#sadie get off this blog its not for you

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I wrote a thing...

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Leather and Lace - Chapter 18: Feelings Revealed

Part 4 - SEE ME, FEEL ME, TOUCH ME, HEAL ME

Summary: You and Arthur finally have your first night together.

Warning: 18+ please, Minors - DNI; This is a long one, too.

*I had another title for this, but as I was listening to The Who, this lyric began to play as I was editing and it just seemed to fit this chapter perfectly. 

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*These are NOT my images. However, I have seen them in multiple versions and on multiple sources. So I don't know who the owners are to credit. But if anyone knows, let me know.

Tag List:  @rivetingrosie4​ @bimbo-dollz​ @pine4pple-b0i​ @redwritr​ @kuri-chans-blog​ @queer-sadie-adler​ @joelmillerswifey​ @gimmethosedaddymilkers​ @pcotarelo​ @delilah-grimes​ @maemortem​ @wistfulwisteriawitch​ @lilacxxdreams​ @mentallyillfrogs​ @absolutegeek​ @spurz​ @sophiaj650​ @uniqueclodzinevoid​ @lookingformaurice​ @pawoui​ @randomidk-123​ @yyiikes​ @eddiemetalheadmunson​ @twola​ @kmartkiddieisle​ @red-dead-simp @regwishesshehadmagic​  @rhehr241​  @earwen-x​ @akariver75​ @djennty​ @nervousmumbling​ @xliliths​ @unbotheredbeeeee​ @onnetonprinsessa​ @kittiowolf210​ @ezrynn​ @suhiss @arthurmargon​​ @codnerd1999 @queer-sadie-adler​​ @alice-vanderlinde​​ @sweetandstoned21​​ @j4llyf7sh @spooky631​​ @m0r4rx @ilovrxats​​ @i-69-urmom​​ @ddbluesie @ivuravix @nervousmumbling @sickvictorianangel @tirededuxhours @ezzythereal1 @chloepluto1306 @ivys-valentine @spiritcatcherxo

*I tagged people who expressed interest in the continued story. If you’d like to be added or removed, please let me know. There are a few that would not let me link, so I apologize if this doesn’t ping some people. 

Arthur gets a small fire going outside the lean-to hunting shelter. The fire burns a deep red and vibrant yellow as the flames lick up around the logs. It’s a soft and comforting sight, the popping and crackling of the wood drowning out all other sounds in the forest this evening. The sky is deepening to a majestic royal purple hue, with its diamond-glittering stars emerging like a crown. The glow of the fire casts its light only upon your little shelter and the immediate area surrounding it as if protecting you inside of an intimate little sphere made just for the two of you. 

With his task complete, Arthur moves into the shelter and sits down on the ground, nervously wiping his hands on the sides of his pants as he looks over and watches as you flit about to fix the make-shift bedding. You’ve rolled out his bedroll and fanned out a blanket overtop. You’ve even taken off your jacket, rolling it into a pillow of sorts and tucking it under the other fabrics. 

Part of your fidgeting is because you want everything to be perfect. The other part is because you are so nervous. Although, you are not really sure why. Arthur is the one person in the world who you feel the most comfortable and safe with. And yet, with all of the previous restrictions and obstacles now removed, you almost feel more vulnerable than ever.  

When you finish fidgeting with the bedroll and blanket, you turn and look down at him, meeting his gaze with a shy smile gracing your features. You nervously bite your bottom lip as you hesitate for just a moment before you hike up your skirts. Loosely balling the cotton into your hands to show just the slightest amount of your calves, you move to sit on Arthur’s lap. And straddling his hips so that you can face him, you slowly lower yourself down on top of his folded legs. 

He tentatively sets his hands on your hips to help guide you down. Your hands come to rest upon the sides of his neck and shoulders for support, but you leave them there for a few moments after you settle, the muscle and bulk of his body keenly radiating through your fingertips.

Arthur’s hands carefully come up around your neck, his long fingers stretching around to the back and into your hair as his thumbs brush against your chin. He cradles your face, staring as if he hasn't seen you in years, because now he sees you in a whole new light, more radiant and precious to him than ever before. 

You and Arthur simply sit and stare at each other with no words spoken, neither of you sure where to even begin. And yet the anticipation is epic. The comforting silence that encompasses the air is like that that follows the rain. The soft crackling of the fire just outside the shelter is the only sound you hear besides your measured breathing.

Excitement fills your mind as you cannot believe that this is finally happening. But suddenly, you have the fear that Arthur is going to change his mind about this whole thing; that he’s going to get up and bolt from you. Now that you are actually here alone together, you are filled with insecurity. What if he doesn’t like what he sees? You are not the prettiest girl in camp. What if you're too forward? What if you're not forward enough? (He is an outlaw after all.) 

But your whole internal struggle is ridiculous, because Arthur is having the same exact conversation with himself in his own mind right now. He’s ugly. He’s riddled with scars and calluses. He’s older than you, too. And, he is not a good man.

But what neither of you realize is that despite how broken you both are, you are exactly what the other wants and needs. 

His hands release your face, smoothing down over your shoulders and arms to now rest gingerly on your upper thighs. Arthur’s mind races as he stares at you perched so perfectly upon his lap, right where he’s always wanted you. He wrestles with his self-doubt, but in contrast, he also has to deal with his own heated desires. He's wanted you for so, so long. It is all he can do to restrain himself from throwing you down and roughly taking you here and now. 

But eventually, your hand lifts and moves slowly like a butterfly hovering in the air to lay across his cheek. His skin is warm and his beard stubble tickles the palm of your hand. Arthur slowly closes his eyes the moment your fingers graze his skin. He slightly leans into your hand as he places his own massive one overtop of yours to hold it in place, basking in the tenderness found there. It is like a gift that he’s rarely received in his life, and his reaction to your simple gesture almost makes your heart break for him.

Your fingers soon leave his face and proceed to his neck to pull at the knot of his neckerchief which quickly comes off and gets tossed to the side. Then your thumbs gracefully hook under his suspenders to lower them down off his broad shoulders. Although your movements are fluid like water, you can feel Arthur’s whole body begin to stiffen a bit in apprehension under you. 

With the suspenders out of the way, you drift back up to the collar of his shirt, hesitating but just for a moment. You slowly begin to unbutton, working the fasteners back through the holes with slightly shaking fingers. Your eyes follow the trail of your fingers, but Arthur’s gaze never leaves your face, watching you so intently as you work. The glow of the fire outside warms your skin and causes copper flecks to dance in your eyes. He takes note how your breathing has become a bit faster, yet shallow. He’s not sure if it is from nervousness or second thoughts.

When you get to the last button at his waistline your hands float up again, resembling the wingspan of a dove, and tuck under the collar. You slowly push the worn cotton fabric back and off of Arthur’s massive shoulders. Your fingertips trace along the thick sinewy muscles of his arms as you continue to push the fabric down to reveal more of his skin to you. The cool air nips at his skin the moment it is exposed. However, it’s a welcoming sensation to wake him up and anchor him to the present before he drifts off entirely and loses himself. 

Once freed from the garment, your fingertips retrace their path, dancing back up along Arthur’s arms again until they find his shoulders. They continue to explore along his strong neck and move back up to cradle his jawline, until you are holding his handsome face in your hands once more. You pull Arthur in to you for another kiss; slow, deep and passionate. You close your eyes, savoring the taste of his lips. This kiss, just this simple kiss is all it takes for your heart to lose its balance. And all you want to do is fall. 

Arthur’s hands suddenly leave your hips to clutch at your back hungrily while you kiss. He pulls at the bottom of your blouse, lifting it up enough so that he can place his hand onto the bare skin of your lower back, which is softer than he could’ve imagined. 

You lean back from him just enough to catch your breath, reluctant to break the kiss, and take the opportunity to pull your blouse and chemise over your head and toss it to the side, leaving yourself now chest bare before Arthur. The movement causes your hair to ruffle, the locks falling softly like fire ash in the wind to frame your face. 

Arthur blinks a few times and locks onto your eyes, as if testing if his are allowed to roam. At this precarious little moment, he is literally standing on the precipice of no return, and happily waiting to plunge over the side and into your arms.

Your soft smile gives him permission to explore and Arthur swallows thickly as he lets his gaze draw down your face and over your delicate throat, where he catches the skin flicker as you swallow and your pulse quickens. His eyes continue to float down across the delicate curve of your clavicle, until finally landing on your breasts. You watch his reaction closely, noticing his breath hitch slightly as you feel his body shift underneath you. 

Arthur sits motionless, taking in the sight and taking time to appreciate the sheer beauty before him. He has waited and prayed for this moment and he wants not a second of it to be rushed. You reach down and collect his left hand into both of your own and bring it to your lips to softly kiss his dirt-stained knuckles before placing his hand on your right breast, closing his thick fingers around it. A soft puff of air huffs out of his nose at the intimate contact. Arthur draws his thumb across the bud of your nipple and gently squeezes the flesh, amazed at how supple it is. 

You slowly remove your left hand from his and reach to set it upon his firm chest, trailing your fingers through the soft curls of golden-brown hair that is scattered across his body. You start at his collarbone and drift downward before placing your small, delicate palm directly over his heart. 

"I can feel your heartbeat." You smile, pausing to experience the fluttering under your fingertips. "Can you feel mine?" you innocently ask him, staring at him with wide and hopeful eyes. You look at Arthur as if he is so special, so wondrous, that the feeling seems so foreign to him; almost as if it actually hurts him to be gazed upon so intensely like this. But it is not so much as the way you look at him, but how you can’t bring yourself to look at anything else.  

“I feel your heart, your breath, your skin, your hair," he rambles as he gently pulls at a lock. "…everything.” 

The poor man is so overwhelmed. All of his senses are saturated:  seeing you perched on his lap so close that he can count the freckles on your cheeks, your honeyed voice and soft giggles of excitement ringing in his ears. He can taste you on his lips as you kiss. 

And the kisses… dear God, you have lips so soft yet firm that they draw the very breath from his lungs. The feeling of your tongues rolling over each other is heavenly. But it’s your touch that does him in. When you caress Arthur’s tired face, or run your hand along his strong and burdened shoulders, he sweetly shudders beneath you. 

It's been a long time since Arthur has done this; has allowed someone else to touch him in this way. Sure, there were Mary and Eliza, with the occasional working girl for the dire release, but those instances were far and few between. But Arthur has cut himself off for so long that he can’t even remember the last time he was touched like this. He can't even stand to look at himself, how could he manage to let a woman see him in this state? 

Touch starved doesn’t even begin to describe it. And Arthur didn't notice how bad it was until the moment you ran your fingers along his bare arms and chest, your fingers caressing his face. Or, maybe it is just that it is specifically you touching him that is driving him crazy with desire right now.

You eventually begin to explore his body, and trace your fingers along several scars in particular along his chest, arms, and torso, mesmerized by them. Some are larger than others. Some are less angry-looking as time has healed them. But all show the contrast between an old wound and the tanned skin they bury into. 

Being self conscious, Arthur instantly stiffens and tries not to instinctively recoil from you as your attention focuses on his scars. You don't pull back in revulsion as he had expected you to. But you simply stare and curiously run your finger over each one that you can find, like studying the fine thread work of a tapestry, and wondering how it got there. 

"I know I ain’t much to look at for you," Arthur mutters lowly and embarrassed. 

The comment causes you to look up into his eyes with a twinkle in your own before you lean over and softly begin to kiss each scar that you can reach with your lips. Each patch of hardened tissue is a target of your divine attention. The gesture catches Arthur off-guard and his eyes roll shut with a sigh at the feeling of your delicate lips on his damaged skin.

After a few moments of sweetly-delivered kisses, you sit up to look him in the eye again. "Your scars aren’t ugly, Arthur. They tell your story.” Your voice is an angelic whisper, both light-hearted and earnest at the same time; almost childlike in its wonderment. “They are a testament to how strong you really are, and of all of the things you’ve been through. Others would have crumbled under half the weight you’ve had to endure. You're like a tree; strong and weathered, and where everyone takes refuge." 

Your hands dance along his chest again until your index finger lands on one scar in particular that is about three inches from his heart. Your face turns dark for a second, your brows furrowed at the thought of the glaring hardship that he unquestioningly assumes on behalf of everyone else that he cares for. 

"You take the brunt of the storm while everyone is protected by you, Arthur." You gaze at him from under your thick lashes with a look of concern that darkens your once-bright face, worried about his well-being. 

“Yeah, I’m rough and gnarled like an ol’ oak tree”, he sighs with a sad little self-deprecating grin as his fingertips drum nervously on your back.

The effervescent giggle that bubbles from your lips at his statement is music to his ears as that grin of yours that Arthur loves so much blooms across your cheeks.

“Yes, you’re rough, I’ll give you that,” you chuckle in agreement. “But, also like an old oak tree, every once in awhile, Arthur, you show the most magnificent colors.” The demure little smile that graces your face is enough to make Arthur’s heart stop. 

He’s not used to this. He’s been denied attention for so long. Which is ironic, as all you want to do is touch him: run your fingers along his face, draw your leg along his, push yourself up against his bare chest. It's hard for you to imagine anyone ever thinking Arthur is not enough as he is all that you ever seem to think about.

Arthur pulls you to him again for more kisses which you happily reciprocate. The more you touch each other, the more the two of you relax and let go of the inhibitions and hesitations; the comfort settling upon you two like a warm blanket. Your kisses quickly lead to tight embraces, holding each other so close that it's possible that a rib may crack. Heavy breathing and gentle, needy moaning begins to fill the quiet night air.

Getting bolder, Arthur places hot, wet lips along your jawline, down your neck and over your collarbone, getting more and more greedy as your chin gently drops back to grant him access to the sensitive skin underneath. A contented sigh pulls from your slightly gaped mouth as his tongue darts out to leave trails along that soft spot on your chest above your breasts. Your arms affectionately cradle his head to you as your fingers comb through the amber-colored locks of his hair that are forever-embedded with faint hints of woodsmoke.

It is such a blissful moment as you feel each other wrapped in the other’s arms, held so close that every inch of you is heightened and yearning for more. 

Arthur eventually rolls you to lay you down, his own body pinning the side of yours to the ground. Your leg lifts to intertwine with his as your arms slot under his own like a puzzle piece as he deepens the passion with hungry lips and curious hands. Closing your eyes only enhances the extension of his touch as he continues. Everywhere Arthur’s fingers and lips graze, the sensation bursts forth to travel the entire scope of your body.

He eventually sits up on his knees, straddling your right leg, to pull at the strings of your skirt. He’s trying not to get impatient when his giant fingers fumble with the ties. But quick enough, the waistline comes loose and Arthur’s fingers hook underneath and slowly pull the fabric back to expose your hips, and all their glory in between, before showcasing your legs. 

Arthur’s hand comes up to cover his mouth in awe as he takes in the sight of you lying naked beneath him. Slightly embarrassed under his heated gazed, you instinctively pull your legs up a bit, curling in on yourself like a potato bug to try to hide from the exposure. Upon seeing your reaction, Arthur gives you a reassuring smile and leans overtop of you to protectively shield you from the world outside the shelter. His hand caresses your face, a gesture so gentle that belies his gruff exterior. 

“You are so beautiful, you know that?” he whispers to you, kissing your temple. But Arthur’s compliment only makes your cheeks turn as red as the fire outside as you hide your face into his bare chest. 

“Stop it”, you mumble into his muscles, self-conscious of his praise. 

“Oh, so it's okay for you to say nice things, but not me?” he teases with that gruff baritone voice. “I see how it's gonna be.”

“You deserve to hear it more than I do.” Your voice is small and humble, averting your eyes from his as you roll your fingertips around his chest hair.

“Bullshit. If that ain’t the biggest lie I ever heard…”, his nose nudging against yours before encompassing your mouth with his own again.

Arthur carefully moves to crawl completely over you. Both of you are shaking slightly, but it's not from the chill night air. His movements are slow at first, terrified of hurting you physically or offending you with his pent up lust. His hands begin to roam more freely over your skin, which is softer than he ever dreamed. 

Now that he finally has you, Arthur is eager to see every bit of you. His lips kiss over the faint lines and stretch marks that occasionally decorate your skin. His fingertips trace them first as he discovers every bit of you. His attention eventually lands on the soft swell of your breasts, which he caresses before clamping his hot mouth over the nipple, his tongue flicking and swirling over the highly-sensitive skin. You softly hum as your hands find their way to come up again to finger through his hair, your nails dragging slightly across his scalp before lightly grabbing onto the thick waves. 

Your image, your shape, gets burned into Arthur’s brain as he continues his line of kisses and fingertrails all over your body:  every curve, every freckle, even the soft roll of your stomach and hips. Everywhere Arthur touches makes you melt, as his hands are hot like the sun from his own want mixed with his nervousness. 

Your heat is so sensitive as his hand carefully drops to caress it, causing you to jump slightly with a whimper. His fingertips linger around your soft mound until they dance along the delicate folds, already slick with want as you buck slightly into his hand, panting hotly into his mouth. His face now hovers so close to yours, close enough for his eyelashes to tickle your skin, as he gently slips a digit into you. Your spine arches back at the sensation of it, a breathless moan escaping your kiss-swollen lips and your toes begin to curl in pleasure. 

Arthur watches your reaction carefully as he pumps his finger into you. Your eyes roll back as your chin lifts, your mouth sharply sucking in air. Your hand desperately reaches out to grasp his bicep with desire. Your eyes open again to meet his gaze, burning into each other with such intensity. His hand moves faster, adding a second digit now, and curls them to rub that certain spot so perfectly. The sensation draws the most beautiful moan from your lips. It is a sound that almost makes Arthur weep.

Suddenly, the realization of what’s about to happen hits him. What if he’s not good enough? What if you reject him after this? What if he hurts you? What if this ruins the one good thing he has in his life? Arthur pauses in his worship of you, retracting from between your legs for a moment. His hand graces over your forehead as his thumb lingers at the corner of your eyebrow. 

“Are you sure this is what you want, (Y/N)?” His eyes crease with concern as he searches yours, not 100% sure if he should continue. “We don’t have to do this right now.” 

But you are getting restless. You’ve been pushed to the limit in body, mind, and soul by this man and it is time to put an end to your longing. You cup Arthur’s face again with a look of seriousness settling across your features as you are afraid that maybe he is having second thoughts after all.

Your (y/e/c) eyes burn into his with such intensity and longing. “I only want you, Arthur. Of that, I am certain.” 

Arthur inhales deeply, weighing the possible consequences. “If this is too much, you need to tell me. Promise?”

You lift up slightly and give him a chaste kiss upon his plump lips. “I promise.”

Giving a faint smile in acceptance, Arthur pulls away from you. He carefully stands up again, stooping slightly in the small shelter, and begins to unbuckle his pants. With no union suit on today, his remaining layers of clothing are quick to come off. His hardened cock springs forth from its confines as he bends to shuck the pants and boots from his legs. 

You watch him intently, taking in the vision of him. Arthur truly is a beautiful specimen of a man. You have patched him up multiple times after jobs and fights, and of course there was that time when you accidentally stumbled upon him bathing in the river, so you have seen him before. But now you are free to observe his body, to truly take in the sight of him and appreciate the man standing before you.

Of course, he is muscular, his arms and thighs thick from years of hard labor. His entire body is littered with hair, but not in an unpleasant way. Now that he is completely naked in front of you, even more scars are made known to you. You notice old knife wounds on his thighs and an old white scar creeping up along his shin. He almost resembles a ragdoll, one that is tattered and has been stitched back together over time. 

Arthur tosses his pants to the side and looks down at you, hesitating when he notices how keenly you gaze at him. Seeing his look of concern, you sit up to run your hands up his thighs and reach over his abdomen, making the mental note of how his bodyhair trials downward towards the V between his legs. When your face tilts upwards towards his, he leans in for another impassioned kiss before gently pushing you back down and settling himself between your legs. 

Arthur shifts between your hips, getting his knees and elbow set. Caging you underneath him, he begins to rock back and forth causing his whole body to rub against yours. The rhythmic motion lulls you into a relaxed state like no other. You can feel his cock beginning to twitch as it pushes against your heat as if begging for attention. You hear him hiss slightly under his breath, fighting to keep his composure before he loses all self control. The sound makes you moan and mewl on your own accord.

Finally, it’s at the point where Arthur just can’t wait any longer, and neither can you by the way you're grasping and whining at him. He reaches down between you to line himself up and pushes himself into you so gently. Your hand immediately shoots out to his shoulder, bracing yourself. He's well-endowed between his legs and he knows it. Your eyes meet his, holding his gaze as he stretches you so wonderfully below, causing you to lightly gasp. He watches your face as you wince slightly, letting out a brief whimper as he pushes. He's trying to be so mindful of your comfort, knowing he's going to fully bury himself into you to the hilt. 

"You alright?" Arthur cautiously asks as he grabs and hooks his arm under your leg, lifting it up and over his hip to open you up more to him. 

"Yes", you pant out, smiling sweetly and lifting your face up to kiss him gently again. He takes a brief moment to get himself adjusted and then begins to move, causing your breathing to be heavy in his ear. He pushes his cock all the way into you, grunting at the heavenly sensation of it, before retracting again. He moves so slowly at first, but then begins to move at a steady pace. The experience is so utterly amazing to you both as you can feel every inch of each other in the most intimate of ways. 

He begins to pump himself in and out as your whole body moves with him. You hook your arm around Arthur’s wide shoulders and neck while the other hand has a tight grasp onto his bicep, fingers digging into the muscles there. After a few moments, he wants to ask again if you're okay, but when your mouth falls open and he hears the words, "damn, Arthur" whispered into his ear, he knows his answer. 

But you can still see the apprehension in Arthur’s face; feel it in his fingers as he touches you. He buries his face into your neck and holds you so tightly as his hips find their place in a steady rhythm between yours. Yet Arthur is still so hesitant, still holding back from you as if nervous.

"Arthur…I need you," your whisper to him barely audible. 

“You're sure about this?” he asks again, lifting his face from your neck to look into yours. “I mean, I really don’t want to hurt you, (Y/N), after everything and all.” Arthur sweetly searches for any misgivings, for any sign that you are not ready for this next step.

“I want all of you, Arthur," your voice yearning with desire as you cup his face again. You are so touched that this sometimes-brutal man can be so careful with you, especially in this situation. "It’s okay. I’m tougher than you think." You give him a little nod as his favorite little smile graces your lips once more.

And just like that, that confirmation is all that Arthur needs as he suddenly crashes into your lips, hot and all consuming this time. His thrusts instantly become deep and steady as his hips begin to snap sharply into yours with the ferocity of a caged beast that has been released back into the wild. And you gasp in the most satisfied way as you give in to him. 

“That’s it,” you pant, praising him as you wrap your one leg around his waist to pull him deeper into you, while using the other to stabilize yourself against his force and push yourself up to receive him. 

It doesn’t take long for Arthur to give in to his long-denied desires and lose himself completely, drowning in his senses. He didn’t realize just how empty his soul was until you were there to fill it again. And you are more than happy to be the one to provide that comfort to him. It’s the simplest, yet most selfless thing that you could offer him with your humble existence. 

Arthur used to think that he just wanted to disappear sometimes, to get lost from everyone and everything in the world. But what he realizes is that all he’s ever wanted was to be truly found. And clinging to him, you are just as desperate as Arthur is. Loneliness isn’t something just for an outlaw. You wrap yourself up into him, into his arms, against his barrel chest which is heaving and trying to catch the air for the lungs within as he moves faster and faster on top of you.

“Don’t let me go." Your plea wafts into his ear as tears form in the corners of your eyes as the weight of everything that you've been through and everything you've been waiting for, finally comes to a culmination. 

”Never” is all he manages to murmur in response, not even sure if you hear him. 

The feeling of Arthur on top of you, of him inside of you, is so wonderfully overwhelming and electric. The fullness of him inside you, his rough hands on your skin, his soft lips nipping at your jawline, and his hot breath on your neck, it’s all as if lightning has hit you and is traveling throughout your entire body. Your skin is buzzing with the exquisite sensation, acutely aware of even his chest hair as it drags and rubs against your sensitive breasts as he moves. 

Arthur grabs onto your hip again, digging his fingertips into the soft flesh there. There will be slight bruising there for sure later, but neither of you are in any frame of mind to acknowledge or care right now. His cock continues to ram into you, hitting the back of your walls as his girth stretches you so wonderfully. His thrusts are sharp and hard, more desperate than harsh, chasing you, as if you’ll vanish from him in moments like the sun burning the morning fog away.

It is a good thing that your first time together is out and away from anyone else in camp. It gives you both the opportunity to explore and appreciate each other properly. But it also allows you to be free and unrestricted, as the sounds of your lovemaking burst forth in waves of moaning, squeals, and grunting, only getting louder and louder with each cascading wave of building ecstasy. 

Looking down at you, Arthur never thought he’d see you like this:  flushed and pupils blown, your mouth fallen open and making the most incredible noises in his ear. In all the time he's watched you from afar and sketched your image to keep privately for himself, Arthur never dreamed it could be like this. He looks down at himself pounding into you, watching how your body shudders with each stroke. Like a musician playing a fiddle, you move and moan with his fingers. Your chest heaves while your back arches at an almost inhuman angle, desperate to receive more of him. It makes him want you even more. It's crazy how your body responds in perfect union to his. Every time you moan his name in broken syllables and wanton whispers, Arthur shudders and groans even more as it is a confirmation that you are really here for him and only him. And like a selfish child, he wants you all to himself.

The two of you form a beautifully ungraceful knot of limbs and noises, hard to tell where one of you begins and the other ends. Arthur rocks into your hips like a wave on the ocean, repeatedly surging and retreating. Your hands wrap under his arms to grip the planes of his back as your fingers dig into the hard muscle there, clawing for a handhold. You draw your knee up, causing your hips to open wider and granting Arthur more access to your core before your heels dig into the backs of his thighs. And in reaction to your movements, he swallows each of your gasps with his mouth, hungry for you. He winds his hand up into your hair again, pulling slightly to tip your chin back to expose the delicate area of your throat and allowing him to claim what is his with a twinkle of pure delight in his eyes. Your mouth opens up into a soundless scream, an airless breath that fights to escape your chest. And all the while, you are completely absent of coherent thought. Your mind is taken over by the feel of Arthur completely encompassing you. 

This goes on for what seems like hours, as time seems to stand still. For the first time in forever, this feels different for both of you. You cling to Arthur as if your life depends on it because maybe it does. Arthur is the very air you breathe. But that is okay, because he clings to you just the same. The two of you lie there, skin against skin, yet you still try to pull each other even closer. It's a wonder that either of you can move at all for how tightly you hold each other. But it's because you move in perfect unison together that you are able to make it work so heavenly.  

In this beautiful moment, nestled in the thick of the forest and caressed by the darkness of the night, yet kissed by the glow of a fire, you and Arthur give in to each other so completely and so deeply, each finding that missing piece in each other to make you both whole once more. He is the strength that you so desperately need, and you are the hope and humanity that he lost so long ago.

Lightning begins to build in your abdomen as your climax is soon to come. You can’t even form words to tell him, but Arthur can tell by how much faster you're panting and squirming beneath him. Your hot breath dances across Arthur’s neck as your bottom teeth drag along his earlobe, causing an almost animalistic grunt to erupt from him. 

Now it’s your turn to dig your fingers with bruising pressure as your fingernails begin to cut into the flesh of his strong back, holding onto him desperately while the crescendo builds between your legs. You throw your head back with a loud and overwhelmed moan the moment it hits, stars clouding your vision as your climax comes hard with full force like a tidal wave. Arthur stares at you, mesmerized, as his hand comes up to cradle your face as if he’s trying to actually catch the feeling of it into his palm. He is utterly amazed by you. He can’t remember when, or even if, he’s seen a woman react to his touch like this. 

And with this sight, Arthur is soon to follow you. Moaning loudly, his eyes shoot wide before screwing tightly shut again to brace himself for the impending sensation about to rock his entire body. And the intensity of his orgasm hits him like a ton of bricks. Arthur quickly reaches up to fist your hair again as he pulls himself out of you just in time to release between your thighs. The muscles of his entire body tense up and restrict, clamping down tightly onto your body underneath him. His breathing becomes staggered and jagged as he sputters to catch his breath.  

Arthur has a split second of panic as he pulls out of you, not sure if he has timed himself properly. He almost doesn’t make it because he can barely pry himself from your reflexive grasp to move. Aside from the obvious precautions against pregnancy, Arthur doesn't want to offend you by assuming he could release inside of you. 

Arthur remains motionless for a few moments, still trying to catch his breath from his own orgasm, before his bear-like frame collapses onto you. You notice how sweetly his legs and arms tremble as he tries not to crush you beneath him. His face returns to the crook of your neck, panting hot breath onto your sweat-glistening skin. The cool night air is a blessing as a slight breeze chases away the excessive heat that radiates off of your naked bodies. You slowly drag your fingers up the valley of his spine, dancing along the back of his neck and into his hair as the feather-light touch of your fingers causes him to shudder again. You let out a satisfied moan as you flex your fingers into his sweat-damp hair. 

Arthur eventually pulls himself up onto his elbows to look you in the face again and is relieved to be greeted by the softest of smiles. You place your hand along his cheek again, just as you did before, and lift up to pepper his face with sweet kisses along his jaw and his cheek and over his eyelids and nose. 

Carefully, Arthur rolls off of you and onto his left side, but keeps his arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him as he moves. He reaches over you to grab his neckerchief that was discarded earlier and uses it to gently clean your legs and then himself before tossing it aside once more. 

Laying there wrapped up into each other’s arms, you forget that the rest of the world exists. You stare into each other's eyes, soaking up the reality of what has just happened between you, as your hand floats up to nestle your fingertips in between the pectoral muscles of his chest. There is a new sense of depth to Arthur’s ocean-blue eyes, a calmness that you haven’t seen before. Arthur studies your face, taking in the way the firelight catches in your irises and mapping the curvature of your lips that he has to fight the urge to kiss again and again. 

“So now what?” Arthur asks, finally breaking the blissful silence.

You release a hum of contented exhaustion as you smile at him. "This doesn’t have to be anything that you don’t want it to be, Arthur. Although I’m really hoping it goes past this moment." 

“I gotta be honest, (Y/N), I haven’t done this in a long time. I...I don’t know if I can.” He draws his lips inward, biting down slightly as he’s embarrassed to tell you this, worried you’ll reject him here and now. 

“But what you don’t realize, Arthur, is that’s where you have me at a disadvantage,” you tell him with a voice so soft and gentle. “At least you’ve had love before. I’ve never been fortunate enough to have what you had, even if it was only for a brief window of time.” You lovingly reach over and run the pads of your fingers over his lips and chin. A lop-sided grin dusts your face as you study him for a moment. “You are capable of so much more than you know, Arthur. I can’t wait for the day that you realize that.” 

Arthur hums in contemplation, averting his eyes for a moment as the corners of his mouth lift a bit. His fingertips roll over the delicate skin of your back as your words embed themselves into his mind.

“I don’t want anything from you, Arthur. I just simply want you.” Your breathy voice carries your warm proclamation, assured with the glinting look that you give him. 

“This could go so wrong, you know,” he warns, his eyebrows knit with concern as his gaze meets yours once again.

“True. But, it could go so right, too,” you counter with a smirk. “This could be the best thing to happen to either of us, Arthur." You reach over again and gracefully run your fingers through his hair before cupping his cheek again as your thumb gently swipes over his bottom lip. "And I think you’re worth the risk.” 

Arthur runs his hand along your back and over your hips, taking in all of your beautiful words. He thinks he is just so ordinary. Or maybe not even that. But to you, he is extraordinary, vast and breathtaking like the bluest sky over the valley. And he can see it in your eyes when you look at him and it makes it hard for him to breathe.  

“Do you have any idea what you do to a man?”, he finally smirks, his eyebrows arching questioningly at you. 

A coy smile dances upon the petals of your lips in return. “Don’t care about other men. Just you.” 

That affirmation causes Arthur’s heart to soar higher than the stars sparkling in the sky above you, and he surges forward and into your lips again. He doesn’t want this moment to end, but only to fold the two of you up into it forever. You smile and hum into Arthur's mouth as his tongue pushes over yours again and again as you can feel his confidence building with each caress of his strong hands across your body. 

When you feel him harden against your legs again, you take advantage of the opportunity and gently push the man over to climb on top of him. Your hair falls to create an intimate curtain, housing your two faces so sweetly as you catch Arthur’s lips with your own. You pull away from his mouth and begin to place kisses along his neck and over his shoulder. The thin blanket that Arthur had wrapped around the two of you slowly falls away to expose your naked body to the cool night air once more, causing goosebumps to prickle your skin. 

Using one hand to steady yourself, you use the other to explore Arthur’s muscled chest, rolling over the chest hair that decorates his weathered skin. Playing on both angles, you draw your leg up along Arthur’s body, running your knee and leg along his side, while simultaneously moving your hand and lips down his thick torso. The full body caress makes Arthur’s whole body come to life. His body is used to hardship and blows; to be abused and pushed to the limits of its capabilities. Certainly not this type of coveted affection and touching that you are providing him now.

Arthur’s head rolls back with a moan as he is now the one being taken care of. His head thumps back against your make-shift pillow with a soft ‘thud’ sound as his hands land on your shoulders, massaging the muscle there between his strong fingers as you travel downward along his body. Your trail of kisses leads you down to his hips as your hair feathers out over his abdomen. 

His breath suddenly hitches as he quickly looks down as you hover over his cock. You look up at him and meet his gaze, before you duck back down, gently taking his large cock into your hand. Arthur’s eyes go wide then immediately heavy-lidded as the heat from your mouth envelops his tip before slowing working down the thickness of his shaft. 

You have only done this a few times before now, and Arthur is much larger than you're used to. But desire is a wonderful motivator. Your head starts to bob slowly at first before picking up a faster pace. Using your hand, you're able to take him entirely into your mouth without gagging. Your tongue wraps around the shaft before teasingly flicking at the tip. The muscles of your mouth firmly encompass his cock, creating the most blissful sensation of pressure and suction as you pull up and down. You can hear the hissing and moaning sounds the man is making and it only increases your confidence in your performance, and you change your technique to elicit the specific sound you desire from his trembling lips. 

Right now, you only want to take care of Arthur; to make him feel good and show him the attention that he so rightfully deserves. And yet, the idea that you could hold this strong and fearsome outlaw hostage in the palm of your hand is incredible. This position also gives you the opportunity to take note of just how large Arthur is. It’s little wonder how he was able to pull such an intense orgasm from the depth of your body just moments ago. The very memory of it causes your own desires to ramp up, as your heat begins to tingle and get wet between your legs again. 

Once Arthur is at the point that he is rock-hard again, you slowly remove his cock from your mouth with a soft “pop” and gently rise-up to place yourself on top of him. Arthur watches you, captivated, as you crawl over him like an animal stalking its prey, and slowly rock back and forth, rubbing yourself against him. He’s tempted to take himself in hand, line himself up with your heat and push up into you again. But he’s too transfixed by your dominance at the moment to do anything but watch you move atop of him. 

As if reading his mind, you smirk and you lift up a bit more, wrapping your hand around his rigid cock to guide yourself as you lower onto him, moaning softly and biting down on your lip as his size fills you up yet again. Your head drops back, hair cascading down your back, as you start to slow-grind on him in a hypnotic rhythm. 

Finally able to pull his mind out of its lust-drunk fog, Arthur runs his hands up the front of your thighs, his thumbs rubbing small circles into the plush skin there. He snakes one hand along your stomach and up into the valley between your breasts as the other hand lands on your hip, his fingers digging slightly to help hold the pace you are setting. Letting you take the lead this time allows Arthur to take in the sight of you as you straddle his hips with your own. 

You're not perfect. But it’s your imperfections that make you perfect to Arthur. It really is as if you are made for each other. You have curves, for sure. You're not as small as some of the other girls in camp, but you fit into Arthur’s large hands perfectly. He doesn’t feel like he’s going to break you as if you are a porcelain doll. Your individual features are pleasant for sure, but taken in as a whole, you are striking. At least to Arthur you are. 

He savors the touch of your soft skin against his which is rough and weathered; how the large orbs of your adoring eyes are looking down at him right now, and how you so generously take him into yourself. You are beautiful, you are kind…and you are his. And the two of you can’t get enough of each other. 

For you, you had been so worried that what happened in Rosewood would have ruined you. And it almost did. But you didn’t want that act of depravity to define you. And you pulled from the common adversity of your new family to help rebuild your spirit like a phoenix rising from the ashes. And if that hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t be here now, like this. With Arthur. 

If it were anyone else touching you like this, you’d probably curl up into a ball, retracting into yourself in fear or self-loathing. But with Arthur, you feel safe and shielded as if no one else in the world would, or could, touch you. 

Arthur is different and you’ve always known it by the way he makes you feel, even when he simply speaks to you. He is warm and instantly feels familiar to you, like he has always been the other half of yourself. He feels solid and secure to your touch and almost makes you feel drunk with emotions that can’t even be named. The best feeling in the whole world is to be with someone who wants you just as much as you want them.

It's amazing how life works sometimes. Some people always have the sunshine in life while others always seem to get the rain. But sometimes, you really do need to suffer through the storm to see the magic of the rainbow at the end of it. 

As you continue to ride him, Arthur can see and feel both of you rapidly approaching your conjoined climax again as he can feel the velvet walls of your heat clenching around his twitching cock inside of you. As you begin to move even faster, you take your hands off of where you've been holding on to Arthur’s forearms and lean over him to plant them on his shoulders. This angle gives you more leverage to grind Arthur even deeper into yourself, if that’s even possible. Harder, faster. Deeper than you thought possible, until you feel as if he’s up into your ribcage. Arthur reciprocates by bucking his hips up into yours with each stroke, causing you to gasp as the breath is taken right out of your lungs with the feel of it. And it’s shortly thereafter that you both start to grasp at each other again, bracing for the overstimulation about to hit. 

Your climax is intense and hits first again. A sharp moan erupts from your lips as your head instantly snaps backwards. And as your muscles begin to go limp as you come down, Arthur grabs you and takes control, sitting up slightly to wrap his strong arms around you, and rides you through the surge of it. 

Watching your eyes roll back into your head with a strained cry, he is quick to hit his own climax and swiftly lifts you up to pull himself out of you again. He pitches you forward, causing your trembling arms to brace yourself against him as he spills his seed along your conjoined thighs once more. It’s a good thing Arthur has a hold of you, too, as you are completely undone at this point, your whole body seemingly boneless. You roll your head to the side and close your eyes before leaning forward to collapse against his chest. 

You both lay there for some time, motionless except for your heaving chests. Arthur’s massive arms encircle you to hold you tight to him as you curl up onto the plane of his chest, your fingers clutching at him. Eventually, you shift to lower yourself to lay along Arthur’s side. You turn into him and snuggle your face into his chest as your hand rests across his heart which you can feel beating like crazy beneath your palm. You absentmindedly rake your fingers through his chest-hair and lift your leg up and over to entwine with his, still trying to keep as close to him as possible. 

Smiling slightly at the feeling of your warm body against his, Arthur pulls the blanket around you again to cover your naked body as it drapes over his own. He lays his hand atop of yours that rests on his chest and wraps his other arm around you to cradle you back into him, his hand tangling in your hair as he holds your head. 

And here in this perfect little moment of satiated bliss, Arthur is happy.

“We could have done this a long time ago, you know,” you snicker as you roll your eyes up to look at him. 

“Hmmm, don’t I know it. Remind me next time to listen to you, would ya?” He pulls his rough fingers along your spine and up over your bare shoulders, still fascinated by how soft your skin is. 

“It’s like I told you before, Arthur:  you look out for me, I’ll look out for you,” you say drowsily, as sleep is about to take over your worn-out senses. And within moments, you are asleep. 

When you go silent and the only sound he hears is the crickets in the night, Arthur looks down at your form, curled up into him like a kitten and almost as fragile looking as one, too. He runs his fingertip along your shoulder again, admiring how the appendage curves. And as he watches you in your euphoric slumber, his mind starts to wander now that it’s quiet and his wits are about him once more. 

It is amazing how this person who was once a total stranger to him can suddenly, and without warning, mean the world to him. You are everything Arthur has ever dared to hope for. And somehow, by some miracle, you have graced him with your affection. And Arthur knows it now: time, distance, background - nothing could separate you two. This is real and this is right. Arthur understands now that you are the person that he was always meant to find, and he is unimaginably captivated by you. 

In the quiet night air, now that the symphony of moans and panting are done, the only sound carrying through the still night air is the popping of the fire as it dies down. The faint noise of a hooting owl in the trees can be heard off in the distance. Left to his own thoughts, Arthur’s reason and self-doubt begin to creep up again, but it’s only for a moment. Spreading like black ink, Micah’s words ring through his mind : if Arthur really cared for you, he’d save you the heartache and keep you safe from him and the trouble that someone like him brings. 

But now, Arthur doesn’t think he could ever do that even if he tried. Selfishly, now that he has you, he doesn’t want to let you go. It would be like taking the air from his lungs or the blood from his heart. Arthur is all-consumed by you now. He could die tomorrow and he'll be a happy man. 

What if he doesn’t run this time, but stays and lets your affection for him, possibly even love, overtake him? Arthur never fathomed that even something as simple as the sound of your voice could ever calm his soul like you have. 

So instead of the foolish notion to leave you in order to protect you, Arthur determines he’s going to do everything in his power to keep you safe and protected in his care. He is your guardian, and you are his angel. 

As he comes to this conclusion, Arthur’s powerful arms involuntarily tighten around you as if someone was going to come and take you away from him. He leans down and places an ever-so soft kiss on the top of your head, causing you to shift even closer into him in your sleep. 

“I got you, baby-girl. I got you”, he whispers. 

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

Several hours go by and you slowly wake from your blissful slumber to the sound of chirping birds in the air. The lightening sky of soft lavender and subdued pinks washes over the landscape and creeps its way into the hunting shelter, intruding upon the blissful solitude where you and Arthur are still tucked away. 

The last few plumes of smoke from the dying fire slowly waft through the air. Both of you must have been worn out from your passionate love-making as you are both in the same position as when you fell asleep in each other's arms. The slightly damp, cool breeze of the morning blows across your exposed shoulder, causing you to stir. You slowly stretch and curl into a tighter ball around the bulk of the man beneath you. You inhale deeply as your muscles flex and you instantly catch his scent. The smell of leather and cigarettes, mixed with a bit of clove from his soap, fills your nose. It instantly makes you smile in your hazy sleep, remembering where you are and that this is indeed not a dream. 

Arthur refused to sleep much overnight, keeping a watchful eye on you as you slept, but he did end up dozing lightly here and there. When he feels you move against his bare skin, warm and soothing, he peels open his blue-green eyes with a sleepy grunt and peers down at you. 

“Hey you,” he murmurs softly as he runs his thumb across your temple. You smile, inhaling deeply again, taking a moment to appreciate where you are before you reply with your own sleep-hushed “Hey you”. 

“We’re gonna have to get goin’ here soon, little miss. Dutch ain’t gonna be too happy if we’re out much longer.” Arthur’s voice is thick with sleep and, of course, carrying with it the reluctant tone to enforce what he's saying.

You groan in disappointment, burying your face back into him as you shuffle a bit as your limbs slowly awaken once more. “You sure that’s the way you want to go?” you ask coyly, as you start to leave kisses on Arthur’s chest while seductively drawing circles on his skin with your fingertip. 

“Aw c’mon, you’re killin’ me,” he whines, causing you to giggle mischievously. Arthur wraps you up into his arms and squeezes tightly before relaxing again. When you’re able to lift your head, you reach up to pull his face to yours and plant a soft, yet very intimate kiss on his lip. Your eyes create that dreamy, longing stare again as you look up into his face and run your knuckles along his cheek. 

“You’re gonna get me in so much trouble, you know that?” Arthur raises an eyebrow at you.

“Oh, I know.” With a quick kiss to his nose, you slowly sit up and stretch, looking around for your clothes with a sigh of disappointment. “But I suppose you’re right. We should get going.” 

Arthur reluctantly sits up as well, leaning over to kiss your naked shoulder as he runs his hand slowly down your back, his touch tickling your skin. Your eyes slowly float closed as you turn your head into his, trying to savor every last bit of time you have alone together.

“Trust me, Darlin’, I’d stay out here with you forever if I could,” he mumbles into your skin as his nose and lips smoosh into your shoulder as if trying to melt the two of you together.

“Yeah, yeah, promises, promises,” you joke as you roll over to grab your blouse and skirt. Arthur sees the perfect opportunity and playfully smacks your exposed butt, pulling a slight squeak from your lips.

But soon enough, the two of you get yourselves together. You reluctantly pull apart from one another long enough to pack up the few things you had brought with you in your hasty departure yesterday and prepare to leave the little hunting lean-to and head back to camp. The sun has awakened as well at this point and begins to shine down, its beams freckling through the tree branches. It is a gloriously beautiful morning and you look upon it with a whole new sense of wonder and happiness in your heart. 

As you shake out the blanket and roll it up in your hands, Arthur stands hesitantly behind you, watching you gracefully move as you tuck the last bit of things onto Buck’s saddle. Noticing him out of the corner of your eye, you turn and give him a curious look. “Everything alright?” 

“I’m fine. Just rolling the last 12 hours around in my head," he mumbles, swirling his hand in the air by his temple. "It’s hard to believe what just happened.” Arthur smiles sheepishly, rubbing his hand along his chin as he thinks about his current situation. 

So much has changed in the last few days, let alone hours. From the fighting between you, to his ride to Rosewood; from the confessions to the embrace. And of course, the beautiful night you’ve just spent together. The river of emotions have weighed heavily on Arthur, leaving him delightfully overwhelmed and uncharacteristically content. 

You beam with sparkling eyes as you take a few steps over to him. “Well, now you can touch whenever you want to. That should be fun, yeah?” You reach your arms around his barrel-chest, squeezing him to you, and lift your face upwards to start placing sweet kisses along his face and neck. 

"Whatcha doin?” Arthur asks cautiously, a suspicious eyebrow raised, but one that belies the grin creeping across his bearded face. 

“Just lovin' up on you again,” you giggle into his neck. "Something tells me you're past due and I got a lot of time to make up for." 

A low hum rumbles from deep in his chest as Arthur folds you up against him, squeezing you into a strong embrace in return. He collects your beautiful face into his giant hands and leans down to kiss you deeply. Your breath rolls over each other’s as you indulge your senses yet again. Once more, the rest of the world falls away the moment your lips touch. The feeling leaves your knees weak and you have to fight the urge to push it farther as your arms tighten around his torso and begin to creep up his back. 

When he pulls back again, Arthur looms over you, looking down into your face and admiring the precious gift he’s holding in his hands. He gives a slight shake to his head, absolutely blown away by his dumb-luck and how he’s managed to fall ass-backwards into your life. Arthur stares at you for a moment, those vivid blue eyes of his bright with a whole new purpose behind them as you reflect back to him the most resplendent smile he has ever seen.

“Mine,” he whispers.

“Yours,” you respond breathlessly. 

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

It is mid-morning by the time you and Arthur make your way back to camp. You’re not too sure of what you’ll come back to, but prepare yourselves for the teasing and cat-calls you’re sure are coming. Thankfully, though, it’s mostly knowingly smirks and waves that greet you. A slight wave of relief settles over you at that, as you are not sure how Arthur would react to such personal teasing. Despite the connection that the two of you have, he is still very much a private person. 

You both get Arthur’s horse taken care of, offer your apologies to a very agitated Blue for being left behind, and then head over to Pearson’s wagon to get some much-needed coffee. The camp is relatively quiet this morning, with a few members milling about with their own agendas. The slight breeze waffs the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee in your direction and pulls you like a tether. You inhale deeply, your eyes briefly rolling shut, and smile with the feeling of “being home”. This little moment is so perfect:  a beautiful morning, surrounded by friends, hot coffee on the fire, and your man at your side. 

“There’s the love-birds,” Pearson chimes loudly with a wink when he notices you and Arthur. The cook stirs the last remnants of breakfast in his pot, clanging the utensil loudly on the side to shake off whatever coats the spoon. The portly man quickly puts down the ladle and grabs the coffee pot and a few cups for you. 

“Yeah, yeah,” says Arthur, waving him off as his face turns a slight shade of pink. You simply smile and gratefully take the cup from Pearson’s hand. A quick, eager sip of the hot, bitter liquid cascades down your throat, warming you from the inside out and a soft “Ahhhh” escapes your lips. And before the two of you can do anything else, you are greeted by the sound of Dutch’s voice carrying through the air. 

“Well, well, nice of you two to join us again!” 

You and Arthur both turn to see Dutch and Hosea approach and notice Hosea holding a few rolls of paper in his hands. 

“Are you two done foolin’ around so we can get some work done around here?” asks Dutch, raising his eyebrows at you both in impatience with a slight wave of his arm. 

“For now,” you quip back. “But I was hoping to fool around a bit again before dinner”. You give Dutch a cocky smirk and a wink. 

Hosea's face wrinkles delightfully as he tries to stifle a laugh while Arthur lowers his head to hide a huge smile under the brim of his hat at your insinuation. But the look on Dutch’s face is anything but amused by your comment right now. 

“Not in the mood. Right,” you say awkwardly under Dutch’s impatient glare, clearing your throat and quickly minding your place. “I’ll just...go somewhere over there.” You wave your hand dismissively towards the center of the camp before turning to Arthur. “I’ll see you later, Arthur,” you giggle. 

Placing your hand on his arm, you give it a slight squeeze along with a big smile. He gives you a quick nod before you quickly scurry away from the men. Arthur’s eyes continue to follow after you, landing on the curve of your rear as you walk away, instantly missing your presence. He reluctantly turns back to Dutch only to be met with the older man’s stink-eye look. 

“What?” asks Arthur innocently, chuckling a little. 

Dutch plants his ringed hands onto his hips in annoyance, tilting his head to the side just a bit as he looks at Arthur. “This is going to get really old, really fast, isn’t it?” asks Dutch with an exasperated sigh.

“Oh, leave him alone, Dutch. He’s finally got a good thing goin’ there for himself,” interrupts Hosea approvingly with a knowing grin on his face. “Now, come on you two. We need to go over these carrier routes.” Hosea waves the papers he’s been holding in front of them and motions to the nearest table with his head. 

Leaving the three of them to their business, you take your cup of coffee and saunter over to the fire to take advantage of a rare quiet morning to relax. Noticing that you are back in camp, Abigail is quick to run up to you with a huge cheshire-cat-like smile sparkling on her face.

“Well, good morning, Miss (Y/L/N),” Abigail sings as she hustles over, shimmying up to you and elbowing your arm. “Soooo?” she questions you with a smirk.

But you playfully roll your eyes at her and shake your head as you take a seat next to the other girls who are already gathered around the fire and trying to wake up for the day. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell," you tease Abigail with a grin, demurely pulling your shoulder to your chin. 

“Well, we know there was more than kissin’ going on last night, so why don’t you tell us about that then?” jokes Abigail, swatting your arm.

"So tell us, (Y/N)! How was it?" Karen blurts out eagerly. Her sleepy face instantly perks up the moment you sit down.

"Karen!" scolds Mary-Beth in a hushed tone. Judging by their snickering, you can only imagine that your departure last night has been the talk of the camp.

"What?” Karen protests innocently to Mary-Beth. “I'm genuinely curious.” She waves her hand nonchalantly towards you. “I wanna know if it was worth all the trouble and the wait.” When Mary-Beth gives nothing but a disapproving stare, Karen leans in to her and swats her friend’s leg. “Oh c'mon, like you ain't dyin' to know yourself," she hisses. 

"Actually, I'm kind of curious about it myself," interjects Abigail, looking back to you with that same cat-like grin.

“Yeah, (Y/N), how’d it go?” asks Tilly, leaning forward in her chair and planting her elbows on her knees in keen interest.

It is so sweet to you how your friends want to share in your excitement. You’ve never had siblings, and even your friendships as a young girl were never as open and close as the relationships that you have quickly cultivated with these women. Your face begins to bashfully dust pink at their attention, yet you can’t help yourself as your smile gets even wider by the minute. 

“Some of the best moments in life are the things that you can’t tell other people about,” you gush, yet still trying to be elusive.

“Oh, come on! That ain’t fair! You gotta give us somethin’!” begs Karen, smacking her hands on her thighs and leaning in towards you.  

You simply reply with a long, mockingly-impatient sigh before your face turns a deeper shade of scarlet. You cover your face with your hands for a few moments before pulling them down to peek over your fingertips at your friends, blushing and giggling like a school-girl. 

"It was...perfect," you say with a dreamy, love-drunk grin on your face. 

“Ooooo” They all let out a collective excited giggle, elbowing each other and so happy for both you and for Arthur. 

—------------------------------

Fortunately, it is a bit of a slow day today and Ms Grimshaw is not chasing after everyone to get back to work for once. So you are able to just sit and socialize with the girls. You pass the time sipping coffee and gossiping, discussing what the plans are for the day and watching Jack play “swords” with a stick with Uncle. It is a perfectly content afternoon for once.

Somewhere off to the side you hear the sound of someone clearing their throat before they approach your little group. You turn your head when movement out of the corner of your eye catches your attention and instantly grin ear to ear when you see that it is Arthur. The way your whole body lights up the moment that you see him makes Arthur instantly wish you were back at the hunting shelter. You’ve only been apart for a little over an hour and yet it already feels like days. 

"Ladies", he addressed the group of you with a nod and polite touch to the brim of his hat.

"Hey, Arthur" they all giggle and smirk at the outlaw at their inside joke. You are quick to swat at them, trying to get them to hush.

"Uh...right.” His hand comes up behind his neck as he stands there awkwardly, suddenly a little uncomfortable with their smirking faces all turned to him. “(Y/N), can I talk to you for a minute?" He waves his hand to usher you away from the small group to speak in private. 

“Sure.” You bounce up from your seat to follow him, turning back over your shoulder with a quick glare at your friends in warning to knock it off with the teasing cackles. 

You and Arthur walk a few feet away from the girls before you stop and turn to face each other. "Don't mind them,” you say quickly to Arthur, waving at the girls.  “They're just..." and you roll your eyes and shake your head, totally at a loss for words.

“Hmmm…yeah I know how they can get,” Arthur acknowledges with a chuckle. He pauses for a moment, looking down at you with a bit of a dopey grin. This is the first time you’ve had a moment alone together again since you’ve gotten back and he’s missed you already. 

“Listen, I gotta leave for a bit. Hosea’s got a lead on some work, need to check it out. But I’ll be back as soon as I can.” His eyebrows raise a bit, waiting to see how you will react to this information.

“Okay”. You nod in understanding, giving him a simple smile. Your response is so easy and accepting. Arthur was expecting a protest or for you to be upset, but he’s pleasantly surprised when you are not. 

“Well, after last night, I wasn’t sure if it was proper to leave.” He gives you a sheepish, guilty look as his thumbs tuck into his gunbelt in his usual, comfortable stance.

You place your hands over his arms as you lean in closer. “It’s alright. Go do what you gotta do. I’ll be here.” 

Arthur hesitates for a moment as something else is clearly on his mind, and he shifts his weight from one hip to the other before he speaks again. “One more thing. Would you do something for me?” His eyes squint just a bit as he thinks on how to pose his next question.

“Anything.” You smile at him, moving your hands onto his chest now, and your fingers begin to fiddle with the knot of his neckerchief. Arthur hums a little, his eyes following your fingers and trying not to get distracted from his task at hand. 

“Stay here in camp ‘til I get back, would ya? Don't be goin' out with the girls or nothin'. I’d feel better knowing you were safe here 'til I got back.” Arthur’s face becomes more serious now. You instantly realize what he’s asking of you and why, and his protectiveness is quite touching. You are relieved to see that Arthur has already taken to the idea of the two of you being “together” and it warms your heart. 

“Sure, I can do that,” you agree and your smile grows even bigger like a plant that has been watered and set in the sun. You take Arthur’s chin in your fingers and pull him down as you raise up on your toes to kiss him sweetly. He blushes a bit at the public display of affection that he's not used to. But he loves it just the same.

"Be careful, please." You playfully scold him, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Always am," Arthur smirks. 

From somewhere behind him, you can hear Bill yelling for him. “Come on Morgan, let’s go!” Arthur lets out an exasperated sigh as he looks at you, rolling his eyes before he turns to leave and making you giggle. 

“Play nice!”, you call after him as Arthur begrudgingly walks away.

"Never do!" he calls back with another smirk and a wink at you over his shoulder. 

Your eyes follow Arthur with a contented sigh escaping your lips as he walks towards the awaiting group that is about to head out. His broad shoulders rock slightly with his slow, swaggering walk; his burly arms sway at his sides, hovering above the guns that hang so naturally on his hips.

Yep. No doubt about it. You are just stupid for, and hopelessly in love with, this man. 

You shake your head at the wonder of it all and turn to head back to the girls.

Arthur makes his way over to the hitching posts to join the others in getting ready to head out on the scout job. He lifts his chin in acknowledgement to John who is already sitting atop Old Boy, waiting for Arthur to join the group. Then suddenly Arthur is brought out of his reverie by an unwelcome sound. 

“So you and (Y/N) have finally done the deed, eh, Morgan?” The sound of Micah’s voice grates on Arthur’s nerves like a knife scraping across metal as the man saunters over to follow Arthur to the horses. (Ugh, of course Dutch wants him for this job, as well.) 

“Well, how was she?” the bastard grunts.  “I bet she’s real frisky. Like a cat.” Micah shakes his eyebrows suggestively at Arthur, knowing full-well that he’s pressing his luck.

A lightning bolt of anger shoots through Arthur’s very being at the very mention of your name from Micah’s despicable lips. His jaw flexes tightly as he grits his teeth together. He reaches out and shoves his massive hand onto Micah’s chest, stopping him dead in his tracks. Arthur pulls a deep inhale through his nose in order to collect himself before he speaks. His eyes turn to that hard, icy-blue color as they pierce menacingly into Micah.

“Let’s get something straight right now.” Arthur points his finger at Micah’s chest. “You don’t talk about her. You don’t look at her. In fact, do yourself a favor and don’t even think about her. Or you and I are goin' to go rounds. Do I make myself perfectly clear?” Arthur’s voice is low and unyielding. That hardness that the outlaw is known for rears its dangerous head in Micah’s direction and the weasel freezes, instantly knowing where that line in the sand has been drawn.

“Say it,” Arthur slowly grits out between clenched teeth as he menacingly towers over Micah. “Say you understand me, asshole.” 

Micah narrows his eyes at Arthur, the argument right there on the tip of his foul tongue, trying to decide just how far he wants to push this right now. But ultimately, he slowly swallows and concedes to back off. For now.

“Sure, cowpoke,” utters Micah, holding his hands up in surrender. “Anything you say.” His scummy, snakelike grin leaves Arthur with an unsettling feeling. If he didn’t like you being around Micah before, Arthur sure as hell doesn't like it now.

—------------------------------

It’s well into the evening when Arthur and the others come back to camp. It’s been a long, yet productive day and Arthur just wants to sit still for one damn moment and relax. Everyone who was left at home is sitting around the fire sharing stories and passing a bottle or two. Your head perks up when you hear the sound of hoofbeats in the distance and you watch Arthur ride in. You notice how he slowly climbs down from Buck’s saddle, almost bone by bone, with exhaustion. As he turns to head into the camp, the outlaw’s tired eyes immediately seek you out amongst the group. And once your eyes meet, your smile draws him in like a moth to a flame. 

Arthur stops to grab a bottle of his own out of one of the crates before ambling over to the fire to take a seat next to you on the ground where you are curled up on a blanket. You nudge your shoulder into his side as he gets settled, placing your hand on his knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. The corners of Arthur’s mouth turn up as his eyes slowly blink at you with fatigue. The feeling of your warm body curled up against him instantly calms and centers him. He didn’t realize until now just how nice it is to have someone waiting for him when he comes home.

“Before you two get too cozy over there, you’re on guard duty tonight, Arthur,” announces Javier over the fire pit, interrupting your little private reunion. 

Arthur quickly throws an annoyed look in Javier's direction. “What? You gotta be kiddin’ me.”  

“I covered for you last night, amigo” Javier tips his beer bottle towards Arthur with a knowing smirk. 

Arthur groans with disappointment. Feeling his frustrations, you lean into Arthur’s side, your face close to his. “Don’t worry, it’s alright,” you whisper. “We’ll have plenty of time later.” Fortunately, you get at least an hour together to relax at the fire before Arthur has to take his leave to head to the look-out post.

Soon after, after the darkness has snuffed out the sunlight of the day, the camp begins to settle for the evening and the people begin to meander back to their respective places for the night. You stand up from your spot at the fire, stretching your stiff joints before bending over to pick up the blanket you were sitting on. Shaking out the fabric, you neatly fold the blanket over your arm and turn to head to your tent. 

You haven’t wandered too far off when you begin to hear the shuffling of footsteps behind you. And before you can say or do anything, the sight of Micah Bell comes into your line of vision. Your eyebrows crease in confusion as you wonder what in the world he could possibly want right now. 

“Looks like you and Arthur have finally "consummated", as it were. Tell me, (Y/N),” Micah sweeps his hand out in front of him, “Can anyone take a ride in that saddle?" 

You can only glare incredulously at him for such an insinuation. God, he is such a disgusting pig. Apparently, Micah is not only going to antagonize Arthur about it, but he’s going to make an attempt at you as well. 

"I mean, if you're gonna spread them pretty legs of yours for the likes of Morgan, can't imagine you got any high standards." Micah arrogantly drags his dirty fingers over his nicotine-stained mustache as if he is about to eat a delectable meal.

You slowly tilt your head at him, your gaze cold. "And that is what burns you up the most, isn't it, Micah?" Your eyes narrow at him, trying to figure out his angle as you play his little game. 

Micah licks his lips and nibbles a bit, taking the bait in return. "What's that, Princess?"

"That I would concede to lay with a man like Arthur, yet I won't even give you the time of day.” You cross your arms over your chest as you hold his gaze in defiance. “That must really get to you, hmm?" you purr.

The smugness instantly drops from Micah’s face being replaced with a sneer. You step a few paces closer, right up into his face so that he can smell the lavender oil you wear. His eyes rake over your body, noting how your cleavage gathers under your crossed arms. He can feel your warm breath scattering across his face. Your boldness, your lack of fear of him, is as annoying to Micah as it is arousing. He sucks his teeth in an effort to regain his composure as he stands in front of you. 

"Know this, Micah. Arthur Morgan is twice the man that you could ever even dream to be," you say with a chilling dead calm. "And in more ways than one, I might add.” 

Micah’s mouth twitches at that last rub. "Well, (Y/N), I guess it's a good thing I ain't ever aspired to be more than I am, then." His tone challenges yours as he leans even closer to you, the tone in the air bordering on threatening.

"That is unfortunate," you say coolly as you confidently hold your ground. "For all of us. Good night, Mr. Bell." And you turn to head into your tent, leaving Micah standing there alone in the cold night air. 

—----------------------------------

Arthur leans his shoulder against the large tree, staring out into the darkness of the woods. The moon is full tonight, looming high above the tree tops and cascading its bright silvery light upon the silent world below. He stands guard over the camp as a brooding sentinel as he slowly draws on yet another cigarette. Smoke huffs out of his lungs like that of a locomotive. 

This is not the place he wants to be right now, as his thoughts drift and focus on you and your night together. Even now, as he recalls even the smallest detail of last night, it seems like a dream to him. He half expects to wake at any moment alone in his tent, surrounded by nothing but the lonesome night, as it all seems just too good to be true. He still has no explanation as to how you seem to pull him in, but you just do. Like that same silvery moon hanging above that pulls on the ocean tides, you draw Arthur to you; just as unyielding, unchanging, and just as magical.

Suddenly Arthur’s daydream is interrupted by the very person he’s thinking about. He catches a wisp of fabric in his peripheral vision. Turning his chin over his shoulder, Arthur sees you coming down the path. He watches as your breath swirls in the frosty air, preceding you as you approach. Like an ethereal being, the moon’s glimmer casts your hair in a soft backlight, causing your gown to be almost see-through in the luminescence as he can see the outline of your calves as you walk. Your delicate hand clasps your shawl around you in the chill air while you carry something else in your other hand. As you get closer, Arthur can see that you have come to bring him a steaming cup of coffee. 

A huge smile instantly erupts across Arthur’s face as he pushes himself up off of the tree. "Hey there, Beautiful. What are you doin’ out here this late?"

The nickname causes your cheeks to burn red more than the chill night air that nips at your tender skin. 

“Coming to see you.” You hand him the cup of coffee, which he gratefully accepts and immediately takes a sip. The hot liquid instantly chases the cold from his tired body and offers just the pick-up that he needed. “How’s it going out here?” you ask as you shiver a bit before pulling the knit shawl tighter around yourself.

“Oh, loads of excitement.” Arthur’s dead-pan drawl makes you laugh a bit.

You snuggle up to his bulky frame, putting your hands around his ribs and looking up into his face with your beautiful (y/e/c) eyes. With his free hand, Arthur snakes his arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him. Despite the cold night air, he is so warm that you just want to curl up into him again like you did at the shelter. He leans in to kiss you, his plump lips finding yours once again. Starting off slowly, your tongue quickly begins to wrestle with his. He tastes like the cigarettes and whiskey he's been consuming while out here. 

Dropping his chin, Arthur starts to kiss the tender skin underneath your ear before he proceeds to drag his fingertip along the area. “I love this spot,” he says, his voice a husky murmur in your ear..

“Do you, now?” you sigh with a silky tone of your own.

“MmmHmm. Because when I kiss it, you make that sound.” And he leans in again, placing another kiss in the same spot, only this time sucking a bit harder as his teeth catch your skin. And as if on command, a breathless whimper escapes your lips before you can control it and your eyes flutter closed again. It makes you melt at how playful he’s become just from simply providing him the opportunity and the feeling of being safe to do so. 

After a few more moments of delicious kisses and nuzzling, you pull away just a bit, leaving your faces hovering close to one another's.

"I’d better get out of here," you whisper, "before I’m any more of a distraction." 

"Too late for that now," Arthur hums, dipping his face down as he rubs his nose to yours, trying to entice you into another kiss. 

"Tell you what.” You pull your face back a bit more to get his attention only to be met with a playful scowl of disappointment from him. “I’ll be waiting for you in your tent. When you’re done here, you know where I’ll be." You reach up to set a soft kiss upon Arthur’s stubbled cheek. And with a teasing grin, you turn and saunter back toward the camp, hips swaying exaggeratedly. 

Arthur’s eyes follow you, the movement of your hips almost hypnotic, causing him to sigh deeply. And just like that, you are gone just as quickly as you had arrived; almost like a dream. 

"Damn..." he says with a slight amazement. 

—---------------------------------

It’s shortly before dawn when Bill comes down the path to relieve Arthur from his post. The large man ambles towards Arthur rubbing his bear-paw over his eyes and yawning profusely.

“I swear he’s walkin’ slower by the damn minute”, Arthur grumbles to himself with a huff when he lays his exhausted eyes on the man. He shoots Bill a look of annoyance as he briskly walks past the burly outlaw to head back to his tent. “I got things to do, Bill,” he snaps. 

Bill simply chuckles with that deep voice of his as he adjusts his hat on his head against the brisk early-morning air. “Oh, I bet you do, my friend.” 

Arthur can’t get back to his tent fast enough. He quickly strides across the camp, hurriedly passing by the other snoring and sleeping residents. It's still quiet out and the sun has yet to poke its radiant head above the horizon line. With any luck, Arthur will have a few hours alone with you before the flurry of daily activity kicks up again.

Excitement travels through Arthur’s exhausted body as he reaches his tent. The very sight of his humble little nest that waits for him in the shadows offers him a whole new level of tranquility. He is quick to notice that it is all silent and dark in the space. He half expected a candle to be burning or something. 

Arthur hesitates outside the canvas before quietly pulling back the flaps and peers in before entering. And he is elated at the sight of you asleep on his cot, waiting for him just as you said you would be. In the back of his mind, Arthur harbored some doubt that you would be here, thinking maybe you’d change your mind for one reason or another. He cherishes the idea that someone, but especially you, would be waiting for the likes of him. 

Arthur quietly creeps in and fixes the flaps back down to ward off the cold autumn breeze before it wakes you. He smiles to himself as he quietly shucks off his jacket and holster, his eyes continuing to rest on your sleeping form as he quietly moves about the tent.

He carefully sits on the edge of the cot, taking a moment to watch you sleeping peacefully. His eyes roam over your body from head to toe, taking in the sight of you and marveling at the treasure he has in front of him. 

You're laying comfortably on your back, hair splayed round your face on the pillow. Your one arm rests up by your face, the other lays gracefully across your abdomen. Arthur’s head tilts to the side as he observes how your chest slowly rises and falls with calm breaths. Your eyelids occasionally flutter, making your lashes dance upon your angelic face. Oh, what it must be like to rest so peacefully, he wonders. Maybe now with you by his side, he’ll get to know what that’s like. Maybe. 

Arthur places his hand beside your head as he leans over to gently kiss your delicate lips. The action causes you to startle awake, a sharp gasp crossing your lips as your hands shoot to his chest in surprise. But you are quickly relieved to see his handsome face hovering above yours. 

"Sorry," Arthur murmurs with an apologetic grin. "Couldn’t resist." 

You hum with a sleepy countenance as you slowly sit up, the heel of your hand rubbing your eye in an effort to wake yourself. You reach over to cup Arthur’s face and kiss him back as a welcome. When you pull away, you look him over, noting the sheer exhaustion that coats his whole body. 

"You look so tired," you say with a sympathetic smile. 

"I am tired." A deep sigh of acknowledgement escapes from Arthur’s chest as he reaches up to rub his eyes with his thumb and forefinger with his one hand.

You nod in understanding. "Okay, then." You smile sweetly as you take a moment to curl your fingers through his hair, touching your forehead to his, before you swing your legs over the side of the cot and start to stand up. 

Confused, Arthur sits up straighter with apprehension. "Where you goin’?"

You turn back around with a fluid and graceful movement as you catch his chin between your fingers in reassurance. "I’m just going back to my tent so you can get some sleep, is all." 

"Well…", Arthur huffs in disappointment, his face dropping and his hands flopping into his lap.

"What’s wrong?" you ask, slightly amused at his pouty face.

"I mean…I know we’re not gonna…you know…” Arthur waves his hand at you suggestively. "But I was hoping you’d stay with me while I get some sleep."

"Oh." A big smile erupts on your face. "Okay, then," you gush, biting your lower lip a bit and trying to contain your excitement. You move to settle back down onto the cot, scooching over and fidgeting to make room as Arthur lays down alongside you. 

“Boots, please” you say in a soft scold, tapping his shoulder.

"Huh? Oh!" And Arthur quickly sits back up to take off his boots. He’s so used to being on his own that he’s often just falling into bed, not even bothering to take off his jacket let alone his boots. Arthur is not used to having anyone in his space, let alone a woman in his bed. You look down with a soft smile as he pulls at his mud-dried boots with thick, clumsy fingers. 

He lays back down and gets settled once more. You both wiggle awkwardly, giggling as you do, so that you can both fit onto his squeaky one-person cot. You face each other as his arm wraps around your waist, pulling you close. You lift your leg over his, so that you can snuggle in tight, laying almost nose to nose to make room for each other. 

Finally finding a comfortable position, Arthur inhales deeply and lets out a long exhale. You smile as you watch the tension drain from his shoulders. (You swear he just lost about 2 inches in height in doing that.) You gently reach up and lay your hand along Arthur’s neck, fingers resting along his jawline, as your thumb sweeps across those scars on his chin. Your eyes scatter across the tired features of his strong and handsome face. 

You have no idea how this is going to play out between you two, but right now, you don't care. He is a risk, as you told him before, and your future together is an uncertain mystery. And yet, this is the most certain thing that you have felt in what seems like forever. Here, at this moment, in this precious, precarious little bubble, you are with Arthur, and that is all that matters.

"Hmmmm…that’s better," says Arthur, finally relaxed and content. 

“Happy, now?” you affectionately tease.

“Quite.”

"Goodnight, Arthur." Your honeyed voice sings to him in the darkness before you close your eyes again.

"Goodnight, (Y/N)."

See me, feel me, touch me, heal me

-Pete Townshend - The Who

*The line about the storm and the rainbow is based on a quote from the wonderful Dolly Parton, whom I idolize. And the “guardian angel” line is based on a meme that I saw.

***Ahhh! Finally! I've been working on this for over a year, but had to write the events that lead up to this first. But good news, this is not the ending! I have much more taking place after this. Some of it is fluffy, some will be smutty, some will be angsty! For those who are interested in reading a continuing storyline, I can tell you that my plan is to see this through to the end (which I have already written, btw). If anyone is interested in being on a taglist, let me know. (I am really bad at those, so I am trying to figure out how to keep track of that kind of thing.)

Comments and feedback are welcome! As I continue this story, I also want to develop my writing skills. So please let me know what you like and don't like. 

[periwinkle-the-11th]

Intro post!

i'm Peri!

I spend my time writing, reading, crocheting, embroidering, drawing, sewing, procrastinating my school work, and complaining about everything under the sun.

Heres my pronoun page!

I post all my writing and various creations over on @pericreatesstuff and my ao3 is Peri_Writes

Sidenote: Guess who's officially a college student!!!!

my writing blog is mostly unedited snippets, and my ao3 is either fully plotted and finished beta'd works... or smth i thought up at 3am wrote in one sitting and only proofread once.

I'm in way way way to many fandoms so heres an incomplete list:

Keep It Steady Podcast

Juno Steel (i just started season 4 no spoilers PLS )

pjo/hoo (I haven't read toa yet but its on my list)

kotlc

Kaleidotrope Podcast

Voltron (ik, i'm judging me too.)

bridge to terabithea

Atla

Daylight Shooting Star (if you know dss I am begging you to be my friend I have literally never met anyone else who's read it)

Marauders

Sk8 the infinity

Ohshc

The Sky Fall Trilogy by shannon messenger (once again if you've read it (and liked it) I am begging you to be my friend its so so underrated)

The Lost Books: Scroll of Kings (SO SO SO UNDERRATED)

I listen to way to much music way to often, heres some artists/bands i like: Set it off, pierce the veil, taylor swift, Fin (steffan argus), conan gray, PEGGY, olivia rodrigo, alec benjamin, one direction, Natalie jane, sadie jean, my chemical romance, fall out boy, NF, MARINA, Maren Morris, girl in red, melanie martinez, Avril Lavigne, Madonna, Ke$ha, little mix, Queen, Billy joel, Zara Larsson, Maisie Peters, Lauren spencer smith, ABBA, Jorge Rivera-Herrans, Sam Hunt, and literally so many more

and my tags:

#peri personal - just about everything not fandom related/interactions w people/my life

#peri complains - self explanatory really

#music rambles - rambling about music, mostly when new songs/albums come out

#allis adventures - various stuff about my sourdough! her full name is Allison Breadorthy and she is ALIVE

#baking Breadorthy - actually baking her ^

#peri crafts - self explanatory

#my memes - crappy memes i make, mostly reblogged from my writing blog

#writing related - self explanatory but its mostly me complaining about my fics, plot holes i find, and polls bc i'm indecisive

#friends <3 - my actual conversation style interaction with my mutuals

#lena and tim - my self indulgent au where Lena Luthor adopts Tim Drake after his parents die, the fic is being plotted currently. THE FIC IS CANCELED!!! LEX IS LENA'S BROTHER! LENA IS KON'S AUNT!! THE PLANNED TIMKON IS LEGAL INCEST! (why does this keep happening??? TvT)

#bravery points game - I've started playing a points game with my anxiety, where every time I do something that scares me/my anxiety told me would end in disaster I get a point! It's stupid but it's motivating, I'm being brave! (Even tho it's terrifying) I don't really have a points goal but I wanna try to get to 100 before the end of the year!

Thats all for now!! I'll probably update this once i realize i forgot smth tho

[cherry-toxic]

I posted 4,695 times in 2022

78 posts created (2%)

4,617 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@backwardshirt

@wickedlydevious

@mayweallbehuman

@shadowthorne

@puraiuddo

I tagged 1,626 of my posts in 2022

#grimmjow - 211 posts

#animal tag - 211 posts

#grimmichi - 109 posts

#bleach - 106 posts

#harringrove - 94 posts

#billy hargrove - 71 posts

#art - 69 posts

#wanderlust - 56 posts

#stranger things spoilers - 51 posts

#max and billy - 44 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#but am i the only one thinking its more weird to plan marriage and spending the rest of your life with some1 youve only dated for 5 months

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Rule: tag 9 people you want to know better

Thanks for the tag @sarcasm-vending-machine 😘

(I started a new post because that one was getting a bit long)

Favourite piece of clothing you own? Right now it's my blue wool 'hippy' trousers, they are SO comfortable. I've only had them for about a month but I've worn them almost every day.

Your comfort food? Probably pizza. I go on and off different types of food all the time but pizza is a pretty consistent like

Favourite time of the year? Late spring and summer. I get cold very easily, my hands and feet are like ice most days so I need warm weather to be comfortable

Favourite song? This is a mean question how am I supposed to answer this??? (I'll give you jólanótt by SKÁLD and shit boat (no fans) by alestorm, two very different songs which I've been listening to a lot lately)

Do you collect something? Not really, I'm just a clutter bitch

Favourite drink? Coca cola. Yes yes I know it's full of sugar and terribly bad for you but I love it

Favourite fanfiction? Again how am I supposed to answer this??? I dont think I could even give you a top ten theres just too many that I've loved over the years

75 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

#4

Sometimes I just think about how ichigo and grimmjow both have/had five friends/companions who they fought/travelled together with but ichigo's friends vowed to grow stronger so they could fight along side him as equals where as grimmjow's fraccion gave up the possibility of growing stronger in order to support his growth

84 notes - Posted January 26, 2022

#3

See the full post

102 notes - Posted February 13, 2022

#2

So, about max and her monologue about billy, it's not that I dont believe max could feel such a way or that it doesnt make sense (honestly I would be a liar if I said I haven't also wished my shitty brother dead before) but it also feels a little off to me considering how their relationship was presented in s3.

At first I thought maybe i had misinterpreted it, maybe max and billy really did hate each other right up until the moment of his death. But then i remembered this interview with sadie sink from 2019 where she spoke about max and billy going into s3

I didnt expect them to be best friends or even particulary close with each other (and I had a strong feeling billy was gonna die anyway) but I remember feeling hopeful when I read this interview, hopeful that we'd at least get to see a different side to their relationship, and I was massively disappointed when s3 barely focused on them at all.

But, the small glimpses that we did see proved that they were in a different place than they had been in s2

When max talked to el about billy she spoke in a lighthearted manner, she wasnt resentful, she made jokes, she talked about him like he was just her annoying gross older brother who liked to walk around without a shirt on and bring girls home to make 'happy screams'

And then, of course, theres the sauna test. She was visibly distressed upon seeing Billy in that state. She was in pain. She started crying. She said, "it's okay... i believe you... we're going to figure this out together okay" like she actually wanted to help him, save him...

And thats why it feels weird to me. Not because feelings are complicated and that a few peaceful months between them dont erase everything he put her through, but because she apparently went from we'll figure this out together to I dont know if he deserved to be saved in the space of three days.

And when I say it feels weird, I think what I mean is ffs a little consistency would be nice

159 notes - Posted July 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

185 notes - Posted January 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[its-deputy-caleb]

Hey Caleb! I just found your blog and I love your writing!

Would it be alright to request Sadie Adler and Arthur Morgan from RDR2 reacting to their quiet s/o casually talking about their rough upbringing like admitting their parents didn’t even seem to like them, and/or the parents favoring their sibling? And if they see Sadie/Arthur looking sad, they brush it off by saying “It’s okay, darling! I’ve always had to struggle and fight. It’s made me who I am…. It lead to you”

Thanks in advance!

Hi anon!! it was my pleasure to write this, i'm so glad you like my writing and a mini welcome to my blog for just finding it. I hope you enjoyed these hc's! and i'm excited to do more of sadie <33

Arthur Morgan

You and Arthur were the dream pair around camp, always enjoying each other’s company and never getting in anyone’s hair.

The two of you were often quiet, sharing only inside jokes and intimate touches behind the safety of the tent flaps. Sure, you enjoyed each other’s company but Arthur knew you were more reserved and he respected your privacy.

Arthur was a simple man, he only ever loves you for who you are and he’s more than happy to sit in the middle of camp holding hands or reading quietly instead of talking for hours.

You do however, slowly open up to him, knowing how much you trust him.

Its hard at first to tell him about your upbringing, to admit that your parents weren’t loving like the stories you’d read growing up and that your childhood memories were filled with more yelling and belittling than gentle hugs and kisses.

You don’t want pity from the man you love, and you find none. Instead he looks concerned and saddened as you open up to him.

In some way Arhtur can relate to you, having grown up on orphan until he met Dutch and Hosea. The two of them acting as better parents than his real ones.

With a kiss to your forehead, Arthur goes to say something but you shake your head and cut him off gently, insisting that you’re more than okay and that it made you a stronger person.

Eventually you get a glimpse in Arthur’s journal (with his permission of course) and you read about how happy he feels that you told him about your past and how he thinks you’re incredibly brave because of it.

Sadie Adler

Much like Sadie you were the stoic and brave type although you were certainly the quieter of the two.

You’d often prefer to sit by the fire in silence to enjoy nature or to rest your head on her shoulder on a peaceful morning.

The gang had really only seen you let your hair down when you had enough whiskey in you to fill the crate or when it was just you and Sadie alone at the edge of camp of guard duty.

You had been there for Sadie as a friend a lot longer than you’d been there as a lover.

It was you who she went to when she lost her home and her Jake and you never failed to comfort her.

The two of you shared a bond, one that was built on trauma but lead to the both of you becoming head strong and active members of the gang.

You knew Sadie couldn’t relate to your family upbringing, but you’d both experienced a different kind of pain.

When she was opening up to you about her past, you’d share with her your upbringing with your family. Sadie was always there for you when you’d see Jack and Abigail, the sight brining you to tears on days where you’d feel more emotional.

It was hard to see Abigail so loving to her son, knowing you didn’t get the same love and care when you were his age.

Sadie was always there though, always there to listen about how your parents weren’t caring and how they always favoured your older siblings.

You and Sadie turned to each other when you needed and both helped each other to come out the other end stronger than ever.

[lesbians-love-samwilson]

hihi i love your blog <3 i was just wondering if you by chance had any recommendations for sambucky fics where they get together at some point during/between the events of tfatws? ty!

Hey I'm so sorry this is late

My stories:

Angel in America: Rated T:

“I’m sorry,” Karlie said, her body going lifeless in Sam’s arms. He wanted to scream and cry but it was stuck in his throat and his body felt numb. He held the eighteen-year-old closed to his chest and placed the rosary she dropped around her neck. He said a soft prayer before Karlie’s eyes opened up. Karlie’s eyes showed no signs of life as they stared deep into Sam’s brown eyes.

My Captain: Rated E:

“For what it’s worth, you look great in your cap suit,” Sharon winked as Sam bit his lip, smirking, not noticing Bucky’s nostril flared, as he let out a grunt.

“Alright, let’s get moving and patch you up,” Bucky said pursed lips and eyes on Sam in a predatory way that made Sam’s breathing hitch. He put his hand firm on Sam’s waist as he walked Sam and Sharon to the medical tent.

Wherever you stray I'll follow: Rated G:

Sam’s words echoed in Bucky’s head; he knew he shouldn’t let other people define who he was. He let Sam clasp their hands together and he pulled Sam’s hand close to his chest hoping Sam could feel the way his touch made Bucky’s heart flutter.

Rolling in the hay: Rated E:

“You gonna get off or….” Sam purred, thrusting his hips up and making Bucky feel his half-hard cock. Bucky let out a groan, biting his lips as he raised Sam’s arms over his head.

My favorite ones by my mutual:

What's 411? by @jemgirl86 :

“Okay, Captain, this last one comes from Sadie in New Jersey.”

“Hit me.”

“Who would you take with you if you had to stay on a deserted island for five days?”

Sam almost snorted. This question was just as silly and just as easy to answer as its predecessors. He didn’t even have to think about his response.

“Bucky. Everywhere I go I take Bucky. That’s my right hand.”

Or: Sam’s about to realize how he feels about Bucky. Bucky knew how he felt about Sam months ago.

this is it, love; it's you and me, love by @glittercake Rated G:

"The, uh, yeah, the people like you 'round here." Sam inhales long and hard, frowns, breaks his eyes away from Bucky to stare out the window, "Me too."

Bucky's heart leaps the fuck out of his body, "You do?"

"Yeah. Like," Sam snickers quietly, "A lot."

Bucky's brain is fuzz. It's just fuzz, like the kind of shit you find on a really old sweater or your favorite blanket, just lots of stupid, useless balls of fluff that do nothing but grin stupidly.

"Wow," he says, then dumbly, "Are you sure?"

I Can Think Of Younger Days by Adarian: Rated E:

"He had seen dead and disfigured bodies before. It wasn’t something you really got used to, just sort of numb to. But something had broken in him, something he was worried he wasn’t going to get back."

After witnessing Nico's execution, Sam's own PTSD is badly triggered, leaving him unable to chase down John Walker. Bucky brings Sam to safety and tries to take care of him as he recovers. Riga may be falling into chaos, but Bucky refuses to let it take Sam down with it.

[stainedmystery]

Who Am I?

Howdy! I go by Midnight, she/her. DM / Asks will likely always be open, so feel free to message me :D! I love chatting, whether it be about my characters, yours, or ride lore! I also enjoy RPing, especially coming up with grand, dramatic, interactive stories. 

This blog is dedicated to mostly my Alton Towers ocs, though there will probably be at least cameos from some other park characters. I’ve been world building and character designing for so long I finally decided it’s time to write some stories and get my work out there.

I am not an artist. Every piece of art you see on this blog is likely going to be a commission/drawn by a friend, so please always keep an eye out for the tags! These artists are EXCEPTIONAL. I recommend all of them to you if you’re ever looking for a commission artist! They’re also cool people to follow too... 

I am an author, however. I’m currently working on a daily october challenge! 

These are my main Alton characters, drawn by the marvelously talented horror artist Xan. 

From left to right, we have:

Addie: Addie is my GalacticAir, she’s a never-ending ray of sunshine who always keeps positive, no matter how far off course the situation has gotten. She’s a whiz with technology and the heart of the group. 

Will: Will is my Wicker Man. Beora, the head goddess of the Beoren, realised their tactic of ‘murderous fire cult’ wasn’t popular with attracting new cult members, and decided to take a 180 with this marketing stunt. What if the next head of the Beoren was once the town’s most beloved golden boy? He... has very little idea on what’s going on but that won’t stop him from trying his best to live up to his newfound cult leader job. 

Teresa: Teresa is my Thirteen, and I also love to describe her as my Scooby Doo Villain. A blind young girl who lives in the woods, she uses her telepathic relationship with the plants to navigate. She also uses every cheap haunted house trick in the book to scare off townsfolk who attempt to get too close to her ‘crypt’. 

Nicole: Nicole is my Nemesis, a trained super solider for the Phalanx. She is easily one of their strongest and swiftest operatives, able to take on intense threats no one else can tackle. As political tensions rise, Nicole has stayed loyal to the townsfolk, determined to keep everyone safe... Even as propaganda from certain bitter exes attempts to paint her out to be a monster. 

Oliver: All Oblivion OCs are named Oliver, and I am no exception. Oliver is that one, sane, straight-man to this chaotic friends. Spending most of his time in the local bookshop keeping records of everything that occurs, he is consistently visited by just about everyone to solve their issues. He’s always around to help Addie with her latest invention, lend an ear to Nicole as she complains about what nightmarish thing Joy has done of recent, and be a reality check anytime Sadie tries to scheme. 

Sadie: Sadie is my Smiler, and is the most chaotic of the group. The wild card, no one can ever seem to predict what she is about to say or do... Much to Nicole’s frustration. She’s just here to have a good time guys, she just wants to have fun in the moment and live life to its fullest... And never have to consider the consequences of her actions. 

Joy: (not in the photo) Joy is a Sanctuary OC, leading the Ministry of Joy. Dr Kelman is such a revered and exceptional character that I’m unsure if I’d be able to write for him, so Joy is his son and currently leads the Ministry of Joy in his absence. Joy is as evil as they come, spending most of his time on unholy experiments within the basement of the Sanctuary. Never trust a deal made with him, there will always be an unforeseen consequence that’ll leave him laughing, and you 6ft under. 

(As I go on and post whole character introductions, I’ll come back and edit this so there’s hyperlinks on their names). 

[sanctum-if]

Sanctum

It's been two months since humans found out about the supernatural world, and in those two months, crime rates all around the world have sky-rocketed.

Supernaturals are dropping like flies, and you realise that your chances of survival are declining rapidly.

News has made its way along the grapevine that there's a safe place for supernaturals. A walled city built in anticipation of this very occurrence. The only problem?

It's on an island, a few kilometres off the mainland on the other side of the country.

Your family was killed in the beginning, your friends all abandoned you out of fear when your true identity was revealed. You're all alone, and the rag tag group of supernatural survivors you've somehow found yourself a part of are… less than trustworthy.

Will you help each other get to safety, or perish along the way?

~*~

This story is intended for readers 16+

Content warnings include violence, strong language, major character death, and experiences relating to grief, loss and trauma. More will be added as needed.

~*~

Sanctum is an adventure story created with Twine and hosted on itch.io, set in a world where humans have learned of the existence of supernaturals and are far from accepting.

Choose your pronouns and the appearance of your cloak, a magic shield of sorts that has allowed you to live undetected amongst humans your entire life.

Play as one of four supernatural species (an alluring ellylldan, a mischievous lutin, a calming nix or a coraniaid with extremely heightened senses, most specifically your hearing).

You’ll encounter several obstacles along the way, including humans that would rather see the end of supernaturals altogether than allow you to get to safety.

There are four love interests, two males and two females who can be chosen by anyone, though romance is not the main focus and there will be no lock in romance routes, leaving you free to change your mind whenever you want, or not ever enter into a romantic relationship with anyone to begin with, without it hindering the storyline.

When making your choices, choose wisely, because the death of the MC at the end of the story will be possible.

~*~

Sanctum is still in development, and is being written purely for fun. I'll try my very hardest to stick to a somewhat regular schedule, but I make no guarantees that I'll be able to stick to it for every update.

Current Demo: 2nd September, chapter 1

Next demo: 27th July

Asks: Open

[mc tag] [lore] [writing prompts] [updates]

~*~

Follow this blog to stay up to date with my progress, and the ask box remains open for any questions, requests or comments you have!

~*~

Love Interests

* Michael [michael tag]

* Sadie [sadie tag]

* Amena [amena tag]

* Tanner [tanner tag]

Other Characters

* Hayden [hayden tag]

* Estelle [estelle tag]

[atlabeth]

sadie's 500 follower celebration!

link to nav while this is pinned

so!! just saying this is insane. when i started this blog i never thought that i would get a hundred followers, let alone five hundred. but here we are, halfway to 1k, and i cant be thankful enough. i have my own little corner on tumblr with the sweetest people ever that make me smile every day, and i am so SO lucky to have such a positive space to come to!!! so to anyone who talks to me, follows me, likes, reblogs, or even just reads my fics, THANK YOU. i would not be here without you and i love you<3

this event will go from today (9/26) to october 10th! this will give me enough time to work through all of these within my schedule as well as give everyone time to send things in :-)

the rules are the same as always - you can send in as many emotes as you want and i'll do my best to deliver :-) and every post will be tagged with #atlabeth 500 so you can filter it if you want until the event is over

anything specifying a fandom or a character is only for atla, lok, or obx as they are what i feel most comfortable writing!

for everyone!!

🌹 give me a fun fact about yourself, a fandom, and your sexuality, and i'll ship you with a character! i've done this every time so now its just a thing i gotta do lol

💅 send in a question and i'll answer it! (please be sfw though!)

🍂 give a character and a word and i'll write a small blurb for them!

☀️ send 3 characters for kiss, marry, kill (bc we are sfw here)

🧸 i'll post a deleted line from one of my fics! (or a normal line from a wip if i run out of deleted lines lol)

some extras for mutuals!!

🍉 i'll make a moodboard based off of your vibes! (i had so much fun doing this last time so im doing it again since i have so many new moots)

🔥 give me a color and i'll write your name/username in (bad) calligraphy

💥 i'll assign you a character and a trope!

tagging some moots to celebrate!!

@arquitecturadelanada @missmorosis @atsumuahh @amourslover @pogueslandia @rcbinlogy @alltooreid @spencersmagic @sokkascroptop @raewritez @babypandawrites @simplysolo @sokkadora

[minijenn]

Five Years of Universe Falls Celebration!

Well ya’ll, this September will mark 5 years, half a decade since I started writing Universe Falls. And in light of that, I wanted to share that milestone with all of you with another celebration! The whole zine thing last year went a little... less great than expected, so I decided to make this announcement a lot sooner so people can get started working on submissions for it a lot sooner! 

So how’s this years celebration going to work, you ask? Well its sort of similar to what was done for the 3rd year anniversary. Each week of September will have a different UF-related theme and for each of those themes, you’re free to create whatever you’d like in line with them (fics, art, HCs, general thoughts/feelings/opinions, any other creative work you’d like to submit). This year’s themes are all focused on what I consider to be the very heart of UF itself, its characters, specifically certain sets of them. Those sets (and the weeks that fall in line with them) are as follows: 

Week 1 (Aug. 30-Sept. 5): Mystery Kids: We’ll start the month off celebrating everyone’s favorite plucky set of precocious youngsters! The focus here is on our beloved Mystery Kids: Dipper, Mabel, Steven, and Connie (and Pacifica if you’d like to include her in the group as well). This also includes any of the MK specific fusions: Stevonnie, Stepper, Maven, Convenper, Dipevebel, Mabonnven, Stonipbel, and so on ^_^

Week 2 (Sept. 6-12): Gems: A week to celebrate Gemkind, both good and bad, Crystal and Homeworld. Anything goes here, from Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, to Lapis and Peridot and Jasper, to the Off Colors, the Diamonds’ Pearls, Bismuth, even Gems that haven’t appeared at all yet like Spinel or Amber! You can focus on your favorite(s) or on a bunch of them, whichever you’d like, its all free game. And once again, this includes any and all fusions, even fusions that might not happen in UF canon itself. 

Week 3 (Sept. 13-19): Humans: To celebrate all of the unique and varied humans that appear throughout UF, from Stan and Ford, to Greg, to Wendy and Soos, Lars and Sadie, even the most obscure side characters are all game here! You can write or draw them interacting any way you please :) 

Week 4 (Sept. 20-26) Villains: A time to honor the evil side of UF. You can have your pick of Bill Cipher himself, or maybe you favor the Great Diamond Authority instead! Or perhaps on a lesser scale you’d like to have some fun with the likes of Gideon or Jasper, even a more obscure baddie like a corrupted Gem or one of GF’s several antagonistic monsters. There’s plenty for you to choose from when it comes to UF!

Bonus week! (Sept. 27-Oct. 3) Animals/Magical/Inter-dimensional creatures: Because there’s so many other characters besides just those four groups this is kind of the catch-all for everything else. Maybe you’d like to create a tribute to our beloved pink friends Lion and Waddles? Or examine any theories about the role the Axolotl might play in UF’s future? Or draw a lovely portrait of Jheselbraum the Unswerving? You’re free to tackle whatever doesn’t fall within the above groups right here ^_^

Now, keep in mind that you’re free to work within whatever AU or set of circumstances you’d like for each of these weeks. Like say you wanted to do week one with the base UF MK, but then week 2 you wanted to do something with the Swap Crystal Gems, that’s fine! Feel free to be as free and flexible as you’d like with this. You can also do things like pay homage to your favorite pre-existing scenes from UF or make predictions to upcoming scenes and such. Also, these themes aren’t mutually exclusive. If you’d like to write a drabble that involves a little crossover between these weeks, such as the MK interacting with one of the bad guys or something, that’s perfectly fine! It’s something that can be released in either week so that’s totally up to you. :) Most ships (appropriate ones at least) are also acceptable to be factored in here. 

As for the specifics when it comes to submissions, you can submit stuff either to me personally or you can post things to your own blog and tag me or PM me links since I wanna collect everyone’s work and show it off! Or if you’re on the UF Discord, I’ll be reopening the UF celebration channel for submissions to be posted there! But for now, you’ve got about a month to start planning so go ahead and get to it! I’ll be immensely looking forward to seeing what you all come up with this time around (especially in light of UF’s most recent bundle of game-changing chapters... ;) As always, if you have any questions about all this, feel free to ask! Anyone’s welcome to participate so please, don’t  hesitate to let your creative juices flow! Have fun! :D 

[bookaddict24-7]

I said at the beginning of the year that I would share my reviews more on my blog instead of just on Instagram and Goodreads. I’ve been reading a lot so far this year, so my reviews will be delayed on here. I’ll hopefully post five (mini-ish) reviews per week!

Friend me on Goodreads here to read my reviews in real-time!

___

36. Fifth Grave Past the Light by Darynda Jones--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Okay, this is my favourite one so far! This series just gets better and better! I love the sass, the spice, and the mystery. This is probably the most heartbreaking and fascinating murder mystery so far. Also, the ending! And I have questions about certain characters in this book!”

___

37. The Project by Courtney Summers--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Courtney Summers loves to write books that she knows will haunt us long after they’re over. Though SADIE remains my favourite, THE PROJECT had this sense of eeriness throughout the whole thing that I couldn’t shake off. Imagine that you’re not just a reader, but a person that this cult wants to indoctrinate. Imagine that you see all of these amazing things they do and think, “Hm, I could change the world, too” only to realize, oftentimes too late, that you’re in too deep to leave safely. This is what it was like to read THE PROJECT. We are introduced to two main characters who fall into two different traps: One, a cult, and the other, her grief. One of the reasons why Summers’ writing is so effective is because she finds these weaknesses in the human psyche and explores the hell out of them. You take a young girl who is already traumatized from her past, sprinkle in some more negative events in her present life, and her frustration, and then introduce her to this man who could sell water to a fish and make the fish feel guilty for initially saying no, and you have a recipe for disaster. But oftentimes it is these situations that pull victims in, isn’t it? The people who’ve lost conventional hope; the people who always seek some sort of miracle. And that’s why I think Summers does such a good job as a writer of the darker side and urges of humanity. Finally, this read like a new adult novel. There is pleasure, the allusion to (and sometimes demonstration of) physical abuse, and adult concepts that might be suitable for older teens only. I think the ending was where my rating dropped, but only because it was a bit...sudden? I recommend this book if you’re looking for something dark and twisted. And if you want something that will make you question yourself as you read.”

___

38. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I finally finished this!!! Only took me a few years and two or three false starts! The best part of this book, by far, was the MC’s time in the school because I kept wanting him to burn the whole world down for what they put him through. I think the love interest is a bit of an over-romanticized version of what she actually was because while the MC was completely enthralled by her, I just saw her as a bit of a bitch, to be honest. I can see why there’s so much hype around this book because it is written in such a way that you can see the braiding of the plot in this first book. So many small instances and ideas are weaves into a story that is already made complex by the timeline. While the beginning was a little slow, this gets a four star for keeping me so entertained during the school years and the MC’s ability to overcome those who oppose him. Will I read the sequel? Probably, but I’m going to wait for the third book to one day be published so I don’t have to be left on a cliffhanger for another 10 years.”

___

39. The Marrow Thief by Cherie Dimaline--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“This book was so many things: terrifying in its concept, heartbreaking, and so incredibly powerful. I think this is a definite must read—especially if you’re Canadian. I recently read TENDER IS THE FLESH and THE MARROW THIEVES definitely gave me some of the same feelings I felt while reading the former. The idea of indigenous people being harvested for their marrow was so heartbreakingly terrifying, I can’t even out into words how I felt while reading the descriptions, or the proof of the crimes against the indigenous victims. What I did love about this book was the exploration of indigenous culture, like stories and beliefs. I listened to this book as an audiobook and I was so happy I did because there was a chapter where the narrator sang! Underlying the darkness of this book is the idea of hope, unity, and family. Even our young MC is forced to face his internal darkness, but it is these ideas that bring him back to what matters in this book. I definitely recommend this to everyone—this is such an important book.”

___

40. All Systems Red by Martha Wells--⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I read this for a book club and while I wasn’t as big a fan as all of my friends who read it, I didn’t find it bad either. I think this story has a lot of potential, and I can see its potential being reached in the following instalments of this series. I’ll be honest: I don’t entirely understand the obsession with Murderbot, but I’m guessing it’s something that builds after reading the rest of the books that are currently out. I think it’s intriguing to see a bot with so many human characteristics, that’s unique and interesting, but the story itself was just okay. I know I’m in the minority here, aha, but I’m sure this book gets enough love already!”

___

Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them? 

___

Happy reading!

[cosmiceverafter]

This has been an amazing event! Spotlighting the talent in our fandom is so important. But what else is important, is focusing on the people who uplift and inspire you! The ones that always stand behind you encouraging you to continue your stories, your art and edits, and ultimately, being a friend. So today is for all of you cheerleaders!!

There are so many people I call good friends in this fandom, and lucky to have them in my world. So get ready for a very long post!

The Junkyard — my people. You all know who you are. 💕 From the very beginning we’ve stood by each other and y’all are what encouraged me to start writing and creating my edits in the first place. So lucky to be on this journey with you fam! 🤗

Now I want to personally focus on the individuals who not only inspire and cheer my work, but also the ones I call my closest friends:

@manesalex - Molly, I don’t know what I would do without you! You inspire me daily and are always so excited about my latest work, even if it’s not Roswell. I love talking ideas with you, and I love thirsting with you. And hey, I love that we gave “flirst” a name! 🧲 You helped me feel confident when I tried writing smut the first time, and that’s a big deal. Thank you for your ongoing support. It truly means the world to me. Love you! 💕

@i-never-look-away - Beka, I love you with my whole heart! I love how close we’ve gotten because of this show. So very lucky! But now I know when this show is long over, you’ll still be there as my friend. I love bouncing ideas with you and talking theories. You always make me feel good about my creations, always so supportive and encouraging on whatever I do—so thank you, always! Love you, person! 💕

@gra-sonas - Gra, you are such a good friend! You inspire me with your posts and more importantly, your friendship. I love that you support the fandom with their creations. You’re always the first to reblog, and as a creator, you know how important that is! Thank you for taking such good care of all of us. Love ya! 💕

@insidious-intent - Inigo, you’re the best! You always have such good ideas and advice when it comes to creating. I’ve appreciated the help and support you’ve shown me since the beginning. It means the world to me. You were the push I needed to finally write my first fic for this fandom. I hadn’t written fanfic in so long, but the encouragement you showed me, was what finally made me take that leap. I love how you focus on all creators; I know it brightens their day. It does mine. Thank you for being my friend! Love you! 💕

Some more personal shout-outs to people and blogs that go that extra mile to make you feel seen with your work:

@lilassparks - My girl! I miss you so much. But I cannot do a shout-out list without mentioning you. You’ve always been so supportive to me in whatever I’ve created, and always so kind about it. In the early days, it’s what pushed me to really start creating for this fandom. So thank you, truly! Love always. 💖

@unbreakablejemmasimmons - Amy, you’re the best! I love writing with you and bouncing ideas off each other! I always look forward to it and for your positivity when it comes to the show and my creations. Thank you for the comments you always leave on my fics, too. They brighten my day. Xoxo 💖

@saadiestuff - Sadie! You’re fun and silly, and I love your Malex as animals. You inspire me to think outside the box, and as a creator, that’s important. Like encouraging me to go through with my Baby Yoda fic! 💚 You always support me, and for that, I thank you. Thank you for being a light in this fandom. Xoxo 💖

@lire-casander - Lire, you have a heart of gold. You’re kind and supportive and for that, I’ll always thank you. You’re always the first to comment on my stories and you’ll never know how much that means to me. You put so much thought into them, every single time, that I feel like I have a true fan with my work. It means the world to me. Also, thank you for being my friend! Xoxo 💖

@malex-i-never-look-away - Toby! I just love ya! You always reblog and like my work, and that makes me feel so good inside. Plus, I’m glad we can always thirst together. It’s the best! It always inspires new ideas, which is the greatest thing a creator can ask for. Xoxo 💖

@moderngenius94 - Nixie, my love! I love talking about the show with you and bouncing ideas off together. I love our love for the creepy stuff, too, which with October around the corner, I cannot wait to talk fic with you! Thanks for always being a good friend. Xoxo 💖

@salmonthestoryteller - Salmon! Your fics and theories/metas inspire me daily, but you also are such an amazing cheerleader to other creators. It truly uplifts everyone. Thank you for being you, and showing us how kind and supportive you are. We’re lucky to have you. xoxo 💖

@bellakitse - Stef! You’re such a positive force to be around. Whatever the topic or show, you inspire me. You’ve helped me so many times with ideas, and when I felt burnt out with RNM, you helped to keep my creativity aflame with the love of Lone Star. Thank you for your support and friendship. xoxo 💖

@andrea-lyn - You my friend, define talent, and that alone inspires me to keep creating! You’ve helped me with ideas when I’m in a funk, and written fics that just call out to me (for ex: The Mummy). You opened my eyes to au’s and the love I now feel for them, so thank you for that! I’ve really tried expanding the way I write because of that. Keep creating and cheering others on, the world needs it! xoxo 💖

@djchika - Deej, you’re amazing and oh so talented! But you’re also so supportive of other creators. I’ll never forget the day I was first writing Boots the cat and telling you all about it, and then all the sudden you showed me a drawing you had done of Boots as we were talking! I felt seen with my fic in that moment, as if what I was creating was important and special. That’s the type of friend you are! Thank you! Never stop creating. xoxo 💖

@queersirius - You’re not only talented and creative, but you’re so supportive to other creators. I’ll never forget the spotlight rec you did on my Christmas fic. It was right in the beginning of when I was writing for this fandom, and it made my holiday season. You took the time to do that, and it touched my heart. Thank you for your kindness! xoxo 💖

@litwitlady - You my friend, have been such a gift to our fandom, especially during this hiatus. There have been so many times I’m in a writing block, but reading your work and seeing how many fics you write, has really helped me to keep writing and creating. You’re kind and supportive of other creators, and for that I thank you! xoxo 💖

@rnmsmalltownlegends - This blog has been so wonderful to recognize and spotlight so many amazing and often times, unrecognized creators. Its blogs like this that uplift creators enough for them to keep creating. And for that, I thank all of you. 💖

Also, a message to anyone who has ever liked or reblogged my work:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

And last but certainly not least, cheers to this amazing event @roswellnewmexicocreate — this was so wonderful! During a pandemic and a darker time, as well as a long hiatus, this really uplifted so many creators! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this week. 💞

[abused-sides]

Be Brave [Whumptober]

Note: I’m doing whumptober as a series. Check out the tag #whumptober 2020 v on my blog to read in order. Also on ao3.

Prompt: No. 6: Please… [No More] 

Synopsis: Virgil and Janus are punished for trying to escape. 

Trigger warnings: Cults, gaslighting/manipulation, restraints, kidnapped, non-con, humiliation, treating people like property, blood, knives, violence/beatings, a person in a cage, guns, body horror/gore, reference to murder/hate crimes/child death/minor character death, vomiting, let me know if I missed anything 

Word count: 1455

A/N: I had to do a lot of really sad research for this lol. 

October 9th. 12:55 am. 

Virgil hyperventilated beside him. 

Bates' velvet voice boomed over the auditorium. He didn’t need a microphone. You’d think there’d be cheers, applause when he took breaths, but no— Everyone sat on the edge of their seats, deadly silent. 

“...after we showed our good will in bringing Janus mercifully back to us, after saving him from the trash can that lives outside our family, and even going as far to rescue his friend and cut into more of our resources to feed and house him, they conspire against us and try to abandon us.” 

Bates’ voice cut into his chest. He dragged in slow, quiet breaths. Everything in him screamed to reach out to Virgil, take his hand and promise him they’d survive this, but the ropes dug into his wrists and the tape wouldn’t budge from his mouth. 

“We simply cannot take this abuse any longer. We’re doing a majority vote here. We can either release these poor victims back into the cesspool and the murder and the rape and the garbage, or we can give them a little taste of it, here, in safety, and let them decide whether to stay or not. Everyone in favour of release?”

It was no surprise when everyone’s hands stayed down. Bates asked the second option, and among the hands raised were whoops, applause, and shouting. Janus shivered. 

“As much as I’d love the honour to help them both, I simply can’t divide my attention. It wouldn’t be fair to them, anyway. I ask my closest partner, Styx, to help me with the lesson. Remus, you come up, too, get ready to step in.” 

Styx climbed the steps to the stage with a grin. He unfolded a long, black leash and clipped it to Virgil’s collar. “Don’t worry, pet. We know you’re just confused. We’re going to save you.” 

To the side of the stage, Bates pulled a newspaper off a table. He held it open towards the audience. “Three days ago four men broke into a single parents’ apartment, tied her and her child down, and forced the two to watch as they stabbed them to death. Why don’t we start there?” 

The crowd cheered. Sweat dripped down Janus’ back, pooled on his top lip. Tears streamed down Virgil’s red face. 

Bates and Styx turned them around to face each other. The crowd's energy was a white noise, cicadas buzzing in Janus’ ears. Virgil stared at him with wide, terrified eyes. Bates and Styx unsheathed their knives, and tears pricked Janus’ eyes. 

He couldn’t breathe. 

Bates rested a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to kiss his cheek. “Be brave. At least you’ll survive this. Remus?”

Remus rushed over and knelt between them, gesturing over Janus. “You want to go under the belly button, Bates. Any higher and he’ll bleed out too quickly for me to help. Stay away from the chest and anything above, including the shoulders— That goes for both of you. Lower arms and legs are okay as long as you let me in one time.” He turned to Virgil and rested a hand over his abdomen. “Styx, stay away from his abdomen. His ovaries, uterus, all of that stuff will bleed out far too quickly and he will die.”

Virgil’s hyperventilating reached a head as he choked on his sobs and the gag in his mouth. 

“I know you two have a lesson to teach,” he said lowly, “but please know when to stop.” 

Bates waved him away, and it was like a death sentence. Janus sucked in a choking gasp as blunt paint erupted in his abdomen, stealing all his breath. Did he fucking punch me? It wasn’t until Bates yanked the knife out only to drive it back in that he knew what happened. He cried out, warm liquid running down his stomach and thighs. 

Virgil was so quiet Janus worried he was dead. Through his blurred vision, Virgil bit his lip hard enough to split the skin, eyes squeezed shut. Bates stabbed him several more times, in the forearm and calves, before sheathing the bloody knife and stepping aside. He gestured to Janus, and Remus rushed in with his backpack. 

Styx held Virgil up by his leash and drove the knife into his shin. Virgil sobbed as Remus laid Janus on his back. He undid his binds and stretched his arms and legs out, cutting away the bottom half of his shirt and away his jeans. Janus’ vision swam as Remus worked on stopping the bleeding. He was vaguely aware of his legs being elevated, something pushing against his back to prop him upright, Remus talking, but he was hot all over and he wanted to throw up. 

He couldn’t tell how long it had been before Remus hurried back into the wing and Bates lowered Janus’ legs. Virgil cried out as Styx dropped his. 

“Are you starting to get it?” Bates laughed. “This is the kind of thing you were running back to. Is this really where you want to be? Janus?” 

He pulled Janus gag out, and he gasped for breath. “No,” he managed. “No, I’m sorry, please-”

“We’re not done yet.” He shoved the gag back in and picked up a piece of printer paper. He held it to the audience. “This is a picture of 11-year-old Sadie Winters. She was walking home from school when an unknown person choked her to death and left her there. Shall we move on to poor Sadie?” 

Bates pulled the string out of his hoodie and wrapped the two ends around his fists. Styx clamped Virgil’s leash around his throat and held tight. 

“Don’t be so impatient, Styx,” Bates sighed before the hoodie string tied around Janus’ neck. 

“Okay, you have to be quick!” Remus cried hastily. “I’m serious, don’t push it, you can kill them in minutes!” 

Ringing filled Janus’ ears as his vision blurred. Black spots grew, and it was like his head was ready to explode. His pain washed away as his eyes rolled back. 

He gasped as Bates smacked him in the face, eyes flying open. “You ready to go again?”

“Bates-”

His voice broke, his throat screaming. Bates hauled him back upright and pulled the string back around his throat. A few seconds later, the black swallowed his vision once more. His entire body tingled. He was still half-passed out as his stomach lurched and vomit forced its way up his throat. 

“Get back, get back! Hey, sit up.” Remus’ voice was soft in his ear as he helped Janus to sit upright. His stomach contracted and pulled, sending agony through Janus’ body, as he retched onto the stage, his vision dark, spotty, and blurred. “Bates, I obviously can’t tell you what to do, but if you don’t move on, they will die.” 

“Well, that certainly isn’t the point of this exercise,” Bates huffed. “We’ll move on. We only have a few more to get through then everyone can break for dinner.” 

“Shh, shh, you’re going to be okay,” Remus hushed as he took out Janus’ gag. “You have to breathe, please breath, Jan-Jan.”

“I can’t do any more,” he whimpered. “Please stop him.” 

Remus cupped his face. “I can’t. You know I can’t. But I’m going to make sure you two are okay, alright? Just hold on a little longer.” 

Janus buried his face in Remus’ shoulder and gripped onto him. “Please.” 

“I’m so sorry it’s come to this, Janus,” Bates said with a frown. “Are we starting to realize why you’re better off here?”

He nodded frantically. “Yes, yes, I’ll never try to leave again, please, please stop, please no more!” 

Bates hummed, watching him curiously. His gaze slid to Virgil, who grimaced as Styx stroked his cheek. “And Virgil? How are you feeling?”

“The only people doing this to us is you,” he snarled, “you sick fuck, let us go!” 

Dread washed over Janus like he’d been set on fire. Bates sighed. “I guess we continue. Poor, confused thing.” He came over and ran his fingers through Janus’ hair. 

“Please let me go,” Janus whimpered. “I won’t leave you again.”

He smiled. “No. You two are a team. I can’t risk him corrupting you again.” 

Bates strolled to the front of the stage and announced their next lesson. Remus kissed Janus’ forehead, and, as much as Janus begged him not to, left back to the wing. 

His eyes locked with Virgil’s. Virgil sobbed, his face scarlet, his hair matted with sweat. That fire he had, the anger and ferocity that fueled him, was dying out. It used to be a wall of bubbling magma behind his eyes. Now it was nothing more than a birthday candle.

Kofi and commissions, 1 coffee = 300 words of your prompt

[delbeugre]

Have you seen SADIE BEUGRE? DEL is in HER/THEIR SENIOR year. The MATHEMATICS MAJOR is 24 years old & is a CAPRICORN. People say SHE/THEY are GRITTY, BEWITCHING, RETICENT and WASPISH. Rumors say they’re a member of HASTINGS. I heard from the gossip blog that SHE BIT AN EX-BOYFRIEND’S PINKY FINGER OFF AFTER SHE FOUND OUT HE CHEATED, AND THEN HAPPILY SERVED TIME FOR IT.

im tommy im a freak and of course i am here to get freakalicious with u all... this is my newest frankenstein type creation named sadie i know .02% about her yet but i am more than confident she will b nothing but a fun time! like this if ur down to plot!

TW: VIOLENCE, MENTIONS OF JAIL/PROSECUTION, MENTIONS OF SUICIDE, DRUG USE

BACKSTORY

capricorn sun / virgo moon / scorpio rising

raised by her uncle Big (his name) who is a hermit shut in town local in the depths of the florida marshland like some goosebumps protagonist. hes gone far past socially acceptable in terms of his ability to connect with the modern person but is wise beyond belief... his whole vibe is a warped cross between a cryptid and a mountain man that forages and cooks neighborhood plants. married for 27 years before his wife passed from illness. its quite possibly the only thing hes ever been emotional about

but dels entry to his life throws a wrench in his sadness (despite abandonment being what they bond over). she takes the focus away from his loss with her presence; her dad, his brother, died in a tragic train-car collision around the same time (which is speculated to be a suicide bt nobody can ever really be sure). he was a single parent so her custody is thrown up in the air for a few months as cps decides what they r gna do with this freshly orphaned little scrapper

she just kinda turns up on his doorstep n from there they cohabit a space. shes arnd 6-7 at this time... big never seemed to b phased by the fact tht she was a child n tended to treat her more like an apprentice or guest. he was never close to her father because of their age difference, being the older out of the two, so to have his daughter become his responsibility is just..... weird

this doesnt mean that he wouldnt provide for her bt it was. not very parental whatsoever.... no conversation or interaction beyond what was necessary. she was a mute fr a while and still is? to a degree.... very short spoken

when she got to her preteens he offered her an allowance in exchange for little odds and ends of stuff to be taken care of around the house. errands n all tht.... sometimes he wld purposefully leave things for her to pick up n take care of without mentioning it for a bonus. taught her the importance of saving your money and the horrid corruptness of a society basing everythings worth off paper. big exposed her to a lot of knowledge and took advantage of her silent curiosity by fueling it with books, homeschooling, life skills (catching a fish, setting a trap, knowing your berries in the woods...... the works)

her teens carried out the same way bt with the introduction of a real job, a spot down at the local butcher shop checking people out at the register and helping around the back of house. del knows a great deal abt cow/pig/chicken/etc anatomy from her years here..... she committed to being 100% vegan into her early twenties because of her trauma frm this occupation

it paid very well tho n was the best gig she was going to get within a reasonable biking route from home. so she settled!

the plan wasnt to keep it up for long anyway. she worked rly hard for her spot at yates and didnt intend to ever screw herself over. her plan was to get her bachelors, masters, become a professor, pursue a personal hobby of agriculture and build an elaborate greenhouse to live in

bt things happen..... 

some 35yr old douche with a green thumb woos her at a gardening store n swoops in to teach her a little more abt romance; all of this, of course, under the guise that he had all these tips and tricks for living environmentally friendly. a lame hippie wannabe that shouldve never even approached her bt alas.... he did

love is a touchy subject n it hadnt been something she set her sights on, but she was interested in wht this dude could teach her n at 19 she ended up falling in love. she delayed her education to stay an extra year back home and work out another plan which included him

this was very disappointing to her uncle bt he didnt have anything to say abt it. it was never parental before n it was never going to be, so this was another lesson she wld just have to overcome on her own

it turns out that she doesnt care for infidelity. when the confession comes out its met with a lot of screaming, bawling, blistering white hot anger. the whole incident is blacked out of her mind to b honest....

matters of the heart are no longer something to concern herself with because of the repercussions of her rash behavior regarding heartbreak O________O she spent a year in jail n still has to attend therapy / anger management meetings

deep down she is still hurting. there was a lot of pain... bt the sadness is not over the loss of some noob. she is in a state of constant disappointment, detaching from herself out of shame. putting her own life on pause only for it to turn out like that? stupid stupid stupid... 

PERSONALITY

chugging along! tldr spectre-like swamp nymph aura with the slightest (not so slight) unhinged feral tendencies

delicate like a moth resting in the gleam of a flashlight.... her anger singes her wings when shes too comfortable staying in one place, so theres always constant stimulation, always shifting gears. shes prone to feeling threatened; that being said, sadie is wary of walking in crowds, a little bit skittish when approached without making eye contact beforehand. like a small grey kitten..... in a big wide world

has a hard time keeping a conversation bt is very interested in debate, and even more so in studying alongside someone in complete silence. it reminds her of home in the same sense tht her uncle wld nudge her to keep reading by always having his own book open

doesnt have many friends and is alright with that. rumors are tht she is still a virgin bt who really knows? not i...... bt i wldnt be surprised if this was true. shes not impressed by people nor material items so this whole yates crowd is a turn off

she is truly clueless when it comes to how to behave around anyone her age. i think she understands but it just doesnt compute. she could come off as impolite bt it is just standoffishness? some people cld try to crack her but i dont think even she knows what that would be, or what that would look like. even in her one (1) failed relationship it was never deep heart to hearts or sharing dinner..... solitude is her realm

del is very comfortable with herself, very open with her wardrobe! doesnt leave too much to the imagination? she appreciates the human experience n expresses that thru this whole “body is a temple” type thing.... not quite confidence, but proudness of being. has gotten multiple notices frm professors for her tops being too sheer, nylons too ratted up, etc. has dirt under her fingernails half the time, chipped polish, some chapstick. smudges her eyeshadow on with her fingers

doesnt smoke cigarettes all too often but is dependent on weed. it kinda perpetuates her paranoid demeanor bt at the same time it keeps her lax enough to be able to mentally handle city life

her room is a playground for huge monstera plants, christmas cacti, ivy creeping along the doorway. she sleeps on a tiny thin mattress on the floor with a linen sheet and has her books stacked up on the ground next to it to hold her ashtray. the whole thing is dumb empty

takes her studies seriously and pinches every penny she can..... she has never ordered herself a coffee frm somewhere before, ordered food frm a restaurant... nothing. i wld think the most she would branch out from harvesting everything on her own is buying a bag of sunflower seeds frm a gas station, but even then, she much prefers eating stuff she grows herself. has a tomato plant, some basil beginning to sprout, etc.... manageable crops for any college students tiny space

...

bt yea thats it thats all! connections cld be all over the place. im legit open to anything. theres only a few tht come to mind right off that bat: 

a few people that get along with her? same classes? they shared a bowl n now theyre getting into the nitty gritty of some personal conversation that is veering into no mans land....

some sort of clueless makeover moment? arent rly into sadie as a person bt see a lot of potential... perhaps need a plus one to a party on the fly and figure thats the best option theyve got

crushes? this wld be fun n potentially dangerous! like playing with a hot cast iron pan or something :)

again im vry new to rp so i wld like to leave a lot of stuff up to chemistry, brainstorming n stuff like that, but please consider everything on the table! what i hav mentioned is the tip of the iceberg im so burnt out n i wrote a lot more than i intended to i am so sorry but i promise i am friendly

[pocmuzings]

hello and i hope you’re doing ok!! i’m thinking of starting a murder mystery esque rp but this will be my first time running an rp and i’d love to hear any tips/preferences/things you’d like to see if you have any in terms of plot/execution!!

omg how exciting !!!!! you have to link me when it comes all together, i’d love to see it ! in response to you - this is by no means definitive or how you should run a rp. u can run it HOWEVER you would like, but these are things i’ve found that i enjoy for these type of rps / general murder mystery plots!!!

HAVE THE KILLER BE SOMEONE IN THE RP - this is the essence of the rp after all, it’s a murder MYSTERY, u can’t just have joe-blow an npc be the murderer bc then it kinda defeats the purpose of why anybody would want to solve it! ppl like to have an EMOTIONAL CONNECTION to whoever the killer could be. before you even open the rp to the public, u should know who your killer is, and WHY they’re the killer. and they should be someone who is a playable character!!!

HAVE RED HERRINGS  - this is a classic move for murder mysteries of all sorts. you need someone to look like the bad guy. you need someone to be suspicious and have motive and incentive, but then . . it turns out they’re innocent ! have 2-3 red herrings hidden away. this really involves people in the plot because they start thinking it’s one person, then another person, THEN ANOTHER!! it’s great for all development !

MAKE THE RP EITHER OC, OR SKELETON. DON’T MIX BOTH - this helps create the ~mystery~ and whodunnit. if you write skeletons .. chances are, the murderer is going to be one of the skeletons, right ? so then that already wipes out all of your oc’s from being suspects!!! i personally think its more fun to have one or the other for this sort of rp !

HAVE A STRONG TIMELINE OF EVENTS - plot this out beforehand too. think about how and when evidence will be found. think about police reports being released. think about who will be called into the police station , and how this will throw a spanner into the works for all the other characters in the rp. create doubt. create suspicion. create paranoia amongst the characters . don’t let your rp start with a murder mystery and then let it flop with no plot drops, or events pertaining to said murder mystery. this is like baking a cake , and not even putting it in the oven. it’s like .. u started smth great , but now whats the point?

GIVE EVERY CHARACTER JUST A LIIIIITLE BIT OF MOTIVE - this is good because you do want every character to have just a little bit of a reason as to why they would have potentially ~murdered someone

KEEP THE MURDERER A MYSTERY … EVEN TO THE MURDERER ! - i don’t think its necessary to let someone know they’ve picked up the ‘murderer’ straight away, unless u need to for plot development and for them to ~play~ the character and the game ! but honestly, it’s fun for everyone if NOBODY knows who did it, including the one who did it !

WATCH AND READ MURDER MYSTERIES !!! - there are some really really good ones out there ! desperate housewives, KNIVES OUT, prisoners, the first season of pretty little liars, veronica mars, one of us is lying, a good girls guide to murder , sadie,  . . these are all bits of media that have done FANTASTIC jobs at creating characters and a really well-driven and developed  mystery plot!

CREATE STRONG CHARACTERS - this goes without saying for any rp, but i think this is especially important for murder mystery rps which is why i lean towards having SKELETONS for these type of rps. give them bones, and a trope. make them all as different as you can . think about characters that work well in other murder mysteries and try to mimic what makes them so good and strong, and what they can PROVIDE to the murder mystery . is one of them a reporter ? an ex best friend ? a nancy-drew sort of character ? they should be !!! they should all have a clear PURPOSE in the rp , don’t just give them a label like ‘the peacemaker’ and call it a day. what is their purpose ? what do they serve by being in the rp, and why do you NEED them in order for the rp to work ? ( and u SHOULD need them ! ideally, u should need every skeleton taken, right ?!)

THINK OF PLOT DROPS AND EVENTS, AND ASK MEMBERS TO CONTRIBUTE IDEAS TOO  - these should all keep the same sort of aesthetic as having something spooky or mysterious to them . a haunted halloween night. a spooky festival. a power outage at school. a piece of evidence found by one of the characters . somebody finding out who the murderer could be, and then getting into an  ‘ accident ‘. this type of rp is PLOT HEAVY and events and plot drops should absolutely be something you already have in mind and know when are going to happen and WHAT the main event of them happening will be !

CREATE THREATS AND A ‘SCARE FACTOR’ - it should start light and easy , in some degree. the rp should start with everyone thinking their character is going to be safe. lull everyone into a false sense of security, and then show that nobody is safe. either by having an anonymous blogger, or gossip blog make blasts, or by hurting one of the characters who keeps sticking their nose in. you should have people in the rp seriously realise that there will be consequences for their characters actions , bc lets be real .. if ur a killer and someone is purposely goading u or trying to Solve the Crime .. ur gonna be pissed and want to Eliminate them !

HAVE A GOOD SETTING -  honestly, setting in murder mystery rps is SO MUCH FUN and is what can make a rp so unique ! is it a small town, therefore the murder ROCKED the entire town to their shells bc everyone knows everyone and WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING ??  is it a homely city, that was previously thought of as being very safe and ideal, until this horrible crime happened ? is it a grungey neo-noir city, that has a lot of crime, but THIS crime was ‘ particularly heinous ‘, or maybe the work of a notorious serial killer ? think of a location. think of a setting. this is IMPORTANT to the rp and to drawing people’s interests in ! 

CREATE CONNECTIONS - how does skeleton a know skeleton b ? who trusts who ? who DOESN’T trust who ? who thinks who did it ? who thinks who is innocent ? ideally, every character should have an impression of the next. this create a more tight-knit feeling within the rp, both ic and ooc, because EVERYONE knows everyone and has a basic ‘first impression’. you don’t have to write all of these or provide them for every skeleton, but i think its important to try and write a couple at least, so everyone finds it a bit easier to plot and reach out to different people !

ENCOURAGE SECRETS AND LIES  - this goes without saying. i think its fun to have each character have a ‘secret’ or ‘something they’re not telling the police’. i find this makes for more in character development and activity !!! again, u can let ppl think of their own, or u can assign one if u want ! but basically, this rp should be filled with no ‘good’ characters and no ‘bad characters’. everyone should have equal amounts of flaws, and advantages. 

MAKE THE KILLER STRIKE MORE THAN ONCE - so the killer most likely strikes once at the ‘beginning’ of the rp, or just before the rp opens, to kick things off. but then . . don’t forget about them ! its very common for someone to strike twice . they can kill a npc, or .. maybe somebody doesnt mind throwing their character in to be Axed, but honestly . . the killer should and will strike again , and this should help keep everyone on their toes, ic and ooc, too !!!

WRITE ABOUT THE KILLER IN YOUR PLOT - its a murder mystery . it’s horror. so. talk about the killer, without giving away their identity. give hints as to who it could be . tell us what their relationship was to the deceased. tell us how they killed that person. was it a crime of passion ? a crime of hate ? an ACCIDENT ??? how did they feel after they’d realised what they’d done ? what happened that night/day/morning ???

this is all i can think of right now, and i hope it helps!!! whatever u come up with will be AMAZING i bet. as a nerd of murder mysteries, i rlly enjoyed answering this and if u need any more advice or help . let me know !!! good luck, and make sure to link me when ur good to go !! i can’t WAIT to see it !!

[sweetspinel]

Here’s a one shot of Diamond Steven getting revenge on his brat for making him jealous a few months ago <3

For @melodys-blog-and-art thank you for supporting my content and even my ptt blog. 💕💕💕💕 you’re awesome.

(NSFW toward the end kids be gone)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One morning Steven had gotten back from running a few errands. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were already at Little Homeschool for the day. Spinel was upstairs sleeping. He had remembered when she had made him jealous that one day they went out. He felt it was time to get some revenge.

He called Connie and made plans with her to go skating. They established that they only wanted to be friends and weren’t as close as they used to be. But they still hung out from time to time. Spinel had finally woken up and made her way downstairs. She was wearing Steven’s t-shirt and black high socks. “Steven!” she cheered. She jumped into his arms and kissed him. The curly haired boy wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and kissed her back. “Spinel, lets go skating together” he said. Spinel frowned and looks down “I don’t know how to skate” she whined. Steven smirked and tilted her head up, his pink eyes piercing through her magenta orbs. “It’s okay bunny, I can teach you” he said.

Spinel was slightly confused as to why Steven was being this nice to her. Was he in just a really good mood? Or was he planning something? Either way she’s take it because it made her happy that he wasn’t being cold and distant. They got dressed and headed out to the skating rink. Spinel was clinging onto Stevens arm as he held her up as they skated, “disobedient” by Sadie Killer and The Suspects played. Spinel looked up and noticed Connie approaching. “Oh. Connie is here” Spinel said, with a surprised look on her face. Steven looked up and smiled “hey” he said.

“Hey you two” she said with a soft smile. “Hey Spinel, I think you should sit down for a while, I want to catch up with Connie for a bit” he said with a knowing grin on his face. Connie raised an eyebrow and Spinel looked up at him, her eyes like a sad puppy’s. Why was he doing this? He could be so cruel sometimes. Steven dropped Spinel off in the sitting area and went back over to Connie. Spinel watched as he treated her like they were close again. Connie wasn’t protesting either. It was almost like old times again. A couple hours of Spinel being ignored and watching Steven put his “nice mask” on and bond with Connie passed before they went home. Spinel was was visibly jealous. She had her arms crossed and she was pouting the entire way home. When they got back Steven looked at Spinel who just stood by the wall by the door on looking away still pouting. “What’s wrong Spinel? Jealous?” he said mockingly.

The pink gem looked at her diamond and said “why did you do that? I thought WE were gonna spend tome together”. Steven chuckled and said “Oh silly girl, you get my time pretty much every moment of the day. What’s the harm in me spending a couple hours out of the day with an old friend? You’re just being greedy don’t you think?” Spinel growled and started stomping while yelling “its not fair! You’re so mean! You did this on purpose on jerk!” Steven pushed her against the wall and grabbed her face, he leaned in and looked right into her eyes, that were wide and staring back at him. He said in the calmest, softest voice “name calling? That’s not very nice. Don’t forget your place little girl” Spinel felt a chill go down her back as he spoke, her cheeks and deep magenta. “If it bothers that much all you have to do is prove how much you want me to be all yours” Steven leaned closer and started kissing Spinel deeply, sliding his tongue in her mouth. Their tongues wrestled and his hand went from her face to her neck, firmly wrapping his hand around it, Spinel moan softly as Steven kept kissing her and tightened his grip on her neck. His free hand going into her shorts and panties, she tended up as his slightly cold fingers went over her slit.

Steven broke the kiss and said in a raspy voice “wow you’re THAT wet already? such a little slut. Guess you’re ready to prove that I’m all yours. Spinel nodded and looked up at him “I-I’ll do anything my Diamond. I-I want you a-all to myself!” She said as she grabbed Stevens bulge. He smirks and and leads her to the couch. He sits down and guides her in front of him, his hands gripping her hips. He slid down her shorts and panties, Spinel hides her face as she blushes deeper. “S-Steven? What if we get caught?” she asked. The brunette boy sat back as he undid his pants “don’t worry, they won’t be back for another few hours” he pulled his pants down revealing his hard cock. “Ride it as hard as you can and you won’t have to worry about anyone having a chance ever again” he said as he stroked himself. Spinel nodded and and got on top.

She let out a moan as Steven entered her tight pussy effortlessly from how wet she was. Steven leaned his head back and groaned “fuck... your so tight babygirl” Spinel pulled off her shirt and started bouncing up and down. The way she rotated her hips upon coming down made Steven buck his hips a tightly grip at her ass. She loudly moaned as she didn’t have to worry about anyone hearing her. “Mmmm good girl” Steven said, moans escaping his lips. “Keep going baby” he began rubbing her clit as she road him. Spinel started riding him harder and started getting even wetter, she was screaming in pleasure at this point as she felt herself cumming into her Doms rather big member. “Ah fuck... Spinel I’m gonna cum” the gem hybrid gasped out as he began cumming into her, he filled her up before pulling out. Spinel fell back onto the couch panting, cum dripping out of her hole. After regaining his breathe, Steven crawled on top of Spinel and kissed her forehead and began stroking her hair “you did good doll, I’m all yours” he whispered before planting a kiss on her lips. Although too tired to respond Spinel internally celebrated that he won’t be paying attention to any other girl now.