#so okay now youre just hellbent on policing people and telling them where they can and cant go.

[hansensgirl]

salvatore. | vi.

series summary. | Bucky Barnes doesn’t believe in love anymore. Especially after the tragic, unknown death of his wife, Natasha. He thinks it’s stupid and a waste of time and- oh my. Hello there, you. There you were, with your notebooks and your novels, writing your heart away. He’s hellbent on saving you from this nasty world, his elusive neighbor that has him under the stupid spell of love. You soon find yourself trapped in a tragic love story with Bluebeard, not Prince Charming.

warnings. | NONCON/DUBCON, dark themes, manipulation, gaslighting, arguments, toxic relationships (reader and steve), cheating, nightmares, violent behaviour? (no actual hitting), spying, voyeurism, stalking, use of cameras, angst, fluff, soft!dark!bucky, protectiveness, obsessiveness, creepy bucky, perversion, + more. 18+, MINORS DNI.

word count. | 2.5k

pairings. | Dark!Bucky Barnes x Reader, Steve Rogers x Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Steve Rogers.

a/n. | i know i haven’t updated in a while i’m really sorry!! please enjoy and don’t forget to reblog!

“Doll, please calm down. You’re scaring me,” Steve begged, sitting on the bed. “How can I calm down, Steve? Huh? You only just came back, and now you’re going away again,” you spat, crossing your arms. Your stance was almost adorable, but Steve knew that if he made a comment, he’d just push you further away. He couldn’t let that happen. “Why can’t you ask for a vacation, Stevie? We haven’t done anything romantic since my birthday, and that was six months ago.” You turned your back to Steve, and he sighed.

“I’m sorry, Doll, but I have to go save the world,”  he solemnly told you. His voice carried a faux sadness that shouldn’t even be there in the first place. “Bullshit, you have so many more people to do it. Sam, Wanda, Tony—don’t lie, Steve. Why are you going to Sydney? There’s no way you have to travel to another continent to mess up some sort of drug deal. Isn’t that what the police are for?” you questioned him.

Tears stung your eyes. They were ones of anger, but you couldn’t lie. In the midst of them, were sad ones ready to leak, too. Steve stayed silent. “For fucks sake, Steve, you can’t even give me an answer?” you asked in disbelief. You gasped as the tears began to fall. “I knew it, I knew it the whole time,” you whispered under your breath. “Knew what?” he asked, walking up to you. You backed up into the corner of the room.

“That you’re cheating on me,” you mumbled quietly. “What? Baby– no, listen.” He paused to take a deep breath, meant to calm his nerves down. “I don’t want to hear anything, Steve. I know about you and Natasha. All those trips? Those text messages? God, the only person I feel bad for is myself. How could I be so blind to it all?” you shook your head as you spoke. You walked around Steve’s strong figure and headed towards the door. “Where are you going?” He called out, following you behind.

“For some fresh air, I can’t handle this,” you yelled back, but Steve only sped his steps up. “You’re not leaving me, Doll,” he growled, stepping in front of you. “I never said I was, but now you’re tempting me,” you snapped back. “You’re not leaving me, Doll. You never can.” Steve gripped your shoulders tightly, and you winced in pain. “Even if you did, I’ll go to the ends of the Earth to get you back.”

Your eyes shot open. Gasping, you struggled to catch your breath. Your heart pumped like no tomorrow. Each time your chest raised to the highest point, you felt like you had a heart attack. You fell back onto your pillow, and you couldn't care enough about the slightly painful thud that came with it. Nightmares were never pleasant. Though they give amazing writing inspiration, they still were not nice.

Unfortunately, your nights seemed to be filled with them. Every time you fell asleep for the past week, you’d wake up in a panicky mode. At that point, you were okay with settling for a weird dream that resembled surrealistic art. Who wouldn’t want to have a Dali-inspired dream? You rubbed your eyes roughly and could feel the exhaustion in your every movement.

Your phone rang loudly. The sound made you jump in shock, and you reached to your bedside table for it. The screen read Bucky’s name, and you sighed. You answered the phone and brought it to your ear. “Hey, Bucky,” you croaked tiredly. He laughed, and you could hear the exhaustion in his voice. But the sound of tiredness differed from yours. “Did I wake you up?” he asked, and you moaned. “No, I just woke up,” you told him. “Why would you wake up at one in the morning, Doll?” he asked.

“Nightmare,” you breathlessly told him. You could swear on the daisy that began to bloom two weeks ago that you started to feel a weight being lifted off your shoulders. “Talk to me, Doll. Was it bad?” he questioned. “Yeah, it was worse than the previous ones.” You hadn’t even realized that you just spilled your secret. “You’ve been getting them for the past few nights? Doll– I’m so sorry, but you know you can always talk to me, right?”

His words were more reassuring than anything Steve ever said. “I know, it’s just… The nightmares—they’re very personal. You might not understand how scary they are. Plus, I don’t want to bother you,” you sheepishly admitted to him. He sighed heavily. “I understand, Doll, but you can never bother me, okay? I’m the one who’s supposed to feel that way, not you,” he chuckled, just to ease the tension.

“Now, I’m gonna be there in the next twenty minutes. Do you think you can sort yourself out by then?” he asked, and you started to stutter. “Uhm, sure, yeah, sure,” you agreed obediently. “Good girl, I’ll be there in a few.” And with that, he hung up. Your eyeballs bulged out of their sockets at those two words he uttered. Steve never said anything like that. He’d always just nod, even if you couldn't see it.  You simply wrapped yourself in one of your most favourite blankets because changing seemed pointless to you.

There was no way he was not in pyjamas… right?

You turned the lamp on next to you before you could convince yourself that your chair was a monster. Your back was cold but also covered in sweat. You hated that feeling, and your mother always had the best way to describe it. “It’s like heating something in the microwave but failing nonetheless. The outside of it is warm, but the inside is still cold.” She’d tell you as she’d wipe down your back with a towel.

That was before everything went downhill. Before you turned thirteen and before she married him.

You sighed and got out of bed, willing yourself to put the kettle on. Maybe you’ll make some hot chocolate, or perhaps some tea… In your mind, twenty minutes always seemed like a long time. It sounded as though you could get quite a lot done in a third of an hour. The reality always felt like getting ice water poured on you as a method for waking up.

Unless your life was significantly put together, those one thousand and two hundred seconds are equivalent to five minutes. The ceramic lid for the jar clinked as you set it down on the counter. You grabbed two chamomile tea bags and closed the pot with a ‘ping!’. You grabbed two cups from the cupboard and then groaned loudly when you realized that you hadn’t turned the kettle on.

With a flick of your finger, you turned it on and leaned onto the counter. You sighed pretty loudly. Your head fell into the cup that your hands made, and you closed your eyes. You didn’t have a headache, and your eyes didn’t hurt either; you were just exhausted. You sighed once again, and the kettle clicked, telling you the water was done boiling.

Timing was everything, as always. And sometimes “timing” is just a coincidence, just like how Bucky rang the doorbell as soon as the water stopped boiling. You rubbed your eyes and walked to the door slowly, not caring that he may have been standing out there for thirty seconds too long. You opened it—not all the way—but wide enough for him to catch a glimpse of your tired form. “Hi,” he greeted, letting himself in.

Bucky looked around your home as if he was waiting for someone to round the corner with a knife and shotgun. “Nice place,” he said with an awkward smile on his face. “Thanks, even though our homes are formatted the same way,” you chuckled. He nodded, and then a few seconds after, he let out a forced laugh. You looked up at him and gave him a meek grin, and then went back to making the tea.

“I’m so glad I have two bags of chamomile left. It’s like the universe has decided to bless me again,” you breathlessly said. “What was the blessing before?” he curiously asked. “You.” You poured the hot water inside the cups, and then the bags of tea followed. “Honey or sugar?” you asked, and he pointed at the sugar. You passed it to him wordlessly, and the only sounds that filled the room were from your lungs and cups of tea.

“So… Do you want to talk about it?” he asked after a few more wordless moments. “S- sure, thank you once again! You’re so kind,” you sighed as you brought the cup of tea to your mouth. Bucky copied your movements, but just a bit slower. “It was about my ex,” you admitted once you set your cup down. Bucky struggled to keep his eyes from popping out of their sockets at your mention of him.

“It was so similar to an argument we had a few months before I broke up with him… The only difference was that he wasn’t as… terrifying. And yet he still scared me,” you solemnly spoke. Bucky stretched a hand across the counter and placed it on your shoulder. He pleasantly squeezed it a bit, and you were tempted to lean into his touch.

But you just can’t, because Steve is in the back of your mind, taunting you.

“What really happened in the dream?” he asked, and you took another sip of tea. “Well… We were fighting. He had to go away for a while, even though he just came back. He’d always do that; it’s what helped destroy our relationship. He valued his job over me, and also, someone else,” you sadly recounted. Bucky listened in carefully, because he wanted to help out his best girl in any way possible.

“I caught him in his lies because his excuses became so… Inexplicable. I always had that nagging feeling that he was cheating on me with his friend, his coworker. That argument confirmed everything. I couldn’t handle it all being true, so I tried to leave for a walk,” you paused to take a shaky breath. “He got angry and stopped me, and then he threatened me,” you bluntly finished.

Bucky was so glad that his hand was no longer resting on your shoulder because Goddamn was his fist clenched tightly. You brought the cup of tea up to your mouth, and Bucky just watched you as you diverted your eyes away from him. Once you set the cup down, Bucky grabbed your hands. In contrast, his were extremely hot, and yet the flesh one was dry. Yours were a bit cold, but they were soft and a bit dewy. You looked up at him, only to lock eyes.

“It’s just a dream, doll, okay? And it’s in the past, it won’t happen again, our minds can be crazy sometimes, so try not to worry about it,” he whispered lowly, bringing both of your hands up to his mouth. He pressed a kiss on both sets of your knuckles. You nodded softly, and you leaned down to press a kiss on his flesh knuckles in return. You smiled against his skin, even though it was bruised and slightly red. You wanted to ignore the weird feeling of his metal arm against your sweaty skin, but you couldn’t help it.

“Can- Can I do the thing to your metal hand?” you asked him, hopeful that he would say yes. Bucky nodded, with a slight smile on his face, of course. You closed your eyes and puckered your lips just a bit, pecking the metal. His breathing hitched, unbearably so. It was something he would always catch himself doing whenever he’d think about you or whenever he was simply just in your presence. You opened up eyes and looked back up at him, and you could see the way his eyes glazed over.

He let go of your hands abruptly, allowing them to fall onto the marble countertop. His fingers slotted themselves against your cheeks, and he grabbed your face gently. Bucky pulled you close to him, and he smashed his lips against yours. The kiss was messy, but it was full of passion. You kept your lips locked against his, and your fingers carded through his long hair. There was no other movement apart from the way Bucky kept trying to pull you closer and closer.

It was almost like he wanted to merge bodies, minds, and souls with you.

A few more seconds passed, and Bucky eventually pulled away. He rested his forehead against yours, and you exhaled a shaky breath. “Steve… His name is Steve, and I hate him,” you admitted to him, and Bucky kissed your nose. “And I hate him too, doll,” Bucky said before parting ways from you. There was a bit of tea left in his cup, but you had finished all of yours. “Get some rest, okay? Or just close your eyes for a bit. You need it,” he advised, and you nodded. “Thank you, Bucky. I really appreciate you being there for me,” you expressed to him.

“Anything for you, doll, now go tuck yourself in,” he urged once again before walking past you to the door. You placed the cups in the sink, and neither of you looked back at each other. You heard the door shut with a loud echo, and you sighed heavily. Maybe you were going to listen to him. Sleeping in isn’t that bad after all.

Bucky always believed that being vulnerable was stupid. He also believed that opening up was stupid. But, to be fair, he believed that anything involving emotions was stupid. But when it comes to you, he felt the opposite. Maybe vulnerability was good. Perhaps it was exactly where you needed to be for him to finally be able to love you.

And it was then when he realized that he hadn’t been loving you properly. He hadn’t been loving you the way he wanted to love Natasha, and that just ended up with her six feet deep with flowers growing above her body. He needed you, but you clearly needed him more than anything else. Bucky was desperate for you at times, of course, but you matter more to him than anything else.

Bucky looked down at his desk, staring at the single plane ticket that would take him all the way across the state of New York. He hadn’t been there in over a year, and that was when he first learned of Natasha’s promiscuity. Philandering around with his best friend, fucking said best friend in the most memorable locations he had taken her.

He honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if he found out that the reason why Natasha showed up to the wedding venue late was that she was too busy lifting up that poofy white gown for Steve. He thought that by emptying out Pandora’s box when she passed, everything would be okay. That he’d be able to move on without a care, and he wouldn’t have to shed any more tears for her. Bucky won’t. He promised himself he wouldn't.

He just had a few loose ends to wrap up before he made you his. That was all.

[bloodpenned]

pathetic, lovestruck kylar is THE BEST. you could get them to do anything for you. anything. that’s so dangerous to play with, but if you were hellbent on being top dog in town, it’d be so much easier if you had your own tiny little enforcer with no moral qualms except having you. as long as you keep showering bits and pieces of your love, they’re yours forever. bailey’s and remy’s ultimate downfall is their lack of loyal people around them. but not you. you’ll never be alone on your side. and that can be a kind of love, too, can’t it?

cw: implied murder, manipulation, reader is not a good person and this is fucked up LMAO

You don't know if Kylar is blind to the way you're taking advantage of them, or if they're simply letting you blindfold them. Whether they think this is better than nothing and accept your dynamic for what it is, or if they keep craving more and more out of view.

Either way, they're so easy to train. It starts with telling them about how you've noticed them following you around. They'll tense up, panic, terrified of your response until you tell them how much you appreciate their protection. That's adding fuel to the fire. Kylar will start following you as much as possible, barely restraining themselves from knocking out the people that as much as look at you the wrong way. In return, you are nice to them. They soak in the hour of attention you give them every day after school, at the warmth of your hand on their thigh and the soothing sound of your voice.

But then they come blubbering to you before school, telling you how sorry they are, but they're out of tranquilisers, and they can't go back yet to steal more for you, sorry sorry sorry- If you were to ask them to grovel at your feet and beg for forgiveness, they would. You walk straight past them. They're too shocked to even latch onto your wrist and stop you. The rest of the day, you treat them like they're air, sitting next to Robin during lunch and letting them wait in the park the entire afternoon. Alone.

It takes a few days of this to spur them into action.

They haven't stolen any more darts yet. If they do, they might get arrested, and then they won't be able to look after you at all. That means they'll just have to protect you more directly. When you get harrassed on the street, they'll run at your attacker while snarling like a feral dog, knife slashing an inch away from their skin. They aren't determined enough to continue bothering you after that, rushing off. Kylar's shaking all over with adrenaline, stumbling on their feet. They were terrified. You take their first kiss right after, cooing about how proud you are, about how strong they are. Kylar's never been happier. You're looking at them again!

Kylar isn't stupid, they know what you want them to do. With such a clear goal to work towards, there's no means of stopping them. Where their reputation was terrible before, it becomes downright abysmal now that they regularly threaten people and draw blood. Fighting for you has given them the confidence to stand up for themselves as well. They're not bullied anymore, rather, they're avoided like the plague. Kylar prefers this by a long shot. All they need is your attention, your soft lips against theirs and gentle fingers untangling their hair. They invest in a couple of throwing knives that they practice with late into the night. In case they were ever too far away from you, or their other blade got taken.

At first, you have to spin an entire story to send them on someone. That they insulted you, hurt you, raped you- You watch the look in their eyes grow darker and darker. It's still a hurdle. You aren't with them to provide direct motivation, they have to plan all of it out since their one physical advantage is the element of surprise. When they return to you, with an empty look in their eyes and covered in blood, they mumble that they tried to run away. Tried to call the police. They... They had to do it like this, okay? When you wrap your arms around them and hold them close, they burst into violent sobs. (you don't hate htem you don't hat eht em you don't hat ehtem) You still love them, despite this. What else could you possibly hate them for? While they're in this state, in shock and on the verge of a breakdown, you take their virginity.

All you need to do is give them a name after that, and let them act like they're your spouse. They'll show you pictures as proof that your wishes have been fulfilled, like a cat leaving dead animals on your doormat. Every new 'mission' brings them excitement. It's a promise of more of your attention. They've always seen you as perfect, but now you are the only human to them. Everyone are lesser, wretched monsters only breathing to be sacrificed to you. Kylar will get their hands dirty so you never have to.

The largest risk is Kylar becoming too trigger-happy. Drunk on the idea of neverending love. You've established a firm connection between your affection and violence, smashed their moral compass. So, if they hurt more people for you, without you even asking them do it, would that make you love them more? Let them commit a massacre, and never leave their side again. Your love will become undying, your love will be god.

[songbirdsingingthings]

Heartbeats - Levi Ackerman x Reader

WARNINGS: Season 4 Spoilers, Mentions of Blood, Stitching up Major Injuries, Somewhat Angst, Ending In Fluff, FLOCH SLANDER

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Hajime Isayama

AOT Masterlist - Main Masterlist

Word Count: 3.6K

A/N: I REPEAT - SEASON 4 SPOILERS!!! Okay, so basically in this, you replace Hange in the little ride that she, Floch, and the rest of his little group takes out into the wilderness when they end up finding the remnants of the cart explosion. This also means you find out what happens to Levi (poor bby). I hope you enjoy, I had a lovely time writing this!

To put it simply, you were pissed off. If anyone could do a deep dive into your brain, navigate your nervous systems, and land themselves straight into your amygdala, they would find out just how livid you are. Being betrayed by your comrades was one thing. You’ve seen corruption in the military before whether it be in the Military Police or in the Garrison, so you knew it was only a matter of time that a seed of deceit sprouted within the Scout Regiment. However, you didn’t think that there would be so many to purposely go against their oath and betray the core values and people who helped the Scouts become who they were. But the real kicker was that you and Hange, two of the highest ranking people in the regiment, were being led out by gunpoint by Floch. As one of the last remaining captains of the Scouts, you were almost humiliated at the thought of cadets technically holding your life in their hands as the group of you rode on horseback.

“Move along Y/N, we don’t have all day.” Floch said. You didn’t have to turn your head to see the power hungry grin donning the red head’s face. Instead, you scoffed and moved one of your hands up to tug the hood of your cape lower over your face. The rain was pelting your back relentlessly and you shuddered a little at the chill that ran down your back. Of course the rain had to come to make this experience even more miserable than it already was. You wished that Hange was by your side on this little outing, but of course, the little group headed by Floch would only take one of you out at a time. Pay no mind, just try to get through this, you tell yourself, gritting your teeth. You turn your focus onto happier thoughts to try and propel yourself through this little “mission”.  Your mind flitted to random, somewhat material things; a freshly washed and dried long sleeve shirt, a cup of soothing tea, and using your ODM gear just for fun. But, like all thoughts of yours tend to do, they all turned onto the man that had been stationed out in the woods for weeks. Levi Ackerman. Four, maybe five years ago, you never would have thought that the gray-eyed man could become anything closer to you than a colleague, much less a boyfriend. But, things just fell weirdly into place, setting up your relationship. Oh, what he would say when he finds out what has been happening back at HQ, you muse, your mouth twitching into a small smile. However, your somewhat appeased expression morphed into one of confusion when a sudden cracking noise reverberated through the air and landed on the ears of you and the group of traitorous scouts.

“Uh… Floch?” You hear one of the scouts say, their voice laced with concern.

“What the hell was that?” Floch asks.

“Thunder maybe?” Another scout chimes in, not sounding confident in their answer. Your eyebrows knit in perplexity as your eyes narrow in the direction the sound came in. Then, it all comes together. A Thunder Spear. You conclude. A lump in your throat forms. But why? The only people out in the woods would be… Levi. 

“Let’s head in that direction.” The redhead concludes. The group wordlessly kicks their horses into a canter as everyone heads toward a more northern direction. It’s only when you get closer to the forest’s tree line that you see where that sound came from. In the short distance, a somewhat mangled titan was laying down on its stomach, but closer to you was the wreckage of a wooden cart. Planks of wood were sticking out haphazardly, and to your sorrow, so were two horses. You heard the murmurs of confusion from Floch’s group, but your focus remained on one of the horses. Why was your attention captured by such a sad sight? This poor, jet black horse was on its side. It almost reminded you of Levi’s… no, it looks exactly like his horse. Hurriedly, but not so fast as to draw attention to yourself, your eyes and head dart around the surroundings of the wreckage. Over the drenched plains and tall grass, nothing was out of the norm. Until your eyes landed a green Scout Regiment cloak with its hood up, definitely covering a person’s body that you recognized immediately. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Without hesitation, you hopped off your horse - your feet almost getting tangled in the stirrups of the saddle - and sprinted towards the cloak-wrapped body. 

“CAPTAIN Y/N, DO NOT RUN OFF!” Floch shouts over the downpour of rain. Paying no mind to the mud that caked your boots and the stinging of the tall grass as it cut and pricked your face. You reach him and flip him over immediately. As soon as you see his face, you audibly gasp. A long, slightly deep cut stretched from just on top of his right brow, over his right eye, over his mouth, and then finally stopped at his chin. Substantially sized wood chips were buried into his left cheek. What made your hands shake, though, was the fact that all over his pale face and stuck in his silky black hair was his blood. You jostle him once, then twice, and then finally a third time to yield no movement from him.

“ARE YOU ALIVE?” You shout into his ear, your voice trying to reach his eardrums. “ANSWER ME, PLEASE!” You feel your heart breaking as his lips don’t move and his eyes don’t flutter with movement. Never did you think that your time with him would run out. Humanity's strongest soldier, the captain of the special ops squad, and the love of your life taken out of the world just like that? No. He was too stubborn, too hellbent on avenging Erwin and making sure that you don’t get yourself into ‘dumb predicaments’ as he likes to say. You hug his limp body close to you and press your ear to his chest. You knew that Floch and his cronies would be surrounding you soon, but you just wanted one last moment with you and him alone. Your eyes closed as you nestled yourself into him in a last ditch effort in order to find some final comfort from him. All you could hear was the rain and the faint squelching of the “Scouts’” boots coming towards you. But then, as light as a feather, a heartbeat. Your eyes shoot open as you press your ear against his chest closer to his chest, trying to make sure what you heard wasn’t a hallucination. Another heartbeat, although faint, was there. You didn’t have time to react when you heard a voice from behind you.

“I don’t know what happened, but we got lucky. Our biggest threat, now covered in his own blood.” Floch’s words pierced your heart. How he could be so insensitive, so disrespectful of a human life.

“I’ll send a shot through his head.” Another one said. 

“He’s dead.” You quickly say, earning silence from the rest of the group. If he’s going to stay alive, I have to act fast. I have to make up stuff on the fly. You say to yourself. “He must have been hit by a Thunder Spear explosion at close range,” you say, incorporating the cracking noise that everyone heard. “I saw something similar in a training accident when Hange was in the developing stage with prototypes. He might not look dead, but his vital organs are in shreds. He died immediately from the internal bleeding.” You say, trying your best to convince them that Levi was, in fact, ready to be buried six feet under. You look up to Floch, forcing tears to spring from your eyes in order to fully sell the effect.

“Well, I know how to take a pulse. Lemme see him and I’ll check to make sure that he is, as you say, dead.” Floch said, nonchalantly. Shit. But, like some higher power was looking down on you, the titan near the treeline produced a strange smoky-like substance, gaining the attention from the group.

“What’s going on?”

“I haven’t seen anything like this before.”

“What do we do?” Comments from everyone in the group were voiced, everyone’s eyes - including yours - trained on the origin of the smoke. And there, like he emerged from a phoenix’s ashes, was Zeke. Your eyes widen, and then narrow. They’re obsessed with Zeke and Eren. This is my chance. Gripping Levi as tightly as you can and putting all of your energy into this exact moment, you launched you and Levi into the river that ran right next to you. You could hear the warped voices of the traitorous scouts as you plunged into the freezing water, but you couldn’t and wouldn’t turn your head. They had the guns, they had the manpower, and they had the higher ground. The only way you and Levi would survive this is if you swam down the river. So, you swam, and swam, and swam.

You gasp and cough up water as you resurface, immediately putting your efforts into getting Levi out of the river water. You manage to push his body and roll it a foot away from the riverbank before you get swept under the water again. FIGHT, DAMMIT! You scream to yourself, clawing your way out and onto the land next to Levi. With another cough and hack, you grab hold of your unconscious boyfriend and somewhat drag, somewhat carrying him into the woods to find what little shelter you could get. You whip your head around quickly to survey your surroundings, finding solace in the fact that it’s just the two of you.

“O-okay,” you waver, your mind strained and your body exhausted, “there’s no one here or after us right now. We’re safe for right now.” You say, hopeful that Levi could hear you. You quickly make a camp out of the supplies that you had on your back as well as the things you could find in nature. Thankfully, every scout - captain or cadet - was required to carry a full tent and sleeping pack, so as quickly as you could, you set those both up. From when you were hammering in the little pegs of the tent and unfolding and rolling out the sleeping pack, you kept a watchful eye on Levi. Finally, everything was set up and a small campfire was roaring. Now, you could officially tend to him. You peel back the cloak from his body and set in near the fire to dry it off. Pulling Levi gently over and onto the sleeping pack, you brush back his hair from his face so that you could fully assess his injuries.

“Oh Levi…” You murmur, taking in that big scar again. There was no doubt that he had gone blind in his right eye. All you could hope was that there is no infection. So, quickly, you take out your first aid kit and get to work. First, you start to remove the wood chips from his face with tweezers. “You know, you would be furious if you saw how Floch treated Hange and the rest of the leading officials within the Regiment. Probably would’ve ended him right then and there.” You blab, trying to distract yourself and talk to Levi at the same time. Pulling wood out of your boyfriend’s face was not something you loved doing. Thankfully, there weren’t that many chips and they didn’t splinter, so that work was quick. Now came the monstrous task of stitching up those gashes stretching across his face. The one on his cheek didn’t worry you, but the one stretching across his eye and mouth most definitely did. So, to try and fuel your confidence, you start with the smaller and less dependent one. After a couple of shaky tries, you finally thread the needle and tie a knot at the end of it to prevent the stitch from coming undone. 

“Okay, you can do this Y/N. It’s just like when your mom used to stitch up your clothes, right? Just nice and slow…” you say to yourself, bringing the needle to his mangled skin. “Levi, I can’t believe you’re making me do this you asshole!” You whine, a few tears falling from your eyes as you finally stick the needle through his skin and stitching it together. You got into a steady rhythm, messing up a bit here and there, but eventually getting the job done. You grab the little thread scissors and snip off the end of the thread, tying the little thread at the end of the gash tightly, but not as taut as to rip the stitching. 

“Now onto the big one.” You breathe, prepping yourself. With a deep breath and a scrunch of your eyes, you begin at his chin and start making your way up. It was a short distance to stitch to his bottom lip, but you hated to sew that part up. Those lips were always so soft against your skin. From pressing butterfly kisses to your shoulders when you would wake up in bed, quick ones to your forehead before leaving for a mission, and passionate ones to your lips when you would finally get back, those lips comforted you and helped you through the tough reality of living. Now, you had to leave a permanent reminder on his lips that he wasn’t as invincible as he might’ve once thought. You tie that part off before starting at his top lip, making your way up to his eye. This was the part you were dreading. Those silver irises drew your attention in whichever situation you were in. Whether it be a meeting of the minds or just a quick glance his way, you would get absolutely lost in those gray pools. Now, he would have only one and his vision would be used through a single eye. 

“Come on L/N, you’ve got this.” You whisper while starting to stitch his eye. It was a rough, uncomfortable experience, but finally you made it over his eye and to his forehead. And, with one last tie and a snip from the scissors, you were done. The last thing you had to do was wrap his right hand. You discovered, when dragging him through the river, just how far his injuries extended. Two of his fingers, his middle and index, were cut clean off. It pained you to know that he would have to relearn how to use ODM gear again. The tool he was a master and artist at using, making himself look graceful and deadly at the same time, he would have to relearn. You just covered his hand and wounds quickly, and let your mind veer from that. You cleaned his face again, swiping a clean strip of your shirt, a piece you ripped off, and went carefully over his stitches and took extra care in the more tender areas. Then, you threw it to the side and plopped down at his side, staring at the grass in front of you.

“What the hell do we do now…” You say, your voice dry and void of life, your eyes sullen. “We can’t stop Zeke between you, me, and the rest of the scouts we have on our side. Eren’s on this weird and insane rampage, ostracising Mikasa and Armin from himself, as well as the rest of us. The Yeagerists are becoming this crazed cult by seizing control over everything… I just do not know what to do.” You confess, laying all of your feelings out for him to, hopefully, hear. Glancing back at Levi, you see he’s still motionless. However, you see the shallow rise and fall of his chest, and that comforts you for now. 

Levi is still unconscious when you begin formulating ideas on how to get him back or get help in general. Armin, Mikasa, and the rest of the 104th cadets were being kept somewhere, you knew that much. You had no way of knowing where they were keeping Hange or how she was doing, and the other top ranking officials of each of the different regiments were either colluding with the Yeagerists or being beaten to a pulp by them. Even Hitch, a member of the Garrison that everyone had taken a large liking to, was probably still guarding Annie who was stuck in her crystal for four five years and counting. Your thoughts were put to a hold, though, when a beam of light and a booming sound erupted from the walls. You spun around to face the light, absolutely dumbstruck at the sight. You had seen something like this before, for example whenever Armin or Eren changed into their respective titans, but this was something different. 

“Oh my-” You begin to say, but then a strangled sounding groan was voiced. Levi. Whipping your head to face him, you find the black-haired man sitting up slowly and grumbling.

“The Beast… That piece of shit… where is he…?” You quickly make your way over to him, pressing a gentle hand to his stomach.

“Hey, easy, lay back down.” You order softly. To your surprise, he complies. “Zeke went back to Shiganshina with the Yeagerists.” You explain, trying to answer Levi’s question. You see the absolutely defeated look in his eye, but was not able to see his frown through the wrappings you had placed around his head to dress his wounds. “Levi,” you ask softly, bringing your hand to lightly hold his left hand, “what happened?” His gaze left yours to look beyond yourself, maybe towards the sky.

“I screwed up. I didn’t take into question whether Zeke was ready to die or not. I guess he was since he triggered that thunderspear I had aimed towards his neck. I let him get away. Again.” His eyes went back onto yours. 

“I… I know you’re upset and you want your revenge, I really do. But, for right now, I think that we-”

“If we keep running and hiding, where the hell will that get us.” Levi interrupts. You press your mouth into a tight line and look away from him.

“I know, I agree.” You say, sighing. “We’ll get back there, back into the action. We’ll make things right.”

“My goal is to kill Zeke.” He says. You know that killing Zeke has been on his mind ever since Erwin, and you know it will never leave it. However, you can’t stop the worry that rises within you when you think about how that may be Levi’s only goal. How after he completes it, he won’t make new goals or find new dreams to carry out within life. Your body goes a bit rigid and now you turn away from him completely. However, if you could see Levi’s face, you would know that he realizes how his wording found a way to hurt you, and he hated that. He hated the thought that you had to risk your neck for his, take care and stitch him up, and now put up with him. “Y/N-”

“No, I understand.” You say, turning your face back to his and pressing a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes onto your face.

“Y/N.” He says more forcibly now, causing your fake smile to drop. “Killing Zeke is my goal. It’s not my entire life's purpose.” Tears start to well in your eyes as you bite your cheek, willing them to stop.

“Okay.” You croak, grasping onto his hand tighter. You feel his grip on you tighten as well. “Levi Ackerman, we will get through this, do you understand me? You are not allowed to die on me until we are both old and gray and on rocking chairs outside on the little patio in front of our house, got it?” You say, letting the tears flow freely.

“Until we’re old and gray.” He repeats, nodding. You sigh out of pure exhaustion and lay down next to him.

“It fucking sucked stiching you up. I don’t understand how medics do that.” You say, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, well, I could tell the stitches are shoddy at most. You’ll probably leave me with an ugly ass scar across my face.” He bites back. This earns a smile from you as you turn your head, pressing a kiss to his left cheek.

“You could prove to be a whole lot nicer to me. I had to drag your ass through a river.”

“I would’ve paid money to see you swim.” He muses, earning a drop of the jaw from you.

“Hey, I can swim fine!” You reason. A few beats of silence pass.

“Thank you. For dragging me away from those little shits and cleaning me up.” You nod and let one of your hands fall on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. It’s steady and consistent this time, causing a smile to spread across your face as you close your eyes.

“I love you.” You say, grasping onto his shirt.

“I love you too. And I promise, for the rest of your life, I’ll be there for you too.” Unfortunately, the last part of confession falls upon deaf ears on your part since you passed out into a much needed sleep. That’s okay to him, though. He would be there by your side to tell you that again, and again, and again.

[yandere-ac]

Can I request parental Yandere! Tom with a young Y / N? Y/N has been on the island for a long time, and Tom is like their father figure. I'd like to see a scenario where Y / N meets Redd and due to their innocent and naive nature, wants to befriend him, meeting at night time just because Redd says it's better this way, probably not to alert Tom that he is there.I love how you write! Sorry for my bad English.

Yandere Parental Tom Nook X Child Reader

Little one

Tom had always considered himself good with children. It might have been because of all the late nights he spent up with Sable, taking care of Mable back when she was still very small. Even as a child, Tom swore to protect and help the ones who could not defend them self’s. It was a trait that, even though as he grew up became less and less prominent, was still a core instinct that he had. Sure, he’s the first to admit that he wasn’t exactly the most charming guy back in the day. Many seeing him as intimidating and mean. And yeah, Tom could see how people could have gotten that impression. Back then, he’d been so angry and lost. He was angry at the world. Angry at himself. Angry at...him...those where the days when he was hellbent on not letting anyone ever take advantage of him ever again. He’d locked up his heart and pushed everyone he loved away. But then...something quite peculiar happened.

It had been late at night. Tom was walking alone on the sidewalk, only the dim light of the tall streetlights illuminating his path. With hands in his pockets he picked up his pace. He wanted to get out of the city as quickly as possible. He had been spending some time with family and was currently going home. But to get to his flight he had to walk through the big city. Tom didn’t like the city, it brought back bad memories. He was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard the sounds of a loud crash coming from one of the alleyways nearby. What was that? Was someone hurt? Tom knew he shouldn’t...it would be dangerous and stupid. But he had to check to make sure nothing sketchy was going on. Looking back at it now. Tom was so happy, overjoyed that he decided to investigate. Approaching the alleyway he could see the silhouettes of two small creatures. And as he got closer he realised what the silhouettes were. They were two children, tanukis, looking no older than five cowering together, clutching onto each other like there was no tomorrow. They looked up at him, shaking from either the cold weather or because they were scared. Probably a mixture of the two. Tom made sure to stay completely still as he tried not to scare the two boys.

"Hello? Are you okay? Why on earth are you two out here alone?" He asked as he slowly crouched down so that he would be on the same level as the kids, still keeping his distance. Tom however did not get a response. Letting out a small sigh he tried to continue. "Can I at least get your names?" He said, making sure to keep his voice gentle. "We’re not supposed to talk to strangers mister..." one of the two said, clinging onto the other tighter. "Okay then. Hello there. My name is Tom Nook. Who are you?" Tom tried again. At this point the other one has stopped shaking and looked at Tom with more curiosity than fear. "We don’t have names mister." Tom felt his eyebrows furrow. These poor kids. "Why don’t you two come with me? It’s about to start raining and I don’t want you catching a cold." As he said this he extended his hand to the two. And carefully, the first one reached out his tiny paw to grab it. The other one was much more hesitant about the whole thing but after a quick glance at the first, he soon grabbed Toms hand. Tom led the two away to a hotel nearby where he bought a room.

That was the first significant change that led Tom to the road to redemption and recovery. After calling the police and telling them about the situation they had come to investigate with a social worker. After they had intervened and the social worker talked to the two and did confirm that the two children had no home or guardians. And even though it had only been maybe two days with the boys, Tom had grown very attached to them. And so, he offered to adopt the two. And after settling the whole thing in court, Tom was able to happily bring two small tanukis home. Of course the final decision was left up to the kids. But lucky for Tom, they too had grown attached to him and agreed to the adoption. Tom gave them the names Timothy and Thomas, Timmy and Tommy for short. And rest assured, the boys were gonna have a good life, Tom swore of it. But that, like stated before, was only the beginning.

A year later, was the second significant change that Tom went through. That year, a new villager moved in to his town. A boy with Brown hair and a red shirt. And what a mess he was. After having bought a house from Tom, he didn’t have close to the amount of bells that he needed to pay off the house loan. In fact, he only had 1000 bells in his pockets. Seeing this was almost humorous to Tom. How can you move into a new home WITHOUT bringing more than at least 30 000 bells. And yet. Something about the boy. It almost reminded him of how he used to be back when he first moved to the city. Now, he had enough common sense to bring with him more than just a few bells. But he’d still make PLENTY of screw ups and stupid decisions. And in a way, he’d wished that he had a person to help him during that time. Someone to be kind enough to extend their hand and give him assistance. Maybe if someone had, things would have turned out differently. Who know what could happen to this villager, if he’s stupid enough to not bring enough currency, then he’d sure be stupid enough to be tricked or manipulated. Tom couldn’t knowingly let that happen, especially if he could prevent it.

And so. Tom offered him a job at Nooks cranny. Just to teach him some responsibility and give him a chance to pay off his loans. But even after he paid them off, he still took some time to visit Tom every once and again. He brought a sort of warmth and life to the town. He interacted with all the other villagers and made sure to fix it up a little as well. Although very silent and kind of strange, Tom grew a certain fondness of the boy. But ultimately, it didn’t matter what he though of him. Because one day, he never showed up. Tom just assumed that he had been sick or just tired. But after a week and not a sound from him, people started to get worried. They searched his house but he wasn’t there. And that weeks turned into months, which turned into years. Tom still worried what had happened to him. But he tried not to think about it. The thought unnerved him. He couldn’t have moved out because his house still remained in the village. But, ultimately. It really didn’t matter. He was gone, and Tom had to move on.

That was years ago. During that time, human after human moved into the town. And they were all just as incompetent. Tom had started to wonder if it was a human thing. But Isabelle had been quick to insist that he help them. And he did. He always tried to teach them how to survive and make money. All while giving them a roof over their heads. He couldn’t just let them wander around without a home, they had to live somewhere. He didn’t set any dates as to when their debts had to be paid either. They could pay him off whenever they wanted. He didn’t want to cause them any stress. And just like always, he got attached to the humans, and just like always, they all eventually left him with no explanation. He didn’t understand why or how. But it was simply just how it went. But no matter how many times it happened, he never got used to it. It was always so hard to accept the fact that the human that was usually eagerly running around had left them. Had left HIM. He felt oddly protective over them all, they were like his children, his small, gullible, human children. So when he met you, that was when his instincts really went into overdrive.

He remembered it clear as day. Timmy and Tommy had ran up to him with the three residents behind him. Immediately he noticed something was odd about one of them. One of them was a human, more than that, the human looked much shorter than any other human he’d ever met. And he’s met a lot of humans in his life, a privilege which very few get. At first he thought the human, you, was just short. But as soon as he heard you speak it became clear to him. You weren’t just short, you were much younger than any of the humans he’d ever seen before. You were a child. Tom started to wonder why someone as young as you was all the way out here. Were your parents gonna come on a later plane? No, no that couldn’t be it. There where no other planes booked to the island. Maybe you were a child to one of the other residents? Interspecies adoption has recently been legalised so that could be it. Yes. That’s probably it. But that theory popped once he gave out the tents and you asked for your very own. Wouldn’t you be sleeping with your guardian? For a moment Tom panicked. What if you were just a very small human and he has misunderstood your age. So he asked you. And to his relief and confusion you answered with "ten". Didn’t you have parents? Why were you out here alone, he needed to know if he should contact somebody. So while everyone else went about looking for a place to put their tents, Tom took you aside to ask you a couple of questions.

As it turns out, you had come here completely alone. Without parents or anything. You had handed him a letter from your mother, she was the one that sent you here with the little bells she had left, because she couldn’t take care of you and hoped that an adult on the island could handle you. When Tom read the letter he felt conflicted, he felt bad for you and your mother but he also thought the action of sending away your child to a deserted island was pretty irresponsible. But whatever he thought of the situation didn’t matter, because you were here and he couldn’t exactly kick you off or anything. He was sure that you would manage life here on the island, there was lots of things to do and food was also easy to come by. So, he’d have to make sure you were comfortable here on the island. He had given you your own tent and even payed the loans that came with it.

And you were the tipping point, you were the thing that turned his redemption into something much, much more twisted.

It had started small, with him feeling a kind of protectiveness over you. He figured it was since you were both a human and a kid. This feeling, it was much stronger than any of the instincts he felt about his previous humans, it was about as strong as how he felt for Timmy and Tommy. He just wanted to scoop you up and carry you away from all your troubles. He helped you fix up your tent and when you asked if you could upgrade it, he’d offer to pay for those house depts as well. But you had refused, saying that you wanted to pay for it yourself. It seems your mother had taught you plenty about responsibility and how to take care of yourself, which came a bit as a shock for Tom. Most of not all of his previous humans had been pretty clueless about things like this, so to see a child being more mature than them was almost a bit funny. But he knew deep down that your maturity probably stemmed from having to take care of yourself without any help. And there was nothing funny about that. Surprisingly, you handled your situation very well, you picked up weeds, planted trees, fished and caught bugs which you sold to Timmy and Tommy. All to pay for said loans. And when Tom told you about his plan to get K.K. Slider to perform at the island, you put your incredible work ethic to the max. Everyday, he could see you running around the island, planting flowers and placing furniture. It came out very good considering your age and soon enough the island got a three star rating. It baffled Tom beyond belief that you were able to do all of this. Especially at your young age. He made sure to give you credit for all the good you contributed and even made sure you got the front seat when the concert began.

And that brings us to today. You had been running around the island, collecting sea shells and fruit. Anytime you ran past one of your fellow villagers you made sure to greet them and talk with them for a while. And when you did so, one of them told you about seeing a shady boat by the hidden beach. The hidden beach. You liked going there, it was a nice place where you could just relax, far away from everyone else. So hearing that there was some boat there, it’s sparked your curiosity to say the least. Where did it come from? Who was at the boat? Why were they here? You just had to go see!

So that’s what you did. As you made your way to the beach you were stopped by none other than Tom Nook himself. He was outside of the plaza with Timmy and Tommy when the boys had their break. He gave you a smile as you stopped and turned to him. "Ah if it isn’t Y/N! Why don’t you come and join me, Timmy and Tommy to our picnic. We were just about to head there." He asked, Timmy and Tommy looking at you with hopeful eyes. "Yeah Y/N! Will you? Will you?" You had to stop to think before making your decision. "Sorry but I can’t. I’ve gotta go do something!" You said. "Alright then, but if you change your mind you know where to find us." Tom said as he walked away with the two boys. You ran all the way to the secret beach and sure enough, there was a boat stationed right there on the beach. As you made your way to it, you started to feel a little hesitant about going in. What if this person was dangerous? But you’ve already come this far, so you might as well try. And so, you took a deep breath, and opened the curtains to go inside.

Dark, that was the main word that popped into your mind as you walked down the metal stairs that descended into the boats cabin. As you reached the bottom and looked around the room a strange sort of dread filled your stomach. The room was darkly lit, only a select few lights illuminating what seemed to be paintings and statues that stood on small wooden podiums. Your curiosity started bubbling as you approached the paintings. You silently admired the art, but your moment of calm was soon ended when you heard a loud creak come from the far right side of the boat. Turning around swiftly you saw the source of sound. It was a big metal door, there was an orange fox exiting the door when he suddenly froze up. His eyes met yours, and for a moment the two of you just stared at each other. As he eyes you up and down you could only look at him with big wondering eyes. You’ve never met a fox in real life before, so this was certainly an experience. The silence finally broke when he spoke up.

"Umm...Hello and welcome aboard Jolly Redds treasure trawler!" There was a bit of uncertainty in his voice, like he wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was real. "Hello mister! I’m Y/N, what’s your name?" You asked him, a smile making its way onto your face. "The names Jolly Redd, as the name of my boat would imply." As he introduced himself to you he gave you a mischievous smirk. He seemed to drop any uncertainty and suspicion as he looked at you. "Say, were you checking out my paintings just now?" He asked you while walking closer. "Oh yes! I think they look really beautiful!" You answered enthusiastically, bouncing up and down slightly as you clasped your small hands together. "Ohoho, why thank you. I made them myself you see." Once Redd told you this, you let out a gasp of both surprise and delight. "Wow! For real? I have to tell Mr. Nook and aunt Isabelle about this!" All of the previous pride and confidence that Redd felt disappeared the moment you mentioned "Mr. Nook". He couldn’t let Tom find out he was here. Especially when he’s talking to a human child. Redd knows about Toms protective nature when it comes to humans and children, so the thought of what he might do if he found him near a HUMAN CHILD, it’s scared him. "A-ah! Let’s NOT tell Mr. Nook or Aunt Isabelle. I’m actually a uhh..." think Redd, think! "...secret artist! Yeah! A secret artist! We don’t like to be seen or talked about. So could you do me a favour and not tell anyone about me kid?" Redd said. You however, not knowing he was bluffing, let out yet another gasp and nodded your head vigorously. "Of course mister! I’ll never tell anyone I promise!" Redd let out a laugh as he saw your enthusiasm. He liked you, he wasn’t usually fond of children. But you, something about you was different. You were cute but not to the point of being annoying. Maybe he’d stay here for a little while.

"I like you kid, you’ve got good taste. Us art lovers gotta stick together ya’know. So how about this, can you meet me here again tomorrow at night? It’s a lot easier for me that time." The question made you unsure. You’ve been told not to trust strangers, but he seemed so nice. He seemed trustworthy enough. You didn’t see any reason why you wouldn’t be able to trust him. "Okay, I’ll do it."

And that was that. Every night you would sneak out of your house and visit Redd. He would show you his paintings and such, he’d even let you paint on a separate paper while he was doing his work on his forgeries. The only drawback of this was just how tired you got later during the day. It was starting to get more and more apparent to everyone else on the island, especially to Tom. He had asked you time and time again if you had trouble sleeping, but every time he’d bring it up you would get really quiet and assure him it was nothing. One time when he was out for a stroll he found you, sleeping on a bed of flowers. He picked you up and carried you to your house to put you to bed. As he tucked you into bed he let out a worried sigh, what was going on with you? But right as he walked out he caught a glimpse of something that made him stop dead in his tracks. He quickly rushed to the little desk you had in your room and looked at what laid upon it, it was a drawing. A drawing of you and an orange fox. The drawing was labelled "Me and Redd!" with green crayon. He knew something was up. But he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

It was late at night and you were on your way to Redds boat. Unbeknownst to you, you had someone following you. As you skipped down to the secret beach you called out for Redd. And a few seconds later, Redd came out of the boat and greeted you with a hug. "Hello there my little artist. Are you ready to have some fun?" He asked as he grabbed your hand and pulled you inside. "Yes! I’m ready!" You two sat down and started to paint. You told him about everything that was happening on the island, letting out a tired yawn every once in a while. As you blabbered away Redd was in deep thought, he knew he couldn’t stay here for much longer. Every day that he was here was another day that Tom could find him, and he sure as hell didn’t want that to happen. But he didn’t want to leave you, your kindness and excitement brought him some kind of joy when he would usually be completely alone. He needed a distraction other than painting and sculpturing, something that would drown out all of the persistent thoughts of hate that he felt each day. But he couldn’t just take you...could he?

"Hey, cousin? Do you like your life here?" He said out of nowhere, interrupting your ramblings. "Huh? Yeah of course. I’ve got friends and family that cares for me. I love it here." Damn it. How would he convince you if you had that attitude. "Aha...but doesn’t it get boring? You know, doing the same thing every day? When was the last time you had some excitement in your life!" Redd put down his brush and turned to you, facing you completely. "I...well..." you truly didn’t have an answer to that, sure island living wasn’t exactly the most heart pounding life but it wasn’t really supposed to be. It was supposed to be a relaxing life, without any stress or worries. "Wouldn’t you rather just get out there on the sea? With me! We could be a team! A crew! I could be the captain and you could be my second mate. Think about it Y/N!" Redd got more and more intense as he tried to convince you, but your face was far from happy or excited. It was filled with uncertainty and discomfort. "N-No I think I’ll pass. I would much rather just stay here." The fox’s expression turned from a smile into an annoyed frown. "If you don’t come with me you’ll never see me again! Do you want that Y/N?! Do you want to learn how to paint on your own? Do you want to loose out on the best teacher and friend you could’ve ever gotten?!" You didn’t give him a response, slowly backing away from him, trying to get to the stairs. But Redd saw what you were doing. "Oh no you don’t!" He rushed towards you and picked you up rather violently, you started to thrash and scream in his grasp, trying everything to get out. But suddenly you were dropped onto the floor. As you looked up in horror you saw Tom Nook hunching over you. He had his claws out and were growling at Redd. As he looked down at you his eyes softened and he motioned for you to run out, you got the message clear and ran. You ran out, sprinting for dear life in order to get to a hiding spot. Your house!

It had been about 10 minutes since you ran from the boat. You were hiding under your bed, trying to calm yourself down as the tears dropped down your face. You could feel your heart stop as you heard the door to your house opening. But you felt a huge wave of relief wash over you when you heard Toms voice call out for you. "Y/N? Where are you? It’s okay. He’s gone." You rushed out from your bed and ran downstairs to the living room. As you saw Tom stand by the end of the stairs you practically threw yourself onto him. "TOM!" Wrapping your arms around him, you started sobbing. You thought something had happened to him. You could barely form any words as tears got caught in your throat, this has been a stressful night to say the least.

"Shh shh...it’s okay...I’ve got you. I’ve got you. He can’t hurt you now, I promise." You cried onto his shoulder while he comforted you. "Do you feel comfortable sleeping alone or would you like to sleep with me, Timmy and Tommy?" You nodded your head as you climbed onto him. He only let out a small sigh as he carried you away to his house. What a mess. He wished he’d have known sooner, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened. But no matter, what was done was done. He could only focus on the future.

And he swore to protect you, no matter what he had to do.

[rrickgrrimes8]

The Purpose ~ Jacey Grimes

Chapter One - Repercussions

masterlist ⚫ book 1 masterlist ⚫ book 2 masterlist ⚫ requests ⚫ request guidelines

"What did you want to do?" Jacey asked. 

"What do you mean?" Addie answered the girl. 

"Like when you grow up? Before all this happened?" 

"I can't tell you," She blushed, "You'll laugh."

Jacey looked down at the beauty who had her head resting in her lap, "Why would I laugh, you dork?" 

Addie smiled slightly, "You just would... it's embarrassing." 

"Would it make you feel better if I tell you what I wanted to be?" Addie nodded her head at Jacey's compromise, "A cop." 

"Like your dad?" Jacey grimaced at his mention, although she saw it coming. 

"Yeah... he was so brave. Even if it led to him getting shot, that's still what I wanted to be." 

"What? Brave?" Addie tilted her head, still blessing Jacey's eyes with her wide smile. 

"Yeah, that and I guess I wanted to make him proud, I wanted to protect people like he did," She paused, frowning softly, "But I guess that's impossible with everything that's happened." 

Addie beamed at the girl wanting more than anything to take her pain away, "You protect me... you'll always protect me." Jacey stayed silent, so completely happy with this moment. "And for what it's worth, I'm proud of you, and I'm sure he was too. I mean how could he not be," the dark-skinned girl admitted, "Look at you, you're a badass." 

"Thank you, Addie. And I will protect you, I promise," the younger girl let herself fall back onto the grass, Addie remaining on her lap, "But I can't help but realise you've yet to say yours." 

Addie groaned, lifting slightly to look her into her blue eyes, "I uh... I wanted to be in the navy." 

"No shit, I did not expect that, but I can see it. You're quite the badass yourself," She paused, "Any reason why?" 

"Uh yeah, my older brother was," Jacey felt the girls' mood suddenly change, "I always thought he was so cool... 'Fighting bad guys and living the dream,' he always used to say." 

"Where is he now?" She inquired. 

"God knows he was overseas when it happened so your guess is as good as mine. He's alive though I bet he is." 

"What was his name?" 

"Jaeden," She replied, "You would've liked him. He was so awesome. I remember once back before he joined my dad was out for the weekend some business trip or something. Jaeden decided to invite the entire block for a party at ours. I for one was extremely against it but he insisted. He said to me, 'Addie you gotta get your shit together and live or it's all gonna pass you by. I'm doing this for you, so you can have fun, so you can make a memory,'" she reminisced smiling softly, "It was actually a going away party but he just didn't have the heart to tell me." 

"Your dad ever find out?" Jacey simpered. 

Addie nodded, "Oh god you should've seen his face... he was so mad but Jaeden took the blame like he always did. I miss him." 

"You're right," Jacey acknowledged after a few minutes, "I would've liked him."

Jacey was yet to move from her seat in the RV. In fact, she was yet to do anything at all. She hadn't eaten, hadn't slept and she certainly hadn't spoken. The funny thing to her was that she didn't feel angry at her father for stealing that opportunity away from her, she didn't feel the pain of Addie and Mitch's deaths or even most recently Jacqui's at least not to the extent she did days prior and despite what her group thought she was staying silent because everything was too much for her. She was staying silent because she simply felt nothing at all. Jacey was in a state of nothingness, oblivion hell even numbness whatever you'd like to call it. For days her feelings were everywhere, she screamed, cried, laughed. Christ, she even tried suicide and now she was completely and utterly exhausted. So exhausted in fact that she almost felt free without the weighing pressure of her feelings. Jacey wanted to say it scared her but she knew it would just be a lie, nothing scared her anymore. Not even the walkers that roamed past them every so often could scare her. She truly felt nothing at all. 

"Baby you gotta get up okay?" Jacey heard someone tell her, "Or at least eat something please." The voice was pleading with her now and she pointed out to herself that they sounded so close to tears. She knew the voice belonged to her mother without even looking as she'd tried this same thing 5 times already, the sadness in her voice vaulting every time she did so. 

"C'mon, Jace, talk to me. You can't ignore everyone forever," Lori huffed knowing well enough that her daughter did have it in her to ignore everyone forever, "Please, baby." 

This time, however, Jacey did move. The young girl lifted her small fist at her mother bringing her middle finger up towards her. She apprehended that Lori had stomped away angrily and fed up, which almost brought a smile to her face - almost. 

"Jesus, kid, you hell-bent on everyone hating ya?" This time she recognised the accented voice as no other than Shane Walsh. Jacey lifted her finger once more this time in his direction, "Oh you're doing it to me now, great." She imagined he would've rolled his eyes at this probably distracting himself with something with his shotgun. "You know she's only trying to help ya. You don't got to be such an ass about it," She could tell that Shane was tired with whatever she was doing but it didn't matter to her and she wouldn't stop because her bitch of a mother asked so politely. 

Shane looked out of the RV window, spotting Carl, who was half-ass playing with Sophia and frowned. "You know you're breaking their hearts right, Jace? Carl hasn't smiled in days, your dad hardly saying a word. Do you even know what you were going to do?" He pressed, waiting but still knowing he wasn't going to get an answer, "Suicide, Jacey! Death... you would be gone. You would've left them all behind. Does that not bother you at all?" 

Jacey waited a second before shifting her vision towards him, "No." Her words were sharp, not an ounce of regret coming from them. "No, it doesn't. Not at all," This time she laughed, a small one but it was clear what it was. 

"Are you fucking kidding me, Jacey? What the hell is wrong with you?" Jacey was certain that the man was angry even though he wouldn't allow himself to show it. 

"Too much," She smiled, "Too fucking much. A-and I knew that. I got that and I told dad. I told him and yet he still forced me to live... he took my choice away. I'm a sick person, Shane, I know and you can hate me, all of them can for all I care but that's not going to change the fact I don't give a fucking shit." The former police officer didn't say a word, too stunned at her upheaval. 

"Rick should've left me there," Jacey added bitterly. 

"It would've been wrong. You're just a kid. Leaving you there would never be the right thing to do no matter how much you begged," Shane brought his hand to his chin, "It would've been wrong." 

Jacey chuckled fakely, "So's fucking a married woman but that never stopped you." 

The RV fell silent and Shane was so glad that it was only them who occupied it right then, "You don't know what you're talking about." 

"Don't bullshit a bullshitter, Walsh." 

Now the man grew nervous, which wasn't necessarily a familiar feeling - had they been that obvious? Shane sat back into his chair, sighing as he did, "How did you know?" 

"I didn't, not until just now," Shane deadpanned, "I just witnessed a little too many longing stares." Jacey laughed at his tough demeanour shattering as he once again looked out the window at her mother. 

"You can't tell no one, alright?" 

"Why? Thought you'd love to break my parent's marriage up," The strange girl brought her legs to her chest and observed how the man struggled to answer. 

"You just can't, Jacey. Promise me you won't?" he said fearful, knowing the father and daughter were close. 

"Yeah, yeah whatever Walsh wouldn't dream of it," Jacey swore, "But just know I have a habit of breaking promises." 

"This isn't a joke, kid, don't say nothin'." 

"Alright, jeez Walsh get off my back," She joked but Shane remained unimpressed, "As much as I'd like to hurt Rick, you don't deserve to get hurt in the process, neither does Carl." 

"Thank you, kid," Shane smirked, "Now will you please go outside and catch some sun you're looking paler by the minute." 

Jacey looked out of the window to the place they'd had stopped for a break and sighed, "Only if you join me." The officer nodded at her request and followed her out of the vehicle. 

Lori was first to notice the pair. She was surprised and almost angry that he had done the thing she'd attempted to do the last few days. Rick was next but he could barely meet her eyes. A familiar feeling arose at the sight of his partner with his daughter, a feeling he first felt way back in camp when he held her back from fighting him. A feeling of jealousy. He didn't like it, god no he didn't. He hated feeling so envious of the man for having some sort of relationship with his daughter compared to the broken one they shared. Carl was last to see as he looked up from playing Sophia's checkerboard on the floor of the small clearing. He was furious with the girl, which wasn't something he could hide, not like he wanted to anyway. Carl hated how she abused the power she held over him. He hated how she would go from being his sister to being a stranger, someone hellbent on getting herself killed. 

"Do I look tanner yet?" Jacey joked as they sat against some tires. 

"Like a shining star," Shane chuckled adjusting his hat before taking it off completely preferring the feeling of the sun shining straight on his head. "Here take this," He handed over his cap to the girl, "Don't want you getting sunstroke after being holed up in there for days." 

Jacey smiled at his almost fatherly actions and planted the black hat, that held the word 'police', on her head. "What are we doing now, by the way?" She inquired. 

"Making our way to Fort Benning," Jacey scoffed, "What? It's our safest option." 

"I don't know why yall keep lying to yourselves. Fort Benning is gone, so's the government. We saw that with our own eyes at the C.D.C." 

"Where do you suggest then, princess?" Jacey said nothing, "See... anyways that's the plan we're going with so suck it up, alright?" She merely nodded before leaning further against the stray tire. 

"You alright?" Jacey didn't respond though, not having it in her to find the words - was she okay? Was this what okay felt like? 

"Are any of us?" That shut Shane up as he peered off, overlooking the group. "I should uh... I should probably go talk to Carl," the girl mumbled standing up and dusting off the dirt from her pants. She walked off before Shane could answer which he didn't care much about. 

Jacey felt relatively nervous as she proceeded towards her family. She saw Rick look at her with hopeful eyes, which she avoided and grew closer to Carl. "Can I talk to you?" Jacey appealed. 

Carl gazed up to his older sister, "No." 

"No?" 

"You heard me right," the boy muttered looking back to the game they were playing. 

"C'mon Carl, don't make this harder than it needs to be," She challenged. 

"I said no," Carl insisted not bothering to cast his eyes back to her as he spoke. 

"Please," Jacey pleaded with the young boy and bit her lip as she saw his hands clench into a fist. 

"What don't you understand about no?!" Carl snapped, "Why can't you leave me alone? Like we all know you want to," Jacey didn't reply confused, "Don't look at me like you don't know." 

"I don't know what you mean, Carl. I want to be around y-" 

"No, you don't! You made that clear enough," Carl halted, breathing heavily, "All you do is leave me, Jacey, and I don't want to talk to you, to let you try to explain yourself b-because I know I'll believe you." The girl looked to his brother motionless, "I'll believe you and you'll leave again! You'll break every promise you make to me so I'll save you the bother of even making them. Just leave me alone." 

"I'm sorry," she undertook now looking into the boy's bloodshot eyes. 

"No, you're not... If you were you wouldn't have left me when all of this started, you wouldn't have left me to go back to that girl and you wouldn't have tried to stay with Jacqui and that doctor," He cried standing up, ignoring the stares he got, "I wish you stayed at the C.D.C."

 Carl marched off into the direction of one of the cars while Jacey wouldn't move an inch. 

"Well, I wished I stayed there too!" She screamed back at him after getting over her initial shock. The teenager roughly pushed past her father, who had now moved in her way and entered one of the cars. 

"Jacey come back here!" She heard a male voice shout to her. Jacey ignored him, of course, and took her seat in the same car Carl had just entered. 

"Leave her, Rick, she needs time," Rick looked to his wife disapprovingly. 

"She just tried to kill herself, Lori, and you want me to let her run off feeling God knows what," He choked, the reality of the statement settled in with the pair shortly after. Their daughter had tried to end her own life. "Hell if I'll leave her alone again," Rick tried to leave his wife but she held him back. 

"Give her time, alright? Carl and her need to talk they can't do that with you around," Lori told him. 

Carl refused to look at his sister as he continued to stare out of the front window. "Talk to me please," The older girl begged. 

They stayed quiet for a long time until Carl spoke up, "I don't want to wake up tomorrow and you to be gone." 

Jacey sighed, "You won't-" 

"Don't. Please don't lie to me," He shuddered, "You're my best friend, Jacey. How do you expect me to be okay without you? How could you even dare to try and do what you did at the C.D.C.? Did you even think about me? About what would happen to me?" 

"I thought I was doing you all a favour," she watched as her brother cried, unable to comfort him in any way. 

"You're selfish Jace. That's all you are and I will never forgive you for that." Memories flashed to Addie's words, words that pained her to hear but it hurt more hearing them for her brother. 

"I'm sorry."

[sukirichi]

Oooof embarassing...... posted this ask to Tee >< welp, now you know where I came from xD anywho...

EYYYY!!!! Can I order a Breakfast with wine - ingredient 5 + sugar 5 + spice (i don't know if virgin is acceptable. If not then 12 :3) for Megumi

Thank you!

(Hopefully I didn't fuck up this time! Tee you still have a beautiful face)

I love you, you also have a beautiful face, and I hope you have a good day!

lmfao its all good nonnie! i actually worked on your request for days and listened to mafia playlists for such a long time just to get in the mood, but i have been STARING at my doc for days and I still can’t finish it, I’m so sorry! I’m just going to tell you how I planned it to go! okay, so originally I was going to make megumi the kidnapper and the reader was the heir of some huge company that was secretly doing illegal things and got involved with toji and broke a deal. so in turn, megumi was ordered to kidnap reader and there’s LOTS of hate especially because she’s trying to break free, but there’s some undeniable chemistry there too. but then i changed the story a little bit,,,made Megumi the heir of Toji’s mafia or something, and Megumi was sent on a mission a year ago to protect their bases from being taken down by the police, and it just so happened reader’s parents were one of the people working that day. 

so then reader...she’s actually a prodigal agent. she’s smart, strong, skilled and considered a secret weapon of the national police agency or whatever, or let’s make it cooler and make her a spy. she enrolled into university and befriended megumi, the both of them with concealed identities trying to live a normal life, but she’s actually on a mission to kill him and take down their entire empire. but you know...things happen, they’re attracted to one another despite the clear hatred, and maybe, JUST MAYBE, both of them are softening up. reader finds out that megumi wasn’t actually the one who was on mission where her parents died and he never wanted to be involved in all the gangly stuff. it leaves reader confused because she’s actually hellbent on having her revenge, but now she doesn’t know what to do. i plan that she just goes “fuck it” and breaks all his restraints, tells him to go before her bosses found him and she’ll just make up a lie that she “lost” him or whatever. but as he’s escaping, she doesn’t know that her bosses were watching the whole time and she’s considered a traitor. MEANWHILE, megumi’s family and fellow mafia friends finally found him and they’re stuck in the crossfire. they still think reader is trying to kill him so megumi fights back against her people, but she doesn’t want that because they’re still technically the heroes of the country and people like megumi are considered as scum. it’s supposed to be a little tragic tbh...no one’s going to die, but both of them can’t reject their sides too and completely betray who they’ve been loyal to, so it’s more of a game of cat and mouse on who can kill who first. i even imagine that sometime in the future they meet again, guns pointed at each other and whatnot, and the last line would be, “Any last words?”

“Yeah. I’m glad you’re doing good.”

PRETTY CORNY BUT SPSPSPS I DONT HAVE ANY OTHER BETTER IDEAS but anyways thank you so much for the request and once again, I apologize I am unable to complete this! Have a nice day!

[the-desolated-quill]

She Was Killed By Space Junk - Watchmen (TV Series) blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. if you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

The first episode was a shaky, but intriguing start. The second episode was both incredibly provocative and intelligently written. What about the third episode? Um... I’m honestly not too sure what to make of it, if I’m honest. I watched it twice like I do with everything I review and I genuinely don’t know what to say about it. I couldn’t even tell you if I liked it or not. I think I liked it.... but I couldn’t tell you why.

Okay. Sorry. Hi guys. Let me explain what happened. I wrote that first paragraph and then I got writer’s block, so I decided to step away from it. I had a nap, played a video game and then decided to watch the episode again for a third time with fresh eyes. Now my thoughts are a little more concrete. So. She Was Killed By Space Junk. Having watched this episode three times now, I’ve decided that I don’t like this episode very much at all, and that’s less to do with what’s in the episode and more to do with what isn’t. 

Let me explain.

Reviewing episodes like this one can often be very frustrating because it’s hard to tell what is a genuine flaw and what is merely setup for what’s to come. I have a number of problems with this episode, but for all I know, what I’m about to talk about might not actually be problems at all and will all be explained in a future episode. Or they are genuine problems and I’m inadvertently giving the writers way too much credit. I don’t know. That’s why it’s so frustrating.

My main point of contention is with the character of Laurie. First of all, let me just say that Jean Smart doesn’t put a foot wrong. She gives a great performance and is a good choice to play an older Laurie. The problem I have is with her characterisation. Or, at the very least, bits of her characterisation. I don’t know. It’s complicated.

Laurie’s inclusion in the TV series was something I was actually most looking forward to because I felt her character was kind of shortchanged in the graphic novel. Initially starting out as an effective and scathing critique of how women are often presented in comics, over the course of Watchmen’s story her role was reduced until she ended up becoming little more than a prop for the male characters’ stories. It was disappointing and it’s led to me arguing multiple times that Silk Spectre is one of the most underrated and wasted elements of Watchmen. The HBO series felt like a perfect opportunity to right some wrongs and give Laurie the attention she deserves. She Was Killed By Space Junk certainly gave her the focus and attention she didn’t receive in the graphic novel, but I’m very much struggling to ascertain what the show was trying to achieve here.

Let’s quickly remind ourselves where the graphic novel left us with her character. She had recently discovered that the Comedian, the man who tried to rape her mother, was her biological father, she was in a relationship with Dan Dreiberg, aka Nite Owl, and they were both on the run from the law, hellbent on continuing their lives as vigilantes. Okay. How does the HBO series continue this? Well it turns out she and Dan are no longer together. I know some fans really don’t like this, but I personally don’t have a problem with it. In fact I’m perfectly happy with it. In my review of A Stronger, Loving World, I explained how I didn’t believe their relationship could possibly last long term because it was clear that they were together not because they were in love, but rather because they were indulging in each other’s fantasies, and the fact that Dan’s seeming fascination with the Silk Spectre porn comic supported this. Showrunner Damon Lindelof clearly agrees, so cool. It’s always nice to be proven right.

Anyway, at some point between the graphic novel and the HBO series, the fantasy was shattered and the pair split up. I’m assuming what shattered the fantasy was them getting caught by the FBI. It’s unclear what’s happened to Dan at this time. Judging by the fact that the police in Oklahoma are using Owlships and goggles, I’m assuming that Dan was arrested and his equipment was appropriated by law enforcement. Laurie meanwhile has struck some kind of deal and now she’s working with the Anti-Vigilante Taskforce and enforcing the Keene Act, which is an interesting parallel with how her father, the Comedian, served the American government during the Vietnam War. But you see this is where I start to get a bit confused.

The episode opens with Laurie setting a trap for a vigilante known as Mister Shadow (basically Fake Batman) and shooting him, either not knowing or not caring whether or not Mister Shadow’s body armour would save him. She’s also taken on the Comedian’s last name Blake and displays a very similar nihilistic attitude, making dark jokes and exhibiting uncaring, unsympathetic behaviour. Now I don’t necessarily have a problem with Laurie becoming more nihilistic, given what she’s been through. Having witnessed Ozymandias and his squid of doom, it’s bound to affect her worldview. However, her turning into a female Comedian doesn’t really marry up with her character at all. And yes, I know at the end of the graphic novel she talked about getting a gun and body armour, like the Comedian, but it didn’t work there either. It felt too drastic a character shift and was painfully on the nose. I didn’t like it there and I don’t like it here either. I just don’t buy that she would want to emulate the man who tried to rape her mother. 

I especially don’t like her violent, uncaring attitude toward Mister Shadow. Why does she have such a disdain for vigilantes? Is it because of what happened with Dan, and she’s projecting that onto everyone else? Has she become so nihilistic that she just doesn’t give a shit anymore? There’s a moment later in the episode where she asks someone if their civil rights are being violated only to then turn around and say she was being sarcastic. That really didn’t sit right with me. It just doesn’t feel like something Laurie would say.

And then there’s the whole thing with Doctor Manhattan. Throughout the episode we see her in a phone booth trying to tell a joke to Manhattan (quite what the purpose of these phone booths are, I don’t know. Considering that people in the world of Watchmen believe that Manhattan was giving people cancer, why would anyone want to call him?). She clearly misses him to the point where she has a large blue dildo hidden a briefcase that’s clearly a direct reference to Pulp Fiction. I REALLY don’t like this. At all. The reason Laurie left Manhattan in the first place was because he couldn’t emotionally satisfy her, being an omnipresent demigod and all. So why would she be pining after him? The blue dildo joke in particular just felt kind of degrading. Just... why?

Weirder still is the joke she spends the whole episode trying to tell him. It’s clearly an indirect reference to the Pagliacci joke from the graphic novel, except the Pagliacci joke had a specific purpose in the graphic novel and its meaning was clear. Rorschach was remarking on how America was relying on the Comedian to save them from violence and corruption, which was futile considering what a violent and corrupt person the Comedian was. Here, however, I have no idea what Laurie is trying to say with the brick joke at all. I’m assuming the bricklayer is her father and she’s following in his footsteps. Okay, I kind of get that (except not really for the reasons I’ve already mentioned, but whatever). But then we come to the whole bit with God at the pearly gates sending Nite Owl, Ozymandias and Doctor Manhattan to Hell, only to then get killed by the brick from the previous joke. Now... what the fuck is that all about? I’ve been racking my brains, checking what other people said, and I can’t find any satisfying answers. It just feels like pretentious, unnecessary fanwank. The best I can come up with is that Laurie is expressing how she’s not letting men dictate her life anymore. But... she’s spent the whole episode pining after Doctor Manhattan, she’s modelled herself after her rapist father, and at the end of the episode, she sleeps with her assistant Petey, an agent who claims to not to be a fan of superheroes, but is totes a fan of superheroes. So... is that the joke? She wants to escape from the shadow of the men in her life, but can’t? Or she intends to overcome the patriarchy that has kept her down, but she still ends up choosing to indulge in the power fantasy of Petey? Or does it refer to something else she’s planning to do later? It’s all so frustratingly vague.

As I was watching this episode, I honestly lost track of the number of times I thought to myself ‘I don’t know where Lindelof is going with this.’ Sometimes this approach works, keeping the audience in the dark in order to build intrigue and suspense, but for Watchmen, a story that’s famous for its dense material and subject matter, it’s just plain annoying. In fact this whole episode feels really off to me. Instead of focusing on character narratives and thematic storytelling, She Was Killed By Space Junk relies more on a plot heavy story that moves the pieces of the larger arc forward and keeping certain specific details vague in an attempt to keep people watching. Except that’s not really what Watchmen is about and it results in leaving the more integral aspects of the story in the dust. Angela barely gets a look in here, and considering a significant portion of the episode focuses on Judd Crawford’s funeral, it feels like a massive, missed opportunity. How does it feel discovering that the man you liked and respected wasn’t the man you thought he was? Does that change your feelings toward him? Does it invalidate the good times you had with him? And with Laurie there, the show could have compared and contrasted the two. How these two women move forward knowing these uncomfortable truths about the men in the lives? But the show never really capitalises on this.

And the annoying thing is, for all I know, all the things I’m talking about could actually be addressed in a future episode, thus rendering what I’m saying moot. I don’t know. I can’t tell if this is all just really bad setup for an eventual satisfying payoff or if it’s just plain bad.

That being said, while I do ultimately dislike this episode, there are a few things I like. For instance, I do like what we learn about the larger world of Watchmen. We learn that Oklahoma is the only state that’s allowing the police to mask up and that this law was passed by Joe Keene Jr., whose father was responsible for the Keene Act that was passed outlawing vigilantes. Joe Keene Jr. was briefly introduced in the previous episode and it looks like he’s going to be playing a larger role from here on out. Let’s wait and see where that goes. 

We also learn that Looking Glass knows Laurie and has prior history with her. He even confirms Sister Night’s secret identity to her, albeit reluctantly. So is he a plant? Maybe sent by the FBI to try and sabotage Keene Jr? Hmmm, what’s going on here then?

And then there’s Ozymandias.

While I dislike how Laurie is being handled so far, I love, love, LOVE what they’re doing with Adrian Veidt. After the events of the graphic novel, it seems he’s gone into self imposed exile. Whether this is as a punishment or as a way to make sure he doesn’t inadvertently blab about his involvement with the squid is unknown. Anyway, he’s been here for three years now, judging by the candles on the cake, and he seems to be going a little bit stir crazy. He’s sacrificing his clones in order to try and find a means of escape and now he has to contend with a bloodthirsty game warden (another clone). The idea of Ozymandias being hoist by his own petard and being oppressed by the very tools and instruments of his own vanity is absolutely tantalising, and I love what Jeremy Irons is doing with the part and the way he’s depicting the character’s slow descent into lunacy.

Also a special shoutout has to go to the costume department for the Ozymandias costume we see Adrian finally don. It’s gloriously, breathtakingly terrible. Truly one of the worst superhero costumes ever seen on screen... which is exactly what it should be! 

One of the things I intensely disliked about the 2009 movie was Zack Snyder’s attempts to make the characters look cool and stylish when in reality these characters are supposed to be the complete opposite of that. Rorschach looks like a hobo, puts on a gruff voice and wears lifts on his heels in a pathetic attempt to look more imposing. Nite Owl wears a ridiculously tight fitting costume that shows off his belly bulge. Silk Spectre’s outfit looks more like something a stripper would wear and is not even remotely practical. They look stupid to us, the outsiders, but to the characters, it makes them feel powerful. That’s the whole point, and the HBO series captures that perfectly. Adrian is going to war with the game warden and wants to feel powerful, so he puts on his objectively silly purple and gold shawl in an effort to reclaim the power he once had. It’s laugh out hilarious, made all the more funnier by the fact that he’s clearly far too old to be playing dress up. It’s moments like this that demonstrate that Lindelof clearly does understand the source material, which is what makes the way Laurie is treated all the more baffling.

She Was Killed By Space Junk isn’t a bad episode. There’s stuff to like, but it doesn’t have any of the intelligent thematic storytelling or characterisation the previous two episodes had. Coupled with the apparent mishandling of Laurie’s character and the deliberate vagueness of some of its plotting leads to it being an episode that’s ultimately more frustrating than enjoyable to watch.

[darkpoisonouslove]

So I promised @trashcankitty12 a post about my headcanons about Griffin’s friendship with Ediltrude and Zarathustra and I’m delivering.

I’m just going to start with my headcanons for their personalities when they were younger (under a cut because it’s long again):

Ediltrude:

- She was actually the more aggressive twin when they were students and her first response to everything would be violence. Someone said something bad about her? Spell the bitch. Someone sabotaged a scheme of hers? Get revenge. Someone did something to Zara? Okay, call the police because there will be a murder here.

- She was the “wild” one that always had a new boyfriend (that she’d dump after a while and find herself another victim) and was always at parties getting wasted but then showing up the next day at class in top shape. Nobody knew how she was doing that.

- In that vein, she was at the top of every class, always having the best grades. She had to be better than everyone she hated, you know? It was law! There was no question about it.

- She always wanted attention (but, like, in a cute way and mostly from her sis) and her presence demanded it, really. And she was always “fashionably late” (except for classes).

- Jewelry is her thing! Especially rings and necklaces. She hoards them by the ton.

- She can’t cook for shit. And she doesn’t really eat that much (tbh all the witches are anorexic but that’s not a topic I want to delve into rn because I have STRONG opinions about it that don’t belong here). Zara is kind of worried about her, especially when she knows the only thing in her system is alcohol. But Ediltrude seems to be handling herself (better than Zara is tbh)

- Ediltrude is actually very emotional but she hides that fact behind a cold and unfeeling facade that also conceals her trust issues. You don’t have to be worried about people approaching you if everyone’s scared to approach you, you know?

- She’s independent, you know! Never mind that she wouldn’t last a day without her sis because there’d be no one she could talk to.

- She has a fierce love for animals, especially snakes, and had a shitton of them while they were still living at home before signing up for Cloud Tower. Zara was so done with it. Imagine the following convo:

Zara: I can’t step on the floor because your pets are everywhere. Edi: I’m sorry… that you’re a dumbass who can’t remember she can fly. Zara: I’m not flying in my own home! I want to be able to step on the floor. Edi: And I want to be able to take care of my pets in peace. Zara: Oh, I will give you peace! *death glare*

Ironically, Ediltrude’s cat loves Zara (possibly even more than Ediltrude) and always cuddles into her. Zara is so done with all the cat hair on her clothes. She never shoos the cat away though.

- Her other strength is divination which she mostly uses to mess with people by telling them what will go wrong with their relationships. And if you really piss her off, she might give you a prediction of your death.

Zarathustra:

- She was a bit more controlled in her temper compared to her sister but you didn’t want to be the target of her words. She was the queen of sass and sarcasm. Her anger was also more insidious and delayed than Ediltrude’s and while Edi would get her revenge on you on the spot and then proceed with her life, Zara would let you stew in anxiety over when she’d get back at you.

- Zara is actually a few minutes older than Ediltrude. She resorts to calling her “baby sister” sometimes to which Ediltrude’s response always is “Talking shit again I see”. And while Zara would tease her with the fact that she’s a bit younger because she knew it annoyed Edi even if she didn’t show it, she still felt kind of responsible for her as she is a little older (which is kind of ridiculous because she can’t handle herself but we give her points for trying).

- Zara was more awkward in social situations or at least so it seemed because she didn’t bother trying to hide her uneasiness around people. But that wouldn’t stop her from blurting out what was on her mind which usually wasn’t very flattering. But hey, people usually deserved it.

- She’s sort of a nihilist (and would totally fit in with Millennials and Gen Z) and can be a bit depressing to be around sometimes. But she’ll send you all the memes (let’s pretend they had memes, okay). That was her primary way of communication at one point and Ediltrude was a little worried (not to mention sick of the damn memes). But they got over it and Zara is more talkative now.

- She has a more instinctual approach when it comes to magic and didn’t spend that much time studying. She preferred to practice instead and have physical, tangible results instead of something she read in a book which often ended up in a spell gone wrong.

- She is always exhausted because she can never sleep. Ediltrude is pretty convinced the cause is in a potion that went wrong when they were 13 but Zara wouldn’t hear a word of it. She blames it on stress and everyone pissing her off which results in restlessness and sleep problems.

- She pretty much runs on coffee since she gets very little sleep and is kinda a mess. But when it comes to insults, her brain is always ready and on the go. You can’t beat her at that no matter how sleep deprived she is. If only that were true when it came to her studies.

- She is actually a big fan of food (she has to get energy somewhere since she can’t sleep) but stays thin no matter how much she eats. She can barely cook, though, although she is better at it than Ediltrude. But not by much.

- Her strength are potions which she always experiments with. That results in utter chaos at her working space since there are ingredients everywhere. Ediltrude was afraid her animals would accidentally eat the wrong thing and either turn into an object or into a demon.

- Which Zara would’ve probably liked because demons have always been of special interest to her. She’s pretty sure she has a few of those trapped in her own soul and that she would be besties with any demons she can summon. Ediltrude had to keep the summoning spells under lock and key to be sure that she won’t find her sister possessed some day.

Griffin:

- Griffin was the quietest of the three, yet, the most menacing. Nobody dared mess with her after she taught some seniors a lesson for calling her pixie because of the whole thing with Faragonda. Well, nobody but Edi and Zara. But that’s stuff for later.

- She was a bookworm and spent a lot of time in the library, always reading about spells and anything else she could get her hands on, really. Books helped her calm down and escape the crushing reality. She was safe between the pages where the world’s resentment for her couldn’t reach her.

- Her strength were her words but she wasn’t afraid to act when the situation called for it. And there was a situation like that any other day tbh. Someone would decide to be an idiot and she’d have to interfere.

- She was clearly a strategist and would think everything through, coming up with the perfect plan to mess with some fairies or get revenge on a witch that crossed her.

- She was religious about her studies, much like Ediltrude, and the two were always competing for the first place at every class while Zara would just roll her eyes at them and try to take a nap. She didn’t get enough sleep for this shit!

- She is the one member of the trio that can actually cook and won’t burn the whole kitchen down in the process. However, she survives mainly on tea. She has all the tea and that’s pretty much her only intake when it comes to food and liquids. Zara was absolutely shocked when she learned that. Even Ediltrude enjoyed a normal, healthy meal once in a while. But not Griffin. Makes you wonder why she’s so good at cooking. She actually enjoys taking care of others by making them meals but she would never admit it.

- She knows everything about plants and is a specialist on herbalism. Have a health problem? She’ll cure you in hours. She has so many plants you feel like you’re in the jungle.

- She’s not that much into animals but crows have always liked her and she - them. They are one of the most intelligent animals and she feels them as companions in a way. Their presence calms her and helps chase away the loneliness.

- She also knows everything about crystals and how to use them in spells. Especially healing spells. She’s always been good at those but all the negativity and hate the world has been giving her for the fact that she’s a witch with dark magic pushed her to seek out the more destructive side of her magic and utilize it instead of what she was naturally good at.

- Her knowledge of astronomy helps her coordinate her spells so that they draw power from the cosmos, making her magic even stronger since she’s using nature in her favor. It gave her a big advantage on all the other witches and she loved showing off with that by challenging seniors to sparring (when she wasn’t one herself) and defeating them.

Now for the friendship:

- Griffin was transferred into the twins’ room after it turned out Faragonda was a fairy. So it was kind of a last minute arrangement and nobody was happy about it. Least of all Griffin and Edi and Zara.

- The three didn’t like each other at first. The twins were hellbent on giving her grief about being a fairy but she quickly managed to “convince” them not to do it. Magic was involved. It wasn’t pretty. They learned not to mess with her though. Still, that only made the relationship between them even more strained. Not to mention that Griffin couldn’t stand the arguments between Zara and Edi and would soon get involved into the mess herself.

- Sharing a dorm room wasn’t easy for the three of them since they practically had no space to move around. Between Griffin’s plants, Zara’s potions and Ediltrude’s clothes the room was packed. Quite a few incidents with Zara’s potions occurred because of the limited space. Not to mention that the tensions always raised through the roof in the matter of seconds thanks to the stuffy atmosphere.

- To add to that, Ediltrude had had the brilliant idea to sneak two of her snakes into the room. Even Zara didn’t know about that so she was quite scandalized when Griffin found the snakes in her bed. Ediltrude begged them both to keep her secret. Zara agreed easier than Griffin who finally gave in on condition that Ediltrude failed that upcoming test they had. It was more of a test of its own, though, since she wanted to see just how much the snakes meant to her. She didn’t let her fail in the end. That was when Ediltrude realized that the two of them may have more in common than originally thought, acting tough but that was actually only a veneer that hid a sensitive soul underneath.

- Zara found out how caring a person Griffin actually was when she blew up one of her plants with a potion gone wrong but instead of getting angry with her, Griffin made her some tea to help her sleep and concentrate to avoid more of those accidents. At first Zara thought she was trying to poison her but when she saw the results, she was grateful to Griffin. That was the first time in years that she actually managed to sleep like a normal person.

- The three soon figured out how well they work as a team and then it was over for all of those other witches. Of course, there was still the problem with the space they were facing but things ran much smoother when they weren’t at each other’s throats all the time. Their energy went into making life miserable for everyone else. And they were too good at it. From hating each other they went to being inseparable.

- So when Ediltrude’s snakes were finally discovered during senior year, Griffin and Zara stood up for her. Which earned them suspension for a month as well. That month was well utilized, though, in wreaking havoc all around their home planets with their friendship going as strong as ever.

- In fact, they only fell out of touch when Griffin joined Valtor and the Ancestral Witches.

That’s all I got for you today! Now I want to make an aesthetic about the three of them! Damn, and I have a lot of other stuff to work on. I’m going out of my mind here with everything I want to get done!

[masterserris]

FUNERAL FOR A MAGICIAN FINAL PART: Be Human

Mysterio is back in action! Renewed, what will he do next?!

“I analyze and I verify and I quantify enough One hundred percentile No errors, no miss I synchronize and I specialize and I classify so much Don't worry 'bout dreaming Because I don't sleep

I wish I could at least 30 percent Maybe 50 for pleasure Then skip all the rest

If I only was more human I would count every single second the rest of my life If I just could be more human I'd have so many little babies and maybe a wife

I'd roll around the mud And have lots of fun Then when I was done Build bubble bath towers and swim in the tub

Sand castles on the beach

Frolic in the sea Get a broken knee Be scared of the dark and I'd sing out of key

Cuss when I lost a fight Kiss and reunite Scratch a spider bite Be happy with wrinkles I got when I smiled

Pet kittens til they purred Maybe keep a bird Always keep my word I'd cry at sad movies I'd laugh til it hurt

I'd buy a big bike And ride by the lake And I'd have lots of friends And I'd stay out too late

If I could just be more human I would see every little thing with a gleam in my eye If only I was more human I'd embrace every single feeling that came in my life

Would I care and be forgiving? Would I be sentimental and would I feel loneliness? Would I doubt and have misgivings? Would I cause someone sorrow, too? Would I know what to do? Will I cry when it's all over?

When I die, will I see heaven?”

(This was the only full version I could find RIP)

Characters: Neo Mysterio (Quentin Beck), Doc Ock (Otto Octavius), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Alexandria Beck (Alex), Sandman (Flint Marko), Chameleon

Warnings: Explicit gore and death, violence, mentions of past abuse, mental illness, physical illness, swearing

^These warnings are here for the story as a whole. If you get invested by reading a less graphic chapter, then be prepared for the warnings above in other parts!!

(swearing in this chapter + moderate/mild gore and violence)

Parker was taking photos of the event for the Daily Bugle, but as everyone was leaving, he had caught the four Sinister Six members out of the corner of his eye. He was not about to let them escape. 

Luckily, since all the celebrities were heading out, he had a perfectly good excuse to leave himself and change into his spider suit. He quickly tailed them from a distance as they headed to their hidden limo. He shot a spider tracer at the vehicle as they were entering, but this did not go unnoticed.

Just as Quentin was about to get in, he saw the tracer on the back hood and immediately shot his eyes up enough to glimpse Spider-Man. He jumped back and his Neo suit materialized over his dress suit. Chameleon and Otto sped off into the night after Mysterio peeled the tracer off the car. Flint and Beck were ready for a fight.

Flint: “Ay, Spider-Man! Why can’t ya just leave us alone! We wuzn’t doin’ nuthin’!”

Neo Mysterio: “Right, leave it to you, Spider-Man, to ruin our little night on the town. I’m honestly not surprised since you always have a habit of making my life worse than it already is.”

Spider-Man: “Really, bowl-face? I just wanted to tail you guys and find out what you were up to. You’re the ones wanting a fight! And besides, I really find that hard to believe. You’re the Sinister Six. It’s kinda your brand to make bad things happen. And no one made you become a super villain in the first place. You all chose to be one.”

Flint: “It ain’t that easy, Spider-Man. Life has a nice way a’ pushin’ guys like us around to do things we don’t really wanna do.”

Spider-Man: “So don’t do it, then! You think your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man doesn’t also have spider-problems? We all do! Our choices are what make us heroes or villains. You were literally given a second chance, Beck! That’s more than most people! Are you really gonna throw that away by sticking with these guys?”

Flint turned to Mysterio, worried for his friend.

Neo Mysterio: “Spider-Man, every time you’ve interfered in my life, things have gotten worse. I was just some nobody committing petty crime to try and pay off my debts and make a new life. But you caught and beat me. Put me in jail, only to be busted out by my new friends. They’ve treated me far better than most people ever have. Every time you try and stop us, more people get hurt. I died because you just HAD to defeat me.”

Spider-Man: “I- no... that’s... But even still! Think of all the people we saved! From Ultron! From Terrax! Those worlds would still be under treat!”

Neo Mysterio: “Maybe! You don’t KNOW that! I can NEVER trust you hero types! So many of you flip-flop between hero and villain or just fight amongst yourselves all the time! At least I know where I stand with villains.”

Spider-Man: “Beck! Please! You’re making a mistake! Marko! I know you’ve struggled with being a villain in the past! Both of you can walk away from this, here and now! Do the right thing you know to be true!”

Flint: “Sorry, Spidey. I got people countin’ on me to see this through ‘til the end. I ain’t no quitter.”

Peter desperately turns back to Mysterio.

Spider-Man: “Quentin! Think of your sister! Would she want you to do this? Throwing away your life again after everything that’s happened?”

Mysterio was deathly silent for a moment, before snapping.

Neo Mysterio: “Don’t you DARE. Don’t you dare for one SECOND try and use my sister to try and manipulate me into doing what you want me to. You have no idea what we’ve gone through. You don’t know a THING about me, Spider-Man. Just. Stay away!”

And with that Mysterio slammed a smoke grenade on the pavement. Before Parker could leap after them, they had vanished completely. Peter was no closer to finding out their plans nor where their new base was. All he knew is that he drove Beck further away. He screwed up.

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

After meeting back up at the Sinister Six base, they all except for Quentin had departed to their quarters. It was certainly an interesting night. Beck had thanked them once again for trying to cheer him up. With a sigh he reached into the communal fridge for something to drink.

???:” Fancy meeting you here.”

Beck whirled around in shock only to see Flint leaning against the table, looking smug.

Quentin: “Hoooooly fucking shit man, you scared the hell out of me. Don’t do that again,” he said with a smile.

Flint: “Hah, it’s hard ta get the jump on ya, so I’ll take what I can get haha. Anyways, I just wanted ta see how you’re doin’ after.. ya know.. the Spider ruinin’ our picnic and all.”

Quentin: “God, he pisses me off so bad... I’m not even completely sure why, either. Yeah, it’s annoying when he gets in the way, but I think... I think it’s that damn big mouth of his that gets me.”

Flint: “I know whatcha mean. D’ya know he once called me Flinto? Fuckin’ FLINTO. What the hell is that supposed ta mean? I wasn’t even offended. Just... confused...”

Quentin: “Well, I mean, I don’t LIKE being called ‘bowl-head’ very much, but I think it more has to do with his bullshit view on life. Like, I can respect it enough, but he seems to think it’s just SO easy to stay out of trouble. But the thing is, trouble grabs you, it sinks you in and you just can’t get out. Then everything is ruined and you’ll never be free again. So what if I came back to life? I still gotta finish this. No matter what. Maybe after that, we can all... rest, but I kinda doubt the world will let us. We’ll always be bad in their eyes. People just... don’t seem to get that anyone could be in our position... If things had just gone a little differently. It’s his... smug.. stupid naive ideals that just rub me wrong, I guess.”

Flint: “Well, jeez, I guess so... Look, I wuz just hopin’ you had a good time, is all. Soon, hopefully we can put all a’ this junk behind us, okay?”

Quentin: “Yeah.. tonight was good. No matter what. Thanks for.. sticking by me, Flint. It means a lot. Maybe... Maybe when everything is done, you can visit my sister’s place and your daughter can see my niece?”

Flint: “Yeah. I’d like that. Sounds like a plan, buddy.”

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

It was less than a week later that Peter was alerted by the police scanner. Numerous reports were flooding in of a certain fishbowl-man causing terror downtown. With a heavy hearted sigh, Peter leaped into action.

He was hoping, more than anything, that Beck could do away with this life of crime. He was a good person, deep down in there, or so Parker believed. Why was he so hellbent on helping the Sinister Six? So much so that he would risk it all again?

Peter swung building to building, closing in on the commotion. It was not hard to spot. Mysterio had conjured up a whole horde of demons and monsters to scare people away. His fear gas was driving people wild, having them panic and sprint blocks and blocks away. To his credit, Beck knew how to get people out of the way when he needed them to.

Parker was ready, this time. He had a gas mask on and had calibrated his lenses to better see through the hologram projections. Not perfect, but it would do.

Spider-Man: “Hey! Hey Mr. Fun House! Why aren’t you at the carnival where you belong? Can’t you see these people HATE your show?”

Neo Mysterio: “Always with the JOKES! Well, laugh THIS off!”

Mysterio shot at Peter with his hand lasers, hoping to knock the hero away. He could not afford this interruption right now. Spider-Man took the hit, but dodged the second barrage. It stung, but he could shake it off.

Spider-Man: “Hey! Fine! You want serious? Let’s get serious!”

Parker swung in and slugged Mysterio right across the helmet, sending them both clattering to the ground with a grunt of pain. They both quickly got to their feet and prepared to fight.

Spider-Man: “Stop this, Beck! Final chance! Stand down and tell me why you’re robbing Alchemax! What does Octavius want so bad?!”

Neo Mysterio: “I have nothing to say to you! I don’t owe you anything! Least of all my breath and time! Just leave me alone and everything will stop!”

Spider-Man: “Sorry, can’t let that happen, Mysty!”

Peter shot a web right past Mysterio, hitting a car. Yanking forward he launched himself at Mysterio, aiming to smash that bowl of his. The only thing was that Beck dodged at the last second, making Spider-Man land onto the car with an agile flip. When Peter turned around Quentin was already sprinting at him, ready to throw a haymaker punch.

Peter dodge to the left with a somersault, making Beck slam his right arm into steel. His carbonadium fist was imbedded within the vehicle, making him an easy target for Peter to kick.

Quentin blocked Peter’s foot with with his free arm. Parker was shocked at Mysterio’s raw strength. He suspected that he was in fact fighting a robot instead of the real deal. Why would Mysterio simply be in public? Wouldn’t he hide himself while his robots took the attention away from him?

Coming to this conclusion, Peter was done pulling his punches. When Mysterio freed himself from the side of the car, Peter slammed a lamppost against Beck’s head, thoroughly shattering his dome. People still nearby gasped as Quentin went clattering to the ground. Any human would surely have been killed by such a devastating blow.

With a groan, Beck got to his feet, his head bleeding from the shards of glass cutting him open.

Peter’s heart dropped at his mistake. How could he have screwed up so bad? He surely has a concussion, or worse, a hemorrhage in his brain from such a nasty impact. He could keel over dead at any minute. God, all that blood was pouring out of him, wasn’t it? Just like. Just like... 

Spider-Man: “Oh god, Quentin, you’re bleeding! Stop moving, we need to get you to a hospital!”

Neo Mysterio: “What I NEED is you to stop looking down on me, Spider-Man...”

Wiping the blood from his brow, Beck rushed at Spider-Man, not letting up. Parker did his best to fight back, but Quentin was inhumanly strong. Never had Peter known that he was holding back so much. The prototype super soldier serum was certainly no joke and Beck just had so much rage.

Spider-Man: “ENOUGH!!”

Parker threw a punch with all his might at Beck, a last desperate attempt to stop this fight, but Mysterio simply caught his fist. Caught a punch from Spider-Man, the guy who could lift a tank and who fought the Incredible Hulk. Peter was shocked.

Neo Mysterio: “I’ll be your punching bag no longer, Spider-Man! Today, YOU LOSE!!”

Quentin pulled his fist back and slammed Parker across the jaw, sending him face-first into the pavement. With a “shink!”, Beck unsheathed the blade on his wrist and held it an inch from Peter’s neck.

Neo Mysterio: “huff... huff... I win... Today, I win...”

As suddenly as Mysterio, attacked, he pulled away, sheathing his blade once more. Peter was rather confused. Most super villains aren’t in the business of sparing their foes.

Neo Mysterio: “I’m letting you go... I don’t wanna kill anyone... not you... you don’t deserve that... you’re just fighting me to protect others... I get it... but... If we ever battle again... and I beat you... I’ll let you go... Only if you promise to let me go and not follow me once I’m done... If you win? Well... then you capture me, it’s that simple.... but if I win? Then you just leave with your skin still attached.... deal?”

Peter was reeling. Still seeing stars from the blow that he was dealt. He was in no position to refuse. Mysterio was sparing him. He would just have to beat him next time. He didn’t like giving up. He never gave up. Peter was not going to give up now or ever. He would keep fighting. Today just wasn’t his day.

Spider-Man: “D-deal....”

Neo simply stared at him with cold eyes before vanishing in a puff of green smoke. The robot doubles that Peter was worried about were already done robbing the place 5 minutes ago, anyways. Quentin himself was the distraction this time. And now he was once more a wanted man. The cycle repeats once more.

Peter shakily got to his feet, helped a few citizens recover from the gas and commotion, then swung away. He had a lot to think about, and a lot of healing to do.

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

Beck went back to the base, prize in hand. His face was properly stitched up by Otto, along with a new serum that faded scars over time. He was exhausted in all ways imaginable, but he still had energy to do one last thing.

He compressed his armor into an under suit once more after fixing his helmet and teleported to a rooftop a few miles away, wearing a simple green sweater and soft dark jeans. He sat on the very edge of the roof, observing the sunset from his precarious vantage point. A matcha latte in one hand and his cellphone in another.

He called his sister.

                                     End of Funeral for a Magician

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

Thank you all so much for reading! It means a ton! I shall make a master post with links to all the chapters, along with a link to the playlist that accompanies this story!

As a bonus, there shall be some art to go with it from a special someone who I commissioned for this!

Have a wonderful week everyone, and thanks for sticking with me through this emotional roller coaster!!

-MS

[zrtranscripts]

Season 8, Mission 22: Take A Chance On Me

Edda-cational Visit

~

[fanfare]

AMELIA SPENS: Hello, Mor Islanders. This is Prime Minister Amelia Spens. Listen, I am a reasonable person. One of you has a piece of the Edda of the Wakened Warrior. It's the key to stopping the red fungus growing on the mainland. Now I know you don't much care about the mainland, or indeed, anything of greater global importance than this year's turnip yield, so I'm offering a reward. Power, luxuries, as many turnips as you can eat. Whatever you want. You'd be surprised how many things I can make happen. Just bring me that Edda.

JODY MARSH: Sam, is there no way to block that out? It's the eighth time!

SAM YAO: Sorry, Jody. Amelia has the Undaunted broadcasting it on all frequencies. She's hellbent on getting the Edda, especially now she knows the king of the rocks connects to it and the red fungus.

JODY MARSH: She's got her marines to quarantine the cave me and Five found, the one with the seed pods. They're experimenting with acid to dissolve them. But we need the Edda to find out how to stop the fungus for good. Is the bribery angle working?

SAM YAO: Um, sort of? People are bringing her everything from the Ladybird Book of Vikings to An A to Z of Fungal Infections.

JODY MARSH: Don't they realize this is serious?

SAM YAO: They're just trying their luck. But Janine got a message on Rofflenet that could be legit, and Amelia wants us to check it out.

JODY MARSH: Let me guess – because it's extremely dangerous and unpleasant. Doesn't she have a sub full of marines to run errands for her?

SAM YAO: No, no, it's got to be us. Here's the message: "Colonel De Luca, thank you for your actions during the zombie invasion. You've earned my trust, unlike the Prime Minister. That's why I'm telling you that I have the Edda. The pages I have describe the wizard Loki and the zombie guards."

JODY MARSH: Hmm, sounds authentic. Probably a trap?

SAM YAO: Yeah. They want to meet by the old well at sundown. Alone.

JODY MARSH: Definitely a trap.

SAM YAO: The well's on the hill. If you approach from the north, we'll see which terrifying people are waiting to ambush you, eh?

JODY MARSH: On it. Come on, Five. Run!

~

SAM YAO: Five, Jody, get down!

[foliage rustles]

JODY MARSH: What's up? I can't see anyone!

SAM YAO: [sighs] No, it's nothing. I thought I saw a figure on the edge of the town, watching you, dressed in gray.

JODY MARSH: Not following us now, anyway?

SAM YAO: [sighs] No, I might have imagined it. Haven't been sleeping well recently. Lots of nightmares. People in skincoats chasing me. Only in the dreams, they were made out of actual skin dripping red blood. Okay, you should have a good view of the well from where you are. See anything?

JODY MARSH: Someone's standing by the well. A young man with curly hair. He doesn't look armed. Look, he heard us! He's running off into the woods! Let's stay on this ridge above and follow him, Five. Run!

~

JODY MARSH: I can see him through the trees. Five, there's no one else here. Rugby tackle him!

[Runner Five tackles RORY, foliage rustles, RORY shouts]

RORY: Get off me, you – Runner Five, it's you.

JODY MARSH: Who did you think it was? You contacted us.

SAM YAO: Oh! [laughs] Oh, it's Rory from the corner shop. He's a nice kid, bit dim. If he's a skincoat, I'll eat your running shoes, Five.

RORY: Someone else is after me. I thought you were them. They want the Edda. It's valuable, right? The Prime Minister's offering a big reward?

JODY MARSH: Yeah. You're right not to trust her about... about almost everything. But she'll keep her word on this. "A deal's a deal" is practically her religion.

RORY: Are you sure? Because I'm not safe on this island. The Edda's my ticket off.

JODY MARSH: I'm positive. If you have it, Amelia will help you.

RORY: I don't have it with me. It's – it's hidden. We can get it now. I'll explain on the way.

SAM YAO: Uh, Five, give him a headset. Hi.

RORY: Oh. Hello, Sam! You came to the corner shop once, asked if we still had Curly Wurlies.

SAM YAO: [laughs] Yeah! Yeah, that was probably me.

RORY: What was that?

JODY MARSH: I don't know, but I don't think we're alone in these woods. Rory, which way to the Edda?

RORY: Through the gully. Come on.

~

RORY: Careful on the loose rocks.

SAM YAO: Can you see anyone behind you?

JODY MARSH: No. But I can feel eyes on the back of my neck. Can't you, Five? So how did you end up with the Edda?

RORY: I found it a few days ago. Just – just lying on the path.

JODY MARSH: What a bit of luck.

RORY: Not really. Someone worked out I have it and they've been on my tail ever since.

SAM YAO: How did you know where the Edda was?

RORY: Because of my granda. He was an old Norse professor. My parents died when I was a bairn. Granda took me in. Didn't want to raise me in a city, so we came here. Laird's brother Callum needed an expert in Norse mythology to help market the island's history, and Granda had books all over the house. That's how I recognized the Edda.

JODY MARSH: So who's chasing you?

RORY: I don't know. Me and Granda were always outsiders here. It was better for a while, but... everyone's talking about the old ways again. Closing in on themselves. I know I've been watched since I found the Edda.

[pebbles rattle]

JODY MARSH: Boulder! Get out of the way! [boulder crashes to ground] Five, Rory, are you all right?

RORY: It's them! They pushed it!

SAM YAO: Yeah, someone's up on the ridge. They're wearing skincoats. You've got to get out of there, you're sitting ducks. Run!

~

SAM YAO: You're clear of the gully. Can't see any skincoats anywhere.

JODY MARSH: Rory, you know more than you're admitting. You need to tell us everything right now.

RORY: Okay. My granda was murdered. Everyone says he drank too much and fell off the cliff, but that's a lie. Someone killed him. [sighs] It was our fifth summer here. We were walking along the cliff. Granda went on ahead. Skincoat came out of nowhere and just... pushed him over. Looked just like in the stories. Gray all over, one thick purple stripe. I told people. My teachers, the police, but no one believed me. They said the skincoats hadn't been around for years. I know what I saw.

SAM YAO: What about Chief Macallan?

RORY: He was just an inspector at the time, but yeah, he took me more seriously than most. He seemed really upset and angry at the idea there was still skincoats. I was just a kid! There was no other evidence. Eventually, I half believed I'd imagined it myself, but... I didn't. People weren't unkind afterwards. The Websters took me in. Still, I've kept to myself ever since. I get lonely, but I cope.

JODY MARSH: We believe you. Why do you think he was killed?

RORY: He did drink a fair bit of whiskey. Enough that he'd tell me things he shouldn't. Island business, like the real reason Callum hired him.

[gunshot, RORY shouts]

SAM YAO: Behind you, a skincoat! How did they get there so fast?

RORY: They've come for me! We have to get away. Run!

~

RORY: You've got to help me.

JODY MARSH: You must be right, Rory. The skincoats killed your grandfather. Maybe they never really disbanded. Maybe they've been acting against us all along!

SAM YAO: Yeah, but who are they? Chief Macallan said there were always nine of them. That the role got passed down in families. But many of those families are gone. So they could be anyone we talk to. People we think are our friends!

JODY MARSH: At least if they're chasing us for the Edda, we can be sure they don't already have it. Maybe that's what Jones was trying to do, in his own twisted way. To keep the Edda out of their hands. Remember what he said just before he died? "Now there'll be no stopping them."

SAM YAO: Rory, you mentioned the real reason Callum hired your grandfather. What was that?

RORY: King of the rocks. Callum wanted to move the ceremony to Niomh because there was oil at the ceremony site on Mor. The islanders respected tradition too much to allow that. But Callum reckoned if a Norse scholar told them it should have been on Niomh the whole time, they'd believe him.

SAM YAO: So Callum paid your grandfather to lie for him. But why would anyone have cared enough about the ceremony to kill him?

RORY: The skincoats were the guardians of tradition, of the old ways. In the stories, they were ruthless and cruel. They somehow knew everything, were everywhere at once. People slit their own wrists rather than be taken by them.

JODY MARSH: Let's get to the Edda. If there's nine of them out there, our head start means nothing. Where is it?

RORY: In a bothy behind that hill. But you have to get me off this island.

JODY MARSH: We will. We'll get to the Edda and get you to safety. Come on!

~

RORY: There's the bothy. The window's broken!

[door creaks open, broken glass clinks]

JODY MARSH: It's been ransacked!

RORY: I had the Edda in a lockbox under the bed.

[metal box creaks]

JODY MARSH: The lock's smashed. It's still in there, bound in white leather and jewels.

SAM YAO: The Edda? Well, we've found the Edda!

RORY: Give it to the Prime Minister! You said she'd help me.

JODY MARSH: Why didn't the skincoats take it? They opened the lockbox, saw the Edda, and left it? Hang on a sec. [paper rustles] This isn't the Edda. I've spent days studying everything we know about it and this doesn't match up. For one thing, these aren't rubies. They're green! And for another, it puts the king of the rocks ceremony on Niomh, not Mor. It's a fake.

SAM YAO: What?

JODY MARSH: Rory, you said Callum paid your grandfather to convince the islanders to move the king of the rocks to Niomh. Don't you think forging an Edda would be a good way for a Norse scholar to do that?

RORY: I'm – I'm sorry. It was my only chance!

JODY MARSH: Aw, Rory, I knew you didn't just find it on the path.

RORY: I had to get off this island! The skincoats control everything. Now they'll know I've talked to you. They'll kill me for sure!

SAM YAO: No, no, look. You can stay with us, Rory. We'll protect you.

RORY: Oh, thank you! Thank God!

[radio static]

AMELIA SPENS: Sam, Jody, I've been listening in, and while I can't say I'm surprised we've been duped for a wild goose chase, I am angry. With myself above all, for believing you or anyone of this fungus-riddle archipelago could be trusted! If I'm to save the UK, you've left me with only one choice. Nisha, switch to all channels.

Hello again, Mor Island. You have wasted my time long enough. The reward is off the table. I am aboard a nuclear-armed submarine, and if I don't get the Edda soon, I am going to launch a warhead and destroy the entire archipelago. You have been warned.

~

[papirouge]

Also you curse a lot and I'm not trying to "call out your hypocrisy" by sending you these anons but, it does seem hypocritical. Jesus never cursed and the bible speaks strongly against saying watching your tongue. What's your view on cursing? You seem super severe in some beliefs and yet very lenient on others and it's a bit confusing.

Here's the thing anon: hypocrisy is actually calling out people for the very same things you're are entertaining on the regular. And I've yet to see where I ever called out Christians for using bad words (homophobic or racist slurs are something else) or neither is me watching stupid shows with magic/witchcraft on the low (I don't have Netflix and never will).

It's very obvious you're desperately trying to grasp at straw with the silly yOu aRe CUrSinG thing (when the biggest words I used are "butt" of "wtf") but okay, let's play.

Be honest, anon:

Do you think that right now, the main stumbling blocks for Christians is fool language?

Do you think that right now, apostasy is attacking Christians into believing that cursing is a-okay?

Do you think there is a massive propaganda to normalize cursing?

The most dangerous sins are those who are 1)overlooked 2)not considered as sins. It's just a matter of priority. I'll have all the time to point fingers at bad words when all the biggest issues within the Church will finally be properly addressed (and hopefully fixed).

It's not me being severe, it's me attacking the most widespread yet underestimated sins Christians are routinely engaging with, and I call them out for what they (the sins) are. I wouldn't so hellbent calling out demonic shows if so many Christians wouldn't be out there entertaining them like it was not a big deal.

Jesus said plentiful of things about not mingling light with darkness, condemned witchcraft, told us to get away from the world but you....only bring up the Bible telling to not curse. I know why: because not cursing is easier to give up all the crap you're entertaining on the regular.

Stopping cursing is easier than having to throw out all your favorite mangas, (pricey) artbook because they're ungodly, it's easier than to stop listening to your favorite songs because they didn't glorify God but rather fleshly worldly matters. It's easier than to stop entire friendships with people you loved yet disrupted your relationship with god. It's easier than changing your whole career path, give up your dreams to follow God and not your worldly feelings.

Stopping saying bad words asks you NOTHING. NO SACRIFICE. That's why lukewarm Christians looooove acting like they really did something by policing people's language, because they are incapable of doing any deeper work by themselves.

If I have pre marital sex and someone struggling with a sin tells me I am wrong for doing so in a very rude way, I won't be like sToP beInG rUdE tO Me YoU sIn toO!!! the message is still right and you have no room to argue just bc you don't like how it is said.

You don't have to be sinnless to call out sin - especially if you overcame the one you're calling out.

I'm literally the first one to acknowledge that I'm a mess. I am not perfect but my takes, they tell no lies. Because as someone who struggled with worldiness, I know how damaging it is. It doesn't come from a place of "I'm so better than you", it comes from a place of someone who saw first place how far sinful entertainment can send you and want to warn off people walking the same path.

A sin is a sin. BUT, you won't catch me call out porn addicted Christians genuinely struggling with their sins, because, guess what? they are acknowledging their sin for what they are. Neither is me arguing cussing is okay. What I know however (and I usually have a good discernment) is that you are butthurt (oops!) bc I called out sins you're guilty of (you're probably watching stupid Netflix shows or something like that) and tried to own me up by telling that....*gasp* I said bad words. I know you don't police other people language IRL like that. You just are spiteful and looked for a bone to gnawn on.

[amarabliss]

Capable of Change - 8 (Savitar!Barry/Reader)

Imagine, remnant Barry getting asked out by you and he decided to say yes…

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven

“Take care of it.” Barry through some onions into a pan, “I don’t care, just take care of it. I have to go.”

He hung up with Killer Frost. He’d forgotten how irritating she could be. He just needed to keep pushing her away from Caitlin.

He shook it off adding some seasoning to the pan. He was making you lunch and the constant interruptions of a doubtful lackey was slowing him down. She had one task, it wasn’t hard.

He stopped shutting his eyes letting out a frustrated sigh. This was why he didn’t take ‘work’ calls when he stayed with you. He wanted only positive feelings at your place, especially since he’d taken up residence with you.

He stirred the contents of the pan around glancing up a that tv. He found himself watching old movies while he waited for you to come home. He’d do small tasks that you’d complain about routinely but never had time to do. Dusting, dishes, hanging up decorations…

He just wanted you to be happy and seeing your eyes light up every time was worth it. He had thought recently you’d been rattle things off to test him. Cleaning the tile with a toothbrush and baking soda seemed a bit too much.

“Forgive the interruption of your regularly schedule view. It has been brought to our attention of a massive fire breaking out downtown Central City.”

He stopped what he was doing trying to remember a fire as the reporter went on, “Police are directing traffic away from Central City Music Hall as fire fighters fight to get to the remaining people inside...”

He felt his eyes get wide as his body just went forward. This couldn’t be happening…he wouldn’t let this happen.

His stopped in the Savitar suit looking around the blaze. He saw you shielding a couple from the orchestra under the piano. He rushed over to you, “I’m here to help.”

He could see the fear in all your faces but finally you nodded, “Them first.”

He began to shake his head but you pointed to them, “They have children, now go!”

It was like riding a bike, playing the hero. He took the two out quickly to a safe place and rushed back inside. He knelt looking at you, “Your turn.”

You stared at his outstretched claw before slowly reaching to take it. There was a creaking noise as you crawled out. He glanced up seeing the ceiling collapse over them. He moved quickly snatching you up only setting you down once you they were safe outside.

You leaned over hurling up the contents of the breakfast he’d made you. He tilted his head getting a new memory. The Flash was here.  He looked to you again wishing to stay but Barry could see him, “You’re safe now.”

“Wait…” You looked up at him but he was gone.

As you went to wipe your mouth you grabbed by a pair of red hands, “How do you know Savitar?”

“Wha…” You let you a yelp as you were pushed up to a nearby tree.

“Where is he!?” You stared at the Flash terrified.

“I...I don’t know!” You yelled at him. You could see how angry he was and you didn’t know how a hero could be so scary, “Please…you’re hurting me!”

He scowled before you swooshed away. This time you couldn’t keep your balance. You fell to your knees getting sick again.

“Whoa whoa whoa!” You heard someone behind you yell.

“What are you doing!?” Another voice as you looked up seeing yourself in some sort of lab.

“She knows something. He’s never saved anyone before now!” The Flash yelled at them.

“We don’t do this!”  You jumped when you felt a hand touch your back.

An older man in a scarf raised his hands in front of him apologetically, “Hey…whoa…I’m not going to hurt you.”

You felt tears coming to your eyes as you pushed away from him, “Where…where am I? What do you want from me?”

“Where…” The Flash stepped toward you.

“Stop!” A man with longer hair stepped between him and you. He looked back to you, “My name is Cisco and we are going to get you cleaned up while ass hat mcgee over here is going to cool off. HR will you take her some place…to…clean up and get a drink maybe.”

“Yeah yeah, of course.” HR stood up looking at you as he offered his hand to you, “Don’t worry you’re safe.”

The way he looked at you, you knew you were. You took his hand standing up walking next to him out into the hall as yelling erupted behind you. You let out a shuttered breath.

HR looked at you, “He’s not normally so angry. He’s just kind of…stressed out…but…it’ll be okay.”

“Did I do something?” You looked at him, “If it’s about the fire…I didn’t…I don’t know how it started.”

“It’s not about you doing something…more about you knowing someone.” He told you as you walked into a nicer looking room with just computers and chairs.

He walked over to a water cooler as you sat down, “Savitar?”

“Yeah…” HR walked back over to you holding out a cup and a few napkins, “yeah he’s a bad guy.”

“The giant man in a silver suit?” You started to wipe your pants off a little.

“Yeah…he’s trying to hurt people.” HR said quietly.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him and he saved us. Like the Flash.” You looked at him, “If he’s a bad guy why would he do that?”

“We’re trying to figure that out.” HR smiled at you, “Until we can figure that out, you’ll be staying here for a bit.”

“I…I can’t do that I have people who will worry.” You stood up and he stepped in your way, “I won’t stay here. You can’t…”

“We just need some answers, and once our very stressed out friend has calmed down, we’ll ask them and you’ll go.” HR smiled, “Please, I won’t let him do that again. He won’t yell and he won’t speed you anywhere.”

You looked him in disbelief, “I…can I make a call?”

“I will ask them, until then…” He smiled clapping his hands together, “Do you like coffee?”

You sat there just listening to HR talk as he made you a coffee. He went on and on about how great the team was and defending the Flash. Seemed like forever, you just wanted to call Allen and tell him you were okay.

“Okay…” You looked up seeing this Cisco walk in followed by the Flash and young woman, “So first…”

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t…” The Flash obviously didn’t apologize often, “I overreacted with everything that is going on. I’m very sorry.”

You wrapped your arms around yourself tightly staring at him. There was something familiar about him. Everything actually seemed familiar…the way he stood…the kept looking around, “Why am I here?”

“We’re hoping that you can help us piece things together.” The woman stepped forward, “I’m Iris and Savitar wants to kill me.”

“I don’t know who he is.” You looked at them all before landing back on the Flash, “Stop accusing me of something I don’t know.”

“Why would he protect you!?” He stepped forward as both Cisco and HR moved to your defense, “What about you makes him a better person?”

You stared at him as your heart fluttered. You felt tears come to your eyes as his voice tickled your ears, “Allen?”

It was the Flash’s turn to be surprised, “Wha…You do know him…where is he?”

“Bartholomew Allen…” You watched him take off his cowl and your hands went to your face immediately. He was different, but the same, “How…is…”

“Savitar…” Iris stepped forward taking Barry’s hand, “is Barry’s future self. One that is hellbent on destroying his happiness by killing me.”

You looked at her then down to your hands before shaking your head, “This…this isn’t…”

“It’s the truth.” Barry looked at you with the same look Allen would give you, “Please, if you know where he is help us. Help us stop him from hurting so many.”

“He doesn’t…” You shook your head, “He’s not like that…”

“He’s a monster!” Barry raised his voice.

“He changed!” You stood up looking at him, “He wouldn’t…”

“He has.” Barry cut you off again, “I have been to the future and he has. He kills the woman I love and with it Central City.”

“People change.” You teared up looking at him as he shook his head, “He is a good man and if he comes from you…”

“He isn’t…” Barry stared at you as you cut him off again.

“I cannot accept that you are right.” You told him tears going down your face, “I will not accept that the man who stayed with me for a week after my father died holding me as I cried, is a monster. I will not believe that he is unable to make a choice…to change. Like you…you changed that night over three years ago…the entire city changed that night.”

“It’s not simple…”

“It never is. If what you’re saying is true you should try to help him. Please...” You put your hands to your face again as you sobbed, “Please…I can’t lose him…”

Allen sat in your apartment tears going to down his face. He leaned forward putting a hand to his chest. It was like losing Iris all over again.

You were no longer just his. He shared you with his past and now you knew the future.

Everything was ruined…

[dunwithurshitm8-blog]

Clenched Fists: The Meeting Chapter 1

Part 1 of a series I’ve been writing for a while featuring my OFC Percie-Jo and Josh Dun. 

Not going to give anything away but please read the warnings.

Words: 4700

Warnings: Abusive relationships, cheating (not on Josh, dw), emotional abuse

“This is ridiculous, love!” Percie said down the phone, wringing her hands in her lap as her bandmates prepared for the show in three hours. Stitch cast her a bored glance and she paused before turning in her chair and continuing to persuade the man on the other end that all was well. “We’re fine. Ohio’s just another show.”

She leant on her hand and sighed deeply as the man continued going on and on about how he didn’t trust her in places where he had a reputation.

“Well that’s your fault, not mine. I’m not sacrificing this because you don’t trust me.”

Now he was really going mad. Percie stood and left the room, refusing to let her shitty personal life effect the morale of the band despite the fact that her boyfriend seemed hellbent on ruining the band altogether. 

Stitch hauled a breath and looked to Louis, the bass player.

They cast a few knowing looks before returning to their work.

They could hear her trying to calm him down and the finally giving up and just shouting at him. Then he must have threatened her because she started begging, pleading him to see that she’d be fine and wasn’t a threat to him. Henry ‘Hal’ Devine was Percie’s boyfriend of four years. He was a criminal from their hometown of Boston. He fancied himself as a gangster but he was just a  criminal who profited from other peoples losses. Somehow, when she was 17, Percie had flown into his web and become a pawn in his disgusting little games. Now he was too dangerous; too much of a threat to her for her to be able to leave him.

Eventually, everything went silent and a moment later, a very weary Percie walked back into the dressing room. “I saw a Guitar Centre on the way here, I’m going to go to get some more strings. Want anything?”

Stitch watched his friend stand in the doorway, eyes tired and shoulders slumped. “Umm, I could do with a few more picks?”

“No problem. 0.60’s right?”

“You got it. Want me to come?”

She swallowed and jumped as her phone started vibrating. She ignored it. “I kind of want to be on my own at the minute.”

“No problem.” He paused. “Maybe get Sim some more Lucozade if you pass a shop? He ran out yesterday.”

“Okay, will do.” Her phone started vibrating again and she closed her eyes in annoyance to stop the rage creeping to the surface. She took a breath, calmly removed the phone from her pocket, popped the back off and yanked out the battery. She took another deep breath against the anger and placed both parts down on the side. “I’ll be back in two hours.” She said before leaving quickly.

Working at Guitar centre wasn’t a particularly stressful job; sit around most of the day, play whatever instrument you prefer until customers need help, help them as best you can, tidy a little, play your chosen instrument a little more.

Josh had played the drums until his fingers started to blister in places he never knew could blister. For fear of them popping, he gave it a rest and tried to occupy himself with something else until a  customer came in.

“Matt?” He called, rounding the corner to the till to see where the only other employee was hiding. He found Matt snacking on some crisps he’d left under the till. He stuffed the packet away quickly for fear of it being the manager calling after him but relaxing when he saw it was his flatmate.

Josh chuckled. “Gimme some.”

The other boy poured some chips into Josh’s extended hand before stuffing his own hand inside and leaning against the back wall.

“What a boring day.” Josh remarked, looking at the empty store.

“I know, right? Had enough of playing?”

“Yeah,” Josh looked to his hands to check the state of the blisters. “Tre Cool did me in.” He joked at the Green Day record he’d been playing along to and the skill of the drummer he so admired.

“Not surprised. If there’s any reason to take drugs, it’s to come up with drum sequences like that.”

Before Josh could reply, the bell rang and a woman walked in. 

She was wearing an oversized New England Patriots Jersey with large ventilation holes in the fabric that inadvertently showed her black bra in contrast to her pale skin. Underneath that was the skinniest pair of black jeans he’d ever seen tucked into a loosely laced pair of dark blue Doctor Marten boots.

Her face was slim, with high cheekbones and wide doe-eyes, accentuated by a carefully shaded, grunge-esque red and perfectly flicked eyeliner. Her skin was flawlessly pale and her lips painted a sandy red. Her hair fell in a waterfall of purple waves, faded to pastel over time to just past her shoulder. 

“Shotgun.” Matt whispered as she started walking over to the desk.

“You can’t shotgun a person!” Josh argued, irritated by his friends speed.

“Come on, man. You have a girlfriend.”

Matt looked to his friend, pursed his lips in thought and then started walking from the desk muttering: “You owe me.” As he passed and walked away. She walked to the desk and looked at the array of strings behind Josh. “Umm, hi.” She managed distracted by her search. “Do you have any Elixir .010 gauge?”

“Are they acoustic strings?”

She hummed a confirmation. “Ah, there they are. Second from the right at the top.”

Josh turned his back to look and found them quickly. “How many?”

“Uhm . . . may as well buy two. Never know the next time we’ll find a guitar centre.” She joked. “Mind you, I think there’s one in Chicago.”

Josh pulled down a second set and typed the number into the till. “Are you touring?”

She looked up to Josh and blinked a few times before chuckling. “Ah,” She scoffed again before biting her lip in a slight embarrassment. “Yeah, our posters on your door.”

“No way!” He exclaimed, trying to recall what on earth was stuck to the door of the Guitar Centre. Funnily enough, he didn’t much pay attention to the posters on the door, only the fact that he was starting yet another likely boring shift.

But the poster she was referring to was pretty damn memorable. She was Persephone- better known as Percie - of Mad to Live. They were a highly controversial hardcore band from Boston although Percie was famously from England, the accent evident in her singing giving her a beyond recognisable voice. The band was so controversial purely because of Percie though as she stood before his now, he never would have been able to tell.

She had a persona - for lack of a better word - on stage; a carefree, sexual, foulmouthed, scantily-dressed, angry, flirtatious persona who had too much energy for people not to start rumours of drug-taking by band members. They were famously liberal with their politics and opinions on drugs and sex. They were known for venues having to pull gigs because of police suspicion. Josh had heard Matt talking about how he was only going to buy tickets on the door in case it got pulled, apparently the whole band had been arrested twice on this two week tour already. 

“Right,” Josh smiled. “Mad to Live. I recognise you now.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Recognise me?”

Josh chuckled. “Half the twenty-somethings along your tour route know who you are. What is it? Three national tours you’ve done this year?”

She blushed. “It is.” Something in her seemed to switch as she took a deep breath. “So are you coming?”

“Coming?”

“To the gig.”

He shrugged. “I have work until 8.”

She chuckled. “Well it’s a good job we’re not on ’til 9.”

He looked at her for a moment and then turned his attention to the till. “Ah, that’s $21.59.”

She pulled the money out of her bag and leant on the desk. “Listen, you come tonight and I’ll get you and your weird friend who keeps peeking round the corner in for free.”

He laughed, sorting out her change. “You run a hard bargain, Percie.” She bit her lip and shrugged. “Come on! What do you guys do when you get home? Sit on the couch, stare at the TV, eat some fast food,” She glanced to 

Matt who must have looked around the corner again. “Jack off if you’re lucky?” Josh laughed out loud. When he focused on her again, she was smiling like she’d just seen a sunset for the first time. She shook her head and continued. 

“Come to the gig and you can listen to our frankly great music, run around a room full of sweaty people and, you never know, maybe you’ll meet a chick and get some sweet sweet pussy instead spending the night with your right hand.”

“I’m left handed.” Matt remarked, finally just deciding to jump in and fully round the corner.

“Not information I needed but point stands.” Percie smirked.

Oh, she was bad.

Josh could see it straight away, there were cogs moving in her head and whether it was just to up the number of people at the gig or if she had a bigger plan, Persephone was up to something. 

“Okay, I don’t know what you’re big plan is but I’ll be there.” He handed her the change and she took it along with the bag of strings.

“Plan? I’m famous for winging it. I don’t have a plan for you . . .” She turned back. “Yet.” She winked at Josh. “See ya later boys.”

Yeah, she was definitely bad.

The Garage was a pretty large underground venue with a 300 or so capacity. The walls were painted black with various posters and stickers plastered to the walls. There was a door to the right of the stage that lead to the bands vans and a smoking area. 

While Matt smoked before the gig, the members of all three bands on the line-up that night were mingling with people. Just as Matt hit the last few drags, there came a laugh from behind him that turned the heads of every single man in the area. 

It was like a siren song; so innocent and unsuspecting and yet Josh met her eyes and he knew she could completely own anyone she wanted to. Impossibly deep emerald eyes met his brown ones and a small smirk lifted her lips as she listened to the man who was walking some equipment inside with her. Her hair fell in the same pastel purple curls past her shoulders, lifted by the channel of wind that was squeezed through the small area. She carried every man urges on the curve of her hips; their desires on the cupids bow of her lips and Josh wondered if every man who found her gaze felt like their chest was going to implode.

She winked to him and continued inside.

The entire area had gone quiet and as soon as she was inside, there was an almost disbelieving sigh that was released by every man. 

“Fucking hell.” Josh scoffed, turning back to Matt.

Matt pulled another drag of the cigarette. “Forget it man, she’s taken.”

“How do you know?”

“Have you seen her?!” He exhaled and stubbed the butt in a wall mounted ashtray. “How could she not be?”

Josh could see his point. But the way she acted, he couldn’t imagine any man who was able to lay next to her and love her could see her to act like that and not get mad or possessive. 

He just shrugged the idea away and followed Matt back inside where the sounds of a few instruments were being tested.

The last support band before Mad to Live were a mediocre local band who used the same chords as every other band and had the same standard progressions and lyrics. 

But the music was fast and loud so they all got sweaty and disgusting anyway.

The gap between the support and Mad to Live’s set was filled with anticipation. Everyone had seen the videos and pictures and heard rumours of their live shows. Percie was known for being provocative and sexual and mischievous. Most people had seen her around the venue but nobody knew quite what to expect.

Josh just wanted to know the difference between the woman he’d met earlier and the front woman he was soon to see. When they finally came out, they were at least ten times better than the support bands. Maybe they’d done that on purpose; picked crappy bands to support so they could leave the crowd astonished. 

Percie strutted on last wearing high-waist hot pants and a tee shirt with the arms ripped almost all the way down to the hem. On the chest in grey print were the words ‘probably a hallucination’. She had a battered pair of grey converse on her feet, likely because she needed something durable and sticky to stop her from falling with how much she jumped and ran around on stage. She stood centre stage in the buzzing feedback of the amps as her bandmates plugged their instruments in; hip jutted and eyes scanning the crowd. She met Josh’s gaze for a moment but quickly looked away as if not wanting to let anything distract her. 

Percie got right up to the edge of the stage and into the crowds face to shout “We are fucking angry!” The drums were destroyed maniacally by the bald guy behind them and a single bass note rang repetitively before the first song was bought to life.

Josh didn’t look up to the stage again really; he was too busy jumping around and bouncing off of the other people in the room. 

There were four members in the band; the rest of them male. Percie interacted with them all a lot. Specifically the lead guitarist. He was pretty tall and actually good looking with kind yet mischievous eyes. He had one of those smirks that Josh imagined would make women melt. It was the kind of thing Percie could do to men. She spent a lot of time around him, watching his hands and biting her lip whenever she looked to him. She’d hang from him during guitar solos and bite his ears. Josh wondered if maybe Percie and the lead guitarist were in a relationship, it’d explain a lot. Maybe her entire persona on stage and around the crowd was just a front that only he managed to see through. 

After the third or fourth song, Percie calmed everyone down. “So’s everyone having a good time?” She asked to the shouts of the crowd. “That’s great. I just have one tiny request.” She seemed to look at everyone in the crowd with just a little pout and some innocence in those emerald eyes. “If you could all be respectful of everyone else, I’ll love you all forever. I’ve seen a couple of people go down and it’s taken a while for you guys to pick ‘em up. If somebody goes to fall down, you pick them up before they even hit the ground, okay? Okay.” She took a breath. “Now that’s enough lectures don’t you think?” the crowd cheered and she walked to one side of the stage “Who here’s getting hot?” She said seductively, swaggering up and down. “Who here’s getting sweaty?” Her words were exaggerated and breathy and her mouth was hanging open after the questions. “Who here’s getting . . .” She bent over and sent a balled fist to her crotch. “Horny?” She moaned and the crowd cheered.

She laughed at how easy it was to get the crowd riled and bought up her crop top to reveal a lacy black bra that everyone had already been flashed multiple points during the show. “Let’s go!” She shouted as the next song started. She had a hardcore trained voice that meant she could scream like a motherfucker but then in some songs she had a gentle folk voice that lifted over harmonies and released a high note the could kill a man.

They were a weird mix of hardcore, ska and folk. One song even had all members of the band on either one a drum or bashing on a cowbell with whistles in their mouths. It sounded like a carnival and the crowd jumped with the beat chanting along with the chorus.

It was beginning to get unbearably hot in the venue. Josh’s hair was completely soaked and so was his vest.

They kept going for a few more songs before another song finished and she released a tired ‘phew’ down the microphone and turned to the guitar tech, asking him something and then nodding, explaining it to the rest of the band.

The drummer stood and the guitarist and bassist removed their instruments. The guitar tech handed her an acoustic that she plugged in with an irritating ‘pop’. “Ooh!” She laughed. “That pissed you’s off didn’t it?” The crowd laughed. “Okay, let’s cool this down a little, hey?” she strummed the guitar testing the tuning. “Ah, it’ll do. Right, before all this; before the band, it was just me trying to drive as far away from Boston as I could without dying or getting sexually assaulted. And this is a song I wrote while I was solo, maybe you guys can sing along.”

Now that there was actual oxygen circulating in the room, despite it smelling of sweat and beer, Josh actually looked up to the stage

The lyrics of this song were more meaningful than the standard hardcore shouting she’d been doing before. She spoke of demons and her own thoughts. Suddenly, he saw bone beneath the flesh, a tiny flash of humanity behind a shell of sexuality. Later, Josh would recall this as the first moment he truly started to fall in love with her. 

And in the end she shouted: “Help me! I’m breaking up!” It was overly honest, almost cringingly so but it was honest so it didn’t matter. 

And the people sang along; fists in the air and voices loud and empathetic, feeling exactly the same as she did.

He saw bone beneath the flesh of her facade as she sang such a raw song with the crowd. From there he realised that she truly was the woman who’d come into the shop earlier; she was hurting and through the mask of confidence he saw fear; a scanning rooms, checking escape routes kind of fear.

As the song faded to an end, she smiled. “Thanks.” She handed the guitar back to the tech and took a breath, resuming the persona and starting the final few songs.

They were loud and fast and the pit opened up, filling with flailing bodies at the chorus.

That’s when the cops showed up.

The lights flicked on and the PA cut out. Percie paused, her foot on the barrier as she wondered what was going on. When she realised it was the police, she smirked and relaxed.

Now, when the cops show up to a punk gig, the crowd splits into two kinds of people. The one who shout “Oh yes! Motherfuckers, let’s fuckin’ go!” and the ones who whisper “Holy shit! Let’s get out of here!”

The PA was ringing now at lack of input, buzzing over the shouts. “Oh, we got another bust in boys!” Shouted one of the only female voices in the room, presumably Percie.

So as half the crowd headed for the door, some of them headed straight for the cops. Because when you get 200 depressed punks in a room where they all hate themselves and then give them a target, they’re going to direct that hate away from themselves. 

Josh was not a fighter unless completely provoked and he wasn’t about to call his parents to get bail. But he was frustratingly loyal. So when he got outside and realised Matt was nowhere to be seen, he found himself going back inside.

He pushed through the crowd of people just like him who were desperate to get out. 

Whereupon he was rugby tackled to the floor.

His head hit the ground and a baton hit his back. He grunted and felt his wrists being yanked behind his back. “I’m not resisting you!” Josh insisted.

“Shut up punk!” The cop shouted back.

Some cops were even going for the kids trying to get out, grabbing their waists and taking them to the ground where they could be arrested. Some of them were resisting which only made more hell for them as they could be done for resisting arrest.

Josh looked around just in time to see Percie land a fair punch to a cops jaw and then also get taken to the ground. Something told Josh this wasn’t her first rodeo. 

There was a bit of a blur between being on the floor and being over the back of a cop car. Luckily he spotted Matt . . . who was also getting arrested.

He was piled into a cop car, now thoroughly concerned about how the hell he was going to explain this.  The door was opened and another person was pushed into the car.

A flash of purple hair and he was speechless.

The door was shut and she sighed contentedly. “Here we are again.” She said to herself before she looked quickly up Josh and chuckled. “Nice to see you again Josh.”

He frowned. “I never told you my name.”

She chuckled. “You had a name tag.” He wondered what he should say. She had a confidence that seemed to just make his words run away. He blinked awkwardly a few times. “I enjoyed the gig by the way.” He finally blurted.

She looked over to him and now seemed to actually look him up and down.

And the way she did it was like she could see every little detail about his entire life without him saying a word. She chuckled.. “I’ve never had anyone compliment my live performance in the back of a cop car, I’ll be honest.”

“Well I’m glad to be the first.”

The cop suddenly got into the car. “Fucking punks.” He muttered to himself as he started the car and joined the convoy of police heading to the station.

Percie looked to Josh and smiled like she had a plan before shuffling forward. Josh knew she was about to do something stupid. “Excuse me.” She said. The cop didn’t answer. She shook a little in vague annoyance. “Excuse me?” She pouted and leant her head against the bars. “Excuse me?” She whined. Josh scoffed.

“What?!” The cop snapped.

“Why exactly are you arresting us?” She asked, her voice soft and innocent.

“You, darling, have been arrested for assaulting a police officer.”

She pulled air through her teeth. “Well, did I though.”

“I saw you.”

“But I didn’t actually hit him.”

“I saw you.” He insisted.

“Nobody read me my rights.” She said, changing the subject.

The officer frowned. “I didn’t arrest you so I can’t comment on that.”

Josh could see the drying sweat on her skin and the revealing nature of the ripped tee shirt left little to the imagination. He wondered what man was lucky enough to call her his; she was fierce but so damn innocent looking, she knew what she wanted and exactly who to hurt to make the journey fun. He couldn’t stop looking at her lips. And he couldn’t help himself; she was a manipulator and a player but he was falling for her nonetheless.

She sighed and looked to him quickly. He corrected himself and looked to her eyes. “And what about my friend here? What’s Josh been arrested for?” She smirked to him as she said his name and he smiled.

The officer glanced to him in the rear-view. “Nothing. He’ll be released in a few hours.”

She sighed. “Good God Josh! And I had such high hopes for you. Could you not have managed a minor assault charge?”

Josh laughed but the officer said no more and Percie slipped back in the chair again.

She shifted and stared at Josh. 

Josh just looked away and tried not to blush. She smiled, licked her lower lip in a manner that sucked it over her teeth and then made it pop back into place. She pouted trying not to smile at his embarrassment. “Do I make you nervous Josh?” She kept saying his name and he wondered what it’d be like to hear her breath it into his ear.

He scoffed and tried not to smile, glancing up to her. “Are there many boys you don’t make nervous?”

She shrugged. “My boyfriend.” He looked up to her like he was trying to decide whether or not she was playing with him. She wasn’t. She scooted closer. “Do you want me Josh?” 

“Who wouldn’t?” He felt awkward but her confidence almost turned him on. She was close, he could feel her heat. 

“Answer the question.”

“Yes.”

She pulled a lopsided smirk. “My worlds a very dangerous one, Josh. Think you could handle it?” Her smile dropped. She was serious; as if weighing him up for the part.

“I’d try.”

She didn’t react in form of a facial expression; just remained blank and serious. “I don’t need someone who’d try. I need someone who would. My boyfriend can. Could you?”

He paused and wondered about this. He didn’t know what she was asking him to be a part of but he’d certainly risk many things for her. 

“Why do you keep mentioning your boyfriend if you’re talking to me?”

She smiled like she knew a secret. “Oh honey, because he’s the reason my worlds dangerous.” Once again, he wasn’t sure what that meant. She moved ever closer and made it to his ear. “Show me you can handle it and I’ll be the most loyal person you’ve ever met. Love me and I’ll be the best fuck you’ve ever had. Fight for me and I’ll love you until my dying breath.” She moved back. “Can you do those things Joshua?”

His breath was heavier now; synchronised with hers as her eyes met his. Hers were a pale, almost golden green rimmed with a deep emerald that he could fall into. Flecks of blue and brown and a bright shade of yellow popped out to him like spotlights. He felt like prey being seduced by a python as he nodded. “I can do my best.”

The car stopped and the cop rounded to Percie’s side. She looked to Josh quickly. “Well I certainly don’t think you’re lying.” She leant forward and pressed her lips to his.

He was shocked and couldn’t move. The move he would have made would have been to pull her in with his hand; unfortunately they were still chained behind his back. 

Her smell and her feel and the situation compared was almost too much.

She was pulled away and the last thing he saw of her was her wink before she was taken inside to be logged.

He didn’t even have enough time to take a calming breath before he was also hauled out and inside to be processed.

Chapter 2