#thankfully they have 1 size left which is a size up so hopefully it fits

[bass-alien]

of course my titties are too big for the spider web top I bought for bass canyon 🙄

[popculturebuffet]

House of Claremont: Warhunt! (UXM #94-96)

Hello all you happy mutants and after far too long, welcome back to the House of Claremont, my long look at the Chris Claremont era of x-men! We're finally back peforming to you after the senses shattering debut and just in time too. This year marks the 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNCANNY X-MEN and i've been chomping at the bit to get back to the strangest heroes of all. And while I have something bigger planned for their anniversary in july, for now you'll be hopefully getting a monthly does of mutant mayhem from here.

So when we last left off, despite the title of this feature, Len Wein kicked us off with Giant Sized X-Men #1 as a new generation of x-men was brought in to save the previous one, crabs were killed, islands walked like men and our story ended with 13 x-men and some questions as to what they were going to do with such a thing. This time we get our answer as most of those x-men leave, one who stays dosen't have long for this world, and a narrator is a real dick to cyclops. To me my x-men!

Warhunt:

So with this issue we begin Chris Claremont's actual tenure on the book… KINDA. See while Warhunt is scripted by Claremont Len Wein still plotted it for Giant Sized X-Men #2, where it was planned to have the All-New All-Diffrent X-Men continue. But the book was such a MASSIVE hit, they couldn't resisit bringing it back from reprints, and with Len Wein busy with editing AND the hulk, he passed it on to Chris, and the rest is history.

Warhunt picks up shortly after Giant Sized with, as so perfectly Claremontily put, the breaking of a man's heart: While Charles Xavier gladly congradulates the x-men, Sunfire decides to tell them all to fuck off, and while true to form Shiro is a dick about it.. he does make a point: he agreed to help for one mission, he did that. He never agreed to join the team and given he stormed off before the mission even began and only came back out of honor, I honestly don't know what Charles expected

The rest of the All New All Diffrent X-Men now have to decide if their staying or not: Storm is the first to agree to stay, deciding that "two days is nothing", fitting Ororo's spirit perfectly and marking a nice shift to the character we know and love, whiel Wolverine figures "Eh beats waiting around for action and shit. " Nightcrawler just sorta stands there and Colossus isn't sure.. which Xavier takes as a yes apparently as he never goes back to it and later considers it setteld after dealing with our last new member:

Xavier is a Jerk: 4

Banshee is said last one and his response is "I"m too old at 40 somethign to be doing this! Begorah or something!" but Xavier goads him with a "Well if you can't hang with these 20 somethings then bawk bawk chicken man bawk bawk" and Cyclops makes the more persuasive argument that he woudln't have to run anymore, he' dbe among friends. Banshee agrees and Xavier has an x-man and assumes it's settled.. onlyf or angel to drop this bombshell

The original x-men, minus Cyclops have all decided to leave as their adutls now and want to live their own lives. The reasoning isn't terrible.. but the execution is abrubt as hell. It's just "Whelp we were doing this yesterday but now we don't have to piss off old man!" I don't mind the original x-men leaving: Scott , as we'll get into in a moment, gives us a represntive for the old guard, and most of them come back in some form with Jean, Warren and Alex all rejoining eventually at diffrent points. It allows the new characters to breathe. But for fans of the original roster it had to be a small slap in the face ot see the originals just decide

I get this was originally supposed to be a large one shot, but for such a big event you'd thinkt hey'd of left more than about a page worth of explination. Even for the more action heavy bronze age, this is abrubt.

We do thankfully get some Pathos as there's one X-Man who isn't so sure he's getting the fuck out of there: Scott Summers. His brother.. is a bit of a dick saying "I don't mean to push you big brother but…" then you do Alex. You do mean to push him. You a'll made this decision without talking to him or asking what he wanted.

God Dammit Alex: 1

Trust me.. i'm going to need this. I"m also going ot need this

Go Fuck Yourself Wolverine: `1

Yeah early on Wolverine's main personality is being a prick and trying to murder anyone within claws range, so expect this to shoot up real quick. Case in point he gets mad that… 3 people who genuinely love and repsect professor xavier find it hard to break it to him their leaving. And alex and lorna too I guess.

So it's up to Cyclops to stay or go and we get this gem of a line

Comedy. Gold. As is the fact that to signify he's not leaving he wears his full costume to say goodbye to his friends. Oh and I almost forgot this key part of this feature

God Hates Scott Summers Count: 2

For his CURSED MUTANT ENERGY BLASTING EYES

What ends up working though is his goodbye.. and his first words outline the character arc Chris has planned for him and really speaks to WHO scott is when written at his best

Scott.. is a man of duty. This can often be poorly translated to adaptations as "boring stick up his ass man with CURSED MUTANT ENERGY BLASTING EYES action", but when written right he's the first belieiver in xavier's dream and his best student. He's a man whose trained himself and his powers to their peak and will fight to the last person, a master tacitcian who is hard to take out even if he's easy to disarm and will not give up. He's batman if batman had CURSED MUTANT ENERGY BLASTING EYES instead of cool gadgets. He's a good man doing his best for the world and his people. But he's also at the end of it.. alone. He found love, but ultimately his duty comes first because it has to. Because someone has to fight for this, someone has to keep going. The question Claremont poses, at least before things go off the rails thanks to editorial but we'll get to that is can Scott give it up? Coudl someone else do the job he's chained to? We'll find out as we go.

For now though we soon see after why he has the job as once the original class is off to form a failing superhero team or show up in just three or four issues, Scott gets the x-men to training and while I can't show it here as it's too big, we see a glorious one page spread of him pushing the x-men to their absolute limits int he danger room over the next few weeks. To quote the page

"And so it begins, the days, the weeks, of training. Six horus a day, five days a week, week in, week out until the halls of this old, venerable mansion echo and re-echo with the suonds of battle, until these neophyte x-men begin to wonder if there was ever a time when they weren't fighting for thier lives. And when they falter, give in a little, give up, a voice snaps them back into line. A harsh voice, an angry voice, biting, merciless. The voice of the man named cyclosp who drives the x-men hard and himself harder, who takes six proud unique indviduals, six loners and outcasts.. and forges them into a team "

It's a whopper of a narration and speaks to Claremont's strength: to many back then narration was just part of how comics were done. But Chris goes all out , making it every bit as descriptive and flowery as he can, every bit as gripping. Is it a tad cheesy sometimes? Oh yes, and we'll get to the shining example of that soon, but when it works, it works. Instead of feeling like he's explaning what your seeing with your eyes, it helps enhance it, adding an extra grandeur to the procedings.

At any rate eventually the training gets tiriing and Thunderbird gets cut by a laser and Cyclops yells at him, he yells back and Charles yells at both of them to "cease this shameful display"..

Professor Xavier is a Jerk Count: 5

This one is a bit .. milder though. While HOW he did it was stupid, he's right that Cyclops can't just blow up at his teammates, though Scott is just as right that Thunderbird NEEDS to be careful.

We then cut to Valhalla Military Base, the headquarters of Norad in this universe and home of several dozen missles. It's likely based on actual miltary bases, as Chris himself served in the RAF and thus likes to inject both aircraft and military stuff in where possible. So here we get one of the DUMBEST supporting characters i've ever seen. He gets an unmarked package and opens it, which itsel fis bad.. but then this happens

Okay it's actually a DIFFRENT bunch of weird animal persons with presumibly smaller dicks, but I need a minute to pick apart how much this guy deserves his darwin award. In a secure miltiary base, in a world where superheroes are a known quanitity to the point the goverment frequently calls the avengers for help and even does so with this very crisis, where supervillians are frequent and shield is likely a call away.. you decide to PRESS some random button you got in the mail. Yes his friends all joke and he assumed it was from them but even pre 9/11 i'm confident most goverment personel knew to actually.. check packages and make sure they were safe in the headquarters of fucking NORAD. I mean I get it a bunch of animal people, the ani-men naturally, teleporting in isn't what you expect but like.. someone could've set it to shut down their tech or to blast him in the face with acid or just explode in a cloud of knockout gas. There's a million ways this could've gone wrong without super furries.

What makes this somehow funnier and more agrviating? This was a PLAN. Count Nefaria's grand master plan for his Ani-Men's attack… was to pick the dumbest man in all of NORAD, to likely spend hours going over personel files he bought off HYDRA or something, just to pick the ONE GUY who would be stupid enough to do this and hope his buddies were equally dumb enough to not stop him. He likely tracked shifts, made sure everything lined up .. just so he could do a plan that as we'll see still ended up stupid because despite his detailed files he still didn't.

Anyways the ani men clear these guys out and we meet said count. Count Nefaria is a long time marvel villian, a chap in a dracula style suit and cape and i'll admite a dope ass monocle. Sadly despite said dope ass monocle… I really have never liked him. He later gained a crapton of superpowers.. but all he's ever been to this point is a generic bwahahaha villian who happens to just be powerful, and ta this point he isn't even that. Hopefully the currently running x-men: lethal legion fixes this, but for now he's just one of the more boring villians the avengers and x-men have fought despite his singifigance to both. It's not a huge shock that despite reinventing plenty of old x-men foes , this guy never showed up again and was brought in by his predecssor's plot. Anyways Nefaria puts the rest of the facility to sleep with some mmmmm drugs and makes his demands, which Charles calls the x-men in to hear. Turns out he was forwarded this by beast. As I mentioned last time Beast was an avenger at the time, so he wasn't there for the big goodbye and is also kinda confused all his friends are gone and Charles.. dosen't bother to explain

Xavier is a Jerk: 6

I get they only have three hours but he could you know say "I will tell you in a little bit but for now these are the x-men" I mean he probably did but there's exactly ONE person Hank knows in that group. He's bound to have questions like "are the others okay" "where did they go" and "why are you such a dick sir and can future me take lessons for you when I go into my mostly supervillian phase?"

Xavier ratchets up another

Xavier is a Jerk: 7

Right after as he forces Scott to take thunderbird with them despite being injured and planning to punch cyclops if he refuses. Because that will surely end well.

At any rate our heroes head in and we get our first instance of anti-mutant racisim in this run as the general was expecting the avengers, though while he's not happy about "You muties" the first apperance of Chris' fantastic slur that would become a staple of x-men from here on, he has no choice… and the x-men have only 45 minutes. So it's like metroid if ridley was a european count clearly doing some hard meth.

Our heroes encounter a big roadblock as Nefaria lobs missles at them while calling them his greatest enemies.. when at this point all they did was fight him once, while the avengers destroyed his castle, go thim deported to italy and thrown out of the maggia. IT's not a huge shock he went back to fighting them after this as it feels more personal and he started getting minons and such.

At any rate our heroes soon face the bases sonic disruptor.. aka SOME SORT OF DEATHRAY THAT COMPLETELY DESTROYS THE BLACKBIRD.

Also

Blackbirds Destroyed: 1

I have a feeling i'm going to need this.

We enter our next issue as the x-men are FREEEE, FREEEE FALLLIN. Cyclops, once he recaps the previous issue in his head, comes up with a plan: have storm and banshee each take two people, and nightcrawler just teleport. This.. is one of Cyclops less proud moments as said plan is tripped up by two things he really should've known after weeks of training or at least asked about before trying to field test them: Kurt CAN teleport… but the law of conservation of energy means his velocity sticks. This nicely not only adds a weakness to kurt's powers, but also explains why he can come out of it into a punch or what have you: his momentum goes with him, while Banshee can only carry one at a time and thus has to come back for scott. It makes Scott come off like a weak leader: I get not knowing EVERYTHING, no one will know about Wolverine's healing factor for some time, but it's weird to emphasis they've trained together for weeks.. and then not have Cyclops test one of the most vital manuvers a team needs to pull off, especially when you reguarly travel by jet and said jet can easily be batted out of the air by enemies. I mean the death ray is diffrent and their will be a good explination when we get to magneto why he wasn't on the roster for training, but getting out quickly and safely in case the jet crashes should be one of the first things he prepares for and feels weird he didn't.

As for colossus we do get a very ncie payoff ot that scene I drew attention to last time where Storm REFUSED to let him drop despite him asking to, and he was understandably annoyed. We find out why as this time with this delightful image.

It's a nice funny moment, and while everyone worrying h'ed killed himself is a bit.. much givne they haven't known him long and don't know what he can survivie, the payoff is genuinely hilarious. Everyone doubted him, but PItor.. is just fine. We also get a ncie little scene of Banshee rescuing cyclops.

Now their at the base Scott gets his braincell back and has a fairly clever plan, have Nightcrawler teleport inside: while blind telporting is incredibly risky for Kurt, here it's less of an issue as he at least has an idea since it is an access hatch. He soon encounters one of the Ani-Men croaker and we get mroe anti-mutant hysteria in an intresting way: despite bein ga mutate (i.e. a human given powers via a vat of radioactive cream of wheat or what have you instead of the x-gene), Croaker is still a bigot, considering Kurt a freak despite having every reason to sympathize, showing that bigory.. is often just blind stupidity. Kurt beats his racist ass though but he gets away and the X-Men deal with a few issues: murder gas, brainwashed soldiers, etc.

We then get a fight with the ani men, which is sadly short, but still fun. Honestly I like THEM even if I don't like the count as they have intresting desgins, a unique dynamic with the x-men as seen with croaker and the tragedy of badly wanting ot be human again. It's sad they didn't show up again even if it's good count chocula didn't. The fight also has a truly great moment when we see what happens when you try and use hypossi on a man whose control of his CURSED MUTANT ENERGY BLASTING EYES is the only thing keeping you safe.

So with that the team splits, most of them trying to shut down the doomsmith in time while Thunderbird and Banshee go after Nefaria.. and this… is where we get what this story is known for. Nefaria attempts to get away in a plane, but Thunderbird refuses to let him and jumps on it, recklessly attacking him while everyone BEGS him to stop from Banshee to Xavier. Granted Xavier also does the dick move of yelling at cyclops for focusing on the doomsmith.. despite Scott having no way to know Thunderbird is in danger nor the Doomsmith was destroyed in the fight until Xavier TELLS him these things

Xavier is a Jerk: 8

Seriously I didn't expect this to stack up so quick. At any rate the x-men run tos ave thunderbird from himself, but he refuses Xavier's warnings and the others ar etoo later… and all Charles can do.. is stay with him as the inevetible happens

Thunderbird is dead. The first x-man has fallen in the line of duty. And I know Changeling died as Xavier's body double, but this is the first example that was purely in duty. And it'd stick till 2021 which for comics.

As for WHY it happened it's simple: the team didn't need two argumantive tough guys. You only needed one to reguarly tell Cyclops

And since Wolverine was more popular and had more unqiue powers with his claws, Johnny was chosen to bite the bulet.. or plane.

I"m torn on this decision. On the one hand, I see why they choose Wolverine to live: he had a hell of an intro fighting the hulk, and while he wasn't exactly well liked at first, he fit the role of contrarian jackass better as unlike Thunderbird, he clearly HAD seen a lot of field duty so he had just enough cred to understand why he keeps checking cyclops, but just enough psychotic rage for you to pick Scott over him at this point. In contrast Thunderbird was just a punk kid who came out of nowhere and constantly got himself in danger. HIs death made more sense.

The problem is int he implications: they took a frustrated 20 something who hated white people.. and had him die for ignoring a white guy and that be all he's EVER known for for several decades. I get Len really didn't think these implications through, but the fact no one else ever thought to fix this till 2021 (though the Hickman era TILL then gets a pass as they likely had said revivial planned), is messed up. It's not the most messed up racial landmine the x-men have ever dealt with , but it's still pretty bad not helped by John being one of only two POC on the team at the time of his death and another POC character wouldn't join till 14 years later with Forge. He's also literally drawn with red skin. It was this fucked up coloring thign they did back then, Shang Chi's was gold at first. That's not Chris nor Len's fault, but it is profudly fucked that was marvel policy and shoudln't really go without mention. Chris would get slightly better at this as while he didn't add any more poc to the x-men, the new mutants were far more diverse, and Dani Moonstar would go on to be a fully fleshed out three dimensional native american character and not one who feeds into harmful sterotypes and dies in the span of three issues.

Overall Warhunt is.. eh. While Len did a great job plotting the first story this one feels way more rushed and really should've had another issue to breathe or two before they killed off John as while his death is presented well.. we barely knew him. It dosen't help that while the ani men like I said are intresting, Nefaria REALLY dosen't have a strong connection to the x-men or come off as much of a threat. They try , but his plan is so stupid and he does so little besides teleport in after his minons do the hard part and seemingly die in a plane crash, that it's no wonder Claremont had zeor intrest in having him come back despite having taken an x-man with him. The story is impotant historically.. but honestly reads fairly dry. Thankfully dry, rife with implications, or bad aren't things you can really say about our next story

Night of the Demon:

Now we properly begin Chris' run on the book with one of my faviorite single x-men issues. I mean there are a lot, Chris was great at longterm story but just as fantastic at making one off stories, but this one just has a great pacing, bonkers premise that ends up working, and some good character moments.

It also helps it begins with one of the most hilarious moments in x-men history that also somehow still works dramatically. The first page or two is the narration just.. berating cyclops, who naturally is taking his first casualtiy as a leader not at all well and while I get the intent, it's mostly just Scott beating himself up but since internal caption boxes weren't a thing yet , it instead comes off as the narrator yelling at him, cumilating in this glorious pile of panels.

The Narrator is a Jerk: 1

What keeps it from being just hilaroius though is scott following it up by letting loose with his powers for the first time, really letting it all out.. and destroying the surronding forest leaving a devistated husk.. and also destroying some old obelisk. Eh probably nothing to worry about.

And you can really tell Chris has been left to his own devices with scott… because we get ANOTHER graet character defining moment here.. not only does Scott berate himself for doing this.. but he also comes to term with the death quickly, but in a way that makes sense for him: He wanted to be the leader.. choose it over leaving..a nd this is what comes with it. Sometimes you train up a good man .. and sometimes he dies. You can't control it. John choose to stay on the plane… and Cyclops has to choose to go on living, wishing john a nice rest in piece.. while smoke rises behind him which can only mean one thing

While that goes on the x-men train and Logal reacts to a stray blow by cyclops like a sane, well put together indvidual

Yeah this is probably the most infamous of Early Logan's jackassery. He attempts to murder TWO diffrent teammates because one accidently hit him (and apologized and made sure he was okay) and another laughed at him. And his second would be victim is now his best friend.

Rather than deal with the fact one of his X-Men just tried to stab another in front of him Charles instead talks to Banshee about Scott's mental state…

I mean I can't fault him for worrying about Scott or the roving narrator stalking him, he's the closest thing he has to a son as far as he knows. But is he really going to say nothing about Wolverine trying to make Kurt into blue sauerkraut. Raelly? Well okay then

Xavier is a Jerk: 9 There is a layer to this I didn't notice till I started writing the review though: Charles confides in Sean… because he's likely the next one up if Cyclops needs time off to mourn or to set himsef straight. It's a great use of show don't tell, impliclty telling us Banshee is the x-men's second in command at this point. It also makes sense at this point: Storm , Colossus and Nightcrawler are all brand new to this and Wolverine just tried to cut up two diffrent teammates for looking at him funny. Sean by contrast has fuller control of his powers, has been at this a while and while new to x-manning has the stablity and experince needed. It's also intresting to already hint at something years down the line: the idea of an x-man lineup without cyclops. Keep in mind we're only on issue THREE of claremont's run and fourth of this era overall, but intentional or not the seeds for a later arc are there. Wethere this scene helped him decide on where Cyclops went during his run or something else, it's neat to note.

Finally for this scene Charles asks Sean to go meet their house keeper.. and meet her he does…

Moria MacTaggert, scientest, secret mutant , the love of sean's life.. and for this arc ostebnsible housekeeper, though Claremont already clearly has other plans for her.

More on that in a bit for now we cut to Project Armageddon.

Yes Project Armageddon is the brain child of Stephen Lang who weirdly is not , as far as we currently know, related at all to Scott Lang. For now i'm just going to assume he's Scott's deranged cousin he dosen't like to talk about. You can easily see why in this panel as he outlines the project to former friend and air force col micheal rossi, whose here to see if the goverment should scrap this..

Okay 1) if this wasn't the us goverment i'd be honestly shocked he embezzled a billion dollars and their just now caring about it, and 2) Ther'es nothing that quite sells your project like wide eyed ranting about how you need to 'KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL US KILL THEM ALL". Granted nowadays you'd have cable news talking about how your an upstanding indvidiual whose just misunderstood, so maybe Lang just pitched it in the wrong decade. At any rate Lang is convinced thanks to previous arcs the mutants are a threat, feeling they killed Bolivar Trask and Larry, his so. Both died due to his own creations the sentinels, who I assume need no introduction but for those who have never heard of the x-men apparently their giant killer robots designed to kill mutants.. who usuallyd ecide the best way to do that is to enslave humanity too, yet keep getting built because humans be smart. So yeah he's talking out of his racism hole and Rossi intends to shut down the project which Lang naturally responds to by saying he'll never get to washington.. ALIVE.

Lang is the first racist the x-men face in this run and feels like the blue print to most anti-human bigot antagonists afterwords: he bleivies "their going to replace us", uses sentinels, and has an elaborate plan for genocide done in secret. It's a blueprint the x-men will see a lot and most human villians from here on out follow in some way up to Orchis in present day, but with enough variety to not get too tiresome.

Back at the mansion Sean flirts with Moira, kicking off one of the most stable and enduring relatoinships in x-men history which surely won't end horribly and have Sean become a spooky ghost as a result, while Storm questions who the eff is this? Xavier says "tha'ts my affair" but assures her her secrets safe with him. Why dosen't he tel lher? Because

Xavier is a Jerk: 11

Anyways this party is interupted like most x-men parties… by Cyclops getting thrown thorugh the window, in a way that feels like a young kevin eastman and peter laird were taking notes… and as for what did it.. .well you'd think given what the x-men usually fought it'd be a supervillian, perhaps the juggernaught or one of 80 aliens they fought in the OG Era or maybe stephen lang got started early.. but no the result.. is gloriously batshit and out of left field.

Yeah for those less familiar with the x-men… Chris started an important trend: ANYTHING can go in an x-men story. The X-Men rival the TMNT in terms of "franchises that are a core part of me that really can do whatever the fuck I want. " Part of the problem with the films as they went on is they tried to tamp down on the inherent weirdness instead of embrace it which made sense for the first trilogy, as they were trying to sell superhero movies to an audience at all, but by the mcu era where the compettition was throwing out talking racoons it made less nad less sense ot not go to space or bring in a giant one eyed demon who happened to be sealed in Charles back yard for some reason. It' sone of the big charms of Claremont's Run: he knows Comic BOoks can be inherently goofy… and thus leans into it, decades before the 2000's made it more standard practice. He has over the top villians and set pieces but grounds them in character. I mean this demon what was sealed in Charles back yard.. came from Cyclops being in deep grief over his first casualty as a commander.

It also shows the gulf between Nefaria last issue and Kireok here. Kireok.. also dosen't really go on to be all tha timportant, with other demons taking his spot once we get into everything with Limbo here and over in new mutants. But where as Nefaria is a standard d-list super villian, Kirreok is an unstoppable, horrifying demon. A being who EAISLY steamrolls through most of the x-men's early attempts, shaking off Cyclops at full power, which we just saw decimate a forest, shurging off coloss and nightcralwer tyring to pummel him and easily downing storm. the only one who can harm him.. is wolverine… and it's only by sinking to the monsters brutal level

Once again Chris well sums up where the characters are at: in this case Wolverine is a murderous beserker, able to go after foes with a savage rage purely on instinct.. but as we've seen it also means he attacks his own allies, has no real friends ad this point.. and unlike how he'll be later he enjoys it. He LIKES being more beast than man and is glad for it.. the questoin is really.. how long will this stick?

At any rate Kirreok proves how deadly he is by regenerating, so Charles does the natural thing and tries to read his mind…. and we get one of dave cockrums best panels. I haven't talked much about his art but it's a thing of beauty..and it's at one of it's heights here

Cosmic Horror Nightmares distlled into one panel, breaking the usually inflappable heart of the x-men. Thankfully Charles recovers because he's been through some shit and sends storm to do it. We get another good character moment and it's incredible just how many claremont packed into one issue. It dosen't slow down the main story either, each one's baked in but we've got moments that clearly set up character arcs for Cyclops, Wolverine and now storm who flies to go face these demons. Oh and MOira who I amost forgot to mention goes after Kirreok with a convient gun from the conveient armory we'll convenetly neve rheard about again.

But Storm's scen eis a classic as she gets swarmed by demons and i'ts a shame Cockrum's two runs on the books didn't have at on of demons, as he's very good at horror artwork and the monsters look truly grotesque and alien. Thankfully he WOULD ge tto design several actual aliens, so it ballances it's just a shame. But what we do get is horrifying as storm is enricled… and then flashes back to a happy childhood.. before seeing herself buried in rubble. This will be crucial next time as her clastrophobia comes more into focus but for now it means sh'es free and can seal the cairn the demons came from with lightning. Our heroes one.. but Storm is convienced Kirreok will return while Col Rossi apparnetly died in a firey explosion. And that's where we leave it.

Next TIme: We find out Stephen Lang's evil master plan as the sentinels return just in time for christmas! Cyclops brother sucks suprising no one! And the Juggernaught returns but can the all new x-men stop this motherfucker? UNtil then, thanks for reading my x-men

[lifeofkaze]

When Stars Ignite - Chapter 7

HPHM Rockstar AU

A/N: Can you believe it, that's already the final chapter of Part 1! Part 2 is already completely written but still needs editing. As soon as we will be done writing Part 3, we will start publishing Part 2.

General Warning: This whole fic has a general warning of being NSFW / 18+. We will give specific warnings for every chapter in itself, but several adult themes will be more or less present in every chapter, may it be explicitly or in mention. These include sexual topics, drug abuse, (ab)use of alcohol, smoking and a whole lot of cursing.

Specific Warning: Language

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Find the masterpost here, the previous chapter here and the next one here. The songs featured before every chapter can be found on this pretty badass playlist here.

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This work is a collaboration with @the-al-chemist

Taglist: @slytherindisaster @night-rhea @carewyncromwell

Fascinating new thing

The scene-makin'

Want a temporary savior

Fascinating new thing

Don't betray them

By becoming familiar

~ Semisonic - F.N.T. ~

Everyone’s eyes flicked towards the entrance of the dressing room as the door opened and Charlie entered the crowded room, a petite looking woman trailing behind him.

Lizzie surely wasn’t one of the taller girls, but Charlie’s companion seemed to be even smaller than she was. She had olive toned skin and messy dark hair that ended a little bit beneath her shoulders. She was dressed casually, wearing black ripped jeans, sneakers and a simple white shirt beneath her denim jacket; Lizzie recognised several of the logo patches sewn onto the fabric as belonging to a few of her favourite bands. The girl carried large headphones around her neck, much like the ones Lizzie was using when she was drumming and didn’t want to bother with her in-ear monitor.

What struck her the most however, were the new girl's eyes. They were of an unusual colour, not quite brown, not quite green. As she moved to stand next to Charlie, their colour seemed to shift, never quite settling for one or the other. The expression in them wasn’t hostile, but still guarded as she looked around the room. After her gaze had swept the round, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and looked down at her feet with an unreadable expression. The only thing Lizzie could say for sure was that it wasn’t a shy one.

Her attention was drawn from inspecting their crew’s newest addition when Charlie spoke up.

“Sorry to bother you.”

Despite the palpable tension, he smiled openly into the round of the faces staring at him. Glad to see his friendly, freckled face, Lizzie hopped down from the arm of the sofa and quickly made her way across the room.

“Not at all, it’s fantastic to see you, Charlie.”

Hugging her childhood friend, Lizzie stood on her tiptoes to whisper into his ear. “We’re having a bit of a situation at the moment, just so you know.”

Charlie’s brow furrowed before letting her go. His scowl was quickly replaced by another smile as he loosely draped his arm around her shoulder, nudging her playfully.

“I only saw you this morning, sunshine,” he laughed before inclining his head in his companion’s direction. “I just came in to introduce you all to my new assistant, Artemis Hexley. She’s hopefully going to take over from me properly once she’s completed her training.”

The girl called Artemis opened her mouth to say something to Charlie, and judging by her scowl it probably wasn’t something nice. Before the mood in the room could deteriorate again, Lizzie cut her off prematurely.

“That’s great! It’s really nice to meet you.”

She realised how overly enthusiastic she was sounding and if Artemis’ confused look was anything to go by, she was thinking the same thing. But Lizzie didn’t want her first impression of them to be that of a bunch of people sulking at each other; while they did have their low points sometimes, that generally just wasn’t them.

Taking a deep breath to tone herself down a notch, she flashed a smile at Artemis. “My name’s Lizzie, I’m the percussionist. I really like your jacket by the way, it’s so pretty. Where is it from?”

Lizzie noticed too late that she had cut off Artemis’ answer. The look on the new pyro tech’s face grew increasingly darker and Lizzie instantly felt sorry; that was not what she had been trying to achieve.

“I can’t believe that we’ve finally found someone to take over the pyros who’s actually suited for the job. Charlie here’s been working himself to the bone doing sound as well.” Lizzie’s smile turned into a smirk as she shot Charlie a brief side glance. “You just let me know if he gives you a hard time, okay?”

Charlie snorted. “Like I’d do a thing like that.”

Laughing his remark off, she playfully poked Charlie between his ribs.

“I mean it,” Lizzie continued more seriously, placing a hand on Artemis’ shoulder, “any problems, you tell me. I’ll deal with him for you.”

She had meant it as a friendly offer, to show the new girl she had someone to talk to in case Charlie would treat her the same as all the others who had tried out for the job; God knew, there had been a lot of them. But Artemis must have misunderstood her intention. She shook Lizzie’s hand from her shoulder with one pointed movement of her body and grimaced.

“Thanks, but I am perfectly capable of dealing with my own problems. I don’t need a babysitter,” she replied blankly. Her last words were directed just as much at her as they were at Charlie.

Surprised at being shot down like that, Lizzie exchanged a glance with Charlie, who pressed his lips together and averted his eyes. He gave Lizzie the tiniest of apologetic shrugs.

Artemis had turned her attention to examining the other members of the band and Lizzie used the moment to lean closer to Charlie.

“What a nice little ray of sunshine you got yourself there,” she muttered into his ear, shooting a quick glance at Artemis again. “Is she always that charming?”

Charlie shrugged. “Can’t really tell yet, but yeah, she might be rubbing people the wrong way. I hope that won’t be a problem.”

“Why take her on if you’re not sure she’ll fit in?”

Charlie shook his head. “That’s not what I said. I think she just needs a bit of time to open up. And believe me, that girl knows her stuff. The first one I really think capable of doing the job justice.”

Lizzie made a noncommittal noise. “Let’s hope you’re right then. The rest of the tour has to be perfect, Ethan made that very clear.”

Before Charlie could ask what she meant, Everett’s voice drew both their attention. It had this slightly condescending tone to it that he usually reserved for his more adoring fans.

“Smile, love, it might never happen.”

Lizzie felt her stomach twist as her eyes shot back to Artemis. She had narrowed her eyes and was glaring at Everett. He didn’t seem impressed in the slightest; he had his chair propped back on its hind legs and was leaning back against it with a cocky grin. He was sizing Artemis up with his eyes; it reminded Lizzie of a wolf deciding at which point to sink its teeth into his prey.

Thankfully, Orion disbanded the situation by briefly looking up from his notes. “A smile is not something that can be conjured on request, but is a blessing to be earned,” he said softly, his eyes resting not on Artemis but Everett. “For now, Artemis’ presence in itself must be a blessing for us all.”

“Are you taking the piss?”

Artemis was looking at Orion with a mixture of defiance and incredulity. Lizzie always forgot that people who had never spoken to him before needed a while to get used to his way of talking.

“I am not,” Orion answered levelly before turning his attention to his notes again. “We were in need of a pyrotechnician, and now, here you are.”

“And you were certainly blessed with much better looks than the last one,” Everett couldn’t help but add. “Nice work mate,” he grinned into Charlie’s direction.

Lizzie sighed inwardly; she stepped away from Charlie and into the line of sight between their singer and the new crewmate. There weren’t many ways in which they could have given Artemis a worse first impression of themselves.

Trying to steer the conversation onto safer grounds again, Lizzie forced herself to smile. “What Ev wants to say is, it really is great to meet you, Artemis.”

She had the impression Artemis wasn’t trying too hard not to roll her eyes. “You said that already.”

“Because it’s true. Isn’t that right?” Lizzie pointedly asked into the direction of Merula and Skye, who had taken themselves out of the conversation completely.

Much to her exasperation, Merula only gave the tiniest shrug while Skye didn’t seem to be listening at all. She was still engaged in a whispered conversation with Ethan; Lizzie could just imagine what about. Nonetheless, she cleared her throat to get Skye’s attention.

“Skye?”

The blue haired bassist looked over to them for the first time now, a flicker of annoyance crossing her freckled face for the briefest moment. “Yeah, smashing, absolutely.”

She gave her father a last look before sharply clapping her hands together. “Right, sounds like we’ve got a lot of work to do. I say let’s crack on with it.”

“Skye’s right, we really need to get to work,” Ethan nodded into Charlie’s and Artemis’ direction, indicating it was time for them to go. “Pleasure to meet you, Alexis.”

Artemis tried correcting him but he had already turned his back on her and gone over to Everett, probably in an attempt to soothe the singer’s hurt pride.

Lizzie shook her head as Charlie and his new assistant left the room. So much for making a good impression.

As they were leaving the dressing room a little while later, Lizzie joined up with Orion, who was walking behind the rest. She waited until they were out of earshot before asking what had been bothering her ever since their discussion with Ethan.

“Why do you want to sing all of a sudden?”

Orion glanced at her for a moment and smirked. “Why did you fall over yourself to be friendly to Charlie’s new partner?”

Lizzie made a face. “Really? A question for a question again?”

Orion’s smirk turned into a melodic chuckle. “I’d call it an answer for an answer.”

“Fine then. I think Artemis only looks really tough and don’t-come-near-me on the outside. Charlie and I spend a lot of time together, me being friends with her would make things a lot easier for all of us. And besides,” she added with a shrug, “I didn’t want her to think we’re all idiots with an attitude.”

Orion had to laugh at that. “Sometimes I’m not sure any of us is too far from that. Don’t go all overboard with that poor girl though, drummer girl. You can’t force her to be friends with you. She didn’t seem to approve of your bright spirit.”

“I can’t force her, but I can certainly try to win her over,” Lizzie replied confidently. “I do know how to make people come out of their shell, don’t I?” she added with a not completely innocent flutter of her eyelashes.

“You most certainly do,” Orion smirked, a crooked smile tugging at the corners of his mouth that made Lizzie want to reach out and touch him.

Distracting herself, she held him to his end of the bargain. “That was my answer, what is yours? Why not let Everett sing? He has a point when he says you’ll be in the spotlight much more; I always thought you didn’t want that.”

The playful look on Orion’s face vanished, making way for a more contemplative one.

“There is a reason you are the only person to have heard the new songs so far. You understand my music, you know what I want to say even if they still need work. You get them. But the others often don’t, Everett in particular.”

Orion watched the frontman of their band, who was walking a little ahead of them. He was still arguing with Ethan about something, neither of them looking too happy.

“Your assumption that I don’t have the same wish to stand in the spotlight that he has is correct. Contrary to Everett, I play for the music, not the attention. But I’d rather have all eyes on me than having to see my music and my thoughts not being done justice.”

He furrowed his brow at the sheer idea of it. “There are so many nuances and little details about each and every one of them that I can’t quite put into words yet. So far, I - and I alone - know how they have to be presented to the world to carry their message.”

Lizzie thought about his words for a moment. “Doesn’t sound like either solution is a good one then.”

Orion sighed. “In this, you are right. Sometimes it is just a matter of choosing the lesser evil.”

[hawksward]

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing Ch. 1: Push/Pull (Childe/OC)

Since being granted a vision at the tender age of 10, Irina has owed her life to the Tsaritsa and dedicated herself to rising through the ranks of the Fatui. In becoming a top-ranking diplomat she's received her easiest assignment yet: ensure the 11th Fatui Harbinger remains ignorant of La Signora's plan to obtain the gnosis of Rex Lapis. A simple task for someone who's made a career out of lying.

Unfortunately, even the simplest tasks can go awry when feelings get in the way.

Rating: E (For eventual smut)

Warnings: None that I can think of for this chapter, there will eventually be smut

Banner credit goes to @shinsotired because I'm incapable of art.

Prologue:

Cold. She couldn’t remember the last time she wasn’t cold. At first, the nerves in her fingertips were screaming, the skin exposed through the holes in her worn gloves. But now it was different.

The cold had faded into warmth as she laid on the ground in the alley. At first, it was uncomfortably hot. So hot she wanted to strip off her already thin winter coat and hat. But now it was pleasantly warm. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this way.

But it wasn’t right. It couldn’t be.

The snow seemed to fall in waves, flakes occasionally falling into her eyes. The girl flexed her fingers before closing her eyes, they were becoming harder and harder to move.

I’m dying

The thought echoed in her head. She couldn’t decide if she was scared or relieved. If she died there would be no more suffering. Tears slipped out of her eyes, freezing on her cheeks.

I can’t. Not here. Not like this.

She curled herself into a ball. Clenching her fists as tight as she could to stay awake. She desperately tried to conserve what little body heat she had left.

The voices were faint at first, two men engaging in idle chatter as they strolled through the alley. One man’s footsteps stopped short when he saw her, much to the dismay of his partner.

“Leave it Misha. Street kids die every day here.” His foot pushed her from her side onto her back. She could barely open her eyes, any energy she had for defiance long gone. She immediately knew the man by his mask. Fatui.

“She’s holding something.” Misha reached down to pry open her clenched fist.

Her palm was soaked in blood around an object she knew she wasn’t holding before. Although she couldn’t quite make out what it was from her angle, she noticed the man’s eyes go wide.

“How many street kids do you know who have been blessed by the Tsaritsa?”  He plucked the object from her hand and held it to the lamplight. A cryo vision.

“What’s your name, child?”

Her voice came as a whisper

“Irina”

Ch. 1:

The wind in Liyue Harbor was far milder than the chill winds in Snezhnaya. The boat journey was amicable, albeit long, and she would be in Liyue for the foreseeable future. Even from the docks, she could tell. The whole city was in chaos.

Only a day passed since the Rite of Descension, a disaster of epic proportions, and it was clear there were still no answers.

Irina leaned over the side of the boat, watching the fish scatter as the anchor plummeted into the sand below. Men hurried into the boat the moment the gangplank fell, eager to unload the crates of liquor shipped from the motherland.

Pushing herself off the rail, Irina made her way down the gangplank. She knew next to nothing about her assignment. Only that Rex Lapis was dead and there was now a sea of red tape between the Tsaritsa and the gnosis.

“I trust you’re our new diplomat?”

Her attention was brought to the man before her. He had half a head of height on her with bright auburn hair and even brighter blue eyes. It was clear from what he was wearing that he was Fatui.

“Yes. I’ve been sent by Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, to aid in the issue with the exuvia.” She held out her hand for a handshake only for the man to hold her hand to his lips, placing a small kiss before releasing.

“I’m Childe. We’ll be working closely together while you’re here in Liyue. Not like I needed the assistance, I have the situation under control.”

She wasn’t surprised that he was less than excited for her arrival, she didn’t climb through the ranks to take easy assignments.

“Aster.” It was an alias of course, she couldn’t remember the last time she used her real name. “You must be Tartaglia then. Don’t mind me. I’m here to help grease the bureaucratic gears. I won’t be interfering with your bank loan operation.”

Irina knew that the Northland Bank was a large source of revenue for the Tsaritsa in Liyue. She also knew that their interest rates and collection practices were less than ethical. Not like it was any of her concern.

The smile on Childe’s face faltered for only a second, but it was enough to betray his false hospitality. He was a harbinger, most Fatui agents and diplomats alike wouldn’t dare talk to him in that manner. But most diplomats weren’t hand chosen by the Tsaritsa herself.

“Well Aster, I’m sure you’re tired from the journey but why don’t I show you around and get you acquainted with the members of the Northland Bank, where you’ll be stationed. As your superior officer allow me to give you the grand tour”

His words weren’t lost on her. Although she wouldn’t be reporting to him on her assignment she needed to appear like she was. She couldn’t have him asking questions.

“Of course, Lord Tartaglia ” the words rolled off her tongue like venom “Please lead the way.”

——

It was clear from the endless amount of stairs he had her climb to the Yujing Terrace that he was looking to torture her. Nothing about the tour was optimal and only served to exhaust her further.

“Don't tell me you’re getting tired already!” Childe was beaming from ear to ear

She wanted to stab him. They had gone back and forth to a new landmark, each somehow across the city from the other, for the better part of 3 hours. And while she was in shape, she didn’t have an elite soldier’s stamina. Nor did Childe have to make the trek in heels.

“Of course not, I’m ready to experience all the city has to offer” She put on her most charming smile. She wouldn’t let him best her, especially not so early in the game.

Childe laughed before waving her over to the nearby railing. The view from the terrace was beautiful. From the top of the city was a view of the harbor. The streets below just beginning to light the lanterns for the night.

“I see you know how to make an impression” Irina smiled to herself as she drank in the view.

“What can I say? I have many talents.” He leaned against the rail, his eyes trained on her. “One of them is sensing bullshit. So why don’t you tell me why you’re really here.”

Irina raised an eyebrow, turning her attention to the man before her. “I’m here because the Tsaritsa is unimpressed at how long it’s taking you to complete your mission. Signora obtained her gnosis within a week of arriving in Mondstat.”

“Signora didn't have to contend with a dead Barbatos.” He countered

“If you think you can do this on your own then by all means be my guest.” Irina pushed herself off the rail, “But as of today all matters dealing with the Liyue Qixing will be handled by me. If you take issue with that you’re free to look through the paperwork I brought with me.”

Childe had no retort, but it was clear that she struck a nerve by comparing him to Signora. It didn’t matter. She would complete her mission as soon as possible and then leave Liyue for her next assignment. which would hopefully not involve the 11th harbinger.

“Well then. Allow me to escort the lady to the Northland Bank. Ekaterina has prepared the small office for your arrival.”

——

Childe didn’t lie when he said the office was small. Her office was a glorified storage closet on the upper level of the bank, barely large enough to fit a reasonably sized oak desk already stacked with paperwork. She knew when she wasn’t meeting with the Qixing she would be expected to help out with administrative work for the bank.

She didn’t expect for her superior  to drop all of his work on her as well.

Before he left for the night he tossed a map her way, a large red x marking where her accommodations would be. She was mildly surprised he hadn’t offered to walk her to the inn to keep tabs on her. Then again the Fatui presence in the city was nothing to scoff at, someone would see her eventually and most likely report back.

Thankfully the inn wasn’t difficult to find, centered in the middle of the merchant district. Accommodations weren’t large by any means, but the warm wood and red bedding were lush and inviting.

What little luggage she brought on the boat was tucked away in the corner, next to a small bathroom. She never carried much, even a small suitcase seeming excessive after growing up with nothing.

Irina glanced at the clock sitting on the dresser. Currently 11 pm. She needed to be at Liuli pavilion in 3 hours. She changed out of her clothes for something that didn’t scream ‘Fatui agent skulking around at all hours of the night’.

—-

Liuli Pavillion definitely looked closed. Irina passed maybe two people on her way from the inn to the restaurant, both of whom were definitely too drunk to remember anyone who passed them by.

Irina checked her surroundings before knocking on the door twice, followed by a brief pause, followed by four more times. She could hear footsteps coming from inside before unlocking the door.

“Can I help you? We’re closed” a middle-aged man looked her up and down, a scowl on his face

“I’m here with the jueyun chili order.”

“Already got it last week.” He barked

“Yes, but this order is a special delivery from Qingce Village.”

The man gave a curt nod before stepping out of the way. The windows in the restaurant were tightly drawn shut, locking in the dim candlelight. Irina made her way to the voices coming from the adjacent room.

The room held a small square table, one seat was filled by a dark haired man in an expensive looking suit. The other was filled with none other than the 8th harbinger herself.

Signora.

“You’re late.” She didn’t bother to look up as she took a sip from her glass of wine “Sit down, we don’t have much time.”

Irina sat down as the man from the door placed a glass of wine in front of her. She took a small sip, locking eyes with the dark haired man across the table. Was Signora going to make an introduction or not?

“This is my subordinate, Aster. She’ll be your point of contact for all things related to the contract” Signora began “Aster, this is Zhongli, you may know him better as Rex Lapis”

Irina nearly choked on her drink. She knew the anemo archon, Barbatos, had taken on a human form before having his gnosis taken. But she never imagined she’d see another archon in the flesh. The Tsaritsa living among her people wasn’t exactly common.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir.” She wasn't sure how to respond. Clearly he didn’t want many to know if he was going by a different name. But was it alright to treat him like a normal person?

“None of that. In this form, I am simply Zhongli, consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.” He gave a small, polite smile before sipping from his wine “Not to mention going forward we’ll be colleagues.”

“Listen closely because I’m only going to explain this once.” Signora reclined back in her seat, her fierce gaze not once leaving Irina, “The Tsaritsa has signed a contract with Rex Lapis for procurement of the gnosis. Since I can’t be in the city without drawing attention, you will be my proxy. You will tell absolutely no one of the contract nor about Zhongli’s identity. Do you understand?”

“Of course Lady Signora. I will maintain the utmost discretion.”

“Good. Since you’ll be doing it anyway, I want a report on anything you can discern from the Qixing as well.” The tall blonde woman stood from her chair, turning her back momentarily before returning her focus to Irina. “One last thing. If Tartaglia so much as develops an idea of what’s happening here consider yourself out of a job.”

Irina rose from her chair to give her a nod and a salute before the other woman left the restaurant. She had no intention of failing a mission, but it was clear that Signora would rip her entire life out from under her faster than she could blink if she did.

“Please, enjoy the glass of wine with me before you leave.” Zhongli motioned for her to return to her seat “We should get to know each other since we’ll be working closely together. Not to mention it is a vintage.”

[krabstick32]

Hi! I love your writing so much!!! May I please request a self indulgent giyuu fic where the reader has some self esteem issues, like having long hair to cover most of her face and is plus size but has a good heart! Thank you that would make my life!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Wardrobe Malfunction

Requested by: anon

Pairing: Giyuu x Reader

Synopsis: Dress up was supposed to be fun. Your clothes say otherwise.

Tags/warnings: This work does have slight implications of self-esteem issues and body dysmorphia/body dysmorphic disorder. I’d like to say that this is not meant to offend anyone, and also to apologize for any faulty interpretations.

A/N: To the anon who requested this: i’m so glad you like my writing 🥺💖 bUT I AM SO SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG WITH YOUR REQUEST :(((((( I feel terrible for taking an actual month to finish this, and i’m not even 100% satisfied with it :(( As an explanation though, I was working on something entirely different for you. It was a modern high school au, 5+1 sort of fic, which was almost finished but for some reason felt wrong...so I thought up of a new idea aka this. 

Anyway, i hope the wait was worth it anon, and i hope ya’ll enjoy it too!!

Blood Demon Arts were a complicated skill set that special demons possess. Some use it for fighting, some for catching humans, yet some were just downright weird.

A fight with a low-level demon teaches you that.

Barely five minutes into the fight, and you were already sheathing your Nichirin Blade back in its scabbard. You were fine, if not a little uncomfortable from the weird slime-like substance that came from the demon coating your uniform. The fight wasn’t difficult, but the demon was a little perverted. It didn’t even try to fight all that seriously, and instead kept trying to sneak glances under your skirt.

There were only minor scrapes around your skin—though now, you wish you could say the same for your clothes, because it starts melting.

Maybe that demon wasn’t as low-level as you thought because the corps uniform was made to withstand damage from low-level demons, but this odd liquid was enough to let parts of it disintegrate and expose your skin. Fortunately, it didn’t sting, burn or give your skin rashes—only melt off the fabric that covered your decency.

That was your last spare uniform too, because you’ve been sent to a lot of dangerous missions lately. This was the only one you had at home, but thankfully, you’ve placed a quick request for a few new ones to be sent to you.

You were lucky to have been able to beat it, so once you quickly lopped of the stupid demon’s head, you panicked and whistled for your bird to bring in kakushi. You didn’t know if this was Oyakata-sama’s foresight’s work, but you were grateful that three female kakushi pushed through the treeline, and quickly rushed to you once they noticed your predicament. One of them took care of the demon’s remains while the other two moved to you and wrapped you securely in a blanket, protecting your dignity and easing your panic.

Even if you were pretty much healthy and good to go, the girls—Chiyo, Tsune, and Hatsuko were great company as they escorted you back—ushered you to one of the many rooms in the butterfly estate. You argued that you weren’t injured and that you didn’t want to burden the butterfly nurses and the kakushi, but the girls told you that the estate wasn’t too busy, and that there was plenty of room for you.

The room was standard with a cot, a bedside table, and a few chairs for visitors, where a spare set of clothes for you was folded over. You were fine, but you were still grateful for the short time you could use for rest and for the girl’s thoughtfulness. Spending the time worrying about what you wear on your next mission would be a waste, so you lie down and try to close your eyes instead, to calm down your nerves.

The sound of shuffling doors brings you out of your light nap just in time to see a head of jet-black hair pop in.

A smile makes its way across your face as you watch your boyfriend slide the door close as quietly as possible. Giyuu looked good—clothes the same, hair unruly with the bare thread of his hair tie attempting to keep it tame—but what was new was the small package under his arm.

“Are you feeling okay?” He asks when he sees you sitting up, and takes a seat on the nearest chair. Your smile sweetens when he looks back up, feeling your heart beat a little faster as his eyes soften out of its usual steely, and impassive gaze.

Dragging your mind out of its haze, you wave off his concern and reply, “Oh, this is just a formality—I’m fine.” Well, physically you were, but you’re reminded that all is not well when he glances around the room only to find the folded tatters of what remains of your previous clothing sitting innocently on the bedside table. “Wish I could say the same about my uniform though.”

“This should solve that.” Giyuu hands you the mysterious package and it gives you a moment to notice how nicely it was wrapped.

Lightly, you run your fingers over the black ink your name was written in, on a small tag attached to the white twine wrapping around brown packing paper. The twine intersects in a small tied ribbon right at the middle, and is sealed with a piece of wax stamped with the corps’ insignia. “Ah, is that why you’re here?”

“No, I was on my way to see you when I heard you were here. That—” He gestures with his chin “—I just brought in from the kakushi.”

You choose to ignore the way your cheeks flush when he mentions his intentions and instead show surprise. With how busy the kakushi were, you were pleasantly surprised that it took them only four days to make your uniform. “Oh, thanks, that was fast of them.”

“It’s your uniform right? I can wait outside so you can try it on.”

Already flustered from his previous responses, you try to answer, “Ah, yeah, yes. Thanks, I’ll just—um, yeah.” Only to sound like a bumbling idiot. Eloquent as always.

Embarrassed by your mess of a mouth, you look down at your hands and feel your hair come to cover your heated face. Looking at him in the eye right now would reduce you to a pile of flaming ashes, so you’re grateful your long hair has saved you yet again from his piercing stare.

Before Giyuu leaves though, you hear a light chuckle until he’s gone and you’re left with the sound of the door sliding back shut and the thought of how unfair it is that he can easily get you to smile and then flustered at the next second.

The moment you let the uniform unfold, something tells you that there was something…wrong. For one, there were too many holes in it—one on each shoulder, and an entire chunk around the stomach. The fabric felt silkier than what you previously had—even the skirt was much, much shorter than what you remember requesting for.

But a quick double check on the wrapping paper confirms that this was your uniform, so you try it on. It’s been a while since you’ve ordered a new one, maybe you just…weren’t used to it? Or maybe there were new rules in place?

If it wasn’t already bad when you first looked at it, it was even worse when you were wearing it.

How is this even supposed to protect me?

The only thing covered was your chest (not even counting the skin in the middle!), your forearms, and half your thighs. The uniform was too revealing and boy, did you want to crawl in a hole right now. You felt exposed—too exposed. You've rarely felt good in your own body, and now was no exception.

Just the thought of somebody else seeing you like this? What would they think?

A pit forms in your stomach, and something black and slimy wraps around your shoulders and around your neck. You feel constricted, like you couldn’t move or breathe, and your nails were digging in too hard into the clammy skin of your palms.

You weren’t like Mitsuri or Shinobu. You didn’t have a great figure like the love pillar, or a petite frame like the insect pillar. Instead, you found yourself staring into a mirror more often than you’d like, only to feel disappointed in your oversized body. In fact, you’re extremely lucky to have gone this far without a demon catching up to you given how slow you feel your body makes you.

You shouldn’t be crying over this—it was childish to throw a fit over something like this, but you feel horrible.

A knock from the door interrupts your thoughts and Giyuu’s voice carries over through the wooden door.

“(F/N), are you okay? Should I get Shinobu?”

No, he can’t see me like this.

Quickly, you scramble back to the bed where you placed your hospital clothes, and yank the stupid uniform you requested off your body and shove it under the bed. “Ah, no! I-I’m fine, I’m just changing again!”

You slip the button through the last opening and walk towards the door to let Giyuu back in.

Maybe I should send him back?

You could say that you were feeling sleepy or that you weren’t feeling too good, but he came all this way and… or maybe he was here to see someone else? You were his girlfriend, but that didn’t mean he was automatically here for your company.

You were too far gone in your own fears that you completely forgot that you were the reason why he was even here in the first place.

Hopefully, he leaves without question. Your hair will hide your face so he shouldn’t notice how it was burning or how there were small drops of tears in your eyes. But this was Giyuu, the Water Pillar, one of the strongest demon slayers in the entire corps, and your boyfriend. Nothing gets past him, especially if it concerns you.

He doesn’t even get through the threshold before he notices. “He—(F/N), what’s wrong?”

“...It’s nothing,” You say, angling your face away from you. I just feel tired all of a sudden. How about we see each other tomorrow? If you’re free of course. I know how busy you can get.” And you rarely saw each other too. It was a shame your issues just had to swoop right in.

“It’s fine with me if that’s what you really want, but are you sure it’s nothing?”

You feel warm fingers caress your chin before his hand moves back up to cup your cheek, and that’s when your walls chip and break. You lean into his touch and peek through your bangs to see a soft look in his eyes—a look you only ever saw on the rare chances you catch him looking at you or when he had a plate of freshly-cooked salmon daikon.

“You can tell me anything if you want to, I’ll listen.”

Of course you knew you could tell him anything, but actually telling him about something so stupid had you fidgeting with the hem of your sleeve. “I know this will sound stupid, but my uniform is wrong.”

“The uniform?”

Further hunching in on yourself, your body starts sweating, and you feel like your tears were about to spill over. “It looks terrible. There was no fabric around my entire stomach, it only covered half my things and—! Ugh, I know, I know it’s really childish of me to be complaining so much about it but I didn’t feel comfortable in it at all. I hate it—” and i hate my body “—It doesn’t look right on me, I’m too big for it.”

You breathe out a small sigh and look down at the floor. Melting through the floorboards sounded nice. “Maybe it’s just my fault—if I was thinner or prettier it would probably fit me better. I don’t know…I thought it would be similar to what I had before.”

“...Look at me,” Giyuu says after a while, and takes your hands when you don’t seem to reply any time soon. “Do you trust me?”

Immediately, you look up to him and answer with no hesitation. “With my life.”

“Then I hope you’ll believe me when I say that it's not your fault.” His lips curl slightly upward when your gaze moves from the floor to him. He’s glad that he caught your attention, because he wants you to see how much he means the words he’s about to say.

“I don’t care if you’re thinner, or prettier or about anything else. As long as you’re happy, healthy, and alive, it’s more than enough.” Giyuu places his forehead against yours, and for a moment, you forget why you’re worrying so much.

“To me, You’re the kindest, prettiest, most perfect person in my eyes, and I hope you see yourself the way I do. You have a heart of gold, and you’re plenty perfect just the way you are. You don’t need to change for anything or anyone.”

Giyuu wasn’t really good with words, and he knew that. In fact, at the moment you were seeking comfort, he was in over his head. He thought he was being redundant and talking himself in circles, so he did panic a little when the tears started slipping from your eyes. Panic changed into relief though when you wrap your arms around his torso.

You were well-aware that he wasn’t good with words, so you were caught off-guard by the reassurances he was giving you. You never knew how much you needed to hear those from him, to be reminded that he liked you just as you are.

As easily frazzled you were with a somewhat constant need for reassurance, you’ve gotten used to the fact that receiving verbal assurance from him would be rare if not nonexistent. So you’ve gotten used to his quiet support. He was always there when you needed him, and tried to comfort you the best way he knew how. You appreciated it, and even came around to care for his silent quirks, but hearing him say how much you meant to him, was incredibly comforting, and

“If you hate your uniform, I've heard that Shinobu had problems with hers too at first so I'm sure we can ask Shinobu what she did with hers. I can even place a request for a new one for you.”

Giyuu was never very good with words, but he always made it up with his actions.

“That would be nice.”

BONUS:

You really appreciated that Giyuu was with you the entire time your horrible uniform was alive on this earth. As promised, he helped you handle the uniform issue, and came with you to Shinobu’s office (who was more than willing to hand you the oil and matches).

“Oh? (F/N)-chan? Tomioka-san?” She greets when she ushers you two in her office. “I haven’t seen you two in a while! I’m surprised Tomioka-san is here with you though. I thought he avoided social interaction?.”

Giyuu grumbles at her teasing, but you know these two were friends, even if both of them didn’t want to admit it. “I’m still here.”

You squeeze your boyfriend’s hand, before smiling sheepishly at Shinobu. “It’s been a busy few weeks. We should catch up sometime, but that’s not really why we’re here.”

The Insect Pillar tilts her head in curiosity, and asks, “Oh? Then how can I be of service?”

“Well, you see, all of my uniforms were ruined from my past missions, so I requested for a new one, but um…” Giyuu handed you the clothes you’ve placed back in the wrapping paper which you bring out and let unfold to show Shinobu how it was clearly not your style.

Air seems to freeze over as the seconds tick by with your ‘uniform’ hanging from your hands.

Giyuu was standing behind you, so you couldn’t exactly see his reactions, but you could see how Shinobu’s ever-present smile turned sinister, and looked like she was ready to stab someone with her sword.

“I think they got my size wrong. Giyuu told me that you mentioned having the same problem before, so I was hoping you could tell me how you got yours fixed.”

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Shinobu’s smile stays eerily plastered on her face, “Oh, it’s simple! You can just burn yours. Don’t worry, I burned mine too and I lent the oil and matches to Kanao and Aoi, so you don’t have to feel bad—I’m more than willing to lend you the oil and matches I used. How about I join you two to go to the kakushi? I have a vague idea of who the tailor might be.”

As per Giyuu’s words, It wasn’t your fault. One of the kakushi in charge of making the uniforms was too blame and decided to take some… creative liberties with yours.

When Giyuu saw the scraps of cloth Maeda-san—or scum-glasses as everyone promptly nicknamed him— back in Shinobu’s office, you thought his face didn’t change or move an inch. Shinobu wanted to laugh, because unlike typical Giyuu fashion, everyone who saw him the entire day could see the pulsing vein on his temple that seemed like it would pop any minute. It was clear that he was pissed off, as he handed you the oil to douse the clothes in and gave a readily lit match, but she found it a little sweet that he was a bit more transparent when it came to you.

After the fabric was reduced to ashes in front of Maeda-san, a new agreement was made about your uniform, and as a temporary solution, Giyuu lent you a few of his spare uniforms for you to wear on duty. You had plenty of kimonos and hakamas to wear, but you primarily wore those for training and didn't particularly provide the same protection the corp’s issued uniform did.

It was a little tight around your chest and your hips, and a bit too long for your arms and legs, but you could still move around comfortably without busting a button, so you took it gratefully, and wore it for the week your uniform was being made.

He was with you when your new uniform arrived. The two of you were eating snacks on the Water Estate’s engawa when a kakushi—in a nice surprise it was Tsune—dropped by with a new package, similar to the one Giyuu handed you before. You thanked them and hurriedly went in one of the empty rooms to change, leaving Giyuu to drink his tea alone as he waits for your return

“Giyuu!” You call as you join him back on the engawa. He turns only to be blinded when he sees you smiling to high heaven. “Look, it’s perfect! They got the measurements right this time.”

The uniform you wore right now was just like your old one, and he could see that it clearly made you happy. You even  twirl in place, gleefully modeling your new skirt and uniform blouse to him.

“I’m grateful you lent me your uniform, but I;m more used to wearing skirts.” Laughing lightly, you look down at your clothes, carefully running your fingers across the fabric. “I’m so glad this one’s perfect!”

Without an ounce of shame or hesitation, Giyuu tilts his head towards you and says, “You’re the one who’s perfect.”

Oh my god, your heart is going to explode.

Looking down at your tabi socks, you let your hair fall over your face, if only to hide the red flush on your skin. “Giyuu, are you sweet talking me right now?”

“No, I’m being honest.” From the sound of his voice, he was being one hundred percent, and a quick look on his face confirms it, even if there was a little mischievous glint in his eyes. He knew you were getting flustered and in extension, knew what he was doing to you.

You sit down at your previous spot right beside him before taking your teacup from where you placed it on the tray to hide the small smile on your lips. “Okay, okay, you can stop now, you’ve made your point.”

“But I’m serious, you look perfect.” Giyuu leans over, wrapping an arm around your waist and places a soft kiss on your cheek. He tugs you closer to lean against him and  watches how your skin changes into a deeper red. It makes him think that he should voice his thoughts about you more often.

“Ah, Giyuu! Stop it!” You giggle, but ultimately return the favor, peppering his face in kisses and smiling at him in a way that makes his heart beat faster.

He may have been a little sad that you won’t be wearing his clothes anytime soon now, but seeing you comfortable and smiling…

Well, that was more than enough for him.

A/N: A gentle reminder to those who reached the end: please know that you are a beautiful and wonderful person. You are loved, you are valued, and have people who care for you, okay?

A huge thank you for reading! online classes are being a little pain, so even if I really missed writing (and reading) fanfics, I might be a little rusty :(( hopefully ya’ll enjoyed it 🥺

Again, to the anon who requested this, i am so so sorry that it took me this long. i hope you still liked it tho 🥺🥺 (i also might post that modern hs au i was talking about earlier, so keep your eyes peeled for that <3)

[sorry-apsalar]

See You in a Bit Chapter 1/4: I’ll Be Fine

On my Frender Drabbles Fic on Ao3, I finally got a request, it ended up being  much more than a drabble though, 4 chapters long in fact. The request was:  “Can you do Bender getting himself killed to save Fry?” So...

Content Warning for Major Character Death.

~

In hindsight perhaps Fry should’ve predicted that going on a mission without Leela was a dumb idea. But he’d been so excited by the thought of it just being just himself and Bender for once, like a date but not because they were working. Also, it had been a chance to prove that he was a competent pilot and capable of being in charge of a delivery mission. He’d even promised Professor Farnsworth and Hermes when they’d expressed doubts that he’d partake in no funny business; he’d just fly to the destination, deliver the package and go home. He’d done his best and truly had intended to keep that promise, even going so far as to say ‘no’ to Bender when he’d suggested they go off on a joyride with the ship before going to deliver the package. But alas, no matter his intentions, doing his best wasn’t good enough.

This was far from the first time he’d been arrested and imprisoned for unknowingly and/or accidentally breaking the law on an alien planet but it was without a doubt one of the more painful and scary instances. They’d beaten him black and blue, thrown him in a rusty jail cell and told him he was going to be publicly executed as soon as they had everything for it was ready. They’d lacked the decency to tell him anything about how long that would take.

Despite that looming over him, he’d managed to get some sleep – more like succumbed to unconsciousness – but not enough to make him feel even mildly rested. And now that he was awake everything hurt too much to let him drift off again. They hadn’t even bothered to take off his manacles off; a bit too tight, they chafed painfully against his wrists. His left forearm was broken and hurt worst of all which was saying something because he’d taken quite the beating and hurt all over as a result. At least his nose and mouth were no longer bleeding, right? Not that that made any of this much better. There wasn’t anything he could do about any of it except lie there, staring through the cage bars at the sandstone wall on the other side, and try not to move too much. 

If Leela had been here she would’ve been the one who’d volunteered to deliver the package to the Monarch since only one person was allowed in to see them at a time. And she would’ve been smart enough to not mistake them for a potted plant and then piss on them. In hindsight, that was pretty obvious; they were plant aliens living in a desert, what would a random potted plant be doing in a room he’d been pointed to as if it were the throne room? He’d really had to go though. And now, it was looking like he was going to die for it.

Ugh, he was such a dumbass. After all the years he’d had this job, one would think he’d eventually learn to be more careful in general, especially on alien planets, but nope. If he somehow got out of this alive, he was going to…

“Psst, Fry.”

“Bender?” Fry gingerly pushed himself up and looked all around the now suddenly darker room. It was empty. …

“Up here.”

There was a small barred window on the rear wall of his cell, up out of reach and the only source of light in the room; Bender’s face was now blocking it.

“I’m so glad to see you!” Fry was almost always glad to see him but never had he been gladder. “I was starting to think they were really going to execute me.”

“Nah, I wouldn’t let them do that. It just took a while to find you because I had to be sneaky about it after they kicked me out and told me to never come back or they’d kill me. Whatever you did really pissed them off, so it better have been something good enough to warrant all this trouble. If it’s because you got caught trying to steal something valuable, I’m proud of you for trying but disappointed in you for failing so miserably after having me as a role model all these years.”

If only it had been that, it would’ve been less embarrassing. “Uh… I’ll tell you about it later.” He wasn’t in the mood to be laughed at and had more important things to think about like… “How are you going to get me out of here?” Even if Bender removed the bars from the window completely, there was no possible way Fry could fit through even if he could reach it.

“Here.” Bender extended an arm through the bars towards him. In his hand was an old-fashioned metal keyring with two keys jingling on it. “I pickpocketed them off the security guard while they were ‘escorting’ me out after they were done dealing with you. If they don’t work I guess I’ll have to break you out the old fashioned way.”

Fry carefully grabbed them and with a little bit of effort managed to get the small key into the lock on his manacles. Thankfully it not only fit but also turned. Freeing himself of them completely hurt, especially his broken forearm, and revealed just how horribly chafed his poor wrists had become in the hours he’d been locked in them, but it was a relief to be free of their weight at last. Next, he tried the big key in the cell door and again, it worked.

“Thank you!” He turned to look at Bender again. “You’re the best.”

“Yep, I know!” Bender grinned smugly.

“How am I going to get past the guards though? There are some like right outside the door I think.” Fry couldn’t fight them at his best, but bruised, tired and with a broken arm, he stood a negative chance.

“Let me take care of them. I’ve scoped the place out, they got a lot of guards but a big enough commotion should draw most, if not all of them away. Give me like five minutes and you’ll be free to just walk out.”

“Uh… all right, wait a bit and then leave, got it. You going to be okay though? There are a lot of them and they’re pretty scary.” They’d certainly beaten up Fry real good and it hadn’t seemed to tax them much if at all.

Bender scoffed. “They’re plants, how tough can they be? I’ll be fine, I’m not some fragile meatbag like you. You owe me for busting you out though. The next ten dates or so are all on you, got it?”

“Yep, totally fine with me.”

“Cool. I’ll met up with you back on the ship in like… an hour probably. Have it ready to fly before I get there in case I bring company.”

“Okay! Love you and good luck.”

“Eh, back at you meatbag, see you in a bit.” With that Bender pulled away from the window, allowing the moonlight to shine in uninterrupted once more.

The next few minutes were torture. Waiting wasn’t pleasant even at the best of times which this was far from. There was no way to know what was going on with Bender or immediately outside the door and Fry desperately wanted out in general, making time crawl by. There wasn’t even anyway to know how long it had been since Bender had left, one minute, five, more? But at long last, just when Fry was sure he was going to be driven mad by all the waiting, there was a muffled commotion on the other side of the door followed by silence.

He waited a bit longer before venturing over to press his ear to it. … Nothing. So, taking a deep breath, he cracked open the door – thankfully it wasn’t locked – and peeked through the gap at the other side. A mid-sized room with a large table in the center; chairs surrounded it and the abandoned remnants of some kind of boardgame were splayed out on top. No guards though and the exit door hung open. Fry was free to go.

Holding his injured arm close, he made sure to pull the jail door closed behind and to disturb nothing as he headed for the open door. On the other side was an empty hallway. Having been dragged here half unconscious, he didn’t exactly know the way back out so… he went left just because.

By some miracle, he managed to stumble his way through only four or five hallways – all empty by some other benign power – before happening upon the entrance hall. He wasted no time making a break for it, going as fast as he dared when each jostle sent a bolt of pain through his broken arm.

He paused as he stepped outside. The air reeked heavily of smoke and more of those weird plant people were hurrying by on their weird creepy root feet. Presumably they were headed to help put out the fire, judging based off the buckets they carried. Thankfully if they even noticed Fry at all, they paid him no mind.

Pulling a bit further away from the palace entrance gave him the room to look back and spot the source of smoke. One entire side of the palace and several of the buildings next to it were on fire, the flames big enough to light up the night and silhouette the folks bustling around, trying to put it out. Yep, that was a pretty big commotion all right and would require everyone available to put it out before it spread too far. … With a grimace, Fry quickly moved on. Hopefully the damage it caused wouldn’t be too terribly bad and no one would be severely injured by it.

He encountered a few more plant people on his way out of the city but thankfully they were all too busy running to deal with the fire to notice his retreat. Once finally outside the city walls, the air was clearer, making it easier to breath. He wasn’t quite home free yet, but he was close. All he had to do was head for the ship, hidden amongst the sand dunes not far from here, and he’d be good to go. Hopefully Bender would be joining him there shortly because he was so done with this particular adventure.

Next

[aliathewriter]

Pet Peeve: poorly written “Strong women”

Grumpy rant...

Men pretending to try to write “strong women” who are so implausible that they are eye-rollingly ridiculous.

1) the dangerously underweight woman who is so “badass” that she can take out 8 highly trained men every one of whom has a single thigh larger than her entire mass.

2) 5′3″ 110lb woman who with a single punch has any effect (much less knocks down) a 6′2″ 300lb muscular man.

3) 5′3″ 110lb woman who gets punched in the face by a 6′2″ 300lb muscular man and pops right back up.

4) any size/fitness woman who shows her “strength” by being obnoxious and insulting to everyone she meets and they all chuckle saying how tough/badass she is.

5) any size/fitness woman who shows her “strength” by being amazingly better than everyone at *everything* and/or out “man” ing all the men.

For the first three, these just ignore plain physics. No amount of training overcomes this lack of mass. For the other 2 it just makes her annoying and implausible.

This doesn’t mean that a strong woman can’t overcome this in other ways.

A larger opponent  with large muscles will always have a mass advantage if they get a hit in (whether the smaller opponent is female or male), but the smaller, leaner opponent will have a speed and flexibility advantage. Show her using these advantages.

Physically, for most women, her power is in her legs, so using flexibility, get low and kick to the knee or goolies is a good bet.

And for the proving herself through insults or magically being better than everyone at everything (even their specialty) - don’t.

Not knowing things is awesome because it’s a chance to mine the person who does to learn something new! Also, acknowledging someone else’s strength is how you build allies.

Wonder Woman was a good example but also not great for a “normal” human as she had the magic super hero factor (which makes her having the inhuman strength and skill that can defy physics for a normal mortal).

Emily Prentiss’s first introduction in Criminal Minds was done very well. She had skills that she brought definitely but was also learning this new role. It was done very well. Then she left and when they brought her back they made her the super spy that could do anything and knew everything and ruined it.

Riley in MacGyver is generally good - she has her strengths (computers) is shown learning other skills - she’s a bit obnoxious, but it’s mostly with Jack with a history giving a reason for it. The one where she has to fight the man when him and another take over the building - she struggles but uses her strengths - wraps her legs around his head and arm which she’s twisting the fingers. This scene was very well done.

Bad examples include: Natasha Romanov, Juliet Higgins, Samantha Cage, Shuri (to be fair sorta magic of the tech but after establishing Tony as a genius they act like he’s a moron compared to her instead of her loving his work and wanting to build on it which would have been awesome), Sam Carter, JJ (when she came back in Criminal minds).

Yes, today I got to the introduction of Samantha Cage in MacGyver and hated it.

Thankfully I have a few days off now to relax and hopefully write and clean my house. Tomorrow is Canada Day and then I took a couple of days holiday so I’m off until next Monday!

End grumpy rant.

[jjmaybankwildtimes]

That Beautiful Boy Pt. 2

JJ Maybank x OC

Summary// Eleanor Raines has been through hell and back in foster care. When she’s placed in a new home with an abusive foster dad and a beautiful broken boy inside, she faced with new adventures and forced to face her past.

WC// 1.1k

Warnings// Very mild cursing

Authors Note// I am not very good at writing but I still feel like I need to get this idea out! Also if anyone has any tips for writing better dialogue that would be absolutely incredible!! Enjoy :)

Part 1

——————————————————————————

Reluctantly, I trailed behind as JJ led me through the quiet town. My newest home was obviously on the poorer side of town, however that was nothing new to me. And it was close to beach and I hadn’t gotten to go surfing in years!

“So, you know of somewhere I can work?” I questioned, getting tired of the silence. It makes me squeamish and jumpy.

“No promises but I have an idea. Have you ever waited tables before?”

“Holy Shit! A waitress job? JJ do you know how incredible that would be? Cash everyday, plus a paycheck?” I squealed with excitement. I had worked tons of fast food jobs at my various “homes”, but never waitressing. “Sorry,” I said quietly “I got excited.”

“What are you apologizing for? Kie is going to love your enthusiasm for sure.” He responded shaking his head but grinning at your happiness.

“Welcome to The Wreck, Elllie Belly!”

“Ellie Belly? Really?” I looked around at the moderately sized restaurant that was obviously a tourist trap, but I was beyond excited.

I waited while JJ went to go find “Kie”. I don’t know what I expected but not a curly headed, spunky teenager with a bright smile.

“Ellie, Kiara, Kie meet Ellie, my Dads new ward! She is looking for a job, hopefully as a waitress, right Ellie?”

I introduced myself “Right! It’s nice to meet you!”

“Oh that would be incredible! How soon can you start?” She asked excitedly.

“Umm” I looked to JJ who nodded happily “Right now?”.

“Yes, let me get you an apron!”.

As Kie rushed off I turned to JJ and thanked him profusely!

“Oh hush, you just have to let me be your first customer!”

“Deal!”.

I looked around taking in the atmosphere while serving JJ his sweet tea. Since is was only 10:30 in the morning there were few customers, but I knew the lunch rush would come. In the next half hour, Kie showed me the basics. Lunch flew by and I loved the job. We split the tips at the end of the shift and each left with over 60 bucks.

“So, I am assuming your coming back to the Chateau with me? I think we are going out on the boat later.” Kie questioned as we walked towards the road.

“Um yeah I guess I am. What’s the Chateau?”

“Oh you’ll see.” Lie said ominously, “You were a natural at work today!” Kira complimented.

“Only because I had a great teacher!” I joked looking towards the girl.

“Oh shut up!” Kid said as she lightly shoved my shoulder.

We continued the walk to the mysterious Chateau in comfortable silence, not the kind that made me squirrelly. It was nice, talking with Kie, even if it was just small talk. I could definitely see myself being friends with her.

I knew I shouldn’t get attached or excited. It was the number one rule of being a foster kid. If you get attached things get taken away. I’ve gotten attached before and it always causes much more harm than good.

Despite this, walking down the gravel driveway to the little fishing shack and seeing the dock and the water, I felt like I belonged. The feeling took my breath away. Kie led me inside to find JJ and two other boys.

“Ellie!” JJ jumped up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Meet the rest of the Pogues.” He introduced me to a shaggy haired kid named John B and Pope who was looking over some text books.

“What exactly is a Pogue?” I questioned

“Oh well on the island there are Pogues and Kooks.” explained JJ.

“Yeah and kooks are rich jackasses who live on Figure 8” continued Pope.

“I don’t think I would like them very much.” I added as I scrunched my nose in disgust.

“That makes 5 of us.” finished John B.

I set my backpack down as they scrambled to pack for the boat. I helped John B pack the cooler and then I changed into one of Kie’s swimsuits. Thankfully, she had a one-piece in my size because bikinis are not my thing.

Climbing onto the boat, I couldn’t help the déjà vu that washed over me. I could picture jumping into the boat with my mom prepared for a long day off of Wrightsville Beach. Shakily I sat down next to Pope near the front of the boat.

The evening on the water was great. Filled with swimming in the marsh and I even caught a fish thanks to JJ’s help. Over the course of the night I explained that I was from Wilmington North Carolina, a couple hours south of the obx. I also talked about how I had been in foster care for 7 years, since my mom died when I was 9. It was strange letting people I had just met in, but they were kind and they didn’t force me to say anything which was a nice change.

We returned to the Chateau around 11. Pope and Kie went home not long after. It suddenly clicked in my brain that this is where JJ stays on most nights.

“Hey Ellie, you can take the bedroom” said JJ pointing to the open door across the little home.

“Are you sure? I could sleep on the couch. It’s nicer than a lot of places I’ve slept, trust me.”

“No no, you take the bedroom alright?”

“Okay” I said meekly torn between not wanting to argue and not wanting to be a burden.

I still sat down on the couch next to JJ and I was offered a beer, which I declined. John B then offered a juice box which I got a little too excited about. Content with my juice box, I listened as the boys talked about their last two weeks of school and finals. When they asked me about my school, I explained that I did most of it online due to all the moving around.

“That stinks.” John B frowned

“I like it much better than having to relearn some things over and over and then still miss others by the time finals come around.” I explained

“That makes a lot of sense.” JJ concurred.

After a few seconds of silence, I asked one of the questions I had been dying to ask since I got to Kildare County, “So, do you guys surf?”.

“Do we surf?” JJ jumped up obviously excited, “You are talking to the two best surfers in all of the obx!”

“So Ellie, yes we surf.” continued John B, “do you?”

“Well I used to when I was little with my mom, but I loved it then.” I shrugged

“Then we will go in the morning! John B you have an extra board right?” JJ said smiling broadly.

“Yeah, I think it will fit her close enough.”

“Really? That would be awesome!”

“Of course Elle Bell!” JJ laughed.

“And on that nickname I am going to sleep.” I said giggling as I made my way to the extra bedroom.

“Thank you guys for today.”.

I slept a deep sleep dreaming of the beautiful blue eyed surfer boy.

I hope you guys and girls enjoyed!!xoxo Abi

[beyondconfessor]

The Infernal Contract

[1/16] Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Lilith/Zelda Spellman

Summary: "I will grant you the additional strength to your magic, but in turn, you must serve me at my request, no sooner or later than I ask."

After signing an infernal contract, Zelda finds that with great power comes unforeseen consequences. What at first seems like a win/win contract soon becomes an addiction, leading Zelda to lie, bespell, and manipulate those she cares about in an order to keep them away from the truth.

N.B.: Also posted on AO3

Zelda only had one addiction in life: cigarettes.

It was more than a necessity. It'd become a part of her everyday ritual, and in some days, her saving grace. More often than not, she would go for a cigarette first before any other tonic or spell. There was nothing like the smoke expanding in her lungs, nicotine rushing through her bloodstream, and giving a sudden, much-needed kick.

And after travelling from Greendale to Rome, she needed a cigarette.  

The royal suite was fitting to Faustus' new status, Zelda thought as she directed the bellboy to set the bags down. The baroque design, gold leaf against autumn tones. Zelda could feel the exhaustion of travel seep away as she moved through the rooms.

Setting the bassinette from her hand to the bed, Zelda looked over to where the supplied cradle was. Judas was asleep for the moment, and as there was no urgency to move him, she allowed him to continue resting in the bassinette.  

"Lady Blackwood?"

Zelda turned to the butler hovering outside of the room and forced a smile. She couldn't say why, but although she held the title of Lady Blackwood, there was still a discomfort to hearing it said.

It'd only been a day, and aside from a brief tussle with Faustus in his office to consummate their marriage, she hadn't done anything to signify the change from Spellman to Blackwood.

"This arrived for you this morning," the butler said, holding out a wrapped gift and a postcard.

Zelda frowned, before taking the gift. It was about the size of a standard ring box, covered in red wrapping paper. Zelda turned it in her hands, wondering if it was another one from Faustus or a belated wedding gift from her family (who had yet to supply one). Faustus had already given her a ring, so she doubted it was him, but it was far less likely to be from her niece.

Taking the postcard from the man, she looked it over. All questions left her as she chuckled at the picture on the postcard's front.

It was Caravaggio's Judith Beheading Holofernes.

On the back, in penmanship even she envied, was her name, written as Zelda Spellman, the address of the hotel, and a brief instruction: Wear this until I say otherwise.

Zelda looked to the box and, with her nail, cut through the wrapping paper to reveal a black poisonwood box, its interior containing a velvet pillow, with which a ring sat upon it.

Zelda plucked the ring and turned it over. She could feel the witchcraft humming through it, a faint glimmer in the citrine stone telling of deep enchantment.

Zelda placed the ring on onto her right hand's ring finger, feeling it sit snuggly in place. She didn't feel any immediate change course over her but knew well enough that not all enchantments showed themselves straight away.

"Was there anything else?" the bellhop asked, coming to stand before her again as her eyes flickered over the postcard's print.

"No, that will be all," she said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

He paused for a moment until her eyes drew away from the postcard, arching a brow at him. She knew he was waiting for a tip, but her purse was in one of the many bags he'd brought over, and she honestly couldn't be bothered to find it.

The bellhop's lips pinched before he nodded and left. The butler at least had the decency to feign unawareness.  

Zelda turned away, returning to the bedroom where she shut the door and removed her coat, sitting on the end of the bed. She ran her eyes over every inch of the postcard, looking for something she'd missed that would provide further insight, but it was otherwise a generic postcard, likely plucked from the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica where the original painting was alleged to be held.

Could she have meant to meet there?

No, Zelda surmised. There would have been some line towards the effort of meeting or seeing each other soon, but it did imply she was close by.

The very thought hummed through her.

She took the postcard and box, tucking them away with her toiletries. Then she went to her bags and began moving her clothes into the wardrobe, hanging them, so they didn't crease before doing the same with Faustus'. Satan knew he wouldn't, and then he would be in a huff about not setting a good impression because his domestic charm skills were abominable, to say the least.

Most likely as a result of his misogynistic attitudes, but Zelda wasn't going to push him just yet. A man like that required gentle guiding so that he believed he'd come to the idea all on his own. She would only suggest that it was unlike a man of his position to not know how to dress and cook for himself and go from there.

She wondered if Lilith ever had to gently persuade the Dark Lord. If she fussed with His clothes and organised His days around Hellish meetings.

It seemed too shallow for the demoness. More likely, she busied herself with more critical agendas for the Dark Lord.

Like visiting devout brides.  

Zelda shifted through the wardrobe, thinking about how it would be nice to smoke, but it was probably more appropriate to shower and change before Faustus returned from Vatican City. The ceremonies of the anti-pope would likely finalise soon. Something she apparently could not attend due to technically not being apart of the council. Despite being married into it.

No matter. Good things came with time.

She looked over Judas to ensure he was still sleeping, before taking her dressing gown and a towel into the bathroom and undressed from her travel clothes.

In the vanity mirror that sat over the basin, she could see the bruises and bite marks left from her pre-wedding night. No amount of concealer or magic had been able to hide the damned things, and she'd had to attend her wedding looking like a teenage girl after Lupercalia (thankfully hidden from sight under the high collar of her wedding gown).

With everything happening with her family, with Ambrose and Sabrina, the rumours that the Dark Lord himself had blessed the marriage placed some much-needed light onto the Spellman family name –– that was until her niece had publically accused Faustus of murdering the anti-pope at her wedding. It'd taken everything to prevent Faustus from throwing Sabrina's head on the block, too.

Hopefully, when they returned from Rome, his bloodlust would settle.

"Tell me, Zelda, what would you do if I told you it was the Dark Lord's will to extinguish the girl from your life?"

Zelda shivered. She dearly hoped she wouldn't find out, because Zelda knew deep down, to her bones, she would move Heaven, Hell and Earth to protect Sabrina. Even from the Dark Lord himself.

At any rate, it wasn't a problem now, and she had other matters to attend to.

Number one, trying to lessen the marks across her body. Hilda had given her a balm to encourage healing, but so far, it'd done very little in her opinion. Some of the bites had begun to turn purple, but others stubbornly remained a bright red.

The shower was hot against her body, stinging in places where Lilith's teeth and nails had broken skin. Since the other night, she already craved the return of the demoness, more than she wanted a cigarette, more than a whiskey, or even sleep at this moment.

She wanted her mouth on hers, her body pressed up against hers. She ached to look at Lilith and taste her and feel fingers inside her in a way Zelda hadn't felt since her first Lupercalia.

Zelda reached down between her thighs. She could still remember the smell of perfume against Lilith's neck, a faded, but rich scent. How thick and beautiful the woman's hair had felt in her bound hands as Lilith's tongue and fingers worked her through more orgasms in a single night than Zelda had in an adventurous month.

Zelda stroked between her legs, pressing her forehead against the wall of the shower as she felt the pressure growing.

She thought of Lilith's fingers, of how she rode them. Of her mouth and her tongue. Her teeth against her shoulder, the words in her ears, how Lilith had tugged at her hair and ran her fingers across her body and bit and sucked and pulled and thrust and ––

Zelda's eyes opened, gasping at the orgasm shuddered through her. Dropping her hands away, she leant for a moment longer against the wall and then pushed off, leaning back into the shower, feeling the warmth spread through her chest, momentarily satisfied at least.

It wasn't entirely what she wanted, but it would satisfy her for now.

Zelda showered, washing her body and hair, and then climbed out and dried herself off. She dressed in new clothes and accessories and neatly placed her soiled travelling clothes into the hamper set out for the staff to take.

She brushed her teeth, re-applied her face, and blow-dried her hair. By that time, Judas had awoken.

From there, she changed him and fed him and set him down in the cradle to play with his rattle while she flickered through the local newspaper and sat on the balcony with her cigarette to enjoy the afternoon air, at last feeling the tension ease.

It was another hour before Faustus arrived, grinning proudly with himself. "Zelda!" he called, coming out to the balcony. "I have the most excellent news."

Zelda folded the newspaper and looked up at him.

"It's been decided by the will of the Council, that I will be the Anti-Pope."

"Truly?" Zelda asked, feeling a rush of excitement as she rose to her feet before doubt crept over it. "Isn't there usually an election with the other cardinals?"

Faustus adjusted the sleeves of his coat, removing invisible pieces of dust. "Well, I am to be an interim Anti-Pope until such a time, but all the same."

"It is a good sign," she said, smiling.

He gave a sharp nod and a stiff smile in return. Zelda's eyes wandered over the expression, wondering how fragile his echo was to crack under her scrutiny. She drew in the last of the cigarette and then placed the filter out on the ashtray. She'd have to do something about that.

"We should celebrate," Zelda said, stepping forward to make her intentions clear.

"I think that's a good idea," he agreed, a genuine smile returning to his face.

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

Faustus had fallen asleep after sex, tussled in the bed's sheets. Yet, Zelda remained painfully awake, returning to sit outside on the balcony, smoking a cigarette into the evening wind. They'd been in Rome for three days now. Three days of the full honeymoon experience, and Zelda just felt...

The sex had been fair. Enthusiastic, even and passionate where required.

She inhaled the cigarette smoke, feeling the smoke fill her lungs before she exhaled it out into the wind.

Her thoughts were just otherwise occupied in each occurrence. Even at meals, she found herself drifting away as Faustus monologue his plans to reform the Church of Night into the Church of Judas (honestly, that was his grand idea).

She took another drag, before realising she'd reached the filter. Crushing the butt into the ashtray, she sat back and instead pulled the glass of whiskey to her lips.

Zelda didn't compare lovers, it was bad form. To look at a warlock and examine his performance against a succubus to a mortal was unfair. Although they had their similarities, they all approached sex in different ways.

And yet, over the past few days, she found herself comparing. No, that wasn't entirely true. She was fantasising in the middle of sex about someone else.

Setting the crystal glass down, Zelda rose from her chair. The balcony wasn't enough, she needed the fresh air.

Slipping into the bedroom, she dressed, placing on her fur coat for good measure against the evening chill, and gave a last look to the sleeping Judas. He'd been fed and changed recently enough that Zelda doubt he'd awake before she returned. After all, it was only for a short walk.

Taking her purse for good measure, she slipped out of the hotel room to the elevator and pressed the ground floor. Their suite was the top floor of the hotel, which made it all the more annoying when the elevator stopped on the floor directly below theirs. After all, it was nearly dawn, what possible business could a witch or mortal have?

The doors opened, and a woman stood before them. Similiar height, dark hair, and grey eyes. Difficult to say if she was witch or mortal, but whichever it was, she was intentionally staring past Zelda with a sharp smirk on her face.

Zelda ignored the woman in turn, pressing the close-doors button twice with an annoyed huff. She could feel the woman step behind her, a wave of expensive perfume filling the elevator that had obviously been freshly applied. No doubt, the woman was off to meet a lover.

The elevator doors clicked shut and began to head down. Zelda could feel the woman staring at her, however as she flicked her eyes to the mirrors on the sides of the elevator, she could only see the woman leaning against the back wall, playing with her nails.

The woman was dressed in a knee-length form-fitting skirt, stockings, and a pair of heels. She wore a white blouse that's neckline plunged well below modesty, and a thick, woollen coat was cast over her shoulders like an afterthought. If Zelda had to hazard a guess, she'd say the woman was either her age, if a witch, or probably in her early fifties if a mortal.

Were not for the fact that she was recently wed, Zelda would have considered asking the woman for a drink down in the lobby. As it were, she would ignore the pretence and continue on her way to clear her head.

She flickered her eyes to the door as it opened and watched as a man stumbled in. He looked to them both and adjusted his clothes, smiling with a drunken grin as he steadied himself against the wall. He looked like he was at the very end of his evening and reeked of bourbon and cigars.

Zelda found herself longing for another cigarette and wishing the elevator was express.

She looked to the mirror. The woman was now staring at the man like he was dinner. Admittedly, he was rather handsome in a very mortal-like way, though she preferred her men sober, or at the very least, on the same level, she was.

Finally, the doors opened to the ground floor, just as the man began striking up a conversation with the woman.

She left the lobby, listening to the warm, throaty laughter of the woman and exited to the streets of Rome. She had no idea where she wanted to go, but in the cold air, she craved a cigarette all the more.

She walked around the side of the building and looked up to where the balcony of her hotel room. There was a strange sensation in her chest, as if she'd made an awful decision and didn't know how to fix it.

Marrying Faustus shouldn't feel this way. She didn't love him, but the power he offered, especially if he became anti-Pope, was insurmountable. She was so close to everything she wanted, so as long as her niece stayed out of trouble.

Drawing in a deep breath, she moved to her purse and went to pull out a cigarette and her lighter.

The cigarette was easy enough to pluck from its silver case onto her lips, but the lighter was not where she'd thought it had been.

Flicking through the purse, it became apparent the lighter was missing. Zelda realised that she must have left it upstairs. Clipping the bag shut, she lifted a hand to take the cigarette from her lips just as a figure stepped before her.

"Here," the woman said, clicking a lighter in front of her cigarette. Zelda blinked before leaning forward and letting the flame catch at its end. As it lit, she drew in a deep breath and then exhaled the smoke away from the woman's face, looking her over.

"I thought you were off hunting the other gentleman," Zelda said.

The woman smiled. "He didn't seem very fun to play with. But you..." she trailed off and looked her up and down.

"I'm flattered but married."

"Tragic," the woman said before boldly taking the cigarette from Zelda's fingers and stealing a drag for herself.

Zelda's eyes narrowed, but as she went to snatch back the cigarette, the woman pulled away at the last minute and exhaled the smoke, laughing at her before she took another drag and flashed her eyes.

"Honestly," she huffed, deciding then that she would enjoy hexing the woman.

"Relax, if it means so much to you, you can have it back," the woman said, presenting it before Zelda. As Zelda went to take it, the woman slowly moved it out of reach. "But there is just one thing you'll need to do first."

Zelda took a step back to glare at the woman but instead found herself hitting the sandstone wall.

Of course, the woman had manoeuvred into such a position.

The woman leant a hand against the wall above Zelda's head, as the other took another inhalation of the cigarette, effectively pinning her in place. Zelda folded her arms, composing herself, so brunette wasn't aware of the effect she was having on her.

"Do you know how many years it's been since I smoked? Up here, I try to avoid it because it makes me rather homesick, but I do so enjoy that feeling of smoke in your lungs."

"What do you want?" Zelda asked, annoyed by her digression and further annoyed by how the domineering attitude was causing an unfortunate response between her thighs.

The woman smiled at her and leant forward until her lips touched against Zelda's ear. "Tell me you want me, witch."

Zelda's heart pounded as she turned to look at the woman, going from the eyes to the mouth as she realised who this woman was.

Her purse dropping against the cobblestones, Zelda leant forward, closing the gap between them to bring their lips together.

It was forceful and hungry kiss, involving teeth far too soon, before she opened her mouth and felt the demoness's tongue against hers, the taste of magic sparking against the smokiness of tobacco and nicotine. She could feel a hand in her hair, scrunching it up as the woman pressed her against the stone wall.

Then, Lilith's mouth broke away from her and kissed down her throat, nipping at spots until she came to the collar of Zelda's coat. Zelda felt the woman tug the jacket down her shoulders, dropping it to the ground before she returned to kissing over the newly bared skin, fingers undoing her shirt buttons with more decorum than she bothered with last time.

"So you can be gentle with my clothes," Zelda quipped.

Lilith laughed against her throat, running a hand over her breast and tweaking her nipples and making Zelda's knees feel weakened already as she let out a throaty moan and pushed herself into the woman's touch.

It was all so intoxicating. More than opium had been, more than cocaine and all of the other drugs she'd done over her centuries, but she didn't want Lilith to know how much she craved it.

The hand on her breast wasn't gentle. It grabbed and pinched as Lilith's mouth worked over her throat, going over all the marks with untamed ownership as if knowing who'd been there since.

A whine slipped out from Zelda's mouth before she bit it off with a hiss. "I bet you can't wait for me to bury my fingers inside of you," Lilith purred against her ear. "I hope nobody hears how fast you come undone."

Zelda blinked at the night air. The street was quiet, and they were pressed up against a rather dark side of the wall, the nearby lamps not quite reaching them.

A mixture of arousal at the idea of being caught and fear of someone seeing actually finding them squirmed in her belly in turmoil.

And yet, as Lilith's hand had rolled up her skirt and began stroking over her silk underwear, the fear became eclipsed by desire, and it felt as though the whole world was empty save for them.

Zelda's nails dug into Lilith's cloak, pulling her close as she rocked her hips over the fingers, feeling the material between them grow slick with arousal.

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing to not come undone too fast as the mouth sucked against the marks on her neck, and the fingers pressed firmer against her sex. It wasn't easy, and as she buried her face in the woman's neck, she couldn't help but let out a small whine at the touch.

"Miss me?" Lilith asked, kissing higher against her neck.

Zelda nodded and was remunerated with the underwear being jerked down her thighs and a hot mouth against hers. As Lilith began kissing, sucking and biting against her lips, Zelda moaned against her mouth, her breath shortening with the building heat growing low in her belly.

Lilith was right. She couldn't wait to feel those fingers inside of her.

One of Lilith's hands slid over her neck, holding her jaw up, and the other returned to stroking over her sex, against the hood of her clit, and then down until Zelda was trying to slide onto them.

Lilith laughed, pulling her hand back to slide over her labia and not where she needed her.

"Lilith," she groaned into the woman's mouth, feeling a wave lap low in her belly.

"Yes?"

"Fuck me."

"Fuck you?" The hand on her throat tightened, and Zelda was pushed back until the sandstone dragged on her bare ass as Lilith's knee pressed between hers, spreading her thighs apart. She could feel Lilith's mouth part and hold for a moment against hers, a small chuckle vibrating from the woman's chest to her own. "And why would I do that when you haven't done what I asked?"

Zelda's eyes opened as the lips drew away to see what was happening. Lilith was observing her with a strange fascination before amusement cut over the expression.

Zelda wasn't sure of what she was inferring. She could feel the ring on her hand, pressing into her index finger as she clutched at the woman's shoulders.

"Tell me you want me," Lilith said, her voice light and teasing. Zelda's breath hitched as another tremor pulled over her body in anticipation as the fingers played with her sex, hinting at what they could be doing instead.

"I want you," Zelda obeyed and was rewarded with three of Lilith's fingers entering inside of her.

Zelda inhaled, holding back the moan as she felt the pressure continue to grow low in her belly. She rode the demon's fingers, not caring for the scratches from the sandstone on her backside (which, truthfully she didn't mind at all) and held onto Lilith tighter, looking her into her eyes as she grew closer and closer, the hand on her neck holding her firmly against the wall.

Lilith's eyes were obviously not her own, but the glamour didn't hide the desire in them, the absolute fascination of the woman watching her come-undone.

Lilith wanted her, really wanted her.

It made Zelda feel all the more an exhibitionist to her voyeur and was the final piece that caused her to let out a sharp cry as her body rocked with the orgasm, contracting around Lilith's fingers.

"Good girl," Lilith said, and only grinned wider as Zelda glared at her (strangely, the words did cause an adverse effect; nonetheless, she did not appreciate the mockery).

As the muscles eased, Lilith slowly slid her fingers from inside of her, and Zelda pushed back, using the wall to prop herself up as she caught her breath.

Lilith had pulled out a handkerchief from Satan knew where, and began cleaning her hands with a rather annoying cocky smirk.

Drawing in a deep breath, Zelda pulled up her underwear and smoothed down her skirt before trying to fix her lipstick the best she could without knowing how smudged it'd been.

Her eyes drew over to Lilith's hand and then looked to the ground where the cigarette had fallen. Unfortunate, she thought, looking to wear her purse was about five feet away from her. She could go for the rest of that smoke now.

Zelda could feel a need building up inside of her again, but she suppressed it, moving instead to fix her hair.

"Is this what you look like?" she asked Lilith, flicking her eyes over the body.

"No, it's a glamour."

Zelda nodded. She knew, but the type of spell explained the taste of cinnamon on her tongue.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, rolling the taste of cinnamon on her tongue. Now she wanted a whiskey, and that was all the way upstairs.

"If I said I'd come here to see you, would you be excited or repulsed?" Lilith asked.

Zelda didn't know, but there was a pang of guilt that twisted in her belly. She wasn't sure if it was due to Faustus (unlikely) or something else she couldn't put her finger on (far more likely).

Lilith laughed at her, adjusting her coat. "Don't worry, mouse, I have business with the council and knew you'd be here as well."

"Business with- did you just refer to me a mouse?" Zelda asked, feeling outrage rise inside of her. She was many things, but mousy was certainly not one of them.

"Yes. Because you're my shiny new plaything."

"I certainly am not."

Lilith smiled rather cat-like, stepping closer. Zelda held steady, lifting her chin to glare across to the demoness, but as she watched her lean towards her ear, moving to kiss down her throat once again, Zelda's eyes fluttered shut.

A hand had begun to massage and squeeze at her breast as Lilith kissed sweetly back up her throat.

Fuck, came a small, tiny voice deep in her mind.

"Little mouse," Lilith whispered, giving her a last kiss before she pulled away.

Zelda sniffed, brushing her hair back over her throat before she began to button up her blouse again and tuck it back into her skirt. "What business does the Dark Lord have with the council?" she asked.

"You think the Dark Lord cares what a bunch of boring warlocks say? The business is my own."

Zelda stared at her, not entirely believing the words. "They commune with the Dark Lord regularly."

"So they say, anyway," Lilith said with a shrug. "Which reminds me, do congratulate Faustus. I'm sure he must be thrilled in his very prominent position with the Dark Lord."

Zelda shifted on her heels, uncomfortable with the discussion of her husband, as well as irritated by the implications of Lilith's previous statement. "Thank you, I'll be sure to pass on your compliments to him."

"I'm sure you will."

Zelda's eyes narrowed at her, but before she could snap a retort, Lilith was kissing her again. It was sincere and warm against the cold of the night's air, but as sudden as it had occurred, it was over, and Lilith was stepping away.

"I expect I'll be seeing you again soon, little mouse."

Zelda felt the flare of irritation rise again, but Lilith had disappeared into the shadows before she could think of what she wanted to do. Snatching up her coat, she slung it back onto her shoulders and walked over to her purse, taking out her cigarettes, before remembering that she'd left her lighter upstairs.

"Heaven's sake," she whispered and, once again, looked up to the hotel to where her suite was.

Zelda sighed and moved to head back inside, checking her make-up quickly with a hand mirror before she went inside the lobby. The last thing she needed was the hotel staff gossiping about her.

She pressed at the elevator button inside and looked over at the mirror reflection of herself. She certainly looked wind tussled at the very least, and there were new marks on her throat.

Zelda drew a breath and adjusted her clothes, wondering if this was going to be a reoccurring thing.

Satan save her, what was she going to do if it was?

[yoursinfulurges]

Neo Host Club

Part 1.

Description:

Sm academy is a school for the riches kids in the country. If you have way too much time in your hands, have the school' host club take care of it for you. The host club is compiled of 21 members, im sure one of them will fit your preference. Indulge in fine dining as handsome rich men accompany you, showering you with love and affection. The host club is here to fulfill all of your fantasies of having a handsome rich man as your boyfriend. We encourage you to join us. Neo Host Club is your perfect vacation, we are here to aid you from all your stress.

Lies. All lies. At first everything was perfect, no bumps or kinks in the road. Being with Jaehyun was like a dream come true. But, like all dreams, at some point you have to wake up. Everything could've gone much more smoother if you would've never gotten involved with him in the first place. You went from being a one-time customer, to his personal call girl. You loved him with all your heart, but he loved himself way more. He took it upon himself to choose his pride over you. The host club wasn't as perfect as it seemed. It was not a picture perfect place where nothing could go wrong, It was just a utopian world made up by troubled kids, who hoped to forget their miserable lives outside of school. You know that now... He could've chosen love over tragedy, but his pride prevented him from doing so. He had a reputation as the host clubs most charming member to up hold, and he certain couldn't risk it for some girl he sleeps around with. He chose his pride, not you, thus shattering your relationship... or, whatever it was that you two had....

You were left with a shattered heart, he left you to pick up the pieces all on your own. It was not love, but instead a tragedy.

Warning: multiple smut scenes, bisexuality, grammar errors, implication of Asian reader, degrading terms, and over all a whole shit show

Word Count: about 5.k

___________

You gazed out the window of your limousine and sighed. Your face contorting into an expression that displayed 100% discomfort; you looked as if you were about to throw up any given minute, soiling the red velvet rug and your brand new uniform. The tingling sensation in the pit of your stomach seemed to be like a never ending stream. An endless flow of nervousness and anxious thoughts, feeding your anxiety like a wild fire, stirring up a cyclone of possible panic attacks or mental break downs. It felt as though you were on the verge of crying and shitting your pants.

Today, you'd be starting a new chapter in your life. You were finally attending the infamous SM academy, a school known for its excellent education system and outstanding clubs. You've heard many rumors about SM, but the most repeated are about a particular club called neo host club. It's apparently compiled by 18 charming male students, proudly running the club in it's second year at SM academy. The club was said to be extremely gifted, talents ranging from singing, dancing, rapping, and even magic acts.

You were sure they were nice and all, but you weren't buying it. A group of extremely good looking men with impeccable manners. It was almost too good to be true. What is this?, a sappy fanfiction written by a fourteen year old high school student that has nothing better to do? Yes. From what you've heard, they seemed like robotic brain washed idiots, fooled into acting like manga characters. It was best to not interact with them, given your long track record of obsessing over anime characters. You came to this school to learn, not to get involved with boys. No love affairs or scandalous awkward run in's. You were here to further your work ethics and that's all, there was nothing in your itinerary about getting involved with boys. Besides, something about them seemed fishy...

-

You gazed at your parents one last time before finally stepping out of the car. It was evident from your expression that you did not want to be here. You've protested a million times and made it completely obvious to your parents that you didn't want to attend SM. Originally, you wanted to go to JYP Arts, a school who focuses more on creative liberty rather than academics. It's most commonly known as a school who values creativity more than anything else, earning it a bad reputation from parents such as yours. You wanted to attend JYP rather than SM due to your passion for art, but your parents disapproved and left you with no other option but to attend SM.

They insisted that art wouldn't get you any where, and that it was more of a side hobby rather than a job you can actually make money off of. You were crushed, but weren't surprised. Your parents had always raised you to value money over happiness. Ever since you were little, you were tought that living in luxury and loneliness was better than living poor and surrounded by love. The only time you actually made your parents proud was when you won a hefty prize on some petty competition; not when you won a trophy for your outstanding literature work. Not when you donated half a million dollars to charity, in fact, they seemed bitter about it, rather than proud.

To them, your trophy room filled with over 200 golden medals and trophies was nothing compared to the dollar signs you'd rake in. As a child, you've always joked that your parents were like the cookie monster, but with money. Having always seen them in the study, counting huge wads of 100 dollar bills, usually accompanied by other stacks of fresh paper; Naturally, you saw them as a psychopath with an unhealthy obsession over money, greedy and hungry (but without the blue fur and garbage can of course.) None the less, they still treated you with love,... In their eyes.... You were sure that in their own twisted way, they loved you with all their hearts. They just didn't show it much, or at all....

Life with them as parents was....rough... You would've been fine if you had other siblings to socialize with, but your parents thought of children as a menus and that you were far than enough for them. You figured out pretty quickly that you were only born because they needed a heir to the family business. You weren't aloud to talk nor even look at the children that would play outside the gates of your mansion. They iced you out from everything outside the walls of your house. Forcing you to make friends with the statues and paintings that littered your home. It was indeed sad, sad enough for the staff to take pity on you and go well out of their way to interact with you.

Thankfully, making some great friends in the confinement of your own home. Over time, you weren't so lonely anymore. There was Mrs. Kim, your librarian and teacher who home schooled you up until this point. Mr. Kim, the gardener. Mr. Lee, the chef and baker. Emily, one of the maids around the same age as you. Sehun, the son of your head maid. And lastly, Mrs. Oh, your head maid and Sehun's mother. They weren't exactly the normal group of friends people your age would have but they were great. So much fond memories were made with them, they raised you more than your parents ever did.

-

Morning classes flew by quicker than you expected, and before you knew it it was time for lunch. Your morning mainly consisted of you arriving to classes late due to your unreliable locker not wanting to cooperate, and boring lectures given in both 2 classes. You still couldn't shake off Ms. Lee's lecture about sexual intercourse, she had practically begged and yelled at your table to not have sex. Yes, specifically your table, earning lots of snickers from the other students and shy glance from you while your seat partner tried not to piss her pants. You did not expect a 40 year old lady in a purple get up to yell at you about sex on your first day of school. You expected your day to go much more normally than this, hopefully your evening will go on much more smoother. But some good did come out from Ms. Lee's excessive screaming.

While your loony teacher was yelling at another group about something you couldn't quite understand, you had managed to make a friend somehow. Her name was yeri, at first you'd expected her to one of the more quiet students, but boy were you wrong. The moment Ms. Lee stomped over to your table yeri's lips were practically bleeding, due to her bitting down on it way too hard to prevent herself from laughing. You liked her a lot, having shared some common interests and surprisingly similar personalities.

She even invited you to sit with her and her friends at lunch. You agreed of course, not wanting to look like a fool by sitting all by yourself. You would be vulnerable to judgmental stares and occasional murmurs. After class you stuck by yeri like gum to a shoe. She had informed you that it was usually her job to witch hunt her friends down. Understandable, given that the school was at least the size of fifteen malls. One could easily get lost. This 'witch hunt' however, wasn't as complex as you'd expect it to be. You had managed to find all four of them in under five minutes. Though it was painstaking,  mentally wise. Yeri said 'seek for those that look ill minded'. It had taken you a while to figure out what the hell that meant, as you did not speak her witch lingo. But after a few seconds you had managed to translate it as 'look for the idiots'. You left it to her to find them though, as you weren't the judgmental type. And sure enough she did.

They were all huddled around a girl; and from what you can see, she seemed to be distressed in a way. Vulgar profanities spill from her lips as she aggressively throws books into her locker. They were all pretty, but looked very intimidating. From what information you can gather with your eyes, they definitely weren't the most well-behaved students here. One opted for a leather jacket instead of the required school blazer. Some wore fish nets instead of stockings. Two wore plaid skirts. And almost all had hoop earrings on, which you know for a fact is not allowed. They all sported bright, eye catching makeup; with hair ranging from violet high lights to straight up platinum blonde. The contrast between yeri and them was unimaginable, but fitting. The only remotely juvenile thing about her is her ash grey high lights. Other than that, she seemed like your typical well-mannered girl.

"Oof, whose the babe." A very pretty girl with red lipstick and perfectly lined brows said whilst pointing at you with her lollipop. You looked her up and down and immediately got chills. She wore black latex thigh high heels; a plaid miniskirt with a leather belt, accompanied with chains; and an off white blouse, nearing grey in the color spectrum; with a sleek black leather jacket, that tied the look all together.

"This is y/n. She's new. Y/n, seulgi." Said yeri. Her hand landing at the dip of your back, pushing you forward gently but with the foundation of force. The grip  you had on your books tightens, pulling your notebook closer to your chest. You weren't necessarily scared, just weary.

"Ou, fresh meat." This,... Seulgi uttered.

"Careful she bites. Hi, I'm wendy." Stated the girl that was distraught earlier, as she moved her locker door a bit to take a peek at seulgi. Observing her, you smiled back.

She wore her hair in space buns with red and purple highlights; complementing their whole 'grunge chic' look. Her outfit was all mixed and match, from a yellow plaid mini skirt and red tank top, to a lilac and pink wind breaker. Chaotic, but stylish. Her gaze shifted from seulg to you, with a pleasant smile on her lips. To which you return, as you didn't wanna be caught observing her... She then aggressively shuts her locker door before turning your way.

"Cafeteria?" She questioned and you all nodded. You weren't one to oppose a grumbling stomach after all, so you complied.

-

Once seated in the cafeteria, you took a minute to take it all in. The place looked like the queen's ball room with the fancy domed roof and pillars, not to mention the giant chandelier that hung in the middle of the room. It was quite spacious, fit for the only finest. You couldn't expect any less from Korea's top school.

"Look whose here." The girl whom you've come to know as irene spoke, nudging her head towards the brown double door entrance. Your gaze following, and landing at a group of boys. All handsome and well dressed... I guess you were staring at them way too intensely, since one of the girls spoke up.

"Careful, you don't wanna get close to them." Wendy whispers in your ear.

"Why not?" You ask, turning her way.

Seulgi scoffs. "They're a bunch of a-holes but everyone here's too dumb and blinded by their looks to figure it out." She states while probing her miniscule fork in the air in their general direction.

"Seems like you have something against them." A sly tone laced your tongue as you spoke. You didn't know where this new found comfort came from since you were antisocial as fuck. But it was quite easy to adjust to them. They weren't as bad as you thought. They were actually very nice and well-mannered. They just have trouble obeying rules... You felt comfortable with them, almost like you've known them your entire life.

"Ya!? Well, I do!"

"Last summer seulgi got into some beef with taeyong, the guy with red hair and the leader of 'nct' as they call themselves. Anyways, They dated but seulgi came out as les and he got really salty about it and released nude pictures of her and her titties." Joy laughed while seulgi scoffed once more.

"They were nice though..." Wendy informed with a mischievous laugh.

"I know! If anything it just made the girls fond over me more. I mean get a load of these double D's." You spat out your tea as she pushed her breast together and leaned forward to attack you with them. Everyone bursts into a giggling fit as you coughed vigorously.

"But still, it pissed me off!" With her eyebrows furrowed she threw the tiny fork in her hand at her empty tray. The laughter didn't seem to die down and you thanked joy for the napkin she handed you to recollect yourself. You thought to yourself, maybe this wasn't so bad.

Not much had happened since lunch. Third period wasn't that bad since irene and joy accompanied you in math. Not to mention that it was practically a free period due to a technical difficulties. Last period was with seulgi and wendy. The three of you spent majority of language arts goofing off as the teacher read segments from Romeo and Juliet. Wendy made exaggerated expressions as the infamous "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore arth thou Romeo" line was read off... resulting in her being sent to the principal's Office...

-

And now you were back at your miserable humble abode, wilting away like a plant without water. It was only then when your macbook started vibrating with notifications, that you decided to take a break from painting.

Instagram: Yeri_is.petrified started following you...

Instagram: TheWendyBird started following you...

Instagram: Joy¡!_xoxo started following you...

Instagram: Irene♡_ started following you...

Instagram: Seulgi_ started following you...

Incoming call from: Yeri_is.petrified +4 others.

[Decline]  [Accept]

You furrowed your brows in confusion, how did the manage to find your account so easily. You sighed unknowingly as you clicked the accept button.

AznBabe_ has accepted call...

"Hey bitch." Yelled seulgi. You looked at her side of the screen. Instantly you noticed her odd preference in decorations as her room looked like a night club. There were mixtures of reds, purples, and blue illuminating lights. You presumed that were caused by various neon signs of some form. Her roomed looked like a strippers den. Especially with the red and black silk sheets she had.

"Asian babe, really?" Asked Irene. Her room was definitely more mellow. It fits her whole "your mom wished she gave birth to me" vibe. Very prim and proper, her color palette from what you can see is mainly black and white, with a plant here and there.

"Ya, lol..." you deadpanned. "How did you guys even find my IG?"

"It took a lot of searchin. By the way, love the whole edgy-urban- im-a-badass-dont-mess-with-me thing you have going on in your feed." You laughed as wendy emphasized her words, using hand gestures to prove her point.

"Ya, totally different from the whole good girl thing you have going on. It's hot. I like it." Added joy. Understandable since to took pride in reinventing yourself just for the internet. In the eyes of your followers you were a rebellious lil demon' that smoked and road motorcycles. But in actuality you were a goody-two-shoes that just so happens to vape and have access to thousands and thousands of urban clothing. You did ride a bike though but you preferred the rose gold custom Lamborghini you got for your birthday last year.

Truth be told, it was just an act. You weren't entirely sure what prompted you to create this edgy persona of yourself. I guess it was just to distract yourself from the oh' so pitiful life you lived now. A double life if you will...

"You should dress like this tomorrow. You'll fit right in." Said yeri as she held up her left hand in the form of a 6 sign.

"Why'd you losers called anyways?" It's funny how comfortable you've gotten with these girls that you've barely known twelve hours ago. You felt like you've been apart of their friend group since the beginning even though you've just met them today.

They all shrugged before going back to the task at hand. Irene was probably finishing up next weeks homework. While Yeri and Joy were mindlessly scrolling through their feed. Wendy has her camera off but by the sound of things she was probably cooking. Seulgi, well she was just laying in bed smoking. As for you, you were just tidying your work station.

"Are you guys planning to go to yukhei' party tomorrow? I heard he's going to have a cheese fountain." Wendy announced as she turned her camera on, giving you full view of the mess she made. Stains ranging from red to greenish yellow adorned her white shirt. And the gold spatula she was holding had burnt pieces on it.

"The boy loves his cheese." Laughed seulgi as she talks another drag from her blunt.

"Wait a minute, isn't he that guy from the club you said to stay away from?" You questioned, looking up from what you were doing to give them a look of confusion.

"He throws really good parties." Irene shrugged, not bothering to look up from her notebook.

Wong Lucas was Indeed a questionable man, but there was no doubt that he threw the craziest parties. He was pretty much what you'd expect a nineteen year old rich kid to be, wild and rebellious. It was a known fact that he got his spot at Neo through one of his parties. He was the one that arranged most of the clubs events because he was really good at it. For the most part he has a pretty squeaky clean record. Aside from little rumors here and there.

-

And that's how you found yourself dressing up hot and steamy for a party you didn't even know the location to. You decide to go casual yet still sexy. It didn't take you long to decide on a red latex, skin tight skirt with a Gucci belt, paired with a black lace bracelet styled top, and black velvet thigh highs. As for your hair and makeup you kept it simple, opting to just curl your hair with a subtle black winged liner and a bright red lip, also accompanied by perfectly lined brows and extra gleaming highlight.

Seulgi was already at your house since she insisted on getting dressed there. The party didn't start till nine and it was only seven twenty so you had plenty of time to lounge around. Seulgi went with a dark purple velvet off shoulder flaired dress, with black thigh high heels that laced up at the front. Her hair was styled in a bun with her bangs hanging loose. And her makeup was very minimalistic, similar to yours except she had a nude lipstick on.

"Smile for a picture slut!" She yelled, positioning the camera in front of you both. You did your go-two insta hoe pose; shoulders back, one eyebrow slightly raised, gaze soft yet sassy; lips pressed together but lightly tugged into a small smirk. You figured out that the pose made you look irritated and confused yet still hot. The next picture was just of you and seulgi giving the camera the middle finger with your eyes closed and tongue stuck out.

"You look hot in all of these." Seulgi complimented as she scrolled through the pictures. Deciding the top five that worked well in her favors before posting it on her IG. Not so long later the doorbell rang, indicating that someone was present at the door.

Seulgi_ tagged you in a photo

[Image]

10,000 likes

Born in the pussy, i'll die in a cunt.

579 comments

_JaeD_ +58 others has started following you...

The party hadn't even begun and already the place was packed. Cars ranging from Lambo's, Royce', and Mercedes littered the place. Luckily Irene found a place to park her convertible. You knew that this place was heavily guarded since it was known to be one of the more classier part of Seoul. So when wendy suggested to park in the streets, none of you seemed to worry about any possible theft.

The house was huge, certainly not as large as your house but definitely enough to fit a hundreds of people. From your knowledge of revenue, or just money in general, the house looked to be worth a good nine million, ten at most. It was a modern home so you knew that it had to be well over a million. Since most houses that have that specific structure were more on the heftier side of things. And there were stone statues everywhere. Those aren't cheap to come by.

You all walked up to the security man with a guest list and patiently waited for the group of girls to finish. You knew judging by their clothes that they weren't from the privileged life. The knockoff Gucci was a huge give away. Normally you wouldn't have a problem about these kinds of things, but knowing how upper class parties work, the odds are they were going to get thrown out.

You watch as the girl whined and screamed to be let in, claiming that she'd tell her father about him. You almost took pity on them, enough to say they were with you. You would've if it weren't for half of them giving you the stank eye.

"Step aside. Name?" The man asked you.

"Lee Y/n, of the Lee dynasties." You said confidently, staring back at the girl who had been glaring at you the second you walked up here.

"And you know who we are." Joy piped.

"Hi wonho!" Greeted wendy.

"Right this way girls." The guard known as wonho smiled before opening the door for the six of you.

"We're with them." One girl said.

"No you're not." You laughed at Irene's words, strutting into the home. It reeked of alcohol and drugs. The air was littered with smoke from the smoke machine, and atmosphere gave off a more chill-club kind of vibe from the red and blue lights the laminated that places. The place was jammed pack with people, some you recognize from school.

"Let's go get a drink." Seulgi whispered in your ear. You nod whilst looking around. She mumbled a inaudible 'this way' before pushing your forearm to the direction of the kitchen.

Your jaw drops. There really was a cheese fountain...

The kitchen wasn't as compacted as before, leaving room for you to actually wonder. There were only a few groups of people and from what you can see out the sliding doors, they were all outside by or in the pool.

"Look theres pizza."

"Theres a cheese fountain. A fucking cheese fountain! I thought it was a joke-"

"Ohhh nooo, Yukhei never jokes about cheese..."

-

You watch in amusement as yeri chugs down her twelfth glass of martini blue. (S/o if you get it). At this point in, you've lost count of how many shots you've had and the many types of alcohol you drank. Everything became a drunken blur, gaze hazy, mind fuzzy. The blaring music was coming through filtered, like you were under water. Everything felt like a mirage. Every action your body did, your brain did not comprehend. Thus resulting you on time out, under the watchful gaze of wendy and Irene.

A huff leaves your lips as you slumped and grabbed another slice of pizza off the counter you sat atope of.

"Why can't I just have another one..." a pout forms on your face as you groan in frustration.

"Because y/n you've already had 24 shots of that neon green stuff." Says wendy.

"Hey Yuk, what is that stuff?" Irene grabs a hold of the muscular male that happened to pass by, pointing at the  suspicious looking bowl of glowing green liquid.

"Oh, that?.. ask Sicheng and Nakamoto, they made it. But I think its mountain dew and monster with vodka and sprite, something like that." Lucas says before placing down three boxes of pizza and tacos and leaving. Leaving the two to groan in agony, somebody had to take care of you.

"I'm going to the washroom..." you say, hopping off the granite counter and wobbling off to a random hallway.

"Okay..." mumbled Irene as she takes a sip from her plastic red cup.

Uncertain where your legs were taking you to, you watch as seulgi pushes a girl into an unoccupied room. You were unsure of her name but you've seen her in your fine arts class. She hangs out a lot with those JYP kids.

"Have fun Seul!" You laughed, banging your forearm into the wooden door before drunkenly walking off.

Somehow you had managed to find the washroom. You swiftly made your way in and locked the door behind you. Clearly missing the figure that smoked in the shower. You blink meekly at the sink, forgetting why you went to the washroom in the first place.

You sigh, propping yourself up on the counter. Your body swayong lightly to the current migos song blasting through the speakers outside. You yawn lightly, thanking god that the red and black aesthetic happening outside correspondent in the bathroom as well. The red led light that illuminated the room was certainly much more calmer than the yellowish lights in the kitchen. It made things a lot easier to actually see.

The male watches you with amusement in his eyes. Taking another drag from his blunt, he shifts his weight onto the shower wall.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing here?" He asked, nodding is head upward before tilting it to the side and taking another drag of his cigar. His hazel brown eyes staring down at you as he lifts an eyebrow, waiting for a respond.

You hum lightly, swinging your legs absentmindedly. "Just chillin!" He laughs slightly at your answer before making his way to you and leaning against the bathroom counter.

"Then lets chill together. My names Yuta. You?" Evident in his voice that he wanted more than to just relax, but it only goes by unnoticed to you as you happily told him your name.

5 minutes later...

"Oh fuck!! Just l-like that! Shit!!!" You scream loudly as you grip onto Yuta' hair. A smirk forming on his lips as he looks up at you with sly eyes. A milky way of lust and hunger filled his hazel ord. (Pun not intended) Moans fall out of your mouth as Yuta sucked on your clit. Your vision fogs as your intoxicated mind tries to comprehend every wave of pleasure coming your way.

"I-im coming! Fuck!!!" Screaming at the top of your lungs, your breath increases as you struggle to unleash the tightness in your stomach. Your pitch rises ten octaves as you release onto Yuta' mouth. Your mind in a blissful ecstasy as you ride out your high.

"Well, that was fun." He says in a sly tone, lifting his head and licking his lips.

"Visit me if you ever want more..." A chuckle erupts from his mouth as he handed you a pink card with golden accents on all four corners. You watch as he leaves before reading the cursive golden letters on the card.

|                      Neo Host Club                        |

                           Empathy,

           We turn dreams into reality.

|                Room: 127  7am-6pm                 |

You raise your brow in confusion as you examine the card front to back. We turn dreams into reality? What the hell did that mean? An escorting buisiness perhaps.. though you highly doubt the school would allow such a thing. Regardless of the clubs purpose, it was still worth checking out. As the name and slogan intrigued you very much.

And thus, you began your journey down the rabbit hole of poorly chosen decisions and midnight drunk hook ups. But sooner or later the spiral will begin to unwind and all will be revealed. After all, they didn't call him the king of hearts for nothing...

How was that huh? Probably not what you expected but oh well :/ don't expect for part two to be out any time soon!!! Currently working through writers block :(

[noonaduck]

BTS - Mad Man’s Wonderland 1.

Pairing: ? x reader genre: AU, smut, fluff, angst(?) words: 3250 warnings: Some cursing A/N: I believe that this series is going to be updated at slow pace. I haven’t quite decided the pairing yet, maybe one member, maybe couple of members or even OT7, What do you want? Again I’m not native English speaker so some errors may occur.

1st unedited draft.

[gifs belongs to their rightful owners]

Rain was pouring and you could barely see where you were going. Car's headlights were almost no use in nightly storm. You were heading home form late night sift at work when storm had taken you by surprise. Your ride to home would take at least forty-five minutes in good weather, but in this weather it could take even longer. You lived in  small countryside town, which was half an hour away from bigger city where your workplace was located. In your small town wasn't jobs for everyone, unless you liked farming, so of course you had looked from next possible place, which was nearest big city, and had landed a job in 24/7 hypermarket as an shop assistant. Your job was quite easy you had to put products into right places and help customers to find what they were looking for. You were grateful about your job, but at the same time you felt sad that the hypermarket had put many smaller shops out of business.  The car was old and heating system was just broken couple of days ago, which make you pull your jacket tighter around you. You tried to see the right turn towards to your town, but it was almost impossible in this weather. Suddenly your car begins to twitch and rolls down to stop.

''No, no this can't be happening.'' You say out loud desperately. You try to turn the car key again, which makes the car's motor complain. ''You can do it baby.'' You try to persuade your car but with few coughs the car turns silent and headlights shuts of. ''Fuck!'' You hit the car feel and turn to look for your phone in the darkness. You search for your phone in the darkness and find it on the passenger's seat. You tap your screen and dim light illuminates your face only to tell you that you have a low battery. With few peeps your phone dies on your hands. ''Don't leave me, I need you.'' You sob like a person who is losing her family member's life. For a while you just sit in the dark car and listen pouring rain hitting to your car's roof. You don't have an umbrella and you aren't even sure where you are at the moment. You weight your options, you can either sit in the car and wait that someone drives by or go out and try to find some help. You doubt that no one will drive along the side roads at this hour and magically rescues you, so you  have to take the second option even if it feels unpleasant. You put your jacket's hood over your head and reach for your back bag on the passenger's side floor. You stiff your car keys and phone into back and open the car door with deep breath. Instantly the cold rain hits you and you can already feel how the water is soaking trough your clothes. Your eyes have already gotten used to the darkness thanks to your car's death so at least you are able to see something. You keep walking along the muddy road and looking around you in hopes of seeing a lonely farm house or someone as unlucky as you who is in the rain. Instead you just the forest surrounding you. You had been walking almost fifteen minutes when a glowing sing caught your attention. Mad Man's Wonderland was written on it with black and white neon letters. There wasn't any explanation what kind of business it was but it seemed to be your only hope to get out of the heavy rain. Your sneakers were soaked and you could feel how your wet socks  made wet sound in your shoes. You speed your space and soon you saw a building coming out behind the trees. The building was made of dark wood and it's roof was made of black bricks. The windows were same shade of black as the roof. You could see both black and white lanterns hanging inside of windows which illuminated warm glow into dark night. You stopped hesitantly to beginning of stairs which leaded to the front door. Every second stair was black and others were white. You could almost feel the warmth of the building and you made your decision. No matter what kind of place this was at least the owner would let you use a phone, you hoped. You walked up the stairs and stopped in front of the door one hand at the handle when you noticed a sing hanging on the door. MMW's opening hours; Open when we feel like it at the time we seem fit, as long as we see fit. You are welcome to try your luck. You frown confused, but the bone devouring coldness won your hesitantly thoughts and you pushed the door in. A small bell chimed on the door when you stepped in. You didn't know what you had excepted, but not certainly this. You were in a candy shop which was full of all kind of candies, lollipops, chocolates, cookies and all kind of other candies filled the stands and the tables of the room. The walls were plain white, but all kind of black and white candy pictures covered the walls. You were almost surprised that the real candies weren't only in black and white. next to windows was booths which couches were colored in white and the tables were shining black marble. You could already ques it, the floor was made of black and white chess patterns. On the opposite wall of the door was a counter made of brown food with vitrine full of different types of cakes and cupcakes and top of it was old looking cash register.  There was also a door with a sing,staff only. The shop was empty except a man who was sleeping behind the counter. You begin to walk towards the counter and grimace when your sneakers made squawking noises. The man doesn't wake up by your surprise and you cough loudly when you stop in front of him. The man in wearing black satin suit with dark green tie and on top of his head is same colored top hat, which covers his fluffy silver hair. The man snores quietly so you shake his shoulder gently. ''Wake up.'' You say and the man lifts his head for a second before he slams it right back to counter. You notice a bell next to cash register and begun ringing it repeatedly. ''I'm up, I'm up. Please stop that noise.'' The man complains and straightens his posture on the chair which he is sitting. You can see his face more clearly now when its not hiding behind his folded hands. The man is pale as sugar and his figure is tall and slim. his dark eyelashes are  long and frames his dark eyes perfectly. He has small plump lips and straight nose which fits his features perfectly. The man stares you with same interest as you measure him. You only notice now letter's MMW embroidered into his jacket's left collar. ''It's rare to have customers on this weather.'' The man grins and puts his hat on the counter. ''I don't doubt that. Do you have a phone that I could use? My car broke down and I need to call someone to help.'' You ask hopefully. ''Sure thing, there is old public phone on the wall which you can use.'' The man says and points towards end of the room where is indeed old looking phone with number hockey on it. The phone is in between two doors without any sings where they might lead. ''You don't have anything more modern?'' You ask hesitantly. ''Nope.'' The man pops the p and sigh. This night is turning just great. ''Fine.'' You mumble and head towards the phone. Only phone number that you can remember from memory is your mother's so you have no other choice than try to call her, even if late call makes her panicked. You put the earpiece onto your ear and begin to roll the numbers. Instead of dialing noise you hear nothing. The line is dead. ''You have to be kidding me.'' You complain and slam the earpiece at to it place. ''Don't be cruel to my old phone. The storm must have cut the phone lines.'' A voice right behind you  gets you by surprise and you almost jump on your place. You spin around and the same man who was behind the counter is standing in front of you. ''I didn't mean to scare you kitten, but I was going to ask do you want to have change of clothes? You see there is some old workers clothes left in the back?'' The man asks and tilts his head. You look down your wet clothes and then back to the man.'' If its not trouble.'' You decide to ignore the new nickname. ''No, not at all. Take a seat and I be right back.'' he smiles and turns around so he can head towards the back room. ''Hey?'' You ask hesitantly and the man stops. ''Yes?'' The man asks curiously and looks you over his shoulder. ''Whats your name?'' You ask. ''You can call me Suga.'' The man winks and continues his journey. ''I'm Y/N.'' You tell and and the man is almost by the door behind the counter. ''It's nice to meet you Y/N.'' He says and disappears into the backroom. You decide to obey Suga and head for one of the free booths.You take your bag from your shoulders and put it on the seat next to you. Suga returns soon with pile of clothes. ''I hope that these fits. These are clean and I'm sure that my colleagues won't mind you borrowing them.'' He hands you the pile and smile thankfully. ''Where I can change?'' You ask awkwardly. ''Right. That door on the left next to the phone is the bathroom. You can change there.'' Suga explains pointing to the door. You nod your head and head for the door. The bathroom is those ones where instead of many booths is one toilet seat and sink. You turn the lock and put the clothes on the closet toilet seat. The bathroom walls are coffee brown with golden rims. The mirror above the sink has golden frame and even the toilet paper holder is golden. You begin to peel the wet jack of you when you hear a small knock from the other side of the door. ''Yes?'' You ask and let the jacket drop with small thud on the floor. ''Do you need a towel? I have one here.'' Suga's voice comes behind the door. You open the door again and take the towel, which he is offering, giving your thanks, and closing the door again. You unfold the towel and grateful for it big size. You put the towel away after using it and begin to take rest of your clothes of as well. Soon you are only in your underwear, your wet clothes laying on the floor, and you look closer the pile of clothes which are given for you. There is loose white shirt with golden letters MMW printed on its chest, straight black pants with pockets and even men's underwear. You feel awkward, but you shake it of when you think about your wet clothing. The shirt is too big for you and keeps falling over your shoulder but the pants are surprisingly almost your size. You decide leave your damp bra on but end up changing into men's boxers which are the same size of the pants.There is even fluffy pink slippers which are sadly little too big for you, but at least they are dry.  You collect your messy pile of clothes from the floor and head out of the bathroom. Suga is nowhere to be seen and you head back for the booth where you were sitting earlier. As soon as you reach the booth you notice that your bag is missing. You put your wet clothes on the seat and head towards the counter. ''Suga?'' You yell question in your voice, but you don't get an answer. You decide to head towards the counter and round it to the staff door. You knock the door. ''Suga?'' You yell again and try the handle, but it is locked. You knock louder, but don't get an answer. A loud laughter scares you and you spin around looking rapidly the source of it. ''Who's there?'' You ask with caution. The laughter doesn't sound scary, but instead it sound happy like a child who is enjoying his time with his heart content. You locate the sound, it comes behind the right door next to the phone. You walk towards it drawn bu the sound of the happy voice. Soon you are pressing the door handle and a small hallway comes in to your view. There is only elevator door in the end of the dimly lighted hallway and the sound of laughter is getting further away. You hesitate shortly in front of the old golden cage door before you pull it open. The elevator walls is covered in red satin and a huge mirror is covering the whole back wall. There is only two buttons. Down and the lobby, the lobby button is light as a sign of your location. You pull the door closed again and press the down button. The small elevator sifts and begins to move down, down into the rabbit hole.

It feels like a small eternity when the elevator finally slides to it stop and you step into a small lobby. Red satin couches are pushed next to the walls and golden gas lamps brings their glow in tho the room. There is no windows which isn't a surprise, after all you were underground. There are several different doors which leads who knows where. There is small front desk in front of huge painting where is seven men sitting on similar looking red couches. For your confusion the men of the painting doesn't have faces.A man is sitting behind the desk reading a small leather book. When he hears your steps he puts down the book and a boxy smile covers his face. This man has a bubblegum blue hair and round glasses on top his straight nose, which covers his deep chocolate brown eyes. His skin is colored like a butterscotch and his pink lips look shiny and sweet. He is wearing a purple suit jacket top of black shirt and purple pants. on right side of his jacket is familiar letters MMW. ''Hi, how can I help you? I'm V'' He asks excitedly.   ''Hi V, I'm Y/N and I followed sound of laughter to end up here. ''Oh did you? You must be new customer.'' He questions and measures your odd choice of clothes his brows furrowed. ''Yes, I'm. My own clothes got wet.'' You explain. ''Oh really?'' He asks teasingly and grins pushing his glasses higher up his nose. ''Its raining outside.'' You hurry to defend yourself. V chuckles. ''I believe you. So do you know how our business works?'' He asks and his face turns serious. ''What there is to know about a candy store? Your question is making me to doubt that what kind of shop you have.'' ''Selling candies is more like a side business. The real deal happens here.'' He says and points down the table referring the underground space. ''So what you do here?'' You are turning curious. ''Dear where is the fun in that if I tell you? You have to find it yourself.''  V says with wide grin. ''Even if I wanted to know more, my bag disappeared along with my wallet. I can't pay with anything.'' You sulk. The man chuckles again. ''You don't pay here with money.'' You look him even more confused and he feels sorry for you. ''You pay with the experiences which you are having here.'' ''What does that it mean?'' V pulls a box under the desk and puts it in front of you. ''If you are agreeing taking a part in this experience, I tell you more if not I'm sure that Suga has already returned upstairs.'' You hesitate between two options. Should you return upstairs and hope that Suga has returned with your belongings or go along the V's suggestion that you have no idea where it leads. V seems to notice your hesitation and begins to pull the box back towards him. You stop him putting your hand top of his and he looks you with question.  ''I'm in.'' You say with false confidence. ''Great.'' V says and frees his hand from yours. He opens the box and a smartwatch comes into your view. The round screen is blank and the strap is made of simple white leather. V takes the watch out of the box and pulls your wrist into his grip. ''This watch will guide you on your journey and collect your payments.'' He explains and puts the watch at it place.  You hear small click and surprised you turn your wrist around. There is small lock which prevents you taking the watch of on your own. V ignores your confusion and spins your hand around. He taps the screen of the clock and it lights up. Instead of regular numbers and visors there is 4 icons on display. On first icon is top hat and text that displays contacts under it. Second says points on plain blue letters. Third on is a picture of map with a word map, surprise. The last icon is question mark upside down without any words explaining it. ''You will meet rest of the Mad Man's Wonderland's managers along the way and option to contact them will be opened.'' V explains and press the icon with top hat. *Would you like to make a call?* robotic voice asks when the sentence is displayed on the screen. ''Yes?'' You look V hesitantly. *Who you like to call?* The voice asks again displaying the words it just said. ''Call V.'' V says and pulls his left sleeve up. On his wrist in similar looking watch which begins to beep instantly.   *You have a call from Y/N.* the watch informs. ''Answer.'' V says with bored tone and a hologram of you pops up. There you are with your H/C hair and E/C eyes presented like you are at the moment.  Your eyes drop to your wrist and there is hologram of V which waves alongside with the real version. ''How this is possible?'' You ask dumbfounded. ''Underneath of your clock screen is small computer which measured and scanned you as soon as you had that watch on or at least I have been told. The guy who invented these are truly a genius.'' V explains with monotone voice which makes you doubt this isn't his first time of telling the story.''All you have to know that its pretty awesome. It's also the reason why you aren't able to take the watch of on your own. The guy is pretty possessive when it comes to his innovations.'' ''I see.'' You say still little bit confused but decide to drop the subject. A sound of laughter returns and this time it comes behind on of the doors in the lobby. ''It seems to be your time to go. Follow the laughter and it leads you in the right direction.'' V smiles softly and waves you of. Without another word he pulls the leather book out again and begins to read. It is you mark to leave. You follow the laughter to the door and this time without a hesitation you push it open.

[piranha2509-blog]

2019 NFL MOCK DRAFT

ROUND 1

1. Cardinals

The Pick: Nick Bosa - Defensive End, Ohio State   

Chandler Jones has been one of the fews bright spots for this 3-13 Cardinals team with 13 sacks on the seasons. His numbers are actually deflated because with no running mate other teams can double team him without having to worry. With the first pick in the draft the Cardinals can change that by selecting Bosa who dominated at Ohio State. The Jones and Bosa tandem could be one to terrorize quarterbacks for many years to come.

2. 49ers

The Pick: Josh Allen - Edge Rusher, Kentucky                

It’s very likely that the 49ers trade down to either the Jaguars or Giants both of whom are trying to get in front of the other to select Dwayne Haskins. If they stay put however, they will likely take the uber-talented pass rusher Josh Allen whose decision to forgo the chance to enter the draft last year really paid off. He put up monster numbers in Kentucky and he could really strengthen the 49ers D-Line.

3. Jets

The Pick: Quinnen Williams - Defensive Tackle, Alabama

With the top two edge rushers in this draft Nick Bosa and Josh Allen gone the Jets are going to look to get the best player available and thankfully the best player available might be the best player in the entire draft class. Quinnen Williams was a monster up the middle at Alabama. Gregg Williams comes to the Jets with his new 4-3 scheme and Quinnen Williams should slide right in at Nose Tackle.

4. Raiders

The Pick: Kyler Murray - Quarterback, Oklahoma

With the tier one players in this draft class going in the top three selections Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock might not be benefiting as much as they normally would by selecting the best player available. Watching what the division rival Chiefs did with Pat Mahomes they could draft Kyler Murray this year and give him a year to learn the offense before he hopefully explodes like Mahomes did this year.

5. Buccaneers

The Pick: Rashan Gary - Defensive Lineman, Michigan                

There are a lot of reports coming out that Gerald McCoy’s days in Tampa Bay might be numbered. Even if he stays he’s 30 years old and looks to be on the decline. Their next best D-Lineman was Jason Pierre Paul and he’s 30 as well. Rashan Gary is hyper athletic and can play any position on the D-Line. While his numbers might not be the greatest his athleticism warrants a selection in the Top 5.

6. Giants

The Pick: Dwayne Haskins - Quarterback, Ohio  State                

Eli Manning might still have a year or two left in the tank but Dave Gettleman thinks that it’s about to time to replace him with a younger Qb. Dwayne Haskins proved in his redshirt sophomore year about as much as you can prove in just one season. His sturdy frame, quick release, and pinpoint accuracy allowed him to quickly become one of the best CFB prospects who should be the future in the Big Apple.

TRADE! Broncos Get: Jaguars 1st Rounder, Jaguars Get: Broncos 1st, 3rd, & 6th Rounder

7. Broncos

The Pick: Drew Lock - Quarterback, Missouri

Watching Kyler Murray go 4th overall not only horrifies the Broncos because they’re gonna see him twice a year for another 10-15 years but it also may force the Jags to take the third best passer in the class in Drew Lock. Drew Lock perfectly fits John Elway’s mold for a perfect quarterback with good size and a big arm and those characteristics force Denver to trade up to get Lock.

8. Lions

The Pick: Clelin Ferrell - Defensive End, Clemson            

While it looks like Matt Patricia didn’t exactly have the best first year in the Motor City he was able to do a pretty nice job with the Lions defense taking them from 20th in sacks to 11th with sub-par talent. Ziggy Ansah had a down year for his standards totaling only 4 sacks and now he’s set to become a free agent. Clelin Ferrell has great moves which allow him to get to the Qb often and he can fill the void Ziggy Ansah is going to leave.

9. Bills

The Pick: Ed Oliver - Defensive Tackle, Houston

Ed Oliver was projected to go Number One overall just one year ago but he had a kind of down year in 2019. Injuries held him back and at times he had trouble getting to the quarterback at times while other defensive tackles were improving their stock. His size is also an issue but he’s still a disruptive force up the middle. At pick nine he’s a steal for the Bills who will slot him in where previous franchise tackle Kyle Williams played.

TRADE! Broncos Get: Jaguars 1st Rounder, Jaguars Get: Broncos 1st, 3rd, & 6th Rounder

10. Jaguars

The Pick: Jonah Williams - Offensive Tackle, Alabama

The Jaguars trade down 3 spots and pass on Drew Lock when the Broncos give them an offer they can’t pass up. One of the reasons the Blake Bortles underperformed so much last year was because he was under pressure at times. Assuming the Jags pick up Foles in free agency they are going to have to protect him. Jonah Williams was great at Alabama and would be a steal at the tenth pick.

11. Bengals

The Pick: Devin White - Linebacker, LSU

Vontaze Burfict has dealt with multiple injuries over his career and his latest concussion might have just put his career in jeopardy. Even with Burfict for most of the season the Bengals were still ranked 4th worst in rushing yards per game. At LSU Devin White was easily the best linebacker in college football. He’s a fast sideline to sideline thumper who would add some oomph to this Bengals defense.

12. Packers

The Pick: Jachai Polite - Defensive End, Florida

Mike McCarthy was fired at the end of the season but when new coach Matt LaFleur came in the defensive coordinator Mike Pettine stayed. Mike Pettine likes running the 3-4 defensive scheme however, he’s been missing a star pass rusher. Kyler Fackrell shows good potential and they need someone next to him and Jachai Polite has great speed and moves which allow him to get to the quarterback often.   

13. Dolphins

The Pick: Montez Sweat - Edge Rusher, Mississippi State

Cameron Wake is 37 years old and isn’t going to get any younger. The Robert Quinn trade they made last year was solid but he declined a little and soon he’s going to be out of his prime as well. The Dolphins really don’t have much other talent on the Defensive Line. Montez Sweat is 6’6” and 241  pounds and has great speed and power which allows him to get to the quarterback on a regular basis.  

14. Falcons

The Pick: Greedy Williams - Cornerback, LSU

The Falcons were just outside the bottom five in passing yards given up per game and they cut Robert Alford in the offseason. They need help badly in the secondary as Desmond Trufant and Isaiah Oliver were underwhelming to say the least. Greedy Williams is a lengthy, quick, corner with great awareness and ball skills. While he isn’t necessarily the best fit in the Falcons defense he will still be an immediate upgrade at corner. 

15. Redskins   

The Pick: Daniel Jones - Quarterback, Duke

Alex Smith suffered a gruesome injury and it doesn’t look like he’s going to return for the 2019 season. There’s also a chance that Smith never returns from his injury the same way Theismann didn’t and none of the free agent quarterbacks look like long term fixes for the Redskins. Daniel Jones was coached by Daniel Cutcliffe in Duke a man who is also credited in developing Eli & Peyton Manning.   

16. Panthers 

The Pick: Brian Burns - Defensive End, Florida State

Mario Addison is thirty one years old and has a few good years left in the tank. They need to give him a running mate and then a possible replacement after a few more years. Julius Peppers had his lowest sack total since 2007 and he’s now retired. The Panthers need someone to get pressure on the quarterback so they pick Brian Burns a pass rusher with one of the highest upsides in the draft.

17.  Browns               

The Pick: Christian Wilkins - Defensive Tackle, Clemson

Christian Wilkins dominated guards during his first three years and Clemson and that is why it was so surprising to see him return for his senior season in Clemson. The decision that seemed poor at first happened to pay off big time as he had a career year at Clemson. John Dorsey is going to continue building up this young Browns team and he is gonna take Wilkins and put him next to Larry Ogunjobi for a dangerous duo up the middle.

18. Vikings

The Pick: Cody Ford - Offensive Guard, Oklahoma          

Riley Reiff is the only sure thing on this offensive line at this point and they need help at every position. Cody Ford played tackle at times but he was mainly a mover of men at the offensive guard position. Cody Ford is 6’4” and 338 pounds. He’s a monster who finishes his blocks and rarely gets beat. He’s a great run and pass blocker and would automatically make the rest of the team better.

TRADE! Patriots Get: Titans 1st Rounder, Titans Get: Broncos 1st & 3rd Rounder

19. Patriots

The Pick: TJ Hockenson - Tight End, Iowa

It feels as if the Patriots have just won the Super Bowl for the 53rd time in a row. If there is one position that the Patriots might want to look at in the draft it’s going to be at tight end where Rob Gronkowski looks like his career is going to be winding down. In what is probably his last year in the NFL they should look to draft his successor and there’s no one better then the athletic TJ Hockenson to take his job.

20. Steelers

The Pick: Byron Murphy - Cornerback, Washington

For a team that can’t miss when drafting  wide receivers it’s kind of odd that the Steelers always miss while drafting a defensive back. Joe Haden was the only bright spot in the secondary and he looks like he will hold down one of the starting spots. The other spot currently belongs to Coty Sensabaugh who they could use an upgrade over. Byron Murphy is an aggressive ball hawk cornerback who can fix the Steelers issues at cornerback. 

TRADE! Chiefs Get: Seahawks 1st Rounder, Seahawks Get: Chiefs 1st, 4th & 7th Rounder

21. Chiefs

The Pick: DeAndre Baker - Cornerback, Georgia

The Chiefs inability to stop the pass not only got defensive coordinator Bob Sutton fired but it also kept them from playing the Super Bowl. Kendall Fuller was solid but got injured near the end of the season and Eric Berry has hit the 30 year old mark. The rest of the secondary was a complete mess. DeAndre Baker is an agile corner with great ball skills and instincts that make the Chiefs feel the need to trade up to get him.  

22. Ravens

The Pick: DK Metcalf - Wide Receiver, Ole Miss

Lamar Jackson performed well in his first year because teams weren’t used to playing a team with a quarterback who could also play running back. Teams will eventually adjust and Lamar won’t last very long in this league. To stop him from this fate the Ravens need to add talent at wide receiver. DK Metcalf is the prototypical wide receiver with a great combination of speed and size making him the ideal WR1 for Jackson.  

23. Texans

The Pick: Greg Little - Offensive Tackle, Ole Miss  

Every week DeShaun Watson has to fear for his life playing behind the worst offensive line in the league. They gave up SIXTY ONE sacks during the season. The blind side tackle position in particular was one of the worst positions for the Texans and they could really use an upgrade. Greg Little from Ole Miss has great size for an Offensive Tackle and he has great footwork and athleticism. 

24. Raiders

The Pick: Josh Jacobs - Running Back, Alabama 

When the Raiders picked up Marshawn Lynch two years ago they thought they were going to be getting the Marshawn Lynch who they saw in Seattle, a guy who powered straight through people and ran pretty well downhill. The Raiders didn’t get close to that and now they have the perfect opportunity to give Kyler Murray a run game with a crazy dynamic back in Josh Jacobs.  

25. Eagles

The Pick: Dexter Lawrence - Defensive Tackle, Clemson

Fletcher Cox has been one of the best or even the best defensive tackle in football. He can get to the quarterback as evident with his 10.5 sacks. When offenses ran the ball Cox spent his time in backfields as evident by his 12 tackles for a loss. Next to Cox however, the Eagles got next to no production as Haloti Ngata took a big step back. The Eagles draft the humongous Dexter Lawrence who complements Cox.

26. Colts  

The Pick: Kelvin Harmon - Wide Receiver, NC State

The Colts exceeded all expectations this season with a huge bounce back year from Andrew Luck which was enough to get him Comeback Player of the Year Honors. He managed to do this without very many weapons as after Hilton and Ebron the Colts pass catchers aren’t anything special. Kelvin Harmon is a big body wide receiver who catches 50-50 balls and would be the perfect complement to Hilton in the Colts offense.  

27. Raiders

The Pick: Marquise Brown - Wide Receiver, Oklahoma              

One of the reasons why Derek Carr was unable to produce at the level that he did in 2016 was the lack of weapons he’s had. They lost Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and replaced them with Jared Cook and Jordy Nelson who are 31 and 33 respectively. The Raiders need a deep threat who can stretch the field and make big plays and Antonio Brown’s cousin Marquise Brown would fit that role perfectly.

28. Raiders

The Pick: Devin Bush - Linebacker, Michigan

Despite having a solid Top 12 defense in almost every rushing statistic including yards per game, yards per attempts, and total rushes the Chargers got absolutely crushed by the Patriots run game in the divisional round matchup. The game showed that they needed to upgrade the linebacker position especially with linebacker Denzel Perryman entering free agency.

TRADE! Chiefs Get: Seahawks 1st Rounder, Seahawks Get: Chiefs 1st, 4th & 7th Rounder

29. Seahawks

The Pick: Nasir Adderley - Safety, Delaware  

The Seahawks managed to make the playoffs just a year after losing Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Kam Chancellor, Cliff Avril, and Sheldon Richardson. To add insult to injury Earl Thomas got injured in the third game of the season. After the injury he stuck up his middle finger signifying he isn’t returning to the Emerald City. Nasir Adderley is a versatile safety who should amend for the Earl Thomas loss.

30. Packers

The Pick: Deionte Thompson - Safety, Alabama

The Packers defense not only needs help on the D-Line they need help in the secondary. They drafted two cornerback in the 2018 draft but then they traded Ha-Ha Clinton Dix in the middle of the season and now there is a glaring need at safety. The Packers play one safety up more then any team in the league and a rangy playmaker like Deionte Thompson could really help the defense.

31. Rams

The Pick: Jaylon Ferguson - Edge Rusher, Louisiana Tech

Robert Quinn a key contributor on the Rams defensive line in 2017 was traded away and the Rams traded for Dante Fowler to replace him. Fowler however, is only a short term fix at edge rusher as he is a free agent and the Rams don’t look like their bringing him back. Jaylon Ferguson can replace him and despite playing for small school Louisiana Tech, he managed to set the NCAA record for most sacks in a career.  

TRADE! Patriots Get: Titans 1st Rounder, Titans Get: Broncos 1st & 3rd Rounder

32. Titans

The Pick: N’Keal Harry - Wide Receiver, Arizona State

The Tennessee Titans just don’t have the weapons around Marcus Mariota to make a deep playoff run. Corey Davis was very solid last season but around him Taywan Taylor, Tajae Sharpe, and Jonnu Smith all performed well under expectations which weren’t very high in the first place. Delanie Walker was injured and now he’s getting older and the Titans need another big wide receiver like great measurables like N’Keal Harry.

ROUND 2

33. Cardinals

The Pick: Jawaan Taylor - Offensive Tackle, Florida

34. Colts

The Pick: Dre’Mont Jones - Defensive Tackle, Ohio State

35. Raiders

The Pick: Zach Allen - Defensive End, Boston College

33. 49ers

The Pick: Trayvon Mullen - Cornerback, Clemson

37. Giants

The Pick: Jerry Tillery - Defensive Tackle, Notre Dame

38. Jaguars

The Pick: Noah Fant - Tight End, Iowa

39. Buccaneers

The Pick: Dalton Risner - Offensive Tackle, Kansas State

40. Bills

The Pick: Hakeem Butler - Wide Receiver, Iowa State

41. Broncos

The Pick: Julian Love - Cornerback, Notre Dame

42. Bengals

The Pick: Jeffrey Simmons - Defensive Tackle, Mississippi State

43. Lions

The Pick: Amani Oruwariye - Cornerback, Penn State

44. Packers

The Pick: Irv Smith Jr - Tight End, Alabama

45. Falcons

The Pick: Gerald Willis III - Defensive Tackle, Miami (FL)

46. Redskins

The Pick: JJ Arcega-Whiteside - Wide Receiver, Stanford

47. Panthers

The Pick: Garrett Bradbury - Center, NC State

48. Dolphins

The Pick: Chris Lindstrom - Offensive Guard, Boston College

49. Browns

The Pick: Andre Dillard - Offensive Tackle, Washington State

50. Vikings

The Pick: Mack Wilson - Linebacker, Alabama

51. Titans

The Pick: Oshane Ximines - Edge Rusher, Old Dominion

52. Steelers

The Pick: Tre Lamar - Linebacker, Clemson

53. Eagles

The Pick: Deebo Samuel - Wide Receiver, South Carolina

54. Texans

The Pick: Beau Benzschawel - Offensive Guard, Wisconsin

55. Texans

The Pick: Taylor Rapp - Safety, Washington

56. Patriots

The Pick: Charles Omenihu - Defensive End, Texas

57. Eagles

The Pick: Yodny Cajuste - Offensive Tackle, West Virginia

58. Cowboys

The Pick: Isaiah Buggs - Defensive Line, Alabama

59. Colts

The Pick: Chauncey-Gardner Johnson - Safety, Florida

60. Chargers

The Pick: David Edwards - Offensive Tackle, Wisconsin

61. Chiefs

The Pick: Juan Thornhill - Safety, Virginia Tech

62. New Orleans

The Pick: Rock Ya-Sin - Cornerback, Temple

63. Chiefs

The Pick: David Montgomery - Running Back, Iowa State

64. Patriots

The Pick: AJ Brown - Wide Receiver, Ole Miss

ROUND 3

65. Cardinals

The Pick: Riley Ridley - Wide Receiver, Georgia

66. Raiders

The Pick: Jonathan Abram - Safety, Mississippi State

67. 49ers

The Pick: Erik McCoy - Offensive Guard, Texas A&M

68. Jets

The Pick: Chase Winovich - Edge Rusher, Michigan

69. Jaguars

The Pick: Anthony Johnson - Wide Receiver, Buffalo

70. Buccaneers

The Pick: Kris Boyd - Cornerback, Texas

71. Giants

Forfeited

72. Broncos

The Pick: Kaleb McGary - Offensive Tackle, Washington

73. Bengals

The Pick: Isaiah Prince - Offensive Tackle, Ohio State

74. Patriots

The Pick: Ryan Finley - Quarterback, NC State

75. Bills

The Pick: Elgton Jenkins - Center, Mississippi State

76. Packers

The Pick: Michael Deiter - Offensive Guard, Wisconsin

77. Redskins

The Pick: Connor McGovern - Offensive Guard, Penn State

78. Panthers

The Pick: Kaden Smith - Tight End, Stanford

79. Dolphins

The Pick: Will Grier - Quarterback, West Virginia

80. Falcons

The Pick: Michael Jordan - Offensive Guard, Ohio State

81. Browns

The Pick: Ben Burr-Kirven - Linebacker, Washington

82. Minnesota

The Pick: Jaquan Johnson - Safety, Miami (FL)

83. Titans

The Pick: Lukas Denis - Safety, Boston College

84. Steelers

The Pick: Terry Beckner Jr - Defensive Tackle, Missouri

85. Seahawks

The Pick: TJ Edwards - Linebacker, Wisconsin

86. Ravens

The Pick: Germaine Pratt - Linebacker, NC State

87. Texans

The Pick: Damien Harris - Running Back, Alabama

88. Bears

The Pick: Jalen Jelks - Edge Rusher, Oregon

89. Lions

The Pick: Andy Isabella - Wide Receiver, UMass

90. Colts

The Pick: Joe Jackson - Edge Rusher, Miami (FL)

91. Cowboys

The Pick: Caleb Wilson - Tight End, UCLA

92. Chargers

The Pick: Khalen Saunders - Defensive Tackle, Western Illinois

93. Chiefs

The Pick: Daylon Mack - Defensive Tackle, Texas A&M

94. Jets

The Pick: Dennis Daley - Offensive Tackle, South Carolina

95. Jaguars

The Pick: D’Andre Walker - Edge Rusher, Georgia 

96. Browns

The Pick: Michael Jackson - Cornerback, Miami (FL)

[canaryatlaw]

okay. so. today was pretty fun. I had set my alarm for 10:30 as we’d agreed Jess would pick me up at 11. Well, I woke up to said alarm at 10:30 to a series of messages from Jess telling me to get up already because she wanted nuggets before we went to the con. I told her I’d be ready in 15 minutes, because I was being good and woke up half an hour beforehand when I knew it only really took me 15 minutes to get ready when I’m not doing my make up (doing it in the car here). So I got ready, doing Peter Pan today because I gotta take advantage of my short haired red headed cosplay options because I hate wigs and will be wearing them both Saturday and Sunday. Got picked up, went to Mcdonalds, drove to con, didn’t get stuck in ridiculous traffic like we did yesterday, so that’s a win. I’m trying to remember the details of how everything went down, when you’re there all day and you’re doing different things within a small space it can be hard to remember exactly what you did when. But I think we got there and went to find some people and talked with them for a while, then found Jess’ two friends (”friends”) who were running around doing different things, after waiting for them for a little bit. And I mean, for most of the day we just did different versions of walking around and finding people and looking at things? we’d hang out with a certain group of people for a while and then they’d go off and do a photo shoot or something and we’d migrate to a different group of people. At some point during the afternoon we decided to go through the whole show floor aisle by aisle to assess options before buying anything. I knew I wanted to get a t-shirt of some sort, and sadly there were very few legends-related items out there (I think the only places we really saw them were in the sections where you have the IDs from different shows) so I figured I’d either want something Wonder Woman or Superman related, since those are my other two faves. I was also potentially looking for a cool backpack that’s somewhat bigger than the one I have now because in two weekends we’re doing HVFF New Jersey/Rose City CC in Portland over two days and are just bringing backpacks, and since I decided tonight that I am going to cosplay both days (and the NJ one I am SO excited about!!) I’m gonna need something that can fit a lot of things. What’s annoying about the t-shirt thing is pretty much all of them at cons are only in unisex sizing, not women’s sizes, and I don’t really like how they fit me so I don’t end up wearing them as much as I do the Wonder Woman or Superman shirts I have in woman’s sizes. The other thing I might potentially buy is an Elektra from Daredevil funko pop because back when I was still looking for Katniss but was getting convinced I wouldn’t be able to find her (before I found her online) I was considering making Elektra my next one, and she would fit nicely on my stack of funkos in their boxes (that are literally in a stack on my dresser right now that consists of dark haired women who totally kick ass because apparently I am predictable like that (right now it’s Wonder Woman, Jessica Jones, and Katniss) (I do have three other funkos that are out of their boxes and placed elsewhere, which are my White Canary and Captain Cold, placed in conjunction of course, and Smallville Green Arrow played by Justin Hartley love of my life and the only actor to portray Green Arrow in live action as far as I’m concerned). So we set off to do that. A number of good Wonder Woman options I took note of, a few ones that are old comics styled, a few featuring other Justice League members like Superman and such (though I’m really not a Wonder Woman/Superman shipper like, at all, so not those because Clois is the only valid ship for Clark Kent, though I am open to WonderBat possibilities). There is also a very cool Wonder Woman backpack we were looking for that I’ll probably go back and get because it had a lot of places to put stuff and looked like it could fit everything nicely, it was just 60 bucks so I wanted to make sure it was definitely the best one before actually buying it. The Elektra pop has shown up a few places, cheapest so far for $10, so I’ll keep looking at those since there are of course a ton of places with pops. We kept getting stopped by random men that wanted to talk to us because Jess was being a fucking furry (she got asked to take a picture with two people in full on fur suits and I was dying laughing while also taking a picture of it). By the time it was like 5:30 or so we were pretty much done with everything, so we ended up meeting up with some people and heading to one of the restaurants over by the parking garage, because if you eat at one of the restaurants there they’ll validate your parking so you don’t have to fork over like $15 just for parking. So we ended up going to the German restaurant, which is always a bit of an adventure lol. The first time my family went to DisneyWorld when I was like 12 our restaurant reservations got messed up for one of the days and the only other place we could get in was the German restaurant in Epcot, and all I remember is there menu being like, essentially like three different types of hot dogs, so whenever I think of German food now that’s what I think of, and how I somehow managed to not barf it all up when my brothers and I ran (literally) from Epcot over to Animal Kingdom to get to our fast pass for Expedition Everest, which we made with like 4 minutes left on it and then went on the crazy roller coaster where I was sure I was gonna puke it all up (our restaurant reservation was for like, 4:40, and the fast pass was between 6 and 7, so we thought we’d be fine, but the restaurant got super backed up and didn’t seat us till like 6:15, so we basically ate like half a meal and then ran from the middle of the Epcot circle of nations through the rest of the park, onto the tram and then all the way through Animal Kingdom to Expedition Everest, making it at 6:56). But we got some super cute pictures of my darling baby sister who was 3 at the time and like at peak cuteness dancing to the polka in the German restaurant so that was definitely worth it. ANYWAY. this restaurant seemed somewhat similar in that there was a polka band and everything but thankfully had a larger menu selection. Jess and I ended up splitting some potato pancakes (sorry Germans, they weren’t as good as latkes) and a jumbo pretzel because she doesn’t eat red meat and I’ve been getting Meat Fatigue™ (which we’re still pretending is a real thing okay). We had an interesting conversation going on around us as the guy sitting next to me was trying to say it was bs that people were making excuses for James Gunn in that situation when strongly condemning Trump for making obscene comments, except he was not explaining it well at all and it was totally being lost in translation for everybody else until I was like okay, this is what you mean and explained it and he was like “yes, exactly! I like her” to which I was like 😂😂😂 understanding what people are saying pretty much all the time and explaining things happen to be two random talents of mine that come in handy a lot. So the meal was pretty good, one of the ladies we were with graciously picked up the tab so we were very thankful to her for that. At that point we were pretty beat so we walked back to the parking garage (after getting our parking validated) and drove home. I got dropped off and we planned to pick me up at 10 am tomorrow. I fumbled in the dark with my keys for a few minutes because somehow all the outdoor lights and the lights in the hallway of my building have gone out and not been replaced (yes I could’ve turned my flashlight on on my phone but I was being stubborn and wanted to do it myself) but eventually got it figured out. NICKZANO was very happy to see me, though I told her she’s gonna have to get used to being alone more once I get a job (at some point, anyway). I think I may actually be allergic to cats though, because my legs where I’d been letting her sit on are like hella itchy, but it’s obviously not a major issue at all and I’ll just like, put pants or longer shorts on from now on and that won't be a problem. I showered and changed into my pajamas, then watched a few episodes of 30 Rock, keeping it nice and light. I’m in their 5th season now out of 7 (which is kinda funny because I’m also on the 5th season out of 7 on GoT right now) so sooner or later I’m gonna have to find something else for funny filler episodes when I just want funny tv. And yeah, I did that for a while and then finished getting ready for bed and here we be now. So yeah, lots of fun, hopefully tomorrow will as well, I will be debuting my Ava Sharpe cosplay (who I was never really planning to cosplay but ended up needing to do so for our photo op with Matt Ryan which is gonna be fucking hilarious, just wait) and seeing Matt Ryan so that will be fun. I’ll probably wait till Sunday when I’m doing my also new (and pulled together exclusively of stuff I already owned because business wear) Lois Lane cosplay to see Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum. I was considering doing a photo op with them, but their joint one was $150 which is a tad excessive, and like, Tom alone was still $90 and I wouldn't even know what to do in a single one with him because I’d rather like, have one with both of them so Tom and I could look like we were fighting Michael, but also Michael has hair now so he doesn't even really look like Lex Luthor anymore, so given all of those factors I decided meeting them and getting selfies with them in my cosplay would be good enough. Okay, that’s all I got, it’s 1 am and I’m waking up at 9:30 and I like sleeping so I’m going to go to bed now. Goodnight peeps. Have a lovely weekend.

[aion-rsa]

The Nevers Part 1 Finale Is The Most Surprising Hour of TV in a Long Time

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This article contains major spoilers for The Nevers episode 6.

So that was something, huh? To those who have not yet seen The Nevers episode 6 “True” yet, the above headline may seem fairly overwrought. Really? The most surprising? Wasn’t the Invincible finale just like two weeks ago? To those who have seen the episode in question, however, that designation probably rings true.

How else are we supposed to describe an hour that begins, not in 19th century Victorian era London like the show’s first five episodes, but rather in a far flung future in which 5 billion people are dead and Earth’s atmosphere is toxic? There may have been more surprising twists in TV’s recent past, but it’s hard to recall a recent episode that upends a show’s central premise so extremely, so relatively late into its run. And thanks to the coronavirus pandemic interrupting the show’s production, The Nevers won’t even be able to continue to pursue this rich dramatic vein until “Part 2” of the show’s first season arrives at a still-undetermined later date.

As conceived by prolific TV creator Joss Whedon (before he left the project perhaps in part for also being a prolific jerk), The Nevers first presented itself as a fairly standard superhero tale. It is set in the Victorian era and features a pretty direct allegory: as culture goes through distinct changes, so too do many Victorian women, gaining supernatural powers and banding together as the “Touched.” 

That was all fine and dandy but this sixth installment, written by Jane Espenson, really levels up the show’s potential in a profound way. The Nevers isn’t just a show about change, it’s a show about failure to change. Humanity’s petty squabbles over millennia eventually lead to a world in which our only hope of survival is through inter-dimensional travelers known as the Galanthi. But ever the difficult species, many humans turn up their noses at the notion of divine intervention. Now humanity’s last chance lies in the distant past, surrounded by smog, damp umbrellas, and corsets.

This is, to say the least, a lot to unpack. Thankfully, we’ve gone ahead and done all the unpacking for you. What follows are some major questions raised by “True” along with our answers, some of which have been supplemented by the show’s star, Laura Donnelly. You can find that entire interview over here. 

For now, however, let’s get started with the obvious…

Wait…what? What was that?

I know, right?

No, seriously. Like…what just happened? Give me a TL;DR

The Nevers’ sixth episode answers a lot of questions and raises even more. We will go in-depth on all of those questions in a moment, but to break it down into only a couple of paragraphs:

It turns out that The Nevers takes place in a (hopefully) distant apocalyptic future in which the Earth is ravaged and the majority of the human population has perished. Suddenly a dinosaur-like alien species known as The Galanthi appear from portals and deposit spores that “improve” some people, giving them a stronger sense of selflessness and all around good vibes. The Galanthi also assist scientists in big projects like water purification and renewable energy. In response to the Galanthi’s arrival, the remnants of humanity split off into two factions: the Planetary Defense Council (PDC), which believes the Galanthi are helping; and Free Life, which are skeptical of them.

As this episode picks up, a woman known by only her military rank “Stripe” is involved with a PDC team to make contact with the last Galanthi. Unbeknownst to Stripe and the team, the Galanthi and his scientist friends have hatched a plot to go back to the late 19th century to give humanity a fresh start and a chance to avoid their catastrophic future. After committing suicide, Stripe finds herself in the body of Victorian England breadmaker Amalia True, who had just made her own suicide attempt (possibly succeeding as well). Cue: episodes one through five of The Nevers.

If that brief description is still a bit too complicated, Donnelly provided Den of Geek with an even more economical run down:

“I think the important information is crystal clear, which is essentially: the Galanthi is an alien race that is here to help humanity from itself, and that Stripe is Amalia.”

Now onto the other lingering questions. 

When does The Nevers take place and what happened to Earth?

The show takes place in an unspecified future…at least until Stripe is sent back in time to inhabit Amalia True’s body in the Victorian era. As for what happened to Earth, the simplest answer is probably “humans.” It would appear that all of our centuries of selfish nonsense has rendered the third rock from the Sun a shell of its former self. The air is unbreathable and unable to accommodate pretty much any life. Stripe shocks her crew by “possuming” a.k.a. taking her oxygen-rich helmet off while in battle. Stripe is also later stunned to see actual organic fruit in the lab.

What are the Galanthi? 

The Galanthi are intergalactic and possibly inter-dimensional helpers. No one knows why they first emerged from their portals to assist humanity on Earth but it is fairly clear that they’re here to help…even if Free Life would beg to differ. Their appearance seems to be that of classic scaly monsters. The only time we get to see one is in a video that the scientists recorded. That Galanthi is quadrupedal and about three times the size of a human being. It has Cthulhu-like tentacles on its face. The scientist cheerfully notes that he wasn’t expecting the beast to be this playful, as it nudges him with its head like a cat.

According to Stripe and Knitter, at one point there were around 20 Galanthi but Free Life has been bombing their facilities. As far as anyone knows there is only one Galanthi left on Earth and it’s the one inhabiting this facility. This poor Galanthi is traumatized, however, as Free Life tortured all of its scientist buddies to take away its hope. Now it spends its days in a windowed room in the ceiling, mourning its loss.

What are Free Life and the Planetary Defense Council (PDC)?

The Planetary Defense Council (PDC) is the organization that believes in the mission of the Galanthi. Stripe’s team is made up of PDC personnel and they’re tracking a spatial anomaly to find and defend a Galanthi. Free Life, on the other hand, does whatever it can to make the Galanthi go away. Free Life also doesn’t believe in some of the customs that the PDC has adopted, like concealing one’s own name as sacred. The Free Life representative in this episode’s Chapter One is delighted to tell people his name. 

It’s unknown how many people are involved in each faction, but it would seem that Free Life has the upper hand. There is potentially only one Galanthi left. As Stripe eventually explains to her new friend Knitter (Ellora Torchia), the side that banks on hope rather than fear is at an inherent disadvantage. A sizable percentage of the PDC aren’t even true believers in the Galanthi. They are scared of them but believe they are a necessary evil for humanity’s survival. We see how tenuous even the “believers’” belief in the Galanthi is when one of the PDC team betrays his crew.

What was with those Victorian artifacts in the lab?

Somewhat surprisingly (to me at least), this one has an answer already! Thanks to Donnelly, we now know that the scientists were plotting with the Galanthi to send humanity back to one specific timeframe to make things better. The Victorian artifacts were a part of that research. Donnelly explains:

“You realize that the reason that they had an exit portal was because they had a plan for that, that they weren’t coming back. Obviously you see that with the Victorian artifacts in the room. In fact, this plan was brought together with the scientists. They were working on that together.”

The Galanthi was going to exit through its portal, but it wasn’t abandoning humanity – just getting primed to enter into the next stage of its plan in Victorian England.

Who is Stripe?

Stripe is our hero. Played in the first chapter by Claudia Black, Stripe is so called because names are sacred and cannot be revealed. Instead she goes by her military rank.

“At one point they say something about declaring colors and they kind of all go through what the different names are for the different ranks. She’s a Stripe, which is not very high up,” Donnelly says.

As evidenced by her morphine addiction and cynical attitude, Stripe is not necessarily the consummate soldier.

“She’s been kept to a certain level,” Donnelly adds. “And I think that’s down to the fact that she has very strong PTSD and there’s just a lot about her personality that has kind of kept her slightly higher than a foot soldier. She’s not in any level of authority.”

All we know for sure about Stripe is that she hails from southwest Canada (which is fitting, given that the show films in Vancouver) and that her real name is Zephyr Alexis Lavine. There is surely more backstory to come eventually and we get to see glimpses of her military past when she interacts with the Galanthi at episode’s end.

The person that we know as Amalia True this entire time has been Stripe inhabiting her body.

Did Stripe Commit Suicide? 

Perhaps this was fairly clear but in case you had the same confusion this writer did upon first watch let’s make it clearer. Yes, Stripe did commit suicide. Stripe, Knitter, and the rest of the team truly believed that the last Galanthi was exiting the world for good via its portal. Stripe was already a cynic, but she couldn’t handle taking Knitter’s last bit of hope away from her before she was killed. 

As such, Stripe drank a lethal liquid that the PDC seemingly designed for just such a situation and she perished. The last Galanthi wouldn’t let her be dead for long though as it seemingly snatched her soul out of its body and sent it back to Victorian England. 

Who Is Amalia True?

Amalia “Molly” True is an actual Victorian lady, but not a Victorian Lady, if that makes sense. Poor Molly (maiden name not given) is a passionate and talented baker. Unfortunately, the only role for her in this society is that of a wife. Even more unfortunately, the man she is pressured to marry, Thomas True, is a world-class asshole. 

Thomas belittles Molly’s baking talents and even cruelly makes fun of her two miscarriages. Molly reaches her breaking point when she is unable to go to the baby shower of her one-time preferred suitor because “barren” women are bad luck. So she simply drops off some pastries and then hurls herself into the Thames.

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At that same moment, Stripe’s soul is guided by the Galanthi into Amalia’s body. Perhaps the creature’s reasoning was “if this woman wasn’t using her corporeal form then someone should.” It’s also not clear just how much of “Molly” remains in Amalia’s body. For now, it appears to be all Stripe/Zephyr. When Amalia confronts the Galanthi at the end of the episode, the creature does bring up some of the real Amalia’s memories. 

What is a Spore?

A spore is essentially the future jargon term for the effect that the Galanthi have on a small percentage of the population. Stripe calls Knitter a “spore” but she points out that the correct term is “empathetically enhanced.” Empathetic enhancement basically seems to mean that the Galanthi make some people just flat out better. 

Shortly after Stripe arrives in the 19th century asylum as Amalia True, she asks Dr. Cousens if anybody has been “better,” “smarter”, or “more compassionate” lately. They have not, of course, but the Galanthi’s spores have opted for a new strategy this time around.

Instead of merely making certain human beings “better” in an amorphous sense, the Galanthi’s spore has instilled in them specific powers. 

“The spores don’t affect everyone they hit. I’ve never known why. But they don’t normally cause random powers,” Amalia says.

To what end have the spores given everyone random powers? Stripe does not know yet and nor do we. 

What Does The Last Galanthi Want?

At this point, we now all understand that the last Galanthi on Earth (we think) sent Stripe back to Victorian England in a desperate gambit to save humanity. Stripe i.e. Amalia has intuited that the Galanthi wants her to gather together all of the “Touched.” To what end though?

Well, that’s what Amalia was hoping to glean from her meeting with the Galanthi, still suspended above her in a cave, at episode’s end. 

“I left my heart to come talk to you. Talk to me!” Amalia yells at the ceiling. 

The Galanthi responds with only a deep growl and then Amalia is knocked back by an unseen energy and begins to experience memories from both Stripe’s and Amalia’s lives. Tucked amid those memories are some glimpses of the future, including Lord Massey firing a rifle Amalia’s way. The vision ends with a young woman we’ve not seen before saying: “Oh Amalia. This is a long time from that little cave. This I will need you to forget.”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

It’s unclear what any of this means but Amalia does tell Penance later on that she did figure something out from the encounter, we just don’t know what yet. Perhaps it’s not for us to know right now anyway. The Galanthi may as well be God and as Molly True once said “God makes his plans so…here we are.”

The Nevers season 1 part 2 is awaiting a release date at HBO.

The post The Nevers Part 1 Finale Is The Most Surprising Hour of TV in a Long Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[donutpwns]

Journey to the Roots - Part 2

Part 1 - Part 3

How did he get himself mixed up in shit like this?

The thought was playing on repeat in his brain as he drove, sparing the occasional glance at the kid in his backseat. She’d shoved most of the trash back there to the floor to make herself more at home and, after a half day of driving and a brief pit stop for her to barf up what had to be a metric fuckton of glitter and what she claimed was the remains of ‘Stancakes’, had settled herself to sleep. Stan found himself feeling slightly bad at the sight of her curled up under the thin, hole-infested excuse for a blanket he used when he had to sleep in his car, which was more oft than not these days. He had learned to ignore how crappy it was given he basically lived in his jacket, but maybe he should think about investing in a new one.

Damn, he really was going soft.

With a sigh, he rests his cheek on his fist, elbow poking out the open window while he drives one handed and enjoys the crisp November air. It’s getting colder and colder the further north they get; he hopes the kid’s sweater is warm enough for snow given the increasing amount of slush he’s been seeing on the highway for the last six hours. Maybe he should liberate her a jacket from a store with lax security before they get there. Probably about time for him to liberate himself a new jacket too.

He can’t stop thinking about what the girl said about being his niece from the future. About Ford. About the photo of the two of them at boxing practice, his arm slung around his nerdy brother and grinning like the dope he was, that had gone into his wallet the moment he could slip it in without the kid noticing. He wasn’t sure if he believed her about everything, but he couldn’t let go of the nagging idea that if Ford was in trouble, he couldn’t just leave him. Stan still had a lot of mixed up feelings about his brother, about what had went down nearly ten years ago, but he was still family. If there was a chance that he was in trouble and Stan could help, he had to do it, right? Even if there was a large chance that Ford would just give him the boot the moment he saw him. Hell, at least he’d be in a new state then, and if Ford wasn’t in trouble, he was still probably better equipped to deal with the kid.

She’d kept talking about someone named Bill, someone that had tricked Ford and put him in danger. A half-ass conman from the sounds of it, and Stan knew a thing or two about half-ass cons. Stan could believe that Ford had been tricked; his brother might be a genius but he was dumber than even Stan when it came to people. Ford liked to think his six fingers was the whole reason he’d never made many friends when they were kids, and Stan had been fine letting him believe it, but his inability to talk to people was at least a partial factor. If he wasn’t unintentionally talking down to people, then he was believing any lie said at least halfway convincingly.

“Yoooounkle Staaaan…” the kid is yawning from the backseat, sitting up and rubbing at her eye. He’s not sure how he feels about that name, but he figures there’s no point in arguing with her about it. It’s not like it really bothers him the way being called Lee bothers him these days, that hitting too close to home, so he’d rather save his energy.

He has to actively focus on not crashing the car into the guardrail of the highway when she starts climbing over the middle console to sit in the front seat. He bites back a swear as a driver in the lane next to him honks when he cuts into the other lane before jerking the car back in line. “Geez, kid, you couldn’t stay in the back until we stop?”

“Nope! Bwop!” she drops herself into the front seat with zero grace and tugs the seatbelt around her. Stan doesn’t know how good a seatbelt works when someone is sitting cross-legged but he chooses not to comment. Safe enough for a petty cop to not pull them over, at least. Probably. He hopes. She’s brought the blanket up front with her and uses it to cover her lap before patting her stomach. “Younkle Stan, I’m hungry and you’re all out of surprise tacos.”

Right, kids needed to eat. Stan himself could do with some food as well; the kid had eaten the last of his food supply when she’d eaten the days old taco. Now that he thought about it, that might’ve had a good deal with why she barfed. Well, he needed to get them each a jacket, might as well get them some food as well. He sees the sign showing the next exit, hopefully they can find a good super store to ‘shop’ at there. “So, kid, what do you know about shoplifting?”

Mabel flashes him a metal filled grin as she shoves her sleeves up. “Nothing bigger than your sleeve! That stuff is for night theft. Also, always have a smoke bomb ready in case you get caught.”

Shit, they were related. And Stan had apparently taught her well in the future. Good job, future Stan. Stan sends a grin right back at her. “That's right, sweetheart. So, you think you're ready to be my partner in crime?” he winces when she lets out a squeal so high pitched he's pretty sure it could break a window. “Holy sh-iny new shoes! You're like a dog whistle turned human!”

Mabel’s practically vibrating in her seat. “I get to do crime with my Younkle Stan~ oh, but we can only steal things we need. Okay? Cause that way it's hafta-crime, not fun-crime. Though hafta can be fun...hmm…”

Stan takes the exit while she debates her morals, looking for the first gas station he sees. There he's able to get directions to the nearest super store, as well as the wallet of a guy too focused on a thing of rotating hot dogs to notice Stan slipping it out of his back pocket. Sucker. Stan uses the money in it to pay for his gas. How's that for a fun hafta?

Mabel has managed to flip herself in the seat, socked feet against the headrest. Stan glances to make sure her shoes are in the floorboards; they are. Stealing shoes could be a real pain so he'd rather avoid it, given they needed to get jackets and food. He takes the time to flick her forehead before moving around to climb back into the driver’s seat. “Sit up and buckle up, kid. Last thing we need is getting pulled over on our way to commit crime.” He says his usual silent ‘please start’ prayer as he turns the key and thankfully it only stalls for a second before the engine is turning over. One of these days he’s going to have to take the Stanleymobile to an actual mechanic and not just a chop shop that he’s managed to temporarily be in good standing with.

The moment they’re in the parking lot, Mabel’s got her hand in his, grinning when he shoots her a look. Her hand is so small in his, soft except for a strip of callus that goes across the inside of her fingers. He tries to ignore the squirming in his feeling in his gut that drives him to give her hand a small squeeze back as they walk in. He was going so soft.

The jackets are simple enough; Mabel picks a neon pink thing filled with feathers that poke out once Stan has removed the little anti-theft tag with the help of a pocket knife while pretending to check the size tag. He rips the plastic price tag off the sleeve and gives the girl a little sleight of hand show of making it disappear that has her staring wide eyed. For himself he finds a simple dark red zip up not dissimilar to his usual one that he left in the car. A twirl of the knife and he’s got two anti-theft tags now which he slips into the pocket of a jacket still on the rack along with the price tags.

“Now we just need some food and we’ll be good to go.” He fiddles with the zipper of his new jacket, scratching with his nail until a bit of the paint on it chips away. “What do kids in your time eat?”

“Sugar!” she yells it loud enough to earn them some turned heads, which Stan just flashes his best salesman smile at. She leaps up to latch herself to his arm, forcing him to lean sideways so she’s still touching the floor. This kid’ll be the death of him. “Younkle Stan! Younkle Stan! Can we have ice cream for dinner? Grunkle Ford always gets a wrinkly nose when we do it at home, not that that stops us, but he’s not here so that means judgment free ice cream! And ice cream always tastes better without judgment!”

Stan basically scrapes her off of his arm, frowning. Well, he certainly liked ice cream for dinner, but that wasn’t exactly something they could do in the car. “How about we stick with something that won’t melt once I turn the heat on. We need, like, dry food. Non-perishables.” Stan was an expert of living out of his car at this point, and that included grocery shopping.

She pouts but doesn’t really argue. He thinks she’s going to just follow along and he’s contemplating how many boxes of crackers the two of them can fit in their jackets when she lets out another loud squeal. Moses, he was going to need a hearing aid by the time he was done with her. “Flapjacks, kid, what the hell?”

“I just remembered something we really, really need to get! I’ll be right back!” before he can protest, she’s gone. How a kid running on days old taco could have so much energy he has no damn idea.

Well, while she’s gone.

He gets three boxes of crackers in the back of his jacket, trapped when he zips up the front. Two loose cans taken from a six pack of Pitt Cola fit into his hood without looking funny. In his sleeves he manages to fit six cheese stick snack packs, two packs gummy fish, a package of toffee peanuts, a tangerine, and a plastic wrapped beget that snaps in half when he bends his arm. Finally he finds himself in the ice cream aisle, glaring a challenge at individually wrapped fudgecicles.

Kids liked fudgecicles, right? It was chocolate and Mabel didn’t really strike him as a kid that was picky when it came to sweets. Hm. Maybe he could just…he opens the freezer door to grab a package.

“CHEESE IT, YOUNKLE STAN!” she’s screaming as she comes barreling down the aisle. Her new jacket is bulging with who-knows-what and there’s an overweight security guard hot on her heels. Stan has approximately half a second to process the situation before she’s running past him. He swears, stuffs the fudge bar in his pocket with one hand, and takes off after her himself.

Thankfully, his legs are much longer than hers so he catches up in five strides, even with her manic speed. He grabs her under the arms and hefts her up. Without breaking his speed, he tucks her under one arm like a football. Then he’s dodging shoppers, knocking over a display of cereal boxes in the process. “I thought you said you were good at this?!” he barks at her as he makes a beeline towards the exit and, beyond that, the parking lot.

“I’m good at everything!” her legs give a kick. “Oh! I know what I forgot!” she wiggles a bit in his hold, reaching into the front of her overloaded jacket. He doesn’t see what it is, but he feels the motion of her winding up her arm. “MABLE BOMB! BWOMP!”

Behind him, he hears a scream followed by frantic coughing and the sound of someone falling. He chances a look back; the laugh is out before he can even think about it. The guard is on the ground, frantically trying to scrape bright blue glitter off his face. It’s not a smoke bomb but it’ll do. A nice personal touch to the crime. Stan finds himself feeling oddly proud.

He throws Mabel feet first into the front seat and slams the door behind her. He slides across the hood of the car, Dukes style, and maybe he’s actively trying to look cool because his heart swells when he hears the kid cheer from inside the car. This time the car starts on the first turn, no prayer needed, and the tires squeal on the wet asphalt as they tear out of the parking lot. He’s 80% sure no one was chasing them but Moses is his heart racing and his cheeks ache from grinning.

“Holy shit, kid! Did you seriously throw glitter at that guy?” he’s laughing as he asks it, looking back and forth from her to the road as he tries to get them back to the highway. He’s got one hand on the steering wheel, the other emptying his sleeves and pockets of the food he’d gotten, tossing them to land on the floorboards in front of her seat. “What did you even steal?”

The girl’s hair is a mess, sticking in all directions and clinging to her cheeks. She’s got glitter all over her right hand and the front of her new jacket; that is never going to get out of his car, he can already tell. “I procured the most important stuff ever!” she unzips her jacket and a waterfall of yarn, and at least five jars of glitter, falls out. From one sleeve she produces two long, metal knitting needles, the other a cheap disposable camera. “Now I can make us sweaters and memories!”

Stan can’t believe this kid; he steals food and she steals craft supplies. He reaches over to muss her hair, “You stupid knucklehead.” He shakes his head, smile unwilling to fade. He fishes the fudgebar, now smooshed and half-melted, out of his pocket to drop it in her lap. “You’re not half-bad, sweetheart. That was the most fun hafta-crime I’ve had in a while.”

She just keeps grinning at him and his heart just keeps swelling.

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

Nearly twelve hours later, Ford can confirm that Dipper isn’t lying. He’s performed the possession detection ritual which revealed faint traces of Bill but nothing recent enough to have a current effect.  He ran blood tests, both the standard DNA testing as well as the less standard hot coil test, which concluded that the boy was in fact related to him and not some sort of shape shifting thing. To be honest, he’d truly started believing that the kid was related to him as soon as he’d pulled out the needle to draw the blood. The boy had turned white as a sheet and Ford would swear the boy had tears in his eyes as he tried to play brave. It was so much like Stan when they were kids…

There was also the mark on the boy’s forehead; a mark of the peculiar. Ford had found himself tapping each of his fingers to his thumb while thinking about it. One-two-three-four-five. Repeat. The boy was fascinating. An anomaly in so many ways. Ford wished he had access to his second journal to compare his notes from the time anomaly from three years ago; oh what he wouldn’t give for the time measuring device him and Fiddleford had put together, but it had been dropped in the Bottomless Pit during their encounter with the Timeless MantaLemur. He’d had dived in after it if not for Fiddleford. Of all the things the Pit had decided to keep.

The boy was asleep now, nervous as that made Ford, clearly exhausted from the ordeal. Traveling through time was a lot to process, despite the boy’s claims of having done so before. Ford had many questions about this ‘time baby’ that Dipper spoke of but they would have to wait. All of the questions he had for Dipper would have to wait; questions about his experiences in Gravity Falls, about the Mabel he kept going on about, about why Stan had the two children.

It seemed almost like a sign, the boy appearing with knowledge of his brother when Ford has been debating reaching out to Stan for the near month since the Incident. A month since the photo of two foolish little boys standing with a broken down boat had gone from being hidden in his desk drawer to burning a hole in his wallet while he continually argued with himself the idea of reaching out to Stanley. The idea of having his brother take the journal and sail as far away as possible with it, of hiding it away where no one could find it. If Dipper knew Stan and Gravity Falls, did that mean he never reaches out to his brother to take the journal away? Or does he, and Stan fails to follow such a simple, important request? What effect will Dipper being here have on choices already made? Were they already living in a paradox or was everything happening as it was meant to? Had their timeline split into another one of a million possible versions of every moment? Oh how Ford wished he didn’t have to worry about Bill; a mystery like his time traveling great nephew was great enough to fuel his studies and work for years.

But he did have to worry about Bill and now a child on top of that. Dipper had said he’d faced off with Bill before, in his time, which means Ford had failed in that timeline to destroy the demonic triangle. It’s almost enough to make him feel like giving up, knowing that thirty years from now Bill will still be a menace to not just him but also his family. No, infinite timelines, infinite possibilities. So what if another version of himself had failed? That simply meant that this version of himself had to work harder than that version so that he could succeed. And wasn’t that an interesting thought; rivaling himself in work ethic and effort.

He’s not aware of the fact that he’s pacing until he’s drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening down the hall. He looks around; he seems to have made his way to the kitchen for some reason. He’s trying to puzzle out exactly why when Dipper comes in, wrapped in the blanket Ford had covered him with after he’d put him in the spare room to sleep. The couch in there was mostly free of the clutter that had taken over the rest of his house and, once he’d rolled up the electron carpet and stuffed it in the corner of the room, the room was safe enough for a child to sleep.

The boy had left the hat in the room apparently; Ford made a note to take a closer look at the thing later, the symbol on it has been nagging at his mind. Things for later. “Ah, Dipper, good to see you’re awake.” He grabs the boy’s chin to lift his face up, studying his eyes. No slits, no yellow. Good. Can’t be too careful. “I trust you, uh, slept well?”

Dipper nods, another yawn escaping him as he wraps the blanket a little tighter around him. Ford had placed a space heater in the room for Dipper to sleep, but the rest of his house was still pretty cold. It seems he had been neglecting his gas bill for some time. “Yeah. Uh, Great Uncle Ford? I’m…kinda hungry. Do you…have food?” he peers around Ford towards the sink.

Ford follows his stare to the dishes that fill his sink and cover every inch of the counter not taken up by more of his books. “Right. Food.” Now that he thinks about it, he’s not sure when the last time he had something in his stomach other than coffee and even that supply was beginning to run low. Fiddleford had handled the shopping once he’d showed up, same as when they’d been in college. He takes a few steps over to look in the fridge before quickly slamming it shut again. He’s pretty sure there wasn’t that much green or fuzz last time he checked. “I…may be running low on certain supplies.”

To his surprise, Dipper laughs. He gives the boy a bemused smile; what was funny about this situation? Dipper’s cheeks go ruddy when he seems to realize he was laughing and he clears his throat. “S-sorry. Just remembering something Grunkle Stan—it doesn’t matter. I’m not that hungry, we can get food later.” Then he looks up at Ford and Ford would swear that there were actual stars in the boy’s eyes. It makes him a little uncomfortable the number of times he’s caught Dipper looking at him like that, like he’s the boy’s hero. “So, what’s the plan, Great Uncle Ford? I have lots of theories about how I got here and what we can do to get me back home. I’m sure if we both work together—”

“Whoa, easy there, boy.” He holds up a hand to silence the boy. He takes a moment to consider the last twelve hours. The tests, the questions, the sound of Dipper retching in the bathroom after the blood test. Ford has to check his watch; it’s approaching five in the morning. Dipper had mentioned eating breakfast before he was sent back in time and though it was clear that he didn’t come through at an equal time of day, it had still had been too many hours since he’d eaten. As eager as he is to get back to work, he was still responsible for the boy. He remembers how much he’d witnessed Fiddleford’s son put away the weekend he’d come to visit and Fiddleford had insisted Ford meet his family. Growing boy and all that nonsense. “Let’s get something in you before I get to work on fixing things.”

Dipper’s entire form seems to deflate, disappointment marring his face.

Ford clears his throat, scratching at the back of his neck. “And, uh, you can help me? You said you were studying my work in the future, right?”

“Oh, yes! I’ve read the third journal front to back a gazillion times! And the other two, but I haven’t got to read them as much since you didn’t—well, after the unicorn thing you let Mabel and me see them but we were working on the barrier and so I didn’t have that much time to read them more than four times each so—”

“Unicorns? Wait, you guys were able to get the unicorn hair for the barrier?” Ford is sincerely impressed. Dealing with unicorns was one of the most frustrating things he’d had to do since he came to Gravity Falls. He still remembers the echoing voice NOT PURE OF HEEEEEEAAAAART before he was booted out of the clearing with his boots in hand.

Dipper’s face splits into a wide grin, “Oh, yeah! Well, Mabel did.” He smacks his open palm with a fist. “Hair, blood, eyelashes; she even got a load of treasure for Grunkle Stan.”

Treasure hunting! He can still hear the chant of excited little boys, skin made bright red by the sun. It brings a small smile to his face to think that they got some treasure in the end. Then he remembers it's Stan they're talking about and the smile curdles. The boy is bringing out the nostalgic in him which is counter productive to what needs to be done.

“Well, it's good to know you children are safe in the future, and capable it seems. Now, since I seem to be rather…low on supplies, what say you and I take a very quick trip into town to restock?” that wouldn't be too hard; he could just give Dipper the money and wait in the car. The idea of being around people had his fingers tapping and his brain itching. But he had an assistant again! Someone else to handle all the prickly social situations life seemed to demand as well as assist in research. The boy still made him nervous, Ford wouldn't stop checking his eyes for a good while, but if he was forced to be responsible for him and the boy was eager to be of assistance then he might as well get some use out of the boy.

Dipper nodded happily; just as Ford thought, happy to help. “Of course! Oh, we could go to the diner! Wait, is the diner open? I don't know how long it's been a thing…”

“I...don’t know.” was there a diner in town? Maybe, Ford wasn't sure. He remembered the pizza place where Tate had eaten two large Supremes without pausing for breath. It still rankled him that Fiddleford had refused to let him study the child as an anomaly. He swore he had more stomachs than the mutated cow in his book. “I was thinking we could just run to the grocery store?”

“Yes! Then we can get back to work quicker!” Dipper grins but it falters a second later. He clears his throat and averts his eyes. “Do you, uh…wanna get ready before we go?” his face is pinched with nerves. “...maybe shower?” he says it in such a small voice that Ford almost doesn't hear it.

But he does and it has blood filling his face and heating his neck. When was the last time he'd showered? Now that he's thinking about it, he can practically feel the filth sticking to his skin. A touch to his cheek feels like he's a few days from an actual beard and he could likely fill a lamp with the oil in his hair. Okay. He was completely disgusting.

Twenty minutes and one cold shower later, Ford is much less gross as they make their way to the car. He’ll admit that the water felt nice on his lingering bruises as well. Dipper has been draped in one of Ford's old sweaters from college and, while smaller in the shoulders and chest than what Ford wears now, still hangs to the boy's knees and the sleeves have to be folded several times before it stops at his hands. He's still got the blanket around him as well. Ford will need to see about getting him some pants; those shorts were not good for this snow.

The drive to town is slow but uneventful. Once they reach the town, Dipper is basically rotating in his seat trying to look at everything, muttering about things that have changed and what has not. Ford finds it easy enough to ignore.

He starts to give Dipper his wallet before remembering the photo and instead giving him a handful of bills from inside. He watches the boy produce a notebook and pen from...somewhere. Huh. They go over the few essentials they need: milk, bread, maybe eggs for protein. Then Dipper is running into the store and Ford is once more alone with his thoughts.

It’s harder to block out the whispers without anything to focus on, so he tries to force himself to run through the Kaplansky’s conjecture, trying to find the flaw in why it hasn’t been solved. Chasing down numbers in his head as opposed to thoughts of emotions or certain geometrical shapes helps calm his anxiety with being out of his house. He was just a guy sitting in his car outside of the grocery store. No one was going to spare him a second glance, no one knew who he was. Numbers, numbers, numbers.

He’s so engrossed in the numbers and not thinking about triangles or eyes on him, that he fails to notice the two figures approaching his car until one taps on his window, startling a yelp out of him and having him reach for the knife he has stashed under the driver’s seat. Then he sees who it is and his eyes narrow. It takes a moment for him to crank the window down. “Dipper, why did you bring him here?”

Dipper looks nervous again, but Fiddleford just looks annoyed despite the obvious tremble in his hands and jaw that Ford suspects isn’t all to do with the cold. “Nice to see you too, Stanford.”

\lsdqformat1 \����*<

[lennyisdyeing]

Ink (Pt 1) (klangst)

I was having a great day. now, I’m not. thus, langst.

WARNING: contains self-harm and suicidal thoughts such- if you are suicidal, it’s probably in your best interest to not read this, but who am I to say shit considering I’m suicidal and writing this.

you’ve been warned

“troubled” boarding school au (if I’m being honest this is a painfully cliche au, but fret not, I’m planning a sexy teacher/professor fic)

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...

“Hey, Pidge.”

“Mm, hi Lance,” the blond murmured back tiredly, her eyes not even leaving her computer screen.

Lance stood there patiently at the head of the younger girls bed. After a few minutes of not acknowledging his existence and tapping away at her keyboard, Pidge paused and dropped her hands, resting them in her lap.

Finally turning to Lance, she found a wreck. Hair that was always straightened to perfection, lay a bird’s nest with his natural curls. His face, marked by his crystallized tears and dark bags under his eyes, contorted as he pleaded with the girl.

Pidge set aside her computer, already knowing what was to come.

To the young Holt, this was a normal sight. “Where are your markers, Lance?” She asked him while reaching out to the damaged boy, beckoning him into her arms. 

Immediately, the boy’s composure broke, and his face ran with tears. He collapses onto Pidge’s bed, then into her arms. She whispers sweet nothings into his hair and pets it, doing her best to try to calm him, even as she knew it wouldn’t work. Nothing ever does.

Pidge finds it in herself to wonder what provoked Lance into having a fit tonight- wait, no, this morning. She shrugged and wiggled a bit so she was laying next to Lance, his face in the crook of her neck. Pidge can already feel the tears staining her t-shirt, and the gravity of the situation almost makes her want to cry, too.

She knew she can’t though. Because she had to stay strong, for Lance.

Now, you may be wondering, why did Lance go to Pidge instead of Hunk, or Shiro, even? 

And there’s only one answer to that heavy question, which is, although they go to a boarding school now, the two used to be next door neighbors. So, even though Hunk’s his roommate, and Shiro was probably more than willing to help Lance, he knew that Pidge, who is at the other end of the school, opposite entirely of where Lance’s dorm is, would be up, and she would know how to comfort and hold him.

She would know how to make him feel better. 

She knew how long his panic attacks usually were, she knew when to leave him alone and when to cuddle him. When to ignore him so he can simply enjoy her presence, and when to drop everything and tell him everything was going to be okay.

When Lance had finally fallen asleep, Pidge quietly slipped away from under him and cleaned him up. 

While wetting a paper towel, Pidge thanks no one in particular that she was blessed with a single room.

She dries his tears, then checks his wrists, his thighs. It sounds weird, but Lance knows she had to check. Thankfully, they’re clean, aside from the old scars that riddled the tanned skin. Carefully, the girl brushed the knots out of his hair with her hands as he lie in her lap again. 

A content sigh left the sleeping boy’s lips, and Pidge knew he’d be okay.

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...

The following morning, Lance woke up first. He found Pidge sitting up, her hand resting on his head which rested on her legs. 

He looked out the window, and found the sun rising steadily, more and more light spilling onto her carpet through the blinds. The tired boy glanced to the digital clock that rested on Pidge’s night stand which read 6:47. 

School started at 7:50, meaning if Lance wanted to get his morning routine done on time, he’d need to leave now.

He was extremely reluctant to leave for some reason, as if he knew he wouldn’t be alright if he left. But with the amount of sleep Pidge usually get -trust me, Lance knew- he decided against waking her.

He pressed a soft kiss to his friend’s forehead before heading out the window from which he entered last night. After closing it as quietly as possible, he ran across the yard. After all, if he got caught by one of the professors, he’d get detention.

Lance arrives in his dorm flawlessly -except for that one time that he tripped over his own feet and ate shit, but this is a langst story, so we’re gonna ignore that- and without waking Hunk. 

But now, Lance is kind of wishing he did because as soon as he’s composed and aware, memories of what happened last night begin coming back to him and suddenly he’s on the floor, his breaths coming out heavy and his head swimming. 

He lay there on his side gasping for breath for about fifteen minutes, each second seeming longer and longer. By the time he was done, he was a sobbing, coughing mess. 

The worst part was that he was alone, and he didn’t have his markers. “M-Markers, mar-rkers,” he cried in a small voice, crawling slowly to a box under his bed. 

It was most definitely not filled with markers.

He grabbed at the box with shaking hands, knowing in his mind that he was doomed if somebody didn’t help him. But nobody did. He was completely alone, and in Lance’s eyes, completely useless. 

The shaking teen finally caught hold of the box which he placed on his lap. The latch clattered with the trembling of his hands. 

The sun glinted off the objects inside when it was finally open, giving off a bittersweet vibe if you knew what these objects, shining so brightly, were actually used for.

There, lying neatly in rows and columns, sat an array and variation of knives and razors, all with one purpose. For Lance to do himself harm.

With a smile as bittersweet at the shining on the knives, Lance selected one at random, and checked its sharpness. 

His inner demons battled as he prepared to relapse, don’t do it! You’ve been clean for nearly three months! 

What the fuck else am I supposed to do? Lance countered at himself. I’m useless, to both myself and my friends. I might as well just do them a favor and leave. 

With that reasoning in mind, Lance made the first cut. As the first one, it was very shallow, and with a scoff, he told himself, you can do better, you wimp. You say you want to relieve your friends of the burden that is you and yet, you can barely pierce the skin. Coward.

The Cuban sneered at the thought and made a second cut, this one cutting deeper, longer. He dragged it into his skin, blood spilling out and falling in drops to the floor. It brought him relief.

The world stopped, and it was just Lance and his razor. This object that could only bring him darkness and anguish. 

Lance stared at his bloodied wrist before going to make a third cut, only to be stopped by a hand three times the size of his own. He shifted his stare to the hand which restrained him. 

He glared at said hand before looking at its owner. Hunk. Suddenly, the world started again, and in a moment, Lance was hearing, seeing, feeling everything. He could hear Hunk’s alarm clock going off, the birds in the distance. He could see his friend’s eyes widen, he could see his razor falling to the floor. And he finally, finally, could feel the cuts he’d made on his wrist, his snot and tears falling at a faster pace.

He was going into sensory overload. 

Lance curled up into himself and screamed. Suddenly he could hear voices everywhere, even when he covered his ears, and he could pick out Hunk’s voice out of the dozens attacking his mind, frantic, trying to help his poor friend.

But it was no use. The young teen was drowning in his own pain, not physical of course. These lacerations were nothing. No, Lance was sinking into mental pain, his mind attacking itself and tearing him apart, piece by piece.

Lance heard even more voices and looked up to find the school nurse with a syringe in hand. The boy scattered back against the wall and held up his hands to keep that syringe away from him. 

The nurse easily maneuvered around Lance’s flailing limbs and injected the liquid in to his neck, and the last things he saw were Hunk’s sorry eyes, and his blood staining the hardwood floors.

...

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...

I tried fitting all of it into one post but I’m not even halfway done so this is going to be a series I guess? -among many- 

Enjoy this hopefully relatable langst fic

(Pls comment!!! I love seeing what you guys think about my writing! -constructive criticism would be cool too-)

Thanks for reading!