bit because of your vulnerability. You want to refocus on work, but there are some questions that are nagging you about the woman in your office.

“How did you two meets? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Natasha ponders a minute for a suitable answer, and you take note of it, “The short version is that we met at work.”

You raise an eyebrow, “And what did you do for work?”

“Guess.”

You let your eyes look over the woman. You took in her relaxed posture, the muscles hiding under her shirt, the way she allowed you to be vulnerable with her, the mischievous glint in her eye. She was a multifaceted woman, you could tell.

“Spy, a Russian spy to be exact.”

Natasha seems slightly surprised, “How’d you guess Russian?”

“Romanoff sounds suspiciously close to Romanov, common last name in old Russia.”

“You’re a smart lisichka aren’t you?”

A blush takes over your features, “Little fox is new, but you’re stalling, Natasha.”

She crosses her arms across her chest, “Well I was formerly spy, turned into assassin for hire. I was anonymously hired to kill Wanda.”

“Too charming to kill?”

Natasha sighs, “I tried, but she was just too good. We started this rivalry, playful banter, suggestive tones, I spent a lot of time trapped under her thighs. It got to the point where I didn’t want to kill her, I had terminated the contract, but I just kept coming around to see her. She told me that my skills were being wasted on petty assassinations, when I could be working for her. I said the only way I’d consider was if she went out with me. The rest is history.”

“Leave it to Wanda to seduce an assassin.”

Natasha laughs, “Hey, she only seduced me because I let her.”

“Whatever you say super spy. I’ve got to finish this work before we have to leave for dinner.”

“Flora might have your head if you show up late,” Natasha comments.

You press the small button on your desk, “Thanks for reminding me. Kate, do you think you could get me some hydrangeas for Mrs.Maximoff.”

“Of course, Y/nn, anything for you,” she responds cheerfully.

You roll your eyes, “Thanks Katie.”

With that you're back to working. Though Natasha pulls out her phone, you still feel her eyes on you at time. It sends shivers up your spine, yet you don't want her to stop looking.

Taglist: @natashaswife4125 @autorasexy @alexawynters @blkmxrvel @toouncreativeforausername

[daz4i]

ik we always talk abt how ratio and aventurine are opposites when it comes to aeons (one wants to be seen and isn't, other is seen and hates it) but. it's also interesting to observe how they're opposites with people too. i think

ratio is a somewhat controversial public figure? but mostly well liked. he has some haters sure but his fans and appreciators are louder and more common. he grew up surrounded by people oohing and aahing over his achievements, always a part of a group

and yet. does he have any actual friends? 🤔 literally the only other playable character who has any voice lines about him atm is aventurine. it kinda seems like his only other friends are screwllum and maybe the trailblazer. the other geniuses don't pay much mind to him. iirc in that one keeping up with star rail video where he was announced to be free they mentioned barely knowing him. it's literally just screwllum

meanwhile, aventurine seems to be kind of hated. tbf, he IS a relatively high ranking member in the ipc so that's plenty reason for the average person to dislike him. not to mention his luck is bound to get anyone he's betting against to wish upon his death lol. and idk if that's how he is with just tb or if he's like that with everyone but he also doesn't seem to want to leave a good impression anyway. he grew up alone, quite literally had to kill all the other slaves in order to survive, and ofc, he is the last of his kind. always forced to be separated from others like him.

but. people in his life are generally okay with him. going by numbers, there are currently 7 characters who have voice lines about him. most of them are positive or at least show some form of care or familiarity. he has bonds whether he knows about them or not. people caring about him is why and how he got out of the nihility

and. this is one i'm p sure i have seen brought up before but i think it's important to mention. it doesn't seem like aventurine likes humanity as a whole that much (and can we really blame him for that after what he's been through 😭). but ratio loves humanity to the point of it being a defining characteristic of his, to the point of missing out on what was likely his dream before.

it's an interesting contrast. and it can even add a few layers to the bond between them, too. what it means for them to have it in the first place. how it affects each one of them, and the both of them together as a unit.

[hansslut]

you belong to me ⋆🪽

҂ summary: jackie being possessive over reader before they even start dating and even more after cause she's a lil obsessed pookie :3

҂ warnings: a lil bit of jackie ghostface cuz i had to add it SORRY 😣

҂ a/n: posting this early cuz i got 2 nat fics hopefully coming in today so :D ( scared this is gonna flop )

you guys were friends but really only talked in school and when you had soccer practice

if she saw misty or natalie talking to you she'd immediately shoot daggers at them w her eyes and then just walk off

but if she saw them HITTING on you, not just talking, GIRL SHE'D RIIIIOOOOOTTTT you bet your ass she'd make everyone but you run the whole field 10 times

always helping you with anything cause "i know you can do it but i dont want you to tire yourself out im gonna do it for you i dont mind" and AAAAALWAYS buying you lunch

knows all your friends, the places you hangout at, your house, your favourite sports, your phone number, EVERYTHING

nowww after y'all start dating.. this girl isn't resting one bit

always attached to your hip 24/7

seeing u abt to talk w a random girl and going like "who was she?what did she want?do you know her?ok but why didn't you tell me about it?" and you're just ":0 i couldn't even say hi to her-" "AND????why do you need to say hi to her??"

she's the strongest believer of you don't need a girl bsf if you got a girlfriend and yk what she's right

always having sleepovers at your place cause she 'wants to protect you'

YK THAT ONE SCENE WHERE JACKIE TELLS SHAUNA "i was trying to save you" THAT BUT WITH GHOSTFACE JACKIE

she'd see misty trying to make a move on you ( she was just asking you when you can come over to her house so she can help with hw, BUT ALSO MAAAAYBE A LIL BIT HITTING ON YOU ) and when night comes you go to misty's house, only to find ghostface standing on top of her with blood dripping from the knife and being splattered all over the mask..

ofc that makes you scared SHITLESS you're like oh my god what the fuck jesus christ 😟 and then jackie pulls off the mask and goes "i was trying to save you, im sorry you had to see me like this>:( but it's okay now you're safe :D" and you were thinking SAFE FROM WHAT?????MISTY QUIGLEY????? but you still ran back to jackie cause HOW COULD YOU NOT💕💕

ANYWAYS UHM... she's just a desperate sad little girlfailure loser that needs love, does it really matter if she killed someone for you? she wants your love!!!!

[panda-wearing-pants]

Reasons for and against each remaining Wild Life member winning (who hasn't yet won a season)

Bdubs: Still has a yellow teammate and has been in the final 6 three times, but hasn't killed anyone yet (other than Skizz once in session 7) and has never made it past 11th in an even numbered season

BigB: The winners usually have an alliance with Cleo in the previous season, but we're not on her team (other than Scar), and BigB was one of the last humans in ep 7 of SL, along with Cleo, he also has an alliance with 2/3 past winners, and is good at surviving, he is also one of the few non-hermits, and the winners have alternated between hermits and non-hermits, but BigB tends not to stick with his allies, which could be dangerous

Etho: Still yellow and has many allies, and has been in every finale, but can't trust his main team to keep him safe, and will likely be trusted less by his other allies due to being on so many teams

Gem: Two out of five winners have won in their second season, and Gem, Joel, and Etho are all still yellow, but Gem and Joel will likely be targeted, due to being two of the best at PVP

Impulse: Impulse is still yellow, has good teammates, and is almost always in the top 7, but he isn't good at defending himself, and gets eliminated because of that

Ren: Ren has the greatest average net change in placement, going from 7th to 2nd to 11th, so, following the trend, he should place very high, maybe even 1st, Ren also got the 43rd kill, and the only two other people to get the 43rd kill were Scott in LL and Martyn in LimL, but Ren did just lose his only teammate, which is not helpful

Joel: Joel is still yellow, has two very good teammates (they are two of the only four players to never miss a finale), is good at PVP, and has been waiting for this for years, he has also been consistently at the top of my statistical predictions, unfortunately, Grian's teammates don't typically survive long (Scar placed second, but was red by episode three), and Joel often gets reckless in finales

Tango: Tango has doubled his total kills, and is good at surviving, but his survival skills typically get worse once he turns red, and his final deaths are known for being stupidly avoidable

Cleo: Cleo won Real Life, has good teammates, and hasn't made many enemies, but they have only been in the top 7 once, despite almost always making it to the finale

Other things:

Bamboozlers: I felt like Jimmy and Lizzie had similar reasons, so I put them together. Jimmy and Scar are tied for the most kills out of all living players, Lizzie is good at surviving, and Scar and Lizzie have both had a teammate make the final 2, despite only having a combined total of 8 teammates (not including WL) over a combined total of 7 seasons. The bad news is that the three of them have only ever outlived 1 of their combined 17 teammates (Bdubs in LimL died before Scar), and Lizzie and Jimmy have never been in a finale.

Reputations: Gem's first ever episode was titled "I have a reputation," which may be the reason she can't win. I think people are going to be too afraid of the Family and the G's to let them live, which leaves basically the Tuff Guys' and Bamboozlers. People in 3L were more afraid of Scar and Ren than Grian, allowing him to get to the final 3 while yellow, Scott wasn't a threat in LL, due to placing 10th in 3L, Pearl and Scar were alone in their seasons, so they managed to survive (I guess this probably doesn't apply to Martyn)

Yellows: Grian and Pearl started on yellow in the finales they won, Scott had just turned red at the end of the penultimate episode, and everyone started on red in the LimL and SL finales, so Gem, Joel, Etho, and Impulse are in good positions.

In my opinion, Gem, Joel and Impulse are likely to win, followed by Cleo and Ren, then Etho and BigB, and Bdubs, Tango, Lizzie, and Jimmy at the bottom

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Dirty Work 7

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as bullying, familial discord/abuse, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You start a new gig and find one of your clients to be hard to please.

Characters: Loki

Note: This week is killing me.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

Sunday sees your second day in your new position. As you send off your letter of resignation to the agency, you can't help the coil that winds tight in your stomach. There's no going back now.

You close out of the several templates you Googled in your efforts. It's the one thing you know how to do. Willa, the friendly librarian who checked out the PC for you, always said, if you can Google, you can figure it out. Still, you feel like there's so much you don't know that you're not sure a search engine can answer.

You close the laptop and take both your phones with you into the hallway. You have to go check out that gazebo and figure out if you need to make a call about it. Oh, and the fridge was beeping when you filled your bottle, you have to call the maintenance number that flashed up too.

That makes you even more anxious. You've never really been the sort for phone calls. You never had anyone to talk to and everything else was easier done in person. Well, you'll have to muddle through. Work isn't supposed to be fun or easy.

As you near the staircase, your flip chimes. You juggle to answer the right phone. The slim touchscreen is set only to buzz, an option not available on the clumsy burner. You answer the call as you stop on the top stair.

The woman on the other end asks for you by name. You confirm your identity as you hear familiar noises in the background. She's a nurse from the downtown hospital.

“I'm calling to confirm your father's discharge tomorrow at noon,” she says over the rustle of paper and clack of keys, “we'll need the bed so if there is any delay, another day would be added to the invoice.”

“I understand, I'll be there, erm… noon. Tomorrow,” you don't have your notebook so you key a reminder into the other phone. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“Of course, miss, we would recommend you arrive earlier. We have some resources and counseling available on what you can expect getting the patient settled at home,” she continues, “nine would be ideal. I'll be able to add a note for the doctor to check in as well.”

“Oh, yes, I can do that,” you squeak, “thank you.”

“Alright then, I have all that logged. You have a good day.”

“You too,” you utter before the line dies.

Phone calls weren't too bad. You think you did okay with that one. Then again, you didn't think! You're supposed to work tomorrow. Mr. Laufeyson said you could take Wednesday off, and tomorrow is only Monday.

You close the flip phone and stare at it. Oh boy. You really don't want to spoil this. Just the mention of the coming invoice underlines your desperation. You need the money. Your dad needs it.

“Are you finished?” Mr. Laufeyson's timbre drawls from down the hall. You glance over as he stands just in the doorway of his study. You gulp.

“Sorry, Mr. Laufeyson. I didn't mean to disturb–”

“Yet you did,” he insists.

“I was only going to check–”

“Not my concern so long as it's done,” he waves you off, “an important call, I assume, to make such a racket.”

“Mr. Laufeyson, um,” you shove the phones away, one in each of your pockets. “I… could I have the day tomorrow? Instead of Wednesday. My father is getting out of the hospital and–”

“The day? What time?” He snips as he approaches with decisive steps.

“Well, I'm supposed to go at nine,” you explain, “I'll come in Wednesday still.”

“You will come in tomorrow, after all that,” he says. “You can work later then.”

“Yes, Mr. Laufeyson, but my father will need help getting settled–”

“Figure it out. You agreed to this schedule–”

“I did but–” you stop yourself as his eyes flare, “I will be here in the afternoon, Mr. Laufeyson.”

“You will be. In the appropriate attire, I expect,” he snarls and spins to strut back to his office, swinging the door shut sharply.

You waver at the hard slam. You didn't mean to anger him. You can't help that your father needs you. You thought Mr. Laufeyson would be more understanding, after all, he's the one who pointed out how much you needed the money.

🧹

Your father shoos you away as you try to help him sit. He lets go of the walker and flops back with a grunt, his oxygen tank clinking against the aid’s metal leg. He coughs and snatches around blindly on the cushion for the remote. You retrieve it from the folding table beside him and put it in his hand.

That agitates him further as he growls and jams down the button to turn on the television. You yawn and back away. You still have a full day left ahead of you, and what feels like one behind you. You spent the night doing some last minute tidying to make sure everything is read for your father.

“Smokes,” he snaps his fingers and hacks.

“Er,” you hesitate. You go to find the half-crushed pack you found with him on the floor. You knew better than to throw it out. You return to him, clutching the package nervously, “Dr. Shearer said–”

“Give it to me,” he demands.

You relent and obey. He’s been doubly miserable than before. You feel like an annoying gnat buzzing around his head as he tries to swat you away.

“I made you meals for the weak. They’re all labeled in the fridge–”

“I’m not a goddamn kid,” he scowls and takes the lighter from the folding table.

“I know, but–”

“But I’m home. You probably hate that,” he sneers, “you’d be happy if I died in that hospital.”

You’re taken aback by the accusation. You gasp and shake your head, “of course not, I’m happy you’re here. That you’re alive–”

“Painfully,” he snorts darkly, “the fuck you keep me here for?”

You take a breath and frown. Your eyes tinge and your cheeks pinch, “because you're my dad… and I love you,” you croak.

He doesn’t reply as he pulls out a cigarette and moves the tube from below his nose. You watch him, waiting. He lights the smoke and sucks on it eagerly. You drop your head and give a shrug.

“I gotta go to work,” you say, “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Don’t be slamming around when you come in,” he dusts ash over the freshly vacuumed carpet, “doctor said I needa sleep.”

“I won’t,” you promise and back away.

As you leave the room, your chest plummets in dread. You think of coming home, of finding him like you did before, laying on the floor, lifeless. You sniff and swipe away the speckling of tears. More than you want him to love you, you want him to love himself. You don’t just want him to want you around, you want him to be around.

🧹

You hurry up to Mr. Laufeyson’s gate with your kit and water bottle jostling. You fumble around until you find the smartphone and bring up the digits to punch into the code box. You buzz through and shuffle inside. You set off on your usual path around the back.

You stop at the rear door and try to untangle the strap of the water bottle from your kit. Your hand lingers on the front of the ballooning shirt. You still haven’t gone to look for clothes so you did your best with what you had. One of your father’s forgotten button-ups and a pair of pants that could pass in an office. It’s ill-fitting and scratch but better than jeans.

You get inside and leave your kit in the closet. Today’s a cleaning day but you have a few things to check off the schedule first. With your water bottle bouncing on your hip, you go upstairs and scurry down to the library.

As you enter, you’re surprised to discover the space less than empty. You apologise aloud and choke on the word, ‘mister’. It isn’t the house’s single resident as you expect, no, this figure could not be more different than Mr. Laufeyson. You recognise them, from the dinner.

The blond man faces you as he stands by the window, the drapes open to add the peculiarity of the situation. Like the man, the space is golden with sunlight. You lean back on your heel as you clutch the door handle.

“Hello,” he grins as he greets you in a playful demeanour. You can’t answer. You don’t know if you should. 

Is it rule one; don’t speak unless permitted; or the other rule, do not disturb my guests. You can’t figure out the riddle so you languish in perplexity.

“Aren’t you a sweet little lamb,” he muses as he steps away from the window, placing his hands on the back of the dimpled leather chair. His large hands. If you thought Mr. Laufeyson was tall, this man is even taller and twice as wide. “I remember you. The sweet maid.”

You blink. Where is Mr. Laufeyson? You can’t speak. You’re too terrified; not just of the strange man but of the one you know by name. Your employer would be unhappy to know you spoke out of turn.

“Have you seen my brother at all?” He prompts disregarding your stagnant silence. “Has he spoken of me? His brother? I'm Thor.”

You look down at your hand on the door handle.

“And what is your name?” He asks.

You don’t answer. You know it’s not right but you have no other choice. You pull the door shut and close the man in. You retreat in a half-sprint and barrel back down the stairs. You trip at the bottom and barely save yourself from stumbling to your knees.

You latch onto the banister post to keep your balance and catch your breath. You hear the door above. Oh no, would he follow you? Another door clicks and you look up to find a shadow on the other side of the frosted glass framed in the front entrance.

Mr. Laufeyson steps inside coolly, unbothered as swings the door shut and tugs on the lapel of his suit jacket. His eyes fall on you and he scuffs on his sole, tilting his head in curiosity. You didn’t realise he hadn’t even been there. You look at the ceiling with wide eyes; so how was the other man inside?

“Well, there you are,” he says matter-of-factly, “this place is sore in need of a dusting–”

Laufeyson is interrupted by a clamour of footsteps above. You let go of the banister and sidle away as his green eyes flick to the top to the staircase. You shy away and listen as the man descends in a series of thunder thumps. You turn to peek down the hall, wanting to hide in your chores.

“Stay,” Laufeyson commands. You turn back to him as he points at your feet. You stop in place and sway. He faces his visitor as he comes to the bottom stair, “brother, what is the meaning of this intrusion?”

“Can I not come see my baby brother?” The other man; the stranger; his brother, called Thor, booms.

“You may, when you warn me of it,” Laufeyson rebuffs.

“Ah, don’t be so grim,” Thor claps his shoulders and is swiftly shrugged off, “this place is always so dark. I hope you don’t mind, I opened a few windows.”

“I do mind,” Laufeyson says, “you do always presume.”

“And you are always offer such a warm welcome,” he tries to tap Laufeyson’s cheek but is batted away. The dark of the brothers backs up with a scoff. “Ah, and there she is. I was only just coming to find the little maid. She rushed off so suddenly–”

“You don’t need to bother with her,” Laufeyson dismissed with a slice of his hand through the air, “maid,” he points at you again, “back to work.”

You lean back on your heel, ready to disappear.

“Ah, don’t be so rude, brother. She is sweet. You get more bees with honey–”

“Do not tell me how to run my house,” Laufeyson growls, an edge in his voice you’ve never heard before. Dangerous and dark.

“Is she not doing you a service? A please would be appropriate–”

“You are not mother. I don’t need you to mind my manners,” Laufeyson girds and nears his brother, unflinching even as he comes up a few inches short of chest to chest, “nor do you need to worry for my staff. She does not take orders from you.”

“And I suppose that’s all she gets from you,” Thor chuckles.

You furrow your brow, stunned by their spat. You’re not quite sure what that last bit meant. You work for Mr. Laufeyson so of course he would tell you what to do. And why are they so volatile? They’re brothers. You don’t have any siblings but you always wanted one. So that you had a friend. So you weren’t alone. 

“Maid, go,” Laufeyson repeats, “now.”

Your eyes widen and you nod. You quickly turn and rush down the hall to the closet. You’re shaking as you try to sort out one phone from the other and find the old list of tasks. You can hardly steady your hands to get a pair of gloves on.

You take your time in the back of the house as you hear the men’s footfalls climb the staircase. You let your nerves settle just a little. You’re alone, for now, and your mission is simple. Clean and stay unseen.

[novasdarling]

Is soft Uvo and Feitan possible??

ok good question... see the thing is what is soft? Cause their idea of soft probably is vastly different than yours or the normal population. They're both mass murderers, but that doesn't always mean it passes into their relationships. They can be semi-normal and not scare the shit out of you... mostly *side eyes Feitan*

Tw: Yandere Behaviour, Mentions of Pain/Hurting Reader, Mentions of Kidnapping, Sex, Noncon

Uvo is naturally rough around the edges...well he's just all rough edges tbh. He's loud, too strong for his own good, and is always physical with someone he cares about. BUT that doesn't mean he can't have a limit. That he can't understand you aren't like him or his other "friends". You're different. Different in how you make him feel and how strong you are. If he isn't careful he could kill you so easily. So he holds back. Is more gentle with touches. Even when being rough in bed, he still is holding back. Listening, waiting to hear the safe word in case he's gone too far. Perhaps it's cause he cares so much about you, or perhaps it's cause if he hurts you too much you'll be on bed rest for a while and he can't fuck you. Probably 50%/50%.

Now when it comes to being sweet and soft with emotions and gestures. Well, he's still odd about it. Yeah, he knows people like flowers, but theirs so many to choose from and you just get sad when they die. So instead, he'll help you plant a garden. Build you a raised garden bed. Help carry and pour those heavy bags of soil. He'll even bring you new plants to plant every so often.

When you're out in public, Uvo will always have a hand on you. Though he prefers having it rest on the small of your back(somehow always making it down to your ass without fail) or on the back of your neck when he feels like he needs to guide you in a crowded place. It's possessive and helpful. He likes to remind other's your his when he's forced to be around the general public. Having a cute little thing on his arm helps him put up with being around "lesser" folks. Helps him be so willing to go shopping with you. Especially if he can sneak a peak when you're in the dressing room.

Uvo also enjoys stealing things for you. Cute little gifts from his missions. Stuffed animals, an outfit he's dying to see you, jewels that would cost a fortune. He likes to spoil you, see you in things he picked out, that he gave you. It sets this possessive and demanding fire in him. Makes him giddy like a kid on Christmas. You're his number one treasure, so you should get the finest things he can steal.

He's big on physical affection, touches, kisses, and back rubs. He'll do anything to get his hands on you. Even if the occasion would deem it inappropriate. He doesn't give a damn, everyone can watch as he feels you up for all he cares. They can watch as he fucks you on the picnic blanket in the park if you'd let him. Just let him touch you, he's dying to. He'll whine and beg like a lovesick puppy. It's honestly adorable until he starts practically humping you out in public. Gaining a few wacks from you to stop. He won't until you promise when you get home you're all his for the taking.

Now if Uvo decided traditional dating isn't for him (or you found out his occupation) and he kidnaps you. Most still apply. Besides the obvious of not going out. He's just a bit more pushy, a bit more needy. You're there with him 24/7, unless he's working. In his mind, you should want him. You should entertain him. Should be at his will and mercy. Though he doesn't want you to hate him so he'll go slow. Try to win you with gifts, but his patience is limited. This version of him is less soft and just more greedy and demanding. He's still all over you like before, but now you don't have the excuse of "we're in public" anymore.

Feitan on the other hand....well... he's a loose cannon in the sense that you can't really understand him. Uvo you have no problem of understanding, I mean he's always talking and he can be honest when he wants something. Feitan though, he just stares, just observes. However, let's start off with if you two were in a semi-normal traditional relationship.

He can be kind of normal, in the sense he understands the process and steps of dating. You ask them out, they say yes, you go on dates, you fall in love...etc. He understands that's how it goes. Just not how to actually do it. So, he watches. He observes you before introducing himself. He takes notes. Learning what you're like. What you're personality is about. Once he's confident he moves in.

Soft Feitan is odd... cause he's still terrifying and always glaring. But his eyes soften when they land on you. There's that glint of happiness hiding in there. All held for you.

He listens to you, always letting you talk as much as you want. He prefers it that way, drinking in every little bit of information you give him. Memorizing your likes and dislikes. Taking in how that bitch co-worker of yours keeps crossing the line. An issue he'll take care of soon. He listens, showing he cares.

Like Uvo, Feitan also enjoys getting you little gifts. Stealing things he knows will make you smile. He remembers you said green was your favourite colour, well here's a green sweater. Oh, you said you loved sapphires. Well, how funny. The place he robbed had tons of sapphire jewellery, here you go. Your favourite thing is breakfast for dinner. Luckily he's taking you to a restaurant that does just that. He'll let you drag him anywhere you want, let you spend as much time together as you deemed necessary unless he has to work. He lets you have this image like you're in control. Like you call the shots, but he knows when need be. He'll have to end it and show you the control he's always possessed.

Feitan's softness comes from his ability to observe and listen. That it isn't just about him, but he does want it to be more about you. Even his touches are careful, he doesn't want to move too fast. Doesn't want to scare you off, or make you feel uncomfortable. His true nature is already bad enough. He wants you to want him before he shows you all of him and your love grows to fear.

He knows one day he'll have to take you, have to lock you away and he knows what that'll do to you. What that'll do to your relationship. It sucks, but it's better than you running off when you find out the truth. So he'll keep you locked away. Keep you safe with him. He's more distant after this, and goes back into observing from the shadows while you wander around and try to find an unlocked door or a weakness in his home. He pitties you, pitties the determination you have. He pitties your weakness.

Between the two. Uvo is softer in the realm he will bend to your wishes more easily, especially when you're using sex as a bargaining tool when he has you locked away. You can gain more from him like that. While Feitan is more set on his own plan. His own ideas. That what needs to be done is to be done. No questions asked. No change in plan.

Both lovesick fools, just in different ways. Uvo is more out there. More willing to be out with you. Carrying your bags. Driving you from place to place. Willing to be your date for any event. Taking you shopping every so often (totally not with money he got from selling stolen merch). Hands all over you. While Feitan is more of an awkward silent partner. Following you around, whether you know it or not. Letting you take somewhat of the lead when you two are dating. He's just trying to figure you out, figure out how this all works and he'll do it by watching. By silently doing things for you.

[falconearring]

what is everyone's body counts looking like (the kill one not the sex one)? i am mostly talking about zombie kills but if any of them have killed a human being i wouldnt mind knowing that...

Hi hi, sorry for leaving you hanging for so long! I wasn't sure how to go about answering this question for awhile!

Short answer: giving everybody a number count of kills feels strange to me, so instead I've arranged them into categories.

Has a lot of experience dispatching zombies/very confident in their ability to defend self: Joel, Pearl, Cleo, Bigb, Ren

Has a few kills under their belt, manages alright but needs help from time to time: Etho, Scar, Lizzie, Jimmy, Impulse, Skizz, Tango, Scott

The companion in a video game that needs to be watched 24/7 or they'll be ripped to shreds: Mumbo, Bdubs

They're good at all sorts of things but don't worry about it: Grian, Martyn

Sorry this isn't the most straighforward/specific answer. Thank you so much for dropping the ask!! ^_^

[hollowed-theory-hall]

I love your Voldemort analyses! I don't think I've seen anyone approach his character quite like you do.

That's why I'm curious to see what you think of the trope of Voldemort finding out Harry is his horcrux. How do you think he would treat him? Do you think it'll change depending on how many horcruxes he has left?

Actually, why do you think Voldemort was never able to sense that Harry was his horcrux in the first place? I've read your horcrux creation theory too and it was fascinating, so I want to see how you fit it in there.

First of all thank you! I'm glad you liked.

As for the questions, yeah I think Voldemort would change his treatment of Harry if he knew he was a Horcrux. Voldemort doesn't hate Harry personally, especially not at first — he hates failing. Once Harry is his Horcrux instead of his failure there is no reason to kill him but a lot of reasons to keep him alive.

The thing is, Harry being a Horcrux is still Voldemort's mistake, in a way. He's going to see it as such, which would make him quite bitter about it. And if it's after he tried to kill Harry, he's going to blame himself for not realizing Harry is his Horcrux and almost killing his own Horcrux — another mistake he'll eat himself up over. So, Harry still represents a lot of his failings even as a Horcrux, which will definitely color the way Voldemort treats him.

Honestly, it could go a multitude of ways depending on when in the books it happens. Not only due to the different number of Horcruxes he's got lying around, but also his opinion on Harry and the prophecy that changes every time he fails to kill Harry. The thing is, at least initially he's still not really going to see Harry as a person, he's going to see him as a Horcrux, and a not-great one at that.

See, Voldemort hates himself, but he also thinks he's better than everyone else. Harry, in his mind, would not be an exception to that, Horcrux or not. Like, he'd be slightly better than the average wizard since he has a piece of Voldemort in him, but it isn't going to affect how Voldemort sees him too much. At least not on its own.

But the when and how Voldemort discovers Harry is his Horcrux will definitely affect how he treats him. For example, if most of his Horcruxes are destroyed, and he knows it, he'll be more desperate to keep Harry alive, and therefore would be very controlling and want to know Harry is safe at every given moment (like the control freak he is). Kinda like what he did with Nagini in book 7. The problem is that, unlike Nagini, Harry probably isn't going to roll with that.

And that's the other really big factor in this hypothetical scenario — how and when Harry found out. Because Voldemort's treatment of Harry would definitely change depending on Harry's response to the fact he is a Horcrux. And, well, I can't imagine many situations in which Harry takes the fact he is a Horcrux well.

It just really depends on the circumstances of finding out, and when, and if Harry and Voldemort know Dumbledore knew Harry was his Horcrux all along (because he knew, and Harry is going to have a response to that).

Honestly, I think Voldemort might decide to throw the towel in on the whole war if he doesn't need to kill Harry since that's the only motivation he has for the war. But again, it'll depend on when we are at the books, what the Death Eaters are doing, has he already freed the ten that were in Azkaban, is Dumbledore still alive, and what Harry's doing. He might continue the war, but go back to what he was doing in the first war — magical experiments while the ministry is distracted. Because I think he'll still be interested in his magical research and if he doesn't need to kill Harry, he isn't going to obsess over killing Harry.

I don't see him leaving Britain though, at least not if he has a choice. he's sentimental and there's a reason he keeps coming back even when he has no physical ties there. He might make a new identity for himself if he decides he's done with the war, but that will again depend on so many different factors (including opportunities for his new identity, as hardworking as Voldemort is, he isn't going to like going back to square one. He'll want to be in a position of power and control whatever the case, so, he might stick to the war just for that. He enjoys having people bend to his will).

As for the second question, well, Voldemort senses the Horcrux in Harry the same as he senses any of his other Horcruxes. That is to say: barely at all. Like, he can't tell when his Horcruxes are destroyed. I expect it's due to the soul really being separate. As I mentioned in my Horcrux theory, he really takes out a piece of soul, but he still has a full soul. The main connection is between that soul sliver and the item that is chosen to be the Horcrux. Magic, theoretically, works according to the microcosm macrocosm concept that exists in alchemy and occult theories and philosophy in general. What it means is that a small-scale example of something will affect the larger, true-scale version of that thing.

For a Harry Potter example that isn't Horcruxes: you wave your wand and say Wingardoum Leviosa — so you essentially "act out" how you want the feather to levitate with your wand and incantation. Then your magic causes the same to happen to the feather. Your wand and incantation are the microcosm and the feather floating is the macrocosm.

A Horcrux works similarly. The reason they stop you from dying is that a microcosm version of you, the soul shard, is bound to the mortal plain and can't die. So, by the microcosm macrocosm logic, you won't be able to leave the mortal plain and die either since you are the relevant macrocosm.

Essentially binding the soul pieces in the Horcrux to Earth binds you too, to Earth. But you aren't bonded as strongly to the Horcruxes. That's why he can't sense them. They bind him to the world of the living, not so much to each one of them.

The reason I'm saying that he is bonded to them but not as strongly is actually because of Harry. Well, the fact Harry can see into Voldemort’s mind and sense when he's nearby (his scar hurts). Not only that, but Harry could see into Nagini's (another Horcrux) mind. Which proves there is a connection.

And Voldemort does sense Harry is his Horcrux, in a way. He sends visions to him and he possesses him without a spell, both in OOTP. Both are things that are only possible because Harry is his Horcrux. The reason he doesn't realize Harry is his Horcrux is due to his own bias.

Accidental Horcruxes is one of these things that just never happens. Magic is a very intentional thing, so it doesn't even cross Voldemort’s mind that his connection with Harry is that. He sees the odd connection and the weird things it does magically and shrugs it off to Harry surviving the killing curse and the prophecy. Both are unheard-of feats of magic that create an incredibly unique never-before-seen scenario, so these reasons might as well be the cause of all the magical weirdness. The reason he doesn't sense Harry is his Horcrux is because he just doesn't consider it as a possibility.

[grif-hawaiian-rolls]

humbly asking for your ocs 🖐️✊🖐️✊🖐️✊

I will ALWAYS talk about my silly little Feds i love them so much

Left to right is Anton Pavoz, Necoda "Neko" Micce and Ivia Soares

I'm stickin my info dump below the cut for dash reasons, but their group tag on my blog is "#rvb oc: the clovers" for more of them!!

Officially they're marked down as a fireteam called Clovers, despite not actually being part of a specific squad. The bureaucratic reasoning is that because they're all specialists to some degree, its easier to move them to where they need to be if they don't have to wait for the rest of their squad. The unofficial reason is that no officer wants to pick up the three of them for their squad because supposedly they're bad luck for any squad they officially join, but you can't put superstition on your paperwork. Being a small, 'free floating' fireteam also means they're super easy to grab to work smaller jobs like recon and escort missions, or just to beef up a preexisting squad, so they end up bouncing around between bases a lot, going where they're needed.

Pavoz is a weapons and vehicles specialist, and he gets his heavy artillery qualifications after the Reds are 'killed by the rebels'. He had the training for a while but hadn't taken the actual final test to get the red trimmed armor with everything else going on- thinking Sarge was dead was the final kick in the pants he needed to get it finalized. Both of his parents were in the Federal Army before him, and he used his mom's maiden name when he registered to allow for some distance between them and him. He did get his dad's dogtags after his dad died, despite that distance, so now Anton wears both his own tags and his dad's. He's a pretty quiet guy for the most part, and he likes to draw! As a teenager, he used to sit in the center throughway of the base his father was stationed at on the weekends and just people watch and sketch everyone he could.

Neko is a translation specialist, although he never actually gives the same answer if you ask him exactly how many languages he knows. Sometimes he gives a reasonable, if impressive number, like 5 or 7. Sometimes he just says 'yes' or 'how ever many I want' because he's a little shit like that. He's also a lying liar who lies, which you can imagine isn't be ideal for someone who is supposed to be translating for you, but he mostly keeps his bullshitting limited to answering personal questions, like where he's from, how old is he, why is he such an asshole, etc. You know, for the bit! Neko is always up for a good joke or a prank, although he definitely prefers the kind that are best delivered with a well timed comment and then watching the chaos unfold around him. He's also a regular feature in the gym at whatever base they're currently at- gymnastics, cardio and sparring are his go to workouts, and he's surprisingly flexible to boot!

Ivia is a medic! She was starting in her second semester of college for a degree in zoology and xenobiology when the protests against the Chorusan government escalated and the first whispers of civil war started cropping up in certain circles and she joined the Federal army after her father was killed in what was reported as a rebellion bombing. Her dad's UNSC hoodie that he gave her when she first moved to Armonia for her classes is her most beloved possession now, even if it is way too big for her- it reminds her of when he would take her camping, just the two of them, and she treasures both the memories and the skills she learned on those trips. She tends to be separated the most from the other two Clovers- medical personal are in high demand everywhere on Chorus, and there's a pretty limited supply. She tends to worry a lot about the boys when they're apart, but that high medic demand does keep her distracted at least. When they're together, Ivia keeps the other two from driving each other crazy- just as they keep her grounded with her tendency to get caught up thinking about the bigger picture of cause and effect, and usually overthinking about it in the process.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

what would have happened if Draco killed Dumbledore on the roof?

Let's start from the beginning.

Harry now witnesses Draco murder Dumbledore and has much the same reaction he did when Snape did it. At first, he's stunned in horror (as I imagine is Draco) and then Snape quickly gets Draco out as fast as he can, much as he did in canon. Harry likely still has his confrontation with Snape where "lol lol lol I am the Half-blood Prince" is revealed because that was a subplot that we were told was very important, and Harry doesn't catch up to them.

We get slight differences here in that Harry admits he saw Draco be the one to murder Dumbledore, as opposed to Snape, but he's certain Snape is guilty as he got Draco out versus getting revenge. Unlike canon, I imagine the rest remain unsure for the reasons they weren't certain the entire novel. Snape has to maintain his cover, which means protecting Draco and getting him out of the castle, with Dumbledore dead maintaining his cover is now more important than ever.

So, Harry seethes and is convinced he is correct, but Snape isn't kicked out of the Order and Grimmauld Place isn't abandoned as a safehouse (the issue in canon being that Snape had access and when Dumbledore died everyone because the secret keeper, which meant Snape could get in, and he turned out to be a Death Eater so... that's bad).

However, Harry's still been given his super secret task from Dumbledore, which he presumes Snape nor anyone else knows about, tells Ron and Hermione, and considers the Order to have been infiltrated by Snape.

The main difference is that when we get the things like the seven Potters fiasco, Harry thinks Snape is the one who leaked it (which is sort of true in that Snape came up with it but that's not what Harry's going for here). So, I imagine for similar reasons Moody still ends up dying offscreen. Sorry Moody.

Now, ordinarily, I'd say that the first big difference is after the wedding they don't go to Grimmauld Place because it's a) an Order safehouse in use b) Snape has access to it. Except these fuckers went when they fully believed Snape was a Death Eater, when it was possibly crawling with Death Eaters if not You-Know-Who, so they're absolutely going to Grimmauld Place.

The difference is that it gets weird when others show up, for Order things, see Ron, Harry, and Hermione and ask what they're doing and the gang says "SECRET THINGS YOU CAN'T KNOW ABOUT" while planning how to sneak into the Ministry poorly.

The next difference is that they might not leave Grimmauld Place. They left in canon when they clued in that perhaps, given the number of Death Eaters staking out the place, it's not a good idea to be there and perhaps isn't secure. Here, even though Harry fully believes Snape is a spy, he also believes Grimmauld Place is a functional safehouse and secure. However, they need to find other Horcruxes, and they have to secure the one they have, so maybe they do go camping again.

There they hear Snape's a shitty headmaster and Harry goes, "SEE? SEE?" much the way he did about Draco in the sixth book to an unimpressed Ron and Hermione. The miserable camping goes on for a long time as the gang is really bad at it and eventually Snape gets them the sword and pretends it's not him (because he knows Harry would probably throw it out afterwards).

So, now they can destroy Horcruxes, hooray.

What may be... game changing and bad is that Snape was no longer the one to kill Dumbledore. Draco was and Voldemort knows this. The reason he originally killed Snape was "lol want to try out this wand thing", but Snape wasn't the master of the wand, because they'd already planned Dumbledore's murder. Draco, who would have killed Dumbledore otherwise was... uh... don't question this or any of Deathly Hallows for reasons. (No, seriously, how did Draco get it when he didn't kill Dumbledore?)

But anyways, per book 7 logic, Voldemort kills off Draco instead. "Well, Draco, you served me well but now you get to be eaten by a snake". Voldemort now has possession of the elder wand and there's nothing Snape can do about it.

If this is truly the reason Harry was able to beat Voldemort in that duel at the end of the book...

Harry dies.

Voldemort wins.

[vioartemis]

I’ll die with you (part 3)

(Tara Carpenter x fem! reader)

Summary: Your rest was short, another attack soon occurs, deadlier than the first one. Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 Warnings: blood, death of character, angst (English isn't my first language, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or if something doesn't make sense TvT)

“I swear I’m gonna need to bleach my eyes” you heard Sam say when you went downstairs with Tara, half an hour later

“Come on, we were fully clothed, you didn’t see anything” Tara rolled her eyes and sit at the table

“That’s not the point! Since when are you even doing that? You’re too young to-”

"I mean they're adults so..." Gale started

"Would you mind stop talking about our sex life?" you groaned, cheeks still red

"What do you want us to talk about?"

"I don't know, the weather, whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza..."

"Well that's an easy question" Sam declared, taking a slice of pizza and giving one to everyone

"I suppose we all agree they don't" you girlfriend said

"We do, indeed" Gale confirmed while you nodded

"Uh, no we don't"

A debate started, Sam against the three of you. It almost looked like a normal family dinner, a normal night. You nearly forgot you were the next target of a psycho killer. Until you all jumped when your phone rang.

Probably: Damian Walker.

You never realized you never gave him your phone number. Mindy or Chad probably did.

"It's okay, it's Damian"

"Y/n-" Tara tried to interrupt

But you already took your phone and walked away from the table, picking up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, how are you feeling tonight?"

"Tired and embarrassed, but other than that, pretty good"

"What...?"

"It's a long story" you sighed "Why do you call?"

"Oh, I wanted to know if you were having fun..." the slight sound of an electronic device could be heard "while I was gutting your friends like fishes."

All color vanished from your face.

"W-what...?"

Tara stood up hearing your shaking voice, worried. Whoever called you, they hang up without answering.

"Hello?! Please don't hurt them!" you cried

"Baby wha-"

"He's gonna kill Mindy and Chad we have to go!"

“No no no. We go, you stay here”

“And get attacked again? No thank you” you protested, dialing 911

When you arrived at Mindy and Chad’s not even five minutes later, the door was slightly opened. You could hear fight noises coming from inside. There was still a chance to save them.

You opened the door and rushed inside, baseball bat in hand. The first thing you saw was Ghostface, standing over the twins.

He slowly turned his head to look at you and did his signature blade-cleaning, before running away.

You were tempted to chase after him, but your friends mattered more. When you came closer to them, your heart dropped. There was blood everywhere.

Chad’s shirt was torn apart due to multiple stab. Mindy had her back against a wall, blood coming from her stomach.

Your own wounds burned at the sight, tears coming to your eyes. You couldn’t move, paralyzed.

“Shit…” you heard Sam say next to Chad

You had no idea how much time passed, but at one point Mindy coughed, causing your head to jolt in her direction. She was regaining consciousness!

Be fire you could realize it you were kneeling next to her, applying pressure on her wound.

“You’re gonna be okay, we called an ambulance, they should-”

Suddenly Damian brushed into the room.

“Oh my god-”

“Where the fuck were you?”

“I- I went to the bathroom a-and someone knocked me out… I- I just woke up”

You looked him up and down. Blood was running down his face from his forehead. But he could have done it himself.

“Stay the fuck back” Mindy said when he tried to come closer

"N-no I- I'm not... It's not me I swear... Y/n y-you believe me right...?"

You really wanted to. But last time he didn't have an alibi, and now...

"I'm sorry..."

You could see how broken he was hearing your words. Maybe he wasn't the killer after all. Or he was a good actor, which wasn't to exclude.

You were waiting in the waiting room, Tara sitting on your lap and caressing your hair gently in an attempt to reassure you. You were starting to believe her when the doctors came.

You all got up immediately, heart beating faster than ever.

"Mrs Meeks should be okay, but she needs rest"

"And Chad?" Sam asked

"I'm... sorry. We did our best but... we couldn't save him..."

You had to sit back down, in shock. You never thought that would happen again. You thought losing friends was over. You should've known it would end up this way, with Ghostface's return.

Maybe you were just in denial. Believing if you convinced yourself it wouldn't happen everything would be fine. But nothing was fine.

The 2022 massacre left a indelible mark on you. The current events only reopened the scar you thought had healed.

Maybe if you had stick all together he would still be alive. If you had been all together Ghostface wouldn't have tried anything. If you had left this stupid town when you could...

Maybe it was all your fault after all.

You were the first target, but you survived. No first targets survived before Tara. And you weren't even sure they wanted her dead at that moment.

Maybe the killer wanted to make you suffer before killing you. Maybe it was all part of their plan to let you live. Maybe they were about to destroy everything you had. Maybe-

You felt hands on your face and looked down to see Tara, concern written on her face. She brushed your cheeks with her thumbs softly. It was only then that you realized that you were crying.

That was the moment Lexi chose to arrive, breathing heavily and sweating. She must have run here.

"I- I'm sorry I had piano lesson- I just- I just saw your texts-" she took a deep breath "Mindy- is she going to be okay? And- and Chad?"

You didn't have the strength to tell her. Not now, it was still to fresh. Instead you broke down in your girlfriend's arms. You could swear she was crying too.

A loud noise made you tilt your head up. Lexi had pinned Damian to the wall, gripping him by the collar of his shirt.

"What did you do to them? You were here to why didn't you help?"

"I- I got knocked out...! I already told them...!" he made a circle toward you with his arm "L- Lexi I swear I didn't- I can't breath can you-"

"I don't fucking believe you. That's easy pretending you passed out."

Her grip only grew tighter. Damian's face started to become red. He was struggling against the blonde.

Sam had to force them appart, holding a furious Lexi away from the poor boy trying to catch his breath.

After everyone had calmed down, the police arrived and questioned the group. They didn't seem to believe Damian's alibi either.

"Maybe we should take him into custody for a little while? Just to make sure he's not, you know, the killer?" a deputy asked the sheriff

"We can't do that without evidences, that would be abusing of our power as representants of the law-"

"Do it" all head turned to the boy "T- take me into custody, you'll see it's not me. If it's the only way I can prove my innocence... I'll do it"

"You sure about that son?"

"Y-yeah"

"Okay then... come with me" the deputy said after the sheriff nodded

"The hospital is secure, we have police officers at each floor, you should be safe here. Don't go out, don't stay alone until morning. Understood?"

You weren't totally sure you could believe him. You remembered well how it ended last time. Ghostface always managed to pass past the security, why would that change now?

When the police left, you were allowed to see Mindy. She was devastated. Fortunately, her girlfriend was here for her.

Yours was holding your hand tight, fingers intertwined with yours. She knew it could've been you as much as you knew it could've been her. At the moment, you were so glad she was safe.

But it was just temporary. It always was.

Ghostface knew when to hit you. Not too soon after the previous attack, not too long after. Just as you started to think it would get better -or at least not worse. Just when hope started coming back.

The moment it hurt the most.

"Can you guys stay here for the rest of the night...?"

"Of course, we're not leaving you alone after that..."

Everyone started to move things around to get confortable for the night. You and Tara sat on the floor, on a blanket, in a corner.

You could hear soft snores, your little group falling asleep one after another. You didn't know how they could sleep in that situation. You couldn't.

Every time you closed your eyes, Ghostface appeared before you, ready to kill all your friends one by one.

You watched as Tara was sleeping on your shoulder. She seemed peaceful. You played with her hair, trying you imagine you were in your room, and it was a normal night.

you didn't realize she was awake, caught into your daydream, until she spoke.

"Are you okay...?" she whispered

You jumped a little.

"I... don't know... you?"

"Same... I just- I just hoped it wouldn't happen again... It's stupid but- I thought it would be different..."

"It's not stupid... I would rather say unrealistic... but- that's horrible but... I'm glad it wasn't you... I don't know what I would do if- if you-"

The words got stuck in your throat, tears blurring your vision again. The simple thought of losing her was unbearable.

"Hey..." she whipped your tears off of your face gently "It's not going to happen okay? I'm not dying, not now. I swear"

She kissed you tenderly, trying to whip your worries away, hand still holding yours. You kissed her back, like it was the last time.

Because it might be. We never know.

"Try to rest a little okay...?"

You nodded, resting your head on hers once she got back in her previous position against you.

You tried not to think about what just happened, or how it could get worse. You tried to empty your mind, only leaving one thought there: Tara.

But it was always when you thought the situation wouldn't get worse that it does.

You should have known the worst was yet to come.

And it would come fast.

[Previous part] || [Next part]

[purplemninja]

Little Nightmares hot takes

[Feel free to comment or reblog with hot takes of your own]

Someone on the LN subreddit asked for people's hot takes and I commented a bunch of spicy ones that I have, which I will copy and paste here (though the last one will have something added to it):

1- People who say that Mono is an uwu-softboi or portray him as such are awful and are doing him a disservice. Like, you can not look at his battle against the Thin Man and pretend that he's a pacifist, not to mention the other kills he made in-game. His fight against the Thin Man and moving the tower towards himself is his most badass moment and these rougher edges to him make him a much more interesting character. So by taking that away and acting like he wouldn't hurt a fly really doesn't do Mono's character and arc any favours, it just ruins it, so people have seriously got to stop thinking that he's a 'pwecious widdle angel' when he clearly isn't, especially when it hurts his character and story.

2- I'm pretty sure that people are expecting this one but the fandom needs to lay off Six, and way the fandom makes it so that Six must either be totally good or totally bad and is not allowed to be morally grey (in between) is so irritating. Just like with Mono, taking away Six's rough edges or smooth ones hurt her character and make her way less interesting. Also no surprise that I say this but the way that the anti-Six people treat her is so awful.

3- In addition to what I said about the golden child Mono stans in number 1, the way that the FNAF books treat Henry is very much like how the fandom treats Mono - only his suffering matters, screw everyone else. Or some go even stupider and treat all of the characters in LN except Six sort of in the same way that the FNAF books treat Henry, basically like "Six and her suffering? She should shut up and suck it up" or even going as far to say that she deserves her suffering. While just about all the other characters (Mono most especially) have their suffering dealt with a gentle hand.

4- I'm pretty sure this is ghost-pepper level spicy but it's so dumb that the fandom claims that Roger is nice. Like bruh, he literally has blood stains on his vest, chases kids, you can hear one that he catches whimpering as he takes them away, wraps them up to be taken to the kitchen, and there's a bloody guillotine in vicinity. Just because he doesn't kill Six or RK on-screen means he's nice? What?

5- They should've made a LN2 DLC where you play the game as Six and get to see her perspective of everything that happened, especially that scene. Make them step out of their Mono/Thin Man tunnel vision and focus on Six and her suffering too for a change instead of making Mono's overshadow everything.

6- Six being the Lady would be disappointing AF and lazy that they're recycling Mono's fate. I'd be better off if Six was the next Lady and not the same one encountered in LN1, but I still prefer a different way for her story to go (or maybe make my new depressing interpretation of her ending (where she's not the lady but is still stranded at sea with no innocence or humanity left, making everything she went through all be for nothing in the end) the actual ending for her).

Plus, you're telling me that the remaining staff on the Maw (The Twin Chefs) were like "Oh, this kid that we tried to murder earlier is our boss now" and Six is like "Oh, I'm not going to kill these guys who tried to add me to the menu earlier. Plus I'll hire an exact copy of the Janitor and get a replacement for the one and only mirror I was able to fight the Lady with since it broke and try to board it up in the same room that I found it in. Yeah, it tooootaaaally would prevent another me from being able to get it in the exact same way that I did".

Not only that but they also put a child in charge of dealing with other business-related stuff on the Maw like shipments of coal and vegetables (or maybe someone else did that)? So stupid.

7- Runaway Kid's name is not seven!

8- The ridiculous double standards of self defence. Why are Mono and Runaway Kid allowed to defend themselves from monsters trying to kill them but Six isn't?

Mono - Smashes a bunch of bullies, pulls the trigger on the gun to shoot the Hunter, beats some living hands to death, probably burns the Doctor alive, kills some viewers by electrocuting them to death or luring them off of a ledge, and probably broke every bone in Thin Man's body before Thanos Snapping him.

Fandom - Eh.

RK - Electrocutes the Granny to death and disintegrates the Shadow Kids with his torch.

Fandom - Whatever

Six- Helps Mono shoot the same Hunter that kidnapped her and locked her in his basement (and she didn't take the gun off the hooks, Mono did), kills one bully after being kidnapped, tortured and hung upside down by them for who knows how long (which will eventually kill you), cuts off Roger's arms with a door when she was cornered, eats a rat when there's no other food nearby, eats a Nome instead of a sausage that she knows is made of human flesh, eats the Lady when there's no other food anywhere, and kills some guests who are reaching over to try and eat her on her way out of the Maw.

Fandom - Monster.

Now, I'm not saying that what Six did was good or what the boys did was evil, but people have to stop acting like it's okay for one character to kill to save their own lives but not the other.

9- This stems more from a certain artist that I won't name to avoid people going to harass them, but on top of the self defence standards, people also have to stop with the double standards of bad things happening to a character due to another character's actions. What I mean with this is that while yes, Mono had no way of knowing that Thin Man was behind the door and getting Six kidnapped by him was a mistake, that does not, however, undo the fact that Six still got kidnapped or that her kidnapping is not that big a deal all because it was an accident on Mono's part. Especially when people won't give Six the same leniency when it comes to Mono becoming the Thin Man. Six had no way of knowing that Mono would survive the fall, let alone him being stuck in a room on a chair for decades and turning into the Thin Man, yet that is a big deal despite her not knowing but her kidnapping isn't because it's also an accident?

And lastly,

10- Another ghost-pepper level spicy but AUs where Six pulls Mono up yet all the suffering she has to go through before that is 100% the same as in-game makes her a way, waaaayyyy better person than Mono. This goes double for AUs where Six realises that he's the Thin Man (you know, her kidnapper and tormentor) but decides to pull him up anyway. Like, Mono as Thin Man decides to kidnap and torture an innocent version of Six, cursing her with the hunger and making the child Mono have to torture her to save her, but Six decides to pull him up despite all of the pain he put her through. Even more so when she realises that he is her kidnapper. That makes her a much better person that him. Though it also makes her kind of spineless. I'm not saying that she should drop him, but in-game the player can abuse Six in some ways (running when holding her hand, which makes her stumble, throwing stuff at her, bash her with weapons (even if they don't do anything to her) getting her to fall off of stuff (yes, she respawns or teleports, but still), blinding her with the torch) but not once does Six retaliate until Mono attacks the music box, making her a bit of a doormat TBH. Yet some people in the fandom portray Mono as the doormat instead, it's like the fandom goes out of its way to get Mono and Six as backwards as possible.

Additionally, fan content where Mono doesn't apologise for getting Six kidnapped in the first place, or torturing her during his fight against her monster self makes him a huge jerk. Like, this girl has to suffer because of his actions (unintentional, perhaps. But as I said, that doesn't make the pain Six suffered go away or not matter) and he doesn't even have the decency to at least say sorry for the hurt he caused her? It pleases me whenever there's fan content where he does apologise, because not being sorry for hurting Six makes him a huge jerk.

It's long, but those are my hot takes.

[cressthebest]

Crimsons Rivers thoughts pt. 36

chapter 55:

1. kingsley is mad at lily and i GET IT i understand. but all those people are adults and CHOSE to go on the mission. it is not solely her fault

2. NOOOO!! sybil is so dear to me!! and kingsley broke up with her!!! no!!!!

3. god, i feel so bad for euphemia and fleamont. yeah victors were saved. but their children, their two children, were the only ones not brought back home. i don’t know how i would recover

4. “there was Narcissa, who wasn't just in the hunger games; no, she played the game, and she played it well, so well that Euphemia never doubted she would win.” yo that’s fucking terrifying. i-

5. andy and narcissa reuniting has me crying so hard. their sisterhood is so important to me

6. regulus doesn’t have sirius, so all he wants is james to comfort him. i- i can’t do this

7. “It's like this, that he turns to her, and Euphemia knows immediately, just that simply, that Sirius isn't here.

He isn't, because if he was, that's who Regulus would cling to; that's the only person he ever wanted to cling to.”

okay, um, simply stabbing my heart would have been easier

8. “They all knew only one could make it out, and Sirius wasn't going to be the one who did, except more than one has, and Sirius is the only one who didn't.” 😧😧😧

9. god i love dorcas. she is not lying to anyone they saved by saying there will be comforts, but she is saying they will be safe and everyone there will be kind. i love her so much

10. dorcas caring for marlene first >>>>>>>>>

11. LILY AND REMUS REUNITED!!!! OH MY FUCKING GOD!!! THEYRE REUNITED!!!!

12. oh shit. wait. that was too soon. before the lily and remus reunion, he hears her say that the absolute love of his life is probably dead

13. remus’ breakdown has me in shock. like i’m not even in tears anymore, i’m just shocked. i- this hurts too bad to even cry

14. “Lily does not know much, she doesn't know what Sirius was to Remus, but she does know for sure now that he was something.

Maybe, as much as she dreads to think it, he was everything.”

😀😀😀 you can’t write lines like that. that feels illegal, to mess with my emotions like that

15. i want someone to care for me the way dorcas cares for marlene. she starts a war early to save her life. she’s willing to kill anyone to keep her alive. she will do anything.

16. “"Perhaps if you had considered the impact of the lives you planned to shape into martyrs, you would have realized that this could happen, and would be no one's fault but your own. You put those people in the arena this year, Albus, didn't you tell me that? All the ready opposition to Riddle, and you couldn't foresee this? Opposition to you?"”

get his ass alberforth. 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

17. “In all his years, Aberforth has never seen a loyalty and love exist as the loyalty and love between those two boys do.”

this is so sweet if it weren’t for the context of the statement

18. 😀😀😀 wow i hate albus

19. “They are at their best together when they are showing their worst to one another and basking in the relief of being next to someone they know won't really care, or have an opinion on it, or judge them.”

regulus and remus’ friendship >>>>>>>

20. as reg is literally beating lily up he’s like “i love her! she’s amazing! she’s my savior!! 😊😊 that’s why i must try to kill her!!!

21. “It was supposed to be me and you, but Sirius is gone. Come back to me, baby, Regulus thinks, but James is gone.” 😀😀 what a fantastic start to my day

22. lily should have had a gun in canon. this au only further proves that to me. the war would be so short is lily evans was given a gun and told to just go off and do what she wanted with it.

23. zar gave marylily hints in the authors notes ??? 👀👀 marylily??? 👀👀 marylily endgame?? 👀👀🌸🍓🎉

24. authors notes: “lily lily lily my beloved <3 she really was about to blow albus' skull open, soooo sexy of her 🥰” AGREED

25. also there’s 420 comments on that chapter and i don’t want to fuck with that number.

[kittyplushy]

She Loves You (2/2)

Cathedrals are everywhere for the eyes to see.

Thank you all for being patient with how long this took! Happy 2nd month, House Guest! This crazy hyperfixation has me holding on and recovering from everything.

Read the 1st part and the Midfic to fully understand everything going on here.

In which our beloved couple present themselves happily long before they need to defend their existence to their imagined public.

December 12, 1987

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You want to look up and pretend it isn't snowing. you want to see the autumn sky again but no. It's flat. It's a pastel lavender. And the weather freezes everyone's paws as they read the morning paper. You're unwrapping this notebook that's been sitting snuggly in the wrapper for the new season. and as you transfer important notes and numbers from the old book, a pink sticky note has her name and telephone number on it. It was only yesterday when you first called but the numbers are already burnt into your mind. Then your eyes look at the clock, monitoring the hours, scratching in impatience, anticipating…

Then you realise what’s happening. You thought that you had kept her at arms-length, close enough but not comfortable. You kept most people at a distance but not her. She begins to tap dangerously close into your mind and you can only shut down to prevent any more ideas from flowing. But she’s multiplying, burrowing everywhere you can hide. How annoying.

Then you may stop to think to yourself: “Is it likely that I’m falling in love again?” Again? Since when have I loved someone? Like Lola? I’m not too sure if there’s a calibre we can weigh the intensity on. Maybe a heart attack, but I never had any of those either. In any case though, I don’t believe I do that sort of thing. The feeling is far distant from it. I could say that I love different things- like the autumn breeze, black coffee with hazelnuts, or the feeling of control. Those are just extreme expressions we throw around. Nothing else special. 

I walked out of the shop expecting a yellow sky but it was still covered in lavender. The feeling was beginning to make me go mad. Dressing up in new garb, looking directly at myself in confused rage. I’ve had this conversation before. I like women. I prefer women. I am not above killing them though. But love knows its ways around me. I’m blushing. I’m fixating on every clumsy sign of affection she shows me. Her kind gestures. Her smile. The way she scrunches her face when her glasses begin to slip. Her unusual voice. I’m beginning to feel it again. A quickened heartbeat. The blurry vision. Sweaty palms. Slurred thoughts.

Maybe I do.

Then she shakes my shoulder when she finds me sitting near the ticket booth with my arms crossed. I sit up properly taking a good look at her. Julianne finally wore her glasses outside, the red frames matching a ribboned top. It was something a little nicer than any of her usual outfits. I curiously wondered though who was inside the silver locket she was wearing.

“Hi, I’m sorry if I kept you waiting.”

“No, you aren’t late at all.” I replied “It’s not even 4 yet but let’s hurry. I have a secret to show you in here.”

Her ears popped up hearing the invitation. She nodded and followed behind me when I bought our tickets and made our way into the cinema. The theatre lights were still on, but as to be expected, there were handfuls of families crowding the theatre this Saturday. Thankfully seats 6 and 7 on Row L were empty and everyone else was courteous enough to not surround our bubble as badly as they could have. 

“Don’t tell anyone about this spot.” I whispered “This has the best view in the cinema even on a packed night.”

Her eyes instead focus on the architectural quirks and details swirling around the space, drawn immediately to the gold cat centrepiece hanging above the screen. She looks back at me and nods.

 “It is…seems just right in the middle..” Her voice tones down to a shy whisper. She rubs her hand on the plush of the velvet seat. The lights dim and the projection begins. The doors are closed for the next hour. Time was moving slower in that red box. I could barely focus on the movie. I know I’ve seen it before somewhere. Julianne on the other hand had her eyes focused on every minute and every detail. She was holding back her excitement to not be so rude. The entire time I was squinting, making out her face in the dark and she only caught me staring once just to tell me her favourite scene was coming up. I forced myself to look at the screen, avoiding suspicion but my hands wandered, landing on top of hers, comfortably sliding my fingers between the gaps, neither of us aware what we were doing to one another.

I could not resist it. My signals were jammed, and they were all directing me to hold her hand or her arms the entire time. I regained autonomy when I asked myself if I could take it a step further. Then the excitement of momentum drowned. 

Julianne continued to hold my hand though even outside the theatre an hour later, humming the songs happily and swaying her arms.

“Hey Julianne, your glasses are fogged.”

“Aw, are they? Thanks.” She let go and grabbed a napkin to clean them up.

She leaned her head on my arm, purring as we continued walking downtown to her apartment. Lively Saturday nights have returned slowly but surely. Christmas lights and displays illuminated the stores around each corner, decorated with trinkets or dioramas of religious imagery. Julianne would stop every now and then to admire a few of them. 

“Thanks for taking me to see Annie tonight. You really didn’t have to.” 

“It’s my pleasure. I don’t know what to do with myself on December nights. Everyone is either out of town or closed early.”

“Everyone is home in December where I’m from. Woodbrook would be twice as busy. Everything would be open til 11!”

I gently smile.

“Oh, I should make it up to you..uhm..do you like magic shows? Not the birthday party sort of ones, the ones that are a lil more mature.” Julianne asks almost excitedly “It’s more of a comedy thing than it is kiddie entertainment. I could take you with me..”

“I’m sorry, I don’t. It’s not my cup of tea.” I said between half-gritted teeth, feeling awful for rejecting the offer. 

“Well, is there any hobby you have that we can do together? Something we can do over the weekend?” Julianne begins insisting. 

“I don’t really have a lot. I’m getting old, so maybe woodwork but most of my hobbies are solitary”

“We can always meet at the library then. I don’t mind. Also, have you eaten dinner? Do you want to go out? I’ll pay tonight since you paid for the tickets.”

I struggled to reply to that. I really had no appetite today. Maybe a few pieces of bread would do today but the thought of the movie meet up tonight weighed upon my head even after the fact, I had lost the will to. I shook my head. 

I’ve been down this road before.

Except she was a lot more merciful in her methods. She left disappointed but she at least understood when to stop pushing my buttons.

“I’m being so pushy, am I? I don’t want to force you to do anything. You’re just so nice to me. I also wanna be nice to you.” She frowns, wrapping her tail around her waist for her to fidget with. We stop at the entrance of the red building. She looks back at me and slowly blinks.

“I’ll leave it at that for now. You really should eat dinner though. Thank you!”

I stood at the doorway for longer than I would have liked to admit.

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December 15, 1987

Last night, Woodbrook experienced its first gleanings of winter. This morning, my driveway was covered in snow. I figured that I should get the front of the house and shop cleared up as early as now to avoid delaying opening. And so I was up since 5, shovelling through snow and greeting school children before it was time I drove to town to do more of the same. 

Coming into the town proper, an alarm bell began ringing in my mind- it was calling for me to look around. I did not understand what I was watching for suddenly. There were no signals in the snow this morning. From the reflection on the glass though was a bright rose parka that my eyes followed into the corner to the church. Nobody else wears that bright of a color here.

Following the butterfly into the pews, I hung my head low and pretended to have a reason to be there. She was seated rows away from me, spending 20 more minutes praying the rosary. She broke out of that solemness and looked around her, turning her back and finally acknowledging my presence. Her cheeks warmed up as she smiled then hid her blushing as she quickly got up and signalled I should follow her. 

“Did..did anyone see that?”

“See what?”

“See me…”

I playfully wrapped my arm around her shoulder. Her cheek got redder, cautiously looking around the street for any onlookers. 

“Most people can’t put up a fight about it. Cut it out.” I reassured her “Wanna get a chocolate at Betsy’s?”

“I’m fine, I’ll be making pancakes at home. Do you want to come with me?”

We looked at a clock inside the still closed stationery store. It was 7 in the morning. The storefront was already clean anyway. 

“I’ll help cook them with you. I’m glad you asked, ‘cause I haven’t eaten anything since 5.”

“Five? I’ve been in church since five. It’s the first snow too.” She was holding out her tongue to taste the snow. 

“Yeah, just clearing out my road, and you don’t have work today?”

“Woodbrook Elementary suspended classes today due to how intense the snow was last night. I also thought that, yknow, 10 days til Christmas. Isn’t there a vigil mass leading up to Christmas at the start of the day? Guess not.” She was talking her head off, eyes still looking behind us. The church had long disappeared into the horizon and she was still distracting me from actually asking what I had come there for.

“No, they don’t. But there is a mass during Christmas Eve. Do you want us to go together?”

“No, no, no, no, I don’t..want to..go to Mass..going with..I’m just saying God would know I’m coming there with impure intentions or what have you.”

Her eyes avert away from where we’re walking and she tries to let go of the grip I have on her. I just continue to hold her closer. The heat in between us was already far too comfortable to let go of. She tried again and my hand just lowered itself to where it was holding her hip.

“No, I’m not letting you go, we still have a block away to walk. Nobody is out here anyway.”

It was an unusually empty Tuesday morning. Half the stores on this avenue were shut down and the foggy air obscured whatever might just be waking up right now. Everything was washed in cream and blues that Christmas ornaments and lights would cut through later in the day. But it was 7 in the morning. To the two of us, this could have been a 3 pm on any other season. 

“It’s safe for two girls or guys to hold hands at least here. Anything other than that is a gamble. I don’t think anyone has any balls in them to punch anyone over what we’re doing right now.”

“I mean..we’re just friends though, right?” Julianne quickly corrected me.

“Of course, of course. That’s why I was thinking if we could attend mass together then we’ll have Christmas dinner. How does that sound?”

“You’re Catholic too?”

I could feel myself trying to not burst into laughter at her silly question. That’s the worst you could assume of me. 

“Sorta” I lied.

“Then we can, as..you know..friends..and you just don’t have to look at me during Mass but..”

“Julianne, don’t think about the Mass part, think of what we’ll do when we get back to my house–” I held my breath and thoughtfully constructed what I would say next “-- What food we’re gonna be eating or what drinks I should prepare..do you drink alcohol? No, bad question, do you have an allergy somewhere? Are you okay with salmon steak for us both..?”

Julianne pulled out her keys when we got to the lobby of the apartment building, eyes following us to the room at the top of the complex.

“I do love salmon, what if we bake it though with buttered vegetables and cheese?”

Her face was red and warm, a hand similarly holding on to the small of my back in front of more people than she worried about. She excitedly talked about what she could cook for the night or what we’d be doing after.

The rosary on her neck heard every intention and desire regardless.

They know. And they’re rewarding her for it.

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December 25, 1987

“I told you” She whispered “Don’t look at me during the Mass.”

“Where else was I supposed to look?”

“I don’t know…the altar?” Julianne pouted again. She toyed with the silver heart on her chest since we got inside the truck. 

We were stuck in the traffic between the busiest roads in town. New cars were flowing in and out of town for vacation while most were rushing home for dinner or their reservations. Last year I spent the day in bed, watching movies alone, and hiding from the world. I was still well fed by at least three families sending me everything I wanted. I was eating a casserole and cookies under my table waiting for Spring. I did miss the formality of the night though. I used to spend it with the Albrights for over two decades. Now with them away, I was getting calls from all around town to stay over. But the message was clear this year. Julianne placed her hands back on the handles of her tupperware when the light turned green.

“It’s so nice that you made that baked salmon too. You didn’t need to.”

“You just wouldn’t tell me what else I could do for you after Annie. It’s all I can do.”

Regardless, I was fine with returning routine back into my holiday schedule. I was wandering in the dark again earlier this year, trailing off of last year’s habits. I remember I still absentmindedly bought a certain somebody’s favorite cakes on a Monday afternoon for what was our afternoon tea time. Luckily, I now had someone at awe of such simple treats like raspberry tarts. Her tail was happily straightened up admiring the gussied-up kitchen. A table for two, sharing two big casseroles of food, strawberry shortcake, raspberry tarts, and a whole bottle of wine. She straightened her white dress, looking back to me to politely gesture we take a seat.

“As friends, right?”

“To my dearest friend, Julianne.”

I know she doesn’t only think of me as her friend.

I’m a special case. An eyecatcher. And then a crush. Then a friend. Now her first suitor. 

She’s crawling inside and finding her space.

Her hand rests on top of mine as we eat.

Many, many more wordless gestures.

The lamb rests inside comfortably.

I could lock it inside now.

But when her eyes curiously glance over to mine, the pressure drops and I feel similarly airy. A fever rushes back to me. The feelings become reciprocal for a glean of a second.

It’s poisoning us both.

This Christmas I watched a girl put a whole strawberry in her mouth. Then she helped me wash the dishes and pack away the Christmas garb on my dining table. For one night I was not angry. I felt fine. I felt fuzzy around her.

She gave me a few new shirts and hid stickers at the bottom of the box because she noticed I had this notebook with me all the time.

I hid one of my old sweaters in between the folds of the dress I bought for her.

In the safety of my house, just before she left, I asked her to come closer when I began thanking her for coming over. I lost focus of what I was intending on doing then leaned over and kissed her forehead before telling her to run along now. It looked like she wanted to reciprocate back but she walked away from my porch with her hand on her head. 

If I was thinking clearly, I may have asked her to be mine instead.

But some things take time, right?

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January 1st, 1988

I wondered where she was last night. I called her up in the morning of the eve, then the afternoon, and later left a message on her machine instead the minute a new year passed. My eyes were always looking for her. She had to be wearing any sort of shade of pink or red. Rose was absent from the crowd of onlookers tonight. Last night I only looked at the display with a solemn emptiness. I figured that maybe Julianne would have preferred a plain sky. When the smoke cleared, I looked up to see her windows shut. Her lights were still on but not even a hint like the sound of my keys prompted her to open them.

But I could feel myself develop a dependence on her presence in an environment ever since. I see flowers spelling her initials or colors I’ve sworn looked out of place in a town dull without eccentricity. And even before anything was finalized, I was asked- “where’s Julianne?” by at least 3 people.

I guess we go in pairs now.

I couldn’t be embarrassed about it anymore. It was my lifestyle now, knocking on their door to come inside the red bricked apartment. It’s like they were almost expecting me, telling me she’s been in her apartment since December 30th. I’ll admit, I began to worry when I got to her front door. I was imagining the poor girl depressed on the floor. But when she opened the door, she just sighed in relief and told me to get inside as soon as possible. She was feeling a bit jumpy, she described staying far, far away from the windows as possible. The sound of firecrackers and fireworks startled the poor kitten. It was not isolation but caution.

Fireworks displays were anxiety inducing to her. She voluntarily hid away from the parade to keep her peace of mind.

“And yet…” Julianne whispered to herself “...people were still looking for me.”

“You’re already such an integral part of the town. People are going to go look for you.” 

“Days ago, I was approached by Guy near his store, and he confidently called me ‘Amy’.”

“But have you heard what they’re calling you, though? Like Pinky. Pinky is a popular nickname now.” I chuckled.

“Pinky…”

“I’m sure they all understand.”

“But were you disappointed I wasn’t there?”

“I guess I was. But you should just tell me fireworks freak you out sometimes..”

She wrapped her arms around me in loving suggestion, almost immediately retracting before resting on my chest fully.

“I heard there’ll be another fireworks show over at the edge of Centerville though… if you want to watch something with me tonight..”

“I’m fine..let’s just stay where we are.”

“Stay…” She echoed back to me, crawling closer and closer.

“You’re so close now, woah, what’s going on?”

“I’m not sure either. Do you?”

She sits herself on my thigh, arms wrapped around my shoulders as she lightly imitates initiation. She couldn’t keep a straight face though.

“Stay and watch the stars with me later.”

I tilted my head in flustered confusion. Sure I will. At least by now the smoke has settled. She slips her glasses off and leans into me, taking the initiation to kiss me first. 

The jumpiness transfers, shaking from her hand to mine to everybody. The burning and the electricity. How shocking. 

She loves me.

[xoxoavenger]

I Wish You Would

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

summary: You say it's in the past And drive straight ahead You think I'm gonna hate you now 'Cause you still don't know what I never said

word count: 2819

warnings: alcoholism, cheating (minor)

1989 masterlist main masterlist

JJ isn't quite sure why he goes this way to the Chateau.

There's a faster way. It's already really early in the morning, and he's exhausted from work. But he can't bring himself to avoid this road, no matter how much it hurts every single day.

It's probably the the fact that every time he drives by, he can only think of good memories.

"Hey!" A girl calls from her window on the second floor. She's leaning on the sill, her hair fluttering in the wind as she smiles. He puts his hand up to shade his eyes as he releases the lawn mower, causing it to turn off.

"What?" He yells, taking in her face. The first thing he notices is her eyes, glittering in the sun. The second is her smile, practically blinding him.

"What's your name?" She asks, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"JJ!" He tells her, brows furrowed. His eyes are still squinted, because he forgot his sunglasses at his house and he's terrified of going back while he knows his dad is unemployed and still there. "What's yours?"

"Y/N!" When she says it, he feels his heart stop momentarily. "What's your number, JJ?" She asks, and he lets out a laugh.

"Not even a date?" She asks through her giggles, and JJ thinks this sound will kill him.

"Fine!" He chuckles, thinking about what he has to do. "How about tonight at the Ship Wreck?" It's the nicest place he knows that he can also afford, and he expects this rich girl to wince. Instead she smiles even brighter, eyes crinkling.

"7 PM! Don't be late!" She winks, her laugh flowing out the window as she walks back into her room, leaving JJ to wonder how the hell he just got the easiest date of his life with the prettiest girl he's ever seen.

When he realizes he stopped in the middle of the road in front of her house, he takes a deep breath and reminds himself of what happed only a couple weeks ago. He feels like he's gonna be sick as he starts back up again, driving ahead once more.

It doesn't really matter what he thinks. It doesn't matter that he's still in love with her, because she clearly doesn't care anymore. And if she caught him outside her window, she'd probably come out just to yell at him. He wouldn't be surprised if she beat him with a stick.

~

She knows he's out there.

Well, she doesn't know for sure. But she can hear the rumbling of a motorcycle, and it reminds her of him. She hears it every night around the same time, and it makes her wish that he would just come back up to her room. She wouldn't even ask him questions, just let him into her bed so that he could hold her in the way she's been missing for a month now. 

She doesn't go to the window to check for fear of being wrong, of seeing someone else. What she's most afraid of, however, is that someone else will be on the bike, in her place.

She knows she shouldn't feel this way. She knows they weren't dating for that long, that they were in love for such a short time that she should be able to get over it; they didn't even tell each other 'I love you' anyway, so there's no reason for her to think he loved her back. On the outside, they were the party couple, showing up and being all over each other at parties, always next to each other, always with each other. If they were both missing, everyone knew that if you found one, you found the other.

And she was always on the back of his bike.

"I can give you a ride home." He tells her, smiling. The date had gone perfect; they had hit it off quickly, and Y/N saw even the waitress smiling (later, she would realize that the waitress was Kiara, who was friends with JJ). When she had leaned out the window and asked JJ on the date, she wasn't expecting this. She knew he would be fun, she had heard of his reputation, but she didn't think he would be funny or offer to drive her home.

On his motorcycle?

"That one's yours?" She asks, blinking as JJ stops by the thin motorcycle. When he nods, she almost lets out a laugh. "And you think we're both gonna fit?" She smiles, but it's a nervous one that frays on the edges.

"We don't have to take this if you don't want to." He tells her, but she shakes her head.

"No, it sounds fun." She smiles and steps closer to him, causing him to smirk in return.

"Hold on tight." He tells her, putting his helmet over her head before climbing on. He holds his hand out for her, and she takes it while sitting on the back of the seat, thighs clutching the bike and arms wrapped tightly around him.

"Where's your helmet?" She asks, tilting her head to look at him.

"You're wearing it." He tells her, toeing backwards.

"Please be careful." Her heart is racing at the idea of something happening to JJ without his helmet. When she squeezes him tighter, he can practically feel how much she cares. It makes him feel like he could just melt, something he'd never felt before.

"I always will with you." He smiles before pulling out, and if she didn't have the helmet on she would kiss him right there.

And then, of course, she had messed it up.

It started with a party. Usually, it was well known that Y/N and JJ were together, but it was the beginning of summer and the tourons were back. Specifically, one that JJ always hooked up with.

"Jay," CarrieAnn calls, smiling with two drinks in her hand. Y/N had just gone into the Chateau with the girls to use the bathroom, and JJ had been told he wasn't allowed to follow.

"Hey, Carrie." JJ smiles tightly, instantly uncomfortable with how close she is. He steps back, but she clearly doesn't get the message because she steps forward. When JJ takes a sip of his drink, he realizes it's not beer, but something much, much stronger. Apart of him knows he shouldn't drink it, but the part of him that he gets from his dad, the addictive part, wants to slam it all down to let the alcohol numb his heavy feelings.

"How've you been?" She asks, one hand on his shoulder. He tips the drink back before he can think about it.

"I need a new one." He tells her instead of answering her question, turning in the direction of the makeshift bar they had. As they got older and more people chipped in money, they were able to get better alcohol instead of just the kegs. JJ had never been more thankful for that when he threw back a shot and then poured another mixed drink with a heavy hand.

By the time Y/N was out of the bathroom, JJ was three drinks in. He hadn't even left the huge stump they called a bar, standing and smiling with CarrieAnn.

To JJ's defense, Carrie looked a lot like Y/N. Same colored hair and height, similar skin tones and build. But he should have known it wasn't Y/N because while CarrieAnn's eyes were similar, they were no where near as gorgeous as JJ found Y/N's. So when CarrieAnn pulled JJ down for a kiss after pretending to whisper something in his ear, JJ had honestly thought it was Y/N.

Until Y/N grabbed him by his collar and yanked him back.

"How could you?" She screams, taking a look at him. Kiara and Sarah are behind her, mouths open in shock. JJ loved Y/N, everyone could see it; so why was he kissing someone else? the hurt in her voice makes him hurt as well, but he's too drunk to realize why she was so upset. 

"Wha," JJ starts, turning drunkenly between CarrieAnn and Y/N. "I thought," Y/N lifts her head in understanding, but underneath it still stings like a dagger to her heart. JJ shouldn't have been drunk enough to think she was someone else anyway. He had promised to cut back when they started dating, and so far he had. Even at other parties, he hadn't gotten fully drunk around her. 

"Who's this?" CarrieAnn finally steps up, taking a hold of JJ's arm. He shrugs it off, looking at her with confusion. He honestly can't even remember why he had been around Carrie in the first place.

"My girlfriend." He walks forward to Y/N, but she takes a step back, holding a hand up.

"You just kissed another girl." She whispers, backing up a couple more steps. Tears flood in her eyes, her beautiful eyes, and JJ would do anything to take them away.

"I thought she was you." JJ says as he moves forward, confirming Y/N's thoughts. She had figured as much, but it only made the hurt of him kissing someone else marginally easier to bear.

"Because you're drunk." She whispers, as if it's not obvious to everyone that he had been pouring himself half a handle.

"I'm sorry," He finally says, tears starting to spring to his own eyes.

"Let's talk about it when you're sober." She turns, happy that Kiara and Sarah are right there for her, waiting to take her into their arms and away from the party. She leans on them, letting them take her to Kie's car where they'll all go back to Y/N's house.

"Wait!" He calls, but he knows that even if they heard him over the sound of the music, she's not coming back. He deflates as Pope and John B come up to him.

"Dude," Pope starts, frowning. They had seen everything go down, but they were powerless to help; they all knew that stepping in would only make things worse. 

"Don't worry, man." John B puts an arm around his friend, and the three of them start walking toward the Chateau. "I've done way stupider things, and Sarah and I are still together." As if that's supposed to comfort JJ. By the raise of Pope's eyebrow, he doesn't think it was a great thing to say either.

The next day, JJ had tried to go to Y/N's house, but she wasn't around. It wasn't until he walked around the whole house that he realized she was on vacation.

Shit.

He calls her immediately, still on her porch. She picks up quicker than he expected, and he's thankful for it.

"Hello?" It sounds nice enough, but it isn't her usual greeting and it upsets JJ. Usually, she's so excited to get a call from him that she can barely shut up long enough for him to tell her what he needed to.

"Y/N, I'm so so sorry about last night. She kissed me, and I honestly did think she was you. I didn't realize until you pulled me back. I was so drunk, I could barely stand. And I know it's not an excuse, but if you could just forgive me and give me another chance, it'll never happen again. I swear to God." He's begging, he knows he is, but he'll do anything to make it right.

"That's the thing, JJ," She starts, and his heart drops because he has no idea what the thing is. "You're always apologizing for getting drunk. I mean, you've seen what it does to your father, and you still chose to abuse it! I don't mind you having fun and drinking, but," She takes a deep breath as her words get softer with more emotion, and JJ feels like the world has just spun off it's axis. He collapses into one of her patio chairs, heart racing to the point of pain. "If you're so drunk you can't distinguish your girlfriend from another girl, then maybe you shouldn't have one." She tells him, and he could just throw up at her words.

"I know but Y/N,"

"No buts, JJ! Are you gonna get your act together or not?" She's giving him a chance, letting him  pick the easy way out or the hard way to her.

"I'll try." Is the best he can do, but clearly it isn't good enough for Y/N. He doesn't want to lie, however, and he can't make a promise that he doesn't fully know he can keep.

"There is no try in this situation, JJ! You either get a handle on your problem or you lose me." It's very clear that she isn't budging, and JJ shuts his eyes as he feels them water.

"You don't understand!" He begins pulling at his hair, quickly losing his temper. "Yeah, I know how my dad ruined my life with it. I know how he drove away my mom and I know how he fucked himself and me over. But it's not as simple as knowing that. I just, I have so much anxiety, and it helps numb."

"I understand that, Jayj. I can help you-"

"You can't!" He yells, and she just widens her eyes from the other side of the line. He knows he should just shut up, calm down and talk to her later, but his mouth is moving before he can stop it. "You don't understand because life is like walking down the yellow brick road for you!" He was about to say more before he stops himself, knowing that he's already said enough. He knows that life hasn't been like walking on sunshine for her, that she's told him about her mental issues and her struggles with different experiences.

"Goodbye, JJ." She tells him.

"No, wait! I didn't mean that-" He starts, but the dial tone sounds and he knows its over. And the worst part is, he's sober. He has no one, nothing to blame but himself for this one.

~

When she hears a motorcycle go past her house again, it's a late night. It's actually an early morning; two am. She has to know now, needs to see if the person riding their motorcycle past her house every single night is JJ, and if he has anyone else. Namely that girl that looks like her, but it would hurt just as much if it were anyone else.

When she looks out her window, JJ Maybank is stopped in the middle of the street, staring at her house. Her heart gets caught in her throat as she stares from the darkness. She runs down the stairs as fast as she can, hoping he doesn't leave by the time she can get out there. She flies out the door, catching JJ's attention as she sprints across the grass.

"Hey," She whispers, slowing as she reaches him. He just stares at her, his helmetless face betraying all his emotions in the light of the street lamp. She wants to tell him to put on a helmet, but she's sure that's not a good starting point.

"What are you doing out here?" He asks, turning off his motorcycle. He puts the kickstand down and pulls his leg across it to stand. They're staring at each other in the silence, Y/N panting while JJ's heart races in a way that has nothing to do with exercise.

"I wish I would have told you that I love you on the phone." Her admission still makes his heart pound, and he's stunned into silence. "I didn't mean to hang up the phone, I swear. There was so much I wanted to say to you, but I couldn't because of how angry I was. And all I can think about is if I wouldn't have hung up, if I would have just let you explain yourself and if you would have let me express myself, then we would still be together. You know we would still be together." What she says is so true that it makes JJ have to swallow down his emotion.

"It's my fault." He tells her, heart breaking at the way she's taking responsibility for something she didn't even do. "I'm the one who messed up, and I didn't mean to say all those things. I was just so upset and I didn't trust myself." He knows it's a shitty excuse, but for some reason, she puts her hand on his face and tilts his head so he's looking at her.

"We're both sorry. We'll both try to be more understanding." She says, moving even closer until their bodies are touching.

"I love you too." He says before she can apologize or brush off anything else. "And I'm sorry that I ever made you feel like I didn't." He barely finishes talking before her lips are on his, and he smiles as he puts his hands on her hips and pulls her in closer.

//

tags: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187  @one-sweet-gubler